STOCK RESULTS JAN 17,12

I WAS WATCHING DR PHIL TODAY AT 5PM EST.HE HAD ON ABUSED WOMEN THAT ALMOST GOT MUDERED BY THEIR HUSBANDS FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.I HAVE GOT A QUESTION FOR THE SHOWS ON TV.WHY ARE THERE NEVER ANY MUSLIM WOMEN ON THESE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHOWS.POOR MUSLIM WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE TORTURED AND KILLED JUST FOR GOING OUTSIDE ALONE OR JUST TALKING TO A MAN OUTSIDE THEIR HOMES.THIS VIOLENCE AGAINST ISLAMIC WOMEN HAS TO STOP.FOR A SO CALLED PEACEFUL RELIGION,ISLAMIC-MUSLIM WOMEN HAVE NO EQUAL RIGHTS,THEIR TREATED LIKE RATS AND DISCARDED.THIS OUTRAGE HAS TO BE STOPPED.MUSLIM WOMEN MUST STAND UP AND BE COUNTED TO GET THEIR TRUE EQUAL RIGHTS IN ISLAM.ISLAMIC MEN (I CAN'T EVEN CALL THEM MEN,I CALL THEM BRUTE JACKASS BEASTS).SMARTEN UP AND LOVE YOUR WIFE AND YOUR DAUGHTER,NOT MURDER(HONOR KILL)THE PERSON WHO CAN BRING ANOTHER LIFE INTO THIS WORLD.

Honor Killing is Absolutely Islamic!
by Syed Kamran Mirza 01 Jul, 2005 (Updated 16 Jan, 2008)

Honor killings, which occur with shocking regularity in certain parts of the Middle East and South Asia, target women whose actions – actual or suspected – violate the honor of their family, an honor which is thought to depend on the sexual purity of its female members. Victims are always being killed/slaughtered mercilessly by her own family members. Honor killing is a manifestation of global phenomenon in general and Muslim nations in particular. Since this terrible inhumane practice does exists only among the Muslims of the world—very often civilized people do blame Islam as the precursor of this dreadful act. Most others do not agree with this notion at all; and they try to put the blame on the tribal/cultural practice, and do not consider Islam is anyway responsible for it. In this essay I shall analyze the real issues, cause and origin, and pattern of this heinous act amongst the Muslims of the world to postulate if there is any link, or incitements that originates from the very core of Islam.

What is honor killing?

Honor killing is the bone chilling horrific cruelty committed by the family members—father, mother, brothers, brother-in-laws, even in some cases own sisters also. In this terrible episode the victim is always the daughter/sister or other blood related young women who get killed. Perpetrators are always the family members stated above. Family honor is one of the core values of Arab society. Anything from speaking with an unrelated man, to rumored pre-marital loss of virginity, to an extra-marital affair, refuses forced marriages; marry according to their will; or even women and girls who have been raped—can stain or destroy the family honor. Therefore, family members (parents, brothers, or sisters) kill the victim in order to remove the stain or maintain, and protect the honor of the family. Killers are given light sentences, sometimes with little or no jail time at all. The killers mainly defend their act of murder by referring to the Koran and Islam. Family guardian will say that they are merely following the directives set down in their Islamic ethical beliefs.
http://www.islam-watch.org/SyedKamranMirza/honor_killing.htm

The chips that are good for your health

Pharmacy to sell edible microchips that will alert doctors if patients are not taking right medicines. Steve Connor Author Biography Tuesday 17 January 2012
An edible microchip that records the precise details of a patient's pill regime will be available in Britain by the end of year following a commercial deal that opens the door to an era of digital medicines.Click HERE to view Smart pill: How the new technology works'
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/ia1715chips-graphicjpg-6290634.html

