Saturday, May 12, 2007

CONTINGENCIES FOR TERRORIST ATTACK

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-The Nation's Weather 3-31 people killed as storm slams northern India. 4-Hundreds of firefighters battling US wildfires. 5-Arab officials to take peace plan to Israel. 6-Pope: God will punish drug dealers. 7-U.S., Europe seek passenger data deal. 8-Citizens more ambitious than leaders on future EU policies. 9-Contingencies for nuclear terrorist attack.

EARTHQUAKES


MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Sat May 12 11:30 AM EDT

APR 12,07
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.7 TONGA
MAP 5.6 SERAM, INDONESIA
MAP 5.9 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.1 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION

APR 11,07
MAP 5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 BATAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.6 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CHANNEL ISLANDS REGION, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN QUEBEC, CANADA
MAP 5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 PUGET SOUND REGION, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.3 TAJIKISTAN
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.5 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sat May 12, 5:30 AM ET


Showers and thunderstorms were forecast from Virginia to eastern Texas on Saturday, while the Southwest and Great Basin were forecast to be hot. A high-pressure system drifting southeastward from Canada was expected to pull cold Arctic air into the Great Lakes and Northeast and dampen temperatures in the region.Low pressure pushing toward the West Coast was expected to bring rain from the Northwest through the Intermountain West. It was also expected to bring cool air to the West Coast. Daytime showers were forecast for the Rockies.Parts of the Southwest were expected to rise into the 90s and 100s, while the Southern Plains and parts of the Southeast were to see similar temperatures. The Northeast and Northwest could rise into the 60s.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a low of 28 degrees at Leadville, Colo., to a high of 107 degrees at Bullhead City, Ariz.

31 people killed as storm slams northern India MAY 12,07

LUCKNOW, India (AFP) - At least 31 people died as a storm hammered northern India, officials said on Saturday. All the deaths were reported from the worst-hit state of Uttar Pradesh, they added.

Scores of others were injured in the storm, late Friday, which was accompanied by hail and driving rain, officials said in the state capital of Lucknow.Fifteen people died in storm-related incidents in the district of Sultanpur, a state government spokesman said.Nine others were killed when trees came down on their homes in the district, he added.District administrator Sanjay Kumar said the storm also sparked fires and added some 100 houses were burnt during the bad weather in the district.Lightning strikes killed three in the hilly Pratapgarh district while four people were buried alive when their homes collapsed in the district of Barabanki, the official in Lucknow said.The state administration reported widespread damage from the storm, which lashed several northern Indian states including national capital Delhi, where rains flooded parts of the city and disrupted rush-hour traffic.

Hundreds of firefighters battling US wildfires Fri May 11, 11:44 PM ET

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) - Firefighters on Friday battled to contain wildfires that scorched thousands of acres of tinder-dry parkland and forced large scale evacuations across the United States. Several hundred firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes in Florida and California, where record dry weather and high temperatures have forced authorities to maintain a state of near-perpetual alert.Around 500 firefighters were trying to extinguish a fire on Santa Catalina Island, a nature reserve and popular destination for day-trippers off the coast of southern California near Los Angeles.The fire tore through more than 4,200 acres (1,700 hectares) after erupting suddenly on Thursday. Initial efforts to contain the blaze were hampered by rugged terrain which rendered many of the hotspots inaccessible.However a drop in winds Friday and increased humidity allowed firefighters to make significant inroads into the blaze.

Speaking shortly after 5pm (0000 GMT), a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said the fire was now 35 percent contained, up from 10 percent earlier on Friday.We've made some good progress and we are now allowing all evacuated residents to return home, the spokesman said.Around 1,000 people were evacuated after the fire reached the borders of the island's main town Avalon on Thursday.One home, a commercial property and several outbuildings were destroyed in the fire, which was being bombarded by 10 water-dropping helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft. There were no reports of injuries.Firefighting equipment had been brought in overnight by US Navy hovercrafts from the US Marines Camp Pendleton base in San Diego County.The fire came after a blaze devastated more than 800 acres (300 hectares) of Los Angeles' historic Griffith Park earlier this week.City fire officials said they expected the fire in the park to be declared 100 percent contained later Friday.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- who shot scenes from the Terminator movies in the park -- expressed shock after inspecting the damaged areas. To see those great, same places where we were, where we filmed, destroyed was very hard to take, Schwarzenegger said.The Los Angeles Times reported that an emergency plan to repair the park was expected to cost around 50 million dollars.Los Angeles is in the grip of the driest start to the year since records began in 1877, according to recent figures from the National Weather Service.A spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the drought meant the fire season had begun earlier than usual.This year has been an extremely dry year and because of that the moisture levels in the vegetation have decreased, Daniel Berlant told AFP.We're seeing dry vegetation that we normally don't see until June or July. However, the blazes were not evidence of an increasing threat of fires, Berlant said. If you look through history, weather patterns go in and out -- you have dry periods and wet periods, he said. Right now we're in one of those dry periods.

Meanwhile firefighters battled with brush fires across drought-plagued Florida. Officials say more than 220 fires raged across the state, destroying six homes and blanketing much of the southeastern state with a smoky haze. The smoke also forced the closure of several highways. Weather forecasters had hoped a subtropical storm that formed offshore earlier in the week would bring some relief, but the weather system fizzled out without bringing the much needed rain.

Arab officials to take peace plan to Israel
Meeting in Cairo lays groundwork, touches on Gaza
Michael Slackman, Mona el-Naggar, New York Times - Friday, May 11, 2007


(05-11) 04:00 PDT Cairo -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met Thursday and agreed that a team of Arab officials would soon visit Israel to discuss a Saudi peace proposal endorsed by the members of the Arab League. The meetings in Cairo are Israel's first with high-level officials of Arab countries since the Arab League reaffirmed its support in March for the peace initiative, which it first approved in 2002. The initiative sets out principles that would give Israel full recognition and normal relations with its Arab neighbors in return for its withdrawal to 1967 borders and creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The proposal also calls for an agreed, just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees. No details were available about the timing of the visit to Israel or the composition of the Arab League delegation, but it is expected to consist of Egyptian and Jordanian officials.

Livni and Mubarak also discussed the security situation in the Gaza Strip and the problems of growing Hamas military capabilities and the continual firing of Qassam rockets into Israel, said a statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. After meeting with Mubarak, Livni also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib. Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel, and they have served as the official diplomatic bridge to other Arab capitals. As events in the Middle East have become more turbulent, there have been some back-channel communications, including talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia. There is a problem now, said Emad Gad, editor of Israeli Digest magazine, published by Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Egypt's premier research center.

The initiative is presented to the Israelis, he said, and the initiative has very clear words, and it doesn't even demand the right of return but refers to resolving the issue of the refugees, so there is room to talk. But you have an Israeli government that is in a very precarious position.In Jerusalem, Miri Eisin, spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Livni had called the prime minister to tell him about the meeting with Mubarak. Let me just say that there is no pressure on us from our neighbors who have peace with us to take new drastic steps, she said. So countries with relations with us are willing to use those relations to bring their ideas forward, and not impose them on us.The efforts to discuss the Arab League plan reflect a sense among officials in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia that pursuing a settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis is the most important step toward stabilizing a region that is increasingly volatile and countering the growing support for radical Islamist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. In 2002, Israel rejected the Arab initiative, but recently it has yielded to pressure to discuss the plan from the United States, which in turn was responding to pressure from Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. There has been little public expression of optimism over the latest effort, but officials have said they are committed to keeping peace efforts moving.

It's not a big step, said Adnan Abu-Odeh, a former adviser to King Abdullah II of Jordan. It's a good step. It is one step forward, but not enough to make me believe that this is a prelude to a peaceful settlement, because the other side has not and will not respond the way we want or expect it to respond. And let's wait and see.Also Thursday, Syrian President Bashar Assad dismissed rumors of secret peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, saying Israel was too weak to make a deal. There is no progress in the peace process and no contacts with Israel over the issue, neither in secret or overtly, because Israel is not ready for a just and comprehensive peace, Assad said in a televised speech as he opened a session of parliament. Peace efforts have faltered, he said, because a peace agreement would require strong leadership that could make decisive decisions, an apparent allusion to the political crisis in Israel. The speech was Assad's first public appearance since a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem last week.

Pope: God will punish drug dealers By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer MAY 12,07

GUARATINGUETA, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI warned drug traffickers Saturday that they would face divine justice for the scourge of illegal narcotics across Latin America, telling them that, God will call you to account for your deeds.Speaking before a crowd of 6,000 at a drug treatment center, Benedict urged the drug-dealers to reflect on the grave harm they are inflicting on countless young people and on adults from every level of society.Brazil is the second-largest consumer of cocaine after the United States, according to the U.S. State Department, and big cities across Latin America's largest nation are plagued by drug violence.Driven by gangs that control street-corner dealing, the problem is particularly acute in the teeming slums of Rio de Janeiro, where gangs lure children into lives of violence and engage in near-daily shootouts with police that kill innocent bystanders.Human dignity cannot be trampled upon in this way, the pope said.

