1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Spring starts stormy in Ozarks, West Coast. 3-Netanyahu Issues Call to World From Jerusalem Conference. 4-Jews Welcome Nissan, Hebrew Month of Redemption. 5-New Palestinian government sparks flurry of diplomacy. 6-Panama police seize 21 tons of cocaine. 7-Olmert government might collapse in Israel this year, group says. 8-Today In Jewish History 1 Nisan. 9-EU celebrates its 50th birthday - with a row about religion. 10-Rivers run towards crisis point.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Wed Mar 21 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 20,07
MAP 4.2 CHIAPAS, MEXICO
MAP 3.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 4.4 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.5 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAR 19,07
MAP 4.4 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
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.
Spring starts stormy in Ozarks, West Coast Mark Avery, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Tue Mar 20, 4:29 AM ET
Midwest
Showers and thunderstorms will be numerous across the Midwest today, particularly over the Ozarks in southern Missouri eastward to the Ohio Valley, as well as from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes. Showers and thunderstorms will again be likely across much of the Midwest on Wednesday, with rain and thunderstorms continuing over the Central Plains, Mid-Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio Valley all the way through Saturday. By Sunday, rain will be most likely in the Plains and Mississippi Valley. Afternoon highs today will be below average near the Great Lakes and above average in the Plains, with above average highs beginning Wednesday and continuing through the weekend.
South
Portions of the South will also see a chance of showers and thunderstorms today, mainly from Oklahoma through northern Arkansas into Tennessee. Some areas could see heavy rain as well. Flood watches are posted for portions of northeastern Oklahoma through this evening. Showers and thunderstorms begin to increase in coverage over West Texas tomorrow and spread across the remainder of the Lone Star State through the weekend. Some areas of Texas could see heavy rains as well from these rounds of rain. Along the Southeast Coast, showers will be possible across the Florida Peninsula today, and across South Florida through the weekend. A few showers will also be possible in the coastal Carolinas today and Wednesday. Rip currents may also pose a hazard to beachgoers from the Carolinas south to the East Coast of Florida over the next few days. By Sunday, showers will spread slightly eastward to the Mississippi Delta. Temperatures region-wide should be near or above seasonal averages through the weekend.
West
The string of unseasonably warm weather is coming to an end in the West.
Rain has moved into the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, and will spread inland to western Montana and western Wyoming, and southward into Central California by tonight. Snow will be possible in the mountains with snow levels ranging from around 2000 feet in the Olympic Mountains, falling from 2500 feet today to 1500 tonight in the Cascades, falling from 3500 feet today to 3000 feet tonight in the mountains of Northern California, and snow levels will be between 5000 and 5500 feet today and tonight in the Sierra Nevada Range, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the Bitterroots. Moisture will spread into the Central Rockies on Wednesday, with rain and thunderstorms possible over the Desert Southwest on Thursday and Friday as an upper level low cuts off from the main circulation over North America. Rain (with mountain snow) will still be possible on Saturday in the Four Corners before clearing out by Sunday. The Pacific Northwest will continue to see a chance of showers through Saturday before drying out on Sunday. Afternoon highs finally begin to cool off today, with below average highs expected along the West Coast with above average highs in the Intermountain West. Below average highs are expected in the entire West, except the Rockies' Front Range, on Wednesday. Temperatures rebound in all but the Four Corners from Thursday through Saturday, with the entire region returning to above average highs on Sunday.
Northeast
The Northeast will experience a windy day today as the Alberta clipper that brought rain and snow to the region yesterday continues to pull away. A few snow showers are possible this morning in the interior Northeast, with the heaviest snows possible over Maine; even there, snow is expected to be light with accumulations generally an inch or less. A few showers move into western Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Showers become more numerous on Thursday with a wintry mix possible over Northern New England. Heavier rains will be possible in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.
Showers will continue over the Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday, with some light snow possible in northern Maine on Sunday. Afternoon highs will remain below average in the Northeast today and tomorrow before going above average Thursday through the weekend.
Netanyahu Issues Call to World From Jerusalem Conference
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAR 20,07
Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking at the 4th Annual Jerusalem Conference Monday morning, repeated his call for the world to prove that now is not like the 1930s and that the world knows how to respond this time. Historic tragedies occur when leaders do not foresee dangers - and the opposite is true: Great things happened when leaders foresaw and took advantage of opportunities, the former Prime Minister and present head of the Knesset opposition said.
Today we have both. The great threat of the spread of militant Islam around the world, and the opportunity of globalization, which can bring a great blessing to mankind and especially to small countries like us - if we are smart enough to take advantage of this opportunity.First, the dangers: For years, I have been warning about the dangers of Islam. Ten years ago, after I was elected PM and I went to speak before both houses of Congress. I recently looked up my speech and I saw that I said the same things - the dangers of Iran arming with nuclear power and its becoming a menace to humanity. I can't say I was successful in convincing many people: I tried to convince Clinton and Yeltsin and the President of China, but they just didn't see the dangers.
A few months ago, I said that it is now 1938 and Iran is Germany. I was told that things are different now, and that the world now has a different approach. So I say: Great, if it's different, let's see how it's different! The difference is not that then it was a race superiority issue and now it's a religious superiority issue - that's not the point. The only difference is that Hitler first tried to conquer the world and only afterwards was going to try for atomic power, while now, Ahmadinajad is trying first for nuclear power and only then will he try to conquer the world! That's the whole difference! This is a tidal wave that threatens to engulf first Israel, and then the rest of the world. They are talking openly about a new Reich - except that they call it a Khalifate; that's what they want to establish in the world.
But for this to happen, they need a cataclysmic event to bring it on - and they are working on that. The question is what have we learned from 1939? If, as everyone says, we didn't act in time to stop Hitler - so let's see if they act in time now! The way to do this is first by exerting economic pressure on Iran, to which it is very vulnerable. They have 20% unemployment, and we can take advantage of this in order to cause a destabilization of the government. Of course, we must also enact sanctions against the 400 companies that do business with Iran, among them some very big ones such as the French oil company Total. We need a world coalition against genocide! This is what I tell the world: If we're not in the 30s now, then let's prove it! Sanctions against Iran are a good idea for a few months or a year - let's see if they work - but not longer than that! Iran must not be allowed to obtain
nuclear power!
There is a simple principle that governs negotiations with our neighbors, as we have learned ever since 1993 [the signing of the Oslo Accords ]. We thought that we had to demand Arab acceptance and an erasure of their desire to destroy us. Yet then came the actual talks, and we found ourselves making concessions - including some very painful ones - and all without receiving our basic demand of an erasure of their intention to destroy us.
They have not abandoned this plan! So what we have learned is that this cannot be part of the negotiations; it must be made clear that this cannot be negotiated - whether in the form of our very existence, or in the form of a demand for the right of return and the deluge of millions of Arabs, which can destroy us in the same way! If they don't understand that at the outset, they cannot be our partners for negotiations! It's very nice that our government is happy that the Mecca Agreement doesn't demand the right of return right now at - what time is it? 11:05? - right now. But what about a bit later on?
Reduce Socialism in Israel
I also mentioned that this is a time for great opportunities. The fact is that in the coming decades, we are going to need to defend ourselves - we are a small country - in many ways, on land, air, and by sea. Where will all the money for this come from? No one is going to give it to us. It can come, however, from our own ingenuity, with which we are blessed in abundance. The decades-long argument over whether socialism-communism or capitalism is better has been decided - communism has been shown to be a total failure. It had great education, but people lived in abject poverty, and the societal gaps grew larger and larger as the ruling classes took all the wealth for themselves. The walls finally fell, and here, too, they will fall. We are coming around to realize this. Why is it that countries that were way behind us economically are now ahead of us - countries such as Spain, Ireland, and Singapore? Because they did three things: they reduced the public sector, and expanded the private sector - cutting taxes which then brought to more production and more taxes -and allowed competition. We have to do the same. We can't have one phone company, or to sell it off to one owner who will continue to run it as a monopoly, but rather have competition. There was fear that Bezeq would lose jobs, but in the end, many thousand more jobs were created in the competing companies, and those who lost jobs with Bezeq received jobs there as well! At the same time, this gives us many more markets, and more competition for jobs, thus raising wages - and then we have from where to give elderly benefits, and school lunches, and the like. We added 270,000 more jobs - that's not social welfare? We gave 150,000 school lunches - that's not social welfare?
Netanyahu ended his address on a resounding optimistic note: In short, with G-d's help, and with the help of our realization that we are struggling for an ancient cause of the renewal of the Jewish People on our land in our renewed country, we will prevail.The Jerusalem Conference, run by Arutz-7's weekly B'Sheva newspaper, began Monday morning and will continue until Wednesday. It can be watched live, with English translation or in the original Hebrew at the following url:
http://www.media-line.co.il/live-jc.html
SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.
GENESIS 1:5,14
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)
Jews Welcome Nissan, Hebrew Month of Redemption
by Ezra HaLevi (INN) MAR 20,07
Tuesday is Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the Hebrew month of) Nissan.
The first commandment given to the nascent nation of Israel before the Exodus from Egypt was: This month [the month of Nissan] shall be for you the first of the months' (Exodus 12:2).
Nissan is the first month specifically for the Jewish nation as it contains within it Pesach (Passover), the holiday in which the exodus and birth of the Jewish nation took place, and are recounted to each next generation. Though the Torah (Bible) numbers months from Nissan, Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, is observed six months later on the first of the month of Tishrei, as it is considered the new year for all people and living creatures in the world. By counting every month from Nissan, we constantly commemorate the miracle that G-d performed when He took us out of slavery, the Ramban (Nachamnides) writes.
Rosh Chodesh Nissan is counted as the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings of Israel and the months on the Hebrew calendar. Other new years are the first of Elul (for the tithing of animals), Tu BShvat, the 15th of Shevat (new year for trees, to determine when a given trees fruit is first permitted for consumption). Rosh HaShana, the first of Tishrei, is the new year for counting years from creation and toward Shmita(Sabbatical) and Yovel (jubilee) years. Nissan is referred to in the Torah as the month of the spring (Chodesh HaAviv) as well as the month of the redemption (Chodesh HaGeula). The Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Rosh HaShana 11a) recounts a prevalent opinion among the sages that, In Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nissan we will be redeemed.The month is assigned to the Jewish tribe of Yehuda (Judah). According to the Talmud, all three Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - were born and passed away during the month of Nissan.
Dates of note in Nissan, with corresponding civil dates for this year:
Nissan 1 (Tuesday, March 20): After a 7-day training period, the Mishkan (Tabernacle) built by the Jews in the Sinai desert following the Exodus began to be the active center of worship. Aaron and his sons began serving as priests, the Divine Presence began to dwell in the Mishkan and special offerings were brought, including a series of gifts by Nachshon ben Aminadav, the Prince of the Tribe of Judah
Nissan 7 (Monday, March 26): Joshua dispatched two scouts across the Jordan River to Jericho in order to gather intelligence in preparation for the entry to the Land of Israel and the conquering of Jericho. This year, Jews of the northern Samarian town Homesh, and Land-of-Israel-activists plan to return home and rebuild their destroyed community.
Nissan 10: The Prophetess Miriam, sister of Moses, passed away at the age of 126 - 39 years after the Exodus and exactly one year before the Children of Israel entered the Land of Israel.
Nissan 10: The Jordan River splits forty years after the Red Sea split (Joshua 4) and the nation of Israel, carrying the Holy Ark, crosses over into Israel opposite Jericho.
Nissan 13: King Achashverosh of Persia endorsed the Amalekite Haman's plan to destroy, kill and annihilate all Jews, from young to old, infants and women, on a single day, on the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar, sending out the decree to all 127 countries of the Persian Empire. Esther asked that a three-day fast (Nissan 14-16) be proclaimed during which the Jews would repent and pray for the success of her plan to appeal to the King uninvited.
Nissan 14 (Monday, April 2): Fast of the Firstborn.
Nissan 15-21/22 (evening of April 2-evening of April 9, in Israel and through April 10 in the Diaspora): Pesach (Passover). The Exodus occurred at midnight on the 15th.
Nissan 16: Esther appeared before King Achashverosh, despite not being summoned a capital crime.
Nissan 17: Haman the Persian Amalekite was, himself, hanged on the gallows he had specifically prepared for Mordechai the Jew.
Nissan 21: The Red Sea Split for the Jewish people as they fled Egypt. Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Judah was the first to jump into the sea. Walking in up to his nose before the water split, and the children of Israel walked across on the dry land in the midst of the sea. The Egyptians followed, but the water returned to its natural state, drowning them. The nation of Israel sang the Song at the Sea celebrating the miracle. The song is recited daily by Jews to this very day.
Nissan 27: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began on this day in 1943 and lasted 27 days, as Jewish fighters drove back Nazis with the small arms cache they had managed to smuggle and amass. Yom HaShoah vHaGevura (Day of the Holocaust and of Courage) is observed on this day. Due to a prohibition on eulogies and mourning during the joyous month of Nissan, many communities mourn the victims of the Holocaust on Assara BTevet (Tevet 10) instead.
Nissan 28: Crumbling of the walls of Jericho, conquered by the nation of Israel after encircling the walls for seven days with the Holy Ark.
Rosh Chodesh Events at the Kotel and Temple Mount
Monday evening, when Rosh Chodesh begins at nightfall, the monthly Sivuv Shearim (Circling of the Temple Mount Gates) will take place. Israeli pop legend Ariel Zilber will join the march and prayers, providing songs of longing for the long yearned-for Holy Temple. Police did not allow the event to take place last month due to Muslim rioting, but thousands are expected to take part in Mondays sivuv, which will leave from the Western Wall Plaza at 7 PM. For more information, call Boaz at 052 429 5164.
Rabbi David Bar Hayim will be leading a Nusach Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel Customs) Rosh Chodesh prayer service at the Kotel (Western Wall) at 6:45 AM Tuesday. This will be the first time a minyan with nusach Eretz Yisrael has been held at the Kotel in many centuries! a Machon Shilo spokesman said.
(Nusach Eretz Yisrael, in practice in Israel and elsewhere until approximately 800 years ago, is based on the Jerusalem Talmud and other primary sources including documents and prayer books found in the Cairo Geniza.)
Rabbi Ezra Amichai will be leading festive Rosh Chodesh prayers at the Kotel as well, with singing and dancing in the tradition of Rabbis Nachman of Breslev and Shlomo Carlebach, beginning at 8 AM.
