GORBY DENOUNCES PUTIN

TEMPLE MOUNT HISTORY
http://www.templemountfaithful.org/multimedia/documentary.htm
HATIKVA ISRAEL NATIONAL ANTHEM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5GNKd5rico&eurl=http://www.templemountfaithful.org/
TEMPLE MOUNT FAITHFUL
http://www.templemountfaithful.org/

I THINK WE WILL KNOW WHEN THE 3RD TEMPLE WILL BE REBUILT IT WILL BE WHEN THE BULGE BURSTS IN THE SOUTHERN WALL AS THIS PROPHESY IN ISAIAH 30 SAYS. AND THIS WALL IS READY TO COLLAPSE ANYTIME NOW,SO THE 3RD TEMPLE WILL SOON BE REBUILT,PRAISE KING JESUS (MESSIAH) THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WORLD.

ISAIAH 30:10-15
10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.
15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT TAKE THE BIBLE LITERAL........GOOD LUCK,START!

WESTERN WALL STONES CRUMBLING - STORY,PICTURE 2008.
http://www.ritmeyer.com/2008/04/17/western-wall-stones-crumbling/

The Bulge on the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount Becomes Larger ,Archaeologists Say that the Southern Wall Will Soon Collapse Together with the Mosque,The Temple Mount Faithful to Sharon: Let it collapse! This is the Hand of G-d!

On 27 August 2002, the archaeologists of the Israeli Antiquities Authority warned that the southern wall of the Temple Mount is in great imminent danger of collapsing. They stated that the bulge in the wall has become much larger. Last year the bulge was 70 cm [2.25 feet] and was 30 meters [98 feet] long. The bulge has now increased to over one meter [3 feet] and is much longer. The bulge was first noticed after Tisha b’Av last year immediately after the Temple Mount Faithful had carried the cornerstone for the Third Temple to the area in front of the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

The archaeologists also stated that if the wall collapses, the Al Aqsa mosque will collapse together with it. In addition, the other two illegal mosques that have been built over the past years will also collapse. They were built when they changed the Hulda entrance to the Temple Mount and the so-called Solomon’s Stables and made them into the largest mosque in the Middle East. Both of these holy places, together with the southern wall, were built by the Israeli King Herod and completed by 10 BCE. They were part of the Temple complex. On the southern wall were the Double Gate and Triple Gate which were known as the Hulda Gates after the prophetess Hulda and were used as the main entrance for millions of Jewish pilgrims in the Second Temple. The Hulda Tunnel and Solomon’s Stables (which were never stables and did not exist in the time of King Solomon; there were erroneously called this by the Crusaders) remained exactly as they were at the time of the Second Temple until recently when the Arabs on the Temple Mount covered the beautiful ornamentation and the pillars and illegally converted the area into a mosque.The Temple Mount and the southern wall. The insert indicates the location of the bulge on the southern wall which is between the Double Gate and the Triple Gate. The insert also shows a portion of the bulge. The indicator in the middle shows the Dome of the Rock which is site of the First, Second and Third Temples. The indicator to the left of the picture shows the Western Wall plaza.

The archaeologists called on the Israeli authorities to repair the wall. However, the archaeologist, Eilat Mazar, stated that nothing can prevent the imminent collapse of the wall. They also stated that they do not know the reason for the bulge. However, the Arabs on the Temple Mount refuse to allow the Israeli authorities to try to repair the wall. Yesterday (28/08/02), the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement sent an open letter to Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel. In the letter the chairman of the Movement, Gershon Salomon, stated that the reason for the bulge and the danger of the wall collapsing is the Hand of the G-d of Israel. Gershon wrote in the letter that the bulge and probable collapse is no accident but the commencement of a godly move for the collapse of all the strange, pagan Arab presence on the Temple Mount, which is the most holy site of the Temple. This is a fulfilment of the prophecies of the prophets of Israel for the redemption of the Temple Mount, Israel, and all the world. It is so sad that everyone who looks for the reason for the bulge are too blind to understand this prophetic fact. Gershon called on the Israeli authorities and the archaeologists not to interfere in G-d’s activities and to prevent any activity to repair the wall. This godly event signifies the start of the collapse of the walls of violence and hatred against the people of G-d and the presence of the Arab Islamic enemy of the G-d and people of Israel in the most holy place of the G-d and people of Israel. The G-d of Israel is moving the end-time history of Israel and all the world towards the purification of His holy hill from the foreigners and their desecration and towards the rebuilding of the Temple. This is also the start of G-d’s judgement on these foreign enemies on the Temple Mount who have desecrated, vandalised and destroyed the remains of the First and Second Temples, built new mosques on the holy site of G-d, and still continue their activities to convert the Temple Mount into an Islamic site by eliminating the remains of the Jewish Temples. They dared to lift their hands against the G-d of Israel and the people of Israel. They were deluded into thinking that they could deny and ignore the existence of the Temple on the Temple Mount and in this way prevent the godly historical endtime step of the redemption of the Temple Mount, Israel and all the world.

The G-d of Israel showed them that no one can raise their hands and fight against Him. So many enemies of Israel who have occupied the Temple Mount and Jerusalem since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE have completely disappeared from the stage of history like dust in the wind under the judgement of G-d. This and even worse will be the fate of the current enemies of the G-d and people of Israel on the Temple Mount and all over the land of Israel. Gershon called on Ariel Sharon not to squander the great credit that G-d and history gave him at a very great and critical time in the history of Israel but to co-operate with G-d and to remove His enemies from his most holy hill and to immediately start the building of the Third Temple

