The Third-Grade Math Question That’s Baffling Parents

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Parents everywhere are stumped by another Common Core math problem. This time, the third-grade assignment in question fueled a viral Reddit debate on what 5 x 3 equals.

The student wrote 15, because “5 + 5 + 5” equals 15. The teacher marked it wrong because of how the student arrived at the answer; the correct answer, according to the repeated addition problem is: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 equals 15 . . .

Under Common Core, which was launched in 2009 and currently in use in 42 states, you have to read 5 x 3 as “five groups of three” instead of “three groups of five.” (Read more from “The Third-Grade Math Question That’s Baffling Parents” HERE)

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FINALLY: White House Preparing for Catastrophic Solar Flares

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If a giant solar flare hit the Earth, it could knock out the entire power grid, meaning no more new Justin Bieber singles, no more televised presidential debates, and no more Facebook photos of babies . . .

That’s why the White House released its National Space Weather Strategy on Thursday . . .

The six-step plan requires government agencies, schools, the media, the insurance industry, nonprofits, and more to work together. In other words: We might be doomed. “This is a real and present danger,” the White House’s assistant director for space weather tells the Post. Back in 1859, a huge solar storm did impact Earth and caused some sparking telegraph lines. The National Academy of Sciences says something like that today could mean a $2 trillion economic hit. Something like that almost did happen in 2012, when NASA says we were nearly hit by two large plasma clouds. “If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,” one physicist says. The White House’s new plan calls for the US to get better at predicting space weather, shore up our infrastructure against EMPs, and more, the Chronicle reports. It’s a plan we may truly need: The Post quotes NASA as stating there’s a 12% chance of a giant solar flare in the next 10 years. (Escape doomsday in a luxury missile silo.) (Read more from “The White House Is Preparing for Catastrophic Solar Flares” HERE)

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The UN Plans To Implement Universal Biometric Identification For All Of Humanity By…

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Did you know that the United Nations intends to have biometric identification cards in the hands of every single man, woman and child on the entire planet by the year 2030? And did you know that a central database in Geneva, Switzerland will be collecting data from many of these cards? Previously, I have written about the 17 new “Global Goals” that the UN launched at the end of September. Even after writing several articles about these new Global Goals, I still don’t think that most of my readers really grasp how insidious they actually are. This new agenda truly is a template for a “New World Order”, and if you dig into the sub-points for these new Global Goals you find some very alarming things.

For example, Goal 16.9 sets the following target…

“By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration”

The United Nations is already working hard toward the implementation of this goal – particularly among refugee populations. The UN has partnered with Accenture to implement a biometric identification system that reports information “back to a central database in Geneva”. The following is an excerpt from an article that was posted on findbiometrics.com…

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is moving forward with its plans to use biometric technology to identify and track refugees, and has selected a vendor for the project. Accenture, an international technology services provider, has won out in the competitive tendering process and will oversee the implementation of the technology in a three-year contract.

The UNHCR will use Accenture’s Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS) for the endeavor. BIMS can be used to collect facial, iris, and fingerprint biometric data, and will also be used to provide many refugees with their only form of official documentation. The system will work in conjunction with Accenture’s Unique Identity Service Platform (UISP) to send this information back to a central database in Geneva, allowing UNHCR offices all over the world to effectively coordinate with the central UNHCR authority in tracking refugees.

I don’t know about you, but that sure does sound creepy to me.

And these new biometric identification cards will not just be for refugees. According to a different FindBiometrics report, authorities hope this technology will enable them to achieve the UN’s goal of having this kind of identification in the hands of every man, woman and child on the planet by the year 2030…

A report synopsis notes that about 1.8 billion adults around the world currently lack any kind of official documentation. That can exclude those individuals from access to essential services, and can also cause serious difficulties when it comes to trans-border identification.

That problem is one that Accenture has been tackling in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which has been issuing Accenture-developed biometric identity cards to populations of displaced persons in refugee camps in Thailand, South Sudan, and elsewhere. The ID cards are important for helping to ensure that refugees can have access to services, and for keeping track of refugee populations.

Moreover, the nature of the deployments has required an economically feasible solution, and has demonstrated that reliable, biometric ID cards can affordably be used on a large scale. It offers hope for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of getting legal ID into the hands of everyone in the world by the year 2030 with its Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative.

The Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative was originally launched by the World Bank, and they are proud to be working side by side with the UN to get “legal identity” into the hands of all. The following comes from the official website of the World Bank…

Providing legal identity for all (including birth registration) by 2030 is a target shared by the international community as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (target 16.9). The World Bank Group (WBG) has launched the Identification for Development (ID4D) cross-practice initiative, with the participation of seven GP/CCSAs sharing the same vision and strategic objectives, to help our client countries achieve this goal and with the vision of making everyone count: ensure a unique legal identity and enable digital ID-based services to all.

Of course all of this is being framed as a “humanitarian” venture right now, but will it always stay that way?

At some point will a universal biometric ID be required for everyone, including you and your family?

