1-Srong Quake jolts Southern Iran. 2-China storm toll jumps to 482. 3-Tropical storm beryl weakens. 4-Montreal storms cause blackouts 2nd time this week. 5-Hot wild weather sparks fires,flash floods in Los Angeles. 6-Record heatwave sweeps through Europe. 7-Iran planning to strike Israel. 8-Rice strategy for lebanon Peace.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
Strong quake jolts southern Iran 1 hour, 31 minutes ago
TEHRAN (AFP) - A strong earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted southern Iran, state television has reported. No casualties have been reported from the quake, which struck at 3:16 am (1146 GMT) with the epicentre outside the town of Shahr-e Babak in Kerman province.The earthquake hit an uninhabited area in the desert so there has been no damage,a local official identified only by his last name as Shojai told ISNA news agency.Iran suffers frequent earthquakes. The worst in recent times razed the southeastern town of Bam, Kerman province, in December 2003, killing 31,000 people.
In March this year, a powerful earthquake hit western Iran, killing at least 70 people and leaving thousands homeless.In February 2005, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale killed more than 600 in Zarand.
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
China storm toll jumps to 482 - 39 minutes ago
BEIJING (AFP) - China's official death toll from rainstorms and flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Bilis has spiked dramatically to 482, state media has said. The sudden rise from 228 came after authorities revised the number of deaths in the central province of Hunan to 346, compared with 92 previously, the Xinhua news agency reported.There was no immediate explanation for the sudden increase in Hunan's death toll, and no immediate claim of a cover-up.However, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued an urgent notice warning local governments to be honest about disaster tolls.Data related to natural disasters should absolute not be covered up, the notice said. If cover-ups do happen, local governments should hold the responsible people to account.
The Hunan figure could yet rise significantly, as provincial authorities warned 89 people were still missing and unaccounted for.A total of 33 counties and six cities across Hunan have been hit by rainstorms, floods, landslides and mudflows, affecting 7.3 million people. The province has evacuated 800,000 people from dangerous places.The Hunan city of Zixing was unusually heavily hit, with 197 dead and 69 missing, according to Xinhua.There was no immediate explanation for the extremely large toll in Zixing, although the area appears to have a somewhat exposed geography.The city is located next to a major river, Dongjiang, as well as the Dongjiang reservoir.Tropical Storm Bilis, which also claimed lives in the Philippines and Taiwan, has left a path of death and destruction since making landfall in China a week ago.
Preliminary statistics showed 63 were confirmed dead in the southern province of Guangdong, along with 30 in the southern region of Guangxi, and 43 in southeastern Fujian province, according to Xinhua.Nationwide, the heavy rains and floods have caused 212,000 houses to collapse and damaged another 287,000, while forcing the evacuation of nearly three million.Heavy rain and severe floods have also destroyed sections of many highways and railways in southern China.China's flood season from June to August usually sees overflowing rivers and mountain torrents, often causing deadly landslides.By Wednesday the tropical storm was dying down and moving to Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in the southwest.More typhoons or tropical rainstorms are expected to hit China this year, partly due to the warm ocean current in the northwestern Pacific and high temperatures in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, meteorologists have warned.
Tropical storm Beryl weakens By Richard C. Lewis
59 minutes ago
NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Beryl, the second of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, whipped up chest-high waves as it blew over Nantucket island on Friday before weakening and heading out to sea. Beryl hit the southeastern Massachusetts island at about 3 a.m. (0700 GMT) with winds of up to 44 mph (71 kph), before encountering colder air over the Atlantic Ocean and dissipating into a milder storm, the National Weather Service said.Beryl felt like a mild Nor'easter, with wind gusts and heavy rain, said locals in Nantucket, a historic whaling port and upscale resort area.It wasn't a storm, really,said Sophia Orr of Island Coffee, a bakery and cafe on Nantucket's Steamboat Wharf.
A tropical storm warning was lifted across southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, although the storm may cause higher tides than normal.Beryl brought up to 3 inches of rain off the coast and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, but the center of Nantucket received only with about half an inch (1.3 cm) of rain, Bill Simpson of the National Weather Service in Massachusetts said.At 5 a.m. (0900 GMT), the storm system was moving northeast at about 21 mph (33 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.Beryl drew dozens of surfers to Rhode Island's popular Narragansett Bay beaches.The waves were better, so I was excited. You caught a few and they were great,surfer Mark Osman, 30, said.Locals on Cape Cod, a popular summer holiday destination, said Beryl caused barely a ripple. It's weakened a lot, said Pat Smith of Riverview Bait & Tackle in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod. It's actually fairly decent out.
Beryl's likely path would take its remnants over or near the Canadian province of Nova Scotia by late Friday or Saturday.Forecasters expect a busy June 1-November 30 Atlantic hurricane season this year, with up to 17 tropical storms.Last year saw a record 28 tropical storms, 15 of which strengthened into hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph). Among them was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, killed more than 1,300 people and became the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
The first tropical storm of the 2006 season, Alberto, came harmlessly ashore in the Florida Panhandle on June 13.(Additional reporting by Chris Wilson in Washington and Jason Szep in Boston)
Montreal storm causes blackouts 2nd time this week
Last Updated: Friday, July 21, 2006 | 9:42 AM ET CBC News
Thunderstorms that hit the island of Montreal for the second time this week have left about 30,000 homes without power Friday morning.Following Thursday's storm, Hydro-Québec reported 11,000 clients in Dollard des Ormeaux and Pierrefonds, another 11,000 in Côte-St-Luc, and thousands of others in Lachine, Laval and Lasalle have no power.The utility was trying to restore downed electrical lines, but didn't know when power would be back up.This storm arrived only a short time after Hydro-Québec restored power to the homes of virtually all the 100,000 customers affected by a storm that swept across Quebec on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Hot Wild Weather Sparks Wildfires and Flash Floods
Associated Press ,July 21, 2006, 6:53 AM PDT
Lightning-laced thunderstorms rolled through fire-scorched wilderness east of Los Angeles on Thursday, igniting a half-dozen new blazes but failing to bring heavy rains that could help douse the flames.Lightning torched a Joshua tree around 1:30 p.m. in Joshua Tree National Park, sparking a wildfire that quickly burned 100 acres and temporarily threatened dozens of homes in Yucca Valley, said Capt. Marc DeRosier of the California Department of Forestry.The blaze came as close as a mile to the homes before winds blowing in a southeasterly direction turned the flames back to the park, DeRosier said.Quite a few residents had voluntarily evacuated,he said. About 200 firefighters aided by two helicopters and six air tankers quickly got a handle of the northwest portion of the fire that was threatening homes. They were working to set a line around the blaze, which could grow up to 500 acres, DeRosier said.
An afternoon storm cell unleashed heavy rain in some areas of the San Bernardino Mountains but less than a tenth of an inch in burned areas, said Philip Gonsalves, a National Weather Service forecaster in San Diego.The storms moved out in a few hours without bringing additional rain, but could resume on Friday, he said.Severe thunderstorms also formed in the desert of north Los Angeles County and flash flooding began there in the late afternoon, said Los Angeles County Fire spokesman German Aguilera. There were no requests for water rescues, he said.Flash flood watches were also posted to the northwest in the mountains of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.Farther south, a 400-acre grass fire in a remote area of southeastern San Diego County was 80 percent contained and firefighters expected to fully surround it by evening. A campfire was suspected as the cause.
Several lightning strikes burned Joshua trees and dead timber in the Mojave Desert and the San Bernardino Mountains, but most of those fires were only a few acres in size, said Robin Prince of the U.S. Department of Forestry.In the San Bernardino National Forest, about 200 firefighters working the vast Heart-Millard complex of fires were pulled off the lines and ordered to safer areas.
Two concerns, lightning and flash flooding ... it just wasn't worth it. The fire wasn't doing anything anyway ... this fire hasn't moved in like four or five days,said Rich Phelps of the U.S. Forest Service.
DeRosier said lightning and thunderstorms were occurring unusually early in the high desert. The weather pattern typically occurs in late August and early September.When you combine this type of weather with the dry conditions that normally exist in the desert, plus the strong winds, you're looking at a long fire season,DeRosier said.The 24,695-acre Heart-Millard complex, equal to 38 square miles, was 60 percent contained. Ignited by lightning on July 9, it was burning in craggy canyonlands about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. For nearly a week, the fire has been holding at a few miles southeast of Big Bear and other resort towns.Firefighters continued to be released from the adjoining Sawtooth fire, which was contained earlier this week. Sprawling over 61,700 acres, or 96 square miles, it destroyed 58 houses and mobile homes, caused 17 injuries and killed a Pioneertown man when it swept through the Mojave Desert after being ignited by lightning July 9.
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Record heatwave sweeps through Europe
21 July 2006 04:22
Countries across Europe were sweltering under a prolonged heatwave on Friday with at least 23 people reported dead from the heat in France and Spain as temperatures soared to record levels.More than 20 people have died in France as a result of the heatwave that has been affecting the country for one week, the government's Institute of Health Oversight announced on Friday.The victims include 10 people between the ages of 80 and 94, four workers who succumbed to the heat on the job, two people engaging in sports activities and an adolescent of 15 years of age.In addition, police in the western French city of Nantes said a 53-year-old man collapsed and died on Tuesday because of the heat while walking to his home.Earlier on Friday, the French weather service Meteo France placed 25 departments, or regions, on orange alert the second-highest level until Sunday because temperatures in the designated areas were expected to climb above 33 degrees Celsius, and up to 38 degrees in some localities.
In August 2003, about 15 000 people, most of them elderly, died in France during a two-week heatwave.The current heatwave in Britain is costing the economy £168-million a day in lost productivity, according to press reports on Friday.The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) calculated that, when temperatures soar to 32 degrees -- the average so far this week -- productivity dives by 29%.Changes in spending patterns would lead to a loss of £5,8-million, while an extra £3-million a day spent on drinks, including beer and wine, is wiped out by lost retail sales.According to the Daily Mail on Friday, £3,9-million were lost through staff arriving late because trains were delayed in the heat due to speed restrictions, or because people preferred to travel outside peak hours.People think that there is a lot more spending when it's sunny because they are buying ice creams and beer and lots of other things to keep them cool, but this is offset by much bigger losses elsewhere,CEBR economist Jaspreet Sehmi said.
Temperatures in southern Britain reached a peak of 36,5 degrees on Tuesday -- the hottest for July since records began in 1911.
Almost all the major Underground (Tube) lines through London suffered long delays Thursday as communication systems failed in the heat, leaving millions stranded.
Temperatures on the trains reached 47 degrees.
As temperatures in the upper 20s, coupled with extreme humidity, continued in large parts of southern and central Britain, the island of Lewis in the Western Isles off the coast of Scotland recorded a cool 13 degrees and overcast skies.
Record temperatures
Czech meteorologists said Friday's clear-sky temperatures in Prague could top the city's record for a third day in a row. The mercury reached a new high on Wednesday, and Thursday's temperature of 35,3 degrees broke a record in place since 1865.In the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Meteomedia weather service measured the country's hottest temperature this year: 38,9 degrees in the town of Bernburg.The stifling heatwave that has been gripping northern Europe reached Italy on Friday, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees in many parts of the country.Weathermen said temperatures are set to rise further on Saturday, prompting officials to raise alarm levels.Farmers' group Coldiretti said the dry weather has already caused hundreds of millions of euros in damages to agriculture, particularly in the north-east.
The European Union predicted the drought would cause a 9% drop in the production of grain, with maize and barley harvests also likely to suffer.The Po, Italy's largest river, shrunk to its lowest level to date due to a prolonged lack of rain.Several Spanish regions also issued heat warnings to residents as temperatures are expected to top 40 degrees in some places over the next few days.
A 32-year-old man became the third person to die of heat-related health problems this summer. He died of a heat stroke on Thursday after working out of doors near Caceres in the south-west.
Crime wave
Meanwhile, back in northern Europe, the current heatwave in Denmark has triggered a wave of thefts as many thieves take advantage of doors and windows left open by house owners sweltering in the heat, reports said on Friday.We see a clear rise in house thefts during the summer period compared to other seasons," police spokesperson Steffen Hedemann of the Nykobing Falster police told commercial broadcaster TV2 Ost.Another trend has been a rise in people engaging in public sex on beaches. Complaints have, for instance, been filed with police in Ishoj, about 20km south of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Some bathers have been upset over the activities at the unofficial nudist beach, which often attract onlookers.Open-air sex can in some circumstances be illegal and be punished by a four-year jail term, police said, although statistics suggest most offenders are fined.
Similar complaints have also surfaced at some beaches in southern Sweden.
A spokesperson for the Danish Naturist Association said that while they favour public nudity, open-air sex can be a problem. "It has to be done in a place where it doesn't offend anybody,Kim Bindesboll Andersen told Ritzau news agency.Denmark has allowed people to bathe in the nude at public beaches since the 1970s, provided consideration is made to other visitors.Austrian climate expert for the WWF Markus Niedermair said on Friday the current Europe-wide heatwave is man-made and not a natural phenomenon.We're experiencing a climate change caused by humankind, Niedermair said as Friday midday temperatures in Austria reached 36 degrees. Too high levels of carbon dioxide emitted round the world are to blame, he said.Eight of the 10 warmest years on record occurred between 1996 and 2006. Since 1970, the average temperature in Vienna has gone up by 1,2 degrees, Niedermair told the newspaper Der Standard.
In Austria, the ambulance services reported 10% more calls since the heatwave started.In the Pinzgau region of the province of Salzburg, a forest fire was brought under control after three days. Another fire in the area of Gmunden in northern Austria, meanwhile, spread to an area of 70 000 square metres. -- Sapa-dpa SMS 'mg' to 31883 to surf M&G Online breaking news on your cellphone via GPRS or 3G at only R10 a month plus WAP charges (SA users only)
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Iran planning to strike Israel?
Hizb'allah assault meant to swamp Israeli defenses
By Ryan Jones,July 21, 2006
Tehran ordered the current Hizb'allah rocket assault on Israel in order to swamp Israeli defenses and open the door for an Iranian missile strike on Israel's population centers, wrote a group of Iranian exiles in a full-page ad published in Wednesday's Washington Times.The Azadegan Foundation, led by former Iranian diplomat Assad Homayoun, warned that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad intends to use weapons of mass destruction against the Jewish state.We have know for some four years that Iran's clerical leadership has, mostly through Syria and with active participation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, been pouring thousands of Zalzal-2 and Fajr rockets and missiles into HizbAllah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard (Pasdaran) units in Lebanon's Beqa'a Valley, for use against Israel.
