WORLD RIVERS IN CRISIS

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Spring starts stormy in Ozarks, West Coast. 3-Netanyahu Issues Call to World From Jerusalem Conference. 4-Jews Welcome Nissan, Hebrew Month of Redemption. 5-New Palestinian government sparks flurry of diplomacy. 6-Panama police seize 21 tons of cocaine. 7-Olmert government might collapse in Israel this year, group says. 8-Today In Jewish History 1 Nisan. 9-EU celebrates its 50th birthday - with a row about religion. 10-Rivers run towards crisis point.

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 = Wed Mar 21 12:00 AM EDT

MAR 20,07
MAP 4.2 CHIAPAS, MEXICO
MAP 3.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 4.4 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.5 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

MAR 19,07
MAP 4.4 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON

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.

Spring starts stormy in Ozarks, West Coast Mark Avery, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Tue Mar 20, 4:29 AM ET

Midwest

Showers and thunderstorms will be numerous across the Midwest today, particularly over the Ozarks in southern Missouri eastward to the Ohio Valley, as well as from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes. Showers and thunderstorms will again be likely across much of the Midwest on Wednesday, with rain and thunderstorms continuing over the Central Plains, Mid-Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio Valley all the way through Saturday. By Sunday, rain will be most likely in the Plains and Mississippi Valley. Afternoon highs today will be below average near the Great Lakes and above average in the Plains, with above average highs beginning Wednesday and continuing through the weekend.

South

Portions of the South will also see a chance of showers and thunderstorms today, mainly from Oklahoma through northern Arkansas into Tennessee. Some areas could see heavy rain as well. Flood watches are posted for portions of northeastern Oklahoma through this evening. Showers and thunderstorms begin to increase in coverage over West Texas tomorrow and spread across the remainder of the Lone Star State through the weekend. Some areas of Texas could see heavy rains as well from these rounds of rain. Along the Southeast Coast, showers will be possible across the Florida Peninsula today, and across South Florida through the weekend. A few showers will also be possible in the coastal Carolinas today and Wednesday. Rip currents may also pose a hazard to beachgoers from the Carolinas south to the East Coast of Florida over the next few days. By Sunday, showers will spread slightly eastward to the Mississippi Delta. Temperatures region-wide should be near or above seasonal averages through the weekend.

West

The string of unseasonably warm weather is coming to an end in the West.

Rain has moved into the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, and will spread inland to western Montana and western Wyoming, and southward into Central California by tonight. Snow will be possible in the mountains with snow levels ranging from around 2000 feet in the Olympic Mountains, falling from 2500 feet today to 1500 tonight in the Cascades, falling from 3500 feet today to 3000 feet tonight in the mountains of Northern California, and snow levels will be between 5000 and 5500 feet today and tonight in the Sierra Nevada Range, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the Bitterroots. Moisture will spread into the Central Rockies on Wednesday, with rain and thunderstorms possible over the Desert Southwest on Thursday and Friday as an upper level low cuts off from the main circulation over North America. Rain (with mountain snow) will still be possible on Saturday in the Four Corners before clearing out by Sunday. The Pacific Northwest will continue to see a chance of showers through Saturday before drying out on Sunday. Afternoon highs finally begin to cool off today, with below average highs expected along the West Coast with above average highs in the Intermountain West. Below average highs are expected in the entire West, except the Rockies' Front Range, on Wednesday. Temperatures rebound in all but the Four Corners from Thursday through Saturday, with the entire region returning to above average highs on Sunday.

Northeast

The Northeast will experience a windy day today as the Alberta clipper that brought rain and snow to the region yesterday continues to pull away. A few snow showers are possible this morning in the interior Northeast, with the heaviest snows possible over Maine; even there, snow is expected to be light with accumulations generally an inch or less. A few showers move into western Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Showers become more numerous on Thursday with a wintry mix possible over Northern New England. Heavier rains will be possible in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.

Showers will continue over the Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday, with some light snow possible in northern Maine on Sunday. Afternoon highs will remain below average in the Northeast today and tomorrow before going above average Thursday through the weekend.

