Archive for August, 2009

Contraction Needed

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Continuous expansion is not healthy for any economic system.  Over-expansion will cause the needed contraction to be more severe than otherwise needed.  The current policy of “bubble” economics has been delaying the inevitable.  Further delay could facilitate a collapse just as it did in Rome’s final days.  Contraction allows the system to detoxify from the previous expansion period.  Unprofitable and unsustainable efforts and entities are removed from the system.  Leverage is reduced and equity in investments are increased to prepare for the next opportunity to expand.  Just as eight hours of sleep is a period of contraction and recuperation in preparation of the next day, economic contraction performs the same function.  Economic health requires a rest period after it has been expanded beyond its normal cycle.  Cycles are a part of nature.  Electromagnetic waves are measured as cycles, time is measured in cycles, as all life is measured in cycles.  Biblical cycles of time are well documented and provide us with an anticipated calendar of events.  Jubilee is a time of contraction and all debts are canceled.  Land is to be given a year of rest every seventh year, another form of contraction.  We know that during that year of rest, weeds grow deeper roots and pull up the minerals depleted by the shallower root system of food crops thus creating a natural fertilizing function.  The Sabbath was established as a rest day, another time of contraction.  The Sabbath was made for man, man was not made for the Sabbath. 

Profit is made from innovation at the time of compression.  When the expansion comes, the fruit of the compression is realized and enjoyed.  The harvest is substantial.  The problem arises when we don’t understand the cycle.  Society wants continuous harvest without any additional investment.  During the Great Depression, people were put to work by building infrastructure: roads, bridges, national parks, etc.  When the economy turned around, Americans enjoyed the fruit of all that labor but those efforts could only last so long before it would take another investment in infrastructure.  The U.S. energy infrastructure is in decay.  Trillions need to be invested in pipelines, water, roads, bridges, and rail.  The days of cheap energy are gone in this current paradigm.  Rail is a more efficient method in moving goods and people. 

Profit from leverage is temporary.  Greater leverage can provide short-term profits but the risk goes up exponentially.  The risk/reward ratio becomes unmanageable and puts the organization in peril if some unforeseen event occurs.  Sudden loss of access to capital markets causes businesses who are highly leveraged to contract their balance sheet at all costs.  They do that by selling assets pennies on the dollars to raise cash so that they can meet their cash requirements.  When leverage is taken to an extreme, the slightest change in demand or some event occurring at the wrong time will cause a cascading effect and create an insolvent business.  This is the core problem with the derivatives market.  By definition, a derivative is a leveraged position.  For that matter, insurance is a leveraged event if most of the insured evoke a required distribution at the same time.  Life insurance companies work the odds that we all won’t die at the same time.

Lowering your debt is a contraction based plan.  Do it now.  It will prepare you for the next expansion phase, if and when it happens.  Low or no debt encourages restful sleep, reduced stress, and puts you in a position of helping others.

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Christ and the Geological Periods

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Christ and the Geological Periods

There are uncertainties associated in any discussion of geological periods. The most obvious uncertainty is that there were no observers during these geological periods to report their findings. Thus, the existence of geological periods cannot be validated by direct observation.

One way to determine if geological periods existed at all is by scientific reckoning that is based on information gathered after the fact. Science is based on an understanding of such observations. Unfortunately, we do not have all of the facts regarding creation and have to depend on a most likely theory of recorded observations to explain the sequence of events that took place in the creative process.

Another way to critically evaluate creation is by a study of the ancient Hebrew writings of Moses in Genesis Chapter 1 (בראשית פרק א -be.re.sheet per.ek alef) to see if there is compatibility between scientific reckoning and divine revelation. There is an advantage in having a proper understanding of these prophetic documents because the revelator, the creator, was there at the beginning providing details of the events that took place.

In his PhD dissertation on primordial element abundance, Ralph A. Alper, a physicist, laid the foundation for modern big bang nucleosynthysis calculations.

Light, as energy, is both a particle and a wave according to Einstein and Heisenberg.

Ref: Zeitschrift für Physik. 43 1927, S. 172–198.

Revelation teaches that God said “Let there be light (Gen 1:3).

Jesus said “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). He is also the word of God.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

The divine command: “Let there be light” put energy into the “void” (Gen 1:2) as a particle or quantum of energy. In effect, Christ was the initial quantum of particulate energy, the primordial element, upon which the foundation all space-time creation was made. It was the first pre-incarnate evidence of Christ in creation.

