1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Storm blankets Quebec, aims for Maritimes. 3-National Weather Service Preliminary Data - EF Scale 3 Tornado Hit Enterprise. 4-Widespread storms cause deaths in 3 states. 5-Dozens die in Indonesia landslides. 6-EU promises to rally efforts to push forward Mideast peace process. 7-Israel criticizes Russian-Syrian arms deal. 8-Israel training for war with Iran, Syria? 9-Israel Celebrates Purim Holiday Under Tight Security. 10-Stocks fall amid rise in yen; Dow posts worst performance in more than 4 years.
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 = Sun Mar 4 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 03,07
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.1 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAR 02,07
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.6 CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA
MAP 5.7 COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.8 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.9 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAR 01,07
MAP 5.9 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.4 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.5 PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.3 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.1 WASHINGTON
MAP 3.6 OREGON
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 NEVADA
MAP 4.6 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.7 NEVADA
MAP 5.7 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO 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.
Storm blankets Quebec, aims for Maritimes
Friday, March 2, 2007 - CBC News
A winter storm blamed for at least two deaths and commuter chaos in southern Ontario is bringing high winds and heavy snowfall to Quebec on Friday as it sweeps toward the Maritimes.
Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for regions stretching from Ottawa into southern Quebec as well as all of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.The problem with this winter storm is we've seen everything ,snow, freezing rain, rain, ice pellets and high winds, said CBC meteorologist Nick Czernkovich.The storm, which knocked out power to roughly 80,000 people in Ontario overnight, brought 27 centimetres of snow to the Montreal area in just 12 hours, Czernkovich said.Friday was a snow day for most students in the greater Montreal region, as all major school boards called off classes for the day. Many flights were cancelled at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.The combination of heavy snow, freezing rain and winds brought down power lines and trees, Czernkovich added.We all look at the snowfall, but we can't underestimate the effect of winds.Part of the storm is sheering off toward northern Ontario as the main body heads eastward and is expected to hit the Atlantic provinces later on Friday.In Nova Scotia, high winds were forecast for the shoreline late Friday, with some areas expected to be hit with gusts of up to 100 km/h.
Thousands without power
Meanwhile, across Ontario, thousands of residents woke up Friday morning in homes without power.Hydro One spokesman Daffyd Roderick told CBC Newsworld about 80,000 households and businesses had no electricity.Hydro crews were alerted to 25 snapped poles on Thursday afternoon, but the main obstacle facing power crews is gaining access, he said.There's only so much we can do until Mother Nature does her work, and then we can set about repairing … when conditions are safe out there.By Friday afternoon, officials said power had been restored to 40,000 customers.
Meanwhile, police in Toronto closed a downtown section of Front Street after chunks of ice were seen falling from the CN Tower and other buildings.It's like shrapnel when it hits the ground, a police officer told CBC News.
Few parts of southwestern Ont. unscathed
The power failures have affected portions of southwestern Ontario from Strathroy and Walkerton to Newmarket and the GTA.Very few parts are unscathed today, Roderick said, adding the hardest-hit areas may have to wait between three and five days to see the situation restored to normal. Wind gusts of up to 82 km/h were recorded at Toronto Island Airport.Many Ontario roads are flooded or slick with ice, and more freezing rain and snow on Friday could make driving conditions just as treacherous as the previous day, when the intense storm was blamed for the deaths of two children.
Police said the children seven-year-old Anita Hiebert and her six-year-old brother, Pancho died Thursday when a car and a truck collided on an icy, snow-blown road near the town of Listowel, northwest of Kitchener. The children's mother, Christina Hiebert, is in critical condition in a London hospital.Police and tow trucks responded to hundreds of other crashes across southern Ontario, as blowing snow and ice pellets created slippery conditions and poor visibility.
With files from the Canadian Press
National Weather Service Preliminary Data - EF Scale 3 Tornado Hit EnterpriseMarch 2, 2007 05:23 PM EST
ENTERPRISE, Ala., March 2, 2007 -- Bob Goree of the National Weather Service says preliminary indications are that the tornado that ravished the Enterprise area was an EF Scale 3 tornado.
Today we see the intensity of the damage. Now, we're not quite ready to put the new enhanced Fujita Scale value on this. We can tell you the preliminary finding is, it will be at least an EF scale 3. It may become that officially. We're getting some engineering help to hopefully finalize that intensity tomorrow.Goree says the storm was unusual for this part of the deep South. Yesterday's tornado in this area, Enterprise and other areas, over into Georgia were extremely powerful for this area of the country. Usually we see short-lived, smaller tornadoes that affect say one dwelling or more. But to see this school and other areas devastated by this powerful tornado is heartbreaking and really a rare sight fortunately for this area. He says this was an extremely long-lived tornadic super cell which even awed National Weather Service meteorologists.
The size of this storm was incredibly large. We seldom see tornados in the deep Southeast that are 200 yards wide or so. I think some of the video is out there of this storm and it's incredible. On our Doppler radars we rarely again get to see such a powerful storm signature as we did yesterday. Our meteorologists...were in awe of the shape, the structure and the intensity of the rotation in this super cell thunderstorm as it moved into this area.Goree says the new enhanced Fujita Scale is meant to be more practical. He said the earlier scale was more objective and looked more at wind speeds, but the new scale really reflects how bad was the damage whether than some exact wind damage measurement.So what does the National Weather Service look at to make their final determination?
On our new scale we use damage indicators such as trees - the number and percentage of the trees that were snapped, whether the bark is stripped off of the trees, indicators like that to determine what the power of the wind was. He says they also look at the strength of the buildings. This (Enterprise H.S.) is a very strong structure here and we saw some structural failure.Goree says the most powerful center of the vortex...moved through the center of the school and into the parking lot and across the stadium.It's a sad day for us at the National Weather Service...We're always saddened when we see death and injuries in the communities which we serve and we have to redouble our efforts to get people safe in the path of these terrible storms.
Widespread storms cause deaths in 3 states
By BRENDA GOODMAN Published: March 2, 2007
ATLANTA: A violent storm system that stretched nearly 1,000 miles from the Midwest to the Southeast has killed at least 20 people in three states, including 8 who died when what appeared to be a tornado caused the roof to collapse at a high school in Enterprise, Ala. on Thursday, state emergency management officials said.
At least 31 tornados have been reported over the last two days in Missouri, Illinois, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, the National Weather Service reported. The storm system has been blamed for nine deaths in Alabama, two in Georgia and one in Missouri.A tornado apparently touched down early today near the Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, 117 miles south of Atlanta. The storm blew out the hospital's windows, tossed cars into trees and killed at least two people, but the extent of the damage remained unclear.We're still tying to assess everything, the Americus fire chief, Andy Belinc, told The Associated Press early this morning. Georgia's governor declared a state of emergency.Storms continued to lash at the area this morning. The weather service issued a tornado warning for coastal areas of North Carolina. In South Carolina, the Coast Guard prepared to search for six people on a small boat who sent a distress call during the storm, saying they were taking on water off the coast.
Today in Americas
In the Mississippi Delta, a juke joint keeps the blues alive U.S. Army secretary resigns Head of criticized U.S. Army medical center is fired On Thursday, students at Enterprise High School had just been ordered to take cover in hallways when fierce winds bore down around 1 p.m., plunging them into darkness and pounding them with falling debris.
The ceiling part fell on us, and rocks hit me on the back, said Ezekiel Jones, 17, a senior who was in the school gymnasium when the storm struck. I was thinking of my mom, my girlfriend, my sister and my friends. Everybody was screaming.Steven Carter, 16, a junior, said he was in the science wing when the lights went out.It happened fast, Steven said. There wasn't much warning.He said he could smell gas leaking from the Bunsen burners in the classrooms. A lot of kids were trapped, Steven said.Steven said he saw science teachers tending to some of the wounded with first-aid kits salvaged from the wrecked classrooms.Toni J. Kaminski, a spokeswoman for Medical Center Enterprise, said the hospital treated 50 to 60 people.We have seen a myriad of injuries, including a ruptured spleen, head trauma, chest trauma, broken bones, Ms. Kaminski said.Though the high school seems to have taken a direct hit, neighborhoods throughout Enterprise also reported extensive damage.
Jeanne Davis, 55, a clerk at the Army base at nearby Fort Rucker, said she rushed home after the winds stopped to find shingles torn off her roof and a two-by-four driven into the ground in her front yard.
Throughout Enterprise, which has a population of about 21,000 people, cars were upended, trees were snapped and homes flattened, with other reports of injuries coming from the downtown area. A state emergency management spokeswoman, Yasamie Richardson, said that in addition to those killed at the high school, one other person in Enterprise was also killed.Seth Hammett, speaker of the Alabama House, said one person died in Millers Ferry, about 80 miles northwest of Enterprise, where 12 to 15 trailer homes had been destroyed.In Georgia, the storms killed at least nine people and caused an unknown number of injuries, including six deaths in Baker County and two in Americus, Reuters reported, quoting Buzz Weiss, spokesman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
In Missouri, a 7-year-old girl was killed and four members of her family were injured when a tornado flattened their mobile home near West Plains.Tanya Bricking Leach contributed reporting from Enterprise, Ala., and Maria Newman from New York.
Dozens die in Indonesia landslides
POSTED: 1140 GMT (1940 HKT), March 3, 2007
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Landslides triggered by days of heavy rain killed at least 32 people in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, and scores more were believed to be buried under the mud, officials said.One social affairs ministry employee said he had received reports from amateur radio operators that 65 people had been killed on Flores island. The official, who was speaking on radio station el-Shinta, was not immediately reachable.Roads made inaccessible by a three-day deluge were complicating rescue operations and making compiling definitive tolls of the dead and missing difficult, said Frans Lebu Raya, a senior government official on the remote island.We have not been able to get heavy machinery to the villages, because landslides have also cut off the main road to the area, said Rustam Pakaya, the chief of the Health Department's Crisis Center in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.
Many parts of the road also have collapsed.
Pakaya said he received a fax from the island reporting that landslides early Saturday killed at least 32 people in Cibal and Lambaleda districts, and that 20 people were missing and believed buried.State news agency Antara reported landslides occurring in at least 15 other villages or districts, leaving some houses buried and vehicles damaged. It said roads were blocked in 20 places.Instant noodles, canned fish, cooking oil and emergency tents were being distributed to some districts on the remote island, about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) east of Jakarta, Antara reported.Seasonal downpours cause dozens of deadly landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a vast chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.Last month, floods in Jakarta killed almost 100 people and paralyzed large sections of the city.
EU promises to rally efforts to push Mideast peace MAR 2,07
Benita Ferrero-Waldner,European Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighbourhood Policy, said here Friday that the European Union (EU) is adamant to rally efforts to push forward the Mideast peace process. Waldner, who arrived here Thursday, made the pledge in a press conference on Friday at the end of her two-day visit to Egypt, the last stop of her four-leg tour that also took her to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories. The EU welcomes the Mecca agreement reached recently between the two Palestinian mainstream movements of Fatah and Hamas on the formation of a national unity government, Waldner told the reporters.
The European commissioner noted that she would present a report on the outcome of her regional tour to an EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting, which will be held in Brussels on Monday for talks on the situation in the Mideast. Meanwhile, donor states to the Palestinians will also meet in Brussels on March 13 for talks on means of further backing the Palestinian people, she added. Regarding the EU-Egyptian ties, Waldner denied that the union was seeking to impose reforms or intervene in the Egyptian affairs via the European Neighbourhood policy plan for Egypt. The EU action plan was meant to reinfroce the Egyptian government's program on political, economic and social reforms, she said. Source: Xinhua
Israel criticizes Russian-Syrian arms deal MAR 2,07
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 2 (UPI) Israeli officials Friday criticized Russia for agreeing to provide Syria with advanced missiles that could penetrate Israel's Merkava tanks. The Russian AT-15 anti-tank missiles have a range of 6 kilometers, beyond the Merkavas', and can overcome some of the Israeli measures designed to protect the tanks. Officials are concerned the arms would reach the Lebanese Hezbollah. During last year's war in Lebanon, Russian anti-tank missiles were fired at Israeli tanks and damaged some. The Jerusalem Post Friday quoted Vice Premier Shimon Peres as saying the supply of arms to Syria encouraged Damascus to turn to war.Syria is moving between peace overtures and its temptations to go to war, to which arms supply is an incentive, Peres added. Former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said that Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly decided to restore Russia's Soviet-empire status, and was playing with fire.The military intelligence Sunday told the Cabinet the Syrians are using Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad to fight Israel although Damascus is indicating a desire for a peace process. Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the ministers, The prospects for a Syrian-initiated full scale war are low, but the chances it would react militarily to Israeli military moves are high. The Mossad secret service said Syria is trying to improve its defensive military capability and is more ready to take risks and retaliate with force to Israeli moves. In the past, Israel sent F-15s over President Bashar Assad's home in northern Syria to signal to him to stop aiding militant groups that attack Israel.
Israel training for war with Iran, Syria?
Palestinians claim army conducted exercises in West Bank city
March 2, 2007 By Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily.com
TEL AVIV – Israel this week conducted military training exercises in a Palestinian city for a possible war scenario against Syria or Iran, top Palestinian intelligence officials claimed to WND. The Israeli government denied the claim. The Israel Defense Forces today completed a week-long, large-scale operation in Nablus, the largest West Bank Arab city. The operation, codenamed Hot Winter, utilized four IDF battalions, reservists and border police guards and purportedly was aimed at arresting top wanted terror leaders in the city. Nablus is a stronghold of several major Palestinian terror organizations, most notably the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the declared military wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. The Brigades and Islamic Jihad are responsible for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years. During the
large operation, the IDF did not arrest any top terror suspects, but the army said it found three weapons factories as well as an arms cache. One top Palestinian intelligence official said he found the operation unusual in that it involved a rotation of Israeli forces and didn't achieve anything militarily as far as fighting terrorism.
On the ground you had a massive number of soldiers who seemed to be conducting drills. They were in the city the entire week with units switching. Normally week-long military operations utilize the same units and don't keep switching troops. In the end, after a week of a major military presence, what did the IDF get as far as fighting terror in Nablus? commented the top official. The operation was very clearly an urban warfare training exercise, likely for a confrontation with Syria or Iran, the official claimed. Another top Palestinian intelligence official told WND, Nablus happens to resemble very closely as a model the city of Damascus.A spokeswoman for the IDF denied Palestinian claims the large operation was for war training. She said the Israeli army arrested 11 militants in Nablus this week, although she said they were lower-level and did not include any members of Israel's wanted list.
Abu Nasser, the second-in-command of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Nablus, told WND no members of his group or the Islamic Jihad terror organization were arrested during the Israeli operation. It didn't feel like we were even being targeted, Abu Nasser said. The claim of Israeli training follows reports in the Israeli media last week Syria, aided by Iranian officers, has been boosting its army and navy. The reports, denied by Damascus, claimed Syria last week was moving troops closer to the border with Israel. Israeli security officials told WND Israel is not expecting confrontations with Iran or Syria. Speaking theoretically, they said if any war breaks out involving Iran, they expect Syria, Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists to join the fray and attack Israel. The security officials said the greatest threat Syria poses to the Jewish state are the country's missiles. They noted Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles had.
In addition to longer range Scuds, Syria is in possession of shorter range missiles such as 220 millimeter and 305 millimeter rockets, some of which have been passed on to Hezbollah. According to information received by Israel, Russia is set to conclude a deal worth several hundred million dollars transferring thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles to Syria. Anti-tank missiles used by Hezbollah during Israel's war in Lebanon last summer devastated Israeli tanks and caused the highest number of Israeli troop casualties during the 34 days of military confrontations. Last week, a senior officer from the intelligence unit of the Israeli Defense Forces announced Hezbollah is stronger today than before the 2006 Lebanon war.
Hezbollah has reinforced and it is stronger today than it was before the war in Lebanon, Gen. Yossi Beidatz, head of the IDF's intelligence research department, told the Knesset. During the war in Lebanon, Hezbollah fired more than 3,000 rockets into northern Israel, killing 39 civilians and devastating many northern towns. Beidatz also said Syria is reinforcing its military to prepare for the possibility of a new armed conflict in the region.
