CANADIAN STOCKS DIVE

1-Moderate Quake Measuring 4.8 Rattles Eastern Bingol Province. 2-Turkey Shaken by over 100 quakes in Ten Days. 3-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS). 4-Netherlands hit by Autumn storms. 5-3RD Storms batter Nordic countries - oil platform adrift. 6-A Stormy Northwest. 7-Canadian Stocks May Retreat, Dragged Down By Income Trusts. 8-Iran test fires longer range missile. 9-Russia, China won't back Iran sanctions. 10-Higher than the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 11-Britons could be microchipped like dogs in a decade. 12-Gay Episcopal bishop says communities of faith may be at crossroads.

EARTHQUAKES

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.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Moderate Quake Measuring 4.8 Rattles Eastern Bingol Province
By Cihan News Agency
Thursday, November 02, 2006 ,zaman.com

A moderate earthquake rattled the eastern Turkish province of Bingol late on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to public or private property.The tremor measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale occurred at 11.19 p.m. in the Yedisu district of Bingol province, according to the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory House. The epicenter of the mild quake was Yedisu town.
The quake was also felt in the city of Bingol and neighboring Erzurum province.
In late October, northwestern Turkey was shaken by two separate medium-strength earthquakes, both measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Two quakes in four days caused consternation among residents, especially in Istanbul, since one of Turkey's worst earthquakes had struck in 1999 in the same region. Earthquakes occur frequently in Turkey, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Anatolian fault. With a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale, the August 1999 earthquake killed more than 17 thousand people and destroyed or damaged thousands of buildings in northwestern Turkey.For further information please visit http://www.cihannews.com

Turkey Shaken by over 100 quakes in Ten Days
By Cihan News Agency
Monday, October 30, 2006 ,zaman.com

Turkey has been rocked by small to medium sized earthquakes measuring from 1 to 5.3 on the Richter scale, according to report of Istanbul-based Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory.Between October 20 to 30, Turkey was shaken by 130 quakes in different regions of the country, the report stated. There haven't been any reports of damages, injuries or loss of life in the aftermath of these moderate quakes. Most of the quakes took places in the regions of Bingol, Erzurum, Erzincan, Yalova provinces, regions which previously witnessed strong earthquakes.For further information please visit http://www.cihannews.com

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Thu Nov 2 10:00AM EDT 2006

NOV 02,2006
MAP 3.1 OKLAHOMA
MAP 3.3 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 3.0 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.4 NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA

NOV 01,06
MAP 4.8 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 2.5 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Netherlands hit by Autumn storms
November 01 2006 at 08:38PM

Amsterdam - High water caused by the first major autumn storm to hit the Netherlands claimed the lives of 12 horses near the far northern village of Marrum Wednesday, local authorities reported.

Troops were called in to rescue around 100 horses cut off to the north of the village after efforts by the fire brigade and the owner failed.The horses were reported to be outside the dyke and standing on a raised point.A number of foals had been brought to safety with the aid of small boats, but efforts to get the mature horses to swim 500m to safety had not been successful, the authorities reported. Despite high winds and lashing rain, the storm caused little damage.In Amsterdam police reported that a man standing urinating against a tree had been thrown into a canal when the tree was blown over. The man was taken to hospital but later discharged. - Sapa-dpa

3RD Storms batter Nordic countries - oil platform adrift
dpa German Press Agency,Published: Wednesday November 1, 2006

Stockholm/Oslo- Large parts of the Nordic region were Wednesday buffeted by strong winds in combination with heavy snowfall that caused blackouts and disrupted road and railway services, and shipping. Hurricane-force winds were reported overnight on the North Sea.The winds damaged several lifeboats on an oil platform operated by oil company BP Norway. The company therefore decided to halt operations and evacuate 95 workers from the Valhall platform. An oil platform under tow for repairs in Poland was drifting in the sea off western Norway after the tow chains broke but the 75- strong crew crew was in no immediate danger, Anders Bang Andersen of the southern Norwegian rescue centre in Stavanger said.A tug boat and a coastguard vessel were near the platform and a second tug boat was due late Wednesday to try to resume the tow operation. Weather conditions were calmer but waves were still 10-15 metres high and winds were near-gale force, Bang-Andersen said.

A search operation for a Dutch sailing boat that was headed for Stavanger was called off Wednesday after a British plane had radio contact with it.

The two onboard were delayed due to the bad weather, Bang-Andersen said. In Sweden, hundreds of train passengers were stranded overnight at several locations in northern Sweden as heavy snowfall and strong winds toppled trees and made tracks impassable. Although some train services resumed Wednesday afternoon, train operator SJ said it would halt north-bound night trains from Stockholm Wednesday evening, and at least one south-bound night train. Passengers were to be offered bus transports where possible, but SJ warned of delays. No serious road accidents were reported although many vehicles skidded off roads. Garages were swamped with queries from motorists' who wanted help to change their winter-tyres. Blackouts affected some 33,000 households in Sweden, and parts of southern and central Finland. In Denmark, a passenger ferry from Norway attempted to dock at a quay in Copenhagen, but failed and rammed it. None of the 650 passengers reportedly sustained any injuries. The ferry was waiting offshore for calmer conditions.

The 20-kilometre-long showpiece Storebaelt Bridge over the Great Belt, a strait between the main Danish islands of Zealand and Funen, was also affected by strong winds. Only one train track over the bridge was open while car lanes were closed until the early afternoon.Train services over the 7.8-kilometre-long Oresund Bridge that links Denmark and Sweden were also halted - but the reason was a faulty power pylon not the weather, Danish train operator DSB said. A vessel from the Faroe Islands commissioned to patrol oil installations in the North Sea arrived late Wednesday to the south-western Norwegian town of Egersund. The five-strong crew alerted authorities late Tuesday after a massive wave smashed windows on the bridge and the vessel took in a lot of water.

Heavy snowfall also blanketed southern Finland overnight causing problems for trucks and train services in the vicinity of the town of Tampere, Finnish news agency STT said.

A Stormy Northwest W. Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
2 hours, 54 minutes ago

West

A storm system off the Pacific Northwest Coast will continue to pump abundant moisture inland, resulting in widespread rain, and increasing higher elevation snows over the next few days. Rain could become heavy at times, especially over western parts of Washington and Oregon, where more than an inch of rain could fall over the next few days. In the higher elevations of the Cascades, nearly a foot of snow may accumulate. Meanwhile, high pressure will dominate the rest of the west, resulting on partly to mostly sunny skies, and seasonal temperatures.

Northeast

An area of low pressure and associated cold front will spread rain from Washington and Philadelphia, north to New York this morning, followed by some breaks in the clouds by afternoon as the system moves north and east. The rain will continue into the afternoon in areas from Boston, north through northern New England, with some wet snow mixing in across the higher elevations if central New England. Colder air will filter into areas from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, and as winds flow across the warmer lakes, lake effect snow showers will develop over northwest Pennsylvania into western New York State later this afternoon. Lake effect snow showers and squalls may increase overnight tonight over the favored snow belts east of Lakes Erie and Ontario, where several inches could accumulate, especially over western New York State. Cold conditions will spread east across the entire Northeast for the weekend, with a gradual warming trend expected by early next week.

Midwest

Winds circulating across the Great Lakes will continue to generate lake effect snows near the lakes, especially over the northern Michigan area. Several inches of snow could accumulate in some the favored snow belts through tonight, across northern Lower Michigan, and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Meanwhile high pressure will dominate the rest of the central Plains and Midwest, providing sunny skies, but cool temperatures. A general warming tread can be expected over the central Plains and Midwest, and high pressure moves east, and southerly flow begins to increase into the weekend.

South

A cold front will continue to move away from the southeastern states this morning and into central Florida by afternoon. Ahead of this front, showers and thunderstorms can be expected over central and southern Florida; while behind the front cooler conditions will settle into much of the Deep South. It will also be breezy this afternoon, especially over the southeast and southern Applications, where winds could gust to 20 mph during the afternoon hours. High pressure will build across the entire area tonight, making for a chilly Friday morning. A gradual warming trend can be expected into early next week.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER (MARKET CRASH)

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

Canadian Stocks May Retreat, Dragged Down By Income Trusts
By John Kipphoff

Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian stocks may fall after the government unexpectedly said it will begin taxing dividends from income trusts, securities that make up about one tenth of the country's main equity benchmark, the Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index. BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. may drop. The nation's two biggest telephone companies are the most recent concerns to announce that they will convert to the structure that avoids most taxes by distributing much of cash flow to investors. The proposed taxes, essentially a shutdown of the trust sector, are a shock that will resonate cruelly through the Canadian income trust market, said David Wolf, chief strategist at Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. in Toronto. Any stock currently enjoying any premium due to the actual or potential tax advantage of the income trust structure can be expected to have that premium removed virtually immediately, Wolf wrote in a note.

The S&P/TSX yesterday added 70.19, or 0.6 percent, to 12,344.59 in Toronto. It rose 5 percent in October for its best monthly advance since January and is around 1 percent below its record close of 12,487.32 on April 19. Canada plans to tax dividends from income trusts for the first time and raise dividend tax rates for pension funds and foreign investors that own trusts, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters in Ottawa yesterday.

C$200 Billion Market

The move would close a loophole in the C$200 billion ($178 billion) market for the high-yield securities favored by many investors seeking regular cash distributions to boost retirement income. The number of trusts in Canada has tripled to about 250, and their market value has soared 20-fold in six years as companies convert to avoid taxes and boost share prices. Foreign investors own more than a fifth of outstanding income trust units, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Sue Trinh in Sidney. Existing trusts won't be subject to the taxes until 2011, while new trusts will be taxed as of next year, Flaherty said. The advantage trusts enjoy over corporations is not fair, and the securities deprive the government of tax revenue, he said. Real-estate investment trusts will be exempted, as in the U.S. The tax changes may halt some of the C$70 billion ($62 billion) in new trust conversions announced this year such as BCE and Telus. BCE's conversion, following rival Telus's announcement one month earlier, would have increased annual revenue losses to C$800 million from C$500 million, Flaherty said. BCE spokesman Pierre Leclerc yesterday didn't return a
call seeking comment, and Telus's Shawn Hall declined to comment.

BCE May Plunge

Shares of BCE and Telus may slip. BCE also reported quarterly earnings today. Profit fell to C$302 million ($267.4 million), or 36 cents a share, from C$459 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier. Morgan Stanley's Simon Flannery, top-ranked among fixed-line phone-company analysts by Institutional Investor, had estimated earnings would be 46 cents. A gauge of trusts fell 7.7 percent between Sept. 19 of last year, when the previous Liberal Party government announced a moratorium on conversions while it reviewed their status, and Nov. 24, 2005, when it backed down in the face of concerted opposition and said it would leave trusts alone. The S&P/TSX declined 6 percent during that period. Declines for income trusts may take roughly two percent to three percent off the S&P/TSX today, Wolf said. A drop of three percent would be the benchmark's worst decline since a 3.5 percent retreat on April 28, 2004.The three biggest by market value among the 72 trusts that trade in Toronto as part of the S&P/TSX are Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Penn West Energy Trust and CI Financial Income Fund.

The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in Canadian markets. This preview includes news that broke after markets closed yesterday. Symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close. Algoma Steel Inc. (AGA CN): The maker of steel sheets and plates for the auto industry is scheduled to report quarterly earnings today. The average profit estimate of five analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial is C$1.82 a share, compared with 7 cents a year earlier. Thomson Financial doesn't disclose the basis of its estimates. Algoma fell 74 cents, or 2.2 percent, to C$33.75. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNQ CN): Canada's second- biggest natural-gas company is scheduled to release third-quarter earnings today. The average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson is 84 cents a share. The shares rose 35 cents, or 0.6 percent, to C$58.45.

