Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
Praise Reports: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
Pope Francis encouraged a group of medical professionals Thursday at the Vatican to keep working to protect all human life, including unborn babies from abortion “homicide.” Speaking to a group of pharmacists and other medical professionals gathered for an Italian medical conference, Pope Francis said, “I have been very clear — [abortion] is homicide and it is not licit to become complicit,” he said, according to the report.
Texas can continue banning enforcing its tough new abortion restriction after a federal appeals court on Thursday rejected the Biden administration’s latest attempt to undo a law that has become the nation’s biggest curb to the practice of abortion in nearly 50 years.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Monday barring all COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the state by any entity, including private employers. Abbott’s move sets him up for a clash with President Biden who last month called on employers nationwide to order their workers to be vaccinated or lose their jobs. Abbott is a Republican.
Students, coaches, and community members gathered across the globe for the 18th annual Fields of Faith, where Believers will gather on athletic fields to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The student-led event, which is sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), took place on Wednesday, Oct. 13th. Jeff Martin, executive director of campus sports ministry for FCA, told CBN News that the objective is to encourage students to challenge their peers to pray, read their Bible, and commit their lives to Christ. “The Word of God changes the country,” Martin said.
New York must allow religious exemptions to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical workers, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. Northern District Justice David Hurd of Utica granted a preliminary injunction temporarily barring New York state and employers from enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate against medical workers claiming a legitimate religious exemption. Many of the medical workers who had claimed religious exemptions had been placed on suspensions pending the outcome of the court battle. These workers, potentially numbering in the thousands, could now return to jobs as some hospitals and nursing homes face staffing shortages.
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered United Airlines not to place workers seeking an exemption to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on unpaid leave. The temporary ruling was issued by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman so workers who filed for an exemption aren’t unduly harmed before he can hear oral arguments in the case.
A judge temporarily blocked an order on Wednesday that required California prison workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) has opposed vaccine mandates across the state. The union represents about 28,000 officers statewide.
A federal appellate court has ruled in favor of 16 college athletes who challenged Western Michigan University‘s coronavirus vaccine mandate. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit unanimously sided Thursday with the students, upholding a district court ruling enjoining school officials from forcing the athletes to get vaccinated.
A federal judge referred the Washington, DC, jail to the Department of Justice on Wednesday for potential civil rights violations after the jail failed to get treatment for a US Capitol rioter who needs surgery. Warden Wanda Patten and Department of Corrections Director Quincy Booth were also held in civil contempt for failing to turn over medical records for the defendant. “It is more than just inept and bureaucratic shuffling of papers,” said District Judge Royce Lamberth. “I find that the civil rights of the defendant have been abridged. I don’t know if this is because he is a January 6 defendant or not.”
Persecution: Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. (Matthew 24:9) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)
A British nurse, who was fired from a hospital for refusing to take off or conceal her cross necklace, has recently taken legal action against her former place of employment. Mary Onuoha, who had been working at Croydon University Hospital in Thornton Heath, England, since 2002. “My cross has been with me for 40 years. It is part of me and my faith, and it has never caused anyone any harm.” She also noted that, “At this hospital, there are members of staff who go to a mosque four times a day, and no one says anything to them, Hindus wear red bracelets on their wrists, and female Muslims wear hijabs. Yet my small cross around my neck was deemed so dangerous that I was no longer allowed to do my job.”
Pestilence (Covid and other diseases): For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7)
Scientists say that if you have natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection and have been fully vaccinated against the virus, there may be no need for a booster shot — yet. According to The Wall Street Journal, while millions of Americans who are elderly, or at risk, now qualify for the Pfizer vaccine booster shot, it may not be necessary. Research shows that the combination of immunity from the disease coupled with a full course of vaccine, called hybrid immunity, offers adequate protection, even against variants.