Israel Celebrates Purim Holiday Under Tight Security
By Robert Berger Jerusalem - 03 March 2007
Israel is celebrating the biblical holiday of Purim under tight security. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Israel has restricted the movement of Palestinians amid concerns of possible terror attacks. An effigy of the ancient Persian King Haman hangs from a lamp post at entrance to an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem, 2 Mar 2007 It is a weekend of parties and celebrations as Israelis mark the holiday of Purim with costume parties in homes and community centers and on the streets. The holiday marks the deliverance of the Jews from annihilation in ancient Persia some 2,400 years ago, as told in the biblical Book of Esther. Security is extremely tight for the holiday. The army has sealed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinians have been barred from entering Israel. Police say they have intelligence information that Palestinian militants could try to disrupt the holiday with terrorist attacks. It has happened before. A suicide bomber blew up a Purim parade in Tel Aviv in 1996, killing 13 people. But that hasn't stopped the celebrations this year. It's a party. Everybody's coming dressed up as something, says Amit Gabbai, a Jerusalem high school student, who was dressed up as character from a Hollywood hit. Well, I'm wearing this beautiful green dress and I put on a wig. And I'm dressed as Princess Fiona from Shrek 1.Are children worried about the threat of terror?
Yes and no, says Gabbai. No because, I don't know, I live here and it's usual for me and I know where not to go and I go to safe places, and yes because I mean everybody's dressing up, everybody's putting masks on and like carrying fake guns, and the terrorists could take advantage of that and dress up and, you know, do something bad.Police and soldiers have stepped up their presence at the borders and crowded public places. Despite the threats, police have urged the public to come out and celebrate.
Stocks fall amid rise in yen; Dow posts worst performance in more than 4 yearsBy Associated Press - Friday, March 2, 2007
NEW YORK Stocks stumbled in the final session of a tumultuous week Friday as the yen rallied against the dollar and concerns about the U.S. economy still dogged investors after Tuesday’s huge drop.
The Dow Jones industrials logged their worst weekly performance in more than four years; until this week, the stock market had gone more than 45 months without a drop of more than 2 percent in a single session. The Dow, as it had Thursday, poked tentatively into positive territory Friday before retreating as the yen furthered its gains and investors failed to shake their unease. Larger economic concerns such as the ascendent yen have dominated Wall Street for much of the week after Tuesday’s worldwide selloff that sent the Dow down 416 points and rattled investor confidence about the state of the U.S. economy. Neil Massa, senior trader at MFC Global Investment Management, said stocks wobbled Friday after the yen broke through a key resistance level of 116.80.
The dollar fell 0.92 percent to 116.86 yen.
Concerns lingered about a decline in the yen carry trade, which refers to the process of borrowing yen to acquire assets with greater yields in other currencies. A slowdown could hurt liquidity worldwide. Concerns about Japanese interest rates also weighed on investors. A well-received profit report from American International Group Inc. kept the Dow industrials from falling further Friday; the insurer and pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. were the only two advancers among the index’s 30 stocks. Merck, which received a mixed verdict Friday in a trial over its former painkiller Vioxx, finished up 20 cents at $44.19.
According to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 120.24, or 0.98 percent, to 12,114.10. The Dow has fallen seven of the last eight sessions. Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 16.00, or 1.14 percent, to 1,387.17 and the Nasdaq composite index slid 36.21, or 1.51 percent, to 2,368.00. For the week, the Dow fell 3.3 percent, the S&P 500 lost 4.4 percent and the Nasdaq fell 5.9 percent. For the Dow and the S&P 500, it was their worst weekly performance since the week ended July 19, 2002. And for the Nasdaq, it was the poorest weekly showing since the week ended Sept. 21, 2001, the first week of trading after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Bond prices rose sharply as economic concerns lingered and raised hopes for an interest rate cut.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 4.51 percent from 4.55 percent late Thursday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell sharply. Light, sweet crude settled down 36 cents to $61.64 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after settling at a more than two month high Thursday. I think looking at the world economies as a whole it just seems like growth is slowing across the board, or at least that’s the impression, he said. Diane Dercher, chief economist at Waddell & Reed, said investors are trying to sort through the myriad signals the markets have given off this week.Fundamentally, I don’t think a lot has changed this week and I think it’s been more of a psychological re-evaluation of risk and a lot of this is focused around what’s happened in the Asian markets, she said. There is a renewed focus on how weak the economy is going to be and the data that we’ve gotten this week have been very mixed and that just adds to confusion about how weak the economy is going to be, Dercher said.
Investors seemed somewhat cheered by the final Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment reading for February, even as it fell to 91.3 from 96.9 from January. Earlier this week, the Conference Board said its own measure of consumer confidence reached a 5 1/2 year high.
With little of the economic data that has at turns boosted and deflated sentiment this week, investors again looked abroad for direction. Performance of overseas markets has taken on renewed importance this week after a nearly 9 percent drop in the Shanghai Composite Index helped touch off the worldwide selling and sent U.S. stocks reeling. The major U.S. indexes each lost more than 3 percent Tuesday, erasing $632 billion in shareholder equity, according to S&P. St. Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole said in remarks prepared for a speech Friday in Santiago, Chile, that rising energy prices wouldn’t necessarily lead to an economic slowdown if monetary policy were laid out carefully. With trading less frenetic than in previous days, investors had some time to parse individual stocks as they looked for bargains.
AIG’s fourth-quarter profit rose sharply from a year earlier when the world’s largest insurer spent $1.64 billion to settle charges over its accounting practices. Profits were slightly below Wall Street’s forecast though investors were likely pleased by the company’s announcement it would repurchase $5 billion in stock in 2007. The company also is targeting a 20 percent annual increase in its dividend.
AIG rose $2.13, or 3.2 percent, to $69.54. Dell Inc. rose 17 cents to $23.18 after the computer maker’s profit fell 33 percent amid weak laptop sales. While revenue fell more than expected, the overall results weren’t as sour as some investors had feared. Gap Inc.
fell 63 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $18.40 after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings dropped 35 percent amid problems that include its newest chain, which the company plans to close. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 3 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.86 billion shares, compared with an unusually heavy 2.22 billion shares traded Thursday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 15.59, or 1.97 percent, to 775.44. Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average closed down 1.35 percent, while the Shanghai Composite Index was up 1.23 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 0.49 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 finished higher by less than 0.01 percent, Germany’s DAX index fell 0.56 percent, and France’s CAC-40 slid 0.62 percent.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
TURMOIL STILL LOOMS IN MARKETS
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-4.2 earthquake hits San Francisco. 3- C-c-c-cold enough for you? 4-Seven killed as tornado hits US homes. 5-Snow, freezing rain expected for Ont. on Thursday. 6-NOAA outlines dangers of coastal living. 7-Yellowstone hotspot energy goes 150 miles. 8-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 9-Rabbis attempt to resume animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount. 10-Pre-Purim Fast of Esther Today. 11-Barge accident leads to toxic spill in river. 12-Spain and Germany up pressure on EU constitution. 13-I believe that the US economy is healthy. 14-Fears of recession spark further turmoil in markets.
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 = Sat Mar 3 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 02,07
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.8 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAR 01,07
MAP 5.7 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.3 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.1 WASHINGTON
MAP 3.6 OREGON
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 NEVADA
MAP 4.6 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.7 NEVADA
MAP 5.7 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
FEB 28,07
MAP 4.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 6.2 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 5.0 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.8 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NEVADA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 5.1 CELEBES SEA
MAP 2.5 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.9 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.5 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
4.2 earthquake hits San Francisco Fri Mar 2, 12:05 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO - A magnitude 4.2 earthquake that could be felt throughout the Bay Area struck Thursday night, officials said. The temblor struck 1 mile northeast of Lafayette, the United States Geological Survey Web site said. Residents said it lasted between 10 and 15 seconds.There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries, but Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were temporarily stopped, authorities said.
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.
MARCH 1, 2007 - 11:54 ET
Environment Canada: Ontario Weather Review
February 2007 - C-c-c-cold enough for you?
TORONTO, ONTARIO (CCNMatthews March 1, 2007) The above-normal temperatures that
have been reported since November of last year have now been replaced with exceptionally cold temperatures.
Across the province, the mean temperatures for the month have now dropped in a range of two to five degrees below normal.Snowfall was also noteworthy this month. The Great Lakes, with most of the surface as open water in the early part of the month, was responsible for high snow reports in some areas. The typical snowbelt areas, and atypically Hamilton, had high accumulations - in the case of Wiarton, it was record breaking. Locations outside these snowbelt areas had near-normal or below-normal amounts.Overall, the trend of precipitation was drier than normal across the province. The colder temperatures reduced the amount of available moisture in these cases.
Severe Weather
Lake-effect snows were the big story to start off the month. On February 1 and 2, a very cold flow of air from the southwest caused snow bands to set up off of Georgian Bay.
These bands ended up dumping approximately 40 centimetres of snow in the North Bay area during these two days. On February 2, a series of snow bands from the southwest moved onshore near the Cobourg area and caused near-whiteout conditions that may have been an important factor in a fatal crash on Highway 401.From February 4-7, the winds shifted and blew the cold air in from the northwest. This shifted snowsquall activity to the more traditional snowbelt areas to the lee of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. During this four-day period, Sault Ste Marie received a little more than 70 centimetres of snow and the Barrie area almost 60 centimetres. As well, in less than 12 hours during this timeframe, the Owen Sound area picked up approximately 50 centimetres of fresh snow.
St. Valentine's Day turned out to be more for shovelers than for lovers, especially around the western end of Lake Ontario. A well-developed storm system that moved south of the lower Great Lakes combined with strong lake-effect snow bands generated with a wind from the northeast to give the Hamilton area an official 46 centimetres. This all occurred just between the evening of February 13 and the morning of February 14. However, unofficial estimates of the snow in areas around Hamilton and Burlington were upwards of 60 centimetres, with drifts well over a metre in height. Other parts of Southern Ontario which were not impacted by the off-lake snow received amounts between 10 and 15 centimetres.The last weekend of the month saw another strong storm system pass to the south of the lower Great Lakes, with the biggest impacts in Ontario being felt in the extreme southwestern part of the province. The Windsor, Sarnia and London areas all saw a number of hours of freezing rain from this event on Sunday, February 25. The Golden Horseshoe experienced the whole event as snow, with general accumulations in the five- to 15-centimetre range. The majority of the snow fell between late Sunday and late Monday. Slightly higher amounts were received in the Oakville, Mississauga and Milton areas as east winds off of Lake Ontario added to the available moisture.
Seven killed as tornado hits US homes
By Tom Leonard in New York - GMT 02/03/2007
At least seven people, many of them teenagers, were killed in Alabama yesterday when a huge tornado ripped through the southern state, flattening houses and demolishing a school.Five of the victims were students and teachers who were killed after they were trapped inside a high school in the town of Enterprise which lay right in the path of the supercell storm.Other students were seriously injured after they were buried beneath a collapsing wall inside the building.In the chaotic hours after the storm, reports of the death toll varied wildly, at one point reaching as high as 18 dead. More than 50 people were taken to hospital in Enterprise, some of them seriously injured. Many of them were evacuated by army helicopters sent from a nearby military base.
The thing tore a swathe through town a mile and half, maybe two miles long, said Larry Walker, the deputy director of the local emergency management agency.An Enterprise resident said that the town in the immediate aftermath of the tornado looked like a bomb had dropped.Martha Rodriquez, a 15-year-old, said she had left the school about five minutes before the storm hit. When she returned, a hall at the school had collapsed.The stadium was destroyed and there were cars tipped over in the parking lot and trees were ripped out. There were trees and wood everywhere. It was just horrible, she said.It is complete devastation, Sheriff Russell Thomas said as he helped rescuers in Enterprise. It is very tragic.One volunteer helping to look for survivors told a local television station: I pulled out two dead little girls.
Bob Riley, the Alabama governor, said that he had asked about 100 National Guardsmen to go to Enterprise to assist in recovery efforts and that additional troops were standing by.The tornado was just a small part of an immense storm system, which extended down through the middle of America from Minnesota to the Gulf.It also hit Kansas and Missouri, ripping up power lines and damaging buildings.In Missouri, it was blamed for the death of a seven-year-old girl who had been sheltering with her family.Tornadoes, hailstorms and high winds remained a threat in many parts of the south-eastern United States during the night, said meteorologists.
Snow, freezing rain expected for Ont. on Thursday
toronto.ctv.ca FEB 28,07
The first day of March could be a miserable one for many in southern Ontario as a storm system moving into the region is expected to dump between five and 10 centimetres of snow and then change to freezing rain later in the day. Snow flurries are expected to begin falling in the morning, which could make the commute to work tricky.
But Environment Canada says the drive home could be treacherous with the forecast period of freezing rain. The weather system coming in from the United States is also expected to trigger wind gusts of up to 70 km/hr. Forecasters are calling for a high of 0C. Thursday's winter weather comes as residents in Toronto enjoyed a sunny and mild last day of February. The mercury on Wednesday hit 3C. March couldn't come soon enough for many in southern Ontario, who braved through a bitterly cold February that brought heavy snowfalls at times. Friday's forecast calls for a chance of flurries and a high of 1C, with similar weather predicted over the weekend.
NOAA outlines dangers of coastal living By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 1, 3:58 PM ET
WASHINGTON - The head of the nation's weather and climate research agency says the biggest challenge facing the world is population growth and people's desire to live in coastal areas where they can be endangered by storms. I believe that the population issue is huge, Conrad Lautenbacher said Thursday. And it's not just the U.S., there are six billion ... getting up to seven billion people on the Earth and they all want to live in coastal zones.Lautenbacher is head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency that studies weather and climate and issues storm warnings and forecasts, among other activities.More than half the U.S. population lives in coastal areas and Lautenbacher said that means you have a lot less margin of ability to absorb and to mitigate and to adapt to severe weather events.
We need to be much better at our ability to predict and tell you what's going to happen, he said. We need much better preparation along our coastlines, we need much better building codes, flood insurance, all of the economic issues.Lautenbacher's comments come just months before hurricane season begins in June, with millions of people in coastal areas wondering what the storm season will be like.While 2005 was one of the worst storm years on record, with such massive hurricanes as Katrina and Rita, last year was mild by comparison.Lautenbacher declined to make a prediction for this year, saying only that the National Hurricane Center will issue a forecast in May.However, on Tuesday his agency noted that La Nina conditions appear to be developing in the Pacific Ocean. La Nina is a cooling of the sea along with changes in winds and air pressure that can affect weather worldwide. Typically in La Nina years there are fewer storms in the Pacific and more in the Atlantic.
He said research is continuing in a variety of weather and climate areas.We need better environmental forecasts, Lautenbacher said. That goes all the way from water to drought to air quality to greenhouse gases ... all of the earth systems that we depend on for life.And that includes climate change, he added.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last month reported that the world is indeed warming and it is most likely because of human activities.I agree with the IPCC report, Lautenbacher said. I know of no reason not to take the IPCC report seriously.On the Net: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www/noaa.gov
Yellowstone hotspot energy goes 150 miles Thu Mar 1, 8:38 PM ET
BILLINGS, Mont. - Scientists studying the giant volcanic hotspot beneath Yellowstone National Park said Thursday that even when the hotspot is inactive, it exerts energy that shapes the landscape 150 miles away.
The findings from the University of Utah defy long-standing beliefs that earthquakes triggered by volcanic activity account for most of the landscape deformations related to Yellowstone's hotspot, a volcanic plume more than 300 miles wide located deep beneath the earth's surface.Instead, much of the deformations were traced to more-constant pressures coming from the plume, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics and one of the authors of the study.
Smith said the results, which came out of a broader $2.3 million study of Yellowstone's geophysics, could help in forecasting future earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.Using satellite data to measure movements of the earth's crust over the past 17 years, Smith and his colleagues found the earth's surface was stretching by up to 4 millimeters a year due to energy released by the hotspot. They also found that a giant crater located above the hotspot the Yellowstone caldera rises and falls without always triggering eruptions.The energy that goes into deforming the ground is much greater than the earthquakes, said Christine Puskas, the lead author of the study. Regional deformation even is being experienced as far as the Snake River Valley in Idaho.The study is to be published Friday in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
March 1, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Last week I drew your attention to a controversy at Jerusalem's Temple Mount, a place of great importance to both Jews and Muslims. A few years ago a severe storm damaged the pedestrian bridge leading to the Temple Mount, causing government officials to close it.
After very careful planning, Israel recently began replacing the decrepit walkway, with archeologists excavating nearby to ensure that no ancient treasures would be damaged due to the work.This simple act of replacing a walkway has caused an outcry from Muslim radicals, who see it as a conspiracy to destroy the Al-Aksa Mosque, located on top of the Mount—even though the mosque is hundreds of feet from the work itself. Incredibly, there have even been calls for Israel to halt this important work.In last week's Fellowship e-newsletter we asked your opinion—should Israel continue its work to construct the new walkway and protect antiquities in the area, or bow to the Islamist's demands? I am proud to say that you have not been taken in by the anti-Israel propaganda on this issue. More than 98 percent of respondents affirmed that Israel has acted with great sensitivity and should proceed with the work.Here are just a few representative comments, taken from the hundreds we received: More than sensitivity, I believe Israel has acted with utmost respect and has bent over backwards in trying to accommodate and calm the fears of all Muslims who may feel affected—which they aren't.
