STRIKE ON SYRIA IS FEASIBLE-FRENCH GENERAL

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 AUGUST 10,2011

09:30 AM -2.43
10:00 AM -267.96
10:30 AM -386.25
11:00 AM -399.56
11:30 AM -427.52
12:00 PM -364.00
12:30 PM -371.52
01:00 PM -342.62
01:30 PM -347.43
02:00 PM -271.48
02:30 PM -202.49
03:00 PM -315.94
03:30 PM -401.12
04:00 PM -519.83 10,719.74

S&P 500 1120.76 -51.77

NASDAQ 2381.05 -101.47

GOLD 1,793.10 +53.10

OIL 82.89 +3.59

TSE 300 12,198.90 +89.60

CDNX 1752.13 +40.90

S&P/TSX/60 695.87 +3.52

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -248 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -468 points at low today.
Dow -1 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,773.50.OIL opens at $80.53 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -552 points at low today so far.
Dow -1 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -552 points at low today.
Dow -1 points at high today.

GOLD ALLTIME HIGH $1,800.00 (NOT AT CLOSE)

CRUDE OIL -5.3 MILLION BARRELS
GASOLINE -1.6 MILLION BARRELS
DISTILLATE INVENTORIES -700,000 BARRELS
REFINERY UTILIZATION

Asian stocks tumble amid European woes
09.08.11 @ 09:33 By Leigh Phillips

Brussels - China’s economy remains strong, according to fresh economic data out on Tuesday, even as Asian stocks tumbled in reaction to European and American troubles.
Chinese economic data remains robust despite weaknesses in Europe and America (stuck_in_customs)The Middle Kingdom’s industrial output grew by 14.6 percent in July on the previous year, strong but down slightly from 15.1 in June.Retail figures remained largely unchanged, on 17.6 percent for July, largely unchanged from 17.7 percent in June.Meanwhile, inflation in the country hit 6.5 percent, up from 6.4 percent in June.The country’s economic resilience was not however reflected in Asian stock markets, as a further rout hit bourses overnight off the back of economic and political uncertainty in both Europe and America.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index tumbled 7.2 percent, Seoul’s Kospi declined 8.13 percent by mid-morning, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was down 4.6 percent and the Shanghai Composite index was off 3.1 percent.Elsewhere, the Swiss franc hit an all-time high against the euro in Asian trading on Tuesday, with both the dollar and the yen picking up against the European single currency amid continue fears over the ability of EU leaders to prevent the spread of debt-related contagion to two of the bloc’s biggest economies, Italy and Spain.

The euro hit 1.0605 Swiss frances, and declined 0.7 percent against the yen to 109.55.On Monday, the Spanish government made it known that the parliament would soon give its approval to changes to European bail-out rules agreed in principle by EU leaders at the end of July.A finance ministry official said that Madrid would give its okay to the measures some time in September, although no specific date has yet been set, according to the Associated Press.Also on Monday, Spanish leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero spoke with US President Barack Obama about the fragile state of the global economy and the European situation.Separately on Tuesday, in a fresh blow to European integration proceeding apace on the back of the eurozone debt crisis, former German ECB executive board member Otmar Issing came out against moves towards deeper economic union without commensurate political integration, warning starkly that such moves will sink the European economic integration project.Writing in Tuesday’s Financial Times, Issing attacked a Europeanisation of national debts without true political union implying a European government controlled by a European Parliament, elected according to democratic principles.Political union in the form of what he describes as a bail-out regime would quickly founder.This type of political union would not survive. Its collapse would be brought by resistance from the people. In the past cries of no taxation without representation have brought war,he wrote.This time the consequence would be to threaten the collapse of the most successful project of economic integration in the history of mankind.

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-10 WORLD REGIONS) 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).

Germany to propose unelected stability council for EU
Today AUG 10,11 @ 09:23By Leigh Phillips

Germany has proposed the creation of a new EU overseer that would crack the whip and impose sanctions on countries that do not adhere to rigid budget discipline and pro-business labour policies.The country's economy minister, Philipp Roesler, on Tuesday (10 August) told reporters that the bloc should create a new EU institution, a stability council, of unelected supervisors that would ensure member states that stick to budget temperance and limit debt and keep in check debt growth.This council should be given the power to slap sanctions on countries to ensure they cut their deficits and monitor use of financial assistance. The plans would also require that a German-style 'debt brake' be written into national constitutions.But the new body would also be empowered to carry out competitiveness tests amongst eurozone states to see if labour market policies are sufficiently competitive. The tests would also assess the innovation climate.If you fail them, there should be consequences, he said, speaking to reporters in Berlin.The stability council would be independent of voters so as to avoid political pressure and could impose sanctions automatically.

