GOV BLOCKING RADIATION PREVENTION TREATMENT

U.S. Government Blocking Americans From Obtaining Potassium Iodide? Doctor refuses to prescribe drug after conversation with CDC; Amazon.com imposes one month waiting period as supplies sell out on back of panic buying Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com Tuesday, March 15, 2011

U.S. health authorities could be blocking Americans from obtaining the radiation-fighting drug potassium iodide, even as the threat of a radioactive cloud from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant affecting the United States prompts panic buying, which has led to stocks of the drug running out across the country.High strength potassium iodide is a once-a-day-pill than protects the thyroid gland from radiation and cancer caused by radioactive iodine. There are also weaker liquid forms of the drug that provide less protection, but supplies of these are also running low.A caller to The Alex Jones Show today related how he tried to obtain potassium iodide via prescription from his doctor having failed to buy it over the counter due to stocks being completely exhausted.Yesterday afternoon (roughly 1400PST), the Urgent Care in Ventura, California, denied me a prescription for KI (potassium iodide): an over the counter, salt, writes Michael (surname withheld). The reason for denying me a prescription was predicated upon the Doctors conversation, with both CDC and DHSC representatives, whom discouraged it. After asking her if she took government orders, she replied, No, but I do take their recommendations.As KI is unavailable in Ventura right now and I was unable to get a prescription, which the pharmacy required, I am still without a supply of KI, adds Michael.The U.S. government has so far refused to stockpile supplies of the drug despite the threat of a nuclear disaster nearing the scale of Chernobyl.

The federal government has never purchased enough to meet that standard, reports CNN. There is currently only enough of the medication available for populations living within 10 miles of nuclear reactors in the United States, according to U.S. officials.We are also receiving other unconfirmed reports that certain chemists and health stores that do have small amounts of the drug are refusing to sell it to customers, citing the excuse that it could be used for the production of methamphetamine.As we documented in our earlier article, stocks of the drug are all but exhausted across the United States, with packets of 14 tablets selling for around $300 dollars on eBay. We have received scores of emails and calls from Alex Jones Show listeners who cannot find potassium iodide anywhere.The massive surge in sales of the drug has been driven by the worsening nuclear crisis in Japan and reports that the radiation cloud now starting to affect Tokyo and other areas could reach the west coast of the United States within a week.Meanwhile, the panic buying that has gripped online health retailers as well as stores across America has prompted Amazon.com to issue an email to every customer who tries to purchase potassium iodide, noting how the situation in Japan has, rightfully unnerved the masses, in America.We have been inundated with thousands of orders for Potassium Iodide, from all corners of the world. The warehouse stock and the manufacturer’s warehouse were emptied on the weekend. The manufacturer is trying to make more of these tablets to meet demand but our waiting period is expected to be at least one month at this stage,states the email.Amazon is encouraging its customers to purchase Thyroshield, a liquid form of Potassium Iodide, instead of the stronger potassium iodide. Only potassium iodide at a minimum strength of 130 mg is guaranteed to completely protect against radioactive fallout, although weaker liquid forms will go some way to offering protection against low doses of radiation.It is important to stress that high-strength potassium iodide of the 130 mg or above variety should only be taken in a nuclear fallout emergency and not under any other circumstances.

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,(WORLD SOCIALISM) 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/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS WED MAR 16,2011

09:30 AM -2.43
10:00 AM -51.58
10:30 AM -57.41
11:00 AM -66.23
11:30 AM -119.36
12:00 PM -152.20
12:30 PM -151.41
01:00 PM -144.22
01:30 PM -188.88
02:00 PM -198.07
02:30 PM -217.75
03:00 PM -164.38
03:30 PM -218.92
04:00 PM -242.12 11,613.30

S&P 500 1256.88 -24.99

NASDAQ 2616.82 -50.51

GOLD 1,397.00 +4.20

OIL 98.34 +1.16

TSE 300 13,524.80 -22.10

CDNX 2131.38 +1.17

S&P/TSX/60 780.58 -1.92

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -57 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -194 points at low today.
Dow +2 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,400.30.OIL opens at $98.40 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -290 points at low today so far.
Dow +2 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -290 points at low today.
Dow +2 points at high today.

