Friday, March 28, 2008

EU HEAVY RELIANCE ON LOBBYISTS

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 Ohio Valley rain, Northeast snow Kevin Roth
MAR 27,08


Midwest

A wave of low pressure finally pushes the stationary boundary south of the Ohio Valley Friday bringing an end to the latest rounds of rain. Before the rain moves out Friday afternoon the Midwest should receive 1 to 3 inches. All that moisture eventually finds its way into the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers prolonging the flooding occurring from southern Indiana southwest to Arkansas. The drier regime that moves in Friday afternoon lasts through Saturday, but more rain is in the forecast Sunday through early next week. Cooler air spreads from the upper Midwest into the Ohio Valley behind the rain later Friday and Saturday with slight moderation expected Sunday.

Northeast

A storm system moves from the Ohio Valley through southern New England Friday bringing rain and snow to the Northeast. A band of moderate snowfall could occur across central New York, southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire into central Maine. Many locations could see 4 inches with local amounts exceeding 6 inches. Rain amounts on the warm side of the system should average 0.25 to 0.75 inches. Drier air moves in for the weekend with mostly sunny skies Saturday and increasing clouds Sunday. The next threat of rain and snow moves in Sunday night. Temperatures Friday range from the chilly 30s north to the lower 80s over southeastern Virginia. The cool air over the north spreads into Virginia knocking temperatures back into the 40s and 50s for the weekend.

South

A cold front drops into the South from the Midwest later Friday and stalls close to the Gulf Coast for the weekend. Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast for the Tennessee Valley and lower Mississippi Valley Friday. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible across the entire South Saturday. Temperatures should still be quite warm Friday ahead of the front with highs ranging from the 60s north to the lower to middle 80s south. A few areas in the Rio Grande Valley could make a run at the lower 90s Friday afternoon. Cooler air spreads southward into the Carolinas and northern Georgia Saturday with temperatures falling into the 50s by evening. Other areas of the South should continue warm with highs mostly in the 70s and 80s.

West

A storm system sweeps through the Northwest into the northern Rocky Mountains Friday into Saturday with more rain and snow. Elevations above about 3,000 feet could pick up over a foot of new snow from the Cascades through the Rockies. Initially the precipitation could start as snow in Seattle and Portland, but should quickly change over to rain. Rain from the system may make it as far south as the central California coast including San Francisco and Sacramento. Residual showers of rain and snow hang over the Northwest and northern and central Rockies through the weekend while central California dries out. Temperatures remain on the cool side of average through the weekend to the north, while southern areas remain at or slightly above average. Highs should range from the 20s over the mountains to the middle 40s over the lower elevations of the north to the 50s over the mountains to the lower 90s over deserts to the south.

$8 mln rebuilding bill after Mozambique cyclone
Wed Mar 26, 5:58 AM


MAPUTO (AFP) - Mozambique's northeast Nampula province needs eight million dollars to rebuild five districts devastated this month by a cyclone which killed 12 people in the region, an official said Wednesday.About 30 people died while nearly 90,000 others were displaced throughout the country when Cyclone Jokwe ripped through the southern African country earlier this month.An assessment made by the Nampula provincial government indicates that eight million dollars (about five million euros) will be needed to repair and rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the cyclone, national disaster management director Joao Ribeiro told AFP.The cyclone, which tore down electric pylons, buildings and trees, was propelled by packed winds of up to 100 kilometres (63 miles) per hour when it hit northern Mozambique.Officials from the government and donor agencies were still evaluating the extent of damage done by the cyclone in the central Zambezia province, he said.The report on the damage done to the Zambezia province will be out by the beginning of April, Ribeiro said.Six people were killed while tens of others were injured, some of them seriously, in the same province.The government has not fully rebuilt the resort town of Vilankulo, which was destroyed by another cyclone in February last year despite receiving one million dollars it requested.Some government infrastructure yet to be rebuilt are hospitals, schools and offices.

Cyclone forms off Australia, oil drillers on watch
Wed Mar 26, 4:05 AM


PERTH (Reuters) - A powerful category-three cyclone has formed off the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to move south or southeast, potentially threatening production at some offshore oil fields.Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday that tropical Cyclone Pancho was located 1,208 km (750 miles) west of the Exmouth region at 4 p.m. local time and warned of winds above 55knots with very high to phenomenal seas. But the cyclone is not expected to affect the Western Australian coastline in the next 48 hours, the bureau said.Woodside Petroleum Ltd, which operates a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project as well as some major oil fields off northwest Australia, said it was keeping a close eye on the storm but was continuing normal operations at all fields for now.Chevron also said it was monitoring the storm but has not shut down any operations.No oil firms have reported shutdowns yet.

Tropical cyclones typically batter the region between November and April, forcing offshore oil drillers as well as miners, such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc to suspend operations and evacuate staff.Last month, a powerful cyclone forced oil companies, including Apache Corp, Woodside and BHP to shut over 220,000 barrels a day of oil production, about 40 percent of Australia's output, for nearly a week.

Towns by Ark. refuge warned of flooding By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 27, 11:19 AM ET

CLARENDON, Ark. - Authorities warned small communities and cabin dwellers along the White River National Wildlife Refuge that they will soon be affected by rising waters that have flooded more than half the state. Hydrologist Steve Bays of the National Weather Service said Thursday that residents are going to see a foot a day rise. The refuge is located in the floodplain of the White River near where it meets the Mississippi.One thing that we are trying to do around here is keep people concerned about what's going on but not inflict a panic, and it's a fine line. It certainly bears monitoring by people along the river, Bays said.Bays said there were too many variables to predict what will happen when the crest in the White River meets the Mississippi on Arkansas' eastern border. While rain is forecast, it might not be as heavy and might be slower moving than the storms last week that brought on the current conditions.At St. Charles on Thursday morning, the White River was at 29.3 feet, about a foot higher than a year ago. Bays guessed the river would reach 33-35 feet by late this weekend or early next week, near the 36.5-foot level during floods in 1973.

It's certainly going to be several feet above what causes some problems, Bays said.Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for points along the White River downstream from Des Arc.Gov. Mike Beebe has declared 39 counties — more than half the state — disaster areas, and President Bush issued a federal disaster declaration for 35 counties on Wednesday. One person remains missing after the storms.In Missouri, the Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday it stopped the release of extra water into the Missouri River below Kansas City, citing residents worried about more flooding.The corps said it began holding back releases from tributary dams in the lower Missouri on Wednesday. That move effectively negates releases already put in motion from Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, S.D.The move will still provide a pulse of higher water needed to prompt spawning of an endangered fish, the corps said.Recent heavy rains also flooded parts of Ohio, Indiana and southern Illinois. The weather has been linked to at least 17 deaths.On the Net:Arkansas Emergency Management: http://www.adem.arkansas.gov/ Weather Service Arkansas flood map: http://tinyurl.com/2ujyrw.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

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

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:20,30
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Russia to US: Scrap missile defense By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer MAR 27,08

MOSCOW - Russia's foreign minister laid out a tough negotiating position on America's missile defense plans Thursday ahead of a visit by President Bush, saying the best solution would be for the U.S. to scrap the idea altogether. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russian experts were studying the latest U.S. plans — intended to ease Russian concerns about the proposed missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic — but he reaffirmed Moscow's call for Washington to drop them.We are convinced that the best way to assuage Russia's concerns ... will be to abandon such plans and turn to a truly collective project, Lavrov told reporters.Earlier this month, the U.S. secretaries of state and defense visited Moscow with new proposals that would allow Russia to closely monitor the prospective missile defense sites.Lavrov previously has said the proposals reflect the U.S. recognition of Russia's concerns but that Moscow needs to study them in details before replying.

Bush plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Putin's Black Sea residence on April 6 to try to resolve the missile defense dispute.Putin has rejected U.S. arguments that the missile shield is needed to counter a prospective missile threat from Iran. He said the U.S. plan would erode Russia's nuclear deterrent.Last summer, Putin proposed that the U.S. jointly use an early warning radar in Azerbaijan instead. The U.S. has promised to consider that Russian offer, but said it couldn't replace its planned facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.Bush plans to visit Russia after attending a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, April 2-4.Putin also plans to attend part of the summit, which is set to discuss membership aspirations of Ukraine and Georgia.Russia has strongly warned NATO against granting its two ex-Soviet neighbors a so-called membership action plan, a roadmap to joining the alliance.

Putin has threatened to aim nuclear weapons at Ukraine if it joins NATO and accepts the deployment of anti-missile defenses on its territory. And the Russian parliament last week urged the Kremlin to consider recognizing the independence of two separatist regions in Georgia, part of a campaign to keep it out of NATO.Lavrov on Thursday reaffirmed Moscow's strong objections against putting Ukraine and Georgia on a track to NATO membership, saying an expansion of the Cold War-era alliance would be at odds with realities of the modern world.

Diplomatic tussle over Georgia and Ukraine NATO bids
27.03.2008 - 09:01 CET | By Honor Mahony


Germany and other western European states are attempting to block Georgia and Ukraine from getting the green light to join NATO out of a fear of antagonising Russia.Citing diplomatic sources, German daily Financial Times Deutschland says that a group of western countries do not want Tbilisi and Kiev to get candidate status for membership of the military alliance, something they are due to receive at a high-level summit in Bucharest next week.At the 2-4 April meeting, Georgia and Ukraine are hoping to get approval for their membership action plans (MAP). This would be considered as a signal that their application bid is on the right track. The camp of blocking states is said to include Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg.

A fear of annoying Russia which is categorically against its two neighbours joining a military organisation to which it does not belong is behind the move.Earlier in the week, incoming Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said in a Financial Times interview that Moscow was not happy with the situation.We consider that it is extremely troublesome for the existing structure of European security, he said.The move by Germany and France and others puts them in the path of US president George W. Bush, who is in favour of Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO. Eastern EU member states such as Poland are also lobbying in favour of Tbilisi's and Kiev's membership.Berlin opposition stems from a desire to keep talks on a compromise between Russia and the US on Washington's planned missile defence shield - to be placed in Poland and the Czech Republic and strongly opposed by Moscow - on track.Meanwhile, Georgia has called on NATO not to bow to pressure from Russia.