Centerra Gold Inc. (CG CN): The Canadian owner of Mongolia's biggest gold mine said in a statement that third-quarter profit was 5 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average had estimated a 1 cent loss. Centerra fell 16 cents, or 1.4 percent, to C$11.15. Great-West Lifeco Inc. (GWO CN): The Canadian insurer said in a statement that its U.S. subsidiary will acquire Indiana Health Network Inc., a closely held hospital and physician network based in Indiana. Great-West fell 11 cents, or 0.4 percent, to C$31.27. To contact the reporter on this story: John Kipphoff in Toronto at jkipphoff@bloomberg.net Last Updated: November 1, 2006 07:05 EST

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JOEL 2:20,30-31
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Iran test fires longer range missile By NASSER KARIMI
1 minute ago

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards test-fired dozen of missiles, including the long-range Shahab-3, during the first hours of new military maneuvers, Iranian state-run television said Thursday.

The report said several kinds of short-range missiles were also fired in a central desert area of Iran during the maneuvers, which came two days after U.S.-led warships finished an exercise in the Gulf that Tehran described as adventurist.We want to show our deterrent and defensive power to trans-regional enemies, and we hope they will understand the message of the maneuvers, said the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, in an apparent reference to the US and other western powers.The general said the 10-day maneuvers, named Great Prophet, would take place in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and several provinces of the country. He did not specify how many troops were involved.

The Shahab-3 missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and is believed to have a range of more than 1,242 miles. It can reach Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.The state-run TV said that among the other weapons tested during the maneuvers was the Shahab-2, which Iran says has a cluster warhead that can send 1,400 bomblets at the same time. Solid-fuel Zalzal missiles also were launched, as were guided missiles as well as Scud-B, Zolfaghar-73 and Z-3, it said.The maneuvers came as the U.N. Security Council considered sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, which Tehran says is purely geared at civilian use but that the US and other western powers fear could hide research on an atomic bomb.Iran has said that the U.S.-led six-nation drills this week in the region would not improve security in the Gulf waters, through which about 20 percent of the world's oil passes. It also called on Gulf nations to set up their own regional security arrangements.The U.S.-led maneuvers focused on surveillance, with warships tracking a ship suspected of carrying components of illegal weapons. The nations that took part were Australia, Bahrain, Britain, France, Italy and the United States.Iran regularly holds large maneuvers, often using them to test weapons developed by its arms industry.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

Russia, China won't back Iran sanctions By STEVE GUTTERMAN and EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writers
Thu Nov 2, 4:15 AM ET

MOSCOW - Russian and China indicated that they will not support a draft U.N. resolution imposing tough sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program. The comments by Russia's foreign minister and China's U.N. ambassador were the strongest reactions yet to the draft by the two key U.N. Security Council members, and signaled difficult negotiations ahead on the resolution drawn up by Britain, France and Germany.We cannot support measures that in essence are aimed at isolating Iran from the outside world, including isolating people who are called upon to conduct negotiations on the nuclear program, the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying Wednesday.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said there are still different views on what kind of actions the council needs to do under the current circumstances.Wang said the major concern is that some members want tough sanctions like those in the resolution that the council approved on Oct. 14 to punish North Korea for conducting a nuclear test.The European draft on Iran orders all countries to prevent the sale and supply of material and technology that could contribute to Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.

It imposes a travel ban and freezes the assets of people involved in these programs and also orders countries to freeze the assets of companies and organizations involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

I think the situation, the cases, are slightly different, Wang said. Of course, the main concern is nuclear, but I think that North Korea had a test and the Iranians always claim that their programs are for peaceful use.Unlike North Korea, Iran has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, he said.Both Russia and China, which have strong commercial ties to Tehran, agreed in principle to sanctions over Iran's defiance of the council's ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment and dramatically improve cooperation with the U.N. probe of suspect Iranian atomic activities.But both nations have continued to publicly push for dialogue instead of U.N. punishment, despite the collapse last month of a European Union attempt to entice Iran into talks. The EU had proposed that Iran at least temporarily freeze enrichment as a condition for multilateral talks aimed at erasing suspicions it may be trying to build nuclear arms in violation of its treaty commitments.

Wang said the question is what is the best way out.We want to have a solution of the Iranian nuclear issue, whether sanctions is the right way or whether further negotiation, he said.The five veto-wielding permanent council members the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France were expected to discuss the resolution this week at the United Nations.Lavrov said that Russia would seek to focus the document on aspects of Iran's program that the International Atomic Energy Agency has identified as possibly serious risks, including uranium enrichment and a heavy-water reactor, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.While Russia and China signaled the draft resolution is too strong, the United States indicated it considers the draft too weak.

Russia's Security Council chief Igor Ivanov indicated in comment Tuesday that Russia could support sanctions as a way to push Tehran into talks, but also left plenty of room for wrangling in the council.

Speaking Wednesday in Moscow, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, who will take over as U.N. secretary-general on Jan. 1, urged Iran to halt uranium enrichment and accept the incentives in return, Interfax reported.A Russian Defense Ministry official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his government would fulfill a contract to supply air defense missiles to Iran unless Moscow decides to back the international sanctions that would make it illegal. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, denied an ITAR-Tass report that said Russia had already started delivering the missiles. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov defended the $700 million contract signed last December to sell 29 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Iran, saying they were purely defensive weapons with a limited range. Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov contributed to this report. Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations.

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Higher than the Al-Aqsa Mosque
By Nadav Shragai (Haaretz)

Nearly 25 years ago, Rami Zayit, a scribe from Kiryat Arba, and Jerusalem architect Gideon Harlap, drew up the plan, Mivneh Negev.

The plan was to open the triple gate in the southern part of the Temple Mount (the Hulda Gates) and to transform the subterranean spaces of Solomon's Stables in the southeastern part of the Temple Mount into a prayer area for Jews. The plan was designed to bypass the problems of Jews praying on the Mount, with specific reference to the tension between Jews and Arabs surrounding the location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and halakha, which prohibits Jews from entering the sanctity of the Mount. Only after some time did moderate Temple Mount movements adopt this idea. Today we know the most significant change since 1967 - turning Solomon's Stables into a third mosque on the Mount, larger in area than Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock combined - was almost a direct result of these plans. Although the Israeli Islamic Movement sought an anchor in the Temple Mount, the location that was chosen for the Al-Marwani Mosque, Solomon's Stables, was the direct result of the Jewish plan to build a synagogue there.

Competing for the best minaret design

About 10 years after the construction of the Al-Marwani Mosque, the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount is again abuzz with provocative plans. A few weeks ago, to Israel's dissatisfaction, Jordan's King Abdullah announced the construction of a fifth minaret in the Temple Mount area. The minaret is to be named after King Hussein, Abdullah's father. One of the places designated for the minaret is the empty, southeastern corner of the Temple Mount, above the mosque in Solomon's Stables. Abdullah even declared a competition for the best minaret design. The religious right is skeptical of the government's unofficial attempts to placate them.

When it comes to the Temple Mount, the religious right is tired of denials, which ultimately turn out to be false, concerning the third mosque in Solomon's Stables, the fourth mosque in ancient Al-Aqsa, and the archaeological damage to the Temple Mount during the construction of the Waqf (the Moslem trust) over the years.

Perhaps this is why now, of all times, MK Uri Ariel (National Union-National Religious Party) is presenting a plan of his own for building a synagogue on the Temple Mount. He is also discussing the southeastern corner of the Mount, and this is apparently no coincidence. Ariel is presently looking for an architect, and he plans to submit the plan for the approval of the Jerusalem Municipality's planning committee not that it has a chance. However, it will cause a commotion. Such an act will repair a historical injustice much more than did the transfer to Israel of the remains of Herzl's children, says Ariel.Throughout the generations we were expelled from the site. This is an opportunity for the Muslim world to prove that it is sufficiently tolerant to contain beliefs that differ from its own.Circumstances indicate that Jordanian shares in the Mount are on the rise, whereas those of the Palestinian Authority are declining. After many years during which the Waqf was operated by the Jordanians, the PA expelled the Jordanian mufti (Sheikh Abdul Qader Abdeen) from the Temple Mount by force, and instead appointed a mufti of its own (Sheikh Ikrama Sabri).

All this took place in the early 1990s at the time of the Oslo Accords, years after King Hussein contributed money to cover the Dome of the Rock with gold. The PA also began to pay, at least in part, the salaries of Waqf officials, which for years came from Jordan. The fact that some of the PA officials adopted a policy of conflict with Israel on the Mount led to a revolution in the Israeli approach in recent years.In the peace agreement signed with Jordan, the Hashemite kingdom received future precedence regarding anything concerning the Temple Mount, but for years there was no reflection of this commitment. In recent years, the situation has changed. Jordan was involved in reopening the Mount to Jewish tourists, after it was closed to non-Muslims for three years. The Mount was closed at the end of 2000, in the wake of the visit there by then chair of the opposition, MK Ariel Sharon. Jordan was also involved in coordinating the renovation of the southern and eastern walls of the Mount, which had cracks and protrusions, with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the police, the Prime Minister's Office and the Waqf.

Attorney Dr. Shmuel Berkovitz (author of The Wars of the Holy Places), who is very well versed in the fine points of relations between the various Mount groups, believes Jordan is trying to gain Israel's consent to build a fifth minaret; this fits in with the Israeli view of Jordan as a moderating influence on the Mount vis-a-vis the Palestinians and the Israeli Islamic Movement. This perspective, which Israel does not hide, is exactly what frightens the Temple Mount movements, which fear a quiet agreement between Israel and Jordan on the construction of the minaret.In light of this, there is ferment in the Temple Mount movements; Ariel and his proposal are only the tip of the iceberg. Gershon Solomon of the Temple Mount Faithful, for example, is planning a campaign against the Western Wall, which he says diverts attention from the real thing the Temple Mount - to which the Western Wall is only an entrance hall, at most. The Western Wall is not a vestige of the Temple, as people tend mistakenly to believe, but the western support wall of the compound, Solomon points out. The discourse among other activists is no different. Berkovitz remarks that for

the right-wing organizations, another minaret on the Mount will perpetuate foreign domination. He predicts harsh opposition on their part to the plan, if it becomes realistic.

A relay race of the generations

The Chief Rabbinate is preferring to keep quiet for the time being, and, considering the two chief rabbis, this is hardly surprising.

Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar belong to the conservative rabbinic school, which considers the Temple Mount a matter for messianic times and not for the present. Metzger and Amar, like their patrons Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, are opposed to allowing Jews to enter the Temple Mount, for two halakhic reasons: The lack of any possibility of becoming purified from contact with the dead before entering the Mount; and the lack of information regarding the exact site of the holiest of holies to which entry is forbidden except to the high priest on Yom Kippur. During the term of Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron and Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, who also adhered to the same prohibition, the Chief Rabbinate became involved almost against its will in the issue of building a synagogue on the Temple Mount. At the time, it was not right-wing organizations or Temple Mount movements that raised the idea. At that time, during the Camp David talks in 2000, it was none other than then prime minister Ehud Barak who raised the possibility of building a synagogue on the Mount, parallel to relinquishing sovereignty over significant sections.

