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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 24,2008

09:30 AM +32.98
10:00 AM +119.33
10:30 AM +273.43
11:00 AM +292.71
11:30 AM +312.22
12:00 PM +351.49
12:30 PM +204.30
01:00 PM +255.67
01:30 PM +265.07
02:00 PM +300.67
02:30 PM +309.43
03:00 PM +314.21
03:30 PM +426.04
04:00 PM +396.97 8443.39

S&P 500 851.81 +51.78

NASDAQ 1472.02 +87.67

GOLD 821.50 +29.7

OIL 54.42 +4.49

TSE 300 8440.87 +285.48

CDNX 723.12 +18.95

S&P/TSX/60 511.92 +19.24

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow +153 points at 4 minutes of trading.
Dow +351 at high this mornng.
Dow +77 at low this morning.

HOME SALES
-Forclosures 45% of sales.
-YOY prices -11%.
-September to October -4%.
THE MARKETS NOW
-Will Obama Stimulus entice buyers?
-Historic Lows:Home builders,Insurance,REITS.
-At least 10 year Lows:Banks,Retailers,Semis,Drugs.

CITIGROUP gets $20 BILLION,plus guarentees of hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars in risky assets.

THE MYSTERIOUS $306 BILLION
Citigroup bailout:
-What are these securities,loans,and commitments for commercial and residential real Estate?
-How do the markets on this Portfolio compare to other Banks?
SAVING CITIGROUP
-Gov. guarentees $306 BILLION of troubled assets.
-FED to provide loan to backup pool if needed.
-Citigroup gets $20 BILLION from TARP.
-Gov. recieves preferred shares with 8% dividend.
LOSSES TO COME
-If $306 BILLION Portfolio is written down another 20%
-Citi on hook for $32 BILLION.
-TARP on the hook for $5 BILLION.
-FDIC on the hook for $10 BILLION.
-FED gives a loan for the rest.
WERE GONNA NEED MORE TARP
-Should this be the plan for all Banks bad assets.
-Bailouts originally punished Equity holders,Now they help them.

CITIGROUP YTD SEGMENT PROFITS
-Global Cards 07 $3.74 BILLION,08 $776 MILLION.
-Consumer Banking 07 $2.74 BILLION,08 -1.88 BILLION.
-Institutional Clients 07 $6.57 BILLION,08 -10.42 BILLION.
-Global wealth Man't 07 $1.45 BILLION,08 $1.06 BILLION.
-Net Income 07 $13.45 BILLION, 08 -10.42 BILLION.

22 Banks seised by regulators so far since crisis began.
Financials up 7-11% at begining of trading today.
Citigroup opens at $6.04 a share this morning.
Stocks rally today on Citigroup bailout.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow at high today so far +365.
Dow at low today +77

ECONOMY WRAPUP
-Bussinesses cut 240,000 jobs in OCT 1,180,300 jobs year to date.
-jobless rate at 6.5% in OCT,highest since MAR 2004.
-Number of people collecing unemployment benefits at highest level since 1982.
-Wage income rose 0.2% in OCT despite 240,000 job cuts.
-3rd Q GDP:-0.3%,2nd Q GDP:2.83%,1st Q GDP:0.9%.
-30 countries are in recession (moody's Economy.com).
-Last recession lasted 8 months from MAR TO NOV 2001.
-Profits for S&P companies down for 6 straight quarters,down$163.7 BILLION in Q3.
-Consumer prices drop 1% in OCT,Largest 1 month drop in 60 years.
-Consumer prices still 3.7% higher than a year ago.
-National Average for a gallon of gas is $2.07,lowest since MAR 2005.
-Crude Oil trading near $50 a barrel,a 22 month low.
-Consumer Credit balances rose $6.9 BILLION in SEPT,erasing decline of previous month.
-OCT auto sales declined sharply,worst month in 25 years.
-OCT retail sales fall 2.8%,their lagest decline on record.
-Mortgage demand decreased 6.2% over past week,30 YR fixed rate down to 6.16%.
-OCT housing starts fell 4.5% to lowest level since GOV. started tracking in 1959.
-OCT existing home sales down 3.1% after surprising SEPT increase.
-OCT existing Median home price declined 11.3% from OCT 2007.
-OCT Median existing Home Price $183,300 is lowest since 2004.
-New Home Sales rose 2.7% in SEPT,down 33.1% from 1 year ago.
-Median Home price down 9.1% from 1 year ago to $218,400 nationally.
-Indusrial production -6% annualized for Q3,biggest decline since 1991.
-ISM Manufacturing Index fell in OCT to lowest level since SEPT 1982.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS

Dow +552 at high today.
Dow +77 at low today.
Dow up 4.9% today.
Dow up 11.8% in last 2 days.
Dow,S&P have 1st 2 day gains in November.
Dow,S&P biggest 2 day rally by pecentage points since October 1987.
S&P up 6% today.
S&P up 13% in last 2 days.
Nasdaq up 6.3% today.
Nasdaq up 11.9% in last 2 days.
CITI lost $21 BILLION in last 4 quarters.
Citi soars 55% today.
Energy stocks gain as crude oil prices soar today.
Crude Oil gains 9% today.
HP Q4 revenue $33.6 BILLION Vs $33.32 BILLION forcast.
HP Q4 EPS $1.03 Vs $1.01 forcast.

HERE WE ARE FOLKS I MISSED THIS ARTICLE BUSH HAS GIVEN AMERICA OVER TO THE EU,PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED ON ITS WAY TO THE EU CONTROLLING THE WHOLE WORLD ECONOMIES.

Dick Morris - Bush Hands Over Reins of U.S. Economy to EU
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 2:28 PM By: Dick Morris & Eileen McGann.

The results of the G-20 economic summit amount to nothing less than the seamless integration of the United States into the European economy. In one month of legislation and one diplomatic meeting, the United States has unilaterally abdicated all the gains for the concept of free markets won by the Reagan administration and surrendered, in total, to the Western European model of socialism, stagnation, and excessive government regulation. Sovereignty is out the window. Without a vote, we are suddenly members of the European Union. Given the dismal record of those nations at creating jobs and sustaining growth, merging with the Europeans is like a partnership with death. At the G-20 meeting, Bush agreed to subject the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and our other regulatory agencies to the supervision of a global entity that would critique its regulatory standards and demand changes if it felt they were necessary. Bush agreed to create a College of Supervisors.

According to The Washington Post, it would examine the books of major financial institutions that operate across national borders so regulators could begin to have a more complete picture of banks' operations.Their scrutiny would extend to hedge funds and to various exotic financial instruments. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), a European-dominated operation, would conduct regular vigorous reviews of American financial institutions and practices. The European-dominated College of Supervisors would also weigh in on issues like executive compensation and investment practices. There is nothing wrong with the substance of this regulation. Experience is showing it is needed. But it is very wrong to delegate these powers to unelected, international institutions with no political accountability. We have a Securities and Exchange Commission appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, both of whom are elected by the American people. It is with the SEC, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve that financial accountability must take place.

The European Union achieved this massive subrogation of American sovereignty the way it usually does, by negotiation, gradual bureaucratic encroachment, and without asking the voters if they approve. What's more, Bush appears to have gone down without a fight, saving his debating time for arguing against the protectionism that France's Nicolas Sarkozy was pushing. By giving Bush a seeming victory on a moratorium against protectionism for one year, Sarkozy was able to slip over his massive scheme for taking over the supervision of the U.S. economy. All kinds of political agendas are advancing under the cover of responding to the global financial crisis. Where Franklin Roosevelt saved capitalism by regulating it, Bush, to say nothing of Obama, has given the government control over our major financial and insurance institutions. And it isn't even our government! The power has now been transferred to the international community, led by the socialists in the European Union. Will Obama govern from the left? He doesn't have to. George W. Bush has done all the heavy lifting for him. It was under Bush that the government basically took over as the chief stockholder of our financial institutions and under Bush that we ceded our financial controls to the European Union. In doing so, he has done nothing to preserve what differentiates the vibrant American economy from those dying economies in Europe.

Why have 80 percent of the jobs that have been created since 1980 in the industrialized world been created in the United States? How has America managed to retain its leading 24 percent share of global manufacturing even in the face of the Chinese surge? How has the U.S. GDP risen so high that it essentially equals that of the European Union, whose population is 50 percent greater? It has done so by an absence of stifling regulation, a liberation of capital to flow to innovative businesses, low taxes, and by a low level of unionization that has given business the flexibility to grow and prosper. Europe, stagnated by taxation and regulation, has grown by a pittance while we have roared ahead. But now Bush — not Obama — Bush has given that all up and caved in to European socialists. The Bush legacy? European socialism. Who needs enemies with friends like Bush? 2008 Dick Morris & Eileen McGann.

