Lauren Daigle hails from Lake Charles, Louisiana, and spent her formative years immersed in the musical culture of Lafayette—a tapestry woven with zydeco, Cajun, and blues influences. Singing in the house known as “the music box,” she pursued voice lessons after falling ill with cytomegalovirus at age 15, a diagnosis that kept her home from school for two years but ultimately sparked a deep commitment to her craft. During high school and beyond, she balanced academic goals—planning to study child and family development and complete mission work in Brazil—with a growing passion for performance. After an early graduation and a The post Complete List Of Lauren Daigle Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

By Daniela Gonzalez Dear readers, Although I’m not an international analyst/geopolitics specialist nor do I want to be, once the attack started the first thought of my close group of friends and family was: how much fuel would we receive from Iran in the next months now? What will happen once the gasoline stops flowing in the stations? The recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s oil facilities have sent shockwaves through global energy markets. We all know that. But one of the most vulnerable dominoes in this geopolitical chain is my own country: Venezuela. The situation which was already difficult is now facing a quick spiral downwards and we are right in the middle of it. We are already teetering on the brink of fuel collapse due to our reliance on Iranian gasoline imports. No matter what the “official” information is. The reality is very different. Remember: the ties of the gang with the Iran regime are strong. (Activate the auto-translation please). A conflict in Iran means that their accounts and the interaction dynamics change completely. We will examine and develop the following topics below. – The direct impact of Israel-Iran tensions on Iran’s oil exports. – Venezuela’s lifeline to Iranian fuel and the risks of disruption. – Three scenarios for Venezuela’s gasoline supply in 2024–2025, including the risks – Strategic recommendations for global observers that could face high prices or fuel scarcity in the future. 1. Israel’s Airstrikes and Iran’s Oil Capacity The Attack In April/May 2024, Israel targeted Iran’s key oil infrastructure, including both the Abadan Refinery (Iran’s largest, producing ~400,000 bpd) and the Kharg Island Terminal (critical for exports). The immediate consequences are a reduction in the refining capacity: Iran’s gasoline production could drop by 15–30% (Bloomberg estimates), and (it is not like the gang in Venezuela is too concerned about this, as they have their financial operator, Alex Saab is now free thanks to Biden) the export delays: sanctions evasion tactics (ship-to-ship transfers) may slow shipments. Which of course will generate scarcity and rationing in the country (again!). Why It Matters  Iran has been Venezuela’s top gasoline supplier since 2020, helping to offset the collapse of PDVSA’s refining network. There are no maintenance or repair contracts. Not in a meaningful magnitude anyway. The raw materials to produce the gasoline in Venezuela are mostly imported. Back in the day when the US was our main customer, we shipped crude oil that was partially paid with some of these components to cover our inner market, as it is a regular practice worldwide. Nowadays, Venezuela’s oil industry lacks access to spare parts, machinery, and necessary technology, as well as essential consumables such as diluting fluids, for both oil wells and gasoline production. The dependence on foreign shipping is utterly devastating. 2. Iran-Venezuela: The Gasoline Lifeline The trade mechanics work as follows: Iran’s theocratic regime sent 3–4 million barrels per month to Venezuela from 2021 to 2023, according to TankerTrackers. Other critical components for our oil production processes (which are not produced currently in the country) are Alkylate/Naphtha, used to dilute Venezuela’s extra-heavy crude, and catalysts to “revive” the limping refineries, similar to the El Palito facility. This is an old refinery, but being close to one of the largest industrial and most populated areas, it can be considered one of the most strategically important. In light of the new, more recent events, it is clear that the exchange involved radioactive raw materials. Such trade will end exploding sooner or later in the thug’s face though. Recently, one of our writers already exposed this issue in this article. Things haven’t improved too much in 5 years, other than getting the fuel at international prices now, instead of subsidized, impossible-to-find fuel. Here is where old motors with little technology come again as a better choice than modern, delicate, hard-to-fix cars with sensors and electronics all around. The illicit and covert methods Venezuela has employed to trade with the theocratic regime involve an extensive network: Ghost fleets: Iran utilizes unflagged tankers and mid-ocean transfers to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Payments in stolen assets: Venezuela compensates through gold reserves, oil swaps, or shadow banking systems, as another way to avoid being tracked. The entire gasoline supply chain is controlled by a nationwide network of military-operated fuel stations. Medium- and high-ranking officials have amassed staggering fortunes by draining wealth from Venezuelan citizens. Many of these officials have their families residing comfortably in Europe and the U.S. 3. Three Scenarios for Venezuela’s Gasoline Supply Worst-Case (60% Probability)  Iran Halts Exports Due to Domestic Shortages or Retaliation. – Impact: – 100% drop in Venezuela’s gasoline supply within weeks from now, under the light of the new events. (Yikes!) This will make diesel and vehicular gas (propane) as the only locally produced fuels, as far as I know. Prices of food and every consumable or product you can find in a shop are already going up. Our currency has depreciated 150% by now and this is showing up in the shelves. The trend is that prices will continue going higher. 80% of the food distribution and retail is owned by a network (to give a politically correct name) of Asian merchants that are part of the worldwide money laundering ring. They pay a slice of the pie to keep themselves in business (and the taxes are rising, as the gang found this is a “legit” way to steal from the citizens’ pockets) – Return of 10+ hour lines at gas stations (as seen in 2020). – Black-market prices surge to $3–5/liter.  