Throughout August, the risk of dying from Covid-19 was 11 times higher for unvaccinated adults than for fully vaccinated adults in the United States, according to new data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unvaccinated adults faced a six times higher risk of testing positive for Covid-19 and the risk of being hospitalized was nearly 19 times higher for unvaccinated adults than fully vaccinated adults.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a home test for COVID-19 that doesn’t require repeated testing like many others. ACON Laboratories Flowflex COVID-19 Home Test was granted an emergency use authorization Monday by the FDA. The ACON over-the-counter antigen tests can be used at home without a prescription. However, the FDA warned that while these at-home diagnostic testing kits are important, they do result in more false-positive and false-negative tests than the more sensitive and accurate PCR tests.
The UK drugmaker AstraZeneca announced Monday that its AZD7442 antibody treatment, meant to be injected into patients showing symptoms of COVID, led to a “statistically significant reduction in severe COVID-19 or death,” compared to mildly to moderately ill patients who took a placebo, according to a company release. The findings put AstraZeneca further “on track to potentially offer an alternative to vaccines for people with weakened immune systems.”
Your chances of getting COVID-19 from surfaces at the grocery store are minimal, a Canadian study reassures. Researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario collected 957 samples at four grocery stores over a month. None tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, the study found. In other words, high-touch surfaces like the handle of your shopping cart or the freezer door should be safe to touch in stores that follow good cleaning protocols.
Vaccines – Harbinger of the Mark of the Beast: He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
- The vaccines are not the Mark of the Beast, much as polio, measles, tetanus shots are not either. The Mark must be on the hand and/or forehead and will be required to buy and sell. However, the vaccines are a precursor in that they prepare the masses to follow government orders when the true Mark comes.
Was President Biden’s announcement Sept. 9th of a vaccine mandate for private companies employing 100 or more people a bluff to persuade more Americans to be vaccinated? One month later, no rule has been issued by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, known as OSHA. The nearly two dozen Republican attorneys general who have threatened to sue on constitutional grounds have not yet filed, because there is no mandate for them to bring to court. That might be part of the plan.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday refused to issue an emergency injunction to stop Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The three-judge panel of the Boston-based court issued a one-sentence statement saying the request was denied without an explanation, The Bangor Daily News reported. A final ruling will likely be issued next week, according to Liberty Counsel, an organization representing more than 2,000 health care workers across the state in the lawsuit.
The head of Chicago’s police union says members should defy the city’s COVID vaccine requirements—and he predicts that the force will be at “50% or less” by the weekend. Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara urged officers not to comply with an order to report their vaccination status by Friday. After Friday, unvaccinated city workers will have to either submit to semiweekly COVID testing or be placed on unpaid leave. Catanzara said officers should cite “conscientious objection” to the vaccine mandate and go to work Friday with the expectation that they will be sent home.
Aside from being put on unpaid leave, New York City teachers who’ve declined to get the COVID-19 vaccine won’t be allowed to keep their health benefits for another year unless they give up their right to sue the city over its vaccine mandate.
Multiple hospital systems are denying organ transplants to patients who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 “in almost all situations,” citing studies that show unvaccinated patients have a significantly higher risk for severe illness and death if they get COVID-19.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted unanimously on Oct. 14 to recommend that the agency allow millions of Americans to get a booster shot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. he 19–0 vote came after hours of discussions and presentations in an all-virtual meeting. The FDA can overrule the panel’s recommendations but rarely does so. If the recommendation is approved, anyone aged 65 and older will be able to get a Moderna booster shot if they’ve received the primary two doses of the Moderna series. People between the ages of 18 and 64 who are deemed “at high risk of severe COVID-19” or whose “frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19” will also have access to the booster shot.
Every adult 18 and older in the United States who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be able to get a booster dose if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepts a recommendation from its advisory panel. The panel unanimously voted Friday to advise the agency to authorize boosters for all adults, regardless of their health condition. As of Oct. 14, 15.2 million Americans have gotten the J&J shot.
President Biden’s announced vaccine mandate for private employers is being blamed for flight disruptions, and now his mandate for federal workers is posing the threat of further travel chaos with the TSA admitting that 40% of its agents remain unvaccinated six weeks before the deadline.
