RUSSIA -IRAN - SYRIA WEAPONS DEAL

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Magnitude 6 quake off eastern Japan, no damage. 3-La Nina may form in Pacific by May as El Nino disappears. 4-Australia's west braces for tropical storm. 5-Northeast cold snap; Southwest hot spell. 6-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 7-RUSSIA SIGNS MAJOR ARMS DEALS WITH IRAN, SYRIA. 8-Jordan's king exhorts U.S. to take lead in Mideast peace process.

EARTHQUAKES

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

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Fri Mar 9 12:00 AM EDT

MAR 08,07
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 5.6 EAST OF THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 6.1 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.7 TONGA
MAP 5.2 MOLUCCA SEA

MAR 07,07
MAP 5.3 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 5.1 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 NEVADA
MAP 2.7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 5.9 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.0 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

Magnitude 6 quake off eastern Japan, no damage Thu Mar 8, 2:09 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - A magnitude 6 earthquake was registered southeast of Japan's eastern coast, the Meteorological Agency said on Thursday. The focus of the tremor was 140 km (87 miles) below the surface of the earth near Torishima, an uninhabited island 600 km south of Tokyo, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and no tsunami warning was issued.The earthquake measured up to two on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion. A quake with that reading could be felt by some people.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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

La Nina may form in Pacific by May as El Nino disappears Thu Mar 8, 10:18 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The La Nina weather anomaly may form in the equatorial Pacific in the next two to three months, possibly increasing the risks for more hurricanes later this year in the Atlantic.

A transition to La Nina conditions is possible during the next two to three months, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in its monthly update on Thursday.It also said the El Nino weather pattern, whose wind shear ripped apart and reduced the amount of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean in 2006, has disappeared.Typically, El Nino causes rampant flooding in Peru and Ecuador while causing searing drought in Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines among other countries.

La Nina usually has the opposite effect, and U.S. government forecasters have warned it may cause a higher-than-normal number of hurricanes.For instance, with El Nino running at full bore last year, only nine named storms formed in the Atlantic. That was much lower than the record 28 storms in 2005 that included monster storms like Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma which ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.The prediction center said warm sea surface temperatures that accompanied the last El Nino fell rapidly last December and January.These trends in surface and subsurface ocean temperatures indicate that the warm (El Nino) episode has ended and that conditions are becoming favorable for La Nina to develop, it said.Some of the computer forecast models indicate a rapid transition to La Nina conditions during March-May 2007, the center added.

The more famous El Nino is an anomaly that results in an abnormal warming of waters in the equatorial Pacific, wreaking havoc in weather patterns from Latin America to Asia.Literally, it means little boy in Spanish and was called El Nino by Latin American anchovy fishermen in the 19th century who first noticed it usually peaked during the Christmas season.The last La Nina occurred from 1998 to 2001, leading to drought across much of the western United States.

Australia's west braces for tropical storm Thu Mar 8, 1:53 AM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Communities on Australia's north west coast prepared for a severe tropical cyclone expected to hit the region early on Friday, with mines and oil production shut down and emergency services placed on alert. Cyclone George was expected to hit the remote coast between Port Hedland and Karratha early on Friday, bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 235 km per hour (146 miles per hour).A second storm, tropical cyclone Jacob, was also heading toward Western Australia, but was still far off the coast and was 240 km south of the Australian territory of Christmas Island.Mining company BHP Billiton Ltd./Plc. said it had closed its iron ore port operations in Western Australia's Port Hedland as George was expected to intensify from category three to a category four cyclone within hours, just one step short of the maximum level five.

People have been sent home to look after their own properties, a company spokeswoman said.Much of the offshore oil production in the area was also suspended as a precaution, affecting about half of Australia's daily oil output.The storm was moving slowly south toward the coast, in an area known as Cyclone Alley, at 16 km (10 miles) per hour and the Bureau of Meteorology expected it to cross the coast around 6 a.m. on Friday (2200 Thursday GMT).Emergency services issued a yellow alert -- the second highest -- for the area between Broome and Dampier, warning of destructive winds and advising people to shelter in the strongest parts of their homes.Ships in the area's iron ore ports were heading to the safety of deeper water to ride out the cyclone and await the possible arrival of category two Jacob.

