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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.

Cooler temperatures slow flood waters on New Brunswick's St. John River Thu Apr 24, 4:31 PMBy Chris Morris, The Canadian Press

FREDERICTON - Cooler temperatures on Thursday brought relief to residents of the Fredericton area who have been bailing out basements and canoeing down streets on the flood waters of the swollen St. John River. The Emergency Measures Office in New Brunswick said it expects water flows to begin levelling off on Friday, thanks to a dip in temperature that slowed the rate of snow melt. Andy Morton, deputy director of the province's EMO, said water levels have risen about 10 centimetres since Wednesday. The cold temperatures are certainly going to help reduce the run-off from snow melt quite substantially, but that having been said, there is still a lot of water in the system, he said. With any luck, we may be entering into a sort of fairly steady state for the next couple of days.The St. John River floods every spring in New Brunswick, to varying degrees. The flood this year isn't as bad as the one in 2005, but it's worse than floods in 2006 and 2007. The unusually heavy snowfall this winter is being blamed for the high water this spring.

To date, damage has been minimal.

About 30 families have left their homes to wait out the annual flood and several sections of road that run along the banks of the St. John have been closed. The river has washed across much of the old Trans-Canada Highway outside Fredericton, a picturesque route that hugs the banks of the river and almost always floods in the spring. Only residents of the area were allowed to use the water-covered road, which is barricaded by police checkpoints. In one suburban area, next to a flooded tree nursery appropriately called Wetmore's, residents moved belongings out of lower sections of their homes as rising waters filled basements and garages. Some residents paddled along neighbourhood streets in canoes. Pauline Branston loaded a tractor-trailer parked in her driveway with such items as lawnmowers and snowblowers. You have to take precautions because you don't get compensation for items that can be moved, she said. We're taking everything out of the basement and garage.

Branston said she has been lucky so far and there was no water in her basement. But neighbour Dan Snow said his basement was under about 1.5 metres of water. He said he gave up on the job of trying to keep the water out, turned off his overheated sump pump and watched the mighty St. John bubble up in his basement. Living next to the river is a burden in the spring, Snow said, but he enjoys it too much during the rest of the year to move. The water comes up, but it goes down, he said. You just clean up afterwards and when you're done and the water is down and the place is dry, it's great.
City officials are asking recreational boaters to stay off the river. They said there's a fast-flowing current and a lot of debris in the water.

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.

Using chemicals to cut global warming may damage ozone layer By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer Thu Apr 24, 6:14 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The rule of unintended consequences threatens to strike again. Some researchers have suggested that injecting sulfur compounds into the atmosphere might help ease global warming by increasing clouds and haze that would reflect sunlight. After all, they reason, when volcanoes spew lots of sulfur, months or more of cooling often follows.But a new study warns that injecting enough sulfur to reduce warming would wipe out the Arctic ozone layer and delay recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by as much as 70 years.

Our research indicates that trying to artificially cool off the planet could have perilous side effects, said Simone Tilmes of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.While climate change is a major threat, more research is required before society attempts global geoengineering solutions, said Tilmes, lead author of a paper appearing in Thursday's online edition of the journal Science.And while one study worries that fixing climate will destroy ozone, another raises the possibility that recovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica will worsen warming in that region.

A full recovery of the ozone hole could modify climate in the Southern Hemisphere and even amplify Antarctic warming, scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA report in a paper scheduled for Geophysical Research Letters.Although temperatures have been rising worldwide, there has been cooling in the interior of Antarctica in summer, which researchers attribute to the depletion of ozone overhead.If the successful control of ozone-depleting substances allows for a full recovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica, we may finally see the interior of Antarctica begin to warm with the rest of the world, said Judith Perlwitz of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and NOAA.The authors used a NASA supercomputer to model interactions between the climate and stratospheric ozone chemistry. A return to pre-1969 ozone levels would mean atmospheric circulation patterns now shielding the Antarctic interior from warmer air to the north will begin to break down during the summer, they concluded.The idea of reversing global warming by injecting sulfates into the air was suggested by eruptions such as the 1991 blast by Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, which produced a brief cooling.The massive 1815 eruption of Tambora in what is now Indonesia produced such a strong cooling that 1816 became known as the year without a summer in New England, where snow fell in every month of the year.

But Tilmes knew that volcanic eruptions also temporarily thin the ozone layer, which protects people, plants and animals from the most dangerous ultraviolet rays from the sun.So she and colleagues calculated the effect of suggested sulfate injections and concluded that the result, over the next few decades, would be to destroy between one-fourth to three-fourths of the ozone layer above the Arctic. This would affect a large part of the Northern Hemisphere because of atmospheric circulation patterns.The sulfates would also delay the expected recovery of the ozone hole over the Antarctic by about 30 to 70 years, or until at least the last decade of this century, they said.The research was supported by the United Kingdom Meteorological Office, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and NASA.The study comes just a day after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, the rate of increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is accelerating.Concern has grown in recent years about such gases, with most atmospheric scientists concerned that the accumulation is causing increases in the earth's temperature, potentially disrupting climate and changing patterns of rainfall, drought and other storms. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has worked to detail the scientific bases of this problem and the Kyoto agreement sought to encourage countries to take steps to reduce their greenhouse emissions. Some countries, particularly in Europe, have taken steps to reduce emissions.

But carbon dioxide emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas have continued to increase. Since 2000, annual increases of two parts per million or more have been common, compared with 1.5 ppm per year in the 1980s and less than one ppm per year during the 1960s, NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory said. Last year the increase was 2.4 parts per million. Meanwhile, in a separate paper in Science, researchers said human activities are at least partly responsible for the Arctic having become a wetter place over the last half century. Seung-Ki Min of Environment Canada, and colleagues, studied rain and snowfall patterns in the arctic and the factors affecting them. They concluded that human-induced greenhouse gases have contributed to the increased precipitation rates observed in the Arctic region over the past 60 years. They warned that this Arctic moistening could occur more quickly than current climate simulations indicate.
Their work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Canadian International Polar Year Program. On the Net: Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

New Zealand's largest glacier will disappear: scientists Thu Apr 24, 2:55 AM ET

WELLINGTON (AFP) - New Zealand's largest glacier is shrinking fast due to climate change and will eventually disappear altogether, scientists said Thursday. The 23-kilometre (14.3 mile) long glacier in the South Island's Southern Alps is likely to shrink at a rate of between 500 and 820 metres a year, said Martin Brook, a physical geography lecturer at Massey University.In the last 10 years the glacier has receded a hell of a lot, Brook said on the university website.It's just too warm for a glacier to be sustained at such a low altitude -- 730 metres above sea level -- so it melts rapidly and it is going to disappear altogether.The rapid melting has seen a lake seven kilometres long and two kilometres wide form at the base of the glacier. Thirty-five years ago, the lake did not exist.