Netanyahu Issues Call to World From Jerusalem Conference
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAR 20,07

Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking at the 4th Annual Jerusalem Conference Monday morning, repeated his call for the world to prove that now is not like the 1930s and that the world knows how to respond this time. Historic tragedies occur when leaders do not foresee dangers - and the opposite is true: Great things happened when leaders foresaw and took advantage of opportunities, the former Prime Minister and present head of the Knesset opposition said.

Today we have both. The great threat of the spread of militant Islam around the world, and the opportunity of globalization, which can bring a great blessing to mankind and especially to small countries like us - if we are smart enough to take advantage of this opportunity.First, the dangers: For years, I have been warning about the dangers of Islam. Ten years ago, after I was elected PM and I went to speak before both houses of Congress. I recently looked up my speech and I saw that I said the same things - the dangers of Iran arming with nuclear power and its becoming a menace to humanity. I can't say I was successful in convincing many people: I tried to convince Clinton and Yeltsin and the President of China, but they just didn't see the dangers.

A few months ago, I said that it is now 1938 and Iran is Germany. I was told that things are different now, and that the world now has a different approach. So I say: Great, if it's different, let's see how it's different! The difference is not that then it was a race superiority issue and now it's a religious superiority issue - that's not the point. The only difference is that Hitler first tried to conquer the world and only afterwards was going to try for atomic power, while now, Ahmadinajad is trying first for nuclear power and only then will he try to conquer the world! That's the whole difference! This is a tidal wave that threatens to engulf first Israel, and then the rest of the world. They are talking openly about a new Reich - except that they call it a Khalifate; that's what they want to establish in the world.

But for this to happen, they need a cataclysmic event to bring it on - and they are working on that. The question is what have we learned from 1939? If, as everyone says, we didn't act in time to stop Hitler - so let's see if they act in time now! The way to do this is first by exerting economic pressure on Iran, to which it is very vulnerable. They have 20% unemployment, and we can take advantage of this in order to cause a destabilization of the government. Of course, we must also enact sanctions against the 400 companies that do business with Iran, among them some very big ones such as the French oil company Total. We need a world coalition against genocide! This is what I tell the world: If we're not in the 30s now, then let's prove it! Sanctions against Iran are a good idea for a few months or a year - let's see if they work - but not longer than that! Iran must not be allowed to obtain
nuclear power!

There is a simple principle that governs negotiations with our neighbors, as we have learned ever since 1993 [the signing of the Oslo Accords ]. We thought that we had to demand Arab acceptance and an erasure of their desire to destroy us. Yet then came the actual talks, and we found ourselves making concessions - including some very painful ones - and all without receiving our basic demand of an erasure of their intention to destroy us.

They have not abandoned this plan! So what we have learned is that this cannot be part of the negotiations; it must be made clear that this cannot be negotiated - whether in the form of our very existence, or in the form of a demand for the right of return and the deluge of millions of Arabs, which can destroy us in the same way! If they don't understand that at the outset, they cannot be our partners for negotiations! It's very nice that our government is happy that the Mecca Agreement doesn't demand the right of return right now at - what time is it? 11:05? - right now. But what about a bit later on?

Reduce Socialism in Israel

I also mentioned that this is a time for great opportunities. The fact is that in the coming decades, we are going to need to defend ourselves - we are a small country - in many ways, on land, air, and by sea. Where will all the money for this come from? No one is going to give it to us. It can come, however, from our own ingenuity, with which we are blessed in abundance. The decades-long argument over whether socialism-communism or capitalism is better has been decided - communism has been shown to be a total failure. It had great education, but people lived in abject poverty, and the societal gaps grew larger and larger as the ruling classes took all the wealth for themselves. The walls finally fell, and here, too, they will fall. We are coming around to realize this. Why is it that countries that were way behind us economically are now ahead of us - countries such as Spain, Ireland, and Singapore? Because they did three things: they reduced the public sector, and expanded the private sector - cutting taxes which then brought to more production and more taxes -and allowed competition. We have to do the same. We can't have one phone company, or to sell it off to one owner who will continue to run it as a monopoly, but rather have competition. There was fear that Bezeq would lose jobs, but in the end, many thousand more jobs were created in the competing companies, and those who lost jobs with Bezeq received jobs there as well! At the same time, this gives us many more markets, and more competition for jobs, thus raising wages - and then we have from where to give elderly benefits, and school lunches, and the like. We added 270,000 more jobs - that's not social welfare? We gave 150,000 school lunches - that's not social welfare?