New Palestinian government sparks flurry of diplomacy by David Millikin MAR 20,07
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and European Union agreed Monday to withhold
recognition from the new Palestinian unity government grouping Western-backed moderates and Islamic radicals. But they left the door open to future relations if the Islamists movement Hamas that dominates the administration meets conditions for peace with Israel.The chances of that darkened Monday when the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for shooting an Israeli near the Gaza Strip, while Egypt announced it had arrested another Hamas activist plotting a suicide attack on Israel.Following two-and-a-half hours of talks here, the top US and European diplomats maintained their insistence that the Palestinian government recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce violence as a condition for recognition and an end to a year-long aid boycott.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also held a conference call with her EU, UN and Russian counterparts about the unity government that groups the Western-backed Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas.State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the four parties, known as the Quartet of Middle East mediators, would release a statement on the Palestinian government, probably Tuesday.I have to say that this government does not comply fully with the principles laid down by the Quartet, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after meeting with Rice and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.Hamas, which dominates the new government, failed to fully meet the conditions when it unveiled its governing program Saturday, though it did agree to respect past peace agreements reached between Abbas and Israel -- a stance Palestinians say amounts to implicit recognition of the Jewish state.Abbas, a moderate who the United States and Israel describe as a partner for peace, has publicly pleaded with the Quartet to lift its aid boycott in response to the new government, but to no avail.We don't consider that good enough, said a senior US official in response.
Rice also expressed dismay over a declaration by the government's prime minister, Ismail Haniya of Hamas, reaffirming Palestinians' right to resistance against Israeli occupation.I am not going to try to interpret what the right of resistance means, but I'll tell you it does not sound very good to me when one talks about 'all forms of resistance, she said.While refusing to lift the aid and diplomatic embargo
imposed when Hamas took sole control of the government in elections early last year, the Americans and Europeans said that could change depending on the actions of the new regime.It's much more important what they do than what they say at this point in time, Solana said.McCormack added: We are going to watch what they do and say.What was on show Monday, though, offered little ground for hope.
The armed wing of Hamas announced that it had shot and wounded an Israeli electricity worker outside Gaza in an attack against a Zionist usurper.And Egyptian police revealed they had arrested a 22-year-old Hamas member planning a suicide attack on the Israeli Red Sea resort of Taba. Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said Monday's shooting was proof Hamas had not renounced terror. Israel hopes that world pays attention to the head of the PA ( Palestinian Authority) government and Hamas chief Ismail Haniya and acts of terror, she said. Rice is due to leave for Israel and the Palestinian territories later this week and Abbas' decision to join the Hamas-led unity government has complicated efforts she launched late last year to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Israel has ruled out having any contacts with the new government, even though it will still have limited dealings with Abbas. In a rare rift with its Israeli ally, the United States said it was open to dealing with non-Hamas individuals in the government, possibly including the independent finance minister, Salam Fayyad. We are not going to suspend contact solely based on an individual's membership in the national unity government, McCormack said.
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Panama police seize 21 tons of cocaine By KATIA MARTINEZ, Associated Press Writer MAR 19,07
PANAMA CITY, Panama - Panamanian police seized a boat off the nation's Pacific coast carrying 21.4 tons of cocaine in one of the biggest maritime cocaine busts anywhere on record, officials said Monday.
National police working with agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized the boat on Sunday near the island of Coiba, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.Police arrested 12 men on the boat, including Mexicans and Panamanians, and another two suspects in Panama City in connection with the drugs, the official said.The boat, which was sailing under a Panamanian flag, was being transported to Panama City on Monday, he said.Drug cartels often smuggle Colombian cocaine along Panama's Pacific coast en route to the United States.
In 2004, the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy seized 28 tons of cocaine from two fishing boats off the coast of the Galapagos Islands in what State Department officials then called their largest seizures ever during a one-week stretch.In 2005, police in southwest Colombia seized 15 tons of cocaine from a jungle stronghold, in what national authorities called the largest haul ever on their soil.
Olmert government might collapse in Israel this year, group says
Chad Groening OneNewsNow.com March 19, 2007
The founder of a Christian lobbying group that supports the nation of Israel believes Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is so unpopular that it will be just a matter of time before his government collapses, and new elections are called in the Jewish state.Dick Hellman, president of Christians’ Israel Public Action (CIPAC), says he has seen reports out of Israel that indicate that new elections might take place as early as the fall of this year. However, Hellman says that might actually be a conservative estimate. It’s hard to predict.
The elections may come even sooner, Hellman says. Prime Minister Olmert, by every poll that I see, is widely unpopular. His government is very unpopular, and any one of a number of alternatives could arise.What might those alternatives include, according to Hellman? Either a restructuring of the left or moderate forces, or replacement of Olmert’s government by Netanyahu’s Likud, or more conservative-led movement, or even some uprising by the nationalist or religious forces, he says.Even George W. Bush has higher approval ratings right now, Hellman says, indicating the depths of Olmert’s unpopularity. American Family News Network
Today In Jewish History 1 Nisan MAR 20,07
On this date the inauguration period was completed for the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Jewish people in the desert following their Exodus from Egypt. On this day, Moses' brother Aaron began serving as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Tragically, however, two of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, died after entering the Holy of Holies unauthorized. The events are recorded in Leviticus chapters 9-10.
EU celebrates its 50th birthday - with a row about religion
By Stephen Castle in Brussels 20 March 2007
Neither God nor Christianity will feature in a 50th birthday declaration for the EU which will highlight European values and list key challenges for the future such as climate change.
Five days before the celebrations for the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the statement to be issued by EU leaders is being fine-tuned behind closed doors by officials in Germany, which holds the EU presidency.Across the continent, the 27 EU member states are preparing to host a raft of different events - from tree-planting to skydiving - to mark the anniversary.Signed on 27 March, 1957, the Treaty created the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the modern-day EU, providing for the establishment of a common market, a customs union and common policies, and proclaiming the objective of ever closer union. A second agreement created the European Atomic Energy Community, better known as Euratom.
Marking the occasion has proved difficult for the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who wants a concise declaration acceptable to all 27 EU nations without being bland. She also wants the text to act as a springboard for an agreement on what to do about the European constitution rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands.In a rerun of an argument that flared during the drafting of the constitution, Ms Merkel has left out any reference to God or Christianity. That is in deference to secular nations or those that stress the separation of church and state.But the omission has upset several, predominantly Catholic, countries including Poland, which had sought a reference to the EU's Christian roots. But the Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, has told Ms Merkel that the text is acceptable. He said that while Poland had reservations over some parts of the declaration it would be the only country in the EU not to sign up to the declaration were it to refuse.
The declaration is likely to have four elements, starting with a reflection on the achievements of the EU to date. Britain has removed its objections to references in this section to the creation of the euro and the Schengen passport-free zone, neither of which the UK joined.The declaration will also stress the values of the EU, such as democracy, and contain a reference to the social dimension of Europe.
Another section will aim to provide a vision for the future with the EU as a global force, for example, combating challenges such as climate change.A final section will address the changes needed to meet the challenges laid out. That will require tactful drafting to satisfy those who believe in the need to revive the European constitution and those that have problems with the treaty.One sensitive element
remains the future of EU enlargements. The text is expected to say further expansion will require institutional reforms - of the type laid out in the constitution - to allow an enlarged EU to function. But the declaration will mention neither the word constitution nor a timetable for reform.In Berlin this weekend the EU leaders will attend a concert by the city's Philharmonic orchestra, a dinner and a lunch, and hold a ceremony.For the city's population, museums stay open till the early hours and 27 clubs will be open all night, with free shuttle buses.
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.
Rivers run towards crisis point MAR 20,07
If Himalayan glaciers melt away, rivers like the Indus will disappear Some of the world's major rivers are reaching crisis point because of dams, shipping, pollution and climate change, according to the environment group WWF. Its report, World's Top 10 Rivers at Risk, says the river crisis rivals climate change in importance. Five of its top 10 are in Asia, such as the Yangtse, Mekong, and Ganges, though Europe's Danube and North America's Rio Grande are also included. WWF says governments should see water as an issue of national security. Its report is issued in advance of World Water Day (22 March).
Economic and sustainable
The world is facing a massive freshwater crisis, which has the potential to be every bit as devastating as climate change, said Dr David Tickner, head of the freshwater programme at WWF-UK.
We need business leaders and governments to recognise that climate change is not the only urgent environmental issue that needs to be dealt with, and that they need to take notice of this freshwater emergency and act now, not later.Using information from a number of major reports, such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, WWF set out to quantify the overall status of threat to major rivers on which people depend for water and livelihoods. Dam-building, over-extraction for drinking, industry and agriculture, invasive species, climate change, pollution and shipping were among the various activities whose impact the group assessed. The principal threats varied widely. The Salween, which flows from Tibet into China, then south along the border between Burma and Thailand, is one of the longest un-dammed rivers in the world. Plans to build dams on the Salween have brought protests
But China, Burma and Thailand have all produced plans to build hydropower dams which activists believe would displace local people who depend on the river for their livelihoods, as well as threatening an area which Unesco believes may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on Earth.
Biodiversity in Australia's Murray/Darling basin is already compromised by alien species such as the European Carp, which, a mere 30 years after its introduction, now dominates many stretches of the rivers. Carp create muddy conditions, which blocks photosynthesis. The main threat to the Indus, meanwhile, is straightforward and linked to climate change. Most of its water comes from Himalayan glaciers; if the glaciers disappear, so will the river. WWF says governments need to protect rivers better, and ensure water is allocated to users equitably and sustainably, while industries which use a lot of water should seek ways to minimise the amount that they extract.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
FEAR - ANGER - DISTRESS GRIPS IRAQIS
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Solar pulses suggest heavy Australia rain: scientist. 3-Soaking Midwest rains today; cold Northeast.4-Mud, rocks rush from New Zealand volcano. 5-Poll: Fear, anger, stress grip Iraqis. 6-US, NKorea reach sanctions deal as nuclear talks begin. 7-EU begins countdown to 50th birthday carnival. 8-UN plans force on Syrian border to stop arms smuggling.
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 = Tue Mar 20 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 19,07
MAP 3.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAR 18,07
MAP 2.5 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 5.0 TIMOR REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.3 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 5.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, 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.
Solar pulses suggest heavy Australia rain: scientist Mon Mar 19, 1:06 AM ET
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Links between the sun's magnetic pulse and Earth's climatic systems point to heavy rainfall later this year and in 2008, which could break Australia's worst drought in 100 years, new scientific research says. The theory, which has been submitted for publication in the journal Solar Terrestrial Physics, is based on correlations between Australian rainfall and 11-year peaks in the sun's
magnetic emissions, and switches in the sun's poles, which also occur every 11 years. The last flip occurred in 2001.The sun is now in a similar position in terms of its magnetic field as it was in the 1920s, Associated Professor Robert Baker of the University of New England said.Eastern Australia this year and next is seen following a similar path to the particularly wet years of 1924 and 1925.
If it keeps tracking...we would therefore expect average and above rainfall for eastern Australia, Baker said.The sunspots are starting to increase again and as it increases over the year historically that's been a time of above average rainfall, he said.According to Baker's theory, 2009 would be the next period of potential drought in Australia.Baker produced his theory from work on physical models of
sunspot behavior, which showed correlations between sunspot minimums and eastern Australian droughts over the last 100 years.It just went from there... It's just asking good questions.Baker says that weather effects of changes in the sun are additional to the impact of flavor of the month climate change from greenhouse gases.The theory opens the way for better predictions of droughts and floods, Baker said.
After the present cycle of increased sunspot activity, the following cycle will be dominated by the lowest activity from sunspots and magnetic activity in 100 years. This raised the possibility of widespread drought again, in the 2020s.
The last time that happened was the Federation Drought of around 1900, Baker said.The link between sunspots, solar magnetic activity and increased rain occurs through interaction by solar activity with Earth's atmosphere to increase cloud formation.In following established patterns of pulses in the sun, the theory is hoped to lead to increased forecasting certainty and management of water resources.
Soaking Midwest rains today; cold Northeast Mark Avery, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Mon Mar 19, 4:56 AM ET
Midwest
Showers and thunderstorms will be prevalent across the Midwest today, particularly near the Ohio River.
Areas of heavy rain are possible from Paducah, Kentucky, up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Farther north near the Great Lakes, snow is possible today. Accumulations should remain light, generally between one to three inches. Later today into tonight, more thunderstorms are expected to develop over the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas which will move into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on Tuesday. Rain will spread back northward across most of the region on Wednesday and Thursday, with thunderstorms possible from the Central Plains to the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Cooler than average high temperatures will be confined to the Red River Valley and the Great Lakes today, with the Dakotas warming on Tuesday. By Wednesday through the weekend, afternoon highs will stay above average.
Northeast
The interior Northeast will have a chance of snow showers later this afternoon, with the best chance of precipitation being tonight. Snowfall amounts will generally be light, between one to three inches, with a few isolated locations picking up more. After a few snow showers again in the interior Northeast on Tuesday, much of the region will remain dry on Wednesday before some light rain showers move into the interior Northeast on Thursday and closer to the Megalopolis on Friday. Much of the region will see below average afternoon highs through Thursday before temperatures rebound just in time for the weekend.
West
The record-setting heat has one more day to heat up the West before cooler temperatures start making an earnest comeback.
71 record highs were set on Sunday, with more records in jeopardy today. In the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, rain (with mountain snow) will move into the region mainly later this afternoon and this evening along with an upper level low that will help usher in cooler temperatures all across the West over the next several days. The West Coast will be below average on Tuesday while the Interior West stays above average, continuing to threaten record highs.
By Wednesday, much of the West will be near or below average. By late week, afternoon highs will begin to rebound and much of the West, except for the Four Corners, will be back above average.
South
The South will enjoy warming temperatures today, particularly in the Southeast. The only rainfall in the region will be in the Ozarks in northern Arkansas eastward into the Tennessee Valley. Showers will develop again tonight in the Ozarks and track through the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, with some scattered afternoon showers over Florida. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible over the Southern Plains from Wednesday through the weekend. Afternoon highs will remain above average for the remainder of the week, with the exception of Virginia and North Carolina where temperatures will cool on Wednesday before warming back up on Thursday through the weekend.
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.
Mud, rocks rush from New Zealand volcano By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer MAR 19,07
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A mix of mud, acidic water and rocks tore down the slope of a volcano in New Zealand on Sunday, bursting through a 23-foot wall of volcanic ash and sand built up in an eruption 12 years ago. The mud flow — also known as a lahar — broke through the rubble wall atop Mount Ruapehu's crater lake Sunday morning, triggering an early warning alarm, local authorities said.Police and civil defense workers immediately closed roads and the nation's main trunk rail near the southern base of the mountain on New Zealand's North Island.The island's main north-south highway, some 30 miles from the mountain's base, also was closed and two passenger trains with 200 people on board were halted some distance from the mountain.
A lahar that tore down the same volcano in 1953 killed 151 people when it washed away a rail bridge, plunging a passenger train into the raging torrent of liquid mud.On Sunday, millions of gallons of acidic water breached the naturally occurring wall of volcanic ash and sand known as tephra, regional council chairman Gary Murfitt said.More than 130 feet of the tephra's wall was washed away — a dozen years after it had built up in Ruapehu's 1995 eruption, said Dr. Harry Keys, a lahar expert with the Conservation Department.Farmer Josh Wallace said the lahar carried rocks, mud and trees down the Whangaehu River that runs through his property.The water was a concrete color ... it was so gray.
