IMF-EU-IRELAND IN MARATHON TALKS

FALSE TEACHERS,PROPHETS,DECIEVERS

MATTHEW 24:4-5,11,24-25
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.

1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

MARK 13:22-23
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

DEUTORONOMY 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

JUDE 10-13
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

MATTHEW 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

BRANNON HOUSE ON FEDERAL RESERVE AND FALSE CHURCHES HRS 1&2 NOV 13,10
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/radio/mp3/

CHURCH HOSTS GLOBAL FAITH FORUM FOR WORLD'S RELIGIONS
By Paul Proctor November 17, 2010 NewsWithViews.com

The Christian Post reported recently that NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas, scheduled a Global Faith Forum for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists in hopes they would listen to one another and even build friendships. The report stated, the forum isn't a gathering of theologians to debate religions, but instead, an opportunity for people of multiple faiths to get to know one another, start conversations, and learn from each other.Yeah, try and find that in your Bible. I guess the Apostle Paul blew it. Just think what he could have learned from that infamous gathering of religious diversity on Mars Hill and all of the friends he might have made if he hadn’t been so intent on preaching Christ.Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. – James 4:4

The Christian Post piece contained so many unbiblical comments, I hardly know where to start; but start I will, with some curious quotes from NorthWood Church’s senior pastor, Bob Roberts:

1. Roberts:…there is a better way than hate and fear.So, if Christians obey God’s Word, more specifically, the call to come out from among them, and be ye separate, they are being hateful and afraid? Kind of plays right into the whole hate crimes designation being thrust upon bible-believers today, doesn’t it? How gratifying it must be for globalists to have an understanding pastor in their corner.

2. Roberts: I’ve come to acknowledge that theologically there are irreconcilable differences in some of what I believe and what others believe. But, how we relate to others, and how we work together in the world is everything.Everything to whom?

Remember, we’re not talking about irreconcilable differences between Christians here. And, there’s clearly no scriptural directive from the Bible instructing or encouraging followers of Jesus Christ to relate to or work with representatives of the world’s other religions and/or belief systems; but there are, in fact, numerous scriptures to the contrary.

3. He [Roberts] pointed out that evangelicals are not viewed in a favorable light by most of the world.Well, we probably would be if it weren’t for all those intolerant verses of scripture, like Ephesians 5:11, that tells us to …have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Furthermore, Jesus never said His followers would be viewed in an unfavorable light; He said we would be hated for His name’s sake.

4. Roberts: It’s time to begin to understand that and change that. The Great Commission demands it…The Great Commission demands no such thing! Nor did Jesus ever say that Christians should set out to win the world’s favor by keeping our theological differences to ourselves for the sake of relationship. These bogus assertions actually undermine the Great Commission and have nothing to do with Christian love at all, but are instead a humanistic approach to ministry, if you can even call it that.Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.– 2nd Timothy 4:2

I’d say the Lord would be better served by our hearing, obeying and proclaiming His Word rather than setting it aside to make friends.

5. Roberts: He (Jesus) shared his views, but he did life with people and shared it along the way…Jesus didn’t share His views – He spoke the Word of God and is, in fact, the Living Word of God – the absolute Truth! To say He shared His views implies that His was just one of many opinions voiced along the way.And, to say He did life only distorts His true identity and purpose, effectively hiding the fact that He is the Way, He is the Truth and He is the Life! (John 14:6)Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? – 2nd Corinthians 6:14-15

WHY DO YOU NEED THE SCANNERS WHEN THEY HAVE HAD THESE LAZER BEAM CAMERAS FOR YEARS ALREADY IS MY ?.

Laser beam spy camera joins war on terrorism By Jason Lewis Last updated at 11:01 PM on 25th October 2008 DAILYMAIL

A laser that can scan a crowd and identify people who have been handling explosives is being secretly tested at British airports and railway stations. The device - no bigger than a shoe box - could also be used by police and MI5 surveillance teams to identify Islamic terrorists outside mosques or community centres. The laser can pick out suspects in large crowds and highlight explosive residue on their clothing and luggage.A laser that can identify people who have been handling explosives is being secretly tested at British airports and railway stations It could also be used to guard against terrorists targeting the 2012 Olympics in London. The Explosive Residue Detection system can be covertly attached to CCTV systems and automatically highlights people who may have been handling explosives or who recently fired a weapon. Professor John Tyrer, of Loughborough University, who helped to develop the equipment, said: 'When you handle an explosive, the chemicals -such as Semtex and TNT - leave traces. With this technology we are able to see this telltale residue and identify possible suspects.

Using laser technology we can see the explosives on people's clothes, on their hands or on items like backpacks such as those used by the July 7 London bombers.He added: This equipment could be carried by surveillance teams or could be set up to monitor a street, a railway, airport terminal or national stadium.When the equipment scans a crowd, it alerts an operator when explosive particles are detected. The system uses a combination of lasers and the latest camera technology to produce images showing the suspect and highlighting the explosive traces. Once explosive residue is detected, the system automatically alerts the operator. It does not need to be constantly monitored.Unlike sniffer dogs detecting particles in the air, the system can be operated just a few metres from a target without anyone knowing they are being monitored.Prof Tyrer said the laser system would also pick up people who had legitimate reasons for handling explosives, such as police officers and firearms experts.The team cannot say where their new equipment has been installed, revealing only that its operational uses have been recognised and would include airports, train stations, underground systems and ports, and would prove useful to police forces, forensic services and the military.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1080665/Laser-beam-spy-camera-joins-war-terrorism.html#ixzz15mvHn9xu

Gerald Celente has moved all his Financial assets to Canada this week NOV 17,10

World renown Trends Forecaster and Savvy Investor Gerald Celente was spotted in Toronto this week where he has supposedly moved his entire Financial Portfolio out of the American Dollar and into the Canadian Dollar.Celente has often said he would get out of the USD totally as mounting US debt would eventually implode the greenback. Celente declined media interviews with local radio shows but did take a tour of the Toronto Stock exchange and strolled down Bay St. Celente made several inquiries into small Canadian Food companies in the organic market in Southern Ontario.Gerald Celente pretty much predicted the present World Financial crisis and said we are going into the next great depression.

TRADE WARS = REAL WARS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yzLwSdnAYY&feature=player_embedded
WHY IS RUSSIA BUILDING BOMB SHELTERS
http://www.prisonplanet.com/why-is-russia-building-5000-more-nuclear-bomb-shelters-in-moscow-by-the-end-of-2012.html

Celente: The Government’s Assurance That Body Scanners Are Safe Is Enough To Convince Me They Are Dangerous Trends Research Institute
Thursday, November 18, 2010

KINGSTON, NY, 17 November 2010 — As opposition to full-body X-ray scanners mounts among aircraft crews and passengers, Gerald Celente, Trends Journal publisher proposes a realistic and rational solution.With ample evidence indicating that repeated exposure to doses of radiation poses a health risk, and with naked-body scans clearly violating personal privacy, many are opting out for the personal pat-down alternative.I am one of those frequent flyers that will opt-out for health concerns, said Celente.The government’s assurance that the scanners are completely safe is alone enough to convince me that they are dangerous.Moreover, the fact that full-body scanners were promoted by former Homeland Security Czar Michael Chertoff as the most effective means of detecting hidden explosive devices further raises my suspicions,Celente said.Following last year’s Christmas Day Underwear Bomber episode, Chertoff – who had left Homeland Security to open his own consulting firm – spent the holiday season making the media rounds loudly championing the scanners … while keeping quiet about his firm’s contract with Rapiscan, their manufacturer. (Furthermore, it was established that the bomber could not have ignited the device with matches or the syringe of accelerant in his possession. Only an electronic detonator or extreme heat could have set it off.)

In other words,said Celente,the entire flying public is being subjected to either radioactive contamination or gross privacy invasion so that Chertoff & Co. can make a profit out of these pernicious machines. The pat-down option, an already invasive procedure, has been dramatically upgraded by the TSA into a flagrant full-body grope. Making the pat-down so gross is designed to encourage people to go through the scanners rather than get felt up by strangers. It is my contention that this degrading and disgusting practice is about selling machines, not about ensuring security.The Celente Solution: Just as the Government invariably gets everything else wrong, its grope-the-public strategy is upside-down and inside-out, contends Celente.As a strictly heterosexual, if I’m going to get groped in an airport – be it in public or private – I want to be groped by a gal. Period! And, ideally, I would like to choose my groper. Does the TSA have a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, he asks? What twisted TSA/government bureaucrat put in place this guy-gropes-guy policy? Or are they covertly fostering homosexuality by forcing men to be felt up by other men –all under the guise of security? Celente readily acknowledges that his solution is male-oriented.I’m speaking only for myself and on behalf my guy friends, said Celente,not for women. They’ll have to find their own solution.

Until some such solution is found, citizens of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave are going to be subjected to either radiation poisoning or sexual humiliation.Trendpost: Celente says the TSA policy is trend-significant. As it stands, it will serve to discourage air travelers, which will take a toll on the slowly recovering business travel and tourist industry.Holiday destinations within driving distance will attract vacationers who refuse to be scanned or groped. And America’s airport security practices, already under attack by foreign nations as unnecessary and draconian, will further discourage international travelers.

US and Canadian Navy ships damaged hunting unknown Submarine 19 Nov, 2010 | Author: Canadafirst/

Navy ships collide off the coast of Florida.US and Canadian Navy Frigates are on extreme alert hunting unknown submarines on both the Pacific and Atlantic coast ever since China fired an alleged missile off the California coast last week. The latest cover story by the defense departments of both countries is that the two Navy ships collided while transferring cargo.The US lost an F22 over Alaska on Tuesday and Canada lost an F18 the next day, both due to accidents we are told.http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101119/navy-collision-101119/

Things are really heating up off the North American shores. I’ ll keep posting details as I get them.Keep in mind Major Ed Dames remote viewing prediction of a false flag hit on a Navy ship…. in The Atlantic Ocean that starts the next major war.
Remote viewing teacher Maj. Ed Dames discussed some current cases of his Matrix Intelligence Agency, as well as issued some dire warnings over future events. Here is a rundown of what he sees coming:

-In five to six months a powerful quake, probably in the 6.5 to 7 range will hit near Carson City, NV. (see article below for further details).
-In that same time frame, Israel will attack Iran, in what he called an Armageddon-like situation.
-The global economic collapse is just beginning and will be especially bad this summer. Gold will rise in price to $2000 an ounce.
-A coming Bird Flu epidemic will further damage the economy.
-The North Koreans are going to use a nuclear weapon, and the Chinese will allow it. This will further tax US military forces.
-Within five years, the solar killshot will occur, with the sun emitting some very large solar flares. The first series of flares will take down all electrical infrastructure. People may need to be underground, and have fresh sources of water to survive.
-ET races have been observing humankind. Another race similar to humans in appearance will help us rebuild after the catastrophes.

FALSE FLAGS (SET UP OR STAGED BY SOMEONE)
False flag-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is, flying the flag of a country other than one's own. False flag operations are not limited to war and counter-insurgency operations, and can be used in peace-time.

Department of Justice Tortures Innocent Americans with Directed Energy Weapons NOV 19,10

We have all heard of a possible parallel world but the one that really exists is known to many yet never reported on,There is some conjecture that the 911 incident was preplanned in order to convince the American people that laws must be changed or circumvented so that possible terrorsits could be monitored and stopped before they could enact a crime.That is when George Bush gave birth to the Patriot Act.The Patriot Act allowed Government to use warrentless searches and surveillance on criminals or suspects. What it really enabled was and is the new term targeted Individual.This individual may be an innocent person that became an enemy of a person of power in the community such as a police official, local cop, mobster, state or county official etc,etc.This person's name is submitted to a committee and placed on a watch list. This list may include falsified arrest records and a record of employee violence.These records or purported to be in a list managed by the OSHA as well as others.This person is flagged at every attempy to gain employment,rent a home, and is stalked by members of the community in the style of the Nazi snitch days.He/she is under 24/7 surveillance and harrassment paid for by the $80 billion dollar Patriot Act funding, started by Bush and continued By the O'Bama adminsitration.These things are real and now involve up to 350,000 people in the US. To reseach this takes many hours of reading as it is so widespread, yet unreported in spite of the thousands of stories and complaints.Information and real names and stories of this directed energy torture can be found on the following internet sites,and many more too numerous to mention here.As A talk show host you have shown a glimmer of independence and character, so I am making this effort to inform you of this and hope you will do some of the research on your own and come to you own conclusions.

CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3

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

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

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

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; 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.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UNDERSTANDING THE MIDEAST PROBLEM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63hTOaRu7h4&feature=player_embedded

NATO agrees on Europe-wide missile defence system
by Tangi Quemener - NOV 19,10

LISBON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama and his NATO allies agreed Friday to set up a new anti-missile defence shield across Europe and invite Russia to take part.The deal means NATO leaders will set up a network of radars and interceptors forming an anti-ballistic missile shield extending over Europe and possibly linking with Russia too.I'm pleased to announce that for the first time, we have agreed to develop a missile defense capability that's strong enough to cover all NATO European territory and populations, as well as the United States, Obama said after a first session of the two-day NATO summit in Lisbon.Russia had been fiercely critical of US missile defence plans, seeing them as a direct threat to its nuclear deterrent.But the 28 NATO powers hope President Dmitry Medvedev can be won over in discussions with the alliance on Saturday, the first encounter at this level since Moscow waged a war in Georgia in 2008.NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he expects Russia and the Allies to begin a joint study of Russia's possible inclusion in the missile defence system, which would be a significant softening of Moscow's position.In a strategic concept released Friday setting out NATO priorities for the next decade, the leaders agreed to develop the capability to defend our populations and territories against ballistic missile attack as a core element of our collective defence.We will actively seek cooperation on missile defence with Russia and other Euro-Atlantic partners,they said. Leaders were to discuss the plan in more detail over dinner.