GOLD ALLTIME HIGH $1,444.00 (NOT AT CLOSE)

CRUDE OIL +1.75 MILLION BARRELS
GASOLINE -4.2 MILLION BARRELS
DISTILLATE INVENTORIES -2.6 MILLION BARRELS
REFINERY UTILIZATION

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

MEP concerns are no setback for Mercosur deal, negotiator says
ANDREW WILLIS 15.03.2011 @ 15:26 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A strongly worded resolution from MEPs this month outlining their concerns over agriculture does not represent a setback for EU-Mercosur trade talks, the EU's chief negotiator has said. The comments come as a fresh round of negotiations between the European Commission and the South American trade bloc which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay gets underway in Brussels this week (14-18 March).We are aware of the concerns, but we have also received many letters of support, Joao Aguiar Machado told EUobserver in an interview on Tuesday. I don't think the resolution is a setback. I'm not minimising it, but it certainly doesn't represent a reduction in the commission's commitment to a deal, the commission's deputy director for trade said.The prospect of a free-trade agreement with two of the world's largest agricultural producers has raised hackles elsewhere in Europe however, with an own-initiative resolution from Greek centre-right MEP Georgios Papastamkos last week gaining widespread support.In the resolution, euro-deputies criticised what they said was the commission's tendency to conclude trade agreements without taking into consideration the very negative impact these can have on the EU's agricultural sector.

The MEPs also said an impact assessment should be carried before trade talks start, and called on the commission not to pre-emempt decisions on the EU's reformed common agricultural policy post 2013.Under the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament has co-ratification powers with EU member states on all international trade agreements negotiated by the commission.Earlier efforts to negotiate a free trade deal between the two sides broke down in 2004, with a commission decision last year to restart the negotiations drawing fire from ten EU member states.The group, led by France, said the resumption of talks sent a highly negative signal to Europe's struggling farm sector, while the commission defends a future deal as having clear economic benefits for both sides.Supporters point to Latin America's six percent growth rate last year, citing increased trade and investment between Europe and the South American bloc as helping to end the EU's current economic malaise.An EU trade agreement with Mexico in 2000 saw trade increase by 100 percent over the first five years, with investment increasing by 120 percent, says the commission.European farms groups are worried however that reduced tariffs and greater market access under an EU-Mercosur agreement would see Europe flooded with cheap beef imports, among other products.

If trade is fully liberalised between the two sides, it is estimated that it would result in losses to the EU beef sector of as much as €25 billion, European farm lobby group Copa-Cogeca said in a recent letter to EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos.EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht has indicated he would like to see the Mercosur negotiations initialed before the end of this year, with issues of market access not on the agenda of this week's discussions.It's clear that we have a window of opportunity that will not last for ever,says Aguiar Machado. Today all our regions are too small to face up to the challenge of China alone.

EU to stress test the bloc's nuclear energy plants
ANDREW WILLIS 15.03.2011 @ 19:34 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU member states have agreed to a series of Europe-wide stress tests on the region's nuclear power plants, EU energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger has said. The decision was taken at a meeting of member state, industry and national regulatory officials in Brussels on Tuesday (15 March), hastily convened by the German commissioner following events in Japan.We want to organise a series of tests, very comprehensive tests throughout the Union ... We also want tests for our partner states, our neighbours, Oettinger told journalists after the meeting. The tests are likely to assess the risks that earthquakes, tsunamis, terror attacks and power cuts pose to European nuclear plants. Other variables are set to include the suitability of cooling systems and operational activities, the requirements for back-up systems, and overall plant design.EU examinations will be carried out before the end of this year, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreeing to take the matter up at the G20 level, said Oettinger.He added that EU leaders meeting in Brussels next week were also likely to discuss the issue of nuclear safety.