Unfortunately, the radical Muslims are always finding something to be upset and outraged about. They will try to cause problems anywhere they can. Israel must stand up to them, as must the rest of the sane world.This isn't about the walkway. It's about radical Muslims wanting total control of the Temple Mount, then Jerusalem, then Israel.My family supports Israel in all that she does, not only on this issue, but issues of safety and well being. I am not Jewish, but I know how God feels about the Jewish people, and I am proud to stand with them. It is time that Muslim leaders make an attempt to settle disputes in a civil way. It seems Israel continues … to make peaceful concessions but doesn't receive the same human kindness.How hypocritical that (the Muslim Authority that governs the Temple Mount) would demand work to stop considering the fact that they have destroyed so many ancient Jewish relics from the past.
Israel should invite some world dignitaries and neutral Muslims to see the truth. This should be videoed and sent all through the Muslim and world TV stations, so that the world would see the lies that are being perpetrated against Israel.Our holy sites are just as important to us as the Muslims' sites are to them. We do respect theirs and DO NOT destroy them, but I can't say the same for them.It is a travesty that Muslim leaders are distorting the truth for their own agenda. It is a vicious attempt, yet again, to undermine Israel at a time when they are sensitively dealing with these issues Once again, you have made it clear that you stand with Israel against the oppressive totalitarian regimes and forces that seek to destroy it, and that you are not deceived by the lies propagated by Israel's foes. You have said clearly and in a unified voice that Israel cannot bow to the threats of hateful Islamist fanatics and the forces of intimidation.
Your responses to this survey remind me of something former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said five years ago at our first annual International Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Israel. In a statement to Christians gathered that day to support Israel in prayer, he said, The great show of solidarity and support for Israel from American Christians offers great encouragement to me, my government and most importantly—the Israeli people.Those words are as true today as they were then. My friends, never underestimate the strength and comfort your prayers, support, and advocacy provide to Israel.
Thank you for you standing with Israel, for praying for her people, and for your continued support of the Fellowship's programs helping Israel and needy Jews around the world.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Headline News
Thursday, March 01, 2007 by Staff Writer
Rabbis attempt to resume animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount
The present-day Sanhedrin Court along with a group of extremist rabbis announced their plans on Wednesday to resume ancient Temple practices of animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, despite religious bans by Moslems and Jews. The court purchased herds of sheep for ritual sacrifice, which they have planned for the eve of Passover, depending on the situation at the controversial religious site. Regrettably, there are many extremist Israeli groups who want to carry out their plans, said Jerusalem's senior Islamic cleric, Mohammed Hussein. Let them say what they want, Al Aksa is a Moslem mosque.
The 71 members of the Sanhedrin have all the required elements necessary for Temple sacrifice, including the ritual altar, and said they want to begin sacrificing animals again, despite the absence of the Temple. Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, said it is an important step to show that it’s not only talk. Rabbi Dov Stein, secretary of the new Sanhedrin Court, believes Temple sacrifices won’t happen any time soon. We want to do the sacrifice, but we have political problems, Stein said. We hope there will come a time when the government will agree. We will push for that to happen. Not all religious Jews are in favor of the sacrifices however. Animal sacrifice, as a mode of religious worship, stopped for Jews, Christians and Moslems, said Rabbi Daniel Hartman of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Moving back in that direction is not progress.
Pre-Purim Fast of Esther Today
by Hillel Fendel MAR 01,07
The joyous month of Adar takes a day off to commemorate the fasting and prayers led by Queen Esther against the genocidal decree of the evil Haman. Jews around the world are fasting today, in remembrance of the prayers, fasting and repentance that preceded the Jewish People's miraculous deliverance from Haman's plan to annihilate them some 2,500 years ago.
The story is recounted in the Bible's Book of Esther, which is read aloud on Purim night and morning. The Fast of Esther is generally held the day before Purim. This year, however, Purim falls on Sunday, and since the Sabbath is not a day of fasting (except if it coincides with Yom Kippur), the fast is pushed up to Thursday. The fast began at dawn, and ends shortly after sundown. Special penitential prayers, known as S'lichot, are added to the Fast of Esther morning prayer service, as on every day of fasting. The following are excerpts from the Fast of Esther prayers (translated by the late Rabbi Abraham Rosenfeld): They resolved to sell us, in our helplessness... I raised my eyes toward heaven and called upon Thee to... blot out [my enemy's] memory...Having listened to [Haman's] lying words, [King Ahasuerus] issued a hostile decree and invested himself with priestly garments [seized from the Holy Temple]... and ordered that diverse vessels from the marble Temple be used at the banquet, and Satan also came to take his stand among them.
When the [Jewish] people residing in Shushan partook of their foul repast, he opened his mouth to slander them and to deliver them into the hand [of Haman] who offered a price [to the king] for them; the Al-mighty consented that a document be written to destroy their hope....[The angels cried, and the Torah mourned, and Elijah the Prophet] girt his loins with a plaster of sackcloth and hastened to inform the three Patriarchs, asleep in [the Cave of] Machpelah; then he hastened to the shepherd [Moses, saying], Why are you sleeping so peacefully? Arise, call upon your G-d...[Mordechai] knocked at the gates of the schools, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on ashes [and fasted and prayed]... On both sides stood the children of my Patriarchs and my great ones; they all cried, and their cries went up to the L-rd... [Moses said], O L-rd, deliver from this wicked enemy those who are doomed to die. Then the All-Merciful's pity was deeply moved... Then the lot was reversed, that [the Jews] should rule over their enemies. The gallows stood ready to receive [Haman] the Agagite; the cloak of power was torn off and cast away from his face, and darkness enveloped the adversaries of our people. Peace and truth were decreed throughout [the realm]... Wherefore they made feasts which were ordained to be kept throughout the generations, and the recitation [of these events] should be read [aloud] O G-d, Thou hast taught us to recite the Thirteen Attributes; remember this day in our favor the Covenant of the Thirteen Attributes [as is written], The L-rd, the L-rd is a merciful and gracious G-d; slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth; He keeps kindness for thousands [of generations], forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and acquitting; therefore, forgive our iniquity and sin, and take us for Thy inheritance. Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned.
The prayers include references to some of the important themes of Purim: The total reversal of fortunes enjoyed by the Jews and suffered by Haman, as well as the Purim feast and reading aloud of the Book of Esther; the name of Haman, a descendant of Amalek, is wiped out with noise and jeering every time it is heard.
Other Purim obligations include special gifts of charity to the poor, gifts of food to friends, wearing of costumes (emphasizing the reversal theme), and reaching a heightened state of joy - usually by intoxication. Torah scholars and students emphasize the importance of Torah study on this day as well. The atmosphere on Purim in particular, and throughout the month of Adar, is one of great joy and thanksgiving to G-d for the miraculous deliverance. Individual communities that enjoyed similar deliverances throughout history have marked the occasion locally with a holiday called Little Purim.Purim is celebrated in most of the world on the 14th of Adar, this coming Sunday.
In Jerusalem and other cities that were walled during Biblical times, Purim is commemorated on the 15th of Adar.
POISONED WATERS
REVELATION 8:8-11
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.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Barge accident leads to toxic spill in river
Chicago Tribune news services
Published March 1, 2007
BROOKPORT, ILLINOIS -- Thousands of gallons of a toxic chemical spilled into the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky after a barge struck a lock wall, environmental officials said Wednesday.The spill, which occurred late Tuesday from a Kirby Inland Marine-owned barge, was as much as 8,000 gallons of a petroleum-based substance called cumene, said the state Environmental Protection Agency. The chemical spill did not appear to pose a serious threat to residents or marine life, the Coast Guard said.
Spain and Germany up pressure on EU constitution
01.03.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Mark Beunderman
EUOBSERVER-BRUSSELS Spain has reaffirmed its role of a vocal promotor of the EU
constitution with renewed criticism of the UK, France and the Netherlands, while Germany is also upping the pressure saying it wants a new-style EU treaty before the end of the year. Alberto Navarro, Spanish Europe minister on Wednesday (1 March) reminded London, Paris and The Hague that the majority of 18 member statespresenting also a clear majority of the EU population have now ratified the EU constitution which French and Dutch voters rejected in referendums in 2005.
Mr Navarro reserved the strongest criticism for the UK, which has only recently indicated it wants to see a slimmed-down EU treaty including only some of the constitution's key institutional reforms. UK prime minister Tony Blair and his then foreign secretary Jack Straw in 2004-2005 strongly defended the constitution as a good result for Britain and for Europe, the Spanish minister highlighted. Obviously the position has changed in two years. At that time, they were proud. I don't know what has changed exactly and why they are so many problems now, he said. The remarks led Jim Allister, a unionist Northern Irish MEP, to say that all doesn't mean very much as Mr Blair is yesterday's man, expected to be replaced by his current finance minister Gordon Brown. Mr Brown is generally seen as more eurosceptic and less committed to a new EU treaty as Mr Blair.
Mr Navarro also expressed impatience with the unclear French and Dutch stances on the constitution, despite Paris being seen as paralysed until it has held presidential elections in May and despite the new Dutch government only taking office last week. What alternatives are being prepared by those who have rejected? Until now we haven't heard anything. France and the Netherlands have not told us what they don't like in the treaty.Eighty five percent of the constitutional treaty is already in the current treaty. As far as I understand the French and Dutch no does not lie in this 85 percent, he said.Mr Navarro also reminded Poland and the Czech Republic, who dislike key parts of the constitution text, that they are getting billions of euros of EU subsidies, appearing to suggest that they should be more grateful towards the rest of the EU.
Berlin makes haste
Spain, which approved the EU constitution in a 2005 referendum, has emerged as one of the most active proponents of salvaging the bulk of the charter in the upcoming re-negotiations of the document. Madrid together with Luxembourg organised a controversial friends of the constitution meeting last month to which countries who did not yet ratify the charter could only send observers. While Madrid has taken up a public pro-constitution campaigning role, Berlin is no less impatient to push the charter as the current EU presidency - albeit through confidential rounds of diplomacy with member states behind closed doors. Speaking at a dinner of the Brussels-based CEPS think-tank, German Europe minister Guenter Gloser said a re-negotiated constitution would have to be agreed by the end of 2007 or the beginning of 2008, so there would be a long enough time to ratify by the European elections in 2009.
Berlin is expected to already present a basic deal on the constitution at the EU leaders' gathering at the end of its presidency in June this year. The deal would list the parts of the current constitution which would be left untouched, while also identifying the issues to come up for re-negotiations in a so-called Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) in the second half of the year. The presidency is going into the direction of establishing by June a kind of acquis for everybody – the broader the agreement of course the better, EU regional policy commissioner Danuta Hübner told journalists last week. And then of course we would have a very short IGC for all those hopefully short list of issues that still require an agreement, she added.
Dinner test
Berlin's constitutional drive will be put to the test already next week when German chancellor Angela Merkel is expected at an EU leaders summit dinner on Thursday evening (8 March) to present her ideas for a the Berlin declaration, marking the 50th anniversary of the EU. Berlin wants the solemn declaration, to be signed by EU leaders on 25 March, to include a reference to the need for a new EU treaty - possibly with a deadline for a compromise. But the move is opposed by states like the UK and the Netherlands who are not eager to be pushed on the constitutional issue.
I believe that the US economy is healthy
By David Litterick in New York
Last Updated: 1:09am GMT 02/03/2007
Comment: Experts' complacency cause for concern.Market shake-out points to end of the US era of financial dominance.US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson sought to calm volatile global markets. He insisted that, while he was watching developments carefully, he believed that the US economy is healthy.US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson.His comments yesterday came on another wild day for the markets, sparked by warnings from Japanese officials of higher interest rates that could disrupt the so-called carry trade and reduce liquidity in global markets.Japanese interest rates have recently been so low that investors have borrowed cheap yen then invested the money in higher-yielding assets in other currencies.
But, faced with higher borrowing costs in Japan, investors will find the cost of money more expensive, raising fears of a credit crunch. That prompted a 3pc drop in Shanghai and a near 1pc fall in the Nikkei in Tokyo, which sparked further losses in Europe.As one trader put it: Wednesday's rebound was like kissing your grandmother - somewhat comforting, but not exciting. I suspect there's more downward pressure to come.The Dow Jones initially fell more than 200 points. However, surprisingly strong figures from the US manufacturing sector followed by Mr Paulson's speech and an apparent U-turn from former Fed chief Alan Greenspan, who said a US recession was unlikely, meant the index was registering a 20-point gain by early afternoon.
The FTSE 100, after trading up 50 points at one stage and down as much as 150 points, closed at 6,116, a loss of 55.5 points.In his speech to the Economic Club of New York, Mr Paulson repeated his views that the biggest hurdles the world economy had to face were a return to protectionist trade policies and a reluctance by the Chinese government to move quickly enough to reform its economy.
Even presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waded into the debate, claiming that this week's stock market sell-off should serve as a wake-up call that the US economy was too dependent on foreign -held debt.
Fears of recession spark further turmoil in markets
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 02 March 2007
Fresh anxiety erupted about the health of the world's major economies yesterday after investors in stock markets across Asia, Europe and the United States once again staged significant retreats two days after Tuesday's unexpected global equity sell-off. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 200 points in the first minutes of trading, seeding fears of a repeat of Tuesday's massacre that saw a 416-point collapse on the index.With slowdowns emerging, notably in the housing market and car manufacturing in the United States, signs are building that it economy may be at a pivot point, with some observers worrying about decelerating expansion and possibly a recession looming.The fearful mood was exacerbated by comments from Alan Greenspan, the influential former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, about the possibility of the US entering recession before year's end. He told a conference in Tokyo yesterday: By the end of the year, there is the possibility but not the probability of the US moving into recession. He has argued this week that corporate profit margins appear to be narrowing, indicating that a recent economic expansion has reached a mature phase.
Market watchers warned of several more bumpy days to come, pointing to the renewed erosions in stock markets globally yesterday. The Shanghai stock market slippedan additional 2.9 per cent. The London FTSE index closed down 55.5 points or 1.5 per cent. The Dow later recouped most of its early losses as some more encouraging economic data was released and closed down 34.29 points. But fears remain that there may be worse to come. All the markets have fallen significantly during the course of the week.Senator Hillary Clinton, a candidate for the US presidency, last night called events of recent days a real wake-up call for the United States, saying it was increasingly losing control of its economic sovereignty because of the globalisation of economies and policy-making, including in China.We are in a different environment, she said, noting the $2.2 trillion (£1.1trillion) foreign debt held by the US. Obviously, the level of public debt that is held by central banks and foreign government is a problem and I don't want our government to ignore this wake-up call.A degree of calm was restored to the New York market after indicators were released showing better-than-expected manufacturing numbers for the US. The Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity registered 52.3 for January, stronger than the 50.0 reading analysts had expected. By convention, a recession is considered to be in the offing if that number falls below the 50-point mark.
The US Commerce Department revealed that seasonally adjusted personal income in the US rose by 1.5 per cent in January, which was also a better result than had been anticipated.
Investors have been spooked by this week's gyrations after enjoying 12 months of almost unbroken growth in stocks. No one was more shocked than the new Chinese investors who watched in dismay on Tuesday as the Shanghai index tumbled almost 9 per cent.US economists are contemplating a change in the balance of power between world markets, where New York can nowadays find itself hostage to foreign market performances.It's kind of the tail wagging the dog, said Arthur Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co in New York. There's no stability in Asian markets, and no stability in European markets. We're trading the market as the rest of the globe is.After the Shanghai Sneeze, as some called it, officials tried to sootheinvestors. There was a brief claw-back on Wednesday in New York after Mr Greenspan's successor at the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, said in congressional testimony that there's a reasonable possibility that we'll see some strengthening of the economy sometime during the middle of the year. He played down a report that showed that a 2006 fourth-quarter expansion of the US economy was slower than previously estimated.
There was no saying how the week would end for world markets today. The aftermath of Tuesday's major sell-off will linger for the next couple of days, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at brokerage house Avalon Partners. He added, however, that fear of recession is overblown.That Mr Greenspan is still able to move world markets even in retirement is certain to raise questions about whether he would do better to keep his counsel.
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 = Sat Mar 3 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 02,07
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.8 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAR 01,07
MAP 5.7 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.3 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.3 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.1 WASHINGTON
MAP 3.6 OREGON
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 NEVADA
MAP 4.6 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.7 NEVADA
MAP 5.7 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
FEB 28,07
MAP 4.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 6.2 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 5.0 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.8 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NEVADA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 5.1 CELEBES SEA
MAP 2.5 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.9 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.5 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
4.2 earthquake hits San Francisco Fri Mar 2, 12:05 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO - A magnitude 4.2 earthquake that could be felt throughout the Bay Area struck Thursday night, officials said. The temblor struck 1 mile northeast of Lafayette, the United States Geological Survey Web site said. Residents said it lasted between 10 and 15 seconds.There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries, but Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were temporarily stopped, authorities said.
