ISRAEL READY TO ACT AGAINST IRAN

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.

Hurricane Bertha approaches Bermuda JULY 11,08

MIAMI - Forecasters say a tropical storm watch could be issued for Bermuda as Hurricane Bertha moves slowly toward the island.

Forecasters are urging people in Bermuda to monitor the Category 1 storm's progress closely. Bertha is producing large swells and high surf there.If it stays on its current track, Bertha will approach Bermuda on Friday and Saturday. As of 5 a.m. EDT Friday, the center of the storm was about 350 miles southeast of Bermuda, traveling northwest at about 7 mph. Maximum sustained winds are about 85 mph with some gusting higher.

La Nina dissipates in equatorial Pacific: NOAA Thu Jul 10, 9:44 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - La Nina has mostly dissipated in the Pacific Ocean and normal weather should prevail into the fall, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center said Thursday. A transition from La Nina to ... neutral conditions occurred during June 2008, as sea surface temperatures returned to near-average across the central and east-central equatorial Pacific Ocean, the CPC said in its monthly update.La Nina means little girl in Spanish and usually results in cooler-than-normal water in the Pacific that helps hurricanes form in the Atlantic basin by suppressing wind shear which tears embryonic storms apart.The more famous El Nino anomaly causes waters in the Pacific to turn abnormally warm and its encouragement of wind shear was said to hinder Atlantic storms which would sweep into the Gulf of Mexico and disrupt oil and gas production in the area.CPC said La Nina continues to linger in the atmospheric circulation, but with diminishing strength.It said normal weather may persist into the northern hemisphere winter of 2008/09.

But, CPC cautioned, The possible development of El Nino or La Nina cannot be ruled out due to uncertainty in model forecasts and because (both) events often form during the second half of the year.
Scientists have observed that El Nino and La Nina would often follow one after the other in the central Pacific.El Nino is more notorious and was named after the Christ child because it was first noticed by Latin American anchovy fishermen in the 19th Century.The worst recent El Nino was in 1997/98 when it sparked drought in countries like Australia and Indonesia while spawning floods in Peru and Ecuador.(Reporting by Rene Pastor, Editing by John Picinich)

Wild weather in southern B.C. knocks out power, downs trees
Thu Jul 10, 10:07 PM

VANCOUVER (CBC) - High winds peaking at 70 km/h buffeted B.C.'s south coast Thursday afternoon, causing extensive power outages and downing trees in Metro Vancouver.More than 35,000 BC Hydro customers were without power at one point. The hardest-hit areas were the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast. As many as 4,000 people in Coquitlam were without power for several hours.Trees were toppled in West Vancouver, Vancouver and North Vancouver, including one that hit a small commuter shuttle operated by TransLink on Mount Seymour Parkway in North Vancouver.The tree split open the rear of the bus and a branch smashed the front windshield. The driver and the nine passengers were not seriously injured.The bus lurched forward and I hit the front behind the driver's seat, said Risa Newyear-Ramirez, who was on the bus.I got a little scratch. I didn't know what happened but I heard people screaming. I looked behind me and saw the back of the bus was completely gone, Newyear-Ramirez said.The passengers called the driver, Sabir Kazi, a hero because he spotted the tree as it fell toward his small bus. He sped up and prevented the falling tree from smashing right into the roof of the bus.I just did my job because I just wanted to save everyone, said Kazi, who has been on the job for nine months.

Strong winds hit B.C. Interior

The southern Okanagan and the Interior also experienced a wind storm with gusts up to 109 km/h.In Kelowna, a thunderstorm warning was issued in the afternoon and, within minutes, whitecaps appeared on Okanagan Lake and violent waves began to break over the seawall. Several boats were washed ashore.Stewart Smith, owner of the Kelowna Marina, said he lost about 80 per cent of his rental boats.
Out of the 20 boats, we maybe have four left, he said. Their legs were ripped off or [there were] big holes on the sides of the boats.

CBC meteorologist Claire Martin said the winds had died down by Thursday evening.When you have energy along a front, it's usually spread amongst the clouds, rain-making and the wind. We didn't see much in the way of clouds and there was no rain along the front, ergo the winds were very strong, Martin said.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

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.

CHILE VOLCANO REVS UP
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?rn=222561&cl=8760886&ch=6535903

WILDFIRES UPDATE
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=8762248&src=news

RESIDENTS FLEE WILDFIRES
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8765754&ch=4226713&src=news

Calif. National Guard joins firefighting effort By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 11, 4:27 AM ET

ALBION, Calif. - Sweat rolled down Lisa Mirander's forehead as she hacked a tangle of saplings and brush down to bare dirt to prevent a wildfire from spreading. It was a tough job, but no harder than the 13 months she served in Afghanistan. California's wildfire season has become so severe so swiftly that for the first time in more than 30 years, National Guard troops have been deployed to fight the flames on the ground. Many are arriving at the fire line just after returning from combat zones.For Mirander, the two jobs share some similarities.In combat, she said, you worried about the bullets. Here, you got the fire.The Guard is stepping in as crews across the state struggle to contain hundreds of lightning-sparked fires that have burned more than 1,000 square miles and destroyed nearly 100 homes in the last three weeks.Mirander, a 27-year-old student, left behind her husband and a 7-year-old stepson in Riverside to spend one month working 12-hour days battling the flames.It's pretty awesome, she said of working alongside other troops. We really stand by each other.The first wave of 200 troops took their places Wednesday, providing a breath of fresh air to firefighting crews on the ground, said Dan Burns, an assistant fire chief who was helping integrate the Guard into the firefighting effort.

It'll really relieve a lot of pressure out there, Burns said. The state got hit by so many fires at once — we couldn't staff them all.
Because this fire season started so early, the firefighting conditions have been among the worst in memory, even among longtime crews, said Terence McHale, policy director for CDF Firefighters of Cal Fire, the union representing the firefighters.We have firefighters who've been working nonstop since mid-May, who haven't seen their families or homes, who are working 24-hour shifts, 21 days on, sometimes putting in 36 hours in the initial attack of a fire, McHale said. It's an incredible challenge.By Thursday, about 1,460 fires had been contained, but more than 320 were still active. For instance, in Butte County, north of Sacramento, more than 50 homes have been destroyed, and another 4,000 are threatened. The flames forced 10,000 residents to evacuate.

Firefighters on Thursday positioned themselves on the banks of the Feather River opposite the town of Paradise, preparing for a wind change. The winds expected Friday morning are similar to ones that caused the damaging flare-up Monday night.They're monitoring that fire and trying to keep it on the east side so it doesn't cross over to the west bank and reach the town, said Tobie Edmonds, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.Lloyd Knifong, who has lived in Paradise since 1960, was preparing to spend a sleepless night with his 20-year-old son Kyle, defending their home and several others lined on two sides by 70-foot pine trees. A fire engine was parked nearby and sprinklers were jerry-rigged to roofs.When we see it coming, I'm going to empty my pool and get everything nice and wet. Then we'll leave, he said.Along the scenic Big Sur coast, 27 homes and 31 other structures have burned in a fire that has consumed 140 square miles.

Farther south, a separate blaze in the Santa Ynez Mountains had blackened more than 15 square miles and was 75 percent contained. And at the southern tip of Sequoia National Forest, 90 miles north of Los Angeles, a 54-square-mile blaze was almost a third contained. Strong winds gusting up to 50 mph also spread wildfires in Washington state, and more than 200 residents were evacuated from the suburban Spokane Valley. Fast-moving flames burned at least four homes there, Gov. Chris Gregoire said. Officials said heavy smoke and tree cover made it difficult to assess the damage from the wildfire, which broke out Thursday afternoon and grew to nearly 2 square miles. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the National Guard to the front lines and expects to call up more troops. On Thursday, he requested more resources from President Bush, and officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they were reviewing the request. We now face extremely high temperatures and increased fuel loads that are exacerbating fire conditions and putting our communities and firefighters and other first responders at risk, the governor wrote. We sit at a critical tipping point in California that requires immediate federal help.Conditions are expected to worsen, with a continuing heat wave and more lightning storms forecast the rest of the week, Schwarzenegger said. Fire officials who trained the Guard members were impressed by the morale of the troops as they prepared to face wildfires for the first time. It feels good — not that it didn't feel good to serve in Iraq. It really feels good to be helping out at home, said Jacques Lewis, 51, a postal worker in San Francisco who spent a year in Iraq training soldiers on safety around nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. About half of the approximately 35 troops training for the wildfires had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, said state fire Capt. Walter Williams, who led the training. But even for troops with combat experience, fighting fires is new, Williams said. They must learn how flames can double back, leap over trenches and surprise even experienced firefighters. They also have to figure out how and where to dig, and how to feed out a fire hose. And they must get accustomed to hard labor in temperatures that peak around 110 degrees.

We're going to find out how much stamina we all have, Williams said. Because the troops are new to the task, instructors are careful to keep them safe and drinking plenty of water. They won't carry chain saws and will only work alongside more experienced firefighters, Burns said. This is the first time, but I can see this as the future — utilizing the National Guard when our resources are tapped out, he said. Associated Press writers Don Thompson in Paradise and Nicholas K. Geranios in Spokane, Wash., contributed to this report.

Wildfires advance in Calif., destroy Wash. homes By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer JULY 11,08

PARADISE, Calif. - Firefighters battling a raging wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California braced for strong winds Friday they feared could blow hot embers toward thousands of homes, while residents in Washington state's Spokane Valley fled a fire that destroyed several houses. The winds forecast for Friday morning were expected to be similar to ones that caused the blaze in Butte County to flare up earlier this week, destroying about 50 homes and forcing 10,000 residents to evacuate.We're hoping to get things under control to be ready for that wind change, said Tobie Edmonds, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.Firefighters on Thursday positioned themselves on the banks of the Feather River opposite the town of Paradise, where a wildfire last month forced thousands of evacuations and destroyed 74 homes.They're monitoring that fire and trying to keep it on the east side so it doesn't cross over to the west bank and reach the town, Edmonds said.In Washington, strong winds gusting up to 50 mph spread a wildfire that erupted Thursday in a heavily wooded part of the Spokane Valley, forcing 200 residents to evacuate.Fast-moving flames burned at least four homes, said Gov. Chris Gregoire, who flew to Spokane late Thursday, passing over numerous fires in eastern Washington.Virtually from Wenatchee east, it's a pretty smoky cloud, she said.

Gregoire said she approved requests by Spokane and Ferry counties for emergency declarations to make state resources available to help fight the fires.We have planes ready to go first thing in the morning, depending on winds, she said.Officials said heavy smoke and tree cover made it difficult to assess the damage from the suburban Spokane wildfire, which remained out of control. The cause of that blaze, which grew to nearly 2 square miles, was not immediately known.In California, about 40 fires ignited by lightning storms have burned more than 76 square miles in Butte County alone in the past two weeks. By Thursday, about 15 of the fires were active.Lloyd Knifong, 47, and his son Kyle, 20, were preparing to spend a sleepless night defending their Paradise home and several others lined on two sides by 70-foot pine trees. A fire engine was parked nearby and sprinklers were jerry-rigged to roofs.

When we see it coming, I'm going to empty my pool and get everything nice and wet. Then we'll leave, Knifong said.In Concow, about 90 miles north of Sacramento, firefighters intentionally burned brush to keep the flames away from houses. Evacuations orders remained in place, but some residents were allowed back on Thursday to check on their homes.I think my place is gone, said Rachael Davidson, 37. When we left, there were flames all around.

