SADAM HUNG FINALLY

Well the butcher of Baghdad is finally put to death. This Murderer of so many is Hung like a Common Criminal he was. It happened at 10:05 PM EDT.

THIS HAS BEEN GREAT BREAKING NEWS. THE SICKO IS FINALLY HIS WORN OUT SHOE NAME.

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Earthquake of 3.5 magnitude recorded in Bar Harbor. 3-Earthquake off Yemen's coast registers 6.3 magnitude but doesn't disturb holiday weekend. 4-Powerful Storm Spins Snow and Flooding Rain. 5-Malaysian floods death toll rises to 12, another missing. 6-Saddam executed for war crimes in Iraq. 7-Indonesian ferry sinks, some 600 missing. 8-Huge ice shelf breaks free in Canada's far north. 9-European Union embraces repressive laws. 10-Israel Controls Water Resources in Gaza, West Bank.

EARTHQUAKES

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

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = SUN Dec 31 AM EDT

DEC 31 NO QUAKES YET

DEC 30,2006
MAP 3.5 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 OUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.1 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 3.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.4 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 2.6 OREGON
MAP 4.9 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.2 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.6 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.3 GULF OF ADEN
MAP 5.0 GUAM REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 OFF THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA

Earthquake of 3.5 magnitude recorded in Bar Harbor
December 30, 2006 Associated Press

BAR HARBOR, Maine --Another earthquake shook Mount Desert Island on Friday, continuing the string of quakes and aftershocks that have been felt since late September.Friday's rumbling was felt at around 4:20 p.m. and prompted about a dozen phone calls to Bar Harbor police, but no damages or injuries were reported.The latest tremor had a magnitude of 3.5 and was centered in Frenchman Bay just east of Hulls Cove, according to the Weston Observatory at Boston College, which tracks seismic activity in the Northeast.The quake was the second-strongest since the earthquakes and aftershocks began in the Mount Desert Island area on Sept. 22. Besides being felt in Bar Harbor and neighboring towns, the quake was reported being felt as far away as Lincoln and Waterville, which are more than 65 miles from Bar Harbor, according to the Weston Observatory.

The strongest quake since September came on Oct. 2 and had a magnitude of 4.2. It was felt in much of eastern Maine and caused boulders to fall from ledges onto Acadia National Park's loop road.Adam VanWhy, a Bar Harbor police dispatcher, said he felt the shaking on Friday and then received calls from residents asking if another quake had occurred.I guess people are starting to get used to them, VanWhy said.Earthquake experts have warned that aftershocks could be expected for days or weeks after the initial earthquakes. Before Friday, the last tremor in Bar Harbor was recorded on Dec. 18.After the quakes began in September, scientists from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University came to Mount Desert Island to install temporary earthquake monitoring stations around Bar Harbor in an effort to learn more about the seismic activity.

Earthquake off Yemen's coast registers 6.3 magnitude but doesn't disturb holiday weekendThe Associated PressPublished: December 30, 2006

ADEN, Yemen: An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck the Gulf of Aden Saturday, off the coast of southeast Yemen but there were no reports of casualties or damage as Sunni Muslims celebrated the first day of the most important holiday on the Islamic calendar. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), the United States Geological survey reported on its Web site.The quake, at 11:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT), was not felt by people in Aden, Yemen's southern port city.Yemeni officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give statements to the media, said no damage resulted from the temblor.Earthquakes are rarely felt in Yemen, however a temblor in 1982 caused serious 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.

Powerful Storm Spins Snow and Flooding Rain James Wilson, Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Sat Dec 30, 4:30 AM ET

West

The storm system that pounded the Southwest and Front Range will slide eastward this weekend and the heavy snow will gradually taper down. In the meantime, heavy snow and fierce winds will shift into the high Plains (the Colorado/Kansas border and the New Mexico/Texas border areas). It looks like Denver is done now with any major snow threat as the monster storm lifts away into the Central U.S. slowly today. By Wednesday and Thursday, a Pacific cold front will again bring showery rain, mountain snow and gusty winds to the Northwest, northern California and the central Rockies. Otherwise, much of the West will be in a calm period with only a few showers grazing the Pacific Northwest early next week.

