Wednesday, May 13, 2026
James Arrabito: A Life Cut Short A Compelling Legacy of Faith, Research, and Controversy
Oct 29, 2025
Evangelist, Historian, and Photographer of Faith
A Compelling Legacy of Faith, Research, and Controversy
The Man Behind the Lens
James “Jim” Arrabito (1950-1990) was a multifaceted figure whose life straddled the worlds of art, evangelism, and historical research. A Seventh-day Adventist artist, photographer, lecturer, and evangelist, Arrabito dedicated his life to documenting what he believed to be suppressed truths about church history and biblical prophecy.
Unlike many religious speakers of his era, Arrabito brought an artist’s eye and a photographer’s precision to his work. His exhibitions were not mere lectures but visual journeys through time, tracing the footsteps of Sabbath-keeping communities throughout history—what he called the “Church in the Wilderness.”
The Photographer’s Quest
Arrabito’s photographic work was nothing short of extraordinary. His most celebrated exhibition, displayed at the 1990 General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists in Indianapolis, featured stunning images documenting traces of Sabbath-keeping churches through the ages from around the world. These weren’t just photographs; they were visual arguments—evidence of a continuous thread of believers who maintained Saturday worship despite centuries of opposition.
His photography took him to remote mountain refuges, ancient Waldensian communities in the Alps, and historical sites across Europe and beyond. Each image told a story of faith under persecution, of communities who chose isolation over compromise. The exhibition, titled “The Israel of the Alps” among other presentations, left viewers profoundly moved by the visual testimony of forgotten believers.
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
WHO Conducts Global Pandemic Simulation Exercise Polaris II
WHO Conducts Global Pandemic Simulation Exercise Polaris II
Global Health Emergency Preparedness Exercise Completed
The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded Exercise Polaris II on April 23, 2026—a comprehensive 2-day simulation designed to test international pandemic response capabilities. The exercise brought together 26 countries and territories, 600 health emergency experts, and over 25 partner organizations to practice coordinated responses to a fictional emerging pathogen outbreak.
Exercise Scope and Participation
Participating nations spanned all WHO regions, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, and others. The simulation activated real emergency coordination structures across participating countries, allowing health officials to practice information sharing, policy alignment, and workforce surge deployment under realistic conditions.
Key Frameworks Tested
The exercise operationalized two WHO frameworks:
- Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC) – Guides countries in strengthening emergency health workforce capacity based on sovereignty, equity, and solidarity
- National Health Emergency Alert and Response Framework – Outlines essential coordination systems and response functions at local, sub-national, and national levels
The simulation also explored AI-enabled tools for workforce organization and planning.
WHO brings countries together to test collective pandemic response
4 April 2025 News release Geneva
Over the past two days, WHO convened more than 15 countries and over 20 regional health agencies, health emergency networks and other partners to test, for the first time, a new global coordination mechanism for health emergencies.
The two-day simulation, Exercise Polaris, tested WHO’s Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC), a framework designed to strengthen countries’ emergency workforce, coordinate the deployment of surge teams and experts, and enhance collaboration between countries.
The exercise simulated an outbreak of a fictional virus spreading across the world.
Participating countries included Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Iraq, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia Uganda and Ukraine, with additional countries as observers. Each country participated through its national health emergency coordination structure and worked under real-life conditions to share information, align policies and activate their response.
Regional and global health agencies and organizations, including Africa CDC, European CDC, IFRC, IOM, UNICEF and established emergency networks such as the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, the Emergency Medical Teams initiative, Stand-by partners and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes, worked together to support country-led responses. More than 350 health emergency experts connected globally through this exercise.
“This exercise proves that when countries lead and partners connect, the world is better prepared,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “No country can face the next pandemic alone. Exercise Polaris shows that global cooperation is not only possible – it is essential.”
Throughout the simulation, countries led their own response efforts while engaging with WHO for coordination, technical guidance and emergency support. The exercise provided a rare opportunity for governments to test preparedness in a realistic environment, one where trust and mutual accountability were as critical as speed and capacity.
I'm gonna bury you!
Higher and higher his successes spiraled him, until in the dizzying heights of ultimate fortune and fame, some of his lifetime friends betrayed him, and he came crashing down. Crashing clear down under the ground.