You could feel the rocks in the water hitting the bank, he told National Radio.There were no immediate reports of damage, apart from flooding on some farmland near the base of the mountain.There was also no threat to human life. Scientists had been able to predict the lahar's passage and the early warning system had worked as planned, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said.
In the 1953 lahar, the bodies of some of the dead were washed high into trees as the torrent spewed down river valleys to the sea, some 125 miles away. Many of the victims were never found.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION)
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.
Poll: Fear, anger, stress grip Iraqis By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer MAR 19,07
WASHINGTON - The optimism that helped sustain Iraqis during the first few years of the war has dissolved into widespread fear, anger and distress amid unrelenting violence, a survey found. The poll the third in Iraq since early 2004 by ABC News and media partners draws a stark portrait of an increasingly pessimistic population under great emotional stress.
Among the findings of this survey for ABC News, USA Today, the BBC and ARD German TV: The number of Iraqis who say their own life is going well has dipped from 71 percent in November 2005 to 39 percent now.About three-fourths of Iraqis report feelings of anger, depression and difficulty concentrating.More than half of Iraqis have curtailed activities like going out of their homes, going to markets or other crowded places and traveling through police checkpoints.Only 18 percent of Iraqis have confidence in U.S. and coalition troops, and 86 percent are concerned that someone in their household will be a victim of violence.
Slightly more than half of Iraqis 51 percent now say that violence against U.S. forces is acceptable up from 17 percent who felt that way in early 2004. More than nine in 10 Sunni Arabs in Iraq now feel this way.
While 63 percent said they felt very safe in their neighborhoods in late 2005, only 26 percent feel that way now.The major cause for this sharp reversal in Iraqi attitudes is the continuing violence bombings, attacks by roving gunmen and kidnappings that has overwhelmed the country since the U.S. invasion four years ago this week.Eighty percent of Iraqis surveyed reported some kind of violence nearby, according to the nationally representative survey conducted Feb. 25 to March 5 among 2,212 Iraqis, including oversamples in Anbar province, the Sadr City section of Baghdad, Basra and Kirkuk. Results were subject to a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The survey was done by D3 Systems, a pollster specializing in conflict countries Iraqi civilian deaths are estimated at more than 54,000, possibly much higher. More than half of Iraqis surveyed said a friend or relative has been hurt or killed in the violence, while almost nine in 10 worried that a loved one will be hurt.The levels of stress soar outside relatively peaceful Kurdistan, especially in Baghdad and the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, the poll found.Fewer than half in the country, 42 percent, said that life in Iraq now is better than it was under Saddam Hussein, the late dictator accused of murdering tens of thousands during a brutal regime.Iraqis pessimism about safety spills over into their views of most aspects of life the economy, basic needs like power and clean water, even the risks of sending their children to school.But views of the U.S. military presence are contradictory among Iraqis just as they are in this country.About four in five Iraqis oppose the presence of U.S. troops but only a third want those U.S. troops to leave Iraq immediately.Conducting the face-to-face poll was a difficult ordeal in such a violent country. More than 100 Iraqi interviewers conducted the poll and some reported seeing bombings, beatings and even a mass kidnapping.
Several teams of interviewers were detained by police but every interviewer made it home safely.
US, NKorea reach sanctions deal as nuclear talks begin by Hiroshi Hiyama and Jun Kwanwoo MAR 19,07
BEIJING (AFP) - The United States said Monday it has struck a deal to release 25 million dollars of frozen North Korean assets, paving the way for progress in talks on ending the regime's nuclear weapons programme.
The move was announced as envoys from six nations met in Beijing to resume round-table negotiations that had been stymied by a long-running dispute over the US financial sanctions.Chief US envoy Christopher Hill said all the money would be released from the Macau-based bank where it had been frozen since 2005 amid accusations of money laundering and counterfeiting.We feel this matter has been resolved and now we can move on to the next problems, of which there are many, Hill told reporters after the US Treasury Department announced the deal.
Later Monday, the Macau Monetary Authority confirmed in a statement that the funds would be released.Pyongyang had insisted it would not implement a six-nation deal reached on February 13 until the sanctions dispute was resolved.Under that deal, North Korea -- which carried out its first atomic weapons test in October last year -- would get badly needed energy aid and diplomatic concessions in return for shutting down its nuclear programmes.North Korea was given 60 days from the agreement to close its main reactor at Yongbyon and allow UN International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country to supervise.In return, the impoverished state would initially receive 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel, rising up to one million tonnes of that or equivalent energy if it permanently disbanded its atomic weapons programme.Chief North Korean envoy Kim Kye-Gwan said as Monday's talks got underway that Pyongyang would close Yongbyon once it got the 25 million dollars back, according to China's official Xinhua news agency and an official involved.
Nuclear activities will stop at Yongbyon if the sanctions are fully lifted, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity said, with Xinhua reporting similar comments.Hill said he expected Yongbyon to be shut down and IAEA inspectors allowed into the facility by mid-April, as scheduled.My sense is that we will be in good shape for the first 60-day obligations, Hill told journalists.The DPRK has an
obligation to make sure they are shutting down and sealing the Yongbyon complex within 60 days.
Deputy Assistant US Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser, who had overseen the negotiations on the sanctions, earlier said the 25 million dollars would not go back into the pockets of the North Korean elite.North Korea has pledged ... that these funds will be used solely for the betterment of the North Korean people, including for humanitarian and educational purposes, Glaser told reporters.Hill said the latest round of six-party talks, which involved the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, was expected to last three days.South Korea, which has already said it would provide the initial batch of 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil, welcomed Monday's development.
Since the issue has been resolved, there will be no big obstacles ... during the initial 60-day stage for disabling North Korea's nuclear facilities, chief South Korean envoy Chun Yung-Woo told reporters. Japan's chief envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, expressed similar optimism but also cautioned that the focus should remain on the much tougher task of permanently putting an end to North Korea's nuclear programme.
We must work by holding a broad view, a long-term view. We must not be caught up on day-to-day movements, he told reporters. Chief Chinese envoy Wu Dawei said conditions remained favourable for further progress, but much work remained to be done. We still face a lot of difficulties and obstacles on the way ahead, Wu said in his opening remarks to the chief envoys.
I HOPE EVERYONE KNOWS THE TREATY OF ROME MEANS THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS THAT THE ROMANS WOULD MAKE THE FINAL 7 YEAR PEACE TREATY BETWEEN ISRAEL - ARABS AND MANY. THATS WHY THIS CELEBRATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR EUROPE, THIS TREATY SIGNED IN ROME (REVIVED ROME) IS 50 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST SIGNING IN 1957.
EU begins countdown to 50th birthday carnival
19.03.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Honor Mahony
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Member states are gearing themselves to varying degrees of festivity this week as the EU approaches its 50th birthday, with projects ranging from a Franco-German love film to prayers for the bloc.
With Germany currently running the EU, Berlin will be putting on the biggest show to mark the half century anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome planning a big cultural programme including all night openings of some of the city's famous museums.At the city's clubs, meanwhile, people will be able to dance on the occasion of the EU's birthday with 27 venues throwing an all-night rave from Saturday to the early hours of Sunday morning.EU leaders, also in Berlin for the birthday celebrations, will hear Beethoven's 5th Symphony by the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.
They will then have a banquet on the Saturday evening set to be overloaded at the dessert end of the meal when 54 birthday cakes will be on display - two traditional cakes from each member state, including sheep's cheese strudel from Bulgaria, Ireland's Auntie Florence's Orange Cake and waffles from Belgium.
There should be enough apple cake for all though as it features in some variation in the traditional gateaux from Romania, Estonia, Luxembourg and Denmark. Away from Berlin and cake eating, there will also be several other events going on.Rome will be host to a youth summit. A gathering of 200 young people, who plan to hold their own European Council to mirror the one in Berlin, but are likely to indulge in less bickering in the run up to the summit on what the state of the union is.Brussels, as the capital of the EU, will gather jazz musicians from around Europe to play all day on Sunday while for the night before it seems to have organised a line-up of Europe's best ageing stars for a memorable pop music concert. Among those playing include Nana Mouskouri, Kim Wilde and The Scorpions.
And the rest
Several projects fall into what could be called the other category such as France's Franco-German romance film - about after war and the European construction; a mix of great History and romance.In Luxembourg, there will be an 8km European walk while in Ireland and the Netherlands church services will mark the Treaty of Rome.Slovakia is to plant trees to celebrate the EU; in Slovenia people will jump out of planes using parachutes with EU symbols and in Spain's Madrid a giant puzzle of Europe will be built.And there must be some mention of the projects that didn't make it.
A proposal for an EU-wide dance was dropped for its cringe potential but also because new member states said it reminded them of Soviet times. And some have already taken place, including the UK's football match last week between Manchester United and a 'Europe Team.' 'Europe' narrowly lost (4-3) to United.
Nothing will work until the EU BRINGS THEIR TROOPS into ISRAEL and area, the Bible clearly says it has to be Revived Rome or the Eu of today that Guarentees ISRAELS SECURITY.
UN plans force on Syrian border to stop arms smuggling: ReportSunday 18 March 2007
The United Nations recently proposed to Lebanon the deployment of a force under civilian authority along its border with Syria to stop arms smuggling to the Hezbollah guerrilla organization, the Israeli Ha'aretz daily reported Sunday.
Quoting senior officials at the UN, the daily said the intention is to establish an international force of unarmed observers, and that the Lebanese government has not
rejected the idea. Israel has long complained that, since the end of its conflict with Hezbollah last July and August, the Shiite group has been rearming with weapons smuggled over the border, in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the fighting. Resolution 1701 includes a pledge to enforce an arms embargo on the Syrian border but this has not been done, mainly due to opposition from Syria and Hezbollah. According to the authoritative Israeli daily, UN representatives presented the plan for the new observer group to Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr a few weeks ago. Senior UN officials say Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora will not oppose the plan and Syrian consent is not required because the new body will not be armed. Under the plan, the UN will employ former UN workers and those of other international organizations in the new force. Germany recently sent a technical team to the area of the Syria-Lebanon border to check out the possibility for deploying observers there, Ha'aretz said. dpa jab ch.
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 = Tue Mar 20 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 19,07
MAP 3.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAR 18,07
MAP 2.5 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 5.0 TIMOR REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.3 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 5.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, 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.
Solar pulses suggest heavy Australia rain: scientist Mon Mar 19, 1:06 AM ET
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Links between the sun's magnetic pulse and Earth's climatic systems point to heavy rainfall later this year and in 2008, which could break Australia's worst drought in 100 years, new scientific research says. The theory, which has been submitted for publication in the journal Solar Terrestrial Physics, is based on correlations between Australian rainfall and 11-year peaks in the sun's
magnetic emissions, and switches in the sun's poles, which also occur every 11 years. The last flip occurred in 2001.The sun is now in a similar position in terms of its magnetic field as it was in the 1920s, Associated Professor Robert Baker of the University of New England said.Eastern Australia this year and next is seen following a similar path to the particularly wet years of 1924 and 1925.
If it keeps tracking...we would therefore expect average and above rainfall for eastern Australia, Baker said.The sunspots are starting to increase again and as it increases over the year historically that's been a time of above average rainfall, he said.According to Baker's theory, 2009 would be the next period of potential drought in Australia.Baker produced his theory from work on physical models of
sunspot behavior, which showed correlations between sunspot minimums and eastern Australian droughts over the last 100 years.It just went from there... It's just asking good questions.Baker says that weather effects of changes in the sun are additional to the impact of flavor of the month climate change from greenhouse gases.The theory opens the way for better predictions of droughts and floods, Baker said.
After the present cycle of increased sunspot activity, the following cycle will be dominated by the lowest activity from sunspots and magnetic activity in 100 years. This raised the possibility of widespread drought again, in the 2020s.
The last time that happened was the Federation Drought of around 1900, Baker said.The link between sunspots, solar magnetic activity and increased rain occurs through interaction by solar activity with Earth's atmosphere to increase cloud formation.In following established patterns of pulses in the sun, the theory is hoped to lead to increased forecasting certainty and management of water resources.
Soaking Midwest rains today; cold Northeast Mark Avery, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Mon Mar 19, 4:56 AM ET
Midwest
Showers and thunderstorms will be prevalent across the Midwest today, particularly near the Ohio River.
Areas of heavy rain are possible from Paducah, Kentucky, up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Farther north near the Great Lakes, snow is possible today. Accumulations should remain light, generally between one to three inches. Later today into tonight, more thunderstorms are expected to develop over the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas which will move into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on Tuesday. Rain will spread back northward across most of the region on Wednesday and Thursday, with thunderstorms possible from the Central Plains to the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Cooler than average high temperatures will be confined to the Red River Valley and the Great Lakes today, with the Dakotas warming on Tuesday. By Wednesday through the weekend, afternoon highs will stay above average.
Northeast
The interior Northeast will have a chance of snow showers later this afternoon, with the best chance of precipitation being tonight. Snowfall amounts will generally be light, between one to three inches, with a few isolated locations picking up more. After a few snow showers again in the interior Northeast on Tuesday, much of the region will remain dry on Wednesday before some light rain showers move into the interior Northeast on Thursday and closer to the Megalopolis on Friday. Much of the region will see below average afternoon highs through Thursday before temperatures rebound just in time for the weekend.
West
The record-setting heat has one more day to heat up the West before cooler temperatures start making an earnest comeback.
71 record highs were set on Sunday, with more records in jeopardy today. In the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, rain (with mountain snow) will move into the region mainly later this afternoon and this evening along with an upper level low that will help usher in cooler temperatures all across the West over the next several days. The West Coast will be below average on Tuesday while the Interior West stays above average, continuing to threaten record highs.
By Wednesday, much of the West will be near or below average. By late week, afternoon highs will begin to rebound and much of the West, except for the Four Corners, will be back above average.
South
The South will enjoy warming temperatures today, particularly in the Southeast. The only rainfall in the region will be in the Ozarks in northern Arkansas eastward into the Tennessee Valley. Showers will develop again tonight in the Ozarks and track through the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, with some scattered afternoon showers over Florida. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible over the Southern Plains from Wednesday through the weekend. Afternoon highs will remain above average for the remainder of the week, with the exception of Virginia and North Carolina where temperatures will cool on Wednesday before warming back up on Thursday through the weekend.
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.