An American biomedical company has signed up with a British healthcare firm to sell digestible sensors, each smaller than a grain of sand, that can trigger the transmission of medical information from a patient's body to the mobile phone of a relative or carer.The aim is to develop a suite of intelligent medicines that can help patients and their carers keep track of which pills are taken at what time of day, in order to ensure that complex regimes of drugs are given the best possible chance of working effectively.Ultimately, the plan is for every one of the many pills taken each day by some of the most chronically-ill patients, especially those with mental health problems, to be digitally time-stamped as they are digested within the body.The healthcare company Lloyds- pharmacy said it intends to sell the edible microchips of Proteus Biomedical of California by the end of the year, as part of a trial to test whether NHS patients would be prepared to pay privately to ensure that they or their relatives take the right medicines at the right time.

There is a huge problem with medicines not being taken correctly,said Steve Gray, healthcare services director of Lloydspharmacy.Anyone taking several medications knows how easy it can be to lose track of whether or not you've taken the correct tablets that day,he added.Add to that complex health issues and families caring for loved ones who many not live with them and you can appreciate the benefits of an information service that helps patients to get the most from their treatments and for families to help them to remain well.Lloydspharmacy said the World Health Organisation has found that about half of all patients fail to take their medicines correctly, which can lead to people not getting the full benefits of treatment, or ending up with harmful side-effects.Unused prescription medicines are estimated to cost the NHS nearly £400m a year.The Proteus technology is based on the company's digestible sensors, which are no bigger than a grain of sand. They are composed of the ingredients commonly found in food and are activated when they come into contact with stomach fluids.At the heart of the technology is a tiny silicon wafer separating tiny quantities of copper and magnesium, which effectively forms a microscopic battery that generates an electric current when immersed in the acidic environment of the stomach.These electric currents, which can be given individual signatures to match the drug taken with the edible sensor, are detected passively by an intelligent patch stuck to the patient's skin, in much the same way that electrocardiogram (ECG) skin patches can record the electric currents within the heart.

The patch, which is designed to be worn for seven days, includes a flexible battery and chip that records the information and sends it by Bluetooth wireless technology to the mobile phone of a relative or professional carer.In the future the goal is a fully integrated system that creates an information product that helps patients and their families with the demands of complex pharmacy, said Andrew Thompson, the chief executive and founder of Proteus Biomedical.What we know is that we've created many pharmaceuticals with great potential but much of that potential is not realised because these drugs are not being used properly.Neither company was prepared to comment on the cost of the digestible microchips, but industry sources suggested a starting cost of about £50 per week.

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 TUE JANUARY 17,2012

09:30 AM +2.43
10:00 AM +144.61
10:30 AM +125.16
11:00 AM +101.22
11:30 AM +114.13
12:00 PM +119.16
12:30 PM +110.25
01:00 PM +99.71
01:30 PM +99.48
02:00 PM +97.97
02:30 PM +60.52
03:00 PM +50.25
03:30 PM +46.62
04:00 PM +60.01 12,482.07

S&P 500 1293.67 +4.58

NASDAQ 2728.08 +17.41

GOLD 1,651.80 +21.00

OIL 100.93 +0.22

TSE 300 12,232.83 -25.77

CDNX 1537.72 -1.21

S&P/TSX/60 698.48 -1.44

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow +113 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow +1 points at low today.
Dow +150 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,658.30.OIL opens at $100.28 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow +1 points at low today so far.
Dow +150 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow +1 points at low today.
Dow +150 points at high today.

GOLD ALLTIME HIGH $1,902.60 (NOT AT CLOSE)

MONDAYS CANADA RESULTS
TSE 300 12,258.60 +27.54

CDNX 1538.93 +2.90

S&P/TSX/60 699.93 +0.68

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).