Along the scenic Big Sur coast, 27 homes and 31 other structures have burned in a fire that has consumed 140 square miles and was about 40 percent contained.Farther south, a separate blaze in the Santa Ynez Mountains had blackened more than 15 square miles and was 75 percent contained. And at the southern tip of Sequoia National Forest, 90 miles north of Los Angeles, a 54-square-mile blaze was almost a third contained. The National Guard has stepped in as crews across California struggle to contain hundreds of lightning-sparked fires that have burned more than 1,100 square miles and destroyed nearly 100 homes in the last three weeks. Some 1,460 fires had been contained by Thursday, but more than 320 still were active, authorities said. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the Guard to the front lines and expects to call up more troops. On Thursday, he requested more resources from President Bush, and officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they were reviewing the request. California is in the midst of battling unprecedented wildfires that have stretched our state's firefighting resources to their limit and placed thousands of Californians in immediate danger, the governor wrote. Associated Press writers Juliana Barbassa in Albion, Calif., and Nicholas K. Geranios in Spokane, Wash., contributed to this report.

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)

OIL THIS MORNING GOES TO ANOTHER RECORD HIGH OF $145.98 A $9.00 JUMP IN THE LAST 2 DAYS.

BIG OIL TURNS ON IRAN
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8760370&ch=4226720&src=news

Oil hits new record as supply fears intensify By Santosh Menon JULY 11,08

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil jumped over $4 to a new record high near $146 a barrel on Friday, spurred by growing worries of threats to supplies from Iran and Nigeria and a strike of Brazilian oil workers next week. U.S. crude was $4.17 at $145.82 a barrel by 6:56 a.m. EDT, off highs of $145.98, after jumping $5.60 or 4 percent a barrel in late trading on Thursday.London Brent crude was up $4.25 at $146.28 a barrel.Leading the oil complex was ICE gas oil futures which climbed to a new record high of $1,335 a tonne amid strong demand for diesel and aviation fuel.Oil, which had been on the retreat for much of early part of the week, reversed course on Thursday as fears of supply disruptions from potential hot-spots, OPEC members Iran and Nigeria, resurfaced.A spate of missile tests by Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, in the last two days against a backdrop of rising tensions with Israel and the United States has left the oil markets worried.Iran has threatened to strike back at Tel Aviv as well as U.S. interests in and a key oil shipping route if it is attacked over its nuclear program, which Israel and the West fears is aimed at making nuclear weapons.

The United States reminded Tehran it was ready to defend its allies.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main militant group in Nigeria's oil-producing region, said it was abandoning a ceasefire to protest against a British offer to help tackle lawlessness in the region.Rebel attacks on oil infrastructure in Nigeria, the world's eighth biggest exporter, have also been partly responsible for the nearly 50 percent rise in prices this year.Workers at Brazil's Petrobras (PETR4.SA)(PBR.N) threatened to launch a five-day strike next week that would affect all 42 Campos basin offshore platforms, which account for more than 80 percent of daily oil output of around 1.8 million barrels.Oil has also risen due to persistent weakness in the U.S. dollar. Investors have flocked to oil and other commodities this year as a hedge against rising inflation and the weak dollar.Oil has continued rising despite efforts by top exporter Saudi Arabia to raise production to its highest rate in three decades in an effort to tame oil prices.Qatar Oil Minister Abdullah al-Attiyah told Reuters on Friday that he saw no demand for the additional crude that Saudi Arabia has pledged to pump.(Additional reporting by Felicia Loo in Singapore; Editing by William Hardy)

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

US stocks lower as GE fails to motivate investors By JOE BEL BRUNO, AP Business Writer JULY 11,08

NEW YORK - Wall Street headed for a moderately lower open Friday after General Electric Co.'s quarterly report failed to motivate investors anxious about the financial industry and a new record oil price. GE, the conglomerate that owns everything from television network NBC to jet engine plants, reported second-quarter profits that met analysts' expectations. However, the outlook across its business lines was mixed — and overall results were not convincing enough to send futures higher.The results were not enough to distract investors from broader worries that continued to depress the market, including oil prices, which on Friday vaulted to a new intraday record of $145.98 a barrel.And financial companies with exposure to mortgage bonds will continue to be under investor scrutiny. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have plunged in the past few sessions, and there is growing speculation on the Street that the government might have to step in to prevent a collapse.Citigroup Inc. announced it will sell its German retail banking operation to France's Credit Mutuel for $7.7 billion. After the deal closes, Citi said it will book a $4 billion gain — an amount that could be badly needed as the company is expected to take further write-downs during the second quarter.Investors are also awaiting economic data including a report on the trade deficit in May and a reading on consumer confidence for July.

Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 62, or 0.61 percent, to 11,155. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 7.70, or 0.61 percent, to 1,246.80, while Nasdaq 100 index futures fell 9.50, or 0.52 percent, to 1,834.75.Light, sweet crude rose $3.53 to $1456.30 per barrel in premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Behind the rise are concerns about a disruption to tight global supplies amid tensions over Iran's launch of test missiles and the possible renewal of oil-related violence in Nigeria.Bond prices edged lower ahead of the economic reports. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.82 percent from 3.80 percent late Thursday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index, which sits at multiyear lows, is expected to drop further amid higher gasoline prices and a weakening employment market. The report is due at 10 a.m. EDT.And, economists expect that the Commerce Department will report that the U.S. trade deficit increased in May due to soaring oil prices and higher imports of consumer goods. The trade gap is forecast to rise to $62.1 billion from $60.9 billion in April, according to Thomson/IFR. The report is due at 8:30 a.m. EDT.Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.21 percent. In morning trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.87 percent, Germany's DAX index declined 1.53 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.36 percent.On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

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.

EPA: Smog could get worse with global warming By DINA CAPPIELLO, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 10, 8:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Global warming could worsen smog and stretch what typically is a summer pollution problem into the spring and fall, government scientists predicted Thursday. Smog is most likely to get worse in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions of the country, where numerous counties and cities are already struggling to clean up the air, according to a draft analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency.But in Texas and Southern California, already among the smoggiest areas in the country, the science is unclear, even conflicting. Smog there could get slightly better or become more severe, the analysis said.Nonetheless, researchers said state officials should be factoring in the impact of global warming as they make plans to try to reduce smog, calling it a climate penalty.These findings also indicate, that, where climate-change-induced increases in (smog) do occur, damaging effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and health will be especially pronounced, due to increases in the frequency of extreme pollution events, the analysis concluded. However, the prediction came with a caveat: the researchers did not take into account efforts to reduce smog that are already under way because of stricter environmental regulations.EPA stressed that the document did not represent the agency's policies or position on global warming. On Friday, the agency is scheduled to officially respond to a Supreme Court ruling that said greenhouse gases could be regulated under the Clean Air Act if they pose a risk to human health or welfare.The Bush administration has resisted linking global warming to public health problems.

The ill-effects of smog, however, have been long been recognized. Smog is formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds released from cars, industry and plants mix in sunlight. It can irritate the respiratory system, reduce lung capacity and aggravate asthma. Global warming would make smog worse because it would cause plants to release more smog-forming organic compounds and spark more lightning storms, which create nitrogen oxides naturally.Barry Wallerstein, executive director of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which regulates air pollution in Orange County, Calif., and parts of Los Angeles, said the link between global warming and smog should compel EPA to control greenhouse gas emissions.On the Net:EPA http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid181744

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).

SALMONELLA MYSTERY
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8762181&ch=4226723&src=news

More suspects in frustrating salmonella probe By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Thu Jul 10, 10:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Think of your favorite recipe for salsa. Three common ingredients now are suspects in the salmonella poisonings that have become the nation's largest foodborne outbreak in at least a decade. And therein lies the frustration. Seven weeks into their investigation, federal health officials aren't shortening the list of potential culprits but adding to it. Now jalapeno pepper producers are being probed alongside tomato distributors, and even fresh cilantro is under suspicion, too.I wish I could have a crystal ball and say it's one of those three things, Dr. David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration's food safety chief, told AP Television on Thursday.This has gone on longer and has been more complicated than anything I've worked on at FDA.Indeed, it's quite a departure from the 2006 E. coli outbreak in spinach, a mystery solved in about two weeks.We really, really got spoiled, if you will, with the spinach outbreak, Dr. Robert Tauxe, food safety chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press.There aren't as many spinach lovers as tomato lovers. And the spinach consumers remembered eating came in bags, often still left in their refrigerators — that bore bar codes that were as good a clue as a fingerprint in helping investigators race to the very field that had been contaminated.This time around, the suspects seldom are left over in the refrigerator or bear individual bar codes. Also, the victims are having a harder time remembering.

They say, Well, I'm not sure, I may have had guacamole, or a garnish, Tauxe said.But this outbreak is lasting an unusually long time, with a record 1,065 cases confirmed by Thursday — the first of whom fell sick April 10 and the latest so far on June 26.That makes the toll of the current salmonella outbreak far surpass recent large outbreaks of any foodborne disease: salmonella linked to peanut butter in 2006 and hepatitis A from green onions in 2003. It's not quite as big as one caused by cyclospora-tainted raspberries in the mid-1990s.The scope is bad both for public health and a battered tomato industry that estimates losses at $100 million. Yet it is giving federal investigators some apparently valuable new clues.Early on, lots of individuals got sick, not clusters of people who all ate at the same restaurant or catered picnic. But by mid-May and continuing well into last month, those clusters of a few people sickened in the same spot were appearing. That's helpful for disease detectives, who find it easier to trace suppliers for a few restaurants than hundreds of stores and markets.

Plus, the CDC just finished comparing 144 people who got sick in June with 287 people who live near them but didn't fall ill.That study of the June cases shows the sick are far more likely than the well to have eaten either raw tomatoes, raw jalapeno peppers or fresh cilantro. In one of the largest clusters, those sickened had consumed fresh tomatoes and fresh jalapenos mixed together. In two other large clusters, illnesses were linked only to a dish that contained fresh jalapenos but no tomatoes.

What does that mean?

We are quite sure that neither tomatoes nor jalapenos explain the entire outbreak at this point. ... We're presuming that both of them have caused illness, Tauxe said.That has the FDA looking furiously for intersections between peppers and tomatoes. Perhaps there are farms that grew tomatoes earlier in the spring and then switched to pepper harvesting, or distribution centers that handled both types of produce and contaminated incoming produce, Acheson said. The government's advice for now is to continue avoiding certain raw tomatoes — red round, plum and Roma — unless they were grown in areas cleared of suspicion. Plus, people at highest risk of severe illness from salmonella should not eat raw jalapeno and serrano peppers, the CDC advised. The most vulnerable are the elderly, people with weak immune systems and infants. Serranos are on the list because they're hard to distinguish from jalapenos.

Did the CDC just miss a pepper connection early on?

It's very hard for us to say that peppers were absolutely not part of the problem initially. They may have been part of the problem initially but not large enough to catch the attention of the investigations, Tauxe acknowledges. But there are clusters of illness where jalapenos simply were not on the menu, he added. And Acheson stressed Thursday: There was and is very compelling evidence that tomatoes were contaminated with salmonella.The geography offers a potentially good clue too. Patients live in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and even Canada — where three people got sick while traveling to the U.S. and a fourth case is under investigation. Most of the sick are in the Southwest, while parts of the Northwest have no cases and parts of the Southeast few. That begs the question is there something about the distribution of the product that contributes to that, Acheson said. We've been trying to tease that apart.On the Net: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov

KNOWLEGE AND WORLD TRAVEL INCREASED

DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)

Northwest Airlines to cut 2,500 jobs By JOSHUA FREED, AP Business Writer Wed Jul 9, 5:20 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS - Northwest Airlines Corp. said on Wednesday it will cut 2,500 jobs because of high oil prices, and will soon begin charging $15 to check luggage and up to $100 to redeem a frequent-flier award ticket. The airline said it expects the new fees to add $250 million to $300 million a year in revenue.Northwest said the job cuts — which represent about 8.3 percent of its work force — will include front-line and management workers. It said it will start with voluntary departures and leaving open jobs unfilled before moving to furloughs to reach the 2,500 total.Northwest had said previously it would have fewer workers after it cuts 8.5 percent to 9.5 percent of mainline flying in the fourth quarter of this year. It has said overall capacity would shrink 3 percent to 4 percent because it is adding regional seats. As of the end of 2007, Northwest employed about 30,000 people.President and Chief Executive Doug Steenland said Northwest's fuel costs have more than doubled in the past year.

