ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers agreed to pass the toughest gun control law in the nation and the first since theNewtown, Conn., school shooting, calling for a stricter assault weapons ban and provisions to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill who make threats.

"This is a scourge on society," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday night, six days after making gun control a centerpiece of his agenda in his State of the State address. The bipartisan effort was fueled by the Newtown tragedy that took the lives of 20 first graders and six educators. "At what point do you say, 'No more innocent loss of life'?"

The measure also calls for restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns. It is expected to pass Tuesday.

"This is not about taking anyone's rights away," said Sen. Jeffrey Klein, a Bronx Democrat. "It's about a safe society ... today we are setting the mark for the rest of the county to do what's right."

Under current state law, assault weapons are defined by having two "military rifle" features, such as folding stock, muzzle flash suppressor or bayonet mount. The proposal would reduce that to one feature, including the popular pistol grip. The language specifically targeted the military-style rifle used in the Newtown shootings.

Current owners of those guns will have to register them.

Private sales of assault weapons to someone other than an immediate family would be subject to a background check through a dealer. New Yorkers also would be barred from buying assault weapons over the Internet, and failing to safely store a weapon could lead to a misdemeanor charge.

Ammunition magazines would be restricted to seven bullets, from the current 10, and current owners of higher-capacity magazines would have a year to sell them out of state. An owner caught at home with eight or more bullets in a magazine could face a misdemeanor charge.

Stores that sell ammunition will have to register with the state, run background checks on buyers of bullets and keep an electronic database of bullet sales.

In another provision, a therapist who believes a mental health patient made a credible threat to use a gun illegally would be required to report it to a mental health director who would have to notify the state. A patient's gun could be taken from him or her.

The legislation also increases sentences for gun crimes including the shooting of a first responder that Cuomo called the "Webster provision." Last month in the western New York town of Webster, two firefighters were killed after responding to a fire set by the shooter, who eventually killed himself.

The measure passed the Senate 43-18 on the strength of support from Democrats, many of whom previously sponsored bills that were once blocked by Republicans. The Democrat-led Assembly gaveled out before midnight and planned to take the issue up at 10 a.m. Tuesday. It is expected to pass easily.

The governor confirmed the proposal, previously worked out in closed session, also would mandate a police registry of assault weapons, grandfathering in assault weapons already in private hands.

It was agreed upon exactly a month since the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

"It is well-balanced, it protects the Second Amendment," said Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos of Long Island.

Cuomo said he wanted quick action to avoid a run on assault weapons and ammunition. He estimates there are already about 1 million assault weapons in New York state.

Republican Sen. Greg Ball called that political opportunism in a rare criticism of the popular and powerful governor seen by his supporters as a possible candidate for president in 2016.

"We haven't saved any lives tonight, except one: the political life of a governor who wants to be president," said Ball who represents part of the Hudson Valley. "We have taken an entire category of firearms that are currently legal that are in the homes of law-abiding, tax paying citizens. ... We are now turning those law-abiding citizens into criminals."

In the gun debate, one concern for New York is its major gun manufacturer upstate.

Remington Arms Co. makes the Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle that was used in the Connecticut shootings and again on Christmas Eve when the two firefighters were slain in Webster. The two-century-old Remington factory in Ilion in central New York employs 1,000 workers in a Republican Senate district.

The bill was the first test of the new coalition in control of the Senate, which has long been run by Republicans opposed to gun control measures. The chamber is now in the hands of Republicans and five breakaway Democrats led by Klein, an arrangement expected to result in more progressive legislation.

Former Republican Sen. Michael Balboni said that for legislators from the more conservative upstate region of New York, gun control "has the intensity of the gay marriage issue." In 2011, three of four Republicans who crossed the aisle to vote for same-sex marriage ended up losing their jobs because of their votes.

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Iran: Khamenei's ban on nuclear weapons binding

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran sought Tuesday to spell out in its clearest terms yet that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, highlighting a religious decree issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that bans nuclear weapons.

The latest reference to Khamenei's declaration is seen as a bid to close the door on debates that Iran may have carried out atomic bomb trigger tests as inspectors from the U.N. atomic watchdog were on their way to Tehran for a new round of discussions.

