Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners by Ezzedine Said Ezzedine Said – NOV 17,08
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that 250 Palestinian prisoners would be freed in a goodwill gesture, as Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas urged Israel to maintain the Gaza truce.The pair met in Jerusalem for the first time in two months, amid rising tension in and around the besieged Gaza Strip where Israeli forces and Palestinian militants have engaged in almost daily tit-for-tat attacks since November 4.Abbas had asked him to free Palestinian prisoners and Olmert told him of the decision to release 250 at the beginning of December, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.In a similar move in August, Israel freed 198 Palestinian prisoners. More than 11,000 Palestinians are still held in Israeli prisons.A senior Israeli official said that none of the prisoners to be freed belongs to radical Palestinian movements such as Hamas, the Islamist movement which seized power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007.Since the Hamas takeover, the secular Abbas has held sway only in the West Bank.But he said that during his talks at Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem, Abbas stressed the need to maintain the truce in Gaza because it eases the suffering of the Palestinian people.He also urged Palestinian militants not to shatter the fragile truce that went into effect in and around Gaza on June 19. In other words, stop the futile rocket firings that don't help the Palestinian cause in any way, Abbas said.Abbas also met British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who said it was vital the ceasefire be maintained. The discussions you have had today (with Olmert) seem to me to be a very important contribution to that, Miliband told the Palestinian leader.
Miliband earlier toured Sderot, an Israeli town which regularly comes under rocket fire from neighbouring Gaza.A flare-up in violence last week prompted Israel to further tighten its blockade and completely seal off the aid-dependent Gaza Strip, though it allowed the delivery of humanitarian supplies on Monday for the first time in almost two weeks.Olmert told Abbas that Hamas is to blame for violations of the truce in and around the Gaza Strip, and warned that if violence escalates, Israel will have to respond, a senior Israeli official said.On Monday, several rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel without causing any casualties.Each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire in the latest flare-up of violence in which volleys of rockets and mortar rounds have been launched at Israel and 15 Gaza militants killed since November 4.Israel generally responds to the Gaza attacks by tightening the blockade it imposed after the 2007 Hamas takeover, but said it allowed 33 truckloads of humanitarian supplies into the coastal strip on Monday.A UN spokesman said that many more deliveries will be needed in the impoverished and overcrowded territory.We cannot have another period when people are not getting their food assistance. We cannot allow people to get punished in that way, said Chris Gunness of the UN Works and Relief Agency, which distributes food to 750,000 Gazans -- half the population.The violence as well as the political and geographical division of the Palestinian territories between Hamas-ruled Gaza and the West Bank under Abbas have complicated the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinians and the international community say continued Jewish settlement activity in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is major stumbling block in the talks that were relaunched at a US conference in November 2007 after a seven-year hiatus. I called for a halt to all settlement activity, Abbas said after his talks with Olmert.
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.
Even as winds calm, more Californians flee fires By JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer NOV 16,08
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. – More residents of Southern California were urged to leave their homes Sunday despite calming winds that allowed a major aerial attack on wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and blanketed the region in smoke.
Fires burned in Los Angeles County, to the east in Riverside and Orange counties, and to the northwest in Santa Barbara County. More than 800 houses, mobile homes and apartments were destroyed by fires that have burned areas more than 34 square miles since breaking out Thursday.No deaths have been reported, but police brought in trained dogs Sunday morning to search the rubble of a mobile home park where nearly 500 homes were destroyed. They didn't find any bodies after searching about a third of the homes.This has been a very tough few days for the people of Southern California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said after touring damage.The smell of smoke pervaded metropolitan Los Angeles. Downtown skyscrapers were silhouettes in an opaque sky, and concerns about air quality forced organizers to cancel a marathon in suburban Pasadena where 8,000 runners had planned to participate.Fierce Santa Ana winds that fanned the fires on Saturday weakened Sunday morning, allowing firefighters to set backfires to prevent flames from advancing to hillside neighborhoods. Air tankers swooped low over suburbs, red fire retardant billowing from their bellies as they painted defensive lines between brushlands and homes. Big helicopters shuttled back and forth on water drops.The most threatening blaze had scorched more than 16 square miles in Orange and Riverside counties after erupting Saturday and shooting through subdivisions entwined with wilderness parklands. Multimillion-dollar homes were threatened in Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County as the out-of-control fire pushed northward.Fire officials on Sunday morning ordered 1,400 more residents to evacuate, in addition to 26,500 who had already been told to leave.Retired aerospace engineer Joe Gomez, who has lived in his palm-tree-lined Diamond Bar neighborhood for 45 years, stayed put despite being under a mandatory evacuation.I'm trying to use some logic here, said Gomez, 72, trying to gauge the direction of the wind and flames. I don't think it's going to come down this way.
In the early morning, winds pushed flames dangerously close to a church and adjacent mobile home park in the Olinda Village area north of Yorba Linda, but firefighters were able to beat it back. Only one mobile home was lost.Little fire activity was apparent in Orange County after dark Sunday, but the official containment estimate remained at zero.On Saturday, the fire burned 119 homes in the communities of Corona, Yorba Linda and Anaheim. In addition, 50 units of an apartment complex burned, Orange County fire spokeswoman Angela Garbiso said.Capt. Guy Melker of the Los Angeles County Fire Department stood on a balcony of a multimillion-dollar home in Diamond Bar, looking down into a canyon with flames on the far side.It's an interesting chess game right now, Melker said. Sometimes Mother Nature puts us in check, and our job is to put her in checkmate.As Melker spoke, a small spotter plane slipped low across a ridge, followed by a big air tanker that dropped its load along a ridge.In the Orange County city of Brea, fire destroyed the main building of a high school.About 50 miles to the northwest, a large fire that torched a mobile home park in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley had moved into the rugged San Gabriel Mountains and was burning vigorously — but well outside the city.
Authorities said Sunday that 484 of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park's 608 units were lost. The fire also destroyed nine single-family homes and 11 commercial buildings.
The park was home to many elderly residents, and though no fatalities were reported and no one was reported missing, investigators were searching the site using trained dogs. The search was about 30 percent complete by midday Sunday. To this point no human remains have been found, said Deputy Police Chief Michael Moore. Fire officials estimated that at the peak of the Sylmar fire, 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate. However, many evacuation orders were lifted Saturday night, Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said. Five looting arrests were reported. About 90 miles northwest of Sylmar, a 3-square-mile fire that began in the upscale Santa Barbara County community of Montecito on Thursday night was 75 percent contained by Sunday morning after injuring at least 25 people. County spokesman William Boyer said 130 homes burned in the city of Santa Barbara and 80 burned in adjacent Montecito. Some of those destroyed were multimillion-dollar homes with ocean views. All evacuees but those from 260 homes were allowed to return by Sunday night. Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Alex Veiga and Alicia Chang contributed to this report.
Wind-blown fires destroy hundreds of Calif. homes By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press Writer Amy Taxin, NOV 16,08
YORBA LINDA, Calif. – Walls of towering flames pushed by Santa Ana wind raged through Southern California hills early Sunday after destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee.Evacuees could only watch the wildfires from a distance and wait to learn the fate of their homes and possessions.I'm hoping my house will not burn down, but if it burns down that's my life, right? I've got to start from scratch again, said Jack Chen, 56, of Yorba Linda as he sat on a cot in a gym at Katella High School in Anaheim.Fires in Los Angeles County, to the east in Riverside and Orange counties, and to the northwest in Santa Barbara County had blackened nearly 29 square miles and destroyed more than 800 mobile homes, houses and apartments since Thursday night. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared states of emergency in all three counties.Forecasts indicated the Santa Ana wind would abate by Sunday afternoon, but humidity would remain very low.The most threatening blaze early Sunday had charred more than 11 square miles in Orange and Riverside counties since erupting Saturday and shooting through subdivisions entwined with wilderness parklands. Containment was just 5 percent.More than 60 homes burned in the communities of Corona, Yorba Linda and the Anaheim Hills area of Anaheim. In addition, 50 units of one apartment complex burned, Orange County fire spokeswoman Angela Garbiso said.On Sunday, fire was dangerously close to a mobile home park in the Olinda Village area north of Yorba Linda, but firefighters had been able to push it back, said Lynette Round, another fire spokeswoman.At one point a firefighter battling the Orange County apartment blaze ran down a street with two Pomeranian dogs — one white and one brown — under each arm and placed them in a TV news truck, then dashed back to the fire. The firefighter, who would not give his name, said he rescued the dogs from a burning apartment.Apartment resident Melody Ma, 24, said she took her sister to piano lessons Saturday morning, when the smoke appeared to be far away, then found she couldn't return home.There's things you can't replace like photos and stuff, said Ma, bursting into tears in a shelter.Evacuee Gail Slagel, 61, said she spent Saturday watching flames in the area around her house from the safety of a Yorba Linda strip mall.I just kept sitting there saying, Please, please, please, give me a home to come home to, don't let it be gone, she said as she sat outside a restaurant with her ash-covered poodle.Capt. Leonard Grill, a 20-year veteran of the Riverside County Fire Department, watched for flaring embers in a Yorba Linda neighborhood late Saturday.It's gotten worse and worse every year. I can't keep track of them anymore, Grill said of recent destructive wildfires. These used to be the out-of-the-ordinary fires, once-in-a-career kind of fires. Now they're every year.
Six firefighters from various agencies were injured in the blaze, including four Corona firefighters who were hurt when flames swept over their engine, Garbiso said. Two of the Corona crewmembers required hospital treatment but were released.A separate fire in the Orange County city of Brea charred more than 2 square miles and destroyed the main building of a high school.The largest fire had grown to more than 12 square miles in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley since destroying 500 mobile homes, nine single-family homes and 11 commercial buildings early Saturday. Containment was put at 20 percent. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda said there was almost total devastation in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park.
I can't even read the street names because the street signs are melting, Ruda said.
No deaths were reported at the park, but police Chief William Bratton said dogs would be brought in to search the rubble on Sunday to determine whether anyone perished there. Fire officials estimated that at the peak of the Sylmar fire, 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate. However, many evacuation orders were lifted Saturday night, Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said. Five looting arrests were reported. Among those who lost homes in the Sylmar fire was Linda Pogacnik, who said that after decades of driving a school bus full of noisy kids, she finally bought her dream house at the Beverly Hills of mobile home parks.It had this beautiful oval bathtub, and just a few nights ago I lit candles and put on soft music and got in, she said, sighing with the memory. The moon was full, and it made it look like the eucalyptus tree outside had little white lights.She left with only her dogs, some clothes and a few essentials. Left behind were photography books and scrapbooking materials that she said were going to be all I did for the rest of my life.Northwest of Los Angeles, authorities raised the number of homes lost in a fire that began in the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito on Thursday night. County communication director William Boyer said 106 homes burned in the city of Santa Barbara and 77 burned in adjacent Montecito. He said the final total could reach 200. The fire was 40 percent contained Saturday evening, according to city public information officer Browning Allen. Burned acreage was revised downward to 1,500 acres, or over two square miles, and that was expected to hold because of calming winds, Boyer said. At least half of the 5,400 evacuees had been allowed to return home by Saturday night. At least 13 people were injured in that fire. Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Thomas Watkins, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon, and Christopher Weber contributed to this report.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island hit by second earthquake NOV 16,08
JAKARTA: A second strong earthquake struck the northern region of Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island on Monday, after an earlier earthquake had triggered a tsunami warning, the country's Meteorological Agency said.The second earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale, following an earlier earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7, which struck an area 138 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital Gorontalo, on Sulawesi, at a depth of 10 kilometres, the agency said.The United States Geological Survey put the second earthquake at magnitude of 5.6, at a depth of 10 kilometres, 83 miles northwest of Gorontalo. reuters
Earthquake kills one in Indonesia
www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-17 09:38:48
JAKARTA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A 7.7 magnitude earthquake which struck waters off eastern Indonesia early Monday, killed one person and crashed several houses, an official said. Till 6:00 am on Monday, one resident has confirmed dead during the quake which hit Gorontalo area, located on Sulawesi island, and several houses including school houses were crashed,Detik.com, a leading local website quoted head of Central Crisis Management from the Health Ministry, Rustam F. Pakaya, as saying Monday morning. The quake occurred at 01:02 am local time forcing thousands of people in nearby coastal towns to flee homes, hotels and hospitals in panic. And till Monday morning most of the residents were still stayed outdoors because three big aftershocks hit the area, local reports said. The epicenter of the quake was located 138 km northwest of Gorontalo city in a depth of 10 km. Soon after the quake which lasted for more than two minutes, the local government announced a tsunami warning but it was lifted one hour later. Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that battered much of the Indian Ocean coastline and killed more than 230,000 people -- 160,000 of them in Indonesia's Aceh province alone.
CNN NEWS VIDEO
http://edition.cnn.com/video/
YAHOO NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video
MIDEAST CONFLICT NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/1874;_ylt=A0wNcxFdg6xIgbkAwD6z174F
ABC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461
FOX NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3074
FOX BUSINESS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3045
AP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2529
BBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2918
REUTERS VIDEO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2704
AFP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3091
CNBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3245
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
WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/
HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS MON NOV 17,2008
09:30 AM -77.26
10:00 AM -75.11
10:30 AM -208.20
11:00 AM -192.51
11:30 AM -153.48
12:00 PM -12.19
12:30 PM +7.80
01:00 PM -10.36
01:30 PM -28.83
02:00 PM -30.03
02:30 PM -76.82
03:00 PM -92.20
03:30 PM -69.69
04:00 PM -223.73 8273.58
S&P 500 -22.54 850.75
NASDAQ -34.80 1482.05
GOLD 735.9 -6.6
OIL 55.03 -2.03
TSE 300 -268.75 8787.21
CDNX -15.82 785.79
S&P/TSX/60 -17.38 528.61
MORNING NEWS,STATS
Dow down -150 points in first 4 minutes.
Dow down -165 points at low today.
Dow -75 points at high so far today.
10:30AM NYSE STATS
-Advances 594,Declines 2,318,Unchanged 89.
-New Highs 1,New lows 176.
NASDAQ:Advances 741,Declines 1,578,Unchanged 190
YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow down 35.94%
Nasdaq down 42.81%
S&P 500 down 40.53%
ERIN BURNETT IN RUSSIA TODAY
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838220/
Russias RTS down 70% this year so far.
Russia Stocks halted 30 times since SEPT so far including today.
Russians pay $3.35 a gallon for gas.
Russias currency could fall 30%
SEC:Mark Cuban charged with insider trading of mamma.com
CITI:to eliminate 52,000 jobs by Q2 of 2009.
-18,100 from German,Indian asset sales.
-5,000-6,000 from other asset sales.
-25,000 more job cuts by Q2 of 2009.
Dow -233 points at low today.
Dow -75 points at hight today so far.
AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
LIFTNG OIL PRICES
-OCT us industrial production rebounds.
-Hijacked Saudi oil tanker off Kenyan coast.
-2 Mexican Ports shut after bad weather.
OIL DEMAND PRESSURE
-Japan joins Eurozone in recession.
-Retailers 3RD Quarter sales are very weak.
-US stocks still sliding.
OIL RANGES FROM $56 to $59 TODAY SO FAR.
OPEC may signal oil supply cut NOV 29,08 Cairo meeting.
CRUDE OIL still 60% below JULY record high.
NASDAQ has lost around 6-8% in last 6 trading sessions.
Major averages move lower for 5TH time in 6 sessions today so far.
WSJ:Bank of America increasing stake in China construction Bank to 19.1% from 10.75%.
ERIN BURNETT IN RUSSIA TODAY
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838220/
Moscow has more Billionaires than any other city in the World.
Russian stocks have lost $1 TRILLION since Medvedevs Presidency.
Only 40% of Russians trust commercial Banks.
Metals,Energy,Food account for 80% of the Russian Economy.
Current Russia per capita income $12,000 - $14,000.
Russia wants per capita anual income to reach $30,000 by 2020.
THE BRICS INTERNET USAGE
-Brazil 26.1%
-Russia 23.2%
-China 19.0%
-India 05.2%
TOP 5 INTERNET USERS IN EUROPE
-Germany 52.5 MILLION users.
