1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-The Nation's Weather. 3-N. Florida wildfires continue. 4-Hotter temps could be key ingredient to more severe summer weather in Canada. 5-Harsh weather to be blamed for declining bee population not Colony Collapse Disorder. 6-Viral disease sickens hundreds in China. 7-Israel launches new airstrikes on Hamas. 8-Iran-EU nuclear talks likely in Spain: 9-Bible spared indecent classification in Hong Kong.
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 = Sat May 19 12:00 PM EDT
MAY 19,07
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 3.6 BRISTOL BAY
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAY 18,07
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 5.8 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 5.7 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 4.5 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.7 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 2.5 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 3.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.8 LOYALTY ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 5.5 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.3 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.9 CRETE, GREECE
MAP 4.6 SIKKIM, INDIA
MAP 3.5 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.6 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.7 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.7 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
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.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sat May 19, 7:15 AM ET
Low-pressure systems moving along the East Coast were expected to bring significant rain to the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast on Saturday. Minor coastal flooding was possible in northern New England. Showers and thunderstorms were forecast for drought-stricken South Florida, while the Southeast and the Mississippi Valley were expected to stay dry.Scattered showers were forecast for the Northern Plains, Great Lakes, Southwest, Great Basin and the Rockies.The Southwest could hit triple digits, while the Southeast was expected to reach the 70s and 80s. The Northeast was to rise into the 50s and 60s, while the Northwest could see temperatures in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a low of 26 degrees at West Yellowstone, Mont., to a high of 110 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
N. Florida wildfires continue MAY 19,07
The Associated Press
LAKE CITY, Fla. -- Firefighters have made progress containing a raging wildfire in north Florida, but strengthening winds over the next two days could cause problems, officials said Thursday.The next two days are supposed to be high hazard days on that fire, said Jim Harrell, a spokesman for the Florida Division of Forestry. We're really concerned that high winds will push the fire.With 198 active fires in Florida as of Thursday, Harrell said the one near Lake City was the only fire still posing a significant threat. The Division of Forestry was watching another 8-10 fires, Harrell said, but those were all 80-95 percent contained.The fire near Lake City was covering 120,515 acres and was 65 percent contained, Harrell said.Firefighters have made good progress the past two days, Harrell said. It's been very mild weather.
Officials said as of Thursday, 725 homes remain evacuated, mostly located along U.S. 441, north of Interstate 10. Harrell said firefighters have been setting up near the homes to make sure they are not ignited by embers floating from the main fire. Besides firefighters on the ground, Harrell said four tanker planes have dropped 2,000-2,500 gallons of retardant on the blaze to help strengthen the lines.
Seven new fires started in the state Thursday, covering 6.3 acres, Harrell said. Georgia and Florida have been battling hundreds of wildfires over the past few weeks, but the one near the state border was the most threatening.Smoke from south Georgia wildfires reached all the way to Atlanta early Wednesday.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Hotter temps could be key ingredient to more severe summer weather in Canada at 12:06 on May 19, 2007, EST.
TORONTO (CP) - At least one of the main ingredients for a summer of active, violent weather is being forecast for much of the country, Environment Canada's senior climatologist warns. For the rest of May, June, July and August we're suggesting that the temperatures across... most of Canada look like warmer than normal, said David Phillips. You have at least the potential there for extreme summer weather. While Ontario has already seen some severe weather, the potential for a more active Atlantic hurricane season could also impact the Maritimes, Phillips said. We typically get about nine tropical storms, and they're talking about the possibility of maybe 17, so therefore conditions are ripe.The forecast, as well, for drier than normal conditions in the West could mean droughts and a greater risk of forest fires, said Phillips - who noted the problems already being encountered in northwestern Ontario.
That just doesn't affect forests and wilderness areas, but it also affects campers and tourism in those areas too, he said. Given the early start to the fire season in northwestern Ontario, many are concerned about what might follow, said Bob Thomas, a spokesman for Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources. This is rather unusual, he said, noting that while a bad fire season isn't assured, the prospect is in the back of people's minds. Certainly we're going to have to give that some thought, because we're going to have to be ready.However, Phillips says there's nothing concrete to suggest there will actually be more severe weather and he's not advising anyone to go out and cancel their holidays or take out extra insurance. Still, past experience suggests the chance is there.
I'd be the most surprised person in Canada if we didn't get have our share (of severe weather), he said. That is just generally what weather bring us in this part of the world.Even before the Victoria Day long weekend arrived to signal the unofficial start of summer, two severe weather incidents had already hit southern Ontario. On April 23, thunderstorm-produced wind gusts of 120 to 150 km/hr damaged buildings north of Toronto, injuring one person and knocking out power to 17,000 customers. Last Tuesday, a cold front moved across southern Ontario that produced hail-laden thunderstorms and a probable tornado touchdown in the community of Monkton, north of Stratford.
Winds up to 113 km/hr downed trees, cutting power to 7,000. Flash flooding in Toronto prompted warnings for people to stay away from swollen, fast-running waterways. Hydro One spokesman Al Manchee said while the early onset of severe weather doesn't have the province's massive power utility concerned it has caught their attention. We are prepared, he said, adding lessons have been learned from multiple severe weather events that crippled hydro service across central and northern Ontario last year. We hope it doesn't end up like last summer.Three severe weather events hit central and northern Ontario and western Quebec between July and September last year, where high winds downed trees and branches, leaving hundreds of thousands without power in each case. Hydro One and the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated the first two of those storms cost nearly $100 million in damage.
In 2006, Environment Canada recorded 23 tornadoes in Ontario alone - almost double the yearly average of 14. Phillips said tornadoes shouldn't come as a surprise, as the country sees an average of 80 each year - second in the world only to the United States. Another possibility, Phillips said, is more heat and smog advisories akin to 2005, particularly in southern Canada. There were 51 smog days in Ontario that year compared to just 16 in 2006. During the recent emergency preparedness week, the federal government urged Canadians to know the potential risks of severe weather, make a plan and have an emergency kit handy. We are encouraging Canadians to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours in the event of an emergency, which is the length of time it takes to mobilize a relief effort in a significant way, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said earlier this month. The Harper government says it put aside $38 million over two years in its 2006 budget to enhance federal capacity to deal with catastrophes and emergencies.
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.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS INCREDIBLE FAMINE WILL OCCUR IN THE LAST DAYS. THIS BEE DISASTER WILL CAUSE SOME OF IT AS BEES HELP POLONISE THE FRUIT, SO FRUIT PRICES WILL SKYROCKET.
Harsh weather to be blamed for declining bee population not Colony Collapse Disorder BY JOHN CHRISTIANSON - The Truro Daily News MAY 19,07
DEBERT - Blueberry harvesters should not worry about a so-called colony collapse disorder of bee hives that has producers concerned in other parts of North America, says a local bee-keeper.Tony Phillips of Debert supplies 80-90 hives per year to blueberry producers and he says die-off in local hives can be attributed to a harsh fall and winter.I think we’ve had losses that some people have had more than they’re used to but the winter is an explanation for that, he said. Media reports from central Canada suggest there’s a massive die-off of bees in 27 U.S. states where 90 per cent of the colonies have disappeared. Called Colony Collapse Disorder, reports suggest the mysterious die-off has affected parts of Canada as well.About 17,000 hives are rented out to blueberry producers in Nova Scotia to help pollinate crops.
Don Johnson, a small blueberry producer in Great Village, hasn’t experienced any die-off, on the scale reported in the United States, on the 10 acres he farms.Last year he rented four boxes of bees at $75 each to help with his crop.My crop personally suffered because of the weather, he said. It was rainy and the bees didn’t seem to want to come out. The bees that I had didn’t seem to want to work.
Phillips said the die-off in the U.S. and in parts of Canada is not as mysterious as some people believe. He said he hasn’t seen colony collapse himself and said that there is a strong indication that some bee keepers are seeing an escalated die-off because of an accumulation of stressors capped off by a virus.They think it’s an accumulative thing, he said
Bees are facing a number of stressors including overcrowding in some areas, chemicals used in agriculture and in the hives themselves for disease control and antibiotics, migratory bee-keeping, trucking from one pollination contract to another and a split to create new hives.All of these things can be stress points and it can be one last thing, the tipping point ... I think they have identified a fungus that was the tipping point with these bees. No one knows for sure, but they think the tipping point was a fungus.George Johnson, a Great Village blueberry producer, said it might be time to think about using the indigenous Alfalfa leafcutter bee to pollinate their crops. The bee is an alternative to the honey bee that is susceptible to disease.Phillips said local beekeepers shouldn’t be overly concerned about Colony Collapse Disorder.I think you’ll be okay in Nova Scotia, he said.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Viral disease sickens hundreds in China Sat May 19, 9:51 AM ET
BEIJING - An outbreak of a viral disease common in children has sickened almost 900 people in eastern China but the outbreak has been contained, state media said Saturday. The outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease began in late April in the city of Linyi in Shandong province, the Xinhua News Agency said.About 470 patients had recovered by Friday and another 393 people — mostly children — were still sick with more than half still in the hospital, Xinhua said, citing Bao Wenhui, the deputy director of the provincial health department.The latest information was likely a response to media reports earlier this week that said more than two dozen children had died and that there had been a cover-up. The reports also said the true figures had not been released to prevent public panic. Local health officials dismissed those reports as rumors.
China has in the past been accused of foot-dragging in releasing information about outbreaks of diseases such as bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.A 2-year-old girl diagnosed as a probable hand, foot and mouth patient died on April 29, but no other deaths have been reported since, Xinhua said.Hand, foot and mouth disease is common in young children and is characterized by fever, mouth sores and a rash with blisters. It is not related to foot and mouth disease, which infects cattle, sheep and swine.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes hand, foot and mouth disease as mild, and says nearly all patients recover in seven to 10 days without medical treatment. But one cause of the disease may also lead to more serious and fatal diseases such as encephalitis or a type of paralysis, according to the CDC.Xinhua said local health departments have launched a public awareness campaign and quarantined children who are sick.
Shandong reported 2,477 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in 2005, including one death, and 3,030 cases in 2006, two of which were fatal, the report said.
Israel launches new airstrikes on Hamas By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer MAY 19,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas for a fifth straight day Saturday, hitting a rocket squad and two workshops in Gaza, and the defense minister warned militants who attack Israel they should be very afraid.But Defense Minister Amir Peretz also said now is not the time for a major Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.Hospital officials said two Palestinians were killed and four wounded in the latest Israeli strikes.Days of Israeli air attacks on Hamas targets have coincided with a surge in deadly infighting between Hamas gunmen and rivals from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. On Saturday, the two groups reached a new cease-fire deal, pledging to pull fighters off the streets and exchange hostages, officials from both sides said.Previous truce agreements quickly collapsed in recent days, and it was not clear whether this one would hold. Failure to stanch the bloodshed would spell the end of the shaky power-sharing agreement Hamas and Fatah reached two months ago to end a previous round of internal strife.
Clashes erupted outside the home of a senior Fatah official in Gaza City as the latest truce was reached, and security officials said several people were wounded. In the course of the gunbattle, the convoy of a Fatah-allied colonel in the Palestinian intelligence came under fire, but no one was hurt.
Later, however, teams of representatives from the various Palestinian militant factions went around to buildings to make sure gunmen had come down from rooftops. Once rooftops are cleared, an exchange of an unknown number of hostages kidnapped during the past week is to begin. Other faction members removed roadblocks that had been erected during the fighting to identify gunmen from rival factions.Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said he expected the latest truce to stick because of Israel's military strikes.No one would accept to fight one another while the Israelis are shelling Gaza, he said.Israel launched its latest round of airstrikes on Tuesday to counter a stepped-up barrage of Hamas rockets on Israeli border towns. The militant group, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, has fired nearly 120 rockets at southern Israel since Tuesday, the military said.
On Saturday, Israel missiles slammed into a rocket squad near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the army said.Earlier in the day, missile strikes demolished two suspected Hamas metal workshops.Saturday's two deaths brought to 22 the number of Palestinians killed in airstrikes in the past week.Peretz warned militants involved in rocket operations should be very afraid, because it is our intention to act against Hamas.We are mainly focusing on sensitive locations tied to Hamas, he told Israel Radio, adding that these locations included rocket workshops.Asked whether Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and the head of Hamas' military wing, Ahmed Jaberi, could also be targets, Peretz said he would not rule out any action that makes it clear to everyone that we don't intend to allow anyone to harm Israeli citizens.At the same time, he said Israel would not embark on a major offensive in the Gaza Strip because it had other, unspecified tools in its arsenal to use against rocket-launchers.
Israel's Security Cabinet is to meet on Sunday with senior defense officials to discuss the rocket attacks and how to respond, Israel media reported. Four rockets hit the border area Saturday, causing damage, but no injury. A day earlier, four Israelis were hurt in rocket attacks. Peretz said Israel is worried by Hamas' efforts to extend the range of its rockets, which include training in Iran. The Israeli airstrikes have driven Hamas fighters out of their bases, prompting accusations that Israel is helping Fatah. Peretz insisted Israel is not interfering in the internal fighting. However, he also said that we certainly would like the moderate forces to emerge with the upper hand, a reference to Fatah. The weeklong Hamas-Fatah fighting has killed more than 50 Palestinians and wounded dozens. By mid-afternoon, Hamas and Fatah announced they had reached a new cease-fire deal, negotiated in a meeting at the Egyptian Embassy and endorsed by Abbas and Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal.
The main guarantee is that this agreement was reached by ... Mr. Abbas and Mr. Mashaal, Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti said. We are trying to have an atmosphere of national unity and reconciliation. The most important thing is to stop any form of internal violence between Palestinians.Abbas and Haniyeh, the most senior Hamas politician in Gaza, have so far failed to calm the situation, indicating they have largely lost control to the gunmen and their political patrons. Abbas has stayed in his West Bank headquarters during the fighting. Palestinian officials said he was told by security advisers not to travel to Gaza, for fear of possible danger to his life.
Iran-EU nuclear talks likely in Spain: report Sat May 19, 9:14 AM ET
TEHRAN (Reuters) - The next round of talks between Iran and the European Union on Tehran's disputed nuclear program is likely to take place in Spain this month, Iran's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Saturday. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, a Spaniard, last met in Turkey on April 25-26 to discuss the nuclear row. They agreed to meet again but without fixing a date and venue.There is a high possibility that it will take place in Spain, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the ILNA news agency, suggesting the meeting would be sometime between May 22 and May 31.The official IRNA news agency earlier this week said May 31 was the agreed date.In Brussels, EU officials confirmed a meeting was expected to take place at the end of the month but were not able to confirm the date or location.Iran is embroiled in a deepening standoff with major powers over its atomic ambitions, which the West fears are aimed at making nuclear weapons. Tehran says it wants only to produce electricity.
The United Nations has imposed two sets of sanctions on Iran since December over its refusal to freeze uranium enrichment -- a process that can be used to make atomic warheads.U.S. officials have warned of a third, tougher resolution if Tehran does not halt such work but Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they will not bow to such pressure.Asked whether Iran would make any new proposals at the meeting with Solana, Mottaki said: The discussion is not over a particular proposal but it is possible that different ideas will be discussed.(Additional reporting by Dale Hudson in Brussels)
ROMANS 18:18,22,25
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (SATAN) more than the Creator, (GOD)( THIS VERSE SAYS CREATOR NOT BIG BANGER) who is blessed for ever. Amen.
THIS IS SICK TRYING TO SAY THE BIBLE IS AN INDECENT PUBLICATION.
Bible spared indecent classification in Hong Kong Fri May 18, 12:57 AM ET
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's media regulator has rejected calls to reclassify the Bible as an indecent publication following more than 2,000 complaints about its sexual and violent content, including rape and incest. The Bible is a religious text which is part of civilization. It has been passed from generation to generation, Hong Kong's Television and Licensing Authority (TELA) said in a statement issued late on Thursday.It said it would not submit the Bible to the Obscene Articles Tribunal for classification.The regulator received 2,041 complaints against the Bible this week, following an uproar over a sex column in a student magazine that was classified as indecent by authorities for asking if readers had ever fantasized about incest or bestiality.
A Web site launched soon afterwards campaigned to have the Bible similarly classified, citing passages with sexual and violent content it claimed went beyond that of the sex column.But TELA said in its statement the Bible had not violated standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable members of the community.Publications classified as indecent in Hong Kong can only be bought by people aged over 18 and must be sealed in a wrapper with a statutory warning notice.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO OPRAH
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-The Nation's Weather. 3-Accuweather forecasts hot summer for much of U.S. 4-Israel hits Hamas during Gaza fighting. 5-Putin, EU leaders trade barbs at summit. 6-Sign the Jerusalem Petition. 7-Golan Withdrawal Won't Have it Easy. 8-Exclusive Interview with Gaydamak. 9-Messiah mystery follows death of mystical rabbi 10-Without the law there would be no European Union. 11-Stefan's Comment: Jerusalem IS the Capital City of Israel. 12-Perspectives: Oprah's Secret deceives millions.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Fri May 18 5:00 PM EDT
MAY 18,07
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 5.5 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.3 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.6 SIKKIM, INDIA
MAP 3.5 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.0 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.7 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.7 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAY 17,07
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.9 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
MAP 4.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.1 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 PAPUA REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.3 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.8 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.5 NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.7 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.5 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
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.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Fri May 18, 6:53 AM ET
An intense storm forecast to develop off the Mid-Atlantic coast on Friday could cause minor coastal flooding in New Jersey and Long Island. Heavy rain was expected to move into New England, possibly flooding some rivers. Light rain was forecast for the central Appalachians.More thunderstorms were expected in the Rockies, with the most intense storms likely to develop in the Southwest. A strong thunderstorm or two could form in West Texas and roll eastward through the state. Storms were also possible in the Northern Plains.In the West, clear skies were forecast over California and Oregon, although clouds were expected to develop over coastal Washington.
Temperatures in the region were to remain cool.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a low of 23 degrees at Land O'Lakes, Wis., to a high of 109 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Accuweather forecasts hot summer for much of U.S Thu May 17, 7:59 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private weather forecaster Accuweather is predicting hotter-than-normal temperatures for much of the United States this summer, the company said in a press release. Temperatures will be the hottest in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region and the Midwest. Texas is expected to be one of the few exceptions to the expected hotter-than-normal conditions.Rainfall in the United States is expected to be normal except in the Southwest and the Rockies. The Great Lakes, Texas and Florida will receive more rain that usual, Accuweather said.