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.
MARCH 1, 2007 - 11:54 ET
Environment Canada: Ontario Weather Review
February 2007 - C-c-c-cold enough for you?
TORONTO, ONTARIO (CCNMatthews March 1, 2007) The above-normal temperatures that
have been reported since November of last year have now been replaced with exceptionally cold temperatures.
Across the province, the mean temperatures for the month have now dropped in a range of two to five degrees below normal.Snowfall was also noteworthy this month. The Great Lakes, with most of the surface as open water in the early part of the month, was responsible for high snow reports in some areas. The typical snowbelt areas, and atypically Hamilton, had high accumulations - in the case of Wiarton, it was record breaking. Locations outside these snowbelt areas had near-normal or below-normal amounts.Overall, the trend of precipitation was drier than normal across the province. The colder temperatures reduced the amount of available moisture in these cases.
Severe Weather
Lake-effect snows were the big story to start off the month. On February 1 and 2, a very cold flow of air from the southwest caused snow bands to set up off of Georgian Bay.
These bands ended up dumping approximately 40 centimetres of snow in the North Bay area during these two days. On February 2, a series of snow bands from the southwest moved onshore near the Cobourg area and caused near-whiteout conditions that may have been an important factor in a fatal crash on Highway 401.From February 4-7, the winds shifted and blew the cold air in from the northwest. This shifted snowsquall activity to the more traditional snowbelt areas to the lee of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. During this four-day period, Sault Ste Marie received a little more than 70 centimetres of snow and the Barrie area almost 60 centimetres. As well, in less than 12 hours during this timeframe, the Owen Sound area picked up approximately 50 centimetres of fresh snow.
St. Valentine's Day turned out to be more for shovelers than for lovers, especially around the western end of Lake Ontario. A well-developed storm system that moved south of the lower Great Lakes combined with strong lake-effect snow bands generated with a wind from the northeast to give the Hamilton area an official 46 centimetres. This all occurred just between the evening of February 13 and the morning of February 14. However, unofficial estimates of the snow in areas around Hamilton and Burlington were upwards of 60 centimetres, with drifts well over a metre in height. Other parts of Southern Ontario which were not impacted by the off-lake snow received amounts between 10 and 15 centimetres.The last weekend of the month saw another strong storm system pass to the south of the lower Great Lakes, with the biggest impacts in Ontario being felt in the extreme southwestern part of the province. The Windsor, Sarnia and London areas all saw a number of hours of freezing rain from this event on Sunday, February 25. The Golden Horseshoe experienced the whole event as snow, with general accumulations in the five- to 15-centimetre range. The majority of the snow fell between late Sunday and late Monday. Slightly higher amounts were received in the Oakville, Mississauga and Milton areas as east winds off of Lake Ontario added to the available moisture.
Seven killed as tornado hits US homes
By Tom Leonard in New York - GMT 02/03/2007
At least seven people, many of them teenagers, were killed in Alabama yesterday when a huge tornado ripped through the southern state, flattening houses and demolishing a school.Five of the victims were students and teachers who were killed after they were trapped inside a high school in the town of Enterprise which lay right in the path of the supercell storm.Other students were seriously injured after they were buried beneath a collapsing wall inside the building.In the chaotic hours after the storm, reports of the death toll varied wildly, at one point reaching as high as 18 dead. More than 50 people were taken to hospital in Enterprise, some of them seriously injured. Many of them were evacuated by army helicopters sent from a nearby military base.
The thing tore a swathe through town a mile and half, maybe two miles long, said Larry Walker, the deputy director of the local emergency management agency.An Enterprise resident said that the town in the immediate aftermath of the tornado looked like a bomb had dropped.Martha Rodriquez, a 15-year-old, said she had left the school about five minutes before the storm hit. When she returned, a hall at the school had collapsed.The stadium was destroyed and there were cars tipped over in the parking lot and trees were ripped out. There were trees and wood everywhere. It was just horrible, she said.It is complete devastation, Sheriff Russell Thomas said as he helped rescuers in Enterprise. It is very tragic.One volunteer helping to look for survivors told a local television station: I pulled out two dead little girls.
Bob Riley, the Alabama governor, said that he had asked about 100 National Guardsmen to go to Enterprise to assist in recovery efforts and that additional troops were standing by.The tornado was just a small part of an immense storm system, which extended down through the middle of America from Minnesota to the Gulf.It also hit Kansas and Missouri, ripping up power lines and damaging buildings.In Missouri, it was blamed for the death of a seven-year-old girl who had been sheltering with her family.Tornadoes, hailstorms and high winds remained a threat in many parts of the south-eastern United States during the night, said meteorologists.
Snow, freezing rain expected for Ont. on Thursday
toronto.ctv.ca FEB 28,07
The first day of March could be a miserable one for many in southern Ontario as a storm system moving into the region is expected to dump between five and 10 centimetres of snow and then change to freezing rain later in the day. Snow flurries are expected to begin falling in the morning, which could make the commute to work tricky.
But Environment Canada says the drive home could be treacherous with the forecast period of freezing rain. The weather system coming in from the United States is also expected to trigger wind gusts of up to 70 km/hr. Forecasters are calling for a high of 0C. Thursday's winter weather comes as residents in Toronto enjoyed a sunny and mild last day of February. The mercury on Wednesday hit 3C. March couldn't come soon enough for many in southern Ontario, who braved through a bitterly cold February that brought heavy snowfalls at times. Friday's forecast calls for a chance of flurries and a high of 1C, with similar weather predicted over the weekend.
NOAA outlines dangers of coastal living By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 1, 3:58 PM ET
WASHINGTON - The head of the nation's weather and climate research agency says the biggest challenge facing the world is population growth and people's desire to live in coastal areas where they can be endangered by storms. I believe that the population issue is huge, Conrad Lautenbacher said Thursday. And it's not just the U.S., there are six billion ... getting up to seven billion people on the Earth and they all want to live in coastal zones.Lautenbacher is head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency that studies weather and climate and issues storm warnings and forecasts, among other activities.More than half the U.S. population lives in coastal areas and Lautenbacher said that means you have a lot less margin of ability to absorb and to mitigate and to adapt to severe weather events.
We need to be much better at our ability to predict and tell you what's going to happen, he said. We need much better preparation along our coastlines, we need much better building codes, flood insurance, all of the economic issues.Lautenbacher's comments come just months before hurricane season begins in June, with millions of people in coastal areas wondering what the storm season will be like.While 2005 was one of the worst storm years on record, with such massive hurricanes as Katrina and Rita, last year was mild by comparison.Lautenbacher declined to make a prediction for this year, saying only that the National Hurricane Center will issue a forecast in May.However, on Tuesday his agency noted that La Nina conditions appear to be developing in the Pacific Ocean. La Nina is a cooling of the sea along with changes in winds and air pressure that can affect weather worldwide. Typically in La Nina years there are fewer storms in the Pacific and more in the Atlantic.
He said research is continuing in a variety of weather and climate areas.We need better environmental forecasts, Lautenbacher said. That goes all the way from water to drought to air quality to greenhouse gases ... all of the earth systems that we depend on for life.And that includes climate change, he added.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last month reported that the world is indeed warming and it is most likely because of human activities.I agree with the IPCC report, Lautenbacher said. I know of no reason not to take the IPCC report seriously.On the Net: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www/noaa.gov
Yellowstone hotspot energy goes 150 miles Thu Mar 1, 8:38 PM ET
BILLINGS, Mont. - Scientists studying the giant volcanic hotspot beneath Yellowstone National Park said Thursday that even when the hotspot is inactive, it exerts energy that shapes the landscape 150 miles away.
The findings from the University of Utah defy long-standing beliefs that earthquakes triggered by volcanic activity account for most of the landscape deformations related to Yellowstone's hotspot, a volcanic plume more than 300 miles wide located deep beneath the earth's surface.Instead, much of the deformations were traced to more-constant pressures coming from the plume, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics and one of the authors of the study.
Smith said the results, which came out of a broader $2.3 million study of Yellowstone's geophysics, could help in forecasting future earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.Using satellite data to measure movements of the earth's crust over the past 17 years, Smith and his colleagues found the earth's surface was stretching by up to 4 millimeters a year due to energy released by the hotspot. They also found that a giant crater located above the hotspot the Yellowstone caldera rises and falls without always triggering eruptions.The energy that goes into deforming the ground is much greater than the earthquakes, said Christine Puskas, the lead author of the study. Regional deformation even is being experienced as far as the Snake River Valley in Idaho.The study is to be published Friday in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
March 1, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Last week I drew your attention to a controversy at Jerusalem's Temple Mount, a place of great importance to both Jews and Muslims. A few years ago a severe storm damaged the pedestrian bridge leading to the Temple Mount, causing government officials to close it.
After very careful planning, Israel recently began replacing the decrepit walkway, with archeologists excavating nearby to ensure that no ancient treasures would be damaged due to the work.This simple act of replacing a walkway has caused an outcry from Muslim radicals, who see it as a conspiracy to destroy the Al-Aksa Mosque, located on top of the Mount—even though the mosque is hundreds of feet from the work itself. Incredibly, there have even been calls for Israel to halt this important work.In last week's Fellowship e-newsletter we asked your opinion—should Israel continue its work to construct the new walkway and protect antiquities in the area, or bow to the Islamist's demands? I am proud to say that you have not been taken in by the anti-Israel propaganda on this issue. More than 98 percent of respondents affirmed that Israel has acted with great sensitivity and should proceed with the work.Here are just a few representative comments, taken from the hundreds we received: More than sensitivity, I believe Israel has acted with utmost respect and has bent over backwards in trying to accommodate and calm the fears of all Muslims who may feel affected—which they aren't.
Unfortunately, the radical Muslims are always finding something to be upset and outraged about. They will try to cause problems anywhere they can. Israel must stand up to them, as must the rest of the sane world.This isn't about the walkway. It's about radical Muslims wanting total control of the Temple Mount, then Jerusalem, then Israel.My family supports Israel in all that she does, not only on this issue, but issues of safety and well being. I am not Jewish, but I know how God feels about the Jewish people, and I am proud to stand with them. It is time that Muslim leaders make an attempt to settle disputes in a civil way. It seems Israel continues … to make peaceful concessions but doesn't receive the same human kindness.How hypocritical that (the Muslim Authority that governs the Temple Mount) would demand work to stop considering the fact that they have destroyed so many ancient Jewish relics from the past.
Israel should invite some world dignitaries and neutral Muslims to see the truth. This should be videoed and sent all through the Muslim and world TV stations, so that the world would see the lies that are being perpetrated against Israel.Our holy sites are just as important to us as the Muslims' sites are to them. We do respect theirs and DO NOT destroy them, but I can't say the same for them.It is a travesty that Muslim leaders are distorting the truth for their own agenda. It is a vicious attempt, yet again, to undermine Israel at a time when they are sensitively dealing with these issues Once again, you have made it clear that you stand with Israel against the oppressive totalitarian regimes and forces that seek to destroy it, and that you are not deceived by the lies propagated by Israel's foes. You have said clearly and in a unified voice that Israel cannot bow to the threats of hateful Islamist fanatics and the forces of intimidation.
Your responses to this survey remind me of something former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said five years ago at our first annual International Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Israel. In a statement to Christians gathered that day to support Israel in prayer, he said, The great show of solidarity and support for Israel from American Christians offers great encouragement to me, my government and most importantly—the Israeli people.Those words are as true today as they were then. My friends, never underestimate the strength and comfort your prayers, support, and advocacy provide to Israel.
Thank you for you standing with Israel, for praying for her people, and for your continued support of the Fellowship's programs helping Israel and needy Jews around the world.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Headline News
Thursday, March 01, 2007 by Staff Writer
Rabbis attempt to resume animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount
The present-day Sanhedrin Court along with a group of extremist rabbis announced their plans on Wednesday to resume ancient Temple practices of animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, despite religious bans by Moslems and Jews. The court purchased herds of sheep for ritual sacrifice, which they have planned for the eve of Passover, depending on the situation at the controversial religious site. Regrettably, there are many extremist Israeli groups who want to carry out their plans, said Jerusalem's senior Islamic cleric, Mohammed Hussein. Let them say what they want, Al Aksa is a Moslem mosque.
The 71 members of the Sanhedrin have all the required elements necessary for Temple sacrifice, including the ritual altar, and said they want to begin sacrificing animals again, despite the absence of the Temple. Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, said it is an important step to show that it’s not only talk. Rabbi Dov Stein, secretary of the new Sanhedrin Court, believes Temple sacrifices won’t happen any time soon. We want to do the sacrifice, but we have political problems, Stein said. We hope there will come a time when the government will agree. We will push for that to happen. Not all religious Jews are in favor of the sacrifices however. Animal sacrifice, as a mode of religious worship, stopped for Jews, Christians and Moslems, said Rabbi Daniel Hartman of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Moving back in that direction is not progress.
Pre-Purim Fast of Esther Today
by Hillel Fendel MAR 01,07
The joyous month of Adar takes a day off to commemorate the fasting and prayers led by Queen Esther against the genocidal decree of the evil Haman. Jews around the world are fasting today, in remembrance of the prayers, fasting and repentance that preceded the Jewish People's miraculous deliverance from Haman's plan to annihilate them some 2,500 years ago.
The story is recounted in the Bible's Book of Esther, which is read aloud on Purim night and morning. The Fast of Esther is generally held the day before Purim. This year, however, Purim falls on Sunday, and since the Sabbath is not a day of fasting (except if it coincides with Yom Kippur), the fast is pushed up to Thursday. The fast began at dawn, and ends shortly after sundown. Special penitential prayers, known as S'lichot, are added to the Fast of Esther morning prayer service, as on every day of fasting. The following are excerpts from the Fast of Esther prayers (translated by the late Rabbi Abraham Rosenfeld): They resolved to sell us, in our helplessness... I raised my eyes toward heaven and called upon Thee to... blot out [my enemy's] memory...Having listened to [Haman's] lying words, [King Ahasuerus] issued a hostile decree and invested himself with priestly garments [seized from the Holy Temple]... and ordered that diverse vessels from the marble Temple be used at the banquet, and Satan also came to take his stand among them.
When the [Jewish] people residing in Shushan partook of their foul repast, he opened his mouth to slander them and to deliver them into the hand [of Haman] who offered a price [to the king] for them; the Al-mighty consented that a document be written to destroy their hope....[The angels cried, and the Torah mourned, and Elijah the Prophet] girt his loins with a plaster of sackcloth and hastened to inform the three Patriarchs, asleep in [the Cave of] Machpelah; then he hastened to the shepherd [Moses, saying], Why are you sleeping so peacefully? Arise, call upon your G-d...[Mordechai] knocked at the gates of the schools, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on ashes [and fasted and prayed]... On both sides stood the children of my Patriarchs and my great ones; they all cried, and their cries went up to the L-rd... [Moses said], O L-rd, deliver from this wicked enemy those who are doomed to die. Then the All-Merciful's pity was deeply moved... Then the lot was reversed, that [the Jews] should rule over their enemies. The gallows stood ready to receive [Haman] the Agagite; the cloak of power was torn off and cast away from his face, and darkness enveloped the adversaries of our people. Peace and truth were decreed throughout [the realm]... Wherefore they made feasts which were ordained to be kept throughout the generations, and the recitation [of these events] should be read [aloud] O G-d, Thou hast taught us to recite the Thirteen Attributes; remember this day in our favor the Covenant of the Thirteen Attributes [as is written], The L-rd, the L-rd is a merciful and gracious G-d; slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth; He keeps kindness for thousands [of generations], forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and acquitting; therefore, forgive our iniquity and sin, and take us for Thy inheritance. Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned.
The prayers include references to some of the important themes of Purim: The total reversal of fortunes enjoyed by the Jews and suffered by Haman, as well as the Purim feast and reading aloud of the Book of Esther; the name of Haman, a descendant of Amalek, is wiped out with noise and jeering every time it is heard.
Other Purim obligations include special gifts of charity to the poor, gifts of food to friends, wearing of costumes (emphasizing the reversal theme), and reaching a heightened state of joy - usually by intoxication. Torah scholars and students emphasize the importance of Torah study on this day as well. The atmosphere on Purim in particular, and throughout the month of Adar, is one of great joy and thanksgiving to G-d for the miraculous deliverance. Individual communities that enjoyed similar deliverances throughout history have marked the occasion locally with a holiday called Little Purim.Purim is celebrated in most of the world on the 14th of Adar, this coming Sunday.