Decisions on whether to use nuclear energy are taken by individual EU member states. At present there are roughly 150 reactors in the 27-member bloc, spread over roughly half as many nuclear power plants.On Monday the German government decided to delay plans to extend the life of seven nuclear plants until an independent review is carried out. Johannes Teyssen, CEO of E.ON, one of Europe's largest energy companies, said the decision did increase energy supply risks in the country, but added that the seven plants were small compared to others.Teyssen added that placing a moratorium on extending the life of nuclear power plants produced before 1980, the criterion used in Germany, did not make sense on a Europe-wide basis. It was not a design-change year, he told reporters after attending Tuesday's meeting. Other countries including France, Spain and Italy have said they are unlikely to reduce their reliance on nuclear energy.EU member states are required to comply with a 2009 EU directive of nuclear safety standards, with the deadline for full implementation set for July of this year. A lack of EU competence means the stress tests will be carried out on a voluntary basis.Over the course of the next week we in the commission will organise further meetings to come up with proposals for how and when stress tests with common standards and criteria can be carried out for purposes of safety in the light of knowledge gleaned from the terrible events in Japan, said Oettinger.We will want to use the best criteria from member states. The specifics of the test will be different from plant to plant ... obviously plants on the coast will be tested for tsunami resistance more than those at higher altitudes ... but the tests will be carried out at EU level.

SHOULD RELIGIOUS PARTIES JOIN LIKUD
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142917
NETANYAHU IS ALREADY DIVIDING JERUSALEM
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142916

Uruguay recognizes Palestine statehood
MAR 16,11

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Uruguay has joined a string of South American nations in recognizing an independent Palestinian state.A Foreign Ministry statement says Uruguay has communicated its decision to the Palestinian Authority.However the statement does not explicitly say whether the country recognizes Palestine's borders predating the Six-Day War of 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza.

Foreign Ministry officials declined Tuesday to clarify the matter.More than a half-dozen countries in South America have recognized Palestine recently, though in different ways.Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay recognized the pre-1967 borders.Chile and Peru said the issue must be worked out between Israelis and Palestinians.

Lieberman in Itamar: We're Committed to the Security of Israelis
by Elad Benari MAR 16,11

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Itamar on Tuesday, following a request by Shomron Mayor Gershon Mesika. Lieberman’s visit was aimed at strengthening the community of Itamar following the brutal murder on Friday night of five members of the Fogel family.During the visit, Lieberman was shown by Mesika the room in the Fogel home where the terrorists entered. He then went inside the house and was shown by Mesika the picture that hung on the living room wall of the synagogue in Netzarim, the community from which the Fogel family was expelled during the 2005 expulsion from Gush Katif.Lieberman and Mesika moved from room to room in the house, seeing the traces of blood that still remained on the floor, on the walls and on the furniture.You see the sign on the door which says Congratulations on the birth of a baby, and then you go inside and see this pogrom, a shocked Lieberman told reporters after visiting the home. Things of which we’ve read about only in books are found right here in the heart of this Jewish community.It is the state’s duty to ensure the security of Israeli residents, continued Lieberman. There is no doubt that the state failed in this case. The most important thing to be understood here is that all those who call on the State of Israel to return to the '67 borders [1949 Armistice Lines –ed.], mean that Hamas will rule here. Exactly the same process that happened in Gaza will happen again here in Samaria.