Gershon reminded Prime Minister Sharon of the Hand of G-d on the southern wall of the Temple Mount during Tisha b’Av 2001 when the Temple Mount Faithful Movement carried the cornerstone to the area in front of the wall and its historical gates and how the bulge had immediately started to appear. It was a clear message from G-d that the gates and walls should immediately be opened to the cornerstone and the starting of the rebuilding of the Temple. Exactly as His word states in the Psalms, the stone which the builders rejected became the head of the corner. Through this cornerstone G-d caused a political and spiritual earthquake in Israel, the Middle East and all over the world. In all the Arab countries models of the Temple that they built were burned and again the had illusions that they could prevent this major godly end-time event by such activities which again brought them to desecrate the Name of G-d. It is no accident that G-d caused the bulge and eventual collapse on the southern wall of the Temple Mount. This was the main entrance for pilgrims to the First and Second Temples and G-d is eager to open this wall and its gates to millions of pilgrims to the Third Temple.On Saturday, 24 August 2002, the anti-Israeli Islamic Movement in Israel brought 45,000 of its members to the Temple Mount and held a demonstration against the G-d and people of Israel. The Temple Mount Faithful Movement sent a message of protest to the Israeli authorities and asked them why they did not prevent this demonstration which again desecrated the holy site of the G-d of Israel. During the demonstration they incited the Arabs against the Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount and in Jerusalem and the land of Israel. They stated that the land of Israel is Palestine and that there is no place for the Jews on the Temple Mount or in Jerusalem and all of the land of Israel. They denied that the Temple Mount had been the site of the First and Second Temples and the godly historical heart and soul of the G-d and people of Israel. It was a terrible revolt by the followers of Yasser Arafat, the enemies of the G-d and people of Israel on the Temple Mount, against G-d and the eternal covenant that He made with Abraham and Israel when He gave the land of Israel to His people Israel only and gave them the Temple Mount and Jerusalem where they were to build His house. It was a rude lie against the history of the relationship and long link between G-d, Israel and the Holy Land; a history of thousands of years of the people of Israel who lived in this land since the time of Abraham and King David and built it to be the land of the G-d and people of Israel. The reaction of G-d came immediately. On the next day the archaeologists discovered that the size of the bulge had increased. This was again an immediate sign of the Hand of G-d and His judgement.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Gershon stated that we are now standing at the threshold of a new and decisive stage in the major, historical, prophetic, godly move for the redemption of the Temple Mount, the people and land of Israel and of all the world. We are now witnessing the final death throws of the cruel, foreign and vandalistic occupation of the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel. G-d will no longer suffer the continued desecration of His holy mountain. If the Israeli Government will not immediately stop the enemies occupation as G-d expects it to do, then G-d Himself will very soon stop it which He has already started to do. The bulge in the southern wall is the start of this irreversible move of G-d. The people of Israel and all the world cannot and will not succeed in running away from the Temple Mount and from the godly task of the people of Israel to immediately rebuild the house of G-d. The Temple Mount and the Temple will pursue them and the Temple will soon be rebuilt whether they want it or not. This is the hour decreed by the G-d of Israel.The collapse of security, the economy, the community, morality, the cruel terror attacks, the terrible carnage on the roads and the political and social instability all over the world are a result of the shameful ignoring of the Temple Mount and the call of G-d to the immediate rebuilding of the temple which will open a new godly era of morality in the life of all the world. Gershon called on the people of Israel and its leadership to heed the call of their G-d, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to join Him and His prophetic end-time redemptional move, to immediately purify the holy hill of G-d and to immediately build His house on the Temple Mount which will be the major tower of light for Israel and all the nations and a house of love and worship for the people of G-d and all the world. We are calling for the awakening of everyone for this major prophetic and godly end-time event in Israel and all over the world. Let us not miss the great godly opportunity which He privileged us to have at a very critical and exciting time in the history of Israel and all the world. Everyone in Israel and all over the world is called on to pray loudly the following Word of G-d to His prophet, Isaiah which has started to become reality and will soon be completed on the Temple Mount:

O Lord, you are my G-d; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things; your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For you have made of a city a heap; of a fortified city a ruin; a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be rebuilt. Therefore shall the strong people glorify you, the city of the terrible nations shall fear you. For you have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of tyrants was like a storm against the wall. You shall bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; as the heat is removed by the shadow of a cloud; so the song of tyrants shall be brought low. And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make to all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the covering that is cast over all the people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will destroy death for ever; and the Lord G-d will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the insult of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it. And it shall be said on that day, Behold, this is our G-d; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trampled down in his own place, like straw is trampled down in the dunghill. And he shall spread out his hands in the midst of them, as he who swims spreads out his hands to swim; and he shall bring down their pride together with the plunder of their hands. And the high fortifications of your walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.(Isaiah 25)

Battle Of The Bulge - Will the Wall Collapse?
by Honest Reporting 21 November 2002

This past week has seen tragic attacks at the Hebron holy site, and against innocent men, women and children on a Jerusalem bus. A new potential eruption is brewing in Jerusalem, and we want HonestReporting members to be prepared before anything happens.

For the third time in the past six years, Muslim authorities appear to be setting up a Temple Mount controversy as a pretense for violence against Israel. This time, however, it could come at the expense of the lives of thousands of Ramadan worshippers.As has been reported internationally during the past several months, Israeli archeologists have identified a 35-foot wide bulge near the southern end of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount. First noticed about two years ago, a political firestorm has erupted concerning whether the bulge actually is there, and who has the right and authority to make repairs.Genuine concern exists among archeologists concerning the structural integrity of the Temple Mount, and its ability to withstand the weight of the tens of thousands of worshippers currently congregating there for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. There's no doubt that it will collapse before long, Dr. Eilat Mazar, a Hebrew university archaeologist, said recently in The Guardian. The question is by how much, and whether it will bring down other structures nearby, including the Al Aqsa mosque.Of additional concern is the political position of the Waqf -- the Muslim authority given responsibility to maintain the Temple Mount area -- and their threats that if a collapse occurs, Israel will be directly to blame.Adnan Husseini, director of the Waqf, was interviewed in Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times. He said: "This is something that we are able to fix, but Israelis want to use this to create more tension in the atmosphere... Their real agenda is to take over the place.The Israeli government will be responsible if there are lives lost,he said.

Sounds all too familiar.

Similar refrains resonated at the onset of violence in September 2000 when Arabs rationalized their violence (since proved to be pre-meditated) on the visit of Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount. Four years earlier, Arab rioting broke out against the backdrop of the completion of an Israeli archeological tunnel running along the outside base of the western retaining wall. This tunnel never breached the Temple Mount itself, and sits hundreds of yards away from the Al Aqsa mosque -- actually pointing in the opposite direction.Nevertheless, Arab riots erupted based on claims that the tunnel was an Israeli attempt to undermine the Muslim mosques.The current damage to the southern retaining wall and subsequent bulge is attributed to a construction project started by the Waqf in 1999 to open a large mosque in a vault known as Solomon's Stables. In the process, some key structural supports were removed. Additionally, the laying of paving stones for the mosque may have created a drainage problem that has contributed to the bulge.There is another concern. An Israeli archeology committee claims that the Islamic authority is trying to eradicate archeological evidence that a Jewish Temple ever stood on the site, and that tons of priceless archeological relics have been hauled off and/or thrown away. This is one of the most serious archeological crimes ever committed in this country, Gabriel Barkai told Newsweek.

