CHANUKAH DAY 2 IN ISRAEL

THESE PEOPLE ARE TO MUCH BETWEEN YAHOO,MICROSOFT,BELL AND WHO ELSE,NOW THEY FREEZE ANY PROPHECY STORIES I GET IN MY E-MAILS FROM PROPHECY SITES SO I CAN'T PUT THEM ON MY SITE. THESE COMPANIES ARE DICTATORSHIPS TO TRY TO SHUT ME UP. EVERY TIME I GET UPDATES MY COMPUTER FREEZES MORE AND MORE FROM THE DICTATOR MICROSOFT.

LEARN ABOUT CHANUKAH
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm
CHANUKAH DAY 1-8 SCRIPTURES
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2007/12/hannuka-day-1-8-scriptures.html
MACCABEES STORY
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2007/12/7s-and-maccabees.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2007/12/maccabees-story.html

Kislev 24, 5769, 12/21/2008 The Shock Factor - Undressing Evil by Tamar Yonah ,This is a re-post of a blog I wrote last year, however, it is still appropriate for this Chanukah.

Undressing Evil

Why do we take it? How is it that a society chooses to sleep, rather than wake up from their bad dream and fix things? Sometimes it takes a the shock factor to do what rationalization' smothers. The little known Chanukah story of how the Hasmonean revolt started, was actually because of a very brave woman! The background of the Chanukah story recalls the struggle for religious freedom from the Hellenistic Syrian-Greeks in the year, 165 B.C.E. Antiochus, who was the occupying King at those times, sought to crush our Jewish identity and passed decrees against the practice of Judaism. We were forbidden from studying the Torah, we were forbidden to keep the Shabbat (Sabbath) and we were forbidden from making a brit milah (circumcision). To do so meant the death penalty. Hellenistic rituals and sacrifices were instituted in the Bet HaMikdash (the holy Temple in Jerusalem), thus desecrating the sacred center of Jewish ritual life. Many Jews were impressed by the culture and power of their Greek conquerors and adopted their customs and practices. These Jews came to be known as Hellenists. – Sound familiar to our situation today?

“Other Jews were infuriated by the oppressive decrees aimed at destroying their religion, and vowed revenge. They were led by Mattityahu, a Chashmona'i (Hasmonean) who lived in Modiin with his five sons, who came to be known as the Maccabim. This name is derived from the first letter of each word in the phrase Mi kamocha ba'elim Hashem? (Who is like You, O L-rd, among the mighty?. After three years of guerrilla warfare in the hills and forests against the strong and powerful armies of the Syrian-Greek King Antiochus, the relatively small and poorly armed Maccabim won, and recaptured Jerusalem. But WHAT started this revolt? What shocked the Maccabim into action? One of my favorite stories of Chanukah is the story about Chana (Hannah). Not the extremely powerful story of Hannah and her 7 sons, but a different Chana. This Chana used what I think is an important strategy to wake people up from their stupor.Shock.Too many of us do not want to change our daily routine. We are comfortable in our lives and we don’t want disruption, and so it easier to bear burdens if they come in servings that we are able to swallow. If an evil regime passed all their terrible laws at once, people would be convinced they must fight. But if the laws are ushered in one by one, in bite sized pieces, we learn to adapt. We act this way because it is easier to be a little uncomfortable than have to go to battle and face having to risk it all, to lose everything we have worked for and even possibly risk our lives and that of our children. No one likes disruption, and so we swallow the evil.

Sometimes we need someone to slap us, to wake us from our stupor and fight the evil that has embedded itself in our midst. A young woman who lived many years ago did just that. And we should all thank her.The story from the Midrash goes like this:
(Taken from http://www.madrichim.org/contents.aspx?id=229 )

The Marriage of Chana, Daughter of Mattathias (Mattityahu)

As part of their campaign to break the spirit of the Jews, the Greeks decreed that every maiden must spend her wedding night in the bed of the regional governor, and that only afterward would she be permitted to her husband. They wanted to destroy Jewish sanctity and degrade the Jews. As a result of this decree, the Jews stopped marrying. For three years and three months, no wedding was held in Judea. Then it came time for Hannah, daughter of Mattityahu the Hasmonean to marry. In spite of the decree, Mattityahu held a great celebration, inviting the leaders of the nation, for Mattathias' family was extremely prominent. The bride sat, as was customary, at the head table, but suddenly stood up, clapped her hands together, and tore her expensive wedding dress, exposing herself. Everyone looked away in embarrassment, and her brothers ran to fall upon her and kill her for shaming herself and her family. But Hannah exclaimed to them all, now you are so zealous as to shield your eyes?, for THIS you are zealous, yet you are willing to have a Greek see me naked and have his way with me? She added, Why, when I shame myself before my relatives and friends are you so filled with embarrassment and anger that you wish to kill me, but you agree to surrender me this night so the heathen governor can lie with me? Why do you not learn from Simon and Levy, sons of our forefather Jacob, who avenged the rape of their sister Dinah (in Genesis, chapter 34)? They were only two brothers who fought and took a whole city to free her, I have FIVE brothers - and where are you? This, my friends, is what spurred the revolt of the Maccabees on the Syrian-Greeks and led to the first holiday commemorating religious freedom and the lift of the yoke of Hellenism and Greek occupation.

The story of Hannah goes on:

Everyone realized that Hannah was right; her brothers discussed the matter and came to a decision. They dressed their sister in the finest garments and brought her with great ceremony, at the head of a large procession, to the King. Hannah's brother's declared, We are the sons of the High Priest, and it is not fitting that our sister be given to the governor. Our sister is fit only for the King himself! The brothers' words found favor in the King's eyes. The brothers accompanied Hannah to the royal bed chamber, and thereupon, seized the King and killed him. Afterward, they stormed out killing ministers, guards, and servants, who were in the palace. So began the Hasmonean revolt.A sequel to this story is the story of yet ANOTHER Jewish Heorine named Yehudit (Judith). Yehudit was a beautiful woman who single-handedly saved the Jewish town of Bethulia during the Hasmonean revolt. When her city was surrounded and besieged by the Syrian army of General Holofernes, she made a plan to save her people. She left the city walls of Bethulia with her maid in what looked like her fleeing to Holofernes' camp. She told the cruel General Holofernes that she wanted to save herself and told him that the defeat of the Jews of the city was near. Impressed with Yehudit's beauty and her prediction of his defeat of the Jews, he invites her to celebrate with him alone. Yehudit tells him she must eat her own food which she made, and shows him the cheese delicies she has brought with her. She feeds him this salty cheese, which induces the general to wash it down with wine and he falls into a deep sleep. She then approaches his bed and says a prayer:

Answer me, O L-rd, as You answered Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, when you delivered the wicked general Sissera into her hands. Strengthen me this once that I may bring Your deliverance to my people whom this cruel man vowed to destroy, and let the nations know that You have not forsaken us...Yehudit then unsheathed Holofernes' heavy sword which was hanging near his bed and brought it down upon his neck with all her might.She leaves his bloody corpse soaking his mattress and takes the head and her maid away from the slumbering enemy camp to Bethulia. She tells the Jews of Bethulia that victory will soon be theirs. She takes the head of Holofernes and puts it on a stake in public view to strengthen the will of the people. She then tells the Jewish men to wait for dawn to make a surprise attack. The enemy's camp is not prepared for a Jewish onslaught on them. When the morning comes with the charge of the Jews towards their camp, Holofernes's men run to their commander's tent where they find his headless body on the blood soaked mattress. In their shock, fear and confusion, they flee for their lives. The Jews won the revolt and Yehudit was their hero.This Chanukah, we must remember the valor and strength of the Jewish women who risked their lives, to keep Israel Jewish. To Chana and her 7 sons, to Yehudit, and to Chana the daughter of the high priest who shocked the Jews into action, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

DONATIONS TO MESSIAN PROPHECY PROJECT
https://www.messianicbible.com/donate.asp?cs=2008November

Joel C. Rosenberg President and Founder The Joshua Fund
www.joshuafund.net
http://www.joelrosenberg.com/

The CARMEL ALERT Dec 19th 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.Stefan's Comment: The Bright Lights of Chanukah
John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.(NKJ)

Yeshua spoke these words during the feast of Dedication that is mentioned in John 10:22. This coming week will begin the Feast of Dedication, known in Israel and the Jewish world as Hanukkah in Hebrew. Hanukkah is not one of the Feasts of the Lord which are mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, however it is a significant time that has been remembered and celebrated since 165 B.C.E, even by Yeshua Himself. It is interesting to see what He teaches about during this time - He being the light of the world, and the miracle which He performed - opening the eyes of a man who was born blind, something that had not been heard of since the world begun (John 9:32). Hanukkah is also known by the name feast of lights.Here is a short retell of the Hanukkah story that happened over 2100 years ago. (taken from the Wikipeda): Around 200 BCE Jews lived as an autonomous people in the Land of Israel, also referred to as Judea, which at that time was controlled by the king of Syria. The Jewish people paid taxes to Syria and accepted its legal authority. They were free to follow their own faith, maintain their own jobs, and engage in trade. By 175 BCE Antiochus Epiphanes ascended to the Seleucid throne. At first little changed, but under his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem was looted, Jews were massacred, and the following of God's commandments was effectively outlawed. In 167 BCE Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple and in the ultimate desecration, a pig was slaughtered on the altar of the Temple.Antiochus' actions provoked a large-scale revolt that began when Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazer, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMaccabi (Judah the Hammer). By 166 BCE Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted by Judah Maccabee and his brothers to celebrate this event.

After recovering Jerusalem and the Temple, Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one, and new holy vessels to be made. Olive oil was needed to fuel the menorah (lamp) in the Temple. The Temple menorah, which symbolises the Light of God, was required to burn above the altar day and night. But there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle. During these eight days of Hannukah Jewish families all around the world will come together every night for the eight consecutive nights, to light the Hannukia (an ornament like a menorah but with 9 candles instead of 8), and remember this miracle that was performed by our God. It is customary to place the Hannukia next to a window facing the street so that all can see and remember the miracle.

That sounds to me a bit like Yeshua’s teaching from Matt 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJ) It is growing darker outside. Yeshua calls us the light of the world, just as he called Himself. He commands us to allow our light to shine forth through our good works, and to place ourselves in a visible place so that others can see. Hanukkah is a time of remembering God’s faithfulness and love for Israel and Jerusalem – His dwelling place forever. It is also a good time to look into our hearts and see if there is anything polluting our altars, perhaps some foreign gods that are not supposed to be there. God requires purity and holiness, just as did then with the physical Temple, so it is with our hearts. He is a jealous God and does not stand being competed with.Also, during this Hanukkah holiday the Katsir organization that Keren and I are a part of is putting on a youth conference. It will begin on Tuesday the 23rd of December and continues until Thursday the 25th of December. The theme for this conference is Go in this might of yours… taken from Judges and the story of Gideon - Judges 6:14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? (NKJ). Also in the story of Gideon there is use of lights that are placed in pitchers and are then broken for the lights to be exposed. This causes great confusion in the camp of the Midianites, so much that they all turn on each other with their swords.Please keep this all of the unbelieving Jewish people and the youth conference in prayer over the next week, that many will have a revelation of the Light of the World, and may Yeshua shine forth even more in your life, and through your life, during this miracle holiday and onwards.The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the 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.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Israel is not the country most in danger from Islamic Jihad. Britian is in great danger because they dont realise they have a problem - Daniel Pipes (Journalist)Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie.

Nine men decapitated in Mexico drug violence-police 21 Dec 2008 18:00:06 GMT
Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Mexican police found nine decapitated bodies on Sunday in a city near the tourist resort of Acapulco, and at least some of the victims might have been soldiers who were battling against powerful drug gangs.The bodies of the men, which were marked with signs of torture, were left on the side of a highway, while their heads were stuffed in a plastic bag found outside a shopping center, police in the state of Guerrero told Reuters.Local media reported that nine soldiers were abducted on Saturday as they left a regional military base near the city of Chilpancingo, about an hour north of Acapulco. An army spokesperson could not confirm that the victims were soldiers.Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police since 2006 to take on cartels that move cocaine and other drugs into the United States.A note left with the severed heads warned that more authorities would be decapitated, the state police said. The state police chief said some of the victims were soldiers, Reforma newspaper reported.Calderon's offensive has helped fuel a major increase in drug violence. More than 5,300 have died so far this year, over twice as many as in 2007, according to the attorney general's office. (Reporting by Jason Lange and Armando Tovar, editing by Philip Barbara)AlertNet news.

YAHOO NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video

MIDEAST CONFLICT NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/1874;_ylt=A0wNcxFdg6xIgbkAwD6z174F

ABC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461

FOX NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3074

FOX BUSINESS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3045

AP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2529

BBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2918

REUTERS VIDEO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2704

AFP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3091

CNBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3245

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

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS MON DEC 22,2008

09:30 AM +6.45
10:00 AM -3.99
10:30 AM -31.62
11:00 AM -8.45
11:30 AM -63.72
12:00 PM -49.07
12:30 PM -73.52
01:00 PM -30.75
01:30 PM -28.92
02:00 PM -66.25
02:30 PM -138.67
03:00 PM -140.14
03:30 PM -193.47
04:00 PM -59.42 8519.69

S&P 500 871.63 -16.25

NASDAQ 1532.35 -31.97

GOLD 848.30 +10.90

OIL 39.86 -2.50

TSE 300 8249.53 -302.47

CDNX 692.02 -7.02

S&P/TSX/60 498.96 -18.09

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow -3 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -50 points at low today so far.
Dow +16 points at hight today.
YEAR TO DATE
Dow -35%
Nasdaq -41%
S&P 500 -0.9% this month.

NYSE STATS
Advances 968,Declines 1922,Unchanged 102,New highs 2,New Lows 17.
NASDAQ STATS
Advances 847,Declines 1613,Unchanged 203.