Midwest

Much of the Midwest will be pelted with rain through the weekend east of an advancing storm system but heavy snow will fall west of the storm across western Kansas, the western half of Nebraska and central South Dakota. Snow accumulations by Monday could be as high as 1 to 2 feet. Gusty winds will create huge drifts. Elsewhere, snow will fall across North Dakota and far northern Minnesota. A narrow band of of freezing rain and sleet could glaze areas from west-central Kansas to southeast South Dakota to north-central Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Look for significant rainfall spreading eastward from eastern Nebraska and Kansas to Michigan and the Ohio Valley by Saturday night. Finally by Tuesday and Wednesday, the Plains and Midwest will enjoy dry days with no rain or snow. Temperatures will remain above average across most of the region with no significant cold air in sight.

South

Heavy rain will move eastward across the South this weekend. Areas from eastern Texas to northern Georgia could see at least 2 to 4 inches of rain. On Saturday, parts of southeastern Texas and Louisiana could be inundated with over 6 inches of rain.

Strong-to-severe thunderstorms will accompany the deluge starting in southern Oklahoma and southeast Texas overnight and shifting eastward to along the northern Gulf Coast this weekend. Damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes are the main threats. Meanwhile, parts of western Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle will pick up plenty of wind- driven snow through saturday.

Northeast

Parts of New York and new England were a bit chillier on Friday and the weekend will be relatively cold, as well. A distubance will bring some light snow across northern sections of New York and New England on Saturday giving a feel of winter for a change. Rain will slide into the on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Sunday night and Monday, just in time to ring in the new year. Parts of eastern Upstate New York and New England freezing rain or wintry mix on New Year's Day, especially during the morning hours. Major East Coast cities from Washington to Boston will be in the rain and could see amounts exceed 1 inch. This may cause delays with the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia. Cooler air may allow a mixture of snow and rain showers will linger storm Tuesday. Overall, temperatures will remain above average for awhile, however

Malaysian floods death toll rises to 12, another missing Sat Dec 30, 1:11 AM ET

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - The death toll from Malaysia's disastrous floods has risen to 12, with another youth missing, but authorities said fears of another round of flooding had been averted. The latest confirmed victim is a five-year-old girl whose body was found late Friday, the official Bernama news agency said.She was swept away when the car her family was travelling in was caught by strong currents. Her father survived, but her mother and three-year-old sister also died.However, an 18-year-old youth is missing after he was lost in floodwaters late Friday, Bernama said.

Malaysia's opposition has called for an inquiry into the floods, the worst in
decades, which have forced nearly 59,0000 people in southern Johor state to flee their homes and take shelter in relief centres.However, Johor chief minister Abdul Ghani Othman said he was confident the situation in the state would be back to normal within the next few days.Abdul Ghani said the second wave of rains predicted by forecasters would not take place as the rain-bearing clouds had been blown towards Singapore and Sabah state on Borneo island.

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.

REVELATION 9:14-15
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)

The Bible verses above will really come into play now that Saddam is hung like a common criminal. I'll give you one Guess (ARABS,MUSLIMS) that will blame the west and Israel bigtime now. We can look for the Violence to increase in IRAQ and around the WORLD from here on in, as the verse above says a total of 1 / 3rd earths population die from the Violence and Nukes in the Mideast.

Saddam executed for war crimes in Iraq By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writers DEC 30,06

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein struggled briefly after American military guards handed him over to Iraqi executioners before dawn Saturday.

But as his final moments approached and masked executioners slipped a black cloth and noose around his neck, he grew calm. In a final moment of defiance, he refused a hood to cover his eyes.Hours after Saddam faced the same fate he was accused of inflicting on countless thousands during a quarter-century of ruthless power, Iraqi state television showed grainy video of what it said was his body, the head uncovered and the neck twisted at a sharp angle.A man whose testimony helped lead to Saddam's conviction and execution before sunrise said he was shown the body because everybody wanted to make sure that he was really executed.

