1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Small earthquake rattles Montana. 3-Flooding, tornadoes unleashed on Midwest. 4-U.S. farmers face soggy and cold corn crop. 5-Europe faces global warming double whammy, but can cope: UN experts. 6-Cashless society by 2012, says Visa chief. 7-A-Zahar Reiterates Hamas Goal: World Domination. 8-Pastor with 666 tattoo claims to be divine. 9-Abbas Warns Israel, Accept 2002 Arab Peace Plan or Face War. 10-David's Comment:Passing Over into the New Year. 11-America unprepared for likely nuke attack.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sat Mar 31 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 30,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.8 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP 4.5 WESTERN TURKEY
MAP 5.1 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.7 WESTERN TURKEY
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.6 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.8 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.9 FIJI REGION
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAR 29,07
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.8 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.8 COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 4.3 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.8 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 4.5 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.7 SEA OF JAPAN
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.1 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 4.7 BARBADOS REGION, WINDWARD ISLANDS
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
Small earthquake rattles Montana Fri Mar 30, 12:17 AM ET
DILLON, Mont. - A small earthquake that rattled southwestern Montana caused no damage but could be felt about 90 miles away. The magnitude-3.7 earthquake, which struck late Wednesday, was an aftershock of a 5.6-magnitude quake that hit the same area in July 2005, said Tom Satterly, who manages the University of Montana-Western's environmental sciences department.It's the biggest (aftershock) we've seen in quite a while, Stickney said.It was centered about 15 miles northeast of Dillon and could be felt as far as Helena, said Mike Stickney, director of earthquake studies for the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.About 5,000 aftershocks have been recorded from the 2005 quake, which cracked walls and damaged bridges, Stickney said. The region averages about five aftershocks a day, most too small to be felt.
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.
Flooding, tornadoes unleashed on Midwest By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 30, 12:16 PM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY - The violent storm system blamed for four deaths in three states flooded parts of North Texas as it moved eastward, stranding drivers in high water and forcing dozens of elderly people to evacuate an assisted living center. Many smaller roads in the area were still closed Friday morning.It fell hard and fast, said Corsicana police Sgt. Jimmie Hensley. We had a lot of street flooding, intersections flooded. We had to rescue several people from their cars.Businesses in the town flooded as up to 7 inches of rain fell in the area. About 60 elderly residents from an assisted living center were taken to a church on higher ground for safety, said Eric Meyers, Navarro County Emergency Management coordinator.The spring storm unleashed more than 65 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska on Wednesday and Thursday, the National Weather Service said. A twister Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City injured at least five people — two of them critically.
Joyce Eells, who lives in far northwestern Oklahoma City, said the tornado took off most of the roof of her home, but she counted herself lucky that nobody was home when the storm hit.All the important things are OK. My husband and family are OK. That's the important stuff, Eells said. My husband's words when he saw the damage were: I don't think we'll be staying here for a while.
A 7-year-old Oklahoma girl was also treated at a hospital for cuts Thursday, and two people were injured when a van was thrown from the Kilpatrick Turnpike into a concrete culvert by the storms, said Oklahoma City Deputy Fire Chief Tony Young.On Wednesday, the storm system was blamed for four deaths in Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas.Vance and Barbra Woodbury were killed when a twister blew apart their home near the Oklahoma Panhandle community of Elmwood. In the Texas Panhandle, Monte Ford, 53, was thrown from his trailer after high winds rolled it near an oilfield.
In the hard hit town of Holly, Colo., Rosemary Rosales, 28, died after a tornado as wide as two football fields flung her from her home into a nearby tree.
Her 3-year-old daughter and husband were among seven people hospitalized.All they heard was this big ugly noise, and they didn't have no time to run, said Victoria Rosales, a relative.In Holly on Friday, residents shoveled debris and sawed up fallen trees while utility crews replaced power and telephone poles. A Red Cross truck circulated through the town, offering coffee to the workers.The same storm system dumped mountains of snow on Wyoming, causing highway pileups and closing large portions of three interstates. Roads there were still largely inaccessible Friday. Up to 70 inches of snow fell in the Wind River Mountains area since Wednesday.About 600 homes in the Buffalo, Wyo., area were without heat and electricity Friday morning, down from about 2,200 across north-central Wyoming on Wednesday.Associated Press writer Colleen Slevin in Colorado contributed to this report.
U.S. farmers face soggy and cold corn crop weather By Sam Nelson
Fri Mar 30, 12:49 PM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt, who intend to plant the biggest cord crop in 63 years, will face soggy or cold planting weather over at least the next week, a private forecaster said on Friday.
DTN Meteorlogix weather service forecaster Joel Burgio said wet and warm weather would blanket the Midwest from Friday through Tuesday, then cold and drier conditions would prevail through the end of the week.The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday American farmers intended to plant nearly 90.5 million acres of corn this year, the most since 1944.Soaring demand for corn from the ethanol industry has boosted corn prices to decade highs this year, prompting farmers to plant corn in lieu of soybeans this crop season.The crop needs to be seeded from roughly early April through mid-May to capture optimal production potential.It all comes down to weather, and it starts from now through the growing season, said Shawn McCambridge, analyst for Prudential Financial.
Now we start to see whether we can plant this much corn on a timely basis.
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures plunged their 20-cent trading limit on Friday because the government's forecast for this year's corn acreage was well above an average of analysts' estimates.
Analysts at a press conference following the release of USDA's forecast also said that weather will have the final say in the 2007 corn and soybean planting and production derby.We definitely need good yields and timely plantings. The weather issue is important and right now it looks a little shaky, with wet and cool expected for next week, said Jerry Gidel, analyst for North America Risk Management Inc. Burgio also wasn't optimistic about a big improvement in planting weather anytime soon.The way the pattern has been behaving, when it does warm up, it will be wet again, so planting may be slow. But with today's equipment they can get a lot planted in a short period of time, Burgio said.U.S. farmers are capable of planting the acreage and the next 45 days are critical. Corn yield per acre and production is closely related to timely plantings, said Brian Basting, commodity research analyst for Advance Trading.It's going to be an exciting time the next few months, Basting said.(Additional reporting by Julie Ingwersen)
Europe faces global warming double whammy, but can cope: UN experts by Marlowe Hood MAR 30,07
PARIS (AFP) - Global warming will hit Europe hard but unevenly this century, causing drought, reduced harvests and deadly heatwaves in the south but inflicting more floods and severe winter storms farther north, UN experts say in a report to be unveiled next week. In Alpine regions, reduced snow cover imperils a multi-billion-dollar ski industry while rising temperatures could wipe out up to 60 percent of plant and animal species, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns.The continent has already had a foretaste of its likely future: this winter was the warmest on record in many European countries, as have been 11 of the past 12 years.The report, which deals with the impacts of global warming, is the second in a three-volume review of the evidence for climate change, the first since 2001.A final draft of the 1,400-page document obtained by AFP says that even if dramatic measures are taken to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that drive warming, temperatures worldwide will continue to climb for decades to come, unleashing unwelcome changes across the planet.
And if nothing at all is done to mitigate climate change, the impact in some regions could be catastrophic by century's end.By 2080, the report says, it is likely that 1.1 to 3.2 billion people worldwide will experience water scarcity, 200 to 600 million will suffer from hunger, and each year, an additional two to seven million people will be victims of coastal flooding.The human toll will be heaviest, experts say, in Africa and Asia, where hundreds of millions in low-lying mega-river deltas are threatened by rising sea levels, and tens of millions more by the spread of infectious disease.As for Europe, some regions will likewise be severely challenged but overall the continent is somewhat less vulnerable -- and better able to adapt -- than poorer counterparts.In the short term, if global temperatures rise no more than 2 C (3.6 F) compared to 1990 levels -- the maximum rise set by European Union (EU) policymakers -- northern European countries may even enjoy higher crop yields, milder winters and expanding forests.
But as the 21st century unfolds, those benefits are very likely to be swamped by the negative impact of warming.Under almost any scenario, a swathe of Mediterranean countries including Spain, France, Italy and Greece faces a panoply of problems.They include more frequent heatwaves of the kind that in 2003 killed tens of thousands of elderly people; damage to the tourism industry increased forest fires; and a fall of up to a third in fresh water availability, depending again on temperature rise.
Wintertime floods are likely to increase in Europe's maritime regions, while snowmelt-related floods and flashfloods will hit central Europe.
Europe has the resources to protect human life from the brunt of global warming onslaught, but its biodiversity will be badly affected.A large percentage of the European flora is likely to become vulnerable, endangered, or committed to extinction by the end of this century, says the draft.In the first volume of its report, issued in February, the IPCC predicted world temperatures would rise by 1.8 C to 4.0 C (3.2-7.2 F) by 2100, depending on how much greenhouse gas is emitted into the atmosphere. A third volume, issued at the end of April, will look at ways of reducing those emissions.
In the Brussels meeting, the second volume will be issued on Friday after delegates hammer out a summary for policy makers, distilling in a couple of dozen pages their most important findings.
Some participants complain that the summary, as currently written, does not adequately highlight the fact that those least able to adapt -- poor people -- will be the hardest hit. We in the northern hemisphere can adapt to heatwaves, but that is a very selfish notion, commented French scientist and IPCC executive committee member Jean Jouzel. The draft summary concludes that global warming is unequivocal, that human activity is the main driver, and that changes in climate are now affecting physical and biological systems on every continent.Across the planet, 20 to 30 percent of animal and plant species face extinction if temperatures rise 1.5 C to 2.5 C (2.7 F to 4.5 F). Increases greater than 4 C (7.2 F) above 1990-2000 levels would lead to major increases in vulnerability that would exceed the adaptive capacity of many systems, the report says.
Cashless society by 2012, says Visa chief
By Tim Webb 11 March 2007
Paying for goods with notes and coins could be consigned to history within five years, according to the chief executive of Visa Europe. Peter Ayliffe said that, by 2012, using credit and debit cards should be cheaper and more convenient than cash.Some retailers could soon start surcharging customers if they choose to buy products with cash, because of the greater cost of processing these payments, he warned.Visa Europe briefed the British Retail Consortium last month on newcontactless cards that can be waved in front of a scanner to make small payments.
However, the consortium dismissed this vision and claimed that card processing fees, which regulators are investigating, are still too high.One member of the consurtium said that the estimated interchange fee charged to retailers amounts to some 4p for each transaction.Nick Mourant, treasurer at Tesco, said: There is a duopoly between Mastercard and Visa in the UK. Their setting of fees is anti-competitive.
A-Zahar Reiterates Hamas Goal: World Domination
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz 9 Nisan 5767, March 28, '07
(IsraelNN.com) Addressing a mass rally in memory of the founder of the Hamas terrorist organization, Ahmed Yassin, senior Hamas leader and former Palestinian Authority official Mahmoud A-Zahar reiterated a fundamental position espoused by Hamas and other Islamist groups worldwide: struggle for the complete obliteration of Israel and the worldwide rule of Islam.
According to an alert released by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), which monitors and translates Palestinian Authority media, the main elements of A-Zahar's speech were printed in the PA's Al-Ayyam newspaper on March 25, 2007. A-Zahar emphasized that the Islamic Movement's [Hamas's] position concerning the problem of the liberation of Palestine is clear and known, Al-Ayyam reported. A-Zahar is quoted as saying:
We have two important foundations: one is Koranic and the other is prophetic. The Koranic: the divine promise made in the Al-Israa Sura [Chapter 17] is that we will liberate the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we will enter it as we have entered it the first time' [paraphrasing Sura 17 (The Night Journey), verse 7]. And the prophetic foundation is the message of the prophet Muhammad, that Islam will enter every house and will spread over the entire world. Our position is the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine. This is the final and strategic solution for us.
There is a Koranic message for us, that we will enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the entrance to the mosque means the entrance into all of Palestine. This is the message, no one can deny it. Anyone who denies it must check his faith and his Islam.A-Zahar's statements, as promulgated in the PA media, are restatements of views expressed in the foundational covenant of Hamas, the PA government's ruling faction. Regarding Israel, the 1988 Hamas Covenant preamble says, Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. While Article 28 of the Covenant widens the threat: .Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Muslim people. May the cowards never sleep.
The Hamas position on the existence of a sovereign Jewish entity in the Middle East is identical to its position on any lands once conquered by Muslims. As Article 11 of the organization's covenant says: [Hamas] believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. ...[And] the same goes for any land the Muslims have conquered by force, because during the times of (Islamic) conquests, the Muslims consecrated these lands to Muslim generations till the Day of Judgment.Functionally, Hamas also sees itself as part of a global movement for Islamic domination. As Article 2 declares, [Hamas] is one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine. The Muslim Brotherhood Movement is a universal organization.... More fundamentally, Article 5 says, [Hamas's] place is anywhere that there are Muslims who embrace Islam as their way of life everywhere on the globe. This being so, it extends to the depth of the earth and reaches out to the heaven.Echoing his co-religionists in the PA, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Raad Salah, declared in September of 2006 that a new Caliphate will soon arise with its capital in Jerusalem.
HERES THE STORY I WAS TRYIN TO FIND WHEN I SEEN IT ON CNN ABOUT THE CULT LEADER WHO THINKS HES JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS GET MARKED WITH 666 ON THEIR HANDS. LIKE I SAID BEFORE THIS IS A FORUNNER TO THE EU DICTATOR THAT DEMANDS ALL RECIEVE THIS MARK (CHIP IMPLANT I BELIEVE) IN THE FUTURE OR DIE.
THIS GUY HERE IS OUT TO LUNCH BIGTIME, BUT IT IS PROPHESIED TO HAPPEN BEFORE THE DICTATOR COMES ON THE SCENE.
Pastor with 666 tattoo claims to be divine
POSTED: 2:08 p.m. EST, February 19, 2007 By John Zarrella and Patrick Oppmann CNN
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The minister has the number 666 tattooed on his arm.But Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is not your typical minister. De Jesus, or Daddy as his thousands of followers call him, does not merely pray to God: He says he is God.The spirit that is in me is the same spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth, de Jesus says.De Jesus' claims of divinity have angered Christian leaders, who say he is a fake. Religious experts say he may be something much more dangerous, a cult leader who really believes he is God. (Watch followers get 666 tattoos for their leader )
He's in their heads, he's inside the heads of those people, says Prof. Daniel Alvarez, a religion expert at Florida International University who has debated some of de Jesus' followers. De Jesus speaks with a kind of conviction that makes me consider him more like David Koresh or Jim Jones.Is de Jesus really a cult leader like David Koresh, who died with more than 70 of his Branch Davidian followers in a fiery end to a standoff with federal authorities, or Jim Jones, the founder of the Peoples Temple who committed mass suicide with 900 followers in 1978?
