1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Minor quake shakes Bay Area. 3-Moderate quake rocks southern Chile. 4-Two-sided storm. 5-Israelis Would Like to Join European Union. 6-Report: Israel wants to fly over Iraq. 7-Safeguarding Jerusalem. 8-New lakes beneath Antarctic ice. 9-Canada, Mexico, US pitch trade fixes for North America.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sun Feb 25 12:09 AM EDT
FEB 24,07
MAP 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.2 KEPULAUAN SULA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.2 POTOSI, BOLIVIA
MAP 4.8 OFF THE COAST OF ECUADOR
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.9 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.2 VANUATU REGION
MAP 5.2 OFF THE COAST OF ECUADOR
MAP 3.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.0 KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA
MAP 6.2 NEAR THE COAST OF NORTHERN PERU
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 23,07
MAP 3.4 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.6 AISEN, CHILE
MAP 3.3 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.0 TRINIDAD REGION, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
MAP 5.0 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUATEMALA
MAP 4.4 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
Minor quake shakes Bay Area Fri Feb 23, 7:53 PM ET
BERKELEY, Calif. - A minor earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The magnitude-3.4 temblor struck on the Hayward fault about two miles southeast of Berkeley at 3:46 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The jolt was felt in downtown San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area.
Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were stopped for about five minutes for inspection as a precaution. No trains or stations were damaged, spokesman Linton Johnson said.
Moderate quake rocks southern Chile Fri Feb 23, 6:49 PM ET
SANTIAGO, Chile - A moderate earthquake shook southern Chile on Friday in a sparsely populated region that seismologists say has recently seen a series of tremors due to the birth of an undersea volcano.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado.It struck about 20 miles north of Coyhaique, the largest city in the Aysen region, 1,300 miles south of the capital, said Chilean officials.There was alarm because it was somewhat stronger and longer than the many tremors felt in the area in recent weeks, said Juan Azocar, head of the Emergency Bureau in Coyhaique.Authorities say the region has registered about 2,000 tremors in the last month, though most have not been felt.
According to seismologists, the quakes are being caused by a magma buildup that is pressing upward beneath a fjord.Chile, a nation with a high seismic activity, has some 2,900 volcanoes nearly 500 of which are active.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Two-sided storm Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
Sat Feb 24, 10:53 AM ET
Midwest
Low pressure will continue to develop rapidly across the central Plains today, and track east toward the Great Lakes Heavy snow will spread across eastern Colorado, western Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin through today. Rain and thunderstorms will change to snow from west to east across Kansas and the central and eastern Nebraska later today and tonight. Strong winds, gusting to over 50 mph at times, in these areas will create blizzard conditions with considerable blowing and drifting snow. A messy mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain will stretch from northern and eastern Iowa to northern Illinois and northern Indiana including Chicago during the day Saturday. Some areas will see significant ice accumulations and that could lead to power outages. A line of strong thunderstorms is forecast to spread eastward into the mid-Mississippi Valley. The threat for tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail will impact areas from Kansas City to just south of St. Louis including the Ozarks. Heavy rain will be likely in the lower Missouri Valley and will spread eastward across the southern half of Illinois. Flooding is a distinct possibility in these areas. Sunday will feature strong winds and heavy snow from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes including Lower Michigan, with rain changing to snow across parts of the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Snow accumulations could exceed a foot over parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin with considerable blowing snow. Blizzard conditions are possible in some locations. Precipitation will linger over the Midwest Monday and possibly into Tuesday with light snow from Minnesota to Michigan and Ohio.
South
Strong to severe thunderstorms will sweep eastward out of the southern Plains and head toward the Mississippi Valley today and this evening. Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes are all possible from eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi today. By tonight, thunderstorms will shift east of the Mississippi River into Tennessee, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Although damaging wind gusts and hail will still be possible, the overall severe threat will be diminishing by that time. By Sunday, thunderstorms will move through the Southeast toward the coastal Carolinas and Georgia but only a few thunderstorms will be strong. With no plunges of cold air in sight, temperatures will remain mild for awhile across the region.
Northeast
Most of the Northeast will experience a dry but chilly day today. There will be a few scattered snow showers across parts of Upstate New York and northern New England, however.
An approaching storm system will bring an increase in cloudiness from the southwest, leading to the development of wintry precipitation on Sunday. Several inches of snow may blanket southern New York, northern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Cape Cod. A wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain will glaze much of the remainder of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and northern and western Virginia. This event will be relatively minor but there may be some travel or commuting woes overnight Sunday into early Monday morning from the Middle Atlantic to southern sections of New England.
West
Blizzard conditions are forecast to continue though Saturday night across eastern Colorado, western Nebraska, and western Kansas with sustained winds between 30-40mph and gusts above 50mph. A new storm system will move into the Pacific Northwest today bringing rain to Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Wind will be a major component to this storm system as it moves across the Western half of the country. This afternoon and evening winds between 25-30mph will spread across central and northern California with wind gusts between 50-60mph across the northern Sierra Mountains. Various wind advisories are active across California. Snow levels will range from 1500 feet in the Washington Cascades to 7000 feet in the central Sierra. More systems will affect the West Coast early next week with rain slowly edging southward through California with more rain/snow increasing over the Great Basin and snow expanding from the northern Rockies into the central Rockies. This is good news for those traveling to favorite ski destinations in states like Utah and Colorado.
Israelis Would Like to Join European Union
February 24, 2007
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Israelis believe their country should become a member of the European Union (EU), according to a poll by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 75 per cent of respondents would support a bid by Israel to join the continental group.Bulgaria and Romania were the latest countries to join the European Union, in January 2007. On Jan. 19, Romanian president Traian Basescu urged all member states to support the continuation of the open-door policy, saying, There is a new European reality, the fifth post-wave, which must not be neglected. The European neighbourhood policy is already a vehicle for the spread of values and standards in the East and we are decided to contribute to its evolution towards more consistency.
The EU has repeatedly urged the Palestinian government, integrated partly by the political wing of Hamas an organization accused of staging violent attacks against Israel to renounce violence and recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli state in exchange for foreign aid and support. While Israel signed an association agreement with the EU in November 1995 which incorporates specific free trade regulations the prospect of Israel’s full membership in the EU has never been seriously considered by either Israeli or European leaders.
Polling Data - Would you support or oppose Israel joining the European Union (EU)?
Support 75%,Oppose 18%,Not sure 7% .Source: Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Methodology: Interviews with 511 Israeli adults, conducted in February 2007. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.
Report: Israel wants to fly over Iraq By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 24, 6:56 AM ET
LONDON - Israel opened negotiations to fly through U.S. controlled airspace in Iraq to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, a British newspaper reported Saturday. Israel's deputy defense minister denied the claim. The Daily Telegraph newspaper quoted an unnamed Israeli defense official as saying the talks were aimed at planning for all scenarios, including any future decision to target Iran's nuclear program.Israeli bombers would need a corridor through U.S.-administered airspace in Iraq to carry out any strikes, the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.Ephraim Sneh, Israel's Deputy Defense Minister, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the report was incorrect. This is baseless information, Sneh said. Maybe people like to divert (attention from) the need for immediate economic sanctions (with) stories about imminent Israeli action, which is not on the agenda.
The international community's focus should be on imposing economic sanctions on Iran for defying U.N. Security Council resolutions, he said.Senior officials of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council Britain, the U.S., France, China and Russia and Germany are meeting Monday for an emergency summit in London to discuss measures against Tehran.The U.S. and its Western allies insist Iran must suspend uranium enrichment before any negotiations over its nuclear program take place and accused Tehran of using a civilian program as a cover to develop weapons.Iran, has rejected the condition to suspend enrichment and insists that its nuclear program is peaceful.Associated Press Writer Amy Tiebel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Safeguarding Jerusalem
By Yehuda Ben Meir (HAARETZ)
It's become very clear that the clash over the construction work near the Mugrabi Gate is not a struggle against the archaeological excavations or the construction of a bridge, but part of a broader campaign for the control of Jerusalem.
After all, this construction work has no connection to the Al-Aqsa Mosque nor any effect on it. Indeed, even among some of the Arab MKs - those same leaders mobilizing the war and the incitement against the construction - there were those who admitted, some through winks and nods and others more directly, that whether the work really threatens the mosque does not matter. In their view, Israel has no sovereignty in the Old City and has no right to carry out any sort of construction work in the Temple Mount environs. At the root of this war is the intensifying effort by the Palestinians and their supporters, from within and without Israel, to deny any link or rights of the Jewish people to the Temple Mount or to Jerusalem, and thus to undermine not only our right to sovereignty in Jerusalem, but also Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
We have no choice but to succeed in this struggle, and possess all the possible elements for such an outcome. The way to succeed is to show and prove, by means of complete transparency, that the deceiving claims and baseless incitements are nothing more than false propaganda. The government acted along these lines, launching a Web site with real-time, round-the-clock video footage of the excavations. Israel has finally learned to utilize the Internet. And indeed, the disorderly conduct of Sheikh Ra'ad Salah and the remonstrations of Khaled Meshal and the Islamic organizations are not having any significant effect in the broader world, and their anti-Israel campaign has failed to take off.
As part of this important effort, the prime minister agreed, during an official visit to Turkey a large Muslim country, with strategic ties of utmost importance to Israel to meet the request of the Turkish prime minister and allow a delegation from there to evaluate the conditions on the ground. This was a smart, wise and appropriate move on the part of the prime minister, and there is no justification for the criticism against him.
One needn't be a former deputy foreign minister or a seasoned diplomat to appreciate the diplomatic significance and the implications of such a move; let's not forget that the real dispute is over the sovereignty of Jerusalem. The fact that the Turkish prime minister is sending a delegation to this site near the Western Wall and the Temple Mount following an invitation by the prime minister of Israel, is a clear expression of support of Israel's position. After all, this is not a United Nations delegation nor one imposed on Israel by an international body, but an authorized delegation of Turkey to Israel (and not of the Palestinian Authority or Jordan). Israel really has nothing to hide. So there should be no surprise that the Arab MKs responded with anger and frustration, demanding: What business does Turkey have with this issue? They understood what many MKs on the right have not: that this is a diplomatic gain for Israel and a wise way of conducting an important campaign.
New lakes beneath Antarctic ice FEB 24,07 BBC
Sub-glacial lakes can affect how quickly ice reaches the sea Scientists have discovered four giant lakes under the Antarctic ice. Together the four are as big as Lake Vostok, the biggest body of water so far discovered in Antarctica. Researchers say the newly found lakes appear to affect how rapidly ice is transported from the interior of the continent to the sea. Writing in the journal Nature, they say that understanding the interaction of lakes and ice is crucial to forecasting the impacts of climate change.
The four lakes lie under the Recovery ice stream which brings ice from hundreds of kilometres inland into the Weddell Sea. They were found using a combination of radar data gathered by satellite, and records of an expedition mounted to the area in the 1960s on which scientists had used a pioneering ice-penetrating radar. Sub-glacial lakes create tell-tale shapes in the surface of the ice above, while readings taken through the ice had detected, in the words of the 1960s expedition, a possible melt layer at the bottom of the ice-cap. About 150 lakes have been discovered under the frozen Antarctic surface.
Speed merchants
In recent years there has been a lot of interest in water under the Antarctic ice, for various reasons. Biologists have been intrigued by the possibility of finding new organisms in ecosystems which may have been cut off from the rest of the world for thousands of years. Two of the new lakes are only exceeded in size by Lake Vostok .Climate scientists have become increasingly keen to understand the process of accelerated melting, where lubrication of ice flows by water and the disintegration of ice shelves could speed up the transfer of ice to the sea. The research team found that the Recovery stream accelerates significantly as it passes over the lakes. Upstream of the lakes, it flows at two to three metres per year; after passing them, at about 50 metres per year. Whether there is a link to climate change is another question. The lakes lie in the eastern portion of Antarctica, where evidence suggests the icecap may be gaining mass rather than losing it.
It is the west of the continent that primarily concerns climate researchers. Much of the Antarctic rock here lies below sea level, meaning that a warming of the oceans could lubricate ice flow on a significant scale. But if sub-glacial lakes are affecting ice flow, that is something scientists will want to study further. As this research team puts it: The Recovery sub-glacial lakes and the associated Recovery ice stream tributaries have the potential greatly to affect the drainage of the East Antarctic ice sheet, and its influence on sea level rise in the near future.Another expedition to the area, part of International Polar Year, is planned for 2008.
Canada, Mexico, US pitch trade fixes for North America
24-Feb-2007 05:03 hrs
Top foreign affairs, security and trade officials of Canada, the United States and Mexico met Friday under the auspices of a business-friendly alliance that critics allege is unfairly opaque.The meeting of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) was expected to discuss border security, trade and energy, the Canadian government said Friday. The US State Department said the deadly bird flu would also feature on the agenda.The complete agenda, however, was not made public, prompting protests.The talks are the second since the 2005 creation of the SPP, at the initiative of the White House.They are aimed at preparing a summit of the heads of state and government of the three countries, said Tom Shannon, US assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.
Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Industry Minister Maxime Bernier hosted the meeting.The United States sent US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.Mexico was represented by Foreign Affairs Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Interior Secretary Francisco Javier Ramirez Acuna and Commerce Secretary Eduardo Sojo Garza-Aldape.The ministers were meeting to discuss how the three democracies are working together to ensure continued prosperity and how we can provide greater security for all of North America, Rice's spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.They were also presented 50 recommendations from the National American Competitiveness Council, a tri-national working group of the SPP comprised of some 30 chief executives from some of the continent's largest companies, to speed people and goods safely across borders, harmonize trade regulations and improve energy security and production by 2010.
The group, after nine months of consultations and deliberations, called for border infrastructure expansion and improvement; a reduction of unnecessary differences in rules and standards, particularly in the food and agriculture, financial services, and transportation sectors; and for enhanced cooperation to protect intellectual property rights.The group also called for better cross-border oil and gas distribution systems, joint development of clean energy technologies and faster development of Mexico's oil and gas resources.The NACC simply sees huge potential for greater cooperation in managing borders, regulation, energy and many other issues affecting the quality of life of the citizens of Canada, Mexico and the United States, from responses to emergencies and pandemics to the environment and education, the group said.
In the United States, right-wing commentators have criticized further integration of North America, saying it would erode US security and long-term economic prosperity.In Canada, condemnation of the SPP has come from the left.The Council of Canadians said the high-level talks have elevated corporate interests above the public interest, and seek to lower environmental and labor standards in each country.The big-business community has been an integral part of these negotiations, while the public and most of our elected officials have been left out, said John Urquhart, executive director of the Council of Canadians.
In Canada's House of Commons, Jack Layton, leader of the socialist New Democratic Party, accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government of conspiring to sell out Canadian sovereignty.The discussions ... affect ordinary people, but this whole process is very, very obscure, he lamented.These are secret discussions about security, transportation, the environment, health, increasing integration, without Parliament's involvement, without the public being able to participate in the debate.
Government House leader Peter Van Loan replied that Layton was imagining conspiracies, but the reality is this is a very open, transparent process.The three North American neighbors launched the SPP in March 2005 to bolster cooperation on border security, trade and energy.The three economies were already integrated by the North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1994. AFP .
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
IRAN INCREASED NUKE ACTIVITY
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Mozambique cyclone kills four. 3-Major storm system unfolding. 4-Australia declares El Nino weather pattern over. 5-Indonesia eyes cement balls to stop mud. 6-Poland to push for dark side to EU birthday text. 7-Israel gripped by Syria war fears. 8-Israel Develops Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft. 9-EU establishes single UWB market. 10-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 11-Merkel: Israel must be recognized. 12-World-Wide Blitz against Israel. 13- Iran increased nuke activity, report says.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sat Feb 24 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 23,07
MAP 5.6 AISEN, CHILE
MAP 3.3 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.0 TRINIDAD REGION, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
MAP 5.0 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUATEMALA
MAP 4.4 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
FEB 22,07
MAP 2.5 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.0 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 4.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.6 COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 21,07
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.7 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 4.8 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Mozambique cyclone kills four By Charles Mangwiro
Fri Feb 23, 6:28 AM ET
MAPUTO (Reuters) - A powerful tropical storm killed four people and injured at least 70 in Mozambique's resort town of Vilanculos, where thousands of homes were destroyed along with the hospital and power grid, officials said on Friday. Cyclone Favio was downgraded to a tropical storm on Friday as wind speeds dropped from a peak of 270 kph (170 mph) to between 60-80 kph (37-50 mph), but officials fear rains from the storm could still dramatically worsen an existing flood disaster in the center of the country.Vilanculos Mayor Selmane Amugy said the deaths occurred when Favio crashed ashore early on Thursday, hitting people's homes as they were sleeping.Four people were killed, 70 others seriously injured and some 2,000 homes were destroyed ... there are no words to describe the drama, I haven't seen such a thing in my life, he said by phone the resort town some 800 km (500 miles) north of the capital, Maputo.All 600 prisoners escaped when the local jail was destroyed and we had to evacuate some 120 patients from the rural hospital, he said.Amugy said many key buildings in Vilanculos a popular beach town favored by South African and other foreign tourists were damaged and the local airport was closed.We had to call off all operations at the airport ... trees at Tofo Beach were uprooted and homes destroyed and this worsened erosion, he said.Bazaruto Island, another popular Mozambican tourist destination which is reachable only by boats and helicopters, was still cut off from communications as the regional electricity grid was wrecked.At the peak of the summer season, Bazaruto attracts wealthy tourists from across the world to its upmarket lodges.The government has dispatched an emergency team of medical personnel, engineers and technicians to assess the damage.