China cuts interest rate for 5th time this year.
Toyota forecasts its first operating loss in 71 years.(1938).
Toyota -13.7% this year.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow -142 points at low.
Dow +16 points at high.

SIGNS OF BOTTOM? NOT YET
1-11% decline in withholding first 2 weeks of December.
2-Announced buyouts:90% decline.
Insider Buying:November lowest in years.
3-No January effect-No new money.
4-VIX futures remain high.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS

Dow -205 points at low.
Dow +16 points at high.
Dow -0.7% today.
Dow 4th straight day drop.
S&P -1.84% today.
S&P down 5% over last 4 days.
S&P,Nasdaq 3rd out of 4th day drops.
Nasdaq -2.04% today.
Nasdaq drops 4% last 4 days.
Crude oil -6% today.
1 BILLION shares traded on light Volume today.

COMODITIES (LAST 3 MONTHS)
-Gold +1%
-Silver -20%
-Copper -59%
-Wheat -23%
-Soybeans -26%

Wall Street looks for year-end rally By JOE BEL BRUNO, AP Business Writer Joe Bel Bruno, Ap Business Writer – DEC 21,08

NEW YORK – Investors head into a holiday-shortened week with optimism that recent moves to prop up the ailing auto industry and slash interest rates might trigger a year-end rally.Like the deep discounts luring holiday shoppers to the malls, the steep drop in stocks over the past year has made many blue chip shares more attractively priced. And big institutional investors might use the last seven trading days of the year to snap up some bargains.The downturn that began in October 2007 spread through the entire market in the past year and damped widespread demand for all but the safest investments, particularly government bonds. With the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index down 40 percent in 2008, investors are hopeful about a rally in the past month and wondering what to expect next year.Even if investors stream into the market, it still might not be enough to save what is expected to be one of Wall Street's worst years on record. Volume is expected to be light in a week shortened by the Christmas holiday and an early close on Christmas Eve.Only the folks that need to trade are going to trade this week, said Axel Merk, portfolio manager at Merk Funds. Decreased volumes, he said, can mean added volatility.With little in the way of corporate news expected this week, investors will turn their attention on economic reports. Data slated includes a report on new home and existing home sales for November, the government's third-quarter gross domestic product report, and a reading on consumer sentiment for December.Investors also will look for any signs about how retailers are faring in the last sprint before Christmas. From flagship department stores to main street shops, consumers were greeted this past weekend with hefty markdowns, extended hours — in some places, around-the-clock shopping — and even extra-cheery customer service as merchants tried to woo shopppers during the final holiday countdown.

And Wall Street might also be attracting buyers if 2008 follows the tradition of a Santa Claus rally. The market has participated in the year-end rally seven out of the last eight years.Santa Claus tends to come to Wall Street nearly every year, bringing a short, sweet, respectable rally within the last five days of the year and the first two in January, according to Jeffrey Hirsch and Yale Hirsch, the authors of the Stock Trader's Almanac. This has been good for an average 1.4 percent gain since 1969.There was some indication on Friday that investors were feeling a bit more optimistic. Stocks finished a bumpy session mostly higher, as investors were encouraged by the government's pledge to lend as much as $17.4 billion to U.S. automakers.For the week, the Dow ended down 0.59 percent, while the S&P 500 finished up 0.93 percent and the Nasdaq up 1.53 percent. All the indexes are still down more than 35 percent for the year.Besides the auto bailout, sentiment has also grown a bit more cheery in the past few trading sessions after the Federal Reserve cut the benchmark fed funds rate to as low as zero. Investors are looking for any signs that the government is being proactive about reviving the battered U.S. economy to avoid a protracted recession.And, there's also some enthusiasm that the worst of the bear market may be over. The S&P 500 has already bounced 20 percent higher from its lows in November.

Russia tariff protest widens into broad discontent By LIYA KHABAROVA, Associated Press Writer – Sun Dec 21, 12:39 pm ET

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia – Riot police clubbed, kicked and detained dozens in the Pacific port of Vladivostok on Sunday in a harsh crackdown on a protest that was one of dozens across Russia by people outraged over an increase in car import tariffs.With unemployment spiking, prices rising and the ruble sliding, the protests over a seemingly mundane tariff appear to be broadening into a wide expression of public discontent — and beginning to present a genuine challenge to the Kremlin.The Russian people have started to open their eyes to what's happening in this country, said Andrei Ivanov, a 30-year-old manager who joined about 200 people at a rally in Moscow. The current regime is not acting on behalf of the welfare of the people, but against the welfare of the people.The government announced the tariffs on imported automobiles earlier this month to bolster flagging domestic car production and try to head off layoffs or labor unrest among the country's more than 1.5 million car industry workers.But imported used cars are highly popular among Russians, particularly throughout the Far East, where private cars imported from nearby Japan vastly outnumber vehicles built in Russia. Protests against the tariffs, which are scheduled to go into effect next month, have been most vehement in Russia's largest Pacific port — Vladivostok.Hundreds rallied in the city Saturday for the second weekend in a row, and demonstrators hoped to rally again Sunday. But authorities refused to authorize the demonstration and hundreds of riot police blocked off the city square where it was planned.Soon after, several hundred people gathered on Vladivostok's main square — not the planned site of the demonstration. Waiting riot police ordered them to disperse, saying the gathering was illegal. The group refused and began singing and dancing around a traditional Russian New Year's tree on the square.Police — some shipped in from Moscow, 9,300 kilometers (5,750 miles) to the west — began hauling men and women into waiting vans as people chanted Fascists! and Shame! Shame!

An Associated Press reporter saw police beat several people with truncheons, throw them to the ground and kick them. Several parents were detained as their children watched.Riot police encircled the group ... even those just passing by, and they started taking people away without any sort of comment, said Olga Nikolaevna, a 62-year-old retiree who witnessed the incident.An AP reporter saw at least 10 journalists detained by police, who demanded that several journalists turn over videotapes and photo memory chips. Police wrecked a Japanese TV crew's video camera, and some journalists were beaten and kicked, including an AP photographer.Vladimir Litvinov, who heads a local rights group, said police behaved like beasts and had no right to break up the gathering, since it wasn't overtly political.We support a civilized resolution to all the problems but when they send Moscow riot police to break up a gathering in our city, and they start breaking arms and legs and heads..., he told AP. People are very, very angry. It's hard to predict what might happen now.Regional police officials said they were forbidden from saying how many people had been arrested. Protest organizers and witnesses counted more than 100.

