2000 BARAK HANDS MOUNT TO ARABS

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.

New England digs out after record snowfall Fri Dec 14, 10:58 AM ET

BOSTON (Reuters) - New England dug out on Friday from a record-setting storm that dumped 10 inches of snow on Boston, more than the city typically sees in the entire month of December. Thursday's storm hit hours before the afternoon commute, snarling roadways and leaving some travelers -- many of whom left their offices early only to face the storm's full force on the road -- stranded for hours during their trips home. Others had to abandon their cars or sleep in them after running out of fuel, local media reported.More than 400 flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport.The National Weather Service said the region could expect another blast over the weekend, when a second storm is expected to drop 6 inches of snow and sleet starting on Saturday evening.

It is a powerful Northeaster, said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts. The difference in this storm is that it is going to occur during the overnight hours and on the weekend, so we wouldn't expect it to have the impact that this thing yesterday did.Thursday's snowfall set a new one-day record for December 13, and was more than the 7.8inches that typically falls during the entire month of December.
Foley said temperatures were expected to reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 C) on Friday, warm enough to melt some of the snow.
Logan Airport had returned to normal operations by Friday, with about 41 outbound flights canceled, said spokesman Phil Orlandella.
The airlines will have to play catch up for a couple of days, Orlandella said. It's not a madhouse here, things are moving pretty well.He said airport management did not yet know how their operations would be affected by the coming weekend storm.(Editing by Eric Beech)

WFP seeks funds after Storm Olga hits Caribbean Fri Dec 14,7:21 AM ET

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency appealed on Friday for $4 million to help tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes in the Dominican Republic after Tropical Storm Olga unleashed flash floods. The death toll from the storm, the second to hit in just over a month, reached at least 19, mostly drownings, Dominican officials said on Thursday.We need $4 million to help victims over the next six months, Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman of the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP), told a news briefing in Geneva. The WFP would issue details of the appeal later in the day, she said.Some 37,000 people had fled their homes in the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island Hispaniola with Haiti, Berthiaume said.Olga killed three more people in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica, according to a statement issued by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.The majority of the Dominican deaths were people who drowned when a river burst its banks and flooded parts of Santiago, the Dominican Republic's second-largest city, 110 miles north of the capital Santo Domingo.It followed another storm, Noel, which killed at least 89 people, left 42 missing and caused millions of dollars in damages to roads, farming and power and water systems.(For more information on humanitarian crises and issues visit www.alertnet.org)(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Caroline Drees)

Ice-storm power outages still nearly 400,000 DEC 14,07

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Utilities in the U.S. Central Plains said nearly 400,000 customers remained without power on Friday due to ice storms this week. Electric companies reported that more than 800,000 of the 1.2 million customers who lost power during ice storms this week have had power restored.As restoration efforts entered a fifth day, more than 389,000 customers remained without electric service.In Oklahoma, the hardest-hit state, OGE Energy Corp's Oklahoma Gas & Electric unit outages were falling toward 100,000 on Friday, but forecasts calling for another round of freezing weather may slow work by repair crews, said spokesman Gil Broyles.As much as four to eight inches of snow is expected to fall in northwestern Oklahoma beginning Friday afternoon, Broyles said.Snow should be less damaging to trees and power lines than freezing rain so may not increase the outage total but will make restoration efforts tougher, he said.We hope the weather won't make us take a step backward, but it may make moving forward more difficult, Broyles said.OG&E said the storm was the worst in the company's history, leaving more than 300,000 customers without power at its peak.

American Electric Power Co Inc's Public Service Co of Oklahoma said about 148,000 customers were still without power late Thursday, down from over 250,000 earlier in the week.PSO estimated it could take up to 10 days to restore power to all customers.The storm entered Oklahoma early Sunday, bringing freezing rain that accumulated as ice on trees and overhead power lines. The weight of the ice broke tree branches and pulled down power lines, cutting power.The weather system later moved across Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, knocking out power as it went.Other utilities still working to restore power on Friday included Westar Energy Inc with 35,000 in Kansas, Aquila Inc with about 22,000 in Missouri and Empire District Electric Co with about 26,000 in Missouri and Kansas.All of the utilities in the affected area have called on repair crews from other states to help with the restoration.(Reporting by Eileen O'Grady; Editing by Christian Wiessner)

The CARMEL ALERT Dec 13th 2007
A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.

David's Comment: The Plot Thickens

The Annapolis Summit is now three weeks behind us, but the lies, manipulations and plotting to bring about the demise of Israel continue. Several key events have taken place over the last few days, that those who love for and care about Israel, need to be aware of. and pray into. Lets take a look at what the people intent on Israel's destruction are up to .........

1/ Iran's Nuclear program In the USA, until recently Israel's closest ally, the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) report that was released last week claims that intelligence concerning Iran's program to produce a nuclear bomb. After all of the recent claims and warnings by the US government, they now claim that Iran ceased their efforts to produce Nuclear weapons 4 years ago. Intelligence experts in Israel and the UK are in total shock at the US turn around and continue to stand by their information that points to Iran racing to achieve nuclear status. Israeli jornalist Yossi Klein Halevi, wrote in his article, An Insult to Intelligence: in The New Republic: The sense of betrayal within the Israeli security system is deep. After all, Israel's great achievement in its struggle against Iran was in convincing the international community that the nuclear threat was real; now that victory has been undone--not by Russia or the European Union, but by Israel's closest ally.

2/ Permits for New Housing in Jerusalem Establishing a Jewish presence in the land of our forefathers has been the dream of the Zionists for the last 100 years. At the same time it has been the dread of those who abhor the thought of the Jewish people living in the land that was promised to Abraham and hsi descendants. One of the standard demands of every peace treaty forced upon Israel is the cessation of the construction of new homes. The Annapolis peace initiative is no different. Last week the Jerusalem City Council authorised construction permits for 300 new dwellings in the Jewish neighborhood of Har Homa on the outskirts of Jerusalem. This area is not located in disputed territory, but Condalessa Rice is not happy about the decision and is questioning Israel's right to expand the Har Homa neighborhood. We read in Ezekiel 36 7 37 that it is the will of the Lord that all the Jews return to the land their ancestors once dwelt in, Judea and Samaria ( the West Bank) being the heart of the land in question. So who do these politicians think they are denying the Jewish people the right to live on their own land ?

3/ Confiscating the Settlers Guns The other issue in the news is that the Israeli police are in the process of confiscating the guns that West Bank settlers have always been permitted to carry for self-defense against being attacked by the so called Palestinians. One doesnt have to be a brain surgeon to figure out why the government is trying to disarm the settlers. Israel's defacto leaders, George Bush and Condalessa Rice have deemed that there will be a Palestinian State by the end of 2008. For that to become a reality (which we will continue to pray will not happen), Israel will need to evacuate more than 100,000 Jewish residents. The West Bank settlers will not be as docile as the Gaza settlers were, and the last thing the government wants is gunfire fights between armed Jewish settlers and Jewish IDF soldiers. It is obvious that this drive to take their weapons now is one of the first preparations for the US designed and demanded ethnic cleansing of Judea and Samaria.

