IRAN: DISCOVERY WILL COLLAPSE CHRISTIANITY (WND)

Says Turkish 'Bible' has Barnabas forecasting Muhammad's coming

By Reza Kahlili
WND
May 23, 2012

Iran’s Basij Press is claiming a purported Gospel of Barnabas, discovered in 2000, will prove that Islam is the final and righteous religion, causing the collapse worldwide of Christianity.

Barnabas Bible. Credit: WND

Turkey confiscated the text, written on animal hide, in an anti-smuggling operation. Turkish authorities believe it could be an authentic version of the Gospel of Barnabas by the apostle known for his travels with the apostle Paul.

Basij Press contends the text was written in the 5th or 6th century and predicts the coming of Muhammad and the religion of Islam.

The Christian world, it says, denies the existence of such a gospel.

Another known “Barnabas Gospel” dates to the late 16th century, which would post-date Muhammad.

In the Barnabas text held by Turkey, chapter 41 states: “God has hidden himself as Archangel Michael ran them (Adam and Eve) out of heaven, (and) when Adam turned, he noticed that at top of the gateway to heaven, it was written ‘La elah ela Allah, Mohamad rasool Allah,’” meaning Allah is the only God and Muhammad his prophet.

The Turkish army has taken possession of the text because the “Zionists” and the governments of the West are trying to suppress its contents, Basij Press claims.

According to the Barnabas Gospel in Turkey’s hands, Basij Press says, Jesus was never crucified, He’s not the Son of God and He, Himself, predicts the coming of Muhammad. The book even predicts the coming of the last Islamic messiah, the report says.

“The discovery of the original Barnabas Bible will now undermine the Christian Church and its authority and will revolutionize the religion in the world,” the Basij report says. “The most significant fact, though, is that this Bible has predicted the coming of Prophet Mohammad and in itself has verified the religion of Islam, and this alone will unbalance the powers of the world and create instability in the Christian world.”

The Basij report concludes that the discovery is so immense, it will affect world politics, and that the world powers have become aware of its impact.

Turkey plans to put the Bible on public display. Though Turkish authorities believe it could be an authentic version of the Gospel of Barnabas, others believe it only goes back to the 16th century and is a fake because it would have been written centuries after Muhammad’s life.

Erick Stakelbeck, host of the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “Stakelbeck on Terror” show and a close observer of Iranian affairs, said Iran is highlighting the book because it sees Christianity as a threat.

“The Iranian regime is committed to stamping out Christianity by any means necessary, whether that means executing Christian converts, burning Bibles or raiding underground churches,” he explained.

“In promoting the so-called Barnabas Bible – which was likely written sometime in the 16th century and is not accepted by any mainstream Christian denomination – the regime is once again attempting to discredit the Christian faith. Record numbers of young Iranians are leaving Islam and embracing Christ, and the mullahs see Christianity as a growing threat to their authority.”

The Vatican has requested to see the text, but it is unknown if Turkey has provided access.

Iranian ayatollahs regularly declared that Islam is the last and only righteous religion sent by God.

Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, in a recent statement, proclaimed that since the Quran was the last holy book and provides the most complete religion to the world, and Muhammad the last prophet, there is no authority to abide by other books. The Quran clearly indicates that only those who have accepted the true religion of Islam are the guided ones, he said.

As reported recently, a former intelligence officer in the Revolutionary Guards revealed that tens of thousands of Bibles were confiscated and burned in Iran under the order of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The mullah said the Bible is not a holy book and its burning is morally acceptable.

Khamenei said: “In light of the realization of the divine promise by almighty Allah, the Zionists and the Great Satan (America) will soon be defeated. Allah’s promise will be delivered and Islam will be victorious.”

Reza Kahlili translated this Iranian video about Islamic prophecies of a coming messiah and the destruction of Israel:

Israel confirms 'Free Syrian Army' has penetrated Assad`s inner circle...regime collapse on the verge?

Syrian rebels tried to kill Assad's top aides, Israeli officials confirm
Information shows that Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, and several other senior officials were indeed poisoned, just as the Free Syrian Army claims.