From a secular scientific perspective the primordial element was reckoned to be quark-gluon plasma during the first seconds of the big bang.

Quarks make up ‘hadrons’, particles which interact via the strong nuclear force. The most familiar representatives of the class are protons and neutrons of atomic nuclei. They are held together in threes by ‘force-carriers’ known as gluons. During the birth of the Universe in the big bang paradigm, quarks and gluons mingled freely and widely in the extremely dense plasma. Gribbin, John New Scientist 05 October 1991

There is, however, scientific observation that long periods of time and great distances existed during the development of the universe.

Some interpret Genesis Chapter 1, to mean that rapid development continued throughout the creative process saying that creation took place in a matter of days. A more careful study of the word “day” may reconcile some of these differences.

A Study of the Word: DAY

It is important to distinguish between bey.om , meaning an indefinite period of time and ha.yom, a definite 24 hour period. Be.yom, as an indefinite article, leaves open the possibility for creation to have developed over an extended period of time, such as, during the geological periods. The following verse is an example:

Gen 2: 4 KJV

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Read from right to left.)

אֵלֶּה תֹולְדֹות הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָם בְּיֹום

be.hi.bar.am va.ha a.rets hash.sha.ma.yim to.le.dot Ele

when they were and the earth of the heavens generations These are

created

עֲשֹׂות יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃

Ve.hash.sha.ma.yim e.rets elo.him Ya.weh a.sot be.yom

and the heavens the earth the Lord God made in a day

Word study

בְּ- Pronounced: bet as in better is a preposition: in, against, by, with.

בְּיֹום – be.yom:: a day-an indefinite period of time. It is not restricted to 24 hours.

הַיֹּום ha.yom: the day-a 24 hour time interval

הַ ha is the definite article “the” in Hebrew grammar. When placed in front of a word as a prefix it means the day. It refers to a 24 hour period of time.

Ref: Practico G.D. and Van Pelt M.V.,Basics of Biblical Hebrew-Grammar ,2nd ed Zondervan, Grand Rapids 2007, pg. 40, Section 5.2

Other important words are:

בְּהִבָּֽרְאָם be.hi.bram

Be.hi.bram means: when they were created

The heavens and the earth were created. They did not just happen. There was a divine command for each part of creation to come into existence. “…and God said”.

תֹולְדֹות To.le.dot, the course of history of creation or the events that followed the establishment of the heavens and the earth

Once the earth was created, further developments took place by divine command.

Other translations of this verse are:

Gen 2:4 NKJV

This is the history* of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens

Footnote:
* Hebrew toledot, literally generations TWOT 867g

Ref: Harris R.A.,Archer G.L. and Walke B.K. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament Moody Publishers, Chicago 1980

The following is my exegesis or critical interpretation of Gen 2:4:

“These are the events that followed the establishment of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the periods of time when the Lord God made earth and heaven.”

Geological Periods

From a scientific perspective the universe developed over time and was divided into geological periods.

They are:

  • Hadaean
  • Archaean
  • Proterozoic
  • Paleozoic
  • Mesozoic
  • Cenozoic

Comparison of Geological Periods and Mosaic Revelations

Hadean Period

Geological

From 4.6 billion years ago at the formation earth, and ended roughly 3.8 billion years ago. It is the oldest of the periods.

No rocks were on the Earth except for meteorites that brought water to the earth in the form of ice.

The Solar System was forming.

Heavier elements were generated within stars by nuclear fusion of hydrogen.

Mosiac Revelation

Gen 1:3

And God said,

“Let there be light: and there was light.”

This was the big bang, primordial light at the beginning of creation.

Gen 1:14

And God said,

“Let there be lights in the firmament” the Galaxies

“Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” This refers to the formation of the Solar System of our galaxy

Archaean Period

Geologic Reckoning

From 3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago

There were no large continents until late in the Archean period.

The atmosphere was likely a reducing atmosphere of methane, ammonia, and other gases.

The Earth’s crust cooled enough that rocks and continental plates began to form. All life first appeared on Earth as bacteria, not necessarily requiring oxygen

Mosaic Revelation

Gen 1:6

Then God said,

"Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."(NASB)

Gen 1:9

Then God said,

"Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

The statement “and it was so” indicated that the process was completed after the command was given.