Israel hits Hamas during Gaza fighting By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer MAY 18,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli warplanes pummeled Hamas targets Friday in a stepped-up campaign against militants firing rockets into southern Israel, while Palestinian factions battled with automatic weapons and grenades at a Gaza university. Street battles between Fatah and Hamas remained less intense than the heavy fighting that terrorized Gaza City two days earlier, but a truce agreement late Thursday enjoyed no more success than previous cease-fires declared this week.With the political leaders of the factions seemingly not in control of their gunmen, Hamas militiamen raised the internal strife to an ominous new level by widening their targets beyond armed rivals and seizing aides to two Fatah officials.The infighting that began Sunday has killed more than 50 Palestinians and wounded dozens, while the death toll from Israeli attacks rose to 20 as airstrikes killed eight people Friday.
Israeli missiles came screeching down at least five times in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks that have panicked people in southern Israel. At least 13 more militant rockets fell, wounding four Israelis in the battered town of Sderot.
Despite the escalating air campaign, a senior Israeli army officer said there were no immediate plans for a major ground offensive against rocket teams, saying Israel was reluctant to do something that might unite the Palestinian factions. He spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decision had been made.One airstrike incinerated a minivan carrying Hamas militants and what the Israeli army described as a large amount of weapons. Three fighters were killed and 12 people were wounded, Palestinian hospital officials said.We were sitting outside my grocery store when a huge explosion shook the area and a small minivan turned into a ball of fire, Jawad Dallou said. People in a nearby mourning tent also were wounded, he said.An earlier airstrike east of Gaza City killed five Palestinians, including at least three Hamas militants, and wounded six. Israel's military said the target was a Hamas headquarters building.
Other air attacks caused no fatalities.
Hamas said the Israeli military had called the home of Ahmed Jaabari, head of Hamas' military wing, and warned his family the house would be hit. People gathered around the building to discourage an attack, he said. The Israeli military had no comment.The fighting between Hamas and Fatah all but destroyed a power-sharing government formed two months ago in hopes of ending nearly a year of periodic clashes between the rival groups.
The latest bloodshed was touched off by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to deploy thousands of security officers in Gaza City last week to try to restore law and order. Hamas called that a provocation because it wasn't consulted and fighting broke out Sunday.Hamas' two abductions in Gaza on Friday broadened the mayhem; it was the first time senior civilians with ties to Fatah were targeted.The gunmen freed Abdel Salam Abu Askar, a veteran journalist who advises Fatah's Gaza strongman, Mohammed Dahlan, after several hours. But Abdullah Franji, office director of a senior Fatah leader in Gaza, remained in captivity late Friday. Gunbattles between the two factions killed at least three people Friday.Bullets and rocket-propelled grenades flew outside Islamic University, a Hamas stronghold, as Hamas fighters battled Fatah gunmen in the nearby Foreign Ministry building. Grenades hit the office of the school president, who appealed for an immediate halt to the violence.
One person was wounded at the school.
Although Israel said it wasn't taking sides, its airstrikes made it harder for Hamas gunmen to move around, and Hamas used that fact to argue that Fatah and Israel were in collusion. Hamas TV named three Fatah security chiefs who it said were in secret contact with foreign security personnel. They are deep into treason, and we will deal with them accordingly, the broadcast said. The TV did not specify which foreigners, but Fatah forces affiliated with Abbas have received advice and training from the U.S., which lists Hamas as a terror group for killing more than 250 Israelis in attacks over the years.
Earlier in the week, some 500 Fatah security men trained in Egypt under a U.S.-brokered deal returned to Gaza, passing through the border with Israel's permission.
Putin, EU leaders trade barbs at summit By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer MAY 18,07
VOLZHSKY UTYOS, Russia - President Vladimir Putin, emboldened by Russia's vast oil and gas wealth, bluntly rejected European criticism of his crackdown on political foes, saying Friday that like it or not Russia's Western neighbors would have to accept it as a partner. His remarks came hours after police prevented chess great Garry Kasparov from attending an opposition rally in Samara, near the Volga River resort where Putin held a summit with European Union leaders.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the current EU president, objected at a post-summit news conference to the treatment of Kasparov and other Kremlin opponents, while Putin sought to take the subject of Russian political rights off the table.
Both Russia and the EU are interested in the development of relations with each other, and they will develop whether we like it or not, the Russian leader said, in an apparent reference to Europe's growing reliance on Russia for its energy needs.
Putin questioned whether Europe was really concerned about the human rights records of its allies — citing the alleged abuse of terror suspects at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.The summit produced no new agreements, and failed to make progress on commercial, security and other issues dividing Russia from Europe. Putin's remarks signal that he sees no need to mollify foreign critics of his political course, which opponents say has concentrated power in the Kremlin and muzzled dissent.
Before the summit, Germany asked Russia to permit opposition leaders to protest in Samara. But on Friday morning, police at a Moscow airport confiscated the passports and tickets of Kasparov and other activists and prevented them from flying to Samara.The passports were held for five hours, until the day's last flight to Samara had left, a Kasparov spokesman said.
The former world chess champion said the West's efforts to engage Putin only lends legitimacy to the Kremlin's actions. Any time you pretend that Putin is one of you, that Putin belongs to this democratic club, it backfires on us because that is what Kremlin propaganda is using on us, calling us marginals, extremists, radicals, he said.Merkel complained about the treatment of opposition protesters. I'm concerned about some people having problems traveling here, she told reporters. I hope they will be given an opportunity to express their opinion.Putin said his government is not concerned about the so-called Dissenters Marches, staged by a coalition of opposition groups led by Kasparov. Several of the protests have been brutally dispersed by police.
They don't bother me in any way, Putin said. He blamed some of the violence on demonstrators, who provoke law enforcement forces to use force, and they respond accordingly.Unlike previous protests organized by Kasparov and his allies, Friday's march in Samara won approval by local authorities. But after the detention of several of the organizers, only about 100 protesters showed up Friday.
Demonstrators gathered at a square in the late afternoon, outnumbered by police, and marched through the streets shouting, Russia without Putin! and We need another Russia.Answering Merkel's criticism, Putin said German police have also detained protesters. Law enforcement authorities in practically all countries make preventive arrests, there are examples in Germany, he said. Such action isn't always justified.Merkel shot back, saying that police action against participants in violent riots could be justified.
If a person hasn't done anything yet, if he's just on his way to a demonstration, that's a completely different case, she said.Putin also assailed the EU for failing to respond to the death of a Russian citizen during clashes between police and ethnic Russian protesters in Estonia. The clashes erupted over the removal of a monument to a Soviet soldier from Tallinn, the capital, to another location.European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters that democracy and rule of law are sacred principles for the EU.
It's very important for all European countries, and Russia is a European country, to ensure the full respect of those principles and values, he said. But Barroso also reaffirmed the EU's support for Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization — a statement that appeared to reflect a softening of Brussels' stance after recent warnings from the EU that Moscow's candidacy was in jeopardy.
Putin and his European guests also argued about the lack of progress in a dispute over a Russian ban on Polish meat and plants. Putin sought to cast the dispute as a bilateral problem that blocked the expansion of Russia-EU ties, but Merkel and Barroso emphasized European solidarity. A Polish problem is a European problem, Barroso said. A visibly irritated Putin lashed back: I was asking: Is there a boundary to your solidarity? ...We also must defend our interests.But there were glimmers of agreement. Putin and the EU leaders pointed to progress in trade and economic ties and plans for future cooperation. They also pledged to extend EU-Russia work on cross-border trade, visa issues, and scientific and technical cooperation. We need each other, we are open for an honest dialogue between Russia and the EU, Putin said. It's totally wrong to say we couldn't agree on a single issue.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
Sign the Jerusalem Petition - May 17, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Yesterday Israel observed the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day, is a day set aside to reflect upon the significance of this ancient and Holy City to the Jewish people, and to celebrate the fact that, after thousands of years, it is once again the capital of a sovereign Jewish state.The Jews' return to rule in Jerusalem was the end of a very long and often bitter struggle. It is important to remember that, even when the modern state of Israel was formed in 1948, the United Nations intended Jerusalem to be an international city. Israel's founders reluctantly agreed to this, in the hope that it would be only a temporary measure that would protect the new country from conflict with its Arab neighbors.These hopes were quickly dashed. When Israel
declared its statehood, her neighbors attacked from all sides. Jordan invaded and occupied the eastern part of Jerusalem, dividing the city. For the next 19 years, Israel would be denied access to some of the holiest sites of all Judaism, including the Western Wall and the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, where generations of Jewish dead are buried.
Then came the pivotal events of 1967, when Arab states again united against Israel. Egypt blocked all shipping in and out of the southern Israel port of Eilat. The combined forces of several Arab nations were gathered at Israel's borders, poised to attack. Their leaders declared in no uncertain terms their intention to destroy the Jewish State.This confrontation led to a battle, now known as the Six Day War, which led to the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule It was a stunning victory for Israel—few moments in modern Jewish history are more electrifying than the moment when Israel Defense Forces Colonel Motta Gur declared over his radio in the midst of battle, The Temple Mount is in our hands!
Incredibly, despite the fact that Jerusalem has been the spiritual center of Jewish life since the time of King David, has had a continuous Jewish presence for thousands of years and has never been claimed as capital by any other nation or people, the world—including the U.S.—still refuses to recognize it as the capital of Israel.New bills recently introduced into the U.S. House and Senate seek to change that by calling on the U.S. government to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and to move its embassy there from Tel Aviv. One of these bills, the Jerusalem Resolution, was originally put before the Senate a couple of years ago, but got stalled in committee. Now there is again an opportunity to revive it—and to send a clear message to the U.S. Congress.
These bills are currently under consideration by the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees. If approved, they will be presented to the House and Senate for a vote. Please sign our petition in support of these important pieces of legislation.
http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SFI_jerusalempetition
We will forward the petition on to these two committees. Let's make the voices of thousands of faithful friends of Israel heard in Washington, so the U.S. can be among the first declaring what millions of faithful Jews and Christians know already—that Jerusalem is the rightful capital of Israel and the eternal home of the Jewish people!
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Golan Withdrawal Won't Have it Easy
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 17,07
The Knesset has approved a bill mandating a popular referendum before land in the Golan, Jerusalem or other part of sovereign Israel is given away. Yesha (Judea and Samaria) is not included. Sponsored by MK Avigdor Yitzchaki of Kadima, the proposed legislation is an amendment to the existing law regarding a give-away of Israeli territory. The existing law states that no sovereign land may be given away without approval of the Cabinet, the Knesset, and a popular referendum. However, it adds that the referendum requirement will not come into effect until a Basic Law on plebiscites is legislated thus obviating the need for a referendum. Yitzchaki's bill does away with that qualification, thus leaving the referendum clause in effect. The bill has nothing to do with a possible future withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, which has not yet been annexed by the State of Israel.
The bill was approved in a preliminary Knesset reading by a 26-18 vote, against the position of the government. It must still pass additional Knesset readings as well as a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee vote before coming law.
This vote proves that there is no majority in Israel's Knesset supporting a return the Golan Heights to Syria, MK Yitzchaki said. The Prime Minister must now know clearly that it will not be he, but rather the people, who will decide whether to accept agreements concerning concession of sovereign Israeli land.Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Israelis are against giving away the Golan. The recent October Peace Index survey, carried out last year, showed that 67% of Israelis oppose giving away the Golan even in exchange for full peace. A giant protest rally seven years ago in Tel Aviv - some estimates were that half-a-million people showed up - put to rest until recently any talk of giving away the Golan.
Political Ramifications
This is an important accomplishment for the opposition, said Likud faction whip MK Gideon Saar. Only 18 out of 78 coalition MKs supported the government's position, proving that the coalition exists only on paper.Likud MK Yisrael Katz, head of the Knesset Golan Lobby, said, This vote is a clear message to Syria and others that Israel will never give up the Golan Heights.
Golan Guarantee for the Galilee
The Golan, a mountainous area directly overlooking much of Israel's northern plain, was used by Syria to attack Israeli towns in the years leading up to the Six Day War. In June 1967, Israel finally captured and liberated the Heights, and within weeks, Galilee farmers took their first moves to settle the Golan so as to ensure that the pre-war situation would never return. When they first ascended the mountains and looked down at Israel from the former Syrian positions, some of them were quoted as saying that they had never realized that every move of theirs had been visible to the Syrian gunners above.
Exclusive Interview with Gaydamak
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 18,07
Arutz-7's Yehoshua Meiri spoke on Jerusalem Day with Aryeh Bar-Lev - better known as Arcady Gaydamak - about Gaydamak's help for Sderot and his plans to become Mayor of Jerusalem. Gaydamak sent eight buses for residents of Kassam-besieged Sderot on Wednesday, transporting them to safer areas in the north. Meiri asked, I heard on Egpytian Radio this morning that Israel is evacuating the citizens of Sderot. I know that you mean to do well, but maybe Gaydamak said, I understand [your question]. First of all, in general, radio and media are the tools of journalists to explain their stupidity, their lack of information, and their personal opinions. This is the general situation everywhere... In some countries, the journalists also use the media for propaganda... I don't care about their opinion, nor about public opinion - because public opinion is managed by the professionals, and also because it is human nature to want to see other people being shown to be worse than them... The Jews living in Sderot have been living in a very difficult situation, in great danger, and they never know when the rockets will come. We should help them however we can. I am just a yehudi pashut [a simple Jew], and I want to help. I look to see what I can do. I come to share with them what I can. They are families and I want to help them - and the rest I don't care about.
Meiri: In light of the inability of the Prime Minister to decide on a military course of action against the Gaza terrorists, would you recommend that the IDF Chief of Staff act on his own, as some have recommended?
Gaydamak: I have no confidence at all in this Prime Minister - but even so, there is no doubt that the army should never take action without authorization from the government.
Meiri: My last question is, What about your intentions to be the mayor of Jerusalem?
Gaydamak: I will be Mayor of Jerusalem because it is of absolute necessity that the mayor be someone who acts not for his own personal interests... In the Israeli system, there is a natural division of Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and this parliamentary system is not suitable for Israel because the candidates are elected based on this division, and then they must act not for the people's interests but
only for the sake of maintaining the coalition; they are not able to run the country. We should change this system and have a strong presidential system. This is why I decided that I should take control of this city of Jerusalem, for the good of the residents, all of them, Jews and Muslims, and create economic prosperity... and because Jerusalem is the most important symbol of peace in the world, we should also try to solve the problems of confrontation in the Middle East. This is why I should be the mayor of Jerusalem; it's not that I want [this position].
Messiah mystery follows death of mystical rabbi
Revered Israeli apocalyptic kabbalah leader shocks Jews, Christians with name Yeshua
Posted: May 18, 2007 - WorldNetDaily.com
Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri
A controversy is raging in Israel, in evangelical circles in the U.S. and on kabbalah web forums worldwide following the posthumous release of what a revered Sephardic rabbi claimed to be the name of the Messiah. When Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri died in February 2006, somewhere between the age of 106 to possibly 117, 300,000 attended his funeral in Jerusalem. The Baghdad-born kabbalist had gained notoriety around the world for issuing apocalyptic warnings and for saying he personally met the long-awaited Jewish Messiah in November 2003. Before Kaduri died, he reportedly wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note, requesting it remained sealed for one year after his death. The note revealed the name of the Messiah as Yehoshua or Yeshua or the Hebrew name Jesus. However, complicating the story further, the note is being challenged as a forgery by his 80-year-old son Rabbi David Kaduri. It's not his writing, he is quoted as telling Israel Today.
The note, written in Hebrew and signed in the rabbi's name, said: Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah's name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid. This I have signed in the month of mercy.The Hebrew sentence consists of six words. The first letter of each of those words spells out the Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua. The finding has raised a combination of excitement and controversy in both Jewish and Christian circles – but scarcely any media attention. Jewish blogs and web forums are filled with skeptical analysis and puzzlement. So this means Rabbi Kaduri was a Christian? asked one poster rhetorically. Another wrote: The Christians are dancing and celebrating.Not exactly.
In fact, many Christian discussion boards say Kaduri's description of the Messiah – no matter what his name – doesn't fit the biblical account of a returned Jesus of Nazareth, who, they believe, will rule and reign on Earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. About his encounter with the Messiah Kaduri claimed is alive in Israel today, he reportedly told close relatives: He is not saying, I am the Messiah, give me the leadership.Rather the nation is pushing him to lead them, after they find [in my words] signs showing that he has the status of Messiah.Kaduri was also quoted as saying the imminent arrival of the Messiah will save Jerusalem from Islam and Christianity that wish to take Jerusalem from the Jewish Nation – but they will not succeed, and they will fight each other.Statements like that have some Christians wondering if Kaduri might be talking about another Yeshua – perhaps even a miracle -performing false Christ many evangelicals believe will precede the return of Jesus.
It is hard for many good people in society to understand the person of the Messiah, Kaduri wrote before his death. The leadership and order of a Messiah of flesh and blood is hard to accept for many in the nation. As leader, the Messiah will not hold any office, but will be among the people and use the media to communicate. His reign will be pure and without personal or political desire. During his dominion, only righteousness and truth will reign.Kaduri wrote that not all will believe in the Messiah – and that it will often be easier for non-religious people to accept him. He also describes a Messiah
who is, at first, not aware of his position.
Kaduri's funeral
A few months before his death, Kaduri gave a Yom Kippur address in which he gave clues as to how to recognize the Messiah. He told those gathered for the Day of Atonement in his synagogue the Messiah would not come until former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dies.
Sharon was stricken while in office Jan. 4, 2006. He remained in a coma until replaced by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. While many expected the imminent passing of Sharon, he has remained alive but unconscious ever since his attack. Shortly after what Kaduri characterized as his Nov. 4, 2003, encounter with the Messiah, in which he said he learned his name, the rabbi began warning of impending disasters worldwide. In September 2005 in a class at his Jerusalem yeshiva seminary, Kaduri called for Jews all over the world to return to Israel because of the calamities about to befall the Earth and for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple.
In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bring about great disasters in the countries of the world to sweeten the judgments of the land of Israel, he said. In 1990, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson told Kaduri that he would live to see the coming of the Messiah. Also in September 2005, Kaduri said: The Messiah is already in Israel. Whatever people are sure will not happen is liable to happen, and whatever we are certain will happen may disappoint us. But in the end, there will be peace throughout the world.As a lifelong student and teacher of kabbalah, Kaduri rejected a meeting requested by pop superstar Madonna, who dabbled in the ancient art of Jewish mysticism. He reportedly said at the time: It is forbidden to teach a non-Jew kabbalah, not even Talmud, not even simple Torah.Kaduri is said to have been one of the few known living practitioners who used his knowledge of kabbalah to affect change in the world. He would often distribute amulets intended to heal, enhance fertility and bring success. He was also believed to have been involved in the removal of 20 dybbuks, or lost souls that strayed into the hapless bodies of living people to torment them.
