PALESTINIAN ON RAMPAGE

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

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

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

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

PALESTINIAN MUSLIM ON RAMPAGE
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TRACTOR SLAMS INTO BUS
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Palestinian goes on rampage in Jerusalem; 3 killed By STEVEN GUTKIN, Associated Press Writer JULY 02,08

JERUSALEM - A Palestinian man plowed an enormous construction vehicle into cars, buses and pedestrians on a busy street Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding at least 45 before he was shot dead by security officers. The violence, the first major attack in Jerusalem since March, wreaked havoc in the heart of downtown. Hundreds of people fled in panic through the streets as medics treated the wounded.Three Palestinian militant groups took responsibility for the attack, but the claims could not be independently verified. Israeli police referred to the attacker as a terrorist acting on his own and said he was a bulldozer operator who worked in the area for a construction firm.The attack took place in front of a building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets. British Broadcasting Corp. footage captured the huge front loader crushing a vehicle and an off-duty soldier shooting the perpetrator in the head several times at point-blank range as onlookers screamed.Israel's national rescue service confirmed three deaths, and the bodies lay motionless on the ground covered in plastic.Hen Shimon, a 19-year-old soldier, said the whole scene was a nightmare.I just got off the bus and I saw the tractor driving and knocking everything down in his path, she said. Everything he saw he rammed.

Eyal Lang Ben-Hur, 16, was in a bus when the driver yelled Get out of the vehicle! Everyone out! People fled in a panic, he said, and the bus was hit an instant later.Eli Mizrahi, an officer in a special anti-terror unit, said he and his partner sped to the scene on a motorcycle from the nearby Mahane Yehuda market in downtown Jerusalem. An off-duty soldier had just shot the attacker, but not killed him.I ran up the stairs (of the vehicle) and, when he was still driving like crazy and trying to harm civilians, I fired at him twice more and, that's it, he was liquidated, Mizrahi told reporters.The attack occurred in an area where Jerusalem is building a new train system. The project has turned many parts of the city into a big construction zone.Wednesday's attack represented a departure from militants' previous methods, which were mostly suicide bombings and shootings.During the second Palestinian uprising, which erupted in late 2000, Jerusalem experienced dozens of suicide bombings and other attacks. The city has been largely quiet in the past three years, though sporadic attacks have persisted. In March, a Palestinian gunman entered a Jerusalem seminary and killed eight young students.Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev called Wednesday's attack a senseless act of murderous violence.President Bush called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to express condolences about the attack and planned to call Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.The three organizations that took responsibility for the attack included the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which is affiliated with Abbas. Abbas aide Saeb Erekat condemned the violence.The other two are the Galilee Freedom Battalion, which is suspected of being affiliated with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a fringe left-wing militant group.The Hamas militant group, which runs the Gaza Strip and is currently maintaining a fragile cease-fire with Israel, said it did not carry out the attack but nevertheless praised it. We consider it as a natural reaction to the daily aggression and crimes committed against our people in the West Bank and all over the occupied lands, said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. Despite the Palestinian claims of responsibility, Israeli police chief Dudi Cohen said the attacker appeared to be acting alone. It looks as if it was a spontaneous act, he said. Major Israeli retaliation appeared unlikely given the police chief's claim that the attacker acted alone and the Jewish state's desire to maintain the Gaza cease-fire and to support Abbas' security forces in the West Bank. Israeli police said the man, a father of two children, was an Arab in his 30s from east Jerusalem and had a criminal background. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said he had worked as a construction worker on the railway project. Later Wednesday, five military vehicles gathered outside the man's two-story home in east Jerusalem. Police entered the house, took pictures and questioned relatives for an hour before leaving without making arrests.