In the event of a collapse during this year's Ramadan or afterward, HonestReporting members should be keenly aware of the background facts, in order to analyze the accuracy of reporting.For the better part of 1,000 years, the Jewish Temple stood on the Mount, a huge, rectangular mountain-top courtyard closed in by four supporting walls. The most sanctified section of the Temple (the Holy of Holies) rested nearly perpendicular to the middle section of the western retaining wall of the mountain. The current Western Wall plaza sits adjacent to this section facing the outside of the retaining wall.A little more than 1,930 years ago, the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. The courtyard lay virtually barren until the Muslim conquest almost 600 years later and the subsequent construction of the Al Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock.Fast forward to the summer of 1967 and the Six Day War. Israel retook the Old City of Jerusalem -- Temple Mount included -- from the Jordanians who had exiled the Jews and assumed exclusive control 19 years earlier in Israel's War of Independence. In 1967, the Israelis, eager to restore the status quo and to show respect for Muslim holy sites, ceded political authority over the Temple Mount to the Waqf, thus beginning a tenuous relationship culminating with these current events.A temporary compromise in the battle of the bulge was reached last month, allowing a team of Jordanian engineers to inspect the wall and take samples back to Amman.As Gabriel Barkai told the Los Angeles Times: I'm not a prophet. I can't say exactly when, but there is no question that it will collapse. All you need is a big group to congregate up there for the equilibrium to start shifting. It's a matter of time.Daniel Pipes says: This disaster would lead at least to wide-scale fighting in Jerusalem and a heated international crisis. If things really went wrong, it could precipitate a wave of violence in Europe and a full-blown Arab-Israeli war. [Or] it could unleash an end-of-days messianism in three monotheistic religions, with unforeseeable consequences.Newsweek has termed this The Armageddon Wall.Stay tuned.

GALATIONS 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

U.S. Army To Buy $6 Million Of Riot Equipment - Will The Economic Crisis Lead To Civil Unrest? http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-3454-0-8-8--.html

The U.S. Army is to invest $6 million in riot equipment, a fact that has furthered fears that troops will be used inside the U.S. in order to quell any civil unrest resulting from the ongoing economic crisis.The U.S. Army Contracting Agency, based at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has a post on the Federal Business Opportunities website, requesting the equipment and has received several notices of interest from potential vendors.The request titled “84–RIOT EQUIPMENT” outlines the need for hard polyethylene Shin and Chest Guards, shock absorbing Forearm Protectors, Interior leg brace supports as well as knee and ankle protectors.The ACA asks that the equipment be able to safely withstand a substantial blow… from non-ballistic weapons or flying debris.

The Solicitation also states:

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 453998 with a small business size standard of $6M. This requirement is a [ Small Business ] set-aside and only qualified offerors may submit bids.Interested vendors include Irish Brigade inc., manufacturers of hunting and safety gear with facilities located in the heart of Kansas City , Missouri. Federal and Military resource company MCLEARVISION, LLC is another interested party, as is Kentucky based U. S. CAVALRY STORE, INC. In our article yesterday we highlighted the fact that Urban warfare training drills are taking place across the country as top analysts as well as officials predict a potential summer of rage across Europe and America as civil unrest from the economic fallout builds.Are such drills really for the purpose of preparing troops for foreign combat zones? Undoubtedly - but other factors indicate that the drills may very well also be aimed at preparing troops for dealing with mass civil unrest as the economic crisis worsens.There’s no question that U.S. authorities have been closely observing riots that have toppled governments in Iceland and Latvia and also threatened to do so in several other European countries. The fact that they have contingency plans in place to deal with such scenarios should they unfold in America cannot be disputed.Indeed, before a media exposé forced them into a denial, Northcom revealed that one of the duties of at least 20,000 active duty troops that are being placed inside the United States would be dealing with civil unrest and crowd control.

The U.S. Army War College in November released a white paper called Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development. The report warned that the military must be prepared for a violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States, which could be provoked by unforeseen economic collapse,purposeful domestic resistance,pervasive public health emergencies or loss of functioning political and legal order.The widespread civil violence, the document said,would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.

CIA Adds Economy To Threat Updates White House Given First Daily Briefing
By Joby Warrick Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 26, 2009; Page A04

The daily White House intelligence report that catalogs the top security threats to the nation has a grim new addition, reflecting the realities of the age: a daily update on the global financial crisis and its cascading effects on the stability of countries through the world. The first Economic Intelligence Briefing report was presented to the White House yesterday by the CIA, the agency's new director, Leon Panetta, revealed at a news conference. The addition of economic news to the daily roundup of terrorist attacks and surveillance reports appears to reflect a growing belief among intelligence officials that the economic meltdown is now preeminent among security threats facing the United States. We've seen the impact of a worldwide recession occur throughout the world, said Panetta, who described the agency's newest product at his first news briefing since his confirmation. Instigated at the request of the White House, the daily report will ensure that U.S. policymakers are not surprised by the aftershocks from bank failures and rising unemployment, he said.The spy agency is following worrisome trends in many corners of the globe, from East Asia to Latin America. In private meetings yesterday, Latin American intelligence officials warned their U.S. counterparts of a crisis spreading throughout the hemisphere, particularly in Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela, Panetta said.

Clearly, it's related: What happens in the economy, and what's happening as a result of that, is affecting the stability of the world,he said. Other key intelligence officials have raised similar alarms in other settings. The new director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, told a Senate panel this month that economic woes have largely replaced terrorism as the country's No. 1 security challenge. Blair repeated the theme yesterday in testimony before the House intelligence committee, noting that three European governments have fallen because of economic issues. Central and Eastern Europe are under tremendous strain, and much of Eurasia, Latin American and sub-Saharan Africa lack sufficient cash reserves and access to international aid, he said.Our analysis indicates that economic crisis increases the risk of regime-threatening instability if it continues for a one- or two-year period, Blair said. Instability can loosen the fragile hold that many developing countries have on law and order.The economic crunch adds to a formidable list of global concerns facing the new administration's security team. Panetta said the CIA continues to regard al-Qaeda as a serious threat, as the terrorist movement retains its stronghold along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and gains momentum in Somalia and Yemen.

