Saturday, November 29, 2008

CANADA CONSTITUTION CRISIS

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
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 (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

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.

Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press Writer – Fri Nov 28, 5:51 am ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come.By this weekend, seismologists hope to install three measurement devices to gather data about future temblors in the area. That information could show whether the rumbles come from heat-related geological changes or from an undiscovered fault — which could mean a risk of substantial earthquakes in the future.The potential for generating a high-magnitude earthquake is real, said Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.Five earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 2.7 have hit central Arkansas this month. Quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 to 3 are typically the smallest felt by people.While hundreds of earthquakes occur each year, including several in Arkansas, the location of the recent ones give Al-Shukri pause. Arkansas quakes generally occur in the state's northeast corner, part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where three temblors with magnitudes of around 8 struck during the winter of 1812 and smaller ones continue today.But central Arkansas does not have any seismic history, Al-Shukri said.It is abnormal. It is significant, he said. We need to carefully watch this activity.The area does not have any permanent seismograph, so researchers asked the University of Memphis in Tennessee if they could use its portable equipment. The nearest seismographs aren't close enough to provide the detailed readings scientists need to determine what could be causing the tremors or properly locate their origin, said Scott Ausbrooks, the geohazard supervisor for the Arkansas Geological Survey.

I don't know if you've looked at a map of where these events are located, but they've got a scatter on them, he said. We're thinking this is probably the inherited error built in when you try to locate events of this small a magnitude from that far away.Ausbrooks said officials would install the three seismographs around Magnet Cove, a Hot Spring County community near where a magnitude-2.7 earthquake hit on Nov. 1. Residents told police dispatchers they heard what sounded like an explosion.One possible culprit could be a hydrothermal quake, caused by extremely hot fluid pushing into rocks under the surface. The hot fluid percolates into the cracks of the rocks and causes movement, Al-Shukri said.That theory matches the geologic history of the area. Central Arkansas is home to Hot Springs, a city that grew up around its namesake spas. The springs have 143-degree waters rushing to the surface continuously.If that's the case, the earthquakes likely wouldn't pose a drastic danger to the area, Al-Shukri said. At their strongest, such quakes reach only a magnitude of 5, the U.S. Geological Survey's threshold for moderate.However, if the earthquakes are caused by a previously unknown fault, that could mean a much more powerful temblor in the future. A recently discovered fault in eastern Arkansas near Marianna caused an earthquake with a magnitude of between 7.2 and 7.5 in the past 5,000 years, Al-Shukri said. That could cause widespread, heavy damage.Now, it's not active, but in geologist time, that's yesterday, he said.Ausbrooks wouldn't speculate on what could be causing the earthquakes, saying he wanted to see what data the seismographs capture. However, he acknowledged an unknown fault could be running through the area.There are numerous faults across the state, both known and unknown, Ausbrooks said. This area has got a lot of faults associated with it from the mountain building of the Ouachitas, but they're considered inactive.On the Net:
Arkansas Geological Survey: http://www.geology.ar.gov UALR Arkansas Earthquake Center: http://quake.ualr.edu U.S. Geological Survey: http://www.usgs.gov.

Two earthquakes rattle remote Alaska Sat Nov 29, 2:52 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two moderate earthquakes rattled remote locations in Alaska on Friday, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Center.A magnitude 5.3 quake struck 13 miles west northwest of the Alaska town of Anchor Point, which is about 200 miles south of Anchorage. About a minute later, a magnitude 5.1 quake occurred about 28 miles southwest of Cantwell, Alaska, which is about 200 miles north of Anchorage.Magnitude 5 quakes can cause considerable damage, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

Strong 6.0 quake strikes off Indonesia's Sumatra: USGS Fri Nov 28, 7:17 am ET

JAKARTA (AFP) – A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck at sea off Indonesia's Sumatra island, the US Geological Survey said Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.The quake struck 141 kilometres (88 miles) southwest of the city of Bengkulu at a depth of 35 kilometres at 3:50 pm (0850 GMT), the USGS said in an email alert.A geologist at Indonesia's geophysics agency told AFP no tsunami alert had been issued for the quake.We don't know yet of any damage from the quake, Edison Gurning said.Bengkulu city was badly damaged in a 8.4-magnitude quake that killed 23 people in September 2007.Indonesia was the country worst hit by the earthquake-triggered tsunami in December 2004 that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 nations across Asia, including over 168,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province alone.This month, it launched a high-tech tsunami warning system in a bid to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.The Indonesian archipelago straddles several continental plates in an area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, where seismic and volcanic activity is recorded on an almost daily basis.Earlier this month, six people were killed and some 10,000 displaced by a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake which struck Sulawesi island.

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.

Atlantic hurricane season blows away records By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer – Thu Nov 27, 5:44 am ET

WASHINGTON – The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends Sunday, seemed to strike the United States and Cuba as if on redial, setting at least five weather records for persistence and repeatedly striking the same areas.It was pretty relentless in a large number of big strikes, said Georgia Tech atmospheric sciences professor Judith Curry. We just didn't have the huge monster where a lot of people lost their lives, but we had a lot of damage, a lot of damage.Data on death and damage are still being calculated, but the insurance industry recorded at least $10.6 billion in losses this hurricane season. That includes $8.1 billion in insured damage from Hurricane Ike, which ranked as the seventh most expensive catastrophe in the United States history, according to Mike Barry of the Insurance Information Institute in New York.

Three records showed the hurricane season's relentlessness. Six consecutive named storms — Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike — struck the U.S. mainland, something that had not been seen in recorded history. It's also the first time a major hurricane, those with winds of at least 111 mph, formed in five consecutive months, July through November. And Bertha spun about for 17 days, making it the longest lived storm in July.Two records involve storms hitting the same places repeatedly. Rain-heavy Fay was the only storm to hit the same state — Florida — four times, leaving heavy flood damage in its wake. A record three major hurricanes smacked Cuba: Gustav, Ike and Paloma.Upper air currents helped storms get bigger and focused them into a few places — Cuba and the U.S. Gulf Coast — said Gerry Bell, the top hurricane forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. Five of the six storms that hit the United States this season struck the Gulf Coast.And that repeat-tracking of storms to the same place — and with it increased likelihood of landfall — is typical of years when the hurricane season is on overdrive, like this year, Bell said.This year wasn't the busiest ever. It merely tied for the fourth most named storms in history with 16. The 2005 season shattered all records with 28 tropical storms and hurricanes.The 2008season was busy largely because of the natural cycles of high and low storm activity that last anywhere from 25 to 40 years.This one started in 1995. Based on the historical record, we're right in the middle of an active era, Bell said.