Friends of the family identified the attacker as Hussam Dwikat. They said the 29-year-old was a devout Muslim, but had no known ties to any militant groups. Everybody is in shock. When I was told what happened I started to curse Hussam because this is the first time he has done something like this, said Salayan Weyed, a friend of the attacker's wife. In contrast to West Bank Palestinians, Arab residents of Jerusalem have full freedom to work and travel throughout Israel. About two-thirds of Jerusalem's 700,000 residents are Jews, and the rest are Palestinians who came under Israeli control when Israel captured their part of the city in 1967. Israel's national rescue service said at least 45 people were wounded in Wednesday's attack. Wounded people sat dazed on the ground amid piles of broken glass and blood stains on the street. A half-dozen cars were flattened and others were overturned by the Caterpillar vehicle. A bus was overturned and another bus was heavily damaged. A woman sprinkled water over a baby's bloodied face, a rescue worker stroked the hair of a dazed elderly pedestrian and a loved one raised the bleeding leg of a woman sitting outside the overturned bus. Yosef Spielman, who witnessed the attack, said the construction vehicle picked up a car like a toy.I was shocked. I saw a guy going crazy, he said. All the people were running. They had no chance.Esther Valencia, a 52-year-old pedestrian, said she barely escaped the carnage. He almost hit me. Someone pushed me out of the way at the last moment. It was a miracle that I got out of there.Cassia Pereira, office manager for AP's Jerusalem bureau, watched the attack unfold outside her window. I saw him but it was too late and there was nothing to do, she said, with tears in her eyes. I was in panic I couldn't say a word ... I realized something was not normal, something was wrong.

The mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupolianski, said his daughter was on one of the buses rammed by the attacker, but she was not injured.

To our regret the attackers do not cease coming up with new ways to strike at the heart of the Jewish people here in Jerusalem, Lupolianski said. Associated Press Writer Aron Heller contributed to this report.

Hezbollah confirms prisoner exchange with Israel JULY 02,08

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah's leader says his group will hand over two captured Israeli soldiers in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners in Israel. It's Hezbollah's first confirmation of the deal, which was approved by Israel's Cabinet on Sunday.Israel's prime minister has said he believes the two soldiers, captured in a July 2006 raid that sparked a war between Israel and Hezbollah, are dead. But the militant group has never confirmed that.Sheik Hassan Nasrallah says he'll also provide information on missing Israeli airman Ron Arad.Nasrallah spoke by video link to reporters Wednesday in Beirut.

Iran says any attack would provoke fierce reaction By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer JULY 02,08

MADRID, Spain - With Middle East tensions building, Iran's oil minister warned Wednesday that an attack on his country would provoke an unimaginably fierce response. Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said, however, that Tehran would not cut oil deliveries and would continue supplying the market even if struck by Israel or the United States.Tehran is not going to be quiet, if attacked, Nozari told reporters. It's going to react fiercely, and nobody can imagine what would be the reaction of Iran, he added.Over the weekend, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that Tehran would respond to an attack by barraging Israel with missiles and could seize control of a key oil passageway in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz.But a senior U.S. military commander said Wednesday that Washington would not allow that to happen.Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, commander of the 5th Fleet spoke to reporters after talks with naval commanders of Gulf countries in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi. The one-day meeting was to focus on the security of the region's maritime and trade routes and the threat of terrorism.The 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain, across the Gulf from Iran. Cosgriff said that if Iran choked off the Strait of Hormuz, it would be saying to the world that 40 percent of oil is now held hostage by a single country.

We will not allow Iran to close it, he told reporters.

Minister Nozari addressed rising tensions outside the 19th World Petroleum Congress after a presentation on Iran's oil and gas industry to a packed audience, including representatives of European and U.S. energy companies.Tehran is under U.N., U.S. and European sanctions because it has defied U.N. Security Council demands to suspend its uranium enrichment program. But with oil supplies tight and prices at unprecedented levels, the energy industry remains tempted by the possibilities of investing in Iran, OPEC's second largest oil producer and No. 2 in terms of the world's natural gas reserves.President Bush has repeatedly said that a military strike on Tehran is possible as a last-resort if Iran continues to pursues uranium enrichment and fails to heed other Security Council demands.Last month, Israel sent warplanes on a major exercise in the eastern Mediterranean that U.S. officials said was a message to Iran — a show of force as well as practice in the operations needed for a long-range strike mission.ABC News quoted an unnamed senior Pentagon official warning of an increasing likelihood that Israel will strike Iran's nuclear facilities before the end of the year.Nozari said such any attack would send oil prices further into uncharted territory.We don't think the wise people in the world even think about any action like that, he said. Can you imagine ... what would be the result in the oil market?