TSX falls to five-year low, hurt by econ fears
By Frank Pingue MAR 6,09

TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's key stock index ended at its lowest closing level in five years on Friday, as early strength credited to a better-than-expected U.S. jobs report faded, replaced by fears about the severity of the economic downturn.The index, which fell as much as 2 percent to its lowest intraday level since October, 2003, pared much of its losses late in the session, as higher oil prices helped boost energy shares.But the rebound fell short and left the index just below the break-even level for the day as weakness in the technology, financial and materials sectors combined to more than offset the energy rally.BlackBerry maker Research In Motion , one of the key drags on the index, ended down 4.55 percent at C$46.60, insurer Manulife Financial fell 3.5 percent to C$9.65, and gold producer Goldcorp skidded 1.6 percent to C$37.82.We saw strength earlier in the day but it's been a familiar pattern where if you see some strength, the selling invariably starts and markets again trend lower, said Elvis Picardo, analyst and strategist at Global Securities in Vancouver.The big driver today was U.S. jobless numbers and at some points it seemed like the markets were taking that in stride, but that didn't last very long.The U.S. data showed 651,000 jobs lost in February, a huge number but fewer than some analysts had expected. Yet as the session wore on the data served as a reminder of the dire economic situation in Canada's largest trading partner.The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 37.70 points, or 0.49 percent, at 7,591.47. On the week it was down 6.3 percent.The market rallied early in the session, with the index up as much as 1.77 percent. It later fell to a five-year low of 7,479.96.Eight of the TSX's 10 sectors ended the session lower.

A more than 4-percent rise in the price of oil, a key Canadian export, helped the energy sector to a gain of 1.26 percent, by far the best-performing sector in the session.Suncor Energy shares rallied 4.39 percent to C$27.35, while Canadian Natural Resources ended up 3.18 percent at C$41.80.The TSX's only higher close during the past week came on Wednesday, but the 2-percent rally did not carry over into the next session, when it eventually relinquished all the gains.The decline over the past five days has been pretty staggering ... there's just continued bearishness and that theme hasn't changed,said Picardo. It's very hard to make a sustainable sort of advance given the level of pessimism.(Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)

Cashless system is now on the cards
Jim Campbell | 11th February 2009

flickr.com/LoopZillaBARRY Langton is 71 and has paid bills with cash his whole life.
So, you can imagine his surprise when a retail worker told him, We don't accept cash.
Mr Langton was paying a bill for a family member at the Grand Central Medibank Private retail centre on Monday.He couldn't believe it when the staff member told him his cash was no good.I thought the Aussie dollar was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad,Mr Langton joked yesterday.I just couldn't believe it. I've never had any trouble with cash in my whole life, not even in countries overseas.Mr Langton's wife Norma said she always thought cash was the best option.Not everyone has a card these days,she said.It's a bit tough when they don't want your cash.Medibank Private Queensland State manager John Rossdale said the decision to remove cash from the retail centres was based on a huge reduction in demand for the service. The vast majority of member transactions is conducted via electronic and telephone banking, he said.In saying that, we do understand that some of our members prefer to pay bills by cash and we have set up an arrangement with Australia Post.Mr Rossdale said members could pay their premiums with cash at any Australia Post office. They just need to take their renewal notice.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * * ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD Viewing the current crisis in light of Bible prophecy.

(Washington, D.C., March 6, 2009) -- From January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, Americans lost $6.9 trillion in wealth in the stock markets. Just since Barack Obama was elected, Americans have lost some $3 trillion in wealth, reports Investors' Business Daily, as the markets have plummeted some 30%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example, has collapsed from 9,625.28 on November 4, 2008 to 6,647.49 on March 4, 2009. Firesale prices are in effect - Citibank stocks are under $1 and General Motors shares are selling for less than $2 - as investors see major American financial and manufacturing behemoths on the brink of bankruptcy. Zoom out a bit, and we see the situation even more dire. Since the market's highs in October 2007, the DJIA is down some 50%. That means over the last 18 months, we have seen half the nation's wealth vanish into thin air. In the midst of all this, millions of Americans have lost their jobs. Small businesses are dying. Big businesses are dying. Credit is tight. Confidence is low. And people are anxious. Last weekend, I met with some evangelical Christian business leaders in Naples, Florida. They asked me what I thought the future held. I did not offer advice on how to win on Wall Street. But I did share with them a few thoughts from the Scriptures. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where theives break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where theives do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there is your heart also.

I asked the men, More tough times may be ahead. If some of you have lost 30% to 50% of your assets, what are your plans going forward? What if another 30% to 50% of your wealth vanishes, or is confiscated in a massive new tax increase? Would it not be better to invest some or all of that wealth in the kingdom of God now, where it is safe and secure, while you still have it? The Lord is shaking our country and purifying His Church. He is requiring all of us to reconsider what we value, where our treasure is, where our hearts are. He is preparing us to see Him face to face. And when we see Him, there will be a day of accounting. He will ask us what we did with the resources He entrusted to us. What, then, shall we say? The men also asked me, Where is the United States in End Times Bible prophecy? When I replied, The Bible makes no indication that the U.S. is a significant player in End Times prophecy, they responded,Why? What happens to us? I was honest with them, saying I don't know. I do believe we are living through the events Jesus talked about in Matthew 24 as signs of the last days before His return. That said, I don't know why the United States - the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth in the history of mankind - is not ever clearly mentioned in or clearly alluded to in Bible prophecy concerning the last days. I don't know because the Bible doesn't tell us. For the last several years, I have been explaining that we could be devastated by a nuclear war. We could be hit by a series of decapitating terrorist attacks. We could be hit by massive natural disasters. And/or we could face a series of economic disasters. Consider just two potential scenarios that could render the U.S. a non-factor in the last days:

Scenario #1: the U.S. could implode economically after the rapture. The rapture is an event described in I Thessalonians 4-5 when true followers of Jesus Christ are snatched away from the earth and meet Jesus Christ in the air at a time when the rest of the world has been saying there is peace and safety. How many Christ-followers in the U.S. would disappear in the twinkle of an eye, according to the Scriptures? We don't know for certain. It could be 10 million. It could be 25 million. It could be 50 million, 75 million, or more. The point is the rapture will have a devastating and irrecoverable impact on the U.S. in many ways. Consider, for example, how hard the American economy was hit when nearly 3,000 Americans were lost on 9/11/01. Now imagine the impact the loss of millions of Americans due to the rapture would have on the U.S. economy. You think we have a subprime mortgage crisis now? Imagine what the U.S. banking and real estate system will look like when millions of Christians disappear and are no longer here to pay their mortgages, or their credit card bills, or buy other goods and services. Our economy would implode, and suddenly America would no longer be the economic superpower it has been for a century.