-United Kingdom 41.8 MILLION users.
-France 36.2 MILLION Users.
-Italy 34.7 MILLION users.
-Russia 32.7 MILLION users.
-Google controls over 30% of Russian market for online Ads.
VLADIMIR PUTIN
-Time 2007 man of year.
-Russians Approval rating 80%.
-30% of Russians want Putin lifetime President.
Dow -250 points at low today.
Dow at high today +73 points.
WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow down 2.5% today.
Dow below 8300 points today.
Dow Industrials down 2.5% today.
S&P down 2.2% today.
S&P down 4 of the last 5 sessions.
Nasdaq down 2.3% today.
Crude oil down 3% today to$55.
Stocks finish lower as recession worries deepen By SARA LEPRO and MADLEN READ, AP Business Writers NOV 17,08
NEW YORK – Wall Street finished sharply lower Monday as investors pored over more signs of economic weakness, including a huge round of layoffs in the financial sector.After a turbulent week that sent the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 340 points, investors found little solace in the latest news. Stocks zigzagged throughout the session, finally giving way to a stream of late-day selling that left the Dow Jones industrials lower by 223 points.In a signal that banks are still struggling in the wake of massive losses tied to bad mortgage debt, Citigroup Inc. is cutting another 53,000 jobs in the coming quarters. The company said that in addition to job cuts, it plans to lower expenses by about 20 percent and has reduced its assets by more than 20 percent since the first quarter of the year.Investors were also nervously waiting to see whether the nation's troubled automakers would get a bailout. Senate Democrats, who plan to introduce legislation Monday, want to use part of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout to help prop up Detroit's Big Three carmakers: General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. A vote was expected as early as Wednesday.Meanwhile, a better-than-expected reading on industrial production did little to boost investor sentiment. The Federal Reserve said Monday that industrial output rose 1.3 percent last month, after plunging in September by the largest amount in over 60 years. Economists, on average, had expected an increase of 0.2 percent, according to a survey by Thomson/IFR.Still, the improvement wasn't encouraging enough, said Anthony Conroy, managing director and head trader for BNY ConvergEx Group, adding that investors want a more concrete sign that the economy could be improving.I think we're seeing a tremendous amount of bad economic data, he said. Earnings have basically hit a wall and don't seem like they are coming back anytime soon.According to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 223.73, or 2.63 percent, to 8,273.58, near its lows of the session.
Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 22.54, or 2.58 percent, to 850.75, while the Nasdaq composite index dropped 34.80, or 2.29 percent, to 1,482.05.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 5.16, or 1.13 percent, to 451.36.Declining issues outpaced advancers by a 2 to 1 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to a light 1.1 billion shares.The moves on Monday followed a massive sell-off last week that saw the Dow finish down 5 percent; the S&P 500 index down 6.2 percent; and the Nasdaq down 7.9 percent. The major indexes have fallen for four of the past five sessions.Analysts believe the market is still searching for a bottom after last month's huge losses, and that the pattern of volatility will continue for some time. Woody Dorsey, president of financial forecasting firm Market Semiotics, said the market is trapped in a seesaw pattern.It is a very technical trade, he said. The difficulty is there is no dominant positive or negative story that the market is operating on. ... There's nothing here that people can grab on to.In the meantime, investors are still facing a barrage of bad economic news.Wall Street was also disappointed by a lack of direction taken to resolve the global financial crisis at the meeting of Group of 20 international leaders in Washington this weekend. However, the leaders did pledge to keep working together to provide loans to financial institutions.In corporate news, Target Corp. on Monday became the latest retailer to post dour results, citing lower sales at established stores as the reason for a 24 percent drop in profit. Lowe's Cos., meanwhile, said its third-quarter profit also fell 24 percent, better than expected, but it predicted a fourth-quarter profit below the average analyst forecast.The reports follow a spate of disappointing earnings and forecasts from companies like Macy's Inc., Starbucks Corp. and Best Buy Co. as they battle a severe pullback in consumer spending. Investors fear that Americans' clampdown on spending — which accounts for about two-thirds of economic activity in the U.S. — will prolong a worsening economic slump.
On Monday, the Bush White House stressed that it steadfastly opposes drawing funds from the bailout plan to help the nation's automakers. The administration supports the idea of helping the struggling companies, but said the $25 billion that Democrats favor taking from the rescue plan should come, instead, from a Department of Energy program previously approved to develop fuel-efficient vehicles. General Motors shares added 8 cents, or 2.66 percent, to $3.09. Ford slipped 5 cents to $1.75. Meanwhile, the layoffs planned at Citigroup underscored the ongoing distress in the financial sector. The company said total headcount is being reduced by 20 percent from its peak of 375,000 at the end of 2007; the company had already announced in October that it was eliminating about 22,000 jobs from those levels. The New York-based bank has posted four straight quarterly losses, including a loss of $2.8 billion during the third quarter. The fallout from this year's global credit crisis has claimed jobs on all corners of Wall Street, from hedge fund managers to floor traders and beyond. Some industry experts forecast the job losses could come close to 200,000 before the year is over. On Sunday, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said seven top executives, including Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein, opted out of receiving cash or stock bonuses for 2008 amid the ongoing credit crisis. Citi's leaders may also go without bonuses this year — a move that would effectively amount to a substantial pay cut for the company's executives. Citigroup shares fell 65 cents to $8.87. Goldman sank $4.39, or 6.6 percent, to $62.34. Government bond prices were higher as investors looked for safety. The three-month Treasury bill's yield fell to 0.10 percent from 0.14 percent late Friday, and the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.68 percent from 3.72 percent late Friday. Lower yields indicate higher demand. The dollar fell against most other major currencies, and gold prices also declined. Light, sweet crude closed at a 22-month low, falling $2.11 to settle at $54.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei index rose 0.71 percent, despite a report showing the second-straight quarterly decline in gross domestic product — signaling a recession. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.10 percent. In European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 2.38 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 3.25 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 3.32 percent. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com
G20 leaders step back from co-ordinated stimulus plans
RENATA GOLDIROVA Today NOV 17,08 @ 10:17 CET
The world's 20 leading industrialised and emerging nations have backed fiscal stimulus plans to boost their economies but reached no agreement to co-ordinate such action - the preferred option of a number of European Union nations.The gathered leaders pledged to take over next four months a series of steps to support the global economy and stabilise financial markets. G20 leaders have agreed to some new regulation of banks and insurance houses, but there will be no new global financial architecture (Photo: French EU presidency/Laurent Blevennec)We are determined to enhance our co-operation and work together to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world's financial systems, the group of 20 nations stated after a top-level meeting in Washington on Saturday (15 November). However, leaders reached no agreement on any internationally co-ordinated series of tax cuts and government spending to prime the economic pump, as some European leaders had favoured heading into the summit. The final conclusions also came well short of delivering any construction of a new global financial architecture or refounding capitalism as the current chair of the EU presidency, France's Nicolas Sarkozy, had famously demanded.
The meeting brought together leading developed powers, including the US, Japan, the UK and Germany, as well as developing countries such as China, India, Argentina and Brazil. The G20 accounts for 85 percent of the global economy and two-thirds of the world's population. World leaders tasked their finance ministers to begin working on moves to align global accounting standards, review pay practices that encourage excessive risk taking, and draft appropriate regulation and oversight of financial institutions, including rating agencies. The market should also see a stronger surveillance of cross-border firms by establishing supervisory colleges for all major cross-border financial institutions. We will implement reforms that will strengthen financial markets and regulatory regimes so as to avoid future crises, the leaders stated. In addition, they agreed that top emerging economies should have a bigger say in the key international financial institutions. The Financial Stability Forum - a group consisting of major national financial authorities - must expand urgently to a broader membership of emerging economies, the leaders said.
But despite calls for improved regulation, world leaders also pledged to avoid over-regulation, saying it could hamper economic growth and capital flows. We underscore the critical importance of rejecting protectionism and not turning inward in times of financial uncertainty, they also said in a joint statement, committing themselves to not raise new barriers to investment or trade in goods and services over the next 12 months. The G20 leaders agreed to meet again under the same G20 format in April next year.
Richer safety net
Meanwhile, International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told the BBC that his institution is likely to need more funding if it is to rescue ailing economies. The number of countries having problems at the same time has dramatically increased and they come to the IMF asking for support. So we need more resources, he was cited as saying on Monday (17 November).The question is to be able to face the problem in six months from now and I think all the heads of state and government are aware of the need for a strong IMF, he added, estimating its needs for extra funding to at least €80 billion. Mr Strauss-Kahn also advocated more ambitious interest rate cuts. In some parts of the world - Japan, the United States - interest rates have been cut very much, but it can be done more aggressively in other parts, he told the BBC, referring to the European Central Bank. I think now [the ECB has] room to decrease the interest rate, but nevertheless the stress has to be put on fiscal policy, he concluded.In separate news, Japan, the world's second largest economy has officially entered recession, with GDP shrinking 0.4 percent in the last quarter, the Japanese Cabinet Office announced today (17 November).
Gulf stocks plunge as G20 fails to halt panic
Sun Nov 16, 7:15 AM
KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Stock markets in the Gulf states plunged on the week's opener Sunday as panic from the fallout of the global economic crisis continued to dampen investor sentiment.The slump came despite the approval by leaders of the G20 nations of an action plan on Saturday to restore global growth and prevent future financial upheaval while promising new spending plans and a set of reforms.Markets of Dubai, Muscat and Doha were the biggest losers, while the Saudi market, the largest Arab bourse, fluctuated sharply at the opening after diving 7.4 percent on Saturday to its lowest level since March 2004.In the United Arab Emirates, the two bourses of Dubai and Abu Dhabi continued to reel under the woes of the flagging real estate sector amid reports of a sharp drop in the prices of units.Turnover was sharply down from this year's average, an indication that many investors are staying away amid a huge sell-off that included blue chip stocks.Traders said the sell-off came mainly from investors who were forced to liquidate stocks in order to raise cash to meet debt commitments.The Dubai Financial Market closed down 5.9 percent 1,981.44 points, the first time in more than four years it has dropped below the 2000-point barrier.
Market leader, property giant Emaar shed 9.75 percent, just off the maximum allowed 10 percent to close at 2.87 dirhams (0.78 dollars).Emaar, which is trading at a four-year low, has so far plunged more than 80 percent this year. DFM dropped for the seventh straight session and has dived more than 29 percent since the start of last week. It is down 66.6 percent on the year.The Abu Dhabi Securities Market recovered most of its losses to finish down 0.34 percent at 2,755.62 points, spurred by the key real estate sector which gained 0.4 percent.The energy sector was up 5.1 percent and banks one percent. All other sectors dropped.The Saudi bourse reversed opening gains and was trading down 2.4 percent by mid-day, diving below the 5,000-point mark for the first time in almost 55 months.The leading petrochemicals sector was 2.6 percent lower and banks dropped 4.1 percent.The Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI) slumped 7.4 percent on the week's opener Saturday as market leaders petrochemicals SABIC and Al-Rajhi and SAMBA banks dropped by the maximum allowed level.The Doha Securities Market slumped 5.1 percent to just above 5,500 points, a two-year low.
The small Muscat Securities Market retreated 6.1 percent to below the 6,000-point mark while the Bahrain Stock Exchange lost 0.35 percent.Kuwait Stock Exchange, the second largest in the region, remained closed on Sunday after a court ordered trading halted on Thursday to stem heavy losses by small investors.Commerce and Industry Minister Ahmad Baqer, who is the head of KSE Committee, said the bourse has filed an appeal against the suspension. The court held its deliberations and the ruling is expected any time.Even if the court lifts the suspension, trading will not resume on Sunday as the bourse trading hourse are over for the day.
Japan enters first recession in seven years NOV 16,08
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's economy, the second largest in the world, has entered its first recession in seven years as the global financial crisis batters exports and business investment, official data showed Monday.Japan joins Germany and Italy on the list of major economies that are officially in recession, despite emergency steps by world powers to try to shield the global economy from months of turmoil on financial markets.The Japanese economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.1 percent in the three months to September, after shrinking 0.9 percent in the second quarter of the year, according to figures from the Cabinet Office.The data showed that the economy is in a recession phase. There are risks it may worsen further, said Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano.It is the first time since the third quarter of 2001 that Japan has entered a recession, which is usually defined as two or more consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.Gross domestic product (GDP) contracted at an annualised rate of 0.4 percent.Analyst forecasts, on average, had been for modest growth of 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter. Tokyo's Nikkei stock index fell 1.3 percent in early trade.Business investment slumped 1.7 percent in the third quarter while exports were worse than expected, as the financial crisis triggered by a US housing slump squeezed other major economies.Japan was dragged down by the weakness in the global economy, said Kyohei Morita, chief Japan economist at Barclays Capital, who expects the recession to last for four quarters in total.
Although Japan has not suffered financial turmoil on the same scale as the United States or Europe, its trade-dependent economy remains highly vulnerable to global downturns.Japan is as export-driven as ever. So as long as exports are slowing due the weakness of the global economy, we cannot escape, said Morita.After suffering a series of on-off recessions in the 1990s, Japan had been slowly recovering on the back of brisk exports and business investment.Corporate profits, however, are now sliding as exports suffer from the global slowdown, prompting companies to slash investment in new equipment and factories, which had been a key driver of economic growth.Consumer spending rose 0.3 percent in the third quarter helped by a hot summer and demand for televisionswho ahead of the Beijing Olympics.But analysts said Japanese consumers are likely to tighten the purse strings as the economy worsens and companies shed workers.We are already seeing the start of a vicious cycle in which a worsening labour market leads to slack consumption, said Naoki Murakami, chief economist at the Monex brokerage firm.Analysts see little prospect of a recovery any time soon. The Japanese economy is expected to contract 0.1 percent in 2009, according to the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
EU car makers eye multi-billion rescue package
VALENTINA POP Today NOV 17,08 @ 09:26 CET
The European Investment Bank (EIB) could help out struggling European car makers with a credit programme worth up to €40 billion, with details expected next week, the Financial Times reports.With car sales dropping 15.5 percent in Western Europe in the past month, car makers on the continent are turning to national governments and EU institutions to rescue them from the spreading recession.The €40 billion rescue package from the EIB would be double the amount the American congress is proposing to save US car giants General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.Details of the bail-out could be put forward next week, when the European Commission expected to make proposals to bolster struggling industries in the face of the economic slowdown.Top executives of German car maker Opel are to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (17 November) in a special cabinet session. Opel is struggling not to go under with its American owner General Motors, threatened by bankruptcy, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports. General Motors said earlier this month it had drawn on the last of its credit lines from banks. With just €12.8 billion left in the bank, and about €9.5 billion needed to fund its day-to-day operations, it could run out of money within weeks.The German government already helped national car makers earlier this month by scrapping taxes on new cars bought over the next six months for up to two years in the case of low-emission models, as part of a €12 billion, two-year package of growth-boosting measures to help out the slowing economy.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is also under pressure from car makers to suspend rises announced earlier this year in vehicle excise duty, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to mobilise €400 million for research and development of low-emission cars.On the other side of the Atlantic, president-elect Barack Obama made the case for the €20 billion aid proposed by the Democrats to help out the Big three, saying collapse would be a disaster. A week ago, Mr Obama urged the outgoing president George Bush not to block an aid package, when the two men had their first meeting at the White House.
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).