He added: I sincerely hope that the murderers will be in our hands soon and we will bring them to justice. The failure that happened here should not happen elsewhere. I must express my admiration for the residents of Itamar. I do not know of any other place which had so many victims. 22 residents of Itamar have been killed. This cannot be repeated. We are committed to the security of Israeli citizens before anything else.Lieberman also criticized the Palestinian Authority. One who talks about bloodshed, hatred and murder - you cannot talk to him about peace. Even in the political sphere we need to learn the lessons from this incident.He added that in his opinion the terrorists who carried out the massacre should not be put to death. Revenge is not the guideline by which we want to act. We need to act in a level-headed manner and with determination, he said. Israel is a nation which has laws and is one of the best democracies in the world.Mesika, who also spoke, criticized the government's policy plans: Unfortunately all the discussions about withdrawal from lands are detached from reality and are what caused the criminal terrorists to carry out the massacre. The separation fence has not been completed, all because of political reasons. The Arab trees near the partial fence that has already been built are what hid the terrorists who had infiltrated the community.Mesika said that the government must return to the correct Zionist values, fight terrorism and renew the building momentum throughout the land of Israel.(IsraelNationalNews.com)

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 (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

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.


Expert: Expect PA to Name a Square for Itamar Murderers
by David Lev MAR 15,11

The IDF is still searching for the perpetrators of last Friday's terror murders in Itamar, and the Palestinian Authority, which has condemned the murders of the five members of the Fogel family as inhuman, says that it is cooperating fully with Israel in tracking down the murderers. But while the PA condemns the most recent attack, it has been providing awards and recognition to the terrorists who carried out the last terror attack in Itamar, in 2002, among many others.It is that recognition, says Itamar Marcus of Israel Media Watch, that created an atmosphere in which terrorist murders could slaughter a three month old infant in cold blood, and expect to be applauded on the Palestinian street for such a barbaric attack. It's not just an issue of incitement, but the creation of a whole society that presents murderers of Israelis as heroes worthy of emulation, Marcus told Arutz 7. It's not just the media, that is just one aspect of the problem, he said. It's the naming of squares, streets, sport tournaments, summer camps, and so much more after terrorists. It's the continuing visits by the PA Minister in charge of terrorists in Israeli jails to the mourning tents of Arabs killed after they carried out a successful terror attack. And it's the continued presentation of Israel as the enemy in PA textbooks and classroom materials.

As evidence for his claims, Marcus presents a long list of awards, rewards, and honors presented by the PA in honor of terrorists who carried out murderous attacks on Israelis. For example, on March 9 – just two days before the massacre in Itamar – PA chief Mahmoud Abbas' advisor Sabri Saidam delivered a speech in which he emphasized that the PA's weapons must be turned against Israel, and suggested naming a square in the town of El-Birteh after Dalal Mughrabi, one of the perpetrators of 1978 coastal highway massacre. Two days earlier, the PA's Al Hayat Al-Jadida, published an item to the effect that the management of a youth club in Ramallah planned to hold a soccer tournament in memory of Wafa Idris, a suicide bomber. And in January, the Governor of Jenin issued a grant worth $2,000 to the family of Khaldoun Samoudi, a terrorist who was killed while trying to detonate two bombs against IDF soldiers at the Beka'ot Crossing.Speaking at a government meeting this week on PA incitement, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanuyahu said that regrettably, we see the PA awarding scholarships to the families of murderers. We see that they name squares after terrorists who murdered dozens of Israelis. These do not jibe with education for peace.Marcus advised Israelis not to take the PA's condemnation of the latest terror attack too seriously.They felt that this time they had to pay lip service to condemn the attack because of its particular barbarity, he said.What's important to remember is that soon, a public square or summer camp will be named for these terrorists.(IsraelNationalNews.com)

IDF Navy Seizes Ship Filled With Arms on way from Syria to Egypt
by Aryeh Ben Hayim MAR 15,11

