1-Israel, the US, and the Christian Right: The Menage a Trois From Hell. 2-243 N. American Immigrants Arrive in Israel Thursday. 3-On Lebanon, Russian Gambit Focuses Franco-American Minds, Short Term Resolution Goes Blue Amid Flashes of Lightening. 4-Netanyahu Addresses Kinloss Audience. 5-Olmert talks to Rice. 6-ANNAN HOPEFUL SECURITY COUNCIL CAN PASS RESOLUTION ON ISRAEL-LEBANON CONFLICT TODAY.
7-European Commission publishes updated crop yield forecast: July heat waves and drought reduce European crop yields. 8-Human-animal mixing going too far, report says.
ON JULY 22,06 GOD BLESSED ME WITH $1000.00 AND SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN BLESSED ALSO WITH $800.00 MORE, I GIVE THE GOD OF ISRAEL (JESUS) ALL THE PRAISE AND GLORY FOR THE BLESSINGS. $180.00 TO GODS KINGDOM, PRAISE GOD.
This guys not for Christians beware. I call him A (LUKEWARM LIBERAL,DEMOCRAT LEFTIST).
Israel, the US, and the Christian Right: The Menage a Trois From Hell
As I reported for the Nation in my most recent article, The Birth Pangs of a New Christian Zionism, the White House has convened a series of meetings over the past few months with leaders of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a newly formed political organization that tells its members that supporting Israel's expansionist policies is a biblical imperative. CUFI's Washington lobbyist, David Brog, told me that during the meetings, CUFI representatives pressed White House officials to adopt a more confrontational posture toward Iran, refuse aid to the Palestinians and give Israel a free hand as it ramped up its military conflict with Hezbollah.
The White House instructed Brog not to reveal the names of officials he met with, Brog said. Brog, the former chief-of-staff to Arlen Specter, is now the first full-time lobbyist for the Christian Zionism movement. He claims that CUFI's lobbying efforts, including organizing 3500 evangelical activists to visit congressional offices as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged their first salvoes of missiles, are having an impact. There is an ongoing debate in Washington over how long to let Israel continue the campaign against Hezbollah--how long will we let Israel fight its war on terror as we fight our own war on terror? Brog told me. And I think the arrival in Washington at that juncture of thousands of Christians who came for one issue and one issue only, to support Israel, sent a very important message to the Administration and the Congress, and I think helped persuade people that they should allow Israel some more time.
But CUFI has more on its agenda than simply supporting Israel.Its founder and president, Pastor John Hagee, is determined to see America and Israel adopt his Armageddon-based worldview as their foreign policy. Consider what Hagee wrote this year in Charisma magazine: The coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty. Israel and America must confront Iran's nuclear ability and willingness to destroy Israel with nuclear weapons. For Israel to wait is to risk committing national suicide.Hagee's desire to doom the now-dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace process is equally disturbing. As I detailed in the Nation, in his book, The Beginning of the End, Hagee celebrated the murder of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and glorified his assassin, Yigal Amir. More recently, Hagee's allies, like nationally syndicated evangelical radio host Janet Parshall, became ecstatic at the outbreak of violence in Lebanon and Israel. These are the times we've been waiting for,Parshall told her audience on July 21. This is straight out of a Sunday school lesson.
Time and again, Christian Zionists have delighted in events that most Israelis considered grave tragedies. And yet, Israel continually expends more energy cultivating their support than it does on earning much-needed international goodwill.
Case in point: after calling Ariel Sharon's descent into a comatose state God's punishment for the dividing the land, Pat Robertson was granted a personal meeting yesterday with Sharon's successor, Ehud Olmert. Afterwards, Robertson told his 700 Club viewership that the Lebanese people were sheltering a terrorist group and urged them to pray for an Israeli military victory.
Even as Israel alienates the international community by pursuing extreme militaristic solutions to its problems, it can count on unflagging support from America's evangelicals. It has recycled a strategy employed during the Cold War by authoritarian, anti-communist governments waging purportedly existential battles against dark-skinned barbarian hordes. For these regimes, the Bible Belt provided a natural constituency.
When international opinion turned against South Africa's apartheid regime in the 1980's, it presented itself to evangelicals as a final redoubt of Christian civilization in a sea of Afro-militant communism. Robertson responded with repeated denounciations of Mandela and the ANC on the 700 Club. Similarly, when evangelical Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios-Montt initiated a scorched-earth campaign (with Israeli military assistance) to exterminate his country's Mayan population, he called on Robertson for PR help.
Robertson leapt to aid his friend, hosting a telethon for Guatemala's military. He even funded the construction of model villages (read: concentration camps) for the Mayans who survived the massacres. Israel has clearly applied the lessons of the past.But it would be simplistic to expect Israel to continue down the dead-end road paved by regimes like those of P.W. Botha and Rios-Montt.
For all its flaws, Israel has one of the most resilient and politically sophisticated societies in the world. When the dust clears in Lebanon, Israelis will realize that their problems can only be solved through politics. And someday, they will have to deal with the Palestinians again. But then what?
What if a future Israeli government decides, as Yitzhak Rabin did, that Israel can live in the world and survive -- and even thrive? And what if a future American government backs Israel by mobilizing international allies behind a new land-for-peace effort? Most Americans would probably support this as they did in the past. American Jews would back a peace process if convinced there was a viable partner. And polls consistently show Israeli opinion in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian state. But in such a scenario, so-called Christian Zionists would reveal themselves as one of Israel's worst enemies. They have their own agenda and it
has nothing to do with peace.
EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
243 N. American Immigrants Arrive in Israel Thursday
By Ezra HaLevi(INN)
The first chartered plane of a record-setting week of Western Aliyah arrived in Israel Thursday, with not a single one of the 243 immigrants signed up backing out or postponing due to the war. The plane touched down and pulled alongside a special hangar near Ben Gurion Airport’s Terminal 1, where the new immigrants were greeted by hundreds of well wishers, family, friends, IDF soldiers, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and prominent American Aliyah supporter Rabbi Hershel Schachter.The flight was the 18th chartered flight of immigrants organized by the Nefesh b’Nefesh Aliyah assistance organization, together with the Jewish Agency.
A few months ago, 243 people registered to be a part of this flight today,Nefesh b’Nefesh co-founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass said. They listened to the news and watched the scenes of war on television. But today, that plane landed with 243 olim (immigrants to Israel). We asked G-d to comfort the Jewish people on [the fast of] Tisha B’av last week. Not one person cancelled, and it brings great comfort to all of Israel.At every welcoming ceremony, one of the arriving families takes the stage and receives their Aliyah identity card, holding it up and saying a few words.
Wednesday, as people awoke to the news of 15 fallen reservists in battles in
Lebanon, Harold Sternlicht, one of the new immigrants said: For many years people have come to Israel running away from things the Holocaust, persecution. Today we are running to Israel!. The audience of new and veteran olim cheered and IDF soldiers who had been brought to the ceremony to greet the arrivals looked on in awe. This is extremely emotional,said Rachel, who added that when Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah turns on his television and sees the new arrivals,The will see that the nation of Israel is stronger than he ever imagined.
Judy, another soldier, herself came on Aliyah from Los Angeles almost two years ago. She has been in the IDF for a year, in a soldier/teacher program working with underprivileged kids. She says that the sight of crowds of new immigrants reminds her of why she chose to make Israel her home. Kim Richardson, 21, is arriving from Poughkeepsie, New York. She is joining her sister, Jen, who moved to Israel two years ago. Both sisters say they never thought about moving to Israel while growing up, but attended a program called Netiv their freshman year of college, during which they worked on Kibbutz Saad, studied at Hebrew University and fell in love with the Jewish state. The hair stylist I went to before I boarded the plane yesterday understood why I decided to move here the best,Kim said. His name was Hugo, and he told me, It’s all about your generation – you can change the world.
On Lebanon, Russian Gambit Focuses Franco-American Minds, Short Term Resolution Goes Blue Amid Flashes of Lightening
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee at the U.N.
UNITED NATIONS, August 10, 8:20 p.m. -- The ranks of Russian chess masters must now be expanded beyond Karpov and Kasparov. After 5 p.m. on Thursday, Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin emerged from 885 Second Avenue, which houses the French and UK missions, and spoke to a throng of reporters. He announced that Russia is putting forth its own resolution on Lebanon, one calling for a 72 hour cessation of hostilities. He said he intended to put this resolution in blue, meaning file it with Security Council Affairs and then Documents Control, which will prepare the text in the UN's six official languages, allowing for a Friday vote. Amb. Churkin indicated that Russia would withdraw its resolution if the French and U.S., who were negotiating upstairs, came to agreement on changes to their resolution.
The full text -- only 130 words -- of the Russian draft resolution is below.
Soon thereafter, just as a thunderstorm began, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton emerged. He called the Russian resolution an unnecessary diversion, declaring that we are not playing games. While heading out onto 47th Street, he said they would continue
working all night. The rain grew harder and a dog began to howl.
A side door opened and gallons of soapy water were swept out onto the pavilion full of wet journalists. The lion lay with the lamb: a famously Zionist reporter held the Al Arabia TV microphone as a favor. Upstairs, French Ambassador de La Sabliere apparently negotiated with himself.
It was reported that Margaret Beckett would arrive from London, if they allowed her on the plane. There were rumors of Condoleeza Rice in the wings. As one wag this one put it, success has many parents, but failure has only the P5 Ambassadors.
Ambassadors Churkin and Wang, right to left, in drier North Korean times
Back at UN headquarters, soaking wet, informed sources indicated that to go blue the plumbing involves Security Council Affairs on the 32nd floor, and Document Control on the 15th. The ascent and descent of elevators was studied. There were sighting of elusive Documents Control staff. Television journalists headed for the exits. If Churkin says it's going blue, that's good enough for us,one said.It was a dark and rainy night... Watching the lightening above Turtle Bay, a reporter turned to news analysis, remembering a side comment by Chinese Ambassador Wang, that there would be repercussions for the U.S.'s obstruction of even a Presidential Statement on the death by bomb of the four UNIFIL staffers. And where was Amb. Wang during Thursday's developments? Since a chess master does not move without thinking several steps ahead, who'd be Amb. Churkin's backers? Developing.
The Russian draft resolution, distributed to Council members:
Russian Federation: draft resolution,The Security Council,Expressing its gravest concern over the increasing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and Israel since 12 July 2006,Appalled by large numbers of civilian casualties, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands internally displaced persons, Emphasizing the critical need for urgent humanitarian supplies and mindful of the looming threat of even greater humanitarian catastrophe,
1.Calls for an immediate and full cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes for a period of 72 hours;
2.Urges all parties concerned and the international community to provide urgently all required humanitarian assistance to civilian
population in Lebanon;
3.Calls for extraordinary diplomatic efforts to arrive without further delay at a political solution to the crisis;
4.Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439
Netanyahu Addresses Kinloss Audience
by Devorah Richman - Friday 11th of August 2006
As Jews around the world commemorated the suffering of Jewish people throughout the ages last Thursday, more than 1,500 people flocked to Finchley Synagogue to hear a former Israeli Prime Minister and the Chief Rabbi of Poland discuss the issue from a
historic and contemporary perspective.The Tisha B’Av event, organised by the Kinloss Learning Centre, saw Rabbi Michael Schudrich give an inspiring talk on Our Sorrows of the Past a history on Jewish Conflict, while Benjamin Netanyahu gave a
forthright defence of the actions of the IDF in Lebanon.
He also stressed that the war must be considered in a wider context than simply a Middle East conflict. It’s not that Hezbollah are fighting Israel, he told the audience. This is a war of the western world, of which Israel is a part.Netanyahu went on to praise the pro-Israel stance adopted by US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a sentiment received with rousing applause and a standing ovation.
Kinloss's Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who organised the evening, told TJ: This was a remarkable occasion as it was the largest gathering ever to be held on Tisha B’Av.Meanwhile, speaking to the BBC this week, Netanyahu said Hezbollah saw Israel as the first step on the way to an Islamic empire. It is a mad wisdom.It should not be dismissed because it's mad. Just as Hitler - he started off as an attack on the Jews and this is the same thing.
Olmert talks to Rice: sources 2 hours, 40 minutes ago
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday and was reviewing the latest draft U.N. resolution to halt fighting in Lebanon. The prime minister's office is meeting now about the latest draft,a political source said.Israel's Channel 10 television said the text had been positively received, but political sources said Olmert's office had yet to take a stance.Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said: We have to wait.When the U.N. Security Council does pass a resolution, it will go to the cabinet and the Israeli government will make a formal decision,he said.Regev said a key issue for Israel was that the cessation of hostilities cannot be a platform for Hizbollah to rearm and regroup and strengthen itself.
ANNAN HOPEFUL SECURITY COUNCIL CAN PASS RESOLUTION ON ISRAEL-LEBANON CONFLICT TODAY New York, Aug 11 2006 1:00PM
Observing that every day Security Council discussions go on, the death, the killings and the destruction continues in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this morning that he was hopeful the Council can vote on a resolution to halt the conflict in the region before the end of the day.Mr. Annan, <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=917">speaking to reporters as he arrived at UN Headquarters in New York, said: I hope we should be able to do it [adopt a resolution] today. The will is there. We are close.The Council has scheduled a meeting for later today to discuss the violence that has engulfed Lebanon and northern Israel for the past month. As many as 1,000 civilians have been killed in Lebanon alone, according to authorities there, while Israel has said 41 of its civilians have also lost their lives in the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
Mr. Annan stressed that it was vital that we make progress today. Every day that the discussions go on, the death, the killings and the destruction continues in the region, and civilians on both sides continue to suffer.There have been enough discussions, he said.
The issues have been discussed all around and it is time for decision, and I hope the Council will take firm action today. I see no reason why they shouldn’t. Most of the Council members are determined to go ahead. They are frustrated themselves, and I hope today they will have the opportunity to pronounce themselves.The Secretary-General, who has a meeting scheduled today with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, also said he has been in regular contact with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to discuss how to sort out the differences between the parties on the wording of a resolution.
Since the start of hostilities, the Security Council has adopted a resolution temporarily extending the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (known as UNIFIL) through August, as well as two presidential statements on the violence.2006-08-11.
European Commission publishes updated crop yield forecast: July heat waves and drought reduce European crop yields
Brussels, Belgium,August 11, 2006
An updated analysis by the European Commission, through its advanced crop yield forecasting system, shows that the particularly hot weather in July has significantly affected this year’s EU crops productions. Compared to the previous analysis performed at the end of June, the European crop monitoring system now depicts a further reduction of crops. In comparison with the 2005 campaign,
the main crop yields affected are: soft wheat (-4.0%), winter barley (-2.0%), grain maize (-5.1%), potato (-4.3%) and sugar beet (-3.0%). The total cereal production is expected to be about 9 M tonnes (-3.6%) even lower than 2005’s reduced yields. In terms of production, Germany, Poland, UK, France and Italy appear to be most affected. Compared to the 2003 drought, the geographic area affected by the yield reduction is greater, whereas the overall loss in production is less severe. The forecast published today by the Commission provides yield estimates for the main crops throughout the European Union, comparing these with last year’s production and the average harvests over the last five years.
It also identifies the areas most affected by drought and heat stress and compares the situation with past extreme events. Frequent and persistent heat waves associated with dry conditions characterised the whole month of July. At the same time, the drought and the heat stress phenomena moved northward through the continent affecting particularly those areas where the winter crops were still at their sensitive stage (ripening/maturity).