Mud, rocks rush from New Zealand volcano By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer MAR 19,07
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A mix of mud, acidic water and rocks tore down the slope of a volcano in New Zealand on Sunday, bursting through a 23-foot wall of volcanic ash and sand built up in an eruption 12 years ago. The mud flow — also known as a lahar — broke through the rubble wall atop Mount Ruapehu's crater lake Sunday morning, triggering an early warning alarm, local authorities said.Police and civil defense workers immediately closed roads and the nation's main trunk rail near the southern base of the mountain on New Zealand's North Island.The island's main north-south highway, some 30 miles from the mountain's base, also was closed and two passenger trains with 200 people on board were halted some distance from the mountain.
A lahar that tore down the same volcano in 1953 killed 151 people when it washed away a rail bridge, plunging a passenger train into the raging torrent of liquid mud.On Sunday, millions of gallons of acidic water breached the naturally occurring wall of volcanic ash and sand known as tephra, regional council chairman Gary Murfitt said.More than 130 feet of the tephra's wall was washed away — a dozen years after it had built up in Ruapehu's 1995 eruption, said Dr. Harry Keys, a lahar expert with the Conservation Department.Farmer Josh Wallace said the lahar carried rocks, mud and trees down the Whangaehu River that runs through his property.The water was a concrete color ... it was so gray.
You could feel the rocks in the water hitting the bank, he told National Radio.There were no immediate reports of damage, apart from flooding on some farmland near the base of the mountain.There was also no threat to human life. Scientists had been able to predict the lahar's passage and the early warning system had worked as planned, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said.
In the 1953 lahar, the bodies of some of the dead were washed high into trees as the torrent spewed down river valleys to the sea, some 125 miles away. Many of the victims were never found.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION)
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.
Poll: Fear, anger, stress grip Iraqis By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer MAR 19,07
WASHINGTON - The optimism that helped sustain Iraqis during the first few years of the war has dissolved into widespread fear, anger and distress amid unrelenting violence, a survey found. The poll the third in Iraq since early 2004 by ABC News and media partners draws a stark portrait of an increasingly pessimistic population under great emotional stress.
Among the findings of this survey for ABC News, USA Today, the BBC and ARD German TV: The number of Iraqis who say their own life is going well has dipped from 71 percent in November 2005 to 39 percent now.About three-fourths of Iraqis report feelings of anger, depression and difficulty concentrating.More than half of Iraqis have curtailed activities like going out of their homes, going to markets or other crowded places and traveling through police checkpoints.Only 18 percent of Iraqis have confidence in U.S. and coalition troops, and 86 percent are concerned that someone in their household will be a victim of violence.
Slightly more than half of Iraqis 51 percent now say that violence against U.S. forces is acceptable up from 17 percent who felt that way in early 2004. More than nine in 10 Sunni Arabs in Iraq now feel this way.
While 63 percent said they felt very safe in their neighborhoods in late 2005, only 26 percent feel that way now.The major cause for this sharp reversal in Iraqi attitudes is the continuing violence bombings, attacks by roving gunmen and kidnappings that has overwhelmed the country since the U.S. invasion four years ago this week.Eighty percent of Iraqis surveyed reported some kind of violence nearby, according to the nationally representative survey conducted Feb. 25 to March 5 among 2,212 Iraqis, including oversamples in Anbar province, the Sadr City section of Baghdad, Basra and Kirkuk. Results were subject to a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The survey was done by D3 Systems, a pollster specializing in conflict countries Iraqi civilian deaths are estimated at more than 54,000, possibly much higher. More than half of Iraqis surveyed said a friend or relative has been hurt or killed in the violence, while almost nine in 10 worried that a loved one will be hurt.The levels of stress soar outside relatively peaceful Kurdistan, especially in Baghdad and the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, the poll found.Fewer than half in the country, 42 percent, said that life in Iraq now is better than it was under Saddam Hussein, the late dictator accused of murdering tens of thousands during a brutal regime.Iraqis pessimism about safety spills over into their views of most aspects of life the economy, basic needs like power and clean water, even the risks of sending their children to school.But views of the U.S. military presence are contradictory among Iraqis just as they are in this country.About four in five Iraqis oppose the presence of U.S. troops but only a third want those U.S. troops to leave Iraq immediately.Conducting the face-to-face poll was a difficult ordeal in such a violent country. More than 100 Iraqi interviewers conducted the poll and some reported seeing bombings, beatings and even a mass kidnapping.
Several teams of interviewers were detained by police but every interviewer made it home safely.
US, NKorea reach sanctions deal as nuclear talks begin by Hiroshi Hiyama and Jun Kwanwoo MAR 19,07
BEIJING (AFP) - The United States said Monday it has struck a deal to release 25 million dollars of frozen North Korean assets, paving the way for progress in talks on ending the regime's nuclear weapons programme.
The move was announced as envoys from six nations met in Beijing to resume round-table negotiations that had been stymied by a long-running dispute over the US financial sanctions.Chief US envoy Christopher Hill said all the money would be released from the Macau-based bank where it had been frozen since 2005 amid accusations of money laundering and counterfeiting.We feel this matter has been resolved and now we can move on to the next problems, of which there are many, Hill told reporters after the US Treasury Department announced the deal.
Later Monday, the Macau Monetary Authority confirmed in a statement that the funds would be released.Pyongyang had insisted it would not implement a six-nation deal reached on February 13 until the sanctions dispute was resolved.Under that deal, North Korea -- which carried out its first atomic weapons test in October last year -- would get badly needed energy aid and diplomatic concessions in return for shutting down its nuclear programmes.North Korea was given 60 days from the agreement to close its main reactor at Yongbyon and allow UN International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country to supervise.In return, the impoverished state would initially receive 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel, rising up to one million tonnes of that or equivalent energy if it permanently disbanded its atomic weapons programme.Chief North Korean envoy Kim Kye-Gwan said as Monday's talks got underway that Pyongyang would close Yongbyon once it got the 25 million dollars back, according to China's official Xinhua news agency and an official involved.
Nuclear activities will stop at Yongbyon if the sanctions are fully lifted, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity said, with Xinhua reporting similar comments.Hill said he expected Yongbyon to be shut down and IAEA inspectors allowed into the facility by mid-April, as scheduled.My sense is that we will be in good shape for the first 60-day obligations, Hill told journalists.The DPRK has an
obligation to make sure they are shutting down and sealing the Yongbyon complex within 60 days.
Deputy Assistant US Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser, who had overseen the negotiations on the sanctions, earlier said the 25 million dollars would not go back into the pockets of the North Korean elite.North Korea has pledged ... that these funds will be used solely for the betterment of the North Korean people, including for humanitarian and educational purposes, Glaser told reporters.Hill said the latest round of six-party talks, which involved the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, was expected to last three days.South Korea, which has already said it would provide the initial batch of 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil, welcomed Monday's development.
Since the issue has been resolved, there will be no big obstacles ... during the initial 60-day stage for disabling North Korea's nuclear facilities, chief South Korean envoy Chun Yung-Woo told reporters. Japan's chief envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, expressed similar optimism but also cautioned that the focus should remain on the much tougher task of permanently putting an end to North Korea's nuclear programme.
We must work by holding a broad view, a long-term view. We must not be caught up on day-to-day movements, he told reporters. Chief Chinese envoy Wu Dawei said conditions remained favourable for further progress, but much work remained to be done. We still face a lot of difficulties and obstacles on the way ahead, Wu said in his opening remarks to the chief envoys.
I HOPE EVERYONE KNOWS THE TREATY OF ROME MEANS THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS THAT THE ROMANS WOULD MAKE THE FINAL 7 YEAR PEACE TREATY BETWEEN ISRAEL - ARABS AND MANY. THATS WHY THIS CELEBRATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR EUROPE, THIS TREATY SIGNED IN ROME (REVIVED ROME) IS 50 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST SIGNING IN 1957.
EU begins countdown to 50th birthday carnival
19.03.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Honor Mahony
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Member states are gearing themselves to varying degrees of festivity this week as the EU approaches its 50th birthday, with projects ranging from a Franco-German love film to prayers for the bloc.
With Germany currently running the EU, Berlin will be putting on the biggest show to mark the half century anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome planning a big cultural programme including all night openings of some of the city's famous museums.At the city's clubs, meanwhile, people will be able to dance on the occasion of the EU's birthday with 27 venues throwing an all-night rave from Saturday to the early hours of Sunday morning.EU leaders, also in Berlin for the birthday celebrations, will hear Beethoven's 5th Symphony by the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.
They will then have a banquet on the Saturday evening set to be overloaded at the dessert end of the meal when 54 birthday cakes will be on display - two traditional cakes from each member state, including sheep's cheese strudel from Bulgaria, Ireland's Auntie Florence's Orange Cake and waffles from Belgium.
There should be enough apple cake for all though as it features in some variation in the traditional gateaux from Romania, Estonia, Luxembourg and Denmark. Away from Berlin and cake eating, there will also be several other events going on.Rome will be host to a youth summit. A gathering of 200 young people, who plan to hold their own European Council to mirror the one in Berlin, but are likely to indulge in less bickering in the run up to the summit on what the state of the union is.Brussels, as the capital of the EU, will gather jazz musicians from around Europe to play all day on Sunday while for the night before it seems to have organised a line-up of Europe's best ageing stars for a memorable pop music concert. Among those playing include Nana Mouskouri, Kim Wilde and The Scorpions.
And the rest
Several projects fall into what could be called the other category such as France's Franco-German romance film - about after war and the European construction; a mix of great History and romance.In Luxembourg, there will be an 8km European walk while in Ireland and the Netherlands church services will mark the Treaty of Rome.Slovakia is to plant trees to celebrate the EU; in Slovenia people will jump out of planes using parachutes with EU symbols and in Spain's Madrid a giant puzzle of Europe will be built.And there must be some mention of the projects that didn't make it.
A proposal for an EU-wide dance was dropped for its cringe potential but also because new member states said it reminded them of Soviet times. And some have already taken place, including the UK's football match last week between Manchester United and a 'Europe Team.' 'Europe' narrowly lost (4-3) to United.
Nothing will work until the EU BRINGS THEIR TROOPS into ISRAEL and area, the Bible clearly says it has to be Revived Rome or the Eu of today that Guarentees ISRAELS SECURITY.
UN plans force on Syrian border to stop arms smuggling: ReportSunday 18 March 2007
The United Nations recently proposed to Lebanon the deployment of a force under civilian authority along its border with Syria to stop arms smuggling to the Hezbollah guerrilla organization, the Israeli Ha'aretz daily reported Sunday.
Quoting senior officials at the UN, the daily said the intention is to establish an international force of unarmed observers, and that the Lebanese government has not
rejected the idea. Israel has long complained that, since the end of its conflict with Hezbollah last July and August, the Shiite group has been rearming with weapons smuggled over the border, in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the fighting. Resolution 1701 includes a pledge to enforce an arms embargo on the Syrian border but this has not been done, mainly due to opposition from Syria and Hezbollah. According to the authoritative Israeli daily, UN representatives presented the plan for the new observer group to Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr a few weeks ago. Senior UN officials say Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora will not oppose the plan and Syrian consent is not required because the new body will not be armed. Under the plan, the UN will employ former UN workers and those of other international organizations in the new force. Germany recently sent a technical team to the area of the Syria-Lebanon border to check out the possibility for deploying observers there, Ha'aretz said. dpa jab ch.
Monday, March 19, 2007
CHLORINE USED IN IRAQ
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Two earthquakes rock east Indonesia, no casualties. 3-Late winter storm hits Atlantic Canada, U.S. East Coast. 4-N.Y. storm strands passengers in planes. 5-Earth has warmest December-February on record. 6-Italian volcano off Sicily erupts. 7-Olmert pans Palestinian peace talks. 8-Bird flu spreads in northern Nigeria's main city 9-Feiglin Highlights Israel's Jewish Identity Problem. 10-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 11-EU Working Towards RFID Standards. 12-EU mulls Berlin Declaration. 13-This WEEK in the European Union. 14-Chlorine bombs poison hundreds in Iraq.
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 = Mon Mar 19 12:01 AM EDT
MAR 18,07
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 5.0 TIMOR REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.3 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 5.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAR 17,07
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.9 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 6.1 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.0 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
MAP 3.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 SOUTHEASTERN IRAN
MAP 3.1 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAR 16,07
MAP 4.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUATEMALA
MAP 2.8 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.5 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAR 15,07
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.0 POLAND
MAP 4.6 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
MAP 4.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 4.8 BURU, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.7 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 4.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.4 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
Two earthquakes rock east Indonesia, no casualties Sun Mar 18, 2:03 AM ET
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two earthquakes hit eastern Indonesian regions on Sunday, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, a meteorological official said. A moderate earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck Papua province at 11:24 a.m. (0224 GMT), said an official at the National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.It was centered 147 km (91 miles) northwest of the provincial capital, Jayapura, at a depth of 78 km, the official said.Earlier, a 5.9 magnitude quake jolted Ternate on the Moluccas islands, at 02.42 a.m. (1742 GMT). The undersea quake had a depth of 57 km and was centered some 126 km northwest of Ternate.Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Its 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.
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.
Late winter storm hits Atlantic Canada, U.S. East Coast
Saturday, March 17, 2007 | 8:05 PM ET CBC News
A late winter storm swept in from New England across parts of Quebec and Eastern Canada on Saturday, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain.Heavy snow was making roads in Montreal treacherous.Up to 25 centimetres of snow was expected in Fredericton, N.B., and the forecast was for about 15 centimetres in Halifax and Yarmouth, N.S.The snow will turn into rain later in the day, forecasters say. Fredericton could receive up to 50 millimetres of rain over a 24-hour period, while Halifax could get up to 30 millimetres.The storm system has forced hundreds of flight cancellations in the northeastern United States, from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
New York City has received 15 centimetres of snow and sleet.Parts of Pennsylvania were expecting up to 30 centimetres and New Jersey and upstate New York were to receive at least that much.The weather is blamed in at least eight traffic deaths — five in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvania.North of the border, Trudeau International Airport in Montreal has cancelled some of its flights to the northeastern U.S., and some regional flights.There are similar delays at Toronto's Pearson and Halifax's Stanfield international airports.
N.Y. storm strands passengers in planes By DAVID B. CARUSO and JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press Writers Sun Mar 18.
NEW YORK - Hundreds of passengers were stranded for hours overnight on airliners that couldn't take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport because of the ice and snow storm that pummeled the Northeast. The exact number of planes stuck on the tarmac was unclear, but irate passengers reported that the problems affected several airlines. Pilots and officials blamed some of the problems on a shortage of deicing fluid and a new federal regulation giving pilots a narrow window to get their planes in the air once the chemicals are applied. The change has meant some jets need to get doused repeatedly if their takeoffs are delayed.Rahul Chandran said he was trapped aboard a Cathay Pacific Airways jet from midnight until nearly 9:30 a.m. Saturday, when the flight to Vancouver was finally canceled.