International
England’s COVID Pass system went offline for hours on Wednesday, causing British travelers to remain stranded at airports. Some passengers couldn’t board their flights, while others suffered delays as both the National Health Service (NHS) website and app experienced issues.
- Dependence upon government systems is fraught with unforeseen circumstances that will wreak havoc on everyday life.
Health officials in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland suspended the use of the Moderna vaccine for younger people due to a risk of side effects including myocarditis. The Food and Drug Administration responded saying the shot’s benefits outweigh the risks. Moderna, meanwhile, said in a statement that it was “aware of the very rare occurrence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following administration of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.”
New Zealand authorities on Monday announced that teachers and people working in the country’s health departments will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine in order to keep working. The sweeping “no jab, no job” policy was confirmed by COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins as New Zealand on Oct. 10 reported 35 new Covid-19 cases. The new mandate compels doctors, pharmacists, community nurses, and many other health care workers to be double-jabbed by December, with teachers by January.
The World Health Organization recommended third doses of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, both of which are made in China. The WHO cited an independent panel that found support for an extra jab for people over age 60; the doses could be the same or mixed, depending on availability. Vaccine trackers fear this may stretch thin the global supply of Chinese-made vaccines and place extra strain on the supply of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Violence/Murder: When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)
Police in Norway say the male terrorist accused of killing five people in a bow-and-arrow attack Wednesday was on their radar and had been flagged for showing signs of radicalization. Regional police chief Ole Bredrup Saeverud described the suspect Thursday as a 37-year-old Danish citizen and a convert to Islam..
David Amess, a pro-life conservative member of British Parliament, was killed in a knife attack while meeting constituents in his district in Essex in southeast England. Police have arrested a suspect and recovered the weapon.
At least four people were shot during an Alabama high school football game on Friday night, police said. Mobile police Chiefs Paul Prine said the shooting occurred near the exit ramp at Ladd-Peebles Stadium while players from Williamson and Vigor High Schools were on the field. Prine said three men and a woman were wounded and two of the victims were juveniles.
A man died after he allegedly tried to hit people on a sidewalk with his truck, crashed against a building, and then was pulled out and beaten by the group in Southern California.
A gunman “came out of nowhere” and fired on constable’s deputies who were trying to detain someone else outside a Houston bar early Saturday, ultimately killing one deputy and injuring two others.
Lawlessness: For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (2Thessalonians 2;7)
- As God’s hand of restraint is gradually lifting, spirits of lawlessness are stirring up lawlessness which will increase all the more as the end-times ramp up.
Walgreens said Tuesday that it will close five more stores in San Francisco next month because of organized retail theft in another blow to a city that has earned an embarrassing reputation for widespread and brazen shoplifting. Walgreens has closed at least 10 stores in the city since the start of 2019.
Surveillance State: So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. (Luke 20:20)
A Biden Administration proposal to give the IRS access to all financial transactions above $600 is raising concerns among congressional Republicans about government overreach. Democrats are pushing for regulations within President Biden’s $3.5 trillion, 10-year social welfare bill that would require banks to report annually on the “inflows and outflows” of personal and business accounts. The reporting requirement would cover any transaction above $600 or bank accounts with deposits totaling that sum. Some Democrats are also pushing for rules to cover mobile money transfer systems such as PayPal and Venmo. Critics say the low reporting threshold would essentially give the IRS unfettered access to how ordinary Americans spend their money. Some Republican lawmakers say the expansion of federal powers would amount to a “surveillance state.”
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday the proposed requirement that banks report information on any account with $600 of total activity over the course of a year will stay in Democrats’ reconciliation bill in some form, despite public backlash.
Critical Race Theory: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Walmart has a training program for its employees based on the core principles of Critical Race Theory that asserts whites are inherently racist and the United States is a “white supremacy system” designed by white Europeans “for the purpose of assigning and maintaining white skin access to power and privilege,” according to internal documents. The evidence was obtained from an unidentified whistleblower.
