Obama critic praises his "wonderful" storm response

Channel News Asia, AFP, 30 October 2012

Destroyed sections of an an old boardwalk are seen in an area that flooded
by the  beach on October 30, 2012 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Mario
Tama/Getty Images/AFP)

   

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama won glowing praise for his "wonderful" handling of superstorm Sandy Tuesday from a fierce foe who backs Mitt Romney, as political reverberations of the storm began to be felt.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a blunt critic of the president and a key Romney ally, produced a glowing character reference for Obama.

"The president's been great... I spoke to him three times yesterday, he called me for the last time at midnight last night, he asked me what I needed," Christie told MSNBC.

Christie, a brash political brawler known for cutting take-downs of opponents including Obama, said he had asked the president to cut through bureaucratic "mumbo jumbo" and help New Jersey, and he "got on it."

"The president has been all over this, he deserves great credit ... He gave me his number at the White House, told me to call if I needed anything, and he absolutely means it.

"It's been very good working with the president, and his administration has been coordinating with us great -- it's been wonderful."

The praise from Christie, who is mentioned as a possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate should Romney lose, represented the kind of publicity that a campaign, for all the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on it, simply cannot buy.

"I don't give a damn about Election Day after what has happened here. I am worried about the people of New Jersey," the outspoken governor tweeted later.

Sandy, which dominated news coverage and drowned out the normal frenzy of the last week of an election campaign, amounted to an "October Surprise" -- the kind of unpredictable event that can reshape late stages of elections.

Its impact on voting next week was unclear. But the storm allowed Obama to leverage the power of incumbency by marshaling the full force of the US federal government to help those in need.

Romney meanwhile will likely struggle to get news coverage. And he had to turn scheduled political events in Wisconsin and Ohio into storm relief efforts to collect donations for storm victims.

US President Barack Obama (R) is greeted by New Jersey

 Governor Chris Christie (AFP, Jewel Samad)

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This Election Will Clear the Way for Obama  – Nov 5, 2012 (Archangel Michael channeled by Linda Dillon) - New

"... GW: Okay. That’s wonderful. Now, I was going to ask this question earlier, but since it appears to be tied into what you have just shared, Michael, I think I’ll go to this question.

One of the states that was hit hard was the state of New Jersey. The governor of that state, Chris Christie, is a Republican and has historically been a very strong and very vocal critic of Obama. Yet in the last week he has been showering praise to no end upon Obama, and doing it publicly.

I don’t wish to spend much time on this, but is this merely two humans demonstrating their true humanity ahead of politics, or is this potentially a sign connected to a larger change that will unfold within the political structures?

AAM: It is actually both. It is a governor seeing and moving away from simple rhetoric and the rhetoric of party politics, of alignment in terms of self-interest and the desire for power, to a place of actually entering into his own humanitarian heart and seeing that the reason that he got involved in the political arena in the first place wasn’t for reasons of power or greed or control.

It brought him back to his own first principles, which was he really cared about people. He really cared about people within his geographic area, the state. And then what he has witnessed and what he has seen is that there is a camaraderie with the President and that in fact there is no difference and, the rhetoric aside, that they both care about the same things.

But in the bigger picture, as you have asked, what you are also seeing is that people are going to put away many of the labels. There has been a huge emphasis on labels, rather, “I am this,” “I am that,” whether it is political power or not. The shift is to, “I am a human. I am a galactic human. I am part of my community. I am part of this family,” and the need for the labels is dissipating.

Because when you see someone drowning, whether it is emotionally, physically or mentally, you do not call out and say, “What is your political affiliation?” Do you? No, from the core of your heart and from your physical body you reach out your hand and you assist however you can. And that in fact is exactly what the gate-keepers, the showers of the way, are doing. They are reaching out their hands and helping others to a higher realm, to a different understanding.

So what you are seeing is a catalyst, yes, a very dramatic — what one would say — very devastating catalyst that is opening people’s hearts. ...."