An average season has 11 named storms, six of which become hurricanes. This year there were eight hurricanes, of which five - Bertha, Gustav, Ike, Omar and Paloma — became major hurricanes.Three of those — Gustav, Ike and Paloma — made extreme Category 4, where winds have to be at least 131 mph. That's a lot, Bell said. But it's typical of a very active season such as what we saw.Curry said this year's large number of Category 4 storms indicates a signal of global warming. But Bell said the science is not quite clear on that.At the National Hurricane Center one thing is clear. Meteorologist and spokesman Dennis Feltgen said: We're glad it's over.On the Net.The National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Sri Lanka: 7 killed, 98,000 displaced by floods NOV 29,08

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Floods caused by days of heavy rains killed at least seven people, left four soldiers missing and displaced tens of thousands in insurgency-ravaged northern Sri Lanka, officials said Saturday.Keerthi Ekanayake of the Disaster Management Center said the northern Jaffna peninsula and the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts were inundated and nearly 8,000 houses have been destroyed.

Seven people were confirmed dead and more than 88,000 were displaced in the north alone, Ekanayake said.The military said four soldiers stationed in Jaffna were missing after being caught in the flooding.Hundreds of thousands of people in the northern region had already been displaced by fighting between government troops and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and are living in temporary huts.An additional 10,000 people have become homeless because of the floods in the rest of Sri Lanka, Ekanayake said.The government plans to send emergency aid and shelter materials, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.Aid agencies were evicted from rebel-held territory in September by the government, which said it could not guarantee their security amid the fighting.

More rains feared as death toll rises in Brazil By RICARDO MORAES, Associated Press –Fri Nov 28, 3:38 pm ET

BLUMENAU, Brazil – Forecasters warned Friday that yet more rain could fall this weekend on waterlogged southern Brazil, raising fears of renewed mudslides in a region where at least 100 people have died due to storms.Santa Catarina state's civil defense department said in a statement that mudslides killed most of the victims, with floods killing most of the rest. Nineteen people were still missing and at least 78,000 people in 14 cities were still forced to shelter with relatives or friends or in churches, schools and other public buildings.After surveying large areas hit by the mudslides, experts at Sao Paulo's Technological Research Institute said tragedy could strike again because the earth is still saturated with water.

The stabilization of the soil is extremely precarious and if there is more rain, then there could be more mudslides, the institute's Luiz Antonio Gomes was quoted as saying in the Santa Catarina government's Web site.Meteorologists predicted at least some chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday.Volunteers and troops were scrambling to distribute tons of medicine, food, water and clothes to people in a region where power outages contributed to a lack of clean water and fresh food.The government-owned bank Caixa Economica Federal announced it would provide 1.5 billion reals ($652 billion) in loans for people and businesses in the disaster zone so they can buy goods like construction materials and appliances.

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 3 OTHER PARTIES WANT TO OVER THROW HARPER AND HAVE THE LIBERALS LEAD THE GOVERNMENT OR HAVE NEW ELECTIONS,TALK ABOUT NATIONS IN DISTRESS.

Harper moves to avoid political showdown
Last Updated: Friday, November 28, 2008 | 10:00 PM ET CBC News


Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes a statement regarding the opposition's plan to form a coalition government, in front of the House of Commons on Friday. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)Prime Minister Stephen Harper has temporarily stymied a Liberal plan to bring down the government and propose a governing coalition with the New Democrats, delaying the opportunity for a no-confidence vote by one week.In an address delivered from the foyer of the House of Commons on Friday, Harper said the government should be empowered by Canadians — not through deals negotiated in the shadowy halls of Parliament.While we have been working on the economy, the opposition has been working on a backroom deal to overturn the results of the last election without seeking the consent of voters. They want to take power, not earn it,Harper said.The prime minister has cancelled Monday's opposition day, which the Liberals intended to use to introduce a motion to topple the Conservative government on the grounds that it has failed to recognize the seriousness of the economic downturn.Harper said the next opposition day will be set for Dec. 8.

Party standings:
Conservatives 143
Liberals 77
Bloc Québécois 49
NDP 37
Independent 2
The Liberals campaigned against a coalition with the NDP, saying NDP policies were bad for the economy. And now they want to form a coalition saying that this will strengthen the economy,Harper said.He also cancelled a vote on a ways-and-means motion that had been scheduled for Monday night, a confidence vote that would have given the opposition another chance to bring down the government. That motion deals with the government's fiscal update, which has prompted the current political crisis.

Pointing out that the Conservatives received a renewed minority mandate last month to guide the country through the worst financial crisis in decades, Harper said his government has taken several steps since the Oct. 14 vote to bolster the economy — including injecting billions of dollars of liquidity into Canada's credit markets.

The Official Opposition disagrees, saying the government hasn't offered any serious plan to assist workers and businesses in hard-pressed sectors such as manufacturing, the automotive industry and forestry.The Liberal motion reads: In light of the government's failure to recognize the seriousness of Canada's economic situation and its failure in particular to present any credible plan to stimulate the Canadian economy … this House has lost confidence in this government and is of the opinion that a viable alternative government can be formed.

Governor General making plans to return
The Bloc Québécois would not be part of any coalition government, but has expressed support for the idea as long as the coalition provides economic help for Quebec's forest and manufacturing sectors.Gov.-Gen. Michaëlle Jean has been travelling in Europe for the past few days. She's shown here visiting the monument of Hungary's 1956 anti-communist revolution martyrs with her husband Jean-Daniel Lafond in Budapest on Wednesday. (Karoly Arvai/Reuters)"What's happening in Ottawa right now is there are negotiations going on between the Liberals and the NDP about what that government would look like, CBC's Margo McDiarmid reported from Ottawa.It's still unclear who would lead a coalition, though the Canadian Press quoted a source as saying the opposition parties have agreed that outgoing Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion would lead the government for the next few months. Dion is set to step down in May when a new leader is selected.If the no-confidence motion passes, the Liberals and New Democrats would visit Gov.-Gen. Michaëlle Jean to request her permission to try to form a coalition government.There are reports the Governor General's office has made contingency plans to cut short her trip abroad. She is on a four-country tour of eastern Europe and isn't expected back until Dec. 6. The Canadian Press quoted aides as saying she is being briefed on the situation.The Governor General would have the option to call on other parties — perhaps the coalition being discussed between the Liberals and New Democrats — to form a government.

Dion has no right to take power without election: Harper
Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien wouldn't comment on his meetings with former New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent while on his way to his office in Ottawa on Friday. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)The opposition is entitled to defeat the government as it sees fit, Harper said Friday, but Dion himself does not have the right to take power without an election.They want to put in place a government led by one party which received its lowest popular vote since Confederation, he said.