Protests over the car tariffs, which take effect next month, were held in more than a dozen cities, with motorists driving in long columns with flags waving. National TV channels, which are state-controlled, ignored the demonstrations.In Moscow, about 200 protesters wore yellow ribbons on their jackets and held placards decrying the tariffs, the government and the rise in consumer prices.At the same time we're registering general discontent with the policies of this government, said Yulia Marova, a 28-year-old Moscow resident.The Kremlin has sidelined political opponents and put tight controls on civil society and the media, rolling back many post-Soviet freedoms. But in recent weeks, migrant workers in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg protested wage arrears and pensioners in the Siberian town of Barnaul took to the streets to protest the withdrawal of discounted fares on public transport. Domestic and foreign car companies' announcements of production cutbacks in Russia and warnings of potential layoffs have added to the Kremlin worries. The industry employs more than 1.5 million workers nationwide. While auto industry workers have applauded the tariff increase, Russian consumers and others involved in the $30.5 billion car import business have not. Many Russians say they have a right to buy what they want without paying to support the Russian auto industry. Associated Press writers Mike Eckel and Paul Sonne contributed to this report from Moscow.

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.

Winter kicks in with no snow slowdown Sunday, December 21, 2008 | 10:48 AM ET CBC News

Sunrise over Parc Cartier-Brébeuf helped to create this winter wonderland in Quebec City early Saturday. (Submitted by Benny Punnassery)It may be looking a lot like Christmas, but severe snowstorms that began Friday and have continued into Sunday, the first day of winter, have put many Canadians' travel plans on ice.In southern Ontario, a second winter blast over the past three days brought 15 centimetres of snow as another storm moved in Saturday night and continued into Sunday, forecasters said.By the morning, about 30 to 40 flights were either delayed or cancelled at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Most were incoming flights held up by bad weather in the United States.On Saturday, airlines at Pearson spent the day clearing a backlog from more than 300 flights that were cancelled after a snowstorm swept through on Friday.New winter storm warnings have been issued for much of southern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, as well as southern British Columbia.In parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, there could be up to 30 centimetres of snow.A storm forecast to hit southwest B.C. could mean Vancouver getting hit with up to 20 centimetres by Sunday evening.Snowfall and blizzard warnings, along with wind warnings for Vancouver Island, have been issued for parts of the Fraser Valley.Off to the west, we have a Pacific low-pressure system that's approaching the coast, said Environment Canada meteorologist Greg Pearce. We have a variety of warnings as a result of this storm.

2 die in storms
Pearce said an Arctic high-pressure system has dominated the province for the past few days, bringing with it temperatures that included the coldest in Vancouver since 1990.The temperature dropped to —15.2 C at Vancouver International Airport on Friday night, just off Vancouver's coldest recorded temperature of —17.8C in 1950.Forecasts for some regions in B.C., such as the Yoho and Kootenay National parks, included frostbite warnings as the wind chill is expected to make it feel as low as —48 C.At least two people have died in recent days due to the weather.Winter's icy grip on B.C. claimed a victim Saturday as an elderly Abbotsford woman was found frozen to death outside her home.A neighbour found the body and alerted police. The discovery came a day after a homeless Vancouver woman burned to death in a makeshift cardboard shelter she was heating with candles.In Montreal, authorities said an elderly homeless man found dead on Friday in a snowbank only steps away from two shelters likely died from exposure.

First day of winter packs punch to Northern states By The Associated Press The Associated Press DEC 21,08

AP – A snowboarder heads down a side street and past snowed-in cars in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood during … Weekend storms in the nation's northern half knocked out power to thousands of customers Sunday and created nightmarish conditions for holiday travelers coast to coast on the first official day of winter.

Parts of Iowa and Illinois were under blizzard warnings Sunday. Des Moines reported near zero visibility in blowing snow and a midday temperature of 5 below zero, with a wind chill of 27 below. Wind gusted to more than 40 mph in parts of Iowa.Part of a major highway in the Northwest was shut down for a second day because of a storm that dropped as much as 2 feet of snow.Subzero temperatures and wind of 20 to 30 mph in central Illinois knocked out power to more than 14,000 customers Sunday, the utility Ameren reported. The company had just restored power to all but 5,000 customers Saturday night after a storm last week blacked out about 45,000 people near Peoria.Utility officials said more than 70,000 homes and businesses in Indiana remained without power following an ice storm that struck on Thursday. They said wind gusts topping 30 mph made repair work more difficult.Blizzard warnings also were issued for northern and eastern Maine, where up to 24 inches of snow was expected. Forecasters warned that strong wind could create whiteout conditions and deep drifts on unplowed roads.Temperatures in northern Maine early Sunday included 40 below zero on the Big Black River in Aroostook County and 35 below zero in Allagash.

In the Pacific Northwest, Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Range, Washington state's main east-west roadway, remained closed Sunday and there was no indication when it would reopen. It was shut down Saturday as a fierce storm blew in from the Pacific.Seattle was expected to get an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow.

Oregon had closed a stretch of Interstate 84 in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, according to the state Department of Transportation Web site.The storm battering Maine also produced sleet and freezing rain in New York and New Jersey, delaying flights at Newark Liberty Airport by an average of two hours. Some arrivals at Logan International Airport in Boston were delayed by more than three hours.As the weather interfered with airports in northern states, George BushIntercontinental Airport in Houston had delays on average of about five hours.New Jersey state police reported a four-vehicle accident involving two buses left 17 people with minor injuries on the New Jersey Turnpike in Bordentown.

New storm sweeps in from West, challenges travel By JIM COUR, Associated Press Writer – Sun Dec 21, 5:02 am ET

SEATTLE – A fierce winter storm blew in from the Pacific, bringing up to 2 feet of snow, icy wind and a nightmare for holiday travelers already stymied by winter's dance across the northern half of the country.Snow, sleet and freezing rain caused treacherous driving conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest. Sections of two major highways — Interstate 90 in Oregon and Interstate 84 in Washington — were closed late Saturday night, and authorities asked the public to not to drive unless it was an emergency.It is extremely dangerous to be on the roads at this time, said Multnomah County Deputy Paul McRedmond, sheriff's spokesman.Centralia, about 25 miles south of Olympia, had already received 9 inches Saturday night. The Seattle area was predicted to get 4 to 8 inches. Portland and the rest of Oregon's Interstate 5 corridor could get as much as 10 inches.It'll be nasty well into Sunday evening, said Jonathan Wolfe, a Weather Service meteorologist.Wind forecasts were downgraded Saturday night for the Cascade Range foothills east and south of Seattle. Winds flowing through the Cascades from Eastern Washington were steady at 20-30 mph with gusts to 50, some 20-30 mph less than expected, meteorologist Dana Felton said.

Authorities closed a 45-mile stretch of Interstate 84 from the Portland suburb of Troutdale to East River, Oregon, and Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Range, Washington's main east-west roadway. There was no indication how long the highways would be closed.The storm settling over the Northwest on the first official day of winter was the third major cold-weather system to punch the country in two days. Northeasterners dug out Saturday from several inches of snow the night before as Midwesterners dealt with yet another stinging, numbing storm.As of Saturday, the December snowfall total in Bismarck, N.D., nearly equaled the 19.3-inch mark for of all last winter, said Weather Service meteorologist Joshua Scheck.