And what would happen if you refused to take it?

I could definitely foresee a day when not having “legal identification” would disqualify you from holding a job, getting a new bank account, applying for a credit card, qualifying for a mortgage, receiving any form of government payments, etc. etc.

At that point, anyone that refused to take a “universal ID” would become an outcast from society.

What the elite want to do is to make sure that everyone is “in the system”. And it is a system that they control and that they manipulate for their own purposes. That is one of the reasons why they are slowly but surely discouraging the use of cash all over the world.

In Sweden, this movement has already become so advanced that they are now pulling ATMs out of even the most rural locations…

The Swedish government abetted by its fractional-reserve banking system is moving relentlessly toward a completely cashless economy. Swedish banks have begun removing ATMs even in remote rural areas, and according to Credit Suisse the rule of thumb in Scandinavia is “If you have to pay in cash, something is wrong.” Since 2009 the average annual value of notes and coins in circulation in Sweden has fallen more than 20 percent from over 100 billion to 80 billion kronor. What is driving this movement to destroy cash is the desire to unleash the Swedish central bank to drive the interest rate down even further into negative territory. Currently, it stands at -0.35 percent, but the banks have not passed this along to their depositors, because depositors would simply withdraw their cash rather than leave it in banks and watch its amount shrink inexorably toward zero. However, if cash were abolished and bank deposits were the only form of money, well then there would be no limit on negative interest rate policy as banks would be able to pass these negative interest rates onto their depositors without adverse consequences. With everyone’s wages, salaries, dividends etc, paid by direct deposit into his bank account, the only way to escape negative interest rates would be to spend, spend, spend. This, of course, is precisely what the Keynesian economists advising governments and running central banks are aiming at….a pro-cash resistance movement is beginning to coalesce and the head of a security industry lobbying group relates, “I’ve heard of people keeping cash in their microwaves because banks won’t accept it.”

If you aren’t using cash, that means that all of your economic activity is going through the banks where it can be watched, tracked, monitored and regulated.

Every time the elite propose something for our “good”, it somehow always results in them having more power and more control.

I hope that people will wake up and see what is happening. Major moves toward a one world system are taking place right in front of our eyes, and yet I hear very, very few people talking about any of this. (For more from the author of “The UN Plans to Implement Universal Biometric Identification for All of Humanity By…” please click HERE)

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Louisiana Man Cashes in Life Savings in Pennies

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Ruston resident Otha Anders started saving his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground . . .

“I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful,” said Anders, 73. “There have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me.”

Fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs and half a million pennies later, Anders on Tuesday deposited $5,136.14 into his account to go toward a recent dental bill . . .

After that first coin, Anders said his penny pile began to grow and he ultimately stopped spending pennies and always made sure whenever he made a purchase, his change contained at least three to four pennies.

Bank Vice President Jennie Cole said it was not a typical day at the bank when Anders had his collection of pennies rolled in on a dolly, but Anders is a longtime customer who they wanted to help. (Read more from “Louisiana Man Cashes in Life Savings in Pennies” HERE)

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Massive ‘Crack in the Earth’ Opens up Suddenly in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains

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A dramatic crack has suddenly formed in the foothills of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains that measures an impressive 750 yards long and 50 yards wide. It was discovered recently by surprised backcountry hunters who travel frequently to the area in search of game.

First reported by SNS Outfitter & Guides, a hunting company, on their Facebook page, the mammoth chasm appeared over the course of just a couple of weeks. It’s an impressive example of just how quickly very large geological events can occur under the right conditions.

“Everyone here is calling it ‘the gash.’ It’s a really incredible sight,” wrote SNS on the group’s Facebook page.

“An awesome example of how our earth is not as stable as you might think. Awesome forces at work here to move this much dirt!!” added Randy Becker, one of the hunters to stumble upon “the gash.” Becker shared a number of stunning photographs of the crack to his own Facebook page . . .

Contrary to some sensational claims swirling about on social media, the crack is not an opening to the underworld or a sign that Yellowstone is about to erupt. The processes that created the crack are not even all that mysterious. (Read more from “Massive ‘Crack in the Earth’ Opens up Suddenly in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains” HERE)

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Oregon Girl With Bubonic Plague Moved out of Intensive Care

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A 16-year-old Crook County girl has been diagnosed with bubonic plague, Oregon health officials confirmed.

The Oregon Health Authority said the girl likely acquired the disease from a flea bite during a hunting trip near Heppner on Oct. 16. She got sick five days later and was admitted to the intensive care unit at a Bend hospital.

On Friday, the girl was moved out of intensive care.

“The challenge in Oregon is both avoiding it in the first place, and then, making sure that people, especially in eastern Oregon, are aware that while rare, it’s present and to make sure that doctors also know,” said Katrina Hedberg, state epidemiologist and health officer . . .