Health: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3John 1:2)
Reported drug overdose deaths in the United States hit a new high of more than 96,000 in the 12-month period ending March 2021, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. CDC. In that 12 months — a period when Covid-19 pandemic took hold in the United States and shut down normal daily routines — the U.S. saw 96,779 reported drug overdose deaths, an increase of 29.6% from March 2020 to March 2021. Vermont had the largest increase (5%) in overdose deaths of any state. South Dakota’s reported overdose deaths declined by 16.3%, the biggest decrease of any state.
People with substance use disorders (SUDs) are more likely to get infected with COVID-19 and end up with adverse outcomes from the infection, according to an Oct. 5 study published on World Psychiatry. “Drugs and alcohol affect immune function, which is likely to contribute to the higher risk for infections in individuals with SUD,” reported the study.
Education: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
New asexual education standard are currently being disseminated to schools nationwide. Developed by a coalition of left-wing nonprofit groups, the second edition of the National Sex Education Standards aspires to teach school children about various ideas that many conservative Christian parents will likely find objectionable. For instance, the standards require kindergarteners through second graders to learn about ideas related to transgenderism, Third graders are taught about “the role of hormone blockers” for transgender minors, an often irreversible procedure many consider to be tantamount to child abuse. Starting in sixth grade — an age group of 11 and 12-year-olds — and by the end of eighth grade at age 13, students should understand oral, anal and vaginal sex. Also starting in the sixth grade, students are taught about abortion — not as the horror that it is, but rather as a common option when faced with pregnancy.
As they reel from revenue losses connected to the pandemic, many colleges and universities are racking up other costs not likely to turn up in their glossy brochures or as line items on staggering tuition bills: untold millions of dollars in legal fees and settlements for allegedly violating the rights of students, professors, and applicants on free speech, admissions and other matters as the schools pursue social justice causes. Challenges to alleged free-speech violations, which have plagued universities for decades, continue to grow with a heightened grievance culture. Numerous courtroom challenges over First Amendment rights, alleged Title IX violations, admissions standards and perceived cultural protocol miscues reflect an aggressive effort by schools to enforce disputed social policies and the growing influence of administrators who carry them out.
Protests: Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Left-wing climate protesters hit the D.C. streets Monday, vandalizing a statue of former President Andrew Jackson and swarming the White House while warning President Biden to take their demands seriously. The Build Back Fossil Free coalition took to the DC streets Monday with their five-day-long protest’s aim to spur action by the Biden administration against climate change, mainly by declaring a national emergency and ending projects involving fossil fuels.
A large number of Southwest pilots in Florida engaged in a “sickout” over the weekend to protest Southwest’s vaccine mandate, and apparently at least some air traffic controllers joined them. Thousands of flights were cancelled On the record, Southwest is denying any sort of protest, attributing the delays to weather and pilots getting ‘timed out’ as the cancellations stacked up. • Southwest Pilot Association President says the pilots demand to talk to company about natural immunity, antibodies, and alternate forms of compliance with mandates.
- Amid ongoing flight disruptions, Texas-based airlines Southwest and American announced Tuesday they will comply with President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order barring any “entity” in the state from compelling receipt of the vaccine. Southwest says, “federal action supersedes any state mandate or law, and we would be expected to comply with the president’s order to remain compliant as a federal contractor.”
- An American Airlines pilot warned that a vaccine mandate announced last month by President Joe Biden may have a “catastrophic effect” on the transportation system and supply chain.
A massive crowd of thousands marched down the Via Veneto in Rome, to protest the “Green Pass” the government is requiring to get into public and private workplaces. It requires at least one vaccine dose, documented recovery from the illness within the last six months, or negative tests in the last 48 hours. The pass will be required starting Friday to get into the workplaces.
At least four people have been killed and several injured when gunfire and rockets were fired near a Hezbollah-led protest in Beirut. Demonstrators were calling for the removal of a judge investigating last year’s massive port blast.
Gender Confusion: Male and female He created them. (Genesis 5:2)
- Gender confusion is being promoted because it undermines God’s ordained family structure, giving secular government more control over people, particularly our youth.