Now, he is in the garbage of history, said Jawad Abdul-Aziz, who lost his father, three brothers and 22 cousins in the reprisal killings that followed a botched 1982 assassination attempt against Saddam in the Shiite town of Dujail.The post-execution footage showed the man identified as Saddam lying on a stretcher, covered in a white shroud. His neck and part of the shroud have what appear to be bloodstains. His eyes are closed.In Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City, hundreds of people danced in the streets while others fired guns in the air to celebrate. The government did not impose a round-the-clock curfew as it did last month when Saddam was convicted to thwart any surge in retaliatory violence.

It was a grim end for the 69-year-old leader who had vexed three U.S. presidents. Despite his ouster, Washington, its allies and the new Iraqi leaders remain mired in a fight to quell a stubborn insurgency by Saddam loyalists and a vicious sectarian conflict.The execution took place during the year's deadliest month for U.S. troops, with the toll reaching 109. At least 2,998 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.President Bush said in a statement issued from his ranch in Texas that bringing Saddam to justice is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain and defend itself, and be an ally in the war on terror.He said that the execution marks the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops and cautioned that Saddam's death will not halt the violence in Iraq.Within hours of his death, bombings killed at least 68 people in Iraq, including one planted on a minibus that exploded in a fish market in a mostly Shiite town south of Baghdad.

Ali Hamza, a 30-year-old university professor, said he went outside to shoot his gun into the air after he learned of Saddam's death.Now all the victims' families will be happy because Saddam got his just sentence, said Hamza, who lives in Diwaniyah, a Shiite town 80 miles south of Baghdad.But people in the Sunni-dominated city of Tikrit, once a power base of Saddam, lamented his death.The president, the leader Saddam Hussein is a martyr and God will put him along with other martyrs. Do not be sad nor complain because he has died the death of a holy warrior, said Sheik Yahya al-Attawi, a cleric at the Saddam Big Mosque.Police blocked the entrances to Tikrit and said nobody was allowed to leave or enter the city for four days. Despite the security precaution, gunmen took to the streets of Tikrit, carrying pictures of Saddam, shooting into the air, and calling for vengeance.Security forces also set up roadblocks at the entrance to another Sunni stronghold, Samarra, and a curfew was imposed after about 500 people took to the streets protesting the execution of Saddam. A couple hundred people also protested the execution just outside the Anbar capital of Ramadi, and more than 2,000 people demonstrated in Adwar, the village south of Tikrit where Saddam was captured by U.S. troops hiding in an underground bunker.

In a statement, Saddam's lawyers said that in the aftermath of his death, the world will know that Saddam Hussein lived honestly, died honestly, and maintained his principles. He did not lie when he declared his trial null, they said. Saddam's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were not hanged along with their former leader as originally planned. Officials wanted to reserve the occasion for Saddam alone. We wanted him to be executed on a special day, National Security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie told state-run al-Iraqiya television. Sami al-Askari, the political adviser of Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told the AP that Saddam initially resisted when he was taken by Iraqi guards but was composed in his final moments. He said Saddam was clad in a black suit, hat and shoes, rather than prison garb. His hat was removed and his hands tied shortly before the noose was slipped around his neck.

Saddam repeated a prayer after a Sunni Muslim cleric who was present.

Saddam later was taken to the gallows and refused to have his head covered with a hood, al-Askari said. Before the rope was put around his neck, Saddam shouted: God is great. The nation will be victorious and Palestine is Arab. Iraqi state television showed footage of guards in ski masks placing a noose around Saddam's neck. Saddam appeared calm as he stood on the metal framework of the gallows. The footage cuts off just before the execution. Saddam was executed at a former military intelligence headquarters in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah, al-Askari said. During his regime, Saddam had numerous dissidents executed in the facility, located in a neighborhood that is home to the Iraqi capital's most important Shiite shrine — the Imam Kazim shrine. Al-Askari said the government had not decided what to do with Saddam's body. Al-Arabiya satellite television reported that a delegation including the governor of Salahuddin Province and the head of Saddam's clan had retrieved his body from Baghdad and was taking it to Tikrit, near the executed dictator's hometown, for burial. The report could not immediately be verified. The Iraqi prime minister's office released a statement that said Saddam's execution was a strong lesson to ruthless leaders who commit crimes against their own people.

We strongly reject considering Saddam as a representative of any sect in Iraq because the tyrant only represented his evil soul, the statement said. The door is still open for those whose hands are not tainted with the blood of innocent people to take part in the political process and work on rebuilding Iraq.