4/ Russian Immigrants Being Lured Back In a bizarre turn of events... after so much effort over 30 years by Israeli and Western Jewish and Christian politicians, lobby groups and aid organizations, about 100,00 CIS emmigrants who went to Israel have returned back to the former Soviet Union! And Putin is overtly soliticing more with economic incentives (for those who are highly educated). Well, I guess Pharaoh also realized he couldn't run his country very well after his best workers all took off! But Putin knows that the carrot of money works better than the rod of forceful coercion... Yet he may meet the same end if he interferes with God's prophetic plan!

All four of the above issues are about hindering the restoration of Israel.

The Plot is Definately Thickening !

Lets pray that these schemes and conspiracies will become obvious to the Jewish people and that they will not allow themselves to be manipulated out of their God-given inheritance. Lets also pray that the George Bush and Rice will come under conviction of the God they claim to believe in, and will cease from this dangerous folly that endangers both Israel and the nations that conspire against her.

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie SILVER

EU leaders sign Charter of Fundamental Rights
www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-13 04:32:15

BRUSSELS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) leaders signed Wednesday the Charter of Fundamental Rights at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The document was signed by Jose Socrates, prime minister of Portugal which holds the rotating EU presidency, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering. Dec. 12 will be a fundamental date in the history of the European Union, said Socrates. This charter is a commitment to European values.

The charter, which currently has no legal force, is part of the new EU treaty -- the Lisbon Treaty -- to be signed Thursday in the Portuguese capital. It brings together a range of European human-rights texts into a single document for the first time in history.
The charter will only apply to 25 EU nations, excluding Britain and Poland, which have decided to opt out amid concerns that the European Court of Justice could use the document to impose certain rights in their countries.Editor: Mu Xuequan

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

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

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

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

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

NOW THAT THE LISBON TREATY IS SIGNED WHICH I THINK GUARENTEES A PERMANANT PRESIDENT NOW, LOOKOUT FOR THE EU TO CONTROL THE PEACE PROCESS AND SEND TROOPS INTO ISRAEL TO GET THE ROADMAP ON TRACK.

Treaty on Running European Union Is Signed DEC 14,07By STEPHEN CASTLE and GRAHAM BOWLEY (NYTIMES)

BRUSSELS — Gathering in a 16th-century monastery in Lisbon, European Union leaders signed a new treaty on Thursday that changes the way the 27-member bloc is run. Those changes include the creation of a permanent post of European Union president to represent Europe on the world stage.The treaty replaces the failed attempt to create a European constitution, which foundered after French and Dutch voters rejected it in referendums two years ago.
The post of president, with a term of two and a half years, will replace the unwieldy system by which European Union leaders and nations rotate holding the presidency every six months. The new treaty also alters the way decisions are made in the union. More decisions will be made by majority vote instead of by unanimous agreement, a threshold that critics said had hindered the union’s reaction to some major issues. Foreign policy duties will be concentrated in a single new representative.The European leaders hailed the treaty, saying it would help the union overcome the political drift that has troubled it since the humbling defeats in the referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005. Its main achievements so far have included a common currency, the euro, in 13 member states; open borders among Continental members; and the extension of membership to several former Communist countries in 2004.

Europe was blocked, not knowing how to move forward, and we found the solution, said José Sócrates, the Portuguese prime minister and the ceremony’s host. Portugal holds the union’s six-month presidency.The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said, By resolving its institutional matters, Europe is readying itself to address global problems.The treaty was signed in the Jerónimos Monastery while a choir sang Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy. It will take effect after being ratified by all 27 countries in the European Union, a process that should be completed by 2009 —if Ireland agrees. During the process of trying to approve a constitution, many countries planned referendums, but only Ireland will put the new treaty to a popular vote. In the other 26 countries, parliamentary ratification seems more certain. In a sign of the lingering schisms between countries, and the ambivalence that some governments feel toward the process of European integration, the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, missed the signing ceremony. It was widely perceived as a snub to Britain’s neighbors.Blaming a scheduling clash, Mr. Brown — alone among the leaders — arrived late and signed the treaty alone. The European Union is deeply unpopular among some sections of the British public, as it is in several other European countries, and Britain’s popular press is skeptical about the benefits of European integration and the surrender of national sovereignty.

Mr. Brown’s absence from the ceremony enraged supporters of the European Union. It’s a complete and absolute scandal, said Andrew Duff, a pro-European Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament. Likely contenders for the new presidency include Tony Blair, the former British prime minister; Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark; Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg; and a former Polish president, Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Stephen Castle reported from Brussels, and Graham Bowley from New York.

Blatter claims EU treaty favours foreign player capping DEC 14,07

It does not look good if you have a club in a country and there are no national players on the team' Richard Aikman and agencies
Friday December 14, 2007 Guardian Unlimited

Blatter believes foreign player capping will soon be permissible by EU law. Photograph: Michael Regan/Action Images .The Fifa president Sepp Blatter believes that the European Union's Lisbon Treaty will allow the game's governing body to cap foreign players in domestic leagues.The agreement, which was signed by all 27 nations that comprise the EU in the Portuguese capital yesterday, replaces Europe's ill-fated constitution and will abolish many national vetoes, especially in areas of justice and criminal affairs. It will also reduce the size of the European commission, give the EU a sitting president and foreign policy chief, and eventually change the voting clout of EU countries to reflect their size.Along with a growing number of high-profile coaches and administrators, Blatter has long waged a battle against clubs who fill their starting line-ups with players from overseas and the Fifa president believes the new treaty will see sporting associations become exempt from the employment laws that give workers freedom of movement across the continent. That would allow Fifa to proceed with plans which will see teams forced to field at least six home-grown players at all times.

You have people like Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane, the coach of Sunderland, and Franz Beckenbauer and [Johan] Cruyff and [Uefa president Michel] Platini all working in the right direction and we are working for the identity of football, said Blatter. They have accepted a new treaty in Europe and they discussed the specificity of sport and its statutes are guaranteed. We don't want to fight any laws or authority but we want football to exist as a good family.Blatter stressed the national identity of a club is lost if overseas-born players dominate and that England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 had given the issue a higher profile. We have to maintain, if not the local idea of a club then at least the national identity of a club, he said. It does not look good if you have a club in a country and there are no national players on the team.Blatter claimed recent events in England had led to a sea change in opinion. This matter has been brought up by the Fifa president two or three years ago, but it has started now, he said. Why? Because something has happened in the motherland of football, England.They have not qualified for Euro 2008 and some have said that there are too many foreign players in the league. This discussion is going on in the Fifa strategic committee. We will have a look at some of these items and, at the next Fifa congress in Sydney, we will come out with a proposal that six plus five can be, will be and must be accepted by the Fifa congress.