SaLuSa: November 5, 2012 – (Channelled by Mike Quinsey)

“The Storm Sandy was a natural occurrence needed by Mother Earth to prepare for her Ascension, and will take place wherever there are deep-rooted negative energies. On another level you are aware that this type of cleansing is going to happen, and when as a result people pass on it is not accidental in the way you normally perceive it. We say again that nothing happens by chance but all is pre-ordained. The raising of the collective consciousness has overcome the need for a more drastic cleansing, so you are to be congratulated for bringing it about. What you now understand is a clear example of your power to create your own reality.”

Matthew message (Channeled by Suzanne Ward, Nov 1, 2012)

“... The storm named Sandy that flooded the northeast coast of the United States was not manmade.  Mother Earth was cleansing herself by releasing negativity that was especially deeply entrenched in and around New York City and Washington, DC, and transmuting it into light. The Illuminati no longer have access to the technology that for many years they misused to initiate earthquakes and major storms. ....”

"Gaia’s Message: Each of You have Responded”  – Oct 31, 2012 (Gaia channeled by Linda Dillon)

“… Because I am anxious. I am already underway and they are needed, no, not in violence, but in love for a little cleanup. And the purpose of this hurricane is more profound and more deep than you imagine.

There are several layers that are taking place and we bless and we thank those who offered and are sacrificing their homes, their energy, their jobs, and their security in order to allow this cleansing to take place.

St. Germain stands with me and as you know this is the country, the nation of freedom and yet so many are still enslaved, in illusion, delusion, poverty, and hunger in the richest place on Earth.

This density cannot be. This is a starting point of our travels together. Yes, I know that the channel speaks that it is not of levels, that it is a circle of vibrations. But I say that your vibrations are rising with mine, in tandem with me. And I thank you, not only for hearing my death pleas, but the intermittent pleas I put out urgently. …”

“… I ask that each of you that greet them stay calm and smile a lot and extend to them all over the planet this greeting. I finish by telling you that those who have been affected by this being called [Hurricane] Sandy will be attended to in ways of love, responsibility, accountability and effective action. It will mean a great deal. …”

Source: 2012 Scenario

You are already in a state of liberation from the old systems - Oct 29, 2012 (Constant Companions channeled through Aisha North)

"The N in Kundalini" – Oct 20, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

Top Bank of England director admits Occupy movement had a point

Andrew Haldane praises ‘loud and persuasive’ protesters who succeeded because ‘they are right’

The Independent, 29 october 2012

The Occupy protest camp at St Paul’s Cathedral

The Occupy movement received vindication from unlikely source tonight, as a senior executive at the Bank of England credited it with stirring a “reformation of finance”.

In a glowing appraisal of the movement’s achievements, Andrew Haldane, executive director of financial stability, said Occupy protesters had been “both loud and persuasive”, and had attracted public support because “they are right”.

Andrew Haldane

“Some have suggested … that Occupy’s voice has been loud but vague, long on problems, short on solutions. Others have argued that the fault-lines in the global financial system, which chasmed during the crisis, are essentially unaltered, that reform has failed,” Mr Haldane said in a speech tonight.

“I wish to argue that both are wrong – that Occupy’s voice has been both loud and persuasive and that policymakers have listened and are acting in ways which will close those fault-lines. In fact, I want to argue that we are in the early stages of a reformation of finance, a reformation which Occupy has helped stir.”

Speaking at an Occupy Economics event in central London, Mr Haldane said that Occupy had been “successful in its efforts to popularise the problems of the global financial system for one very simple reason: they are right.” He added that protesters who camped out near St Paul’s Catherdal in London and dozens of other cities including New York,“touched a moral nerve in pointing to growing inequities in the allocation of wealth”.

Mr Haldane ended with a direct appeal to activists to continue putting pressure on governments and regulators. He said: “You have put the arguments. You have helped win the debate. And policymakers, like me, will need your continuing support in delivering that radical change.”

Mr Haldane’s comments were welcomed by Occupy activists last night. Ronan McNern, a spokesman for Occupy London Stock Exchange, said: “It’s good to hear more voices like Mr Haldane’s coming through.  His comments are definitely welcome. They could have done something about this a lot faster.”