By Barak Ravid
HAARETZ
May 25, 2012

A member of the Free Syrian Army holds a burning portrait of embattled President Bashar al-Assad in Al-Qsair, 25kms southwest of the flashpoint city Homs, on January 25, 2012. Photo credit: Alessio Romenzi/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel has reliable information showing that despite Syria's official denials, an attempt was made to assassinate several top regime officials four days ago, senior Israeli officials said on Thursday.

The information shows that Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, and several other senior officials were indeed poisoned, just as the Free Syrian Army claims. But prompt medical treatment saved their lives.

Israel views this as an important milestone in the ongoing revolution: It shows the opposition has penetrated Assad's inner circle, casting doubt on the regime's stability.

"The Syrian revolt is no longer in faraway cities; it's reached the leaders of the regime," one senior Israeli official said. "An assassination on a similar scale in the future could accelerate the regime's collapse. The opposition has the tools to reach the heads of Assad's regime, and in this case, it's been proven."

The Israeli officials, who are well-briefed on intelligence from Syria, said the poisoning was carried out by the Free Syrian Army's Al-Sahaba battalion. The targets, aside from Shawkat, were Defense Minister Daoud Rajha; Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar; Hassan Turkmani, an aide to the vice president; national security chief Hisham Bakhtiar; and Mohammed Said Bakhtian, national secretary of the Baath Party.

On May 20, the Free Syrian Army announced that an assassination attempt had been carried out the previous evening by Bakhtian's bodyguard, who was recruited into the Syrian opposition. The bodyguard, it said, poisoned the food served to senior regime officials during a meeting of the "crisis management cell," charged with managing the ongoing fighting in Syria. As a result, the announcement added, the officials were rushed to the hospital during the meeting.

In response to this announcement, some of those who attended the meeting either made rare appearances on Syrian television or phoned the studio during a live broadcast to prove they were still alive.

Al-Shaar denied that the attempted assassination ever took place. "I'm calling you right now from my office," he said during a live television broadcast. Turkmeni also phoned the studio.

But other senior officials who attended the meeting have not been seen publicly since that day.

A senior Israeli official said the information obtained indicates that the food at the meeting really was poisoned. "All those who ate the food were rushed to the hospital and saved at the last minute by medical attendants," he said. "The bodyguard who slipped the poison in was smuggled out of Syria."

Another Israeli official said the information published by the Syrian opposition after the incident is deemed credible by Israel. "There was an attempt to poison Shawkat and the other senior officials, but it failed, and all those who were at the meeting are still alive," he said.

View the original Titanic 1912 B&W images in full stunning color

Uploaded by DJMarioV8 on Nov 16, 2011
http://youtu.be/D96JSg7EmmY

Pleas visit:
http://www.titanic-in-color.com/

by Marcus Lehner
Colorized by Anton Logvynenko
Artist: Uriel Natero
Music: "My Heart Will Go On"
Published on Apr 9, 2012 by DJMarioV8
http://youtu.be/E-2fYl0Hv0I

Video tribute to Titanic's 100th Anniversary

by Marcus Lehner
Colorized by Anton Logvynenko

Source: National Geographic 
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Copyright Disclaimer [Rubaiat`s Blog]:
The use of incidental copyrighted material is covered under 'Fair Use' (Copyright Act, 1976) Title 17 U.S.C Section 107, with particular emphasis on such use for educational and non-profit purposes. Under Sec. 107 of the Copyright Act (1976), allowance is made for 'Fair Use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. This video and/or material may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this video and/or information is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.Fair Use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of Fair Use (Moe, AllSeeingEye). If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'Fair Use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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Remember the USS Pueblo? - the U.S. Navy ship captured by North Korea more than 40 years ago

Spy gadgets, top secret documents and bullet holes: Aboard the U.S. Navy ship captured more than 40 years ago by North Korea
DAILY MAIL
Published: April 17, 2012

Its captivity is an enduring reminder of tensions between the United States and North Korea throughout the Cold War - the bullet holes riddling its rooms a frightening memory of the lives lost.

Now, more than 40 years after its capture by North Korean forces in 1968, photographs from aboard the USS Pueblo give a haunting insight into the lives of the men who struggled to maintain its control.

Walls of gauges, switches and typing and printing devices pay tribute to its few short months as a spying ship for the U.S., before it was seized and moored on the Taedong River in Pyongyang.