These reductions are the direct result of our extraordinary fuel costs and the necessary actions we must take to right-size our airline and eliminate unprofitable flying, Steenland said in a written statement.Northwest also said it would begin charging $15 for the first checked bag, matching a fee announced earlier this year by US Airways, American Airlines, and United Airlines. Northwest's new fee applies to tickets sold after Thursday for travel starting Aug. 28 in the U.S. or to Canada.Northwest also announced a fee for issuing frequent-flier tickets beginning Sept. 15. It said it will charge $25 for domestic tickets, $50 for trans-Atlantic tickets and $100 for trans-Pacific tickets. Steenland called the service fee temporary.As fuel comes down, we will re-visit this decision, he said.Last month Delta Air Lines Inc. announced a $25 surcharge for redeeming frequent flier tickets for domestic travel and $50 for international. Delta, which is buying Northwest, has not added a fee for the first checked bag.American Airlines was the first major U.S. carrier to announce a fee on first checked bags. Spokesman Tim Smith said Northwest's moves clearly show they are facing the same extreme challenges all airlines are dealing with these days. American also charges $50 to $100 to book a frequent-flier ticket within less than 21 days.

Executives of American parent AMR Corp. said last week they expect to cut 8 percent of the work force, or about 6,800 jobs. Continental Airlines Inc. has announced 3,000 job cuts.Frequent flier programs have been around since the early 1980s. The idea has always been that airlines would reward customer loyalty with a free, repeat, free ticket, said Tim Winship, who runs mileage program tracking Web site frequentflier.com. That to me is a pretty clear-cut promise. And the free part is at the center of that promise.Randy Petersen, editor of FrequentFlyer magazine, said U.S. airlines have actually been later than their European and Asian counterparts in adding fees for frequent-flier awards.If this is how the industry is gong to stay in business so our awards are available to use one or two years from now, we don't like it, but we're going to live with it, he said.Northwest shares fell $1.17, or almost 16 percent, to close at $6.30.AP Business Writers David Koenig in Dallas and Harry R. Weber in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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

Bush signs new rules on government wiretapping By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 11, 2:08 AM ET

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed a bill Thursday that overhauls rules about government eavesdropping and grants immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the U.S. spy on Americans in suspected terrorism cases. He called it landmark legislation that is vital to the security of our people.Bush signed the measure in a Rose Garden ceremony a day after the Senate sent it to him, following nearly a year of debate in the Democratic-led Congress over surveillance rules and the warrantless wiretapping program Bush initiated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was a battle that pitted privacy and civil liberties concerns against the desire to prevent terrorist attacks and Democrats' fears of being portrayed as weak when it comes to protecting the country.

Its passage was a major victory for Bush, an unpopular lame-duck president who nevertheless has been able to prevail over Congress on most issues of national security and intelligence disputes.Bush said the 9/11 attack changed our country forever and taught the intelligence community that it must know who America's enemies are talking to and what they are saying.In the aftermath of 9/11, Bush said, few would have imagined that we would be standing here seven years later without another attack on American soil. The fact that the terrorists have failed to strike our shores again does not mean that our enemies have given up.Even before Bush signed the legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union said it would challenge the new law in court.The president said the bill gives the government anti-terror tools it needs without compromising Americans' civil liberties.Bush was joined at the ceremony by Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and more than a dozen members of Congress.The ACLU's lawsuit was filed on behalf of several civil rights groups. It wants a federal judge in New York to rule that the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech and the right against unlawful search and seizure. It also asks that the judge permanently block intelligence officials from conducting surveillance under the law.The new law gives the government the power to conduct dragnet surveillance that has no connection to terrorism or criminal activity of any kind, said Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU's National Security Project, in a conference call to reporters.A law like this is fundamentally inconsistent with the Constitution and with the most basic democratic values, he said.

Roger Atwood, communications director for the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights organization for the region, said the new law will impede the group's work.The mere suspicion that information provided to us, to our staff, will be accessed by the U.S. government can seriously affect WOLA's credibility and our effectiveness in Latin America in moving our work forward, Atwood said in the conference call.Associated Press writer Christine Simmons contributed to this report.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
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.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Lebanese army occupies abandoned Shebaa Farm: witness JULY 11,08

SHEBAA, Lebanon (AFP) - The Lebanese army moved on Friday into Bastara Farm, the only one of the occupied Shebaa Farms that the Israeli army evacuated when it pulled out of south Lebanon in 2000, an AFP correspondent said. Lebanese army vehicles and bulldozers could be seen moving for the first time into the farm, which lies some 300 metres (yards) away from other farms which Israel has occupied for more than 40 years.A road has been reconstructed to link this new position to other Lebanese army posts in the southeast of the country.The Shebaa Farms, a mountainous sliver of land rich in water resources measuring 25 square kilometres (10 square miles), are located at the junction of southeast Lebanon, southwest Syria and northern Israel.Israel seized the Farms from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war when it captured the neighbouring Golan Heights which it later annexed.Ever since, the Farms have been caught in a tug-of-war over ownership. Lebanon claims them, with the backing of Damascus, while Israel says they are part of Syria.US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during a visit to Beirut last month, called for an end to the standoff.The United States believes that the time has come to deal with the Shebaa Farms issue... in accordance with (UN Security Council Resolution) 1701, Rice said.Resolution 1701 brought an end to a devastating 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in summer 2006 and called for the UN secretary general to propose a border demarcation for the Shebaa Farms.Israel occupied south Lebanon for nearly 20 years until withdrawing its troops in May 2000, but it remained in the Shebaa. The United Nations ruled at the time that the withdrawal was complete and that the Farms were Syrian.A seven-point plan drawn up by Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and adopted by the United Nations envisages placing the territory under UN administration while waiting for the three countries to resolve the issue.

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

OK FINALLY, THIS WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT TRADE BLOCK IN THE WORLD AS THE EU WILL GUARENTEE ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE DEAL IN THE VERY , VERY NEAR FUTURE.

Mediterranean Union to be launched
ELITSA VUCHEVA JULY 11,08 Today @ 09:52 CET

France will on Sunday (13 July) launch the Union for the Mediterranean – the brainchild of President Nicolas Sarkozy, which will bring together EU member states and a number of North African and Middle East countries.Do you know how moving it is for us to see the Arab heads of state sitting at the same table as the Israeli head of state, in a European capital? Mr Sarkozy told journalists on Thursday.Libya's leader has said the Mediterranean Union has imperialist designs (Photo: Wikipedia.org)

For me, the presence of all these European and Mediterranean heads of state in Paris in the name of Europe and the Mediterranean is something deeply moving and it's the best news for peace in the Middle East … I hope we will be able to note a number of advancements, he added.But there is already scepticism about what the new union can achieve after the original most exclusive and grander vision by Mr Sarkozy was watered down, predominantly at Berlin's behest.In addition, up until the last minute, there was uncertainty over some leaders' attendance at the summit.After much foot-dragging, Algeria and Turkey both finally confirmed this week that they will be present. But Jordan's King Abdullah has declined the invitation for personal reasons, while Libya's Muammar Gaddafi –who has called it another Roman empire and spoken of its imperialist design – will also not attend.

The Union for the Mediterranean was proposed by France last year to boost economic, political and cultural ties with the EU's southern neighbours .In March, the bloc's leaders agreed on a final and more general version of the project, which is to include 44 countries – the EU's 27 members, plus Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey – as well as Mauritania, Monaco, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania.The launch will be co-presided over by Mr Sarkozy and Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, in Paris' grandiose glass-domed Grand Palais.

Added value?

Already there has been some tension about what the summit can and should achieve, however.In June, Arab leaders voiced concern about what it would mean for them to participate in the high-level meeting together with Israel, fearing it would imply a normalisation of bilateral relations.Turkey has also expressed reluctance since the beginning, fearing the project would be an alternative for its EU membership bid. But the French government, which remains set against Turkey's full membership in the EU, has sought to work out the differences between the two sides.Turkish daily Zaman on Friday (11 July) quotes a senior Turkish diplomat as saying: When Turkey's place is mentioned in the final declaration, we want Turkey to be defined as Turkey, which is conducting membership negotiations with the EU … And we have already received a positive signal on this matter.Critics of the Mediterranean Union also note that controversial issues such as immigration and terrorism have been left out of the scope of the new set-up. They also question its added value when compared to the current Barcelona Process – an initiative started in 1995 with similar ambitions to the new project, but which has stalled due to political apathy.

France launching watered-down Mediterranean union By ELAINE GANLEY, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 10, 2:55 PM ET

PARIS - At Sunday's launch of the Union for the Mediterranean, the president of Syria and the prime minister of Israel are to sit down at the same table for the first time. But French officials say no group photo is planned. Expectations are low that a new spirit of friendship will blossom over canapes and toasts — either between those mutually suspicious Mideast neighbors or in other rivalries among the 40 or so leaders at the summit.President Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious pet project to join the nations around the Mediterranean Sea in a cooperative union based on shared projects has been so watered down over the past year that critics now deride it as Club Med — suggesting it will be big on blather and low on substance.The burning question surrounding the inaugural meeting is whether Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad will talk or even shake hands.Optimists see the union's launch as an unprecedented occasion to propel recently resumed peace talks between the two nations, conducted indirectly through Turkey, with a one-on-one meeting or an announcement of direct negotiations between the leaders.Sarkozy has said any meeting between the two leaders would mark formidable progress in Israel-Syria relations. Alon Liel, a former Israeli Foreign Ministry director and lobbyist for Israeli-Syrian peace talks, said even a handshake would be a sensation.

But Syrian officials have not spoken encouragingly of a handshake or a meeting. Israeli officials aren't expecting much, because of Syria's traditional resistance to holding talks at the very highest level before a sound basis for success emerges.The seating arrangement at the table, said to be round, has not been made public. However, it is unlikely Olmert and Assad would be seated together or even face each other across the table.Their nations have a long, bitter divide. Syria wants Israel to return the Golan Heights, seized in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel wants Syria to sever its ties with Iran and stop backing Lebanese and Palestinian militants committed to the Jewish state's destruction.

Other tensions underpin the summit.

Algeria's president and Morocco's king are coming, despite the long rivalry between their nations. In one upbeat note, Assad says he will meet with Lebanon's new president, Michel Suleiman, a notable encounter given Syria's long interference in that country's affair.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who issued a passionate denunciation of Sarkozy's initiative, refused to come. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which sees the project as a way to keep Turks linked to but outside the European Union, has said he will try to attend.Friction with France's EU partners has also undermined the union.Sarkozy's plan to transform the volatile Mediterranean basin into a region of peace and prosperity was supposed to be the pillar of his presidency and a symbol of France's leadership of the EU, which it holds until the end of the year.But the union he envisioned overlapped expensive European projects in progress and was largely gutted, and effectively usurped, by the EU before even taking seed.Ideally, you should measure an initiative by its results ... but the measure of success has been shifted to who will be there on Sunday, said Jose Ignacio Toreblanca of the European Council on Foreign Relations.A grandiose venue, the glass-domed Grand Palais, has been chosen for the gathering with rooms set aside for private talks. The event will be capped Monday with dozens of leaders attending France's national Bastille Day military parade as special guests.Yet the summit falls short of the vision that Sarkozy laid out as a presidential candidate — ironically because it will be so well attended. The union is to be made up of 44 nations — 27 from Europe and 17 from North Africa and the Middle East — a compromise pushed by the EU that watered down Sarkozy's original vision of only the five European nations on the Mediterranean joining their southern neighbors. Tough issues like immigration or terrorism are giving way to feel-good projects. Among those to be put forward Sunday are a student exchange modeled on an EU program, development of solar energy and a clean-up of the polluted Mediterranean. At the end of the day, the particular projects that have been identified are very wise because they are uncontroversial, said Toreblanca. There is a need for a happy ending and the credits at the end of the movie saying Thank you, Sarkozy.Associated Press writer Amy Teibel in Jerusalem contributed to this story.