Mozambique's national weather agency INAM said the weakened storm was headed northwards toward the port city of Beira, where its outer edges struck on Friday.Officials fear it may take its rains onward toward the Zambezi river basin, where several weeks of severe flooding has already displaced more than 120,000 people.It's no longer a tropical cyclone now, it's a tropical depression meaning it
has weakened but still accompanied by heavy rains ... it has winds of between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour, INAM spokesman Helder Sueia told Reuters.
Sueia said the storm unearthed trees and blew off rooftops in Beira's densely populated suburb of Pontagea on Friday.It's still taking the same direction and it's not as powerful as it was a few hours ago ... but the rains can still impact on the flooding situation, he said.Officials and humanitarian agencies are already battling to keep tens of thousands of flood refugees in central Mozambique supplied with food and fresh water.The former Portuguese colony, rising from a devastating 16 year political conflict, saw its worst disaster on record in 2000-2001 when a series of cyclones compounded widespread flooding in southern and central parts of the country, killing 700 people and driving close to half a million from their homes.
Major storm system unfolding Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Fri Feb 23, 6:29 AM ET
Midwest
Today will be the calm before the storm across the Upper Midwest and central Plains. As a storm system begins to organize across the eastern Rockies, clouds and winds will be on the increase across the central Plains and Upper Midwest. A few rain showers may develop by late day from Kansas City to Omaha, with a light wintry mix across the Upper Midwest from Fargo to Minneapolis. Areas from Chicago and St. Louis to Louisville and Cleveland should remain dry today. Overnight into Saturday, the storm system will track into the central Plains, with heavy snow developing from the northern Plains, into the western Great Lakes. Strong gusty winds in these areas will also create blizzard conditions. A wintry mix will develop south of this area from Omaha to Chicago. On the south side of the storm severe thunderstorms will erupt from the central Plains, and spread into the Middle Mississippi Valley. The threat for tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail will impact areas from Goodland to Kansas City to St. Louis. Heavy rain will be likely across the Midwest and Ohio valley. The threat for heavy snow and gusty winds will remain across the western Great Lakes and Upper Midwest into Sunday, with rain and snow spreading across the Midwest and Ohio Valley. The entire system should move east of the area by early next week, but scattered snow showers will remain.
South
High pressure will briefly build across the South today, resulting in dry weather conditions. Afternoon highs today will range from the 60s across the Atlanta, Memphis, and Dallas areas, to the 70s from Houston to Orlando. Highs in the 80s will be confined to southern Florida.
Changeable weather conditions will be underway across the southern Plains and Texas today, as a storm system begins to take shape over the eastern Rockies. Winds and clouds will be on the increase from Houston to Oklahoma City, with a few rain showers possible by late day. Overnight into Saturday, numerous severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds will erupt across northern Texas into the southern Plains. These will track east toward the Lower Mississippi Valley into Saturday. Areas from Oklahoma City and Houston, east to Memphis and New Orleans, will all be in line for potential severe thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday. By Sunday the threat for widespread severe thunderstorms will diminish, but showers and a few scattered strong thunderstorms will track east across the rest of the Southern states. The storm system responsible for this active weather will move away from the area by early next week.
Northeast
Snow showers and gusty winds will linger across parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic today, in the wake of a Clipper storm that moved across the area yesterday. Afternoon highs will range from the teens across Buffalo and Burlington, to the 20s across the Pittsburgh area. Highs in the 30s will be common from Boston and New York, to Washington, DC. Gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph will also remain across most areas today, pushing wind chills in the teens and 20s. On Saturday, lingering snow showers will shift into northern New England, mainly from Buffalo north through Burlington, with dry conditions expected elsewhere. By Sunday, a storm system will begin to approach the area from the west, spreading a mix of snow and ice into the Upper Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic area.
Areas from Pittsburgh and Buffalo, to Philadelphia and Washington, DC will be in line to see the wintry precipitation first. Sunday night into Monday, the threat for wintry weather will spread across the New England states, as cold temperatures will remain across the entire are over the next several days.
West
Unsettled weather will remain across the west through the weekend, as a series of weather systems continue to impact the area.
Today, low pressure will be tracking across the central Rockies, increasing the rain and snow across the Rockies. In the wake of this system, scattered rain and snow showers will remain across the west coast, from Seattle and Portland, south through San Francisco and Los Angeles. By Saturday, weather conditions will improve across the interior Rockies and Southwest, but begin to become more unsettled across the Pacific Northwest. A new storm system will bring some heavy rain and higher elevation snow to the Pacific Northwest through the day, with the activity spreading through the rest of the west coast into early next week.
Australia declares El Nino weather pattern over Wed Feb 21, 11:16 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) Australian forecasters said Thursday that the El Nino weather pattern blamed for the worst drought in a century had ended, and expressed cautious optimism much-needed rain was on the way. The Bureau of Meteorology said there was no guarantee the drought was over but the end of the El Nino meant there was reason to be hopeful.The 2006/07 El Nino has ended, the bureau said in a statement.While the end of the El Nino would normally be associated with a return to more normal rainfall patterns, it should not be seen as a precursor to drought-breaking rains.Nonetheless, we can be cautiously optimistic that there will be a general easing of dry conditions in drought-affected areas over the next one to two seasons.El Nino is occasional warming of the central and eastern Pacific
Ocean that typically happens every four to seven years and disrupts weather patterns from the western seaboard of Latin America to East Africa for 12-18 months.It has been blamed for flooding in the Horn of Africa and Bolivia, more severe winter monsoons in South Asia, and the lengthy drought in Australia.More often than not, El Nino events result in reduced rainfall across parts of eastern and northern Australia, particularly during winter, spring and early summer, the bureau said.However, the precise nature of the impact differs quite markedly from one event to another, even with similar changes and patterns in the Pacific Ocean.
The bureau said there was a higher-than-average chance of the El Nino being followed by a La Nina weather pattern, which occurs when the Pacific cools, offering hope of drought-breaking rains.La Nina events are generally associated with wetter-than-normal conditions across much of the eastern half of the country from about autumn, it said.The bureau said El Nino was a natural phenomenon that was extremely difficult to predict.El Nino is not a freak of climate, it's not a rogue weather phenomenon, and it isn't in any way abnormal, it said.Furthermore it is not a scourge, and as far as Australia is concerned, it shouldn't be thought of as a synonym for drought, although it's often linked to reduced rainfall in eastern and northern Australia.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Indonesia eyes cement balls to stop mud Thu Feb 22, 7:41 PM ET
SURABAYA, Indonesia - Indonesian authorities will drop hundreds of giant concrete balls into a fissure Friday to try to stem a gushing mud eruption that has inundated villages and factories, an official said. The hot, noxious mud enough to fill 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools has flowed from the hole each day for the last nine months, forcing at least 11,000 people from their homes. Four villages and 25 factories have been buried under a 30-foot layer of mud.The chained cement balls, weighing up to 550 pounds each, will be dropped from a scaffolding into the so-called mud volcano on the island of Java starting Friday, said Rudi Novrianto, a spokesman for a national task force handling the disaster.If successful, the project will decrease by up to 70 percent the volume of the mud now being channeled by a system of dams into a nearby river and out to sea.
Mud fissures are fairly common along volatile tectonic belts like that one running below Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago.Opinions differ about the cause of the mudflow, the largest on record in Indonesia, but experts agree it could flow for years.Some scientists suggest the rupture was triggered by faulty gas exploration techniques by operator PT Lapindo Brantas, which created fissures in a bed of porous limestone. Other research suggests it was the result of increased seismic activity following a major earthquake two days before the mud began flowing.The government has said PT Lapindo Brantas must pay about $420 million in damages, including $276 million to the victims, by next month.
Lapindo is controlled by the family of Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie. He has repeatedly claimed the geyser was sparked by a May 27 earthquake and that his company bears no financial liability.An attempt last year to channel the mud to the sea triggered an explosion that killed 13 people when a natural gas pipeline cracked under the weight of a dam.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).
Poland to push for dark side to EU birthday text
22.02.2007 - 09:19 CET | By Andrew Rettman
EUOBSERVER-WARSAW Poland wants the EU's upcoming 50th birthday declaration to
mention the dark side of recent European history such as Communism and the Balkan wars, while hinting that changes to the EU voting system could become a Polish red line in future talks on the new EU constitution. It shouldn't simply be a self-celebration by the old member states. It should include our part of Europe as a parallel process experienced after WWII Warsaw's lead negotiator or sherpa on the birthday declaration, Marek Cichocki, said in Warsaw on Tuesday (21 February).It should also make mention of the dark legacy of European policy. During the great successes of extending the European Union in the 1990s, we had parallel to that a serious war in the Balkans, he added, saying the German EU presidency has a responsibility to address the tough issues. The declaration will be drafted in English by an official in the chancellery of German leader Angela Merkel. It will have three parts on EU history, EU values and the EU's future. It should be written in plain language and be no more than three pages long, the Polish negotiator said.
The dark events should go into the history section alongside the successes of setting up the single market. The history paragraphs should also state the historical truth of the EU's Christian origins, but Christianity should be kept out of the EU values chapter. Mr Cichocki warned that only values with a universal character such as human rights and rule of law should go in.
It should not represent all the values that we find in our national constitutions, because then we will have a very long list, he said. The sherpa also suggested openness as a key value a term to be understood as openness to future enlargement but also in a broader sense as openness to the influence of other cultures, including Islam, to immigration and other aspects of globalisation. The EU future section should talk about Europe as a provider of security for member states, both in terms of energy security and in the military sense. The aspect of security is very appealing, he said, referring to the Pleven Plan of 1950, which called for the creation of an EU defence community. We should recall these old ideas.
The security proposal reflects the Polish government's closeness to the hawkish world view of US president George W. Bush's Republican party, with Warsaw just a few days away from agreeing to a US plan to build an anti-ballistic missile base in Poland in a project reminiscent of the Cold War. Mr Cichocki envisaged the birthday declaration as a text that would provide a reference for many years, as a symbol of basic agreement between member states...We would be very happy if this document plays the same role as the Messina declaration.The Messina declaration by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg in 1955 was a statement of intention to create the European economic community. It paved the way for the signing of the EU's founding treaty, the treaty of Rome, in 1957.(REVIVED ROME)
The Messina comparison depicts the EU birthday text as a precursor of a new EU treaty, with the German EU presidency keen to get agreement by June on how to revive the EU constitution after French and Dutch referendums in 2005 derailed the existing constitution document. The new constitution is to be put in place by 2010.
Red lines sketched
Mr Cichocki who is also Poland's sherpa in the constitution talks said negotiations on the new treaty will not start in earnest until after French presidential elections in April or May, adding that it is too early to talk about Poland's red lines.But he hinted that Warsaw will reject any text that does not change the current proposal for a new EU voting system, which ties member states' votes more
strongly to population size giving Germany more power to force through EU projects disliked by Poland. There is broad political consensus in Poland that this double majority system in the present constitution is not acceptable, Mr Cichocki said. It is as yet unclear what alternative voting rules the Polish government might come up with, but speculation is mounting that Warsaw will put forward voting-weights based on the 1949 ideas of British mathematician Lionel Penrose. The Penrose square root law says voting weight should be based not on the simple population size of individual member states, but on the square roots of national populations in a complex piece of game theory that would help Poland resist German pressure. Frankly, I don't see how any government could sell this kind of square root model in a popular referendum, Pawel Swieboda, a former high-ranking Polish diplomat who now runs the demosEUROPA think-tank in Warsaw, told EUobserver. Perhaps this will just be an interim proposal and the government will end up aiming for something different down the line such as placing a cap on the maximum voting weight that anybody could have, effectively counting Germany as, say, 70 million people instead of 82 million, he said.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Israel gripped by Syria war fears by Jacques Pinto FEB 22,07
JERUSALEM (AFP) A reported Syrian troop build-up near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has fuelled speculation in Israel about a future conflict, more than three decades after the two enemies last went to war. Syrian armed forces appear to be moving closer to the armistice line as Damascus spearheads an unprecendented armaments drive, shrieked Israel's Haaretz newspaper from its front page Thursday.The Syrian armed forces are being strengthened in a way unprecedented in recent memory with the help of generous funding from Iran, wrote military affairs correspondent Zeev Schiff.Brigadier General Yossi Beidatz, the head of military intelligence research, has also warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is preparing for conflict with Israel, possibly through Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel last year.
Haaretz said the main thrust of Syria's armaments drive was missiles and long-range rockets, with its navy being bolstered by an Iranian missile similar to one fired by Hezbollah, killing four Israeli sailors last summer.Syria is also close to concluding a deal with Russia to procure thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles, of the sort Hezbollah used to such lethal effect against Israeli armour last year,
Haaretz reported.It appears that the Syrians have moved forces closer to the border (armistice line) with Israel on the Golan Heights, wrote Schiff, noting similar movements prior to the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.Three decades ago, a coordinated Egyptian and Syrian assault caught Israel totally off guard on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, triggering its deadliest conflict since independence in 1948.Syria has test-fired ballistic missiles, such as a Scud-D surface-to-surface missile, which would put most of Israel within range, Haaretz reported.
Israel is still smarting from its deadly pounding by more than 4,000 Hezbollah rockets that killed some 40 civilians last summer.But Defence Minister Amir Peretz was quoted by journalists as telling military officials to avoid making unnecessary comments on Syria and asking officers to steer clear of a war of words with Damascus.The situation in the field will be examined according to facts and the Israel Defence Force will prepare itself accordingly, he was quoted as saying.One aide, Amos Gilad, said he saw no immediate danger of war but that Syrian weapons purchases highlighted the need for Israel to remain combat-ready.The fact that Syria is strengthening its military capabilities does not mean we're going to be attacked tomorrow but certainly we need to be prepared, Gilad told public radio.There is no danger of war. There is no deployment of forces indicating that Israel would be threatened by an offensive tomorrow.A northern command source agreed that Syria had beefed up its troops along the armistice line as Israel did following the outbreak of war in Lebanon.
Since the end of the war, tension has remained high on both sides and at a much higher level than it was before the war. There is much more Israeli and Syrian daily military presence along the border today, the official said.But a source in the UN force in the Golan Heights charged with monitoring the armistice denied any Syrian troop build-up and lashed out an alarmist Israeli media that repeatedly brings up the topic. On Wednesday, Israel launched war games on the Golan Heights that Peretz flatly denied were connected to fears of a new conflict with Syria. Damascus has repeatedly demanded the return of the Golan, a strategic plateau which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and unilaterally annexed in 1981. It is now home to more than 15,000 settlers. Peace talks between Israel and Syria collapsed in 2000, in part because of disputes over the return of the territory.
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Israel Develops Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft
by Ezra HaLevi (INN) FEB 22,07
Israels defense industry continues to develop innovative technologies in the fields of unmanned surveillance and anti-missile protection. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is unveiling several new technologies, eagerly sought and purchased by Western armies. The latest IAI innovation is a solar-powered UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), which it will unveil at an aeronautics show Friday.
The UAV runs off solar power and stores the power to continue to operate during night-time operations as well. IAI has also developed a system called Computerized Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that helps determine the aerodynamics of a plane or UAV.
British Need Israeli UAVs
Globes reported Thursday that British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan may begin using UAVs produced by another Israeli company, Elbit. Elbit is reportedly negotiating with British Defense contractors for the leasing of Hermes 450 UAVs, for which the British Army units stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq have a great need. The deal is reportedly worth $100 million and is being expedited due to the failure of Britain's current UAVs to operate correctly under the desert conditions of the Middle East.
US Wants Tank-Protection Replicated For Choppers
According to Globes, US Army officials have approached Israels Rafael Armament Development Authority with the request that it develop a version of its Trophy Active Protection System for helicopters, in addition to tanks. The system has proven successful in detonating rockets and missiles shot at tanks before they can impact the vehicle. The US officials hope a version can be designed that would protect helicopters from similar weapons. Seven US Army helicopters in Iraq have been shot down in the last two months by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire from the ground.
POSSIBLE ROBOT
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
REVELATION 13:13-15
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
REVELATION 14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
EU establishes single UWB market
Email articleComment on this articlePublished: 22 February 2007 10:40 AM
Industry Channel: Communications Source: The Engineer Online
The European Commission has today adopted a decision which outlines the mandatory conditions for using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in next generation wireless devices across the EU.
The decision brings a step closer a single market for consumer electronics such as laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras and televisions that can exchange data wirelessly at very high rates over short distances.By removing the cables that link the electronic devices we use in everyday life, ultra-wideband technology can extend the information society in many areas of society,’ said EU Telecoms and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. However, to benefit our citizens, it is important that we establish a functioning single market for these devices in the European Union. By adopting a harmonising decision today, the Commission allows innovators to use this new technology throughout the EU, while ensuring no interference takes place with other wireless users.UWB devices can transmit data at very high rates by spreading the signal over very broad ranges of the radio spectrum. With rates comparable to devices connected by cable, UWB is an attractive technology for the increasingly bandwidth-hungry consumer electronics industry.While the spectrum is already used by many sectors, such as mobile operators, broadcasters and the aviation community, the extremely low transmission powers of UWB signals ensure that harmful interference with these applications is avoided.With UWB, many electronic devices so far linked by cable will have a wireless alternative offering the same data rates of up to 480Mbit/s, or the speed of USB wired connections available today. Devices will therefore be able to seamlessly speak to each other whenever in range.
UWB will provide this ease-of-use to users while operating in the existing spectrum, which is currently a scarce and often very expensive resource.This decision implements the Commission's strategy to make the use of the radio spectrum in the European Union more flexible and more efficient.The technical conditions in this decision, which must be applied within the next six months throughout the EU's 27 member states, were developed following extensive compatibility studies between UWB and all other spectrum users that could potentially have been affected. The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) did the studies for the Commission.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
February 22, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
There is bitter controversy in Israel right now concerning the Temple Mount, a place of great importance to both Jews and Muslims. This site in Jerusalem's Old City was the location of the two ancient Jewish temples, and is the holiest site for Judaism. But it is also the location of the Al-Aksa Mosque, and is considered by Muslims the third holiest site in the world after Mecca and Medina.