Aviel Schneider, the author of the Israel Today story, said the worldwide reaction to news of Kaduri's note has been crazy. He said he has never received so many emails and calls from around the globe. He said he was urged not to publish the story by the rabbi's yeshiva, where officials said it was impossible that the note was actually written by Kaduri. But Schneider was given access to many of the rabbi's manuscripts, written in his own hand for the exclusive use of his students. He was struck by symbols painted by Kaduri all over the pages. They were crosses, said Schneider. In the Jewish tradition, you don't use crosses. You don't even use plus signs because they might be mistaken for crosses. But there they were, painted in his own hand.Asked what those symbols meant, Kaduri's family said they were signs of the angel.
[Comment] Without the law there would be no European Union
18.05.2007 - 09:22 CET | By Peter Sain ley Berry
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Go to any introductory lecture on the European Union and you will hear phrases such as unique experiment,international co-operation rule of law.Indeed the whole concept of what has become today's EU was founded upon the simple idea that if the conduct of nations could be voluntarily regulated by law, then there would be no further need for war. From this grew the idea of a community of nations pooling their sovereignty and subjecting themselves to a legal discipline the better to achieve those national objectives best realised within a common framework.Member states even agreed to give European law precedence over their own; there wouldn't be any point in having common laws if nations could pick and choose which they obeyed.As the Union has developed so the volume of European law has grown; disproportionately so, say the critics. It has become fashionable to decry that so much legislation reportedly as much as 80 per cent in Germany has its origins at European level. Anthony Coughlan wrote a persuasive piece on this subject in these pages last week, arguing that this growth is pre-empting national parliamentary democracy.
But of course there are major laws and minor laws. One cannot equate laws that govern the functioning of a Parliament, or the running of schools, with other laws that specify the size of a car's headlights or how a commodity sold simultaneously in several European countries should be labelled.
Without law there could be no European Union. In volume terms European law does indeed appear massive - but it is domestic law that determines why France is France or Germany is Germany. Nevertheless, the idea that European law is too dominant, too intrusive, has taken hold in the popular consciousness to the extent that even the European Commission is working to reduce the volume of new regulations and to roll back others.Considered by itself this is no doubt a sensible measure, but it is easy for people to get the idea that because, in the past, there have been perhaps too many regulations, the principle of European Law itself is somehow flawed. This is dangerous for it undermines the whole basis on which the Union is constructed. Once we lose our respect for the law as the fundamental instrument that makes the Union
work, we threaten everything that has been achieved. A Union with weak laws, or laws that are not enforced, will be a Union that will soon break apart.The same applies to agreements that may not have the status of law but which are nevertheless meant to be honoured. If we can't abide by our own internal decisions, how can we call on the rest of the world, much of which looks to the EU as a model, to do so?
Reneging on agreements
We have seen various examples recently of a worrying trend towards reneging on agreements. On the Constitutional Treaty, for example, despite having solemnly accepted all of its provisions in 2004, various governments now want to change or withdraw from its provisions.London had accepted an extension of majority voting; Warsaw had accepted a revised system of voting in the European Council; Prague had accepted a single speed Europe.All these points are now again in contention as the German Presidency struggles to bring forward a new treaty. Warsaw even appears to be seeking an escape from its legal commitment to adopt the euro.More serious is the case of Romania, which joined the Union only a few months ago on the solemn undertaking that widespread and irreversible reforms to root out crime and corruption were well on their way. Various pledges were made and accepted in good faith and the country, with Bulgaria, was admitted at the earliest opportunity in 2007.
Once inside the Union, the Romanian Parliament has turned its back on reform, dismissed its anti-corruption prosecutors, thrown out its respected and efficient Justice Minister Monica Macovei and voted massively to impeach its pro-EU President. The country seems set to return to its old ways, even postponing its elections for the 35 seats in the European Parliament in case this should prove troublesome.
Banana republic standards
Many people argued that Romania and Bulgaria should not have acceded in 2007 but instead should have been forced to wait a year until the process of reform was complete.I argued this case myself.
I could never understand why it was necessary to admit as full members countries described recently by The Times as weakened by systemic corruption, organised crime, fragile judiciaries and oligarchic control of press and broadcast media.The Commission, I seem to remember, argued that if the two countries were not admitted in 2007 then the pace of reform would slow. Well, it has slowed now and we have within the bosom of the European Union a country whose respect for the very principle of law is in some doubt.All is not lost of course. The suspended President Traian Basescu may well win his forthcoming impeachment referendum, though the authorities are not making life easy for him.
If he does he has promised to take action to weaken the party bosses.
For its part the European Commission cannot simply wring its hands and hope that all will come right. Romania has broken the pledges it made. That cannot be without consequence and while there is no doubt that we all want to see Romania, growing and prospering as part of the European family, this has to be as a state with European rather than banana republic standards.
The wider point is that we are in no position to deplore Romania's fall from grace if other member states also show themselves willing to renege on agreements and understandings when it suits them.Law can only work by consent. Respecting agreements, however uncomfortable, makes us all stronger. Ultimately we are our own policemen. It is not only Romania that must learn this.If we don't European Government will be reduced to the impotent position of Saint-Exupéry's King, who regaled on an impressive throne but without any other accoutrements of power, is reduced to ordering Le Petit Prince, sometimes to obey him and sometimes not to do so. Not exactly a recipe for success and progress.The author is editor of EuropaWorld
Stefan's Comment: Jerusalem IS the Capital City of Israel MAY 18,07
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. (NKJ)
In the past few weeks I have noticed some disturbing attitudes regarding Israel from within the European Union and by the independent countries that make it up. Here are a couple of these disturbing decisions and comments.
Taken from The Financial Times 27/3/07: A year-old diplomatic boycott of the Palestinian government eased on Monday when Raymond Johansen, Norway’s deputy foreign minister, met Ismael Haniyeh, Palestinian prime minister. The meeting was the first between Haniyeh and a senior European diplomat since western powers imposed an economic and diplomatic blockade on the Hamas-led government in March 2006. Norway, a big donor to the Palestinian Authority and sponsor of the Oslo peace accords, restored full relations with the PA after Haniyeh’s Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction formed a unity government on Saturday. We hope that all the European countries, and even other countries, will ... support this unity government, Mr Johansen said on Monday.
Norway was the first nation to back the new P.A unity government, but right behind them were all the countries of the E.U. who have said that they are renewing all ties and breaking all blockades with the P.A.My question is, why? Both the Hamas and the Fatah organisations are acknowledged by the western world to be terrorist groups who have sent men, woman and children to blow themselves up in Israeli restaurants, bus and checkpoints. These checkpoint throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were designed precisely to stop such suicide bombers. They have also attempted to attack any other target that can be found with a 'good' number of Jewish people in it.How can the leadership of the E.U. accept a government made up of terrorists and then expect the state of Israel to sit down and talk with them, especially when they are still carrying out hostile acts against Israel and refusing to acknowledge her right to exist as a state? Doing this would be like Osama Bin Laden heading up a political party and then the US leadership being expected to sit down with that government for peace talks,the USA was still under threat from Al Qaida.The 15th of May this year is the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem under full Israeli control. This year, the U.S ambassador along with all the E.U. countries representatives in Israel elected to boycott the ceremonies and celebrations because they do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and because of their desire in not upsetting the Arab nations of the world.
Taken From Ynet.com 14/5/07:
European Union countries will not take part in the celebrations marking the 40-year anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification, EU president Germany said Thursday in a diplomatic letter sent to the Foreign Ministry and the Knesset. US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones will also not participate in the events. Diplomatic sources told Ynet that the event was not on the ambassador’s timetable.
Ambassadors of all EU countries will not show up for the special Knesset session which will be on Jerusalem Day on Wednesday. As frustrating as it is to see this united stand against Israel and Jerusalem as her capital, we can rest assured that almighty God, the Holy God of Israel is in control of the situation and is using all of these incidents to His glory. Israel is a sovereign nation and has the right to choose her own capital. More importantly God has chosen Jerusalem as His capital city of His chosen nation. Having lived here in Israel for more than half of my life, serving in the army, and seeing the events that occur on our borders and most importantly knowing the truth that is in the word of God regarding Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, I must let out a cry to convey how wrong these foreign governments in the decisions they are making. God's judgement and wrath shall be upon them and their countries for the stand that they are taking against Israel.
Please continue to pray for the situation, and for the leaders inside Israel, that they would have wisdom to deal with these situations and boldness to stand up to the powers that would try to separate Israel from her land and capital.
Interesting: On the very date in the Hebrew calendar that Israel celebrates Jerusalem's reunification in 1967, torrential downpours flooded Jerusalem and serioius violence erupted between Hamas & Fatah. On the same day a serious rocket attack on Sderot provoked the Israeli government to launch pinpoint airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza city.
Shabbat Shalom .. . David & Josie SILVER
Perspectives: Oprah's Secret deceives millions
Rebecca Grace - Guest Columnist
OneNewsNow.com May 18, 2007
The Gospel According to Oprah is more than just a book title; it's a mindset that has created quite a following for the billionaire talk-show host. And her promotion of a philosophy extolling the Law of Attraction has added to millions who are being led away from the teachings of Christ.According to a May 2006 article titled The Divine Miss Winfrey in USA Today, Over the past year, Winfrey ... has emerged as a spiritual leader for the new millennium, a moral voice of authority for the nation.There's no doubt that Oprah is spiritual, but the philosophy she pushed on the February 8, 2006, broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show couldn't place her farther from the truth. During the show, Oprah interviewed a panel of teachers who appear in a 93-minute film called The Secret.
The Secret, also a book which has sold two million copies, is promoted as a feature length, historic and factually based account of an age old secret, said to be 4,000 years in the making, and known only to a fortunate few.
The Secret reveals this great knowledge to the world -- The Secret to wealth, The Secret to health, The Secret to love, relationships, happiness, eternal youth ... The Secret to life itself.While its appeal is wide and its lure powerful, the philosophy of The Secret is a narrow road that leads to death and destruction.
In Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul warns the church at Colosse to See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Therefore, here are reasons why The Secret has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with occultism.
What sources say
While the worldview behind The Secret is nothing new, Rhonda Byrne, an Australian woman in her 50s, is credited with discovering The Secret during a time of utter despair in her life. Because of the impact it had on her life, she has decided to share it.According to Byrne and her host of high-profile teachers, the Law of Attraction which they claim is the most powerful law in the universe is the
Secret.The DVD summarizes the law in three words: Thoughts become things. If a person thinks hard enough about something, he will get it be it good or bad. The attraction is especially potent when a person's thoughts and desires are super-charged by emotions. So by applying the Law of Attraction, a person can create his own circumstances based on the thoughts he thinks and the choices he makes.
Your life is a physical manifestation of the thoughts that go on in your head, said Lisa Nichols, one of the teachers of The Secret.You are the masterpiece of your own life. You are the Michelangelo of your own life, added metaphysician Joe Vitale.What makes these ideas even more deceiving is that they are backed by personal testimonies.
For example, Jack Canfield, teacher of The Secret and author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, said, Since I learned The Secret and started applying it to my life, my life has truly become magical a life everyone dreams of I live in a four-and-a-half million-dollar mansion. I have a wife to die for. I get to vacation in all the fabulous spots of the world .... And all of this happens and continues to happen all because of knowing how to apply The Secret.Even more alarming than stories such as Canfield's is the way The Secret teachers twist Scripture and present an unbiblical view of God. For example: Teacher James Arthur Ray asks, Do you treat yourself the way that you want other people to treat you? Nichols instructs: You are eternal life. You're source energy. You are God manifested in human form, made to perfection.
What the Bible reveals
According to Christian Worldview Network columnist Russ Wise, The Secret is the latest in a series of examples that are used by the enemy of Truth to try and nullify God's authoritative Word. Wise is vice president of Christian Information Ministries.Refering to Romans 12:1-2, Wise writes: Note that Paul did not say that we should consult our feelings about the matter, but that our spiritual worship is
to present our bodies as a sacrifice to the Lord, Wise added. The message of The Secret is not selflessness, but selfishness and self-indulgence.Wise explains that according to 2 Corinthians 10:5, Our purpose is not to use our thought life to enhance ourselves, but to bring our thought lives into obedience and submit ourselves to a holy God. This thought is totally absent from The Secret! It is
also totally absent from a culture that is more concerned about what Oprah says than what God says.
Rebecca Grace, a regular contributor to OneNewsNow.com, is staff writer for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. Family News Network.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Fri May 18 5:00 PM EDT
MAY 18,07
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAP 5.5 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.3 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.6 SIKKIM, INDIA
MAP 3.5 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.0 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.7 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.7 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAY 17,07
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.9 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
MAP 4.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.1 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 PAPUA REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 4.3 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.8 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.5 NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.7 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.5 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
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.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Fri May 18, 6:53 AM ET
An intense storm forecast to develop off the Mid-Atlantic coast on Friday could cause minor coastal flooding in New Jersey and Long Island. Heavy rain was expected to move into New England, possibly flooding some rivers. Light rain was forecast for the central Appalachians.More thunderstorms were expected in the Rockies, with the most intense storms likely to develop in the Southwest. A strong thunderstorm or two could form in West Texas and roll eastward through the state. Storms were also possible in the Northern Plains.In the West, clear skies were forecast over California and Oregon, although clouds were expected to develop over coastal Washington.
Temperatures in the region were to remain cool.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a low of 23 degrees at Land O'Lakes, Wis., to a high of 109 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Accuweather forecasts hot summer for much of U.S Thu May 17, 7:59 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private weather forecaster Accuweather is predicting hotter-than-normal temperatures for much of the United States this summer, the company said in a press release. Temperatures will be the hottest in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region and the Midwest. Texas is expected to be one of the few exceptions to the expected hotter-than-normal conditions.Rainfall in the United States is expected to be normal except in the Southwest and the Rockies. The Great Lakes, Texas and Florida will receive more rain that usual, Accuweather said.
Israel hits Hamas during Gaza fighting By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer MAY 18,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli warplanes pummeled Hamas targets Friday in a stepped-up campaign against militants firing rockets into southern Israel, while Palestinian factions battled with automatic weapons and grenades at a Gaza university. Street battles between Fatah and Hamas remained less intense than the heavy fighting that terrorized Gaza City two days earlier, but a truce agreement late Thursday enjoyed no more success than previous cease-fires declared this week.With the political leaders of the factions seemingly not in control of their gunmen, Hamas militiamen raised the internal strife to an ominous new level by widening their targets beyond armed rivals and seizing aides to two Fatah officials.The infighting that began Sunday has killed more than 50 Palestinians and wounded dozens, while the death toll from Israeli attacks rose to 20 as airstrikes killed eight people Friday.
Israeli missiles came screeching down at least five times in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks that have panicked people in southern Israel. At least 13 more militant rockets fell, wounding four Israelis in the battered town of Sderot.
Despite the escalating air campaign, a senior Israeli army officer said there were no immediate plans for a major ground offensive against rocket teams, saying Israel was reluctant to do something that might unite the Palestinian factions. He spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decision had been made.One airstrike incinerated a minivan carrying Hamas militants and what the Israeli army described as a large amount of weapons. Three fighters were killed and 12 people were wounded, Palestinian hospital officials said.We were sitting outside my grocery store when a huge explosion shook the area and a small minivan turned into a ball of fire, Jawad Dallou said. People in a nearby mourning tent also were wounded, he said.An earlier airstrike east of Gaza City killed five Palestinians, including at least three Hamas militants, and wounded six. Israel's military said the target was a Hamas headquarters building.
Other air attacks caused no fatalities.
Hamas said the Israeli military had called the home of Ahmed Jaabari, head of Hamas' military wing, and warned his family the house would be hit. People gathered around the building to discourage an attack, he said. The Israeli military had no comment.The fighting between Hamas and Fatah all but destroyed a power-sharing government formed two months ago in hopes of ending nearly a year of periodic clashes between the rival groups.
The latest bloodshed was touched off by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to deploy thousands of security officers in Gaza City last week to try to restore law and order. Hamas called that a provocation because it wasn't consulted and fighting broke out Sunday.Hamas' two abductions in Gaza on Friday broadened the mayhem; it was the first time senior civilians with ties to Fatah were targeted.The gunmen freed Abdel Salam Abu Askar, a veteran journalist who advises Fatah's Gaza strongman, Mohammed Dahlan, after several hours. But Abdullah Franji, office director of a senior Fatah leader in Gaza, remained in captivity late Friday. Gunbattles between the two factions killed at least three people Friday.Bullets and rocket-propelled grenades flew outside Islamic University, a Hamas stronghold, as Hamas fighters battled Fatah gunmen in the nearby Foreign Ministry building. Grenades hit the office of the school president, who appealed for an immediate halt to the violence.
One person was wounded at the school.
Although Israel said it wasn't taking sides, its airstrikes made it harder for Hamas gunmen to move around, and Hamas used that fact to argue that Fatah and Israel were in collusion. Hamas TV named three Fatah security chiefs who it said were in secret contact with foreign security personnel. They are deep into treason, and we will deal with them accordingly, the broadcast said. The TV did not specify which foreigners, but Fatah forces affiliated with Abbas have received advice and training from the U.S., which lists Hamas as a terror group for killing more than 250 Israelis in attacks over the years.
Earlier in the week, some 500 Fatah security men trained in Egypt under a U.S.-brokered deal returned to Gaza, passing through the border with Israel's permission.
Putin, EU leaders trade barbs at summit By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer MAY 18,07
VOLZHSKY UTYOS, Russia - President Vladimir Putin, emboldened by Russia's vast oil and gas wealth, bluntly rejected European criticism of his crackdown on political foes, saying Friday that like it or not Russia's Western neighbors would have to accept it as a partner. His remarks came hours after police prevented chess great Garry Kasparov from attending an opposition rally in Samara, near the Volga River resort where Putin held a summit with European Union leaders.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the current EU president, objected at a post-summit news conference to the treatment of Kasparov and other Kremlin opponents, while Putin sought to take the subject of Russian political rights off the table.
Both Russia and the EU are interested in the development of relations with each other, and they will develop whether we like it or not, the Russian leader said, in an apparent reference to Europe's growing reliance on Russia for its energy needs.
Putin questioned whether Europe was really concerned about the human rights records of its allies — citing the alleged abuse of terror suspects at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.The summit produced no new agreements, and failed to make progress on commercial, security and other issues dividing Russia from Europe. Putin's remarks signal that he sees no need to mollify foreign critics of his political course, which opponents say has concentrated power in the Kremlin and muzzled dissent.