Obama also rallied European allies to his side in his showdown with the US Senate over the ratification of a key nuclear pact with Russia.The message that I've received since I arrived from my fellow leaders here at NATO could not be clearer: new START will strengthen our alliance and it will strengthen European security, the US leader told reporters.Rasmussen warned that any delay would be damaging to security in Europe.The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (START) -- signed by Medvedev and Obama in Prague in April -- restricts each nation to a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads, a cut of about 30 percent from a limit set in 2002.The broad agreement on the missile shield marks a significant advance for Obama's scheme, first announced in November 2009 when he ditched plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe, the cause of a Cold War-style row with Russia.Obama decided to replace the shield, the brainchild of US former president George W. Bush, with a more mobile system targeting Iranian short-range and medium-range missiles, initially using sea-based interceptors.Before leaving Moscow, the Russian party said it was keen to share ideas about common missile defence but played down the chances of a major decision realigning the continent's security.Rasmussen said Russia would likely be invited to link up with the NATO missile umbrella rather than merging its defences with those of the alliance, set up in 1949 to contain the Soviet Union.I think, realistically speaking, we can't start by merging our systems into one common missile defence system, Rasmussen said earlier in the day.I think we should think of two separate systems that cooperate. We could exchange information and data and thereby make the whole system more efficient and give better coverage.In addition to wooing the Russians, NATO allies have tiptoed around Turkey's concerns about its sensitive relations with neighbour Iran.

Diplomats here had been discussing publicly identifying Iran as an emerging missile threat but Turkey had refused to countenance this possibility and Tehran did not figure in the document released here. A reminder of the threat that worries NATO: Iran's Press TV said only on Thursday the country had successfully test fired an upgraded version of a Soviet-era missile with the same capability as the Russian-made S-300 system. But Rasmussen has said there is no point in singling out Iran because more than 30 countries either have or are trying to acquire missiles able to strike NATO territory.

Satellite appears to show NKorea nuke building By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press – Fri Nov 19, 7:06 am ET

SEOUL, South Korea – New satellite images show construction under way at North Korea's main atomic complex, apparent proof that Pyongyang is making good on its pledge to build a nuclear power reactor, according to a private American security institute.North Korea vowed in March to build a light-water reactor using its own nuclear fuel, and two American experts who recently visited the North have reportedly said that construction has begun.Light-water reactors are ostensibly for civilian energy purposes, but the power plant would give the North a reason to enrich uranium. At low levels, uranium can be used in power reactors, but at higher levels it can be used in nuclear bombs. While light-water reactors are considered less prone to misuse than heavy-water reactors, once the process of uranium enrichment is mastered, it is relatively easy to enrich further to weapons-grade levels.North Korea is pursuing an arsenal of atomic weapons, so all its nuclear projects are of intense interest to its neighbors and to the United States. It carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing international condemnation and U.N. sanctions.

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security on Thursday released commercial satellite images from Nov. 4 that show a rectangular structure being built, with at least two cranes visible at the complex. It estimated North Korea was constructing a 25 to 30 megawatt light-water reactor.The institute based its estimate on information from the recent trip to Yongbyon by Siegfried Hecker, former director of the U.S. Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, and Jack Pritchard, a former U.S. envoy for negotiations with North Korea.It said Hecker told the institute that the new construction seen in the satellite imagery is indeed the construction of the experimental light-water reactor.The institute said the amount of low-enriched uranium needed for a 25 to 30 megawatt reactor could vary depending on the design of the reactor and whether it will be optimized for electricity production or weapon-grade plutonium production.South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun said the construction has yet to be verified and that Seoul was monitoring developments at the site and talking with other countries. Kim said any move to build a light-water reactor would violate U.N. resolutions on North Korea aimed at reining in its nuclear programs.The new satellite imagery comes as North Korea presses for the resumption of international nuclear disarmament talks it quit last year. South Korea and the United States have said North Korea must show its sincerity before those talks can continue.

Washington promised the energy-starved North two light-water reactors under a 1994 deal meant to freeze North Korea's plutonium program. The deal, however, collapsed in 2002 when the United States accused North Korea of running a secret uranium enrichment program — a process that would give it a second way to build nuclear bombs in addition to the plutonium program.After seven years of adamant denials, North Korea said last year that it was in the final stages of uranium enrichment.The Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan, reported Thursday that Pyongyang was building a light-water reactor as part of its plan to revive its economy ahead of 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, father of current leader Kim Jong Il.

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)

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

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

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

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

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

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

REVELATION 18:9-11,15-21
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,(NUKE ATTACK I BELIEVE)
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.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
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.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY AMERICAN GOVERNMENT LEADERS DO NOT BELIEVE GODS WORD.BUT THIS DESTRUCTON WILL COME ON AMERICA FOR NOT LISTENING TO GOD AND READING HIS WORD AND OBEYING HIM AND NOT WORSHIPPING THE EARTH AND MONEY INSTEAD.SO WETHER PEOPLE BELIEVE THE BIBLE OR NOT,THIS DESTRUCTION OF NEW YORK AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY OTHER CITIES IN AMERICA WILL BE NUKED BY RUSSIA AFTER A EMP ATTACK FIRST,THEN THE RUSSIAN NUKE SNEAK ATTACK STRIKE.ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

VIDEO
http://rt.com/politics/start-treaty-ratification-duma/

Russian parliament revokes START treaty ratification
Published: 04 November, 2010, 10:42 Edited: 09 November, 2010, 18:18

Russia's State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee has repealed an earlier decision to ratify the latest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the US after the American Senate made around 30 amendments to the original version.­Among them are clauses stipulating that the treaty does not cover deployment of a US missile defense system, or ballistic missiles with conventional warheads.The presidents of Russia and of the US have set the task of synchronizing all procedures concerning the new START treaty. Nevertheless, now we have to speak not only about synchronizing efforts to keep up with the deadlines, but of synchronizing the contents as well, said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee.

Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed the deal in Prague in April. The START deal would see both countries' nuclear arsenals slashed by a third, and the US Secretary of State is calling for the Senate to vote quickly on the treaty.The US president hopes the Senate will approve the historic nuclear arms reduction deal with Moscow by the end of the year.We have negotiated with the Russians significant reductions in our nuclear arms, President Obama told journalists on Thursday. This is something that traditionally has received strong bipartisan support. This is not a traditionally Democratic or Republican issue, but rather an issue of American national security, and I am hopeful we can get that done and send the strong signal to Russia that we are serious about reducing nuclear arsenals.Mikhail Margelov from the Russian Federation Council hopes the current reset in the two countries’ relations will not be affected by the latest developments.There's nothing wrong with our relations with the Republican Party, he said. All the criticism of the Republicans against [the] START re-agreement, for example, was criticism not against Russian position or Russia’s views against START treaty, but against the position of the democratic government during the negotiations and against Obama. I think reset is not in danger.Watch Spotlight program with Mikhail Margelov.

Obama-GOP showdown over nuclear pact with Russia By BEN FELLER, AP White House Correspondent – Thu Nov 18, 6:24 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Insisting the nation's security could be in peril, President Barack Obama rallied former diplomatic and military chiefs from both parties Thursday to pressure reluctant Republican senators to ratify a nuclear weapons deal with Russia. He predicted he would gain the votes this year, though foes gave him little chance of success.The ratification fight is testing both the power of the president and relations between the world's two nuclear giants. Obama set the stakes ominously high, warning of an unchecked Russian nuclear arsenal, undermined credibility of the United States and unraveling global unity about how to contain a rogue Iran.It is a national security imperative, Obama declared from the White House. He surrounded himself in the Roosevelt Room with respected diplomats and military leaders of the modern era, including those from Republican administrations, in an attempt to portray statesmanship rising above politics.Yet key Senate Republicans held their ground, underscoring Obama's difficulty in rescuing one of his foreign policy priorities. It was an early challenge to his political strength, just two weeks after the Republicans handily won the midterm elections.

It was unclear how Obama could muster the 67 votes he needs in the 100-person Senate to win ratification before Congress ends its current wrap-up session. Discussions took place by the hour Thursday, by phone and in private corners.I remain convinced it's too tall a lift to do it in the lame duck session, but everyone's still talking, said Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, whose support is seen as pivotal for his party. Kyl startled the White House with that position earlier in the week, prompting Obama to begin lobbying more publicly and forcefully.The pact would reduce the limits on strategic warheads held by the United States and Russia and would set up a system so each could inspect and verify the other's arsenal. Those points alone are of huge significance to both governments as a matter of mutual security and leadership to a watching world.The broader issue is the strength of the vital U.S.-Russia relationship.Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the treaty months ago. If the Senate balks, the White House believes Russia's cooperation on other difficult issues could erode. In fact, the two presidents have already discussed the likelihood of that.Russia's support is vital to the United States in providing supply help for the war in Afghanistan, strengthening international pressure on Iran over its nuclear intentions and securing nuclear materials around the globe.

On Capitol Hill, Republican opposition is rooted in varying arguments: doubts about the strength of verification procedures, concerns about whether the treaty would limit U.S. missile defense options, skepticism about whether the Senate can squeeze a vote into a packed, final legislative session.Looming over all that is the prospect that Republicans, still basking in election victories, could deny the president a major foreign policy victory.It would be a serious problem if the Senate does not approve the treaty, said John B. Bellinger III, a legal adviser to the State Department and the National Security Council during President George W. Bush's administration. You can certainly understand that every other country in the world, and particularly major powers like China, the next time they are in negotiations with the United States — this will hurt us if they think our negotiators can't make good on their word.One reason Obama is pressing for action so urgently is that there is no assurance the next Senate, which will convene in January with more Republicans, will ratify the pact anytime soon, if at all. At best, a renewed hearing process could take months.In the current Senate, at least eight Republicans would have to join the Democratic bloc of 59 votes for ratification.I'm confident that we should be able to get the votes, Obama said.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., sounded not quite as upbeat, telling reporters: We're going to do our best to get a vote on the START treaty.

Once the newly elected Senate is seated in January, Democrats will need the support of at least 14 Republicans. Suggesting how difficult that would be, 10 of the newly elected Republican senators said Thursday they supported Kyl's call for delay. In a statement, they said the nuclear pact would dramatically reduce the U.S. nuclear deterrent.Still, the White House sees an achievable task in winning over Republicans on grounds of national security. It has already promised a sweetener of more than $4 billion over five years to modernize America's nuclear arsenal, a promise aimed particularly to win Kyl's support.Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., met on Thursday with Kyl, the GOP point man on the treaty, and several other Republican senators whose votes would be critical to ratification, including Bob Corker of Tennessee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi and John Thune of South Dakota. Continued discussions are always helpful, said John McCain of Arizona, top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, who attended the meeting. Thune said he didn't think the Senate should vote on the treaty before the end of the year. There are too many unresolved issues, he said. Nevertheless, he said he expected to hear from administration officials in the coming days as they start to turn up the decibel level.Obama was intent on doing that. He entrusted Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime voice in the Senate, to focus on this issue day and night until it gets done.And, along with summoning some of his own top brass, the president brought in what he called some of the most able statesmen from both parties. They included former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright, James Baker III and Henry Kissinger, former defense secretaries William Perry and William Cohen and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft. This is not a matter that can be delayed, Obama said.Every month that goes by without a treaty means that we are not able to verify what's going on on the ground in Russia. And if we delay indefinitely, American leadership on nonproliferation and America's national security will be weakened.Two potential Republican candidates for president — Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin — both have come out against the pact. As for the public, two-thirds of Americans believe the Senate should ratify the nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll conducted earlier this month. Besides a strong majority of Democrats, supporters include more than six in 10 Republicans. Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Desmond Butler, Lolita C. Baldor, Alan Fram and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this story.

Obama: NATO backs missile defense system, wants U.S.-Russia arms deal
by David Jackson on Nov. 19, 2010, under USA Today News

President Obama said today that NATO allies have agreed to back development of a missile defense system that will protect all of Europe and the United States — one of the issues behind the debate over a proposed arms reduction deal with Russia.The European allies who make up NATO also want ratification of the U.S.-Russian New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty currently hung up in the Senate, Obama told reporters in Lisbon, Portugal.In addition to being a national security imperative for the United States, Obama said, New START will strengthen our (NATO) alliance, and it will strengthen European security.Senate Republicans have balked at ratifying the treaty, in part because of concern about the impact it might have on any U.S. missile defense system.Missile defense is part of the substantial progress made today at the NATO summit in Lisbon, Obama said: For the first time, we’ve agreed to develop a missile defense capability that is strong enough to cover all NATO European territory and populations as well as the United States.GOP members have also questioned Russian aggressiveness toward its neighbors — and Obama met today with the president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili.In addition to building support for the arms reduction treaty, Obama will talk with NATO allies about plans to transfer security for Afghanistan to the Afghans themselves by the year 2014. Obama is scheduled to meet Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.(Posted by David Jackson)2010 USATODAY.com

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Heavy rain and gales spark floods in SW England
– Wed Nov 17, 9:36 am ET

LONDON – Heavy rain and gales sparked floods and landslides in southwest England Wednesday, disrupting travel and trapping people in their homes.Police said they are dealing with a major incident, with flooding in several areas of the coastal county of Cornwall.Devon and Cornwall Police said parts of the towns of St. Austell and St. Blazey were impassable, and people had been trapped in cars and houses.Barry Green, owner of a bakery in the riverside town of Lostwithiel, said floodwaters had risen rapidly.One minute I was making bread, the next I was wading waist high through muddy water, he said.We've had people coming in to help but it's pretty much destroyed the shop.The Maritime and Coastguard agency said two search-and-rescue helicopters had been scrambled to help people trapped in cars, and more emergency workers were on standby amid reports of water 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep in places. There were no immediate reports of injuries.All rail services to Cornwall were suspended after a landslide blocked the line.Cornwall has experienced severe floods before, most recently in 2004, when the town of Boscastle suffered major damage when flash floods sent a wall of water pouring through the streets.