They want to put in place a prime minister who was rejected by the voters of Canada only six weeks ago.Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent had confirmed earlier in the day that he had been in talks with former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien about the possibility of a coalition stemming from disagreement with measures proposed in the government's fiscal update, delivered Thursday.I've talked to Mr. Chrétien. He and I both discussed what would be a good situation here for the people of Canada, for Parliament, and we'll see what happens, Broadbent told CBC News. He called the Conservatives' update a joke.All three opposition parties — the New Democrats, Liberals and Bloc Québécois — have criticized the Conservatives for not including in their fiscal update a stimulus package to help boost Canada's slumping economy.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has said a stimulus package is still in the cards if the economic situation doesn't improve.Also at issue was a proposal to save money by cutting public subsidies for political parties, but Kory Teneycke, director of communications for the Prime Minister's Office, said Friday that the subsidies won't be tied to the fiscal update set for a vote on Monday.That measure would cut the $1.95-per-vote each party gets to fund such things as staffing and research. Removal of the subsidies would harm the opposition parties more than the ruling Conservatives, who have been more successful at raising money privately.Under the mini-budget, the government would also sell $2.3 billion in government assets and save another $2 billion through salary controls for public servants, MPs and senators. It includes a proposal to deny federal public-sector unions the right to strike for the next three years.With files from the Canadian Press.

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

ACP countries fear Europe may abandon aid pledges in wake of crisis
LEIGH PHILLIPS 28.11.2008 @ 18:00 CET


EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A meeting of European Union parliamentarians and their counterparts in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries has called on European and other developed countries not to let the global crisis hit development aid budgets.As the ongoing financial turbulence causes European governments to turn attention inward, development aid budgets could be first in the firing line, they fear, and if developed countries such as Iceland or Hungary are hit hard, the global south will be hit that much harder.The world financial crisis should not be used to justify cuts in development aid, demands a declaration by the 16th ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly, which ended on Friday (28 November), after week-long deliberations in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.Twice a year, the assembly brings together 78 members of the European Parliament and 78 parliamentarians from ACP states - the grouping of developing countries that for the most part were once colonies of EU member state empires.The Port Moresby Declaration calls on EU member states to honour their official development assistance commitments - 0.56 percent of gross national income by 2010 and 0.7 percent by 2015.Long before the crisis hit, EU nations were already having trouble keeping their aid promises.Even before September, Italy was the worst performing member state in terms of keeping on track to development assistance, at 0.19 percent of gross national income spent on official development assistance [ODA], Elise Ford the director of Oxfam's Europe office told EUobserver.And now its draft budget for next year, if the bill goes through, says they will cut ODA in half.The International Labor Organisation estimates the number of workers living on less than one dollar a day may increase by 40 million and those living on less than two dollars a day could increase by more than 100 million as a result of the crisis.And poor countries are still feeling the shocks of food and oil price increases, even if the latter have significantly subsided. Grain-price increases cost developing economies €255 billion last year – more than three times what they received in aid.

There is a risk that recessions in rich countries will lead politicians to take the short-sighted approach of cutting aid. Given the tiny amounts of money involved compared to rich country economies, this would do little more than offer symbolic budget savings, but at huge human cost, said another Oxfam spokesperson, Gawain Kripke. Aid to all developing countries last year was €82 billion. However, in recent months, the EU and US have mobilised multiple trillions - the US alone has spent €6.73 trillion ($8.56 tn) - in the to bail out their banks.

Trade pact

The joint parliamentary assembly also discussed the Economic Partnership Agreement, a trade pact, that the EU is currently negotiating with the Pacific region.Outlining what he would like to see in the final agreement for Papua New Guinea and Fiji in particular, the European Parliament's key monitor of the trade talks, UK Socialist MEP Glynn Ford said any agreement must include progress on allowing export taxes for development purposes and adequate protection for infant industries.He would also like to see intellectual property protection for traditional knowledge, and the opening up of public procurement only to the extent that is consistent with Pacific states' needs.If the European Commission cannot accept this basis for further negotiation, said Mr Ford, then he would recommend voting No to the interim agreement.

OPEC set to defer output move to December by Omar Hasan Omar Hasan NOV 29,08

AFP CAIRO (AFP) – OPEC is set to leave until December a decision on whether to cut oil output, despite prices plunging in the face of a global economic downturn, ministers said on Saturday.Ali al-Nuaimi, oil minister of cartel kingpin Saudi Arabia, said ahead of a consultative meeting in Cairo that a firm decision on cutting production would be made only at a scheduled gathering in Oran, Algeria on December 17.This (Cairo) meeting is a preparatory meeting for a more resolved and firm decision in Algeria, he said before talks were due to begin at 3 pm (1300 GMT).

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said in an interview published in a Kuwaiti newspaper that an oil price of 75 dollars would be fair -- an indication that cuts might be forthcoming to lift the market.We think that a fair price of oil is 75 dollars a barrel, he said. Our budgets were not set at the latest world prices, but at another, lower price.Saudi Arabia is the world's top crude exporter and by far the most important player in the powerful Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which pumps 40 percent of global crude supplies.Other OPEC members, including Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Nigeria, have also expressed support for deferring a decision until December.There will be a decision regarding supplies but it is more likely that this decision will be taken in Algeria, said Kuwaiti Oil Minister Mohammad al-Olaim.This meeting is a consultative meeting. It will discuss the previous output cut decision and its impact in the markets.OPEC Secretary General Abdalla Salem El-Badri, who on Friday described the market as over-supplied, also said a decision would be made in Oran.Oil prices, which closed Friday at about 54 dollars per barrel, have slumped by about 63 percent since setting record highs above 147 dollars in July as the market grappled with a sharp global economic slowdown and weak energy demand.

Last week the market dived below 50 dollars to their lowest levels since early 2005 as concern mounted about the impact of a growing global recession.The decline in demand has led to a drop in OPEC crude oil revenues.Qatari Energy Minister Abdullah al-Attiyah said current prices were too low to sustain investments in the oil industry to meet a future rise in demand.We can all live with 70 dollars, Attiyah said. With this price, we can invest in upstream projects but below that it will be very difficult to boost output capacity.Projects could be postponed and maybe we will see a shortage in production when demand picks up, he added.Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani had said Friday that 80 dollars a barrel was a reasonable price and that his country would support any OPEC decision to cut output.The Cairo meet is being held on the margins of a separate gathering of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC).Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem has said that while Saturday's meeting was meant to be consultative, a decision to cut output should not be ruled out. In Vienna last month, OPEC ministers agreed to reduce production by 1.5 million barrels per day (bdp), but the market carried on tumbling. OPEC's official output quota currently stands at 27.3 million bpd, excluding Iraq. Analysts warn that OPEC could be forced to act now to avoid oil prices sliding even further next week. The more the speculation had gone on, the more OPEC may be painted into a corner, said Simon Wardell, oil analyst at the IHS Global Insight consultancy in London. If they don't announce a cut now, they run the risk of a possible price fall next week. I think they will announce something this weekend -- even if just a deferred cut to be approved in Algeria.