In Jerusalem and other cities that were walled during Biblical times, Purim is commemorated on the 15th of Adar.
POISONED WATERS
REVELATION 8:8-11
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.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Barge accident leads to toxic spill in river
Chicago Tribune news services
Published March 1, 2007
BROOKPORT, ILLINOIS -- Thousands of gallons of a toxic chemical spilled into the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky after a barge struck a lock wall, environmental officials said Wednesday.The spill, which occurred late Tuesday from a Kirby Inland Marine-owned barge, was as much as 8,000 gallons of a petroleum-based substance called cumene, said the state Environmental Protection Agency. The chemical spill did not appear to pose a serious threat to residents or marine life, the Coast Guard said.
Spain and Germany up pressure on EU constitution
01.03.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Mark Beunderman
EUOBSERVER-BRUSSELS Spain has reaffirmed its role of a vocal promotor of the EU
constitution with renewed criticism of the UK, France and the Netherlands, while Germany is also upping the pressure saying it wants a new-style EU treaty before the end of the year. Alberto Navarro, Spanish Europe minister on Wednesday (1 March) reminded London, Paris and The Hague that the majority of 18 member statespresenting also a clear majority of the EU population have now ratified the EU constitution which French and Dutch voters rejected in referendums in 2005.
Mr Navarro reserved the strongest criticism for the UK, which has only recently indicated it wants to see a slimmed-down EU treaty including only some of the constitution's key institutional reforms. UK prime minister Tony Blair and his then foreign secretary Jack Straw in 2004-2005 strongly defended the constitution as a good result for Britain and for Europe, the Spanish minister highlighted. Obviously the position has changed in two years. At that time, they were proud. I don't know what has changed exactly and why they are so many problems now, he said. The remarks led Jim Allister, a unionist Northern Irish MEP, to say that all doesn't mean very much as Mr Blair is yesterday's man, expected to be replaced by his current finance minister Gordon Brown. Mr Brown is generally seen as more eurosceptic and less committed to a new EU treaty as Mr Blair.
Mr Navarro also expressed impatience with the unclear French and Dutch stances on the constitution, despite Paris being seen as paralysed until it has held presidential elections in May and despite the new Dutch government only taking office last week. What alternatives are being prepared by those who have rejected? Until now we haven't heard anything. France and the Netherlands have not told us what they don't like in the treaty.Eighty five percent of the constitutional treaty is already in the current treaty. As far as I understand the French and Dutch no does not lie in this 85 percent, he said.Mr Navarro also reminded Poland and the Czech Republic, who dislike key parts of the constitution text, that they are getting billions of euros of EU subsidies, appearing to suggest that they should be more grateful towards the rest of the EU.
Berlin makes haste
Spain, which approved the EU constitution in a 2005 referendum, has emerged as one of the most active proponents of salvaging the bulk of the charter in the upcoming re-negotiations of the document. Madrid together with Luxembourg organised a controversial friends of the constitution meeting last month to which countries who did not yet ratify the charter could only send observers. While Madrid has taken up a public pro-constitution campaigning role, Berlin is no less impatient to push the charter as the current EU presidency - albeit through confidential rounds of diplomacy with member states behind closed doors. Speaking at a dinner of the Brussels-based CEPS think-tank, German Europe minister Guenter Gloser said a re-negotiated constitution would have to be agreed by the end of 2007 or the beginning of 2008, so there would be a long enough time to ratify by the European elections in 2009.
Berlin is expected to already present a basic deal on the constitution at the EU leaders' gathering at the end of its presidency in June this year. The deal would list the parts of the current constitution which would be left untouched, while also identifying the issues to come up for re-negotiations in a so-called Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) in the second half of the year. The presidency is going into the direction of establishing by June a kind of acquis for everybody – the broader the agreement of course the better, EU regional policy commissioner Danuta Hübner told journalists last week. And then of course we would have a very short IGC for all those hopefully short list of issues that still require an agreement, she added.
Dinner test
Berlin's constitutional drive will be put to the test already next week when German chancellor Angela Merkel is expected at an EU leaders summit dinner on Thursday evening (8 March) to present her ideas for a the Berlin declaration, marking the 50th anniversary of the EU. Berlin wants the solemn declaration, to be signed by EU leaders on 25 March, to include a reference to the need for a new EU treaty - possibly with a deadline for a compromise. But the move is opposed by states like the UK and the Netherlands who are not eager to be pushed on the constitutional issue.
I believe that the US economy is healthy
By David Litterick in New York
Last Updated: 1:09am GMT 02/03/2007
Comment: Experts' complacency cause for concern.Market shake-out points to end of the US era of financial dominance.US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson sought to calm volatile global markets. He insisted that, while he was watching developments carefully, he believed that the US economy is healthy.US Treasury secretary Henry Paulson.His comments yesterday came on another wild day for the markets, sparked by warnings from Japanese officials of higher interest rates that could disrupt the so-called carry trade and reduce liquidity in global markets.Japanese interest rates have recently been so low that investors have borrowed cheap yen then invested the money in higher-yielding assets in other currencies.
But, faced with higher borrowing costs in Japan, investors will find the cost of money more expensive, raising fears of a credit crunch. That prompted a 3pc drop in Shanghai and a near 1pc fall in the Nikkei in Tokyo, which sparked further losses in Europe.As one trader put it: Wednesday's rebound was like kissing your grandmother - somewhat comforting, but not exciting. I suspect there's more downward pressure to come.The Dow Jones initially fell more than 200 points. However, surprisingly strong figures from the US manufacturing sector followed by Mr Paulson's speech and an apparent U-turn from former Fed chief Alan Greenspan, who said a US recession was unlikely, meant the index was registering a 20-point gain by early afternoon.
The FTSE 100, after trading up 50 points at one stage and down as much as 150 points, closed at 6,116, a loss of 55.5 points.In his speech to the Economic Club of New York, Mr Paulson repeated his views that the biggest hurdles the world economy had to face were a return to protectionist trade policies and a reluctance by the Chinese government to move quickly enough to reform its economy.
Even presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waded into the debate, claiming that this week's stock market sell-off should serve as a wake-up call that the US economy was too dependent on foreign -held debt.
Fears of recession spark further turmoil in markets
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 02 March 2007
Fresh anxiety erupted about the health of the world's major economies yesterday after investors in stock markets across Asia, Europe and the United States once again staged significant retreats two days after Tuesday's unexpected global equity sell-off. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 200 points in the first minutes of trading, seeding fears of a repeat of Tuesday's massacre that saw a 416-point collapse on the index.With slowdowns emerging, notably in the housing market and car manufacturing in the United States, signs are building that it economy may be at a pivot point, with some observers worrying about decelerating expansion and possibly a recession looming.The fearful mood was exacerbated by comments from Alan Greenspan, the influential former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, about the possibility of the US entering recession before year's end. He told a conference in Tokyo yesterday: By the end of the year, there is the possibility but not the probability of the US moving into recession. He has argued this week that corporate profit margins appear to be narrowing, indicating that a recent economic expansion has reached a mature phase.
Market watchers warned of several more bumpy days to come, pointing to the renewed erosions in stock markets globally yesterday. The Shanghai stock market slippedan additional 2.9 per cent. The London FTSE index closed down 55.5 points or 1.5 per cent. The Dow later recouped most of its early losses as some more encouraging economic data was released and closed down 34.29 points. But fears remain that there may be worse to come. All the markets have fallen significantly during the course of the week.Senator Hillary Clinton, a candidate for the US presidency, last night called events of recent days a real wake-up call for the United States, saying it was increasingly losing control of its economic sovereignty because of the globalisation of economies and policy-making, including in China.We are in a different environment, she said, noting the $2.2 trillion (£1.1trillion) foreign debt held by the US. Obviously, the level of public debt that is held by central banks and foreign government is a problem and I don't want our government to ignore this wake-up call.A degree of calm was restored to the New York market after indicators were released showing better-than-expected manufacturing numbers for the US. The Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity registered 52.3 for January, stronger than the 50.0 reading analysts had expected. By convention, a recession is considered to be in the offing if that number falls below the 50-point mark.
The US Commerce Department revealed that seasonally adjusted personal income in the US rose by 1.5 per cent in January, which was also a better result than had been anticipated.
Investors have been spooked by this week's gyrations after enjoying 12 months of almost unbroken growth in stocks. No one was more shocked than the new Chinese investors who watched in dismay on Tuesday as the Shanghai index tumbled almost 9 per cent.US economists are contemplating a change in the balance of power between world markets, where New York can nowadays find itself hostage to foreign market performances.It's kind of the tail wagging the dog, said Arthur Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co in New York. There's no stability in Asian markets, and no stability in European markets. We're trading the market as the rest of the globe is.After the Shanghai Sneeze, as some called it, officials tried to sootheinvestors. There was a brief claw-back on Wednesday in New York after Mr Greenspan's successor at the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, said in congressional testimony that there's a reasonable possibility that we'll see some strengthening of the economy sometime during the middle of the year. He played down a report that showed that a 2006 fourth-quarter expansion of the US economy was slower than previously estimated.
There was no saying how the week would end for world markets today. The aftermath of Tuesday's major sell-off will linger for the next couple of days, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at brokerage house Avalon Partners. He added, however, that fear of recession is overblown.That Mr Greenspan is still able to move world markets even in retirement is certain to raise questions about whether he would do better to keep his counsel.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
ORTHODOX SANHEDRIN TO SACRIFICE ON MOUNT
HAPPY PURIM ISRAEL
IT LOOKS LIKE THE PROPHCY OF REBUILDING THE THIRD TEMPLE COULD SOON BECOME REALITY AS THE ORTHODOX SANHEDRIN WANT TO SACRIFICE ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT FOR PASSOVER.
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.
Present-day Sanhedrin court seeks to revive ancient Temple rituals FEB 28,07 By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
The present-day Sanhedrin Court decided Tuesday to purchase a herd of sheep for ritual sacrifice at the site of the Temple on the eve of Passover, conditions on the Temple Mount permitting.The modern Sanhedrin was established several years ago and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. It claims to be renewing the ancient Jewish high court, which existed until roughly 1600 years ago, and meets once a week.Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, told Haaretz on Tuesday that the action, even if merely symbolic, is designed to demonstrate in a way that is obvious to all that the expectation of Temple rituals will resume is real, and not just talk.Several years ago, a number of members of the various Temple movements performed a symbolic sacrifice on Givat Hananya, which overlooks the Temple Mount from Jerusalem's Abu Tur neighborhood. During the ceremony, participants sacrificed a young goat that was donated by a resident of Tekoa. The participants also built a special two-meter tall oven, in accordance with halakha (Jewish law).
The Passover sacrifice is considered a simple ceremony, relative to other works performed in the Temple. On Wednesday, the Sanhedrin will hold its main conference, entitled Existential threats and ways to correct them. Rabbi Menachem Froman, far-right activist Moshe Feiglin, and Nativ editor Arieh Stav will participate in the conference. The guest of honor will be Makor Rishon publisher Shlomo Ben-Zvi.
PLANS FOR THIRD JEWISH TEMPLE DEVELOPING
By Joel C. Rosenberg MAR 01,07
1, 2007) -- It's been nearly 2,000 years since Jews celebrated Passover at the Temple in Jerusalem, but that will change soon if a growing Orthodox Jewish movement in Israel has its way. The present-day Sanhedrin Court decided Tuesday to purchase a herd of sheep for ritual sacrifice at the site of the Temple on the eve of Passover, conditions on the Temple Mount permitting, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported yesterday. The modern Sanhedrin was established several years ago and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. It claims to be renewing the ancient Jewish high court, which existed until roughly 1600 years ago, and meets once a week.
Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, told Haaretz on Tuesday that the action, even if merely symbolic, is designed to demonstrate in a way that is obvious to all that the expectation of Temple rituals will resume is real, and not just talk. Several years ago, a number of members of the various Temple movements performed a symbolic sacrifice on Givat Hananya, which overlooks the Temple Mount from Jerusalem's Abu Tur neighborhood. During the ceremony, participants sacrificed a young goat that was donated by a resident of Tekoa. The participants also built a special two-meter tall oven, in accordance with halakha (Jewish law).The Passover sacrifice is considered a simple ceremony, relative to other works performed in the Temple.
Numerous Biblical prophecies in the Old and New Testaments indicate a new Temple will be built in the last days, suggesting such headlines have been foretold for centuries. Several Orthodox Jewish groups in Israel are currently making preparations to build and outfit the Third Temple.
Some are developing detailed architectural plans for the structure, while others are creating the religious implements and clothing that would be used by Levitical priests to carry out sacrifices once the Temple is in place. Tensions over control of the Temple Mount are running high at the moment, with Palestinians rioting several weeks ago to keep Israelis from building a ramp so visitors can safely access the ancient holy site. Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Khartoum on a two-day state visit to forge a military and economic alliance between Iran and Sudan, to denounce Israeli Jews as children of the Devil and to denounce the United States for trying to plant seeds of sectarian discord throughout Iraq and the Middle East.
Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan, Ahmadinejad told a meeting of Islamic scholars. The Iranian leader also told the people of Sudan: There is no place in the world that suffers from divisions and wars unless America or the Zionists fingerprints are seen there.Ahmadinejad met with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to hold wide-ranging talks aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation in agriculture and industry that should culminate Thursday with the signing of a package of agreements, reports Agence France Presse.
Iran has also offered its expertise in the oil industry, an area currently dominated by China, India and Malaysia, but the issue that has also been at the heart of Iran-Sudan ties is military cooperation, with Sudanese Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein having visited Iran three times over the past year.Ahmadinejad also made known his opposition to U.N. peacekeeping forces being positioned in Sudan to end the genocide underway in the Darfur region and elsewhere. Iran together with China, whose President Hu Jintao visited Khartoum earlier this month is a key ally of Beshir's regime and spoken out against plans for a UN deployment in Darfur, reports AFP. It's bad enough, of course, that two radical Islamic countries are forging ever stronger ties in their jihad against Judeo-Christian civilization. But what is particularly curious about the emergence of an even stronger Iran-Sudan alliance this week is that it was foretold 2,500 years ago by the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39. Ezekiel 38:5 tells us that Persia and a people group known as Cush will be allies with Russia and a group of other Middle Eastern countries in an effort to destroy Israel in what Bible scholars refer to as the War of Gog and Magog. Until 1935, Persia was the official, legal name of the country we now know as Iran. Cush is the upper Nile region that today is Sudan and Ethiopia. One other interesting note: right after the Hebrew prophet describes this War of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39, he goes on to describe the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in Ezekiel 40-48.
YES MOSHE FEIGLIN IS CALLING FOR THE TEMPLE MOUNT TO ISRAELIS. GO MOSHE GO.
Israel: Jewish Safe Haven or Death Trap? by Moshe Feiglin MAR 01,07
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni have only one significant solution for the Iranian nuclear threat: They suggest that we pressure the international community. Olmert's pressure includes development of the Arrow missile that is supposed to destroy incoming missiles in the sky. But the Arrow missile is a weapon that essentially breaks Israel 's Samson Option its power of deterrence. The Arrow has no chance of successfully protecting Israel if it is attacked at once by several ballistic missiles or by one missile with multiple warheads, or even if our enemy attacks Israel on a cloudy day. Israel just doesn’t have enough of them, and they just are not fool proof. If Israel actually tried to use the Arrow to intercept all the missiles with which its enemies are armed, it will have to invest its entire defense budget exclusively on building enough Arrow missiles.
In other words, we are paying astronomical sums of money for a national sleeping pill. And what are Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu’s plans to deal with the Iranian threat? Like Olmert, Netanyahu puts his main emphasis on shifting the burden to the international community. In addition, Bibi proposes that Israel turn to the international business community and request that businesses transfer their investments out of Iran . This idea is not realistic. No significant international company will give up its profits just to help Israel . As for turning to the international community, if we are lucky, the sheriff from Washington may decide to attack Iran . Most likely Bush's precarious political position will not allow him to open up a new front – and we had best not rely on him.The British and American
bombers that flew over the death factories of World War II allegedly didn't have time to bomb Auschwitz . Built on the ashes of the Holocaust, the State of Israel was supposed to provide security for all Jews. Could it be that instead of creating a safe haven, we have created a death trap?
A world leader who has the audacity to declare that he intends to destroy the State of Israel should automatically become a clear target for assassination by Israel 's special commando forces. If, after taking this action, Iran would continue with the production of nuclear weapons, Israel would have no choice but to destroy Iran ’s entire nuclear program at all costs. To carry out this necessary plan, Israel needs leadership with a strong Jewish backbone. Israel ’s current leadership tells the world, We are no longer Jews. We are Israelis. Take our holiest site, the Temple Mount , and give us a little bit of peace and quiet.And that is exactly what Iran's Ahmadinejad reminds us: You decided to negate your own Jewish legitimacy? You decided to destroy your souls? No problem. I'll help you out. I will destroy your bodies, as well.