This has made it a flashpoint of conflict between Jews and Muslims.A few years ago a severe storm damaged the pedestrian bridge leading to the Temple Mount, leading government officials to close it. After very careful planning, Israel recently began replacing the decrepit walkway, with Israeli archeologists excavating nearby to ensure that no ancient treasures would be damaged due to the work.
Reasonable people call this good stewardship. Recognizing that its land contains some of the great treasures of antiquity, the Israeli government has always sought to preserve the relics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike. In fact, at the founding of the modern State of Israel, a governmental agency, now called the Israel Antiquities Authority, was created for this specific purpose part of the fulfillment of the Declaration of the State of Israel's promise to safeguard the Holy Places of all religions.But Muslim radicals see things differently.
They say the repair work is Israel's attempt to destroy the Al Aksa Mosque even though the work is taking place several hundred feet away from the mosque itself, and numerous experts have said it poses no threat to the Muslim holy site. The Islamists are using this event to incite hatred against Israel and Jews. Some have even called for violence Iran's Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that it was time to make the Zionists regret their actions. And, just last Friday, during a rally to protest the construction work and excavation, a radical Muslim cleric preached a hate-filled sermon calling for a third intifada to save al-Aksa Mosque, free Jerusalem and end the occupation.
Time and again Israel has restated that the excavation is meant to preserve treasures, not to destroy them. To calm Muslim fears, the Israeli government has been very open about its activities at the construction site. They have opened the site to the press and have even set up webcams focused on it 24 hours a day in an effort to allow anyone in the world with Internet access to see exactly what is
being done at the site. In the midst of Muslim criticism, many have also pointed out the double
standard of criticizing Israel for simple repair work in which great care is taken to preserve irreplaceable historical artifacts. The Muslim authority that oversees the Temple Mount has routinely thrown away antiquities with little regard for their value.But all this matters little to the Muslim radicals. For them, Israel's guilt is a given, and her every action even such a simple thing as repairing a walkway is another opportunity to create and spread a negative image of the Jewish state. We want to help you review the facts and see what is happening at the Temple Mount site. Visit our blog to find a number of resources related to the Temple Mount, including a link to the webcams set up at the site, a short video made by an Israeli archeologist that cuts through the Islamists' deception, and other articles and news resources.
You can also make your opinion on this issue known in our blog comments section, and then forward this message to a friend—so that more people can know the truth of Israel's struggle for peace and security. Thank you for your continued commitment and support for Israel and her people. It is friends like you who provide encouragement in the midst of such adversity.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Help us turn despair into hope
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Merkel: Israel must be recognized By DAVID McHUGH, Associated Press Writer Fri Feb 23, 6:17 AM ET
BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday welcomed a proposed Palestinian coalition but firmly underlined in talks with President Mahmoud Abbas the European Union stance that any new government must recognize Israel.
Abbas, on a European tour to build support for an eventual lifting of a crippling international aid embargo, said Palestinians were suffering under the cutoff, but held out hope that the new government will satisfy the donors' conditions.Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the power-sharing deal reached between Abbas' Fatah faction and the Islamic Hamas was positive because it stopped the fighting between the two factions that had cost some 130 lives in the past few months.It is good that the bloodletting, especially in Gaza, has been stopped but there is a difficult stretch in front of us,Merkel said after meeting with Abbas in Berlin.
But she returned to the conditions imposed by the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators from the EU, U.N., U.S., and Russia that any new government must give up violence, recognize Israel and accept existing agreements reached with Israel. The power-sharing deal skirts those issues, and Hamas still refuses to recognize the Jewish state.That has left the Quartet in a holding pattern, waiting to see what kind of government emerges, amid a sense that the more moderate Abbas is not entirely in control of the situation. Analysts say that the best Abbas can do on this trip is convince European governments they should remain open to the possibility of recognizing a government that includes Hamas. On Wednesday, Abbas met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.Merkel said the two had extensive discussions but she showed no wiggle room on the international demands.
We welcome the formation of a national unity government, under the condition that certain measures are fulfilled, Merkel said. That would mean that Israel's right to exist would be recognized, that violence would end and that international negotiations, as they already exist, be accepted.She added that a lot of work is yet to be done.The Quartet has met twice this month after a dormant period, after a push from Merkel and the United States. But Israel has said it won't deal with Abbas on a long-term peace deal if he goes ahead with a coalition with Hamas, limiting immediate prospects for progress toward a solution.Abbas underlined his hopes that foreign aid which formerly made up half the budget of the Palestinian authority could begin flowing again under a new government.For eight or nine months our people have been suffering under this boycott, Abbas said. We hope that by the time a new government is formed several things will happen that will improve the situation. He didn't elaborate.Abbas restated his position that Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, abducted by Palestinian militants, be released, and that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails be set free.
World-Wide Blitz against Israel
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) FEB 23,07
The United Nations, Russia, Arab states and the media have escalated an international broadside against Israel while touting the Hamas-Fatah coalition. A report by the U.N. Human Rights Council has provided the background for the Arab position, backed by Russia, that the Western-led economic boycott of Hamas must be lifted in order to fight poverty in the Gaza area.
The council report was commissioned to John Dugard, who formerly campaigned against South Africa apartheid and who concluded that the racist policy is similar to that of Israel. He defined Jews as a race and charged that the Israeli army is guilty of terror worse than that of Arab terrorists. Dugard's draft is to be published next month in a full report by the U.N. Dugard wrote that Israel's laws and practices in the [Palestinian Authority (PA)] certainly resemble aspects of apartheid. Can it seriously be denied that the purpose of such action is to establish and maintain domination by one racial group, Jews, over another racial group, Palestinians, and systematically oppress them? The report accuses Israel of terror by flying jets that set off sonic booms, forcing residents to live in fear of settler terror. Dugard also alleges that Israel still is occupying the Gaza region despite the expulsion of Jewish residents from their communities and the handover of the land to the PA. Gaza became a sealed off, imprisoned and occupied territory, he wrote. He cited Arabs for committing war crimes by attacking Israel with Kassam rockets, but added that the IDF has committed such crimes on a much greater scale.
U.N. Report Ignores Economic Aid to PA
Media throughout the world have headlined the report's assertion that Israeli restrictions on trade and movement have created conditions where the poorest families are now living a meager existence totally reliant on assistance, with no electricity or heating and eating food prepared with water from bad sources.The report's timing is especially sensitive, coming to light after both Israel and the U.S. indicated that they will maintain the boycott after the planned Fatah-Hamas coalition cabinet takes office unless it clearly commits itself to recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and adherence to previous agreements with Israel, noted the London Independent. The report ignores aid that has been redirected through the offices of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to bypass Hamas, leaving the PA as one of the world's largest recipients of foreign economic aid. The International Monetary Fund (International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported that the PA received $709 million in aid in 2006, double the amount received in 2005.
The aid figures do not include hundreds of millions of dollars invested by various U.N. agencies in Gaza.In addition, Hamas leaders have smuggled more than $60 million into Gaza. Another report by a U.N. agency and published by Reuters News Agency blames Israel's attack on Gaza's only power station for leaving the Occupied Palestinian Territories without electricity. However, Dugard does not mention that Israel's Ashkelon power plant also provides electricity to many PA residents.
Britain To Deal with Moderate Hamas Elements
The increasing blame on Israel for problems in the PA, along with the mounting pressure from Russia have contributed to a change in the policy of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has indicated he is prepared to deal with Hamas. It is far easier to deal with the situation in Palestine if there is a national unity government, he said. I hope we can make progress, including even with the more
sensible elements of Hamas.The United States has been the staunchest opponent of lifting the sanctions against Hamas, but American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has conceded that Abbas out-maneuvered Israel by collaborating with Hamas to form a unity government, which she stated has made the situation more complicated.The result was a meeting this week between her, Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, that analysts agreed was an exercise in rhetoric, although the conversation included angry shouts between the Israeli and PA leaders.
Mashaal To Visit Moscow
The Quartet so far has insisted Hamas meet international demands, but the terrorist organization continues to drum up international support, starting with Russia, one of the members of the Quartet. Syrian-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal is scheduled to visit Moscow from Sunday to Tuesday, as Moscow continues to ignore Israeli pleas that international powers not conduct talks with leaders of the Hamas organization. Abbas, the leader of the Fatah movement, has been courting European nations, claiming that the unity government is committed to meeting international conditions even though Hamas explicitly refuses to do so. Fatah has paid lip-service to the conditions, but terrorist attacks by Fatah terrorists continue almost daily. Abbas also has conditioned his recognition of Israel on demands, which every recent Israeli government has categorically stated are unreasonable. Abbas has said a Jewish state could be recognized only after Jerusalem becomes the capital of a new Arab country and millions of Arabs in foreign countries are allowed to live in Israel. Abbas's problem is that Hamas is considered to be more powerful than Fatah, according to Turi Munthe, associate fellow at the Royal United Service Institute in London.
Muslim States Pressuring Quartet
A group of 57 Muslim countries meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has agreed to step up pressure and try to force the Quartet to lift the economic sanctions against Hamas. The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) also continues to accuse Israel of endangering the Al Aksa mosque by conducting archaeological operations near the Temple Mount. In light of the positive developments in Palestine and formation of the national unity government, the international embargo against Palestinians has no justification, said Ekmel Al Deen Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the OIC. He called on the Arab countries, including oil-rich kingdoms, to provide financial and moral support to Jerusalem Arabs and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Iran increased nuke activity, report says Nations meeting next week on sanctions Friday, February 23, 2007 George Jahn ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIENNA, Austria Iran has ignored a U.N. Security Council ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment a possible pathway to nuclear arms and has instead expanded its program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said yesterday. The finding paves the way for new U.N. sanctions. Hours later, the United States said key countries would meet next week to try to develop new U.N. sanctions against Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to the Security Council and its 35-nation board that Tehran also has continued to build a heavy-water reactor and related facilities which, along with enrichment, could help it develop nuclear arms. In addition, the report said Iran ignored a Security Council call to cooperate with the agency in its efforts to shed light on suspicious nuclear activities. The conclusions, while widely expected, were important because they could serve as the trigger for the council to start deliberating on new sanctions meant to punish Iran for its nuclear intransigence. In Washington, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he will travel to London on Monday to meet with the United States’ negotiating partners to try to draft a new resolution to sanction Iran. Burns said he hopes the United States and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany, can quickly draft a resolution to see Iran repudiated again.In Tehran, the deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammed Saeedi, ruled out suspending enrichment, saying such demands were against Iran’s rights, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and international regulations.Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, Iran’s chief delegate to the U.N. agency, said sanctions against the Islamic republic create only more solidarity of the Iranian nation to protect their inalienable rights.
The Security Council issued three demands to Iran on Dec. 23 freeze uranium enrichment, stop building heavy-water facilities and fully cooperate with the agency.
It introduced limited sanctions and gave Iran 60 days to comply a deadline that expired Wednesday. The agency report prepared by director Mohamed ElBaradei showed Iran has instead expanded its enrichment efforts setting up nearly 1,000 uranium-spinning centrifuges in and above an underground bunker, enriching minute amounts of uranium and bringing nearly 9 tons of the gaseous feedstock into its underground nuclear facility at Natanz in preparation for enrichment. Iranian officials also informed the agency that they would expand their centrifuge installations to close to 3,000 by May, the report said. Iran’s stated goal is running 54,000 centrifuges at Natanz to churn out enriched uranium enough for dozens of nuclear weapons a year. Iran maintains it wants to develop enrichment only to generate power. Even before the agency’s report was issued, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. and its allies would use the Security Council to bring Iran back to negotiations over its nuclear program.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sat Feb 24 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 23,07
MAP 5.6 AISEN, CHILE
MAP 3.3 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.0 TRINIDAD REGION, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
MAP 5.0 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUATEMALA
MAP 4.4 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
FEB 22,07
MAP 2.5 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.0 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 4.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.6 COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 21,07
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.7 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 4.8 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Mozambique cyclone kills four By Charles Mangwiro
Fri Feb 23, 6:28 AM ET
MAPUTO (Reuters) - A powerful tropical storm killed four people and injured at least 70 in Mozambique's resort town of Vilanculos, where thousands of homes were destroyed along with the hospital and power grid, officials said on Friday. Cyclone Favio was downgraded to a tropical storm on Friday as wind speeds dropped from a peak of 270 kph (170 mph) to between 60-80 kph (37-50 mph), but officials fear rains from the storm could still dramatically worsen an existing flood disaster in the center of the country.Vilanculos Mayor Selmane Amugy said the deaths occurred when Favio crashed ashore early on Thursday, hitting people's homes as they were sleeping.Four people were killed, 70 others seriously injured and some 2,000 homes were destroyed ... there are no words to describe the drama, I haven't seen such a thing in my life, he said by phone the resort town some 800 km (500 miles) north of the capital, Maputo.All 600 prisoners escaped when the local jail was destroyed and we had to evacuate some 120 patients from the rural hospital, he said.Amugy said many key buildings in Vilanculos a popular beach town favored by South African and other foreign tourists were damaged and the local airport was closed.We had to call off all operations at the airport ... trees at Tofo Beach were uprooted and homes destroyed and this worsened erosion, he said.Bazaruto Island, another popular Mozambican tourist destination which is reachable only by boats and helicopters, was still cut off from communications as the regional electricity grid was wrecked.At the peak of the summer season, Bazaruto attracts wealthy tourists from across the world to its upmarket lodges.The government has dispatched an emergency team of medical personnel, engineers and technicians to assess the damage.
Mozambique's national weather agency INAM said the weakened storm was headed northwards toward the port city of Beira, where its outer edges struck on Friday.Officials fear it may take its rains onward toward the Zambezi river basin, where several weeks of severe flooding has already displaced more than 120,000 people.It's no longer a tropical cyclone now, it's a tropical depression meaning it
has weakened but still accompanied by heavy rains ... it has winds of between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour, INAM spokesman Helder Sueia told Reuters.
Sueia said the storm unearthed trees and blew off rooftops in Beira's densely populated suburb of Pontagea on Friday.It's still taking the same direction and it's not as powerful as it was a few hours ago ... but the rains can still impact on the flooding situation, he said.Officials and humanitarian agencies are already battling to keep tens of thousands of flood refugees in central Mozambique supplied with food and fresh water.The former Portuguese colony, rising from a devastating 16 year political conflict, saw its worst disaster on record in 2000-2001 when a series of cyclones compounded widespread flooding in southern and central parts of the country, killing 700 people and driving close to half a million from their homes.
Major storm system unfolding Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Fri Feb 23, 6:29 AM ET
Midwest
Today will be the calm before the storm across the Upper Midwest and central Plains. As a storm system begins to organize across the eastern Rockies, clouds and winds will be on the increase across the central Plains and Upper Midwest. A few rain showers may develop by late day from Kansas City to Omaha, with a light wintry mix across the Upper Midwest from Fargo to Minneapolis. Areas from Chicago and St. Louis to Louisville and Cleveland should remain dry today. Overnight into Saturday, the storm system will track into the central Plains, with heavy snow developing from the northern Plains, into the western Great Lakes. Strong gusty winds in these areas will also create blizzard conditions. A wintry mix will develop south of this area from Omaha to Chicago. On the south side of the storm severe thunderstorms will erupt from the central Plains, and spread into the Middle Mississippi Valley. The threat for tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail will impact areas from Goodland to Kansas City to St. Louis. Heavy rain will be likely across the Midwest and Ohio valley. The threat for heavy snow and gusty winds will remain across the western Great Lakes and Upper Midwest into Sunday, with rain and snow spreading across the Midwest and Ohio Valley. The entire system should move east of the area by early next week, but scattered snow showers will remain.
South
High pressure will briefly build across the South today, resulting in dry weather conditions. Afternoon highs today will range from the 60s across the Atlanta, Memphis, and Dallas areas, to the 70s from Houston to Orlando. Highs in the 80s will be confined to southern Florida.
Changeable weather conditions will be underway across the southern Plains and Texas today, as a storm system begins to take shape over the eastern Rockies. Winds and clouds will be on the increase from Houston to Oklahoma City, with a few rain showers possible by late day. Overnight into Saturday, numerous severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds will erupt across northern Texas into the southern Plains. These will track east toward the Lower Mississippi Valley into Saturday. Areas from Oklahoma City and Houston, east to Memphis and New Orleans, will all be in line for potential severe thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday. By Sunday the threat for widespread severe thunderstorms will diminish, but showers and a few scattered strong thunderstorms will track east across the rest of the Southern states. The storm system responsible for this active weather will move away from the area by early next week.
Northeast
Snow showers and gusty winds will linger across parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic today, in the wake of a Clipper storm that moved across the area yesterday. Afternoon highs will range from the teens across Buffalo and Burlington, to the 20s across the Pittsburgh area. Highs in the 30s will be common from Boston and New York, to Washington, DC. Gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph will also remain across most areas today, pushing wind chills in the teens and 20s. On Saturday, lingering snow showers will shift into northern New England, mainly from Buffalo north through Burlington, with dry conditions expected elsewhere. By Sunday, a storm system will begin to approach the area from the west, spreading a mix of snow and ice into the Upper Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic area.
Areas from Pittsburgh and Buffalo, to Philadelphia and Washington, DC will be in line to see the wintry precipitation first. Sunday night into Monday, the threat for wintry weather will spread across the New England states, as cold temperatures will remain across the entire are over the next several days.