He added: “If this is a beginning, there is a long way to go. Banking reform is only part of the problem. It’s a system-wide issue where certain people are profiting of other people.”

Occupy protesters first descended on the London Stock Exchange on 15 October 2011, in a copy-cat demonstration of other protests around the world that called for action against economic inequality and corporate excess.

After being blocked from entering the main square in which the stock exchange was located, tents were set up in the church yard of St Paul’s – which led to friction between the church and campers.

The camp remained, however, until February of this year, when protesters were evicted by the City of London Corporation – the authority that runs the Square Mile.

Related Article:

Bank of England official: Occupy Movement right about global recession - New

You are already in a state of liberation from the old systems - (Constant Companions channeled through Aisha North)

Aisha North, Oct 29, 2012

The manuscript of survival – part 215 - (Constant Companions channeled through Aisha North)

Aisha North

As many of you have already ascertained, there has indeed been a major shift during these last few days. To many, it will feel like a release, and that is exactly what has happened. We talk not about just a personal effect from this major upshifting of energies, but we refer to the one that concerns the collective. You see, you have just been through such a major reshifting of levels it has had some far reaching consequences not many have been able to reassess just yet. What we talk about, is an event on such a major scale it will literally go into the history books as the days that changed the world forever. You will search in vain in the mass media for any hints of this unprecedented event, but if you search deep inside yourselves, we think you will all feel some reverberation from this. For the thing is, you have just successfully managed to free yourselves from some of the entities responsible for your loss of freedom, and we do mean that in a very literal way. For now, the time for the exodus has already started, and the first of your captors have already left your atmosphere.

We are aware that for some, this will sound as no more than hogwash, as the underlying message in these words will seem to be one of delusion and loss of sanity. But what we refer to is no more than facts, as you are already in a state of liberation from the old systems that have been holding humanity in their spell for eons. This liberation is not something that will be completed overnight, but now, the removal of the ”unwanted subjects” to call them that has been initiated.

This will not be like some have envisioned as some sort of mass transportations or arrests, far from it, because what we refer to, are events that take place far away from the scope of ordinary human beings to call it that. For what we refer to, are indeed events that take place on a level of existence that is beyond the scope of the so-called normal senses, and therefore, it will be going on unseen and unheard by the majority of people living on this planet. But for those of you already engaged in this process, there will be some signals coming through, and for many of you, they will be loud and clear, while for others, they will be more subtle. So that is why we ask you to connect deeply, and try to register what you feel, for now, we can guarantee you that the energies on this planet have shifted into something you have never, ever felt before. And if you mange to feel into it, you too will feel the first whiff of freedom wafting into your whole being. And when you do, know that this is certainly not an illusion, but just a small precursor to what you have in store in the time ahead. For now, the time for bringing the Earth and her inhabitants back to the pure essence of being that you all once were a manifestation of is starting in earnest, and as such, you will all feel the weights that have been holding you down start to ease off more and more. And soon, you will all be able to breathe freely again, for the first time in a very long succession of lifetimes in this little world you all call home.

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Royal Bank subpoenaed in LIBOR probe

CBC News, Oct 26, 2012

There are reports that Royal Bank of Canada has been served with a subpoena from U.S. state officials as part of their probe into the possible manipulation of a key benchmark used to set interest rates.

The Wall Street Journal and other business publication report the subpoenas were issued to nine banks, including RBC, in August and September, according to an unidentified person familiar with the investigation.

That brings to 16 the number of banks served with subpoenas, including seven that had become public earlier.

Global investigation

The U.S. investigation by the New York and Connecticut attorneys general is part of a wider probe in several countries that stems from a major U.K. bank's admission that it had provided false information used to set the LIBOR rate.

RBC is Canada's largest bank, with operations in major financial centres around the world including London.

The bank said last summer that it followed the rules in submitting information for compiling the London Interbank Offered Rate, which is used widely as a benchmark to set interest rates on business and consumer debts.

That assurance was repeated Friday in RBC's response to the news reports.

"We have determined that our Libor submissions reflected our cost of funds," said Gillian McArdle, head of communications for Canada at RBC Capital Markets.