Throughout the night, the pilot repeatedly described problems with deicing equipment, including a lack of fluid, that kept the plane waiting endlessly to have its wings sprayed. When the airline finally gave up and tried to return the plane to its terminal, it took at least another hour to arrange a gate, he said.You can't keep your passengers on the plane for 9 1/2 hours, said Chandran, 30, of New York City. They kept saying 'half an hour more, 45 minutes more. But by the time it got to hour six, we were pretty much accepting that we weren't going to go ... At least in the terminal, you can get up and walk around.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the metropolitan area's airports, said airlines not the airport are responsible for supplying and maintaining terminal deicing equipment.
Port Authority aviation director Bill DeCota said airport operators and the carriers need to collectively work out a solution quickly to what is evolving as a major problem with deicing.Just last month, JetBlue stranded passengers on several planes for up to 10 1/2 hours during a similar storm. At the time, the airline said its inability to get planes deiced in accordance with the new FAA rules was a factor.We and the carriers need to sit down and find out whether there is anything we can do, DeCota said. I know there are a lot of irate passengers, and they have a right to be.Other airlines that reported problems included South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines, the charter company Miami Air and Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco. Royal Air Maroc kept one plane full of passengers on the tarmac for nearly 14 hours, DeCota said. Two Virgin Atlantic flights — one diverted from Boston — also were kept at a standstill for hours, spokeswoman Brooke Lawer said.One flight sat from 9:45 p.m. until 4 a.m., when it was canceled.I know that deicing was a significant factor, Lawer said.From Friday to Saturday morning, more than 3,600 commuter and mainline flights were canceled nationwide because of the effects of the storm. JetBlue, US Airways, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines all reported cancellations.
For this storm, JetBlue took no chances of a repeat of last month's problems. It canceled about 400 of 550 of all scheduled flights across the country Friday because of the weather, rather than risk leaving more people stuck aboard idle planes. JetBlue expected mostly normal operations Saturday, said spokeswoman Jenny Dervin.Friday's snow, ice and rain storm closed schools in parts of the Northeast and made highways treacherous. The weather was blamed for nearly a dozen traffic deaths in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.(A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the last name of Port Authority aviation director. It is DeCota, not DeCosta.)
Earth has warmest December-February on record by Veronica Smith
Fri Mar 16, 9:41 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Earth has experienced its warmest December-February since records began 128 years ago, a US agency said in a report which has added fire to global warming concerns.
A record warm January worldwide pushed average temperatures to 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit (0.72 degrees Celsius) above normal for the 20th century, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.It was the highest average temperature for the period since records began in 1880, the NOAA, said in its report released on Thursday.A UN panel said last month that global warming was almost certainly caused by human activity and several governments and international bodies have sounded the alarm over the need to cut carbon emissions.
Europe has had its hottest winter on record and European experts say the spring and summer are also likely to be the warmest ever.The El Nino phenomenon, a periodic warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern Pacific, contributed to the chart-busting combined global land and ocean surface temperature, the NOAA said.But in February ocean temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific cooled more than 0.5 degrees F/0.3 degrees C and were near average for the month.Nevertheless, the ocean-surface temperature in the period tied for second warmest on record, the agency said, just 0.1 degree Fahrenheit (0.06 degrees Celsius) cooler than the record established during the very strong El Nino episode of 1997-1998.The NOAA scientists pointed to a steady rise in temperatures in recent decades.
During the past century, global surface temperatures have increased at a rate near 0.11 degrees F (0.06 degrees C) per decade.But the rate of increase has been three times larger since 1976, or 0.32 degrees F (0.18 degrees C) per decade, with some of the largest temperature increases occurring in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, they said.For the United States alone, the December 2006-February 2007 winter season had an overall temperature that was close to average, while December was the 11th warmest on record.The UN's Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change said last month that human activity was almost certain to blame for global warming and warned that the Earth's average surface temperature could rise between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees C by 2100.Fossil fuel pollution will raise temperatures this century, worsen floods, droughts and hurricanes, melt polar ice and damage the climate system for a thousand years to come, the UN's top panel on climate change said.
Experts say that if global warming trends continue, up to a third of the world's highest glaciers could melt away by 2050 and half will disappear by 2090.The new sense of urgency comes with the Kyoto treaty, the world's first serious attempt to combat the problem, set to expire in 2012.US President George W. Bush refused to adopt Kyoto, which excluded China, India and other big emerging economies.The NOAA, an agency of the US Commerce Department, said it was working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.Climatologists and weather forecasters across Europe have warned that record warm weather is likely to continue through the spring. The average temperature for the three months of spring (March, April, May) will be above normal, said French climatologist Michel Schneider, though he did not rule out the possibility of a cold snap or two.
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.
Italian volcano off Sicily erupts Fri Mar 16, 9:22 AM ET
ROME - The volcano on the tiny Sicilian island of Stromboli erupted in a shower of small stones and ash, but it posed no danger to the few hundred people living nearby, authorities said Friday. The eruption late Thursday was the latest activity from Stromboli, located 40 miles north of Sicily.The volcano is noted for its frequent, minor eruptions and attracts tourists eager to see the flow of lava inching down its side. It is the northernmost of seven islands in the Aeolian archipelago north of Sicily.Last month, the volcano spewed a substantial amount of lava into the sea, prompting authorities to warn islanders about the risk of a small tsunami.
In spring 2003, Stromboli sent hardened lava raining down on some of the settlements nestled in the folds of the island's green slopes. A few chunks crashed into houses.In 2002, Stromboli experienced a rare effusive eruption an outpouring of lava without an explosion, its first in 17 years. A few days later, landslides tumbled down an uninhabited slope, crashing into the sea and setting off a tsunami.
Stromboli is not the only active volcano in southern Italy, with Mount Etna in Sicily coming to life every few months.
Olmert pans Palestinian peace talks By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writer MAR 18,07
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday ruled out peace talks with the Palestinians, saying contacts will be limited to humanitarian issues until the new coalition government explicitly renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Speaking at the weekly meeting of his Cabinet, Olmert said he would boycott the new government and urged the international community to follow suit. The Cabinet overwhelmingly endorsed Olmert's position.The rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah installed their new unity government on Saturday, hoping the alliance will end months of infighting and persuade the international community to lift a year of economic sanctions.
Israeli officials fear the new government will cause the tough international stance against the Palestinians to crumble. Israel and the U.S. on Sunday ruled out a resumption of financial transfers to the Palestinians. But Norway announced it would lift sanctions, and Britain and the U.N. also signaled flexibility.
While the coalition's platform is more moderate than that of the previous Hamas-led government, Olmert said it fell short of international demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept past peace deals. He also noted its affirmation of the right to resistance.This is a government that does not accept the conditions of the international community and sees terror as a legitimate goal, Olmert told his Cabinet.Olmert said he would maintain contact with the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected separately and is not a member of the coalition government. But Olmert said the discussions would be limited to quality of life issues for Palestinians.The Cabinet endorsed Olmert's position 19-2, Israeli radio stations reported.The new Palestinian administration replaced a year-old government led by Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings. It capped months of negotiations — interrupted by bursts of violence that killed more than 140 Palestinians — between Hamas and Fatah.
Hamas' rise to power last year provoked Western donor nations to cut off aid to the Palestinians. Israel also has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes it collects for the Palestinians. The sanctions have devastated the Palestinian economy.Finance Minister Salam Fayyad warned Saturday that the new government would not be able to function for long unless the boycott is lifted and financial aid is increased.At Saturday's parliamentary swearing-in ceremony, Palestinian leaders sent mixed messages about their dealings with Israel. But in sum, they appeared to show a softening of Hamas' stance.Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, said Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas had missed an opportunity to accept the international conditions and make the Palestinians a partner for peace.But in a break from the Israelis, she said the U.S. would likely maintain contact with non-Hamas members of the government.
The new Palestinian alliance appears to implicitly recognize Israel by calling for a Palestinian state on lands the Israelis captured in 1967, in contrast with Hamas' past calls to eliminate Israel altogether.
It also pledges to respect previous agreements with Israel and authorizes Abbas to conduct future peace talks. Any future deal would be submitted to a national referendum, suggesting Hamas would not hold veto power.Abbas, who has repeatedly condemned violence and called for peace talks with Israel, has said the deal is the best he can get from Hamas and was needed to avert Palestinian civil war.We hope the world community, especially the U.S. and Israel, will deal with this government, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a top aide to Abbas, said Sunday. This is the only opportunity for peace and stability so far.Presenting the government's program to parliament Saturday, Haniyeh said the alliance would work first and foremost to establish an independent Palestinian state, with disputed Jerusalem as its capital, on lands Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast War.
He said the Palestinians maintained the right to resist occupation, but would also seek to widen a truce with Israel, now limited to the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, however, Hamas issued a statement saying the government platform "is totally different than the program of the Hamas movement.We call on the national unity government to support the choice of resistance against the occupation, the statement said. In addition to the struggle for international legitimacy, the Palestinian alliance also is in danger of crumbling quickly over ideological differences, and long-standing enmities between the two factions and their legions of gunmen. Abbas on Sunday named a Gaza strongman known for leading a crackdown on Hamas militants a decade ago as his national security adviser, presidential aides said.
The appointment puts Mohammed Dahlan, a top official in Abbas' Fatah party, in a sensitive position as Palestinian leaders try to reform their myriad and competing security services. Hamas still has rocky relations with Dahlan.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Bird flu spreads in northern Nigeria's main city MAR 18,07
KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus is spreading among poultry farms around northern Nigeria's largest city, Kano, despite control measures, a senior veterinary official said on Sunday. The avian influenza virus is still spreading among poultry farms and it has so far affected 33 farms in seven districts, Shehu Bawa, head of Kano State's Committee on Avian Flu, told AFP.
More than 80,000 birds have been culled in Kano, Bawa added.Further measures taken to check the outbreak include controls on movement of poultry and people, disinfecting farm workers and visitors, fencing off farms, and a ban on borrowing of farm implements from them.Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation with some 140 million people, early this year reported west Africa's first human bird flu death.A 22-year-old woman died in Lagos on January 17 weeks after plucking and disembowelling a chicken.Bird flu was first detected on a farm in Jaji town outside the northern city of Kano in February last year from where it spread to other parts of Nigeria.Kano, northern Nigeria's most populous city, was worst affected by the flu outbreak which ravaged 97 farms in the city resulting in the death or culling of at least 300,000 birds, officials said.Three more northern states -- Katsina, Sokoto and Bauchi -- have recorded a resurgence of bird flu since it resurfaced in Kano.
Feiglin Highlights Israel's Jewish Identity Problem
This article originally appeared in The Jewish Press on March 18, 2007
by Elliot Resnick, Jewish Press Staff Reporter
When he becomes prime minister, says Moshe Feiglin, he will destroy the terrorist regimes in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza; annex those areas to Israel; demolish the security fence; ensure that every Israeli child receives one hour of Jewish education every day; and demand that the United States release Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.Speaking to friends and supporters of Manhigut Yehudit at the Sands in Atlantic Beach last Monday, Feiglin, the organization’s founder and a Jewish Press columnist, highlighted what he called Israel’s Jewish identity problem.He told the audience that 60 percent of IDF inductees have never visited Jerusalem and that a majority of Israeli schoolchildren cannot finish the sentence Shema Yisrael.Manhigut Yehudit’s fifth annual dinner drew some 300 friends and supporters. The evening’s theme, as in past years, was: Turning the State of the Jews into the Jewish State, the organization’s motto.Manhigut Yehudit, as a faction within the Likud party in Israel, hopes to take over the party (and through it, the whole country) by convincing like-minded individuals to become members of Likud and vote (alongside old-time Likud members) for Manhigut Yehudit leaders in the party’s various internal elections.
Formed in 1998, Manhigut Yehudit (the name means "Jewish Leadership") has recruited 13,000 people to Likud so far. In the 2005 primaries for the leadership of Likud, Feiglin finished in third place behind Benjamin Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom, with 13 percent of the vote.In a power point presentation at the dinner, Manhigut Yehudit international director and co-founder Shmuel Sackett demonstrated that a mere 13,000 votes separated Feiglin from Netanyahu in the last Likud primary. Sackett said that polls predict Likud would receive 29 seats, as opposed to 12 for Kadima, if an election were held today. Manhigut Yehudit provides a great amount of hope, Rabbi David Algaze of Cong. Havurat Yisroel in Forset Hills told The Jewish Press. Rabbi Algaze recited a prayer for the three recently captured Israeli soldiers at the dinner.
Asked why he likes Feiglin, Jewish singer Ira Heller, who sang The Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah at the dinner, said, It’s a long list, but the bottom line is emunah [faith in God], because what is missing in every politician, no matter how talented, is emunah.Rob and Laurence Muchnick were the guests of honor at the dinner; Yishai and Malka Fleisher received a Lev Yehudi Award; Esther Weber received an Eishet Chayil Awrad; Jack and Ana Berger received an Eretz Yisroel Award; and ZOA president Morton Klein was suprised with an award for his outspoken support of the Jewish people.
A Chat With Moshe Feiglin.The Jewish Press: How many years will it be until Manhigut Yehudit is running the state of Israel? Feiglin: I’m not a prophet. But I believe we’re talking about months or years, not decades. If you were prime minister, how would you have responded to the murder of Erez Levanon [who was killed by Arab terrorists last week]? The killer did not act on his own. He was a soldier who acted out of nationalistic reasons and is a hero among his people. It is not a question of crime; it’s a question of war. The village where he came from should be punished. War is collective.
How would you handle Iran? There’s a very simple rule in the Gemara: One who comes to kill you, arise and kill him first. I think that every individual who declares that he wishes to destroy Israel and is preparing for it, should be killed.What are you hoping Manhigut Yehudit will accomplish in the next election? Anything above 20 percent in the primaries for head of Likud will be very nice. I also think we will be able to get two members of Manhigut Yehudit in the Knesset. However, this is not the target. The target is to win.What will you do if Manhigut Yehudit is banned? Manhigut Yehudit is about an idea. They cannot do what they did to Kahane, ban the whole party, because there isn’t any party. However, it’s important to understand that the Likud is only a tool. So if it will not be through Likud, it will be in a different way.I don’t think that G-d brought us back to the land of Israel for the third time as some sort of bad joke, and if Israel does not become a Jewish state, it will no longer be a state at all. So if the door will be closed, we’ll get in through the window, and if both will be closed, we’ll break a hole in the wall or break the whole wall. God will not give us a challenge that we cannot deal with.Manhigut Yehudit is the largest faction inside the Likud party, and strives to Turn the State of the Jews into The Jewish State.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein March 18, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Things seem relatively calm in Israel at the moment—especially in comparison to last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war and the horrors of the second Palestinian intifada. But as I walk around Jerusalem, or travel around Israel to visit Fellowship-sponsored projects, I notice a feeling of uneasiness among people in the Holy Land. And, unfortunately, news reports show that there is good reason for this feeling.Since the ceasefire with Hezbollah was declared last August, this terrorist group has wasted no time in rearming and regrouping. Recent reports have shown an increased presence of Hezbollah fighters and missile installations in southern Lebanon, suggesting that Hezbollah is positioning itself to again attack Israel. In fact, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has admitted publicly, we openly declare that we have weapons, that we are completing our preparedness for a greater and more dangerous stage.