Scenario #2: the U.S. economy could melt down in a Great Depression before the rapture. Such a melt down would emasculate our economic and military power and thus radically reduce our influence in the world. On October 16, 2008, I wrote about the implications of this financial apocalypse. Things have only worsened since then. I am praying that the Lord will have mercy on us. But we cannot rule out the possibility that the Lord will remove His favor from our nation and allow us to be rocked to our core economically. Decisive action should be taken to strengthen our economy and help American businesses small and large grow and create more jobs. But the President's hastily-crafted multi-trillion dollar spending plan will not save the day and revive our moribund economy. Most Members of Congress didn't even read the 1,100-plus page bill they voted in favor of, noted Sen. Frank Lautenberg, the New Jersey Democrat. The Obama administration was rushing through this massive and expensive bill without giving the people's representatives the time to read it and consider its merits. Why? The plan is essentially European socialism and risks making our economic situation worse, not better. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the real price tag of the bill is actually $3.27 trillion over the next ten years. The feverishness with which the White House and Congressional leadership are running up our national debt is unnerving. They are rushing so fast to spend an unheard of amount of money without giving the people of the country much less their elected representatives the opportunity to read it, study it, debate it, much less amend it. In the process, they are piling more than $3 trillion worth of crushing new debt on top of the more than $10 trillion of debt we're already handing over to our children.

What does the future hold? It's almost as if we can hear the ice cracking underneath our feet. I don't know if the Lord will allow us to plunge into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. I pray not. But humanly speaking, you and I have very little influence to stop the current course of events. So we must pray. We must to turn to the Lord and seek His mercy, His grace, His favor on our nation and our leaders, lest we see the current economic crisis take us into a financial death spiral. What's more, we must seek the Lord in pray - even with fasting - for wisdom to know how to invest the resources He has entrusted to us to kingdom work. Consider this excerpt from page 154 of Dead Heat : 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? Last point for now: even as we process the enormity of our own economic crisis, we need to keep our eye on the global economy as well. We need to be aware of just how much suffering and geopolitical instability is being created by this global financial crisis. Russia's stock market, for example, is down 75%. The value of the Russian currency - the ruble - is down about 30%. I believe we will see a terrible surge of anti-Semitism in Russia as a result. I believe many Russians will blame Jews for their economic troubles. They will blame America as well. The European economy, meanwhile, is experiencing the worst contraction in decades. Spain's economy, for example, is the worst in 15 years. Whom will Europeans blame? Will they turn against Israel and the U.S.? I suspect many will.

Shalom Stan,MAR 07,09

The festival of Purim is celebrated because of the Miracle God did 2,500 years ago in Persia(Iran). In Esther 3:12 it says, The government sent couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews – young and old, women and little children – on a single day, the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be
ready for that day.That was 2500 years ago, and today what is taking place in Iran is no different! It is Iran that has been supplying the missiles to Gaza which have been falling in Southern Israel for the past 8 years. When visiting family in Netiv Ha-Asara next to Gaza, you hear the bombs going off, it is frightful, but a part of everyday life. It is no longer in the news, but the rockets are still being launched. Every time a rocket comes into Israel, an alarm goes off to run to the bomb shelter.
Iran backs the terrorist organization Hamas which controls the government of Gaza, and Hezbollah. They all have one single goal - to wipe out the nation of Israel. However we know that God re-created Israel as a nation again in 1948, as fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 66:8.

Last month Iran launched its own rocket into space carrying a satellite that will be able to monitor Israel. It is of great concern a US State Department official said, as their technology is the same as a ballistic missile to which a nuclear warhead can be attached.Israeli intelligence knows that Iran is developing NUCLEAR warheads with the goal of aiming them at this tiny nation. Even though former President Bush called Iran the Axis of Evil, and Iran’s President has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map, President Obama may meet with the Iranian President seeking peace. However there will be no peace, as Satan is the enemy of Israel and he uses Islam to strike against the Apple of God’s Eye. The Jews in Persia (Iran) 2500 years ago fasted and prayed for three days to the God of Israel to deliver them from being wiped out. Stan, let’s celebrate this Biblical holiday of Purim together by praying for salvation of the Jewish people, so that they will be delivered from eternal death by knowing Yeshua. Every year we read the story of Purim, so I encourage you to read the whole story of Purim, which is the book of Esther. You will be drawn into an exciting story about an orphaned Jewish girl who was chosen to become the Queen of Persia (today known as Iran).About 470 years before the time of Yeshua (Jesus), this common Jewish girl was used mightily by God to save her people from annihilation.
Today, just like Esther, you can also help save the Jewish people. Esther saved them from their physical death, but YOU have a much greater purpose, by helping them find Yeshua so they can be saved for eternity!

Reaching the Jewish people in Iran with the Messianic Prophecy Bible

Stan, did you know that today there are 11,000 Jews still remaining in the fanatical Muslim nation of Iran? There is no freedom of religion in Iran today, and it is illegal to openly share the Gospel. However, we plan on translating our Messianic Prophecy Bible into Persian, to reach the 11,000 Persian Jews in Iran. We must share the Gospel if we are serious about our faith – it is a matter of eternal life! Yeshua speaks about the narrow gate to enter heaven, and that hell is awaiting those who do not believe in Him? Matthew 7:13 My friend, many will agree with me that we are living in the end-times, so today you can be a part of history as together we reach the Jewish people.On behalf of all the unsaved Jewish people here in Israel, I’m asking you to please give the best gift you can today for the production and Free distribution of this urgently-needed Prophecy Bible.