Proterozoic Period

Geological Reckoning

Began 2.5 billion years ago and ended 543 million years ago

Bacteria, archaeans and eukaryotic cells appeared as fossils before the first abundant complex life such as multicellular algae and the first animals

Stable continents first appeared and began to attach to each other.

Oxygen began to be built up in the atmosphere

Mosaic Revelation

Gen 1:6

And God said,

“Let there be a firmament (atmosphere) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

Paleozoic Period

Geologic Reckoning

From 542 to 251 million years ago

Soft-shelled fossils, sophisticated reptiles, modern plants and insects appeared

Mosaic Revelation

Gen 1:11

And God said,

“Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth

Gen 1:20

And God said,

“Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”

Animal life flourished in the seas, on land and in the atmosphere.

Mesozoic Period

Geological Reckoning

From 251 million years ago

Fauna changed drastically from that which had been seen in the Paleozoic. Dinosaurs are dated to this period.

Mosaic revelation

Gen 1:21

“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moved, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

Cenozoic Period

Geological Reckoning

From 65.5 million years ago to the present.

Age of mammals, flowering plants, modern insects, birds and teliost fish with bony skeleton, scales and fins

Mosaic Reckoning

Gen 1:24

And God said,

“Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind.”

Gen 1: 26

And God said,

Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

The reason for writing about Christ and the Geological periods

The secular world is generally dismissive of Christ as a minor historical figure or as a moralist who has had a persistent following over the centuries, much like Buddha, or Mohammad, but one who has had little impact in the concrete affairs of man. In scientific circles He is usually considered to be an irrelevant quantity in their calculations.

When I wrote my book, An Electrodermal Analysis of Biological Conductance, I included a chapter entitled The Complex Human Biological System. In it I had a chart in which I tried to show a macro picture of existence. It looked like this:

Sovereign God

↑↓

Christ

↑↓

Created Realm

I intended to show that all of existence has to be in balance in order to be complete, but it could only be done through Christ. To many, the placement of Christ between God and the Created Realm must have seemed unusual if not downright inappropriate. Of course there are reasons for this bias but biases do not negate the reality that the person of Christ, as the foundation of all things created, must be included in the process of restoration of all things.

In this presentation I tried to show that Christ had, by best scientific reckoning, a pre-incarnate existence at the beginning of creation 4.6 billion years ago. As creator He spoke into existence all of the events that occurred in the subsequent geological periods. He is not a minor character of history. He is the foundation of history.

Isaiah saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and his train filled the temple”. (Isa 6:1). Christ was sitting on the throne of the Divine Court, cloaked with the robe of full authority as Chief High Priest of the Order of Melchisedech.

We must all be covered with His cloak of authority and this authority must fill our temple (our bodies) in order for our ministries to bring about complete restoration, including healing.

Vincent J. Speckhart MD, MD (H)

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Public Servants fly high

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

There are many times in our lives that each of us has to eat our own words.  The U.S. Congress seems to be inciting a riot among the constituents.  At a time when true unemployment exceeds 16%, and most of us are tightening our belts, the U.S. Congress is spending money in reckless abandon.  We are moving towards a $100 Trillion overall liability and nobody seems to care.

[Congress to Buy Eight New Planes]

 

The Congress is ordering eight new planes at a cost of $550 Million.  See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124960404730212955.html   What adds insult to injury is that these planes will cost $66 million each, $17 million more than the sticker price of $49 Million.  With the soft aviation market, current street prices are about $43 Million.  See: http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/08/10/why-is-congress-paying-66-million-for-a-49-million-jet/  One of their complaints is that there current fleet of airplanes has to refuel more often.  How disappointing!  Congressmen are taking more trips to other continents (with their spouses) on “fact finding missions”.  C’mon.  How many facts will you find on a three week boondoggle to Europe with the spouses getting in the way?  It sounds like we all need to become public servants to get in on some of that lovin’.

What are they thinking?  At a time when many Americans are trying to pay the rent, 545 people in Washington are rubbing it in their faces.  The tax revolt tea party is being fueled by these less than prudent acts.  Are the lawmakers so disconnected from reality to believe nobody will notice as they take liberties in these times?

Is the mortgage situation getting any better? Deutsche Bank  believes continued declines in home values will increase the number of US mortgagors with negative equity from 14m in Q1/09 to 25m in Q1/11.

