SHAVUOT IN ISRAEL YESTERDAY

DAY 6 OF 6 OF SOEOTORO-OBAMA SEDITION & TREASON TRIAL-DR JAMES MANNING
http://atlah.org/pdf/ciaColumbiaObamaTrial_v2.pdf
http://www.atlah.org/

GLENN BECK ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN-THIS CRIMINAL BUNCH NEVER STOPS TO CONTROL THE US
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/40663/
GLENN BECK TAKING CRIME GLOBAL-WHO ELSE BUT OBAMA & GOLDMAN SACHS FRIENDS AT WH.
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/40600/
MAX KEISER ON ALEX JONES YESTERDAY-PLUS REST OF WEEK SHOWS AFTER 4PM EACH DAY
http://rss.nfowars.net/20100517_Mon_Alex.mp3
http://rss.nfowars.net/20100518_Tue_Alex.mp3
http://rss.nfowars.net/20100519_Wed_Alex.mp3
http://rss.nfowars.net/20100520_Thu_Alex.mp3
http://rss.nfowars.net/20100521_Fri_Alex.mp3
http://rss.nfowars.net/20100523_Sun_Alex.mp3

A MUST GET IS JACK VAN IMPES-OBAMAS RADICAL RULERS - BOOK & VIDEO ABOUT SAUL ALINSKI AND COMMUNIST-SOCIALIST AMERICA UNDER SOETORO-OBAMA & CZARS.
http://www.thegospel.com/clients/jvim-jack-van-impe-ministries/media.asp
https://ww2.micahtek.com/nexolive/nJVISelector.cfm?rDATA1=SHOPPING

WORLD GOVERNMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnq5cQMiAB8&feature=related
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/07/we-are-already-under-global-government.html#links
DICK MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.

EPHESIANS 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,(DEMONIC ANGELS IN HIGH PLACES) against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(SPIRTIUAL DEMONIC PERSONS)
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

LUKE 4:5-7(BECAUSE SATAN OFFERS WORLD POWER, WORLD ORDERERS HAVE ACCEPTED SATANS GIFT)
5 And the devil, taking him (JESUS) up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all,(WORLD SOCIALISM) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950

Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.

Brzezinski Decries Global Political Awakening During CFR Speech
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Wednesday, May 19, 2010

At a recent Council on Foreign Relations speech in Montreal, co-founder with David Rockefeller of the Trilateral Commission and regular Bilderberg attendee Zbigniew Brzezinski warned that a global political awakening, in combination with infighting amongst the elite, was threatening to derail the move towards a one world government.

Brzezinski explained that global political leadership had become much more diversified unlike what it was until relatively recently,noting the rise of China as a geopolitical power, and that global leadership in the context of the G20 was lacking internal unity with many of its members in bilateral antagonisms.In other words, the global elite is infighting amongst itself and this is hampering efforts to rescue the agenda for global government, which seems to be failing on almost every front.Brzezinski then explained another significant factor in that,For the first time in all of human history mankind is politically awakened – that’s a total new reality – it has not been so for most of human history.

Watch the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDBlABD01U0&feature=player_embedded


Brzezinski continued, The whole world has become politically awakened,adding that all over the world people were aware of what was happening politically and were consciously aware of global inequities, inequalities, lack of respect, exploitation.
Mankind is now politically awakened and stirring,said Brzezinski, adding that this in combination with a fractured elite makes it a much more difficult context for any major power, including currently the leading world power, the United States.During a subsequent question and answer session, Brzezinski was asked if he thought another organization should replace the United Nations as the de facto one world government, to which Brzezinski responded,There should be such an organization, before pointing out that the UN was not it in its current role.As the text at the end of the video makes clear, Brzezinski’s admission that humanity has undergone a political awakening is not a positive development in the eyes of the elite.In his 1970 book Between Two Ages: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era, Brzezinski wrote the following.

The technetronic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society would be dominated by an elite, unrestrained by traditional values. Soon it will be possible to assert almost continuous surveillance over every citizen and maintain up-to-date complete files containing even the most personal information about the citizen. These files will be subject to instantaneous retrieval by the authorities.The elite to which Brzezinski refers included many of those who were in attendance for his speech at the CFR meeting. The global political awakening which Brzezinski discussed represents part of the resistance to that very elite dominated society and the systems of control, subjugation and surveillance that they have imposed upon the human race in pursuit of a more controlled society and a one world government.

Merkel: Europe faces historic test in euro crisis By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer - MAY 19,10

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for tougher financial regulation and a crackdown on government debt, saying the future of the euro currency and a united Europe itself were at stake.Merkel urged lawmakers Wednesday to pass Germany's share of a new euro750 billion ($1 trillion) eurozone rescue package, saying that defending the shared European currency is about no more and no less than the preservation of the European idea.That is our historic task; if the euro fails, then Europe fails, she told the lower house of parliament. The euro is in danger — if we do not avert this danger, then the consequences for Europe are incalculable, and then the consequences beyond Europe are incalculable.Merkel's warning follows Germany's decision Thursday to ban so-called naked short-selling of eurozone government debt and shares of major financial companies. Naked short-selling involves a trader selling shares or investments he doesn't own.The move roiled financial markets, in part because it suggested to traders that policymakers were grasping at straws to stem the crisis of confidence over the ability of European governents to pay off their heavy debt loads amid slow growth. Politicians have repeatedly condemned speculators for selling off government bonds and driving up borrowing costs, but many analysts say the real problem is simply too much debt.

Still, Europe is showing a newfound resolve to strengthen its regulatory grip on markets. On Tuesday, European Union governments agreed to tighten rules for freewheeling hedge funds.Citing the short-selling restriction, Merkel said Germany will act alone in areas where that causes no damage,and said the ban would remain until wider European rules are drawn up. Still, the move initially unsettled markets and helped push the euro down.Merkel said a sudden huge drop on stock markets May 6 offered a taste of those consequences. The U.S. Dow index fell almost 1,000 points and then recovered most of its ground; US authorities have not come up with the exact reasons why the dip happened.Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is to contribute at least euro123 billion in loan guarantees to the new package. Parliament is expected to vote on Friday — just two weeks after approving a separate package for Greece, already unpopular at home.While the root cause of the debt crisis was insufficiently competitive countries living above their means, Merkel said, markets poured oil on the fire.That, combined with the financial crisis of the past two years, raises the question of how we can assert the primacy of politics, she said — arguing that people just want one thing, and I think they're right: they want things to be fair.We are now seeing anew how, through a lack of limits and rules, purely profit-oriented behavior on the financial markets can be destructive, Merkel added. It is the task of politicians, parliaments and governments to intervene, to regulate, in case of doubt to ban in order to keep the risks controllable.

Merkel renewed a pledge to push for taxation of financial markets — either a financial transaction tax or another form of levy — in Europe and beyond. She also pushed for quick action to put ratings agencies under European supervision and to increase transparency on derivatives markets.The chancellor acknowledged that Berlin has faced accusations of being hesitant or slow in agreeing rescue packages for debt-laden European nations, but was unapologetic about pushing for them to be made to tackle their budget deficits.Europe needs a new culture of stability, she said, with faster and more effective punishment for countries that habitually run excessive deficits.Those could include withholding European Union structural funds and temporarily withdrawing voting rights from repeat offenders, she said — adding that it was important to draw up procedures for an orderly state insolvency.Above all, though, Merkel said all EU members must speed up cutting their deficits.Only then can the rescue attempts be effective, because continuing to cover up the real causes of the crisis wouldn't help Europe,she said. Germany advocates lasting stability in Europe — we're not going to spare anyone in Europe from that.

EU Commission urges joint action on short-selling By ROBERT WIELAARD, Associated Press Writer - MAY 19,10

BRUSSELS – EU countries should act jointly to regulate so-called naked short-selling of shares and investments to reduce volatilty in financial markets, the European Commission said Wednesday.A day after Germany unilaterally imposed such a ban, EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier said eurozone finance ministers should coordinate their efforts at a special meeting on Friday in Brussels.They need to lay the groundwork for a European regime to avoid regulatory arbitrage and fragmentation both within the EU and globally, he said.Financial markets are currently uncertain and volatile, he said in a statement.These measures will be even more efficient if they are coordinated at a European level.Late Tuesday, Germany suspended naked short-selling of eurozone government debt and shares of major financial companies.Since taking charge as the EU's single market policeman in January, Barnier has focused on the issue of naked short selling, including trading of credit default swaps, and their link to the debt crisis.

Short-selling occurs when traders sell shares or investments they do not own themselves. Credit default swaps are a type of insurance against a borrower going bankrupt. Both have become a large and lucrative market.European leaders complain speculators have used credit default swaps on Greek government debt to bet the country would default on its borrowings — raising pressure to the point where it was forced to ask for a bailout.The EU will publish in coming weeks draft rules on short-selling that will cover disclosure rules and emergency regulatory powers, officials said. Barnier is to put forward EU legislation on the issue in October.

World stocks slide on German trading curbs By Pan Pylas, Ap Business Writer – MAY 19,10

LONDON – World markets slid Wednesday while the euro hovered near four-year lows against the dollar after Germany announced new curbs on traders in a unilateral attempt to shore up the ailing single European currency and prevent the continent's debt crisis from getting out of control.In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 115 points, or 2.2 percent, at 5,192.34 while Germany's DAX plunged 153.41 points, or 2.5 percent, to 6,002.42. The CAC-40 in France was 119.38 points, or 3.3 percent, lower at 3,497.94.Wall Street was poised for another bout of selling at the open later — Dow futures were down 80 points, or 0.8 percent, at 10,410 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures fell 10.40 points, or 0.9 percent, at 1,108.30.The latest bout of selling in the markets emerged Tuesday when the German regulator announced it was banning so-called naked short-selling of eurozone government bonds, as well as shares in ten key German financial institutions until March 31.In a typical short sale, a trader sells borrowed shares in hopes of buying them cheaper later and profiting on the difference. A naked short is when traders sell shares without borrowing them first.

The unexpected decision sent shock waves through the markets, especially as it was done unilaterally by the eurozone's largest economy. The move came just as lawmakers begin a debate over authorizing Germany's euro123 billion contribution to an emergency support fund for the eurozone's highly indebted countries aimed at reassuring financial markets so they won't sell off government debt.The euro was the main casualty of the German move, dropping to a fresh four-year low of $1.2146 earlier before recovering somewhat to trade at $1.2185.Unless the world sings from the same hymn sheet — the rest of the EU, Britain and the U.S. all on board — it is a useless exercise that just creates seismic ripples of unrest, said David Buik, markets analyst at BGC Partners.German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the measure, telling lawmakers that Europe faces an existential test as it tries to shore up the euro. The ban on naked short-selling, she indicated, was part of a strategy to rein in speculators.Merkel insisted that closer oversight of the financial world was needed to assert the primacy of politics in the debt crisis that has engulfed Greece, most notably, and sent the euro plunging on foreign exchange markets.In the markets, the ban also brought back memories of a widely considered unsuccessful attempt by the U.S. and British authorities to prop up stock markets at the end of 2008 in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing crisis that gripped the banking sector.

If anything, the bans in 2008 exacerbated market declines and volatility, as investors took fright and bailed out of the whole sector and the Germans run the risk of causing the same mayhem,said Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets.The ban is even more curious with respect to the shares of the financial institutions involved, given that their share prices have been relatively orderly over the past few days and weeks, he added.The ban applies to several banks — Aareal Bank AG, Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank AG and Deutsche Postbank AG. It also covers insurer Allianz SE; reinsurers Hannover Re AG and Munich Re AG; Generali Deutschland Holding AG, MLP AG, and Frankfurt stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse AG.Investors will now wait to see if there others seek to do something similar in the days ahead — a number of analysts think that other eurozone countries, at the very least, will likely follow Germany in banning naked short selling.