Now they are being used. And, clearly, this is only the beginning. They are the mass barrages meant to swamp regional defenses so that Iran's strategic Shahab-3 ballistic missiles and other weapons can deliver WMD against Israel and other targets in the region.Adding to the growing sense of concern is the fact that Ahmadinejad earlier this week announced to Muslims throughout the region that a great day of rejoicing would soon be upon them.If Iran's aim is to divert Israel's missile defense systems away from its densely populated central regions, it appears to be working.World Tribune reported Wednesday that Israel is urgently pooling its missile defense assets to defend against the Hizb'allah threat in the north.
Rice outlines strategy for Lebanon peace By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer Fri Jul 21, 2:43 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruled out a quick false promise cease-fire in the Middle East Friday and defended her decision not to meet with either Syrian or Hezbollah leaders in her upcoming visit to the region. Syria knows what it needs to do and Hezbollah is the source of the problem, Rice said at the State Department as she previewed her trip, which begins on Sunday with a first stop in Israel.Rice said she would work with allies to help create conditions for stability and lasting peace.
Asked why she didn't go earlier and engage in quick-hit diplomacy to try to end the death and destruction that has gripped both Lebanon and northern Israel, she replied, I could have gotten on a plane and rushed over and started shuttling and it wouldn't have been clear what I was shuttling to do.Hezbollah extremists are trying to strangle it in its crib, Rice said of the Lebanese government, which has been a less potent force in the fractured country than the politically savvy and well-armed Hezbollah guerrillas.The crisis started last week when Hezbollah, an Islamic militant group that operates in southern Lebanon, captured two Israeli soldiers. Israel retaliated by carrying out bombing across Lebanon and slapping a naval blockade on the country. Hezbollah fired hundreds of missiles into Israel.
Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to Washington, told The Associated Press that Israel would not rule out an eventual international stabilization force. But he said Israel was determined to first take out Hezbollah's command and control centers and weapons stockpiles.He described it as a mop up operation, and said that Israel had no desire to repeat its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000.They overplayed their hand, they miscalculated, Ayalon said of Hezbollah, which is supported by both Syria and Iran.This is a war not of our choosing, he said.In her briefing for reporters on her trip, Rice said the United States was committed to ending the bloodshed, but didn't want to do it before certain conditions were met.The United States has said all along that Hezbollah must first turn over the two Israeli soldiers and stop firing missiles into Israel.We do seek an end to the current violence, we seek it urgently. We also seek to address the root causes of that violence, she said. A cease-fire would be a false promise if it simply returns us to the status quo.Rice said that it was important to deal with the root cause of the violence, echoing what has been the U.S. position since last week.
President Bush, asked what he hopes Rice will achieve on her trip, said he would discuss it with her when he returns to the White House on Sunday. He was speaking at a restaurant in Aurora, Colo., as he met with 10 members of the military who recently returned from Iraq.Announcing plans earlier for a Sunday meeting that Bush and Rice will have with Saudi officials, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the idea was "to provide the president and Dr. Rice a chance to continue to strategize with a key partner in the region on a diplomatic solution that will address the root causes of violence and terror in the region.Bush and Rice will meet at the White House Sunday with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, chief of the Saudi National Security Council.The plans emerged following two days of meetings in New York with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and envoys he sent to the region this week. Although Annan called Thursday for an immediate cease-fire, that is opposed by the United States. The Bush administration says the United States and the U.N. agree on the wider diplomatic goals for the region.
The United States has resisted international pressure to lean on its ally Israel to halt the fighting. Rice was likely try to point the way to a relatively quick cease-fire, but not an immediate one.Rice was flying first to Israel, then Rome. In Rome, she will meet with European foreign ministers, officials from Lebanon and representatives from Arab nations that have been unusually critical of Hezbollah.Rice's mission would be the first U.S. diplomatic effort on the ground since the Israeli onslaught against Lebanon began.
Annan outlined the basic terms of a proposed cease-fire and the longer-range goals to remove the Hezbollah threat in southern Lebanon in a speech on Thursday. Hezbollah exerts political control over southern Lebanon, overshadowing the weak democratic central government in Beirut. The U.N. and U.S. plan for long-term stability would give international help to the Beirut government to expel Hezbollah and install its own Army troops.Israel called up reserve troops Friday and warned civilians to flee southern Lebanon as it prepared for a likely ground invasion to set up a deep buffer zone.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
42ND BIRD FLU CASE
1-Eu ready to participate in Mideast peace-keeping force. 2-Eu force shows muscle ahead of Congo elections. 3-World has vested interest in Mideast peace. 4-Pope makes fresh mideast peace call. 5-Iram militias must be eliminated. 6-5.0 Quake in Humbolt California. 7-Earthquakes causing Red Sea to Part. 8-Indonesia confirms 42ND Bird flu death.
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 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, 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: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
EU ready to participate in Mideast peace-keeping force
By Hannah K. Strange Jul/17/2006
LONDON -- The European Union is ready to take part in an international peace-keeping force to calm hostilities in Israel and Lebanon if such a mission is dispatched, the EU presidency said Monday.I am confident that the European Union and its member states which have been heavily contributing to such missions in the past will stand ready to take part if the conditions are there for such a mission, Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told a news conference in Brussels.The deployment of an international force to help resolve the Middle East crisis was earlier suggested by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and discussed by leaders at the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Our member states have made it clear that they are willing to consider participating in any such mission,said Tuomioja, speaking after a Brussels meeting of EU foreign ministers.However at present this was only an idea, he added.Earlier, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana returned from a fact-finding trip to Lebanon expressing pessimism about the chances of a ceasefire between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces, who have been engaged in a bloody cross-border battle for six days.
As Israeli warplanes continued to pound targets in Lebanon and Hezbollah responded by firing rockets on the Israeli border town of Haifa, Solana said the best that could be hoped for was a de-escalation" of the violence. A cease-fire, while desirable, was in his opinion still out of reach, he told reporters before the Brussels meeting.Solana, who met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora during his visit, said: At this point in time this is something everybody would like to have. But I think we are a little bit far, still far from that situation.He described the situation as very serious, very grave.I think we have to make all the efforts ... to de-escalate the situation and not to enter into a dynamic of action-reaction, he said.
Tuomioja told reporters that any force deployed must be seen as part of a long-term solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.The EU foreign ministers warned that the conflict could ultimately engulf the entire region. In a statement, they urged immediate action to prevent the escalation of the present crisis which now poses a threat to both Israel and Lebanon and to the wider security of the region.They called on Israel to respect Lebanon's territorial integrity and to refrain from "disproportionate" action, while condemning the capture of Israeli soldiers as well as attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and Hamas. The statement also urged the Lebanese government to rein in Hezbollah guerrillas and to restore its sovereignty over the whole of its national territory.
EU force shows muscle ahead of Congo polls
20 Jul 2006 14:18:44 GMT
KINSHASA, July 20 (Reuters) - A European Union military force sent to Congo showed off its firepower and technology on Thursday, saying it was ready to help U.N. peacekeepers maintain security during this month's elections.Soldiers parachuted into their Kinshasa base from helicopters before special forces teams performed a simulated hostage rescue and the force illustrated how it could quickly deploy men and armoured vehicles.Congolese politicians, military personnel, as well as foreign and local media were also shown the unmanned surveillance planes and weaponry the force has as its disposal.
We have tried to show you that we are credible and ready to fulfil our mission, German General Karlheinz Viereck, commander of the EU mission, told the audience after the display at N'Dodo airport.The EU has sent some 1,000 soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo, meant to act as a deterrent against anyone disrupting or challenging the result of the elections.The July 30 polls are the cornerstone of peace deals that ended Congo's 1998-2003 war, which has killed some four million people, and are billed as the former Belgian colony's first free and fair elections in over 40 years.
Despite the world's biggest U.N. peacekeeping force, voting will take place amid tension. Thousands of rebels operate in Congo's east, many candidates say the process is unfair and opposition parties are calling for demonstrations and boycotts.At the end of the month, my men will be ready to fulfil their task of securing the elections if there is trouble and the UN cannot deal with it, Viereck added.
FOUR-MONTH MISSION
The EU force has a four-month mission, starting the first day of voting, but will only intervene if the Congolese police and army, as well as the U.N. are unable to control violence.Some 33 presidential candidates and nearly 10,000 parliamentary candidates will contest the polls, which are costing the international community over $400 million and are the most complicated the U.N. has ever helped organise.Commanders have been reluctant to give details on what sort of operations the European soldiers would carry out, stressing however, that they were not in Congo to support any candidate and would do more than just evacuate expatriates.
During the demonstration, French and Portuguese special forces teams simulated a rescue mission, roping down from helicopters to free hostages in a bus before airlifting them to safety.A Hercules C130 transport plane then flew in soldiers and armoured trucks, showing how the EU could deploy men equipment across the vast country, which is the size of Western Europe, at short notice.
Meanwhile, Belgian surveillance drones and an array of sniper rifles, machine guns and mortars were put on display.The EU has a reserve force of 1,200 soldiers stationed in nearby Gabon but, with only one company of combat troops in Kinshasa, analysts say a successful mission would be one that does not have to act.Some Congolese, however, believe the international community is tacitly backing incumbent President Joseph Kabila while others fear the Europeans have come ready to fight a war.Don't speak about war, Viereck told local journalists. We have just showed a few options for dissuasion.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
2 THESSALIANS 2:3-12
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
DANIEL 11:23-24,39
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
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(EU PRESIDENT LEADER OF PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he(EU PRESIDENT) 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, 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 has vested interest in Mideast peace
The world's most volatile area is living up to its reputation with a new round of bloody violence, and we're reminded that the latest armed conflict isn't so much between states as it is between Israel and anti-Israeli insurgents of all stripes. It's helpful to identify the players in this latest crisis. Your scorecard should read: Israel vs. Hamas, a Palestinian group, and Hezbollah, a well-armed and trained Lebanese Shiite militia. Both are coached by Iran and Syria. The game plan: Extremists basically want the Israeli state wiped from the face of the Earth. Israel is just as determined that won't happen.
Of the two groups, Hezbollah is currently the biggest threat to peace and stability with its attacks across the southern Lebanon border into Israel and development of a missile arsenal. The latest fighting began June 25 when Hamas-linked militants in the Gaza Strip carried out a cross-border attack on a military outpost in Israel, killing two soldiers and capturing one. Hezbollah guerrillas followed in July with an attack on a military patrol on the border in northern Israel, killing three soldiers and capturing two.
Israel retaliated immediately with a ferocity that has become the trademark of a nation that has fought for survival and right to exist since it was created in 1948 by a United Nations resolution. Israeli forces have pounded Lebanon, both on the ground and in the air. They also want the captured Israeli soldiers returned before there's any talk of cease-fire or truce. And they demand that no more missiles be rained on Israeli cities. With assistance from Syria and Iran, the well-armed Hezbollah militia has become stronger in southern Lebanon, as that country's fledgling attempt at democracy, Mideast style, bumbles along. A United Nations Security Council resolution in 2004 led to withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, but its accompanying call for disarming militant guerrillas has gone unheeded.
Now President Bush is rightly concerned that the instability caused by the Hezbollah attacks will cause some in Lebanon to invite Syria back into the nation. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is active on the diplomatic front in dealing with the crisis, thinks the 2004 resolution must be fully implemented, Hezbollah disarmed and a Lebanese army deployed to the border — along with a strong peacekeeping operation. Such an operation must be international in makeup, with healthy representation from other Muslim nations in the Middle East. To their credit, leaders in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have expressed their displeasure with the Hezbollah attacks they fear could lead to war on a much broader scale.
The United States is already stretched too thin in the Middle East, where we are viewed by many in the world community as an automatic, blind backer of Israel. While we can be involved in a search for a diplomatic solution, an end to military hostilities must be brokered on a larger stage, such as the United Nations, again with considerable representation from other Mideast countries. That would help give the effort the credibility it must have. The current upheaval will continue until Lebanon has a viable government that can deal with internal strife, much the same kind of challenge now facing Iraq's newly elected leaders. Otherwise, insurgency and civil war are virtually inevitable.
An anxious world awaits new developments to end the bloodshed and violence of the current upheaval, in which innocent civilians once again are paying the heaviest price. In the short haul, a cease-fire is critical. The long-range answer to co-existence in that troubled world spot remains a more daunting challenge, but one that to be viable requires active participation of moderate Mideast governments that reject radical insurgency groups.
* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins and Bill Lee.
Pope makes fresh Mideast peace call
Urges believers to pray on Sunday for an end to conflict
(ANSA) - Vatican City, July 20 - Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday issued a fresh appeal for an end to the latest conflict in the Middle East, proclaiming next Sunday a day of prayers for peace .
The pope issued a statement saying that Sunday would be a special day of prayer and penitence for believers of all faiths in the hope of an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon .We must implore God for the precious gift of peace, he said .The Lebanese have the right to see their country's sovereignty respected, the Israelis have the right to live in peace in their state and the Palestinians have the right to their own free and sovereign state,the German-born pontiff said .The 79-year-old pope also urged aid organisations to help the people hit by this ruthless conflict .
Humanitarian corridors must immediately be established to bring aid to the suffering populations, he said. He called for the opening of reasonable and responsible negotiations to end objective situations of injustice existing in the region .It was the pope's second appeal for peace in four days .On Sunday, he condemned the conflict, saying there could be no justification for the terrorist acts nor the reprisals, particularly when there are tragic consequences for civilians .The pope stressed that history had shown no good would come of such conflicts .Israeli warplanes pounded Lebanon for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday in response to a deadly incursion into Israeli territory last week by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah .Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon and has the backing of Syria and Iran, has retaliated with rocket attacks against Israel .
The conflict has so far killed at least 305 people in Lebanon and 29 in Israel .Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said in a televised address on Wednesday that more than 500,000 people had been displaced by the war and appealed for international help .
© Copyright ANSA.,2006-07-20 14:24
PSALMS 83:3-5
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
EZEKIEL 38:5-6
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
Iran's militias must be eliminated
Jul. 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Bishara Bahbah's article in Sunday's Viewpoints, Israel, Palestinians stray from road to peace, makes some positive suggestions for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without addressing the confounding detail of eliminating militias of the kind Hamas and Hezbollah operate that are armed by Iran and Syria.Iran has cast a big shadow over the violence by aiding Hezbollah with advanced missiles. This interference pushes Teheran to the head of the line of priorities that Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates must deal with in order to protect their own peace and stability.
The existence of these militias has made Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora impotent to conduct negotiations on behalf of their respective countries. They could sign the peace documents, but they can't control the militias armed by Iran and Syria.President Bush has the opportunity to build an anti-Iran/Syria coalition of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE that could help with the transition from the militias to new national armies reconstituted under civilian authority in Lebanon and Palestine. - Harvey Karchmer, Scottsdale
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
5.0 quake hits off Humboldt
By George Kelly,CONTRA COSTA TIMES
North Coast residents woke to a 5.0 earthquake this morning, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.A magnitude 5.0 quake hit at 4:41 a.m. It was centered about 40 miles south-southwest of Eureka and about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento at a depth of about 13 miles, according to a United States Geological Survey preliminary report.It was felt as far north as parts of McKinleyville and as far south as Willits.