European Union leaders hold end-of-year summit in Brussels

Brussels, Dec 14: European Union (EU) leaders arrived in Brussels Friday for a summit expected to focus on latest developments in Kosovo and on longer term issues such as globalisation and the shape of the bloc in 20 years' time.The traditional end-of-year meeting comes just a day after prime ministers and heads of state gathered in Lisbon to sign a landmark treaty designed to improve the European Union's decision-making process.Diplomats say Thursday's signing ceremony officially ended months of discussions and years of navel-gazing by EU leaders, allowing them to move on to deal with real issues.Real issues on the agenda of Friday's meeting include plans by Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic-Albanian province, to declare independence from Serbia.Some EU countries, divided Cyprus in particular, strongly oppose recognizing an independent Kosovo for fear that it might encourage other ethnic minorities to do the same.

EU leaders were not expected to reach unanimity on how to react to Kosovo's secessionist plans Friday, but were nevertheless expected to conclude that the province constitutes a sui generis case that would not set a precedent.Prime ministers and heads of state were also expected to discuss the EU's planned Galileo satellite navigation system as well as broader issues such as migration, climate change and the recent turmoil on the international financial markets.But perhaps the most potentially divisive discussion Friday's agenda concerns the creation of a so-called reflection group, an independent think tank of high-profile Europeans proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the challenges that the Union will face between 2020 and 2030.

The reflection group will examine how the stability and prosperity of both the Union and of the wider region might best be served in the longer term, according to a draft of the summit's conclusions.
Britain, Sweden and other member states fear that the group will be used by France to shut and lock the EU doors to Turkey. Potential candidates for the role of group leader include Latvia's former president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former head of Nokia Jorma Ollila, Spain's former premier Felipe Gonzalez, head of Italy's Unicredit banking group Alessandro Profumo, and former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox. --- IANS

EU leaders to hail benefits of globalisation
14.12.2007 - 09:27 CET | By Renata Goldirova

Now that the EU's six-year long institutional impasse has ended, the 27-nation bloc is turning its attention to the outside challenge of globalisation – something that is to be highlighted by a fresh declaration at today's EU summit, suggesting the phenomenon should become a source of opportunity rather than a threat. Globalisation is increasingly shaping our lives by fostering the exchange of people, goods, services and ideas and by offering new opportunities to citizens and business, states the opening paragraph of the EU declaration on globalisation, seen by EUobserver. The paper continues by saying that greater trade flows and economic growth have increased prosperity, transforming the lifestyles of Europe's citizens and lifting millions worldwide out of poverty.

The idea to have a specific declaration on the economic benefits of globalised economies is mainly attributed to UK prime minister Gordon Brown, who once described properly-managed globalisation as a force for good. The union has always promoted free trade and openness as a means to foster growth, employment and development for itself and its trading partners and intends to continue taking the lead in this domain, the text says, clearly reflecting the liberal economic philosophy pursued by London. The declaration has also been welcomed in some of the countries that joined the EU club in 2004, with one diplomat from a new member state telling EUobserver that we felt that the effects of globalisation had sometime been wrongly attributed to EU enlargement. Globalisation will not disappear and therefore, the EU should take an advantage of it, the diplomat added. Nevertheless, the declaration takes into account some concerns about the phenomenon, expressed mainly in Paris. The European Union will press for increasingly open markets which should lead to reciprocal benefits (...) Our partners must also demonstrate openness, on the basis of internationally agreed rules, in particular as concerns fair competition and the protection of intellectual property rights, the paper states. The wording is a clear response to France's aim to protect home-grown industries from cheap imports as well as to its push for the so-called principle of reciprocity, meaning trading partners should open their markets as much as the EU does.

Let's not be naive, we must demand a reciprocity, president Nicolas Sarkozy said in October, when the issue was debated by EU leaders for the first time. He complained about the environmental and social requirements placed upon EU businesses, but not followed by their non-European competitors. We have to remind others there are rights as well as obligations, he said, singling out Russia and China.In general, the declaration - to be adopted later on Friday (14 December) - is widely seen as a bargain between the UK and France, as Mr Sarkozy needed London's approval for his own idea to set up a reflection group designed to sketch the best political recipe for how to deal with Europe's future major challenges.

COULD THIS GROUP HEADED BY A FORMER SPANISH PRIME MINISTER BE THE SANHEDRIN OF THE EU................

Skeptic on Turkey to chair EU wise panel Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:33pm By Darren Ennis and William Schomberg

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders on Friday named former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, a past critic of Turkey's EU membership bid, to head a reflection group to study the long-term future of the 27-nation bloc.The panel was the brainchild of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a vehement opponent of Turkish accession, who first called in August for the EU to create a group of wise people to consider Europe's final borders.The mandate has since been changed to look at the future of Europe in 2020-2030, focusing mostly on the economic challenges of globalization.In this new European dream, the question of borders is bound to be posed, not simply first of all the question of Turkey but should Europe set borders or not, the French leader told a news conference after an EU summit.Sarkozy may have scored a point by stealth with the choice of Gonzalez, a socialist who ran Spain from 1982 to 1996 and voiced skepticism three years ago about incorporating the large, poor, mostly Muslim country into the EU.

Spanish newspapers quoted the ex-premier in May 2004 as telling a Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona there were limits to the enlargement of Europe, which should stop at the borders of Turkey because of social and cultural differences.Asked about those comments, Gonzalez's spokesman Joaquin Tagar told Reuters in Madrid on Friday: He was just expressing a theoretical opinion, not taking a definite position on the matter. He was just pointing out the difference between European and Turkish culture.Pressed to say what Gonzalez's position on Turkey's candidacy was now, he said: What he has been saying in recent times is that if the European Union has a commitment to Turkey, it should honor it.

WHERE DOES EUROPE END?

In Ankara, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said: The mandate of the wise men group was very important for us and apparently Turkey was excluded. So with regard to Turkey's EU process, it's not very important for us who chairs the group.The reflection group, which will number no more than nine members, is mandated to look at the stability and prosperity of the Union and of the wider region.The formulation deliberately left open whether Turkey would be part of the Union or the wider region in 2020-2030.The panel will also look at issues such as energy, climate change and justice matters. It is due to report its findings to EU leaders in June 2010.Former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Jorma Ollila, the chairman of mobile phone giant Nokia, were named as the two vice-chairs of the panel.Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero voiced delight at the choice of his political mentor for the key chairman role, and said it had not been ruled out that the group could discuss the EU's borders.

It's not excluded that there is a reflection about what the size of Europe should be in the future, he told reporters.British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it was extremely partial to describe Gonzalez as being against Turkey's EU membership.Some politicians were critical of the choice of a leader from the 1980s to study the EU's future.If you ever wanted to see Jurassic Park in reality, then this appointment (of Gonzalez) is just that, Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the European Parliament.It's not about age, but all three of the panel so far represent old Europe.(Additional reporting by Jason Webb in Madrid, Yves Clarisse and Ingrid Melander in Brussels; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)

EU Treaty main points DEC 14,07

Here are some of the main points of the European Union's new Treaty of Lisbon: It incorporates the key reforms in the constitution but it discards the name.The Charter of Fundamental Rights becomes legally binding - in all the member states except Britain and Poland, which negotiated exemptions.There is also a provision that if a million citizens petition the European Commission, it will propose legislation in the field concerned.