Both in southern and in northern Europe, the spring-summer crops, in full vegetative to flowering phase, were suffering from the above-mentioned conditions. All this also had an impact on water reservoirs, reducing the irrigation resources mainly for grain maize, sugar beet and potatoes.
At EU level, comparing with the 2001-2005 averages, the Commission forecasts a potential yield decrease for soft wheat, barley and maize respectively of 2.3%, 4.6% and 0.1%; for spring barley a potential decrease of 7.4% is forecasted. For durum wheat, instead, the forecast depicts a potential yield increase of 2.0%. The overall yield reduction appears even larger in comparison with the previous campaign.
In terms of production, the most important areas affected by the unfavourable weather conditions are: Germany (-1.8% for wheat yield compared to 2005, -5.6% for barley, -9.0% for potato, -4.6% for sugar beet), Poland (-9.6% for barley yield compared to 2005, -13.4% for soft wheat, -5.0% for potato), UK (-9.0% for wheat yield compared to 2005, -7.9% for potato, -4.5% for barley, -1.3% for rape seed) France (-3.0% for soft wheat compared to 2005, -1.4% for winter barley, -4.0% for rape seed, -1.8% for sugar beet) and Italy (-8.6% for soft wheat yield compared to 2005, -7.5% for grain maize, -9.6% for sunflower and -25.3% for sugar beet).
Compared to the 2003 drought, the geographic area affected by the yield reduction is greater mainly because in the northernmost regions, high temperatures affected the crops earlier and in their more sensitive stages of development. However, water shortage started later and therefore the yield reduction is lower for the majority of crops (except spring barley).Depending on the weather conditions that will prevail in the second half of the summer as well as the possible irrigation restrictions for maize, the total cereals production can still vary by +/- 3-5 M tonnes.Dry conditions in May, which worsened in June and July, also affected permanent forage areas (pastures and grassland), green forage and green maize in most of Europe. Even though some limited areas are severely affected, the overall situation is not as severe as in 2003.
Further information: http://agrifish.jrc.it/marsstat/
Detailed forecasts by crop and country are published in MEMO/06/307.
EVIL INVENTIONS ARE PREDICTED IN THE BIBLE.
ROMANS 1:29-32
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Does anyone find it interesting what the beasts of Revelation are like.
REVELATION 4:6-8
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Human-animal mixing going too far, report says
Aug. 9, 2006,Courtesy Scottish Council on Human Bioethics and World Science staff
Scientists are going too far in creating mixed human-animal organisms, a Scottish organization is warning.The Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, a professional group based in Edinburgh, has published a report on the ethical implications of the practice in the journal Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics. The report is online at www.schb.org.uk.An artist's concept of what a human-dog hybrid might look like.
The strange creatures are part of a sculpture by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini entitled The Young Family,produced to spark reflection on the perils of creating human-animal mixtures.Crossing the human species barrier is a procedure that has always fascinated humanity, noted the report, made public Tuesday and written in light of draft legislation on human embryology being prepared by the U.K. Department of Health, to be published this summer.
Ancient Greek mythology speaks of monsters such as the Minotaur—a man with a bull’s head—and centaurs, mixtures of humans and horses.But creatures of this nature may not remain confined to mythology for long, as scientists have begun tentatively creating mixed organisms. An array of experiments have produced animals with some human cells, for instance.Such procedures mix human and animal biological elements to such an extent that it questions the very concept of being entirely human, the report said. This raises grave and complex ethical difficulties.Some ethicists worry that the experiments might force society to make confounding decisions on whether, say, a human-chimp mix would have human rights. Other concerns are that such a creature could suffer from being outcast as a monster,from having a chimp as its biological father or mother, or from unusual health problems.Some inter-species mixtures are powerful research tools, the report said.
This became clear about a decade ago in a series of dramatic experiments in which small sections of brains from developing quails were taken and transplanted into the developing brains of chickens. The resulting chickens exhibited vocal trills and head bobs unique to quails, proving that the transplanted parts of the brain contained the neural circuitry for quail calls. It also offered astonishing proof that complex behaviours could be transferred across species.Later research has spawned human-animal creations, the report said. These usually die at the embryonic stage, but often survive if the mixtures involve only a few cells or genes transferred from one species to another.
The council cited the following examples:
In 2003, scientists at Cambridge University, U.K. conducted experiments involving fusing the nucleus of a human cell into frog eggs. The stated aim was to produce rejuvenated master cells that could be grown into replacement tissues for treating disease. It was not clear whether fertilization took place, but some kind of development was initiated, the report said.In 2005, U.K. scientists transplanted a human chromosome into mouse embryos. The newly born mice carried copies of the chromosome and were able to pass it on to their own young.The company Advanced Cell Technologies was reported, in 1999, to have created the first human embryo clone by inserting a human cell nucleus into a cow’s egg stripped of chromosomes. The result was an embryo that developed and divided for 12 days before being destroyed.
Panayiotis Zavos, the operator of a U.S. fertility laboratory, reported in 2003 that he had created around 200 cow-human hybrid embryos that lived for about two weeks and grew to several hundred cells in size, beyond the stage at which cells showed the first signs of developing into tissues and organs.
In 2003, Hui Zhen Sheng of Shanghai Second Medical University, China, announced that rabbit-human embryos had been created by fusing human cells with rabbit eggs stripped of their chromosomes. The embryos developed to the approximately 100-cell stage that forms after about four days of development.The council made 16 recommendations, including that it should be illegal to mix animal and human sperm and eggs, or to create an embryo containing cells consisting of both human and animal chromosomes.
The fertilisation of animal eggs with human sperm should not continue to be legal in the U.K. for research purposes,said Calum MacKellar, the council’s director of research.Most people are not aware that these kinds of experiments have been taking place in the U.K. and find it deeply offensive. Parliament should follow France and Germany and prohibit the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos.
In a report published in 2004, the President’s Council on Bioethics in the United States also advocated prohibiting the creation of animal-human embryos by uniting human and animal eggs and sperm. A draft law introduced in U.S. Congress by Senator Samuel Brownback (R-Kan.) would outlaw the creation of human-animal mixtures.
A 2005 report from the U.K. House of Commons Science and Technology Committee takes a more liberal stance, saying such embryos could be legal for research purposes if they are destroyed within 14 days.While there is revulsion in some quarters that such creations appear to blur the distinction between animals and humans, it could be argued that they are less human than, and therefore pose fewer ethical problems for research than fully human embryos,the committee wrote.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
US LOSING CREDIBILITY IN MIDEAST
1-Earthquakes Shaking Up Garvin County. 2-Moderate earthquake rocks Mexico. 3-Powerful typhoon kills 104 in China. 4-Iran wants 'religious empire' in Middle East: 5-Tornado Hits Marcellus. 6-Palestinians Want Ceasefire with Israel. 7-Spain's Military now Up and Running With Savi Technology's RFID-Based Consignment Management Solution. 8-Israeli Objections to Ceasefire Proposal. 9-Abbas Urged To Dissolve Palestinian Authority. 10-US losing credibility in Mideast.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Earthquakes Shaking Up Garvin County
Posted: Aug 10, 2006 07:47 PM EDT
In Garvin County, Oklahoma, residents have been rattled recently. The Oklahoma Geological Survey says four earthquakes have been recorded there since Friday. The latest one hit yesterday in Elmore City, where residents say they felt the tremors.
KTEN's Andrea Kurys reports.The latest earthquake was the largest to hit the county, so far. Geologists say the earthquake was a two-point-nine magnitude shaker. Nancy Haley, an Elmore City resident said, I was sitting at my computer and all of a sudden it was just a rumble like, um, distant thunder.Haley thought she might be feeling vibrations caused by heavy artillery at Fort Sill, 55 miles to the west. She said, Then it was just shaking, even the chair I was sitting in was shaking.
All over town, residents reported feeling the earth move. Some say things fell off the walls and shattered. Others say they were shaken awake in the middle of the night. Tammy Wiley said, I was in bed about 4 o'clock in the morning, laying there and the bed just kind of jumped, kind of like it just went 'boom.'Officials say yesterday's quake released 164 times as much energy as the three others recorded earlier this week. According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, 30 to 60 earthquakes occur each year in Oklahoma, it's just that nobody knows about them. Residents say the news is more interesting than concerning...but the city is prepared, should a natural disaster strike.
Lisa Rollings works at City Hall. She said, We have an evacuation committee that just started in you know, being prepared for these types of things, but I don't think we ever actually put earthquake on the list.And in this small town of less than 800 people, word has traveled fast. Nancy Haley said, My husband went to the coffee shop and everybody there was talking a bout it, did you feel that this morning early and so, yeah, it was the talk of the town. It still is.(Andrea Kurys, KTEN News).
Moderate earthquake rocks Mexico City 3 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY - A moderate earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday, causing skyscrapers to sway and frightening residents.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.The U.S. Geological Service estimated the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered in Michoacan, 125 miles southwest of the capital.There were no initial reports of major damage in the city, and electric and telephone service were not interrupted.
Hundreds of Mexico City residents ran into the streets when the quake hit.Radio reports said the city seemed fine. The quake didn't appear to knock out electricity or phone service.The quake was too small and based too far inland to cause a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
Powerful typhoon kills 104 in China By JOE McDONALD, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 47 minutes ago
BEIJING - Typhoon Saomai, the strongest storm to strike China in 50 years, weakened to a tropical depression Friday but drenched the country's southeast after killing at least 104 people, blacking out cities and wrecking more than 50,000 houses. Another 190 people were missing after Saomai, whose winds peaked at 170 mph, battered areas where more than 1.6 million people were evacuated before it hit late Thursday.Hardest-hit was Wenzhou, a coastal city where at least 81 people were killed and 11 were missing, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said Wenzhou suffered $560 million in damage, including more than 18,000 flattened houses.
In Cangnan County on Wenzhou's outskirts, 43 bodies, including those of eight children, were found in the debris of collapsed houses where they sought shelter from the storm, Xinhua said. News photos showed relatives weeping over bodies covered in sheets and quilts.State television showed cars flipped over on rain-slicked streets, fallen trees and broken road signs. Exhausted evacuees sat in public buildings waiting out the storm.Saomai weakened to a tropical depression Friday, and torrential rains were forecast over the weekend across China's south, from coastal Zhejiang and Fujian inland to the poor rural provinces of Jiangxi and
Anhui.Much of that region was still recovering from Tropical Storm Bilis, which killed more than 600 people last month, many of them in mountain villages and other inland areas.
Saomai, the Vietnamese name for the planet Venus, was the eighth major storm to hit China during an unusually violent typhoon season. It was dubbed a super typhoon by Chinese forecasters due to its huge size and strong winds.
Deaths were reported in Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, and neighboring Fujian province to the south, where power was knocked out in several cities, state media said.More than 32,000 houses were wrecked in Fujian, Xinhua said. The government didn't immediately say how bad the damage was in Zhejiang outside of Wenzhou.Saomai was the most powerful typhoon to hit China since a storm on Aug. 1, 1956, that had winds up to 145 mph, Xinhua said.
It said that typhoon killed 4,900 people in Zhejiang.It is the strongest typhoon that we have ever seen,Xinhua quoted an unnamed official as saying in Fuding, where at least two people were killed. The government said the city got more than a foot of rain in 12 hours.
Ahead of the storm, about 1 million people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of Zhejiang and 620,000 from Fujian, according to the government.More than 20,000 soldiers and paramilitary police reportedly were mobilized for relief work. The Fujian government said it sent 1,500 tents, 3,000 quilts and 50,000 pieces of clothing to storm survivors.Late Friday, the government announced that it was allocating $21 million in disaster aid to regions hit by Saomai and other recent storms.Last week, Typhoon Prapiroon battered Guangdong province and the Guangxi region on China's southern coast, killing at least 80 people.Even as Saomai moved inland, Chinese forecasters were already closely watching Tropical Storm Bopha, which trailed behind it farther out in the Pacific.
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 and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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 have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Iran wants 'religious empire' in Middle East: Israel Thu Aug 10, 8:44 AM ET
PARIS (AFP) Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres has urged the international community to prevent Iran from imposing a religious empire across the Middle East. The problem, once again, lies with the religious ambitions of the Persians, Peres told French television France 3 Thursday.
That is why many people, even among Arabs, are against Hezbollah and the Iranians. They want to maintain the Middle East as an Arab place, not an Iranian religious empire.The world, including France, needs to do something to stop this dangerous behaviour,he said.Israel accuses Iran and Syria of supporting the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and supplying it with arms, notably its arsenal of thousands of rockets, which is being used to shower Israel with attacks every day.The two countries consistently argue that their support for Hezbollah is purely moral.
Tornado Hits Marcellus
The National Weather Service in Binghamton says a tornado touched down in the village of Marcellus around 4 pm. It's estimated that the tornado was an F-0 on the Fujita Damage Scale, the weakest kind of tornado, with winds up to 70 MPH. The estimated width of the Tornado was about 75 yards. Damage was largely to trees which were uprooted and snapped. A portion of a tin roof on a residence was pulled off the building and flipped. A path of the tornado is visible between Orchard Street and Kinderwood Road, with more damage heading southeast of town. One eyewitness says the tornado passed just to the east of Marcellus Park and the went 3 miles ot the Southeast before going out of view. Additional storm damage was noted in the vicinity of South Onondaga where utility crews are repairing power lines and poles on Nichols Road and Hutchings Road.
Palestinians Want Ceasefire with Israel
August 10, 2006
Many adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip think it is time to reach a truce with Israel, according to a poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion. 57.7 per cent of respondents support enacting a ceasefire.In January, Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council election, securing 74 of the 112 seats at stake. Ismail Haniyeh officially took over as prime minister on Mar. 28.
The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings.
On Jun. 28, Israel launched a military operation in response to a joint raid carried out by Palestinian militants on a military post outside of the Gaza Strip, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed, and one more, Gilad Shalit, was captured.On Jul. 10, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert ruled out any discussions with the Hamas-led government, saying, I will not release prisoners to trade for Gilad Shalit. I don’t negotiate with Hamas, I did not negotiate with Hamas and I will not negotiate with Hamas.On Aug. 9, London-based Al Hayat reported that the three groups that hold Shalit have demanded the release of 12 Palestinian prisoners—including Fatah member Marwan Barghouti and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader Ahmad Saadat—in exchange for the Israeli soldier.
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose enacting a ceasefire with Israel?
Support
57.7%
Oppose
38.4%
No reply
3.9%
Source: Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO)
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from Jul. 22 to Jul. 29, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.,Archive Search,Over 12,000 Polls,Search the Angus Reid Global Scan Polls & Research archive.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) 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 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.
Spain's Military now Up and Running With Savi Technology's RFID-Based Consignment Management Solution
By: PR Newswire,Aug. 10, 2006 10:23 AM,Digg This!
SUNNYVALE, California, August 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Spanish Armed Forces (SAF) active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) network and software platform is ready to interoperate with compatible RFID networks deployed by NATO and other military
allies.
The RFID networks provided by Savi Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], now enable SAF and NATO to automatically track and manage national and multi-national, joint force consignments as they are transported through each other's supply chains worldwide. The platform uses the Savi Consignment Management Solution (CMS) and includes Savi's data-rich, active RFID tags, fixed readers and handheld reader kits.
Last year the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) initiated use of an interoperable RFID backbone when it upgraded to Savi CMS for its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) supply chain.
We're delighted that the Savi CMS solution is up and running, and we are eager to further test the system, and to collaborate on tracking consignments through compatible networks such as NATO's,said Col. Enrique Porras, technical director of SAF's Logistic Resources Tracking System Program. The timely and accurate information from the Savi CMS solution will improve our ability to efficiently and effectively deliver supplies to our soldiers deployed in the field, and to collaborate closely with allies during more complex joint-force operations.