In Asia, shares dropped too in the wake of the German decision.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average dropped 55.80 points, or 0.5 percent, to 10,186.84. South Korea's Kospi index lost 0.8 percent to 1,630.08 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was off 1.9 percent at 4,387.10.Benchmarks in Singapore, India and Indonesia all fell more than 1 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 1.8 percent to 19,583.22.Benchmark crude for June delivery was down $1.20 to $68.21 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 54 cents to settle at $69.41 on Tuesday.Associated Press Writer Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

Oil falls near $68 to 8-month low on Europe fears By ALEX KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer - Wed May 19, 4:13 am ET

SINGAPORE – Oil prices fell to near $68 a barrel Wednesday in Asia, extending losses to an eight-month low as mixed U.S. crude supply figures failed to stem a two week sell-off.Benchmark crude for June delivery was down $1.06 to $68.35 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 54 cents to settle at $69.41 on Tuesday.Oil has plunged more than 20 percent from $87.15 a barrel on May 3 on investor concern that efforts to contain Europe's debt crisis could fail and deep government spending cuts will hurt economic growth and oil demand.Oil inventory data from the American Petroleum Institute late Tuesday was mixed. Crude and distillate supplies fell while gasoline stocks rose. Supplies at the key storage terminal in Cushing Oklahoma rose to a fresh record high.

The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration announced its weekly inventory data report later Wednesday.The recent selling pressure that has gripped the oil market continues to hinge on factors external to oil-specific fundamental developments, Barclays Capital said in a report.Market perceptions over possible developments of the sovereign debt crisis are set to remain an important pricing factor.Traders are closely watching the euro since oil becomes more expensive for investors holding the European currency as the U.S. dollar strengthens.The euro rose slightly to $1.2193 on Wednesday after dropping to a fresh four-year low of $1.2146 earlier in the session.As long as the euro continues to sink like a rock in water, the price of oil will remain on the defensive, Mike Sander of Sander Capital Advisors said.In other Nymex trading in June contracts, heating oil fell 1.47 cents to $1.9468 a gallon, and gasoline dropped 2.3 cents to $2.0203 a gallon. Natural gas was down 1.3 cents at $4.329 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude's July contact was down 56 cents to $73.87 on the ICE futures exchange.

Envoy begins new round of indirect Mideast talks
MAY 19,10

RAMALLAH, West Bank – A U.S. envoy has begun a second round of indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians focusing on a border deal.George Mitchell met Wednesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is to hold talks later in the week with Israeli leaders.The talks were launched earlier this month, and Mitchell is to shuttle between the two sides for up to four months to try to narrow vast differences on the terms of Palestinian statehood.Abbas aide Saeb Erekat says the new round of talks will focus on borders and security. The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. Israel's prime minister has accepted the idea of a Palestinian state, but with many strings attached and without east Jerusalem.

America must push through the wall and win By Laurie Roth May 18,10

The fight of our lives is on! We are being attacked from all angles and with all kinds of Saul Alinsky weapons. The bullets being shot so far include seduction, intimidation, threats, confusion, separation and control.President Obama and his staff continue gaining progress with their ultimate goal,total control and power over the people.The governing philosophy of the Obama administration is classic fascism.People are widgets, means to an end surfs to pull tax money from and fans. When I say fans, I’m not talking fans of God, country and family but Obama fans. We are nothing else. The worth of people and worth limitations are seen vividly in the Obama care bill, which makes us all pay for abortions, you know, those small widgets we rip to shreds who are in the way that look like people. Society just doesn’t want too many selfish babies around. They just are too expensive, not paying taxes yet and in the way of selfish Mom’s who can’t be bothered. Moms these days have incredible demands with college, work, boyfriends and entertainment costs. Just think of the pressure.

Elderly people are also widgets as reflected in this nightmare on Elm street health bill.We already know there will be a team of political elitists (whatever they call themselves, working under Obama) standing behind Doctors, ordering payment rules and guidelines. This Government committee will be dictating what treatment is acceptable for what ailment and what will be paid and when. The bottom line is simply this. Less and less will be allowed and paid for by Medicaid or any approved and mandated insurance company, the older you get. No doubt, assisted suicide will always be paid for and allowed as treatment. Since people are merely expendable numbers, achievement and independence are always threats and must be limited accept if the person achieving is already a stepford wife and a totally controlled fan of the Government. Getting ahead will be allowed if you will let your area of achievement be manipulated and redistributed to non-achievers. You and your outstanding work are nothing but a display model with mirrors pointing back to the fascist regime.

Cap and Trade and other environmental control will come soon, maybe this summer along with a push for amnesty. Since with this administration achievement and independence is a threat, they don’t care, in fact plan on thousands of businesses going under due to a huge increase in regulation, taxation and litigation. Carbon credit this and electricity and gas that…..too much here and too much there. Businesses just trying to do an honest days work will go under from the draconian weight of intrusion and carbon based hit squads demanding compliance. This is actually the plan; Bring U.S. businesses down and gut our power domestically and internationally. We must be manipulated into being a compliant, internationally submitted money machine country. We must fight the upcoming battle with cap and trade and ANY environmental scheme this administration will push. The science behind this effort is nothing but fraud and distortion.

How to survive

The vision of our country, freedom and constitution must be held high and remembered. We must also find and fuel our focus to get real conservative patriots elected state by state. Already, the primaries are showing interesting trends toward conservatives. Many conservative analysis’s including Newt Gingrich and Dick Morris are boldly saying now that we will get back the House and Senate. Let us pray that the Republican Party will produce a real contender to compete and WIN against Obama at the 4 year mark.Remember, Americans aren’t better than other people, we are just unique in our brand of independence, freedom and achievements. With the eruption of Tea parties all over the country, influencing several elections so far, Americans are proving that we will not lay down and play dead anymore. We will have a peaceful revolution and win our best self back. Join me and make a difference by joining the Roth Revolution (its free) at the www.therothshow.com.

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

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

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

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

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

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/site/14081545/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS WED MAY 19,2010

09:30 AM -1.25
10:00 AM -24.41
10:30 AM -96.45
11:00 AM -89.71
11:30 AM -157.29
12:00 PM -143.21
12:30 PM -96.66
01:00 PM -80.41
01:30 PM -59.10
02:00 PM -60.23
02:30 PM -88.80
03:00 PM -69.53
03:30 PM -95.90
04:00 PM -66.58 10,444.37

S&P 500 1115.05 -5.75

NASDAQ 2298.37 -18.89

GOLD 1,193.10 -21.50

OIL 71.00 +1.60

TSE 300 11,665.80 -98.70

CDNX 1486.09 -54.37

S&P/TSX/60 689.18 -4.79

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -31 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -133 points at low today.
Dow +18 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,208.80.OIL opens at $69.19 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -186 points at low today so far.
Dow +18 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -186 points at low today.
Dow +18 points at high today.

GOLD HITS ALLTIME HIGH $1,248.20

CRUDE OIL +200,000 BARRELS.
GASOLINE -300,000 BARRELS.
DISTILLATE INVENTORIES -1 MILLION BARRELS.
REFINERY UTILIZATION

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).

Pesticides on Produce Tied to ADHD in Children HealthDay Reporter by Amanda Gardner healthday Reporter – Mon May 17, 11:48 pm ET

MONDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that exposure to high levels of organophosphate pesticides, commonly found on berries, celery and other produce, could raise the odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.At this point, though, there is no evidence that pesticide exposure can actually cause ADHD, stated the authors of a paper appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics.Certainly parents and children shouldn't swear off fruits and veggies, said study lead author Maryse Bouchard, an adjunct researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal and at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre. However, I think it's safe to say that we should as much as possible reduce our exposure to pesticides,she said.That would meaning going organic, buying at farmers' markets and washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consuming them, she said. I always encourage my families to embrace healthy lifestyles in general, agreed Dr. Nakia Scott, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a child psychiatrist with Lone Star Circle of Care.I think it's much more important that they're eating fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains instead of sodas and fast foods and I'm not saying that they're not going to eat any produce because it might contain pesticides.

Previous research has shown an association between both prenatal and postnatal organophosphate exposure and developmental problems in young children. But most prior studies have focused on excessive rather than average exposure to organophosphates. Organophosphates are one of the most widely used pesticides in agriculture to protect crops and fruits and vegetables, Bouchard noted.For children, the major source of exposure would be the diet -- fruits and vegetables in particular.In their study, Bouchard and her colleagues analyzed data on pesticide exposure and ADHD in more than 1,100 American children aged 8 to 15. Children with higher pesticide levels in their urine were more likely to have ADHD, the team found.

The analysis showed that the higher the level of exposure [as measured by metabolites in the urine], the higher the odds of having ADHD, Bouchard added. Just how might pesticides harm brain development? According to the authors, high doses of organophosphates may inhibit acetylcholinesterase, a nervous system enzyme. Lower doses of the pesticide may affect different growth factors and neurotransmitters.The findings, if replicated, may provide another clue into the causes of ADHD, a condition which affects three to seven percent of school-aged children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We do have a fair amount of evidence about other causes of ADHD, Scott said.We know that ADHD is a highly heritable disorder. At least one-third of fathers who have had ADHD in their youth have a child with ADHD.There are also prenatal risks such as tobacco exposure and alcohol exposure, she added.There's also a possibility that children who are exposed to high levels of lead prior to the age of six may develop ADHD.More information
There's more on shielding kids from pesticides at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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.

U.N. YOU BETTER MAKE ALL THE FISH DYING ON EARTH IN 10 YEARS OR LESS,NOT 40-MY PREDICTION.WHAT WILL THE NEW AGE ENVIROMENTAL NUTCASES DO WHEN THE NUKES START FLYING IN THE OCEANS-TYE THEMSELVES TO SEA FISH....GO AHEAD NUTCASES.

Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN
by Sebastian Smith – Mon May 17, 11:07 pm ET

NEW YORK (AFP) – The world faces the nightmare possibility of fishless oceans by 2050unless fishing fleets are slashed and stocks allowed to recover, UN experts warned.
If the various estimates we have received... come true, then we are in the situation where 40 years down the line we, effectively, are out of fish, Pavan Sukhdev, head of the UN Environment Program's green economy initiative, told journalists in New York.A Green Economy report due later this year by UNEP and outside experts argues this disaster can be avoided if subsidies to fishing fleets are slashed and fish are given protected zones -- ultimately resulting in a thriving industry.The report, which was opened to preview Monday, also assesses how surging global demand in other key areas including energy and fresh water can be met while preventing ecological destruction around the planet.UNEP director Achim Steiner said the world was drawing down to the very capital on which it relies.However, our institutions, our governments are perfectly capable of changing course, as we have seen with the extraordinary uptake of interest. Around, I think it is almost 30 countries now have engaged with us directly, and there are many others revising the policies on the green economy,he said.Environmental experts are mindful of the failure this March to push through a worldwide ban on trade in bluefin tuna, one of the many species said to be headed for extinction.Powerful lobbying from Japan and other tuna-consuming countries defeated the proposal at the CITES conference on endangered species in Doha.But UNEP's warning Monday was that tuna only symbolizes a much vaster catastrophe, threatening economic, as well as environmental upheaval.

One billion people, mostly from poorer countries, rely on fish as their main animal protein source, according to the UN.The Green Economy report estimates there are 35 million people fishing around the world on 20 million boats. About 170 million jobs depend directly or indirectly on the sector, bringing the total web of people financially linked to 520 million.According to the UN, 30 percent of fish stocks have already collapsed, meaning they yield less than 10 percent of their former potential, while virtually all fisheries risk running out of commercially viable catches by 2050.Currently only a quarter of fish stocks -- mostly the cheaper, less desirable species -- are considered to be in healthy numbers.The main scourge, the UNEP report says, are government subsidies encouraging ever bigger fishing fleets chasing ever fewer fish, with little attempt made to allow the fish populations to recover.The annual 27 billion dollars in government subsidies to fishing, mostly in rich countries, is perverse,Sukhdev said, since the entire value of fish caught is only 85 billion dollars.As a result, fishing fleet capacity is 50 to 60 percent higher than it should be, Sukhdev said.Creating marine preservation areas to allow female fish to grow to full size, thereby hugely increasing their fertility, is one vital solution, the report says.Another is restructuring the fishing fleets to favor smaller boats that -- once fish stocks recover -- would be able to land bigger catches.What is scarce here is fish, Sukhdev said, not the stock of fishing capacity.