France to deliver solution to Lisbon psycho-drama by end of 2008 ELITSA VUCHEVA 10.07.2008 @ 17:38 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned Europe against falling into institutional paralysis in the wake of Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty and said he hopes to propose a solution to the situation before the end of this year.

In a passionate speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday (10 July), Mr Sarkozy said that nothing was worse for him than immobility and stressed the EU should not let itself be paralysed because of yet another institutional psycho-drama.Europe has a duty to act now. We are not condemned to inaction, the French president said, adding that this would be the main message of his country's EU presidency.He said that he would go to Ireland on 21 July to listen and talk and try to find solutions.The French presidency is going to propose a method and I hope for a solution in the month of October or in December, he told MEPs.Irish voters rejected the EU's Lisbon treaty on 12 June. While the document has been approved by parliaments in 20 other member states so far, it must be ratified by all 27 to enter into force.Mr Sarkozy said he did not want to put pressure on our Irish friends, but said that at the same time, it must be clear whether the European Parliament elections next June will be based on the current Nice Treaty or the Lisbon Treaty.We have [still] a little time, but not a lot, the president said, reiterating that negotiating a new treaty is not an option.

The French priorities remain

The ambitious agenda of the French EU presidency – which started on 1 July and will continue until the end of the year – will not be affected by this institutional problem, Mr Sarkozy said.
Paris' absolute priority in the next six months will be tackling climate change, notably by pushing for the adoption of legislative proposals on how to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020 – a goal agreed by EU leaders last year.Harmonising the 27 member states' immigration policies and strengthening the bloc's defence capacity are the other main policy areas outlined by the president.

If Europe is not able to defend itself, how can you want it to be a political power? asked Mr Sarkozy, underlining that his plans did not aim to undermine NATO, but to develop the EU's defence capacities parallel to those of the North Atlantic alliance.France also plans to defend European agriculture in the name of common sense.In 2050, there will be 9 billion people on this planet … This is not the time to scale down Europe's food production, the French leader said.

An outstanding debate

Mr Sarkozy's presentation in the European parliament was followed by a lengthy debate with MEPs, which in the end resulted in the president staying three and a half hours in the plenary session.I have been in the European parliament for 29 years and this today was one of the most outstanding meetings … The president responded to all the contributions [by the MEPs], taking them all seriously, the visibly pleased parliament's president, Hans-Gert Poettering, told journalists following the debate.Most political groups in the parliament backed the French presidency's priorities, and most MEPs gave the French president a standing ovation at the end of his speech.German Liberal Werner Langen compared Mr Sarkozy's presentation to that of former UK premier Tony Blair three years ago, saying it had been just as convincing – a comparison that appeared to please the French president.

Olympics controversy

But Mr Sarkozy also drew some criticism for his decision to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.Mr President, it is a shame, it is pathetic to go to the opening ceremony, Green leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit said.The possibility of boycotting the Olympics' opening was first raised after China's crackdown in Tibet, following riots and protests there in March.

But Mr Sarkozy defended his position, arguing that humiliating Beijing would be the wrong approach.I want to go and I want to speak. I want to speak about human rights and defend them … I don't think you can boycott a quarter of humanity, he said.For his part, Mr Poettering announced on Wednesday that he will not attend the event.

Italy rejects accusations of racism from EU assembly
LUCIA KUBOSOVA JULY 11,08 Today @ 09:28 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Italy has rejected criticism by the European Parliament of the country's move to fingerprint Roma people, including children. MEPs on Thursday (10 July) adopted a resolution calling the practise discriminatory and against EU rules. Meanwhile, Rome is defending its actions as a mechanism to protect Roma children from abuse.Italy dismissed accusation of racism for its plans to fingerprint Roma children (Photo: Amnesty International)

The statement was adopted with 336 votes in favour, 220 against and 77 abstentions. Pushed by the left-leaning and centrist political groups, the Greens and Liberals, the resolution was opposed mainly by centre-right MEPs, who argued Rome should be given a chance to explain its policy.Several deputies brought up the issue during a debate with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, urging him to press Italy's right-wing leadership to shelve the controversial measures.German deputy Martin Schultz, chairperson of the Socialist group in the parliament, called the fingerprinting of Roma people a serious breach of fundamental rights in Europe. He demanded of Mr Sarkozy: Can I ask you to appeal to curb the government of Silvio Berlusconi and remind him that this is against the rule of law.

But the French leader repeatedly refused to give lessons to his Italian counterpart, arguing that it was not he who had voted Silvio Berlusconi in power.In their resolution, MEPs referred to recent Eurobarometer surveys that report that Roma are one of the main targets of racism and discrimination in some European countries. They also highlighted incidents involving attacks and aggression against Roma in Italy and Hungary. They expressed concern that a 12-month state of emergency could be justified in Italy by the presence of Romany camps, and urged the EU executive to check whether the Italian measures comply with the bloc's law.

But Roberto Maroni, the Italian interior minister from the anti-immigration Northern League, dismissed such suggestions, arguing Rome is trying to rescue children stolen from other countries and that the fingerprinting is to be carried out only in illegal camps in Rome, Milan and Naples and only of people without documents.The Council of Europe estimates Italy's roma population as between 90,000 and 110,000.UNICEF, the UN organisation for children rights, recently expressed shock and deep concern and called the Italian proposal provocative.

Sarkozy backs Barroso for second go as EU commission president HONOR MAHONY 10.07.2008 @ 17:26 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has backed Jose Manuel Barroso to be president of the European Commission for a second term.Mr Sarkozy, who has just taken on the EU's six month presidency, told a joint press conference with Mr Barroso: If the question is Do I have a candidate?, the answer is Yes. If the question is Is he sitting at the same table as me?, the answer is also Yes.The European Commission HQ in Brussels (Photo: EUobserver.com)Sitting at the same podium in Strasbourg on Thursday (10 July), European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering also threw his weight behind Mr Barroso, saying: I also have a candidate: He's in this room.All three politicians come from the centre-right European People's Party, currently the biggest political family in Europe.For his part, Mr Barroso did not acknowledge the endorsement directly but still managed to set out his political stall in a winding answer in which he concluded that he was not a bureaucrat or a technocrat but (…) a democrat.

The Portuguese former prime minister, who has made no secret of his desire to see through another five-year term as commission president after his mandate expires in autumn 2009, appeared to appeal to other political parties to look for consensus on nominating the next commission chief rather than concentrating on the fact that he comes from a particular political party.The different political forces have to put forward their positions - and their divergent positions - but not in such a way as to jeopardise the need for consensus, said Mr Barroso.He went on to remind his political foes that the commission is not like a national government, often with one political force, but will always necessarily be a broad coalition with all the different parties represented in numbers because they come from different governments.We have to be careful in our interpretation of this as having anything to do with my position individually, said Mr Barroso.

Who's up for the job

The question of who will be next commission president is about the only area where governments can out aloud speculate about possible candidates, as other major posts – such as the EU foreign minister and EU president – have been put on hold since the Irish last month rejected the treaty that would create these positions.The commission president is set to be chosen in light of the result of the European elections – meaning that EU leaders are likely to nominate a candidate from the political family that wins the most seats in the European Parliament in June 2009, a provision contained in the Lisbon Treaty that MEPs are keen to see used.While the EPP will be battling to maintain its electoral supremacy, the Socialists – currently second biggest party – will be hoping to tear down their throne by cashing in on the fears that EU citizens have shown about globalisation and what it could mean for their jobs and livelihoods.Mr Barroso is likely to be pleased by the support from a major country, but is also likely to remember that his nomination in 2004 only came about as an afterthought when Britain blocked the will of France and Germany to get their favoured candidate in.In addition, Mr Sakorzy has proved fickle in the past. Earlier this year, he supported Tony Blair for EU president but then later changed his mind.But the French president's comments will crank up the Brussels rumour mill as the political hue of the commission president will have knock-on effects for the other posts - particularly the EU president and EU foreign minister, which could still see the light of day if Paris and Berlin eventually succeed in getting the next EU treaty in place despite Ireland's referendum rejection on 12 June.

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)

EU military capabilities still depend on UK, French co-operation - report LEIGH PHILLIPS 10.07.2008 @ 09:29 CET

Any moves to enhance European military capacity requires co-operation between France and the UK, according to a report published on Wednesday, despite the ambitions of some leaders to develop a strategy to orchestrate autonomous EU operations.A three-year investigation by the International Institute for Strategic Studies argues that of the European Union member states' 2 million active personnel, only some 2.7 percent are sufficiently equipped and trained to meet the demands of current and expected overseas deployment.EU militaries will face increased demands for targeted operations, says a report. (Photo: NATO)

The report, European Military Capabilities, argues that the future will see ever greater demands put on the various European forces - not large-scale wars, but growing number of targeted actions. The EU collectively spent €204 billion on its militaries in 2006, notes the report, but this has delivered a glut of infantry soldiers, while soldiers with more specialised skills are lacking.The report also argues that there is too much overlap as countries devote monies to domestic firms producing military equipment, while research and development does not receive an adequate provision of funds.Ahead of France taking over the helm of the European Union's six-month rotating presidency, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced his ambitions for a substantial beefing up of Europe's military capacity. He wants the EU to be able to simultaneously deploy 60,000troops.The IISS report however says that any such expansion remains dependent on Franco-British military co-operation. France and the UK are the bloc's most significant military spenders.It's notable that Britain has given a general welcome to Sarkozy's approach, said the group's editorial director, Alexander Nicoll, and that the United States now argues that the world needs a stronger Europe, with a strong European Security and Defence Policy.

Last week, the UK's foreign secretary, David Miliband, gave a speech to the British parliament in support of French plans for EU military capabilities, arguing that increased military co-operation at the European level does not undermine NATO.Mr Miliband said, in speech responding to the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland last month, that EU military operations can be one of three main areas - alongside dealing with economic and environmental concerns - that should make up the substance of what the union can deliver to its citizens.The British foreign secretary also welcomed Mr Sarkozy's plans to have France rejoin NATO's integrated military command.

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.

Iran warns Israel, US would regret any attack JULY 11,08

TEHRAN (AFP) - A senior Iranian cleric on Friday warned Israel and the United States that they would be made to regret any attack against Iran, but denied any aggressive intent towards the Jewish state.You liar Israel and you liar the White House... if you want to make an invasion we will give you such a response that you will regret your move, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani said in a Friday prayers sermon broadcast on state radio.Tensions over the nuclear standoff have again surged in the past two days after Iran test-fired a broadside of missiles -- including the Shahab-3 which it says puts Israel within range -- in war games that provoked international concern.The Shahab-3 is advertised as having a 2,000 kilometre range (1,250 miles), which would put Israel, Saudi Arabia, and US military installations throughout the Middle East within striking distance.But Emami Kashani also shrugged off concerns about the perceived threatening nature of the Islamic republic's war exercise.Iran does not recognise Israel because it is an occupier... But Iran does not want to get involved in a war with it and does not want to shoot its missiles to Tel Aviv, the conservative cleric said.

Report: Iran, EU to meet on nuclear issue JULY 11,08

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's official news agency says the country's top nuclear negotiator will meet European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana next week to address Tehran's disputed nuclear program. The report says Saeed Jalili will go to Brussels to meet with Solana on July 19. Their talks will focus on a package of economic and technological incentives presented to Iran by permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany.Last week, Iran responded to the European Union but indicated that it has no plans to stop enriching uranium — a key Western demand. The process can be used to generate electricity or build nuclear weapons.European officials have said they are studying the Iranian response, and consulting with the United States, Russia and China on what to do next.