The execution came 56 days after a court convicted Saddam and sentenced him to death for his role in the killings of 148 Shiite Muslims from Dujail. Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam's appeal Monday and ordered him executed within 30 days. A U.S. judge on Friday refused to stop Saddam's execution, rejecting a last-minute court challenge. U.S. troops cheered as news of Saddam's execution appeared on television at the mess hall at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in eastern Baghdad. But some soldiers expressed doubt that Saddam's death would be a significant turning point for Iraq. First it was weapons of mass destruction. Then when there were none, it was that we had to find Saddam. We did that, but then it was that we had to put him on trial, said Spc. Thomas Sheck, 25, who is on his second tour in Iraq. So now, what will be the next story they tell us to keep us over here? At his death, he was in the midst of a second trial, charged with genocide and other crimes for a 1987-88 military crackdown that killed an estimated 180,000 Kurds in northern Iraq. Experts said the trial of his co-defendants was likely to continue despite his execution. Many people in Iraq's Shiite majority were eager to see the execution of a man whose Sunni Arab-dominated regime oppressed them and Kurds. Before the hanging, a mosque preacher in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Friday called Saddam's execution God's gift to Iraqis. In a farewell message to Iraqis posted Wednesday on the Internet, Saddam said he was giving his life for his country as part of the struggle against the U.S. Here, I offer my soul to God as a sacrifice, and if he wants, he will send it to heaven with the martyrs, he said. One of Saddam's lawyers, Issam Ghazzawi, said the letter was written by Saddam on Nov. 5, the day he was convicted by an Iraqi tribunal in the Dujail killings.

Najeeb al-Nauimi, a member of Saddam's legal team, said U.S. authorities maintained physical custody of Saddam until the execution to prevent him being humiliated publicly or his corpse being mutilated, as has happened to previous Iraqi leaders deposed by force.

He said they didn't want anything to happen to further inflame Sunni Arabs. This is the end of an era in Iraq, al-Nauimi said from Doha, Qatar. The Baath regime ruled for 35 years. Saddam was vice president or president of Iraq during those years. For Iraqis, he will be very well remembered. Like a martyr, he died for the sake of his country. Iraq's death penalty was suspended by the U.S. military after it toppled Saddam in 2003, but the new Iraqi government reinstated it two years later, saying executions would deter criminals. Saddam's own regime used executions and extrajudicial killings as a tool of political repression, both to eliminate real or suspected political opponents and to maintain a reign of terror.

In the months after he seized power on July 16, 1979, he had hundreds of members of his own party and army officers slain. In 1996, he ordered the slaying of two sons-in-law who had defected to Jordan but returned to Baghdad after receiving guarantees of safety. Saddam built Iraq into a one of the Arab world's most modern societies, but then plunged the country into an eight-year war with neighboring Iran that killed hundreds of thousands of people on both sides and wrecked Iraq's economy. When the U.S. invaded in 2003, Iraqis had been transformed from among the region's most prosperous people to some of its most impoverished. Associated Press Writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

1/3RD OF SHIPS DESTROYED

REVELATION 8:8-9
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Indonesian ferry sinks, some 600 missing By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer DEC 30,06

SEMARANG, Indonesia - A crowded Indonesian ferry broke apart and sank in the Java Sea during a violent storm that sent towering waves over its deck, and the vast majority of the nearly 640 passengers were still missing a day later, officials said Saturday. Just 59 survivors had been found by late Saturday, many drifting in lifeboats or clinging to driftwood, the transport minister said.

Witnesses reported seeing lifeboats carrying more survivors, he said, and one person on board said that most people had time to don life jackets before the sea's warm waters overtook the boat.

No bodies had been recovered.