Before the summit, Germany asked Russia to permit opposition leaders to protest in Samara. But on Friday morning, police at a Moscow airport confiscated the passports and tickets of Kasparov and other activists and prevented them from flying to Samara.The passports were held for five hours, until the day's last flight to Samara had left, a Kasparov spokesman said.
The former world chess champion said the West's efforts to engage Putin only lends legitimacy to the Kremlin's actions. Any time you pretend that Putin is one of you, that Putin belongs to this democratic club, it backfires on us because that is what Kremlin propaganda is using on us, calling us marginals, extremists, radicals, he said.Merkel complained about the treatment of opposition protesters. I'm concerned about some people having problems traveling here, she told reporters. I hope they will be given an opportunity to express their opinion.Putin said his government is not concerned about the so-called Dissenters Marches, staged by a coalition of opposition groups led by Kasparov. Several of the protests have been brutally dispersed by police.
They don't bother me in any way, Putin said. He blamed some of the violence on demonstrators, who provoke law enforcement forces to use force, and they respond accordingly.Unlike previous protests organized by Kasparov and his allies, Friday's march in Samara won approval by local authorities. But after the detention of several of the organizers, only about 100 protesters showed up Friday.
Demonstrators gathered at a square in the late afternoon, outnumbered by police, and marched through the streets shouting, Russia without Putin! and We need another Russia.Answering Merkel's criticism, Putin said German police have also detained protesters. Law enforcement authorities in practically all countries make preventive arrests, there are examples in Germany, he said. Such action isn't always justified.Merkel shot back, saying that police action against participants in violent riots could be justified.
If a person hasn't done anything yet, if he's just on his way to a demonstration, that's a completely different case, she said.Putin also assailed the EU for failing to respond to the death of a Russian citizen during clashes between police and ethnic Russian protesters in Estonia. The clashes erupted over the removal of a monument to a Soviet soldier from Tallinn, the capital, to another location.European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters that democracy and rule of law are sacred principles for the EU.
It's very important for all European countries, and Russia is a European country, to ensure the full respect of those principles and values, he said. But Barroso also reaffirmed the EU's support for Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization — a statement that appeared to reflect a softening of Brussels' stance after recent warnings from the EU that Moscow's candidacy was in jeopardy.
Putin and his European guests also argued about the lack of progress in a dispute over a Russian ban on Polish meat and plants. Putin sought to cast the dispute as a bilateral problem that blocked the expansion of Russia-EU ties, but Merkel and Barroso emphasized European solidarity. A Polish problem is a European problem, Barroso said. A visibly irritated Putin lashed back: I was asking: Is there a boundary to your solidarity? ...We also must defend our interests.But there were glimmers of agreement. Putin and the EU leaders pointed to progress in trade and economic ties and plans for future cooperation. They also pledged to extend EU-Russia work on cross-border trade, visa issues, and scientific and technical cooperation. We need each other, we are open for an honest dialogue between Russia and the EU, Putin said. It's totally wrong to say we couldn't agree on a single issue.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
Sign the Jerusalem Petition - May 17, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Yesterday Israel observed the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day, is a day set aside to reflect upon the significance of this ancient and Holy City to the Jewish people, and to celebrate the fact that, after thousands of years, it is once again the capital of a sovereign Jewish state.The Jews' return to rule in Jerusalem was the end of a very long and often bitter struggle. It is important to remember that, even when the modern state of Israel was formed in 1948, the United Nations intended Jerusalem to be an international city. Israel's founders reluctantly agreed to this, in the hope that it would be only a temporary measure that would protect the new country from conflict with its Arab neighbors.These hopes were quickly dashed. When Israel
declared its statehood, her neighbors attacked from all sides. Jordan invaded and occupied the eastern part of Jerusalem, dividing the city. For the next 19 years, Israel would be denied access to some of the holiest sites of all Judaism, including the Western Wall and the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, where generations of Jewish dead are buried.
Then came the pivotal events of 1967, when Arab states again united against Israel. Egypt blocked all shipping in and out of the southern Israel port of Eilat. The combined forces of several Arab nations were gathered at Israel's borders, poised to attack. Their leaders declared in no uncertain terms their intention to destroy the Jewish State.This confrontation led to a battle, now known as the Six Day War, which led to the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule It was a stunning victory for Israel—few moments in modern Jewish history are more electrifying than the moment when Israel Defense Forces Colonel Motta Gur declared over his radio in the midst of battle, The Temple Mount is in our hands!
Incredibly, despite the fact that Jerusalem has been the spiritual center of Jewish life since the time of King David, has had a continuous Jewish presence for thousands of years and has never been claimed as capital by any other nation or people, the world—including the U.S.—still refuses to recognize it as the capital of Israel.New bills recently introduced into the U.S. House and Senate seek to change that by calling on the U.S. government to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and to move its embassy there from Tel Aviv. One of these bills, the Jerusalem Resolution, was originally put before the Senate a couple of years ago, but got stalled in committee. Now there is again an opportunity to revive it—and to send a clear message to the U.S. Congress.
These bills are currently under consideration by the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees. If approved, they will be presented to the House and Senate for a vote. Please sign our petition in support of these important pieces of legislation.
http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SFI_jerusalempetition
We will forward the petition on to these two committees. Let's make the voices of thousands of faithful friends of Israel heard in Washington, so the U.S. can be among the first declaring what millions of faithful Jews and Christians know already—that Jerusalem is the rightful capital of Israel and the eternal home of the Jewish people!
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Golan Withdrawal Won't Have it Easy
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 17,07
The Knesset has approved a bill mandating a popular referendum before land in the Golan, Jerusalem or other part of sovereign Israel is given away. Yesha (Judea and Samaria) is not included. Sponsored by MK Avigdor Yitzchaki of Kadima, the proposed legislation is an amendment to the existing law regarding a give-away of Israeli territory. The existing law states that no sovereign land may be given away without approval of the Cabinet, the Knesset, and a popular referendum. However, it adds that the referendum requirement will not come into effect until a Basic Law on plebiscites is legislated thus obviating the need for a referendum. Yitzchaki's bill does away with that qualification, thus leaving the referendum clause in effect. The bill has nothing to do with a possible future withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, which has not yet been annexed by the State of Israel.
The bill was approved in a preliminary Knesset reading by a 26-18 vote, against the position of the government. It must still pass additional Knesset readings as well as a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee vote before coming law.
This vote proves that there is no majority in Israel's Knesset supporting a return the Golan Heights to Syria, MK Yitzchaki said. The Prime Minister must now know clearly that it will not be he, but rather the people, who will decide whether to accept agreements concerning concession of sovereign Israeli land.Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Israelis are against giving away the Golan. The recent October Peace Index survey, carried out last year, showed that 67% of Israelis oppose giving away the Golan even in exchange for full peace. A giant protest rally seven years ago in Tel Aviv - some estimates were that half-a-million people showed up - put to rest until recently any talk of giving away the Golan.
Political Ramifications
This is an important accomplishment for the opposition, said Likud faction whip MK Gideon Saar. Only 18 out of 78 coalition MKs supported the government's position, proving that the coalition exists only on paper.Likud MK Yisrael Katz, head of the Knesset Golan Lobby, said, This vote is a clear message to Syria and others that Israel will never give up the Golan Heights.
Golan Guarantee for the Galilee
The Golan, a mountainous area directly overlooking much of Israel's northern plain, was used by Syria to attack Israeli towns in the years leading up to the Six Day War. In June 1967, Israel finally captured and liberated the Heights, and within weeks, Galilee farmers took their first moves to settle the Golan so as to ensure that the pre-war situation would never return. When they first ascended the mountains and looked down at Israel from the former Syrian positions, some of them were quoted as saying that they had never realized that every move of theirs had been visible to the Syrian gunners above.
Exclusive Interview with Gaydamak
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAY 18,07
Arutz-7's Yehoshua Meiri spoke on Jerusalem Day with Aryeh Bar-Lev - better known as Arcady Gaydamak - about Gaydamak's help for Sderot and his plans to become Mayor of Jerusalem. Gaydamak sent eight buses for residents of Kassam-besieged Sderot on Wednesday, transporting them to safer areas in the north. Meiri asked, I heard on Egpytian Radio this morning that Israel is evacuating the citizens of Sderot. I know that you mean to do well, but maybe Gaydamak said, I understand [your question]. First of all, in general, radio and media are the tools of journalists to explain their stupidity, their lack of information, and their personal opinions. This is the general situation everywhere... In some countries, the journalists also use the media for propaganda... I don't care about their opinion, nor about public opinion - because public opinion is managed by the professionals, and also because it is human nature to want to see other people being shown to be worse than them... The Jews living in Sderot have been living in a very difficult situation, in great danger, and they never know when the rockets will come. We should help them however we can. I am just a yehudi pashut [a simple Jew], and I want to help. I look to see what I can do. I come to share with them what I can. They are families and I want to help them - and the rest I don't care about.
Meiri: In light of the inability of the Prime Minister to decide on a military course of action against the Gaza terrorists, would you recommend that the IDF Chief of Staff act on his own, as some have recommended?
Gaydamak: I have no confidence at all in this Prime Minister - but even so, there is no doubt that the army should never take action without authorization from the government.
Meiri: My last question is, What about your intentions to be the mayor of Jerusalem?
Gaydamak: I will be Mayor of Jerusalem because it is of absolute necessity that the mayor be someone who acts not for his own personal interests... In the Israeli system, there is a natural division of Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and this parliamentary system is not suitable for Israel because the candidates are elected based on this division, and then they must act not for the people's interests but
only for the sake of maintaining the coalition; they are not able to run the country. We should change this system and have a strong presidential system. This is why I decided that I should take control of this city of Jerusalem, for the good of the residents, all of them, Jews and Muslims, and create economic prosperity... and because Jerusalem is the most important symbol of peace in the world, we should also try to solve the problems of confrontation in the Middle East. This is why I should be the mayor of Jerusalem; it's not that I want [this position].
Messiah mystery follows death of mystical rabbi
Revered Israeli apocalyptic kabbalah leader shocks Jews, Christians with name Yeshua
Posted: May 18, 2007 - WorldNetDaily.com
Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri
A controversy is raging in Israel, in evangelical circles in the U.S. and on kabbalah web forums worldwide following the posthumous release of what a revered Sephardic rabbi claimed to be the name of the Messiah. When Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri died in February 2006, somewhere between the age of 106 to possibly 117, 300,000 attended his funeral in Jerusalem. The Baghdad-born kabbalist had gained notoriety around the world for issuing apocalyptic warnings and for saying he personally met the long-awaited Jewish Messiah in November 2003. Before Kaduri died, he reportedly wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note, requesting it remained sealed for one year after his death. The note revealed the name of the Messiah as Yehoshua or Yeshua or the Hebrew name Jesus. However, complicating the story further, the note is being challenged as a forgery by his 80-year-old son Rabbi David Kaduri. It's not his writing, he is quoted as telling Israel Today.
The note, written in Hebrew and signed in the rabbi's name, said: Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah's name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid. This I have signed in the month of mercy.The Hebrew sentence consists of six words. The first letter of each of those words spells out the Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua. The finding has raised a combination of excitement and controversy in both Jewish and Christian circles – but scarcely any media attention. Jewish blogs and web forums are filled with skeptical analysis and puzzlement. So this means Rabbi Kaduri was a Christian? asked one poster rhetorically. Another wrote: The Christians are dancing and celebrating.Not exactly.
In fact, many Christian discussion boards say Kaduri's description of the Messiah – no matter what his name – doesn't fit the biblical account of a returned Jesus of Nazareth, who, they believe, will rule and reign on Earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. About his encounter with the Messiah Kaduri claimed is alive in Israel today, he reportedly told close relatives: He is not saying, I am the Messiah, give me the leadership.Rather the nation is pushing him to lead them, after they find [in my words] signs showing that he has the status of Messiah.Kaduri was also quoted as saying the imminent arrival of the Messiah will save Jerusalem from Islam and Christianity that wish to take Jerusalem from the Jewish Nation – but they will not succeed, and they will fight each other.Statements like that have some Christians wondering if Kaduri might be talking about another Yeshua – perhaps even a miracle -performing false Christ many evangelicals believe will precede the return of Jesus.
It is hard for many good people in society to understand the person of the Messiah, Kaduri wrote before his death. The leadership and order of a Messiah of flesh and blood is hard to accept for many in the nation. As leader, the Messiah will not hold any office, but will be among the people and use the media to communicate. His reign will be pure and without personal or political desire. During his dominion, only righteousness and truth will reign.Kaduri wrote that not all will believe in the Messiah – and that it will often be easier for non-religious people to accept him. He also describes a Messiah
who is, at first, not aware of his position.
Kaduri's funeral
A few months before his death, Kaduri gave a Yom Kippur address in which he gave clues as to how to recognize the Messiah. He told those gathered for the Day of Atonement in his synagogue the Messiah would not come until former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dies.
Sharon was stricken while in office Jan. 4, 2006. He remained in a coma until replaced by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. While many expected the imminent passing of Sharon, he has remained alive but unconscious ever since his attack. Shortly after what Kaduri characterized as his Nov. 4, 2003, encounter with the Messiah, in which he said he learned his name, the rabbi began warning of impending disasters worldwide. In September 2005 in a class at his Jerusalem yeshiva seminary, Kaduri called for Jews all over the world to return to Israel because of the calamities about to befall the Earth and for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple.
In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bring about great disasters in the countries of the world to sweeten the judgments of the land of Israel, he said. In 1990, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson told Kaduri that he would live to see the coming of the Messiah. Also in September 2005, Kaduri said: The Messiah is already in Israel. Whatever people are sure will not happen is liable to happen, and whatever we are certain will happen may disappoint us. But in the end, there will be peace throughout the world.As a lifelong student and teacher of kabbalah, Kaduri rejected a meeting requested by pop superstar Madonna, who dabbled in the ancient art of Jewish mysticism. He reportedly said at the time: It is forbidden to teach a non-Jew kabbalah, not even Talmud, not even simple Torah.Kaduri is said to have been one of the few known living practitioners who used his knowledge of kabbalah to affect change in the world. He would often distribute amulets intended to heal, enhance fertility and bring success. He was also believed to have been involved in the removal of 20 dybbuks, or lost souls that strayed into the hapless bodies of living people to torment them.
Aviel Schneider, the author of the Israel Today story, said the worldwide reaction to news of Kaduri's note has been crazy. He said he has never received so many emails and calls from around the globe. He said he was urged not to publish the story by the rabbi's yeshiva, where officials said it was impossible that the note was actually written by Kaduri. But Schneider was given access to many of the rabbi's manuscripts, written in his own hand for the exclusive use of his students. He was struck by symbols painted by Kaduri all over the pages. They were crosses, said Schneider. In the Jewish tradition, you don't use crosses. You don't even use plus signs because they might be mistaken for crosses. But there they were, painted in his own hand.Asked what those symbols meant, Kaduri's family said they were signs of the angel.
[Comment] Without the law there would be no European Union
18.05.2007 - 09:22 CET | By Peter Sain ley Berry
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Go to any introductory lecture on the European Union and you will hear phrases such as unique experiment,international co-operation rule of law.Indeed the whole concept of what has become today's EU was founded upon the simple idea that if the conduct of nations could be voluntarily regulated by law, then there would be no further need for war. From this grew the idea of a community of nations pooling their sovereignty and subjecting themselves to a legal discipline the better to achieve those national objectives best realised within a common framework.Member states even agreed to give European law precedence over their own; there wouldn't be any point in having common laws if nations could pick and choose which they obeyed.As the Union has developed so the volume of European law has grown; disproportionately so, say the critics. It has become fashionable to decry that so much legislation reportedly as much as 80 per cent in Germany has its origins at European level. Anthony Coughlan wrote a persuasive piece on this subject in these pages last week, arguing that this growth is pre-empting national parliamentary democracy.
But of course there are major laws and minor laws. One cannot equate laws that govern the functioning of a Parliament, or the running of schools, with other laws that specify the size of a car's headlights or how a commodity sold simultaneously in several European countries should be labelled.
Without law there could be no European Union. In volume terms European law does indeed appear massive - but it is domestic law that determines why France is France or Germany is Germany. Nevertheless, the idea that European law is too dominant, too intrusive, has taken hold in the popular consciousness to the extent that even the European Commission is working to reduce the volume of new regulations and to roll back others.Considered by itself this is no doubt a sensible measure, but it is easy for people to get the idea that because, in the past, there have been perhaps too many regulations, the principle of European Law itself is somehow flawed. This is dangerous for it undermines the whole basis on which the Union is constructed. Once we lose our respect for the law as the fundamental instrument that makes the Union
work, we threaten everything that has been achieved. A Union with weak laws, or laws that are not enforced, will be a Union that will soon break apart.The same applies to agreements that may not have the status of law but which are nevertheless meant to be honoured. If we can't abide by our own internal decisions, how can we call on the rest of the world, much of which looks to the EU as a model, to do so?
Reneging on agreements
We have seen various examples recently of a worrying trend towards reneging on agreements. On the Constitutional Treaty, for example, despite having solemnly accepted all of its provisions in 2004, various governments now want to change or withdraw from its provisions.London had accepted an extension of majority voting; Warsaw had accepted a revised system of voting in the European Council; Prague had accepted a single speed Europe.All these points are now again in contention as the German Presidency struggles to bring forward a new treaty. Warsaw even appears to be seeking an escape from its legal commitment to adopt the euro.More serious is the case of Romania, which joined the Union only a few months ago on the solemn undertaking that widespread and irreversible reforms to root out crime and corruption were well on their way. Various pledges were made and accepted in good faith and the country, with Bulgaria, was admitted at the earliest opportunity in 2007.
Once inside the Union, the Romanian Parliament has turned its back on reform, dismissed its anti-corruption prosecutors, thrown out its respected and efficient Justice Minister Monica Macovei and voted massively to impeach its pro-EU President. The country seems set to return to its old ways, even postponing its elections for the 35 seats in the European Parliament in case this should prove troublesome.
Banana republic standards
Many people argued that Romania and Bulgaria should not have acceded in 2007 but instead should have been forced to wait a year until the process of reform was complete.I argued this case myself.
I could never understand why it was necessary to admit as full members countries described recently by The Times as weakened by systemic corruption, organised crime, fragile judiciaries and oligarchic control of press and broadcast media.The Commission, I seem to remember, argued that if the two countries were not admitted in 2007 then the pace of reform would slow. Well, it has slowed now and we have within the bosom of the European Union a country whose respect for the very principle of law is in some doubt.All is not lost of course. The suspended President Traian Basescu may well win his forthcoming impeachment referendum, though the authorities are not making life easy for him.
If he does he has promised to take action to weaken the party bosses.