The treatment center where the pope spoke was founded by a Franciscan friar and claims an 80 percent success rate, giving addicts spiritual guidance as they milk cows, tend apple orchards and work as beekeepers.It is just a short distance away from the shrine city of Aparecida, where Benedict on Sunday will open a conference of Latin American and Caribbean bishops aimed at finding ways to reverse the erosion of the church in the region.Addicts who listened to the pontiff said his visit was important because Brazilian drug users are often ostracized and left to beg on the streets for drug money.We are excluded from society, but we are the ones the pope is coming to see, said Diego Cleto, a 19-year-old who started taking drugs at age 13.The Garatingueta treatment center in a remote hilly region at the end of a dirt road was founded by Friar Hanz Stapel in 1983. There are now 31 similar farm/ treatment centers in Brazil and 10 more in countries such as Russia, Mexico and Mozambique.

Before traveling from Sao Paulo Friday night to the hallowed Catholic religious site of Aparecida, Benedict lamented difficult times for the church in Brazil amid aggressive proselytizing by born-again Protestant congregations.Brazil's census shows the percentage of citizens characterizing themselves as Catholics plunged to 74 percent in 2000 from 89 percent in 1980, while those calling themselves evangelical Protestants rose to 15 percent from 7 percent.The backdrop to the bishops' conference is Aparecida, 100 miles east of Sao Paulo, and home to the mammoth Basilica of Aparecida — as well as the three-foot-tall statue of a black Virgin Mary, called Our Lady Who Appeared, the patron saint of Brazil.The statue was pulled from a river in the 18th century by poor fishermen who were not catching any fish, and then caught loads in their nets. Miracles were subsequently attributed to the statue, and so many pilgrims flocked to Aparecida that the church built the basilica and inaugurated it as a shrine in 1955.

On Friday, the pope canonized Brazil's first native-born saint in a Mass before about a million people. He held up 18th century Friar Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao as a model of rectitude and humility in an age so full of hedonism.Benedict was cheered by flag-waving crowds in the world's largest Catholic nation as he canonized the new saint, continuing a push for saints in the developing world that began under John Paul II, who sought role models as part of the church's worldwide reach. John Paul canonized more saints than all of his predecessors combined.Benedict also called on Catholics to oppose those elements of the media that ridicule the sanctity of marriage and virginity before marriage, picking a tough crowd to confront about hedonism and permissiveness.More than 70 percent of Brazil's 190 million citizens may be Catholics, but sex before marriage is common. Scantily clad actresses are the norm on hugely popular TV soap operas, and women on the beaches wear bikinis that leave little to the imagination. Plastic surgery to reshape breasts and buttocks is nearly as popular as orthodontia. The pope may be popular among Brazilian Catholics but most probably will not heed his call when it comes to sex, said David Gibson, author of The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World.This is enormously frustrating to Benedict or any pope; they want to have more impact, Gibson added. But how do you go against a culture like that? It's tough. While polls show Brazilians oppose expanding access to abortion, they overwhelmingly support using condoms to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases — in firm opposition to church doctrine. The government, in fact, hands out millions of condoms for free every year, especially ahead of the debauchery that is an integral part of Brazil's pre-Lent carnival. Nothing could be more countercultural than his message in Brazil, the land of the thong, said Gibson, a former Vatican Radio reporter. Associated Press Writer Vivian Sequera contributed to this report.

U.S., Europe seek passenger data deal By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writer Sat May 12, 6:55 AM ET

VENICE, Italy - The U.S. Homeland Security secretary met with top European security officials Saturday to work out the details of a new agreement to share airline passenger data for terrorism investigations. Secretary Michael Chertoff also was expected to discuss changes to the U.S. visa-waiver program during the meeting with security officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland.A deal on the airline data must be reached by July to avoid problems for both airlines and U.S.-bound passengers.European governments are worried about protecting their strict privacy laws, a legacy of the continent's history with totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.The two sides disagree on how long U.S. authorities can use data, when it should be destroyed and which agencies should have access to the information. The United States also wants the authority to pull data directly from airline computers, but European countries insist airlines must transmit the information.Chertoff travels to Brussels, Belgium, on Monday where he will address the EU Parliament.

Citizens from 15 of the 27 EU nations can enter the United States without applying for a travel visa. U.S. officials say Greece and most of the newer EU members still fail to meet criteria for joining the visa-waiver program.The EU allows Americans to travel to all its member countries without visas and has long insisted on full reciprocity.Poland is especially adamant, arguing that it should be admitted in recognition of its contributions to U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States rejects 22 percent of Polish visa applicants — a rate that far exceeds the 3 percent benchmark required for entry into the waiver program.Legislation pending in the Congress would allow the program to admit new countries, while requiring all participating countries to impose closer scrutiny of their passports to ensure they are not lost, stolen or easily counterfeited.President Bush has said he favors adding countries to the visa-waiver list. All but four countries now on the list are European.

Peres says Israel ready for serious peace talks with Arabs Sat May 12, 9:01 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said on Saturday that Israel is ready for serious discussions with Arab nations over a revived peace proposal, as shuttle diplomacy in the region continued apace. If the Arab side puts forth serious proposals, Israel will in turn offer its own proposals with a view to holding serious negotiations and to finding common ground, Peres was quoted by army radio as saying.We should be careful not to miss out on this opportunity, Peres stressed. Peres was speaking amid efforts to advance the peace plan, first presented by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and revived at an Arab League summit in March.The plan would offer a normalisation of relations in return for full withdrawal from Arab lands seized in 1967, the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees.

The league tasked Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries that have made peace with Israel, to work to convince the Jewish state to accept the plan.Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met her Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts in Cairo on Thursday, and stressed the important role the Arab world could play in helping to achieve peace.On Saturday, Palestinian foreign minister Ziad Abu Amr met his Jordanian counterpart Abdel Ilah Khatib and other officials in Amman to discuss the initiative.

The two reviewed bilateral relations as well as ways to advance the peace process to where the Palestinian people's ambitions of an independent state are achieved, Jordan's state news agency Petra reported.Abu Amr, an independent and the first Palestinian foreign minister to visit Jordan since the Islamist group Hamas formed a government in March 2006, thanked King Abdullah II for his efforts on behalf of the Palestinians.He is to travel to Brussels on Sunday for talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Khatib stressed the need for Arabs and the wider world to make every effort... to relaunch the peace process through negotiations between the two sides and to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.

On Sunday, King Abdullah will visit the West Bank town of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.A palace official said the king will discuss Arab and international efforts aimed at bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to negotiations on the Arab peace plan and a two-state solution.A Palestinian official called it an important visit to discuss political developments in the region, Arab efforts to relaunch the peace process and the Arab peace initiative.The king's visit will come just two days before he meets Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at a gathering of Nobel peace laureates in Jordan's ancient city of Petra.Olmert last met the king in December, and both leaders are expected to discuss the renewed Arab initiative at their meeting on Tuesday.Israel rejected the Arab peace plan when it was first launched in Beirut in 2002. Recently, however, it has said the proposal could provide a basis for talks, provided there are amendments on the refugee issue.

Citizens more ambitious than leaders on future EU policies
11.05.2007 - 09:41 CET | By Lucia Kubosova


EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – EU citizens are more ambitious about what Europe should do in the future than its political leaders, a new report summing up a series of popular debates shows.The debates with EU citizens were carried out across the bloc following the shock rejection of the draft EU constitution in both France and the Netherlands two years ago – an event that was interpreted as a clear signal of the gap between the bloc's citizens and its institutions.The report, published on Thursday (10 May), refers to the main conclusions of all national debates and shows that citizens in most countries favour action in social policy where Europe does not hold key powers and which is generally not foreseen as an area for major future initiatives.We believe that improving the social and economic conditions for families should be a European policy goal, because most of our panels think families in Europe need better protection and support, and the problem of low birth rates is apparent, stated the document.

Many panels suggested specific measures both at national and European level to address issues such as improved availability of rights to child care, working time flexibility for parents or job protection for those returning from parental leave.Another important subject on the citizens' wish-list is better job protection. People in central and eastern European member states in particular are calling for harmonised minimum work-related standards, such as a common definition of a minimum wage.

Similarly, a majority of participants in the debates - altogether attended by 1,800 randomly selected people - expect the EU to set standards ensuring accessible, dignified, high-quality and affordable health care treatment.When asked how to achieve this goal, the Irish and Greeks suggested open competition of health services, the Dutch, Italians and Cypriots stressed the need for cross-border access to patients while the Danes and Portuguese favour the idea of free health services across Europe.Citizens from several countries can also imagine much more uniform action and standards in education, saying that qualifications could be determined at EU level, while the specific content for comparable and compatible degrees would be dealt with at national and regional levels. There was also broad agreement that the resulting education system should be free and accessible to all.