TSX breaks through 9,000, up 13.7% on week
Friday, November 28, 2008 | 5:12 PM ET CBC News


The past month on the S&P/TSX composite index The TSX/S&P composite index had a late-session spurt Friday, jumping 5.9 per cent and giving the benchmark index a 13.7 per cent gain on the week.The index closed up 516.85 points at 9,270.62, the first close over the 9,000 level since Nov.14. It added 1,115 points during the week.Financial issues led the charge Friday, with the sub-index gaining more than 11.8 per cent, closely followed by real estate, up 9.9 per cent. Every sub-index rose.Shares of financial giants like Great West Lifeco, Manulife Financial, Power Corp. and Sun Life, which had been badly beaten up in the sell-off over concern about credit markets, jumped dramatically, adding from 14.9 per cent to 21.8 per cent.The big chartered banks were up between 7.5 per cent for National Bank shares to 13 per cent at the Bank of Nova Scotia.The Dow Jones industrial index closed early Friday with a gain that capped five days of rising prices, leaving the index up 9.7 per cent over the week.The index added 102.43 points, or 1.17 per cent, to close at 8,829.04. It's was up 783 points over the week.The Friday session was shortened, with the market closing at 1 p.m. ET, after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.Investors apparently were encouraged by the crowds at stores the day after Thanksgiving, widely seen as the start of the U.S. Christmas shopping season.The S&P/TSX composite index was up about 170 points to 8,923 in mid-afternoon trading. Every sub-index except materials rose. Financial issues had the biggest percentage gain.The Dow's rise on the week followed two initiatives that started the week well. On Sunday, the U.S. government announced a support package for Citigroup, and on Monday, president-elect Barack Obama revealed his economic team.Citigroup shares, which were at $3.77 US on Nov. 21, closed the week at $7.94.

Saudi king says oil should be $75 per barrel By TAREK EL-TABLAWY and ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writers

AFP CAIRO, Egypt – Saudi Arabia's king says the price of oil should be $75 a barrel, much higher than it is now, but his oil minister indicated Saturday that no measures will likely be taken until OPEC meets again next month.Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will do what needs to be done to shore up falling oil prices when the cartel meets Dec. 17 in Algeria.Naimi did not entirely rule out the chance that the cartel would slash output at a hastily convened meeting of OPEC members in Cairo Saturday, but he said the bloc needs to wait until the Algeria meeting to assess the impact of earlier production cuts.His comments came after Saudi King Abdullah told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah in an interview published Saturday that oil should be priced at $75 a barrel.We believe the fair price for oil is $75 a barrel, he said, without saying how the price could be raised.The price of crude stood at about $147 a barrel in mid-July. On Friday, the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for January delivery was trading at about $54 per barrel.The king was echoed by Qatar's Oil Minister Abdullah Bin Hamad al-Attiya, who told the Arab news channel Al-Arabiya that prices needed to rise to guarantee investment into the oil sector.The price between 70 to 80 (dollars a barrel) is the one encouraging in investment and developing new or current oil fields, he said. It falls below 70 (dollars), the investment would freeze, which will lead to a crisis in supply in the future.The cartel has already held an emergency meeting in Vienna on Oct. 24 to announce a production cut of 1.5 million barrels per day.The cut failed to stop the price drop, and the cartel hastily convened the Cairo gathering on the sidelines of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries' meeting.There is total confusion among OPEC's 13 members, said Fadel Gheit, managing director of oil and gas research at Oppenheimer & Co. in New York. These people ... really have no business model. They basically thrive when oil prices go up, and now they are crying uncle when prices go down.And down they have gone, in an avalanche sped along by a world financial meltdown that also threatens to cut deeply into OPEC member states' government budgets.

Kuwait's oil minister, Mohammed al-Aleem, said he believes there is no need for OPEC to make a decision in Cairo on cutting output. But he warned the market is oversupplied, and didn't rule out the need for OPEC to cut production further.We believe a decision could be taken ... but I think it will happen in Algeria, he said.

Al-Aleem said current prices could undercut investment in future projects and were not good for either producers or consumers.The recent price drop has left OPEC price hawks Venezuela and Iran clamoring for further reductions of at least 1 million barrels a day. Both countries need crude at about $90 per barrel to meet spending needs aimed in part at propping up domestically unpopular regimes.Other OPEC members, such as Nigeria and Ecuador, face budget problems too, making them reluctant to implement more cuts that might shrink revenues further.The Saudis are better positioned to cope with the drop in prices. The International Monetary Fund estimates Riyadh needs crude in the range of about $50 per barrel for 2008 fiscal accounts to break even. OPEC itself, along with the International Energy Agency, has significantly revised down its projections for demand growth in 2009. Meanwhile, global crude inventories are growing, as evidenced by a U.S. government report showing a surprisingly large 7 million barrel build in stocks last week in the world's largest energy consumer. OPEC's last round of cuts would put its total production at about 30.5 million barrels per day, according to the IEA. That is about 500,000 barrels per day higher than the forecast call on OPEC crude in much of 2009. A Nov. 24 Oppenheimer research report says that for oil to rebound to $65 a barrel, OPEC would need to cut crude production by more than 3 million barrels per day from its September levels — a move it called highly unlikely. Associated Press Writer Hadeel al-Shalchi contributed to this report.

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)

REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

WORLD GOVERNMENT

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.

DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

11/14/2008 15:14 ASIA – UNITED STATES Obama, world crisis and the new world order by Maurizio d’Orlando

The depth of the current economic crisis is leading many people to favour a form of governance that would place economic and political life under the trusteeship of international organisations. Barack Obama’s new cabinet, which is made up of those responsible for the crisis, will ensure the ascendancy of financial interests. In the meantime no one is calling for the people to have power in the monetary sphere. The result is that democracy is being killed by financial power.

Milan (AsiaNews) – A new world order has been in the making for quite some time and is now becoming inevitable. Many a politician and economist are quick to say that great sacrifices are called for, and that any reasonable person will see that suffering and hardship are necessary.The crisis that is currently affecting our lives is behind this global shift. The slow fire has moved from real estate, to banking and finances, and is now reaching industry, agriculture and the whole economy. From the heartland in the United States it is reverberating outward touching the entire world.The fear of a domino effect and its potential for economic, political and social upheavals and the fear of widespread anarchy will provide the necessary tools to install this new order, which for most people will appear as the only possible outcome. The act of governing will change as a world body will be in charge the financial, economic and tax systems. Police, prisons and private relations inside and outside the family will come under its purview, so will national sovereignty of the peoples and the right to express opinions that are different from those of the single thought of relativism, which will be seen as the only solution that is available and desirable.