Oil spill scrutiny turns to Obama administration By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer - MAY 18,10

WASHINGTON – Last week, it was oil executives who faced the wrath of lawmakers eager to find blame for the massive oil spill spreading in the Gulf of Mexico.On Tuesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other federal officials will come under questioning for what the government did — or did not do — to prevent the oil spill, and how they have responded since oil started streaming into the Gulf last month.

Salazar, who oversees the federal agency that monitors offshore drilling, will testify before two Senate committees. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen also will testify at separate hearings, and oil company executives are back for a second round of questions.The hearings come amid the first high-level resignation related to the oil spill and a decision by President Barack Obama to name a presidential commission to investigate the cause of the rig explosion that unleashed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, where engineers are struggling after three weeks to stop the flow.

The presidential panel will be similar to ones that examined the Challenger space shuttle disaster and the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident, said a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been formally announced.The commission would be one of nearly a dozen investigations and reviews launched since the April 20 explosion, although it probably would be the most comprehensive.With BP PLC, the company that owns the well, finally gaining some control over the amount of oil spewing into the gulf, scientists are increasingly worried that huge plumes of crude already spilled could get caught in a current that would carry the mess all the way to the Florida Keys and beyond, damaging coral reefs and killing wildlife.Scientists said the oil will move into the so-called loop current soon if it hasn't already, though they could not say exactly when or how much there would be. Once it is in the loop, it could take 10 days or longer to reach the Keys.The U.S. Coast Guard reported that 20 tar balls were found off Key West on Monday, but said a lab analysis would have to determine their origin. The Florida Park Service during a shoreline survey found balls that were about 3 to 8 inches in diameter.Last week, Obama decried what he called a badly failed offshore drilling system and said failures extended to the federal government and its cozy relationship with oil companies. The Minerals Management Service, the federal agency that oversees offshore drilling, has long been criticized for being too close to industry.

On Monday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said government failures certainly include the Obama administration, which took office in January 2009.But my guess is you guys did some stories in the previous decade on what was going on at MMS, which is what caused Secretary Salazar, when he came in, to begin reforming that,Gibbs told reporters.Salazar, anticipating tough questioning on Capitol Hill, announced Monday he is tightening requirements for onshore oil and gas drilling. The new measures would not apply to oil rigs at sea, and Salazar had outlined the broad outlines of the reforms in January.Even so, he tried to portray them as more evidence of the Obama administration's aggressive response to the Gulf spill.The BP oil spill is a stark reminder of how we must continue to push ahead with the reforms we have been working on and which we know are needed, Salazar said in a statement.

Chris Oynes, associate administrator of the minerals agency, became the first administration official to resign in the wake of the oil spill. Oynes, who was regional director in charge of Gulf offshore oil programs for 13 years before being promoted in 2007 to head all offshore drilling programs, informed colleagues he will retire at the end of the month, according to an e-mail obtained by The Associated Press.Oynes, like other MMS officials, has come under criticism for being too close to the industry. A 35-year government employee, Oynes had earlier indicated his plans to retire but decided to accelerate his departure, said an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue involved a personnel matter. It was unclear what pressure, if any, was put on him. Members of Congress, meanwhile, were continuing to focus attention on the Gulf spill. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and seven other senators asked the Justice Department to determine whether BP made false and misleading claims to the government about its ability to prevent a serious oil spill when it applied for permission last year to drill the Deepwater Horizon well that has unleashed environmental havoc along the Gulf coast. Boxer, who chairs the environment panel, said BP claimed to have the capability to prevent a serious oil spill in case of a well blowout.In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill ... it does not in any way appear there was 'proven equipment and technology' to respond to the spill as BP claimed, she and the other senators wrote Attorney General Eric Holder. They asked the Justice Department to determine whether any criminal or civil laws may have been violated as far as misleading the government. In the month since the oil rig exploded, killing 11 workers, BP has struggled to stop the leak, trying in vain to activate emergency valves and lowering a 100-ton box that got clogged with icy crystals. Over the weekend, the oil company finally succeeded in using a stopper-and-tube combination to siphon some of the gushing oil into a tanker, but millions of gallons are already in the Gulf.AP writers H. Josef Hebert and Erica Werner contributed to this report.

INVISIBLE GASES DOWN BECAUSE OF THE BROUHT ON CRISIS...GOOD LUCK......WHAT A HOGWASH STATEMENT! WHO BELIEVES PROPAGANDA LIKE THAT HEADLINE.

Greenhouse gas emissions down sharply as result of crisis
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today MAY 19,10 @ 09:21 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Greenhouse gas emissions from European Union businesses are down sharply, falling almost 12 percent last year, according to data released on Tuesday (18 May) by the European Commission.Based on information provided by EU member state registries, verified emissions of the gases from all installations participating in Europe's flagship climate strategy, the Emissions Trading Scheme, in 2009 totalled 1.873 billion tonnes of CO2.But the emissions trading mechanism had less to do with the drop than the overall decline in industrial and energy production as a result of the fall-out from the economic crisis.Due to the crisis the significant drop in emissions does not come as a surprise, said climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard. The EU has a functioning trading system driving emission reductions even during a recession. We should not hide that the recession has significantly weakened the price signal.The carbon market can and should be a stronger driver for low-carbon investments. And we must also realise that because of the crisis it suddenly became easier to reduce emissions and that is good.

Unfortunately that also means that European business did not invest nearly as much as planned in innovation, which could harm our future ability to compete on promising markets.Beyond the reduced economic activity as a result of the recession, the commission says the main reason for the drop was also due to the low level of gas prices throughout 2009 which has made it much more attractive to produce power from gas rather than more emitting coal. The lower gas prices themselves were likely a result of the downturn.Nevertheless the carbon price in the ETS has surely also resulted in companies changing behaviour and reducing emissions,the commission said in a statement.In April last year, it was reported that the industrial output collapse had resulted in show a reduction of EU carbon emissions for 2008 of six percent on 2007.

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

Cameron to meet Sarkozy and Merkel in first foreign trip
HONOR MAHONY Today MAY 19,10 @ 09:21 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - in his first foreign trip as Britain's new prime minister, David Cameron will later this week meet his French and German counterparts, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, after years of faltering relations with the two countries as leader of the opposition.Mr Cameron is due to meet the French president on Thursday in Paris while chancellor Merkel will receive him in Berlin the following day.The highly symbolic trip is part of an orchestrated attempt by the Conservative-led government to convince EU allies that the broadly eurosceptic Tories are more constructive and open than their reputation in mainland Europe would have one believe.The Conservatives' relations with Paris and Berlin have been frosty since Mr Cameron last year decided to pull his MEPs out of the European People's Party - the centre-right grouping in the European Parliament that houses both Mr Sarkozy and Ms Merkel's parties. Both leaders were reportedly angry at the move particularly as the Conservatives then went into an alliance with fringe hard-right parties from eastern Europe.More recently, Britain's traditionally more aloof relationship with Brussels has been underlined by the eurozone crisis. The country is not a member of the single currency and so has been largely absent from the panicked negotiations to shore up confidence in the euro.

The previous finance minister Alistair Darling made it clear that Britain will not contribute to the €440 billion eurozone special purpose vehicle fund agreed early last week to rescue struggling members of the single currency.However, since taking up the reins of power along with the Liberal Democrats last week, the Conservatives have made several gestures towards their EU partners.Their coalition government programme drops some of the key proposals of the party's pre-election programme that had made many officials in Brussels wary, such as repatriating powers in the area of EU social and employment legislation. Key ministers have promised constructive engagement with Europe, while foreign minister William Hague, from the more robustly eurosceptic wing of the party, recently wrote a conciliatory piece for Europe's World, the house journal of the Brussels-based Friends of Europe think-tank. The Financial Times notes the surprise around Brussels tables when Chancellor George Osborne turned up at the early hour of 8am for an EU finance ministers meeting, and writes of the astonishment of colleagues when UK farm minister Caroline Spelman worked the meeting room speaking in both French and German.However, some fights in the future are expected. Britain is keen to make sure that new rules on regulating hedge funds are not too onerous on companies, while negotiations on the next multi-annual EU budget, expected to come to a head in 2013, are also set to expose well-worn divisions such as the French defence of farm spending and London's defence of its annual rebate.

Speaking about the immediate future, Mr Osborne said there should be a freeze on EU spending next year. The European Commission has proposed a six percent increase in the budget for 2011, something the British chancellor said was not doable amid the economic downturn.There should be a cash freeze in the EU budget, given what many member states are having to do, he said on Tuesday after the finance ministers' meeting. Mr Osborne also did not indicate that Britain would change policy and contribute to the eurozone fund, something that remains voluntary for the 11 member states that do not have the euro.

Thorny issues punctuate EU-LatAm summit
ANDREW WILLIS Today MAY 19,10 @ 09:41 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The validity of European farm subsidies and rights over the Falkland Islands were among the thorny issues to resurface at a summit meeting between European Union and Latin American leaders in Madrid on Tuesday (18 May). The event had earlier been earmarked as one of the highlights of the Spanish EU presidency, with the country's embattled prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, keen to use the occasion to bolster his international credentials amid falling domestic approval ratings. The Socialist leader was rebuffed by US President Barack Obama in February when a planned EU-US summit, also to be held in Madrid, was cancelled, and now faces the prospect of public sector strikes after recently announcing fresh austerity measures. Trade in a globalised world was the dominant theme of Tuesday's meeting, with leaders committing to avoid protectionism in all its forms in their final communique. The two sides also pledged to strengthen co-operation on issues such as immigration and fighting drug trafficking.In an increasingly globalised world where the source of prosperity lies in uniting efforts, the capacity for economic growth lies in openness and liberalisation,said Mr Zapatero.

Just prior to the summit's opening, EU and Central American states eventually signed off on the trade pillar of an Association Agreement between the two sides after three years of negotiations. The agreement constitutes the first of its kind for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and will aim for 100 percent market opening for industrial products on both sides, said a concluding statement. Worries over agriculture had threatened to derail the talks, with negotiators ultimately agreeing to set specific quotas for cheese and milk powder from Europe and for bananas, beef and rice from central America. The pact also comes despite continued worries over human rights abuses by the Honduran government, whose new president was elected via a ballot organised by coup leaders. This week a 27-year-old leading member of the anti-coup self-styled resistance, Gilberto Alexander Núñez Ochoa, was shot by armed assassins.

Protest

The EU also initialed free trade deals with Peru and Colombia this week after talks with the wider Andean Nations bloc, including Bolivia and Ecuador, broke down when the former boycotted negotiations in 2007 and the latter left in 2009 due to disagreements over the EU's intellectual property demands. MEPs and human rights groups have been critical of the Colombian agreement in particular, pointing to the high number of trade unionist murders in the country. The groups also used the summit to highlight cases of suspected corporate abuses carried out by European firms operating in Latin America. A collection of judges, human rights lawyers and activists, known as the Permanent Peoples Tribunal (PPT), urged the EU to establish a legal framework that enables firms to be held accountable for crimes committed in the region.The Spanish energy company Unión Fenosa, Swedish-Finnish forestry corporation Stora Enso and Swiss cement company Holcim were singled out for bad practices that the PTT says include persecution and assassination of community leaders and environmental destruction. Tensions also surrounded the restarting of trade talks between the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which takes in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.

In a sign that the talks may not fare much better than previous attempts, 10 EU nations lead by France warned last week that their strategic farming interests must not be compromised by any eventual deal. Negotiations between the two sides originally started in 1999 but broke down in 2004. Argentine President Cristina Kirchner also cautioned that the negotiations would be difficult due to protectionist tendencies of some European nations, while the EU says a deal could add about €5 billion of exports a year.

The Falklands

Ms Kirchner also used the occasion in Madrid to return to a long-standing dispute between the Buenos Aires and London, namely ownership of the Falkland Islands, situated off the Argentine coast in the southern Atlantic. I would like to request that we please resume our negotiations on sovereignty over the Malvinas, she said, referring to the islands as they are known in Argentina, after first congratulating David Cameron on becoming the UK's new prime minister. The UK first established its rule on the islands as far back as the 19th century. In 1982, the then-military government in Argentina occupied the two main islands, sparking an armed conflict that lasted several months and which claimed roughly 900 lives.