Irish voters may back Lisbon treaty, poll reveals
LUCIA KUBOSOVA Today NOV 17,08 @ 09:21 CET
A fresh poll has suggested the Irish could back the EU's Lisbon treaty in a second attempt, repeating the same scenario as with the vote on the previous EU institutional reform. The survey published in Irish Times on Monday (17 November) indicates there has been a change of mood among Ireland's voters since the June referendum, as 43 percent of respondents say they would vote for the Lisbon treaty against 39 percent who would vote No and 18 percent who have no opinion.The Irish voters likely to see another campaign on the EU's Lisbon Treaty - poll suggests they might vote Yes if offered certain guarantees (Photo: EUobserver)
The poll asked people if they would vote for a modified document which would allow Dublin to keep a national commissioner in the EU executive. Under the existing version of Lisbon, the 27-strong commission should be reduced so that from 2014, two thirds of member states would rotate in being represented in the EU's key law-proposing body. The other modification suggested by the authors of the poll was that the Irish would get clear confirmation of their neutrality and their right to rule on issues such as abortions or taxation, in a document attached to the treaty - an idea already supported by several EU leaders as a way to enable a second ballot in Ireland.The Irish Times pointed out that when the don't knows are excluded this gives the Yes side 52.5 percent, with the No side on 47.5 percent, which compares to the referendum result in June of 53.4 percent No and 46.6 percent Yes.The Irish government is due to decide on whether to hold a second vote in early December. We will make that decision in advance of the December meeting, Irish foreign minister Micheal Martin told RTE television on late Sunday (16 November), referring to the EU summit of heads of states and governments to be held in Brussels on 11-12 December.
We have looked at a variety of alternatives, Mr Martin added in the TV interview, noting that the research carried out by the government has shown up a range of issues people were concerned about.A similar scenario as suggested by the Irish Times poll was followed in October 2002 when the Irish voted on the EU's currently-applicable Treaty of Nice for the second time, after rejecting it in a referendum held in June 2001.Back then, the government of Bertie Ahern received a so-called Seville Declaration on Ireland's policy of military neutrality from the European Council, the gathering of EU leaders.
Iceland drafts plan for 2011 EU entry
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today NOV 17,08 @ 09:31 CET
Iceland's prime minister has announced the set-up of a commission to investigate joining the European Union.An initial plan has already been drafted by the country's foreign ministry that would see a membership application made in early 2009, aiming for entry some time in 2011, according to a report in the Financial Times which appeared at the weekend.The prime minister, Geir Haarde, also said that his centre-right Independence Party would hold its 2009 conference in January instead of October as scheduled, to consider EU membership.In announcing the move on Friday (14 November), Mr Haarde said We have always said that we will assess at any given time how we co-operate with Europe.This process will help us make our future decisions.
Until now, Iceland has never applied for EU membership, and the population has historically been strongly opposed to the idea. After the bottom falling out of the Icelandic banking sector and a run on the currency in recent weeks, many are now convinced of the need to adopt the euro, but EU officials have repeatedly told the north Atlantic nation that the euro cannot be adopted without joining the union first.The crisis has sharply boosted support for EU membership in Iceland, climbing to a current 70 percent up from around 50 percent ahead of the crisis.On Saturday, some 6,000 people - two percent of the population - protested outside the Icelandic parliament, attacking the government for its handling of the crisis. According to local reports, several people carried EU flags.
Icesave deposits guaranteed
In separate news, a bitter row between Iceland and EU member states the UK and the Netherlands over savers' deposits in local subsidiaries of Icelandic banks appears to have been resolved.On Sunday, the Icelandic government announced it is to refund the deposits of those banking with Icesave, the collapsed internet bank owned by the now nationalised Landsbanki.Iceland's attempts to access IMF funding were threatened in recent weeks as London and the Hague - as well as Berlin - insisted that Reykjavik guarantee foreign deposits before the taps were opened.According to a statement from the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Talks between Iceland and several EU member states, initiated by the French EU Presidency, led to a common understanding that will form the basis for further negotiations.The EU-chaperoned deal will see the government covering the deposits of insured depositors in the Icesave accounts in accordance with EEA law.In return, the EU, under the French Presidency, will continue to participate in finding arrangements that will allow Iceland to restore its financial system and economy.European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso had said on Wednesday that aid could only be delivered after Iceland and some EU member states reach an agreement on ...issues related to deposit guarantee schemes and protection of foreign depositors.
France overstepped mandate on missile shield moratorium
RENATA GOLDIROVA Today NOV 17,08 @ 09:13 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Prague and Warsaw have poured cold water on French calls for a moratorium on a planned US missile shield in Europe, with both capitals saying that president Nicolas Sarkozy overstepped his mandate. I don't think that third countries, even such good friends as France, can have a particular right to express themselves on this issue, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday (15 November).At the NATO summit in Bucharest in April this year, the entire 26-nation Alliance - including France - backed the planned US missile shield in Europe (Photo: wikipedia)The Polish leader described Mr Sarkozy's comments as his own point of view, [with] no impact of the future of the project, according to AFP, adding that The question of the anti-missile shield is governed by an agreement between Poland and the United States.A similar message came from the Czech republic, with the country's deputy prime minister Alexandr Vondra saying he was taken by surprise.
France did not discuss its viewpoint with us ... As far as I know, the French presidency mandate for the EU-Russia summit did not contain a position on the US missile defence system, he said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy - currently chairing the 27-nation EU - had spoken alongside his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Friday (14 November), following the top level EU-Russia meeting in Nice.
He suggested that the EU, Russia and the US meet in mid-2009 in the framework of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in order to lay foundations of future pan-European security. Until then, please, no more talk about deployment of missile and anti-missile systems, the French leader said.
His remarks no doubt pleased the Russian ear.
Moscow sees US plans to place components of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech republic as a direct threat to its security and the broader military balance. Earlier this month, the Kremlin threatened to deploy short-range missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave between Lithuania and Poland, if the shield gets up and running.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev defended the standpoint by saying at Friday's summit that All [Russian] decisions were in response to the behaviour of nations in Europe, which without consulting anyone had agreed to deploy new systems on their own territory.It is better to have a global anti-missile system in which Russia also participates, he later suggested.According to Mr Vondra - speaking to EUobserver - the Russians are currently testing the US president-elect the same way as Nikita Khrushchev once tested John F. Kennedy, while Prague continues to hope that neither the Europeans nor the Americans will fall into the trap.The Czech deputy prime minister referred to the Cuban missile crisis of the early 1960s - a risky muscle-flexing exercise during the Cold War - when the Soviet Union stationed its weapons in Cuba in response to the deployment of US ballistic missiles in Turkey. In addition, Mr Vondra pointed to the NATO summit in Bucharest in April this year, stressing that back then the entire 26-nation Alliance, including France, approved the US missile shield project. The alliance was tasked to develop options for a comprehensive missile defence architecture - something that would allow a NATO-designed short and medium range missile defence system to be bolted onto the American one designed for protection from long range attacks. The fresh comments by France differ from the NATO summit conclusions, Mr Vondra said.Speaking in Washington on Saturday (15 November), French President Nicolas Sarkozy seemed to back down from his previous comments. Every country is sovereign to decide whether it hosts an anti-missile shield or not, he was cited as saying by AFP. But it still remains to be seen how the US project in Central Europe will progress under the new White House chief, Barack Obama, who enters office on 20 January. The Democrat is surrounded by people questioning the military efficiency of the system. We don't expect, even for political reasons, any revolution but of course, the new president will take a new look and we know what the position of the president-elect is. He told me that he wanted to make sure the thing worked, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said last Friday.
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.
Russia, China against Iran sanctions: Russian Official NOV 16,08
Press TV - Russia and China are against the Western powers' call for fresh sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, a Russian official declared. Russia is against the sanctions pushed forward by some of the six, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov told Interfax on Friday pointing to the recent meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. The Western countries are for the sanctions. China like Russia did not back it, he added, a day after the meeting was held in Paris to discuss Iran's nuclear program, AFP reported. A French Foreign Ministry statement stressed that the UN Security Council reaffirmed the importance of the dual-track approach, namely holding talks with Tehran and at the same time considering more sanctions on Iran. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also told journalists We have always been supporters of both sanctions and dialogue.
... Payvand News - 11/16/08
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
TORAH PORTION FROM NOV 16 - 22, 2008
SINCE WHAT ISRAEL READS WILL BE FULFILLED IN THAT WEEK I WILL BE PUTTING THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION ON FOR ALL OF US TO KEEP TRACK OF ISRAEL HAPPENINGS.
TORAH PORTION FROM NOV 16, 2008 6PM TO NOV 22,2008
GENESIS 23:1 - 25:18
1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
GENESIS 24:1-67
1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.
33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
GENESIS 25:1-18
1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.
12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
PROPHETS PORTION
1 KINGS 1:1-31
1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
11 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?
12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
15 And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
16 And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
17 And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.
20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.
26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.
27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
29 And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
30 Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
NEW TESTAMENT PORTION
MATTHEW 8:19-22
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
MATTHEW 27:3-10
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
LUKE 9:57-62
57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
TORAH PORTION FROM NOV 16, 2008 6PM TO NOV 22,2008
GENESIS 23:1 - 25:18
1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
GENESIS 24:1-67
1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.
33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
GENESIS 25:1-18
1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.
12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
PROPHETS PORTION
1 KINGS 1:1-31
1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
11 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?
12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
15 And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
16 And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
17 And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.
20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.
26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.
27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
29 And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
30 Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
NEW TESTAMENT PORTION
MATTHEW 8:19-22
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
MATTHEW 27:3-10
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
LUKE 9:57-62
57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
G20 IN WASHINGTON TODAY
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.
DOES ANYONE FIND THIS INTERESTING THAT THE HOMOSEXUALS ARE HARASSING CHRISTIANS IN CALIFORNIA AND NOW FIRES ARE DESTROYING LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA.NO ACCIDENT HERE,GOD IS GIVING THE HOMOSEXUALS A WARNING TO REPENT BEFORE THEIR BELOVED SAN FRANCISO WILL BE DESTROYED BY FIRE LIKE SODOM AND GOMORAH FOR HOMOSEXUAL LIFE STYLES AND IMMORALITY.
Hundreds of homes destroyed in California firestorm NOV 15,08
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - More than 500 mobile homes were destroyed and 10,000 people fled as a wildfire described as the most devastating to hit Los Angeles in nearly half a century ripped through a city suburb on Saturday, officials said.One day after an inferno laid waste to over 100 mansions in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, 100 miles (160 kilometers) up the coast, California's fire scourge struck in the densely populated district of Sylmar on the northern fringe of Los Angeles.The wildfire -- fueled by seasonal winds of up to 80 miles per hour -- erupted late Friday and swept through some 6,500 acres (2,630 hectares) turning everything in its path to charred ruins, authorities said.Ground zero of the blaze was a mobile home park near Sylmar where more than 500 residences were reduced to a smoldering wasteland by early Saturday.Los Angeles officials described the blaze as one of the worst in the city's history in terms of its speed and sheer destruction.Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, blaming the spread of the fire on absolutely atrocious winds, said the blaze was the worst of recent memory.We have never lost in recent times anything close to this number, Villaraigosa told reporters.Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yarovslavsky, said the fire, which was 10 percent contained by 1:00 pm local time (2100 GMT), was the worst since a 1961 blaze in wealthy Bel Air that destroyed more than 480 homes.
This is as bad a fire as I can remember since the 1961 fire, Yaroslavsky said. The explosiveness of it, and the human devastation that is involved ...Five hundred families lost their home last night and this morning. And our hearts go out to them. We just can't weigh their loss heavily enough.Around 1,100 firefighters using helicopters, bulldozers and engines were battling the fire, attempting to halt its advance as a state of emergency was declared across Los Angeles County.Remarkably, only four people, including three firefighters, were confirmed injured but Villaraigosa warned the casualty toll increase.Los Angeles fire captain Steve Ruda said temperatures at the mobile home park had been so fierce that fire hoses had melted into the cement.Meanwhile reports staff at the Olive View Medical Center had to tend to patients on respirators using hand-operated pumps because of power outages after the fire erupted late Friday.The fire forced the closure of several major freeways and led to rolling blackouts across Los Angeles before power was eventually restored.The Sylmar fire was one of several burning across Southern California on Saturday, and authorities were anxiously tracking a large fire that had erupted near Yorba Linda, 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and neighboring Corona.Vast plumes of smoke from the Yorba Linda blaze could be seen across the Los Angeles skyline and at least a dozen homes had been damaged or destroyed.Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters were making progress against the fire which tore through the millionaire's playground Montecito after erupting on Thursday. Some 111 homes had been gutted by the fire, which has burned around 1,800 acres and was 40-percent contained.Montecito is popular with the super-rich, and celebrities such as talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood actors Michael Douglas, Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe all own property in the area.There have been no reported fatalities but 13 injuries, including three suffering from burns and 10 suffering from smoke inhalation, according to figures from Santa Barbara County.California is frequently hit by scorching wildfires due to its dry climate, Santa Ana winds and recent housing booms which have seen housing spread rapidly into rural and densely forested areas.The latest fires come just over a year after devastating wildfires that were among the worst in California history, that left eight people dead, gutted 2,000 homes, displaced 640,000 people and caused one billion dollars in damage.In June and July this year, a series of about 2,000 fires raged across the state, scorching some 900,000 acres of land.
Southern California battles devastating wildfire By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER, Associated Press Writer NOV 15,08
LOS ANGELES – Southern Californians weathered a second straight day of devastation Saturday as wind-blasted wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes, shut down major freeways and forced thousands of residents in the path of flames to flee to safety.
A fire that ravaged the Sylmar community in the hillsides above Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley grew to 6,500 acres — more than 10 square miles — and was only 10 percent contained. It sent residents fleeing in the dark Saturday morning as notorious Santa Ana winds topping 75 mph torched cars, mobile homes and bone-dry brush.We have almost total devastation here in the mobile park, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said. I can't even read the street names because the street signs are melting.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, a day after he did so to the northwest in Santa Barbara County, where 111 homes burned to the ground Thursday night in the wealthy, star-studded community of Montecito.And as many as 30 homes, some of them apparently mansions, burned in a fire in Orange and Riverside counties, officials said.The Los Angeles blaze, whose cause was under investigation, threatened at least 1,000 structures, city Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said. A burned resident was in serious condition, and four firefighters were treated for minor injuries.Fire officials estimated 10,000 people were under orders to evacuate. Among them were residents of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where about 500 trailers were lost to the flames. Many had housed senior citizens.At an evacuation center, Lucretia Romero, 65, wore a string of pearls and clutched the purse and jacket she snatched as firefighters shouted at them to flee hours earlier.Her daughter, Alisa, 42, wore a bloodstained shirt and pants. A helicopter dropping water on their home caused the entryway ceiling to collapse. Debris scratched her forehead and gave her a black eye.They were optimistic that their home of 30 years survived because firefighters were there when they left. But the family cat, Doris, was missing.
Lucretia Romero said she saw smoke above the hills beyond the front door and then, within an hour, saw that a canyon across from her home was red with flame.They would drop water, the water would squash the flames and then two minutes later the flames would come back, she said. Firefighters soon banged on the door and gave them 10 minutes to evacuate.Flames swept across the park and scorched cypress trees, Ruda said. Firefighters had to flee, grabbing some residents and leaving hoses melted into the concrete.Ruda produced a burned U.S. flag on a broken stick as a sign of hope and bravery for firefighters. The home that this flag was flying from is gone, he said.The Santa Anas — dry winds that typically blow through Southern California between October and February — tossed embers ahead of flames, jumping two interstate highways and sparking new flare-ups. Walls of flame raced up ridge lines covered in sun-baked brush and surrounded high-power transmission line towers.Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said power lines were down in places, and he asked residents to conserve power to help avoid possible blackouts.Shortly after midnight, fire burned to the edge of the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center campus, knocking out power and forcing officials to evacuate two dozen critical patients.For residents of Sylmar, at the edge of the Angeles National Forest beneath the San Gabriel Mountains, the fire underscored the hazards that come with living close to nature when the dangerous winds fan catastrophic blazes. Residents of a nearby trailer park lost their homes in a fire a month ago. Near-hurricane winds made it very difficult for firefighters, Los Angeles Deputy Fire Chief Mario Rueda said. When they arrived (at the scene), it was very well developed into the forest.The shifting winds caused the fire to move uphill toward the San Gabriel Mountains, downhill toward homes and sometimes skip across canyons. It also jumped across Interstate 5 and 210, forcing the California Highway Patrol to shut down portions of both freeways and some connecting roads. Flying embers ignited spot fires, and firefighters patrolled the evacuated neighborhoods making sure these small fires don't turn into big fires, Rueda said. It has burned a portion of forest land, including habitat for the endangered California condor and several hiking trails, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea said.