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,(WORLD SOCIALISM) 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

Irish, EU, IMF face marathon talks for loan deal By SHAWN POGATCHNIK and GABRIELE STEINHAUSER, Associated Press - NOV 19,10

DUBLIN – As EU experts dug through the books of Ireland's debt-crippled banks, the question moved from whether Ireland will take an international bailout to under what conditions.On the firing line was Ireland's prized low business tax, which the government says has lured 1,000 multinationals to Ireland over the past decade — but which it may have to give up to satisfy conditions of being rescued.The Irish rescue is the latest act in Europe's yearlong drama to prevent mounting debts and deficits from overwhelming the weakest members of the 16-nation eurozone. Greece was saved from bankruptcy in May, and analysts say Portugal could be next in line after Ireland for an EU-IMF lifeboat.Officials on all sides cautioned that the Dublin talks could stretch into early December, after Ireland gives more clarity on its plans by publishing a four-year outline for slashing euro15 billion ($20.5 billion) from its deficit — forecast this year to reach a stupendous 32 percent of economic output.The Irish government said the plan, to include euro4.5 billion in cuts and euro1.5 billion in new taxes for 2011 alone, will be published by Tuesday — but won't include any change to its 12.5 percent rate of corporate tax, among the lowest in Europe.

Officials in Germany, France, Britain and Austria argue Ireland should be prepared to raise that rate to help pay off its debts. They say it's not fair for Ireland to receive aid from EU partners while simultaneously sticking to a tax policy that amounts to unfair competition.Ireland says the low tax policy is an essential anchor for keeping employers who generate a fifth of Ireland's gross domestic product and provide the healthiest stream of tax revenue. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, speaking ahead of Friday's talks, said the defense of the 12.5 percent rate was a red line that Ireland would not allow the IMF to cross.For Lenihan and Prime Minister Brian Cowen, the low corporate tax is one of the few points of unity with Ireland's opposition Fine Gael party. Giving it up might be the death sentence for Cowen's government, whose approval ratings are languishing at 11 percent.But Ireland's hand has been forced by a recent run on deposits at Irish banks, which are already receiving a minimum euro45 billion bailout. Allied Irish Banks said Friday it has lost a euro13 billion ($18 billion), or 17 percent, of its total deposit base since June. It also announced plans to sell euro6.6 billion ($9.05 billion) in new shares next month — likely taking the government's stake in the bank from 18 percent to more than 90 percent.The European Central Bank has been stemming deposit losses with short-term loans that have ballooned to a reported euro130 billion, a quarter of the ECB's eurozone loan book. But the ECB's unlimited supply of liquidity to banks is likely to end as the central banks continues to phase out its financial crisis support measures, adding pressure on the Irish government.

Ireland's representative on the Frankfurt-based bank, Irish Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan, said Thursday he expects Ireland to receive a credit line worth tens of billions of euro that would serve as a backstop for Irish banks struggling to access funds elsewhere.Critics of Ireland's low tax on business profits say raising it would be the quickest way to increase state income without hurting consumers. According to Eurostat, corporate tax rates in the eurozone average 25.7 percent, and only Cyprus and Bulgaria are lower than Ireland with rates of 10 percent.Germany and France, whose rates stand at 29.8 percent and 34.4 percent respectively, have spent the past decade grumbling as some of their own companies and a disproportionate share of U.S. multinationals choose Ireland as their EU headquarters.There's only one real reason for that, namely the avoidance of taxes, said Markus Ferber, a member of the European Parliament for the German Christian Social Union, part of Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition.Some go even further, saying that the low corporate tax rate was central to Ireland's economic collapse.Ireland has constructed its development strategy for many years not on attracting large-scale corporate investment, but on corporate headquarters activity, said John Christensen, an economist and accountant who heads the Tax Justice Network, an nonprofit that advocates more transparent tax policies.Dublin's beggar-thy-neighbour tax policy is helping large corporations shift profits to tax havens outside Europe, hurting both the Irish government and Europe as a whole, Christensen said.

Irish business lobbyists say it would be crazy for the former Celtic Tiger to increase taxes on foreign investors at the moment when Ireland is shedding domestic jobs and depending on high-tech exporters to lead a recovery. Higher rates would mean less revenue for the state, as investment and jobs have the potential to move to countries outside the EU. This would not be in Irish interests or in the interest of the wider EU, said Danny McCoy, director of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, which represents 7,500 employers. But many more Irish people express disbelief that — in the midst of a crisis caused by Dublin bankers who gambled hundreds of billions on property deals gone bust — the government is bailing out those same banks and defending profits for wealthy multinationals like Microsoft, Intel and Google. The Rev. Sean Healy, a Catholic priest who leads a pressure group called Social Justice Ireland, called the government focus on protecting bondholders and Fortune 500 companies hypocritical and deeply unjust.By taking so many things off the table, the IMF and the government have created a situation where most of the adjustments will be made at the expense of the weak, the sick, the vulnerable and the working poor, Healy said.There were few signs Friday of protest on the streets of Dublin, only private expressions of shock and disgust that Ireland's economy had been mismanaged so badly and fallen so quickly since 2008.There's no point protesting. We've gambled away our sovereignty, and all we can do is try not to make matters worse,said Eamon Delaney, a newspaper vendor. Our own leaders have made such a shambles of it, the IMF crowd will hardly do worse.Steinhauser reported from Brussels.

China takes new step to rein in lending, inflation By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer – Fri Nov 19, 6:58 am ET

BEIJING – China ordered its banks Friday to hold back more money as reserves in a new move to curb lending and rising inflation that communist leaders worry might stir unrest.It was China's second reserve increase in two weeks and came as Beijing tries to restore normal financial conditions following its recovery from the global crisis and cool inflation that surged to a 25-month high in October.Analysts also expect China to announce a second interest rate hike after its surprise Oct. 19 increase but there was no word Friday of any changes in rates.The state-owned banking industry was ordered to set aside an additional 0.5 percent of deposits as reserves, effective Nov. 29. Reserves vary by institution but could be as high as 19 percent for the biggest commercial lenders.Economists say money flooding through the economy from China's stimulus spending and heavy bank lending helped to push inflation to 4.4 percent in October, well above the government's 3 percent target. Politically sensitive food costs jumped more than 10 percent.Poor families in China spend up to half their incomes on food and communist leaders see inflation as a possible trigger of unrest.Regulators worry that excessive lending is fueling overspending on real estate and other assets and might leave banks burdened with unpaid loans if ill-considered projects default.

Friday's order came after China's stock markets closed. Stocks fell this week on investor fears the government might respond to October's inflation by tightening economic controls and further slowing China's growth.China's post-crisis expansion peaked at 11.9 percent in the first quarter of this year and cooled to 9.6 percent in the three months ending in September. The World Bank says next year's economic growth should slow to 8.7 percent.Raising reserve requirements allows Beijing to slow lending growth without increasing costs for borrowers through a rate hike. The government has used such targeted tools to try to restrain housing costs and make other changes while avoiding large rate increases.A rate hike is politically fraught because it increases costs for state companies and heavily indebted finance agencies set up by local governments to use bank loans to invest in infrastructure and real estate projects.Analysts say the modest quarter percentage point rate hike on Oct. 19was meant as a warning to banks to cut back runaway lending.Chinese leaders also worry that higher interest rates will attract inflows of foreign speculative hot money into stocks and real estate. Unauthorized inflows of money meant to profit from China's rebound and a rise in its currency, the yuan, have surged in recent months despite Beijing's moves to tighten capital controls.Chinese central bank (in Chinese): http://www.pbc.gov.cn

Bernanke defends bond-purchase plan, warns China By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer - NOV 19,10

WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hit back at critics, both at home and abroad, who have challenged the central bank's $600 billion bond-purchase program.In a speech in Germany, he argued that Congress must help support the Fed's program with further stimulus aid. And he issued a stern warning to China, saying it and other emerging nations are putting the global economy at risk by keeping their currencies artificially low.Bernanke made the remarks Friday at a banking conference in Frankfurt.Without more stimulus, high unemployment could persist for years, he said. But in making that argument, Bernanke risks heightening complaints that he's plunging the Fed into partisan politics.The Fed's Treasury bond-buying program is intended to invigorate the economy in part by lowering interest rates, lifting stock prices and encouraging more spending. Lower interest rates on loans would prompt companies to borrow and expand.And higher stock prices would boost the wealth and confidence of individuals and businesses, Bernanke has suggested. The additional spending would lift incomes, profits and growth.But the Fed's program has triggered a barrage of criticism both within the United States and abroad.Republican leaders in Congress and some Fed officials are among those who say they doubt the program will help the economy. They also worry it could unleash inflation and lead to speculative buying on Wall Street.

And at a summit of world leaders in South Korea last week, China, Germany, Brazil and other countries complained that the Fed's plan would give U.S. exporters a competitive price edge by flooding world markets with dollars. A weaker dollar makes U.S. goods more attractive to foreign buyers.Emerging economies like Thailand and Indonesia also fear that falling Treasury yields will send money flooding their way in search of higher returns. Such emerging markets could be left vulnerable to a crash if investors later decide to pull out and move their money elsewhere.Still, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet insisted during a panel discussion after Bernanke's speech that he and the Fed chairman strongly share the view that a solid strong dollar ... is very important.The International Monetary Fund's head, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said he believes that wherever it's possible ... the support to growth is still something which is absolutely necessary.

He cited the U.S. as an example, saying the economy could pick up to 4 percent growth or slow to less than 2 percent growth, and the consequences for the rest of the world would be huge. Still, he also said that in general there's a need to restore confidence by tackling debt problems.Because countries are recovering from the severe global recession at different speeds, tensions among nations have risen, making it harder to find global solutions to global problems, Bernanke said. So-called emerging countries like China, Brazil and India are growing at much faster rates than advanced economies like the United States, Japan and Britain.
Insufficiently supportive policies in the United States and other advanced economies could undermine the recovery not only in those economies but for the world as a whole,Bernanke warned.By contrast, China and other emerging economies face the challenge of keeping growth robust, without igniting inflation, he said. By keeping their currencies artificially weak, China and other emerging economies are causing problems for themselves and for the stability of the world economy, Bernanke said.

His comments come days after a U.S. congressional report called on Washington to do more to force China to increase the value of its currency. On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry countered that that constitutes interference in Beijing's internal affairs and accused the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission of having a Cold War mentality and of harboring a grudge against China.Bernanke argued that the Fed's Treasury bond purchases are needed to promote faster job creation and reduce the risk that very low inflation could turn into deflation. Deflation is a prolonged and destabilizing drop in prices of goods and services, wages and the values of assets like stocks or homes. Even so, the Fed's program by itself can't fix all the economy's problems, Bernanke said.We don't want to overpromise, the effects are ... meaningful but moderate, Bernanke said of the Fed's bond-buying program during a panel discussion after his speech.To the extent that we can get help from the private sector, from other policies, I think that's all very constructive, so I hope that we can.He also called on Congress to step up. A fiscal program that combines near-term measures to enhance growth with strong confidence-inducing steps to reduce longer-term structural (budget) deficits would be an important complement to the policies of the Federal Reserve,he said.Bernanke has previously warned that the economy is too fragile for the Congress to slash spending or boost taxes, even as he has made the case that lawmakers and the White House must craft a credible plan to reduce trillion-dollar plus budget deficits over the long term.

But the Fed chief amplified that warning. He is doing so as Republicans in Congress —coming off big wins in the midterm elections — are using their clout to push for less government spending and more fiscal discipline.Republicans are upset with Bernanke because they think the Fed is overstepping its bounds with the bond-buying program. They argue that the Fed is printing money to pay for the government's massive debt.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and incoming House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio had no immediate reaction to Bernanke's request for Congress to step up stimulus aid. Both GOP leaders blasted the Fed's bond-buying program earlier this week.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada also didn't have an immediate response.Republicans Rep. Mike Pence and Sen. Bob Corker, want the Fed's mission to be revamped.They want the Fed to focus solely on keeping inflation in check. It now has a dual mandate from Congress: to keep both inflation and unemployment low. Put on the defensive, Bernanke felt compelled this week to meet privately with lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee to defend the Fed's program. A stream of Bernanke's colleagues have also been out making public appearances to back the Fed's action in recent days. Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Sandra Pianalto, president of the Cleveland Fed, were on the circuit Thursday.Bernanke warned the economic risks are high if Congress doesn't work alongside the Fed to stimulate the economy.

On its current economic trajectory, the United States runs the risk of seeing millions of workers unemployed or underemployed for many years, Bernanke said.As a society, we should find that outcome unacceptable.Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Energy gathering gives fortaste of mini EU-US summit in Lisbon
VALENTINA POP Today NOV 19,10 @ 17:58 CET

EUOBSERVER / LISBON – A mini session between EU and US top foreign policy chiefs and energy officials on Friday (19 November) gave a foretaste of the low-key EU-US summit to be held at the end of the Nato summit in Lisbon.The two women, foreign policy chiefs Catherine Ashton and Hillary Clinton recited their opening statements on the importance of energy security for the EU and the US, in a visible effort to keep a straight face and make the meeting look serious.Flanked by EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she wanted this EU-US energy council to become a regular meeting and to link foreign policy to energy security and regulatory regimes for energy saving and eco-friendly technologies.For her part, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton expressed her hope that we'll come out with an agenda and practical steps we can work on - ranging from energy diplomacy in Central Asia and Iraq to helping Ukraine in becoming a more reliant energy partner of the EU" and in developing common standards for smart grids and electric cars on both sides of the Atlantic.The lack of concrete results out of the meeting is likely to be repeated on Saturday when US President Barack Obama meets with EU's two figureheads Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, representing member states and the EU commission, respectively.Washington however is in an apparent drive to mend ties with the Brussels machinery, after Mr Obama earlier this year bluntly refused an invitation by the then Spanish EU presidency to come to an EU-US summit in Madrid.You can't judge a relationship by the summitry between the two sides, US ambassador to the EU William Kennard told journalists in Lisbon on Friday, in a bid to fend off criticism that the EU-US meeting is a minor appendix to the impressive to the large-scale Nato summit.