The last major survey was in the 1990s and since then the glacier has retreated back 180 metres a year on average, Brook said.The lake at the foot of the glacier is speeding up the melting as more ice is submerged under the surface of the water.A study last year by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research found the volume of ice in the Southern Alps had shrunk almost 11 percent in the past 30 years.More than 90 percent of this loss was due to the melting of the 12 largest glaciers in the mountain range due to rising temperatures, the university report said.

Manitoba socked by snow, freezing rain Thu Apr 24, 1:02 PM

CALGARY (CBC) - A winter storm warning remained in effect in southern Manitoba Thursday morning as heavy snow and freezing rain fell on Winnipeg and most of the region.Winnipeg could see about five centimetres of snow before the storm system moves out of the area shortly after noon, Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Carlsen said Thursday morning.The area around Elie and Portage la Prairie, west of Winnipeg, could receive as much as 15 centimetres.

It came in two bands, Carlsen said. There was the first one that came through last night, and it was so-so, but then the second one, which is the one we're looking at now, that came from a bunch of thunderstorms that popped up in the Dakotas last night and it's moved along here to be in southern Manitoba, just [in time] for the morning commute.Several school divisions in Manitoba cancelled bus service or classes due to the inclement weather.Dozens of highways in the region were covered with snow, ice or slush Thursday morning, with poor visibility in many areas, provincial officials said.Travel was not advised on several highways, including the Trans-Canada between highways 13 and 16, around Portage la Prairie.

Ice on power lines causes lights to flicker

The stormy weather was also blamed for power problems in and around Winnipeg on Thursday.Power bumps caused by a buildup of heavy, wet snow and ice on power lines have caused lights to flicker in some areas, Manitoba Hydro spokesman Jim Peters told CBC News.It's primarily focused, I think ... just northeast of Winnipeg, he said. There's been a couple of [incidents] in Steinbach this morning and in Transcona, but those were local and quickly repaired.Hydro crews are out clearing ice off the lines, Peters said. If the weather co-operates, the bumps should be smoothed out as the day progresses.

Humidity in the air also sparked a pole-top fire in Transcona this morning, Peters said. About 200 Hydro customers in the area were without power briefly until the problem was repaired.

Stormy Friday Tom Moore APR 24,08

Midwest

A storm system across the middle of the nation will trigger plenty of thunderstorms on Friday. Some of these storms may become strong to severe across parts of Wisconsin, western Lower Michigan, eastern Iowa, Illinois, western Indiana, Missouri and far western Kentucky. A few tornadoes are also possible. Winter weather is also in the Friday forecast as rain changes to wet snow over parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Over 6 inches of snow could accumulate over north-central Minnesota by early Saturday, with gusty winds causing blowing and drifting. Highs on Friday are expected to range from the chilly 30s and 40s in the eastern Dakotas and Minnesota to the balmy 70s in the southern Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Scattered thunderstorms are also in the Saturday forecast through the Ohio Valley, while another disturbance approaches the Plains with more rain and snow showers.

South

A frontal boundary will trigger showers and thunderstorms on Friday from extreme western Kentucky down to Texas. Some of these storms may be strong to severe with large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes. Highs Friday will be in the 70s and 80s region wide with a few 90s in the Rio Grande Valley. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will extend from the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians to southern Texas Saturday. By Saturday night, look for heavy rain across eastern Oklahoma and Texas Oklahoma and a new round of severe thunderstorms from the Red River southward.

West

Winter just doesn't want to give up and weather disturbances will continue to produce rain and snow to parts of the Northwest and central Rockies through Saturday. Heavy snow may fall in the highest elevations. Some changes will occur later in the weekend and early next week, however. Most of the region will be rain-free, except for a few showers over coastal sections of Washington and Oregon. Look for a gradual moderating trend in the temperatures as they reach above average levels this weekend. Highs will range from the 60s in Montana to the 90s and 100s in the Desert Southwest.

Northeast

High pressure has been in control across the Northeast lately but that high will be drifting away. That will allow showers and thunderstorms to slide into areas west of the Appalachians on Friday, as a cold front approaches. Look for more showers and thunderstorms on Saturday and they will hang on along the Eastern Seaboard Sunday, as a weakening cold front moves eastward across the area. Look for above average temperatures across much of the area into Saturday. The exception will be across New England where it will cool off on Saturday. Friday highs will range from the 70s in Upstate New York to the 80s in Maryland and Virginia. A new storm and cold front will sweep into the area Monday and linger Tuesday and Wednesday with beneficial rain and much cooler temperatures.

MATTHEW 24:36,33-35
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.(ALL THE SIGNS HAPPENING)
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.(ALL THE SIGNS COMPLETELY FULFILLED)
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

2012: Mayans, Nostradamus & The Bible

There has been much talk of late about the supposed doomsday prediction of December 21, 2012 as reflected in the Mayan long calendar. Most of the ancient Mayan codices were burned by Spanish monks in 1521 as works of the devil. A few survived including the so called Dresden Codex. This 74 page codex written on tree bark and apparently from the famous Mayan temple and observatory at Chichen Itza was sent by Cortes to Emperor Charles V in 1519. Somehow it found its way to the Royal Library at the Court of Saxony in Dresden where it was purchased from a private collector by Johann Christian Goetze. While it was damaged by the fire bombing of Dresden during WWII, much has survived.From this work, which was written between 1200 and 1250 AD, numerous astronomical and calendar data points were found including information on eclipses, the transit of the planet Venus as well as information on the motion of the moon, stars and the sun. It has been determined by research scholars that the Mayan long count calendar ends on 13.0.0.0.0 which equates to our date of December 21, 2012 at 10AM GMT. On that day it has been surmised the end will come.

According to my research, many have tried to tie this upcoming apocalyptic winter solstice day with a solar shift, solar storms, and a transit of Venus as well as with severe earthquakes. Is there any truth to these allegations? According to some astronomers, on this day our solar system will intersect with the Galactic Equator which only happens every 26,000 years. Since the Mayan calendar began in 3114 BC, they had never experienced anything like this before. The Mayans called this event the Sacred Tree. This alignment with the center of the galaxy also allows for maximum mass and thus maximum gravity.According to the National Earthquake Information Service of the US Geological Survey, earthquakes have gradually increased from 1 severe quake between 1890 and 1899 to 765 from 2000-2004. Could this be due to our solar systems movement towards this Galactic Equator? NASA predicts that a terrific solar storm will hit the earth in 2012 which will be 30-50 percent greater than anything before it. I believe that there has been global warming over the past decades but it is related to sunspot activity on the sun not carbon dioxide emissions. The sun has gotten hotter and that has affected the earth. A massive solar blast from the sun in 2012 could burn up the earth as could a collision with an asteroid or a comet.