Moderate Scenario (30% Probability)  Iran Maintains Reduced Exports, but Delays Occur. – Impact: – Rationing (e.g., 20 liters/week per vehicle). – Regional disparities: Shortages disproportionately affect interior states. The government’s strategy to prevent social unrest focuses on providing attention to major urban centers, ensuring more populated areas experience minimal power outages, fuel shortages, and water supply issues. Best-Case (10% Probability)  Sanctions Evasion Prevails; Shipments Continue Steadily. – Requirements: – Russia/China replace Iran (unlikely; both face their own constraints). – PDVSA repairs the refineries, somehow (Cardón/Amuay) and continues limping and dragging, providing the means to pay for the delinquents protecting the heads of the hydra. Once the Strait of Hormuz gets plugged, it is expected that all of South America is going to experience inflation, with the consequences in turmoil, uncertainty, and instability; and our big brother to the East, Brazil, won’t be too happy to ship fuel: they know Venezuela was providing radioactive material to Iran for years. Ignoring the requests for help from the bus driver regime will be the best course of action: giving him oxygen will surely blow in Brazil’s face anytime soon. Russia, of course, won’t move a finger, other than to keep being a safe haven for the wealth they are stealing from us. Anyone aligning themselves with Venezuela’s regime will face dire consequences. The ties with Iran have been too strong and for too much time. We are preparing for a scenario where, even with 8 million people less to feed, who won’t be in the streets fighting for a regime change (we have to remember, 6 million of them were bus drivers’ fans until they started to starve), once things get hairy enough, the looting and rioting can very possibly start to happen again. After the savage repressive wave when they threw out the elected president Edmundo G. Urrutia, the regime will do whatever is needed to avoid losing control. The main difference now is that the allies that made them feel so strong in the past, are now facing a severe case of SVS (Sudden Vaporization Syndrome). Iran’s grip on Venezuela—political, military, and economic—is slipping, weakening a once-strategic alliance that once defied U.S. pressure. The network that allowed the illegal trading of our crude is not going to be there anymore, even with the strait closed or not. We are talking about 95% of our income, whether legal or illegal. There is another face of this cube: the drone technology supplied by Iran, and the collaboration in security (meaning repression of citizens). Word in the streets from some independent informants is, that they are building bunkers at full speed ahead, under Fuerte Tiuna (the main military facility in the country, where the bus driver supposedly lives, surrounded by civilian buildings that act as human shields). Good luck with that. 4. Strategic recommendations. Venezuela’s gasoline supply dangles precariously, reliant on Iran’s volatile stability. Any escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict could plunge Caracas into its most severe fuel crisis since 2020—with no quick fixes in sight. While the scenario is dire, at least we’ve been given a warning beforehand. Prices are going to go up from 0,5$ per liter to 0,75$. (Editor’s Note: This roughly translates to 4L per gallon of fuel.) Facing ongoing problems with substandard fuel quality, numerous vehicle owners are converting from fuel injection systems to smaller carburetors as a practical workaround. Although this represents a technological regression, carbureted engines are better suited to low-speed driving (capped at 70 kph) and significantly simpler to maintain compared to modern counterparts, which demand advanced tools like OBD2 scanners, and some technical expertise. Short-term: Stockpile gasoline (obviously) always in safe conditions, where no damage can be done. Rationing strategically will take you a long way, and always try to replenish as soon as possible. Extending the reserves by using EVs if available. Avoid pre-loading fuel to reduce evaporation losses in the tank. (This is a real issue—drivers in our hot climate frequently report it. Imported fuel often contains unnecessary anti-freeze additives, which increase volume but evaporate quickly.) Being ready with spares like fuel pumps, extra filters, and maybe octane boosters to mitigate the effect of the lack of quality control in the fuel. Long-term: Revive domestic refining (requires $2B+, many technology transfer agreements, and foreign expertise). You may want to get a small portable air pump and use gauges to keep tires filled up to the proper pressure. This might appear insignificant, but it is not. Keeping the tires properly aligned. Establishing a matrix of operational costs for our vehicles, to assess accurately the cost per kilometer, and assess our basic mobility needs per week. Choose fuel-efficient vehicles whenever possible. Sure, oversized crew-cab pickups with extended beds look impressive, but do you need one for trips where a basic Civic could do the job just as well? Drive your vehicle in the sweet spot where it is more efficient. Even if the road conditions and the speed limit allow for it, don’t get tempted to drive faster. When you don’t have fuel to burn, arriving 30 minutes later is nothing compared to staying stranded. Every vehicle has this range, just experiment and record the results to find it. If your car has cruise control, so much better. With rising fuel prices, many drivers turn to passive OBD2 fuel economizers. These devices monitor real-time data to help optimize driving habits. They display key metrics: instant fuel consumption, RPM, engine load, and speed. The goal is to alert drivers about habits that increase fuel use, like hard acceleration or high RPMs. Offering real-time feedback, they are useful to help you adjust your driving style. There are no engine risks, as they don’t modify the ECU at all, they only read the data and calculate the results they display based on the readings. However, I wouldn’t advise you to keep them permanently connected to your OBD2 port. They can also detect issues, like faulty spark plugs or clogged filters. These gadgets offer wide compatibility: you can use them in most post-1996 vehicles. However, there will be no savings if you exit the zone they indicate. The savings are variable: 5-12% on highways and 3% in city traffic. Its efficiency relies a lot on the drivers’ discipline. We can extract some valuable lessons from all this: 1, You start reducing your dependence on fuels, or you better start producing them. 2. Those needing less fuel to produce what they need will be the ones with the best chance to prevail. 3, There is technology available we can rely on to minimize our fuel consumption by modifying our habits. Some people even don’t realize they have a heavy foot. As our main conclusion, we could say: We are facing an almost total interruption in the fuel supply for 70% of the gasoline vehicles in the country. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen (again), but if it does happen we will be there to describe the events as they are, without any bias. Facta, Non Verba. Remember, we describe the events we are going through to help you improve your prepping, and mitigate the impact of unexpected disruptions. Keep following our travails in Organic Prepper, and please remember to support our work! Thanks for your reading, Daniela. Sources: – TankerTrackers.com (shipment volumes). – Bloomberg (Iran refining capacity post-attack). – PDVSA leaks (refinery status). About Daniela Daniela Gonzalez is a student of history at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. The post Americans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Will Suffer from the Israel-Iran Gasoline Crisis appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