He argued it was not fair to compare a multi-lateral summit of 28 states who are fighting a war together with the EU-US meeting, which was a bilateral one. When you have two heads of state meeting, you don't need one and a half days, like the Nato summit,Mr Kennard explained.The relationship between the US and the EU is very deep and complex, we have many ministerial meetings and some 1,000 US government visitors a year, he insisted.The Obama-Barroso-Van Rompuy meeting is likely to focus on the terrorism threat in Europe after the Yemeni and Greek bombs shipped via air mail which saw Germany increase its security measures this week.A special taskforce on cybersecurity is likely to be the main concrete outcome of the meeting, looking at ways to secure company and private data and from having personal computers hijacked and used to mount cyber attacks. This effort will run in parallel to Nato's own cyber defence activities, which are mainly aimed at securing military networks.
Economy and jobs – probably also touching upon the troubles of the eurozone with the Irish and potentially Portuguese bail-out in the making – are also on the the agenda.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded

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

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

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

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

Nato to unveil new goals for austerity-hobbled alliance
VALENTINA POP Today NOV 19,10 @ 09:25 CET

EUOBSERVER / LISBON – Nato leaders meeting in Lisbon on Friday (19 November) and Saturday are to update the alliance's strategy to deal with modern threats and to massage ties with Russia, while trying to put a positive spin on the lack of resources for the military organisation in an era of austerity cuts.Advertised by its secretary general as one of the most important summits in Nato history,the two-day meeting aims to modernise a now 10-year-old strategic concept to include new threats such as cyber attacks and ballistic missiles. Agreement on a Nato-wide anti-missile shield is also expected, as well as friendly statements from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who will join Nato leaders on Saturday.Cutting fat, while building muscle, - a catchphrase coined by Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, will see leaders endorse cuts to redundant structures and some command centres. The expected haggling over which country is is to give up one or two of its Nato commands, whose costs they can deduct from the national contribution to the alliance, will be postponed for next year. Despite all the goodwill and slogans, Nato countries are at bottom divided over what the alliance should stand for, while defence cuts across Europe are being put in place without any apparent consultation of other Nato partners, experts and politicians say.

The new threats and challenges don't exclude the old ones, unfortunately. And there is not only the fat or muscle as an alternative, but brain and will as well, Lithuanian conservative MEP Vytautas Landsbergis told this website.A former president of post-Soviet Lithuania, Mr Landsbergis warned that it would be a mistake to appease Russia by declaring that it is not an enemy even while Nato countries continue to be treated as enemies by Moscow.Russia's leadership wants to get into a position where European states consider that any decision about security challenges would be impossible without Russia - which means a veto right on any Nato enlargement and also a refusal to define the threats by Nato alone, he said. It looks like negotiations of chicken with foxes, where Russia wants be given all it wishes with no reset from its side.Scepticism at the content of the renewed Nato-Russia relations was echoed from Washington as well.There are so many elements in Nato-Russia relations – there are the central European states, western European ones, then there is the US and Canada. I don't see that there was enough discussion to have a commonly agreed and understood relationship with Russia, Daniel Fata, a defence expert with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a Washington-based think-tank, and a former Pentagon official, told EUobserver. I'm concerned that the alliance at large is not ready to unveil a true Strategic Concept.

In Mr Fata's view, the war in Afghanistan - Nato's current flagship mission - has not demonstrated on the ground that the alliance can successfully conduct an operation abroad. Focusing the Strategic Concept on expeditionary forces as the way forward for Nato – meaning highly-skilled and quickly deployable troops for missions abroad - may be completely wrong, he argues.With the austerity measures pressing governments to reduce defence spending even further below the 2 percent of GDP recommended by Nato, it is unlikely that the military organisation will be able to do more with less, as advertised, Mr Fata predicted: Instead, it will be less with less. He urged Nato's Allied Command Transformation to be more involved in co-rdinatig Nato members' cutbacks. In what may be seen as a bad omen for the two-day summit, Portugal's chief of defence intelligence announced his resignation on Thursday (18 November), with local media reporting that he was angry at the planned defence spending reductions for next year, as the government tries to halve the budget deficit and avoid a Greek and Irish-style bailout.According to Diario de Noticias, seven Portuguese spy stations, including ones in Madrid, Brussels and Cairo, would be shut, while the intelligence service's budget will be reduced by €1 million. Overall, Portugal's defence budget is to be slashed by 11 percent.In Britain, senior military officials are also disgruntled about announced defence spending cuts by 20 percent. According to a classified defence ministry document published by the Daily Telegraph, the cuts were not properly prepared, Nato allies were not notified and they have badly damaged the confidence and morale of the armed forces.

EARTH WORSHIP

DEUTERONOMY 17:3-4
3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

2 KINGS 23:5
5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

Smart grids line up in fight against climate change
ANDREW WILLIS Today NOV 19,10 @ 09:26 CET

EUOBSERVER / SAN FRANCISCO - Smart grids are increasingly seen as a crucial weapon in the world's fight against climate change, with the EU among those rallying behind the new technology. With global energy consumption set to rise dramatically over the next fifteen years, not least as an additional 350 million Chinese citizens move into cities, the need to use electricity more efficiently has never been higher, say industry experts.Smart grids are a lot about empowering us to engage with energy, says Scott Lang, CEO of SilverSpring Networks, a California-based company leading the way in developing technology that allows customers to view their electricity usage at any given point, including from individual appliances. While this enables households to cut bills by using energy-consuming devices at low-rate times of day, it also enables utility companies to cut peak-time demand and avoid costly blackouts.The need for a better alignment between supply and demand is also being driven by renewable energies and the forecast rise in plug-in electric cars, already in evidence on the roads around Silicon Valley.While [American inventor] Thomas Edison's model was very successful at creating centralised power stations a hundred years ago, we still haven't cracked the code on storing electricity, said Mr Lang, whose company seeks to link households and utility companies via a web of external wireless devices, smart meters and software.

During one pilot study using the technology in Oklahoma, electricity customers cut peak usage by 20 percent and made average monthly savings of $37.The system's reliance on internet technology has sparked fears of hacking and data abuse, but governments around the world appear to be jumping on board.Smart grid technologies are needed to allow for a cost-effective evolution towards a decarbonised power system, declared European Commission proposals published on Wednesday (17 November) as part of the bloc's 2020 energy plan.[They allow] for the management of vast amounts of renewable on-shore and off-shore energy, while maintaining availability for conventional power generation and power system adequacy,continued the document.

Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and the UK are member states where smart grid projects are already underway.With so much interest, it is little wonder that IT giant Google is investing in the new technology, recently developing its own Google Power Meter - a free software programme which allows electricity users to monitor their real-time energy use.The programme is only available to households whose electricity provider has an agreement with Google, currently only First Utility (UK) and Yello Strom (Germany) in Europe.But there are plans for expansion.Today we have about a dozen utility partners around the world and we are looking at how to grow this space and grow the whole ecosystem,said Google energy czar Bill Weihl.

Van Rompuy rows back from EU survival crisis remarks
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today NOV 19,10 @ 09:29 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy has rowed back from his strong words from Tuesday (16 November) over the survival crisis of the euro and the European Union, saying his words had been misinterpreted.On Thursday, speaking to a group of politicians from the centre-right European People's Party in the European capital, he said: A reference to the survival crisis of the spring ... was wrongly interpreted as also referring to the present situation. Everybody in the audience who listened carefully to my words, was surprised by reactions afterwards.

A radical declaration from a cautious man would really have been a surprise.Earlier in the week, the European president had shocked commentators and the markets when he told a Brussels think-tank audience: We're in a survival crisis, adding that if the eurozone does not survive, neither would the EU.We all have to work together in order to survive with the eurozone, because if we don't survive with the euro zone we will not survive with the European Union, he said at the time. But I'm very confident we will overcome this.In the wake of the flurry of concerned reaction he had not expected, he was eager to put minds at ease on Thursday.The euro is the most visible and the most palpable sign of the European common destiny. What happens with pensions or debt in one country, may affect the economy in another country. In good times and in bad times,he said.As I said in Berlin last week: Until one year ago, all this was just knowledge – theoretical. This spring, it became an experience – unforgettable. Now, we have to act upon the fact – responsibly.And, that's exactly what we are doing. We are drawing the lessons from the spring crisis ... We established a safety net for those countries in need, linked to a strong conditionality [and] ... We agreed on a new model of economic governance in order to avoid the problems of the past.This is a real breakthrough.He stressed that despite the recent fluctuations in the market concerning the debt considerations of Ireland and Portugal, the euro and the wider European Union are in safe hands.Economic growth in the Eurozone is much more stronger than most of us thought. The projected growth rate doubled in six months - from around 1 percent to 1,8 percent.

Of course we have differentiated growth inside the Eurozone, due to the robust austerity and reform measures in some countries, but these differences can be temporary. We draw the lessons from the 1930s so that the recession did not turn into a lasting depression. The quality of economic policy is now much better than 80 years ago.He also criticised doom-sayers following his earlier remarks.Many observers have underestimated and continue to underestimate the political determination of the leaders and of the countries, to safeguard their currency.The fundamentals of the eurozone are sound: low inflation, an balanced current account, and, again, respectable economic growth.

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

Ashton finalising six more top appointments
ANDREW RETTMAN 17.11.2010 @ 23:10 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton is expected to fill at least six more top posts in the European External Action Service (EEAS) by the end of the month, following the nomination on Tuesday (16 November) of a Swede to chair the Political and Security Committee (PSC).Olof Skoog, a 48-year-old Swedish diplomat who came to Brussels in 2007 after postings in Havana, Vienna, New York, Bogota and Stockholm, will chair the meetings and set the agenda of the PSC on behalf of Ms Ashton for the next five years. The PSC brings together 27 EU member state ambassadors at least once a week to thrash out compromises on EU foreign and security policy. It is also the bloc's first port of call in the event of an unforeseen international crisis and works closely with the the Joint Situation Centre (SitCen), the Union's intelligence-sharing bureau in Brussels.The main task of this committee is to build consensus among the 27 member states on foreign policy, while at the same time keeping a very high level of ambition. Each member state has a veto, so you can easily fall back on the lowest common denominator. But the real challenge is to produce clear, credible and pro-active results,Mr Skoog told EUobserver.An EU diplomatic source added: He had huge support - he's very highly rated and liked by his colleagues, so she accelerated this appointment.The rest of the EEAS top cadre, the six so-called managing directors of the service's geographical and thematic departments, is expected to be announced in one package before 1 December, the official launch date of the new corps. In other outstanding appointments, Ms Ashton is to name her envoy to Geneva in the next few days. The nomination of the new head of SitCen and the EU ambassadors to Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil and Iraq might wait until early 2011.The EEAS chief is currently conducting final interviews for the six managing director posts, with 27 screenings held in the past week alone.Speculation favours Slovak foreign minister and former EU Special Representative to Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak to take charge of the section dealing with post-Soviet countries and the Western Balkans. French-origin European Commission official Hugues Mingarelli is tipped to run the Africa department. Swedish commission official Christian Leffler is favoured for the Middle East and Mediterranean rim branch. Spanish commission official Tomas Dupla del Moral is being talked about for the Asia or Americas portfolio.

The SitCen post is expected to go to Ilkka Salmi, the 42-year-old head of the Finnish secret service, the Suojelupoliisin. Finland has the advantage of being a neutral country, historically speaking. They are also neighbours with Russia, so they have experience on the hard side of intelligence and counter-intelligence, a contact in the EU institutions said.Opinion is divided as to whether the nominations are being made primarily on merit or political considerations.They are saying that if you do well in the interviews ... you can get the job. That she's really looking for skills, an EU diplomat said. The nominations were sewn up weeks ago, another diplomatic source said.Messrs Dupla del Moral, Leffler and Mingarelli have applied wearing their commission hats rather than their national ones. Two-thirds of the EEAS cadre have to come from the EU institutions under a deal with the EU parliament.The final EEAS line-up would cater for all the big EU countries except Italy. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, the Netherlands and Romania would stand out as mid-sized countries which missed out.Belgium and Portugal have Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, however. Denmark has its man as head of Nato. And a Dutch general recently took charge of the EU Military Staff.The Belgian EU presidency and Ms Ashton had hoped that all 30-or-so EU Council working groups dealing with foreign policy, such as the PSC, would be handed over to permanent EEAS chairmen by the end of the year. But with the clock ticking, only a handful of the most active groups - on Africa, Asia, post-Soviet countries, the Western Balkans and the three groups which prepare PSC meetings - is likely to make the switch in time.

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 (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

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.

