THE SCROLL WRITTEN TO GEORGE W BUSH
28 Tevet, 5768 / January 6, 2008
In the Name of the Lord, Eternal God
To The Honorable Mr. George W. Bush,
President of the United States of America,
Who comes seeking the presence of the Most High God, to Jerusalem, city of God, Divinely chosen site of the Holy Temple, eternal capital of our land, the joy of the entire earth (Psalms 48:3), may it be rebuilt and established speedily and in our days, Amen!
Esteemed Mr. George W. Bush, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:1), leader of the west!
Upon your arrival in Jerusalem you have the ability to make a declaration, as did Cyrus, King of Persia - whose memory is honored - who in the year 538 BCE returned the exiled nations to their lands and recognized the full right of the Jewish people to reestablish their Holy Temple, the house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7), and called upon them to return to their land,And in the manner of Lord James Balfour of England, who in 1917, called upon the Jews to reestablish a national homeland in the Land of Israel.And thus if you truly desire peace and benevolence, and you would be counted in the company of the truly righteous, we call upon you to declare to all the world:
The Land of Israel was bequeathed to the nation of Israel by the Creator of the world. Neither could I, as a son of my faith, nor the Muslims according to their faith, ever take away even the slightest grain from the Eternal's gift, which He gave to His people Israel, the eternal people. Thus I call upon all the nations to save themselves from certain doom, to return and recognize That this land is the exclusive rightful inheritance of the people of Israel, as is written in the Torah of Israel, which constitutes the very foundation of our faith, as well as that of Islam; and is the basis for the decisions of the community of nations. He who denies this truth endangers all life on earth.
I shall dedicate all my strength and resources towards settling the Jewish people throughout their entire land. I shall greatly encourage and empower the Jews all over the world to rise up to the Land of Israel and to settle it, to establish God's sanctuary in Jerusalem, to distance strangers from it and thus, I believe, I will be making a major contribution towards world peace.I cannot simultaneously support the establishment of a foreign state for an alien nation in the Land of Israel, and I will not lend my hand to this wrong.Or - Heaven forbid - you can choose the second option - to willfully aid in the destruction, under the guise of peace!
You certainly know what the God of Israel did to Egypt and Assyria and to all Israel's enemies from time immemorial: Do you imagine that you will be able to save yourself if you have come to implement a plan that intends to steal the land of the people that survived the sword (Jeremiah 31:1), and to cut off those who survived the Holocaust, to rob the land that was given to them by the Creator?
All of the peace treaties and initiatives which have been based upon the decisions of the government of Israel, indeed the entire Oslo process, and the Disengagement, and the establishment of a terrorist state within the Land of Israel known as 'Palestine' - regrettably, all of these agreements are the result of a lack of sufficient faith in the Divine promises that the Lord made to the patriarchs of our nation, and all that is written in the Torah of Israel. Understand this well: the nations of the world cannot excuse their actions and their decisions on account of the weakness of Israel and her government. God ordained that the role of the nations of the world is to strengthen the nation of Israel. This will benefit all humanity and bring about world peace, as the prophets have foretold.Do you imagine you can escape from the struggles in Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon, by offering up sacrifices of the Jews who are slaughtered daily by their enemies who speak of peace but live by the sword?
Upon your arrival in our land we would anticipate that you bring Jonathan Pollard home with you. Bring him home to Israel. He is an emissary of the State of Israel, and he acted on behalf of our people. Authorize his immediate release while you are yet in Jerusalem, before you return to the United States. This will be a positive step that will build confidence.Remember our forefather Abraham, who pursued the world's four greatest kings in order to redeem his nephew from captivity. We cannot forget the deeds of our patriarchs, whose example guides us through every generation.
We are the loyal representatives of the Jewish people, the New Jewish Congress, and its court of law, the Sanhedrin, as well as the Temple and Temple Mount movements, but we merely reiterate herein what is public knowledge.No government in Israel and no representative of the Jewish people has the power or right to alter, by even the slightest degree, our covenant with God and the words of our holy Torah, which are everlasting, as expressed by the prophets of Israel and even by the wicked prophet Balaam: Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish for ever' (Numbers 24:20). Thus any desire, plan or agreement that challenges the eternal sovereignty and active possession of the nation of Israel over her entire land is utterly worthless, and has no basis in reality.
Therefore it behooves you to declare: I, George Bush, Commander in Chief of the armies of the United States of America, will instruct all of my troops to protect the Divine rights of the nation of Israel, and remove from her any threat.Before you is a choice: You can merit to eternal life, or be inscribed for eternal disgrace. Your fate and that of all those with you hangs in the balance of the destiny of our land.and you shall choose life! (Deut. 30:19).
In Sincere Supplication - In the name of the Jewish people
Rabbi A Even Yisrael Steinzaltz
The Sanhedrin
Dr. Gadi Eshel
The New Jewish Congress
Rabbi Chaim Richman
The Holy Temple and Temple Mount Movements
TO READ THE COMPLETE DOCUMENT GO TO MY LINK THE BUSH SCROLL
http://www.templeinstitute.org/megillat-bush.pdf
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.
2 PETER 3:10-11
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:20,30
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
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.
REVELATION 9:18
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.
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).
MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Iranian boats threatened to blow up U.S. ships, American officials say January 7, 2008 FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Iranian boats harassed and provoked three American Navy ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, threatening to explode the vessels, U.S. officials said Monday. In the most serious such incident in years, U.S. forces were on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats during the incident early Sunday, when the boats — believed to be from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy — turned and moved away, a Pentagon official said. Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman called it a serious incident. Another U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called it the most serious provocation of this sort that we’ve seen yet.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday the confrontation was something normal and was resolved, suggesting the Iranian boats had not recognized the U.S. vessels. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the Bush administration urges Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future.The incident raised new tensions between Washington and Tehran as President Bush prepared for his first major trip to the Middle East. A statement issued by the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain said the incident occurred at about 8 a.m. local time Sunday as Navy cruiser USS Port Royal, destroyer USS Hopper and frigate USS Ingraham were on their way into the Persian Gulf and passing through the strait — a major oil shipping route. Five small boats began charging the U.S. ships, dropping boxes in the water in front of the ships and forcing the U.S. ships to take evasive maneuvers, said the Pentagon official. The boxes floated by, and officials said they didn’t now what was in them because U.S. sailors didn’t pick them up. There were no injuries but the official said there could have been, because the Iranian boats turned away literally at the very moment that U.S. forces were preparing to open fire in self defense.
The official, who asked to speak on grounds of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly, said he didn’t have the precise transcript of communications that passed between the two forces, but said the Iranians radioed something like we’re coming at you and you’ll explode in a couple minutes.At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack said he was not aware of any plans to lodge a formal protest. Without specific reference to this incident in the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will confront Iranian behavior where it seeks to do harm either to us or to our friends and allies in the region, McCormack told reporters. There is wide support for that within the region and certainly that’s not going to change.Whitman said the Pentagon will work with State and National Security Council officials to determine the appropriate way to address this with the Iranian government.But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini played down the incident, suggesting it was an issue of misidentification. He did not comment on the U.S. claims of the Iranian boats’ actions. That is something normal that takes place every now and then for each party, and it (the problem) is settled after identification of the two parties, he told the state news agency IRNA. The incident was similar to past ones that were resolved once the two sides recognized each other, he said. An Iranian Revolutionary Guard official also described the incident as nothing unusual. No unusual confrontation has taken place between the Guard’s patrol vessels and U.S. ships, state-run television quoted the official as saying. The official was speaking on customary condition of anonymity. The Guard official said the Guard’s vessels were conducting normal patrols in the Strait of Hormuz when they saw three U.S. ships enter the waters of the region. The Guard’s navy vessels, as usual, asked the ships to identify themselves and they did so and continued their path, the TV quoted the official as saying. At the Pentagon, Whitman said the U.S. vessels were in international waters, making a normal transit into the Gulf. He said the Iranian boats were operating at distances and speeds that showed reckless and dangerous intent — reckless, dangerous and potentially hostile intent.
The episode lasted 15 to 20 minutes, Whitman said, but he wouldn’t say whether officials know for certain whether the were vessels were Iranian Revolutionary Guard or regular Iranian navy. The Revolutionary Guard forces have been known to be more aggressive than the regular navy. At least some were visibly armed. Small Iranian fastboats made some aggressive maneuvers against our vessels and indicated some hostile intent, Whitman said. Historical tensions between the two nations have increased in recent years over Washington’s charge that Tehran has been developing nuclear weapons and supplying and training Iraqi insurgents using roadside bombs — the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq. At about this time last year, Bush announced he was sending a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf region in a show of force against Iran. The U.S. Navy quietly scaled back to one carrier group several months later. But while the two were there, they staged two major exercises off Iran’s coast. As one of the world’s most vital chokepoints for oil shipping, the 30-mile-wide Hormuz strait has been the subject of previous armed confrontations between the United States and Iran, most notably during the eight-year Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s.
Monday, January 07, 2008
BUSHES SCHEDUALE IN MIDEAST
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.
Three quakes off B.C. coast; no tsunami warning, or damage or injury reports JAN 5,08
VANCOUVER - A trio of moderate to powerful earthquakes struck early Saturday off the B.C. coast, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.Guy Urban at the Alaska and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a moderate quake of magnitude 5.3, perhaps a pre-shock was recorded at 5:39 a.m. EST.Two stronger quakes, the first with a magnitude of 6.7 was recorded about 20 minutes later, followed by a magnitude 6.5 temblor, in an area about 230 kilometres southeast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, west of Port Hardy, B.C.Urban said the centre had received no e-mails or calls from anyone feeling the quake, and no tsunami warning was issued.The Tsunami Center issues warnings when earthquakes are larger than magnitude 7.We're pretty much convinced that no tsunami has been generated, Urban said. We're watching our tide gauges scattered around the Pacific Coast and we saw no tsunami anywhere on any of those.However, he said there might be some slight sea-level changes.Fortunately it was out in the water, Urban said. Had it been on land, it could have caused some significant damage.
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.
Heavy snow blankets Iran, air travel hit Sun Jan 6, 11:19 AM
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Sunday awoke to heavy overnight snowfalls which forced schools to shut, blocked major roads and led to the cancellation of domestic flights, state media reported.Primary and secondary schools were closed for the day in Tehran and most cities in the north of the country, state television said.The authorities ordered all government offices closed on Monday and Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency said.State airline Iran Air cancelled all of its morning domestic flights from Mehrabad airport in the centre of Tehran, while roads in the northwest of the country were closed to traffic.Meanwhile international flights, which now run exclusively from Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) several kilometres (miles) south of the capital, were delayed, state media reported.Tehran and several other cities in the north and centre of Iran lie at altitudes of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) above sea level and are regularly hit by heavy falls of snow in winter.State television said that the snowfalls would continue in the coming days.
A spate of cold weather has already created problems in Iran with around a dozen towns suffering gas cuts last week because of a surge in demand, a shortage compounded by a cut in exports from Turkmenistan.The authorities have urged the public to reduce their notoriously profligate consumption of gas to ensure there are no further cuts amid plunging temperatures.
Winter storms batter western states Sun Jan 6, 10:18 AMBy Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Storms battered the western United States on Saturday with strong winds, heavy rains and a blanket of snow that caused widespread power outages, a levee break in Nevada and two deaths in California.In the Los Angeles-area city of Chino, a woman was swept away in floodwaters when she tried to abandon her stalled car, and in Yuba City, north of Sacramento, a worker was killed when a falling tree struck him, according to a spokesman for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.A canal levee broke near Reno, Nevada, flooding an estimated 800 homes and causing some 3,500 residents to evacuate by helicopter and boat, a Nevada Department of Public Safety spokesman said.Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski declared a state of emergency in Umatilla County in the northeastern corner of that state due to high winds that ravaged the area.The first of three storms swept through Northern California on Friday, blowing scaffolding off buildings and shutting down streets in San Francisco. Big trucks were barred from the Golden Gate Bridge, where winds reached 55 mph.Mountains in the eastern part of the state were hit by major snowfall and wind gusts as high as 100 to 150 mph.
Snow accumulations of 8 to 10 feet were expected in the Sierra Nevada range over the weekend as another storm moves through the region.(The bad weather) will continue through at least tomorrow, and then there's another round on Monday,said Jane Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Weather Service.The weather pummeled Los Angeles and communities to the south in Orange County, where roughly 3,000 people had been asked to leave their homes in hillside areas hit by wildfires and prone to mudslides.
But no major slides occurred and no significant damage was reported to homes or buildings, according to Michael Miller of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.There were relatively few power outages in Southern California, and by Saturday most electricity had been restored to customers, according to several utility companies.The story was different in Northern and Central California where some 1.8 million customers of PG&E Corp lost power. By late afternoon on Saturday, roughly 400,000 homes remained without power, according to PG&E.Near Fernley, Nevada, an agricultural and suburban town 32 miles east of Reno, a 30-foot-wide breach erupted in a canal levee. Some homes in the lower-lying section of town stood in 3 feet of water and people were evacuated to a school.(Additional reporting by Adam Tanner; Editing by Xavier Briand)
officials said.
Ice slows cleanup in flooded Nev. town By MARTIN GRIFFITH, Associated Press Writer JAN 6,08
FERNLEY, Nev. - Hundreds of homes sat in as much as 8 feet of water Sunday following a canal rupture as freezing weather spread sheets of ice over yards and streets, hindering efforts to get the water to drain away. As many as 400 homes were damaged when the canal's bank gave way following heavy rainfall produced by the West Coast storm system that had piled snow as much as 11 feet deep in the Sierra Nevada.Thousands of customers had been blacked out in three states and many of them in California could remain in the dark for days because the storm ripped down nearly 500 miles of power lines, utility officials said Sunday.Six snowmobilers and two skiers were reported missing in heavy snow in the mountains of southern Colorado, and one hiker was missing in snow-covered mountains in Southern California.At least three deaths were blamed on the storm.The irrigation canal failure at Fernley released a wave of frigid water into the town early Saturday.
In 10 minutes the entire back yard was completely flooded. It was just nothing but water, said Kristin Watson, whose home backs up to part of the canal. We just sort of panicked because we knew we had to get out of there real quick.The canal was repaired by late in the day, but as much as a square mile of the town was still under water at least 2 feet deep Sunday as ice impeded drainage.
Our hope is over the next 24 hours to get the water out, Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said at a briefing Sunday morning. But we still have up to 8 feet of water in some areas. We need to keep the storm drains unclogged to keep the water moving to a wetland. We also may need to do some pumping in some areas.Lyon County Fire Division Chief Scott Huntley estimated 1,500 people had been displaced. No injuries were reported in the town of 20,000 people about 30 miles east of Reno.Huntley said officials knew of 18 cases of people rescued from atop homes or cars as fire department and private boats plus four helicopters were pressed into action Saturday, but he believes there were many more.The sheer number of rescues was amazing, Huntley said Sunday.For citizens to give of themselves and to help their neighbors, I'm choked up about it, Cutler said.Despite heavy rain Friday, Gov. Jim Gibbons said the canal was not full when the bank failed. This indicates to me there might have been a structural weakness over the years. Nobody knows and we don't want to speculate at this time, he said.One possible factor that officials have mentioned was rodents burrowing holes in the earthen bank, which also was involved in a smaller collapse that flooded about 60 Fernley homes in December 1996.If you get just a tiny little break, from a rodent, from anything, it can take the rest of the soil and gravel with it, said Martha VanGeem, principal engineer with CTLGroup, a Skokie, Ill.-based consulting firm.They could have caught it early if there wasn't so much rain, VanGeem said.Rescuers in Colorado resumed a search Sunday for six snowmobilers last seen Friday, before the storm dumped 3 to 4 feet of snow near Cumbres Pass, close to the New Mexico line.
The Denver Post said the snowmobilers were two couples from Farmington, N.M., and their two children, ages 14 and 13. Donna Oney of the Colorado State Patrol said 11 search and rescue team members and three deputies were looking for the snowmobilers. Two skiers were missing 40 miles away in the Wolf Creek ski area, Oney said. Wolf Creek had reported 39 inches of snow overnight In the mountains east of Los Angeles, authorities searched Sunday for a 62-year-old man who went hiking Friday just before the storm began, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said. Searchers last had cell phone contact with him early Saturday, before snow began falling in the area. In the rugged Sierra Nevada range, the Kirkwood ski resort near Lake Tahoe reported about 11 feet of snow had fallen since the storm system moved inland from the Pacific last week. As much as 3 feet more snow could hit higher elevations of the Sierras by Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service said. Parts of Northern California will get a reprieve from the rain and snow on Monday, but in the mountains, there's a chance of snow and snow showers all the way through Thursday, said weather service meteorologist Angus Barkhuff.
More than 234,000 homes and businesses in Northern California were still without power Sunday, and Pacific Gas and Electric said the storm had downed nearly 500 miles of power lines and more than 500 utility poles. Repair crews in the snow-covered Sierra foothills will have to use snowshoes, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters, utility officials said. Fewer than 5,000 customers were still blacked out in the Los Angeles area. The storm also caused blackouts in parts of Oregon and Washington. In all, more than 2 million customers from the northern town of Eureka to Los Angeles had lost power since early Friday. Seven people were hospitalized at Willows, Calif., near Chico, after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a propane lantern they used indoors because of the blackout, Glenn County officials said. The storm was blamed for two deaths in California, including a woman whose pickup truck was swept into a flood channel east of Los Angeles, and one death in Oregon, police said. Associated Press writers Peter Prengaman in Los Angeles, Scott Sonner in Reno and Kathleen Hennessey in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
A is for the ark of the covenantBy Susan Orr
The Ark of the Covenant played a central role in early Jewish religious life, and the object still generates intense interest among archaeologists and theologians.The ark is a type of chest that contained the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved.As described in the Bible, God told the Israelites exactly how to build the ark. Among other specifications, the ark was to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and cherubim with outstretched wings were to be on the ark's cover (Exodus 25:10-22).The ark was considered a holy object, and the Israelites carried it with them into battle and when they traveled.After Solomon built the first temple, the ark was placed there. That temple was destroyed in 586 B.C., and researchers don't know what happened to the ark after that.
According to one theory, the Babylonians took the ark after they destroyed the temple. Another idea is that the Israelites hid the ark in a location that is no longer known. A modern-day group of Christians in Axum, Ethiopia, says it has possession of the ark, while archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer has said he believes the ark may be buried inside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.The 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark showed the sense of mystery and intrigue that still surrounds the Ark of the Covenant.Sources: Jewish Virtual Library (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org); Encyclopedia Judaica; New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org)
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
04-01-2008
United voice in EU unusual
The fall of the Berlin Wall could have paved the way for closer Nordic co-operation on defence and trade, but mutual competition between the countries still gets in the way. Kristeligt Dagblad has analysed the negative impact on Nordic co-operation of Denmark's inability to commit to the Nordic Battle Group because of its EU defence opt-out.A 2,800-strong joint Nordic military force for peace-making and peace-keeping missions in Europe and Africa? A mere decade ago, almost any honest Nordic enthusiast would have given his right arm for such a future dream. Imagine finally being able to convert 50 years of speeches at the Nordic Council into practical joint defence policy! The future dream turned into reality at the turn of the year, albeit with a single exception, i.e. that Denmark is unable to provide troops because of its EU opt-out. The Nordic Battle Group is part of the EU's attempts to make its mark on the international stage. It consists of troops from Sweden, Norway and Finland, as well as from the former Soviet republic Estonia and from Ireland.
It is hardly surprising then that self-avowed Euro-sceptics and opponents find it difficult to decide where they stand on the issue. The Danish People's Party, the Left and other EU opponents have traditionally called for closer Nordic co-operation, often positing the Nordic Region as an alternative to the EU. On this issue, we are faced with the unusual combination of an EU project under Nordic auspices.The Nordic countries seldom speak with a single voice in the EU, even though the countries otherwise have a great deal of common values, e.g. In terms of democracy, health, the labour market, culture and international relations. In practice, the countries pursue their own goals and regularly end up competing with each other. It is symptomatic that the Danish government's greatest misgiving about being left outside the Nordic Battle Group is apparently that the other countries will end up dominating the high command, Henrik Hoffmann-Hansen concludes.