A newly enacted law forcing priests to reveal the details of their members’ private confessions under penalty of fine or imprisonment is illegal and violates the core rights guaranteed to every American, says the Justice Department, as it joined a lawsuit to overturn the measure and restore religious liberty. SB 5375, passed by the overwhelmingly Democrat state Legislature and signed into law by Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, on May 2, singles out priests as mandatory reporters if they hear a member admit to child abuse or neglect during confession—which church officials say must be held in absolute secrecy for the believer’s sake. While the state exempts other professions or classes of citizens, such as attorney-client privilege or the doctor-patient relationship, it specifically threatens clergy who refuse to rat out penitents with 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and a possible civil liability on the first violation. The law is also vague, critics say, potentially to coerce clergy into divulging their penitents’ details more frequently. Eric Kniffin, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told “Washington Watch” last month that it is as though they “want mandatory reporters to err on the side of reporting” their congregation’s private lives to the secular authorities “and let the government sort it out.” The law’s vast, vague, “unanswered, undefined questions” leave a “cloud over religious liberty,” he added. The Trump administration has intervened in a lawsuit brought against Ferguson by Roman Catholic Archbishop Paul Etienne, filed by the First Liberty Institute and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “The seal of confidentiality is, therefore, the lifeblood of Confession. Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e., the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priest to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place,” says the Justice Department’s intervention in Etienne v. Ferguson, which is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.  “Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement emailed to The Washington Stand. “Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges.” In addition to the nation’s 62 million Roman Catholics, “Washington’s new law also harms members of Orthodox Churches. By piercing the sacramental confidentiality, the law deters believers from confessing certain sins—or even from going to confession at all—and so prevents them from mending their relationship with God,” said the Orthodox Church in America, which has eight churches in Washington state and practices the Mystery (or Sacrament) of confession (albeit with a slightly different theological understanding) based on its ancient interpretation of James 5:16. Eastern “Orthodox Churches teach that priests have a strict religious duty to maintain the absolute confidentiality of what is disclosed in the sacrament of confession. The purpose of this confidentiality is to protect the penitent and foster a sense of safety and trust, allowing individuals to approach God for forgiveness without fear. Violating this mandatory religious obligation is a canonical crime and a grave sin, with severe consequences for the offending priest, including removal from the priesthood,” said the Orthodox Church in America. Alliance Defending Freedom Co-Counsel Eric Kniffin and George Ahrend filed the federal lawsuit, Orthodox Church in America v. Ferguson, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington last Monday. ADF Senior Counsel John Bursch called the Washington state law “rank religious discrimination” and urged the court to “swiftly restore this constitutionally protected freedom of churches and priests in Washington state.” The Trump administration will now bring the full resources of the federal government into the legal battle for conscience rights, Christian liberty, and the Constitution’s unalienable First Amendment rights. “The Justice Department will not sit idly by when states mount attacks on the free exercise of religion,” said Dhillon. Originally published by The Washington Stand The post Trump Admin Sues Democrat State Forcing Priests to Divulge Confessions appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A new push to let the public challenge court sentences without expensive legal hurdles is gaining traction in Parliament, driven by the case of Lucy Connolly, a mother jailed for a fiery social media post. Reform UK’s Richard Tice is spearheading the effort with a proposal he’s calling “Lucy’s Bill,” a piece of legislation that would empower ordinary citizens to petition the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) if they believe someone’s punishment is unjust, either too light or too severe. If 500 people sign such a petition, the CCRC would be required to examine the case. After an eight-week review, the Commission could send it on to the Court of Appeal for further scrutiny. Tice sees this as a needed safety valve in a system where the public currently has no means to challenge excessive sentences, even though they can already request reviews of those deemed too lenient. The bill is named after Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced in October 2024 to over two years in prison for a social media post. Her comment, laced with fury and expletives, was swiftly deleted and followed by an apology. But it still landed her behind bars, a decision Tice believes reveals the creeping reach of politically motivated prosecution. Connolly’s harsh sentencing has become a lightning rod that has drawn international attention to the UK’s severe erosion of free speech rights. Connolly has reportedly been left with “bruises” after being “dragged up three flights of stairs” while serving her prison sentence, Tice has said. Tice, who visited Connolly at HMP Peterborough, reported that the former childcarer has also been “stripped of privileges by prison officers.” He claims that this treatment appears to be part of a broader pattern of punitive actions that are politically motivated, aimed at provoking a response from someone already under immense pressure. “She’s been manhandled, left with bruises, and starved of food,” Tice has alleged, asserting this harsh treatment is designed to provoke her. He plans to visit Connolly at HMP Peterborough to check on her wellbeing and assure her that she hasn’t been abandoned by her supporters. Tice argues that Connolly’s sentence was part of a broader trend of selective justice aimed at individuals with unpopular or politically sensitive views. “The whole point about justice in a democracy is that it must be seen to be natural and fair,” he said, as reported by The Telegraph. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post UK Free Speech Flashpoint: “Lucy’s Bill” Lets Public Challenge Harsh Sentences After Connolly Case appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