The G20 and the New World Order

Until a few decades ago such a new world order would have been anathema, a nightmare, a first step towards a worldwide dictatorship. Now world leaders will be praised when they show concern for the well-being of the earth’s peoples and social groups at a time of difficulties. Of course, this is what we will hear, and very soon too, in terms more unambiguous that we might think now. This said, new rules, a new Bretton Woods, are not anything new; discussions have been going on for some time. Perhaps the next G20 summit on 15 November will be a time when the miracle cure is found, one that will entail a world central bank that regulates a single currency of account and its relationship to local currencies.After a short lesson and a quick diagnosis of the current problems, during which G20 participants will hear that it was all the fault of Bush’s brainless laissez-faire advocates, the same people responsible for the current crisis will supply the treatment for putting things right. All we have to do is see who funded the most expensive presidential campaign in the former US superpower (more than a billion dollars at a time of great recession). As always some have bet on both horses just to be on the safe side. As we know Barack Obama pulled it off, money-wise too, almost twice as much as the Republican candidate. In addition to traditional sectors like show business, media, academe, education, information technology and the Internet, hedge funds, law firms (closely linked to the world of creative financial mediation) and private equity funds have bankrolled the new president’s campaign.1

In order to change nothing, the appearance of everything has to change. In fact, only the surface had to change a bit; the new president’s darker skin. For everything else, it was business as usual. Indeed the cabinet of the new president is made up of the same, reckless people. Let’s see! We have Larry Summers, Tim Geithner and Robert Rubin who have been short-listed for the Treasury Department; all of whom are extreme laissez-faire advocates who believe in an unfettered financial system, enemies of the Glass-Steagall Act.2 They are same people who swapped jobs at the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Clinton Administration; played sidekicks for Alan Greenspan and Ben Shalom Bernanke, or at the headquarters of Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Geithner); that is the same people who masterminded events before and after the current crisis.

Old faces in Obama’s new government

Obama picked Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff, a man whose career straddled politics and Wall Street’s great financial groups. But there is more to his case. Not only his father was a member of the Irgun3 but he holds Israeli citizenship, has fought for Israel and represents that country’s armed forces. He also endorsed Obama before the leadership of the AIPAC,4 a US Zionist organisation that is also funded by the State of Israel and which has recently been involved in espionage cases. In Israel many view Rahm as our man in the White House.Based on this perhaps the choice between the two candidates was not really equal. See-sawing in the polls for quite a while after an apparent jump, buoyed by the war in Georgia, the Republican camp saw its fortunes nosedive after President Bush refused in late August to provide Israel’s air force refuelling aircrafts for a long range mission5, in effect vetoing an attack against Iran. Starting with oil, the prices of primary commodities began dropping a few days later, negatively affecting investment banks, which had bet on high prices to compensate for losses in the home mortgage market, thus throwing the world’s stock markets into a tailspin in early September.6

Democracy and money

From all of the above it is clear that an Obama presidency will not change how the financial crisis will be handled. On the contrary, it will strengthen the trend to protect large institutions and industries at the expense of small enterprises and the man and woman of the street who voted for him. It is quite obvious that the G20 summit in Washington will not affect the central issue of the present financial and economic crisis (and the many preceding crises of modernity and post-modernity), i.e. sovereignty and system legitimacy.In today’s world the only political regime that is considered fully legitimate in political and economic terms is democracy. Many wars have been fought to spread democracy and in democracy, by definition, the people are sovereign. However, if a highly developed and complex democracy like that of the United States can be guided (in the sense that voters are left with the illusion that they can choose when in fact their choices like in a supermarket are shaped by marketing, political marketing that is) by those with deep pockets, the legitimacy of the system no longer lies in the consent of the people since the latter goes to the highest bidder. Hence money becomes the basis of consent and power in a democracy.There is nothing new in all this but the crucial point is that printing money is a sovereign act and is governed by laws. A creditor cannot refuse payment in money that has legal tender and demand instead payment according to his or her wish (gold, silver or what not) if he or she has not negotiated it beforehand. Those who control the money supply through ad hoc rules can favour some over others.7

Thus the paradox of modern democracy is that a sovereign people (through its supposed representatives, parliaments, heads of state and government) have de facto no power or right over the US Federal reserve (or the European Central Bank) with regards to such an important sovereign act.In order to protect the public and avoid political interference printing money has been privatised and placed beyond public control. Through its representatives the sovereign cannot be trusted and thus is not sovereign. Few know that the US Federal Reserve was established under private law; the same is true for the Bank of Italy and many other central banks. It has been so since the dawn of parliamentary government, right after the Glorious revolution if 1688.8

1.See for example Hedge Funds: Long-Term Contribution Trends, in OpenSecrets [vedi: http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F2700], retrieved on 13 November 2008; Lawyers / Law Firms: Long-Term Contribution Trends, in OpenSecrets [http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=K01], retrieved on 13 November 2008; and RENICK Mayer, Lindsay, Obama's Pick for Chief of Staff Tops Recipients of Wall Street Money, 5 November 2008, in OpenSecrets, [http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/11/obamas-pick-for-chief-of-staff.html], retrieved on 13 November 2008.

2.The Glass-Steagall Act split deposit banking from investment banking. The law was adopted in 1933 to prevent a repeat of the stock market crash of 1929 which caused the Great depression of the Thirties. The law was repealed in 1999 by the Clinton Administration. Creative financing, which is the root cause of the current crisis, was thus the brainchild of a Democratic, not a Republican administration.

3.Zionist organisation that carried out a violent campaign against the British in order to end Britain’s mandate over Palestine and set up the State of Israel. The mandate iself was established by the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations.

4.Jose, Katharine, Obama's AIPAC Speech, Rahm's Endorsement, in The New York Observer, 4 June 2008 [http://www.observer.com/2008/emanuel-endorses-obama-after-aipac-speech], retrieved on 13 November 2008.

5.ZOA Critical Of Bush Administration Decision To Deny Refueling Aircraft To Israel, 22 August 2008, in Zionist Organization of America, [http://www.zoa.org/sitedocuments/pressrelease_view.asp?pressreleaseID=1419], retrieved on 13 November 2008; KEINON, Herb and Hilary Leila KRIEGER, Barak: US clearly opposes military action against Iran now, 14 August 2008, in The Jerusalem Post, [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218446196991&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull], retrieved on 13 November 2008.