To solve this problem at its source, we need leadership that returns to the source. We will not be destroyed if we return to the Temple Mount . Just look at what is happening today. We are being destroyed because we betrayed the Temple Mount . We no longer have the luxury of choosing if we want to have a Jewish State or a state of all its citizens. Our only choice is between a Jewish State – and no state at all.To learn more about Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) and to read their plan for Israel 's future, visit www.jewishisrael.org . Manhigut Yehudit is the largest faction inside the Likud Party in Israel. It strives to turn Israel from The State of the Jews into The Jewish State.Contact: Shmuel Sackett, International Director (516) 330-4922 (cell)
IT LOOKS LIKE THE PROPHCY OF REBUILDING THE THIRD TEMPLE COULD SOON BECOME REALITY AS THE ORTHODOX SANHEDRIN WANT TO SACRIFICE ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT FOR PASSOVER.
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.
Present-day Sanhedrin court seeks to revive ancient Temple rituals FEB 28,07 By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
The present-day Sanhedrin Court decided Tuesday to purchase a herd of sheep for ritual sacrifice at the site of the Temple on the eve of Passover, conditions on the Temple Mount permitting.The modern Sanhedrin was established several years ago and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. It claims to be renewing the ancient Jewish high court, which existed until roughly 1600 years ago, and meets once a week.Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, told Haaretz on Tuesday that the action, even if merely symbolic, is designed to demonstrate in a way that is obvious to all that the expectation of Temple rituals will resume is real, and not just talk.Several years ago, a number of members of the various Temple movements performed a symbolic sacrifice on Givat Hananya, which overlooks the Temple Mount from Jerusalem's Abu Tur neighborhood. During the ceremony, participants sacrificed a young goat that was donated by a resident of Tekoa. The participants also built a special two-meter tall oven, in accordance with halakha (Jewish law).
The Passover sacrifice is considered a simple ceremony, relative to other works performed in the Temple. On Wednesday, the Sanhedrin will hold its main conference, entitled Existential threats and ways to correct them. Rabbi Menachem Froman, far-right activist Moshe Feiglin, and Nativ editor Arieh Stav will participate in the conference. The guest of honor will be Makor Rishon publisher Shlomo Ben-Zvi.
PLANS FOR THIRD JEWISH TEMPLE DEVELOPING
By Joel C. Rosenberg MAR 01,07
1, 2007) -- It's been nearly 2,000 years since Jews celebrated Passover at the Temple in Jerusalem, but that will change soon if a growing Orthodox Jewish movement in Israel has its way. The present-day Sanhedrin Court decided Tuesday to purchase a herd of sheep for ritual sacrifice at the site of the Temple on the eve of Passover, conditions on the Temple Mount permitting, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported yesterday. The modern Sanhedrin was established several years ago and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. It claims to be renewing the ancient Jewish high court, which existed until roughly 1600 years ago, and meets once a week.
Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, told Haaretz on Tuesday that the action, even if merely symbolic, is designed to demonstrate in a way that is obvious to all that the expectation of Temple rituals will resume is real, and not just talk. Several years ago, a number of members of the various Temple movements performed a symbolic sacrifice on Givat Hananya, which overlooks the Temple Mount from Jerusalem's Abu Tur neighborhood. During the ceremony, participants sacrificed a young goat that was donated by a resident of Tekoa. The participants also built a special two-meter tall oven, in accordance with halakha (Jewish law).The Passover sacrifice is considered a simple ceremony, relative to other works performed in the Temple.
Numerous Biblical prophecies in the Old and New Testaments indicate a new Temple will be built in the last days, suggesting such headlines have been foretold for centuries. Several Orthodox Jewish groups in Israel are currently making preparations to build and outfit the Third Temple.
Some are developing detailed architectural plans for the structure, while others are creating the religious implements and clothing that would be used by Levitical priests to carry out sacrifices once the Temple is in place. Tensions over control of the Temple Mount are running high at the moment, with Palestinians rioting several weeks ago to keep Israelis from building a ramp so visitors can safely access the ancient holy site. Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Khartoum on a two-day state visit to forge a military and economic alliance between Iran and Sudan, to denounce Israeli Jews as children of the Devil and to denounce the United States for trying to plant seeds of sectarian discord throughout Iraq and the Middle East.
Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan, Ahmadinejad told a meeting of Islamic scholars. The Iranian leader also told the people of Sudan: There is no place in the world that suffers from divisions and wars unless America or the Zionists fingerprints are seen there.Ahmadinejad met with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to hold wide-ranging talks aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation in agriculture and industry that should culminate Thursday with the signing of a package of agreements, reports Agence France Presse.
Iran has also offered its expertise in the oil industry, an area currently dominated by China, India and Malaysia, but the issue that has also been at the heart of Iran-Sudan ties is military cooperation, with Sudanese Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein having visited Iran three times over the past year.Ahmadinejad also made known his opposition to U.N. peacekeeping forces being positioned in Sudan to end the genocide underway in the Darfur region and elsewhere. Iran together with China, whose President Hu Jintao visited Khartoum earlier this month is a key ally of Beshir's regime and spoken out against plans for a UN deployment in Darfur, reports AFP. It's bad enough, of course, that two radical Islamic countries are forging ever stronger ties in their jihad against Judeo-Christian civilization. But what is particularly curious about the emergence of an even stronger Iran-Sudan alliance this week is that it was foretold 2,500 years ago by the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39. Ezekiel 38:5 tells us that Persia and a people group known as Cush will be allies with Russia and a group of other Middle Eastern countries in an effort to destroy Israel in what Bible scholars refer to as the War of Gog and Magog. Until 1935, Persia was the official, legal name of the country we now know as Iran. Cush is the upper Nile region that today is Sudan and Ethiopia. One other interesting note: right after the Hebrew prophet describes this War of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39, he goes on to describe the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in Ezekiel 40-48.
YES MOSHE FEIGLIN IS CALLING FOR THE TEMPLE MOUNT TO ISRAELIS. GO MOSHE GO.
Israel: Jewish Safe Haven or Death Trap? by Moshe Feiglin MAR 01,07
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni have only one significant solution for the Iranian nuclear threat: They suggest that we pressure the international community. Olmert's pressure includes development of the Arrow missile that is supposed to destroy incoming missiles in the sky. But the Arrow missile is a weapon that essentially breaks Israel 's Samson Option its power of deterrence. The Arrow has no chance of successfully protecting Israel if it is attacked at once by several ballistic missiles or by one missile with multiple warheads, or even if our enemy attacks Israel on a cloudy day. Israel just doesn’t have enough of them, and they just are not fool proof. If Israel actually tried to use the Arrow to intercept all the missiles with which its enemies are armed, it will have to invest its entire defense budget exclusively on building enough Arrow missiles.
In other words, we are paying astronomical sums of money for a national sleeping pill. And what are Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu’s plans to deal with the Iranian threat? Like Olmert, Netanyahu puts his main emphasis on shifting the burden to the international community. In addition, Bibi proposes that Israel turn to the international business community and request that businesses transfer their investments out of Iran . This idea is not realistic. No significant international company will give up its profits just to help Israel . As for turning to the international community, if we are lucky, the sheriff from Washington may decide to attack Iran . Most likely Bush's precarious political position will not allow him to open up a new front – and we had best not rely on him.The British and American
bombers that flew over the death factories of World War II allegedly didn't have time to bomb Auschwitz . Built on the ashes of the Holocaust, the State of Israel was supposed to provide security for all Jews. Could it be that instead of creating a safe haven, we have created a death trap?
A world leader who has the audacity to declare that he intends to destroy the State of Israel should automatically become a clear target for assassination by Israel 's special commando forces. If, after taking this action, Iran would continue with the production of nuclear weapons, Israel would have no choice but to destroy Iran ’s entire nuclear program at all costs. To carry out this necessary plan, Israel needs leadership with a strong Jewish backbone. Israel ’s current leadership tells the world, We are no longer Jews. We are Israelis. Take our holiest site, the Temple Mount , and give us a little bit of peace and quiet.And that is exactly what Iran's Ahmadinejad reminds us: You decided to negate your own Jewish legitimacy? You decided to destroy your souls? No problem. I'll help you out. I will destroy your bodies, as well.
To solve this problem at its source, we need leadership that returns to the source. We will not be destroyed if we return to the Temple Mount . Just look at what is happening today. We are being destroyed because we betrayed the Temple Mount . We no longer have the luxury of choosing if we want to have a Jewish State or a state of all its citizens. Our only choice is between a Jewish State – and no state at all.To learn more about Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) and to read their plan for Israel 's future, visit www.jewishisrael.org . Manhigut Yehudit is the largest faction inside the Likud Party in Israel. It strives to turn Israel from The State of the Jews into The Jewish State.Contact: Shmuel Sackett, International Director (516) 330-4922 (cell)
EU MILITARY WANTS LINKS
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Stormy Thursday looms for Midwest. 3-Residents of erupting Stromboli told to avoid coast. 4-North Korea urged to end nuclear plans. 5-Sanhedrin Conference, Business Expo, Music - All in One. 6-MKs Examine Desecrated Ancient Mt. of Olives Cemetery. 7-EU Military Chief Wants Strong Links with UN, AU and NATO. 8-Israeli Arab group proposes new multi-cultural constitution.
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 = Thu Mar 1 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 28,07
MAP 4.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 6.2 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 5.0 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.8 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NEVADA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 5.1 CELEBES SEA
MAP 2.5 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.9 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.5 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
FEB 27,07
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.3 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.2 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.1 ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA REG, LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.8 ICELAND REGION
MAP 4.7 ICELAND REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
MAP 3.5 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 VANUATU REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTH OF 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.
Stormy Thursday looms for Midwest, South James Bryant, Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 28,07
Midwest
Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions will buffet the eastern Dakotas and much of the Upper Midwest tomorrow as a powerful storm center swirls into the upper Mississippi Valley. Heavy, wind-driven snow is likely in Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Rain changing to snow will bluster eastward across Iowa and northern Missouri as the day goes on. Along the southern periphery of the snow shield, freezing rain and sleet will ice southern Wisconsin and central Michigan. As if all this weren't enough, heavy rain will soak eastern Indiana and Ohio while severe thunderstorms with potentially damaging wind gusts rumble through Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, southwest Ohio and Kentucky. Isolated tornadoes can't be ruled out, either. High temperatures, meanwhile, will encompass a broad range: from the 20s in much of the Dakotas, northern Minnesota, far northern Wisconsin and the U. P. of Michigan to the 60s in the Ohio Valley and Kentucky.
South
Cloudbursts and severe thunderstorms, including the threat of tornadoes, will make for a nasty day in the South tomorrow as a potent cold front charges eastward. Residents from Arkansas and eastern Texas eastward will watch the storminess slash toward the Southeast coast and Florida, maybe not quite making it to eastern North Carolina by sunset.
The heaviest rain is expected to unload on the Southeast where there could be some localized urban and street flooding. Farther west, however, conditions in Oklahoma and Texas will be sunny or turn sunny. High temperatures are forecast to range from the 50s in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and western North Carolina to the 80s in far south Texas and most of the Florida Peninsula. Much of the region will be rather breezy, too.
Northeast
Precipitation, the vanguard of a powerhouse storm in the Midwest, will push into portions of the Northeast tomorrow, mainly from New York state southward into Virginia. The precipitation should be mostly rain from Pennsylvania southward, but a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain may launch an attack into New York. Strong southeasterly winds will whip over the region as the precipitation slogs in. High temperatures are expected to range from the 20s in far northern New York and northern New England to the 60s in southeast Virginia.
West
The West from the Pacific Northwest and northern California eastward to the Rocky Mountains will remain unsettled tomorrow. A mix of rain and snow showers will fall west of the Cascades while exclusively snow showers should prevail over and east of mountains. Snow levels west of the Cascades will remain extremely low, probably down to the surface early in the day in western Washington and northwest Oregon. The most frequent showers are likely in western Oregon and northern California. Farther east, the precipitation will be more scattered and found primarily in mountain locations (as far south as northwest New Mexico). High temperatures will be well below average for the first of March with highs ranging from the teens in the higher Rockies to the 60s in Southern California, southwest Arizona and southeast New Mexico. Most of the Great Basin will top out only in the 20s and 30s.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
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 (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Residents of erupting Stromboli told to avoid coast By Antonio Parrinello Wed Feb 28, 11:18 AM ET
STROMBOLI, Italy (Reuters) - Residents and tourists have been told to move away from the coast of an Italian volcanic island in case its spectacular eruptions cause tidal waves, emergency services said on Wednesday.
Two big lava flows burst out of Stromboli's side on Tuesday, sending up vast plumes of steam as they plunged into the Mediterranean below. Authorities said there was no immediate risk to people living on the island, off the coast of Sicily.The eruption (lava flows) are very well fed, said Enzo Boschi, head of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology.
But there's no reason to think that anything extraordinary will happen in the short term. The population is not at risk.Residents fear a repeat of the events of December 2002 when a similar upsurge in volcanic activity caused a massive chunk of rock to fall into the sea, causing a 10-meter (33-foot) tidal wave that ruined houses close to the shore.Emergency sirens sounded on the island when the new
eruption began and local authorities ordered residents to move at least 10 meters above the water line.
We've done evacuation drills, one resident told Sky Italia television. We were ready yesterday when that siren went off, we all gathered in the piazza.The lava was flowing down an uninhabited part of the island and the risk, of a greater eruption or of a tsunami, was not considered serious enough to prompt a full-scale evacuation.In winter only a few hundred people live on Stromboli, but the population swells to several thousand in the summer.
Tourists are drawn to climb to the 924-meter (3,000-ft) summit of the volcano and peer into its crater as molten rock is blasted high into the sky.The island was the setting for a 1950 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and, with other islands in the Aeolian archipelago, has become a favorite location in recent decades for holiday homes for the rich and famous.Designers Dolce & Gabbana, writer Umberto Eco and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano are all reported to have homes on Stromboli.(Additional reporting by Antonella Ciancio in Milan)
North Korea urged to end nuclear plans swiftly By Jack Kim
Wed Feb 28, 6:44 AM ET
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea urged North Korea on Wednesday to act quickly to end its nuclear arms programme when the rival states met for their first high-level talks since Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests last year. North Korea in turn proposed to resume stalled talks on expanding commercial ties and reopen humanitarian projects, South Korean official Lee Kwan-se was quoted as saying in
Pyongyang, according to South Korean media reports.But the North made no specific request for food and fertilizer aid, and it was not yet clear what humanitarian work it had in mind, Lee said.
There was no word on rice and there was no word on fertilizer, Lee said after the morning session in Pyongyang.In the past humanitarian projects have covered reunions of families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War as well as regular shipments of rice and fertilizer aid to North Korea, which suffers chronic food shortages.No details of the humanitarian cooperation were mentioned in an official North Korean media account of the meeting.Kwon Ho-ung, North Korea's chief envoy to the talks, called the cooperation a beautiful trait peculiar to the Korean nation, the North's KCNA news agency said.South Korea proposed that family reunions resume immediately and stalled projects to link railroads and highways across the border be completed before the end of the year.
The projects were suspended after the last round of talks in July when Seoul roundly criticized Pyongyang for test-firing a series of missiles. North Korea stormed out of the meeting insisting that, as a sovereign state, it had a legitimate right to conduct those tests.Relations took a further turn for the worse after North Korea's October 9 nuclear test. But their ties have gained fresh impetus after Pyongyang agreed two weeks ago to take steps to end its nuclear arms programme in return for up to 1 million tonnes of fuel oil or aid from five countries.North Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, was expected in Washington in the next few days for discussions provided for under that agreement on improving ties with the United States.Officials from North Korea and Japan were also to hold separate talks in Hanoi next week on normalizing ties, all part of steps agreed in a February 13
agreement in Beijing.
Analysts said the North's recent diplomatic actions, coming after the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions in response to its nuclear test, were encouraging but it was best to be cautious until Pyongyang actually delivered on its pledges.James Schoff of the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said the vast range of steps needed from all parties to fulfil the agreement needed complicated intra-agency work not only by the North but by other countries involved in those talks.This is not a recipe for success, Schoff wrote in a report.The inter-Korean meeting in Pyongyang began on Tuesday and was scheduled to end on Friday. Foreign media are barred from covering the talks.