Dow ends up nearly 400 after bailout of Citigroup By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer NOV 24,08
AIG 1.77 +0.17
C 5.95 +2.18
FNM 0.34 +0.04
FRE 0.45 +0.04

AP – Trader Paul LaRegina works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Richard … NEW YORK – Wall Street barreled higher Monday for the second straight session, this time in a relief rally over the government's plan to bail out Citigroup Inc. — a move it hopes will help quiet some of the uncertainty hounding the financial sector and the overall economy. The Dow Jones industrials soared nearly 400 points and the major indexes all jumped more than 4.5 percent.The advance gave the market its first two-day advance since Oct. 30-31. Although investors sensed last week that a rescue of Citigroup was forthcoming, investors nonetheless were heartened, even emboldened, by the U.S. government's decision late Sunday to invest $20 billion in Citigroup and guarantee $306 billion in risky assets.

Wall Street's enthusiasm surged not only because the bailout answered questions about Citigroup but also because many observers saw the move as offering as a model for how the government might carry out other bank stabilizations.This could be the template for saving the banks, said Scott Bleier, founder of market advisory service CreateCapital.com.The government has taken a new quill out, they've gone to where they didn't go before in terms of trying to secure the system, Bleier said. Some of that vulnerability seems to be gone now.Still, the market remains wary, especially with the economy in a serious downturn. The Dow was up more than 500 points in the last hour before giving up some of its gains — many investors wanted to take some money off the table before the next bit of bad news arrives. And the market has frequently done sharp reversals since the start of the credit crisis 15 months ago.

The efforts from the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to help stabilize Citigroup are only the latest this year to support a banking system troubled by bad debt and flagging confidence. Besides implementing its $700 billion bailout plan for the overall financial industry, the government has bailed out insurance giant American International Group Inc. and taken over lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.You're definitely seeing relief, said Anthony Conroy, managing director and head trader for BNY ConvergEx Group. More than anything, the Fed repaired some of the psychological damage that was being done to the sector. I think the Fed is poised to do whatever they possibly can to help the financials get through the current turmoil.Not all banks are unhealthy, so knowing that the Fed is there is enough, Conroy said.According to preliminary calculations, the Dow rose 396.97, or 4.93 percent, to 8,443.39.Broader stock indicators also jumped. The Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 51.78, or 6.47 percent, to 851.81, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 87.67, or 6.33 percent, to 1,472.02.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 30.25, or 7.44 percent, to 436.79.On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com.

UK cuts VAT to jumpstart economy
VALENTINA POP Today NOV 24,08 @ 09:52 CET

The British government was set to announce a cut of 2.5 percent to its value-added tax on Monday (24 November) as part of a broader stimulus package aimed at jumpstarting the economy. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was resisting calls for similar moves from her party over the weekend and is set to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy about the EU rescue package to be unveiled on Wednesday.

The British VAT cut from 17.5 to 15 percent, the lowest rate allowed by EU law, was to be presented on Monday by finance minister Alistair Darling as part of the pre-budget report aimed at increasing consumer spending and thus pumping more money into the economy. But Conservative leader David Cameron has warned the government's plans will lead to a future tax bombshell, with UK's external borrowing skyrocketing to record levels of over €118 billion (£100 billion).Leading British retailers also feared that the VAT cut would be too little, as shoppers were reluctant to make much even of the sharp price reductions unveiled in recent days by high-street retailers.

Andy Garbutt, retail director of consultants PWC, thought the VAT reduction would only have a marginal impact.Are people going to notice 2.5 per cent? In retail it really has to be a fifth or a quarter, he told the Telegraph.The British newspaper also noted that retailers who sold at fixed prices could pocket the difference and not go through the trouble of recalculating the prices.

Merkel under pressure

Meanwhile, in Germany, similar VAT cuts were planned for the 2009 post-election period, with conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel reluctant to move earlier, despite calls from within the Christian Democrat's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, and the business community.Pressure was also coming from outside for the German government to move more quickly, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy receiving Ms Merkel on Monday to talk about the EU stimulus package set to be unveiled on Wednesday.According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine, Paris was not happy with the German contribution to this package and thought Berlin had more room for manoeuvre.Yet Ms Merkel was not willing to concede more, as Germany was already stretching its budget and increasing its external debt by €18 billion in order to finance the national rescue package.On the climate change front, Ms Merkel was also facing calls from her fellow conservatives to try to water down the EU agreement until the recession-plagued economy was back on track. Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer said in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that he had written to Merkel calling on her to back away from EU climate protection goals set to be approved next month.The automobile industry needs more room to manoeuvre in its implementation of the targets, he said. What good are multi-million-euro fines (for violating emissions rules) if at the end of the day the jobs are gone? said Seehofer, whose state is home to such German automakers as BMW and Audi.German economy minister Michael Glos, also a member of the Christian Social Union, agreed that Germany could ill afford to make a priority of climate protection while the economy is hobbled by the global financial crisis.It is not the time to burden the economy with excessive environmental targets, he said.And the conservative premier of Lower Saxony, Christian Wulff, also called for a two-year hiatus to the EU climate package.Until now, Ms Merkel has been a champion of the EU's climate change plan, having brokered a promise last year by EU leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent on 1990 levels by 2020.

France and Germany not to follow Britain in cutting VAT
ELITSA VUCHEVA Today NOV 24,08 @ 17:32 CET

Cuts to value-added tax as a response to the financial crisis and a means to boost the economy are not appropriate for Germany or France, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday (24 November) in Paris.A general cut in VAT is the response chosen by some countries but is not the right answer for France and Germany, Ms Merkel was reported as saying by French news agency AFP.She said France and Germany would hold more talks on how to provide targeted aid instead.Mr Sarkozy echoed the German chancellor's position. When we lower the VAT, what does that bring? Only lower prices. We think other measures, such as emphasising innovation and research, would be more effective for our economies, German agency DPA reports.The Franco-German meeting in Paris came just hours before Britain was due to unveil a cut to the UK VAT from 17.5 percent to 15 percent.The VAT stands at 19.6 and 19 percent in France and Germany, respectively.

The risk that we are running today, taking into account information that is not always easy [to interpret], is that we mistake haste for action, Ms Merkel said.The two leaders also reaffirmed the willingness they had expressed earlier to help getting Europe's car-makers back on their feet.Our determination to help European industry and notably the automobile industry is total and that is a point on which we agree completely, the French president said.

Not a cent more

Despite their unanimity on these issues, however, Mr Sarkozy did not manage to increase Ms Merkel's enthusiasm for a Europe-wide plan to boost the economy, which the European Commission is to unveil on Wednesday and which is expected to be worth some €130 billion.The French president said that the two countries agreed on the need for measures to resist the economic crisis, but added: France is working on that, Germany is thinking about it.For her part, Ms Merkel replied: We will have many joint discussions yet, about thinking as well as about negotiating.She was categorical, however, that Germany - Europe's biggest economy - was not to spend a cent more than what it is already contributing to boost the bloc's economic performance.Her government earlier this month unveiled a €32-billion plan – amounting to around 1.3 percent of Germany's GDP – for its economy, including measures such as tax cuts, infrastructure projects and cheap corporate loans.The plan the commission is to present on Wednesday will be discussed by EU leaders during their meeting in Brussels on 11-12 December.

APEC: Global crisis can be overcome in 18 months By JOSEPH COLEMAN, Associated Press NOV 23,08

LIMA, Peru – Pacific Rim nations assured the world Sunday that the global financial crisis can be quelled in 18 months, but provided few details of how they expect that to happen — or how their governments can help.The 21 economies, which represent more than half of the world's productive power, also pledged during a two-day summit not to erect new protectionist barriers for the next year, and to jump-start stalled World Trade Organization talks.The main accomplishment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum was a widening of support for the Washington Declaration made last weekend by major economies that pledged to maintain free trade despite pressures to protect domestic industries.The leaders voiced confidence that the crisis could be resolved by mid-2010, though they did not go much beyond the steps outlined in the Group of 20 summit in Washington.We are convinced that we can overcome this crisis in a period of 18 months, the leaders said in a statement. We have already taken urgent and extraordinary steps to stabilize our financial sectors and strengthen economic growth.The reassuring words were added early Sunday to a declaration the leaders had signed off on the previous day. Delegates from several countries said the changes were made overnight at the request of the summit's host, Peruvian President Alan Garcia.We have agreed that this meeting produce a clear and firm statement that breaks the vicious cycle of anguish and uncertainty, Garcia said Sunday. We — united as the world's peoples, governments and businesses — are going to beat the crisis.The 18-month timeline fits with a calculation by the International Monetary Fund, which forecast developed economies would grow barely 0.1 percent in 2009, and that the world would emerge from the crisis the following year.

But some delegates and analysts were skeptical that the timetable was much more than wishful thinking, and some leaders distanced themselves from the language. Mexican President Felipe Calderon described the date as more of an estimate than a prediction.Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper went a step further.I think it would be speculative to commit to that kind of timeline, he said.And Dan Price, an aide to George W. Bush, said the U.S. president thinks the global economy can be fixed even faster.That particular sentence was added by the president of Peru as the chair, Price said aboard Air Force One. Certainly, some in the region may think that recovery may take 18 months. President Bush believes that the actions we are taking now will begin to produce results in the much nearer term.Vinod Aggarwal, director of the APEC Study Center at the University of California-Berkeley, said the timeline was useful in sending a signal to markets.I don't think it will make that much difference, but I don't think it hurts, he said.More important, he said, was the leaders' agreement to send ministers to Geneva next month to jump-start the so-called Doha round of World Trade Organization talks. Concern over the global financial crisis has injected new urgency into the negotiations, which collapsed in July.In their final declaration, the APEC leaders said they were deeply concerned about instability in food prices, were committed to battling corruption and piracy, and supported decisive and effective long-term cooperation to combat climate change.