6.Futures chart - Oil price chart, Live Charts, [http://www.livecharts.co.uk/LongTerm/oil_price_chart.php], retrieved on 13 November, 2008.

7.For example, only firms listed in the Primary Dealers list (historically no more than 20, those that have recently topped the financial pages) can take part in the transactions and auctions by the Federal Reserve for billion dollar securities. See Primary Dealer List, in Federal Reserve Bank of New York, [http://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/pridealers_current.html], retrieved on 13 November 2008.

8.Ties between finances and politics exist in modern parliamentary systems. Recent orange revolutions in Eastern Europe, backed by financier George Soros, were inspired by the historical precedent of the Glorious Revolution. Parliamentary rule prevailed in England at the time of the Glorious Revolution when James II (a Catholic) was ousted from power. But we should not confuse parliamentary government with constitutionalism. James II was the legitimate and constitutional sovereign because he had acknowledged the legislative powers of parliament. William of Orange, backed by an army of Dutch and German mercenaries and financed by Amsterdam bankers, invaded England and removed James II. In order to pay off his debts William, also known as the bankers’ king, granted private interests a monopoly over printing money with legal tender. He chartered the Bank of England and the Bank of Scotland. With capital worth two million pound sterling the Bank of England began loaning an equal amount for interest as well as issuing Gold certificates (paper money) for the same amount, thus doubling its capital. The Orangist army did not have to fight because William of Orange was backed by influential people who, instead of fighting the invader on the field, came to terms with him betraying their legitimate sovereign. The main character in the story founded the Churchill line.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

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 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) 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 A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) 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 (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, 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.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

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.

In the name of peace, Israelis and Palestinians should become European By Richard N. Rosecrance and Ehud Eiran – Wed Nov 26, 3:00 am ET Christian Science Monitor

Cambridge, Mass. – Scratch just a bit under the hope generated by the coming electoral changes in Washington, Jerusalem, and maybe Ramallah, and you discover deep despair about the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. The roads taken in the last 15 years in pursuit of a deal – the negotiations since Oslo, the unilateralism of the Gaza disengagement, and even the violence since the (second) Intifada – all failed. The opponents of an agreement did not waste that time, however: The number of Israeli settlers grew almost threefold since the early days of the peace process, making a territorial compromise even more difficult. Political leadership on both sides offers little hope for reconciliation. The Palestinian national movement is weak and deeply divided. The coming Israeli elections will most likely bring about a more hawkish Israeli Parliament, if not a more conservative prime minister. A sense of hopelessness has reached even the most committed peace activists. The Palestinian activist Sari Nusseibeh, for example, wondered publicly if territorial compromise is still an option. And Israel's Yossi Beilin recently announced that he will retire from politics altogether.Israelis and Palestinians need a new vision. They need a vision that will include a powerful incentive not only to get the train of negotiations back on track, but will also outline a final destination for its journey. With the lessons of the failed Oslo process before us, it is clear now that a future peace agreement needs to respond to the deepest grievances and darkest fears of both sides.

To find a path forward, we need to go back to the origins of it all. It was Europe's violent rejection of Jews in the past that begat modern Zionism and paradoxically contributed to its success. Once the problem, Europe may now be the solution. To both encourage and reward a territorial and security agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians, it should offer a clear path for their membership in the European Union. It could help the parties fashion a settlement. The prospect of joining the richest union of states on earth is an enormous incentive for reaching a deal. The union's organization and values offer the frame for a peace agreement. In fact, the dual identity of a supranational entity comprised of peaceful national states holds the answer for both sides' most profound concerns. For Israelis, EU membership offers physical security and permanent legitimacy. For Palestinians, membership means a territorial settlement, including a return, of sorts, of their lands through the new joint European source of security and authority over them. Such an arrangement also holds significant benefits for Europe. It would contribute to political stability on its eastern and southern flank. If successful, it might even open a path for EU members to certain North African states, thus limiting the frustrations of millions of would-be immigrants to leave their instable region and go to Europe. If European capital moves to areas of abundant nearby labor, labor has less reason to migrate to areas of capital abundance. Perhaps more important, it will expand the geographical borders of Europe, as well as the confines of its current identity, in a manner that will make the conversation with Turkey far easier. Of course, there will be challenges. Israelis are haunted by the potential flood of Palestinian refugees from the open borders that Europe espouses (though the Schengen agreement has been applied differentially). Palestinians are still angered by the result of European colonialism, and Europeans may not want to proceed beyond admitting the nearby Island of Cyprus. Europe might be hesitate to broker such a deal, but the possibility of their succeeding with a Palestinian settlement, which had eluded the US for 40 years, would be a strong incentive to proceed. All these are weighty issues, but solvable ones. The possibility of a day in which the descendants of the ancient foes – Christendom, Islamic civilization and Judaism – come together to resolve the century-long conflict over the Holy Land, finally acknowledging their common ancestor, Abraham, is not far afield. By using entrance to the European Union as an incentive for peace, Europe would not only free the region from a seriously destabilizing quarrel, but may also finally put to rest a millennia-long rivalry.

• Richard N. Rosecrance is a professor at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center and was a member of the policy Planning Council at the Department of State. Ehud Eiran is a research fellow at the Belfer Center and served in the prime minister's office in Israel.

Israel's Livni calls on Olmert to step down By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer –Thu Nov 27, 6:00 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday called on the country's embattled prime minister to step down immediately in light of growing signs that he will soon be indicted on corruption charges.The announcement came a day after Israel's attorney general said he was considering filing charges against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for allegedly double billing Jewish groups for trips abroad. He wants Olmert to appear at a special hearing before making a final decision on whether to prosecute and put Olmert on trial.Olmert has already said that he will step down after elections scheduled in February. But at a meeting of the ruling Kadima party Thursday, Livni said he should go before that. His departure would clear the way for Livni to become acting prime minister until the election.The prime minister, like any other person in Israel, is innocent until proven guilty. But the citizen Ehud Olmert must wage his battle to prove his innocence from his home and not from the chair of the prime minister, Livni said, at special party meeting she called.The prime minister has to go on vacation, there is no other option, she said.

Olmert's office did not react, but has said that the prime minister plans to stay in office until the elections.Livni was recently elected to succeed Olmert as Kadima leader. After initial polls showed her running neck-and-neck with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Livni has recently dropped far behind him.Her attack on Olmert, who is widely unpopular, may have been an attempt to jump start her faltering campaign.The double billing scandal is one of a half-dozen corruption affairs Olmert has had to face during his nearly three years in power. Olmert also has been accused of improperly taking tens of thousands of dollars from a U.S. businessman, involvement in questionable real estate deals and making controversial political appointments.If Attorney General Meni Mazuz decides to file charges, Olmert would become the first Israeli prime minister to ever be indicted.Olmert has denied all wrongdoing. But the turmoil has hampered Olmert's Mideast peace efforts.Mazuz's announcement on Wednesday came just hours after Olmert returned from a trip to Washington to meet President George W. Bush.In a radio interview, Olmert spokesman Amir Dan said the prosecution set up an ambush.Olmert's office said the announcement had no legal significance and there was no reason for him to step down.