"Maximum Maximum Security" is a term coined by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to describe the closest existence where a man can still stay alive in prison just this side of death. Convicts across America only whispered the words "double max" with tears in their eyes. It is not something of which they speak openly. And Cellblock 10D in the federal penitentiary in Springfield, Missouri, was the tightest of all double max facilities. Neill's cell was underground in 10D. He had been convicted of 24 federal felonies, and was sentenced to 50 years on only one of them. Judge C. Clyde Adkins said he'd sentence Neill later on the other convictions. No exercise privileges, no visiting privileges, you were never allowed out of your cell - until your 50 years was over. No eating utensils, you tie with your fingers, the tasteless gruel the guards slid under your steel door. There were no bars on your door. Solid steel. No windows, you couldn't see out. You were not allowed! any reading materials, no watch, no toothbrush, no soap. There was a narrow steel shelf you slept on, a dirty little toilet, a greasy old pillow, a greasy old army blanket, a roll of toilet paper were your only possessions. You were not allowed any shoes, socks or belt; only a prison shirt and prison trousers.
Norovirus and Hantavirus outbreaks on cruise ships raise alarms. Here's what you need to know
Monday, May 11, 2026 8:13AM PT
As norovirus cases rise and hantavirus lingers on cruise ships, health officials advise passengers to take precautionary measures against sicknesses.
Cruise ships are drawing attention not only for a rare strain of hantavirus, but also for more common illnesses such as norovirus while health officials monitor outbreaks and remind travelers to take precautions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess, a cruise ship bound for Florida. The report comes as many travelers prepare for upcoming trips, including families departing from the Port of Los Angeles.
Passengers said they are looking forward to their vacations despite the risks associated with close quarters at sea. Still, many travelers acknowledge illnesses can spread easily on cruise ships and say they are taking steps to protect themselves.
"We're washing our hands if we have something available. If not, we have hand sanitizer on us all the time," one traveler said.
Health experts emphasize basic precautions remain effective in preventing the spread of disease.
Monday, May 11, 2026
Ex‑CDC director urges quarantine for Americans after hantavirus outbreak | NewsNation Prime
NewsNation
May 11, 2026
The hantavirus has medical officials on high alert after an international evacuation commenced of the affected cruise ship M.V. Hondius as it docked off Tenerife, with officials from more than 20 countries coordinating the return of passengers. Former CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield joins "NewsNation Prime" to discuss.
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Passengers disembark hantavirus-stricken cruise ship in Spain’s Canary Islands
Associated Press
Live from the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife, Spain, where a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship with more than 140 passengers and crew on board has arrived. Health officials plan careful evacuations of passengers and some of the crew while the ship will remain at anchor without docking.
Norovirus outbreak reported on Princess cruise ship that departed Fort Lauderdale
By Matthew Ablon
Updated on: May 9, 2026 / 1:04 PM EDT / CBS Miami
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports it is monitoring a norovirus outbreak on board a Princess Cruises ship that departed Fort Lauderdale more than a week ago.
A report from the agency said the outbreak unfolded on the Caribbean Princess, which departed from Port Everglades on April 28. Data gathered by CruiseMapper shows the Caribbean Princess is currently on a 13-day voyage in the Caribbean, with stops in the Bahamas, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The ship is set to end its one-way cruise by docking at Port Canaveral in Orlando on May 11.
The CDC report indicates that 102 of the ship's 3,116 passengers reported ill, while 13 of the ship's 1,131 crew members reported ill. The main symptoms shared have included diarrhea and vomiting. The agency said Princess Cruises has responded to the norovirus outbreak by increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures; collecting specimens for testing, isolating ill passengers and crew; and consulting with the agency's Vessel Sanitation Program about cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases.
The CDC notes the VSP is conducting a field response for an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation to help control it. The outbreak was reported on Thursday, May 7.
The outbreak on the Caribbean Princess comes more than a month after another norovirus outbreak was reported on another Princess ship. In March, the Star Princess faced an outbreak that sickened more than 104 guests and 49 crew members. That ship also left Fort Lauderdale and made stops in the Caribbean, albeit in Honduras, Belize and the Mexican Riviera. The Star Princess returned to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale at the conclusion of that voyage. When the outbreak was reported, the Star Princess would have been sailing from Belize City to Cozumel, according to that itinerary.
In early January, the CDC reported that an outbreak on board a Holland America cruise ship had sickened more than 80 people after departing from Fort Lauderdale at the end of December.
In February, the agency said 27 people were sickened in an outbreak of an unknown gastrointestinal illness on board a luxury cruise ship, the Regent Seven Seas, which was sailing from Miami to Honolulu.
Source
Dark Truths Behind the Jesuit Order's Hidden Past
Ex-Catholics For Christ May 10, 2023
The Jesuits have a long and controversial history that’s often shrouded in mystery. In this video, we explore a book that reveals the shocking truths about the Jesuit order—its origins, influence, and the controversies surrounding it throughout history. What role have the Jesuits played in shaping global politics, religion, and even the church itself? Watch as we break down the hidden history and the powerful impact of this influential group.