Oil prices hit a record high above $143 this week.

But Nozari indicated Iran would not withhold its crude from the market even if attacked.Iran has always been a reliable source of supply to the market, and Iran remains a (reliable) source of supply, he said. He dismissed suggestions that the standoff over Iran's nuclear program has diminished Iran's oil and gas exports, despite U.S. sanctions that prohibit American companies from doing business with Tehran and growing pressure from Washington on other countries to follow suit. We have increased our production in the past two years by 250,000 barrels a day and we have added to the production of our gas, he told the AP.

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)

Oil prices advance as US oil supplies fall By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer JULY 02,08

NEW YORK - Oil prices are rising after the government reported U.S. crude oil supplies fell more than expected last week, although trading is volatile as the report also showed gasoline stockpiles unexpectedly grew. The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported crude oil supplies fell by 2 million barrels. Analysts surveyed by the energy research firm Platts predicted a decline of 1.2 million barrels.Light, sweet crude for August delivery is up 46 cents at $141.43 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Gasoline stockpiles rose by 2.1 million barrels, although analysts predicted they would decline by half a million barrels.

Energy experts puzzled over oil prices By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer Wed Jul 2, 6:12 AM ET

MADRID, Spain - As crude soared to a new record, the head of the International Energy Agency declared that the world was in the grip of an oil shock, and the president of OPEC acknowledged he could not say whether prices would flatten out or continue to soar. The comments by IEA chief Nobuko Tanaka, OPEC chief and Algerian Energy minister Chakib Khelil and other industry leaders at the 19th World Petroleum conference reflected the concern surrounding record oil prices that seem ready to spike higher.An IEA report released at the conference confirmed what most consumers fear: that supplies of oil will remain tight, whether for cooking fires in the poorest countries or powering cars and cooling or heating homes in the richest. And that's despite record prices and reduced demand as costly crude dampens the world's oil hunger.Reflecting the world's oil price doldrums, light, sweet crude for August delivery rose 97 cents to settle at a new high of $140.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices at one point rose as high as $143.33, just 34 cents shy of Monday's trading record.We are clearly in the third oil price shock, declared Tanaka, comparing the effects to periods of soaring prices in the 1970s and 1980s.But he suggested there is less of a likelihood of a quick fix this time.Those price peaks forced consumers into saving oil and oil companies to look for new wells, said Tanaka, but now the biggest energy savings have been made (and) ... the easy oil outside (of) a few countries has been found.His agency's report said the world's estimated daily oil needs would rise from 86.87 million barrels this year to 94.14 million barrels in 2013 — less than anticipated in its 2007 report because of skyrocketing prices.

The energy agency predicted producers would be able to meet world needs — but noted that supply will exceed projected demand only by a daily 2 million barrels, a relatively thin cushion.Tanaka said that tight supplies despite a price surge that would normally lead to increased availability came as a shock.His comments reflected the high-level bedevilment at the meeting about what is causing prices to sizzle.In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier this month, the kingdom said it would add 200,000 barrels per day in July to a 300,000 barrel per day production increase it first announced in May, raising total daily output to 9.7 million barrels. Production increases normally check prices, but the market has shrugged off the Saudi gesture and set several new records since.Khelil, the OPEC president, offered no solace to consumers.We are very uncertain about the oil prices since it's highly volatile and we don't really know whether it is going to be stabilizing or going to lower levels, he told delegates. But everybody agrees that oil prices are too high.There is a lot of uncertainty about demand, Khelil said. Consequently there is a lot of uncertainty about the decision of investing the tens of billions of dollars needed to make additional crude and refined supplies available.He identified the main driver of prices as the weak U.S. dollar and the linked subprime crisis in America; geopolitical tensions, and increased emphasis on U.S. bioethanol production which he suggested diverted production of diesel and led to shortages.Urging the world to brace for a really big reshuffle in energy expectations, Christophe de Margerie, CEO of French energy giant Total SA, said he expected oil production to plateau in just 12 years at 94 million barrels a day —less then 10 million barrels more than available now. And he warned the forecast was optimistic.We will have to fight against the natural decline of (present) oil fields, he told the same forum Khelil attended. It will not go smoothly.Producers and refiners in the Spanish capital are also looking to find answers not only on how to ensure stable supply, but also on doing it in a way that minimizes emissions of the greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming. Still the primary concern at the meeting was over availability and prices that have been bouncing from record to record over the past few months — a worry echoed by de Margerie.
Consumers worldwide expect a better environment, he said. But they expect first access to energy.