Prophets spoke to me
De Jesus and his believers say their church -- Creciendo en Gracia, Spanish for Growing in grace -- is misunderstood. Followers of the movement say they have proof that their minister is divine and that their church will one day soon be a major faith in the world.But even de Jesus concedes that he is an unlikely leader of a church that claims thousands of members in more than 30 countries.De Jesus, 61, grew up poor in Puerto Rico. He says he served stints in prison there for petty theft and says he was a heroin addict.De Jesus says he learned he was Jesus reincarnate when he was visited in a dream by angels.The prophets, they spoke about me. It took me time to learn that, but I am what they were expecting, what they have been expecting for 2,000 years, de Jesus says.The church that he began building 20 years ago in Miami resembles no other:Followers have protested Christian churches in Miami and Latin America, disrupting services and smashing crosses and statues of Jesus.De Jesus preaches there is no devil and no sin. His followers, he says, literally can do no wrong in God's eyes.The church calls itself the Government of God on Earth and uses a seal similar to the United States.
Doing God's work with a Lexus and Rolex
If Creciendo en Gracia is an atypical religious group, de Jesus also does not fit the mold of the average church leader. De Jesus flouts traditional vows of poverty. He says he has a church-paid salary of $136,000 but lives more lavishly than that. During an interview, he showed off a diamond-encrusted Rolex to a CNN crew and said he has three just like them. He travels in armored Lexuses and BMWs, he says, for his safety. All are gifts from his devoted followers.
And what about the tattoo of 666 on his arm?
Although it's a number usually associated with Satan, not the son of God, de Jesus says that 666 and the Antichrist are, like him, misunderstood.The Antichrist is not the devil, de Jesus tells his congregation; he's the being who replaces Jesus on Earth.Antichrist is the best person in the world, he says. Antichrist means don't put your eyes on Jesus because Jesus of Nazareth wasn't a Christian. Antichrist means do not put your eyes on Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Put it on Jesus after the cross. And de Jesus says that means him.
So far, de Jesus says that his flock hasn't been scared off by his claims of being the Antichrist. In a show of the sway he holds over the group, 30 members of his congregation Tuesday went to a tattoo parlor to have 666 also permanently etched onto their skin.He may wield influence over them, but his followers say don't expect them to go the way of people who believed in David Koresh and Jim Jones. Just by finding de Jesus, they say, they have achieved their purpose.If somebody tells us drink some Kool-Aid and we'll go to heaven, that's not true. We are already in heavenly places, follower Martita Roca told CNN after having 666 tattooed onto her ankle.
Abbas Warns Israel, Accept 2002 Arab Peace Plan or Face War
by Hana Levi Julian (INN) MAR 30,07
Israel would be well advised to team up with the Palestinian Authority under the 2002 Arab peace plan, says PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and well advised to raise its alert status if it does not.
Abbas accused Israel of seeking to avoid the realization of peace by insisting on changes to the plan authored five years ago by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah. The plan calls for Israel to withdraw from all the lands recovered during the 1967 Six Day War, including Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights and half of Jerusalem. It also calls for Israel to allow millions of Arab descendants of those who fled the country during the 1948 War of Independence to be allowed to immigrate to Israel. The Jewish State has rejected this clause absolutely. It's not a secret that anti-U.S. feeling within Fatah is increasing, and Abbas is ignoring this.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Arab League Summit in Riyadh on Thursday, Abbas called for a negotiated settlement that will be sponsored by the international community and within the framework of an international peace conference in the region.
He warned, however, that if Israel did not accept the Arab peace plan, The entire region will be under renewed threats of war [and] explosions, as well as regional and international confrontations, as a result of the absence of a solution or the impossibility of implementing one.Abbas accompanied his threat with a statement reiterating the sincerity of the Palestinian will in extending the hand of peace to the Israeli people we should not waste more chances in the history of this long and painful cause.Fatah Complains Abbas Has Become Condis Office Boy.A caricature on PA websites Thursday showed a Jew with his back turned on Abbas, whose head is covered with doves, symbolizing peace.
Abbas is losing support within his own faction by appearing to be allied with the Bush administration, according to a report in TIME magazine. The report quoted a PA Central Committee member as saying, It's not a secret that anti-U.S. feeling within Fatah is increasing, and Abbas is ignoring this.
Abbas had not been tough enough when presenting PA demands to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the region this week, complained the source. Abbas doesn't respect us. He is too busy bowing to American demands. He's become Condi's office boy.On the other hand, noted TIME, Abbas also did not pass on to Secretary Rice information that Hamas may quit the unity government and resume attacks against Israel.
Abbas Talks Peace, His Fatah Faction Fires Rockets
Abbass Fatah faction includes the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorist group as well as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which Abbas chairs. The former vowed Thursday to continue its Kassam rocket attacks against Israeli communities in the western Negev. Abu Ahmed, commander of the northern Gaza division of Al Aksa told WorldNet Daily that if the Israel Defense Forces continue anti-terrorist operations, You can count on a [long] string of suicide bombings and rocket attacks.
Al Aksa claimed to have teamed up with the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in firing a total of seven Kassam rockets at Israeli communities in the western Negev on Wednesday. Some damage was caused in Sderot and two rockets landed just south of the port city of Ashkelon but no injuries were reported. Arab terrorists launched at least four more Kassams toward Ashkelon on Thursday. No damage or injuries were reported.
David's Comment: Passing Over into the New Year MAR 30,07
Exodus 12:2 - 3 This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. (NKJ)
The above verse begins the Lord's instructions to Israel on how they should remember and celebrate the Passover - their deliverance from slavery under the tyrannical regime of Pharaoh. It is really the event that marks the beginning of the nation of Israel and thus YHVH tells them that this is the beginning of their calendar year. The timing of all of the other festivals of the Lord, is calculated from the first day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. As I have written previously, we believe that everyone, Jew and Gentile, who love and worship the God of Israel, ought to do their best to live their lives according to His calendar, not on the calendar of the world system, which is under the jurisdiction of the Devil, who according to the Bible, is currently the god of this world. Some people may see it as a burdensome thing to learn about and celebrate God's feasts, but it doesn't have to be.
Celebrating the Biblical feasts can be great fun, and a wonderful time of fellowship and literal feasting. All of the Biblical feasts are a shadow of what it will be like when the Kingdom is finally established on the Earth and they all point to the Messiah - Yeshua. There is so much to learn about the nature and character of God, and the feasts contain a lot of imagery which helps us to learn. The annual Biblical feast cycle is also a shadow of the timing of God's prophetic plan to restore Israel, to establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem and to send His Son back to be the King of His glorious eternal Kingdom. What better time to begin to explore the Lord's annual Feast cycle than at the first feast of the year.It may be too late for you to organise a Passover Seder meal this coming Monday, but if you do make sure you obtain a Messianic Seder instruction manual. I may be able to help locate one you if you need. Very simply, Passover is a shadow of the salvation found only in Yeshua, the Lamb of God. It was the blood of the lambs on the doorposts of the Hebrews dwellings that saved the Hebrew firstborn inside from the Angel of Death. Ultimately this led to the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery under Pharaoh to freedom in the Promised Land.And it is the blood of Lamb Yeshua that saves any person from slavery to sin and brings them into the eternal promised land.
Perhaps the most ironic thing about the Passover celebration is that the Jewish people have sat at their Passover Seder tables for the last 2000 years,have and yet not seen the incredible imagery of the Seder elements that so clearly show that the Messiah has already been.
The 3 sheets of unleavened bread or Matzah,are striped, bruised and pierced. ( see Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our trans-gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. ) These three sheets are called the Unity and must surely represent Father, Son & Holy Sprirt. The middle sheet is broken in half, wrapped in a cloth & hidden for the children to find. It is called the Afikomen. Even today the rabbis say that the Afikomen represents the long awaited Messiah. The word Afikomen is a Greek word, the only Greek word in the Passover ceremony. Amazingly, Afikomen means I have arrived !
And the Afikomen can only be discovered by the children - remember that Yeshua said that if we want to come to God we must come as little children.It is customary to set an extra place at the Passover table for Elijah, who must precede the arrival of Messiah. As the popular song says, these are the days of Elijah. Lets pray from now until Passover that this year the spirit of Elijah will be present at every Passover Seder causing the veil of blindess to be lifted and that multitudes of Jews will see Yeshua as Messiah as they look upon the stripes, bruises and piercings on the Matzah and as they wrap the Afikomen in the cloth, they will realise that the Messiah has indeed already arrived.The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel . Do not be silent, but share this to your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for thatbreakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF. Shabbat Shalom .. . David & Josie
America unprepared for likely nuke attack. Public awareness campaign is only hope, says 3-year University of Georgia study March 30, 2007 - 1:00 a.m. Eastern - By Joseph Farah - WorldNetDaily.com
New York City
WASHINGTON – The most extensive study of the effects of nuclear detonations in four major U.S. cities paints a grim picture of millions of deaths, overwhelmed hospitals and loss of command-and-control capability by government. But the three-year study by researchers at the Center for Mass Destruction Defense at the University of Georgia says a concerted effort to teach civilians what to do in the event of a nuclear attack is the best – perhaps only – thing that could save an untold number of lives that will otherwise be needlessly lost. If a nuclear detonation were to occur in a downtown area, the picture would be bleak there, said Cham Dallas, director of the program and professor in the college of pharmacy. But in urban areas farther from the detonation, there actually is quite a bit that we can do. In certain areas, it may be possible to turn the death rate from 90 percent in some burn populations to probably 20 or 30 percent – and those are very big differences – simply by being prepared well in advance.
While America was once prepared for nuclear war with civil defense shelters stocked with food and supplies and educational programs on how to react to a detonation, the report says the threat of a nuclear attack within the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years.
The likelihood of a nuclear attack in an American city is steadily increasing, and the consequences will be overwhelming, said Dallas. So we need to substantially increase our preparation.The study looked at the impact of nuclear detonations of two sizes in New York, Washington, Chicago and Atlanta. Both 20-kiloton and 550-kiloton blasts were modeled in what the authors claim is the most advanced and detailed simulation published in open scientific literature.
International Journal of Health Geographics
The entire report, which also takes into account prevailing weather patterns and block-level population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, is published in the March issue of the International Journal of Health Geographics. In the study's worst-case scenario, one 550-kiloton detonation in New York City was shown to result in a fallout plume extending the length of Long Island, resulting in the deaths of 5
million. A similar weapon detonated in the nation's capital would destroy hospitals in Washington, but its fallout cloud would also incapacitate hospitals as far away as Baltimore, a city 40 miles from the District of Columbia. Even a relatively small 20-kiloton blast in a downtown area would result in almost unimaginable devastation – leaving debris tens of feet thick in streets with buildings 10 stories or higher. Roughly half the population in those areas would be killed, mainly from collapsed buildings.
Most of those surviving the initial blast would be exposed to a fatal dose of radiation. The larger bomb would create additional and substantial casualties from burns. Mass fires would consume cities, reaching out nearly four miles in all directions from the detonation site. The hospital system has about 1,500 burn beds in the whole country, and of these maybe 80 to 90 percent are full at any given time, said William Bell, senior research scientist and a faculty member of the college of public health. There's no way of treating the burn victims from a nuclear attack with the existing medical system.The report points out hospitals, trauma centers and other medical assets are likely to be in the fatality plume, rendering them essentially inoperable in the crisis.Among the consequences of this outcome would be the probable loss of command-and-control, mass casualties that will have to be treated in an unorganized response by hospitals on the periphery, as well as other expected chaotic outcomes from inadequate administration in a crisis, says the report. Vigorous, creative and accelerated training and coordination among the federal agencies tasked for WMD response, military resources, academic institutions and local responders will be critical for large-scale WMD events involving mass casualties.Bell said a 20-kiloton nuclear weapon could be manufactured by terrorists and countries such as North Korea and Iran. The larger warhead is commonly found in the nuclear arsenal of the former Soviet Union and is likely to be stolen by terrorists. The report confirms other findings that America is extremely vulnerable to a nuclear attack and unprepared to
deal with its aftermath.
In a July 31, 2005, confidential memo to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon analyst John Brinkerhoff concluded: The United States is unprepared to mitigate the consequences of a nuclear attack. We were unable to find any group of office with a coherent approach to this very important aspect of homeland security.In other words, after having spent more than $300 billion to protect the homeland in the last five years, America is no closer to a civil defense strategy for a nuclear strike by terrorists.
This is a bad situation, wrote Brinkerhoff. The threat of a nuclear attack is real, and action is needed now to learn how to deal with one.
Bits and pieces of a plan are in place, as Brinkerhoff suggests. For instance, the Energy Department's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is geared up to use real-time weather data, within minutes of a bombing, to create a computer model charting the likely path of a radioactive cloud. There's just one problem. There is no communications system in place designed to reach the people most in need of the information. The government's own National Planning Scenario projects even a small, improvised 10-kiloton nuclear bomb would likely kill hundreds of thousands in a medium-sized city. The carnage was estimated at 204,600 dead in Washington, D.C. – with another 90,800 injured or sickened. Another 24,580 would likely die of thyroid cancer later because the simple compound potassium iodide, which can prevent it, was not made available to civilians in advance of the disaster.
President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the 9/11 commission have all concluded a nuclear terrorist attack is not only the nation's No. 1 nightmare but also something of an inevitability at some time in the future. The University of Georgia study calls for a public awareness campaign to teach civilians what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. Even simple measures, the researchers point out, can save many lives. For instance, since radioactive clouds move downwind, a person can determine which way the wind is blowing and flee in a perpendicular direction to the wind. Even on foot, people can move one to five miles can be the difference between life and death. On the other hand, though, people in areas upwind from the detonation site are better off staying put.