By Daniela Gonzalez Dear readers, Although I’m not an international analyst/geopolitics specialist nor do I want to be, once the attack started the first thought of my close group of friends and family was: how much fuel would we receive from Iran in the next months now? What will happen once the gasoline stops flowing in the stations? The recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s oil facilities have sent shockwaves through global energy markets. We all know that. But one of the most vulnerable dominoes in this geopolitical chain is my own country: Venezuela. The situation which was already difficult is now facing a quick spiral downwards and we are right in the middle of it. We are already teetering on the brink of fuel collapse due to our reliance on Iranian gasoline imports. No matter what the “official” information is. The reality is very different. Remember: the ties of the gang with the Iran regime are strong. (Activate the auto-translation please). A conflict in Iran means that their accounts and the interaction dynamics change completely. We will examine and develop the following topics below. – The direct impact of Israel-Iran tensions on Iran’s oil exports. – Venezuela’s lifeline to Iranian fuel and the risks of disruption. – Three scenarios for Venezuela’s gasoline supply in 2024–2025, including the risks – Strategic recommendations for global observers that could face high prices or fuel scarcity in the future. 1. Israel’s Airstrikes and Iran’s Oil Capacity The Attack In April/May 2024, Israel targeted Iran’s key oil infrastructure, including both the Abadan Refinery (Iran’s largest, producing ~400,000 bpd) and the Kharg Island Terminal (critical for exports). The immediate consequences are a reduction in the refining capacity: Iran’s gasoline production could drop by 15–30% (Bloomberg estimates), and (it is not like the gang in Venezuela is too concerned about this, as they have their financial operator, Alex Saab is now free thanks to Biden) the export delays: sanctions evasion tactics (ship-to-ship transfers) may slow shipments. Which of course will generate scarcity and rationing in the country (again!). Why It Matters  Iran has been Venezuela’s top gasoline supplier since 2020, helping to offset the collapse of PDVSA’s refining network. There are no maintenance or repair contracts. Not in a meaningful magnitude anyway. The raw materials to produce the gasoline in Venezuela are mostly imported. Back in the day when the US was our main customer, we shipped crude oil that was partially paid with some of these components to cover our inner market, as it is a regular practice worldwide. Nowadays, Venezuela’s oil industry lacks access to spare parts, machinery, and necessary technology, as well as essential consumables such as diluting fluids, for both oil wells and gasoline production. The dependence on foreign shipping is utterly devastating. 2. Iran-Venezuela: The Gasoline Lifeline The trade mechanics work as follows: Iran’s theocratic regime sent 3–4 million barrels per month to Venezuela from 2021 to 2023, according to TankerTrackers. Other critical components for our oil production processes (which are not produced currently in the country) are Alkylate/Naphtha, used to dilute Venezuela’s extra-heavy crude, and catalysts to “revive” the limping refineries, similar to the El Palito facility. This is an old refinery, but being close to one of the largest industrial and most populated areas, it can be considered one of the most strategically important. In light of the new, more recent events, it is clear that the exchange involved radioactive raw materials. Such trade will end exploding sooner or later in the thug’s face though. Recently, one of our writers already exposed this issue in this article. Things haven’t improved too much in 5 years, other than getting the fuel at international prices now, instead of subsidized, impossible-to-find fuel. Here is where old motors with little technology come again as a better choice than modern, delicate, hard-to-fix cars with sensors and electronics all around. The illicit and covert methods Venezuela has employed to trade with the theocratic regime involve an extensive network: Ghost fleets: Iran utilizes unflagged tankers and mid-ocean transfers to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Payments in stolen assets: Venezuela compensates through gold reserves, oil swaps, or shadow banking systems, as another way to avoid being tracked. The entire gasoline supply chain is controlled by a nationwide network of military-operated fuel stations. Medium- and high-ranking officials have amassed staggering fortunes by draining wealth from Venezuelan citizens. Many of these officials have their families residing comfortably in Europe and the U.S. 3. Three Scenarios for Venezuela’s Gasoline Supply Worst-Case (60% Probability)  Iran Halts Exports Due to Domestic Shortages or Retaliation. – Impact: – 100% drop in Venezuela’s gasoline supply within weeks from now, under the light of the new events. (Yikes!) This will make diesel and vehicular gas (propane) as the only locally produced fuels, as far as I know. Prices of food and every consumable or product you can find in a shop are already going up. Our currency has depreciated 150% by now and this is showing up in the shelves. The trend is that prices will continue going higher. 80% of the food distribution and retail is owned by a network (to give a politically correct name) of Asian merchants that are part of the worldwide money laundering ring. They pay a slice of the pie to keep themselves in business (and the taxes are rising, as the gang found this is a “legit” way to steal from the citizens’ pockets) – Return of 10+ hour lines at gas stations (as seen in 2020). – Black-market prices surge to $3–5/liter.  