Scientists: Earthquakes causing Red Sea to part
Arabian tectonic plate and African plate are moving away from each other
Updated: 2:08 p.m. ET July 19, 2006
The Red Sea is parting again, but this time Moses doesn’t have a hand in it. Satellite images show that the Arabian tectonic plate and the African plate are moving away from each other, stretching the Earth's crust and widening the southern end of the Red Sea, scientists reported in this week's issue of journal Nature. Last September, a series of earthquakes started splitting the planet's surface along a 37-mile section of the East African Rift in Afar, Ethiopia. Over a period of three weeks, the crust on the sides of the rift moved apart by 26 feet and magma (molten rock)—enough to fill a football stadium more than 2,000 times—was injected along a vertical crack, forming a new crust. We think that the crust and mantle melt slowly at depths greater than 10 kilometers [6 miles], where it is hotter, forming magma,said Tim J Wright, study co-author, a Royal Society University Research Fellow. This magma rises through the crust because it is less dense than the surrounding rock.
The magma collects in magma chambers at depths of 3 to 5 kilometers [1.9 to 3 miles] where the density is the same as the crustal rocks, Wright explained. Slowly, the pressure has been building up in these chambers until last September when it finally cracked, breaking the crust along a vertical crack. The magma was then injected into this crack.The intrusion of magma into the gap, rather than the cracking of the crust, is responsible for segmentation of continental drifts. This is the first rifting episode to have occurred since 1970 and the largest single rip in the Earth's continental crust during the satellite-monitoring era. We knew about the steady rifting process in Afar, as Arabia moves away from Africa across the rift, Wright said. And we knew that occasionally the strain that builds up slowly over centuries is released suddenly in rifting episodes. We did not know how big the deformation could be.
Slow drift
For the past 30 million years Africa and Arabia have been going through a rifting process, the same one that formed the Red Sea. In this amount of time, the 186-mile- wide Afar depression formed. The ground is continually moving—much more rapidly now than before the rifting episode, Wright told LiveScience. On average, the two sides move apart at about 2 centimeters per year [0.8 inches per year]. But, as this event demonstrates, the motion is episodic and jerky. This poses considerable hazard to the local inhabitants, which is higher for the next few years.This latest split, added to the long-term rifting process, which is tearing the northeast of Ethiopia and Eritrea from the rest of Africa, could eventually create a huge new sea. Although such processes could take millions of years to occur, this event has given scientists an unprecedented opportunity to monitor the rupture in real time.
© 2006 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
REVElATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Indonesia confirms 42nd human bird flu death
By Fitri Wulandari
JAKARTA (Reuters) - An international test has confirmed a 44-year-old Indonesian fried chicken vendor who died earlier this month had bird flu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday. The man, from east Jakarta, died on July 12. His death brought to 42 the number of Indonesians killed by the bird flu virus. The populous southeast Asian country has recorded more human deaths from the disease this year than any other country. A chicken trader waits for customers at the local market in Jakarta July 16, 2006. An international test has confirmed a 44-year-old Indonesian man who died this month had bird flu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi) The man was confirmed to have bird flu by the Hong Kong laboratory. There were dead chickens around him, but chickens around his neighbourhood tested negative for bird flu, I Nyoman Kandun, director-general of communicable disease control at the Health Ministry, told Reuters.
Contact with sick or dead poultry is the usual mode of transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which is endemic in nearly all of the country's 33 provinces. He had contact with chicken every day when preparing fried chicken. All his family members have tested negative for bird flu,said Runizar Ruesin, the head of the health ministry's Bird Flu Information Centre. While Indonesia has sophisticated laboratories, bird flu tests still need to be confirmed by World Health Organisation-affiliated testing centres, usually in Hong Kong or the United States. Human cases of bird flu have been rising steadily in Indonesia since its first known outbreak in poultry in late 2003. Earlier this month, a three-year-old girl died of the virus. Worldwide, the disease has killed at least 132 people since it re-emerged in east Asia in 2003.
Vietnam has also recorded 42 deaths but has managed to bring the disease under control. Its last human death occurred in 2005.
Indonesia has been criticised for not doing enough to stamp out H5N1, which still remains essentially an animal disease but experts fear could spark a pandemic if it mutates into a form that can pass easily among people. The agriculture ministry said earlier this month Indonesia's death rate from bird flu was worsening, possibly due to limited vaccination of poultry. The government has so far shied away from mass culling, citing lack of funds and impracticality in a country with millions of backyard fowl. Vaccination is the preferred method to prevent the spread of bird flu among poultry. Copyright © 2005 Reuters
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 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, 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: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
EU ready to participate in Mideast peace-keeping force
By Hannah K. Strange Jul/17/2006
LONDON -- The European Union is ready to take part in an international peace-keeping force to calm hostilities in Israel and Lebanon if such a mission is dispatched, the EU presidency said Monday.I am confident that the European Union and its member states which have been heavily contributing to such missions in the past will stand ready to take part if the conditions are there for such a mission, Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told a news conference in Brussels.The deployment of an international force to help resolve the Middle East crisis was earlier suggested by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and discussed by leaders at the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Our member states have made it clear that they are willing to consider participating in any such mission,said Tuomioja, speaking after a Brussels meeting of EU foreign ministers.However at present this was only an idea, he added.Earlier, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana returned from a fact-finding trip to Lebanon expressing pessimism about the chances of a ceasefire between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces, who have been engaged in a bloody cross-border battle for six days.
As Israeli warplanes continued to pound targets in Lebanon and Hezbollah responded by firing rockets on the Israeli border town of Haifa, Solana said the best that could be hoped for was a de-escalation" of the violence. A cease-fire, while desirable, was in his opinion still out of reach, he told reporters before the Brussels meeting.Solana, who met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora during his visit, said: At this point in time this is something everybody would like to have. But I think we are a little bit far, still far from that situation.He described the situation as very serious, very grave.I think we have to make all the efforts ... to de-escalate the situation and not to enter into a dynamic of action-reaction, he said.
Tuomioja told reporters that any force deployed must be seen as part of a long-term solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.The EU foreign ministers warned that the conflict could ultimately engulf the entire region. In a statement, they urged immediate action to prevent the escalation of the present crisis which now poses a threat to both Israel and Lebanon and to the wider security of the region.They called on Israel to respect Lebanon's territorial integrity and to refrain from "disproportionate" action, while condemning the capture of Israeli soldiers as well as attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and Hamas. The statement also urged the Lebanese government to rein in Hezbollah guerrillas and to restore its sovereignty over the whole of its national territory.
EU force shows muscle ahead of Congo polls
20 Jul 2006 14:18:44 GMT
KINSHASA, July 20 (Reuters) - A European Union military force sent to Congo showed off its firepower and technology on Thursday, saying it was ready to help U.N. peacekeepers maintain security during this month's elections.Soldiers parachuted into their Kinshasa base from helicopters before special forces teams performed a simulated hostage rescue and the force illustrated how it could quickly deploy men and armoured vehicles.Congolese politicians, military personnel, as well as foreign and local media were also shown the unmanned surveillance planes and weaponry the force has as its disposal.
We have tried to show you that we are credible and ready to fulfil our mission, German General Karlheinz Viereck, commander of the EU mission, told the audience after the display at N'Dodo airport.The EU has sent some 1,000 soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo, meant to act as a deterrent against anyone disrupting or challenging the result of the elections.The July 30 polls are the cornerstone of peace deals that ended Congo's 1998-2003 war, which has killed some four million people, and are billed as the former Belgian colony's first free and fair elections in over 40 years.
Despite the world's biggest U.N. peacekeeping force, voting will take place amid tension. Thousands of rebels operate in Congo's east, many candidates say the process is unfair and opposition parties are calling for demonstrations and boycotts.At the end of the month, my men will be ready to fulfil their task of securing the elections if there is trouble and the UN cannot deal with it, Viereck added.
FOUR-MONTH MISSION
The EU force has a four-month mission, starting the first day of voting, but will only intervene if the Congolese police and army, as well as the U.N. are unable to control violence.Some 33 presidential candidates and nearly 10,000 parliamentary candidates will contest the polls, which are costing the international community over $400 million and are the most complicated the U.N. has ever helped organise.Commanders have been reluctant to give details on what sort of operations the European soldiers would carry out, stressing however, that they were not in Congo to support any candidate and would do more than just evacuate expatriates.
During the demonstration, French and Portuguese special forces teams simulated a rescue mission, roping down from helicopters to free hostages in a bus before airlifting them to safety.A Hercules C130 transport plane then flew in soldiers and armoured trucks, showing how the EU could deploy men equipment across the vast country, which is the size of Western Europe, at short notice.
Meanwhile, Belgian surveillance drones and an array of sniper rifles, machine guns and mortars were put on display.The EU has a reserve force of 1,200 soldiers stationed in nearby Gabon but, with only one company of combat troops in Kinshasa, analysts say a successful mission would be one that does not have to act.Some Congolese, however, believe the international community is tacitly backing incumbent President Joseph Kabila while others fear the Europeans have come ready to fight a war.Don't speak about war, Viereck told local journalists. We have just showed a few options for dissuasion.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
2 THESSALIANS 2:3-12
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
DANIEL 11:23-24,39
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
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(EU PRESIDENT LEADER OF PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he(EU PRESIDENT) 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, 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 has vested interest in Mideast peace
The world's most volatile area is living up to its reputation with a new round of bloody violence, and we're reminded that the latest armed conflict isn't so much between states as it is between Israel and anti-Israeli insurgents of all stripes. It's helpful to identify the players in this latest crisis. Your scorecard should read: Israel vs. Hamas, a Palestinian group, and Hezbollah, a well-armed and trained Lebanese Shiite militia. Both are coached by Iran and Syria. The game plan: Extremists basically want the Israeli state wiped from the face of the Earth. Israel is just as determined that won't happen.
Of the two groups, Hezbollah is currently the biggest threat to peace and stability with its attacks across the southern Lebanon border into Israel and development of a missile arsenal. The latest fighting began June 25 when Hamas-linked militants in the Gaza Strip carried out a cross-border attack on a military outpost in Israel, killing two soldiers and capturing one. Hezbollah guerrillas followed in July with an attack on a military patrol on the border in northern Israel, killing three soldiers and capturing two.
Israel retaliated immediately with a ferocity that has become the trademark of a nation that has fought for survival and right to exist since it was created in 1948 by a United Nations resolution. Israeli forces have pounded Lebanon, both on the ground and in the air. They also want the captured Israeli soldiers returned before there's any talk of cease-fire or truce. And they demand that no more missiles be rained on Israeli cities. With assistance from Syria and Iran, the well-armed Hezbollah militia has become stronger in southern Lebanon, as that country's fledgling attempt at democracy, Mideast style, bumbles along. A United Nations Security Council resolution in 2004 led to withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, but its accompanying call for disarming militant guerrillas has gone unheeded.
Now President Bush is rightly concerned that the instability caused by the Hezbollah attacks will cause some in Lebanon to invite Syria back into the nation. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is active on the diplomatic front in dealing with the crisis, thinks the 2004 resolution must be fully implemented, Hezbollah disarmed and a Lebanese army deployed to the border — along with a strong peacekeeping operation. Such an operation must be international in makeup, with healthy representation from other Muslim nations in the Middle East. To their credit, leaders in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have expressed their displeasure with the Hezbollah attacks they fear could lead to war on a much broader scale.
The United States is already stretched too thin in the Middle East, where we are viewed by many in the world community as an automatic, blind backer of Israel. While we can be involved in a search for a diplomatic solution, an end to military hostilities must be brokered on a larger stage, such as the United Nations, again with considerable representation from other Mideast countries. That would help give the effort the credibility it must have. The current upheaval will continue until Lebanon has a viable government that can deal with internal strife, much the same kind of challenge now facing Iraq's newly elected leaders. Otherwise, insurgency and civil war are virtually inevitable.
An anxious world awaits new developments to end the bloodshed and violence of the current upheaval, in which innocent civilians once again are paying the heaviest price. In the short haul, a cease-fire is critical. The long-range answer to co-existence in that troubled world spot remains a more daunting challenge, but one that to be viable requires active participation of moderate Mideast governments that reject radical insurgency groups.
* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins and Bill Lee.
Pope makes fresh Mideast peace call
Urges believers to pray on Sunday for an end to conflict
(ANSA) - Vatican City, July 20 - Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday issued a fresh appeal for an end to the latest conflict in the Middle East, proclaiming next Sunday a day of prayers for peace .
The pope issued a statement saying that Sunday would be a special day of prayer and penitence for believers of all faiths in the hope of an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon .We must implore God for the precious gift of peace, he said .The Lebanese have the right to see their country's sovereignty respected, the Israelis have the right to live in peace in their state and the Palestinians have the right to their own free and sovereign state,the German-born pontiff said .The 79-year-old pope also urged aid organisations to help the people hit by this ruthless conflict .
Humanitarian corridors must immediately be established to bring aid to the suffering populations, he said. He called for the opening of reasonable and responsible negotiations to end objective situations of injustice existing in the region .It was the pope's second appeal for peace in four days .On Sunday, he condemned the conflict, saying there could be no justification for the terrorist acts nor the reprisals, particularly when there are tragic consequences for civilians .The pope stressed that history had shown no good would come of such conflicts .Israeli warplanes pounded Lebanon for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday in response to a deadly incursion into Israeli territory last week by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah .Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon and has the backing of Syria and Iran, has retaliated with rocket attacks against Israel .
The conflict has so far killed at least 305 people in Lebanon and 29 in Israel .Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said in a televised address on Wednesday that more than 500,000 people had been displaced by the war and appealed for international help .
© Copyright ANSA.,2006-07-20 14:24
PSALMS 83:3-5
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
EZEKIEL 38:5-6
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
Iran's militias must be eliminated
Jul. 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Bishara Bahbah's article in Sunday's Viewpoints, Israel, Palestinians stray from road to peace, makes some positive suggestions for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without addressing the confounding detail of eliminating militias of the kind Hamas and Hezbollah operate that are armed by Iran and Syria.Iran has cast a big shadow over the violence by aiding Hezbollah with advanced missiles. This interference pushes Teheran to the head of the line of priorities that Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates must deal with in order to protect their own peace and stability.
The existence of these militias has made Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora impotent to conduct negotiations on behalf of their respective countries. They could sign the peace documents, but they can't control the militias armed by Iran and Syria.President Bush has the opportunity to build an anti-Iran/Syria coalition of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE that could help with the transition from the militias to new national armies reconstituted under civilian authority in Lebanon and Palestine. - Harvey Karchmer, Scottsdale
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
5.0 quake hits off Humboldt
By George Kelly,CONTRA COSTA TIMES
North Coast residents woke to a 5.0 earthquake this morning, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.A magnitude 5.0 quake hit at 4:41 a.m. It was centered about 40 miles south-southwest of Eureka and about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento at a depth of about 13 miles, according to a United States Geological Survey preliminary report.It was felt as far north as parts of McKinleyville and as far south as Willits.