Captured: USS Pueblo was seized by the North Koreans during the Cold War and is moored in Pyongyang. Credit: John Pavella/Flickr

Insight: Photos taken inside this year - 44 years after its capture - show the spying vessel's surveillance hub. Credit: Bryanh/Flickr

Remembered: The ship, which contains soldiers' clothes found on board, is now used as a museum. Credit: Rapidtravelchai/Flickr

The vessel - the only ship of the U.S. Navy currently held captive - is now open to visitors as a museum in North Korea, its unpainted walls and unswept floors capturing a fearful moment in time.

Images taken aboard show stark rooms designed to focus on their mission; communication boards stretching into every corner and lookout spots throughout the ship.

The ship was seized on January 23, 1968; the U.S. Navy claimed it was in international waters, while North Korea said it was sailing within their territory.

The Japanese visitor, who took pictures for Rocket News 24, said his guide told him as he toured the vessel: 'Even today, America continues to beg the ship to be returned.'


Spies: The ship was collecting data on Soviet naval patterns when it was chased by North Korean boats. 

 
Terror: When the ship tried to flee, it came under fire, with the scores of bullet holes still visible. Credit: Mark Fahey/Flickr and bryanh/Flickr

Remaining evidence: As they came under attack, the crew failed to destroy all sensitive material. Credit: bryanh/Flickr

The U.S. maintained it was an observation ship, while the North Koreans claimed it was a warship - a claim that could be supported by the scores of bullet holes in the ship, Rocket News reported.

According to the American account, Pueblo was on orders to intercept and conduct surveillance of Soviet ships when a North Korean sub chaser crept upon the vessel.

When it demanded the ship stand down or expect fire, the American commander attempted to move away but could not out-outmaneuver the sub chaser and growing numbers of torpedo boats.

History: After the men were snatched from the ship, they were taken to a POW camp where they were tortured. Credit: gadgetdan/Flickr

Despite expecting an imminent attack, the crew were unable to access the ship's ammunition below deck - and most were untrained in how to use the machine guns, which were wrapped in tarps.

With the North Koreans trying to board the ship, one of the sub chasers fired a cannon at the ship, killing a member of the crew. A U.S. soldier, Duane Hodges, was also killed.

Other vessels barraged the boat with bullets as the Americans tried to destroy the sensitive material - yet they only managed to ruin 'a small percentage' of documents, according to witnesses.

In demand: A tour guide told a Japanese visitor that 'American continues to beg for its return' Credit: Mark Fahey/Flickr

When the North Koreans boarded the ship, the 82 crew members were tied, blindfolded and beaten They were taken to POW camps, where some crew members were tortured before their release.

The Japanese visitor told the news site he did not trust everything the North Korean guide told him about the ship and its takeover - but admitted that might be his Japanese prejudice.
The ship has been in North Korean hands ever since and has been visited by more than 250,000 visitors since it was docked along the Taedong River.

Mars Opportunity rover wakes up from winter hibernation alongside Endeavor crater

Spring time on Mars: Nasa's Rover Opportunity wakes up from winter sleep to incredible view over misty blue Endeavour crater

By ROB WAUGH
Daily Mail
May 24, 2012

Nasa's Mars Rover Opportunity recently 'woke up' from a winter-long 'sleep' where it couldn't charge its solar panels - but even while it rested, it found time to capture a spectacular image of the 14-mile-wide Endeavour crater, the largest the robot vehicle has explored.

The Rover even 'sees itself' using its panoramic camera - Pancam - as it took the mosaic image between 4.30 and 5pm, local time on Mars.

The Rover even 'sees itself' using its panoramic camera - Pancam - as it took the mosaic image between 4.30 and 5pm, local time on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL [larger image]

Most of the component images were recorded during the 2,888th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. Opportunity had spent 19 weeks stuck in one place to 'weather out' the dark months of the Martian winter on an outcrop called Greeley Haven.

At that time, Opportunity was spending low-solar-energy weeks of the Martian winter at the Greeley Haven outcrop on the Cape York segment of Endeavour's western rim.

Opportunity has worked through four Martian southern hemisphere winters since it landed in in January 2004 about 14 miles northwest of its current location.

Closer to the equator than its twin rover, Spirit, Opportunity has not needed to stay on a sun-facing slope during the previous winters.