High political goals

In terms of a common European foreign policy, citizens desire that the EU takes on an active role in protecting and promoting peace, democracy, human rights and justice in the world. They argue the bloc should use both peacekeeping forces and its diplomacy to provide a strong role model across the world in this field, with the French panellists adding the EU could be a force capable of providing a counterbalance to the trend towards a unipolar world dominated by the US.Only the French citizens favour future European cooperation in defence policy, according to the report, while most other countries highlight foreign and security areas for joint EU action.On the other hand, only the German panel specifically supported the idea of a European foreign minister - included in the set of institutional changes proposed by the disputed EU constitution - and it also called for a shared EU seat in the UN's security council.Finally, citizens also broadly favour a pan-European response to immigration and tackling the integration of immigrants, as well as a greater use of external relations policy tools such as development aid and border controls.The EU should also be given stronger powers to develop a common energy policy and ensure that member states live up to the commitments they have made at European level, according to the summary report.The results come just weeks before EU leaders are to gather in Brussels to try and hammer out the bones of a new treaty for the bloc.

Contingencies for nuclear terrorist attack
Government working up plan to prevent chaos in wake of bombing of major city
James Sterngold, Chronicle Staff Writer - Friday, May 11, 2007


As concerns grow that terrorists might attack a major American city with a nuclear bomb, a high-level group of government and military officials has been quietly preparing an emergency survival program that would include the building of bomb shelters, steps to prevent panicked evacuations and the possible suspension of some civil liberties. Many experts say the likelihood of al Qaeda or some other terrorist group producing a working nuclear weapon with illicitly obtained weapons-grade fuel is not large, but such a strike would be far more lethal, frightening and disruptive than the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Not only could the numbers killed and wounded be far higher, but the explosion could, experts say, ignite widespread fires, shut down most transportation, halt much economic activity and cause a possible disintegration of government order. The efforts to prepare a detailed blueprint for survival took a step forward last month when senior government and military officials and other experts, organized by a joint Stanford-Harvard program called the Preventive Defense Project, met behind closed doors in Washington for a day-long workshop.

The session, called The Day After, was premised on the idea that efforts focusing on preventing such a strike were no longer enough, and that the prospect of a collapse of government order was so great if there were an attack that the country needed to begin preparing an emergency program. One of the participants, retired Vice Adm. Roger Rufe, is a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security who is currently designing the government's nuclear attack response plan. The organizers of the nonpartisan project, Stanford's William Perry, a secretary of defense in the Clinton administration, and Harvard's Ashton Carter, a senior Defense Department official during the Clinton years, assumed the detonation of a bomb similar in size to the weapon that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.

Such a weapon, with a force of around 10 to 15 kilotons, is small compared with most Cold War-era warheads, but is roughly the yield of a relatively simple bomb. That would be considerably more powerful and lethal than a so-called dirty bomb, which is a conventional explosive packed with some dangerous radioactive material that would be dispersed by the explosion.

The 41 participants -- including the directors of the country's two nuclear weapons laboratories, Homeland Security officials, a number of top military commanders and former government officials -- discussed how all levels of government ought to respond to protect the country from a second nuclear attack, to limit health problems from the radioactive fallout and to restore civil order. Comments inside the session were confidential, but a number of the participants described their views and the ideas exchanged. A paper the organizers are writing, summarizing their recommendations, urges local governments and individuals to build underground bomb shelters, much as people did in the early days of the Cold War; encourages authorities who survive to prevent evacuation of at least some of the areas attacked for three days to avoid roadway paralysis and damage from exposure to radioactive fallout; and proposes suspending regulations on radiation exposure so that first responders would be able to act, even if that caused higher cancer rates.

The public at large will expect that their government had thought through this possibility and to have planned for it, Carter said in an interview. This kind of an event would be unprecedented. We have had glimpses of something like this with Hiroshima, and glimpses with 9/11 and with Katrina. But those are only glimpses. Perhaps the most sobering issue discussed was the possibility of a chaotic, long-term crisis triggered by fears that the attackers might have more bombs. Such uncertainty could sow panic nationwide. If one bomb goes off, there are likely to be more to follow, Carter said. This fact, that nuclear terrorism will appear as a syndrome rather than a single episode, has major consequences. It would, he added, require powerful government intervention to force people to do something many may resist -- staying put. Fred Ikle, a former Defense Department official in the Reagan administration who authored a book last year urging attack preparation, Annihilation from Within, said that the government should plan how it could restrict civil liberties and enforce a sort of martial law in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, but also have guidelines for how those liberties could be restored later. That prospect underscored a central divide among participants at the recent meeting, several said.

Some participants argued that the federal government needs to educate first responders and other officials as quickly as possible on how to act even if transportation and communication systems break down, as seems likely, and if the government is unable to issue orders. There was a clear consensus that a nuclear bomb detonated in the United States or a friendly country would be an earth-shaking event, and we need to know how we will respond beforehand, said Ikle. I wish we had started earlier, because this kind of planning can make an important difference.But others said the meeting made it clear that the results of any attack would be so devastating and the turmoil so difficult to control, if not impossible, that the lesson should have been that the U.S. government needs to place a far greater emphasis on prevention. Your cities would empty and people would completely lose confidence in the ability of the government to protect them, said Steve Fetter, dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. You'd have nothing that resembles our current social order. I'm not sure any preparation can be sufficient to deal with that.Fetter added, We have to hold current policymakers more responsible" for taking all out measures to prevent a nuclear attack.

Raymond Jeanloz, a nuclear weapons expert at UC Berkeley and a government adviser on nuclear issues, said that California might be better prepared than most states because of long-standing plans for dealing with earthquakes and other natural disasters. Those plans, he said, could be a useful model for first responders. He added, as others did, that the dislocation and panic caused by a nuclear strike could make any responses unpredictable. The most difficult thing is the fear that this kind of planning, even talking about it, can cause, Jeanloz said. Michael May, a former director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, defended the survival planning, saying that people should get used to the idea that such a crisis, while dire, could be managed -- a key step in restoring calm. You have to demystify the nuclear issue, said May, who now teaches at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation. By talking about this, you take away the feeling of helplessness.E-mail James Sterngold at jsterngold@sfchronicle.com.

Friday, May 11, 2007

IS IT 1938 ALL OVER AGAIN

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Flooding causes state of emergency in Uruguay. 3-Wildfire spreads through Los Angeles suburbs. 4-Iran seeks improved ties with N. Korea. 5-SKorea and EU hail initial free trade talks as success. 6-Koreas adopt military agreement. 7-Voting and veto issues to dominate EU constitution discussions. 8-My love of Jerusalem. 9-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein.

EARTHQUAKES


MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Fri May 11 12:34 PM EDT

MAY 11,07
MAP 2.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.9 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN QUEBEC, CANADA
MAP 5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 PUGET SOUND REGION, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.3 TAJIKISTAN
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN IDAHO
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.5 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA

MAY 10,07
MAP 4.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.3 KEPULAUAN KAI, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 NORTHWEST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.0 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.3 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 4.9 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 4.4 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.6 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.7 VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.0 OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 TONGA
MAP 4.3 TARAPACA, CHILE
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Flooding causes state of emergency in Uruguay by Kirsty McCabe MAY 11,07

Uruguay has declared a national disaster after experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years. An exceptionally wet few months combined with a week of heavy rainfall has forced around 12,000 people to leave their homes. The floods have affected more than 110,000 people, destroying crops and infrastructure amounting to millions of dollars in damage.The central city of Duranzo has been hit the hardest, with 20% of the population being evacuated as the torrential rain continues. The Yi River rose to 14 metres above its average level resulting in flash floods and landslides, and leaving 30,000 people without access to clean water. As water is being pumped in from other cities, concerns are now being raised over the spread of diseases such as Malaria and the levels of sanitation. With the South American Met Office predicting the onset of more extreme weather, the number of people affected is expected to rise, with many now vulnerable communities fearing the worst.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Wildfire spreads through Los Angeles suburbs. by Tomasz Schafernaker MAY 11,07

Fire fighters in Los Angeles have been battling a blaze which has been tearing through the bush covered hills of Hollywood over the past two days. The state is in the grip of the driest start to the year since records began in 1877, with the combination of high temperatures and drought conditions sparking the wildfire outbreak. The fire erupted Tuesday afternoon in Griffin Park, a mixture of wilderness and cultural sites set between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley; already destroying the popular terraced garden of Dante’s View.

Although there have been no deaths or destruction of any homes, around 300 people have been evacuated. Councilman Tom LaBonge said it’s overwhelming, spreading through thick bush that hasn’t burned down in years.Across the state, fire fighters in northern Georgia have also been battling with wild fire for a fourth consecutive week. Deemed the largest blaze in state history, the fire has consumed over 100,000 acres of the Okefenokee National Wildfire Refuge. Conditions had begun to improve, with a drop in overnight temperatures enabling fire fighters to contain 40% of the 600 acre blaze. However with the National Weather Service stating they expect the weather reprieve to be short lived, the Los Angeles fire services may have a fight on their hands.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO
MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

Iran seeks improved ties with N. Korea By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer MAY 11,07

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's foreign minister said North Korea's debts stand in the way of improving ties between the two countries — both U.S. foes under international pressure over their nuclear programs.