Roesler said that Germany would be bringing the proposal to the next meeting of EU finance ministers.However, it appears that the minister, head of the free-market-liberal Free Democrats, has not cleared the ideas with his Christian Democrat coalition partners.This is an opinion of the ministry and not a government position, the Financial Times Deutschland reported government officials as saying.The Free Democrats are struggling in the polls and the radical proposals could be read as an attempt to shore up the party's base.Separately, Greece's finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, called on states to work quickly to implement the 21st July agreement between eurozone leaders that extends the power of EU bailout funds.On Tuesday, he said that action must be taken swiftly to hold back a global crisis, according to a statement from the finance ministry following a conversation between the minister and top EU officials including the head of the Eurogroup of states, the EU economy commissioner, and the director of the Institute of International Finance, (IIF) bank lobby group.

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.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (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.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

Strike on Syria is technically feasible, former French general says Today AUG 10,11 @ 10:34 By Andrew Rettman

A Nato strike to disable the Syrian army is technically feasible according to experts, such as former French air chief Jean Rannou. But it could make the country's internal situation worse.Nato member countries would begin by using satellite technology to spot Syrian air defences. A few days later, warplanes, in larger numbers than Libya, would take off from the UK base in Cyprus and spend some 48 hours destroying Syrian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and jets. Alliance aircraft would then start an open-ended bombardment of Syrian tanks and ground troops.The scenario is based on analysts in the French military, from the specialist British publication Jane's Defence Weekly and from Israel's Channel 10 TV station.

The Syrian air force is said to pose little threat. It has around 60 Russian-made MiG-29s. But the rest - some 160 MiG-21s, 80 MiG-23s, 60 MiG-23BNs, 50 Su-22s and 20 Su-24MKs - is out of date.Its latest SAMs could shoot down a handful of Nato pilots. In the past three years, Syria deployed hundreds of Russian-made SA-17s, which come up on radars for a very short time before firing. Israel in 2007 bombed a suspected nuclear site in Syria using a cyber attack cut electricity to air defences. The SA-17s are believed to be cyber-insulated and Israel might not share its secrets with Nato, however.Syria in 2006 bought around 30 Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircaft cannon. But these are said to be in Iran. It has stocked up on modern SA-18 missiles from Belarus and Russia. But these are short-range weapons that would only pose a danger to Nato helicopters in a later stage of the operation.There are also assymetric threats - Nato countries have vulnerable troops in Unifil, the UN mission in neighbouring Lebanon. In July a roadside bomb injured six French UN soldiers in what some see as a warning from Syria.Syria is said to have two Scud missile brigades armed with conventional and chemical warheads (VX, Sarin and Mustard gas), as well as M600 chemical-ready missiles, which it could fire at Israel in retaliation.Assad allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, could also attack Israel. But experts say Hezbollah would not start an Israel-Lebanon war to save Syrian President Bashar Assad. And Hamas needs international support for the Palestinian bid to seek UN membership.

I don't see any purely military problems. Syria has no defence against Western systems ... [But] it would be more risky than Libya. It would be a heavy military operation,Jean Rannou, the former chief of the French air force, told EUobserver. He added that action is highly unlikely because Russia would veto a UN mandate, Nato assets are stretched in Afghanistan and Libya and Nato countries are in financial crisis.Another reason is the political situation in Syria, however.Rannou noted that unlike Libya, the Syrian opposition is not a credible ally: Are people in Syria ready to govern the country if Assad falls? I think that's why no one is ready to go further - because the country, the region is too fragile.Robert Baer, a former CIA officer in Syria, said there is small hope a Nato strike would bring peace:Any force used on Syria would be a total shot in the dark, a hope the military under attack will turn on the regime. But when has this ever happened? It didn't with [late Iraqi leader] Saddam or [Libyan leader] Gaddafi.Baer previously told this website the turmoil in Syria is more complicated than the image in mainstream media of a downtrodden Sunni Muslim majority calling for reform by the Shia Muslim ruling elite.

