OLYMPIC STORMS PREDICTED

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

At least 9 killed in torrential Togo floods Sat Aug 2, 12:50PM ET

LOME, Togo - At least nine people have been killed as torrential floods have submerged entire villages in Togo, the country's Minister for Transport and Highways said Saturday in a televised address. Nine major bridges have been wiped out, stranding villagers in flooded hamlets, Ekpao Talaki said. As many as 5,000 people have been rendered homeless, according to the government's web site, but aid workers say the number could be much higher.

Ghana, Togo's neighbor, sent in helicopters to rescue villagers trapped in their flooded homes. France sent a disaster crew Friday from its peacekeeping mission in nearby Ivory Coast.But Togo's main opposition party criticized the government for not doing enough and called for an emergency session of Parliament to address the disaster.President Faure Gnassingbe is holding an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday — the third this week — to come up with ways to combat the floods. The flooding, which shows no sign of abating, was brought on by heavy monsoon rains.

Rain, thunder, typhoons forecast for Beijing Games Sun Aug 3, 1:48 AM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - Weather forecasters on Sunday predicted thunder and rain in Beijing on the day of the Olympic opening ceremony and warned that typhoons could disrupt events in other host cities.

Organisers have repeatedly said rain is their biggest worry ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, which will feature more than 10,000 performers and a massive fireworks display.But top officials from the Beijing Meteorological Bureau confirmed that bad weather was certain for the August 8, although they held out hope that the skies may clear for the evening ceremony.Before and immediately after August 8, we will not see persistent heavy rainfall, said Wang Jianjie, deputy director of the bureau.Specifically on the 8th, the weather in Beijing will be cloudy and overcast and we will see some rain showers and thunder showers.She said that forecasting technology was not accurate enough to predict exactly when rain would actually fall on any particular day or whether it would disrupt the evening opening ceremony.It is impossible to tell at what time the rain will fall on August 8, but we cannot exclude that there will be periodic rain then, she told a press conference.

As for typhoons, she said that two or three were expected to blow in from the Pacific Ocean during the August 8-24 Games and that they would be tracked and monitored throughout the period.The storms could hit Hong Kong, affecting the staging of the Olympic equestrian events there, and could also disrupt parts of the Olympic football tournament that is being staged in coastal Shanghai.Wang also said that the port city of Qingdao in northeastern China, where the Olympic sailing competition is being held, could also be affected.However, she said any disruption that the typhoons could bring to the Olympic events would be contained.

Normally a typhoon can affect an area for one or two days, she said. It would not have a long-term effect but would only have an effect for a limited period.

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.

The heat goes on John Desjardins AUG 3,08

South

It will be another day of triple-digit temps across the south-central U.S. today. The mercury will eclipse the century mark across much of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and most of Louisiana. More record highs temperatures will likely be broken, possibly including Dallas (forecast of 108) and Shreveport (forecast of 105). Combined with high humidity, heat indices will be pushing 110 in many areas. Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings are posted across much of the area, from Texas to Mississippi. Residents of this area should exercise extreme caution in dealing with this dangerous heat. Farther east, high temperatures will generally be in the low to mid 90s. Afternoon showers will flare up in parts of the Deep South and Florida. While a few storms may turn severe, it is not expected to be nearly as widespread as Saturday's activity.

Midwest

The northern tier of the country continues to be active, particularly from the northern Plains to the Upper Midwest. This morning's showers and thunderstorms across the Dakotas will continue to move east with a strong upper-level disturbance. Showers and thunderstorms -- some severe -- will push into Minnesota this afternoon. These storms could produce strong winds and large hail. Highs from the Dakotas into the Ohio Valley will mostly be in the low-to-mid 80s, with a few areas around the Great Lakes clinging to the 70s. The central Plains will continue to roast with highs above 100 in much of Nebraska and Kansas. Dangerously high heat indices will also extend into Missouri. Some relief is expected in these areas by midweek.

Northeast

A pesky storm system will continue to swirl across the Northeast and keep the threat of showers in New England. Although showers are spotty this morning, the activity is expected to increase into the afternoon. Many of these areas are soaked from recent rain, so additional rainfall will not be beneficial. Flood watches are posted from northern Vermont through northern Maine. Farther south, rain will not be much of an issue. A few showers or thunderstorms may pop up this afternoon from central New York State into Massachusetts. Otherwise, most of the region will be dry. High temperatures will be in the 70s from central Pennsylvania into Northern New England. Parts of Maine will not get out of the 60s. From the New York City metro area through Virginia, look for highs in the mid to upper 80s.

West

Much of the West will see sunny skies this Sunday. This includes the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin and, as usual, most of California. A few afternoon showers and thunderstorms will fire up over the Rockies from Montana into New Mexico. A few of these storms could contain locally heavy rain, which could result in flash flooding. Highs across the region will be generally seasonable. Expect 70s in western Washington down the coast. Portions of the Intermountain West will be in the 80s with a few pockets of 90s. The Desert Southwest will peak in the 100s. The Front Range of the Rockies will continue to be hot, flirting with triple digits.