The thing about North Dakota is that it's extreme, Scheck said. For several years we haven't had an aggressive winter like this.The wintry weather claimed a fatality in Milwaukee on Saturday when a man shoveling snow at a mobile home park collapsed and died.Winter weather warnings were posted throughout Minnesota, including a blizzard warning for the southwest.If you get caught in this stuff, it really is life-threatening, said Dan Miller, science and operations officer at the National Weather Service in Duluth.Authorities warned that the storm could deliver a wallop as it moved eastward, potentially knocking out power to places still in the dark more than a week after a Northeast ice storm.Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire, where more than 20,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark Saturday, noted the long wait and the specter of further power failures wrought by up to 16 inches of snow forecast for the southern part of the state.I continue to hear frustration from the local communities regarding communication with the utilities, and I share their frustration, he said.Friday's storm in the Northeast continued to wreak havoc where it blew through earlier, including Indiana, where more than 77,000 customers remained without power. The next storm in line could further damage trees and power lines already covered or weakened by ice, the Weather Service said.Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers William McCall and Tim Fought in Portland, Ore.; Amy Lorentzen in Des Moines, Iowa; James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D.; James A. Carlson in Milwaukee; and David Tirrell-Wysocki in Concord, N.H.

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 starts missile delivery to Iran: Iranian MP Sun Dec 21, 9:45 am

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Russia has begun delivering S-300 air defense systems to Iran which could help repel any Israeli and U.S. air strikes on its nuclear sites, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.After few years of talks with Russia ... now the S-300 system is being delivered to Iran, IRNA quoted Email Kosari, deputy head of parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Security committee, as saying.Kosari did not say when the deliveries began. Iran's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report. Russia's Foreign Ministry also declined comment, saying it may react on Monday.The United States, its European allies and Israel say Iran is seeking to build nuclear arms under the cover of a civilian atomic energy program. Iran denies the charge.Israel's insistence that Iran must not be allowed to develop an atomic bomb has fueled speculation that the Jewish state, widely assumed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, could mount its own pre-emptive strikes.In October, Russia's Foreign Ministry denied media speculation that Moscow would sell the medium-range S-300 system, adding Moscow had no intention of selling weapons to troubled regions.But Russia's RIA news agency last week quoted confidential sources as saying that Russia was fulfilling a S-300 contract with Iran.

The most advanced version of the S-300 system can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away. It is known in the West as the SA-20.Russian arms sales and nuclear cooperation with Iran have strained relations with Washington, which says Tehran could use them against their interests in the region and also against its neighbors.Russia, building Iran's first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr, says Tehran does not have the capability to make nuclear weapons.

Kosari said the S-300 system would be used to reinforce Iran's capability to defend its borders.The delivery of this system is a display of good relations between Iran and Russia, which cannot be harmed by Israel, IRNA quoted Kosari as saying.(Additional reporting by Conor Sweeney in Moscow; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Katie Nguyen)

Iran, a missile power: Rafsanjani Tehran, Dec 21, IRNA
Iran-Missile-Rafsanjani

Chairman of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic has turned to a missile power in the world. Addressing a national seminar, he added that the country's defense industries are now able to meet the demands of the sector. He reiterated that the defense readiness of the Islamic Republic is aimed at proving the enemy that it is not capable of violating the Iranian territory. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a true follower of Islam and the Holy Quran and therefore is not in favor of war and conflict anywhere in the world, Rafsanjani added. Rejecting the idea that Iran is determined to physically transfer its Islamic Revolution to other parts of the world, he stressed that the idea means that the way of thinking of the Islamic Revolution that is its anti-arrogance approach should be transferred to other countries.

U.S. President-elect Obama plans talks with Russia on START
RIA Novosti

20/12/2008 16:25 MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama plans to resume talks on strategic arms reductions with Russia but negotiations will be difficult as two countries do not trust each other, a U.S. congresswoman said.The Strategic Arms Reduction (START-1) Treaty signed between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1991 expires on December 5, 2009. It places a limit of 6,000 strategic or long-range nuclear warheads on each side, and limits the number of delivery vehicles, such as bombers, land-based and submarine-based missiles, to 1,600 each.After the Russian aggression in Georgia, it's difficult to get back to business-as-usual, while it's clear that we have business to do. Their [Russian] position effectively is we don't believe you and we don't trust you, said Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher in an interview posted on CQpolitics.com website.

Tauscher, the chairwoman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee, led a U.S. delegation this week to Russia for talks on bilateral cooperation.She also said that the United States need to get about the business of negotiating a new treaty; it's a fundamental priority of both the Congress and the new administration.Moscow has repeatedly stated that the signing of a new nuclear disarmament deal will only be possible if Washington abandons its plans to place elements of a U.S. missile shield in Central Europe.Washington plans to deploy a missile defense system comprising 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. The U.S. says it needs the shield to deter strikes from rogue states. Russia insists it would threaten its national security and harm the balance of European security.After Barack Obama's November election victory, one of his foreign policy advisers said the president-elect was not committed to the missile shield, and would only continue with the project if its effectiveness was proven.Russia also insists that any agreement replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty should be a legally binding document and must set lower ceilings not only for the number of nuclear warheads, but also for their delivery vehicles.

Iran using Venezuela ties to duck UN sanctions: report DEC 21,08

ROME (AFP) – Iran is using its warm relations with Venezuela to dodge UN sanctions and use Venezuelan aircraft to ship missile parts to Syria, an Italian newspaper reported Sunday.Citing US and other Western intelligence agencies, La Stampa said Iran is using aircraft from Venezuelan airline Conviasa to transport computers and engine components to Syria for use in missiles.The material comes from Iranian industrial group Shahid Bagheri, listed in the annex of UN Security Council Resolution 1737, adopted in December 2006, for involvement in Iran's ballistic missile programme.The resolution instructed all nations to prevent the supply, sale or transfer of all material or technology that could be used for Iran's nuclear enrichment programme and the development of weapons to carry nuclear warheads.Syria is a close ally of Iran in the Middle East, with the two nations having signed a military cooperation pact in June 2006.In return for providing aircraft, Iran has made available to Caracas members of its Revolution Guards and the elite Al-Quds unit to train and reinforce the Venezuelan police and secret services, La Stampa reported.Iran denies Western and Israeli suspicions that it is developing nuclear weapons, asserting that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. It nevertheless defies a UN demand to halt uranium enrichment.Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez -- who share deep hostility towards the United States and the outgoing Bush administration -- have signed several agreements on economic cooperation.Chavez has also voiced support for Iran's nuclear programme.Iran's Shahab-3 missiles have a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,280 miles), capable of hitting Israel as well as US military bases in the Middle East.