Iran authorities have often cited Khamenei's religious edict, made more than seven years ago, in attempts to counter Western suspicion that Iran could be moving toward nuclear arms. But Iranian leaders now appear increasingly desperate to reopen talks with world powers as a possible way to ease sanctions.

Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast touched on a cultural rift between the Islamic Republic and the West, saying the United States and its allies don't understand the significance of the edict.

"There is nothing higher than the exalted supreme leader's fatwa to define the framework for our activities in the nuclear field," he told a press conference.

Mehmanparast could not be more definitive in dispelling suspicions that Iran may ultimately develop a nuclear weapon.

"We are the first country to call for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons," he said. When the highest jurist and authority in the country's leadership issues a fatwa, this will be binding for all of us to follow. So, this fatwa will be our top agenda."

Mehmanparast said Westerners "don't have an accurate understanding of Islamic beliefs and fatwas issued by great scholars," suggesting that the U.S. and its allies must take Khamenei's edit seriously.

To highlight its seriousness, he said Iran is willing to "register the fatwa as an international document."

Although Iran views Khamenei's 2005 fatwa as a binding declaration, the West and its allies have repeatedly accused Iran of using any tactic to prolong the standoff and possibly advance its nuclear capabilities.

The perception gap also strikes at the role of the supreme leader himself. The most ardent followers consider the post as divinely imbued and answerable only to God. For Iran's opponents, Khamenei is often seen as guiding a ruling system seeking to outwit the West and threaten Israel.

They want Iran to stop enriching uranium to a level that could be turned relatively quickly into the fissile core of nuclear arms. Iran denies such aspirations, insisting it is enriching only to make reactor fuel and to make isotopes for medical purposes.

Senior U.N. investigators trying for more than a year to restart a probe into Iran's alleged work on nuclear arms chose their words carefully Tuesday about hopes for success as they left for Tehran on a trip that sets the stage for separate talks between six world powers and the Islamic Republic.

Team leader Herman Nackaerts said the International Atomic Energy Agency hopes to "finalize the structured approach" that would outline what the agency can and cannot do in its investigation.

Yukiya Amano, the IAEA chief, has expressed doubt that Tuesday's trip would result in a deal, but Iran said it's optimistic.

"If there are any ambiguities or concerns, we are ready to clear these ambiguities. This can be done under a structured approach," he said.

Iranians say they have a bitter memory of allowing IAEA inspections and providing replies on a long list of queries over its nuclear program in the past decade. Now, Tehran says such queries should not be revived or remain open-ended once the IAEA has verified them.

Mehmanparast said Iran provided detailed explanations to IAEA questions on six outstanding issues in the past but instead of giving Iran a clean bill of health, the agency leveled new allegations on the basis of "alleged studies" provided by Iran's enemies.

Iran uses that term to refer to a list of questions including a dispute at Parchin, a military site southeast of Tehran, where the agency suspects Iran ran explosive tests needed to set off a nuclear charge.

Tehran has in the past allowed IAEA inspectors twice into Parchin but now it says any new agency investigation must be governed by an agreement that lays out the scope of such a probe.

"Obligations of the other party must be clearly specified. If a claim is to be raised on a spot in Iran every day and (the U.N. agency) seeks to visit our military facilities under such a pretext ... this issue will be unending," Mehmanparast said.

Iran says the agency's suspicions are based on forged intelligence from the United States, Israel and others, materials it has not been allowed to see.

Iranian leaders appear to be frustrated over the long investigations. Prominent lawmakers say Iran wants an end to the probe once and for all.

"We are interested to put an end to these ambiguities. We don't want a prolongation of this process," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the parliament's security committee, said recently.

Iran is also linking its cooperation with the IAEA on Parchin to a commitment from the agency that Iran's nuclear dossier is referred back to Vienna from the U.N. Security Council.

Iran is under four sets of Security Council sanctions and stepped-up Western oil and banking sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a technology that can be used to produce nuclear fuel or materials that can be used for a warhead.

Tuesday's trip by the IAEA team comes as Iran and six world powers —the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — prepare to meet, tentatively later this month.

The trip and the planned Iran talks are formally separate but both IAEA officials and diplomats involved in the talks privately acknowledge an informal link.

