Some Beautiful Words From Djenane Santos On 20 Years Together

Jack, 

I am amazed of how God uses human beings to show His love for us. I remember meeting you the first time at the upstairs of San Jose Downtown library as John insisted I need to see you. I remember seeing John spending hours typing away the prolific letters you sent from the county hotel so you could communicate with lawyers and other key people. I remember driving with John to City Team and bringing all your belongings to my tiny studio (smallest plane I’ve ever lived) on Sixth Street Downtown San Jose. Your printer, all your manuscripts, clothes and your cowboy hat that in a stupid moment of ignorance threw away in the garbage (thanks for forgiving me about that). I remember visiting you in the county hotel, I remember John driving that same Triumph (or was it the green one?!) to a different street parking space so it wouldn’t be towed away. I remember seen the biggest jar of peanut butter in the truck of that car. I remember you bringing lots of gourmet meat from your work place, I remember the cell phone you gave me after you earned your first paycheck and your words “Call me anytime if you need any help” when you sleeping at the Catholic church while John was going to be in Brazil for s couple of months and you wanted to make sure I was protected. (Tears)  I remember you buying me a bike, I remember you coming to Goiania twice to see your baby granddaughter Bianca. We are a family! 

Jack,  I have said this before and I will say it again, your gratitude and generosity made me be sure that God exists. I know God loves me because of how you demonstrated your love back to us because of what John had done for you. I was the great beneciary of John’s act of kindness and altruism. He was the only person who showed up in court to say you belonged in San Jose. We knew you didn’t want to be sent to Texas. The judge granted the stay. 

This is the unwritten gospel in the XXI century.  God using human beings to bless other human beings. This is the beauty of life, extending our hands to help our neighbor. 

The story doesn’t end there. You moved from San Jose to Pacifica for Elena’s work at Kaiser Permanente in the city. John decides it was time to leave Brazil as it had not welcomed us after 11 years of striving and barely making it. (Pumping gas once a month in our one 10-year old car had to last a whole month, we had to rationalize our visits to family because of that.) 

You and Elena welcomed us to your Sharp Park house. After 3 months I found a listing on craigslist. We moved into a beautiful room (the master room) in this Linda Mar house owed by a Christian elderly lady.  We were thunderstruck!! This is not the end yet. 

John and Bianca chose New Life church and another amazing chapter starts to unfold right before our eyes. The fourth special man in my life whose name start with the letter J shows up in the picture: Jonathan Markham. 

Like David,  I was tending the sheep when God called me into ministry. I was teaching my children the Word of God when He used the very service I had been offering Him for years 

as the overflow of my heart’s gratitude for what He is to open an almost unimaginable door. 

God is not done. He keeps using mere human beings like you and Elena and me and John and   Jonathan to fulfill His plan on earth. More is to come. 

Happy August 28th! I am glad you are good with remembering dates, because I am not. 

In Christ Jesus!  

Djenane

Spain: Desperate Migrants Over Power A Border Wall

SPAIN

Over the Fence

Spain has a wall, or at least a fence. And still they come.

Recently, around 300 African migrants stormed the fence separating Ceuta, a Spanish exclave on Africa’s northern coast, from Morocco, El País reported.

More than 100 of the migrants made it over the 20-foot high fence topped with razor wire, then celebrated by flying the Spanish and European Union flags. Border guards rushed in to stop them but the migrants threw corrosive substances at them, injuring seven, according to euronews.

In a similar clash less than a month earlier, more than 600 men forced their way into the city.

The incidents show that the European migrant crisis is far from over.

The Australian noted that around 1,500 refugees have entered Spain every week this summer – five times more than Italy and three times more than Greece. More than 26,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in the southern European country so far this year, the UN migration agency reported.

Northern Africa and the Middle East – and now, possibly, Turkey – are suffering from economic instability, wars, famine and internecine violence. European territory on the African continent looks attractive to desperate folks who would prefer not to take to the sea in rickety, dangerous boats.

Many of the migrants in the latest clash at Ceuta were given medical attention and legal advice about seeking asylum. But they refused asylum, Spanish officials said, and were quickly shunted back over the border, an approach that Amnesty International has criticized.

“Due to the speed at which it is carried out, it is difficult to guarantee access to a personalized procedure with full guarantees,” the organization told Reuters.

The controversy over Spain’s treatment of migrants is partially a result of Italy closing its border to migrants following the election of nationalist populists who view migrants and the European Union as threatening Italian culture, the New York Times wrote.

Ironically, the Telegraph of Britain pointed out that Italy doesn’t mind taking European money. Italian leaders used around $230,000 in EU funds to redirect at least one refugee-laden ship from Italy to Spain.

Many of the migrants don’t make it. Some Spanish citizens have been burying those who perish in a bid to provide them with dignity.