Moderate Scenario (30% Probability)  Iran Maintains Reduced Exports, but Delays Occur. – Impact: – Rationing (e.g., 20 liters/week per vehicle). – Regional disparities: Shortages disproportionately affect interior states. The government’s strategy to prevent social unrest focuses on providing attention to major urban centers, ensuring more populated areas experience minimal power outages, fuel shortages, and water supply issues. Best-Case (10% Probability)  Sanctions Evasion Prevails; Shipments Continue Steadily. – Requirements: – Russia/China replace Iran (unlikely; both face their own constraints). – PDVSA repairs the refineries, somehow (Cardón/Amuay) and continues limping and dragging, providing the means to pay for the delinquents protecting the heads of the hydra. Once the Strait of Hormuz gets plugged, it is expected that all of South America is going to experience inflation, with the consequences in turmoil, uncertainty, and instability; and our big brother to the East, Brazil, won’t be too happy to ship fuel: they know Venezuela was providing radioactive material to Iran for years. Ignoring the requests for help from the bus driver regime will be the best course of action: giving him oxygen will surely blow in Brazil’s face anytime soon. Russia, of course, won’t move a finger, other than to keep being a safe haven for the wealth they are stealing from us. Anyone aligning themselves with Venezuela’s regime will face dire consequences. The ties with Iran have been too strong and for too much time. We are preparing for a scenario where, even with 8 million people less to feed, who won’t be in the streets fighting for a regime change (we have to remember, 6 million of them were bus drivers’ fans until they started to starve), once things get hairy enough, the looting and rioting can very possibly start to happen again. After the savage repressive wave when they threw out the elected president Edmundo G. Urrutia, the regime will do whatever is needed to avoid losing control. The main difference now is that the allies that made them feel so strong in the past, are now facing a severe case of SVS (Sudden Vaporization Syndrome). Iran’s grip on Venezuela—political, military, and economic—is slipping, weakening a once-strategic alliance that once defied U.S. pressure. The network that allowed the illegal trading of our crude is not going to be there anymore, even with the strait closed or not. We are talking about 95% of our income, whether legal or illegal. There is another face of this cube: the drone technology supplied by Iran, and the collaboration in security (meaning repression of citizens). Word in the streets from some independent informants is, that they are building bunkers at full speed ahead, under Fuerte Tiuna (the main military facility in the country, where the bus driver supposedly lives, surrounded by civilian buildings that act as human shields). Good luck with that. 4. Strategic recommendations. Venezuela’s gasoline supply dangles precariously, reliant on Iran’s volatile stability. Any escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict could plunge Caracas into its most severe fuel crisis since 2020—with no quick fixes in sight. While the scenario is dire, at least we’ve been given a warning beforehand. Prices are going to go up from 0,5$ per liter to 0,75$. (Editor’s Note: This roughly translates to 4L per gallon of fuel.) Facing ongoing problems with substandard fuel quality, numerous vehicle owners are converting from fuel injection systems to smaller carburetors as a practical workaround. Although this represents a technological regression, carbureted engines are better suited to low-speed driving (capped at 70 kph) and significantly simpler to maintain compared to modern counterparts, which demand advanced tools like OBD2 scanners, and some technical expertise. Short-term: Stockpile gasoline (obviously) always in safe conditions, where no damage can be done. Rationing strategically will take you a long way, and always try to replenish as soon as possible. Extending the reserves by using EVs if available. Avoid pre-loading fuel to reduce evaporation losses in the tank. (This is a real issue—drivers in our hot climate frequently report it. Imported fuel often contains unnecessary anti-freeze additives, which increase volume but evaporate quickly.) Being ready with spares like fuel pumps, extra filters, and maybe octane boosters to mitigate the effect of the lack of quality control in the fuel. Long-term: Revive domestic refining (requires $2B+, many technology transfer agreements, and foreign expertise). You may want to get a small portable air pump and use gauges to keep tires filled up to the proper pressure. This might appear insignificant, but it is not. Keeping the tires properly aligned. Establishing a matrix of operational costs for our vehicles, to assess accurately the cost per kilometer, and assess our basic mobility needs per week. Choose fuel-efficient vehicles whenever possible. Sure, oversized crew-cab pickups with extended beds look impressive, but do you need one for trips where a basic Civic could do the job just as well? Drive your vehicle in the sweet spot where it is more efficient. Even if the road conditions and the speed limit allow for it, don’t get tempted to drive faster. When you don’t have fuel to burn, arriving 30 minutes later is nothing compared to staying stranded. Every vehicle has this range, just experiment and record the results to find it. If your car has cruise control, so much better. With rising fuel prices, many drivers turn to passive OBD2 fuel economizers. These devices monitor real-time data to help optimize driving habits. They display key metrics: instant fuel consumption, RPM, engine load, and speed. The goal is to alert drivers about habits that increase fuel use, like hard acceleration or high RPMs. Offering real-time feedback, they are useful to help you adjust your driving style. There are no engine risks, as they don’t modify the ECU at all, they only read the data and calculate the results they display based on the readings. However, I wouldn’t advise you to keep them permanently connected to your OBD2 port. They can also detect issues, like faulty spark plugs or clogged filters. These gadgets offer wide compatibility: you can use them in most post-1996 vehicles. However, there will be no savings if you exit the zone they indicate. The savings are variable: 5-12% on highways and 3% in city traffic. Its efficiency relies a lot on the drivers’ discipline. We can extract some valuable lessons from all this: 1, You start reducing your dependence on fuels, or you better start producing them. 2. Those needing less fuel to produce what they need will be the ones with the best chance to prevail. 3, There is technology available we can rely on to minimize our fuel consumption by modifying our habits. Some people even don’t realize they have a heavy foot. As our main conclusion, we could say: We are facing an almost total interruption in the fuel supply for 70% of the gasoline vehicles in the country. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen (again), but if it does happen we will be there to describe the events as they are, without any bias. Facta, Non Verba. Remember, we describe the events we are going through to help you improve your prepping, and mitigate the impact of unexpected disruptions. Keep following our travails in Organic Prepper, and please remember to support our work! Thanks for your reading, Daniela. Sources: – TankerTrackers.com (shipment volumes). – Bloomberg (Iran refining capacity post-attack). – PDVSA leaks (refinery status). About Daniela Daniela Gonzalez is a student of history at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. The post Americans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Will Suffer from the Israel-Iran Gasoline Crisis appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Every beat leaves a different chemical signal in the rocks around the Ethiopian Rift for us to find.