By compromising on the IAEA probe, Iran could argue that the onus was now on the six powers to show some flexibility, temper their demands, and roll back U.S. and European sanctions that have hit Iran's critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international banking networks.

Mehmanparast made it clear Tuesday what Iran wants in return for cooperation with the IAEA: "In exchange for the easing of those ambiguities, our nuclear case should go back to its normal procedure and all the discussions raised about our nuclear case should be stopped."

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George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report.

Archangel Michael via Ron Head: You Created the World You are Living in and You Will Create the Next One as Well

As channeled by Ron Head – January 14, 2013

http://oraclesandhealers.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/you-created-the-world-you-are-living-in-and-you-will-create-the-next-one-as-well-channeled-by-ron-head/#more-2510

We think it is time to point out to you the remarkable increase in your understanding of the information in your possession. Things which you have had in your intellect for many years are beginning to make sense. Things which seemed to be at best mythical are beginning to fit into your world of possibilities. Your understanding, and we say ‘your’ as in humanity’s, is beginning to broaden immensely. Information previously hidden is beginning to come into the consciousness of the populations.

From your individual perspective, this may appear as a trickle or a surge. From the larger view, this is nothing less than a tsunami. It took over one hundred years for the great discoveries of the early twentieth century to mold the world you now live in. That was a massive change. There are people alive today whose grandparents saw the first motion picture, airplane, automobile, television, and telephones. They never lived to see a personal computer, much less the internet. Some of them saw the first moon landing. All of this happened in one hundred years.

We tell you now that the amount of change you will see now and in the next handful of years will far surpass that. It is beginning where it must begin, in you. You created the world you are living in and you will create the next one as well. So mark well the changes that are taking place within yourselves. That is where you will begin to see the kind of world you will be living in.

If nothing had changed, you would have seen this world destroy itself. Well, you would have destroyed her. You will now be able to see how much you have changed by first noticing that you have not done that, and then by watching yourselves turn this back into the unbelievably beautiful garden that she was created to be. And when you begin to see that happen, remember this, it will be a reflection of who you are.

Look around you now and begin the process by imagining that you see nothing that does not contain a part of the consciousness of the Creator, that there is nothing you see which is not deserving of love, respect, and appreciation. And, dear ones, it can respond to that as well as you, yourselves, do. You may have to begin by imagining that, but you will discover soon enough that it is in fact the truth. Play with that thought in your meditations and in your lives and see where it takes you.

Here is a hint. We are one. We are the One. We tell you nothing at all new. You will only find that head slapping eureka moment. And you will have those moments very often now. And that is all because of the ‘nothing’ that happened at the end of your last year. Welcome to your new world, dearest friends. As your songwriter said, “The times, they are a-changin’.” We love you dearly. Good day.

Copyright © Ronald Head. All Rights Reserved. You may copy and redistribute this material so long as you do not alter it in any way, the content remains complete, and you include this copyright notice link: http://oraclesandhealers.wordpress.com/

Yeshua and The Company of Heaven: You Are Building Your New Life

Zen Gardner: We’re Sailing In Uncharted Cosmic Seas

Zen Gardner: We’re Sailing In Uncharted Cosmic Seas

By Zen Gardner – January 14, 2013

http://www.zengardner.com/were-sailing-in-uncharted-cosmic-seas/

Learning to handle these exciting new vibrations and cosmic changes is very much like learning to sail in uncharted waters.

We really need to learn how to navigate these unknown waves and currents and be ready at the helm for the many fluctuations pounding our ships of life.

I’m also feeling for the people who have no clue as to what’s going on.

To think there are so many who don’t even know there is a cosmic sea, never mind that there are huge energetic wave changes reaching our planetary system that are now rocking their proverbial boats, is sad. I guess it’s like Plato’s cave analogy, only here it’s blind people in a boat who think all the world is the small structure and items they feel around them, while the real cosmic reality is expanding around them well outside their “boat” reality.

Stay on High Alert

There’s a lot of very interesting information available on this transition we’re going through with many interpretations, and some great advice on how to manage these vibrational changes. My personal take is to stay very alert and aware on every front, most of all with my thoughts and feelings, remaining the observer monitoring what’s going on within and without me.