EU nations push for deficit cuts to tame crisis By AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer - MAY 18,10

BRUSSELS – EU nations pushed for deep deficit cuts Tuesday to restore confidence in European governments' ability to tame their debt crisis and keep it from derailing the economic recovery.Investors fear that Europe will not be able to reduce mounting debt and faces years of slow economic growth, despite a euro750 billion ($1 trillion) rescue package agreed last week to help eurozone nations avoid default.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said governments had to send a necessary signal of confidence to markets by pushing on with budget cuts and accelerate economy reforms that could eventually aid growth — and reduce the risk of countries seeking a bailout.Germany — which is paying the largest chunk of both the rescue package and a euro110 billion bailout for Greece — has made budget cuts a precondition for creating the financial backstops.Dutch Finance Minister Jan-Kees de Jager said there is now a broad consensus that the time of stimulating growth through public spending is over and what is required now is significant consolidation of national budgets using austerity programs.Many countries see a now-or-never moment, he told reporters.EU officials also see it as the time to push for longer-term changes to widely ignored budget rules that are supposed to limit debt and deficit — one of the few ways that the 16 nations that use the euro should coordinate their economies.Government talks start Friday on what new rules or sanctions the EU should introduce. Germany has called for the ultimate punishment of ejecting a country from the euro if it persistently ignores the rules.We've done good work but there's still a lot to do ... not only to defend the euro, Schaueble told reporters, describing now as an opportune time for sweeping reforms.EU Economy Commissioner Olli Rehn said better budget rules were essential to reinforce confidence in the euro economy.

Market worries about Europe's economy have helped fuel the euro's fall to its lowest level against the dollar since April 2006 and lifted the price of gold, traditionally a safe haven when markets lose faith in other assets.However, the 16 countries that use the euro are concerned that sharp spending cutbacks could damage economic growth — and are asking the EU's executive commission to assess this summer which of them can afford to reduce debt quickly without their economies grinding to a halt.Eurozone finance ministers defended the euro as a credible currency on Monday, saying price stability in the region will remain for years to come and is a major feature of the euro and a major asset for investors.Inflation — or a rise in real prices that reduces the burden of existing debt — may be stoked by government bond purchases that the European Central Bank is making as part of the EU rescue package. Until that plan was announced, the ECB had vowed it would not buy bonds out of a concern that it might cause inflation expectations to rise.Associated Press writers Carlo Piovano and Robert Wielaard contributed to this story.

Greece receives EU part of bailout loan By ELENA BECATOROS, Associated Press Writer - MAY 18,10

ATHENS, Greece – Greece received euro14.5 billion in bailout loans from 10 other European Union countries Tuesday, the finance ministry said, just a day before a crucial debt refinancing deadline that threatened the country with default.The loans from other countries that use the EU's joint currency, the euro, are part of a euro110 billion ($136 billion) joint EU and International Monetary Fund rescue package to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debt and dealing a severe blow to the euro.

Greece desperately needed the money by Wednesday, when it faced repaying a debt of around euro9 billion in bonds that it could not finance otherwise. It already received the first euro5.5 billion from the IMF last week.These disbursements cover the immediate and short-term financing needs, the finance ministry said in an announcement.Germany is the largest single contributor to the first eurozone installment of the loan, with euro4.4 billion from the government-backed KfW Development Bank. It is followed by France with euro3.3 billion and Italy with euro2.9 billion. The other countries contributing are Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Malta, the ministry said.To secure the loans, the center-left government of Prime Minister George Papandreou has passed painful austerity measures, cutting salaries and pensions, raising consumer taxes and pledging to crack down on rampant tax evasion.The measures have led to a backlash by labor unions, who have staged a series of strikes in recent months. Three people died during a general strike on May 5, when they became trapped in a bank torched by protesters after a demonstration in Athens turned violent. Another general strike set for Thursday is to shut down all public services and disrupt public transport.

Schools will shut down, state hospitals will function on emergency staff, while all ferries will remain tied up at port. Journalists will also walk off the job, pulling news broadcasts off the air. But air traffic controllers are not expected to join the strike, leaving the country's airports open.Two major demonstrations are planned in Athens against the austerity measures.In an embarrassment for the government, the country's deputy tourism minister resigned late Monday after tax officials said her husband, a popular singer and former film star, owes millions of euros in unpaid taxes.Angela Gerekou, a 51-year-old former actress who once posed topless for a Greek men's magazine, stepped down hours after the scandal broke in a daily newspaper.Her departure comes at the start of the vacation season, with hoteliers worried by recent mass cancellations of bookings after demonstrations in Athens against the austerity measures turned violent. No replacement has been announced.

Gerekou resigned for reasons of sensitivity and sensibility, so that there cannot be the slightest pretext to hurt the government, the government said in a statement, adding that she claimed she had no involvement in the tax affairs of her husband, Tolis Voskopoulos.The finance ministry confirmed Voskopoulos faces criminal prosecution for euro5.5 million ($6.8 million) in unpaid taxes and fines. It said the cases have not yet come to court, but Voskopoulos' real estate assets have been frozen.Voskopoulos, 70, is one of the best-known representatives of Greece's older generation of popular singers and nightclub stars.Greek authorities recently published the names of alleged high-profile tax cheats, mostly doctors accused of not issuing receipts, and are seeking to catch tax evaders by using satellite photos to spot undeclared swimming pools — an indicator of taxable wealth.The government has also pledged to make collection of the estimated billions in unpaid taxes a priority.Associated Press writer Nicholas Paphitis in Athens contributed.

UK forced to swallow bitter pill on hedge funds-London is home to 80 percent of the EU's hedge funds (Photo: harshilshah100)ANDREW WILLIS 18.05.2010 @ 17:41 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU finance ministers have agreed a common position on draft EU legislation on managers of hedge funds and other alternative investment firms, opening the door for negotiations with the European Parliament, the co-legislator. The agreement on Tuesday (18 May) comes despite UK concerns that the Europe-wide law could negatively impact the British economy, with 80 percent of hedge funds currently located in London.Lightly regulated hedge funds handled roughly $1.2 trillion (€970 bn) worldwide in 2009, and have been blamed by some European politicians, including the leaders of France and Germany, for exacerbating the effects of the financial crisis, despite the lack of market data in this area.Supporters of the EU bill say this danger would be reduced under the proposed requirements for greater transparency, which include forcing fund managers to register and comply with reporting requirements, coupled with curbs on risk-taking and pay awards.

Britain is concerned that the rules for non-EU domiciled funds could prove to be particularly onerous, with a majority of the country's firms currently located in the Cayman Islands for tax reasons. The country's new finance minister, George Osborne, was forced to stomach the majority position of EU states on Tuesday however, despite support from the Czech Republic.UK treasury officials have sought some solace in language in the meeting's conclusions saying discussions with the parliament will now get underway, taking into account the concerns expressed by member states.Given where we are this means the UK concerns are still in play,said one official who wished to remain anonymous. We have to go into the trialogue discussions now with the parliament and the European Commission.

Parliament's position

The finance ministers' decision comes less than a day after members of the European Parliament's economy committee voted on the same draft EU law on alternative investment funds, which was originally put forward by the commission last year. The euro deputies called for new ways to deal with managers and funds located outside the EU, a proportionality system to regulate less risky funds more lightly, and rules on remuneration policies and short selling. This position will ensure better transparency and better investor protection while at the same time being on the side of the financial industry when it is working for the real economy,said centre-right MEP Jean-Paul Gauzes, the parliament's rapporteur on the subject.While EU member states say third country funds should get individual approval in each member state in order to market their products there, parliament supports a system under which the external funds would voluntarily agree to the new directive's terms.In addition they would have to comply with a number of extra standards such as measures to prevent money laundering, under Mr Gauzes' proposals. EU internal market and financial services commissioner Michel Barnier gave an indication of the work to be done in reconciling the two sides after Tuesday's meeting. On the third countries issue I am closer to the parliament's position,he said. There are going to be substantial discussions.Parliament has indicated it would like the full plenary of MEPs to vote on the draft legislation this July, although analysts say this is an ambitious deadline given the current divergences.

Eurozone ministers aim barbed words at Germany
ANDREW WILLIS 18.05.2010 @ 09:27 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Euro area finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday evening (17 May) failed to make much headway on the detailed operation of the recently agreed €750 billion support mechanism, as tensions grow amid perceptions of continued German foot-dragging.The euro's continued slide provided the backdrop to the late-night meeting, with the single currency dipping to a four-year low against the dollar in trading yesterday, before recovering slightly. Arriving to chair the meeting in Brussels, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said he was concerned by the speed of the euro's fall. I am not worried as far as the current exchange rate is concerned, I'm worried as far as the rapidity of the fall is concerned,he said. Mr Juncker is among those who believe the plethora of recent remarks from senior German policy makers is adding to market doubts over the effectiveness of the eurozone's support package. On Sunday, Germany's Angela Merkel said the mechanism would buy nothing but time, urging member states to push ahead with reform. Asked whether he felt these comments were helpful, Mr Juncker said: In my opinion, certain people would do better to think before they speak ...sometimes they would do better to keep their mouths shut.

An aide to the long-serving politician later insisted to AFP that the comments were directed at Deutsche Bank chairman Josef Ackermann, German central bank head Axel Weber and ECB chief economist Juergen Stark, all of which have recently spoken out against aspects of the extraordinary measures taken to shore up the finances of Greece and the rest of the eurozone. His frustration appears to be shared by the caretaker Belgian prime minister, Yves Leterme. We finalised an agreement to defend the euro. We cannot, like Madame Merkel, put into question its feasibility, Mr Leterme said on Monday.

German parliamentary approval

The failure to agree on the operational details of the €750 billion support mechanism resulted in Mr Juncker calling another eurogroup meeting of the 16 finance ministers this Friday. Speaking after the meeting, EU economy commissioner Olli Rehn said the principles are clear but that the technical and legal details remained to be clarified.Part of the discord appears to stem from a demand from Berlin that German parliamentary approval be granted before countries can tap the support package, with German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble citing national constitutional requirements.Mr Schauble also raised the prospect of mimicking Germany's constitutional spending brake across the eurozone. Last year, the country enshrined in its constitution a law forbidding the federal government from running a deficit of more than 0.35 percent of GDP by 2016.Mr Juncker explained after the meeting that it remained to be seen how much support such a measure would command, with the majority of EU states failing to comply with the more modest demand's of the bloc's Stability and Growth Pact which limits deficits to three percent of GDP.

Berlin is due to provide greater details on the idea this Friday, when European Council President Herman Van Rompuy hosts the first meeting of a taskforce set up to decide rules for greater EU economic governance by the year's end.

FAMINE

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

FAMINE

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: 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.

EU urges higher water prices as supplies dry up
LEIGH PHILLIPS 18.05.2010 @ 18:18 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Brussels has warned that Europe is facing water scarcity and droughts, and not just in the drier Mediterranean countries, with even the Czech Republic and Belgium at risk. However, the commission's main solution - higher prices for water - is already creating the new phenomenon of water poverty, researchers warn.Describing the problem as a major concern for many areas in Europe, a European Commission report published on Tuesday (18 May) said that even the greater rains in the south last year did not halt the dwindling of water stocks.

Some EU member states have begun to suffer permanent scarcity across the whole of their territory. The Czech Republic has reported areas with frequent water scarcity, and France and Belgium have reported over-exploited aquifers.In response, the EU executive reminded states of the need for more efficient water pricing, which they argue reduces demand, as well as water efficiency and water-saving measures. Although most member states have introduced some form of water pricing, the commission notes that the EU goal of full cost recovery - making people pay for the total cost of the provision of the service - may result in citizens water bills being increased, which makes the changes difficult to accept,and so governments have been adopting stricter tariff systems only gradually.For several years, the commission has urged member states to adopt policy options such as water pricing, improved water management tools, and efficiency and water saving measures, the commission report said. Water is life – so water policy is our life insurance, added environment commissioner Janez Potocnik. More than anything else, our water policies must be sustainable: we cannot afford to borrow water from the future.Commission spokesman Joe Hennan told EUobserver: We are encouraging water pricing whether there is scarcity or not. We consider water to be a commodity like anything else. The cost of delivering water is not really being taking into account.Brussels at the same time urged people to use less water while showering, cooking and performing other household tasks.