Foreign minister David Bakradze said it would inflame tensions in the region if Moscow gets its way on this issue.No in Bucharest will be very clearly seen by some people in Moscow as their success, and it will be very clearly seen in Moscow that they have indirect veto right on NATO decisions, he said on Wednesday (26 March).From all our experience with Russians, the most effective policy with Russians is policy based on principles, not on appeasement, he added.

FAMINE

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

World Grain Markets at a Critical Point
posted on: March 25, 2008


Last week's shortened trading week saw a significant liquidation of long positions across the commodity complex, and grains were certainly included. In addition to grains, decreases were also seen in energy, metals and softs. By Monday morning, corn, soy and wheat were all up in overnight trading. The market is now at a critical point where traders could decide to liquidate further, or look at the longer term picture and view this as an attractive entry point. The pattern in Brazil has been progressing favorably for soybeans and wheat, but the dryness in Argentina and potential flood related planting delays in the US could counter this and serve as a bullish signal. Here's a quick look at recent weather impacting grains around the world:

ARGENTINA: A light precipitation week in soybean and wheat regions last week. Fields in southeast Cordoba received 30-40 mm, but the rest of the growing region had generally dry conditions with less than 20 mm of rainfall. The ridge which set up towards the beginning of the week blocked most of the moisture from penetrating the region for most of the week. High pressure finally broke down by late Thursday, and this allowed some parts of Cordoba to receive between 14 and 20 mm over two days. The outlook for the current week is for another relatively dry week; 12-15 mm total. Crop Signal: Bullish.

BRAZIL: Brazil fared much better last week as the moisture from the west was able to reach much of the Centre-South; northern Sao Paulo growing regions received between 35 and 50 mm, with higher totals in the north and northwest through the southeastern growing areas in Mato Grosso. A steady rainfall pattern is expected in many soybean areas for the next two weeks; lighter in the south. Crop Signal: Bearish.

UNITED STATES: Major flooding occurred in the central US last week and while the longer range forecast still looks favorable for planting, the wetter conditions through next week will lead to some concern for corn and wheat planting, which starts in large scale by early April. Crop Signal: Bullish

EUROPE: Slightly cool conditions last week; the outlook is for a cooler week this week with evening temperatures below freezing through Wednesday or Thursday. Crop Signal: Bullish.

KAZAKHSTAN: Warm week last week in northern Kazakhstan; another warm and dry week anticipated this week. Crop Signal: Bearish.

INDIA: Light but more widespread rainfall last week in central to southern India. Soil moisture profile still largely deficient for this time of year. Crop Signal: Neutral.

CHINA: Another decrease in % soil moisture in the Yellow River Basin, while a slight increase was evident in the Yangtze basin (vs. the previous week). Many stations across Henan recorded no precipitation last week. Crop Signal: Neutral.

AUSTRALIA: A similar pattern from the previous week with slightly more precipitation in the southeast. Surface soil moisture vs. last year is still behind in New South Wales, but the subsurface profile looks favorable through March 20. Crop Signal: Bearish.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, the author does not hold any positions in DBC, DBA or MOO. Michael Ferrari

Economy sputters with 0.6 percent growth By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer Thu Mar 27, 12:19 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The economy nearly sputtered out at the end of the year and is probably faring even worse now amid continuing housing, credit and financial crises. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that gross domestic product increased at a feeble 0.6 percent annual rate in the October-to-December quarter. The reading — unchanged from a previous estimate a month ago — provided stark evidence of just how much the economy has weakened. In the prior quarter, the economy clocked in at a sizzling 4.9 percent growth rate.The gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of all goods and services produced in the United States and is the best barometer of the country's economic health.Many economists say they believe growth in the current January-to-March quarter will be even weaker than the 0.6 percent figure of the previous quarter. A growing number also say the economy may actually be shrinking now. Under one rough rule, the economy needs to contract for six straight months to be considered in a recession. The government will release its estimate for first-quarter GDP in late April.

The economy just kept its head above water in the fourth quarter, said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at Global Insight. We think that GDP will decline, albeit slightly, during the first half of 2008, he said. The first half outlook is bleak.On Wall Street, stock were down in morning trading.In another report, fewer people signed up for unemployment benefits last week, although that didn't change the broader picture of a deteriorating jobs market. The Labor Department said jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 366,000, a better showing than many economists were forecasting. Still, unemployment is expected to rise this year given all the problems clobbering the economy.The newly released fourth-quarter GDP figure matched analysts' expectations.Thursday's report underscored the damage to the economy from the collapse in the housing market, which has dragged down housing prices, pushed home foreclosures up to record highs and has led to a glut of unsold homes.Against that backdrop, builders slashed spending on housing projects by a whopping 25.2 percent on an annualized basis in the fourth quarter, the biggest cut in 26 years.

To limit the damage from the crises, the Federal Reserve has taken a number of extraordinary actions. It has slashed a key interest rate over the last two months by the most in a quarter century. And to relieve turmoil on Wall Street, which intensified after the crash of the country's fifth-largest investment firm, Bear Stearns, the Fed has resorted to its greatest expansion of lending authority since the 1930s. Big securities firms will temporarily be allowed to go to the Fed directly for loans — a privilege that had been afforded only to commercial banks.With the nation's economic woes a top concern for voters, the White House and Democrats in Congress have been scrambling to provide relief. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday called for an overhaul of financial regulations.Consumers, whose spending is indispensable to the economy's vitality, boosted buying at a 2.3 percent pace in the fourth quarter. That was better than the 1.9 percent growth rate previously estimated but still marked a slowing from the third quarter's 2.8 percent pace.Businesses — nervous about customers' waning appetite to buy given all the problems in the economy — cut back sharply on their inventories of unsold goods. That shaved 1.79 percentage points off fourth-quarter GDP, the most in more than two years.Spending by businesses on equipment and software, meanwhile, rose at a pace of 3.1 percent in the final quarter of last year. That was slightly less than previously estimated and marked a slowdown from the prior quarter's 6.2 percent growth rate.

Businesses' profits also took a hit in the final quarter. A measure linked to the GDP report showed that after-tax profits fell 3.3 percent at the end of last year, after being flat in the prior quarter.There was a bright spot in the mostly gloomy report, however. Sales of U.S. goods and services to other countries grew at a 6.5 percent pace. That was better than the 4.8 percent growth rate previously estimated, although it was down sharply from the prior quarter's blistering 19.1 percent growth rate.U.S. exports have been helped by the sinking value of the U.S. dollar, which makes U.S. goods less expensive to foreign buyers. The U.S. dollar recently plunged to record lows against the euro and has fallen sharply against the Japanese yen.

The drooping dollar can aggravate inflation pressures.

An inflation measure linked to the GDP report showed that overall prices increased at a rate of 3.9 percent in the fourth quarter. That was not as high as previously estimated but marked a big pickup from the third quarter's 1.8 percent pace. Another gauge showed that core prices — excluding food and energy — grew at a rate of 2.5 percent at the end of last year. That was down from a previous estimate of a 2.7 percent pace but was up from the prior quarter's 2 percent growth rate. The new core inflation figure is above the Fed's comfort zone — the upper bound of which is a 2 percent inflation rate. Although the Fed's No. 1 job is trying to save the economy from a deep and prolonged recession, it is also keeping close tabs on inflation and soaring energy prices. Oil prices are topping $105 a barrel. Gasoline prices have marched higher, too. High energy prices can spread inflation if lots of companies boost prices charged to customers for a wide range of goods and services. High energy prices also can be a drag on overall economic growth by crimping consumer spending. The combination of slowing economic growth and rising inflation make the Fed's job more difficult. It also has raised fears the country may be headed for a bout of stagflation, a scenario the U.S. hasn't experienced since the 1970s. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, however, has said that's not the case. The Fed's rate reductions along with the government's $168 billion stimulus package of tax rebates for people and tax breaks for businesses should help revive economic growth in the second half of this year, economists said.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

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

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

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

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

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

Stocks fall in back-and-forth session By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer MAR 27,08

NEW YORK - Wall Street sank in volatile trading Thursday after the government confirmed that the last quarter of 2007 did indeed see a sharp economic slowdown. For the second straight session, the Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 100 points. The technology sector was particularly weak after business software maker Oracle Corp. posted worse-than-expected fiscal third-quarter sales and issued a cautious forecast. Meanwhile, data suggesting that Google Inc.s revenue from Internet users clicks could slow also raised worries about tech stocks.Oracle fell $1.51, or 7.2 percent, to $19.43, and Google dropped $14.11, or 3.1 percent, to $444.08.

Financial stocks lost ground Thursday as well, with investors uncertain about what is in store for the economy and the troubled financial sector.But the sense of panic that emanated from the near-collapse of Bear Stearns Cos. at the start of last week has lessened, observers say. The Federal Reserve on Thursday afternoon auctioned off $75 billion in credit to investment banks, whose demand was solid but not at the desperate levels some investors had feared.GDP was in line, so we're still expanding, even though we're expanding at a very small rate, said Dave Rovelli, managing director of U.S. equity trading at Canaccord Adams. It's definitely a different mind-set than it was two weeks ago. A lot of smart people are telling us to buy on the dips. I think we'll be fine as long as there is not another Bear Stearns out there.According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 120.40, or 0.97 percent, to 12,302.46.Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 15.37, or 1.15 percent, to 1,325.76, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 43.53, or 1.87 percent, to 2,280.83.On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Green Zone target for Shiite militias By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer MAR 27,08

BAGHDAD - Warning sirens wail and within seconds rockets and mortars strike — sometimes one or two, other times 10 or more. The Green Zone is again a prime target as American and British diplomats, Iraqi politicians, contractors and others struggle to go about their business — always aware that any time they are outside the most fortified buildings there is a chance to be injured or killed.The danger has temporarily reshaped life: Green Zone traffic is minimal, few people venture out on the streets and security precautions — always high — have been boosted. Many diplomats and others prefer to bunk on cots in the stone and marble grandeur of the former Saddam Hussein palace that now holds U.S. Embassy offices.