Israel ready to act over Iran JULY 10,08

Ehud Barak said Israel was the strongest country in the region
Israel's defence minister has warned of his country's readiness to act against Iran if it feels threatened. Ehud Barak, speaking in Tel Aviv, said Israel had proved in the past that it won't hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake. He spoke as Iran's testing of missiles that could reach Israel stoked tensions between the two, and with the US. But Mr Barak added that diplomatic solutions should be pursued before other options were taken up. Currently the focus is international sanctions and vigorous diplomatic activity, and these avenues should be exhausted, he said.

US warning

Over the past two days, the Iranian military has tested missiles, including one that it says could reach Israel. State media said the tests included the first night launch of the Shahab-3 missile, said to have a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles), along with shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US had increased its security in the region and Iran should not be confused about US capabilities.

Israel has responded to the missile tests by putting on display one of its aircraft that it says can spy on Iran. The state-run Israel Aerospace Industries says it has equipped its Eitam aeroplane, unveiled a year ago, with sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems. Mr Barak spoke of the potential for accords, particularly with the Palestinians and the Syrians, but stressed that the situation was very complex. Quoted by Israeli news website Ynet, Mr Barak said: We must work towards an accord - but if not, then we must strike our enemy when it is required.He also warned that Israel must consider the reactions from other nations in the region that could be provoked by action against Iran. The responses of our adversaries must be taken into account. Hamas and Hezbollah and the Syrians and the Iranians - there is activity all around us. And there exists a potential for confrontation.Iran has been accused of doctoring an image from its missile tests.Meanwhile, the AFP news agency has issued a warning that a still image of the missiles being launched, one of several distributed by Iran, was apparently digitally altered.

The photograph, published on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards website and reproduced by media organisations - including the BBC News website - showed four missiles taking off from a desert launch-pad. But a similar image, issued by the Associated Press, shows one of the missiles still in its launcher after apparently failing to fire. The BBC News website's picture editor, Phil Coomes, said: Having examined the photograph from AFP, it can be seen that parts have been edited, with smoke trails and parts of the foreground being cloned.In recent weeks, both Israel and Iran have been testing and showing off their military hardware, each saying that in the event of provocation it is more than capable of defending itself. The Israeli air force recently carried out a large-scale exercise over the Mediterranean - regarded by many observers as a dress rehearsal should the order be given to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel believes Iran is building nuclear weapons, although Tehran insists its nuclear programme is purely for civilian energy. Western leaders have been trying to convince Iran to stop enriching uranium, which it has continued doing despite sanctions from the UN and the European Union.

SCROLL MESSIAH IS JESUS

IRAN TESTS MISSLES FOR A SECOND DAY.

IRAN TESTS MISSLES AGAIN
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8752040&ch=4226714&src=news

IRAN TESTS
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8749519&ch=4226714&src=news

Iran tests more missiles as U.S. vows to defend allies By Alistair Lyon JULY 10,08

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran tested more missiles in the Gulf on Thursday, state media said, and the United States reminded Tehran that it was ready to defend its allies. Washington, which accuses Tehran of seeking nuclear arms, said after Iran test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday there should be no more such tests if Iran wanted the world's trust.U.S. leaders have not ruled out military options if diplomacy fails to assuage fears about Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is only to produce electricity.Israel, long assumed to have its own atomic arsenal, has sworn to prevent Iran from emerging as a nuclear-armed power. Last month it staged an air force exercise that stoked speculation about a possible assault on Iranian nuclear sites.Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday he favored the use of diplomatic pressure and sanctions, but added: Israel is the strongest country in the region and has proved in the past it is not afraid to take action when its vital security interests are at stake.Iran has vowed to strike back at Tel Aviv, as well as U.S. interests and shipping, if it is attacked, asserting that missiles fired during war games under way in the Gulf included ones that could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on a visit to the former Soviet republic of Georgia that no one should be confused about Washington's commitment to protect its allies.We are also sending a message to Iran that we will defend American interests and ... the interests of our allies, she said after meeting Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.Rice said a planned U.S. missile defense shield, to be partly based in the Czech Republic and Poland, would dampen any threat of an attack from Iran. Russia opposes the project.We also are able to look to the future of a missile defense system that will make it more difficult for Iran to threaten (and) and be bellicose and say terrible things because their missiles won't work, Rice said.Iranian state TV and radio said the Revolutionary Guards -- the ideologically driven wing of Iran's armed forces -- had fired ground-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles overnight. Long-range missiles were also launched.

CHINA URGES RESTRAINT

The ... maneuver brings power to the Islamic Republic of Iran and is a lesson for enemies, Guards Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying.Iran has threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for Gulf oil exports, if it is attacked. Thursday's exercises involved divers and speedboats, as well as the launch of a high-speed torpedo called Hout, state media said.

Commenting on Iran's Gulf maneuvers, Kuwait said it hoped wisdom would prevail on all sides. The region has had enough of continuous wars, Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Jarallah was quoted by state news agency KUNA as saying.On Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, he said: We hope it does not come to this.The missile tests rattled global oil markets, pushing up the price of oil. Crude prices have dipped in recent days but have hit a series of record highs this year partly on Iran tensions.China urged restraint in the row over Iran's nuclear plans, but did not echo Western rebukes over the missile firings. We express our concern about these developments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said of the tests. He welcomed the prospect of fresh talks on the nuclear program being pursued by Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer and China's third biggest crude supplier. The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have offered Iran incentives to curb its nuclear work. Tehran rejects their demand that it suspend uranium enrichment. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, acting for the six powers, is expected to meet Iranian officials for talks on the package, but no time or place has been announced. China and Russia, which is building Iran's first, and so far only, nuclear power plant, have been resisting U.S.-led calls for expanding U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Sanctions have made Western firms increasingly wary about investing. France's Total said on Thursday it would not invest for now in a big gas deal due to the political risk.

Iran has brushed off the impact of Western caution saying it has a big enough cash pile from windfall oil earnings to carry out the project itself or find other interested parties. This is our message. We will proceed with development with or without them, Iranian Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari told journalists when asked about the latest comments from Total. (Additional reporting by Edmund Blair, Zahra Hosseini and Hashem Kalantari, and Arshad Mohammed in Tbilisi; Editing by Jon Boyle))

Iran fires more missiles in war games by Stuart Williams
JULY 10,08

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran test-fired more weaponry on Thursday as it continued war games, ignoring global concern over its launch of a broadside of missiles amid efforts to end the crisis over its nuclear programme. The weapons fired in the Gulf by the naval section of the Revolutionary Guards included shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles, state television said. No details were given on the names of the missiles.It said the war games also included firing the Hoot (Whale) torpedo that Iran unveiled in April 2006 and which it says is a super-fast weapon capable of hitting enemy submarines.Iran on Wednesday test-fired its Shahab-3 long-range missile, which the Islamic republic says can reach Israel and US bases in the Gulf, and eight other more medium-range missiles.The move sparked major concern in Western governments which say they fear Iran's nuclear drive is aimed at making atomic weapons, a charge that Tehran vehemently denies.In a separate land exercise late on Wednesday, the military also fired longer and medium range missiles, state television said, showing several missiles being fired into the night sky.Footage was also broadcast of the naval manoeuvres, showing divers fixing mines to a pier, missiles being fired from shore-based mobile launchers and the Hoot speeding towards a target.Washington and its regional ally Israel have never ruled out military action against Iranian atomic facilities, while Tehran has warned of a fierce response if it is attacked.Iran rejects the international demand to halt the enrichment of uranium and the world must respond accordingly -- by increasing and intensifying the sanctions against Iran, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Thursday.Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli public radio Iran represented a challenge for the whole world.

Israel is the strongest country in the region and we have already shown in the past that we are not afraid of acting when our vital interests are threatened, he added.After an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran would set fire to Israel and US ships in the Gulf if attacked, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that the United States would defend itself.

We will defend American interests and the interests of our allies. We take very strongly our obligation to defend our allies and we intend to do that, she told reporters in Tbilisi.The White House avoided confirming that Iran had carried out a second series of missile tests Thursday.I don't have our own US government verification that there were any additional tests, but they did test the day before, said Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman.

There has been concern an attack against Iran could be imminent after it emerged that Israel had carried out manoeuvres in Greece that were effectively dry runs for a potential strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.The latest war games come amid increased diplomatic efforts to end the five-year standoff over the Iranian nuclear drive.Iran's response to a deal by world powers, in which it would be offered technological and economic incentives if it suspended uranium enrichment, is currently being analysed by diplomats. Meanwhile the chief of French energy giant Total said it was too politically risky to invest in Iran at present, as Western governments lean on firms to cut ties with the Islamic republic.

His remarks appear to spell the end of Total's involvement in a deal to exploit Phase 11 of Iran's giant South Pars gas field to produce liquefied natural gas for export and to build a liquefaction plant. Today we would be taking too much political risk to invest in Iran because people will say: Total will do anything for money, Christophe de Margerie told the Financial Times. In response Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said: We have announced that whoever is interested, they are welcome to come forward. If they are not interested, we do not insist either.

Iran is in dire need of foreign investment to develop its largely untapped gas reserves and realise its ambition of becoming a major gas exporter.

WHETHER ITS THROUGH STORIES LIKE THIS OR THROUGH WW3 GOD WILL REVEAL TO ISRAEL THAT THEIR MESSIAH IS KING JESUS IN THE FUTURE.

Tablet stirs resurrection debate JULY 8,08

The Gabriel's Vision of Revelations tablet is believed to pre-date Jesus.An ancient tablet shows the idea of the resurrection of a messiah after three days was part of Jewish tradition before Jesus's birth, it is claimed.

The theory has been proposed by Israel Knohl, a professor of biblical studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His reading of the Hebrew text raises questions about when the concept of a resurrected messiah first emerged. Questions remain over the tablet's precise origins, however, and some scholars doubt its authenticity. The tablet, known as Gabriel's Vision of Revelations, is believed to date from the first century BC. It is believed to have originated from the Jordanian, east bank of the Dead Sea. It was discovered 10 years ago and now belongs to a collector living in Zurich, David Jeselsohn, who acquired it in Jordan. This text could be the missing link between Judaism and Christianity in so far as it roots the Christian belief in the resurrection of the Messiah in Jewish tradition

Israel Knohl

The tablet is a metre (three feet) tall with 87 lines of Hebrew in two columns. Unusually, the text is written onto the tablet, rather than engraved. Some letters, and entire words, on the tablet are illegible.

Revolt against Romans

Israel Knohl argues that his interpretation of the Hebrew text could overturn the vision we have of the historic personality of Jesus. This text could be the missing link between Judaism and Christianity in so far as it roots the Christian belief in the resurrection of the Messiah in Jewish tradition, he told the AFP news agency. According to Professor Knohl's interpretation, the key line of the text quotes the Archangel Gabriel telling a Prince of Princes that In three days you shall live: I Gabriel command you.

Professor Knohl argues that other lines on the tablet refer to blood and slaughter as ways to achieve righteousness, which he places in the context of a Jewish revolt against the Romans. He argues that the tablet refers specifically to the resurrection of a Jewish leader at the time. The professor's theory is not unchallenged. With much of the text missing, debate on the overall meaning of the text on the tablet rages. Ada Yardeni, a specialist in ancient languages at the Hebrew University who has studied the tablet in question, does not agree with Professor Knohl's conclusions - but acknowledges that the key word in the quotation could mean live, despite being spelt unusually.