Don’t ever forget, your very thoughts and feelings at times may not be your own but some morphed projection from these hyper-technological insane driven would-be controllers to steer humanity as well. This is especially so when our guards are down.

For me staying on alert also means keeping abreast of the news, the real news. It’s watching for trends, not just in the NWO rollout or political news, but following earth and space changes is very important. How our planet and solar system are behaving is intrinsic to getting a deeper sense of the energetic changes we’re undergoing. And sensing the spiritual changes around you is also imperative, much of which is intuitive. Once you get a rounded picture of the current situation the dots connect.

But we have to keep at it, especially now.

Real information is everything. It’s our spiritual food. Either we’re getting the adulterated stuff or we’re getting real nourishment. It makes a world of difference in how we feel and think and affects the very course of our lives and hence the rest of humanity since we each affect it so profoundly. I avoid raw TV as much as possible. It’s toxic and completely destructive. If there’s something worth watching you’ll find it on the net where you can be in control of it. If you have to watch anything, limit it carefully and always mute the advertisements.

Conscious, Observant Living Is A Must – Beware the Unconscious Crazies

Learning to listen to our hearts, our real consciousness that taps into the central Source, and observe from that point is the key. As things start to pick up more speed as they are now this will be more and more important when mental processes get more and more affected.

The mind is much like the computer that is susceptible to an EMP blast, a large electromagnetic pulse, the same kind that can stop your computer controlled car and shut down the grid. The heart, however, your conscious spirit, only revels in the additional energetic bursts and will never let you down!

Now that’s empowerment! But we have be careful.

Now I drive slower than I used to. We all should. We need to watch out for erratic behavior on the roads when we’re out, people are going to start unraveling before our eyes. Many will have psychotic type reactions to these vibrational changes and we need to be wary wherever we are.

Make Friends and Help Each Other

This has changed my life. I spend almost my full waking time on the internet and discussing with loved ones what’s going on. There is so much to learn and there are so many amazing wonderful people who have been researching and compiling empowering information I just don’t have time for anything else. I get my walk and take breaks but it’s my full time passion because it to me is the essence of what’s happening and where I can help and be the most effective.

Contributing to this massive wake up is all that matters to me.

I’m a communicator. And I’m not afraid to ask questions, or to thank those who have contributed so much to this truth revolution. This has led to the best friendships of my life. I wrote how many of us seem to be alone when in reality we’re most likely where we’re supposed to be, yet we’re united in spirit.

I received many touching comments to that post as it apparently resonated with quite a few people. Many also said they don’t mind the isolation. That’s the world they work and learn best in, and I relate to that. Most of the people I correspond with are the same. We savor conscious awareness and spreading it. It’s an act of love that gives tremendous satisfaction that at least we’re doing what we can.

And we do the same in our daily interactions.

These friendships that have come with meeting fellow activists are the best. They’re almost like broadening your antenna array to where you can pick up clearer signals and bounce your “readings” off those you love and trust. So often a little inkling or sensation or an email and link from a friend can lead to new realms of understanding and even new researchers and whole areas you weren’t aware of and a fresh re-synthesizing of what you’ve come to learn.

It’s just fabulous.

But we have to reach out.

Conclusion – Activate or Else

These energetic changes are not the answer. We are the answer. Those they affect who in turn willingly transform and pass it on, helping others understand and utilize what’s going on, are the answer.

You and me.

With or without these new energies our mission is the same. But what a great time to be alive as it clearly appears we’re getting a boost…good for conscious humanity, but bad for the matrix whose minions are scared to death of what’s happening.

This is why the frantic implementation of the control system. Poor puny bastards. It’s like a bucket of water on a raging forest fire. Sorry guys, you already lost. You really think you can fight the Truth? C’mon.

But we do need to keep exposing them so others can see through their false projection and find empowering Truth and Reality for themselves.

Sail On!

We’re sailing the cosmic sea, the wind is picking up, and it’s all hands on deck!

We’re here to act out our mission, however we’re each called. We can follow, we can lead. We can sit by the wayside.

I don’t personally condone non-action in the least. We need to be conscious responders. Not inexcusable idiots. That’s thoroughly pathetic. I think we’ve all been through enough of that..and so have the enslaved.

Raise your voice.

Radiate the change any way you can!

Love, Zen