There has even been talk of a polar shift which could disrupt the functioning of the entire earth and could change the axis of rotation. Such a shift has taken place in our geologic past and could happen again. If it happened on December, 21, 2012, it would truly be a day to remember.This apocalyptic date of December 21, 2012 is also supposedly found in Hopi myths, the I-Ching, Aztec writings, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Roman Oracles, writing of Seneca Elders, the chief Shaman of the Cherokee Tribe in NC, and even the writings of Nostradamus, The Russian mathematician Sergey Smelyakov of Khartov University taking the constant Phi (1.6180339), the so called Golden Mean or the Fibonacci sequence, and applying it to solar activity and planetary orbits, found that everything seemed to spiral in on itself on December 21, 2012 implying a time implosion or point of bifurcation.The planet Venus is set to make a transit across the face of the sun on December 21, 2012 which happens very infrequently. It did happen recently, however, on June 8, 2004 which means it will happen again in eight years which is very unusual but predicted by the Mayans.I cannot tell you for certain that the earth will be consumed by fire in 2012 or that there will be a polar shift or severe earthquakes, but I can tell you with certainty that one day in the not too distant future it will be consumed by fire and experience a polar shift and severe earthquakes. I can say that because the word of God says so and it did beginning over 2700 years ago, long before the Mayans or the Aztecs or the Hopi or the Seneca or the I-Ching or Nostradamus.

Once before because of its sin the earth was destroyed by water in the Great Flood of Noah's day but the Bible says that the world will be destroyed again, this time by fire.The present heavens and earth, by His word, are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and the destruction of ungodly men (2Peter 3:7).But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up (2Peter 3:10).The sun scorched men with fire (Revelation 16:8).

A third of the earth was burned up and a third of the trees were burned up and all the green grass was burned up. A great mountain (asteroid?) burning with fire was thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died and a third of the ships were destroyed. And a great star (comet?) fell from heaven burning like a torch and it fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water (Revelation 8:7-11).The inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left (Isaiah 24:6).The hills melt and the earth is burned up (Nahum 1:5).

Once again, many have associated December 21, 2012 with a shift in the poles as well as signs in the sky. What does the Bible tell us about these events? The stars will fall from the sky (Matthew 24:29).If the earth shifts on its axis and we are thrown around, the stars will appear to fall but it will actually be us that are moving.The earth is broken asunder. The earth is split through. The earth is shaken violently. Thee earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack (Isaiah 24:19-20).

Once again a shift in the polar axis might tear the earth apart.

There will be great earthquakes. The sun became black like sackcloth; the moon became like blood.The stars of the sky fell to the earth... The sky split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up.every mountain and island moved out of their place (Revelation 6:12-14).

More shaking of the earth.

There will be great earthquakes and in various places plagues and famines and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. There will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars and upon the earth great dismay among nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves. Men fainting from fear as the powers of heaven will be shaken (Luke 21:9, 25-26).Here we see the Bible tell us about signs in the heavens spoken of in relation to December 21, 2012. But what do we do when we see these things happening? When you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you that this generation will not pass away until all things take place.But when these things begin to take place straighten up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:31,32, 28).

God assures us that:

Heaven and earth will pass away but My words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35).Some people ask why God takes so long to punish the ungodly:The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2Peter 3:9).Remember this as the end fast approaches.

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

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

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

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

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

MPs seek to make concerted use of new powers under EU treaty
23.04.2008 - 07:22 CET | By Leigh Phillips

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Dutch MPs are seeking to raise awareness of the extra powers that national parliamentarians will have under the bloc's new treaty to influence EU legislation and are proposing a practical system to ensure that MPs take advantage of it.Labour Party MP Luuk Blom and his colleague, Han Ten Broeke, of the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), met EU ambassadors from the 27 member states in Brussels on Monday (21 April) to outline how they see the new system as working.The treaty introduces a system whereby MPs can object to proposed legislation by the European Commission.The commission has to reconsider – but not necessarily withdraw - a piece of legislation if one third of national parliaments object to it on subsidiarity grounds – the principle that the EU should only legislate where it is clear that it can do better than action at a more local level. This is has been dubbed the yellow card procedure.If a majority of parliaments continue to object, then the commission has to ask member states and the European Parliament for their opinion on the matter.This closes the democratic deficit that's been around in Europe for 50 years, said Mr Ten Broeke, without introducing something like a European Senate or a veto for national parliaments.

The Dutch politicians are pushing a paper produced by the European affairs committee in the Dutch parliament in which it is proposed that a group of MPs meet every two months to examine legislative proposals to see if they overstepped EU bounds. This group would answer to COSAC, the body bringing together representatives from all member state national parliaments.Currently, COSAC, dating back to 1997, only meets twice a year. It is an inter-parliamentary body composed of members of national parliaments that are knowledgeable about European affairs.Mr Blom and Mr Ten Broeke are aiming to have this proposal discussed at the next national parliament meeting on 7-8 May.It's a fundamental reform of the way COSAC does things, but it's also an expansion of their role, said Mr Blom.In the wake of the Netherlands' 2005 No vote against the proposed constitution, the Dutch strongly pushed to give a greater role to national parliaments, elevating it to a make or break issue during last year's negotiations on the Lisbon Treaty.The proposal is also about national parliaments taking their role seriously, he added. We are forever saying It's not our fault; It's Brussels fault. In fact, the fault was with national parliaments for not defending their interests, continued Mr Blom.The leaders of the Dutch No side have given the concept a guarded welcome.Haary van Bommel, the EU spokesperson in the Dutch lower house for the Socialist Party - which played a key role in organising the No campaign in 2005 - said: We think it's a step forward if it works, as it gives a greater role to national parliaments.They still have to find ways to make it work, as national parliaments will have to work together much more closely than they do now, he added. But it doesn't compensate for the handing over of national veto rights, he said, and these two MPs may think that this addresses the No side's complaints, but it's not a sufficient answer because it doesn't address the 95 percent of the Lisbon Treaty that's the same as the old constitution.