A separate blaze chewed through expensive Orange and Riverside communities, burning as many as 30 homes as flying embers took a crazy-quilt path of destruction. The flames erupted near a highway and quickly grew to at least 800 acres. Fierce, erratic winds pushed it into an adjoining subdivision where 5,000-square-foot homes are the norm. A dozen buildings burned in the Riverside County town of Corona. Two city firefighters were slightly injured when the fast-moving flames swept over their fire engine, said Christy Romero, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority. Northwest of Los Angeles, an 1,800-acre blaze that began Thursday night in the Santa Barbara community of Montecito forced the evacuation of more than 5,400 homes. About 800 firefighters battled the blaze in the wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, and they were expected to make significant progress through Saturday, said Santa Barbara city fire spokesman John Ahlman. He said homes would not be in serious danger if the winds remained calm. Several multimillion-dollar homes and a small Christian college were damaged in Montecito, a town of 14,000 that has attracted celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey. The cause of the fire is under investigation. At least 13 people were injured. A 98-year-old man with medical problems died after being evacuated to a hotel, but it was unclear if his death was directly related to the blaze. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Denise Petski, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles and Thomas Watkins and Amy Taxin in Montecito.
Gay rights rallies nationwide over Calif. ban By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer NOV 15,08
BOSTON – Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the California vote that banned gay marriage there and urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed.Many cast it as a civil rights issue.Crowds gathered near public buildings in small communities and major cities including New York, San Francisco and Chicago to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change.Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens, Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading Don't Spread H8.We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly, said Heather Baker a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. We need equal rights across the country.Massachusetts and Connecticut, which began same sex weddings this past week, are the only two states that allow gay marriage. All 30 states that have voted on gay marriage have enacted bans.Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon church.
However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies.Seattle blogger Amy Balliett, who started the planning for the protests when she set up a Web page three days after the California vote, said persuasion is impossible without civility.If we can move anybody past anger and have a respectful conversation, then you can plant the seed of change, she said.Balliett said supporters in 300 cities in the U.S. and other countries were holding marches, and she estimated 1 million people would participate, based on responses at the Web sites her group set up.We need to show the world when one thing happens to one of us, it happens to all of us, she said.The protests were widely reported to be peaceful and the mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing to the song Respect. Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read Gay is the new black.But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests.One sign in Chicago read: Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics.I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person, said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally.In San Francisco demonstrators took shots at some religious groups that supported the ban, including a sign aimed at the Mormon church and its abandoned practice of polygamy that read: You have three wives; I want one husband.Chris Norberg, who married his partner in June, also referred to the racial divisions that arose after exit polls found that majorities of blacks and Hispanics supported the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
They voted against us, Norberg said. Demonstrators in Washington marched from the U.S. Capitol through the city carrying signs and chanting One, two, three, four, love is what we're fighting for! A public plaza at the foot of New York's Brooklyn Bridge was packed by a cheering crowd, including people who waved rainbow flags and wore pink buttons that said I do.Protests were low-key in North Dakota, where people lined a bridge in Fargo carrying signs and flags. Mike Bernard, who was in the crowd at City Hall in Baltimore, said Proposition 8 could end up being a good thing for gay rights advocates. It was a swift kick in the rear end, he said. In Chicago, Keith Smith, 42, a postal worker, and his partner, Terry Romo, 34, a Wal-Mart store manager, had photos of their wedding ceremony which they held even though gay marriage is not legal in Illinois. We're not going to wait for no law, Smith said. But time's going to be on our side and it's going to change.Associated Press writers Rupa Shenoy in Chicago, Adam Goldman in New York, JoAnn Loviglio in Philadelphia, Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore, Blake Nicholson in Bismarck, N.D., and Kamala Lane in Washington contributed to this report.
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
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 shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
LETS GET TO KNOW A BIT ABOUT THE WORLD GOVERNMENT MINDSET.
U THINK THE EU DICTATOR CAN'T CONTROL ALL OF US THROUGH MICROCHIP IMPLANTS, GPS AND DATA TRACKING.
Microsoft's virtual storage centre
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7694471.stm
GREENSPAN ADMITS FEDERAL RESERVE IS ABOVE THE LAW - VIDEO
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2008/11/greenspan-admits-federal-reserve-is.html#links
Rockefeller Admitted Elite Goal Of Microchipped Population - VIDEO
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2008/08/rockefeller-admitted-elite-goal-of.html
GLOBAL LAW AGAINST BLASPHEMY - NEWS ONLY
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2008/11/saudi-interfaith-parley-front-for.html
The following is excerpted from the book:Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution,by Steve McIntosh.2007 Published by Paragon House For further excerpts, interviews and more, go to:www.stevemcintosh.com
From Chapter 5, Integral Politics:
The type of global governance envisioned by the integral worldview would consist of a federation of nations united under a constitution of laws guided by the insights and principles of integral philosophy. An integral world federation would be instituted to provide democratic oversight of the global economy, protect the world's environment, establish a universal bill of human rights, preserve cultural diversity, and bring an eventual end to war, disease, and poverty. And even with limited jurisdiction (leaving national legal systems mostly in place), an integral world federation would provide for a system of global justice which would reduce the incentives for terrorism. Such a federation would not need to encompass the globe in one step. It would have to begin with a union of the E.U. and U.S., with other developed nations such as Australia and Japan joining at the beginning. Gradually, other countries could join the federation, but no country would be forced to join, with membership in the federation requiring a supermajority vote of a country’s population. An integral global authority would gradually encompass the world through evolutionary methods. National boundaries and local economies would be protected, and full membership in the federation would be granted only to countries that have achieved requisite degrees of freedom and democracy. Just as the E.U. has been gradually expanding, encouraging the political, economic and cultural evolution of those nations that aspire to join, so too could a world federation be gradually enlarged.
The benefits of effective global governance would be abundant. Democratic control of the global economy would produce greater fairness for individuals and fragile local cultures while at the same time producing greater overall prosperity. An integral world federation would have the authority to protect human rights and the world’s environment, inaugurating the kinds of safeguards that are currently impossible in a world of competing nation-states. It will almost always be morally illegitimate for one sovereign country to attack or dominate another sovereign country, regardless of the context. But a democratically controlled global federation will have the moral and political authority to be legitimately coercive over individual offenders (rather than entire countries) when it comes to preventing the destruction of people’s lives or the environment.
In appendix A, entitled: A Proposal for Integral Global Governance, we’ll explore an example of a potential structure that could be used to enact an integrally informed federal system of global governance. However, at this point, rather than going on about the advantages and solutions that could be provided by a world federation, I now need to address the reasonable objection that, even if it were a good idea, at this point global governance is nothing but a left-wing peacenik fantasy only dreamed about by wooly-minded one-worlders.
EU, French top officials applaud G20 financial summit results
www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-16 06:50:14
Special Report: Global Financial Crisis
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- EU and French top officials applauded the G20 financial summit concluded on Saturday for four principles that were reached at the meeting. I was very happy with the results of summit, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at a post-summit joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It has laid the foundation for the future. He noted that the best summary on results of the two-day Summit on Financial Market and World Economy was the four principles, including a coordinated and concerted stimulus through the use of budgetary measures to support demand and the increase of financial assistance to emerging and developing countries and a new regulation for financial markets to prevent a similar crisis from happening again. The other two principles he mentioned are a global economic governance more open to emerging and developing countries for more justice and efficiency and a rejection of protectionism and more openness towards exchanges. Barroso acknowledged that there is no miracle solution to the ongoing global financial crisis, but with these principles, countries can wish for avoiding deeper crisis. He also called for real commitment to the action plan yielded from the summit with a hope to bring concrete results to the world economy. EU, as the only inter-governmental organization of G20 members, has been blaming the current financial crisis for the lax financial regulation, the weak international crisis management capacities and the global current account imbalances.
It has been urging for real change in the global financial system at the G20 summit as a global response to the current financial crisis. In preparation for the summit, EU leaders agreed last Friday on a set of common lines to take to Washington, including a commitment to new, common standards of oversight, transparency and risk assessment and proposals to strengthen international crisis management. Moreover, they also proposed a period of 100 days following the summit to draw up and begin implementing new measures. During his briefing to reporters at the press conference, Sarkozy, whose country currently has the rotating chairmanship in EU, gave credit to the fairly historical summit since it was the first time for diverse countries to get together in Washington D.C. and agree on principles and action plans on how to solve the world economic crisis. He said that the summit agreed on the need for stimulus, and called for coordination in fiscal policies and monitoring method for economic stimulus, to make sure the crisis is never going to happen again.He also urged for a more fair and new economic governance, strengthened financial regulation, and more open commercial and trade relations. Hours after the end of the first G20 summit, the French president outlined a blueprint for the next gathering of its kind, by proposing that the next summit should be held in London, Britain, which will chair the G20 in 2009. On the relation with the outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush, Sarkozy said his American counterpart has been a loyal partner, not always easy, but loyal. The two EU officials appeared before media reporters after the formal talks in the summit concluded on Saturday, followed by a series of bilateral talks. The G20, founded on Sept. 25, 1999 in Washington, serves as an international forum of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries -- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States -- the European Union and the Bretton Woods Institutions, namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It is the first time for the body, which usually brought together finance ministers and central bank chiefs at annual meetings, to hold a head-of-state meeting in view of the worst economic crisis since 1930s. The United States has indicated that it expects the meeting as the first step in a process that can lay the ground for future actions, while the European countries, led by France, deem the summit should take quick and necessary actions to produce real results.
World leaders move toward tougher financial rules By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent NOV 14,08
WASHINGTON – World leaders moved toward agreement Friday on an early warning system for financial calamities, a commitment to tougher accounting rules and other modest steps to begin restoring stability in a crisis threatening the livelihoods of billions of people around the globe.Nearly two dozen leaders met in Washington on Friday in the largest gathering of its kind here in nearly a decade. They dined in extravagance at the White House in a prelude to a day of negotiations Saturday over how best to wrestle both large and developing economies back from the brink of chaos.
The leaders were on track to approve measures to make the world financial system more accountable to investors and more transparent to regulators, diplomatic sources said.Those sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because leaders had yet to agree on their final communique, said the emerging agreement calls for an action plan to improve international monitoring of markets. The leaders also were expected to endorse more effective rules governing how companies value their assets, a weakness seen as partly responsible for the current financial crisis.A second summit is envisioned in early spring, after Barack Obama becomes president. The first meeting, called by President George W. Bush, falls in a period of transition that inevitably leaves unclear what actions the U.S. is ready to take in the months ahead.
Billions of hardworking people are counting on us, Bush said on a night when urgent motorcades swept presidents and prime ministers through a dark Washington mist to the White House.Altogether, the U.S. approach of boosting oversight of shaky financial markets seemed to be holding sway over Europe's desire for tougher internationally enforced regulation.Mexican President Felipe Calderon met former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Rep. Jim Leach, and stressed that a return to protectionism would only complicate economic recovery efforts, according to the Mexican leader's office. Albright and Leach are representing Obama at the summit.The president-elect stayed away from the meeting so as not to complicate matters for Bush.Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and India were among those in Washington.A new college of supervisors, made up of financial regulators from many nations, and an early warning system to detect weaknesses in the financial system — both aimed at raising the oversight and openness of international markets — were among the ideas likely to be included in a joint communique.Bush has supported those types of ideas in the past, said White House press secretary Dana Perino, hinting that the leaders, whose delegates have been negotiating for weeks, were poised to agree.The summit, meant to be the first in a series, has a two-pronged agenda: Discuss what might still need to be done to turn the world's economies back from the edge of disaster and explore ways to revamp the global financial system's architecture to prevent similar meltdowns in the future.
Fearing a Wall Street plunge if the summit produces little, the White House has been lowering expectations as fast as other nations have been raising them.This problem did not develop overnight and it will not be solved overnight, Bush said in a dinner toast to his fellow leaders and their discussions. But with continued cooperation and determination, it will be solved.Separately, the government reported that sales by U.S. retailers fell by a record amount last month, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted at another interest rate cut to encourage consumers. The Dow Jones industrials dropped 338 points.As leaders poured into the U.S. capital, Bush warned for the second day in a row of the dangers — in his view — of overeager government intervention. He said reforms in the financial sector are essential but strict new regulation of financial firms or products, such as some European leaders have advocated, would crush the global economy instead of protect it.The stakes are indeed high, he said. Billions of hardworking people are counting on us to strengthen the financial system for the long term.He got a boost from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who used rhetoric similar to Bush's in talking about a need to keep trade flowing and markets free. Protectionism is the road to ruin, Brown told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Brown has been among the leaders pushing for nations at the summit to pledge coordinated stimulus spending worldwide to combat the downturn that is squeezing millions of families and businesses. Bush, however, cautioned that the billions of dollars being spent already by the U.S. and other countries should be given a chance to work. Our actions are having an impact, Bush said in his Saturday radio address, taped Friday and released early by the White House. The United States and our partners are taking the right steps to get through the crisis.Deeply skeptical, protesters staged demonstrations and their chants could be faintly heard as leaders arrived in a misty rain at the White House for the working dinner. At the meetings, leaders were expected to set up working groups to devise the details of their proposals. Europeans want to close loopholes that allow some financial institutions to evade regulation. They also want to ensure supervision for all major financial players, including credit ratings agencies or funds carrying high amounts of debt. They want a pledge for concrete changes in just 100 days. But Bush is hoping that including developing nations such as China, India and Brazil in the talks will act as a brake on any push for intrusive regulation. Red-hot emerging economies bristle at being restricted just as they are trying to catch up to the developed world. Bush's argument against government overreach rings hollow to many around the world who see the crisis as a problem made of a freewheeling U.S. system where easy credit, risky investing and lax oversight have become the norm. He also is seen by some as lacking credibility on the issue because he has overseen an unprecedented intervention by Washington in the private sector over the past few weeks in an effort to unclog credit markets.
An early warning system appears one area of compromise.
Advocated by the Europeans, it would watch for signs of problems like the bubble in the U.S. housing market that eventually burst, souring mortgage-related investments, leading to huge losses at financial companies and locking lending in a freeze that spread around the globe. The heads of the International Monetary Fund, the world's financial firefighter, and the Financial Stability Forum, a group that includes central banks and major financial regulators, said Friday they would cooperate on detecting vulnerabilities. In addition, the college of supervisors would be a new body in which global regulators tasked with scrutinizing the world's largest financial institutions would compare notes, in hopes of spotting excessive risk-taking. In a sign of the complicated arrangements necessary to house and host the largest gathering of government heads in Washington since NATO's 50th anniversary in 1999, Perino noted it would take 300 or 400 cars to accomplish the highly choreographed feat of bringing the leaders to dinner. Bush, alone without his wife, greeted each of his guests individually as they pulled to the North Portico, with smiles and back pats for most, a protocol-laden process that took over 75 minutes. The leaders then ate with him in the State Dining Room, working for about two hours over a gourmet meal of quail, lamb and fondue accompanied by fancy wines. Associated Press writers Jeannine Aversa, Eileen Sullivan and David Stringer contributed to this report.
G20 leaders agree reform action plan, pledge to boost growth NOV 15,08
WASHINGTON (AFP) - World leaders agreed at an economic crisis summit Saturday to an action plan for reforming the financial system and promised to work together to restore global growth, according to a final communique.We are determined to enhance our cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world's financial systems, the final statement from the G20 group of countries said.The statement committed the leaders, whose countries account for 85 percent of the world economy, to fiscal measures to boost national economies and laid out a series of areas for review before a deadline of March 31.Six areas will be targeted: regulating those areas of the financial markets which have exacerbated the crisis, boosting transparency in the often murky derivatives markets and reforming compensation practices.The ministers must also evaluate global accounting norms and the financing needs of international financial institutions.Finally, they must draw up a list of financial institutions whose collapse would imperil the global financial system .In view of the role of the G20 in financial systems reform, we will meet again by April 30, 2009, to review the implementation of the principles and decisions agreed today, the communique said.It also stressed that the countries rejected protectionism and were committed to free-market principles -- something President George W. Bush was keen to include.We recognize that these reforms will only be successful if grounded in a commitment to free market principles, including the rule of law, respect for private property, open trade and investment, competitive markets, and efficient, effectively regulated financial systems, the statement said.The statement also said that regulation was a national issue. Some countries had wanted a stronger role for the International Monetary Fund or another international regulator.Regulation is first and foremost the responsibility of national regulators who constitute the first line of defense against market instability, said the statement.However, our financial markets are global in scope, therefore, intensified international cooperation among regulators and strengthening of international standards, where necessary, and their consistent implementation is necessary to protect against adverse cross-border, regional and global developments affecting international financial stability.The G20, which includes the major industrialized nations as well as emerging giants Brazil, China, India and Russia, has been locked in debate about what caused the crisis.The International Monetary Fund and the Financial Stability Forum said Friday they would cooperate to provide an early-warning system in an effort to prevent any new financial meltdowns.