The council of the Chief Rabbinate decided at the time that the Temple Mount must remain under Israeli sovereignty, but one of the absurd consequences of Barak's moves was that after 33 years during which the Rabbinate rejected for halakhic reasons any possibility of Jews praying on the Mount, a committee was established by the Rabbinate to formally examine the possibility of building a synagogue on the Mount or within its walls. Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, is the head of the committee. The committee has met several times and discussed alternative sites for a synagogue, but did not reach a decision. The establishment of the committee was meant as a directional sign for the political leadership, or as Rabbi Lau put it at the time: We are in a relay race of the generations, and our entire right to the Land of Israel derives in effect from our basic right to the Temple Mount. The Muslim claim to precedence on the Temple Mount is baseless. Islam was born 550 years after the destruction of the Second Temple [in 70 CE].

The Muslims had a different interpretation of the establishment of the committee. Sheikh Hian al-Adrisi, the Temple Mount imam, accused:They are actually talking about a synagogue in order not to heat up the atmosphere, but they are planning to build their Temple on Al-Aqsa. The Muslims are willing to sacrifice their lives and their blood to preserve the Islamic character of Jerusalem and of Al-Aqsa.Two additional plans for the construction of a synagogue on the Temple Mount were presented in recent years. One is that of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, also a former chief rabbi. Eliyahu claimed years ago that foreigners and idol worshippers should be expelled from the Temple Mount and a synagogue built there. We see with our own eyes how foxes walk there [a sign of desolation], and in a place of which it is said 'the stranger who approaches will be killed, strangers walk and profane it,wrote Eliyahu in the periodical Tehumin. We need not fear what they will say. My proposal is to build a synagogue and a place for Torah and prayer in the area where we are permitted to enter, with supervised entry and exit.

When he was chief rabbi, Eliyahu refined his proposal even further, and proposed building a synagogue in the southeast corner of the Mount behind the Al-Aqsa mosque, as long as the building would be higher than the mosque. Eliyahu also raised a possibility that one of the walls of the synagogue, the one that faces the holy place, be built of glass. Another proposal for building a synagogue on the Temple Mount is that of architect Gideon Harlap, who even placed it on city planning maps as a change in city plan 62 Jerusalem, on behalf of the Friends of the Temple association headed by Prof. Hillel Weiss. It was published in the anthology Kumu Ve'Naaleh (Let us rise and go up), edited by rabbis Yehuda Shaviv and Yisrael Rosen. Harlap got down to details, and even prepared a budgetary estimate. The cost of the planning and implementation will, according to his calculations, total about $8 million.

This report, Harlap explained, comes to inform the official authorities of the fact that, in terms of engineering, architecture and planning, there is a wide range of solutions that facilitate providing a place for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, which has long been necessary. And in any case, there are solutions for providing access for worshippers of various religions, without mutual interference, and in accordance with Jewish halakha. Rabbi Yisrael Rosen, who heads the Tzomet Institute in Gush Etzion and began the anthology in which Harlap's plan was published, said, secular Zionism has become distant from the Mount and its Torah, but he and his friends want to illuminate Torah viewpoints, which are uplifting and exalting.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)

REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Britons could be microchipped like dogs in a decade
by DAN NEWLING,Last updated at 00:11am on 30th October 2006
Daily Mail

Human beings may be forced to be microchipped like pet dogs, a shocking official report into the rise of the Big Brother state has warned. The microchips which are implanted under the skin allow the wearer's movements to be tracked and store personal information about them. They could be used by companies who want to keep tabs on an employee's movements or by Governments who want a foolproof way of identifying their citizens and storing information about them. The prospect of chip-citizens with its terrifying echoes of George Orwell's Big Brother police state in the book 1984 was raised in an official report for Britain's Information Commissioner Richard Thomas into the spread of surveillance technology.

The report, drawn up by a team of respected academics, claims that Britain is a world-leader in the use of surveillance technology and its citizens the most spied-upon in the free world. It paints a frightening picture of what Britain might be like in ten years time unless steps are taken to regulate the use of CCTV and other spy technologies. The reports editors Dr David Murakami Wood, managing editor of the journal Surveillance and Society and Dr Kirstie Ball, an Open University lecturer in Organisation Studies, claim that by 2016 our almost every movement, purchase and communication could be monitored by a complex network of interlinking surveillance technologies.The most contentious prediction is the spread in the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

The RFID chips which can be detected and read by radio waves are already used in new UK passports and are also used the Oyster card system to access the London Transport network. For the past six years European countries have been using RFID chips to identify pet animals.

Already used in America

However, its use in humans has already been trialled in America, where the chips were implanted in 70 mentally-ill elderly people in order to track their movements. And earlier this year a security company in Ohio chipped two of its employees to allow them to enter a secure area. The glass-encased chips were planted in the recipients upper right arms and 'read' by a device similar to a credit card reader. In their Report on the Surveillance Society, the authors now warn: The call for everyone to be implanted is now being seriously debated.

The authors also highlight the Government's huge enthusiasm for CCTV, pointing out that during the 1990s the Home Office spent 78 per cent of its crime prevention budget a total of £500 million on installing the cameras. There are now 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain and the average Briton is caught on camera an astonishing 300 times every day. This huge enthusiasm comes despite official Home Office statistics showing that CCTV cameras have little effect on crime levels.

They write: The surveillance society has come about us without us realising, adding: Some of it is essential for providing the services we need: health, benefits, education. Some of it is more questionable. Some of it may be unjustified, intrusive and oppressive.Yesterday Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, whose office is investigating the Post Office, HSBC, NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland over claims they dumped sensitive customer details in the street, said: Many of these schemes are public sector driven, and the individual has no choice over whether or not to take part. People are being scrutinised and having their lives tracked, and are not even aware of it. He has also voiced his concern about the consequences of companies, or Government agencies, building up too much personal information about someone.

He said: It can stigmatise people. I have worries about technology being used to identify classes of people who present some kind of risk to society. And I think there are real anxieties about that. Yesterday a spokesman for civil liberties campaigners Liberty said: We have got nothing about these surveillance technologies in themselves, but it is their potential uses about which there are legitimate fears. Unless their uses are regulated properly, people really could find themselves living in a surveillance society. There is a rather scary underlying feeling that people may worry that these microchips are less about being a human being than becoming a barcoded product.

FALSE TEACHERS,PROPHETS,DECIEVERS

MATTHEW 24:4-5,11,24-25
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.

1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

MARK 13:22-23
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

JUDE 4-16
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 SINS OF PEOPLE

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-7
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

SCOFFERS MOCKING CHRISTS LITERAL 2ND COMING TO EARTH BODILY.

2 PETER 3:3-7
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

LETHARGY AND INDIFFERENCE AMONG GODS PEOPLE.

REVELATION 3:14-16
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

This so called New Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori says all paths lead to God, Allows Gays, and calls Jesus a Woman. All I have to say in concintrate on the Lukewarm passage and WW3 is coming get ready katherine.

Gay Episcopal bishop says communities of faith may be at crossroads

Gay clergy and same-sex marriage, among issues roiling his Episcopal and other denominations, may cause major shifts, V. Gene Robinson says.By Louis Sahagun, Times Staff Writer,November 2, 2006

Prepared for the worst, V. Gene Robinson wore a bulletproof vest under a simple white monk's cassock when he was consecrated as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop in the history of the Anglican Communion.A few months later, he received a postcard with a photograph of a stately English cathedral on one side and a message on the other: You fornicating lecherous pig.

That was in 2003, when his elevation to bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire triggered a crisis in Anglicanism and transformed Robinson into a symbol of gay and lesbian rights.The repercussions continue to reverberate throughout the 77-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, which some fear now teeters on the edge of schism.

The Episcopal Church is a member of the Communion. Tensions heightened last month after an Episcopal bishop in Connecticut announced that priests may bless same-sex couples who have had civil unions granted by the state.Robinson, 59, recently visited Los Angeles to receive the 2006 Family Tree Award from Family Pride, a national nonprofit group dedicated to equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families. In an interview, he talked about his remarkable career and the challenges facing the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, who this week will be consecrated as the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.

There is a whole Gene Robinson myth out there. Do you think you are a lot different from that person? At home, I'm just a bishop of a rural diocese. It's when I venture outside of it that I enter the other extremely important diocese given to me by history. In that world, I'm a negative symbol for people who would demonize me and make me into a far worse person than I actually am.

But that can be less of a personal burden than the people who pin their hopes and dreams and sometimes their faith on what is happening to me.Overall, I feel so insufficient to the task at hand. The damage done to gay and lesbian people by organized religion Christianity, Judaism, Islam is so deep and so violent that it's overwhelming. I can't make up for all of it. But I can make up for some of it. I can at least say a healing word about how God didn't get it wrong, the church got it wrong.Of course, we had it wrong before about slavery, and about women. So the huge debate now is about getting it right about gays and lesbians.

What's taking so long?

I remind people that our detractors are only believing what they've been taught for 2,000 years. Why are we surprised this is so hard? We're asking people to change their minds about something we all seemed so sure about for so long.Nonetheless, I love it when I'm debating someone about this. If my opponent is divorced, for example, I like to say, I'll tell you how I deal with the seven or so verses of Scripture that seem to be talking about homosexuality if you tell me how you can have gotten a divorce and remarried in the church when Jesus said that's adultery.

Is reconciliation possible?

I'm arguing that we don't all have to be in the same place on this issue. The greatest gift the Anglican Communion has to offer is its 400 years as an enormously hospitable umbrella beneath which has existed a wide spectrum of beliefs. We don't find our unity in a unanimity of opinion. We find it when we go to the altar rail and receive the body and blood of Christ then we go back to the pews and fight about everything. You'll find us all over the map on abortion, stem cell research, who should be president and everything else one can think of.How do your efforts play in the orthodox dioceses of Africa, home to a vast majority of the world's Anglicans?

I want Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria in my church. The problem is they don't want me in their church. I believe Peter Akinola is going about his journey back to God as faithfully as he knows how. I just wish he could acknowledge that is exactly what I'm doing as well.Nonetheless, several conservative dioceses, including one in Central California, recently voted to be placed under someone else's jurisdiction, possibly someone in Africa.

What a lousy basis for an allegiance, being against homosexuals. How far can that go? What can they really share with these far-off dioceses? Are they really going to put themselves under the authority of those bishops? What if one of them feels called by God to be ordained in ministry? Are they going to go to Africa to speak with a bishop about it? It makes no sense.Of course, those people are more than free to leave the Episcopal Church. For their own spiritual health, that may be the best thing for them. I only wish them well. But what's wrong with staying together while we figure this one out?

Nearly every major denomination is obsessing over gay ordination and same-sex marriage. Is organized religion in the Western world at a crossroads? This may well be the beginning of some kind of realignment of communities of faith, the ultimate shape of which is not at all clear. But it may well be along the lines separating those who see God's love extending to everyone in a sort of forgiving embrace from those who see the role of religion as setting up rules whereby you know whether you are in or out.At its root, this debate is really about whether God is the deity that says, I will love you if you fill in the blank or a god that says, I just love you.Any words of advice for Jefferts Schori, whose election and support of gay rights have been a source of controversy?

I'd remind her that no matter how well or poorly she does as presiding bishop, she's going to heaven.Immediately after her election, I confessed to Katharine: I was completely self-serving in voting for you. It was the only way I could get off the front page!I was also the one who came up with the idea of the pink buttons passed around that day that said, It's a girl! over her name and the date. In fact, I had the honor of giving her my own button on the floor of the House of Bishops. She loved it.Are there indications that your own consecration was about something more than gay and lesbian rights?