Survivors reported panicked passengers scrambling over life jackets as the boat capsized close to midnight Friday after being pounded by heavy waves for more than 10 hours.The crew kept saying relax, relax but it was clear the ship was not stable, Irfan Setiawan told Metro TV station. It suddenly veered to one side and the TV and fridges fell over.Setiawan said he was hit by a piece of debris and sank with the ship, but fought his way to the surface and managed to climb onto a lifeboat along with around 30 others.We all just prayed as the waves got higher, said Cholid, another passenger who survived by clinging to some wooden planks but lost his 18-year-old daughter.I was going upstairs to try to help my daughter, but the ship suddenly broke up and I was thrown out. I lost her, said Cholid, who like many Indonesians uses one name.Another survivor, Budi Susilo said he saw three people drown after losing their grip on an upturned raft.We told them to hold on, but they ran out of energy, he told reporters after arriving on Java island late Saturday.

The ferry was on the final leg of a 48-hour journey from the island of Borneo to the main island of Java when waves of up to 16 feet crashed over its deck, said Slamet Bustam, an official at Semarang port, the ferry's destination, where hundreds of distraught relatives and friends waited for news about their loved ones.We're afraid many have died, Bustam said.Four naval ships, several other vessels and at least two aircraft were searching the area, but poor visibility and heavy seas hindered their search. Water temperatures in tropical Indonesia range from 72 to 84 degrees, and people have been known to survive days at sea.Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said after talks with rescue officials that 638 passengers and crew were on board the vessel and that 59 people had been rescued.He said two navy vessels would search through the night, adding that fisherman had reported seeing several lifeboats. There is still hope, he told reporters.

Ships in Indonesia often carry far more passengers than recorded, making it hard for authorities to say with accuracy how many people are on board. Ferries are a main source of transportation in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands with a population of 220 million.

The ferry ran into trouble off Mandalika island, some 190 miles northeast of the capital, Jakarta. In a final radio contact, the captain informed port authorities that the ship was severely damaged and capsizing, said local navy commander Col. Yan Simamora.Worried family members gathered at the main office of ferry operator PT Prima Fista, weeping and demanding details about the fate of their loved ones. I am waiting for my mother, auntie, sister and nephew who were on their way to celebrate New Year's Eve at my house, said Yulis, 25. Seasonal storms have wreaked havoc across Indonesia in recent days, unleashing flash floods and landslides that have killed more than 145 people and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes on Sumatra.

Earlier Friday, a different vessel carrying around 100 people capsized in bad weather off the coast of northwestern Sumatra, killing three and leaving 26 missing, Radjasa said. In 2000, almost 500 people died when a ferry carrying Christians fleeing religious violence in the eastern Maluku islands capsized. A year later, 350 were killed when a boat carrying asylum seekers from Iraq and Afghanistan sank after setting sail from Java to Australia. Associated Press Writer Niniek Karmini contributed to this report from Jakarta.

Huge ice shelf breaks free in Canada's far north By Jeffrey Jones
Fri Dec 29, 4:45 PM ET

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A chunk of ice bigger than the area of Manhattan broke from an ice shelf in Canada's far north and could wreak havoc if it starts to float westward toward oil-drilling regions and shipping lanes next summer, a researcher said on Friday. Global warming could be one cause of the break of the Ayles Ice Shelf at Ellesmere Island, which occurred in the summer of 2005 but was only detected recently by satellite photos, said Luke Copland, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa's geography department.It was the largest such break in nearly three decades, casting an ice floe with an area of 66 square km (25 square miles) adrift in the Arctic Ocean, said Copland, who specializes in the study of glaciers and ice masses. Manhattan has an area of 61 square km (24 square miles).The mass is now 50 square km (19 square miles) in size.

The Arctic is all frozen up for the winter and it's stuck in the sea ice about 50 km (30 miles) off the coast, he said.The risk is that next summer, as that sea ice melts, this large ice island can then move itself around off the coast and one potential path for it is to make its way westward toward the Beaufort Sea, and the Beaufort Sea is where there is lots of oil and gas exploration, oil rigs and shipping.The break went undetected when it happened due primarily to the remoteness of the northern coast of Ellesmere island, which is only about 800 km (500 miles) from the North Pole.The speed of the crack and drift-off shocked scientists.Satellite images showed the 15-km long (9-mile long) crack, then the ice floating about 1 km (0.6 miles) from the coast within about an hour, Copland said.You could stand at one edge and not see the other side, and for something that large to move that quickly is quite amazing, he said.