It was the first time an official of either country referred to their dealings, which go back to at least the 1980s but are not publicly known. The extent of North Korea's debts to Iran remain unknown.North Korea's debts to Tehran are among the obstacles in the way of cooperation, the official IRNA news agency quoted Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying Friday. The two countries can find a formula to remove this obstacle.Mottaki met late Thursday with North Korean acting Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il. He added that Iran was still interested in improving ties with North Korea in the fields of politics, economics and culture with North Korea.Kim said his country was ready to cooperate with Iran in various economic fields and support the country on the international level.

On Friday, Vice President Dick Cheney issued a warning to Iran while aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, saying the United States would join allies to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating this region.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed two sets of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or the material for atomic bombs. Iran, which denies it is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, has another deadline later this month to freeze enrichment or face tighter sanctions.The Security Council imposed sanctions on North Korea last year for conducting its first nuclear weapons test. North Korea has since refused to act on a February pledge to start dismantling its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and political concessions.The North Korean government is believed to have cooperated with Iran militarily since early 1980s, when Saddam Hussein waged an eight-year war against Iran. Officials of the two countries regularly meet.

SKorea and EU hail initial free trade talks as success by Lim Chang-Won MAY 11,07

SEOUL (AFP) - Initial talks between South Korea and the European Union on forging a free trade agreement have been a success, both sides said Friday at the end of the first round. Seoul's chief negotiator Kim Han-Soo called the five days of talks highly successful while his EU counterpart Ignacio Garcia Bercero said discussions were very constructive.

Asia's third largest economy and the world's biggest trading bloc began talks Monday, focusing on rules and principles. Bercero said they aim for a very ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement.The first round was highly successful, said Kim, the deputy trade minister. Mutual trust was built considerably between negotiators of the two sides.He said they have agreed in principle to scrap about 95 percent of each other's tariffs on merchandise. A draft text on tariff concessions would be exchanged by the end of June, with a second round of talks starting July 16 in Brussels.South Korea's average tariff is 11.2 percent compared to the EU's 4.2 percent, according to Kim's office.

South Korea has said it wants to conclude a pact within a year. Kim said it was too early to say when an agreement would be sealed, but I hope we will be able to conclude the deal as quickly as possible.South Korea, fresh from a landmark trade pact with the United States, hopes to become a free trade hub linking America and Europe and to steal a march on its export rivals China and Japan.

The European Union sees an agreement as giving it a bridgehead in Northeast Asia.The EU was South Korea's second largest trading partner after China last year, with trade reaching 78.56 billion dollars. It is the biggest single foreign investor, committing 4.97 billion dollars last year alone.South Korea wants to gain more access to the EU market for auto parts, electronics and textiles. The EU wants Seoul to remove barriers on automobiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and cosmetics.

The EU cited rules of origin, services and sustainable development as sensitive issues for future negotiations, while South Korea regards environment and labour matters as the most difficult areas.

South Korea hopes the EU will ease anti-dumping rules and countervailing duties, while the EU wants Seoul to ease regulations on imported cars.The EU has called for reciprocity in services and investment, Bercero said, adding he also raised intellectual property rights.South Korea has in recent years tightened laws to tackle copyright violations. But European businessmen believe there is still no
effective deterrent and are also concerned at the theft of intellectual property in software.In an annual report this year the United States kept South Korea on its watch list for intellectual property rights, as a country not providing an adequate level of protection or enforcement.

Koreas adopt military agreement By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer
Fri May 11, 8:10 AM ET


SEOUL, South Korea - North and South Korea adopted a military agreement Friday enabling the first train crossing of their heavily armed border in more than half a century, the South's Defense Ministry said. The rail test, planned for Thursday, would be the first time trains have crossed the tightly sealed border since inter-Korean rail links were severed in the middle of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Two tracks have been reconnected as part of a series of reconciliation projects launched since the two sides held the first-ever summit of their leaders in 2000.The test would be just a single run of trains along the restored tracks on each side of the peninsula, with regular train service between the two sides unlikely to begin anytime soon.The two Koreas had agreed in principle on security for the rail test earlier this week, but the adoption of a formal agreement came only after more than 30 hours of extended talks that stretched into Friday due to unspecified sticking points.

South Korea hopes the inter-Korean railways could ultimately be linked to Russia's Trans-Siberian railroad, and could allow an overland route connecting the peninsula to Europe significantly cutting delivery times for freight that now requires sea transport.Economic officials from both sides agreed last month to conduct the train run, but North Korea's military had the final say on whether it goes forward because such a border crossing requires security arrangements.

The security accord sets out protocols for the train crossings next week, including what areas of the border should open and for how long, as well as pledges from each side to guarantee travelers' safety.South Korea had hoped to expand the agreement to cover similar future border crossings, but the North refused.The two sides also agreed in principle to set up a joint fishing area around their disputed western sea border and continue talks on that issue and other measures aimed at preventing accidental clashes in the area, according to a joint statement summarizing the negotiations' outcome.

North Korea doesn't recognize the current sea border demarcated by the United Nations at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, and has long claimed it should be further south.The waters around the border are rich fishing grounds and boats from the two Koreas routinely jostle for position during the May-June crab-catching season. In 1999 and 2002, their navies fought deadly skirmishes, killing several sailors and sinking six ships.The two sides agreed to hold the next general-level talks in July and continue discussions to set up a defense ministers' meeting, the joint statement said.This week's talks were the first high-level military contacts between the two sides in a year. The two Koreas remain technically at war because the Korean War ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced with a peace treaty.

Ties between the two sides have warmed significantly since the 2000 summit, although they suffered during the international standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.Pyongyang conducted its first-ever nuclear test in October, chilling relations with the South.But the South began reaching out again to the North after Pyongyang agreed in February to shut down its nuclear reactor under an agreement with the United States and four other neighboring countries.Still, the communist regime missed an April deadline to close the reactor because of a separate financial dispute with the United States, and it is unclear when it will close down the facility.

Voting and veto issues to dominate EU constitution discussions
11.05.2007 - 17:39 CET | By Honor Mahony and Mark Beunderman


EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The voting system and where member states should have a right to a veto are shaping up to be the two biggest issues at the treaty summit next month in Brussels with diplomats already gearing themselves up for a long meeting.The German EU presidency has finished the technical consultations with member state officials - a last gathering of all of these technocrats will occur next week on Wednesday - and is now expected to enter the political phase.According to diplomats close to the talks, member states are heading towards a consensus to abandon the idea of substituting all the previous treaties by one constitutional treaty.Instead the draft constitution, rejected by Dutch and French voters in 2005, will take the form of an amendment to current treaties.

Discussions are ongoing about attaching part one of the constitutional treaty containing the institutional innovations to the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht and attaching part three containing the policies of the EU to the original 1957 Treaty of Rome.

Getting as much cleared as possible at the June summit

According to one diplomat, Germany, using its political weight as a large country as well as holding the current presidency of the EU, will try to get as much of the political issues cleared up at the 21-22 June summit so that the following intergovernmental conference on the treaty is as technical as possible.This stance has led diplomats in Brussels to assume that the summit is going to be long and
contentious, with some looking back to the Nice Treaty summit, a bad-tempered political bout that lasted several days.There is talk of a lengthy council ... I have noticed it creeping into the language of other diplomats, one EU diplomat remarked.This talk reflects the list of controversial points that need to be agreed - including two fundamental issues on voting weights among member states and the
extension of qualified majority voting.For Germany, the voting system contained in the draft constitution is something not to be touched. Whoever touches this [issue] has to know that he will not reach a compromise, state secretary Georg Boomgaarden said on Thursday in the Netherlands. But Berlin still has to reckon with an increasingly tough-talking Poland.

Sticking points

Speaking to French daily Le Monde, Polish prime minister Lech Kaczynski said we will not accept the voting system proposed in the current project. For Poland this is a crucial question.The current Nice Treaty is extremely favourable to Warsaw in terms of voting weights, a privilege it loses under the draft constitution where a re-jigged voting system takes into account population size, making it much more favourable to Germany.Britain's wish to cut down the amount of areas that can be agreed by qualified majority voting is another brewing, and potentially even tougher, fight. The draft constitution, already largely ratified by 18 member states, extends the rights of the parliament to co-legislate, thus reducing the right of veto, in 49 new areas - mainly in freedom, security and justice.London is looking to claw some of this back to make the treaty an easier sell to a sceptical public and largely anti-Europe press.But this is strongly opposed in several countries, including Spain and Italy, while Paris has also signalled it will not compromise on this topic.Alain Lamassoure, an advisor to French president-elect
Nicolas Sarkozy told the EUobserver that while the UK might be tempted to revisit the list of issues that should be decided by qualified majority vote rather than unanimity (...) for the rest of member states this is not negotiable.

Other sticking points include the Charter of Fundamental Rights with member states bickering over how to incorporate it into the treaty. Currently it is in there as a whole, but some capitals are pushing for it to be referred to only in one article which says that it will only be applicable to EU law and giving member states the right to adapt it to their own traditions and legislation.