Three days after my election I got a letter from a woman in the New Hampshire state women's prison who said, I'm neither gay nor particularly Christian. But there's something about your election that makes me feel there might be a community out there that could love me despite what I've done.I went to see her and learned that she killed her mother when she was 15. Each year for the past three years I've spent Christmas Eve with her and the other women in there. It means a lot to them that someone like me would be with them to celebrate the birth of Jesus and sing Christmas carols together.louis.sahagun@latimes.com

CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS IN SAN ANTONIO

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Floods, storms claim 22 more lives in Turkey. 3-Dozens dead in Ethiopia flooding. 4-EU tests capacity to react to major terror attack. 5-Bush: Israel’s survival depends on two-state solution. 6-Mediterranean states call for renewed Mideast peace process. 7-Israel Launches Major Gaza Operation. 8-Police Considering Calling Off Homosexual March. 9-More Than 50,000 Expected to Visit Rachel´s Tomb. 10-U.S. sets ambitious global NATO summit agenda. 11-Tower of Babel translator made. 12-Christian Zionists rally in San Antonio.

EARTHQUAKES

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.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS(USGS)

Update time = Wed Nov 1 11:45:04 EDT 2006

NOV 01,2006
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

OCT 31,2006
MAP 2.9 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 ECUADOR
MAP 4.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Floods, storms claim 22 more lives in Turkey by Mahmut Bozarslan
53 minutes ago

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AFP) - Floods and storms have claimed 22 lives in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast and wreaked havoc in other parts of the country.Wednesday's deaths brought to 27 the toll in the southeast since Friday, when unusually heavy rains began to pound the poverty-stricken region.Fourteen of the dead were passengers on a minibus swept away by floodwaters as it travelled here overnight from nearby Mardin, Diyarbakir governor Efkan Ala told NTV television Wednesday.A woman, her four-month-old daughter and four-year-old son drowned when their house in Cinar town was flooded and a body was found in the town of Bismil, a crisis center set up here reported.Military units with helicopter and dinghies rescued dozens of people stranded on rooftoops or in inundated streets as water levels rose by one metre (3.3 feet) in some areas.

The water also destroyed several houses in the region, where schools in rural areas remained closed Wednesday.The situation is under control, Ala said, but warned that more rain is expected in the area later in the day.In the town of Silopi, on the border with Iraq, siblings aged three and four drowned when their home was flooded, while a 70-year-old woman was killed when her house collapsed, district governor Haci Mehmet Kara told the Anatolia news agency.Many houses in the southeast are shoddily built, often of mud brick, and are highly vulnerable to floods and earthquakes.A woman aged 30 died in Kilis, west of here, as a raging storm demolished the bus stop where she had sought shelter as it also blew away rooftops and toppled trees and power poles, Anatolia reported.Five people were killed and two were reported missing at the weekend in other provinces in the region, where the
floodwaters damaged hundreds of buildings.

Vast stretches of cotton fields, a major source of livelihood in the area, were innundated.Heavy rains also struck the west of the country on Wednesday.In Beykoz, a suburban area of Istanbul's Asian side, about 1,000 buildings were flooded, including a school where some 100 children were stranded for several hours, NTV reported.

The authorities ordered schools closed for two days and said some schoolhouses would be used to shelter people who had lost their homes.On the southern, Mediterranean coast, a stream burst its banks in the tourist-frequented Manavgat region, flooding the lower floors of many hotels and blocking a main highway for several hours, Anatolia reported.Restaurants and cafes at Manavgat's scenic waterfalls were also submerged, it said.

Dozens dead in Ethiopia flooding Tue Oct 31, 5:48 PM ET

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Four days of devastating floods along Ethiopia's eastern border killed dozens of people and prowling crocodiles hampered rescue efforts as rain continued to fall, officials said Tuesday. The deadly floods began Friday when the Shebelle River overflowed its banks in the Ogaden region, more than 600 miles from the capital, Addis Ababa.Sixty-seven people have died since the worst flooding hit Friday, and the crocodiles in the area are eating some of the bodies,said Muktar Mohammed, flood coordinator for the government-run Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau.

Four survivors have been injured by crocodile attacks, he added.We need helicopters, boats and food and medical supplies urgently, Muktar said.Muktar said more than 2,500 acres of crops were washed away in the floods, along with thousands of cattle, camels, donkeys and other livestock. Rain was expected to continue through the week.In August, flooding across the country killed more than 600 people and displaced about 50,000.Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than half of its 77 million people living on less than $1 a day.

Aid groups were sending food and other help to the region, officials said.

WORLD TERRORISM

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.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

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.

EU tests capacity to react to major terror attack
31.10.2006 - 17:42 CET | By Mark Beunderman

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU and its member states have simulated a near-simultaneous terrorist attack in five EU cities, with the test revealing that there is a need for improvement in the use of communication technology. The aim of the exercise, conducted on Monday (30 October) was to verify the joint capacity of the council [EU member states] and the [European] Commission to react quickly and efficiently to a major crisis, an EU statement after the simulation said. EU officials declined to reveal the five cities involved in the exercise but added the simulated attacks were similar to those on 11 September 2001 in the US, involving planes. It is underscored that the exercise's scenario was not based on any existent information on the possibility of such attacks taking place, and was a purely fictitious description of events, the press statement said.

The institutions tested knew that the simulation would take place in the last five days of October but the exact date was only known to the planners of the exercise in order to keep the surprise effect. The EU's recently approved Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements (CCA), designed to react to this type of situations, generally functioned well, the test revealed. It pointed to the adequacy of the CCA structures as well as the good level of knowledge among participants of the CCA structures and procedures.

One official said however that there is a need for closer co-operation between the commission and the council in assessing the needs regarding things like the evacuation of the injured, however. The need for improvement in the use of communication technology was also demonstrated in the simulation, which also involved COREPER the body of member states ambassadors in Brussels.CCAEX06, the exercise's code name, started at 13h30 Brussels time with a number of fictitious media inputs that continued throughout the afternoon. It ended at 20.00.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

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

DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) 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:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) 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 (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships;
and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

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

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

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

Bush: Israel’s survival depends on two-state solution
By Stan Goodenough,October 31, 2006

President George W. Bush is personally committed to helping create a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza because he believes that Israel’s survival depends on it.The American leader spelled out to newspaper columnists invited to the Oval Office last Wednesday why he is a two-state solution person when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict.I don’t see how Israel can possibly survive in the long term unless there is a democracy on her border. I don’t see how she retains her Jewish state if there is not a place for Palestinians to go to, he said.Bush made these statements against the backdrop of an extended explanation of his overall strategic approach to helping bring peace to the world including, of course, to the Middle East.A closer look at this explanation may help answer some of the questions Christian Zionists are asking about the president’s policy on Israel.Bush said that he had called for the get-together with these influential writers in order to provide them with a clearer understanding of what the guy’s thinking.

You either like it or don’t like it but at least it gives you a sense of where I am strategizing, he said.Bush said he believes it is conceivable that 20 or 30 years from now the world will see a Middle East in which … extreme forms of Islam compete for power, moderate governments will be toppled, oil will be used to extract concessions, and Iran will have a nuclear weapon, and writers such as yourself would say, what happened to them? How come they couldn't see the great conflict taking place in front of their very eyes? Why did they lose their nerve? Why did they not support moderate people who yearn for something better than the vision of the extremists?

And my answer to it is, he said, is that I see the threat, and will use American power to protect ourselves, and at the same time, try to create the first victory in this ideological the first victories in the ideological war of the 21st century.Bush described how he sees the world, where he believes it is headed, where it could head if helped in the right direction, and what he’s doing to help head it that way.

He believes, he said, that the 21st Century world is caught up in a great conflict between moderate people and ideologues that are totalitarian and kill to achieve their objective without conscience.Much of the thinking and the decision making that I do now is based on my belief that we are in this great ideological struggle.

Iran, together with all the extremists who identify with the goals of that Islamic state, stands on one side of this conflict.America leads those on the other, moderate side.When it comes to the Middle East, Bush sees the Israelis as among the moderates.

Notably he does not, however, count the Palestinian Arabs per se or the general Arab populations in the region as among the extremists.On the contrary, in his understanding and this was borne out in an interview columnist Cal Thomas had with Bush’s secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, on the same day the Oval Office meeting was taking place the majority of all Arabs are moderates.It is only the relatively few among them, like the Hamas and the Hizb’allah, that are in the extreme fringe and bound together with Iran and others by a common desire to spread their vision.Most Arabs want to live in peace, also with Israel.What America had to do was continue to lead the moderates that oppose that extremist and violent vision.

And when it comes to the Middle East, the goal of the Bush administration is to plant and nurture democratic societies including a democratic Palestine that will see the extremists marginalized and, ultimately disappear.I’m a two-state-solution person. I don’t see how Israel can possibly survive in the long term unless there is a democracy on her border. I don’t see how she retains her Jewish state if there is not a place for Palestinians to go to.For the leader of the free world, then, the Middle East conflict is part of a struggle between ideologues and moderates. And it can be best resolved by ensuring that the moderates win over the ideologues.

What Bush apparently does not see at all, is that this is a conflict involving God and His Word on the one side against Satan and his determined effort to thwart that Word and its Author on the other.

Mediterranean states call for renewed Mideast peace process

MADRID: Ministers from ministers from 11 states attending a Mediterranean Forum meeting in the southern Spanish city of Alicante on Saturday called for the launching of a new and credible Mideast peace process, a diplomatic source said. In an Alicante Declaration the countries, which did not include Israel, also called for measures to defuse the current tension in the region and backed a mooted Spanish plan for a Mideast peace conference, similar to one which Madrid hosted in 1991. Washington has received the idea coolly and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said it was too early to talk about fixing a date. Israel did not take part in the meeting. Earlier this week Moratinos told the Spanish parliament that current tensions required a major initiative, along the lines of the 1991 conference, which drew together Israel and Arab states under the aegis of the United States and the Soviet Union. The conference set out a framework for a Middle East peace process and opened the way to the 1993 Oslo accords on Palestinian self-rule. Saturday's declaration proposed to reactivate and revise the peace roadmap.

It also demanded the freeing of Israeli soldiers and Palestinian prisoners the transfer from Israel of tax recipts to the Palestinian Authority, as well as an adequate balance between security and the movement of good and people in frontier zones. Moratinos, a former EU envoy to the region, said it was time such measures were drawn up to put an end to the tragedy of the Middle East.

The forum agreed that Mediterranean countries needed to engage in efforts to speed a solution to the conflict. French Minister for European Affairs Catherine Colonna said that there needed to be an implication of Mediterranean states in the seeking of a solution to the Middle East (conflict).The situation has doubtless never been as dangerous owing to the absence of political perspectives in the region, Colonna added, calling for urgent responses to what she termed the degradation of the situation in the region. The grouping, known as FOROMED, is a consultative body associated with the so-called Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean process, a framework for political, economic and social relations in the region. Member states, which sent foreign ministers or their deputies to the weekend meeting, comprise Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Tunisia. Libya
has observer status.

Israel Launches Major Gaza Operation(VOA NEWS)

Palestinian relatives of Ahmed Edwan mourn in Beit Lahia November 1,2006 after he was killed during an Israeli incursion into the northern of Gaza Strip At least eight Palestinians were killed, Wednesday, and more than 40 others injured, as Israeli forces launched a major military operation in the northern Gaza Strip. One Israeli soldier was also killed in the operation. Israel's security cabinet met to discuss the operation, but decided against expanding their offensive into other parts of the Gaza Strip.

About 40 armored vehicles and bulldozers moved into Beit Hanoun, near Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, early Wednesday. They were demolishing structures that Israel says were being used by Palestinian militants to launch rockets into Israel.

