ARMYWORMS ATTACK PASTURES

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.

Omar floods homes, damages crops in Antigua OCT 17,08

Associated Press Writer Anika Kentish, Associated Press Writer – Fri Oct 17, 11:25 am ET Omar grows into fierce Category 3 hurricane CBS4 Miami AP – The sun rises over a beach, with the outer bands of the Hurricane Omar storm system visible in the background, … ST JOHN'S, Antigua – Hurricane Omar flooded homes and battered crops on the Caribbean island of Antigua before it spun north and weakened into a tropical storm, drifting toward extinction Friday over the open Atlantic.Antiguan Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer warned of a produce shortage, saying the farming community appears to have suffered an extensive loss of crops.No one is reported to have perished in this disaster, Spencer said late Thursday, hours after Omar blew past the Lesser Antilles islands as a Category 3 hurricane. We are, nonetheless, faced with a natural disaster of serious proportions.The crop damage comes amid spiraling food prices in the Caribbean and around the world. Spencer pledged to monitor the situation and work with farmers to meet their needs.Omar blew north of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda early Thursday, dumping more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain and forcing 75 people to seek refuge in public shelters.The National Office of Disaster Services said rescue teams evacuated more than 30 people from flooded homes that were submerged under water or had slipped from their foundations.Omar knocked down trees and caused some flooding and minor mudslides on several Caribbean islands, but all were spared a direct hit by the storm.On Friday, Tropical Storm Omar was located about 670 miles (1,075 kilometers) southeast of Bermuda and posed no threat to land. It was expected to dissipate completely over the next several days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

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

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

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

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

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

North American markets end mixed
Last Updated: Friday, October 17, 2008 | 4:25 PM ET

0CBC News Rising stocks in the energy, financial and mining sectors helped send the S&P/TSX composite index to a gain of more than three per cent on Friday.After earlier rising more than 500 points, the TSX ultimately finished with a gain of 292.52 points at 9,562.49, led by a gain of just under two per cent for the heavily weighted financial services group.Among Canadian bank stocks, Bank of Montreal rose more than five per cent to $43.75.The energy subgroup was up 6.9 cent, boosted by a jump of $2 US in the price for a barrel of oil, which settled at $71.85 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil earlier got as high as $74.30 US.The mining group rose by 4.9 per cent.In the U.S., markets endured another volatile session, punctuated by a late-session wilt.After making triple-digits gains earlier in the session, the Dow Jones industrial average finished down 127.04, or 1.4 per cent, at 8,852.22.The Nasdaq composite index shed 6.4 per cent to end at 1,711, while the broader S&P 500 index gave back 5.9 points to conclude at 940.55.U.S. investors struggled to digest weak housing data with some healthy profit reports, such as Google, which saw its stock rise $19.52 US to $372.54.

Stocks gain as credit markets show signs of easing OCT 17,08

AKS 13.43 +0.75
CHK 21.19 +2.84
FCX 35.06 +1.67
GOOG 378.89 +25.87
SGP 14.80 +0.75

AP – Keith P. Davidson, left, Specialist of General Motors stock, works his post on the trading floor at the … NEW YORK – Wall Street turned higher Friday as strains in the credit markets showed signs of easing and investors sought bargains among stocks that were pounded lower in selloffs earlier in the week. The major indexes all posted moderate advances after wobbling through the first half of the session.The market was uneasy after the government said new home construction dropped by more than expected last month to the lowest pace since early 1991. But investors' mood seemed to pick up as lending rates for bank-to-bank loans eased, indicating some bank fears about not being repaid by borrowers is easing. Demand for safe-haven investments like Treasury bills also decreased.The London interbank offered rate, or Libor, for three-month dollar loans fell to 4.41 percent from 4.50 percent on Thursday, the fifth consecutive day of declines.I think we're beginning to get a slightly better feeling in the credit market, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners Inc., a New York brokerage house, pointing to the move in Libor. I'm sure we'll still have a strong bear grip to the market but I do believe the market was way oversold. I do believe we've made a bottom.It's been an erratic week on Wall Street, with the Dow soaring 936 points on Monday, slipping moderately Tuesday, sinking 733 points Wednesday, and then rallying 401 Thursday. The volatility is not providing investors with much relief, but it is a welcome change from last week's relentless plunge, during which the Dow logged its worst week ever and Wall Street lost about $2.4 trillion in shareholder wealth.In midafternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 96.37, or 1.07 percent, to 9,075.63, after being down 261 points in the early going.Broader stock indicators also advanced. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 15.09, or 1.59 percent, to 961.52, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 26.47, or 1.54 percent, to 1,744.18.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.16 billion shares.Sort of like a rubber bank that gets stretched too far, the markets have a tendency to bounce back once they've moved too far in one direction, said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial Group in Westport, Conn.He said signs of easing in the credit markets indicate that the government's efforts to revive bank lending could be working and that investor pessimism could be easing.Just a couple of weeks ago many thought we were heading back to the Great Depression and heading off a cliff.The credit markets have been gradually improving after moves by governments around the world, particularly plans to buy stakes in private banks to boost their lending. Demand remains high for Treasury bills, regarded as the safest assets around, an indication that there is uncertainty lingering in the markets.The three-month Treasury bill Friday yielded 0.85 percent, up from 0.47 percent on Thursday. That indicates a let-up in demand, though the yield has not surpassed 1 percent in more than a week.The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.David Dietze, president at Point View Financial Services Inc. in Summit, N.J., contends that much of the market's whipsaw moves in the past month have come as hedge funds and mutual funds were forced to sell positions because some shareholders were cashing out.These hedge funds are getting hit by redemptions, their credit lines are being pulled and they are having to sell furiously, he said. Selling begets selling, which begets selling, which begets more selling.While Dietze sees risks for the economy, he questions whether the rapidity of the stock market's retreat signals the pullback was overdone.We have a credit crunch which is morphing into a general recession and certainly a lot of the economic data points down but still, to come in this week and see the markets down 20 percent — basically a bear market within a bear market just this month — you wonder if there isn't just this massive overreaction, he said. A rise in oil prices helped energy companies, some of which had weighed on the market earlier in the week as oil showed steep declines. Light, sweet crude rose $3.88 to $73.73 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Thursday, it sank to a 14-month low on worries about a deep global recession obliterating fuel demand. Chesapeake Energy Corp. rose $2.66, or 14.5 percent, to $21.01, while XTO Energy Inc. rose $2.71, or 9.2 percent, to $32.31. Materials companies also gained ground. AK Steel Holding Corp. rose 72 cents, or 5.7 percent, to $13.40, and miner Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. advanced $1.67, or 5 percent, to $35.06. Health stocks generally rose. UnitedHealth Group Inc. advanced $1.79, or 7.9 percent, to $24.42, while Schering Plough Corp. rose 94 cents, or 6.7 percent, to $14.99. Late Thursday, Google Inc. posted a 26 percent increase in third-quarter profit. Google rose $25.98, or 7.4 percent, to $379; early Thursday, the Internet company's stock had fallen to a three-year low. Economic readings that appeared to trouble the market early in the session seemed to lose their importance as investors looked to improvement in the credit markets. The Commerce Department reported that housing starts fell more than 6 percent in September to an annual rate of 817,000 units. The figure is lower than the 880,000 units forecast by Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR. Building permits also sank. The report was yet another piece of evidence that the nation is struggling with a weak economy that, if the financial crisis is not solved, could weaken. President Bush on Friday said in a speech that the credit market — where many companies find funding for their operations — will take a while to thaw, but that Americans should be confident that it will. The market's ability Thursday and today to rise in the face of very bad economic news is encouraging because it indicates that the extreme oversold levels that we've seen over the past few weeks may finally start to push the market higher as has typically happened throughout history, said Sheldon. Investor sentiment could also be getting a boost from billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who wrote in The New York Times on Friday that he sees opportunity from the sell-off and that has been moving his personal investments from safe Treasuries into U.S. stocks.

