Bob Thiel's Blog, page 1123

Antisemitism has caused Jewish immigration from Western Europe to Israel to hit an all-time high

Anti-Semitic graffiti in Europe COGwriter The rising antisemitism in Europe is causing many Jews to leave: January 14, 2016 Jewish immigration to Israel from western Europe has reached an all-time high as a result of a rise in anti-Semitic attacks, a leading nonprofit group said Thursday. The Jewish Agency, which works closely with the Israeli [...]

BBC: ‘Why people get more stupid in a crowd’

Flash Mob Pillow Fight COGwriter BBC had a headline today that got my attention: 14 January 2016 Why people get more stupid in a crowd The “wisdom of crowds” doesn’t always apply – sometimes group-think nudges people to make wrong-headed decisions. The downstairs room of a central London pub is not where most psychologists would [...]

Islamic and Catholic authors on Valentine’s Day

COGwriter February 14th is often celebrated as Valentine’s Day. Should you celebrate it? Christians who may be tempted to compromise need to ask themselves about the origins of Valentine’s Day. Notice what the Roman Catholics teach: The roots of St. Valentine’s Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. [...]

Time: ‘Why You Can Get So Many Diseases from Mosquitoes’

Aedes Mosquito (Muhammad Mahdi Karim) COGwriter With some having concerns about the spread of the Zika virus as well as the Chikungunya virus, Time reported the following: January 13, 2016 Why You Can Get So Many Diseases from Mosquitoes. Zika virus, the latest mosquito-borne virus to hit the United States, joins a long list of [...]

2016: Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse

COGwriter Last night, US President Barack Obama gave his last scheduled ‘State of the Union’ address.  He tried to be optimistic and pushed what he considered his accomplishments.  Here is some of what he said: Our unique strengths as a nation – our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery and innovation, our diversity [...]

Do more Americans believe in Jesus or UFOs?

COGwriter Many Protestants have historically believed that the USA is a “Christian” nation. And while many do claim to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, notice a report that even more seem to believe in aliens: According to a National Geographic survey, 77 percent of all Americans “believe there are signs that aliens [...]

Royal Bank of Scotland claims 2016 will financially be ‘catastrophic’

Royal Bank of Scotland (Photo by Chandres) COGwriter Comments from the Royal Bank of Scotland have gotten attention in different parts of the world: January 12, 2016 CNN reported that the Royal Bank of Scotland is warning that 2016 will be a “cataclysmic year” and investors should take immediate action. Do not wait. Do not [...]

Syrian terrorist kills Germans in Istanbul

Hagia Sophia (photo by Joyce Thiel) COGwriter A Syrian terrorist killed at least ten and wounded many others today: January 12, 2016 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says a Syrian suicide bomber is believed to be responsible for Tuesday’s blast in Istanbul that killed at least 10 people and wounded 15 others. Erdogan condemned the [...]

European leaders move closer to ’666′

‘The number of the beast is 666′ by William Blake (18th/19th century) COGwriter Are leaders in Europe taking steps consistent with the rise of ’666′?  Notice the following: 12 January 2016 Nations vow better intelligence sharing to halt terror attacks Nations must share intelligence to stop extremist groups slipping across borders and using the Internet [...]

Iran expects sanctions to be lifted in days and then an ‘economic revival’: what about terrorism?

Hassan Rouhani COGwriter Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is expressing optimism over certain sanctions being lifted: January 11, 2016 Sanctions against Iran will end in “days” and the coming year will be one of “economic revival,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said. “In a few days, we will see the end of the cruel sanctions against Iran,” [...]