OUT of ZION Ministries A Messianic Ministry Based on Mt Carmel
Email: kiwi@netvision.net.il Website: www.out-of-zion.com The CARMEL ALERT March 6th 2009 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 : FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS - PURIM 2009
Esther 4:14-15 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?(NKJ)

Jews in Israel and around the world are once again preparing to celebrate the Festival of Purim - the remembrance of the story of how Esther saved her people from extinction at the hands of the demonically inspired Haman. Haman was just one in a line of many demonically inspired men who attempted to destroy the Jewish people and thus prevent Bible prophecy being fulfilled. Among the outstanding names are Pharoah, Haman, Antiochus Epiphanes, Herod, Titus and Hitler. Praise the Name of the Living God, they all failed ! The story of Purim is yet being celebrated by the Jewish people and since 1948, we have their own country to celebrate Purim in. I endeavour not to be unduly pessimistic or a warmonger but as this Purim approaches the scene looks horribly set for a major escalation in the situation here.My opinion is that the Hamas and even the Fatah leadership is purposely upping the stakes in their terrorism against Israel,in the hope that the Israeli government and military will be pushed over the limit. That is surgically taking out know terror activists and limited retaliation by means of pinpoint air-strikes on PA infrastructure, as in the recent war in the Gaza Strip. Keeping public and world opinion of Israel in mind, Israel has done the best to keep civilian deaths to an absolute minimum. If the Arabs can push Israel over this limit, to strike back in a major way, perhaps inflicting much injury and high loss of life ,they know this will swing world opinion against Israel and in favour of the Palestinians. Perhaps they even hope that this would also impel the UN and NATO to enter the fray, thus taking a major step towards th physical fulifllment of Zechariah 12:2 & 3

As we have just seen, It doesn't take much to swing the world against Israel and the Jewish people. The world is naturally anti-Semitic.That should not surprise or shock us as the Bible tells us the Satan is currently the god of this age (2 Cor 4:4) and the whole world lies under his influence (1 Jn 5:19) Satan very obviously hates Israel and the Jewish people, so it follows that so do those who are knowingly or unknowingly under his sway.Jews know that the world, at the very best, doesn't like us, and at the worst hates and despises us. For many Jewish people, this is a source of shame, and many behave in a traitor-like manner, in the hope of winning the approval of the world.As believers we ought to realise the root cause of the intense hatred of the Jews is not because of who or what we are, but because of who our very existence as people, testifies to.It has been reported that the last Russian Czar asked one of his advisors how he could prove the existence of God. The mans answered in two words - THE JEWS ! The Jewish people and Israel are a banner (Isa 11:12) to the world that God is who the Bible says He is and Satan hates us for it.He has been very successful in returning almost all of the once Christian nations, back to be heathen nations once again. And the heathen can't help but hate the Godly. The world also hates the on-fire Born-Again Christian, because they also testify of the same God - the God of Israel. Very soon the world, under the sway of the evil one will vent its demonically inspired wrath against the true sons and daughters of God.But for now it is Israel and the Jews who are the target of the Devil's hatred and wrath. The Churches turn is coming !

This is not a time to be fearful. This is a time to work with the Lord as He brings this present evil age to its climax.Like Esther, we have all come to the kingdom "for such a time as this.Those who regularly receive our update will have heard me say this before, but I truly believe it and will continue to preach it. I sense a call to continually remind and inspire the people of God to be about the Father's business - the business of restoration and protection of Israel and the Jewish people as the Father prepares to supernaturally reveal His Son, The Messiah, to them. (Zechariah 12:10) and to re-establish His Kingdom on the Earth - in Jerusalem, the undivided capital city of Israel.As Purim approaches, I want to repeat the challenge to be Esther's - to fulfill the purpose and the destiny for which you have come to the kingdom at this time. The world is closing in on Israel and for that matter, on the true Church.Did you know that several countries have now passed laws calling churches or groups with less that a stipulated number of members, a cult. And we have seen how the authorities deal with cults at the Waco and Ruby Ridge massacres in the USA. Under Barack Obama it will be worse - much worse ! Now is very definately the time to be like Esther, to allow the Spirit of The Lord of Hosts who resides within you, to rise up and empower you to go before the kings and plead on Israel's behalf. There needs to be heard many multitudes of voices speaking to, and for God on Israel's behalf.It is actually a lot easier for us than it was for Esther.She had to go before a real king at the risk of her life.We all know those famous words she spoke I will go before the king, and if I perish, I perish (Esther 5:16)Now is not the time to remain silent.God forbid that we would be amongst those of whom it was said, for if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.(Esther 5:14) Lets pray and intercede spiritually, and lets intercede in the natural whenever there is an opportunity to speak up on God's and on Israel's behalf. If Josie and I can assist you in any way with information or resources, please do not hesitate to email us. We are here to serve and bless you all as best we can.

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.

Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie.

Pick your poison, Israel
By Ted Belman

Israel must decide whether to attack Iran or not and whether to accept the Saudi Plan or not. In both cases Israel has to pick her poison.

The Iranian threat

Israel has already decided to attack Iran with the intention of setting back the nuclear program by a few years. Likud, Kadima and Labour seem to be in agreement.

Such an attack will be very difficult, giving the distance to Iran and the lack of any agreement to traverse anyone’s airspace. Israel originally hoped to get American approval to fly through Iraq’s air space. But now that the US has signed an Agreement with Iraq giving them control of the airspace, this is not an option. But all is not lost. Should Israel violate Iraq’s airspace, Iraq has no means to prevent such incursion. They have no airforce and no missile system to oppose it. I am not aware of any term of the agreement which would obligate the US to act on their behalf.

Israel will have to decide whether to include any nuclear bombs to ensure greater destruction and whether to attack the Revolutionary Guards, the parliament and the home of the Mullahs. They way I see it, in for a penny, in for a pound. In either case the Iranian response will be the same. It would be great if Israel could capture an airport to enable Israel to land troops to be used to finish off certain facilities. I do not know if this is militarily possible. but if it is, Israel is no doubt considering it.

No doubt Israel would also bomb Kharg Island which is Iran’s largest oil loading terminal accounting for most of its oil exports and revenue.The response will sure result in many Jewish, Israeli and American targets being attacked all over the world. Edwin Black in his article The Iran-Israel nuclear endgame is now much closer. writes

THE CONSEQUENCES for this confrontation are apocalyptic because Iran’s full partner in this enterprise is Russia. The Russian company Atomstroiexport has provided most if not all of the nuclear material for the 1,000 megawatt Bushehr reactor, along with thousands of technicians to service and operate it. Following its invasion of Georgia, Moscow forged ahead with final delivery plans for the S-300 advanced air defense system which can track scores of IAF airborne intruders simultaneously, whether low-level drones or high-altitude missiles, and shoot them down. But the S-300, the linchpin of Iran’s defense against Israel, will not be fully operational for several months, creating a narrow window for Israel to act. Indeed, Russia has just announced a pause in missile deliveries for the system in fear that it will accelerate an Israeli response. Iran, of course, has repeatedly threatened to counter any such attack by closing the Strait of Hormuz, as well as launching missiles against the Ras Tanura Gulf oil terminal and bombarding the indispensable Saudi oil facility at Abqaiq which is responsible for some 65 percent of Saudi production. Any one of these military options, let alone all three, would immediately shut off 40% of all seaborne oil, 18% of global oil, and some 20% of America’s daily consumption.