TESTING THE FAITH Trumpet blasts to Jesus: We're awake on Earth, Worldwide wave of horns, shouting planned in time zones across planet July 03, 2008 1:00 am Eastern By Joe Kovacs 2008 WorldNetDaily

An American pastor who made news in April by studying NASA's eclipse calendar to speculate on the return of Jesus Christ to Earth is now planning a worldwide blast of trumpets this fall to get God's attention. Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash., is organizing the global Day of Shouting for the evening of Sept. 29, marking the annual biblical holiday known as the Feast of Trumpets.A man blows a shofar trumpet at sunset at a beach in San Diego, Calif. The event is still in its early planning stages, with Blitz posting this invitation on his website:

You know how at sporting events they have the wave where one group starts it and then it cycles all the way around back to the beginning? Do you remember how at the year 2000 they showed on television all the New Year celebrations going on around the world as the new millennium began? ...Let's have an around the world shofar assembly in every time zone on the Feast of Trumpets at sunset announcing to Messiah we are awake and anxiously anticipating His return. What a dress rehearsal! Won't that stir His heart? We will list on our website all the cities in the different time zones that are participating and hopefully we can get people from every tongue, tribe and nation participating as we join in proclaiming Yeshua (Jesus) as our coming King! A shofar is a trumpet-like instrument made from the horn of a ram or other biblically clean animal, and was sounded not only at the new year and new moons, but also as a call to wake up and repent.

Trumpet blasts are common in both the Old and New Testaments, including:A trumpet was sounded for a long duration when God met Moses and the ancient Israelites at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:19)
There was shouting and trumpet blasts when God brought down the walls of the ancient city of Jericho. (Joshua 6:20)
The apostle Paul spoke of the last trumpet blast when believers will be resurrected and given immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:52)
Participants in the 2008 trumpet wave are asked to include the name of the King so people can shout it during the event. Besides Jesus, many have posted names such as Master, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God and Yeshua ha Meshiach (Jesus the Messiah).Two men sounding shofars in San Diego, Calif. Since announcing his plan, Biltz told WND, The response has been phenomenal with people responding from Arabic countries as well as Asia, Europe, Africa and America.Indeed, a chart of time zones and participants on his website shows residents in many time zones already signing up.Very happy to be part of this, writes Dawn Piper of Durban, South Africa. Maranatha!Trevia Jimenez of Brooklyn, N.Y. said, "This is so cool. You go, Pastor Mark!

As WND previously reported, Biltz, a minister who promotes the Old Testament roots of Christianity, suggests a rare string of lunar and solar eclipses said to fall on God's annual holy days seven years from now could herald what's come to be known as the Second Coming of Jesus.God wants us to look at the biblical calendar, he said. The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Obama will immediately birth Palestinian state Top PA official, former Communist Party head, hopes Democrat wins July 06, 2008 By Aaron Klein 2008 WorldNetDaily

JERUSALEM – The Palestinian Authority is hoping Sen. Barack Obama wins the presidential election in November and expects the Illinois Democrat to immediately set out to create a Palestinian state once he takes office, a top PA official said.

Samir Abdullah

We would like to see Obama elected. If he is elected, an agreement about the foundation of a Palestinian state (would be) reached, PA Planning Minister Samir Abdullah told reporters in Tokyo this weekend.Abdullah, who is the former head of the Palestinian Communist Party, said the PA expects Obama to win in November. He said once Obama takes office, he will immediately study the Palestinian cause and will try to push it forward.Obama promised he will not wait until the last period of his office to relaunch negotiations ... he will begin doing this since his first day in office unlike President Bush, who waited until his last period of power.Abdullah's remarks were published yesterday in the Firas Press Network, a Palestinian news website identified with PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization.Abdullah is not the only Palestinian official to recently express support for Obama.

In a headline-making interview, Ahmed Yousuf, Hamas' chief political adviser in the Gaza Strip, told WND and WABC Radio in April he hopes Obama becomes president.We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the elections, said Yousef.I hope Mr. Obama and the Democrats will change the political discourse. ... I do believe [Obama] is like John Kennedy, a great man with a great principal. And he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community, but not with humiliation and arrogance, Yousef said, speaking from Gaza.Obama has repeatedly condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization that should be isolated until it renounces violence and recognizes Israel.

Obama questioned over ties to Palestinian activist

Obama has been assailed over his stated commitment to Israel, although he has repeatedly insisted during interviews he is a strong supporter of the Jewish state.At a recent event in a Boca Raton, Fla., synagogue, participants in a panel discussion quizzed Obama about his relationship with Columbia University Professor Rashid Khalidi, a pro-Palestinian activist and harsh critic of Israel who has been described as a friend of the senator.

Rashid Khalidi

Obama replied: You mentioned Rashid Khalidi, who's a professor at Columbia. I do know him, because I taught at the University of Chicago. And he is Palestinian. And I do know him, and I have had conversations. He is not one of my advisers; he's not one of my foreign policy people. His kids went to the Lab school where my kids go as well. He is a respected scholar, although he vehemently disagrees with a lot of Israel's policy.Khalidi's ties to Obama were first exposed by WND in February in a widely cited article.

According to a professor at the University of Chicago who said he has known Obama for 12 years, the Democratic presidential hopeful befriended Khalidi when the two worked together at the university. The professor spoke on condition of anonymity. Khalidi lectured at the University of Chicago until 2003 while Obama taught law there from 1993 until his election to the Senate in 2004.Sources at the university told WND that Khalidi and Obama lived in nearby faculty residential zones and that the two families dined together a number of times. The sources said the Obamas even babysat the Khalidi children.Khalidi in 2000 held what was described as a successful fundraiser for Obama's failed bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a fact not denied by Khalidi, who spoke to WND in February.As WND reported, an anti-Israel Arab group run by Khalidi's wife, Mona, received crucial funding from a Chicago nonprofit, the Woods Fund, for which Obama served as a board member.

When Khalidi departed the University of Chicago in 2003, Obama delivered an in-person testimonial at a farewell ceremony reminiscing about conversations over meals prepared by Mona Khalidi.

Last month, WND noted Obama termed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a constant sore in an interview just five days after Khalidi wrote an opinion piece in the Nation magazine in which he called the Palestinian question a running sore.In his piece, Palestine: Liberation Deferred, Khalidi suggests Israel carried out ethnic cleansing of Palestinians; writes Western powers backed Israel's establishment due to guilt of the Holocaust; laments the Palestinian Authority's stated acceptance of a Palestinian state only in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem; and argues Israel should be dissolved and instead a binational, cantonal system should be set up in which Jews and Arabs reside.During documented speeches and public events, Khalidi has called Israel an apartheid system in creation and a destructive racist state.He has multiple times implied support for Palestinian terror, calling suicide bombings a response to Israeli aggression. He dedicated his 1986 book, Under Siege, to those who gave their lives ... in defense of the cause of Palestine and independence of Lebanon.Critics assailed the book as excusing Palestinian terrorism and claim the dedication is in reference to the Palestine Liberation Organization, which at that time committed scores of anti-Western attacks and was labeled by the U.S. as a terrorist group.

Top Obama adviser: New York City, Miami Jews the problem

Obama also came under fire last week for comments made by Merrill A. McPeak, Obama's military adviser and national campaign co-chairman, in which he implied U.S. politicians are afraid of Jewish voters in Miami and New York City and that American Jews are the problem impeding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Merrill A. McPeak

The Republican Jewish Coalition last week took out ads in top Florida newspapers petitioning Jews in the Sunshine State to question Obama over McPeak's remarks, which were highlighted in March by WND.McPeak was asked during a 2003 interview with the Oregonian newspaper whether the problem in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict originated with the White House or the State Department.So where's the problem? the interviewer asked.McPeak replied, New York City. Miami. We have a large vote – vote, here in favor of Israel. And no politician wants to run against it.McPeak went on to insist that to solve the conflict, Israelis must stop settling the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and maybe even withdraw some of the settlements that've already been put there. And nobody wants to take on that problem. It's just too tough politically.

Obama adviser: Divide Jerusalem

Much concern has also been expressed about Obama's top Midde East adviser, Daniel Kurtzer, who has long been seen as one of Israel's greatest foes in Washington.

Daniel Kurtzer

In April, Kurtzer stressed Jerusalem must be included in any negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, has been identified by Israeli leaders, including prime ministers, as biased against Israel and is notorious for urging extreme concessions from the Jewish state. He was appointed as a primary Obama adviser on the Middle East earlier this year.Obama's appointment of Kurtzer raised eyebrows among the pro-Israel Jewish community.We oppose the appointment of Kurtzer because of his long, documented record of hostility to and severe pressure upon Israel, said Zionist Organization of America National Chairman Morton Klein.Kurtzer has been blasted by mainstream Jewish organizations, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.He has angered Israeli leaders many times for pushing Israel into what they described as extreme concessions to the Palestinians.With Jews like Kurtzer, it is impossible to build a healthy relationship between Israel and the United States, Benjamin Nentanyahu was quoted saying in 2001 by Israel's Haaretz newspaper.Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir said Kurtzer frequently pressured Israel to make one-sided concessions to the Arabs; he constantly blamed Israel for the absence of Mideast peace, and paid little or no attention to the fact that the Palestinians were carrying out terrorist attacks and openly calling for the destruction of Israel.Morris Amitay, former executive director of the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 2001: Kurtzer ... will use his Jewishness as a protective cover for his anti-Israel views.

The ZOA points out how Israel's leading daily, Yediot Ahronot, editorialized on Kurtzer's negative influence against Israel:
Possibly more than any other U.S. State Department official, Kurtzer has been instrumental in promoting the goals of the Palestinians and in raising their afflictions to the center of the U.S. policymakers' agenda, the paper stated.Kurtzer first rose to prominence in 1988 when, as a State Department adviser, he counseled the Reagan administration to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat. The PLO had carried out scores of anti-Western attacks, but in the late '80s Arafat claimed to have renounced violence.In 1988, Kurtzer was noted as the principal author of a major policy speech by then-Secretary of State George Shultz in which the U.S. government first recognized the legitimate rights of the Palestinians.Haaretz reported in 2001 that Kurtzer had a vocal conflict with an Israeli government official in Philadelphia in the summer of 1990 after Kurtzer attacked the Israeli government for refusing to include the PLO in the peace process [and] said that this constituted the main obstacle to peace.

US draws Russian fire, signing missile defence deal by Lachlan Carmichael Tue Jul 8, 3:40 PM ET

PRAGUE (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed Tuesday what she called a landmark missile defence deal with the Czech Republic that drew immediate threats of a military response from Russia. The accord permits the siting of a tracking radar station on Czech soil as part of an extended US missile shield that Washington says is necessary to ward off potential attacks by so-called rogue states such as Iran.But Moscow immediately threatened to respond with military resources to what it sees as a threat on its doorstep from the proposed system.If a US strategic anti-missile shield is deployed near our borders, we will be forced to react not in a diplomatic fashion but with military resources, a statement from the foreign ministry said.It's truly a landmark agreement, Rice said after signing the accord with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. It is an agreement that is befitting for friends and allies who face a common threat in the 21st century.

During her talks in Prague, Rice charged that Iran's work to build longer-range missiles was proceeding apace while at the same time it was defying international calls to halt sensitive nuclear technology.Ballistic missile proliferation is not an imaginary threat, the top US diplomat warned.Rice also reiterated Washington's position that the radar station was not aimed at Russia and instead served as a building block for not just Czech and US security but for the international community as a whole.

The United States wants the radar twinned with interceptor missiles in neighbouring Poland, although negotiations with Warsaw have become bogged down with Polish demands for additional security guarantees.Rice said she thought it made no sense to visit Poland during her current tour of Europe because gaps remained in the negotiations.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had already clashed with US President George W. Bush over missile defence at their first face-to-face meeting, during a G8 summit in Japan on Monday.