Now, however, Opportunity's solar panels carry a thicker coating of dust, and the team is using a strategy employed for three winters with Spirit: staying on a sun-facing slope.

A view captured by Opportunity before starting its first drive of 2012. The Rover has been 'stuck' in the same place for 19 weeks, waiting for the sun to provide enough power. Credit: NASA/JPL

In order to give the mosaic a rectangular aspect, some small parts of the edges of the mosaic and sky were filled in with parts of an image acquired earlier as part of a 360-degree panorama from the same location.

Opportunity has been studying the western rim of Endeavour Crater since arriving there in August 2011. This crater spans 14 miles , or about the same area as the city of Seattle.

This is more than 20 times wider than Victoria Crater, the largest impact crater that Opportunity had previously examined. The interior basin of Endeavour is in the upper half of this view.

The view is presented in false color to make some differences between materials easier to see, such as the dark sandy ripples and dunes on the crater's distant floor.

Russians claim US-secret op took down Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft on demonstration flight

Undercover US agents brought down our new Superjet: Russia’s extraordinary claim about crash which killed 45

• State's GRU military intelligence source says Russians are investigating theory crash was 'industrial sabotage
• Aircraft was on a demonstration flight aimed at securing lucrative orders when it slammed into a mountain killing all 45 passengers and crew
• Russian intelligence official claims US have 'special technology' capable of jamming signals from the ground or causing systems to malfunction

By WILL STEWART IN MOSCOW
Daily Mail
May 24, 2012

Spy sources in Moscow today made the astonishing claim that a US undercover operation may have sabotaged a new Russian Superjet plane that crashed in Indonesia two weeks ago.

The aircraft was on a demonstration flight aimed at securing lucrative orders when it slammed into a mountain killing all 45 passengers and crew.

'We are investigating the theory that it was industrial sabotage,' a GRU military intelligence source said.

Crash site: Wreckage of the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft shown strewn across Mount Salak, West Java province. Photo credit: Reuters

Disaster: The logo of Sukhoi Co. is clearly visible (bottom, centre) among the wreckage of the Superjet. Photo credit: AP

The extraordinary Cold War-style claim echoes high-level allegations in Moscow that the US used powerful lasers to zap a Russian Mars probe seven months ago.

Other satellite launches - there have been half a dozen failures in the last 18 months - might be the work of US sabotage, raising the spectre of a sustained campaign against its technology by American secret services, it has been argued.

A headline to a story in Russia's biggest newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda today read: 'Are the Americans implicated in the Superjet crash?'

'We know that they have special technology - that we also have - to jam signals from the ground or cause parameter readings to malfunction,' said the unnamed intelligence official, highlighting a US military presence at Jakarta Airport from where the plane took off on May 9.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is the first entirely new passenger plane unveiled by Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Mystery: The jet, pictured here in Jakarta, went missing while on a demonstration flight. Photo credit Marina Lysteva

It is designed to grab market share from Western manufacturers.

Russian officials insist investigators have established 'that there were no technical problems until the crash'.

After the Mars probe failed, Russians space chief Vladimir Popovkin warned: 'We don't want to accuse anybody, but there are very powerful devices that can influence spacecraft now.
'The possibility they were used cannot be ruled out.'

He stressed: 'The frequent failure of our space launches, which occur at a time when they are flying over the part of Earth not visible from Russia, where we do not see the spacecraft and do not receive telemetric information, are not clear to us.'

A senior navy commander also blamed the US Navy for the August 2000 Kursk nuclear submarine sinking that killed 118 seamen, since several US ships were in the vicinity of the Barents Sea exercises...

(click here to read the full article)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 2012 REPORT

Published on May 24, 2012 by AmnestyInternational
http://youtu.be/2sbAEbESTNQ


Published on May 23, 2012 by AmnestyInternational
http://youtu.be/z4CNygt1WOk


The Amnesty International Report 2012 provides a comprehensive global overview of the state of human rights worldwide. The 400-page book documents the state of human rights in 155 countries around the world during 2011. It reflects Amnesty International's work to combat human rights abuses and lays out its future agenda for tackling human rights abuses.