If all domestic water-using products were included [in mandatory eco-design requirements], this could lead to a 19 percent reduction in total water consumption – a 3.2 percent reduction in the total annual EU water abstraction,the EU executive said. Reducing the water consumption of energy-related products such as taps, showers and baths can also result in a potential reduction of 20 percent in heating needs, while changes in showering time, bathing frequency or use of taps can result in savings of 20 to 30 percent.People and Water, a Slovak water scarcity awareness NGO, echoed the concerns. Paul Varea of the group told EUobserver: The Slovak Water Management Company - a state-owned firm, is tackling the problem by building more dams rather than by better management, looking to boost revenues even though consumption has been decreasing since the 1990s.Emanuela Lobina, of the UK Public Services International Research Unit at the University of Greenwich, told this website that while there is no obligation on the part of member states to introduce water pricing, there is strong pressure to do so.And where it's implemented, as in the UK, the burden falls mainly on captive urban water service consumers - households - rather than industry or especially agriculture,he warned. He said this has resulted in growing water poverty in the UK, where people can not afford the water they need for daily use: And this is a phenomenon that until water privatisation, did not really exist.Water poverty is already happening as a result of water pricing, and it's increasing, he added.The problem is that the EU sees water pricing as the main instrument for tackling scarcity without sufficient attention on the social costs.

Senior MEP quits Israel trip in propaganda row
ANDREW RETTMAN 18.05.2010 @ 17:43 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU parliament's most senior foreign relations personality has quit an official trip to Israel next week because he said his fellow deputies are plotting anti-Israeli propaganda.Italian centre-right MEP Gabriele Albertini, the head of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, outlined the reasons for his decision in a private email to Silvio Gonzato, an EU official, dated 13 May, and seen by this website.Mr Albertini said most of his fellow deputies on the delegation are biased against Israel and that their plans to visit Gaza could undermine peace talks. Out of the 25 deputies who are to take part in the mission, there are fewer colleagues than the fingers on one hand whom you could define as pro-Israeli, or even neutral! he said.Rather than a peacekeeping mission, it looks like an anti-Israeli propaganda mission is being prepared! The email was written one day after a stormy internal meeting on 12 May in which MEPs learned that Israel had refused them permission to enter Gaza and to meet with senior Palestinian diplomats and NGOs in occupied East Jerusalem.Mr Albertini said the delegation should rebalance its itinerary in line with Israeli demands. But the MEPs voted to ask Egypt to enter Gaza through its crossing point instead. Mr Albertini singled out German centre-right MEP and former European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering for criticism.The honorable Mr Poettering wanted to convene a press conference to censure the conduct of the Israeli government before we start our journey, to the applause of those present [at the meeting]! the Italian member said.

A member of Mr Poettering's office told EUobserver that he is very pro-Israeli but also critical ... as far as the settlements are concerned. He added the German deputy is of the opinion that the Israeli government cannot tell the members of the European Parliament whom they should see or not.The parliament has long acted as a forum for outspoken EU critics of Israeli policy. The criticism intensified after Israel's assault on Gaza last year killed 1,400 Palestinians and its right-wing government gave the green light to further colonisation of occupied land. The Israeli embassy to the EU said MEPs' visits to Gaza give moral support to Hamas, the militant Palestinian group which holds sway in the strip.It is discouraging to learn that a distinguished delegation, representing one of the symbols of European democracy, chooses to concentrate its programme around interlocutors representing the views of only one side of the conflict,it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Israeli Shavuot: Praying at the Wall, Learning, Dairy Food
by Hana Levi Julian MAY 18,10

Jewish men and women in Israel will join their brethren around the world to learn all night Tuesday, although in Israel the holiday is observed for only one day. Many will also be eating dairy foods and putting greenery in their homes and synagogues, all in the name of observing the Shavuot holiday. The practice of learning all night is a custom, rather than a commandment, and is the expression of one's desire to draw closer to G-d. It also is carried out to counter the behavior of the Jews who slept at Mount Sinai instead of waiting for the giving of the Torah. By staying up the entire night and studying, their descendants strive to rectify the slight caused to the honor of the Torah.For weeks before the holiday, all of the Jewish newspapers, both local and national, carry advertisements for lectures and seminars in synagogues throughout Israel for those who are not in yeshivas Some provide a festive environment to aid people who have difficulty staying awake. The religious high school system has chipped in, with many institutions scheduling final matriculation exams in Gemarra (Talmud) for the next morning in order to encourage study all night. A newer custom is that not only do boys go to their yeshivas for the holiday, but girls studying at religious Zionist high schools, Ulpanas, go to their dorms and study or hear lectures all night as well after a festive meal together.

As always, prayers and learning are being held through the night at the Western Wall (the Kotel). Jerusalem hotels are packed to capacity as tourists who remember past years, and those who have been told of its beauty, wait with anticipation for the event. Right before dawn, one can see tens of thousands making their way to the Wall for early morning prayer service. On the way, hospitality tables and tents are set up to serve refreshments, this in memory of traditional hospitality during the aliya laregel (coming to Jerusalem for Passover, Sukkot and Shavuot as prescribed in the Torah) in Temple times. The Kotel is jampacked on Shavuot morning and participants can make kiddush and have light refreshments there or on their way home after services.Elsewhere in the country, the Breslov and Chabad Chassidic movements will hold all-night Torah study sessions in Tel Aviv, as will the national religious Tzohar organization. Shavuot is the yahrzeit (memorial day) of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism, and also of the Imre Emet, the famous Rabbi of Gur, who is buried in Jerusalem and whose followers come to the city in droves for the holiday to visit his grave.

IDF Soldiers Help Write a New Torah at Masada
In anticipation of the Shavuot holiday, a battalion of IDF soldiers visited the Judean Desert fortress of Masada last week to watch a scribe write a Torah scroll, but ended up participating in the process. Rabbi Shai Abramovich, ensconsed in a special glass-encased chamber within the ancient synagogue atop the wind-swept archaeological site, guided each soldier as he wrote a letter in the Torah.
Rabbi Shimon Elharar, the rabbi of Masada and director of the Chabad-Lubavitch center at the Dead Sea, had invited the soldiers to participate in the writing of the Torah after noticing their deep interest. Rabbi Elharar, an emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, worked together with Eitan Campbell, director of the Masada National Park, to bring the ancient synagogue back to life from the ruins.

Israel Goes White for Shavuot

Newspapers are also carrying recipes for special dairy-oriented recipes and are bursting with advertisements for special sales of dairy products. Israeli supermarkets and small groceries are packed with cheeses and other dairy items that are often difficult to find, and the dairies have worked overtime to meet the extra demand.I wait all year for this holiday, enthused Alan Wertheimer, a new immigrant from New York with a culinary background. Even in the States, we see items we generally cannot find – and here, the selection is simply amazing.

Why Dairy?

It is customary to eat dairy foods on this holiday for a number of reasons. One is the numerical value of the Hebrew word for milk – chalav – which totals 40, the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai when he went up to receive the Torah.

Another reason Jews eat dairy foods on Shavuot has to do with the fact that with the giving of the Torah, Jews became obligated to observe the kosher laws. Since the event took place on the Sabbath, no slaughtering could take place – and thus on that day, the Jews ate dairy. Among Chassidim, there is another custom, to first eat dairy, and then after a break, to eat a traditional holiday meat meal. This custom commemorates the two-loaf bread offering that was brought in the Holy Temple. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Syria: Peres Offered Golan for Breaking Ties with Iran
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu MAY 18,10

Syrian President Bashar Assad has claimed that President Shimon Peres delivered a letter through the president of Russia that Israel would surrender the strategic Golan Heights if Damascus cuts ties with Iran. The President’s office denied he sent such a letter but stated his message was that Israel wants peace and not war with Syria. Assad’s claim was supposedly delivered by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whom President Peres met in Russia nearly two weeks ago, but it is likely that something got lost in translation or Assad is trying a public relations gimmick to put pressure on Israel. Half of the Golan Heights is populated by Jews and the other half by Druze, and the area shares the same status of Jerusalem, where Israeli sovereignty cannot be surrendered without approval by an absolute majority of Knesset Members.Officials at the President's Residence explained that President Peres told Medvedev that Israel always has been prepared to make concessions for peace but that Syria has turned them down.Most of the Western world considers the Golan Heights occupied by Israel, and U.S. President Barack Obama has said he wants to see a total regional Middle East peace that includes a new Palestinian Authority state, Syria and the entire Arab League.

Either by coincidence or not, Assad’s claim comes one day after Iran, Brazil and Turkey negotiated a deal for Tehran to ship its nuclear reactors' low-grade enriched uranium to Turkey in return for fuel rods for medical research. Western leaders have rejected the deal because it stipulates that Iran would retain high-grade uranium and that Turkey would return the low-grade material to Iran if the fuel rods were not supplied within one year.President Shimon Peres had told Medvedev, We are reaching our hand out for peace with Syria, but peace cannot exist without a basic condition. You cannot reach a hand out for peace while continuing to support terror groups.Reacting to the report, freshman Likud MK Yariv Levin said, If such an offer was made, it's hallucinatory and degrading, adding that the Oslo road, from honorable President Peres' house of study, by ceding our rights on the land in an attempt to buy imaginary calm, has failed completely and must not be repeated.
IsraelNationalNews.com)

20,000 Expected at NYC Israel Day Event
by Maayana Miskin MAY 17,10

The 17th annual Israel Day Concert in New York City is quickly approaching, and organizer, Dr. Joseph Frager, whose indefatigable efforts for the Jewish people include helping found Arutz Sheva, expects a record 20,000 people to attend. The event will take place Sunday, May 23, in Central Park. Admission is free.The concert aims to bring together supporters of a united Israel and attracts at least 10,000 every year. It is dedicated to a united Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to Israel standing up to Iran.Jerusalem – United Forever, state the concert posters, which also bear the verse from Psalms, Built up Jerusalem, a city that is united together. The poster also warns, No further concessions in Judea and Samaria.The concert is presented in association with Young Israel Chovevei Tzion and will be chaired by Paul and Drora Brody. The annual event was founded by Sylvia and Carl Freyer in June 1994 in honor of Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann, the well known international businessman who combined Torah scholarship with fearless activism on the part of the Jewish people and generous philanthropy. Due to his respected name in Africa where he had business dealings, he was asked to meet with Idi Amin to try to free the Entebbe hostages and almost lost his life during the rescue operation. He was also allowed to see the works of Judaica held in the Vatican and subsequently placed advertisments in the N.Y. Times demanding they be returned to the Jewish people One of his great loves was the Israel Day Concert and he chaired the first three before his untimely death. This year's concert is dedicated to his family.

Performers will include Eitan Katz, Elad Snir, the Maccabeats, Shlomi Aharoni, and Pey Dalid. Head of World Likud and Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, MK Danny Dannon and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will appear as featured speakers. Steve Malzberg, WOR radio commentator and David HaIvri, director of the Shomron Liaison Office, will appear as well.Radio personality Nachum Segal will emcee. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

New Desalination Plants Water the Desert
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu MAY 17,10

A huge new desalination plant dedicated this week is planned to help end Israel’s constant worry for enough water for farms, factories and homes. Water, water everywhere and more to drink may be a new phrase for Israel as the new plant begins to pump 10 percent of Israel’s water needs.The facility on the Mediterranean Coast at Hadera, located between Haifa and Tel Aviv, is the largest of its kind in the world and the third largest in Israel. Two more plants are on the drawing boards, with all five of them projected to provide two-thirds of the nation’s water.The desalinated water will be cheaper than the cost of pumping from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) to the national water carrier, according to Teddy Golan, CEO of the IDE Technologies group that built the 1.5 billion shekel ($400 million) desalination plant.

