1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-NYC fliers stranded on planes for hours. 3-Freeze in eastern U.S. to ease next week: forecasters. 4-Olmert urges economic sanctions for Iran. 5-Knesset Members Demand IDF Reopen Joseph´s Tomb. 6-Israel to request upgrade in EU standing. 7-Lunar Eclipse. 8-Survey Predicts Majority of Retailers Will Accept RFID Payments by Fall 2008. 9-Diss a gay? Go to jail!
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Fri Feb 16 12:00 AM EDT
FEB 15,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 COSTA RICA
MAP 3.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 PERU-BRAZIL BORDER REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
MAP 5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
FEB 14,07
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.3 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.2 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 NORTHERN PERU
MAP 4.9 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 TARAPACA, CHILE
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.5 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.7 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.4 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.9 EASTER ISLAND REGION
MAP 3.4 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
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.
NYC fliers stranded on planes for hours FEB 15,07
NEW YORK - JetBlue Airways Corp. tried to calm a maelstrom of criticism Thursday, after passengers were left waiting on planes at a New York airport for as long as 11 hours during a snow and ice storm. The airline said 10 incoming and outbound flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport were significantly delayed with customers on board during Wednesday's storm. Reasons included congestion, frozen equipment and an effort to keep planes ready to go in case the weather broke, said JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin.More than 250 of JetBlue's roughly 500 flights nationwide were canceled Wednesday, but fairly normal service resumed Thursday, he said.
Calling Wednesday's delays unacceptable, the airline planned to offer the affected passengers refunds and free flights.
To Cheryl Chesner, 26, unacceptable was hardly the word for the 11 hours she said she and her husband, Seth, 27, spent trying to take a JetBlue flight to Aruba for utheir honeymoon.It was the worst. It was horrific, she said. Baldwin said the Aruba flight, scheduled to leave at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, ultimately left late Wednesday night. But the Chesners went home to the Bronx.While they waited to take off, John Farrell waited to arrive. His JetBlue flight from Fort Myers, Fla., landed at 10 a.m., but passengers didn't get off until nearly 7 p.m., he said.You gotta realize the frustration you can look out the window and you can see, there's the gate, and if you let us off the plane, we can walk there, said Farrell, 48, of Brooklyn.
Onboard the planes, snack foods wore out their welcome, bathrooms became unpleasant and cabins sweltered, passengers said.They had to open the door every 20 minutes just so we could get air, said Sean Corrinet, 29, who was on a flight bound for Cancun, Mexico.
It was delayed for at least eight hours, Baldwin said.Baldwin said the jam arose as the airline sent outbound flights to the runway so they could leave immediately if the weather let up while incoming flights filled up the gates. The problem grew as some equipment used to tow planes away from gates froze to the ground, he said.We ended up with a gridlock situation where we couldn't move any of the aircraft at the gates, he said.The airline stopped incoming flights by midafternoon, Baldwin said. By about 3 p.m., the airline gave up hope that the weather would allow the planes on the runway to take off and started arranging for buses to bring passengers back, he said. But the icy weather made that a slow process, he said.We need to make sure that it's always safe for the customers, he said.JetBlue will review the day's events to determine whether it could have handled the storm differently and how to prevent similar problems from arising again, Baldwin said.On the Net:http://www.jetblue.com
Freeze in eastern U.S. to ease next week: forecasters Thu Feb 15, 12:32 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The cold snap gripping the eastern United States should ease next week, ushering in warmer temperatures into March for the world's top energy consumer, meteorologists forecast Thursday.
The forecasts came as the U.S. Northeast dug out from a Wednesday snow and ice storm, the fiercest weather this year for the world's largest heating oil region after winter's warm beginning.We expect to see a turn to more moderate temperatures beginning in the later part of next week, said Mike Palmerino of DTN Meteorlogix. The last seven days of February we expect to see temperatures returning to more normal levels in the Northeast.Temperatures in the Northeast dipped to the lowest level since three years in early February, kick-starting heating fuel demand from a slow start.A survey of forecasters showed higher temperatures will arrive over the next week, with many predicting the warmer weather could last through March.
I'm beginning to think we have seen the worst of winter. This kind of warmth that we are going to see next week should hold through the start of spring, said Jim Rouiller of Planalytics Inc.Still, some said cold temperatures might get a second wind and bring more storms to the eastern half of the United States.We think that the eastern half of the country will stay colder-than-normal well through the first
half of March, said Dale Mohler of AccuWeather, adding, It is going to be more active storm-wise in the Northeast.
Olmert urges economic sanctions for Iran By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer Thu Feb 15, 7:17 AM ET
ANKARA, Turkey - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to a Turkish inspection of the construction work at disputed holy site in Jerusalem, the Turkish prime minister said Thursday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Olmert had shown him photographs of the construction work during a meeting between the two, but failed to convince him that it would not harm the holy sites there. The Israeli premier agreed to a Turkish suggestion for a technical team from Turkey to inspect the site, he said.The dispute centers on a new walkway Israel is building to the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The walkway is meant to replace an earthen ramp that partially collapsed in a snowstorm three years ago. Israeli work at the site has prompted clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police during the past week.The Turkish leader had criticized Israel for allowing the construction near a disputed holy site in Jerusalem a day before Olmert's arrival.Olmert arrived in Turkey late Wednesday for a two-day visit, hoping to discuss ways to rein in Iran's suspected efforts to build nuclear weapons.
The Israeli leader said in remarks published Thursday that tougher economic sanctions against Iran would force Tehran to review its nuclear program.The U.N. Security Council has imposed limited sanctions on Iran, but many countries are reluctant to go further and cut all trade ties to the energy-rich country. Washington has urged European nations to follow the U.S. in cutting such ties with Tehran.If economic sanctions were imposed, Iran would be forced to review its position, Olmert said in an apparent reference to a more robust approach to sanctions.I believe that Turkey and many other countries will need to change their ties with Iran, he said in an interview with Turkey's Milliyet newspaper. Turkey buys natural gas from Iran.The U.N. Security Council agreed in December to impose sanctions targeting people and programs linked to Iran's nuclear program, which the United States, the European Union and others fear is being used to make weapons. Under the Dec. 23 decision, Iran was given two months to return to negotiations.
Erdogan was expected to press Olmert to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Olmert had earlier said he expected productive talks with Turkish leaders. He was scheduled to meet with Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Thursday before returning home.Turkey's Islamic government has good relations with both Syria and Hamas, the militant Islamic group that heads the Palestinian government, and also with Iran, with which it shares a long border. Israel considers Iran a strategic threat, suspecting that Iran is building nuclear weapons, despite its denials. Iran's president has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map. Olmert hopes to enlist Turkey in accelerated efforts to keep Iran from going nuclear.
Knesset Members Demand IDF Reopen Joseph´s Tomb
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (INN) FEB 15,07
35 Knesset Members from various political factions are calling on the IDF to renew civilian access to the tomb of the Biblical Joseph in Shechem. The site, at which Jews have gathered for prayer over the generations, has been closed to visitors for the past three years due to the dangers posed by Arab terrorists in the region.In a letter to IDF Central Command Officer Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh, the parliamentarians requested that the military authorities reopen Joseph's Tomb to Jewish visitors, taking whatever steps are necessary to ensure secure access.