Enlargement is another controversial factor. While enlargement criteria are likely to make it into the treaty, sources are already predicting a quarrel over whether the EU's own capacity to take on new member states should be put into the treaty. Meanwhile, the German presidency is already working on additional protocols on climate change, social Europe and energy solidarity.Remarking on the difficulties facing chancellor Merkel to balance the wishes of those already having ratified and the nine countries that have not, one diplomat noted that she has a big stick to beat member states with - that they all signed up to the contents of the constitution in 2004.It's a very dangerous tactic to sign up to something at heads of state and government level and then try and wiggle out of it, said an official adding especially when there is a big presidency in town.

My love of Jerusalem
By Sir Jonathan Sacks - Thursday 10th of May 2007


There are times when you know you are living through history: that what you are witnessing will be remembered for centuries. That is what I, and surely every Jew, felt on the day forty years ago when the word went round the world: Har haBayit beyadenu. The Temple Mount is in our hands.. That day, 28 Iyar, the Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defence Forces, R. Shlomo Goren, carried a Sefer Torah to the Kotel, blew shofar and recited Psalms. Yitzhak Rabin, Chief of Staff, described the scene: We stood among a tangle of battle-weary men who were unable to believe their eyes or restrain their emotions.

Their eyes were moist with tears, their speech incoherent. The overwhelming desire was to cling to the Wall, to hold on to that great moment as long as possible.When the Israelis reached the Jewish Quarter, they discovered that it had been reduced to rubble. Synagogues had been destroyed and holy places desecrated.

Moshe Dayan made an immediate public announcement that Israel would act differently: To our Christian and Muslim fellow citizens, we solemnly promise full religious freedom and rights. We did not come to Jerusalem for the sake of other peoples. holy places and not to interfere with the adherents of other faiths, but in order to safeguard its entirety. Israel has kept that promised since. No people has ever loved a city as, for 3,000 years, Jews have loved Jerusalem. The Book of Psalms calls it beautiful in its heights, joy of all the earth, city of the great King. The word Jerusalem appears almost 700 times in Tanakh.There are few laments that speak to us with such undiminished force as the words Jews said, twenty-six centuries ago, when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.Wherever Jews

prayed, they prayed towards Jerusalem. At every wedding they broke a glass in its memory. At the two great climaxes of the Jewish year, on Pesach and at the end of Yom Kippur, they sang, Le-shanah haba bi-Yerushalayim. It is said that once Napoleon was passing a synagogue and heard sounds of lamentation.

Why are the Jews crying., he asked. They are mourning the loss of Jerusalem, one of his officers replied. How long ago was that?. he asked. More than seventeen centuries ago, the officer replied. A people that can mourn the loss of Jerusalem for so long, will one day have it restored to them, Napoleon said. And so it was, forty years ago. It is worth remembering that on the first day of the war, 5 June, Israel sent three messages to King Hussein of Jordan – one through the United Nations representative, another via the American ambassador and a third directly. Israel would not attack Jordan if Jordan did not enter the war. Israel would honour the armistice agreement with Jordan in its entirety. The West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Old City, would remain under Jordanian control.

There was no reply. Instead, Jordan attacked. Had King Hussein not hardened his heart, Jerusalem would still be in Arab hands. It is one of the great ironies of history. I remember the first time I looked down on the old city and the Temple Mount. I was standing on Mount Scopus, the original and now rebuilt site of the Hebrew University. I recalled the moment described in the Talmud when Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues stood on the same spot, looking down at the ruins of the Temple. The rabbis wept. Rabbi Akiva smiled. How can you smile? they asked.

The place that was once the most sacred spot on earth is now laid waste and fox is walking across the Holy of Holies where once only the High Priest was allowed to enter, and only on the holiest of days. I smile, Rabbi Akiva replied, because the prophets prophesied that Jerusalem would be laid waste, and they prophesied that it would be rebuilt. Now that the one prophesy has been fulfilled, can we doubt that the other will be likewise? That was when I realized the power of faith. Jews never lost faith that one day they would return. And they did. It was faith that brought the Jewish people back to Israel and rebuilt the ruins of Jerusalem. So, as we remember those events of forty years ago, let us thank G-d for the freedom to stand once again in David.s city, joining our prayers to those of our ancestors in the place the Divine Presence never left and to which the Jewish people has now returned.

This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
Is it 1938 all over again - May 11, 2007


Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

Over the last couple of years, we've seen evidence that France is becoming a less hospitable place for Jews. First, there were the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs by Muslim youth, which gave the French Jewish community special reason to be wary—at the time, one Jewish man commented, When there are problems in this area (the suburban housing projects that are home to many Muslims), Jews are always easy scapegoats.

The uneasiness from these riots helped contribute to a record year for French aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel). The following year came the heartbreaking story of Ilan Halimi, a young French Jew abducted, tortured and ultimately killed by members of a Muslim gang, just for being Jewish. This was one of many events in 2006 which contributed to a 45% increase in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism in France in 2006.Anti-Semitic incidents since 2006 have been less spectacular, but no less disturbing. In the last month alone, attackers beat a young Jewish woman in the southern city of Marseille. She reported that they tore a necklace with a Jewish ornament off her neck, crying this is the symbol of evil, before assaulting her. On April 19, a rabbi was beaten in a Paris train station, his attackers shouting, Dirty Jew, you are looking at me—I will smash your face, dirty Jew. In the city of Villeurbanne, a Jewish man standing in front of a kosher restaurant was stabbed just last week.

The election of Nicolas Sarkozy as France's president offers some encouragement. In his role as Interior Minister, Sarkozy was instrumental in alerting the French government to the growing problem of anti-Semitic attacks and Islamic radicalism. There is every reason to believe that, with him holding the nation's highest office, France will become a better friend of Israel and the Jewish people.

However, with the continued growth of Islamic radicalism, the new French president will have his work cut out for him when he takes office next week. While some of the most highly publicized anti-Semitic incidents have occurred in France, this is a phenomenon repeated across Europe and the former Soviet Union. Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia—all these countries, and more, have recorded a disturbing number of anti-Semitic attacks, desecration of Jewish cemeteries, and vandalism of Jewish institutions.

It was with these and other incidents in mind that I participated recently in a very interesting and important seminar. Held at Queens College in New York, it brought together Jewish (and some non-Jewish) leaders to discuss the question, Is it 1938 all over again? 1938 was, of course, the year of Kristallnacht, when Jewish synagogues and businesses were destroyed and Jewish men and women were attacked throughout Germany. While oppressive laws against Jews were in place years before this, 1938 is generally seen as the unofficial beginning of Hitler's Final Solution the Nazis' effort to destroy Europe's Jews. This conference looked at theconvergence of world events today—Iran's pursuit of nuclear arms and vows to destroy Israel, the strengthening of virulently anti-Jewish, anti-Israel Islamist terrorist groups, the growth of anti-Semitism worldwide—and asked if history is repeating itself.

There were a number of interesting viewpoints expressed at the conference, far too many to go into here. But one of the most compelling and arresting talks came from a non-Jew, David Pryce-Jones, an Englishman, Oxford professor and senior editor of the magazine National Review. Speaking on the subject, Europe, Islam and the Future of European Jewry, Mr. Pryce-Jones painted a bleak picture of the rise of anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish attacks and sentiment and the growth of a vocal and increasingly radicalized Muslim minority in Europe. By the time he was done, it seemed clear to me that, just 60 years after the Holocaust, the survival of Europe's Jewish community is far from assured.

Is it 1938 all over again? Ultimately, of course, no one knows the answer to that question. And perhaps it is less important to try to answer it than it is to continually be on the defense against the ugly forces of hate and anti-Semitism that are again rearing their ugly heads—not just in Europe, but worldwide. You can help us gather more people to join with us and stand for Israel and Jewish people around the world by sending this update to your friends and inviting them to sign up for The Fellowship's e-newsletter. Thank you for your continued concern, care, and prayers for the peace of Jerusalem.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

Thursday, May 10, 2007

HELLO GLOBAL CURRENCY

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-The Nation's Weather. 3-Flooded Uruguay town has looters, but no drinking water. 4-Atlantic's first named storm forms early. 5-Storm dissipates off Florida but rain welcomed. 6-Olmert war testimony released. 7-Pope stresses opposition to abortion. 8-Bush OKs integration with European Union. 9-More religious Zionist rabbis allowing followers to enter Temple Mount. 10-Crowd Packs Amphitheater For Man Claiming He's Jesus Christ Reincarnated. 11-Prague seeks get-out clause for EU laws in new treaty. 12-Goodbye U.S. dollar, hello global currency.

EARTHQUAKES


MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Thu May 10 12:08 PM EDT

APR 10,07
MAP 2.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.4 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.6 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.0 OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 TONGA
MAP 4.3 TARAPACA, CHILE
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII

APR 9,07
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KEPULAUAN TANIMBAR REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.6 POTOSI, BOLIVIA
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.5 WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 VANUATU
MAP 4.9 TRUJILLO, VENEZUELA
MAP 5.2 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.2 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.2 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Thu May 10, 7:09 AM ET


The first named storm of 2007 swirled off the Southeast coast early Thursday, while rain showers pelted the Northeast and southern Plains. Subtropical Storm Andrea was expected to produce scattered showers and thunderstorms over the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

High surf was likely along the coast.A low pressure system was moving through the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Mississippi Valley and was predicted to reach the Northeast and Appalachians by day's end.Another storm system was moving through Texas toward Louisiana, sparking showers and scattered thunderstorms in Texas and along the Gulf Coast.Scattered showers also were possible from the Northwest through the Intermountain West and into western Montana.The Southwest was to be quite warm Thursday as temperatures rise well into the 90s and 100s for much of the region. Portions of the Southeast will rise into the 80s and 90s, while the Northeast will see temperatures in the 70s. The Plains will rise into the 70s and 80s, while the Northwest will see temperatures in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Wednesday ranged from a low of 22 degrees at Leadville, Colo., to a high of 110 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.