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.

BIG SUR BLAZE HARD TO CONTAIN
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National Guard troops set to relieve fire crews By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press Writer JULY 02,08

FRESNO, Calif. - Weary crews battling wildfires across northern and central California are going to get help from the National Guard, the first time the military has been called to ground-based firefighting duty since 1977. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday ordered 200 guardsmen to report for fire training to begin assisting on the fire lines early next week. The extra hands are expected to boost the nearly 19,000 personnel currently fighting the fires.I think that they all are doing a great job, but the danger is that our firefighters get stretched thin, the governor said. A lot of them are working overtime, and they are staying up there for more than 12 hours, sometimes 24 hours, 36 hours. So we have to be very careful that they get enough sleep and they get enough rest.The governor and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, David Paulison, planned to visit Big Sur on Wednesday for a briefing on firefighting efforts in that hard-hit region.Already this year, drought conditions, high temperatures and a series of lightning storms have contributed to more than 680 square miles of land being charred statewide.Federal fire managers predict an increase in severe wildfire activity in northern California through October due to unusually hot, dry weather and scant rain.The National Interagency Fire Center, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, issued a 2008 Wildland Fire Outlook on Tuesday forecasting significant fire activity to increase or persist in California, as well as in parts of the western Great Basin in Nevada, the northern Rocky Mountains, Texas, and West Virginia.

The agency also upped its national preparedness level Tuesday to Level 5, its highest — a warning that there are major fires that have the potential to exhaust firefighting resources. It's the second earliest date the agency has reached Level 5 since 1990.

California has endured the worst of the fires so far this year, raging from the western edge of the Sierra Nevada to coastal mountains near Big Sur. They have created a smoky haze so stifling that some doctors in the San Joaquin Valley say their waiting rooms have been crowding with patients struggling to breathe.In the Big Sur region of the Los Padres National Forest, about 200 people along a roughly 15-mile stretch of Highway 1 were ordered to leave their homes and businesses. Evacuation orders also remained in place for occupants of at least 75 homes who were forced to leave the region last week, as a 47,000-acre blaze burning through uninhabited forest land moved closer.In Southern California, a fire in the southern extension of the Los Padres forest north of Santa Barbara also prompted mandatory evacuations as wind up to 35 mph pushed flames toward homes in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Officials said the fire had burned nearly 100 acres of heavy brush by Wednesday morning.Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Eli Iskow said about 40 homes were evacuated. County spokesman William Boyer said he didn't know how close flames had gotten to homes.In the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield, crews struggled to contain an 11,500-acre blaze there. Powerful gusts and choking smoke traveling up the steep canyons hampered their progress, and residents of neighboring towns were ordered to evacuate.Even without the blazes, the farming towns and subdivisions dotting the valley are typically shrouded in a layer of smog during the summer. But airborne ash from the blazes caused such a spike in air pollution over the weekend that meteorologist Shawn Ferreria said it took his breath away.I went and bought a mask because my lungs were not happy with me, said Ferreria, a senior air quality specialist for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. What we are experiencing is out of historical norms.Officials had hoped a fog bank along the Northern California coast would help with fire suppression, but the moisture did not extend inland, said Brian Tentinger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey.Air district officials grew concerned that wind patterns could send more smoke billowing into the valley, which is bordered on three sides by mountains. Once the tiny particles of soot — which are blamed for triggering asthma and other respiratory problems — are carried inland, they're sealed in under a layer of warm air created by hot summer temperatures.Our waiting rooms are full of people with sore throats, itchy eyes and sniffles, said Kevin Hamilton, a respiratory therapist with Sequoia Community Health Center in Fresno.