Dallas is scheduled to address the United Nations for the second time in as many years where he will discuss options for repairing the crumbling sarcophagus surrounding the reactor that triggered the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. He will also talk about the consequences of a nuclear attack and what nations can do about it. We want to try to encourage people to pay attention to this, because it's not all the end of the world, said Dallas. There are actually steps that one can take to save lives. But we're running out of time.The Center for Mass Destruction Defense is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is dedicated to reducing casualties and social disruption from weapons of mass destruction and natural disasters.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
TREATY OF ROME 50 YEAR TEXT
COMPLETE 2007 50TH ANNIVERSARY TEXT OF EU TREATY OF ROME. (REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE). SINCE THIS WILL BE THE WORLD LEADER AT A COMING TIME IN HISTORY.
Text of EU's 50th anniversary Berlin Declaration
Published on : Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:14 By : Agencies
BERLIN (AFX) - Following is the full text of declaration adopted by EU leaders on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome:
DECLARATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNATURE OF THE TREATY OF ROME
For centuries Europe has been an idea, holding out hope of peace and understanding. That hope has been fulfilled.European unification has made peace and prosperity possible. It has brought about a sense of community and overcome differences.Each Member State has helped to unite Europe and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law.Thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe is now consigned to the past. European integration shows that we have learnt the painful lessons of a history marked by bloody conflict.
Today we live together as was never possible before. We, the citizens of the European Union, have united for the better.
1.(I)
In the European Union, we are turning our common ideals into reality: for us, the individual is paramount. His dignity is inviolable. His rights are inalienable. Women and men enjoy equal rights.
We are striving for peace and freedom, for democracy and the rule of law, for mutual respect and shared responsibility, for prosperity and security, for tolerance and participation, for justice and solidarity.We have a unique way of living and working together in the European Union. This is expressed through the democratic interaction of the Member States and the European institutions.
The European Union is founded on equal rights and mutually supportive cooperation. This enables us to strike a fair balance between Member States' interests.We preserve in the European Union the identities and diverse traditions of its Member States. We are enriched by open borders and a lively variety of languages, cultures and regions.
There are many goals which we cannot achieve on our own, but only in concert. Tasks are shared between the European Union, the Member States and their regions and local authorities.
2 (II).
We are facing major challenges which do not stop at national borders. The European Union is our response to these challenges.Only together can we continue to preserve our ideal of European society in future for the good of all European Union citizens. This European model combines economic success and social responsibility.The common market and the euro make us strong.
We can thus shape the increasing interdependence of the global economy and ever-growing competition on international markets according to our values.Europe's wealth lies in the knowledge and ability of its people; that is the key to growth, employment and social cohesion. We will fight terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration together.We stand up for liberties and civil rights also in the struggle against those who oppose them. Racism and xenophobia must never again be given any rein.We are committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world and to ensuring that people do not become victims of war, terrorism and violence.The European Union wants to promote freedom and development in the world. We want to drive back poverty, hunger and disease. We want to continue to take a leading role in that fight.We intend jointly to lead the way in energy policy and climate protection and make our contribution to averting the global threat of climate change.
3(III).
The European Union will continue to thrive both on openness and on the will of its Member States to consolidate the Union's internal development.The European Union will continue to promote democracy, stability and prosperity beyond its borders. With European unification a dream of earlier generations has become a reality.Our history reminds us that we must protect this for the good of future generations. For that reason we must always renew the political shape of Europe in keeping with the times.That is why today, 50 years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, we are united in our aim of placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009. For we know, Europe is our common future. newsdesk@afxnews.com - afp/hjp
Text of EU's 50th anniversary Berlin Declaration
Published on : Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:14 By : Agencies
BERLIN (AFX) - Following is the full text of declaration adopted by EU leaders on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome:
DECLARATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNATURE OF THE TREATY OF ROME
For centuries Europe has been an idea, holding out hope of peace and understanding. That hope has been fulfilled.European unification has made peace and prosperity possible. It has brought about a sense of community and overcome differences.Each Member State has helped to unite Europe and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law.Thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe is now consigned to the past. European integration shows that we have learnt the painful lessons of a history marked by bloody conflict.
Today we live together as was never possible before. We, the citizens of the European Union, have united for the better.
1.(I)
In the European Union, we are turning our common ideals into reality: for us, the individual is paramount. His dignity is inviolable. His rights are inalienable. Women and men enjoy equal rights.
We are striving for peace and freedom, for democracy and the rule of law, for mutual respect and shared responsibility, for prosperity and security, for tolerance and participation, for justice and solidarity.We have a unique way of living and working together in the European Union. This is expressed through the democratic interaction of the Member States and the European institutions.
The European Union is founded on equal rights and mutually supportive cooperation. This enables us to strike a fair balance between Member States' interests.We preserve in the European Union the identities and diverse traditions of its Member States. We are enriched by open borders and a lively variety of languages, cultures and regions.
There are many goals which we cannot achieve on our own, but only in concert. Tasks are shared between the European Union, the Member States and their regions and local authorities.
2 (II).
We are facing major challenges which do not stop at national borders. The European Union is our response to these challenges.Only together can we continue to preserve our ideal of European society in future for the good of all European Union citizens. This European model combines economic success and social responsibility.The common market and the euro make us strong.
We can thus shape the increasing interdependence of the global economy and ever-growing competition on international markets according to our values.Europe's wealth lies in the knowledge and ability of its people; that is the key to growth, employment and social cohesion. We will fight terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration together.We stand up for liberties and civil rights also in the struggle against those who oppose them. Racism and xenophobia must never again be given any rein.We are committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world and to ensuring that people do not become victims of war, terrorism and violence.The European Union wants to promote freedom and development in the world. We want to drive back poverty, hunger and disease. We want to continue to take a leading role in that fight.We intend jointly to lead the way in energy policy and climate protection and make our contribution to averting the global threat of climate change.
3(III).
The European Union will continue to thrive both on openness and on the will of its Member States to consolidate the Union's internal development.The European Union will continue to promote democracy, stability and prosperity beyond its borders. With European unification a dream of earlier generations has become a reality.Our history reminds us that we must protect this for the good of future generations. For that reason we must always renew the political shape of Europe in keeping with the times.That is why today, 50 years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, we are united in our aim of placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009. For we know, Europe is our common future. newsdesk@afxnews.com - afp/hjp
Friday, March 30, 2007
FLAMING OBJECTS MISS JETLINER IN AIR
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-More severe weather today. 3-Spring thaw wreaking havoc in some rural areas. 4-Group says hate crimes bill an impending threat toChristians. 5-Vatican regrets Israel postponing bilateral talks. 6-Arab Summit extends land-for-peace offer to Israel. 7-The United States of Saudi America. 8-DECISION TIME? 9-Sunbathers bask in record Moscow heatwave. 10-Flaming objects miss jetliner in air.
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 = Fri Mar 30 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 29,07
MAP 5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.7 SEA OF JAPAN
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.1 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 4.7 BARBADOS REGION, WINDWARD ISLANDS
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAR 28,07
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.9 LAKE TANGANYIKA REGION, CONGO-TANZANIA
MAP 4.7 ECUADOR
MAP 4.9 REVILLA GIGEDO ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.7 PAGAN REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
MAP 3.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.7 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.7 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
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.
More severe weather today Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Thu Mar 29, 6:17 AM ET
Over 200 reports of severe weather occurred Wednesday and Wednesday evening across parts of the western Plains; including over 150 reports of large hail, and over 60 reports of possible tornadoes.
Over 25 inches of snow and wind gusts over 50 mph also impacted parts of the interior and northern Mountains across the West.
Today, the same area of low pressure and associated cold front responsible for yesterdays active weather, will continue the risks of severe weather across the Plains and the heavy snow and wind across parts of the western mountains. A slow moving cold front will move across central Texas, central Oklahoma, central and eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, and parts of western Missouri and western Iowa today and tonight, triggering severe thunderstorms. Large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes could impact areas from San Antonia and Dallas, through Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Omaha. The slow movement of thunderstorms, and thunderstorms moving over the same areas repeatedly, will also result in some flash flooding.
Meanwhile, on the cold side of the storm system, low pressure will continue to wrap wind and snow across parts of southern and eastern Montana, much of Wyoming, western Colorado, and eastern Utah today through Friday. Winds across southern Montana, into northern Wyoming could gust over 50 mph. This will create blizzard conditions at times, as well as considerable blowing and drifting of snow. Areas from Billings, through Sheridan, to northeast of Salt Lake City, and into the Rockies of western Colorado could see over a foot of snow. In fact, areas across much of Wyoming could see over 2 feet of snow. Conditions should begin to improve across the mountains later on Friday.
Spring thaw wreaking havoc in some rural areas
Wednesday, March 29, 2007 - CBC News
It's a soggy situation in Saskatchewan's northeast grainbelt and it could get soggier.Melting snow and heavy rains have washed out roads and flooded fields and there's still a lot of snow that hasn't melted.
Some of the worst-hit areas are the rural municipalities of Foam Lake and Elfros. The RMs have declared a state of emergency, with farmers reporting flooding in low-lying areas, and at least eight roads have been washed out.RM of Foam Lake administrator Ron Kostrick said he's concerned about rising water levels in the creeks.If we get any more wet snow or rain that comes along with it, it's as bad as last year, he said. No doubt, if we get any more rainfall, it's going to be worse.
According to Doug Johnson, a spokesman with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, the problem has less to do with high incoming water levels than with heavy snowfall.We don't have major creeks that are flowing through the area that are causing problems, he said. It's because of the snowpack and the melt; it's just spreading out.The flooded roads are still passable, Kostrick said. However, he's not
sure how long that will last.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Group says hate crimes bill an impending threat to Christians
Jim Brown OneNewsNow.com March 27, 2007
The head of a Washington-based pro-family group is urging opposition to federal hate crimes legislation she fears will soon be approved by the Democrat-led Congress -- and that bill, she believes, threatens the free-speech rights of those who strongly oppose homosexuality.
Representatives John Conyers (D - Michigan) and Mark Kirk (R - Illinois) have reintroduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The bill would include crimes against homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgenders in federal hate crimes statutes. Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), contends the ultimate goal of the bill is to silence anyone who believes homosexuality is a sin.People need to understand that the hour is very, very late, Lafferty urges. We now have a bill that give special protections to people who are homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, cross-dressers. She describes transgenders as individuals who have had sex-change operations and are clearly very disturbed.
According to Lafferty the bill would elevate homosexuals to a special protected status. So if a pastor stands up in the pulpit and says homosexuality is a sin ... it will be considered hate speech, she says; and if this law passes, the federal government will go after people who say those kinds of things.The TVC executive director contends there is not an epidemic of hate crimes in the U.S., as the bill's
sponsors claim, nor are large numbers of homosexuals fleeing across state lines to buy goods and services they cannot in their home states because of persecution.The bill is likely to sail easily through the House, says Lafferty. That is why she is urging Christians to begin calling on President Bush to issue a veto threat.American Family News Network
Vatican regrets Israel postponing bilateral talks
AFP - March 28, 2007
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican Wednesday said it regretted a request by Israel to postpone talks that were to lead to a long-awaited bilateral accord. Israel said it could not take part in the talks set for Thursday because of international political contingencies, the Vatican said in a communiqué. The Holy See, while understanding the reasons offered, took note with regret and hoped a new date would be set as soon as possible, the statement said. According to the religious affairs news agency
I-Media, Vatican sources suggested that the Israeli decision was in response to the Holy See's expression of support for the new Palestinian government that includes the Islamist group Hamas.
But Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, Oded Ben Hur, said, That is absolutely not true, adding that Israel had asked for the postponement because of the imminent opening Wednesday of an Arab League summit in Riyadh, and the ongoing tour of the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Israel and the Vatican were to have held a high-level meeting Thursday to discuss the legal and financial status of the Catholic Church in Israel. Negotiations on an accord that would cover Church property and possible income tax breaks for the commercial activities of Christian communities in Israel resumed in 2004 after a 10-year hiatus.
Arab Summit extends land-for-peace offer to Israel
Thursday, March 29, 2007 The Associated Press
Arab leaders at their summit Thursday agreed on a call for Israel to accept their land-for-peace offer and open direct negotiations with the Arabs.'The Palestinian people is sincere in extending its hand of peace to the Israeli people, and I call on that people and its leaders to share that dream with us.
Palestinian President Mahmoud AbbasUnlike past summits that at times saw overt feuds break out, the gathering of Arab kings, emirs and presidents showed unusual public unity as it revived the peace offer, which they first made in 2002 only to meet rejection from Israel.But still unknown is how the Arabs will persuade Israel to accept the initiative, which the United States and Europe hope can help build momentum for a resumption of the long-stalled peace process. Israel has said it could accept the offer with some changes, but the Arab leaders refused the amend it.Instead, they created working groups that will seek to drum up support for the deal from the U.S., UN and Europe. U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan hope the smaller groups will be able to be more flexible in promoting the offer to win acceptance, despite the summit's rejection of changes.
Saudi Arabia should head working groups
The Palestinian people is sincere in extending its hand of peace to the Israeli people, and I call on that people and its leaders to share that dream with us, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the summit in a speech Thursday.He said Saudi Arabia should head the working groups, which should have freedom to move according to the circumstances to achieve our national goals.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, left, talks to Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal after the opening session of the Arab Summit in Riyadh on Wednesday.(Awad Awad/Associated Press) The summit, which ends later Thursday, was to call on Israel to accept the Arab peace initiative and reopen direct and serious negotiations, according to a draft resolution.
The initiative offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for:Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Setting up a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees forced out of lands in what is now Israel. Israel has sought to water down the provisions, in particular those dealing with refugees. It opposes the influx of Palestinian refugees into the Jewish state and rejects a fullwithdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem.Arab allies of the U.S. painted the peace offer as key to achieving progress at a time of mounting crises across the Mideast, including the bloodshed in Iraq.
The Arab summit was to call on Iraq's Shia-led government to change its constitution and military to give a greater role to Sunni Arabs.Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa rejected amending the peace offer, saying, They tell us to amend it, but we tell them to accept it first, then we can sit down at the negotiating table.But he said the Arabs must do more to convince the Israelis on the offer.The Canadian Press, 2007
LOOK WHO THE BIBLE SAYS IS WITH THE WEST AND ISRAEL, SAUDI ARABIA. AND EGYPT WILL BE AGAINST ISRAEL AND THE WEST. IS PROPHECY NOT COMING TO PASS OR WHAT. PRAISE KING JESUS.
