SWINE FLU AND THE PALE HORSE OF APOCALYPSE : BY WAYNE TURGEON ( THE TRUMPET )

Fear of an imminent, potentially devastating flu pandemic is sweeping the globe.
A multistrained swine flu has infected nearly 2,000 people in Mexico, it is believed, killing up to 149 as of Monday just in that one country. According to authorities, this flu is an animal strain of the H1N1 virus that killed around 50 million people in 1918.
The United States declared a state of emergency on the weekend when at least 20 people were identified with the virus. Cases have also been identified in Canada, New Zealand and Spain. European Union Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou went so far as to warn EU citizens against traveling to America or Mexico. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, warned that the virus has “pandemic potential” and is a “public health event of international concern.”
“We have determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its website. In Mexico City, the government has canceled all public events, from ministerial speaking engagements to rock concerts. Schools have been closed and millions have been cautioned against going to work. Soldiers and police have handed out 2 million face masks in the city.
For those familiar with Bible prophecy, the sea of face-masked people in Mexico City and widespread fear of a global flu pandemic brings to mind the image of the pale, or sickly, horse of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as described by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.
The first three horsemen of the apocalypse symbolize religious deception, war, and famine. Along with the fourth horseman, pestilence, these riders represent the end-time culmination of the most traumatic problems endured by a rebellious mankind. They picture one of the most ominous scenarios ever.
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:7-8).
The key to the identity of the last horseman is the word pale, which often makes us think of someone who is feeling sick, having an anemic-looking appearance. Pale is translated from the Greek chloros, which we would normally take to mean the color of chlorophyll, the property that gives plants their healthy green appearance. When used biblically, however, chloros means the sickly pale green color of sickness and disease.
In Matthew 24, Christ the Revelator unlocks the true identity of this pale green horse: “and there shall be … pestilences” (verse 7). The man on the pale horse symbolizes climactic, globe-encircling plagues and pandemics occurring and soon to occur in this modern age!
The only reason for this type of extreme punishment is man’s unabated rebellion toward his Creator God. “As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth” (Daniel 9:13). The book of Daniel is an end-time prophecy (Daniel 12:4, 9).
Let’s examine Deuteronomy 28 (part of the law of Moses) and add modern-day expressions to see more clearly how this warning applies to our time now. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee …. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption [chronic, degenerate diseases such as aids], and with a fever, and with an inflammation [malaria or communicative diseases such as influenzas], and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew … with the botch of Egypt [elephantiasis], and with the emerods [tumors, cancer, etc.], and with the scab, and with the itch [aggravated psoriasis and other nutrient-deficiency diseases such as scurvy, rickets, etc.], whereof thou canst not be healed [incurable or drug-resistant diseases] … with madness [mental illness, insanity] and blindness and astonishment of heart [emotional distresses such as depression]” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22, 27-28).
The next verse (verse 29) graphically depicts the utter hopelessness of mankind suffering from these and the many other innumerable scourges of our generation.
In America, health care remains a controversial subject among lawmakers. Billions of dollars are spent annually. We have too many problems already to try to satisfactorily deal with new ones that seem to pop up without warning. To make matters worse, we live in a small world. And what about the prospect of blatant terrorist acts to damage air, soil or water quality?
Millions are prophesied to die because they fail to heed God’s warnings to turn to Him with the type of contrite attitude necessary to please Him (Isaiah 66:2). God wants true repentance—a turning away from the carnal “human nature” that we possess to the spiritual nature God originally intended us to develop.
Beyond the suffering, however, Jesus Christ is returning to this Earth to bring it all the joy and happiness man has continually sought after! God will mercifully end the deadly sweep of the four horsemen just before they eradicate mankind from off the Earth.
Whether the current outbreak of swine flu will grow to pandemic levels remains to be seen, but disease epidemics are certain to come. For more on this fourth horseman of the apocalypse, as well as the other three, read our booklet The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. •

SWINE FLU : IS THE WORLD STARING AT THE WORST HEALTH CRISIS IN 90 YEARS ?

NEW DELHI: This could be the worst health crisis facing the world in 90 years. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday raising its alert level to phase five for swine flu —

just one step short of seeing a full-blown pandemic affecting at least two regions of the world — health experts were fearing a situation similar to the 1918 Spanish Flu which killed at least 50 million people.

That's because H1N1 (the swine flu virus) is the closest so far to the Spanish Flu virus. While that kind of mortality is ruled out now, given the advance of medical science and the quick spread of information and awareness in today's world, WHO was taking no chances as it now knows that the disease can spread easily between humans and hence raised the alert which is read as a signal that a pandemic is imminent.