Merkel: No more money for Mediterranean Union
www.chinaview.cn 2008-04-24 00:13:01Print

BERLIN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday told visiting Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak that there is no more money for promoting the Mediterranean Union. Speaking to the press after their meeting, Merkel said no new funding was needed for the Mediterranean Union, a project that has been initiated and enthusiastically pursued by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Berlin was reportedly skeptical of the Mediterranean Union, fearing that the project might divide the European Union (EU) as only 13 EU states along the Mediterranean Ocean are the target members of the project. Merkel told Mubarak that she was interested in promoting a Mediterranean Union, but insisted that all European countries should be involved. The Mediterranean region is politically so important that the whole of Europe must be responsible, not just the countries along the coast, Merkel said.

She called for more contact between Europe and the countries of the southern Mediterranean, welcoming Mubarak's involvement. The process would be advanced only if top political figures became involved, she said. The budget allocated by the EU to the project totals 16 billion euros (around 25 billion U.S. dollars) for the period from 2007 to2013, and is sufficient, Merkel said. Germany is the biggest net contributor to the budget of the EU.Editor: Yan Liang.

EU wipes England off map in new European Superstate borders

England has been wiped off a map of Europe drawn up by Brussels bureaucrats as part of a scheme that the Tories claim threatens to undermine the country's national identity.The new European plan splits England into three zones that are joined with areas in other countries.The Manche region covers part of southern England and northern France while the Atlantic region includes western parts of England, Portugal, Spain and Wales.The North Sea region includes eastern England, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and parts of Germany.

A copy of the map, which makes no reference to England or Britain, has even renamed the English Channel the Channel Sea.Each zone will have a transnational regional assembly, although they will not have extensive powers. However, the zones are regarded as symbolically important by other countries.German ministers claimed that the plan was about underlying the goal of a united Europe to permanently overcome old borders at a time when the Constitution for Europe needs to regain momentum.The Tories are drawing attention to the plan today, St George's Day. Eric Pickles, the shadow secretary of state for communities and local government, said: We already knew that Gordon Brown had hoisted the white flag of surrender to the European constitution.Now the Labour government has been caught red-handed, conspiring with European bureaucrats to create a European super-state via the back door.The disclosure of the European map comes as a YouGov poll commissioned by The Daily Telegraph showed that one third of people want England to have its own parliament.
Twenty per cent want England to be an independent country and for Britain to be broken up.

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

Think twice about EPA, says Marshall
Published on: 4/23/08.

The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which Barbados and other Caribbean countries have initialled with Europe, has the potential to undermine CARICOM. Dr Don Marshall, senior research fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, warned Monday night that the EPA can seriously restrict the power of regional leaders to frame policy and to intervene to put their economies in order. Marshall was at the time leading a discussion at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus after making a presentation on the current state of play of the Caribbean Forum/European Union EPA. He suggested that Caribbean countries should sign only the trade in goods aspects of the full EPA and give themselves time to negotiate better deals on services, investment, government procurement, competition and intellectual property.

Marshall said unless this happened, not only will our domestic national policy space and autonomy be circumscribed, even our attempts to deepen the Single Market and Economy will also be circumscribed. This was because a lot of the EPA goes way beyond and has consolidated taxing issues that still occupy the agenda of COTED [the Council for Trade and Economic Development] and the agenda of different CARICOM councils, according to Marshall. He said that initialling the EPA with a number of problem areas undermines the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). . . . . I think the person with the most unenviable task now happens to be the current Prime Minister of Barbados because Barbados has the responsibility for pushing the CSME, he told a gathering which included students. But how could Barbados be leading a CSME at a time when its policy space is virtually shut? Marshall argued that Caribbean countries would be under surveillance in a joint CARIFORUM/EU Council being set up to oversee the EPA.

Caricom threat

This council will even have more power than our CARICOM Secretariat to enforce the rules of that EPA agreement, he said. He also said that the governance arrangements that will be in place by next year for the EPA will supersede any of the arrangements that we have under CARICOM. Regional governments are now undertaking a legal review of the text of the agreement with June 30, 2008 having been proposed as the date for full signing and provisional application of the agreement. However, Marshall cautioned Caribbean countries not to rush to sign the agreement. They should sign only the aspect of the EPA that is tolerable, he said, referring to the trade in goods. According to Marshall: There are a number of things that we signed onto beyond the trade in goods arrangements that we really need to pause, reflect and come up with a different strategy.A simple matter like access into Europe to deliver services represents a quagmire, he said. (TY)

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Rabbis seek to counter leftist European funding. Million-dollar campaign to warn against dangerous Israeli land giveaways April 22, 2008 10:19 pm Eastern 2008 WorldNetDaily

JERUSALEM – A group of hundreds of prominent rabbis here are seeking to counter European funding to leftist Israeli organizations that promote land giveaways by embarking on a multimillion-dollar campaign to fight Israeli territorial concessions to the Palestinians.Europe is currently supporting with millions of dollars leftist elements in Israel that are calling on Israel to concede more and more land. These elements for over 30 years have been gripped with a defeatist mentality and have been brainwashing the Israeli public that peace in Israel can be achieved only by constant dangerous withdrawals, said a statement by the Rabbinical Congress for Peace, a coalition of more than 350 Israeli rabbinic leaders and pulpit rabbis.The RCP has therefore launched a million-dollar campaign to counter the millions of dollars helping those elements and are causing great damage to the security of Israel.The rabbis plan an offensive that includes lobbying efforts, demonstrations, public education and outreach against giving up Israeli land.Jewish law forbids giving up border territory, stated Joseph Gerlitzky, a senior Tel Aviv rabbi and chairman of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace.

It's in Chapter 329 of the Code of Jewish Law, a Torah and Talmud-based text considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish laws and customs, explained Garlitsky. It states in no uncertain terms that it if you are living in a border town it is absolutely forbidden to give up even one inch of territory to those on the other side who may harm you on the grounds that it will lead to massive bloodshed.This is not merely a statement on paper but unfortunately has been proven true time and time again. Whenever Israel gave up territory to the Palestinians, they used it as a launching pad to strike at Israel again, Garlitsky stated.The RCP this month is urging a religious partner of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government to immediately bolt the Israeli leader's coalition amid rampant media reports Jerusalem is up for negotiations.The rabbis warned that if the Orthodox Shas party remains in Olmert's government, they will urge Jews against supporting Shas. If the party bolts, Olmert's coalition government could fall apart, precipitating new elections.We are seriously considering issuing a statement declaring it is absolutely forbidden for any observant Jew to vote for a party that lent its support to a government that negotiated the division of Jerusalem, a move that will place the entire population in Israel in mortal danger, Rabbi Avrohom Shmuel Lewin, director general of the RCP, told WND.In unprecedented criticism of his father, RCP member Rabbi Jacob Yosef, the son of the Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef, demanded his father's party immediately bolt Olmert's government due to negotiations over Jerusalem.Jacob Yosef accused the Shas party of selling Jerusalem for 478 million Israeli shekels, or $138 million. Yosef's father serves as the spiritual leader of Shas, where he is also considered the party's more important and revered figure.