Alastair Crooke, a former MI6 officer and high-level EU advisor who runs an NGO in Beirut, backed up Baer's views.Syrians want change. But whether Westerners believe it or not, most people in Damascus, in Aleppo, the middle classes, the merchant classes and the [sectarian] minorities believe Assad is the only person who can bring in reforms, he said.They fear two things above all else - civil war and Western intervention ... They would like to avoid the example of Libya because it would lead them into civil war.Crooke said two important forces behind events are Sunni radicals and Syrian exile groups in France and the US.He said the radicals follow the teaching of Abu Musab Zarqawi, a late Jordanian Islamist, who aimed to create a Sunni emirate in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria called Bilad a-Sham. They are experienced urban guerillas who fought in Iraq and have outside finance. They infilitrate protests to attack Assad forces, as in Jisr al-Shagour in June, where they inflicted heavy casualties.Crooke said the exile groups aim to topple the anti-Israeli regime. They are funded and trained by the US. They pay Sunni tribal chiefs to put people on the streets, work with NGOs to feed uncorroborated stories of atrocities to Western media and co-operate with radicals in the hope that escalating violence will justify Nato intervention.There is a huge difference with [the revolution in] Egypt, he added.But the picture you see in the European and American press is that you are dealing with peaceful protests and that Assad has nothing better than to do than to kill his own people.

US Considers Call for Assad to Step Down-The United States is considering a call to end the reign of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.by Chana Ya'ar Published: 10/08/11, 11:01 AM

The United States, once a firm supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is reportedly now considering a call for the Damascus strongman to end his reign. The U.S. Security Council is expected to make a statement Wednesday on the Syrian government's violence against its citizens over the past week.Hundreds of demonstrators have been killed by Syrian government forces, with hundreds of others wounded in Hama and other cities, over the past week as Assad tries to stop the groundswell of protests calling for his ouster.One week ago, President Barack Obama condemned the Assad government for its violence against peaceful protesters, and called for an immediate end to violence by all parties.U.S. officials are set to meet with the United Nations Security Council in the coming days to discuss the matter, according to a report by CNN.However, it is unlikely that the Security Council would take steps to impose specific sanctions against Israel's northern neighbor. Both Russia and China, permanent members of the council, have in the past expressed reluctance to get involved in the internal affairs of member nations.

There have also been calls by the international community to impose sanctions on Syria in connection with its secret nuclear program and its unwillingness to allow the UN International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its facilities.Instead, the U.S. Treasury Department would probably impose further sanctions of its own on officials in the Assad regime. The U.S., as well as a number of other nations, have already targeted Syria's leadership with sanctions against Assad, his family members and other top government officials.

NATO: No Evidence of Massacre-Libya claims NATO bombs killed 85 villagers, but NATO is skeptical. by Gil Ronen Published: 10/08/11, 2:23 PM

NATO said Tuesday night that its air strikes near the city of Zliten in western Libya were legitimate and that it has no evidence to back up Tripoli's claims that the bombs killed 85 villagers.According to Radio Free Europe, Colonel Roland Lavoie, the alliance's spokesman for the Libya campaign, said that raids by NATO planes near Zliten were against a legitimate target.The bombs, he said, were aimed at two former farms used for military purposes by troops loyal to Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi.
Col. Lavoie spoke at a video conference held at NATO's Naples headquarters. He said NATO takes extreme precaution not to harm innocent civilians living or working nearby.In Libya, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters on a guided tour that the village of Majer, south of Zliten, was attacked late on August 8 to allow rebel fighters to enter the government-held city from the south.He said 85 villagers, including 33 children and 32 women, were killed in what he called a massacre of civilians.Libyan state television showed the charred bodies of several children, saying they had been killed in Majer. The television pictures also showed women and children being treated for injuries.