Once the attack begins, Israel will be inundated with rockets from Lebanon, Gaza and probably Syria. It will thus use the planes not active in the Iranian attack to devastate these locations. A substantial mobilization is not out of the question as land forces will probably be ordered into Gaza and Lebanon.

World opinion and pressure will be ignored.

Israel will be considered the aggressor and most of the world community will not accept that Israel was acting in self-defense. The hatred of Israel and Jews will know no bounds except that privately many will be pleased.Such a war will deplete Israel’s munitions and it will be in need of resupply. Will America stand by and refuse to resupply Israel as she has done in the past, notably in the Yom Kippur War. At that time Kissinger withheld supplies in order to make Israel more compliant in the peace process to follow. The same thinking would apply here. To make matters worse, Egypt, with American connivance, might mass troops on its borders if not actually invade.On the other hand, if Israel declines to preempt and waits to be attacked first as she did in the Yom Kipper War, she will be at a decided disadvantage except in the PR war. If the attack on Israel takes the form of a dirty nuclear bomb or the use of chemical or biology weapons, Israel will suffer enormous losses thereby diminishing her ability to respond to the provocation.To my mind, Israel must decide how likely such an attack is and act accordingly. It may be that Iran prefers to bleed Israel by a thousand cuts, or should I say rockets, rather than invite massive retaliation. Israel chose to endure eight years of sporadic rocket attacks from Gaza as the lesser evil to invading Gaza. Israel could likewise decide if future rocket attacks are endurable..

Either way, its poison.The peace process

Here too, Israel must decide to accept the Saudi Plan or reject it

Kadima and Labour favour the former, though the last government tried to get the PA to accept a return of 93% of the land and forgo the right of return but there was no takers. Thus only the Saudi Plan with a return to the armistice lines and a just solution to the refugee problem will suffice to get a deal. This would involve the removal of over 100,000 Jews from Judea and Samaria. The Saudi Plan also requires Israel to return the Golan to Syria. Only after all this transpires will the Arab world discuss what they meant by their offer of normalization.Also Iran remains an obstacle to such a deal. Its proxy, Hamas will never agree to a permanent peace with Israel or to recognized borders for Israel. The Quartet is now working to bring Hamas into the PA ostensibly as a junior partner. In reality Hamas will dominate.The only thing Israel will get from such capitulation is borders which are recognized by the world even if not by Hamas and Iran. Such recognition though isn’t necessarily dependable. The world recognized the borders of Palestine, as it then was, in the Palestine Mandate. Such recognition was soon abandoned. The world also accepted the requirement for secure borders in Resolution 242 otherwise known as defensible borders” but who but Netanyahu talks about that now.But we are not done yet. Israel will be demanding that Palestine be demilitarized. Fat chance. She is currently demanding that Hamas not be allowed to rearm. Hamas has made it clear that it will never give up its right to do so. So it is safe to say that Israel will not be able to keep the West Bank demilitarized. Even if the PA would agree to it, the PA has never kept an agreement to date. So much for the value of a signed piece of paper.

The agreement will provide for a corridor connecting the West Bank with Gaza. Aside from the security risk this represents, it would allow for Gazans to move from Gaza to the West Bank thereby transferring the Gaza radicalism and population density to the West Bank. In addition, perhaps a million refugees from refugee camps in the surrounding countries will return to the new State of Palestine. How can the West Bank with its limited land and water resources sustain such a population? How can such a state be viable. This instability will be used as a tool to further destroy Israel.Israel will also want the PA to agree that Palestine will not enter into defense treaties with other Arab countries. This they will not agree to.After all is said and done, what is to stop rockets from raining down on Israel from the West Bank. Nothing.Who is to say that the Arabs will ever make peace with Israel? The Muslims are taking over Europe through intimidation made easier due to liberalism. The Seeds of Liberalism is one of the many articles attesting to this. In fifty years there will be nothing left of the Europe that we once knew. So why should the Arabs accept any less a fate for Israel.It is for these reasons that Netanyahu is putting his hopes on economic development as a means to stabilize the West Bank. He is thinking of giving the Palestinians limited sovereignty, otherwise known as autonomy, rather than full sovereignty. But the Palestinians have rejected economic development time and time again. They prefer to eradicate the occupation which includes Israel. They will be aided and abetted in this project by Israel’s Arab fifth column.The Obama administration has accepted the idea of economic development but not as a substitute for diplomatic progress. It is careful to always say it wants a secure Israel to result. But few believe that capitulation by Israel will make it more secure.

Israel could also decide to follow the National Union’s plan to annex Judea and Samaria together with its 1.4 million Arabs. In the expanded Israel, Jews would outnumber Arabs by a ratio of 2:1 Citizenship would be available to these Arabs, over an extended period, say 15 years, giving time for detoxification, subject to certain prerequisites. These include loyalty oaths, knowledge of Hebrew, national service and so on. Of course all terrorists and their huggers would have to be expelled.Prior to the annexation, Israel would pass a constitution declaring Israel to be a Jewish state. Such constitution would perhaps provide for two houses of government and would require super majorities to pass any changes to fundamental things.The local governments would be given as much responsibility or autonomy as they can responsibly handle. There would be zero tolerance for incitement. Everyone would be equal before the law. In fact this was what was envisioned by the League of Nations in the Palestinian Mandate passed in 1922 which gave the Palestinians civil and religious right but not political rights.Very few refugees would be permitted to return to the expanded Israel. Gazans would be left high and dry to fend for themselves. It would be best if Israel could get American approval to such a plan but that is unlikely. So Israel would have to go it alone. Just as she annexed Jerusalem without international approval, she could annex Judea and Samaria. This is simply done by extending Israeli law to these territories in replacement of occupation law. The word annexation need not come up. The occupation would then come to an end.Oslo and the peace process have given the Palestinians hope of destroying Israel and this hope has fuelled the resistance. Kill the hope, you kill the resistance. As Palestinian nationalism dies, the fifth column in Israel will also evaporate. Then Israel can focus on creating a just society.If Israel chooses this path she will have to contend with an irate world and probably sanctions. But in time things will settle down. As more and more Arabs earn citizenship, the opposition to the annexation will diminish.As much as Israelis would love to include Judea and Samaria within their borders, they are very reluctant to include another 1.4 million Arabs within her borders. Given their experience with Arabs consisting of 20% of the current population and the experience of European countries in contending with as little as 10% Muslim minority, they are very reluctant to contend with a 33% Arab minority. There is much opposition to doing so. In fact Yisrael Beiteinu wants to give land away together with its Arab inhabitants in order to reduce the 20% minority of Arabs. Israel must chose between more land and a higher minority percentage or less land and a lower percentage. In the former case there would be no need to negotiate borders or divide Jerusalem. In the latter case Israel would be enabling a hostile Arab state to be created looming over the Israeli coastline.Either way, Israel, pick your poison.Ted Belman.

