Laura O’Connell writes:

It was early on a Saturday morning and I was feeling disheveled, tired, single and old. Bundling into a lift with my two nine year old nieces I caught sight of myself in the mirror.
“God, I look disgusting” I said to myself.
“Why?” The lovely twin faces stared back at me, genuinely confused.
I looked at them and felt an instant pang of guilt. I had just taught them about female insecurities. They saw a pretty aunty, I showed them they were wrong. The last thing I want is to teach these girls about is self deprecation. They are beautiful, confident and happy at their nine years. And are about to enter into their teens- a world of constant image-analysis.

Having worked in media for the first few tumultuous year of my twenties and then tripping somewhat accidentally into the world of organic cosmetics, I have had my eyes seriously opened to that of the term “Beauty.”

I go to beauty conferences, read blogs, review new brands, trial, test, judge, inspect. And as a result I find myself fastidiously inspecting what the “New Beautiful” is. Is it BB Cream, CC Cream, Calogen, Botox, Plastic, lifts, extensions, retentions?! Is it skeletal thin, curvy, toned? Is it extra hair on top and less hair below? Is it white teeth, wavy curls, long lashes, bronzed goddess or porcelain doll?

What are my nieces up against – was it always like this?

As a woman in my late twenties, I have found it increasingly difficult to decipher what sexy and gorgeous looks like. I am infiltrated with various images, tips, solutions and diet-plans – and each one a suggestion on how I should better myself, how the Me I am now, quite frankly, won’t do. It all seems to say to me -“You thought you looked good? Well you couldn’t unless you’ve tried this!”

This all got me to thinking – Oh God? Am I perpetuating this school of thought by selling products that boost, heal and polish? Beauty is my business, after all.

My nieces don’t stand a chance.

I once read an article in which a renowned French feminist was asked why she was wearing make-up, to which she responded – “But why not? I like looking good for me. Just because I have respect for myself as a woman does not mean that I need to feel ugly.”

Hmm, self-respect huh? Self-confidence? Now there’s a new one…Is this where we need to be looking for beauty then? In ourselves? Instead of covering up can we simply be happy? And if needs be, we can enhance or polish- bring out something from inside.

Okay, okay, the whole “beauty comes from within” is an age-old proverb…but is it time that women should start taking it seriously?

This is where I’m at now. I am developing my brand on these ethics and I feel happy about it.

So, armed with a mic and camera, I went out and spoke to four ‘ordinary’ women who seemed to me extra-ordinary, inspirational, confident, self-assured, interesting and expressive. The results? In a word: Beautiful.

ironman1 ironman2
https://vimeo.com/85001321

Visual effects outfit Scanline VFX’s breakdown of the shot-by-shot work done on the destruction of Tony Stark’s hilltop mansion in Iron Man 3 which is up for a Best Visual Effects award at the Oscars next month.

On a related note, here’s Nelson Carvajal’s supercut of previous Best Visual Effects Oscar winners.


io9/curiousbrain

sinead

Sinéad O’Connor at Wednesday night’s debate hosted by Trinity College’s ‘Hist’ society where she spoke against the motion – ‘This House Believes The Catholic Church Can Be Salvaged’.

And threw the Good Book at them.

 

What I’m gonna do, it’s interesting to me that God never gets to ask what She/He/She or It thinks and nobody ever wonders what God thinks but God has actually done a lot of talking in the books of the Prophets, and through the Gospels and in the Book of Revelation so I’m going to make my residence scriptural.

So in the The Book Of The Prophet Isaiah…

“The Lord stands up to plead a cause.. The peoples leaders have been misleaders.. So that they that are led have been confused”

My argument is not based upon my own opinions but those of God as he reveals himself in The Books of The Prophets.. and those of Jesus as he reveals himself in the Gospels and in particular, The Book Of Revelation.