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:(RUSSIA,ARAB HORDES)
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLISH SPEAKING
shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
The United States of Saudi America
by Rifkah Zyntyg (INN) MAR 28,07
I didn't want to believe it. It was so outrageous.
I didn't want to believe it. It was so outrageous. But, to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, when you eliminate all other options, the truth is what's left.Look at the facts. The destructive plans offered to Israel (and sadly, accepted) came from Saudi Arabia via the United States.The Oslo Accords. The Road Map. What's on the table now? Withdrawal from Samaria and Judea. To where? Not to be outdone, Ariel Sharon decided to go even further than the American plans when he unilaterally gave up Gaza. I'm surprised that Saudi Arabia didn't decree that day a national holiday.The destructive plans offered to Israel (and sadly, accepted) came from Saudi Arabia via the United States.
Meanwhile, the American President George Bush, a self-proclaimed friend of Israel, rubber-stamped the Saudi suggestions. Then, he had the State Department send Condoleezza Rice to put pressure on Israel to accept more and more restrictions in a policy that can only lead to self-destruction. The previous expression of American remote control of Israel was the bungled military campaign in Lebanon, which was orchestrated long-distance by people who had no interest in letting Israel win it.
Since those distant parties couldn't let the world see their obvious strategy or discern the possible source of it, they played it to a draw. Score: Israelis - 0; Hizbullah - 0.Realistically, however, the public relations score was vastly different. Hizbullah staged videos and displayed still photos that they made available to a willing and not-so-fastidious (when it comes to the facts) mediacracy. Never mind that these errors were pointed out by a small and rapidly declining group of ethical journalists; it provided ammunition for Hizbullah, and ultimately, the war was perceived globally as their victory.
As a result, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is being belittled. Scorn and disparagement are being heaped on the heads of Israel's military establishment. Where are the legendary unbeatable heroes of Israeli history? They're still there. If their hands aren't tied behind their backs and they are allowed to pursue the sound strategy they propose without political intervention (both domestic and foreign), I'll give you odds on their victory. Will this happen? That depends on Israel. Letting the USA run the country can only lead to complete annihilation; if not by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, then by Iran, which is waiting in the wings with dreams of developing nuclear bombs that neither the United Nations nor any other government has the courage to stop.
Friendship
It is time the USA followed its own moral compass without Saudi intervention in its relationship with Israel. There is a pattern of appeasement toward Saudi Arabia (to the detriment of Israel) that has become evident over the last few years. In 2005, the Bush Administration blocked arms shipments to Israel. The reason given for this was the failure to resolve a dispute over the sale of Israeli arms to China. Even after Israel agreed to increase supervision of arms exports, the US demanded increased access to Israeli negotiations with foreign militaries, even though none of them were considered enemies of the US. Why? Who would have benefited from that knowledge? Since September 2006, the US has blocked the sale of defensive weapons to Israel. These included Northrop Grumman's Skyguard laser weapons, designed to obliterate short-range rockets and missiles, which comprise the majority of In 2005, the Bush Administration blocked arms shipments to Israel. destructive weapons targeting Israeli cities and towns. Why? Friends don't hurt friends.
Jonathan Pollard sits in an American prison for over 20 years, with no pardon or amnesty forthcoming from the US government. The punishment for his offense should not have been more than four years in jail.
A deal made with the US Department of Justice was ignored, and he is slated to remain there for life for passing information to an ally - Israel. James Wood (sentenced to two years imprisonment) and Sahag Dedyan (sentenced to three years), were spies for the Soviet Union against the US. Richard Miller, who also spied for the Soviet Union, was released after six years. Manuel Noriega, sentenced for cocaine trafficking, racketeering and money laundering in 1989, will be released later this year.Is there a different standard for Jewish friends than for the rest of the world's population?
Time Out
It's time for Israel to define its space and declare its autonomy. Time to do only what is good and right for Israel. No strings attached. No tolerance for suicide bombers. No more self-deception or self-destruction.9 Nisan 5767 / 28 March 07
DECISION TIME?
As tensions mount, U.S. and allied strike forces massing near Iran.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., March 28, 2007) -- In a phone call earlier this morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Bush that the latest U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at Iran unambiguously rules out the use of force.Putin also expressed concern over U.S. plans to build a missile defense system to protect ourselves from ballistic missiles that could be fired by Iran, North Korean and other rogue nations. Nevertheless, the White House plans to move forward with a missile defense shield, and U.S. and British forces are steadily building up in and around the Persian Gulf as tensions mount with Iran. Two carrier strike groups are now in position, carrying out the most extensive war games in the region since just before Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Now the French have also positioned their aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle strike group in the Arabian Sea. Oil prices have shot to their highest levels all year. With hints that Iran may soon parade their British hostages through the streets of Tehran, British military officials today released exact GPS coordinates showing their forces were in Iraqi not Iranian waters at the time of their capture. Prime Minister Tony Blair is warning Iran to return the sailors and Marines, or else. The Bush administration denies it is ratching up the pressure on Ahmadinejad's regime. These military exercises were long planned and so there is no escalation of tension on our part, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. Yeah, sure. Then she added: We stand with our British allies and stand behind Tony Blair as he works to get these 15 soldiers back from the Iranians. That's more like it.
I've written before that 2007 is the Year of Decision. But is April about to become the month of decision?
There is growing speculation in the region that Bush and Blair now have the justification they need to attack Iran -- an illegal act of war by the regime in Tehran. Are the rumors of war justified, or does the White House and 10 Downing Street believe they now have more leverage for strengthening even further international sanctions against Iran before force is needed?. It's not yet clear. I tend to believe President Bush is not inclined to use force, but that may be changing.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Sunbathers bask in record Moscow heatwave By James Kilner MAR 29,07
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Miniskirts have replaced fur coats and lightweight blazers are worn instead of heavy jackets in Moscow as the city basks in the hottest March weather on record. At the start of the month skiers sped through the Russian capital's snowy parks wrapped up in woolly hats and anoraks against sub-zero temperatures.But now under clear blue skies vendors sell ice cream outside the
Kremlin to tourists smothered in sun cream and Russians taking a break from work.Normally in March there is no sun and it's so cold you just want to sleep all day, 18-year-old Elya Khoosnetdinova said, wearing a T-shirt and loose trousers.Life is so much better in the sun and I hope it stays like this, she said and strolled off with a friend back to her classes at Moscow State University.Temperatures in Moscow hit around 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, 6 degrees higher than the average for March and continuing a long, hot sunny spell, a spokeswoman for the state weather monitoring unit Rosgidromet said.
These are the highest March temperatures ever recorded in Moscow, she said.Russia has already had one of its shortest and mildest winters with permanent snow not covering Moscow until the end of January and the spring coming weeks early.
Traffic police have ditched their winter uniforms, thermal vests lie unused in tourists' hotel rooms and Muscovites are forced to leave the windows of their apartments open to cool rooms heated by a central system set for winter.Along a pedestrian street people drank beer and sipped coffee at outdoor restaurant tables.
Sometimes we get the chance to set the tables out on the street towards the end of April, but this weather is more normal in May, said Andrei Viktorov, a barman at Posh Cafe.
But not everybody welcomes the warm weather. Sales staff at a fur coat store in an exclusive shopping mall near Red Square said they had brought their end of season sales forward by a month.They offered a 25 percent discount on a fur coat that would normally cost $3,000, the cheapest in their store, and 35 percent off their most expensive $80,000 coat.
METEORS HIT THE EARTH
REVELATION 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
REVELATION 8:12-13
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,which are yet to sound!
Flaming objects miss jetliner in air By EDUARDO GALLARDO, Associated Press Writer Wed Mar 29, 6:20 PM ET
SANTIAGO, Chile - Pilots of a Chilean commercial jetliner spotted flaming objects falling past their plane as it headed for a landing in New Zealand, airline officials said Wednesday. U.S. experts suggested the objects were likely meteors burning up in the earth's atmosphere and questioned Australian media reports they were probably pieces of a falling Russian spacecraft.LAN Chile airline said in a brief statement that the pilot, who was not identified, made visual contact with incandescent fragments several miles away on Monday. The Airbus 340 had just entered New Zealand airspace when the space debris was spotted.The airline said it reported the incident to authorities in Chile and New Zealand.
Web sites of several Australian news media quoted officials as saying that pieces of a Russian satellite had narrowly missed the jet.But Nicholas Johnson, orbital debris chief scientist for NASA's Johnson Space Center, said that was likely not the case. Russian space junk was expected to come back to Earth — but not until about 12 hours after the incident with the jet, Johnson said.He said he checked with the Russians and the debris an empty Progress resupply ship that had been at the International Space Station re-entered Earth's atmosphere on schedule. Unless someone has their times wrong, there appears to be no correlation, Johnson told The Associated Press.About 50 meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere every day — mostly burning up as they speed toward the planet — said Bill Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies at the Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, Calif.Those that survive and hit the ground are called meteorites.
By contrast, about 150 pieces of man-made space junk fall back to Earth each year, with about two-thirds of it coming as unplanned entries, Ailor said.Larger pieces of man-made space equipment, such as the Progress resupply ship, have motors to guide them back to Earth, Ailor said. If they are calculated to have more than a 1 in 10,000 chance of hitting people, they are shifted to a safer path, he said, though small errors can lead to large variations in where the debris hits.No one has ever been killed by space junk, Ailor said, although in 1997, an Oklahoma woman was grazed in the shoulder by piece.Associated Press Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed to this story from Washington.
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 = Fri Mar 30 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 29,07
MAP 5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.8 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 4.7 SEA OF JAPAN
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.1 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 4.7 BARBADOS REGION, WINDWARD ISLANDS
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAR 28,07
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.9 LAKE TANGANYIKA REGION, CONGO-TANZANIA
MAP 4.7 ECUADOR
MAP 4.9 REVILLA GIGEDO ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.7 PAGAN REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
MAP 3.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.7 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.7 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
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.
More severe weather today Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Thu Mar 29, 6:17 AM ET
Over 200 reports of severe weather occurred Wednesday and Wednesday evening across parts of the western Plains; including over 150 reports of large hail, and over 60 reports of possible tornadoes.
Over 25 inches of snow and wind gusts over 50 mph also impacted parts of the interior and northern Mountains across the West.
Today, the same area of low pressure and associated cold front responsible for yesterdays active weather, will continue the risks of severe weather across the Plains and the heavy snow and wind across parts of the western mountains. A slow moving cold front will move across central Texas, central Oklahoma, central and eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska, and parts of western Missouri and western Iowa today and tonight, triggering severe thunderstorms. Large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes could impact areas from San Antonia and Dallas, through Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Omaha. The slow movement of thunderstorms, and thunderstorms moving over the same areas repeatedly, will also result in some flash flooding.
Meanwhile, on the cold side of the storm system, low pressure will continue to wrap wind and snow across parts of southern and eastern Montana, much of Wyoming, western Colorado, and eastern Utah today through Friday. Winds across southern Montana, into northern Wyoming could gust over 50 mph. This will create blizzard conditions at times, as well as considerable blowing and drifting of snow. Areas from Billings, through Sheridan, to northeast of Salt Lake City, and into the Rockies of western Colorado could see over a foot of snow. In fact, areas across much of Wyoming could see over 2 feet of snow. Conditions should begin to improve across the mountains later on Friday.
Spring thaw wreaking havoc in some rural areas
Wednesday, March 29, 2007 - CBC News
It's a soggy situation in Saskatchewan's northeast grainbelt and it could get soggier.Melting snow and heavy rains have washed out roads and flooded fields and there's still a lot of snow that hasn't melted.
Some of the worst-hit areas are the rural municipalities of Foam Lake and Elfros. The RMs have declared a state of emergency, with farmers reporting flooding in low-lying areas, and at least eight roads have been washed out.RM of Foam Lake administrator Ron Kostrick said he's concerned about rising water levels in the creeks.If we get any more wet snow or rain that comes along with it, it's as bad as last year, he said. No doubt, if we get any more rainfall, it's going to be worse.
According to Doug Johnson, a spokesman with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, the problem has less to do with high incoming water levels than with heavy snowfall.We don't have major creeks that are flowing through the area that are causing problems, he said. It's because of the snowpack and the melt; it's just spreading out.The flooded roads are still passable, Kostrick said. However, he's not
sure how long that will last.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Group says hate crimes bill an impending threat to Christians
Jim Brown OneNewsNow.com March 27, 2007
The head of a Washington-based pro-family group is urging opposition to federal hate crimes legislation she fears will soon be approved by the Democrat-led Congress -- and that bill, she believes, threatens the free-speech rights of those who strongly oppose homosexuality.
Representatives John Conyers (D - Michigan) and Mark Kirk (R - Illinois) have reintroduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The bill would include crimes against homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgenders in federal hate crimes statutes. Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), contends the ultimate goal of the bill is to silence anyone who believes homosexuality is a sin.People need to understand that the hour is very, very late, Lafferty urges. We now have a bill that give special protections to people who are homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, cross-dressers. She describes transgenders as individuals who have had sex-change operations and are clearly very disturbed.
According to Lafferty the bill would elevate homosexuals to a special protected status. So if a pastor stands up in the pulpit and says homosexuality is a sin ... it will be considered hate speech, she says; and if this law passes, the federal government will go after people who say those kinds of things.The TVC executive director contends there is not an epidemic of hate crimes in the U.S., as the bill's
sponsors claim, nor are large numbers of homosexuals fleeing across state lines to buy goods and services they cannot in their home states because of persecution.The bill is likely to sail easily through the House, says Lafferty. That is why she is urging Christians to begin calling on President Bush to issue a veto threat.American Family News Network
Vatican regrets Israel postponing bilateral talks
AFP - March 28, 2007
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican Wednesday said it regretted a request by Israel to postpone talks that were to lead to a long-awaited bilateral accord. Israel said it could not take part in the talks set for Thursday because of international political contingencies, the Vatican said in a communiqué. The Holy See, while understanding the reasons offered, took note with regret and hoped a new date would be set as soon as possible, the statement said. According to the religious affairs news agency
I-Media, Vatican sources suggested that the Israeli decision was in response to the Holy See's expression of support for the new Palestinian government that includes the Islamist group Hamas.
But Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, Oded Ben Hur, said, That is absolutely not true, adding that Israel had asked for the postponement because of the imminent opening Wednesday of an Arab League summit in Riyadh, and the ongoing tour of the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Israel and the Vatican were to have held a high-level meeting Thursday to discuss the legal and financial status of the Catholic Church in Israel. Negotiations on an accord that would cover Church property and possible income tax breaks for the commercial activities of Christian communities in Israel resumed in 2004 after a 10-year hiatus.
Arab Summit extends land-for-peace offer to Israel
Thursday, March 29, 2007 The Associated Press
Arab leaders at their summit Thursday agreed on a call for Israel to accept their land-for-peace offer and open direct negotiations with the Arabs.'The Palestinian people is sincere in extending its hand of peace to the Israeli people, and I call on that people and its leaders to share that dream with us.
Palestinian President Mahmoud AbbasUnlike past summits that at times saw overt feuds break out, the gathering of Arab kings, emirs and presidents showed unusual public unity as it revived the peace offer, which they first made in 2002 only to meet rejection from Israel.But still unknown is how the Arabs will persuade Israel to accept the initiative, which the United States and Europe hope can help build momentum for a resumption of the long-stalled peace process. Israel has said it could accept the offer with some changes, but the Arab leaders refused the amend it.Instead, they created working groups that will seek to drum up support for the deal from the U.S., UN and Europe. U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan hope the smaller groups will be able to be more flexible in promoting the offer to win acceptance, despite the summit's rejection of changes.
Saudi Arabia should head working groups
The Palestinian people is sincere in extending its hand of peace to the Israeli people, and I call on that people and its leaders to share that dream with us, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the summit in a speech Thursday.He said Saudi Arabia should head the working groups, which should have freedom to move according to the circumstances to achieve our national goals.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, left, talks to Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal after the opening session of the Arab Summit in Riyadh on Wednesday.(Awad Awad/Associated Press) The summit, which ends later Thursday, was to call on Israel to accept the Arab peace initiative and reopen direct and serious negotiations, according to a draft resolution.
The initiative offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for:Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Setting up a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees forced out of lands in what is now Israel. Israel has sought to water down the provisions, in particular those dealing with refugees. It opposes the influx of Palestinian refugees into the Jewish state and rejects a fullwithdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem.Arab allies of the U.S. painted the peace offer as key to achieving progress at a time of mounting crises across the Mideast, including the bloodshed in Iraq.
The Arab summit was to call on Iraq's Shia-led government to change its constitution and military to give a greater role to Sunni Arabs.Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa rejected amending the peace offer, saying, They tell us to amend it, but we tell them to accept it first, then we can sit down at the negotiating table.But he said the Arabs must do more to convince the Israelis on the offer.The Canadian Press, 2007
LOOK WHO THE BIBLE SAYS IS WITH THE WEST AND ISRAEL, SAUDI ARABIA. AND EGYPT WILL BE AGAINST ISRAEL AND THE WEST. IS PROPHECY NOT COMING TO PASS OR WHAT. PRAISE KING JESUS.
COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL
EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:(RUSSIA,ARAB HORDES)
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLISH SPEAKING
shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
The United States of Saudi America
by Rifkah Zyntyg (INN) MAR 28,07
I didn't want to believe it. It was so outrageous.
I didn't want to believe it. It was so outrageous. But, to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, when you eliminate all other options, the truth is what's left.Look at the facts. The destructive plans offered to Israel (and sadly, accepted) came from Saudi Arabia via the United States.The Oslo Accords. The Road Map. What's on the table now? Withdrawal from Samaria and Judea. To where? Not to be outdone, Ariel Sharon decided to go even further than the American plans when he unilaterally gave up Gaza. I'm surprised that Saudi Arabia didn't decree that day a national holiday.The destructive plans offered to Israel (and sadly, accepted) came from Saudi Arabia via the United States.
Meanwhile, the American President George Bush, a self-proclaimed friend of Israel, rubber-stamped the Saudi suggestions. Then, he had the State Department send Condoleezza Rice to put pressure on Israel to accept more and more restrictions in a policy that can only lead to self-destruction. The previous expression of American remote control of Israel was the bungled military campaign in Lebanon, which was orchestrated long-distance by people who had no interest in letting Israel win it.
Since those distant parties couldn't let the world see their obvious strategy or discern the possible source of it, they played it to a draw. Score: Israelis - 0; Hizbullah - 0.Realistically, however, the public relations score was vastly different. Hizbullah staged videos and displayed still photos that they made available to a willing and not-so-fastidious (when it comes to the facts) mediacracy. Never mind that these errors were pointed out by a small and rapidly declining group of ethical journalists; it provided ammunition for Hizbullah, and ultimately, the war was perceived globally as their victory.
As a result, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is being belittled. Scorn and disparagement are being heaped on the heads of Israel's military establishment. Where are the legendary unbeatable heroes of Israeli history? They're still there. If their hands aren't tied behind their backs and they are allowed to pursue the sound strategy they propose without political intervention (both domestic and foreign), I'll give you odds on their victory. Will this happen? That depends on Israel. Letting the USA run the country can only lead to complete annihilation; if not by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, then by Iran, which is waiting in the wings with dreams of developing nuclear bombs that neither the United Nations nor any other government has the courage to stop.
Friendship
It is time the USA followed its own moral compass without Saudi intervention in its relationship with Israel. There is a pattern of appeasement toward Saudi Arabia (to the detriment of Israel) that has become evident over the last few years. In 2005, the Bush Administration blocked arms shipments to Israel. The reason given for this was the failure to resolve a dispute over the sale of Israeli arms to China. Even after Israel agreed to increase supervision of arms exports, the US demanded increased access to Israeli negotiations with foreign militaries, even though none of them were considered enemies of the US. Why? Who would have benefited from that knowledge? Since September 2006, the US has blocked the sale of defensive weapons to Israel. These included Northrop Grumman's Skyguard laser weapons, designed to obliterate short-range rockets and missiles, which comprise the majority of In 2005, the Bush Administration blocked arms shipments to Israel. destructive weapons targeting Israeli cities and towns. Why? Friends don't hurt friends.
Jonathan Pollard sits in an American prison for over 20 years, with no pardon or amnesty forthcoming from the US government. The punishment for his offense should not have been more than four years in jail.
A deal made with the US Department of Justice was ignored, and he is slated to remain there for life for passing information to an ally - Israel. James Wood (sentenced to two years imprisonment) and Sahag Dedyan (sentenced to three years), were spies for the Soviet Union against the US. Richard Miller, who also spied for the Soviet Union, was released after six years. Manuel Noriega, sentenced for cocaine trafficking, racketeering and money laundering in 1989, will be released later this year.Is there a different standard for Jewish friends than for the rest of the world's population?
Time Out
It's time for Israel to define its space and declare its autonomy. Time to do only what is good and right for Israel. No strings attached. No tolerance for suicide bombers. No more self-deception or self-destruction.9 Nisan 5767 / 28 March 07
DECISION TIME?
As tensions mount, U.S. and allied strike forces massing near Iran.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., March 28, 2007) -- In a phone call earlier this morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Bush that the latest U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at Iran unambiguously rules out the use of force.Putin also expressed concern over U.S. plans to build a missile defense system to protect ourselves from ballistic missiles that could be fired by Iran, North Korean and other rogue nations. Nevertheless, the White House plans to move forward with a missile defense shield, and U.S. and British forces are steadily building up in and around the Persian Gulf as tensions mount with Iran. Two carrier strike groups are now in position, carrying out the most extensive war games in the region since just before Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Now the French have also positioned their aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle strike group in the Arabian Sea. Oil prices have shot to their highest levels all year. With hints that Iran may soon parade their British hostages through the streets of Tehran, British military officials today released exact GPS coordinates showing their forces were in Iraqi not Iranian waters at the time of their capture. Prime Minister Tony Blair is warning Iran to return the sailors and Marines, or else. The Bush administration denies it is ratching up the pressure on Ahmadinejad's regime. These military exercises were long planned and so there is no escalation of tension on our part, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. Yeah, sure. Then she added: We stand with our British allies and stand behind Tony Blair as he works to get these 15 soldiers back from the Iranians. That's more like it.
I've written before that 2007 is the Year of Decision. But is April about to become the month of decision?
There is growing speculation in the region that Bush and Blair now have the justification they need to attack Iran -- an illegal act of war by the regime in Tehran. Are the rumors of war justified, or does the White House and 10 Downing Street believe they now have more leverage for strengthening even further international sanctions against Iran before force is needed?. It's not yet clear. I tend to believe President Bush is not inclined to use force, but that may be changing.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Sunbathers bask in record Moscow heatwave By James Kilner MAR 29,07
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Miniskirts have replaced fur coats and lightweight blazers are worn instead of heavy jackets in Moscow as the city basks in the hottest March weather on record. At the start of the month skiers sped through the Russian capital's snowy parks wrapped up in woolly hats and anoraks against sub-zero temperatures.But now under clear blue skies vendors sell ice cream outside the
Kremlin to tourists smothered in sun cream and Russians taking a break from work.Normally in March there is no sun and it's so cold you just want to sleep all day, 18-year-old Elya Khoosnetdinova said, wearing a T-shirt and loose trousers.Life is so much better in the sun and I hope it stays like this, she said and strolled off with a friend back to her classes at Moscow State University.Temperatures in Moscow hit around 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, 6 degrees higher than the average for March and continuing a long, hot sunny spell, a spokeswoman for the state weather monitoring unit Rosgidromet said.
These are the highest March temperatures ever recorded in Moscow, she said.Russia has already had one of its shortest and mildest winters with permanent snow not covering Moscow until the end of January and the spring coming weeks early.
Traffic police have ditched their winter uniforms, thermal vests lie unused in tourists' hotel rooms and Muscovites are forced to leave the windows of their apartments open to cool rooms heated by a central system set for winter.Along a pedestrian street people drank beer and sipped coffee at outdoor restaurant tables.
Sometimes we get the chance to set the tables out on the street towards the end of April, but this weather is more normal in May, said Andrei Viktorov, a barman at Posh Cafe.
But not everybody welcomes the warm weather. Sales staff at a fur coat store in an exclusive shopping mall near Red Square said they had brought their end of season sales forward by a month.They offered a 25 percent discount on a fur coat that would normally cost $3,000, the cheapest in their store, and 35 percent off their most expensive $80,000 coat.
METEORS HIT THE EARTH
REVELATION 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
REVELATION 8:12-13
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,which are yet to sound!
Flaming objects miss jetliner in air By EDUARDO GALLARDO, Associated Press Writer Wed Mar 29, 6:20 PM ET
SANTIAGO, Chile - Pilots of a Chilean commercial jetliner spotted flaming objects falling past their plane as it headed for a landing in New Zealand, airline officials said Wednesday. U.S. experts suggested the objects were likely meteors burning up in the earth's atmosphere and questioned Australian media reports they were probably pieces of a falling Russian spacecraft.LAN Chile airline said in a brief statement that the pilot, who was not identified, made visual contact with incandescent fragments several miles away on Monday. The Airbus 340 had just entered New Zealand airspace when the space debris was spotted.The airline said it reported the incident to authorities in Chile and New Zealand.
Web sites of several Australian news media quoted officials as saying that pieces of a Russian satellite had narrowly missed the jet.But Nicholas Johnson, orbital debris chief scientist for NASA's Johnson Space Center, said that was likely not the case. Russian space junk was expected to come back to Earth — but not until about 12 hours after the incident with the jet, Johnson said.He said he checked with the Russians and the debris an empty Progress resupply ship that had been at the International Space Station re-entered Earth's atmosphere on schedule. Unless someone has their times wrong, there appears to be no correlation, Johnson told The Associated Press.About 50 meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere every day — mostly burning up as they speed toward the planet — said Bill Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies at the Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, Calif.Those that survive and hit the ground are called meteorites.
By contrast, about 150 pieces of man-made space junk fall back to Earth each year, with about two-thirds of it coming as unplanned entries, Ailor said.Larger pieces of man-made space equipment, such as the Progress resupply ship, have motors to guide them back to Earth, Ailor said. If they are calculated to have more than a 1 in 10,000 chance of hitting people, they are shifted to a safer path, he said, though small errors can lead to large variations in where the debris hits.No one has ever been killed by space junk, Ailor said, although in 1997, an Oklahoma woman was grazed in the shoulder by piece.Associated Press Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed to this story from Washington.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
ISRAELIS OFF THEIR LAND 20 MONTHS LATER
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Aftershock with magnitude 4.8 jolts central Japan. 3-Cities at risk of rising sea levels. 4-Strong hurricanes to hit U.S. Gulf in 07. 5-Severe storms, wind, and snow. 6-Chlorine bombs wound 15 in Iraq. 7-Livni: No Final Settlement on the Political Horizon. 8-Beloved in Christ Jesus our Lord, 9-Homesh Once Again Empty of Jews. 10-20 Months Without a Home: Gush Katif Report.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Thu Mar 29 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 28,07
MAP 5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.7 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
MAP 4.7 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.4 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAR 27,07
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.8 FIJI REGION
MAP 4.6 HONDURAS
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 UTAH
MAP 3.0 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.7 POTOSI, BOLIVIA
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
Aftershock with magnitude 4.8 jolts central Japan Tue Mar 27, 7:49 PM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 jolted the west coast of central Japan on Wednesday, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. It struck at 8:08 a.m. (2308 GMT Tuesday) in the Noto peninsula 300 km (190 miles) west of Tokyo, three days after a powerful earthquake in the same area killed one person, injured over 200 and destroyed hundreds of homes.
No tsunami warning was issued on Wednesday and there were no immediate reports of fresh injuries or damage. There have been hundreds of aftershocks since Sunday's quake, which had a magnitude of 6.9.The focus of Wednesday's tremor was 10 km (6 miles) below ground level on the peninsula.
It was moderately strong on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion, measuring lower 5 on a scale of 7.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more than 3,000.That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.
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.