Blame Israel: PA Angry at Israel Over Rising Electricity Prices-The PA raises electricity rates and blames Israel for it. Israelis to pay 12% more, PA 7%.by Elad Benari Published: 10/08/11, 3:14 AM

The Palestinian Authority is once again angry with Israel, only not for political reasons this time, but rather for economic ones.The PA’s electric company announced Tuesday that electricity rates would go up by 7%, following the 12% increase in electricity rates in Israel.The Chairman of the Palestine Electric Company, Omar Katana, placed the blame on Israel, from which the PA acquires 95% of the electricity in Judea and Samaria and 75% of the electricity in Gaza.Israel’s increase in electricity prices is due to the cessation of the supply of gas from Egypt and its use of expensive diesel fuel, Katana explained.The increase in the electric bills in the PA is due to the increase in the prices in Israel.The statement comes several days after the PA’s Accountant General said that the PA is still suffering from economic troubles because it urgently needs $300 million promised by Saudi Arabia and has so far only received a total of $30 million.

Hassan Abu-Libdeh, the Palestinian Authority’s Economics Minister, said last week that the PA government will meet soon to discuss steps to solve its economic crisis.
The PA had paid its workers just half their normal salaries for the month of June, causing the Government Workers Union in the PA to accuse PA of fabricating an economic crisis and to threaten a general strike.The PA’s Prime Minister Salam Fayyad dismissed the accusations, warning that the payment of full salaries will significantly reduce the ability of the PA to meet other needs during the next month.
Much like the Accountant General, Fayyad blamed the PA's financial woes on donor nations, claiming several Arab nations have promised aid but failed to deliver, leaving the PA facing a deficit of more than $500 million for 2011.

Belz Hassidim Conquer Kotel Plaza-Hassidic dynasty fills up the plaza for post-Tisha B'Av L'Chayim toast.by Gil Ronen Published: 10/08/11, 1:43 PM

Members of the Hassidic Belz dynasty filled up the Kotel Plaza Tuesday in a traditional L'Chayim toast following the Tisha B'Av fast. The hassidim sang songs of longing for the Temple.The Kotel Plaza is situated at the foot of the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple resided before the Romans sacked and burned it down on Tisha B'Av, 1941 years ago.

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.

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

States Battling Wildfires as Heat Wave Continues
ContributorNetwork Vanessa Evans – Tue Aug 9, 7:26 pm ET

In addition to the heat-related deaths, destruction of farmland, and shortages of water, many states suffering under the weight of a suffocating heat wave are at an increased risk of wildfires as well. Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Utah have all battled various wildfire outbreaks already, and wind conditions in Oklahoma in particular are promising to keep things in a state of high alert. The National Weather Service, among other organizations, issued a wildfire warning for much of Oklahoma on Monday.
Texas, considered to be one of the states suffering the most under the ongoing drought conditions, has been battling wildfires as well. Two different fires had to be contained by local firefighters working in Burnet County on Monday, aided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and the Texas Forest Service.How bad is the threat of wildfire in these drought-stricken areas? Bad enough that both national and state organizations are warning residents to be more careful. Different areas already affected by wildfires have had to be evacuated, including Cleveland and Pawnee Counties in Oklahoma, which had to be evacuated on Monday after a wildfire raged across some 4,000 acres of the state. In Oklahoma it is estimated that firefighters have had to contend with some 59 wildfires, in just this past weekend alone.

Arkansas has also been heavily hit by the threat of fire. The state's Forestry Commission reported on Monday that they are receiving hundreds of reports of fire every day. In a span of less than 24 hours this past weekend, Arkansas firefighters contained and suppressed some 34 different wildfires by their count. The risk of fire increased over the weekend due to heat-related lightening strikes and wind conditions.Utah fire officials were still struggling to contain at least two larger fires in the state as of Sunday. One fire raging just outside of Cedar City had already consumed more than 8,500 acres, although firefighters reported having it 85 percent contained. Another, nicknamed the School Wash fire, was burning outside of Kane County. It was only 10 percent contained as of Sunday evening.What are state officials recommending residents do to minimize the risk of wildfire? Arkansas had expanded its burn ban to some 52 counties around the state as of Monday. Nearly half of those, or 25 counties, are under extreme burn bans, which means they have been designated as being at the highest risk. Specifically, burn bans prohibit residents from starting campfires or burning materials of any kind.Oklahoma issued a burn ban earlier in the season, on July 14, that included some 45 of the state's counties. Due to the high incidence of wildfires since then, Governor Fallin expanded that ban to include all 77 Oklahoma counties on August 3. That means that residents cannot burn anything outdoors at all.Arkansas had issued burn bans for nearly half of its counties as of Monday, while Utah has some scattered burn bans in effect as well. All states have hotlines where you can report fire activity to local authorities.
Vanessa Evans is a musician and former freelance writer based in Michigan, with a lifelong interest in politics and public issues.