Eurozone bail-out fund loses triple A rating
Today JAN 16,12 @ 20:43 By Valentina Pop

BRUSSELS - The Eurozone's bail-out fund was downgraded by one notch to AA+ by the US ratings agency Standard&Poor's on Monday (16 January) - a move likely to put an extra financial burden on contributing nations, many of whom were themselves downgraded last week.Designed to fund the rescue packages for Greece, Ireland and Portugal, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) owed its triple A rating to guarantees from eurozone countries, two of which - France and Austria - saw their own top rating cut by one notch on Friday, along with other countries further down the ratings ladder.The EFSF’s obligations are no longer fully supported either by guarantees from EFSF members rated AAA by S&P, or by AAA rated securities. Credit enhancements sufficient to offset what we view as the reduced creditworthiness of guarantors are currently not in place,Standard&Poor's said in a statement.The move is likely to lower the firepower of the fund, unless contributing countries step up their loan guarantees to the facility.The downgrade has a consequence - if it wants to keep its triple A status, it will have to lend less or, if not, the cost of lending will go up. If it wants to maintain the same capacity to lend, at the same price, you will have to have additional contributions from member states,European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said on Monday evening during a hearing in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.EFSF chairman Klaus Regling took note of the downgrade and argued that its lending capacity will not be changed.The EFSF has sufficient means to fulfill its commitments under current and potential future adjustment programmes until the European Stability Mechanism [permanent bail-out fund] becomes operational in July 2012.

Eurozone finance ministers chairman Jean Claude Juncker, whose country is hosting the EFSF, also sought to downplay the effects of the downgrade.S&P's decision will not reduce EFSF’s lending capacity of €440 billion. EFSF will continue to be backed by unconditional and irrevocable guarantees by euro area member states.He added that the other two major ratings agencies, Fitch and Moody's have not downgraded the fund or indicated they would do so.Earlier that day, a commission spokesman went to some lengths to downplay the importance of Friday's decision to downgrade Austria, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. He argued that ratings agencies are not privy to all the economic and financial data about member states that the EU commission has.ECB chief Draghi also noted that all ratings agencies had a terrible loss of reputation over last crisis and said that his institution in the last few years has avoided having a mechanical reliance on them.
Critics says that ratings agencies, having failed to spot the build-up to the financial crisis in 2008, are now being over-zealous to make up for it.

Draft text: EU ministers worried by Israeli actions in Jordan Valley Today JAN 16,12 By Andrew Rettman

BRUSSELS - A draft statement for EU foreign ministers next week says Israel's monopolisation of land and water in the occupied West Bank is worrying and endangers the two-state solution.The text - provisionally agreed by mid-level EU diplomats on Monday (16 January) - says: Against a backdrop of worrying developments in 2011, particularly with respect to settlements under Area C, the EU reaffirms its commitment to a two-state solution ... The viability of a two-state solution must not be jeopardised.The draft conclusions also say the EU welcomes Jordan's recent efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks and urges both sides to build confidence and create an atmosphere of trust for the negotiations.Area C is a 62 percent chunk of the occupied West Bank designated by the Oslo accords in the 1990s as being under full Israeli control.The reference by ministers to worrying developments is based on an internal report by EU heads of mission in Israel from 14 December which blames it for using red tape to force the native Palestinian population off its most fertile farmland.

The report - seen by EUobserver - notes that in 1967 there were between 200,000 and 320,000 Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, most of which lies in Area C, but that just 56,000 live there today.The Jewish population has grown from 1,200 to 310,000 over the same period.It notes that Israeli farms use most of the water resources in the area to produce export crops. Meanwhile, Palestinians get access to just 25 percent of available water at higher prices, limiting them to low intensity agriculture.All 27 EU countries endorsed the internal report and one EU diplomat said the draft ministers' statement is likely to go through more or less unchanged.
Another diplomat warned that pro-Israeli EU countries - such as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic - will try to make sure the formal EU communique does not offend their ally.There are still two or three [lower-level] meetings this week before the EU ministers' meeting next week [23 January], so the text could change completely, or there might be no text at all if they can't agree, the contact said.

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.