SECULARISM IN TURKEY : SENSITIVE
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=6222227&ch=4226714&src=news

ISRAEL SENDS FATAHS BACK TO GAZA
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=9104884&ch=4226714&src=news

TENNESSEE CHURCH RALIES AFTER SHOOTING
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=9103923&ch=4226713&src=news

Jordan tells Abbas infighting threatens Palestinian state AUG 3,08

AMMAN (AFP) - Jordan's King Abdullah II warned visiting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Sunday that Palestinian infighting threatens their efforts to form an independent state, the palace said. Continued factional infighting harms the Palestinian cause and threatens efforts to help establish an independent Palestinian state, the king said according to a palace statement.The king also expressed concerns about developments in the territories, saying that the Palestinians should resort to dialogue to resolve their differences.Palestinian unity is key to tackling the current challenges, he added.Israel on Sunday began returning Fatah members who had fled deadly clashes in the Gaza Strip to the Hamas-ruled territory following a request by Abbas.On Saturday Abbas had asked that about 180 people be allowed out of Gaza after nine people were killed during the day in the deadliest internal fighting with Hamas since the Islamists seized power in June 2007.It followed a July 21 bombing that killed five Hamas militants and a little girl, which the Islamists blamed on Fatah's Helis clan.Abbas said meanwhile that Egypt plans to invite Palestinians for talks in Cairo.

Dialogue is important. We have called for it. Egypt has agreed to invite Palestinian factions to meet in Cairo, he was quoted in the statement as saying.We can't lose hope. We disagree and fight, but we have to work together to bridge the big gap created unfortunately by Hamas.Abbas urged the Islamists to resort to reason and logic and accept the law.

Anglican leader urges ban on gay bishops By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer AUG 3,08

NEW YORK - The spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans urged church leaders Sunday not to consecrate any other gay bishops for now, as he ended a once-a-decade Anglican assembly that was dedicated to preventing schism in the troubled fellowship. In his final speech at the Lambeth Conference, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican Communion needs space for study and free discussion without pressure about whether to accept changes in the traditional biblical understanding of same-sex relationships.A fellow Christian may believe they have a profound fresh insight. They seek to persuade others about it. A healthy church gives space for such exchanges, he told the 650 bishops at the meeting in Canterbury, England. But the Christian with the new insight can't claim straight away that this is now what the Church of God believes or intends.The 77-million-member Anglican Communion has been splintering since 2003, when the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.Williams barred Robinson and a few other bishops from the assembly, and designed the event without legislation or votes, instead focusing on rebuilding frayed relationships.

Still, more than 200 theologically conservative bishops boycotted Lambeth, which ran for 20 days. In June, just before Lambeth began, these same bishops formed a new global network within the communion that challenges Williams' authority but Williams does not have the authority to force any agreement among the conflicted groups. stops just short of a permanent split. The 38 Anglican national churches, including the U.S. Episcopal Church, are self-governed and loosely connected by shared roots in the missionary work of the Church of England.But the bishops at Lambeth said Sunday in a statement that they called their reflections on the meeting that there is widespread support across the communion for an extended moratorium on gay bishops and on blessing ceremonies for same-gender couples.

Williams and the bishops also indicated support for an extended moratorium on church leaders taking oversight of breakaway parishes in an Anglican territory that is not their own.Since Robinson was consecrated, conservative Anglican leaders from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and elsewhere have taken authority for seceding Episcopal parishes in the U.S.Although the exact figure is in dispute, Episcopal officials say that fewer than 100 of the more than 7,000 U.S. Episcopal parishes have voted to split off.Still, the entire Diocese of San Joaquin, based in Fresno, Calif., voted to withdraw from the denomination and align with another Anglican province, sparking a lawsuit. The Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, Texas, are poised to vote on whether to break away this fall.

Robinson traveled to Canterbury even though he wasn't invited, trying to meet with overseas bishops and be what he called a constant and friendly reminder of gays in the church.On Sunday, the advocacy group Integrity, which represents gay and lesbian Episcopalians, said in a statement that there is no theological defense for sacrificing a minority of the baptized for the sake of unity.No one expected the Lambeth Conference to definitively heal the divisions among Anglicans.The bishops did discuss a proposed global covenant that would set some requirements for membership in the communion. Williams said Sunday he plans to convene a meeting of the 38 Anglican national leaders, or primates, early next year. But it could be years before any agreement on a covenant is reached.

We may not have put an end to all our problems, Williams said, but the pieces are on the board.On the Net:
Lambeth Conference: http://www.lambethconference.org/index.cfm