Porras continued. Savi Technology, a leading provider of RFID supply chain solutions for commercial, defense and civilian agencies, also has extended active RFID networks and support software for the U.S. Department of Defense, United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, Australian Defence Forces, and the Danish Ministry of Defence.
As more defense organizations implement and upgrade RFID networks using the Savi CMS, there will be a multiplier effect in terms of efficiencies, economies of scale, reduced supply losses and improved service deliveries in the field,said Bruce Jacquemard, managing director of Savi's International Public Sector.
Savi CMS is a complete, integrated solution that bridges the visibility gaps of consignments as they move through military supply chains. Savi CMS also provides exception-based management alerts; real-time tracking of assets and their contents as well as monitoring of environmental conditions inside the container. Savi's RFID solutions have been implemented in more than 2,000 locations in over 50 countries: Savi networks track approximately 35,000 consignments a day. Savi Technology www.savi.com.
Savi Technology
Mark Nelson, +1-408-743-8866 mnelson@savi.com, Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com
Published Aug. 10, 2006 SYS-CON Media.
Israeli Objections to Ceasefire Proposal
By Hillel Fendel and Hana Levi Julian(INN)
Former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom of the Likud has stinging criticism of the ceasefire plan being formulated in the United Nations. He calls it a disgrace and a historic tragedy.Shalom, who served as Foreign Minister under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for nearly three years until early this year, said that the proposal under consideration by the Security Council mortgages the country's future and would be a weeping for generations. Lebanon, too, has objections, which may cause another delay in the Council vote. Lebanon feels that the Shab'a Farms area, which it still demands from Israel, is not significantly mentioned, nor does it like the fact that the international peacekeeping force would be empowered to open fire. Lebanon also insists that Israel withdraw entirely from south Lebanese territory before any ceasefire is carried out.
Israel initially objected to the ceasefire proposal for its lack of a clause requiring Hizbullah to disarm prior to a ceasefire. Nonetheless, Jerusalem appears willing to accept the proposal. Israel has rejected a Russian proposal to hold a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, says it would only give Hizbullah time to regroup and recover. We think this is a bad idea. Speaking with Voice of Israel Radio on Friday morning, Minister Shalom said if the UN proposal is accepted, Israel's position would be worse than it was at the beginning of the war: It does not call for a large multi-national force in southern Lebanon, Hizbullah would not be disarmed, and a parallel is made between our abducted soldiers and murderous Lebanese terrorists held by Israel such as Samir Kuntar.It could even be, Shalom said, that Syria might conclude that it can get the Golan Heights back by sending over some missiles to Israel.
Shalom's party colleague, former Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuval Shteinitz, took an even stronger stance. If Israel accepts this shameful ceasefire, Shteinitz said Friday morning, the government must resign and new elections must be held.
Shteinitz took issue with the fact that the new proposal would replace Resolution 1559 of two years ago, which calls for the Lebanese Army to take over southern Lebanon from Hizbullah:The fact that Israel is willing to significantly erode 1559, and even give Hizbullah a territorial achievement in the form of half of Israel's Mt. Hermon (Shab'a) will be understood as a clear victory for Hizbullah. This will invite a difficult war of rockets and commandos from Syria in the near future.If this is an existential war, as [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert said, then the results of it are dangerous to Israel's existence,Shteinitz concluded.
On the other hand, the left-wing peace forces are pleading with the government to accept the ceasefire proposal. Meretz MK Zahava Gal'on said, It is in Israel's interest to accept this plan and to thus end the warfare. Israel must take advantage of the agreement being formed to call for the inclusion of Syria in the negotiations, and to thus turn it into an entity with which we can reach a
diplomatic agreement.A diplomatic agreement with Syria, almost by definition, would entail ceding the Golan Heights to that country.
Abbas Urged To Dissolve Palestinian Authority
August 11, 2006 7:15 a.m. EST,Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Correspondent
Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - In apparent pressure tactic on Israel, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is being urged by senior members of the Palestinian leadership to dissolve the Palestinian Authority.A spokesman for PLO Foreign Minister Farouq Kaddoumi, who sees himself, and not Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, as the true foreign representative of the Palestinians, said the move should be considered in order to force Israel to withdraw its forces to positions held before September 2000, release frozen tax revenues and free jailed members of the Hamas leadership. It would also have the effect of undoing the Israel-Palestinian Interim Agreement, better known as the Oslo Accords.
Said Kaddoumi aide Ghassan al-Masri to The Jerusalem Post, It's inconceivable that the Palestinians should pay the cost of their occupation by Israel. Why shouldn't Israel, in its capacity as an occupation force, bear the expenses of our education, health and social welfare systems? Why should it be an inexpensive occupation for Israel? The Oslo Accords were signed precisely to give the Palestinians an opportunity to make a better life for themselves. But their leadership has by and large chosen to continue fighting Israel instead, culminating in the outbreak of the Al Aqsa Intifada in September 2000. Things got worse for the Palestinians in January of this year when they overwhelmingly chose the Hamas terrorist organization to lead them, resulting in Israel freezing the transfer of desperately needed funds and, more recently, arresting the bulk of Hamas lawmakers.
Said PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in an address to a truncated gathering of legislators Wednesday, In light of the Israeli measures against our government, I believe that we will have to start looking into the possibility of dismantling the Palestinian Authority.Despite belonging to the rival Fatah and Hamas factions, Kaddoumi, who lives in exile in Tunisia, and Haniyeh agree that Israel's destruction remains the Palestinians' ultimate goal.
US losing credibility in Mideast From correspondents in Cairo
August 11, 2006
EGYPTIAN President Hosni Mubarak said the United States and the West were losing credibility in the Middle East because they were dragging their feet on a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
In an interview with the Egyptian magazine October, released today, Mr Mubarak also said it would be impossible to implement quickly a UN resolution which requires Hezbollah to disarm - one of the steps Israel and the United States want to see in a political settlement of the month-old conflict.
He dismissed Washington's talk of a new Middle East, saying it ignored what he called the real problem - the collapse of attempts at peace between Israelis and Palestinians.Foot-dragging on a ceasefire and the continuation of the Israeli aggression detract from the credibility of the United States and the West in the region,Mr Mubarak said.
The United States has not moved to a sufficient extent and with the necessary speed to contain the situation,he said.Washington has said it takes time to negotiate lasting security arrangements for south Lebanon. Analysts and diplomats say the United States has been trying to give Israel more time to damage Hezbollah and claim military success. Israel and the United States want the Lebanese army, backed by international forces, to move into south Lebanon and supervise the disarmament of Hezbollah - one of the steps envisaged in UN Security Council resolution 1559 of 2004. Mr Mubarak said: Long months have passed without full implementation of resolution 1559.
It is inconceivable that what was not achieved in past years and months could be achieved in the midst of the current crisis and within a few weeks. That will not happen by diktats contained in UN Security Council resolutions which lack balance, but by taking into account Lebanese realities and concerns,he said.Regarding the new Middle East concept promoted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice early in the fighting, Mr Mubarak said: To talk about the 'new Middle East' or, before that, the Greater Middle East, ignores the real problem in the region, which is the suspension of the peace process. That leads to a rise in feelings of despair, frustration and extremism,he said.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Earthquakes Shaking Up Garvin County
Posted: Aug 10, 2006 07:47 PM EDT
In Garvin County, Oklahoma, residents have been rattled recently. The Oklahoma Geological Survey says four earthquakes have been recorded there since Friday. The latest one hit yesterday in Elmore City, where residents say they felt the tremors.
KTEN's Andrea Kurys reports.The latest earthquake was the largest to hit the county, so far. Geologists say the earthquake was a two-point-nine magnitude shaker. Nancy Haley, an Elmore City resident said, I was sitting at my computer and all of a sudden it was just a rumble like, um, distant thunder.Haley thought she might be feeling vibrations caused by heavy artillery at Fort Sill, 55 miles to the west. She said, Then it was just shaking, even the chair I was sitting in was shaking.
All over town, residents reported feeling the earth move. Some say things fell off the walls and shattered. Others say they were shaken awake in the middle of the night. Tammy Wiley said, I was in bed about 4 o'clock in the morning, laying there and the bed just kind of jumped, kind of like it just went 'boom.'Officials say yesterday's quake released 164 times as much energy as the three others recorded earlier this week. According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, 30 to 60 earthquakes occur each year in Oklahoma, it's just that nobody knows about them. Residents say the news is more interesting than concerning...but the city is prepared, should a natural disaster strike.
Lisa Rollings works at City Hall. She said, We have an evacuation committee that just started in you know, being prepared for these types of things, but I don't think we ever actually put earthquake on the list.And in this small town of less than 800 people, word has traveled fast. Nancy Haley said, My husband went to the coffee shop and everybody there was talking a bout it, did you feel that this morning early and so, yeah, it was the talk of the town. It still is.(Andrea Kurys, KTEN News).
Moderate earthquake rocks Mexico City 3 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY - A moderate earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday, causing skyscrapers to sway and frightening residents.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.The U.S. Geological Service estimated the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered in Michoacan, 125 miles southwest of the capital.There were no initial reports of major damage in the city, and electric and telephone service were not interrupted.
Hundreds of Mexico City residents ran into the streets when the quake hit.Radio reports said the city seemed fine. The quake didn't appear to knock out electricity or phone service.The quake was too small and based too far inland to cause a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
Powerful typhoon kills 104 in China By JOE McDONALD, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 47 minutes ago
BEIJING - Typhoon Saomai, the strongest storm to strike China in 50 years, weakened to a tropical depression Friday but drenched the country's southeast after killing at least 104 people, blacking out cities and wrecking more than 50,000 houses. Another 190 people were missing after Saomai, whose winds peaked at 170 mph, battered areas where more than 1.6 million people were evacuated before it hit late Thursday.Hardest-hit was Wenzhou, a coastal city where at least 81 people were killed and 11 were missing, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said Wenzhou suffered $560 million in damage, including more than 18,000 flattened houses.
In Cangnan County on Wenzhou's outskirts, 43 bodies, including those of eight children, were found in the debris of collapsed houses where they sought shelter from the storm, Xinhua said. News photos showed relatives weeping over bodies covered in sheets and quilts.State television showed cars flipped over on rain-slicked streets, fallen trees and broken road signs. Exhausted evacuees sat in public buildings waiting out the storm.Saomai weakened to a tropical depression Friday, and torrential rains were forecast over the weekend across China's south, from coastal Zhejiang and Fujian inland to the poor rural provinces of Jiangxi and
Anhui.Much of that region was still recovering from Tropical Storm Bilis, which killed more than 600 people last month, many of them in mountain villages and other inland areas.
Saomai, the Vietnamese name for the planet Venus, was the eighth major storm to hit China during an unusually violent typhoon season. It was dubbed a super typhoon by Chinese forecasters due to its huge size and strong winds.
Deaths were reported in Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, and neighboring Fujian province to the south, where power was knocked out in several cities, state media said.More than 32,000 houses were wrecked in Fujian, Xinhua said. The government didn't immediately say how bad the damage was in Zhejiang outside of Wenzhou.Saomai was the most powerful typhoon to hit China since a storm on Aug. 1, 1956, that had winds up to 145 mph, Xinhua said.
It said that typhoon killed 4,900 people in Zhejiang.It is the strongest typhoon that we have ever seen,Xinhua quoted an unnamed official as saying in Fuding, where at least two people were killed. The government said the city got more than a foot of rain in 12 hours.
Ahead of the storm, about 1 million people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of Zhejiang and 620,000 from Fujian, according to the government.More than 20,000 soldiers and paramilitary police reportedly were mobilized for relief work. The Fujian government said it sent 1,500 tents, 3,000 quilts and 50,000 pieces of clothing to storm survivors.Late Friday, the government announced that it was allocating $21 million in disaster aid to regions hit by Saomai and other recent storms.Last week, Typhoon Prapiroon battered Guangdong province and the Guangxi region on China's southern coast, killing at least 80 people.Even as Saomai moved inland, Chinese forecasters were already closely watching Tropical Storm Bopha, which trailed behind it farther out in the Pacific.
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 and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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 have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Iran wants 'religious empire' in Middle East: Israel Thu Aug 10, 8:44 AM ET
PARIS (AFP) Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres has urged the international community to prevent Iran from imposing a religious empire across the Middle East. The problem, once again, lies with the religious ambitions of the Persians, Peres told French television France 3 Thursday.
That is why many people, even among Arabs, are against Hezbollah and the Iranians. They want to maintain the Middle East as an Arab place, not an Iranian religious empire.The world, including France, needs to do something to stop this dangerous behaviour,he said.Israel accuses Iran and Syria of supporting the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and supplying it with arms, notably its arsenal of thousands of rockets, which is being used to shower Israel with attacks every day.The two countries consistently argue that their support for Hezbollah is purely moral.
Tornado Hits Marcellus
The National Weather Service in Binghamton says a tornado touched down in the village of Marcellus around 4 pm. It's estimated that the tornado was an F-0 on the Fujita Damage Scale, the weakest kind of tornado, with winds up to 70 MPH. The estimated width of the Tornado was about 75 yards. Damage was largely to trees which were uprooted and snapped. A portion of a tin roof on a residence was pulled off the building and flipped. A path of the tornado is visible between Orchard Street and Kinderwood Road, with more damage heading southeast of town. One eyewitness says the tornado passed just to the east of Marcellus Park and the went 3 miles ot the Southeast before going out of view. Additional storm damage was noted in the vicinity of South Onondaga where utility crews are repairing power lines and poles on Nichols Road and Hutchings Road.
Palestinians Want Ceasefire with Israel
August 10, 2006
Many adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip think it is time to reach a truce with Israel, according to a poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion. 57.7 per cent of respondents support enacting a ceasefire.In January, Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council election, securing 74 of the 112 seats at stake. Ismail Haniyeh officially took over as prime minister on Mar. 28.
The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings.
On Jun. 28, Israel launched a military operation in response to a joint raid carried out by Palestinian militants on a military post outside of the Gaza Strip, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed, and one more, Gilad Shalit, was captured.On Jul. 10, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert ruled out any discussions with the Hamas-led government, saying, I will not release prisoners to trade for Gilad Shalit. I don’t negotiate with Hamas, I did not negotiate with Hamas and I will not negotiate with Hamas.On Aug. 9, London-based Al Hayat reported that the three groups that hold Shalit have demanded the release of 12 Palestinian prisoners—including Fatah member Marwan Barghouti and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader Ahmad Saadat—in exchange for the Israeli soldier.
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose enacting a ceasefire with Israel?
Support
57.7%
Oppose
38.4%
No reply
3.9%
Source: Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO)
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from Jul. 22 to Jul. 29, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.,Archive Search,Over 12,000 Polls,Search the Angus Reid Global Scan Polls & Research archive.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) 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 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.
Spain's Military now Up and Running With Savi Technology's RFID-Based Consignment Management Solution
By: PR Newswire,Aug. 10, 2006 10:23 AM,Digg This!
SUNNYVALE, California, August 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Spanish Armed Forces (SAF) active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) network and software platform is ready to interoperate with compatible RFID networks deployed by NATO and other military
allies.
The RFID networks provided by Savi Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], now enable SAF and NATO to automatically track and manage national and multi-national, joint force consignments as they are transported through each other's supply chains worldwide. The platform uses the Savi Consignment Management Solution (CMS) and includes Savi's data-rich, active RFID tags, fixed readers and handheld reader kits.