A new foreign policy chief with EU staff will give the bloc a greater say on the world stage. The High Representative will answer to EU governments and be a vice-president of the European Commission, with power over the EU external aid budget. A NATO-style mutual defence clause in case one of the member states is attacked is another of the foreign policy features.Voting at the member state level will be based on a double majority system, from 2017. A decision, to pass, will need 55 percent of the countries' support.At the moment this means 15 of them.These have to represent 65 percent of the EU's population. The Ioannina decisional delay provision especially important for Poland - in lieu of greater voting weight - becomes valid at this time.

The redistribution of seats in the European Parliament has been adjusted under a reform agreed in the assembly. This reshuffle for an enlarged EU reflects population changes. The treaty raises the total number of seats to 750 but it does not count the parliament's president.Like the constitution, the treaty aims to streamline the number of members in the EU executive college, or European Commission. It says the number of commissioners will be reduced from 27 to 15 by the year 2014. Its head will be named according to the results of European elections, this needing endorsement by a parliamentary vote.

The EU leaders will choose a president of the European Council for a 2-1/2 year renewable term.This does away with the current six-month rotating presidency - today assumed by a country. In the future an individual will chair the agenda and summits.Also left out is the flag commonly associated with the EU, formerly the European Communities, which adopted the banner in the 1980s. The Lisbon Treaty also makes no mention of the anthem symbol, Ode to Joy.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) 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.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) 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,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) 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,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

Kasicky: EU and NATO Have Found Ways to Finance Joint Operations

Bratislava, December 12 (TASR-SLOVAKIA) - Mechanisms have already been found within NATO and EU to finance the deployment of units of individual member countries in joint operations, Slovak Defence Minister Frantisek Kasicky said after the Government session on Wednesday.According to him, in the case of the EU this concerns the so-called Athena project. At every ministerial meeting, we're pushing for this project valid for 2007-2008 to continue also in 2009, because our first contribution to the EU Battle Groups will only be in 2009, said Kasicky.As for NATO, Kasicky said that a Slovak initiative has also added impetus to the development of the Rapid Reaction Forces project.Kasicky added that the latest meeting of EU defence ministers in the Netherlands decided that a specific project for financing military units will be submitted at the next meeting.msm/df/tb

EU Presidency Statement - CFE Treaty
jeudi 13 décembre 2007

Following the decision of the Russian Federation to suspend the implementation of the CFE Treaty, taking effect as of 12 December 2007, and taking into account the declaration issued today in Moscow by the Ministry of Defence, the EU Presidency reiterates that the EU considers the CFE Treaty as the cornerstone of security and stability in Europe.The EU Presidency urges Russia to continue to engage with CFE partners in the search for an acceptable solution to the outstanding concerns of all State parties related to the implementation of the CFE Treaty. Constructive proposals which have been presented so far to solve the current situation should continue to be pursued.eu2007.pt

FIIA: no wartime help for Finland without NATO Only temporary damage to Finnish-Russian relations from joining alliance
DEC 14,07

According to an assessment issued on Tuesday by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Finland should join NATO only if it is ready to defend other member states of the alliance against an attack. If Finland's political decision-makers and its citizens do not feel that an attack on Istanbul, Washington, or Tallinn would be so significant that Finland should immediately offer its help, possibly also in the form of sending military units, Finland should not become a member of NATO, the report states. According to the writers, in such a case, Finns should not expect other countries to come to their aid if Finland is attacked. The FIIA text gives a cautiously NATO-positive background analysis of the development of NATO and its links with Finland.

In the introduction to the report, FIIA director Raimo Väyrynen writes that the ten experts who took part in the project had sharply differing views of Finnish foreign policy when they began their work. The text, edited by FIIA researcher Charly Salonius-Pasternak, assesses the enlargement of NATO, its new tasks, the role of the United States in NATO, and the alliance's interaction with other systems. FIIA does not see that NATO is getting any alternatives as a defence alliance. The common European defence will continue to be organised exclusively through national solutions, as well as NATO, the assessment concludes. Decisions on NATO will have to be made in Finland and elsewhere on the basis of inadequate information, because NATO is changing. According to the report, Finnish membership in the alliance would probably cause only temporary damage to relations between Finland and Russia.
FIIA has worked on its report at the same time that another assessment is being produced at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Ministry report is to come out next week, once it has been presented to the foreign affairs committee of the President and government.

Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party) feels that when discussing the NATO issue, the implications of the security guarantees of the European Union should be known.
These matters need to be examined alongside each other, and not separately, Häkämies says. In his view, it would be especially important, when pondering NATO membership, to know what the large EU countries feel about the EU security guarantees. Foreign Ministry official Teija Tiilikainen is currently drafting a report on EU security guarantees, which is expected to be ready in March.
Defence Minister Häkämies feels that the first question in the NATO debate is if Finland needs security guarantees in case of a military attack. If we want security guarantees, we need to know how the EU will implement them. If the EU plans to implement security guarantees through NATO, it would be a significant piece of information in the NATO debate, Häkämies says.

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)

Russia to complete Iran's atom plant
By David Blair, Diplomatic Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:22am GMT 14/12/2007

Iran's nuclear programme has reached a crucial milestone after Russia and Teheran agreed a timetable for completing a long-delayed reactor.The two countries have agreed to activate the Bushehr nuclear power station, which Russian technicians have been building on Iran's Gulf coast.This facility, forming the centrepiece of Iran's atomic energy programme, is being used as a cover for Teheran's covert effort to build nuclear weapons, according to Western governments.America has repeatedly urged the Kremlin to stop building Bushehr - and Russia has often dragged its feet on completing the project.But Moscow appears to have changed its mind and decided to press ahead. We have resolved all the problems with the Iranians, said Sergei Shmatko, the president of the state-controlled nuclear energy company, Atomstroiexport, which is constructing Bushehr.Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said that Bushehr would comply with all International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. These are designed to ensure its use for civilian purposes only.

Al-Qaida No. 2 critical of peace parley By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer DEC 14,07

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's deputy leader denounced last month's Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md., as a betrayal of Palestinians in a new audio message posted Friday on an Islamic militant Web site, It was the first reaction by the terrorist network to the Mideast conference, sponsored by President Bush and attended by key Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, as well as Palestinian and Israeli leaders.The conference relaunched Palestinian-Israeli peace talks after a seven year hiatus — a key breakthrough in the region's core conflict.The Annapolis meeting was held to turn Palestine into a Jewish state, the voice, purported to be that of Ayman al-Zawahri, said the 20-minute posting that carried a still photo of the white-turbaned militant against a backdrop of a photograph from the conference.