For its part the European Commission cannot simply wring its hands and hope that all will come right. Romania has broken the pledges it made. That cannot be without consequence and while there is no doubt that we all want to see Romania, growing and prospering as part of the European family, this has to be as a state with European rather than banana republic standards.
The wider point is that we are in no position to deplore Romania's fall from grace if other member states also show themselves willing to renege on agreements and understandings when it suits them.Law can only work by consent. Respecting agreements, however uncomfortable, makes us all stronger. Ultimately we are our own policemen. It is not only Romania that must learn this.If we don't European Government will be reduced to the impotent position of Saint-Exupéry's King, who regaled on an impressive throne but without any other accoutrements of power, is reduced to ordering Le Petit Prince, sometimes to obey him and sometimes not to do so. Not exactly a recipe for success and progress.The author is editor of EuropaWorld
Stefan's Comment: Jerusalem IS the Capital City of Israel MAY 18,07
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. (NKJ)
In the past few weeks I have noticed some disturbing attitudes regarding Israel from within the European Union and by the independent countries that make it up. Here are a couple of these disturbing decisions and comments.
Taken from The Financial Times 27/3/07: A year-old diplomatic boycott of the Palestinian government eased on Monday when Raymond Johansen, Norway’s deputy foreign minister, met Ismael Haniyeh, Palestinian prime minister. The meeting was the first between Haniyeh and a senior European diplomat since western powers imposed an economic and diplomatic blockade on the Hamas-led government in March 2006. Norway, a big donor to the Palestinian Authority and sponsor of the Oslo peace accords, restored full relations with the PA after Haniyeh’s Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction formed a unity government on Saturday. We hope that all the European countries, and even other countries, will ... support this unity government, Mr Johansen said on Monday.
Norway was the first nation to back the new P.A unity government, but right behind them were all the countries of the E.U. who have said that they are renewing all ties and breaking all blockades with the P.A.My question is, why? Both the Hamas and the Fatah organisations are acknowledged by the western world to be terrorist groups who have sent men, woman and children to blow themselves up in Israeli restaurants, bus and checkpoints. These checkpoint throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were designed precisely to stop such suicide bombers. They have also attempted to attack any other target that can be found with a 'good' number of Jewish people in it.How can the leadership of the E.U. accept a government made up of terrorists and then expect the state of Israel to sit down and talk with them, especially when they are still carrying out hostile acts against Israel and refusing to acknowledge her right to exist as a state? Doing this would be like Osama Bin Laden heading up a political party and then the US leadership being expected to sit down with that government for peace talks,the USA was still under threat from Al Qaida.The 15th of May this year is the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem under full Israeli control. This year, the U.S ambassador along with all the E.U. countries representatives in Israel elected to boycott the ceremonies and celebrations because they do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and because of their desire in not upsetting the Arab nations of the world.
Taken From Ynet.com 14/5/07:
European Union countries will not take part in the celebrations marking the 40-year anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification, EU president Germany said Thursday in a diplomatic letter sent to the Foreign Ministry and the Knesset. US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones will also not participate in the events. Diplomatic sources told Ynet that the event was not on the ambassador’s timetable.
Ambassadors of all EU countries will not show up for the special Knesset session which will be on Jerusalem Day on Wednesday. As frustrating as it is to see this united stand against Israel and Jerusalem as her capital, we can rest assured that almighty God, the Holy God of Israel is in control of the situation and is using all of these incidents to His glory. Israel is a sovereign nation and has the right to choose her own capital. More importantly God has chosen Jerusalem as His capital city of His chosen nation. Having lived here in Israel for more than half of my life, serving in the army, and seeing the events that occur on our borders and most importantly knowing the truth that is in the word of God regarding Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, I must let out a cry to convey how wrong these foreign governments in the decisions they are making. God's judgement and wrath shall be upon them and their countries for the stand that they are taking against Israel.
Please continue to pray for the situation, and for the leaders inside Israel, that they would have wisdom to deal with these situations and boldness to stand up to the powers that would try to separate Israel from her land and capital.
Interesting: On the very date in the Hebrew calendar that Israel celebrates Jerusalem's reunification in 1967, torrential downpours flooded Jerusalem and serioius violence erupted between Hamas & Fatah. On the same day a serious rocket attack on Sderot provoked the Israeli government to launch pinpoint airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza city.
Shabbat Shalom .. . David & Josie SILVER
Perspectives: Oprah's Secret deceives millions
Rebecca Grace - Guest Columnist
OneNewsNow.com May 18, 2007
The Gospel According to Oprah is more than just a book title; it's a mindset that has created quite a following for the billionaire talk-show host. And her promotion of a philosophy extolling the Law of Attraction has added to millions who are being led away from the teachings of Christ.According to a May 2006 article titled The Divine Miss Winfrey in USA Today, Over the past year, Winfrey ... has emerged as a spiritual leader for the new millennium, a moral voice of authority for the nation.There's no doubt that Oprah is spiritual, but the philosophy she pushed on the February 8, 2006, broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show couldn't place her farther from the truth. During the show, Oprah interviewed a panel of teachers who appear in a 93-minute film called The Secret.
The Secret, also a book which has sold two million copies, is promoted as a feature length, historic and factually based account of an age old secret, said to be 4,000 years in the making, and known only to a fortunate few.
The Secret reveals this great knowledge to the world -- The Secret to wealth, The Secret to health, The Secret to love, relationships, happiness, eternal youth ... The Secret to life itself.While its appeal is wide and its lure powerful, the philosophy of The Secret is a narrow road that leads to death and destruction.
In Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul warns the church at Colosse to See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Therefore, here are reasons why The Secret has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with occultism.
What sources say
While the worldview behind The Secret is nothing new, Rhonda Byrne, an Australian woman in her 50s, is credited with discovering The Secret during a time of utter despair in her life. Because of the impact it had on her life, she has decided to share it.According to Byrne and her host of high-profile teachers, the Law of Attraction which they claim is the most powerful law in the universe is the
Secret.The DVD summarizes the law in three words: Thoughts become things. If a person thinks hard enough about something, he will get it be it good or bad. The attraction is especially potent when a person's thoughts and desires are super-charged by emotions. So by applying the Law of Attraction, a person can create his own circumstances based on the thoughts he thinks and the choices he makes.
Your life is a physical manifestation of the thoughts that go on in your head, said Lisa Nichols, one of the teachers of The Secret.You are the masterpiece of your own life. You are the Michelangelo of your own life, added metaphysician Joe Vitale.What makes these ideas even more deceiving is that they are backed by personal testimonies.
For example, Jack Canfield, teacher of The Secret and author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, said, Since I learned The Secret and started applying it to my life, my life has truly become magical a life everyone dreams of I live in a four-and-a-half million-dollar mansion. I have a wife to die for. I get to vacation in all the fabulous spots of the world .... And all of this happens and continues to happen all because of knowing how to apply The Secret.Even more alarming than stories such as Canfield's is the way The Secret teachers twist Scripture and present an unbiblical view of God. For example: Teacher James Arthur Ray asks, Do you treat yourself the way that you want other people to treat you? Nichols instructs: You are eternal life. You're source energy. You are God manifested in human form, made to perfection.
What the Bible reveals
According to Christian Worldview Network columnist Russ Wise, The Secret is the latest in a series of examples that are used by the enemy of Truth to try and nullify God's authoritative Word. Wise is vice president of Christian Information Ministries.Refering to Romans 12:1-2, Wise writes: Note that Paul did not say that we should consult our feelings about the matter, but that our spiritual worship is
to present our bodies as a sacrifice to the Lord, Wise added. The message of The Secret is not selflessness, but selfishness and self-indulgence.Wise explains that according to 2 Corinthians 10:5, Our purpose is not to use our thought life to enhance ourselves, but to bring our thought lives into obedience and submit ourselves to a holy God. This thought is totally absent from The Secret! It is
also totally absent from a culture that is more concerned about what Oprah says than what God says.
Rebecca Grace, a regular contributor to OneNewsNow.com, is staff writer for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. Family News Network.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
6 DAY WAR ALMOST ARMAGEDDON
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Earthquake in Laos shakes Thailand. 3-Tornado probably struck near Stratford: weather service 4-Notre Dame basilica spire falls in storm 5-Rain boosts efforts to control South Jersey wildfire. 6-Smoke from Georgia, Florida fires reaches N.C. 7-Israeli aircraft fires on Hamas targets. 8-Rabbi mourns death of great Christian leader and friend of Israel Reverend Jerry Falwell. 9-Merkel gives up on God in EU treaty. 10-Commission defines red lines for new EU treaty. 11-Solana reiterates EU commitment to Mideast peace process. 12-European Union Opens Its Market to 80 Countries. 13-HOW THE SIX DAY WAR ALMOST LED TO ARMAGEDDON.
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 = Thu May 17 2:00 AM EDT
MAY 17.07
MAP 3.1 OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAY 16,07
MAP 5.7 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 5.0 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 ARKANSAS
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 6.3 LAOS
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.4 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.7 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
MAY 15,07
MAP 2.7 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.5 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 COSTA RICA
MAP 4.9 BATAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.8 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 3.4 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.6 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
Earthquake in Laos shakes Thailand Wed May 16, 8:26 PM ET
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thousands of workers fled swaying high-rise office buildings in Bangkok on Wednesday but there were no injuries or major damage reported after an earthquake struck about 465 miles north in western Laos, officials said. The earthquake, centered in a remote region of Laos, was measured at magnitude 6.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey and Thailand's Meteorological Department.
Smith Dharmasaroja, chairman of the National Disaster Warning Center, told Thai TV Channel 3 there were numerous aftershocks and warned people not to return to houses for at least 24 hours.Yong Chanthalansy, a Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman, said from the Laotian capital of Vientiane that the earthquake lasted about 10 seconds. He said it was not felt in Vientiane and there were no initial reports of casualties.
Many offices in Bangkok's business districts were evacuated after the earthquake
struck, with their panicky occupants gathered in the street. Numerous workers went home early from their jobs.The quake also was felt in Chiang Mai, a popular Thai tourist destination about 160 miles southwest of the epicenter. Officials there said there were no reports of damage.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Tornado probably struck near Stratford: weather service
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 | 1:47 PM ET - CBC News
It is almost certain that a tornado touched down Tuesday night near the city of Stratford in southern Ontario, Environment Canada says.The tornado likely hit near near the community of Monkton in Perth County north of Stratford, meteorologist Geoff Coulson said Wednesday, but that has not yet been confirmed.Environment Canada is also investigating reports of tornados in up to five other locations, Coulson said.On its website, Environment Canada reported early Wednesday that the storm ripped a roof off a house, snapped branches off trees and knocked down power lines near Monkton. It said hail damaged a home and an outdoor pool west of the community.
The storm, which swept across southwestern and south central Ontario, brought more than 50 millimetres of rain, winds of up to 113 kilometres an hour, large hail and reports of funnel clouds.Summer severe weather roared through southern Ontario Tuesday afternoon and through the night with an intense line of thunderstorms, which brought frequent lightning, very heavy rain at times, strong wind, and pea- to marble-size hail, the Meteorological Service of Canada said in a statement.
Regions along the southern shoreline of Lake Huron east toward Hamilton saw the heaviest thunderstorm activity. There were numerous reports of near zero visibility due to torrential rain and power outages, it added.The storm left thousands of people in the dark in southwestern and eastern Ontario.Hydro crews were working on Wednesday to restore power in affected areas, which included homes between Brighton to Tyendinaga in eastern Ontario and in Huron County on the eastern shore of Lake Huron.Coulson said the the extreme weather also damaged trees near McMaster University in Hamilton and in the Kitchener area.No injuries were reported.
Notre Dame basilica spire falls in storm Wed May 16, 10:39 AM ET
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A powerful storm toppled a small spire from the University of Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart and left more than 16,000 people without power Wednesday. One person died when a tree fell on his car.At Notre Dame, one of four smaller spires that surround the basilica's main spire fell about 60 feet to the ground, bringing with it some bricks and mortar. No one was injured.That's a fairly significant amount of damage to one of the university's most important landmarks, spokesman Dennis Brown said. Several large trees on campus also were damaged, he said.The Tuesday evening storm brought heavy rain and wind up to 70 mph to LaPorte and St. Joseph counties, the National Weather Service said. Several people reported seeing funnel clouds, and the weather service was trying to confirm whether any tornadoes touched down.There were reports of trees falling on cars and homes across northern Indiana and into Ohio and Michigan, meteorologist Patrick Murphy (news, bio, voting record) said. The storm initially knocked out power to 52,000 customers of Northern Indiana Public Service Co. About 16,000 customers, most in Gary and Portage, remained without electricity Wednesday, the company said.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Rain boosts efforts to control South Jersey wildfire
WAYNE PARRY - The Associated Press MAY 16,07
LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - More than a half-inch of rain gave a major assist to firefighters working to subdue a massive wildfire that has charred 14,000 acres of the New Jersey Pinelands, and it is now 70 percent contained, a fire official said Wednesday night.
Maris Gabliks, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said firefighters expect to declare the blaze under control sometime Thursday.We now believe we have turned the corner. The people of the Pinelands are fortunate tonight, said Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.A thunderstorm that firefighters had anxiously awaited for most of the day arrived over the blaze at about 6:30 p.m., just after high winds from the approaching storm pushed the fire eastward toward the Garden State Parkway, jeopardizing not only the road but thousands of homes east of it.
Some residents of Barnegat Township who had been allowed to return to their homes Wednesday after being evacuated the day before, were once again told to leave when the flames briefly picked up. About 500 people were in shelters Wednesday night, officials said.The blaze, which is believed to have been touched off by a National Guard F-16 that dropped a flare during a training exercise Tuesday afternoon in the tinder-dry Pinelands region, soon sent walls of flame racing toward senior citizen communities, where elderly residents grabbed their pets and ran.It was as close to hell on Earth as you'll ever experience in your life, said Bert Plante, a spokesman for the Forest Fire Service.
Speaking in a trailer park where two homes were incinerated and others damaged, Plante said, The wall of fire that came here was twice as tall as the trees, easily 80 to 100 feet in the air.About 6,000 people were evacuated from 2,500 homes at the height of the blaze. That included 300 patients in three nursing homes who had been relocated without incident, said State Police Superintendent Col.
Rick Fuentes.
More than 600 firefighters, some called from as far away as 30 miles, used helicopters, water tanker trucks, bulldozers and other equipment to try to contain the fire. Many of those called in from nearby communities to assist the forest fire service were sent home Wednesday night as the rain helped douse the flames.The Parkway, one of the state's main north-south routes, was closed for a time Wednesday in the vicinity of the fire because dense smoke was making it difficult for motorists to see.Authorities downgraded their count of homes damaged by the flames to 13, down from 50 Tuesday night. A closer inspection revealed that many of the houses that were believed to have suffered damage were not structurally harmed.Five homes in two senior citizen housing developments in Barnegat were destroyed.Dry conditions and strong winds helped fan the blaze, which began Tuesday afternoon on a military aerial bombing range about 25 miles north of Atlantic City.
Two state forest fire officials suffered minor injuries, but no serious injuries or deaths were reported.However, some of those evacuated recalled frantic flights to escape the blaze.I didn't grab anything but the cat and myself, and we scrammed, said Helen Sura, who evacuated a housing development in Barnegat.She and the cat, the aptly named Smoky, spent a sleepless night in her car in a Burger King parking lot.I was freezing because I didn't think to grab a sweater or a blanket, she said. I figured we'd be back home in a few hours at most.Eileen Papini also grabbed her cat, Puddycat, and fled the advancing flames.
The smoke was so bad you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, she said.Her trailer park, Pinewood Estates in Barnegat, suffered serious damage, authorities said. Several mobile homes there were damaged by the blaze. Papini was wondering if hers was among them.You don't know if you have a home to go back to, she said. Evacuees described a rapidly advancing fire that mowed down everything in its path.It looked like big black clouds, lit up with orange fire, 40, 50 feet in the air, coming right toward you, said Stan Wesolowski of Barnegat.
The fire started about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday on the Warren Grove Gunnery Range, a 9,400-acre expanse of sand and scrub pine used for aerial bombing practice by Air National Guard units.Lt. Col. James Garcia, a spokesman for the New Jersey Air National Guard, said it was believed a flare dropped from one its F-16s may have started the blaze, though an investigation was ongoing.The range was the same facility from which a National Guard jet accidentally strafed an elementary school with large-caliber rounds in 2004 during a training exercise.
U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg complained Wednesday that the military hadn't followed up on safety pledges after the 2004 accident.This wildfire shows that the Air National Guard has not followed through on its pledge of increased safety, said Lautenberg, who said he would request a meeting with the Air Force and Air National Guard to address safety issues.In 2001, an errant Air National Guard practice bomb caused a fire that burned more than 1,600 acres in the Pine Barrens.Associated Press writer Jeffrey Gold in Newark contributed to this story.
Smoke from Georgia, Florida fires reaches N.C.
May 16, 2007 12:26 EDT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Smoke from massive wildfires in Georgia and Florida has drifted hundreds of miles into central North Carolina.It's triggering emergency calls to fire departments and warnings for people with breathing ailments to limit their time outdoors.Charlotte Fire Captain Rob Brisley is urging the public --not-- to call 9-1-1 just to report smoke. He says people should call only if they see smoke or flames coming from a structure.Emergency dispatchers in Davidson County
about 50 miles northeast of Charlotte say they've been overwhelmed by callers reporting the smoke.
The smoke created a haze more than 100 miles north of Charlotte in Orange County.The smoke's being driven into North Carolina by strong winds preceding a cold front.
Israeli aircraft fires on Hamas targets By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writers MAY 17,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli aircraft launched missiles at Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least five people, after Hamas fired rocket barrages into Israel in an apparent attempt to draw Israel into increasingly violent Palestinian infighting. Hamas gunmen fatally shot six guards from the rival Fatah movement and mistakenly ambushed a jeep carrying their own fighters, killing five. In all, 16 Palestinians were killed in Palestinian infighting Wednesday — the bloodiest day since violence broke out in the Gaza Strip four days ago.The streets of central Gaza City echoed with gunfire and were empty except for gunmen in black ski masks. Terrified residents stayed home from school and work, huddling in dark homes after electricity to some neighborhoods was cut off by a downed power line.At nightfall, Hamas announced its intention to begin observing a unilateral cease-fire, and President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah also called on the warring parties to hold their fire. However, similar truces the two previous evenings did not hold.
In four days of fighting, 41 people have been killed and dozens more have been injured — not including the dead from the Israeli airstrikes. Most of the dead have been from Fatah. The violence threatened to bring down the Palestinians' two-month-old unity government — and brought the Palestinians dangerously close to all-out civil war.Despite Israel's vow to stay out of the fray, its missile strikes added another layer of complexity to Gaza's mayhem, and raised the specter of a large-scale Israeli invasion.
