1-Storm may reach Hawaii by Friday. 2-Heavy rains from Typhoon Kaemi pounds China. 3-Europeans wait for relief from heat. 4-Putin and Aminijad discuss mideast peace (Heres trouble). 5-Israel plans buffer zone on border. 6-Eu hold talks on Lebanon. 7-letter exposes rift in Solano role in mideast. 8-Mideast peace talks fail,Condiliza Rice under fire.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Storm may reach Hawaii by Friday Tue Jul 25, 10:47 PM ET
HONOLULU - A tropical storm that formed in the Pacific Ocean last week could brush through Hawaii by the weekend, but forecasters say it is losing speed and strength. Tropical Storm Daniel is on track to cross the Big Island and then pass just south of the rest of the state. It had sustained winds Tuesday of 50 mph with gusts to 65 mph.By the time it reaches Hawaii as the state's first storm of the season, it likely will have winds of about 40 mph, gusting to 50 mph, forecasters said.As much as 10 inches of rain could fall in some parts of the state starting early Friday, said National Weather Service forecaster Norman Hiu. If a rain band crosses Oahu, Honolulu could get between 4 and 6 inches.
Heavy rains from Typhoon Kaemi pound China, 11 dead by Cindy Sui 1 hour,
BEIJING (AFP) - Eleven people were killed and several others left missing when torrential rains from Typhoon Kaemi caused widespread flooding in southeastern China, as about 750,000 evacuees remained in shelters. The typhoon, which hit southeast China's Fujian province on Tuesday packing winds of 120 kilometers (74 miles) an hour, was downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday morning, but still caused widespread chaos.Seven of the dead were killed in east China's Jiangxi province, which also had 19 people missing, the office of the national natural disaster reduction committee was quoted by the Xinhua news agency saying.Four others were killed in two landslides in southern Guangdong province and the southern province of Hainan, with another person missing, Xinhua said.
Seven others were missing in central China's Hunan province, it said.By 4:00 pm (0800 GMT) Wednesday, around 750,000 people had been relocated to safe places, including 649,000 in southeast China's Fujian province and 80,000 in east China's Zhejiang province, the committee and Xinhua said.In Fujian, a 200-meter (660
feet) long levee collapsed because of heavy rainstorms brought on by Kaemi, threatening more than 20,000 people in six villages with flooding, Xinhua said.Around 200 soldiers were immediately dispatched to the scene in Zhao'an county and by Wednesday evening they had thrown more than 5,000 sandbags into the breach, it said.
Across the south and east of China in areas still reeling from Tropical Storm Bilis, which killed more than 600 people earlier this month, authorities were implementing emergency measures to prepare for more disasters from Kaemi's relentless rain.After Kaemi made landfall, affected provinces issued an emergency order to prepare for flooding and landslides.Up to 12 centimeters (4.8 inches) of rain fell along the Fujian coast.Authorities expect heavy rain for the rest of the week in several provinces.
Local press cited Li Ronggen, vice governor of Guangdong, which was not directly hit by Kaemi, urging local officials not to be complacent and to prepare for possible flooding.
We must pay special attention to the safety of reservoirs and disasters like landslides, evacuate those in dangerous areas and prevent mishaps that can kill or injure people,Li said.Shanghai, China's economic heart on the east coast to the north of Fujian, appeared to have missed the worst of the weather with strong winds but no heavy rain on Wednesday, but authorities there were also taking precautions.They ordered residents to leave coastal areas and river banks and to inspect billboards, electricity poles, and makeshift shelters at construction sites to ensure flying debris did not cause damage.
The nation's railway system -- an important mode of transportation for millions -- was also under guard, after the key north-south Beijing-Guangzhou line was disrupted by Bilis, stranding thousands of residents in train cars.Xinhua cited the ministry of railways saying that typhoons this summer disrupted train services 78 times on 17 of China's arterial railways, stopping operations for a total of 604 hours.Traffic had resumed on most flood-damaged lines after repairs.
Bilis was similarly downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm before it hit China on July 14. It hovered over the south and center of the country for nearly 10 days, dumping massive rains and wreaking havoc in cities as well as mountainous areas.
The death toll in China from Bilis stood at 612 with another 208 people missing, state media had said. The Red Cross Society of China meanwhile has delivered funds and supplies, including tents and quilts, worth 2.54 million US dollars, to help people still trying to cope in the aftermath of Bilis, Xinhua cited the group as saying.
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Europeans wait for relief from stifling heatwave 39 minutes ago
PARIS (AFP) - Europe baked again in the grip of a deadly heatwave that has led to forest fires, forced water restrictions and damaged farmland across the continent.
Now firmly in its second week, the heatwave brought temperatures of more than 30
degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) to most of Europe with hotspots in France, Germany, Spain and northeast Italy.More than 50 people are estimated to have been killed by the heat, but so far there has been no repetition of the massive loss of life in the heatwave of 2003 when in France alone 15,000 died.
This time round, factors such as greater awareness, slightly lower temperatures and preventative action by goverments to protect the elderly are thought to have helped limit the number of deaths.Nevertheless, in Italy the heat killed a man of 87 and a woman of 89 in the northern city of Turin during the night of Tuesday, the Italian ANSA news agency reported on Wednesday.
And in Spain, the death of a woman of 83 in Barcelona in northeast Spain brought the toll in that country to nine.Towards the end of the week, weathermen predict that storms and wet weather will spread east across western Europe, dousing Britain, France and Germany and bringing relief to the millions suffering from the high humidity, sticky nights and blazing sunshine.In France on Wednesday, the mercury climbed to 38 degrees Celsius (100 F) in the south of the country while Parisians faced a sticky 36 degrees Celsius (97 F).On Wednesday, French Environment Minister Nelly Olin warned that groundwater levels in the Paris region were at their lowest level in 20 years and said that water restrictions were in place for nearly half of the country.It needs to rain without storms. That would be the ideal situation but I don't think we're there yet today,she told French television channel France 2.
In Britain, temperatures reached 33 degrees Celsius (91 F) and residents of Berlin in Germany sizzled in similar heat. The temperature in the German capital was set to hit 36 degrees in the next few days before storms on Saturday.
The level of the river Elbe which crosses Germany's main port Hamburg has dropped below 90 centimetres (three feet) upstream at Dresden near the Czech border, making navigation almost impossible. Normally the level is some 2.2 metres.In Belgium temperatures reached between 26 degrees C (79 F) on the coast and and 35 degrees (95 F) inland.In Spain, where scorching summer temperatures are more normal, the mercury hit 38 degrees C (100 F) in the northeast while the southeast was much cooler with 27 C (81 F) in Almeria.In Poland, firefighters were on maximum alert to tackle forest fires caused by the drought.
Over 8,000 fires have broken out in recent days and access has been banned to most forests.According to the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, Warsaw has seen the hottest month of July since temperatures began to be recorded 227 years ago. The average
temperature in the Polish capital this month was 23.2 degrees Celsius, five degrees higher than the norm.In nearby Latvia, potato farmers added their voice to a chorus of anguish from Europe's agricultural sector.
Farmers in France, the Netherlands and Poland have already warned of lower harvests this year and France on Wednesday lowered its forecast for its soft wheat harvest to below 35 million tonnes. Latvia's potato growers' association said that this year's crop could shrink by 50 percent compared with last year.
Nothing good can be expected this year, and the situation will be especially sad with the late-bearing potatoes,Ilmars Immurs of the Kartupelu Audzetaji was quoted by the Baltic News Service as saying. The potato crop would be seriously damaged if Latvia sees no rain in the near future, Imurs added. In the Netherlands, there were signs that the hot weather was beginning to take its toll on workers. A leading organisation that monitors health issues for Dutch companies, De Arbo Unie, reported a rise in the number of people calling in sick. Compared to the average rate, the number of workers on sick leave normally rises by 4.0 in the summer. This year the rise has been 7.4 percent.
Most of the people calling in sick were elderly or overweight, a company spokesman told the Dutch news agency ANP. There was also an increase in the number of diabetics and pregnant women falling ill. In Denmark, undergoing one of the hottest summers on record, many local authorities have banned open air fires except at fixed barbecue sites. Electricity supplies in the Czech Republic were back to normal Wednesday after widespread blackouts caused by overload the day before.
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Putin and Ahmadinejad discuss Mideast crises Wed Jul 26, 2:33 AM ET
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and Iran's nuclear program with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. The crisis situation surrounding Lebanon was at the center of discussion, the Kremlin press service said of the telephone conversation late on Tuesday. Different aspects of resolving the Iranian nuclear program were also touched upon.On both topics, Vladimir Putin stated the fundamental position of the Russian side,it said.Russia has called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and criticized the Israeli attacks, saying they went beyond the anti-Hizbollah military operation the Jewish state said it was conducting.Russia is one of six powers that want Iran to respond to an offer of incentives in exchange for Tehran stopping uranium enrichment. Unlike the United States and some other Western powers, it says it is too early to talk about economic or other sanctions against Tehran.
The telephone exchange took place at Ahmadinejad's request.Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday during a visit to Tajikistan that the conflict between Lebanon and Israel could sweep through the entire Middle East like a hurricane.The United States and key European countries fear Iran's nuclear activity is a cover for bomb making. Tehran says it has a right to civilian nuclear power and that its nuclear program is aimed only at producing electricity.
Israel plans buffer zone on border
Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem ,July 27, 2006
ISRAEL wants to establish a 2km-wide strip in southern Lebanon free of Hezbollah guerillas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said last night, for the first time giving the dimensions of Israel's proposed new security zone.Mr Olmert outlined the plans in a closed-door meeting of the parliament's Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee, a day after they were floated by Defence Minister Amir Peretz.
Mr Peretz said the zone would be handed over to a strong international peacekeeping force planned to take over the area. If there is no multinational force with an enforcement capability, we will continue to fire on anyone approaching the security
zone,he said. For many, Mr Peretz's statement was reminiscent of the announcements from Jerusalem in 1982, when Israeli troops were sent into Lebanon to drive back Palestinian militants from the southern border. At the time, the Israelis insisted the incursion would last no more than a few days.
But it was 18 years before Israel pulled out. Mr Peretz's aides hastened to stress the temporary nature of the planned buffer zone by saying Israel would build no outposts or other structures in it.
The Defence Minister suggested the new no-go zone for guerillas could be enforced by air and artillery strikes, without a permanent army presence. European diplomats have asked Jerusalem about how far north into Lebanon it intends to push and how long it intends to stay there.
Israeli officials have said Israel has no intention of reoccupying Lebanese territory beyond the operational requirements of the current battle. Israeli ground forces continued to push north yesterday, even though the battle for the Hezbollah stronghold of Bent Jbail was not over. Israeli officials had said the town was captured on Tuesday, after a two-day battle, except for pockets of resistance. But heavy fighting broke out at dawn as Hezbollah fighters remaining in the city took on the Israelis. Israeli officers said seven soldiers had been wounded but more than 50 Hezbollah fighters had been killed. The army said it had killed the top Hezbollah commander in the area. Brigadier General Gad Hirsch said his troops had uncovered sophisticated communications centres, Iranian-made surveillance equipment and large arms caches.
We have also gathered a great deal of intelligence,he said. Engineers blew up several multi-story buildings that provided a direct line of fire to Israeli settlements across the border. On Tuesday, 96 rockets fired by Hezbollah struck across Israel. One killed a 15-year-old girl when it hit the Israeli Arab village of Maghar. At least four Israeli Arabs have been killed by Hezbollah rockets, and
many wounded. The Lebanon Health Ministry reported that at least 422 people had been killed in the two weeks of Israeli attacks, including 20 Lebanese soldiers and at least 27 Hezbollah guerillas, but the vast majority have been civilians. Fifty-five Israelis have been killed, including 37 soldiers. The UN World Food Program yesterday sent the first convoy of food and medical supplies from Beirut to the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, one of the hardest-hit areas and now home to thousands of refugees.
While thousands have fled Tyre, tens of thousands still remain stranded with no fuel for their cars, no money for rocketing taxi fares and dwindling supplies of food,said Amer Daoudi, the emergency co-ordinator for the WFP operation in Lebanon. In the Gaza Strip, where continuing fighting has been overshadowed by events in Lebanon, 12 Palestinians, including a toddler, were killed yesterday as Israel pounded the strip with airstrikes and spearheaded a new incursion by 50 tanks. Nearly 130 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, launched in an effort to recover a captured soldier and stop rocket attacks. At least six of the dead were said to be militants, including four from the armed wing of the governing Hamas movement, one of the three groups to claim responsibility for the June 25 raid in which 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit was seized.
DANIEL 7:23
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.
REVELATION 17:9-10
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.
EU foreign ministers to hold talks on Lebanon
26/07/2006 - 14:05:10
European Union foreign ministers will hold special talks on Tuesday to discuss efforts to end the conflict in Lebanon, diplomats said today.The announcement comes amid stepped up EU diplomatic efforts to try to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.The EU is also looking at ways to improve aid to victims of the conflict there.The European Commission said today it was sending an additional €10m in humanitarian aid to Lebanon and €11m in separate aid to help cover the costs of travel home for citizens of poor countries fleeing the country.The European Commission said the total amount of humanitarian aid it has committed since fighting began in Lebanon now stands at €20m. EU spokesman Michael Mann said the European Union has set aside a provisional €50m in its budget for aid relief in Lebanon.The additional aid to pay for evacuating non-Europeans is meant to cover travel costs for around 10,000 people, mostly from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, officials said.They said up to 200,000 workers from developing nations, mostly in Asia, were living in Lebanon.
The evacuation aid was meant to relieve pressure on EU nation Cyprus, which is overwhelmed with fleeing Europeans and other nationals from Lebanon.EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel reiterated calls for both Israel and Hezbollah militants to respect humanitarian rules and principles and allow aid workers into the worst hit areas, in southern Lebanon.Safe humanitarian corridors must be granted as a matter of urgency, Michel said in a statement.He said aid convoys were ready to roll into conflict zones, but have so far not received the green light that they can transport their goods to victims.This is not enough. I urge the warring parties to accept a humanitarian truce, Michel said.
Letters expose EU divide on Solana Middle East role
26.07.2006 - 09:57 CET | By Mark Beunderman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Finnish EU presidency has sent a muted response to French president Jacques Chirac's request for a stronger role for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in the Middle East, highlighting internal EU divisions over Mr
Solana's position.
Mr Chirac last Thursday (20 July) sent a letter to Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen calling for a stronger, leading role by Mr Solana in brokering a lasting ceasefire in the region amid continuing violence between Israel and islamist Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. The letter states that the EU's top diplomat should step up efforts to find the necessary interlocutors and very swiftly contribute to proposals with the aim of gathering conditions for a broad and lasting ceasefire in the region.
Mr Solana's mission should highlight the efforts the European Union can make to achieve a de-escalation of violence as well as the conditions for a sustainable ceasefire. Our citizens would not understand it if the European Union…which has always made its original and balanced voice heard in the Middle East, does not act on the political level with regard to the drama which is taking place,Mr Chirac wrote. This is why I call upon you [the Finnish presidency] to launch this European initiative, the French leader added. But Mr Vanhanen, without answering the French president's request directly, merely wrote back on Tuesday (25 July) that The Finnish presidency fully supports the work of the high representative, Javier Solana, who is acting on the EU's behalf.
Mr Solana is doing everything in his power to promote political initiatives aimed at defusing the crisis and relaunching the Middle East peace process,the Finnish letter said adding that "the EU must remain at the forefront of efforts to find a way out of the crisis.
Muted response
A French diplomat said that Helsinki's response is encouraging as it shows everybody agrees that Mr Solana has a clear mandate. But another EU diplomat commented that the muted reaction by the presidency is an expression of the fact that not all countries are prepared to give Solana such a strong role. The British would not agree to that, the contact said, adding there is no unanimity on how to handle the Middle East issue. A UK diplomat commented that We are very happy with what he [Mr Solana] has been doing so far.French diplomats explained that Mr Chirac's letter had been designed to encourage Mr Solana to be Mister EU in the region, amid complaints by parties in the Middle East that they have had to receive a plethora of diplomats from different EU presidencies, different member states as well as the European Commission.