Cities at risk of rising sea levels By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer Tue Mar 27, 11:08 PM ET
LONDON - More than two-thirds of the world's large cities are in areas vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels, and millions of people are at risk of being swamped by flooding and intense storms, according to a new study released Wednesday. In all, 634 million people live in the threatened coastal areas worldwide — defined as those lying at less than 33 feet above sea level — and the number is growing, said the study published in the journal Environment and Urbanization.More than 180 countries have populations in low-elevation coastal zones, and about 70 percent of those have urban areas of more than 5 million people that are under threat. Among them: Tokyo; New York; Mumbai, India; Shanghai, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Dhaka, Bangladesh.The peer-reviewed scientific study said it is the first to identify the world's low-lying coastal areas that are vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels. It said 75 percent of all people living in vulnerable areas are in Asia, with poorer nations most at risk.
The study gives no time frame for rising sea levels or the potential flooding in individual countries. It warns, however, the solution to the problem will not be cheap and may involve relocating many people and building protective engineering structures. And, it adds, nations should consider halting or reducing population growth in coastal areas.Migration away from the zone at risk will be necessary but costly and hard to implement, so coastal settlements will also need to be modified to protect residents, said Gordon McGranahan of the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, a co-author of the study.IIED publishes the journal Environment and Urbanization. The other two co-authors of the study are Deborah Balk of the City University of New York and Bridget Anderson of Columbia University.Separately, the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in a draft copy of a report expected to be released next week that coastlines are already showing the impact of sea-level rise. The draft copy, which was obtained by The Associated Press, said about 100 million people each year could be flooded by rising seas by 2080.
The draft copy warned that two biggest cities in North America — Los Angeles and New York — are at risk of a combination of sea-level rise and violent storms. By 2090, under a worst-case scenario, megafloods that normally would hit North America once every 100 years could occur as frequently as every 3-4 years, the draft said.In February, the IPCC warned of sea-level rises of 7-23 inches by the end of the century due to global warming, making coastal populations vulnerable to flooding and
more intense hurricanes and typhoons.
Asia is particularly vulnerable, the study said. The five nations with the largest total population living in endangered coastal areas are all in Asia: China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. Between 1994 and 2004, about one-third of the world's 1,562 flood disasters occurred in Asia, with half of the total 120,000 people killed by floods living in that region, the study said. In addition, more than 200,000 people were killed by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.Migration away from lowest elevation coastal zones will be important, but can be costly and difficult to implement without causing severe disruptions, the study said. Still, it said, relatively small shifts in settlement location, out of a coastal plain onto more elevated ground, can make a major difference.That is especially true in China, a country with an export-oriented economy that has created special economic zones in coastal locations, such as Shanghai. Fast economic growth has been associated with very rapid coastward migration, with the population in low-lying areas growing at almost twice the national population growth rate between 1990 and 2000, the study said.Unless something is done, there is the possibility that, as well as the people living in the low-elevation coastal zone, China's economic success will be placed at risk, it said.
Strong hurricanes to hit U.S. Gulf in 07: AccuWeather By Janet McGurty
Tue Mar 27, 1:24 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Gulf Coast, which is still rebuilding almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, faces a renewed threat of powerful storms this year, private forecaster AccuWeather said on Tuesday.
After a quiet hurricane season last year, Florida and other Gulf Coast states likely will be hit with fewer storms than during the active 2005 season, which spawned the massive hurricanes Katrina and Rita, AccuWeather said.But the storms forecast for the region will pack a punch.We will not get anywhere near the amount of storms that we did in 2005, but the intensity of the storms we do get will be of major concern, Joe Bastardi, chief hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather.com, said in a statement.
British forecasting group Tropical Storm Risk this month also predicted an active storm season. It forecast four intense hurricanes during the 2007 season, which runs from June through November.
The predictions spell trouble for areas still recuperating from a chain of hurricanes that slammed the Gulf Coast in 2005.The entire region -- including New Orleans and other areas that are still rebuilding after Katrina -- is susceptible to storms, Bastardi said.Katrina killed about 1,500 people along the Gulf Coast in 2005, displaced tens of thousands more and caused billions of dollars in damage.Bastardi also said that storms forecast to hit this year could once again disrupt oil and natural gas operations along the Gulf Coast, driving up energy prices for consumers.This year's stronger storms are likely to be the kind of disruption that will be felt in wallets and pocketbooks, he said.U.S. gasoline prices reached a record high of $3.057 per gallon after Katrina, which caused oil refineries to shut down and companies to evacuate workers from oil and gas producing rigs in the Gulf.
After Hurricane Rita hit the region a month after Katrina, as much as 14 percent of U.S. refinery capacity was shut and about 80 percent of crude oil and 66 percent of natural gas production were down for months.Bastardi also predicted the U.S. Northeast would likely be a target for strong storms for the next 10 years.Last year, the Northeast may have dodged a bullet but, unfortunately, you can only be lucky for so long. We are in a pattern similar to that of the late 1930s through the
1940s, when the Northeast was hit by two major storms, he said.The relative calm of last year's hurricane season, which forecasters had mistakenly predicted would be busy, came on the heels of a record 28 storms and 15 hurricanes in 2005 and only a slightly less furious season in 2004.Bastardi said that, despite the milder 2006 season, the trend was toward strong hurricanes and tropical storms.
We are living in a time of climatic hardship, Bastardi said. We're in a cycle where weather extremes are more the norm and not the exception.
Severe storms, wind, and snow Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Mar 28, 6:27 AM ET
On Wednesday, severe thunderstorms produced large hail and wind damage across parts of northwest Louisiana, northeast Texas, and southwest Arkansas. Strong gusty winds also impacted parts of southern California and parts of the Western Mountains. Today, the threat for gusty winds will continue through the mountains, as well as spread into the central Plains, while severe thunderstorms will become a concern across the central Plains later this afternoon and evening.
There will also be an increasing threat for heavy snow across the Rockies. Low pressure and an associated cold front will enter the western High Plains later this afternoon, interacting with a strong southerly flow of moisture and a strong upper level disturbance. This will trigger numerous severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes, from western Texas, through western Oklahoma, western Kansas, western Nebraska, and western South Dakota by late this afternoon and evening. This includes cities such as Midland, Lubbock, Elk City, Dodge City, North Platte, and Rapid City. The thunderstorms may also bring a heavy rain threat to parts of the central Plains overnight, with some locations picking up an inch of more of rainfall. Gusty winds will also be a factor, with south to southeast winds of 20 to 30 mph common across the central Plains, from Oklahoma City, north through Omaha, Minneapolis, and Fargo. Gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph will also impact parts of the Rockies, from Billings and Salt Lake City, south to Albuquerque. The same low pressure responsible for the gusty winds and severe thunderstorms will also bring heavy snow to parts of the central and northern Rockies. The mountains of eastern Colorado, northwest Utah, much of Wyoming, and much of central and eastern Montana, could see more than 2 feet of snow over the next 2 days. Record snowfall will be possible in places like Billings, MT. In addition, gusty winds will combine with this snow to produce blizzard conditions at times, especially across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming.
PESTILENCES (CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS)
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(CHEMICAL,BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Chlorine bombs wound 15 in Iraq MAR 28,07
BAGHDAD - Suicide bombers detonated explosives on trucks carrying highly toxic chlorine in Fallujah on Wednesday, wounding about 15 U.S. and Iraqi security forces, although the attackers were blocked from reaching government buildings, the American military said. The chlorine gas attack was the eighth launched since Jan. 28, when a suicide bomber driving a dump truck filled with explosives and a chlorine tank struck a quick-reaction force and Iraqi police in Ramadi, killing 16 people.The military said Iraqi soldiers and police prevented Wednesday's attackers from setting off the bombs at the Fallujah government center.The statement did not give a breakdown of how many Iraqi and U.S. forces were wounded. Iraqi soldiers and police were being treated for breathing troubles, nausea, skin irritation and vomiting — symptoms of chlorine gas inhalation.No U.S. or Iraqi forces were killed, the military said.
Livni: No Final Settlement on the Political Horizon
by Hana Levi Julian (INN) MAR 28,07
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told party members at a ceremony opening a new Kadima office in Netanya that a final settlement with the Palestinian Authority is simply not in the cards, at least for now.
A permanent agreement with the Palestinians is impossible in the current situation, she said bluntly, but softened the statement by adding that all is not lost. Livni added that the meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the past three days had resulted in an agreement to begin diplomatic dialogue that will protect our interests.There are only winners in such a situation, Livni opined. We identified Israels and the Palestinians diplomatic horizon. There will be a return to the first phase of the Road Map, which demands that the Palestinians detach themselves from terror completely.
Rice was in Israel for talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah in which she tried to revive the negotiations which began last December between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Despite a number of concessions by Israel which included the transfer to Abu Mazens coffers of $100 million in tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the PA and removal of dozens of security checkpoints throughout Judea and Samaria, the PA has not reciprocated. Foreign Minister Livni slammed Abbass failure to keep his promise to secure the freedom of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit before his faction joined the ruling Hamas terrorist organization in a unity government. Abbas is disappointing us, especially with regard to the issue of Gilad Shalits release. He had a chance to condition the establishment of the unity government on the kidnapped soldiers release but chose not to, she said. Abbas had also vowed not to join such a government unless Hamas agreed to reverse its refusal to accept the three conditions set by the international community in order to resume funding to the PA recognition of the State of Israel, renunciation of terrorism and compliance with existing agreements signed by previous PA administrations.
Livni said Olmert agreed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rices urging to meet bi-weekly with Abu Mazen and clarified that those meetings aim to continue dialogue on the conditions for the establishment of a Palestinian state.Rice acknowledged at a news conference Tuesday morning that the PA unity government deal worked out in Mecca last month had complicated the situation vis-a-vis talks with Israel. We regrouped, she told reporters but it raised the question of what we can do together. The answer, she added, is for both parties to continue their talks with the hope of reaching the stage of negotiations in the future. My work wont replace bilateral talks, Rice said.
I am looking for a common approach I can use with both parties. The American Secretary of State added that trilateral talks would also play a part in that process. There is hard work ahead, Rice said, expressing concern about the lack of movement in talks. She urged the PA to end its terrorist attacks against Israel and called upon the Jewish State to resolve the issue of access between Gaza and other PA territories. Confidence between the two parties has to be built, sheacknowledged, but added that the benefits would be two-fold: a state for the PA and security for Israel.
Abbas meanwhile told reporters Tuesday that it was in Israels best interest to accept the 2002 Arab peace plan that was recently pulled out of mothballs in light of the stalemate in the Israel-PA talks. Abbas said the proposal was the best chance for peace in the near future.The 2002 Arab plan calls for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders, thereby giving up most of Judea and Samaria, all of the Golan Heights and half of Jerusalem, including the eastern neighborhoods and the Old City, home to Judaisms holiest site, the Temple Mount (which includes the Western Wall). The plan also calls on Israel to allow millions of Arab descendants of those who abandoned their homes during the 1948 War of Independence to move into to the Jewish State with full immigrant benefits. Their ancestors fled Israel at the behest of the attacking Arab nations who assured them they would soon be able to return after the destruction of the State.
Beloved in Christ Jesus our Lord, MAR 28,07 Jack Van Impe
After more than half a century of ministry, I am deeply troubled by the misconceptions running rampant about prophetic events ... especially the Rapture! Conducting soul-winning crusades in 1,200 cities in 50 nations and producing well over 1,500 TV and radio programs, Rexella and I have received thousands of questions concerning the great prophecies of God’s Word -- many on the single most exciting event in history: the Rapture of the Church.Because of my commitment to providing you with the truth, I want to send you my acclaimed book -- The Great Escape: Preparing for the Rapture!
I had no choice but to write this book the times demanded it. I have heardshockingly inaccurate quotes about the Rapture erroneous teaching which has caused great discouragement and discontent among believers.Its unique question-and-answer format gives you instant, user-friendly access to the biblical facts answers to the most universally asked questions in my 59-years of ministry! Beloved, I want your eyes to be opened, and your heart stirred, with the hundreds of biblical details pointing to that glorious day when Christ appears in the heavens to take His church home to be with Him before the seven-year period of tribulation begins! And, it’s about to happen.What a tragedy for any follower of Christ to be misguided about this single most important part of every believer’s future!
It need not be. My book corrects the disastrously erroneous thinking of millions, including ministers who actually despise the message of the Rapture.In the pages of The Great Escape, you’re going to encounter dozens of reasons we know we will be evacuated before the tribulation hour ... we know we will then return with Christ seven years later to rule and reign with Him for 1,000 years -- and then forever (Revelation 3:10; 20:4; Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:29).As you support our ongoing global, soul-winning ministry with a generous gift of $15.00 U.S. ($20.00 Canada) today, I want to send you The Great Escape as a personal thank-you from Rexella and me.We do need your help in a special way -- the financial need is great as we press ahead with our proven-effective, soul-winning television programs every week, especially in the late-night hours when so many spiritually needy souls are tuning in to the airwaves, seeking comfort and hope! 250,000 have received Christ as Savior in the past few years. Praise the Lord!
I’ve seen your TV show in the past and I liked it, a viewer writes from Indiana, but last Tuesday something compelled me to say your prayer with you! Last night I prayed to Jesus with Jack and you, a viewer in Florida writes to Rexella, repenting of my sins and asking for a new start.This is the kind of life-transforming, eternity-shaping work that God is doing through your support of our programs every single week! So Rexella and I urge you to give a tax-deductible contribution today, to keep us on the air every week globally -- and let’s see what the Lord will do in multitudes of lives around the world through your generosity!
Yours in world evangelism,
Jack Van Impe
P.S. Please don’t delay. Order The Great Escape: Preparing for the Rapture! I am eager for you to study scores of verses proving we won’t go through the seven-year period of tribulation.
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Homesh Once Again Empty of Jews
by Hana Levi Julian and Aryeh Haffner (INN) MAR 28,07
At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, police began expelling the some 300 Jews who had stayed since Monday at the site of the destroyed northern Samarian hilltop community of Homesh. The operation was all but completed within three hours, though it was feared that some activists had run from the soldiers towards Arab-populated areas.Three officers assigned to every activist used force, but no violence, to evict those who refused to go on their own. Teenagers were singing and dancing as the officers approached to take them out.IDF and police officials had correctly estimated earlier that most of the crowd would take advantage of the buses that had been provided instead of facing a forceful evacuation. Some 1,000 police officers deployed at the site spent the night and early morning hours trying to convince the holdouts to leave the ruins peacefully. Some activists spent hours setting up stone roadblocks overnight, in an attempt to frustrate the efforts of the evacuation forces.Homesh was one of four northern Samaria Jewish communities that Israel's government destroyed in the Disengagement in the summer of 2005. The army allowed protestors to return to Homesh on Monday, but demanded that they leave the area when ordered to do so.