Special Report: Bad weather a boon for private forecasters Reuters By Jane Sutton – Wed Aug 10, 1:21 am ET

MIAMI (Reuters) – Heat and drought are parching the southern U.S. plains, floods and tornadoes have shattered long-standing records, and the tropical Atlantic is steaming into the traditionally busiest part of the hurricane season.With commodity markets across the globe in the thrall of extreme weather, private-sector meteorologists are increasingly providing custom-tailored weather intelligence to the financial world. This time of year their services are in high demand.It grows quiet down here from 11 to 12 and it's because they're waiting for the midday weather update, waiting for the next piece of information, said Matt Pierce, analyst for GrainAnalyst.com who has been on the trading floor at the Chicago Board of Trade for more than 10 years.While government forecasters provide broad public advisories, traders, hedge funds and corporations are employing their own staff meteorologists or relying on the 300 U.S. commercial weather vendors for forecasts targeting specific locations and industries.We let our customers know so they can hedge their risks long in advance, before many in the market are even aware a weather-related event is on the horizon, said Matt Rogers, a long-range forecaster at Commodity Weather Group LLC.Airlines need to know where the winds might carry a cloud of volcanic ash and construction firms want to avoid pouring concrete when it could be weakened by rain. Utilities rely on bespoke forecasts to predict the load on the electric grid at any given moment.Those are easily million-dollar decisions, said Peter Neilley, vice president of global forecasting services for The Weather Channel Companies.

Business is booming for those able to transform millions of bits of data -- ranging from the strength and path of a hurricane to hourly temperature readings -- into simple, understandable trading points.While one-third of the nation's 9,400 meteorologists work for the federal government, the private sector is driving growth. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this specialty rising by 15 percent to 10,800 by 2018, with virtually all the increase coming privately.

THE TRAIN WRECK THAT WASN'T

Companies find that money spent to hire a meteorologist or contract a specialized forecasting firm can pay off many times over in targeting markets or avoiding peril, Keith Seitter, American Meteorological Society executive director, said.He cites the now-legendary example of the train wreck that didn't happen when a monster tornado leveled Greensburg, Kansas, in May 2007 and killed 11 people.Forecasters from the private firm WeatherData, which is part of AccuWeather, alerted their client, Union Pacific, that a tornado was about to hit as two of its trains approached the town on separate tracks from opposite sides. Dispatchers were able to halt them two miles apart and the tornado passed between without damaging either.It certainly would have not only wrecked the train but potentially would have caused more loss of life, Seitter said.Such specific warnings have become possible only in the last decade or two as technological advances have steadily improved the accuracy of weather forecasting.Modern radar can show how fast a storm is moving. Increasingly powerful computers and computer models allow forecasters to quickly receive and analyze vast amounts of data that pours in from geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites, ground monitoring stations, planes and ships and sea buoys.Most commercial meteorologists use data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the computer models developed by U.S., European and Canadian government forecasters as a foundation for their work, then build on it to develop proprietary models and algorithms for client-specific products. Choosing which model to rely on is still the forecaster's job.There's never a perfect computer model forecast, said Sharan Majumder, assistant professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.The human is still a very central player in the forecasting process.

