End Time Technology!
Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since the 1950s. We've seen computers shrink from units that would take up an entire room to tiny devices that we can now fit in our pockets. In fact, smartphones, such as the iPhone, the Evo, and the Droid, are basically miniature computers that also have the capability to send and receive phone calls. These devices have technology much more advanced than what was used in home personal computers only ten years ago. Mobile phones have become so cheap and ubiquitous that it is not uncommon to see very small children using them. But are cell phones safe?
The United Nations recently completed a study spanning ten years, thirteen countries, and thirteen thousand participants. They found a forty percent higher incidence of glioma, a rare form of brain cancer, among the participants who used their phones the most. Despite the findings of the study, experts decided the results were "inconclusive." It's worth noting that simply holding the phone four inches away from your head reduced the radiation levels to nearly zero, so if you must use a cell phone often, you may want to purchase a Bluetooth headset. (21)
Evidence is mounting that mobile phones may also be responsible for the disappearance of honey bees. Researchers at Chandigarh's Punjab University in India set up an experiment with two bee hives. The one hive was fitted with two mobile phones, which were powered on twice a day for fifteen minutes each session. The other hive was fitted with two dummy mobile phones. The results of the three-month study were striking. The researchers found that in the hives with the powered cell phones, the queen bee produced fewer eggs, fewer bees returned to the hive after collecting pollen, and the bees that did remain stopped producing honey. The hive with the dummy mobile phones remained normal. (22)
The U.S. military has grown increasingly concerned over the possibility of cyber attacks through the Internet. The concern has resulted in the army setting up a new U.S. Cyber Command, headed by General Keith Alexander. "In short, we face a dangerous combination of known and unknown vulnerabilities, strong adversary capabilities, and weak situational awareness," Alexander warned. "Our U.S. Department of Defense must be able to operate freely and defend its resources in cyberspace." Much of this concern seems to be sparked by successful cyber attacks against Estonia in 2007 and the country of Georgia in 2008. (23)
The paranoia over a possible cyber attack is being used as an excuse for a new U.S. Senate bill that would grant the President of the United States power to shut down all or part of the Internet during an emergency. The legislation stipulates that all Internet service providers "shall immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed" by the Department of Homeland Security. Failure to comply would result in fines against the service providers. (24) Somewhat troubling is the fact that what exactly constitutes an emergency isn't clearly defined. Keep in mind that governmental control over information on the Internet is nothing new. They've been doing it in China for years! The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has approved the bill known as "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act," or PCNAA. As of this writing, a vote in the Senate is pending. (25)
We know that many people have been implanted with microchips over the years. However, Dr Mark Gasson, a scientist from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, claims to be the first person to be infected with a computer virus. Dr Gasson, who had a RFID chip implanted in his left hand last year, stated, "By infecting my own implant with a computer virus, we have demonstrated how advanced these technologies are becoming and also had a glimpse at the problems of tomorrow." He further stated, "I believe it is necessary to acknowledge that our next evolutionary step may well mean that we all become part machine as we look to enhance ourselves. Indeed we may find that there are significant social pressures to have implantable technologies, either because it becomes as much of a social norm as say mobile phones, or because we'll be disadvantaged if we do not. However, we must be mindful of the new threats this step brings." (26) Yes, I suppose not being able to buy or sell might be considered a "disadvantage" by some.
A Contaminated Food Supply!
It seems like every year we're seeing more and more food recalls. In recent weeks we've seen recalls for Marie Callender frozen dinners, which are possibly tainted with salmonella. (27) Campbell's has recalled 35,000 cases of SpaghettiOs because they may have undercooked meat. (28) Kellogg's has recalled 28 million boxes of breakfast cereals, including Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, and Honey Smacks. They claim it's because of a waxy smell and flavor coming from the cereal packaging. Although the risk is low, consumption of the tainted cereals could cause an upset stomach. (29) It is important to remember that many food manufacturers discover problems months later after putting their products on the market. It is always a good thing to pray before you eat!
Much of the food we consume in the United States now comes from genetically modified crops. In fact, 81% of corn crops, 91% of soybean crops, 95% of sugar beet crops all come from bioengineered seeds. Additionally, most processed foods and feedstock for cattle and chicken contain GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. Many other countries, including those in Europe as well as in China, require food companies to indicate on the label the presence of all genetically modified food. The United States does not require any such labeling, and consequentially, we have no way of knowing if the food we are buying has genetically modified organisms or not. (30)
Over the years we have been warned many times about polluted seafood. But it seems the extent of the pollution may have been grossly underestimated. Scientists discovered high levels of cadmium, aluminum, chromium, lead, silver, mercury, and titanium in tissue samples taken from about 1000 whales over the course of five years. Biologist Roger Payne was quite distressed by these discoveries and issued this somber statement, "You could make a fairly tight argument to say that it is the single greatest health threat that has ever faced the human species. I suspect this will shorten lives." (31)
The United Nations would like us all to become vegans. As crazy as it may sound, a report from the United Nations' Environment Programme claims that due to a world population likely to surge to 9.1 billion people by the year 2050, diets rich in meat and dairy products will no longer be sustainable. According to the report, "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to the population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products." (32) If the UN gets their way, the Fourth of July will never be the same!
Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since the 1950s. We've seen computers shrink from units that would take up an entire room to tiny devices that we can now fit in our pockets. In fact, smartphones, such as the iPhone, the Evo, and the Droid, are basically miniature computers that also have the capability to send and receive phone calls. These devices have technology much more advanced than what was used in home personal computers only ten years ago. Mobile phones have become so cheap and ubiquitous that it is not uncommon to see very small children using them. But are cell phones safe?
The United Nations recently completed a study spanning ten years, thirteen countries, and thirteen thousand participants. They found a forty percent higher incidence of glioma, a rare form of brain cancer, among the participants who used their phones the most. Despite the findings of the study, experts decided the results were "inconclusive." It's worth noting that simply holding the phone four inches away from your head reduced the radiation levels to nearly zero, so if you must use a cell phone often, you may want to purchase a Bluetooth headset. (21)
Evidence is mounting that mobile phones may also be responsible for the disappearance of honey bees. Researchers at Chandigarh's Punjab University in India set up an experiment with two bee hives. The one hive was fitted with two mobile phones, which were powered on twice a day for fifteen minutes each session. The other hive was fitted with two dummy mobile phones. The results of the three-month study were striking. The researchers found that in the hives with the powered cell phones, the queen bee produced fewer eggs, fewer bees returned to the hive after collecting pollen, and the bees that did remain stopped producing honey. The hive with the dummy mobile phones remained normal. (22)
The U.S. military has grown increasingly concerned over the possibility of cyber attacks through the Internet. The concern has resulted in the army setting up a new U.S. Cyber Command, headed by General Keith Alexander. "In short, we face a dangerous combination of known and unknown vulnerabilities, strong adversary capabilities, and weak situational awareness," Alexander warned. "Our U.S. Department of Defense must be able to operate freely and defend its resources in cyberspace." Much of this concern seems to be sparked by successful cyber attacks against Estonia in 2007 and the country of Georgia in 2008. (23)
The paranoia over a possible cyber attack is being used as an excuse for a new U.S. Senate bill that would grant the President of the United States power to shut down all or part of the Internet during an emergency. The legislation stipulates that all Internet service providers "shall immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed" by the Department of Homeland Security. Failure to comply would result in fines against the service providers. (24) Somewhat troubling is the fact that what exactly constitutes an emergency isn't clearly defined. Keep in mind that governmental control over information on the Internet is nothing new. They've been doing it in China for years! The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has approved the bill known as "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act," or PCNAA. As of this writing, a vote in the Senate is pending. (25)
We know that many people have been implanted with microchips over the years. However, Dr Mark Gasson, a scientist from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, claims to be the first person to be infected with a computer virus. Dr Gasson, who had a RFID chip implanted in his left hand last year, stated, "By infecting my own implant with a computer virus, we have demonstrated how advanced these technologies are becoming and also had a glimpse at the problems of tomorrow." He further stated, "I believe it is necessary to acknowledge that our next evolutionary step may well mean that we all become part machine as we look to enhance ourselves. Indeed we may find that there are significant social pressures to have implantable technologies, either because it becomes as much of a social norm as say mobile phones, or because we'll be disadvantaged if we do not. However, we must be mindful of the new threats this step brings." (26) Yes, I suppose not being able to buy or sell might be considered a "disadvantage" by some.
A Contaminated Food Supply!
It seems like every year we're seeing more and more food recalls. In recent weeks we've seen recalls for Marie Callender frozen dinners, which are possibly tainted with salmonella. (27) Campbell's has recalled 35,000 cases of SpaghettiOs because they may have undercooked meat. (28) Kellogg's has recalled 28 million boxes of breakfast cereals, including Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, and Honey Smacks. They claim it's because of a waxy smell and flavor coming from the cereal packaging. Although the risk is low, consumption of the tainted cereals could cause an upset stomach. (29) It is important to remember that many food manufacturers discover problems months later after putting their products on the market. It is always a good thing to pray before you eat!
Much of the food we consume in the United States now comes from genetically modified crops. In fact, 81% of corn crops, 91% of soybean crops, 95% of sugar beet crops all come from bioengineered seeds. Additionally, most processed foods and feedstock for cattle and chicken contain GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. Many other countries, including those in Europe as well as in China, require food companies to indicate on the label the presence of all genetically modified food. The United States does not require any such labeling, and consequentially, we have no way of knowing if the food we are buying has genetically modified organisms or not. (30)
Over the years we have been warned many times about polluted seafood. But it seems the extent of the pollution may have been grossly underestimated. Scientists discovered high levels of cadmium, aluminum, chromium, lead, silver, mercury, and titanium in tissue samples taken from about 1000 whales over the course of five years. Biologist Roger Payne was quite distressed by these discoveries and issued this somber statement, "You could make a fairly tight argument to say that it is the single greatest health threat that has ever faced the human species. I suspect this will shorten lives." (31)
The United Nations would like us all to become vegans. As crazy as it may sound, a report from the United Nations' Environment Programme claims that due to a world population likely to surge to 9.1 billion people by the year 2050, diets rich in meat and dairy products will no longer be sustainable. According to the report, "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to the population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products." (32) If the UN gets their way, the Fourth of July will never be the same!