World Leaders Pledge to Revive Sagging Economies at Summit
Saturday, November 15, 2008
WASHINGTON — World leaders emerging from a financial summit in Washington pledged to continue taking urgent and exceptional action to revive the global economy Saturday, calling for increased cooperation and regulation to prevent the crippling crisis from repeating itself.President Bush, speaking after the meeting, stressed that the emergency summit was only a first step, and that others would be scheduled —but praised the measures given the go-ahead so far.He said the United States could have gone into a depression worse than the Great Depression without the steps already taken.Nearly two dozen foreign leaders convened Saturday in an attempt to steer their countries away from recession and at the same time draft plans to prevent future financial meltdowns.Bush said the participants agreed to modernize their regulations by making financial markets more transparent and accountable.He urged other nations to resist erecting trade barriers, and pledged that the United States would also make good on its aid commitments to developing countries despite the financial stresses.I thought this was a very successful summit, Bush said.
RAW DATA: Declaration Issued After World Economic Summit Japan's Leader Urges China to Contribute to IMF Financial Meltdown Summit Featured Lavish Dinner Menu, $300 Bottles of Wine Transcript: President Bush's Radio Address Photo Essays
World Leaders Meet at Economic Summit In a joint statement from the group of 20 nations released Saturday afternoon, those countries' leaders said: We must lay the foundation for reform to help to ensure that a global crisis, such as this one, does not happen again.The countries are determined to enhance our cooperation and restore global growth, they said.The lengthy statement spelled out six immediate steps that would be taken.The nations pledged to continue vigorous efforts to stabilize the financial system; recognize the importance of monetary policy support; use fiscal measures to stimulate domestic demands; help developing nations gain access to financing especially through the International Monetary Fund; encourage the World Bank and other banks to fully support developing nations; and ensure that organizations like the IMF and World Bank have sufficient resources to help countries overcome the crisis.Bush said the world's top economies will also take a fresh look at rules that govern market manipulation and fraud.In a global climate marked by increased government intervention and rescue packages, Bush said at the start of the meeting that he was glad the partner nations were reaffirming the principles of open markets and free trade.According to one diplomatic source, the summit participants were also discussing ways to boost international coordination of stimulus packages.A thorny issue, however, is whether all nations should pledge to enact government spending plans to stimulate their economies. The leaders supported the benefits of that approach, but stopped short of a commitment for all to act at the same time, as some Europeans had favored.
The plan endorses an early warning system for problems such as the speculation frenzy that fed the U.S. housing bubble. It calls for the creation of supervisory colleges of financial regulators from many nations to better detect risky investing and other potential problems.It will be up to finance ministers to flesh out the details to put such changes in place by the end of March, in advance of the next summit on April 30, when Barack Obama is president.Our nations agree that we must make the financial markets more transparent and accountable, Bush said.Leaders backed efforts to improve international monitoring of markets and bolstering rules about how companies value their assets, a weakness seen as partly responsible for the crisis at hand.The leaders pledged to use fiscal measures to energize individual countries' economies as appropriate. They recognized the importance of the Federal Reserve and other central banks to order interest rate reductions to help cushion the economic fallout.We have reached important conclusions today about trade, about financial stability and about the expansion of our economies, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.Under the glare of an intense political and public spotlight, presidents and prime ministers needed to be careful not to let the talks become a blame game, which could further roil the fragile markets.French President Nicolas Sarkozy was heartened that leaders could come together on a plan for action despite diverse interests from individual nations.While the plan would boost oversight of fragile financial markets, it fell short of the sweeping tough new set of regulations or ambitious regulatory overhauls that some Europeans initially wanted.
These are difficult talks, acknowledged Brown, who had taken a lead in pushing for a global coordination of country-by-country economic aid plans.In his weekly radio address, Bush said he's confident that the developed and developing countries involved in the talks can return their economies to the path of growth and vitality.
Nations around the world have responded to this situation with bold measures, and our actions are having an impact, Bush said. It will require more time for these improvements to fully take hold and there will be more difficult days ahead, but the United States and our partners are taking the right steps to get through the crisis.
The Bush administration, however, has reacted coolly to a second U.S. stimulus plan and opposes a bailout of the teetering U.S. auto industry. Democrats are pushing for aid to Detroit automakers amid reports that the biggest one, General Motors Corp., could be forced into bankruptcy by the end of next month.Not far from the summit at the stately National Building Museum, a handful of protesters carried neon yellow signs that read: Money for people's needs, not bankers' greed and Money for jobs, not for war and occupation.The World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, is among the international finance leaders who welcomed the more inclusive mix of countries — beyond the wealthiest nations — at the summit. Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said, Emerging economies have to be taken into consideration in today's globalized world.Japan's prime minister, Taro Aso, urged China and others to help increase the International Monetary Fund's $250 billion bailout pool for struggling nations hit by the crisis. Japan on Friday said it was ready to put in as much as $100 billion.The crisis broke out in the United States around August of last year.
Mortgage investments soured with the housing market's collapse and the fallout quickly spread to other countries. Banks and other financial companies suffered huge losses and foreclosures skyrocketed. The troubles crimped auto and student loans and locked up lending for many consumers and businesses worldwide.Although Obama stayed away from the summit, he designated two representatives — former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa — to meet with leaders on the sidelines.Besides the United States, the participants are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.
Other than Spain, those countries — plus the European Union — make up the Group of 20industrialized and developing economies, or G-20. The group accounts for roughly 90 percent of the global gross domestic product, which measures the value of goods and services produced worldwide.FOX News' Bret Baier, Peter Barnes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Econ summit vows action — takes few concrete steps By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent Jennifer NOV 15,08
WASHINGTON – World leaders battling a dire and deepening economic crisis vowed Saturday to cooperate more closely, keep a sharper eye out for red-flag problems and give bigger roles to fast-rising nations — but kicked many hard details down the road for their next summit after President-elect Barack Obama takes office.Perhaps as important as the modest concrete steps they took, the leaders of the planet's richest nations — and some of the fastest-developing — made clear their recognition of the world's increasingly interconnected financial architecture and the responsibilities that go along with it.There shall be no blind spots, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared. There is here a great common will to ensure that such a crisis is not repeated.Underscoring how bad things have gotten this time, President George W. Bush, the summit host, said he had agreed to the recent $700 billion rescue plan for U.S. financial institutions only after being told the nation was at risk of falling into a depression greater than the Great Depression.Also significant at the summit: the inclusion of a far broader range of countries than the elite, old-guard group that usually holds such summit meetings.Emerging market countries were not the cause of this crisis, but they are amongst its worst affected victims, declared Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Leaders from 21 nations and four international organizations attended the emergency summit that was held as Washington was blanketed in a gray mist and which took on a workaday feel appropriate to the grim crisis that drew them together. At the conclusion of talks that took place over two days, they released a joint communique that was modest in scope but high in hopes.Covering eight pages and 47 action items, the document's overarching focus is to establish a series of new safeguards for the fragile and opaque global financial system. Nearly all the efforts are aimed in some way at better flagging risky investment patterns and regulatory weak spots before they bring down companies and then ripple dangerously through entire economies, as has happened in recent months.
To that end, the leaders called for such mundane things as supervisory colleges where financial regulators can compare market notes across countries, better cooperation between nations on regulations, the eventual standardization of accounting rules governing how companies can value potentially tricky assets, and new attention to credit-rating agencies.The leaders also supported expanding the membership of the Financial Stability Forum, a group that has been examining the causes of the financial crisis and crafting ways to prevent future problems. And the group called for broadening the financial police work of the 63-year-old International Monetary Fund as well as modernizing the institution to better keep pace with the changing economic environment.None of the items was splashy, and most would be understandable to few outside of financial experts, but officials argued they have far-reaching potential.It's not glamour, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy.More than two dozen items were slated for some level of action by the end of March, around the time the leaders expect to gather again, with the rest left for later. Concrete proposals were few, however, with most details slated to be worked out by finance ministers in the coming months and beyond.The leaders also discussed the shorter-term problem of how to bring their nations' economies back from the brink. Some had pushed ahead of time for a pledge of coordinated new government stimulus spending by each nation.But with Bush cool to such action in the U.S., the communique only endorsed taking such action as appropriate.A handful of the hundreds of protesters that flocked to the U.S. capital city succinctly summed up skepticism about their benefit to the families around the world who are increasingly worried about mortgages, retirement savings and jobs. Money for people's needs, not bankers' greed, said their bright yellow signs.
The talks were undoubtedly remarkable, however, for drawing together such a vast number and array of nations and bringing them to agreement on a set of actions, however limited, in less than a month's time. Leaders from major powers including Britain, Germany, France and Japan were there, alongside rulers from developing countries such as China, India, Brazil and South Korea as well as from the oil-rich Gulf state of Saudi Arabia. The summit was just announced on Oct. 22, and the urgency of the downward-spiraling global economic situation led to much faster action than is typical in the usually glacial diplomatic arena.With fears high that signs of discord among the world's most powerful politicians could send markets plunging again come Monday, the presidents and prime ministers appeared uncharacteristically determined to hold their tongues about any disagreement over either the cause of the current crisis or their compromise agreement. This despite the fact that the action plan seemed to leaning in most areas far more toward the U.S. preference for boosting oversight and free-market incentives than the European desire for increased regulation and requirements. Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso emerged with praise for the meeting as a sign of historic cooperation. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said after the summit that despite the great diversity of countries in the room for those two days of the summit, there was a practically unanimous agreement on all major topics.Bush, though, is on his way out of office and the leaders were clearly looking beyond him to his successor. Many met on the sidelines of the summit with Obama's surrogates, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa, while speculating about whether the Democratic president-elect might veer from Bush's approach by the time of the next summit. Still, Bush made sure he kept an iron grip on the proceedings. His was the only voice heard in any official setting — during the toast at Friday's dinner and before and after the closed summit meetings. All the other leaders had to scramble to set up briefings or news conferences at alternative sites in order to express their thoughts. The inclusion of the developing nations was demanded by Bush, in part in hopes they would act as a brake on European desires for tough new regulations of financial firms or products. But the decision also was hailed as necessary to the effectiveness of such a meeting, because the financial crisis that began in the U.S. had spread to the poorer nations. Indeed, one goal of the meeting was to boost the effort to help such struggling nations weather the financial crisis largely caused by their bigger, more developed counterparts. Japan's prime minister, Taro Aso, urged China and others to contribute to the International Monetary Fund's $250 billion bailout pool, aimed mostly at poorer countries. Japan on Friday said it was ready to put in as much as $100 billion. Talk of blame was kept to a minimum, though many still hold the belief that the primary fault for the cascade of ruinous events lies with a U.S., where it has become the norm to offer easy credit, outsize rewards for high-risk investing, and lax oversight to the whole process. Associated Press writers Jeannine Aversa, Martin Crutsinger, Emma Vandore, Michael Fischer, David Stringer and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD Constitutional crisis looming over Obama's birth location Alan Keyes lawsuit warns America may see usurper in Oval Office November 14, 2008 8:40 pm Eastern By Bob Unruh 2008 WorldNetDaily
Alan Keyes
The California secretary of state should refuse to allow the state's 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until President-elect Barack Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office, alleges a California court petition filed on behalf of former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and others.The legal action today is just the latest is a series of challenges, some of which have gone as high as the U.S. Supreme Court, over the issue of Obama's status as a natural-born citizen, a requirement set by the U.S. Constitution.WND senior reporter Jerome Corsi even traveled to Kenya and Hawaii prior to the election to investigate issues surrounding Obama's birth. But his research and discoveries only raised more questions.The biggest question is why Obama, if a Hawaii birth certificate exists, simply hasn't ordered it made available to settle the rumors.The governor's office in Hawaii said there is a valid certificate but rejected requests for access and left ambiguous its origin: Does the certificate on file with the Department of Health indicate a Hawaii birth or was it generated after the Obama family registered a Kenyan birth in Hawaii? Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro, has named two different Hawaii hospitals where Obama could have been born, while a video posted on YouTube features Obama's Kenyan grandmother Sarah claiming to have witnessed Obama's birth in Kenya.The California action was filed by Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation on behalf of Alan Keyes, the presidential candidate of the American Independent Party, along with Wiley S. Drake and Markham Robinson, both California electors.Should Senator Obama be discovered, after he takes office, to be ineligible for the Office of President of the United States of America and, thereby, his election declared void, Petitioners, as well as other Americans, will suffer irreparable harm in that (a) usurper will be sitting as the President of the United States, and none of the treaties, laws, or executive orders signed by him will be valid or legal, the action challenges.
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen
The petition is a request for the Superior Court of California in Sacramento County to issue a peremptory writ barring Secretary of State Debra Bowen from both certifying to the governor the names of the California Electors, and from transmitting to each presidential Elector a Certificate of Election, until such documentary proof is produced and verified showing that Senator Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States and does not hold citizenship of Indonesia, Kenya or Great Britain.It continues with a request for a writ barring California's electors from signing the Certificate of Vote until documentary proof is produced.
An Obama spokesperson interviewed by WND described such lawsuits as garbage.The popular vote Nov. 4 favored Obama over Sen. John McCain by several percentage points. But because of the distribution of the votes, Obama is projected to take the Electoral College vote, when it is held in December, by a 2-to-1 margin.Named as defendants in the action are Bowen, Obama, vice president elect Joe Biden and the long list of California party electors.Citing the constitutional requirement that a president be a natural born citizen, the case discusses other state and federal court cases regarding aspects of lost or dual citizenship concerning Senator Obama. Those challenges, in and of themselves, demonstrate Petitioners' argument that reasonable doubt exists as to the eligibility of the Democratic Party’s nominee for President, the case said.Get Brad O'Leary's blockbuster book detailing the agenda for the upcoming Obama White House, The Audacity of Deceit.There is a reasonable and common expectation by the voters that to qualify for the ballot, the individuals running for office must meet minimum qualifications as outlined in the federal and state Constitutions and statutes, and that compliance with those minimum qualifications has been confirmed by the officials overseeing the election process, the complaint said, when in fact the only documentation currently required is a signed statement from the candidate attesting to those qualifications.Since [the Secretary of State] has, as its core, the mission of certifying and establishing the validity of the election process, this writ seeks a Court Order barring SOS from certifying the California Electors until documentary proof that Senator Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States of America is received by her, the document said.This proof could include items such as his original birth certificate, showing the name of the hospital and the name and the signature of the doctor, all of his passports with immigration stamps, and verification from the governments where the candidate has resided, verifying that he did not, and does not, hold citizenship of these countries, and any other documents that certify an individual’s citizenship and/or qualification for office.To this date, in this regard, SOS has not carried out that fundamental duty.The case said a simple attestation from the candidate or his party isn't sufficient.Historically, California Secretaries of State have exercised their due diligence by reviewing necessary background documents, verifying that the candidates that were submitted by the respective political parties as eligible for the ballot were indeed eligible. In 1968, the Peace and Freedom Party submitted the name of Eldridge Cleaver as a qualified candidate for President of the United States. The then SOS, Mr. Frank Jordan, found that, according to Mr. Cleaver's birth certificate, he was only 34 years old, one year shy of the 35 years of age needed to be on the ballot as a candidate for President. Using his administrative powers, Mr. Jordan removed Mr. Cleaver from the ballot. Mr. Cleaver unsuccessfully challenged this decision to the Supreme Court of the State of California, and, later, to the Supreme Court of the United States."