Rate-fixing alleged

The rate is set by gathering information from a small number of large banks, using a system that's intended to prevent any one member of the group from manipulating the rate.

Questions about how LIBOR is operated arose after Barclays Bank agreed to pay a record $450 million fine to settle allegations its traders had manipulated submissions to LIBOR.

While Barclays actions by themselves were probably insufficient to affect LIBOR, there authorities in Britain and elsewhere have launched probes to see if it was a more widespread problem.

Canada's competition bureau and other Canadian regulatory bodies launched their own probes in light of the Barclay's revelations but there have been no allegations levelled against RBC.

Citi fined $2 mn over Facebook IPO leak

France 24, 26 October 2012

Citibank is the consumer banking arm of US banking giant Citigroup. The
company  paid a $2 million fine to a state regulator and fired a junior analyst
over  a probe into leaks of confidential information on Facebook's public
offering, officials said Friday.

AFP - US banking giant Citigroup paid a $2 million fine to a state regulator and fired a junior analyst over a probe into leaks of confidential information on Facebook's public offering, officials said Friday.

A senior tech analyst also left Citi Friday, the banking group confirmed, after the Massachusetts investigation uncovered "prohibited contact" with a French business journalist on nonpublic estimates for Google's YouTube.

"We are pleased to have this matter resolved," Citi said in a statement after the fine was announced by Massachusetts Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin.

"We take our internal policies and procedures very seriously and have taken the appropriate actions."

According to an agreement filed by the regulator, Citi terminated the employment of an unnamed junior analyst in September for disclosing research on Facebook which came from underwriters and was to remain confidential until 40 days after the IPO.

The document said the analyst released the confidential information to the news website TechCrunch, a unit of AOL. The leaked data included an analysis of "investment risks" and "investment positives" for Facebook ahead of the IPO in May.

The state official said the fine was for "improper disclosures of nonpublic information," including the Facebook IPO.

Citi also confirmed the "departure" of star tech analyst Mark Mahaney, who was the "senior analyst" cited by regulators.

The document said the senior analyst provided confidential revenue estimates for YouTube to a reporter for the French business publication Capital in April.

The regulator said the analyst violated company guidelines which prohibit discussion of an outlook for a company if this has not been published in a report.

Citi said Mahaney's departure "was not linked to Facebook."

RBS suspends another trader over Libor

Royal Bank of Scotland has suspended another trader as part of its ongoing investigation into the potential manipulation of Libor

guardian.co.uk, Jill Treanor, Friday 26 October 2012

RBS suspends another trader. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Royal Bank of Scotland has suspended another trader as part of its ongoing investigation into the potential manipulation of Libor.

The bailed-out bank has already warned that it expects to be fined by regulators for its role in attempting to fix the key benchmark interest rate which has cost Barclays £290m in penalties.

RBS fired four traders last year – including Tan Chi Min, a senior trader in Singapore who is now suing the bank for wrongful dismissal – and earlier this month suspended Jezri Mohideen as head of rates trading for Europe and Asia Pacific.

It has now been reported that Ken Choy, a Singapore-based foreign exchange trader, has also been suspended as the local authorities step up an investigation into the local interest rate benchmarks. Choy was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying he was on "compliance leave".

RBS, 81% owned by the taxpayer, is expected to face fresh questions about Libor when it reports its third quarter figures next week and repeated its statement that it was continuing to co-operate with regulators.

The other bailed-out bank, Lloyds Banking Group, is also co-operating with regulators after receiving subpoenas from a number of jurisdictions, including the US.

"It is currently not possible to predict the scope and ultimate outcome of the various regulatory investigations or private lawsuits, including the timing and scale of the potential impact of any investigations and private lawsuits on the group," Lloyds said in its half year results in the summer. It will update the market on its third quarter trading next week amid concerns it could also be forced to make a new provision for payment protection insurance misselling on top of the £4.3bn already set aside to cover potential claims.

Eric Schneiderman, New York attorney-general and George Jepsen, the Connecticut attorney-general, are among the two US bodies to request information from banks lately. More than a dozen banks around the world are thought to be co-operating with regulators in the UK, Europe, the US, Switzerland and in Asia.