What is happening in Gaza endangers not only the unity government, but the Palestinian social fabric, the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian strategy as a whole, said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.Abbas was expected to meet with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas in Gaza on Thursday to discuss the situation, Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said. One option was declaring a state of emergency, he said. Abbas also spoke by phone with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Syria on Wednesday, and the two agreed to work to end the violence.Hamas officials said the organization's men launched eight rockets at Israel, following a barrage of around 20 rockets Tuesday. That salvo at the Israeli town of Sderot, just outside Gaza, wounded five Israelis, one seriously, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
There were no casualties Wednesday, but school was canceled in Sderot and residents huddled in bomb shelters.Hamas said its rockets were retaliation for Israeli violence, but more likely it was an attempt to draw Israel into the fighting as a way of uniting the Palestinians against a common foe.
Before that attack, Israel launched an airstrike at the Hamas military building in the southern town of Rafah, Palestinian officials and the army said. Medics said four Hamas gunmen were killed and 30 others were wounded. In a rare display of unity, Hamas and Fatah men worked together to evacuate the casualties.Later in the day, an Israeli aircraft attacked a car carrying a group of Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one person and wounding two others, Palestinian medical officials said. The attack came shortly after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel cannot continue to restrain itself in the face of repeated rocket fire by Palestinian militants.The army said the airstrike was aimed at a Palestinian squad that had just fired rockets into Israel, and did not strike a vehicle.Earlier in the day, Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said Israel would not be dragged into the Gaza Strip the way that Hamas wants. We will choose the time, the place to respond and we will protect our citizens.In the latest infighting, police from the Fatah-allied Preventive Security force arrested five Hamas men and were driving them through Gaza City when the vehicle was ambushed by Hamas fighters, Preventive Security officials said. The five Hamas men were killed, along with two Fatah men, they said.
Hamas radio reported that a Hamas man was killed in a separate clash, and a nurse in an ambulance was shot in the head after being caught in the crossfire, hospital officials said. Her family said she was brain-dead and on a respirator.In another incident, Hamas gunmen set fire to an 11-story apartment building housing Fatah lawmaker Nema Sheik Ali, the wife of the head of Preventive Security.
Witnesses said the gunmen broke into her apartment and struck her and two of her children with their weapons. One of the children is 14 years old; the age of the other wasn't immediately known. They came, they broke the door, she said. They assaulted my children and they pushed me aside, then they torched the apartment. Shadi al-Kashir, a building resident, said his father, wife, five children and two sisters had been trapped inside by smoke in the halls and gunbattles raging in the entranceway. They tried to send ambulances, but the ambulances came under fire, he said. They later managed to escape. A group of about 200 Palestinians marched in central Gaza City, waving Palestinian flags and demanding an end to the fighting. Dozens of masked gunmen used the cover of the demonstration to improve their positions on the street, and then opened fire on the demonstrators, wounding one in the leg. The rest fled.Earlier Wednesday, Hamas gunmen fired mortars and pipe bombs at the home of Fatah security chief Rashid Abu Shbak before storming it and killing six bodyguards, Palestinians security and medical officials said. Abu Shbak and his family were not home at the time.
Abdel Hakim Awad, a Fatah spokesman, angrily accused Hamas' leadership of the attack, charging that the Islamist group wanted to turn Gaza into a new Somalia or Darfur.Fighting also raged close to President Mahmoud Abbas' heavily guarded compound, which was also targeted by Hamas mortar fire overnight, and the bodies of two Fatah gunmen were sprawled on the street nearby. Abbas, a moderate from Fatah, was not present. More than 30 journalists from different news agencies were holed up at the Gaza offices of Al-Jazeera television, unable to venture outside because of heavy fighting next to the building.
We are in fact, without exaggeration, in grave danger, said Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh, his words interrupted by sounds of gunfire. Gaza's turmoil further weakened hopes for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, despite a new push by the Arab world to bring the sides to the table. The offer proposes Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from all lands it occupied in the 1967 Mideast War. But negotiations are inconceivable if the Palestinians descend into civil war. This week's fighting was the worst since Hamas and Fatah agreed in February to share power. At its core is the unresolved power struggle between Hamas, which won parliament elections last year, and Fatah, which dominated Palestinian politics for four decades. After a year in power and squeezed by an international aid boycott, Hamas realized it could not govern alone and brought Fatah into the government. But the two sides never worked out all their differences, particularly over who would control security forces.
Rabbi mourns death of great Christian leader and friend of Israel Reverend Jerry Falwell MAY 17,07
It is with great sorrow that I come to you to tell you of the death of a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people—and a man that I was honored to call a personal friend as well. The Rev. Jerry Falwell passed away today suddenly at the age of 73. When I started The Fellowship 25 years ago, he was among the first Christians to step forward and express interest in being involved in our bridge-building work. And, over the years, he proved his solidarity repeatedly. His involvement helped break down the barriers of mistrust that characterized the relationship between Jews and evangelical Christians at the time. There were those who remained skeptical of Rev. Falwell's support. I recall on one occasion nearly 30 years ago, I invited him to speak at my synagogue and was criticized by many in the Jewish community who questioned his motives. But this did not deter him one bit in his unfailing support for Israel and the Jewish people. Very directly, but always graciously and lovingly—I never saw him behave otherwise towards people—he would remind those who questioned him that, as a Christian, his support of Israel was based on eternal biblical truths and, because of that, it would not falter. I am happy to say that he managed to win over many of his skeptics through the consistency and obviously genuine quality of his love for Israel and the Jewish people.
The Rev. Falwell once said that the Bible Belt is Israel's safety belt. Over the years, he helped me realize the truth of that saying. Wherever there are faithful, Bible-believing Christians, I can be assured of finding true friends and supporters of Israel. And the Rev. Falwell himself did much to ensure that safety belt remained strong as ever.Please take a moment today to join with me and Fellowship staff to pray for the many friends and family of Rev. Falwell, and all the staff and students at his school, Liberty University, who mourn the loss of their leader and are now left to carry on his great legacy. He will be sorely missed. I also invite you to share your thoughts and memories of Reverend Falwell with us.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christans and Jews.
Merkel gives up on God in EU treaty
15.05.2007 - 17:44 CET | By Andrew Rettman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - German chancellor and Christian Democrat Angela Merkel has
voiced regret there will be no reference to Christian roots in the revised EU treaty, amid controversial remarks about damage to churches in Turkish Cyprus at a meeting of religious VIPs in Brussels.
You know what my personal view is. I would have liked the constitution to deliver such a reference. But as president of the European Council, I see there is not much of a chance, she said on the prospects of God appearing in a preamble to the EU text. I can't hold out any hope, she added.Her statement comes in the context of Germany's push to fix the broad outlines of a new EU treaty - still called a constitution by some - in late June, following months of bilateral consultations with EU states after the rejection of the original EU constitution in 2005. The God debate is at least as old as the 2002 EU convention that wrote the original constitution, with Roman Catholic states like Poland and the Vatican pushing for the reference, but with France and the UK worried over national secularist traditions or damaging relations with Islamic EU candidate Turkey. The EU's 50th birthday declaration in March rejuvenated the discussion. But in the end the birthday text made no reference to Christianity, while praising identities and diverse traditions of member states and how the EU is enriched by a variety of languages, cultures.
Universal values
When the German chancellor, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering met Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders at the EU capital on Tuesday (15 May), they stuck to safe ground on universal EU values such as human dignity.
Human dignity is at the basis of the values we share in Europe, Mr Barroso said. We have discussed the need to respect freedom of religion not just in the EU but in all the countries that want to be part of the EU and in the wider world.Earlier at lunch, Mr Barroso told his guests that every time he talks with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan he stresses the importance of freedom of worship. Mr Poettering also voiced concern over the murder in April of three Christian publishers in Turkey and praised Ankara's handling of the incident. But the meeting was not entirely free of controversy, with Ms Merkel at the final press conference saying the EU can't close its eyes to violations of human dignity in particular terms such as the fact religious property is being damaged in Northern Cyprus.
The Archbishop of All Cyprus
Her comment relates to her conversation with His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, the Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, who criticised Turkish Cypriot authorities at Tuesday's religious seminar. An EU official later played down Ms Merkel's words, saying she was merely trying to reflect the day's debate. About 500 Orthodox Christian churches fell under Turkish Cypriot control following the Turkish-Greek conflict on the island in 1974. The past 33 years have seen widespread reports of looting and vandalism of priceless, Byzantine-era frescos and icons in the region. But the Turkish Cypriot community refuses to take the blame, saying that non-recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus by the international community means crucial aid from bodies like UNESCO cannot get through. The republic recently sent a letter to MEPs that also complains of damage done to Islamic sites in southern Cyprus. There are issues relating to this on both sides, a Turkish Cypriot representative told EUobserver.
Commission defines red lines for new EU treaty
15.05.2007 - 17:43 CET | By Mark Beunderman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The European Commission has issued a warning to states such as the UK and the Netherlands seeking to roll back what it sees as key parts of the EU constitution.The intervention came after the college of commissioners on Monday (14 May) held a seminar on the disputed EU constitution at Groot-Bijgaarden castle, just outside Brussels.Briefing journalists after the seminar, the spokesman for European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the new treaty must improve the EU's achievements, under no circumstances roll back these achievements.The commission, which has generally been reluctant to wade into member states' sensitive debate on the fate of the constitution – rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005 – has now given first indication of what its red lines are.The red lines when it comes to preserving the [European] community method and the single market must be clearly established, the spokesman said amid ongoing renegotiations of the new treaty.
The so-called community method is EU jargon meaning decision making at the EU level, where member states generally lose their national veto and major powers are transferred to the European Commission and the European Parliament.Commission officials said the community method remark was above all directed at the UK and the Czech Republic which are unhappy with the reduction of national veto powers – especially in the area of justice and home affairs –as proposed in the old constitution. London is said to oppose the scrapping of its veto powers all together, while Prague is promoting a system whereby minorities of member states can opt out of decisions taken by a majority.Meanwhile, Brussels' red line on the EU's single market appears to stem from its worries that states like the Netherlands and France will use the renegotiation of the treaty to secure limits to the application of free market legislation.
Single market worries
The Hague is pushing for reassurances in a new look treaty that national sovereignty over pensions, social security and health is not eroded by an ever-expanding scope of the single market.Brussels' warning was also partly directed at France, officials said, with Paris' new president Nicolas Sarkozy expected to take a nationalistic stance on issues like foreign take-overs of French companies.The commission also indicated it supports ideas for a pared down version of a new treaty. It is clear that when it comes to finding a solution, simplification is the name of the game, the spokesman said.But it must be clear that the discussion does not start from scratch, he added. The constitutional treaty is the starting point for discussion.
Solana reiterates EU commitment to Mideast peace process MAY 17,07
Javier Solana, high representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, reiterated Tuesday the EU's commitments to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian and reaffirmed EU's support to the Palestinian people.
At a press conference following his meeting here with Ziad Abu Amr, minister of foreign affairs of the Palestinian National Authority, Solana also stressed the importance of national unity among the Palestinians. Today, we talked more on the Palestinian situation, how we can help, how we can cooperate on the security situation, how we can cooperate economically, said Solana. The two men discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories as well as the Arab Peace Initiative.
The initiative, first approved by the Arab League in its 2002 Beirut summit, calls for Israel's pullout from Arab land occupied in the 1967 Middle East War and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in return for the normalization of ties with Arab states. Israel had rejected the initiative after it was first launched in 2002, but the Jewish state has recently said it could provide a basis for talks though there are amendments to the refugee issue. Solana, who had already talked to Abu Amr on Monday during the meeting of EU and Arab League foreign ministers, promised that the talks between the EU and the Palestinian would continue as he planned to visit the Mideast in the near future.
Meanwhile, he stressed the EU's continuing deep engagement with the Israeli-Palestinians peace process, with the Palestinian people and with the region. We would like to see something happening in the foreseeable future and not to have to wait again for a long period of time until some positive news may come on the peace process, he said. He also urged the Palestinian leaders to do everything possible to bring the security situation under control and to make every effort to secure the release of the captured Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, and BBC journalist Alan Johnston. Abu Amr thanked Solana for his persistent effort to convene the Arab League-EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday, which had been very successful. I would like to also stress the role of Mr. Solana in reviving Arab-European relations and opening new horizons for Arab-European relations, he said.
Turning to the dismal security situation in Gaza, Solana said it would clearly be very difficult to move forward politically if the situation internally among Palestinians is not guaranteed.He said the EU did not feel that the situation could be blamed on the economy because the EU had given more aid to the Palestinian people since 2005 than in previous years. However, he acknowledged that living conditions were very difficult for Palestinians and led to much frustration. Abu Amr urged Israel to release the taxes they collected from Palestinians to the Palestinian National Authority. This would alleviate the social, economic and security problems, he added. He also called on the international community to end the political and financial siege on the Hamas-led Palestinian government and the Palestinian people. Source: Xinhua
European Union Opens Its Market to 80 Countries MAY 17,07
The European Union has agreed to grant duty-free and quota-free market access to some 80 countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) areas. There is still much debate on both sides of the accord, but EU leaders are hailing it as important progress. Teri Schultz has more from Brussels.With the new market access offer, the European Union and the ACP - African, Caribbean and Pacific - group have reached one step closer to a trade deal before the current accord expires at year's end.
EU development ministers meeting in Brussels Tuesday confirmed a proposal made last month by the European Commission that would drop tariffs and quotas on ACP goods once a new trade agreement is signed. German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who chaired the meeting, said this decision will have a positive impact on other development issues. We'll be freeing up ACP access to our markets to a very great extent, saidHeidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. I think this is a good signal.
There will be special treatment for products considered highly sensitive - so far that includes sugar and rice - which will have their tariffs scaled back gradually to give industries more time to adjust.
For example, sugar brought into the EU would have its import duties phased out by the year 2015 The transition period for rice has not yet been established. Bananas are widely expected to join that list but ministers put off that decision for now.
Eventually the EU wants reciprocal benefits to be in place for European goods in African markets, but Minister Wieczorek-Zeul told ACP countries they should not be intimidated by this. We have no designs on ACP markets in light of the development requirements of ACP countries, she said. There will be the need for flexibility and ACP countries may have waivers, safeguard measures and particular periods of time of transitional periods for particularly sensitive products.She noted that some countries' transition periods may last up to 25 years! EU and ACP leaders meet again in Brussels on May 25 to try to move forward on the overarching trade deal. - VOA News
HOW THE SIX DAY WAR ALMOST LED TO ARMAGEDDON
Forty years later, Moscow's role in engineering and exacerbating the crisis is revealed. By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007) June, 1967. War clouds had been building for months. The Israelis found themselves increasingly surrounded by Soviet-backed forces of the Arab and Islamic world, all of whose leaders were vowing to throw the Jews into the sea, and the Israelis were considering a first strike. The element of surprise might be their only hope of survival, they figured. But President Lyndon Johnson had warned Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in no uncertain terms that such a move would be a serious mistake. As historian Michael B. Oren noted in his highly praised book, Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Johnson sent a secret message to Eskhol saying that it is essential that Israel not take any preemptive military action and thereby make itself responsible for the initiation of hostilities. Preemptive action by Israel would make it impossible for the friends of Israel to stand at your side. Oren noted that Johnson specifically warned of the possibility of direct Soviet intervention.
Marshal Andrei Antonovich Grechko, the Soviet deputy defense minister, had told his Egyptian counterparts in Cairo that the Kremlin had dispatched destroyers and submarines to the waters near Egypt, some armed with missiles and secret weapons to help wipe out the Zionists. One of Israel's top experts on Soviet foreign policy told Israeli Defense Forces intelligence that the USSR would muster all its influence and power to maintain its Middle East position and when asked if the Soviets would intervene directly, replied, of course.Soviet Premier Kosygin, meanwhile, sent a cable to Prime Minister Eshkol warning that if the Israeli Government insists on taking upon itself the responsibility for the outbreak of armed confrontation then it will pay the full price of such an action. But at 8:44
a.m. on the morning of June 5, 1967, Eshkol sent an urgent message back to President Johnson informing him that it was too late. War had begun.
After weeks in which our peril has grown day by day, we are now engaged in repelling the aggression which [Egyptian President] Nasser has been building up against us, Eshkol wrote, explaining his rationale for the preemptive strike Israel had just launched. Israel's existence and integrity have been endangered. The provocative [Arab] troop concentrations in Sinai, now amounting to five infantry and two armored divisions; the placing of more than 900 tanks against our southern frontier; . . . the illegal blockade of the Straits of Tiran; . . . the imminent introduction of MiG-21 aircraft under Iraqi command [into the theater]; Nasser's announcement of total war against Israel and of his basic aim to annihilate Israel. . . . All of this amounts to an extraordinary catalogue of aggression, abhorred and condemned by world opinion and in your great country and amongst all peace-loving nations.Eshkol also noted that three Israeli towns had been bombed that morning by Arab forces, citing these as the last straws that led to war. He thanked Johnson for America's support and expressed hope that our small nation can count on the fealty and resolution of its greatest friend. But he also had a request: that the U.S. prevent the Soviet Union from exploiting and enlarging the conflict at this, Israel's greatest hour of danger.
Eshkol knew and feared the Russians, noted Michael Oren. War with Syria [and Egypt] was risky enough; with the USSR, it would be suicidal. But Eskhol calculated that without U.S. support, the Soviets would find themselves compelled to get involved directly. Moscow had, after all, invested massively in the Middle East, about $2 billion in military aid alone-1,700 tanks, 2,400 artillery pieces, 500 jets, and 1,400 advisers-since 1956, some 43 percent of it to Egypt.Sure enough, as the Israelis demolished the forces of the Arab coalition over the next three days and captured the Sinai, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights, reunified the holy city of Jerusalem, and began an offensive against Damascus itself, Moscow saw itself staring into the face of a geopolitical disaster.
Those were, after all, Soviet-trained soldiers being defeated. Those were Soviet-made arms being seized or destroyed. Those were billions of dollars in Soviet funding to their Arab client states being poured down the drain.
And-it would later be learned by U.S. and Israeli intelligence-the Egyptian war plan itself (code-named, Operation Conqueror) had actually been written in 1966 by the Soviets. As a result, the Soviets feared their prestige was quickly unraveling. U.S. intelligence was already picking up signs of this fear in the Kremlin. In the President's Daily Brief on June 9, for example, the CIA informed President Johnson that the Soviets are finding it hard to conceal their shock over the rapid Egyptian military collapse. A Soviet official [identity still classified] could not understand how our intelligence could have been so wrong. He asked despairingly, How could we have gotten into such a mess?