Last month, the Knesset's Finance Committee approved $138 million in government funds to Shas' educational institutions as part of the party's coalition agreement with Olmert.How dare you sell out Jerusalem for 478 million shekels. Jerusalem is worth more than all monies in the world, said Yosef, rabbi of the Givat Mordechai neighborhood in Jerusalem, addressing his father's party.The Israeli Shas party has stated it would bolt the prime minister's coalition if it becomes clear the Israeli government is negotiating to cede of any part of Jerusalem.Shas denies Jerusalem is being discussed during weekly Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which commenced after last November's U.S.-sponsored Annapolis summit.

Nobody is talking about Jerusalem. The moment Jerusalem is being discussed, Shas will leave the government – period, Shas spokesman Roi Lachmanovitch told Israel National News.A Rabbinical Congress for Peace statement issued earlier this month retorted: Every novice journalist and anyone listening to the news in Israel knows that giving up large chunks of Jerusalem has been on the negotiating table for quite some time and is in its advanced stages. Only the representatives of Shas are burying their heads in the ground and pretend they know of nothing.They are lying to themselves and deceiving their electorate. The Shas ministers know that Olmert and Abbas have agreed not to make public any agreement on Jerusalem until after the final signature in order to keep Shas in the government, said the RCP statement.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stated numerous times Jerusalem is being negotiated. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has said all core issues are being discussed during regular negotiations initiated at the Annapolis summit.Olmert's government has hinted a number of times it will divide Jerusalem.In December, Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon said the country must give up sections of Jerusalem for a future Palestinian state, even conceding the Palestinians can rename Jerusalem to whatever they want.We must come today and say, friends, the Jewish neighborhoods, including Har Homa, will remain under Israeli sovereignty, and the Arab neighborhoods will be the Palestinian capital, which they will call Jerusalem or whatever they want, said Ramon during an interview.Positions held by Ramon, a ranking member of Olmert's Kadima party, are largely considered to be reflective of Israeli government policy.

Olmert himself recently questioned whether it was really necessary to retain Arab-majority eastern sections of Jerusalem.Israel recaptured eastern Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians have claimed eastern Jerusalem as a future capital; the area has large Arab neighborhoods, a significant Jewish population and sites holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.About 231,000 Arabs live in Jerusalem, mostly in eastern neighborhoods, and many reside in illegally constructed complexes. The city has an estimated total population of 724,000.

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

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

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

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

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)

ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

ISAIAH 60:9-10
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.

Temple replica to be erected opposite Western Wall

A grandiose museum featuring an elaborated massive replica of the Temple is currently being erected opposite the Western Wall.The three-storey museum, whose construction is valued at nearly $20 million will be erected in the Aish HaTorah (Fire of the Torah) Yeshiva complex. The museum will feature a journey through Jewish history, from the days of Abraham to the present, emphasizing the message and significance of the Jewish people’s presence in the Land of Israel and their degree of accomplishment in world improvement.Rabbi Yehuda Weinberg, in charge of the project’s establishment, told Yedioth Ahronoth Wednesday: We are not taking a political stance, and added that the museum is also being sponsored by Canadian tycoon, Leslie Dan, a shareholder in Teva pharmaceutical Industries.In addition to the great lavish interior, the museum’s crowning glory is no doubt the massive amphitheater, whose cost is being sponsored by veteran Hollywood star Kirk Douglas, and his no less famous son, Michael.The amphitheater will feature a three-dimensional film depicting the history of the Jewish nation over a huge glass screen through which one can see the Western Wall. The museum will also include a learning center with a VIP wing to host movie stars, politicians and other celebrities from Israel and abroad.

The company in charge of the museum’s construction is the same international company that built visitor sites such as the Tower of London Museum and the World Museum Liverpool. The Aloni Company will provide special technology that handles marble polishing for reproducing historical ornamentation.Ephraim Shor, in charge of the museum curation on behalf of the Yeshiva, commented that this will be an audio-visual experience incorporating scents, so that the act of entering the Temple will be done with awe of God.

Israel's UN ambassador calls Jimmy Carter a bigot By VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press Writer APR 25,08

NEW YORK - Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday called former President Jimmy Carter a bigot for meeting with the leader of the militant Hamas movement in Syria. Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, went to the region with soiled hands and came back with bloody hands after shaking the hand of Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas, Ambassador Dan Gillerman told a luncheon briefing for reporters.The diplomat was questioned about problems facing his country during a wide-ranging discussion with reporters lasting more than an hour. The briefing was sponsored by The Israel Project, a Washington-based, media-oriented advocacy group.The ambassador's harsh words for Carter came days after the ex-president met with Mashaal for seven hours in Damascus to negotiate a cease-fire with Gaza's Hamas rulers. Carter then called Mashaal on Monday to try to get him to agree to a one-month truce without conditions, but the Hamas leader rejected the idea.The ambassador called last weekend's encounter a very sad episode in American history.He said it was a shame to see Carter, who had done good things as a former president, turn into what I believe to be a bigot.

Telephone calls by The Associated Press to two Atlanta numbers for Carter were not immediately returned Thursday.Gillerman said Hamas is armed and trained by Iran, whose president once called for Israel to be wiped off the map.The real danger, the real problem is not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the real threat is Iran, he said.Gillerman spoke with reporters from around the world at the Times Square offices of a New York law firm on the day Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Washington meeting with President Bush.The ambassador said he was quite optimistic about the chances for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement because Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have met more times than any previous leaders of the two sides.I believe they've gone deeper and further than any other Israeli or Palestinian leader, and I believe that there is a very good chance (for a settlement), he said.Gillerman also was asked about another topic involving the U.S. government and Israel: the arrest last week in New Jersey of an 84-year-old man accused of passing U.S. weapons program secrets to an Israeli agent a quarter-century ago.Retired U.S. military engineer Ben-ami Kadish faces charges linking him to the same now-defunct Israeli intelligence agency that used Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for spying for Israel.

Gillerman called it a very old matter.

It pertains to something that may or may not have happened 25 years ago and would be decided when Kadish goes to trial, he said.In the wake of the Pollard case, the ambassador said Israel had made a pledge not to spy on the United States, and that is something which I know that we have honored completely.The ambassador declined to comment on U.S. government reports that Syria was building a nuclear reactor with North Korean assistance before it was bombed by Israeli planes last year. Gillerman called Syria a destabilizing influence in the Middle East. You see Syria's hosting, very hospitably and warmly, over 10 terror organizations in Damascus, the ambassador said, adding that the country also supports Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli Shiite group in Lebanon with close ties to Iran and Syria. Basically, Syria and Iran, together with Hamas and Hezbollah, are the main axes of terror and evil in the world, the Israeli ambassador said.