Brussels seeks European mulitinational firefighting force
By Aimée Turner
Europe is on course to launch a common rulebook establishing a crack multinational firefighting force by early summer, building on the unprecedented level of international co-operation last year when catastrophic forest fires ravaged Greece.The new rules will mean offers of specialist firefighting assistance from EU member states - already co-ordinated through the European Commission's Civil Protection Mechanism - are now framed within 13 new response modules designed to organise a common system of readily deployable, pre-defined specialised clusters of personnel and equipment.The plan to strengthen Europe's civil SOS infrastructure, which will include the medical aerial evacuation of disaster victims, was adopted by the Commission on 20 December and Europe's 27 member states now have until 13 May to signal their willingness to sign up to the new guidelines supporting the future rapid reaction force.A senior EC source said that the latest effort to provide the most rapid and effective emergency response possible involved essentially developing a standardised technical framework with individual modules determining structure, resource and minimum capability requirements for any member state wanting to assist.
The Commission has been working with member states over the last two years primarily to define the areas where modules would be useful, meeting with experts and well-informed specialists to define a common framework, he said.The modules that have been developed all rely really on the type of pre-existing national resources offered on a voluntary basis by EU member states and so they're not so very different from what member states organise already.Modules, however, will also feature an outline of the necessary training in order for participating member states effectively to become interoperational with other EU nations' firefighting efforts and, furthermore, equivalent emergency modules. Another new feature of the standardised approach will be that aerial firefighting modules involving EU helicopters and aircraft will not only become interoperable but also capable of operating outside the European Union.There is no obligation for participation, however. There could even be joint modules featuring co-operation between member states, similar in many ways to the existing co-operation in firefighting between France, Italy and Spain, said the source.
The EC Community Protection Mechanism budget has tripled in the last year. Annual spend will rise to €30 million ($44 million) by 2013 as part of the six-year €200 million initiative, with the European Parliament understood to be ready to vote for additional budgetary resources targeted at firefighting.The added value with the new module approach is that, as well as a lot more resources going into community protection, it will also improve co-ordination, essentially through training, exercises, technical workshops where common procedures will be defined, he said, adding that an area of special focus would be ground to air communications and how their effectiveness may be compromised by language and equipment factors.The interoperability of a unified EU firefighting force will be tested this summer when FireFour, an EC pilot project led by France with the participation of Italy, Spain and Portugal, will run a full-scale joint earthquake and firefighting exercise.
Aerial forest firefighting module using helicopters
Capacity Three helicopters with a capacity of 1,000 litres (264USgal) each.
Ability to perform continuous operations.
Main components Three helicopters with crew, to guarantee that at least two helicopters are operational at any time.
Technical staff.
4 water buckets or 3 releasing kids.
1 maintenance set.
1 spare parts set.
2 rescue hoists.
Communication equipment.
Deployment Within maximum 3 hours
Aerial forest firefighting module using aircraft
Capacity Two aircraft with a capacity of 3,000 litres each
Ability to perform continuous operations.
Main components Two aircraft.
Three crews.
Technical staff.
Field maintenance kit.
Communication equipment.
Deployment Within maximum 3 hours
Medical aerial evacuation of disaster victims
Capacity Capacity to transport 50 patients every 24 hours.
Ability to fly day and night.
Main components Helicopters/aircraft with stretchers.
Deployment Within maximum 12 hours
Debate on EU Reform Treaty referendum gets underway
Saturday, January 05, 2008
The debate over the new EU Reform Treaty referendum is underway.
Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche says we must vote yes or else the progress of Europe will be restricted.Mr Roche Ireland either allows the EU to reform its decision making procedures or else it will just stagnate.The Anti-Treaty Organisation Libertas says such claims by the Government are nonsense.The referendum on the new treaty is expected to take place some time this summer.
Highlights of Bush's trip to the Mideast
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Last update: January 5, 2008 - 10:53 AM
Highlights of President Bush's upcoming trip to the Middle East, according to the planned schedule as outlined by the White House:
Jan. 9
Arrives in Israel. Meets with Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and president, Shimon Peres.
Jan. 10
Visits the West Bank to meet with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and prime minister, Salam Fayyad, at their headquarters in Ramallah.
Jan. 11
In Israel to meet with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Lays a wreath at the Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. Travels to Kuwait to meet with the emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.
Jan. 12
In Kuwait to meet with U.S. troops at Camp Arifjan and receive updates on the situation in Iraq from the top U.S. commander, Gen. David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. He also meets with Kuwaiti women. Travels to Bahrain to meet with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
Jan. 13
Visits the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain. Travels to the United Arab Emirates to meet with the president, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and gives a speech in Abu Dhabi on freedom in the region.
Jan. 14
Visits Dubai and then travels to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah.
Jan. 15
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for meetings.
Jan. 16
In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet with President Hosni Mubarak before returning to Washington.
Interview of President Bush by Hisham Bourar, al Hurra TV
Contact: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 202-456-2580
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following text is of an interview of President Bush by Hisham Bourar of al Hurra TV:
Map Room January 4, 2008 4:22 P.M. EST
Q Thank you, Mr. President, for taking the time to do this interview on Al Hurra TV. Big trip to the Middle East. What are your objectives, and why now?
THE PRESIDENT: Now because I believe that it's possible to advance the Annapolis agenda; now because I believe it's just going to be -- that it will be a chance to be effective on my trip. I'm going to advance three things: one, the vision of two states, Palestinian-Israel, living side by side in peace; two, to convince our friends and allies in the region that it is in their interest to support the peace process; and three is to remind people that the United States is committed to helping secure the region, that we have a active presence in the Middle East and that presence is not going to wane, that we're committed to helping people realize -- deal with the threats and the problems of the 21st century.
Q What can you do, personally, to press both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to reach an agreement this year?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, the agreement -- they must decide they want to reach agreement. In other words -- and so the first thing I can do is to make sure there's a sincere desire on the parts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert to achieve an agreement. I believe that desire exists. The Annapolis Conference was a success because they wanted it to be a success. And it's to give them confidence and encourage them to come up with what a state will look like, to define that state so that people there in the region can have hope that this kind of a longtime conflict will finally come to an end, and the first step is the definition of a state.
I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands. And so I'm -- I will go to encourage them to stay focused on the big picture. There's going to be all kinds of distractions, and people will be trying to throw up roadblocks and people will be trying to cause these gentlemen to -- not to -- lose sight of what's possible. And my job is to help them keep a vision on what is possible.
Q Do you still believe that your vision of a Palestinian state can be achieved before you leave office?
THE PRESIDENT: I think the outlines, the definition of a state can be achieved. The implementation of a state will be subject to a road map. In other words, there's a lot of work that has to be done. Palestinian security forces have to be reformed -- which we're helping with, by the way. The entrepreneurial class of people has to be encouraged with new capital. The institutions of government need to be strengthened. And so the state will come into being, subject to, but the first step is to -- here's what a state will look like. And I believe we can get that done by the time I leave office.
Q Will you be asking Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, to normalize relations with Israel?
THE PRESIDENT: I'll be reminding the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, that in order for this to be successful, in order for this process to work, there has to be strong support for both the Palestinians and the Israelis in the neighborhood. And that's why the Annapolis Conference -- another reason it was an important conference, because in that room were -- my friend, the King of Saudi Arabia, kindly sent his Foreign Minister to that Annapolis meeting. I thought it was a strong signal. And so both sides are going to need to know that they'll have support from the neighborhood.
Q Recently there has been some rapprochement between Gulf countries and Iran. Do you feel that the last NIE report makes it difficult for you to convince these countries that Iran still poses a threat to national security?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm sure this subject will come up, and I will remind them that the NIE said that, one, Iran had a military covert program. They suspended the program. I will also remind them that a regime that once had a program could easily start the program up again, and that the key ingredients to having a weapons program is, one, the capacity to enrich uranium; secondly, the ability to take that uranium and make a bomb; and thirdly, the ability to deliver the bomb by rockets.
Well, the rocket program still exists. As you know, they say they, only for civilian purposes, they're learning to enrich. Well, if you can learn to enrich for civilian purposes, you can easily transfer that knowledge to military purposes. And therefore, Iran is a threat. And so that will be my message.And my other message will be, we've got a strategy to deal with it, and that is to prevent them from learning how to enrich. And I'll explain to them the different types of sanctions and international efforts we're making, and how they can help, as well.
Q Recent visits to Damascus by U.S. lawmakers, like a recent one by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican, and Senator Kennedy, do they help or undermine your position toward Syria?
THE PRESIDENT: That's an interesting question. I don't know. But President Assad must understand that if he wants better relations with the United States -- and frankly, better relations in the region -- the first thing he's got to do is stop interfering in the Lebanese presidential process. And I would hope that those representatives sent that message to President Assad.
I don't know how he interprets these meetings, but one thing he can't be mistaken about is the position of the U.S. government, the White House. And our position is, is that you can have better relations, a better way forward with the United States, but you have got to get out of Lebanon, in terms of the presidential elections, and stop harboring Hamas, stop letting suiciders go into Iraq, and there's a better way forward.
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.
Three quakes off B.C. coast; no tsunami warning, or damage or injury reports JAN 5,08
VANCOUVER - A trio of moderate to powerful earthquakes struck early Saturday off the B.C. coast, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.Guy Urban at the Alaska and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a moderate quake of magnitude 5.3, perhaps a pre-shock was recorded at 5:39 a.m. EST.Two stronger quakes, the first with a magnitude of 6.7 was recorded about 20 minutes later, followed by a magnitude 6.5 temblor, in an area about 230 kilometres southeast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, west of Port Hardy, B.C.Urban said the centre had received no e-mails or calls from anyone feeling the quake, and no tsunami warning was issued.The Tsunami Center issues warnings when earthquakes are larger than magnitude 7.We're pretty much convinced that no tsunami has been generated, Urban said. We're watching our tide gauges scattered around the Pacific Coast and we saw no tsunami anywhere on any of those.However, he said there might be some slight sea-level changes.Fortunately it was out in the water, Urban said. Had it been on land, it could have caused some significant damage.
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.
Heavy snow blankets Iran, air travel hit Sun Jan 6, 11:19 AM
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Sunday awoke to heavy overnight snowfalls which forced schools to shut, blocked major roads and led to the cancellation of domestic flights, state media reported.Primary and secondary schools were closed for the day in Tehran and most cities in the north of the country, state television said.The authorities ordered all government offices closed on Monday and Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency said.State airline Iran Air cancelled all of its morning domestic flights from Mehrabad airport in the centre of Tehran, while roads in the northwest of the country were closed to traffic.Meanwhile international flights, which now run exclusively from Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) several kilometres (miles) south of the capital, were delayed, state media reported.Tehran and several other cities in the north and centre of Iran lie at altitudes of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) above sea level and are regularly hit by heavy falls of snow in winter.State television said that the snowfalls would continue in the coming days.
A spate of cold weather has already created problems in Iran with around a dozen towns suffering gas cuts last week because of a surge in demand, a shortage compounded by a cut in exports from Turkmenistan.The authorities have urged the public to reduce their notoriously profligate consumption of gas to ensure there are no further cuts amid plunging temperatures.
Winter storms batter western states Sun Jan 6, 10:18 AMBy Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Storms battered the western United States on Saturday with strong winds, heavy rains and a blanket of snow that caused widespread power outages, a levee break in Nevada and two deaths in California.In the Los Angeles-area city of Chino, a woman was swept away in floodwaters when she tried to abandon her stalled car, and in Yuba City, north of Sacramento, a worker was killed when a falling tree struck him, according to a spokesman for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.A canal levee broke near Reno, Nevada, flooding an estimated 800 homes and causing some 3,500 residents to evacuate by helicopter and boat, a Nevada Department of Public Safety spokesman said.Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski declared a state of emergency in Umatilla County in the northeastern corner of that state due to high winds that ravaged the area.The first of three storms swept through Northern California on Friday, blowing scaffolding off buildings and shutting down streets in San Francisco. Big trucks were barred from the Golden Gate Bridge, where winds reached 55 mph.Mountains in the eastern part of the state were hit by major snowfall and wind gusts as high as 100 to 150 mph.
Snow accumulations of 8 to 10 feet were expected in the Sierra Nevada range over the weekend as another storm moves through the region.(The bad weather) will continue through at least tomorrow, and then there's another round on Monday,said Jane Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Weather Service.The weather pummeled Los Angeles and communities to the south in Orange County, where roughly 3,000 people had been asked to leave their homes in hillside areas hit by wildfires and prone to mudslides.
But no major slides occurred and no significant damage was reported to homes or buildings, according to Michael Miller of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.There were relatively few power outages in Southern California, and by Saturday most electricity had been restored to customers, according to several utility companies.The story was different in Northern and Central California where some 1.8 million customers of PG&E Corp lost power. By late afternoon on Saturday, roughly 400,000 homes remained without power, according to PG&E.Near Fernley, Nevada, an agricultural and suburban town 32 miles east of Reno, a 30-foot-wide breach erupted in a canal levee. Some homes in the lower-lying section of town stood in 3 feet of water and people were evacuated to a school.(Additional reporting by Adam Tanner; Editing by Xavier Briand)
officials said.
Ice slows cleanup in flooded Nev. town By MARTIN GRIFFITH, Associated Press Writer JAN 6,08
FERNLEY, Nev. - Hundreds of homes sat in as much as 8 feet of water Sunday following a canal rupture as freezing weather spread sheets of ice over yards and streets, hindering efforts to get the water to drain away. As many as 400 homes were damaged when the canal's bank gave way following heavy rainfall produced by the West Coast storm system that had piled snow as much as 11 feet deep in the Sierra Nevada.Thousands of customers had been blacked out in three states and many of them in California could remain in the dark for days because the storm ripped down nearly 500 miles of power lines, utility officials said Sunday.Six snowmobilers and two skiers were reported missing in heavy snow in the mountains of southern Colorado, and one hiker was missing in snow-covered mountains in Southern California.At least three deaths were blamed on the storm.The irrigation canal failure at Fernley released a wave of frigid water into the town early Saturday.
In 10 minutes the entire back yard was completely flooded. It was just nothing but water, said Kristin Watson, whose home backs up to part of the canal. We just sort of panicked because we knew we had to get out of there real quick.The canal was repaired by late in the day, but as much as a square mile of the town was still under water at least 2 feet deep Sunday as ice impeded drainage.
Our hope is over the next 24 hours to get the water out, Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said at a briefing Sunday morning. But we still have up to 8 feet of water in some areas. We need to keep the storm drains unclogged to keep the water moving to a wetland. We also may need to do some pumping in some areas.Lyon County Fire Division Chief Scott Huntley estimated 1,500 people had been displaced. No injuries were reported in the town of 20,000 people about 30 miles east of Reno.Huntley said officials knew of 18 cases of people rescued from atop homes or cars as fire department and private boats plus four helicopters were pressed into action Saturday, but he believes there were many more.The sheer number of rescues was amazing, Huntley said Sunday.For citizens to give of themselves and to help their neighbors, I'm choked up about it, Cutler said.Despite heavy rain Friday, Gov. Jim Gibbons said the canal was not full when the bank failed. This indicates to me there might have been a structural weakness over the years. Nobody knows and we don't want to speculate at this time, he said.One possible factor that officials have mentioned was rodents burrowing holes in the earthen bank, which also was involved in a smaller collapse that flooded about 60 Fernley homes in December 1996.If you get just a tiny little break, from a rodent, from anything, it can take the rest of the soil and gravel with it, said Martha VanGeem, principal engineer with CTLGroup, a Skokie, Ill.-based consulting firm.They could have caught it early if there wasn't so much rain, VanGeem said.Rescuers in Colorado resumed a search Sunday for six snowmobilers last seen Friday, before the storm dumped 3 to 4 feet of snow near Cumbres Pass, close to the New Mexico line.
The Denver Post said the snowmobilers were two couples from Farmington, N.M., and their two children, ages 14 and 13. Donna Oney of the Colorado State Patrol said 11 search and rescue team members and three deputies were looking for the snowmobilers. Two skiers were missing 40 miles away in the Wolf Creek ski area, Oney said. Wolf Creek had reported 39 inches of snow overnight In the mountains east of Los Angeles, authorities searched Sunday for a 62-year-old man who went hiking Friday just before the storm began, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said. Searchers last had cell phone contact with him early Saturday, before snow began falling in the area. In the rugged Sierra Nevada range, the Kirkwood ski resort near Lake Tahoe reported about 11 feet of snow had fallen since the storm system moved inland from the Pacific last week. As much as 3 feet more snow could hit higher elevations of the Sierras by Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service said. Parts of Northern California will get a reprieve from the rain and snow on Monday, but in the mountains, there's a chance of snow and snow showers all the way through Thursday, said weather service meteorologist Angus Barkhuff.
More than 234,000 homes and businesses in Northern California were still without power Sunday, and Pacific Gas and Electric said the storm had downed nearly 500 miles of power lines and more than 500 utility poles. Repair crews in the snow-covered Sierra foothills will have to use snowshoes, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters, utility officials said. Fewer than 5,000 customers were still blacked out in the Los Angeles area. The storm also caused blackouts in parts of Oregon and Washington. In all, more than 2 million customers from the northern town of Eureka to Los Angeles had lost power since early Friday. Seven people were hospitalized at Willows, Calif., near Chico, after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a propane lantern they used indoors because of the blackout, Glenn County officials said. The storm was blamed for two deaths in California, including a woman whose pickup truck was swept into a flood channel east of Los Angeles, and one death in Oregon, police said. Associated Press writers Peter Prengaman in Los Angeles, Scott Sonner in Reno and Kathleen Hennessey in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
A is for the ark of the covenantBy Susan Orr
The Ark of the Covenant played a central role in early Jewish religious life, and the object still generates intense interest among archaeologists and theologians.The ark is a type of chest that contained the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved.As described in the Bible, God told the Israelites exactly how to build the ark. Among other specifications, the ark was to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and cherubim with outstretched wings were to be on the ark's cover (Exodus 25:10-22).The ark was considered a holy object, and the Israelites carried it with them into battle and when they traveled.After Solomon built the first temple, the ark was placed there. That temple was destroyed in 586 B.C., and researchers don't know what happened to the ark after that.
According to one theory, the Babylonians took the ark after they destroyed the temple. Another idea is that the Israelites hid the ark in a location that is no longer known. A modern-day group of Christians in Axum, Ethiopia, says it has possession of the ark, while archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer has said he believes the ark may be buried inside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.The 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark showed the sense of mystery and intrigue that still surrounds the Ark of the Covenant.Sources: Jewish Virtual Library (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org); Encyclopedia Judaica; New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org)
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
04-01-2008
United voice in EU unusual
The fall of the Berlin Wall could have paved the way for closer Nordic co-operation on defence and trade, but mutual competition between the countries still gets in the way. Kristeligt Dagblad has analysed the negative impact on Nordic co-operation of Denmark's inability to commit to the Nordic Battle Group because of its EU defence opt-out.A 2,800-strong joint Nordic military force for peace-making and peace-keeping missions in Europe and Africa? A mere decade ago, almost any honest Nordic enthusiast would have given his right arm for such a future dream. Imagine finally being able to convert 50 years of speeches at the Nordic Council into practical joint defence policy! The future dream turned into reality at the turn of the year, albeit with a single exception, i.e. that Denmark is unable to provide troops because of its EU opt-out. The Nordic Battle Group is part of the EU's attempts to make its mark on the international stage. It consists of troops from Sweden, Norway and Finland, as well as from the former Soviet republic Estonia and from Ireland.