Sheldon said Buffett's comments were bound to draw attention because of his success in picking investments. Anytime he comes out with a statement commenting that the current environment is producing very attractive values investors are at least likely to take notice.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 2.99, or 0.56 percent, to 539.56. Markets overseas were mostly higher Friday. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 4.44 percent to its lowest level in almost three years, but Japan's Nikkei average rose 2.78 percent after a 11.4 percent loss Thursday. In Europe, Britain's FTSE index rose 5.22 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 3.43 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 4.68 percent. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Oil rises $4 on OPEC, global markets OCT 17,08

^DJI 9,088.29 +109.03
^GSPC 965.23 +18.80
^IXIC 1,746.99 +29.28

Reuters – Traders work in the energy options pit of the New York Mercantile Exchange October 17, 2008. (Shannon … NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil jumped $4 to nearly $74 a barrel on Friday, spurred by a broader rise across financial markets and expectations OPEC could cut output at an emergency meeting next week.U.S. stocks gained slightly in skittish trade, with the Nasdaq briefly rising 1 percent as investors hunted for beaten-down shares, offsetting mounting concerns about a possible global recession.U.S. crude rose $4.00 to $73.85 a barrel at 12:59 p.m. EDT, while London Brent crude gained $3.62 to $71.49.The market is up in line with other asset classes, said Thomas Stenvoll at UBS.Oil is dependent on strength in the economy but in order to have a sustainable rally we need to have proof that it has really improved or at least it is not collapsing, he said. And right now we are not getting that proof.U.S. consumer confidence suffered its steepest monthly drop on record in October and construction starts on new homes fell to a 17-1/2 year low the previous month, while markets awaited a meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and European leaders.The financial crisis and high fuel prices earlier this year have eroded demand growth in the United States and other big consumer nations, sending oil in a tailspin from a record over $147 a barrel.Analysts said oil traders were betting also that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will reduce supply to support prices.The producer group has brought forward an emergency meeting to October 24 from November 18 to discuss the impact of global recession on oil markets.It seems very likely that they will agree to cut production by a million barrels per day, although compliance could actually become an issue after this round of cuts or shortly thereafter, if history serves as any guide, Peter Beutel, analyst at Cameron Hanover, wrote in a research note.Qatar's Oil Minister Abdullah al-Attiyah said he expected OPEC to cut oil production by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) or more at the meeting.Nigerian Oil Minister Odein Ajumogobia said the meeting was an opportunity to consider options regarding the world oil price but that no course of action had been proposed yet.Oil prices have fallen more than 50 percent from their peak above $147 a barrel hit just three months ago, depressed partly by falls in demand in the United States and other industrial countries as the credit crisis has hit the wider economy.(Reporting by Matthew Robinson, Robert Gibbons, and Gene Ramos in New York; Joe Brock in London; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Sarkozy for ambitious economic partnership with Canada OCT 17,08

QUEBEC CITY (AFP) - France's President Nicolas Sarkozy is favorable to an ambitious economic partnership between the European Union and Canada, he said going into a Canada-EU summit Friday.Sarkozy, whose country holds the revolving EU presidency, is in Quebec City for Canada-EU trade talks and a summit of French-speaking nations.He and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso were to meet with Canada's newly re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper midday.In an interview published in the daily National Post, Sarkozy said: I'm part of a group of leaders pushing for a more ambitious economic partnership with Canada. The October 17 summit will provide a decisive impetus in this direction.France will also conclude an important accord with Quebec to recognize our respective professional qualifications. This agreement should serve as a model for the rest of Canada and EU member states, he said.

Friday's 12th Francophonie summit includes leaders from some 30 French-speaking nations and is to focus on four main themes: the environment, the economy, democracy and the rule of law, and the struggles of the French language itself.On Saturday Sarkozy heads for the United States, where he will meet his US counterpart George W. Bush at Camp David.

The Next Banking Bomb? OCT 17,08

This bill will, in my judgment, raise the likelihood of future massive taxpayer bailouts. …if you want to gamble, go to Las Vegas. If you want to trade in derivatives, God bless you.That was North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan’s statement on the floor of the Senate - not this week or last, or even during the last six months as Wall Street collapsed - but back in 1999.Four years later in a letter to shareholders, billionaire investor Warren Buffett followed with his own warning, calling derivatives weapons of financial mass destruction controlled by madmen.While financial experts were concerned with the housing bubble and mortgage-backed securities, Dorgan and Buffett were focused on what many now believe may be the next big shoe to drop - the credit derivatives market, better known as credit default swaps.What worries financial insiders most is the $54.6 trillion of risky credit derivatives concentrated among the few banks left standing.Credit default swaps (CDS) are the cornerstone of the credit derivatives market accounting for more than 98 percent of all credit derivatives. They are difficult to understand, ignored by regulators and poorly reported on balance sheets. In simplest terms, CDS are insurance policies on things like bonds, loans and corporate debt. But there are two big differences: the seller of a CDS doesn’t need to have the money to cover losses if the security defaults, and the buyer doesn’t need to own the asset it wants to protect.

It’s as if hundreds of people could buy insurance policies on houses they didn’t own yet still collect the full value if it burns down.The danger comes when the company defaults and the seller - because he’s not required to - doesn’t have the money to pay out on the default.Investment firms that traded various derivatives, such as CDS, collected an average of $2 billion in fees each quarter over the past two years. And traders who spoke to CBS News said these transactions were the largest cash cows on Wall Street, even more profitable than mortgages. The newfangled transactions were seen as easy money and many traders had the attitude that when it blows up, it’s someone else’s problem.Today, the same commercial banking heavyweights thought to be the most safe, JPMorgan, Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America, hold 92 percent of all the disclosed credit derivative contracts, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.But that number is merely an estimate because the overwhelming majority of these contracts are unregulated - private, mostly undisclosed and difficult to measure.There is no question we are at the edge of the cliff and someone is going to fall off, said Weil, Gotshal & Manges Senior Partner Harvey Miller who is currently overseeing the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.Back in 1999 when the legislation was being debated Senator Dorgan opposed the consolidation of commercial and investment banks. In fact, he sponsored two amendments to prohibit these new mega-banks from …investing in derivatives.