In one of the biggest military operations so far in Israel's four-month incursion in Gaza, helicopter gun ships carried out numerous air strikes in the area. Israel says several militants were killed in the strikes.Speaking to journalists after Israel's security cabinet decided not to send large numbers of troops into other parts of Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Wednesday's operation was designed to hit rocket launching sites.Peretz said Israel has specific military objectives in Gaza and does not intend to reoccupy the territory.

Israel withdrew its forces and settlers from the Gaza Strip, last year. Since then, Israeli forces have carried out air strikes in Gaza, in response to Palestinian rocket attacks against towns in southern Israel. In late June, Israeli ground forces moved back into Gaza after an Israeli soldier was kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

A statement from Hamas, Wednesday, says Israel's current ground operations would have a negative influence on negotiations aimed at achieving a prisoner swap expected to involve the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier.A Hamas delegation is in Cairo this week for talks with Egyptian officials on the issue.

Hassan Nasrallah Meanwhile, the leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah says his organization, which is holding two Israeli soldiers, is involved in indirect negotiations with Israel over aprisoner exchange.Nasrallah said, so far, the meetings have been serious and positive,but he gave no indication about any imminent breakthrough.Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war, earlier this year, after Hezbollah militants attacked an Israeli border post and abducted the two soldiers. More than 1,000 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 150 Israelis died before a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect, August 14.

Police Considering Calling Off Homosexual March
By Hillel Fendel(INN)

Jerusalem Affairs Minister Edri has asked the police to consider banning the Homosexual Parade in Jerusalem, scheduled for nine days from now. The police are leaning towards calling it off. The police announced last night (Tuesday) that they were planning to deploy in top-level strength for the event a declaration perceived by some to be a salvo in the public-opinion war over whether or not to allow the march. One internal police source said the announcement was publicized merely to stir up anti-march sentiment; official police sources denied this.Hareidi-religious affairs commentator Yossi Elituv said, The fight against the march has knocked down all barriers in the hareidi and religious camps. The Hassidic sectors Belz, Gerrer, and others together with Litaim (non-Hassidic), as well as the Sephardi-hareidim and the religious-Zionist sectors all are standing together against this parade.

The police say they have received word that protestors are planning to throw eggs and razor blades at the marchers, flood the streets with sewage, block roads in Jerusalem and elsewhere, and even possibly perpetrate fake terrorist attacks. Elituv says these fears are ridiculous and totally unfounded. He said he does not believe any violence is planned, but cannot rule out unpredictable acts by individuals.

Official: March Would Not be Held in Mecca or Vatican

Army Radio's Micha Friedman asked a police official whether the police were actually yielding to the threats of violent groups.The official said, Let's not be naive. Such a parade would never be held in the Vatican nor in Mecca.Members of the Islamic Movement have also called for the cancellation of the parade.The police said they are planning to field 6,000 policemen in Jerusalem, with the addition of another 2,000 Border Guardsmen from their patrols in Judea and Samaria, on the day of the march, if it is held. Protests Have Started Hareidi protests against the march have already begun. Last night, hundreds attempted to block the main highway leading to the Old City from northern Jerusalem.

Some protestors wore sackcloth and burnt garbage bins; the police used violence to remove them, and several protestors threw rocks. Four policemen were reported injured, while no word was received on how many protestors were hurt. Several of the latter were detained. Thousands of religious Jews legally blocked off the Sabbath Square intersection in the Me'ah She'earim neighborhood of Jerusalem two weeks ago, threatening to be out in even stronger force if the march is actually held. Religious and political leaders have called for, and said they will lead, active protests against the march.

Tens of thousands are expected to take part in protests against the march on the day itself, and Jerusalem residents are signing up to host Jews from other parts of the country for the Sabbath that begins immediately following the end of the march.

Noa Satat, the head of the Jerusalem Open House, which is organizing the march, said that the police have been working for weeks on plans to protect the march, and therefore she is certain that the police will fulfill their legal obligation and protect freedom of expression.The Sanhedrin a group of rabbis who say they have re-established the religious-legal assembly of 71 sages that convened as the Supreme Jewish Tribunal during the Holy Temple period and for several centuries afterwards has called upon all synagogues to hold their upcoming Sabbath services on the streets. Close your doors and pray outside, the organization calls, as a sign of shame, warning and pleading for the abominable march to be canceled. We must not continue our regular routine while the police and courts force a march of abomination in Jerusalem upon millions of Jews against their faith and belief in the holiness of the city and the Torah's dictates.Police Commissioner Moshe Karadi announced that he has postponed his scheduled trip to Turkey next week, in light of the preparations needed for the march. Karadi was to have signed a cooperation agreement between the police forces of Israel and Turkey.

More Than 50,000 Expected to Visit Rachel´s Tomb
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz(INN)

More than 50,000 people are expected to visit the tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem this Thursday, the anniversary of the Biblical matriarch's death. Security in the area from Jerusalem to the tomb, recently transferred from the IDF's jurisdiction to that of the police, will be increased to ensure the safety of the worshipers. The fortified security arrangements will be put into effect beginning Wednesday afternoon and will last through Thursday night. In the past, Palestinian Authority terrorists have fired at Jews visiting the religiously and historically significant site. In addition, the increased police presence will oversee and maintain the flow of traffic to and from Rachel's tomb. The Egged public transportation company will provide buses running every few minutes from various Jerusalem neighborhoods to the Bethlehem site.

With the transfer of responsibility for the tomb and its immediate environs from the military to the Jerusalem civilian authorities in September, Mayor Uri Lupolianski directed the municipality to provide services there. To that end, the capital's sanitation service has prepared the tomb complex for the expected wave of visitors this week and has also begun expanding services to the site on a regular basis. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Uri Maklev has arranged for a large visitors tent to be set up at an intersection on the way to Rachel's tomb, along with a supply of drinking water. At the tomb site itself, drinks and snacks will be provided, as well. In honor of the anniversary of the passing of the matriarch Rachel, the city of Jerusalem is this week hosting dozens of lectures and activities geared towards women. The events are sponsored by the Torah Culture Department of the municipality.

The Biblical Rachel died on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 2208 in the Jewish calendar (1553 BCE) while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Rachel's tomb, in Bethlehem, has served as a place of prayer for Jews for more than 35 centuries.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING
BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

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

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

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

U.S. sets ambitious global NATO summit agenda
Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:27pm ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States set out an ambitious agenda on Monday for transforming NATO into a global security organization at a summit next month but acknowledged that some European allies have misgivings.U.S.

NATO ambassador Victoria Nuland said the 26-nation alliance had gone beyond debates about whether to act outside its Euro-Atlantic area, deploying forces on four continents in the last 18 months, most importantly in Afghanistan.NATO is already performing missions in practice for which it has yet to adapt its theory, she said, forecasting tough drafting debates before the November 28-29 summit in Riga, Latvia. We want NATO to be able to demonstrate when our heads meet four weeks from now that we have an alliance that is taking on global responsibilities, that it increasingly has the global capabilities to meet those responsibilities, and that it is doing it with global partners, Nuland said in a speech to the Center for European Policy Studies think-tank.

The alliance is fighting Taliban guerrillas in Afghanistan, supporting African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, patrolling former Yugoslav battlefields in Kosovo and has flown relief supplies to earthquake victims in Pakistan.For the next four weeks, allies are going to spend a lot of time arm-wrestling and mud-wrestling about the words that we use in our NATO documents to reflect today's reality.

It's going to be a tense conversation as we head toward Riga,she said without identifying which allies objected to stating such global ambitions in the summit documents.But today, I would argue that the reality of what's going on in NATO is outstripping our ability to encapsulate it in NATO doctrine in theory here in NATO headquarters, Nuland added.

FRANCE MOST RETICENT

Diplomats said France was most reticent about accepting a global role for the U.S.-led alliance, of which it has been a prickly, semi-detached member since General Charles de Gaulle pulled French forces out of allied military command in 1966.Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain also had reservations about appearing to rebrand NATO as a world policeman, they said.Nuland said European allies were coming to realize in Afghanistan that they needed to spend more on defense and develop long-range airlift and more special commando forces to cope with 21st century security challenges.Many European allies were spending less than NATO's unofficial minimum of 2 percent of gross domestic product.

The NATO Reaction Force, designed for rapid deployment to high-intensity combat situations, will not be fully operational in time for the Riga summit because of the strain on national defense resources, Nuland acknowledged.We are not all the way yet but we are making progress, she said.But the summit will see progress on strategic airlift, with 14 allies and non-NATO Sweden signing a joint deal to acquire long-range C-17 heavy lift aircraft, and on joint training and communications for special forces.Politically, Nuland said the NATO council was now discussing global issues far beyond the Euro-Atlantic area, such as the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea. Reuters 2006.

Tower of Babel translator made

A Tower of Babel device that gives the illusion of being bilingual is being developed by US scientists. Users simply have to silently mouth a word in their own language for it to be translated and read out in another. The researchers said the effect was like watching a television programme that had been dubbed.

The system, detailed in New Scientist, is not yet fully accurate, but experts said it showed the technology was within reach. The idea is that you can mouth words in English and they will come out in Chinese or another language Tanja Schultz.The translation systems that are currently in use work by using voice recognition software. But this requires people to speak out loud and then wait for the translation to be read out, making conversations difficult.

But the new device, being created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, is different. Electrodes are attached to the neck and face to detect the movements that occur as the person silently mouths words and phrases. Using this data, a computer can work out the sounds being formed and then build these sounds up into words. The system is then able to translate the words into another language which is read out by a synthetic voice.

Within reach

The team currently has two prototypes: one that can translate Chinese into English and another that can translate English into Spanish or German.

If the prototypes used a small vocabulary of about 100-200 words they worked with about 80% accuracy, researcher Tanja Schultz said. But, she added, a full vocabulary had a much lower level of accuracy. Professor Schultz said: The idea is that you can mouth words in English and they will come out in Chinese or another language. The ultimate goal, the researchers said, was to be in a position where you can just have a conversation. Chuck Jorgensen, a researcher at Nasa's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, told New Scientist: "This is showing the technology is really within reach. Phil Woodland, professor of information engineering at the University of Cambridge, said: This work sounds interesting. Most groups are
working on translating audio data into different languages, but this is different to work I have come across before because they are not working from a real acoustic signal.

Issue Date: November 3, 2006
Christian Zionists rally in San Antonio
Speakers say Islam is the enemy and advocate attacking Iran
By MARGOT PATTERSON,San Antonio

In 1981, Texas pastor and televangelist John Hagee put on the first Night to Honor Israel at his church in San Antonio. Israel had a few months before bombed Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Osirak, and the Christian Zionist preacher wanted to show his support for Israel after its destruction of the nuclear reactor had been criticized around the world.Twenty-five years later, Hagee, who now advocates a strike by the United States or Israel on Iran’s nuclear installations, observed the silver anniversary of the Church of the Cornerstone’s annual Night to Honor Israel, an event that was part of a three-day celebration Oct. 20-22 designed to show solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people and to advance the message that Israel and America are in danger.

For the first time, Christians United for Israel, CUFI, a lobbying group Hagee established nine months ago, presented the event. It was billed as the first national Night to Honor Israel, an event that CUFI directors are taking to other U.S. cities. Such evenings have already been held in Berkeley, Sacramento and Pasadena, Calif.; St. Louis; Arvada, Colo.; and Carlsbad, N.M., and are scheduled
for several other cities.For Hagee, bringing together Christian ministers from across the country, many of them representing megachurches like his own, with local and national Jewish representatives was the fulfillment of a vision he’d had since 1981 when he tried to summon 30 Christian ministers to host such an event and 29 of them left at the first break.It was an absolute failure, a royal bust,he said, recalling the event.