US Jews urge Obama to move embassy to Jerusalem Thu Nov 27, 12:43 pm ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – A group of American Jews urged president-elect Barack Obama on Thursday to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which the international community does not recognise as the capital of the Jewish state.The move would make the United States the only country to have its main diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital.

The Jerusalem Embassy Act requires the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem by 1999, but both President George W. Bush and his predecessor Bill Clinton have deferred its implementation every six months.Some 100 members of the US Jewish Orthodox Union gathered on Thursday near the site which Congress earmarked in a 1995 bill as the location of the future US embassy in west Jerusalem.They sang American national anthem and held banners reading President Obama: The US embassy belongs in Israel's capital, as well as a petition addressed to Obama, who takes office on January 20.President Obama likes using the word change. It is time for change. Now is the time to show support for Israel by moving the embassy here, Orthodox Union President Stephen Savitsky told AFP.Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon said that if the US embassy were moved to Jerusalem, other countries would follow suit.When it moves its embassy to Jerusalem, other civilised states will move their embassies here, Ayalon said.Israel occupied and annexed Arab east Jerusalem and the Old City in 1967 and considers the city its eternal, undivided capital.But the international community refuses to recognise it as Israel's capital while the Palestinians wish to make east Jerusalem the capital of their future state.There are no embassies in Jerusalem. They are in the commercial capital Tel Aviv.

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.

A SURVIVOR TELLS OF CAPTURE
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Indian forces kill last gunmen in Mumbai By JENNY BARCHFIELD and RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM, Associated Press Writer

MUMBAI, India – A 60-hour terror rampage that killed at least 195 people across India's financial capital ended Saturday when commandos killed the last three gunmen inside a luxury hotel while it was engulfed in flames.Authorities searched for any remaining captives hiding in their rooms and began to shift their focus to who was behind the attacks, which killed 18 foreigners including six Americans.A previously unknown Muslim group with a name suggesting origins inside India claimed responsibility for the attack, but Indian officials said the sole surviving gunman was from Pakistan and pointed a finger of blame at their neighbor and rival.

Islamabad denied involvement and promised to help in the investigation. A team of FBI agents also was on its way to India to lend assistance.Some 295 people also were wounded in the violence that started when heavily armed assailants attacked 10 sites across Mumbai on Wednesday night. At least 20 soldiers and police were among the dead.Orange flames and black smoke engulfed the landmark 565-room Taj Mahal hotel after dawn Saturday as Indian forces ended the siege there in a hail of gunfire, just hours after elite commandos stormed a Jewish center and found at least eight hostages dead.There were three terrorists, we have killed them, said J.K. Dutt, director general of India's elite National Security Guard commando unit.Later, adoring crowds surrounded six buses carrying weary, unshaven commandos, shaking their hands and giving them flowers. The commandos, dressed in black fatigues, said they had been ordered not to talk about the operation, but said they had not slept since the ordeal began. One sat sipping a bottle of water and holding a pink rose.

With the end of one of the most brazen terror attacks in India's history, attention turned from the military operation to questions of who was behind the attack and the heavy toll on human life.The bodies of New York Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, were found at the Jewish center. Their son, Moshe, who turned 2 on Saturday, was scooped up by an employee Thursday as she fled the building. Two Israelis and another American were also killed in the house, said Rabbi Zalman Schmotkin, a spokesman for the Chabad Lubavitch movement, which ran the center.In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said eight bodies had been discovered in the Jewish center and that officials were investigating the possibility of there being a ninth.Among the foreigners killed in the attacks were six Americans, according to the U.S. Embassy. The dead also included Germans, Canadians, Israelis and nationals from Britain, Italy, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Singapore.By Saturday morning the death toll was at 195, the deadliest attack in India since 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai killed 257 people. But officials said the toll from the three days of carnage was likely to rise as more bodies were brought out of the hotels.There is a limit a city can take. This is a very, very different kind of fear. It will be some time before things get back to normal, said Ayesha Dar, a 33-year-old homemaker.Indians began cremating their dead, many of them security force members killed fighting the gunmen. In the southern city of Bangalore, black clad commandos formed an honor guard for the flag-draped coffin of Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed in the fighting at the Taj Mahal hotel.

He gave up his own life to save the others, Dutt said from Mumbai.A group called Deccan Mujahideen, which alludes to a region in southern India traditionally ruled by Muslim kings, claimed responsibility for the attack, but Indian officials pointed the finger at neighboring Pakistan.On Saturday, officials said they believed that just 10 gunmen had taken part in the attack. Nine were killed and one was captured, Maharshta state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told reporters. We are interrogating him.Deshmukh's deputy, R.R. Patil, identified the gunman as a Pakistani national, Mohammad Ajmal Qasam. The gunmen had sophisticated equipment and used GPS, mobile and satellite phones to communicate, Patil said. They were constantly in touch with a foreign country, he said, refusing to give further details. On Friday, India's foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, told reporters that evidence indicated some elements in Pakistan are responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks.Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani insisted his country was not involved. His government was sending an intelligence official to assist in the probe. Deshmukh said the attackers arrived by sea. On Saturday the Indian navy said it was investigating whether a trawler found drifting off the coast of Mumbai, with a bound corpse on board, was used in the attack. Navy spokesman Capt. Manohar Nambiar said the trawler, named Kuber, had been found Thursday and was brought to Mumbai. Officials said they believe the boat had sailed from a port in the neighboring state of Gujarat. Indian security officers believe many of the gunmen may have reached the city using a black and yellow rubber dinghy found near the site of the attacks.

In the U.S., President-elect Barack Obama said he was closely monitoring the situation. These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them, he said in a statement. On Friday, commandos killed the last two gunmen inside the luxury Oberoi hotel, where 24 bodies had been found, authorities said. But in the most dramatic of the counterstrikes Friday, masked Indian commandos rappelled from a helicopter to the rooftop of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish center. For nearly 12 hours, explosions and gunfire erupted from the five-story building as the commandos fought their way downward, while thousands of people gathered behind barricades in the streets to watch. At one point, Indian forces fired a rocket at the building.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Channel 1 TV that some of the victims found at the center had been bound. The attackers were well-prepared, carrying large bags of almonds to keep up their energy during a long siege. One backpack found contained 400 rounds of ammunition. India has been shaken repeatedly by terror attacks blamed on Muslim militants in recent years, but most were bombings striking crowded places: markets, street corners, parks. Mumbai — one of the most highly populated cities in the world with some 18 million people — was hit by a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people. The latest attacks began Wednesday at about 9:20 p.m. with shooters spraying gunfire across the Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station. For the next two hours, there was an attack roughly every 15 minutes — the Jewish center, a tourist restaurant, one hotel, then another, and two attacks on hospitals. Associated Press writers Ravi Nessman, Erika Kinetz and Anita Chang contributed to this report from Mumbai, and Foster Klug and Lara Jakes Jordan contributed from Washington.