With the battle between Israel and Iran moving from decades of proxy warring to an all-out crisis, world leaders have been waiting, watching, and nervously pondering what happens next.And as the political implications cause deep concern, some of the theological issues implicit in the discussion have moved from percolating and bubbling under the surface to outright erupting.There’s undoubtedly something special about Israel and the Hebrew people, through whom Jesus came.The age-old biblical questions surrounding modern-day Israel and its relevance to prophecy sit at the core of these heated debates, as Christians ponder the modern Jewish state’s connection to the Old Testament, prophecy, and how those sentiments impact contemporary Christians’ views on how the U.S. and other nations should respond to the current crisis.This theo-political skirmish burst onto the main stage after a verbal showdown between Tucker Carlson and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). The two now-infamously clashed, in part, over how Christians should respond to the Israel-Iran war.The Cruz-Carlson spat intensified when Cruz proclaimed that he was taught in church that “those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed” and that support for modern Israel is a biblical command.“Biblically, we are commanded to support Israel,” Cruz clarified after Carlson pushed back and questioned whether believers are truly commanded to “support the government of Israel.” When Cruz didn’t back down, Carlson demanded that the congressman “define Israel.”The wick of an ever-smoldering theological debate was immediately lit on social media, with people on all sides pouring gasoline on the resulting flames.RELATED: How Tucker Carlson vs. Ted Cruz exposed a critical biblical question on Israel Kayla Bartkowski / Anna Moneymaker | Getty ImagesUltimately, the main question centers on whether God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 is speaking about the Jewish people or the nation of Israel — and whether Christianity is the ultimate continuation of that pledge.“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing,’” reads Genesis 12:1-2. Verse 3 continues: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’”Cruz's critics match up this passage with the apostle Paul's words in Galatians 3:16, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”Thus, some interpreters see Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, while others still see the state of Israel as biblically significant.Truth in tensionBut I’ve often been left wondering: Why can’t both be true?As we assess these scriptures and consider whether modern-day Israel deserves unfettered support due to prophetic sentiments, we must confront two different realities. First, Israel is unlike any other nation in human history. Its formation, disappearance, and re-emergence raise important questions. It's a special nation composed of people through whom God has chosen to accomplish His will and offer salvation to all mankind.Second, humans are prone to sin, and no nation run by mere mortals should be supported unconditionally without accountability. The entirety of the Bible is a testament not only to God’s truth and goodness but also to the pitfalls of man’s folly — even great men like David, Solomon, and Peter.Ironically, it’s possible that both Cruz and Carlson are speaking kernels of truth or at least asking important questions we must ponder.History meets prophecy To first address Cruz, we must pull back and reflect on the stunning facts surrounding modern-day Israel’s existence.When I was writing my book “Armageddon Code,” an exploration of various Christian beliefs about the end times, Israel’s contemporary existence truly struck me, particularly when I read the prophet Ezekiel’s words in Ezekiel 38, which was likely written during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people in the sixth century B.C.The prophet foresaw a future time when the Jewish people, who had been driven out and scattered, would come back to their homeland. For nearly 1,900 years after the Second Temple’s destruction in the year 70, the Jewish people were dispersed and persecuted; the idea there would ever again be a Jewish state seemed folly to most.But the Bible boldly predicted its re-emergence. Ezekiel 37 speaks of a valley of dry bones — imagery invoking skeletal remains coming back together, with tendons, skin, and flesh re-growing. This visualization is said to be Israel as it is restored to the land, with the Lord proclaiming in verse 12: “My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.”For nearly 20 centuries, these words seemed almost implausible — until the Holocaust and its aftermath left the Jewish people around the world reeling and seeking refuge. Remarkably, on May 14, 1948, the modern state of Israel was born.To deny the prophetic significance is true folly, as no other people group in history has seen its land disappear from the map only to re-emerge nearly two millennia later — all while events lined up with what a prophet penned more than 2,000 years before.There’s undoubtedly something special about Israel and the Hebrew people, through whom Jesus came. Any student of prophecy knows that the geographic area is key to still-to-be-fulfilled events, and the book of Revelation highlights its involvement in the end times.Defending freedom — with wisdomBeyond theological considerations, Israel is one of the main bastions of sanity in the Middle East, a place where freedom reigns. The Jewish state is a key American ally. That's why constant pledges to wipe it off the face of the earth by political foes like Iran should spark deep concern.This doesn’t mean America must co-sign each and every Israeli action, nor does it require that Americans participate in Israel's conflicts. People and nations sin, and Israeli malfeasance — if and when it occurs, just like America’s — must be called to account.Moreover, from a purely nationalistic position, there are times when “America First” means steering clear of international crises. Past military debacles and quagmires should be overwhelmingly pertinent testaments to our need for caution.But there are also times when “America First” means intervening to protect American interests. Poor past decisions and wars don’t render every conflict unworthy; such a posture could leave the U.S. in a perilous place.RELATED: A Christian case for America firstThere’s no world in which a nuclear Iran is good for anyone, and burying our heads in the sand while pretending it's not happening is begging for terror.So yes: Modern-day Israel holds prophetic significance and meaning. It’s a good, solid, and biblical posture to defend the Jewish people.But even if you deny the biblical foundation of this argument, it’s morally expedient for our nation to help a friend ward off fiendish foes — enemies that also seek America’s destruction.Still, such deterrence should always be done in a prayerful, political balance that ensures we truly weigh our engagement against truth, goodness, and American interests. As is the case in all things, discernment is key.