On Thursday, the State Department instructed all Embassy personnel not to leave reinforced structures. A memo sent to embassy staff and obtained by The Associated Press says employees are required to wear helmets and other protective gear if they must venture outside and strongly advises them to sleep in blast-resistant locations instead of trailers.For the fourth day this week, suspected Shiite militiamen sent rockets and mortars into the Green Zone in central Baghdad. The volleys on Thursday began in the morning and came in about once an hour well into nightfall.The attacks on the Green Zone are being carried out in tandem with growing clashes between Iraqi government forces and the Mahdi Army militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.By bombarding the Green Zone, the followers of al-Sadr are not only targeting the Iraqi government, but also the hub of the American political mission and its influence on the Iraqi government.At least one death was reported inside the Green Zone in the latest attacks. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said a U.S. government employee was killed, but would give no further details until relatives are notified. Another American, a financial analyst who audited contracts in Iraq, was killed earlier this week in the zone.One explosion Thursday ignited a fire in the central area of the zone that sent a massive column of thick, black smoke drifting over the Tigris River.Military and diplomatic officials would not say what had been hit inside the Green Zone. A U.S. military statement said one civilian was killed and 14 wounded in the vicinity of the protected district.

U.S. military officials said Thursday that among the weapons used in recent attacks on the Green Zone were 107mm rockets made in Iran. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, said they have included rockets stamped with 2007 Iranian manufacture dates.Washington has accused Iran of funneling weapons to Shiite militia. Iran denies it.The first wave of rockets this week came on Easter Sunday. The Green Zone — and areas nearby — have barely had a breather since.On Sunday, at least 12 Iraqis were killed that day outside the Green Zone, apparently by salvos that went astray.A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, said one round earlier this week hit a main helicopter landing zone used by the U.S. forces, putting it temporarily out of commission. Housing used by some U.S. officials and contractors was also hit, the official said.All personnel are required to wear body armor, helmet and protective eye wear any time they are outside of building structures in the International Zone, said embassy spokeswoman Nantongo, using the official name of the area. Beyond that, we don't discuss our security posture.Another U.S. official said that personnel — who usually sleep two to a trailer on the embassy grounds — are now sleeping inside the former Saddam palace where their offices are located.There are cots everywhere, the U.S. official said. People are scouting out free couches.The official — who has been through other attacks — described the recent barrages as qualitatively different.

There is a sense of hunkering down for a sustained period of time, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security restrictions. The Green Zone is normally a five-square-mile haven from the war, particularly in recent months as overall violence in Baghdad has dropped. But it is now caught in the widening attacks by forces loyal to al-Sadr to protest a crackdown by the Iraqi government. The last sustained attacks on the Green Zone were in July when extremists unleashed a barrage of more than a dozen mortars or rockets, killing at least three people — including an American — and wounding 18. Security forces know where the firing is from: mainly Shiite districts in eastern Baghdad. The challenge is how to stop them. The attacks come from deep inside residential neighborhoods, making it difficult to counterattack without risking widespread civilian casualties. Also, the rockets and mortars are fired from mobile launchers, meaning militants can speedily move away from the launch area before soldiers can respond. Last May, an explosion from a rocket rattled windows in the U.S. Embassy while Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting. In the same month, a blast hit the British Embassy compound when then Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived.

In March, a rocket or mortar round landed near Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office while he and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were holding a news conference. Ban ducked behind a podium as small chips of debris floated down from the ceiling. Attacks against the zone have also renewed concern about security at the new U.S. Embassy, which is due to open this year within a protected area along the Tigris. The embassy will be Washington's largest and most expensive foreign mission.

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

EU accused of heavy reliance on industry lobbyists
25.03.2008 - 17:37 CET | By Honor Mahony


EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - An alliance of environment groups, trade unions and academics has accused the European Commission of relying too heavily on business and industry lobbyists when drawing up EU legislation.The transparency group Alter-EU, made up of 160 organisations, said the commission - which of the EU institutions has the sole power to initiate European laws - has over-filled its advisory expert groups with industry lobbyists.In a report published Tuesday (25 March), Alter-EU says some of the commission's most controversial advisory groups such as those on biotechnology, clean coal and car emissions are among those controlled by industry. The report found that industry representatives made up more than half of the membership of a quarter of the groups surveyed while 32% percent had members representing a wide range of interests. The remainder of the 44 groups surveyed were considered unbalanced.Alter-EU also accused Brussels of not being transparent about the composition of such expert groups, which are there to advise commission policy-makers.

The transparency campaigners say they choose the 44 groups from what they consider key policy areas - the environment, energy, agriculture, consumers, health, water and biotechnology.According to their report, the total number of expert groups has increased by more than 40% since 2000 with one group for every eight officials working in the European Commission. Total membership of the groups runs to over 50,000.The Commission seems unwilling to provide information about who is on its Expert Groups, and in some cases does not even appear to know whether groups exist or not. This reveals an appalling attitude to transparency and public accountability in the law-making process, said Paul de Clerck of green group Friends of the Earth Europe.Report author Yiorgos Vassalos of Corporate Europe Observatory said: These groups should act in the public interest, but it appears that some are being allowed to further their own commercial interests.The report says that while the commission in 2005 started an online register of the groups, it does not list who is in them while several academics, lobbyists and even EU officials have estimated a much higher figure than the around 1,200 listed groups.The report found that a climate change panel, for example, had 30 industry representatives, 13 commission officials, plus 7 further members coming from NGOs and universities and a regional member.For its part the commission on Thursday said that only around 20 percent of experts represent industry.It also said it planned to make public the names on such committees by the summer.

It's still a work in progress to the extent that the commission is still compiling the various elements to be able to release the names on the expert groups, said a commission spokeswoman.She also pointed out that experts from national governments and agencies made up two-thirds of those in the groups.The transparency report comes at a time of heightened awareness about the importance of legislation coming out of Brussels, with a corresponding growth in recent years of lobbyists, NGOs and think-tanks in the EU capital.

Last year the commission set out plans for a voluntary register for lobbyists, with estimates suggesting there are about 15,000 in Brussels. The European Parliament, whose powers to influence legislation are set to grow substantially next year under the proposed EU treaty, is also looking into establishing a voluntary register.Both institutions have come under criticism for not automatically opting for a mandatory register.

Sarkozy calls on Britain to play greater role in Europe
27.03.2008 - 09:20 CET | By Elitsa Vucheva


On the first day of his state visit to Britain, French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for closer Franco-British ties and for the UK to take its full place in Europe in order to bring along necessary changes to the bloc. In a speech on Wednesday (26 March) to the joint houses of UK parliament, the French president said he wanted to write a new page of our common history, that of Franco-British fraternity, a fraternity for the 21st century.I have always believed that Europe needed the UK. I have never reduced France's European policies simply to our relations with the Germans. The Paris-Berlin axis is at the essence, but it is not enough, and I have never ceased wanting to work in close cooperation with London, he later told BBC radio.In addition, as the president of a state which rejected the draft European Constitution in 2005, Mr Sarkozy said he had understood the main message of the French and more generally the European citizens at that time - that they wanted a different Europe.But in order to make this happen, London should take its full place in Europe, he said.So, I want to say to the British: help us build this different Europe. But for this Europe to be different, you must be part of it, he said.Who could imagine that we can build a Europe of the future without Britain and who could imagine that Britain could live, survive alone, outside of Europe? One cannot succeed alone, we need others, he added.In particular, the French president noted, joint efforts are needed to keep the European economy competitive, to boost a common defence policy, as well as to tackle immigration.

Mr Sarkozy, who is seen as the most Anglophile French president in the country's modern history, will today meet UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to also discuss cooperation on nuclear power development and climate change.In addition, both leaders are expected to make a call on financial markets to be more transparent, following the recent global credit crisis.A discussion on UN Security Council reform is also on the agenda.Both France and the UK want a reform of the institution, making it more representative. The French president also recently called for a permanent seat to be created in the Council for Africa.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

How Can Mahmoud Abbas Be Called A Moderate
Chicago, IL 60035 March 25 2008
Winston Mid East Analysis & Commentary March 25, 2008
Email: gwinston@interaccess.com


How Can Mahmoud Abbas Be Called A Moderate?
by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East Analyst & Commentator
Why does the Bush Administration (including C. Rice, D. Cheney, and J. Baker as the sleeper agent) insist on calling the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) a moderate dedicated to peace. We all know of Abu Mazen’s record as the Grand Master of Terrorism Yassir Arafat’s 40 year companion, aide, financier, co-conspirator, partner in Terrorism, advisor on Terrorist operations. He was Arafat’s financial bag-man, gathering and transferring money to Terrorist groups for maintenance and special operations.

Not to be forgotten was his funding of the Munich Olympic Terrorists who murdered eleven of the Israeli team of athletes, trainers and coaches. When Arafat died (of AIDS) the U.S. pushed for Abbas to take Arafat’s place. There was a full court press by the PR mechanisms, both in the White House and the Arabist State Department to give him a new persona. Hereafter, he was to be known as a Moderate in a suit. The U.S. Administration pressed the Israeli government to go along with the ruse, knowing his record as a dedicated and active Terrorist. As Goebbels said, Tell a lie big enough; repeat it often enough and it becomes a fact.

Voila! Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen - his nom du guerre) was now a Moderate - a Terror Mastermind in a suit. Abu Mazen became heir to Arafat’s entire Terrorist mechanism. That included 25,000 lightly armed policemen as stipulated and agreed to by Rabin and Peres by Oslo BUT, that number inflated to (at least) 45-60,000 heavily armed Muslim Arab Palestinians. Rabin and Peres also included in the Oslo Pact arming them lightly - but accepted the increase in men and arms without objections. Israel even supplied many of those arms. Abu Mazen kept Arafat’s 9 to 12 separate Secret Services - all operating as separate Terrorist organizations, working independently but collaborating in the overall picture. In most families the men would split up and each join a different Terror group so they would be represented and covered by all. The U.S. urged Abu Mazen to consolidate the many Secret Services and even agreed to have Americans fund and train them to greater efficiency in sniper shooting, electronic intercepts, explosives, etc. - all of which was used against Israeli civilians.