METEORS HIT THE EARTH

REVELATION 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

REVELATION 8:12-13
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,which are yet to sound!

Searchers find remains of fireball meteor Fri Nov 28, 1:52 pm ET

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – Searchers have found the remains of a 10-ton meteor that produced a dramatic fireball in the skies over the Canadian Prairies this month, researchers said on Friday.Thousands of meteorite fragments have been found densely strewn over a 20-square-kilometre (8 square mile) area south of the community of Lloydminster on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, according to the University of Calgary.Searchers have been scrambling to find the remains of the meteor since it streaked across the sky in the early evening of November 20, producing a fire ball that shone brightly enough to be seen over an area 700 km (435 miles) wide.(Reporting Allan Dowd; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening Joe Rao SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
space.com Skywatching Columnist


space.com – Fri Nov 28, 10:31 am ETEvery once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1.A slender crescent moon, just 15-percent illuminated, will appear in very close proximity to the two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter.People who are unaware or have no advance notice will almost certainly wonder, as they cast a casual glance toward the moon on that night, what those two large silvery stars happen to be? Sometimes, such an occasion brings with it a sudden spike of phone calls to local planetariums, weather offices and even police precincts. Not a few of these calls excitedly inquire about the UFOs that are hovering in the vicinity of our natural satellite.

Very bright objects

Venus has adorned the southwestern twilight sky since late August. No other star or planet can come close to matching Venus in brilliance. During World War II, aircraft spotters sometimes mistook Venus for an enemy airplane. There were even cases in which Venus drew antiaircraft fire. This winter, Venus is the unrivaled evening star that will soar from excellent to magnificent prominence in the southwest at nightfall. The interval by which it follows the Sun will increase from nearly three hours on Dec. 1 to almost four hours by Jan. 1. It's probably the first star you'll see coming out after sunset. In fact, if the air is very clear and the sky a good, deep blue, try looking for Venus shortly before sunset. Jupiter starts December just above Venus and is moving in the opposite direction, dropping progressively lower each evening. By month's end Jupiter meets up with another planet – Mercury – but by then Jupiter is also descending deep into the glow of sunset. In January, Jupiter will be too close to the Sun to see; it's in conjunction with the Sun on Jan. 24.

Earthlit ball

A very close conjunction of the crescent moon and a bright star or planet can be an awe-inspiring naked-eye spectacle. The English poet, critic and philosopher, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) used just such a celestial sight as an ominous portent in his epic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In addition, there are juxtaposed crescent moon and star symbols that have appeared on the flags of many nations, including Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Tunisia. Also on Monday evening, you may be able to see the full globe of the moon, its darkened portion glowing with a bluish-gray hue interposed between the sunlit crescent and not much darker sky. This vision is sometimes called the old moon in the young moon's arms. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the first to recognize it as what we now call earthshine. As seen from the moon, the Earth would loom in the sky some 3.7 times larger than the moon does for us. In addition, the land masses, the oceans and clouds make the Earth a far better reflector of sunlight as compared to the moon. In fact, the Earth's reflectivity varies as clouds, which appear far more brilliant than the land and seas, cover greater or lesser parts of the visible hemisphere. The result is that the Earth shines between 45 and 100 times more brightly than the moon. The Earth also goes through phases, just as the moon does for us, although they are opposite from what we see from Earth. The term for this is called complementary phases. On Nov. 27, for example, there was a new moon for us, but as seen from the surface of the moon that day, there appeared in the lunar sky a brilliant full Earth. A few nights later, as the sliver of a crescent moon begins to appear in our western twilight sky, its entire globe may be glimpsed.

Sunlight is responsible for the slender crescent, yet the remainder of the moon appears to shine with a dim blush-gray tone. That part is not receiving sunlight, but shines by virtue of reflected earthlight: the nearly full Earth illuminating the otherwise dark lunar landscape. So earthshine is really sunlight which is reflected off Earth to the moon and then reflected back to Earth.

Keeping it all in perspective

Keep in mind that this head-turning display of three celestial objects crowded together will be merely an illusion of perspective: the moon will be only about 251,400 miles (403,900 km) from Earth, while Venus is nearly 371 times farther away, at 93.2 million miles (149.67 million km). Meanwhile, Jupiter is almost 2,150 times farther away than our natural satellite at 540.3 million miles (869.0 million km).

Those using binoculars or a small telescope will certainly enjoy the almost three-dimensional aspect of the moon, but Venus will be rather disappointing appearing only as a brilliant blob of light, for right now, it's a small, featureless gibbous disk. That will change in the coming weeks, however, as Venus approaches Earth and the angle it makes between us and the Sun allows it to evolve into a half-moon phase in mid January, and a lovely crescent phase of its own during the latter part of February and March. Jupiter on the other hand is a far more pleasing sight with its relatively large disk, cloud bands and its retinue of bright Galilean satellites. All four will be in view on Monday evening, with Callisto sitting alone on one side of Jupiter, Ganymede, Io and Europa will be on the other side. Io and Europa will in fact, appear very close to each other, separated by only about one-sixth the apparent width of Jupiter.

Venus eclipse for Europe

As beautiful as the view of Venus, Jupiter and the moon will be from North America, an even more spectacular sight awaits those living in parts of Western Europe where the moon will pass in front of Venus. Astronomers refer to this phenomenon as an occultation, taken from the Latin word occultāre, which means to conceal. This eye-catching sight will be visible in complete darkness across much of Eastern Europe. Farther west, Venus will disappear behind the dark part of the moon either during evening twilight or just before the Sun sets. When Venus emerges, it will look like a brightening jewel on the slender lunar crescent. For virtually all of Europe, the Sun will have set by then, the exception being southern Portugal (including Lisbon).

Such favorable circumstances are quite rare for any given location. For example, the last time London was treated to such a favorably placed Venus occultation such was back on October 7, 1961. And after 2008, there will not be another similarly favorable Venus occultation for the United Kingdom until January 10, 2032. So be sure to make the most of this upcoming opportunity. More detailed information, including maps of the occultation zone, as well as times for dozens of European cities, are here. Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.Original Story: Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening.

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