President Shimon Peres was on hand and raised a cup of water to toast the new project. If all goes according to plan, the Kinneret will return to flood levels in several years after all of the desalination plants come on line. The desalinated water from the Mediterranean also will allow the dams to the Kinneret to be opened and help replenish the drying Jordan River and the rapidly depleting Dead Sea.The Hadera plant uses reverse osmosis technology, which means the sea water does not have to be heated, as is done in larger plants in the world that are less environmentally friendly. The entire process of desalinating the water takes 35 minutes from the time it enters pipelines in the sea.The mammoth plant covers more than 18 acres and actually is two facilities that can operate independently from each other. Together, they can provide 127 cubic million liters, or 33 million gallons a year. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

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.

India's southeast coast braces for cyclone
MAY 19,10

HYDERABAD, India (AFP) – Heavy rains and strong winds battered India's southeast coast on Wednesday as forecasters warned that a cyclonic storm would make landfall early on Thursday.Cyclone Laila was centred in the Bay of Bengal, 190 kilometres (120 miles) east of the city of Chennai, packing winds of about 90 kilometres per hour, the Indian Meteorological Department said.V. Prasad Rao, a weather official in the southeast state of Andhra Pradesh, warned that Laila was predicted to intensify before hitting the coast near the city of Machilipatnam with wind speeds of up to 125kilometres per hour.We have passed on information to state authorities to warn fishermen not to go out into the sea and to evacuate people from low-lying coastal areas. This is being done, Rao told AFP.The weather department in its latest warning said a storm surge of up to two metres (six and a half feet) above the regular tide was likely to inundate parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh.It warned of high to phenomenal sea conditions and the possibility of extensive damage to huts and power and communication lines.The focus is on evacuation now. People are advised to keep important documents and valuables ready and be prepared to move to shelters at short notice, said Marri Sashidhar Reddy, an official at the National Disaster Management Authority.

Dinakar Babu, a senior disaster official in Andhra Pradesh, said that besides existing cyclone shelters, schools and community halls had been identified to serve as potential relief camps to evacuees.Authorities were preparing helicopters and boats to be ready for any emergency, he added.The impact of the weather system was already being felt in Tamil Nadu state -- just south of Andhra Pradesh -- with heavy rains and gale-force winds on Wednesday.India and Bangladesh are hit regularly by cyclones that develop in the Bay of Bengal between April and November, causing widespread damage to homes and fields when they hit land.Last May, Cyclone Aila tore through southern Bangladesh killing 300 people and destroyed 4,000 kilometres of roads and river embankments, leading to major flooding.About 200,000 people were made homeless and many remain in temporary shelters.

Rains delay Sri Lanka victory parade, 200,000 displaced
Mon May 17, 12:41 pm ET

COLOMBO (AFP) – Heavy rains forced the indefinite postponement of Sri Lanka's military parade marking the first anniversary of its defeat of Tamil rebels, officials said Monday as flash floods killed four people.The victory celebrations scheduled for Thursday were put off as the military was unable to go ahead with rehearsals due to torrential monsoon rains, a defence official said.Sri Lanka declared victory after the killing of the top leadership of the Tamil Tigers on May 18 last year following 37 years of bitter conflict which claimed more than 100,000 lives according to United Nations estimates.The authorities had scheduled a military parade on Thursday to mark the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the ending of their campaign for an independent state for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils.Officials said military preparations on Monday were washed out due to heavy rains which also killed at least four people and drove 200,000 people out of their flooded homes.The Meteorological Department warned there could be landslides in some parts of the country.

Since Sunday, electricity supplies to main towns outside the capital have been disrupted due to trees falling on powerlines.Sri Lanka depends on monsoon rains for irrigation and power generation but the seasonal downpours frequently cause loss of life and damage to property in low-lying areas.The island's two main monsoon seasons run from May to September and December to February.

Heavy rains cause some Midwestern rivers to rise By JIM SALTER, Associated Press Writer – Mon May 17, 11:31 pm ET

ST. LOUIS – Heavy rains have caused several Midwestern rivers to rise, with more storms in the forecast.Many rivers are at or near their crest after the latest round of spring storms over the weekend. But flood-watchers aren't ready to relax just yet.

Heavy rain caused the Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Meramec, Grand, Fabius and other rivers to rise. Missouri was hardest hit, but other states in the nation's midsection were seeing mostly minor flooding.The rains also caused flash floods that have been blamed in two deaths in Missouri, both in the northeast corner of the state.The National Weather Service says rain is expected in parts of the Midwest on and off for the rest of the week.

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.

Northern Peru hit by magnitude 6.0 quake: USGS
Wed May 19, 1:19 am ET

LIMA (Reuters) – A quake of 6.0 magnitude struck Peru late on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said, but there were no reports of injuries or damages.The quake hit 81 miles north northwest of Moyobamba and 480 miles north of Lima. It was relatively deep at 78 miles.The epicenter was located far away from most large mines in Peru, a leading minerals exporter.Twitter messages sent to RPP, Peru's main radio station, by residents in the region said the quake was felt in the cities of Chimbote and Chiclayo but that there were no signs of damages.(Reporting by Terry Wade in Lima and World Desk Americas, editing by Philip Barbara)

5.1 quake hits seismically active Calif. border
MAY 18,10

EL CENTRO, Calif. – A magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck the seismically active California-Mexico border region Tuesday, shaking a wide area of Southern California. There were no immediate reports of damage.The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 5:38 p.m. and was centered 18 miles west-southwest of El Centro, the Imperial County seat in the state's southeastern corner.The region on both sides of the border has been shaking with aftershocks since a magnitude-7.2 quake struck in northern Baja California on April 4.Tuesday's quake was felt at San Diego's Petco Park, about 90 miles to the west, and in adjacent counties. The USGS website for citizen reports showed responses from as far north as Los Angeles, 175 miles away.

Imperial County Sheriff's Department dispatcher Veronica Marron said the quake was strongly felt but there were no immediate reports of damage.Carla Lopez, 17, a hostess and cashier at the Burgers and Beer bar in El Centro, said the shaking lasted at least 20 seconds.It was strong but nothing fell, she said.All the customers just looked around, nobody ran out or anything. If it went on any longer, I would have run though.At the Styles and Smiles salon, bottles of shampoo rattled, but the haircuts and massage therapy sessions continued.We just try to keep the customers relaxed, said owner Lourdes Lulu Castro.We're used to it. We were just like OK, here it comes.

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.

Fishing ban widens as as oil spill spreads in Gulf By Michael Haskins – Wed May 19, 4:30 am ET

KEY WEST, Florida (Reuters) – BP Plc forged ahead on Wednesday with efforts to stem its leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well, amid fears powerful currents were pushing the slick toward prized U.S. tourist resorts and fisheries.The London-based energy giant, which has seen its reputation battered and market value cut by $30 billion due to the disaster, said it planned to increase the amount of oil captured from its blown well as it works on a permanent fix.A siphon tube inserted into the well was capturing an estimated 2,000 barrels (84,000 gallons/318,000 liters) per day from the ruptured undersea well, about 40 percent of the amount that was gushing into the surrounding waters, BP said.Its progress was being closely watched by the Obama administration, which has taken a tough line on BP and other companies involved in the spill, and Gulf Coast residents, whose livelihood and way of life are threatened.

Environmentalists warn that the spill could prove worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska -- the worst such incident in U.S. history -- and bring an ecological and economic calamity to the Gulf region.In a sign of the widening environmental impact, the United States nearly doubled a no-fishing zone in waters seen affected by the oil gushing from the blown well, extending it to 19 percent of U.S. waters in the Gulf.And tests were being done on tar balls found on a Key West island resort to see if they came from BP's well, as Florida braced for the spill's potential impact on its $60 billion-a-year tourism industry.Oil debris and tar balls have been reported in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Protective booms are being used to try to defend the shore.No one knows where the tar balls are from, but they predict doom and gloom, said Charlie Bauer, a resident of Key West, the famed diving and fishing resort at the far southern tip of Florida.

FOUR WEEKS LATER

BP has said it will cover the costs of the spill, which was triggered by an April 20 rig explosion that killed 11 workers. It estimated the bill for the oil cleanup at $625 million, with analysts saying costs could reach into the billions.

BP's shares slid about one percent in early London trading.Officials have stressed the accident's so-far limited impact on the region's fisheries, coastal shorelines and wildlife, but that has failed to calm residents who fear extensive damage to local economies and communities.Many experts believe oil may have already been caught up in the powerful Loop Current curling around the Florida Peninsula, which could take it into the Florida Keys and possibly up the East Coast.A Coast Guard helicopter and NOAA experts planned to scour the area for signs of additional pollution.Florida Democrat Senator Bill Nelson released a forecast by University of South Florida College of Marine Science experts who said part of the oil slick may reach the Keys in five to six days, and possibly Miami five days after that.While I always hope for the best, this is looking like really out-of-control bad, Nelson said in a statement before another round of congressional hearings on Tuesday.

Signaling the Obama administration's hard-line on BP, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a Senate panel the government was investigating the company's Atlantis oil production platform in the Gulf.But President Barack Obama's drive to lift corporate liability limits for oil spills stalled in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. (Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Paul Simao)

Stocks slide after euro falls to new 4-year low By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer – Tue May 18, 6:01 pm ET

NEW YORK – Investors uneasy about the news coming out of Europe Tuesday went back to selling stocks sharply lower. The falling euro and news that German regulators plan to limit some kinds of short selling fed the drop.The Dow Jones industrial average closed down almost 115 points after giving up an early gain of 93. The Dow and broader indexes lost more than 1 percent.The euro gave stocks a boost early in the day when European Union countries sent bailout money to Greece. The move raised confidence about Europe's ability to prevent its debt crisis from spreading to other economies including the U.S.By afternoon, though, the upbeat mood faded and the euro fell. That sapped the stock market's strength. Treasury prices rose after demand for safer investments increased.The euro, the currency shared by 16 European nations, has been driving stock trading for weeks as investors interpreted its slide as a sign of continuing economic problems in Europe. It hit a new four-year low of $1.2160on Tuesday.Meanwhile, Germany said it is banning naked short selling, which occurs when traders bet on a stock or investment that they doesn't own. The ban covers government debt certificates and shares of several financial companies. The government said it was imposing the rule in hopes of keeping the financial markets stable.

Investors anxious about Europe's problems were further rattled by Germany's move. Naked short selling was cited as one of the factors in world markets' turbulence during the 2008 financial crisis. The latest step brought reminders of the desperation that U.S. regulators signaled in trying to stabilize the market and underscored a fear that a further drop in the euro will continue to pound world markets.If Europe really slows, the threat would be that it could take down the rest of the global economy, said Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank in Cleveland. He noted, however, that most economic numbers don't suggest that a recovery is stalling.McCain said long-term investors should gather more evidence before making big changes to their portfolios.The markets tend to move in excesses of optimism and pessimism, he said.The Dow fell 114.88, or 1.1 percent, to 10,510.95. It has fallen three of the past four days.The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 16.14, or 1.4 percent, to 1,120.80, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 36.97, or 1.6 percent, to 2,317.26.Major stock indexes are down about 8 percent from their 2010 highs in late April. That puts the market close to the threshold for a correction, which is usually defined as a drop of 10 percent to 20 percent.Bond prices jumped, driving yields lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.35 percent from 3.50 percent late Monday.Stock trading has been volatile for weeks. The Dow rebounded from a drop of 184 points to end Monday with a gain of about 6 points after the euro strengthened.Mike Shea, managing partner at Direct Access Partners LLC in New York, said that with so many unanswered questions about the ballooning debts in Europe it isn't surprising to see traders selling.