Plethora of EU visitors
The point is set to be highlighted on Wednesday (26 July) when Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja will travel to the region together with external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner after a major Rome international conference on the dispute.
Clearly the presidency wants to be involved as well,noted one diplomat. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Mr Solana said the Chirac letter, also sent to the Solana office, had been received very positively.The French president asked for something about which there is agreement among all 25 EU member states: that the EU is fully engaged in the crisis,she said. French contacts said the initiative was also totally in line with French ideas on strengthening Mr Solana's role in general, as proposed in a paper on the future of Europe this spring. The quasi-EU foreign minister idea is controversial as it is seen by some member states as cherry-picking from the EU constitution which suggested a common foreign minister for the bloc. Small member states are meanwhile complaining that Mr Solana is operating beyond their control.
Mideast peace talks fail, Rice under fire
[ 26 Jul, 2006 2304hrs ISTAGENCIES ]
ROME: A 15-nation crisis conference on Wednesday failed to agree on calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East but vowed to work with utmost urgency for a truce.
In a declaration released after the five-hour Rome conference, the countries expressed determination to work immediately to reach with utmost urgency a ceasefire to put an end to the current hostilities. Almost every nation attending an international conference in Rome put pressure on US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice to call for an immediate end to the fighting on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
But Rice stood her ground in two days of diplomacy in Lebanon and Israel and the West Bank. A ceasefire to end the bloodshed in the region must be lasting, permanent and sustainable, the world powers said. They gathered here also called on Israel to exercise utmost restraint while welcoming Israel's decision to let aid into Lebanon including aid flights to Beirut airport.
But the ceasefire pledge fell far short of meeting UN secretary-general Kofi Annan's plea for an immediate cessation of hostilities to stop the killing, with nearly 400 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, now dead. However, Rice insisted that the root causes must be addressed first. We are all agreed that we want most urgently to end the violence on a basis that this time will be sustainable.
Because unfortunately this is a region that has had too many broken ceasefires, she said. We do have a way forward, she said, referring to UN resolution 1559, which calls for the disarming and disbanding of all militias, including Hezbollah, and for the Lebanese government to assert its authority over all its territory. Much of southern Lebanon is controlled by Hezbollah. The conference set out no concrete steps for implementing the UN resolution, however.
We all committed to dedicated and urgent action to try to bring about an end to this violence that indeed would be sustainable and that would leave the Lebanese government with the prospect of full control of its country, Rice said. We cannot return to the status-quo ante. French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy lamented the failure to agree on an immediate ceasefire. Meanwhile, at least 13 Israeli soldiers were killed as fighting intensified.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
US PERSISTS WITH PALESTINIAN STATE
1-Amidst War, 650 French jews move to Israel. 2-3000 dead in Korean floods.3-Typhoon hits China 500,000 evacuated. 4-7 Wildfires in boise. 5-Rice says need to keep focus on Palestinian state. 6-Vatican,behind the scenes works on mideast peace. 7-Israeli women Walk around Walls of Jerusalem.
Amidst War, 650 French Jews Move to Israel in One Day
By Ezra HaLevi(Arutz-7 INN)
Despite the Re-Engagement War, 650 French Jews arrived on Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) Tuesday - the largest number to arrive in a single day since 1971.The new immigrants arrived on two chartered Israir flights, one with 500 passengers from Paris and the other with 150 Jews from Marseille. They arrive in Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.The immigrants have received logistical assistance from AMI - the French Aliyah organization, similar to its North American (and British) counterpart Nefesh b'Nefesh. Similar to the lavish ceremonies organized by Nefesh b'Nefesh, the French arrivals were greeted with refreshments and a large stage set up at the airport, with hundreds of friends, relatives and Aliyah enthusiasts on hand to greet them.
AMI reports that many of the new immigrants will be moving to northern Israel, and like the planeload of North Americans that arrived last week, refused to postpone their plans due to the two-front war that has two million Israelis living in bomb shelters and temporary quarters.Recent polls have shown that more half of young French Jews do not see themselves staying in France in the future.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Almost 3,000 believed dead, missing in NKorea floods Wed Jul 26, 8:08 AM ET
SEOUL (AFP) - Nearly 3,000 North Koreans were believed dead or missing in floods and landslides after torrential rains hit the impoverished country, a respected South Korean human rights group has said. Monsoon downpours caused much more damage than the secretive North's state media have claimed, said Good Friends, an independent rights group which in the past has provided accurate information about the isolated communist country.
North Korea has suffered really severe damage from recent rains, with nearly 3,000 people known to have been recorded dead or missing,the group said in a statement Wednesday.Damage and casualties are far heavier than known so far to the outside world,it said.Lee Seung-Yong, a Good Friends activist, refused to say how the group obtained information on North Korea's rain damage. We are collecting data from various sources,he said.
North Korea was lashed by a typhoon on July 10, followed by three days of heavy monsoon rains.The North's official Korean Central News Agency said last week the rains had left hundreds of people dead or missing, with agricultural and other sectors of the country's economy badly damaged.The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday that nearly 250 people were dead or missing in the disaster.That figure was based on government statistics provided to the International Red Cross, said Hope Weiner, an official with the federation's East Asia regional office in Beijing.The federation said the worst natural disaster to hit the impoverished country in four years swept away a vast area of arable land, left nearly 17,000 families and totally or partially destroyed 23,400 houses.
Good Friends said North Korea had imposed a temporary ban on unnecessary domestic trips, with roads and railways cut off in many areas.The center of Pyongyang was also partly flooded for the first time in 16 years, it said.The rain caused the Taedong river to flood for the first time in 16 years,it said. The river runs along the central section of Pyongyang.Meanwhile, North Korea's two northeastern provinces were hit by a prolonged drought this year, it said.
Damage to the harvest across North Korea sparked concerns that its chronic food shortages may worsen again this year, the group said.North Korea has relied on emergency shipments from the the UN's World Food Program (WFP) to feed one-third of its population since being hit by a series of natural diasters in the mid-1990s.But it stopped accepting UN food aid late last year and asked for development assistance instead, citing better harvests and aid from China and South Korea.However, South Korea earlier this month angrily rejected a North Korean request for rice aid after Pyongang launched a series of missile tests that earned it international condemnation. North Korea's food shortages are getting worse due to the suspension of humanitarian aid from South Korea and tensions over its missile tests, Good Friends said. Famine may hit the country again this year, it said.
Typhoon hits China, over 500,000 evacuated by Cindy Sui
14 minutes ago
BEIJING (AFP) - Typhoon Kaemi struck the southeast coast of China, sparking the evacuation of over 500,000 people in an area still reeling from a tropical storm that claimed over 600 lives. The typhoon -- which first passed over Taiwan, causing widespread disruption to daily life but not enormous damage -- struck mainland China's Fujian province at 3:50 pm (0750 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency said.State television showed footage of torrential rains lashing Fuzhou, a major city in Fujian, as workers struggled to fasten power cables and make other preparations for the onslaught of the typhoon.With the storm packing winds of up to 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour as it approached, more than 430,000 people were evacuated from Fujian, while another 80,000 were moved from their homes in neighboring Zhejiang province.
Kaemi, which means ant in Korean, pounded Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain after making landfall there late Monday, leaving four people slightly injured when the bus they were in was hit by falling rocks.
The typhoon also forced the cancellation of flights in Taiwan, disrupted road traffic, knocked out power for thousands of residents and forced some offices to close.Kaemi had earlier brushed past the Philippines, causing heavy rain there, with schools closed and more than 2,600 people evacuated in and around the capital of Manila on Tuesday due to heavy flooding.A total of 435,000 people were evacuated in Fujian, including those working in fish farms on the sea, other fishermen and residents in low-lying areas, Xinhua news agency said.
About 44,000 fishing boats were ordered to return to harbor by Tuesday, while flights from Xiamen city have been postponed or cancelled.Around 3,000 armed police equipped with speedboats were also deployed to conduct rescue and relief operations if necessary, Xinhua said.Local authorities were advised to monitor the safety of people living in makeshift shelters at coal mines and in mountainous areas and to boost patrols along reservoirs and dams in preparation for flooding.So far, Fujian province has prepared 12,000 tents, 50,000 quilts, 80,000 items of clothing and a five-day supply of food for 300,000 people, Xinhua said.Fujian was still trying to cope with the impact of Bilis, which struck mainland China on July 14, killing at least 43 people in the province.
Zhejiang, which did not suffer too badly from Bilis, was preparing for a much tougher time with Kaemi, Xinhua said.Neighboring Guangdong province to the south, where 106 people were killed in Bilis, was also making preparations for strong winds
and heavy rain, even though it was not expected to be directly hit by Kaemi.Bilis killed at least 612 people in southern, eastern and central China, with 208 still missing, according to the latest figures released by the government Monday.China's east coast is regularly hit by storms and typhoons in the summer, but the number of fatalities, missing people and economic losses are much greater this year than in 2005, officials said over the weekend.
The UN's panel on climate change has long held that rising temperatures would result in more severe rain storms in south and central China and drought in the north. In a separate development during a brutal period of weather for north Asia, the International Red Cross said at least 121 people had been killed and another 127 missing in North Korea following heavy storms in mid-July. Nearly 17,000 families had been left homeless in five North Korean provinces with rain totally or partially destroying 23,400 houses, the Red Cross said.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
03:11 PM MDT on Saturday, July 22, 2006
BOISE -- Seven wildfires and more than 6,000 acres of forest are burning north of Boise today.
Bill Krumm-KTVB
The Trailhead Fire is burning in the Sawtooth National Forest off Highway 21.Two of the largest fires sparked by lightning are burning in the Payette National Forest. The Lick Creek Fire has blackened 550 The Dunce Fire burning further east has charred more than 4,000 acres. Fire crews are letting both wildfires burn naturally to reduce fuel in the forest. The Quartz Creek Fire north of Yellow Pine has charred just under 100 acres. Even bigger is the Elkhorn Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, which has now burned 1,000 acres. The most significant wildfire this season is the Trailhead Fire in the Sawtooth National Forest near Grandjean and Yellow Pine off Highway 21. The fire is estimated at 1,000 acres. It’s burning just over a mile away from the Sawtooth Lodge.
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
DANIEL 8:25
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:39
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
ISAIAH 28:15
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
TAKE NOTICE WHAT VERSE 14 SAYS YES ITS JERUSALEM THATS DIVIDED.THATS WHY GOD IS SO MAD AND WW3 RESULTS BECAUSE OF IT. IN DANIEL CHAPTERS 2 + 7 IT SAYS THE EU WILL BE THE LAST DAYS POWER AND IN DANIEL 9:24-27 IT INVOLVES ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM. YOU COULD NOT DIVIDE JERUSALEM IF IT WAS NOT IN ISRAELS HANDS, THATS WHY THE LAST DAYS COUNTDOWN STARTED WITH ISRAEL BECOMING A NATION AND RECAPTURING JERUSALEM IN THE SIX DAY WAR. JERUSALEM IS THE KEY. BECAUSE JERUSALEM WILL BE TROUBLSOME AND A CUP OF TREMBLING IN THESE LAST DAYS.
ZECHARIAH 12:1-3
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Rice says need to keep focus on Palestinian state By Wafa Amr
1 hour, 1 minute ago
RAMALLAH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday there was a need to remain focused on establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel despite the crisis in Lebanon. Rice met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after visiting Lebanon and Israel, where she discussed the two weeks of fighting with Hizbollah guerrillas that have opened up a second front for Israel, already fighting in Gaza for a month.Even as the Lebanon situation is resolved, we must remain focused on what is happening here, in the Palestinian territories,Rice told a news conference.On our desires to get back to ... (the) vision of two states living side by side in peace.
Israeli-Palestinian relations hit a new low last month when gunmen from the Gaza Strip, including militants from the governing Hamas Islamist movement, killed two soldiers in Israel and abducted a third.That prompted an Israeli offensive which has left 121 Palestinians dead, but failed to secure the soldier's release or halt rocket fire by militants. The fighting in Gaza has been overshadowed by the war in Lebanon.A senior Palestinian official said Rice had told Abbas, a moderate, that Washington wanted to see a change in the Hamas government, which is under a U.S.-led aid embargo to force it to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept peace deals.She also told Abbas to use his authority to restore calm so that a political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be discussed when the Lebanon crisis is over.
THREAT
If the Palestinians don't change the government and don't achieve calm, the Palestinians will be ignored,the official said. There was no immediate U.S. comment.Abbas, who has been struggling to salvage peacemaking amid resistance from Hamas, voiced hope that the Israeli soldier would be returned by the militants and Israel would be prompted to release Palestinian prisoners.We ... will exert maximum effort to revive the peace process and to guarantee the release of the soldier,he said.We hope that Israel will realize the suffering of 10,000 Palestinian families whose sons and daughters are in Israeli jails.Israel, which abandoned Gaza in 2005 after a 38 years of occupation, has ruled out any prisoner swap, although Germany, which helped negotiate an exchange of prisoners in 2004, said on Monday it was hopeful for the release of the soldier.A Palestinian official said Abbas told Rice that a more fanatical group might emerge in Lebanon if Hizbollah is cowed, noting that when Israel pushed out Palestinian guerrillas from Lebanon in the 1980s they were replaced by Hizbollah.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas dismissed calls by Rice for a new Middle East of peace and democracy. It seems that the new Middle East from the American perspective begins with the destruction of Lebanon and by killing the biggest number of Palestinians,Haniyeh said.(Additional reporting by Sue Pleming)
REVELATION 17:4-5
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
SODANO-SUMMIT Jul-25-2006
Cardinal: Vatican will continue behind-scenes work for Mideast peace
By Carol Glatz,Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As government ministers and world leaders gathered in Rome to work on resolving the recent violence in the Middle East, a top church official said the Vatican would continue to work behind the scenes in pushing for a peaceful solution.
Though it was not sending a representative or observer to a July 26 summit aimed at hammering out a peace plan for Lebanon and Israel, the Vatican planned to follow the summit's progress with great attention,Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, told the Italian state television, RAI, July 24.The Holy See tries to be 'super partes' (above all parties); it has a universal mission to unite all of humanity,the cardinal said.His remarks echoed Pope Benedict XVI's July 21 comments that the Vatican tends to leave diplomatic bargaining to other nations because we do not get involved in politics even if we do everything for peace.
However, the Vatican supports everything that can facilitate and lead to peace, the pope had said.Because modern civilization calls for dialogue, not war, to resolve disputes, every day the Vatican has been contacting foreign diplomats in an effort to foster a peaceful resolution, Cardinal Sodano said.There has been intense effort contacting the chanceries of many of the countries involved in or concerned about resolving the Mideast violence, he said.Cardinal Sodano said the Vatican has been emphasizing Pope Benedict's concerns and wishes for an immediate cease-fire and a humanitarian corridor in the area of conflict so as to get needed aid into the region.The Vatican will continue to maintain contact with various governments of the world in order to make its contribution so that this tragedy may end as soon as possible,he said.Israel began a bombing campaign against targets in Lebanon and deployed troops into the country after the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah, captured two Israel soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border raid July 12. The violence, which includes Hezbollah launching rocket attacks into northern Israel, has killed about 400 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and about 35 Israelis and has left hundreds of thousands of people displaced.
In a separate interview with Italy's leading Catholic magazine, Famiglia Cristiana, the cardinal countered criticism that the Vatican was not understanding enough of Israel's reasons to bomb what it says are Hezbollah militants' strongholds in Lebanon.In the magazine's July 30 issue, released July 25, Cardinal Sodano said that over the last century the Vatican has always held fast to reasons of peace which will often displease one or the other side of belligerent parties.
The church's calls for nonviolence will always carry the risk of being criticized, misunderstood, or accused of taking sides, he said, but this is the price one must pay in order to contribute to the establishment of peace.Church teaching says that, if there is no competent and sufficiently powerful authority at the world level to resolve the danger of war, nations cannot be denied the right to legitimate defense once every means of peaceful resolution has been exhausted, he said.