So the Kremlin decided to dramatically up the ante.
On June 10, at 8:48 a.m., Washington time, Soviet Premier Alexey Kosygin used the Hotline to call President Johnson in the White House Situation Room. His message was as blunt as it was unnerving: A very crucial moment has now arrived, he said, which forces us, if [Israeli] military actions are not stopped in the next few hours, to adopt an independent decision. We are ready to do this.
However, these actions may bring us into a clash which will lead to a grave catastrophe. . . . We propose that you demand from Israel that it unconditionally cease military action. . . . We purpose to warn Israel that if this is not fulfilled, necessary actions will be taken, including military.The Soviets quickly broke off diplomatic relations with Israel, and the Soviet-bloc governments of Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria quickly followed. CIA Director Richard Helms would later recall that the conversation in the Situation Room for the next several hours were in the lowest voices he had ever heard in a meeting of that kind and that the atmosphere was tense as the President and his most senior military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisors contemplated the possibility of a direct Soviet strike at Israel.
Johnson, a devoted friend of Israel and an ardent anti-Communist, was not prepared to kowtow to Moscow or let Israel be destroyed. He immediately ordered the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean to turn around-it was then heading west towards the Strait of Gibraltar-and steam towards Israel as a show of solidarity and to warn the Soviets not to get directly involved.
He did the right thing, for according to Isabella Ginor, a Russian-born correspondent for the BBC World Service and other international news services, new evidence now reveals that the Soviets were indeed poised to attack Israel. . . and had been preparing for such a mission all along.On June 10, 2000-the thirty-third anniversary of Kosygin's ominous Hotline threat to Nixon-Ginor published an article in The Guardian (London) entitled, How The Six Day War Almost Led to Armageddon: New Evidence of 1967 Soviet Plan to Invade Israel Shows How Close the World Came to Nuclear Conflict.In December of that year she published a longer and more detailed article in the Middle East Review of International Affairs entitled, The Russians Were Coming: The Soviet Military Threat in the 1967 Six-Day War. In these and other articles, she quoted Soviet military officials who paint a fragmentary but still disturbing picture of the attack that was being prepared.
Ginor noted, that in his recently published memoirs, Nikita S. Kruschev asserts that the USSR's military command first encouraged high-ranking Egyptian and Syrian delegations, in a series of hush-hush mutual visits, to go to war, then persuaded the Soviet political leadership to support these steps, in the full knowledge they were aimed at starting a war to destroy Israel.
Soviet Acting Defense Minister Andrei A. Grechko and KGB Chairman Yuri V. Andropov, meanwhile, were pressing for the immediate dispatch of Soviet forces to the Middle East. Retired Soviet air force lieutenant Yuri V. Nastenko confirmed in 1998 that bomber and fighter jets, such as the MiG-21s that were under his command, were put on full operational alert on the evening of June 5, 1967 and that he was convinced this was in preparation for real combat.Yuri N. Khripunkov was a former Soviet naval officer who was serving on one of thirty Soviet warships that had been moved from the Black Sea southward to the Mediterranean in June 1967. Khripunkov told Ginor that he and his colleagues were preparing to unleash a force of Soviet forces onto the Israeli mainland. His own platoon, he said, was ordered to penetrate Haifa-Israel's main commercial harbor and naval base.Russian Professor Alexsandr K. Kislov, who was stationed in the Middle East in 1967, told Ginor that the strike force the Soviets had prepared for insertion into Israel included desant [landing] ships with well-prepared marines.
Some respected historians and diplomats have disputed the notion that the Soviets were planning to attack Israel in 1967. But while the evidence available from declassified documents and interviews with direct participants may not yet be conclusive, it is compelling. What's more, Soviet Premier Kosygin's threat of direct military intervention into the 1967 war with Israel alone stands as chilling evidence of Moscow's historic and recent animus towards the Jewish State, and as a warning of things to come, especially as Moscow currently arms Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, Sudan, Algeria and other enemies of Israel.
* NOTE: This article is adapted from Chapter 10 of Epicenter. Now, a new book by two Israeli historians, including one I interviewed for Epicenter, documents how the Soviets engineered the Six Day War to destroy Israel's nuclear program. For more on this, see Foxbats Over Dimona: The Soviets' Nuclear Gamble in the Six-Day War by Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez and a review of the book by the Jerusalem Post(links on my weblog).
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 = Thu May 17 2:00 AM EDT
MAY 17.07
MAP 3.1 OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAY 16,07
MAP 5.7 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 5.0 SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 ARKANSAS
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 6.3 LAOS
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.4 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.7 SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
MAY 15,07
MAP 2.7 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.5 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.7 COSTA RICA
MAP 4.9 BATAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.8 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 3.4 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.6 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
Earthquake in Laos shakes Thailand Wed May 16, 8:26 PM ET
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thousands of workers fled swaying high-rise office buildings in Bangkok on Wednesday but there were no injuries or major damage reported after an earthquake struck about 465 miles north in western Laos, officials said. The earthquake, centered in a remote region of Laos, was measured at magnitude 6.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey and Thailand's Meteorological Department.
Smith Dharmasaroja, chairman of the National Disaster Warning Center, told Thai TV Channel 3 there were numerous aftershocks and warned people not to return to houses for at least 24 hours.Yong Chanthalansy, a Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman, said from the Laotian capital of Vientiane that the earthquake lasted about 10 seconds. He said it was not felt in Vientiane and there were no initial reports of casualties.
Many offices in Bangkok's business districts were evacuated after the earthquake
struck, with their panicky occupants gathered in the street. Numerous workers went home early from their jobs.The quake also was felt in Chiang Mai, a popular Thai tourist destination about 160 miles southwest of the epicenter. Officials there said there were no reports of damage.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Tornado probably struck near Stratford: weather service
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 | 1:47 PM ET - CBC News
It is almost certain that a tornado touched down Tuesday night near the city of Stratford in southern Ontario, Environment Canada says.The tornado likely hit near near the community of Monkton in Perth County north of Stratford, meteorologist Geoff Coulson said Wednesday, but that has not yet been confirmed.Environment Canada is also investigating reports of tornados in up to five other locations, Coulson said.On its website, Environment Canada reported early Wednesday that the storm ripped a roof off a house, snapped branches off trees and knocked down power lines near Monkton. It said hail damaged a home and an outdoor pool west of the community.
The storm, which swept across southwestern and south central Ontario, brought more than 50 millimetres of rain, winds of up to 113 kilometres an hour, large hail and reports of funnel clouds.Summer severe weather roared through southern Ontario Tuesday afternoon and through the night with an intense line of thunderstorms, which brought frequent lightning, very heavy rain at times, strong wind, and pea- to marble-size hail, the Meteorological Service of Canada said in a statement.
Regions along the southern shoreline of Lake Huron east toward Hamilton saw the heaviest thunderstorm activity. There were numerous reports of near zero visibility due to torrential rain and power outages, it added.The storm left thousands of people in the dark in southwestern and eastern Ontario.Hydro crews were working on Wednesday to restore power in affected areas, which included homes between Brighton to Tyendinaga in eastern Ontario and in Huron County on the eastern shore of Lake Huron.Coulson said the the extreme weather also damaged trees near McMaster University in Hamilton and in the Kitchener area.No injuries were reported.
Notre Dame basilica spire falls in storm Wed May 16, 10:39 AM ET
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A powerful storm toppled a small spire from the University of Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart and left more than 16,000 people without power Wednesday. One person died when a tree fell on his car.At Notre Dame, one of four smaller spires that surround the basilica's main spire fell about 60 feet to the ground, bringing with it some bricks and mortar. No one was injured.That's a fairly significant amount of damage to one of the university's most important landmarks, spokesman Dennis Brown said. Several large trees on campus also were damaged, he said.The Tuesday evening storm brought heavy rain and wind up to 70 mph to LaPorte and St. Joseph counties, the National Weather Service said. Several people reported seeing funnel clouds, and the weather service was trying to confirm whether any tornadoes touched down.There were reports of trees falling on cars and homes across northern Indiana and into Ohio and Michigan, meteorologist Patrick Murphy (news, bio, voting record) said. The storm initially knocked out power to 52,000 customers of Northern Indiana Public Service Co. About 16,000 customers, most in Gary and Portage, remained without electricity Wednesday, the company said.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Rain boosts efforts to control South Jersey wildfire
WAYNE PARRY - The Associated Press MAY 16,07
LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - More than a half-inch of rain gave a major assist to firefighters working to subdue a massive wildfire that has charred 14,000 acres of the New Jersey Pinelands, and it is now 70 percent contained, a fire official said Wednesday night.
Maris Gabliks, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said firefighters expect to declare the blaze under control sometime Thursday.We now believe we have turned the corner. The people of the Pinelands are fortunate tonight, said Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.A thunderstorm that firefighters had anxiously awaited for most of the day arrived over the blaze at about 6:30 p.m., just after high winds from the approaching storm pushed the fire eastward toward the Garden State Parkway, jeopardizing not only the road but thousands of homes east of it.
Some residents of Barnegat Township who had been allowed to return to their homes Wednesday after being evacuated the day before, were once again told to leave when the flames briefly picked up. About 500 people were in shelters Wednesday night, officials said.The blaze, which is believed to have been touched off by a National Guard F-16 that dropped a flare during a training exercise Tuesday afternoon in the tinder-dry Pinelands region, soon sent walls of flame racing toward senior citizen communities, where elderly residents grabbed their pets and ran.It was as close to hell on Earth as you'll ever experience in your life, said Bert Plante, a spokesman for the Forest Fire Service.
Speaking in a trailer park where two homes were incinerated and others damaged, Plante said, The wall of fire that came here was twice as tall as the trees, easily 80 to 100 feet in the air.About 6,000 people were evacuated from 2,500 homes at the height of the blaze. That included 300 patients in three nursing homes who had been relocated without incident, said State Police Superintendent Col.
Rick Fuentes.
More than 600 firefighters, some called from as far away as 30 miles, used helicopters, water tanker trucks, bulldozers and other equipment to try to contain the fire. Many of those called in from nearby communities to assist the forest fire service were sent home Wednesday night as the rain helped douse the flames.The Parkway, one of the state's main north-south routes, was closed for a time Wednesday in the vicinity of the fire because dense smoke was making it difficult for motorists to see.Authorities downgraded their count of homes damaged by the flames to 13, down from 50 Tuesday night. A closer inspection revealed that many of the houses that were believed to have suffered damage were not structurally harmed.Five homes in two senior citizen housing developments in Barnegat were destroyed.Dry conditions and strong winds helped fan the blaze, which began Tuesday afternoon on a military aerial bombing range about 25 miles north of Atlantic City.
Two state forest fire officials suffered minor injuries, but no serious injuries or deaths were reported.However, some of those evacuated recalled frantic flights to escape the blaze.I didn't grab anything but the cat and myself, and we scrammed, said Helen Sura, who evacuated a housing development in Barnegat.She and the cat, the aptly named Smoky, spent a sleepless night in her car in a Burger King parking lot.I was freezing because I didn't think to grab a sweater or a blanket, she said. I figured we'd be back home in a few hours at most.Eileen Papini also grabbed her cat, Puddycat, and fled the advancing flames.
The smoke was so bad you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, she said.Her trailer park, Pinewood Estates in Barnegat, suffered serious damage, authorities said. Several mobile homes there were damaged by the blaze. Papini was wondering if hers was among them.You don't know if you have a home to go back to, she said. Evacuees described a rapidly advancing fire that mowed down everything in its path.It looked like big black clouds, lit up with orange fire, 40, 50 feet in the air, coming right toward you, said Stan Wesolowski of Barnegat.
The fire started about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday on the Warren Grove Gunnery Range, a 9,400-acre expanse of sand and scrub pine used for aerial bombing practice by Air National Guard units.Lt. Col. James Garcia, a spokesman for the New Jersey Air National Guard, said it was believed a flare dropped from one its F-16s may have started the blaze, though an investigation was ongoing.The range was the same facility from which a National Guard jet accidentally strafed an elementary school with large-caliber rounds in 2004 during a training exercise.
U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg complained Wednesday that the military hadn't followed up on safety pledges after the 2004 accident.This wildfire shows that the Air National Guard has not followed through on its pledge of increased safety, said Lautenberg, who said he would request a meeting with the Air Force and Air National Guard to address safety issues.In 2001, an errant Air National Guard practice bomb caused a fire that burned more than 1,600 acres in the Pine Barrens.Associated Press writer Jeffrey Gold in Newark contributed to this story.
Smoke from Georgia, Florida fires reaches N.C.
May 16, 2007 12:26 EDT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Smoke from massive wildfires in Georgia and Florida has drifted hundreds of miles into central North Carolina.It's triggering emergency calls to fire departments and warnings for people with breathing ailments to limit their time outdoors.Charlotte Fire Captain Rob Brisley is urging the public --not-- to call 9-1-1 just to report smoke. He says people should call only if they see smoke or flames coming from a structure.Emergency dispatchers in Davidson County
about 50 miles northeast of Charlotte say they've been overwhelmed by callers reporting the smoke.
The smoke created a haze more than 100 miles north of Charlotte in Orange County.The smoke's being driven into North Carolina by strong winds preceding a cold front.
Israeli aircraft fires on Hamas targets By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writers MAY 17,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli aircraft launched missiles at Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least five people, after Hamas fired rocket barrages into Israel in an apparent attempt to draw Israel into increasingly violent Palestinian infighting. Hamas gunmen fatally shot six guards from the rival Fatah movement and mistakenly ambushed a jeep carrying their own fighters, killing five. In all, 16 Palestinians were killed in Palestinian infighting Wednesday — the bloodiest day since violence broke out in the Gaza Strip four days ago.The streets of central Gaza City echoed with gunfire and were empty except for gunmen in black ski masks. Terrified residents stayed home from school and work, huddling in dark homes after electricity to some neighborhoods was cut off by a downed power line.At nightfall, Hamas announced its intention to begin observing a unilateral cease-fire, and President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah also called on the warring parties to hold their fire. However, similar truces the two previous evenings did not hold.
In four days of fighting, 41 people have been killed and dozens more have been injured — not including the dead from the Israeli airstrikes. Most of the dead have been from Fatah. The violence threatened to bring down the Palestinians' two-month-old unity government — and brought the Palestinians dangerously close to all-out civil war.Despite Israel's vow to stay out of the fray, its missile strikes added another layer of complexity to Gaza's mayhem, and raised the specter of a large-scale Israeli invasion.
What is happening in Gaza endangers not only the unity government, but the Palestinian social fabric, the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian strategy as a whole, said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.Abbas was expected to meet with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas in Gaza on Thursday to discuss the situation, Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said. One option was declaring a state of emergency, he said. Abbas also spoke by phone with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Syria on Wednesday, and the two agreed to work to end the violence.Hamas officials said the organization's men launched eight rockets at Israel, following a barrage of around 20 rockets Tuesday. That salvo at the Israeli town of Sderot, just outside Gaza, wounded five Israelis, one seriously, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
There were no casualties Wednesday, but school was canceled in Sderot and residents huddled in bomb shelters.Hamas said its rockets were retaliation for Israeli violence, but more likely it was an attempt to draw Israel into the fighting as a way of uniting the Palestinians against a common foe.
Before that attack, Israel launched an airstrike at the Hamas military building in the southern town of Rafah, Palestinian officials and the army said. Medics said four Hamas gunmen were killed and 30 others were wounded. In a rare display of unity, Hamas and Fatah men worked together to evacuate the casualties.Later in the day, an Israeli aircraft attacked a car carrying a group of Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one person and wounding two others, Palestinian medical officials said. The attack came shortly after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel cannot continue to restrain itself in the face of repeated rocket fire by Palestinian militants.The army said the airstrike was aimed at a Palestinian squad that had just fired rockets into Israel, and did not strike a vehicle.Earlier in the day, Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said Israel would not be dragged into the Gaza Strip the way that Hamas wants. We will choose the time, the place to respond and we will protect our citizens.In the latest infighting, police from the Fatah-allied Preventive Security force arrested five Hamas men and were driving them through Gaza City when the vehicle was ambushed by Hamas fighters, Preventive Security officials said. The five Hamas men were killed, along with two Fatah men, they said.
Hamas radio reported that a Hamas man was killed in a separate clash, and a nurse in an ambulance was shot in the head after being caught in the crossfire, hospital officials said. Her family said she was brain-dead and on a respirator.In another incident, Hamas gunmen set fire to an 11-story apartment building housing Fatah lawmaker Nema Sheik Ali, the wife of the head of Preventive Security.
Witnesses said the gunmen broke into her apartment and struck her and two of her children with their weapons. One of the children is 14 years old; the age of the other wasn't immediately known. They came, they broke the door, she said. They assaulted my children and they pushed me aside, then they torched the apartment. Shadi al-Kashir, a building resident, said his father, wife, five children and two sisters had been trapped inside by smoke in the halls and gunbattles raging in the entranceway. They tried to send ambulances, but the ambulances came under fire, he said. They later managed to escape. A group of about 200 Palestinians marched in central Gaza City, waving Palestinian flags and demanding an end to the fighting. Dozens of masked gunmen used the cover of the demonstration to improve their positions on the street, and then opened fire on the demonstrators, wounding one in the leg. The rest fled.Earlier Wednesday, Hamas gunmen fired mortars and pipe bombs at the home of Fatah security chief Rashid Abu Shbak before storming it and killing six bodyguards, Palestinians security and medical officials said. Abu Shbak and his family were not home at the time.
Abdel Hakim Awad, a Fatah spokesman, angrily accused Hamas' leadership of the attack, charging that the Islamist group wanted to turn Gaza into a new Somalia or Darfur.Fighting also raged close to President Mahmoud Abbas' heavily guarded compound, which was also targeted by Hamas mortar fire overnight, and the bodies of two Fatah gunmen were sprawled on the street nearby. Abbas, a moderate from Fatah, was not present. More than 30 journalists from different news agencies were holed up at the Gaza offices of Al-Jazeera television, unable to venture outside because of heavy fighting next to the building.
We are in fact, without exaggeration, in grave danger, said Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh, his words interrupted by sounds of gunfire. Gaza's turmoil further weakened hopes for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, despite a new push by the Arab world to bring the sides to the table. The offer proposes Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from all lands it occupied in the 1967 Mideast War. But negotiations are inconceivable if the Palestinians descend into civil war. This week's fighting was the worst since Hamas and Fatah agreed in February to share power. At its core is the unresolved power struggle between Hamas, which won parliament elections last year, and Fatah, which dominated Palestinian politics for four decades. After a year in power and squeezed by an international aid boycott, Hamas realized it could not govern alone and brought Fatah into the government. But the two sides never worked out all their differences, particularly over who would control security forces.