An Al Jazeera video told the moving story of Samuel Kabamba, a Congolese child who drowned in the Mediterranean 11 days before his fifth birthday. His body washed up in Spain. His mother’s was found on the shore in Algeria.

“As I bury these migrants, I tell them that if they didn’t find a better world down here, I’ll ask God to give them a better life up there,” a gravedigger told the news service.

The migrants aren’t looking for a better life in the hereafter. And many say they didn’t have to die chasing a better life across a sea.

Views From Our Deck

U.S. Nuclear War Plan Option Sought Destruction of China and Soviet Union as “Viable” Societies | National Security Archive

U.S. Nuclear War Plan Option Sought Destruction of China and Soviet Union as “Viable” Societies | National Security Archive

Isis Is Still Active In Syria

ISLAMIC STATE

Scattered, Not Broken

The United Nations warned that 20,000 to 30,000 Islamic State militants remain in Syria and Iraq, including “many thousands of active foreign terrorist fighters,” the BBC reported Tuesday.

Despite the deaths of numerous commanders and planners, a significant number of militants are still fully engaged militarily, the UN report said. Meanwhile, a “reduced, covert version” of IS will likely prove difficult to eliminate in both countries.

In addition to the fighters in Iraq and Syria, IS maintains “significant” affiliates in Afghanistan, Libya, Southeast Asia and West Africa, while al Qaeda is stronger in areas such as Somalia and Yemen, the UN said.

As many as 40,000 foreign jihadists traveled to Iraq and Syria to join Islamic State during its heyday, but the exodus of these militants since the recapture of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria last year has been “lower than expected,” the report said.

A reminder of that continued presence: Last month, more than 200 people were killed in a large-scale IS attack in southwest Syria.

The THree Types Of People Who Become Millionaires

BUSINESS INSIDER | EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS: POWERED BY MASERATI

After spending 5 years studying millionaires, I've found that there are 3 types of people who end up the wealthiest

Business Insider US

 Aug 14, 2018, 06:12 PM

  

(Harry Trump, Getty Images)

• To become wealthy, there are a few things you have to do with your money. 
• Thomas C. Corley studied and interviewed 233 wealthy individuals over the course of four years and found three common ways they build their fortunes.
• "Saver-investors" focused on having no debt, lived well below their means, and invested and saved for many years. 
• "Virtuosos" were the best of the best in their careers, and worked for companies that gave stock options or owned their own highly-profitable businesses. 
• "Dreamers" were the wealthiest group: They pursued a big dream and made it a reality, which led to some massive gain or income. 

---

Over a nearly four-year period, I interviewed 233 wealthy individuals. During these interviews, I asked each rich person 144 questions. It took me another 18 months to summarize and analyze their responses. In an effort to share my research I've written several books sharing their habits, thinking, psychology, decision-making, risk tolerance, careers and many other things, which I learned thanks to my Rich Habits Study.

One of the many things I learned was how they actually created their wealth.

What I found is that there were three predominant paths rich people pursued in order to accumulate their wealth.

1. The 'saver-investors'

Just less than 22% of the rich people in my Rich Habits Study fell into this category. The "saver-investors" all had zero debt, and the passive income generated by their invested savings was enough to meet or exceed their standard of living.

They all had five things in common:

1. They had a low standard of living and
2. They typically made a modest income and
3. Their modest income exceeded their low standard of living and
4. They saved 20% or more of their modest income for many years and
5. They consistently and prudently invested their savings for many years.

It took the Savers about 32 years to accumulate an average wealth of $3.4 million.

2. The 'virtuosos'

Approximately 27% of the rich people in my study were "virtuosos." These rich people were virtuosos in their career, industry, or profession. They were among the best at what they did.

These individuals either worked for large, publicly-held corporations, in which a significant portion of their compensation was stock-based compensation or they were entrepreneurs/small business owners with enterprises that were highly profitable.

It took the virtuosos about 20 years to accumulate an average wealth of $4 million.

3. The 'dreamers'

The "dreamers" were by far the wealthiest group in my study. Approximately 51% of them were individuals who pursued some big dream and were able to turn that dream into a reality. Their dream eventually provided them with an enormous amount of income, profit, or gain, and they accumulated an average of $7.4 million in about twelve years.

The point to all of this is: There is more than one way to skin a cat. If you're risk-averse, it does not disqualify you from becoming rich. If you have no dream or you're not interested in saving your way to wealth, becoming a virtuoso in what you do for a living can make you rich. If you are not a saver or a virtuoso, pursuing some dream that makes your heart sing can also make you wealthy.

If you want to be rich, the only important thing is to pick one path that works for you and stick with it for many years. The one common denominator all levels of wealth shared was time — it took many years to accumulate their wealth.