Meanwhile, despite their failure to live up to any previous ceasefire agreements, Hamas has extended yet another offer to Israel. This time the terrorist group claims it will end attacks on Israel if Israel recognizes the Hamas-Fatah government called for by last month's Mecca Agreement. But clearly, Hamas' offers are hollow. At the same time it is talking ceasefire, Hamas is working to turn Gaza into a fortified camp capable of launching even deadlier rocket attacks against Israel, and of resisting any further attempts by the Israel Defense Forces to enter the area to root out terrorists. Hamas leaders, too, continue their harsh, hateful anti-Israel rhetoric, vowing this week, "We will not betray promises we made to God to continue the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine"—meaning, of course, the destruction of Israel.Indeed, hudna, the Arab word commonly translated as ceasefire, refers to a temporary halt to hostilities—a measure taken in the hope of winning a decisive victory over one's enemies in the future. There is every reason to believe that these ceasefires are merely opportunities for Hezbollah and Hamas to gather their strength to strike at Israel again in the future.
We are committed to keeping you informed of the seriousness of the situation Israel faces. And we hope today you will help spread the word by forwarding this message to a friend and encouraging them to sign up for our e-newsletter. In this way we can widen Israel's circle of friends, and let more and more people know the truth about Israel's struggle for peace and security.I thank you, my friend, for your continued support of Israel. Now, more than ever, I ask you to continue your prayers for the peace of Jerusalem.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Here we GO the EU is getting heavily into RFID IMPLANTABLE CHIPS, They will be the ones that Impliment the MARK OF THE BEAST SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE On the WORLD.
EU Working Towards RFID Standards John Blau, IDG News Service
Sun Mar 18, 12:00 PM ET
The European Commission has formed a group to provide it with advice about RFID (radio frequency identification), which it aims to avoid regulating, according to the commissioner in charge of that area.The potential growth of the RFID market is huge, Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding told reporters Thursday at the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany. She estimated that the European RFID market will grow from €500 million (US$660 million) in 2006 to €7 billion by 2016. We're strong in wireless, mobility and chip manufacturing, and we must develop this for RFID, she said. But the commissioner also warned that industry must pay greater attention to security and privacy issues. We must make industry aware that the Internet of things must be an Internet for people.To that end, Reding announced the creation of an RFID stakeholder group, including representatives from industry and consumer groups. The group will provide advice to the Commission, which plans by the middle of this year to propose amendments to the e-Piracy Directive taking account of RFID applications. Also, later in the year, the Commission intends to publish recommendations for member states on how to handle data security and privacy issues affected by the use of RFID.
Reding stressed her intention to avoid a top-down approach, or overregulation, which could stymie RFID development. She pointed to many benefits of smart-tag technology, including billions of euros that companies can save through greater efficiency.The Commissioner is working closely with government officials in the U.S., China, Japan and Korea to promote RFID international standards.
We totally support the efforts of the Commission to bring all the various stakeholders together and, in particular, to help push for global RFID standards, said Antonia Voerste, a spokeswoman for German retailer Metro AG, one of the largest users of smart-tag technology in the country. "RFID is very much a global issue.
EU mulls Berlin Declaration
Time for Brussels to come out of arrogance and become transparent Commission TURKEY
Author: (Tito) Tejinder Singh - 17 March 2007 - Issue : 721
Jose Manuel Durao Barroso (L), Chairman of the European Commission, flanked by Jacques Delors, delivers a speech in front of portraits of their predecessors during the inauguration of a pictures gallery at the entrance of the EU Commission Headquarters, June 14, 2005* The Berlin Declaration, the much-talked about ambitious statement to commemorate the Rome Treaty will be a litmus test for not only the German Presidency under the able leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel but also other European institutions. Today’s Europe is a citizens’ Europe, as was evident when the non to the European Constitutional Treaty by the French people was followed three days later by the Dutch nee consolidating the idea that democracy is alive and kicking in Europe. Interesting to note that initially the notion of churning out a European constitution by the old “wise men” of Europe and the talk of a United States of Europe did not stir any kind of anti-EU feelings in the countries which are supposed to be the driving forces behind the European integration process. Europeans have been striving for a united Europe but it is clear they believe in unity in diversity and want to keep the democratic principles underlying the unification process. The Treaty of Rome (1957) declared a common European market as a European objective with the aim of increasing economic prosperity and contributing to an ever-closer union among peoples of Europe. Later, the Single European Act (1986) and the Treaty on European Union (1992) introduced the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and laid the foundations for the single currency which was given the name Euro by the European Council in Madrid in December 1995. From the time the Maastricht Treaty launched Europe on the road to a unified currency, till the colourful bank notes with their landscapes and monuments finally came into peoples’ pockets, there was always a school of thought coming out with overly overt and oracular statements about the doomsday of Euro.
With the successful launch of Euro, cheerful acceptance of the common currency by millions of Europeans and now the settling down of Euro on the international markets did prove all these negate predictions were nothing but an otiose exercise. And then came another historic moment as 10 new member states (Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia , Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined the European Union at a European summit on June 20-21, 2003 at Athens, Greece. The founding fathers of the concept had not acknowledged explicitly but the ultimate purpose of a unified currency was to move Europe towards a long-run goal of political union and EMU has proven a potent political symbol of uniting a continent ravaged by sanguinary schisms over the centuries. The present day politicians got overenthusiastic and the result is for all to see.Moreover, transparency and authenticity of the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, has been nose-diving for quite some years. When the Delors Commission resigned en masse instead of facing the music in the European Parliament, the Prodi Commission took over declaring to bring transparency and root out corruption and nepotism.But, at the end of its term, the Prodi Commission never could look into the eyes of the European citizens and declare a successful end to the campaign to bring some sort of transparency in the modus operandi of the Commission. Instead, the Prodi Commission left behind terms like Eurostat scandal, Athens International Airport … where did millions go? and How safe are Whistleblowers?
Then came the Barroso Commission, which got dogged down from the start with fallout from statements from its members even before they took office, was aptly grilled by the European Parliament. After the inauspicious beginning, the Commission had to readjust, replace and reshuffle its members to get the nod from the Parliament which happens to be the only democratically-elected European institution. Without foresight and with arrogance, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso bragged about not bowing down to public pressure and kept defending the Union’s determination to liberalise Europe’s services sector, thus slashing the French support for the European constitution from more than 60 percent until mid-March of the year to a negative verdict at the end of May. The non campaigners fanned the fears of the French workers that they could be competing for domestic jobs with “new” member state citizens. Adding fuel to the fire was the media coverage of a small French company’s decision to lay off nine of its workers but saying they could keep their jobs if they worked for the firm’s subsidiary in Romania, at 110 Euro a month, or one-tenth of their French salaries. On the other hand, the Dutch used the referendum to protest what they view as Euro-triggered inflation and the Netherlands’ status as a key contributor to the EU budget. The vote was seen in the Netherlands not only as a rejection of a European superstate, but also as a protest against discussions over Turkish membership in the union.
One of the six founding members of the European Union, the Netherlands had always been seen as staunchly in favour of the Union but the increasing Muslim population and the murder of a famous filmmaker for his views on the treatment of Muslim women in Islamic society made the Dutch reject the treaty by 62 to 38 percent following that of the French, who voted against the EU constitution by a margin of 55 to 45 percent. While Turkey can sit back and mull its own future, there is no doubt that Europeans will continue to integrate with the Western Balkans if they can keep on track with economic reforms, refining of social structures and strengthening of democratic institutions. Europe needs depth in integration and not a superficial opaque powerhouse superstate based in the cloudy environs of Brussels. The architects of Berlin Declaration and the new wise men and women contemplating the launch of refined Constitution Treaty will do well to observe the warning signs that Europe must listen to its Vox Populi.
This WEEK in the European Union
16.03.2007 - 17:29 CET | By Honor Mahony
EUOBERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (19 - 25 March) - The EU's 50th birthday falls on Sunday 25 March this week with preparations on how to celebrate it, and minute speculation about what exactly will be in the official birthday declaration to mark the occasion, set to dominate the coming days.The date marks the signing of the Treaty of Rome the precursor to the modern-day European Union.The day itself is to be marked by celebrations across the 27-nation bloc with Berlin - due to the German EU presidency - to be the centre-point of the festivities.EU leaders will arrive in Berlin on Saturday evening for a dinner and concert. Sunday morning will see the official ceremony marking the anniversary of the Rome Treaty and according to the provisional time plan, Chancellor Angela Merkel would like to have the whole thing wrapped up by 2pm CET when the final press point conference is scheduled.
However, the run-up to it is unlikely to be entirely without controversy. A state-of-the-union declaration being drawn up by Berlin to mark the occasion is the focus of some keen interest with governments lining up over the past months to say what should or should not be in it. For its part, Berlin has been playing its cards close to its chest, giving only an indication of the general layout of the document. A gathering of 200 young people will meet in Rome for a youth summit mirroring its older - and perhaps less idealistic - counterpart in the German capital. It begins on Friday and is set to produce its own declaration summing up the EU as they see it. In Brussels on Wednesday, the EU's transparency commissioner Siim Kallas is to publish a long-awaited paper on making lobbyist activities around the EU less opaque.He is set to propose a register for lobbyists which would get them to lay out who they are presenting and how they are funded. But according to previous statements by Mr Kallas, lobbyists - running to several thousand in Brussels - will not be required to register.The central issue of interest will be the funding question. Mr Kallas has said he would like more funding transparency but pro-transparency organisations such as Corporate Europe Observatory say this will require obligations with either strong incentives for compliance or sanctions for non-compliance.
Meanwhile, commissioners will also have a general discussion on the European economy.In the European Parliament the German presidency will on Tuesday outline to members of the civil liberties committee how it expects the so-called Prum Treaty to work with DNA-sharing and cross-border police hot pursuits, some of its biggest elements. The EU's plans for setting up a global satellite navigation system - known as a Galileo - will come under scrutiny on Thursday when the bloc's transport ministers meet in Brussels. Germany has promised to raise the issue, with the commission last week raising concerns about the long delays in setting the system up.
The Bible clearly says Pestilences would occur,which is Chemical and Biological weapons being used in these last days.
PESTILENCES (CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS USED)
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.
Chlorine bombs poison hundreds in Iraq By Waleed Ibrahim
Sat Mar 17, 11:43 AM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Insurgents in western Iraq set off three chlorine gas car bombs, U.S. forces said on Saturday, weeks after two similar attacks sparked fears of a new campaign to use unconventional weapons in Iraq. The Friday attacks came a month into a major U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in Baghdad aimed at stemming sectarian violence that threatens to pitch Iraq into outright civil war.Australia's Prime Minister John Howard, one of Washington's most loyal allies in the war, visited Baghdad on Saturday and told Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Australia would keep its troops in Iraq as long as they were needed.Chlorine gas was widely used in World War One but its use in insurgent attacks in Iraq has particular resonance there. Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons on Kurdish areas in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.The U.S. military said two suicide bombers driving dump trucks carrying chlorine made 350 people ill near the town of Falluja on Friday, and another smaller car bomb near Ramadi also released chlorine, though there were few casualties.
The U.S. statement reported two deaths in one of the attacks but hospital sources said earlier eight people were killed and dozens became ill after the two bombings in the Falluja area.Two bombs with chlorine killed eight people earlier this year. It causes severe burns when inhaled and can cause death.
The U.S. military said they discovered an al Qaeda car bomb factory last month near Falluja with chlorine tanks.Anbar, a mainly Sunni Arab province in which Falluja lies, has long been among the most troublesome areas of Iraq for U.S. forces.
HOUSING HIT
Friday's two bombs near Falluja occurred within the space of 40 minutes.In the first, near the town of Amiriya, two Iraqi police were killed and up to 100 Iraqis showed signs of chlorine exposure, with symptoms ranging from minor skin and lung irritation to vomiting, the U.S. statement said.Soon afterwards, a suicide bomber detonated a dump truck carrying a 200-gallon (900-liter) chlorine tank rigged with explosives south of Falluja. Around 250 civilians became ill.Earlier on Friday, another smaller bomb using chlorine detonated at a checkpoint northeast of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, wounding one U.S. soldier and one Iraqi civilian.Hospital sources said one of the Falluja attacks targeted a large housing complex, killing six people including policemen, while the second targeted a tribal leader opposed to al Qaeda.U.S. commanders say a growing number of tribes in Anbar have joined forces to take on al Qaeda, which has hit back with major bombs targeting civilians.Baghdad was relatively quiet on Saturday, but a suicide car bomb in the west of the city killed two people, including one policeman, and wounded five.
There were no reports of further trouble in Sadr City, a Shi'ite militia stronghold where about 2,000 supporters of radical anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gathered on Friday to demand U.S. forces withdraw. Sadr City, a stronghold of Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, is seen as a crucial test of Maliki's plan to crack down on violence by both Shi'ite militias and Sunni Arab insurgents. (Additional reporting by Mussab Al-Khairalla, Claudia Parsons, Ibon Villelabeitia)
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 = Mon Mar 19 12:01 AM EDT
MAR 18,07
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 5.0 TIMOR REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.3 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 5.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAR 17,07
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.9 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 6.1 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.0 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
MAP 3.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.0 SOUTHEASTERN IRAN
MAP 3.1 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAR 16,07
MAP 4.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUATEMALA
MAP 2.8 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.5 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.4 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAR 15,07
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.0 POLAND
MAP 4.6 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
MAP 4.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 4.8 BURU, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.7 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 4.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.4 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
Two earthquakes rock east Indonesia, no casualties Sun Mar 18, 2:03 AM ET
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two earthquakes hit eastern Indonesian regions on Sunday, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, a meteorological official said. A moderate earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck Papua province at 11:24 a.m. (0224 GMT), said an official at the National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.It was centered 147 km (91 miles) northwest of the provincial capital, Jayapura, at a depth of 78 km, the official said.Earlier, a 5.9 magnitude quake jolted Ternate on the Moluccas islands, at 02.42 a.m. (1742 GMT). The undersea quake had a depth of 57 km and was centered some 126 km northwest of Ternate.Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Its 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.
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.