West
Unsettled weather will remain across the west through the weekend, as a series of weather systems continue to impact the area.
Today, low pressure will be tracking across the central Rockies, increasing the rain and snow across the Rockies. In the wake of this system, scattered rain and snow showers will remain across the west coast, from Seattle and Portland, south through San Francisco and Los Angeles. By Saturday, weather conditions will improve across the interior Rockies and Southwest, but begin to become more unsettled across the Pacific Northwest. A new storm system will bring some heavy rain and higher elevation snow to the Pacific Northwest through the day, with the activity spreading through the rest of the west coast into early next week.
Australia declares El Nino weather pattern over Wed Feb 21, 11:16 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) Australian forecasters said Thursday that the El Nino weather pattern blamed for the worst drought in a century had ended, and expressed cautious optimism much-needed rain was on the way. The Bureau of Meteorology said there was no guarantee the drought was over but the end of the El Nino meant there was reason to be hopeful.The 2006/07 El Nino has ended, the bureau said in a statement.While the end of the El Nino would normally be associated with a return to more normal rainfall patterns, it should not be seen as a precursor to drought-breaking rains.Nonetheless, we can be cautiously optimistic that there will be a general easing of dry conditions in drought-affected areas over the next one to two seasons.El Nino is occasional warming of the central and eastern Pacific
Ocean that typically happens every four to seven years and disrupts weather patterns from the western seaboard of Latin America to East Africa for 12-18 months.It has been blamed for flooding in the Horn of Africa and Bolivia, more severe winter monsoons in South Asia, and the lengthy drought in Australia.More often than not, El Nino events result in reduced rainfall across parts of eastern and northern Australia, particularly during winter, spring and early summer, the bureau said.However, the precise nature of the impact differs quite markedly from one event to another, even with similar changes and patterns in the Pacific Ocean.
The bureau said there was a higher-than-average chance of the El Nino being followed by a La Nina weather pattern, which occurs when the Pacific cools, offering hope of drought-breaking rains.La Nina events are generally associated with wetter-than-normal conditions across much of the eastern half of the country from about autumn, it said.The bureau said El Nino was a natural phenomenon that was extremely difficult to predict.El Nino is not a freak of climate, it's not a rogue weather phenomenon, and it isn't in any way abnormal, it said.Furthermore it is not a scourge, and as far as Australia is concerned, it shouldn't be thought of as a synonym for drought, although it's often linked to reduced rainfall in eastern and northern Australia.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Indonesia eyes cement balls to stop mud Thu Feb 22, 7:41 PM ET
SURABAYA, Indonesia - Indonesian authorities will drop hundreds of giant concrete balls into a fissure Friday to try to stem a gushing mud eruption that has inundated villages and factories, an official said. The hot, noxious mud enough to fill 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools has flowed from the hole each day for the last nine months, forcing at least 11,000 people from their homes. Four villages and 25 factories have been buried under a 30-foot layer of mud.The chained cement balls, weighing up to 550 pounds each, will be dropped from a scaffolding into the so-called mud volcano on the island of Java starting Friday, said Rudi Novrianto, a spokesman for a national task force handling the disaster.If successful, the project will decrease by up to 70 percent the volume of the mud now being channeled by a system of dams into a nearby river and out to sea.
Mud fissures are fairly common along volatile tectonic belts like that one running below Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago.Opinions differ about the cause of the mudflow, the largest on record in Indonesia, but experts agree it could flow for years.Some scientists suggest the rupture was triggered by faulty gas exploration techniques by operator PT Lapindo Brantas, which created fissures in a bed of porous limestone. Other research suggests it was the result of increased seismic activity following a major earthquake two days before the mud began flowing.The government has said PT Lapindo Brantas must pay about $420 million in damages, including $276 million to the victims, by next month.
Lapindo is controlled by the family of Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie. He has repeatedly claimed the geyser was sparked by a May 27 earthquake and that his company bears no financial liability.An attempt last year to channel the mud to the sea triggered an explosion that killed 13 people when a natural gas pipeline cracked under the weight of a dam.
DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).
Poland to push for dark side to EU birthday text
22.02.2007 - 09:19 CET | By Andrew Rettman
EUOBSERVER-WARSAW Poland wants the EU's upcoming 50th birthday declaration to
mention the dark side of recent European history such as Communism and the Balkan wars, while hinting that changes to the EU voting system could become a Polish red line in future talks on the new EU constitution. It shouldn't simply be a self-celebration by the old member states. It should include our part of Europe as a parallel process experienced after WWII Warsaw's lead negotiator or sherpa on the birthday declaration, Marek Cichocki, said in Warsaw on Tuesday (21 February).It should also make mention of the dark legacy of European policy. During the great successes of extending the European Union in the 1990s, we had parallel to that a serious war in the Balkans, he added, saying the German EU presidency has a responsibility to address the tough issues. The declaration will be drafted in English by an official in the chancellery of German leader Angela Merkel. It will have three parts on EU history, EU values and the EU's future. It should be written in plain language and be no more than three pages long, the Polish negotiator said.
The dark events should go into the history section alongside the successes of setting up the single market. The history paragraphs should also state the historical truth of the EU's Christian origins, but Christianity should be kept out of the EU values chapter. Mr Cichocki warned that only values with a universal character such as human rights and rule of law should go in.
It should not represent all the values that we find in our national constitutions, because then we will have a very long list, he said. The sherpa also suggested openness as a key value a term to be understood as openness to future enlargement but also in a broader sense as openness to the influence of other cultures, including Islam, to immigration and other aspects of globalisation. The EU future section should talk about Europe as a provider of security for member states, both in terms of energy security and in the military sense. The aspect of security is very appealing, he said, referring to the Pleven Plan of 1950, which called for the creation of an EU defence community. We should recall these old ideas.
The security proposal reflects the Polish government's closeness to the hawkish world view of US president George W. Bush's Republican party, with Warsaw just a few days away from agreeing to a US plan to build an anti-ballistic missile base in Poland in a project reminiscent of the Cold War. Mr Cichocki envisaged the birthday declaration as a text that would provide a reference for many years, as a symbol of basic agreement between member states...We would be very happy if this document plays the same role as the Messina declaration.The Messina declaration by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg in 1955 was a statement of intention to create the European economic community. It paved the way for the signing of the EU's founding treaty, the treaty of Rome, in 1957.(REVIVED ROME)
The Messina comparison depicts the EU birthday text as a precursor of a new EU treaty, with the German EU presidency keen to get agreement by June on how to revive the EU constitution after French and Dutch referendums in 2005 derailed the existing constitution document. The new constitution is to be put in place by 2010.
Red lines sketched
Mr Cichocki who is also Poland's sherpa in the constitution talks said negotiations on the new treaty will not start in earnest until after French presidential elections in April or May, adding that it is too early to talk about Poland's red lines.But he hinted that Warsaw will reject any text that does not change the current proposal for a new EU voting system, which ties member states' votes more
strongly to population size giving Germany more power to force through EU projects disliked by Poland. There is broad political consensus in Poland that this double majority system in the present constitution is not acceptable, Mr Cichocki said. It is as yet unclear what alternative voting rules the Polish government might come up with, but speculation is mounting that Warsaw will put forward voting-weights based on the 1949 ideas of British mathematician Lionel Penrose. The Penrose square root law says voting weight should be based not on the simple population size of individual member states, but on the square roots of national populations in a complex piece of game theory that would help Poland resist German pressure. Frankly, I don't see how any government could sell this kind of square root model in a popular referendum, Pawel Swieboda, a former high-ranking Polish diplomat who now runs the demosEUROPA think-tank in Warsaw, told EUobserver. Perhaps this will just be an interim proposal and the government will end up aiming for something different down the line such as placing a cap on the maximum voting weight that anybody could have, effectively counting Germany as, say, 70 million people instead of 82 million, he said.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Israel gripped by Syria war fears by Jacques Pinto FEB 22,07
JERUSALEM (AFP) A reported Syrian troop build-up near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has fuelled speculation in Israel about a future conflict, more than three decades after the two enemies last went to war. Syrian armed forces appear to be moving closer to the armistice line as Damascus spearheads an unprecendented armaments drive, shrieked Israel's Haaretz newspaper from its front page Thursday.The Syrian armed forces are being strengthened in a way unprecedented in recent memory with the help of generous funding from Iran, wrote military affairs correspondent Zeev Schiff.Brigadier General Yossi Beidatz, the head of military intelligence research, has also warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is preparing for conflict with Israel, possibly through Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel last year.
Haaretz said the main thrust of Syria's armaments drive was missiles and long-range rockets, with its navy being bolstered by an Iranian missile similar to one fired by Hezbollah, killing four Israeli sailors last summer.Syria is also close to concluding a deal with Russia to procure thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles, of the sort Hezbollah used to such lethal effect against Israeli armour last year,
Haaretz reported.It appears that the Syrians have moved forces closer to the border (armistice line) with Israel on the Golan Heights, wrote Schiff, noting similar movements prior to the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.Three decades ago, a coordinated Egyptian and Syrian assault caught Israel totally off guard on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, triggering its deadliest conflict since independence in 1948.Syria has test-fired ballistic missiles, such as a Scud-D surface-to-surface missile, which would put most of Israel within range, Haaretz reported.
Israel is still smarting from its deadly pounding by more than 4,000 Hezbollah rockets that killed some 40 civilians last summer.But Defence Minister Amir Peretz was quoted by journalists as telling military officials to avoid making unnecessary comments on Syria and asking officers to steer clear of a war of words with Damascus.The situation in the field will be examined according to facts and the Israel Defence Force will prepare itself accordingly, he was quoted as saying.One aide, Amos Gilad, said he saw no immediate danger of war but that Syrian weapons purchases highlighted the need for Israel to remain combat-ready.The fact that Syria is strengthening its military capabilities does not mean we're going to be attacked tomorrow but certainly we need to be prepared, Gilad told public radio.There is no danger of war. There is no deployment of forces indicating that Israel would be threatened by an offensive tomorrow.A northern command source agreed that Syria had beefed up its troops along the armistice line as Israel did following the outbreak of war in Lebanon.
Since the end of the war, tension has remained high on both sides and at a much higher level than it was before the war. There is much more Israeli and Syrian daily military presence along the border today, the official said.But a source in the UN force in the Golan Heights charged with monitoring the armistice denied any Syrian troop build-up and lashed out an alarmist Israeli media that repeatedly brings up the topic. On Wednesday, Israel launched war games on the Golan Heights that Peretz flatly denied were connected to fears of a new conflict with Syria. Damascus has repeatedly demanded the return of the Golan, a strategic plateau which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and unilaterally annexed in 1981. It is now home to more than 15,000 settlers. Peace talks between Israel and Syria collapsed in 2000, in part because of disputes over the return of the territory.
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Israel Develops Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft
by Ezra HaLevi (INN) FEB 22,07
Israels defense industry continues to develop innovative technologies in the fields of unmanned surveillance and anti-missile protection. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is unveiling several new technologies, eagerly sought and purchased by Western armies. The latest IAI innovation is a solar-powered UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), which it will unveil at an aeronautics show Friday.
The UAV runs off solar power and stores the power to continue to operate during night-time operations as well. IAI has also developed a system called Computerized Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that helps determine the aerodynamics of a plane or UAV.
British Need Israeli UAVs
Globes reported Thursday that British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan may begin using UAVs produced by another Israeli company, Elbit. Elbit is reportedly negotiating with British Defense contractors for the leasing of Hermes 450 UAVs, for which the British Army units stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq have a great need. The deal is reportedly worth $100 million and is being expedited due to the failure of Britain's current UAVs to operate correctly under the desert conditions of the Middle East.
US Wants Tank-Protection Replicated For Choppers
According to Globes, US Army officials have approached Israels Rafael Armament Development Authority with the request that it develop a version of its Trophy Active Protection System for helicopters, in addition to tanks. The system has proven successful in detonating rockets and missiles shot at tanks before they can impact the vehicle. The US officials hope a version can be designed that would protect helicopters from similar weapons. Seven US Army helicopters in Iraq have been shot down in the last two months by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire from the ground.
POSSIBLE ROBOT
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
REVELATION 13:13-15
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
REVELATION 14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
EU establishes single UWB market
Email articleComment on this articlePublished: 22 February 2007 10:40 AM
Industry Channel: Communications Source: The Engineer Online
The European Commission has today adopted a decision which outlines the mandatory conditions for using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in next generation wireless devices across the EU.
The decision brings a step closer a single market for consumer electronics such as laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras and televisions that can exchange data wirelessly at very high rates over short distances.By removing the cables that link the electronic devices we use in everyday life, ultra-wideband technology can extend the information society in many areas of society,’ said EU Telecoms and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. However, to benefit our citizens, it is important that we establish a functioning single market for these devices in the European Union. By adopting a harmonising decision today, the Commission allows innovators to use this new technology throughout the EU, while ensuring no interference takes place with other wireless users.UWB devices can transmit data at very high rates by spreading the signal over very broad ranges of the radio spectrum. With rates comparable to devices connected by cable, UWB is an attractive technology for the increasingly bandwidth-hungry consumer electronics industry.While the spectrum is already used by many sectors, such as mobile operators, broadcasters and the aviation community, the extremely low transmission powers of UWB signals ensure that harmful interference with these applications is avoided.With UWB, many electronic devices so far linked by cable will have a wireless alternative offering the same data rates of up to 480Mbit/s, or the speed of USB wired connections available today. Devices will therefore be able to seamlessly speak to each other whenever in range.
UWB will provide this ease-of-use to users while operating in the existing spectrum, which is currently a scarce and often very expensive resource.This decision implements the Commission's strategy to make the use of the radio spectrum in the European Union more flexible and more efficient.The technical conditions in this decision, which must be applied within the next six months throughout the EU's 27 member states, were developed following extensive compatibility studies between UWB and all other spectrum users that could potentially have been affected. The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) did the studies for the Commission.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
February 22, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
There is bitter controversy in Israel right now concerning the Temple Mount, a place of great importance to both Jews and Muslims. This site in Jerusalem's Old City was the location of the two ancient Jewish temples, and is the holiest site for Judaism. But it is also the location of the Al-Aksa Mosque, and is considered by Muslims the third holiest site in the world after Mecca and Medina.
This has made it a flashpoint of conflict between Jews and Muslims.A few years ago a severe storm damaged the pedestrian bridge leading to the Temple Mount, leading government officials to close it. After very careful planning, Israel recently began replacing the decrepit walkway, with Israeli archeologists excavating nearby to ensure that no ancient treasures would be damaged due to the work.
Reasonable people call this good stewardship. Recognizing that its land contains some of the great treasures of antiquity, the Israeli government has always sought to preserve the relics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike. In fact, at the founding of the modern State of Israel, a governmental agency, now called the Israel Antiquities Authority, was created for this specific purpose part of the fulfillment of the Declaration of the State of Israel's promise to safeguard the Holy Places of all religions.But Muslim radicals see things differently.
They say the repair work is Israel's attempt to destroy the Al Aksa Mosque even though the work is taking place several hundred feet away from the mosque itself, and numerous experts have said it poses no threat to the Muslim holy site. The Islamists are using this event to incite hatred against Israel and Jews. Some have even called for violence Iran's Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that it was time to make the Zionists regret their actions. And, just last Friday, during a rally to protest the construction work and excavation, a radical Muslim cleric preached a hate-filled sermon calling for a third intifada to save al-Aksa Mosque, free Jerusalem and end the occupation.
Time and again Israel has restated that the excavation is meant to preserve treasures, not to destroy them. To calm Muslim fears, the Israeli government has been very open about its activities at the construction site. They have opened the site to the press and have even set up webcams focused on it 24 hours a day in an effort to allow anyone in the world with Internet access to see exactly what is
being done at the site. In the midst of Muslim criticism, many have also pointed out the double
standard of criticizing Israel for simple repair work in which great care is taken to preserve irreplaceable historical artifacts. The Muslim authority that oversees the Temple Mount has routinely thrown away antiquities with little regard for their value.But all this matters little to the Muslim radicals. For them, Israel's guilt is a given, and her every action even such a simple thing as repairing a walkway is another opportunity to create and spread a negative image of the Jewish state. We want to help you review the facts and see what is happening at the Temple Mount site. Visit our blog to find a number of resources related to the Temple Mount, including a link to the webcams set up at the site, a short video made by an Israeli archeologist that cuts through the Islamists' deception, and other articles and news resources.
You can also make your opinion on this issue known in our blog comments section, and then forward this message to a friend—so that more people can know the truth of Israel's struggle for peace and security. Thank you for your continued commitment and support for Israel and her people. It is friends like you who provide encouragement in the midst of such adversity.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Help us turn despair into hope
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Merkel: Israel must be recognized By DAVID McHUGH, Associated Press Writer Fri Feb 23, 6:17 AM ET
BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday welcomed a proposed Palestinian coalition but firmly underlined in talks with President Mahmoud Abbas the European Union stance that any new government must recognize Israel.
Abbas, on a European tour to build support for an eventual lifting of a crippling international aid embargo, said Palestinians were suffering under the cutoff, but held out hope that the new government will satisfy the donors' conditions.Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the power-sharing deal reached between Abbas' Fatah faction and the Islamic Hamas was positive because it stopped the fighting between the two factions that had cost some 130 lives in the past few months.It is good that the bloodletting, especially in Gaza, has been stopped but there is a difficult stretch in front of us,Merkel said after meeting with Abbas in Berlin.