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Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to four years in jail for tax fraud

Italian former prime minister, who also faces accusations of sex with underage prostitute, can appeal twice more against ruling

guardian.co.uk, Reuters in Milan, Friday 26 October 2012

Silvio Berlusconi and his co-defendants were also told to pay damages
provisionally set at €10m. Photograph: David Gadd/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd

An Italian court has sentenced Silvio Berlusconi to four years in jail for tax fraud in connection with the purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset television company.

The former Italian prime minister has the right to appeal against the ruling two more times before the sentence becomes definitive and will not be jailed unless the final appeal is upheld. Prosecutors had asked for a jail sentence of three years and eight months.

The court also ordered damages provisionally set at €10m to be paid by Berlusconi and his co-defendants to tax authorities.

The ruling comes two days after Berlusconi, 76, confirmed he would not run in next year's elections as the leader of his centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party.

A separate trial over accusations that Berlusconi paid for sex with an underage prostitute is currently being heard in Milan. He denies all charges against him.

The four-time prime minister and other Mediaset executives stood accused of inflating the price paid for TV rights via offshore companies controlled by Berlusconi, and skimming off part of the money to create illegal slush funds.

Angelino Alfano, secretary of the PDL, said the ruling proved once again "judicial persecution" of the media-magnate, while a political rival, Antonio Di Pietro, a former magistrate, hailed the decision, saying: "The truth has been exposed."

The court acquitted the Mediaset chairman and long-term Berlusconi friend Fedele Confalonieri, for whom prosecutors had sought a sentence of three years and four months.

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Maya demand an end to doomsday myth

Google – AFP, 25 October 2012 

Indigenous women of the village of Plan de Sanchez, in Guatemala City

 (AFP/File, Jose Miguel Lam)

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala's Mayan people accused the government and tour groups on Wednesday of perpetuating the myth that their calendar foresees the imminent end of the world for monetary gain.

"We are speaking out against deceit, lies and twisting of the truth, and turning us into folklore-for-profit. They are not telling the truth about time cycles," charged Felipe Gomez, leader of the Maya alliance Oxlaljuj Ajpop.

Several films and documentaries have promoted the idea that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts that doomsday is less than two months away, on December 21, 2012.

The Culture Ministry is hosting a massive event in Guatemala City -- which as many as 90,000 people are expected to attend -- just in case the world actually does end, while tour groups are promoting doomsday-themed getaways.

Maya leader Gomez urged the Tourism Institute to rethink the doomsday celebration, which he criticized as a "show" that was disrespectful to Mayan culture.

Experts say that for the Maya, all that ends in 2012 is one of their calendar cycles, not the world.

Gomez's group issued a statement saying that the new Maya time cycle simply "means there will be big changes on the personal, family and community level, so that there is harmony and balance between mankind and nature."

Oxlajuj Ajpop is holding events it considers sacred in five cities to mark the event and Gomez said the Culture Ministry would be wise to throw its support behind their real celebrations.

More than half of Guatemala's population of nearly 15 million are from indigenous groups of Mayan descent.

The Mayan calendar has 18 months of 20 days each plus a sacred month, "Wayeb," of five days. "B'aktun" is the larget unit in the time cycle system, and is about 400 years. The broader era spans 13 B'aktun, or about 5,200 years.

The Mayan culture enjoyed a golden age between 250 AD and 900 AD

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"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)

“… There is no test in front of you, since you've already passed it. In your timeline, there are 18 more years of it [the precession]. So at the end of this year, the 2012 marker at that solstice point, it is simply only that - a celebration point in 3D time. This is where you celebrate having made it. And I suffice it to say right now that those who created this enlightened place called Earth know you did it. There are already celebrations in the skies and yet there are things happening on the planet that we told you would happen, and there are those who are worried. ..”

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“..  We wish to continue that which we told you this morning we would do [within the seminar], a continuation of the message of the new energy on the planet. You are half-way through the 36-year alignment window that is what we would call the Galactic Alignment. This year, 2012, is therefore the middle of this alignment and is the year where the energy starts to shift and the energetic seeds begin to be planted that will change this planet from here forth.