Late winter storm hits Atlantic Canada, U.S. East Coast
Saturday, March 17, 2007 | 8:05 PM ET CBC News
A late winter storm swept in from New England across parts of Quebec and Eastern Canada on Saturday, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain.Heavy snow was making roads in Montreal treacherous.Up to 25 centimetres of snow was expected in Fredericton, N.B., and the forecast was for about 15 centimetres in Halifax and Yarmouth, N.S.The snow will turn into rain later in the day, forecasters say. Fredericton could receive up to 50 millimetres of rain over a 24-hour period, while Halifax could get up to 30 millimetres.The storm system has forced hundreds of flight cancellations in the northeastern United States, from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
New York City has received 15 centimetres of snow and sleet.Parts of Pennsylvania were expecting up to 30 centimetres and New Jersey and upstate New York were to receive at least that much.The weather is blamed in at least eight traffic deaths — five in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvania.North of the border, Trudeau International Airport in Montreal has cancelled some of its flights to the northeastern U.S., and some regional flights.There are similar delays at Toronto's Pearson and Halifax's Stanfield international airports.
N.Y. storm strands passengers in planes By DAVID B. CARUSO and JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press Writers Sun Mar 18.
NEW YORK - Hundreds of passengers were stranded for hours overnight on airliners that couldn't take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport because of the ice and snow storm that pummeled the Northeast. The exact number of planes stuck on the tarmac was unclear, but irate passengers reported that the problems affected several airlines. Pilots and officials blamed some of the problems on a shortage of deicing fluid and a new federal regulation giving pilots a narrow window to get their planes in the air once the chemicals are applied. The change has meant some jets need to get doused repeatedly if their takeoffs are delayed.Rahul Chandran said he was trapped aboard a Cathay Pacific Airways jet from midnight until nearly 9:30 a.m. Saturday, when the flight to Vancouver was finally canceled.
Throughout the night, the pilot repeatedly described problems with deicing equipment, including a lack of fluid, that kept the plane waiting endlessly to have its wings sprayed. When the airline finally gave up and tried to return the plane to its terminal, it took at least another hour to arrange a gate, he said.You can't keep your passengers on the plane for 9 1/2 hours, said Chandran, 30, of New York City. They kept saying 'half an hour more, 45 minutes more. But by the time it got to hour six, we were pretty much accepting that we weren't going to go ... At least in the terminal, you can get up and walk around.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the metropolitan area's airports, said airlines not the airport are responsible for supplying and maintaining terminal deicing equipment.
Port Authority aviation director Bill DeCota said airport operators and the carriers need to collectively work out a solution quickly to what is evolving as a major problem with deicing.Just last month, JetBlue stranded passengers on several planes for up to 10 1/2 hours during a similar storm. At the time, the airline said its inability to get planes deiced in accordance with the new FAA rules was a factor.We and the carriers need to sit down and find out whether there is anything we can do, DeCota said. I know there are a lot of irate passengers, and they have a right to be.Other airlines that reported problems included South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines, the charter company Miami Air and Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco. Royal Air Maroc kept one plane full of passengers on the tarmac for nearly 14 hours, DeCota said. Two Virgin Atlantic flights — one diverted from Boston — also were kept at a standstill for hours, spokeswoman Brooke Lawer said.One flight sat from 9:45 p.m. until 4 a.m., when it was canceled.I know that deicing was a significant factor, Lawer said.From Friday to Saturday morning, more than 3,600 commuter and mainline flights were canceled nationwide because of the effects of the storm. JetBlue, US Airways, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines all reported cancellations.
For this storm, JetBlue took no chances of a repeat of last month's problems. It canceled about 400 of 550 of all scheduled flights across the country Friday because of the weather, rather than risk leaving more people stuck aboard idle planes. JetBlue expected mostly normal operations Saturday, said spokeswoman Jenny Dervin.Friday's snow, ice and rain storm closed schools in parts of the Northeast and made highways treacherous. The weather was blamed for nearly a dozen traffic deaths in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.(A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the last name of Port Authority aviation director. It is DeCota, not DeCosta.)
Earth has warmest December-February on record by Veronica Smith
Fri Mar 16, 9:41 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Earth has experienced its warmest December-February since records began 128 years ago, a US agency said in a report which has added fire to global warming concerns.
A record warm January worldwide pushed average temperatures to 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit (0.72 degrees Celsius) above normal for the 20th century, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.It was the highest average temperature for the period since records began in 1880, the NOAA, said in its report released on Thursday.A UN panel said last month that global warming was almost certainly caused by human activity and several governments and international bodies have sounded the alarm over the need to cut carbon emissions.
Europe has had its hottest winter on record and European experts say the spring and summer are also likely to be the warmest ever.The El Nino phenomenon, a periodic warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern Pacific, contributed to the chart-busting combined global land and ocean surface temperature, the NOAA said.But in February ocean temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific cooled more than 0.5 degrees F/0.3 degrees C and were near average for the month.Nevertheless, the ocean-surface temperature in the period tied for second warmest on record, the agency said, just 0.1 degree Fahrenheit (0.06 degrees Celsius) cooler than the record established during the very strong El Nino episode of 1997-1998.The NOAA scientists pointed to a steady rise in temperatures in recent decades.
During the past century, global surface temperatures have increased at a rate near 0.11 degrees F (0.06 degrees C) per decade.But the rate of increase has been three times larger since 1976, or 0.32 degrees F (0.18 degrees C) per decade, with some of the largest temperature increases occurring in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, they said.For the United States alone, the December 2006-February 2007 winter season had an overall temperature that was close to average, while December was the 11th warmest on record.The UN's Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change said last month that human activity was almost certain to blame for global warming and warned that the Earth's average surface temperature could rise between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees C by 2100.Fossil fuel pollution will raise temperatures this century, worsen floods, droughts and hurricanes, melt polar ice and damage the climate system for a thousand years to come, the UN's top panel on climate change said.
Experts say that if global warming trends continue, up to a third of the world's highest glaciers could melt away by 2050 and half will disappear by 2090.The new sense of urgency comes with the Kyoto treaty, the world's first serious attempt to combat the problem, set to expire in 2012.US President George W. Bush refused to adopt Kyoto, which excluded China, India and other big emerging economies.The NOAA, an agency of the US Commerce Department, said it was working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.Climatologists and weather forecasters across Europe have warned that record warm weather is likely to continue through the spring. The average temperature for the three months of spring (March, April, May) will be above normal, said French climatologist Michel Schneider, though he did not rule out the possibility of a cold snap or two.
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.
Italian volcano off Sicily erupts Fri Mar 16, 9:22 AM ET
ROME - The volcano on the tiny Sicilian island of Stromboli erupted in a shower of small stones and ash, but it posed no danger to the few hundred people living nearby, authorities said Friday. The eruption late Thursday was the latest activity from Stromboli, located 40 miles north of Sicily.The volcano is noted for its frequent, minor eruptions and attracts tourists eager to see the flow of lava inching down its side. It is the northernmost of seven islands in the Aeolian archipelago north of Sicily.Last month, the volcano spewed a substantial amount of lava into the sea, prompting authorities to warn islanders about the risk of a small tsunami.
In spring 2003, Stromboli sent hardened lava raining down on some of the settlements nestled in the folds of the island's green slopes. A few chunks crashed into houses.In 2002, Stromboli experienced a rare effusive eruption an outpouring of lava without an explosion, its first in 17 years. A few days later, landslides tumbled down an uninhabited slope, crashing into the sea and setting off a tsunami.
Stromboli is not the only active volcano in southern Italy, with Mount Etna in Sicily coming to life every few months.
Olmert pans Palestinian peace talks By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writer MAR 18,07
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday ruled out peace talks with the Palestinians, saying contacts will be limited to humanitarian issues until the new coalition government explicitly renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Speaking at the weekly meeting of his Cabinet, Olmert said he would boycott the new government and urged the international community to follow suit. The Cabinet overwhelmingly endorsed Olmert's position.The rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah installed their new unity government on Saturday, hoping the alliance will end months of infighting and persuade the international community to lift a year of economic sanctions.
Israeli officials fear the new government will cause the tough international stance against the Palestinians to crumble. Israel and the U.S. on Sunday ruled out a resumption of financial transfers to the Palestinians. But Norway announced it would lift sanctions, and Britain and the U.N. also signaled flexibility.
While the coalition's platform is more moderate than that of the previous Hamas-led government, Olmert said it fell short of international demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept past peace deals. He also noted its affirmation of the right to resistance.This is a government that does not accept the conditions of the international community and sees terror as a legitimate goal, Olmert told his Cabinet.Olmert said he would maintain contact with the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected separately and is not a member of the coalition government. But Olmert said the discussions would be limited to quality of life issues for Palestinians.The Cabinet endorsed Olmert's position 19-2, Israeli radio stations reported.The new Palestinian administration replaced a year-old government led by Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings. It capped months of negotiations — interrupted by bursts of violence that killed more than 140 Palestinians — between Hamas and Fatah.
Hamas' rise to power last year provoked Western donor nations to cut off aid to the Palestinians. Israel also has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes it collects for the Palestinians. The sanctions have devastated the Palestinian economy.Finance Minister Salam Fayyad warned Saturday that the new government would not be able to function for long unless the boycott is lifted and financial aid is increased.At Saturday's parliamentary swearing-in ceremony, Palestinian leaders sent mixed messages about their dealings with Israel. But in sum, they appeared to show a softening of Hamas' stance.Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, said Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas had missed an opportunity to accept the international conditions and make the Palestinians a partner for peace.But in a break from the Israelis, she said the U.S. would likely maintain contact with non-Hamas members of the government.
The new Palestinian alliance appears to implicitly recognize Israel by calling for a Palestinian state on lands the Israelis captured in 1967, in contrast with Hamas' past calls to eliminate Israel altogether.
It also pledges to respect previous agreements with Israel and authorizes Abbas to conduct future peace talks. Any future deal would be submitted to a national referendum, suggesting Hamas would not hold veto power.Abbas, who has repeatedly condemned violence and called for peace talks with Israel, has said the deal is the best he can get from Hamas and was needed to avert Palestinian civil war.We hope the world community, especially the U.S. and Israel, will deal with this government, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a top aide to Abbas, said Sunday. This is the only opportunity for peace and stability so far.Presenting the government's program to parliament Saturday, Haniyeh said the alliance would work first and foremost to establish an independent Palestinian state, with disputed Jerusalem as its capital, on lands Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast War.
He said the Palestinians maintained the right to resist occupation, but would also seek to widen a truce with Israel, now limited to the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, however, Hamas issued a statement saying the government platform "is totally different than the program of the Hamas movement.We call on the national unity government to support the choice of resistance against the occupation, the statement said. In addition to the struggle for international legitimacy, the Palestinian alliance also is in danger of crumbling quickly over ideological differences, and long-standing enmities between the two factions and their legions of gunmen. Abbas on Sunday named a Gaza strongman known for leading a crackdown on Hamas militants a decade ago as his national security adviser, presidential aides said.
The appointment puts Mohammed Dahlan, a top official in Abbas' Fatah party, in a sensitive position as Palestinian leaders try to reform their myriad and competing security services. Hamas still has rocky relations with Dahlan.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
Bird flu spreads in northern Nigeria's main city MAR 18,07
KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus is spreading among poultry farms around northern Nigeria's largest city, Kano, despite control measures, a senior veterinary official said on Sunday. The avian influenza virus is still spreading among poultry farms and it has so far affected 33 farms in seven districts, Shehu Bawa, head of Kano State's Committee on Avian Flu, told AFP.
More than 80,000 birds have been culled in Kano, Bawa added.Further measures taken to check the outbreak include controls on movement of poultry and people, disinfecting farm workers and visitors, fencing off farms, and a ban on borrowing of farm implements from them.Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation with some 140 million people, early this year reported west Africa's first human bird flu death.A 22-year-old woman died in Lagos on January 17 weeks after plucking and disembowelling a chicken.Bird flu was first detected on a farm in Jaji town outside the northern city of Kano in February last year from where it spread to other parts of Nigeria.Kano, northern Nigeria's most populous city, was worst affected by the flu outbreak which ravaged 97 farms in the city resulting in the death or culling of at least 300,000 birds, officials said.Three more northern states -- Katsina, Sokoto and Bauchi -- have recorded a resurgence of bird flu since it resurfaced in Kano.
Feiglin Highlights Israel's Jewish Identity Problem
This article originally appeared in The Jewish Press on March 18, 2007
by Elliot Resnick, Jewish Press Staff Reporter
When he becomes prime minister, says Moshe Feiglin, he will destroy the terrorist regimes in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza; annex those areas to Israel; demolish the security fence; ensure that every Israeli child receives one hour of Jewish education every day; and demand that the United States release Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.Speaking to friends and supporters of Manhigut Yehudit at the Sands in Atlantic Beach last Monday, Feiglin, the organization’s founder and a Jewish Press columnist, highlighted what he called Israel’s Jewish identity problem.He told the audience that 60 percent of IDF inductees have never visited Jerusalem and that a majority of Israeli schoolchildren cannot finish the sentence Shema Yisrael.Manhigut Yehudit’s fifth annual dinner drew some 300 friends and supporters. The evening’s theme, as in past years, was: Turning the State of the Jews into the Jewish State, the organization’s motto.Manhigut Yehudit, as a faction within the Likud party in Israel, hopes to take over the party (and through it, the whole country) by convincing like-minded individuals to become members of Likud and vote (alongside old-time Likud members) for Manhigut Yehudit leaders in the party’s various internal elections.
Formed in 1998, Manhigut Yehudit (the name means "Jewish Leadership") has recruited 13,000 people to Likud so far. In the 2005 primaries for the leadership of Likud, Feiglin finished in third place behind Benjamin Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom, with 13 percent of the vote.In a power point presentation at the dinner, Manhigut Yehudit international director and co-founder Shmuel Sackett demonstrated that a mere 13,000 votes separated Feiglin from Netanyahu in the last Likud primary. Sackett said that polls predict Likud would receive 29 seats, as opposed to 12 for Kadima, if an election were held today. Manhigut Yehudit provides a great amount of hope, Rabbi David Algaze of Cong. Havurat Yisroel in Forset Hills told The Jewish Press. Rabbi Algaze recited a prayer for the three recently captured Israeli soldiers at the dinner.
Asked why he likes Feiglin, Jewish singer Ira Heller, who sang The Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah at the dinner, said, It’s a long list, but the bottom line is emunah [faith in God], because what is missing in every politician, no matter how talented, is emunah.Rob and Laurence Muchnick were the guests of honor at the dinner; Yishai and Malka Fleisher received a Lev Yehudi Award; Esther Weber received an Eishet Chayil Awrad; Jack and Ana Berger received an Eretz Yisroel Award; and ZOA president Morton Klein was suprised with an award for his outspoken support of the Jewish people.
A Chat With Moshe Feiglin.The Jewish Press: How many years will it be until Manhigut Yehudit is running the state of Israel? Feiglin: I’m not a prophet. But I believe we’re talking about months or years, not decades. If you were prime minister, how would you have responded to the murder of Erez Levanon [who was killed by Arab terrorists last week]? The killer did not act on his own. He was a soldier who acted out of nationalistic reasons and is a hero among his people. It is not a question of crime; it’s a question of war. The village where he came from should be punished. War is collective.