But she returned to the conditions imposed by the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators from the EU, U.N., U.S., and Russia that any new government must give up violence, recognize Israel and accept existing agreements reached with Israel. The power-sharing deal skirts those issues, and Hamas still refuses to recognize the Jewish state.That has left the Quartet in a holding pattern, waiting to see what kind of government emerges, amid a sense that the more moderate Abbas is not entirely in control of the situation. Analysts say that the best Abbas can do on this trip is convince European governments they should remain open to the possibility of recognizing a government that includes Hamas. On Wednesday, Abbas met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.Merkel said the two had extensive discussions but she showed no wiggle room on the international demands.
We welcome the formation of a national unity government, under the condition that certain measures are fulfilled, Merkel said. That would mean that Israel's right to exist would be recognized, that violence would end and that international negotiations, as they already exist, be accepted.She added that a lot of work is yet to be done.The Quartet has met twice this month after a dormant period, after a push from Merkel and the United States. But Israel has said it won't deal with Abbas on a long-term peace deal if he goes ahead with a coalition with Hamas, limiting immediate prospects for progress toward a solution.Abbas underlined his hopes that foreign aid which formerly made up half the budget of the Palestinian authority could begin flowing again under a new government.For eight or nine months our people have been suffering under this boycott, Abbas said. We hope that by the time a new government is formed several things will happen that will improve the situation. He didn't elaborate.Abbas restated his position that Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, abducted by Palestinian militants, be released, and that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails be set free.
World-Wide Blitz against Israel
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (INN) FEB 23,07
The United Nations, Russia, Arab states and the media have escalated an international broadside against Israel while touting the Hamas-Fatah coalition. A report by the U.N. Human Rights Council has provided the background for the Arab position, backed by Russia, that the Western-led economic boycott of Hamas must be lifted in order to fight poverty in the Gaza area.
The council report was commissioned to John Dugard, who formerly campaigned against South Africa apartheid and who concluded that the racist policy is similar to that of Israel. He defined Jews as a race and charged that the Israeli army is guilty of terror worse than that of Arab terrorists. Dugard's draft is to be published next month in a full report by the U.N. Dugard wrote that Israel's laws and practices in the [Palestinian Authority (PA)] certainly resemble aspects of apartheid. Can it seriously be denied that the purpose of such action is to establish and maintain domination by one racial group, Jews, over another racial group, Palestinians, and systematically oppress them? The report accuses Israel of terror by flying jets that set off sonic booms, forcing residents to live in fear of settler terror. Dugard also alleges that Israel still is occupying the Gaza region despite the expulsion of Jewish residents from their communities and the handover of the land to the PA. Gaza became a sealed off, imprisoned and occupied territory, he wrote. He cited Arabs for committing war crimes by attacking Israel with Kassam rockets, but added that the IDF has committed such crimes on a much greater scale.
U.N. Report Ignores Economic Aid to PA
Media throughout the world have headlined the report's assertion that Israeli restrictions on trade and movement have created conditions where the poorest families are now living a meager existence totally reliant on assistance, with no electricity or heating and eating food prepared with water from bad sources.The report's timing is especially sensitive, coming to light after both Israel and the U.S. indicated that they will maintain the boycott after the planned Fatah-Hamas coalition cabinet takes office unless it clearly commits itself to recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and adherence to previous agreements with Israel, noted the London Independent. The report ignores aid that has been redirected through the offices of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to bypass Hamas, leaving the PA as one of the world's largest recipients of foreign economic aid. The International Monetary Fund (International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported that the PA received $709 million in aid in 2006, double the amount received in 2005.
The aid figures do not include hundreds of millions of dollars invested by various U.N. agencies in Gaza.In addition, Hamas leaders have smuggled more than $60 million into Gaza. Another report by a U.N. agency and published by Reuters News Agency blames Israel's attack on Gaza's only power station for leaving the Occupied Palestinian Territories without electricity. However, Dugard does not mention that Israel's Ashkelon power plant also provides electricity to many PA residents.
Britain To Deal with Moderate Hamas Elements
The increasing blame on Israel for problems in the PA, along with the mounting pressure from Russia have contributed to a change in the policy of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has indicated he is prepared to deal with Hamas. It is far easier to deal with the situation in Palestine if there is a national unity government, he said. I hope we can make progress, including even with the more
sensible elements of Hamas.The United States has been the staunchest opponent of lifting the sanctions against Hamas, but American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has conceded that Abbas out-maneuvered Israel by collaborating with Hamas to form a unity government, which she stated has made the situation more complicated.The result was a meeting this week between her, Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, that analysts agreed was an exercise in rhetoric, although the conversation included angry shouts between the Israeli and PA leaders.
Mashaal To Visit Moscow
The Quartet so far has insisted Hamas meet international demands, but the terrorist organization continues to drum up international support, starting with Russia, one of the members of the Quartet. Syrian-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal is scheduled to visit Moscow from Sunday to Tuesday, as Moscow continues to ignore Israeli pleas that international powers not conduct talks with leaders of the Hamas organization. Abbas, the leader of the Fatah movement, has been courting European nations, claiming that the unity government is committed to meeting international conditions even though Hamas explicitly refuses to do so. Fatah has paid lip-service to the conditions, but terrorist attacks by Fatah terrorists continue almost daily. Abbas also has conditioned his recognition of Israel on demands, which every recent Israeli government has categorically stated are unreasonable. Abbas has said a Jewish state could be recognized only after Jerusalem becomes the capital of a new Arab country and millions of Arabs in foreign countries are allowed to live in Israel. Abbas's problem is that Hamas is considered to be more powerful than Fatah, according to Turi Munthe, associate fellow at the Royal United Service Institute in London.
Muslim States Pressuring Quartet
A group of 57 Muslim countries meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has agreed to step up pressure and try to force the Quartet to lift the economic sanctions against Hamas. The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) also continues to accuse Israel of endangering the Al Aksa mosque by conducting archaeological operations near the Temple Mount. In light of the positive developments in Palestine and formation of the national unity government, the international embargo against Palestinians has no justification, said Ekmel Al Deen Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the OIC. He called on the Arab countries, including oil-rich kingdoms, to provide financial and moral support to Jerusalem Arabs and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Iran increased nuke activity, report says Nations meeting next week on sanctions Friday, February 23, 2007 George Jahn ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIENNA, Austria Iran has ignored a U.N. Security Council ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment a possible pathway to nuclear arms and has instead expanded its program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said yesterday. The finding paves the way for new U.N. sanctions. Hours later, the United States said key countries would meet next week to try to develop new U.N. sanctions against Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to the Security Council and its 35-nation board that Tehran also has continued to build a heavy-water reactor and related facilities which, along with enrichment, could help it develop nuclear arms. In addition, the report said Iran ignored a Security Council call to cooperate with the agency in its efforts to shed light on suspicious nuclear activities. The conclusions, while widely expected, were important because they could serve as the trigger for the council to start deliberating on new sanctions meant to punish Iran for its nuclear intransigence. In Washington, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he will travel to London on Monday to meet with the United States’ negotiating partners to try to draft a new resolution to sanction Iran. Burns said he hopes the United States and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany, can quickly draft a resolution to see Iran repudiated again.In Tehran, the deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammed Saeedi, ruled out suspending enrichment, saying such demands were against Iran’s rights, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and international regulations.Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, Iran’s chief delegate to the U.N. agency, said sanctions against the Islamic republic create only more solidarity of the Iranian nation to protect their inalienable rights.
The Security Council issued three demands to Iran on Dec. 23 freeze uranium enrichment, stop building heavy-water facilities and fully cooperate with the agency.
It introduced limited sanctions and gave Iran 60 days to comply a deadline that expired Wednesday. The agency report prepared by director Mohamed ElBaradei showed Iran has instead expanded its enrichment efforts setting up nearly 1,000 uranium-spinning centrifuges in and above an underground bunker, enriching minute amounts of uranium and bringing nearly 9 tons of the gaseous feedstock into its underground nuclear facility at Natanz in preparation for enrichment. Iranian officials also informed the agency that they would expand their centrifuge installations to close to 3,000 by May, the report said. Iran’s stated goal is running 54,000 centrifuges at Natanz to churn out enriched uranium enough for dozens of nuclear weapons a year. Iran maintains it wants to develop enrichment only to generate power. Even before the agency’s report was issued, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. and its allies would use the Security Council to bring Iran back to negotiations over its nuclear program.
Friday, February 23, 2007
COULD THIS PARTY REBUILD TEMPLE
Some Prophecy teachers believe there will be a Orthodox Leader in Power for the Rebuilding of the 3RD TEMPLE. If that would be the case Gaydamaks new Right wing party could be the one or Feiglin is also an Orthodox leader. We will see what comes of this Party if its the one to lead the Rebuilding of the 3RD TEMPLE or not.
Billionaire to set up rightwing party in Israel
Published: February 21 2007 (Financial Times)
Arkadi Gaydamak, a Russian-born billionaire businessman and sports entrepreneur, has decided to enter Israeli politics as a rightwing kingmaker at a time when voters’ respect for their present leaders has plumbed record lows. The controversial 54-year-old last night set out his platform for a new political movement whose main beneficiary might turn out to be Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud opposition leader and a close ally. Emigrating to Israel from Russia in 1972, he spent much of his life after army service in France. He said last night he did not intend to run for the Knesset and preferred to guide the new party from above.Mr Gaydamak, who founded a fortune estimated at up to $4bn (£2bn) on real estate and other businesses, was one of the rare public figures to emerge from Israel’s war in Lebanon last year with his reputation enhanced.
During the conflict he set up tent encampments on the coast for 1,000 people fleeing Hizbollah rockets in the north of the country at a time when the government faced fierce criticism for abandoning civilians to their fate.He said at the time he was popular enough to be elected as prime minister with a large majority. However, he was expected to throw the backing of his new party behind Mr Netanyahu, who has been moving up the opinion polls as the ratings of some government ministers have plummeted to single figures.Mr Netanyahu claims credit for turning round the Israeli economy during his term as finance minister that ended in 2005. Israeli commentators suggested Mr Gaydamak could secure the support of less affluent communities that felt they had lost out from Mr Netanyahu’s market-oriented policies-Russian immigrants, Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews.The government of Ehud Olmert generated public discontent with its handling of the Lebanon war, and corruption and other scandals have further dented its popularity. Mr Gaydamak is no stranger to controversy. He has not returned to France since 2000 after the authorities there issued an international warrant to question him in an investigation into illegal arms sales to Angola.The Financial Times Limited 2007
REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE
REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
FOLLOWUP STORY FOR FEBRUARY 23,2007
REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE
REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Israeli candidate wants to assassinate Iranian leader
Chad Groening OneNewsNow.com February 22, 2007
The president of Jewish Leadership (Manhigut Yehudit), a pro-Jewish movement and the largest faction within Israel's Likud Party, says that, if he is elected prime minister, he would order the assassination of Iranian strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Shmuel Sackett, international director of the movement, believes that makes Moshe Feiglin a uniquely qualified candidate to lead Israel.Feiglin recently told an Israeli radio program that if he became Israel’s next prime minister, he would try to eliminate Ahmadinejad by dispatching a special operations squad to Iran with orders to assassinate the Iranian dictator. Sackett, who co-founded Jewish Leadership with Feiglin, says the movement’s president is serious about taking out the Iranian leader, who has repeatedly vowed to wipe Israel off the map.
Feiglin wants to send a team in to immediately annihilate this individual and put him into the history books, Sackett notes. And this is significant, he suggests, because [w]e had better take our enemies seriously; no one took a guy named Adolf Hitler too seriously in the 1920's. Moshe Feiglin is the only candidate, the only one in Israel today, from all sides, calling for the immediate assassination of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, the only one saying we must immediately put a bullet in this animal's head. Jewish Leadership’s international director emphasizes. Nobody else is saying that, he asserts, and that shows people [Feiglin is] serious he’s ready to deal with the Iranian threat.Sackett says Feiglin outdid former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent poll of support for potential Israeli prime ministerial candidates. The Jewish Leadership Movement believes new elections will occur sometime next fall.American Family News Network
Billionaire to set up rightwing party in Israel
Published: February 21 2007 (Financial Times)
Arkadi Gaydamak, a Russian-born billionaire businessman and sports entrepreneur, has decided to enter Israeli politics as a rightwing kingmaker at a time when voters’ respect for their present leaders has plumbed record lows. The controversial 54-year-old last night set out his platform for a new political movement whose main beneficiary might turn out to be Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud opposition leader and a close ally. Emigrating to Israel from Russia in 1972, he spent much of his life after army service in France. He said last night he did not intend to run for the Knesset and preferred to guide the new party from above.Mr Gaydamak, who founded a fortune estimated at up to $4bn (£2bn) on real estate and other businesses, was one of the rare public figures to emerge from Israel’s war in Lebanon last year with his reputation enhanced.
During the conflict he set up tent encampments on the coast for 1,000 people fleeing Hizbollah rockets in the north of the country at a time when the government faced fierce criticism for abandoning civilians to their fate.He said at the time he was popular enough to be elected as prime minister with a large majority. However, he was expected to throw the backing of his new party behind Mr Netanyahu, who has been moving up the opinion polls as the ratings of some government ministers have plummeted to single figures.Mr Netanyahu claims credit for turning round the Israeli economy during his term as finance minister that ended in 2005. Israeli commentators suggested Mr Gaydamak could secure the support of less affluent communities that felt they had lost out from Mr Netanyahu’s market-oriented policies-Russian immigrants, Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews.The government of Ehud Olmert generated public discontent with its handling of the Lebanon war, and corruption and other scandals have further dented its popularity. Mr Gaydamak is no stranger to controversy. He has not returned to France since 2000 after the authorities there issued an international warrant to question him in an investigation into illegal arms sales to Angola.The Financial Times Limited 2007
REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE
REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
FOLLOWUP STORY FOR FEBRUARY 23,2007
REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE
REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Israeli candidate wants to assassinate Iranian leader
Chad Groening OneNewsNow.com February 22, 2007
The president of Jewish Leadership (Manhigut Yehudit), a pro-Jewish movement and the largest faction within Israel's Likud Party, says that, if he is elected prime minister, he would order the assassination of Iranian strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Shmuel Sackett, international director of the movement, believes that makes Moshe Feiglin a uniquely qualified candidate to lead Israel.Feiglin recently told an Israeli radio program that if he became Israel’s next prime minister, he would try to eliminate Ahmadinejad by dispatching a special operations squad to Iran with orders to assassinate the Iranian dictator. Sackett, who co-founded Jewish Leadership with Feiglin, says the movement’s president is serious about taking out the Iranian leader, who has repeatedly vowed to wipe Israel off the map.
Feiglin wants to send a team in to immediately annihilate this individual and put him into the history books, Sackett notes. And this is significant, he suggests, because [w]e had better take our enemies seriously; no one took a guy named Adolf Hitler too seriously in the 1920's. Moshe Feiglin is the only candidate, the only one in Israel today, from all sides, calling for the immediate assassination of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, the only one saying we must immediately put a bullet in this animal's head. Jewish Leadership’s international director emphasizes. Nobody else is saying that, he asserts, and that shows people [Feiglin is] serious he’s ready to deal with the Iranian threat.Sackett says Feiglin outdid former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent poll of support for potential Israeli prime ministerial candidates. The Jewish Leadership Movement believes new elections will occur sometime next fall.American Family News Network
Thursday, February 22, 2007
ROME CONCERNED OVER BLAIRS EXIT
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Turkey earthquake causes slight damage. 3-Indonesia quake trigger tsunami warning. 4-Eastern Newfoundland digs out from blizzard. 5-No end to deadly Bolivian floods. 6-Surprising Solar Storms Rage at Sun’s South Pole. 7-Rain and mountain snow Far West Thursday. 8-US Iran attack plans revealed. 9-NHS pays too much to drug firms. 10-82 killed in Congo cholera epidemic. 11-Hamas Being Asked to Accept Conditions - Just Like Arafat Did. 12-Contact Your Representative In Opposition to HR 254 Today! 13-Temple Mount Re-Opened to Jews. 14-Rise In Western Aliyah In 2006. 15-Rome concerned over Blair's exit impact for EU constitution talks.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST
ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Thur Feb 22 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 21,07
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.7 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 4.8 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
FEB 20,07
MAP 5.1 SOUTH OF SUMBAWA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 GULF OF SANTA CATALINA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 OFFSHORE ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.7 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 5.9 KEPULAUAN SULA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.5 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.9 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.3 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.9 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.7 KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
FEB 19,07
MAP 2.9 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 5.4 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.8 VANUATU REGION
MAP 5.2 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 TONGA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.6 LAKE ALBERT REGION, DEM REP OF THE CONGO
MAP 4.7 SOUTHERN PERU
Turkey earthquake causes slight damage Wed Feb 21, 9:59 AM ET
ANKARA, Turkey - A moderate earthquake shook southeastern Turkey on Wednesday, injuring a woman who was trapped under rubble in one of several buildings that were damaged, officials said. The quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered in the town of Sivrice in the province of Elazig, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's preliminary magnitude at 5.7.Rescuers pulled the woman from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the village of Kayalar in Elazig province, Gov. Muammer Musmal said, adding that she was hospitalized but that her injuries were not serious.The quake caused great panic and partly collapsed a building in the village of Kayapinar while slightly damaging a primary school and a post office in the town of Sivrice, Musmal said.Soldiers and police were trying to reach remote mountain villages while a paramilitary helicopter made an assessment, CNN-Turk television said.
Parents rushed to schools to pick up their children in the region, the broadcaster reported. Authorities suspended classes in Sivrice and Maden after the quake.Five aftershocks, the strongest with a magnitude of 3.6, followed as authorities warned residents not to enter damaged buildings.The area was struck by a magnitude-5.3 quake on Feb. 9. More than two dozen people were injured in that temblor.The latest quake was also felt in the neighboring provinces of Diyarbakir, Tunceli and Malatya, reports said.Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault. Two devastating earthquakes killed about 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey in 1999.In 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude collapsed a school dormitory in southeastern Bingol province, killing 83 children. The collapse was blamed on poor construction.A magnitude-6.4 quake killed 177 people in Bingol in 1995.