The Avian Flu (also known as bird flu) had an alert which was two notches lower, which means the danger this time is much higher. Worldwide, at least 13 countries have confirmed cases of swine flu. Switzerland became the fifth European country to report a case of the disease in a 19-year-old student, and the Netherlands soon after became the sixth, reporting a case of the virus in a three-year-old who had recently returned from Mexico. Britain, Germany, France and Austria are the other European countries where authorities have begun a campaign urging people to sneeze into tissues and wash their hands after that.

The campaign was called, ``Catch it, bin it, kill it.'' The disease has also spread to Costa Rica and Peru. Raising the alert — the second in three days — WHO's director general Dr Margaret Chan asked all countries to activate pandemic flu plans and called on them to be on high alert for a H1N1 swine flu outbreak.

Describing Influenza viruses as notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour, Dr Chan said, ``Influenza pandemics must be dealt with seriously and precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world. New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood. WHO and health authorities in affected countries will not have all the answers immediately, but we will get them.''

According to Dr Chan, at this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities. ``This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and to the pharmaceutical industry that actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency and at an accelerated pace,'' Dr Chan added.

Preparedness measures undertaken because of the threat from H5N1 avian influenza were an investment, and we are now benefiting from it, said experts. According to WHO, the biggest question, right now, is how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start? Dr Chan says it is possible that the full clinical spectrum of this disease goes from mild illness to severe disease. ``From past experience, we know that influenza may cause mild disease in affluent countries, but more severe disease, with higher mortality, in developing countries.

This is an opportunity for global solidarity. After all, it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic,'' Dr Chan said. Justifying raising the pandemic alert to phase five, WHO's assistant director-general Keiji Fukuda said in a global teleconference on Thursday night, ``Phase 5 indicates the spread of the virus among communities, normal people who haven't visited Mexico or come in contact with travellers.''

WHO has been tracking the spread of the virus at the epidemiological, clinical and virological levels. Dr Fukuda said, ``We found sustained human to human transmission in multiple generations. When we looked at the virus in Mexico and US, we found that it was beginning to behave like a human virus and was becoming part of our community and not just being spread by travellers. This therefore made us increase the pandemic threat.'' He added, ``Pandemic phases aren't intended to be a barometer of epidemiology of the virus but a clear warning and alert that the risk of the virus to reach your country is now significantly high.''

HEALTH : SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL FOUND IN BABY FOOD

WASHINGTON: Infrared lasers have helped researchers detect minute traces of a synthetic chemical like melamine in baby formula, within minutes.
Melamine, used in plastics and other products, has been found in baby formula and other milk-based products imported from China. High doses of melamine were associated with cancer in some animals, and it is especially dangerous for infants, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We have found detection methods that are inexpensive and do not require a lot of the product or time for sampling," said Lisa Mauer, professor of food science, at Purdue University. Mauer obtained unadulterated samples of powdered formula and measured them using near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy techniques.

"The melamine structure is very different than the formula, so you can see differences in the spectrum," Mauer said. "Because they are so different, we can detect down to one part per million of melamine." Federal guidelines permit only one part per million of melamine in infant formula and up to two and a half parts per million in other products.

Having an inexpensive and quick test would make it easier to test imported or domestically made products for melamine, said a Purdue release. Mauer and her graduate students found the melamine detection process after she received a new software programme that she wanted the students to become familiar with.

Mauer challenged them to use spectroscopy to detect melamine, thinking they might be able to do so at high concentrations. After successful tries at higher concentrations, Mauer and the students kept lowering the concentration of melamine until they reached one part per million. These findings were published in the online version of The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

CAROL ANN DUFFY NAMED THE FIRST FEMALE POET LAUREATE IN THE 341YEAR HISTORY

LONDON: Carol Ann Duffy was named Poet Laureate on Friday, the first woman to hold the title in the post's 341-year history. The 53-year-old, born in Glasgow, Scotland, said she had thought "long and hard" about accepting the position, seen by some as a poisoned chalice due to the public scrutiny that comes with it.

Duffy was firm favourite to take over the role from Andrew Motion, who has stepped down after completing a 10-year tenure. The royal post, held by the likes of John Dryden, William Wordsworth and before Motion, Ted Hughes, used to be for life, but Duffy, like Motion, will hold it for 10 years. "I look on it as a recognition of the great women poets we have writing now," Duffy told BBC Radio. "I've decided to accept it for that reason."