Similarly, in 1984, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate Larry Holmes was removed from the ballot.The certificate of live birth posted by the Obama campaign cannot be viewed as authoritative, the case alleges.Hawaii Revised Statute 338-178 allows registration of birth in Hawaii for a child that was born outside of Hawaii to parents who, for a year preceding the child’s birth, claimed Hawaii as their place of residence, the document said. The only way to know where Senator Obama was actually born is to view Senator Obama's original birth certificate from 1961 that shows the name of the hospital and the name and signature of the doctor that delivered him.The case also raises the circumstances of Obama's time during his youth in Indonesia, where he was listed as having Indonesian citizenship. Indonesia does not allow dual citizenship, raising the possibility of Obama's mother having given up his U.S. citizenship.Any subsequent U.S. citizenship then, the case claims, would be naturalized, not natural-born.Based on all of the above, it is the duty of the SOS to obtain proper documentation of Senator Obama's citizenship to confirm his eligibility for the office or the President of the United States, the case said.
Just this week, WND has reported on more than half a dozen other legal challenges have been filed in federal and state courts demanding Obama's decertification from ballots or seeking to halt elector meetings, claiming he has failed to prove his U.S. citizenship status.Among the states where cases are being tracked are Ohio, Connecticut, Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Hawaii, and there were reports of other cases being developed in Utah, Wyoming, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Texas, California and Virginia.
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.
Ex-Hitler youth's warning to America,Every day brings this nation closer to Nazi-style totalitarian abyss November 13, 2008 1:00 am Eastern 2008 WorldNetDaily
WASHINGTON – Because it has abandoned moral absolutes and its historic Christian faith, the U.S. is moving closer to a Nazi-style totalitarianism, warns a former German member of the Hitler Youth in a new book.Every day brings this nation closer to a Nazi-style totalitarian abyss, writes Hilmar von Campe, now a U.S. citizen, and author of Defeating the Totalitarian Lie: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America.Von Campe has founded the national Institute for Truth and Freedom to fight for a return to constitutional government in the U.S. – a key, he believes, to keeping America free.I lived the Nazi nightmare, and, as the old saying goes, A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument, writes von Campe. Everything I write is based on my personal experience in Nazi Germany. There is nothing theoretical about my description of what happens when a nation throws God out of government and society, and Christians become religious bystanders. I don't want to see a repetition. The role of God in human society is the decisive issue for this generation. My writing is part of my life of restitution for the crimes of a godless government, of the evil of which I was a part.Von Campe grew up under the Nazis, served in the Hitler Youth and fought against the Red Army in the Yugoslavian theater as a tank gunner in the German army. He was captured at the end of the war and escaped five months later from a prisoner of war camp in Communist Yugoslavia.
It took me a long time to understand and define the nature of National Socialism, says von Campe. And, unfortunately, their philosophy continues to flourish under different labels remaining a menace to America and free human society.He writes: The most painful part of defining National Socialism was to recognize my own moral responsibility for the Nazi disaster and their crimes against humanity. It boiled down to accepting the truth that as I am, so is my nation, and realizing that if every German was like me, it was no wonder that the nation became a cesspool of gangsters. This realization is as valid today for any person in any nation as it was then, and it is true for America and every American now.Von Campe's message is that political freedom and democratic rules alone are not sufficient to govern humanity justly.Democratic procedures can be subverted and dishonest politicians are like sand in the gearbox, abundant, everywhere and destructive, he writes. What I see in America today is people painting their cabins while the ship goes down. Today in America we are witnessing a repeat performance of the tragedy of 1933 when an entire nation let itself be led like a lamb to the Socialist slaughterhouse. This time, the end of freedom is inevitable unless America rises to her mission and destiny.Von Campe says he sees spiritual parallels among Americans and his childhood Germany.
The silence from our pulpits regarding the moral collapse of American society from within is not very different from the silence that echoed from the pulpits in Germany toward Nazi policies, he explains. Our family lived through the Nazi years in Germany, an experience typical of millions of Europeans regardless of what side they were on. We paid a high price for the moral perversions of a German government, which excluded God and His Commandments from their policies. America must not continue following the same path to destruction, but instead heed the lessons of history and the warning I am giving.Specifically, von Campe warns Americans their political leaders are on the wrong footing, denying our cultural and traditional roots based on our unique Constitution and Christian orientation as a nation. Christians don't understand their mission.
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.
DOES ANYONE FIND THIS INTERESTING THAT THE HOMOSEXUALS ARE HARASSING CHRISTIANS IN CALIFORNIA AND NOW FIRES ARE DESTROYING LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA.NO ACCIDENT HERE,GOD IS GIVING THE HOMOSEXUALS A WARNING TO REPENT BEFORE THEIR BELOVED SAN FRANCISO WILL BE DESTROYED BY FIRE LIKE SODOM AND GOMORAH FOR HOMOSEXUAL LIFE STYLES AND IMMORALITY.
Hundreds of homes destroyed in California firestorm NOV 15,08
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - More than 500 mobile homes were destroyed and 10,000 people fled as a wildfire described as the most devastating to hit Los Angeles in nearly half a century ripped through a city suburb on Saturday, officials said.One day after an inferno laid waste to over 100 mansions in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, 100 miles (160 kilometers) up the coast, California's fire scourge struck in the densely populated district of Sylmar on the northern fringe of Los Angeles.The wildfire -- fueled by seasonal winds of up to 80 miles per hour -- erupted late Friday and swept through some 6,500 acres (2,630 hectares) turning everything in its path to charred ruins, authorities said.Ground zero of the blaze was a mobile home park near Sylmar where more than 500 residences were reduced to a smoldering wasteland by early Saturday.Los Angeles officials described the blaze as one of the worst in the city's history in terms of its speed and sheer destruction.Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, blaming the spread of the fire on absolutely atrocious winds, said the blaze was the worst of recent memory.We have never lost in recent times anything close to this number, Villaraigosa told reporters.Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yarovslavsky, said the fire, which was 10 percent contained by 1:00 pm local time (2100 GMT), was the worst since a 1961 blaze in wealthy Bel Air that destroyed more than 480 homes.
This is as bad a fire as I can remember since the 1961 fire, Yaroslavsky said. The explosiveness of it, and the human devastation that is involved ...Five hundred families lost their home last night and this morning. And our hearts go out to them. We just can't weigh their loss heavily enough.Around 1,100 firefighters using helicopters, bulldozers and engines were battling the fire, attempting to halt its advance as a state of emergency was declared across Los Angeles County.Remarkably, only four people, including three firefighters, were confirmed injured but Villaraigosa warned the casualty toll increase.Los Angeles fire captain Steve Ruda said temperatures at the mobile home park had been so fierce that fire hoses had melted into the cement.Meanwhile reports staff at the Olive View Medical Center had to tend to patients on respirators using hand-operated pumps because of power outages after the fire erupted late Friday.The fire forced the closure of several major freeways and led to rolling blackouts across Los Angeles before power was eventually restored.The Sylmar fire was one of several burning across Southern California on Saturday, and authorities were anxiously tracking a large fire that had erupted near Yorba Linda, 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and neighboring Corona.Vast plumes of smoke from the Yorba Linda blaze could be seen across the Los Angeles skyline and at least a dozen homes had been damaged or destroyed.Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters were making progress against the fire which tore through the millionaire's playground Montecito after erupting on Thursday. Some 111 homes had been gutted by the fire, which has burned around 1,800 acres and was 40-percent contained.Montecito is popular with the super-rich, and celebrities such as talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood actors Michael Douglas, Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe all own property in the area.There have been no reported fatalities but 13 injuries, including three suffering from burns and 10 suffering from smoke inhalation, according to figures from Santa Barbara County.California is frequently hit by scorching wildfires due to its dry climate, Santa Ana winds and recent housing booms which have seen housing spread rapidly into rural and densely forested areas.The latest fires come just over a year after devastating wildfires that were among the worst in California history, that left eight people dead, gutted 2,000 homes, displaced 640,000 people and caused one billion dollars in damage.In June and July this year, a series of about 2,000 fires raged across the state, scorching some 900,000 acres of land.
Southern California battles devastating wildfire By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER, Associated Press Writer NOV 15,08
LOS ANGELES – Southern Californians weathered a second straight day of devastation Saturday as wind-blasted wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes, shut down major freeways and forced thousands of residents in the path of flames to flee to safety.
A fire that ravaged the Sylmar community in the hillsides above Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley grew to 6,500 acres — more than 10 square miles — and was only 10 percent contained. It sent residents fleeing in the dark Saturday morning as notorious Santa Ana winds topping 75 mph torched cars, mobile homes and bone-dry brush.We have almost total devastation here in the mobile park, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said. I can't even read the street names because the street signs are melting.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, a day after he did so to the northwest in Santa Barbara County, where 111 homes burned to the ground Thursday night in the wealthy, star-studded community of Montecito.And as many as 30 homes, some of them apparently mansions, burned in a fire in Orange and Riverside counties, officials said.The Los Angeles blaze, whose cause was under investigation, threatened at least 1,000 structures, city Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said. A burned resident was in serious condition, and four firefighters were treated for minor injuries.Fire officials estimated 10,000 people were under orders to evacuate. Among them were residents of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where about 500 trailers were lost to the flames. Many had housed senior citizens.At an evacuation center, Lucretia Romero, 65, wore a string of pearls and clutched the purse and jacket she snatched as firefighters shouted at them to flee hours earlier.Her daughter, Alisa, 42, wore a bloodstained shirt and pants. A helicopter dropping water on their home caused the entryway ceiling to collapse. Debris scratched her forehead and gave her a black eye.They were optimistic that their home of 30 years survived because firefighters were there when they left. But the family cat, Doris, was missing.
Lucretia Romero said she saw smoke above the hills beyond the front door and then, within an hour, saw that a canyon across from her home was red with flame.They would drop water, the water would squash the flames and then two minutes later the flames would come back, she said. Firefighters soon banged on the door and gave them 10 minutes to evacuate.Flames swept across the park and scorched cypress trees, Ruda said. Firefighters had to flee, grabbing some residents and leaving hoses melted into the concrete.Ruda produced a burned U.S. flag on a broken stick as a sign of hope and bravery for firefighters. The home that this flag was flying from is gone, he said.The Santa Anas — dry winds that typically blow through Southern California between October and February — tossed embers ahead of flames, jumping two interstate highways and sparking new flare-ups. Walls of flame raced up ridge lines covered in sun-baked brush and surrounded high-power transmission line towers.Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said power lines were down in places, and he asked residents to conserve power to help avoid possible blackouts.Shortly after midnight, fire burned to the edge of the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center campus, knocking out power and forcing officials to evacuate two dozen critical patients.For residents of Sylmar, at the edge of the Angeles National Forest beneath the San Gabriel Mountains, the fire underscored the hazards that come with living close to nature when the dangerous winds fan catastrophic blazes. Residents of a nearby trailer park lost their homes in a fire a month ago. Near-hurricane winds made it very difficult for firefighters, Los Angeles Deputy Fire Chief Mario Rueda said. When they arrived (at the scene), it was very well developed into the forest.The shifting winds caused the fire to move uphill toward the San Gabriel Mountains, downhill toward homes and sometimes skip across canyons. It also jumped across Interstate 5 and 210, forcing the California Highway Patrol to shut down portions of both freeways and some connecting roads. Flying embers ignited spot fires, and firefighters patrolled the evacuated neighborhoods making sure these small fires don't turn into big fires, Rueda said. It has burned a portion of forest land, including habitat for the endangered California condor and several hiking trails, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea said.
A separate blaze chewed through expensive Orange and Riverside communities, burning as many as 30 homes as flying embers took a crazy-quilt path of destruction. The flames erupted near a highway and quickly grew to at least 800 acres. Fierce, erratic winds pushed it into an adjoining subdivision where 5,000-square-foot homes are the norm. A dozen buildings burned in the Riverside County town of Corona. Two city firefighters were slightly injured when the fast-moving flames swept over their fire engine, said Christy Romero, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority. Northwest of Los Angeles, an 1,800-acre blaze that began Thursday night in the Santa Barbara community of Montecito forced the evacuation of more than 5,400 homes. About 800 firefighters battled the blaze in the wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, and they were expected to make significant progress through Saturday, said Santa Barbara city fire spokesman John Ahlman. He said homes would not be in serious danger if the winds remained calm. Several multimillion-dollar homes and a small Christian college were damaged in Montecito, a town of 14,000 that has attracted celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey. The cause of the fire is under investigation. At least 13 people were injured. A 98-year-old man with medical problems died after being evacuated to a hotel, but it was unclear if his death was directly related to the blaze. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Denise Petski, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles and Thomas Watkins and Amy Taxin in Montecito.
Gay rights rallies nationwide over Calif. ban By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer NOV 15,08
BOSTON – Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the California vote that banned gay marriage there and urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed.Many cast it as a civil rights issue.Crowds gathered near public buildings in small communities and major cities including New York, San Francisco and Chicago to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change.Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens, Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading Don't Spread H8.We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly, said Heather Baker a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. We need equal rights across the country.Massachusetts and Connecticut, which began same sex weddings this past week, are the only two states that allow gay marriage. All 30 states that have voted on gay marriage have enacted bans.Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon church.
However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies.Seattle blogger Amy Balliett, who started the planning for the protests when she set up a Web page three days after the California vote, said persuasion is impossible without civility.If we can move anybody past anger and have a respectful conversation, then you can plant the seed of change, she said.Balliett said supporters in 300 cities in the U.S. and other countries were holding marches, and she estimated 1 million people would participate, based on responses at the Web sites her group set up.We need to show the world when one thing happens to one of us, it happens to all of us, she said.The protests were widely reported to be peaceful and the mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing to the song Respect. Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read Gay is the new black.But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests.One sign in Chicago read: Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics.I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person, said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally.In San Francisco demonstrators took shots at some religious groups that supported the ban, including a sign aimed at the Mormon church and its abandoned practice of polygamy that read: You have three wives; I want one husband.Chris Norberg, who married his partner in June, also referred to the racial divisions that arose after exit polls found that majorities of blacks and Hispanics supported the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
They voted against us, Norberg said. Demonstrators in Washington marched from the U.S. Capitol through the city carrying signs and chanting One, two, three, four, love is what we're fighting for! A public plaza at the foot of New York's Brooklyn Bridge was packed by a cheering crowd, including people who waved rainbow flags and wore pink buttons that said I do.Protests were low-key in North Dakota, where people lined a bridge in Fargo carrying signs and flags. Mike Bernard, who was in the crowd at City Hall in Baltimore, said Proposition 8 could end up being a good thing for gay rights advocates. It was a swift kick in the rear end, he said. In Chicago, Keith Smith, 42, a postal worker, and his partner, Terry Romo, 34, a Wal-Mart store manager, had photos of their wedding ceremony which they held even though gay marriage is not legal in Illinois. We're not going to wait for no law, Smith said. But time's going to be on our side and it's going to change.Associated Press writers Rupa Shenoy in Chicago, Adam Goldman in New York, JoAnn Loviglio in Philadelphia, Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore, Blake Nicholson in Bismarck, N.D., and Kamala Lane in Washington contributed to this report.
EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)
REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.
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 shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.
REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
LETS GET TO KNOW A BIT ABOUT THE WORLD GOVERNMENT MINDSET.
U THINK THE EU DICTATOR CAN'T CONTROL ALL OF US THROUGH MICROCHIP IMPLANTS, GPS AND DATA TRACKING.