Iran warns of consequences if Arabs back oil sanctions ReutersBy Ramin Mostafavi | Reuters – Sun, Jan 15, 2012

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran warned Gulf Arab neighbors on Sunday they would suffer consequences if they raised oil output to replace Iranian crude facing an international ban.In signs of Tehran's deepening isolation over its refusal to halt nuclear activity that could yield atomic bombs, China's premier was in Saudi Arabia probing for greater access to its huge oil and gas reserves and Britain voiced confidence a once hesitant European Union would soon ban oil imports from Iran.
Major importers of Iranian oil were long loath to embargo the lifeblood of Iran's economy because of fears this would send oil prices rocketing at a time - amidst debt and deficit crises and high unemployment - when they could least afford it.But strong momentum for oil sanctions has been created by a U.N. watchdog report saying Iran appeared to have worked on designing an atom bomb.A new U.S. law signed by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve would freeze out of the U.S. financial system any institution dealing with Iran's central bank - which processes its oil revenues.If fully applied, the law would make it impossible for most countries to buy Iranian oil. Washington is offering waivers to countries to let them keep buying Iranian oil for now, but demanding they gradually cut their imports back.Leaders from some of the Asian countries that buy the most Iranian oil have begun touring the Middle East to secure alternative supply lines from Arab states. European buyers suggest they will also lean more heavily on Arab oil producers should an EU ban come into effect.Feeling increasingly encircled, Iran's hardline Islamic clerical elite has lashed back by threatening to block the main Middle East oil shipping route. Since the New Year, Tehran also began to enrich uranium in an underground bunker and sentenced an Iranian-American citizen to death on espionage charges.Tensions in the Gulf have caused occasional spikes in oil prices in recent weeks. The sanctions are also having a real impact on Iran's domestic economy, causing prices of imported staples to soar and the rial currency to tumble.Iran holds a parliamentary election in March, its first since a presidential vote in 2009 led to eight months of street protests. Those demonstrations were put down by force, but since then the "Arab Spring" has shown the vulnerability of states in the region to public anger fueled by economic hardship.

IRAN WARNS GULF ARABS

Iranian OPEC Governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi said Tehran would regard as an unfriendly act any move by neighboring Gulf Arab oil exporters to make up for Iranian crude.If (they) give the green light to replacing Iran's oil these countries would be the main culprits for whatever happens in the region - including the Strait of Hormuz, Khatibi told the Sharq daily newspaper, referring to the narrow sea channel through which a third of the world's oil tanker traffic passes.Our Arab neighbor countries should not cooperate with these (U.S. and European) adventurers... These measures will not be perceived as friendly, he said.Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Saturday the world's No. 1 oil exporter - the only one in OPEC with significant unused capacity - was ready and able to meet any increase in demand. He made no direct reference to sanctions on Iran.Iran's navy commander Habibollah Sayyari said Tehran could exert control over the Strait of Hormuz. The United States, whose warships patrol the region, says it will not tolerate any attempt to disrupt shipping through the strait.Military experts say Iran could not challenge the huge U.S.-led fleet that guards the strait for long, but its threats raise the risk of miscalculation that could flare into a clash.The United States and Israel postponed military exercises scheduled to take place in coming weeks to later in the year. Officials in both countries denied the postponement was connected with the increasing tension over Iran.Oil prices were down at the end of last week as anticipation of downgrades by Standard & Poor's of several indebted euro zone economies countered the buoyant effect of anxiety about Iranian threats to shipping. But the standoff over Iran pointed to continued support for higher prices, brokers and analysts said.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had received a letter from Washington about the Strait of Hormuz and there was no decision yet on whether to reply. A ministry spokesman did not divulge the contents of the letter.Tehran had said on Saturday it had written to Washington with evidence the CIA was involved in the assassination of a nuclear scientist, blown up by a bomb attached to his car last week, the latest of several such killings.Western countries suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons capability. Iran says it is only interested in nuclear technology for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity.