The leaders called for greater APEC participation in the IMF and other multilateral lenders. Japan said last week it was ready to lend up to $100 billion to the Washington-based organization, but China has so far resisted entreaties to dig into its $1.9 trillion in reserves. The summit could be the final foreign trip for George W. Bush as U.S. president. Barack Obama replaces him on Jan. 20, and delegates in Lima said there was little incentive to propose more concrete action without Obama's presence. Obama, who did not send representatives to Lima, pressed forward back home, announcing a plan to save or create 2.5 million jobs by the end of 2010 and preparing to introduce leaders of his economic team on Monday. Harper said he expects Canada to officially enter recession by the New Year and is studying a financial stimulus package. If it is necessary for there to be government spending to bolster domestic consumption and stimulate investment markets, we will undertake those measures,he said. Associated Press writers Frank Bajak in Lima and Ben Feller aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.

Wall Street braces for another pivotal week By JOE BEL BRUNO, AP Business Writer NOV 23,08

NEW YORK – Wall Street faces another pivotal week, with investors enmeshed in a stock market knocked to 11-year lows amid growing fears about the fate of the nation's ailing automobile industry and banking system.The market, considered a forward-looking gauge of the economy, appears to lack any catalysts for buying. The triggers of last week's massive stock losses continue to hang over the market, with no bailout seen for Detroit's three automakers and Citigroup Inc. shares plunging to all-time lows.And, that's just the start of it — even more uncertainty is expected to come in a week shortened by the Thanksgiving holiday. A stream of economic reports, the start of the holiday shopping season, and more clues about the job market will keep investors scrambling in the coming days.One thing investors can expect is more volatility in a fractious market, where thin volume exacerbates the market's wild swings. Last week, the stock market slumped to lows not seen since 1997on Thursday before recovering with a big rally the next day.The question analysts pondered over the weekend is whether investors can find a way to build on Friday's rally. The answer could come Monday afternoon when President-elect Barack Obama is scheduled to introduce his economic team.It seems to me that President-elect Obama has a chance to do something important that could improve people's psychology, said Peter Cohan, principal of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. If Obama can reverse the psychology — make people believe that he understands the problem and will do what's needed to solve it — then they will start to engage again with the economic system.

Obama is expected to name Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve bank, as Treasury Secretary; Lawrence Summers, a former treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, is expected to be named as director of the National Economic Council.On Friday, the stock market got a jolt of confidence after talk that Geithner would become Treasury Secretary began to float around trading floors. The Dow Jones industrial average surged nearly 500 points.However, the big gain finished a pretty dismal week in which the Dow lost 5.3 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 8.4 percent, and the Nasdaq composite lost 8.8 percent. The Dow is off nearly 14 percent for the month of November, and has plunged 40 percent from last year.Obama's news conference might also provide details about some of his plans to help right the economy.Over the weekend, Obama's top aides said he wants the new Congress to approve massive spending and fresh tax cuts in January, probably far distancing a $175 billion campaign proposal, so he can sign it after taking office. He also outlined the framework of a plan to save or create 2.5 million jobs by the end of 2010.Obama could also face questions about what should be done about Ford Motor Co., Chrysler LLC, and General Motors Corp. Congress postponed debates on aid to the automakers, and that caused even more fears about how steep the U.S. recession would be if one of those companies were to go bust.There are also concerns the government might have to rescue Citigroup. A crisis in confidence erased about half of the financial company's stock-market value in a matter of days.Citigroup, whose board met Friday to discuss the situation, maintains that it is adequately capitalized and doesn't plan to break up the company. It has seen its market value plunge to about $21 billion on Friday from more than $270 billion at the end of 2006.

Investors are also expected to pay close attention to a number of economic reports due to be released during the week, including readings on existing and new home sales for October, and weekly U.S. jobless claims data. But the most-watched reports are those focused on consumers, whose spending drives more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy.Wall Street will again look to Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that kicks off the holiday shopping season. The day, typically the busiest shopping day of the year, is used as a gauge for consumer spending.There are also a number of retailers that will report quarterly results, including Tiffany and Co., Talbots Inc., American Eagle Outfitters Inc., and Dollar Tree Inc.

Gulf shares slump despite government moves by Omar Hasan Omar Hasan – Sun Nov 23, 8:41 am ET

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – Most stock markets in the energy-rich Gulf slumped on the week's opener Sunday as intervention by governments failed to restore sentiment among investors worried by global financial turmoil.Riyadh cut interest rates for the third time in six weeks, slashing the repo rate by one percentage point a day after the Saudi bourse -- the region's largest -- sank more than nine percent.Kuwait and Oman last week set up special funds to buy stocks on the sagging markets while the United Arab Emirates on Saturday announced the start of a process to merge two leading real estate finance firms.All seven regional markets dropped, with Dubai, Doha and Saudi shares leading the way.I think there is much negative sentiment in the Gulf bourses because of the flurry of (bad) news from the international markets, head of economic research at Kuwait's Global Investment House, Faisal Hasan, told AFP.There was also a contagion effect from the slump of the Saudi market, on Saturday.The Saudi bourse is open from Saturday to Wednesday while other Gulf stock exchanges operate from Sunday to Thursday.The Saudi Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI), which dived 9.2 percent on the week's opener on Saturday, slid another 3.8 percent to 4,264.52 points, a near five-year low, despite the news of the rate cut.The TASI has plummetted 12.6 percent in the last two days and is down 61 percent on the year.

The index was pulled dowm by the banking and petrochemicals sectors which dropped 4.7percent and 1.9 percent, respectively, while Telecoms dived 7.1 percent. Market leader SABIC dropped 3.6 percent.The market failed to react to news that the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) has cut the repurchase (repo) rate, the kindgom's benchmark interest rate, to 3.0 percent, barely half its 5.5 percent level before the cuts began.SAMA also cut the mandatory reserve for local banks from 10 percent to seven percent, freeing huge liquidity for banks to lend. The measure is estimated to release 16 billion dollars for lending.In the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai Financial Market dived 4.7 percent to 1,917.15, the lowest level in more than four years, pulled down by the market leader, property developer Emaar which shed 7.8 percent.Emaar stock closed at 2.73 dirhams (0.74 dollars), its lowest in well over four years. The share has shed more that 81 percent this year. The real estate sector lost 7.6 percent.Dubai's sister market, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, dropped 1.26 percent to 2,797.76 points as the leading real estate sector shed 2.5 percent and energy sector dropped 6.1 percent.The two markets were unimpressed by news that Amlak Finance and Tamweel, two Dubai-based property finance firms with assets of around seven billion dollars, have begun a merger process.Shares of the two were suspended on the Dubai market.The merger will establish a real estate finance bank compliant with Islamic Sharia rules. The Kuwait Stock Exchange, the second largest Arab bourse, closed down 0.75 percent at 8,809.30 points despite a 1.1percent increase by the leading banking sector.Doha Securities Market ended the day four percent weaker at 5,575.81 points, a two-year low, while Muscat Securities Market dropped 2.6 percent. Bahrain Stock Exchange finished 0.85 percent lower.

Hasan believes it may be some time yet before markets in the Gulf region start to recover strongly.I think we are near to the bottom, but stocks are likely to remain volatile for some more weeks, the analyst said. The sharp slide in the price of oil, the main source of income for Gulf states, is negatively affecting investor sentiment over fears about its impact on Gulf economies. Benchmark crude oil prices have plunged by two thirds from their record highs above 147 dollars a barrel in July.

APEC leaders say global economic crisis can be overcome by mid-2010
Sun Nov 23, 12:43 PM By The Canadian Press

LIMA, Peru - Leaders of the 21 Pacific Rim countries declared Sunday at their summit in Peru that the global financial crisis that's threatening to push the world into recession can be overcome by mid-2010. We are convinced that we can overcome this crisis in a period of 18 months, the 21 leaders said in a statement as they wrapped up their two-day meeting. We have already taken urgent and extraordinary steps to stabilize our financial sectors and strenthen economic growth.The words of confidence were added to a joint declaration that the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum originally issued on Saturday. One delegate, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the changes were made at the request of the summit's host, Peruvian President Alan Garcia. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is among the heads of governments at the summit. Harper has repeatedly advocated free trade among nations as a solution to the stumbling world economy. He has also cautioned against protectionist measures, which he says would exacerbate the economic downturn. The APEC leaders added language to the declaration saying they were sending their ministers to Geneva next month to jumpstart the so-called Doha round of World Trade Organization talks. Concern over the global financial crisis injected new urgency into the negotiations. The 21 members, who represent more than half the world's economy, are struggling to restore confidence in the world's ailing financial system by declaring their opposition to new trade barriers.