As you read this, please keep in mind that several American Presidents, namely, George Herbert Walker Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush - with the ever-present James Baker III - all of whom knew all of this. All had approved keeping Arafat on the U.S. payroll as our man inside the Terrorists. That mantle went on to cover Abu Mazen, the made-over Moderate cum Terrorist. You did know that Abu Mazen, like Hamas, refused to accept Israel as a Jewish nation whatever the results of the Bush-Rice imposed negotiations.
When Abu Mazen became the suit-and-tie heir to Fatah/the PLO/Tanzim/Al Aksa Martyrs’ Brigade/ - and even Hamas (inside of Fatah), the disinformation poured forth from the propaganda mechanisms inside the White House and the State Department to wit: Abbas and Fatah were peace-seeking moderates.

Billions of American tax-payers’ dollars were and still are pouring into Arafat’s old war treasure chest to pay a Terrorist army and now the new recipient was Abbas/Abu Mazen. That money came in all forms. Some direct, some out of secret funds designated for black ops, more from the CIA slush funds (off the books). Billions more flowed from the E.U. donors (European Union) - always deep pockets for Arab Muslim Terrorists to impress the Saudis and Gulf Oil countries.Billions of wasted dollars and euros that merely funded Terror while Congress was told it was buying American influence or inside information. Somehow the Terror kept growing (fed by all those Billions of wasted dollars and euros). We never got what we thought we paid for with all that Baksheesh (Middle East bribery).
It was often thought that a lot of those dollars filtered back to buy U.S. influence in Washington. When Billions go out off the books and it comes back under the table, it buys a lot. It buys campaign financing and the votes to keep the money flowing. It also buys black ops or operations out-of-sight of any Congressional overview. Iran-Contra was only one of those black ops which, when exposed, men like former President George Herbert Walker Bush claimed he knew nothing about it and besides it was a matter of national security so much more remained hidden.

The Arafat and now Abu Mazen operation was to remain secret, under the usual dodge of National Security. The problem is that, there is no security except for those putting together an illegal operation covered over with a tonnage of disinformation and sheer propaganda.
Arafat’s henchman, Abu Mazen, was merely a clean shaven, suit-and-tie version of Arafat and could, therefore, be called a Moderate. Abu Mazen, from his earliest days in training at the Soviet Lumumba University, was an apt pupil. Unlike Carlos, the Jackal (Ramirez) who also trained there as a hands-on assassin in what is called wet work, Abu Mazen was trained to be more of an arranger and enabler. His university thesis spoke of his dedication to the eradication of Jews in terms of outright Holocaust Denial which was well-received by the anti-Semitic Soviets. The U.S.S.R. was the birthplace of the false Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Abu Mazen had, indeed, found a proper home and training place for his Jihadist (warrior for Islam) zeal against Jews.

Have you ever wondered why American Presidents and the State Department would put their trust in any trained agent of the then Soviet Union which is now back to being Russia? Do Russia’s trained agents ever really turn and become loyal to America? Is Abbas really loyal to President Bush and Secretary Rice or is he merely an agent turned twice and who will in the end, serve Vladimir Putin? Recall how most Muslim Arabs served the Nazis against America and their Allies? So far, Abu Mazen and his gang(s) have not kept even one agreement with respect to halting Terror and dismantling the Terror organizations while President Bush continues to have the CIA train and arm the Muslim Arab Palestinian Army. Soon Hamas (with Kassam Rockets and Grad Missiles that can reach as far Ashdod and Ashkelon) and Fatah will re-join IF they were ever really split. Then they can combine their forces, armaments and American tax-payers’ dollars. When Cheney charges Hamas with sabotaging the so-called Peace Talks, he ignores Fatah’s many Terror organizations that share the same ideology and goals as Hamas.Did I mention that Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just approved the transfer of armored personnel carriers from Russia - which he turned over to the Arab Muslim Palestinians? The first shipment of 25 carriers will be followed by a second 25 units. The Russians insisted they be armed with heavy machine guns.There is little doubt that Al Qaeda and Hezb’Allah (now re-stocked with 40,000 Katyusha Missiles) have a significant presence in the North, aided by Syria and Iran.

In the Center of Israel (Judea and Samaria) stands Abu Mazen’s trained and armed Fatah. In the South Hamas’ home-made Kassam Rockets are being supplemented with more sophisticated Missiles (like the Grad) - with greater accuracy and range - supplied through Egypt by Syria and Iran. The propagandists in the Arabist U.S. State Department would have you believe that all of these Terrorist organizations operate separately, whereas, they are and always have been operational brothers under the skin - often in the same family. I believe that Hamas and Fatah will rejoin openly and very soon.Granted, they have separate operations and agenda - except when they co-operate together for the greater good of Islam against America and Israel. Syria has always been a regional base where the Jihadist Terrorists can open up offices and training bases. Add in Iran, with Ahmadinejad’s growing Nuclear weapons’ developments (aided by the Russians and the Pakistanis) - and Al Qaeda as an operational extension of Osama Bin Laden’s organization.

Call that an integrated matrix of which Abu Mazen and his many factions are part.Now we come to some Big Questions! What and Who in Washington is running a very big Black Ops in the Middle East. Why are they doing it and Who are they serving? We see a great effort being made to put the Muslim Arab Palestinians into a Two-State Solution. This is very threatening to the Israelis, knowing full well the Muslim State of Palestine will attack the Jewish State of Israel with their intention being to totally eliminate the Jewish State - as they have often proclaimed.The pretense that the Muslim Arabs, be they Sunni or Shi’ite, belonging to any group, will tolerate any non-Muslims anywhere in the Middle East is a complete delusion. As rockets and missiles fall on the American Green Zone while American soldiers and construction workers try to give Iraqis a free government and reconstructed country, the Islamists try to kill them. Do we expect something different for Israel from the dozens of Terrorist groups launching Missiles and Rockets into Israel, first from Gaza and Lebanon - and then from any other Jewish Land which might be foolishly surrendered to them?
Again the question arises: Is there a Shadow Government, epi-centered in Washington which thinks they can appease Saudi Arabia who sets up Madrassahs (strict Islamic schools) all over the world to teach Wahhabiism (strictest Islam) and then aim for the right to rule the world in a great Islamic Caliphate?

Why hasn’t the American Congress questioned Bush, Rice, Baker, Admiral Fallon, State Department agents slipped America’s 16 different Intel Agencies to subvert anti-Terror Doctrine?
Such Congressional Hearings would make Watergate a minor event as the squad cars roll up to take those guilty of subversion in America off to trial and then to prison.Has appeasement lessened or escalated oil prices? There is something very sick and twisted in Washington that caters to killer nations and killer Terrorists who are perfectly willing to sacrifice true allies for - What?

Emanuel &/or Gail Winston (gwinston@interaccess.com)
Analyst and Commentator
Winston Mid East Analysis and Commentary
Chicago Area, IL
Phone : 847-432-1735
Fax : 847-433-3981

Thursday, March 27, 2008

THE MEDITERREANEAN UNION

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.

Volunteers hold back levee sand boils By TOM PARSONS, Associated Press Writer Tue Mar 25, 7:26 PM ET

SAND HILL, Ark. - Volunteers armed with sandbags held back water springing up from under a rural levee Tuesday as the White River continued its highest surge in a quarter-century through eastern Arkansas. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning during the morning for rural Prairie County north of Interstate 40 after spotters noticed the levee had sand boils — water passing under the earthen barrier and appearing on the side like a muddy spring. By the afternoon, 100 volunteers held back the flow by building sandbag barriers for the water to be held in, creating pressure to stem the tide.Thomas Babe Vincent, a levee district board member, praised the spirit of the volunteers.We've had people here today from the other side of the river who aren't in danger, Vincent said.After heavy rains last week, major rivers overflowed, inundating north and central Arkansas and driving people from their homes and businesses. Almost half the state — 35 counties — was declared a disaster area.The waters continued to rise Tuesday even as the sun was shining. The Army Corps of Engineers did not expect the White River to crest downriver at Clarendon until Friday at 33.5feet. Gov. Mike Beebe said disaster relief likely would come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Teams of state and federal officials were deployed Tuesday to examine flood-damaged buildings and businesses. Officials first put damages at $2 million but said it would likely rise well above that once the waters recede.

We're hitting areas we can get to because a lot of areas we can't get to, FEMA spokesman Bob Alvey said.National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Sipprell in Weldon Spring, Mo., said that the rains were not expected to be close to the amount that fell in Missouri last week — 5 to 10 inches or more over three days — but that this time the precipitation would fall on saturated ground and into full river basins. Work was under way to determine just what the rainfall might mean for river levels later this week.Meanwhile, a federal judge in St. Louis refused Tuesday to stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from raising water levels on the Missouri River this week. Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon sued Monday seeking to stop the action, claiming it could add to downstream flooding.

The corps usually releases extra water in March, and again in May, to prompt spawning of the endangered pallid sturgeon.John Paul Woodley, the Pentagon's assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, said Tuesday that the corps planned to release water at midnight unless its forecasts changed. The agency's modeling shows that water levels in flooded areas will drop by the time the release reaches them, he said.We would not release water to Missouri or any other state if we felt it would cause a likelihood of flooding, Woodley said.Associated Press writers Betsy Taylor and Cheryl Wittenauer in St. Louis and Sam Hananel in Washington contributed to this report.

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.

Western Antarctic ice chunk collapses By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer MAR 26,08

WASHINGTON - A chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday. Satellite images show the runaway disintegration of a 160-square-mile chunk in western Antarctica, which started Feb. 28. It was the edge of the Wilkins ice shelf and has been there for hundreds, maybe 1,500 years.This is the result of global warming, said British Antarctic Survey scientist David Vaughan.Because scientists noticed satellite images within hours, they diverted satellite cameras and even flew an airplane over the ongoing collapse for rare pictures and video.