This afternoon, the IDF announced that the Victoria, a German owned, French operated and Liberian flagged vessel, was apprehended 200 miles off the Israeli coast by the IDF Navy. It was carrying arms from the port of Latakia in Syria to Alexandria in Egypt via Turkey. The IDF Navy fighters, in an operation reminiscent of earlier ship seizures, met with no resistance. The assumption is that the arms were intended for the Hamas in Gaza and would reach them via the smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.The ship and crew have been towed to an Israeli port for continued questioning and inspection. 3 crates of arms were found on the deck and the inspection of the remaining hundreds of crates in the ship's cargo is expected to reveal that this was merely the tip of the iceberg.Brigadier General Avi Bnayahu, the IDF spokesperson, said to Israel Army Radio apparently we will find more evidence of the Iran, Syria, Hezbollah axis. The official announcement claimed that there was no Turkish involvement in the shipment, provoking speculation that Israel was cautious not to further inflame its troubled relations with the AKP Islamic Party government of Turkey.The IDF pledged to continue its intelligence and operational activity to protect Israeli security and prevent an arms injection that would empower terror in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

The MInistry of Foreign Affairs announced: This attempt at smuggling large amounts of weaponry aboard the Victoria provides additional proof of Israel’s imperative need to examine all goods entering the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Israel cannot allow weapons and military equipment to reach the hands of terrorists, who will use them against its civilian population.(IsraelNationalNews.com)

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.

Tsunami killed thousands of seabirds at Midway
-MAR 15,11

HONOLULU – Thousands of seabirds were killed when the tsunami generated by last week's massive earthquake off Japan flooded Midway, a remote atoll northwest of the main Hawaiian islands, a federal wildlife official said Tuesday.At least 1,000 adult and adolescent Laysan albatross were killed, along with thousands of chicks, said Barry W. Stieglitz, the project leader for the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuges.Many drowned or were buried under debris as waves reaching 5 feet high rolled over the low-lying atoll about four hours after the magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck Friday.The white-and-black feathered Laysan albatross is not in danger of becoming extinct. About 1 million of the birds live at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge about 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu, making it the largest Laysan albatross colony in the world.But Stieglitz said the deaths could account for a significant share of Laysan albatross chicks hatched during the current season.We may see just a slight decline in breeding birds next year, next year and the year after that, he said. There will be a gap in the breeding population when these birds that would have grown up this year, would have matured and started breeding for the first time.

The waves hit each of the three islands inside the atoll.Spit Island, about 15 acres, was completely overrun. The tsunami washed over 60 percent of Eastern Island, an islet of nearly 370 acres. Waves also covered 20 percent of Sand Island, the largest of the three at almost 1,200 acres.Biologists are less sure how many ground-nesting bonin petrels may have died, because these birds live in underground burrows and would have been buried in areas covered by waves. Stieglitz estimated the death toll would reach the thousands.Since the bonin petrel feed at night, however, Stieglitz said he was hopeful many were out foraging when the tsunami hit before dawn.Stieglitz said many wildlife populations rebound from natural disasters like this. But he said the tsunamis aren't helpful to species facing threats like climate change, a loss of habitat, and invasive species.When you start piling the natural catastrophe on top of invasive species invasions and all of these other things, it makes the population a lot less resilient and more susceptible to extinction, he said. It's rather unfortunate timing, in our eyes. Not that there is ever a good time for this, but there are better times than worse times. And in this era, this is a worse time.

Japan shares surge; central bank adds further $43B By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA, Associated Press - MAR 15,11

TOKYO – Japanese stocks rebounded Wednesday, recovering some of the massive losses sustained the last two days following a devastating earthquake and tsunami. Other Asian indexes also bounced back despite the still unknown impact of the disaster that engulfed Japan's northeastern coast Friday.The benchmark Nikkei 225 index temporarily surged above 6 percent but then softened after Japan suspended operations to prevent a stricken nuclear plant from melting down after a surge in radiation made it too dangerous for workers to remain at the facility. The index ended its morning session up 4.4 percent to 8,981.14.On Tuesday, the Nikkei closed at its lowest level in almost two years after shedding more than 1,600 points, or 16 percent, in two days.The plunge prompted Tokyo Stock Exchange President Atsushi Saito to release a statement late Tuesday calling for calm. He noted that the foreign media remained impressed by the potential power of the Japanese economy, and that foreign investors were net buyers the last two days.I also believe that Japan's experience, knowledge and technologies in the area of recovering from earthquakes should not be underestimated and that the stock market will calm down soon, Saito said.Meanwhile, the central bank pumped money into financial markets for a third day. The Bank of Japan injected 3.5 trillion yen ($43 billion), following injections totaling 23 trillion yen ($283 billion) over the past two days.