The letter, initiated by National Union MK Uri Ariel, was signed by legislators from the United Torah Judaism, Shas, Likud, Kadima, Pensioners and Yisrael Beiteinu parties. All the MKs of the National Union-National Religious Party signed the letter, as did MK Moshe Sharoni, chairman of the Pensioners party, most of the Likud MKs, including presidential candidate MK Reuven Rivlin, and United Torah Judaism MKs, and five out of the twelve MKs from Shas.MK Ariel emphasized that even the Oslo Accords, which turned over civilian and military control of Shechem (Nablus) to the Palestinian Authority, recognized that Joseph's Tomb is a sanctified site for Jews. The agreements included clauses guaranteeing freedom of access and freedom of worship at the tomb. Ariel initiated the letter to Naveh at this time due to the changing of the military command in the Shechem region, which opened the door to a reevaluation of existing policy.
The tomb was first abandoned by IDF forces in 2000, at the order of then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, when it came under intense attack by PA militiamen and police at the start of what became known as the Oslo War. IDF soldier Madhat Yusuf was killed during the PA siege on the compound, slowly bleeding to death while Israeli generals refused to give the order to storm the compound. Upon the Israeli withdrawal, Arabs swarmed the building, destroying or pilfering whatever was to be found there. In the major counter-terrorist military operation dubbed Defensive Shield, in May 2002, IDF forces returned to Shechem and to Joseph's Tomb. The military then organized monthly trips to the tomb, secured by IDF forces. The visits, which were arranged for midnight, regularly drew about 800 people. The threat of Arab terrorist attacks on Jewish pilgrims to the tomb in the past three years, however, led the local IDF commander to suspend the visits.
Israel to request upgrade in EU standing
Israel scheduled to request status equal to that of Switzerland and Norway
Itamar Eichner Published: FEB 07,07 / Israel News
Israel is trying to upgrade its standing in the European Union to be equal to that of Switzerland and Norway.Although the two countries are not members of the EU, they have free passage for people, capital and merchandise between them and the rest of the EU countries. The Israel-EU Association Council – a council of European foreign ministers who monitor European-Israeli relations – is scheduled to convene in Brussels in March, with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The Foreign Ministry is examining options of promoting Israel's standing in the EU at the meeting. The Israeli National Security Council, representatives from ministries, the academia and NGOs are collaborating with the foreign ministry in preparation for the appeal. Among the suggestions that are being examined are allowing Israelis and European nationals to travel freely between the countries, to start businesses and open European companies in Israel and Israeli companies in Europe, ensuing from the Norwegian and Swiss relations with the rest of the EU countries.We are looking into several options to find the best way to improve our relations with the EU, senior foreign ministry staff said. It will require authorization of all the government ministries.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Lunar Eclipse - FEB 12,07
February 12, 2007: Picture this: The year is 2025 and you're on the moon. Home is 100 meters away—an outpost on the rim of Shackleton Crater. NASA started building it five years earlier, and it is growing fast. You're one of the construction workers.As always in these polar regions, the sun hangs low, barely above the craggy lunar horizon. You adjust your visor. It amazes you how bright a low sun can be when there's no atmosphere to dim it.Suddenly, the lights go out.Up in the sky, a big black disk covers the sun. A red ring of fire appears where the sun was only moments before, and its glow turns the ground red beneath your feet.You've been waiting for this. It's an eclipse.Right: On the moon, the ground turns red during a lunar eclipse. This photo was taken by Doug Murray of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, during the total lunar eclipse of Oct. 27, 2004.
Asronauts on the moon are going to experience eclipses typically once or twice a year: Earth glides in front of the sun turning lunar day into a strange kind of ruddy night. It'll be one of the highlights of any lunar tour.The charm of the eclipse comes from Earth. Our planet is big enough by a factor of three to block the entire sun but, curiously, this doesn't cause complete darkness. Rays of sunlight
bend around the edge of Earth, filtering through the atmosphere. As seen from the moon, the edge of Earth lights up like a sunset-red ring of fire—one of the most beautiful sights in the solar system. (A simplified, 1.2 MB animation of the process may be seen here. Credit: Graphic artist Larry Koehn.)Can't wait until 2025? The next eclipse is right around the corner: Saturday, March 3, 2007. Stuck on Earth, we can't see the ring of fire, but we can see the red glow it produces on the moon. The phenomenon will be visible from parts of all seven continents including the eastern half of North America.In the USA, the eclipse will already be underway when the moon rises on Saturday evening.
Observing tip: Find a place with a clear view of the eastern horizon and station yourself there at sunset. As the sun goes down behind you, a red moon will rise before your eyes. Rising moons are often reddened by clouds or pollution, but this moon will be the deep, extraordinary red only seen during a lunar eclipse. As you watch it ascend into the night, imagine what it would be like to stand by Shackleton Crater watching from the opposite direction. It's not so far-fetched. NASA plans to return astronauts to the moon no later than 2020. From their polar base camp, humans will explore the countryside hunting for resources they can use to live off the land. They'll study the moon's geology, learning more about the unique potential of the moon to reveal ancient secrets of Earth and the solar system. They'll also evaluate technologies needed for future missions to Mars. And occasionally when the ground turns red, they'll pause and look up at a glowing ring in the sky. March 3rd is a good night to imagine that.
ON CNN LAST NIGHT I SEEN A STORY ABOUT A LEADER CALLING HIMSELF JESUS IN SOUTH BEACH AND HIS FOLLOWERS ARE TATTOOING THEMSELVES WITH 666 AS ALLEGANCE TO THIS LEADER. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR WILL DO TO PLEDGE ALLEGANCE TO HIMSELF, HIS FOLLOWERS WILL BE MADE TO ACCEPT A CHIP IMPLANT THOUGH I BELIEVE WITH 666 IN IT. I CAN'T FIND A STORY ON CNN ABOUT THE STORY BUT IF SOMEONE FOUND IT SEND IT TO ME FOR MY SITE PLEASE. stan120032000@yahoo.ca
REVELATION 13;16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
Survey Predicts Majority of Retailers Will Accept RFID Payments by Fall 2008 FEB 07,07
To fully benefit from RFID payments, retailers need to capture data related to purchasing habits, demographics and interests of customers, according to a new study.
By Mary Catherine O'Connor Feb. 7, 2007—Retailers are embracing RFID technology, with a growing number accepting or planning to accept RFID-enabled (contactless) payments in the coming months. Relatively few, however, have a clear roadmap on how to maximize a return on the investment required to adopt the payment technology, according to a new report from the Aberdeen Group, a Boston-based market research firm. More than 20 million RFID-enabled American Express, MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards have been issued over the past 20 months to consumers in the United States alone. Last fall, Aberdeen interviewed 160 retailers—most located in the United States, with a few based in Europe or Asia. Of those surveyed, nearly 20 percent said they are already accepting RFID payments. Sahir Anand, Aberdeen retail research analyst and author of the firm's newly released retail contactless payment systems report, says many of the retailers he spoke with confirmed what credit card organizations have been saying about RFID payments: they shorten transaction times and promote customer loyalty. Still, nearly half of these retailers aren't capturing data related to the purchasing habits of those making RFID transactions, or about the demographics and interests of the customers using the cards. That, says Anand, needs to change for retailers to truly benefit from the new technology.