Netanyahu ended his address on a resounding optimistic note: In short, with G-d's help, and with the help of our realization that we are struggling for an ancient cause of the renewal of the Jewish People on our land in our renewed country, we will prevail.The Jerusalem Conference, run by Arutz-7's weekly B'Sheva newspaper, began Monday morning and will continue until Wednesday. It can be watched live, with English translation or in the original Hebrew at the following url:
http://www.media-line.co.il/live-jc.html

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.

GENESIS 1:5,14
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)

Jews Welcome Nissan, Hebrew Month of Redemption
by Ezra HaLevi (INN) MAR 20,07

Tuesday is Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the Hebrew month of) Nissan.

The first commandment given to the nascent nation of Israel before the Exodus from Egypt was: This month [the month of Nissan] shall be for you the first of the months' (Exodus 12:2).

Nissan is the first month specifically for the Jewish nation as it contains within it Pesach (Passover), the holiday in which the exodus and birth of the Jewish nation took place, and are recounted to each next generation. Though the Torah (Bible) numbers months from Nissan, Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, is observed six months later on the first of the month of Tishrei, as it is considered the new year for all people and living creatures in the world. By counting every month from Nissan, we constantly commemorate the miracle that G-d performed when He took us out of slavery, the Ramban (Nachamnides) writes.

Rosh Chodesh Nissan is counted as the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings of Israel and the months on the Hebrew calendar. Other new years are the first of Elul (for the tithing of animals), Tu BShvat, the 15th of Shevat (new year for trees, to determine when a given trees fruit is first permitted for consumption). Rosh HaShana, the first of Tishrei, is the new year for counting years from creation and toward Shmita(Sabbatical) and Yovel (jubilee) years. Nissan is referred to in the Torah as the month of the spring (Chodesh HaAviv) as well as the month of the redemption (Chodesh HaGeula). The Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Rosh HaShana 11a) recounts a prevalent opinion among the sages that, In Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nissan we will be redeemed.The month is assigned to the Jewish tribe of Yehuda (Judah). According to the Talmud, all three Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - were born and passed away during the month of Nissan.

Dates of note in Nissan, with corresponding civil dates for this year:

Nissan 1 (Tuesday, March 20): After a 7-day training period, the Mishkan (Tabernacle) built by the Jews in the Sinai desert following the Exodus began to be the active center of worship. Aaron and his sons began serving as priests, the Divine Presence began to dwell in the Mishkan and special offerings were brought, including a series of gifts by Nachshon ben Aminadav, the Prince of the Tribe of Judah

Nissan 7 (Monday, March 26): Joshua dispatched two scouts across the Jordan River to Jericho in order to gather intelligence in preparation for the entry to the Land of Israel and the conquering of Jericho. This year, Jews of the northern Samarian town Homesh, and Land-of-Israel-activists plan to return home and rebuild their destroyed community.

Nissan 10: The Prophetess Miriam, sister of Moses, passed away at the age of 126 - 39 years after the Exodus and exactly one year before the Children of Israel entered the Land of Israel.

Nissan 10: The Jordan River splits forty years after the Red Sea split (Joshua 4) and the nation of Israel, carrying the Holy Ark, crosses over into Israel opposite Jericho.

Nissan 13: King Achashverosh of Persia endorsed the Amalekite Haman's plan to destroy, kill and annihilate all Jews, from young to old, infants and women, on a single day, on the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar, sending out the decree to all 127 countries of the Persian Empire. Esther asked that a three-day fast (Nissan 14-16) be proclaimed during which the Jews would repent and pray for the success of her plan to appeal to the King uninvited.

Nissan 14 (Monday, April 2): Fast of the Firstborn.

Nissan 15-21/22 (evening of April 2-evening of April 9, in Israel and through April 10 in the Diaspora): Pesach (Passover). The Exodus occurred at midnight on the 15th.