Flooded Uruguay town has looters, but no drinking water Wed May 9, 11:20 PM ET

DURAZNO, Uruguay (AFP) - Heavy rains have not only flooded the town of Durazno, north of the Uruguayan capital, driving residents from their homes, but has muddied the drinking water as well.

Today is a good day for Durazno, said governor Carmelo Vidalin. The waters of the Yi river have not gotten higher.That is as much as anyone could hope in this town of 30,000, of which 6,000 have left, 180 kilometers (110 miles) north of Montevideo.The river crested and the water level has fallen 2.5 centimeters (one inch) an hour, according to emergency workers.Residents got drinking water from tanker trucks, while treatment plants are under water.

That meant suspending primary and secondary school classes.Health Minister Jorge Basso warned against outbreaks of diarrhea while ordering the vaccination of children 2-5 against hepatitis and everyone against the flu.The Yi river has not crested this high since 1959, said residents, some of whom lost everything from clothing to furniture and vehicles and are sleeping in shelters.Others fear looters, who are traveling in boats, will make off with their things.

Atlantic's first named storm forms early By JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press Writer Wed May 9, 2:20 PM ET

MIAMI - The first named storm of the year formed Wednesday off the southeastern U.S. coast, more than three weeks before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said. Subtropical Storm Andrea had top sustained winds around 45 mph Wednesday afternoon and didn't appear to be much of a threat, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Still, a tropical storm watch was issued for parts of Georgia and Florida, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

We're not looking at this system strengthening significantly, said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist at the center.The storm's wind, however, has been blowing smoke from wildfires across Georgia and Florida.It didn't appear the wind would hinder firefighting efforts, said Jim Harrell, a spokesman for Florida's Division of Forestry. But those battling the blazes won't get much immediate help from rain forecasters said no significant downpours were expected over land through at least Thursday morning. The storm's lightning could also spark more fires, meteorologists said.

At 2 p.m. EDT, Andrea was centered about 100 miles southeast of Savannah, Ga., and about 135 miles northeast of Daytona Beach. The storm was moving west at about 3 mph.Wind-driven waves have been causing coastal erosion in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and the ocean has lapped at beachfront homes and condominiums.Coast Guard officials in South Carolina said they had rescued one of two kayakers who had been missing since Tuesday when they were seen leaving Seabrook Island, S.C. Jeremy Scott, 28, of Atlanta, was found about five miles east of Fripp Island.

Authorities were continuing to search for Stephen Lee, 27, of Atlanta.Subtropical systems are hybrid weather formations that are usually weaker than hurricanes and tropical storms. They are kind of a half-breed, sharing characteristics of tropical systems, which get their power from warm ocean water at their centers, and more typical bad weather that forms when warm and cold fronts collide, Pasch said.

Forecasters said Andrea has the warm center characteristic of tropical storms but its core is not particularly well defined. In addition, its winds are farther out from the center than they would be in a tropical storm.Typically, about one subtropical storm forms each year, but they often turn into tropical storms. That doesn't appear to be the case with Andrea, senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven said. It only has a small area of warmer water to draw energy from and is facing dry wind.

He said it wasn't unusual for the storm to form in May, outside the hurricane season that starts June 1 and end Nov. 30. Eighteen tropical storms and four hurricanes have been recorded in that month since 1851; the earliest hurricane had made landfall on the U.S. was Alma in northwest Florida on June 9, 1966.

What we call the hurricane season is a totally manmade creation. Nature doesn't always pay attention to that, Beven said.Private and university forecasters have predicted that the 2007 season will be especially active, producing up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes and a well above average possibility of at least one striking the U.S. The federal government plans to release its predictions May 22.The Atlantic basin has been in a busy period for hurricanes since 1995. Some federal forecasters believe this is part of a natural cycle. But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N.-sponsored group, says global warming caused by humans has led to an increase in stronger hurricanes.

Storm dissipates off Florida but rain welcomed MAY 10,07

MIAMI (Reuters) - Subtropical Storm Andrea dissipated off the U.S. Atlantic Coast on Thursday and promised only scant rainfall in Florida, where brush fires burned throughout the parched state.

Andrea's winds had helped fan the 225 wild fires burning in Florida, where the winter dry season was the third-driest on record. Much of the state was under water-use restrictions and blanketed with smoky haze from the fires.Andrea was a subtropical storm, lacking the warm core and thunderstorms characteristic of a tropical storm. All warnings were dropped and the system was downgraded to a depression on Thursday when its sustained winds weakened to 35 mph (55 kph). Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Andrea still could bring an inch of rain to coastal areas as the remnants drifted off the northeast Florida coast.That would hardly be enough to douse the fires that burned in 52 of Florida's 67 counties.Andrea formed three weeks before the official start of the Atlantic
-Caribbean hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

Olmert war testimony released By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 10, 7:42 AM ET


JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told an investigative panel that the Israeli military seriously let itself down in last summer's war in Lebanon, according to censored minutes of his testimony released on Thursday. But Olmert tried to deflect the commission's suggestions that he acted rashly and on the basis of sketchy information.The 89 pages of testimony were released 10 days after the commission issued a damning appraisal of his handling of the initial stage of the war.

The especially harsh censure of Olmert has prompted renewed calls for his resignation and cast a cloud over his political future.Although he has survived the initial uproar over the report, it is not clear whether he can keep his coalition together under his leadership. A final report on the 34-day war is due out in the summer.The war started July 12 when Hezbollah guerrillas carried out a July 12 cross-border raid in which three soldiers were killed and two were captured.The Israeli public backed Olmert throughout the war, but the support broke down after he failed to achieve his two declared aims — recovering the two soldiers and crushing Hezbollah, which in the course of the war bombarded Israel with nearly 4,000 rockets.The minutes of Olmert's appearance before the war probe panel — censored by the military on security grounds — are studded with panel members' suggestions that Olmert took decisions without doing enough to explore alternatives or seek information beyond what the military told him.

Asked whether he displayed any skepticism about what the military told him, Olmert didn't reply directly with any examples of how he might have disputed that information. Instead, he told the commission's five members that in his position, he had to apply another perspective that they (military commanders) don't have and can't have.

At the end of his testimony, Olmert acknowledged making mistakes of his own, saying, for example, that he might have met more often with senior Cabinet ministers to consult with them on diplomacy.Olmert told the panel he was convinced Hezbollah would send rockets thudding into Israel's northern communities — as it did — and that he had two options: do nothing or do something from the very first minute. I don't think there was any option but to act from the very first, he told the commission.When weighing his options, Olmert said, In my mind's eye, I saw the new Lebanese morass closing in on us like the old one did — a reference to Israel's
1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to eject Palestinian militants. That led to an 18-year military occupation of a strip of southern Lebanon.

While effusively praising the fighting forces as exceptional, Olmert he said the military command seriously let itself down during the war.Something in the concept of how they operated the forces, something in the concept of their control over the forces, something wasn't what we expected, unfortunately, and that no doubt led to the gap between our abilities and what we achieved in practice.Asked to address the breakdown of security on the border with Lebanon in July, Olmert acknowledged that senior security officials told him about a lack of military exercises in the area. But he said he didn't really pay much attention because the defense establishment always comes to budget deliberations saying it doesn't have enough money.Olmert's office, commenting on the testimony, defended his wartime actions as the necessary conclusion from a process of planning and consultation that Olmert has carried out since taking over as prime minister in January 2006, following Ariel Sharon's incapacitating stroke.

Addressing commentators' criticisms that Olmert was trying to shift the blame to the army, the statement said, the prime minister didn't fob off responsibility onto anyone or accuse anyone. ... At the same time, Olmert doesn't conceal there were failures; the military says that, too.Israel Radio analyst Hanan Crystal said that after last week's devastating report, the new testimony would cause little additional damage to Olmert.If we thought that the interim report created a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake this testimony is not going to cause further upheaval, Crystal said. It won't be this that brings about Olmert's resignation.The censored testimonies of Defense Minister Amir Peretz and wartime military chief Lt. Gen. Halutz were also published on Thursday. Peretz told the panel Israel expected the war to last 10 to 14 days. At a meeting with Halutz and other defense chiefs, The prominent opinion was that ... we could not pursue a policy of restraint given the situation in which we found ourselves. In his heavily censored testimony, Halutz told the committee that the army's greatest failure was its inability to bring the war to a swifter conclusion, the Haaretz newspaper reported. Without a doubt, I recognize that at the end of the day that was the most blatant non-achievement or failure, he said. Halutz resigned in January following widespread criticism of his performance during the war. Peretz is expected to leave his post after this month's primary vote in his Labor Party. Opinion polls forecast Peretz will not win re-election as party chief.