Among the major gainers were Japan's big exporters. Toyota Motor Corp. rose 6.9 percent, and Sony Corp. shot up 9.3 percent.Still, investors still kept a close watch on a rapidly changing crisis at a crippled nuclear power plant in northeast Japan. Authorities were still struggling to control the situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant after a string of explosions and fires, as well as a burst of radiation.Markets elsewhere in the region advanced. South Korea's Kospi added 1.2 percent to 1,948.72, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6 percent to 4,555.20. Benchmarks in Taiwan, Singapore and New Zealand were also higher.The nuclear crisis overtook financial markets around the world Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 137.74 points, or 1.1 percent, at 11,855.42. The broader S&P fell 14.52 points to 1,281.87.Investors sold stocks primarily because of fear that the disaster in Japan would slow down the global economy. Japan is the world's third-largest economy, manufacturing goods from computer chips to automobiles, and buys 10 percent of U.S. exports.In currencies, the dollar was nearly unchanged at 80.86 yen from 80.83 yen late Tuesday.The dollar had fallen against the Japanese currency in the aftermath of the earthquake as investors bet that Japanese investors would close down overseas bets and bring their money home.Demand for the yen may keep up as Japan seeks to fund the country's rebuilding. After a huge Japanese earthquake in 1995, the yen gained about 20 percent against the dollar in three months.Benchmark crude for April delivery lost 1 cent to $97.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract tumbled $4 to $97.18 on Tuesday as the prospect of falling oil demand from Japan sent crude prices down.

Fed sticks to stimulus amid global crises
by Andrew Beatty – Tue Mar 15, 4:49 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Federal Reserve policymakers kept ultra-low interest rates and stimulus spending in place Tuesday, amid high but falling unemployment at home and crises in the Middle East and Japan.The Fed held rates at historic lows and stuck to a $600 billion stimulus plan in an effort to spur growth, as it pondered events in the Arab world that have pushed up oil prices and a developing nuclear crisis in quake-hit Japan.The Fed kept the crisis stimulus in place despite a firmer economic recovery at home -- where unemployment eased, consumer spending picked up and businesses grew more optimistic.The economic recovery is on a firmer footing, and overall conditions in the labor market appear to be improving gradually, the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement.Since the bank last met in January the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.9 percent from 9.4 percent.

These more positive developments at home have clearly been overshadowed by global issues, said Harm Bandholz, chief US economist with UniCredit Research, referring to the Fed's communique.While the Fed did not specifically mention Japan by name, Bandholz and others suggested havoc in the world's third-largest economy are weighing on the Fed and investors, who sold off shares on Tuesday.According to Brian Bethune of IHS Global Insight, the Fed's no comment on Japan was welcome: It is still too early to get a good read on this, and any comment could be counterproductive in terms of adding to investor anxiety and fueling uncertainties about the ripple effects back to the US economy and the global economy.The Fed meanwhile broadly waved off concerns of rising prices, which have been fueled by the fighting in Libya that has pushed up the cost of oil.With Americans struggling to pay gasoline prices that have risen around 43 cents a gallon (3.8 liters) in the last month to an average of $3.56, the Fed insisted that core inflation remains in check.Commodity prices have risen significantly since the summer, and concerns about global supplies of crude oil have contributed to a sharp run-up in oil prices in recent weeks, the Fed acknowledged.Nonetheless, longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable, and measures of underlying inflation have been subdued.While stopping well short of accepting criticism that inflation is rising too rapidly, that language signaled a slight shift for the central bank.In January Fed members had noted inflation was trending downward versus the subdued rate now seen.