However, even in cases of legitimate self-defense, innocent civilians must not be caught up in the fighting, and basic humanitarian laws must never be violated,he said in the magazine interview.Meanwhile, Cardinal Sodano praised the Italian government and others who made the July 26 summit a reality, saying the city of Rome has a special vocation of peace for the world.Government ministers and leaders from at least 13 countries, including the United States and Canada, were expected to attend the special summit aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. Representatives from the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank were to attend the meeting, which also was expected to address reconstruction plans and aid to Lebanon. (Catholic News Service)
25/07
WOMEN IN GREEN's ANNUAL TISHA B'AV WALK around the Walls of the Old City
MK Prof. Arieh Eldad and Rabbi Uzi Sharbaf from Hebron will lead the walk of tens of thousands As we mark a year to the destruction of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron we call upon all to join in this old Jerusalem custom of walking around the walls of
its Old City TISHA B'AV Evening, Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 For Jerusalem's Sake, I will not be silent! at 20:30 pm Maariv and the reading of Eicha at safra Square.
Bring a flag, megillat Eicha and a flashlight to help you follow the reading.at 21:30 - Our walk begins , starting from Safra Square. We will pass the New Gate, Damascus Gate and the Flower gate.
At the Lion's Gate we will assemble to proclaim our eternal bond to the Temple Mount where our First and second Temples stood, and where the Third Temple will be built, speedily in our days. We will end our Walk at the Dung gate, near the western Wall. We have a police permit for the Walk. Parking of cars (for a fee) in the Karta parking lot, Emek street across David's Citadel hotel.
Davka this year, as we mark a year to the destruction of Gush katif and Northern Shomron and the Arabs have once again started a war with us whose purpose is the elimination of any Jewish presence in Israel, it is important to show our loyalty to every inch in the Land of Israel by strengthening our bond to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. As the poet Uri Zvi Greenberg wrote:He who controls the Temple Mount, controls all of the Land of Israel Women for israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green) pob 7352, Jerusalem 91072,www.womeningreen.org
Amidst War, 650 French Jews Move to Israel in One Day
By Ezra HaLevi(Arutz-7 INN)
Despite the Re-Engagement War, 650 French Jews arrived on Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) Tuesday - the largest number to arrive in a single day since 1971.The new immigrants arrived on two chartered Israir flights, one with 500 passengers from Paris and the other with 150 Jews from Marseille. They arrive in Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.The immigrants have received logistical assistance from AMI - the French Aliyah organization, similar to its North American (and British) counterpart Nefesh b'Nefesh. Similar to the lavish ceremonies organized by Nefesh b'Nefesh, the French arrivals were greeted with refreshments and a large stage set up at the airport, with hundreds of friends, relatives and Aliyah enthusiasts on hand to greet them.
AMI reports that many of the new immigrants will be moving to northern Israel, and like the planeload of North Americans that arrived last week, refused to postpone their plans due to the two-front war that has two million Israelis living in bomb shelters and temporary quarters.Recent polls have shown that more half of young French Jews do not see themselves staying in France in the future.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Almost 3,000 believed dead, missing in NKorea floods Wed Jul 26, 8:08 AM ET
SEOUL (AFP) - Nearly 3,000 North Koreans were believed dead or missing in floods and landslides after torrential rains hit the impoverished country, a respected South Korean human rights group has said. Monsoon downpours caused much more damage than the secretive North's state media have claimed, said Good Friends, an independent rights group which in the past has provided accurate information about the isolated communist country.
North Korea has suffered really severe damage from recent rains, with nearly 3,000 people known to have been recorded dead or missing,the group said in a statement Wednesday.Damage and casualties are far heavier than known so far to the outside world,it said.Lee Seung-Yong, a Good Friends activist, refused to say how the group obtained information on North Korea's rain damage. We are collecting data from various sources,he said.
North Korea was lashed by a typhoon on July 10, followed by three days of heavy monsoon rains.The North's official Korean Central News Agency said last week the rains had left hundreds of people dead or missing, with agricultural and other sectors of the country's economy badly damaged.The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday that nearly 250 people were dead or missing in the disaster.That figure was based on government statistics provided to the International Red Cross, said Hope Weiner, an official with the federation's East Asia regional office in Beijing.The federation said the worst natural disaster to hit the impoverished country in four years swept away a vast area of arable land, left nearly 17,000 families and totally or partially destroyed 23,400 houses.
Good Friends said North Korea had imposed a temporary ban on unnecessary domestic trips, with roads and railways cut off in many areas.The center of Pyongyang was also partly flooded for the first time in 16 years, it said.The rain caused the Taedong river to flood for the first time in 16 years,it said. The river runs along the central section of Pyongyang.Meanwhile, North Korea's two northeastern provinces were hit by a prolonged drought this year, it said.
Damage to the harvest across North Korea sparked concerns that its chronic food shortages may worsen again this year, the group said.North Korea has relied on emergency shipments from the the UN's World Food Program (WFP) to feed one-third of its population since being hit by a series of natural diasters in the mid-1990s.But it stopped accepting UN food aid late last year and asked for development assistance instead, citing better harvests and aid from China and South Korea.However, South Korea earlier this month angrily rejected a North Korean request for rice aid after Pyongang launched a series of missile tests that earned it international condemnation. North Korea's food shortages are getting worse due to the suspension of humanitarian aid from South Korea and tensions over its missile tests, Good Friends said. Famine may hit the country again this year, it said.
Typhoon hits China, over 500,000 evacuated by Cindy Sui
14 minutes ago
BEIJING (AFP) - Typhoon Kaemi struck the southeast coast of China, sparking the evacuation of over 500,000 people in an area still reeling from a tropical storm that claimed over 600 lives. The typhoon -- which first passed over Taiwan, causing widespread disruption to daily life but not enormous damage -- struck mainland China's Fujian province at 3:50 pm (0750 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency said.State television showed footage of torrential rains lashing Fuzhou, a major city in Fujian, as workers struggled to fasten power cables and make other preparations for the onslaught of the typhoon.With the storm packing winds of up to 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour as it approached, more than 430,000 people were evacuated from Fujian, while another 80,000 were moved from their homes in neighboring Zhejiang province.
Kaemi, which means ant in Korean, pounded Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain after making landfall there late Monday, leaving four people slightly injured when the bus they were in was hit by falling rocks.
The typhoon also forced the cancellation of flights in Taiwan, disrupted road traffic, knocked out power for thousands of residents and forced some offices to close.Kaemi had earlier brushed past the Philippines, causing heavy rain there, with schools closed and more than 2,600 people evacuated in and around the capital of Manila on Tuesday due to heavy flooding.A total of 435,000 people were evacuated in Fujian, including those working in fish farms on the sea, other fishermen and residents in low-lying areas, Xinhua news agency said.
About 44,000 fishing boats were ordered to return to harbor by Tuesday, while flights from Xiamen city have been postponed or cancelled.Around 3,000 armed police equipped with speedboats were also deployed to conduct rescue and relief operations if necessary, Xinhua said.Local authorities were advised to monitor the safety of people living in makeshift shelters at coal mines and in mountainous areas and to boost patrols along reservoirs and dams in preparation for flooding.So far, Fujian province has prepared 12,000 tents, 50,000 quilts, 80,000 items of clothing and a five-day supply of food for 300,000 people, Xinhua said.Fujian was still trying to cope with the impact of Bilis, which struck mainland China on July 14, killing at least 43 people in the province.
Zhejiang, which did not suffer too badly from Bilis, was preparing for a much tougher time with Kaemi, Xinhua said.Neighboring Guangdong province to the south, where 106 people were killed in Bilis, was also making preparations for strong winds
and heavy rain, even though it was not expected to be directly hit by Kaemi.Bilis killed at least 612 people in southern, eastern and central China, with 208 still missing, according to the latest figures released by the government Monday.China's east coast is regularly hit by storms and typhoons in the summer, but the number of fatalities, missing people and economic losses are much greater this year than in 2005, officials said over the weekend.
The UN's panel on climate change has long held that rising temperatures would result in more severe rain storms in south and central China and drought in the north. In a separate development during a brutal period of weather for north Asia, the International Red Cross said at least 121 people had been killed and another 127 missing in North Korea following heavy storms in mid-July. Nearly 17,000 families had been left homeless in five North Korean provinces with rain totally or partially destroying 23,400 houses, the Red Cross said.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
03:11 PM MDT on Saturday, July 22, 2006
BOISE -- Seven wildfires and more than 6,000 acres of forest are burning north of Boise today.
Bill Krumm-KTVB
The Trailhead Fire is burning in the Sawtooth National Forest off Highway 21.Two of the largest fires sparked by lightning are burning in the Payette National Forest. The Lick Creek Fire has blackened 550 The Dunce Fire burning further east has charred more than 4,000 acres. Fire crews are letting both wildfires burn naturally to reduce fuel in the forest. The Quartz Creek Fire north of Yellow Pine has charred just under 100 acres. Even bigger is the Elkhorn Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, which has now burned 1,000 acres. The most significant wildfire this season is the Trailhead Fire in the Sawtooth National Forest near Grandjean and Yellow Pine off Highway 21. The fire is estimated at 1,000 acres. It’s burning just over a mile away from the Sawtooth Lodge.
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
DANIEL 8:25
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:39
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
ISAIAH 28:15
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
TAKE NOTICE WHAT VERSE 14 SAYS YES ITS JERUSALEM THATS DIVIDED.THATS WHY GOD IS SO MAD AND WW3 RESULTS BECAUSE OF IT. IN DANIEL CHAPTERS 2 + 7 IT SAYS THE EU WILL BE THE LAST DAYS POWER AND IN DANIEL 9:24-27 IT INVOLVES ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM. YOU COULD NOT DIVIDE JERUSALEM IF IT WAS NOT IN ISRAELS HANDS, THATS WHY THE LAST DAYS COUNTDOWN STARTED WITH ISRAEL BECOMING A NATION AND RECAPTURING JERUSALEM IN THE SIX DAY WAR. JERUSALEM IS THE KEY. BECAUSE JERUSALEM WILL BE TROUBLSOME AND A CUP OF TREMBLING IN THESE LAST DAYS.
ZECHARIAH 12:1-3
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Rice says need to keep focus on Palestinian state By Wafa Amr
1 hour, 1 minute ago
RAMALLAH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday there was a need to remain focused on establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel despite the crisis in Lebanon. Rice met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after visiting Lebanon and Israel, where she discussed the two weeks of fighting with Hizbollah guerrillas that have opened up a second front for Israel, already fighting in Gaza for a month.Even as the Lebanon situation is resolved, we must remain focused on what is happening here, in the Palestinian territories,Rice told a news conference.On our desires to get back to ... (the) vision of two states living side by side in peace.
Israeli-Palestinian relations hit a new low last month when gunmen from the Gaza Strip, including militants from the governing Hamas Islamist movement, killed two soldiers in Israel and abducted a third.That prompted an Israeli offensive which has left 121 Palestinians dead, but failed to secure the soldier's release or halt rocket fire by militants. The fighting in Gaza has been overshadowed by the war in Lebanon.A senior Palestinian official said Rice had told Abbas, a moderate, that Washington wanted to see a change in the Hamas government, which is under a U.S.-led aid embargo to force it to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept peace deals.She also told Abbas to use his authority to restore calm so that a political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be discussed when the Lebanon crisis is over.
THREAT
If the Palestinians don't change the government and don't achieve calm, the Palestinians will be ignored,the official said. There was no immediate U.S. comment.Abbas, who has been struggling to salvage peacemaking amid resistance from Hamas, voiced hope that the Israeli soldier would be returned by the militants and Israel would be prompted to release Palestinian prisoners.We ... will exert maximum effort to revive the peace process and to guarantee the release of the soldier,he said.We hope that Israel will realize the suffering of 10,000 Palestinian families whose sons and daughters are in Israeli jails.Israel, which abandoned Gaza in 2005 after a 38 years of occupation, has ruled out any prisoner swap, although Germany, which helped negotiate an exchange of prisoners in 2004, said on Monday it was hopeful for the release of the soldier.A Palestinian official said Abbas told Rice that a more fanatical group might emerge in Lebanon if Hizbollah is cowed, noting that when Israel pushed out Palestinian guerrillas from Lebanon in the 1980s they were replaced by Hizbollah.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas dismissed calls by Rice for a new Middle East of peace and democracy. It seems that the new Middle East from the American perspective begins with the destruction of Lebanon and by killing the biggest number of Palestinians,Haniyeh said.(Additional reporting by Sue Pleming)
REVELATION 17:4-5
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
SODANO-SUMMIT Jul-25-2006
Cardinal: Vatican will continue behind-scenes work for Mideast peace
By Carol Glatz,Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As government ministers and world leaders gathered in Rome to work on resolving the recent violence in the Middle East, a top church official said the Vatican would continue to work behind the scenes in pushing for a peaceful solution.
Though it was not sending a representative or observer to a July 26 summit aimed at hammering out a peace plan for Lebanon and Israel, the Vatican planned to follow the summit's progress with great attention,Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, told the Italian state television, RAI, July 24.The Holy See tries to be 'super partes' (above all parties); it has a universal mission to unite all of humanity,the cardinal said.His remarks echoed Pope Benedict XVI's July 21 comments that the Vatican tends to leave diplomatic bargaining to other nations because we do not get involved in politics even if we do everything for peace.
However, the Vatican supports everything that can facilitate and lead to peace, the pope had said.Because modern civilization calls for dialogue, not war, to resolve disputes, every day the Vatican has been contacting foreign diplomats in an effort to foster a peaceful resolution, Cardinal Sodano said.There has been intense effort contacting the chanceries of many of the countries involved in or concerned about resolving the Mideast violence, he said.Cardinal Sodano said the Vatican has been emphasizing Pope Benedict's concerns and wishes for an immediate cease-fire and a humanitarian corridor in the area of conflict so as to get needed aid into the region.The Vatican will continue to maintain contact with various governments of the world in order to make its contribution so that this tragedy may end as soon as possible,he said.Israel began a bombing campaign against targets in Lebanon and deployed troops into the country after the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah, captured two Israel soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border raid July 12. The violence, which includes Hezbollah launching rocket attacks into northern Israel, has killed about 400 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and about 35 Israelis and has left hundreds of thousands of people displaced.
In a separate interview with Italy's leading Catholic magazine, Famiglia Cristiana, the cardinal countered criticism that the Vatican was not understanding enough of Israel's reasons to bomb what it says are Hezbollah militants' strongholds in Lebanon.In the magazine's July 30 issue, released July 25, Cardinal Sodano said that over the last century the Vatican has always held fast to reasons of peace which will often displease one or the other side of belligerent parties.
The church's calls for nonviolence will always carry the risk of being criticized, misunderstood, or accused of taking sides, he said, but this is the price one must pay in order to contribute to the establishment of peace.Church teaching says that, if there is no competent and sufficiently powerful authority at the world level to resolve the danger of war, nations cannot be denied the right to legitimate defense once every means of peaceful resolution has been exhausted, he said.
However, even in cases of legitimate self-defense, innocent civilians must not be caught up in the fighting, and basic humanitarian laws must never be violated,he said in the magazine interview.Meanwhile, Cardinal Sodano praised the Italian government and others who made the July 26 summit a reality, saying the city of Rome has a special vocation of peace for the world.Government ministers and leaders from at least 13 countries, including the United States and Canada, were expected to attend the special summit aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. Representatives from the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank were to attend the meeting, which also was expected to address reconstruction plans and aid to Lebanon. (Catholic News Service)
25/07
WOMEN IN GREEN's ANNUAL TISHA B'AV WALK around the Walls of the Old City
MK Prof. Arieh Eldad and Rabbi Uzi Sharbaf from Hebron will lead the walk of tens of thousands As we mark a year to the destruction of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron we call upon all to join in this old Jerusalem custom of walking around the walls of
its Old City TISHA B'AV Evening, Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 For Jerusalem's Sake, I will not be silent! at 20:30 pm Maariv and the reading of Eicha at safra Square.
Bring a flag, megillat Eicha and a flashlight to help you follow the reading.at 21:30 - Our walk begins , starting from Safra Square. We will pass the New Gate, Damascus Gate and the Flower gate.