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

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

Egyptian report says Hamas offers 6-month truce with Israel By OMAR SINAN, Associated Press Writer Thu Apr 24, 7:06 PM ET

CAIRO, Egypt - The Palestinian group Hamas is proposing a six-month cease-fire with Israel, saying it will stop firing rockets out of Gaza if the Jewish state simultaneously lifts its blockade of the coastal strip, Egypt's state run MENA news agency said Thursday night. The report followed a day of closed meetings between Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar and Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, who has been mediating between Israel and the Islamic militant group in hopes of halting their fighting.Hamas has taken a much softer stance the past week, but any deal appeared distant. While Egypt clearly is acting as a communications channel between the two sides, Israel insists it won't negotiate with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group, as does the United States.Hamas officials, who previously have called for Israel to first lift its blockade before any truce, could not be reached by The Associated Press late Thursday to comment on the MENA report. There was no immediate reaction from Israel.

MENA's report came two days after senior members of Hamas said the group was willing to accept a truce limited to the Gaza Strip, dropping a long-standing demand that the West Bank be included in a halt to fighting with Israel.Israeli officials responded to those comments by saying Israel would keep up military pressure on Hamas as long as the group threatened Israeli civilians, an allusion to near daily rocket salvos at towns in southern Israel and recent militant attacks on border posts.The Hamas representatives said Tuesday that the group's position would be laid out Thursday during the meeting with Suleiman.We have affirmed the group's approval of a truce in Gaza Strip ... that could be expanded to the West Bank and would be set at six months, Zahar was quoted by MENA as saying after the meeting.The truce should be accepted by both sides, Zahar added, saying a condition was that Israel simultaneously lifts its blockade of Gaza and reopens the border, including the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.Israel shut the border passages after Hamas fighters seized control of Gaza last June in five days of fighting with the security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose administration is now limited to the West Bank.

The blockade has cut off all but humanitarian aid, causing severe fuel shortages and emptying store shelves of many goods in Gaza.

Israel is wary of reopening the border, fearing Hamas would use the relief to rebuild its strength and consolidate its hold on Gaza. Hamas suicide attacks have killed hundreds of Israelis and the group is openly dedicated to the Jewish state's destruction.Zahar said the truce offer had the blessing of Hamas' exiled top leadership in Syria.He said Egypt would outline his group's proposal in talks with other Palestinian factions next week, after which Suleiman planned to take it to Israel for consideration.The ball now is in the Israeli field, Zahar said. If Israel doesn't comply then it will be of our right to defend our people in all legitimate ways, he said.The public shift in Hamas' position began with statements by Khaled Mashaal, the group's Syrian-based political leader, after he met with former President Carter last week.Mashaal said Hamas would accept a peace deal with Israel, provided it was approved in a referendum of all Palestinians. He also proposed a 10-year truce if Israel withdraws from the West Bank and east Jerusalem.At the same time, Mashaal offered no recognition of Israel and he rejected a request from Carter that Hamas halt rocket attacks from Gaza. Amos Gilad, a senior Israel Defense Ministry official, said Tuesday that Mashaal had offered nothing of substance.

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)

FAMINE

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: 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.

Thai rice hits new record, feeding food fears By Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat Thu Apr 24, 5:10 AM ET

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Rice prices in Thailand, the world's top exporter, surged to $1,000 a tonne on Thursday, feeding concerns about food security as far as the United States after export curbs by governments worldwide. The surging price of food and fuel has sparked riots in Africa and Haiti and raised fears that millions of the world's poor will struggle to feed themselves. Some analysts, however, attribute much of the surge to panic buying by both consumers and governments rather than a dire shortage of supply.

After this week's over five percent jump rice prices stand nearly three times higher than the start of the year. With no sign of the rally relenting, as traders expect more buyers to come into the market, government anxiety about social unrest from the soaring cost of Asia's staple will deepen.The crisis, started with India's imposition of export curbs to protect domestic supplies last year, and was felt in the United States this week, with a few major retailers saying they had started to notice signs of panic buying.

Sam's Club, a unit of retail giant Wal-Mart, said on Wednesday it was capping sales of 20-pound (9 kg) bulk bags of rice at four bags per customer per visit to prevent hoarding.The previous day, rival Costco Wholesale Corp said it had seen increased demand for items such as rice and flour as customers, worried about global food shortages, stocked up.Everywhere you see, there is some story about food shortages and hoarding and tightness of supplies, said Neauman Coleman, an analyst and rice broker in Brinkley, Arkansas.

NEW ERA?

In Bangkok, some traders said Thai 100-percent B grade white rice, the world's benchmark, could hit $1,300 a tonne due to unsated demand from number-one importer the Philippines, which fell well short of filling a 500,000 tonne tender last week.There is also a big question mark over Iran and Indonesia, two countries that normally buy as much as 1 million tonnes of Thai rice each year but which have bought nothing so far in 2008 because of the soaring prices.Even though some analysts say the price, part of a wider global rally in crop prices, is based on jittery governments rather than fundamentals, Thailand's top exporters say the world is now set for an era of expensive food.Prices will remain firm for the rest of the year, Chookiat Ophaswongse, head of the Rice Exporters Association in Bangkok, told Reuters.Rice futures on the Chicago Board of Trade climbed 2.5 percent on Wednesday to an all-time high of $24.85 per hundredweight.However, grain futures tumbled four percent to a five-month low due to expectations of a large global wheat crop in 2008.With the northern hemisphere harvest only two months away, officials said planting had started well in Western Australia after good rains, while India said a record harvest and bulging government stocks meant no imports were needed this year.

China's top wheat-growing provinces of Henan and Shandong were also looking at a bumper winter harvest after recent rains, the Xinhua news agency said.

CRTICISM OF EXPORT CURBS

Brazil became the latest country on Wednesday to suspend rice exports, following in the footsteps of India and its close rival for the mantle of world number-two supplier, Vietnam. Thailand, which accounts for nearly a third of all rice traded globally, has said repeatedly it would not impose any curbs, a stance that has earned it plaudits from the World Bank for being a responsible international trading partner.Thailand has even gone the extra mile to explore additional land for rice production, James Adams, the bank's Vice President for East Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

The Asian Development Bank and free-trade advocates have criticized the export curbs as an overreaction that has distorted the market.

If we restrict trade, we're simply going to add food scarcity to the already large problems of food shortages that exist in different countries, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said.
(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Valerie Lee)

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).