Indonesia quake trigger tsunami warning By GRACE WAKARY, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 20, 6:20 AM ET
MANADO, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake in northeastern Indonesia on Tuesday caused panicked residents to flee shaking buildings on islands in the Maluku Sea and briefly triggered a tsunami warning, officials said.
The 6.5-magnitude quake struck 130 miles from Ternate, the capital of Maluku island, and 233 miles from Manado, the northernmost city on Sulawesi island, the U.S. Geological Survey said.We called local authorities in Ternate and coastal areas to warn them of a potential tsunami, said Fauzi, a seismologist who goes by only one name, adding that it turned out to be a false alarm.One hour after the quake struck, there were no signs of seismically triggered waves.
It was not immediately clear if the quake, which was centered at a depth of around 20 miles, caused any injuries and damage appeared to be largely limited to cracks in buildings.Frightened residents fled their homes and at least one hotel in Ternate was evacuated.Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, including 131,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province alone. A tsunami off Java island last year killed nearly 5,000.Tuesday's quake came less than a month after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake hit in roughly the same spot, killing at least three people.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Eastern Newfoundland digs out from blizzard
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 CBC News
Homeowners tackled shoulder-height drifts as crews tried to clear highways and major roads, in the wake of a blizzard that brought eastern Newfoundland to a halt Tuesday.A man shovels out after Newfoundland was walloped with snow on Tuesday, shutting down schools and services even snowplows in eastern parts of the island.(CBC) The blizzard, which started Monday afternoon, continued blowing at full strength through Tuesday morning.The storm dropped more than 30 centimetres of snow in places, but high winds which topped 110 km/h gave the blizzard its punch.
The winds also befuddled crews who worked hard to keep even major roads passable.You're constantly going around and around and around, George Smith, a plow operator with the City of St. John's, said Tuesday morning.You go through your area [and] when you get back it's like you never got through it, because the wind is drifting it all back in again.Whiteout conditions prompted police to urge motorists to stay off the roads in Newfoundland on Tuesday. (CBC) Conditions late Monday and early Tuesday were so treacherous that government plows were pulled off highways. Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway were closed as crews set to work.
The blizzard cancelled flights, closed schools and shut down most normal activities in eastern Newfoundland. Blizzard warnings remained in effect from the Avalon Peninsula to the Bonavista Peninsula until late Tuesday morning.Most schools in the area were closed. In St. John's, provincial government offices, including courts, shut for the day. Numerous agencies, services and businesses closed for at least the morning.Metrobus, which operates the transit system in St. John's, pulled its buses off city roads on Tuesday. Early in the day, even many taxis stayed off St. John's streets.The main road is clear to the hospital that's what they're trying to do, CBC Television's Peter Gullage reported Tuesday morning.Side streets are closed.… Nobody is going anywhere today.
Roads around the St. John's area were dotted with vehicles that had become stuck and been temporarily abandoned.The storm had passed by Tuesday afternoon, giving way to partly cloudy skies and the hum of snowblowers and panting shovellers.It's terrible I'm getting too old for this, said Bill Whittle, 72, as he tackled a five-foot-high drift in his driveway with a shovel. I told my wife this morning this is my last winter here anyway. It's either a condo or an apartment somewhere, you know. It's too much.
No end to deadly Bolivian floods FEB 20,07 BBC
Many communities are completely cut off by the floods .At least 35 people have died and 10 are missing in Bolivia as a result of floods caused by months of heavy rain. Up to 340,000 people are estimated to have been affected, as water levels continue to rise in eastern areas. Roads in the worst-hit departments of Santa Cruz and Beni have been blocked by mudslides, hampering relief efforts.
The government has declared a state of emergency and is appealing for international aid. Two months of heavy rain have been blamed on what has become known as the El Nino effect, an occasional seasonal warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean. Local authorities in the worst-hit areas say many communities have been completely cut off by the floods, and it has been impossible to get aid to them. The governor of Beni has called for helicopters to help distribute food. Ernesto Suarez Sattori said the situation was critical and could get worse in the next five days.
Surprising Solar Storms Rage at Sun’s South Pole (Space.com)
By Ker Than Staff Writer posted: 20 February 2007 12:35 pm ET
Relatively calm weather was the standard forecast for the Sun, which is near the end of another 11-year solar cycle, but raging solar storms just spotted at its south pole now tell a different story.
At the start of a solar cycle, sunspots regions on the Sun marked by cooler temperatures and intense magnetic activity tend to appear near the poles and move towards the equator as the cycle concludes.Scientists were therefore surprised when Ulysses [image], a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA spacecraft currently embarking on its third tour around the Sun [image] since launch in 1990, spotted intense solar storms near the Sun’s south pole. Solar storms are energetic explosions on the surface of the Sun caused by solar flares or coronal mass ejections, both of which tend to occur near sunspots.
Video: Beneath a Sunspot
Particle events of this kind were seen during the second polar passes in 2000 and 2001, at solar maximum, said Richard Marsden, ESA’s Ulysses Project Scientist and Mission Manager. We certainly didn’t expect to see them at higher latitudes at solar minimum.Ulysses also found that the Sun’s south pole is currently cooler than its north pole. This is a reversal from 10 years ago, when the northern polar coronal hole was about 7 to 8 percent lower than the southern one. Coronal holes are like bald spots on the Sun: they are regions in the Sun’s upper atmosphere, called the corona, where there is less heated gas than average. During solar minimum, coronal holes are mainly found at the Sun’s polar regions; during solar maximum, they can be located anywhere.This implies that the asymmetry between north and south has switched with the change of the magnetic polarity of the Sun, said George Gloeckler, Principal Investigator for the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer (SWICS) aboard Ulysses.The Sun’s magnetic field consists of a north pole, where the field flows out of the Sun, and a south pole, where the field re-enters. During solar maximum, when the Sun’s activity is at a peak in its 11-year cycle [image], the poles exchange places.
Rain and mountain snow Far West Thursday Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 21,07
West
Rain and mountain snow will dampen much of the Far West tomorrow, from the Pacific Northwest and western Montana southward to Southern California (with the exception of the deserts). Much of the precipitation will be showery in nature, but a heavy, steady snow is likely in the Sierras, as is a soaking rain for much of central and Southern California. Travel over Siskiyou Summit on I-5 in extreme southern Oregon will continue to be slowed by snow. And pushing over Donner Summit (I-80) in the Sierras may become difficult, too. Snow levels in the Sierras will drop to 4000 feet or less by late in the day; and in the mountains north of L. A., to 5000 feet or less. High temperatures are predicted to range from the 30s and 40s in much of the Northwest and Montana to the 80s in southwest Arizona.
Northeast
A vigorous little clipper storm will scoot through the Northeast tomorrow bearing rain and snow. Accumulating snow, several inches, is likely in much of Upstate New York and probably Vermont's Green Mountains. Elsewhere, only light snow or a mix of rain and snow showers is expected. Much of Maine and Virginia, however, may escape any precipitation at all. Cold, blustery winds will set in behind the clipper late tomorrow and tomorrow night. Light snow may accompany the gusty winds tomorrow night, especially in parts of New York state and central and southern New England. During the day tomorrow, high temperatures are expected to range from the 20s in far northern New York and northern New England to the 60s in southeast Virginia. Maxima in the 30s will prevail in southern New York, much of Pennsylvania and southern New England.
Midwest
Gusty northwest winds in the wake of a fast-moving clipper storm will sweep over much of the Midwest tomorrow. Scattered snow showers and flurries will whip over areas from the Arrowhead of Minnesota into Michigan and Ohio. Temperatures will be noticeably lower than today's with highs ranging from the upper teens in far northeast North Dakota to the low 60s in extreme southern Kansas and a sliver of southwest Missouri. Maxima around the Great Lakes will be in the 20s and 30s, north
to south.
South
A spring-loaded day is on tap for the South tomorrow. Fore! and service! will be frequently heard words. Temperatures are expected to soar well above late February averages under the influence of abundant sunshine. Highs in the 60s and 70s will be widespread. Readings in the 50s should be confined to northern Tennessee. On the other end of the scale, maxima in the low 80s are possible in the Big Bend country of Texas and in locations near Laredo, Texas, and Miami, Florida.
US Iran attack plans revealed BBC FEB 20,07
USS John C Stennis is being deployed to the Persian Gulf
US contingency plans for air strikes on Iran extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country's military infrastructure, the BBC has learned. It is understood that any such attack - if ordered - would target Iranian air bases, naval bases, missile facilities and command-and-control centres. The US insists it is not planning to attack, and is trying to persuade Tehran to stop uranium enrichment. The UN has urged Iran to stop the programme or face economic sanctions. But diplomatic sources have told the BBC that as a fallback plan, senior officials at Central Command in Florida have already selected their target sets inside Iran. That list includes Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. Facilities at Isfahan, Arak and Bushehr are also on the target list, the sources say.
Two triggers
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon - which it denies.
The Natanz plant is buried under concrete, metal and earth .Alternatively, our correspondent adds, a high-casualty attack on US forces in neighbouring Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran. Long range B2 stealth bombers would drop so-called bunker-busting bombs in an effort to penetrate the Natanz site, which is buried some 25m (27 yards) underground. The BBC's Tehran correspondent Frances Harrison says the news that there are now two possible triggers for an attack is a concern to Iranians. Authorities insist there is no cause for alarm but ordinary people are now becoming a little worried, she says.
Deadline
Earlier this month US officers in Iraq said they had evidence Iran was providing weapons to Iraqi Shia militias. However the most senior US military officer later cast doubt on this, saying that they only had proof that weapons made in Iran were being used in Iraq. Gen Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said he did not know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit in this. At the time, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the accusations were excuses to prolong the stay of US forces in Iraq.
Middle East analysts have recently voiced their fears of catastrophic consequences for any such US attack on Iran. Britain's previous ambassador to Tehran, Sir Richard Dalton, told the BBC it would backfire badly by probably encouraging the Iranian government to develop a nuclear weapon in the long term. Last year Iran resumed uranium enrichment - a process that can make fuel for power stations or, if greatly enriched, material for a nuclear bomb. Tehran insists its programme is for civil use only, but Western countries suspect Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council has called on Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium by 21 February. If it does not, and if the International Atomic Energy Agency confirms this, the resolution says that further economic sanctions will be considered.
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
NHS pays too much to drug firms
By Robert Peston Business Editor, BBC News FEB 21,07
The OFT will announce its findings on Tuesday The NHS is paying drug companies hundreds of millions of pounds too much for branded medicines, according to the Office of Fair Trading. Since September 2005, the competition watchdog has been investigating the system by which the Department of Health buys £7bn of branded medicines. It has concluded the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) should be overhauled, the BBC has learned. The OFT has found the scheme does not allow the NHS to get the best prices. The OFT will present its conclusions to the Department of Health and the prime minister on Tuesday. Because they are likely to affect the share prices of the UK's leading drug companies, they will be released to the Stock Exchange at 0700 GMT.
Cap on profits
The Department of Health does not have to accept the OFT's recommendations, but it is highly unlikely to reject them, given that hundreds of millions of pounds of public money are at stake.
However there is likely to be a blazing row with the major drug companies, who frequently complain that the NHS does not spend enough on their products. The PPRS sets a cap on the profits that each drug company can earn on its annual sales of branded medicines to the NHS. It is a voluntary scheme negotiated every five years between the Department of Health and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. The price paid by the NHS for drugs is used by as a benchmark by health services in other countries, but they frequently insist on paying less than the NHS pays.
Expensive research
But a dire warning is likely to come from the pharmaceutical industry. UK drug companies are world beaters, which is not true of all British business.
Those drug companies are likely to argue that their continued success depends on their being properly rewarded for very expensive and risky scientific research. A statement from the Department of Health said: It is important that we have fair prices which give value for money to the taxpayer.However, we recognise the importance of the pharmaceutical industry to healthcare and the development of medical advances and it is in all of our interests to encourage research and reward innovation.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)
82 killed in Congo cholera epidemic Mon Feb 19, 12:23 PM ET
BRAZZAVILLE (AFP) - Eighty-two people have died in a cholera epidemic in the Republic of Congo, according to figures from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The outbreak was officially declared at the end of January in Pointe-Noire, the economic heart of the Congo located in the southwest, and has since spread to the capital, Brazzaville.Figures released by UNICEF Monday compiled from data from local health authorities found that 4,077 people in Pointe-Noire had contracted cholera by February 14, of whom 61 died.North of the town, in the Kouilou area, 106 people have been recorded with cholera, of whom seven died, and in Brazzaville, 14 people have died, and a further 46 have been infected, UNICEF said.A previous survey by the Congolese health ministry, published on February 8, said 65 people had died from the epidemic.Although the number of new cases has reduced markedly in Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville in the last few days, UNICEF warned the disease had appeared in the Mindouli area, between the two towns.
Despite a fall in the fatalities, which shows the good performance of the care of those (infected) cases, it is important to note that the epidemic continues to develop in terms of the number of new registered cases, UNICEF said in its last report on the progress of the disease.Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by a bacteria present in water and dirty food. It causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting
that results in rapid dehydration and can be fatal if not treated.
Hamas Being Asked to Accept Conditions - Just Like Arafat Did
by Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 21,07
Hamas is the winner of this summit, because the sense of this policy is that Hamas is being accepted as a legitimate partner for dialogue. Yoram Ettinger, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations, opines that visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has the mistaken conception that the Israel-PA issue will affect the fate of US efforts against Iran. She wants concessions from both sides, Ettinger said.
A former liaison for Congressional affairs in Israel's Washington embassy, Ettinger spoke with Arutz-7's Yigal Shok following the three-way meetings of Rice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Fatah chairman Abbas in Jerusalem yesterday (Monday). The end result is the status quo; nothing has changed, Ettinger said. Secretary Rice still hopes that Israel and Fatah will come closer and make concessions to each other, because what's important to her is not the Palestinian issue but the situation in Iraq and Iran; she feels mistakenly, in my opinion - that the Palestinian subject is the heart of everything and causes all the shocks in the Middle East and can determine the effectiveness of any coalition against Iran.
Hamas Must Merely Make Verbal Commitments
However, he said, Hamas is the winner of this summit, because the sense of this policy is that Hamas is being accepted as a legitimate partner for dialogue. Just like when Arafat as if recognized Israel, and as if abandoned the path of terrorism even though the last 13 years have shown that this was not at all true and now Secretary Rice is trying to get Hamas to do the same thing! Israel is going along as well. All they are asking is that Hamas 'commit itself' to the Quartet conditions. But we have received the same things in the past, and what did we gain? Abu Mazen is now portrayed as a leader of peace' merely for his words. The fact that his commitments are not being implemented in practice is a different story.The purpose of Rice's visit was to rush up the establishment of a Palestinian state and to bring Israel to uproot Jewish communities in Yesha [Judea and Samaria], Ettinger said but this plan failed because of the Mecca summit and the current I emphasize, current problematic stance of Hamas. Rice's anticipations were great, but the reality was not quite that way.Ettinger emphasized that the Israeli political leadership has come around to Rice's way of thinking, namely, that Israel must withdraw to the pre-Six Day War borders and enable the establishment of a Palestinian state. This is either because Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzippy Livny actually believe this, or because they feel that there is no choice but to dance according to the tune of the State Department even though this is not necessarily the stance of President Bush, and certainly not of Vice President Cheney and the Congress. This shows a genuine lack of understanding on the part of our leaders regarding what goes on in the U.S. and the true status of the Secretary of State.
House of Representatives set to vote on hate crimes giving homosexuals special rights FEB 21,07
Contact Your Representative In Opposition to HR 254 Today!
Dear Stan,
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on HR 254, which establishes hate crime legislation. HR 254 will create new special rights for homosexuals under the guise of enhancing law enforcement. It would make sexual orientation a protected class alongside race, religion and gender.
The only way this bill can be defeated is with a real grassroots uprising by those who care about the future of their children, families and marriages! The intent of this law is to force the acceptance and approval of homosexuality on every American, regardless of their religious views. Here is a short summaryof HR254.
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=9672&department=CFI&categoryid=papers
Here is a partial list of what homosexual activists are trying to force on every American. While HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish these goals, it will open the door to such regulations. Once the elephant gets its trunk under the tent, the way is open for the elephant to move inside and do whatever he wants. Preaching that homosexuality is a sin from the pulpit will result in the preacher being charged with hate speech.Churches will have their tax-exempt status revoked if they oppose homosexuality.Homosexual marriage will be legalized and recognized in all states.Polygamy will be legalized.Landlords will be forced to rent to homosexuals.Scouts, and all non-profit organizations, will be required to hire homosexuals as leaders.Biblical language used to define homosexuality will be considered hate speech. City officials have already had a billboard removed in Long Island, NY, because it was classified as hate speech. The billboard read: If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. (Leviticus 20:13)
Employees will not be allowed to say anything negative about homosexuality in their workplaces. Classes promoting the homosexual lifestyle will be included in school curricula beginning with the lower grades.Employers will be forced to hire homosexuals.Adoption by homosexuals will be legalized in every state. Let me say again: HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish everything the homosexual activist’s desire. But it is the first step is to position their cause where they can achieve all their goals. If they are successful with HR 254, rest assured they will pursue their next goal and will not stop until they achieve all their goals.