Gaza Terrorists Fire on Ofakim
by Maayana Miskin NOV 19,10

Gaza-based terrorists fired a Grad rocket at the southern Israel town of Ofakim on Friday morning. The rocket hit an open field near the city; no injuries were reported.The attack was the first Grad rocket shooting in the Ofakim region since the end of the Cast Lead counterterror operation in Gaza in early 2009.On Thursday night, terrorists fired a short-range Kassam rocket at the Eshkol region. No injuries were reported. A third rocket was fired on Friday morning, but apparently landed within Gaza.Avner Mori, head of the Merchavim regional council in which Ofakim is located, said the attack is a reminder to us all that peace has not yet come to our region, and the government of Israel must take immediate steps to protect those who live here.On Wednesday, the Al-Qaeda inspired Gaza-based terrorist group Army of Islam vowed revenge on Israel after troops killed two senior terrorists who were plotting attacks on Israelis in the Sinai Peninsula. The two terrorists, Islam Yassin and Jamal a-Nahmnam, were both killed while driving in Gaza City.The Army of Islam is an increasingly popular Salafi terrorist group that wishes to see Gaza run by Sharia (Muslim law). Army of Islam fighters have occasionally clashed with Hamas, which has instituted sharia law in Gaza, but only partially.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)

Obama says NATO leaders back him on START treaty By JULIE PACE, Associated Press - NOV 19,10

LISBON, Portugal – President Barack Obama said he got a clear message from NATO leaders Friday on the stalled nuclear treaty with Russia: It would strengthen alliances and increase European security.Obama is in Lisbon for a NATO summit while back home his administration is working overtime to rescue the START weapons deal, which hit roadblocks this week when a key Republican senator withdrew his support for passing it this year.The pact would reduce the limits on strategic warheads held by the United States and Russia and would establish an inspection system. It would be a major setback for Obama if he's unable to get it ratified by the Senate after inking it with Russia's president earlier this year.Obama is seeking to rally support from world leaders for the pact as a way of pressuring balky senators back home. The president called the deal a national security imperative for the United States but said he's heard from leaders of European nations that it's crucial to their security as well.The message that I've received since I've arrived from my fellow leaders here at NATO could not be clearer: New START will strengthen our alliance and it will strengthen European security, Obama told reporters in Lisbon. Nobody is more aware of the need for a strong secure and Democratic Europe than our Eastern and Central European allies.The president cited comments from the foreign minister of Poland in support of the treaty and said, We know that failure to ratify and move forward with New START will put at risk the substantial progress that has been made in advancing our nuclear security and our partnership with Russia on behalf of global security.Deputy National Security adviser Ben Rhodes said the White House anticipates other world leaders making statements during the NATO meetings in support of the ratification of START. Rhodes said Obama spoke with several foreign leaders here Friday regarding START, including a good conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

There will be a meeting between NATO leaders and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday.Back in Washington the treaty's fate is uncertain during Congress' current lame-duck session after Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the lead GOP negotiator, said more time was needed before approving it this year.The treaty needs 67 votes. In the current Senate, that means at least eight Republicans would have to join the Democratic bloc of 59 votes for ratification; if it's pushed until after the new Congress is sworn in in January, support from 14 Republicans would be required.

Young Israel Slams Critical U.S. Report
by Israel News staff NOV 19,10

The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) has condemned a U.S. State Department report that criticizes Israel for alleged religious discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox Jews. The report put Israel in the same category as Afghanistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iran in terms of religious freedom.Although Israel was established as a Jewish State in 1948, it has spent the past six decades actively encouraging and facilitating freedom of religion for all of its citizens, said NCYI President Shlomo Mostofsky. Equating Israel, the United States' sole democratic ally in the Middle East region, with rogue nations that actively suppress the free exercise of religion is unjust and uncalled for.The State Department report acknowledged that, government policy contributed to the generally free practice of religion, but claimed, governmental and legal discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism continued.Among the policies the report cited as examples of religious discrimination were the fact that the Law of Return, under which Jews can receive Israeli citizenship, does not apply to Jews who have converted to another religion, and the fact that the Rabbinate recognizes conversions to Judaism only if they are performed according to traditional Torah law. The report did not note that changing that policy is reverse discrimination against those who adhere to Jewish law.The Israeli courts have consistently focused on the importance of protecting freedom of religion for its citizenry,countered Mostofsky.

The report also claimed that Israel fails to protect non-Jewish holy sites, a claim INN and Mostofsky dismissed as completely false. Despite constant security concerns that warrant the implementation of certain protective measures in order to properly protect the public, Israel continues to provide unfettered access to holy sites of all religions, and the religious beliefs of Christians, Muslims, and Jews are not encumbered in any way. Israel should be commended for its high level of religious tolerance, not condemned.The report failed to note, as INN reported, that Government security forces often prevent Jews from even approaching the Temple Mount, and numerous Jews have been arrested -- including a young bride and her father at one point -- for infractions as spurious as simply moving their lips on the site, because the area has been designated an official holy site for Muslims, where the Al-Aqsa mosque is located.All Islamic sites are controlled by the Waqf, also known as the Islamic Religious Authority – due to the preference of the imams themselves, and under a special arrangement. Much damage has been caused and thousands of priceless artifacts from the First and Second Temple eras have been destroyed due to damage caused by construction near the Dome of the Rock mosque – which rests on the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Holy of Holies is located -- authorized by the Waqf.
Likewise the churches, which each fall under the authority of their own religious groups. For example, the Vatican controls its own churches, convents and monasteries, and even other properties. Israel has been involved in delicate talks with the Vatican over the issue of sovereignty of some 21 disputed properties in the Land of Israel for more than 11 years – and in fact, the Holy See has not even paid taxes on most of the properties Mostofsky also questioned the logic of the United States criticizing Israel's practices at a time when the American government is actively soliciting Israel's assistance in peace talks in the Middle East region.

The United States has publicly reprimanded Israel for unveiling plans to build much-needed housing units because of fear that it would negatively impact possible peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, yet, at the same time, the U.S. State Department has no qualms about wrongly censuring Israel when it comes to alleged fallacies in the level of its religious tolerance,said Mostofsky.The United States cannot reasonably expect Israel to accede to its every demand if it is going to weaken the American-Israeli bond with baseless allegations that undermine the Israeli government and undercut the religious tolerance that it works diligently to promote.(IsraelNationalNews.com)

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

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

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

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

DANIEL 11:21-23
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

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

Rabbis: Construction Freeze is Forbidden Like Bloodshed
by Elad Benari NOV 19,10

Heads of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace have begun rapidly collecting signatures of rabbis of cities and neighborhoods throughout Israel on a ruling forbidding any construction freeze in Judea and Samaria and calling such a freeze bloodshed.RCP heads Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, Rabbi of Central Tel Aviv and Rabbi Moshe Havlin, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Gat, explained that the ruling is not a new one but rather one that can be found in the Shulchan Aruch, the written Halacha manual written by Rabbi Joseph Caro during the 16th century.The Halacha determines that any waiver or consent to appeal Israel’s ownership of a community is considered Pikuach Nefesh and in order to avoid it is even permitted to desecrate Shabbat, explained the rabbis, and added that the Halacha predicted precisely everything that has happened in front of our very eyes during the last few years, when it determined that any negotiation or waiver on regarding Israel’s stand on its ownership of its land, will immediately cause an increase in the enemy’s demands, encourage the murder of Jews, and increase world pressure on Israel.RCP Secretary General Rabbi Avraham Levin said: I hold in my hands a copy of a letter sent by the RCP to the Prime Minister a year and a half ago, in which we warned him that the construction freeze is a disaster and that no international factor would agree to resume construction after 12 months, but that the opposite would occur and the pressure would only increase. We are not proud of the fact that our prediction was right. Any reasonable person could have foreseen the outcome, just as no one is deluding himself that at the end of the three-month additional freeze, the world's opposition to Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, and even in Jerusalem, will be removed.The rabbis plan to hand the signed ruling to the Prime Minister and to each of the Knesset’s ministers, as well as to publish it in all the large newspapers.

Meanwhile, as the vote on the freeze nears, it was reported on Thursday that tensions are very high in the Land of Israel camp, as nationalists said they are not being allowed to meet with Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, who will determine whether and how the Shas party ministers will vote.It appears as though the hinges on the votes of Shas party ministers Eli Yishai and Ariel Attias. They appear likely to abstain which would give Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a majority for his freeze proposal.The grassroots Mattot Arim organization, meanwhile, called on the public to call, fax or email not only the Shas ministers, but also Ministers Gideon Saar and Yuval Steinitz, who are believed to be seriously considering voting in favor of the freeze.(IsraelNationalNews.com)

Upping the Anti: CERN Physicists Trap Antimatter Atoms for the First Time
Antihydrogen has been produced before, but it must be corralled for detailed physical study By John Matson |November 17, 2010 | 12

LAYING A TRAP: A fish-eye view of the ALPHA experiment at CERN, where anti-atoms have been created and trapped.Image: Courtesy Maximilien Brice/CERN

It is the stuff that both science fiction and a good part of author Dan Brown's fortune are made of—antimatter.A research group at CERN, the European lab for particle physics in Geneva, has managed for the first time to confine atoms of the stuff. Fleeting antimatter atoms have been produced in the lab for years, but until now the ability to trap the elusive atoms for detailed study has been out of reach. (The confined amounts of antimatter are many orders of magnitude smaller than that swiped from CERN by insidious plotters in Brown's Angels & Demons.)The new advance, published online November 17 in Nature by the ALPHA Collaboration experiment at CERN, is only a proof of principle—the anti-atoms have only been confined for less than two tenths of a second—but the research could set the stage for a new round of fundamental physics tests. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.)

The ALPHA group mixed antiparticles in a vacuum trap to create atoms of antihydrogen, then held on to them briefly in the trap before turning them loose. Antimatter annihilates on contact with ordinary matter, so the anti-atoms disappear in a shower of secondary particles, known as pions, when they hit the walls of the trap. By tracking those annihilation products, the physicists conclude that they succeeded in producing, trapping and then releasing a few dozen atoms of antihydrogen.Neutral hydrogen is made up of one proton and one electron; antihydrogen is composed of the corresponding antiparticles, the antiproton and the antielectron. The component antiparticles that make up an anti-atom are not on their own terribly exotic. Antielectrons, also known as positrons, are in wide use in PET (positron emission tomography) scanners. And antiprotons have been produced and accelerated to high energies for smashups in particle colliders for decades.But marrying an antielectron to an antiproton to form a bound antimatter counterpart to the hydrogen atom was not achieved until the mid-1990s. And those early anti-atoms, produced at CERN and at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the U.S., were hot, zipping along near the speed of light. The difficulty of corralling anti-atoms with such potent kinetic energies led groups to pursue cold antimatter that could more easily be confined and studied.I was never too worried about producing antihydrogen, but holding on to it is another thing entirely, says ALPHA spokesperson Jeffrey Hangst, a physicist at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. We're kind of overjoyed, to put it mildly, that this is working so well.

The challenge in confining antihydrogen, besides the fact that it annihilates on contact, is that it is electrically neutral, so the same traps that can be used to steer and confine the charged antiparticles are useless once those antiparticles bind together into an atom. On the bright side, the physicists can sweep the trap with applied electric fields after mixing the antiparticles to clear out any antiprotons and antielectrons that have not been bound into atoms of antihydrogen. It's neutral, and so it's very difficult to influence in any way, but it still has a magnetic moment, Hangst says. You can think of it as a little compass needle that responds to external magnetic fields.With superconducting magnets, Hangst's group was able to manipulate the neutral anti-atoms, trapping them—however briefly—before switching off the magnets to let the antimatter wander off and reveal itself through annihilation. Key to detecting those confined anti-atoms was the development of superconducting magnets that can be shut off almost instantaneously, allowing the researchers to look for pions from matter–antimatter annihilations in a span of just 30 milliseconds. The detectors are struck regularly by cosmic rays, which can mimic the annihilation signal, so narrowing the window of time in which matter–antimatter annihilations should be taking place significantly reduces the background noise the physicists must sift through to identify genuine annihilation events.The 38 annihilation signals detected by ALPHA were well above the expected background of 1.4 occurrences, strongly indicating that antihydrogen atoms were indeed slamming into the trap walls after being released from confinement. I'm convinced that they have succeeded in trapping some antihydrogen atoms, says Fermilab physicist David Christian. That's a big milestone in their experimental program.

If the proof of principle leads to more robust trapping of anti-atoms, researchers could test a number of long-standing theories for how antimatter should behave. For instance, all indications are that gravity should act on antihydrogen just as it acts on hydrogen, but empirical tests are not yet feasible. There are lots of arguments why it should behave exactly as matter, but they are just arguments, says theoretical physicist Michael Nieto of Los Alamos National Laboratory.Physicists would also like to study anti-atoms with laser spectroscopy to probe their energy level structure; according to fundamental physics theories antihydrogen should have the same spectrum as ordinary hydrogen. Any detected deviation would be a huge thing, Christian says. Whether or not they can do the spectroscopy is still a few steps off, but they've come a long way. As a ballpark figure, Hangst says researchers might need to confine 100 anti-atoms on a timescale of seconds to probe their structure. He notes that ongoing work to improve the trapped lifetime of the anti-atoms is coming along very well.Meanwhile, a competing group at CERN, known as ATRAP, has been proceeding apace with their own cold antihydrogen program. Harvard University physicist Gerald Gabrielse, the ATRAP spokesperson, says he is delighted by the new announcement but that his group is taking a slightly different tack. We have been focusing almost entirely of late on producing much colder antiproton plasmas that contain many more particles,Gabrielse says. The hope is that with these we can make many more antihydrogen atoms that are cold enough to be trapped for the longer times needed for laser spectroscopy.

46% ENERGY PRICE HIKES IN 5YRS---OUCHHHHH

Thursday, November 18, 2010 Expect a 46% hydro rate hike
By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, Queen’s Park Bureau Chief November 18, 2010 1:39pm

Residential electricity prices will rise by 46% over the next five years, but be offset by a new 10% hydro benefit, the McGuinty government says.The province’s fall economic statement says there are two reasons for the growing bills - the move to pricier but cleaner energy like solar and wind and an investment in electricity infrastructure and generation.While absolutely necessary, these investments are increasing electricity costs, the statement says.The government will introduce an Ontario Clean Energy Benefit as of Jan. 1 that will reduce the bills of eligible residental farm and small business consumers by 10% a month for the next five years.

The 10% comes off the entire bill, not just rates, and includes the distribution and harmonized sales tax. Rates will continue to rise.All homeowners, including those who purchased energy price plans, are eligible. The average family would save about $150 a year, the government says.Businesses that use 250,000 kWh a year or less also get the hydro price cut saving about $1,716 a year, and farms would save about $2,052a year Premier Dalton McGuinty said in the Legislature that Ontarians will view this break as good news in economically challenging times.Tory MPP Peter Shurman said the government’s decision is behaving like a guy deeply in debt who spends $50 he finds in a jacket pocket on beer with his buddies.PC Leader Tim Hudak has called for the government to wrap up the debt repayment charge on the hydro bills, and to rethink its Green Energy Act which he argues is social rather than economic policy.NDP MPP Andrea Horwath has been campaigning to get the government to remove the provincial portion of the HST from hydro bills, which adds 8% to the bill.