Retailers don't know who is using the cards, says Anand. What are their spending habits? This is the type of information that retailers can gather by pulling transactional data from RFID payments into the customer data systems that most already use to analyze the spending habits of customers who use magnetic-stripe payment cards.
In some cases, Anand says, retailers do not yet have the necessary systems in place to automate this type of data collection from RFID transactions. That's because the data fields culled from payment systems are slightly different than those for magnetic-stripe cards. According to Anand, retailers should communicate with their customers who pay with RFID cards, to determine their level of satisfaction and analyze their demographics. This type of information can go into merchandizing, purchase planning and other internal systems, he says, allowing retailers to generate more sales by appealing to the buying habits of card users and increase customer loyalty.
The Aberdeen study also found that 58 percent of survey respondents—who represented a range of retailer types, including grocers, consumer electronics retailers and convenience stores—plan to begin accepting RFID payments in the next 18 to 24 months. Though this percentage is higher than Anand anticipated, he says it shows a groundswell of interest among retailers, based on three main benefits already being reported by retailers currently accepting RFID payments. The first of these benefits is an increase in transactional throughput, since customers paying with RFID cards move through lines more quickly. This not only leads to more sales revenue, they say, but also greater customer satisfaction. Secondly, the work American Express, MasterCard and Visa have done to standardize their RFID cards to a common air-interface protocol standard—ISO 14443—enables retailers to use a single point-of-sale reader to accept RFID payments with cards from all three credit-card organizations. Lastly, they report, the use of RFID-enabled payments is leading to fewer cash payments, which enables them to keep less cash in their tills. This is considered a benefit in terms of reducing employee errors and theft.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Diss a gay? Go to jail!
Activists warn Christians targeted under new hate crimes proposal
February 15, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Bob Unruh WorldNetDaily.com
Two Christians in Australia have been indicted for criticizing Islam, and another for criticizing Zionism. A filmmaker has been threatened with arrest for using the word homosexual rather than gay. Now a German priest faces jail time for publicly criticizing abortionists, and in Holland, fornicators and adulterers are protected classes and cannot be criticized. All courtesy of the concept of federal hate crimes legislation, which unless defeated soon could be mandatory in the United States, warns a rising chorus of critics. All that matters are the delicate feelings of members of federally protected groups, said Michael Marcavage, director of RepentAmerica.com Truth is not allowed as evidence in hate crimes trials. … A homosexual can claim emotional damage from hearing Scripture that describes his lifestyle as an abomination. He can press charges against the pastor or broadcaster who merely reads the Bible in public. The hater can be fined thousands of dollars and even imprisoned!
All this, he noted, to attack incidents that according to the FBI's 2005 Uniform Crime Report make up on one-fifteenth of 1 percent of all crimes. The language is in a new proposal pending in Congress, H.R. 254, or the David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act. That, according to Rev. Ted Pike, of the National Prayer Network, starts out with a federal police state enforcement of anti-hate laws but would, as it has in other parts of the world, lead inexorably to the end of free speech.The plan, proposed by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, is stealth legislation at its most devious, Pike has written in a campaign to alert people to the potential problems. He said people respond with, This bill just wants federal power to prosecute bias-motivated violent crimes in the states what's wrong with that? There's plenty wrong with that! he said. First, the Constitution does not grant federal government the police state privilege of being your local law enforcement. Unless the government finds evidence of slavery in the states, jury tampering, voter fraud, or crimes involving interstate commerce (where jurisdiction is unclear), the Constitution's message to the federal government is blunt and emphatic: Butt out of local law enforcement! However, Pike said the authors of the new legislation have been clever, inserting in the proposal assertions that because five states do not have hate laws, the federal government has no choice but to enhance federal enforcement of hate crimes.That includes new ranks of federal agents to address the serious national problem that exists.
Worse yet, there are some key phrases that open doors wide that many people don't want opened. For example, Pike said, the bill is to prevent and respond to alleged violations, meaning the government does not even have to wait until a hate crime has been committed but may act pre-emptively to prevent crime.Such cases already have developed in other nations, where the progressive effort to advance anti-discrimination laws are further down the road, he noted. Peter LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth, noted that in Canada and France both, legislators have been fined for publicly criticizing homosexuality. Three years ago, a Swedish hate crimes law was used to put Pastor Ake Green, who preached that homosexuality is a sin, in jail for a month. And recently, a British couple told how they were denied the chance to adopt because it was determined that their Christian faith might prejudice them against a homosexual child put in their care, LaBarbera added. Already in the United States, Catholic Charities of Boston halted all adoption operations in the state after being told under Massachusetts' pro-'gay' nondiscrimination law, only agencies that placed children in homosexual-led households would get licensed by the state. Pike said to get around the U.S. Constitution's demands for certain circumstances to exist before the federal government can intervene, the legislation blatantly adds the statement that hate crimes actually are slavery.Violence motivated by bias is a relic of slavery that can constitute badges and incidents of slavery, the proposal proclaims. Additionally, Pike notes, another absurd ruse is that hate criminals affect interstate commerce, by terrorizing their victims into traveling across state lines or not.Considering the pervasive influence of interstate commerce upon our lives, how often can the government meddle in local hate crimes enforcement? Any time, Pike wrote. In fact, this ridiculous argument could be used to justify federal intervention in a crime of any kind, since any crime victim might be scared into different spending or traveling choices.He said America's justice system requires proof of physical tangible damage before an arrest, but H.R. 254 changes that. It seeks to establish a different bias motivation' justice system, which will be defined in courts by judges, as has happened in Canada.
Judges will establish legal precedents – precedents that protect groups such as homosexuals not only from physical bias-motivated violence but also from verbal violence, Pike warned. This will include the hate speech of Bible-believing evangelical Christians. H.R. 254 thus does more than violate states' rights in law enforcement. It also leads inexorably to an end of free speech! he wrote. The plan, being supported by the powerful Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith is the seventh attempt to get such legislation turned into law just since 1998, Pike said. The bill is pending in the House Judiciary Committee, and is a streamlined version of earlier proposals that passed in the U.S. House. LaBarbera noted that in post-Christian England, the government even has set out to prosecute homophobic speech. It is almost inconceivable that the same country that gave us the rule of law and limited government and powerfully gifted Christian preachers like George Whitfield who helped shape America now bows down to the homosexual revolution of organized sin masquerading as civil rights, LaBarbera said. Is it progress to empower a legal and cultural revolution that criminalizes the common sense idea that society should put the welfare of children first by favoring natural parenting (mom and dad) over an experimental version (dad and male lover) that models perversion to innocent children in their own home? asked LaBarbera. He suggested a visit to www.StopHateCrimesNow.com to hear the testimonies of those who have had first-had experience with so-called hate crimes laws. A 75-year-old grandmother describes how she was jailed fortestifying about the Bible, in the United States.