SHRINKING CONE OF UNCERTAINTY

Forecasters say they've improved by a day a decade -- today's five-day forecast is as accurate as the four-day forecast issued 10 years ago and the three-day forecast issued 20 years ago.Twenty years ago you couldn't get a really good three- or four-day forecast and now you can, Seitter said.At the National Hurricane Center in 2000, forecasters predicted within an average of 150 miles where a storm would be two days later. By 2010, they narrowed that to 100 miles at the two-day mark, the crucial period when evacuation decisions are made.Shrinking that cone of uncertainty has enormous impact. Emergency managers peg the cost of hurricane evacuations at $1 million per mile of coastline.For the offshore oil platforms spread across the Gulf of Mexico, an extra 50 miles can make the difference between a precautionary evacuation and a multi-year salvage operation. That, in turn, can move oil prices by dollars a barrel as traders factor in more or less available crude.Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, tried to calculate just how much the weather affects the U.S. economy by comparing 70 years of temperature and precipitation records against 24 years worth of economic output data.They concluded in a study published in May that U.S. economic output varies by up to $485 billion a year of 2008 GDP, or about 3.4 percent, because of weather extremes. That is enough to turn rebound into recession.Even if it's only a couple percent, we're still talking hundreds of billions of dollars of impact on the United States economy, said Jeff Lazo, one of the study's authors. Much of the risk can be mitigated by weather awareness, he said.Advances in forecasting have given rapid rise to a market for weather derivatives, contracts in which one side pays the other if the weather is warmer, cooler, wetter, windier or snowier than expected.Utilities and agriculture companies use them as a hedge against losses that fall short of those covered by catastrophe insurance. The market for those derivatives is barely 15 years old and grew by 20 percent last year, to $11.8 billion, according to the Weather Risk Management Association.(Additional reporting by K.T. Arasu and Samuel Nelson in Chicago and David Sheppard and Jeanine Prezioso in New York)(Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Philip Barbara)

Japan's unpopular PM signals he's ready to quit
Reuters By Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko – AUG 10,11

TOKYO (Reuters) – Unpopular Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan signaled on Wednesday he is ready to resign in the coming weeks after parliament made headway on key legislation, setting the stage for Japan's sixth prime minister in five years.Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a low-key fiscal conservative, is a key contender to succeed Kan.But skeptics question whether any new leader will fare much better than his five predecessors, none of whom lasted long in office and who all struggled to implement policies to end two decades of economic stagnation and fix the deep structural problems of a fast-aging society.When these two laws pass, I want to implement what I have said I plan to do, Kan told lawmakers before a lower house panel approved that bill, passage of which Kan has said was a prerequisite for his resignation.Ruling an opposition lawmakers agreed to push the second bill that Kan wants passed through the lower house on Friday, Japanese median reported. Kan's Democratic Party was planning to vote on a new leader as early as August 28, media also said.A new prime minister will have to find funds to rebuild Japan's northeast from the ravages of the massive March tsunami despite public debt already twice the $5 trillion economy, forge a new energy policy in the wake of the nuclear crisis at a crippled power plant and tackle tax and social security reforms.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who like Kan sees reining in ballooning public debt as a policy priority, appears to have pole position. Surveys show, however, that he lacks appeal among ordinary voters and his calls for higher levies could make him an unpopular choice in some quarters of the ruling party.Whether to raise taxes and how to pull the world's third-biggest economy out of deflation will likely be a focus of the party race, with some potential contenders calling for more aggressive loosening of monetary policy and wary of a plan to double the sales tax to 10 percent by mid-decade.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Some analysts hope that replacing Kan, whose policy flip-flops and abrasive personality have irked both ruling and opposition lawmakers, would allow smoother cooperation with the opposition, which controls parliament's upper house and can block legislation.There are a lot of things going on in both (main ruling and opposition) parties that mean it is possible that more effective government could happen,said Chuo University professor Steven Reed.Others question whether the opposition, keen to capitalize on the Democrats' sagging support, will cooperate on much beyond an extra budget needed to fund reconstruction from the tsunami.The (opposition) Liberal Democratic Party is aiming at an early election, perhaps early next year,said Tomoaki Imai, a political science professor at Nihon University.Nor is it certain that a new leader will have more success in managing a ruling party often split over policies and plagued by personal rivalries, not least between allies and enemies of scandal-tainted party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, now facing trial for suspected misreporting of political donations.The Democrats swept to power in 2009 riding a wave of voter discontent and hunger for change after half a century of nearly unbroken rule by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).But the novice party has struggled to fulfill campaign pledges including a promise to put more cash in the hands of households rather than companies, and are now trailing the opposition in terms of voter support.Kan has set three conditions for keeping a pledge to hand over to his party's younger generation made two months ago as the price for surviving a no-confidence vote.One of those conditions, the enactment of an extra budget to help fund recovery from the massive March earthquake and tsunami, has already been met.A second condition -- enactment of the bill allowing the government to borrow more to fund this year's $1 trillion budget -- now looks all but certain to be met by the end of the month.Kan, who advocates Japan wean itself from reliance on nuclear power, also wants parliament to pass a law promoting renewable sources of energy such as solar power before quitting.Japanese media said that bill was also likely to pass after expected revisions to meet opposition concerns.(Additional reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Ed Lane Thatcher)