At the Lion's Gate we will assemble to proclaim our eternal bond to the Temple Mount where our First and second Temples stood, and where the Third Temple will be built, speedily in our days. We will end our Walk at the Dung gate, near the western Wall. We have a police permit for the Walk. Parking of cars (for a fee) in the Karta parking lot, Emek street across David's Citadel hotel.
Davka this year, as we mark a year to the destruction of Gush katif and Northern Shomron and the Arabs have once again started a war with us whose purpose is the elimination of any Jewish presence in Israel, it is important to show our loyalty to every inch in the Land of Israel by strengthening our bond to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. As the poet Uri Zvi Greenberg wrote:He who controls the Temple Mount, controls all of the Land of Israel Women for israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green) pob 7352, Jerusalem 91072,www.womeningreen.org
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
THE EU A STRANGE BEAST
1-Fighting moves deeper into Lebanon. 2-Mideast conflict studied for links to the Bible 3-European Union weighs options of Peace Keeping Force. 4-EUS Solano says International force in Lebanon a real possibility. 5-The EU or European Union to give its full name is a strange beast.
Fighting Moves Deeper into Lebanon
By Hillel Fendel(ARUTZ-7 INN)
The current front: Hizbullah capital Bint Jbel, just six kilometers north of the Israeli border, where a fierce battle is currently raging. Several soldiers hurt, many terrorists killed.
The battle for Bint Jbel, which is considered the capital of Hizbullah, and nearby villages began last night. Bint Jbel lies 12 kilometers due north of Israel's Mt. Meron.
Nine soldiers were reported lightly wounded in the course of the fighting early this morning, apparently by a bomb or grenade. In addition, the forces met up with fierce Hizbullah fire, and the Israel Air Force is covering the ground forces. Several terrorists have been killed, and two have been taken captive.
The IDF had just barely completed taking over another Hizbullah stronghold, Marun a-Ras, which lies five kilometers southeast of Bint Jbel. Seven soldiers were killed in three days of battles in Marun a-Ras. Based on lessons learned there, the current thorough IDF advance is slower than last week's offensive.
The IDF has attacked 270 targets in Lebanon over the past day. Among them were nine long-range Katyusha launchers in the city of Tyre, 20 kilometers north of Israel along the Mediterranean coast. Katyushas have been fired at Haifa and environs in the past from Tyre. Ten tall buildings in southern Beirut were also bombed.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem this evening (Monday), after a quick stop in Beirut. She will meet first with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and Foreign Minister Tzippy Livny, and afterwards with PA Chairman Abu Mazen. Rice is not expected to withdraw American support for Israel's offensive, but will discuss the option of stationing a multi-national force in southern Lebanon. Olmert said last night he would agree to this idea, though he specified that the participating forces must be of European Union member states.
Mideast conflict studied for links to Bible
By DAVID YONKE,BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
People who seek to align today’s headlines with ancient Scriptures have been working overtime lately, monitoring the daily developments in the Middle East.Words spoken by Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Amos, and Ezekiel are undergoing a new round of scrutiny as Israel battles the Muslim guerrilla group Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.How — or whether — the 10-day-old conflict ties in with Bible prophecy is a matter of debate in Toledo and around the globe.
We’re getting comments from around the world,said Todd Strandberg of Omaha, who runs the Web site RaptureReady.com. Most of them are from the United States, but for some reason, Australia is a big one.
PREDICTING THE END
Although the Bible states in Matthew 25:13: For ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh, it has not stopped people from predicting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the End of the World. Here are a few selections from The Date Setters Diary compiled by Todd Strandberg. The full list is online at www.RaptureReady.com/rr-date-setters.html:
• 53 A.D.: Thessalonians panic when they hear a rumor that the day of the Lord was at hand, fearing they missed the Rapture.
• 500 A.D.: A Roman priest living in the second century predicts Christ would return in 500 A.D., based on the dimensions of Noah’s Ark.
• 1000 A.D.: The new millennium leads to hysteria, based solely on the number 1,000; buildings are left unrepaired, farmers opt not to plant crops, and prisoners are let out of jail because people believed the end of the world was at hand.
• 1186: “The Letter of Toledo” warns everyone to hide in caves and mountains because the world is going to be destroyed when the planets align.
• 1809: Mary Bateman, fortune teller, has a magic chicken that lays eggs with end-time messages on them, including one that said Christ was coming. She later is hanged for poisoning a wealthy client.
• 1910: The revisit of Halley’s comet is seen as an indication of the Lord’s return. One enterprising man sells comet pills to protect people from comet gases.
• 1988: The book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1988, by Edgar Whisenant, creates a stir among churches. When the Rapture does not occur, Whiesnant says he miscalculated by a year. His sequel, 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1989, sells just a fraction of the numbers that the original version tallied.
• 1991: Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan predicts the Gulf War would be “The War of Armageddon ... the Final War.”
• 1998: Since 666 times three equals 1998, some see this as a prophetically significant year.
• 2011-2018: For the past several decades, Jack Van Impe has hinted at nearly every year as being the time for the Rapture. His new match uses 51 years as the length of a generation. If you add 51 years to 1967, the year Israel recaptured Jerusalem, you get 2018. Once you subtract the seven-year tribulation period, you arrive at 2011.
Mr. Strandberg, who is in the Air Force, said he works about eight hours a day, seven days a week, compiling information about the End Times — the days leading up to Earth’s final battle, Armageddon — for his Web site, which has been in operation for 20 years, since the era of dial-up online bulletin boards.I try to be practical with everything. My main goal is not to be spectacular or push the conspiracy thing,Mr. Strandberg said. But God says he is coming back, so sometime he is coming back.The latest round of fighting in the Middle East is being closely watched for any signs of Syrian involvement — a step that some feel will lead to the destruction of its capital city, Damascus, as described by two Bible prophets.Isaiah 17:1 states: Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap,while Amos 1:3 says, Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof.(King James Version).
Cumulatively, Damascus will be eliminated as a city and there will be nothing there,said the Rev. Tony Scott, pastor of Cathedral of Praise in Monclova. Whether this is the war leading up to it or not, that is what’s going to happen eventually.The Bible says Armageddon will start after Israel is invaded by armies from the north, so any time military conflict strikes the Middle East it is a something to pay attention to, Mr. Scott said.I think the story is this: This is the region from which the battle of all battles is going to originate — in these cities, in these countries. I don’t know if this is the war leading up to it or not, but I think it should make people think about it, to realize that the Bible is real.Al Adams, an author of books on the End Times and host of a weekly television show in Lafayette, La., also believes the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict provides an opportunity to get people to open their Bibles.My main goal is to create awareness,Mr. Adams said. I’m sitting back and watching this, and this really has potential to fulfill a couple of prophecies that have not been done.Usually, seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled before your eyes is a good chance to show people that the Bible is real and every word in it is the living Word of God.
If Russia gets involved, oh boy, this isn’t good, Mr. Adams said, because it could be the start of Armageddon — with Russia the gog and magog that the Bible says will invade Israel. Not all Bible scholars believe that the words of ancient prophets apply to today’s citizens.The Rev. Kenneth Mormon, a Toledo Catholic priest teaching at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati, said according to Catholic doctrine, the messages of Isaiah, Amos, and other prophets were intended for the people of their own time.Usually when we’re talking about Bible prophecy, we’re talking about apocalyptic works. But the messages are directed to their own contemporaries,Father Mormon said. When God inspires an author to write for his people, he chooses a form — a letter, a parable, a drama, a short story, whatever it is. Apocalyptic writing is a kind of literature. If a prophet uses apocalyptic writing, he phrases the message in terms of a vision, a seer, with the symbolism explained to him by a heavenly messenger,he said.
But although the message was intended for people living thousands of years ago, the Bible is always relevant and modern readers will still get something out of it, only in a different way than the prophet’s contemporaries, Father Mormon said.Gary DeMar, an Atlanta-based author who has written several books on the End Times, also believes that many people are taking the prophets’ writings out of context.People who claim to interpret the Bible literally are very selective in terms of what they interpret,Mr. DeMar said in an interview. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, it obviously is about an ancient battle, the people are on horseback, they have shields, the loot they want is cattle, and this really has nothing to do with our time.Mr. DeMar, author of Last Days Madness, said it doesn’t make sense that prophecy watchers are always looking to verses in the Old Testament, while the New Testament is rarely cited.
The New Testament is kind of an update of the Old Testament. It’s the new covenant. Yet they have to continue to go back to the Old Testament,he said.Neil Little, a Toledoan who has programs on WGGN-FM (97.7) in Sandusky, said he is concerned that the networks reporting on the Middle East fighting are not making any references to Bible prophecy.Nobody is bringing up that this is what was prophesied in Jeremiah and Isaiah — that Israel would be bombarded,Mr. Little said. I understand what the geopolitical issues are all about, but I believe the coming of Christ is just around the corner. I preach it. I don’t want to scare people, but Christians should know what’s going on.The Rev. Todd Hostetler of Toledo said Christians should always keep an eye on the Middle East situation, but he does not believe the latest conflict is a sign that doomsday is at hand.
In Ezekiel 38:11 and 14, it says Israel is dwelling in safety,Mr. Hostetler said. Israel will have no gates or walls, so they are secure with their neighbors, indicating that in the End Times there will be peace.Armageddon cannot come until Israel experiences a time of peace, he said.There’s no reason to panic, but the events in the Middle East should stir in us a desire to spread the Gospel. The clock is marching forward. Step by step the Bible is being fulfilled.
Contact David Yonke at dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.(THIS EU POLITICIAN COMES FROM THE OCCULT)
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
European Union weighs options of peacekeeping force
By Ashley Perry Updated: 24/Jul/2006 16:24
European leaders are contemplating the option of a peacekeeping force to be sent to southern Lebanon as part of an eventual cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s call for a peacekeeping force, many in her Christian Democrats party are of the contrary opinion. The conflict, which began earlier this month with the kidnap of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah operatives, is close to entering its third week. It has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries and forced thousands to leave their homes and either move away or live in bomb shelters.
Reservations about proposal
Im very reserved about this proposal, said Eckart von Klaeden, foreign affairs spokesman for the ruling Christian Democratic Union in a telephone interview with Bloomberg from his Hildesheim constituency, adding that his views are shared within the party.It’s unclear to me what kind of mandate this force is supposed to have.Von Klaeden continued to say that nothing should hinder the Lebanese from complying with the United Nations resolution which demands the demilitarization of Hezbollah and that the Lebanese army should be deployed along the Israel-Lebanon border. The debate came after UN secretary general Kofi Annan called for a multinational force that may include EU forces and those from other regions. Annan predicted the deployment would be larger than the current UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, which currently numbers around 2,000 troops.
Echoing Von Klaeden, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told ZDF television Annan’s proposal is no substitute to the disarming of Hezbollah. However, in the correct circumstances, "the European Union will not be able to completely hide away from it,he said. In New York, the French ambassador to the UN Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, who currently presides over the Security Council, said there was not enough information about the military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah to consider a mandate for troops.
Finnish presidency stands ready
The Finnish presidency of the EU has been more positive about Europe’s role in a peacekeeping force. The EU stands ready to take part (in such a mission) if the necessary conditions are established,Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said. Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, has told Kofi Annan that he received many positive replies from European leaders about their possible role in a peacekeeping force. Israel is reacting very cautiously to the idea of a multi-national peacekeeping force but has not ruled it out when Israel’s conditions are met for the end of hostilities. Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres told European Union foreign-policy chief Javier Solana "no international force can prevent the existing situation.
Last update - 17:25 24/07/2006
EU's Solana says int'l force in Lebanon 'a real possibility'
By News Agencies
A senior European Union official said Monday sending an international peacekeeping force to Lebanon would be a difficult, but crucial part of an overall solution to end the country's political instability.EU foreign and security affairs chief Javier Solana said at the EU we work night and day to try to resolve a dramatic problem in a country very close to us.He said deploying a multinational force under the umbrella of the United Nations Security Council" would be a difficult undertaking, but a real possibility.Separately, an EU diplomat said that at an international meeting in Rome Wednesday, there will be pressure for a cease-fire. But wary of concerns in Washington and EU nations that a cease-fire will lock Israel into a standoff with Hezbollah, the call for a cease-fire will be discussed as part of an overall, long-term solution to Lebanon's instability.Lebanon is in such a terrible state, a cease-fire can only happen as part of an overall solution to its political instability,said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the crisis.
Solana said it was not easy to put together an international peacekeeping force but that several European Union nations would contribute troops and hardware.We continue working on it. I cannot be more precise at this point in time, Solana told a news conference with Saad Hariri, Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader. This is a format that will be difficult. The objective is to guarantee sovereignty and freedom for Lebanon.Hariri pleaded for "massive amounts of humanitarian aid" and international help to guarantee his nation's freedom and sovereignty.This must stop (so that it) doesn't happen again,said Hariri of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants that has engulfed his nation and caused the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.We don't want another war in Lebanon. We don't want Lebanon to be used as a territory for other conflicts. We need Lebanon to be a free and sovereign country.
Solana said the main issues facing Wednesday's international conference on Lebanon in Rome will be an end to the current fighting, humanitarian aid deliveries and the country's future security arrangement that sees an international stabilization force deployed there under the auspices of the United Nations.The so-called Lebanon core group includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, France, Russia, Britain, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. Also invited to the conference were Spain and Germany.
There is no unanimity within the EU on the way forward for Lebanon.Like the United States, the EU is not keen on calling for cease-fire as Israel has made clear it will not agree to that for fear of locking itself into an unresolved military standoff with Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government has pleaded with Washington to press Israel to call a cease-fire in bombardment that has demolished Lebanon's infrastructure and killed hundreds. U.S. President George W. Bush opposes that, saying the root cause of the conflict must be resolved.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Solana last week an immediate cease-fire was out of the question.
OIC supports international force in Lebanon
The 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said on Monday it backed efforts to place an international force in southern Lebanon and an immediate ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.(OIC) affirms the need for an immediate ceasefire followed by a prisoner swap and setting up an international force under the United Nations to ensure disengagement, the world's biggest Islamic body, based in Saudi Arabia, said in a statement.European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday some EU states could contribute to a United Nations-sponsored peace force, a move which would include the aim of disarming Hezbollah, according to UN resolution 1559.OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said other UN resolutions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict should also be implemented.The OIC is the world's biggest Muslim body, gathering 57 countries with majority Muslim populations around the world.UN resolution 1559 is one of many Security Council resolutions that have not been implemented yet ... International law should not be cut up and dealt with in a selective manner like this, Ihsanoglu said in the statement.
DANIEL 7:7-8,23-24
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
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.
REVELATION 13:1-2
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-13
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.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
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.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Under the European Union (EU) Radar. Does the EU really want to make a difference to citizens lives? Simon McILvenna,simonmack@otenet.gr,July 24, 2006
The EU or European Union to give its full name is a strange beast.
A unification of many ancient Nations together to create common policies and a united front on many issues.To imagine a unification between Nations such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Greece just a few hundred years ago would have been incomprehensible.The might and wisdom of ancient Rome and Greece, the conquering forces of Britain and Spain, and the acceptance of Germany when many forefathers with long and painful memories still live to this day.The fusion of such culture and proud history towards common goals seems quite incredible.Obviously acceptance, tolerance and unification towards common gain for European nations is the best way forward, even if island races like Great Britain are slow to the ‘EU party’.
Given the global economy of the 21st century, it’s instabilities and market forces, even the most reluctant ‘Brit’ given an advantageous trade scenario through the EU would quietly accept it’s benefits.The ‘EU’ also prides itself on the equality and betterment of its citizens through policies on many economic and social issues.Nations combining together through the council of the EU to produce guidelines on topics that affect the daily lives of all citizens, to make standards throughout the EU more uniform and improve the lives of all EU citizens.One subject that affects every single citizen of the EU is employment.On employment the ‘EU’ has created the ‘European employment and social policy – a policy for people’.