The fall economic statement puts the size of the provincial deficit this year at $18.7 billion, less than projected in the government’s spring budget.Tory MPP Norm Miller said Thursday that the Liberal government’s economic plan will leave a legacy debt of $20,000 per Ontarian.Miller said Ontario under the Liberals has under performed economically compared to other provinces, and has been shedding well-paying private sector manufacturing jobs by the tens of thousands.McGuinty said that Ontarians understand that the economic difficulties began outside the province with a world-wide recession, and that his government’s stimulus spending has built bridges and roads, schools, court houses and hospitals across the province while creating 300,000 jobs.Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, said the government should be offering citizens grants and loans to make their homes more energy efficient.I think the most appropriate long-term solution to rising hydro rates is an aggressive energy efficiency and conservation plan because it saves us money today, tomorrow and 10 years from now,Schreiner said.Otherwise, we’re just going to be creating more debt.

Greek PM says it at last: carbon taxes are just another way to raise revenue
Janet Daley Telegraph November 17, 2010

George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister has said that there may need to be new Europe-wide forms of taxation to help pay for the bail-outs that will be needed by the growing number of crashing economies in the euro-zone. His suggestions include carbon dioxide taxes which, he says, could provide important revenues and resouces for funding such a [bail-out] mechanism.I’ve never actually heard a major politician (let alone a national leader) admit this before: what Mr Papandreou is saying is that carbon taxes would have not have the effect of reducing emissions – because if they did, they would be useless as an additional form of revenue. All the hokum that is talked about protecting the planet by taxing carbon use is just a front for the real purpose of such penalties on industry and consumers which is to raise more money for governments to spend (in this case, on trying to remedy their own political follies).

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,(WORLD SOCIALISM) 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/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS FRI NOV 19,2010

09:30 AM -2.43
10:00 AM -54.76
10:30 AM -55.33
11:00 AM -20.25
11:30 AM -8.67
12:00 PM -16.05
12:30 PM -16.88
01:00 PM -10.33
01:30 PM -8.86
02:00 PM -12.34
02:30 PM +2.16
03:00 PM +3.72
03:30 PM -3.94
04:00 PM +22.32 11,203.55

S&P 500 1199.73 +3.04

NASDAQ 2518.12 +3.72

GOLD 1,352.90 -0.10

OIL 81.51 -0.25

TSE 300 12,956.30 +86.30

CDNX 1996.01 +8.38

S&P/TSX/60 743.22 +5.63

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -17 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -61 points at low today.
Dow +3 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,345.50.OIL opens at $81.47 today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -61 points at low today so far.
Dow +3 points at high today so far.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -615 points at low today.
Dow +3 points at high today.

GOLD ALLTIME HIGH $1,423.20 (NOT AT CLOSE)

RON PAUL ON SCANNERS
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-unleashes-on-tsa-enough-is-enough/

http://www.infowars.com/da-now-sending-deputies-to-sf-airport-to-investigate-felony-groping/
DA Now Sending Deputies to SF Airport to Investigate Felony Groping
Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com November 18, 2010
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7793393

Appearing on the Alex Jones Show today, current chief deputy DA and incoming DA of San Mateo County Steve Wagstaffe said his office will prosecute TSA employees who engage in lewd and lascivious behavior while conducting Homeland Security mandated patdowns at the San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo County.Current chief deputy DA and incoming DA of San Mateo County Steve Wagstaffe on the Alex Jones Show.The case would be reviewed and if we could prove the elements of it, that it was inappropriately done with a sexual or lewd intent, that person would be prosecuted,Wagstaffe told the Berman Post on Tuesday.News report on San Mateo County DA announcing his office will arrest and prosecute TSA for sexual molestation.

Wagstaffe told Alex Jones that county police will be sent to into the San Francisco International Airport. If they witness TSA employees engaged in criminal conduct, they will make arrests and the DA’s office will prosecute. Sexual battery in Mateo County is a felony if the molestation occurs beneath clothing and makes contact with skin and a misdemeanor if the touching occurs outside clothing.The new government mandated hands-on searches are used for passengers who find naked body inappropriate, when something suspicious appears in screening, or randomly. They can take two minutes per passenger and involve sliding of the hands along the length of the body, along thighs and near the groin and breasts, according to the Associated Press.In addition, a district attorney in the county south of San Mateo, Santa Clara, told Wagstaffe his office will also prosecute TSA employees for inappropriate sexual behavior at the San Jose International Airport.Since the new search procedures went into effect, the web has exploded in opposition to naked body scanners and intrusive patdowns. Reports posted by the The Drudge Report, Infowars.com, and Prison Planet.com have gone viral on the internet and forced the mainstream corporate media to cover the issue.

Nationwide outrage against the TSA is not only bringing to light new cases of airport abuse, it’s throwing fresh attention on previous incidents that have been going on for years,Paul Joseph Watson wrote on Wednesday. Watson notes several lawsuits initiated against the TSA, including one connected to a 2008 incident at the Corpus Christi airport where the TSA exposed a young woman’s breasts.Coverage of TSA groping and public outrage has resulted in airports around the country reconsidering the procedures.Earlier today, Orlando Sanford International Airport decided to opt out from TSA screening. Larry Dale, the director of the Sanford Airport Authority in Florida, said he will send a letter requesting to opt out from TSA screening, and instead the airport will choose one of the five approved private screening companies to take over, according to central Florida’s WDBO.The outcry is huge,Texas Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison told the TSA administrator, John Pistole, at a Capitol Hill hearing yesterday.I know that you’re aware of it. But we’ve got to see some action.I’m not going to change those policies,Pistole promised.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4lyQFwCzTI&feature=player_embedded
DHS Source: TSA Infuriated With Coverage Of Nationwide Backlash
Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com November 17, 2010
http://www.infowars.com/dhs-source-tsa-infuriated-with-coverage-of-nationwide-backlash/

A Department of Homeland Security source has told CNN that the TSA is infuriated with the attention the media has given to the nationwide backlash against naked body scanners and aggressive new airport pat down procedures.During an appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper, TSA chief John Pistole attempted to downplay CNN’s Homeland Security source who told them that the TSA was angry with the media’s coverage of the issue and also fuming at the portrayal of the don’t touch my junk guy as a folk hero.Pistole also ludicrously claimed that TSA workers were professionals in terms of how they carry out their business,despite a deluge of stories about TSA officials abusing, sexually assaulting and humiliating travelers, including a case currently the subject of a lawsuit where TSA goons pulled down a 21-year-old woman’s blouse before laughing and joking about her exposed breasts.Pistole also parroted Janet Napolitano’s discredited claim that Johns Hopkins University declared the naked radiation scanners to be safe, despite the fact that just three days ago Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at the Johns Hopkins school of medicine told AFP that statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays.As we documented, Big Sis’ USA Today editorial was a tissue of lies from start to finish.

Pistole also lies to Cooper when he claims that people who clear the traditional metal detector are not being subjected to invasive pat downs, in an effort to dismiss the fact that people who refuse the scanner are being punitively punished for their disobedience. As we documented with the case of radio host Owen JJ Stone, who had a TSA agent put his hand inside his pants and touch his backside and genitalia, Stone cleared the metal detector without a problem but was still made to endure a humiliating pat down that amounted to sexual molestation.Pistole points to the example of underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as the reason why Americans need to submit to groin checks and have their testicles squeezed by goons in uniforms.However, it was the US State Department that allowed Abdulmutallab to board Delta Flight 253 despite the fact that his father warned the US State Department about him a month before, he was on a terror watchlist and was aided through security by a sharp-dressed Indian man.Pistole has indicated that the agency will not back down on radiation body scanners or invasive pat downs despite nationwide outrage and a plethora of lawsuits amidst new cases of travelers being sexually molested and humiliated by TSA goons.Pistole told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that his inspectors at 453 of the nation’s airports are not going to back down in the face of complaints that techniques are invasive,reports the Washington Post.Pistole said that agency wanted to strike a balance between privacy and security needs,and yet the TSA isn’t interested in striking any kind of balance whatsoever.Groping 3-year-old children, pregnant women and the physically disabled does not represent the risk-based or professional approach that Pistole and Napolitano claim they are enforcing.Amidst the backlash, many are calling for the TSA to be abolished and the current security-theatre to be replaced with something more effective, safer, and more respectful of privacy rights.

As Isaac Yeffet, the former head of security for El Al, told CNN, real terrorists are a giveaway for people professionally trained to spot them. Using human intelligence and rationally-based profiling is a far more successful and Constitutional method of providing airport security. Using minimum-wage low grade morons to feel up toddlers and pregnant women is not.Pistole, Napolitano and the TSA are praying that the resistance withers away, but it is only growing stronger, especially now that local governments are warning TSA workers that they will be prosecuted for groping travelers and with state lawmakers in different areas of the country moving to terminate use of the body scanners entirely.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a95996c2-f3e2-11df-901e-00144feab49a.html#axzz15jz8N7tA
Full text: Bernanke speech Published: Chairman Ben S. Bernanke - At the Sixth European Central Bank Central Banking Conference, Frankfurt, Germany November 19, 2010
VIDEO OF BERNANKE SPEECH FROM ECB
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Europe's Growth Challenges By Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund Frankfurt, November 19, 2010 As prepared for delivery

Good afternoon. I would like to talk to you about one of the greatest challenges facing European policymakers today—how to ignite and sustain economic growth across the continent.The postwar European model was built upon three pillars—peace, growth, and social cohesion. All three are critically important, and all three feed on each other. Today, Europe has a serious growth problem—a problem magnified by the earthquake of the global financial crisis. Today, with so many European countries under pressure from all sides, these challenges are more urgent than ever. If unaddressed, Europe’s social model could unravel. It is time to renew the founders’ commitment to ever-greater openness and ever-closer integration.

European growth

Europe enjoyed stellar growth in the decades after the war. Growth was then driven by technology catch-up, a stable macroeconomic environment, growing European integration, and a strong banking system. But these gains ground to a halt in the early 1980s.Europe’s living standards have stopped improving for one key reason—citizens are not reaching their full potential. To some extent, this reflects a conscious social choice to work fewer hours. There is nothing problematic here—after all, happiness does not come from income alone. But there is a dark side. Unemployment in Europe is chronically high, and employment participation is persistently low—especially among women, older workers, and the young. A key reason is that labor market institutions tend to reward privileged insiders at the expense of excluded outsiders.Fundamentally, Europe is discarding too many of its people. We must never forget the immense human costs of joblessness—long-lasting income loss, worse health, higher mortality, lower children’s educational attainment, and faltering beliefs in institutions and democracy. We face the very real prospect of a lost generation, distanced from the labor market, and marginalized from society.

Low labor utilization is not the whole story. In southern Europe, in the countries with the greatest competitiveness problems, productivity is also lagging behind. Infrastructure, innovation, and labor skills are not up to par and entry barriers are large in some sectors. Here too, the denial of opportunity is harming the economy.Let’s not forget the financial sector. Over the past decade, the financial sector focused more on sophisticated innovation, and less on being a true driver of economic growth. In Europe, it is difficult for start-ups to obtain funding. Small and medium-sized enterprises—key engines of growth—are the first to be cut off when pressures arise.The global financial crisis brought these problems to a head. The euro area suffered from a deeper recession than elsewhere in the world—even the United States, the epicenter of the crisis—and is slower to bounce back. Inadequate governance in the euro area only made things worse. Close financial integration has brought great benefits, but it means that a problem with banks or sovereigns in one part of the euro area quickly becomes a problem for all. The area’s institutions were simply not up to the task of managing a crisis—even setting up a temporary solution proved to be a drawn-out process. In the end, they did what they needed to do, but the sovereign crisis is not over.

In a sense, the wheels of cooperation move too slowly. Repairing the financial sector is taking too long, in part because policymakers are not paying enough attention to the pan-European dimension. The common European vision also seems lacking when it comes to fiscal governance, internal imbalances or labor reform. Europe needs a holistic growth strategy, where every country benefits from the efforts of others.As the post-crisis world takes shape, Europe risks being left even further behind, especially as the dynamic regions of the world are bolting out of the stables.

A reform agenda

Europe must break the shackles of low growth, and stop settling for second best. This is the only way to save the social model and fulfill the common European destiny. It has done better before, and it must do better again.We need movement on many different fronts. The first step will be to address two urgent problems. Fixing the financial sector must surely come first. Banks must have sufficient capital to support growth, once investment opportunities reappear in earnest, without incurring excessive risks. The Basel III agreement is a landmark in this respect. However, policymakers must also have the ability to deal decisively with problem banks, and must forge ahead with better supervision and better crisis resolution procedures. Here European financial integration, which has brought so many benefits, also presents special challenges.In the long run, the financial sector must do more to nurture growth—especially by supporting small businesses. Right now, these businesses rely too much on banks for financing, and venture capital markets could do a lot more to meet their needs.Since the recovery remains weak, policymakers must initially take steps that support demand where it is possible. More generally, credible medium-term fiscal consolidation is crucial, with the pace tailored to country circumstances. Different countries face different challenges, but in all cases, job creation must be a priority. Growth without jobs is growth without value.