Some 3,500 activists marched to the site on Monday, many equipped with tents and sleeping bags with the intention of staying in Homesh as long as possible.More than half had left the area by midday Tuesday. Shortly afterwards, the IDF allowed two busloads of guests to pass through the security forces' blockade to attend the brit milah (ritual circumcision) of Limor Har-Melekh Sohns baby boy.
Limor and her late husband Shuli were founding members of the Torani core group that attempted, in 2001-2, to give new life to the town of Homesh, which had begun to lose families in the wake of the Oslo War terrorism. Shuli was murdered by Palestinian Authority terrorists in 2003, and Limor has since re-married. The guests left the area after the ceremony was concluded.A core group of former residents and other supporters have vowed to return, again and again, until they are able to rebuild the destroyed community.
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
THIS IS AGAINST GODS WORD TO FORCE ISRAELIS OFF THEIR GOD GIVEN LAND. TROUBLE WILL MOUNT IF IT CONTINUES AND FINALLY WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED, THEN WORLD WAR THREE OCCURS AFTER THAT.
20 Months Without a Home: Gush Katif Report
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAR 28,07
Over 1,400 Gush Katif families are living in 26 temporary sites - and for most of them, permanent homes are still a far-off dream.
A report issued by the Gush Katif Residents Committee this month tells the sad, though slowly improving, story:Out of 1,667 families expelled from Gush Katif in August 2005 by the Ariel Sharon government, 1,405 are living together in 26 temporary sites. Not one permanent home has begun to be built.In order to turn a temporary site into a permanent one, a contract must be signed between the government, the residents, and the permanent community already there or the owners. Out of 26 sites, only 6 such agreements have been signed.Infrastructures have begun to be prepared for a third of the families - those living in Nitzan (north of Ashkelon), Bat Hadar (just southeast of Ashkelon), and the Halutza Sands (Yated and Yevul, due south of southern Gaza along the Israel-Egypt border).
The reasons for the lack of a contract, the report explains, differ from place to place - but the bottom-line fact that the State is not finding solutions causes great difficulties, and leads to a great lack of confidence, directly influencing other areas of life.It is now clear that the caravan sites will be home for the uprooted residents for at least five years.The problems encountered by the government and the residents in their attempt to rebuild their communities are so complex, varied and time-consuming that they increasingly put the lie to the government's 2005 promise A [housing] solution for every resident.For instance, Nitzanim, north of Ashkelon, is now home to 460 families who mainly hail from five former Gush Katif communities. An agreement to turn the area into fa full-fledged town in the framework of the government's flagship project to resettle ex-Gush Katif
residents has been signed, but its implementation has been held up by several issues. Chief among them is the fact that the land was only recently purchased by the government. The government has also reneged on promises to grant the area preferred status. No solution has yet been found for a packing plant to serve the residents' agricultural industries, an agreed-upon price for land for expellees who are now coming of age [known as the next generation], and the transfer of the municipal area from Ashkelon to the Shikmim Regional Council.Other would-be communities are waiting for the government to order the Defense Ministry to free up areas used for firing ranges, to purchase the land, budgeting of infrastructure connections, access roads, and more.
Unemployment
Unemployment was almost unknown in Gush Katif, yet now, 20 months after the expulsion, joblessness is still high and stands at 37%. Before the expulsion, the great majority of residents were employed in agriculture, industry, education, and local services, and contributed significantly to the Israeli economy. Of 2,200 who were employed, some 400 people of age 50 and over have essentially given up looking for work. These 400 were not taken into account when the Employment Bureau recently announced that 75% of Gush Katif's employees had returned to the work pool.Eligibility for unemployment payments and adjustment funds has long expired. Self-employed workers were never eligible for these funds, and most of them have had no income for the past 18 months... Some 80 non-agricultural businesses have returned to operation, out of 180, but many of them are in dire straits... The State decided on a one-time grant to small business owners, but over 85% of them are not eligible...
Farmers
Some 30% of the families of Gush Katif ran 400 agricultural businesses, raising tomatoes, celery, flowers, and much more. Only 33 of them have received land to resume operations. The upcoming Shemittah year, when many religious farmers do not work the land, will lead to a situation of four consecutive unproductive years for many of them, from 2004 (when the Disengagement was announced) until 2008.
Emotional Difficulties
Families face hardships and psychological pressures caused by financial difficulties, forced unemployment, an uncertain future, loss of community and friends, tight living quarters, bureaucracy, and the like. The financial compensation provided by the government for new housing - only 30% of the families have received the full amount; almost all have received partial compensation - is being used by some for day-to-day living. Some 500 families are aided by welfare organizations. Of late, an increasing number of families are receiving help from government-provided psychological services.
The implementation of the Evacuation/Compensation Law has shown that it includes many injustices and unfair restrictions. MKs Uri Ariel (National Union) and Avigdor Yitzchaki (Kadima) are leading a drive in the Knesset to legislate changes and improvements to the existing law. It appears that there is a willingness in the Prime Minister's Bureau to go along with most of the proposed changes.
Conclusion
The situation is wretched, and the State has failed tremendously. Despite this, the communities of Gush Katif continue to work and accomplish, and it is clear that once they receive the necessary tools once again - progress on their permanent communities and improvements in the Evacuation/ Compensation Law - they will once again be an asset to Israel - active, productive and giving.The communities of Gush Katif are a paradigm of mutual responsibility and concern for the collective.
Most of the expellees have remained in the communal framework, hoping to perpetuate their values, ideals and vision that existed in Gush Katif. Their support for each other is something to be admired.
With the understanding that the community is made up of its members, they are not willing to give up on any one of their members who are considered ineligible for whatever reason by the government.
They also are concerned for their next generation, make sure to maintain rich communal life in their temporary sites, and work to ensure the existence of public buildings in their new communities. The communal strength has greatly enabled them to struggle with the various difficulties - but there are no guarantees. The continuing uncertainty seeps through, and makes every aspect of life more difficult. The Gush Katif Residents Committee posits that the rehabilitation of the expellees is largely dependent on the granting of national-priority status to the treatment of the expellees, including detouring the various bureaucratic wrangles that are involved. The government must make a comprehensive change in its approach to these problems in order to bring an end to this sad chapter as quickly as possible and ease the difficulties of this sector that has suffered greatly.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Thu Mar 29 12:00 AM EDT
MAR 28,07
MAP 5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.9 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.7 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
MAP 4.7 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.4 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAR 27,07
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.5 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.8 FIJI REGION
MAP 4.6 HONDURAS
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 3.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 UTAH
MAP 3.0 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.7 POTOSI, BOLIVIA
MAP 2.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
Aftershock with magnitude 4.8 jolts central Japan Tue Mar 27, 7:49 PM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 jolted the west coast of central Japan on Wednesday, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. It struck at 8:08 a.m. (2308 GMT Tuesday) in the Noto peninsula 300 km (190 miles) west of Tokyo, three days after a powerful earthquake in the same area killed one person, injured over 200 and destroyed hundreds of homes.
No tsunami warning was issued on Wednesday and there were no immediate reports of fresh injuries or damage. There have been hundreds of aftershocks since Sunday's quake, which had a magnitude of 6.9.The focus of Wednesday's tremor was 10 km (6 miles) below ground level on the peninsula.
It was moderately strong on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion, measuring lower 5 on a scale of 7.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more than 3,000.That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.
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.
Cities at risk of rising sea levels By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer Tue Mar 27, 11:08 PM ET
LONDON - More than two-thirds of the world's large cities are in areas vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels, and millions of people are at risk of being swamped by flooding and intense storms, according to a new study released Wednesday. In all, 634 million people live in the threatened coastal areas worldwide — defined as those lying at less than 33 feet above sea level — and the number is growing, said the study published in the journal Environment and Urbanization.More than 180 countries have populations in low-elevation coastal zones, and about 70 percent of those have urban areas of more than 5 million people that are under threat. Among them: Tokyo; New York; Mumbai, India; Shanghai, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Dhaka, Bangladesh.The peer-reviewed scientific study said it is the first to identify the world's low-lying coastal areas that are vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels. It said 75 percent of all people living in vulnerable areas are in Asia, with poorer nations most at risk.
The study gives no time frame for rising sea levels or the potential flooding in individual countries. It warns, however, the solution to the problem will not be cheap and may involve relocating many people and building protective engineering structures. And, it adds, nations should consider halting or reducing population growth in coastal areas.Migration away from the zone at risk will be necessary but costly and hard to implement, so coastal settlements will also need to be modified to protect residents, said Gordon McGranahan of the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, a co-author of the study.IIED publishes the journal Environment and Urbanization. The other two co-authors of the study are Deborah Balk of the City University of New York and Bridget Anderson of Columbia University.Separately, the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in a draft copy of a report expected to be released next week that coastlines are already showing the impact of sea-level rise. The draft copy, which was obtained by The Associated Press, said about 100 million people each year could be flooded by rising seas by 2080.
The draft copy warned that two biggest cities in North America — Los Angeles and New York — are at risk of a combination of sea-level rise and violent storms. By 2090, under a worst-case scenario, megafloods that normally would hit North America once every 100 years could occur as frequently as every 3-4 years, the draft said.In February, the IPCC warned of sea-level rises of 7-23 inches by the end of the century due to global warming, making coastal populations vulnerable to flooding and
more intense hurricanes and typhoons.
Asia is particularly vulnerable, the study said. The five nations with the largest total population living in endangered coastal areas are all in Asia: China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. Between 1994 and 2004, about one-third of the world's 1,562 flood disasters occurred in Asia, with half of the total 120,000 people killed by floods living in that region, the study said. In addition, more than 200,000 people were killed by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.Migration away from lowest elevation coastal zones will be important, but can be costly and difficult to implement without causing severe disruptions, the study said. Still, it said, relatively small shifts in settlement location, out of a coastal plain onto more elevated ground, can make a major difference.That is especially true in China, a country with an export-oriented economy that has created special economic zones in coastal locations, such as Shanghai. Fast economic growth has been associated with very rapid coastward migration, with the population in low-lying areas growing at almost twice the national population growth rate between 1990 and 2000, the study said.Unless something is done, there is the possibility that, as well as the people living in the low-elevation coastal zone, China's economic success will be placed at risk, it said.
Strong hurricanes to hit U.S. Gulf in 07: AccuWeather By Janet McGurty
Tue Mar 27, 1:24 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Gulf Coast, which is still rebuilding almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, faces a renewed threat of powerful storms this year, private forecaster AccuWeather said on Tuesday.
After a quiet hurricane season last year, Florida and other Gulf Coast states likely will be hit with fewer storms than during the active 2005 season, which spawned the massive hurricanes Katrina and Rita, AccuWeather said.But the storms forecast for the region will pack a punch.We will not get anywhere near the amount of storms that we did in 2005, but the intensity of the storms we do get will be of major concern, Joe Bastardi, chief hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather.com, said in a statement.
British forecasting group Tropical Storm Risk this month also predicted an active storm season. It forecast four intense hurricanes during the 2007 season, which runs from June through November.
The predictions spell trouble for areas still recuperating from a chain of hurricanes that slammed the Gulf Coast in 2005.The entire region -- including New Orleans and other areas that are still rebuilding after Katrina -- is susceptible to storms, Bastardi said.Katrina killed about 1,500 people along the Gulf Coast in 2005, displaced tens of thousands more and caused billions of dollars in damage.Bastardi also said that storms forecast to hit this year could once again disrupt oil and natural gas operations along the Gulf Coast, driving up energy prices for consumers.This year's stronger storms are likely to be the kind of disruption that will be felt in wallets and pocketbooks, he said.U.S. gasoline prices reached a record high of $3.057 per gallon after Katrina, which caused oil refineries to shut down and companies to evacuate workers from oil and gas producing rigs in the Gulf.
After Hurricane Rita hit the region a month after Katrina, as much as 14 percent of U.S. refinery capacity was shut and about 80 percent of crude oil and 66 percent of natural gas production were down for months.Bastardi also predicted the U.S. Northeast would likely be a target for strong storms for the next 10 years.Last year, the Northeast may have dodged a bullet but, unfortunately, you can only be lucky for so long. We are in a pattern similar to that of the late 1930s through the
1940s, when the Northeast was hit by two major storms, he said.The relative calm of last year's hurricane season, which forecasters had mistakenly predicted would be busy, came on the heels of a record 28 storms and 15 hurricanes in 2005 and only a slightly less furious season in 2004.Bastardi said that, despite the milder 2006 season, the trend was toward strong hurricanes and tropical storms.
We are living in a time of climatic hardship, Bastardi said. We're in a cycle where weather extremes are more the norm and not the exception.
Severe storms, wind, and snow Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Mar 28, 6:27 AM ET
On Wednesday, severe thunderstorms produced large hail and wind damage across parts of northwest Louisiana, northeast Texas, and southwest Arkansas. Strong gusty winds also impacted parts of southern California and parts of the Western Mountains. Today, the threat for gusty winds will continue through the mountains, as well as spread into the central Plains, while severe thunderstorms will become a concern across the central Plains later this afternoon and evening.
There will also be an increasing threat for heavy snow across the Rockies. Low pressure and an associated cold front will enter the western High Plains later this afternoon, interacting with a strong southerly flow of moisture and a strong upper level disturbance. This will trigger numerous severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes, from western Texas, through western Oklahoma, western Kansas, western Nebraska, and western South Dakota by late this afternoon and evening. This includes cities such as Midland, Lubbock, Elk City, Dodge City, North Platte, and Rapid City. The thunderstorms may also bring a heavy rain threat to parts of the central Plains overnight, with some locations picking up an inch of more of rainfall. Gusty winds will also be a factor, with south to southeast winds of 20 to 30 mph common across the central Plains, from Oklahoma City, north through Omaha, Minneapolis, and Fargo. Gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph will also impact parts of the Rockies, from Billings and Salt Lake City, south to Albuquerque. The same low pressure responsible for the gusty winds and severe thunderstorms will also bring heavy snow to parts of the central and northern Rockies. The mountains of eastern Colorado, northwest Utah, much of Wyoming, and much of central and eastern Montana, could see more than 2 feet of snow over the next 2 days. Record snowfall will be possible in places like Billings, MT. In addition, gusty winds will combine with this snow to produce blizzard conditions at times, especially across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming.