Copland said the break was likely due to a combination of low accumulations of sea ice around the mass's edges as high winds blew it away, as well as one of the Arctic's warmest temperatures on record. The region was 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees F) above average in the summer of 2005, he said.Ice shelves in Canada's far north have decreased in size by as much as 90 percent since 1906, and global warming likely played a role in the Ayles break, Copland said.It's hard to tie one event to climate change, but when you look at the longer-term trend, the bigger picture, we've lost a lot of ice shelves on northern Ellesmere in the past century and this is that continuing, he said. And this is the biggest one in the last 25 years.

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).

European Union embraces repressive laws
By Laura Petricola,12-30-06, 10:18 am

New, repressive measures will soon be implemented in the European Union in the name of combating terrorism. Critics say the measures are actually aimed at nipping a growing European left-wing radicalism in the bud. The EU Council of Ministers of Justice and of Internal Affairs met Dec. 4-5 to approve a series of new mandates that authorize the gathering and retention of personal data on individuals and the monitoring of their activities, increased coordination between the police and the military, and heightened immigrant and refugee control. Gijs de Vries, coordinator of the EU’s anti-terrorist commission, set the tone for the council meeting.

His report summarized the progress his commission has made since June 2006, and emphasized, The strategic obligation of the EU is to combat terrorism on a worldwide level. The report opens with a focus on strategies against violent radicalization, which is defined by the EU Council as the phenomenon where people adhere to viewpoints, opinions and ideas that may lead to terrorist actions.The Internet was cited as a key conduit for the dissemination of these ideas. Notably, the commission is now funding a series of studies on radicalism, including Causes of radicalization among youth.

The council makes reference to the EU’s anti-terrorist laws, according to which actions carried out by unions and mass movements could theoretically be characterized as terrorist. In a similar vein, because of the vague wording, many labor and community activists could plausibly be labeled terrorists. While the anti-terrorist laws indicate their starting point is extreme Islamic radicalism, they also claim to cover every form of violent radicalism, nationalism, anarchism, autonomous, extreme-left or right-wing action.

Given recent anti-communist measures (e.g. the banning of the Young Communist League in the Czech Republic, and an anti-communist motion in the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe), the new mandates clearly constitute a dangerous threat to all those who challenge the capitalist system, even in the realm of thought. Systems of monitoring and recording personal information of all EU citizens, residents, and now visitors are being perfected and extended. The council plans to centralize in one giant database all information gathered via immigration and visa procedures, and to include biometric data in all EU country passports (only 18 have such data now).

Increased police and military response mechanisms were also approved, especially for border points. The creation of a rapid intervention force which could intervene in any member country if the member government were facing a large-scale crisis is being reconsidered. Special police units are being set up that would permanently patrol the Mediterranean and Aegean coastlines. Critics say these units, when combined with newly enacted immigration laws, will lead to increased persecution against immigrants and refugees. The 1.4 billion euros ($1.8 billion) that have been approved for 2007-2013 exclusively for research relevant to security show what EU rulers’ priorities are, in a vast area where the majority of citizens are trying to survive under a system of never-ending economic austerity. It has become clear that, as capitalist restructuring intensifies, so does repression, police terror and the erosion of democracy, both EU-wide and in each member country.--Laura Petricola (laurajopetricola @ yahoo.com) writes from Athens, Greece. From People's Weekly World

Israel Controls Water Resources in Gaza, West Bank DEC 30,06

DAMASCUS, December 30, 2006 (WAFA)- Israel controls water reserves in Gaza and the West Bank and seeks to control water resources in the Golan Heights and South Lebanon, said a report released by the Arab Water Studies and Water Security Center.
The report said Israel was thus present in major Arab water crises, adding that Israel consumed two billon cubic feet of water of which 65 percent were rechanneled from the Arab areas.Moreover, it said despite limited water resources in the Palestinians territory, Israel took over more that 80 percent of them, noting that large Israeli water projects counted on drawing water from Arab sources.Water, the report said, had always been one of Israel's strategic motives for military operations.The average individual in Israel consumes three to four times as much water as the Palestinian, the report said, stressing that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis was linked to the water issue.The report called for consolidating Arab efforts to face increasing water challenges and to demand that Israel should stop controlling Arab water resources if peace was to be achieved.