How would you handle Iran? There’s a very simple rule in the Gemara: One who comes to kill you, arise and kill him first. I think that every individual who declares that he wishes to destroy Israel and is preparing for it, should be killed.What are you hoping Manhigut Yehudit will accomplish in the next election? Anything above 20 percent in the primaries for head of Likud will be very nice. I also think we will be able to get two members of Manhigut Yehudit in the Knesset. However, this is not the target. The target is to win.What will you do if Manhigut Yehudit is banned? Manhigut Yehudit is about an idea. They cannot do what they did to Kahane, ban the whole party, because there isn’t any party. However, it’s important to understand that the Likud is only a tool. So if it will not be through Likud, it will be in a different way.I don’t think that G-d brought us back to the land of Israel for the third time as some sort of bad joke, and if Israel does not become a Jewish state, it will no longer be a state at all. So if the door will be closed, we’ll get in through the window, and if both will be closed, we’ll break a hole in the wall or break the whole wall. God will not give us a challenge that we cannot deal with.Manhigut Yehudit is the largest faction inside the Likud party, and strives to Turn the State of the Jews into The Jewish State.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein March 18, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Things seem relatively calm in Israel at the moment—especially in comparison to last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war and the horrors of the second Palestinian intifada. But as I walk around Jerusalem, or travel around Israel to visit Fellowship-sponsored projects, I notice a feeling of uneasiness among people in the Holy Land. And, unfortunately, news reports show that there is good reason for this feeling.Since the ceasefire with Hezbollah was declared last August, this terrorist group has wasted no time in rearming and regrouping. Recent reports have shown an increased presence of Hezbollah fighters and missile installations in southern Lebanon, suggesting that Hezbollah is positioning itself to again attack Israel. In fact, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has admitted publicly, we openly declare that we have weapons, that we are completing our preparedness for a greater and more dangerous stage.
Meanwhile, despite their failure to live up to any previous ceasefire agreements, Hamas has extended yet another offer to Israel. This time the terrorist group claims it will end attacks on Israel if Israel recognizes the Hamas-Fatah government called for by last month's Mecca Agreement. But clearly, Hamas' offers are hollow. At the same time it is talking ceasefire, Hamas is working to turn Gaza into a fortified camp capable of launching even deadlier rocket attacks against Israel, and of resisting any further attempts by the Israel Defense Forces to enter the area to root out terrorists. Hamas leaders, too, continue their harsh, hateful anti-Israel rhetoric, vowing this week, "We will not betray promises we made to God to continue the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine"—meaning, of course, the destruction of Israel.Indeed, hudna, the Arab word commonly translated as ceasefire, refers to a temporary halt to hostilities—a measure taken in the hope of winning a decisive victory over one's enemies in the future. There is every reason to believe that these ceasefires are merely opportunities for Hezbollah and Hamas to gather their strength to strike at Israel again in the future.
We are committed to keeping you informed of the seriousness of the situation Israel faces. And we hope today you will help spread the word by forwarding this message to a friend and encouraging them to sign up for our e-newsletter. In this way we can widen Israel's circle of friends, and let more and more people know the truth about Israel's struggle for peace and security.I thank you, my friend, for your continued support of Israel. Now, more than ever, I ask you to continue your prayers for the peace of Jerusalem.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Here we GO the EU is getting heavily into RFID IMPLANTABLE CHIPS, They will be the ones that Impliment the MARK OF THE BEAST SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE On the WORLD.
EU Working Towards RFID Standards John Blau, IDG News Service
Sun Mar 18, 12:00 PM ET
The European Commission has formed a group to provide it with advice about RFID (radio frequency identification), which it aims to avoid regulating, according to the commissioner in charge of that area.The potential growth of the RFID market is huge, Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding told reporters Thursday at the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany. She estimated that the European RFID market will grow from €500 million (US$660 million) in 2006 to €7 billion by 2016. We're strong in wireless, mobility and chip manufacturing, and we must develop this for RFID, she said. But the commissioner also warned that industry must pay greater attention to security and privacy issues. We must make industry aware that the Internet of things must be an Internet for people.To that end, Reding announced the creation of an RFID stakeholder group, including representatives from industry and consumer groups. The group will provide advice to the Commission, which plans by the middle of this year to propose amendments to the e-Piracy Directive taking account of RFID applications. Also, later in the year, the Commission intends to publish recommendations for member states on how to handle data security and privacy issues affected by the use of RFID.
Reding stressed her intention to avoid a top-down approach, or overregulation, which could stymie RFID development. She pointed to many benefits of smart-tag technology, including billions of euros that companies can save through greater efficiency.The Commissioner is working closely with government officials in the U.S., China, Japan and Korea to promote RFID international standards.
We totally support the efforts of the Commission to bring all the various stakeholders together and, in particular, to help push for global RFID standards, said Antonia Voerste, a spokeswoman for German retailer Metro AG, one of the largest users of smart-tag technology in the country. "RFID is very much a global issue.
EU mulls Berlin Declaration
Time for Brussels to come out of arrogance and become transparent Commission TURKEY
Author: (Tito) Tejinder Singh - 17 March 2007 - Issue : 721
Jose Manuel Durao Barroso (L), Chairman of the European Commission, flanked by Jacques Delors, delivers a speech in front of portraits of their predecessors during the inauguration of a pictures gallery at the entrance of the EU Commission Headquarters, June 14, 2005* The Berlin Declaration, the much-talked about ambitious statement to commemorate the Rome Treaty will be a litmus test for not only the German Presidency under the able leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel but also other European institutions. Today’s Europe is a citizens’ Europe, as was evident when the non to the European Constitutional Treaty by the French people was followed three days later by the Dutch nee consolidating the idea that democracy is alive and kicking in Europe. Interesting to note that initially the notion of churning out a European constitution by the old “wise men” of Europe and the talk of a United States of Europe did not stir any kind of anti-EU feelings in the countries which are supposed to be the driving forces behind the European integration process. Europeans have been striving for a united Europe but it is clear they believe in unity in diversity and want to keep the democratic principles underlying the unification process. The Treaty of Rome (1957) declared a common European market as a European objective with the aim of increasing economic prosperity and contributing to an ever-closer union among peoples of Europe. Later, the Single European Act (1986) and the Treaty on European Union (1992) introduced the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and laid the foundations for the single currency which was given the name Euro by the European Council in Madrid in December 1995. From the time the Maastricht Treaty launched Europe on the road to a unified currency, till the colourful bank notes with their landscapes and monuments finally came into peoples’ pockets, there was always a school of thought coming out with overly overt and oracular statements about the doomsday of Euro.
With the successful launch of Euro, cheerful acceptance of the common currency by millions of Europeans and now the settling down of Euro on the international markets did prove all these negate predictions were nothing but an otiose exercise. And then came another historic moment as 10 new member states (Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia , Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined the European Union at a European summit on June 20-21, 2003 at Athens, Greece. The founding fathers of the concept had not acknowledged explicitly but the ultimate purpose of a unified currency was to move Europe towards a long-run goal of political union and EMU has proven a potent political symbol of uniting a continent ravaged by sanguinary schisms over the centuries. The present day politicians got overenthusiastic and the result is for all to see.Moreover, transparency and authenticity of the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, has been nose-diving for quite some years. When the Delors Commission resigned en masse instead of facing the music in the European Parliament, the Prodi Commission took over declaring to bring transparency and root out corruption and nepotism.But, at the end of its term, the Prodi Commission never could look into the eyes of the European citizens and declare a successful end to the campaign to bring some sort of transparency in the modus operandi of the Commission. Instead, the Prodi Commission left behind terms like Eurostat scandal, Athens International Airport … where did millions go? and How safe are Whistleblowers?
Then came the Barroso Commission, which got dogged down from the start with fallout from statements from its members even before they took office, was aptly grilled by the European Parliament. After the inauspicious beginning, the Commission had to readjust, replace and reshuffle its members to get the nod from the Parliament which happens to be the only democratically-elected European institution. Without foresight and with arrogance, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso bragged about not bowing down to public pressure and kept defending the Union’s determination to liberalise Europe’s services sector, thus slashing the French support for the European constitution from more than 60 percent until mid-March of the year to a negative verdict at the end of May. The non campaigners fanned the fears of the French workers that they could be competing for domestic jobs with “new” member state citizens. Adding fuel to the fire was the media coverage of a small French company’s decision to lay off nine of its workers but saying they could keep their jobs if they worked for the firm’s subsidiary in Romania, at 110 Euro a month, or one-tenth of their French salaries. On the other hand, the Dutch used the referendum to protest what they view as Euro-triggered inflation and the Netherlands’ status as a key contributor to the EU budget. The vote was seen in the Netherlands not only as a rejection of a European superstate, but also as a protest against discussions over Turkish membership in the union.
One of the six founding members of the European Union, the Netherlands had always been seen as staunchly in favour of the Union but the increasing Muslim population and the murder of a famous filmmaker for his views on the treatment of Muslim women in Islamic society made the Dutch reject the treaty by 62 to 38 percent following that of the French, who voted against the EU constitution by a margin of 55 to 45 percent. While Turkey can sit back and mull its own future, there is no doubt that Europeans will continue to integrate with the Western Balkans if they can keep on track with economic reforms, refining of social structures and strengthening of democratic institutions. Europe needs depth in integration and not a superficial opaque powerhouse superstate based in the cloudy environs of Brussels. The architects of Berlin Declaration and the new wise men and women contemplating the launch of refined Constitution Treaty will do well to observe the warning signs that Europe must listen to its Vox Populi.
This WEEK in the European Union
16.03.2007 - 17:29 CET | By Honor Mahony
EUOBERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (19 - 25 March) - The EU's 50th birthday falls on Sunday 25 March this week with preparations on how to celebrate it, and minute speculation about what exactly will be in the official birthday declaration to mark the occasion, set to dominate the coming days.The date marks the signing of the Treaty of Rome the precursor to the modern-day European Union.The day itself is to be marked by celebrations across the 27-nation bloc with Berlin - due to the German EU presidency - to be the centre-point of the festivities.EU leaders will arrive in Berlin on Saturday evening for a dinner and concert. Sunday morning will see the official ceremony marking the anniversary of the Rome Treaty and according to the provisional time plan, Chancellor Angela Merkel would like to have the whole thing wrapped up by 2pm CET when the final press point conference is scheduled.
However, the run-up to it is unlikely to be entirely without controversy. A state-of-the-union declaration being drawn up by Berlin to mark the occasion is the focus of some keen interest with governments lining up over the past months to say what should or should not be in it. For its part, Berlin has been playing its cards close to its chest, giving only an indication of the general layout of the document. A gathering of 200 young people will meet in Rome for a youth summit mirroring its older - and perhaps less idealistic - counterpart in the German capital. It begins on Friday and is set to produce its own declaration summing up the EU as they see it. In Brussels on Wednesday, the EU's transparency commissioner Siim Kallas is to publish a long-awaited paper on making lobbyist activities around the EU less opaque.He is set to propose a register for lobbyists which would get them to lay out who they are presenting and how they are funded. But according to previous statements by Mr Kallas, lobbyists - running to several thousand in Brussels - will not be required to register.The central issue of interest will be the funding question. Mr Kallas has said he would like more funding transparency but pro-transparency organisations such as Corporate Europe Observatory say this will require obligations with either strong incentives for compliance or sanctions for non-compliance.
Meanwhile, commissioners will also have a general discussion on the European economy.In the European Parliament the German presidency will on Tuesday outline to members of the civil liberties committee how it expects the so-called Prum Treaty to work with DNA-sharing and cross-border police hot pursuits, some of its biggest elements. The EU's plans for setting up a global satellite navigation system - known as a Galileo - will come under scrutiny on Thursday when the bloc's transport ministers meet in Brussels. Germany has promised to raise the issue, with the commission last week raising concerns about the long delays in setting the system up.
The Bible clearly says Pestilences would occur,which is Chemical and Biological weapons being used in these last days.
PESTILENCES (CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS USED)
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.
Chlorine bombs poison hundreds in Iraq By Waleed Ibrahim
Sat Mar 17, 11:43 AM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Insurgents in western Iraq set off three chlorine gas car bombs, U.S. forces said on Saturday, weeks after two similar attacks sparked fears of a new campaign to use unconventional weapons in Iraq. The Friday attacks came a month into a major U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in Baghdad aimed at stemming sectarian violence that threatens to pitch Iraq into outright civil war.Australia's Prime Minister John Howard, one of Washington's most loyal allies in the war, visited Baghdad on Saturday and told Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Australia would keep its troops in Iraq as long as they were needed.Chlorine gas was widely used in World War One but its use in insurgent attacks in Iraq has particular resonance there. Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons on Kurdish areas in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.The U.S. military said two suicide bombers driving dump trucks carrying chlorine made 350 people ill near the town of Falluja on Friday, and another smaller car bomb near Ramadi also released chlorine, though there were few casualties.
The U.S. statement reported two deaths in one of the attacks but hospital sources said earlier eight people were killed and dozens became ill after the two bombings in the Falluja area.Two bombs with chlorine killed eight people earlier this year. It causes severe burns when inhaled and can cause death.
The U.S. military said they discovered an al Qaeda car bomb factory last month near Falluja with chlorine tanks.Anbar, a mainly Sunni Arab province in which Falluja lies, has long been among the most troublesome areas of Iraq for U.S. forces.
HOUSING HIT
Friday's two bombs near Falluja occurred within the space of 40 minutes.In the first, near the town of Amiriya, two Iraqi police were killed and up to 100 Iraqis showed signs of chlorine exposure, with symptoms ranging from minor skin and lung irritation to vomiting, the U.S. statement said.Soon afterwards, a suicide bomber detonated a dump truck carrying a 200-gallon (900-liter) chlorine tank rigged with explosives south of Falluja. Around 250 civilians became ill.Earlier on Friday, another smaller bomb using chlorine detonated at a checkpoint northeast of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, wounding one U.S. soldier and one Iraqi civilian.Hospital sources said one of the Falluja attacks targeted a large housing complex, killing six people including policemen, while the second targeted a tribal leader opposed to al Qaeda.U.S. commanders say a growing number of tribes in Anbar have joined forces to take on al Qaeda, which has hit back with major bombs targeting civilians.Baghdad was relatively quiet on Saturday, but a suicide car bomb in the west of the city killed two people, including one policeman, and wounded five.
There were no reports of further trouble in Sadr City, a Shi'ite militia stronghold where about 2,000 supporters of radical anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gathered on Friday to demand U.S. forces withdraw. Sadr City, a stronghold of Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, is seen as a crucial test of Maliki's plan to crack down on violence by both Shi'ite militias and Sunni Arab insurgents. (Additional reporting by Mussab Al-Khairalla, Claudia Parsons, Ibon Villelabeitia)
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