The summit endorsed a blueprint worked out at a summit of top economies in Washington, but stopped short of major new proposals to ward off a punishing global recession. A broad 12-point declaration was expected at the end of the summit Sunday. A preliminary draft provided by two delegations sad the nations were deeply concerned about instability in food prices, were committed to battling piracy, and supported decisive and effective long-term co-operation to combat climate change.
While such summits have in the past focused on a grab bag of issues, this year's meeting in the Peruvian capital has been dominated by the world's economic meltdown. A credit crunch in the United States has roiled global markets and dragged part of the world into recession. On Saturday, APEC countries - including those not represented at the recent Washington summit - endorsed the conclusions of that meeting. Those included a pledge to resist domestic pressures to protect industries, while ensuring that small-and medium-sized companies have enough credit to stay afloat. The leaders called for greater APEC participation in the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral lenders. Japan said last week it was ready to lend up to US$100 billion to the IMF, but China has so far resisted entreaties to dig into its $1.9 trillion in reserves.-With files from The Associated Press.

Canada and Colombia sign free-trade agreement
Sat Nov 22, 5:49 am

ETLIMA (Reuters) – Canada and Colombia signed a free- trade agreement on Friday, hoping to boost investment and trade flows at a time of global economic instability.
The pact, which has been criticized by union leaders in both countries as well as opposition politicians and human rights activists who say Colombia is not doing enough to stop attacks on activists, includes side agreements on labor and environmental rights.The deal must be ratified by lawmakers in both countries. It was signed as leaders from the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Australia and other Pacific Rim economies gather in Peru's capital, Lima, for a summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum.Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said at a news conference the trade deal sent an anti-protectionism message at a time of economic turmoil when some countries have increased trade barriers.Harper said a stalled Colombia-U.S.free trade deal would also send a message of commitment to open markets if it could move forward.Colombia and the United States signed a trade deal two years ago, but the U.S. Congress has not approved it.Colombia is an aspiring member of APEC and Uribe was in Peru to speak with business leaders before the APEC summit, although he will not participate in the leaders' meeting.We are taking a very big step at a time of world financial crisis. It's a step of confidence, Uribe said of the trade deal with Canada.Trade between the countries topped $1 billion (675 million) last year, the Canadian prime minister's office said in a statement.The deal would eliminate tariffs on 98 percent of current Canadian exports to Colombia, either immediately, or in the next 10 years.

Over a three-to-seven year period, tariffs on most Colombian exports to Canada would also be cut.(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Dana Ford; Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Peter Cooney)

Brussels to recognise European aspirations of post-Soviet states
PHILIPPA RUNNER Today NOV 24,08 @ 17:38 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission is to propose pulling the EU's six post-Soviet neighbours closer to the West by recognising their European aspirations and creating a new European Economic Area. But a draft communique indicates that EU-Russia relations have preferential status.The conflict in Georgia in August 2008 and its broader repercussions have resulted in increased awareness of the vulnerability of Eastern partners, the draft commission communication on the Eastern Partnership (EP) - seen by EUobserver - says. There is a sense of urgency among member states as to the need to enhance relations with our Eastern neighbours to support them in drawing closer to the EU.The new EU policy - first floated by Poland and Sweden last year - proposes signing Association Agreements with Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the next few years and to acknowledge the European identity and aspirations of these countries.The draft communique underlines that the new pacts, which recall the association treaties signed with Poland or Lithuania prior to the 2004 round of enlargement, do not amount to a promise of future accession. The conclusion of Association Agreements will be without prejudice to the partners' European aspirations.But the EP is to contain measures designed to send a clear and lasting political message of EU solidarity and to produce benefits perceived and recognised by citizens of the partner countries.The moves include establishing a single deep and comprehensive free trade area, providing the basis for the development of a common internal market, such as the European Economic Area [EEA], which the EU currently has with Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The future EEA will require the six states to take over the entire acquis communautaire [the EU's legal code], including the acceptance of European Court of Justice rulings.

The Eastern Partnership will aim to create visa free travel in the long-term, but to waive the cost of obtaining EU visas more quickly and to set up Common Application Centres in the six countries to help people enter the EU's passport-free Schengen zone.On the energy front, memorandums of understanding are to help guarantee EU energy security, leading to joint management, and even ownership of pipelines by companies of supplier, transit and consumer countries.The draft communique indicates that Armenia should close its Medzamor nuclear plant and notes EU concern over energy infrastructure in conflict zones, such as a Russia-Balkans gas pipeline running through the disputed Moldovan region of Transdniestria.At the institutional level, the commission is to publish the final version of its EP communication on 3 December, in time for the French EU presidency's last summit on 11 December to cement the text in its conclusions.The draft communique proposes holding an Eastern Partnership Summit in June 2009 to launch the project. Follow-up meetings of EU and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers are to take place each Spring. Senior officials from the 27 + 5(6) countries are to meet twice-yearly to prepare for the ministerials. The European Partnership is to raise the EU's per capita spending in the region from the current €6 per head to €12 per head by 2013 and €20 per head by 2020, compared to the current €30 per head in the Balkans. The shift will cost €2.1 billion, atop the lost income of €75 million per year as a result of waiving EU visa costs.

The Russia question

A brief sentence in the political preamble of the commission's draft communique indicates that EU-Russia relations will take priority over EU relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, however.The Eastern Partnership ...should be seen as complementary to the relations between the EU and Russia, the draft text states.The EU already gives Russia privileged treatment compared to other post-Communist neighbours such as Ukraine in trade and visa negotiations, offering to let Russian passenger jets fly in the EU under Russian rules or to change EU visa laws to help Russians travel into the union.

Mixed bag

The 25 +5(6) formula also highlights problems relating to varied democratic standards in the EP states, with Belarus' (the sixth country in the brackets) participation in the scheme under a question mark pending a review of EU diplomatic sanctions against Minsk in March. The hardline administrations of President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Sargsyan of Armenia - where police shot 10 people during post-election protests in March - will make strange bedfellows for the more democratic governments in Georgia and Ukraine.Partner countries continue to face similar challenges in developing their democratic institutions, the commission text says, in phrasing that could cause offence to the post-revolutionary administrations in Tbilisi and Kiev.

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.

Strong quake hits waters off western Indonesia Sat Nov 22, 2:33 pm ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A powerful earthquake struck the waters off western Indonesia late Saturday, but it did not trigger a tsunami and there were no initial reports of injuries or damage.The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.8-magnitude quake hit 90 miles southwest of Bengkulu, a city on Sumatra island. It was centered about three miles beneath the ocean floor.Though strong and shallow, the temblor did not spawn a tsunami, said Fauzi, an official with Indonesia's geological agency. Like many here, he only uses one name.Residents in Bengkulu, a city frequently hit by quakes, showed few signs of panic, said Haris Said Hakim, a geological agency official based in the city. Powerful temblors often send people fleeing their homes and running to high ground.The nearby town of Muko-Muko also seemed calm and did not appear to suffer any damage, said Sudirman, a military officer. He, too, uses only one name.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.A massive earthquake off Sumatra in December 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people along the Indian Ocean coastline.

5.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off Puerto Rico Sun Nov 23, 5:02 am ET

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. Geological Survey says a moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 struck before dawn off the coast of Puerto Rico.There was no immediate word that the quake was felt or caused any damage.The USGS says the quake struck 61 miles north of the capital, San Juan, at a depth of 6.2 miles.

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.

Volcano erupts in Nicaragua with small quakes Sat Nov 22, 12:48 pm ET

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaragua's San Cristobal volcano is spewing ash and gas, provoking a shudder of small earthquakes.The Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies says the volcano has been erupting for two days, causing quakes of up to magnitude-4.The institute says Saturday's eruptions pose no imminent threat to the surrounding population.The 5725-foot (1,745-meter) volcano is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) west of the capital, Managua.It neighbors the Casitas volcano, whose lake burst open during Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Some 2,000 people were killed.

OZONE DEPLETION

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

METEORS HIT THE EARTH

REVELATION 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

REVELATION 8:12-13
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,which are yet to sound!

Witnesses: Large meteor streaks across Canada sky Sun Nov 23, 11:45 am ET

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan – Scientists say they hope to find remnants of a meteor that brilliantly lit up the sky before falling to earth in western Canada.University of Calgary planetary scientist Alan Hildebrand called it one of the largest meteors visible in the country in the last decade.Widely broadcast video images showed what appeared to be a speeding fireball Thursday night over Saskatoon that became larger and brighter before disappearing as it neared the ground.Hildebrand said Friday that he received about 300 email reports from witnesses.It would be something like a billion-watt light bulb, said Hildebrand, who also co-ordinates meteor sightings with the Canadian Space Agency.Tammy Evans was wakened by her 10-year-old daughter who ran into the bedroom.She said there was a flash of light, the house shook twice and it sounded like dinosaurs were walking, Evans said.Hildebrand suspects it broke up into pieces and he plans to investigate around Macklin, Saskatchewan near the Alberta border.Rick Huziak, an amateur astronomer in Saskatoon, helped operate a camera on top of the University of Saskatchewan physics building that captured video of the meteor.It was quite spectacular. The ground lights up all over the place, he said.Martin Beech, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina, said meteorites are valuable to learning about the history of the solar system.
Picking up a meteorite is almost equivalent to doing a space exploration mission between Mars and Jupiter, he said.