Prime Minister Tony Blair unwittingly cut to the nub of how sexual orientation laws inevitably destroy religious freedom when he said that Britain's gay-inclusive nondiscrimination laws should not exempt Catholic adoption agencies that refuse, for reasons of faith, to place children in homosexual households: said LaBarbera. There is no place in our society for discrimination.
That’s why I support the right of gay couples to apply to adopt like any other couple. And that way there can be no exemptions for faith-based adoption agencies offering public funded services from regulations that prevent discrimination, Blair had said. Jackson-Lee's proposal states that the incidence of violence motivated by the actual or perceived sexual orientation of the victim poses a serious national problem, and that disrupts communities. Since existing federal law is inadequate and such violence affects interstate commerce and violence motivated by bias that is a relic of slavery can constitute badges and incidents of slavery, the thought police plan is needed.
Members who commented on a blog expressed alarm.
This lays the groundwork for the thought police, said onlymom, while curveboy said, the implications of such a bill would put dissent of the government under hate speech and (offenders could) be arrested and thrown into detention camps... hate bill legislations needs to be dealt with in a fine line.
once crossed there won't be any freedom of speech....Citrine89 was more terse, Scary stuff. And Mochamoma said, Hurt someone's feelings? Shall we arrest the 6th graders now or later? At www.FaithAndFreedom.us a writer warned it was another attempt to create new special rights for homosexuals.And Mary Starrett, communications director for the Constitution Party, said only strong public outcry and a Republican controlled Congress kept this type of legislation from becoming law earlier. Now that Republican controlled Congress is gone. H.R. 254 would make certain types of speech a federal offense. So-called hate crimes legislation is dangerous for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the blatant unconstitutionality of such laws. Hate crime' laws would allow federal thought police to interfere in the law enforcement authority of states and localities something our founders were clear was NOT to be allowed, she said. H.R. 254 would require every state to pass and enforce anti-hate laws. It would outlaw stating a bias against certain federally protected groups such as homosexuals, she said.
Jim Clymer, national chairman of the party, has warned such legislation could mean the Bible would be considered hate literature and preaching from it would be hate speech because of references to religious teachings on homosexuality or other behaviors. The Orwellian implications of these types of laws mean Bible-believing Christians could become criminals simply because they spoke out about their beliefs.Starrett noted in Canada and some European countries, it already is a crime to use the Internet to criticize federally protected groups such as homosexuals and Muslims. In England, two men who called Islam wicked were indicted and now face seven years in prison.A report by Concerned Women for America said the bill sends the message that it is more hateful to kill a homosexual than a little child.This bill sets the table, and places us on a slippery slope toward religious persecution, said Matt Barber, CWA's policy director for cultural issues. If it becomes law, it can easily be misapplied and used as a hammer against free speech.
This bill attempts to get into the mind of the offender and penalize him for his thoughts. Are the bill's proponents going to now lobby for a Federal Department of Thought Enforcement? Repent America, some of whose members already have served jail time simply for proclaiming the biblical message, is joining in sounding the alarm. Having been charged under Pennsylvania's hate crimes law for declaring the truth about homosexuality, I can assure you that if this bill is passed and signed into law, it will be used to put Christians behind bars, said Marcavage.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
CANADA - US DIG OUT
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Series of quakes rock Indonesia. 3-Eastern US and Canada digs out of snowstorm. 4-Major winter storm blasts the Northeast. 5-PUTIN'S VALENTINE TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD. 6-Temple Mount Bridge Dig Yielding Multiple Historical Finds. 7-Lieberman Says Israel is On Its Own With Iran. 8-Christian law firm promoting stand for purity in public schools. 9-Southern Baptist Convention warns Christians about teachings of Mormonism. 10-Israel's new army chief sworn in. 11-Israel: No Final Status Talks at Summit.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Thu Feb 15 12:37:06 UTC 2007
FEB 15,07
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
MAP 5.2 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
FEB 14,07
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.3 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.2 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 NORTHERN PERU
MAP 4.9 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 TARAPACA, CHILE
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.5 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.7 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.4 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.9 EASTER ISLAND REGION
MAP 3.4 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
FEB 13,07
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.5 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.3 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 5.1 BANDA SEA
MAP 5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 OREGON
MAP 2.9 OREGON
MAP 4.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.2 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
Series of quakes rock Indonesia Wed Feb 14, 4:51 PM ET
JAKARTA (AFP) - A series of moderate earthquakes rocked Indonesia, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. A 5.5-magnitude quake, in the Nias region, hit at 3:46 am (2046 GMT Wednesday). It was centred 206 kilometres (128 miles) southwest of Sibolga, on Sumatra, at a depth of 30 km, the US Geological Survey said.
Earlier, at 2:49 am, another 5.5-magnitude quake struck nearby at a depth of just 4.7 km.And a 5.2-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia's North Sumatra at 3:11 am, 115km southwest of Banda Aceh.The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province alone.
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.
Eastern US and Canada digs out of snowstorm by Veronica Smith FEB 15,07
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Residents in the eastern United States and parts of Canada have driven on treacherously icy roads and dug out of the first major snow storm to hit the region this year. The massive weather system started in the US southwest, then swept through the US midwest, said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. The storm then regained strength off the Virginia coast and lumbered up the US east coast, dumping snow along the way.The low pressure center behind the storm was climbing up the eastern US seaboard and expected to reach Canada's maritime provinces late Thursday, Feltgen said.Things will get worse today before they get better, he said.Blizzard warnings were out in the northeastern United States, the NWS said, amid warnings that with the wind chill factor temperatures on Thursday could drop below minus 20 Fahrenheit (-29 Celsius) in New York state and Vermont, with arctic winds sweeping in from the north.
The National Weather Service said that heavy ice combined with wind gusts of up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) an hour downed trees and power lines across the affected region.According to CNN early Thursday, the storm killed 13 people in six states, while some 300,000 others were without power across seven states.
In Washington on Thursday, area school districts remained closed for a second day, and the US government announced its area employees could take an unscheduled day off if they could not make it to work.The US capital awoke Wednesday to an icy mix of snow and sleet that closed airports and slowed the federal government. Bus routes were cancelled and residents urged not to drive, stalling commuters.Temperatures in the region plunged overnight, freezing the snow slush and turning streets Thursday into dangerously slippery ice rinks.
Heavy snow and freezing rain forced flight cancellations and delays at major airports in Washington, New York and Boston, Massachusetts. Hundreds of flights were also cancelled at Chicago's O'Hare airport, the country's busiest.In New York City, meteorologists warned of freezing rain and sleet, with snow accumulating one to three inches (2.5-7.5 centimeters).At New York's John F. Kennedy airport, passengers aboard a Jet Blue flight bound for Cancun, Mexico were trapped inside the plane for eight hours as the pilot awaited clearing to depart.There was very little food, a passenger told CNN, describing his ordeal among screaming infants and stressed-out adults inside the airplane. It was just a nightmare.The crew had to open the actual plane doors to get some air, said another passenger.The airline eventually cancelled the flight and issued a written apology that acknowledged they had no excuse for why we allowed passengers to sit on the tarmac, according to CNN,The weather also played havoc with the heating-up 2008 presidential race.