New York state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for the mayoral election in New York City on Tuesday night.Despite being behind in almost every poll, Mamdani beat former New York governor and second-place nominee Andrew Cuomo by around seven points. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander came in third.Mamdani's election platform included endorsing "LGBTQIA+ protections," "city-owned grocery stores," and "Trump-proofing" New York City. Mamdani is also a Democratic Socialist and has worked on the campaigns of fellow socialists.'In the words of Nelson Mandela ...'Mamdani took to his X account after his victory and thanked his voters, quoting late activist and first president of South Africa Nelson Mandela."In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it's done," Mamdani wrote. "My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City," the new Democratic candidate added.During his acceptance speech, Mamdani told supporters, "Above all, our democracy has been attacked from within ... and when we no longer believe in our democracy, it only becomes easier for people like Donald Trump to convince us of his worth."RELATED: Chain-snatching migrant moped gangs are having their dreams crushed by NYC mayor — but he won't mention it Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images Governor Cuomo conceded just after 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, saying Mamdani "touched young people, and inspired them, and moved them, and got them to come out and vote.""He really ran a highly impactful campaign," Cuomo told supporters. "I applaud him sincerely for his effort."Cuomo served as governor for more than 10 years and was leading almost every major poll by double digits coming into the primary. On Election Day, the New York Times reported that of the 10 most recent polls conducted in June, Cuomo led nine of them, with his biggest lead at +19.One poll from Public Policy Polling had Mamdani at +5, however.Just days before the primary, Mamdani's office told the New York Post he had received a car-bomb threat, despite not owning a car. Mamdani had allegedly received four voicemails in the last few months calling for his or his family's death, with the latest reportedly calling him a "terrorist piece of s**t."Mamdani had blamed the right wing for a threatening message in which the caller said he was going to have the candidate "wash his European feet."RELATED: NYC comptroller locks arms with man to prevent ICE arrest: 'Show me your warrant!' Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images New York City Comptroller Lander made his own last-minute headlines last week as well. Lander was arrested by federal agents after locking arms with a man facing deportation.The comptroller yelled, "Show me your warrant! Show me your badge!" as agents attempted to pry him away from a man who had just left a Manhattan courtroom.In a statement to Blaze News, Dept. of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Lander was arrested for "impeding a federal officer."Lander had claimed he was "not obstructing" and was simply "standing right here in the hallway." New York investigative reporter Oren Levy reacted to Mamdani's victory, telling Blaze News, "Mamdani's win tells you everything about where this city is heading — off a cliff."Levy continued, "He's anti-Israel, a socialist, wants to replace cops with social workers … basically a checklist for the far-left agenda."Mamdani recently struggled to answer questions from reporters over criticisms that he supported the phrase "globalize the intifada." After about 20 seconds trying to find his words, Mamdani told reporters that as mayor, he would do his best to eliminate anti-Semitism in New York City.Reporter Levy has covered issues like crime and illegal immigration from the mayor's office in the past few years and predicted "more crime" and "more chaos" under a potential Mamdani rule. "It's not over," Levy added. "November's coming. Let's see if New Yorkers wake up by then."Mamdani still has to face off against Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who won the Republican primary unopposed, and Mayor Eric Adams, who announced in April that he will run as an independent in November's election."Our city needs independent leadership that understands working people," Adams wrote on X.Adams has been mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Capitol Hill Republicans are in a bind. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is barreling toward a vote, and it keeps getting worse — this time, because of the Senate parliamentarian.Representatives and senators alike are angry. The bill they were pushing forward was carefully crafted to win with slim majorities in both chambers, and now a lot of the commonsense cuts conservative members were excited for are gone. Here’s the problem, though: Nobody can do anything about it.The mood on Capitol Hill is tense and unpredictable. At stake: funding for Trump’s border enforcement, immigration crackdown, tax cuts, and other key priorities.Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has had a field day stripping important Republican provisions from the bill. Among them: a $6.4 billion cut that eliminated the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; a $1.4 billion cut to Federal Reserve employees’ salaries; a $771 million cost-saving measure transferring the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's authority to the Securities and Exchange Commission; a move to reassert Senate supervision on the largest executive regulations; and a move to demand states that make habitual food stamp overpayments (average overpayments outnumber underpayments by a ratio of more than 6.5 to 1) pay a portion of the cost. That last measure, just one of many more cuts by the parliamentarian, was estimated to save $12.8 billion a year.MacDonough has so much power because the only way you can avoid the filibuster and pass something like this bill through the Senate with a simple 51-vote majority is through the reconciliation process, meaning it must have a specific impact on the federal budget.How does shaving billions of dollars off federal expenses not impact the budget? MacDonough explained that she stripped those provisions because they were more policy-focused than budgetary. Or, she looked into Republicans’ hearts and divined their secret intentions. Between MacDonough and the Democrats’ army of federal judges, there seems to be a lot of divining going around these days.Republicans have ample reason to be furious. A lot of these measures were important to getting fiscal hawks