The Vatican have extensive knowledge of these books .. I will show you what the Vatican do not… that the idea the Catholic Church can be salvaged is actually entirely against Christ’s teachings ..against the Catholic Church’s own teachings…

I will show you that the end of religion is in fact the CORE of Christ’s message.. and that to believe that ANY Christian church will survive .. is in fact anti-Christian…because.. it is opposite to Christ’s Revelation.
Now I’m not going to take questions during this, I’ll take them after. Please don’t interupt me and remember I didn’t write the books, I’m just reading them.
Also please be ready to take two notes along the way so as to help yourself make a decision at the end of this.
The Books Of The Prophets, the prophet by the way, is the person God chooses to speak on his behalf for some reason, God doesn’t have a voice that works like ours does. This isn’t explained by scripture. The prophets are only ever sent to speak to religious leaders, kings and poets and pliticians, okay. This is the way it goes, the Books of the Prophets repeatedly reveal what Tony (Fr Tony Flannery) will know that God is a FURIOUSLY anti religious character ..

ISAIAH CHAPTER 1

“Your new moons and fixed seasons fill me with LOATHING…

They are an obstacle to me ..

I cannot endure them. ..

Your hands are stained with crime…

Your wine is cut with water.

Your rulers are rogues ..

And the cronies of thieves. ..

Trample my courts no more ..”

ISAIAH CHAPTER 10

“Those who write out evil writs and compose iniquitous documents and have fatherless children as their booty..

To whom will you flee when calamity comes?

Your stored wealth will become as paper..

And he who amassed it a spark .. ”

He is emphatic in The Book Of Jeremiah .. that he never wanted religion and it has crucified him.

JEREMIAH CHAPTER 2. VS 5

“What wrong did your fathers find in me that they abandoned me and went after delusion and were deluded?

The priests never ask themselves where is The Lord ..

The guardians of the teachings ignore me…”

He is referring to…

EXODUS CHAPTER 20. VERSES 2, 3 And 5

“I AM The Lord your God..” “You shall have no other but me…” You shall NOT bow down to sculptured images”

JEREMIAH CHAPTER 2 continues

“But My people have exchanged it’s glory for what can do no good.

Be appalled oh heavens at this.

Be utterly dazed.

For my people have done a twofold wrong..

They have forsaken me.

The fount of LIVING waters.

And .. hewn themselves out CISTERNS…. .

BROKEN cisterns…

Which cannot even hold water..”

He states his agony over the separation caused by religion.. between himself and ourselves..

With whom he had intended a direct relationship..

But has been cock blocked.

JEREMIAH CHAPTER 4..

“Oh my suffering.. My suffering.. How I writhe..

Oh.. The walls of my heart.

Because my people are shattered I am shattered.

Seized by desolation

Why has healing not yet come from my poor people?

Oh that my head were water.. oh that my eyes were a fount of tears.. I would weep day and night for my poor people.

In JEREMIAH CHAPTER 7

God asks religious leaders..

“Will you steal and murder and swear falsely.. And then come and stand before ME in this House which bears MY name?

And say we are safe?

Safe to do all these abhorrent things?

Do you consider this house.. Which bears MY name.. To be a den of thieves????

As for me..

I have been watching..”

Now Jesus smashed up the temple money men and then said in

MARK CHAPTER 3. VS 28

“All the sins of man will be forgiven but one.. which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”

Lying.. in the LIVING PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit .. about the COVER ups.. of the rapes, theft, sale and even manslaughter of children.. is such a blasphemy.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 5. VERSES 17 AND 18, note these down please,

These are the three most important sentences that Christ ever uttered

And Tony, this is what I think is going to give you some assurance in the issue what you face in your heart regardless, okay? These words are incendiary.

Please remember I used the word ‘incendiary’.

Also please note the word ‘law’ in each verse.. refers to religion.

“Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets.

I have come not to abolish but fulfil.

I tell you not the smallest letter nor the smallest part of A letter will pass from the law UNTIL… ALL … THAT IS WRITTEN … HAS BEEN FULLFILLED…”.