Republican Mitt Romney, who announced the bid for his party's presidential nomination Tuesday, was forced to cancel a campaign stop in the northeastern state of New Hampshire. In Canada, the worst snowstorm of the season blanketed southern Ontario, forcing several flight cancellations and school closures, and tormenting drivers as it swept eastward. In Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, dozens of flights, mostly to large US cities, were cancelled, according to airport authorities. It's the first big storm of the year. It's not commonplace, but at the same time, it's not the end of the world, Denis Heroux, an Environment Canada meteorologist at Montreal airport, told AFP. It's almost as much snow in one day as has fallen since the beginning of winter, said Heroux, noting that Montreal received only 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) of snow this year, half the normal snowfall.
Major winter storm blasts the Northeast C. Dolce, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Feb 14, 9:08 PM ET
A furious winter storm has pounded the Northeast today with everything from heavy snow to serious icing to heavy rain. Flooding has even been a problem in portions of Rhode Island including Providence. As of early evening, the main area of the snow had shifted to northern New York State and Northern New England. Several more inches of accumulation are possible before the snow ends tonight. Blizzard warnings remain posted from eastern and northern Upstate New York to western Maine with considerable blowing and drifting of snow expected. Further south, wrap-around snow showers were rotating through New York City and Philadelphia this evening. Only minor accumulations are expected with this area of snow as it exits off the coast. Snow amounts have been over a foot in portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In fact, many locations have approached or topped the 2 foot mark. Isolated amounts of just over 3 feet have been reported in central New York State (Otsego County). Bitterly cold winds will sweep over the Northeast tonight and tomorrow in the wake of today's blockbuster storm. Snow showers and flurries will dot the landscape from northern New England through much of New York State into western Pennsylvania and the mountains of West Virginia. Lake-effect snows will stream southeastward off Lakes Erie (with a Huron connection) and Ontario. In the West, snow will taper off over New Mexico. But not before dumping up to 7 inches over parts of Albuquerque (Sandia Heights), while up to 8 inches have fallen near Gallup.
PUTIN'S VALENTINE TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(WASHINGTON, D.C., February 14, 2007) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a busy week courting Islamic leaders and threatening the West. In Munich, he blasted U.S. foreign policy in terms so harsh that many analysts wonder if he is trying to trigger a new Cold War. From there, he headed to Saudia Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, and continued pursuing his aggressive agenda of dramatically expanding Moscow's military alliances throughout the Arab and Islamic world. Along the way, he:
* negotiated a $1 billion arms deal with the Saudis
* signalled willingness to help the Saudis become a nuclear power
* agreed to work with Iran and the Gulf States on creating an OPEC-style gas cartel to control international sales and prices of natural gas
* visited the Jordan River, looking westward towards the mountains of Israel
Based on Ezekiel's intelligence, we should expect Russian influence throughout the Islamic world to increase significantly as the time of the War of Gog and Magog approaches. And that is precisely what is happening. Over the past year, he has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, delivered Russian missiles to the Iranians, continued building nuclear facilities in Iran, and promised to deliver enriched uranium to Iran next month. What's more, he has moved to strengthen ties with Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, and even sent Russian military advisors into Lebanon. Does any of this mean conclusively that the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 are imminent or that Putin himself is the Gog of the Scriptures? No. But as Putin continues to send valentines to the Islamic world and distance himself from the Western alliance, it should give all of us pause. Just what are his motives? Where is he headed?
Temple Mount Bridge Dig Yielding Multiple Historical Finds
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (INN) FEB 14,07
An archaeologist from the Antiquities Authority said Tuesday that the dig underway at the site of the Rambam (Mughrabim) Gate bridge is yielding finds from multiple historical periods. The archaeologist, Yuval Baruch, expressed his estimation of the value of the preservation dig to a delegation of Knesset Members from the National Union-National Religious Party faction. The MKs were on a tour of the site of the archaeological dig, which is being carried out alongside the women's section of the Western Wall Plaza. Digs initiated by the Antiquities Authority at the site have already turned up ruins from the Muslim Umayyad (7th-8th centuries CE), Christian Byzantine (3rd-7th centuries CE), and Jewish Herodian (1st Century BCE – 1st Century CE) periods.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority is conducting the dig as part of the reconstruction of a bridge leading up to the Temple Mount's Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate. The dig, common to any major construction in the ancient city of Jerusalem, is meant to uncover and salvage antiquities that might otherwise have been further covered or destroyed by the construction work. Baruch emphasized that any finds, from any ancient historical period, will be treated with care and preserved. The archaeologist told the MKs that a small earthquake and heavy snows in 2004 led to the collapse of the Rambam Gate bridge, an earthen ramp up to the Temple Mount, on its northern side. That collapse, Baruch said, constituted an immediate threat to people at the Western Wall. In addition, the women's section of the Western Wall has been severely restricted by the need for extensive retaining walls and support beams to protect the worshipers there.
The construction and archaeological dig in the Western Wall area have been seized upon for widespread incitement by Muslim leaders throughout the world, who are spreading rumors to the effect that the Jewish State is undermining the mosques on the Temple Mount. In Jerusalem, violence by Arabs led to the suspension of the bridge construction by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski. The archaeological dig will continue, however. The Chairman of the National Union-NRP Knesset faction, MK Uri Ariel, commented to the press that the Arabs apparently fear that Jewish remains will be found in the excavations, which will strengthen, in the eyes of Israeli society and in the eyes of the world, the Jewish people's connection to its land.Ariel also chastised sectors of the Israeli-Arab community, saying that their provocations and violence amount to the behavior of a fifth column. On Monday, MK Ariel initiated a debate in the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee on the behavior of the Islamic Movement's leaders in inciting violence over the Rambam Gate construction. MK Eli Gabbai (NU-NRP), a former Jerusalem city councilman, said, The State of Israel must not give in to hostile elements. Every submission to an Islamic provocation brings about further submissions and extortion.
The State of Israel must defend the Israeli interest in the Temple Mount.The Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Holy Temples, is the holiest site in Judaism and has been the focus of all Jewish prayer worldwide for thousands of years. Muslim rulers built two major mosques atop the Mount during periods of Islamic conquest. Even though the Mount was brought under Jewish sovereignty in the 1967 Six Day War, the sole religious authority at the site, with Israeli assent, has been Muslim.
Lieberman Says Israel is On Its Own With Iran
By Hana Levi Julian (INN) FEB 14,07
Israel will have to face the Iranian threat on its own, warned a cabinet minister on Tuesday. Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Russian immigrant party Yisrael Beiteinu, said that the Jewish State will not be able to depend on the international community to protect Israel from the Iranian threat.
Lieberman said bluntly that the world will not defend Israel against a nuclear Iran. We will have to face the Iranians alone, Lieberman said in an interview broadcast on Voice of Israel Radio. Israel cannot remain with its arms folded, waiting patiently for Iran to develop non-conventional weapons.European Union Admits Diplomacy Is Ineffective An internal European Union report leaked to the media this week documented that diplomatic interventions have been ineffective and probably will continue to be so. In practice, the report read, ...the Iranians have pursued their program at their own pace, the limiting factor being technical difficulties rather than resolutions by the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency... The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone. Iran has shown great resilience to outside pressure in the past... At some point we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons program.Nonetheless, EU sources hurried to deny that it was despairing of a negotiated solution. A senior diplomat complained to the Reuters news agency, What we don’t like is the implication that sanctions are not going to work and that we are [therefore] contemplating military action.