The opening outline of this policy states…
The aim of European employment and social policy is to promote a decent quality of life and standard of living for all in an active, inclusive and healthy society.Focus on this particular issue is essential, as work and the enviroment of work and working life bares an impact on everyone.It’s with this in mind I put forward the situation of a man I became aquainted with these past few weeks.
For the purpose of this article we will call him ‘Nikos. Nikos hails from the beautiful holiday islands of Greece and is in his middle 30’s in age.He has 2 young children and his wife will give birth to their 3rd child in 3 months time.The Greek islands are one of Europe’s most beautiful and most popular summer destinations for holidaymakers, and in recent times the economies of these wonderful isles have become increasingly reliant on the tourist trade.In some cases tourism provides more than a third of the local income, with only agriculture providing more.Nikos works in a large hotel complex in the huge kitchens.
Everyday Nikos and his colleagues provide thousands of meals to ‘all inclusive’ holidaymakers from the northern Countries of Europe who head south to enjoy the warm and sunny weather.The holiday industry in the islands runs from April to October, meaning Nikos only gets paid for 5-6 months of the year, as the hotel don’t use him for all of the season.Every summer season when the hotel call him to begin work they give him less money and ask him to work more hours. They also try to get him to waive his employment rights and guarantees as provided under Greek government law.The hotel makes him work many more hours than his contract states.The hotel also makes him work 7 days a week ALL summer without a break, despite marking his official papers that he takes 2 days off per week.The hotel also often underpays Nikos and his colleagues and when they complain they are shown the door if they don’t like it.
Naturally he, like most of his colleagues would love to get a job that was year round and allowed him to make life a little better for his family.The real issue is the exploitation of EU citizens by these seasonal employers.Exploitation that year by year gets worse.
While Nikos and his colleagues earn less each summer season for more work, the EU are happy to produce pages of guidelines with little clout to enforce them.All Nikos sees of the EU is the Euro single currency has made everything much more expensive to buy while the toothless policies set out by EU beaurocrats do nothing to improve his income or employment conditions.In fact it could be argued that the EU and the Euro single currency have contributed to his plight, as seasonal employers such as hotel complex owners seek to improve their profit margins by exploiting their workforce in a market where the Euro has made everything so much more expensive.If the EU want to win the hearts and minds of their citizens it’s social subjects just like these where they need to ensure all member states adhere to a ‘bottom line’.
Simply stating it is member states own responsibility to enforce their guidelines is not enough.If Nikos was to ‘blow the whistle’ on his employers it would certainly cost him his job and put him in a situation where no other hotel would employ him for fear of similar reprisals.Nikos is stuck in a situation where only the men in suits who speak such great words can help him.It’s about time these people took a genuine responsibility for the lives of their citizens and ensured the EU truly did change some lives for the better.
Fighting Moves Deeper into Lebanon
By Hillel Fendel(ARUTZ-7 INN)
The current front: Hizbullah capital Bint Jbel, just six kilometers north of the Israeli border, where a fierce battle is currently raging. Several soldiers hurt, many terrorists killed.
The battle for Bint Jbel, which is considered the capital of Hizbullah, and nearby villages began last night. Bint Jbel lies 12 kilometers due north of Israel's Mt. Meron.
Nine soldiers were reported lightly wounded in the course of the fighting early this morning, apparently by a bomb or grenade. In addition, the forces met up with fierce Hizbullah fire, and the Israel Air Force is covering the ground forces. Several terrorists have been killed, and two have been taken captive.
The IDF had just barely completed taking over another Hizbullah stronghold, Marun a-Ras, which lies five kilometers southeast of Bint Jbel. Seven soldiers were killed in three days of battles in Marun a-Ras. Based on lessons learned there, the current thorough IDF advance is slower than last week's offensive.
The IDF has attacked 270 targets in Lebanon over the past day. Among them were nine long-range Katyusha launchers in the city of Tyre, 20 kilometers north of Israel along the Mediterranean coast. Katyushas have been fired at Haifa and environs in the past from Tyre. Ten tall buildings in southern Beirut were also bombed.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem this evening (Monday), after a quick stop in Beirut. She will meet first with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and Foreign Minister Tzippy Livny, and afterwards with PA Chairman Abu Mazen. Rice is not expected to withdraw American support for Israel's offensive, but will discuss the option of stationing a multi-national force in southern Lebanon. Olmert said last night he would agree to this idea, though he specified that the participating forces must be of European Union member states.
Mideast conflict studied for links to Bible
By DAVID YONKE,BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
People who seek to align today’s headlines with ancient Scriptures have been working overtime lately, monitoring the daily developments in the Middle East.Words spoken by Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Amos, and Ezekiel are undergoing a new round of scrutiny as Israel battles the Muslim guerrilla group Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.How — or whether — the 10-day-old conflict ties in with Bible prophecy is a matter of debate in Toledo and around the globe.
We’re getting comments from around the world,said Todd Strandberg of Omaha, who runs the Web site RaptureReady.com. Most of them are from the United States, but for some reason, Australia is a big one.
PREDICTING THE END
Although the Bible states in Matthew 25:13: For ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh, it has not stopped people from predicting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the End of the World. Here are a few selections from The Date Setters Diary compiled by Todd Strandberg. The full list is online at www.RaptureReady.com/rr-date-setters.html:
• 53 A.D.: Thessalonians panic when they hear a rumor that the day of the Lord was at hand, fearing they missed the Rapture.
• 500 A.D.: A Roman priest living in the second century predicts Christ would return in 500 A.D., based on the dimensions of Noah’s Ark.
• 1000 A.D.: The new millennium leads to hysteria, based solely on the number 1,000; buildings are left unrepaired, farmers opt not to plant crops, and prisoners are let out of jail because people believed the end of the world was at hand.
• 1186: “The Letter of Toledo” warns everyone to hide in caves and mountains because the world is going to be destroyed when the planets align.
• 1809: Mary Bateman, fortune teller, has a magic chicken that lays eggs with end-time messages on them, including one that said Christ was coming. She later is hanged for poisoning a wealthy client.
• 1910: The revisit of Halley’s comet is seen as an indication of the Lord’s return. One enterprising man sells comet pills to protect people from comet gases.
• 1988: The book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1988, by Edgar Whisenant, creates a stir among churches. When the Rapture does not occur, Whiesnant says he miscalculated by a year. His sequel, 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1989, sells just a fraction of the numbers that the original version tallied.
• 1991: Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan predicts the Gulf War would be “The War of Armageddon ... the Final War.”
• 1998: Since 666 times three equals 1998, some see this as a prophetically significant year.
• 2011-2018: For the past several decades, Jack Van Impe has hinted at nearly every year as being the time for the Rapture. His new match uses 51 years as the length of a generation. If you add 51 years to 1967, the year Israel recaptured Jerusalem, you get 2018. Once you subtract the seven-year tribulation period, you arrive at 2011.
Mr. Strandberg, who is in the Air Force, said he works about eight hours a day, seven days a week, compiling information about the End Times — the days leading up to Earth’s final battle, Armageddon — for his Web site, which has been in operation for 20 years, since the era of dial-up online bulletin boards.I try to be practical with everything. My main goal is not to be spectacular or push the conspiracy thing,Mr. Strandberg said. But God says he is coming back, so sometime he is coming back.The latest round of fighting in the Middle East is being closely watched for any signs of Syrian involvement — a step that some feel will lead to the destruction of its capital city, Damascus, as described by two Bible prophets.Isaiah 17:1 states: Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap,while Amos 1:3 says, Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof.(King James Version).
Cumulatively, Damascus will be eliminated as a city and there will be nothing there,said the Rev. Tony Scott, pastor of Cathedral of Praise in Monclova. Whether this is the war leading up to it or not, that is what’s going to happen eventually.The Bible says Armageddon will start after Israel is invaded by armies from the north, so any time military conflict strikes the Middle East it is a something to pay attention to, Mr. Scott said.I think the story is this: This is the region from which the battle of all battles is going to originate — in these cities, in these countries. I don’t know if this is the war leading up to it or not, but I think it should make people think about it, to realize that the Bible is real.Al Adams, an author of books on the End Times and host of a weekly television show in Lafayette, La., also believes the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict provides an opportunity to get people to open their Bibles.My main goal is to create awareness,Mr. Adams said. I’m sitting back and watching this, and this really has potential to fulfill a couple of prophecies that have not been done.Usually, seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled before your eyes is a good chance to show people that the Bible is real and every word in it is the living Word of God.
If Russia gets involved, oh boy, this isn’t good, Mr. Adams said, because it could be the start of Armageddon — with Russia the gog and magog that the Bible says will invade Israel. Not all Bible scholars believe that the words of ancient prophets apply to today’s citizens.The Rev. Kenneth Mormon, a Toledo Catholic priest teaching at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati, said according to Catholic doctrine, the messages of Isaiah, Amos, and other prophets were intended for the people of their own time.Usually when we’re talking about Bible prophecy, we’re talking about apocalyptic works. But the messages are directed to their own contemporaries,Father Mormon said. When God inspires an author to write for his people, he chooses a form — a letter, a parable, a drama, a short story, whatever it is. Apocalyptic writing is a kind of literature. If a prophet uses apocalyptic writing, he phrases the message in terms of a vision, a seer, with the symbolism explained to him by a heavenly messenger,he said.
But although the message was intended for people living thousands of years ago, the Bible is always relevant and modern readers will still get something out of it, only in a different way than the prophet’s contemporaries, Father Mormon said.Gary DeMar, an Atlanta-based author who has written several books on the End Times, also believes that many people are taking the prophets’ writings out of context.People who claim to interpret the Bible literally are very selective in terms of what they interpret,Mr. DeMar said in an interview. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, it obviously is about an ancient battle, the people are on horseback, they have shields, the loot they want is cattle, and this really has nothing to do with our time.Mr. DeMar, author of Last Days Madness, said it doesn’t make sense that prophecy watchers are always looking to verses in the Old Testament, while the New Testament is rarely cited.
The New Testament is kind of an update of the Old Testament. It’s the new covenant. Yet they have to continue to go back to the Old Testament,he said.Neil Little, a Toledoan who has programs on WGGN-FM (97.7) in Sandusky, said he is concerned that the networks reporting on the Middle East fighting are not making any references to Bible prophecy.Nobody is bringing up that this is what was prophesied in Jeremiah and Isaiah — that Israel would be bombarded,Mr. Little said. I understand what the geopolitical issues are all about, but I believe the coming of Christ is just around the corner. I preach it. I don’t want to scare people, but Christians should know what’s going on.The Rev. Todd Hostetler of Toledo said Christians should always keep an eye on the Middle East situation, but he does not believe the latest conflict is a sign that doomsday is at hand.
In Ezekiel 38:11 and 14, it says Israel is dwelling in safety,Mr. Hostetler said. Israel will have no gates or walls, so they are secure with their neighbors, indicating that in the End Times there will be peace.Armageddon cannot come until Israel experiences a time of peace, he said.There’s no reason to panic, but the events in the Middle East should stir in us a desire to spread the Gospel. The clock is marching forward. Step by step the Bible is being fulfilled.
Contact David Yonke at dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(EU) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.(THIS EU POLITICIAN COMES FROM THE OCCULT)
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
European Union weighs options of peacekeeping force
By Ashley Perry Updated: 24/Jul/2006 16:24
European leaders are contemplating the option of a peacekeeping force to be sent to southern Lebanon as part of an eventual cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s call for a peacekeeping force, many in her Christian Democrats party are of the contrary opinion. The conflict, which began earlier this month with the kidnap of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah operatives, is close to entering its third week. It has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries and forced thousands to leave their homes and either move away or live in bomb shelters.
Reservations about proposal
Im very reserved about this proposal, said Eckart von Klaeden, foreign affairs spokesman for the ruling Christian Democratic Union in a telephone interview with Bloomberg from his Hildesheim constituency, adding that his views are shared within the party.It’s unclear to me what kind of mandate this force is supposed to have.Von Klaeden continued to say that nothing should hinder the Lebanese from complying with the United Nations resolution which demands the demilitarization of Hezbollah and that the Lebanese army should be deployed along the Israel-Lebanon border. The debate came after UN secretary general Kofi Annan called for a multinational force that may include EU forces and those from other regions. Annan predicted the deployment would be larger than the current UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, which currently numbers around 2,000 troops.
Echoing Von Klaeden, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told ZDF television Annan’s proposal is no substitute to the disarming of Hezbollah. However, in the correct circumstances, "the European Union will not be able to completely hide away from it,he said. In New York, the French ambassador to the UN Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, who currently presides over the Security Council, said there was not enough information about the military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah to consider a mandate for troops.
Finnish presidency stands ready
The Finnish presidency of the EU has been more positive about Europe’s role in a peacekeeping force. The EU stands ready to take part (in such a mission) if the necessary conditions are established,Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said. Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, has told Kofi Annan that he received many positive replies from European leaders about their possible role in a peacekeeping force. Israel is reacting very cautiously to the idea of a multi-national peacekeeping force but has not ruled it out when Israel’s conditions are met for the end of hostilities. Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres told European Union foreign-policy chief Javier Solana "no international force can prevent the existing situation.
Last update - 17:25 24/07/2006
EU's Solana says int'l force in Lebanon 'a real possibility'
By News Agencies
A senior European Union official said Monday sending an international peacekeeping force to Lebanon would be a difficult, but crucial part of an overall solution to end the country's political instability.EU foreign and security affairs chief Javier Solana said at the EU we work night and day to try to resolve a dramatic problem in a country very close to us.He said deploying a multinational force under the umbrella of the United Nations Security Council" would be a difficult undertaking, but a real possibility.Separately, an EU diplomat said that at an international meeting in Rome Wednesday, there will be pressure for a cease-fire. But wary of concerns in Washington and EU nations that a cease-fire will lock Israel into a standoff with Hezbollah, the call for a cease-fire will be discussed as part of an overall, long-term solution to Lebanon's instability.Lebanon is in such a terrible state, a cease-fire can only happen as part of an overall solution to its political instability,said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the crisis.
Solana said it was not easy to put together an international peacekeeping force but that several European Union nations would contribute troops and hardware.We continue working on it. I cannot be more precise at this point in time, Solana told a news conference with Saad Hariri, Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader. This is a format that will be difficult. The objective is to guarantee sovereignty and freedom for Lebanon.Hariri pleaded for "massive amounts of humanitarian aid" and international help to guarantee his nation's freedom and sovereignty.This must stop (so that it) doesn't happen again,said Hariri of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants that has engulfed his nation and caused the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.We don't want another war in Lebanon. We don't want Lebanon to be used as a territory for other conflicts. We need Lebanon to be a free and sovereign country.
Solana said the main issues facing Wednesday's international conference on Lebanon in Rome will be an end to the current fighting, humanitarian aid deliveries and the country's future security arrangement that sees an international stabilization force deployed there under the auspices of the United Nations.The so-called Lebanon core group includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, France, Russia, Britain, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. Also invited to the conference were Spain and Germany.
There is no unanimity within the EU on the way forward for Lebanon.Like the United States, the EU is not keen on calling for cease-fire as Israel has made clear it will not agree to that for fear of locking itself into an unresolved military standoff with Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government has pleaded with Washington to press Israel to call a cease-fire in bombardment that has demolished Lebanon's infrastructure and killed hundreds. U.S. President George W. Bush opposes that, saying the root cause of the conflict must be resolved.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Solana last week an immediate cease-fire was out of the question.
OIC supports international force in Lebanon
The 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said on Monday it backed efforts to place an international force in southern Lebanon and an immediate ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.(OIC) affirms the need for an immediate ceasefire followed by a prisoner swap and setting up an international force under the United Nations to ensure disengagement, the world's biggest Islamic body, based in Saudi Arabia, said in a statement.European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday some EU states could contribute to a United Nations-sponsored peace force, a move which would include the aim of disarming Hezbollah, according to UN resolution 1559.OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said other UN resolutions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict should also be implemented.The OIC is the world's biggest Muslim body, gathering 57 countries with majority Muslim populations around the world.UN resolution 1559 is one of many Security Council resolutions that have not been implemented yet ... International law should not be cut up and dealt with in a selective manner like this, Ihsanoglu said in the statement.