She had been in the running for the role in 1999 but lost out to Motion over what media reports said were concerns about how people would react to a lesbian laureate. Duffy is probably best known for her 1999 collection "The World's Wife" in which she tells the stories of the women behind some of the leading men through history.

Other highlights among her collections, many of which have won major awards, are "Standing Female Nude" (1985), "Mean Time" (1993), "Feminine Gospels" (2002) and "Rapture" (2005). Duffy also writes picture books for children and plays. Last year, Britain's biggest exam board, AQA, was accused of censorship after it removed a poem by Duffy containing references to knife crime from the GCSE syllabus. The poem starts: "Today I am going to kill something. Anything./I have had enough of being ignored and today/I am going to play God."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown called her "a truly brilliant modern poet who has stretched our imaginations by putting the whole range of human experiences into lines that capture the emotions perfectly." Judith Palmer, director of the Poetry Society, which marks its centenary this year, also welcomed the appointment.

"It shows how far this country has come that a woman, and a woman like Carol Ann, can hold an appointment such as Poet Laureate," Palmer told Reuters. "That is incredibly heartening for all of us. It focuses attention on the wide range of excellent women poets working in Britain at the moment."

The new appointment is likely to reignite debate among literary circles over whether Britain really needs a Poet Laureate, who is expected to compose poems to mark major state occasions and other national events.

The post is seen as a difficult one. Motion, generally viewed as a successful laureate for actively promoting verse, complained last year of suffering from writer's block. "The pressures and peculiarities of the laureateship, some of which I put myself through, did have a rocky effect on my life," he said in an interview with the Independent newspaper.

"It was a strange mix of making me self-conscious, that so few writers are made to feel because of being so public. There is an isolation in being the Poet Laureate." The holder of the title receives 5,750 pounds a year. Duffy said she would give the fee to the Poetry Society. According to the Society, the laureate's original salary was 200 pounds per year plus a butt of canary wine. John Betjeman had the tradition revived in 1972, and today's laureate continues to receive a barrel of sherry. The first official Poet Laureate is widely recognised to be John Dryden in 1668, although others fulfilled a similar function before him.

CHANDIGARH IN TIMES BEST ASIAN SPOTS AS ' THE THINKING MAN'S CITY '

CHANDIGARH: The world, it seems, is celebrating India’s first modern city. Even as London fetes the brilliance of master architect Le Corbusier through an ongoing exhibition, ‘Time’ magazine has dubbed Chandigarh as ‘’the thinking man’s city’’ amidst ‘’a continent of mindless growth’’.

Featured as one of the 15 places in ‘Best of Asia-2009’ list, the city has been detailed as a model - almost un-Indian - city, with its ‘’egalitarian sectors’’ and ‘’tranquil settings’’. In a fitting tribute to the venerated Swiss-French creator, Chandigarh, the magazine says, reflects the ‘’Best Application of Corbusian Principles’’. Applauding the title, the first chief architect of Chandigarh, MN Sharma, says, ‘’The city deserves this status.

The architectural plan, which was prepared after studying several European cities, envisaged a unique destination, which Chandigarh has truly become.’’ However, hitting a cautionary note, ‘Time’ mentions: ‘’Today, the city is threatened by its very success, as Indians have been lured here in droves by its relatively high living standards and high percentage of greenery. An old vision of modernity is being replaced by the latest model.’’

Giving ballast to this debate, Sharma states, ‘’If UT administration wants to maintain the city’s status, it must be very conscious about pursuing future plans. As a standard, Le Corbusier’s dreams must be abided by at every step.’’ The nodal officer of Le Corbusier Centre in Sector 19, VN Singh, calls the architect ‘’the genius of 20th century’’. ’’

People of Chandigarh have an emotional attachment with Le Corbusier,’’ he notes, and adds the Frenchman - who considered himself a painter first, and then an architect - worked between the polarities of ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’. Resonating this, the magazine states, ‘’he (Corbusier) intended for Chandigarh to be a statement of innovation for a nation where material progress would be wedded to ancient values of simplicity and rootedness.’’ ’’

Chandigarh is on its way to become the world’s number one city,’’ Singh opines. Having created the world-famous Rock Garden, Padma Shri Nek Chand says it is gratifying to hear about the honour. ‘’The city deserves this status and it is due to its well-planned nature that Rock Garden has become so famous all across the world.’’ For a city that was conceived soon after Independence - in the backdrop of tragedy and bloodshed - the city continues to stand testimony to aspirations of the new people.

‘’Chandigarh is still the place to ponder what rational planning might have done and still can do,’’ the article puts it aptly.