Last year the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) initiated use of an interoperable RFID backbone when it upgraded to Savi CMS for its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) supply chain.
We're delighted that the Savi CMS solution is up and running, and we are eager to further test the system, and to collaborate on tracking consignments through compatible networks such as NATO's,said Col. Enrique Porras, technical director of SAF's Logistic Resources Tracking System Program. The timely and accurate information from the Savi CMS solution will improve our ability to efficiently and effectively deliver supplies to our soldiers deployed in the field, and to collaborate closely with allies during more complex joint-force operations.
Porras continued. Savi Technology, a leading provider of RFID supply chain solutions for commercial, defense and civilian agencies, also has extended active RFID networks and support software for the U.S. Department of Defense, United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, Australian Defence Forces, and the Danish Ministry of Defence.
As more defense organizations implement and upgrade RFID networks using the Savi CMS, there will be a multiplier effect in terms of efficiencies, economies of scale, reduced supply losses and improved service deliveries in the field,said Bruce Jacquemard, managing director of Savi's International Public Sector.
Savi CMS is a complete, integrated solution that bridges the visibility gaps of consignments as they move through military supply chains. Savi CMS also provides exception-based management alerts; real-time tracking of assets and their contents as well as monitoring of environmental conditions inside the container. Savi's RFID solutions have been implemented in more than 2,000 locations in over 50 countries: Savi networks track approximately 35,000 consignments a day. Savi Technology www.savi.com.
Savi Technology
Mark Nelson, +1-408-743-8866 mnelson@savi.com, Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com
Published Aug. 10, 2006 SYS-CON Media.
Israeli Objections to Ceasefire Proposal
By Hillel Fendel and Hana Levi Julian(INN)
Former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom of the Likud has stinging criticism of the ceasefire plan being formulated in the United Nations. He calls it a disgrace and a historic tragedy.Shalom, who served as Foreign Minister under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for nearly three years until early this year, said that the proposal under consideration by the Security Council mortgages the country's future and would be a weeping for generations. Lebanon, too, has objections, which may cause another delay in the Council vote. Lebanon feels that the Shab'a Farms area, which it still demands from Israel, is not significantly mentioned, nor does it like the fact that the international peacekeeping force would be empowered to open fire. Lebanon also insists that Israel withdraw entirely from south Lebanese territory before any ceasefire is carried out.
Israel initially objected to the ceasefire proposal for its lack of a clause requiring Hizbullah to disarm prior to a ceasefire. Nonetheless, Jerusalem appears willing to accept the proposal. Israel has rejected a Russian proposal to hold a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, says it would only give Hizbullah time to regroup and recover. We think this is a bad idea. Speaking with Voice of Israel Radio on Friday morning, Minister Shalom said if the UN proposal is accepted, Israel's position would be worse than it was at the beginning of the war: It does not call for a large multi-national force in southern Lebanon, Hizbullah would not be disarmed, and a parallel is made between our abducted soldiers and murderous Lebanese terrorists held by Israel such as Samir Kuntar.It could even be, Shalom said, that Syria might conclude that it can get the Golan Heights back by sending over some missiles to Israel.
Shalom's party colleague, former Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuval Shteinitz, took an even stronger stance. If Israel accepts this shameful ceasefire, Shteinitz said Friday morning, the government must resign and new elections must be held.
Shteinitz took issue with the fact that the new proposal would replace Resolution 1559 of two years ago, which calls for the Lebanese Army to take over southern Lebanon from Hizbullah:The fact that Israel is willing to significantly erode 1559, and even give Hizbullah a territorial achievement in the form of half of Israel's Mt. Hermon (Shab'a) will be understood as a clear victory for Hizbullah. This will invite a difficult war of rockets and commandos from Syria in the near future.If this is an existential war, as [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert said, then the results of it are dangerous to Israel's existence,Shteinitz concluded.
On the other hand, the left-wing peace forces are pleading with the government to accept the ceasefire proposal. Meretz MK Zahava Gal'on said, It is in Israel's interest to accept this plan and to thus end the warfare. Israel must take advantage of the agreement being formed to call for the inclusion of Syria in the negotiations, and to thus turn it into an entity with which we can reach a
diplomatic agreement.A diplomatic agreement with Syria, almost by definition, would entail ceding the Golan Heights to that country.
Abbas Urged To Dissolve Palestinian Authority
August 11, 2006 7:15 a.m. EST,Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Correspondent
Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - In apparent pressure tactic on Israel, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is being urged by senior members of the Palestinian leadership to dissolve the Palestinian Authority.A spokesman for PLO Foreign Minister Farouq Kaddoumi, who sees himself, and not Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, as the true foreign representative of the Palestinians, said the move should be considered in order to force Israel to withdraw its forces to positions held before September 2000, release frozen tax revenues and free jailed members of the Hamas leadership. It would also have the effect of undoing the Israel-Palestinian Interim Agreement, better known as the Oslo Accords.
Said Kaddoumi aide Ghassan al-Masri to The Jerusalem Post, It's inconceivable that the Palestinians should pay the cost of their occupation by Israel. Why shouldn't Israel, in its capacity as an occupation force, bear the expenses of our education, health and social welfare systems? Why should it be an inexpensive occupation for Israel? The Oslo Accords were signed precisely to give the Palestinians an opportunity to make a better life for themselves. But their leadership has by and large chosen to continue fighting Israel instead, culminating in the outbreak of the Al Aqsa Intifada in September 2000. Things got worse for the Palestinians in January of this year when they overwhelmingly chose the Hamas terrorist organization to lead them, resulting in Israel freezing the transfer of desperately needed funds and, more recently, arresting the bulk of Hamas lawmakers.
Said PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in an address to a truncated gathering of legislators Wednesday, In light of the Israeli measures against our government, I believe that we will have to start looking into the possibility of dismantling the Palestinian Authority.Despite belonging to the rival Fatah and Hamas factions, Kaddoumi, who lives in exile in Tunisia, and Haniyeh agree that Israel's destruction remains the Palestinians' ultimate goal.
US losing credibility in Mideast From correspondents in Cairo
August 11, 2006
EGYPTIAN President Hosni Mubarak said the United States and the West were losing credibility in the Middle East because they were dragging their feet on a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
In an interview with the Egyptian magazine October, released today, Mr Mubarak also said it would be impossible to implement quickly a UN resolution which requires Hezbollah to disarm - one of the steps Israel and the United States want to see in a political settlement of the month-old conflict.
He dismissed Washington's talk of a new Middle East, saying it ignored what he called the real problem - the collapse of attempts at peace between Israelis and Palestinians.Foot-dragging on a ceasefire and the continuation of the Israeli aggression detract from the credibility of the United States and the West in the region,Mr Mubarak said.
The United States has not moved to a sufficient extent and with the necessary speed to contain the situation,he said.Washington has said it takes time to negotiate lasting security arrangements for south Lebanon. Analysts and diplomats say the United States has been trying to give Israel more time to damage Hezbollah and claim military success. Israel and the United States want the Lebanese army, backed by international forces, to move into south Lebanon and supervise the disarmament of Hezbollah - one of the steps envisaged in UN Security Council resolution 1559 of 2004. Mr Mubarak said: Long months have passed without full implementation of resolution 1559.
It is inconceivable that what was not achieved in past years and months could be achieved in the midst of the current crisis and within a few weeks. That will not happen by diktats contained in UN Security Council resolutions which lack balance, but by taking into account Lebanese realities and concerns,he said.Regarding the new Middle East concept promoted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice early in the fighting, Mr Mubarak said: To talk about the 'new Middle East' or, before that, the Greater Middle East, ignores the real problem in the region, which is the suspension of the peace process. That leads to a rise in feelings of despair, frustration and extremism,he said.
Friday, August 11, 2006
CHINAS WORST STORM IN DECADES
1-88 Houses Damaged in Series of Earthquakes in Albania. 2-Moderate quake rattles El Salvador, Guatemala. 3-FARMING: COLDIRETTI - 1BN DAMAGE BY STORMS AND DROUGHT. 4-China's worst storm in decades arrives. 5-Stronger hurricanes spawn bigger storm surges. 6-3.5 million face flood risk, India's diamond city inundated. 7-Green pigment spins chip promise. 8-Russia-NATO-En largement Russian minister: Russia questions NATO enlargement Belgrade. 9-Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever death toll in Turkey rises. 10-Bomb plot' throws air travel into chaos.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
88 Houses Damaged in Series of Earthquakes in Albania
10 August 2006 | 16:55 | FOCUS News Agency
Tirana. 88 houses were damaged in a series of earthquakes in the southern parts of Albania, the Macedonian TV channel SITEL reported. The Mayor of the town of Himara announced that the damages in his town were not so significant.
Two villages near Himara were more severely struck by the earthquakes.An earthquake measuring 5.5 in magnitude rocked the southern parts of Albania on Wednesday shortly after midnight. The same morning another earthquake measuring 4.8 was registered in the region.
Seismic activity continued throughout the whole day.
Moderate quake rattles El Salvador, Guatemala 1 hour, 30 minutes ago
SAN SALVADOR (AFP) - A moderate earthquake, measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale, shook El Salvador and Guatemala, alarming residents but causing no injuries, officials here have said. The quake, recorded by seismologists at 1:03 am (0703 GMT), had an epicenter in the Pacific, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of the mouth of the Paz River, which separates El Salvador and Guatemala, and 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of San Salvador.The earthquake had a depth of 25 kilometers (15 miles).
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
FARMING: COLDIRETTI - 1BN DAMAGE BY STORMS AND DROUGHT
(AGI) - Rome, 9 Aug - The bad weather has caused damage across northern central and southern Italy, with many regions announcing the launch of the procedure for a declaration of a state of emergency, reports Coldiretti's monitoring of the effects of the wet weather crossing Italy following the long drought in the north and with a national toll of at least a billion euros lost in farming caused by the varied weather comprising storms and dry weather that has marked summer 2006. The heavy rainstorms and storms have affected regions already hit by the drought, such as Emilia Romagna where in Ferrara, after 40 days without rain, wind and rainstorms caused a millions of euros of damage.
But also those that had been saved from the drought, such as Puglia and Molise, have seen wind and rainstorms. In the province of Taranto, as a result of a violent rainstorm that hit hundreds of businesses, Coldiretti reports that the harvest of eating grapes and grapes for wine, olives, fruit and vegetables has been irreparably damaged across an area of around four thousand hectares between Castellaneta, Palagianello and Palagiano, damaging between 70pct and 100pct of crops.
In lower Molise losses of six and a half million euros have been estimated due to the hailstorms that have badly hit 350 hectares of vineyards, 250 hectares of tomatoes and also plums olives and with a state of emergency being recognised. Lighter rain in some areas brought relief in some areas of the country while severe damage has been recorded in areas where there have been full force rainstorms with strong winds and hailstones causing irreversible damage to buildings and farm land.
The arrival of storms on land suffering from the lengthy drought increased the risk of further landslips and landslides - a possibility that affects all regions given that 7.1pct of land to a total of 21,000 km sq is considered to be at risk of landslides and floods. There is a need to deal with the state of emergency but there is also a need to think about the future with a plan to protect the environment
and the development of land that offers huge opportunities for competitive growth at the local production level. A commitment that should be accompanied - concludes Coldiretti - with overcoming the delays in work on infrastructure that needs modernisation and new plants in the face of climatic change, the management of water and the local safety and development of the land.(AGI) -
091941 AGO 06
China's worst storm in decades arrives By GILLIAN WONG, Associated Press Writer 39 minutes ago
BEIJING - The most powerful typhoon to hit China in five decades slammed into its southeastern coast Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes and battering the region with rain and wind after more than 1.3 million people were evacuated, state media
reported. At least two people were killed. Typhoon Saomai was the eighth major storm to strike China in this summer's unusually violent typhoon season.
Torrential rains were forecast in the next three days as it churned inland across crowded areas where Tropical Storm Bilis killed more than 600 people last month.Saomai, with winds up to 135 mph, made landfall at the town of Mazhan in coastal Zhejiang province at 5:25 p.m. and was moving northwest at 12 mph, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing weather officials.
Xinhua said two people were killed in the city of Fuding, while 80 people were injured and more than 1,000 houses toppled in and around Mazhan.Saomai was the most powerful typhoon to hit China since the founding of the communist government in 1949, Xinhua said, citing the Zhejiang provincial weather bureau.
Before its arrival, at least 760,000 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of Zhejiang and 569,000 from the neighboring coastal province of Fujian, Xinhua said. It said a total of 70,000 ships had returned to port in the two provinces.The area is about 950 miles south of Beijing, the Chinese capital, which was not affected by the storm.In Hong Kong, airport officials said Thursday that 10 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan and the mainland city of Fuzhou had been canceled and 16 flights delayed as of midafternoon.
In the central and southern Philippines, two people died and seven others were reported missing after giant waves and heavy rains generated by the typhoon battered coastal villages this week, officials said.More than 200 houses built on stilts were destroyed as waves up to 10 feet tall ravaged the coast of Bongao, the capital of southern Tawi-Tawi province, before dawn Wednesday, provincial Gov. Sadikul Sahali said. A child died and another was reported missing, he said.There is floating debris everywhere,Sahali said.
Elsewhere, a man was killed as big waves washed away about 200 shanties in seaside villages in Talisay city on central Cebu island early Wednesday, the civil defense office said.Saomai passed across the Japan's Okinawa island group on Wednesday with
winds up to 89 mph, prompting airlines to cancel 141 flights and affecting 24,000 passengers.
China's weather bureau had forecast unusually heavy typhoon action this summer, saying warmer than normal Pacific currents and weather patterns over Tibet would create bigger storms and draw them farther inland.Bilis triggered flooding and landslides as far inland as Hunan province, hundreds of miles from the coast.
Most of the deaths happened in areas away from coastal communities that have elaborate dike networks and a long history of evacuating flood-prone areas.Typhoon Prapiroon lashed China's southern coast last week, killing at least 80 people in floods and landslides in Guangdong province and neighboring Guangxi.Even as Saomai stormed ashore, Chinese forecasters were already closely watching Tropical Storm Bopha, which trailed behind it farther out in the Pacific. Bopha crossed Taiwan overnight with sustained winds of 40 mph but no major damage or casualties were reported.
Stronger hurricanes spawn bigger storm surges By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent Wed Aug 9, 4:23 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stronger hurricanes forecast for the next few decades could flood major cities including Miami and New Orleans, environmental scientists said on Wednesday. Storm surges walls of water up to 30 feet high pushed ashore by
hurricanes could pose a higher risk to coastal areas than the threat of rising seas tied to global warming, scientists from the group Environmental Defense said.
More intense hurricanes -- some as strong as 2005's devastating Katrina are likely in the future, the scientists said, because global climate change could mean warmer sea surface temperatures, which fuel hurricanes' development.
There's been a lot of talk about the threat to coastal areas of sea level rise, and that is a very, very real issue ... but one that is going to unfold over a period of decades, if not a century,said Bill Chameides, Environmental Defense's chief scientist, in a telephone news conference.What we think will actually be a more immediate risk to coastal areas ... is the threat of storm surge, which is actually exacerbated by sea level rise due to these growing-intensity storms,Chameides said.Using U.S. government data, the scientists created maps showing flood risk areas in Wilmington, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina, and Miami, based
on projections of storm surges from hurricanes ranked as Category Three, Category Four and Category Five.