DANIEL 7:7-8,23-24
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
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.
REVELATION 13:1-2
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-13
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.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
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.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Under the European Union (EU) Radar. Does the EU really want to make a difference to citizens lives? Simon McILvenna,simonmack@otenet.gr,July 24, 2006
The EU or European Union to give its full name is a strange beast.
A unification of many ancient Nations together to create common policies and a united front on many issues.To imagine a unification between Nations such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Greece just a few hundred years ago would have been incomprehensible.The might and wisdom of ancient Rome and Greece, the conquering forces of Britain and Spain, and the acceptance of Germany when many forefathers with long and painful memories still live to this day.The fusion of such culture and proud history towards common goals seems quite incredible.Obviously acceptance, tolerance and unification towards common gain for European nations is the best way forward, even if island races like Great Britain are slow to the ‘EU party’.
Given the global economy of the 21st century, it’s instabilities and market forces, even the most reluctant ‘Brit’ given an advantageous trade scenario through the EU would quietly accept it’s benefits.The ‘EU’ also prides itself on the equality and betterment of its citizens through policies on many economic and social issues.Nations combining together through the council of the EU to produce guidelines on topics that affect the daily lives of all citizens, to make standards throughout the EU more uniform and improve the lives of all EU citizens.One subject that affects every single citizen of the EU is employment.On employment the ‘EU’ has created the ‘European employment and social policy – a policy for people’.
The opening outline of this policy states…
The aim of European employment and social policy is to promote a decent quality of life and standard of living for all in an active, inclusive and healthy society.Focus on this particular issue is essential, as work and the enviroment of work and working life bares an impact on everyone.It’s with this in mind I put forward the situation of a man I became aquainted with these past few weeks.
For the purpose of this article we will call him ‘Nikos. Nikos hails from the beautiful holiday islands of Greece and is in his middle 30’s in age.He has 2 young children and his wife will give birth to their 3rd child in 3 months time.The Greek islands are one of Europe’s most beautiful and most popular summer destinations for holidaymakers, and in recent times the economies of these wonderful isles have become increasingly reliant on the tourist trade.In some cases tourism provides more than a third of the local income, with only agriculture providing more.Nikos works in a large hotel complex in the huge kitchens.
Everyday Nikos and his colleagues provide thousands of meals to ‘all inclusive’ holidaymakers from the northern Countries of Europe who head south to enjoy the warm and sunny weather.The holiday industry in the islands runs from April to October, meaning Nikos only gets paid for 5-6 months of the year, as the hotel don’t use him for all of the season.Every summer season when the hotel call him to begin work they give him less money and ask him to work more hours. They also try to get him to waive his employment rights and guarantees as provided under Greek government law.The hotel makes him work many more hours than his contract states.The hotel also makes him work 7 days a week ALL summer without a break, despite marking his official papers that he takes 2 days off per week.The hotel also often underpays Nikos and his colleagues and when they complain they are shown the door if they don’t like it.
Naturally he, like most of his colleagues would love to get a job that was year round and allowed him to make life a little better for his family.The real issue is the exploitation of EU citizens by these seasonal employers.Exploitation that year by year gets worse.
While Nikos and his colleagues earn less each summer season for more work, the EU are happy to produce pages of guidelines with little clout to enforce them.All Nikos sees of the EU is the Euro single currency has made everything much more expensive to buy while the toothless policies set out by EU beaurocrats do nothing to improve his income or employment conditions.In fact it could be argued that the EU and the Euro single currency have contributed to his plight, as seasonal employers such as hotel complex owners seek to improve their profit margins by exploiting their workforce in a market where the Euro has made everything so much more expensive.If the EU want to win the hearts and minds of their citizens it’s social subjects just like these where they need to ensure all member states adhere to a ‘bottom line’.
Simply stating it is member states own responsibility to enforce their guidelines is not enough.If Nikos was to ‘blow the whistle’ on his employers it would certainly cost him his job and put him in a situation where no other hotel would employ him for fear of similar reprisals.Nikos is stuck in a situation where only the men in suits who speak such great words can help him.It’s about time these people took a genuine responsibility for the lives of their citizens and ensured the EU truly did change some lives for the better.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
PHOSPHORUS ISRAELS KEY TO VICTORY
WHITE PHOSPHORUS ISRAELS KEY TO VICTORY OVER THE RUSSIA MUSLIM HORDE IN EZEKIEL 38 + 39 IN THE FUTURE.
On CNN There was a story about how Israel is using White Phosphorus in this current War. This will be the key Chemical weapon I believe how GOD through ISRAEL will destroy 5 / 6th of the RUSSIA, MUSLIM HORDER OF EZEKIEL 38 + 39 in the near future.
The Story on Cnn Says this one child Was burned so bad he can not open his eyes and is helucinating. The Doctor then comes on and says The Israelis have packed their bombs with Chemicals to burn their victims. The Doctor goes on to say the wounds are black and smell of Phosphorus.
Comparing these affects with Ezekiel 38 when the Muslims are destroyed is amazing so here we go with the scriptures.
Notice in verse 19 it says in the FIRE of my wrath (BURNING). In Verse 21 notice it says Brother against Brother (confusion due to helucinations from Phosphous). In verse 22 it says Pesilences (thats a Chemical weapon of Phosphorus). And it goes on to say also the Russian Muslim horde get destroyed by a Rain and Hail storm as well as Nuclear Bombs.(FIRE AND BRIMSTONE).
EZEKIEL 38:14-23
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee,(ARAB NATIONS) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire (BURNING) of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;(EARTH QUAKE)
20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence (CHEMICAL WEAPONS) and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
White Phosphorus (WP)
White Phosphorus (WP), known as Willy Pete, is used for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes. White Phosphorus can be used to destroy the enemy's equipment or to limit his vision. It is used against vehicles, petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) and ammunition storage areas, and enemy observers. WP can be used as an aid in target location and navigation. It is usually dispersed by explosive munitions. It can be fired with fuze time to obtain an airburst. White phosphorus was used most often during World War II in military formulations for smoke screens, marker shells, incendiaries, hand grenades, smoke markers, colored flares, and tracer bullets.
The Battle of Fallujah was conducted from 8 to 20 November 2004 with the last fire mission on 17 November. The battle was fought by an Army, Marine and Iraqi force of about 15,000 under the I Marine Expeditionary Force (IMEF). US forces found WP to be useful in the Battle of Fallujah. WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired “shake and bake” missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out. ... We used improved WP for screening missions when HC smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions.
White phosphorus is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory. Smokes and obscurants comprise a category of materials that are not used militarily as direct chemical agents. The United States retains its ability to employ incendiaries to hold high-priority military targets at risk in a manner consistent with the principle of proportionality that governs the use of all weapons under existing law. The use of white phosphorus or fuel air explosives are not prohibited or restricted by Protocol II of the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention (CCWC), the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects.
White Phosphorus (WP) - Incendiary
WP is a colorless to yellow translucent wax-like substance with a pungent, garlic-like smell. The form used by the military is highly energetic (active) and ignites once it is exposed to oxygen. White phosphorus is a pyrophoric material, that is, it is spontaneously flammable).
When exposed to air, it spontaneously ignites and is oxidized rapidly to phosphorus pentoxide. Such heat is produced by this reaction that the element bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. Phosphorus also becomes luminous in the dark, and this property is conveyed to tracer bullets. This chemical reaction continues until either all the material is consumed or the element is deprived of oxygen. Up to 15 percent of the WP remains within the charred wedge and can reignite if the felt is crushed and the unburned WP is exposed to the atmosphere.
White phosphorus results in painful chemical burn injuries. The resultant burn typically appears as a necrotic area with a yellowish color and characteristic garliclike odor. White phosphorus is highly lipid soluble and as such, is believed to have rapid dermal penetration once particles are embedded under the skin. Because of its enhanced lipid solubility, many have believed that these injuries result in delayed wound healing. This has not been well studied; therefore, all that can be stated is that white phosphorus burns represent a small subsegment of chemical burns, all of which typically result in delayed wound healing.
Incandescent particles of WP may produce extensive burns. Phosphorus burns on the skin are deep and painful; a firm eschar is produced and is surrounded by vesiculation. The burns usually are multiple, deep, and variable in size. The solid in the eye produces severe injury. The particles continue to burn unless deprived of atmospheric oxygen. Contact with these particles can cause local burns. These weapons are particularly nasty because white phosphorus continues to burn until it disappears. If service members are hit by pieces of white phosphorus, it could burn right down to the bone. Burns usually are limited to areas of exposed skin (upper extremities, face). Burns frequently are second and third degree because of the rapid ignition and highly lipophilic properties of white phosphorus.
If burning particles of WP strike and stick to the clothing, take off the contaminated clothing quickly before the WP burns through to the skin. Remove quickly all clothing affected by phosphorus to prevent phosphorus burning through to skin. If this is impossible, plunge skin or clothing affected by phosphorus in cold water or moisten strongly to extinguish or prevent fire. Then immediately remove affected clothing and rinse affected skin areas with cold sodium bicarbonate solution or with cold water. Moisten skin and remove visible phosphorus (preferably under water) with squared object (knife-back etc.) or tweezers. Do not touch phosphorus with fingers! Throw removed phosphorus or clothing affected by phosphorus into water or allow to bum in suitable location. Cover phosphorus burns with moist dressing and keep moist to prevent renewed inflammation. It is neccessary to dress white phosphorus-injured patients with saline-soaked dressings to prevent reignition of the phosphorus by contact with the air.
Some nations recommend washing the skin with a 0.5-2.0% copper sulphate solution or a copper sulphate impregnated pad. Wounds may be rinsed with a 0.1%-0.2% copper sulphate solution, if available. Dark coloured deposits may be removed with forceps. Prevent prolonged contact of any copper sulphate preparations with the tissues by prompt, copious flushing with water or saline, as there is a definite danger of copper poisoning. It may be necessary to repeat the first aid measures to completely remove all phosphorus.
White Phosphorus (WP) - Smoke
White Phosphorus (WP) creates a smoke screen as it burns. Phosphorus smokes are generated by a variety of munitions. Some of these munitions such as the M825 (155-mm round) may, on explosion, distribute particles of incompletely oxidized white phosphorus.
Smokes obscure vision and are used to hide troops, equipment, and areas from detection. Smoke screens are essential for movement in city fighting. In the December 1994 battle for Grozny in Chechnya, every fourth or fifth Russian artillery or mortar round fired was a smoke or white phosphorus round.
White Phosphorus and Red Phosphorus burn to produce a hygroscopic smoke containing phosphoric acids. Red phosphorus (RP) is not nearly as reactive as white phosphorus. It reacts slowly with atmospheric moisture and the smoke does not produce thermal injury, hence the smoke is less toxic. The extinction for these smokes is primarily due to scattering in the visible and absorption in the infrared (IR). These smokes are composed of spherical liquid particles that grow with relative humidity to an equilibrium size by absorbing ambient moisture that depends on the ambient relative humidity. The mass extinction varies significantly with relative humidity.
The White Phosphorus flame produces a hot, dense white smoke composed of particles of phosphorus pentoxide, which are converted by moist air into phosphoric acid. This acid, depending on concentration and duration of exposure, may produce a variety of topically irritative injuries.
Most smokes are not hazardous in concentrations which are useful for obscuring purposes. However, any smoke can be hazardous to health if the concentration is sufficient or if the exposure is long enough. Medical personnel should be prepared to treat potential reactions to military smokes once such smokes have been introduced to the battlefield. Exposure to heavy smoke concentrations for extended periods (particularly if near the source of emission) may cause illness or even death.
Casualties from WP smoke have not occurred in combat operations. At room temperature, white phosphorus is somewhat volatile and may produce a toxic inhalational injury. In moist air, the phosphorus pentoxide produces phosphoric acid. This acid, depending on concentration and duration of exposure, may produce a variety of topically irritative injuries. Irritation of the eyes and irritation of the mucous membranes are the most commonly seen injuries. These complaints remit spontaneously with the soldier's removal from the exposure site. With intense exposures, a very explosive cough may occur, which renders gas mask adjustment difficult. There are no reported deaths resulting from exposure to phosphorus smokes. Generally, treatment of WP smoke irritation is unnecessary. Spontaneous recovery is rapid.
White phosphorus fume can cause severe eye irritation with blepharospasm, photophobia, and lacrimation. Irritation of the eyes and irritation of the mucous membranes are the most commonly seen injuries. These complaints remit spontaneously with the soldier's removal from the exposure site. The WP smoke irritates the eyes and nose in moderate concentrations. With intense exposures, a very explosive cough may occur, which renders gas mask adjustment difficult. There are no reported deaths resulting from exposure to phosphorus smokes.
White Phosphorus - Non-Military Applications
The amazing thing is that White Phosphorus is used in almost every product imaginable – from soft drinks to toothpaste. White phosphorus is used by industry to produce phosphoric acid and other chemicals for use in fertilizers, food additives, and cleaning compounds. Small amounts of white phosphorus were used in the past in pesticides and fireworks.
In recent years, concentrated phosphoric acids, which may contain as much as 70% to 75% P2O5 content, have become of great importance to agriculture and farm production. World-wide demand for fertilizers has caused record phosphate production. Phosphates are used in the production of special glasses, such as those used for sodium lamps.
Bone-ash, calcium phosphate, is used to create fine chinaware and to produce mono-calcium phosphate, used in baking powder. Phosphorus is also important in the production of steels, phosphor bronze, and many other products. Trisodium phosphate is important as a cleaning agent, as a water softener, and for preventing boiler scale and corrosion of pipes and boiler tubes.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and numerous state/local law enforcement authorities throughout the United States, have noted an alarming trend involving illicit methamphetamine production. Methamphetamine (AKA speed, crank or meth) is a major drug problem in the United States. All businesses engaged in the sale of red phosphorus, white phosphorus and hypophosphorous acid products should be aware of the use of these products by clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operators.
White Phosphorus - Background
Phosphorus is an element, the name derived from the Greek "phosphoros" or light bearing, the ancient name for the planet Venus when appearing before sunrise. Brand discovered phosphorus in 1669 by preparing it from urine. Phosphorus exists in four or more allotropic forms: white (or yellow), red, and black (or violet). Ordinary phosphorus is a waxy white solid; when pure it is colorless and transparent. White phosphorus has two modifications: alpha and beta with a transition temperature at -3.8oC. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon disulfide.
Never found free in nature, Phosphorus is widely distributed in combination with minerals. Phosphate rock, which contains the mineral apatite, an impure tri-calcium phosphate, is an important source of the element. Large deposits are found in Russia, in Morocco, and in Florida, Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, and elsewhere.
White phosphorus may be made by several methods. By one process, tri-calcium phosphate, the essential ingredient of phosphate rock, is heated in the presence of carbon and silica in an electric furnace or fuelfired furnace. Elementary phosphorus is liberated as vapor and may be collected under phosphoric acid, an important compound in making super-phosphate fertilizers.
White Phosphorus (WP) - Other Health Effects
Systemic toxicity may occur if therapy is not administered. Therapy consists of topical use of a bicarbonate solution to neutralize phosphoric acids and mechanical removal and debridement of particles. A Wood’s lamp in a darkened room may help to identify remaining luminescent particles. The early signs of systemic intoxication by phosphorus are abdominal pain, jaundice, and a garlic odor of the breath; prolonged intake may cause anemia, as well as cachexia and necrosis of bone, involving typically the maxilla and mandible (phossy jaw). Prolonged absorption of phosphorus causes necrosis of bones. It is a hepatotoxin.
The presenting complaints of overexposed workers may be toothache and excessive salivation. There may be a dull red appearance of the oral mucosa. One or more teeth may loosen, with subsequent pain and swelling of the jaw; healing may be delayed following dental procedures such as extractions; with necrosis of bone, a sequestrum may develop with sinus tract formation. In a series of 10 cases, the shortest period of exposure to phosphorus fume (concentrations not measured) that led to bone necrosis was 10 months (two cases), and the longest period of exposure was 18 years.