It's an event we don't get to see very often, said Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. The cracks fill with water and slice off and topple... That gets to be a runaway situation.While icebergs naturally break away from the mainland, collapses like this are unusual but are happening more frequently in recent decades, Vaughan said. The collapse is similar to what happens to hardened glass when it is smashed with a hammer, he said.The rest of the Wilkins ice shelf, which is about the size of Connecticut, is holding on by a narrow beam of thin ice. Scientists worry that it too may collapse. Larger, more dramatic ice collapses occurred in 2002 and 1995.

Vaughan had predicted the Wilkins shelf would collapse about 15 years from now. The part that recently gave way makes up about 4 percent of the overall shelf, but it's an important part that can trigger further collapse.There's still a chance the rest of the ice shelf will survive until next year because this is the end of the Antarctic summer and colder weather is setting in, Vaughan said.

Scientists said they are not concerned about a rise in sea level from the latest event, but say it's a sign of worsening global warming.Such occurrences are more indicative of a tipping point or trigger in the climate system, said Sarah Das, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.These are things that are not re-forming, Das said. So once they're gone, they're gone.Climate in Antarctica is complicated and more isolated from the rest of the world.Much of the continent is not warming and some parts are even cooling, Vaughan said. However, the western peninsula, which includes the Wilkins ice shelf, juts out into the ocean and is warming. This is the part of the continent where scientists are most concern about ice-melt triggering sea level rise.On the Net:
The National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org .The British Antarctic Survey: http://www.bas.ac.uk/

DISEASES

REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

388 cases of illness from NY water park Tue Mar 25, 12:34 PM ET

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. - The number of people reporting illnesses after an outbreak of norovirus at an indoor water park in upstate New York is approaching 400. State health officials say 388 cases have been reported by people who visited the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Water Park earlier this month.Health officials say two people were hospitalized and both have been released.Norovirus is characterized by acute gastrointestinal pain, vomiting and diarrhea lasting one or two days. The illness is not considered dangerous to the general public.Four of the people infected and their families have filed a lawsuit against the water park, which is about 50 miles north of Albany.A Great Escape spokeswoman says she can't comment on the pending litigation.

A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.

REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

Saudi King calls for interfaith dialogue By DONNA ABU-NASR and ABDULLAH SHIHRI, Associated Press Writers Tue Mar 25, 5:21 PM ET

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi king has made an impassioned plea for dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews — the first such proposal from a nation with no diplomatic ties to Israel and a ban on non-Muslim religious services and symbols. The message from King Abdullah, which was welcomed by Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders, comes at a time of stalled peace initiatives and escalating tensions in the region.Muslims have been angered by cartoons published in European papers seen as insulting the Prophet Muhammad and by the pope's baptizing on Easter of a Muslim journalist who had converted to Catholicism.The idea is to ask representatives of all monotheistic religions to sit together with their brothers in faith and sincerity to all religions as we all believe in the same God, the king told delegates Monday night at a seminar on Culture and the Respect of Religions.The specifics of Abdullah's initiative — and who would participate — remained unclear, in particular whether Israeli religious leaders would be invited to a Saudi-brokered dialogue. The kingdom and all other Arab nations except Egypt and Jordan do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and generally shun unofficial contacts.

The call — the first of its kind by an Arab leader — was significant. The Saudi monarch is the custodian of Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina, a position that lends his words special importance and influence. Abdullah said Saudi Arabia's top clerics have given him the green light — crucial backing in a society that expects decisions taken by its rulers to adhere to Islam's tenets.It also raises the possibility that a religious dialogue could have a political impact in the Middle East, easing tensions between Arabs and Israelis in a way that years of off-and-on negotiations and political conferences have failed to do.

The White House welcomed the king's gesture.

We think increased dialogue is a really good thing, presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said Tuesday. And, of course, when you have someone like the king of Saudi Arabia, and all of his stature, that is recommending such a dialogue, it can only give us hope that there would be further recognition of everyone's right to freedom and freedom of expression and religion. So we are encouraged by it.

Abdullah said he planned to hold conferences to get the opinion of Muslims from other parts of the world, and then meetings with our brothers in Christianity and Judaism so we can agree on something that guarantees the preservation of humanity against those who tamper with ethics, family systems and honesty.Abdullah, who said he discussed the idea with Pope Benedict XVI when they met at the Vatican in November, framed his appeal in strictly religious and ethical terms, aimed at addressing the weakening of the family, increasing atheism and a lack of ethics, loyalty, and sincerity for our religions and humanity.A Saudi official with knowledge of the proposal said it was not intended to have a regional political angle, saying the initiative is not aimed at the Middle East but at the whole world. It's a global initiative. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

But Abdullah, considered a reformer in Saudi politics, has in the past proposed peace deals with Israel, saying his country and other Arab nations are willing to recognize the Jewish state as long as it gives up land to Palestinians.Prominent Saudi cleric, Sheik Muhammad al-Nujaimi, said he saw no reason why any Saudi official, including Abdullah, cannot meet with Jewish religious leaders. The only condition is for the rabbi not to be supportive of the massacres against the Palestinian people, he said.In Israel, Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger welcomed Abdullah's call.Our hand is outstretched to any peace initiative and any dialogue that is aimed at bringing an end to terror and violence, he said in a statement.

Rabbi David Rosen, head of inter-religious relations at the American Jewish Committee and a former chief rabbi of Ireland, said framing the dialogue in religious terms was key.Religion is all too often the problem, so it has to also be the solution, or at least part of the solution and I think that the tragedy of the political initiatives to bring peace has been the failure to include the religious dimension, he said. Yossi Beilin, a former Israeli peace negotiator, said a Saudi-backed dialogue between Muslims and Jews could be a balancing factor against extremists but cannot replace diplomacy.

Negotiations need to be negotiations and you don't mix religion into a diplomatic conflict, because then there is a danger of turning it into a religious war, he said. Michael Cromartie, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which monitors religious freedom globally and makes policy recommendations, called the proposed dialogue long overdue. I don't care who you put in the room — the fact they're having the conversation can only help, he said. It's a courageous thing for the king to do. One should not expect Utopia, but it's a start to have an open and free dialogue in a country with a reputation for religious oppression.Saudi Arabia follows a severe interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, and it was not clear whether Abdullah's call would be followed by steps in the kingdom to relax the ban on non-Muslim worship services, as well as symbols from other religions, such as crosses and Bibles.

Abdullah's contacts with Benedict are also significant.

Benedict angered many Muslims with a 2006 speech in which he cited a medieval text that described some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as evil and inhuman, particularly the command to spread the faith by the sword. He later expressed regret that his remarks angered Muslims and stressed that the text didn't reflect his own opinion. In an audiotape released last week, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden accused Benedict of playing a large and lengthy role in what he called a new Crusade against Islam. Bin Laden also warned of a severe reaction for Europe's publication of the Muhammad cartoons. Muhammad al-Zulfa, a member of the Saudi Consultative Council — an appointed body that acts like a parliament — said Abdullah's conciliatory remarks were a message to all extremists: Stop using religion.Antonios Kireopoulos, head of Interfaith Relations at the National Council of Churches, agreed, noting: Despite recent years of hostilities, usually by extremists, ... there have been generations of peace between Muslims, Christians and Jews.This is a way to reclaim some of that neighborliness, he said. Donna Abu-Nasr reported on this story from Beirut, Lebanon, and Abdullah al-Shihri reported from Riyadh. AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski in Denver and Lily Hindy in New York contributed to this report.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

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

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

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

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

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

AMERICAN JEWS GOD IS GIVING YOU A WARNINING LISTEN TO HIM, HE WANTS ALL THE JEWS IN ISRAEL TO WORSHIP HIM THERE.

Home price drop signals tough spring By VINNEE TONG, AP Business Writer Tue Mar 25, 5:48 PM ET

NEW YORK - Home prices plunged by record levels in January from a year ago, with almost no major cities immune from the spiraling market. Analysts worried that even the usually reliable spring selling season would fall flat. The closely watched Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of home prices in 20 cities fell nearly 11 percent in January from a year earlier, the biggest drop in its two-decade history.Prices were down about 20 percent in Las Vegas and Miami, both paying the price for especially rampant speculation and too much new construction during the housing boom. Fourteen other cities posted record declines in the Tuesday report.The only bright spot was a 1.8 percent increase in Charlotte, N.C., where real estate agents say prices rose more modestly during the boom years and the regional economy is relatively strong.Everywhere else, mounting foreclosures, falling consumer confidence and sellers slashing their asking prices are taking an increasing toll on the market.

It's just a spiral that will end up taking this year to get out of, said Pava Leyrer, president of Heritage National Mortgage in Detroit, adding that the market there is not expected to improve until the spring of 2009.In Las Vegas alone, nearly half the homes currently on the market have seen their prices reduced at least once, according to an analysis by ZipRealty, a discount real-estate firm.Greg and Barbara Abbott have already cut the price twice on the two-bedroom condominium they are trying to sell on the Las Vegas strip. They're asking $669,900 now — and an offer in the $650,000 range means they'll lose money.Abbott thinks hesitant buyers don't realize how reasonable the current price is. They're not really being realistic about what the place is worth, he said.

Rising foreclosures have become the biggest factor driving prices lower, Moody's Economy.com chief economist Mark Zandi said.There were already too many homes on the market, and foreclosures bring even more property — priced at a deep discount — into the mix. Zandi said while prices are still falling steeply, demand seems to have stabilized.The psychology of the market has completely shifted, Zandi said. Sellers do realize that homes are worth fundamentally less than they thought.Meanwhile, consumer confidence is spiraling down as buyers worry about tighter credit and the weaker job market. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that confidence sank to a five-year low in March.On Wednesday, economists will watch a Commerce Department report on February new-home sales for any improvement in volume. Those figures are more forward-looking than existing-home sales.Economists are already worried that the usually busy spring season could be in jeopardy.