Microsoft's virtual storage centre
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7694471.stm
GREENSPAN ADMITS FEDERAL RESERVE IS ABOVE THE LAW - VIDEO
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2008/11/greenspan-admits-federal-reserve-is.html#links
Rockefeller Admitted Elite Goal Of Microchipped Population - VIDEO
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2008/08/rockefeller-admitted-elite-goal-of.html
GLOBAL LAW AGAINST BLASPHEMY - NEWS ONLY
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2008/11/saudi-interfaith-parley-front-for.html
The following is excerpted from the book:Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution,by Steve McIntosh.2007 Published by Paragon House For further excerpts, interviews and more, go to:www.stevemcintosh.com
From Chapter 5, Integral Politics:
The type of global governance envisioned by the integral worldview would consist of a federation of nations united under a constitution of laws guided by the insights and principles of integral philosophy. An integral world federation would be instituted to provide democratic oversight of the global economy, protect the world's environment, establish a universal bill of human rights, preserve cultural diversity, and bring an eventual end to war, disease, and poverty. And even with limited jurisdiction (leaving national legal systems mostly in place), an integral world federation would provide for a system of global justice which would reduce the incentives for terrorism. Such a federation would not need to encompass the globe in one step. It would have to begin with a union of the E.U. and U.S., with other developed nations such as Australia and Japan joining at the beginning. Gradually, other countries could join the federation, but no country would be forced to join, with membership in the federation requiring a supermajority vote of a country’s population. An integral global authority would gradually encompass the world through evolutionary methods. National boundaries and local economies would be protected, and full membership in the federation would be granted only to countries that have achieved requisite degrees of freedom and democracy. Just as the E.U. has been gradually expanding, encouraging the political, economic and cultural evolution of those nations that aspire to join, so too could a world federation be gradually enlarged.
The benefits of effective global governance would be abundant. Democratic control of the global economy would produce greater fairness for individuals and fragile local cultures while at the same time producing greater overall prosperity. An integral world federation would have the authority to protect human rights and the world’s environment, inaugurating the kinds of safeguards that are currently impossible in a world of competing nation-states. It will almost always be morally illegitimate for one sovereign country to attack or dominate another sovereign country, regardless of the context. But a democratically controlled global federation will have the moral and political authority to be legitimately coercive over individual offenders (rather than entire countries) when it comes to preventing the destruction of people’s lives or the environment.
In appendix A, entitled: A Proposal for Integral Global Governance, we’ll explore an example of a potential structure that could be used to enact an integrally informed federal system of global governance. However, at this point, rather than going on about the advantages and solutions that could be provided by a world federation, I now need to address the reasonable objection that, even if it were a good idea, at this point global governance is nothing but a left-wing peacenik fantasy only dreamed about by wooly-minded one-worlders.
EU, French top officials applaud G20 financial summit results
www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-16 06:50:14
Special Report: Global Financial Crisis
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- EU and French top officials applauded the G20 financial summit concluded on Saturday for four principles that were reached at the meeting. I was very happy with the results of summit, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at a post-summit joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It has laid the foundation for the future. He noted that the best summary on results of the two-day Summit on Financial Market and World Economy was the four principles, including a coordinated and concerted stimulus through the use of budgetary measures to support demand and the increase of financial assistance to emerging and developing countries and a new regulation for financial markets to prevent a similar crisis from happening again. The other two principles he mentioned are a global economic governance more open to emerging and developing countries for more justice and efficiency and a rejection of protectionism and more openness towards exchanges. Barroso acknowledged that there is no miracle solution to the ongoing global financial crisis, but with these principles, countries can wish for avoiding deeper crisis. He also called for real commitment to the action plan yielded from the summit with a hope to bring concrete results to the world economy. EU, as the only inter-governmental organization of G20 members, has been blaming the current financial crisis for the lax financial regulation, the weak international crisis management capacities and the global current account imbalances.
It has been urging for real change in the global financial system at the G20 summit as a global response to the current financial crisis. In preparation for the summit, EU leaders agreed last Friday on a set of common lines to take to Washington, including a commitment to new, common standards of oversight, transparency and risk assessment and proposals to strengthen international crisis management. Moreover, they also proposed a period of 100 days following the summit to draw up and begin implementing new measures. During his briefing to reporters at the press conference, Sarkozy, whose country currently has the rotating chairmanship in EU, gave credit to the fairly historical summit since it was the first time for diverse countries to get together in Washington D.C. and agree on principles and action plans on how to solve the world economic crisis. He said that the summit agreed on the need for stimulus, and called for coordination in fiscal policies and monitoring method for economic stimulus, to make sure the crisis is never going to happen again.He also urged for a more fair and new economic governance, strengthened financial regulation, and more open commercial and trade relations. Hours after the end of the first G20 summit, the French president outlined a blueprint for the next gathering of its kind, by proposing that the next summit should be held in London, Britain, which will chair the G20 in 2009. On the relation with the outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush, Sarkozy said his American counterpart has been a loyal partner, not always easy, but loyal. The two EU officials appeared before media reporters after the formal talks in the summit concluded on Saturday, followed by a series of bilateral talks. The G20, founded on Sept. 25, 1999 in Washington, serves as an international forum of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries -- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States -- the European Union and the Bretton Woods Institutions, namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It is the first time for the body, which usually brought together finance ministers and central bank chiefs at annual meetings, to hold a head-of-state meeting in view of the worst economic crisis since 1930s. The United States has indicated that it expects the meeting as the first step in a process that can lay the ground for future actions, while the European countries, led by France, deem the summit should take quick and necessary actions to produce real results.
World leaders move toward tougher financial rules By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent NOV 14,08
WASHINGTON – World leaders moved toward agreement Friday on an early warning system for financial calamities, a commitment to tougher accounting rules and other modest steps to begin restoring stability in a crisis threatening the livelihoods of billions of people around the globe.Nearly two dozen leaders met in Washington on Friday in the largest gathering of its kind here in nearly a decade. They dined in extravagance at the White House in a prelude to a day of negotiations Saturday over how best to wrestle both large and developing economies back from the brink of chaos.
The leaders were on track to approve measures to make the world financial system more accountable to investors and more transparent to regulators, diplomatic sources said.Those sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because leaders had yet to agree on their final communique, said the emerging agreement calls for an action plan to improve international monitoring of markets. The leaders also were expected to endorse more effective rules governing how companies value their assets, a weakness seen as partly responsible for the current financial crisis.A second summit is envisioned in early spring, after Barack Obama becomes president. The first meeting, called by President George W. Bush, falls in a period of transition that inevitably leaves unclear what actions the U.S. is ready to take in the months ahead.
Billions of hardworking people are counting on us, Bush said on a night when urgent motorcades swept presidents and prime ministers through a dark Washington mist to the White House.Altogether, the U.S. approach of boosting oversight of shaky financial markets seemed to be holding sway over Europe's desire for tougher internationally enforced regulation.Mexican President Felipe Calderon met former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Rep. Jim Leach, and stressed that a return to protectionism would only complicate economic recovery efforts, according to the Mexican leader's office. Albright and Leach are representing Obama at the summit.The president-elect stayed away from the meeting so as not to complicate matters for Bush.Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and India were among those in Washington.A new college of supervisors, made up of financial regulators from many nations, and an early warning system to detect weaknesses in the financial system — both aimed at raising the oversight and openness of international markets — were among the ideas likely to be included in a joint communique.Bush has supported those types of ideas in the past, said White House press secretary Dana Perino, hinting that the leaders, whose delegates have been negotiating for weeks, were poised to agree.The summit, meant to be the first in a series, has a two-pronged agenda: Discuss what might still need to be done to turn the world's economies back from the edge of disaster and explore ways to revamp the global financial system's architecture to prevent similar meltdowns in the future.
Fearing a Wall Street plunge if the summit produces little, the White House has been lowering expectations as fast as other nations have been raising them.This problem did not develop overnight and it will not be solved overnight, Bush said in a dinner toast to his fellow leaders and their discussions. But with continued cooperation and determination, it will be solved.Separately, the government reported that sales by U.S. retailers fell by a record amount last month, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted at another interest rate cut to encourage consumers. The Dow Jones industrials dropped 338 points.As leaders poured into the U.S. capital, Bush warned for the second day in a row of the dangers — in his view — of overeager government intervention. He said reforms in the financial sector are essential but strict new regulation of financial firms or products, such as some European leaders have advocated, would crush the global economy instead of protect it.The stakes are indeed high, he said. Billions of hardworking people are counting on us to strengthen the financial system for the long term.He got a boost from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who used rhetoric similar to Bush's in talking about a need to keep trade flowing and markets free. Protectionism is the road to ruin, Brown told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Brown has been among the leaders pushing for nations at the summit to pledge coordinated stimulus spending worldwide to combat the downturn that is squeezing millions of families and businesses. Bush, however, cautioned that the billions of dollars being spent already by the U.S. and other countries should be given a chance to work. Our actions are having an impact, Bush said in his Saturday radio address, taped Friday and released early by the White House. The United States and our partners are taking the right steps to get through the crisis.Deeply skeptical, protesters staged demonstrations and their chants could be faintly heard as leaders arrived in a misty rain at the White House for the working dinner. At the meetings, leaders were expected to set up working groups to devise the details of their proposals. Europeans want to close loopholes that allow some financial institutions to evade regulation. They also want to ensure supervision for all major financial players, including credit ratings agencies or funds carrying high amounts of debt. They want a pledge for concrete changes in just 100 days. But Bush is hoping that including developing nations such as China, India and Brazil in the talks will act as a brake on any push for intrusive regulation. Red-hot emerging economies bristle at being restricted just as they are trying to catch up to the developed world. Bush's argument against government overreach rings hollow to many around the world who see the crisis as a problem made of a freewheeling U.S. system where easy credit, risky investing and lax oversight have become the norm. He also is seen by some as lacking credibility on the issue because he has overseen an unprecedented intervention by Washington in the private sector over the past few weeks in an effort to unclog credit markets.
An early warning system appears one area of compromise.
Advocated by the Europeans, it would watch for signs of problems like the bubble in the U.S. housing market that eventually burst, souring mortgage-related investments, leading to huge losses at financial companies and locking lending in a freeze that spread around the globe. The heads of the International Monetary Fund, the world's financial firefighter, and the Financial Stability Forum, a group that includes central banks and major financial regulators, said Friday they would cooperate on detecting vulnerabilities. In addition, the college of supervisors would be a new body in which global regulators tasked with scrutinizing the world's largest financial institutions would compare notes, in hopes of spotting excessive risk-taking. In a sign of the complicated arrangements necessary to house and host the largest gathering of government heads in Washington since NATO's 50th anniversary in 1999, Perino noted it would take 300 or 400 cars to accomplish the highly choreographed feat of bringing the leaders to dinner. Bush, alone without his wife, greeted each of his guests individually as they pulled to the North Portico, with smiles and back pats for most, a protocol-laden process that took over 75 minutes. The leaders then ate with him in the State Dining Room, working for about two hours over a gourmet meal of quail, lamb and fondue accompanied by fancy wines. Associated Press writers Jeannine Aversa, Eileen Sullivan and David Stringer contributed to this report.
G20 leaders agree reform action plan, pledge to boost growth NOV 15,08
WASHINGTON (AFP) - World leaders agreed at an economic crisis summit Saturday to an action plan for reforming the financial system and promised to work together to restore global growth, according to a final communique.We are determined to enhance our cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world's financial systems, the final statement from the G20 group of countries said.The statement committed the leaders, whose countries account for 85 percent of the world economy, to fiscal measures to boost national economies and laid out a series of areas for review before a deadline of March 31.Six areas will be targeted: regulating those areas of the financial markets which have exacerbated the crisis, boosting transparency in the often murky derivatives markets and reforming compensation practices.The ministers must also evaluate global accounting norms and the financing needs of international financial institutions.Finally, they must draw up a list of financial institutions whose collapse would imperil the global financial system .In view of the role of the G20 in financial systems reform, we will meet again by April 30, 2009, to review the implementation of the principles and decisions agreed today, the communique said.It also stressed that the countries rejected protectionism and were committed to free-market principles -- something President George W. Bush was keen to include.We recognize that these reforms will only be successful if grounded in a commitment to free market principles, including the rule of law, respect for private property, open trade and investment, competitive markets, and efficient, effectively regulated financial systems, the statement said.The statement also said that regulation was a national issue. Some countries had wanted a stronger role for the International Monetary Fund or another international regulator.Regulation is first and foremost the responsibility of national regulators who constitute the first line of defense against market instability, said the statement.However, our financial markets are global in scope, therefore, intensified international cooperation among regulators and strengthening of international standards, where necessary, and their consistent implementation is necessary to protect against adverse cross-border, regional and global developments affecting international financial stability.The G20, which includes the major industrialized nations as well as emerging giants Brazil, China, India and Russia, has been locked in debate about what caused the crisis.The International Monetary Fund and the Financial Stability Forum said Friday they would cooperate to provide an early-warning system in an effort to prevent any new financial meltdowns.
World Leaders Pledge to Revive Sagging Economies at Summit
Saturday, November 15, 2008
WASHINGTON — World leaders emerging from a financial summit in Washington pledged to continue taking urgent and exceptional action to revive the global economy Saturday, calling for increased cooperation and regulation to prevent the crippling crisis from repeating itself.President Bush, speaking after the meeting, stressed that the emergency summit was only a first step, and that others would be scheduled —but praised the measures given the go-ahead so far.He said the United States could have gone into a depression worse than the Great Depression without the steps already taken.Nearly two dozen foreign leaders convened Saturday in an attempt to steer their countries away from recession and at the same time draft plans to prevent future financial meltdowns.Bush said the participants agreed to modernize their regulations by making financial markets more transparent and accountable.He urged other nations to resist erecting trade barriers, and pledged that the United States would also make good on its aid commitments to developing countries despite the financial stresses.I thought this was a very successful summit, Bush said.
RAW DATA: Declaration Issued After World Economic Summit Japan's Leader Urges China to Contribute to IMF Financial Meltdown Summit Featured Lavish Dinner Menu, $300 Bottles of Wine Transcript: President Bush's Radio Address Photo Essays
World Leaders Meet at Economic Summit In a joint statement from the group of 20 nations released Saturday afternoon, those countries' leaders said: We must lay the foundation for reform to help to ensure that a global crisis, such as this one, does not happen again.The countries are determined to enhance our cooperation and restore global growth, they said.The lengthy statement spelled out six immediate steps that would be taken.The nations pledged to continue vigorous efforts to stabilize the financial system; recognize the importance of monetary policy support; use fiscal measures to stimulate domestic demands; help developing nations gain access to financing especially through the International Monetary Fund; encourage the World Bank and other banks to fully support developing nations; and ensure that organizations like the IMF and World Bank have sufficient resources to help countries overcome the crisis.Bush said the world's top economies will also take a fresh look at rules that govern market manipulation and fraud.In a global climate marked by increased government intervention and rescue packages, Bush said at the start of the meeting that he was glad the partner nations were reaffirming the principles of open markets and free trade.According to one diplomatic source, the summit participants were also discussing ways to boost international coordination of stimulus packages.A thorny issue, however, is whether all nations should pledge to enact government spending plans to stimulate their economies. The leaders supported the benefits of that approach, but stopped short of a commitment for all to act at the same time, as some Europeans had favored.
The plan endorses an early warning system for problems such as the speculation frenzy that fed the U.S. housing bubble. It calls for the creation of supervisory colleges of financial regulators from many nations to better detect risky investing and other potential problems.It will be up to finance ministers to flesh out the details to put such changes in place by the end of March, in advance of the next summit on April 30, when Barack Obama is president.Our nations agree that we must make the financial markets more transparent and accountable, Bush said.Leaders backed efforts to improve international monitoring of markets and bolstering rules about how companies value their assets, a weakness seen as partly responsible for the crisis at hand.The leaders pledged to use fiscal measures to energize individual countries' economies as appropriate. They recognized the importance of the Federal Reserve and other central banks to order interest rate reductions to help cushion the economic fallout.We have reached important conclusions today about trade, about financial stability and about the expansion of our economies, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.Under the glare of an intense political and public spotlight, presidents and prime ministers needed to be careful not to let the talks become a blame game, which could further roil the fragile markets.French President Nicolas Sarkozy was heartened that leaders could come together on a plan for action despite diverse interests from individual nations.While the plan would boost oversight of fragile financial markets, it fell short of the sweeping tough new set of regulations or ambitious regulatory overhauls that some Europeans initially wanted.