PESTILENCES (CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS)
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(CHEMICAL,BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Chlorine bombs wound 15 in Iraq MAR 28,07
BAGHDAD - Suicide bombers detonated explosives on trucks carrying highly toxic chlorine in Fallujah on Wednesday, wounding about 15 U.S. and Iraqi security forces, although the attackers were blocked from reaching government buildings, the American military said. The chlorine gas attack was the eighth launched since Jan. 28, when a suicide bomber driving a dump truck filled with explosives and a chlorine tank struck a quick-reaction force and Iraqi police in Ramadi, killing 16 people.The military said Iraqi soldiers and police prevented Wednesday's attackers from setting off the bombs at the Fallujah government center.The statement did not give a breakdown of how many Iraqi and U.S. forces were wounded. Iraqi soldiers and police were being treated for breathing troubles, nausea, skin irritation and vomiting — symptoms of chlorine gas inhalation.No U.S. or Iraqi forces were killed, the military said.
Livni: No Final Settlement on the Political Horizon
by Hana Levi Julian (INN) MAR 28,07
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told party members at a ceremony opening a new Kadima office in Netanya that a final settlement with the Palestinian Authority is simply not in the cards, at least for now.
A permanent agreement with the Palestinians is impossible in the current situation, she said bluntly, but softened the statement by adding that all is not lost. Livni added that the meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the past three days had resulted in an agreement to begin diplomatic dialogue that will protect our interests.There are only winners in such a situation, Livni opined. We identified Israels and the Palestinians diplomatic horizon. There will be a return to the first phase of the Road Map, which demands that the Palestinians detach themselves from terror completely.
Rice was in Israel for talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah in which she tried to revive the negotiations which began last December between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Despite a number of concessions by Israel which included the transfer to Abu Mazens coffers of $100 million in tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the PA and removal of dozens of security checkpoints throughout Judea and Samaria, the PA has not reciprocated. Foreign Minister Livni slammed Abbass failure to keep his promise to secure the freedom of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit before his faction joined the ruling Hamas terrorist organization in a unity government. Abbas is disappointing us, especially with regard to the issue of Gilad Shalits release. He had a chance to condition the establishment of the unity government on the kidnapped soldiers release but chose not to, she said. Abbas had also vowed not to join such a government unless Hamas agreed to reverse its refusal to accept the three conditions set by the international community in order to resume funding to the PA recognition of the State of Israel, renunciation of terrorism and compliance with existing agreements signed by previous PA administrations.
Livni said Olmert agreed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rices urging to meet bi-weekly with Abu Mazen and clarified that those meetings aim to continue dialogue on the conditions for the establishment of a Palestinian state.Rice acknowledged at a news conference Tuesday morning that the PA unity government deal worked out in Mecca last month had complicated the situation vis-a-vis talks with Israel. We regrouped, she told reporters but it raised the question of what we can do together. The answer, she added, is for both parties to continue their talks with the hope of reaching the stage of negotiations in the future. My work wont replace bilateral talks, Rice said.
I am looking for a common approach I can use with both parties. The American Secretary of State added that trilateral talks would also play a part in that process. There is hard work ahead, Rice said, expressing concern about the lack of movement in talks. She urged the PA to end its terrorist attacks against Israel and called upon the Jewish State to resolve the issue of access between Gaza and other PA territories. Confidence between the two parties has to be built, sheacknowledged, but added that the benefits would be two-fold: a state for the PA and security for Israel.
Abbas meanwhile told reporters Tuesday that it was in Israels best interest to accept the 2002 Arab peace plan that was recently pulled out of mothballs in light of the stalemate in the Israel-PA talks. Abbas said the proposal was the best chance for peace in the near future.The 2002 Arab plan calls for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders, thereby giving up most of Judea and Samaria, all of the Golan Heights and half of Jerusalem, including the eastern neighborhoods and the Old City, home to Judaisms holiest site, the Temple Mount (which includes the Western Wall). The plan also calls on Israel to allow millions of Arab descendants of those who abandoned their homes during the 1948 War of Independence to move into to the Jewish State with full immigrant benefits. Their ancestors fled Israel at the behest of the attacking Arab nations who assured them they would soon be able to return after the destruction of the State.
Beloved in Christ Jesus our Lord, MAR 28,07 Jack Van Impe
After more than half a century of ministry, I am deeply troubled by the misconceptions running rampant about prophetic events ... especially the Rapture! Conducting soul-winning crusades in 1,200 cities in 50 nations and producing well over 1,500 TV and radio programs, Rexella and I have received thousands of questions concerning the great prophecies of God’s Word -- many on the single most exciting event in history: the Rapture of the Church.Because of my commitment to providing you with the truth, I want to send you my acclaimed book -- The Great Escape: Preparing for the Rapture!
I had no choice but to write this book the times demanded it. I have heardshockingly inaccurate quotes about the Rapture erroneous teaching which has caused great discouragement and discontent among believers.Its unique question-and-answer format gives you instant, user-friendly access to the biblical facts answers to the most universally asked questions in my 59-years of ministry! Beloved, I want your eyes to be opened, and your heart stirred, with the hundreds of biblical details pointing to that glorious day when Christ appears in the heavens to take His church home to be with Him before the seven-year period of tribulation begins! And, it’s about to happen.What a tragedy for any follower of Christ to be misguided about this single most important part of every believer’s future!
It need not be. My book corrects the disastrously erroneous thinking of millions, including ministers who actually despise the message of the Rapture.In the pages of The Great Escape, you’re going to encounter dozens of reasons we know we will be evacuated before the tribulation hour ... we know we will then return with Christ seven years later to rule and reign with Him for 1,000 years -- and then forever (Revelation 3:10; 20:4; Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:29).As you support our ongoing global, soul-winning ministry with a generous gift of $15.00 U.S. ($20.00 Canada) today, I want to send you The Great Escape as a personal thank-you from Rexella and me.We do need your help in a special way -- the financial need is great as we press ahead with our proven-effective, soul-winning television programs every week, especially in the late-night hours when so many spiritually needy souls are tuning in to the airwaves, seeking comfort and hope! 250,000 have received Christ as Savior in the past few years. Praise the Lord!
I’ve seen your TV show in the past and I liked it, a viewer writes from Indiana, but last Tuesday something compelled me to say your prayer with you! Last night I prayed to Jesus with Jack and you, a viewer in Florida writes to Rexella, repenting of my sins and asking for a new start.This is the kind of life-transforming, eternity-shaping work that God is doing through your support of our programs every single week! So Rexella and I urge you to give a tax-deductible contribution today, to keep us on the air every week globally -- and let’s see what the Lord will do in multitudes of lives around the world through your generosity!
Yours in world evangelism,
Jack Van Impe
P.S. Please don’t delay. Order The Great Escape: Preparing for the Rapture! I am eager for you to study scores of verses proving we won’t go through the seven-year period of tribulation.
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Homesh Once Again Empty of Jews
by Hana Levi Julian and Aryeh Haffner (INN) MAR 28,07
At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, police began expelling the some 300 Jews who had stayed since Monday at the site of the destroyed northern Samarian hilltop community of Homesh. The operation was all but completed within three hours, though it was feared that some activists had run from the soldiers towards Arab-populated areas.Three officers assigned to every activist used force, but no violence, to evict those who refused to go on their own. Teenagers were singing and dancing as the officers approached to take them out.IDF and police officials had correctly estimated earlier that most of the crowd would take advantage of the buses that had been provided instead of facing a forceful evacuation. Some 1,000 police officers deployed at the site spent the night and early morning hours trying to convince the holdouts to leave the ruins peacefully. Some activists spent hours setting up stone roadblocks overnight, in an attempt to frustrate the efforts of the evacuation forces.Homesh was one of four northern Samaria Jewish communities that Israel's government destroyed in the Disengagement in the summer of 2005. The army allowed protestors to return to Homesh on Monday, but demanded that they leave the area when ordered to do so.
Some 3,500 activists marched to the site on Monday, many equipped with tents and sleeping bags with the intention of staying in Homesh as long as possible.More than half had left the area by midday Tuesday. Shortly afterwards, the IDF allowed two busloads of guests to pass through the security forces' blockade to attend the brit milah (ritual circumcision) of Limor Har-Melekh Sohns baby boy.
Limor and her late husband Shuli were founding members of the Torani core group that attempted, in 2001-2, to give new life to the town of Homesh, which had begun to lose families in the wake of the Oslo War terrorism. Shuli was murdered by Palestinian Authority terrorists in 2003, and Limor has since re-married. The guests left the area after the ceremony was concluded.A core group of former residents and other supporters have vowed to return, again and again, until they are able to rebuild the destroyed community.
JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
THIS IS AGAINST GODS WORD TO FORCE ISRAELIS OFF THEIR GOD GIVEN LAND. TROUBLE WILL MOUNT IF IT CONTINUES AND FINALLY WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED, THEN WORLD WAR THREE OCCURS AFTER THAT.
20 Months Without a Home: Gush Katif Report
by Hillel Fendel (INN) MAR 28,07
Over 1,400 Gush Katif families are living in 26 temporary sites - and for most of them, permanent homes are still a far-off dream.
A report issued by the Gush Katif Residents Committee this month tells the sad, though slowly improving, story:Out of 1,667 families expelled from Gush Katif in August 2005 by the Ariel Sharon government, 1,405 are living together in 26 temporary sites. Not one permanent home has begun to be built.In order to turn a temporary site into a permanent one, a contract must be signed between the government, the residents, and the permanent community already there or the owners. Out of 26 sites, only 6 such agreements have been signed.Infrastructures have begun to be prepared for a third of the families - those living in Nitzan (north of Ashkelon), Bat Hadar (just southeast of Ashkelon), and the Halutza Sands (Yated and Yevul, due south of southern Gaza along the Israel-Egypt border).
The reasons for the lack of a contract, the report explains, differ from place to place - but the bottom-line fact that the State is not finding solutions causes great difficulties, and leads to a great lack of confidence, directly influencing other areas of life.It is now clear that the caravan sites will be home for the uprooted residents for at least five years.The problems encountered by the government and the residents in their attempt to rebuild their communities are so complex, varied and time-consuming that they increasingly put the lie to the government's 2005 promise A [housing] solution for every resident.For instance, Nitzanim, north of Ashkelon, is now home to 460 families who mainly hail from five former Gush Katif communities. An agreement to turn the area into fa full-fledged town in the framework of the government's flagship project to resettle ex-Gush Katif
residents has been signed, but its implementation has been held up by several issues. Chief among them is the fact that the land was only recently purchased by the government. The government has also reneged on promises to grant the area preferred status. No solution has yet been found for a packing plant to serve the residents' agricultural industries, an agreed-upon price for land for expellees who are now coming of age [known as the next generation], and the transfer of the municipal area from Ashkelon to the Shikmim Regional Council.Other would-be communities are waiting for the government to order the Defense Ministry to free up areas used for firing ranges, to purchase the land, budgeting of infrastructure connections, access roads, and more.
Unemployment
Unemployment was almost unknown in Gush Katif, yet now, 20 months after the expulsion, joblessness is still high and stands at 37%. Before the expulsion, the great majority of residents were employed in agriculture, industry, education, and local services, and contributed significantly to the Israeli economy. Of 2,200 who were employed, some 400 people of age 50 and over have essentially given up looking for work. These 400 were not taken into account when the Employment Bureau recently announced that 75% of Gush Katif's employees had returned to the work pool.Eligibility for unemployment payments and adjustment funds has long expired. Self-employed workers were never eligible for these funds, and most of them have had no income for the past 18 months... Some 80 non-agricultural businesses have returned to operation, out of 180, but many of them are in dire straits... The State decided on a one-time grant to small business owners, but over 85% of them are not eligible...
Farmers
Some 30% of the families of Gush Katif ran 400 agricultural businesses, raising tomatoes, celery, flowers, and much more. Only 33 of them have received land to resume operations. The upcoming Shemittah year, when many religious farmers do not work the land, will lead to a situation of four consecutive unproductive years for many of them, from 2004 (when the Disengagement was announced) until 2008.
Emotional Difficulties
Families face hardships and psychological pressures caused by financial difficulties, forced unemployment, an uncertain future, loss of community and friends, tight living quarters, bureaucracy, and the like. The financial compensation provided by the government for new housing - only 30% of the families have received the full amount; almost all have received partial compensation - is being used by some for day-to-day living. Some 500 families are aided by welfare organizations. Of late, an increasing number of families are receiving help from government-provided psychological services.
The implementation of the Evacuation/Compensation Law has shown that it includes many injustices and unfair restrictions. MKs Uri Ariel (National Union) and Avigdor Yitzchaki (Kadima) are leading a drive in the Knesset to legislate changes and improvements to the existing law. It appears that there is a willingness in the Prime Minister's Bureau to go along with most of the proposed changes.
Conclusion
The situation is wretched, and the State has failed tremendously. Despite this, the communities of Gush Katif continue to work and accomplish, and it is clear that once they receive the necessary tools once again - progress on their permanent communities and improvements in the Evacuation/ Compensation Law - they will once again be an asset to Israel - active, productive and giving.The communities of Gush Katif are a paradigm of mutual responsibility and concern for the collective.
Most of the expellees have remained in the communal framework, hoping to perpetuate their values, ideals and vision that existed in Gush Katif. Their support for each other is something to be admired.
With the understanding that the community is made up of its members, they are not willing to give up on any one of their members who are considered ineligible for whatever reason by the government.
They also are concerned for their next generation, make sure to maintain rich communal life in their temporary sites, and work to ensure the existence of public buildings in their new communities. The communal strength has greatly enabled them to struggle with the various difficulties - but there are no guarantees. The continuing uncertainty seeps through, and makes every aspect of life more difficult. The Gush Katif Residents Committee posits that the rehabilitation of the expellees is largely dependent on the granting of national-priority status to the treatment of the expellees, including detouring the various bureaucratic wrangles that are involved. The government must make a comprehensive change in its approach to these problems in order to bring an end to this sad chapter as quickly as possible and ease the difficulties of this sector that has suffered greatly.
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