The czar of Washington invited 16 Arab countries ... to sit in one room, at one table with the Israelis, al-Zawahri said, adding that the conference witnessed the betrayal deals to sell Palestine.The authenticity of the posting could not be independently confirmed, but the voice was recognizable as that of al-Zawahri. It was posted by al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab, on a site where it usually releases its messages.The site also had a banner advertising an upcoming interview of al-Zawahri by Al-Sahab, with a picture of him in a white traditional Arab robe and white turban, seated before a bookshelf. Such advertisements are usually posted up to 72 hours before the message is released.Al-Zawahri mainly addressed Arabs, urging them to condemn the Annapolis conference and label Mahmoud Abbas as the traitor, adding that the Palestinian brother-president sold you out in Annapolis and in its aftermath.It's time now, he said, for the Muslims to extent hands to other jihad brothers a likely reference to militants beyond the Middle East.

My brothers in Palestine, we, all Muslims, the Mujahedeen are by your side, in your confrontation with the Zionist enemy, al-Zawahri said. We will not let you down even if your politicians do.
He also criticized imprisoned Islamic militants in Egypt, who after years in jail turned away from their militant stance. Those revisionists are in fact calling for a new American religion that violates God's rules, he said.A top jailed Jihad leader, Sayed Imam, last month announced his Revisions — a recanting of his past calls for the use of force to overthrow Arab governments seen by militants as infidels.Egypt is hoping the Revisions will diminish support for militancy but al-Qaida leaders have dismissed similar past recantations as forced on imprisoned militants.I am addressing the Muslim nation in Egypt in particular: where is your role in confronting aggression on Islam and Muslims? al-Zawahri said. Stand up and ... be aware of the poisons of weakness and submission which the traitor regime is trying to inject into you through the tongues of the revisionists.He called on Egyptian soldiers and also Bedouin tribes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula to rise against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.God wants you to get ready, for the sake of God, al-Zawahri said.Al-Zawahri — seen by many counterterrorism experts to be al-Qaida's operational chief, rather than bin Laden — is believed to play a large role in directing al-Qaida's strategy on the ground and issues frequent videos an audiotapes, often laying out the network's doctrinal line.In most recent postings, al-Zawahri sought to galvanize fighters from North Africa to Afghanistan in a September video. In an audiotape in July, he threatened to retaliate against Britain for having honored novelist Salman Rushdie and railed against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

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

ZECHARIAH 14:1-9 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Barak Agreed To Hand Temple Mount & Yesha to Arabs in 2000 Talks by Hana Levi Julian DEC 14,07

(IsraelNN.com) According to a document brought out of mothballs seven years after it was signed, Defense Minister Ehud Barak – then Prime Minister of Israel – agreed to transfer the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest site, to Arab sovereignty.

The document entitled The Status of the Diplomatic Process with the Palestinians - Points to Update the Incoming Prime Minister outlined the many points of disagreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), but noted significant agreement on at least three core issues. The talks at Camp David and Taba in 2000 and 2001 resulted in agreements on the issues of borders, refugees and Jerusalem, according to a 26-page document obtained by the Ha'aretz news service.Signed by Gilad Sher, bureau chief to then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the document included plans for an initiated separation in the event that talks would break down. It was the precursor to Israel's plan to withdraw from Gaza, which was carried out in then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's 2005 Disengagement operation, and to withdraw from Judea and Samaria which the current government is planning.All aspects of life were to be covered in a plan that was to be carried out over a number of years -- leaving enough time for adjustment and change as conditions warranted, including updated negotiations. The document indicated the cabinet gave its final approval for the plan in October 2000.On December 23, 2000, then-US President Bill Clinton sent a document entitled The Ideas Raised by President Clinton to Israel and the PA.

Those ideas were for Israel to annex 4 to 6% of Judea and Samaria for Jewish settlement, with 94-96% of the region going to a PA state, providing that Israel allow all PLO Arabs free passage through Israel. The Temple Mount would go to the PLO, with the Western Wall, the City of David, the Mount of Olives and other holy sites being given to Israel.According to Ha'aretz, Israel told Clinton that it wanted a special authority to ensure freedom of worship to Jews and Muslims at Jerusalem holy sites. In the Israeli response, Barak stated that the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria would not fit into Clinton's proposed annexed territory. He also stated that Israel should be in charge of securing safe passage to all worshippers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron, Joseph's Tomb in Shechem, and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. Barak and Clinton agreed to keep Israel's seven-page response a secret, but Barak sent letters before he left office to Clinton, George W. Bush, Yasser Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak saying that Israel was not bound by Clinton's manifesto. Recently Barak, who is now the Defense Minister and Labor party chairman, has said he is advocating a plan to entice Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria to leave their homes in exchange for financial compensation.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Revealed: Israel agreed to forfeit Temple Mount
Documents detail ex-Israeli leader's deal handing Judaism's holiest site to Yasser Arafat December 13, 2007 11:09 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Temple Mount

JERUSALEM – In spite of longstanding denials by top officials here, the Israeli government in 2000 agreed to relinquish the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – to the Palestinians during U.S.-backed negotiations, according to declassified documents made public today. The information comes as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this month denied talks started at November's Annapolis summit would lead to Israel giving up its sovereignty over the Temple Mount, while chief Palestinian negotiators tell WND the Jewish state already agreed to forfeit Judaism's holiest site to a coalition of Arab countries. According to declassified Israeli government documents published today by Israel's Haaretz newspaper, during U.S.-led negotiations in 2000 at Camp David, Ehud Barak, then prime minister, agreed sovereignty over the Temple Mount would be either ambiguous or control would be determined based on the bond of each party to the site. The Palestinians would therefore control the upper sections of the Mount, which houses the Al Aqsa Mosque and also is the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples.

The 2000 negotiations fell through after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat rejected an offer of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem. Barak at times denied he offered the Temple Mount to the Palestinians, but he also indicated during interviews he was willing to compromise over the site. Haaretz published excerpts from a 26-page document it obtained, signed by Barak's negotiator Gilad Sher and said to be summaries of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The document was titled The Status of the Diplomatic Process with the Palestinians Points to Update the Incoming Prime Minister. Sher also wrote in his book published after the 2000 negotiations, titled Beyond Reach, that President Bill Clinton floated a plan that called for the Temple Mount to become Palestinian sovereign territory, while the Western Wall below and its complex would fall under Israeli sovereignty.

Barak was said to have initially rejected that plan, but according to participants at the negotiations summit, he was ultimately willing to forfeit the Temple Mount. The 26-page document published by Haaretz also said Barak was willing to give up most of the West Bank and split Jerusalem into two capitals, one called Jerusalem and another Al-Quds. Negotiations would have seen Arab sections of Jerusalem being turned over to the Palestinians. The release of the document follow's last month's Annapolis summit at which Olmert committed to aim at creating a Palestinian state before the end of next year, handing strategic territory to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. In a briefing to reporters upon returning to Israel from Annapolis, Olmert claimed Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for discussion. He said negotiations started at this week's Annapolis summit had no bearing on the situation on the Temple Mount. But a chief Palestinian negotiator, speaking to WND on condition of anonymity, said Olmert's denials were false.What Olmert said (regarding the Mount) is absolutely false. I think he's not yet ready to tell the Israeli public and is waiting for the right time, and he fears his coalition with religious extremists will fall apart if he announces it now, said the negotiator. Olmert's maintains a government coalition with the religious Shas party and Russian Yisroel Beiteinu party, but if those two bolt, the prime minister could create a new coalition with leftist parties.