Today, Dorgan apparently feels the same way. He was one of 25 senators who voted no on the recent $700 billion bailout.No one knows where the credit derivatives are, whose balance sheets they may threaten, or how much additional risk they pose to financial firms. Yet, I was told this plan could not require regulation and transparency of these financial markets because there was opposition in Congress and the White House,Dorgan said in a statement explaining why he didn’t vote for the bailout.With banks already suffering losses from the subprime fiasco, many now believe they face chain reaction failures from the credit derivatives market.If the market keeps going in the direction it’s been going, you’re going to have lots of defaults which are dangerous things, said Miller.Some economic analysts predict even more panic over next few months. As more corporations default and banks find out they can’t make good on their contracts, a new round of losses for funds and financial firms could result and make the recent losses in mortgage-backed securities seem miniscule by comparison.

What's Obama hiding from us? October 17, 2008 1:00 am Eastern 2008

I read in yesterday's edition of WorldNetDaily that a second lawsuit has been filed demanding Barack Obama produce evidence that he is a natural-born U.S. citizen in the form of certified copies of birth documents. When I first heard that the birth certificate Obama had posted on his website was suspected of being a forgery, I didn't give it much credence.I mean, who in their right mind would try and pull off something like running for president of the United States on forged documents? It's ridiculous. Surely he didn't live all his life in this country without ever having to produce birth records! I mean, it's ridiculous.Everybody has a birth certificate. Even me (although my original is too heavy to carry, being chiseled into a rock slab). A birth certificate is the easiest and quickest (although not the only) form of identification to establish citizenship in order to get a passport. Or a driver's license. Or a Social Security card.My birth certificate doesn't really contain that much private information apart from my vital statistics – vital in the sense that the information on my birth certificate is certified to be true and correct and establishes who I was born to and when.The Constitution of the United States sets forth the necessary qualifications for the U.S. presidency. To qualify, a person must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, aged at least 35, and having been a permanent resident of the United States for the last 14 years.Since they are enumerated by the Constitution, they can only be changed by Constitutional amendment. An unqualified person cannot hold the office, even if elected by the majority of the people.So it is ridiculous – let me repeat it – ridiculous to think that Barack Obama would try to capture the Oval Office if he knew his birth credentials couldn't stand up under scrutiny. Would he? Besides, FactCheck.org says it examined the Obama birth certificate and claims it is genuine.

But FactCheck.org is owned by the Annenberg Foundation, which links to Bill Ayers, which links to Barack Obama, both of whom held seats on that board – which then calls FactCheck.org's objectivity into question.But surely Barack Obama wouldn't try to run for president knowing he wasn't qualified? Like I said, its a tin-foil-hat question.Still, why in the world would it be necessary for somebody to have to file a LAWSUIT to compel Obama to produce a birth certificate? What is the big deal about providing what millions of us provide on demand whenever the government asks for it? It's only a birth certificate. You should be proud of it. It says you are a natural-born citizen of the greatest country the world has ever known.So, why would Barack Obama file a motion to block discovery on the lawsuit filed by Philip Berg, when all Berg is trying to discover is whether or not the candidate running for the presidency is qualified to either run or serve? Obama's campaign has tied up Berg's lawsuit in knots, so Steve Marquis filed the second lawsuit aimed at – this seems odd to even have to say out loud – getting a presidential candidate to produce his birth certificate.Forget all the legal mumbo-jumbo. It's a birth certificate. He's running for president of the United States! Didn't anybody check? In both cases, Obama is challenging the standing of those who filed the lawsuits – in essence saying he believes it is none of their business.But, not to belabor the point, Obama is running for president of the United States. Every U.S. citizen has standing when it comes to ensuring they are voting for a qualified candidate.Both Berg and Marquis are asking only that Obama provide them with evidence of his qualifications for president in the form of certified birth documents.All Obama has to do to make it all go away – especially this close to the election – is let the Hawaii registrar of birth records release one certified copy to be examined by a neutral party. That's all. But he won't. It's baffling.I mean, what can there be to hide?

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).

135 CASES AS OF TODAY.

E. coli outbreak in North Bay linked to Harvey's restaurant
Last Updated: Thursday, October 16, 2008 | 2:46 PM ET

CBC News An E. coli outbreak in North Bay, Ont., has spread to include 93 confirmed and suspected cases, a number expected to grow.The city's medical officer of health said Thursday that 15 people have tested positive for the potentially lethal strain of E. coli O157:H7 and 78 more cases are under investigation. The average incubation period for E. coli is three or four days.At the current time we have no one that has been ill enough to be in an intensive care unit, Dr. Catherine Whiting told CBC.We are also cognizant of one of the complications of an infection with E. coli O157:H7 is that you can have a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or a type of kidney failure. So we are definitely in surveillance for that.The strain is the same as the one that killed seven people in the town of Walkerton, Ont., in May 2000 after an outbreak traced to contaminated municipal tap water.Health officials in North Bay said the outbreak in the city appears to have originated at a Harvey's restaurant, although the source of contamination is not yet known.The restaurant was closed Sunday evening.With files from the Canadian Press

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.

Armyworms attacking pastures, wheat in Texas

Associated Press Writer Linda Stewart Ball, Associated Press Writer – Fri Oct 17, 4:04 am ET AP – This undated photo released by the Texas A&M Agricultural Communications Department shows an armyworm … DALLAS – Texas farmers are once again battling armyworms and the voracious creatures are attacking fields and pastures in formidable numbers.There are probably more armyworms this year than in previous years, Allen Knutson, an entomologist with the Texas A&M University System, said Thursday.The armyworm, which is actually the caterpillar or larva of the night-flying moth, do the most damage in the fall, when they're at their peak, nearly fully grown at about an inch-and-a-half long. They'll chomp on any plant, but prefer grasses, especially the lush and well-fertilized hay meadows and pastures in North, East and Central Texas.Unless the farmer is looking very closely, he won't realize he has a problem until it's too late, Knutson said. Almost overnight a field can be consumed by armyworms. A farmer drives by and says Oh my goodness, I've lost my crop.

The armyworm gets its name from its method of operation. The larvae occur in large army-like numbers and when they eat all the food in one area they march en masse, across roads and fence lines, to the next field for feeding, unseen in the darkness and cool of the night.When small, they eat very little, Knutson said. But after 10 days to two weeks, they turn into eating machines.He said armyworms consume about 80 percent of all the food they will eat in the last two to three days of their 30-day life cycle as a caterpillar.The cool temperatures in the fall and generally higher rainfall are favorable for armyworm outbreaks.Brian Betts, who farms about 1,000 acres in East Texas for his beef cattle, has already been plagued with two generations of armyworms this year and fears a third infestation.We're checking every day because we've got oats and wheat planted, Betts said. If they get in there, they'll destroy it. ... Catching them early is the key.Pesticides are an effective counterattack, extension agents say, though it's possible to spend more on chemical controls then the pasture or harvest of hay is worth.Betts said if he loses his current crop he'll have to depend on grain and hay to get his cattle through the winter.The moths hibernate or winter in South Texas, then fly north in the spring and summer by the millions, looking for the perfect field to lay their eggs.One moth can lay 2,000 eggs, said Kenny Rollins, an extension agent in northeast Texas, adding that the armyworms showed up earlier than in past years. Every year, Mother Nature throws us a curve. When it's wet, we have disease and fungal problems. When it's dry, grasshopper problems.This year, there was enough moisture early in the season to draw more armyworms, Rollins said. They'll devour winter pastures until the first freeze.