The storm threat revived memories of Cyclone Glenda, a destructive category four storm, which forced oil and gas fields to shut down and thousands of people to take shelter when it hit the region last March.Destructive storms also caused havoc along Western Australia's southern coast and goldfields in January, bringing flooding and strong winds.The weather bureau said George also threatened to bring extensive flooding and dangerous storm tides as it crossed the coast, after which its power was expected to weaken quickly.Cyclones are a regular feature of the Australian summer in the tropical north and the season still has another month to run. The most deadly on record was Cyclone Tracy, which killed 65 people in the northern city of Darwin in 1974.

Northeast cold snap; Southwest hot spell Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Thu Mar 8, 12:38 PM ET

Northeast

A cold front will move across the New England states today, bringing a chance of snow showers from Buffalo north through Burlington. Much colder temperatures will also move into these areas, with afternoon highs only in the single digits and teens. Ahead of the cold front from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, north through New York, breezy winds of 15 to 25 mph will develop, with afternoon highs generally in the 30s. Gusty winds will also develop across northern New England, resulting in decreasing wind chills through the day today, into tonight. Dangerous wind chills of 20 to 30 below will be possible. Overnight, high pressure will build across the area resulting in very cold temperatures. Friday morning low temperatures will range from 10 to 20 below across northern New England to the teens and single digits elsewhere. Several record low temperatures will be possible Friday morning, from New York City north through Boston and Burlington. Into the weekend, high pressure will move offshore resulting in a shift of winds to a more southwesterly direction. This will bring milder air across the area, along with an increasing chance of precipitation.

South

High pressure will continue to dominate much of the South today, resulting in mostly sunny skies. Areas from Atlanta and New Orleans, west through Dallas and Houston will see afternoon high temperatures in the 70s today, with lower 80s across Florida, from Orlando to Miami. A developing weather system over the central Plains will bring a chance of a few showers and isolated thunderstorms to the southern Plains from Tulsa to Oklahoma City on Friday. A few showers may also develop along the Southeast and Florida eastern coasts, as an onshore flow develops there. By Saturday, the weather system over the southern Plains will spread showers and a few thunderstorms into the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. The warm temperatures, along with a chance of showers and thunderstorms, will spread across much of the South through the weekend.

West

A series of weather disturbances will continue to impact parts of the Pacific Northwest into this weekend. Today will feature a general break in the stormy pattern but a persistent onshore flow will keep the scattered showers from Seattle to Portland. With this continued wet weather, temperatures will be held down a bit this afternoon, with highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s. Meanwhile, a weather disturbance will track across the central Rockies spreading a few rain and snow showers between Salt Lake City and Denver, while the Southwest remains warm and dry with afternoon highs in the 70s and 80s from Los Angeles to Phoenix. Friday and Saturday, the next in a series of disturbances will bring steady rain back into the Pacific Northwest, some of which could be heavy at times. Higher elevation snow will also be on the increase. With the potential for more rain, some heavy, through the weekend, parts of the Pacific Northwest may develop flooding concerns. Across the Southwest, heat will begin to build with the potential for record highs over parts of southern California and southern Arizona into the weekend.

Midwest

High pressure will dominate much of the central Plains, Upper Midwest, and Midwest today, resulting in mainly dry and sunny conditions. A few scattered snow showers may occur over the far northern Great Lakes, but these will not amount to much. A shift toward milder air will kick in across the area today, as more of a southerly flow develops. Afternoon highs will range from the 30s across Fargo, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland, to the 50s from Omaha and Kansas City, to St. Louis and Louisville. A developing weather system will move into the central Plains on Friday, bringing a few scattered showers from Kansas City and Omaha, through St. Louis and Chicago. By Saturday, this system will move across the Midwest, affecting the Ohio Valley with a few showers from Cleveland to Louisville. Meanwhile, milder temperatures will continue build across the area into the weekend.