It is hardly surprising then that self-avowed Euro-sceptics and opponents find it difficult to decide where they stand on the issue. The Danish People's Party, the Left and other EU opponents have traditionally called for closer Nordic co-operation, often positing the Nordic Region as an alternative to the EU. On this issue, we are faced with the unusual combination of an EU project under Nordic auspices.The Nordic countries seldom speak with a single voice in the EU, even though the countries otherwise have a great deal of common values, e.g. In terms of democracy, health, the labour market, culture and international relations. In practice, the countries pursue their own goals and regularly end up competing with each other. It is symptomatic that the Danish government's greatest misgiving about being left outside the Nordic Battle Group is apparently that the other countries will end up dominating the high command, Henrik Hoffmann-Hansen concludes.
Brussels seeks European mulitinational firefighting force
By Aimée Turner
Europe is on course to launch a common rulebook establishing a crack multinational firefighting force by early summer, building on the unprecedented level of international co-operation last year when catastrophic forest fires ravaged Greece.The new rules will mean offers of specialist firefighting assistance from EU member states - already co-ordinated through the European Commission's Civil Protection Mechanism - are now framed within 13 new response modules designed to organise a common system of readily deployable, pre-defined specialised clusters of personnel and equipment.The plan to strengthen Europe's civil SOS infrastructure, which will include the medical aerial evacuation of disaster victims, was adopted by the Commission on 20 December and Europe's 27 member states now have until 13 May to signal their willingness to sign up to the new guidelines supporting the future rapid reaction force.A senior EC source said that the latest effort to provide the most rapid and effective emergency response possible involved essentially developing a standardised technical framework with individual modules determining structure, resource and minimum capability requirements for any member state wanting to assist.
The Commission has been working with member states over the last two years primarily to define the areas where modules would be useful, meeting with experts and well-informed specialists to define a common framework, he said.The modules that have been developed all rely really on the type of pre-existing national resources offered on a voluntary basis by EU member states and so they're not so very different from what member states organise already.Modules, however, will also feature an outline of the necessary training in order for participating member states effectively to become interoperational with other EU nations' firefighting efforts and, furthermore, equivalent emergency modules. Another new feature of the standardised approach will be that aerial firefighting modules involving EU helicopters and aircraft will not only become interoperable but also capable of operating outside the European Union.There is no obligation for participation, however. There could even be joint modules featuring co-operation between member states, similar in many ways to the existing co-operation in firefighting between France, Italy and Spain, said the source.
The EC Community Protection Mechanism budget has tripled in the last year. Annual spend will rise to €30 million ($44 million) by 2013 as part of the six-year €200 million initiative, with the European Parliament understood to be ready to vote for additional budgetary resources targeted at firefighting.The added value with the new module approach is that, as well as a lot more resources going into community protection, it will also improve co-ordination, essentially through training, exercises, technical workshops where common procedures will be defined, he said, adding that an area of special focus would be ground to air communications and how their effectiveness may be compromised by language and equipment factors.The interoperability of a unified EU firefighting force will be tested this summer when FireFour, an EC pilot project led by France with the participation of Italy, Spain and Portugal, will run a full-scale joint earthquake and firefighting exercise.
Aerial forest firefighting module using helicopters
Capacity Three helicopters with a capacity of 1,000 litres (264USgal) each.
Ability to perform continuous operations.
Main components Three helicopters with crew, to guarantee that at least two helicopters are operational at any time.
Technical staff.
4 water buckets or 3 releasing kids.
1 maintenance set.
1 spare parts set.
2 rescue hoists.
Communication equipment.
Deployment Within maximum 3 hours
Aerial forest firefighting module using aircraft
Capacity Two aircraft with a capacity of 3,000 litres each
Ability to perform continuous operations.
Main components Two aircraft.
Three crews.
Technical staff.
Field maintenance kit.
Communication equipment.
Deployment Within maximum 3 hours
Medical aerial evacuation of disaster victims
Capacity Capacity to transport 50 patients every 24 hours.
Ability to fly day and night.
Main components Helicopters/aircraft with stretchers.
Deployment Within maximum 12 hours
Debate on EU Reform Treaty referendum gets underway
Saturday, January 05, 2008
The debate over the new EU Reform Treaty referendum is underway.
Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche says we must vote yes or else the progress of Europe will be restricted.Mr Roche Ireland either allows the EU to reform its decision making procedures or else it will just stagnate.The Anti-Treaty Organisation Libertas says such claims by the Government are nonsense.The referendum on the new treaty is expected to take place some time this summer.
Highlights of Bush's trip to the Mideast
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Last update: January 5, 2008 - 10:53 AM
Highlights of President Bush's upcoming trip to the Middle East, according to the planned schedule as outlined by the White House:
Jan. 9
Arrives in Israel. Meets with Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and president, Shimon Peres.
Jan. 10
Visits the West Bank to meet with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and prime minister, Salam Fayyad, at their headquarters in Ramallah.
Jan. 11
In Israel to meet with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Lays a wreath at the Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. Travels to Kuwait to meet with the emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.
Jan. 12
In Kuwait to meet with U.S. troops at Camp Arifjan and receive updates on the situation in Iraq from the top U.S. commander, Gen. David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. He also meets with Kuwaiti women. Travels to Bahrain to meet with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
Jan. 13
Visits the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain. Travels to the United Arab Emirates to meet with the president, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and gives a speech in Abu Dhabi on freedom in the region.
Jan. 14
Visits Dubai and then travels to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah.
Jan. 15
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for meetings.
Jan. 16
In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet with President Hosni Mubarak before returning to Washington.
Interview of President Bush by Hisham Bourar, al Hurra TV
Contact: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 202-456-2580
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following text is of an interview of President Bush by Hisham Bourar of al Hurra TV:
Map Room January 4, 2008 4:22 P.M. EST
Q Thank you, Mr. President, for taking the time to do this interview on Al Hurra TV. Big trip to the Middle East. What are your objectives, and why now?
THE PRESIDENT: Now because I believe that it's possible to advance the Annapolis agenda; now because I believe it's just going to be -- that it will be a chance to be effective on my trip. I'm going to advance three things: one, the vision of two states, Palestinian-Israel, living side by side in peace; two, to convince our friends and allies in the region that it is in their interest to support the peace process; and three is to remind people that the United States is committed to helping secure the region, that we have a active presence in the Middle East and that presence is not going to wane, that we're committed to helping people realize -- deal with the threats and the problems of the 21st century.
Q What can you do, personally, to press both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to reach an agreement this year?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, the agreement -- they must decide they want to reach agreement. In other words -- and so the first thing I can do is to make sure there's a sincere desire on the parts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert to achieve an agreement. I believe that desire exists. The Annapolis Conference was a success because they wanted it to be a success. And it's to give them confidence and encourage them to come up with what a state will look like, to define that state so that people there in the region can have hope that this kind of a longtime conflict will finally come to an end, and the first step is the definition of a state.
I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands. And so I'm -- I will go to encourage them to stay focused on the big picture. There's going to be all kinds of distractions, and people will be trying to throw up roadblocks and people will be trying to cause these gentlemen to -- not to -- lose sight of what's possible. And my job is to help them keep a vision on what is possible.
Q Do you still believe that your vision of a Palestinian state can be achieved before you leave office?
THE PRESIDENT: I think the outlines, the definition of a state can be achieved. The implementation of a state will be subject to a road map. In other words, there's a lot of work that has to be done. Palestinian security forces have to be reformed -- which we're helping with, by the way. The entrepreneurial class of people has to be encouraged with new capital. The institutions of government need to be strengthened. And so the state will come into being, subject to, but the first step is to -- here's what a state will look like. And I believe we can get that done by the time I leave office.
Q Will you be asking Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, to normalize relations with Israel?
THE PRESIDENT: I'll be reminding the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, that in order for this to be successful, in order for this process to work, there has to be strong support for both the Palestinians and the Israelis in the neighborhood. And that's why the Annapolis Conference -- another reason it was an important conference, because in that room were -- my friend, the King of Saudi Arabia, kindly sent his Foreign Minister to that Annapolis meeting. I thought it was a strong signal. And so both sides are going to need to know that they'll have support from the neighborhood.
Q Recently there has been some rapprochement between Gulf countries and Iran. Do you feel that the last NIE report makes it difficult for you to convince these countries that Iran still poses a threat to national security?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm sure this subject will come up, and I will remind them that the NIE said that, one, Iran had a military covert program. They suspended the program. I will also remind them that a regime that once had a program could easily start the program up again, and that the key ingredients to having a weapons program is, one, the capacity to enrich uranium; secondly, the ability to take that uranium and make a bomb; and thirdly, the ability to deliver the bomb by rockets.
Well, the rocket program still exists. As you know, they say they, only for civilian purposes, they're learning to enrich. Well, if you can learn to enrich for civilian purposes, you can easily transfer that knowledge to military purposes. And therefore, Iran is a threat. And so that will be my message.And my other message will be, we've got a strategy to deal with it, and that is to prevent them from learning how to enrich. And I'll explain to them the different types of sanctions and international efforts we're making, and how they can help, as well.
Q Recent visits to Damascus by U.S. lawmakers, like a recent one by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican, and Senator Kennedy, do they help or undermine your position toward Syria?
THE PRESIDENT: That's an interesting question. I don't know. But President Assad must understand that if he wants better relations with the United States -- and frankly, better relations in the region -- the first thing he's got to do is stop interfering in the Lebanese presidential process. And I would hope that those representatives sent that message to President Assad.
I don't know how he interprets these meetings, but one thing he can't be mistaken about is the position of the U.S. government, the White House. And our position is, is that you can have better relations, a better way forward with the United States, but you have got to get out of Lebanon, in terms of the presidential elections, and stop harboring Hamas, stop letting suiciders go into Iraq, and there's a better way forward.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
EU TRUCE OFFERED TO HAMAS
Hamas: We spurned European truce offer By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 4, 5:02 PM ET
DAMASCUS, Syria - The exiled leader of Hamas said Friday the militant Palestinian group rejected a European offer for an indirect meeting with Israelis to discuss a possible truce, adding Palestinians have no choice other than resistance.Speaking at a rally in Damascus marking Hamas' 20th anniversary, Khaled Mashaal also called on moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah movement, to hold unconditional talks with Hamas.
Mashaal also said that some Europeans have offered us to meet indirectly with Israelis to discuss a truce and we told them no and one thousand no's. He did not say what European country made the offer.On Monday, Abbas took a conciliatory tone toward his Hamas rivals in a major policy speech, calling for a new page in relations between the bitter enemies. Fatah and Hamas have been at odds since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006. Those differences boiled over into open warfare that peaked with Hamas' driving Fatah out of Gaza in June.Mashaal said that Abbas' Palestinian authority has made reconciliation talks conditional on a number of concessions from Hamas including an apology.
We are ready for a dialogue without conditions. Our hands are extended and all matters should be put on the table including elections, Mashaal said.He also made it clear that Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas-linked militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006, will not be released without the freedom of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.The matter of the prisoners bloodies our heart, Mashaal said, adding that Gilad Shalit will not be released unless our prisoners are released. He did not give further details.Mashaal said that a recent U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md., had not stopped the building of settlements in Palestinian territories nor improved the lives of Palestinians, noting that 560 Israeli checkpoints are still in place.He added that this leaves his people with no choice but to fight.
Give our people another alternative. As long as the horizons are closed and there are no other alternatives then there is nothing our people can do other than resistance, he said.Mashaal said that since Hamas was founded in the late 1980s, its ability to hit Israel had improved.It (Hamas) added momentum to the resistance with its special operations, whether martyrdom (suicide) operations, its performance, steadfastness or rockets, Mashaal said referring to the Israeli siege against Gaza and the group's rockets that fall on Israeli towns.
DAMASCUS, Syria - The exiled leader of Hamas said Friday the militant Palestinian group rejected a European offer for an indirect meeting with Israelis to discuss a possible truce, adding Palestinians have no choice other than resistance.Speaking at a rally in Damascus marking Hamas' 20th anniversary, Khaled Mashaal also called on moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah movement, to hold unconditional talks with Hamas.
Mashaal also said that some Europeans have offered us to meet indirectly with Israelis to discuss a truce and we told them no and one thousand no's. He did not say what European country made the offer.On Monday, Abbas took a conciliatory tone toward his Hamas rivals in a major policy speech, calling for a new page in relations between the bitter enemies. Fatah and Hamas have been at odds since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006. Those differences boiled over into open warfare that peaked with Hamas' driving Fatah out of Gaza in June.Mashaal said that Abbas' Palestinian authority has made reconciliation talks conditional on a number of concessions from Hamas including an apology.
We are ready for a dialogue without conditions. Our hands are extended and all matters should be put on the table including elections, Mashaal said.He also made it clear that Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas-linked militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006, will not be released without the freedom of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.The matter of the prisoners bloodies our heart, Mashaal said, adding that Gilad Shalit will not be released unless our prisoners are released. He did not give further details.Mashaal said that a recent U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md., had not stopped the building of settlements in Palestinian territories nor improved the lives of Palestinians, noting that 560 Israeli checkpoints are still in place.He added that this leaves his people with no choice but to fight.
Give our people another alternative. As long as the horizons are closed and there are no other alternatives then there is nothing our people can do other than resistance, he said.Mashaal said that since Hamas was founded in the late 1980s, its ability to hit Israel had improved.It (Hamas) added momentum to the resistance with its special operations, whether martyrdom (suicide) operations, its performance, steadfastness or rockets, Mashaal said referring to the Israeli siege against Gaza and the group's rockets that fall on Israeli towns.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
2008 A FINE DISASTEROUS START
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.
More than 1M lose power in Calif. storm By SAMANTHA YOUNG, Associated Press Writer JAN 04,08
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Howling winds, pelting rain and heavy snow pummeled California on Friday, toppling trees, flipping big rigs, cutting power to more than a million people and forcing evacuations in mudslide-prone areas. Flights were grounded and highways closed in Northern California as gusts reached 80 mph during the second wave of an arctic storm that sent trees crashing onto houses, cars and roads. Forecasters expected the storm to dump as much as 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada by Sunday.The heavy snow was slowing search efforts for a family believed to be missing in the mountains, authorities said.Highways from Sacramento to San Francisco were closed because of debris or toppled big rigs blocking lanes, and local roads were flooded. Interstate 80 was closed in the Sierra, the main link between Northern California and Nevada.A huge tree, over 100 years old, just fell across the house. It just wrecked the whole thing, said Faye Reed, whose daughter Teenia owns the damaged home north of Sacramento. They won't be able to live in it. The whole ceiling fell in, and now it's raining inside.
More than a million people from the Bay Area to the Central Valley were in the dark. Crews worked to restore power, but it could be days before all the lights are on, said Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Darlene Chiu.In Southern California, authorities in Orange County ordered an estimated 3,000 residents to evacuate homes in four canyons scarred by wildfires and therefore prone to mudslides.It's too late once the rain starts. These areas are extremely vulnerable. You're risking your life and your family's life fundamentally by ignoring orders, said Steve Sellers of the governor's Office of Emergency Services.Riverside and San Bernardino counties, east of Los Angeles, deployed swift-water rescue teams in case torrential rains bring flash floods and mudslides. The state opened its emergency operations center Friday morning to coordinate storm response, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff by phone.Preparation is really the heart of this whole thing, Schwarzenegger said after touring the state emergency operation center at the Los Alamitos Joint Training Base. Homeowners in Southern California stacked sandbags and hay bales around their homes while residents in the low-lying areas of the Central Valley piled sandbags to barricade their homes from streams that forecasters warned might swell.Yosemite National Park rangers and sheriff's deputies combed the Sierra foothills and mountain snow camps Friday afternoon searching for a Clovis man and his two children, said Clovis police spokeswoman Janet Stoll-Lee.
John Hopper, 64, a volunteer chaplain with the Clovis police, left town Thursday morning with his 15-year-old twins, Matt and Sarah, to go play in the snow, Stoll-Lee said.The family didn't give any indication of where they were heading, and law enforcers heard they were missing only when Hopper's ex-wife reported they hadn't returned late Thursday, she said.Travelers' flight plans were put on hold when airlines delayed or canceled flights in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. The state Legislature in Sacramento closed offices and sent employees home early.A wind gust of 125 mph was recorded in the Sierra on Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.The huge storm also toppled trees and cut power to thousands of residents in Washington and Oregon.Meanwhile, a freeze in the East subsided. Florida's citrus growers weathered the cold largely unscathed, but strawberry and tomato growers watched as some of their crops shriveled. A serious freeze would have devastated Florida's citrus trees, already struggling from years of diseases and hurricanes. A better picture of crop damage could come Monday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a weekly progress report. At Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, iguanas fell out of trees Thursday. The cold-blooded reptiles go into a sort of hibernation when temperatures get too low, even if they are perched in branches. Most woke up when the weather warmed later in the day.
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Orange County; Don Thompson in Sacramento; Garance Burke in Fresno; Scott Sonner and Sandra Chereb in Reno, Nev.; and Anthony McCartney in Tampa, Fla.
Floods ravage southern Africa Fri Jan 4, 10:52 AM
Floods are ravaging southern Africa, washing away thousands of homes, damaging crops and leaving people stranded on rooftops.In Mozambique on Friday, authorities put the country on high alert, as flood waters threatened the homes of more than 55,000 people.
The main road between Mozambique and neighbouring Zimbabwe has already been cut off by rising waters and rescue workers have been retrieving people from rooftops and trees.Mozambique government official Lucas Chomera said 13,000 people have been evacuated from critical areas in Mozambique and moved to government shelters or higher ground.Chomera said the floods are the result of a rainy season that began earlier than usual in the south and central areas of the country. He said some areas received six months worth of rain in October and November.
Zimbabwe, Zambia hit hard
Severe flooding is also affecting Zimbabwe and Zambia, where at least 21 people have been killed and thousands left homeless in the past month, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported Friday.Thousands of homes near Harare, in Zimbabwe, have been washed away and the Red Cross is warning that an outbreak of malaria and cholera is possible.Meanwhile, the floods are taking an economic toll in Zimbabwe, as livestock are being killed by high waters and agricultural specialists say the rain is causing crops to show signs of nitrogen deficiency, the BBC reported.In southern Zambia, the Magoye River burst its banks, flooding homes and farmland and displacing about 1,000 families. With files from the Associated Press
Heavy snow paralyzes parts of Bulgaria, Romania; 3 dead as ship sinks Thu Jan 3, 12:21 PMBy Veselin Toshkov, The Associated Press
SOFIA, Bulgaria - A bitterly cold winter storm swept parts of Europe on Thursday. At least thee seamen died when a Bulgarian ship sank in rough waters at while approaching the Black Sea, while heavy, drifting snow stranded thousands at airports, on mountain roads and in remote villages. Forecasters said temperatures fell to -20 Celsius, while snow drifts were up to two metres deep. Authorities in northeastern Bulgaria declared a state of emergency, with the army called in to help civil defence officials clear roads and reach stranded motorists. The nasty weather also caused problems in neighbouring Romania, where Bucharest's two main airports were closed. Parts of Turkey and Greece, as well as Western Europe, were also affected. Some 311 Bulgarian villages were left without electricity and dozens were cut off without food supplies or fresh water, authorities said.
The northern Danube municipality of Ruse declared a state of emergency after heavy snow blocked many roads, said Andrei Ivanov, chief of the Balkan country's civil defence service. At least three crewmen were killed when a Bulgarian ship carrying scrap metal sank during a storm on the Azov Sea between Ukraine and Russia, officials said. The Vanessa was carrying a crew of 10 and a Ukrainian pilot who was guiding the ship as it approached the Kerch Strait, which connects the Azov Sea to the Black Sea, said Sergei Petrov, a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry for southern Russia. Rescuers pulled one survivor and three bodies from the sea, where waves were as high as three metres, Petrov said. Thousands of passengers were stranded in Romania after Bucharest's two main airports were closed due to heavy snowfall. The snow also blocked many roads in the south, forcing the closure of at least one border crossing with Bulgaria and prompting train delays. In Turkey's capital of Ankara, snow caused traffic jams and accidents, but no injuries were reported. Temperatures in Greece fell to -18 in the north of the country, where snow blanketed roads. In Western Europe, ice and snow disrupted traffic. The Mont-Blanc tunnel linking France and Italy was closed to trucks until Friday because sharp temperature differences between the two sides threatened to disrupt the tunnel's ventilation, traffic authorities said.