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

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

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

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

Official: Russians want to search for oil off Cuba NOV 23,08

Reuters –HAVANA – Russian oil companies could soon begin searching for oil in deep Gulf of Mexico waters off Cuba, a top diplomat said just days before Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits the island.Russian oil companies have concrete projects for drilling in Cuba's part of the gulf, said Mijail Kamynin, Russia's ambassador to Cuba, to the state-run business magazine Opciones.Kamynin also said Russian companies would like to help build storage tanks for crude oil and to modernize Cuban pipelines, as well as play a role in Venezuelan efforts to refurbish a Soviet-era refinery in the port city of Cienfuegos, according the article published this weekend.Medvedev comes to former Cold War ally Cuba on Thursday, part of a tour of Latin America to strengthen his country's economic and political ties in the region. Kamynin said trade between Russia and the island would top $400 million this year.Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo prohibits U.S. companies from investing on the island. But Cuba's state-run oil concern has signed joint operating agreements with companies from several countries to explore waters that Cuban scientists claim could contain reserves of up to 20 billion barrels of oil.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Cuba in October for the signing of agreements allowing state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA to invest $8 million initially for a seven-year, deep-water exploration project north of the famed beach resort of Varadero. If reserves are confirmed, Brazil would produce oil and natural gas recovered there over the next 25 years.Opciones did not give details on what the Russian proposals would entail.The Soviet Union was communist Cuba's chief economic benefactor until it disbanded, throwing the island's economy into disarray. Cuba-Russia relations soured after that, but warmed when President Vladimir Putin visited in 2000.

Iran holds defence drills Sun Nov 23, 9:16 am ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) – An Iranian militia held civil defense drills on Sunday to prepare for any hostile air strikes and the military said it could close a waterway crucial for world oil supplies if Iran was attacked.The exercises organized by student members of the Basij militia were held at hundreds of schools across the country and involved transporting wounded people and putting out fires after a fictitious bombardment by enemy planes.The United States and Israel have hinted they could take military action if Iran presses ahead with a nuclear program they believe is aimed at making atomic bombs.Iran, which says the program is for peaceful purposes, says it will retaliate for any strikes against it.State television showed pictures of ambulances with sirens wailing rushing to the scene of a simulated attack and people lying on the ground with bloodied faces.Officials also reiterated that Iran was ready to close down the Strait of Hormuz, a sea route at the mouth of the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world's traded oil passes, if the United States attacked.Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari said foreign forces in the region were being closely watched and Iran would not allow any foreign ship to enter its waters.We are capable of closing the Strait of Hormuz, he told IRNA news agency.

Rasoul Sanairad, a senior Basij political officer, said the strait provided an exceptional opportunity for defending the nation, according to Fars News Agency.
Military experts say Iran's armed forces cannot match U.S. military technology but could still cause havoc on shipping routes, particularly using small craft for hit-and-run attacks.Iran's navy will hold exercises in December involving missile-equipped battleships and scuba-diving special forces, state radio said.The Basijis are a paramilitary force estimated to have 12 million members who uphold Islamic revolutionary values. In the 1980s war with Iraq, they provided much of the manpower for the front. In peacetime, they help enforce Iran's strict Islamic dress and other moral codes.(Reporting by Hashem Kalantari and Parisa Hafezi; Writing by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Angus MacSwan.

China, Russia pledge deeper cooperation NOV 23,08

LIMA (AFP) – Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday pledged closer cooperation to face the world financial crisis, a Chinese spokesman said.Both leaders agreed the world political and economic situation is experiencing great change and that the two sides must strengthen cooperation to face the current economic troubles, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told AFP.Russian media reports on the meeting in the Peruvian capital quoted Hu saying the two must work together against the most deep and serious changes since the Cold War.Meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Medvedev told Hu the current world problems should not inhibit both sides from discussing fully fledged cooperative, strategic relations in all their fullness, Russian media reported.Russia and China, once bitter Cold War foes, have been developing increasingly close relations, seen by many as a potential check on US power.Trade ties, particularly in the energy sector, have grown rapidly in recent years.Hu called for even closer cooperation in the finance and energy spheres as a potential buffer against the global crisis, Liu said.The two sides need to work together to be able to reduce the risks from the financial crisis and safeguard economic growth, Liu quoted Hu as telling Medvedev.At the same time they agreed to push forward reform of the world financial system.During their 45-minute meeting, the two leaders also pledged to pursue a six-nation effort, chaired by China, to denuclearize North Korea, Liu said.The process has snagged on questions over how North Korea will carry out the scrapping of its nuclear programs and how that will be verified.

Russian media last week quoted the country's energy minister as saying Moscow and Beijing would resume talks about oil shipments via a new pipeline next week, after they were reportedly halted over a financial dispute.The talks on a 25-billion-dollar (20-billion-euro) loan package from China to Russian state pipeline monopoly Transneft and oil company Rosneft had been suspended due to absurd Chinese conditions for the loan package, Russian media had quoted a source as saying.The loan was to be offered in exchange for oil deliveries through a pipeline to be built in Siberia.

Japan, Russia agree on concrete steps to end territorial row Sat Nov 22, 9:56 pm ET

LIMA (AFP) – Japan and Russia have agreed to take concrete steps toward resolving a territorial dispute, while urging North Korea to show a clear plan for junking its nuclear program, an official said.Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, who took office in September, held his first talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Lima on Saturday.As for the territorial issue ... we agreed to order government officials to begin concrete work, said a Japanese government official, who attended the APEC talks.Russia and Japan have never signed a peace treaty to formally end World War II due to Tokyo's claims over four islands which Soviet troops seized in 1945 off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.Aso and Medvedev also called on North Korea to clarify steps it would take to denuclearize under a six-nation aid-for-disarmament pact.As for the North Korean issue, we agreed on the need for a document to practically verify Pyongyang's declearization process, the Japanese official said.

Russia threatens to cut off gas to Ukraine: report Sat Nov 22, 6:54 am ET

MOSCOW (AFP) – Russia's Gazprom will cut off gas deliveries to Ukraine on January 1 unless a new contract is signed, a company spokesman said on Saturday, making a threat that could affect deliveries to Europe.We would like to avoid such a scenario, we would like to agree on everything before New Year's, but as you understand, we cannot deliver gas without a contract, spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are being held up by a large debt, he said, speaking two days after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev demanded Ukraine repay 2.4 billion dollars (1.9 billion euros) of debt to Gazprom.An earlier dispute between Russia and Ukraine over gas prices led to a brief interruption of gas supplies in several European countries in January 2006. Most of the EU's gas imports from Russia are pumped through Ukraine.

Kupriyanov said the full and unconditional liquidation of outstanding debts by Ukraine was required under an agreement signed last month by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko.However, this has not happened so far, he added, according to Interfax.Following Medvedev's demand, Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz said it had no debt to Gazprom but owed around 1.26 billion dollars to gas trader RosUkrEnergo, an intermediary for Russia-Ukraine gas exchanges.

EU RAPID REACTION FORCES TO INTERVENE

Lima, 22 November 2008 16th LEADERS MEETING BEGINS TODAY

• 2008 APEC PERU 21 Member Economies Leaders will examine report that contains recommendations on the 12 major APEC themes
• In parallel last day of APEC CEO Summit meetings began, where United States, Hong Kong, China, Republic of Korea, Canada, Mexico and Colombia Leaders will participate

Today the 16th APEC Leaders Meeting officially begins, and Lima Declaration will be endorsed written on the basis of the report containing recommendations prepared by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the 21 Member Economies.The document covers 12 major APEC topics, such as Trade Liberalization and Facilitation as well as Investment, Regional Economic Integration, Corporate Social Responsibility, Food Safety, Doha Round Support, Human Security, Financial Crisis, among others.Summit Leaders Retreat will be held from 1.00 until 3.00 pm, at the Ministry of Defense Convention Center, After a brief recess, and beginning at 3.30 pm, a dialogue between APEC Advisory Business Council (ABAC) and 21 APEC Leaders Members, will take place. Summit sessions will start at 4.30 pm until 6.00 pm and official agenda related to this day will come to an end at 8.00 pm with a gala dinner.

At the same time and in the same venue, last day of APEC 2008 CEO Summit Meeting will take place. It is important to mention that this event brings together Asia-Pacific region entrepreneurs where critical issues regarding economics and business will be debated.Republic of Korea Leader, Lee Myung-bak will give a speech on the Meaning of Economic Growth in Asia for the World, at 9:00am. Then, at 9:30 a.m, United States Leader, George W. Bush will make a presentation on what can APEC do to strengthen the Asia-Pacific region.Subsequently, Donald Tsang, Hong Kong leader will give an speech on the strengthening of free trade and investment. At 11:00 a.m, Stephen Harper, Canada Leader , will address the global financial crisis topic and its effect on the Forum agenda.Mexico Leader, Felipe Calderon, presentation, will be also carried out. In this presentation, Mexican Leader will talk about the impact of the global crisis in Latin America. At 4.00 p.m. The event continues with presentation of Colombian President, Álvaro Uribe,who attends to the guest standard.