Signs and symptoms include irritation of the eyes and the respiratory tract; abdominal pain, nausea, and jaundice; anemia, cachexia, pain, and loosening of teeth, excessive salivation, and pain and swelling of the jaw; skin and eye burns. Phossy jaw must be differentiated from other forms of osteomyelitis. With phossy jaw, a sequestrum forms in the bone and is released from weeks to months later; the sequestra are light in weight, yellow to brown, osteoporotic, and decalcified, whereas sequestra from acute staphylococcal osteomyelitis are sharp, white spicules of bone, dense and well calcified. In acute staphylococcal osteomyelitis, the radiographic picture changes rapidly and closely follows the clinical course, but with phossy jaw the diagnosis sometimes is clinically obvious before radiological changes are discernible. It is good dental practice to take routine X-ray films of jaws, but experience indicates that necrosis can occur in the absence of any pathology that is visible on the roentgenogram.
On CNN There was a story about how Israel is using White Phosphorus in this current War. This will be the key Chemical weapon I believe how GOD through ISRAEL will destroy 5 / 6th of the RUSSIA, MUSLIM HORDER OF EZEKIEL 38 + 39 in the near future.
The Story on Cnn Says this one child Was burned so bad he can not open his eyes and is helucinating. The Doctor then comes on and says The Israelis have packed their bombs with Chemicals to burn their victims. The Doctor goes on to say the wounds are black and smell of Phosphorus.
Comparing these affects with Ezekiel 38 when the Muslims are destroyed is amazing so here we go with the scriptures.
Notice in verse 19 it says in the FIRE of my wrath (BURNING). In Verse 21 notice it says Brother against Brother (confusion due to helucinations from Phosphous). In verse 22 it says Pesilences (thats a Chemical weapon of Phosphorus). And it goes on to say also the Russian Muslim horde get destroyed by a Rain and Hail storm as well as Nuclear Bombs.(FIRE AND BRIMSTONE).
EZEKIEL 38:14-23
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee,(ARAB NATIONS) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire (BURNING) of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;(EARTH QUAKE)
20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence (CHEMICAL WEAPONS) and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
White Phosphorus (WP)
White Phosphorus (WP), known as Willy Pete, is used for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes. White Phosphorus can be used to destroy the enemy's equipment or to limit his vision. It is used against vehicles, petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) and ammunition storage areas, and enemy observers. WP can be used as an aid in target location and navigation. It is usually dispersed by explosive munitions. It can be fired with fuze time to obtain an airburst. White phosphorus was used most often during World War II in military formulations for smoke screens, marker shells, incendiaries, hand grenades, smoke markers, colored flares, and tracer bullets.
The Battle of Fallujah was conducted from 8 to 20 November 2004 with the last fire mission on 17 November. The battle was fought by an Army, Marine and Iraqi force of about 15,000 under the I Marine Expeditionary Force (IMEF). US forces found WP to be useful in the Battle of Fallujah. WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired “shake and bake” missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out. ... We used improved WP for screening missions when HC smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions.
White phosphorus is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory. Smokes and obscurants comprise a category of materials that are not used militarily as direct chemical agents. The United States retains its ability to employ incendiaries to hold high-priority military targets at risk in a manner consistent with the principle of proportionality that governs the use of all weapons under existing law. The use of white phosphorus or fuel air explosives are not prohibited or restricted by Protocol II of the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention (CCWC), the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects.
White Phosphorus (WP) - Incendiary
WP is a colorless to yellow translucent wax-like substance with a pungent, garlic-like smell. The form used by the military is highly energetic (active) and ignites once it is exposed to oxygen. White phosphorus is a pyrophoric material, that is, it is spontaneously flammable).
When exposed to air, it spontaneously ignites and is oxidized rapidly to phosphorus pentoxide. Such heat is produced by this reaction that the element bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. Phosphorus also becomes luminous in the dark, and this property is conveyed to tracer bullets. This chemical reaction continues until either all the material is consumed or the element is deprived of oxygen. Up to 15 percent of the WP remains within the charred wedge and can reignite if the felt is crushed and the unburned WP is exposed to the atmosphere.
White phosphorus results in painful chemical burn injuries. The resultant burn typically appears as a necrotic area with a yellowish color and characteristic garliclike odor. White phosphorus is highly lipid soluble and as such, is believed to have rapid dermal penetration once particles are embedded under the skin. Because of its enhanced lipid solubility, many have believed that these injuries result in delayed wound healing. This has not been well studied; therefore, all that can be stated is that white phosphorus burns represent a small subsegment of chemical burns, all of which typically result in delayed wound healing.
Incandescent particles of WP may produce extensive burns. Phosphorus burns on the skin are deep and painful; a firm eschar is produced and is surrounded by vesiculation. The burns usually are multiple, deep, and variable in size. The solid in the eye produces severe injury. The particles continue to burn unless deprived of atmospheric oxygen. Contact with these particles can cause local burns. These weapons are particularly nasty because white phosphorus continues to burn until it disappears. If service members are hit by pieces of white phosphorus, it could burn right down to the bone. Burns usually are limited to areas of exposed skin (upper extremities, face). Burns frequently are second and third degree because of the rapid ignition and highly lipophilic properties of white phosphorus.
If burning particles of WP strike and stick to the clothing, take off the contaminated clothing quickly before the WP burns through to the skin. Remove quickly all clothing affected by phosphorus to prevent phosphorus burning through to skin. If this is impossible, plunge skin or clothing affected by phosphorus in cold water or moisten strongly to extinguish or prevent fire. Then immediately remove affected clothing and rinse affected skin areas with cold sodium bicarbonate solution or with cold water. Moisten skin and remove visible phosphorus (preferably under water) with squared object (knife-back etc.) or tweezers. Do not touch phosphorus with fingers! Throw removed phosphorus or clothing affected by phosphorus into water or allow to bum in suitable location. Cover phosphorus burns with moist dressing and keep moist to prevent renewed inflammation. It is neccessary to dress white phosphorus-injured patients with saline-soaked dressings to prevent reignition of the phosphorus by contact with the air.
Some nations recommend washing the skin with a 0.5-2.0% copper sulphate solution or a copper sulphate impregnated pad. Wounds may be rinsed with a 0.1%-0.2% copper sulphate solution, if available. Dark coloured deposits may be removed with forceps. Prevent prolonged contact of any copper sulphate preparations with the tissues by prompt, copious flushing with water or saline, as there is a definite danger of copper poisoning. It may be necessary to repeat the first aid measures to completely remove all phosphorus.
White Phosphorus (WP) - Smoke
White Phosphorus (WP) creates a smoke screen as it burns. Phosphorus smokes are generated by a variety of munitions. Some of these munitions such as the M825 (155-mm round) may, on explosion, distribute particles of incompletely oxidized white phosphorus.
Smokes obscure vision and are used to hide troops, equipment, and areas from detection. Smoke screens are essential for movement in city fighting. In the December 1994 battle for Grozny in Chechnya, every fourth or fifth Russian artillery or mortar round fired was a smoke or white phosphorus round.
White Phosphorus and Red Phosphorus burn to produce a hygroscopic smoke containing phosphoric acids. Red phosphorus (RP) is not nearly as reactive as white phosphorus. It reacts slowly with atmospheric moisture and the smoke does not produce thermal injury, hence the smoke is less toxic. The extinction for these smokes is primarily due to scattering in the visible and absorption in the infrared (IR). These smokes are composed of spherical liquid particles that grow with relative humidity to an equilibrium size by absorbing ambient moisture that depends on the ambient relative humidity. The mass extinction varies significantly with relative humidity.
The White Phosphorus flame produces a hot, dense white smoke composed of particles of phosphorus pentoxide, which are converted by moist air into phosphoric acid. This acid, depending on concentration and duration of exposure, may produce a variety of topically irritative injuries.
Most smokes are not hazardous in concentrations which are useful for obscuring purposes. However, any smoke can be hazardous to health if the concentration is sufficient or if the exposure is long enough. Medical personnel should be prepared to treat potential reactions to military smokes once such smokes have been introduced to the battlefield. Exposure to heavy smoke concentrations for extended periods (particularly if near the source of emission) may cause illness or even death.
Casualties from WP smoke have not occurred in combat operations. At room temperature, white phosphorus is somewhat volatile and may produce a toxic inhalational injury. In moist air, the phosphorus pentoxide produces phosphoric acid. This acid, depending on concentration and duration of exposure, may produce a variety of topically irritative injuries. Irritation of the eyes and irritation of the mucous membranes are the most commonly seen injuries. These complaints remit spontaneously with the soldier's removal from the exposure site. With intense exposures, a very explosive cough may occur, which renders gas mask adjustment difficult. There are no reported deaths resulting from exposure to phosphorus smokes. Generally, treatment of WP smoke irritation is unnecessary. Spontaneous recovery is rapid.
White phosphorus fume can cause severe eye irritation with blepharospasm, photophobia, and lacrimation. Irritation of the eyes and irritation of the mucous membranes are the most commonly seen injuries. These complaints remit spontaneously with the soldier's removal from the exposure site. The WP smoke irritates the eyes and nose in moderate concentrations. With intense exposures, a very explosive cough may occur, which renders gas mask adjustment difficult. There are no reported deaths resulting from exposure to phosphorus smokes.
White Phosphorus - Non-Military Applications
The amazing thing is that White Phosphorus is used in almost every product imaginable – from soft drinks to toothpaste. White phosphorus is used by industry to produce phosphoric acid and other chemicals for use in fertilizers, food additives, and cleaning compounds. Small amounts of white phosphorus were used in the past in pesticides and fireworks.
In recent years, concentrated phosphoric acids, which may contain as much as 70% to 75% P2O5 content, have become of great importance to agriculture and farm production. World-wide demand for fertilizers has caused record phosphate production. Phosphates are used in the production of special glasses, such as those used for sodium lamps.
Bone-ash, calcium phosphate, is used to create fine chinaware and to produce mono-calcium phosphate, used in baking powder. Phosphorus is also important in the production of steels, phosphor bronze, and many other products. Trisodium phosphate is important as a cleaning agent, as a water softener, and for preventing boiler scale and corrosion of pipes and boiler tubes.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and numerous state/local law enforcement authorities throughout the United States, have noted an alarming trend involving illicit methamphetamine production. Methamphetamine (AKA speed, crank or meth) is a major drug problem in the United States. All businesses engaged in the sale of red phosphorus, white phosphorus and hypophosphorous acid products should be aware of the use of these products by clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operators.
White Phosphorus - Background
Phosphorus is an element, the name derived from the Greek "phosphoros" or light bearing, the ancient name for the planet Venus when appearing before sunrise. Brand discovered phosphorus in 1669 by preparing it from urine. Phosphorus exists in four or more allotropic forms: white (or yellow), red, and black (or violet). Ordinary phosphorus is a waxy white solid; when pure it is colorless and transparent. White phosphorus has two modifications: alpha and beta with a transition temperature at -3.8oC. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon disulfide.
Never found free in nature, Phosphorus is widely distributed in combination with minerals. Phosphate rock, which contains the mineral apatite, an impure tri-calcium phosphate, is an important source of the element. Large deposits are found in Russia, in Morocco, and in Florida, Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, and elsewhere.
White phosphorus may be made by several methods. By one process, tri-calcium phosphate, the essential ingredient of phosphate rock, is heated in the presence of carbon and silica in an electric furnace or fuelfired furnace. Elementary phosphorus is liberated as vapor and may be collected under phosphoric acid, an important compound in making super-phosphate fertilizers.
White Phosphorus (WP) - Other Health Effects
Systemic toxicity may occur if therapy is not administered. Therapy consists of topical use of a bicarbonate solution to neutralize phosphoric acids and mechanical removal and debridement of particles. A Wood’s lamp in a darkened room may help to identify remaining luminescent particles. The early signs of systemic intoxication by phosphorus are abdominal pain, jaundice, and a garlic odor of the breath; prolonged intake may cause anemia, as well as cachexia and necrosis of bone, involving typically the maxilla and mandible (phossy jaw). Prolonged absorption of phosphorus causes necrosis of bones. It is a hepatotoxin.
The presenting complaints of overexposed workers may be toothache and excessive salivation. There may be a dull red appearance of the oral mucosa. One or more teeth may loosen, with subsequent pain and swelling of the jaw; healing may be delayed following dental procedures such as extractions; with necrosis of bone, a sequestrum may develop with sinus tract formation. In a series of 10 cases, the shortest period of exposure to phosphorus fume (concentrations not measured) that led to bone necrosis was 10 months (two cases), and the longest period of exposure was 18 years.
Signs and symptoms include irritation of the eyes and the respiratory tract; abdominal pain, nausea, and jaundice; anemia, cachexia, pain, and loosening of teeth, excessive salivation, and pain and swelling of the jaw; skin and eye burns. Phossy jaw must be differentiated from other forms of osteomyelitis. With phossy jaw, a sequestrum forms in the bone and is released from weeks to months later; the sequestra are light in weight, yellow to brown, osteoporotic, and decalcified, whereas sequestra from acute staphylococcal osteomyelitis are sharp, white spicules of bone, dense and well calcified. In acute staphylococcal osteomyelitis, the radiographic picture changes rapidly and closely follows the clinical course, but with phossy jaw the diagnosis sometimes is clinically obvious before radiological changes are discernible. It is good dental practice to take routine X-ray films of jaws, but experience indicates that necrosis can occur in the absence of any pathology that is visible on the roentgenogram.
INDONESIANS ASK JUDGEMENT ON US
1-Moderate Quake in Southwest China kills 18. 2-Typhoon lashes Northern Philippines. 3-China death toll from Bilis at 612. 4-Indonesians ask,are calamities devine judgement from GOD.
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.
Moderate quake in southwest China kills 18 Mon Jul 24, 8:59 AM ET
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake in China's southwestern Yunnan province on Saturday toppled hundreds of houses and killed at least 18 people, official Chinese media reported. The 5.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck a mountainous area close to the border with Sichuan province, injured over 100 people, state television said, with national radio reporting 51 people as seriously injured.At least 630 houses had been destroyed and some 500 houses risked collapsing, with direct economic losses from the tremor estimated at more than 300 million yuan ($38 million), according to the reports.Many people had already left the area at the time of the quake to attend a weekly local trade fair, state radio added.The epicentre of the quake was about 90 km (56 miles) from Yunnan's Zhaotong city, official Xinhua news agency said, adding that several hundred workers had joined the rescue effort.
Houses in Yanjin, a county on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau with a population of 350,000, were mostly built on land vulnerable to earthquakes, Xinhua said, citing experts with the seismological bureau.The local government had restored roads and telecommunications damaged by the quake, but failed to resume electricity supply and train services on the Neijiang-Kunming railway.The railway connects the three southwestern provinces Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan and the industrial city of Chongqing.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Typhoon lashes northern Philippines Mon Jul 24, 2:19 AM ET
MANILA, Philippines - A typhoon brought heavy rains and winds to the northern Philippines on Monday, shutting down classes, government offices and the stock exchange in Manila, officials said. Typhoon Kaemi, the seventh named storm in East Asia this season, was packing winds of 80 miles per hour and gusts of up to 100 mph. After battering the northern Philippines, it was expected to make landfall in central Taiwan early Tuesday, then weaken into a tropical storm before making a second landfall along China's Fujian province coast, forecasters said.In Taiwan, fishing boats sought shelter at ports and residents were warned to prepare for torrential rains and heavy winds.Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Bilis ravaged the Philippines, leaving about two dozen dead in landslides and flash floods, before slamming into China's southern coast. About 530 people were killed in China and 3 million were forced to flee their homes.
China's death toll from Tropical Storm Bilis jumps to 612 1 hour, 26 minutes ago
BEIJING (AFP) - The death toll in China from Tropical Storm Bilis has risen to 612 with another 208 people missing, state media said, as the country braced for more devastation from Typhoon Kaemi. In another major reassessment of the impact of devastating floods brought by Bilis, Xinhua news agency said the nation's disaster relief commission raised the death toll by 82 and the number of missing by 78.The commission gave no reason for the sudden jump in the casualty numbers from Bilis, which first struck south and central China on July 14.The revised numbers came after the government raised the death toll to 530 on Friday, up from 228 reported just a day earlier.Local officials had been quoted by state media as saying the fast-rising death toll could be because authorities were initially focused on disaster relief rather than counting bodies.