Schools canceled outdoor activities and residents were warned to stay inside with the air conditioner running. For households lacking air conditioners, the district recommended families hole up in local malls. Since there's fires to the north, west and east of us we're kind of surrounded, said Gary Arcemont, a meteorologist with the Fresno-based air district. Depending on what happens with the intensity and the winds in the next few days, we could be breathing the smoke from any of them.Associated Press writers Tracie Cone in Fresno, Scott Lindlaw in San Francisco, and Jessie Bonner in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

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).

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK
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SALMONELLA OUTBRAKE STILL UNCLEAR
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Salmonella probe adds foods served with tomatoes By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Wed Jul 2, 6:21 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Adding to tomato confusion, the government is about to start testing numerous other types of fresh produce in the hunt for the source of the nation's record salmonella outbreak — even as it insists tomatoes remain the leading suspect. Investigators are mum on exactly what other vegetables are getting tracked.Items commonly served with fresh tomatoes is the only hint Food and Drug Administration food safety chief Dr. David Acheson would give, calling it irresponsible to point a finger until he has more evidence that some other food really deserves the extra scrutiny.

Tomatoes aren't off the hook, he stressed. It's just that there is clearly a need to think beyond tomatoes.Still, Acheson widened FDA's probe on Tuesday, activating an emergency network of food laboratories around the country in anticipation of lots of additional samples to test.The reason is that the outbreak continues, with 869 people now confirmed having taken ill. Most troublesome, at least 179 of them fell ill in June, the latest on June 20. That is more than two months after the first salmonella illnesses appeared, meaning the outbreak is continuing weeks longer than food-poisoning specialists had expected — and suggesting the culprit is still on the market.Over the weekend, disease detectives with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began interviewing people sickened in June to find out what they ate and to compare their diets with those of healthy relatives and neighbors. Officials wouldn't reveal early findings, except to say they supported the investigation's new move.Among the possibilities FDA is exploring is whether tomatoes and other produce are sharing a common packing or shipping site where both might become contaminated, or whether multiple foods might be tainted while being grown on adjoining farms or with common water sources.

Pressure is increasing on the FDA to solve the case, with the tomato industry suffering millions of dollars in losses and pushing for Congress to investigate how the agency handled the outbreak.
But Acheson said Tuesday that there's a growing misconception in the public that if tomatoes really were to blame, the outbreak would only have lasted six weeks.That's just not true, he said, pointing to farms that rotate harvests so as to keep producing tomatoes for months.Tomatoes first became a suspect because of what are called case-control studies rapidly conducted in New Mexico and Texas, the outbreak's center, CDC food-poisoning specialist Dr. Robert Tauxe said.Those kinds of studies compare the sick to people who are otherwise similar — in income, lifestyle, where they live — but healthy. In those initial studies, about 80 percent of the ill reported eating certain types of fresh tomatoes, far more than the healthy group did, Tauxe said. Statistically, the association was too strong to think it a coincidence.Some food-poisoning experts say the CDC missed a key step in not taking those studies a step further and trying to trace why some of the healthy ate tomatoes without harm.For now, the FDA continues to urge consumers nationwide to avoid raw red plum, red Roma or red round tomatoes unless they were grown in specific states or countries that the agency has cleared of suspicion. Check the FDA's Web site — http://www.fda.gov — for an updated list. Also safe are grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached.That advice is coming under fire too because tomatoes are sent through multiple repacking and distribution sites around the country, even to Mexico and back, regardless of where they're grown. But Acheson said the advice would be fine-tuned only if new science emerges.

Even Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt expressed frustration Tuesday that the case isn't solved.Nothing happens fast enough when you have a problem like this, Leavitt said as he asked Congress for more funds and stronger legal powers for food and consumer safety agencies. Still, I feel confident we will find the solution to this problem.Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

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.(TRADE 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).

EU trade commissioner hits back at Sarkozy
ELITSA VUCHEVA JULY 02,08 Today @ 09:24 CET

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has fired back at criticism by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, arguing that Mr Sarkozy's statements were undermining the EU's position in world trade talks.