Scientists: Earthquakes causing Red Sea to part
Arabian tectonic plate and African plate are moving away from each other
Updated: 2:08 p.m. ET July 19, 2006
The Red Sea is parting again, but this time Moses doesn’t have a hand in it. Satellite images show that the Arabian tectonic plate and the African plate are moving away from each other, stretching the Earth's crust and widening the southern end of the Red Sea, scientists reported in this week's issue of journal Nature. Last September, a series of earthquakes started splitting the planet's surface along a 37-mile section of the East African Rift in Afar, Ethiopia. Over a period of three weeks, the crust on the sides of the rift moved apart by 26 feet and magma (molten rock)—enough to fill a football stadium more than 2,000 times—was injected along a vertical crack, forming a new crust. We think that the crust and mantle melt slowly at depths greater than 10 kilometers [6 miles], where it is hotter, forming magma,said Tim J Wright, study co-author, a Royal Society University Research Fellow. This magma rises through the crust because it is less dense than the surrounding rock.
The magma collects in magma chambers at depths of 3 to 5 kilometers [1.9 to 3 miles] where the density is the same as the crustal rocks, Wright explained. Slowly, the pressure has been building up in these chambers until last September when it finally cracked, breaking the crust along a vertical crack. The magma was then injected into this crack.The intrusion of magma into the gap, rather than the cracking of the crust, is responsible for segmentation of continental drifts. This is the first rifting episode to have occurred since 1970 and the largest single rip in the Earth's continental crust during the satellite-monitoring era. We knew about the steady rifting process in Afar, as Arabia moves away from Africa across the rift, Wright said. And we knew that occasionally the strain that builds up slowly over centuries is released suddenly in rifting episodes. We did not know how big the deformation could be.
Slow drift
For the past 30 million years Africa and Arabia have been going through a rifting process, the same one that formed the Red Sea. In this amount of time, the 186-mile- wide Afar depression formed. The ground is continually moving—much more rapidly now than before the rifting episode, Wright told LiveScience. On average, the two sides move apart at about 2 centimeters per year [0.8 inches per year]. But, as this event demonstrates, the motion is episodic and jerky. This poses considerable hazard to the local inhabitants, which is higher for the next few years.This latest split, added to the long-term rifting process, which is tearing the northeast of Ethiopia and Eritrea from the rest of Africa, could eventually create a huge new sea. Although such processes could take millions of years to occur, this event has given scientists an unprecedented opportunity to monitor the rupture in real time.
© 2006 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
REVElATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Indonesia confirms 42nd human bird flu death
By Fitri Wulandari
JAKARTA (Reuters) - An international test has confirmed a 44-year-old Indonesian fried chicken vendor who died earlier this month had bird flu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday. The man, from east Jakarta, died on July 12. His death brought to 42 the number of Indonesians killed by the bird flu virus. The populous southeast Asian country has recorded more human deaths from the disease this year than any other country. A chicken trader waits for customers at the local market in Jakarta July 16, 2006. An international test has confirmed a 44-year-old Indonesian man who died this month had bird flu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi) The man was confirmed to have bird flu by the Hong Kong laboratory. There were dead chickens around him, but chickens around his neighbourhood tested negative for bird flu, I Nyoman Kandun, director-general of communicable disease control at the Health Ministry, told Reuters.
Contact with sick or dead poultry is the usual mode of transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which is endemic in nearly all of the country's 33 provinces. He had contact with chicken every day when preparing fried chicken. All his family members have tested negative for bird flu,said Runizar Ruesin, the head of the health ministry's Bird Flu Information Centre. While Indonesia has sophisticated laboratories, bird flu tests still need to be confirmed by World Health Organisation-affiliated testing centres, usually in Hong Kong or the United States. Human cases of bird flu have been rising steadily in Indonesia since its first known outbreak in poultry in late 2003. Earlier this month, a three-year-old girl died of the virus. Worldwide, the disease has killed at least 132 people since it re-emerged in east Asia in 2003.
Vietnam has also recorded 42 deaths but has managed to bring the disease under control. Its last human death occurred in 2005.
Indonesia has been criticised for not doing enough to stamp out H5N1, which still remains essentially an animal disease but experts fear could spark a pandemic if it mutates into a form that can pass easily among people. The agriculture ministry said earlier this month Indonesia's death rate from bird flu was worsening, possibly due to limited vaccination of poultry. The government has so far shied away from mass culling, citing lack of funds and impracticality in a country with millions of backyard fowl. Vaccination is the preferred method to prevent the spread of bird flu among poultry. Copyright © 2005 Reuters
Friday, July 21, 2006
UNION OF EUROPE IN 16TH CENTURY
1-Europe and us swelter as heat wave claims lives. 2-Medical Chip implants studied. 3-10 dead as storms sweep Japan. 4-50,000 without power across Ontario. 5-Storm cuts power to 440,000 in midAtlantic. 6-Peres meets with Eu 's Solano. 7-There was a union in Europe in the 16th century:it collapsed.
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Europe and the US swelter as heat wave claims lives
A heat wave has spread across Europe with near-tropical temperatures so far claiming seven lives as people struggle through their daily lives in temperatures reaching 40 degrees.The United States is also recording extremely high temperatures, which has led to the death of six people and a call for residents of New York city to turn off the lights to conserve energy.
In France, it is those in the southeast who are suffering the most, but even temperatures in Paris will soar to 36 degrees by midweek as the heat wave spreads to the north, forecasters said Around a quarter of the France is being affected by the heat and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin today planned a visit to a Paris retirement home to show the measures the government is taking to care for the elderly population, vulnerable in the heat.
An elderly man and woman have already died in the Bordeaux region in the when the heat exacerbated their medical conditions. Temperatures had reached 38 degrees when the 85-year-old man died in hospital, and the woman, 81 at her home.A 53-year-old
labourer in the eastern French town of Macon died overnight of malign hyperthermia after working outside in temperatures of 33 degrees, authorities said.
French authorities are on high alert, all too aware of the criticism they faced after the 2003 European heat wave in which 30,000 people died - half of them in France. There is no reason for disquiet, but we have to be vigilant and the health protection messages have to be constantly repeated, said Health Minister Xavier Bertrand. France’s main electricity provider, EDF asked customers to cut back on electricity consumption and said it had been forced to buy power abroad.These exceptional weather conditions, coupled with a rise in consumption, have led to a deficit in production, EDF said in a statement.Two people died yesterday at Nijmegen in the Netherlands, during the first day of a four-day walk after temperatures rose to more than 30 degrees. According to reports on Dutch television around 300 people fainted and 30 walkers had to be hospitalised.
Temperatures in the Netherlands today are expected to rise to 36 degrees.
Meteorologists in Germany have warned that tomorrow could be the hottest day of the year, when the mercury could reach 38 degrees and July could possibly be their hottest month in a century.Berlin is expected to reach a maximum of 30 degrees today.In Spain, a 44-year-old man died of heat exhaustion at Orense, in the north-western region of Galicia, regional officials said, when he was working outside as temperatures hit 41.5 C. Another man died on Sunday in Murcia, southern Spain. In Spanish cities temperatures were slightly lower than that today, with Madrid expected to reach a maximum of 34 degrees.
REVELATION 13:16-18
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 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
MEDICAL CHIP IMPLANTS STUDIED
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com
Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to implant patients in that state, who are suffering from chronic diseases, with a microchip containing their medical information, according to wire service reports. The intention is to give emergency room staff immediate access to such data, avoiding both delays in treatment and costly or serious medical errors. The insurer is teaming up with Hackensack University Medical Center in this pilot program, involving about 200 patients with pre-existing chronic conditions.
The microchip is implanted in a patient's right arm above the elbow, and the hope is that doctors may avoid duplicating medical tests, dangerous drug interactions, and bad diagnoses. At this stage, the article notes, the program is voluntary and won't cost the patient any money to participate. The goal is to test this program for two years, before considering expanding it. - ST ,Staff Reports - Free-Market News Network.
LUKE 2125-26
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
10 people dead as storms sweep Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) - At least 10 people died and 13 went missing in Japan on Wednesday as torrential rains swept through a wide swathe of the country, triggering mudslides and floods.More than 60 cm (24 inches) of rain has fallen in the last few days, disrupting rail and road traffic.Weather forecasters warned that the rain could continue and might trigger more mudslides and floods in central and western Japan.Among those affected, at least four died and four others went missing after mudslides struck houses in Okaya, in Nagano prefecture in central Japan, Kyodo news agency said.Also in Okaya, an 80-year-old woman was found dead after her home was crushed by mudslides, a local official said.About 200 troops joined hundreds of rescue workers in searching collapsed houses and swollen rivers for those missing in the region.
A 66-year-old man drowned in an irrigation channel in Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan, a local official said.A 26-year-old man went missing after his car was swept into a river in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu, Kyodo news agency said.Two people remained unaccounted for after a mudslide buried a house in Kyoto prefecture on Wednesday, Kyodo quoted local officials as saying.(c) Reuters 2006.This article: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1051042006,Last updated: 19-Jul-06 13:27 BST
REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
50,000 still without power across Ontario
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 | 11:28 AM ET ,CBC News
About 50,000 Hydro One customers were still in the dark Wednesday morning, more than a day after violent winds and torrential rains swept through much of the province. That number was down from the 170,000 customers left without electricity immediately
after the storm Monday, which toppled trees and knocked down power lines.
Nearly half of those still without power live in communities across Northern Ontario including the Nipissing, Sudbury and Manitoulin areas, the part of the province hardest hit by the storm.
The largest single pocket of outages is in the Cobden area of eastern Ontario with 9,900 residents.However, thousands of customers in the Newmarket and Orangeville areas were also still without power Wednesday morning.Hydro One called in emergency crews to work through Tuesday night, and had about 1,000 workers responding to calls by Wednesday morning.The extent of the damage is making it difficult to keep up, a spokesman said, citing an example on Manitoulin Island, where 60 trees are down in a two-kilometre stretch.Hydro One said the majority of customers should have power by Thursday, but those in the most remote areas may have to wait until Friday.
Storm cuts power to 440,000 in Mid-Atlantic 35 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A violent cold front packing near-hurricane force winds left more than 440,000 customers in the Mid-Atlantic without power Tuesday night, local power companies said Wednesday. In southeast Pennsylvania, some 365,000 PECO customers lost power Tuesday night, the company said in a release.PECO, a subsidiary of Exelon Corp. of Chicago, said about 283,000 customers were still without service early Wednesday. PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 474,000 natural gas customers in the Philadelphia area.The company said the restoration work would likely be a multi-day effort.The storms also left more than 70,000 customers without power in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, 25,000 out in Westchester County, New York and more than 20,000 out on Long Island, New York. In New Jersey, the utilities still had to restore service to about 30,000 customers.
The same storms passed through the Midwest on Monday, leaving more than 500,000 customers without power in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.Most of the Midwest power companies reported just a few thousand outages remaining Wednesday morning but the hardest hit, Consumers Energy, with more than 315,000 customers affected in Michigan, still had about 60,000 customers without power.Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy, of Jackson, Michigan, expected to restore service to most customers by Thursday afternoon except for the most rural and hardest hit customers who will have to wait another day or so for power.CMS owns and operates more than 14,000 MW of generating capacity in the United States and abroad, markets energy commodities, and distributes electricity (1.8 million) and natural gas (1.6 million) to customers in Michigan.Exelon owns and operates more than 38,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities, and transmits and distributes electricity and natural gas to 5.2 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
DANIEL 7:23
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
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 shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS,NOW THE EU) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he (EU PRESIDENT) 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, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
VPM Peres Meets with EU European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Solana
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres Meets with EU European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana Javier Solana,Jill Marie Reinach Office of the Vice Prime Minister 19 July, 2006
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres met today with European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. At the beginning of the meeting Peres stated, The alternative to the IDF activity is a regime of the forces of darkness in the world. The State of Israel is being attacked and thus must defend herself.The Vice Prime Minister also related to the question of the involvement of international forces in Lebanon and stated, No international force can prevent the existing situation in which the entire area adjacent to the Israeli-Lebanese border, on the Lebanese side, is lined with large explosives and unmarked mines. An international force cannot stop missiles flying in the air. Thus, the Lebanese
Government needs to eject from its midst the terrorist group Hizbollah. Hizbollah is destroying Lebanon and preventing its independence. If the existing 50,000 Lebanese soldiers will not stand up against this, and thus enable 7000 Hizbollah terrorists to rule Lebanon, we will not tolerate such a situation.
Peres continued, Israel is fighting two fronts, which is difficult and painful, but for us, it is a matter of life or death. We are in the midst of a war not of our choosing, as well as a war of no choice. All of Israel is today united behind the Government steps.Peres also stated, Israel is a country that stands firm against terrorism, and we have not requested from any country to send soldiers to defend us. Israel is right, strong and steadfast in its steps.
TRANSEUROPOLITIK: There was a union in Europe in the 16th century. It collapsed Written by Piotr Maciej Kaczynski,Wednesday, 19 July 2006
On July 4, 1569, the Union of Lublin was created. It’s unlikely you have heard of it. Yet this predecessor of the European Union created the most progressive state in Europe.
The EU faces a dead end. Wracked by the problems of the constitution and a
supposed split between Old and New Europe, Europe has to fall back on its shared history. New Europe, too, is a part of this history, and some of its past is more relevant than we might think.
Once upon a time in the East
Once upon a time there was a union in Europe. In the Eastern part of our continent a country more politically advanced than any yet seen in Europe was created. The Republic of Two Nations (Poles and Lithuanians), created by the Union of Lublin in 1569, was a unique societal and political experiment.In an age of continuous religious warfare, the Republic was an oasis of tolerance. Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Jews and Muslims lived together and their rights and duties were only partially dependent on their religion.
The Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries was full of states controlled by absolute monarchs. The Republic was different. Kings were elected by the Sejm (parliament), and followed its decisions in most areas of policy making. Some 10% of the population had electoral powers to choose their members of the Sejm, a democratic mandate unparalleled at the time.
The Republic was based on the principle of limited equality. To be a member of the ruling class (szlachta) meant being a citizen. And the szlachta were numerous. In certain regions up to 20% of inhabitants were members. Poor, rich, Catholic or Protestant, everyone could have been members of the class. They all had the same rights and duties towards the state; they were equal in courts regardless of their importance and wealth. A popular saying was: Szlachcic na zagrodzie równy wojewodzie (a poor nobleman is equal to a governor).Being a member of szlachta was very attractive not only for the inhabitants of the Republic. The noblemen of the Saxony and Russia (the boyars) wanted their countries to join the Republic so they would have the same privileges as the Republic’s szlachta.