California on Saturday became the first state to say large department stores must display products like toys and toothbrushes in gender-neutral ways, a win for LGBT advocates who say the pink and blue hues of traditional marketing methods pressure children to conform to gender stereotypes. The new law, signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, does not outlaw traditional boys’ and girls’ sections at department stores. Instead, it says large stores must also have a gender-neutral section.
Immigration: He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)
Documents leaked to Fox News show that at least 160,000 illegal immigrants have been released into the U.S., often with little to no supervision, by the Biden administration since March. The documents give a partial snapshot into how the Biden administration has been releasing enormous numbers of migrants into the U.S., often with little to no oversight, supervision or immediate risk of deportation.
In a major policy shift to help illegal immigrants already in the U.S. workforce, the Biden administration is ordering the Department of Homeland Security to end mass worksite enforcement operations that often result in large-scale arrests and deportations of undocumented employees. The administration is also directing agencies that operate under DHS, which was created after 9/11 to counter terrorism, secure borders and uphold the nation’s economic security, to protect foreigners working in the country illegally by shielding them from removal proceedings when they get caught, reports Judicial Watch.
Energy Crisis: There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)
An energy crisis is gripping the world, with potentially grave consequences as ramped up demand exceeds supply dues to lack of workers and distribution impediments. Advocates for renewable energy say the global crisis shows the need to move further away from coal, gas and oil as prices for those commodities spike. Their critics contend just the opposite — that wind and solar have been tested and came up lacking.
With prices surging worldwide for heating oil, natural gas and other fuels, the U.S. government said Wednesday it expects households to see their heating bills jump as much as 54% compared to last winter.
Supply Chain Crisis: “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:26)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (who has no real transportation or supply chain experience) admitted that some of the supply chain problems that we are currently facing could last for “years and years.” Buttigieg has said in recent interviews that “it’s an incredibly complicated situation,” but the government is holding virtual “roundtables” with port operators, labor unions and private companies. Nevertheless, he told MSNBC last Thursday, the “challenges” will continue, not only “going into the next year or two, but going into the long term.
- During this transportation/supply-chain crisis, it turns out that Buttigieg has been on paternity leave since August 28 after the birth of twins by a surrogate for him and his husband. He has been even more MIA than VP Kamala Harris.
A shortage of just about everything is looming ahead of the holiday season as more than 150 container ships wait off the coast of California and rail yards clog up due to a shortage of port workers and truckers. The transporting of goods from Asia to North America is currently taking about 80 days, which is twice as long as before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reported Walmart, Costco and Target are chartering their own cargo ships to import goods, paying about $100,000 day, or four times more than last year.
- “Clearly what’s transpired is after the shutdown, the question is did everyone come back to their jobs? Did the truckers come back? Did the warehouse folks come back? And the answer is no they haven’t. So that is certainly contributing to what we’re seeing here,” Georgia Port Authority director Griff Lynch said.
- Carriers of goods including Walmart, UPS, and FedEx are moving to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to address the global supply disruptions that have contributed to a surge in inflation, the White House said Wednesday. The update was announced ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting with the heads of Walmart, FedEx, and UPS (odd that the feds haven’t ramped up the postal service too).
Flooding in northern China is hitting a major coal production center hard, sending coal prices soaring and complicating efforts by Beijing to tackle ongoing power shortages. Heavy rains have forced the closures of 60 coal mines in Shanxi province, China’s largest coal mining hub.
British companies that produce steel, paper, glass, cement, ceramics and chemicals say they will be forced to close factories or pass on rising costs to consumers unless the UK government provides relief from soaring energy prices.
Economy – Depression/Shortages: When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)
Social Security recipients will receive an annual cost of living adjustment of 5.9% next year, the largest increase since 1982, the Social Security Administration announced Wednesday. The spike will boost retirees’ monthly payments by $92 to an estimated average of $1,657 for 2022.
The average American family will get $5,086 in expanded child tax credits from 2021 through 2022 courtesy of COVID-19 stimulus actions. Congress raised the credit to $3,600 for kids under 6 years old and $3,000 for older children and made it refundable, among other measures.