I am being undermined and Europe's negotiating position in the world trade talks is being weakened and I regret that, Mr Mandelson told the BBC's Newsnight programme on Tuesday (1 July). The trade commissioner is mystified by Mr Sarkozy's criticism (Photo: wikipedia)It is very disappointing because the mandate under which I am negotiating in the world trade talks - and trying on Europe's behalf to bring them to a successful conclusion - has been agreed by all the member states, he added.Speaking on French national television on Monday – on the eve of the launch of the French EU presidency – France's president again accused the British commissioner of offering too many concessions during the talks.

[WTO chief] Mr Lamy and Mr Mandelson want to make us accept a deal under which Europe would commit to cutting farm output by 20 percent and reduce farm exports by 10 percent, Mr Sarkozy told national television channel France 3 on Monday.That would be 100,000jobs lost, I won't let it happen, he added.The current round of talks on trade liberalisation – the Doha round – was launched in 2001, but has long failed to progress, as all sides have been refusing to make significant compromises.On Monday, France stressed once again it would veto any deal sacrificing agricultural production on the altar of global liberalism. Paris has also long defended the EU's farm spending – known as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - as well as its own subsidies for farmers, and opposed any reforms that it sees as too liberalising and potentially destructive.France has set the CAP and its review – or health check – as one of its EU presidency priorities.For his part, Mr Mandelson expressed regret that Mr Sarkozy's intervention last night will make it harder for me.Earlier in the day, his spokesperson in Brussels defended the commissioner's actions and challenged Mr Sarkozy's figures, saying the decrease in farm production and the job losses would be much smaller than what he had presented.The French president has made a number of similar attacks against the EU's trade chief, and in June he suggested that he had played a part in the negative outcome of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty – an accusation that mystified Mr Mandelson.

Sarkozy offers more protectionist Europe as French EU presidency opens ELITSA VUCHEVA 01.07.2008 @ 09:31 CET

During a one-hour television address, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, promised to protect Europeans during France's time at the EU helm. The French EU presidency, which begins Tuesday (1 July), is saddled with some of the biggest conundrums to face the bloc in years: Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty and the climate of growing discontent among citizens towards what they see as the EU's poor response to growing food and fuel prices.The Eiffel tower will be lit up in the colours of Europe every evening in the next two months. (Photo: wikipedia)We have to profoundly change our way of building Europe, Mr Sarkozy said during his talk on TV channel France 3 on Monday (30 June).There is something wrong, Europe worries today and even worse, [European] citizens are wondering whether in the end they are not better protected at the national rather than at the European level, he added.

Consequently, we must not be afraid of the word protection… We have to reflect on how to turn Europe into a means of protecting Europeans in their everyday lives, he argued.Mr Sarkozy explained that he wanted to provoke a salutary shock through a change in order to save the European idea, which would be in danger if one does not protect the people.The French leader stated on an earlier occasion that one of the things Europeans expected from the EU is to shield them from globalisation's negative effects – but France's protectionist streak is unlikely to be welcomed unanimously by all other 26 member states.He has also opposed the European Commission's position in global trade talks and recently publicly criticised EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson for pursuing a trade liberalisation deal that he said would lead to a one-fifth cut in agricultural production and a reduction in farm exports, while a child dies of hunger every 30 seconds.A review – or health check – of the EU's farm spending is planned before the end of the year.

In the aftermath of the Irish No

A couple of hours after Mr Sarkozy's TV intervention, the Eiffel tower was lit up in the blue and golden glow of the EU's colours under the gaze of of France's foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, and the ambassadors of the other 26 EU states in Paris, as the French EU presidency was officially launched.Despite its ambitious goals however, many analysts argue France's six-month chairmanship of the EU will be clouded by Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty in June.While evoking immigration, climate change and agriculture as some of the main dossiers on which the French presidency will focus, Mr Sarkozy did not offer further details on his plans on defence in his TV speech.Boosting up EU defence has been another one of Paris' declared priorities for the next six months, but also a point on which its rhetoric may need to be toned down, in particular if Irish citizens, wary of EU military plans, are to vote a second time on the Lisbon treaty – as Mr Sarkozy himself has implied they might.France has also proposed a plan to co-ordinate a crackdown on clandestine immigrants - making it harder to come into Europe.But the so-called immigration pact has already been opposed by Spain and watered down under Madrid's pressure.Some of the measures contained in the document were judged too tough by Spain – such as the putting in place of compulsory integration contracts, and making it obligatory for the immigrants to adopt national and European values.Madrid fears the requirement may dissuade legal workers, which it needs to boost its economy.