UN chief to announce plan to eliminate deaths from malaria By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer APR 25,08

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will announce a global initiative Friday that steps up the fight against malaria — seeking to eventually wipe out a tropical scourge blamed for killing a million people a year. In a video message for a World Malaria Day event at U.N. headquarters, Ban said the initiative will offer indoor spraying and bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide to all people at risk, especially women and children in Africa. The video was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

It will also ensure that public health facilities have access to effective malaria treatment and diagnosis, that health workers are trained to deal with the disease, and that research into its eradication is encouraged, Ban said.Ban said he wants these measures in place in just a few years. The aim is to put a stop to malaria deaths by ensuring universal coverage by the end of 2010.

The secretary-general said that several African countries have made dramatic strides in malaria control, but the most affected nations remain off track to reach the goal of halting and reversing the incidence of the disease.That is why today, together with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, I am putting forward a bold but achievable vision, Ban said.The Roll Back Malaria initiative was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization and its partners with the goal of reducing malaria deaths by half by 2010. At the midway point, when they assessed their accomplishments, it turned out that there were more malaria cases than when they had started.

Some of the key interventions included distributing bed nets and using more insecticides — but the program never really got wide coverage. Only about 2 percent of African children sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets.Ban and the partnership decided that they want to tackle the problem on a larger scale.Malaria still kills more than one million people every year, he said. The toll it is taking is unacceptable — all the more so because malaria is preventable and treatable.American philanthropist Ray Chambers, who was appointed in February as the secretary-general's special envoy for malaria, said he is optimistic the goal of eventually eliminating malaria deaths.He (Ban) is able to call for that because we have the best technology — the long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets last approximately five years — and we have significantly more funding available than ever before in history, Chambers said in an interview.Ban is calling for bet net coverage for an additional 500 million people — which will require 250 million bed nets.That's four-to-five times what we've done in the past, so that's a real ratcheting up, Chambers said.Chambers said the Global Fund, World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other groups trying to fight malaria are assembling a team to provide supervision of the campaign.We have to address everywhere, but 90 percent of the deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, so the initial concentration will be in the most endemic countries, he said.We have the resources and the know-how, Ban said in his message. But we have less than 1,000 days before the end of 2010.Chambers stressed, however, that the campaign won't be over.

Ultimately, he said, the goal is eradication. We're not likely to eradicate malaria without an effective vaccine, and that might be quite a few years away, Chambers said.

Canada in best position to weather storm of uncertain global economy: Harper Thu Apr 24, 4:53 PMBy The Canadian Press

LAVAL, Que. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada is in the best position among G7 countries to ride the unpredictable waves of today's world economy. Harper says the Canada's fundamentals are strong despite uncertain economic times.The prime minister made the comments today in a speech to a chamber of commerce in Laval, north of Montreal. He says initiatives such as lowering income taxes and trimming the national debt have been key to Canada's economic success. Still, Harper is predicting the growth of the country's trade-intensive economy to slow in the next two years. He says Canada faces challenges from the U.S. economic slowdown, difficult credit markets, global financial volatility and the drop of the American dollar. Harper also says if the government followed the wishes of opposition parties the country would have to increase taxes or run a deficit or both.

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

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

U.S. Sees N. Korean Links to Reactor By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: April 24, 2008

WASHINGTON — After seven months of near-total secrecy, the White House is preparing to make public on Thursday video evidence of North Koreans working at a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor just before it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike last September.

Oded Balilty/Associated Press
Christopher R. Hill, the top American negotiator in nuclear talks with North Korea. Until now, the administration has refused to discuss the video or the attack, other than in a highly classified briefing for a few allies and crucial members of Congress.But senior officials in Israel and the United States have said the target was a nascent nuclear reactor that had been under construction for years. Israeli and American analysts had concluded that it was loosely modeled on the reactor North Korea used to obtain the fuel for its small nuclear weapons arsenal. Israeli jets destroyed the site on Sept. 6, and the Syrians, after issuing some protests, bulldozed the area and constructed a building on the exact footprint of the old one. They have refused to allow international nuclear inspectors to visit the location.The timing of the administration’s decision to declassify information about the Syrian project has raised widespread suspicions, especially in the State Department, that Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration hawks were hoping that releasing the information might undermine a potential deal with North Korea that would take it off an American list of state sponsors of terrorism.Making public the pictures is likely to inflame the North Koreans, said one senior administration official who would not speak on the record because the White House and the State Department have declared there would be no public comment until the evidence is released. And that’s just what opponents of this whole arrangement want, because they think the North Koreans will stalk off.

But another senior official said it was possible that the revelations would force the North Koreans to describe their actions in Syria more fully when they issued a long delayed declaration of their nuclear activities.That proposed deal, negotiated by Christopher R. Hill, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and the primary interlocutor with North Korea, has become the latest battleground in a seven-year struggle within the Bush administration over North Korea policy.That policy has veered from efforts to squeeze North Korea in hopes that the government of Kim Jong-il will collapse, to negotiating with the country alongside Russia, China, South Korea and Japan, each of which has pursued a somewhat different approach toward the North.

Mr. Hill was put in charge of the talks more than three years ago in the hope of finding a new way to deal with the North Koreans. But support for him has wavered, and President Bush has repeatedly warned aides not to agree to anything that makes me look weak, according to former officials who sat in on meetings with him on North Korea.Mr. Cheney’s office and other conservatives have argued that Mr. Hill’s proposed deal would amount to a huge concession. In return for a minimal declaration from North Korea — an accounting of how much plutonium it has produced — it would be removed from the terrorism list and would no longer be subject to economic sanctions under the Trading With the Enemy Act.North Korea has refused to say what, exactly, it provided to the Syrians, or what happened to an effort to start a second pathway to building arms, using uranium. The deal would allow the North to continue to fudge on those matters, leaving unexplained the question of why it appeared to be buying uranium enrichment equipment from Pakistan. That equipment, many experts believe, was intended to help North Korea build a second path to a bomb, in case it was forced to give up its plutonium program.In a presentation on Thursday to crucial members of Congress, and then in a presentation to reporters, American intelligence officials are expected to show images from a video, believed to have been obtained through Israeli intelligence services. The video, which Mr. Hill has shown to senior South Korean officials, shows Korean faces among the workers at the Syrian plant.Other pictures, officials say, show what appears to be the construction of a reactor vessel inside the building that Israel later destroyed. It is unclear what the administration is willing to release. Syria’s ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, did not answer messages left for him on Wednesday.