Repair crews reach damaged cables in Mediterranean By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer DEC 21,08

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A robotic submarine searched beneath the Mediterranean on Sunday for damaged communications cables, two days after Web and telephone access was knocked out for much of the Middle East.Telecommunication providers from Cairo to Dubai continued Sunday to scramble to reroute voice and data traffic through potentially costly detours in Asia and North America after the lines running under the Mediterranean Sea were damaged Friday.Internet access was largely knocked out for two days in at least six countries that were affected — Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Yemen.It is the second time this year that trans-Mediterranean cables to Europe have been severed. The earlier cut, in late January, was apparently caused by a ship's anchor.A ship operated by France Telecom's marine division arrived Sunday afternoon at what it believes is the accident site south of Sicily, spokesman Louis-Michel Aymard said.The crew released a robotic submarine named Hector to search for two of the three damaged cables, which are owned by a consortium that includes the Paris-based telecommunications giant. Once found, the cable ends will be pulled to the surface and repaired on deck — a process that could take several days.We have to fix the cable fiber by fiber, and it's a very huge cable, Aymard said. He said the company hopes to have the first line fixed by Thursday.The third cable is operated by Reliance Globalcom. Officials at that company could not be reached for comment.Regional communication providers' efforts to redirect voice and data traffic brought some areas back online over the weekend. Still, rolling outages continued to plague large parts of the region.

Emirati provider Etisalat said Internet service remained at about 85 percent capacity Sunday. The Abu Dhabi-based company was redirecting some of its data traffic through South Asia, spokesman Saeed al-Badi said.Dubai-based Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Co., better known as Du, said it was sending data and international voice traffic through Asia and the western United States.Due to the diversion of all traffic ... eastbound ... customers may be experiencing slower Internet access time than usual. This is the same for all Internet traffic from the region and is likely to continue until the cables are repaired, the company said.The Egyptian government said about 80 percent of Internet services had been restored as of Sunday. Access was knocked out Friday and much of Saturday. Connection speeds were down in Yemen and in Jordan. There were no major outages in Lebanon but some users experienced spotty access.Dubai-based airline Emirates, one of the Middle East's most visible companies, said it had to cope with a 30 percent slowdown in online booking times and initially faced telephone problems.

UN atomic chief calls for Syria to cooperate By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer DEC 21,08

BEIRUT, Lebanon – The head of the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency warned Syria to cooperate with the investigation of its nuclear activities or face deeper confrontation with the international community.In an interview with the London-based Al Hayat newspaper published Sunday, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said his agency expects clarifications from Syria and Israel on issues related to a Syrian site bombed by Israel last year.In a visit this year, IAEA inspectors found traces of processed uranium at the Al-Kibar site, which U.S. officials say was a nearly completed reactor of North Korean design that could have produced plutonium, a pathway to nuclear arms.Syria denies having nuclear ambitions and says the site was an unused military installation.Syria's foreign minister has suggested that the traces may have been from Israeli bombs dropped in the Sept. 6, 2007, airstrike.ElBaradei said the agency has requested clarifications from Israel on the Syrian claim. We are also looking into technical aspects to see whether it really was from the Israeli attack, he told the pan-Arab newspaper.We have not received a reply from the Israeli or Syrian side, he added.Syria has signaled it will not permit IAEA inspectors to return after their initial visit to the bombed site in June. Syria is also refusing to allow visits to three other locations the IAEA regards as suspicious.I hope Syria will cooperate with us because that will be in its best interest. Lack of cooperation will ... lead to more confrontations and a negative reaction from the international community, the IAEA chief was quoted as saying.If it (Syria) has nothing to hide, I don't see any reason for not being 100 percent transparent with the agency, ElBaradei added.ElBaradei also said the August killing of the Syrian government's representative participating in the agency's investigation has complicated the agency's work.Arab media have said Brig. Gen. Mohammed Suleiman was killed by a sniper on a yacht at a beach resort in the northern port city of Tartous. Syrian officials have confirmed his death but gave no other details.ElBaradei said Suleiman was the IAEA's contact on the Syrian side.Yes, he was our contact, and he was killed. ... His death of course has further complicated matters, he said.

Israeli official warns of longer Gaza rocket range DEC 21,08 By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM – Israel's top security official warned Sunday that Gaza militants can hit more Israeli cities with longer-range rockets, on a day when rockets exploded in border towns and a coastal city after an Israel-Hamas truce expired.Only one Israeli was lightly wounded in the barrage of 19 rockets and three mortars by nightfall. But after a weekend of heavy rocket attacks — and two Israeli airstrikes in response — Israel's government threatened to strike back hard.One rocket exploded in Ashkelon, a city of about 120,000 on the Mediterranean coast 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Gaza. In the past, Israel has responded harshly to attacks on Ashkelon.Yuval Diskin, the head of the Shin Bet security service, warned Israel's Cabinet that Hamas now has rockets that can reach the larger city of Ashdod farther north on the Mediterranean coast and even the outskirts of Beersheba, 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the east. Such attacks would increase the likelihood of an Israeli invasion of Gaza.

The scenarios are clear, the plans are clear, the determination is clear, and so are the ramifications of each of the steps, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at his Cabinet's weekly meeting. A responsible government is not happy to go to war, but does not evade it.The government has been under heavy pressure to react to the rocket fire, but the military has so far been wary of doing so for fear of casualties. In the past, large operations have not succeeded in stopping the rockets.

A truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers expired on Friday after six months. The truce had frayed since early November, and rocket fire at Israeli towns has been increasing steadily in recent days.The Hamas government in Gaza must be toppled, the means to do this must be military, economic and diplomatic, said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is in the running to become prime minister in elections Feb. 10. Whenever they shoot at Israel, Israel must respond.Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan blamed Israel for the collapse of the truce and said Palestinian factions would respond to any aggression against our people.Israel has largely kept the crossings into Gaza closed in response to the rocket fire, a move that has caused shortages of fuel and basic goods in the territory of 1.4 million Palestinians.On Sunday, one rocket scored a direct hit on a house in the town of Sderot, scattering rubble and furniture inside. Everyone is traumatized, the house's owner, Maya Aviar, told AP Television News.No one was injured in that attack, but the Israeli military said a worker at a farming community near Gaza was lightly wounded in a separate rocket hit.

The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad took responsibility for Sunday's rocket fire. Abu Ahmad, a spokesman for the group, said Israeli citizen would not sleep peacefully as long as Gaza children are not enjoying water, electricity, medicine and peace.Israel carried out two airstrikes Sunday aimed at rocket launchers in Gaza, the military and Palestinian officials said. No one was hurt. Militants typically prepare rockets for launch and then fire them from cover a safe distance away.

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN New bombs change Middle East dynamics Israelis could hit Syria, Iran without leaving their own airspace December 16, 2008 10:06 pm Eastern 2008 WorldNetDaily

Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports. A new bomb technology developed by Australia and the U.S. will allow Israel's jet fighter pilots to strike inside Syria or Lebanon without ever leaving their own airspace should there be another conflict in the region, changing the dynamics of the Middle East conflict, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.It is called the JDAM-ER, or Joint Direct Munitions-Extended Range, and essentially takes a dumb bomb and turns it into a smart bomb. Among the modifications is the addition of a set of folding wings that extend the range to more than three times the range of a baseline JDAM, or Mk-84 2000-pound bomb, reportedly increasing the range from 15 to some 55 nautical miles.
Another modification converts existing unguided bombs into bombs directed to their targets using GPS technology.