These are difficult talks, acknowledged Brown, who had taken a lead in pushing for a global coordination of country-by-country economic aid plans.In his weekly radio address, Bush said he's confident that the developed and developing countries involved in the talks can return their economies to the path of growth and vitality.
Nations around the world have responded to this situation with bold measures, and our actions are having an impact, Bush said. It will require more time for these improvements to fully take hold and there will be more difficult days ahead, but the United States and our partners are taking the right steps to get through the crisis.
The Bush administration, however, has reacted coolly to a second U.S. stimulus plan and opposes a bailout of the teetering U.S. auto industry. Democrats are pushing for aid to Detroit automakers amid reports that the biggest one, General Motors Corp., could be forced into bankruptcy by the end of next month.Not far from the summit at the stately National Building Museum, a handful of protesters carried neon yellow signs that read: Money for people's needs, not bankers' greed and Money for jobs, not for war and occupation.The World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, is among the international finance leaders who welcomed the more inclusive mix of countries — beyond the wealthiest nations — at the summit. Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said, Emerging economies have to be taken into consideration in today's globalized world.Japan's prime minister, Taro Aso, urged China and others to help increase the International Monetary Fund's $250 billion bailout pool for struggling nations hit by the crisis. Japan on Friday said it was ready to put in as much as $100 billion.The crisis broke out in the United States around August of last year.
Mortgage investments soured with the housing market's collapse and the fallout quickly spread to other countries. Banks and other financial companies suffered huge losses and foreclosures skyrocketed. The troubles crimped auto and student loans and locked up lending for many consumers and businesses worldwide.Although Obama stayed away from the summit, he designated two representatives — former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa — to meet with leaders on the sidelines.Besides the United States, the participants are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.
Other than Spain, those countries — plus the European Union — make up the Group of 20industrialized and developing economies, or G-20. The group accounts for roughly 90 percent of the global gross domestic product, which measures the value of goods and services produced worldwide.FOX News' Bret Baier, Peter Barnes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Econ summit vows action — takes few concrete steps By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent Jennifer NOV 15,08
WASHINGTON – World leaders battling a dire and deepening economic crisis vowed Saturday to cooperate more closely, keep a sharper eye out for red-flag problems and give bigger roles to fast-rising nations — but kicked many hard details down the road for their next summit after President-elect Barack Obama takes office.Perhaps as important as the modest concrete steps they took, the leaders of the planet's richest nations — and some of the fastest-developing — made clear their recognition of the world's increasingly interconnected financial architecture and the responsibilities that go along with it.There shall be no blind spots, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared. There is here a great common will to ensure that such a crisis is not repeated.Underscoring how bad things have gotten this time, President George W. Bush, the summit host, said he had agreed to the recent $700 billion rescue plan for U.S. financial institutions only after being told the nation was at risk of falling into a depression greater than the Great Depression.Also significant at the summit: the inclusion of a far broader range of countries than the elite, old-guard group that usually holds such summit meetings.Emerging market countries were not the cause of this crisis, but they are amongst its worst affected victims, declared Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Leaders from 21 nations and four international organizations attended the emergency summit that was held as Washington was blanketed in a gray mist and which took on a workaday feel appropriate to the grim crisis that drew them together. At the conclusion of talks that took place over two days, they released a joint communique that was modest in scope but high in hopes.Covering eight pages and 47 action items, the document's overarching focus is to establish a series of new safeguards for the fragile and opaque global financial system. Nearly all the efforts are aimed in some way at better flagging risky investment patterns and regulatory weak spots before they bring down companies and then ripple dangerously through entire economies, as has happened in recent months.
To that end, the leaders called for such mundane things as supervisory colleges where financial regulators can compare market notes across countries, better cooperation between nations on regulations, the eventual standardization of accounting rules governing how companies can value potentially tricky assets, and new attention to credit-rating agencies.The leaders also supported expanding the membership of the Financial Stability Forum, a group that has been examining the causes of the financial crisis and crafting ways to prevent future problems. And the group called for broadening the financial police work of the 63-year-old International Monetary Fund as well as modernizing the institution to better keep pace with the changing economic environment.None of the items was splashy, and most would be understandable to few outside of financial experts, but officials argued they have far-reaching potential.It's not glamour, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy.More than two dozen items were slated for some level of action by the end of March, around the time the leaders expect to gather again, with the rest left for later. Concrete proposals were few, however, with most details slated to be worked out by finance ministers in the coming months and beyond.The leaders also discussed the shorter-term problem of how to bring their nations' economies back from the brink. Some had pushed ahead of time for a pledge of coordinated new government stimulus spending by each nation.But with Bush cool to such action in the U.S., the communique only endorsed taking such action as appropriate.A handful of the hundreds of protesters that flocked to the U.S. capital city succinctly summed up skepticism about their benefit to the families around the world who are increasingly worried about mortgages, retirement savings and jobs. Money for people's needs, not bankers' greed, said their bright yellow signs.
The talks were undoubtedly remarkable, however, for drawing together such a vast number and array of nations and bringing them to agreement on a set of actions, however limited, in less than a month's time. Leaders from major powers including Britain, Germany, France and Japan were there, alongside rulers from developing countries such as China, India, Brazil and South Korea as well as from the oil-rich Gulf state of Saudi Arabia. The summit was just announced on Oct. 22, and the urgency of the downward-spiraling global economic situation led to much faster action than is typical in the usually glacial diplomatic arena.With fears high that signs of discord among the world's most powerful politicians could send markets plunging again come Monday, the presidents and prime ministers appeared uncharacteristically determined to hold their tongues about any disagreement over either the cause of the current crisis or their compromise agreement. This despite the fact that the action plan seemed to leaning in most areas far more toward the U.S. preference for boosting oversight and free-market incentives than the European desire for increased regulation and requirements. Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso emerged with praise for the meeting as a sign of historic cooperation. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said after the summit that despite the great diversity of countries in the room for those two days of the summit, there was a practically unanimous agreement on all major topics.Bush, though, is on his way out of office and the leaders were clearly looking beyond him to his successor. Many met on the sidelines of the summit with Obama's surrogates, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa, while speculating about whether the Democratic president-elect might veer from Bush's approach by the time of the next summit. Still, Bush made sure he kept an iron grip on the proceedings. His was the only voice heard in any official setting — during the toast at Friday's dinner and before and after the closed summit meetings. All the other leaders had to scramble to set up briefings or news conferences at alternative sites in order to express their thoughts. The inclusion of the developing nations was demanded by Bush, in part in hopes they would act as a brake on European desires for tough new regulations of financial firms or products. But the decision also was hailed as necessary to the effectiveness of such a meeting, because the financial crisis that began in the U.S. had spread to the poorer nations. Indeed, one goal of the meeting was to boost the effort to help such struggling nations weather the financial crisis largely caused by their bigger, more developed counterparts. Japan's prime minister, Taro Aso, urged China and others to contribute to the International Monetary Fund's $250 billion bailout pool, aimed mostly at poorer countries. Japan on Friday said it was ready to put in as much as $100 billion. Talk of blame was kept to a minimum, though many still hold the belief that the primary fault for the cascade of ruinous events lies with a U.S., where it has become the norm to offer easy credit, outsize rewards for high-risk investing, and lax oversight to the whole process. Associated Press writers Jeannine Aversa, Martin Crutsinger, Emma Vandore, Michael Fischer, David Stringer and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD Constitutional crisis looming over Obama's birth location Alan Keyes lawsuit warns America may see usurper in Oval Office November 14, 2008 8:40 pm Eastern By Bob Unruh 2008 WorldNetDaily
Alan Keyes
The California secretary of state should refuse to allow the state's 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until President-elect Barack Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office, alleges a California court petition filed on behalf of former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and others.The legal action today is just the latest is a series of challenges, some of which have gone as high as the U.S. Supreme Court, over the issue of Obama's status as a natural-born citizen, a requirement set by the U.S. Constitution.WND senior reporter Jerome Corsi even traveled to Kenya and Hawaii prior to the election to investigate issues surrounding Obama's birth. But his research and discoveries only raised more questions.The biggest question is why Obama, if a Hawaii birth certificate exists, simply hasn't ordered it made available to settle the rumors.The governor's office in Hawaii said there is a valid certificate but rejected requests for access and left ambiguous its origin: Does the certificate on file with the Department of Health indicate a Hawaii birth or was it generated after the Obama family registered a Kenyan birth in Hawaii? Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro, has named two different Hawaii hospitals where Obama could have been born, while a video posted on YouTube features Obama's Kenyan grandmother Sarah claiming to have witnessed Obama's birth in Kenya.The California action was filed by Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation on behalf of Alan Keyes, the presidential candidate of the American Independent Party, along with Wiley S. Drake and Markham Robinson, both California electors.Should Senator Obama be discovered, after he takes office, to be ineligible for the Office of President of the United States of America and, thereby, his election declared void, Petitioners, as well as other Americans, will suffer irreparable harm in that (a) usurper will be sitting as the President of the United States, and none of the treaties, laws, or executive orders signed by him will be valid or legal, the action challenges.
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen
The petition is a request for the Superior Court of California in Sacramento County to issue a peremptory writ barring Secretary of State Debra Bowen from both certifying to the governor the names of the California Electors, and from transmitting to each presidential Elector a Certificate of Election, until such documentary proof is produced and verified showing that Senator Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States and does not hold citizenship of Indonesia, Kenya or Great Britain.It continues with a request for a writ barring California's electors from signing the Certificate of Vote until documentary proof is produced.
An Obama spokesperson interviewed by WND described such lawsuits as garbage.The popular vote Nov. 4 favored Obama over Sen. John McCain by several percentage points. But because of the distribution of the votes, Obama is projected to take the Electoral College vote, when it is held in December, by a 2-to-1 margin.Named as defendants in the action are Bowen, Obama, vice president elect Joe Biden and the long list of California party electors.Citing the constitutional requirement that a president be a natural born citizen, the case discusses other state and federal court cases regarding aspects of lost or dual citizenship concerning Senator Obama. Those challenges, in and of themselves, demonstrate Petitioners' argument that reasonable doubt exists as to the eligibility of the Democratic Party’s nominee for President, the case said.Get Brad O'Leary's blockbuster book detailing the agenda for the upcoming Obama White House, The Audacity of Deceit.There is a reasonable and common expectation by the voters that to qualify for the ballot, the individuals running for office must meet minimum qualifications as outlined in the federal and state Constitutions and statutes, and that compliance with those minimum qualifications has been confirmed by the officials overseeing the election process, the complaint said, when in fact the only documentation currently required is a signed statement from the candidate attesting to those qualifications.Since [the Secretary of State] has, as its core, the mission of certifying and establishing the validity of the election process, this writ seeks a Court Order barring SOS from certifying the California Electors until documentary proof that Senator Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States of America is received by her, the document said.This proof could include items such as his original birth certificate, showing the name of the hospital and the name and the signature of the doctor, all of his passports with immigration stamps, and verification from the governments where the candidate has resided, verifying that he did not, and does not, hold citizenship of these countries, and any other documents that certify an individual’s citizenship and/or qualification for office.To this date, in this regard, SOS has not carried out that fundamental duty.The case said a simple attestation from the candidate or his party isn't sufficient.Historically, California Secretaries of State have exercised their due diligence by reviewing necessary background documents, verifying that the candidates that were submitted by the respective political parties as eligible for the ballot were indeed eligible. In 1968, the Peace and Freedom Party submitted the name of Eldridge Cleaver as a qualified candidate for President of the United States. The then SOS, Mr. Frank Jordan, found that, according to Mr. Cleaver's birth certificate, he was only 34 years old, one year shy of the 35 years of age needed to be on the ballot as a candidate for President. Using his administrative powers, Mr. Jordan removed Mr. Cleaver from the ballot. Mr. Cleaver unsuccessfully challenged this decision to the Supreme Court of the State of California, and, later, to the Supreme Court of the United States."
Similarly, in 1984, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate Larry Holmes was removed from the ballot.The certificate of live birth posted by the Obama campaign cannot be viewed as authoritative, the case alleges.Hawaii Revised Statute 338-178 allows registration of birth in Hawaii for a child that was born outside of Hawaii to parents who, for a year preceding the child’s birth, claimed Hawaii as their place of residence, the document said. The only way to know where Senator Obama was actually born is to view Senator Obama's original birth certificate from 1961 that shows the name of the hospital and the name and signature of the doctor that delivered him.The case also raises the circumstances of Obama's time during his youth in Indonesia, where he was listed as having Indonesian citizenship. Indonesia does not allow dual citizenship, raising the possibility of Obama's mother having given up his U.S. citizenship.Any subsequent U.S. citizenship then, the case claims, would be naturalized, not natural-born.Based on all of the above, it is the duty of the SOS to obtain proper documentation of Senator Obama's citizenship to confirm his eligibility for the office or the President of the United States, the case said.
Just this week, WND has reported on more than half a dozen other legal challenges have been filed in federal and state courts demanding Obama's decertification from ballots or seeking to halt elector meetings, claiming he has failed to prove his U.S. citizenship status.Among the states where cases are being tracked are Ohio, Connecticut, Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Hawaii, and there were reports of other cases being developed in Utah, Wyoming, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Texas, California and Virginia.
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.
Ex-Hitler youth's warning to America,Every day brings this nation closer to Nazi-style totalitarian abyss November 13, 2008 1:00 am Eastern 2008 WorldNetDaily
WASHINGTON – Because it has abandoned moral absolutes and its historic Christian faith, the U.S. is moving closer to a Nazi-style totalitarianism, warns a former German member of the Hitler Youth in a new book.Every day brings this nation closer to a Nazi-style totalitarian abyss, writes Hilmar von Campe, now a U.S. citizen, and author of Defeating the Totalitarian Lie: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America.Von Campe has founded the national Institute for Truth and Freedom to fight for a return to constitutional government in the U.S. – a key, he believes, to keeping America free.I lived the Nazi nightmare, and, as the old saying goes, A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument, writes von Campe. Everything I write is based on my personal experience in Nazi Germany. There is nothing theoretical about my description of what happens when a nation throws God out of government and society, and Christians become religious bystanders. I don't want to see a repetition. The role of God in human society is the decisive issue for this generation. My writing is part of my life of restitution for the crimes of a godless government, of the evil of which I was a part.Von Campe grew up under the Nazis, served in the Hitler Youth and fought against the Red Army in the Yugoslavian theater as a tank gunner in the German army. He was captured at the end of the war and escaped five months later from a prisoner of war camp in Communist Yugoslavia.
It took me a long time to understand and define the nature of National Socialism, says von Campe. And, unfortunately, their philosophy continues to flourish under different labels remaining a menace to America and free human society.He writes: The most painful part of defining National Socialism was to recognize my own moral responsibility for the Nazi disaster and their crimes against humanity. It boiled down to accepting the truth that as I am, so is my nation, and realizing that if every German was like me, it was no wonder that the nation became a cesspool of gangsters. This realization is as valid today for any person in any nation as it was then, and it is true for America and every American now.Von Campe's message is that political freedom and democratic rules alone are not sufficient to govern humanity justly.Democratic procedures can be subverted and dishonest politicians are like sand in the gearbox, abundant, everywhere and destructive, he writes. What I see in America today is people painting their cabins while the ship goes down. Today in America we are witnessing a repeat performance of the tragedy of 1933 when an entire nation let itself be led like a lamb to the Socialist slaughterhouse. This time, the end of freedom is inevitable unless America rises to her mission and destiny.Von Campe says he sees spiritual parallels among Americans and his childhood Germany.
The silence from our pulpits regarding the moral collapse of American society from within is not very different from the silence that echoed from the pulpits in Germany toward Nazi policies, he explains. Our family lived through the Nazi years in Germany, an experience typical of millions of Europeans regardless of what side they were on. We paid a high price for the moral perversions of a German government, which excluded God and His Commandments from their policies. America must not continue following the same path to destruction, but instead heed the lessons of history and the warning I am giving.Specifically, von Campe warns Americans their political leaders are on the wrong footing, denying our cultural and traditional roots based on our unique Constitution and Christian orientation as a nation. Christians don't understand their mission.
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