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China Is Resorting To Mass Incarceration of Muslims

CHINA

Mass Incarceration

A United Nations panel slammed China for incarcerating more than 1 million members of the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority in what it described as a “massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy.”

As many as 2 million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities may have been forced into “political camps for indoctrination” in the western Xinjiang autonomous region, according to “credible reports” cited by Gay McDougall, a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Earlier, monitoring groups had pegged the numbers in the thousands.

China argues that Islamist militants and separatists plot terrorist attacks and work to sow strife between the Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang – the northwest Chinese province that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, among several other countries.

The 50-member Chinese delegation to the Geneva session where McDougall made her remarks didn’t respond to the allegations. But on Monday, English and Chinese editorials in the state-run Global Times said the “high intensity of regulations” in Xinjiang has helped prevent “great tragedy,” Reuters reported.

Marijuana Beer Is Coming!!!

BUSINESS INSIDER | LIFE

Heineken is betting on a brew made with marijuana instead of alcohol, and it could help give a boost to the struggling beer industry

Erin Brodwin , Business Insider US

 Aug 09, 2018, 09:33 AM

  

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

• Heineken's new brew, from California beer brand Lagunitas, is made with marijuana instead of alcohol.
• Hi-Fi Hops is currently only available in a select number of dispensaries in California, where cannabis is legal.
• It's part of a growing trend of established companies diving into the marijuana industry.

---

Lagunitas, Heineken's fast-growing California beer label, bills its new brew as "hoppy sparkling water."

That's because these cans of brew contain zero alcohol. Instead of booze, the beer is made with THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Called Hi-Fi Hops, Lagunitas' new cannabis drink is the latest wave of a larger move by established companies diving into the marijuana industry. In addition to a brew made with THC, the ingredient in marijuana that causes a high, Lagunitas' new beer is also available with CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabis component that's thought to be responsible for many of its therapeutic effects.

Having only launched on July 30, the brew is currently available in a handful of marijuana dispensaries in California, where the drug is legal. Business Insider visited Oakland's Harborside dispensary, located on the East Bay peninsula between the neighborhoods of Fruitvale and Downtown Oakland, to check out the new $8 (R106) drink.

---

On a Friday afternoon, Oakland cannabis dispensary Harborside was packed. After waiting in line for roughly 30 minutes, we got a look at a display case where Hi-Fi Hops was featured beside some other edible cannabis treats.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

At R106 a can, the drink wasn't cheap — but the price point brought it roughly in line with other canned beers. We snagged the last cans that were available. An employee at Harborside said they were selling like hotcakes.

---

There's one big drawback compared with other beers: You can't drink it at a bar.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

---

The drink is made in special cans that require a little finagling to get right — you pop the tab at the top, then slide to open.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

---

Lagunitas says the brew is made to taste a bit like regular beer: hoppy, clean, and bubbly.

Lagunitas

---

Despite only being available in dispensaries, the beer was conveniently portable, which is something you can't say about all currently available cannabis products.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

And if you don't finish a can, you can re-close the tab at the top.

---

The Lagunitas brew is currently available in two varieties. One is purely THC, with 10mg per can (roughly the same as you'd find in an edible like a gummy); the other is a hybrid variety with 5mg of THC and 5mg of CBD.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

The hybrid version is designed to have more subdued and relaxing effects.

---

Heineken's move into "beer" made with CBD and THC instead of alcohol is strategic.

Erin Brodwin / Business Insider

Consumer demand for marijuana products is growing fast as state-based legalization campaigns spread and as scientific awareness about the drug increases.

---

There has long been mainstream awareness of THC, marijuana's main psychoactive compound.

Now there's also an emerging interest in CBD, the compound thought to be responsible for many of the drug's therapeutic effects — such as pain relief.

Besides beer-like drinks, a range of CBD products made from hemp are popping up in stores around the country.Lotions, balms, beverages, vape pens, and dog treats are just a few of the products making a splash on the retail scene.

---

Putting a cannabis product in a beverage is a smart move for another reason, too: it could help save the struggling beer and soda industry.

Expected to reach roughly $75 million in sales by 2030, cannabis is already set to eclipse soda, according to research firm Cowen & Co.

---

In recent years, many major beer labels — including Heineken — have been plagued by what analysts say is a lack of interest among millennials.

Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

But a beverage brewed with cannabis could reinvigorate some of that intrigue. Plus, it doesn't come with a hangover.  

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Gina haspel's Torture Tapes

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/foia-intelligence-torture-archive/2018-08-10/gina-haspel-cia-torture-cables-declassified

A Huge Financial Scandal Touches Both Malaysia and The USA

MALAYSIA

The Cost of Pink Diamonds

Malaysian authorities charged former Prime Minister Najib Razak with three counts of money laundering on Wednesday in a case related to the notorious 1Malaysia Development Berhad embezzlement scandal.

