Gobekli Tepe is widely acknowledged as one of the most important and mysterious archaeological sites in the world. The two main mysteries surrounding Gobekli Tepe are:

1) How did people this primitive cut, carve, move, and build with enormous stones in excess of 15 tons? The artifacts are inconsistent with prevailing theories about the development of civilization because every place else in the world, where ancient civilizations have built structures with enormous stones, there is also evidence of settled communities that practiced herding and agriculture. Prevailing theories about this region suggest that around 11,000 years ago, primitive man was just beginning to evolve from being a hunter-gatherer to a herder-farmer.

2) Why did this civilization decline over a period of several thousand years and then intentionally bury the site around 10,000 years ago? One of the peculiar aspects of the construction and art at Gobekli Tepe is that both become less refined over time. The older structures are significantly larger and more ornately decorated. There are clear indications that the site was intentionally buried but nothing to indicate why.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

An audiovisionary portrayal of the cycle of reality by Troy R. Bishop.

What is the Urantia Book? Why have you never heard of it before? Find out from real students of this life changing book, and hear how its teachings are changing the world we know.

This is a tour of the universe of universes as depicted in The Urantia Book. It features the art of Gary Tonge and the music is Claire de Lune, part of the Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy.

In November of 2008, the Lead Trustee for the soon to be established Aevia Charitable Trust (The ACT), gave a talk wherein he stressed the importance of understanding how all that is implicit to being born again, is seen through the context of the parent/child relationship and the larger family to which we are born. The talk included the following statement:

“While we gain entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven by means of a child-like faith, we are expected to grow spiritually. We must each bear appropriate fruits of the Spirit. And we can look forward to an expansion of intellect, factual enlargement, and increased social service. As we awaken to individual and societal needs, as we begin to discern enhanced meanings and discover supreme values, we become highly active personalities. But it all really begins with a child-like response to the wonder lure.”

“Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of participants experiencing at least one acute respiratory tract infection.”

This was the conclusion of a meta-analysis conducted by Adrian R. Martineau, MD, PhD, from the Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, and colleagues. According to the authors, acute respiratory infections are a substantial cause of illness and death, and in 2013, they accounted for one tenth of ambulatory and emergency department visits in the United States and approximately 2.65 million deaths worldwide.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

In testimony on February 16, 2017, before the House Committee on Agriculture, Angela Rachidi with the American Enterprise Institute made four main points before the House Committee on Agriculture. Here is her opening statement:

Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and other Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning on restrictions on purchases in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.

My name is Angela Rachidi, and I am a research fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Prior to joining AEI, I spent almost a decade at the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) as the Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Evaluation. HRA is New York City’s main social service agency and administers SNAP. During my time at HRA, the city provided SNAP benefits to almost 2 million New Yorkers each month.

In my role, I studied all aspects of the program. Most relevant for today is my experience—under the direction of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Commissioners for Health Thomas Friedan and Thomas Farley, and HRA Commissioner Robert Doar—drafting a proposal for a demonstration project in New York City to restrict the use of SNAP benefits to purchase sweetened beverages. We proposed a restriction as a way to support the overarching goal of the program, which is to improve nutrition. Regrettably, it was denied by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011.

In the years since I left HRA, the public health problems caused by sweetened beverages have not solved themselves. I am here today to urge the Committee to support demonstration projects that test whether a sweetened beverage restriction in SNAP can improve the health and well-being of SNAP recipients.

I will make four main points to support this recommendation:

1. Obesity and related health problems remain one of the most challenging public health issues of our time, affecting millions of poor and non-poor Americans, with sweetened beverages identified as one the main contributors.

2. The integrity of SNAP as a publicly-funded program rests on how well its implementation matches the stated goals of the program. Congress has stated that the purpose of SNAP is to support nutrition among low-income households, which is directly contradicted by allowing sweetened beverages to be purchased.