Take Action
Send the e-mail to your representative urging him or her to vote AGAINST HR 254. It all boils down to who is dedicated to their cause more homosexual activists or Christians. Right now the homosexual activists are winning.Please forward this to all your friends and family. The only way to stop this onslaught on Christian values and Christianity is a national uprising against HR 254, saying enough is enough! Click Here to Email Your Representative Now!
http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/alert/?alertid=9395716
If you think our efforts are worthy, would you please support us with a small gift? Thank you for caring enough to get involved.
Sincerely, Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
Temple Mount Re-Opened to Jews
by Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 21,07
Israeli excavation works at the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate ramp leading from the Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount evoked Arab rioting and criticism of Israel by Arab leaders. Despite Israeli explanations and photos showing that the work had nothing to do with the Temple Mount, Arabs continue to accuse Israel of attempting to destroy the mosques at the site. The instigation came to a climax 12 days ago, when dozens of Arabs and police were injured in rock-throwing clashes and rioting.Now that calm has been restored in the area, and in the wake of strong pressure by Jewish groups, the police have once again opened the Temple Mount to Jewish visitors. The hours are as restricted as before: between 7:30 and 10:30 in the morning, and between 12:30 and 1:30 in the early afternoon. At other times, Jews continue to be forbidden to frequent the holy site.
Rabbis are split over whether Jews are permitted to ascend to the site of the Holy Temples the site the Torah considers to be the holiest in the world. All agree that there are areas on the Mount that are forbidden for entry to those who are impure namely, everyone, until the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) purification ceremony can be performed. However, some rabbis say that because the precise location of those areas is not entirely clear, and because of the fear that some Jews might not even care to find out, the entire Mount area must be forbidden for public entry. Other rabbis say that following careful research and based on archaeological evidence, the forbidden areas can be mapped out, and that proper Jewish-legal precautions, including immersing in a ritual bath before visiting, can and must be taken to prevent errant wandering. These rabbis feel that there is an important national/religious value in visiting the site and perpetuating Jewish national bonds with the site, as opposed to abandoning it to the Moslems.
The monthly March Around the Temple Mount Gates, which is held every Rosh Chodesh (the first day of each Hebrew month), was canceled by police earlier this week, at the beginning of the month of Adar. This, despite or because of the fact that thousands of Jews were expected to show up. As a result, however, a large amount of public pressure was brought to bear by MK Uri Ariel and the Temple Mount organizations.The police then permitted an alternate event this past Sunday evening.
Hundreds of Jews who managed to find out of the change in plans showed up outside the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount. Foreign media often confuse the Western Wall with the Mount it supports, thus giving more credence to Moslem claims than Jewish ones.Kiryat Arba's Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, Chairman of the Yesha Rabbis Council and a leading Halakhic source on Temple Mount matters, told the assembled, The increase of terrorism and anti-Semitism in Israel and around the world stems from our neglect of and weakness regarding the Temple Mount.
The fact that the Mount is closed whenever our enemies begin threatening, and that the hours in which we may ascend are so limited, and that we may not pray there or build a synagogue all this reflects weakness and lack of Jewish control over the most sacred site to the entire Jewish nation.Regarding Moslem claims that the Jews are planning to rebuild the Temple, Rabbi Lior said, I wish this was the case... Plans should be made and the public should be prepared for the building of the Third Temple.
The Mount, not the Wall
He emphasized that the sanctity of the Western Wall, which surrounds and supports the Temple Mount area in which the Holy Temple was built and will be rebuilt, is tens of times less than that of the Mount itself. This must be understood within the Jewish public, and first and foremost, within the religious public.Rabbi David Dudkevich of Yitzhar also addressed the crowd, musician Ariel Zilber provided musical entertainment, and a giant video screen showed an exhibit regarding historic Jewish rights to the Temple Mount, and pictures showing how the Mount looked, looks and will look in the future. Foreign media often confuse the Western Wall with the Mount it supports, thus giving more credence to Moslem claims than Jewish ones. BBC, for instance, in a photo-report on the area posted today, writes, The Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif is the most important religious site in Jerusalem.
Its Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism.
In another report, Reuters refers to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Two days ago, however, an AP report corrected this impression by writing that the Mount is Judaism's holiest site, having housed the biblical Jewish temples. The report adds, Jews have gathered for centuries to pray outside the compound at the Western Wall, a remnant of the ancient compound.
Rise In Western Aliyah In 2006
by Hana Levi Julian (INN) FEB 21,07
Immigration to Israel from several key countries increased in 2006 as compared to 2005. A report released Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) revealed a slight rise in the number of immigrants coming from English-speaking countries, with the highest percentage arriving from North America. According to the report, 11.2% of the new olim [immigrants] in 2006 came from North America, an increase over the previous year, in which they comprised 9.7% of new immigrants. CBS statistics indicated that a total of 2,157 North American Jews immigrated in 2006, as opposed to 2,045 the year before. A similar trend was seen from Great Britain whose Jews comprised 3.2% of aliyah in 2006, an increase of 1.3% over 2005. In 2006, 595 British Jews came to live in Israel, as compared to 383 in 2005.
From Ethiopia as well, more Jews came home to Israel in 2006.
The new olim, numbering 3,595, comprised 18.7% of all immigrants, as opposed to 3,571 in 2005. Jewish and non-Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union dropped in numbers by 3.9% as compared to 2005. The former USSR nationals, who still comprise the lions share of total immigration to the Jewish State 66.7 percent in 2006, included people from Asian, Eastern European, Russian and Ukrainian countries. Of those, 32.1% came from Eastern Europe. Taking into account the mixed Jewish and non-Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union, the total immigration figures dropped to its lowest levels since 1988, with less than 20,000 people choosing to live in the Jewish State, a drop of nine percent over 2005.
Rome concerned over Blair's exit impact for EU constitution talks
21.02.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Lucia Kubosova (EuObserver)
Italian and Spanish leaders have voiced their full support for salvaging the EU constitution, indicating they could join Germany as the big country frontrunners pushing for the charter's revival. Meeting on the Balearic island of Ibiza on Tuesday (20 February), Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi and his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero praised the current German EU presidency for trying to move from a phase of stagnation to a time of initiative on the European constitution.The document, originally signed by all member states, was put on ice after its rejection by French and Dutch voters in spring 2005 but is now back on the political agenda.German chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to come up with a timetable for negotiation of a way out of the constitutional impasse and present it to the whole union in June.
Mr Prodi and Mr Zapatero representing two of the 18 countries that have ratified the charter called for a solution which would preserve the essence of the existing text along with minimum changes making it acceptable to states that have not yet ratified it, according to press reports. Our goal is to maintain the essential idea of achieving a more united and efficient Europe with new ways of working, the Spanish leader said.The new EU constitution streamlines all the previous treaties and introduces changes that are seen as making the enlarged bloc more effective and transparent, such as a simpler voting system and a permanent presidency instead of the current six-month rotating system.
Clouds over June summit
Berlin has launched a series of confidential talks with government officials to find out where the problem areas are with Mrs Merkel planning to present the revival plan at the EU's June summit just before Portugal takes over the bloc's chair.But while European leaders are set to be joined at the meeting by a new French president the winner of the April and May elections it could also be the last Brussels session for the UK's Prime Minister Tony Blair.The British leader has announced he will step down from office before the new parliamentary elections in his country, with finance minister Gordon Brown most likely to replace him, leading other countries to speculate on what this will mean for the constitution negotiations.Italian interior minister Giuliano Amato said the June summit would probably not produce more than a mandate for a future inter-governmental conference on a new treaty.
One of the reasons why I'm not sure whether this dream of mine might come true in June is the British transition, because the British prime minister on that occasion might meet some difficulty committing his country for the future, Mr Amato said at the London School of Economics on Tuesday (20 February), according to Reuters.People are not ready as yet to come out with their real arguments. So there is a general goodwill in restoring the debate and see[ing] where we can go from here, but the final destination is still in my view obscure, he added.Mr Amato said the UK's position is crucial for Europe, stressing These islands are an essential part of Europe. They should stop thinking of themselves as the Highlanders. Like it or not, they [the British] are Europeans.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST
ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Thur Feb 22 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 21,07
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.7 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 4.8 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.2 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.5 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
FEB 20,07
MAP 5.1 SOUTH OF SUMBAWA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 GULF OF SANTA CATALINA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 OFFSHORE ATACAMA, CHILE
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.7 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 5.9 KEPULAUAN SULA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.5 MAUG ISLANDS REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISL.
MAP 4.9 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.3 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.9 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.7 KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
FEB 19,07
MAP 2.9 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 5.4 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.8 VANUATU REGION
MAP 5.2 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.4 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.3 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7 TONGA
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 5.6 LAKE ALBERT REGION, DEM REP OF THE CONGO
MAP 4.7 SOUTHERN PERU
Turkey earthquake causes slight damage Wed Feb 21, 9:59 AM ET
ANKARA, Turkey - A moderate earthquake shook southeastern Turkey on Wednesday, injuring a woman who was trapped under rubble in one of several buildings that were damaged, officials said. The quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered in the town of Sivrice in the province of Elazig, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's preliminary magnitude at 5.7.Rescuers pulled the woman from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the village of Kayalar in Elazig province, Gov. Muammer Musmal said, adding that she was hospitalized but that her injuries were not serious.The quake caused great panic and partly collapsed a building in the village of Kayapinar while slightly damaging a primary school and a post office in the town of Sivrice, Musmal said.Soldiers and police were trying to reach remote mountain villages while a paramilitary helicopter made an assessment, CNN-Turk television said.
Parents rushed to schools to pick up their children in the region, the broadcaster reported. Authorities suspended classes in Sivrice and Maden after the quake.Five aftershocks, the strongest with a magnitude of 3.6, followed as authorities warned residents not to enter damaged buildings.The area was struck by a magnitude-5.3 quake on Feb. 9. More than two dozen people were injured in that temblor.The latest quake was also felt in the neighboring provinces of Diyarbakir, Tunceli and Malatya, reports said.Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault. Two devastating earthquakes killed about 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey in 1999.In 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude collapsed a school dormitory in southeastern Bingol province, killing 83 children. The collapse was blamed on poor construction.A magnitude-6.4 quake killed 177 people in Bingol in 1995.
Indonesia quake trigger tsunami warning By GRACE WAKARY, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 20, 6:20 AM ET
MANADO, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake in northeastern Indonesia on Tuesday caused panicked residents to flee shaking buildings on islands in the Maluku Sea and briefly triggered a tsunami warning, officials said.
The 6.5-magnitude quake struck 130 miles from Ternate, the capital of Maluku island, and 233 miles from Manado, the northernmost city on Sulawesi island, the U.S. Geological Survey said.We called local authorities in Ternate and coastal areas to warn them of a potential tsunami, said Fauzi, a seismologist who goes by only one name, adding that it turned out to be a false alarm.One hour after the quake struck, there were no signs of seismically triggered waves.
It was not immediately clear if the quake, which was centered at a depth of around 20 miles, caused any injuries and damage appeared to be largely limited to cracks in buildings.Frightened residents fled their homes and at least one hotel in Ternate was evacuated.Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, including 131,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province alone. A tsunami off Java island last year killed nearly 5,000.Tuesday's quake came less than a month after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake hit in roughly the same spot, killing at least three people.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Eastern Newfoundland digs out from blizzard
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 CBC News
Homeowners tackled shoulder-height drifts as crews tried to clear highways and major roads, in the wake of a blizzard that brought eastern Newfoundland to a halt Tuesday.A man shovels out after Newfoundland was walloped with snow on Tuesday, shutting down schools and services even snowplows in eastern parts of the island.(CBC) The blizzard, which started Monday afternoon, continued blowing at full strength through Tuesday morning.The storm dropped more than 30 centimetres of snow in places, but high winds which topped 110 km/h gave the blizzard its punch.
The winds also befuddled crews who worked hard to keep even major roads passable.You're constantly going around and around and around, George Smith, a plow operator with the City of St. John's, said Tuesday morning.You go through your area [and] when you get back it's like you never got through it, because the wind is drifting it all back in again.Whiteout conditions prompted police to urge motorists to stay off the roads in Newfoundland on Tuesday. (CBC) Conditions late Monday and early Tuesday were so treacherous that government plows were pulled off highways. Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway were closed as crews set to work.
The blizzard cancelled flights, closed schools and shut down most normal activities in eastern Newfoundland. Blizzard warnings remained in effect from the Avalon Peninsula to the Bonavista Peninsula until late Tuesday morning.Most schools in the area were closed. In St. John's, provincial government offices, including courts, shut for the day. Numerous agencies, services and businesses closed for at least the morning.Metrobus, which operates the transit system in St. John's, pulled its buses off city roads on Tuesday. Early in the day, even many taxis stayed off St. John's streets.The main road is clear to the hospital that's what they're trying to do, CBC Television's Peter Gullage reported Tuesday morning.Side streets are closed.… Nobody is going anywhere today.
Roads around the St. John's area were dotted with vehicles that had become stuck and been temporarily abandoned.The storm had passed by Tuesday afternoon, giving way to partly cloudy skies and the hum of snowblowers and panting shovellers.It's terrible I'm getting too old for this, said Bill Whittle, 72, as he tackled a five-foot-high drift in his driveway with a shovel. I told my wife this morning this is my last winter here anyway. It's either a condo or an apartment somewhere, you know. It's too much.
No end to deadly Bolivian floods FEB 20,07 BBC
Many communities are completely cut off by the floods .At least 35 people have died and 10 are missing in Bolivia as a result of floods caused by months of heavy rain. Up to 340,000 people are estimated to have been affected, as water levels continue to rise in eastern areas. Roads in the worst-hit departments of Santa Cruz and Beni have been blocked by mudslides, hampering relief efforts.
The government has declared a state of emergency and is appealing for international aid. Two months of heavy rain have been blamed on what has become known as the El Nino effect, an occasional seasonal warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean. Local authorities in the worst-hit areas say many communities have been completely cut off by the floods, and it has been impossible to get aid to them. The governor of Beni has called for helicopters to help distribute food. Ernesto Suarez Sattori said the situation was critical and could get worse in the next five days.
Surprising Solar Storms Rage at Sun’s South Pole (Space.com)
By Ker Than Staff Writer posted: 20 February 2007 12:35 pm ET
Relatively calm weather was the standard forecast for the Sun, which is near the end of another 11-year solar cycle, but raging solar storms just spotted at its south pole now tell a different story.
At the start of a solar cycle, sunspots regions on the Sun marked by cooler temperatures and intense magnetic activity tend to appear near the poles and move towards the equator as the cycle concludes.Scientists were therefore surprised when Ulysses [image], a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA spacecraft currently embarking on its third tour around the Sun [image] since launch in 1990, spotted intense solar storms near the Sun’s south pole. Solar storms are energetic explosions on the surface of the Sun caused by solar flares or coronal mass ejections, both of which tend to occur near sunspots.
Video: Beneath a Sunspot
Particle events of this kind were seen during the second polar passes in 2000 and 2001, at solar maximum, said Richard Marsden, ESA’s Ulysses Project Scientist and Mission Manager. We certainly didn’t expect to see them at higher latitudes at solar minimum.Ulysses also found that the Sun’s south pole is currently cooler than its north pole. This is a reversal from 10 years ago, when the northern polar coronal hole was about 7 to 8 percent lower than the southern one. Coronal holes are like bald spots on the Sun: they are regions in the Sun’s upper atmosphere, called the corona, where there is less heated gas than average. During solar minimum, coronal holes are mainly found at the Sun’s polar regions; during solar maximum, they can be located anywhere.This implies that the asymmetry between north and south has switched with the change of the magnetic polarity of the Sun, said George Gloeckler, Principal Investigator for the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer (SWICS) aboard Ulysses.The Sun’s magnetic field consists of a north pole, where the field flows out of the Sun, and a south pole, where the field re-enters. During solar maximum, when the Sun’s activity is at a peak in its 11-year cycle [image], the poles exchange places.
Rain and mountain snow Far West Thursday Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 21,07
West
Rain and mountain snow will dampen much of the Far West tomorrow, from the Pacific Northwest and western Montana southward to Southern California (with the exception of the deserts). Much of the precipitation will be showery in nature, but a heavy, steady snow is likely in the Sierras, as is a soaking rain for much of central and Southern California. Travel over Siskiyou Summit on I-5 in extreme southern Oregon will continue to be slowed by snow. And pushing over Donner Summit (I-80) in the Sierras may become difficult, too. Snow levels in the Sierras will drop to 4000 feet or less by late in the day; and in the mountains north of L. A., to 5000 feet or less. High temperatures are predicted to range from the 30s and 40s in much of the Northwest and Montana to the 80s in southwest Arizona.
Northeast
A vigorous little clipper storm will scoot through the Northeast tomorrow bearing rain and snow. Accumulating snow, several inches, is likely in much of Upstate New York and probably Vermont's Green Mountains. Elsewhere, only light snow or a mix of rain and snow showers is expected. Much of Maine and Virginia, however, may escape any precipitation at all. Cold, blustery winds will set in behind the clipper late tomorrow and tomorrow night. Light snow may accompany the gusty winds tomorrow night, especially in parts of New York state and central and southern New England. During the day tomorrow, high temperatures are expected to range from the 20s in far northern New York and northern New England to the 60s in southeast Virginia. Maxima in the 30s will prevail in southern New York, much of Pennsylvania and southern New England.
Midwest
Gusty northwest winds in the wake of a fast-moving clipper storm will sweep over much of the Midwest tomorrow. Scattered snow showers and flurries will whip over areas from the Arrowhead of Minnesota into Michigan and Ohio. Temperatures will be noticeably lower than today's with highs ranging from the upper teens in far northeast North Dakota to the low 60s in extreme southern Kansas and a sliver of southwest Missouri. Maxima around the Great Lakes will be in the 20s and 30s, north
to south.