A lesson for our time
What eventually killed the Republic’s political experiment was ignorance. As long as the Republic stayed open and inclusive for others, as long as it was based on the principle of equality and tolerance, it was the most admired state in 16th and early 17th century Europe.But as the Republic turned away from the principle of openness, problems started to arise. The Republic’s Parliament operated through consensus – if one member opposed a policy, then the entire session would be lost. Increasing internal fractures hamstrung attempts at political reform. Then, when the Cossacks (today’s Ukrainians) asked to be members of the szlachta, they were refused. This resulted in increased domestic tensions and civil wars.What lessons for today’s Europe?
First, do not ignore the experiences of the new member states. Second, it is a historical fact that a more advanced political project in Europe is possible. Third, this project requires visionaries and leadership. Fourth, this project needs to be open and inclusive. As long as the Union of Lublin was an open project, attractive for others (insiders and outsiders), it lasted and developed. When the Republic turned its back on this principle, it collapsed.Piotr Maciej Kaczynski,Warsaw (Poland)
Co-founder of the European Perspectives Group - Political analyst in the Institute of Public Affairs, Warsaw-based think-tank.
Member of the Steering Committee of Babel International, publisher of cafebabel.com. Author of over forty texts published in leading
European newspapers and magazines.This Letter of Europe has been published by © cafebabel.com
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Europe and the US swelter as heat wave claims lives
A heat wave has spread across Europe with near-tropical temperatures so far claiming seven lives as people struggle through their daily lives in temperatures reaching 40 degrees.The United States is also recording extremely high temperatures, which has led to the death of six people and a call for residents of New York city to turn off the lights to conserve energy.
In France, it is those in the southeast who are suffering the most, but even temperatures in Paris will soar to 36 degrees by midweek as the heat wave spreads to the north, forecasters said Around a quarter of the France is being affected by the heat and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin today planned a visit to a Paris retirement home to show the measures the government is taking to care for the elderly population, vulnerable in the heat.
An elderly man and woman have already died in the Bordeaux region in the when the heat exacerbated their medical conditions. Temperatures had reached 38 degrees when the 85-year-old man died in hospital, and the woman, 81 at her home.A 53-year-old
labourer in the eastern French town of Macon died overnight of malign hyperthermia after working outside in temperatures of 33 degrees, authorities said.
French authorities are on high alert, all too aware of the criticism they faced after the 2003 European heat wave in which 30,000 people died - half of them in France. There is no reason for disquiet, but we have to be vigilant and the health protection messages have to be constantly repeated, said Health Minister Xavier Bertrand. France’s main electricity provider, EDF asked customers to cut back on electricity consumption and said it had been forced to buy power abroad.These exceptional weather conditions, coupled with a rise in consumption, have led to a deficit in production, EDF said in a statement.Two people died yesterday at Nijmegen in the Netherlands, during the first day of a four-day walk after temperatures rose to more than 30 degrees. According to reports on Dutch television around 300 people fainted and 30 walkers had to be hospitalised.
Temperatures in the Netherlands today are expected to rise to 36 degrees.
Meteorologists in Germany have warned that tomorrow could be the hottest day of the year, when the mercury could reach 38 degrees and July could possibly be their hottest month in a century.Berlin is expected to reach a maximum of 30 degrees today.In Spain, a 44-year-old man died of heat exhaustion at Orense, in the north-western region of Galicia, regional officials said, when he was working outside as temperatures hit 41.5 C. Another man died on Sunday in Murcia, southern Spain. In Spanish cities temperatures were slightly lower than that today, with Madrid expected to reach a maximum of 34 degrees.
REVELATION 13:16-18
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 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
MEDICAL CHIP IMPLANTS STUDIED
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com
Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to implant patients in that state, who are suffering from chronic diseases, with a microchip containing their medical information, according to wire service reports. The intention is to give emergency room staff immediate access to such data, avoiding both delays in treatment and costly or serious medical errors. The insurer is teaming up with Hackensack University Medical Center in this pilot program, involving about 200 patients with pre-existing chronic conditions.
The microchip is implanted in a patient's right arm above the elbow, and the hope is that doctors may avoid duplicating medical tests, dangerous drug interactions, and bad diagnoses. At this stage, the article notes, the program is voluntary and won't cost the patient any money to participate. The goal is to test this program for two years, before considering expanding it. - ST ,Staff Reports - Free-Market News Network.
LUKE 2125-26
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
10 people dead as storms sweep Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) - At least 10 people died and 13 went missing in Japan on Wednesday as torrential rains swept through a wide swathe of the country, triggering mudslides and floods.More than 60 cm (24 inches) of rain has fallen in the last few days, disrupting rail and road traffic.Weather forecasters warned that the rain could continue and might trigger more mudslides and floods in central and western Japan.Among those affected, at least four died and four others went missing after mudslides struck houses in Okaya, in Nagano prefecture in central Japan, Kyodo news agency said.Also in Okaya, an 80-year-old woman was found dead after her home was crushed by mudslides, a local official said.About 200 troops joined hundreds of rescue workers in searching collapsed houses and swollen rivers for those missing in the region.
A 66-year-old man drowned in an irrigation channel in Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan, a local official said.A 26-year-old man went missing after his car was swept into a river in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu, Kyodo news agency said.Two people remained unaccounted for after a mudslide buried a house in Kyoto prefecture on Wednesday, Kyodo quoted local officials as saying.(c) Reuters 2006.This article: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1051042006,Last updated: 19-Jul-06 13:27 BST
REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
50,000 still without power across Ontario
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 | 11:28 AM ET ,CBC News
About 50,000 Hydro One customers were still in the dark Wednesday morning, more than a day after violent winds and torrential rains swept through much of the province. That number was down from the 170,000 customers left without electricity immediately
after the storm Monday, which toppled trees and knocked down power lines.
Nearly half of those still without power live in communities across Northern Ontario including the Nipissing, Sudbury and Manitoulin areas, the part of the province hardest hit by the storm.
The largest single pocket of outages is in the Cobden area of eastern Ontario with 9,900 residents.However, thousands of customers in the Newmarket and Orangeville areas were also still without power Wednesday morning.Hydro One called in emergency crews to work through Tuesday night, and had about 1,000 workers responding to calls by Wednesday morning.The extent of the damage is making it difficult to keep up, a spokesman said, citing an example on Manitoulin Island, where 60 trees are down in a two-kilometre stretch.Hydro One said the majority of customers should have power by Thursday, but those in the most remote areas may have to wait until Friday.
Storm cuts power to 440,000 in Mid-Atlantic 35 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A violent cold front packing near-hurricane force winds left more than 440,000 customers in the Mid-Atlantic without power Tuesday night, local power companies said Wednesday. In southeast Pennsylvania, some 365,000 PECO customers lost power Tuesday night, the company said in a release.PECO, a subsidiary of Exelon Corp. of Chicago, said about 283,000 customers were still without service early Wednesday. PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 474,000 natural gas customers in the Philadelphia area.The company said the restoration work would likely be a multi-day effort.The storms also left more than 70,000 customers without power in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, 25,000 out in Westchester County, New York and more than 20,000 out on Long Island, New York. In New Jersey, the utilities still had to restore service to about 30,000 customers.
The same storms passed through the Midwest on Monday, leaving more than 500,000 customers without power in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.Most of the Midwest power companies reported just a few thousand outages remaining Wednesday morning but the hardest hit, Consumers Energy, with more than 315,000 customers affected in Michigan, still had about 60,000 customers without power.Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy, of Jackson, Michigan, expected to restore service to most customers by Thursday afternoon except for the most rural and hardest hit customers who will have to wait another day or so for power.CMS owns and operates more than 14,000 MW of generating capacity in the United States and abroad, markets energy commodities, and distributes electricity (1.8 million) and natural gas (1.6 million) to customers in Michigan.Exelon owns and operates more than 38,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities, and transmits and distributes electricity and natural gas to 5.2 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
DANIEL 7:23
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
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 shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS,NOW THE EU) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he (EU PRESIDENT) 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, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
VPM Peres Meets with EU European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Solana
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres Meets with EU European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana Javier Solana,Jill Marie Reinach Office of the Vice Prime Minister 19 July, 2006
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres met today with European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. At the beginning of the meeting Peres stated, The alternative to the IDF activity is a regime of the forces of darkness in the world. The State of Israel is being attacked and thus must defend herself.The Vice Prime Minister also related to the question of the involvement of international forces in Lebanon and stated, No international force can prevent the existing situation in which the entire area adjacent to the Israeli-Lebanese border, on the Lebanese side, is lined with large explosives and unmarked mines. An international force cannot stop missiles flying in the air. Thus, the Lebanese
Government needs to eject from its midst the terrorist group Hizbollah. Hizbollah is destroying Lebanon and preventing its independence. If the existing 50,000 Lebanese soldiers will not stand up against this, and thus enable 7000 Hizbollah terrorists to rule Lebanon, we will not tolerate such a situation.
Peres continued, Israel is fighting two fronts, which is difficult and painful, but for us, it is a matter of life or death. We are in the midst of a war not of our choosing, as well as a war of no choice. All of Israel is today united behind the Government steps.Peres also stated, Israel is a country that stands firm against terrorism, and we have not requested from any country to send soldiers to defend us. Israel is right, strong and steadfast in its steps.
TRANSEUROPOLITIK: There was a union in Europe in the 16th century. It collapsed Written by Piotr Maciej Kaczynski,Wednesday, 19 July 2006
On July 4, 1569, the Union of Lublin was created. It’s unlikely you have heard of it. Yet this predecessor of the European Union created the most progressive state in Europe.
The EU faces a dead end. Wracked by the problems of the constitution and a
supposed split between Old and New Europe, Europe has to fall back on its shared history. New Europe, too, is a part of this history, and some of its past is more relevant than we might think.
Once upon a time in the East
Once upon a time there was a union in Europe. In the Eastern part of our continent a country more politically advanced than any yet seen in Europe was created. The Republic of Two Nations (Poles and Lithuanians), created by the Union of Lublin in 1569, was a unique societal and political experiment.In an age of continuous religious warfare, the Republic was an oasis of tolerance. Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Jews and Muslims lived together and their rights and duties were only partially dependent on their religion.
The Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries was full of states controlled by absolute monarchs. The Republic was different. Kings were elected by the Sejm (parliament), and followed its decisions in most areas of policy making. Some 10% of the population had electoral powers to choose their members of the Sejm, a democratic mandate unparalleled at the time.
The Republic was based on the principle of limited equality. To be a member of the ruling class (szlachta) meant being a citizen. And the szlachta were numerous. In certain regions up to 20% of inhabitants were members. Poor, rich, Catholic or Protestant, everyone could have been members of the class. They all had the same rights and duties towards the state; they were equal in courts regardless of their importance and wealth. A popular saying was: Szlachcic na zagrodzie równy wojewodzie (a poor nobleman is equal to a governor).Being a member of szlachta was very attractive not only for the inhabitants of the Republic. The noblemen of the Saxony and Russia (the boyars) wanted their countries to join the Republic so they would have the same privileges as the Republic’s szlachta.
A lesson for our time
What eventually killed the Republic’s political experiment was ignorance. As long as the Republic stayed open and inclusive for others, as long as it was based on the principle of equality and tolerance, it was the most admired state in 16th and early 17th century Europe.But as the Republic turned away from the principle of openness, problems started to arise. The Republic’s Parliament operated through consensus – if one member opposed a policy, then the entire session would be lost. Increasing internal fractures hamstrung attempts at political reform. Then, when the Cossacks (today’s Ukrainians) asked to be members of the szlachta, they were refused. This resulted in increased domestic tensions and civil wars.What lessons for today’s Europe?
First, do not ignore the experiences of the new member states. Second, it is a historical fact that a more advanced political project in Europe is possible. Third, this project requires visionaries and leadership. Fourth, this project needs to be open and inclusive. As long as the Union of Lublin was an open project, attractive for others (insiders and outsiders), it lasted and developed. When the Republic turned its back on this principle, it collapsed.Piotr Maciej Kaczynski,Warsaw (Poland)
Co-founder of the European Perspectives Group - Political analyst in the Institute of Public Affairs, Warsaw-based think-tank.
Member of the Steering Committee of Babel International, publisher of cafebabel.com. Author of over forty texts published in leading
European newspapers and magazines.This Letter of Europe has been published by © cafebabel.com
Thursday, July 20, 2006
IRAN SAYS RESPONSE AUG 22
1-Israel under fire-day 9. 2-Vietnam floods leave 12 dead. 3-Rain lash Kalkata. 4-People ready to evacuate Philippes Volcano. 5-In Russia linking of Jewish Issues. 6-Iran says it will deliver Answer August 22.
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
ISRAEL UNDER FIRE
20 JULY - DAY NINE
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
IAF fighter jets dropped 23 tons of explosives late Wednesday night on a Hezbollah bunker, possibly the hiding place of the group's leader Sheikh Nasrallah, in southeast Beirut.
Two brothers, aged nine and three, were killed Wednesday in the northern city of Nazareth as Katyusha rockets fell in the downtown
and suburban areas of the city. The deaths mark the first time since the recent violence has begun that the victims have been Israeli
Arabs. It was the third Israeli-Arab population center to be hit by Katyusha rockets during this conflict, though, after Madjal-Krum and Tubas Zangarit.
Two elite IDF soldiers were killed on Wednesday during clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon; three more soldiers have been wounded in continued fighting on Thursday.
Some 110 rockets were fired at Israel on Wednesday; IAF aircraft struck six Katyusha rocket launchers in southern Lebanon as well as 20 suspicious cars believed to be carrying Hezbollah operatives and weaponry.
Two suicide bombers were caught this week on their way to attacks in the center of the country.
For the latest news see the Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz and YNet.(www.honestreporting.com)
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
Vietnam floods leave 12 dead or missing Thu Jul 20, 7:08 AM ET
HANOI (AFP) - Twelve people have been killed or missing feared dead after heavy summer rains triggered flash-floods and mudslides that destroyed 400 houses in mountainous northern Vietnam, officials said. Four people died in Bac Kan province and five had been missing since early Tuesday and were feared drowned, said provincial flood control official Ha Kim Oanh, who warned more floods were expected in the coming weeks.Two more people were killed in Vinh Phuc province, and one in Lang Son province bordering China, said an official of the National Flood and Storm Control Committee in the capital Hanoi.
Hundreds of villagers had been evacuated in remote Bac Kan where heavy rains have swollen rivers and cut roads, said an official in Bac Kan town, 125 kilometres (75 miles) north of Hanoi.The national government has warned 16 northern provinces to prepare for more severe storms ahead after weather services predicted higher than usual rainfall in coming months.