Finally, closing ceremony will be hosted by APEC 2008 CEO Summit Chairman, Jose Miguel Morales, and his counterpart for the 2009 Singapore CEO Summit, Siaka Ching Chong.

Lima, 22 November 2008 APEC PERU: HONG KONG, CANADA AND MEXICO LEADERS DISCUSS THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

• Today Leaders of these three economies participated as speakers at the APEC CEO Summit 2008

On the second CEO Summit Meetings day, Hong Kong Leader, Donald Tsang, provided Strengthening global free trade and investment: which should be keys priorities? conference. Tsang mentioned some numbers regarding Hong Kong economic growth and spoke about policies that contribute to investment facilitation as well as low taxes system.Hong Kong Leader stressed the importance of supporting WTO in order to achieve a global trade liberalization which could stop many people from being poor. He commented on global financial crisis effects, which confronts us with recession and unemployment. The world is convulsed, but we should have a bit of calmness and peace of mind. It´s time to share experiences and knowledge to build a more coordinated economy.Subsequently, newly re-elected Canada Leader, Stephen Harper, offered his presentation. In addition, he has carried out numerous measures to alleviate crisis effects in Canada, which he explained in How does financial crisis affects the APEC agenda: is it necessary to re-think the priorities? conference.

Recent Canadian taxation, monetary and trade policies were outlined in a speech that stressed the need to improve regulation without increasing it. Direct governments involvement in bank regulation, instead of banks led by governments, is the solution for the financial crisis, Harper asserted.Mexican Leader, Felipe Calderón, lectured the conference entitled The impact of the global crisis in Latin America.
What should be the answer? . Calderon showed the main impacts of the financial crisis in Latin American economies, exports drop and reduction regarding foreign investment.He later analyzed mistakes made on the road that lead to the crisis and talked about structural reforms that Mexico has carried out this year. Free trade generates public welfare: the market solution and no problem in this crisis, he said. The Leader also highlighted growth of economies such as China and Peru, declaring that this is where opportunities are.

APEC leaders: Trade protectionism is road to ruin
Saturday, November 22, 2008 10:55 AM

(Source: Associated Press/AP Online)LIMA, Peru - Leaders of 21 nations that comprise half the world's economy say it's vital not to abandon free trade - no matter how punishing the global downturn gets. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says the world must resist protectionist measures even though companies will keep going bankrupt and countless jobs will be lost. U.S. President George W. Bush says such measures would stifle innovation and strangle growth.Both spoke Saturday at a summit of business leaders from Asia and the Americas. At their meeting in Peru, the leaders are trying to build on last weekend's Group of 20 summit in Washington in grappling with a looming global recession. Bush said the Great Depression in the 1930s showed that protectionism leads only to economic ruin.A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Global Trends 2025 - Future is nuclear war and famine - US intelligence
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24684836-12377,00.html

The use of nuclear weapons will grow increasingly likely by 2025, US intelligence warned in a report on global trends that forecasts a tense, unstable world shadowed by war.The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over scarce resources, including food and water, and will be haunted by the persistence of rogue states and terrorist groups with greater access to nuclear weapons, said the report.Widening gaps in birth rates and wealth-to-poverty ratios, and the uneven impact of climate change, could further exacerbate tensions.Called Global Trends 2025 - a Transformed World, the 121-page report was produced by the National Intelligence Council, a body of analysts from across the US intelligence community.Officials said it was being briefed to the incoming administration of president-elect Barack Obama. A year in the making, the report does not take into account the recent global financial crisis.In one sense, a bad sense, the pace of change that we are looking at in 2025 occurred more rapidly than we had anticipated, said Thomas Fingar, deputy director of National Intelligence.One overarching conclusion of the report is that the unipolar world is over, (or) certainly will be by 2025, Mr Fingar said.But with the rise of the rest, managing crises and avoiding conflicts will be more difficult, particularly with an antiquated post-World War II international system.

The potential for conflict will be different then and in some ways greater than it has been for a very long time, Mr Fingar said.The report has good news for some countries:

- A technology to replace oil may be underway or in place by 2025;
- Multiple financial centres will serve as shock absorbers of the world financial system;
- India, China and Brazil will rise, the Korean peninsula will be unified in some form, and new powers are likely to emerge from the Muslim non-Arab world.

Risk of nuclear war

But the report also says some African and South Asian states may wither away altogether, organised crime could take over at least one state in central Europe; and the spread of nuclear weapons will heighten the risk they will be used.The likelihood that nuclear weapons will be used will increase with expanded access to technology and a widening range of options for limited strikes, it said.The report highlighted the risk of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East where a number of countries are thinking about developing or acquiring technologies that would be useful to make nuclear weapons.Over the next 15-20 years, reactions to the decisions Iran makes about its nuclear program could cause a number of regional states to intensify these efforts and consider actively pursuing nuclear weapons, the report said.This will add a new and more dangerous dimension to what is likely to be increasing competition for influence within the region, it said.The report said it was not certain that the kind of deterrent relationships that existed for most of the Cold War would emerge in a nuclear armed Middle East. Instead, the possession of nuclear weapons may be perceived as making it safe to engage in low intensity conflicts, terrorism or even larger conventional attacks, the report said.The report said terrorism would likely be a factor in 2025 but suggested that al-Qaeda's terrorist wave might be breaking up.Al-Qaeda's weaknesses - unachievable strategic objectives, inability to attract broad-based support and self-destructive actions - might cause it to decay sooner than many people think, it said.Because history suggests that the global Islamic terrorist movement will outlast al-Qaeda as a group, strategic counterterrorism efforts will need to focus on how and why a successor terrorist group might evolve during the remaining years of the Islamic terrorist wave.

The report was vague about the outcome of current conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and nuclear armed Pakistan.In 2025, the government in Baghdad could still be an object of competition among various factions seeking foreign aid or pride of place.
Afghanistan may still evince significant patterns of tribal competition and conflict.
The future of Pakistan is a wildcard in considering the trajectory of neighbouring Afghanistan,it said.

Government warns of catastrophic U.S. quake
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AJ9EV20081120

People in a vast seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States would face catastrophic damage if a major earthquake struck there and should ensure that builders keep that risk in mind, a government report said on Thursday.The Federal Emergency Management Agency said if earthquakes strike in what geologists define as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, they would cause the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States.FEMA predicted a large earthquake would cause widespread and catastrophic physical damage across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee -- home to some 44 million people.Tennessee is likely to be hardest hit, according to the study that sought to gauge the impact of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in order to guide the government's response.In Tennessee alone, it forecast hundreds of collapsed bridges, tens of thousands of severely damaged buildings and a half a million households without water.Transportation systems and hospitals would be wrecked, and police and fire departments impaired, the study said.The zone, named for the town of New Madrid in Missouri's southeast corner, is subject to frequent mild earthquakes.Experts have long tried to predict the likelihood of a major quake like those that struck in 1811 and 1812. These shifted the course of the Mississippi River and rang church bells on the East Coast but caused few deaths amid a sparse population.People who live in these areas and the people who build in these areas certainly need to take into better account that at some time there is ... expected to be a catastrophic earthquake in that area, and they'd better be prepared for it, said FEMA spokesperson Mary Margaret Walker.

JERUSALEM - IF I FORGET THEE
http://www.onejerusalem.org/2008/11/if-i-forget-thee-o-jerusalem-s.php

[11.16.2008] All Obama Options Call For Dividing Jerusalem

The Times of London reports that President-elect Obama will adopt the Saudi plan that calls for the establishment of a Palestinian State in Jerusalem. Kadima candidate for Prime Minister Livni supports the Saudi plan.Little Green Footballs and Hot Air analyze the story. There have been many stories about what plan will Obama adopt. There are differences between the plans , for example, on the issue of right of return, but they all agree that Jerusalem will be divided to provide for a Palestinian capital. Outgoing Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is determined to see Obama continue her failed peace efforts. This story reports on Rice's efforts and the differences between Netanyahu and Livni on this subject. Livni is seen as fully supportive of a deal based on Israel going back to its indefensible borders of 1949 and Netanyahu defending Israel's right to an undivided Jerusalem and secure borders. Could the differences be any clearer?

Israeli Air Force Ready for Iran's Nuclear Sites
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,455005,00.html

The Israeli Air Force is ready to attack Iran's suspected nuclear weapons project if diplomacy fails to persuade the Islamic Republic to halt uranium enrichment, said Commander Ido Nehushtan in an interview published Tuesday.The news comes as the U.N. watchdog agency reports Iran is probably at the point of being capable of making a nuclear bomb.We are prepared and ready to do whatever Israel needs us to do and if this is the mission we're given then we are ready, Nehushtan told German magazine Der Spiegel.A strike against Iran's nuclear facilities is a political decision, the IAF commander said, but if I understand it correctly, all options are on the table ... The Air Force is a very robust and flexible force. We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us.Asked if the Israeli military would be able to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, which are spread around the country, with some built underground, Nehushtan said, Please understand that I do not want to get into details. I can only say this: It is not a technical or logistical question.While Israel has fought all its immediate Arab neighbors, its pilots have had limited capabilities to carry out missions as far away as Iran. A strike on Iraq's sole nuclear reactor in 1981 was an extraordinary exception at the time but analysts say the F-16I has made long-distance strikes more possible.