Nissan 16: Esther appeared before King Achashverosh, despite not being summoned a capital crime.

Nissan 17: Haman the Persian Amalekite was, himself, hanged on the gallows he had specifically prepared for Mordechai the Jew.

Nissan 21: The Red Sea Split for the Jewish people as they fled Egypt. Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Judah was the first to jump into the sea. Walking in up to his nose before the water split, and the children of Israel walked across on the dry land in the midst of the sea. The Egyptians followed, but the water returned to its natural state, drowning them. The nation of Israel sang the Song at the Sea celebrating the miracle. The song is recited daily by Jews to this very day.

Nissan 27: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began on this day in 1943 and lasted 27 days, as Jewish fighters drove back Nazis with the small arms cache they had managed to smuggle and amass. Yom HaShoah vHaGevura (Day of the Holocaust and of Courage) is observed on this day. Due to a prohibition on eulogies and mourning during the joyous month of Nissan, many communities mourn the victims of the Holocaust on Assara BTevet (Tevet 10) instead.

Nissan 28: Crumbling of the walls of Jericho, conquered by the nation of Israel after encircling the walls for seven days with the Holy Ark.

Rosh Chodesh Events at the Kotel and Temple Mount
Monday evening, when Rosh Chodesh begins at nightfall, the monthly Sivuv Shearim (Circling of the Temple Mount Gates) will take place. Israeli pop legend Ariel Zilber will join the march and prayers, providing songs of longing for the long yearned-for Holy Temple. Police did not allow the event to take place last month due to Muslim rioting, but thousands are expected to take part in Mondays sivuv, which will leave from the Western Wall Plaza at 7 PM. For more information, call Boaz at 052 429 5164.

Rabbi David Bar Hayim will be leading a Nusach Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel Customs) Rosh Chodesh prayer service at the Kotel (Western Wall) at 6:45 AM Tuesday. This will be the first time a minyan with nusach Eretz Yisrael has been held at the Kotel in many centuries! a Machon Shilo spokesman said.

(Nusach Eretz Yisrael, in practice in Israel and elsewhere until approximately 800 years ago, is based on the Jerusalem Talmud and other primary sources including documents and prayer books found in the Cairo Geniza.)

Rabbi Ezra Amichai will be leading festive Rosh Chodesh prayers at the Kotel as well, with singing and dancing in the tradition of Rabbis Nachman of Breslev and Shlomo Carlebach, beginning at 8 AM.

New Palestinian government sparks flurry of diplomacy by David Millikin MAR 20,07

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and European Union agreed Monday to withhold
recognition from the new Palestinian unity government grouping Western-backed moderates and Islamic radicals. But they left the door open to future relations if the Islamists movement Hamas that dominates the administration meets conditions for peace with Israel.The chances of that darkened Monday when the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for shooting an Israeli near the Gaza Strip, while Egypt announced it had arrested another Hamas activist plotting a suicide attack on Israel.Following two-and-a-half hours of talks here, the top US and European diplomats maintained their insistence that the Palestinian government recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce violence as a condition for recognition and an end to a year-long aid boycott.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also held a conference call with her EU, UN and Russian counterparts about the unity government that groups the Western-backed Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas.State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the four parties, known as the Quartet of Middle East mediators, would release a statement on the Palestinian government, probably Tuesday.I have to say that this government does not comply fully with the principles laid down by the Quartet, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after meeting with Rice and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.Hamas, which dominates the new government, failed to fully meet the conditions when it unveiled its governing program Saturday, though it did agree to respect past peace agreements reached between Abbas and Israel -- a stance Palestinians say amounts to implicit recognition of the Jewish state.Abbas, a moderate who the United States and Israel describe as a partner for peace, has publicly pleaded with the Quartet to lift its aid boycott in response to the new government, but to no avail.We don't consider that good enough, said a senior US official in response.