This is the way of it, that it would be slower than you like. The slowness of change is due to generations of Human Beings inheriting what you might say is new consciousness. It also allows for those who have been born in an old energy to exhaust that old energy in what you would call an incarnation or an expression [one lifetime on Earth]. To us, death, therefore, is simply rejuvenation into life. If this doesn't make any sense to you, I will then tell you what my partner says should have been said all along: The old energy dies hard! ..”

Chinese, US, Russian agencies set up new credit rating company

Want China Times, Xinhua 2012-10-25

Three rating agencies from China, the United States and Russia will jointly launch a new credit rating company to rival current industry leaders and promote independence.

It was announced on Wednesday that the Universal Credit Rating Group will be established by China's Dagong Global Credit Rating, the US-based Egan-Jones Ratings Company, and Russia's RusRating. The headquarters will be set up in Hong Kong within six months, the companies said in a statement.

The group will be invested by private institutions without conflicts of interests with its credit ratings and will not represent any country or interest group, the statement said.

Guan Jianzhong, president of Dagong Global Credit Rating, urged an overhaul of the current international credit rating system, which he criticized.

"As the main providers of rating information that global capital flow relies on, the three major rating agencies in the US failed to ring the alarm bell for the financial crisis and even helped aggravate the crisis," said Guan.

The US-based "Big Three" global credit rating agencies — Standard and Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch Ratings — have come under fire for their credibility during the global financial crisis.

Sean Egan, president of Egan-Jones Ratings Company, said overly optimistic credit ratings led to the financial crisis and the current international rating system can no longer meet investors' demand.

Guan said the new rating group will provide fair and true information about debtors, make a new international standard for credit rating and promote an independent global rating regulatory system.

President Guan Jianzhong of Dagong Global Credit Rating

 (AFP, Wang Zhao)

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Former Goldman Sachs board member jailed for two years

BBC News, 24 October 2012

Related Stories 

• Ex-Goldman figure guilty of fraud

Rajat Gupta described the guilty
verdict as "devastating"

A former Goldman Sachs board member who was found guilty of four criminal counts of insider trading has sentenced to two years in jail.

Rajat Gupta, 63, had leaked boardroom secrets to Raj Rajaratnam, a former hedge fund manager now serving 11 years in prison.

US District Court Judge Jed Rakoff also ordered Gupta to pay a $5m (£3m) fine.

Gupta said he regretted the impact of the case on his family and friends.

Reading from a statement, he said: "The last 18 months have been the most challenging period of my life since I lost my parents as a teenager."

He added: I've lost my reputation I built for a lifetime. The verdict was devastating."

During the court case, which resulted in Gupta being found guilty in June, the jury heard secret recordings of conversations between him and Rajaratnam.

The trial focused on a phone call made to Rajaratnam on 23 September 2008, minutes after Gupta had listened to a private conference call discussing a $5bn (£3.2bn) investment in Goldman Sachs by Warren Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway. The deal was due to be made public after stock markets closed that day.

According to phone records, Rajaratnam bought $40m in Goldman Sachs stock moments after the phone call, earning nearly $1m.

Gupta, who was born in India and educated at Harvard, also served on the boards of Procter & Gamble, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Republican Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock in rape row

BBC News, 24 October 2012

US Presidential Election 2012 

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Richard Mourdock: "Even when life

begins  in that horrible situation of rape,

 it is something God intended to happen"

Republican US Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock has expressed regret a day after suggesting pregnancies caused by rape were God's plan.

The Indiana candidate made the remarks while debating his Democratic opponent.

On Wednesday, he told reporters he "abhors" rape and that if anyone "came away with any impression other than that, I regret it".

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign said he still backed Mr Mourdock, although he disagreed with his views.

Mr Mourdock's comments come two months after another Republican candidate caused a furious backlash when he said women's bodies had ways of preventing pregnancy after rape.

Mr Romney and President Barack Obama are campaigning hard for the 6 November US presidential election, in which women's votes could prove crucial.

'Humbled'

During Tuesday night's debate with his Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly, Mr Mourdock was asked whether he believed abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.