A Boeing 737 arriving from Marrakech, Morocco, slid off an icy runway at an airport in Deauville, northern France, airport authorities said. The plane, operated by Atlas Blue, came to a halt in grass. The 169 passengers were evacuated unharmed.
Atlantic Canada storms leave snowblowers, shovels and salt in short supply Fri Jan 4, 3:52 PMBy Chris Morris, The Canadian Press
FREDERICTON - Many Atlantic Canadians have been caught with their long johns down as they search for ways to move the mountains of snow dumped on the region in recent days. Successive low-snow winters and the looming threat of global warming have led some in the region, including hardware retailers, to assume that the old-fashioned, deep-snow winter was a thing of the past. Now, with snowbanks piled as high as street lamps in some parts of Atlantic Canada, people are discovering to their horror they have a better chance buying a lawnmower than they do a snowblower. Shovels and salt also are in short supply in many parts of the region. Two years ago, a lot of companies got stung because we ordered up snowblowers and we didn't get snow, Al Pollard, who manages a Canadian Tire store in Fredericton, said Friday. Hindsight is a great thing ... We wish we had ordered more this year. We could have sold an extra 100 snowblowers by now.And although winter is just starting, retailers don't know when, or even if, they will be able to get any more snowblowers this season. With heavy snowfalls across the country, there doesn't appear to be sufficient supply for the demand. We've had an extremely busy season with regards to snowblowers and shovels, said Laurie Wood of the Home Depot in Moncton, N.B., which is buried under at least 165 centimetres of snow. We've more than doubled our sales of snowblowers from last year. We have sold out a couple of times . . .They sell out within a day or two at most and we could still sell more if we could get them.
It's the same story in St. John's, Nfld., where consumers are being told they have a snowball's chance in hell of buying a snowblower. With the mainland getting hit, we usually find we're in a crunch. They buy up everything the warehouse has up there, Jennifer Keeping, a manager at a Canadian Tire store told The St. John's Telegram. And it's not just snowblowers that are flying out the door. On Saturday, we had brought in 100 snow scoops and by Sunday, we were sold out, Pollard said. We can't keep shovels in the store.In Nova Scotia, the big demand is for salt, and some stores say it could be at least a week before they have any to sell. Halifax stores are either out of safety salt or can't keep it in stock, leaving many homeowners slipping on ice-encrusted steps and driveways. Dartmouth resident Jeff Aucoin has to escort his two young children and very pregnant wife to and from the car to make sure no one falls. So far, he's the only one who has gone down.
It's killing me, Aucoin said. My driveway, stairs and walkway are completely frozen. They're literally entirely ice. It's very dangerous. Aucoin recently checked every service station in his neighbourhood and half-a-dozen big-box stores in search of salt, only to come up empty-handed. There were a couple places that sort of laughed at me, thinking I might be able to find some salt at this point, he said. All four Atlantic provinces have received above average snowfalls in the past few weeks. Halifax had 16 snowfalls in November and December, up from seven in 2006. So far, the St. John's area has had 135 centimetres of snow, with a good portion of it coming during the final week of December. It was the third highest accumulation for December since record keeping started at the St. John's airport in 1942. Prince Edward Island is just centimetres away from having as much snow on the ground now as it did all last winter. Since November, the Island has received 194 centimetres of snow - three centimetres short of last year's total of 197 centimetres.
Big West storm, big East warm up Wayne Verno
Fri Jan 4, 10:35 AM ET
West
A series of storm systems will impact the entire West through this weekend and into the upcoming week featuring heavy rain, heavy snow and damaging winds. A particularly strong, Friday-through-Saturday storm is blasting into the West Coast. Rain totals in the coastal mountains of California could locally reach one foot with flooding and mudslides likely. Rainfall up to an inch or two will hit western Washington and western Oregon. Snow totals will range from a foot for the Cascades to up to locally 12 feet of snow for the highest elevations of the Sierra. Strong, damaging winds will also impact the western States into the weekend, creating blizzard conditions in the mountains. The potential for heavy rain and snow plus strong winds will continue Saturday and Sunday, reaching all the way into southern California while spreading across the interior West and Rockies. For more specific details on the western storm weather, please see Storm Watch. A new strong windy storm will hit Washington, Oregon and northern California Tuesday.
South
After another chilly start this morning over Southeastern States, temperatures will recover from the recent cold snap, as high pressure slides east of the area, taking the cold air mass with it. Afternoon temperatures will be milder today, with highs reaching into the 40s over the Tennessee Valley, 50s along the Gulf Coast, and 60s over Texas and Florida. Saturday, a weak weather disturbance will slide through the Tennessee valley, resulting in a few light rain showers; otherwise, dry conditions will generally prevail over the Deep South. By Sunday temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees above average over the Southeast and Florida, and 15 to 25 degrees above average over Texas and the southern Plains. A slow-moving cold front will advance west to east across the southern states Monday through Wednesday with a band of heavy rain and thunderstorms accompanying it.
Northeast
With high pressure well south and east of the area, much milder air is now beginning to infiltrate the Northeast. In fact, some interior sections of the New England States had slowly rising temperatures early this morning. Increasing southwesterly flow will allow highs to reach into the 30s to around 40 across the Mid-Atlantic with 20s confined to northern New England. Saturday and Sunday highs will range from the 30s north to near 50 south. These readings will be 5 to 15 degrees above average by Sunday and even warmer air will arrive by early next week. Also on Saturday and Sunday, with the milder air, some light rain showers or sprinkles will move across the area, as a weak weather disturbance moves across the area. There could be a little light freezing drizzle over interior New England early on Sunday. A strong windy storm will bring rain to the Northeast Wednesday and early Thursday.
Midwest
High pressure moving east of the area will continue to increase southwesterly flow from the central Plains, into the Midwest. Gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph will develop today from Kansas City to Minneapolis, to Chicago. Temperatures will be running 10 to 20 degrees above average over the Dakotas today, spreading to the Great Lakes, Midwest, and central Plains by Saturday. Additionally, this increasing southwesterly flow will bring some moisture into the Midwest and Great Lakes on Saturday, which could start as a little icy mix early in the day. Scattered light rain showers will follow into Sunday. The combination of the warmer temperatures, snow melt, and ice breakup, movement and possible jamming on area streams and rivers, could lead to some localized flooding into the weekend over the Midwest and western Great Lakes. The big warm up will continue into early week. Temperatures will be 20 to 30 degrees warmer over the next few days. A storm and cold front will move across the region Monday to Wednesday with rain, thunderstorms, warm temperatures and gusty winds ahead of it and some snow plus colder temperatures in the wake of the system.
Chile rescues 54 people after volcano eruption
Wed Jan 2, 2008 By Antonio de la Jara
SANTIAGO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Rescue workers evacuated 54 tourists and staff from a Chilean wilderness park on Wednesday after one of the country's largest volcanoes erupted, spewing ash and molten lava.There were no reports of injuries or damage, but dozens of tourists were evacuated from the base of the Llaima volcano after it erupted on Tuesday evening .The 54 people rescued had been stranded overnight after a local river swelled with meltwater and cut off road access.Army personnel evacuated 43 people this morning who remained in the Conguillio National Park. Another 11 people, park personnel and their family members, were also evacuated, the National Emergency Office said in a statement.The volcano was calmer by Wednesday afternoon but Chile's deputy interior minister Felipe Harboe said further eruptions were possible.At this moment I would recommend against tourism in the area, said Carmen Fernandez, the emergency agency's director.
The eruptions on Tuesday sent lava spewing down the 10,253-foot (3,125-meter) volcano's east side and shot a column of ash and smoke into the air that forced air traffic to be diverted in neighboring Argentina.Chile's geological service said abnormal seismic activity had also been registered around another volcano, Puyehue, to the south of Llaima.Military ground vehicles had to be used in the rescue around LLaima because heavy fog prevented the use of helicopters.The surrounding Conguillio National Park, about 50 miles (8o km) from the city of Temuco, was closed off to visitors on Wednesday and authorities told curious tourists not to get too close.Llaima is one of Chile's most active volcanoes and is in the Araucania region in southern Chile, about 435 miles (700 km) south of the capital Santiago.Before the eruption, people in the towns closest to the volcano said they heard loud underground noises.Chile is home to the world's second largest and second most active chain of volcanoes, after Indonesia. (Reporting by Pav Jordan, Rodrigo Martinez and Antonio de la Jara; Editing by Kieran Murray)
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Israel reports new bird flu outbreak in poultry
JAN 03,08
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel announced on Thursday that it had detected the H5N1 strain of bird flu that is dangerous to humans in poultry near a kindergarten in a northern town on the Mediterranean coast.The agriculture ministry said 18 contaminated birds had been found dead in a pets' corner near a kindergarten in the town of Binyamina.A series of tests had confimed that the fowl died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, a ministry statement said, adding that a situation room had been set up to try to prevent the spread of the virus.The ministry ordered the culling of all fowl in a three-kilometre (two-mile) radius of the contaminated area in Binyamina, north of Tel Aviv, as a precaution.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
NOAA confirms start of new sunspot cycle Fri Jan 4, 4:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON - A new solar cycle is under way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the first sunspot of a new 11-year cycle has appeared in the sun's northern hemisphere. The frequency of sunspots rises and falls during these cycles, and the start of a new cycle indicates they are likely to begin increasing.Sunspots, areas of intense magnetic activity on the sun, can affect Earth by disrupting electrical grids, airline and military communications, GPS signals and even cell phones, the agency said. During periods of intense sunspot activity, known as solar storms, highly charged radiation from the sun may head toward Earth.Our growing dependence on highly sophisticated, space-based technologies means we are far more vulnerable to space weather today than in the past, said NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.Last April an international panel of solar experts forecast that Solar Cycle 24 would start in March 2008, plus or minus six months. The panel was split between those predicting a strong or weak cycle.
Britain: 2008 may be among hottest years By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 4, 5:05 PM ET
LONDON - This year is forecast to be among the top 10 hottest years on record, Britain's weather office said Thursday, despite a strong cooling effect predicted from the tropical weather phenomenon known as La Nina. The global surface temperature in 2008 will rise 0.67 degrees above what climate scientists call the long-term average of 57.2 degrees, the Met Office said. The average is derived by calculating the mean of surface temperatures registered globally between 1961 and 1990.That would be enough to have it rank among the hottest years on record, although the Met Office said would be unlikely to beat the current warmest year of 1998, which was 0.94 degrees above the long-term average.The Met Office said a powerful La Nina, the name given to the upwelling of large areas of cold water in the tropical Pacific Ocean, would probably keep 2008's temperature from breaking the global record.
But it said the underlying trend of higher and higher temperatures, which scientists say indicates global warming, was likely to continue.Phenomena such as El Nino and La Nina have a significant influence on global surface temperature and the current strong La Nina will act to limit temperatures in 2008, said Chris Folland, a climate scientist at the Met Office's Hadley Center in Exeter, southwest England. Sharply renewed warming is likely once La Nina declines.The Met Office said the world's hottest years on record were 1995, 1997, 1998, and every year since 2000. Its global temperature records stretch back to 1850.
On the Net:Met Office: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
Stocks sink on jobs data; tech plummets By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer Fri Jan 4, 6:12 PM ET
NEW YORK - Wall Street fell sharply Friday after the government's much-anticipated employment report showed weaker-than-expected job growth and a rise in the unemployment rate. The Nasdaq composite index, also pummeled by a downgrade of Intel Corp., skidded more than 3.5 percent, while the Dow Jones industrials fell more than 1.5 percent. The Labor Department's report that employers raised payrolls by only 18,000 and that the nation's unemployment rate rose to its highest level since November 2005 unnerved investors, who worried that a weakening job market will hurt consumer spending and tip the economy toward recession.A better-than-expected reading on the nation's service economy briefly pulled stocks off their lows but wasn't enough to shake investors' concerns.Investors had been awaiting the jobs report for weeks as they tried to determine whether the economy would continue to benefit from robust consumer spending even as sectors like home construction, mortgage writing and manufacturing slow. Wall Street is concerned that areas of weakness could puncture growth if consumers can't depend on a solid job market.Manufacturers, construction companies and financial services companies all cut jobs during the month amid an anemic housing market. Retailers also made reductions.
The December report showed employers added the fewest jobs to their payrolls since August 2003. Economists had predicted much stronger growth and an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent. Instead, unemployment climbed to 5 percent in December from 4.7 percent in November. While 5 percent unemployment is still considered good by historical standards, the increase from November clearly made some investors nervous.It's a scary number, no question about it. No matter how good you wanted to feel about the economy averting a recession, there is far less conviction than even two or three days ago, said Joe Balestrino, senior portfolio manager at Federated Investors.The technology-focused Nasdaq fell for the sixth straight session and showed its steepest percentage decline since a market pullback on Feb. 27 last year. The Nasdaq declined 98.03, or 3.77 percent, to 2,504.65, in part after the downgrade of Intel, but also because its smaller-capitalization components are seen as more vulnerable in an economic slowdown.For 2008, the Nasdaq is down 5.57; in all of 2007, the index rose 9.81 percent.
The Dow fell 256.54, or 1.96 percent, to 12,800.18, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 35.53, or 2.46 percent, to 1,411.63.It was the steepest point drop for the Dow and the S&P 500 since Dec. 11. In 2008, the Dow is off 3.5 percent and the S&P is down 3.86 percent.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 23.41, or 3.14 percent, to 721.60 and hit a fresh 52-week low.Declining issues outnumbered advancers by more than 3 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 4.05 billion shares, compared with 3.30 billion traded Thursday.Bond prices rose as investors sought the safety of government-backed debt after the employment reading. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.87 percent from 3.89 percent late Thursday.A Federal Reserve announcement Friday that it is ramping up the amount of cash available to banks through a new auction process did little to calm the markets. After two auctions of $20 billion each, the Fed has now scheduled auctions Jan. 14 and Jan. 28 at $30 billion each.The dollar was mixed against other major currencies. Gold prices, which have risen to nearly 30-year highs in recent days, declined.Light, sweet crude fell $1.27 to settle at $97.91 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil touched $100 per barrel this week for the first time, stirring concerns about inflation.The employment figures overshadowed a report from the Institute for Supply Management, a business group, which said its December index of non-manufacturing activity showed the nation's service sector grew in December. However, the pace was slightly slower than in November and the index fell to 53.9 in December from 54.1 the prior month. Analysts had expected a deeper decline.
It's been a difficult start to 2008 on Wall Street. After selling off in the final session of last year on Monday, investors spent the first three sessions of the new year absorbing a weaker-than-expected reading on the manufacturing sector, oil that reached $100a barrel and Friday's dismal employment numbers. It's hard to point to any piece of data in recent weeks that makes you feel comfortable, said Balestrino, noting that many bullish investors had hoped a strong jobs picture would lift Wall Street's mood. This the one piece that was holding up pretty well and now it's showing some weakness as well, he said. In our business it's not the absolute number, it's the direction of the number and especially the direction versus the expectations.In corporate news, a JPMorgan analyst lowered his rating on Intel to neutral from overweight, citing a drop in chip orders from computer manufacturers during the fourth quarter and high inventories. Intel, one of the 30 stocks that comprise the Dow industrials, fell $2, or 8.1 percent, to $22.67. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell sharply, finishing down 4.03 percent to its lowest level since July 2006 after being closed since the previous Friday for holidays. The pullback followed uncertainty on Wall Street about the U.S. economy and rising oil prices. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 2.02 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.26 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.79 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the week down 565.69, or 4.23 percent, at 12,800.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished down 66.86, or 4.52 percent, at 1,411.63. The Nasdaq composite index ended down 169.81, or 6.35 percent, at 2,504.65. The Russell 2000 index finished the week down 50.16, or 6.50 percent, at 721.60. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index — a free-float weighted index that measures 5,000 U.S. based companies — ended Friday at 14,210.84, down 700.79 points, or 4.70 percent, for the week. A year ago, the index was at 14,269.90.
Spain's fast-living king turns 70
As King Juan Carlos turns 70, the BBC's Steve Kingstone in Madrid profiles the much-admired - and occasionally controversial - monarch. There seems to be little slackening of the pace for Juan Carlos There was no pipe and slippers for this grandfather over Christmas. Instead, just days shy of his 70th birthday, King Juan Carlos paid a surprise New Year's Eve visit to Spanish soldiers serving at a base in Afghanistan. The visit was typical of a king who has always taken pride in an action-man image. A love of skiing, sailing, karate, fast cars, motorbikes and helicopters figure prominently on the royal CV. Getting old quietly does not.
How many other reigning monarchs would publicly tell Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez to shut up, as Juan Carlos did during last November's Ibero-American summit in Chile?
Ringtone hit
Many Spaniards applauded him. Their king had slapped down the combative Venezuelan on the world stage, and audio of the royal outburst quickly became a dance remix and a best-selling ringtone. Sure, what he said to Chavez wasn't very regal; but he reacted viscerally when provoked, as all Spaniards do
Royal watcher Jaime Penafiel
His majesty is a formidable personality but nice with it, says Jaime Penafiel, a veteran royal watcher and former editor of Hola magazine. Sure, what he said to Chavez wasn't very regal; but he reacted viscerally when provoked, as all Spaniards do.Juan Carlos de Borbon was born in Rome on 5 January 1938. His grandfather, King Alfonso XIII, had fled Madrid seven years earlier, and civil war was raging in Spain. The victorious general, Francisco Franco, would ensure that Spain remained monarch-free throughout his four-decade dictatorship.
Franco's protege
At the age of 10, Juanito was sent to Madrid, where he was educated under the eagle eye of Franco, who saw the boy as a more suitable and malleable successor than his exiled father, Don Juan.
Juan Carlos and his young family in 1975, the year of Franco's death. On Franco's death in November 1975, the newly crowned King Juan Carlos - then aged 37 - swore allegiance to the principles of his apparent mentor. But the young king's place in history would lie in the speed and courage with which he helped dismantle the Francoist state. In 1976 Juan Carlos chose as his prime minister Adolfo Suarez, a reformer who would lead the transition to democracy. A year later, the king supported the legalisation of the Spanish Communist Party, while in 1981 he would famously defend Spain's infant democracy during an attempted coup by army officers. There's a deep-rooted feeling of gratitude for the king's role in the transition to democracy, explains Charles Powell, a historian and royal biographer.
Juan Carlos rejected a 1981 coup attempt
Polls show that he is the individual to whom democratisation is most closely attributed, and the sense of gratitude cuts across class and ideological lines.So much so that, in May 2007, the king was voted the greatest Spaniard of all time in a poll run by the Antenna 3 television channel. He beat the writer, Miguel Cervantes, into second place, with Franco 23rd on the list.
Under attack
But over the past 12 months there have been rumblings of a debate about the relevance and value of the monarchy to 21st-Century Spain. A sizeable tremor struck last September, when Catalan students publicly burned photographs of Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. They viewed the king as the symbol of an artificially created Spanish state, and a conviction for insulting the monarchy gave publicity to their cause. The episode led to a rare political intervention by the king who, during a university speech, defended the parliamentary monarchy forged after the death of Franco. But the king was also being targeted from the right - notably by the outspoken Catholic radio commentator, Federico Jimenez Losantos, who called on Juan Carlos to abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Felipe.
Royal future
There is little hard evidence of any widespread republican sentiment. In one recent poll, 69% of respondents said a parliamentary monarchy was the ideal political system for Spain, while 22% preferred a republic. Nonetheless, November's Hugo Chavez encounter - although admired by many Spaniards - added to the sense of an annus horribilis for Juan Carlos.