Rains lash Kolkata Thu Jul 20, 8:05 AM ET
KOLKATA (AFP) - Heavy rains flooded large parts of Kolkata, disrupting transport, forcing shops and schools to close and leaving some residents stranded, police have said. About 180 milimetres (seven inches) of rain drenched Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state, on Wednesday with more downpours predicted, weather officials said.Traffic was thin, most offices and schools remained closed as overnight rains flooded roads,said Kolkata deputy police commissioner P.K. Chattopadhyay.Train services were disrupted, government buses were not plying and trams services suspended as roads went under the water, he said.People were evacuated from low-lying areas of the city in rubber boats, he said.The city's Salt Lake area, home to many information technology companies, was badly hit and workers were left stranded on road sides after public transport was halted, IT consultant Swapan Mitra said.Schools and colleges were shut along with shops in upmarket business districts.
Ambulances and other services were also stretched forcing people to carry their sick relatives through knee-deep water to hospitals, witnesses said.Many long-distance trains from the eastern city were cancelled as railway tracks were under water, railway officials said, and flights were delayed.Blinding rain forced airport officials to reschedule the arrivals and departures of the flights from the citys domestic and international airport,an official said.A British Airways flight from London to Kolkata was diverted to New Delhi because of bad weather, he said.Rains and floods have claimed at least 12 lives and left more than a million people homeless in West Bengal since the start of the monsoon season this year.
GENESIS 6:13
13 for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Villagers prepare to evacuate from rumbling Philippine volcano Thu Jul 20, 4:04 AM ET
MATANAG, Philippines (AFP) - Villagers on the slopes of Mayon volcano have prepared to evacuate as a series of minor eruptions and cloud of ash indicated it was building up for a major eruption soon, officials said. The cone-shaped 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) volcano southeast of Manila has been spewing lava since last week and all signs indicate it was preparing for a major explosive eruption within days or weeks, volcanologists said.There were secondary explosions. A collapsed portion of the advancing lava caused an ash cloud of several hundred meters, scientist Ed Laguerta told AFP from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology's observatory in Legaspi city near Mayon.
He said alert level three of a five-step alert system remained hoisted over Mayon and nearby towns and villagers, meaning that residents should prepare for eventual evacuation.In the farming town of Matanag, which lies near the six-kilometer radius (four mile) permanent danger zone, residents have packed their things and were awaiting official word to evacuate.We only have one life to live each, it's important to save that,said coconut farmer Romeo Nantes, 55, and a father of three.Nantes however said that he would be tending his farm until a major eruption occurs.Under the shade of a tree, fellow farmer Balasta Balangitan, 37, led his family and friends in planning an escape route as they watched the smouldering lava flow snake down the slopes.
Balangitan said Matanag was among the towns devastated by Mayon's eruption in 2001, when several dozen people were killed. Mayon, about 300 kilometers (176 miles) southeast of Manila, is one of some 22 active volcanoes in the Philippines.It has erupted 47 times in recorded history, including in 1814, when it buried the town of Cagsawa killing an estimated 1,000 residents. Mayon's most recent major eruption was in 2001.
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ACROSS THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
In Russia, linking of Jewish issues with democracy is no longer a given
By Lev Krichevsky,July 19, 2006
MOSCOW, July 19 (JTA) — Vladimir Putin insists that democracy and human rights are internal Russian issues. We proceed from the fact that no one knows better than we do how to strengthen our state, the president of Russia, which hosted the recent G-8
summit, said Saturday at a news conference following talks with President Bush.
We know for sure that we cannot strengthen our state without developing democratic institutions, and this is the path that we will certainly take. But we’re certainly going to do this on our own. Worries have grown during the past year over what many see as Putin’s increasingly authoritarian rule, limiting dissent and cementing his own power. In the Soviet era and even after, this would have been considered a Jewish issue, since issues involving democracy and human rights were seen as inextricably linked to Jewish concerns. But is it still the case in a Russia where Jews have freedom of worship and the freedom to emigrate? Do Russian Jews think attention to Russia’s democratic record is productive for the community, or is it a counterproductive development that could further alienate Russia from the West?
Some observers believe Russian Jews should remain sensitive to human-rights issues simply because they are a minority that could become a target.As in any country, minorities, including Jews, have a worse chance for survival under authoritarian regimes, said Yevgenia Albats, a leading Moscow political journalist. Just because the situation looks fine for Jews now does not mean the regime will always keep it the same. Under authoritarian rule, everything, both good and bad, lies with the autocratic leader. She added, Such a leader often needs an internal enemy, and Jews are among the best candidates to this position.
A leading U.S. advocate for Jews in the region agrees.
History and current events show that Jews live better under democratic rule, said Mark Levin, executive director of NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia. In Russia, the Jewish community has not been targeted by the government, it has been able to develop its cultural, educational and religious institutions, but who’s to say how long this can last if the overall society doesn’t progress. Among the issues of concern to Western leaders is Russia’s treatment of nongovernmental organizations. Early this year, Putin signed into law a highly controversial bill that bans foreign participation in the nonprofit sector,
further isolating Russian society from international democratic trends and institutions.
It is certain that the authorities are trying to limit the influence from abroad played by various non-governmental organizations, although fears that this might somehow affect Jewish organizations have not materialized yet, said Mikhail Chlenov,secretary general of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. Another longtime Jewish activist said a discussion over the state of democracy in Russia could help bring long-standing problems to the surface. Tankred Golenpolsky, founder and publisher of the International Jewish Gazette, Russia’s oldest Jewish weekly, gives an example of the problem. There are three Jewish weeklies in Moscow, and each saw how their subscribers got concerned when they tried to mail the papers without blank envelopes, he said.
After all these years, there is deep-seated fear in Jews here. That means there is a problem that we need to talk about. You can only fight fear by talking about it.
Golenpolsky believes Russia should not be shy about openly discussing issues of democracy and minority rights, both within Russian society and with Moscow’s foreign partners in meetings like the G-8 summit. This is our Russian complex: We think that if others don’t know that we have problems at home, then we don’t have problems, he said. But some leaders contend that any such connection may not be productive now that the Jewish community lives in a much freer country and doesn’t face an immediate threat to its well-being. The Federation of Jewish Communities, Russia’s largest Jewish group and the one with the best relations to the Kremlin, said responsible Jewish groups and leaders should think twice before adding their voices to the chorus of those criticizing the Kremlin. Jewish organizations should have as their main focus the interests of the Jews that live in this country, federation spokesman Boruch Gorin said. Gorin and the federation believes it’s in the community’s interest to deal with issues of human rights in a more cautious manner and to avoid irritating authorities. It would be irresponsible” for Jewish organizations to engage in a discussion on human rights without taking into account the peculiarities of Russian mentality and Russian history, Gorin said. Gorin said that the traditional approach, of local Jews appealing to the West on major issues of concern to the Jewish community, is not smart and ineffective.
Golenpolsky disagreed.
We are a mature country with a great history, but we shouldn’t be playing hide-and-seek with our problems and with our partners, he said.In the meantime, few Jewish activists would disagree that the state could do more to fight the anti-Semitism that continues to plague Russian society, even in the absence of a state-sponsored policy against the Jews. But some Jewish leaders say the issue will not be solved by lecturing Russia on its internal problems. Lecturing Russia is not necessary and not enough, Chlenov said.
Much more here depends not on the West but on Russia’s own society. Either there is the will of society to fight with these evils, or there isn’t. Foreign lessons would hardly help. (JTA Foreign Editor Peter Ephross in New York contributed to this report.)
Iran might nuke Israel on this date, this date has to do with Mohammid going to heaven.So its an important date to Iran and could be a warning that Iran is going to nuke Israel.
Iran says it will deliver response Aug. 22 By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 52 minutes ago
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Thursday it would formally respond on Aug. 22 to a Western package of incentives aimed at resolving the standoff over its suspect nuclear program — the first time the Islamic republic has set a specific date for its reply. The Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body, also threatened that the country would reconsider its nuclear policies if sanctions were imposed by the United Nations.The council did not elaborate, but Iranian officials repeatedly have suggested that Tehran may withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and stop cooperating with U.N. inspectors.The package of incentives requires a logical time to study it ... Aug. 22 has been set for declaring (our) views,the council said in a statement read on state-run television.In case the path of confrontation is chosen instead of the path of dialogue ... and Iran's definite rights are threatened, then there will be no option for Iran but to reconsider its nuclear policies.
The statement came a day after Russia said the U.N. Security Council is in no rush to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, striking a more conciliatory tone than the United States as diplomats began discussing a resolution to put legal muscle behind demands that Tehran suspend uranium enrichment.The United States and some of its allies accuse Iran of seeking to produce highly enriched uranium and plutonium for nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.In Thursday's statement, Iran said it plans to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear energy in the next 20 years.The Western nations on June 6 offered Iran a package of incentives — including advanced technology and possibly even nuclear research reactors — if Tehran suspended enrichment.
But the frustrated powers agreed last week to send Iran back to the U.N. Security Council for possible punishment, saying Tehran had given no sign it would bargain in earnest over its nuclear ambitions.Iran has said the incentives package was an acceptable basis for negotiations.Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad initially said Iran would respond to the package in mid-August, but the republic then pushed back its response to late August. Thursday's statement was the first time a specific date was set.The United States has accused Iran of stalling while it continues to pursue suspect technology, but Tehran accused Washington on Thursday of putting up obstacles.The Iranian council said special committees in key state agencies were still studying the offer by the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany, and it invited the United States and its allies to return to the negotiating table.
It said it was surprising that the United States was creating obstacles for a negotiated settlement while Iran was seriously studying the offer.Iran is not after tension, but if others push things toward tension and create problems, then all will face problems. Iran believes dialogue is the most logical solution. It is serious in this path. We want the other side to return to the negotiating table, the statement said.The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to a negotiated settlement through diplomacy. The United States, by changing the path of talks toward the Security Council, is trying to create obstacles.
A senior Iranian lawmaker said Tuesday the country's parliament was preparing to debate withdrawal from the nonproliferation treaty if the U.N. Security Council adopts a resolution that would force Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment. Withdrawal from the treaty could end all international oversight of Iran's nuclear program. In February, Iran for the first time produced its first batch of low-enriched uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. The process of uranium enrichment can be used to generate electricity or in building a bomb, depending on the level of enrichment.Iran has said it will never give up its right under the treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel, but it has indicated it may temporarily suspend large-scale activities to ease tensions.
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
ISRAEL UNDER FIRE
20 JULY - DAY NINE
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
IAF fighter jets dropped 23 tons of explosives late Wednesday night on a Hezbollah bunker, possibly the hiding place of the group's leader Sheikh Nasrallah, in southeast Beirut.
Two brothers, aged nine and three, were killed Wednesday in the northern city of Nazareth as Katyusha rockets fell in the downtown
and suburban areas of the city. The deaths mark the first time since the recent violence has begun that the victims have been Israeli
Arabs. It was the third Israeli-Arab population center to be hit by Katyusha rockets during this conflict, though, after Madjal-Krum and Tubas Zangarit.
Two elite IDF soldiers were killed on Wednesday during clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon; three more soldiers have been wounded in continued fighting on Thursday.
Some 110 rockets were fired at Israel on Wednesday; IAF aircraft struck six Katyusha rocket launchers in southern Lebanon as well as 20 suspicious cars believed to be carrying Hezbollah operatives and weaponry.
Two suicide bombers were caught this week on their way to attacks in the center of the country.
For the latest news see the Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz and YNet.(www.honestreporting.com)
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
Vietnam floods leave 12 dead or missing Thu Jul 20, 7:08 AM ET
HANOI (AFP) - Twelve people have been killed or missing feared dead after heavy summer rains triggered flash-floods and mudslides that destroyed 400 houses in mountainous northern Vietnam, officials said. Four people died in Bac Kan province and five had been missing since early Tuesday and were feared drowned, said provincial flood control official Ha Kim Oanh, who warned more floods were expected in the coming weeks.Two more people were killed in Vinh Phuc province, and one in Lang Son province bordering China, said an official of the National Flood and Storm Control Committee in the capital Hanoi.
Hundreds of villagers had been evacuated in remote Bac Kan where heavy rains have swollen rivers and cut roads, said an official in Bac Kan town, 125 kilometres (75 miles) north of Hanoi.The national government has warned 16 northern provinces to prepare for more severe storms ahead after weather services predicted higher than usual rainfall in coming months.
Rains lash Kolkata Thu Jul 20, 8:05 AM ET
KOLKATA (AFP) - Heavy rains flooded large parts of Kolkata, disrupting transport, forcing shops and schools to close and leaving some residents stranded, police have said. About 180 milimetres (seven inches) of rain drenched Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state, on Wednesday with more downpours predicted, weather officials said.Traffic was thin, most offices and schools remained closed as overnight rains flooded roads,said Kolkata deputy police commissioner P.K. Chattopadhyay.Train services were disrupted, government buses were not plying and trams services suspended as roads went under the water, he said.People were evacuated from low-lying areas of the city in rubber boats, he said.The city's Salt Lake area, home to many information technology companies, was badly hit and workers were left stranded on road sides after public transport was halted, IT consultant Swapan Mitra said.Schools and colleges were shut along with shops in upmarket business districts.
Ambulances and other services were also stretched forcing people to carry their sick relatives through knee-deep water to hospitals, witnesses said.Many long-distance trains from the eastern city were cancelled as railway tracks were under water, railway officials said, and flights were delayed.Blinding rain forced airport officials to reschedule the arrivals and departures of the flights from the citys domestic and international airport,an official said.A British Airways flight from London to Kolkata was diverted to New Delhi because of bad weather, he said.Rains and floods have claimed at least 12 lives and left more than a million people homeless in West Bengal since the start of the monsoon season this year.
GENESIS 6:13
13 for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Villagers prepare to evacuate from rumbling Philippine volcano Thu Jul 20, 4:04 AM ET
MATANAG, Philippines (AFP) - Villagers on the slopes of Mayon volcano have prepared to evacuate as a series of minor eruptions and cloud of ash indicated it was building up for a major eruption soon, officials said. The cone-shaped 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) volcano southeast of Manila has been spewing lava since last week and all signs indicate it was preparing for a major explosive eruption within days or weeks, volcanologists said.There were secondary explosions. A collapsed portion of the advancing lava caused an ash cloud of several hundred meters, scientist Ed Laguerta told AFP from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology's observatory in Legaspi city near Mayon.
He said alert level three of a five-step alert system remained hoisted over Mayon and nearby towns and villagers, meaning that residents should prepare for eventual evacuation.In the farming town of Matanag, which lies near the six-kilometer radius (four mile) permanent danger zone, residents have packed their things and were awaiting official word to evacuate.We only have one life to live each, it's important to save that,said coconut farmer Romeo Nantes, 55, and a father of three.Nantes however said that he would be tending his farm until a major eruption occurs.Under the shade of a tree, fellow farmer Balasta Balangitan, 37, led his family and friends in planning an escape route as they watched the smouldering lava flow snake down the slopes.