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See:  http://www.housingwire.com/2009/08/06/deutsche-sees-48-of-all-us-mortgages-underwater-in-2011/  The green shoots the media speaks about may just be weeds.  The financial hole we’ve been digging for years may be too large to fill.  Our children and grandchildren will be the recipients of this generation of reckless spending.

Our Heavenly Father speaks of blindness of men.  Otherwise intelligent people are taking actions that will ultimately come back to haunt them.  As an observer of this blindness in action, I marvel at the preciseness of the Holy Scripture and the unfolding of the end of an age.

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Economic Suicide

Friday, August 7th, 2009

The new healthcare bill will be the defining moment of the United States.  If this bill is passed it will be the straw to break the camel’s economic back.  The cost of healthcare will further deepen our trillion dollar deficits.  China is the largest creditor and will not tolerate our expanded deficits.  The future of America is in the hands of China.  Congress is recklessly passing bills that will dramatically and negatively impact the average American because most Congressmen are not even reading the bills they are voting on.  When a country is in a recession, you don’t raise taxes.

Euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit.  HR 3200 currently under consideration in the House of Representatives will promote euthanasia.  This bill will mandate who gets healthcare, what treatment, and when they should receive it. 

The bill:

• MANDATES a government audit of the books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self-insure (Sec. 113, Pg. 21-22)

• Sec. 122, Pg. 29, Lines 4-16 – YOUR HEALTH CARE WILL BE RATIO

• Sec. 123, Pg. 30 – THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE deciding what treatments and benefits you get.

• Sec. 142, Pg. 42 – The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your benefits for you. You have no choice!

• Sec. 152, Pg. 50-51 – HC will be provided to ALL NON-US citizens.

• Sec. 163, Pg. 58-59 beginning at line 5 – Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances & a National ID health care card will be issued!

• Sec. 163, Pg. 59, Lines 21-24 – Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.

• Sec. 201, Pg. 72, Lines 8-14 – Government is creating an HC Exchange to bring private plans under government control.

• Sec. 1121, Pg. 239, Lines 14-24 – The government will limit and reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income and poor are the ones affected.

• Sec. 1162, Pg. 335-339, Lines 16-25 – The government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures. Rationing.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 425, Lines 4-12 – Government mandates Advance (Death) Care Planning consultation. Think Senior Citizens and end of life. END-OF-LIFE COUNSELING. SOME IN THE ADMINISTRATION HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED RATIONING HEALTH CARE FOR THE ELDERLY.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 425, Lines 17-19 – Government WILL instruct and consult regarding living wills and durable powers of attorney. Mandatory end-of-life planning!

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 425-426, Lines 22-25, 1-3 – Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 427, Lines 15-24 – Government mandates program for orders for life-sustaining treatment (i.e. end of life). The government has a say in how your life ends.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 429, Lines 1-9 – An “advanced care planning consult” will be used as patient’s health deteriorates.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 429, Lines 10-12 – “Advanced Care Consultation” may include an ORDER for end-of-life plans – from the government.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 429, Lines 13-25 – The government will specify which Doctors (professional authority under state law includes Nurse Practitioners or Physician’s Assistants) can write an end-of-life order.

• Sec. 1233, Pg. 430, Lines 11-15 – The government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life, according to preset methods (not individually decided).

• Sec. 1711, Pg. 764 – The government will require preventative services – including vaccinations (no choice).

SEE: http://www.lc.org/ and read the bill for yourself.

Members of Congress will be exempt from this healthcare bill.

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The 3rd “R”… ‘rithmetic

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

The fundamentals of education historically have been Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic, known as the 3 R’s.  We have been conditioned to believe that growth is always good, the one exception being “weight”.  Most of us do not want to grow our weight anymore and would enjoy a decline in weight.  Zero growth in weight once I left high school would have been ideal based on the current insurance tables.

Most people do not understand the exponential growth curve.  This may be one of the most important concepts you, your children, and your grandchildren should understand because it will affect every person on this earth unless of course Our Heavenly Father intervenes soon.  Actually, this concept supports Divine intervention soon.  Prophets have been anticipating a change on earth.  The Mayan calendar projects an end of the current eon.

The following 8 part video provides one of the best explanations on why I believe that commodities are one of the best long term investment strategies.  Don’t be concerned about the mathematics other than understanding that the arithmetic is accurate and adequately explains where we are going with the current growth rates and consumption rates.  Our motto of “simplify” may be forced on us sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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