NASA to launch probe to map solar system's edge OCT 17,08

AP Science Writer Alicia Chang, Ap Science Writer LOS ANGELES – A small NASA spacecraft embarks on a two-year mission this weekend to give scientists their first view of the happenings at the edge of the solar system.The Ibex probe, short for Interstellar Boundary Explorer, will study a chaotic region in space where the solar wind from the sun clashes with cold gases from interstellar space.The solar wind, a stream of charged particles spewing from the sun at 1 million miles per hour, carves out a protective bubble around the solar system. This bubble known as the heliosphere shields against most dangerous cosmic radiation that would otherwise interfere with human spaceflight.Scientists recently discovered that the solar wind pressure is at its weakest level in 50 years, although the exact reason remains a mystery. Ibex could help confirm whether the heliosphere is shrinking.Observations from Ibex should help researchers in unlocking the secrets of this important interaction between the sun and the galaxy, said chief scientist David McComas of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.The $165 million mission is slated to blast off from a Pacific atoll Sunday. Ibex, the size of a bus tire, will be launched aboard a Pegasus rocket that will be dropped from an aircraft.The rocket will lift Ibex 130 miles above Earth and put it into orbit. The spacecraft will then fire its solid rocket motor to loft itself even higher, eventually to 200,000 miles above Earth.

Ibex will build on the discoveries of the long-running twin Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets. The deep-space, manmade probes have since sailed past the outer planets and are headed out of the solar system.Unlike the Voyager craft, Ibex will not barrel through space, but instead will do its job from high-Earth orbit. The probe carries two sensors that will collect information about the solar wind's mass and energy from all directions.On the Net:Ibex mission: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ibex/index.html

Iran, Iceland fail as five elected to U.N. council By Patrick Worsnip OCT 17,08

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly on Friday elected Japan, Turkey, Austria, Mexico and Uganda to seats on the powerful Security Council for 2009-10, rejecting bids by Iran and Iceland.As expected, heavyweight Japan defeated Iran, which is under Security Council sanctions because of its nuclear program, for an Asian seat coming vacant on January 1. Japan got 158 votes from the 192-member assembly and Iran only 32.In a three-way contest for two European seats, Iceland -- an apparent victim of its grave financial crisis -- scored 87 votes, well short of the two-thirds majority required. Turkey went through easily and Austria by a narrower margin.The election of Mexico and Uganda had been virtually assured since they were unopposed in their regional groupings.The General Assembly votes once a year for five of the 10 nonpermanent seats on the 15-nation council, the powerhouse of the United Nations with the ability to impose sanctions and dispatch peacekeepers.

The permanent members, which have veto power, are the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China, considered the victors of World War Two.U.S. and British envoys were exultant about the low vote for Iran. British Ambassador John Sawers said Iran had been thrashed.The Iranian delegation did not speak to reporters after exiting the General Assembly hall.Western countries strongly oppose Iran's pursuit of uranium enrichment, which they fear is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, something Tehran denies. Many Arab states are also suspicious of Iran.Few had expected Iran to defeat Japan, which has served nine previous terms on the council and is a prime contender for a permanent seat should the world's nations manage to agree on a way to expand the council.

NOT HELPFUL

Until recently, Iceland was also seen as a strong contender but the global financial crisis which has crushed the its banks and threatened what its prime minister has termed national bankruptcy may have changed that.Foreign Affairs Minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir stopped short of blaming the crisis for her country's defeat. But, in reply to a question, she told reporters a British decision to freeze the assets of the British subsidiary of Iceland's largest bank had been not helpful at all.Seats on the council, even nonpermanent ones without the veto, give countries a say in the most important world issues and are seen as prestigious and potentially profitable if major powers need the votes of their smaller colleagues.Under voting rules in the council, a coalition of seven nonpermanent members can block a resolution even if the big powers support it.The five countries leaving the council at the end of this year are Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa.

Western countries are hoping for an easier time on the council next year than they have had recently, when they have faced opposition not just from Russia and China but some elected members too over Iran, Myanmar and Zimbabwe.Japan is a Western ally, whereas its predecessor Indonesia was the only country not to back the latest sanctions against Iran. The West also expects Uganda to be more supportive than South Africa.Elected members that will stay on the council for one more year are Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam.(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Jesse Jackson: Under Obama decades of putting Israel's interests first would end.

Prepare for a new America: That's the message that the Rev. Jesse Jackson conveyed to participants in the first World Policy Forum, held at this French lakeside resort last week.He promised fundamental changes in US foreign policy - saying America must heal wounds it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the arrogance of the Bush administration.The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where decades of putting Israel's interests first would end.Jackson believes that, although Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.Obama is about change, Jackson told me in a wide-ranging conversation. And the change that Obama promises is not limited to what we do in America itself. It is a change of the way America looks at the world and its place in it.

Jackson warns that he isn't an Obama confidant or adviser, just a supporter. But he adds that Obama has been a neighbor or, better still, a member of the family.

Jackson's son has been a close friend of Obama for years, and Jackson's daughter went to school with Obama's wife Michelle.We helped him start his career, says Jackson. And then we were always there to help him move ahead. He is the continuation of our struggle for justice not only for the black people but also for all those who have been wronged.Jackson is especially critical of President Bush's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.Bush was so afraid of a snafu and of upsetting Israel that he gave the whole thing a miss, Jackson says. Barack will change that, because, as long as the Palestinians haven't seen justice, the Middle East will remain a source of danger to us all.Barack is determined to repair our relations with the world of Islam and Muslims, Jackson says. Thanks to his background and ecumenical approach, he knows how Muslims feel while remaining committed to his own faith.