The French minister of immigration and integration, Brice Hortefeux, will officially present a new version of his plans to EU interior and justice ministers on 7 July, Le Figaro reports.On Monday, the French president also defended once again his plans to cut VAT on fuels in response to the soaring fuel prices – a move opposed by a number of member states, in particular Germany.

ID SAY GODS WORD IS COMING TO PASS THAT THE EU WILL BE A DICTATORSHIP AND THEN CONTROL THE WORLD TO MAKE IT A DICTATORSHIP HEADED BY THE GODLESS PRESIDENT IN THE FUTURE AND EVEN NOW IN ITS EARLY STAGES.

Latin American leaders condemn racist EU law
LEIGH PHILLIPS JULY 02,08 Today @ 09:14 CET

Latin American leaders have sharply criticised as barbarous, xenophobic and racist new European Union legislation on clandestine immigration that allows extended detention of undocumented workers.

It hurts us deeply that there is no respect for the human rights of Latin American immigrants, who had to leave and seek elsewhere what they don't have in their own lands - just like their grandparents did, said Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, speaking at the 35th summit of the Mercosur trade bloc in Argentina.The EU laws are xenophobic and discriminatory, he said, Bloomberg reports.The EU's return directive, which was passed by the European Parliament in June, allows the detention of irregular immigrants up to 18 months, and bans re-entry for scofflaws for five years.The law has received repeated strong criticism from South American leaders, who were intent on issuing a resolution condemning the policy during the Mercosur meeting. Combined, the bloc is the fifth largest economy in the world, which together with the other South American trade zone, the Andean Community, aims to form a South American Union, Unasur, modelled on the EU.

Legalised barbarism

The Mercosur member states and associate states reject any attempt to criminalise the irregular migration and the adoption of restrictive immigration policies, reads the resolution, which also noted how, conversely South America had welcomed with generosity and solidarity millions of European migrants in previous centuries.
The contrast in the two continents' attitude towards immigration was a common theme amongst the leaders.Europeans who landed in the Americas took possession of thousands of hectares of land, mines, natural resources and exploited our people, accused Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, while immigrants in Europe are not exploiting anyone - they are not taking possession of thousands of hectares of land and mines; they are not destroying the natural resources.We were very generous with the Europeans who arrived in our land in the last century, and the truth is that it is not fair for our people to get a denigrating treatment, said Chile's Michelle Bachelet.Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, for his part, said that the Return Directive embodies racism and discrimination.

We need a strong stance...in defense of the dignity of our people, Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez told his fellow leaders, according to the Associated Press. Civilized Europe - I say that ironically - has legalised barbarism.Mercosur brings together Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, while Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have associate member status. Mexico is an observer.

Polish president softens tone on EU treaty
PHILIPPA RUNNER JULY 02,08 Today @ 09:24 CET

Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Tuesday (1 July) toned down his rhetoric against the Lisbon treaty, with the French EU presidency also downplaying the mini-crisis and analysts saying Mr Kaczynski's stance is a bargaining tool for foreign policy concessions.If the Irish change their mind, not under pressure, but of their own free will, there will not be the slightest obstacle to ratification from the Polish side...I will also sign the treaty, he said on a visit to Georgia, PAP reports. I had a big role in negotiating this treaty, and I support it.The comments come after Mr Kaczynski in a newspaper interview earlier the same day said signing the treaty would be pointless after the Irish voted No in June. The Polish parliament approved Lisbon in April but the president must now ink a so-called Ratification Act.The Polish president is an honest, politically-engaged man and I don't doubt for a moment he will keep his word, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy said at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday. I can't imagine that someone who negotiated the treaty and signed it would question their own signature.It's not a Polish refusal to sign, French foreign ministry spokesman, Eric Chevallier, added, Le Monde reports. The president said that, for the moment, he has chosen to postpone his ratification signature. He didn't say I will never sign he said for the moment.