The crown prince seems to live in the shadow of his father
The incident caused some diplomatic embarrassment for the government, and raised questions about the king's advancing years.
The biggest challenge ahead is the succession, explains Mr Powell.
Juan Carlos will always remain popular because of his vital role in the past, but the question is how can he transfer some of that capital to Prince Felipe? Royal watchers say there is little prospect of Juan Carlos abdicating, which leaves Crown Prince Felipe - approaching his 40th birthday - in a difficult position.
Much like Britain's Prince Charles, Felipe has sought to make his mark on topical issues such as the environment and immigration; but he remains essentially in the shadow of his more popular father.
The veteran commentator, Jaime Penafiel, foresees turbulence ahead. We've got a monarchy, but not monarchists, he says. Spaniards are Juan Carlistas - they support the person, not the institution. And that's a risk: it remains to be seen if they'll take to Felipe.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Al-Qaida uses women as suicide attackers By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer JAN 04,08
BAGHDAD - It goes against religious taboos in Iraq to involve women in fighting, but three recent suicide bombings carried out by women could indicate insurgents are growing increasingly desperate. The female suicide attacks come as U.S.-led coalition forces are increasingly catching militants suspected of training women to become human bombs or finding evidence of efforts by al-Qaida in Iraq to recruit women, according to military records.With coalition forces pushing extremists out of former strongholds and shrinking their pool of potential recruits, the militants are being forced to come up with other methods to penetrate stiffened security measures, said Diaa Rashwan, who follows Islamic militancy for Egypt's Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.There's a sense that this is an act of desperation, said Col. Donald Bacon, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.Female suicide bombers are a small part of the insurgents' battle to force U.S. troops from Iraq and rattle Shiites from newly acquired power. Women have been responsible for 14 of 667 suicide attacks since May 2005, or 2 percent. They have caused at least 107 deaths, or 5 percent of the 2,065 people killed during this time period, according to Associated Press statistics.
But those attacks appear to be increasing.
In November and December, women carried out three suicide bombings in Diyala province, one of Iraq's most violent areas, where al-Qaida in Iraq has a stronghold. The last female suicide bombing had been in July.On Nov. 4, a woman detonated an explosives vest next to a U.S. patrol in Diyala's regional capital, Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, wounding seven U.S. troops and five Iraqis. On Dec. 7, a woman attacked the offices of a Diyala-based Sunni group fighting al-Qaida in Iraq, killing 15 people and wounding 35. Then, on Dec. 31, a bomber in Baqouba detonated her suicide vest close to a police patrol, wounding five policemen and four civilians.Devastating attacks continue in Iraq even as Iraqi casualties are down by 55 percent nationwide since June 2007, according to an AP count. American and Iraqi forces, and thousands of Sunni tribal groups who turned against al-Qaida in Iraq, have pushed the extremist group from Baghdad and Anbar province west of the capital. The al-Qaida fighters have moved into Diyala northeast of Baghdad and farther north into Mosul, 225 miles northwest of the capital.The tightening noose — at least for now — appears to be prompting the militants to turn to women attackers, Rashwan said, noting that extremist Muslim groups use women only when they see no alternative.Women should be in the last rows of fighting, he said. So to see women (suicide bombers) shows an abnormal situation — the absence of men.Women have acted as suicide bombers for other causes. The first known female suicide bomber was Sana Mheidali, a Lebanese who killed two Israeli soldiers in 1985. Female Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have carried out at least 60 suicide bombings in 24 years. Palestinian Muslim militants send out women suicide bombers, as does the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a guerrilla war since 1984 for autonomy in Turkey's southeast.
Because of Muslim cultural sensitivities, women can be excellent candidates for suicide attacks when there are no female security guards. Most Iraqis are conservative Muslims who believe physical contact is forbidden between women and men not related by blood or marriage. As a result, women are often allowed to pass through male-guarded checkpoints without being searched. In October, the U.S. Army trained 20 women to work as security guards in a Baghdad suburb after a female suicide bomber entered a nearby building without being searched.We know it's a tactic that al-Qaida in Iraq is trying to use, Bacon said.At least twice in December and once in August, al-Qaida members suspected of training women to use suicide belts were captured, the U.S. military has said. There are no military reports before August indicating suspicion of al-Qaida in Iraq training women attackers.Some female bombers appear to be motivated by revenge, like the woman who killed 15 people in Diyala province on Dec. 7. She was a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party whose two sons joined al-Qaida in Iraq and were killed by Iraqi security forces.But other women may be ideologues, just like their male counterparts, said Mohammad Hafiz, a University of Missouri professor who focuses on Muslim extremism.Still others are influenced by relatives and spouses, especially those dependent on them emotionally or materially, Hafiz said. One of them, Sajida al-Rishawi, was married to a suicide bomber. The Iraqi woman tried unsuccessfully to detonate her explosives belt in an Amman, Jordan hotel on Nov. 9. 2005. Her husband and their other accomplices succeeded in blowing themselves up, however. Three hotels were bombed, and 60 people were killed. Although use of women can be a sign of desperation, female suicide bombers also help extremist groups attract male recruits. Militants exploit the image of desperate women fighting because there aren't enough brave men, taunting would-be male suicide bombers into action, Hafiz said. Women, Hafiz said, make great propaganda.
The CARMEL ALERT Jan 4th 2008
A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying
for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.
David's Comment: Enjoy the Break, But Please Don't Stop Praying
As the Western world celebrates the New Year holidays, the pressure on Israel does not take a break. Once again the anti-Israel news media took advantage of the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem to blame Israel for the lack of holiday spirit over the last few years. No mention of the fact that all of the security measures that make it difficult to get in and out of Bethlehem are only necessary because of the incessant attempts by Muslim terrorists to infiltrate Israel and kill Jews.One of the most repeated issues by Replacement Theology poisoned Arab Christians is the massive exodus of the Christian Arab population of the Bethlehem and other West Bank areas, and of course it is implied that Israel is the cause of the exodus. However if you ask the ones who left, they will tell you they left because of the ever increasing persecution of Christian Arabs by the Muslim majority. But the anti-Semites of the world take great delight in blaming the Jews for anything and everything.
One of the favorite targets of the Israel bashers is the security fence that winds its way along the boundary that separates Israel and the so called Palestinians in the West Bank. It is true that some people are inconvenienced by the fence and in some places where the terror threat is higher, the fence becomes an unsightly wall, but it has been very effective in fulfilling the purpose for which it was built - to stop the terrorists from carrying out their cold blooded acts of murder. I was inspired to write this by an item on the local TV news a few hours ago. I wasn't quick enough to write down all of the statistics, but I can remember the first and last columns of a graph showing the number of Israelis murdered in terror attacks over the last 5 years. The first column showed that more than 400 people died in that year. The last column showed the number massively reduced to 13 for 2007. The security fence that is so hated by the liberal left-wing anti-Semites is a major contributor to the dramatic reduction in deaths of innocent Israelis.In the wake of the Annapolis Peace Summit, George Bush and Condalessa Rice have been applying even more pressure on Israel in a seriously misguided desire to appease the Muslim world. Now the spineless excuse that Israel has for a leader, has caved in to that pressure and has frozen all construction of new housing in Har Homa, Atarot, and other legitimate Israeli towns. That means that the Islamic world has succeeded to stop the restoration of Israel, temporarily at least. What other country in the world allows other countries to control where the people can or can't live ?
George Bush is due to visit Israel in a few days and Olmert and his left wing cohorts are wanting to ensure that they wont be rebuked by the US president prior to or during his visit. So as has been the case in all previous ceasfires that Israel as been manipulated in to, Israel ceases and the others continue to fire. Just a few days ago 2 young Israeli soldiers were shot dead by terrorists while enjoying a hike in the Samarian country side during some time off from their duties. Their murderers are known to be Palestinain 'policemen' associated with Fatah, the peace loving organisation headed up by the moderate Mahmud Abbas. It is this peaceful organisation that Bush and Rice expect Olmert to negotiate a peace treaty with. Pure foolishness ! Criminal leadership even ! Perhaps Olmert who is a secular Jew and who does not even believe in God has an excuse to be act against the will of the God of Israel, but George Bush, Condalessa Rice and Tony Blair all claim to be Christians have no excuse for their constant pressure on the Israeli government to divide God's Land. According to the Bible they will be held accountable. In preparation for Bush's visit posters are being placed all over Jerusalem, encouraging him to read his Bible so that he might discover that the God he claims to serve, gave all of the disputed land to the Jewish people. Praise God that, unlike most American Christians, the majority of Christians in the UK, Europe and Scandanavia are not deceived by these people who claim to be Christians and yet fight against God himself
In the interest of everyone who wants to see the Kingdom of God come, Bush should stay home. As long as he serves the purposes of Saudi Arabia and the American oil industry Bush is a menace to Israel, and his visit will only further endanger the nation of Israel and incite violence on all sides. Lets pray that something will happen in the next few days to prevent his visit.
Stay Home George !!!
The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.
Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie Silver.
Brussels praises smooth switch to euro in Cyprus and Malta
04.01.2008 - 09:21 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has praised the smooth changeover to the euro in the two newest eurozone member countries, Cyprus and Malta, while the effect on their overall inflation rates is to be evaluated later.The two Mediterranean islands switched to the common European currency on 1 January, joining 13 other EU states that use with the euro. According to an early survey by the EU executive, presented on Thursday (4 January), all available evidence suggests that the changeover operation is proceeding very smoothly and without any noteworthy incidents.The data showed that on 2 January, retailers gave change exclusively in euro in 92 percent (Cyprus) and 91 percent (Malta) of all cash transactions, although in Malta there were a few initial cases of shortage of change at retail outlets.
These shortages were particularly apparent on the very first day of the euro in the country, as banks were still closed and some customers were using up large amounts of Maltese lire banknotes to avoid having to exchange them at banks later. The commission's survey also revealed that 42 percent of Maltese had only or mostly euro banknotes, and 52 percent only or mostly euro coins in their wallets on 2 January. In Cyprus, the respective figures were 43 percent for banknotes and 46 percent for coins.When paying cash at shops, only a minority of both Cypriots (28%) and Maltese (36%) were already using the new currency but this compares favourably to the results of a similar survey conducted when Slovenia adopted the euro in 2007, when only one in five Slovene citizens (19%) paid in euro on the first working day. The local authorities also reported some queues at banks and cash dispensers in Cyprus and Malta as people were eager to exchange national cash into euro and to withdraw euro cash on the first days after the changeover. In both countries, the dual circulation period for people to use both new and old currencies will last until 31 January 2008.
Euro brings higher prices?
Prior to adopting the euro in Cyprus and Malta, EU officials called on the authorities in both countries to make sure the switchover was not exploited by speculators ready to raise prices and blame it on the new currency.The early survey shows that there were some incidences of this already, with some price hikes recorded in car parks in Malta.In comparison, the 2007 switchover to the euro in Slovenia was followed by higher prices for some services, such as restaurants and cafes.Meanwhile, figures late last year indicated a significant rise in overall consumer price inflation in the ex-Yugoslav country, with the commission predicting an average level of 3.5 percent in 2007 and 3.7 percent in 2008, compared to 2.5 percent in 2006. The jump in prices sparked fears over possible negative consequences for the public image of the single European currency and its impact. It also prompted EU officials to say they would consider this aspect more strictly when evaluating future candidates to join the eurozone.
After Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta's euro moves, Slovakia is the next in line of the 10-strong group that entered the EU in 2004 to join the single currency. It is aiming to adopt the euro on 1 January 2009.The EU executive and the European Central Bank are due to assess Slovakia's readiness to join the euro club in May, with the Slovak government openly optimistic about its prospects for fulfilling the criteria.But it is precisely predictions about future inflation rates that are causing some concerns in Bratislava, with Brussels urging more action on fiscal policy grounds to prevent price hikes following the currency changeover.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
By Yehonathan Tommer Published: 4 January 2008 1:25am
Jerusalem seeks Bush's approval for increased Defence in Gaza, West Bank.Jerusalem seeks Bush's approval for increased Defence in Gaza, West Bank
Ahead of a three day visit next week by US President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will seek an American understanding to safeguard Israel's interim military superiority and long term security interests during negotiations with the Palestinians for a final status agreement, Haaretz reported Thursday.Israel wants American approval for a free hand by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) against terrorist organisations in the West Bank and Gaza throughout the entire period of negotiations, and that arms limitations arrangements be placed on a future demilitarized Palestinian state to be equipped with an internal security police force.The intended understanding, say the Israelis, can also be a basis for the work of the American special security envoy General James Jones who has been tasked with formulating the security arrangements for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the newspaper said. It added that discussions with Administration officials on these issues began in Washington before the Annapolis summit last November.It is inconceivable that we would be prevented from continuing the extraordinary achievement against terror in the West Bank, a source told Haaretz, noting that no Israelis were killed last year inside Israeli proper and that an effective and focused offensive was being conducted in Gaza to bring quiet to the Quassam traumatised Israeli border town of Sderot.
Israel also demands unrestricted flights over Palestinian airspace and discreet monitoring of border crossings.It further proposes the deployment of an international force in the West Bank and along the problematic Philadephi Route at Rafah on the Egyptian-Gaza border and a permanent IDF trip-wire deterrence force for an extended period in the Jordan Valley.This force would be deployed, with Palestinian agreement, in times of emergency, in essential areas of the West Bank to thwart a threatened invasion from across the Jordan River.During the Clinton Administration Israel and the Palestinians reached agreement on several security issues, but the Palestinians vehemently opposed Israeli border monitoring and the deployment in the Jordan Valley of an IDF emergency force for the West Bank, Haaretz noted. Israel now wishes to reopen these demands, hoping for support from President Bush.The President will visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority between January 9-11 on the first leg of a tour to seven Middle Eastern nations. The Israeli visit will focus on evaluating the Israel-Palestinian peace process after the Annapolis Summit, as well as US policy towards the Iranian nuclear program, which Bush told the Israelis is unaffected by the recent National Intelligence Estimate.A highlight of the visit will be a tripartite meeting at a neutral site possibly at the American Consulate in East Jerusalem between Bush, Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
A meeting will also take place between Bush and Israeli President Shimon Peres to discuss joint economic and development projects between Israel, the PA, Jordan and other regional countries.Some 7,000 Israeli police will safeguard the US Presidential convoy in Jerusalem, which will be a city under siege with all the main roads leading to its downtown cordoned off to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Security measures at the King David Hotel, where Bush is being accommodated, as well as at other sites on his itinerary are likely to resemble fortresses.
EU SPAIN #11
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).
THIS GUY IS FLAT OUT WRONG. THE EU WILL BE THE WORLD SUPER POWER.
THE LAST DAYS WORLD POWERS
NORTH - RUSSIA (EZEKIEL 38+39) (DANIEL 11:40-43)
SOUTH - EGYPT (DANIEL 11:40-43)
EAST - CHINA (REVELATION 9:12-16) (DANIEL 11:44)
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION (DANIEL 7:23-25) (DANIEL 9:26-27)
Lisbon Treaty Will Not Create a European Superpower
Richard Weitz | Bio | 02 Jan 2008
World Politics Review Exclusive
This year, the leaders of the European Union likely will become preoccupied with securing ratification of the Lisbon Reform Treaty, which their heads of state and government signed on Dec. 13, 2007. The aim of the treaty is to strengthen Europe's ability to advance its internal and external objectives. Despite surface appearances, the new arrangements, if adopted, will not radically enhance Europe's status as an international security actor.The Treaty of Lisbon, also known as the Reform Treaty, aims to restructure the EU's core institutions in response to two fundamental changes in recent years. First, from April 2004 to January 2007, the EU expanded from 15 to 27 members, necessitating an overhaul of its complex and often painfully slow decision-making machinery. Second, existing EU institutions have found it difficult to manage several 21st-century foreign and security challenges -- globalization, climate change, energy shortages, and new security threats such as terrorism and regional conflicts.
EU leaders finalized the text of the Lisbon Treaty in October, after years of wrangling and the collapse of their initial efforts to adopt an EU constitution. The Lisbon Treaty will not enter into force unless it is ratified by all 27 EU members, which EU leaders hope will occur by the end of 2008.One of the treaty's priorities is to streamline and strengthen the EU's external representation. At present, the EU has several, sometimes competing, officials responsible for representing the organization to foreign countries and other international institutions. These include the country holding the rotating presidency of the European Council, the EU commissioner for external relations, and the existing EU foreign policy and security chief. The presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission, constituent parts of the EU, exert considerable influence over the organization's external economic policies.The Lisbon Treaty would address this representation problem in two ways. First, it would create an independent president of the European Council, which consists of the heads of state and government from the EU member states. That individual would be elected by the council to serve a once-renewable term of 30 rather than 6 months, as is the case with the current council president (which is technically a member state rather than a person). The expectation is that the incumbent, though not directly elected or endowed with executive powers like the American president, would be an important European political leader -- perhaps a former national prime minister -- whose prestige and tenure would enhance the EU's diplomatic clout.
Second, the treaty would create a new high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy, who would also become vice president of the European Commission. This position would combine the duties of the present foreign policy chief and external relations commissioner. The new high representative would chair EU foreign ministers' meetings, represent the EU at major international meetings, administer the organization's large foreign aid program, and direct a combined diplomatic service consisting of both EU and national diplomats. The treaty would not create an EU foreign minister or alter the current requirement of unanimity in foreign policy decisions, but would allow the new high representative to submit proposals on how to implement already agreed EU decisions.If adopted, the Lisbon Treaty would also affect many of the EU's other core institutions. Most importantly, it would change the number of EU commissioners and legislators from many countries. It would grant national parliaments a greater role in the drafting of EU legislation. It would expand the ability of the European Parliament to participate in policymaking spheres currently dominated by the European Council. The text would also remove many restrictions on the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice to rule on members' asylum, visa, and immigration policies.In terms of procedures, the treaty would establish a simpler voting system for the European Council that, by 2017, would distribute votes more closely according to a country's population than does the present system, which is based on the 2001 Nice Treaty. From 2014 to 2017, the EU would transition to a double majority system that would in most cases require the consent of 55 percent of the member states, representing at least 65 percent of the EU population, to pass a decision.
The treaty would also expand the range of policy issues in which decisions can be made by qualified majority voting, reducing a single country's ability to exercise a national veto. Many of the areas that would no longer require unanimity under the Lisbon Treaty are not of great significance (e.g., rules for gathering statistics in the eurozone). In addition, foreign and defense questions would still remain subject to national vetoes. Although the Lisbon Treaty allows for majority voting on proposals submitted by the new high representative, these would only implement foreign policies that had earlier been adopted unanimously, an approach employed by the EU since the 1992 Maastricht Treaty. Yet, some of the new areas covered by qualified majority voting -- migration, criminal justice, and judicial and police cooperation -- are of potential significance for homeland security and counterterrorism. Some EU leaders hope the reforms will further strengthen the organization's collective global influence. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said adoption of the Lisbon Treaty would allow the EU to become an equal to the world's other major economic powers: There are continental-sized powers we either want to engage with or square up to, whether it be China, India or the U.S. -- and at the moment we are punching below our weight. We are not taken as seriously as we could be and will be as a result of this reform treaty.