CHINA SEEKS OIL OPTIONS IN GULF

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was pressing Saudi Arabia to open its oil and gas wealth to more Chinese investment, Chinese media said on Sunday. China has been Iran's biggest oil buyer.Although Beijing opposes further international sanctions on Iran, it has already cut its purchases of Iranian oil by more than half for the first two months of this year.China and Saudi Arabia are both in important stages of development and there are broad prospects for enhancing cooperation, Wen told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef on Saturday, according to Xinhua news agency.Michal Meidan, an analyst with London's Eurasia Group, said: Beijing is concerned with the potential response to bellicose Iranian statements and the spike in oil prices that would ensue from greater turmoil in Syria and Iran.Wen was also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, two other big OPEC exporters across the Gulf from Iran.British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Sunday he was confident the 27-member European Union would impose resounding sanctions on Iran's oil industry and possibly other sectors at an EU foreign ministers meeting on January 23.

After protracted reluctance to act arising from the dependence of some debt-ridden EU economies on Iranian oil, member states have agreed in principle to ban it and have been working on details of how this will be implemented.Last year EU countries collectively bought about a fifth of Iranian exports, roughly on par with China.
Any EU-wide prohibition of Iranian oil would probably take effect gradually.Grace periods on existing contracts of one to 12 months have been proposed to allow importers to find other suppliers before implementing an embargo.Hague said: Our sanctions are part of trying to get Iran to change course and to enter negotiations and we should not be deterred from implementing those. We will continue to intensify our own sanctions and those of the European Union.

IRANIAN DEFIANCE

Some analysts say Iran's leadership, which has thrived on defiance of the West since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is more likely to dig in rather than back off in response to sanctions aimed at stopping a nuclear program many Iranians regard as a matter of national sovereignty and modernization.A year after the collapse of the last big power talks with Iran, its deepening nuclear defiance has raised concern of war if harsher sanctions do not change its course.Israel, reputed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, sees Iran's nuclear and missile projects as a mortal threat which it will resort to force as a last resort to stop.The risk of Israel triggering Middle East upheaval with a unilateral strike has the war-weary United States worried.U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey is to make his first visit to Israel on Thursday. Israeli media say he will try to persuade his hosts not to surprise Washington on Iran.Israel's vice prime minister voiced disappointment that the new U.S. legislation gives Obama leeway to allow sanctions waivers to countries to keep buying Iranian crude.The (U.S.) Senate passed a resolution, by a majority of 100-to-one, to impose these sanctions, and in the U.S. administration there is hesitation for fear of oil prices rising this year, out of election-year considerations,Moshe Yaalon told Israel Radio.Obama has said he is determined to deny Tehran the means to develop an atom bomb. His aides cast their sanctions strategy as a bid to work collaboratively with foreign powers and win over states that import Iranian oil without shocking energy markets.(Additional reporting by Robin Pomeroy in Tehran, Daniel Fineren in London, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Adrian Croft in London, Chris Buckley in Beijing; Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Peter Graff)

Israel requests delay in US-Israel missile defense exercise By Laura Rozen | The Envoy – Sun, Jan 15, 2012

A major U.S.-Israeli missile defense exercise that had been planned to take place in the spring has been postponed due to a request by the Israeli Defense Ministry, American and Israeli officials told Yahoo News Sunday.Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued a request to the Pentagon last month that the planned joint exercise be postponed, a U.S. official told Yahoo News Sunday.It was Barak,the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.The Jewish Telegraph Agency's Ron Kampeas reported earlier Sunday that the exercise was being postponed, ostensibly because of Israeli budget cuts.But American officials are privately concerned that the Israeli request for a postponement of the exercise could be one potential warning sign that Israel is trying to leave its options open for conducting a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in the spring. In that case, it would not wish American forces to then be on the ground, the thinking goes.