Analysts say the Russians fear not only a potential long-term threat to their own nuclear deterrent and the security of their airspace but also associate the shield with NATO's enlargement to include Ukraine and Georgia.NATO endorsed the US missile defence plan at its April summit in Bucharest.The US has in the past suggested that Russian inspectors could visit the anti-missile sites, as long as Prague and Warsaw agreed.We want the system to be transparent to the Russians, Rice insisted Tuesday.Protestors from Greenpeace who fear the missile shield will trigger a new arms race, unrolled a massive image of a target on one of the hills overlooking Prague ahead of Rice's arrival.Opinion polls regularly show around two-thirds of Czech opposed to hosting the US radar.

Around 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Prague's central Wenceslas Square, with banners proclaiming No to the Radar and Resign.But Schwarzenberg expected the deal to be ratified by parliament. There are sufficient lawmakers who are sufficiently aware of their responsibility and will go forward in strength during the voting, he told reporters. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said the deal reflected a joint desire to protect the free world. Rice later told Czech television there will be multiple states that will ultimately be involved in one way or another in the shield, when asked if the United States sought to pressure Poland by hinting at using Lithuania as an alternate interceptor site. Lithuania is very interested and we're talking with those who are interested, Rice said according to an audio tape provided by the State Department. Primarily we will continue to talk to Poles about this.Rice admitted there is still a long way to go in developing these (defence) systems, but said the US and the Czech Republic would jointly work on them and derive economic benefits from private sector involvement. Prague was the first leg of a three-country tour that will take Rice to Bulgaria and Georgia where she will renew US support for Tbilisi's bid for NATO membership -- another bone of contention with Moscow. She will also try to calm matters between Moscow and Tbilisi over the separatist Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But she accused Moscow of fuelling tensions by failing to consult with Georgia over a presidential order offering Abkhazia direct relations.

Jewish Values Needed to Fight Terror July 7, 2008

It is sadly ironic that a bulldozer was used last week by an Israeli-Arab as the murder weapon to claim the lives of the three precious Jews in Jerusalem : Batsheva Unterman HYD, Elizabeth Goren-Friedman HY”D and Jean Relevy HYD. The irony stems from the fact that the Jewish people have been bulldozed by their own Israeli governments into accepting suicidal policies based on values that have nothing to do with their Jewish heritage. Manhigut Yehudit's platform of Jewish leadership based on Jewish values stands in stark contrast to the platform of those that are leading us to disaster. Manhigut Yehudit calls for Jewish Labor inside Israel so that Jews will not have to live in mortal fear that cab drivers (the Israeli-Arab murderer who killed eight Yeshiva students earlier this year) and construction workers (the Israeli-Arab who bulldozed three Jews to death) can turn an ordinary day into a horrific one leading to funerals. Under the Oslo co-conspirators' regimes, a Jew in Israel cannot eat in a restaurant, learn in a Yeshiva, go shopping, ride on a bus or drive in their car without knowing if they will be, G-d forbid, poisoned, blown up, shot, stabbed or bulldozed.

Jewish Leadership calls for zero tolerance for Arab uprising - both from Israeli-Arabs and from neighboring countries. Under current and previous governments Israel has given up its power of deterrence as it is clearly seen that there are no consequences for attacks. Not only does the government not punish the communities from where the terrorism emanates (except for razing an occasional building) but terrorism is rewarded with the promise of Jewish Land and the release of murderers. This sense that Israel must only respond with the most minimal of force and never go on the offensive to either pre-empt an attack or end one quickly pervades the entire Israeli establishment, which appears all too eager to offer up Jewish lives as sacrifices for peace on the altar of world opinion. Real Jewish leadership would take whatever steps necessary to safeguard Jewish lives.Additionally, leadership based on Jewish values understands that Arabs can not feel loyal to Israel as a Jewish State. The Israeli government pretends that this problem does not exist, as it points out the facts that Israeli-Arabs have a higher standard of living than Arabs in any Arab country, and that Israeli-Arabs have more rights in Israel than they would have in any Arab country. The above statements are true, yet they are not a complete picture. Israeli-Arabs certainly enjoy these rights, yet how can anyone think that they will ever sing the Israeli national anthem, HaTikvah, whose lyrics discuss the yearning of the Jewish soul for the Land of Israel and Jerusalem . How can anyone think that Israeli-Arabs will ever feel like anything less than second-class citizens while Israel even nominally pretends to be a Jewish state?

The current and previous Israeli governments have allowed areas where Israeli-Arabs live throughout Israel to become unpoliced terrorist safe havens where anti-Israel resentment runs deep. The results of this policy have proven disastrous. Jews know all too well that a wrong turn while driving almost anywhere in Israel can spell the end of their lives. Is this any way to live? Israeli-Arabs should be encouraged with significant financial incentives to make their homes and futures elsewhere. Instead of financing the fraudulent peace process at the cost of 1.5 billion dollars each year, Israel could easily underwrite this emigration in less than a decade.Moshe Feiglin – chairman of the Manhigut Yehudit faction of the Likud party - sums up the entire problem and its solution when he states that: The only answer to the lethal Arab nationalism is a return to our values.

WAR IN NOVEMBER MAYBE

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IRAN TESTFIRES MISSLES
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8699921&ch=4226714&src=news

YES THE WORLD IS HEADING TOWARD ARMEGGEDON QUICK NOW, COME QUICKLY KING JESUS TO RAPTURE US HOME FROM WW3 TO COME ON THE EARTH.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *
WAR IN NOVEMBER? A military showdown with Iran may be fast approaching. By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., July 8, 2008) -- War clouds continue to build in the epicenter. Last month in Rome, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that the United States and Israel would soon be annihilated,language he had not used so explicitly since October 2005 when he promised to wipe Israel off the map and urged Muslims to envision a world without the United States. This week, his regime authorized a new series of Iranian war games. He ordered the digging of 320,000 graves to bury the enemies of Islam. He is calling for the unification of the Islamic world politically and economically, including the creation of a single currency.

What's more, Iranian TV is running a new anti-Semitic documentary film series entitled, The Secret of Armageddon. Setting the stage for a coming apocalyptic war that will usher in the Islamic Messiah known as the Mahdi or the Twelfth Imam, the series focuses on a series of Bible prophecies that inform Jewish and Christian End Times theology. While the presentation is grossly distorted, some facts do emerge. Iranian scholar Dr. Ismail Shafe'i Sarustani , for example, tells viewers that the word Armageddon is originally a Hebrew word and is a real geographical region, situated south of Haifa, noting that the place was shelled by Hizbullah during the 33-day [July 2006] war. Iranian historian Mohammad-Taqi Taqipour notes that these [Evangelical Christians], along with the Jews, believe that the War of the End of Days will take place in the desert of Megiddo, in Palestine. They believe that Jesus will return, and that then there will be a millennium of happiness.

The series, however, accuses Jews who were victims of genocide -- during the very Holocaust Ahmadinejad denies ever happened -- of actually planning to commit genocide. There is a genocidal Zionist Jewish plan for the genocide of humanity at the hand of the Zionist Jew-boys, claims one Iranian researcher interviewed for the program. The Zionist Jew-boys talk about a Greater Israel -- from the Euphrates to the Nile -- but their actual goal is world domination. At one point, Iranian researcher Shams Al-Din Rahmani argues that the goal of the Zionists is the total destruction of Islam.

During the June 7th episode, the narrator embraces anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and proceeds to try to justify Iran's own war plans. Today, there are many indications that the hidden hands of world Zionism were involved in the 9/11 terrorist attack. According to a large group of Western intellectuals, the Zionists are the real rulers of the United States. According to irrefutable documents published by independent American media outlets, the Zionists used intelligence agents and spies, with the full cooperation of agencies with the country, to carry out this terrorist operation in full view of the world, in order to prepare the ground for taking over Afghanistan and Iraq, and to realize the dream of a greater Israel.

Top Israeli intelligence officials, meanwhile, increasingly believe that time is running out. They believe that Iran could have nuclear weapons within a year and one former Mossad chief is urging his country's leadership to launch a massive series of air strikes against Iranian nuclear and other military facilities before it is too late. Israel's Air Force just conducted a test run of such a bombing mission.

John Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., says he believes Israel may strike Iran sometime in late fall or early winter, after the U.S. elections in November but before the inauguration of the next American President on January 20. A senior Pentagon officials told the Washington Post several days ago he is worried about the same scenario -- a November surprise -- prompting both President Bush and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to make strong public statements warning the Israelis not to take such actions. Until just a few weeks ago, it was widely believed in Israel that new parliamentary elections would be held in November. But at the last moment, Defense Minister Ehud Barak withdrew his threat of voting to bring down the Olmert government for a few more months, leading some to speculate that Barak may be calculating that Israelis couldn't be fully immersed in an electoral campaign and a bombing campaign simultaneously.

The U.S. does not want Israel to strike. After all, the repercussions of such a war with Iran would be global in nature. Israel would face tens of thousands of incoming missiles not just from Iran but likely from Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza and possibly the West Bank. Some of these missiles could have chemical and/or biological warheads, even if the nuclear warheads in Iran are not yet ready. Ballistic missiles would also be likely fired from Iran at the oil fields in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, at oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Straight of Hormuz, and at U.S. bases and forces in Iraq. Tens of thousands of suicide bomber cells could be activated in the region -- especially in Iraq and Israel -- and perhaps even in Western Europe and the U.S. and Canada. Iranian efforts to topple Jordan's King Abdullah II and/or Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in favor of radical Islamic regimes friendly to Tehran could also be set in motion. Oil prices could shoot from $140 a barrel to $300 a barrel or more. U.S. gas prices could spike to $7-$10 or more, with horrific domestic and global economic repercussions.

No wonder Washington doesn't want a war with Iran. No wants such a war. I certainly do not, and neither do the Israelis. Yet, the U.S. does not have a convincing plan to stop the Iranian nuclear weapons program in time. Nor does the U.N., or the E.U. Diplomacy isn't working. Economic sanctions have been imposed on Iran since 1979 to little strategic effect. Unfortunately, the words of Sen. John McCain keep echoing in my head this week. In April 2006, the senior Senator from Arizona appeared on NBC's Meet the Press. He said, there's only one thing worse than using the option of military action, and that is the Iranians acquiring nuclear weapons. For if Iran gets the Bomb, he said, I think we could have Armageddon.

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.

Iran Test-Fires Long-Range Missile By Howard Schneider and Michael Abramowitz Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, July 9, 2008; 8:24 AM

Iran said on Wednesday it had test-fired a long-range missile capable of reaching Israel and U.S. troops in the region, a step promptly condemned by the Bush administration as heightening tensions over the country's suspected nuclear weapons program. The roughly 1,200 mile range of Iran's Shahab-3 rocket has been known for several years, but the test firing -- and pointed statements from Tehran about the country's capability in hitting its enemies --added to a tense climate. Iran only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said at the meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations. He said Iran's missiles violate existing United Nations resolutions, and They should . . . refrain from further missile tests if they truly seek to gain the trust of the world.The Islamic Republic News Agency reported that the missile was test-fired as part of a larger military exercise by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. In Tehran, the Associated Press said that as many as nine missiles of different sizes were fired during the exercise, carried out partly near the Persian Gulf shipping lanes that Iran has threatened to close if it is attacked. A top Iranian official said this week the country would also retaliate against Tel Aviv if any targets inside the country are struck. Our hands are always on the trigger and our missiles are ready for launch, Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hossein Salami said on Wednesday, according to the wire service.