There is a prudent reduction of risk,Shea said.The concerns about the ban on naked short-selling hit large banks, a sign that traders are uneasy about the possible chilling effect that Germany's moves might have on the markets and in turn, financial companies. Traders are also watching the financial overhaul bill making its way through the Senate. Debate could end as soon as Wednesday. Some traders are concerned that tighter rules will hurt bank profits. Wells Fargo & Co. fell $1.38, or 4.3 percent, to $30.59, while Citigroup Inc. fell 13 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $3.73. Gold fell $13.50 to $1,214.60 an ounce, while crude oil fell 54 cents to settle at $69.41 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. While so much attention has focused on Europe in recent weeks, investors have largely ignored signs of economic growth. Stocks had been posting solid gains earlier in the year on steady signs of improvement in the U.S. economy. Encouraging signals on the economy gave early support to stocks Tuesday. The Commerce Department said home construction jumped 5.8 percent in April, more than expected and the strongest level since late in 2008. John Merrill, chief investment officer at Tanglewood Wealth Management in Houston, said investors are doing some mental juggling. They see signs that the U.S. economy is strengthening but still have concerns that Europe's problems will undermine the global economy's rebound. There are just two alternative themes and it just depends on where the focus is, he said.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was the sole stock among the 30 that make up the Dow Jones industrials to rise. The world's largest retailer posted better-than-expected earnings. Investors also look to companies that sell consumer staples as a safe investment in weak economies. The stock rose 98 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $53.71.
More than three stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 6.2 billion shares, compared with 5.9 billion Monday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 12.96, or 1.9 percent, to 682.75.Britain's FTSE 100 index rose 0.9 percent, Germany's DAX index gained 1.5 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 2.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.1 percent.

SEC proposes new rules for avoiding market plunges By STEVENSON JACOBS and MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writers - MAY 18,10

WASHINGTON – U.S. stock exchanges would briefly halt trading of some stocks that have big prices swings under new trading rules proposed Tuesday that are aimed at avoiding market plunges like the one that stunned Wall Street earlier this month.

Regulators say it makes sense to reach for remedies now, even though they have yet to determine the exact cause of the May 6 market dive.The rules would take effect in mid-June under a six-month pilot program agreed to by major U.S. exchanges and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC announced them Tuesday and put them forward for public comment.Under the plan, trading of any Standard & Poor's 500 stock that rises or falls 10 percent or more within a five-minute span would be halted for five minutes. These rules, known as circuit breakers, would be applied if the price swing occurs between 9:45 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. Eastern time. That's almost the entire trading day.In the so-called flash crash on May 6, about 30 stocks listed in the S&P 500 index fell at least 10 percent within five minutes.Importantly, the new circuit breakers would apply to all U.S. exchanges. Most of the 50 or so U.S. exchanges regulate themselves and design their own tools for slowing or halting trading.During the May 6 plunge, the New York Stock Exchange slowed trading according to its rules but the orders that couldn't be executed migrated in a torrent to electronic exchanges, industry officials said.The SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in a report by their staffs, said the agencies' investigation of the epic dive — in which the Dow Jones industrials lost nearly 1,000 points in less than a half-hour — is still in a preliminary stage.

The decline and rebound of prices in major market indexes and individual securities on May 6 was unprecedented in its speed and scope, said the joint report released Tuesday evening. The whipsawing prices resulted in investors selling at losses during the decline and undermined confidence in the markets.Only a preliminary picture has started to emerge, the report said. Investigators are focusing on, among other things, a possible link between the steep decline in prices of stock indexes, and simultaneous and subsequent waves of selling in individual stocks.Also being looked at is a severe mismatch of liquidity in the market that may have been worsened by the withdrawal of electronic traders and the use of so-called stop-loss market orders, the report said. Stop-loss orders set the price at which a stock is automatically sold when it declines to a specified level.SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro told a gathering of financial analysts Tuesday there are issues we think can be remediated quickly even before we understand necessarily what the exact cause of the crash was.The SEC would vote on formally approving the rules sometime after a 10-day comment period, unusually short for the agency's rule-making and indicating the urgency of the issue. The changes are intended to prevent a recurrence of the plunge that briefly wiped out more than $1 trillion in the market value of stocks.We continue to believe that the market disruption of May 6 was exacerbated by disparate trading rules and conventions across the exchanges, Schapiro said in a statement. As such, I believe it is important that all the exchanges quickly reached consensus on a set of uniform circuit breakers that would be triggered when needed.

The markets can use the six-month pilot period, which would end on Dec. 10, to make needed adjustments based on how the new rules work, and the scope of the rules could be expanded to stocks beyond the S&P 500 as soon as practicable, the SEC said. That could include exchange-traded funds, increasingly popular investments that often track a market index such as the S&P 500 and can be traded throughout the day, unlike mutual funds.ETFs as a group were affected by the plunge more than any other category of securities, according to the report.Schapiro has asked the SEC staff to consider during the pilot period ways to address the risks of stop-loss and other market orders, and whether so-called stub quotes should be curbed or banned. Market makers use stub quotes as placeholders and they are often far above or below actual stock values. But the report said their presence at the top and bottom of order books on May 6 may have led to a very large number of broken trades.The pilot period will give all market participants, including the SEC, the exchanges and brokerage firms, an opportunity to study the impact of the new rules and fine-tune them, Wall Street's biggest trade group, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, said in a statement. But it may take another market meltdown before anyone knows if the new system of circuit breakers will work, independent market analyst Edward Yardeni noted. The only way we'll find out is if we have another plunge,Yardeni said.If they kick in and stabilize the situation, then fine. If not, it's back to the drawing board.The SEC already has rules requiring market-wide halts in trading if the Dow falls 10 percent, 20 percent or 30 percent. None of them were triggered on May 6, but it's possible that those rules, also known as circuit breakers, will be re-examined in light of the plunge.

The plunge highlighted the growing complexity and splintered diversity of the fast-evolving securities market. Sleek electronic trading platforms compete with the traditional exchanges and powerful computers give traders a split-second edge in buying or selling stocks. The risk looms that electronic errors at high speeds could ripple through markets and disrupt them. Regulators say new rules could help level the playing field for market players and bring order to a patchwork of regulations that are about a decade old. The May 6 freefall also underscored the growing importance of trading in index futures, which allow investors to trade based on expectations whether a group of stocks will rise or fall, rather than simply trading the underlying stocks. While it is too soon to know whether the proposed new rules will prove sufficient to protect investors and to shelter our markets from sudden, drastic technology-driven swings in our markets, they are an important first step, said Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., chairman of the House Financial Services subcommittee that oversees the SEC.Jacobs reported from New York. AP Business Writer Mark Jewell in Boston contributed to this report.

WHY WOULD WE GO AGAINST A GLOBAL BANK TAX WHEN JULY 1 THE ENERGY NEW WORLD ORDER NUTCASES WILL BE KILLING US WITH THE GLOBAL CARBON TAX AND CONTROLED ENERGY.CANADA WE ARE IN FOR BIG ENERGY BILLS AND WE GOT TO PUT OUR GARBAGE IN WHITE TRANSPARENT PLASTIC BAGS SO THE ENVIROMENTAL NUTS CAN CHECK OUT OUR GARBAGE HABITS AND MAKE SURE WE DON'T THROW A CAN IN THE GARBAGE.WHO WANTS TO LOOK AT GARBAGE WALKING DOWN OUR STREET AND IS FORCED TO LOOK AT TAMPONS AND OTHER WOMANS USED SANITARY PADS.THIS IS DICTATORIAL CONTROL COMING TO CANADA NOW.THIS ENERGY TAX WILL BREAK ALL OF US AS WELL AS THIS GLOBAL BANK TAX.

Canada campaigns against global bank tax
Tue May 18, 4:04 pm ET

OTTAWA (AFP) – Canada will resist a bank tax, Industry Minister Tony Clement said Tuesday as ministers fanned out across the world to raise opposition to the proposal for avoiding another financial crisis.Canada is, and will remain, opposed to a tax that would penalize financial institutions that remained strong and prosperous while many of the world's banks failed, Clement told a press conference with Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon.We will resist the bank tax here at home and we seek to convince other heads of government of the virtue of our position, he said as senior ministers echoed his message in Mumbai, Beijing and Washington.Attempts to reach international agreement on coordinated bank taxes at last month's G20 and IMF meetings ran aground.Nations including Canada and Brazil, whose banking sectors emerged largely unscathed from the financial crisis, objected to the plan, favoring higher capital reserve requirements instead.But it is expected to be revived at the next meeting of G20 leaders in Toronto next month, with Germany's Angela Merkel vowing to press for the proposal supported by many in Europe.Clement said the bank tax would encourage risky behavior if it is used to create a bank bailout fund and reward bad behavior of those institutions responsible for the recent financial crisis in the first place.

As well, it would unduly burden Canadian banks and put them at a competitive disadvantage to other financial institutions.This tax would reach into consumers' pockets and punish our financial institutions which have taken precautions to avoid the very turmoil that is afflicting other parts of the globe,Clement lamented.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

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

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

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

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

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

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

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

WARS AND RUMURS OF WARS.

MATTHEW 24:6
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

MARK 13:7
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

SKorea's top diplomat: Obvious NKorea sank ship By KELLY OLSEN and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writers – Wed May 19, 3:17 am ET

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea's foreign minister said Wednesday it was obvious that North Korea fired a torpedo that sank one of the South's warships in March, killing 46 sailors.Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters that investigators have enough evidence of North Korean involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan to warrant taking Pyongyang to the U.N. Security Council and would be presenting their findings Thursday.Yu's comments are the first by a South Korean official clearly pointing the finger at North Korea for one of the worst attacks on the South since the two Koreas signed a truce in 1953 to end three years of fighting.A thorough and exhaustive investigation revealed that a strong underwater explosion generated by the detonation of a torpedo caused the Korean battleship to split apart and sink, he said in a speech to Seoul-based European business executives.Asked later by reporters if North Korea sank the ship, Yu said: I think it's obvious.He declined to provide further details, saying the official results of the multinational investigation into the incident would be released Thursday.

North Korea has denied involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan near the Koreas' maritime border on March 26. Vice parliamentary speaker Yang Hyong Sop criticized Seoul for unreasonably linking Pyongyang to the sinking earlier this week, according to Pyongyang's state radio station.However, investigators will lay out evidence showing that a North Korean torpedo attack triggered the explosion that sank the Cheonan near the Koreas' tense western sea border, a U.S. official said in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity.and Investigators have collected damning evidence pointing to Pyongyang's involvement in the blast that blew the 1,200-ton warship apart during a routine patrolling mission in the Yellow Sea, local media said. Fifty-eight sailors were rescued; 46 died.Fragments of a torpedo propeller found near the disaster site are similar to parts from a North Korean torpedo that South Korea obtained seven years ago, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Wednesday, citing unidentified government officials.A serial number on the torpedo propeller was written in a font typically used in North Korea, and traces of explosives found in the wreckage resemble the gunpowder used in the North Korean torpedo retrieved in 2003, the paper said.The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper carried a similar report, saying an 85-ton North Korean submersible is believed to have torpedoed the vessel. Citing an unidentified government official, the report said the conclusion was based on intelligence on the movement of North Korean submersibles and analyses of intercepted North Korean military communication.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the reports.Diplomatic discussions were already under way Wednesday in Seoul and in Washington.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met privately late Tuesday with envoys Stephen Bosworth and Sung Kim, while South Korea's Foreign Ministry briefed foreign ambassadors in Seoul on Wednesday.President Lee Myung-bak has vowed stern action against the culprits. He discussed the matter with President Barack Obama by phone Monday, officials said.Yu called for firm action and pushed for support from the international community during the speech.The investigation results and concerns about North Korea's nuclear program are expected to dominate Clinton's talks this week and next with leaders in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul, where she will finish her Asian trip next Wednesday.The two Koreas remain locked in a state of war and divided by the world's most heavily guarded border because their three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953. However, North Korea disputes the maritime border drawn by the U.N. in 1953, and the western waters have been the site of several deadly naval clashes since 1999. In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said North Korea must cease provocative acts, cease acts of aggression that destabilize the region and urged the North to follow through on past commitments to abandon its nuclear programs. The United States had pushed the North to return to stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, but U.S. officials have said the findings of the ship sinking investigation will be a major factor in whether those talks resume.Lolita C. Baldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Foster Klug in Washington and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul also contributed to this report.(This version CORRECTS UPDATES with quotes, corrects death toll.)

Bangkok burns after Thai protest leaders arrested By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer - MAY 19,10

BANGKOK – Downtown Bangkok turned into a flaming battleground Wednesday as an army assault toppled the Red Shirt protest leadership, enraging followers who fired grenades and set numerous fires that cloaked the skyline in a black haze.Using live ammunition, troops dispersed thousands of anti-government protesters who had been camped in the capital's premier shopping and residential district for weeks. Four protesters and an Italian news photographer were killed in the ensuing gunbattles and about 60 wounded.After Red Shirt leaders gave themselves up to police, rioters set fires at the Stock Exchange, several banks, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the high-end Central World shopping mall and a cinema complex that collapsed. Thick smoke drifted across the sky of this city of 10 million people.