This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
March 8, 2007

Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

I've spoken before about the disturbing phenomenon of Christians who have stood against Israel by supporting divestment from the Jewish state, harshly criticizing Israel's efforts to defend herself, and portraying terrorists as innocent victims of Israeli aggression. Most of these are in leadership positions in the mainline denominations—the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, and others—that used to make up the religious establishment in this country, but have for many years been waning in membership and influence.Once again we've seen evidence of the moral confusion and dangerous political naiveté of some of these church leaders. Late last month, a delegation from the National Council of Churches (NCC), an umbrella organization of mainline and orthodox denominations, went to Iran to meet with its Israel-hating president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and members of the country's ruling religious authority.Ahmadinejad's outrageous statements against Israel have been well publicized. He has threatened to wipe Israel off the map, promised the annihilation of the Jewish State, and denied the Holocaust ever occurred. He repeatedly launches vicious verbal attacks on the U.S., and is actively pursuing nuclear weapons in defiance of the international community.

None of this seems to faze the NCC. While acknowledging that the Iranian president's views on Israel undercut attempts to build relationships, a spokesperson concluded that the meeting provided three encouraging items: a clear declaration that Iran does not intend to acquire nuclear weapons; a statement that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved militarily, and…a willingness to talk with US government officials. Despite all the hard evidence to the contrary, the NCC took Ahmadinejad at his word when he said he is a man of peace! But the NCC reserved their greatest praise for the Ayatollahs, Iran's ruling religious authorities, whom they describe as learned and wise men who enjoy significant public support, legitimacy and authority. These learned and wise men, of course, are known as sponsors of worldwide terrorism and brutal oppressors of the Iranian people. But to the NCC they are colleagues with whom we could engage in the task of finding common ground.By portraying the hateful Iranian regime in a positive light, the NCC is bringing shame upon itself and granting to tyrants an air of legitimacy they do not deserve. It is, in effect, saying to the world that all Iran's threats need not be taken seriously, and is undermining international efforts to get Iran to stop its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Anyone who supports Israel—in fact, anyone who cares about liberty and democracy—should be outraged by these actions.It can indeed be discouraging to hear about groups like the NCC who seem committed to spreading distorted views of Israel and to reversing the great progress that has been made in Jewish-Christian relations over the past decades. And yet, it is at times like this that I am especially heartened to know that there are millions of Christians who do not share these views—who are true friends of Israel, committed to supporting the Jewish people and helping Israel in its ongoing struggle for peace and security.The psalmist said, How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity (Psalm 133:1). Today, my friend, I thank you with all my heart for expressing your unity with the Jewish people through your support of The Fellowship's programs, for standing with Israel through all her trials, and for your continued prayers for the peace of Jerusalem.

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

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

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

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

RUSSIA SIGNS MAJOR ARMS DEALS WITH IRAN, SYRIA MAR 08,07

MOSCOW [MENL] -- The regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to keep secret its arms deals with Iran and Syria.Russia's leading business daily Kommersant asserted that a reporter who had been investigating Moscow's defense exports to Iran and Syria was killed. Kommersant said the reporter, former Col. Ivan Safronov, who fell from his apartment window to his death, disclosed the Russian sale of advanced Su-30 fighter-jets to Syria and S-300PMU-1 anti-aircraft systems to Iran.From what we know already it is clear it was not suicide, Russian SJR journalist union secretary -general Igor Yakovenko said. The chances that it was a murder linked to the exercise of his profession are very high.On March 5, the Russian prosecutor's office launched an investigation into Safronov's death on March 2. In a statement, the office termed the probable cause of death incitement to suicide. An autopsy did not find any drugs or alcohol in Safronov, scheduled to be buried on Wednesday.

Jordan's king exhorts U.S. to take lead in Mideast peace process MAR 8,07

CAPITOL HILL Jordan's King Abdullah says the U-S must quickly take the lead in creating conditions for a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking to a joint meeting of Congress, Abdullah said he looked to the U-S to play a historic role, adding that results are needed this year, and not in one year or five years. The king told Congress he wanted "no more bloodshed, no more lives pointlessly taken.He said history has shown the progress in Mideast peace is impossible without American leadership.Abdullah delivered the half-hour speech in flawless English, with an occasional aside in Arabic. He was interrupted a number of times by applause.