But this year’s national event in San Antonio was a new day for Hagee. Since 1981, he and others have witnessed the emergence of Christian Zionism as a religious and political movement with growing political clout.The evolving agenda of that movement was on display throughout the weekend, particularly at the special Middle East intelligence briefing on Saturday, Oct. 21, which featured former CIA director James Woolsey; a military adviser and former chief of staff for the Israeli Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon; and Joseph Ginat, director of the Strategic Dialogue Center at the Netanya Academic College in Israel.Around 3,000 people paid $25 each to attend the three-hour-plus briefing at the Church of the Cornerstone in which the spectre of Islamofascism was regularly invoked.

Woolsey said America is at war with a new enemy. Previously, it had faced secular totalitarian regimes. Now it faces several theocratic totalitarian regimes rooted, he said, in one of the world’s great religions, Islam. They hate us not for what we’ve done wrong but what we do right, Woolsey said. They hate us for our freedom.While many analysts have said that Iran is years away from producing a nuclear weapon, Israeli scholar Joseph Ginat warned that the West has only six to 10 months to take military action against Iran. A strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would be difficult but not impossible, he said. He expressed little hope
that a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Iran’s development of nuclear power could be negotiated.In the culture of the Arab world, there is a dimension known as the culture of lies, said Ginat.

A grim picture

Yaalon painted a grim picture of an ongoing war that he said had already started between the West and radical Islam, one he said will go on for generations. The war is between the Western culture, the culture which supports compassion, human rights and dignity, freedom, against those that promote death death for any freedom.Yaalon argued that opposition to Israel has little to do with its occupation of the Palestinian territories. The problem is not what they fabricate about occupation or apartheid, he said.

Two Arab speakers appeared on the platform. Brigitte Gabriel, a former TV anchor for World News on the Middle East Television network and the author of Why They Hate, described herself as a Lebanese Zionist and recounted traumatic episodes growing up as a Lebanese Christian during the civil war in Lebanon. Walid Shoebat, a former PLO terrorist who converted to Christianity and is the author of Why I Left Jihad, also drew on his personal experiences.

Gabriel said Israel’s enemies are America’s, warned of Hamas cells in the United States. Hamas has the largest infrastructure on American soil and declared, Our enemy is in Islamic mosques throughout the U.S.Shoebat was just as explicit in his denunciation of Islam. There are peaceful Muslims, he conceded, but said those were the Muslims who knew little about their religion.,Our job is to liberate 1.2 billion Muslims and sometimes it has to be with a baseball bat,Shoebat said, who compared Islam to Nazism.The two Arab speakers’ personal stories hit an obvious chord with the audience. But despite the enthusiastic cheers and ovations, not everyone was convinced. Susan Ives, the director of communications at the interfaith peaceCENTER in San Antonio and a critic of Hagee, said she had come to the briefing skeptical of Christian Zionism but attempting to have an open mind. Ives said she found the briefing very frightening.

I’ve never been in any placed that called itself a Christian setting where there was such hatred, Ives said.If I were a Muslim, I would have been very, very afraid at the end of those four hours. They were depicting Islam as a hateful religion at the very least, especially the two Arab speakers. But almost every single one of them talked about Islam as a religion of liars.It has to be a real wake-up call for people who do not buy into this theology,Ives said.That theology is rooted in a view of Biblical prophecy and the end times that leads Christian Zionists to unstintingly support the state of Israel. Christian Zionists regard the creation of Israel in 1948 as one of the most significant events in history, a necessary prelude to the Rapture and Armageddon. Like Hagee, most Christian Zionists oppose any territorial concessions on the part of Israel for any reason.

Let it be known

In addition to the intelligence briefing, the weekend celebration of Israel and the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, included a carnival, food booths and a marketplace selling goods by scores of Israeli vendors. An Israeli choir sang at the regular Sunday services and the concluding celebration.The latter was an extravaganza that began with the American and Israeli national anthems and went on to evoke memories of the Holocaust. The Cornerstone Church choir and drama department sang Jewish and Israeli songs and at one point filed into a darkened church holding electric candles and small Israeli flags as a voice intoned, Israel, you are not alone. Not only are you not alone, you are loved. Let it be known from this night on, Israel has a family. Let it be known in Tehran, Damascus and Beirut that night and day we will watch and pray. Messages from Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking the congregation and Hagee for their support for Israel were broadcast over two large video screens.

In his keynote address, Malcolm Hoenlein, vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, spoke of recent attempts to deny Israel’s legitimacy, singling out for criticism Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt of the University of Chicago and Harvard for their recent sophomoric paper critical of the Jewish lobby, and condemned what he said were attempts to give moral equivalency to Hezbollah and Israel in the recent war in Lebanon.Critics of Christian Zionists say their unequivocal support for Israel comes at the expense of Palestinians, including local Christian Palestinians, and jeopardizes prospects for peace.The dangers of Christian Zionism haven’t been talked about, said Art Preisinger, a retired Lutheran minister and history professor attending the celebration at Cornerstone Church.But most of the Christians in attendance for the weekend were wholehearted in their support for Hagee’s message.

Elesi Nagalu, 41, said nobody should be telling Israel what to do. That land [Israel] belongs to the Jewish people. They [Palestinians] might have property deeds, but property deeds don’t mean anything to me.Nagalu, who had come to San Antonio from San Mateo, Calif., said she had enjoyed the weekend thoroughly. God willing, I’ll be here next year. If Jesus doesn’t return before then.Margot Patterson is an NCR reporter and editor. Her e-mail address is mpatterson@natcath.org.

CIVIL MARRIAGE IN ISRAEL

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 3 DAYS. 2-Ten dead in Philippines after typhoon. 3-Sri Lanka is drowning, literally and metaphorically. 4-China, Asean Repeat Aim for Free Trade Area by 2010. 5-PM: Israel will stop Palestinian arms. 6-Drought-hit Spain looks to penalize heavy water use. 7-Ship sinks in heavy storms. 8-World Christian Persecution. 9-Time to give way on civil marriage in Israel? 10-East Africa: EAC Treaty Makes Political Federation Inevitable.

EARTHQUAKES

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.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 3 DAYS
Update time = Tue Oct 31 10:00 EDT 2006(USGS)

TUE OCT 31,2006
MAP 3.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 ECUADOR
MAP 4.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

MON OCT 30,2006
MAP 2.6 ARIZONA
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 OFF THE COAST OF JALISCO, MEXICO
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.6 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 5.3 SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 3.0 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 JAVA, INDONESIA

SUN OCT 29,2006
MAP 3.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.3 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 3.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.6 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.8 COSTA RICA
MAP 4.3 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 4.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 UTAH
MAP 2.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Ten dead in Philippines after typhoon By Karen Lema
2 hours, 25 minutes ago

MANILA (Reuters) - Typhoon Cimaron churned toward central Vietnam on Tuesday after killing at least 10 people and displacing thousands in the northern Philippines with fierce winds and raging waters.

Cimaron slammed into Luzon, the Philippines' most populated island and its rice bowl, on Sunday night as a maximum category five storm or super typhoon, tearing up trees, power lines and roofs and destroying houses and roads.The typhoon, the second to hit the Philippines in over a month, weakened as it swept out of the archipelago on Monday and was churning westwards toward Vietnam with winds of 120 km (75 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 150 km per hour.

Storm tracker www.tropicalstormrisk.com showed Cimaron picking up speed and tipping northwards en route to Vietnam, bringing stormy weather to Hong Kong and the Chinese island of Hainan on Wednesday morning.Cimarno is expected to hit Vietnam as a category 1 typhoon on Friday morning.At least five people were reported drowned or killed by falling trees in the Philippine coastal province of Isabela, according to local mayor Renato Candido. There were at least five other reported fatalities, disaster officials said.

The Office of Civil Defense said police were still verifying reports of several landslides.

THOUSANDS EVACUATED

Over 2,000 people were evacuated to makeshift accommodation while nearly 180,000 were affected by wind damage, landslides and flooding.

Power was slowly returning to four provinces.The storm disrupted thousands of travelers on the move for the Roman Catholic festivals of All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2, when millions of Filipinos throng cemeteries to honor their dead.Cimaron was estimated to have destroyed around 114 million pesos ($2.3 million) worth of crops, fisheries and livestock.

The bill for damage to roads, bridges and schools was put at 25 million pesos.The Department of Agriculture has said the typhoon destroyed around 8 percent of rice and corn due for harvesting before the end of the year.Cimaron crashed into the archipelago just weeks after Typhoon Xangsane raked the Philippines and Vietnam, killing at least 169 people and taking a heavy toll on electricity networks, roads and crops.The Philippines cut its annual agricultural growth target to around 4 percent for 2006 from at least 5 percent due to the destruction by Xangsane.Storms regularly hit the Philippines but parts of northern Luzon are mountainous and heavily logged, raising the risk of more floods and landslides.In the worst disaster in recent years, more than 5,000 people died in the central province of Leyte in 1991 in floods triggered by a typhoon.

Sri Lanka is drowning, literally and metaphorically
BY AMEEN IZZADEEN ,31 October 2006

LITERALLY and metaphorically, we are a drowning nation. With half the country under water as a result of intense inter-monsoon rains, the gloomy weather was symbolic of Sri Lanka’s plight. It had been raining since October 16. Friday was the worst day. Even my house came under two feet of water.I was not alone. Millions of people have been affected. Fifteen people have been killed and more than 250,000 rendered homeless. Thousands of Muslims celebrated the Eid ul-Fitr festival in makeshift refugee camps.

Even the main road linking Colombo city and Sri Lanka’s only international airport was under water. Flights were cancelled or delayed as passengers and crew members could not reach the airport on time.

It’s the worst floods in several decades, the old muezzin of the mosque in my area said. The politically matured put the blame on politicians. Politicians at local council level dish out low-lying state-owned wetland, which should be conserved, to landless party supporters in return for their loyalty. Some big time national level politicians commit greater environmental crimes in collusion with multinationals and the local private sector.In my area, residents say the flood problem became worse after the multinational Shell Company built a gas terminal on a wetland that had acted as a water-retention area when the rivers swelled. The allegation doing the rounds is that big time politicians, including some at the highest level, are in the pay of the multinational gas giant which has its say and way whenever it wants to increase prices. The end result is that it is the people who pay for the sins of the politicians.

The Central Environment Authority (CEA), the main state institution entrusted with protecting Sri Lanka’s environment has come under a cloud, too. The CEA approves or disapproves projects after it conducts an environmental impact assessment study. In a paper posted on its website, it claims that wetlands, which are national heritage, need to be conserved, restored and sustainably managed for the benefit of the present and future generations, recognising that they are environmentally sensitive and ecologically important areas.The CEA paper also says the principle that when an activity carries a potentially high environmental risk that cannot be fully assessed (eg for lack of time, money or information), action should be taken to prohibit or restrict the activity before the uncertainly is resolved.I don’t think this principle was applied when Shell was allowed to build its massive plant on a large extent of wetland. In corruption-ridden third world countries, it appears that public servants’ serve the interest of their political masters rather than the interest of the public.

The flood-hit Sri Lankans’ search for the sun in the black canopy over their head is symbolic of Sri Lanka’s search for peace. As the sun appeared briefly through the gaps between the large masses of dark clouds, it stirred hopes. But soon the pregnant dark clouds covered it again and unloaded their burden on us, inflicting suffering and hardship.On Saturday, on the political horizon, there was hope, as the government and the LTTE met in Geneva for talks. But by Sunday night, our hopes were shattered as the two sides failed to strike any agreement.It appears now that the Norwegian facilitators were largely concerned about dragging the two belligerents to the negotiating table. It was like a no-holds-barred freestyle wrestling match. First, the handshake and then the Norwegian referee read out the rules of the game and allowed the two fighters to hit out at each other.