Rice also expressed dismay over a declaration by the government's prime minister, Ismail Haniya of Hamas, reaffirming Palestinians' right to resistance against Israeli occupation.I am not going to try to interpret what the right of resistance means, but I'll tell you it does not sound very good to me when one talks about 'all forms of resistance, she said.While refusing to lift the aid and diplomatic embargo
imposed when Hamas took sole control of the government in elections early last year, the Americans and Europeans said that could change depending on the actions of the new regime.It's much more important what they do than what they say at this point in time, Solana said.McCormack added: We are going to watch what they do and say.What was on show Monday, though, offered little ground for hope.

The armed wing of Hamas announced that it had shot and wounded an Israeli electricity worker outside Gaza in an attack against a Zionist usurper.And Egyptian police revealed they had arrested a 22-year-old Hamas member planning a suicide attack on the Israeli Red Sea resort of Taba. Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said Monday's shooting was proof Hamas had not renounced terror. Israel hopes that world pays attention to the head of the PA ( Palestinian Authority) government and Hamas chief Ismail Haniya and acts of terror, she said. Rice is due to leave for Israel and the Palestinian territories later this week and Abbas' decision to join the Hamas-led unity government has complicated efforts she launched late last year to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Israel has ruled out having any contacts with the new government, even though it will still have limited dealings with Abbas. In a rare rift with its Israeli ally, the United States said it was open to dealing with non-Hamas individuals in the government, possibly including the independent finance minister, Salam Fayyad. We are not going to suspend contact solely based on an individual's membership in the national unity government, McCormack said.

DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS

REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.

REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Panama police seize 21 tons of cocaine By KATIA MARTINEZ, Associated Press Writer MAR 19,07

PANAMA CITY, Panama - Panamanian police seized a boat off the nation's Pacific coast carrying 21.4 tons of cocaine in one of the biggest maritime cocaine busts anywhere on record, officials said Monday.

National police working with agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized the boat on Sunday near the island of Coiba, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.Police arrested 12 men on the boat, including Mexicans and Panamanians, and another two suspects in Panama City in connection with the drugs, the official said.The boat, which was sailing under a Panamanian flag, was being transported to Panama City on Monday, he said.Drug cartels often smuggle Colombian cocaine along Panama's Pacific coast en route to the United States.

In 2004, the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy seized 28 tons of cocaine from two fishing boats off the coast of the Galapagos Islands in what State Department officials then called their largest seizures ever during a one-week stretch.In 2005, police in southwest Colombia seized 15 tons of cocaine from a jungle stronghold, in what national authorities called the largest haul ever on their soil.

Olmert government might collapse in Israel this year, group says
Chad Groening OneNewsNow.com March 19, 2007

The founder of a Christian lobbying group that supports the nation of Israel believes Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is so unpopular that it will be just a matter of time before his government collapses, and new elections are called in the Jewish state.Dick Hellman, president of Christians’ Israel Public Action (CIPAC), says he has seen reports out of Israel that indicate that new elections might take place as early as the fall of this year. However, Hellman says that might actually be a conservative estimate. It’s hard to predict.

The elections may come even sooner, Hellman says. Prime Minister Olmert, by every poll that I see, is widely unpopular. His government is very unpopular, and any one of a number of alternatives could arise.What might those alternatives include, according to Hellman? Either a restructuring of the left or moderate forces, or replacement of Olmert’s government by Netanyahu’s Likud, or more conservative-led movement, or even some uprising by the nationalist or religious forces, he says.Even George W. Bush has higher approval ratings right now, Hellman says, indicating the depths of Olmert’s unpopularity. American Family News Network

Today In Jewish History 1 Nisan MAR 20,07

On this date the inauguration period was completed for the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Jewish people in the desert following their Exodus from Egypt. On this day, Moses' brother Aaron began serving as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Tragically, however, two of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, died after entering the Holy of Holies unauthorized. The events are recorded in Leviticus chapters 9-10.

EU celebrates its 50th birthday - with a row about religion
By Stephen Castle in Brussels 20 March 2007

Neither God nor Christianity will feature in a 50th birthday declaration for the EU which will highlight European values and list key challenges for the future such as climate change.