Whatever the effects of the treaty on the EU's collective economic weight, the document is unlikely to make the organization a great security power in the near future. Next year, EU governments will be preoccupied with securing the treaty's ratification. Having learned from previous disasters -- notably the rejection of the proposed EU constitution in 2005 by Dutch and French voters -- EU leaders have made clear they will not submit the text to national referendum, except in Ireland where the country's constitution requires it. They argue that the Lisbon treaty would simply amend existing EU treaties rather than, as with the failed EU constitution, replace them by transferring some national sovereignty to the EU.Although Irish voters rejected the Nice Treaty in 2001, they are expected to endorse the proposed Lisbon treaty. Nevertheless, ratification could be delayed in some countries, such as Belgium, that are today paralyzed by national political crises. In addition, treaty opponents in Britain and elsewhere are pressing their national courts and incumbent governments to offer a referendum as well. Their hope is that, as on past occasions, even voters unfamiliar with the issue will use the opportunity to express dissatisfaction with current government policies.One major issue complicating any assessment of the treaty's practical effects is its continued use of opt-outs and opt-ins. The opt-out mechanism allows EU members to exempt themselves from certain treaty provisions, while the opt-in function permits them to pursue enhanced cooperation in other areas. The treaty also authorizes countries to withdraw from the EU -- the ultimate opt-out. Combined, these provisions could encourage a multi-speed Europe,(2 TEER) with members pursuing diverse foreign and defense policies. For example, Britain, Denmark, and Ireland have the right to opt out of EU policies regarding justice and home affairs, but cannot prevent other member states from moving ahead in these areas without them.
EU members are likely to make extensive use of these flexible arrangements in the area of defense. On the one hand, the ability of select countries to pursue enhanced cooperation on military issues helps the EU manage its longstanding problem of neutral members resisting extensive defense cooperation. On the other hand, Britain and France, the EU's two most important military powers -- uniquely possessing both nuclear weapons and veto rights in the U.N. Security Council -- sharply differ regarding their preferred future direction in this area. Both want to fortify the EU's capabilities to overcome weaknesses currently impeding EU humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in Chad, Afghanistan, and the Balkans, but the British remain much more concerned with avoiding undesirable NATO overlap by, for instance, developing an EU capacity to wage major conventional combat operations. The Lisbon treaty's solidarity clause -- directing members to assist one another in cases of armed aggression -- could make it harder to paper over these differences than in the past. Divisions between members could also weaken one of the EU's most important security tools -- its ability to offer membership for governments that pursue desirable political, military, and other policies. The prospects of joining the EU helped reduce the potential for violent conflict between many East European countries during the 1990s. Today, however, EU leaders have been unable to reconcile their differences over whether to grant EU membership to Serbia, Turkey, and other regional states. As a result, the EU's ability to moderate non-members' security policies has declined.
Whatever changes the Lisbon treaty might precipitate in the EU's foreign and defense architecture, the institution will remain an intergovernmental organization -- meaning that fundamental differences among its important members will continue to vitiate its external influence.Richard Weitz is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a World Politics Review contributing editor.
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA IS 'BECOMING STRONGER'
President Vladimir Putin said in his annual New Year's address to the nation on December 31 that it was the support, trust, and efforts of ordinary Russians that made possible everything that we have done together with you during the past eight years of his two-term presidency, kremlin.ru reported (see RFE/RL Newsline, December 28, 2007). He stressed that we have not only restored the territorial integrity of Russia, but once again we are able to feel we are a united people. And all these years we worked together to preserve our country, to transform it into a modern, free, and strong state able to provide its citizens with a comfortable life. Putin argued that we have seen how, from year to year, Russia has been gaining in strength.... How our economy has been growing. How new opportunities have been opening up for the people. He noted that we have not managed to do everything. But I am quite certain that the road the people have chosen for Russia is the right road and that it will lead us to success. We have everything [needed] to achieve our goal -- our great history, colossal resources, courage, and the industriousness and intellectual potential of our great nation. The daily Komsomolskaya pravda reported on December 29 that several highly decorated senior military commanders have proposed that Putin be awarded the Hero of Russia order for his achievements as president. The commanders noted that from 1985 to 2000, our presidents only disgraced us by selling out the country's interests or through their ridiculous personal behavior. Whenever they got ready for a trip, we prayed that they would not disgrace our country once again. PM
WILL SERBIA REPAY RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT BY SELLING ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE CHEAPLY?
Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic was quoted by the Belgrade daily Politika on December 31 as saying that the Serbian authorities have humiliated their country by considering a deal from a Gazprom-led Russian business group to acquire Serbia's state oil monopoly, NIS, at a fraction of its market value, ostensibly for political reasons. He said that unnamed government colleagues told him it would be indecent to ask Russians to pay a fair market price. Dinkic said that Gazprom would reportedly acquire 51 percent of NIS for $588 million, which is half the initial estimated value of the company, without having to bid competitively. He argued that, in open bidding, NIS could bring the government several times what the Russians are offering, which he called crumbs. As an incentive, Gazprom offered to build a branch of the proposed South Stream gas pipeline through Serbia. Dinkic said that he is not angry with the Russians, whom he called great negotiators, but with his own colleagues, for what he called selling off Serbia's natural resources for only part of their value. In his New Year's message on December 31, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said the government wants to reach a strategic energy agreement with Russia. Dpa reported on December 31 that such a pact could be concluded by the end of January. Kostunica is a strong supporter of close ties with Russia and relatively cool toward Serbia's possible Euro-Atlantic integration. Russia's "RBC Daily reported on December 27 that Gazprom is shopping for assets in Serbia and that the Serbian government is a willing partner. The daily published somewhat different figures from those given by Dinkic on the NIS deal and noted that Gazprom and Gazpromneft declined to comment on the report. The paper suggested that Gazprom's real interest is in the gas pipeline and a possible storage facility at Banatski Dvor. The daily wrote that Gazpromneft has little need for Balkan refineries and that LUKoil was until recently considered the main Russian bidder for NIS. Russian businesses and wealthy entrepreneurs have bought numerous industries and properties in Montenegro and Serbia in recent years, fueling a real-estate boom on the Montenegrin coast and in central Belgrade, the BBC reported on January 1. PM
RUSSIA EXPECTS NEW TALKS WITH EU
Sergei Yastrzhembsky, who is President Putin's aide and special envoy to the EU, said on January 1 in Moscow that Russia expects to launch negotiations soon on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the EU following Slovenia's assumption of that body's rotating presidency on January 1, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on January 2. The current PCA expired in December but was automatically extended for one more year in the absence of a new agreement. Poland previously blocked PCA negotiations because of a dispute over a Russian ban on Polish meat shipments, which has since been settled (see RFE/RL Newsline, October 29 and December 21, 2007). Yastrzhembsky said on January 1 that it is psychologically important for Russia that Slovenia now chairs the EU because Slovenia is the first Slavic country to hold that position. He noted that relations between Moscow and Ljubljana are free of problems and that the two countries are close partners. PM
MOSCOW DENIES IT WILL SELL TEHRAN SOPHISTICATED ANTIMISSILE SYSTEM
Russia's Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service said in a statement on December 28 that the issue of the delivery of S-300 air-defense missile systems to Iran, raised by the media, is not a subject of current negotiations and has not been discussed with the Iranians, RIA Novosti reported. The statement added that Russia and Iran are continuing to develop cooperation in the military-technical sphere in full accordance with international arms export regulations and obligations (see RFE/RL Newsline, December 27 and 28, 2007). PM
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.
More than 1M lose power in Calif. storm By SAMANTHA YOUNG, Associated Press Writer JAN 04,08
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Howling winds, pelting rain and heavy snow pummeled California on Friday, toppling trees, flipping big rigs, cutting power to more than a million people and forcing evacuations in mudslide-prone areas. Flights were grounded and highways closed in Northern California as gusts reached 80 mph during the second wave of an arctic storm that sent trees crashing onto houses, cars and roads. Forecasters expected the storm to dump as much as 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada by Sunday.The heavy snow was slowing search efforts for a family believed to be missing in the mountains, authorities said.Highways from Sacramento to San Francisco were closed because of debris or toppled big rigs blocking lanes, and local roads were flooded. Interstate 80 was closed in the Sierra, the main link between Northern California and Nevada.A huge tree, over 100 years old, just fell across the house. It just wrecked the whole thing, said Faye Reed, whose daughter Teenia owns the damaged home north of Sacramento. They won't be able to live in it. The whole ceiling fell in, and now it's raining inside.
More than a million people from the Bay Area to the Central Valley were in the dark. Crews worked to restore power, but it could be days before all the lights are on, said Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Darlene Chiu.In Southern California, authorities in Orange County ordered an estimated 3,000 residents to evacuate homes in four canyons scarred by wildfires and therefore prone to mudslides.It's too late once the rain starts. These areas are extremely vulnerable. You're risking your life and your family's life fundamentally by ignoring orders, said Steve Sellers of the governor's Office of Emergency Services.Riverside and San Bernardino counties, east of Los Angeles, deployed swift-water rescue teams in case torrential rains bring flash floods and mudslides. The state opened its emergency operations center Friday morning to coordinate storm response, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff by phone.Preparation is really the heart of this whole thing, Schwarzenegger said after touring the state emergency operation center at the Los Alamitos Joint Training Base. Homeowners in Southern California stacked sandbags and hay bales around their homes while residents in the low-lying areas of the Central Valley piled sandbags to barricade their homes from streams that forecasters warned might swell.Yosemite National Park rangers and sheriff's deputies combed the Sierra foothills and mountain snow camps Friday afternoon searching for a Clovis man and his two children, said Clovis police spokeswoman Janet Stoll-Lee.
John Hopper, 64, a volunteer chaplain with the Clovis police, left town Thursday morning with his 15-year-old twins, Matt and Sarah, to go play in the snow, Stoll-Lee said.The family didn't give any indication of where they were heading, and law enforcers heard they were missing only when Hopper's ex-wife reported they hadn't returned late Thursday, she said.Travelers' flight plans were put on hold when airlines delayed or canceled flights in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. The state Legislature in Sacramento closed offices and sent employees home early.A wind gust of 125 mph was recorded in the Sierra on Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.The huge storm also toppled trees and cut power to thousands of residents in Washington and Oregon.Meanwhile, a freeze in the East subsided. Florida's citrus growers weathered the cold largely unscathed, but strawberry and tomato growers watched as some of their crops shriveled. A serious freeze would have devastated Florida's citrus trees, already struggling from years of diseases and hurricanes. A better picture of crop damage could come Monday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a weekly progress report. At Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, iguanas fell out of trees Thursday. The cold-blooded reptiles go into a sort of hibernation when temperatures get too low, even if they are perched in branches. Most woke up when the weather warmed later in the day.
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Orange County; Don Thompson in Sacramento; Garance Burke in Fresno; Scott Sonner and Sandra Chereb in Reno, Nev.; and Anthony McCartney in Tampa, Fla.
Floods ravage southern Africa Fri Jan 4, 10:52 AM
Floods are ravaging southern Africa, washing away thousands of homes, damaging crops and leaving people stranded on rooftops.In Mozambique on Friday, authorities put the country on high alert, as flood waters threatened the homes of more than 55,000 people.
The main road between Mozambique and neighbouring Zimbabwe has already been cut off by rising waters and rescue workers have been retrieving people from rooftops and trees.Mozambique government official Lucas Chomera said 13,000 people have been evacuated from critical areas in Mozambique and moved to government shelters or higher ground.Chomera said the floods are the result of a rainy season that began earlier than usual in the south and central areas of the country. He said some areas received six months worth of rain in October and November.
Zimbabwe, Zambia hit hard
Severe flooding is also affecting Zimbabwe and Zambia, where at least 21 people have been killed and thousands left homeless in the past month, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported Friday.Thousands of homes near Harare, in Zimbabwe, have been washed away and the Red Cross is warning that an outbreak of malaria and cholera is possible.Meanwhile, the floods are taking an economic toll in Zimbabwe, as livestock are being killed by high waters and agricultural specialists say the rain is causing crops to show signs of nitrogen deficiency, the BBC reported.In southern Zambia, the Magoye River burst its banks, flooding homes and farmland and displacing about 1,000 families. With files from the Associated Press
Heavy snow paralyzes parts of Bulgaria, Romania; 3 dead as ship sinks Thu Jan 3, 12:21 PMBy Veselin Toshkov, The Associated Press
SOFIA, Bulgaria - A bitterly cold winter storm swept parts of Europe on Thursday. At least thee seamen died when a Bulgarian ship sank in rough waters at while approaching the Black Sea, while heavy, drifting snow stranded thousands at airports, on mountain roads and in remote villages. Forecasters said temperatures fell to -20 Celsius, while snow drifts were up to two metres deep. Authorities in northeastern Bulgaria declared a state of emergency, with the army called in to help civil defence officials clear roads and reach stranded motorists. The nasty weather also caused problems in neighbouring Romania, where Bucharest's two main airports were closed. Parts of Turkey and Greece, as well as Western Europe, were also affected. Some 311 Bulgarian villages were left without electricity and dozens were cut off without food supplies or fresh water, authorities said.
The northern Danube municipality of Ruse declared a state of emergency after heavy snow blocked many roads, said Andrei Ivanov, chief of the Balkan country's civil defence service. At least three crewmen were killed when a Bulgarian ship carrying scrap metal sank during a storm on the Azov Sea between Ukraine and Russia, officials said. The Vanessa was carrying a crew of 10 and a Ukrainian pilot who was guiding the ship as it approached the Kerch Strait, which connects the Azov Sea to the Black Sea, said Sergei Petrov, a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry for southern Russia. Rescuers pulled one survivor and three bodies from the sea, where waves were as high as three metres, Petrov said. Thousands of passengers were stranded in Romania after Bucharest's two main airports were closed due to heavy snowfall. The snow also blocked many roads in the south, forcing the closure of at least one border crossing with Bulgaria and prompting train delays. In Turkey's capital of Ankara, snow caused traffic jams and accidents, but no injuries were reported. Temperatures in Greece fell to -18 in the north of the country, where snow blanketed roads. In Western Europe, ice and snow disrupted traffic. The Mont-Blanc tunnel linking France and Italy was closed to trucks until Friday because sharp temperature differences between the two sides threatened to disrupt the tunnel's ventilation, traffic authorities said.
A Boeing 737 arriving from Marrakech, Morocco, slid off an icy runway at an airport in Deauville, northern France, airport authorities said. The plane, operated by Atlas Blue, came to a halt in grass. The 169 passengers were evacuated unharmed.
Atlantic Canada storms leave snowblowers, shovels and salt in short supply Fri Jan 4, 3:52 PMBy Chris Morris, The Canadian Press
FREDERICTON - Many Atlantic Canadians have been caught with their long johns down as they search for ways to move the mountains of snow dumped on the region in recent days. Successive low-snow winters and the looming threat of global warming have led some in the region, including hardware retailers, to assume that the old-fashioned, deep-snow winter was a thing of the past. Now, with snowbanks piled as high as street lamps in some parts of Atlantic Canada, people are discovering to their horror they have a better chance buying a lawnmower than they do a snowblower. Shovels and salt also are in short supply in many parts of the region. Two years ago, a lot of companies got stung because we ordered up snowblowers and we didn't get snow, Al Pollard, who manages a Canadian Tire store in Fredericton, said Friday. Hindsight is a great thing ... We wish we had ordered more this year. We could have sold an extra 100 snowblowers by now.And although winter is just starting, retailers don't know when, or even if, they will be able to get any more snowblowers this season. With heavy snowfalls across the country, there doesn't appear to be sufficient supply for the demand. We've had an extremely busy season with regards to snowblowers and shovels, said Laurie Wood of the Home Depot in Moncton, N.B., which is buried under at least 165 centimetres of snow. We've more than doubled our sales of snowblowers from last year. We have sold out a couple of times . . .They sell out within a day or two at most and we could still sell more if we could get them.
It's the same story in St. John's, Nfld., where consumers are being told they have a snowball's chance in hell of buying a snowblower. With the mainland getting hit, we usually find we're in a crunch. They buy up everything the warehouse has up there, Jennifer Keeping, a manager at a Canadian Tire store told The St. John's Telegram. And it's not just snowblowers that are flying out the door. On Saturday, we had brought in 100 snow scoops and by Sunday, we were sold out, Pollard said. We can't keep shovels in the store.In Nova Scotia, the big demand is for salt, and some stores say it could be at least a week before they have any to sell. Halifax stores are either out of safety salt or can't keep it in stock, leaving many homeowners slipping on ice-encrusted steps and driveways. Dartmouth resident Jeff Aucoin has to escort his two young children and very pregnant wife to and from the car to make sure no one falls. So far, he's the only one who has gone down.
It's killing me, Aucoin said. My driveway, stairs and walkway are completely frozen. They're literally entirely ice. It's very dangerous. Aucoin recently checked every service station in his neighbourhood and half-a-dozen big-box stores in search of salt, only to come up empty-handed. There were a couple places that sort of laughed at me, thinking I might be able to find some salt at this point, he said. All four Atlantic provinces have received above average snowfalls in the past few weeks. Halifax had 16 snowfalls in November and December, up from seven in 2006. So far, the St. John's area has had 135 centimetres of snow, with a good portion of it coming during the final week of December. It was the third highest accumulation for December since record keeping started at the St. John's airport in 1942. Prince Edward Island is just centimetres away from having as much snow on the ground now as it did all last winter. Since November, the Island has received 194 centimetres of snow - three centimetres short of last year's total of 197 centimetres.
Big West storm, big East warm up Wayne Verno
Fri Jan 4, 10:35 AM ET
West
A series of storm systems will impact the entire West through this weekend and into the upcoming week featuring heavy rain, heavy snow and damaging winds. A particularly strong, Friday-through-Saturday storm is blasting into the West Coast. Rain totals in the coastal mountains of California could locally reach one foot with flooding and mudslides likely. Rainfall up to an inch or two will hit western Washington and western Oregon. Snow totals will range from a foot for the Cascades to up to locally 12 feet of snow for the highest elevations of the Sierra. Strong, damaging winds will also impact the western States into the weekend, creating blizzard conditions in the mountains. The potential for heavy rain and snow plus strong winds will continue Saturday and Sunday, reaching all the way into southern California while spreading across the interior West and Rockies. For more specific details on the western storm weather, please see Storm Watch. A new strong windy storm will hit Washington, Oregon and northern California Tuesday.
South
After another chilly start this morning over Southeastern States, temperatures will recover from the recent cold snap, as high pressure slides east of the area, taking the cold air mass with it. Afternoon temperatures will be milder today, with highs reaching into the 40s over the Tennessee Valley, 50s along the Gulf Coast, and 60s over Texas and Florida. Saturday, a weak weather disturbance will slide through the Tennessee valley, resulting in a few light rain showers; otherwise, dry conditions will generally prevail over the Deep South. By Sunday temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees above average over the Southeast and Florida, and 15 to 25 degrees above average over Texas and the southern Plains. A slow-moving cold front will advance west to east across the southern states Monday through Wednesday with a band of heavy rain and thunderstorms accompanying it.
Northeast
With high pressure well south and east of the area, much milder air is now beginning to infiltrate the Northeast. In fact, some interior sections of the New England States had slowly rising temperatures early this morning. Increasing southwesterly flow will allow highs to reach into the 30s to around 40 across the Mid-Atlantic with 20s confined to northern New England. Saturday and Sunday highs will range from the 30s north to near 50 south. These readings will be 5 to 15 degrees above average by Sunday and even warmer air will arrive by early next week. Also on Saturday and Sunday, with the milder air, some light rain showers or sprinkles will move across the area, as a weak weather disturbance moves across the area. There could be a little light freezing drizzle over interior New England early on Sunday. A strong windy storm will bring rain to the Northeast Wednesday and early Thursday.
Midwest
High pressure moving east of the area will continue to increase southwesterly flow from the central Plains, into the Midwest. Gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph will develop today from Kansas City to Minneapolis, to Chicago. Temperatures will be running 10 to 20 degrees above average over the Dakotas today, spreading to the Great Lakes, Midwest, and central Plains by Saturday. Additionally, this increasing southwesterly flow will bring some moisture into the Midwest and Great Lakes on Saturday, which could start as a little icy mix early in the day. Scattered light rain showers will follow into Sunday. The combination of the warmer temperatures, snow melt, and ice breakup, movement and possible jamming on area streams and rivers, could lead to some localized flooding into the weekend over the Midwest and western Great Lakes. The big warm up will continue into early week. Temperatures will be 20 to 30 degrees warmer over the next few days. A storm and cold front will move across the region Monday to Wednesday with rain, thunderstorms, warm temperatures and gusty winds ahead of it and some snow plus colder temperatures in the wake of the system.