Consumer spending unexpectedly rose in September as retailers benefitted from back-to-school shopping and more workers returning to the office. Retail sales, a measure of spending at restaurants, stores and online, last month rose 0.7% to $625.4 billion, according to the Commerce Department. Retail sales excluding autos jumped 0.8% month over month compared with the 0.2% decline that was anticipated. Gasoline stations saw a 1.6% month-over-month increase and were 38.2% above year-ago levels. Food services and drinking places, meanwhile, booked a 3.7% rise last month and jumped 29.5% from last year.
Unemployment claims dropped 36,000 to 293,000 last week, the second straight drop, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the smallest number of people to apply for benefits since March 2020, when the pandemic intensified. Applications for jobless aid, which generally track the pace of layoffs, have fallen steadily since last spring as many businesses, struggling to fill jobs, have held onto their workers.
A record 4.3 million people quit jobs in August, according to new data from the Labor Department — about 2.9 percent of the workforce. The phenomenon is being driven in part by workers who are less willing to endure inconvenient hours, poor compensation or bad conditions because they know there are ample opportunities elsewhere.
Some Americans have not returned to the labor force, which is defined as people who are employed or are actively looking for work. The number of people in the labor force is down by about 3 million from before the pandemic, according to PNC Financial Services Group.
Hiring has slowed over the past two months, even as companies and other employers have posted a near-record number of open jobs. Businesses are struggling to find workers as about three million people who lost jobs have stopped looking for work since the pandemic began.
A recent survey highlights some of the steps employers are taking to attract and retain workers in today’s ultra-competitive talent market: 57% of employers are offering referral bonuses; 55% are hiring external or temporary workers; 44% are upskilling and reskilling staff; and 43% are boosting pay. Foreclosures are starting to surge as government and private sector programs designed to help homeowners deal with the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic have begun to expire. Foreclosure starts jumped 32% in the third quarter of this year from the second quarter and were 67% higher than the third quarter of 2020.
Prices rose 5.4 percent in September over last year, a 13-year high, as Covid-19 and lack of workers continues to drag down the supply chain and the economic recovery. Rising prices for food and shelter contributed more than half of this increase, while prices for new cars, household furnishings and car insurance also climbed.
Food prices across the world have risen to their highest levels in a decade on the back of tightening supply conditions coupled with robust demand, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The FAO’s food price index, which measures world food commodity prices, has surged by 32.8 percent in the 12 months through September. On a month-over-month basis, the index rose 1.2 percent.
The national average price for gasoline hit a fresh seven-year high of $3.27 a gallon on Monday, up by 7 cents in the past week alone, according to AAA. Gas has nearly doubled since bottoming at $1.77 in April 2020.
Israel: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. (Psalm 122:6)
Israel rescued 125 Afghans at risk from Taliban retribution in a complex and hush hush operation earlier this month. The operation took weeks to arrange and was a collaborative effort by the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Albania, activists and donors including businessmen and philanthropists.
Immigration to Israel has increased by 31% in 2021 so far, with 20,360 olim arriving compared to 15,598 during the corresponding period last year, despite the pandemic. These figures come ahead of Yom HaAliyah (Aliyah Day) – a national holiday on October 13th, which celebrates immigrants to Israel from all over the world.
A ruling allowing a Jew to silently pray on the Temple Mount for the first time was reversed by a Jerusalem District Court judge on Friday. District Court Judge Aryeh Romanov agreed with an appeal by Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and the police, ruling that only Muslims are allowed to overtly pray on the Temple Mount. Under the terms of a status quo reached in 1967 between Israel and the Islamic Waqf, while Jews and Christians are allowed to visit the Temple Mount, only Muslims are allowed to pray there.
Bashar Masri, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of the Palestinian Authority city of Rawabi city near Ramallah, unveiled on Monday the “Lana” $300 million, 400 units housing project to be built in the northern areas of Jerusalem. The residential project is considered the largest in eastern Jerusalem is a joint venture between Massar International and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Ahmad Hussein said that Lana “guarantees us life in Jerusalem. Investment in the Holy City is an important matter.”