Five days before the celebrations for the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the statement to be issued by EU leaders is being fine-tuned behind closed doors by officials in Germany, which holds the EU presidency.Across the continent, the 27 EU member states are preparing to host a raft of different events - from tree-planting to skydiving - to mark the anniversary.Signed on 27 March, 1957, the Treaty created the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the modern-day EU, providing for the establishment of a common market, a customs union and common policies, and proclaiming the objective of ever closer union. A second agreement created the European Atomic Energy Community, better known as Euratom.

Marking the occasion has proved difficult for the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who wants a concise declaration acceptable to all 27 EU nations without being bland. She also wants the text to act as a springboard for an agreement on what to do about the European constitution rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands.In a rerun of an argument that flared during the drafting of the constitution, Ms Merkel has left out any reference to God or Christianity. That is in deference to secular nations or those that stress the separation of church and state.But the omission has upset several, predominantly Catholic, countries including Poland, which had sought a reference to the EU's Christian roots. But the Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, has told Ms Merkel that the text is acceptable. He said that while Poland had reservations over some parts of the declaration it would be the only country in the EU not to sign up to the declaration were it to refuse.

The declaration is likely to have four elements, starting with a reflection on the achievements of the EU to date. Britain has removed its objections to references in this section to the creation of the euro and the Schengen passport-free zone, neither of which the UK joined.The declaration will also stress the values of the EU, such as democracy, and contain a reference to the social dimension of Europe.

Another section will aim to provide a vision for the future with the EU as a global force, for example, combating challenges such as climate change.A final section will address the changes needed to meet the challenges laid out. That will require tactful drafting to satisfy those who believe in the need to revive the European constitution and those that have problems with the treaty.One sensitive element
remains the future of EU enlargements. The text is expected to say further expansion will require institutional reforms - of the type laid out in the constitution - to allow an enlarged EU to function. But the declaration will mention neither the word constitution nor a timetable for reform.In Berlin this weekend the EU leaders will attend a concert by the city's Philharmonic orchestra, a dinner and a lunch, and hold a ceremony.For the city's population, museums stay open till the early hours and 27 clubs will be open all night, with free shuttle buses.

POISONED WATERS

REVELATION 8:8-11
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

Rivers run towards crisis point MAR 20,07

If Himalayan glaciers melt away, rivers like the Indus will disappear Some of the world's major rivers are reaching crisis point because of dams, shipping, pollution and climate change, according to the environment group WWF. Its report, World's Top 10 Rivers at Risk, says the river crisis rivals climate change in importance. Five of its top 10 are in Asia, such as the Yangtse, Mekong, and Ganges, though Europe's Danube and North America's Rio Grande are also included. WWF says governments should see water as an issue of national security. Its report is issued in advance of World Water Day (22 March).

Economic and sustainable

The world is facing a massive freshwater crisis, which has the potential to be every bit as devastating as climate change, said Dr David Tickner, head of the freshwater programme at WWF-UK.

We need business leaders and governments to recognise that climate change is not the only urgent environmental issue that needs to be dealt with, and that they need to take notice of this freshwater emergency and act now, not later.Using information from a number of major reports, such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, WWF set out to quantify the overall status of threat to major rivers on which people depend for water and livelihoods. Dam-building, over-extraction for drinking, industry and agriculture, invasive species, climate change, pollution and shipping were among the various activities whose impact the group assessed. The principal threats varied widely. The Salween, which flows from Tibet into China, then south along the border between Burma and Thailand, is one of the longest un-dammed rivers in the world. Plans to build dams on the Salween have brought protests

But China, Burma and Thailand have all produced plans to build hydropower dams which activists believe would displace local people who depend on the river for their livelihoods, as well as threatening an area which Unesco believes may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on Earth.

Biodiversity in Australia's Murray/Darling basin is already compromised by alien species such as the European Carp, which, a mere 30 years after its introduction, now dominates many stretches of the rivers. Carp create muddy conditions, which blocks photosynthesis. The main threat to the Indus, meanwhile, is straightforward and linked to climate change. Most of its water comes from Himalayan glaciers; if the glaciers disappear, so will the river. WWF says governments need to protect rivers better, and ensure water is allocated to users equitably and sustainably, while industries which use a lot of water should seek ways to minimise the amount that they extract.