I wouldn't be looking for a pattern of improvement until April, May or June, said Brian Bethune, chief U.S. economist at Global Insight.

On Monday, new data for February showed the biggest drop in at least nine years in the median sales price of existing homes. Still, more homes were sold in February — 3 percent more, the first increase in seven months.Home prices continue to fall, decelerate and reach record lows across the nation, said David Blitzer, index committee chairman at S&P. No markets seem to be completely immune from the housing crisis.Prices have fallen month-to-month for five straight months in all 20 cities tracked by S&P. And the declines are getting steeper, with 13 of the 20 cities reporting their biggest single monthly decline in January. The vast majority of homes in the U.S. are not in danger of foreclosure. But the housing slump has raised concerns about a recession and has had ripple effects across the economy. A separate survey Tuesday from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight said home prices fell 3 percent in January from the same month last year. That index is calculated using mortgages of $417,000 or less that are bought or backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. With prices falling, more would-be buyers have decided to rent. Ron Shuffield, president of Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors in Miami, said three-quarters of all transactions in the past few months were for rentals and the rest were for home sales, a reversal of historical trends. Abbott, the condo owner in Las Vegas, is asking a monthly rent of $2,300, down from the $3,500 he had originally wanted.

It's empty at the moment, Abbott said. We'd intended to rent it, but the timing, of course, was bad.His broker, Bruce Hiatt of the Luxury Realty Group in Las Vegas, said there was no shortage of interested buyers — but none had decided to buy. They're all waiting for the magic bottom, he said. AP Business Writer Dan Caterinicchia in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)

ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

ISAIAH 60:9-10
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.

Quarry for Jerusalem's second temple found
Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:17p.m.


Israeli archaeologists said they have discovered a quarry that provided King Herod with the stones he used to renovate the biblical Second Temple compound - offering rare insight into construction of the holiest site in Judaism. The source of the huge stones used 2,000 years ago to reconstruct the compound in Jerusalem's Old City was discovered on the site of a proposed school in a Jerusalem suburb. It was discovered as workers broke ground on the project, by a worker who stumbled upon a stake lodged in limestone. The tool was used to split the 20-ton stones of the Temple. Today, the compound Herod renovated houses the most explosive religious site in the Holy Land, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims.

This is the first time stones which were used to build the Temple Mount walls were found, said Yuval Baruch, an archaeologist with the Israeli Antiquities Authority involved in the dig. Quarries mined for the massive stones, each weighing more than 20 tons, eluded researchers until now, he said Sunday. Baruch said coins and pottery found in the quarry confirm the stone was used during the period of Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount in 19 BC. But researchers said the strongest piece of evidence was found wedged into one of the massive cuts in the white limestone - an iron stake used to split the stone. The tool was apparently improperly used, accidentally lodged in the stone and forgotten. It stayed here for 2,000 years for us to find because a worker didn't know what to do with it, said archaeologist Ehud Nesher, also of the Antiquities Authority.

Nesher said the large outlines of the stone cuts indicated the site was a massive public project worked by hundreds of slaves. Nothing private could have done this, Nesher said. This is Herod's, this is a sign of him.Berger reports archaeologists call it another tribute to Herod as the master builder. Herod was the Jewish proxy ruler of the Holy Land under imperial Roman occupation from 37 BC. Herod's most famous construction project was the renovation of the Temple, replacing a smaller structure that itself replaced the First Temple, destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Stephen Pfann, president of the University of The Holy Land and an expert in the Second Temple period, said the discovery was encouraging. It would be very difficult to find any other buildings in any other period that would warrant stones of that size, said Pfann, who was not involved in the dig. He said further testing of the rock is necessary to confirm the findings. The Second Temple was leveled by Roman conquerors in AD 70. The Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews, is the best known surviving remnant.

Atop the adjacent compound, where Jews believe the Temple once stood, now stand two of the holiest sites in Islam, the al-Aqsa Mosque and the gold-capped Dome of the Rock. The site is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides claiming the area. Israel captured Jerusalem's Old City from Jordan during the 1967 Mideast war. While retaining security responsibility for the site, Israel allows Muslims to handle day-to-day responsibilities there. CBS

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)

REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

BREAKING UNITED STATES NEWS What was discussed at a closed session of the U.S. House of Representatives? Tuesday March 25, 2008 7:37pm EST

BRISBANE, Australia - The House has held a closed session for the first time in 25 years and apparently discussed a hotly contested surveillance bill.Republicans had requested privacy for what they termed an honest debate on the new Democratic eavesdropping measure.

Conspiracy theorists around the world have filled many pages of blogs and emails with theories as to why the public was prevented to hear what their elected representatives said and heard. That is the nature of secrets: those kept in the dark want to know and in the absence of knowledge, seek answers.Writers suggested that the special closed session of the U.S. House of Representatives discussed a lot more than the pending security surveillance provisions.Last week's session was only the fourth time in 176 years that Congress has closed it's doors to the public.Word has begun leaking from last weeks special, closed-door session of the United States House of Representatives.

Theorists wrote Not only did members discuss new surveillance provisions as was the publicly stated reason for the closed door session, they also discussed: The imminent collapse of the U.S. economy to occur by September 2008, the imminent collapse of US federal government finances by February 2009, the possibility of Civil War inside the USA as a result of the collapse and advance round-ups of insurgent U.S. citizens likely to move against the government.Also theorised was the detention of those rounded-up at REX 84 camps constructed throughout the USA and the possibility of retaliation against members of Congress for the collapses and the location of safe facilities for members of Congress and their families to reside during expected massive civil unrest.Other answers included the necessary and unavoidable merger of the United States with Canada (for its natural resources) and with Mexico (for its cheap labor pool), the issuance of a new currency - THE AMERO - for all three nations as the proposed solution to the coming economic armageddon.Members of Congress were FORBIDDEN to reveal what was discussed and ABC News via WCPO web site at the link below CONFIRMS congress members were FORBIDDEN to talk about it! Several are so furious and concerned about the future of the country, they have begun leaking info. More details coming later today and over the weekend.http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1fde2498-d8c8-44f3-9c94-4a27f8407536

That is the problem with secrets and inadequate explanations for their necessity, imaginations run wild.

US-EU open skies accord clouded by economic crisis MAR 26,08

WASHINGTON (AFP) — An open skies pact set to take effect between the United States and the European Union this weekend may offer few immediate benefits for travel in view of the turmoil in the US economy and airline industry, analysts say.The agreement that takes effect Sunday ends most limitations on US and EU airlines' ability to fly between the two continents, and holds the promise of cheaper airfares and more choices for passengers.But industry observers say the fruits of the agreement are unlikely to be harvested soon, with carriers hurting from record-high fuel costs and heightened economic uncertainty.I think it would mean a lot more if the industry were not in the dire straits they are in now, said Terry Trippler, an aviation consultant and founder of tripplertravel.com.

The industry is more concerned about cutting flights than expanding. Eventually this will be fantastic when this industry shakes itself out. Right now, the celebration is muted.George Hamlin, managing director of the consulting firm ACA Associates, said some new flights are coming, with Air France offering service from London to Los Angeles and US carriers getting some coveted slots at London's Heathrow Airport.In the longer term there may be some overexpansion, followed by some contraction, Hamlin said.

Hamlin said airlines must plan ahead for both lean and good times, ordering aircraft and securing landing rights even if conditions are not optimal.The US airlines are putting more into the North Atlantic market because they see it is a fairly lucrative market, he said. But the more airlines go in, the less lucrative it becomes.
Stuart Klaskin of the aviation consultancy KKC said he sees the market gradually opening up to competition that will benefit many smaller cities on both sides of the Atlantic.I think in the next 18 months you will be able to travel at a steep discount to Europe, he said, predicting a wider range of low-cost, business-class and other carriers on expanded transatlantic routes.Klaskin said carriers have been preoccupied with the economic climate and fuel costs and there is a question of who makes the first move.

In view of the circumstances, he said, they can't afford to make a mistake.Casting a cloud on the open skies pact is that as the agreement takes effect, both sides must gear up for a second round of negotiations on opening airline companies to foreign investors.
This remains a sensitive subject in the United States, which blocks foreigners from owning more than 25 percent of a domestic airline.

Trippler said that with US airlines hurting, the Americans are going to have to adjust that policy.Reality is setting in. Foreign ownership restrictions are going to go by the wayside, because airlines have got to get flying profitably. I think it's an outdated requirement.Kevin Mitchell, an independent consultant and chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, is less optimistic about the future of the accord.I think progress has to be made on easing foreign ownership, he said, to keep momentum in the talks. I don't see it in the tea leaves.On one hand there is a gigantic opportunity for the industry to rationalize itself, Mitchell added. On the other hand, there is concern out there we're not going to get to the next phase, and that naturally would limit how much risk companies would take.European carriers, especially those in Britain, are eager to get into the US market and have been pressing for Washington to ease the ownership limits.But some in the US view carriers as strategic assets that should not be run by foreigners.

Robert Mann, an aviation consultant with RW Mann & Company, said progress is unlikely in the second round of talks set to open in September -- just two months ahead of the US presidential election.

I don't know if people were looking at an election calendar when they set the schedule, he said. I have the feeling this will take on the aura of the Dubai ports fiasco, referring to congressional blocking of a Dubai acquisition of a major US port operator.Mann said that until a new presidential administration takes office in 2009 it's unlikely much will happen in the open skies talks. There will be frustration if anything in September.Mitchell said one danger of languishing phase two negotiations is if it doesn't go anywhere, you'll see the Brits asking for renunciation of phase one.

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

The Mediterranean Union MAR 25,08

The questions of Germany and of the United States were addressed in the French idea of a Mediterranean Union. Since German unification in 1871, France has obsessed about the north German plain. But France is also a Mediterranean power, with long-term interests in North Africa and the Middle East in such countries as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and Syria. Where Germany is entirely a northern European power, France is not. Therefore, Chirac proposed that, in addition to being a member of the European Union, France should create a separate and distinct Mediterranean Europe. The latter grouping would include the rest of th e Mediterranean basin, extending as far as Turkey and Israel. It would exclude non-Mediterranean powers such as Germany and Britain, however.