France plans to hold high-level talks with Poland to resolve the situation, using Mr Kaczynski's desire to give Ukraine an EU membership perspective as leverage, French diplomats explained. We have to try and keep everyone together, keep the European family together, one diplomat said.

The Lisbon gambit

Polish neighbours and analysts speculate the president's stance is not really designed to protect Irish voters or the EU principle of unanimity, with Czech Europe minister Alexandr Vondra and Swedish Europe minister Cecilia Malmstrom both saying it is a tactical move in internal Polish games.Mr Kaczynski is fighting to win oversight powers on Polish government behaviour in EU negotiations and to get government approval for Poland to host a US missile shield. The Lisbon row also generates momentum for his flagging conservative opposition party, as campaigning slowly begins for the 2009 European Parliament elections.If Lech Kaczynski signs the treaty it will be a victory for [Polish liberal Prime Minister Donald] Tusk. So the president wants his own victory by winning concessions from the liberals, Polish Institute of Political Sciences analyst Kazimierz Kik told AFP.Support for the treaty could also be traded [with France and Germany] for support for a Polish candidate for one of the most important EU positions [such as European Parliament president], Polish daily Rzeczpospolita wrote in an editorial comment.

Heating things up

Mr Kaczynski's remarks on the pointlessness of Lisbon caused outrage inside Poland, with socialist and liberal MPs tabling a parliamentary resolution urging him to sign and Prime Minister Tusk saying it is needless for Poland to find itself attached to Ireland as a country...in a difficult situation.A European Commission statement on Tuesday reminding Mr Kaczynski that he is obliged to ratify the treaty after his part in the signing ceremony in Lisbon last year also generated heat.With all due respect, the European Commission is a European Union organ without the authority to evaluate the decisions of the leaders of individual member states, the Polish president said.

European Commission puts social conscience on show
LUCIA KUBOSOVA JULY 02,08 Today @ 17:45 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has come up with a renewed social agenda to highlight its efforts for better protection of citizens, despite criticism by some in the European Parliament and in national capitals, accusing Brussels of a narrow focus on economic growth and the internal market.Europe's social dimension has never been as relevant as it is today, commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday (2 July) in a statement on a package of documents addressing the key social policy areas where Europe is currently active.Patients' rights and a new anti-discrimination bill have so far attracted the most attention in the basket of policies, but the social agenda also includes specific ideas on how to help Roma people, as well as a proposal on works councils which currently operate in 820 major firms and cover some 14.5 million employees.Brussels argues the role of works councils in big multinational companies should be strengthened, so as to help foster transnational social dialogue in large enterprises, to improve corporate governance and to anticipate and manage change in a socially responsible way.

Employers' groups fear the move would mean a slow-down in corporate decision-making. The commission's proposal runs counter to its intention of having a social agenda that is responsive to change, reacted BusinessEurope, an umbrella group of big businesses.Arnaldo Abruzzini of Eurochambres commented we question the rationale of the whole package, which appears like a patchwork of a dozen of initiatives, randomly put together without any clear coherence, adding that there could be questionable impact on businesses from some of the proposals.On the other hand, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) argues Brussels has made a modest step forward with its social agenda in general and on works councils in particular.But ETUC chief John Monks said We are waiting for stronger and more ambitious initiatives.In a similar tone, The Social Platform, the alliance of European NGOs active in the social sector expressed some measured optimism on the commission's package while noting that a clear commitment to making social issues central to EU strategy is still some way off.Until the commission puts forward a social pact, making concrete pledges for social progress central to its vision for the EU, equality for all and the eradication of poverty will be impossible to achieve, said Conny Reuter, president of the Social Platform.In a final remark in his briefing to journalists on Wednesday, social policy commissioner Vladimir Spidla said if you expect social progress, don't expect it will arrive by mere action in Brussels. We all together make up Europe and we all have to work together to achieve it.