“Many people think of the plague as a disease of the past, but it’s still very much present in our environment, particularly among wildlife,” said state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess. “Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way.” (Read more from “Oregon Girl With Bubonic Plague Moved out of Intensive Care” HERE)

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Forget X-Rays, Now You Can See Through Walls Using WI-FI: Device Captures Silhouettes and Can Even Identify People When They’re Stood Behind CONCRETE

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X-ray vision is a staple of sci-fi films and comic books and now researchers have turned this concept into a reality.

Using a wireless transmitter fitted behind a wall, computer scientists have developed a device that can map a nearby room in 3D while scanning for human bodies.

Using the signals that bounce and reflect off these people, the device creates an accurate silhouette and can even use this silhouette to identify who that person is.

The device is called RF Capture and it was developed by researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL).

It has long been thought that wireless signals, such as Wi-Fi, can be used to see things that are invisible to the naked eye. (Read more from “Forget X-Rays, Now You Can See Through Walls Using WI-FI: Device Captures Silhouettes and Can Even Identify People When They’re Stood Behind CONCRETE” HERE)

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Google Wants to Monitor Your Mental Health

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Next week, Dr Tom Insel leaves his post as head of the US National Institute of Mental Health, a job that made him America’s top mental health doctor. Dr Insel is a neuroscientist and a psychiatrist and a leading authority on both the medicine and public policies needed to deal with problems of the mind. He’s 64 but he’s not retiring. He’s going to work for Google.

More precisely, he’s going to work for Google Life Sciences, one of the more exotic provinces of the online empire. He’s going to investigate how technology can help diagnose and treat mental health conditions. Google doesn’t just want to read your mind, it wants to fix it too.

It’s not alone. Apple, IBM and Intel are among technology companies exploring the same field. IBM this year carried out research with Columbia University that suggested computer analysis of speech patterns can more accurately predict the onset of psychosis than conventional tests involving blood samples or brain scans. Other researchers theorise that a person’s internet search history or even shopping habits (so handily recorded by your innocuous loyalty card) can identify the first signs of mental illness. Computers can now tell when something is about to go terribly wrong in someone’s mind.

That development is striking enough in itself, but the way in which researchers like Dr Insel want to use this new technological power raises even more questions.

Wearable technology has been a hot topic in medical innovation for several years now. A growing number of people choose to track their own physical condition using FitBits, Jawbones and other activity trackers, tiny wearable devices that monitor your movements, pulse rate, sleep patterns and more. Once the preserve of obsessive fitness fanatics, “self-monitoring” has the scope to transform healthcare. The ever-increasing number of people with chronic conditions can track and electronically report their symptoms, reducing the number of routine (and expensive) consultations they need with medical staff and ensuring a quicker response to changes that do require direct professional attention. (Read more from “Google Wants to Monitor Your Mental Health” HERE)

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As Planets Align, Some See Return of Jesus’ Star of Bethlehem

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Could the rare convergence of Venus, Jupiter and Mars seen on the horizon this week be a repeat of the biblical phenomenon, the Star of Bethlehem? As early bird stargazers enjoy this planetary trio through November 3, like everything else in religious tradition and astrology, what the skies portend is a matter of faith — and interpretation.

Coming on the heels of the October 8 Blood Moon, until the end of this week the three planets can be seen grouped together inside a five degree diameter circle, in an astral phenomenon known as a “planetary trio.” On Monday, the height of the grouping, Venus and Jupiter will pass within 1.1 degrees of each other. Bright stars Regulus and Procyon have also been visible this week, forming a line in the sky with the planets.

Best beheld before dawn, the relative brightness of Venus and Jupiter make the event easily seen by the naked eye or binoculars and is being labeled by some Internet-savvy astronomers as the same Star of Bethlehem phenomenon the magi saw some 2,000 years ago.

But could this type of rare astral grouping really have been what propelled the three oriental gift-bearing kings to traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, while following yonder star?

To answer this question, one must first ask, why would the three magi (astrologers) follow a star to Bethlehem in the first place? (Read more from “As Planets Align, Some See Return of Jesus’ Star of Bethlehem” HERE)

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Family Members Could Be Kept Alive Forever Using Social Media History

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Family members could be kept alive forever virtually so that living relatives could interact with their avatars, an academic has suggested.

Simon McKeown, a Reader in Animation and Post Production at Teesside University, claims that within 50 years computers will be advanced enough that they can create ‘synthetic digital life’ based upon people’s past movements, preferences and history on social media.

The avatars would be created using a process called ‘photogrammetry’ which can accurately reconstruct a virtual 3D shape of a human being from existing photographs and video. Computer voice synthesis, will take account local and regional accents to deliver a more accurate representation of what they sounded like.

The digital lifeform would also be linked up to social networks and large databases so they would be kept ‘up to date’ with their relative’s activities and could communicate with them about their day.

Mr McKeown has dubbed the idea ‘Preserved Memories’ and claims that people would be able to construct a reality to avoid ever having to say goodbye to loved ones. (Read more from “Family Members Could Be Kept Alive Forever Using Social Media History” HERE)

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