France had no intention of withdrawing from the European Union, but saw the Mediterranean Union as a supplemental relationship, and argued that it would allow EU expansion without actually admitting new EU members. The Germans saw this as a French attempt to become Europe’s strategic pivot, leading both unions and serving as the only member that was both a northern European and a Mediterranean power. The Germans did not like this scenario one bit. The French then backed off, but did not abandon the idea.

If the French are going to be a Mediterranean power, they must also be a Middle Eastern power. If they are playing in the Middle East, they must redefine their relationship with the United States. Sarkozy has done that by drawing systematically closer to American views on Iran, Syria and Lebanon. In other words, to pursue this new course, the French have drawn away from the Germans and closer to the Americans.

This is all very early in the game, and the moves so far are very small. But the French have slightly backed off from their German obsession and their fear of the United States. The collapse of European federationism has set off a reconsideration of France’s global role, a reconsideration that will — if continued — radically redefine France’s core relationships. What the French are doing is what they have done for years: They are looking for maximum freedom of action for France without undue risk. Though France has long pursued its interests with consistency, its current moves are different. It appears to be pulling away from Germany and seeking power in the Mediterranean. And that means working with the Americans.

EU MEPs meet colleagues from Mediterranean neighbours

At the end of the week, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering leads the EP delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), which brings together MEPs with MPs from EU countries and their Mediterranean neighbours. This session focuses on energy and the environment and takes place in Athens on Thursday and Friday.

The declaration of last year’s meeting of the EMPA stated the results achieved by Barcelona Process did not comply with the determined objectives. The main objectives of the Barcalona Process are based on fostering regional relationships to establish peace, stability, shared prosperity and mutual understanding.Other issue included the urgent need to improve the situation of women in the Euro-Mediterranean countries and the demands to governments to take the necessary measures in order to fight against ecological threats in relation with human activities which increase desertification, drought and soil pollution. Further, the EMPA addressed the fight against terrorism and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

France and UK to forge deals on nuclear and defence issues
25.03.2008 - 09:21 CET | By Honor Mahony


The leaders of France and Britain are to hold a joint meeting later this week expected to result in an agreement to promote nuclear power as well as further co-operation on defence, immigration and money markets.UK daily the Guardian reported last week that Paris and London are ready to sign a deal on constructing a new generation of power plants, a move that is expected to be signed off by president Nicolas Sarkozy and prime minister Gordon Brown on Thursday.The nuclear move is being pushed as a way that both countries can meet the new strict environment goals agreed by the EU last year, including an overall bid to reduce the bloc's carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by 2020.

Britain wants to draw on France's experience with nuclear power to reduce its own reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, seen as major contributors to global warming, says the Guardian.The proposed move is already being protested by green organisations which say that nuclear waste is dangerous and cannot be considered a viable green option.

Defence

The two sides are also expected to reach agreement on how to strengthen European defence policy, balancing Mr Sarkozy's greater ambitions in this area with the traditional wariness of Britain.The Financial Times reports that Mr Brown may accept a new EU body that would help co-ordinate the work of the EU's civilian staff with NATO's military personnel.This is less than the EU military staff that Mr Sarkozy originally wanted but is seen as more realistic, particularly in the run-up to London's ratification of the European treaty, with EU defence seen as particularly controversial among British politicians and the wider public. Immigration is also set to feature on Thursday with the two leaders expected to agree proposals on joint charter flights to return failed asylum-seekers to their home countries as well as stepping up monitoring at ports on either side of the English Channel to help curb people smuggling.

Meanwhile, Mr Brown and Mr Sarkozy are also set to call for more transparency in financial markets, following the recent turmoil in the global markets.The Sarkozy trip to London will also be watched with interest to see the personal chemistry between the two leaders with the relationship seen as business-like but not particularly warm.The state trip to Britain will start on Wednesday (24 March). Mr Sarkozy, who will be accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni, will stay at Windsor Castle.

New Russian leader warns Europe over NATO expansion
25.03.2008 - 09:21 CET | By Lucia Kubosova


Incoming Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has warned that expansion of NATO to include Ukraine and Georgia would affect Europe's security. Mr Medvedev - set to be sworn in as a successor to Vladimir Putin in May - told the Financial Times that Moscow is not happy about the situation around Georgia and Ukraine. We consider that it is extremely troublesome for the existing structure of European security.I would like to say that no state can be pleased about having representatives of a military bloc to which it does not belong coming close to its borders.This is something that is even more difficult to explain when the vast majority of citizens of one of the states, for example of Ukraine, are categorically against joining NATO while the government of this state follows a different policy.At the very least in such situations it is usual to hold a referendum, the Russian president-elect said.

The two Russian neighbours' ambition to join the Western military bloc is due to be discussed by NATO leaders at a top summit in Bucharest on 2 - 4 April.Georgia and Ukraine are hoping to get approval for their membership action plans (MAP). This would be considered as a signal that their application bid is on the right track. At next week's summit, the Alliance is also planning to give the green light to Albania, Croatia and possibly also Macedonia if a solution is found on the name for the ex-Yugoslav country, currently in dispute over the issue with Greece.

Russia a European-type democracy

Earlier this month, Mr Medvedev won a landslide victory in the Russian presidential election with the active support of Mr Putin whose policies he had pledged to follow. Mr Putin is expected to become the country's prime minister.The incumbent president is an effective leader and he's ready and able to continue to work to advance the development of our country, to make sure our development continues in the way set out eight years ago, Mr Medvedev told the Financial Times.He argued that it would be a democratic path despite several analysts suggesting the opposite.

Russia is a European country and Russia is absolutely capable of developing together with other states that have chosen this democratic path of development, the new Russian leader maintained.

Bulgarian parliament ratifies EU treaty
25.03.2008 - 09:25 CET | By Elitsa Vucheva


Bulgaria, one of the EU's most recent member states, on Friday (21 March) became the sixth country to ratify the EU's Lisbon treaty.

The document, which aims to revitalise the bloc's institutions and improve decision-making efficiency, was supported by all government coalition parties, as well as by most opposition parties.Only the far right party, Ataka, voted against ratification with its nationalist leader Volen Siderov saying that the treaty would lead to the creation of a super state, which would cost Bulgaria its sovereignty.The European Commission welcomed Sofia's ratification of the treaty.I appreciate the commitment given to early approval of the treaty by both the Bulgarian Government and Parliament, commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement.

Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Romania and France have also ratified the document.

Belgium and Poland

The Belgian parliament on Wednesday (19 March) postponed ratification of the treaty until after the Easter holidays, but the formation of a new government late last week paved the way for this move to happen soon.After a nine-month political deadlock, Flemish Christian democrat Yves Leterme replaced Guy Verhofstadt as the country's prime minister, at the head of a five-party coalition government.

Meanwhile, ratification in Poland remains uncertain.

The Polish opposition party lead by former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and supported by his twin brother and the country's President Lech Kaczynski, has threatened to block Poland's ratification of the document unless Warsaw gets more guarantees on sovereignty and that Polish constitution will remain the highest law in the country.But during a visit to Ljubljana on Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed that his country was still planning to ratify the Lisbon treaty before the end of the current Slovenian presidency of the EU in June, and possibly before a May 3 holiday.

If the Polish parliament fails to approve the treaty because of the opposition, the document may still be ratified by a referendum, which should not be a big problem as ratification is supported by 70percent of the Polish society, Mr Tusk was quoted as saying by Reuters.So far, only Ireland is set to hold a referendum on the EU's new treaty, expected in June.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *
THE BIG (UNTOLD) STORY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Easter 2008 Update


(Washington, D.C., March 24, 2008) -- I will build my church, Jesus said, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

The lead story on Drudge over the weekend was the Pope baptizing a prominent Egyptian author who converted from Islam to Catholicism, and for good reason. It's a huge story in Italy and the Muslim world, especially coming as it did the week that Osama bin Laden accused the Pope of waging a crusade against Islam. But this particular baptism is just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite unprecedented press coverage of Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East since September 11, 2001, one big story is generally not being told by the mainstream media. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are converting to evangelical Christianity and will be celebrating their first Easter this year, even amidst widespread persecution and the very real threat of death.

I first began reporting this story in 2005 after interviewing some three dozen Arab and Iranian pastors and evangelical Christian leaders in the U.S. and the Middle East. Over the last three years, however, I have had the privilege of traveling to Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank, Turkey, and Morocco. What's more, I have had the honor of meeting with and interviewing more than 200 Arab, Iranian, Kurdish, Sudanese and other pastors and Christian leaders. With more data, the trend lines are becoming even more clear and the story is even more exciting.

The God of the Bible is moving powerfully in the Middle East to draw men, women and children to His heart and adopt them into His family in record numbers. More Muslims have come to faith in Jesus Christ over the last thirty years -- and specifically over the last seven to ten years -- than at any other time in human history. There is a revival going on among the ancient Catholic, Coptic, and Chaldean churches. Today, the Church is being truly resurrected in the lands of its birth.

Consider the latest evidence:

AFGHANISTAN -- In Afghanistan, for example, there were only 17 known evangelical Christians in the country before al-Qaeda attacked the United States. Today, there are well over 10,000 Afghan followers of Christ and the number is growing steadily. Church leaders say Afghan Muslims are open to hearing the gospel message like never before. Dozens of baptisms occur every week. People are snatching up Bibles and other Christian books as fast as they can be printed or brought into the country. The Jesus film, a two hour docudrama on the life of Christ based on the Gospel of Luke, was even shown on television in one city before police shut down the entire TV station.God is moving so fast in Afghanistan, we're just trying to keep up, one Afghan Christian worker told me, requesting anonymity. The greatest need now is leadership development. We need to train pastors to care for all these new believers.

UZBEKISTAN -- There were no known Muslim converts to Christ there in 1990. Now there are more than 30,000.