Blogs, social networks, alternative news to be filtered out of free Nationwide Wi-Fi Network? OCT 17,08

Both individual proposals to roll out free nationwide wi-fi Internet access across the United States contain language indicating that political websites deemed offensive will be filtered out and blocked.The implementation of a universal wi-fi network covering the entire country is moving closer following the approval of House Representatives Anna Eshoo and Edward Markey after it was discovered the network would not interfere with incumbent wireless telcos such as AT&T and Verizon, who had raised concerns over potential signal interference.Two competing parties, M2Z Networks and the FCC, are jockeying for the rights to roll out the network, but both have already stated their intent to install filters that block out pornography and anything else deemed harmful.According to a Daily Tech report, Both proposals stipulate that any free wireless offerings have mandatory content filters, preventing users from viewing any material that would be harmful to teens and adolescents, including pornography and anything contemporary community standards deem as obscene. Free-speech advocates call this condition unconstitutional.As we have previously reported, similar free wi-fi networks on smaller scales include mandatory content filters that screen out even mildly political websites that are not part of the corporate establishment media.London’s St. Pancras International free wi-fi network blocks a barrage of alternative political websites, as we found out earlier this year when our own sites were inaccessible on the network.If you follow the logic of the rule, the network would have to block the news because a great deal of it discusses disturbing events or depicts these events through photographs and video clips, reports ABC News, adding that blogs, social networks and any other user generated content would be excluded entirely from the network.If the FCC insists on tying the creation of a free nationwide broadband wireless network to government mandated censorship, the constitutionality of the plan will surely be challenged in court and will be struck down, states the report.However, if the rollout of a nationwide network is privatized then what is to stop the company from installing filters that censor political websites? This is already the case in major transport hubs across the west as free speech and anything that goes against the establishment grain is classified as hateful and is banned.

France: Jewish organisation warns Vatican over possible beatification

Paris, 17 Oct. (AKI) - A top French Jewish organisation warned the Vatican on Friday over the possible beatification of former Pope Pius XII.The Representative Council of French-Jewish Institutions (CRIF) said in a statement, that the beatification of Pius XII if completed, would be a 'severe blow' to Jewish-Catholic relations....the Vatican refuses to open its archives to historians over the period of the Second World War, said the organisation on its website....the majority of independent historians do not support the thesis of the Pope's tireless activities in favour of the Jews, such a beatification would be perceived negatively by all Jewish institutions around the world.This is not to deny that the Pope helped to hide a number of Jews in Rome during the German occupation....Pope Pius XII, anxious not to break bridges with Germany, never made a speech denouncing the clear monstrosity of the extermination of millions of Jews.Pius also did not deliver such speech even after the end of the war, something the CRIF considered deeply shocking.

Pius XII was pope from 1939 to 1958.

Last week during a mass held at Rome's St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI defended Pius' World War II record and supported moves to have him beatified.In his homily Benedict recalled how Pius, in the 1930s before becoming pope had identified the danger posed by the monstrous National Socialist (Nazi) ideology with its pernicious anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic roots.How can one forget his Christmas radio message in December 1942, when, with a voice broken by emotion, he deplored the situation of hundreds of thousands of people, who through no fault of their own, and sometimes only because of their nationality or origin are destined to die or progressively waste away? Benedict said quoting Pius. Pius clearly referred to the deportation and extermination perpetrated against the Jews, the pontiff said.

According to the Vatican, Pius used behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try and help the Jews during the Holocaust and instructed that Jews be sheltered from the Nazis in Catholic homes, hospitals, convents and monasteries.Pius' attempts to save Jews was recognised by many including former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir, who described him as a great servant of peace and mourned his death in 1958, Benedict said.

Benedict ended his homily by inviting the faithful to pray for the success of the cause to have Pius beatified - the last formal step towards Roman Catholic sainthood. In May 2007, the department inside the Vatican responsible for processing such a move said it favoured having Pius declared beatified. However, Benedict has yet to sign the decree to authorise it.The first Jewish rabbi to address the Vatican Synod - a gathering of Roman Catholic Bishops from around the world that started last week caused possible embarrassment to his hosts when in his speech he appeared to criticise Pius.We remember those religious leaders who did not raise their voice to save our brethren. We cannot forgive and forget, said Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen of Haifa, Israel.

Online Missionaries – New Force in Evangelism OCT 17,08

Flights to exotic locations, uprooting one’s family, and investing years of one’s life are no longer required to do global mission work given the advancement of communication technology.Now, with the power of Internet technology, Christians can share the Gospel and God’s plan for salvation with people in 191 countries around the world without leaving their home.Global Media Outreach (GMO), with its more than 71 Web sites divided by popular issues and topics, has helped over 1.3 million people indicate a decision for Jesus Christ in 2007 alone.People who are in crisis typically log on, said Walt Wilson, founder and chairman of GMO, to The Christian Post.When people search about marriage and affairs, chances are very good that they are going to find us, he said, In fact that is the number one topic right now – marital relationship.Wilson noted that two weeks ago a woman told him that she googled help me and that was how she found the ministry. Others have search on the Web using key words such as drug addiction, alcoholism, and financial chaos, among others and have found GMO.People who are in crisis find us, Wilson stated firmly, I think for two reasons. We know something about search-engine optimization, and number two, I believe firmly that when a person is seriously seeking the face of God He is going to reveal Himself.So I believe a good deal of our success and our traffic comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, he said. It is not that we’re so smart or special.

GMO boasts a volunteer force of some 2,000 online missionaries who reply via email to questions posted by seekers, skeptics, and Christians needing support. The ministry purposely creates Web sites that are easy to use and find as well as safe for individuals who are searching for God online to learn about the Gospel and connect to a Christian mentor.Volunteers are recruited from evangelical churches and are asked for references from their pastor. They typically spend only a few minutes a day responding to emails and hold another full-time job.Christians participating in the ministry come from a wide range of professional backgrounds including business executives, housewives, students, truck drivers, and others.Through these online missionaries, people from places as removed as a small village in Afghanistan have been able to ask questions about Jesus and Christianity.Wilson remarked, You wonder, how do these people have access to the Internet. Well there is only 1.3 billion people in the world who have access to the internet and 3.5 billion who have cell phones and we reach 400,000 people a month on cell phones, he commented.So in total there are more than 3 billion people out there who have access to the internet, he said. And by the way, the church does not exist in most of their lives.

The GMO founder confirmed that the Web sites get a large amount of traffic from Muslims who are interested in Jesus.After someone makes a commitment to Jesus Christ, online missionaries are responsible for steering them to the extensive discipleship program available online and also helping connect them to local churches or Christian movement. This year, GMO hopes to help more than 2 million people indicate a decision for Jesus as their savior.The ministry is preparing to expand its reach by launching Internet-based radio at the end of October and is currently developing Internet-based television, slated for release early 2009, to share the Gospel.We will tell all learners across the world the story of Jesus by film and by voice, Wilson said.

Statistics about GMO:

•Every 3 seconds the Gospel is presented to someone. In total, the Gospel is presented to 15 million people a year.
•Every 20 seconds a decision is made for Christ. A total of 2.5 million commitments are made a year.

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 RUSSIA-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.

Russia's Chechnya inaugurates vast new mosque
Fri Oct 17, 9:42 am ET

Reuters – Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov (4th L) gestures as he talks with Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin … GROZNY, Russia (Reuters) – Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov opened one of Europe's biggest mosques in the rebuilt capital of the southern Russian region Friday, saying it was proof Russian rule and Islam can go together. The mosque, named "The Heart of Chechnya" and constructed by Turkish builders, can host up to 10,000 worshippers. Its minarets rise as high as 62 m (200 ft) and the complex extends over 14 hectares (35 acres), including a vast garden.