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; 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.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

South Korea Military Says Returned Artillery Fire With North Korea Today Q By Seonjin Cha - Aug 10, 2011 6:20 AM ET

The original map showing the sea border drawn up in 1953 between North and South Korea is seen in this scan made on Dec. 3, 2010. Source: United Nations via Bloomberg
South Korea’s military said it fired artillery rounds in retaliation after hearing explosions coming from the North near the countries’ disputed sea border that was the scene of a deadly shelling in November.The three South Korean shells were fired into the sea around 2 p.m. local time, about an hour after the initial salvo, said a defense ministry official who declined to be identified, citing government policy. The defense official said the military wasn’t aware of any drills in the area.The incident comes a month after both nations said they would try to revive multilateral talks on the North’s nuclear- weapons program, signaling an easing of tension between the two rivals that has been an irritant to U.S.-China ties over the past year. The so-called Northern Limit Line dividing the two nations on their western border in the Yellow Sea has been a source of repeated conflict since their 1950-1953 civil war ended in a cease-fire.North Korea appears to be provoking the South in a calculated manner to highlight the need for a peace treaty to replace the armistice agreement after the war, said Kim Yong Hyun, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul. I doubt the North will go so far as to risk breaking down the dialogue.Four South Koreans died in November when the North shelled the island of Pyeonyeong in retaliation for South Korea firing rounds into the disputed waters during a training exercise. Relations soured earlier in the year over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, in which 46 sailors died.

Trade, Aid

The two incidents spurred the U.S. to put pressure on China, North Korea’s main source of trade and financial aid, to rein in Kim Jong Il’s government. China accounted for 83 percent of North Korea’s $4.2 billion of international commerce in 2010, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said in May. China made up 79 percent of trade in 2009, and 53 percent in 2005, according to the Seoul-based organization.The cost of credit-default swaps insuring South Korean government debt from default rose 4 basis points after the reports of the shelling to 129.5 basis points as of 4:50 p.m. in Singapore, according to Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc prices. One month non-deliverable won forwards touched 1,086 won per dollar from 1,082.5 after the report, before stabilizing within an hour, said Joo Hyung Park, a currency dealer at Korea Exchange Bank. (004940)

Improving Ties

The shelling could make a small dent on sentiment, said Chang In Whan, president of Seoul-based KTB Asset Management Co., which oversees the equivalent of $7.6 billion. I’m not too worried because the timing wasn’t that sensitive. Tensions over North Korea have been easing recently.South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy Wi Sung Lac said on July 22 that his two-hour discussion with North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho at a regional security forum on the Indonesian island of Bali was very constructive. The U.S. then invited North Korean officials to New York for further negotiations.The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan have been stalled since 2008.South Korea has been closely monitoring the North Korean military near the western border since the November attack and there was nothing to suggest drills were being carried out, the defense official said. The South’s military alert level hasn’t been raised, he said.

Maritime Border

The maritime border between the two countries snakes around the Ongjin peninsula, creating a buffer for five island groups that South Korea kept under the armistice. That agreement doesn’t mention a sea border, which isn’t on United Nations maps drawn up at the time. North Korea says it doesn’t recognize the border, which hems in its ships and excludes it from fertile crabbing and fishing grounds.The 3-nautical mile (3.5-statute mile) territorial limit used to devise the line was standard then. Today almost all countries, including both Koreas, use a 12-mile rule, and the islands are within 12 miles of the North Korean mainland. The furthest is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the closest major South Korean port at Incheon.The JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported today that North Korean spies with orders to assassinate South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan Jin have entered the country. South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials are working to find them, the report said, citing unidentified South Korean officials.Kim said after the November artillery bombardment by the North that in the event of further attacks his country would mobilize all combat capabilities available to severely punish the enemy, including airstrikes.To contact the reporter on this story: Seonjin Cha in Seoul at scha2@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Brett Miller at bmiller30@bloomberg.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=biJgILxGK0o
CNBC: British Riots – And Unrest Worldwide – Caused By Economic Uncertainty Washington’s Blog Aug 10, 2011

While most mainstream news outlets are blaming the British riots on random thuggery, they are really an outgrowth of bad economic conditions and governments’ poor response to the financial crisis.As I’ve noted for years, raging inequality and policies which help the big boys at the expense of the little people are causing unrest – not just in Egypt – but worldwide.