IRAQ -- As I shared on Fox & Friends on Easter morning, in Iraq, there were only a handful of Muslim converts to Christianity back in 1979 when Saddam Hussein took full control of that country. Yet today, there are more than 70,000 Iraqi Muslim background believers in Jesus (MBBs), approximately 50,000 who came to Christ as refugees in Jordan after the first Gulf War in 1990-91, and another 20,000 who have come to Christ since the fall of Saddam Hussein. John Moser, the executive director of The Joshua Fund, and I just returned from nine days traveling through five provinces in Iraq. We met with 19 Iraqi evangelical Christian leaders. I had the privilege of preaching in a church of more than 100 MBBs from Baghdad -- a church that didn't even exist in 2002 before liberation. We also had the privilege of meeting and interviewing numerous former Islamic jihadist terrorist who have come to Christ and are now pastors and church planters.

KAZAKHSTAN -- In Kazakhstan, there were only three known evangelical Christian believers before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today there are more than 15,000 Kazakh Christians, and more than 100,000 Christians of all ethnicities.

EGYPT -- More than 1 million Egyptians have trusted Christ over the past decade or so, report Egyptian church leaders. The Egyptian Bible Society told me they used to sell about 3,000 copies of the Jesus film a year in the early 1990s. But in 2005 they sold 600,000 copies, plus 750,000 copies of the Bible on tape (in Arabic) and about a half million copies of the Arabic New Testament. Egyptians are increasingly hungry for God's Word, an Egyptian Christian leader told me. Last Christmas, I had the privilege of visiting the largest Christian congregation in the Middle East, which meets in an enormous cave on the outskirts of Cairo. Some 10,000 believers worship there every weekend. A prayer conference the church held in May 2005 drew some 20,000 believers.

IRAN -- In 1979 when the Ayatollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution, there were only about 500 known Muslim converts to Christianity. Today, interviews with two dozen Iranian pastors and church leaders reveals that there are well over 1 million Shia Muslim converts to Christianity.

SUDAN -- Despite a ferocious civil war, genocide and widespread religious persecution, particularly in the Darfur region -- or perhaps because of such tragedies -- church leaders there tell me that more than 1 million Sudanese have made decisions to follow Jesus Christ just since 2001. Since the early 1990s, more than 5 million Sudanese have become followers of Jesus. Seminary classes to train desperately-needed new pastors are held mountain caves. Hundreds of churches have been planted, and thousands of small group Bible studies are being held in secret throughout the country.

In December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on a live interview on Aljazeera satellite television to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers. In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity, Al Qataani warned. Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity. Stunned, the interviewer interrupted the cleric. Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have six million converting from Islam to Christianity? Al Qataani repeated his assertion. Every year, the cleric confirmed, adding, a tragedy has happened.

One of the most dramatic developments is that many Muslims throughout the Middle East and even in the United States are seeing dreams and visions of Jesus. They are coming into churches explaining that they have already converted and now need a Bible and guidance on how to follow Jesus. This is in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. The Hebrew Prophet Joel told us that in the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days....And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. (Joel 2:28-32)

In Epicenter: Why The Current Rumblings In the Middle East Will Change Your Future, I devoted an entire chapter to these dramatic trend lines and why Muslims are converting in record numbers. I am currently working on a new non-fiction book and documentary film called Inside The Revolution, to be release during Easter 2009, with much more detail on this subject, including first person accounts of former Muslim terrorists who have become the new Apostle Pauls of our time -- murderous religious zealots who had visions of Jesus Christ and are now pastors, evangelists, church planters and powerful Christian leaders. Other books I would highly recommend on this subject are Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen; and Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe In Christ.

Is life easy for these Muslim converts? By no means. They face ostracism from their families. They face persecution from their communities. They face being fired by their employers. They face imprisonment by their governments. They face torture and even death at the hands of Muslim extremists. But they are coming to Christ anyway. They are becoming convinced that Jesus is, in fact, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father in heaven except through faith in Jesus' death on the cross and powerful resurrection from the dead.

One of the reasons my wife and I began The Joshua Fund was to educate the Church around the world at what God of the Bible is doing in the epicenter. We want to mobilize a global movement of Christians praying for these dear brothers and sisters. We want to find ways to encourage and strengthen them. We want to provide them with Bibles and Christian literature, and with humanitarian relief supplies so they can love their neighbors and their enemies, as Jesus tells us to do. Their stories are typically being told by the mainstream media, but they are important stories nonetheless. Theirs are testimonies of the greatness of our great God.

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)

EZEKIEL 39:21
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK)

REVELATION 18:10
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Published: March 24, 2008 06:40 am
As I See It: Change or experience: The choice is ours
By Richard A. Astukewicz


On the horizon looms a troubled time in the history of the United States as we go forward to elect our new leader, a new president who is faced with more problems than one can dream of.We are facing the decision and are given a choice of change we can believe in or experience. For me, I will always take experience.Yes, we need change. The change we need is for our leaders to do what they were elected for ... to make correct decisions for America, for American citizens, not for liberals or conservatives, not for Blacks or Hispanics or Cubans but for Americans all without prejudice to race, color or creed. They promise it, but they continue to pander to big oil, big business, big corporations and their power, simply because money talks and you know what walks.

Today's politicians are promising you a rose garden where there is none. Whether they are Republicans, Democrats or Independents, they all do what is easier, what is most expedient, what is less risky, what is politically correct. They promise you what you want to hear, what is more opportune, what sells the best and you all gobble it up as if it was the manna in the desert.Change you can believe in should be rewritten to — the highest taxes you can pay.

In 1973 when the Arabs lost the war to Israel, our friend in the Middle East, Saudi King Faisal, attempted to give us a lesson, that he could hurt our economy, and he did, with an Arab oil embargo. We still have not learned the lesson. Today our economic well-being is fully dependent on anti-American energy-supplying states and your leaders do nothing. If you think this housing crisis is big, you have not thought about an energy crisis.While China and India go on to supply their nations with energy, building 850 coal-fired energy plants, our leaders want us to worry about global warming.While China builds new pipelines, new ports in Myanmar to receive oil and natural gas, we sit on our fat, lazy butts doing nothing. While China invests in mining and offshore oil drilling throughout the world, our leaders tax oil companies' profits as if they will help our energy needs.Here we are spending record amounts of American dollars for gasoline and home heating oil. You Americans are worried about the economy ... oil, coal, natural gas, our energy needs, that is the economy; we cannot run a nation without cheap, affordable energy.While China races on building roads, railways, airports and energy needs, we wallow in democratic inefficiency and suffer.

I worry about our ties to Taiwan and Israel where an attack on either puts us into a war with enemies whose numbers are in the billions.I worry about our industrial base and how we would survive in a troubled time.I worry about our military and if it can defend our national security when and if needed.I worry about our hospitals, which are closing at an alarming rate, and how that will affect a national disaster, which we may face.I worry about the threat of an EMP (electro magnetic pulse) attack that in this hi-tech age is very plausible.I worry about the challenges being created and built up by the nations filled with anti-American hate.

I worry because the United States cannot any longer dictate to the world what it wants or needs.My vision of America's problems are not those of the majority of Americans, but I firmly believe my noted problems are the most important issues that need to be resolved — the most important being oil, coal, natural gas — energy. We solve this problem and all else would fall into place and be resolved.Soon you will vote, experience or the promise of change. It's your choice, listen carefully — who can do and will do the job this time.Richard A. Astukewicz of Salisbury is a retired business manager.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

HERE WE GOT ALL THE NATIONS THAT MARCH AGAINST ISRAEL IN THE FUTURE IN THIS STORY.

Russia, Egypt seal nuclear power deal in Mubarak visit by Victoria Loguinova Tue Mar 25, 12:40 PM ET

NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (AFP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Russia's President Vladimir Putin oversaw the signing Tuesday of a deal that will enable Moscow to bid for the construction of Egypt's first atomic power station. The head of Russia's Rosatom nuclear energy agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, and Egyptian Energy Minister Hassan Younis signed the civilian nuclear cooperation accord at Putin's residence just outside Moscow.The agreement, which has taken years to draw up, will allow Russia to bid in an international tender for a 1.5-1.8 billion dollars (1.0-1.2 billion euros) reactor project on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.Mubarak said the deal was reached after difficult negotiations, Interfax news agency reported.Putin praised Egypt as one of the leaders of the Islamic and the Arab world and said Russo-Egyptian relations were of strategic importance.

President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over the Kremlin from Putin in May, told Mubarak he expected a productive partnership in the nuclear sphere, ITAR-TASS news agency reported.Russia -- which is close to completing Iran's controversial first nuclear facility in Bushehr, and also recently signed a contract for a reactor in Bulgaria -- is keen to reestablish a commercial and diplomatic presence in the Middle East.The region was a stronghold of Soviet influence before the end of the Cold War and the subsequent surge of US dominance.Today, nuclear technology and conventional weapons sales are again giving Moscow a foot in the door. Mubarak was expected also to discuss possible arms deals on Tuesday.Even if ties are a long way from the days when Middle Eastern elites routinely studied and trained in the Soviet Union, throngs of sun-seeking Russians are making their own mark by flooding to Egypt's coastal resorts in growing numbers.

In an interview with state-owned Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily, Mubarak voiced full satisfaction with the level of international political consultations between Cairo and Moscow.However, since friends must always be open with each other, I must say that I am not as happy with the volume of Russian investment into Egypt's economy, Mubarak added.Kommersant had reported that the nuclear cooperation deal had been top of the agenda Its sources had hinted that Moscow gave some ground to Cairo and now expects an answer, it said.The daily added: Moscow particularly hopes that Cairo will return to buying Russian arms.The Nezavisimaya daily echoed that theme in its headline: Cairo is interested in Russian nuclear technologies and (conventional) weapons.Mubarak arrived in Moscow on Monday and was due to leave Wednesday.His visit came days before an Arab summit in Damascus, Syria, scheduled for March 29-30, which has been mired in controversy. Some Arab states have said they will not attend if the Lebanese parliament has not elected a president by then. Regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt have blamed Syria, which has been the dominant political and military force in Lebanon for decades, for obstructing the election.

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