Even before the JDAM is released, it begins to receive data while still attached to the computer inside the aircraft. Upon release, a satellite then guides the bomb to its target. The aircraft and crew then don't have to remain in enemy territory to ride the bomb down to its target, according to officials. Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments in the Middle East with Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND. This enhanced capability allows the bomb to hit its target accurately regardless of weather conditions, day or night. The ER kit also is designed to be installed in the field to existing JDAM weapons. JDAM bombs already are available for all the fighting aircraft of the U.S. inventory. They include the B-1B, B-2A, B-52H, F-16C/D, F/A-18C/D, F/A-18E/F, F-15E, F/A-22, F-35, A-10A, S-3, F-117, AV-8B, and F-14A/B/D. They also are available for aircraft in development and for foreign aircraft. While the kits are available now to attach to existing JDAMs, a JDAM-ER bomb is expected to enter into production in 2010 as a joint effort of the Australian Air Force and Boeing.

We have demonstrated the impressive capability enhancement that an affordable modular wing kit can bring to JDAM weapons, while simultaneously setting the engineering foundation that will facilitate the fielding of an Australian-designed wing kit to JDAM users around the globe, said Bart Volpe, Boeing JDAM International program manager. A number of Boeing's 16 international JDAM customers reportedly are showing interest in acquiring the extended range capability for their own JDAM bombs. For Israel, the ER version of the JDAM also is seen as giving Israel a longer-range capability of striking Iranian nuclear sites. Pilots could release the bombs from afar and avoid anti-aircraft defense missiles. The Israeli version is said to be capable of using laser guidance as well as standard GPS. Its version of the JDAM also is protected against electronic jamming. Israel recently upgraded its F-15 fleet to carry the JDAMs.

Messianic Jews still face persecution in Israel From JPost

A director of the US Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and his wife were detained Sunday at Ben-Gurion Airport by Interior Ministry officials amid allegations he is involved in illegal Christian missionary activity.It is illegal in Israel to proselytize among minors. It is also prohibited to engage in missionary activities among adults when economic incentives are offered.After over eight hours of detention, Jamie Cowen, a former president of the union, and his wife, Stacy, were permitted to enter Israel only after they agreed to sign a document that they would not engage in missionary activities during their stay.The Cowens are in Israel to visit their two daughters, one of whom is an Israeli citizen. The other is in the process of obtaining citizenship after she and a group of other Messianic Jews won a Supreme Court case against the state.The Cowens and their daughters all identify as Jews but believe that Jesus is the messiah.This type of religious discrimination would be expected of Iran, not Israel, said Jamie Cowen, a US immigration lawyer, a few hours after he was released by immigration police.In the US we imprison individuals suspected of terrorism. Here apparently one can be jailed for his religious convictions. This is a case of blatant discrimination against basic rights. It is a story of a bureaucracy run amok. Someone has to crack down and bring in people of integrity.Cowen said he had visited Israel about 10 times, and had been active in social causes via the Knesset Social Lobby.I’ve brought $100,000 in humanitarian aid to Israel. We’ve provided lone IDF soldiers with about $50,000 in aid. This is unbelievable, he said.The Interior Ministry, which directed the police to arrest the Cowens, said they had classified information regarding missionary activity.The Immigration and Population Authority has reliable information that the Cowens were involved in missionary activity prohibited by Israeli criminal law during their last visit to Israel, a ministry spokesman said.

This is the reason they were detained. As soon as they agreed to refrain from any missionary activity they were allowed in.The Cowens arrived in Israel on a flight from Frankfurt at 3 a.m. They were arrested at passport inspection and placed in detention at the airport.As an immigration lawyer I have visited many detention facilities for illegal immigrants. This one was particularly dirty, smelly and overcrowded, Cowen said.According to Cowen, the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations has 90 member congregations with membership ranging between 50 and 400 per congregation.Calev Myers, founder and chief counsel of The Jerusalem Institute, which provides legal advice and representation to messianic Jews, said the Interior Ministry was filled will clerks who identified with a strictly Orthodox definition of who is a Jew.During the years that Shas controlled the ministry they made sure to appoint clerks who were willing to carry out their policies, Myers said.As a result, Israel is the only Western country where basic freedom of religion is denied. Today those who being discriminated against are messianic Jews. Tomorrow it will be Conservative and Reform Jews.Myers said anti-missionary organizations such as Yad Le’achim often tipped off Interior Ministry officials regarding messianic Jews attempting to enter the country.However, Meir Cohen, a Yad Le’Achim activist, said that while it was true that his organization did provide the ministry with information, they were not involved in the Cowens’ case.Cohen said the ministry had its own intelligence unit that gathered information on missionaries and on messianic Jews who were ineligible for Israeli citizenship due to their religious convictions.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Jews who embraced Christianity are not eligible for Israeli citizenship. However, the court has also ruled that people who are not Jews according to Orthodox standards, but who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return do not forfeit this right if they adopt Christian beliefs. - From Prophecy News Watch.

Anglicans Add Hindu Snowmen, Chinese Dragon to Christmas Displays
By Ethan Cole Christian Post Reporter Mon, Dec. 15 2008 03:16 PM EST

Some Anglican clergy have added a multicultural twist to Christmas decorations, adding Hindu snowmen, a Chinese dragon and a Jewish temple to the lawn where the traditional scene of a baby Jesus, angels, and the three wise men used to be displayed alone. We’ve done this as it creates a good opportunity for Christians to meet and hear about the stories of people of other faiths, said the Rev. Jane Hedges, a canon of Westminster Abbey, according to U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper.

Christmas is an opportunity for everyone to stop and think and is a greatopportunity of the different faiths to talk to one another, she said. Wherever you’re coming from there should be something to celebrate at Christmas.The Abbey’s canon pointed out that the story of Christ’s birth is included in the Koran, and noted that the Hindu snowmen is meant to convey that Hindus have something to celebrate during Christmas too. Strictly speaking, the message of Christmas is about the birth of Christ, but it has a much broader message of peace and goodwill, said Hedges.

Westminster Abbey will showcase life-size snowmen with turbans and bindi dots on their foreheads that is meant to express that Christmas is not exclusively for Christians. The Diocese of Liverpool, part of the Church of England, will stage a nativity that features a Chinese dragon and lantern procession. But the additions to the Christmas landscape have drawn criticism from those who argue that the multicultural effort is undermining the Christian message. An evangelical leader in England expressed his disapproval of the nativity scene spin. People want Christians to celebrate Christmas without compromise, said the Rev. Rod Thomas, chair of Reform, according to the Telegraph. It’s only by doing this that people of other faiths respect what we stand for, not by attempting to introduce something that is sub-Christian.Alison Ruoff, a senior member of the Church of England’s ruling council, commented, “Why are they putting such a ridiculous spin on Christmas? It’s a nonsense and makes me really quite cross.Christmas is a time for everyone, but the Church needs to be confident in its message, Ruoff added, which is that Christ came to save people of all faiths and none.The multicultural Christmas displays come as British society has become more secular as well as multi-religious, particularly with the population of Muslims growing rapidly. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the head of the Catholic Church in England, expressed concern in May about the considerable spiritual homelessness in Britain, where people do not feel faith is an option.