The Fed's measure of core inflation excludes volatile food and energy prices, which are often the costs most keenly felt by consumers.But after New York Fed President William Dudley was harangued at a recent public meeting for not dealing with rising food and oil prices, the Fed appeared chastened.Stephen Stanley of Pierpont Securities said that, with the Fed vowing to keep a close eye on future inflation, it instantly goes from being stubbornly immune to any evidence of headline inflation to paying close attention.Dudley recently tried to explain low core inflation by noting that the new, more powerful iPad II costs the same as an iPad I. That prompted one audience member to observe: I can't eat an iPad.Still, the bank said further economic stimulus was needed to push inflation levels closer to the two percent rate the Fed deems healthy.The bank has predicted inflation will be close to a range of 1.3 percent and 1.7 percent this year.

France: Arab nations on board for Libya action
MAR 16,11

PARIS – France's foreign minister says several Arab countries have pledged to take part in possible military action in Libya.Alain Juppe says France and Britain have sought targeted air strikes for two weeks. He cites two conditions: a mandate for such force from the U.N. Security Council and effective participation by Arab states.

Juppe wrote on his blog Wednesday that the second point was being fulfilled: Several Arab countries assured us that they will participate. He didn't elaborate.He said it isn't enough for countries to say Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi must quit and called for them to help opponents of his dictatorship.Supporters of a no-fly zone over Libya introduced a U.N. resolution Tuesday aimed at stopping Gadhafi's planes from bombing civilians.

Abbas says he won't run for re-election
MAR 16,11

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Palestinian president says he won't run for re-election. This is the first time Mahmoud Abbas has said explicitly he won't seek another term.
In a speech Wednesday to political allies, Abbas also said he is willing to travel to the Gaza Strip to promote reconciliation between the feuding Palestinian territories and form a united government.Abbas' plan includes new elections within six months. But he says he wouldn't run for president again.However, it's not clear that elections will be held because Abbas says they cannot take place if the West Bank and Gaza don't reunite.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he's ready to visit the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in an effort to promote reconciliation between the two rival Palestinian governments.Abbas said on Wednesday that he'd be prepared to travel to Gaza immediately, but didn't set a date for the visit.He has expressed willingness to make such a trip before but never went.Abbas has not been in Gaza since Hamas militants overran the territory in June 2007, leaving him controlling only the West Bank.Gaza's prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, on Tuesday invited Abbas to come following parallel rallies in Gaza and the West Bank that urged the rival Palestinian leaderships to reunite.

Israeli jets bomb target in Gaza; 2 dead By Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press – MAR 16,11

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli fighter jets pummeled a Hamas facility in the Gaza Strip Wednesday, killing two militants and injuring four, Palestinian officials said.
The Israeli army confirmed the airstrike, saying warplanes bombed the facility after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into southern Israel. No Israeli injuries were reported.The air raid came a day after Israel said its navy intercepted a cargo ship carrying a massive arms shipment sent by Iran and destined for Gaza militants, the latest in a series of Israeli naval raids to confront Iran's growing influence in the region. Israel maintains that Iran is arming Israel's enemies with rockets and other arms.Hamas security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said the warplanes struck a Hamas security facility south of Gaza City. They said two members of the Hamas' militant wing were killed.Gaza health official Adham Abu Salmiya said four others were wounded.Hamas is an Iranian-backed militant group that opposes peace with Israel.Israel has long accused Iran of providing arms and money to Hamas. Following Tuesday's raid, Israel's navy said it found sophisticated land-to-sea missiles that could change the balance of power in the area.They said the shipment also included Farsi instruction manuals, proving Iranian involvement.