Britain

As CNBC reports today:Great Britain and other parts of the world are experiencing unrest at a time of global economic uncertainty and stock market volatility.Police in London say the violence began during a vigil for a man, Mark Duggan, who’d been killed by police. However, those on the streets say what’s happening goes beyond one man’s death.In late June, half the public schools in Britain where closed by a massive protest over public pensions cuts, including three major teachers’ unions, customs and immigration officers, and air traffic controllers. Some 750,000 people took part in the protest.London’s press has reported that discontent has been simmering among Britain’s urban poor for years, in neighborhoods like Tottenham, where the riots started.But as one man told NBC News about an economic protest two months ago, There was not a word in the press about our protests. Last night (Saturday) a bit of rioting and looting and now look around you.Cameron’s conservative government is under fire for spending cuts to social programs in order to help reduce the country’s debt. Among those hit the hardest are large numbers of minority youths who have been at the forefront of the unrest.

Israel

Haaretz notes:Approximatley 300,000 people gathered Saturday night in Tel Aviv, 20,000 participated in Jerusalem, 3,000 in Kiryat Shmona, 5,000 in Modi’in,1,000 in Hod Hasharon and 1,000 in Eilat.In Tel Aviv, people marched from Habima Square, near the tent city on Rothschild Boulevard, to the Kirya defense compund on Kaplan Street.
Tel Aviv protest August 6, 2011 (Tal Cohen)Protesters in Tel Aviv, Saturday, August 6, 2011. Photo by: Tal Cohen-Protesters chanted The people demand social justice and An entire generation demands a future.A number of signs that were hung on Kaplan Street read Resign, Egypt is here.Haaretz also reports:Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Sunday that he believes that the current Knesset may not complete its tenure due to the ongoing social protests in Israel.Rivlin said that he believes elections will be earlier than the expected date in November of 2013.

CNBC fills in details on the reasons for the protests:Some 250,000 people took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday over the rising cost of living. Demonstrations actually began last month when a few people set up tents in an expensive part of Tel Aviv to protest rising property prices.The protests have moved to other cities in Israel, where some 50,000 people rallied.The demonstrations have turned into a major challenge for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Polls released last week show his approval ratings have dropped while support for the protesters is high.Here are some of the demands from protestors, according to Reuters:
* Increase personal tax brackets for top earners
* Enshrine the right to housing in the law; introduce rent controls; boost mortgage relief
* Stop further privatization of things such as health facilities
* Provide free education for all from the age of three months
* Raise the minimum wage to 50 percent of the average wage

Spain, Greece and Portugal

CNBC then discusses protests in Spain, Greece and Portugal, noting:All three … have experienced protests and rioting in reaction to government austerity programs and bad economic conditions.

Philippines, China and Syria-CNBC then turns to 3 other nations:

The Philippines

Thousand of workers took to the streets throughout the country in May of this year to march for higher pay. They demanded better wages in light of rising inflation, including higher oil prices.They called on the government of President Benigno Aquino III to do more to help protect jobs.In reaction, the government held job fairs as hundreds of workers have been laid off as the economy slumps. Workers say that effort has fallen far short of what they want.

China

Nearly 1,000 cab drivers in eastern China blocked traffic and protested on Aug. 1 over rising fuel costs. It was the latest sign of discontent about the country’s surging inflation.Inflation is hitting China hard, with food prices recently increasing 12 percent. Many Chinese officials are reported concerned that inflation, along with rising property prices, could lead to even more unrest.This past June, thousands of workers battled for three days with police in the capital city of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. They were protesting declining living standards.The recent protests can be traced back to February of this year, in what was an attempt to copy the Arab Spring uprising. That’s when calls through Chinese social networks were sent out for an uprising in several local cities.

Syria

In another legacy from the Arab Spring, protests and riots in Syria against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad have been going on for five months.Reports say at least 1,600 people have been killed by government forces.The demonstrations are a combination of calls for economic as well as political changes. Assad’s government has promised a package of reforms including higher wages, letting political parties exist, easing restrictions on the media, and a new anti-corruption drive. But so far, none of the measures has been set in place.