3. This public health problem is complex and requires a comprehensive approach that includes multiple strategies, including changes to SNAP.

4. A demonstration project to test a sweetened beverage restriction in SNAP is consistent with bipartisan efforts to support evidence-based policymaking. Through rigorous evaluation, a demonstration project could assess whether government efforts can achieve potential gains, such as better health, without adversely affecting other measures of well-being.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

One of the most unintelligent responses to the one and only uncaused cause was recently manifest in response to an article published by the science journal PLOS ONE. The Chinese scientists and publication apparently ran afoul of the scientific priesthood when they referred to, of all things, a Creator.

“English is not our native language,”researcher Ming-Jin Liu said. “Our understanding of the word Creator was not actually as a native English speaker expected.”

Apparently those criticizing the researchers equate Creationism with any reference to a Creator. After the self-appointed priesthood of science jumped all over them, PLOS ONE quickly published the “scientific” equivalent of Galileo’s Abjuration. It reads as follows:

“A number of readers have concerns about sentences in the article that make references to a ‘Creator.’ The PLOS ONE editors apologize that this language was not addressed internally or by the Academic Editor during the evaluation of the manuscript. We are looking into the concerns raised about the article with priority and will take steps to correct the published record.”

Ming-Jin Liu, a mechanical engineering researcher at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, has reached out to PLOS ONE to address the “confusion-turned-controversy.”

“What we would like to express is that the biomechanical characteristic of tendious connective architecture between muscles and articulations is a proper ‘design’ by the Nature — result of evolution — to perform a multitude of daily grasping tasks,” Liu told UPI, relaying his correspondence with the scientific journal.

“We will change the Creator to nature in the revised manuscript. We apologize for any troubles that may have been caused by this misunderstanding.”

Here at Ascension Cafe, our thoughts and prayers are with the editors and researchers at the center of this “controversy” as they struggle with the fact of evolutionary over-control and the Cause of Causes. We hope those at the commanding heights of the scientific community have not exerted a retardant influence that proves insurmountable. We are, however, buoyed by the fact that total reality is best understood through the application of three types of light. These include physical light, intellectual insight, and Spirit luminosity. These are, after all, the true lessons of The Enlightenment.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently held its annual conference, where investors and scientists gather to discuss the future of energy. The agency’s director Ellen Williams said the battery storage technology developed under her organization’s oversight is “on the verge of transforming America’s electrical grid” within the next five to 10 years.

ARPA-E researchers are exploring new materials as a potential alternative for lithium-ion batteries, as well as the development of more efficient super-conductors. Since energy sources like solar and wind don’t guarantee a consistent stream of power, a more capable storage system could help the world transition to more sustainable energy supplies.

The lack of specifics from ARPA-E prompted one skeptic to comment “Much cackling. No eggs. Wake me up when you have a product.”

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Parker Krex started Brick Loot a little over a year ago. He is likely the youngest company CEO around. As a Lego fan, Parker was disappointed by a package he received through mail order. This inspired Brick Loot which offers the latest and greatest in brick-themed toys every month.

Parker together with his mom and dad initially shipped about 500 boxes a month. Last year they sold over 13,000 boxes. Parker does the research, contacts designers, and the creation begins with the purchase of bricks from all over the world. “We order so many bricks a month we probably order from 15 different countries each month so it’s quite a feat to get all those bricks,” says Parker.

Parker is in his office on the weekends and occasionally after school. “School comes first because I have to do my homework and I can’t bring homework in late then I can work in the office,” he says. Since he was a very little boy, Parker has been product testing. Now he travels to brick conventions, does some packaging and selling. But mostly Parker is coming up with new ideas. “We’re thinking of multiple possible other things we can do with it. But we can’t say those right now because they’re confidential!” he says.

Parker hopes this is just the beginning of a long and successful career in brick building. Brick Loot is not associated with LEGO, although its product is LEGO compatible. It is also created, in part, by LEGO designers.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!