Pope stresses opposition to abortion By ALAN CLENDENNING, Associated Press Writer MAY 10,07

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to abortion in his first speech in Brazil but avoided further suggestion that politicians who support abortion rights should be considered excommunicated. Benedict is on his first papal trip to Latin America, where women's rights groups have been pushing to expand access to abortion. With few exceptions, the procedure is illegal in Brazil and most other countries in the region, home to more than half the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.

The pope, who will inaugurate an important regional bishops' conference during his trip, was met at Sao Paulo airport Wednesday by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Speaking in Portuguese, Benedict said he's certain that the bishops will reinforce the promotion of respect for life from the moment of conception until natural death as an integral requirement of human nature.Benedict's comments came just hours after one of the president's Cabinet members said a macho culture in Brazil has prevented a legitimate debate about legalizing abortion in Latin America's largest nation.

If men got pregnant, I'm sure this question would have been resolved a long time ago, said Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao, who is pushing for a referendum on the issue.Like most Brazilians, Silva says he's opposed to abortion. But in an interview aired on Catholic radio stations earlier in the week, he said abortion was an issue for his government because of the many illegal — and often fatal — abortions performed in clandestine clinics in Brazil.Silva's spokesman said the president did not intend to bring up abortion during a second scheduled meeting with Benedict.On Thursday morning, thousands of Brazilians streamed down barricaded streets toward the Pacaembu soccer stadium, where the pope was scheduled to preside over a ceremony for young people.About 41,000 people were invited, but officials expected at least 100,000 more to gather outside. Not all agreed with the church.

Until the church broadens its scope of action to include the dispossessed, the poor and the hungry and youth, the evangelical sects are going to continue gaining ground in Brazil, said Charles Marinho de Souza, 27-year-old union activist and member of a Catholic youth group.

Even before Benedict got off his plane, he stoked a debate among Catholics who have been arguing whether politicians who approve abortion legislation as well as doctors and nurses who take part in the procedure subject themselves to automatic excommunication under church doctrine.During the flight from Rome, Benedict gave his first full-fledged news conference since becoming pontiff in 2005. When a reporter pressed Benedict on whether he agreed that Catholic politicians who recently legalized abortion in Mexico City should rightfully be considered excommunicated, the response was Yes.Church law says anyone who procures a completed abortion is automatically excommunicated. But considering political support for abortion as equivalent to procurement would set new Vatican policy.

Benedict's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, later said the pope was not setting a new policy and did not intend to formally excommunicate anyone — a rare process under church law separate from the doctrine of self-excommunication.

But Lombardi added that politicians who vote in favor of abortion should not receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. Legislative action in favor of abortion is incompatible with participation in the Eucharist. ... Politicians exclude themselves from Communion, he said.As many as 20,000 faithful waited in cold rain for a glimpse of Benedict in South America's largest city, then chanted Bento, Bento and waved flags of different South American nations as he greeted them in Portuguese and Spanish blessed them in Latin.As well as abortion, Benedict is expected to address other challenges to Roman Catholicism during his trip, including the church's declining influence in Brazil, the rise of evangelism and a deep divide between rich and poor.

The Vatican also has promised that Benedict will deliver a tough message on poverty and crime during his five-day visit to the world's most populous Roman Catholic country. Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, visited Mexico and addressed Latin American bishops just three months after assuming the papacy. Benedict has waited two years for his first trip to the region, but he denied being Eurocentric or less concerned about poverty in the developing world than his predecessors.

I love Latin America. I have traveled there a lot, he told reporters, adding that he is happy the time had come for the trip after focusing on more urgent problems in the Middle East and Africa. Benedict, who visited Brazil as then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1990, will celebrate several open-air Masses, including a canonization ceremony for Brazil's first native-born saint, and visit a church-run drug and
alcohol rehabilitation center. The tour ends on Sunday, when he will open the conference of Latin American and Caribbean bishops in the shrine city of Aparecida. Associated Press Writer Victor Simpson contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.

Bush OKs integration with European Union
Congress never asked about new obligation
May 8, 2007 - By Jerome R. Corsi - WorldNetDaily.com


President Bush

President Bush signed an agreement creating a permanent body that commits the U.S. to deeper transatlantic economic integration, without ratification by the Senate as a treaty or passage by Congress as a law. The Transatlantic Economic Integration between the U.S. and the European Union was signed April 30 at the White House by Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Рthe current president of the European Council Рand European Commission President Jos̩ Manuel Barroso.

The document acknowledges the transatlantic economy remains at the forefront of globalization, arguing that the U.S. and the European Union seek to strengthen transatlantic economic integration. The agreement established a new Transatlantic Economic Council to be chaired on the U.S. side by a cabinet-level officer in the White House and on the EU side by a member of the European Commission.

The current U.S. head of the new Transatlantic Economic Council is Allan Hubbard, assistant to the president for Economic Policy and director of the National Economic Council. The current EU head of the council is Günther Verheugen, vice-President of the European Commission in charge of enterprise and industry. The Transatlantic Economic Council was tasked with creating regulatory convergence between the U.S. and the EU on some 40 different public policy areas, including intellectual property rights, developing security standards for international trade, getting U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) recognized in Europe, developing innovation and technology in health industries, implementing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technologies, developing a science-based plan on bio-based products and establishing a regular dialogue to address obstacles to investment. At a joint press conference, Bush thanked the other two leaders for signing the trans-Atlantic economic integration plan, commenting that, It is a recognition that the closer that the United States and the EU become, the better off our people will be.Barroso said the Transatlantic Economic Council is meant to be a permanent body, with senior people on both sides of the Atlantic.

As WND has reported, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez repeatedly has pushed for North American integration, much as the April 30 agreement proposes closer U.S.-EU integration. Mexico's ambassador to the U.N., Enrique Berruga, has called for a North American Union to be created in the next eight years.

But the Bush administration's push for North American integration is facing increasing opposition within Congress. WND reported Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 40, which opposes the administration's Security and Prosperity Partnership, blocks a NAFTA Superhighway System and expresses opposition to the U.S. entry into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada. WND also has reported a movement led by Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum has led to an increasing number of state legislatures proposing resolutions opposing a North American Union.

More religious Zionist rabbis allowing followers to enter Temple Mount
By Nadav Shragai MAY 10,07


An increasing number of religious Zionist rabbis are allowing their followers to enter the Temple Mount, contrary to the religious consensus on the matter. This weekend, the rabbis Haim Druckman and Avraham Zukerman, of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, and Tzafania Drori, chief rabbi of Kiryat Shmona, are set to join this growing group with an ad in the Orthodox media.

The rabbis, who are major figures in the religious Zionist movement, will call on Jews wishing to enter the Temple Mount in purity, to ascend at this time to the to the places permitted for Jews to enter.The three rabbis are known for their principle support for letting Jews on to the Temple Mount. But they had not yet expressed their stand formally, because of the religious sensitivity of the issue. Now, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's unification, with many right-wing movements placing the Temple Mount on their agenda, the rabbis have decided to call publicly on Jews to go to the Mount.

In publishing the ad, they will be joining dozens of other rabbis of the religious Zionist stream, among them rabbis in West Bank settlements, who in recent years have allowed Jews to go to the Temple Mount within the bounds of Jewish law. Currently, rabbinic consensus in the religious Zionist and the ultra-Orthodox world prohibits Jews from entering the Temple Mount. This is because the exact location of the Holy of Holies is not known, and therefore Jews who have not properly purified themselves may accidentally walk there or through other prohibited places. Rabbis who allow their supporters to ascend to the Temple Mount set stipulations for entry, including the mandating of ritual immersion beforehand, the wearing of cloth shoes, the keeping to areas permitted to Jews under Jewish custom, and the studying of relevant religious regulations. There are two Islamic shrines on the Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Over the years, successive Israeli governments, backed by the High Court of Justice, have allowed Jews to visit the Temple Mount, but have prohibited them from praying there.

The policy was set 40 years ago by then-defense minister Moshe Dayan. Dayan argued that the national and territorial dimension of the Arab-Israeli conflict should be separated from the religious dimension, and for this reason Jewish prayer and ritual should be prohibited on the Mount. At the same time, it was decided that ultimate responsibility for security on and around the Temple Mount would be in the hands of Israel, while religious and administrative autonomy at the Temple Mount would be under the Waqf (the Muslim religious authorities), a situation that prevails to this day.

THIS DECIEVERS AT IT AGAIN. THIS GUYS OUT TO LUNCH BUT THERE IS ONE PERSON I BELIEVE THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR WILL BE LIKE. ITS CHRIS ANGEL.

CHRIS IS THE BEST DECIEVER THAT I SEE SO FAR THAT THE FUTURE DICTATOR WILL BE LIKE, HE CAN EVEN GRAVATATE PEOPLE OFF THEIR FEET, THIS IS HOW THE EU DICTATOR WILL BE DECIEVING PEOPLE THROUGHT FALSE MIRACLES AND DECEPTION. AS CHRIS IS FROM THE OCCULT SO THE FUTURE DICTATOR COMES FROM THE OCCULT.