The KEY word here is UNTIL…

He Is stating religion will exist UNTIL the books of the prophets have been fulfilled..

He is stating stating that The books of the prophets WILL BE fulfilled.

The Books Of The Prophets end with the end of religion.

He is a militantly anti religious man..

Because he IS God upon earth.

The very LAST book of prophecy is also the very last book of the bible..

The Book Of Revelation..

I refer you to our earlier passage from Isaiah..

“Your stored wealth shall become as paper..

And he who amassed it… a spark… ”

Catholic Encyclopeadia states….

“It is within the city of Rome .. called The City on seven hills. .. that the entire Vatican state proper is now confined”

I want you remember please the city on seven hills.. ”

Revelation concerns THE CORE Christian belief.. that Christ will come again.. and religion will end.

It is the completion of Christ’s mission as described in Chapter 21 verses 3 and 4..

“Behold God’s dwelling is with the human race.

The the old order has passed away..”

In REVELATION CHAPTER 17… a woman sits upon a beast who has seven heads.

Scripture states…

“One of the angels said to me..

Come here I will show you the judgement on the woman wearing purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones.

She held in her hand a gold cup that was filled with her abominable deeds.

The angel said to me.. “Here is a clue for one who has wisdom… ”

The Seven heads are the SEVEN HILLS upon which the woman sits.

Then he said to me

“The woman represents the great city that has SOVEREIGNTY, SOVEREIGNTY .. over the kings of the earth..”

CHAPTER 18.. states..

Then I saw another angel come down from heaven ..and

He cried out in a mighty voice..

“Fallen..

Fallen .. is Babylon the great..

She has become a haunt for demons.

She is a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast. and

then I heard another voice from heaven say..

Depart from her my people..

For her sins are piled up to the sky ..

And God remembers her crimes..

For she said to herself

“I sit enthroned as queen..

I am no widow…

And I will never know grief…

The kings of the earth will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her pyre… ”

REVELATION 18 continues…

“When they see the smoke of her pyre.. The princes of the world cry out..

” Alas… great city .. Wearing fine linen, purple and scarlet..

In one hour your judgement has come..

In one hour this great wealth has been ruined”.

VERSE 21

A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone and threw it into the sea and said

“With such force .. will Babylon be thrown down.

And no light from a lamp will ever be seen in you again..

Because your commerce was with the princes of the earth .. all nations were led astray by your sorcery..

Smoke will rise from you forever and ever…”

REVELATION CHAPTER 22 tells you what happens afterward..and this is Tony what you will find reassuring..

“One of the angels says .. “Come here.. I will show you the bride of the lamb..”

He took me to a high mountain and showed me the holy city coming down from God..

Remember we saw earlier.. “Behold.. GODS DWELLING is with the human race.. ”

WHAT I WILL READ NEXT ARE THE 17 MOST IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT WORDS IN SCRIPTURE ..

Revelation .. Chapter 21.. Vs 2.

“I SAW NO TEMPLE IN THIS CITY. …

FOR ITS TEMPLE IS THE LORD GOD AND THE LAMB…”

“I SAW NO TEMPLE IN THIS CITY

FOR ITS TEMPLE IS THE. LORD GOD AND THE LAMB”

There is NO religion in God’s plan.

The closing passages of REVELATION and therefore there’s no religion in Christ’s plan either by the way..
The closing passage of Revelation and therefore the Bible states

“These words are trustworthy and true

And The Lord God of prophetic spirits has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.

Behold the Lord is coming soon.

and Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of the book of Revelation that Christ will come again and abolish all religion and establish God’s dwelling on Earth in direct relationship with his subjects. If you do not believe that you are not a Christian and you do not understand the scriptures and the Book of Revelation, Christ will survive Catholicism, he never needed it in the first place.”

Meanwhile…


Reproduced by permission.

Pic: ContactMusic.com

sineadoconnor.com

Previously: Yikes

Thanks Michael Nugent

Broadsheet.ie