The chief Palestinian negotiator said that in the months leading up to Annapolis, the Palestinian team was surprised by Olmert's willingness to give up the Mount. We had intense debates on many topics, which remain open and unsettled, but the Harem Al-Sharif (Temple Mount) is not a sticking point. The Israelis didn't argue with us. We were pleasantly surprised Olmert didn't debate about giving the lower section of the [Mount] either, which was a sticking point in the past.According to the negotiator, Olmert agreed to evacuate the Mount but not to turn it over to the Palestinians alone. The negotiator said both sides agreed, the Temple Mount would be given to joint Egypt, Jordan and Palestinian Authority control. He said the Israeli government felt an umbrella group of several Arab countries controlling the holy site instead of only the PA would help ease Israeli domestic opposition to giving up the Temple Mount, since Egypt and Jordan are considered by Israeli policy to be moderate countries. The Palestinian negotiator pointed out Israeli prime ministers previously denied withdrawal plans only to later carry them out. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, elected on a platform against evacuating territory, denied for his first year in office he would retreat from the Gaza Strip, but in 2005 he carried out a Gaza withdrawal.

Israel bars Jews, Christians from praying on Mount

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site. The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries. The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's presence dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site. The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays. The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact. The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven. Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from a sacred mosque – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to the farthest mosque and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Currently under Israeli control, Jews and Christians are barred from praying on the Mount.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians. The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered sensitive by the Waqf. During open days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any holy objects to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

FAMINE

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Stocks fall on startling inflation jump By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer DEC 14,07

NEW YORK - Stocks sold off Friday after a jump in consumer inflation raised concerns about how much freedom the Federal Reserve has to continue cutting interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average gave up more than 100 points. The Labor Department said the consumer price index rose 0.8 percent in November amid a spike in gasoline prices. The report also found large increases in the cost of clothing, airline tickets and prescription drugs.The report raises questions about the Fed's options for priming the economy. The Fed this week lowered interest rates and announced a plan to align with other key central banks and offer loans to pressed lenders around the world. But while it wants to stimulate the U.S. economy and make lending easier among banks wary of faltering debt, the Fed also has to keep a watchful eye on inflation.Robert Dye, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group, said the economic readings this week painted a mixed picture for investors, spurring some of the market's volatility.

If you take the stronger-than-expected economic data we saw this week in the form of retail sales and add to that the inflation data and then combine that with a somewhat ambiguous statement from the Fed, you get a picture as clear as mud, he said.The uncertainty weighed on the markets Friday, a day after stocks finished mixed. In afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 112.75, or 0.83 percent, to 13,405.21.Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 12.19, or 0.82 percent, to 1,476.22, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 17.50, or 0.66 percent, to 2,650.99.Bond prices fell for the third straight day. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 4.23 percent from 4.21 percent late Thursday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.Light, sweet crude dropped 31 cents to $90.91 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Friday's report on inflation follows a reading Thursday that showed the biggest jump in inflation at the wholesale level in 34 years.

The 0.8 percent increase in consumer prices topped the 0.6 percent rise economists had been expecting. The report also showed so-called core inflation, which excludes often-volatile food and energy prices, had its biggest increase in 10 months, rising 0.3 percent.Dye said the Fed could be proven wise for cutting interest rates by just a quarter of a percentage point Tuesday rather than by a half point as some investors had hoped. Stocks fell sharply Tuesday after the Fed's rate decision and staged a partial rebound Wednesday after the Fed announced its liquidity plan with other central banks.The uptick in core inflation is unnerving, Dye said, because it makes it harder for the Fed to justify further rate cuts.Also Friday, the Federal Reserve said industrial production rebounded in November, increasing 0.3 percent after a steep 0.7 percent decline in October. The increase came in slightly ahead of Wall Street's expectations.But beyond economic reports, investors faced more news from the troubled banking sector.Citigroup Inc. rose 44 cents to $31.45 after the bank announced late Thursday it plans to move assets from seven structured investment vehicles onto its books and put up $49 billion to help the SIVs repay their debts.The bank had said earlier it had no plans to bring the SIVs onto its books. Citigroup's Vikram Pandit, who on Tuesday became chief executive, said taking control of the SIVs was the best way to guard their credit ratings and help them sell their investments at decent prices.SIVs are complex investments set up by banks and sold to investors and have come under pressure in recent months because of their investment strategy, which involves the use of mortgage investments and other now-risky debt. The resulting drop in demand hurt the value of the SIVs. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by more than 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 652.4 million shares. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 6.53, or 0.85 percent, to 762.93. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average slipped 0.14 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.52 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.25percent and France's CAC-40 rose 0.26 percent. On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

Iran tests long-range missile
Published: 12/13/2007

Iran has secretly tested a new long-range missile, Israel's intelligence services said.The Ashoura missile, whose construction was announced by Iran's Defense Ministry on Nov. 27, was also secretly test-fired that day, Israeli media reported Thursday, citing intelligence sources.The fanfare in Tehran over the weapon, which boasts a range of 1,250 miles because of a solid-fuel engine, suggested the test was a success.Israeli commentators noted that the Ashoura was made public on the day of the Annapolis peace conference, an indication of Iran's desire to flex its muscles in the face of moderate Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' efforts to achieve coexistence with the Jewish state.The Ashoura joins the Shihab-3 in the arsenal of Iranian missiles capable of reaching Israel, U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf and some European capitals -- potentially with nuclear warheads.

Israel is World's Fourth Largest Arms Exporter
by Gil Ronen DEC 14,07

(IsraelNN.com) The anxiety felt by some Israelis about the tarnishing of the country's tough image in recent years may be premature. Israel is still the go-to state for all things defense-related, according to recent statistics and reports.Israel became the world's fourth largest arms exporter in 2007, after signing contracts worth $4.3 billion, according to the Defense Ministry. According to Ministry Director Pinchas Buchris, only the U.S.A., Russia and France export more arms than the tiny Middle Eastern country. Great Britain exported fewer arms than Israel in 2007.
Israel's main exports in the defense field are radar systems, anti-tank missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and its major clients are India, Turkey, the U.S.A. and other western countries.