FLOOD RISK
A Category Three storm, with a typical surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters) to 12 feet above normal, would pose a flood risk to all of Miami Beach and much of downtown Miami, according to the scientists' projections.By contrast, a Category Five storm, with surges of 18 feet or higher, would pose a risk to a larger area, extending further inland, their maps indicated.The maps and other information are
available online at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/go/hurricanes/.
For New Orleans, the scientists did not project possible risk of flooding; instead, they used data from the U.S. Geological Survey showing how far the flood waters went after devastating Hurricane Katrina came ashore last year.As Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed, the 9,546 square miles of land close to sea level (in Louisiana) are especially vulnerable to storm surges -- highly destructive moving crests of water that often cause the bulk of the damage in a high-category storm, the scientists wrote online.
Chameides agrees with many climate scientists who believe human-caused global warming is responsible for raising sea surface temperatures, making stronger hurricanes more likely; but other scientists maintain hurricane intensity goes in natural cycles, and say the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic and Caribbean season was part of a high-category hurricane cycle.
U.S. government forecasters on Tuesday revised their hurricane predictions for 2006, saying the Atlantic hurricane season would be slightly less intense than last year and less active than they predicted in May with 12 to 15 named storms and seven to nine hurricanes, of which three or four could be classified as major hurricanes.Last year there were 28 tropical storms, of which 15 became hurricanes, including four major hurricanes, notably Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, killed 1,300 people and caused $80 billion in damage.
3.5 million face flood risk, India's diamond city inundated Wed Aug 9, 1:06 PM ET
AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) - Swirling floods intensified in parts of rain-lashed India as the authorities warned that 3.5 million residents of the main diamond-cutting city of Surat were at risk from rising water levels. Troops backed by naval craft and heavy-lift air force helicopters were evacuating people from flooded homes in Surat in the western state of Gujarat as diamond merchants perched on rooftops for protection.Nationwide, the flood-related death toll rose by 197 in the past eight days to 574 since the monsoons hit the country in mid-May.Some 543,000 people have been hit by floods in the inundated southern Andhra Pradesh state and another 105,000 people displaced in neighbouring Maharashtra, officials said.Surat Police Commissioner Sudhir Sinha painted a horrific picture of the city, which accounts for around 70 percent of India's polished diamond exports.
Due to the release of 900,000 cusecs (cubic inch per second) of water from the Ukai dam into Tapti river, 80 percent of Surat is under water and the situation is likely to worsen with the high tide (in the Arabian Sea),Sinha told reporters.Most of Surat's 3.5 million population is badly affected,Sinha said. He put the number of people killed at six in the past four days.A total of 190,000 people have so far shifted from Surat, officials said, adding that communications links were also down.Casualties will rise if the water-sheet enters the first floor of houses in the vicinity of Tapti river. Right now people are on rooftops,he said.Sinha reported
growing shortages of emergency supplies in the once-prosperous city. The diamond-cutting industry was in disarray.All diamond and textile units have been closed for the last three days and diamond cutters are stranded on the rooftops of their houses,Dhiru Gajera, provincial legislator from Surat, said in Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.
Nanubhai Vasani, ex-chief of the Gujarat Diamond Association, estimated the industry was daily losing 1.3 billion rupees (29 million dollars).And if the floods continue, then Surat will become the grave of India's diamond industry,he said.India's state run and private petroleum firms also reported disruptions in production in Gujarat's bountiful gasfields due to the havoc.Soldiers in powerboats roared across waterways which were once lush boulevards, plucking people from trees, submerged houses and even the top of vehicles, witnesses said. Helicopters dropped food or winched up those in dire straits.Our operations will continue until we save every life we can and feed ever child we can,a helicopter pilot told reporters at an airbase in Gujarat after carrying out dozens of sorties Wednesday.The military was also out in Andhra Pradesh, where 900,000 acres (364,217 hectares) of crops and 71,000 houses are under floodwater in six districts, an official said.In Maharashtra state, which adjoins Gujarat, thousands of homeless in 15 of its 35 districts are living off food dropped by the air force.
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.
Green pigment spins chip promise
Spintronics promises smaller, more powerful microchips An unpopular pigment used by artists in the 18th Century could lead to more energy efficient, faster computers. Cobalt green, as the dye is known, has been tested by a US team who believe it could be used in spintronic devices. Spintronics involves manipulating the magnetic properties of electrons to do useful computational work.
Cobalt green may be useful for building working devices as it can be used at room temperature, unlike many other materials which must be supercooled. The big challenge is to develop materials that can perform these kinds of functions not just at cryogenic temperatures but at practical temperatures,said Professor Daniel Gamelin of the University of Washington in Seattle, one of the team that carried out the work.
Magnetic force
Cobalt green, sometimes known as Rinmann's green, is a mixture of zinc oxide and cobalt. The semi-transparent pigment was developed by the Swedish chemist Sven Rinmann in 1780. The dye never found favour with artists as it was expensive and created relatively weak colours. The breakthrough with the materials we tested is that they exhibit their magnetic properties at room temperature Professor Gamelin However, the material could be useful in spintronic devices because of its magnetic properties.
Conventional electronics rely on the movement and accumulation of electrons to carry out calculations or to store data. In addition, spintronics uses the spin of electrons - detected as a weak magnetic force - to increase the computational power of a device.
Spintronic devices, in theory, should be much quicker than conventional electronics and require much less power. The technology is already used in some hard discs and could eventually be used for sensors and computer memory.
Antique promise
A goal of spintronics is to develop a semiconductor that can manipulate an electron's magnetism. Semiconductors are used to manufacture microchips, at the heart of all computers and many other electronic devices. Semiconductors are at the heart of all computers As computers have become faster, chips have become smaller. But manufacturers recognise that conventional chip fabrications techniques will eventually reach a physical limit. Spintronics offers a potential solution. To create a useful spintronic device the semiconductor must be magnetised and remain stable at room temperature. Researchers have proposed that the best way to create material like this is to incorporate a magnetic element into a traditional semiconductor such as silicon.
Until now, most attempts to do this have only shown useful spintronic properties at low temperature, typically around minus 200C. This is much too cold to be useful in a working device. Cobalt green appears to work at more useful temperatures. The breakthrough with the materials we tested is that they exhibit their magnetic properties at room temperature,said Professor Gamelin.
Chip makers
To test the antique pigment the researchers processed zinc oxide, a simple semiconductor material, so that some of the zinc ions were replaced with ions of magnetic cobalt. The process is known as doping. This work shows there is a real effect here, and there is promise for these materials Professor Gamelin The cobalt ions were then aligned by exposing the semiconductor to a zinc metal vapour. The alignment causes the material to become magnetic. The magnetism continued when the material was warmed to room temperature and when the exposure to the zinc metal vapour was stopped. When the material was heated further the magnetic properties disappeared. This work shows there is a real effect here, and there is promise for these materials,said Professor Gamelin. However, the research is still in its early stages. To be of use to chip-makers the technique must be shown to work using
common semiconductor material. The next step is to try to get these materials to interface with silicon semiconductors.
Today: Thursday August 10, 2006 Russia-NATO-En largement Russian minister: Russia questions NATO enlargement Belgrade, Aug 9, IRNA
Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia has long been urging a suspension of NATO enlargement, questioning its final aim as a worldwide military entity. According to Tanjug news agency, the minister said in a statement published
on Wednesday in Montenegrin daily Vijesti, It is for us to understand who NATO is getting to fight against.
Noting that if the enlargement continues at the same pace, the whole planet would be soon in NATO, wondering what the meaning of the alliance would be. When asked by a journalist about whether relations between Russia and Montenegro would deteriorate if Montenegro gets accepted in NATO, Shoigu replied that the relations would not improve. Shoigu also said that the accession in NATO is the issue that Montenegro alone should decide. Heading a high-ranking economic delegation, Shoigu has been touring the region this week including a visit to Belgrade on Monday where he held talks with Serbian president Boris Tadic.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever death toll in Turkey rises
Aug 9, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The number of deaths in a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) outbreak in Turkey has increased to 20, with a total of 242 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday. Since WHO's last update on
the outbreak on Jun 30 there have been 92 new cases and 9 new deaths.
One of the fatalities involved a healthcare worker who acquired the infection while treating a patient with CCHF. Lab-confirmed cases were reported in 22 Turkish provinces, though most were reported from six northeastern provinces of Kelkit Valley: Tokat, Sivas, Gumushane, Amasya, Yozgat, and Corum.
A Jul 10 WHO update on CCHF said most of the patients who were evaluated for the disease had been infected through tick bites. Contact with the blood of infected livestock can also transmit the virus.
CCHF is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Nairovirus organisms of the Bunyaviridae family. The disease is primarily a zoonosis;
sporadic cases and outbreaks do occur in humans. The disease in humans is severe and has a high mortality rate. (The case-fatality rate in the current outbreak is 8.3%, according to the WHO.) CCHF is endemic in many African, European, and Asian
countries.
In an advisory for travelers, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said no cases have been reported from popular tourist resorts on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The ECDC said the number of cases in 2006 suggests
increased viral activity in the area; however, they added that detection and diagnosis of CCHF have improved. In Turkey, CCHF in humans was first documented in 2002.
A note posted today on ProMED-mail, the online reporting system of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said the death of the healthcare worker serves as an important reminder that those treating suspected CCHF patients should take proper
infection control precautions during their exposure to infected patients.
Nosocomial infection risk is highest in the early stages of a patient's infection. The Turkish Ministry of Health is continuing control measures, which include enhanced nationwide CCHF surveillance. The WHO Country Office in Turkey and the WHO Regional Office for Europe are closely monitoring CCHF activity in the country.
CIDRAP overview on viral hemorrhagic fever
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/bt/vhf/biofacts/vhffactsheet.html
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Bomb plot' throws air travel into chaos
Thursday 10 August 2006, 18:09 Makka Time, 15:09 GMT
Passengers have been left stranded at airports.Air travel to and from Britain has been plunged into chaos after police foiled a suspected plot to blow up aeroplanes on transatlantic flights.London Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, suffered massive congestion as many airlines cancelled short-haul flights to Britain on Thursday.Police said they had arrested 21 people and foiled a plot to blow up planes flying from Britain to the United States, and put the country on its highest state of alert for terror attacks.
They said said that the plot involved hiding explosive devices in hand baggage.
Stringent security measures have been imposed across the country's airports, including requiring passengers with infants to taste bottles of baby milk to prove it did not contain any harmful substances.Congestion built up rapidly as aviation authorities enforced the new regulations.
Cancellations
British Airways cancelled all its short-haul flights due on Thursday between Heathrow and other British and European cities, as well as the Libyan capital of Tripoli.Flights across Europe have been grounded. BA added that it was also cancelling some of Thursday's domestic and shorthaul services in and out of London's second airport, Gatwick.Airports operator BAA had earlier requested the suspension of all flights due to take off from Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport.The inter-connected nature of international air travel meant the disruption spread across the world.Lufthansa of Germany said it was pulling all flights to Britain until 1500 GMT. It said 22 flights and 3,041 passengers would be affected, but that it expected flights later in the day to go ahead as planned.Spain's Iberia said its service to Heathrow would be halted until at least lunchtime.
Train switch
Alitalia grounded all its flights to Britain and aviation authorities in the Netherlands said they were cancelling all flights to Heathrow until at least 1500 GMT.
Security has been ramped up at airports
French airline Air France said it had cancelled its three morning flights from Paris to London due to the situation.Passengers who had already boarded an Air France flight to London were told to disembark from their plane on the tarmac at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport.The chaos resulted in 2,500 extra bookings for cross-channel Eurostar train services from London, Paris and Brussels.In Asia, airlines said they were waiting for further information and that it was highly possible they would have to cancel flights to Britain.Meanwhile Michael Chertoff, the US homeland security secretary, said the threat level for commercial flights from Britain to
the US has been raised to severe, or red.
US security
US airlines said they were not planning to cancel flights to Britain but warned of severe delays.All US carriers flying from Britain informed passengers of strict new limitations on carry-on baggage in line with emergency directives issued by the British government.It's a fluid situation. But we have no cancellations of UK-bound flights,said Brandon Borrman, a spokesman for United Airlines.New security measures have caused mass congestion.We are experiencing delays of at least two hours out of (London) Heathrow,he added.Delta noted that additional security measures had been put in place for all flights bound for Britain.
Delta continues to operate its flights from the UK to the US, although customers may experience delays due to revised check-in requirements issued by the UK's Department for Transport,it said in a statement.All the major US carriers including American Airlines and Continental warned passengers not to bring any fluids or gels such as toothpaste on to flights departing from British airports.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
88 Houses Damaged in Series of Earthquakes in Albania
10 August 2006 | 16:55 | FOCUS News Agency
Tirana. 88 houses were damaged in a series of earthquakes in the southern parts of Albania, the Macedonian TV channel SITEL reported. The Mayor of the town of Himara announced that the damages in his town were not so significant.
Two villages near Himara were more severely struck by the earthquakes.An earthquake measuring 5.5 in magnitude rocked the southern parts of Albania on Wednesday shortly after midnight. The same morning another earthquake measuring 4.8 was registered in the region.
Seismic activity continued throughout the whole day.
Moderate quake rattles El Salvador, Guatemala 1 hour, 30 minutes ago
SAN SALVADOR (AFP) - A moderate earthquake, measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale, shook El Salvador and Guatemala, alarming residents but causing no injuries, officials here have said. The quake, recorded by seismologists at 1:03 am (0703 GMT), had an epicenter in the Pacific, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of the mouth of the Paz River, which separates El Salvador and Guatemala, and 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of San Salvador.The earthquake had a depth of 25 kilometers (15 miles).
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; the sea and the waves roaring;
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.
FARMING: COLDIRETTI - 1BN DAMAGE BY STORMS AND DROUGHT
(AGI) - Rome, 9 Aug - The bad weather has caused damage across northern central and southern Italy, with many regions announcing the launch of the procedure for a declaration of a state of emergency, reports Coldiretti's monitoring of the effects of the wet weather crossing Italy following the long drought in the north and with a national toll of at least a billion euros lost in farming caused by the varied weather comprising storms and dry weather that has marked summer 2006. The heavy rainstorms and storms have affected regions already hit by the drought, such as Emilia Romagna where in Ferrara, after 40 days without rain, wind and rainstorms caused a millions of euros of damage.
But also those that had been saved from the drought, such as Puglia and Molise, have seen wind and rainstorms. In the province of Taranto, as a result of a violent rainstorm that hit hundreds of businesses, Coldiretti reports that the harvest of eating grapes and grapes for wine, olives, fruit and vegetables has been irreparably damaged across an area of around four thousand hectares between Castellaneta, Palagianello and Palagiano, damaging between 70pct and 100pct of crops.
In lower Molise losses of six and a half million euros have been estimated due to the hailstorms that have badly hit 350 hectares of vineyards, 250 hectares of tomatoes and also plums olives and with a state of emergency being recognised. Lighter rain in some areas brought relief in some areas of the country while severe damage has been recorded in areas where there have been full force rainstorms with strong winds and hailstones causing irreversible damage to buildings and farm land.
The arrival of storms on land suffering from the lengthy drought increased the risk of further landslips and landslides - a possibility that affects all regions given that 7.1pct of land to a total of 21,000 km sq is considered to be at risk of landslides and floods. There is a need to deal with the state of emergency but there is also a need to think about the future with a plan to protect the environment
and the development of land that offers huge opportunities for competitive growth at the local production level. A commitment that should be accompanied - concludes Coldiretti - with overcoming the delays in work on infrastructure that needs modernisation and new plants in the face of climatic change, the management of water and the local safety and development of the land.(AGI) -
091941 AGO 06
China's worst storm in decades arrives By GILLIAN WONG, Associated Press Writer 39 minutes ago
BEIJING - The most powerful typhoon to hit China in five decades slammed into its southeastern coast Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes and battering the region with rain and wind after more than 1.3 million people were evacuated, state media
reported. At least two people were killed. Typhoon Saomai was the eighth major storm to strike China in this summer's unusually violent typhoon season.