Some officials also blamed the breakdown in power supply and communication and transportation infrastructure for complicating the collection of information on death and damage.However, concerns have been raised that there may have been a cover-up.The Ministry of Civil Affairs has sent an investigative team to Hunan province, which bore the brunt of the destruction from Bilis, and also issued a notice warning against hiding the true extent of the damage.Chinese officials at the local level are known to often instinctively cover up bad news, for fear of being punished.The commission said Monday a total of 3.07 million people had been evacuated.
Even as China was mopping up from Bilis, it was bracing for Typhoon Kaemi expected to hit Fujian province, a major victim of Bilis, late Tuesday or early Wednesday, Xinhua quoted the Fujian observatory as saying.Neighboring Zhejiang province is also expecting severe weather.Some 3,000 armed police equipped with speed boats, life vests and waterproof lights have been deployed in Fujian province to conduct any eventual rescue and relief operations, Xinhua said.The observatory has warned of rainstorms and winds of up to 72 kilometers (45 miles) per hour across Fujian province, Xinhua said.All vessels were ordered to return to harbor by 8:00 pm Monday and local authorities have been advised to monitor the safety of people living in makeshift shelters at coal mines and in mountainous areas, the agency said.Local governments have also been ordered to boost patrols along reservoirs and dams in preparation for flooding.So far, Fujian province has prepared 12,000 tents, 50,000 quilts, 80,000 items of clothing and five days supply of food for 300,000 people, Xinhua said.
At 1200 GMT Monday, Kaemi was centered about 200 kilometres east of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, the Hong Kong Observatory said. Forecasters said it would move northwest or west-northwest at about 20 kilometres per hour towards Taiwan.
Kaemi will be the fifth typhoon in the area this year, Xinhua said. Meanwhile, recent rainstorms in central China's Anhui province killed three people and affected more than 220,000 others with flooding and hail, Xinhua cited local officials saying Monday.
Indonesians ask if calamities are a divine rebuke By Tom McCawley, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Mon Jul 24, 4:00 AM ET
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Shockwaves from the string of natural disasters over the past 19 months, including numerous earthquakes, two tsunamis, and an imminent volcanic eruption, have reached even Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the state palace. Irked by nationwide whisperings that the calamities were a divine statement against his rule, Mr. Yudhoyono told state meteorologists Thursday to explain the science behind the disasters on radio and television.Superstition and mysticism is a factor in Indonesia,says Dino Patti Djalal, a presidential spokesman. But it's the last thing we need when facing natural disasters.The giant Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 that struck 11 countries seemed to leave in its wake a series of natural disasters. Since then, Indonesia has faced deadly floods, landslides, and parching droughts. One week ago Monday an earthquake struck off the coast of Java island, leaving at least 668 dead. Sunday, a 6.1 magnitude quake off Sulawesi island sent coastal residents fleeing inland – but no tsunami materialized.
In the scramble to explain the apparent wrath of nature, science is jostling against religion and even supernatural beliefs. National newspapers have carried full front-page color diagrams of the crashing tectonic plates beneath the 17,000-island Indonesian archipelago. On the editorial pages, writers have called for national introspection,quoting religious leaders calling for repentance.
The president's political opponents, such as the well-known soothsayer Permadi, have eagerly spread the notion of a divine warning. Speaking on Metro-TV Wednesday, he warned that the president was angering nature. He [the president] has 'hot hands' which are causing these calamities,said Permadi, a legislator in the national parliament. In the late 1990s, Permadi, of Yudhoyono's rival political party the PDI-P, also foretold that aliens in UFOs would arrive to save Earth.According to the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), a national polling agency, the president has reason to be worried. The LSI released a survey in July based on a sample of 440 people in earthquake-afflicted Yogyakarta concluding that the public had begun to interpret the natural disasters mystically, irrationally, or spiritually.
The survey concluded that 78.1 percent of those polled believed the disasters were a warning from nature to Indonesia. The LSI's executive director, Denny Ali, said to reporters that the president's political opponents were indeed pushing the idea that he had helped trigger the disasters.In Indonesia, people believe in the supernatural,says Muhammad Qodary, an LSI researcher. And the more people believe [the disasters] don't come from scientific explanations, the more they'll look to the supernatural.Mr. Qodary says that those polled tended to explain the natural disasters based on either religious or pantheistic beliefs.Gendut Irianto, a Muslim and car salesman in Jakarta, is turning to his faith for explanations. I think the earthquake was definitely a warning from God to all Indonesians so we should chant and pray for forgiveness.He adding that although Java supposedly has mystical protection from Nyi Roro Kidul, [the spirit-queen of the South Seas], nothing could protect us from the holy wrath for our sins.Henri Siregar, a Catholic business executive in his 30s, says, The earthquake is a warning to the central government.Decrying Indonesia's widespread corruption, Mr. Siregar says: I think a lot of people are screwed up. Of course we'll get a slap on the wrist [from God].
Not all are convinced. The earthquake was just a natural phenomena, not a sign that nature or God was angry,says Tonie Tanu, a music producer in Jakarta. Among the skeptics is the president himself, who aides say described predictions of omens of his downfalls as rubbish.
President: It's a sign ... of tectonics
Palace officials said that Yudhoyono, himself a devout Muslim, confirmed that the May 27 earthquake in Yogyakarta was indeed a sign, but of Indonesia sitting on top of unstable tectonic plates.Dr. Fauzi, a US trained geophysicist who monitors earthquakes for the Indonesian government, says that science and religion did not necessarily contradict each other. You can see it purely on a scientific level. We rest on tectonic plates,he says, but God created them. We can study nature and understand it, but if we misuse it, the Koran – and the Bible – can tell us the consequences.In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, all citizens by law must subscribe to at least one of five state-sanctioned religions.
Pantheism endures in Indonesia
Aside from the 88 percent Muslim majority, Indonesia has Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists. But religions imported in the past 1,000 years have in many places blended with pantheistic beliefs and nature worship. Qodari, who helped research the LSI survey, believes pantheism may be strongest on the most populous island of Java.The spiritual caretaker of the Merapi volcano in central Java, an octogenarian known as M'bah Maridjan, showed the strength of such beliefs in May when he chose to defy orders from the government – and warnings from seismologists – and remain in his house on the mountain's smoldering slopes. Hundreds of villagers chose to follow Mr. Maridjan's example, angering some scientists who warned of an imminent eruption. Maridjan, instead, chose to pray and lead a procession up the mountain, claiming that he was told by a nearby sultan, the late Hamengkubuwono IX, to guard the volcano and take care of the villagers. Maridjan's credibility jumped after the government relaxed its alert warning in June, allowing thousands of villagers to return to their homes.
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.
Moderate quake in southwest China kills 18 Mon Jul 24, 8:59 AM ET
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake in China's southwestern Yunnan province on Saturday toppled hundreds of houses and killed at least 18 people, official Chinese media reported. The 5.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck a mountainous area close to the border with Sichuan province, injured over 100 people, state television said, with national radio reporting 51 people as seriously injured.At least 630 houses had been destroyed and some 500 houses risked collapsing, with direct economic losses from the tremor estimated at more than 300 million yuan ($38 million), according to the reports.Many people had already left the area at the time of the quake to attend a weekly local trade fair, state radio added.The epicentre of the quake was about 90 km (56 miles) from Yunnan's Zhaotong city, official Xinhua news agency said, adding that several hundred workers had joined the rescue effort.
Houses in Yanjin, a county on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau with a population of 350,000, were mostly built on land vulnerable to earthquakes, Xinhua said, citing experts with the seismological bureau.The local government had restored roads and telecommunications damaged by the quake, but failed to resume electricity supply and train services on the Neijiang-Kunming railway.The railway connects the three southwestern provinces Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan and the industrial city of Chongqing.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Typhoon lashes northern Philippines Mon Jul 24, 2:19 AM ET
MANILA, Philippines - A typhoon brought heavy rains and winds to the northern Philippines on Monday, shutting down classes, government offices and the stock exchange in Manila, officials said. Typhoon Kaemi, the seventh named storm in East Asia this season, was packing winds of 80 miles per hour and gusts of up to 100 mph. After battering the northern Philippines, it was expected to make landfall in central Taiwan early Tuesday, then weaken into a tropical storm before making a second landfall along China's Fujian province coast, forecasters said.In Taiwan, fishing boats sought shelter at ports and residents were warned to prepare for torrential rains and heavy winds.Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Bilis ravaged the Philippines, leaving about two dozen dead in landslides and flash floods, before slamming into China's southern coast. About 530 people were killed in China and 3 million were forced to flee their homes.
China's death toll from Tropical Storm Bilis jumps to 612 1 hour, 26 minutes ago
BEIJING (AFP) - The death toll in China from Tropical Storm Bilis has risen to 612 with another 208 people missing, state media said, as the country braced for more devastation from Typhoon Kaemi. In another major reassessment of the impact of devastating floods brought by Bilis, Xinhua news agency said the nation's disaster relief commission raised the death toll by 82 and the number of missing by 78.The commission gave no reason for the sudden jump in the casualty numbers from Bilis, which first struck south and central China on July 14.The revised numbers came after the government raised the death toll to 530 on Friday, up from 228 reported just a day earlier.Local officials had been quoted by state media as saying the fast-rising death toll could be because authorities were initially focused on disaster relief rather than counting bodies.
Some officials also blamed the breakdown in power supply and communication and transportation infrastructure for complicating the collection of information on death and damage.However, concerns have been raised that there may have been a cover-up.The Ministry of Civil Affairs has sent an investigative team to Hunan province, which bore the brunt of the destruction from Bilis, and also issued a notice warning against hiding the true extent of the damage.Chinese officials at the local level are known to often instinctively cover up bad news, for fear of being punished.The commission said Monday a total of 3.07 million people had been evacuated.
Even as China was mopping up from Bilis, it was bracing for Typhoon Kaemi expected to hit Fujian province, a major victim of Bilis, late Tuesday or early Wednesday, Xinhua quoted the Fujian observatory as saying.Neighboring Zhejiang province is also expecting severe weather.Some 3,000 armed police equipped with speed boats, life vests and waterproof lights have been deployed in Fujian province to conduct any eventual rescue and relief operations, Xinhua said.The observatory has warned of rainstorms and winds of up to 72 kilometers (45 miles) per hour across Fujian province, Xinhua said.All vessels were ordered to return to harbor by 8:00 pm Monday and local authorities have been advised to monitor the safety of people living in makeshift shelters at coal mines and in mountainous areas, the agency said.Local governments have also been ordered to boost patrols along reservoirs and dams in preparation for flooding.So far, Fujian province has prepared 12,000 tents, 50,000 quilts, 80,000 items of clothing and five days supply of food for 300,000 people, Xinhua said.
At 1200 GMT Monday, Kaemi was centered about 200 kilometres east of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, the Hong Kong Observatory said. Forecasters said it would move northwest or west-northwest at about 20 kilometres per hour towards Taiwan.
Kaemi will be the fifth typhoon in the area this year, Xinhua said. Meanwhile, recent rainstorms in central China's Anhui province killed three people and affected more than 220,000 others with flooding and hail, Xinhua cited local officials saying Monday.
Indonesians ask if calamities are a divine rebuke By Tom McCawley, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor Mon Jul 24, 4:00 AM ET
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Shockwaves from the string of natural disasters over the past 19 months, including numerous earthquakes, two tsunamis, and an imminent volcanic eruption, have reached even Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the state palace. Irked by nationwide whisperings that the calamities were a divine statement against his rule, Mr. Yudhoyono told state meteorologists Thursday to explain the science behind the disasters on radio and television.Superstition and mysticism is a factor in Indonesia,says Dino Patti Djalal, a presidential spokesman. But it's the last thing we need when facing natural disasters.The giant Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 that struck 11 countries seemed to leave in its wake a series of natural disasters. Since then, Indonesia has faced deadly floods, landslides, and parching droughts. One week ago Monday an earthquake struck off the coast of Java island, leaving at least 668 dead. Sunday, a 6.1 magnitude quake off Sulawesi island sent coastal residents fleeing inland – but no tsunami materialized.
In the scramble to explain the apparent wrath of nature, science is jostling against religion and even supernatural beliefs. National newspapers have carried full front-page color diagrams of the crashing tectonic plates beneath the 17,000-island Indonesian archipelago. On the editorial pages, writers have called for national introspection,quoting religious leaders calling for repentance.
The president's political opponents, such as the well-known soothsayer Permadi, have eagerly spread the notion of a divine warning. Speaking on Metro-TV Wednesday, he warned that the president was angering nature. He [the president] has 'hot hands' which are causing these calamities,said Permadi, a legislator in the national parliament. In the late 1990s, Permadi, of Yudhoyono's rival political party the PDI-P, also foretold that aliens in UFOs would arrive to save Earth.According to the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), a national polling agency, the president has reason to be worried. The LSI released a survey in July based on a sample of 440 people in earthquake-afflicted Yogyakarta concluding that the public had begun to interpret the natural disasters mystically, irrationally, or spiritually.
The survey concluded that 78.1 percent of those polled believed the disasters were a warning from nature to Indonesia. The LSI's executive director, Denny Ali, said to reporters that the president's political opponents were indeed pushing the idea that he had helped trigger the disasters.In Indonesia, people believe in the supernatural,says Muhammad Qodary, an LSI researcher. And the more people believe [the disasters] don't come from scientific explanations, the more they'll look to the supernatural.Mr. Qodary says that those polled tended to explain the natural disasters based on either religious or pantheistic beliefs.Gendut Irianto, a Muslim and car salesman in Jakarta, is turning to his faith for explanations. I think the earthquake was definitely a warning from God to all Indonesians so we should chant and pray for forgiveness.He adding that although Java supposedly has mystical protection from Nyi Roro Kidul, [the spirit-queen of the South Seas], nothing could protect us from the holy wrath for our sins.Henri Siregar, a Catholic business executive in his 30s, says, The earthquake is a warning to the central government.Decrying Indonesia's widespread corruption, Mr. Siregar says: I think a lot of people are screwed up. Of course we'll get a slap on the wrist [from God].
Not all are convinced. The earthquake was just a natural phenomena, not a sign that nature or God was angry,says Tonie Tanu, a music producer in Jakarta. Among the skeptics is the president himself, who aides say described predictions of omens of his downfalls as rubbish.
President: It's a sign ... of tectonics
Palace officials said that Yudhoyono, himself a devout Muslim, confirmed that the May 27 earthquake in Yogyakarta was indeed a sign, but of Indonesia sitting on top of unstable tectonic plates.Dr. Fauzi, a US trained geophysicist who monitors earthquakes for the Indonesian government, says that science and religion did not necessarily contradict each other. You can see it purely on a scientific level. We rest on tectonic plates,he says, but God created them. We can study nature and understand it, but if we misuse it, the Koran – and the Bible – can tell us the consequences.In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, all citizens by law must subscribe to at least one of five state-sanctioned religions.
Pantheism endures in Indonesia
Aside from the 88 percent Muslim majority, Indonesia has Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists. But religions imported in the past 1,000 years have in many places blended with pantheistic beliefs and nature worship. Qodari, who helped research the LSI survey, believes pantheism may be strongest on the most populous island of Java.The spiritual caretaker of the Merapi volcano in central Java, an octogenarian known as M'bah Maridjan, showed the strength of such beliefs in May when he chose to defy orders from the government – and warnings from seismologists – and remain in his house on the mountain's smoldering slopes. Hundreds of villagers chose to follow Mr. Maridjan's example, angering some scientists who warned of an imminent eruption. Maridjan, instead, chose to pray and lead a procession up the mountain, claiming that he was told by a nearby sultan, the late Hamengkubuwono IX, to guard the volcano and take care of the villagers. Maridjan's credibility jumped after the government relaxed its alert warning in June, allowing thousands of villagers to return to their homes.
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