Sanhedrin Conference, Business Expo, Music - All in One
by Hillel Fendel FEB 28,07 (INN)
A triple day-long event - featuring the Sanhedrin Conference, a front-lines business fair, and a concert by Aharon Raz'el and Yehuda Glanz - is underway in Jerusalem, sponsored by a new grassroots movement. The event, with the participation of hundreds of people, is being held today(Wednesday) at the Jerusalem Gate Hotel adjacent to the Central Bus Station. The Sanhedrin Conference includes rabbis, academics and politicians such as Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel, Moshe Feiglin, Rabbi Adin
Steinsaltz, Prof. Hillel Weiss, and Rabbi Yisrael Ariel. It is dedicated to Erez Levanon, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists while praying in a forest near his home in Gush Etzion this week. Among the lectures are: Calling for Peace - A Prerequisite for Victory by Rabbi Menachem Fruman.The Danger of Lack of Education & the Remedy of Jewish Identity by Sanhedrin chairman Rabbi Yoel Schwartz.
The Writings of Shabtai Ben Dov A Torani-Political-Existential Program. by Yehuda Etzion, and The Israeli Economy Perils and Hopes by Prof. Aharon Tziner.
One of the speakers, Temple Institute head Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, was detained by police yesterday and questioned for several hours on suspicion of having called IDF Maj.-Gen. Ya'ir Naveh a rodef. A rodef is one who directly endangers Jewish life and is thus eligible for death. Rabbi Ariel explained to Arutz-7 several weeks ago that he had written a private letter to Naveh to this effect, but that he did not publicize it.
Naveh, an observant Jew, has been censured for having signed administrative orders distancing over 20 young Jews from their homes in Yesha, taken active part in the Disengagement and the Amona destruction, and even for having signed orders giving lands in southern Judea to Arabs.The Yesha Rabbis Council sharply condemned the arrest, terming it religious persecution, shutting of mouths, and a witch-hunt reminiscent of dark periods in our history when rabbis were persecuted for their Torah rulings that did not please the rulers.The Sanhedrin is an organization that says it has re-established the Land of Israel Sanhedrin of the Mishnaic period nearly 2,000 years ago. The Sanhedrin was a council of 71 sages who constituted the supreme court and legislative body in Judea during the Roman period. It continued to function for more than 400 years after the destruction of the Temple in 68 C.E. The current attempt to re-establish the Sanhedrin is generally referred to as the nascent Sanhedrin, or the developing Sanhedrin,according to the Sanhedrin's website. At the same time, in another part of the Jerusalem Gate Hotel, a business expo entitled Business at the Forefront: Supporting Business on the Frontlines is being held today.
The fair provides a unique opportunity for over 60 businesses owned by Israel's front-liners - residents of Sderot, Yesha, and the north, as well as expellees from Gush Katif - to sell their products and make business connections. The expo runs from 10 AM to 10 PM. The event will end this evening with a musical concert featuring Aharon Raz'el, Yehuda Glanz and Harpo. They will perform, inter alia, compositions written by the late Erez Levanon.
The event is being coordinated by Tzibur Bnei Yisrael (The Community of the Children of Israel), a new grassroots movement dedicated to Jewish unity and to realizing the collective dreams of the Jewish people.A conference participant, Meir Lapid of Kiryat Arba, told Arutz-7, This is a very important initiative - the start of the filling of the vacuum of the past 2,000 years, in the sense that rabbinical leaders in the Diaspora always led their communities, while now we are seeking national religious leadership that must deal with our national challenges. The Sanhedrin is a type of open organization that unites outlooks and tries to turn them into an answer for the challenges of today - not like the superficial approach that we see reflected in the media.Another participant, Avi Lowell of Tekoa, told Arutz-7 that he was excited to see Jews of all backgrounds, from outwardly not religious to hareidi, coming together to discuss critical issues, and in the Expo, purchasing goods of all types from different areas of the country - including organic wine, Purim food baskets, books, jewelry, paintings, artwork, and much more.
Heres an awesome place because this Mount of Olives is were JESUS and the Raptured Christians return to EARTH at the end of the future 7 year peace treaty of DANIEL 9:27.
MKs Examine Desecrated Ancient Mt. of Olives Cemetery
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz FEB 28,07 (INN)
Legislators serving on the Knesset's State Control Committee were given a tour Tuesday of the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mt. of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem's Old City. The purpose of the tour was to examine first-hand the many complaints registered with the authorities over extensive desecration of graves at the site, including graffiti and smashed headstones. MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party-National Union), chairman of the Knesset State Control Committee, expressed bitterness over the destruction he saw at the ancient cemetery: If such vandalism as the smashing of headstones and the desecration of graves had occurred in a Jewish cemetery in Europe, I am convinced that the entire Jewish world would be shocked and the law enforcement authorities would attempt to capture the guilty parties.MK Orlev noted that, in contrast to the case of a European Jewish cemetery desecration, such shocking phenomena are taking place in the heart of the capital of Israel, adjacent to the Western Wall, [yet] the sovereign Jewish regime remains apathetic.
Representatives of the Development Authority responsible for eastern Jerusalem, who accompanied the parliamentarians on their fact-finding tour of the Mt. of Olives, promised to implement government decisions to preserve and restore the desecrated Jewish cemetery.
Among other measures, the development authority is to establish effective security arrangements for the area, repair the damaged headstones, and assure general cleanliness, waste collection and disposal.MK Orlev announced that the committee he heads will request State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss to examine the conduct of the relevant state authorities responsible for the Mt. of Olives site. In three months, Orlev said, the State Control Committee would hold a follow-up meeting on the issue. The cemetery on the Mt. of Olives includes approximately 150,000 graves, dating from the First Temple period through modern times. Among the many graves there are those of many famous Jewish historical figures such as Rabbi Moshe Ben-Nachman (Ramban), former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel Shlomo Goren, the codifier of modern Hebrew Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, author and Nobel Prize laureate S. Y. Agnon, British Chief Rabbi and Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, and media mogul Robert Maxwell. Many Jews through the ages have sought burial on the Mt. of Olives because the site is mentioned in the Bible as the first spot from which the dead will be revivified.
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)
Defense | 28.02.2007
EU Military Chief Wants Strong Links with UN, AU and NATO
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The EU says it wants a global military role, but with help from partners.The European Union's drive for a stronger global military role includes upgrading ties with the United Nations, NATO and the African Union, the bloc's top military official said on Wednesday.General Henri Bentegeat, head of the influential military body which advises EU foreign and security chief Javier Solana, said the 27-nation European Union was determined to tackle flashpoints in all parts of the world. He made the remarks in an interview with the German news agency dpa ahead of a meeting of EU defense ministers in the German city of Wiesbaden on March 1-2.
With 16 civilian and military missions currently deployed across the world - including in Bosnia, Darfur, the Palestinian territories and Iraq - slowly but surely, the EU is preparing, organizing itself to play a global role, said Bentegeat.Bildunterschrift: General Henri Bentegeat.However, EU governments want to do this in partnership with the UN, the 26-nation NATO military alliance and the African Union.Bentegeat, who was previously French Army chief of staff, said all EU operations required the legitimacy of a UN mandate. Having worked closely with the UN during last year's military operations supervising national elections in Congo, the bloc is determined to improve coordination with the global body, he said.
NATO vs. EU?
Close cooperation with NATO is also a priority, said Bentegeat. Referring to rivalries between the two organizations, the general said both the EU and NATO had to go beyond unease and frustrations and focus on the resolution of problems in Afghanistan and Kosovo.Fears that a powerful NATO would suffocate Europe's nascent defense identity or that Europe's security ambitions were a threat to the alliance were unfounded, said Bentegeat.In reality, the EU's military capability was modest and not comparable to NATO, he said.
Also, the EU's military role was now well-established enough to withstand any so-called risk of suffocation from NATO.While formal EU-NATO contacts were hampered by a dispute between Turkey (in NATO but not in the EU) and Cyprus (in the EU but not in NATO), the two organizations were engaged in a real dialogue at all levels, including staff-to-staff contacts, said Bentegeat.Regular discussions between EU security chief Solana and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer were also a guarantee of a strong partnership between the two organizations, he said.This is important for the Balkans. Working in Kosovo will require practical agreements between NATO forces and a future EU civilian mission, he said.NATO currently has an estimated 16,000 troops in Kosovo as part of the UN administration of the breakaway Serbian province. The EU has said it will help police reform and rule of law projects in the territory once there is a UN resolution confirming Kosovo's future status.
African Union
Bentegeat said the EU was determined to help the African Union's efforts to tackle a growing number of crises on the continent.African governments want to do this themselves. But they need our help ... the EU cannot ignore the impact of these crises on the (economic) development of Africa, he said.
In addition to last year's military mission in Congo and logistical help for African Union forces in Darfur, Bentegeat said the EU wanted to help an ambitious AU program to create a standby force for peacekeeping missions.What made the EU's role as world security actor unique was its capacity to combine military and civilian operations when tackling crises, he said.The EU's main advantage compared to other international organizations is its capacity to simultaneously mobilize a range of components - military, financial, law and order and administrative, said the general.This capacity to act in parallel on the military and civilian fronts gave the EU a special role and force on the global stage, he said.
Lessons from international military operations show that military solutions alone cannot solve modern crises, said Bentegeat. This was currently the case in Afghanistan where the US and NATO were demanding a better coordination of military action and aid, he said.The EU also realized the importance of contributing to the long-term reform of the security sector in crisis zones, said Bentegeat. The end of the EU military operation in Congo for instance had been followed up by efforts to reform the Congolese police force and army.Such actions would be boosted by the setting up of rapid civilian crisis response teams allowing the swift dispatch of EU police officers,magistrates and administrators to crisis zones, he said.
EU battlegroups
Bentegeat said such teams would be in addition to EU battlegroups aimed at taking on crisis-management tasks worldwide.Two battlegroups, including an estimated 1,500 soldiers, each are currently operational. The general said Germany, Portugal and Slovenia had suggested that the ground forces should be backed up by marine and air forces to improve the deployability and sustainability of EU military operations.We realized that in real life, one cannot just act with ground troops - we need air and navy forces to transport them, protect them, and provide logistical support, said
Bentegeat.DW staff / dpa (jam)
Israeli Arab group proposes new multi-cultural constitution
by Yoav Stern Feb 28, 2007 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/831400.html
A proposed constitution written by the Israeli Arab advocacy center, Adalah, states that Arab Knesset members will be able to bring about the disqualification of bills that impinge on the rights of Arabs, and classifies the State of Israel as a bilingual and multicultural country rather than a Jewish state.
The proposal, entitled The Democratic Constitution, also calls for majority and minority groups to split control of the government in such a way that will strengthen the Arab minority on issues relating to the character of the state.Adalah's version of the constitution essentially abolishes the Jewish
elements of Israel, but allows the Jewish majority to maintain its character through educational and cultural institutions. The proposal invalidates the Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to people with at least one Jewish grandparent, and states that citizenship will be granted to those who come to Israel for humanitarian reasons, regardless of their religion.
The document states that the internal refugees Arab residents and their descendants expelled in 1948 and whose number is estimated at about a quarter of today's Israeli Arab citizens will return to the area where they used to live and receive compensation. The introduction to the proposed constitution demands that Israel recognize its responsibility for the historical injustices that it caused the Palestinian nation in its entirety, withdraw from the territories and recognize the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. The proposal sets the state's borders along the 1967 cease-fire lines.The proposed constitution grants citizenship to all descendants of Israeli citizens, whether they were born here or abroad, as well as to all spouses of Israeli citizens thereby undermining Israeli efforts to limit marriages between Israeli Arabs and Palestinians living in the territories. Instead of dealing with the issue of who is a Jew, says Adalah, the proposal deals with the issue of who is a citizen.
Adalah's constitution is the first one proposed by an Arab institution, though there have been many proposed by various Jewish ones. Adalah chairman Prof. Marwan Dwairy said the other proposals are not based on democratic values.
They relate to Arab citizens like foreigners in this homeland, in which history, memory and collective rights are the legacy of Jews alone, he wrote.Adalah hopes that its proposal will spur public discourse on the legal and cultural standing of Israeli Arabs.If this Democratic Constitution succeeds in highlighting the large gaps that exist between it and the other proposals, and generates dialogue and topical public discussion on the nature of the freedoms and rights in the this country, we will see it as an important step, wrote Dwairy.According to the proposed constitution, all assets of the Waqf (the Muslim religious trust) that were expropriated after 1948 and all assets seized by the state from Arabs will be returned to their original owners, who will also receive compensation for the period of expropriation. The state must also immediately recognize all unrecognized Arab villages, the proposal states.
The document does not state what the symbols of the country should be, but says that they will be determined either by a Knesset committee, half of whose members will be Arab, or by agreement of 75 percent of Arab MKs.All official publications, court rulings and media reports will be in both Hebrew and Arabic, according to Adalah. The proposal states that every cultural group, whether religious or ethnic, will be able to run their own institutions, and that national minorities can choose their own representative body, at the state's expense.The proposed constitution grants the judicial system the authority to overturn any laws that contradict the constitution. Adalah says that many of its sections are based on international declarations of human rights, and has consulted with legal experts from around the world, including some who were involved in South Africa's changeover from an apartheid state to a democratic one.
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 = Thu Mar 1 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 28,07
MAP 4.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 6.2 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 5.0 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.8 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NEVADA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 5.1 CELEBES SEA
MAP 2.5 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.9 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.5 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
FEB 27,07
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.3 SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.2 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.0 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.1 ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA REG, LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.8 ICELAND REGION
MAP 4.7 ICELAND REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
MAP 3.5 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 VANUATU REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTH OF 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.
Stormy Thursday looms for Midwest, South James Bryant, Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 28,07
Midwest
Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions will buffet the eastern Dakotas and much of the Upper Midwest tomorrow as a powerful storm center swirls into the upper Mississippi Valley. Heavy, wind-driven snow is likely in Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Rain changing to snow will bluster eastward across Iowa and northern Missouri as the day goes on. Along the southern periphery of the snow shield, freezing rain and sleet will ice southern Wisconsin and central Michigan. As if all this weren't enough, heavy rain will soak eastern Indiana and Ohio while severe thunderstorms with potentially damaging wind gusts rumble through Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, southwest Ohio and Kentucky. Isolated tornadoes can't be ruled out, either. High temperatures, meanwhile, will encompass a broad range: from the 20s in much of the Dakotas, northern Minnesota, far northern Wisconsin and the U. P. of Michigan to the 60s in the Ohio Valley and Kentucky.
South
Cloudbursts and severe thunderstorms, including the threat of tornadoes, will make for a nasty day in the South tomorrow as a potent cold front charges eastward. Residents from Arkansas and eastern Texas eastward will watch the storminess slash toward the Southeast coast and Florida, maybe not quite making it to eastern North Carolina by sunset.
The heaviest rain is expected to unload on the Southeast where there could be some localized urban and street flooding. Farther west, however, conditions in Oklahoma and Texas will be sunny or turn sunny. High temperatures are forecast to range from the 50s in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and western North Carolina to the 80s in far south Texas and most of the Florida Peninsula. Much of the region will be rather breezy, too.
Northeast
Precipitation, the vanguard of a powerhouse storm in the Midwest, will push into portions of the Northeast tomorrow, mainly from New York state southward into Virginia. The precipitation should be mostly rain from Pennsylvania southward, but a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain may launch an attack into New York. Strong southeasterly winds will whip over the region as the precipitation slogs in. High temperatures are expected to range from the 20s in far northern New York and northern New England to the 60s in southeast Virginia.
West
The West from the Pacific Northwest and northern California eastward to the Rocky Mountains will remain unsettled tomorrow. A mix of rain and snow showers will fall west of the Cascades while exclusively snow showers should prevail over and east of mountains. Snow levels west of the Cascades will remain extremely low, probably down to the surface early in the day in western Washington and northwest Oregon. The most frequent showers are likely in western Oregon and northern California. Farther east, the precipitation will be more scattered and found primarily in mountain locations (as far south as northwest New Mexico). High temperatures will be well below average for the first of March with highs ranging from the teens in the higher Rockies to the 60s in Southern California, southwest Arizona and southeast New Mexico. Most of the Great Basin will top out only in the 20s and 30s.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
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 (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Residents of erupting Stromboli told to avoid coast By Antonio Parrinello Wed Feb 28, 11:18 AM ET
STROMBOLI, Italy (Reuters) - Residents and tourists have been told to move away from the coast of an Italian volcanic island in case its spectacular eruptions cause tidal waves, emergency services said on Wednesday.
Two big lava flows burst out of Stromboli's side on Tuesday, sending up vast plumes of steam as they plunged into the Mediterranean below. Authorities said there was no immediate risk to people living on the island, off the coast of Sicily.The eruption (lava flows) are very well fed, said Enzo Boschi, head of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology.