Torrential rains were forecast in the next three days as it churned inland across crowded areas where Tropical Storm Bilis killed more than 600 people last month.Saomai, with winds up to 135 mph, made landfall at the town of Mazhan in coastal Zhejiang province at 5:25 p.m. and was moving northwest at 12 mph, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing weather officials.
Xinhua said two people were killed in the city of Fuding, while 80 people were injured and more than 1,000 houses toppled in and around Mazhan.Saomai was the most powerful typhoon to hit China since the founding of the communist government in 1949, Xinhua said, citing the Zhejiang provincial weather bureau.
Before its arrival, at least 760,000 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas of Zhejiang and 569,000 from the neighboring coastal province of Fujian, Xinhua said. It said a total of 70,000 ships had returned to port in the two provinces.The area is about 950 miles south of Beijing, the Chinese capital, which was not affected by the storm.In Hong Kong, airport officials said Thursday that 10 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan and the mainland city of Fuzhou had been canceled and 16 flights delayed as of midafternoon.
In the central and southern Philippines, two people died and seven others were reported missing after giant waves and heavy rains generated by the typhoon battered coastal villages this week, officials said.More than 200 houses built on stilts were destroyed as waves up to 10 feet tall ravaged the coast of Bongao, the capital of southern Tawi-Tawi province, before dawn Wednesday, provincial Gov. Sadikul Sahali said. A child died and another was reported missing, he said.There is floating debris everywhere,Sahali said.
Elsewhere, a man was killed as big waves washed away about 200 shanties in seaside villages in Talisay city on central Cebu island early Wednesday, the civil defense office said.Saomai passed across the Japan's Okinawa island group on Wednesday with
winds up to 89 mph, prompting airlines to cancel 141 flights and affecting 24,000 passengers.
China's weather bureau had forecast unusually heavy typhoon action this summer, saying warmer than normal Pacific currents and weather patterns over Tibet would create bigger storms and draw them farther inland.Bilis triggered flooding and landslides as far inland as Hunan province, hundreds of miles from the coast.
Most of the deaths happened in areas away from coastal communities that have elaborate dike networks and a long history of evacuating flood-prone areas.Typhoon Prapiroon lashed China's southern coast last week, killing at least 80 people in floods and landslides in Guangdong province and neighboring Guangxi.Even as Saomai stormed ashore, Chinese forecasters were already closely watching Tropical Storm Bopha, which trailed behind it farther out in the Pacific. Bopha crossed Taiwan overnight with sustained winds of 40 mph but no major damage or casualties were reported.
Stronger hurricanes spawn bigger storm surges By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent Wed Aug 9, 4:23 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stronger hurricanes forecast for the next few decades could flood major cities including Miami and New Orleans, environmental scientists said on Wednesday. Storm surges walls of water up to 30 feet high pushed ashore by
hurricanes could pose a higher risk to coastal areas than the threat of rising seas tied to global warming, scientists from the group Environmental Defense said.
More intense hurricanes -- some as strong as 2005's devastating Katrina are likely in the future, the scientists said, because global climate change could mean warmer sea surface temperatures, which fuel hurricanes' development.
There's been a lot of talk about the threat to coastal areas of sea level rise, and that is a very, very real issue ... but one that is going to unfold over a period of decades, if not a century,said Bill Chameides, Environmental Defense's chief scientist, in a telephone news conference.What we think will actually be a more immediate risk to coastal areas ... is the threat of storm surge, which is actually exacerbated by sea level rise due to these growing-intensity storms,Chameides said.Using U.S. government data, the scientists created maps showing flood risk areas in Wilmington, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina, and Miami, based
on projections of storm surges from hurricanes ranked as Category Three, Category Four and Category Five.
FLOOD RISK
A Category Three storm, with a typical surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters) to 12 feet above normal, would pose a flood risk to all of Miami Beach and much of downtown Miami, according to the scientists' projections.By contrast, a Category Five storm, with surges of 18 feet or higher, would pose a risk to a larger area, extending further inland, their maps indicated.The maps and other information are
available online at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/go/hurricanes/.
For New Orleans, the scientists did not project possible risk of flooding; instead, they used data from the U.S. Geological Survey showing how far the flood waters went after devastating Hurricane Katrina came ashore last year.As Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed, the 9,546 square miles of land close to sea level (in Louisiana) are especially vulnerable to storm surges -- highly destructive moving crests of water that often cause the bulk of the damage in a high-category storm, the scientists wrote online.
Chameides agrees with many climate scientists who believe human-caused global warming is responsible for raising sea surface temperatures, making stronger hurricanes more likely; but other scientists maintain hurricane intensity goes in natural cycles, and say the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic and Caribbean season was part of a high-category hurricane cycle.
U.S. government forecasters on Tuesday revised their hurricane predictions for 2006, saying the Atlantic hurricane season would be slightly less intense than last year and less active than they predicted in May with 12 to 15 named storms and seven to nine hurricanes, of which three or four could be classified as major hurricanes.Last year there were 28 tropical storms, of which 15 became hurricanes, including four major hurricanes, notably Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, killed 1,300 people and caused $80 billion in damage.
3.5 million face flood risk, India's diamond city inundated Wed Aug 9, 1:06 PM ET
AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) - Swirling floods intensified in parts of rain-lashed India as the authorities warned that 3.5 million residents of the main diamond-cutting city of Surat were at risk from rising water levels. Troops backed by naval craft and heavy-lift air force helicopters were evacuating people from flooded homes in Surat in the western state of Gujarat as diamond merchants perched on rooftops for protection.Nationwide, the flood-related death toll rose by 197 in the past eight days to 574 since the monsoons hit the country in mid-May.Some 543,000 people have been hit by floods in the inundated southern Andhra Pradesh state and another 105,000 people displaced in neighbouring Maharashtra, officials said.Surat Police Commissioner Sudhir Sinha painted a horrific picture of the city, which accounts for around 70 percent of India's polished diamond exports.
Due to the release of 900,000 cusecs (cubic inch per second) of water from the Ukai dam into Tapti river, 80 percent of Surat is under water and the situation is likely to worsen with the high tide (in the Arabian Sea),Sinha told reporters.Most of Surat's 3.5 million population is badly affected,Sinha said. He put the number of people killed at six in the past four days.A total of 190,000 people have so far shifted from Surat, officials said, adding that communications links were also down.Casualties will rise if the water-sheet enters the first floor of houses in the vicinity of Tapti river. Right now people are on rooftops,he said.Sinha reported
growing shortages of emergency supplies in the once-prosperous city. The diamond-cutting industry was in disarray.All diamond and textile units have been closed for the last three days and diamond cutters are stranded on the rooftops of their houses,Dhiru Gajera, provincial legislator from Surat, said in Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.
Nanubhai Vasani, ex-chief of the Gujarat Diamond Association, estimated the industry was daily losing 1.3 billion rupees (29 million dollars).And if the floods continue, then Surat will become the grave of India's diamond industry,he said.India's state run and private petroleum firms also reported disruptions in production in Gujarat's bountiful gasfields due to the havoc.Soldiers in powerboats roared across waterways which were once lush boulevards, plucking people from trees, submerged houses and even the top of vehicles, witnesses said. Helicopters dropped food or winched up those in dire straits.Our operations will continue until we save every life we can and feed ever child we can,a helicopter pilot told reporters at an airbase in Gujarat after carrying out dozens of sorties Wednesday.The military was also out in Andhra Pradesh, where 900,000 acres (364,217 hectares) of crops and 71,000 houses are under floodwater in six districts, an official said.In Maharashtra state, which adjoins Gujarat, thousands of homeless in 15 of its 35 districts are living off food dropped by the air force.
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.
Green pigment spins chip promise
Spintronics promises smaller, more powerful microchips An unpopular pigment used by artists in the 18th Century could lead to more energy efficient, faster computers. Cobalt green, as the dye is known, has been tested by a US team who believe it could be used in spintronic devices. Spintronics involves manipulating the magnetic properties of electrons to do useful computational work.
Cobalt green may be useful for building working devices as it can be used at room temperature, unlike many other materials which must be supercooled. The big challenge is to develop materials that can perform these kinds of functions not just at cryogenic temperatures but at practical temperatures,said Professor Daniel Gamelin of the University of Washington in Seattle, one of the team that carried out the work.
Magnetic force
Cobalt green, sometimes known as Rinmann's green, is a mixture of zinc oxide and cobalt. The semi-transparent pigment was developed by the Swedish chemist Sven Rinmann in 1780. The dye never found favour with artists as it was expensive and created relatively weak colours. The breakthrough with the materials we tested is that they exhibit their magnetic properties at room temperature Professor Gamelin However, the material could be useful in spintronic devices because of its magnetic properties.
Conventional electronics rely on the movement and accumulation of electrons to carry out calculations or to store data. In addition, spintronics uses the spin of electrons - detected as a weak magnetic force - to increase the computational power of a device.
Spintronic devices, in theory, should be much quicker than conventional electronics and require much less power. The technology is already used in some hard discs and could eventually be used for sensors and computer memory.
Antique promise
A goal of spintronics is to develop a semiconductor that can manipulate an electron's magnetism. Semiconductors are used to manufacture microchips, at the heart of all computers and many other electronic devices. Semiconductors are at the heart of all computers As computers have become faster, chips have become smaller. But manufacturers recognise that conventional chip fabrications techniques will eventually reach a physical limit. Spintronics offers a potential solution. To create a useful spintronic device the semiconductor must be magnetised and remain stable at room temperature. Researchers have proposed that the best way to create material like this is to incorporate a magnetic element into a traditional semiconductor such as silicon.
Until now, most attempts to do this have only shown useful spintronic properties at low temperature, typically around minus 200C. This is much too cold to be useful in a working device. Cobalt green appears to work at more useful temperatures. The breakthrough with the materials we tested is that they exhibit their magnetic properties at room temperature,said Professor Gamelin.
Chip makers
To test the antique pigment the researchers processed zinc oxide, a simple semiconductor material, so that some of the zinc ions were replaced with ions of magnetic cobalt. The process is known as doping. This work shows there is a real effect here, and there is promise for these materials Professor Gamelin The cobalt ions were then aligned by exposing the semiconductor to a zinc metal vapour. The alignment causes the material to become magnetic. The magnetism continued when the material was warmed to room temperature and when the exposure to the zinc metal vapour was stopped. When the material was heated further the magnetic properties disappeared. This work shows there is a real effect here, and there is promise for these materials,said Professor Gamelin. However, the research is still in its early stages. To be of use to chip-makers the technique must be shown to work using
common semiconductor material. The next step is to try to get these materials to interface with silicon semiconductors.
Today: Thursday August 10, 2006 Russia-NATO-En largement Russian minister: Russia questions NATO enlargement Belgrade, Aug 9, IRNA
Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia has long been urging a suspension of NATO enlargement, questioning its final aim as a worldwide military entity. According to Tanjug news agency, the minister said in a statement published
on Wednesday in Montenegrin daily Vijesti, It is for us to understand who NATO is getting to fight against.
Noting that if the enlargement continues at the same pace, the whole planet would be soon in NATO, wondering what the meaning of the alliance would be. When asked by a journalist about whether relations between Russia and Montenegro would deteriorate if Montenegro gets accepted in NATO, Shoigu replied that the relations would not improve. Shoigu also said that the accession in NATO is the issue that Montenegro alone should decide. Heading a high-ranking economic delegation, Shoigu has been touring the region this week including a visit to Belgrade on Monday where he held talks with Serbian president Boris Tadic.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever death toll in Turkey rises
Aug 9, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The number of deaths in a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) outbreak in Turkey has increased to 20, with a total of 242 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday. Since WHO's last update on
the outbreak on Jun 30 there have been 92 new cases and 9 new deaths.
One of the fatalities involved a healthcare worker who acquired the infection while treating a patient with CCHF. Lab-confirmed cases were reported in 22 Turkish provinces, though most were reported from six northeastern provinces of Kelkit Valley: Tokat, Sivas, Gumushane, Amasya, Yozgat, and Corum.
A Jul 10 WHO update on CCHF said most of the patients who were evaluated for the disease had been infected through tick bites. Contact with the blood of infected livestock can also transmit the virus.
CCHF is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Nairovirus organisms of the Bunyaviridae family. The disease is primarily a zoonosis;
sporadic cases and outbreaks do occur in humans. The disease in humans is severe and has a high mortality rate. (The case-fatality rate in the current outbreak is 8.3%, according to the WHO.) CCHF is endemic in many African, European, and Asian
countries.
In an advisory for travelers, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said no cases have been reported from popular tourist resorts on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The ECDC said the number of cases in 2006 suggests
increased viral activity in the area; however, they added that detection and diagnosis of CCHF have improved. In Turkey, CCHF in humans was first documented in 2002.
A note posted today on ProMED-mail, the online reporting system of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said the death of the healthcare worker serves as an important reminder that those treating suspected CCHF patients should take proper
infection control precautions during their exposure to infected patients.
Nosocomial infection risk is highest in the early stages of a patient's infection. The Turkish Ministry of Health is continuing control measures, which include enhanced nationwide CCHF surveillance. The WHO Country Office in Turkey and the WHO Regional Office for Europe are closely monitoring CCHF activity in the country.
CIDRAP overview on viral hemorrhagic fever
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/bt/vhf/biofacts/vhffactsheet.html
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Bomb plot' throws air travel into chaos
Thursday 10 August 2006, 18:09 Makka Time, 15:09 GMT
Passengers have been left stranded at airports.Air travel to and from Britain has been plunged into chaos after police foiled a suspected plot to blow up aeroplanes on transatlantic flights.London Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, suffered massive congestion as many airlines cancelled short-haul flights to Britain on Thursday.Police said they had arrested 21 people and foiled a plot to blow up planes flying from Britain to the United States, and put the country on its highest state of alert for terror attacks.
They said said that the plot involved hiding explosive devices in hand baggage.
Stringent security measures have been imposed across the country's airports, including requiring passengers with infants to taste bottles of baby milk to prove it did not contain any harmful substances.Congestion built up rapidly as aviation authorities enforced the new regulations.
Cancellations
British Airways cancelled all its short-haul flights due on Thursday between Heathrow and other British and European cities, as well as the Libyan capital of Tripoli.Flights across Europe have been grounded. BA added that it was also cancelling some of Thursday's domestic and shorthaul services in and out of London's second airport, Gatwick.Airports operator BAA had earlier requested the suspension of all flights due to take off from Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport.The inter-connected nature of international air travel meant the disruption spread across the world.Lufthansa of Germany said it was pulling all flights to Britain until 1500 GMT. It said 22 flights and 3,041 passengers would be affected, but that it expected flights later in the day to go ahead as planned.Spain's Iberia said its service to Heathrow would be halted until at least lunchtime.
Train switch
Alitalia grounded all its flights to Britain and aviation authorities in the Netherlands said they were cancelling all flights to Heathrow until at least 1500 GMT.