To provide momentum for labor market reform, I see benefit in launching a Single Labor Market initiative at the European level—a sequel to the Single Market initiative that harmonized goods markets. The euro area cannot achieve its true potential with a bewildering patchwork of segmented labor markets. These barriers exacerbate the diverging economic fortunes that threaten the euro area today. It is time to create a level playing field for European workers, especially in the area of labor taxation, social benefits systems and portability, and employment protection legislation.To complement these efforts, and to stay on the frontline of innovation, Europe needs to devote more resources to research and education. The euro area lags behind the United States both for publically- and privately-funded research and development. A more radical approach would be to transfer the research and university budget to the EU level.In the longer term, let us also not forget that growth in Europe, and especially the euro area, needs to become more balanced. Just like we worry about global imbalances, we should worry about imbalances within the euro area. It is simply not true that surpluses are good and deficits are bad. For growth to be sustainable, current account deficits in some European countries will need to shrink, and, in parallel, in other countries—such as here in Germany—growth will need to become more domestically driven.Long-term growth would also get a boost from a less restrictive approach to immigration. Europe seems to be fighting a losing demographic battle, with the labor force projected to decline significantly in coming decades. It makes sense to rely on immigration to address skills shortages, as has been done in North America. This could also make the social model more sustainable. However attractive it might seem from a near-term political perspective, Europe cannot solve its problems by bolting its doors.

THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IS THE WORLD GOVERNMENT SYSTEM.EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL OF A CENTERAL AUTHORITY,THE EU-PAID FOR BY VAT OR CARBON TAXES.OVIOUSLY THESE TAXES WOULD BE PAID TO THE IMF,THE BANK OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT CONTROL FREAK SYSTEM AND THE BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS WOULD BE THE POLICEMAN FOR THE WORLD GOVERNMENT.

A center-driven agenda

How can such a comprehensive reform agenda be best achieved? There is no single grand solution, but challenges on this scale can only be solved in a collaborative manner. Just look at the lessons of recent European history. When the agenda is driven by the center, things happen. Think of the single market program, or of monetary union. But when the agenda is left with the nations, things stall. Think about labor and service market reforms, especially through the Lisbon agenda.Peer pressure has not served Europe very well. It’s time to change course. The center must seize the initiative in all areas key to reaching the common destiny of the union, especially in financial, economic and social policy. Countries must be willing to cede more authority to the center. Mechanisms must be redesigned to give them the incentives to reform.Progress is being made on a number of fronts, but we are still some distance away from an effectively functioning economic union—the missing E in EMU! Many issues revolve around budgets. The most ambitious solution—extensively discussed in the academic literature—would be to create a centralized fiscal authority, with political independence comparable to that of the ECB. The authority would set each member’s fiscal stance and allocate resources from the central budget to best hit the dual targets of stability and growth.Such a leap toward European political integration appears unlikely in the foreseeable future, but we should exploit other ways of moving in this direction. There are at least two ways.

One is to shift the main responsibility for enforcement of fiscal discipline and key structural reforms away from the Council. This would minimize the risk of narrow national interests interfering with effective implementation of the common rules. Within the existing institutional context, the Commission—as the guardian of Europe’s treaties—could play such a role. A separate, independent, institution could work as well.Finally, it would make sense to increase the size of centrally-allocated budgetary resources. This means going beyond the current EU budget, strictly limited by the Treaty, to a system that uses more transparent EU-wide instruments—such as a European VAT, or carbon taxation and pricing.

Conclusion

Let me conclude this morning by taking you back where I started. After a calamitous half century, the people who rebuilt Europe were determined do to things differently, to set sail on a new course of cooperation and integration. In doing so, they banished the specter of conflict from the continent, something that had seemed impossible. As Robert Schuman, one of the founders of the European Union, said in 1949, We are carrying out a great experiment, the fulfillment of the same recurrent dream that for ten centuries has revisited the peoples of Europe—creating between them an organization putting an end to war, and guaranteeing an eternal peace.And with this peace came rising growth and prosperity, and a degree of social cohesion that is the envy of the world. These gains are now under threat from low growth, poor employment prospects, and growing economic divergences. These fault lines have been around for a while, but the earthquake of the global financial crisis ripped them wide open.The only answer is more cooperation, and greater integration. Now is the time to fortify the economic foundations of the union. None of this will be easy. But was the single market easy when first proposed? Was the single currency easy to design and implement? Europe has faced these kinds of challenges before, and overcame them. It can do so again. It’s time to finish the job, to finally realize the common destiny of Europe.Thank you.

BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS-Central bankers analyse market structure developments in the clearing industry and the implications for financial stability
10 November 2010

In a report published today by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS), central bankers examine developments in the clearing industry's market structure, their drivers and the implications for financial stability. The report, Market structure developments in the clearing industry: implications for financial stability, first provides a broad overview of the clearing industry in CPSS countries, covering both traditional markets and OTC derivatives markets. Market structures can be classified in two dimensions: vertical versus horizontal structures, and integrated versus fragmented structures.

Second, the report assesses how far these developments have given rise to new risks. It further outlines practical issues that regulators and overseers may wish to consider, either as part of their oversight role or in the context of their broader financial stability remit. Furthermore, the report examines to what extent changes in market structure or ownership might affect the expansion of central clearing services. Finally, the effect of ownership on CCPs' incentives to manage counterparty risk is considered.The report shows that different types of market structure have developed over the last decade. Specific market structures may create specific risks and amplify interdependencies between systems and markets. These warrant careful consideration by both market participants and the authorities. However, there is no evidence that the industry is settling on one particular structure. Nor is evidence found to suggest that one market structure is superior to another, either in terms of CCP risk management or in terms of wider systemic risk. In fact, many risks occur in several types of structures.Nevertheless, central banks, regulators and overseers may usefully pay attention to specific risks that are more likely to occur in some market structures than in others. These include incentives to weaken the robustness of CCP risk controls that may in turn reduce the CCP's ability to manage a member default. Although some of the risks considered in the report have yet to materialise, CCPs and their regulators or overseers face significant future challenges, in particular as market structures in many countries continue to evolve. Hence, public authorities will need to continue applying rigorous and consistent oversight. For each type of market structure, the report provides a checklist of questions that central banks, regulators and overseers could use to that end.The clearing industry's structure also has a bearing on how far central clearing will be used in different market segments, and hence on the resilience of the financial system as a whole. In fact, the broader risk-mitigating benefits of central clearing may be diluted if changes in market structure affect access to CCPs, raise the cost of central clearing or hamper the process of creating new CCP services.

Notes
The report Market structure developments in the clearing industry: implications for financial stability has been prepared for the CPSS by a working group comprising representatives of CPSS member central banks plus the ECB. The working group was chaired by Anne Wetherilt of the Bank of England.As the central clearing industry has experienced a large number of changes during the last decade that have profoundly affected both its own market structure and its role in the broader financial infrastructure, the working group was commissioned by the CPSS to investigate these developments in the clearing industry, their drivers and the implications for financial stability. The working group was also asked to assess whether different market structures give rise to new risks that may affect CCP robustness and to outline some practical thoughts for central banks, regulators and overseers with an interest in the stability of CCPs.

Macro-prudential oversight and the future European Systemic Risk Board
Keynote address by Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the ECB,
at the European Banking Congress, Frankfurt am Main, 19 November 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for me to participate in the European Banking Congress.

We are meeting at a very important time for Europe’s financial system, of which so many senior representatives are assembled here. This is also a very important time for the European economy and for the governance of the euro area.Looking at the current situation, we have to be very clear as to what the issues are and where the solutions lie.As its name suggests, Economic and Monetary Union has two attributes: one is Economic and one is Monetary.The Monetary attribute refers to the ECB, its mandate and its independence. I will come to this in a moment. The Economic attribute comprises the fiscal regime enshrined in the Stability and Growth Pact; the national frameworks of economic policy; and the system of mutual surveillance.

The developments we are currently witnessing in Europe’s economy have to do with its Economic functions. They have essentially three origins: unsound fiscal policies in a number of member states; inappropriate macroeconomic policies in a number of member states; and overall an inadequate system of surveillance by all member states. This is the triangle that provides the perimeter of the current situation.
There is a solution to these three elements, and this consists in: first, ensuring sound fiscal policies in each and every member state; second, setting responsible macroeconomic policies; and, third, designing and adhering to a far more effective system of surveillance.The ECB stands alongside the citizens of Europe. We understand their concerns about the governance of the euro area because, just like them, we are focused on the medium term.That is why we call for a very ambitious reform of euro area governance – a reform that will address the root causes of the current situation and make it simply impossible to happen again.I also have good news. This good news is that all the efforts to strengthen the economic attribute of our union will be supported by a monetary policy that will ensure price stability or, as you say in German, Geldwertstabilität.

As I mentioned, the Monetary attribute of EMU refers to the ECB, its mandate and its independence. By now, after almost 12 years, we also have a track record. As you know, the most important issue for a currency is to keep its value. There is one single measure for this, which is the average inflation rate over a medium or long-term horizon. This is how we measure price stability. I will be very precise. The average annual inflation rate in the euro area since the inception of the euro almost 12 years ago has been 1.97%. The European Central Bank has therefore been fulfilling its mandate, which is to keep inflation below, but close to, 2% over the medium term.With all the challenges we have faced since 1999 – the cash changeover, the oil price spikes, the internet bubble, the turbulences in the aftermath of 11th September and, of course, the global financial crisis – maintaining price stability is a notable achievement.What is more, looking ahead, inflation projections and inflation expectations are well anchored in line with price stability.

The launch of the ESRB
My main topic for today is macroprudential oversight and the new body that the European Council and the European Parliament have decided to create: the European Systemic Risk Board or ESRB. The legislation has been finalised yesterday and the ESRB will soon become reality.I am honoured to speak to you today not only as president of the ECB but also in my future role as Chair of the ESRB.The new European body will be part of the new European System of Financial Supervision and it will be located here in Frankfurt. The city can therefore be proud to host three European authorities: the ECB, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the ESRB.The function of the ESRB will be to provide macro-prudential oversight of the European Union’s financial system. It will bring together the governors of the national central banks, the new European Supervisory Agencies (ESAs), the European Commission and the national supervisory authorities of all 27 member states.The establishment of the ESRB was first recommended in February 2009 in the report of a high-level group chaired by Jacques de Larosière. The new institution is backed by a remarkably strong consensus between the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. In the Parliament, the legislation underpinning the establishment of the ESRB was approved with an overwhelmingly large majority of 80%. This gives a strong backing to the ESRB and its mission.The ECB will contribute to establishing the ESRB as a credible and effective body. Concretely, the ECB will host the Secretariat of the ESRB, thereby making it operational and providing analytical, statistical, logistical and administrative support.

But whilst the ESRB Secretariat will be located at the ECB, the ESRB will be a separate body, distinct from the ECB. The establishment of the ESRB will not affect the mandate and the functioning of the ECB’s statutory role in monetary policy. The establishment of the ESRB will be a landmark event in how Europe deals preventively with systemic risk. It forms part of wider developments across the globe, including in the US with the newly created Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC). Very much like the ESRB, this council is a collaborative body bringing together the relevant US authorities with the aim of identifying systemic risk and responding to threats. We will aim for close cooperation with the FSOC and other authorities for macro-prudential oversight.

The case for macro-prudential oversight
So what exactly is macro-prudential oversight? In many respects, it is the missing link between the different approaches of a central bank – which has such an important stake in stability at a macro level – and a financial supervisor – concerned with the financial soundness of individual market participants.The de Larosière report argued pointedly that before the crisis, supervisory arrangements, whilst concentrating on the supervision of individual firms, were placing too little emphasis on the stability of the financial system as whole. Indeed, until the late 1990s, the dominant view in policy circles was that if individual institutions were financially sound, the financial system as a whole would also be necessarily sound.

We now know that relying only on micro-prudential supervision to ensure financial stability suffers from the fallacy of composition. What is true for a part, or even for all parts, is not necessarily true for the whole.Amongst other elements of systemic risk, inter-linkages between institutions, correlated and concentrated exposures to risk, as well as herding behaviour may contribute to a destructive dynamic between institutions, markets and infrastructures. This would ultimately threaten the stability of the whole system.

Putting macro-prudential oversight into practice
Putting macro-prudential oversight into practice raises two questions: who should be charged with macro-prudential oversight and how it should be performed? Let me start with the question of who. In most countries central banks play an important role in financial stability. Because of their monetary policy function, central banks have an in-depth knowledge of the financial system. They are independent anchors for monetary stability. They also have a clear interest in financial stability because of its beneficial impact on the macroeconomic environment. And, last but not least, central banks are the ultimate source of liquidity.For all these reasons, central banks often have an explicit mandate in the area of financial stability. But typically this mandate is formulated in very general terms, and it would have been written before growing recognition of the key role of macro-prudential oversight.

Financial stability is not and cannot be exclusively an issue for central banks, namely the ECB and the European System of Central Banks. It must be shared with micro-prudential supervisors. They have a key role, because stable institutions are an essential and necessary condition for achieving financial stability. This is also the reason why the ESRB and the ESAs will form together a European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS).So in the analysis of systemic risk, the three ESAs will also have an important role to play, both on their own and within the ESRB. In collaboration with the ESRB, they will develop a set of indicators to identify and measure systemic risk. On their own, they will further draw up guidelines and recommendations for individual financial institutions to take account of the systemic risk they pose. And they will need to ensure that they have the capacity to respond effectively to emerging systemic risks.On the question of how to do macro-prudential oversight, the main tools that the ESRB will have at its disposal are warnings and recommendations. As we know, the strength of the so-called soft law can be quite significant, notwithstanding the lack of direct enforcement power. When risks have been identified and appear to be large, the ESRB will issue precise risk warnings. When appropriate, it will complement warnings with recommendations for remedial action and indications of the risks of inaction. We assume that the addressees will give careful consideration to the measures the ESRB will propose.I am confident that the ESRB will quickly develop its credibility through its work, its warnings and its recommendations. Its authority will draw on the quality of its analysis and its deep understanding of the functioning of the financial sector.