But there's no reason to think that anything extraordinary will happen in the short term. The population is not at risk.Residents fear a repeat of the events of December 2002 when a similar upsurge in volcanic activity caused a massive chunk of rock to fall into the sea, causing a 10-meter (33-foot) tidal wave that ruined houses close to the shore.Emergency sirens sounded on the island when the new
eruption began and local authorities ordered residents to move at least 10 meters above the water line.
We've done evacuation drills, one resident told Sky Italia television. We were ready yesterday when that siren went off, we all gathered in the piazza.The lava was flowing down an uninhabited part of the island and the risk, of a greater eruption or of a tsunami, was not considered serious enough to prompt a full-scale evacuation.In winter only a few hundred people live on Stromboli, but the population swells to several thousand in the summer.
Tourists are drawn to climb to the 924-meter (3,000-ft) summit of the volcano and peer into its crater as molten rock is blasted high into the sky.The island was the setting for a 1950 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and, with other islands in the Aeolian archipelago, has become a favorite location in recent decades for holiday homes for the rich and famous.Designers Dolce & Gabbana, writer Umberto Eco and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano are all reported to have homes on Stromboli.(Additional reporting by Antonella Ciancio in Milan)
North Korea urged to end nuclear plans swiftly By Jack Kim
Wed Feb 28, 6:44 AM ET
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea urged North Korea on Wednesday to act quickly to end its nuclear arms programme when the rival states met for their first high-level talks since Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests last year. North Korea in turn proposed to resume stalled talks on expanding commercial ties and reopen humanitarian projects, South Korean official Lee Kwan-se was quoted as saying in
Pyongyang, according to South Korean media reports.But the North made no specific request for food and fertilizer aid, and it was not yet clear what humanitarian work it had in mind, Lee said.
There was no word on rice and there was no word on fertilizer, Lee said after the morning session in Pyongyang.In the past humanitarian projects have covered reunions of families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War as well as regular shipments of rice and fertilizer aid to North Korea, which suffers chronic food shortages.No details of the humanitarian cooperation were mentioned in an official North Korean media account of the meeting.Kwon Ho-ung, North Korea's chief envoy to the talks, called the cooperation a beautiful trait peculiar to the Korean nation, the North's KCNA news agency said.South Korea proposed that family reunions resume immediately and stalled projects to link railroads and highways across the border be completed before the end of the year.
The projects were suspended after the last round of talks in July when Seoul roundly criticized Pyongyang for test-firing a series of missiles. North Korea stormed out of the meeting insisting that, as a sovereign state, it had a legitimate right to conduct those tests.Relations took a further turn for the worse after North Korea's October 9 nuclear test. But their ties have gained fresh impetus after Pyongyang agreed two weeks ago to take steps to end its nuclear arms programme in return for up to 1 million tonnes of fuel oil or aid from five countries.North Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, was expected in Washington in the next few days for discussions provided for under that agreement on improving ties with the United States.Officials from North Korea and Japan were also to hold separate talks in Hanoi next week on normalizing ties, all part of steps agreed in a February 13
agreement in Beijing.
Analysts said the North's recent diplomatic actions, coming after the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions in response to its nuclear test, were encouraging but it was best to be cautious until Pyongyang actually delivered on its pledges.James Schoff of the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said the vast range of steps needed from all parties to fulfil the agreement needed complicated intra-agency work not only by the North but by other countries involved in those talks.This is not a recipe for success, Schoff wrote in a report.The inter-Korean meeting in Pyongyang began on Tuesday and was scheduled to end on Friday. Foreign media are barred from covering the talks.
Sanhedrin Conference, Business Expo, Music - All in One
by Hillel Fendel FEB 28,07 (INN)
A triple day-long event - featuring the Sanhedrin Conference, a front-lines business fair, and a concert by Aharon Raz'el and Yehuda Glanz - is underway in Jerusalem, sponsored by a new grassroots movement. The event, with the participation of hundreds of people, is being held today(Wednesday) at the Jerusalem Gate Hotel adjacent to the Central Bus Station. The Sanhedrin Conference includes rabbis, academics and politicians such as Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel, Moshe Feiglin, Rabbi Adin
Steinsaltz, Prof. Hillel Weiss, and Rabbi Yisrael Ariel. It is dedicated to Erez Levanon, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists while praying in a forest near his home in Gush Etzion this week. Among the lectures are: Calling for Peace - A Prerequisite for Victory by Rabbi Menachem Fruman.The Danger of Lack of Education & the Remedy of Jewish Identity by Sanhedrin chairman Rabbi Yoel Schwartz.
The Writings of Shabtai Ben Dov A Torani-Political-Existential Program. by Yehuda Etzion, and The Israeli Economy Perils and Hopes by Prof. Aharon Tziner.
One of the speakers, Temple Institute head Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, was detained by police yesterday and questioned for several hours on suspicion of having called IDF Maj.-Gen. Ya'ir Naveh a rodef. A rodef is one who directly endangers Jewish life and is thus eligible for death. Rabbi Ariel explained to Arutz-7 several weeks ago that he had written a private letter to Naveh to this effect, but that he did not publicize it.
Naveh, an observant Jew, has been censured for having signed administrative orders distancing over 20 young Jews from their homes in Yesha, taken active part in the Disengagement and the Amona destruction, and even for having signed orders giving lands in southern Judea to Arabs.The Yesha Rabbis Council sharply condemned the arrest, terming it religious persecution, shutting of mouths, and a witch-hunt reminiscent of dark periods in our history when rabbis were persecuted for their Torah rulings that did not please the rulers.The Sanhedrin is an organization that says it has re-established the Land of Israel Sanhedrin of the Mishnaic period nearly 2,000 years ago. The Sanhedrin was a council of 71 sages who constituted the supreme court and legislative body in Judea during the Roman period. It continued to function for more than 400 years after the destruction of the Temple in 68 C.E. The current attempt to re-establish the Sanhedrin is generally referred to as the nascent Sanhedrin, or the developing Sanhedrin,according to the Sanhedrin's website. At the same time, in another part of the Jerusalem Gate Hotel, a business expo entitled Business at the Forefront: Supporting Business on the Frontlines is being held today.
The fair provides a unique opportunity for over 60 businesses owned by Israel's front-liners - residents of Sderot, Yesha, and the north, as well as expellees from Gush Katif - to sell their products and make business connections. The expo runs from 10 AM to 10 PM. The event will end this evening with a musical concert featuring Aharon Raz'el, Yehuda Glanz and Harpo. They will perform, inter alia, compositions written by the late Erez Levanon.
The event is being coordinated by Tzibur Bnei Yisrael (The Community of the Children of Israel), a new grassroots movement dedicated to Jewish unity and to realizing the collective dreams of the Jewish people.A conference participant, Meir Lapid of Kiryat Arba, told Arutz-7, This is a very important initiative - the start of the filling of the vacuum of the past 2,000 years, in the sense that rabbinical leaders in the Diaspora always led their communities, while now we are seeking national religious leadership that must deal with our national challenges. The Sanhedrin is a type of open organization that unites outlooks and tries to turn them into an answer for the challenges of today - not like the superficial approach that we see reflected in the media.Another participant, Avi Lowell of Tekoa, told Arutz-7 that he was excited to see Jews of all backgrounds, from outwardly not religious to hareidi, coming together to discuss critical issues, and in the Expo, purchasing goods of all types from different areas of the country - including organic wine, Purim food baskets, books, jewelry, paintings, artwork, and much more.
Heres an awesome place because this Mount of Olives is were JESUS and the Raptured Christians return to EARTH at the end of the future 7 year peace treaty of DANIEL 9:27.
MKs Examine Desecrated Ancient Mt. of Olives Cemetery
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz FEB 28,07 (INN)
Legislators serving on the Knesset's State Control Committee were given a tour Tuesday of the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mt. of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem's Old City. The purpose of the tour was to examine first-hand the many complaints registered with the authorities over extensive desecration of graves at the site, including graffiti and smashed headstones. MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party-National Union), chairman of the Knesset State Control Committee, expressed bitterness over the destruction he saw at the ancient cemetery: If such vandalism as the smashing of headstones and the desecration of graves had occurred in a Jewish cemetery in Europe, I am convinced that the entire Jewish world would be shocked and the law enforcement authorities would attempt to capture the guilty parties.MK Orlev noted that, in contrast to the case of a European Jewish cemetery desecration, such shocking phenomena are taking place in the heart of the capital of Israel, adjacent to the Western Wall, [yet] the sovereign Jewish regime remains apathetic.
Representatives of the Development Authority responsible for eastern Jerusalem, who accompanied the parliamentarians on their fact-finding tour of the Mt. of Olives, promised to implement government decisions to preserve and restore the desecrated Jewish cemetery.
Among other measures, the development authority is to establish effective security arrangements for the area, repair the damaged headstones, and assure general cleanliness, waste collection and disposal.MK Orlev announced that the committee he heads will request State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss to examine the conduct of the relevant state authorities responsible for the Mt. of Olives site. In three months, Orlev said, the State Control Committee would hold a follow-up meeting on the issue. The cemetery on the Mt. of Olives includes approximately 150,000 graves, dating from the First Temple period through modern times. Among the many graves there are those of many famous Jewish historical figures such as Rabbi Moshe Ben-Nachman (Ramban), former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel Shlomo Goren, the codifier of modern Hebrew Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, author and Nobel Prize laureate S. Y. Agnon, British Chief Rabbi and Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, and media mogul Robert Maxwell. Many Jews through the ages have sought burial on the Mt. of Olives because the site is mentioned in the Bible as the first spot from which the dead will be revivified.
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)
Defense | 28.02.2007
EU Military Chief Wants Strong Links with UN, AU and NATO
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The EU says it wants a global military role, but with help from partners.The European Union's drive for a stronger global military role includes upgrading ties with the United Nations, NATO and the African Union, the bloc's top military official said on Wednesday.General Henri Bentegeat, head of the influential military body which advises EU foreign and security chief Javier Solana, said the 27-nation European Union was determined to tackle flashpoints in all parts of the world. He made the remarks in an interview with the German news agency dpa ahead of a meeting of EU defense ministers in the German city of Wiesbaden on March 1-2.
With 16 civilian and military missions currently deployed across the world - including in Bosnia, Darfur, the Palestinian territories and Iraq - slowly but surely, the EU is preparing, organizing itself to play a global role, said Bentegeat.Bildunterschrift: General Henri Bentegeat.However, EU governments want to do this in partnership with the UN, the 26-nation NATO military alliance and the African Union.Bentegeat, who was previously French Army chief of staff, said all EU operations required the legitimacy of a UN mandate. Having worked closely with the UN during last year's military operations supervising national elections in Congo, the bloc is determined to improve coordination with the global body, he said.
NATO vs. EU?
Close cooperation with NATO is also a priority, said Bentegeat. Referring to rivalries between the two organizations, the general said both the EU and NATO had to go beyond unease and frustrations and focus on the resolution of problems in Afghanistan and Kosovo.Fears that a powerful NATO would suffocate Europe's nascent defense identity or that Europe's security ambitions were a threat to the alliance were unfounded, said Bentegeat.In reality, the EU's military capability was modest and not comparable to NATO, he said.
Also, the EU's military role was now well-established enough to withstand any so-called risk of suffocation from NATO.While formal EU-NATO contacts were hampered by a dispute between Turkey (in NATO but not in the EU) and Cyprus (in the EU but not in NATO), the two organizations were engaged in a real dialogue at all levels, including staff-to-staff contacts, said Bentegeat.Regular discussions between EU security chief Solana and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer were also a guarantee of a strong partnership between the two organizations, he said.This is important for the Balkans. Working in Kosovo will require practical agreements between NATO forces and a future EU civilian mission, he said.NATO currently has an estimated 16,000 troops in Kosovo as part of the UN administration of the breakaway Serbian province. The EU has said it will help police reform and rule of law projects in the territory once there is a UN resolution confirming Kosovo's future status.
African Union
Bentegeat said the EU was determined to help the African Union's efforts to tackle a growing number of crises on the continent.African governments want to do this themselves. But they need our help ... the EU cannot ignore the impact of these crises on the (economic) development of Africa, he said.
In addition to last year's military mission in Congo and logistical help for African Union forces in Darfur, Bentegeat said the EU wanted to help an ambitious AU program to create a standby force for peacekeeping missions.What made the EU's role as world security actor unique was its capacity to combine military and civilian operations when tackling crises, he said.The EU's main advantage compared to other international organizations is its capacity to simultaneously mobilize a range of components - military, financial, law and order and administrative, said the general.This capacity to act in parallel on the military and civilian fronts gave the EU a special role and force on the global stage, he said.
Lessons from international military operations show that military solutions alone cannot solve modern crises, said Bentegeat. This was currently the case in Afghanistan where the US and NATO were demanding a better coordination of military action and aid, he said.The EU also realized the importance of contributing to the long-term reform of the security sector in crisis zones, said Bentegeat. The end of the EU military operation in Congo for instance had been followed up by efforts to reform the Congolese police force and army.Such actions would be boosted by the setting up of rapid civilian crisis response teams allowing the swift dispatch of EU police officers,magistrates and administrators to crisis zones, he said.
EU battlegroups
Bentegeat said such teams would be in addition to EU battlegroups aimed at taking on crisis-management tasks worldwide.Two battlegroups, including an estimated 1,500 soldiers, each are currently operational. The general said Germany, Portugal and Slovenia had suggested that the ground forces should be backed up by marine and air forces to improve the deployability and sustainability of EU military operations.We realized that in real life, one cannot just act with ground troops - we need air and navy forces to transport them, protect them, and provide logistical support, said
Bentegeat.DW staff / dpa (jam)
Israeli Arab group proposes new multi-cultural constitution
by Yoav Stern Feb 28, 2007 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/831400.html
A proposed constitution written by the Israeli Arab advocacy center, Adalah, states that Arab Knesset members will be able to bring about the disqualification of bills that impinge on the rights of Arabs, and classifies the State of Israel as a bilingual and multicultural country rather than a Jewish state.
The proposal, entitled The Democratic Constitution, also calls for majority and minority groups to split control of the government in such a way that will strengthen the Arab minority on issues relating to the character of the state.Adalah's version of the constitution essentially abolishes the Jewish
elements of Israel, but allows the Jewish majority to maintain its character through educational and cultural institutions. The proposal invalidates the Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to people with at least one Jewish grandparent, and states that citizenship will be granted to those who come to Israel for humanitarian reasons, regardless of their religion.
The document states that the internal refugees Arab residents and their descendants expelled in 1948 and whose number is estimated at about a quarter of today's Israeli Arab citizens will return to the area where they used to live and receive compensation. The introduction to the proposed constitution demands that Israel recognize its responsibility for the historical injustices that it caused the Palestinian nation in its entirety, withdraw from the territories and recognize the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. The proposal sets the state's borders along the 1967 cease-fire lines.The proposed constitution grants citizenship to all descendants of Israeli citizens, whether they were born here or abroad, as well as to all spouses of Israeli citizens thereby undermining Israeli efforts to limit marriages between Israeli Arabs and Palestinians living in the territories. Instead of dealing with the issue of who is a Jew, says Adalah, the proposal deals with the issue of who is a citizen.
Adalah's constitution is the first one proposed by an Arab institution, though there have been many proposed by various Jewish ones. Adalah chairman Prof. Marwan Dwairy said the other proposals are not based on democratic values.
They relate to Arab citizens like foreigners in this homeland, in which history, memory and collective rights are the legacy of Jews alone, he wrote.Adalah hopes that its proposal will spur public discourse on the legal and cultural standing of Israeli Arabs.If this Democratic Constitution succeeds in highlighting the large gaps that exist between it and the other proposals, and generates dialogue and topical public discussion on the nature of the freedoms and rights in the this country, we will see it as an important step, wrote Dwairy.According to the proposed constitution, all assets of the Waqf (the Muslim religious trust) that were expropriated after 1948 and all assets seized by the state from Arabs will be returned to their original owners, who will also receive compensation for the period of expropriation. The state must also immediately recognize all unrecognized Arab villages, the proposal states.
The document does not state what the symbols of the country should be, but says that they will be determined either by a Knesset committee, half of whose members will be Arab, or by agreement of 75 percent of Arab MKs.All official publications, court rulings and media reports will be in both Hebrew and Arabic, according to Adalah. The proposal states that every cultural group, whether religious or ethnic, will be able to run their own institutions, and that national minorities can choose their own representative body, at the state's expense.The proposed constitution grants the judicial system the authority to overturn any laws that contradict the constitution. Adalah says that many of its sections are based on international declarations of human rights, and has consulted with legal experts from around the world, including some who were involved in South Africa's changeover from an apartheid state to a democratic one.
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