Until now, the U.N. has imposed sanctions which ban the transfer of nuclear technology to the Islamic Republic. The world body threatened to tighten the diplomatic noose if Iran has not ended its nuclear activities by February 21st. Minister Lieberman has criticized the EU report. Any surrender to Iran can only encourage the aggressiveness and unbridled aspirations of this country, which wants to foist its power on the Middle East, he said pointedly. Continued UN Opposition to Stronger Measures The French Foreign Ministry has strongly opposed a military response to the growing nuclear threat from Iran despite its continued defiance of a U.N. Security Council mandate to end uranium enrichment activities. We have faith in diplomacy and believe a united international community can convince Iran to retreat, whether through diplomacy or sanctions, said French Ambassador to Israel Jean-Michel Casa. Although Casa reiterated his country’s stance that we will absolutely not accept a situation in which Iran becomes a nuclear power, he offered no alternatives to the measures which have proved ineffective. Moreover, France is still offering to assist Iran’s civilian nuclear program under tight international supervision, on condition that they abandon their uranium enrichment program and any military program.
Russia has been equally adamant in limiting sanctions against the Islamic Republic, expressing its support two weeks ago for an initiative to offer a time-out proposal to hold off sanctions. The International Atomic Agency suggested at the time that the United Nations delay its plan to impose the sanctions. Although the United States has urged the UN for the past year to impose heavy sanctions against Iran in an effort to stop the Iranians, it too has offered little else. U.S. President George W. Bush said in November 2006 he would understand if Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, but said that America would not help the Jewish State to do so. A New Threat From Iran.Iran has also been sharing its largess with terrorist organizations to the immediate north and south of Israel – Hizbullah and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar met with the head
of Iranian national security at approximately the same time the US announced its reluctance to step up the severity of its response to Iran’s nuclear activities. Iran has handed out, until now, over $120 million and says it will supply more aid, al-Zahar informed reporters in November 2006. Its support is very important for us.
Iran has also been supplying Hizbullah with weapons and financial support. Iranian long-range missiles were fired by Hizbullah at the Jewish State during last summer’s war with Lebanon, and intelligence reports indicate that the Islamic Republic has already re-supplied the Lebanese terrorists. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has in turn repeatedly warned that Iran is building a nuclear weapon of mass destruction. He has pointed out in numerous speeches at various forums that this poses a threat not only to the Middle East, but in fact to the entire world. Israel has also warned the international community that Israel will not tolerate an existential threat from the Islamic Republic.
Christian law firm promoting stand for purity in public schools FEB 14,07
For the fourth straight year, Liberty Counsel is helping public school students take a stand for purity this Valentine's Day. The Day of Purity is designed to help those students educate their peers on the value of remaining sexually pure one benefit being the avoidance of contracting an incurable, sexually-transmitted disease.
Southern Baptist Convention warns Christians about teachings of Mormonism FEB 14,07
Rob Bowman with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) says Christians need to be aware that the beliefs of the Mormon Church are inconsistent with biblical Christianity. As one Mormon candidate launches his White House bid, the Southern Baptist official is urging Christians to take advantage of materials his denomination offers that teach the truth about Mormonism.
Israel's new army chief sworn in Wed Feb 14, 7:03 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) -Israel's new army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi has been sworn in, a month after his predecessor resigned over the failures from the war in Lebanon. Assuming a four-year mandate, instead of the customary three, Ashkenazi takes charge of an army in crisis after a disappointing performance in last summer's 34-day war against the Shiite Hezbollah militia.We are committed to the implementation of the lessons learned from the conflict in Lebanon, the 52-year-old general wrote in a letter to soldiers.Ashkenazi faces looming threats on three fronts: the possibility of renewed hostilities in the volatile Gaza strip, against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the mounting Iranian nuclear threat.Despite our yearning for peace as we reach out to our neighbors, the time has not yet come to sheath our sword, he wrote. It must remain sharpened and honed, prepared to face any enemy.Askenazi, Israel's 19th chief of staff, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and formally handed command of the military in the office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with Defence Minister Amir Peretz, top brass and MPs also in attendance.He joined the elite Golani infantry brigade in 1972, rising through the ranks to become its commander in 1986.In 1976 he took part in a daring commando raid that rescued Jewish passengers taken hostage after an Air France flight was hijacked and flown to Entebbe, Uganda. He was wounded in 1978 in a military operation in Lebanon.He was named commander of Israel's northern military region in 1998 and deputy chief of staff in 2002. He resigned from that post three years later when Halutz was given the top job, and moved to the defence ministry.The married father of two has a degree in political sciences and is a graduate of Harvard University's Business Management program.
Israel: No Final Status Talks at Summit
By Gil Ronen (INN) FEB 14,07
PM, FM think talk of refugees, Jerusalem and 1967 borders may lead to violence.
As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice prepares to convene a three-way summit with the leaders of Israel and the PA, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is sticking to his refusal to discuss three major elements of any final-status agreement: Arab refugees from 1948, the status of Jerusalem and an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 armistice lines.
Raising any of these issues would doom the talks to failure, Olmert told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Monday. Olmert also believes that the US-brokered summit is not a substitute for direct bilateral negotiations, which should be the main route for progress. The summit meeting between Olmert, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Secretary Rice is to take place in Jerusalem next Monday. Rice wants to hold the meeting in order to demonstrate progress in Israel-PA relations, but Abbas and Olmert cannot agree on the agenda for the talks. Abbas said over the weekend that he had agreed with [Secretary] Rice that it is necessary to discuss a final-status arrangement and to begin negotiations on permanent borders, the settlements and the refugee problem. He reiterated his opposition to any discussion of an Arab state with temporary borders.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also believes that final-status issues should not be discussed now. A failure of the talks on these issues, she says, could spark renewed violence, as occurred after the Camp David summit of July 2000. The FM would prefer to focus on establishing a PA state within temporary borders, as outlined in the second stage of the Road Map to Peace plan. PA spokesmen conducted a massive diplomatic campaign Saturday, in an attempt to convince world leaders to support their unity government and lift economic sanctions on the PA. However, Western governments and Israel have shown little enthusiasm for the agreement signed Thursday by Hamas and Fatah leaders in Mecca. World leaders said they would have to study the deal and see how it changes the situation, before lifting sanctions.The Quartet of Mideast mediators – the U.S., U.N., Russia and the European Union – had demanded that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and accept past peace deals. However the Mecca accord says only that the new PA government pledges to respect the previous deals.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Thu Feb 15 12:37:06 UTC 2007
FEB 15,07
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
MAP 5.2 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
FEB 14,07
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.3 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.2 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.5 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 NORTHERN PERU
MAP 4.9 OAXACA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 TARAPACA, CHILE
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 3.2 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.1 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
MAP 3.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.5 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.7 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.4 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.9 EASTER ISLAND REGION
MAP 3.4 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
FEB 13,07
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.5 AZORES ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.3 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 5.1 BANDA SEA
MAP 5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 OREGON
MAP 2.9 OREGON
MAP 4.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.2 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
Series of quakes rock Indonesia Wed Feb 14, 4:51 PM ET
JAKARTA (AFP) - A series of moderate earthquakes rocked Indonesia, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. A 5.5-magnitude quake, in the Nias region, hit at 3:46 am (2046 GMT Wednesday). It was centred 206 kilometres (128 miles) southwest of Sibolga, on Sumatra, at a depth of 30 km, the US Geological Survey said.
