Iran

They Found Grandpa Lemuel

I mean, Grandpa Lemur. 🙄

The search for a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom has taken 200 years – but it was presented to the world today at a special news conference in New York.

The discovery of the 95%-complete ‘lemur monkey’ – dubbed Ida – is described by experts as the “eighth wonder of the world”.

Oh. I got the name wrong. Sorry about that, Grandma Ida.

They say its impact on the world of palaeontology will be “somewhat like an asteroid falling down to Earth”.

Researchers say proof of this transitional species finally confirms Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and the then radical, outlandish ideas he came up with during his time aboard the Beagle.

I thought ole Piltdown was the “finally confirms” they’ve been hunting.

Sir David Attenborough said Darwin “would have been thrilled” to have seen the fossil – and says it tells us who we are and where we came from.

First of all, I thought I’d heard/read information that Darwin actually would have been dismayed. Maybe that’s just an urban legend sprung forth by an overzealous right wing (different, non-simian branch of the evolutionary tree apparently) conspiracy.

Secondly, if a monkey tells us who we are, what are?

Thirdly, and most importantly perhaps, where are we going?

Anyway, if you want to learn more about this Would Have Been Thrilled news (and it may be a good idea), here you go: Missing Link: Scientists In New York Unveil Fossil Of Lemur Monkey Hailed As Man’s Earliest Ancestor

Meanwhile, in other monkey business that should weigh more heavily on your mind than Grandpa Lemur-el Grandma Ida:

Good day?

Tightening Screws

Iran: Screws Tighten on Christians in Government Crackdown

The threatening environment facing Christians in Iran continues to worsen. That’s saying something, considering Christians there have faced incredibly hostile responses for a long time.

[…]

Open Doors tracks the hatred and distrust of Christianity internationally, assigning rankings to the most dangerous spots for Christians to practice their faith. For the past seven years Iran ranked third behind No. 2 Saudi Arabia and No. 1 North Korea. In January, Iran moved into a tie for second with Saudi Arabia.

[…]

The government is reacting to the growth by expanding the powers of Parliament to effectively persecute Christians. Currently, anyone charged with apostasy goes before a court, where the judge rules on a case-by-case basis. The penalty might be hard labor or prison or simply a fine.

If the recent bill becomes law, however, it would create a new penal code by which conservative Muslim clerics would make the final decision on each case of apostasy. Any Iranian man found guilty would be put to death, while women would receive life imprisonment.

Hat Tip: International Christian Concern

A Hinge of History

Israel’s former (and now, newest) prime minister said that in reference to Iran.

“A hinge of history” — that’s got a poetic gong to it.

I don’t know what kind of knell this has, though: “the entire world should start worrying.”

Netanyahu said that as well. In reference to Iran also.

Netanyahu: US must end Iran nuke drive, or Israel may attack

The primary imperative for the United States and President Barack Obama is to put an end to Iran’s nuclear race, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said before his swearing-in Tuesday, adding that if the US failed to do so Israel might be forced to resort to a military strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear installations.

[…]

The Iranian drive for a nuclear weapon was a “hinge of history,” he said, emphasizing that all of “Western civilization” was responsible for preventing an Iranian bomb.

“You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs,” Netanyahu said of the Iranian regime. “When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

OK, so Israel has made these threats before.

But a new day may be dawning in this mess as Netanyahu takes power. Let’s hope it isn’t a new day brought forth by flashing man-made light brighter than our sun.

I suppose those who see a neocon behind every bush have much more to worry about now. And maybe neo-conservatives should be feared as well as imagined. I don’t pretend to know. I inform; you decide. 🙂

Heads Up

So…what’s in the headlines this morning?

An Urgent Message from David Wilkerson

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

More Americans say they have no religion

A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out o of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.

Wikipedia scrubs Obama eligibility

Wikipedia, the online “free encyclopedia” mega-site written and edited entirely by its users, has been deleting within minutes any mention of eligibility issues surrounding Barack Obama’s presidency, with administrators kicking off anyone who writes about the subject….

World Bank offers dire forecast for world economy

In a bleaker assessment than those of most private forecasters, the World Bank predicted Sunday that the global economy would shrink in 2009 for the first time since World War II.

China’s Navy expansion “no threat to others”

China’s plans to add aircraft carriers to its fleet and an historic long-distance mission by its navy are aimed only at protecting the country and its trade interests….

“Iran crossed nuclear tech threshold”

In a chilling indication that Iran’s arms program is advancing steadily, Israel acknowledged for the first time that Teheran had mastered the technology to make a nuclear bomb on the same day that the Iranians announced they had successfully tested a new air-to-surface missile.

Syria: Peace With Israel Possible

Syria President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Monday that a peace deal with Israel was possible but that normal relations would only be possible if Israel ended its conflict with the Palestinians.

There. I don’t know how long that took. But it was quite a while. It would have been faster, but I did it between other computer and online projects. It’s much more efficient for me that way.

Now, make it a good day.

Is Israel Gearing Up?

Here’s a bedtime story for you:

Iran holds enough uranium for bomb

Iran has built up a stockpile of enough enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb, United Nations officials acknowledged on Thursday.

In a development that comes as the Obama administration is drawing up its policy on negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme, UN officials said Iran had produced more nuclear material than previously thought.

One nuke, eh?

If the UN was wrong before, is it still wrong?

And more importantly, what’s Israel going to do about it?

(And what do you propose to do about it?)

Christians in the News

Got you curious who will be featured here?

Almost certainly not the ones you might expect, I suspect. 🙂

IRAN: Two released; one missing

Two of the Christians who were held in custody have been released on bail and guarantee but there is no news of whereabouts of the third.

The Farsi Christian News Network reports that after the arrest of the 3 Christians by the security forces in Tehran on 21st January, and the general concern on their safety, Mrs. Nadere Javadi was released after 2 weeks of imprisonment in Evin Prison . there was no charge and no explanation as to the reason of her arrest by the security forces. She was released on bail, having left house documents as guarantee.

Also, Hamik Khachiki, another Christian leader from the Central Assemblies of God church in Tehran, who was also arrested on 21st January, was released after one week of being in custody. Another member of church leadership had to guarantee for him.

For the last two weeks, despite all efforts and enquiry, there has been no success in finding out the location and the condition of Jamal Ghalishourani, a Farsi speaking Christian, who was also arrested on the same date as the above.

Read it all

Above all, love God!