Security has been ramped up at airports
French airline Air France said it had cancelled its three morning flights from Paris to London due to the situation.Passengers who had already boarded an Air France flight to London were told to disembark from their plane on the tarmac at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport.The chaos resulted in 2,500 extra bookings for cross-channel Eurostar train services from London, Paris and Brussels.In Asia, airlines said they were waiting for further information and that it was highly possible they would have to cancel flights to Britain.Meanwhile Michael Chertoff, the US homeland security secretary, said the threat level for commercial flights from Britain to
the US has been raised to severe, or red.
US security
US airlines said they were not planning to cancel flights to Britain but warned of severe delays.All US carriers flying from Britain informed passengers of strict new limitations on carry-on baggage in line with emergency directives issued by the British government.It's a fluid situation. But we have no cancellations of UK-bound flights,said Brandon Borrman, a spokesman for United Airlines.New security measures have caused mass congestion.We are experiencing delays of at least two hours out of (London) Heathrow,he added.Delta noted that additional security measures had been put in place for all flights bound for Britain.
Delta continues to operate its flights from the UK to the US, although customers may experience delays due to revised check-in requirements issued by the UK's Department for Transport,it said in a statement.All the major US carriers including American Airlines and Continental warned passengers not to bring any fluids or gels such as toothpaste on to flights departing from British airports.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
IRAN THREATENS US
1-Massive Western Aliyah This Week, Despite Month of War. 2-IDF Chief of Staff Shakes Up Northern Command. 3-Israeli shakes up war's chain of command. 4-Israel's peace partners still seek its demise. 5-World Church Bodies Unite in Call for Peace in Lebanon. 6-Iranian president criticizes Bush.
EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Massive Western Aliyah This Week, Despite Month of War
By Ezra HaLevi(INN)
Despite the two-front war, the thousands of missiles, and the evacuation of northern communities, more than 800 North American and British Jews are moving to Israel this week. After a month of war, and even though they have had plenty of time to postpone or reschedule their Aliyah (immigration to Israel), four planeloads of Jews are scheduled to arrive in Ben Gurion airport in the coming week – the first on Thursday.On Wednesday, August 16th – the one year anniversary of the forced eviction of the Jews of Gaza – three simultaneous flights will arrive. Embodying the Jewish prayer that the nation be gathered “from the four corners of the Earth, the planes will depart from Canada, America and England – all arriving simultaneously in the Holy Land.
The August 16, 2006 influx will constitute the largest number of Jews in history making Aliyah to Israel from Western countries in a single day.Overall this summer, 3,000 North American and British Jews are moving to Israel on specially chartered flights organized by the Nefesh b'Nefesh Aliyah assistance organization, in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency.Greeting the arrivals Thursday will be Minister of Public Security and former Shabak Chief Avi Dichter (Kadima) and Minister of Immigrant Absorption Ze'ev Boim (Kadima). Opposition leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu greeted the last group of arrivals last month.Visit the Nefesh b'Nefesh web site to learn about immigrating to Israel or sign up to greet the new immigrants upon their arrival.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) 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 that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.(THIS EU POLITICIAN COMES FROM THE OCCULT)
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king 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, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
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) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, 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, and against his army.
IDF Chief of Staff Shakes Up Northern Command
By Yechiel Spira and Ezra HaLevi(INN)
Despite a carefully worded IDF statement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt-General Dan Halutz has clearly expressed no-confidence in his northern district commander, Major-General Udi Adam. Halutz, who has not appeared in public in recent days, announced Tuesday that his deputy chief of staff, Major-General Moshe Kaplinsky (photo above), will work alongside Adam, overseeing all military forces operating in Lebanon. The IDF spokesperson was quick to add that Lt.-General Halutz has total confidence in Adam’s performance, but wishes to appoint Kaplinsky to oversee air, land and naval forces operating in Lebanon. This, senior officers explain, is tantamount to Adam getting the boot. They say that after the war, Adam will have no alternative but to resign his command.
Military analysts on the nightly news programs Tuesday explained that Halutz’s move was nothing less than Adam’s notice of dismissal, a sign of no-confidence and dissatisfaction with his performance since the warfare began some 29 days ago.
Others explain that the move signals more than dissatisfaction, but also a clear sign that Halutz expects to receive the green light from the prime minister for a large-scale military operation, one that will involve more than the close to 100,000 reservists already activated for service, one that will bring IDF forces deeper into Hizbullah territory in Lebanon.
Military historians report that Halutz’s move is not without precedent, citing that during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, then Chief of Staff David Elazar appointed his predecessor, former IDF Chief of Staff Chaim Bar-Lev to take command of the southern district, replacing Southern District Commander Major-General Shmuel Gonen (Gorodish).
Defense Minister Amir Peretz supports Halutz’s position, seeking to deploy tens of thousands of IDF forces in southern Lebanon towards bringing a halt to daily rocket attacks. Military intelligence reports that Iranian and Syrian support for Hizbullah has not waned, perhaps explaining why Syrian forces have been placed on a state-of-alert -- a level of preparedness that has not been seen in decades. Halutz on Tuesday expressed his opinion in clear terms, not flinching at the reality that a large-scale incursion deeper into southern Lebanon would result in considerable loss of life, with predictions hovering between 300-500 soldiers. Halutz warns that there is no alternative, explaining that if a ceasefire is forced on Israel with the current realities, Hizbullah will declare victory and the result will be a real threat to Israel’s future existence.
Most analysts are in agreement, albeit some hesitantly, admitting that then Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s unilateral retreat from the security zone in May 2000 has provided Hizbullah the stage to prepare for the current war, leaving the Syrian/ Iranian back guerilla army six years to stockpile weapons and train forces for the big standoff with Israel. Since the start of the warfare, 105 Israelis, civilians and military personnel, have been killed. 3,487 Katyusha rockets were fired into Israel, and Magen David Adom emergency medical service officials responded to 1,070 calls for assistance resulting from rocket attacks. Air force officials’ report pilots have carried out over 5,127 sorties, and foreign sources report close to 800 Lebanese have been killed. Despite Peretz’s and Halutz’s definitive position, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is moving cautiously, with aides admitting the prime minister remains undecided.
Olmert is seeking additional guarantees regarding a decisive IDF victory, realizing the past four weeks have not produced the desired results. Analysts agree that IDF forces have ‘won’ most battles, but Hizbullah has not exhibited true signs of defeat as rockets continue to pound civilian population centers.
Halutz’s move to override Adam’s authority in the northern district is a major step towards achieving such a goal. Some military analysts also view Halutz’s move as one to cover his back, realizing when the war ends, a national inquiry into the events will also focus on the operation of the IDF, and Halutz has just thrown a significant portion of the responsibility for any failure on Adam’s shoulders.
One example is the successful Hizbullah attack that set the war in motion in July, citing the lack of preparedness of northern border forces, permitting the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who are both still in
Hizbullah hands. While reports indicate the two are alive, and some stating with a modicum of confidence alive and well,but in reality, no one has been permitted to visit them since they fell into captivity, not even representatives of the International Red Cross.
Olmert will have to make a decision soon, realizing on the other side of the Atlantic, frantic French and Arab League efforts to impose a ceasefire on Israel are moving ahead in earnest, enjoying the support of UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan.Adam, in his response to Halutz’s statement admitted to Galei Tzahal (Army) Radio on Tuesday evening that he is keeping much inside,and will comment when the time is right,but added it is Halutz’s right to appoint a special officer to oversee war efforts.
Israeli shakes up war's chain of command By RAMIT PLUSHNIK-MASTI, Associated Press Writer 52 minutes ago
JERUSALEM -Israel has appointed a plain-speaking combat veteran to command the war in Lebanon after a 30-year career mostly focused on fighting Hezbollah guerrillas.In a sudden shake-up, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski was inserted over the head of Maj. Gen.
Udi Adam, the commander of the northern front, as the senior battlefield officer.
The appointment came Tuesday night, hours before Israel's Security Cabinet approved a major expansion of the military operation in Lebanon.Military analysts said Adam was seen as too cautious to score a decisive victory over Hezbollah. By sidelining Adam, Israel's military and political leadership also may have tried to answer critics of the army's failure to stop the relentless rocketing of northern Israel despite a month of fighting.
While Adam's military roots are in the Armored Corps, the 49-year-old Kaplinski's background in the infantry may be more suited to a ground offensive, especially in view of Hezbollah's recent success with anti-tank missiles.In 1976, Kaplinski enlisted in the Golani Brigade, an infantry unit based in northern Israel with a proud history of battle with Syria and with irregular forces in Lebanon.
He was commander of the brigade's reconnaissance unit in 1982, the year Israel invaded Lebanon to drive out the PLO and pushed all the way to the southern outskirts of Beirut. Kaplinski was wounded early in the fighting but returned to the war later; Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 18 years.Kaplinski — often called Kaplan for short — was a close associate of Ariel Sharon and was appointed his military secretary after Sharon, a former general, became prime minister in 2001.He was considered the leading candidate to succeed Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz as chief of staff, but the promotion was thrown into doubt after Sharon suffered a devastating stroke in January and new elections were held.Kaplinski is described as warm but tough, nonchalant and less than a stickler for pressed dress and military bearing.
People always describe him as a charismatic teddy bear,said Amos Harel, a military correspondent for the Israeli daily Haaretz.
Kaplinski is good at cutting down tensions around him and backing officers who are lower ranking,Harel said.Some analysts wondered whether he will be able to work with Adam.There is no room for two generals, wrote Alex Fishman in the Yedioth Aharonot
daily.
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 and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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 have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Israel's peace partners still seek its demise
Poll: Nearly all 'Palestinians' back Hizb'allah
By Ryan Jones,August 09, 2006
Seemingly encouraged by Israelis failure to defeat Hizb'allah after more than a month of warfare in southern Lebanon, the Palestinian Arabs are becoming increasingly radicalized in their view of the Jewish state, according to the results of a new public opinion poll.Conducted by the Ramallah-based Near East Consulting group, the poll revealed that 97 percent of Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza support Hizb'allah in its aggression against Israel. They have gone so far as to publicly cheer on Hizb'allah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah even when the Lebanese terror group's missiles came dangerously close to impacting Palestinian Authority-controlled towns in northern Samaria.
The poll also showed that public support for Hamas is on the rise, despite Israeli and Western economic sanctions meant to diminish Hamas appeal on the Palestinian street. A 55 percent majority now says Hamas should not alter its position regarding the ultimate destruction of the Jewish state.Furthermore, support for a lasting peace settlement with Israel is down 25 percent since June. Now just barely more than half of all Palestinians even care to negotiate peace with the Jews.
World Church Bodies Unite in Call for Peace in Lebanon
Posted: Wednesday, August 9 , 2006, 11:00 (BST)
Leaders from three of the largest church bodies in the world have come together to call for an end to violence in the Middle East.The World Council of Churches (WCC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) have called upon Israel and Hezbollah to end the fighting in Lebanon and upon the United States, the European Union, and the Arab States to exercise their influence toward this end. It also calls upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza.With the title A call to end the violence, the joint appeal is signed by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, LWF president Bishop Mark Hanson and WARC president Rev. Dr Clifton Kirkpatrick.
The call comes as reports emerge telling how Lebanese civilians and aid workers face even more dangers on their return home, as experts fear that around 10 per cent of the 3,000 rockets, artillery shells, cluster bombs and other artillery being fired into Lebanon each day for the past 28 days of conflict remain unexploded.The estimates leave returning civilians and aid workers exposed to around 7,000 unexploded munitions across the conflict zone.
The full text of the appeal is shown below:
A CALL TO END THE VIOLENCE
In the face of tragedy of such magnitude, we affirm that God calls us to do justice, reconcile with our enemies, and live together in
peace. Joint WCC-LWF-WARC statement on Lebanon
As followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and as leaders of the World Council of Churches and the worldwide fellowships of Lutheran and Reformed churches, we are shocked by the relentless violence, death, and devastation occurring in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. We mourn the loss of life.
We abhor the untold human costs of this conflict, especially its impact on innocent people. We deplore the destruction of infrastructure and property. In the face of tragedy of such magnitude, we affirm that God calls us to do justice, reconcile with our enemies, and live together in peace.We call upon Israel and Hezbollah to end the fighting in Lebanon, and we call upon the United States, the European Union, and the Arab States to exercise their influence toward this end.
We call upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza.The number of Lebanese deaths approaches 1,000, one-third of them reportedly children under 12, and the number of Israeli deaths moves toward 100. Whatever the reality of the alleged provocations by both sides of the conflict, this spiral of violence serves no end but the devastation of Lebanon and the inflicting of wounds of terror in Israel.
Neither the terror of Katyusha rockets nor the destruction of Lebanese homes, schools, and villages can contribute to a lasting peace in the region. Such acts will lead to even deeper hatred between the parties than that which has fuelled the current violence. The Israelis have declared that they will continue military operations in Lebanon until there is a peacekeeping force on the ground. Hezbollah, in return, declares that they will not stop fighting until all Israeli military presence has left Lebanon. It is time for this intransigence by both parties to end. Israel must withdraw speedily from all the Lebanese territory, and Hezbollah, at the same time, must cease its actions against the Israeli people.
Close to 175 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed since Israel began military operations in the Gaza Strip. The devastation of the infrastructure of Gaza brings added hardship to people who already have nothing. The people of Israel know the terror of random rockets launched day and night.
While it is true that terms for a lasting peace cannot be reached in a brief time frame, the world cannot wait for signs of a new Middle East to stop the killing. It is time for the leaders of the nations, working through the United Nations, to bring to bear the full force of their influence. A cease-fire is an imperative first step to end the violence. As people of faith, we implore all parties, in God’s name, to agree to this, lest violence spread further through a region already stained with the blood of innocents.
When a cease-fire is achieved, we call the leaders of nations and other parties to begin the work for a compassionate order that will lead to a lasting peace. Our organisations and our churches are eager to share in that endeavour. The task is great and the way is hard, for fear must be overcome with faith, hate with trust, enmity with reconciliation, and injustice with justice. But it is a task worthy of our efforts and it is the way that leads to life.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
General Secretary
World Council of Churches
Rev. Dr Clifton Kirkpatrick
President
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
Bishop Mark Hanson
President
Lutheran World Federation
Daniel Blake
daniel@christiantoday.com
OH OH AHMADINIJAD, TAKE THE ADVICE I GAVE YOU BEFORE GRAB YOUR LITTLE TOWEL (TURBIN), GET ON YOUR CAMEL AN GO TO MAUDI IN THE WELL TELL HIM YOUR IN TROUBLE AND YOU WANT TO HIDE IN THE WELL WITH HIM BECAUSE GEORGE W AND ISRAEL ARE COMING TO GET YOU.
SINCERILY STAN L BOWMAN JR (ISRAEL SUPPORTER)
Iranian president criticizes Bush Wed Aug 9, 5:31 PM ET
NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized President Bush for failing to respond to his overture made in a letter in May, warning that those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate. The hard-line leader declared in the letter in May that liberalism and democracy had failed, and he lambasted Bush for his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks and a host of other issues ranging from the invasion of Iraq to U.S. support for Israel.It was the first formal communication between leaders of the two nations in 27 years, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed it, saying it failed to resolve the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.
Well, I wanted to open a window toward the light for the president so that he can see that one can look on the world through a different perspective. ... We are all free to choose, Ahmadinejad told CBS' Mike Wallace in an interview Tuesday. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate.In response, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Wednesday: The president's view is that he doesn't respond publicly to private correspondence.
Ahmadinejad said public opinion was turning against Bush at home and internationally. You see that his approval rating is dropping every day. Hatred vis-a-vis the president is increasing every day around the world, the Iranian president said. For a ruler, this is the worst message that he could receive. Rulers and heads of government at the end of their office must leave the office holding their heads high.