Balangitan said Matanag was among the towns devastated by Mayon's eruption in 2001, when several dozen people were killed. Mayon, about 300 kilometers (176 miles) southeast of Manila, is one of some 22 active volcanoes in the Philippines.It has erupted 47 times in recorded history, including in 1814, when it buried the town of Cagsawa killing an estimated 1,000 residents. Mayon's most recent major eruption was in 2001.
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ACROSS THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
In Russia, linking of Jewish issues with democracy is no longer a given
By Lev Krichevsky,July 19, 2006
MOSCOW, July 19 (JTA) — Vladimir Putin insists that democracy and human rights are internal Russian issues. We proceed from the fact that no one knows better than we do how to strengthen our state, the president of Russia, which hosted the recent G-8
summit, said Saturday at a news conference following talks with President Bush.
We know for sure that we cannot strengthen our state without developing democratic institutions, and this is the path that we will certainly take. But we’re certainly going to do this on our own. Worries have grown during the past year over what many see as Putin’s increasingly authoritarian rule, limiting dissent and cementing his own power. In the Soviet era and even after, this would have been considered a Jewish issue, since issues involving democracy and human rights were seen as inextricably linked to Jewish concerns. But is it still the case in a Russia where Jews have freedom of worship and the freedom to emigrate? Do Russian Jews think attention to Russia’s democratic record is productive for the community, or is it a counterproductive development that could further alienate Russia from the West?
Some observers believe Russian Jews should remain sensitive to human-rights issues simply because they are a minority that could become a target.As in any country, minorities, including Jews, have a worse chance for survival under authoritarian regimes, said Yevgenia Albats, a leading Moscow political journalist. Just because the situation looks fine for Jews now does not mean the regime will always keep it the same. Under authoritarian rule, everything, both good and bad, lies with the autocratic leader. She added, Such a leader often needs an internal enemy, and Jews are among the best candidates to this position.
A leading U.S. advocate for Jews in the region agrees.
History and current events show that Jews live better under democratic rule, said Mark Levin, executive director of NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia. In Russia, the Jewish community has not been targeted by the government, it has been able to develop its cultural, educational and religious institutions, but who’s to say how long this can last if the overall society doesn’t progress. Among the issues of concern to Western leaders is Russia’s treatment of nongovernmental organizations. Early this year, Putin signed into law a highly controversial bill that bans foreign participation in the nonprofit sector,
further isolating Russian society from international democratic trends and institutions.
It is certain that the authorities are trying to limit the influence from abroad played by various non-governmental organizations, although fears that this might somehow affect Jewish organizations have not materialized yet, said Mikhail Chlenov,secretary general of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. Another longtime Jewish activist said a discussion over the state of democracy in Russia could help bring long-standing problems to the surface. Tankred Golenpolsky, founder and publisher of the International Jewish Gazette, Russia’s oldest Jewish weekly, gives an example of the problem. There are three Jewish weeklies in Moscow, and each saw how their subscribers got concerned when they tried to mail the papers without blank envelopes, he said.
After all these years, there is deep-seated fear in Jews here. That means there is a problem that we need to talk about. You can only fight fear by talking about it.
Golenpolsky believes Russia should not be shy about openly discussing issues of democracy and minority rights, both within Russian society and with Moscow’s foreign partners in meetings like the G-8 summit. This is our Russian complex: We think that if others don’t know that we have problems at home, then we don’t have problems, he said. But some leaders contend that any such connection may not be productive now that the Jewish community lives in a much freer country and doesn’t face an immediate threat to its well-being. The Federation of Jewish Communities, Russia’s largest Jewish group and the one with the best relations to the Kremlin, said responsible Jewish groups and leaders should think twice before adding their voices to the chorus of those criticizing the Kremlin. Jewish organizations should have as their main focus the interests of the Jews that live in this country, federation spokesman Boruch Gorin said. Gorin and the federation believes it’s in the community’s interest to deal with issues of human rights in a more cautious manner and to avoid irritating authorities. It would be irresponsible” for Jewish organizations to engage in a discussion on human rights without taking into account the peculiarities of Russian mentality and Russian history, Gorin said. Gorin said that the traditional approach, of local Jews appealing to the West on major issues of concern to the Jewish community, is not smart and ineffective.
Golenpolsky disagreed.
We are a mature country with a great history, but we shouldn’t be playing hide-and-seek with our problems and with our partners, he said.In the meantime, few Jewish activists would disagree that the state could do more to fight the anti-Semitism that continues to plague Russian society, even in the absence of a state-sponsored policy against the Jews. But some Jewish leaders say the issue will not be solved by lecturing Russia on its internal problems. Lecturing Russia is not necessary and not enough, Chlenov said.
Much more here depends not on the West but on Russia’s own society. Either there is the will of society to fight with these evils, or there isn’t. Foreign lessons would hardly help. (JTA Foreign Editor Peter Ephross in New York contributed to this report.)
Iran might nuke Israel on this date, this date has to do with Mohammid going to heaven.So its an important date to Iran and could be a warning that Iran is going to nuke Israel.
Iran says it will deliver response Aug. 22 By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 52 minutes ago
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Thursday it would formally respond on Aug. 22 to a Western package of incentives aimed at resolving the standoff over its suspect nuclear program — the first time the Islamic republic has set a specific date for its reply. The Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body, also threatened that the country would reconsider its nuclear policies if sanctions were imposed by the United Nations.The council did not elaborate, but Iranian officials repeatedly have suggested that Tehran may withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and stop cooperating with U.N. inspectors.The package of incentives requires a logical time to study it ... Aug. 22 has been set for declaring (our) views,the council said in a statement read on state-run television.In case the path of confrontation is chosen instead of the path of dialogue ... and Iran's definite rights are threatened, then there will be no option for Iran but to reconsider its nuclear policies.
The statement came a day after Russia said the U.N. Security Council is in no rush to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, striking a more conciliatory tone than the United States as diplomats began discussing a resolution to put legal muscle behind demands that Tehran suspend uranium enrichment.The United States and some of its allies accuse Iran of seeking to produce highly enriched uranium and plutonium for nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.In Thursday's statement, Iran said it plans to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear energy in the next 20 years.The Western nations on June 6 offered Iran a package of incentives — including advanced technology and possibly even nuclear research reactors — if Tehran suspended enrichment.
But the frustrated powers agreed last week to send Iran back to the U.N. Security Council for possible punishment, saying Tehran had given no sign it would bargain in earnest over its nuclear ambitions.Iran has said the incentives package was an acceptable basis for negotiations.Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad initially said Iran would respond to the package in mid-August, but the republic then pushed back its response to late August. Thursday's statement was the first time a specific date was set.The United States has accused Iran of stalling while it continues to pursue suspect technology, but Tehran accused Washington on Thursday of putting up obstacles.The Iranian council said special committees in key state agencies were still studying the offer by the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany, and it invited the United States and its allies to return to the negotiating table.
It said it was surprising that the United States was creating obstacles for a negotiated settlement while Iran was seriously studying the offer.Iran is not after tension, but if others push things toward tension and create problems, then all will face problems. Iran believes dialogue is the most logical solution. It is serious in this path. We want the other side to return to the negotiating table, the statement said.The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to a negotiated settlement through diplomacy. The United States, by changing the path of talks toward the Security Council, is trying to create obstacles.
A senior Iranian lawmaker said Tuesday the country's parliament was preparing to debate withdrawal from the nonproliferation treaty if the U.N. Security Council adopts a resolution that would force Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment. Withdrawal from the treaty could end all international oversight of Iran's nuclear program. In February, Iran for the first time produced its first batch of low-enriched uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. The process of uranium enrichment can be used to generate electricity or in building a bomb, depending on the level of enrichment.Iran has said it will never give up its right under the treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel, but it has indicated it may temporarily suspend large-scale activities to ease tensions.
US ISRAEL TO GO ANOTHER WEEK
1-Heatwave leads to spate of Forest fires. 2-Indonesia quake again,no Tsunami alert. 3-Quake rocks China 4-Quake jolts Pakistan-Iran border. 5-Washington Quake. 6-Japan plans 30 year weather forcasts. 7-Indonesia seeks answers after 520 dead in Tsunami. 8-US-ISRAEL agree to wait a week before world steps in
Lebanon.
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Heatwave leads to a spate of forest fires
By h.b.,Tue, 18 Jul 2006, 17:05
The heatwave across Spain has led to increased incidents of forest fire and now there are hundreds of hectares burning with six provinces under threat from the flames – Cáceres, Badajoz, Cádiz, Valencia, A Coruña and Pontevedra. In Galicia currently there are as many as ten fronts active, and a previous fire in Conil de la Frontera, believed to have been put out last night, has restarted today possibly deliberately. Once again police have had to evacuate the residents of the Roche urbanisation.In Valencia lightning is being blamed for the starting of a series of small fires.The weather conditions are complicating the fire fighters efforts.Meanwhile water reserves nationally have fallen back under the 50% level down 1.5% over the past seven days to stand at 49.7%
© typicallyspanish.com
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.
No tsunami risk after latest quake off Indonesia: warning centre
1 hour, 1 minute ago
JAKARTA (AFP) - Some residents fled their homes and police raced to warn people of a potential tsunami after a quake rattled Indonesia but a warning centre said it hit too deep to pose a threat. The 6.2-magnitude quake, which hit undersea between Java and Sumatra islands at 5:57 pm (1057 GMT), came just two days after a 7.7-strength temblor triggered a tsunami that lashed the south coast of Java, killing at least 525 people.A geophysicist from the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Gerard Fryer, told AFP that the quake does not seem to have generated a tsunami.Fryer added: Our assessment is that it is no hazard.
Minutes after the quake struck, an official from Indonesia's national seismology centre told Elshinta radio, which is broadcast across much of the country, that it may have caused a tsunami.People are advised to be on alert, he said.Residents in Lebak on the western tip of Java ran out of their homes and mosques in panic, screaming Allahu Akbar! (God is the greatest), an Elshinta reporter said.In Bandar Lampung, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the coast of south Sumatra, policeman Barak Elki told AFP that local security officials had headed for the coast to warn residents of a possible tsunami.It was up to each district head to give the warning,Elki said, adding that he had received a warning himself from the national meteorological agency.The quake was felt in the capital for about one minute, where it caused tall buildings to sway and sparked some evacuations.
The US Geological Survey put its epicentre at 153 kilometres (96 miles) west-southwest of Jakarta, at a depth of 44 kilometres.
Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet causing frequest seismic and volcanic activity, was the nation worst hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami.Some 168,000 people were killed in Aceh province when a 9.3-magnitude quake unleashed massive walls of water that reached 11 Indian Ocean nations, killing a total of 220,000.
Quake rocks northwest China Wed Jul 19, 9:38 AM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale shook a sparsely populated area in northwest China, state media has reported. The epicenter of the tremor, which struck Wednesday afternoon at 5:53 pm (0953 GMT), was in Yushu county in Qinghai province, the Xinhua news agency said, citing the China Seismological Bureau.The same area was hit by a magnitude 5.0 quake on Tuesday, Xinhua said, adding neither event had led to immediate reports of casualties.
Quake jolts Pakistan-Iran border Wed Jul 19, 8:30 AM ET
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - A moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted southwestern Pakistan's border with Iran but there were no reports of casualties or damage.The tremor happened at 4.27 am (2327 GMT Tuesday) and the epicenter was situated around 650 kilometres (400 miles) southwest of Quetta, a seismological department official told AFP Wednesday.The area where the quake struck, near the Arabian Sea coast in Baluchistan province, is very sparsely populated, he said. A massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8 last year killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistani Kashmir and North West Frontier Province and made more than three million people homeless.
Magnitude 3.6 earthquake shakes Mount St. Helens
Tue Jul 18, 7:58 PM
MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. (AP) - A magnitude 3.6 earthquake has shaken Mount St. Helens, one of the largest earthquakes recorded during the ongoing eruption.The U.S. Geological Survey says the 9:56 a.m. quake triggered significant rock falls from the lava dome and crater walls, sending plumes of dust to the rim. Lava has continued to push into the crater - most recently forming a sheer rock fin - since the mountain reawakened with a drumfire of low-level seismic activity in September 2004. The crater was formed by the volcano's deadly May 18, 1980, eruption that killed 57 people and blasted about 400 metres off the then-2,950-metre peak.
The volcano reopens to climbers on Friday. Climbing the volcano has been banned since September 2004. The National Volcanic Monument limits the number of climbers to 100 a day and requires a permit available online through the Mount St. Helens Institute.
DANIEL 12:4
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.
Japan plans 30-year supercomputer forecasts By HANS GREIMEL, Associated Press Writer Tue Jul 18, 9:00 PM ET
TOKYO - Japan is planning ultra long-range 30-year weather forecasts that will predict typhoons, storms, blizzards, droughts and other inclement weather, an official said Tuesday. The project, to start next year, will harness the powers of one of the world's fastest supercomputers and is an offshoot of ongoing research by the country's science ministry to map global warming trends for the next 300 years.Using the Earth Simulator supercomputer, housed in a hangar-sized building in Yokohama, just south of Tokyo, Japan's science ministry hopes to calculate long-term patterns in the interaction of atmospheric pressure, air temperatures, ocean currents and sea temperatures, said Tomonori Otake, an official with the ministry's earth environment bureau.
The results will help establish predictable routes for typhoons and identify areas that are recurring targets for heavy rains, abundant snow, high waves, heavy winds, scorching heat or crop-threatening droughts.Now we can see what areas are at risk and start thinking about what kind of countermeasures to take, Otake said.Early warning could enable the government to allocate money and resources to potential disaster areas before disaster strikes.The ministry is now outlining the parameters of the project and will accept bids from researchers with an eye toward starting the program by next spring. A budget is not yet set, but it could cost in the area of $26 million a year.The Earth Simulator, introduced in 2002, was the world's fastest supercomputer until 2004, when IBM's Blue Gene took the title. But the $350 million computer still performs 35.6 trillion calculations a second, more computations than there are stars in our galaxy.
The machine tracks global sea temperatures, rainfall and crustal movement to predict natural disasters over the next centuries. As part of the project, Japan eyes forecasts for the entire planet for areas as small as 1.9 square miles.But don't plan on locking in sunny weather for that planned family picnic in July 2036. These forecasts are only general trends.Just like the daily forecast, we can't give a percentage for how accurate they are, Otake said.