Air power has been a major player in every war we've fought since 1948, Colonel Amon, who in line with Israeli military rules did not give his surname, told Reuters during the unusual opening of the Ramon desert base to the foreign media.This is the most capable aircraft in the Middle East, said Captain Grisha, a fighter pilot in his early 20s.The Jewish state, widely believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, has said it will not tolerate an Iranian nuclear bomb and has refused to rule out a military option.Speculation of a U.S.-approved Israeli strike on Iran, fueled by an Israeli attack in Syria last year and by reports of long-range bombing exercises this summer, has faded as the Bush administration prepares to hand over power to President-elect Barack Obama.Iran, which has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction, said on Tuesday it aimed to commission its first nuclear power plant in 2009. Tehran insists the program has only civilian aims.

European Union EU billion euro boost for struggling African farmers 22/11 08:57 CETworld news

European Union ministers have agreed to grant a billion euros in agricultural aid to developing countries. African farmers are set to benefit from cash earmarked for the purchase of seed and fertiliser.European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso’s plan to provide the cash had run into trouble over financing. It will now be funded mainly from budget reserves.The deal was reached as negotiators meeting in Brussels fixed the bloc’s overall spending for next year.Member states have been keen on a lean EU budget as they need to secure funds to boost economic growth amid the financial crisis.A figure of just over 116 billion euros was set.
It is more than governments proposed but less than the sum advocated by the EU parliament which will give its verdict on the matter next month.

UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1845, SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS EUROPEAN UNION STABILIZATION FORCE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA FOR ANOTHER YEAR
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9507.doc.htm

[Comment] What are EU battlegroups for if not to intervene in Congo?
PETER SAIN LEY BERRY 21.11.2008 @ 08:16 CET

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Whether apocryphal or not, it is said that Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712-86) - old Fritz as he came to be known - would urge on his columns of young soldiers with the exasperated cry Wollen Sie ehrmals leben? (Do you want to live for ever?).Were Frederick alive today he might want to say something similar to the European Army, or rather those wanting it to remain pristine and unused and not sent to the dangerous tumult in Africa's dark centre.Europe should intervene in the DRC quickly and decisively (Photo: wikipedia)

The army is not, of course, either properly European, or even an army come to that. It remains a collection of soldiers from a few member states available for constituting battlegroups, which can then be dispatched swiftly to pursue tasks of peacemaking in the wider European interest. For some two years now, and in the teeth of opposition both inside and outside the union, the EU has proudly declared that it has these forces available to intervene where other such forces - for instance the UN or NATO - are unwilling or unable to act with the alacrity required. Small contingents have intervened here and there. But never has decisive force been deployed.In terms of capability to mount overseas operations, Britain and France stand head and shoulders above the rest of the union. The European Defence Force initiative came therefore primarily from Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac in one of their rare moments of accord. Now the potential exists for it to become one of the more significant European achievements of the time.

The dark heart of Africa

In recent days the renewed tragedy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has slowly filtered through to the headlines. This is the former colony, the Belgian Congo, the size of Western Europe, on whose ivory and rubber much of Brussels is built. It is the country that Joseph Conrad called - and for good reason - the dark heart of Africa. A country where some 5 million have died as a result of war these past 10 years.Were the DRC to be moved to the Balkans or the Middle East - to anywhere, in fact, but Africa - our newspapers would not be big enough for the deaths, atrocities, hate, random violence, rape of the land, burnings, summary executions and lines of corpses.We should be screaming about the decimation of the mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park, through which the militias roam, shooting everything that moves, including the wardens. The park is being burnt and its wildlife habitats destroyed to provide cooking charcoal for the swollen population of Goma, the regional capital on the shores of Lake Kivu, now bursting with a million souls.A train of human misery - a quarter of a million strong - has fled south towards the city in recent weeks away from the fighting instigated by the rebel Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda and from the even more insidious and frightening attacks of the so-called Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).The LRA have taken advantage of the turbulence to embark again on their murderous campaign of burning villages, shooting (or worse) the adult inhabitants and kidnapping the children who, drugged to the eyeballs, they force to become child soldiers and prostitutes.No surprise then that the UN reports that from an area of 10,000 square kilometres in the north-east of the DRC scarcely a single person remains.

The largest peacekeeping operation in the world

They flee this rich and beautiful land, built of a raft of valuable minerals that includes a third of the world's tin reserves. Hardly anywhere on earth has suffered more from what Robert Burns termed man's inhumanity to man.There is a savagery, a contempt for feeling, a primitive brutality which, like some curable but virulent disease, has no right to exist in these otherwise enlightened times. Violence towards women is particularly severe, with rape used regularly as a weapon of war. The accounts written by sober doctors in the hospitals of Goma are distressingly revolting. It is not surprising that the people run for safety leaving everything behind at the first sound of gunfire - which is how militias of no more than a few thousand can terrorise a whole land.Indeed, villagers are not safe from the troops of their own government who also rape and steal with impunity. Even the precious hospitals in Goma have been looted of medicine and equipment.The UN of course is already in the DRC. Its 17,000 strong force, MONUC, is the largest peacekeeping operation in the world - 6,000 of its troops are in Goma. But self-evidently the force has failed to protect the civilian population. That is not entirely its fault, as one of its generals, Bipin Rawat, has pointed out. It is something of a handicap to have your tanks painted a livid white. Terms of engagement also require similar advertisement of one's presence with the requirement to give warnings.Three thousand more UN troops have been agreed, but these are not expected to arrive quickly. Meanwhile, Europe has promised only an airlift and humanitarian supplies.

How should the EU react?

This is not enough. Although General Nkunda has just withdrawn his forces by 25 miles, as agreed with the UN's envoy, the former Nigerian President Obasanjo - he can advance again at will. Many believe it is only a matter of time before he takes Goma and that the the UN cannot stop him.So a desperate request has gone out from 44 civil organisations in the city - the nearest thing Goma has to regional government - for the EU to send a force now to guarantee their security. How should the EU react?

Left to herself there is little question that France would send troops - and Belgium too, the former colonial power. No doubt Germany could also be persuaded.Britain, however, is set strongly against any intervention. Its overstretched defence priorities lie elsewhere - in Iraq and Afghanistan. It fears another long commitment, another drain on the public purse at a time the government wishes only to boost the domestic economy. It argues that MONUC should simply send a greater part of its force to Goma and it is blocking any move to send a European force.Too bad. Europe has a duty - especially following the election of Barack Obama - to secure a different, more co-operative world. Europe should intervene in the DRC quickly and decisively. The battlegroups of the European Army are not there for show.
Peter Sain ley Berry is an independent commentator on European affairs.

The CARMEL ALERT Nov 21st 2008 A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.

Josie's Comment:Not A Time To Be Silent
Isaiah 62: 7 You that make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent ..............................

Recently I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego in Daniel 3. I was freshly touched by their tenacity and boldness to stand for truth. We all know the story. There was a decree sent out by Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon at the time, declaring that whoever did not bow before the gold image and worship his gods, would be destroyed in the fire. The 3 young Jewish men knew who their God was, the God of Israel, and who they would only bow the knee to and worship . They knew they could not and would not bow down to this image of Nebuchadnezzar. They made their confession that the God who they serve was quite able to deliver them, and even if He did not, they would still not bow the knee to false gods. They stood with boldness, they stood without any compromise. They stood totally solid in whom they believed, they stood in faith, not knowing whether God would deliver them or not, but they trusted anyway in whom they believed. They absolutely refused to bow to the false images.Satan who is the god of this age, is, and will form many images and temptations before us, which he will use to intimidate and seduce us into bowing down to the spirit of the world. He has deceived even many Christians about where Israel fits into God's plan. People, family, even friends, Christian friends, may come against us in what we say about Israel. Pray that the Lord will give us every word we need when it comes to defending the truth about Israel, and for those that have an anti-Biblical understanding towards Israel. I don't believe we have the luxury at this very strategic point of time, to compromise in our answers to these people. Let us not be embarrassed or afraid to stand for what, and whom we believe in. We need to be bold and stand and to not compromise in what we believe and what we know is truth,however, it may cost us something. Leave it to God to work the truth in their hearts like He did in Nebuchadnezzar's heart.