Implications for the financial industry
I have described the rationale for macro-prudential oversight and the practicalities of establishing the ESRB. What are the implications for the financial industry? The national supervisory authorities will remain the direct interface for financial firms on micro- as well as macro-prudential issues. As mentioned in the EU regulation, the ESRB’s warnings and recommendations will be directed – I quote from the Regulation – to the Union as a whole, or to one or more member states, or to one or more of the ESAs or to one or more national supervisory authorities. Recommendations can be also directed to the European Commission, in the area of the elaboration of new EU legislation. Nowhere do the legal texts mention that the ESRB will address individual firms in its warnings and recommendations. But the industry also has to be aware that with the ESRB and the overall European System of Financial Supervision we will be in a different environment. Following deliberations by the ESRB, competent authorities may decide to utilise the tools that are designed to counter the build-up of risk in the financial system. Their tools, as you know, include possible capital add-ons, countercyclical capital buffers or maximum loan to value ratios.One of the first tasks of the ESRB could be to review existing instruments and those that are being created at the global and the European levels. More generally, micro-prudential instruments that are well known in the banking sector, would be calibrated and used with a macro-prudential orientation.I want to refer here to the concrete example of counter-cyclical capital buffers. In July, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision released its proposal for countercyclical capital buffers. The aim of such buffers is to make banks build up capital when system-wide risk is increasing following excessive credit growth. The buffers can then be drawn on when risks materialise and credit losses occur. The case of counter-cyclical buffers is particularly interesting, first because it is one of the tools with a clear macro-prudential orientation and second, because the ESRB and the European Banking Authority (EBA) could join forces for implementing the framework in Europe. This is suggested by the European Commission in its recent consultation paper on the potential role of the ESRB and the EBA in defining policies and standards that national authorities should follow.

Concluding remarks
Let me conclude. I see three reasons to expect relevant changes with the start of macro-prudential oversight in Europe. The first and most important reason is that better supervision should contribute to a more stable financial system. This is as much to the advantage of all players in the industry as it is to everyone in the wider economy.Second, integrating a macro-prudential perspective should lead to better regulation. In essence, systemic risk is the outcome of the actions of individual market players for the system as a whole. Regulation, which traditionally focuses on individual market players, can be improved by taking account of this potentially disastrous side-effect. Initiatives such as the counter-cyclical buffers and possible capital surcharges or other equivalent measures for systemically important financial institutions fall into this category.The third reason for welcoming the ESRB is that macro-prudential supervision could improve financial firms’ own risk analysis. I trust that it will provide an incentive to internalise the system-wide dimension in the industry’s own risk models and stress-testing.

Ladies and gentlemen, less than two years after the publication of the de Larosière report, Europe will have its own macro-prudential authority up and running. This is a remarkable achievement. We are now moving from designing the framework to implementing it. We have to make the enhanced resilience of the financial system our highest priority.I thank you for your attention.

IMF Managing Director Strauss-Kahn Calls for Broad Reforms in Europe to Revive Growth Press Release No. 10/446 November 19, 2010

Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today called on Europe to implement far-reaching reforms in a collaborative effort to restore dynamic and long-lasting economic growth and safeguard the European social model.Europe must break the shackles of low growth, and stop settling for second best, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said in a speech at the European Banking Congress in Frankfurt.This is the only way to save the social model and fulfill the common European destiny. Europe has done better before, and it must do better again.Mr. Strauss-Kahn outlined a number of areas for action, ranging from fixing the financial sector—which he said must surely come first—to a single labor market initiative and rebalancing growth within Europe. More fundamentally, only a collaborative approach driven by the center can forge the reforms that are needed to secure stability, create jobs, and ensure long-term growth, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said. When the agenda is left with Member States, things stall. It’s time to change course. The center must seize the initiative in all areas key to reaching the common destiny of the union, especially in financial, economic and social policy. Countries must be willing to cede more authority to the center. Mechanisms must be redesigned to give them the incentives to reform,he said.The only answer is more cooperation, and greater integration, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said. Ultimately, we need to preserve the achievements of Europe. Now is the time to fortify the economic foundations of the union.

Interview with Dominique Strauss-Kahn IMF DIRECTOR by Stern
Published in Stern Magazine on November 18, 2010

Stern: Mr. Strauss-Kahn, actually we could simply conduct this interview in German ...

Strauss-Kahn: (In fluent German)... it was so long ago. As a child I used to speak German at home with my nanny.

Stern: So you discuss the world situation with Mrs. Merkel in German?

Strauss-Kahn: Don’t worry, we get along quite well in English.

Stern: Three years ago, when you took over as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, nobody wanted to hear much about the IMF. Yet today you are considered one of the most powerful men in the world - feels good, doesn’t it?

Strauss-Kahn: That's not quite fair. We've been carrying out our task for more than 60 years. Naturally, the crisis moved us more into the focus of attention.

Stern: People seem to regard the IMF and its Managing Director as having benefited from the crisis. Your war chest is now almost $900 billion, more than three times compared to before the financial crisis. And you are involved everywhere, even in Europe, where you are rescuing Greece – and soon probably Ireland as well.

Strauss-Kahn: Yes, we’re currently in the headlines now and then. Yes, our assistance programs and our financial support helped millions of people keep their jobs. Millions of people have been spared the fate of poverty. That was our biggest achievement. And as to fame – it's like the situation with a doctor. When you're healthy you don't need him. When you're sick, you cannot wait for him to come. The global economy was very sick, and it still is.

Stern: What lessons did the world learn? Did it listen to the doctor and his diagnosis?

Strauss-Kahn: At first it did. Everybody was scared stiff then, nobody wanted to be the black sheep or make a blunder. So everybody pulled together, looking for common interests. And the most important lesson learned is cooperation.

Stern: But we don’t see much left now. The times when heads of state made a pledge to cooperate are already gone.

Strauss-Kahn: Why are you so pessimistic?

Stern: The U.S. Federal Reserve, for example, just announced that it's going to print $600 billion to boost the American economy. We are at risk of being inundated with cheap dollars, and the rest of the world is hopping mad.

Strauss-Kahn: It's not that easy. The U.S. economy still accounts for about a quarter of the world's gross domestic product after all. When America is doing badly, the rest of the world is really doing badly. The economy is in such a state that we have to take all conceivable measures to boost demand in the United States.

Stern: But all those dollars are pushing the U.S. currency down artificially. This way other currencies become more expensive, including the euro. That's bad for exports. Are we now facing a currency war?

Strauss-Kahn: I don't like the expression…currency war.

Stern: You could put it another way: the Brazilian Finance Minister complained that it's like throwing money from a helicopter. His colleague Wolfgang Schäuble thinks the United States have been living on credit for too long. And Chancellor Merkel read President Obama the riot act.

Strauss-Kahn: The truth is that many countries use currencies as a political weapon. That's a real danger, as it threatens the recovery of the global economy.

Stern: Does the rest of the world have to pay for the fact that the United States have been living on credit for so many years?

Strauss-Kahn: That’s right. But the United States were the dominant economy for decades. They also used the dollar as a political instrument. We all know the expression, the dollar is our currency and your problem.

Stern: Nixon’s Treasury Secretary John Connally made that statement when he tried to get other countries to share the cost of the Vietnam War.

Strauss-Kahn: Yes, and that has not changed in the past three years of the crisis. The United States have a dominant position, still.

Stern: And can thus use the money-printing press as the ultimate weapon?

Strauss-Kahn: Well, after all, even in the crisis, which as we know started in the United States, the dollar has remained strong. Why? Apparently the dollar still is the most important reserve currency, and the currency people trust in the end. We would be better off, of course, if we developed a system with several reserve currencies: the euro, the yen, perhaps even the Chinese yuan or the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights...

Stern:... which are considered the IMF's currency...

Strauss-Kahn: Such a system would be better. But reality looks rather different.

Stern: The economy in Germany is booming. People even start talking about an economic miracle. Is the major crisis over now?

Strauss-Kahn: Although some politicians want to declare an early end to the crisis, my answer is no. A clear No. The economic recovery is unfolding very unevenly. It's going well in Asia and South America, and surprisingly well even in Africa. The problems are in the United States, and in Europe. Germany may be doing well for the moment. But Germany is not going to achieve a high economic growth rate if other EU countries are doing poorly. More than 75 percent of German exports go to other countries in the euro zone. The German economy depends on the purchasing power of people in other EU countries. And as long as the economic recovery there is dragging, you can be sure the German economic miracle will not last all that long. Europe has to recover as a whole. And so far I don't see such a recovery for the coming year.

Stern: Is Ireland at the brink of bankruptcy?

Strauss-Kahn: Ireland is in a difficult situation. Of course we are always ready to help any member country looking for assistance by the IMF. But there are still a lot of other unresolved problems. The great crisis began in the U.S. financial sector, as we all know. Why? Because there were too few rules, but above all, because of lacking supervision. Many new regulations have been issued in the meantime. But enforcement is still poor. We are still miles away from the goal. Unfortunately the political will to persevere here is dwindling now.

Stern: But the G-20 leaders are constantly telling us they want to keep a tighter rein on the banks and tame Wall Street.

Strauss-Kahn: That's exactly what was promised. The fact is that this is not just an economic or a financial problem. Indeed, it's a potential threat to democracy. For the next crisis is sure to come. And then, when the banks have to be bailed out again, will the citizens, the taxpayers, be ready to fork over the money once more? I have my doubts.

Stern: Why should they? The banks are making fat profits again, paying out billions in bonuses to their employees.

Strauss-Kahn: Yes, and that’s the problem. This way another crisis may happen any time. The system is still far too unstable.

Stern: Banks are dealing mainly in other people's debts, in fact with some €120 trillion. Should the financial sector shrink and be made smaller?

Strauss-Kahn: I share that view. Because of the crisis trillions have been written off already. But overall the finance sector – banks, hedge funds and so on – should be doing much more to serve the real economy and not just exist for its own sake. What we need is a kind of reinsurance against crises. Banks should pay a tax, and the proceeds should go to a fund...

Stern:... yet all attempts in that direction have been utter failures. And we heard Josef Ackermann, the President of the IIF and CEO of Deutsche Bank, just a few days ago, warning politicians against heaping further burdens on the banks.

Strauss-Kahn: With all due respect for Mr. Ackermann, I can well imagine that, as an affected party, he is not crying out for more taxes and more supervision. Nevertheless, we do need such a contribution, a tax.

Stern: How should this work around the world?

Strauss-Kahn: The financial sector has to make a fair and substantial contribution toward the cost of crises. This levy could be a contribution to financial stability based on banks’ balance sheets, and there could also be a financial activities tax.

Stern: Last week's G-20 Summit showed how the world is at loggerheads once again. The talk is about protectionism and a clash of the giants, the United States versus China.

Strauss-Kahn: The G-20 discuss the tricky issues, which is a good thing. On the other hand the fear of the crisis is fading, cooperation has become more difficult. This reminds me of the early days of the European Union - countries understanding that they need to cooperate for the common good, but worrying about their own immediate interests when it comes to putting this into practice.

Stern: Criticism does not only focus on the United States but on China as well. Experts say the Chinese currency is undervalued by 30 percent and kept artificially low. So cheap Chinese goods are swamping the world without any competition.

Strauss-Kahn: We have been warning for some years that China cannot base its growth on exports alone. There are limits to how far that model can work. You have to promote the domestic economy. China is now trying to boost internal consumption through massive economic stimulus programs. I am sure the Chinese leadership understands that something has to change. But it takes time. It’s about the exchange rate, but not exclusively about the exchange rate.

Stern: At the same time you are warning against a new colonialism, a colonialism of the emerging countries, imposed mainly on Africa. Whom do you have in mind here, if not China?

Strauss-Kahn: There is a danger of domination by new powers which can create unfair trade advantages for themselves by their sheer size. China can no longer hide behind its status as an emerging country. China must change its growth strategy. But that's true for the United States and Europe, too, where we must say goodbye to the traditional growth model.

Stern: So your criticism applies to Germany as a leading world exporter as well. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is calling for limits on trade surpluses, and he was sent packing by Mrs. Merkel and the German government.

Strauss-Kahn: But the principle is right. Trade balances should be evened out somewhat – that is something Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Schäuble could think about.

Stern: Why? The German economic model has been considered a success for decades.

Strauss-Kahn: Of course. And no one is reproaching the Germans for that. But you can't just defend your own surpluses while condemning others' deficits. Business as usual – that doesn't work anymore.

Stern: What do you see, then, as a new growth model for Germany, for example, or for Europe?

Strauss-Kahn: Europe needs strong, dynamic growth. Europe must break the shackles of slow growth, and stop settling for second best. We need a comprehensive change across all areas and in every country. This is the only way to save the social model. Europe must return to success.

Stern: What role should the IMF and its Managing Director play?

Strauss-Kahn: The IMF could commit itself to monitor the implementation of the G-20 resolutions. Otherwise, the same thing will happen as always – commissions are set up with weighty titles in the hope of problems vanishing.

Stern: The IMF is regarded as an early warning system, one that nobody listens to until it is too late.

Strauss-Kahn: Yes, everybody wants an alarm bell. Chancellor Merkel, President Obama, or President Hu Jintao, they're all the same in that regard. But when the alarm goes off in front of your own door, then woe to you! You'd rather shut your ears. Or you'll try to muzzle us. But our greatest strength is still that we tell the unvarnished truth, no matter to whom. That was the idea of the IMF, from the very beginning. And for that, the IMF needs more teeth.

Stern: You mean, more money still?

Strauss-Kahn: Not necessarily more money. We need to have the clear mandate to carry out the research and analysis that may expose developments, practices, and policies that some members may not want to hear in public.

Stern: For many people, your influence already goes too far. Take the participation in the rescue package for Greece, for example. In Europe, the IMF is now playing a bigger role than many would like to see, just to mention the head of Deutsche Bundesbank.

Strauss-Kahn: We know this is not appreciated by everyone in Germany. But there is no such thing as a homemade solution for a global crisis.

Stern: Speaking of the unvarnished truth: you are deemed one of the most popular politicians in France. And we must ask you the same question everyone is asking you: are you going to run against Sarkozy in the next presidential election?

Strauss-Kahn: And I will tell you what I tell everyone: I'm going to see my term as IMF Managing Director through to the end. And the term ends in 2012.