The charges concern three electronic transfers worth a total of $10 million from a onetime unit of the investment fund that prosecutors alleged were deposited into Najib’s personal accounts, the New York Times reported.

US prosecutors claim that at least $4.5 billion from the fund, known as 1MDB, was laundered through American financial institutions and redirected to Najib, his family and associates – who used it to buy pink diamonds, priceless works of art and a $250 million yacht that was returned to Malaysia from Indonesia on Wednesday.

Najib, whose loss in the May elections stemmed largely from the scandal, pleaded not guilty to the charges, each of which carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years, plus fines of at least $1.2 million. Previously, he pleaded not guilty to three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of corruption in connection with the 1MDB scandal.

Australia: Stopping The Clock

AUSTRALIA

Stopping the Clock

Australia’s population hit 25 million decades ahead of previous forecasts made by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), energizing the country’s debate over immigration.

The historic milestone was recorded at 11.01pm (AEST) on Tuesday night by the ABS’ “population clock”, which tallies births and deaths and people entering and leaving the country, Australia’s New Daily reported.

Immigration currently accounts for 62 percent of Australia’s population growth, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Chinese and Indian immigrants are arriving in large numbers, changing the ethnic makeup of the country. People born in China account for 15.8 percent of total arrivals, the broadcaster said.

Since peaking at 2.1 percent in 2009 the growth rate has stabilized around 1.6 percent – the average since 1947. But the phenomenon has resulted in louder and more frequent calls for curbs on immigration, including from some sitting members of parliament and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the BBC reported.

Belarus: Reading The Tea Leaves

BELARUS

Reading the Tea Leaves

During the Cold War, Kremlinologists grew a cottage industry out of analyzing the Soviet Union, where leaders operated without the hindrance of public scrutiny.

In Belarus – the so-called “last dictatorship of Europe – one still needs to read the proverbial tea leaves to hazard a guess about the country’s future.

Still, things are changing.

Agence France-Presse recently reported that a health-care scandal has so shaken the country that it has forced former Communist officials who still rule with an iron hand to give ground to critics. Doctors, pharmaceutical executives and others allegedly embezzled millions in funds from the state health system, hiking prices for struggling sick people.

“The existing system of procuring medical equipment and drugs created the conditions for corrupt practices,” said Valery Vakulchik, head of the Belarussian KGB security agency.

That acknowledgment stood in stark contrast with the authorities’ usual response to negative coverage of Belarussian society.

On Tuesday, the authorities detained three journalists from independent news outlets on suspicion of hacking the computer systems of state-run news agency BelTA in a move critics said was part of a government drive to muzzle the free press, Reuters reported.

Earlier, a blogger who raised questions about the potential environmental damage from a battery plant faced police harassment before being charged with disobedience for not letting cops enter his home, the Committee to Protect Journalists claimed.

Another journalist, Dzmitry Halko, faces four years in prison for allegedly assaulting police officers when they burst into his teenage son’s birthday party and accused him of operating a drug den and pornography studio. He claimed he was simply trying to block their camera from recording teens at the party. “You don’t get a fair chance,” Halko told Radio Free Europe.

Belarusian authorities “hit an absurd new low,” Amnesty International wrote, when they persecuted an activist for a solo protest on behalf of lesbians, gays and other sexual minorities. The activist, Viktoria Biran, posed alone with a hand-held poster in front of several government buildings and posted the photos on social media. A court convicted Biran of violating procedures for holding mass events.

Between health scandals and civil-rights unrest, one would think Belarus would be on the precipice of a revolution a la Ukraine or other former Soviet republics.

But Reuters reported that the country has been benefitting from sanctions against neighboring Russia, re-exporting Russian natural gas and gaining crucial foreign currency. It’s also been making deals with Iranians, a Ukrainian news website reported. And it’s batting its eyelashes at China also, says New Eastern Europe, based in Poland, where a lot of independent Belarusian media originates.

Meanwhile, some speculation could be useful.

The Jamestown Foundation, a think tank founded during the Cold War, argued in a blog post that Belarusian leaders’ recent decision to allow for 30-day visa-free travel in the country was a sign they wanted to open up to the world. The blog suggested that the move could be a sign of a difference in opinion between Belarusian and Russian leaders over the country’s stance toward the West.

Moscow’s Pravda news service, a Kremlin mouthpiece, meanwhile, ran a story saying that a “pro-Western coup” might be in the offing in Belarus. Russia was ready for “regime change” in the country, it said.

Judging by the civil-rights crackdown, Belarus’s regime is strong. Then again, the Soviet Union disappeared almost overnight. Lightning sometimes strikes twice.