New law to regulate exports

A new law which will go into effect in January will regulate arms exports, and it will be enforced by a new agency – the Defense Export Department. The maximum punishments for violations of the rules governing defense exports will be 5 years in jail and fines could reach NIS 10 million.The Defense Ministry handles 30,000 applications for brokering permits a year, 5,000 applications for export licenses, and a further 70,000 applications for license renewals.The law is intended to place Israel's arms exports under the kind of limitations that other exporting countries have placed on themselves. It will make it illegal for an Israeli abroad to sell weapons from one foreign country to another in violation of an embargo. The law will also define which weapons are forbidden for export and will make it more difficult to qualify for an export license.

Israel is no newcomer to the club of top defense exporters, and was actually listed in third place by Jane's Defense Weekly as recently as 2003. The U.S.'s Popeye air-to-surface missiles — dubbed AGM-142 by the U.S. Air Force — were designed by Rafael, a semi-governmental weapons-development authority, which also designed the Litening brand targeting pods used to fire precision weapons from the Marines' AV-8B Harrier jet. Israeli-designed Hunter unmanned aerial vehicles are in the service of the U.S. Army, and another UAV made by the Israel Aerospace Industry, the Pioneer, has been used by U.S. Marines.Israel's high ability in the security and technology sphere is recognized – and envied – in the Arab world surrounding it, as this frank sermon from Qatar TV shows:The American entertainment industry, too, has become a client of Israel's security industry. The new trend in Hollywood, it turns out, is Israeli bodyguards. Among the stars employing Israeli brawn are Eva Longoria, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (before their divorce), and Lindsey Lohan. Israel21c reports: Kevin Federline's lawyer hired IDF-trained Aaron Cohen, founder of the Beverly Hills-based IMS Security, to serve Britney Spears' camp with subpoenas for their custody battle. Even that dubious friend to the Jews, Mel Gibson, has relied on [an Israeli] to part the waters for him. For more than a decade, Avi Korein was Gibson's personal bodyguard before he opened his own Beverly Hills security firm, Screen International Security Services.

'They never switch off'

The report says that security firm CEOs also seek out ex-Israeli military members: Elijah Shaw, CEO of Icon Services Corporation in St. Paul, Minnesota, once hired an ex-Israeli commando to guard a famous actress who was being stalked on an international tour.
Stalking is a form of terror, counter-terrorism expert Cohen told The Forward in October. The formula is a lot like counter-terrorism, because you need to see who you're dealing with before you freak out. Cohen is a Beverly Hills native who served in the elite Israeli Duvdevan combat unit, which specialized in tracking terrorists. I've used members of the Israel Special Forces - its equivalent of the Navy Seals - when I've had a specific, high-level threat, says Shaw, whose clients include Naomi Campbell, Michael Bolton and 50 Cent. They operate at such a heightened sense of awareness. Because of the constant conflicts there, they're always on alert; they never switch off.

Rice to announce bigger Palestinian aid package by Sylvie Lanteaume DEC 14,07

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to announce a hike in aid for the Palestinians this weekend during a donor conference in Paris that aims to bolster efforts for Middle East peace. I think what everybody is looking for is some real tangible support for the efforts of Palestinian institution-building because that is going to be absolutely key in helping to bring about a Palestinian state, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.He refused to give any specifics on how much Rice planned to offer but she is expected to unveil a sharp increase over past amounts, given that the Bush administration had asked Congress to approve 400 million in economic support for Palestinians in the 2007-2008 budget which began on October 1.

Prior to the election win of the Islamist Hamas movement in early 2006, US aid to the Palestinians amounted to about 250 million dollars per year.But since then, the United States has spent money bit by bit on the Palestinians, particularly through the release of 40 million dollars in emergency aid to Gaza residents last June, unblocked once Hamas seized control of the impoverished coastal strip.France organized the Paris donor conference as a follow up to peace talks held in November in Annapolis, Maryland.

If Rice is able to commit the United States to an aid effort similar to what the administration asked for in the 2008 budget, the aid package over three years that Rice announce could surpass one billion dollars.First in Annapolis and next in Paris, we will be showing the world that the United States is fully engaged and committed to providing the necessary support, both financial and diplomatic and political, said Robert Danin, a Middle East official within the State Department.A significant US contribution will send the signal to the other donors at this time that now is the time to assist the Palestinian Authority and that a Palestinian government with the full and public support of the international community will help build a constituency for peace within the Palestinian society, he told the House of Representatives.The George W. Bush administration has faced reticence from Congress, where some lawmakers are hesitant to approve funding for the Palestinians for fear the cash will fall into Hamas's hands.

For that reason, an 86 million dollar aid package that Rice wanted this year for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to beef up his security forces in the face of Hamas's growing ranks of fighters, was held up in Congress for several months.Bush this year launched a public-private partnership run by the independent Aspen Institute with the aim of encouraging US companies to invest directly in the Palestinian territories.A spike in US aid would mark a turnaround for the US administration, which had convinced its negotiating partners in the Middle East peace process -- Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- to suspend aid after Hamas's electoral win.But the blockage only aggravated Palestinian' economic woes and radicalized public opinion in some quarters.At Europe's insistence, a temporary financial aid package was set up through the quartet that would circumvent Hamas but allow civil servants to receive their salaries.The United States has justified its change of heart by citing the recent nomination of Salam Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund official, to the post of Palestinian prime minister.

Egypt supports holding next Mideast conference in Moscow Fri Dec 14, 12:40 AM ET

MOSCOW (AFP) - Egypt's foreign minister welcomed Moscow hosting a follow-up Middle East peace conference, saying in an interview published Friday that Russia plays in an important role in the peace process. Egypt welcomes the holding of the meeting in Moscow, Ahmed Abul Gheit, who arrived in Russia on Thursday, was quoted as saying in the business daily Kommersant.Russia ... plays an important role in encouraging the parties (Israel and the Palestinians) to fulfill their obligations and attain the final objective of the process -- the creation of a Palestinian state.

During a conference in the US city of Annapolis last month, Israel and the Palestinians pledged to seek a peace deal by the end of 2008, relaunching negotiations frozen for seven years.Upon return to Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian news agencies the next Middle East peace conference will be held in Moscow.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has said Russia proposed at the Annapolis meeting holding a conference on normalizing Israeli-Syrian relations, which could be held by the end of January.

Israel hosts OSCE Med bunch DEC 14,07

A grouping of Israel and six Arab nations aimed at promoting regional tolerance will meet in Tel Aviv. The meeting of the Mediterranean Partners of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday. The grouping, which comprises Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt and Mauritania, is an outgrowth off the OSCE's Combating Intolerance and Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding, an initiative launched in 2003 to combat the perceived recent growth of anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance in Europe. Israel has diplomatic relations with Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania and limited trade and exchanges with Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The meeting comes as the United States is nudging Arab nations to improve ties with Israel in the wake of renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Members of the OSCE, a 55-nation grouping of European and North American nations promoting security in Europe, will also send delegates.

Among those representing the United States will be Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), the chairman of the congressional Helsinki Commission, which monitors human rights. Over the past year, in my travel to the region and in meetings that I have held with representatives of our Mediterranean Partners, I have continued to urge that the annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference be held in Israel, Hastings said in a statement. I am quite pleased that it will be taking place there this year.Hastings plans to meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert while in Israel.