Middle East: When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. (Luke 21:20-22)
The Israeli Security Agency, known as the Shin Bet, has foiled over 2,200 significant terror attacks against the State of Israel in five and a half year, said outgoing Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman. Describing the challenge of ensuring Israel’s security as “an endless race,” Argaman said that some 2,261 attempted terrorist attacks were carried out against Israelis during his tenure. These included shooting attacks, explosive devices, suicide bombings and kidnapping attempts. During his years on the job, some 529 terror attacks were successfully carried out by use of explosive devices or by shooting, stabbing and ramming attacks, resulting in 54 Israeli casualties.
The Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas is establishing extensive military infrastructure in Lebanon, meant to serve as a second front against the State of Israel in a future conflict, according to a report released Tuesday by the Alma Research and Education Center, dedicated to researching and analyzing threats emanating from Israel’s northern borders with Lebanon and Syria.
Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it would be lifting the sanctions imposed by the previous administration on Iranian missile producers Mammut Industrial Group and its subsidiary Mammut Diesel. The two entities were described by Treasury as “key producers and suppliers of military-grade, dual-use goods for Iran’s missile programs” when the sanctions were announced. The delisting follows the July 2021 lifting of sanctions on three Iranians who were major shareholders and executives of the Mammut Industrial Group.
- The Biden Administration has thus far not been forthcoming on the reasons behind the lifting of these sanctions, and it has not confirmed that the delisted individuals and entities have verifiably ceased their sanctionable behavior.
Wars & Rumors of Wars: And you will hear ofwars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; forall these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7Fornation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. (Matthew 24:6-7a)
Turkey has escalated a supposedly anti-terrorist military campaign in Syria and Iraq that appears to be targeting Christians and other minorities. A spate of Turkish attacks beginning in late August – including the bombing of a hospital – has been responsible for the deaths of at least a dozen civilians. “It is unclear,” argued an analyst in The Jerusalem Post, “why [Turkey’s] claims to fight ‘terrorism’ often coincide with bombing minorities in Iraq and Syria and carrying out attacks against Christian, Kurdish and Yazidi minorities.” Amy Austin Holmes, a Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., notes that “Yazidis, Christians and Kurds have fled in droves from the Turkish-occupied areas of Syria”
Terrorism: My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me… But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You. (Psalm 55:4-5.23)
A suicide bomber killed at least 32 worshipers at a Shiite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar Friday. Hafiz Abdul Hai Abbas, health director for the province, said another 45 were wounded, and he expected the toll to rise. Another Shiite mosque was bombed a week earlier near Kunduz in an attack claimed by the Islamic State.
A U.S. delegation held talks with senior Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend to discuss wide-ranging issues including security, terrorism and human rights in the first official meeting since the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The talks were the first formal engagement between the State Department and the Taliban since the U.S. evacuated its diplomats and troops from Kabul. It also comes after the U.K. diplomats met with Taliban officials in Afghanistan last week. The Biden administration has wrestled with how to deal with the Taliban, which control Afghanistan’s government but are officially labeled a terrorist organization. Although many subjects were discussed no new agreements were announced.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced on Monday the capture of one of the top leaders of ISIS. Al-Kadhimi said in a Twitter post that Sami Jasim al-Jaburi, the former deputy of the terror group and its head of finance, was detained in a third country, which he declined to name, by Iraqi intelligence forces in a “complex external operation.” Al-Jaburi was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. government and there was a $5 million reward on offer from the State Department for information leading to his arrest.
Wildfires: The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7)
Destructive California wildfires driven by intense winds Monday caused damage at two mobile home parks, destroying some trailers, and one person suffered burns. The fires on Monday also toppled trees, whipped up blinding dust clouds and forced a utility to cut power to thousands of customers in an effort to prevent more wildfires. Although the winds were easing on Tuesday, about 30 structures were destroyed Monday afternoon when wind-driven flames roared through the Rancho Marina RV Park in Sacramento County. In San Joaquin County, a man suffered burns and about five mobile homes were damaged by flames that raced through the Islander Mobile Home Park.