Crowd Packs Amphitheater For Man Claiming He's Jesus Christ Reincarnated
Christians Protest Event In Orlando May 9, 2007


ORLANDO, Fla. A controversial religious figure who claims he is Jesus Christ incarnate with a following of millions with 666 tattoos on their bodies, filled an amphitheater in Orlando this weekend, and promised joy, peace and prosperity.Orlando police officers stood guard around the Lake Eola amphitheater as Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, 61, arrived in the city Saturday. Miranda, who has been banned from three countries, told Local 6 News cameras and a cheering crowd that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated.His followers believe that Miranda's life and his teachings replace those of Jesus of Nazareth, Local 6's Jamie Guirola said.They believe that Jesus is going to come from the sky, Juan Sanchez said. But, that is not the way he is going to come.He is here? Guirola said.He is here. Sanchez said.Miranda said millions of people worldwide have tattooed their bodies with 666 in recognition that the second-coming of Christ has taken place, according to the report.

I have it proudly on my hand, a believer told Local 6's Jamie Guirola. It is easier when they shake my hand. It is easier for them to ask. I am very proud to show it is a sign of love.A group of Christians protested the event, calling the following a cult. Police also removed two people from the amphitheater.We are just questioning their faith and their 666 tattoos, a protestor told Local 6. We just want to learn more so we can relate more between being a Christian and believing in this and who the true Jesus is.Miranda said he is known as God in at least 30 countries.Local 6 reported that he was born in Puerto Rico and admits to being a recovering heroin addict. He also spent times in prison on drug and petty theft charges.Miranda is the founder of the Miami-based Growing in Grace Ministry. by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.

Prague seeks get-out clause for EU laws in new treaty
09.05.2007 - 17:36 CET | By Mark Beunderman


EUOBSERVER/BRU-The Czech Republic wants a new EU treaty to include a clause
allowing groups of EU states to opt out of Brussels legislation, in a plan set to re-ignite the debate on a two-speed Europe.Prague's negotiator on the disputed EU constitution Jan Zahradil told EUobserver the new-look version of the treaty should introduce a measure that would allow a group of states to withdraw from particular European policies.The treaty clause, recently proposed by Prague in confidential talks with the German EU presidency, would enable a minority group of member states not to sign up to EU laws agreed by a majority in the council, member states' decision making body.Mr Zahradil said he would table the collective opt-out idea at a 15 May gathering of member state sherpas - government appointees for talks on the EU constitution - in Berlin.Prague believes the mechanism is necessary in light of the voting system proposed in the EU constitution, giving more power to big member states.

[The constitution] strongly increases the voting weights of some big states - particularly Germany (...)- this creates the possibility that smaller states are more frequently outvoted in controversial issues, such as social schemes, environmental issues or a very fashionable issue of today - consumer protection, said Mr Zahradil.Prague's latest proposals reflect the views of the government led by the centre-right ODS party which opposes far-reaching EU integration and dislikes Brussels legislation hampering the free market.Mr Zahradil is himself an ODS politician and member of the European Parliament, in addition to his job as Czech sherpa.

Two-speed Europe

The Czech proposal is likely to fuel the debate on a two-speed Europe which has re-emerged in the context of the renegotiations on the EU constitution, rejected in French and Dutch referendums in 2005.

The idea of some member states moving faster than others is usually promoted by proponents of EU integration who are irritated by sceptics blocking progress. The EU's current Nice Treaty already contains the possibility for enhanced cooperation allowing a group of at least eight states to go ahead on their own. By contrast, opt out rights are reserved for some individual member states and are carefully negotiated, with Denmark, for example, enjoying an opt-out from the eurozone.The Czech proposal for a group opt-out would allow a more structured two-way flexibility, Mr Zahradil said, with Czech officials currently working out the details of the proposal.

Controversial

But the idea, characterised by Mr Zahradil as probably controversial, is unlikely to get an easy reception with the German presidency unhappy at the prospect of reopening the institutional core of the EU constitution.And Poland, which shares the Czech concern about Germany getting too much voting power in the EU constitution, reacted lukewarmly to the Czech idea.Marek Cichocki, the Polish sherpa, said he had not seen the Czech plan, but signalled that Warsaw would prefer to stick to its more fundamental opposition to the voting weights in the constitution.We are above all interested in a general solution to this problem, rather than solutions to particular circumstances, he said.Warsaw is promoting its own alternative voting model which would give Poland more power, particularly relative to Berlin.Mr Cichocki added that the Czech plan also runs the risk of dividing Europe into different groups in different areas.That is something we would like to avoid.

Goodbye U.S. dollar, hello global currency
CFR chief: Monetary nationalism, sovereignty should be abandoned
May 9, 2007- By Jerome R. Corsi - WorldNetDaily.com


Benn Steil

The director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations has launched a scathing attack on sovereignty and national currencies. Benn Steil, writing in the current issue of CFR's influential Foreign Affairs magazine, says the world needs to abandon unwanted currencies, replacing them with dollars, euros, and multinational currencies as yet unborn.In the article, The End of National Currency, Steil clearly asserts the dollar and the euro are temporary currencies, perhaps necessary today. He argues economic development outside the process of globalization is no longer possible.

His inevitable conclusion is countries should abandon monetary nationalism.Steil tempers his embrace of one world currency, writing, Governments should replace national currencies with the dollar or the euro or, in the case of Asia, collaborate to produce a new multinational currency over a comparably large and economically diversified area.He concludes: It is the market that made the dollar into global
money – and what the market giveth, the market can taketh away. If the tailors balk and the dollar falls, the market may privatize money on its own.

The tailors Steil has in mind are the world's central bankers. He advises that the U.S. needs to perpetuate the sound money policies of former Federal Reserve chairmen Paul Volker and Alan Greenspan and return to long-term fiscal discipline. In our current era of large and growing trade imbalances and over $35 trillion in GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) accounted federal deficits, these targets appear unlikely. Steil concludes the foreign tailors, with their massive and growing holdings of dollar debt no longer feel wealthy and secure in the economic environment of a resultant falling dollar. The inevitable conclusion is that the dollar, too, may be on the way out. Steil's essay is antagonistic to the ideas of sovereignty and national currencies.

He writes, The right course is not to return to a mythical past of monetary sovereignty, with governments controlling local interest and exchange rates in blissful ignorance of the rest of the world. Governments must let go of the fatal notion that nationhood requires them to make and control the money used in their territory.Steil has ultimate confidence that economic globalism is irreversible, with national currencies doomed to the dustbin of history. In order to globalize safely, he advises, countries should abandon monetary nationalism and abolish unwanted currencies, the source of much of today's instability.Steil believes continued economic growth demands a global flow of capital unimpeded by the barriers inherent to monetary nationalism. He asserts barriers created by monetary nationalism, such as national exchange rates or national monetary policy regimes, inevitably impede capital flow and cause currency crises as a consequence. Steil fundamentally argues, Monetary nationalism is simply incompatible with globalism. Since Steil believes that only globalism offers the unrestrained flow of capital needed for worldwide economic development, he contends even re-establishing a gold standard would be counter-productive when the only real solution is to abandon the idea that nations have any reason to create currencies at all.

Throughout his analysis, Steil cautions that dependence upon the dollar or the euro as global currencies is not fundamental to his argument. He stresses that the dollar's privileged status as today's global money is not heaven-bestowed. The dollar is ultimately just another money supported only by faith that others will willingly accept it in the future in return for the same sort of valuable things it
bought in the past.In other words, if the institutions of the U.S. government fail to validate that faith, the dollar, too, merits being abandoned. Reckless U.S. fiscal policy is undermining the dollar's position even as the currency's role as a global money is expanding, he notes. Steil imagines the ultimate solution is to privatize a global currency through a gold-based international monetary system.

A new gold-based international monetary system surely sounds far-fetched, he concludes. But so, in 1900 did a monetary system without gold. Modern technology makes a revival of gold money, through private gold banks, possible even without government support.

WND previously reported Steve Previs, a vice president at Jeffries International Ltd., in London, told CNBC Nov. 27, 2006, the amero is the proposed new currency for the North American Community which is being developed right now between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.A video clip of the CNBC interview with Jeffries is now available for viewing at YouTube.com. WND also has reported a continued slide in the value of the dollar on world currency markets could set up conditions in which the adoption of the amero as a North American currency gains momentum. The amero was first proposed as a North American unitary currency by Canadian economist Herbert G. Grubel of the Fraser Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. In a publication entitled The Case for the Amero, Grubel argued that a North American monetary union would eliminate the costs of currency trading and risk, furthering the development of a North American common market along the model of the European Common Market. Robert Pastor, director of the Center for North American Studies at American University, supported Grubel's arguments for the amero. In his 2001 book entitled Toward a North American Community, Pastor supported Grubel's suggestion that the creation of the amero would be accompanied by the creation of a Central Bank of North America, similar to the European Central Bank. Grubel's argument on the amero has also been published as a book in Spanish, entitled El Amero: Una Moneda Comun para Améica del Norte, published by CIDAC (Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo), the Center for Research for Development in Mexico.

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