Jordan's King Abdullah tells MEPs of 'growing hope' in the Mideast EJP Updated: 13/Dec/2007 16:16

King Abdullah of Jordan at the European Parliament in Strasbourg: Second chances are rare.

STRASBOURG (EJP)---Jordan’s King Abdullah told the European Parliament that the recent Annapolis Mideast peace conference has created a growing hope in the region. In an address to MEPs on Wednesday during the plenary session of the parliament, the King said a critical opportunity is before us. For the first time in years, we see movement toward a permanent settlement and an independent, sovereign, viable Palestinian state, he added. Second chances are rare.He called on Europe to support the goal of peace negotiations. He defined this as a final settlement, creating an end to conflict, security for both Palestine and Israel, a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state. As our near neighbour, Europe shares our interest in solving this, the central crisis of our age. All sides respect Europe’s neutral role and model of regional progress and peace. For years you have been our partner in the search for solutions. He added: I have come here today to urge your active engagement, to seek your specific, practical skills and investment in the future, and to offer Jordan’s own commitment in the days of work that lie ahead.

Europe's unique experience

He reminded the MEPs that Europe has a unique experience with post-conflict recovery and reconciliation.In a bid to improve the situation on the ground, he stressed the importance of tangible results, using trade and aid to boost living conditions - particularly for Palestinians. Seeing Europe’s resolution of its past conflicts as a sign of hope for his own region, King Abdullah declared: Today, young Europeans are coming to adulthood who never knew a divided Europe. Their young counterparts, Palestinian and Israeli, have no such positive experience. They have grown up in a world of division and conflict. Now, together, we have an opportunity to remove the barriers to their future, and leave the past behind.The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering told the King that in the search for peace, we are on your side.The King was in Strasbourg with a delegation of leading Jordanian MPs.

EU, US deadlocked at climate change talks
By environment reporter Sarah Clarke Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:10pm AEDT

The UN says it wants a mandate that sets up talks for a new climate deal beyond 2012. (AFP: Jewel Samad)Video: Rudd orders negotiators to clinch agreement in Bali (ABC News) The European Union (EU) and the United States remain deadlocked over a key part of the text in the United Nations climate declaration.On the plenary floor, politicians continue to deliver their national statements but behind closed doors the US is lobbying countries to reject key text that calls for developed nations to commit to emission cuts of up to 40 per cent by 2020. The EU favours the text. But the United States is adamant specific figures should not be included. The UN says it wants a mandate that sets up talks for a new climate deal beyond 2012. With the US and Europe showing no signs of compromise, this meeting is expected to continue until Saturday.Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says a final Bali mandate must be agreed on at the meeting.Australia is waiting for the findings of an economics report before it declares its policy on interim targets.

But Mr Rudd says countries must agree on a Bali road map that sets up a new international climate deal when the Kyoto Protocol expires.I'd be very concerned if negotiations meant that we had any states indicating they would walk away from the process, he said.What I have instructed our negotiators to do is to spare no effort in trying to bridge the gap between developed countries and between developed and developing countries to make sure we have a robust mandate going forward.

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)

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS

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.

Geminid Meteor Shower peaks this week
By KAYNE CRISON, Editor, ACIE December 11, 2007

This month the red planet Mars moves westward across the Gemini Twins and by month's end is crossing the boundary of eastern Taurus. On the evening of Dec. 23 the full Moon rises very close, within one degree, of Mars as viewed by most observers. However, from the far northern latitudes of Canada and Alaska the Moon will be seen to occult, or pass in front of Mars. As the image shows, on that evening Mars will not only be close to the Moon, but Mars will also be within about two-degrees of the open star cluster, M-35. Unfortunately having a full Moon near something like M-35 means that M-35 will not be visible as its relatively dimmer light is lost in the glare from the Moon. Wait a couple of nights and go out before the Moon rises to look for M-35. It will be only a degree or two further to the east from Mars. Both are still close enough to be seen in the field of view of binoculars.

Geminid Meteor Shower

During December the other good annual meteor shower reaches its peak on Friday, December 14. While the peak is on Dec. 13 and 14, the actual meteor shower event lasts nearly two weeks, from Dec. 6 through Dec. 19. The meteors will radiate outward in all directions from the radiant which is located quite close to the star Castor. The Gemini Twins rise at about 7 p.m. and so the radiant for the meteor shower may be observed throughout the night. The constellation will still be high above the southwestern horizon at the peak time. Despite a crescent Moon rising at about 2a.m. local time the light from the waning crescent Moon will not interfere with observing meteors. The Geminids are as exciting as their summer counterpart, the Perseids, often producing a high rate of visible meteors. A meteor shower occurs as the earth, moving along its orbital path, passes through clouds of debris left behind by comets. The Geminids are unique in that they are associated with an Apollo Asteroid, 3200 Phaethon. An Apollo Asteroid is one whose orbit crosses the earth's orbit.
Rising over the eastern horizon in the early evening hours during December are the stars of the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. Appearing as a five-sided pentagon-shape with the brilliant star Capella in the upper right corner, and the other four stars Hassaleh, Elnath, Theta and Mekalinan. It is an easy star pattern to recognize and within its boundaries are three deep-sky objects discovered by Charles Messier that can be seen under dark skies with binoculars. These are the open star clusters, M36, M37 and M38.

Each of these open star clusters shines at magnitudes that flirt with the limit of naked-eye visibility. M36, 4100 light years distant has an apparent magnitude of 6.5; M37, at a distance of 4400 light years, has an apparent magnitude of 6.0, and M38, at 4200 light years, is the faintest of the trio with an apparent magnitude of 7.0 .The brightness of all three also competes with the glow of the Milky Way in their background. While this may take away from some of their brightness, having the Milky Way to view objects against is certainly a pleasure, as this computer-generated image above illustrates. The darker the skies the better is definitely the rule here. These three star clusters are close enough together that they fit within the field of view of most binoculars.

Planetary Guide

Mercury is steadily moving eastward toward the Sun and superior conjunction on Dec. 17. It might be possible to view Mercury for the first few days this month but it will be low above the southeastern horizon shortly before sunrise. Venus starts the month about four degrees east, to the right, of the bluish star Spica. Using Spica as a reference point the daily movement of this inner, and relatively faster moving planet becomes obvious. By month's end Venus will have nearly made it to the reddish star Antares in Scorpius. Mars is very visible within the stars of the Gemini Twins. This month Mars is closest to the Earth on Dec. 19. The red planet reaches opposition on Dec. 24, and is well into its retrograde loop as it moves westward into Taurus. Jupiter is too close to the sun and will be in conjunction with the sun by Dec. 23. Watch for the giant planet to reappear in the morning skies next month. Saturn rises around midnight local time and is visible over the southern horizon around sunrise. It begins retrograde motion on Dec. 20 moving slowly westward back toward Regulus.Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc.2007