Church attendance in England is expected to fall from 3 million to 700,000 in England, and 550,000 to 140,000 in Scotland by 2050, according to Christian Research. Meanwhile, the study predicts that the number of practicing Muslims will outnumber worshipping Christians in Britain by 2035. By then there will be an estimated 1.96 million active Muslims in Britain, compared with 1.63 million church-going Christians, according to the think tank.

In Russia, a religious revival brings new life to Orthodox media
By Sophia Kishkovsky Published: December 21, 2008

MOSCOW: By the time of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, there were nearly 600 newspapers and magazines throughout Russia devoted to Orthodox subjects. They were all shut down by the Soviet regime by 1918.Today, in a country that was officially atheist less than two decades ago, there are again hundreds of newspapers, magazines and newsletters covering the world's largest Orthodox church. There are also as many as 3,500 Russian Orthodox Web sites. Some priests are blogging.This month, when Patriarch Aleksy II died, nearly an entire day of live television coverage was devoted to the funeral, and days before and after were dedicated to documentaries about his life and talk shows discussing his death.When Sergei Chapnin, a journalist who edits the Moscow Patriarchate's official newspaper, organized the first Russian Orthodox media festival in 2004, a government bureaucrat called to inquire about the event.I could tell he thought we would have 50 people or so attending, said Chapnin about the first festival, which brought together 400 journalists. I said there are about 500 publications with up to 10,000 journalists connected to them. There was silence at the end of the line.

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And the Orthodox media, like the church itself, have not always fallen into step with the Kremlin line. The Moscow Patriarchate and most Orthodox media have addressed the war with Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia as a tragic misunderstanding between two countries that share an Orthodox Christian heritage.Vladimir Legoyda, the editor of Foma, the most influential of the Orthodox glossies, said that Kommersant, a business newspaper, inundated him with phone calls after the patriarch's death.That they came to us and are paying very active attention to this theme, this is a change, he said, but adds: I want to be a realist. I understand that society doesn't change so easily and maybe so quickly.The revival of Orthodoxy is reflected both as a trend in the secular media and the main topic of a stable of publications that have appeared to discuss religious faith both with newly devout believers and those who are still finding their way in the church.

After 70 years of state-imposed atheism and 20 years that have run the gamut from glasnost to post-Soviet chaos to a revival of Russian pride, Russians have increasingly embraced their Orthodox roots.Kommersant was the journalistic training ground for Yulia Danilova, editor in chief of Neskuchny Sad, another Orthodox glossy. It has editorial offices in a church located on the grounds of Moscow's Hospital No.1 and is known for its charity work. A colleague from Kommersant who works with her at the magazine is an ordained Russian Orthodox deacon. Another editor used to work for Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Soviet newspaper turned tabloid, and secular glossies, but moved to Neskuchny Sad when those publications began to conflict with her deepening religious faith.Foma, Legoyda's magazine, is named after the Apostle Thomas, or doubting Thomas, who needed to touch Jesus's ribs before believing in his resurrection. A large icon of that scene hangs in the conference room at the magazine's office, which looks like the newsroom of a successful college newspaper.The magazine has a staff of about 30 and a monthly budget of over $100,000 for all of its expenses and projects, which include a Web site and radio program. It is financed mostly by sponsors, with some money coming from advertising and subscriptions.Foma is the most successful Orthodox glossy, with a print run of 30,000, but it is small compared to secular publications. Chapnin said his newspaper, Tserkovny Vesnik, or The Church Herald, had a print run of about 20,000, the same as Neskuchny Sad printed in November.Successful diocesan publications might print about 10,000 while others, in the provinces, average about 3,000.While the magazines are most easily found in churches and religious literature stores, Foma can be found on many newsstands, next to secular papers.The Orthodox magazines are supported by advertising, which is weighted towards offers of icons and religious literature. And the financial crisis is taking its toll on Orthodox publications as well, requiring some belt-tightening.Legoyda is also the chairman of the department of international journalism at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, a training ground for future diplomats.He began going to church as a student in Moscow in the early 1990s, then, as an exchange student in California, he met punk rockers turned Orthodox monks and helped them put out a magazine called Death to the World that used the punk esthetic to talk about Orthodox themes.Back in Russia, Legoyda started to reach out to young people outside the usual church context. He has published a collection of his articles in a book titled Do Jeans Stand in the Way of Salvation?

As Orthodoxy has become more ingrained in Russia, Legoyda said Foma had addressed different levels of religious skepticism.We were never didactic, he said. We always said that we have doubts too. But if before someone might have said they doubt the existence of God, now they don't. Instead they wonder if they should go to church.

The popularity of Orthodoxy has created new problems.

Today a person easily calls himself Orthodox but doesn't change his life, he said. Orthodoxy, as any religion, means changing your life.That has especially become an issue in the coverage of celebrities, both in the Orthodox and secular media and prompted debates about the dangers of Orthodox glossies and Orthodox glamour and the absurd juxtapositions that often arise when secular glossies touch on Orthodoxy.Foma often features interviews with celebrities who now speak openly about how important religious faith is in their lives.Danilova, the editor of Neskuchny Sad, says she worries that glossy Orthodox magazines risk reducing religion to an attractive lifestyle.There is a danger that people will organize a very nice Orthodox lifestyle and stop at that, she said. Bake the right pies, have the right braid like in the old days. But this is avoiding the problems of contemporary life.Neskuchny Sad features many articles about charity, but also addresses other issues of spiritual and general interest from the point of view of Orthodox theology and practice. Recent issues include stories like What do angels look like? and Should Communists be put on trial? Orthodoxy turns up in some of the most unexpected places. Nikolai Uskov, editor of the Russian edition of GQ magazine, has an unusual accent among the magazine covers hanging on his wall: an elaborate medieval-looking certificate of honor from Patriarch Aleksy II given to him for his work as editor of the Catholic section of the Orthodox Encyclopedia. It hangs surrounded by GQ covers featuring Jennifer Aniston and Hugh Jackman.Uskov was a scholar specializing in the history of Christianity and monasticism in early medieval Western Europe before he switched gears and became editor of GQ. But even a glossy magazine editor in Russia, he said, could not escape Orthodoxy, because it had been embraced by the elite.The church has become part of public ritual, he said. Glamorous people must believe, go to church, have icons and go on pilgrimages to places such as Optina Pustyn and Valaam and tell everyone about this, he said referring to two famous Russian Orthodox monasteries.

But Orthodox glossies feature stories that will never be found in GQ.Our No.1 subject is veneration of the New Martyrs, said Legoyda, referring to victims of Bolshevik and Stalinist terror who died for their Orthodox faith and were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. Just as in the first three centuries of Christianity, people in this country, in Soviet times, were martyred for Christ, except many more were martyred here.Foma writes about the martyrs in every issue. This is our sacred treasure, Legoyda said.