From The TimesMarch 7, 2009 Mikhail Gorbachev denounces power of Vladimir PutinTony Halpin ,Moscow Mikhail Gorbachev lashed out at Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party yesterday, comparing it to the worst of the Soviet Union’s Communist regime.

Mr Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader before the Communist superpower collapsed in 1991, also attacked Russia’s parliament and court system in some of his most outspoken criticisms of the country’s rulers. Mr Putin created United Russia as a support base for his power vertical, which centralised political authority in his hands as President. Now the Prime Minister, he leads the party – although he has refused to become a member – and controls Russia’s parliament because it holds two thirds of its seats. The majority is big enough to change Russia’s constitution and overturn a decision to sack Mr Putin should President Medvedev be rash enough to try. United Russia, known as the party of power, a description once used of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, also controls all regional legislatures.

China-US co-op a must for global recovery: WB head(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-06 23:59

WASHINGTON -- For the world's economy to recover, the United States and China must cooperate and become the engine for the Group of 20, the head, and the chief economist of the World Bank said on Friday.Without a strong G2, the G20 will disappoint,Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, and Justin Yifu Lin, chief economist and senior vice president of the bank, said in an article published in The Washington Post.The root cause of broader global payment imbalances is structural: over-consumption in the United States and over-saving in China, they said.For the United States, the consumption boom was fueled by bubbles in stocks and housing. This was accompanied by a collapse in the US savings rate. For China, the savings surplus is a result of structural distortions in the financial, corporate and resource sectors.A revaluation of China's currency - a change in relative prices - is not the primary tool for addressing these structural problems and the imbalances they have produced,they said.They pointed out that the economic diplomacy between the United States and China should focus on two other areas.First, the two countries should join forces to prevent a protracted global recession. Both countries have announced stimulus packages. The United States is again relying on boosting consumption, and China is again channeling funds to investment.

While this is a natural response to the immediate concerns, over time the United States must boost savings and investment while China increases consumption, not just capacity.Second, the strategic economic dialogue between China and the United States should focus on how to reduce the structural consumption-savings imbalances in both economies.To achieve its leaders' goal of building a harmonious society, China needs to improve its income distribution.The next stage of Chinese reforms should boost social security protection, wages, service-sector efficiencies, and green resource-pricing and businesses - all of which can increase consumption and imports.The United States, in turn, must rebalance saving and consumption. It cannot afford a return to the days of maxing out credit cards to finance unfettered consumption. It must regain control over expanding budget deficits, which are driven largely by entitlement spending.The imbalances in the Chinese and US economies can only be tackled gradually,they said, yet they must be addressed.A recovery based on boosting US consumption and providing easy money financed by overseas savings would result in a repeat of mistakes, with dangerous consequences for global markets and politics, they said.Even as the United States and China lead the way toward today's solution, they need to be shaping tomorrow's world economy,they said.

Canadian PM Defines His Idea Of Success In Afghanistan MAR 6,09

(RTTNews) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday he believes that NATO efforts in Afghanistan must be evaluated in terms of the success achieved by coalition troops on pushing back Taliban insurgency, which would in turn allow alliance members to launch more efficient developmental activities in the war-torn country.We have to define what victory means in Afghanistan. I don't think victory realistically can mean international or western forces under NATO eliminating every last vestige of the insurgency,Harper told reporters on Friday.I think what is realistic is that we would considerably push back the insurgency, which has happened in much of the country, that we diminish the security threats significantly enough that we can kick-start a much more effective effort on development and aid, and put the responsibility for day-to-day security of Afghanistan in the hands of the Afghan forces themselves,he added.He also said that the Canadian policy in Afghanistan has always been to combine defense, diplomacy and development and added that Canada is now in a position to put a greater emphasis on making the transition we want to make in 2011.Harper's remarks on Friday follows his earlier comments in an earlier interview that the United States and its allies would never defeat the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan.

Presently, Canada has some 2,700 troops in Afghanistan's Kandahar province as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force fighting the Taliban insurgency in the war-torn country. It is estimated that 111 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the country's mission there began in 2002. The Canadian mission in Afghanistan is to end in 2011.For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
2009 RTTNews.com, Inc.

EU says SKorea trade talks at crucial point 7-Mar-2009 02:59 hrs

EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton of Great Britain is pictured in February 2009. EU negotiations with South Korea on a sweeping free trade pact have entered a final crunch period, with talks due to resume later this month, a European Commission spokesman said Friday.EU negotiations with South Korea on a sweeping free trade pact have entered a final crunch period, with talks due to resume later this month, a European Commission spokesman said Friday.After two years of negotiations, we are at a crucial point and close to closing the deal,an EU spokesman said.With a little bit more negotiation and the right political will we will be able to complete this.After a delay of several weeks, chief negotiators are now due to make a final push in an eighth round of talks on March 22-23 in Korea before negotiations move up to ministerial level to conclude.The pact would go farther than all other free trade agreements the European Union has, scrapping tariffs on 97 percent of trade between Europe and South Korea within five years of entering into force.European car makers called for a halt in the negotiations last month, arguing the European Union risked getting too little from South Korea in return for granting it full access to European markets.The BusinessEurope employers association wrote to EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton this week voicing the concerns of some sectors that Seoul would be able to keep a duty drawback scheme indefinitely.Under such a scheme, Korean car manufacturers are refunded for duties paid on cheap imported parts from China when they build cars for the the European market.

A European Commission source said on condition of anonymity that the auto sector was one of three industries on which important progress had been made along with pharmaceuticals and consumer electronics.However, the commission source was doubtful that the duty drawback issue could be solved by the chief negotiators because the Koreans were insisting on keeping it.Despite the opposition of European car makers, the source said that not a single member state has said that it would not be a good idea to conclude an agreement, while acknowledging that a number had expressed concerns. — AFP