With the start of the Chechen war, the enemies of Islam and foes of Russia alleged that Russia wages war against Islam and the Chechen people, Kadyrov told the opening ceremony.Russia has fought two wars in Chechnya against Muslim rebels but has succeeded in largely pacifying the region and has spent large sums repairing war damage.The adversaries of Russia's revival used the Chechen republic and Islam as an instrument to destroy Russia as a sovereign state, Kadyrov added. But the Chechens ... have defended the integrity of Russia and the purity of Islam.In 1996, Chechnya won effective independence from Russia after a 20 month-war in which tens of thousands were killed.Three years later Russia's then-prime minister Vladimir Putin moved troops into Chechnya to retake the region.During Putin's subsequent presidency from 2000-2008, the rebellion was extinguished.Ramzan Kadyrov's father Akhmad was a former rebel mufti who sided with Moscow in the second war. He was instrumental in imposing Russian rule in Chechnya but was assassinated by rebels in 2004. The Grozny mosque was built in his memory.Ramzan Kadyrov, who has followed his father's loyalty to Moscow, also encourages the revival of Islam in the predominantly Muslim region, while crushing any attempts to use Islam as a banner for guerrilla actions.

The Grozny mosque, which Russian and Chechen officials have said is one of the biggest in Europe, will also host an Islamic center.Grozny, almost completely destroyed during the Chechen wars, is now being rebuilt.Putin, who has again become prime minister after handing over the presidency in May to his chosen successor Dmitry Medvedev, visited the mosque Thursday.(Writing by Oleg Shchedrov; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Iran: Russia to ship nuke plant supplies
Published: Oct. 17, 2008 at 4:05 PM

A Russian technician passes in front of a new building at the Bushehr nuclear power plant near the Persian Gulf, 1,000 kms south of Tehran, Iran, February 26, 2006. (UPI Photo/Mohammad Kheirkhah)TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Russia will ship nearly 1,000 tons of supplies to the Iranian city of Bushehr to help build a nuclear power plant, an Iranian official said Friday.Iranian Atomic Energy Organization deputy chief Ahmad Fayaz Bakhsh said that the impending equipment delivery by Russia is part of an agreement reached between the two countries, RIA Novosti reported.The $1 billion Bushehr nuclear power plant is part of a 1995 agreement between Russia and Iran regarding the proposed site in the southern Iranian city.Russian nuclear power chief Sergei Kiriyenko said in June he expected construction on the nuclear power site to begin in the fall.Iranian officials expect the nuclear site to be commissioned early next year, but RIA Novosti said the power plant will be monitored by the United Nations as part of a standing nuclear agreement.

Iran praises Lebanon-Syria diplomatic ties OCT 17,08

Fri Oct 17, 5:46 am ET AFP – Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem (right) and his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Salukh shake hands after … TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran welcomed on Friday Syria and Lebanon's establishment of diplomatic ties, the ISNA news agency reported.The move contributes to the strengthening of the mutual and historical relations between the two nations that are (Iran's) friends and brothers, foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Ghashghavi was quoted as saying.On Wednesday, Syria and Lebanon announced establishment of diplomatic ties for the first time since they became independent 60 years ago. The two neighbours are set to open embassies in each other's capitals before the end of the year.Shiite-majority Iran is a staunch supporter of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah although it denies Western and Israeli charges of providing military backing to the militant group.Tehran also has an alliance with Damascus stretching back more than three decades, which was strengthened in 2006 with the signing of a military cooperation agreement.


Russia To Invest Oil Fund In Shares Long-Term -Government Official OCT 17,08

MOSCOW -(Dow Jones)- Russia's plans to start purchasing company shares with money from one of its contingency funds are a part of the fund's long-term investment strategy, a high-ranking government official said Friday.A total of 175 billion rubles ($7.17 billion) from one of the two oil funds, the National Welfare Fund, is to be invested into high-quality shares and bonds. The government plans to enter the market starting next week, but the whole process will take several months, the official said.Once we enter the market we're there for a long term, the official said, with funds invested for 10 to 15 years.The National Welfare Fund and the Reserve Fund were established in February on the basis of the previous oil fund, the Stabilization Fund, which collected oil windfall revenue since 2004.The chief goal of the National Welfare Fund, which stood at $46.68 billion as of Oct. 1, is to support the country's pension system.So far, both of the contingency funds have run a conservative investment strategy, but a more relaxed long-term investment and management strategy for the National Welfare Fund is to be presented in November.

The government source said also that the government might start acquiring shares of commercial banks as a market stabilization measure. The purchase would come only with agreement of a bank's shareholders, the official added.Separately, the Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, passed in the first reading legislation allowing the central bank to participate in share trading on local bourses.

Government Web site: www.government.ru-By Lidia Kelly, Dow Jones Newswires; (+7 495) 937 8445; lidia.kelly@ dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires

Jesus is Coming:God’s Hope for a Restless World OCT 17,08

Beloved in Christ Jesus Our Lord,

I am about to invite you to a prophetical experience unlike anything you’ve ever known.I want to share with you one of the most extraordinary books I have ever read -- not only a true classic, but a life-changing encounter with the truth of God’s Word:Jesus is Coming God’s Hope for a Restless World

This exceptional book was written by William E. Blackstone, one of the great prophetical scholars who preceded Charlie Fuller, Dr. M.R. DeHaan, and all of the famous names in the prophetical world today. Dr. Blackstone is credited with being one of the leading voices in helping to bring Israel to statehood.This book, covering over 100 different topics, has been translated into 40 languages and is as up-to-date as any 21st century book in existence. It’s a spiritual goldmine.I have read this astonishing book, and it presents the panorama of prophetic truth as no other work in history according to Dr. John F. Walvoord.It will lift you up like few books have. It will inspire your faith. But most importantly of all, it will provide you with a clear, accurate presentation of your prophetic future -- according to the Word of God! In the pages of Jesus is Coming, you will discover the remarkable answers to fascinating questions:

What is the fate of nominal Christians?
When are Christ’s three appearings going to happen?
What does looking for Christ’s return really mean?
Can the Scriptures be interpreted literally?
Which prophecies have already been fulfilled?
What will you do during the Millennium?
How can you know if your minister is accurately teaching the truth?
What will happen when you die?
Who will compose the Bride of Christ?
Who’s in the true Church?
What will you be doing during the Tribulation?
What are the four judgments?
Who is the Antichrist? What will he do?
Why do many confuse Israel with the Church when they interpret Scripture?
Why do some avoid studying prophecy?
What’s the timing of the Rapture?
What are the signs of Christ’s return? How soon will it occur?
And much, much more!
Jesus is Coming also contains exceptional diagrams, making the timeline of future events perfectly clear.

Beloved, let me urge you to request your copy of this superb volume -- not only for yourself, but for two other people the Lord has laid on your heart:Your unsaved loved ones,Your pastor.Please prayerfully consider giving a gift of $20 or more to help us continue our soul-winning ministry, and request your copy of Jesus is Coming.