Earlier, at 2:49 am, another 5.5-magnitude quake struck nearby at a depth of just 4.7 km.And a 5.2-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia's North Sumatra at 3:11 am, 115km southwest of Banda Aceh.The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province alone.
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.
Eastern US and Canada digs out of snowstorm by Veronica Smith FEB 15,07
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Residents in the eastern United States and parts of Canada have driven on treacherously icy roads and dug out of the first major snow storm to hit the region this year. The massive weather system started in the US southwest, then swept through the US midwest, said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. The storm then regained strength off the Virginia coast and lumbered up the US east coast, dumping snow along the way.The low pressure center behind the storm was climbing up the eastern US seaboard and expected to reach Canada's maritime provinces late Thursday, Feltgen said.Things will get worse today before they get better, he said.Blizzard warnings were out in the northeastern United States, the NWS said, amid warnings that with the wind chill factor temperatures on Thursday could drop below minus 20 Fahrenheit (-29 Celsius) in New York state and Vermont, with arctic winds sweeping in from the north.
The National Weather Service said that heavy ice combined with wind gusts of up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) an hour downed trees and power lines across the affected region.According to CNN early Thursday, the storm killed 13 people in six states, while some 300,000 others were without power across seven states.
In Washington on Thursday, area school districts remained closed for a second day, and the US government announced its area employees could take an unscheduled day off if they could not make it to work.The US capital awoke Wednesday to an icy mix of snow and sleet that closed airports and slowed the federal government. Bus routes were cancelled and residents urged not to drive, stalling commuters.Temperatures in the region plunged overnight, freezing the snow slush and turning streets Thursday into dangerously slippery ice rinks.
Heavy snow and freezing rain forced flight cancellations and delays at major airports in Washington, New York and Boston, Massachusetts. Hundreds of flights were also cancelled at Chicago's O'Hare airport, the country's busiest.In New York City, meteorologists warned of freezing rain and sleet, with snow accumulating one to three inches (2.5-7.5 centimeters).At New York's John F. Kennedy airport, passengers aboard a Jet Blue flight bound for Cancun, Mexico were trapped inside the plane for eight hours as the pilot awaited clearing to depart.There was very little food, a passenger told CNN, describing his ordeal among screaming infants and stressed-out adults inside the airplane. It was just a nightmare.The crew had to open the actual plane doors to get some air, said another passenger.The airline eventually cancelled the flight and issued a written apology that acknowledged they had no excuse for why we allowed passengers to sit on the tarmac, according to CNN,The weather also played havoc with the heating-up 2008 presidential race.
Republican Mitt Romney, who announced the bid for his party's presidential nomination Tuesday, was forced to cancel a campaign stop in the northeastern state of New Hampshire. In Canada, the worst snowstorm of the season blanketed southern Ontario, forcing several flight cancellations and school closures, and tormenting drivers as it swept eastward. In Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, dozens of flights, mostly to large US cities, were cancelled, according to airport authorities. It's the first big storm of the year. It's not commonplace, but at the same time, it's not the end of the world, Denis Heroux, an Environment Canada meteorologist at Montreal airport, told AFP. It's almost as much snow in one day as has fallen since the beginning of winter, said Heroux, noting that Montreal received only 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) of snow this year, half the normal snowfall.
Major winter storm blasts the Northeast C. Dolce, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Feb 14, 9:08 PM ET
A furious winter storm has pounded the Northeast today with everything from heavy snow to serious icing to heavy rain. Flooding has even been a problem in portions of Rhode Island including Providence. As of early evening, the main area of the snow had shifted to northern New York State and Northern New England. Several more inches of accumulation are possible before the snow ends tonight. Blizzard warnings remain posted from eastern and northern Upstate New York to western Maine with considerable blowing and drifting of snow expected. Further south, wrap-around snow showers were rotating through New York City and Philadelphia this evening. Only minor accumulations are expected with this area of snow as it exits off the coast. Snow amounts have been over a foot in portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In fact, many locations have approached or topped the 2 foot mark. Isolated amounts of just over 3 feet have been reported in central New York State (Otsego County). Bitterly cold winds will sweep over the Northeast tonight and tomorrow in the wake of today's blockbuster storm. Snow showers and flurries will dot the landscape from northern New England through much of New York State into western Pennsylvania and the mountains of West Virginia. Lake-effect snows will stream southeastward off Lakes Erie (with a Huron connection) and Ontario. In the West, snow will taper off over New Mexico. But not before dumping up to 7 inches over parts of Albuquerque (Sandia Heights), while up to 8 inches have fallen near Gallup.
PUTIN'S VALENTINE TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(WASHINGTON, D.C., February 14, 2007) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a busy week courting Islamic leaders and threatening the West. In Munich, he blasted U.S. foreign policy in terms so harsh that many analysts wonder if he is trying to trigger a new Cold War. From there, he headed to Saudia Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, and continued pursuing his aggressive agenda of dramatically expanding Moscow's military alliances throughout the Arab and Islamic world. Along the way, he:
* negotiated a $1 billion arms deal with the Saudis
* signalled willingness to help the Saudis become a nuclear power
* agreed to work with Iran and the Gulf States on creating an OPEC-style gas cartel to control international sales and prices of natural gas
* visited the Jordan River, looking westward towards the mountains of Israel
Based on Ezekiel's intelligence, we should expect Russian influence throughout the Islamic world to increase significantly as the time of the War of Gog and Magog approaches. And that is precisely what is happening. Over the past year, he has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, delivered Russian missiles to the Iranians, continued building nuclear facilities in Iran, and promised to deliver enriched uranium to Iran next month. What's more, he has moved to strengthen ties with Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, and even sent Russian military advisors into Lebanon. Does any of this mean conclusively that the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 are imminent or that Putin himself is the Gog of the Scriptures? No. But as Putin continues to send valentines to the Islamic world and distance himself from the Western alliance, it should give all of us pause. Just what are his motives? Where is he headed?