The Alisal Fire near Santa Barbara, California, has quickly exploded in size, prompting evacuation orders and warnings. The fire began Monday afternoon near the Alisal Reservoir and now covers approximately 6,000 acres, fire officials said. It was uncontained as of early Tuesday. The flames are threatening at least 100 structures. Winds in the area were recorded at 30-35 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph. The flames prompted the closure of a portion of Highway 101.
Earthquakes: And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7b) I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. (Revelation 6:12)
At least three people have died in Bali after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit the Indonesian island in the early hours Saturday, damaging buildings and leaving people trapped in the rubble. The earthquake damaged buildings in Karangasem and Bangli regencies on the east of the island, Rescuers are searching through the rubble for survivors.
Environment: And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth,for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Luke 21:25-26)
Seven major offshore wind farms would be developed on the East and West coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico under a plan announced Wednesday by the Biden administration. The projects are part of President Biden’s plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, generating enough electricity to power more than 10 million homes. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said her department hopes to hold lease sales by 2025.
California’s Lake Tahoe is at an alarmingly low level. An historically dry period in California will come to bear at Lake Tahoe, where the water level is expected to sink below the basin’s natural rim. Already, people are walking across dry spots in the lake which used to require a boat. The historic drought, recent wildfires and erratic weather have all intertwined with climate change to overly stress the aquatic and alpine environment.
California has banned the usage of gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers by 2024. California will outlaw the sale of new gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and chain saws as early as 2024 under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan can’t drink their tap water due to high levels of lead from corroding pipes; a strangely similar scenario to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
End-Time Weather Will Continue to Grow More Severe: (Daniel 9:26b, Ezekiel 38:22, Luke 21:25, Revelation 8:7, 11:19, 16:8,11)
The megadrought in the western U.S. improved only slightly this past week, but is down from 84.5% in severe to exceptional drought three months ago to 80.5% as of 10/12, still alarmingly high. California, however, increased from 86% to 87% over three months, while Nevada remained the same at 95% with Utah staying at 100%. New Mexico improved from 71% to 50% while Arizona saw the largest reduction from 95% to 34%. Further north, Oregon worsened from 89% to 96% while Washington only worsened a little from 53% to 54%. Idaho has also worsened over the past three months from 84% to 91% while Montana also worsened from 72% to 100%, although substantial sone has fallen since 10/12. Data is from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Flooding is the most expensive natural disaster in the United States. One-fourth of the United States’ “critical” infrastructure is at risk of flooding, a report released Monday warns. The highest concentration of community flood risk is in Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia. The report pinpoints the nation’s flood risk to critical infrastructure, such as utilities, airports, ports and emergency services such as police, fire and hospitals. That’s in addition to residential properties, commercial properties, streets and local roads and social infrastructure such as schools and government buildings. With an increasing number of flood events making headlines across the nation, there’s now a greater awareness of the economic and human cost that flood-damaged infrastructure can create, report authors say.
Eighteen weather and climate disasters in the U.S. have taken 538 lives and cost $105 billion so far this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. The deaths are more than twice the number of fatalities from all the events that occurred in 2020, In the first nine months of 2021, the U.S. has already faced 18 disasters that have cost more than a billion dollars each. This is the seventh consecutive year the U.S. has had more than 10 disasters totaling more than a billion dollars. 2020 saw the record number of billion dollar disasters at 22. The average number of billion dollar disasters from 1980-2020 is seven (presumably adjusted for inflation). However, during the last five years, that average number has risen to 16.
La Niña conditions — the opposite phase of El Niño — have emerged in the tropical Pacific Ocean over the past month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday. La Niña typically brings conditions that are wetter and cooler than average to the Pacific Northwest and northern Plains, especially during the winter. In contrast, La Niña means drier and warmer-than-average conditions usually prevail in the South. This could mean the drought-stricken Southwest will likely stay drier. The Southeast is also typically drier during a La Niña winter, although it increases the possibility for tropical weather, including hurricanes.