Your gift is important, because people need the Lord -- especially during these difficult times. Politicians aren’t the answer -- pop philosophy isn’t the answer -- the Gospel is the only hope for people in need. Help Rexella and me share it!

Yours in world evangelism,

Jack Van Impe

P.S. If I could have only one book besides the Bible in my personal library (in place of the 11,000 volumes I have read), I couldn’t choose a more astonishing and inspirational book than Jesus is Coming. It will change your life.

MESSIANIC BIBLE OCT 17,08

Michael is leaving the hospital tomorrow, healed! There were about 300 people fasting and praying for Michael, and tomorrow on the second day of Sukkot, he leaves the hospital. Two days, Michael woke me up, as he called from the hospital with great joy, saying that his kidneys are WORKING! And he told me to tell of those people praying and fasting for him - Thank You Very Much! However I wanted to send out a general email, to let people know that our God is Alive, and He is healing.

During those days in the hospital, Michael was immersed (baptized) in the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).About one and a half weeks ago, late at night in the intensive care unit (ICU) with many machines hooked up to him (as he suffered a heart attack/kidney failure), and with a full-face oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, Michael says that he started to weep, and then he began to speak in other tongues (and this was with his mask on his face covering his mouth.) Baruch HaShem!Praise the Lord! Michael does not attend a congregation where they believe that gift is for today, and Michael has been attending that congregation all of his life. This was a Sovereign act of HaShem (God).So this letter is to encourage you, that our Lord is Mighty, that He visits people in the Intensive Care Units, He visits us when we are all alone, sometimes with no place to go. AND HE HEALS US.

May the Lord Bless You, and may you be encouraged in the power and love of knowing the God of Israel.Messianic Bible Project.Michael will be back at home tomorrow, after almost one month in the hospital, and he says that he is ready to make a difference for the kingdom.It is now nightfall as the second day of Sukkot begins. This is a tremendous time to reach our Jewish people with the Good News of Yeshua.

The CARMEL ALERT Oct 17th 2008 A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.David's Comment: The Real Feast of Tabernacles is Coming Soon

Deut 16:13-14 You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. (NKJ)

As the season of the Biblical Fall Feasts of the Lord continues, we are now in the middle of Succot or The Feast of Tabernacles. Every Feast of the Lord was instigated to remind the Jewish people of the things that God did for them during the first few years of ancient Israel's existence, and each Feast also had a future fulfillment, four of which have been fulfilled since the death and resurrection of Yeshua, and 3 which are yet to be fulfilled. The purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles was for the Israelites to remember the time when they dwelt in temporary booths in the desert and the Spirit of the Lord dwelt amongst them in the Ark of the Covenant inside the Holy of Holys. And the prophetic relevance of the Feast of Tabernacles is that it points us to the future time that we will all dwell with the Lord in the Kingdom to come.The other thing that suggests we are very close to the final fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles is that this week the streets of Jerusalem are once again filled with thousands of Christian pilgrims, from dozens of different nations, who have come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast. This has been a growing phenomenon since 1980 when to appease the Israel hating Muslims, all of the nations moved their embassies from Jerusalem (Israel's capital city) to Tel Aviv. It had previously been unheard of for any nation not to have its embassy in the host nation's capital city. As a strong statement for the Bible, and an act of solidarity with the Jewish nation, the ICEJ (International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem) opened its doors in Jerusalem in 1980 and began to hold an annual Christian Zionist celebration of the Feast in Jerusalem.

As I wrote in my comment two weeks ago, current world events also point to the end of this present evil age.

* The restoration of Israel in 1948
* The re-unification of Jerusalem in 1967
* The return of 6 million plus Jews to their ancient homeland
* The secularisation of the once Christian western nations
* The proliferation of and acceptance of abortion, sexual immorality, and homosexuality
* The rise of Anti-Semitism that pre-empts another Holocaust

And now we see the possible collapse of the entire financial system which continues to deteriorate, and the more we learn about the state of the banks and leading financial institutions, the more we see the corruption of the system. This week most western governments are attempting to put confidence back into the markets by promising government guarantees on bank to bank loans. They are using taxpayers good money to try to cover their bad debts. The markets do seem to be responding right now, but they have suffered a serious wound over the last 3 weeks. A wound that may take years to recover from, if recovery is even possible.At any time we may turn the news on to hear that the present system is beyond recovery and a new system is being introduced. This could very well be become the system that will be controlled by the Anti-Christ, and that will try to totally control our lives to the point of not being able to buy or sell without the mark of that system. ( Rev 13 )

Is there a way to escape the new system ? Yes there is. Make sure you are plugged into the right system, or should I say the right kingdom now. If we are truly tabernacled with the God of Israel and His Anointed One now, we can look forward with assuredness to tabernacle with Him forever. If He is for us then NO-ONE can be against us. His Kingdom is coming and it will be a Kingdom based on the Levitical system, because that system is the foundational system of the Kingdom of the God of Israel. And the Biblical Feasts cycle is the foundation of the Kingdom. If the Feasts of the Lord haven't been an important part of your life until now, in preparation for the coming of Yeshua to reign for 1000 years from Jerusalem in the ultimate fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, I want to strongly encourage you to study the Feasts in the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can better live in a way that will prepare you for Kingdom life. There are a number of excellent resources available to teach you how to celebrate the Feasts as a follower of Yeshua. Check out www.ffoz.org - you can find others if you type God's Feasts into Google.The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to th Jewish people by the God of Israel Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * * IMPLICATIONS OF THIS FINANCIAL APOCALYPSE By Joel C. Rosenberg

U.S. foes gloat over financial crisis (Associated Press)

Iran hails world financial crisis as 'end of capitalism'(Agence France Presse)

We are witnessing the collapse of the American Empire.- Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

We are happy that the U.S. economy is in anarchy and the anarchy is reaching Europe. They are seeing the result of their own ugly doings and God is punishing them. - top Iranian cleric.

(Washington, D.C., October 16, 2008)-- The U.S. is experiencing the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our enemies know it. They smell blood in the water. Consider the latest developments:

* Wall Street stocks plunged Wednesday in the second biggest single day point loss in history and their worst percentage fall in two decades, ravaged by fears the world's biggest economy is slipping into recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 733.08 points (7.87 percent) to close at 8,577.91 in the worst one-day point loss since last month's record 777-point decline and the steepest percentage drop since 1987. In an even more brutal decline, the broad-market Standard & Poor's index plunged 90.17 points (9.03 percent) to 907.84.(AFP)

* We are living through financial history of the tragic kind. As of Friday's close, America's stock market had declined in value by well over 40 per cent compared with its peak a year ago. Already, this ranks as the fifth biggest stock market decline since the 1920s.(U.K. Independent)

* U.S. stocks [in recent days have] plunged the most since the crash of 1987, hammered by the biggest drop in retail sales in three years and growing doubt that plans to bail out banks will keep the economic slump from deepening….The S&P 500 has tumbled 38 percent in 2008 as losses and writedowns from mortgage-related investments at financial firms worldwide topped $640 billion….The S&P 500 has tumbled 42 percent from its Oct. 9, 2007, record and the Dow has lost 39 percent from its peak the same day.(Bloomberg News)

* Japan's key stock index plummeted more than 11 percent, South Korean shares shed 9.25 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 4.8 percent. Floowing Asia's lead, benchmarks in Britain, Germany and France slipped about 3 percent. Russia's RTS also fell.(AP)

* U.S. Forces Nine Major Banks To Accept Partial Nationalization - Washington Post

* The White House said G8 leaders were expected to meet this year on the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. Governments around the world have pledged $3.2 trillion in emergency measures - roughly an equivalent to the economic output of Germany or China - including taking stakes in banks to help them stabilize, rallying world markets on Monday and Tuesday. But optimism quickly gave way to fears that government intervention would not save major economies from recession.(Reuters)

This is not a temporary glitch in the global financial software. The problems are real, deep and systemic. The best explanations and analysis I have seen have come from Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, the nation's foremost business magazine (see Steve's recent columns).