An Israeli official downplayed that interpretation. He told Yahoo News Sunday that another possible reason for the delay may be that the Americans and Israelis both considered that such a huge maneuver at this time of heightened tensions between the West and Iran could potentially inflame the situation.The Israeli Defense Ministry made the decision in consultation with the Pentagon, he said, and the two nations' defense agencies had been expected to issue a joint statement indicating the exercise will be postponed until the second half of the year.Some Washington observers found both cited Israeli rationales for the delay--budget cuts and Israeli concern about further raising tensions with Iran--as conspicuously thin.U.S. officials publicly, like their Israeli counterparts, however, said such delays aren't all that unusual.I do know there were a variety of factors at play in this case, but in general, leaders from both sides believe that optimum participation by all units in best achieved later in the year,U.S. European Command (EUCOM) spokesman Captain John Ross told Yahoo News by email Sunday.Following close consultation between US European Command (EUCOM) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), exercise Austere Challenge 12 will be conducted during the second half of 2012,Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told Yahoo News by email Sunday.It is not at all uncommon for routine exercises to be postponed,Kirby added.General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is due to arrive in Israel Thursday for consultations, the Associated Press reported. It will be Dempsey's first trip to Israel since assuming the top Pentagon military post in September.The Obama administration is concerned that Iran's recent statement that it is expanding nuclear operations with more advanced equipment may push Israel closer to a strike,the AP reported said.

EPA drops jackboot on necks of couple for daring to build on their own land J. D. Heyes Natural News January 17, 2012

Stories about overreach from Washington, D.C. abound, but just when you think you’ve heard them all comes yet another that makes you shake your head in disbelief and wonder just whom is supposed to be working for whom in this grand old Republic of ours.Taking into account that most of us want clean air, fresh water to drink and a sustainable environment – and that government has a role to play in ensuring these resources are preserved – there comes a point where that role grows well beyond its original intent and begins to infringe on the constitutional rights of the citizens. Just ask Mike and Chantell Sackett,who are battling the leviathan Environmental Protection Agencyjust to be able to build a home on land they bought years ago in Idaho.They bought all of the permits. They spent thousands of dollars preparing the land. But just as they were ready to begin construction, the EPA swooped in, pronounced their property a wetlands (even though it sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood that contains sewer lines and scores of other homes) and issued a compliance order calling on them to return the land to its original state or face daily fines of $37,500per day.

And here is where the comedy of errorsreallybegins.Surely officials at the EPA would be reasonable, the Sackett’s thought. After all, there were homes surrounding their plot of land. There was infrastructure. And they’d done everything they were supposed to do to “comply” with all of the rules. With all of that in mind, they appealed to the agency for a hearing on the issue. But instead of hearing the couple out, EPA officials blew them off, rejecting their appeal out of hand. So, with little alternative, the couple decided to take the plunge, hire some lawyers and sue the EPA to get the agency to listen.The agency’s response? The EPA said the couple wasn’t allowed to sue. Huh? On the one hand, the agency was arguing that it wasmore than capableof handling complaints like that of the Sackett’s through its administrative process. But on the other hand, it wasn’t giving the coupleaccessto its administrative process: A classic Catch-22.As if that outrage wasn’t enough, the agency then tried to claim that no one has the constitutional right to bypass a compliance order and go straight to federal court for relief. So, no right to appeal, and no right to sue.Sure.Throughout, the EPA maintained that the couples’ land indeedwason a wetlands so, undaunted, the couple took the economic plunge anddidbring their case to federal court where, in the end, it wound up before the U.S. Supreme Court. And there, the tragic comedy continued.