Rabbi mourns death of great Christian leader and friend of Israel Reverend Jerry Falwell MAY 17,07
It is with great sorrow that I come to you to tell you of the death of a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people—and a man that I was honored to call a personal friend as well. The Rev. Jerry Falwell passed away today suddenly at the age of 73. When I started The Fellowship 25 years ago, he was among the first Christians to step forward and express interest in being involved in our bridge-building work. And, over the years, he proved his solidarity repeatedly. His involvement helped break down the barriers of mistrust that characterized the relationship between Jews and evangelical Christians at the time. There were those who remained skeptical of Rev. Falwell's support. I recall on one occasion nearly 30 years ago, I invited him to speak at my synagogue and was criticized by many in the Jewish community who questioned his motives. But this did not deter him one bit in his unfailing support for Israel and the Jewish people. Very directly, but always graciously and lovingly—I never saw him behave otherwise towards people—he would remind those who questioned him that, as a Christian, his support of Israel was based on eternal biblical truths and, because of that, it would not falter. I am happy to say that he managed to win over many of his skeptics through the consistency and obviously genuine quality of his love for Israel and the Jewish people.
The Rev. Falwell once said that the Bible Belt is Israel's safety belt. Over the years, he helped me realize the truth of that saying. Wherever there are faithful, Bible-believing Christians, I can be assured of finding true friends and supporters of Israel. And the Rev. Falwell himself did much to ensure that safety belt remained strong as ever.Please take a moment today to join with me and Fellowship staff to pray for the many friends and family of Rev. Falwell, and all the staff and students at his school, Liberty University, who mourn the loss of their leader and are now left to carry on his great legacy. He will be sorely missed. I also invite you to share your thoughts and memories of Reverend Falwell with us.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christans and Jews.
Merkel gives up on God in EU treaty
15.05.2007 - 17:44 CET | By Andrew Rettman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - German chancellor and Christian Democrat Angela Merkel has
voiced regret there will be no reference to Christian roots in the revised EU treaty, amid controversial remarks about damage to churches in Turkish Cyprus at a meeting of religious VIPs in Brussels.
You know what my personal view is. I would have liked the constitution to deliver such a reference. But as president of the European Council, I see there is not much of a chance, she said on the prospects of God appearing in a preamble to the EU text. I can't hold out any hope, she added.Her statement comes in the context of Germany's push to fix the broad outlines of a new EU treaty - still called a constitution by some - in late June, following months of bilateral consultations with EU states after the rejection of the original EU constitution in 2005. The God debate is at least as old as the 2002 EU convention that wrote the original constitution, with Roman Catholic states like Poland and the Vatican pushing for the reference, but with France and the UK worried over national secularist traditions or damaging relations with Islamic EU candidate Turkey. The EU's 50th birthday declaration in March rejuvenated the discussion. But in the end the birthday text made no reference to Christianity, while praising identities and diverse traditions of member states and how the EU is enriched by a variety of languages, cultures.
Universal values
When the German chancellor, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering met Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders at the EU capital on Tuesday (15 May), they stuck to safe ground on universal EU values such as human dignity.
Human dignity is at the basis of the values we share in Europe, Mr Barroso said. We have discussed the need to respect freedom of religion not just in the EU but in all the countries that want to be part of the EU and in the wider world.Earlier at lunch, Mr Barroso told his guests that every time he talks with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan he stresses the importance of freedom of worship. Mr Poettering also voiced concern over the murder in April of three Christian publishers in Turkey and praised Ankara's handling of the incident. But the meeting was not entirely free of controversy, with Ms Merkel at the final press conference saying the EU can't close its eyes to violations of human dignity in particular terms such as the fact religious property is being damaged in Northern Cyprus.
The Archbishop of All Cyprus
Her comment relates to her conversation with His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, the Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, who criticised Turkish Cypriot authorities at Tuesday's religious seminar. An EU official later played down Ms Merkel's words, saying she was merely trying to reflect the day's debate. About 500 Orthodox Christian churches fell under Turkish Cypriot control following the Turkish-Greek conflict on the island in 1974. The past 33 years have seen widespread reports of looting and vandalism of priceless, Byzantine-era frescos and icons in the region. But the Turkish Cypriot community refuses to take the blame, saying that non-recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus by the international community means crucial aid from bodies like UNESCO cannot get through. The republic recently sent a letter to MEPs that also complains of damage done to Islamic sites in southern Cyprus. There are issues relating to this on both sides, a Turkish Cypriot representative told EUobserver.
Commission defines red lines for new EU treaty
15.05.2007 - 17:43 CET | By Mark Beunderman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The European Commission has issued a warning to states such as the UK and the Netherlands seeking to roll back what it sees as key parts of the EU constitution.The intervention came after the college of commissioners on Monday (14 May) held a seminar on the disputed EU constitution at Groot-Bijgaarden castle, just outside Brussels.Briefing journalists after the seminar, the spokesman for European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the new treaty must improve the EU's achievements, under no circumstances roll back these achievements.The commission, which has generally been reluctant to wade into member states' sensitive debate on the fate of the constitution – rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005 – has now given first indication of what its red lines are.The red lines when it comes to preserving the [European] community method and the single market must be clearly established, the spokesman said amid ongoing renegotiations of the new treaty.
The so-called community method is EU jargon meaning decision making at the EU level, where member states generally lose their national veto and major powers are transferred to the European Commission and the European Parliament.Commission officials said the community method remark was above all directed at the UK and the Czech Republic which are unhappy with the reduction of national veto powers – especially in the area of justice and home affairs –as proposed in the old constitution. London is said to oppose the scrapping of its veto powers all together, while Prague is promoting a system whereby minorities of member states can opt out of decisions taken by a majority.Meanwhile, Brussels' red line on the EU's single market appears to stem from its worries that states like the Netherlands and France will use the renegotiation of the treaty to secure limits to the application of free market legislation.
Single market worries
The Hague is pushing for reassurances in a new look treaty that national sovereignty over pensions, social security and health is not eroded by an ever-expanding scope of the single market.Brussels' warning was also partly directed at France, officials said, with Paris' new president Nicolas Sarkozy expected to take a nationalistic stance on issues like foreign take-overs of French companies.The commission also indicated it supports ideas for a pared down version of a new treaty. It is clear that when it comes to finding a solution, simplification is the name of the game, the spokesman said.But it must be clear that the discussion does not start from scratch, he added. The constitutional treaty is the starting point for discussion.
Solana reiterates EU commitment to Mideast peace process MAY 17,07
Javier Solana, high representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, reiterated Tuesday the EU's commitments to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian and reaffirmed EU's support to the Palestinian people.
At a press conference following his meeting here with Ziad Abu Amr, minister of foreign affairs of the Palestinian National Authority, Solana also stressed the importance of national unity among the Palestinians. Today, we talked more on the Palestinian situation, how we can help, how we can cooperate on the security situation, how we can cooperate economically, said Solana. The two men discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories as well as the Arab Peace Initiative.
The initiative, first approved by the Arab League in its 2002 Beirut summit, calls for Israel's pullout from Arab land occupied in the 1967 Middle East War and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in return for the normalization of ties with Arab states. Israel had rejected the initiative after it was first launched in 2002, but the Jewish state has recently said it could provide a basis for talks though there are amendments to the refugee issue. Solana, who had already talked to Abu Amr on Monday during the meeting of EU and Arab League foreign ministers, promised that the talks between the EU and the Palestinian would continue as he planned to visit the Mideast in the near future.
Meanwhile, he stressed the EU's continuing deep engagement with the Israeli-Palestinians peace process, with the Palestinian people and with the region. We would like to see something happening in the foreseeable future and not to have to wait again for a long period of time until some positive news may come on the peace process, he said. He also urged the Palestinian leaders to do everything possible to bring the security situation under control and to make every effort to secure the release of the captured Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, and BBC journalist Alan Johnston. Abu Amr thanked Solana for his persistent effort to convene the Arab League-EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday, which had been very successful. I would like to also stress the role of Mr. Solana in reviving Arab-European relations and opening new horizons for Arab-European relations, he said.
Turning to the dismal security situation in Gaza, Solana said it would clearly be very difficult to move forward politically if the situation internally among Palestinians is not guaranteed.He said the EU did not feel that the situation could be blamed on the economy because the EU had given more aid to the Palestinian people since 2005 than in previous years. However, he acknowledged that living conditions were very difficult for Palestinians and led to much frustration. Abu Amr urged Israel to release the taxes they collected from Palestinians to the Palestinian National Authority. This would alleviate the social, economic and security problems, he added. He also called on the international community to end the political and financial siege on the Hamas-led Palestinian government and the Palestinian people. Source: Xinhua
European Union Opens Its Market to 80 Countries MAY 17,07
The European Union has agreed to grant duty-free and quota-free market access to some 80 countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) areas. There is still much debate on both sides of the accord, but EU leaders are hailing it as important progress. Teri Schultz has more from Brussels.With the new market access offer, the European Union and the ACP - African, Caribbean and Pacific - group have reached one step closer to a trade deal before the current accord expires at year's end.
EU development ministers meeting in Brussels Tuesday confirmed a proposal made last month by the European Commission that would drop tariffs and quotas on ACP goods once a new trade agreement is signed. German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who chaired the meeting, said this decision will have a positive impact on other development issues. We'll be freeing up ACP access to our markets to a very great extent, saidHeidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. I think this is a good signal.
There will be special treatment for products considered highly sensitive - so far that includes sugar and rice - which will have their tariffs scaled back gradually to give industries more time to adjust.
For example, sugar brought into the EU would have its import duties phased out by the year 2015 The transition period for rice has not yet been established. Bananas are widely expected to join that list but ministers put off that decision for now.
Eventually the EU wants reciprocal benefits to be in place for European goods in African markets, but Minister Wieczorek-Zeul told ACP countries they should not be intimidated by this. We have no designs on ACP markets in light of the development requirements of ACP countries, she said. There will be the need for flexibility and ACP countries may have waivers, safeguard measures and particular periods of time of transitional periods for particularly sensitive products.She noted that some countries' transition periods may last up to 25 years! EU and ACP leaders meet again in Brussels on May 25 to try to move forward on the overarching trade deal. - VOA News
HOW THE SIX DAY WAR ALMOST LED TO ARMAGEDDON
Forty years later, Moscow's role in engineering and exacerbating the crisis is revealed. By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007) June, 1967. War clouds had been building for months. The Israelis found themselves increasingly surrounded by Soviet-backed forces of the Arab and Islamic world, all of whose leaders were vowing to throw the Jews into the sea, and the Israelis were considering a first strike. The element of surprise might be their only hope of survival, they figured. But President Lyndon Johnson had warned Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in no uncertain terms that such a move would be a serious mistake. As historian Michael B. Oren noted in his highly praised book, Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Johnson sent a secret message to Eskhol saying that it is essential that Israel not take any preemptive military action and thereby make itself responsible for the initiation of hostilities. Preemptive action by Israel would make it impossible for the friends of Israel to stand at your side. Oren noted that Johnson specifically warned of the possibility of direct Soviet intervention.
Marshal Andrei Antonovich Grechko, the Soviet deputy defense minister, had told his Egyptian counterparts in Cairo that the Kremlin had dispatched destroyers and submarines to the waters near Egypt, some armed with missiles and secret weapons to help wipe out the Zionists. One of Israel's top experts on Soviet foreign policy told Israeli Defense Forces intelligence that the USSR would muster all its influence and power to maintain its Middle East position and when asked if the Soviets would intervene directly, replied, of course.Soviet Premier Kosygin, meanwhile, sent a cable to Prime Minister Eshkol warning that if the Israeli Government insists on taking upon itself the responsibility for the outbreak of armed confrontation then it will pay the full price of such an action. But at 8:44
a.m. on the morning of June 5, 1967, Eshkol sent an urgent message back to President Johnson informing him that it was too late. War had begun.
After weeks in which our peril has grown day by day, we are now engaged in repelling the aggression which [Egyptian President] Nasser has been building up against us, Eshkol wrote, explaining his rationale for the preemptive strike Israel had just launched. Israel's existence and integrity have been endangered. The provocative [Arab] troop concentrations in Sinai, now amounting to five infantry and two armored divisions; the placing of more than 900 tanks against our southern frontier; . . . the illegal blockade of the Straits of Tiran; . . . the imminent introduction of MiG-21 aircraft under Iraqi command [into the theater]; Nasser's announcement of total war against Israel and of his basic aim to annihilate Israel. . . . All of this amounts to an extraordinary catalogue of aggression, abhorred and condemned by world opinion and in your great country and amongst all peace-loving nations.Eshkol also noted that three Israeli towns had been bombed that morning by Arab forces, citing these as the last straws that led to war. He thanked Johnson for America's support and expressed hope that our small nation can count on the fealty and resolution of its greatest friend. But he also had a request: that the U.S. prevent the Soviet Union from exploiting and enlarging the conflict at this, Israel's greatest hour of danger.
Eshkol knew and feared the Russians, noted Michael Oren. War with Syria [and Egypt] was risky enough; with the USSR, it would be suicidal. But Eskhol calculated that without U.S. support, the Soviets would find themselves compelled to get involved directly. Moscow had, after all, invested massively in the Middle East, about $2 billion in military aid alone-1,700 tanks, 2,400 artillery pieces, 500 jets, and 1,400 advisers-since 1956, some 43 percent of it to Egypt.Sure enough, as the Israelis demolished the forces of the Arab coalition over the next three days and captured the Sinai, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights, reunified the holy city of Jerusalem, and began an offensive against Damascus itself, Moscow saw itself staring into the face of a geopolitical disaster.
Those were, after all, Soviet-trained soldiers being defeated. Those were Soviet-made arms being seized or destroyed. Those were billions of dollars in Soviet funding to their Arab client states being poured down the drain.
And-it would later be learned by U.S. and Israeli intelligence-the Egyptian war plan itself (code-named, Operation Conqueror) had actually been written in 1966 by the Soviets. As a result, the Soviets feared their prestige was quickly unraveling. U.S. intelligence was already picking up signs of this fear in the Kremlin. In the President's Daily Brief on June 9, for example, the CIA informed President Johnson that the Soviets are finding it hard to conceal their shock over the rapid Egyptian military collapse. A Soviet official [identity still classified] could not understand how our intelligence could have been so wrong. He asked despairingly, How could we have gotten into such a mess?
So the Kremlin decided to dramatically up the ante.
On June 10, at 8:48 a.m., Washington time, Soviet Premier Alexey Kosygin used the Hotline to call President Johnson in the White House Situation Room. His message was as blunt as it was unnerving: A very crucial moment has now arrived, he said, which forces us, if [Israeli] military actions are not stopped in the next few hours, to adopt an independent decision. We are ready to do this.
However, these actions may bring us into a clash which will lead to a grave catastrophe. . . . We propose that you demand from Israel that it unconditionally cease military action. . . . We purpose to warn Israel that if this is not fulfilled, necessary actions will be taken, including military.The Soviets quickly broke off diplomatic relations with Israel, and the Soviet-bloc governments of Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria quickly followed. CIA Director Richard Helms would later recall that the conversation in the Situation Room for the next several hours were in the lowest voices he had ever heard in a meeting of that kind and that the atmosphere was tense as the President and his most senior military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisors contemplated the possibility of a direct Soviet strike at Israel.
Johnson, a devoted friend of Israel and an ardent anti-Communist, was not prepared to kowtow to Moscow or let Israel be destroyed. He immediately ordered the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean to turn around-it was then heading west towards the Strait of Gibraltar-and steam towards Israel as a show of solidarity and to warn the Soviets not to get directly involved.
He did the right thing, for according to Isabella Ginor, a Russian-born correspondent for the BBC World Service and other international news services, new evidence now reveals that the Soviets were indeed poised to attack Israel. . . and had been preparing for such a mission all along.On June 10, 2000-the thirty-third anniversary of Kosygin's ominous Hotline threat to Nixon-Ginor published an article in The Guardian (London) entitled, How The Six Day War Almost Led to Armageddon: New Evidence of 1967 Soviet Plan to Invade Israel Shows How Close the World Came to Nuclear Conflict.In December of that year she published a longer and more detailed article in the Middle East Review of International Affairs entitled, The Russians Were Coming: The Soviet Military Threat in the 1967 Six-Day War. In these and other articles, she quoted Soviet military officials who paint a fragmentary but still disturbing picture of the attack that was being prepared.
Ginor noted, that in his recently published memoirs, Nikita S. Kruschev asserts that the USSR's military command first encouraged high-ranking Egyptian and Syrian delegations, in a series of hush-hush mutual visits, to go to war, then persuaded the Soviet political leadership to support these steps, in the full knowledge they were aimed at starting a war to destroy Israel.
Soviet Acting Defense Minister Andrei A. Grechko and KGB Chairman Yuri V. Andropov, meanwhile, were pressing for the immediate dispatch of Soviet forces to the Middle East. Retired Soviet air force lieutenant Yuri V. Nastenko confirmed in 1998 that bomber and fighter jets, such as the MiG-21s that were under his command, were put on full operational alert on the evening of June 5, 1967 and that he was convinced this was in preparation for real combat.Yuri N. Khripunkov was a former Soviet naval officer who was serving on one of thirty Soviet warships that had been moved from the Black Sea southward to the Mediterranean in June 1967. Khripunkov told Ginor that he and his colleagues were preparing to unleash a force of Soviet forces onto the Israeli mainland. His own platoon, he said, was ordered to penetrate Haifa-Israel's main commercial harbor and naval base.Russian Professor Alexsandr K. Kislov, who was stationed in the Middle East in 1967, told Ginor that the strike force the Soviets had prepared for insertion into Israel included desant [landing] ships with well-prepared marines.
Some respected historians and diplomats have disputed the notion that the Soviets were planning to attack Israel in 1967. But while the evidence available from declassified documents and interviews with direct participants may not yet be conclusive, it is compelling. What's more, Soviet Premier Kosygin's threat of direct military intervention into the 1967 war with Israel alone stands as chilling evidence of Moscow's historic and recent animus towards the Jewish State, and as a warning of things to come, especially as Moscow currently arms Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, Sudan, Algeria and other enemies of Israel.
* NOTE: This article is adapted from Chapter 10 of Epicenter. Now, a new book by two Israeli historians, including one I interviewed for Epicenter, documents how the Soviets engineered the Six Day War to destroy Israel's nuclear program. For more on this, see Foxbats Over Dimona: The Soviets' Nuclear Gamble in the Six-Day War by Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez and a review of the book by the Jerusalem Post(links on my weblog).
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