As these 3 young Jewish men chose not to bow to idolatry, but stand firm in whom they believed, and what they believed, as they did, great miracles happened. The Messiah was not only in the fire with them, but He came and saved them from the fire and opened up Nebuchadnezzar's eyes to see who it was that was in the fire with them. That in turn, brought about national revival in that day. Let the example of the 3 young Jewish men's faith, courage and boldness, encourage us all as we walk through our own personal fires knowing that Messiah is with us to deliver us. All we are required to do is declare who is the true God, speak the truth, and not bow down to what oppresses or threatens us. Let us also expect that when we do not compromise , even if it is scary or hurts, that God will cause wonders and miracles to happen in our lives and the lives of others. There is no time to waste anymore . Its time to be bold, and let all compromising go. Our job is to be the Lord's mouth-piece; to speak what He has already told us through the His word. After we have spoken it out, then it is the work of the Holy Spirit to outwork the rest. The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to th Jewish people by the God of Israel Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom - David & Josie.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE NOV 23,08

We want to conclude our study in the new birth by sharing what the true Gospel really is.Easter is the time set aside annually by the world to remember the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the genuine Christian, there is no other plan of salvation. In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul states, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.... Then, in Romans 10:9, he adds ...if thou ...shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.The subject content found in these two portions of Scripture constitutes the gospel message: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. This truth should be indelibly inscribed upon every believer's heart. There is no other good news. Eternal life is eliminated if Christ went into a coma and then revived. The gospel, meaning good news, is bad news if Christ did not die by shedding His blood, for then the world has no adequate sacrifice for sin.If He died and remained in the grave, the dilemma is compounded because He then becomes an imposter by breaking all of His promises and predictions concerning His resurrection. Matthew 16:21: From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. John 2:19: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Verse 21: But he spake of the temple of his body.Had Christ not fulfilled these utterances He would have proven himself to be a fraud. However, 1 Corinthians 15:20 states, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept [or were dead]. He proved His deity through the greatest miracle recorded in the annals of history. Oh, what a wonderful Saviour. Buddha, Mohammed, and Zoroaster never made such claims and are presently skeletal frames lying in the dust of the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only risen Saviour. Were He still lying in a tomb in the Middle East completely decomposed just a skull and bones-He would be disqualified to be the Saviour of the world. But He lives and thereby proves His Godhead and power.

The Gospel of Salvation

In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul says, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved. What is this gospel or good news that saves? For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.Simplicity, simplicity, thou art a jewel. Could anything be easier to mentally grasp? Little children are able to comprehend God's marvelous plan of salvation. In verse one of this text the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle, says, I declare unto you the gospel. It is, Christ died for our sins ...was buried and that he rose again the third day. This is not symbolic language but means that Christ died literally-in a body, was buried, and rose again literally-in that same body. This is where salvation begins.If you don't believe it, you don't believe God. John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. First John 3:16: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he [God] laid down his life for us....Let's go one step further. Christ's death had to be by the shedding of blood. Had He died from starvation, strangulation, suffocation, or seizure of the heart, there would have been no eternal salvation possible. Leviticus 17:11: It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Hebrews 9:22: ...without shedding of blood is no remission [for sin].The full gospel message is that Christ died for our sins by the shedding of His blood, was buried, and rose again the third day. Be careful that you give the sinner the true presentation of the gospel in your witnessing. Watch out for Bible perversions, organizations, and pamphlets that omit the blood because of the ...offence of the cross... (Galatians 5:11).It is an intellectually humiliating experience to present the picture of a blood sacrifice as far as fainthearted, weak-kneed compromisers are concerned. They don't mind picturing Christ as a great martyr, willing to die for a cause, because this is a heroic portrayal (but inaccurate).We, however, must proclaim the truth. We must tell it as it is or forget it. A lopsided, distorted gospel can't save anyone. It is the blood drawn from the Savior's veins that produces eternal salvation. Christ himself said so in Hebrews 10:4, 5. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.Scores of times the New Testament mentions Christ's holy blood as the only way of salvation. Acts 20:28: ...the church ...he hath purchased with his own blood. Romans 3:24, 25: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.... Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Hebrews 9:12: ...by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. First Peter 1:18: For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold.... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. First John 1:7: ...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The Gospel of Damnation

The one who is behind all opposition to the blessed truth of Christ's death and resurrection is a sinister agent named Satan. He is the commander-in-chief of the demonic denizens from hell and the god of this present world system. His main purpose in existing is to blind men to the true message of salvation. He doesn't care if one goes to church and supports a denominational program. Rituals please him because they give man a false security by trusting in that which invigorates the physical senses. Man's plans to reach heaven through a series of self-righteous efforts delight this arch demon because the program of good works is in complete contradiction to God's master plan for salvation.Is Satan really behind this treason against God's gospel plan? Second Corinthians 4:4 plainly states,... the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Notice that it is the truth concerning the glorious gospel or the glorious good news about Christ-His death, burial, and resurrection-that the satanic hosts from hell are out to blacken and eradicate. If the undercover agents from hell can change the message to eliminate the bloodshed and resurrection of Christ, they have won the battle for the souls of the blinded individuals.You ask if I really believe that evil spirits pervade the atmosphere? Do I believe these spirits can influence thinking? First Timothy 4:1: ... the [Holy] Spirit speaketh expressly [plainly], that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.Notice that the human first of all gives heed to a seducing spirit or demon and then accepts his doctrine. Did you know that the demons have theologians among them? The Bible teaches that there is an order of demonic hosts. Among the demons we find a class that pervades human minds with false doctrine. Once the demon has control, it is practically impossible to free the individual from the heretical error preached and practiced. This explains why some of the cults are so successful in binding their victims. Behind their doctrine is an evil spirit.

Satan hates the message of Christ and His blood. I can testify to weird happenings in crusades across the nation when messages on the blood were proclaimed. Satan hates the blood so he plants other theories in men's minds. These include reincarnation, transcendental meditation, religious experimentation through the use of LSD, emotionalism, and good works.Man says, Certainly in this enlightened intellectual age one does not need Christ's gory sacrifice upon a cross. One only needs to do the best he can in this world-help others, give to charity and follow the Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Ten Commandments. This all sounds very humanitarian and seems reasonably logical to the mind, but it is another gospel.
Every child of God should do good works and help others because of Christ's presence in his life. He does not work to become saved but rather because he is saved. Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.... Notice that a believer works because goodness, morality, righteousness, and service are created in him by Christ Jesus. To change that order and teach men that they must work for salvation is the gospel of damnation planted in minds by the demonic god of this world system. It is wrong because it keeps men from accepting the true gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's Grace

Romans 4:5 tells us, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Ephesians 2:8, 9 adds, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Again, Titus 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.Grace means unmerited favor. God bestows a favor upon a sinner that he does not deserve. All of us deserve eternal damnation because of our sin. God, however, loves us and gives us the gift of eternal life when we put our faith and trust in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ (obtained through His death, burial, and resurrection). Romans 6:23 states ...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is a gift, dear friend.A gift ceases to be a gift when one pays for it. If the message of the gospel makes demands upon one through a system of works, the receiver of the so-called gift has been swindled. If salvation comes by following a code of ethics, the Ten Commandments should certainly provide salvation for a sincere heart, because it is the best man can do upon earth. However, God never gave the Law-called the Decalogue or Ten Commandments-as a methodical plan to produce salvation. Hebrews 7:19: For the law made nothing perfect....Rather, God's Law was given to reveal man's sin. By the Ten Commandments ... is the knowledge of sin... (Romans 3:20). In other words, as one hears God's Law proclaimed or reads it in Exodus 20; he realizes his failure and is driven to Christ for salvation. Romans 3:19 states that the Ten Commandments were given so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.Notice that the Commandments were given to produce guilt, not salvation! The thunderings of Sinai produce deep conviction over sin. The conscience becomes disturbed, and the sinner runs to the cross for cleansing. Revelation 1:5: Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. Do you see it? There is not one human work that has ever been administered upon this earth or one that shall ever transpire in the future that will ever save a soul.

In this chaotic age of apostasy and liberalism, the true message setting forth the plan of salvation is a necessity. Proud humanity would obscure the simplicity of God's plan with high-sounding phraseology, thus hindering man's understanding of the gospel or good news. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:3: But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.Satan loves for a minister to use terminology that is incomprehensible and above the hearer's I.Q. Why? If the listener finds the message unintelligible because he fails to grasp the eloquent utterances of the speaker-the message is useless and the hungry soul lost. The old slimy, slithering serpent Lucifer wants to blind men to the light of the glorious gospel.What is the gospel message that Satan so vehemently attacks? It is found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.I declare unto you the gospel.... It is, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. The good news, in all of its simplicity, is that Christ died by the shedding of blood for our sins, He was buried, and He literally arose from the grave in bodily form.Let's return to the doctrinal dogmas of the Bible and preach Christ crucified, buried, and risen again. This is the true gospel. Anything else has God's anathema and judgment upon it. Galatians 1:8: ...though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Ministers who have detoured the cross calling it a slaughterhouse religion have done so because their minds have become alienated from God and darkened through the mind manipulations of demonic spirits. Any person who rejects the true gospel message is under the influence of the spirit world mentally.

Hear God again. Second Corinthians 4:4: ... the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. It is the gospel concerning the death, burial, and resurrection that the hosts of hell are out to discredit and eradicate. Oh, fall on your face before God and change your mind about Christ. Receive the abundant and eternal life Christ longs to give you. Let Him be your Saviour today!

TORAH PORTION FROM NOV 23 - 29, 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 23, 2008 6PM TO NOV 29,2008

GENESIS 25:19-28:9
19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:
20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

GENESS 26:1-35
1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.
24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.
30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

GENESIS 27:1-46
1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

GENESIS 28:1-9
1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

PROPHETS PORTION

MALACHI 1:1-2:7
1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.
6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.
10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.
12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.
13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.
14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

MALACHI 2:1-7
1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

NEW TESTAMENT PORTION

ROMANS 9:6-16
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

HEBREWS 11:20
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

HEBREWS 12:14-17
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.