Justice Elena Kagan, a former solicitor general and one of the high court’s most liberal members, took the EPA’s side. Oblivious to the fact that the EPAdeniedthe Sackett’s initial request for an appeal, Kagan asked, Couldn’t you have gotten the legal determination that you wanted through that process? Attorneys for the plaintiffs patiently explained that process was prohibitively costly and time-consuming – especially since they didn’t live in a wetlands area to begin with.
The good news is, at least some of the justices were empathetic to the Sackett’s plight, seemingly realizing the daunting task they faced in trying to get an unresponsive system to be…responsive.Don’t you think most ordinary homeowners would say this kind of thing can’t happen in the United States?Justice Samuel Alito asked Justice Department attorney Malcolm Stewart.Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/09/supreme-court-hears-case-dream-house-stopped-by-epa/

Fluoride Linked to #1 Cause of Death in New Research
Anthony Gucciardi Infowars.com January 17, 2012

Groundbreaking new research has linked sodium fluoride to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Researchers found that fluoride consumption directly stimulates the hardening of your arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis that is highly correlatedwith the #1 killer. Sodium fluoride is currently added to the water supply of many cities worldwide, despite extreme opposition from health professionals and previous studieslinking it to decreased IQ and infertility.In their research, scientists examined the relationship between fluoride intake and the hardening (calcification) of the arteries. Studying more than 60 patients, the researchers found a significant correlation between fluoride consumption and the calcification of your arteries. Published in the January edition of the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications, the research highlights the fact that mass fluoride exposure may be to blame for the cardiovascular disease epidemic that takes more lives each year than cancer. In 2008, cardiovascular killed 17 million people.According to the authors of the study:The coronary fluoride uptake value in patients with cardiovascular events was significantly higher than in patients without cardiovascular events.Amazingly, this is not the first report to come out on the dangers of water fluoridation, however the United States government along with other nations have allowed for the continued fluoridation of the public water supply despite these key findings. In fact, the U.S. government has even gone on record stating that a reduction in water fluoridation needs to occur following the results of a massive study that found water fluoridation affected cognitive function to the point of lowering the IQ of children. It turns out that the announcement was little more than a public relations stunt to curtail the massive wave of activism that followed the findings.

Government Admits Dangers Yet Continues to Pump Fluoride Into Your Water Supply
Over 24 other studies have unanimously concluded that fluoride negatively impacts cognitive function. In addition to these 24 studies focusing on cognition, over 100 animal studies have linked fluoride to an increase in male infertility, diabetes, and a whole host of other health problems. In the latest study on cognition, it was found that that 28% of the children who lived in an area where fluoride levels were low achieved the highest test scores. This means that the children exposed to less fluoride scored normal or advanced, while only 8% of fluoridated children did the same.In fact, the safety precautions regarding sodium fluoride are quite telling themselves:

Risk and Safety Phrases.
R25 – Toxic if swallowed.
R32 – Contact with acid liberates very toxic gas.
R36/38 – Irritating to skin and eyes.
S1/2 – Keep locked up and out of reach of children.
S22 – Do not breathe dust.
S36 – Wear suitable protective clothing.
S45 - In case of accident or if you feel unwell, seek medical advice immediately (show the label whenever possible.)

But what about cavity prevention?

Since 1962 the government has recommended fluoride levels between 0.7 and 1.2 milligrams per liter in the nations drinking water. Toted as an excellent cavity blocker, fluoride has been praised for its alleged power to prevent tooth decay and boost oral health. Research has now revealed that fluoride, the very substance that is supposed to prevent tooth decay, actually does nothing to prevent against cavities. In fact, vitamin D has been found to be significantly more effective in cavity prevention without the extreme side effects. Instead of damaging your body, vitamin D slashes your risk of just about everything fluoride consumption causes.

According to the latest numbers, over 72 percent of Americans drink water treated with fluoride. Is it any wonder that cardiovascular disease rates are off the charts? Perhaps most concerning is the fact that fluoride does not even prevent cavities, which is the very reason legislators have pushed to keep it in the public water supply despite the links to deadly disease. Even if fluoride was found to prevent cavities, would it be worth the adverse effects? Fluoride should be completely removed from the international water supply as it is a threat to public health. Until the proper legislation is passed, acquiring a high-quality water filter that removes fluoride is vital for the health perseverance of you and your family.This article first appeared at NaturalSociety.com