The talks, which we call Geneva II, were no different from Geneva I in February. At both these encounters, the two sides traded barbs and talked little peace. This could have been done in Sri Lanka. But the two sides, it appears, want to discredit and demonise the other before the international media in Geneva.Before they left for Geneva, the two sides had conflicting agendas. Apart from a final solution that recognised Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the government wanted to bring human rights, democracy and pluralism to the people of the north values that the people in the south do not enjoy to the full. The LTTE wanted to discuss the immediate issues such as the opening of the main highway linking Sri Lanka’s northern capital Jaffna with the rest of the country and the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

The two sides had nothing to offer in terms of confidence-building measures. Both delegations comprised members who are known for hard-line views. We cannot expect a terrorist organisation to act in a civilised manner and make the first move for peace. When the government also responds in an equally tough manner while talking peace, how can peace dawn? This was not the spirit in which the Ranil Wickremesinghe government held peace talks. It took confidence building measures, one after another, offering many concessions to the LTTE, amidst allegations that it was compromising on national security.

But it was a gamble that nearly paid off.I believe the government as a confidence building measure should have agreed to the LTTE demand for the opening up of the main highway, although the move will help the LTTE to collect millions of rupees in taxes from motorists and suppliers of goods to the north. But it’s a price the government should pay to achieve peace and bring sunshine to the war-hit and war-weary people.
Ameen Izzadeen is a Sri Lankan journalist based in Colombo

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

China, Asean Repeat Aim for Free Trade Area by 2010
By Allen T. Cheng and Yanping Li

Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nation said they will boost trade, reiterating an aim to cut tariffs and set up a free trade area between an estimated 1.8 billion people. We encourage further cooperation between China and Asean in support of sub-regional developments including economic cooperation zones in areas covering southwestern China, according to a statement by China and Asean, as the association is also called, released today in southern China's Nanning city. Asean's trade with China rose 23 percent last year to $130 billion, and the grouping has been discussing free trade arrangements with China and dialogue partners Japan and South Korea as global trade talks fail. Japan, not represented at this meeting in Nanning, has proposed a broader Asian trade bloc including India, Australia and New Zealand.

Japan has been pushing for India's inclusion because it fears China taking over its dominant status in Asia, said Guan Anping, a Beijing trade lawyer and former Chinese trade official. Asean has many legitimate fears of a rising China, especially since China's huge surplus labor makes it a rival that few Asian states can compete with, he said. China is hosting Asian leaders to celebrate 15 years of formal relations between Asia's second largest economy and Asean, a grouping founded in 1967 partly as a U.S.-backed bulwark against communism. Southeast Asian countries only recognized China when it stopped backing communist insurgencies against their capitalist governments.

Outstanding Disputes

China also has not fully resolved disputes with Asean members over oil and gas exploration rights in the South China Sea around a group of islands that China calls Xisha and Nansha while Asean calls Spratlys and Paracels. As recently as 1990, China seized some islands in the Paracels, which is surrounded by seabed rich in oil and gas, from Vietnam, according to Globalsecurity.org, a Web site specializing in military affairs. We will work in concert to advance the strategic partnership, which would be a catalyst for dialogue between Asean and its partners to contribute to regional peace and stability, according to today's statement.

Defense officials of Asean and China will visit each other more frequently and share information to foster cooperation, according to the statement.Wen and Commerce Minister Bo Xilai are hosting Asean leaders this week in talks that range from building a regional free trade zone to North Korea's nuclear tests. On the table is a proposal from China to build a regional trade area that comprise of Asean, China, Japan, and South Korea. China supports and welcomes Asean's efforts to establish a Southeast Asia nuclear weapons-free zone, according to the Chinese foreign ministry's counselor Huang Xingyuan, speaking today in Nanning. To contact the reporter on this story: Allen T. Cheng in Beijing at acheng13@bloomberg.net.Last Updated: October 30, 2006 06:27 EST

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JOEL 2:20,30-31
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Oct. 30, 2006, 3:55PM
PM: Israel will stop Palestinian arms
By MARK LAVIE Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM Israel will take action to stop Palestinian arms smuggling and rocket fire in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday, but he could not point to specific solutions.Olmert also said any new offensive would not result in Israel's retaking Gaza, which it left a year ago after a 38-year occupation.Olmert was speaking at a special Cabinet session to vote approval of the addition of an ultra-hawkish party to his ruling coalition, a step seen as virtually ruling out any Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives in the near future. Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, has advocated bombing Palestinian population centers and redrawing Israel's borders to exclude its Arab citizens. He becomes a deputy prime minister.In southern Gaza, meanwhile, Palestinian gunmen kidnapped Roberto Vila, a 34-year-old Spanish aid worker and held him for several hours, the latest in a string of abductions of journalists and other foreigners. He was released unharmed before midnight.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said security forces worked to free the hostage. Such actions harm the image of the Palestinian people, he said.Palestinian gunmen have kidnapped a series of foreign journalists and aid workers in Gaza over the past two years, usually pressing the government for money or job guarantees. In most cases, the hostages were quickly released, and none have been seriously harmed.Last week, Palestinian gunmen kidnapped an Associated Press photographer in Gaza City, releasing the Spanish journalist about 16 hours later.The kidnappings reflect growing chaos in the seaside territory, where rival Fatah and Hamas forces have been clashing as political leaders repeatedly fail to agree on a joint government that could lift a punishing Western aid cutoff that has bankrupted the Palestinian Authority and led to widespread hardships.

At the same time, Israel has pressed ahead with an offensive it launched in late June, after Hamas-linked gunmen tunneled under the border and attacked an army base, killing two soldiers and abducting a third.In northern Gaza, Palestinian police said a man was killed Monday and two other people wounded when an Israeli tank shell hit a house. The Israeli military denied that soldiers opened fire in the area.Earlier this month Israel sent forces along the Gaza-Egypt border for the first time since Israel withdrew from Gaza last year, destroying 15 tunnels Israel said the Palestinians used to smuggle arms into Gaza. The forces were pulled out after a weeklong sweep.

Olmert told a parliamentary committee the goal of a new military operation would be to stop the arms smuggling, but he said no decision has been made on exactly how to do that. Retaking the border could ignite tensions with Egypt. Olmert denied reports that Egypt has sent troop reinforcements to the border.

There is no doubt that we have to take steps to reduce the ability of the Palestinians to fire rockets at Israel and smuggle in weapons,Olmert told the Cabinet, but added that no decision has been made on exactly what to do, according to a participant in the meeting.The participant, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said Olmert specified that Israeli action would minimize humanitarian problems.Olmert also told the parliamentary committee he would consider allowing Abbas to beef up his security forces with troops stationed in neighboring Jordan.Palestinian officials said Saturday that Abbas, a moderate, wants to bring in the forces ahead of a possible showdown with Hamas.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Dr Samuel Doctorian-Angel 3

Then one of the angels with wings showed me Europe from one end to the other from the north all the way down to Spain and Portugal. In his hand he had a scale of measurement. I saw him fly over Europe, and I heard the words, I am grieved. I am grieved.

Unrighteousness, uncleanness, ungodliness all over Europe. The sin has risen to heaven. The Holy Spirit is grieved. I saw the rivers of Europe flooding and covering millions of houses. Millions drown.

Suddenly I heard earthquakes all over Europe. Countries that have had no earthquakes shall be shaken, said the angel. And suddenly, in my spirit, I saw the Eiffel Tower in Paris crumbling falling down. A great part of Germany destroyed. The great city of London destruction everywhere. I saw floods all over Scandinavia. I looked to the south and saw Spain and Portugal passing through hunger and great destruction.

Many will die from hunger all over Spain and Portugal. I was disturbed by all this news, and I said, Lord, what about your children? The angel said, I shall prepare them. They shall be looking for the appearing of the Lord. Many will cry to me in those days and I will save them. I shall perform mighty miracles for them and show them My power. So in the midst of great destruction, there will be the grace of God in those countries. I was happy that God has His protection over His children.

Drought-hit Spain looks to penalize heavy water use
Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:33 PM GMT

MADRID (Reuters) - Spaniards who use excessive amounts of water may have to pay more for it in future, the government said on Monday, seeking ways to curb water use after two years of drought.After the worst drought on record in 2005 and below average rainfall again in the year ended on September 30, the country's reservoir levels dropped to their lowest in a decade.Environment Minister Cristina Narbona said she was planning to guarantee a minimum amount of clean water for everyone and would raise prices above that limit.In principle, in line with a proposal made by Ecologists in Action, we suggest a minimum of 60 liters (13 gallons) a day per person, she said.(There will be) a reform of the water law to penalize excessive consumption via tariffs charged, Narbona said at the start of a national water council meeting, which is due to debate several proposals.

A ministry spokeswoman denied household consumers would face higher prices if they used more than the 60 liters a day allowance.

The onus may fall on other users.Narbona did not say how the reform would affect farmers, who use 77 percent of Spain's water. Urban consumption accounts for 18 percent and industry the remaining 5 percent.Spaniards now use an average of around 170 liters a day and water prices vary.In some towns it is practically free and farmers often sink illegal wells and obtain water from aquifers for no more than the cost of pumping it.

1/3RD OF SHIPS DESTROYED

REVELATION 8:8-9
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Ship sinks in heavy storms
Oct 30, 2006,By TBT staff

TALLINN - Heavy storms that struck the Baltic Sea region forced the cancellation of flights and sea travel, sunk a fishing boat and left a passenger ferry damaged.The Finnish fishing vessel Borka sunk in Estonian waters at 11 p.m. on Oct. 26 in heavy wind.The boat’s four crew members were rescued by nearby ships which battled rough seas to answer a distress call.With wind speed at 25 meters per second, and gusts of up to 32 meters per second, the smaller passenger ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki abandoned their voyages. Other larger ships delayed their voyages by several hours.

The storms also felled trees and branches, damaged roofs, and knocked out power to thousands of households.

PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS

JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME

ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).

WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

World Christian Persecution(Crosswalk.com)
Assyrian Christian Teen Reportedly Beheaded

According to ASSIST News Service, an Assyrian Christian teenager has reportedly been decapitated while at work.

The Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) reported that according to the Assyrian website www.ankawa.com, a 14-year-old Christian Assyrian boy, Ayad Tariq, from Baqouba, Iraq was beheaded at his work place on Oct. 21. Ayad Tariq was working his 12-hour shift, maintaining an electric generator, when a group of disguised Muslim insurgents walked in at the beginning of his shift shortly after 6 a.m. and asked him for his ID. According to another employee who witnessed the events, and who hid when he saw insurgents approach, the insurgents questioned Ayad after seeing that his ID noted he was Christian. The insurgents asked the boy if he was really a Christian sinner. Ayad reportedly replied, Yes, I am Christian, but I am not a sinner. The insurgents immediately said, dirty Christian sinner! Then they proceeded to each hold one of the boy’s limbs, Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar! while beheading him.

Eritrean Police Arrest 150 More Christians

Compass Direct News reports that in a large-scale roundup the past week, Eritrean authorities have detained 150 Christians from at least five of the country’s outlawed churches. Starting Wednesday (October 25), security officers in the town of Mendefera began going from house to house, arresting local Christians from a list they compiled of known members of Pentecostal churches and the Orthodox renewal movement.