For weeks after the Israeli attack in September, neither Israeli nor American officials would talk about the attack, Israel’s first on a nuclear site since the 1981 attack on the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq.When The New York Times published a lengthy account of the Syria attack on Oct. 14, revealing that Israeli and American analysts judged that the target was a partly constructed nuclear reactor, Mr. Bush and the White House refused to answer questions about it. Later, officials said they feared that the Syrians would retaliate against Israel if they felt publicly humiliated. It is not clear what has changed, apart from the politics of the moment. Mr. Hill’s boss, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has not voiced strong support for Mr. Hill’s effort to coax the North Koreans along, granting them rewards for steps along the way to compliance with a deal that calls, ultimately, for the country to give up its weapons.Ms. Rice has been a strong critic of the 1994 agreement between North Korea and the Clinton administration, complaining that it was front loaded with rewards for the North.

That is exactly what critics say she and Mr. Hill have done in the most recent agreement. But Mr. Hill has argued in private that the Syrian episode and the uranium enrichment are side shows, and that the critical issue is stopping North Korea from producing more plutonium and giving up what it has. But his State Department colleagues say that he has been told not to defend the deal, or even explain it.He’s feeling pretty abandoned by Rice and Bush, one of his colleagues said Wednesday. Mr. Hill did not respond to messages.

White House says Syria must come clean about nuclear work By PAMELA HESS and DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writers APR 25,08

WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday that North Korea's secret work on a nuclear reactor with Syria was a dangerous and potentially destabilizing development for the world, raising doubts about Pyongyang's intention to carry through with a promised disclosure of its nuclear activities. Seven months after Israel bombed the reactor, the White House broke its silence and said North Korea assisted Syria's secret nuclear program and that the destroyed facility was not intended for peaceful purposes.Top U.S. intelligence officials who briefed reporters said they had high confidence in the judgment that North Korea had aided Syria with its nuclear program and the intention was to produce plutonium. But they claimed only low confidence for the conclusion that it was meant for weapons development, in part because there was no reprocessing facility at the site — something that would be needed to extract plutonium from spent reactor fuel for use in a bomb.

The Bush administration's assertions could undermine six-party negotiations to try to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea. But a senior administration official told reporters he hoped the disclosure would instead provide leverage to officials trying to get an accurate accounting of North Korea's nuclear and proliferation activities.The White House issued a two-page statement after lawmakers were given details about the reactor in a series of briefings on Capitol Hill that included a video presentation of intelligence information the administration contends establishes a strong link between North Korea's nuclear program and the bombed Syrian site. The briefing also included still photographs that showed a strong resemblance between specific features of the plant and one near Yongbyon in North Korea.Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the revelations make it clear that any deal to eliminate North Korea's nuclear programs must also stop its proliferation activities and include vigorous verification. But he said the information in the briefings was not a cause to end the talks.To the contrary, it underscores the need for pursuing the talks, which remain our best chance to convince North Korea to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and to stop proliferation, Biden said.The White House said the International Atomic Energy Agency also was being briefed on the intelligence.While calling North Korea's nuclear assistance to Syria a dangerous manifestation of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and its proliferation activities, the White House said it remained committed to the talks.

The United States became aware North Korea was helping Syria with a nuclear project in 2003, said intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity. The critical intelligence that cemented that conclusion, they said, came last year: dozens of photographs taken from ground level over a period of time, showing the construction both inside and outside the building.The Israeli strike on Sept. 6, 2007, ripped open the structure, known as the Al Kibar reactor, and revealed even more evidence to spy satellites: reinforced concrete walls that echoed the design of the Yongbyon reactor.After the attack, Syria tried to bury evidence of its existence and erected a new building to hide the site. The building is not believed to house a new reactor, the officials said.This coverup only served to reinforce our confidence that this reactor was not intended for peaceful activities, White House press secretary Dana Perino said. The Syrian regime must come clean before the world regarding its illicit nuclear activities.

The Syrian reactor was within weeks or months of being functional when Israeli jets destroyed it, a top U.S. official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The official said the facility was mostly completed but still needed fueling and significant testing before it could be declared operational.We had to assume they could throw the switch at any time, a senior intelligence official said.

No uranium, which is needed to fuel a reactor, was evident at the site, a remote area of eastern Syria along the Euphrates River. But senior U.S. intelligence officials said the reactor was similar in design to the North Korean reactor at Yongbyon, which has in the past produced small amounts of plutonium, the material needed to make powerful nuclear weapons.A senior intelligence official said the intelligence agencies believe North Korea was motivated by cash rather than a desire to obtain plutonium from the reactor.

Syria has maintained in the past that the site was an unused military facility, and on Thursday, its embassy denounced what it called the U.S. campaign of false allegations. It accused the administration of trying to mislead Congress and world opinion in order to justify the Israeli raid in September of 2007, which the current U.S. administration may have helped execute.Senior U.S. officials said the U.S. military was not involved in the attack, and the U.S. government, although informed in advance, did not approve it. Israel made the decision to attack, a senior administration official said. It did so without any so-called green light from us. None was asked for and none was given.It has become obvious that this maneuver on the part of this administration comes within the framework of the North Korean nuclear negotiations, the Syrian statement said. And in an apparent reference to prewar claims by the Bush administration that Iraq had possessed weapons of mass destruction, the statement concluded: The Syrian government hopes that the international community and the American public, particularly, will be more cautious and aware this time around in facing such unfounded allegations.Top members of the House Intelligence Committee who were briefed on the reactor said it posed a serious threat of spreading dangerous nuclear materials.

This is a serious proliferation issue, both for the Middle East and the countries that may be involved in Asia, said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich. Hoekstra and Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, told reporters after the closed briefing that they were angry that the Bush administration had delayed informing the full committee for so long. That delay has created friction that may imperil congressional support for Bush's policies toward North Korea and Syria, Hoekstra said. The White House also used its statement as an opportunity to denounce the nuclear activities of Iran, which it says is a threat to the stability of the Middle East. Perino said the international community must take further steps, beginning with full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. While Washington was awash in condemnation of North Korea's proliferation activities, the communist regime is expressing optimism about current six-party negotiations with the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan. The optimism over the talks is raising hopes of breaking the impasse that has deadlocked arms negotiations. North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had discussed technical matters with the Americans for moving forward on that and other agreements from the arms talks. The negotiations proceeded in a sincere and constructive manner and progress was made, the ministry said in a statement.

As part of that process, the North is required to submit a declaration detailing its programs and proliferation activity, but the talks are stalled over Pyongyang's refusal to publicly admit the Syria connection. However, officials say the North Koreans are willing to accept international concern about unspecified proliferation. Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann, Barry Schweid, Matthew Lee, Anne Flaherty, Edith Lederer and Bassem Mroueh contributed to this report.