on board with the bill, and now they’re gone.Conservatives have complained loudly about where we find ourselves now, saying Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and his team didn’t argue their points well enough.They’ve also pointed out that the parliamentarian, who was first appointed to her post by the late Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), is an employee of the Senate and not a constitutional office, serving as simply an adviser on the proper process. That means the chamber’s presiding officer, the vice president, can overrule her, as vice presidents have done as recently as 1975.Reid himself ignored his hire in 2013 when he nuked the filibuster for federal judgeships — lowering the required votes to 51 — and opened the floodgates to the kind of activist confirmations the White House is currently grappling with.Four years later, in 2017, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) followed suit, ignoring MacDonough’s protests to expand Reid’s “nuclear option” to include Supreme Court nominees.In the end, neither Thune nor his more conservative colleagues made a persuasive case. Their arguments may have needed work, but the failure wasn’t theirs alone. Everyone shares the blame.Calls to fire or overrule the Senate parliamentarian amount to little more than a shiny distraction. Politically, it’s a nonstarter. Republican senators like John Curtis of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Mitch McConnell won’t back blowing up the filibuster.It’s not that no one tried. The parliamentarian rejected the provisions, and too many Senate Republicans refuse to use the nuclear option to push through this next test of filibuster limits.That leaves Republicans with no real path forward — and no time to waste. Complaining doesn’t move votes. “You go to war with the Senate you have,” a White House official involved in the negotiations told the Beltway Brief.The mood on Capitol Hill is tense and unpredictable. At stake: funding for Trump’s border enforcement, immigration crackdown, tax cuts, and other key priorities.Some Republicans want to scrap the deal and start over. But everyone knows that’s not a real option. The clock keeps ticking. And with each passing day, the odds of success shrink.Blaze News: Republican senator might be open to defect to DemocratsSign up for Bedford’s newsletterSign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford’s newsletter.

Global policymakers and consumers are weary of Big Tech monopolies. While excessive consolidation of power leads to privacy violations, price gouging, and stifling innovation, it poses a unique threat to free speech.Trump administration antitrust enforcers understood that threat. As Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater observed, when a handful of companies control the flow of information, “someone can be disappeared from the internet quite easily.”Digital free speech shouldn’t depend on the shifting preferences of Apple executives or Google policy teams.Conservatives increasingly see Big Tech’s ability to distort and manipulate public discourse as a downstream effect of its market dominance. In the case of the mobile internet, it takes only two companies — Apple and Google — to control the smartphone experience of nearly every American.Congress is beginning to respond. Two recently introduced bills would take on Apple and Google’s app store choke points directly. The Open App Markets Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and the App Store Freedom Act, sponsored by Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), aim to empower users by giving them the option to download apps from sources outside of Apple and Google’s proprietary platforms, including alternative marketplaces.Why do these technical details matter for speech? Because Apple and Google’s gatekeeper power has already been abused to silence dissent.In 2021, Parler — a social media app popular on the right — was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores for allegedly having “inadequate” content moderation policies. The timing followed reports that the platform was used to coordinate the January 6 Capitol riot. Virtually overnight, Parler went from one of the fastest growing apps in the world to a ghost town. Internet consumers move quickly, and the app’s months in Big Tech’s doghouse became a death sentence. Parler never recovered.Parler wasn’t an isolated case. Years earlier, Google banned Gab, another free speech-oriented platform, while Apple never allowed it to launch in the first place. Google also initially refused to approve President Trump’s Truth Social due to concerns over its moderation policies. And abroad, Apple has bowed to authoritarian regimes — removing apps used by dissidents in China and Russia at the request of those governments.RELATED: Upgrade to a dumbphone http://www.fotogestoeber.de via iStock/Getty Images The problem runs deeper than censorship. Apple and Google have used their dominance to dictate the design and speech choices of developers. App makers are often forbidden from communicating key information to users — such as the availability of cheaper subscription pricing outside of Apple and Google’s walled gardens.The scope of their power is staggering. Roughly 91% of Americans own a smartphone. More than 99% of those devices run on Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android operating systems. And 88% of the time spent on those phones is inside apps — not on web browsers.Without real guardrails, that bottleneck becomes a single point of failure. It’s a choke point ready to be exploited by governments, activist groups, or corporations that want to control speech.Some openly defend the current system precisely because it allows Apple and Google to keep disfavored apps off the market. Even before Elon Musk acquired Twitter (now X), Apple and Google pressured the company to increase moderation. After Musk’s takeover, activist organizations lobbied Apple and Google to ban X altogether if Musk didn’t reinstate stricter content rules.An open app ecosystem benefits everyone. Conservatives celebrating Big Tech’s apparent political shifts should remember how easily those loyalties change. Liberals worried about “tech bro” influence should support guardrails that limit partisan manipulation — regardless of who holds power.Digital free speech shouldn’t depend on the shifting preferences of Apple executives or Google policy teams. Congress must act to restore balance and ensure pluralism. The Open App Markets Act and the App Store Freedom Act offer real, durable solutions. They deserve bipartisan support.