Chile rescues 54 people after volcano eruption
Wed Jan 2, 2008 By Antonio de la Jara
SANTIAGO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Rescue workers evacuated 54 tourists and staff from a Chilean wilderness park on Wednesday after one of the country's largest volcanoes erupted, spewing ash and molten lava.There were no reports of injuries or damage, but dozens of tourists were evacuated from the base of the Llaima volcano after it erupted on Tuesday evening .The 54 people rescued had been stranded overnight after a local river swelled with meltwater and cut off road access.Army personnel evacuated 43 people this morning who remained in the Conguillio National Park. Another 11 people, park personnel and their family members, were also evacuated, the National Emergency Office said in a statement.The volcano was calmer by Wednesday afternoon but Chile's deputy interior minister Felipe Harboe said further eruptions were possible.At this moment I would recommend against tourism in the area, said Carmen Fernandez, the emergency agency's director.
The eruptions on Tuesday sent lava spewing down the 10,253-foot (3,125-meter) volcano's east side and shot a column of ash and smoke into the air that forced air traffic to be diverted in neighboring Argentina.Chile's geological service said abnormal seismic activity had also been registered around another volcano, Puyehue, to the south of Llaima.Military ground vehicles had to be used in the rescue around LLaima because heavy fog prevented the use of helicopters.The surrounding Conguillio National Park, about 50 miles (8o km) from the city of Temuco, was closed off to visitors on Wednesday and authorities told curious tourists not to get too close.Llaima is one of Chile's most active volcanoes and is in the Araucania region in southern Chile, about 435 miles (700 km) south of the capital Santiago.Before the eruption, people in the towns closest to the volcano said they heard loud underground noises.Chile is home to the world's second largest and second most active chain of volcanoes, after Indonesia. (Reporting by Pav Jordan, Rodrigo Martinez and Antonio de la Jara; Editing by Kieran Murray)
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Israel reports new bird flu outbreak in poultry
JAN 03,08
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel announced on Thursday that it had detected the H5N1 strain of bird flu that is dangerous to humans in poultry near a kindergarten in a northern town on the Mediterranean coast.The agriculture ministry said 18 contaminated birds had been found dead in a pets' corner near a kindergarten in the town of Binyamina.A series of tests had confimed that the fowl died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, a ministry statement said, adding that a situation room had been set up to try to prevent the spread of the virus.The ministry ordered the culling of all fowl in a three-kilometre (two-mile) radius of the contaminated area in Binyamina, north of Tel Aviv, as a precaution.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
NOAA confirms start of new sunspot cycle Fri Jan 4, 4:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON - A new solar cycle is under way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the first sunspot of a new 11-year cycle has appeared in the sun's northern hemisphere. The frequency of sunspots rises and falls during these cycles, and the start of a new cycle indicates they are likely to begin increasing.Sunspots, areas of intense magnetic activity on the sun, can affect Earth by disrupting electrical grids, airline and military communications, GPS signals and even cell phones, the agency said. During periods of intense sunspot activity, known as solar storms, highly charged radiation from the sun may head toward Earth.Our growing dependence on highly sophisticated, space-based technologies means we are far more vulnerable to space weather today than in the past, said NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.Last April an international panel of solar experts forecast that Solar Cycle 24 would start in March 2008, plus or minus six months. The panel was split between those predicting a strong or weak cycle.
Britain: 2008 may be among hottest years By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 4, 5:05 PM ET
LONDON - This year is forecast to be among the top 10 hottest years on record, Britain's weather office said Thursday, despite a strong cooling effect predicted from the tropical weather phenomenon known as La Nina. The global surface temperature in 2008 will rise 0.67 degrees above what climate scientists call the long-term average of 57.2 degrees, the Met Office said. The average is derived by calculating the mean of surface temperatures registered globally between 1961 and 1990.That would be enough to have it rank among the hottest years on record, although the Met Office said would be unlikely to beat the current warmest year of 1998, which was 0.94 degrees above the long-term average.The Met Office said a powerful La Nina, the name given to the upwelling of large areas of cold water in the tropical Pacific Ocean, would probably keep 2008's temperature from breaking the global record.
But it said the underlying trend of higher and higher temperatures, which scientists say indicates global warming, was likely to continue.Phenomena such as El Nino and La Nina have a significant influence on global surface temperature and the current strong La Nina will act to limit temperatures in 2008, said Chris Folland, a climate scientist at the Met Office's Hadley Center in Exeter, southwest England. Sharply renewed warming is likely once La Nina declines.The Met Office said the world's hottest years on record were 1995, 1997, 1998, and every year since 2000. Its global temperature records stretch back to 1850.
On the Net:Met Office: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
Stocks sink on jobs data; tech plummets By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer Fri Jan 4, 6:12 PM ET
NEW YORK - Wall Street fell sharply Friday after the government's much-anticipated employment report showed weaker-than-expected job growth and a rise in the unemployment rate. The Nasdaq composite index, also pummeled by a downgrade of Intel Corp., skidded more than 3.5 percent, while the Dow Jones industrials fell more than 1.5 percent. The Labor Department's report that employers raised payrolls by only 18,000 and that the nation's unemployment rate rose to its highest level since November 2005 unnerved investors, who worried that a weakening job market will hurt consumer spending and tip the economy toward recession.A better-than-expected reading on the nation's service economy briefly pulled stocks off their lows but wasn't enough to shake investors' concerns.Investors had been awaiting the jobs report for weeks as they tried to determine whether the economy would continue to benefit from robust consumer spending even as sectors like home construction, mortgage writing and manufacturing slow. Wall Street is concerned that areas of weakness could puncture growth if consumers can't depend on a solid job market.Manufacturers, construction companies and financial services companies all cut jobs during the month amid an anemic housing market. Retailers also made reductions.
The December report showed employers added the fewest jobs to their payrolls since August 2003. Economists had predicted much stronger growth and an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent. Instead, unemployment climbed to 5 percent in December from 4.7 percent in November. While 5 percent unemployment is still considered good by historical standards, the increase from November clearly made some investors nervous.It's a scary number, no question about it. No matter how good you wanted to feel about the economy averting a recession, there is far less conviction than even two or three days ago, said Joe Balestrino, senior portfolio manager at Federated Investors.The technology-focused Nasdaq fell for the sixth straight session and showed its steepest percentage decline since a market pullback on Feb. 27 last year. The Nasdaq declined 98.03, or 3.77 percent, to 2,504.65, in part after the downgrade of Intel, but also because its smaller-capitalization components are seen as more vulnerable in an economic slowdown.For 2008, the Nasdaq is down 5.57; in all of 2007, the index rose 9.81 percent.
The Dow fell 256.54, or 1.96 percent, to 12,800.18, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 35.53, or 2.46 percent, to 1,411.63.It was the steepest point drop for the Dow and the S&P 500 since Dec. 11. In 2008, the Dow is off 3.5 percent and the S&P is down 3.86 percent.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 23.41, or 3.14 percent, to 721.60 and hit a fresh 52-week low.Declining issues outnumbered advancers by more than 3 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 4.05 billion shares, compared with 3.30 billion traded Thursday.Bond prices rose as investors sought the safety of government-backed debt after the employment reading. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.87 percent from 3.89 percent late Thursday.A Federal Reserve announcement Friday that it is ramping up the amount of cash available to banks through a new auction process did little to calm the markets. After two auctions of $20 billion each, the Fed has now scheduled auctions Jan. 14 and Jan. 28 at $30 billion each.The dollar was mixed against other major currencies. Gold prices, which have risen to nearly 30-year highs in recent days, declined.Light, sweet crude fell $1.27 to settle at $97.91 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil touched $100 per barrel this week for the first time, stirring concerns about inflation.The employment figures overshadowed a report from the Institute for Supply Management, a business group, which said its December index of non-manufacturing activity showed the nation's service sector grew in December. However, the pace was slightly slower than in November and the index fell to 53.9 in December from 54.1 the prior month. Analysts had expected a deeper decline.
It's been a difficult start to 2008 on Wall Street. After selling off in the final session of last year on Monday, investors spent the first three sessions of the new year absorbing a weaker-than-expected reading on the manufacturing sector, oil that reached $100a barrel and Friday's dismal employment numbers. It's hard to point to any piece of data in recent weeks that makes you feel comfortable, said Balestrino, noting that many bullish investors had hoped a strong jobs picture would lift Wall Street's mood. This the one piece that was holding up pretty well and now it's showing some weakness as well, he said. In our business it's not the absolute number, it's the direction of the number and especially the direction versus the expectations.In corporate news, a JPMorgan analyst lowered his rating on Intel to neutral from overweight, citing a drop in chip orders from computer manufacturers during the fourth quarter and high inventories. Intel, one of the 30 stocks that comprise the Dow industrials, fell $2, or 8.1 percent, to $22.67. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell sharply, finishing down 4.03 percent to its lowest level since July 2006 after being closed since the previous Friday for holidays. The pullback followed uncertainty on Wall Street about the U.S. economy and rising oil prices. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 2.02 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.26 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.79 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the week down 565.69, or 4.23 percent, at 12,800.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished down 66.86, or 4.52 percent, at 1,411.63. The Nasdaq composite index ended down 169.81, or 6.35 percent, at 2,504.65. The Russell 2000 index finished the week down 50.16, or 6.50 percent, at 721.60. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index — a free-float weighted index that measures 5,000 U.S. based companies — ended Friday at 14,210.84, down 700.79 points, or 4.70 percent, for the week. A year ago, the index was at 14,269.90.
Spain's fast-living king turns 70
As King Juan Carlos turns 70, the BBC's Steve Kingstone in Madrid profiles the much-admired - and occasionally controversial - monarch. There seems to be little slackening of the pace for Juan Carlos There was no pipe and slippers for this grandfather over Christmas. Instead, just days shy of his 70th birthday, King Juan Carlos paid a surprise New Year's Eve visit to Spanish soldiers serving at a base in Afghanistan. The visit was typical of a king who has always taken pride in an action-man image. A love of skiing, sailing, karate, fast cars, motorbikes and helicopters figure prominently on the royal CV. Getting old quietly does not.
How many other reigning monarchs would publicly tell Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez to shut up, as Juan Carlos did during last November's Ibero-American summit in Chile?
Ringtone hit
Many Spaniards applauded him. Their king had slapped down the combative Venezuelan on the world stage, and audio of the royal outburst quickly became a dance remix and a best-selling ringtone. Sure, what he said to Chavez wasn't very regal; but he reacted viscerally when provoked, as all Spaniards do
Royal watcher Jaime Penafiel
His majesty is a formidable personality but nice with it, says Jaime Penafiel, a veteran royal watcher and former editor of Hola magazine. Sure, what he said to Chavez wasn't very regal; but he reacted viscerally when provoked, as all Spaniards do.Juan Carlos de Borbon was born in Rome on 5 January 1938. His grandfather, King Alfonso XIII, had fled Madrid seven years earlier, and civil war was raging in Spain. The victorious general, Francisco Franco, would ensure that Spain remained monarch-free throughout his four-decade dictatorship.
Franco's protege
At the age of 10, Juanito was sent to Madrid, where he was educated under the eagle eye of Franco, who saw the boy as a more suitable and malleable successor than his exiled father, Don Juan.
Juan Carlos and his young family in 1975, the year of Franco's death. On Franco's death in November 1975, the newly crowned King Juan Carlos - then aged 37 - swore allegiance to the principles of his apparent mentor. But the young king's place in history would lie in the speed and courage with which he helped dismantle the Francoist state. In 1976 Juan Carlos chose as his prime minister Adolfo Suarez, a reformer who would lead the transition to democracy. A year later, the king supported the legalisation of the Spanish Communist Party, while in 1981 he would famously defend Spain's infant democracy during an attempted coup by army officers. There's a deep-rooted feeling of gratitude for the king's role in the transition to democracy, explains Charles Powell, a historian and royal biographer.
Juan Carlos rejected a 1981 coup attempt
Polls show that he is the individual to whom democratisation is most closely attributed, and the sense of gratitude cuts across class and ideological lines.So much so that, in May 2007, the king was voted the greatest Spaniard of all time in a poll run by the Antenna 3 television channel. He beat the writer, Miguel Cervantes, into second place, with Franco 23rd on the list.
Under attack
But over the past 12 months there have been rumblings of a debate about the relevance and value of the monarchy to 21st-Century Spain. A sizeable tremor struck last September, when Catalan students publicly burned photographs of Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. They viewed the king as the symbol of an artificially created Spanish state, and a conviction for insulting the monarchy gave publicity to their cause. The episode led to a rare political intervention by the king who, during a university speech, defended the parliamentary monarchy forged after the death of Franco. But the king was also being targeted from the right - notably by the outspoken Catholic radio commentator, Federico Jimenez Losantos, who called on Juan Carlos to abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Felipe.
Royal future
There is little hard evidence of any widespread republican sentiment. In one recent poll, 69% of respondents said a parliamentary monarchy was the ideal political system for Spain, while 22% preferred a republic. Nonetheless, November's Hugo Chavez encounter - although admired by many Spaniards - added to the sense of an annus horribilis for Juan Carlos.
The crown prince seems to live in the shadow of his father
The incident caused some diplomatic embarrassment for the government, and raised questions about the king's advancing years.
The biggest challenge ahead is the succession, explains Mr Powell.
Juan Carlos will always remain popular because of his vital role in the past, but the question is how can he transfer some of that capital to Prince Felipe? Royal watchers say there is little prospect of Juan Carlos abdicating, which leaves Crown Prince Felipe - approaching his 40th birthday - in a difficult position.
Much like Britain's Prince Charles, Felipe has sought to make his mark on topical issues such as the environment and immigration; but he remains essentially in the shadow of his more popular father.
The veteran commentator, Jaime Penafiel, foresees turbulence ahead. We've got a monarchy, but not monarchists, he says. Spaniards are Juan Carlistas - they support the person, not the institution. And that's a risk: it remains to be seen if they'll take to Felipe.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Al-Qaida uses women as suicide attackers By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer JAN 04,08
BAGHDAD - It goes against religious taboos in Iraq to involve women in fighting, but three recent suicide bombings carried out by women could indicate insurgents are growing increasingly desperate. The female suicide attacks come as U.S.-led coalition forces are increasingly catching militants suspected of training women to become human bombs or finding evidence of efforts by al-Qaida in Iraq to recruit women, according to military records.With coalition forces pushing extremists out of former strongholds and shrinking their pool of potential recruits, the militants are being forced to come up with other methods to penetrate stiffened security measures, said Diaa Rashwan, who follows Islamic militancy for Egypt's Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.There's a sense that this is an act of desperation, said Col. Donald Bacon, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.Female suicide bombers are a small part of the insurgents' battle to force U.S. troops from Iraq and rattle Shiites from newly acquired power. Women have been responsible for 14 of 667 suicide attacks since May 2005, or 2 percent. They have caused at least 107 deaths, or 5 percent of the 2,065 people killed during this time period, according to Associated Press statistics.
But those attacks appear to be increasing.
In November and December, women carried out three suicide bombings in Diyala province, one of Iraq's most violent areas, where al-Qaida in Iraq has a stronghold. The last female suicide bombing had been in July.On Nov. 4, a woman detonated an explosives vest next to a U.S. patrol in Diyala's regional capital, Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, wounding seven U.S. troops and five Iraqis. On Dec. 7, a woman attacked the offices of a Diyala-based Sunni group fighting al-Qaida in Iraq, killing 15 people and wounding 35. Then, on Dec. 31, a bomber in Baqouba detonated her suicide vest close to a police patrol, wounding five policemen and four civilians.Devastating attacks continue in Iraq even as Iraqi casualties are down by 55 percent nationwide since June 2007, according to an AP count. American and Iraqi forces, and thousands of Sunni tribal groups who turned against al-Qaida in Iraq, have pushed the extremist group from Baghdad and Anbar province west of the capital. The al-Qaida fighters have moved into Diyala northeast of Baghdad and farther north into Mosul, 225 miles northwest of the capital.The tightening noose — at least for now — appears to be prompting the militants to turn to women attackers, Rashwan said, noting that extremist Muslim groups use women only when they see no alternative.Women should be in the last rows of fighting, he said. So to see women (suicide bombers) shows an abnormal situation — the absence of men.Women have acted as suicide bombers for other causes. The first known female suicide bomber was Sana Mheidali, a Lebanese who killed two Israeli soldiers in 1985. Female Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have carried out at least 60 suicide bombings in 24 years. Palestinian Muslim militants send out women suicide bombers, as does the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a guerrilla war since 1984 for autonomy in Turkey's southeast.
Because of Muslim cultural sensitivities, women can be excellent candidates for suicide attacks when there are no female security guards. Most Iraqis are conservative Muslims who believe physical contact is forbidden between women and men not related by blood or marriage. As a result, women are often allowed to pass through male-guarded checkpoints without being searched. In October, the U.S. Army trained 20 women to work as security guards in a Baghdad suburb after a female suicide bomber entered a nearby building without being searched.We know it's a tactic that al-Qaida in Iraq is trying to use, Bacon said.At least twice in December and once in August, al-Qaida members suspected of training women to use suicide belts were captured, the U.S. military has said. There are no military reports before August indicating suspicion of al-Qaida in Iraq training women attackers.Some female bombers appear to be motivated by revenge, like the woman who killed 15 people in Diyala province on Dec. 7. She was a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party whose two sons joined al-Qaida in Iraq and were killed by Iraqi security forces.But other women may be ideologues, just like their male counterparts, said Mohammad Hafiz, a University of Missouri professor who focuses on Muslim extremism.Still others are influenced by relatives and spouses, especially those dependent on them emotionally or materially, Hafiz said. One of them, Sajida al-Rishawi, was married to a suicide bomber. The Iraqi woman tried unsuccessfully to detonate her explosives belt in an Amman, Jordan hotel on Nov. 9. 2005. Her husband and their other accomplices succeeded in blowing themselves up, however. Three hotels were bombed, and 60 people were killed. Although use of women can be a sign of desperation, female suicide bombers also help extremist groups attract male recruits. Militants exploit the image of desperate women fighting because there aren't enough brave men, taunting would-be male suicide bombers into action, Hafiz said. Women, Hafiz said, make great propaganda.
The CARMEL ALERT Jan 4th 2008
A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying
for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.
David's Comment: Enjoy the Break, But Please Don't Stop Praying
As the Western world celebrates the New Year holidays, the pressure on Israel does not take a break. Once again the anti-Israel news media took advantage of the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem to blame Israel for the lack of holiday spirit over the last few years. No mention of the fact that all of the security measures that make it difficult to get in and out of Bethlehem are only necessary because of the incessant attempts by Muslim terrorists to infiltrate Israel and kill Jews.One of the most repeated issues by Replacement Theology poisoned Arab Christians is the massive exodus of the Christian Arab population of the Bethlehem and other West Bank areas, and of course it is implied that Israel is the cause of the exodus. However if you ask the ones who left, they will tell you they left because of the ever increasing persecution of Christian Arabs by the Muslim majority. But the anti-Semites of the world take great delight in blaming the Jews for anything and everything.
One of the favorite targets of the Israel bashers is the security fence that winds its way along the boundary that separates Israel and the so called Palestinians in the West Bank. It is true that some people are inconvenienced by the fence and in some places where the terror threat is higher, the fence becomes an unsightly wall, but it has been very effective in fulfilling the purpose for which it was built - to stop the terrorists from carrying out their cold blooded acts of murder. I was inspired to write this by an item on the local TV news a few hours ago. I wasn't quick enough to write down all of the statistics, but I can remember the first and last columns of a graph showing the number of Israelis murdered in terror attacks over the last 5 years. The first column showed that more than 400 people died in that year. The last column showed the number massively reduced to 13 for 2007. The security fence that is so hated by the liberal left-wing anti-Semites is a major contributor to the dramatic reduction in deaths of innocent Israelis.In the wake of the Annapolis Peace Summit, George Bush and Condalessa Rice have been applying even more pressure on Israel in a seriously misguided desire to appease the Muslim world. Now the spineless excuse that Israel has for a leader, has caved in to that pressure and has frozen all construction of new housing in Har Homa, Atarot, and other legitimate Israeli towns. That means that the Islamic world has succeeded to stop the restoration of Israel, temporarily at least. What other country in the world allows other countries to control where the people can or can't live ?