South
A spring-loaded day is on tap for the South tomorrow. Fore! and service! will be frequently heard words. Temperatures are expected to soar well above late February averages under the influence of abundant sunshine. Highs in the 60s and 70s will be widespread. Readings in the 50s should be confined to northern Tennessee. On the other end of the scale, maxima in the low 80s are possible in the Big Bend country of Texas and in locations near Laredo, Texas, and Miami, Florida.
US Iran attack plans revealed BBC FEB 20,07
USS John C Stennis is being deployed to the Persian Gulf
US contingency plans for air strikes on Iran extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country's military infrastructure, the BBC has learned. It is understood that any such attack - if ordered - would target Iranian air bases, naval bases, missile facilities and command-and-control centres. The US insists it is not planning to attack, and is trying to persuade Tehran to stop uranium enrichment. The UN has urged Iran to stop the programme or face economic sanctions. But diplomatic sources have told the BBC that as a fallback plan, senior officials at Central Command in Florida have already selected their target sets inside Iran. That list includes Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. Facilities at Isfahan, Arak and Bushehr are also on the target list, the sources say.
Two triggers
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon - which it denies.
The Natanz plant is buried under concrete, metal and earth .Alternatively, our correspondent adds, a high-casualty attack on US forces in neighbouring Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran. Long range B2 stealth bombers would drop so-called bunker-busting bombs in an effort to penetrate the Natanz site, which is buried some 25m (27 yards) underground. The BBC's Tehran correspondent Frances Harrison says the news that there are now two possible triggers for an attack is a concern to Iranians. Authorities insist there is no cause for alarm but ordinary people are now becoming a little worried, she says.
Deadline
Earlier this month US officers in Iraq said they had evidence Iran was providing weapons to Iraqi Shia militias. However the most senior US military officer later cast doubt on this, saying that they only had proof that weapons made in Iran were being used in Iraq. Gen Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said he did not know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit in this. At the time, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the accusations were excuses to prolong the stay of US forces in Iraq.
Middle East analysts have recently voiced their fears of catastrophic consequences for any such US attack on Iran. Britain's previous ambassador to Tehran, Sir Richard Dalton, told the BBC it would backfire badly by probably encouraging the Iranian government to develop a nuclear weapon in the long term. Last year Iran resumed uranium enrichment - a process that can make fuel for power stations or, if greatly enriched, material for a nuclear bomb. Tehran insists its programme is for civil use only, but Western countries suspect Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council has called on Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium by 21 February. If it does not, and if the International Atomic Energy Agency confirms this, the resolution says that further economic sanctions will be considered.
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
NHS pays too much to drug firms
By Robert Peston Business Editor, BBC News FEB 21,07
The OFT will announce its findings on Tuesday The NHS is paying drug companies hundreds of millions of pounds too much for branded medicines, according to the Office of Fair Trading. Since September 2005, the competition watchdog has been investigating the system by which the Department of Health buys £7bn of branded medicines. It has concluded the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) should be overhauled, the BBC has learned. The OFT has found the scheme does not allow the NHS to get the best prices. The OFT will present its conclusions to the Department of Health and the prime minister on Tuesday. Because they are likely to affect the share prices of the UK's leading drug companies, they will be released to the Stock Exchange at 0700 GMT.
Cap on profits
The Department of Health does not have to accept the OFT's recommendations, but it is highly unlikely to reject them, given that hundreds of millions of pounds of public money are at stake.
However there is likely to be a blazing row with the major drug companies, who frequently complain that the NHS does not spend enough on their products. The PPRS sets a cap on the profits that each drug company can earn on its annual sales of branded medicines to the NHS. It is a voluntary scheme negotiated every five years between the Department of Health and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. The price paid by the NHS for drugs is used by as a benchmark by health services in other countries, but they frequently insist on paying less than the NHS pays.
Expensive research
But a dire warning is likely to come from the pharmaceutical industry. UK drug companies are world beaters, which is not true of all British business.
Those drug companies are likely to argue that their continued success depends on their being properly rewarded for very expensive and risky scientific research. A statement from the Department of Health said: It is important that we have fair prices which give value for money to the taxpayer.However, we recognise the importance of the pharmaceutical industry to healthcare and the development of medical advances and it is in all of our interests to encourage research and reward innovation.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)
82 killed in Congo cholera epidemic Mon Feb 19, 12:23 PM ET
BRAZZAVILLE (AFP) - Eighty-two people have died in a cholera epidemic in the Republic of Congo, according to figures from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The outbreak was officially declared at the end of January in Pointe-Noire, the economic heart of the Congo located in the southwest, and has since spread to the capital, Brazzaville.Figures released by UNICEF Monday compiled from data from local health authorities found that 4,077 people in Pointe-Noire had contracted cholera by February 14, of whom 61 died.North of the town, in the Kouilou area, 106 people have been recorded with cholera, of whom seven died, and in Brazzaville, 14 people have died, and a further 46 have been infected, UNICEF said.A previous survey by the Congolese health ministry, published on February 8, said 65 people had died from the epidemic.Although the number of new cases has reduced markedly in Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville in the last few days, UNICEF warned the disease had appeared in the Mindouli area, between the two towns.
Despite a fall in the fatalities, which shows the good performance of the care of those (infected) cases, it is important to note that the epidemic continues to develop in terms of the number of new registered cases, UNICEF said in its last report on the progress of the disease.Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by a bacteria present in water and dirty food. It causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting
that results in rapid dehydration and can be fatal if not treated.
Hamas Being Asked to Accept Conditions - Just Like Arafat Did
by Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 21,07
Hamas is the winner of this summit, because the sense of this policy is that Hamas is being accepted as a legitimate partner for dialogue. Yoram Ettinger, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations, opines that visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has the mistaken conception that the Israel-PA issue will affect the fate of US efforts against Iran. She wants concessions from both sides, Ettinger said.
A former liaison for Congressional affairs in Israel's Washington embassy, Ettinger spoke with Arutz-7's Yigal Shok following the three-way meetings of Rice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Fatah chairman Abbas in Jerusalem yesterday (Monday). The end result is the status quo; nothing has changed, Ettinger said. Secretary Rice still hopes that Israel and Fatah will come closer and make concessions to each other, because what's important to her is not the Palestinian issue but the situation in Iraq and Iran; she feels mistakenly, in my opinion - that the Palestinian subject is the heart of everything and causes all the shocks in the Middle East and can determine the effectiveness of any coalition against Iran.
Hamas Must Merely Make Verbal Commitments
However, he said, Hamas is the winner of this summit, because the sense of this policy is that Hamas is being accepted as a legitimate partner for dialogue. Just like when Arafat as if recognized Israel, and as if abandoned the path of terrorism even though the last 13 years have shown that this was not at all true and now Secretary Rice is trying to get Hamas to do the same thing! Israel is going along as well. All they are asking is that Hamas 'commit itself' to the Quartet conditions. But we have received the same things in the past, and what did we gain? Abu Mazen is now portrayed as a leader of peace' merely for his words. The fact that his commitments are not being implemented in practice is a different story.The purpose of Rice's visit was to rush up the establishment of a Palestinian state and to bring Israel to uproot Jewish communities in Yesha [Judea and Samaria], Ettinger said but this plan failed because of the Mecca summit and the current I emphasize, current problematic stance of Hamas. Rice's anticipations were great, but the reality was not quite that way.Ettinger emphasized that the Israeli political leadership has come around to Rice's way of thinking, namely, that Israel must withdraw to the pre-Six Day War borders and enable the establishment of a Palestinian state. This is either because Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzippy Livny actually believe this, or because they feel that there is no choice but to dance according to the tune of the State Department even though this is not necessarily the stance of President Bush, and certainly not of Vice President Cheney and the Congress. This shows a genuine lack of understanding on the part of our leaders regarding what goes on in the U.S. and the true status of the Secretary of State.
House of Representatives set to vote on hate crimes giving homosexuals special rights FEB 21,07
Contact Your Representative In Opposition to HR 254 Today!
Dear Stan,
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on HR 254, which establishes hate crime legislation. HR 254 will create new special rights for homosexuals under the guise of enhancing law enforcement. It would make sexual orientation a protected class alongside race, religion and gender.
The only way this bill can be defeated is with a real grassroots uprising by those who care about the future of their children, families and marriages! The intent of this law is to force the acceptance and approval of homosexuality on every American, regardless of their religious views. Here is a short summaryof HR254.
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=9672&department=CFI&categoryid=papers
Here is a partial list of what homosexual activists are trying to force on every American. While HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish these goals, it will open the door to such regulations. Once the elephant gets its trunk under the tent, the way is open for the elephant to move inside and do whatever he wants. Preaching that homosexuality is a sin from the pulpit will result in the preacher being charged with hate speech.Churches will have their tax-exempt status revoked if they oppose homosexuality.Homosexual marriage will be legalized and recognized in all states.Polygamy will be legalized.Landlords will be forced to rent to homosexuals.Scouts, and all non-profit organizations, will be required to hire homosexuals as leaders.Biblical language used to define homosexuality will be considered hate speech. City officials have already had a billboard removed in Long Island, NY, because it was classified as hate speech. The billboard read: If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. (Leviticus 20:13)
Employees will not be allowed to say anything negative about homosexuality in their workplaces. Classes promoting the homosexual lifestyle will be included in school curricula beginning with the lower grades.Employers will be forced to hire homosexuals.Adoption by homosexuals will be legalized in every state. Let me say again: HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish everything the homosexual activist’s desire. But it is the first step is to position their cause where they can achieve all their goals. If they are successful with HR 254, rest assured they will pursue their next goal and will not stop until they achieve all their goals.
Take Action
Send the e-mail to your representative urging him or her to vote AGAINST HR 254. It all boils down to who is dedicated to their cause more homosexual activists or Christians. Right now the homosexual activists are winning.Please forward this to all your friends and family. The only way to stop this onslaught on Christian values and Christianity is a national uprising against HR 254, saying enough is enough! Click Here to Email Your Representative Now!
http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/alert/?alertid=9395716
If you think our efforts are worthy, would you please support us with a small gift? Thank you for caring enough to get involved.
Sincerely, Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
Temple Mount Re-Opened to Jews
by Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 21,07
Israeli excavation works at the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate ramp leading from the Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount evoked Arab rioting and criticism of Israel by Arab leaders. Despite Israeli explanations and photos showing that the work had nothing to do with the Temple Mount, Arabs continue to accuse Israel of attempting to destroy the mosques at the site. The instigation came to a climax 12 days ago, when dozens of Arabs and police were injured in rock-throwing clashes and rioting.Now that calm has been restored in the area, and in the wake of strong pressure by Jewish groups, the police have once again opened the Temple Mount to Jewish visitors. The hours are as restricted as before: between 7:30 and 10:30 in the morning, and between 12:30 and 1:30 in the early afternoon. At other times, Jews continue to be forbidden to frequent the holy site.
Rabbis are split over whether Jews are permitted to ascend to the site of the Holy Temples the site the Torah considers to be the holiest in the world. All agree that there are areas on the Mount that are forbidden for entry to those who are impure namely, everyone, until the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) purification ceremony can be performed. However, some rabbis say that because the precise location of those areas is not entirely clear, and because of the fear that some Jews might not even care to find out, the entire Mount area must be forbidden for public entry. Other rabbis say that following careful research and based on archaeological evidence, the forbidden areas can be mapped out, and that proper Jewish-legal precautions, including immersing in a ritual bath before visiting, can and must be taken to prevent errant wandering. These rabbis feel that there is an important national/religious value in visiting the site and perpetuating Jewish national bonds with the site, as opposed to abandoning it to the Moslems.
The monthly March Around the Temple Mount Gates, which is held every Rosh Chodesh (the first day of each Hebrew month), was canceled by police earlier this week, at the beginning of the month of Adar. This, despite or because of the fact that thousands of Jews were expected to show up. As a result, however, a large amount of public pressure was brought to bear by MK Uri Ariel and the Temple Mount organizations.The police then permitted an alternate event this past Sunday evening.
Hundreds of Jews who managed to find out of the change in plans showed up outside the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount. Foreign media often confuse the Western Wall with the Mount it supports, thus giving more credence to Moslem claims than Jewish ones.Kiryat Arba's Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, Chairman of the Yesha Rabbis Council and a leading Halakhic source on Temple Mount matters, told the assembled, The increase of terrorism and anti-Semitism in Israel and around the world stems from our neglect of and weakness regarding the Temple Mount.
The fact that the Mount is closed whenever our enemies begin threatening, and that the hours in which we may ascend are so limited, and that we may not pray there or build a synagogue all this reflects weakness and lack of Jewish control over the most sacred site to the entire Jewish nation.Regarding Moslem claims that the Jews are planning to rebuild the Temple, Rabbi Lior said, I wish this was the case... Plans should be made and the public should be prepared for the building of the Third Temple.
The Mount, not the Wall
He emphasized that the sanctity of the Western Wall, which surrounds and supports the Temple Mount area in which the Holy Temple was built and will be rebuilt, is tens of times less than that of the Mount itself. This must be understood within the Jewish public, and first and foremost, within the religious public.Rabbi David Dudkevich of Yitzhar also addressed the crowd, musician Ariel Zilber provided musical entertainment, and a giant video screen showed an exhibit regarding historic Jewish rights to the Temple Mount, and pictures showing how the Mount looked, looks and will look in the future. Foreign media often confuse the Western Wall with the Mount it supports, thus giving more credence to Moslem claims than Jewish ones. BBC, for instance, in a photo-report on the area posted today, writes, The Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif is the most important religious site in Jerusalem.
Its Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism.
In another report, Reuters refers to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Two days ago, however, an AP report corrected this impression by writing that the Mount is Judaism's holiest site, having housed the biblical Jewish temples. The report adds, Jews have gathered for centuries to pray outside the compound at the Western Wall, a remnant of the ancient compound.
Rise In Western Aliyah In 2006
by Hana Levi Julian (INN) FEB 21,07
Immigration to Israel from several key countries increased in 2006 as compared to 2005. A report released Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) revealed a slight rise in the number of immigrants coming from English-speaking countries, with the highest percentage arriving from North America. According to the report, 11.2% of the new olim [immigrants] in 2006 came from North America, an increase over the previous year, in which they comprised 9.7% of new immigrants. CBS statistics indicated that a total of 2,157 North American Jews immigrated in 2006, as opposed to 2,045 the year before. A similar trend was seen from Great Britain whose Jews comprised 3.2% of aliyah in 2006, an increase of 1.3% over 2005. In 2006, 595 British Jews came to live in Israel, as compared to 383 in 2005.
From Ethiopia as well, more Jews came home to Israel in 2006.
The new olim, numbering 3,595, comprised 18.7% of all immigrants, as opposed to 3,571 in 2005. Jewish and non-Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union dropped in numbers by 3.9% as compared to 2005. The former USSR nationals, who still comprise the lions share of total immigration to the Jewish State 66.7 percent in 2006, included people from Asian, Eastern European, Russian and Ukrainian countries. Of those, 32.1% came from Eastern Europe. Taking into account the mixed Jewish and non-Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union, the total immigration figures dropped to its lowest levels since 1988, with less than 20,000 people choosing to live in the Jewish State, a drop of nine percent over 2005.
Rome concerned over Blair's exit impact for EU constitution talks
21.02.2007 - 09:29 CET | By Lucia Kubosova (EuObserver)
Italian and Spanish leaders have voiced their full support for salvaging the EU constitution, indicating they could join Germany as the big country frontrunners pushing for the charter's revival. Meeting on the Balearic island of Ibiza on Tuesday (20 February), Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi and his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero praised the current German EU presidency for trying to move from a phase of stagnation to a time of initiative on the European constitution.The document, originally signed by all member states, was put on ice after its rejection by French and Dutch voters in spring 2005 but is now back on the political agenda.German chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to come up with a timetable for negotiation of a way out of the constitutional impasse and present it to the whole union in June.
Mr Prodi and Mr Zapatero representing two of the 18 countries that have ratified the charter called for a solution which would preserve the essence of the existing text along with minimum changes making it acceptable to states that have not yet ratified it, according to press reports. Our goal is to maintain the essential idea of achieving a more united and efficient Europe with new ways of working, the Spanish leader said.The new EU constitution streamlines all the previous treaties and introduces changes that are seen as making the enlarged bloc more effective and transparent, such as a simpler voting system and a permanent presidency instead of the current six-month rotating system.
Clouds over June summit
Berlin has launched a series of confidential talks with government officials to find out where the problem areas are with Mrs Merkel planning to present the revival plan at the EU's June summit just before Portugal takes over the bloc's chair.But while European leaders are set to be joined at the meeting by a new French president the winner of the April and May elections it could also be the last Brussels session for the UK's Prime Minister Tony Blair.The British leader has announced he will step down from office before the new parliamentary elections in his country, with finance minister Gordon Brown most likely to replace him, leading other countries to speculate on what this will mean for the constitution negotiations.Italian interior minister Giuliano Amato said the June summit would probably not produce more than a mandate for a future inter-governmental conference on a new treaty.
One of the reasons why I'm not sure whether this dream of mine might come true in June is the British transition, because the British prime minister on that occasion might meet some difficulty committing his country for the future, Mr Amato said at the London School of Economics on Tuesday (20 February), according to Reuters.People are not ready as yet to come out with their real arguments. So there is a general goodwill in restoring the debate and see[ing] where we can go from here, but the final destination is still in my view obscure, he added.Mr Amato said the UK's position is crucial for Europe, stressing These islands are an essential part of Europe. They should stop thinking of themselves as the Highlanders. Like it or not, they [the British] are Europeans.
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