The big question now: What does it all mean and where do we go from here? A few thoughts on the implications of this financial apocalypse:

1. First things first: our national security is inextricably tied to our economic security. Economic weakness is an invitation to radical Islamic terrorists to hit us again. It's also an invitation to other rogue nations to pursue their evil plans while thinking we are unable or unwilling to stop them. The U.S. cannot lead the world in defeating tyrants and terrorists and creating an environment of peace and prosperity if we are collapsing at home. Stabilizing our economy, reforming our financial institutions, punishing and imprisoning those who have criminally undermined our economy, and getting us back on the road to free market growth and entrepreneurial health and vitality must be the top priority of the next Commander-in-Chief.

2. I don't believe one U.S. political party or the other is specifically to blame for our own financial crisis. There is plenty of blame to go around and the problems have been developing for years. That said, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the U.S. stock markets are tanking especially hard right now in part because investors believe Sen. Barack Obama is going to win on November 4th. As polls for Obama and Congressional Democrats have risen - and Americans have begun to sense that Obama's election as president and expanded control of Congress by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid and their liberal allies is inevitable - investors' fears have not been calmed. They have been exacerbated. True, investors don't see a complete and convincing economic rescue plan from Sen. McCain. But they see disaster in Obama's plan and the likelihood of full control of the U.S. government by the Democrats. The Obama-Pelosi-Reid prescription, after all, is the worst possible medicine for the economy - $1.3 trillion in new federal spending, dramatic tax increases on small businesses, dramatic tax increases on big businesses, dramatic tax increases on those who create wealth, a major new tax on energy producers, as well as nationalized health care system. We are not simply on the brink of a serious recession; we are on the brink of another Great Depression. How, then, will massive tax increases and massive government spending help us fight our way out of this crisis? Answer: it won't. And Main Street and Wall Street know it. Just ask Joe the Plumber.

3. Are there prophetic implications of this financial crisis? It is hard to be definitive. The U.S. does not show up specifically in any end times Bible prophecies. But this fact alone raises a sobering question: If we are really in what the Bible describes as the last days before the return of Jesus Christ, then how is it possible that the United States of America - the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the planet in the history of mankind - does not play a significant, notable role in Biblical end times events?

The honest answer: I don't know for certain. But here's what I wrote in Dead Heat (p. 154): What Bennett had never really considered carefully until now was the possibility that something else might devastate the American people, rendering them ineffective heading into the last of the last days. A financial downturn on Wall Street. The sudden collapse of the dollar. The beginning of another Great Depression. A series of devastating earthquakes. Or hurricanes. Or other natural disasters, like a tsunami. [Or ] the most cataclysmic terrorist attack of all time - five nuclear warheads. And there might be more to come. None of it was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures. Not that he could find. But perhaps he should have foreseen the neutralization of America by more carefully reading between the lines. If so, what else was he missing? What exactly was coming next?

4. Finally, let us consider the possibility that the Lord is allowing this economic meltdown in part to shake our confidence in anything but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is it possible that God is trying to shake us loose from trusting in our wealth, from trusting in our political leaders, from trusting in our own ingenuity and our own hard work? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to shift our focus from worldly, materialistic things to how much He loves us, and the truth that the only person we can truly trust in life to never leave us or forsake us is Jesus Christ? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to read the Bible more, and the stock tickers less? To pray more, and to worry less? To store up our treasures in heaven, and not concentrate so much on our treasures on earth?

Anyone who is feeling fearful during this turbulent economic times would do well to meditate on the words Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:19-33 --

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, What will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear for clothing? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * * DISPATCH FROM IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN By Joel C. Rosenberg OCT 14,08

(Washington, D.C., October 14, 2008) -- I have just returned from a 17-day trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Dubai with several colleagues. We are exhausted but safe and very grateful for your faithful prayers. We had no security problems. We had no major health problems. To the contrary, we felt a tremendous sense of peace. By God's grace, we had the remarkable privilege of interviewing scores of intriguing people for my forthcoming book, Inside The Revolution. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will share insights and observations from the trip. Among the stories I want to tell you: our experiences at a three-day conference of 640 Iraqi pastors, worship leaders and other Christian leaders. This was the largest conference of Iraqi Christian leaders ever held and it was absolutely amazing to see the joy of these believers as they see Christ moving so powerfully in their country. And I have to tell you about the opportunity I had to interview a former Muslim man from Kirkuk who came to faith in Christ in 1985 after seeing six visions. This alone is a wonderful story, but it doesn't stop with his conversion. In March of this year, this middle aged businessman was kidnapped at gunpoint by five terrorists from the Mahdi Army. How God set him free and raised him from the dead -- after he was shot in the head at point blank range -- is one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard. He told it to me personally. We have his testimony on videotape. I saw where the bullet entered. I saw where the bullet exited. I am in awe of God's love and power, and I can't wait to tell you the full story. But I'm not going to tell you today. By the middle of next week, I need to finish up the final chapters of my book and turn them into Tyndale so we can get this book out by March 10th of next year. So I will have to ask you to be patient with me.

Allow me to begin today by simply posting some photos on my weblog from our five-day trip to Kabul, Afghanistan. Personally, I have never been to such a destitute capital city, or one so devastated by repeated and seemingly never-ending wars. The poverty there is heart-wrenching. Diseases are rampant. Life expectancy for the average Afghan is only about 45 years old. One-in-three children die before the age of 5. Many children and their mothers die during delivery. The Taliban and al Qaeda are making a major push to reclaim the country. I believe the U.S. and coalition forces -- in concert with the Afghan army and security forces -- are doing an excellent job. But much more must be done to gain full control. As you pray for the people of Israel during the Jewish holidays -- and pray especially for the peace of Jerusalem in view of a possible war with Iran that could be imminent -- please be praying also for Israel's neighbors. Pray for the people of Iraq. Pray for the people of Afghanistan. Pray for peace. Pray for security. Pray for God to show His boundless love and amazing grace to people in great need. Thanks so much. I'll write more soon.