During the first day’s raids, a total of 38 men and 17 women were incarcerated at the military fort in Mendefera, 30 miles south of Asmara. Local sources confirmed to Compass that police authorities were subjecting the detained Christians to beatings and other physical mistreatment. According to eyewitnesses, at least 10 nursing mothers were among the new prisoners, all of them forced to leave their infants behind.

New Believer in India Arrested, Urged to Frame Pastor

Police recently arrested a convert in Mayapuri, Madhya Pradesh state for the second time in three days in an apparent attempt to pressure him to give evidence that his pastor forcibly converted him, Compass Direct News reports. By nightfall in India, the new believer was charged with insulting religious beliefs.Dewas Gate police again detained Ramesh Thakur, 37, at 9 a.m. after having arrested him on Tuesday (October 24) and releasing him the next day after intense questioning. The pastor of his church in Ujjain district, Jagdish Bharti, is already fighting charges of insulting religious beliefs.The officer-in-charge of the Dewas Gate police station, R.R. Malvi, told a church member that he was under tremendous political pressure to charge Thakur. Viju Varghese, Global Council of Indian Christians co-ordinator in Madhya Pradesh, told Compass that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had offered Thakur 25,000 rupees (US$552) to implicate Pastor Bharti in a charge of allurement to convert.

Missionaries Hike to Share Jesus on Appalachian Trail

Craig and Suzy Miles’ mission field is located amongst the pines and hardwoods of the Appalachian Mountains. They share it with hikers, the occasional black bear, snakes and other creepy-crawly things better left alone. The Christian couple witnesses to people with funny names like Chicken Wing,Kentucky Fried and Rabbit’s Foot. According to Baptist Press, for three years now, the Mileses as Mission Service Corps missionaries for the North American Mission Board have operated Appalachian Trail Servants, a mission organization dedicated to sharing Christ with hikers along the famous Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail is a marked, yard-wide footpath winding 2,175 miles through the Appalachian Mountains from Springer Mountain in north Georgia to Mount Katahdin in central Maine. Conceived in 1921 and completed in 1937, it passes through 14 states. More than 4 million people hike some part of the trail each year. Their ministry began when one morning on the way to work, Craig stopped by his Baptist church and prayed a simple prayer: Lord, how can you use our time and talents for your glory? Right after I prayed that prayer, I spotted a missionary magazine on a table next to me,Miles said. On the cover was a story about extreme hiking in China. It just clicked in my head that we needed to start a ministry on the Appalachian Trail. Suzy and I were seeing hundreds of hikers pass over the roads and trails and through the woods of north Georgia, but we knew their spiritual needs were not being met.

Updated Oct. 30, 2006 23:17
Time to give way on civil marriage in Israel?
By DAVID J. MARTIN (Jpost)

Recent political machinations have again raised the prospect of civil marriage in Israel. Unfortunately, this issue is so laden with partisan emotion as to prevent a clear analysis of the situation. The result is that state-mandated Orthodox halachic restrictions on matrimony have created a festering wound in Israeli society. An objective review of the legal and religious reality leads to the conclusion that civil marriage, if properly instituted, is an appropriate solution. Under Israeli law, an individual may only be married in accordance with the procedures of his religious community. Thus, Jews may only be married through the Orthodox rabbinate. Since the rabbinate implements religious law Halacha Jews may not marry non-Jews and a kohen may not marry a divorcee.

With several hundred thousand halachically non-Jewish Russian immigrants in Israel (who are nonetheless entitled to rights under the Law of Return), the number of couples who wish to wed in Israel, but may not, is increasing. Even more problematic are the pesulei hitun non-marriables the child born to a Jewish mother conceived from an adulterous union or even to a Jewish mother who was divorced (abroad) in a civil proceeding but never received a get. Such a child is a mamzer and essentially may never marry at all. The only relief available to those wishing to contract religiously unlawful marriages and to the non-marriables is to be married in a civil ceremony outside of Israel, which is recognized by Israel under its private international law commitments, but not recognized by Halacha.

For instance, a former Supreme Court justice, a kohen now deceased went abroad to contract a marriage with a divorcee. But for the vast majority of people, this relief is both undesirable and unworkable. ON THE face of it, resolution of the situation is actually simple namely, to create an alternative system of civil marriage, alongside the religious law, which would apply to those marriages that would not be permitted under religious law: Jew and non-Jew, mamzer, divorcee to kohen, etc. The secular community has long sought such a resolution. The Orthodox religious establishment has, with few exceptions, expressed vehement opposition. Why?

First, the religious establishment is concerned that, given the choice, a large percentage of Israelis would choose the civil marriage route, thus eroding the power base of the religious authorities. Second, the religious community still holds on to the imaginative idea that Israel is a Jewish state, based on principles of Jewish law, and that the essentials of Jewish practice (Sabbath, holidays, marriage) are accepted by a consensus of the population, notwithstanding the fact that the overwhelming majority of Israeli residents do not practice a halachic lifestyle.

Third, some believe that an alternative route for recognizing and liquidating marriages would create a societal divide those whose marriages and births were sanctioned by the rabbinate and those who were not so sanctioned, with the attendant consequences.Fourth, many rabbis believe that civil marriage would nonetheless be considered as a valid marriage under Jewish law in light of the halachic rule that marriage may be contracted not only by means of a ceremonial act but also by the very conduct of intimate relations. Thus, civilly married women would nonetheless require a Jewish divorce the get failing which a subsequent child would be considered a mamzer, who may never marry.

NONE OF these objections holds water. If a large percentage of Israelis would prefer civil marriage, so be it. Coercive marriage has never brought anyone back to the fold. To the contrary, the marriage registration practices of the rabbinate are generally deemed to turn off most secular and non-Orthodox Israelis. If the rabbinate is faced with competition, it will have to shape up or ship out. The
time has come to face reality most Israelis do not feel any connection to the basic tenets of Jewish law. They cannot be attracted by coercion. As to the population divide, it already exists. There are hundreds of thousands of halachically non-Jewish citizens of Israel, who speak Hebrew, serve in the army and meet Jewish members of the opposite sex. If the religious status of an individual is important to a potential suitor, the need for research already exists.

The fourth problem, namely the halachic status of a person who contracts a civil marriage, is not new. Such marriages have been the subject of religious legal decisions by the outstanding rabbis of the past century, including particularly the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the leading decisor of Jewish law in the United States. According to these decisions, when a couple contracts a civil marriage in circumstances which indicate that they did not intend to create a Jewish, legal, marital relationship then, indeed, no such relationship is created.

The woman is not married for purposes of Halacha, the dissolution of the marriage does not require a get, children born of the relationship are both Jewish and marriageable and children born of adulterous unions during such marriages or even after such marriages have been dissolved without a get are unblemished as regards their right to marry under Jewish law.

So how does a couple demonstrate circumstances which indicate that they did not intend to create a Jewish, legal, marital relationship? Simple as part of the civil marriage proceeding, the parties would execute a document stating that they have chosen the civil marriage route for reasons of conscience or other reasons and that they do not intend to create a Jewish, legal, marital relationship.The time has come (unfortunately) to offer civil marriage for those who do not wish to be, or cannot be, married under Jewish law. A halachic solution, which is quite consistent with considerations of conscience, exists to solve the problem. The religious establishment must face up to reality and withdraw its opposition to such a solution. The writer is an international lawyer based in Tel Aviv and adjunct professor of law at Cardozo Law School in New York.

East Africa: EAC Treaty Makes Political Federation Inevitable
Jerry Okungu,Nairobi

The East Africa Community National Consultative Committees will commence a sensitisation campaign in all the three partner states in a week's time.The million dollar question facing the Committees is: Will the benefits of economic integration be realised and sustained without a central political authority?The answer is yes. The Treaty of the East African Economic Community signed in 1999 is specific and categorical that in the final analysis, the move to political federation is unstoppable.

The leaders who signed it have since left office, apart from President Museveni of Uganda. President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania was witness to it as a member of the Council of Ministers, by virtue of his being a foreign minister then. President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya was an opposition Member of Parliament then, but was aware of the discussions.At the centre of this question lies the sensitive issue of sovereignty that the three partner states now enjoy. With sovereignty comes real autonomy, independence and complete if not absolute instruments of state power.

Heads of State currently are in charge of foreign policy, defence, security and numerous authorities that govern virtually every sphere of life of their citizens. As heads of state, they are also heads of government, a position that has invested in them executive authority to run their governments the best way they see fit.HAVING A central political authority for the three partner states will imply that states and their presidents give up certain powers, roles and functions to the super state. Such powers may in effect reduce the current presidencies to the level of federal governors such as those in the United States of America, Nigeria or Canada.

Alternatively, there may be a situation where the central authority takes the shape of the European Union where individual state instruments and structures remain intact except for the common currency, unified border controls, standardisation of goods and services and abolition of border controls for member states of the EU.

While signing the 1999 East African Community Treaty, the Summit members were acutely aware of the lessons learnt from the collapsed EAC of 1967-1977.

IT WAS then decided to put in place safeguards that would shield the Community from collapse a second time. The partners opted for a gradual approach to the regional integration process. They decided to start with the critical Customs Union, a move that would ease trade, movement of people and goods and spur economic growth.The second phase entails putting structures in place to create the East African Common Market. A single market for the region will the expand consumer base to support and sustain our local industries and services. These will in turn spur economic growth and create jobs for our growing population.

Once the Customs Union and Common Market have stabilised and taken root, the region will move to the third stage and create a Monetary Union a very critical stage politically. Critical in the sense that a single currency will evolve from first freely exchanging the three currencies easily across borders. It will also abolish restrictions on cash transfers across our borders. When finally adopted, the three partner states will adopt a common currency that will be the sole legal tender in the three countries.Once all the three stages are adopted, the three states will then embark on the road to the final stage, that of the political federation.IN ALL this process, the Summit and Council of Ministers Members have all along been acutely aware that, the four stages do not in themselves guarantee sustainability of the process. They realised that a sensitive venture like creating a federation among three independent states in peacetime will require more good will from a wide section of the citizenry.It is also necessary to deal with the concentration of powers in the Summit, an issue that accelerated the collapse of the first EAC in 1977. At that time, the Summit was the organ that made virtually every decision and its members appended signatures on every document. Therefore, when differences between Summit members became irreconcilable during the Idi Amin era in Uganda, the Summit paralysed the operations of the Community.

This time round, the Summit gave authority to the Council of Ministers through the 1999 Treaty to deal with most of the functions of the Community and only refer to the Summit for ratification.More than the deconcentration of Summit powers, it has been found prudent if not mandatory to solicit the support and endorsement of the citizens of East Africa, civil society and private sector throughout the process. Using the lessons learnt from the first EAC, the architects of the new Community have created more stringent withdrawal procedures for members who have signed the treaty and joined the Community.BUT PERHAPS the more compelling reason why the Community will thrive and blossom into a political federation is the fact that in today's world, the trend is towards mergers and regional integrations. Economic and political blocs are the way forward.Bigger markets such as the EU, the US, China and India are taking advantage of their numerical strength and consumer base to dictate terms at forums such as the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank, the International Labour Organisation and the International Telecommunications Union.

Smaller and poorer states are at their mercy.

If East Africans come together as one economic bloc, they will bring to the international negotiating table a consumer base of more than 100 million. This is by any standards an attractive consumer market for any industrialist or service provider looking to invest.

In Africa, East Africa will be next only to Nigeria. By the time Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan join, the region will be at par with Nigeria and half the present population of the US.What makes big markets such as the US, India, China, Russia and Nigeria work? All these economies enjoy the comfort of a single authority. Power has to emanate from a single source with clear rules and guidelines. If the centre is working and holding, the rest will work.The East African. AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).