The missile tests and statements from Iranian officials like Salami are part of a recent sharp back and forth between Iran, Israel and the U.S. that have formed the backdrop to on-going negotiations about Iran's nuclear program. Top leaders from all three countries play down the chance of a military confrontation, and say they are committed to a diplomatic solution to their disagreements, particularly the nuclear issue. Iran insists it is only developing nuclear technology for civilian power needs, but the U.S. is pushing the country to shut down its processing of uranium out of concern that Tehran's ultimate aim is to produce a nuclear weapon. The combination of nuclear technology with long-range missiles, the administration argues, would pose a threat to Israel and be broadly destabilizing in the Middle East. Last month, Israel staged a large military exercise that involved over 100 warplanes operating over distances that they would need to cover to strike Iran. The maneuvers deep over the Mediterranean were interpreted both as a warning to Tehran, and a prod to the U.S. and other western nations to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. During its meetings in Japan this week, the G-8 issued a statement reiterating western demands that Iran abandon uranium enrichment. The Iranian news agency said that the military exercise was aimed at improving combat readiness.But the firing of the Shahab 3, capable of carrying a one-ton warhead, was to demonstrate Iran's capability in hitting its enemies accurately at the early stages of their probable attacks against the Islamic Republic, the agency said. The Shahab, it said is able to reach targets in the occupied lands, a reference to Israel.

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.

Putin, Ahmadinejad discuss nuclear plant progress: PM's office Mon Jul 7, 7:45 PM ET

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday discussed progress on a nuclear power plant Russia is building in Iran, a statement from Putin's office said. Both sides underlined the need for timely construction of the atomic power station at Bushehr, the statement said.They also discussed cooperation in the transport and arms sectors, the statement said.Russia says it is close to completing the decades-long project to build Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr, for which Moscow has already shipped nuclear fuel to the Islamic republic.The United States has dropped earlier objections, conceding that the power plant will allow Iran to have civilian nuclear power without needing to process nuclear fuel itself.However the West continues to fear Iran's nuclear ambitions, suspecting Tehran is developing a covert weapons programme. Iran denies such claims.Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has been cautious about the Western accusations but has nonetheless approved sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Russia issues warning over US radar in Europe
RENATA GOLDIROVA JULY 9,08 Today @ 08:45 CET

Russia has threatened that it will be forced to react not in diplomatic fashion but with military-technical means if the United States moves ahead with plans to deploy parts of a missile defence system in the Czech Republic.No doubt that bringing elements of the strategic US arsenal faced towards Russian territory could be used to weaken our deterrent potential, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.The Prague-Washington deal still requires Czech parliamentary approval (Photo: NATO)

It added that Moscow would take adequate measures to compensate for potential threats to its national security. This is not our choice, the statement concluded. The warning came only hours after the Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg confirmed on Tuesday (8 July) the country's willingness to host a US radar on its soil by signing a deal with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. The deal still requires parliamentary approval. Moscow considers US military expansion to central Europe to be a direct threat to its own security - despite Washington's claim that an anti-missile shield on EU territory is vital to defend America and Europe from states such as Iran.Russia has already frozen its commitments under the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CEF) treaty, which sets limits on the number of conventional weapons and military deployments across Europe.The Kremlin has stopped short of specifying what military-technical methods entails. But a BBC report suggested that the threat does not mean military action, but rather a new way of how the country's missiles should be deployed.

The US has described the fresh warning as bellicose rhetoric in order to make Europeans nervous about participating in the project, the BBC reported. Aside from a radar base in the Czech Republic, the US administration also aims to place ten interceptor missiles on Polish territory, although US-Polish talks have run into a dead end due to Warsaw's demands.

Oil rebounds $2 on Iran missile tests JULY 9,08

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rose $2 to around $138 a barrel on Wednesday, partly recouping a $5 drop in the previous session, after Iran said it had test-fired missiles that could reach Israel and U.S. bases in the region. U.S. light crude for August delivery was $1.81 up at $137.85 a barrel by 8:50 a.m. EDT, off highs of $138.28. London Brent crude was $2.11 up at $138.54.Oil fell more than $5 on Tuesday on a firmer U.S. dollar and a rally in U.S. shares, which drew cash away from the commodities complex. U.S. crude had slid nearly $10 from last Thursday's record high of $145.85 a barrel.Iran's missile tests at a time of increased tensions over its nuclear program once again highlighted the geopolitical risks in the oil market.Of particular concern is the fact these missiles are not simply short to medium range, said Global Insight analyst Lawrence Poole.

Iran's state media reported the test-firing of nine long and medium-range missiles, including one Tehran has previously said could reach Israel and U.S. bases in the region.Iran, the second-largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, says its nuclear program is for power generation, whereas the West fears it is aimed at making bombs.Amid an escalating war of words with Israel, an aide to Iran's Supreme Leader was quoted on Tuesday as saying that Iran would hit Tel Aviv, U.S. shipping in the Gulf and American interests around the world if it was attacked.Concerns about supplies resurfaced after Libya said its output would fall by about 100,000 barrels per day starting the next few days due to maintenance on a pipeline.Oil is up 42 percent this year, boosted in part by investors seeking a hedge against inflation and the weakening dollar, or fleeing a downturn in equity markets.Later on Wednesday, the focus is expected to shift to weekly U.S. oil inventory data that is expected to show a 1.8 million-barrel decline in crude stocks, a fall of 200,000 barrels in gasoline supplies and an increase of 1.9 million barrels in distillates.(Reporting by Angela Moon in Seoul and Santosh Menon in London; editing by James Jukwey)

I BELIEVE IT WILL BE RUSSIA THAT USES THE EMP ON AMERICA, NOT IRAN.

Congress examines EMP threat, Iran believed to test missiles for attack on U.S. July 07, 2008 10:42 pm Eastern 2008 WorldNetDaily

WASHINGTON – More than four years after a stunning report about America's vulnerability to a nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack was released to Congress, the House Armed Services Committee will hear testimony from the scientist who issued the warning and who believes Iran is pursuing such an option.William R. Graham, President Reagan's top science adviser and the chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack, will update the committee Thursday morning.Graham warned in 2005 that Iran was not only covertly developing nuclear weapons, but was already testing ballistic missiles specifically designed to destroy America's technical infrastructure with the aim of neutralizing the world's lone superpower.The radical Shiite regime has conducted successful tests to determine if its Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, can be detonated by a remote-control device while still in high-altitude flight, Graham said in his report.

Graham said then there was no other plausible explanation for such tests than preparation for the deployment of electromagnetic pulse weapons – even one of which could knock out America's critical electrical and technological infrastructure, effectively sending the continental U.S. back to the 19th century with a recovery time of months or years.Iran would have that capability – at least theoretically – as soon as it has one nuclear bomb ready to arm such a missile.The stunning report was first published in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence newsletter published by WND's founder.Iran surprised intelligence analysts by describing the mid-flight detonations of missiles fired from ships on the Caspian Sea as successful tests. Even primitive Scud missiles could be used for this purpose. And top U.S. intelligence officials reminded members of Congress that there is a glut of these missiles on the world market. They are currently being bought and sold for about $100,000 apiece.

Others agree with Graham's sobering assessment.

A terrorist organization might have trouble putting a nuclear warhead on target with a Scud, but it would be much easier to simply launch and detonate in the atmosphere, wrote Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., in the Washington Post in 2005 after reading Graham's report. No need for the risk and difficulty of trying to smuggle a nuclear weapon over the border or hit a particular city. Just launch a cheap missile from a freighter in international waters – al-Qaida is believed to own about 80 such vessels – and make sure to get it a few miles in the air.The Iranian missile tests were more sophisticated and capable of detonation at higher elevations – making them more dangerous.Detonated at a height of 60 to 500 kilometers above the continental U.S., one nuclear warhead could cripple the country – knocking out electrical power and circuit boards and rendering the U.S. domestic communications impotent.

In 2005, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security chaired by Kyl, held a hearing on the electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, threat.An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the American homeland, said one of the distinguished scientists who testified at the hearing, is one of only a few ways that the United States could be defeated by its enemies – terrorist or otherwise, wrote Kyl And it is probably the easiest. A single Scud missile, carrying a single nuclear weapon, detonated at the appropriate altitude, would interact with the Earth's atmosphere, producing an electromagnetic pulse radiating down to the surface at the speed of light. Depending on the location and size of the blast, the effect would be to knock out already stressed power grids and other electrical systems across much or even all of the continental United States, for months if not years.The purpose of an EMP attack, unlike a nuclear attack on land, is not to kill people, but to kill electrons, as Graham explained. He serves as chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack and was director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.Graham told WND he could think of no other reason for Iran to be experimenting with mid-air detonation of missiles than for the planning of an EMP-style attack.EMP offers a bigger bang for the buck, he said. He also suggested such an attack makes a U.S. nuclear response against a suspected enemy less likely than would the detonation of a nuclear bomb in a major U.S. city.A 2004 report by the commission found several potential adversaries have or can acquire the capability to attack the United States with a high-altitude nuclear weapons-generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP). A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack capability without having a high level of sophistication.EMP is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences, the report said. EMP will cover the wide geographic region within line of sight to the nuclear weapon. It has the capability to produce significant damage to critical infrastructures and thus to the very fabric of U.S. society, as well as to the ability of the United States and Western nations to project influence and military power.

The major impact of EMP weapons is on electronics, so pervasive in all aspects of our society and military, coupled through critical infrastructures, explained the report.Their effects on systems and infrastructures dependent on electricity and electronics could be sufficiently ruinous as to qualify as catastrophic to the nation, Lowell Wood, acting chairman of the commission, told members of Congress.The commission report went so far as to suggest, in its opening sentence, that an EMP attack might result in the defeat of our military forces.Briefly, a single nuclear weapon exploded at high altitude above the United States will interact with the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetic field to produce an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiation down to the Earth and additionally create electrical currents in the Earth, said the report. EMP effects are both direct and indirect. The former are due to electrical systems, and the latter arise from the damage that shocked – upset, damaged and destroyed – electronics controls then inflict on the systems in which they are embedded. The indirect effects can be even more severe than the direct effects.

The EMP threat is not a new one considered by U.S. defense planners. The Soviet Union had experimented with the idea as a kind of super-weapon against the U.S.What is different now is that some potential sources of EMP threats are difficult to deter – they can be terrorist groups that have no state identity, have only one or a few weapons and are motivated to attack the U.S. without regard for their own safety, explains the commission report. Rogue states, such as North Korea and Iran, may also be developing the capability to pose an EMP threat to the United States and may also be unpredictable and difficult to deter.Graham describes the potential cascading effect of an EMP attack. If electrical power is knocked out and circuit boards fried, telecommunications are disrupted, energy deliveries are impeded, the financial system breaks down, food, water and gasoline become scarce.As Kyl put it: Few if any people would die right away. But the loss of power would have a cascading effect on all aspects of U.S. society. Communication would be largely impossible. Lack of refrigeration would leave food rotting in warehouses, exacerbated by a lack of transportation as those vehicles still working simply ran out of gas (which is pumped with electricity). The inability to sanitize and distribute water would quickly threaten public health, not to mention the safety of anyone in the path of the inevitable fires, which would rage unchecked. And as we have seen in areas of natural and other disasters, such circumstances often result in a fairly rapid breakdown of social order.American society has grown so dependent on computer and other electrical systems that we have created our own Achilles' heel of vulnerability, ironically much greater than those of other, less developed nations, the senator wrote. When deprived of power, we are in many ways helpless, as the New York City blackout made clear. In that case, power was restored quickly because adjacent areas could provide help. But a large-scale burnout caused by a broad EMP attack would create a much more difficult situation. Not only would there be nobody nearby to help, it could take years to replace destroyed equipment.The commission said hardening key infrastructure systems and procuring vital backup equipment such as transformers is both feasible and – compared with the threat – relatively inexpensive.But it will take leadership by the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Department, and other federal agencies, along with support from Congress, all of which have yet to materialize, wrote Kyl, so far the only elected official blowing the whistle this alarming development.

Kyl concluded in his report: The Sept. 11 commission report stated that our biggest failure was one of imagination. No one imagined that terrorists would do what they did on Sept. 11. Today few Americans can conceive of the possibility that terrorists could bring our society to its knees by destroying everything we rely on that runs on electricity. But this time we've been warned, and we'd better be prepared to respond.