LUKE 2125-26
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
Indonesia seeks answers after tsunami kills 520 By Ed Davies
1 hour, 45 minutes ago
PANGANDARAN, Indonesia (Reuters) - Thousands awoke from a second night on mosque floors or under makeshift shelters on Indonesia's Java island on Tuesday as authorities grappled with the aftermath of a tsunami that killed at least 520 people. As efforts continued to find 235 people still missing, the media questioned why there was no warning ahead of Monday's killer waves despite regional efforts to set up early alert systems after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.The Jakarta Post said in an editorial that the country's National Disaster Management Coordination Board had done nothing of note to increase people's preparedness for disasters.Preparedness also covers efforts to build effective early warning systems based on sophisticated information and communication technologies, the daily said.Heavy equipment to search for bodies under the rubble was in place on Wednesday along parts of the 160-km (100-mile) stretch of south Java's coastline that was battered by waves after a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake.Officials said there were four dead foreigners, including a Dutch national, a Swede, a Japanese and a Belgian.
More than 54,000 people were displaced from wrecked fishing villages and beach resorts, adding to the rehabilitation headache for the authorities after an earthquake that killed more than 5,700 people in central Java less than two months earlier.Aid trucks started to arrive for the thousands who lost their homes or who, fearing further tsunamis, fled to hills above the coast.Many found refuge under plastic-sheeting shelters while thousands camped out in mosques at the resort of Pangandaran and nearby Cilacap port, which were among the hardest-hit spots.Soft-drink and snack seller Mukasih, 25, said the tsunami destroyed both her kiosk and her home.Suddenly the waves came in and knocked me over. I tried to swim but I couldn't, she told Reuters.Mukasih suffered cuts and lacerations as the waves flung her and one of her children against a wall. She later found her husband and other child sheltering in a mosque.
Asked what her plans were, she said: I don't know. I'm still thinking, but I don't want a shop on the beach again.No tsunami warning system was set up for the southern coast of Java after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left 230,000 killed or missing, including 170,000 in Indonesia.Some officials considered the area, which lies some 270 km (170 miles) southeast of Jakarta, less likely to be hit by a tsunami than others in Indonesia.It turned out that our prediction was wrong, the Jakarta Post quoted Surono, a senior official of the country's earthquake agency, as saying. "Now, we believe that there are no tsunami-free areas along the southern coast of Java.Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters the government would build an early warning system in Java and other areas in Indonesia in three years.Indonesia's 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the "Pacific Ring of Fire.
US, Israel agree to wait before world steps in Lebanon Wed Jul 19, 6:00 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Israel have initially agreed to wait one week, while the pounding of Hezbollah targets continues, before seeking a buffer zone and an international force in southern Lebanon, a US daily has said. However Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora criticized the poor international response to Israel's bombings in an interview with the New York Times, and accused Israel of trying to destroy his country and its people.US and American officials told the daily that the Israeli-US consensus called for another week of pounding Hezbollah targets to downgrade the militant's group's military capabilities.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would then travel to the region, the officials added, to try to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and possibly also an international force to monitor the country's borders and Hezbollah's actions.A 19-kilometer (12-mile) buffer zone was being considered to keep Hezbollah at arms' reach from Israel, the officials said.Israel, they added, had dropped its demand that Hezbollah disarm completely before a ceasefire begins.Washington and its Arab allies, US officials said, were discussing how to strengthen Lebanon's borders, while Israel has signaled it would welcome an international force as long as it included troops from major powers and prevented Hezbollah from supplementing its arsenal.
A senior US official, who like the other sources asked not to be identified, said not everybody was happy with the US position, saying we're very careful how we talk about it.He also said the United States was telling Israel there was a limit to the time it would be allowed to continue its present course of action.We are not going to be wagering with the lives of innocent people here, said the US official.Meanwhile, Siniora said the international community was not doing all that it can to stop Israel continuing its aggression against Lebanon,adding that Israel was taking that lack of pressure as a green light.
According to the New York Times, Siniora stopped short of condemning Hezbollah for drawing Israeli fire on Lebanon and accused Israel of committing massacres against Lebanese civilians and working to destroy everything that allows Lebanon to stay alive.He said he was in favor of the release of the two Israeli soldiers seized by Hezbollah in a raid that triggered the current crisis, but that Israel should also withdraw from the disputed Shebaa Farms area of the border.The premier also said all Lebanese jailed in Israel should be released and that Israel should return to the terms of the 1949 armistice between the two countries.Siniora said that if all those conditions were met, the Lebanese Army would move into southern Lebanon.He also backed the deployment of a stronger international force in the area, but only after all the issues were put on the table.
Lebanon.
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Heatwave leads to a spate of forest fires
By h.b.,Tue, 18 Jul 2006, 17:05
The heatwave across Spain has led to increased incidents of forest fire and now there are hundreds of hectares burning with six provinces under threat from the flames – Cáceres, Badajoz, Cádiz, Valencia, A Coruña and Pontevedra. In Galicia currently there are as many as ten fronts active, and a previous fire in Conil de la Frontera, believed to have been put out last night, has restarted today possibly deliberately. Once again police have had to evacuate the residents of the Roche urbanisation.In Valencia lightning is being blamed for the starting of a series of small fires.The weather conditions are complicating the fire fighters efforts.Meanwhile water reserves nationally have fallen back under the 50% level down 1.5% over the past seven days to stand at 49.7%
© typicallyspanish.com
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.
No tsunami risk after latest quake off Indonesia: warning centre
1 hour, 1 minute ago
JAKARTA (AFP) - Some residents fled their homes and police raced to warn people of a potential tsunami after a quake rattled Indonesia but a warning centre said it hit too deep to pose a threat. The 6.2-magnitude quake, which hit undersea between Java and Sumatra islands at 5:57 pm (1057 GMT), came just two days after a 7.7-strength temblor triggered a tsunami that lashed the south coast of Java, killing at least 525 people.A geophysicist from the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Gerard Fryer, told AFP that the quake does not seem to have generated a tsunami.Fryer added: Our assessment is that it is no hazard.
Minutes after the quake struck, an official from Indonesia's national seismology centre told Elshinta radio, which is broadcast across much of the country, that it may have caused a tsunami.People are advised to be on alert, he said.Residents in Lebak on the western tip of Java ran out of their homes and mosques in panic, screaming Allahu Akbar! (God is the greatest), an Elshinta reporter said.In Bandar Lampung, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the coast of south Sumatra, policeman Barak Elki told AFP that local security officials had headed for the coast to warn residents of a possible tsunami.It was up to each district head to give the warning,Elki said, adding that he had received a warning himself from the national meteorological agency.The quake was felt in the capital for about one minute, where it caused tall buildings to sway and sparked some evacuations.
The US Geological Survey put its epicentre at 153 kilometres (96 miles) west-southwest of Jakarta, at a depth of 44 kilometres.
Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet causing frequest seismic and volcanic activity, was the nation worst hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami.Some 168,000 people were killed in Aceh province when a 9.3-magnitude quake unleashed massive walls of water that reached 11 Indian Ocean nations, killing a total of 220,000.
Quake rocks northwest China Wed Jul 19, 9:38 AM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale shook a sparsely populated area in northwest China, state media has reported. The epicenter of the tremor, which struck Wednesday afternoon at 5:53 pm (0953 GMT), was in Yushu county in Qinghai province, the Xinhua news agency said, citing the China Seismological Bureau.The same area was hit by a magnitude 5.0 quake on Tuesday, Xinhua said, adding neither event had led to immediate reports of casualties.
Quake jolts Pakistan-Iran border Wed Jul 19, 8:30 AM ET
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - A moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted southwestern Pakistan's border with Iran but there were no reports of casualties or damage.The tremor happened at 4.27 am (2327 GMT Tuesday) and the epicenter was situated around 650 kilometres (400 miles) southwest of Quetta, a seismological department official told AFP Wednesday.The area where the quake struck, near the Arabian Sea coast in Baluchistan province, is very sparsely populated, he said. A massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8 last year killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistani Kashmir and North West Frontier Province and made more than three million people homeless.
Magnitude 3.6 earthquake shakes Mount St. Helens
Tue Jul 18, 7:58 PM
MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. (AP) - A magnitude 3.6 earthquake has shaken Mount St. Helens, one of the largest earthquakes recorded during the ongoing eruption.The U.S. Geological Survey says the 9:56 a.m. quake triggered significant rock falls from the lava dome and crater walls, sending plumes of dust to the rim. Lava has continued to push into the crater - most recently forming a sheer rock fin - since the mountain reawakened with a drumfire of low-level seismic activity in September 2004. The crater was formed by the volcano's deadly May 18, 1980, eruption that killed 57 people and blasted about 400 metres off the then-2,950-metre peak.
The volcano reopens to climbers on Friday. Climbing the volcano has been banned since September 2004. The National Volcanic Monument limits the number of climbers to 100 a day and requires a permit available online through the Mount St. Helens Institute.
DANIEL 12:4
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.
Japan plans 30-year supercomputer forecasts By HANS GREIMEL, Associated Press Writer Tue Jul 18, 9:00 PM ET
TOKYO - Japan is planning ultra long-range 30-year weather forecasts that will predict typhoons, storms, blizzards, droughts and other inclement weather, an official said Tuesday. The project, to start next year, will harness the powers of one of the world's fastest supercomputers and is an offshoot of ongoing research by the country's science ministry to map global warming trends for the next 300 years.Using the Earth Simulator supercomputer, housed in a hangar-sized building in Yokohama, just south of Tokyo, Japan's science ministry hopes to calculate long-term patterns in the interaction of atmospheric pressure, air temperatures, ocean currents and sea temperatures, said Tomonori Otake, an official with the ministry's earth environment bureau.
The results will help establish predictable routes for typhoons and identify areas that are recurring targets for heavy rains, abundant snow, high waves, heavy winds, scorching heat or crop-threatening droughts.Now we can see what areas are at risk and start thinking about what kind of countermeasures to take, Otake said.Early warning could enable the government to allocate money and resources to potential disaster areas before disaster strikes.The ministry is now outlining the parameters of the project and will accept bids from researchers with an eye toward starting the program by next spring. A budget is not yet set, but it could cost in the area of $26 million a year.The Earth Simulator, introduced in 2002, was the world's fastest supercomputer until 2004, when IBM's Blue Gene took the title. But the $350 million computer still performs 35.6 trillion calculations a second, more computations than there are stars in our galaxy.
The machine tracks global sea temperatures, rainfall and crustal movement to predict natural disasters over the next centuries. As part of the project, Japan eyes forecasts for the entire planet for areas as small as 1.9 square miles.But don't plan on locking in sunny weather for that planned family picnic in July 2036. These forecasts are only general trends.Just like the daily forecast, we can't give a percentage for how accurate they are, Otake said.
LUKE 2125-26
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
Indonesia seeks answers after tsunami kills 520 By Ed Davies
1 hour, 45 minutes ago
PANGANDARAN, Indonesia (Reuters) - Thousands awoke from a second night on mosque floors or under makeshift shelters on Indonesia's Java island on Tuesday as authorities grappled with the aftermath of a tsunami that killed at least 520 people. As efforts continued to find 235 people still missing, the media questioned why there was no warning ahead of Monday's killer waves despite regional efforts to set up early alert systems after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.The Jakarta Post said in an editorial that the country's National Disaster Management Coordination Board had done nothing of note to increase people's preparedness for disasters.Preparedness also covers efforts to build effective early warning systems based on sophisticated information and communication technologies, the daily said.Heavy equipment to search for bodies under the rubble was in place on Wednesday along parts of the 160-km (100-mile) stretch of south Java's coastline that was battered by waves after a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake.Officials said there were four dead foreigners, including a Dutch national, a Swede, a Japanese and a Belgian.
More than 54,000 people were displaced from wrecked fishing villages and beach resorts, adding to the rehabilitation headache for the authorities after an earthquake that killed more than 5,700 people in central Java less than two months earlier.Aid trucks started to arrive for the thousands who lost their homes or who, fearing further tsunamis, fled to hills above the coast.Many found refuge under plastic-sheeting shelters while thousands camped out in mosques at the resort of Pangandaran and nearby Cilacap port, which were among the hardest-hit spots.Soft-drink and snack seller Mukasih, 25, said the tsunami destroyed both her kiosk and her home.Suddenly the waves came in and knocked me over. I tried to swim but I couldn't, she told Reuters.Mukasih suffered cuts and lacerations as the waves flung her and one of her children against a wall. She later found her husband and other child sheltering in a mosque.
Asked what her plans were, she said: I don't know. I'm still thinking, but I don't want a shop on the beach again.No tsunami warning system was set up for the southern coast of Java after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left 230,000 killed or missing, including 170,000 in Indonesia.Some officials considered the area, which lies some 270 km (170 miles) southeast of Jakarta, less likely to be hit by a tsunami than others in Indonesia.It turned out that our prediction was wrong, the Jakarta Post quoted Surono, a senior official of the country's earthquake agency, as saying. "Now, we believe that there are no tsunami-free areas along the southern coast of Java.Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters the government would build an early warning system in Java and other areas in Indonesia in three years.Indonesia's 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the "Pacific Ring of Fire.
US, Israel agree to wait before world steps in Lebanon Wed Jul 19, 6:00 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Israel have initially agreed to wait one week, while the pounding of Hezbollah targets continues, before seeking a buffer zone and an international force in southern Lebanon, a US daily has said. However Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora criticized the poor international response to Israel's bombings in an interview with the New York Times, and accused Israel of trying to destroy his country and its people.US and American officials told the daily that the Israeli-US consensus called for another week of pounding Hezbollah targets to downgrade the militant's group's military capabilities.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would then travel to the region, the officials added, to try to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and possibly also an international force to monitor the country's borders and Hezbollah's actions.A 19-kilometer (12-mile) buffer zone was being considered to keep Hezbollah at arms' reach from Israel, the officials said.Israel, they added, had dropped its demand that Hezbollah disarm completely before a ceasefire begins.Washington and its Arab allies, US officials said, were discussing how to strengthen Lebanon's borders, while Israel has signaled it would welcome an international force as long as it included troops from major powers and prevented Hezbollah from supplementing its arsenal.
A senior US official, who like the other sources asked not to be identified, said not everybody was happy with the US position, saying we're very careful how we talk about it.He also said the United States was telling Israel there was a limit to the time it would be allowed to continue its present course of action.We are not going to be wagering with the lives of innocent people here, said the US official.Meanwhile, Siniora said the international community was not doing all that it can to stop Israel continuing its aggression against Lebanon,adding that Israel was taking that lack of pressure as a green light.
According to the New York Times, Siniora stopped short of condemning Hezbollah for drawing Israeli fire on Lebanon and accused Israel of committing massacres against Lebanese civilians and working to destroy everything that allows Lebanon to stay alive.He said he was in favor of the release of the two Israeli soldiers seized by Hezbollah in a raid that triggered the current crisis, but that Israel should also withdraw from the disputed Shebaa Farms area of the border.The premier also said all Lebanese jailed in Israel should be released and that Israel should return to the terms of the 1949 armistice between the two countries.Siniora said that if all those conditions were met, the Lebanese Army would move into southern Lebanon.He also backed the deployment of a stronger international force in the area, but only after all the issues were put on the table.
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