The government declared a nighttime curfew in Bangkok, and said army operations would continue through the night. An announcement signed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and broadcast on television said nobody in the capital was allowed out of their homes from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m unless they have permission from authorities.

Protesters also turned their rage on the local media, which they have accused of pro-government coverage. They attacked the offices of state-run Channel 3, setting fire to cars outside and puncturing water pipes that flooded the building.At Channel 3 need urgent help from police, soldiers!!! tweeted news anchor Patcharasri Benjamasa. News cars were smashed and they are about to invade the building.Hours later its building was on fire. Its executives were evacuated by helicopter. Other staff escaped on foot.The English-language Bangkok Post newspaper evacuated its staff after threats from the Red Shirts. A large office building down the street from the Post was set afire.Unrest also spread to the rural northeast of the country, where Red Shirts, who claim Abhisit's government is elitist and oblivious to their plight, retain strong support.Local media reported protesters set fire to government offices in the city of Udon Thani and vandalized a city hall in Khon Kaen. Udon Thani's governor asked the military to intervene. TV images also showed troops retreating after being attacked by mobs in Ubon Ratchathani.

The chaotic end to the Red Shirt gathering in Bangkok is certain to deal a heavy blow to the economy and tourism industry of Thailand, a key U.S. ally and long considered one of the more stable countries in Southeast Asia. The Red Shirts are demanding the ouster of Abhisit's government, the dissolution of Parliament and new elections.Cabinet minister Satit Vongnongteay described the chaos as anticipated aftershocks.There are violent-prone protesters who remain angry, Satit told a news conference.At least 44 people have been killed, most of them civilians, in a week of violence in Bangkok as a military attempt to blockade the protesters — who had camped in the 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) Rajprasong district for six weeks — instead touched off street fighting, with soldiers firing on protesters who fought back mostly with homemade weapons.The final crackdown began soon after dawn Wednesday, as hundreds of troops armed with M-16s converged on the Red Shirt base in Rajprasong, where high-end malls and hotels have been shuttered by the prolonged protest.Armored vehicles crashed through barricades of piled tires and bamboo stakes, then soldiers gradually moved toward the protesters' hub, opening fire and drawing return fire from militant Red Shirts, Associated Press journalists saw.

Bullets flew overhead and several grenades exploded near the soldiers, forcing them to pull back and take cover briefly before pushing forward. A Canadian freelance reporter was injured by grenade shrapnel. Two other journalists were wounded earlier, one Dutch man and an American documentary filmmaker. An Italian photographer was killed.With no hope of resisting the military's advance, seven top Red Shirt leaders turned themselves in on Wednesday afternoon, saying they cannot see their supporters — women and children among them — being killed anymore. Brothers and sisters, I'm sorry I cannot see you off the way I welcomed you all when you arrived here. But please be assured that our hearts will always be with you, Nattawut Saikua, a key leader, said as he was being arrested. Please return home,he said. By mid-afternoon, the army announced it had gained control of the protest zone and the operations had ended — nine hours after troops launched the pre-dawn assault.Police officers and soldiers have now stopped their operation, army spokesman Col. Sansern Kawekamnerd said.But the Red Shirt leaders' decision to surrender — over two months after they began their protest in the Thai capital — clearly enraged some followers. Rioting spread quickly to other previously unaffected areas of Bangkok — prompting the government declaration of a curfew for at least one night — and to cities in the northeast of the country.Associated Press writers Thanyarat Doksone, Jocelyn Gecker, Vijay Joshi, Eric Talmadge and Chris Blake contributed to this report.

Proposed Iran sanctions face opposition By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer - MAY 19,10

UNITED NATIONS – The United States and its Western allies won crucial support from Russia and China for new sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program, but they now face a tough campaign to get backing from the rest of the U.N. Security Council.The draft resolution, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, would ban Iran from pursuing any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons,freeze assets of nuclear-related companies linked to the Revolutionary Guard, bar Iranian investment in activities such as uranium mining, and prohibit Iran from buying several categories of heavy weapons including attack helicopters and missiles.It would also call on all countries to cooperate in cargo inspections — which must receive the consent of the ship's flag state — if there are reasonable grounds to believe these activities could contribute to Iranian nuclear activities.On the financial side, the draft calls on — but does not require — countries to block financial transactions, including insurance and reinsurance, and ban the licensing of Iranian banks if they have information that provides reasonable grounds to believe these activities could contribute to Iranian nuclear activities.

The agreement appeared to be a significant victory for the Obama administration, which has doggedly pursued sanctions since Iran rebuffed U.S. overtures last year. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.Russia and China, which have close ties to Iran and could veto any resolution, joined fellow permanent council members Britain, France and the United States as well as non-member Germany in supporting the sanctions proposal.Both Russia and China resisted sanctions before they were persuaded to support the stepped up pressure on Iran in recent weeks. Proposed sanctions relating to Iran's oil and gas industry were removed due to opposition from the two countries, which have vast investments and interests in Iran's energy sector.Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the final draft is acceptable because it is focused adequately on nonproliferation matters and doesn't cause humanitarian damage or create problems for normal economic activities in Iran and the country's economic relations with other countries.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a Senate committee that she spent Tuesday on the phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov finalizing the resolution.The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov expressed anxiety in his talk with Clinton about reports that the United States and European Union might undertake unilateral sanctions against Iran beyond measures agreed to by the Security Council.

At least three of the 10 non-permanent Security Council members — Brazil, Turkey and Lebanon — have expressed opposition to new sanctions.The U.S. introduced the draft sanctions resolution at a closed council meeting Tuesday but Brazil announced afterwards that that it won't even discuss it at this point because it wants to focus on the nuclear swap agreement that Iran signed Monday with Brazil and Turkey.

The deal would take 1,200 kilograms, about 2,600 pounds, of low-enriched uranium out of Iran for a year and return higher-enriched uranium for a medical research reactor in Tehran. That's the same amount as under a tentative October agreement negotiated by the U.S., Russia, France and Iran and endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.We feel there is a new situation,said Brazil's U.N. Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, noting that Iran's first signed commitment to the nuclear swap creates a confidence building atmosphere for further dialogue and negotiations.
Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim conceded that the agreement did not solve all the problems posed by Iran's nuclear program, which the West suspects could lead to the development of nuclear weapons, but he argued it lays the groundwork for a peaceful solution to the dispute.I am optimistic about the results, he said in Brasilia.U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice insisted, however, that the pursuit of new sanctions has nothing to do with the proposed nuclear swap. The October proposal was presented as a confidence-building measure not as a solution to Iran's nuclear standoff, she said.Rice stressed that Iran has taken new actions since October and even after Monday's agreement the government announced that it still planned to enrich uranium to 20 percent. That not only eliminates any confidence-building potential but intensifies Iran's violation of existing U.N. sanctions, she said.

The draft resolution is targeting Iran's repeated refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program and decision to build 10 new nuclear facilities, Rice said, and it would give greater teeth to existing sanctions and add strong new measures to intensify pressure on the Iranian government to resolve concerns that its nuclear program is peaceful and not aimed at producing nuclear weapons. While Rice acknowledged the efforts of Brazil and Turkey, China's U.N. envoy Li Baodong called their agreement with Iran a very important diplomatic step which should be welcomed and followed by stepped up diplomatic activity to address Tehran's nuclear program.
Churkin, the Russian ambassador, also expressed appreciation for the initiative taken by Brazil and Turkey and hope that this matter can be pursued and successful.

We hope if that positive momentum is there, it can be reinforced on other tracks, he said, including strengthened Iranian cooperation with the IAEA and starting Iranian talks with the six powers. After presenting the draft to the non-permanent council members, Rice said the U.S. will work hard to win support from as many members as possible. She said she is confident the resolution will get the minimum nine yes votes without a veto needed for adoption by the 15-member council, but the final tally remains uncertain. Key council diplomats have said repeatedly that a high level of approval is crucial to send a strong message to Iran. Rice said the U.S. considers new sanctions urgent but wouldn't speculate on when the resolution will be put to a vote. The 10 countries elected to two-year terms almost certainly sent the draft to their capitals for examination. Experts from the 15 council nations will then start negotiations, which could take time. The six powers must also agree on the proposed individuals and companies from the Revolutionary Guard and other bodies to be added to a list of those subject to a freeze of their financial assets and travel ban for their nuclear links. The goals of the resolution are first to increase the cost to Iran's leadership of their defiance of the international community and their international obligations, and second to persuade them that it's in their interest to work with the international community to resolve peacefully the concerns about their nuclear program,Rice said.

These sanctions would also have an immediate chilling effect on Iran's ability to move forward with its nuclear and ballistic missile program as well as its ability to threaten its neighbor,she said. But panelists at a symposium Tuesday sponsored by the Nixon Center, a Washington think tank, said they doubted U.N. sanctions would deter Iran. This policy is unlikely to succeed,said former U.N. weapons inspector David Kay.The real question is what if sanctions fail? What are we to do? Richard Perle, a former Pentagon official, said he doubted sanctions would be effective in stopping Iran and recommended the U.S. back the Iranian opposition as a way of pressing regime change.Associated Press writers Anne Flaherty, Matthew Lee and Barry Schweid in Washington contributed to this report.

Iran hits back as US snubs Brazil-Turkey nuclear deal by Farhad Pouladi – MAY 19,10

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran voiced exasperation Wednesday at US-led international rejection of a hard-won nuclear fuel deal, saying major powers would be discrediting themselves if they pressed for fresh UN sanctions.Washington on Tuesday announced that it would submit a resolution at the UN Security Council for a fourth round of sanctions, a day after the Brazilian and Turkish leaders forged a compromise agreement they hailed as a step towards a resolution of Iran's years-old standoff with the West.Under the deal, Iran agreed to ship out much of its stockpile of low enriched uranium (LEU) to Turkey in exchange for fuel for a research reactor.(Talk of) imposing sanctions has faded and this resolution is the last effort by the West, Fars news agency quoted Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who also heads Iran's atomic energy organisation, as saying.We should be patient because they won't prevail and by pursuing the passing of a new resolution they are discrediting themselves in public opinion, Salehi said after a meeting of government ministers.

They feel that for the first time in the world developing countries are able to defend their rights in the world arena without resorting to the major powers and that is very hard for them, he added.The new draft resolution before the Security Council would expand an arms embargo and measures against Iran's banking sector, as well as banning it from sensitive overseas activities, like uranium mining and developing ballistic missiles, a US official said.The resolution would establish a comprehensive new framework for cargo inspections, both in states' ports and on the high seas, the official told journalists on condition of anonymity.The draft has the blessing of all five of the veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, including the usual standouts China and Russia, the US said.We have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of both Russia and China, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.This announcement is as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide, Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, referring to Monday's nuclear fuel deal.China's apparent backing of a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear activities came despite its earlier support for the swap deal.We attach importance to and support this agreement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it was still waiting for formal notification of the agreement thrashed out by Brazilian and Turkish officials.I am now waiting for the communication in writing from Iran, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told reporters in Bucharest on Wednesday.Salehi in his comments on Wednesday said that Tehran is preparing the letter (for the UN watchdog) and we will hand it over in due time.Western powers suspect that Iran's atomic programme is a cover for a nuclear weapons drive, something Tehran strongly denies.Clinton said Washington had raised a number of unanswered questions about the deal struck on Monday but welcomed what she called the sincere efforts of both Turkey and Brazil, two US allies that are both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim insisted the new agreement creates an opportunity for a peaceful negotiated settlement.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the world community to support the deal, which his foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, warned could be spoiled by talk of sanctions. Already under three sets of UN sanctions over its defiance of repeated Security Council ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment, Iran touted its agreement with Brazil and Turkey as a goodwill gesture that paves the way for a resumption of talks with the major powers.

Iran's arch foe Israel -- the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear-armed state -- is weighing a formal response to the deal, although a senior official accused Iran of trickery shortly after it was signed.