CBS released excerpts and said the full interview would be broadcast Sunday on 60 Minutes.The Iranian leader also accused Washington of ignoring Tehran's efforts to negotiate over the nuclear issue by insisting on a U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed last month calling for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment by Aug. 31 or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.The United States has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons though Tehran maintains its program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.They want to build an empire. And they don't want to live side-by-side in peace with other nations, he said. The American government, sir, it is very clear to me they have to change their behavior and everything will be resolved.
Bush believes that his power emanates from his nuclear warhead arsenals, Ahmadinejad said. The time of the bomb is in the past, it's behind us. Today is the era of thoughts, dialogue and cultural exchanges.
EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Massive Western Aliyah This Week, Despite Month of War
By Ezra HaLevi(INN)
Despite the two-front war, the thousands of missiles, and the evacuation of northern communities, more than 800 North American and British Jews are moving to Israel this week. After a month of war, and even though they have had plenty of time to postpone or reschedule their Aliyah (immigration to Israel), four planeloads of Jews are scheduled to arrive in Ben Gurion airport in the coming week – the first on Thursday.On Wednesday, August 16th – the one year anniversary of the forced eviction of the Jews of Gaza – three simultaneous flights will arrive. Embodying the Jewish prayer that the nation be gathered “from the four corners of the Earth, the planes will depart from Canada, America and England – all arriving simultaneously in the Holy Land.
The August 16, 2006 influx will constitute the largest number of Jews in history making Aliyah to Israel from Western countries in a single day.Overall this summer, 3,000 North American and British Jews are moving to Israel on specially chartered flights organized by the Nefesh b'Nefesh Aliyah assistance organization, in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency.Greeting the arrivals Thursday will be Minister of Public Security and former Shabak Chief Avi Dichter (Kadima) and Minister of Immigrant Absorption Ze'ev Boim (Kadima). Opposition leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu greeted the last group of arrivals last month.Visit the Nefesh b'Nefesh web site to learn about immigrating to Israel or sign up to greet the new immigrants upon their arrival.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) 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 that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.(THIS EU POLITICIAN COMES FROM THE OCCULT)
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king 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, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
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) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, 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, and against his army.
IDF Chief of Staff Shakes Up Northern Command
By Yechiel Spira and Ezra HaLevi(INN)
Despite a carefully worded IDF statement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt-General Dan Halutz has clearly expressed no-confidence in his northern district commander, Major-General Udi Adam. Halutz, who has not appeared in public in recent days, announced Tuesday that his deputy chief of staff, Major-General Moshe Kaplinsky (photo above), will work alongside Adam, overseeing all military forces operating in Lebanon. The IDF spokesperson was quick to add that Lt.-General Halutz has total confidence in Adam’s performance, but wishes to appoint Kaplinsky to oversee air, land and naval forces operating in Lebanon. This, senior officers explain, is tantamount to Adam getting the boot. They say that after the war, Adam will have no alternative but to resign his command.
Military analysts on the nightly news programs Tuesday explained that Halutz’s move was nothing less than Adam’s notice of dismissal, a sign of no-confidence and dissatisfaction with his performance since the warfare began some 29 days ago.
Others explain that the move signals more than dissatisfaction, but also a clear sign that Halutz expects to receive the green light from the prime minister for a large-scale military operation, one that will involve more than the close to 100,000 reservists already activated for service, one that will bring IDF forces deeper into Hizbullah territory in Lebanon.
Military historians report that Halutz’s move is not without precedent, citing that during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, then Chief of Staff David Elazar appointed his predecessor, former IDF Chief of Staff Chaim Bar-Lev to take command of the southern district, replacing Southern District Commander Major-General Shmuel Gonen (Gorodish).
Defense Minister Amir Peretz supports Halutz’s position, seeking to deploy tens of thousands of IDF forces in southern Lebanon towards bringing a halt to daily rocket attacks. Military intelligence reports that Iranian and Syrian support for Hizbullah has not waned, perhaps explaining why Syrian forces have been placed on a state-of-alert -- a level of preparedness that has not been seen in decades. Halutz on Tuesday expressed his opinion in clear terms, not flinching at the reality that a large-scale incursion deeper into southern Lebanon would result in considerable loss of life, with predictions hovering between 300-500 soldiers. Halutz warns that there is no alternative, explaining that if a ceasefire is forced on Israel with the current realities, Hizbullah will declare victory and the result will be a real threat to Israel’s future existence.
Most analysts are in agreement, albeit some hesitantly, admitting that then Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s unilateral retreat from the security zone in May 2000 has provided Hizbullah the stage to prepare for the current war, leaving the Syrian/ Iranian back guerilla army six years to stockpile weapons and train forces for the big standoff with Israel. Since the start of the warfare, 105 Israelis, civilians and military personnel, have been killed. 3,487 Katyusha rockets were fired into Israel, and Magen David Adom emergency medical service officials responded to 1,070 calls for assistance resulting from rocket attacks. Air force officials’ report pilots have carried out over 5,127 sorties, and foreign sources report close to 800 Lebanese have been killed. Despite Peretz’s and Halutz’s definitive position, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is moving cautiously, with aides admitting the prime minister remains undecided.
Olmert is seeking additional guarantees regarding a decisive IDF victory, realizing the past four weeks have not produced the desired results. Analysts agree that IDF forces have ‘won’ most battles, but Hizbullah has not exhibited true signs of defeat as rockets continue to pound civilian population centers.
Halutz’s move to override Adam’s authority in the northern district is a major step towards achieving such a goal. Some military analysts also view Halutz’s move as one to cover his back, realizing when the war ends, a national inquiry into the events will also focus on the operation of the IDF, and Halutz has just thrown a significant portion of the responsibility for any failure on Adam’s shoulders.
One example is the successful Hizbullah attack that set the war in motion in July, citing the lack of preparedness of northern border forces, permitting the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who are both still in
Hizbullah hands. While reports indicate the two are alive, and some stating with a modicum of confidence alive and well,but in reality, no one has been permitted to visit them since they fell into captivity, not even representatives of the International Red Cross.
Olmert will have to make a decision soon, realizing on the other side of the Atlantic, frantic French and Arab League efforts to impose a ceasefire on Israel are moving ahead in earnest, enjoying the support of UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan.Adam, in his response to Halutz’s statement admitted to Galei Tzahal (Army) Radio on Tuesday evening that he is keeping much inside,and will comment when the time is right,but added it is Halutz’s right to appoint a special officer to oversee war efforts.
Israeli shakes up war's chain of command By RAMIT PLUSHNIK-MASTI, Associated Press Writer 52 minutes ago
JERUSALEM -Israel has appointed a plain-speaking combat veteran to command the war in Lebanon after a 30-year career mostly focused on fighting Hezbollah guerrillas.In a sudden shake-up, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski was inserted over the head of Maj. Gen.
Udi Adam, the commander of the northern front, as the senior battlefield officer.
The appointment came Tuesday night, hours before Israel's Security Cabinet approved a major expansion of the military operation in Lebanon.Military analysts said Adam was seen as too cautious to score a decisive victory over Hezbollah. By sidelining Adam, Israel's military and political leadership also may have tried to answer critics of the army's failure to stop the relentless rocketing of northern Israel despite a month of fighting.
While Adam's military roots are in the Armored Corps, the 49-year-old Kaplinski's background in the infantry may be more suited to a ground offensive, especially in view of Hezbollah's recent success with anti-tank missiles.In 1976, Kaplinski enlisted in the Golani Brigade, an infantry unit based in northern Israel with a proud history of battle with Syria and with irregular forces in Lebanon.
He was commander of the brigade's reconnaissance unit in 1982, the year Israel invaded Lebanon to drive out the PLO and pushed all the way to the southern outskirts of Beirut. Kaplinski was wounded early in the fighting but returned to the war later; Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 18 years.Kaplinski — often called Kaplan for short — was a close associate of Ariel Sharon and was appointed his military secretary after Sharon, a former general, became prime minister in 2001.He was considered the leading candidate to succeed Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz as chief of staff, but the promotion was thrown into doubt after Sharon suffered a devastating stroke in January and new elections were held.Kaplinski is described as warm but tough, nonchalant and less than a stickler for pressed dress and military bearing.
People always describe him as a charismatic teddy bear,said Amos Harel, a military correspondent for the Israeli daily Haaretz.
Kaplinski is good at cutting down tensions around him and backing officers who are lower ranking,Harel said.Some analysts wondered whether he will be able to work with Adam.There is no room for two generals, wrote Alex Fishman in the Yedioth Aharonot
daily.
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 and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE 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 have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Israel's peace partners still seek its demise
Poll: Nearly all 'Palestinians' back Hizb'allah
By Ryan Jones,August 09, 2006
Seemingly encouraged by Israelis failure to defeat Hizb'allah after more than a month of warfare in southern Lebanon, the Palestinian Arabs are becoming increasingly radicalized in their view of the Jewish state, according to the results of a new public opinion poll.Conducted by the Ramallah-based Near East Consulting group, the poll revealed that 97 percent of Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza support Hizb'allah in its aggression against Israel. They have gone so far as to publicly cheer on Hizb'allah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah even when the Lebanese terror group's missiles came dangerously close to impacting Palestinian Authority-controlled towns in northern Samaria.
The poll also showed that public support for Hamas is on the rise, despite Israeli and Western economic sanctions meant to diminish Hamas appeal on the Palestinian street. A 55 percent majority now says Hamas should not alter its position regarding the ultimate destruction of the Jewish state.Furthermore, support for a lasting peace settlement with Israel is down 25 percent since June. Now just barely more than half of all Palestinians even care to negotiate peace with the Jews.
World Church Bodies Unite in Call for Peace in Lebanon
Posted: Wednesday, August 9 , 2006, 11:00 (BST)
Leaders from three of the largest church bodies in the world have come together to call for an end to violence in the Middle East.The World Council of Churches (WCC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) have called upon Israel and Hezbollah to end the fighting in Lebanon and upon the United States, the European Union, and the Arab States to exercise their influence toward this end. It also calls upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza.With the title A call to end the violence, the joint appeal is signed by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, LWF president Bishop Mark Hanson and WARC president Rev. Dr Clifton Kirkpatrick.
The call comes as reports emerge telling how Lebanese civilians and aid workers face even more dangers on their return home, as experts fear that around 10 per cent of the 3,000 rockets, artillery shells, cluster bombs and other artillery being fired into Lebanon each day for the past 28 days of conflict remain unexploded.The estimates leave returning civilians and aid workers exposed to around 7,000 unexploded munitions across the conflict zone.
The full text of the appeal is shown below:
A CALL TO END THE VIOLENCE
In the face of tragedy of such magnitude, we affirm that God calls us to do justice, reconcile with our enemies, and live together in
peace. Joint WCC-LWF-WARC statement on Lebanon
As followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and as leaders of the World Council of Churches and the worldwide fellowships of Lutheran and Reformed churches, we are shocked by the relentless violence, death, and devastation occurring in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. We mourn the loss of life.
We abhor the untold human costs of this conflict, especially its impact on innocent people. We deplore the destruction of infrastructure and property. In the face of tragedy of such magnitude, we affirm that God calls us to do justice, reconcile with our enemies, and live together in peace.We call upon Israel and Hezbollah to end the fighting in Lebanon, and we call upon the United States, the European Union, and the Arab States to exercise their influence toward this end.
We call upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza.The number of Lebanese deaths approaches 1,000, one-third of them reportedly children under 12, and the number of Israeli deaths moves toward 100. Whatever the reality of the alleged provocations by both sides of the conflict, this spiral of violence serves no end but the devastation of Lebanon and the inflicting of wounds of terror in Israel.
Neither the terror of Katyusha rockets nor the destruction of Lebanese homes, schools, and villages can contribute to a lasting peace in the region. Such acts will lead to even deeper hatred between the parties than that which has fuelled the current violence. The Israelis have declared that they will continue military operations in Lebanon until there is a peacekeeping force on the ground. Hezbollah, in return, declares that they will not stop fighting until all Israeli military presence has left Lebanon. It is time for this intransigence by both parties to end. Israel must withdraw speedily from all the Lebanese territory, and Hezbollah, at the same time, must cease its actions against the Israeli people.
Close to 175 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed since Israel began military operations in the Gaza Strip. The devastation of the infrastructure of Gaza brings added hardship to people who already have nothing. The people of Israel know the terror of random rockets launched day and night.
While it is true that terms for a lasting peace cannot be reached in a brief time frame, the world cannot wait for signs of a new Middle East to stop the killing. It is time for the leaders of the nations, working through the United Nations, to bring to bear the full force of their influence. A cease-fire is an imperative first step to end the violence. As people of faith, we implore all parties, in God’s name, to agree to this, lest violence spread further through a region already stained with the blood of innocents.
When a cease-fire is achieved, we call the leaders of nations and other parties to begin the work for a compassionate order that will lead to a lasting peace. Our organisations and our churches are eager to share in that endeavour. The task is great and the way is hard, for fear must be overcome with faith, hate with trust, enmity with reconciliation, and injustice with justice. But it is a task worthy of our efforts and it is the way that leads to life.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
General Secretary
World Council of Churches
Rev. Dr Clifton Kirkpatrick
President
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
Bishop Mark Hanson
President
Lutheran World Federation
Daniel Blake
daniel@christiantoday.com
OH OH AHMADINIJAD, TAKE THE ADVICE I GAVE YOU BEFORE GRAB YOUR LITTLE TOWEL (TURBIN), GET ON YOUR CAMEL AN GO TO MAUDI IN THE WELL TELL HIM YOUR IN TROUBLE AND YOU WANT TO HIDE IN THE WELL WITH HIM BECAUSE GEORGE W AND ISRAEL ARE COMING TO GET YOU.
SINCERILY STAN L BOWMAN JR (ISRAEL SUPPORTER)
Iranian president criticizes Bush Wed Aug 9, 5:31 PM ET
NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized President Bush for failing to respond to his overture made in a letter in May, warning that those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate. The hard-line leader declared in the letter in May that liberalism and democracy had failed, and he lambasted Bush for his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks and a host of other issues ranging from the invasion of Iraq to U.S. support for Israel.It was the first formal communication between leaders of the two nations in 27 years, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed it, saying it failed to resolve the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.
Well, I wanted to open a window toward the light for the president so that he can see that one can look on the world through a different perspective. ... We are all free to choose, Ahmadinejad told CBS' Mike Wallace in an interview Tuesday. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate.In response, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Wednesday: The president's view is that he doesn't respond publicly to private correspondence.
Ahmadinejad said public opinion was turning against Bush at home and internationally. You see that his approval rating is dropping every day. Hatred vis-a-vis the president is increasing every day around the world, the Iranian president said. For a ruler, this is the worst message that he could receive. Rulers and heads of government at the end of their office must leave the office holding their heads high.
CBS released excerpts and said the full interview would be broadcast Sunday on 60 Minutes.The Iranian leader also accused Washington of ignoring Tehran's efforts to negotiate over the nuclear issue by insisting on a U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed last month calling for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment by Aug. 31 or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.The United States has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons though Tehran maintains its program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.They want to build an empire. And they don't want to live side-by-side in peace with other nations, he said. The American government, sir, it is very clear to me they have to change their behavior and everything will be resolved.
Bush believes that his power emanates from his nuclear warhead arsenals, Ahmadinejad said. The time of the bomb is in the past, it's behind us. Today is the era of thoughts, dialogue and cultural exchanges.
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