George Bush is due to visit Israel in a few days and Olmert and his left wing cohorts are wanting to ensure that they wont be rebuked by the US president prior to or during his visit. So as has been the case in all previous ceasfires that Israel as been manipulated in to, Israel ceases and the others continue to fire. Just a few days ago 2 young Israeli soldiers were shot dead by terrorists while enjoying a hike in the Samarian country side during some time off from their duties. Their murderers are known to be Palestinain 'policemen' associated with Fatah, the peace loving organisation headed up by the moderate Mahmud Abbas. It is this peaceful organisation that Bush and Rice expect Olmert to negotiate a peace treaty with. Pure foolishness ! Criminal leadership even ! Perhaps Olmert who is a secular Jew and who does not even believe in God has an excuse to be act against the will of the God of Israel, but George Bush, Condalessa Rice and Tony Blair all claim to be Christians have no excuse for their constant pressure on the Israeli government to divide God's Land. According to the Bible they will be held accountable. In preparation for Bush's visit posters are being placed all over Jerusalem, encouraging him to read his Bible so that he might discover that the God he claims to serve, gave all of the disputed land to the Jewish people. Praise God that, unlike most American Christians, the majority of Christians in the UK, Europe and Scandanavia are not deceived by these people who claim to be Christians and yet fight against God himself
In the interest of everyone who wants to see the Kingdom of God come, Bush should stay home. As long as he serves the purposes of Saudi Arabia and the American oil industry Bush is a menace to Israel, and his visit will only further endanger the nation of Israel and incite violence on all sides. Lets pray that something will happen in the next few days to prevent his visit.
Stay Home George !!!
The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.
Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie Silver.
Brussels praises smooth switch to euro in Cyprus and Malta
04.01.2008 - 09:21 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has praised the smooth changeover to the euro in the two newest eurozone member countries, Cyprus and Malta, while the effect on their overall inflation rates is to be evaluated later.The two Mediterranean islands switched to the common European currency on 1 January, joining 13 other EU states that use with the euro. According to an early survey by the EU executive, presented on Thursday (4 January), all available evidence suggests that the changeover operation is proceeding very smoothly and without any noteworthy incidents.The data showed that on 2 January, retailers gave change exclusively in euro in 92 percent (Cyprus) and 91 percent (Malta) of all cash transactions, although in Malta there were a few initial cases of shortage of change at retail outlets.
These shortages were particularly apparent on the very first day of the euro in the country, as banks were still closed and some customers were using up large amounts of Maltese lire banknotes to avoid having to exchange them at banks later. The commission's survey also revealed that 42 percent of Maltese had only or mostly euro banknotes, and 52 percent only or mostly euro coins in their wallets on 2 January. In Cyprus, the respective figures were 43 percent for banknotes and 46 percent for coins.When paying cash at shops, only a minority of both Cypriots (28%) and Maltese (36%) were already using the new currency but this compares favourably to the results of a similar survey conducted when Slovenia adopted the euro in 2007, when only one in five Slovene citizens (19%) paid in euro on the first working day. The local authorities also reported some queues at banks and cash dispensers in Cyprus and Malta as people were eager to exchange national cash into euro and to withdraw euro cash on the first days after the changeover. In both countries, the dual circulation period for people to use both new and old currencies will last until 31 January 2008.
Euro brings higher prices?
Prior to adopting the euro in Cyprus and Malta, EU officials called on the authorities in both countries to make sure the switchover was not exploited by speculators ready to raise prices and blame it on the new currency.The early survey shows that there were some incidences of this already, with some price hikes recorded in car parks in Malta.In comparison, the 2007 switchover to the euro in Slovenia was followed by higher prices for some services, such as restaurants and cafes.Meanwhile, figures late last year indicated a significant rise in overall consumer price inflation in the ex-Yugoslav country, with the commission predicting an average level of 3.5 percent in 2007 and 3.7 percent in 2008, compared to 2.5 percent in 2006. The jump in prices sparked fears over possible negative consequences for the public image of the single European currency and its impact. It also prompted EU officials to say they would consider this aspect more strictly when evaluating future candidates to join the eurozone.
After Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta's euro moves, Slovakia is the next in line of the 10-strong group that entered the EU in 2004 to join the single currency. It is aiming to adopt the euro on 1 January 2009.The EU executive and the European Central Bank are due to assess Slovakia's readiness to join the euro club in May, with the Slovak government openly optimistic about its prospects for fulfilling the criteria.But it is precisely predictions about future inflation rates that are causing some concerns in Bratislava, with Brussels urging more action on fiscal policy grounds to prevent price hikes following the currency changeover.
EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
By Yehonathan Tommer Published: 4 January 2008 1:25am
Jerusalem seeks Bush's approval for increased Defence in Gaza, West Bank.Jerusalem seeks Bush's approval for increased Defence in Gaza, West Bank
Ahead of a three day visit next week by US President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will seek an American understanding to safeguard Israel's interim military superiority and long term security interests during negotiations with the Palestinians for a final status agreement, Haaretz reported Thursday.Israel wants American approval for a free hand by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) against terrorist organisations in the West Bank and Gaza throughout the entire period of negotiations, and that arms limitations arrangements be placed on a future demilitarized Palestinian state to be equipped with an internal security police force.The intended understanding, say the Israelis, can also be a basis for the work of the American special security envoy General James Jones who has been tasked with formulating the security arrangements for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the newspaper said. It added that discussions with Administration officials on these issues began in Washington before the Annapolis summit last November.It is inconceivable that we would be prevented from continuing the extraordinary achievement against terror in the West Bank, a source told Haaretz, noting that no Israelis were killed last year inside Israeli proper and that an effective and focused offensive was being conducted in Gaza to bring quiet to the Quassam traumatised Israeli border town of Sderot.
Israel also demands unrestricted flights over Palestinian airspace and discreet monitoring of border crossings.It further proposes the deployment of an international force in the West Bank and along the problematic Philadephi Route at Rafah on the Egyptian-Gaza border and a permanent IDF trip-wire deterrence force for an extended period in the Jordan Valley.This force would be deployed, with Palestinian agreement, in times of emergency, in essential areas of the West Bank to thwart a threatened invasion from across the Jordan River.During the Clinton Administration Israel and the Palestinians reached agreement on several security issues, but the Palestinians vehemently opposed Israeli border monitoring and the deployment in the Jordan Valley of an IDF emergency force for the West Bank, Haaretz noted. Israel now wishes to reopen these demands, hoping for support from President Bush.The President will visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority between January 9-11 on the first leg of a tour to seven Middle Eastern nations. The Israeli visit will focus on evaluating the Israel-Palestinian peace process after the Annapolis Summit, as well as US policy towards the Iranian nuclear program, which Bush told the Israelis is unaffected by the recent National Intelligence Estimate.A highlight of the visit will be a tripartite meeting at a neutral site possibly at the American Consulate in East Jerusalem between Bush, Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
A meeting will also take place between Bush and Israeli President Shimon Peres to discuss joint economic and development projects between Israel, the PA, Jordan and other regional countries.Some 7,000 Israeli police will safeguard the US Presidential convoy in Jerusalem, which will be a city under siege with all the main roads leading to its downtown cordoned off to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Security measures at the King David Hotel, where Bush is being accommodated, as well as at other sites on his itinerary are likely to resemble fortresses.
EU SPAIN #11
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).
THIS GUY IS FLAT OUT WRONG. THE EU WILL BE THE WORLD SUPER POWER.
THE LAST DAYS WORLD POWERS
NORTH - RUSSIA (EZEKIEL 38+39) (DANIEL 11:40-43)
SOUTH - EGYPT (DANIEL 11:40-43)
EAST - CHINA (REVELATION 9:12-16) (DANIEL 11:44)
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION (DANIEL 7:23-25) (DANIEL 9:26-27)
Lisbon Treaty Will Not Create a European Superpower
Richard Weitz | Bio | 02 Jan 2008
World Politics Review Exclusive
This year, the leaders of the European Union likely will become preoccupied with securing ratification of the Lisbon Reform Treaty, which their heads of state and government signed on Dec. 13, 2007. The aim of the treaty is to strengthen Europe's ability to advance its internal and external objectives. Despite surface appearances, the new arrangements, if adopted, will not radically enhance Europe's status as an international security actor.The Treaty of Lisbon, also known as the Reform Treaty, aims to restructure the EU's core institutions in response to two fundamental changes in recent years. First, from April 2004 to January 2007, the EU expanded from 15 to 27 members, necessitating an overhaul of its complex and often painfully slow decision-making machinery. Second, existing EU institutions have found it difficult to manage several 21st-century foreign and security challenges -- globalization, climate change, energy shortages, and new security threats such as terrorism and regional conflicts.
EU leaders finalized the text of the Lisbon Treaty in October, after years of wrangling and the collapse of their initial efforts to adopt an EU constitution. The Lisbon Treaty will not enter into force unless it is ratified by all 27 EU members, which EU leaders hope will occur by the end of 2008.One of the treaty's priorities is to streamline and strengthen the EU's external representation. At present, the EU has several, sometimes competing, officials responsible for representing the organization to foreign countries and other international institutions. These include the country holding the rotating presidency of the European Council, the EU commissioner for external relations, and the existing EU foreign policy and security chief. The presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission, constituent parts of the EU, exert considerable influence over the organization's external economic policies.The Lisbon Treaty would address this representation problem in two ways. First, it would create an independent president of the European Council, which consists of the heads of state and government from the EU member states. That individual would be elected by the council to serve a once-renewable term of 30 rather than 6 months, as is the case with the current council president (which is technically a member state rather than a person). The expectation is that the incumbent, though not directly elected or endowed with executive powers like the American president, would be an important European political leader -- perhaps a former national prime minister -- whose prestige and tenure would enhance the EU's diplomatic clout.
Second, the treaty would create a new high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy, who would also become vice president of the European Commission. This position would combine the duties of the present foreign policy chief and external relations commissioner. The new high representative would chair EU foreign ministers' meetings, represent the EU at major international meetings, administer the organization's large foreign aid program, and direct a combined diplomatic service consisting of both EU and national diplomats. The treaty would not create an EU foreign minister or alter the current requirement of unanimity in foreign policy decisions, but would allow the new high representative to submit proposals on how to implement already agreed EU decisions.If adopted, the Lisbon Treaty would also affect many of the EU's other core institutions. Most importantly, it would change the number of EU commissioners and legislators from many countries. It would grant national parliaments a greater role in the drafting of EU legislation. It would expand the ability of the European Parliament to participate in policymaking spheres currently dominated by the European Council. The text would also remove many restrictions on the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice to rule on members' asylum, visa, and immigration policies.In terms of procedures, the treaty would establish a simpler voting system for the European Council that, by 2017, would distribute votes more closely according to a country's population than does the present system, which is based on the 2001 Nice Treaty. From 2014 to 2017, the EU would transition to a double majority system that would in most cases require the consent of 55 percent of the member states, representing at least 65 percent of the EU population, to pass a decision.
The treaty would also expand the range of policy issues in which decisions can be made by qualified majority voting, reducing a single country's ability to exercise a national veto. Many of the areas that would no longer require unanimity under the Lisbon Treaty are not of great significance (e.g., rules for gathering statistics in the eurozone). In addition, foreign and defense questions would still remain subject to national vetoes. Although the Lisbon Treaty allows for majority voting on proposals submitted by the new high representative, these would only implement foreign policies that had earlier been adopted unanimously, an approach employed by the EU since the 1992 Maastricht Treaty. Yet, some of the new areas covered by qualified majority voting -- migration, criminal justice, and judicial and police cooperation -- are of potential significance for homeland security and counterterrorism. Some EU leaders hope the reforms will further strengthen the organization's collective global influence. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said adoption of the Lisbon Treaty would allow the EU to become an equal to the world's other major economic powers: There are continental-sized powers we either want to engage with or square up to, whether it be China, India or the U.S. -- and at the moment we are punching below our weight. We are not taken as seriously as we could be and will be as a result of this reform treaty.
Whatever the effects of the treaty on the EU's collective economic weight, the document is unlikely to make the organization a great security power in the near future. Next year, EU governments will be preoccupied with securing the treaty's ratification. Having learned from previous disasters -- notably the rejection of the proposed EU constitution in 2005 by Dutch and French voters -- EU leaders have made clear they will not submit the text to national referendum, except in Ireland where the country's constitution requires it. They argue that the Lisbon treaty would simply amend existing EU treaties rather than, as with the failed EU constitution, replace them by transferring some national sovereignty to the EU.Although Irish voters rejected the Nice Treaty in 2001, they are expected to endorse the proposed Lisbon treaty. Nevertheless, ratification could be delayed in some countries, such as Belgium, that are today paralyzed by national political crises. In addition, treaty opponents in Britain and elsewhere are pressing their national courts and incumbent governments to offer a referendum as well. Their hope is that, as on past occasions, even voters unfamiliar with the issue will use the opportunity to express dissatisfaction with current government policies.One major issue complicating any assessment of the treaty's practical effects is its continued use of opt-outs and opt-ins. The opt-out mechanism allows EU members to exempt themselves from certain treaty provisions, while the opt-in function permits them to pursue enhanced cooperation in other areas. The treaty also authorizes countries to withdraw from the EU -- the ultimate opt-out. Combined, these provisions could encourage a multi-speed Europe,(2 TEER) with members pursuing diverse foreign and defense policies. For example, Britain, Denmark, and Ireland have the right to opt out of EU policies regarding justice and home affairs, but cannot prevent other member states from moving ahead in these areas without them.
EU members are likely to make extensive use of these flexible arrangements in the area of defense. On the one hand, the ability of select countries to pursue enhanced cooperation on military issues helps the EU manage its longstanding problem of neutral members resisting extensive defense cooperation. On the other hand, Britain and France, the EU's two most important military powers -- uniquely possessing both nuclear weapons and veto rights in the U.N. Security Council -- sharply differ regarding their preferred future direction in this area. Both want to fortify the EU's capabilities to overcome weaknesses currently impeding EU humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in Chad, Afghanistan, and the Balkans, but the British remain much more concerned with avoiding undesirable NATO overlap by, for instance, developing an EU capacity to wage major conventional combat operations. The Lisbon treaty's solidarity clause -- directing members to assist one another in cases of armed aggression -- could make it harder to paper over these differences than in the past. Divisions between members could also weaken one of the EU's most important security tools -- its ability to offer membership for governments that pursue desirable political, military, and other policies. The prospects of joining the EU helped reduce the potential for violent conflict between many East European countries during the 1990s. Today, however, EU leaders have been unable to reconcile their differences over whether to grant EU membership to Serbia, Turkey, and other regional states. As a result, the EU's ability to moderate non-members' security policies has declined.
Whatever changes the Lisbon treaty might precipitate in the EU's foreign and defense architecture, the institution will remain an intergovernmental organization -- meaning that fundamental differences among its important members will continue to vitiate its external influence.Richard Weitz is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a World Politics Review contributing editor.
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA IS 'BECOMING STRONGER'
President Vladimir Putin said in his annual New Year's address to the nation on December 31 that it was the support, trust, and efforts of ordinary Russians that made possible everything that we have done together with you during the past eight years of his two-term presidency, kremlin.ru reported (see RFE/RL Newsline, December 28, 2007). He stressed that we have not only restored the territorial integrity of Russia, but once again we are able to feel we are a united people. And all these years we worked together to preserve our country, to transform it into a modern, free, and strong state able to provide its citizens with a comfortable life. Putin argued that we have seen how, from year to year, Russia has been gaining in strength.... How our economy has been growing. How new opportunities have been opening up for the people. He noted that we have not managed to do everything. But I am quite certain that the road the people have chosen for Russia is the right road and that it will lead us to success. We have everything [needed] to achieve our goal -- our great history, colossal resources, courage, and the industriousness and intellectual potential of our great nation. The daily Komsomolskaya pravda reported on December 29 that several highly decorated senior military commanders have proposed that Putin be awarded the Hero of Russia order for his achievements as president. The commanders noted that from 1985 to 2000, our presidents only disgraced us by selling out the country's interests or through their ridiculous personal behavior. Whenever they got ready for a trip, we prayed that they would not disgrace our country once again. PM
WILL SERBIA REPAY RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT BY SELLING ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE CHEAPLY?
Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic was quoted by the Belgrade daily Politika on December 31 as saying that the Serbian authorities have humiliated their country by considering a deal from a Gazprom-led Russian business group to acquire Serbia's state oil monopoly, NIS, at a fraction of its market value, ostensibly for political reasons. He said that unnamed government colleagues told him it would be indecent to ask Russians to pay a fair market price. Dinkic said that Gazprom would reportedly acquire 51 percent of NIS for $588 million, which is half the initial estimated value of the company, without having to bid competitively. He argued that, in open bidding, NIS could bring the government several times what the Russians are offering, which he called crumbs. As an incentive, Gazprom offered to build a branch of the proposed South Stream gas pipeline through Serbia. Dinkic said that he is not angry with the Russians, whom he called great negotiators, but with his own colleagues, for what he called selling off Serbia's natural resources for only part of their value. In his New Year's message on December 31, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said the government wants to reach a strategic energy agreement with Russia. Dpa reported on December 31 that such a pact could be concluded by the end of January. Kostunica is a strong supporter of close ties with Russia and relatively cool toward Serbia's possible Euro-Atlantic integration. Russia's "RBC Daily reported on December 27 that Gazprom is shopping for assets in Serbia and that the Serbian government is a willing partner. The daily published somewhat different figures from those given by Dinkic on the NIS deal and noted that Gazprom and Gazpromneft declined to comment on the report. The paper suggested that Gazprom's real interest is in the gas pipeline and a possible storage facility at Banatski Dvor. The daily wrote that Gazpromneft has little need for Balkan refineries and that LUKoil was until recently considered the main Russian bidder for NIS. Russian businesses and wealthy entrepreneurs have bought numerous industries and properties in Montenegro and Serbia in recent years, fueling a real-estate boom on the Montenegrin coast and in central Belgrade, the BBC reported on January 1. PM
RUSSIA EXPECTS NEW TALKS WITH EU
Sergei Yastrzhembsky, who is President Putin's aide and special envoy to the EU, said on January 1 in Moscow that Russia expects to launch negotiations soon on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the EU following Slovenia's assumption of that body's rotating presidency on January 1, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on January 2. The current PCA expired in December but was automatically extended for one more year in the absence of a new agreement. Poland previously blocked PCA negotiations because of a dispute over a Russian ban on Polish meat shipments, which has since been settled (see RFE/RL Newsline, October 29 and December 21, 2007). Yastrzhembsky said on January 1 that it is psychologically important for Russia that Slovenia now chairs the EU because Slovenia is the first Slavic country to hold that position. He noted that relations between Moscow and Ljubljana are free of problems and that the two countries are close partners. PM
MOSCOW DENIES IT WILL SELL TEHRAN SOPHISTICATED ANTIMISSILE SYSTEM
Russia's Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service said in a statement on December 28 that the issue of the delivery of S-300 air-defense missile systems to Iran, raised by the media, is not a subject of current negotiations and has not been discussed with the Iranians, RIA Novosti reported. The statement added that Russia and Iran are continuing to develop cooperation in the military-technical sphere in full accordance with international arms export regulations and obligations (see RFE/RL Newsline, December 27 and 28, 2007). PM
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