Amnesty.org


FAIR USE STATEMENT: This video(s) may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making this material available in an effort to advance understanding of , political, religion, human rights, economic, and social justice issues, etc

Copyright Disclaimer [Rubaiat`s Blog]:
The use of incidental copyrighted material is covered under 'Fair Use' (Copyright Act, 1976) Title 17 U.S.C Section 107, with particular emphasis on such use for educational and non-profit purposes. Under Sec. 107 of the Copyright Act (1976), allowance is made for 'Fair Use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. This video and/or material may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this video and/or information is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.Fair Use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of Fair Use (Moe, AllSeeingEye). If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'Fair Use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act-
In Aug 2008, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel of San Jose, California, ruled that copyright holders cannot order a deletion of an online file without determining whether that posting reflected "fair use" of the copyrighted material.
[View the blog`s full Fair Use Copyright Disclaimer at the end of the homepage] 

Amnesty International decries U.S. rights violations

Amnesty International lambasts US for human rights violations
Press TV
Thu May 24, 2012

Amnesty International has lambasted the United States for a number of human rights violations across the world.

In its 2012 annual report published on Wednesday, the rights group called US drone attacks in Yemen “extrajudicial executions,” Amnesty International’s website said.

Amnesty also censured US President Barack Obama’s failure to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and criticized conditions in US prisons.

The report said that at the end of 2011, almost two years after Obama’s deadline to close the detention center, “171 men were still held at the base, including four who had been convicted by military commission.”

In addition, Amnesty criticized Washington for its “use of lethal force” for the “unlawful” killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011.

“The US administration made clear that the operation had been conducted under the USA’s theory of a global armed conflict between the USA and al-Qaeda in which the USA does not recognize the applicability of international human rights law. In the absence of further clarification from the US authorities, the killing of Osama Bin Laden would appear to have been unlawful,” it said.

The rights group also condemned human rights violations committed under the administration of former US President George W. Bush, including CIA’s “secret detention and rendition”, which is a process of transferring “individuals from the custody of one state to another by means that bypass judicial and administrative due process”, and condemned the impunity with which Bush-era officials operated.

MHB/GJH/AS/HN

Image credit: Press TV

The reality of life - Achieving the good things & the bad is "how the whole scheme of things work"

It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.

~ Rene Descartes

Photo credit: Wikipedia.org

Russia test fires AMD-piercing strategic missile (RT)

RT NEWS
Published: 23 May, 2012

Yars ICBM launch. The new secret missile improves its 

design. Photo credit: RIA Novosti

The Russian military have successfully launched a top secret advanced intercontinental ballistic missile. It is designed to counter the American antimissile shield currently being deployed in several regions.

The new weapon is an advanced version of the Topol-M and Yars missiles, already deployed by the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. The experiment was boosted off from the Plesetsk launch site in north-western Russia’s Arkhangelsk region on Wednesday. It delivered its test block to the Kura target range in Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East.

The main purpose of the launch was to confirm feasibility of the design approaches incorporated into the missile, spokesman for the Forces Colonel Vadim Koval told journalists.
The successful test comes after a failed launch of the prototype on September 27, 2011. At the time the missile’s first-stage engine reportedly failed, which resulted in it dropping some 10 kilometers from the launch pad.

The medium-weight ICBM is “one of the military-technical measures, which Russia’s military-political leadership is taking in response to the deployment of a global antimissile defense system by the Americans,” says retired Col.-General Viktor Yesin.

The new missile may be ready for service “soon” and would boost Russia’s nuclear deterrence “in the uncertain situation”, the former head the Strategic Missile Forces’ General Staff told Interfax news agency.

According to military sources, the upgraded design behind the new weapon focused on its fuel formula. The solid propellant has been improved and allows for a faster boost, shortening the initial phase of the flight. During the boosting phase the missile is relatively slow and predictable, which makes it more vulnerable to anti-missiles.

Little detail about the new ICBM has been revealed. Unofficially dubbed Avangard, it is expected to have a MIRV-ed warhead with improved maneuvering and targeting capabilities of the vehicles. Some reports say that rather than having a traditional “bus” delivering each warhead to its target, designers chose to equip them with individual engines. This would allow active maneuvering on the descent phase.

Silo-based and mobile launcher-mounted versions of the missile are currently in development.