'Walmart moms' could make all the
 difference in the 2012 presidential
election

"I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realise that life is that gift from God," he said.

"And, I think, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen."

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Mourdock said he had been "humbled" by the reaction to his comments.

"If, because of the lack of clarity in my words, that they came away with an impression other than... life is precious and that I abhor violence and I'm confident that God abhors violence and rape... I truly regret it."

Mr Mourdock, a geologist by trade and the current Indiana state treasurer, said others were trying to "twist" his comments.

There are 33 Senate seats up for grabs in next month's elections, and the Republicans are hoping to win control of the chamber.

The Indiana seat was held safely at the last election by veteran Senator Richard Lugar, but he was ousted by voters in a Republican primary in May.

Mr Mourdock is backed by conservative groups, including the Tea Party, and has pledged no compromise with Democrats if he is elected.

What polling is available in the state suggests the he and his Democratic rival arein a tight race.

Republican backlash

Several Republicans in close races, including Mr Romney, have distanced themselves from Mr Mourdock to varying degrees since Tuesday's comments.

Missouri Representative Todd Akin
refused  to drop out of his own race after
his remarks sparked a row

Romney press secretary Andrea Saul said on Wednesday: "We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest, but still support him."

The Romney campaign says his administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also stood by the Senate hopeful.

But other Republicans locked in tight election races spoke out against Mr Mourdock, such as Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who also cancelled a planned trip to campaign with him.

In Mr Mourdock's home state of Indiana, Representative Mike Pence, running for governor, called on the candidate to apologise.

Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown also said he disagreed with Mr Mourdock's views.

Democrats pounced on the debate remarks.

The Democratic National Committee has released an ad reminding voters of Mr Romney's recent endorsement of Mr Mourdock.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that the president found the comment "outrageous and demeaning to women".

And Indiana party chairman Dan Parker said he was "stunned and ashamed" of Mr Mourdock's comments.

In August, Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin almost derailed his own campaign when he said that in cases of "legitimate" rape, "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down" and avert pregnancy.

At the time, Mr Romney and other senior Republicans urged Mr Akin to stand aside, but he refused, saying he had misspoken and asking to be forgiven.

Mr Akin lost millions of dollars of funding as a result of the remark, but has managed to keep his campaign afloat, polling an average of 5% behind incumbent Clare McCaskill.

Both presidential campaigns are desperately trying to win women's votes.

A gender gap poll among likely voters suggests that Mr Romney enjoys 14% more support among men than Mr Obama, while the president's support among women is 8% more than Mr Romney.

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Archangel Michael: The Declaration of Human Freedom

"... No person shall be forced into marriage against his or her will. No woman shall be forced to bear or not bear children, against her will. No person shall be forced to hold or not hold views or worship in a manner contrary to his or her choice. Nothing vital to existence shall be withheld from another if it is within the community’s power to give....."

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism, Higgs Boson), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

"... I want to define life for you - not biological life, but spiritual life. So for all those intellectuals, just hold on, for many won't like this. Spiritual life, as measured by Spirit, is when a Human has free choice. When is that? It's when they take their first breath. Not in utero. There will be those who will say, "That's wrong, that's wrong. The soul in the woman's body is alive!" Just wait. I'm talking about spiritually. That which Spirit sees, and it's when you come from the other side of the veil and take your first breath.

A child with the mother has no free choice. That child is linked to the choice of the mother until it is born. It is, indeed, a soul in preparation for free choice, and there are many attributes that are spiritual that we have discussed before about how that soul reacts. But now I'm discussing life with polarity [duality], free choice.

But let's discuss that "child inside" for a moment, for there is a process I want you to know about. I want to talk about 240 days into the pregnancy. At about that time, the child has perfect DNA. It hasn't taken its first breath. The DNA hasn't measured the energy of the planet yet, since it is contained. Did you realize that? Inside the womb is a perfect child. The child's DNA has all the attributes of the Akash and also the parent, but it's different in a way you have not been told. The DNA is 100% as designed.

The quantum instructions within the DNA are all talking to the biology of the child,, getting ready for the first breath. ..."