Temple Mount Bridge Dig Yielding Multiple Historical Finds
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (INN) FEB 14,07
An archaeologist from the Antiquities Authority said Tuesday that the dig underway at the site of the Rambam (Mughrabim) Gate bridge is yielding finds from multiple historical periods. The archaeologist, Yuval Baruch, expressed his estimation of the value of the preservation dig to a delegation of Knesset Members from the National Union-National Religious Party faction. The MKs were on a tour of the site of the archaeological dig, which is being carried out alongside the women's section of the Western Wall Plaza. Digs initiated by the Antiquities Authority at the site have already turned up ruins from the Muslim Umayyad (7th-8th centuries CE), Christian Byzantine (3rd-7th centuries CE), and Jewish Herodian (1st Century BCE – 1st Century CE) periods.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority is conducting the dig as part of the reconstruction of a bridge leading up to the Temple Mount's Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate. The dig, common to any major construction in the ancient city of Jerusalem, is meant to uncover and salvage antiquities that might otherwise have been further covered or destroyed by the construction work. Baruch emphasized that any finds, from any ancient historical period, will be treated with care and preserved. The archaeologist told the MKs that a small earthquake and heavy snows in 2004 led to the collapse of the Rambam Gate bridge, an earthen ramp up to the Temple Mount, on its northern side. That collapse, Baruch said, constituted an immediate threat to people at the Western Wall. In addition, the women's section of the Western Wall has been severely restricted by the need for extensive retaining walls and support beams to protect the worshipers there.
The construction and archaeological dig in the Western Wall area have been seized upon for widespread incitement by Muslim leaders throughout the world, who are spreading rumors to the effect that the Jewish State is undermining the mosques on the Temple Mount. In Jerusalem, violence by Arabs led to the suspension of the bridge construction by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski. The archaeological dig will continue, however. The Chairman of the National Union-NRP Knesset faction, MK Uri Ariel, commented to the press that the Arabs apparently fear that Jewish remains will be found in the excavations, which will strengthen, in the eyes of Israeli society and in the eyes of the world, the Jewish people's connection to its land.Ariel also chastised sectors of the Israeli-Arab community, saying that their provocations and violence amount to the behavior of a fifth column. On Monday, MK Ariel initiated a debate in the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee on the behavior of the Islamic Movement's leaders in inciting violence over the Rambam Gate construction. MK Eli Gabbai (NU-NRP), a former Jerusalem city councilman, said, The State of Israel must not give in to hostile elements. Every submission to an Islamic provocation brings about further submissions and extortion.
The State of Israel must defend the Israeli interest in the Temple Mount.The Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Holy Temples, is the holiest site in Judaism and has been the focus of all Jewish prayer worldwide for thousands of years. Muslim rulers built two major mosques atop the Mount during periods of Islamic conquest. Even though the Mount was brought under Jewish sovereignty in the 1967 Six Day War, the sole religious authority at the site, with Israeli assent, has been Muslim.
Lieberman Says Israel is On Its Own With Iran
By Hana Levi Julian (INN) FEB 14,07
Israel will have to face the Iranian threat on its own, warned a cabinet minister on Tuesday. Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Russian immigrant party Yisrael Beiteinu, said that the Jewish State will not be able to depend on the international community to protect Israel from the Iranian threat.
Lieberman said bluntly that the world will not defend Israel against a nuclear Iran. We will have to face the Iranians alone, Lieberman said in an interview broadcast on Voice of Israel Radio. Israel cannot remain with its arms folded, waiting patiently for Iran to develop non-conventional weapons.European Union Admits Diplomacy Is Ineffective An internal European Union report leaked to the media this week documented that diplomatic interventions have been ineffective and probably will continue to be so. In practice, the report read, ...the Iranians have pursued their program at their own pace, the limiting factor being technical difficulties rather than resolutions by the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency... The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone. Iran has shown great resilience to outside pressure in the past... At some point we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons program.Nonetheless, EU sources hurried to deny that it was despairing of a negotiated solution. A senior diplomat complained to the Reuters news agency, What we don’t like is the implication that sanctions are not going to work and that we are [therefore] contemplating military action.
Until now, the U.N. has imposed sanctions which ban the transfer of nuclear technology to the Islamic Republic. The world body threatened to tighten the diplomatic noose if Iran has not ended its nuclear activities by February 21st. Minister Lieberman has criticized the EU report. Any surrender to Iran can only encourage the aggressiveness and unbridled aspirations of this country, which wants to foist its power on the Middle East, he said pointedly. Continued UN Opposition to Stronger Measures The French Foreign Ministry has strongly opposed a military response to the growing nuclear threat from Iran despite its continued defiance of a U.N. Security Council mandate to end uranium enrichment activities. We have faith in diplomacy and believe a united international community can convince Iran to retreat, whether through diplomacy or sanctions, said French Ambassador to Israel Jean-Michel Casa. Although Casa reiterated his country’s stance that we will absolutely not accept a situation in which Iran becomes a nuclear power, he offered no alternatives to the measures which have proved ineffective. Moreover, France is still offering to assist Iran’s civilian nuclear program under tight international supervision, on condition that they abandon their uranium enrichment program and any military program.
Russia has been equally adamant in limiting sanctions against the Islamic Republic, expressing its support two weeks ago for an initiative to offer a time-out proposal to hold off sanctions. The International Atomic Agency suggested at the time that the United Nations delay its plan to impose the sanctions. Although the United States has urged the UN for the past year to impose heavy sanctions against Iran in an effort to stop the Iranians, it too has offered little else. U.S. President George W. Bush said in November 2006 he would understand if Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, but said that America would not help the Jewish State to do so. A New Threat From Iran.Iran has also been sharing its largess with terrorist organizations to the immediate north and south of Israel – Hizbullah and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar met with the head
of Iranian national security at approximately the same time the US announced its reluctance to step up the severity of its response to Iran’s nuclear activities. Iran has handed out, until now, over $120 million and says it will supply more aid, al-Zahar informed reporters in November 2006. Its support is very important for us.
Iran has also been supplying Hizbullah with weapons and financial support. Iranian long-range missiles were fired by Hizbullah at the Jewish State during last summer’s war with Lebanon, and intelligence reports indicate that the Islamic Republic has already re-supplied the Lebanese terrorists. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has in turn repeatedly warned that Iran is building a nuclear weapon of mass destruction. He has pointed out in numerous speeches at various forums that this poses a threat not only to the Middle East, but in fact to the entire world. Israel has also warned the international community that Israel will not tolerate an existential threat from the Islamic Republic.
Christian law firm promoting stand for purity in public schools FEB 14,07
For the fourth straight year, Liberty Counsel is helping public school students take a stand for purity this Valentine's Day. The Day of Purity is designed to help those students educate their peers on the value of remaining sexually pure one benefit being the avoidance of contracting an incurable, sexually-transmitted disease.
Southern Baptist Convention warns Christians about teachings of Mormonism FEB 14,07
Rob Bowman with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) says Christians need to be aware that the beliefs of the Mormon Church are inconsistent with biblical Christianity. As one Mormon candidate launches his White House bid, the Southern Baptist official is urging Christians to take advantage of materials his denomination offers that teach the truth about Mormonism.
Israel's new army chief sworn in Wed Feb 14, 7:03 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) -Israel's new army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi has been sworn in, a month after his predecessor resigned over the failures from the war in Lebanon. Assuming a four-year mandate, instead of the customary three, Ashkenazi takes charge of an army in crisis after a disappointing performance in last summer's 34-day war against the Shiite Hezbollah militia.We are committed to the implementation of the lessons learned from the conflict in Lebanon, the 52-year-old general wrote in a letter to soldiers.Ashkenazi faces looming threats on three fronts: the possibility of renewed hostilities in the volatile Gaza strip, against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the mounting Iranian nuclear threat.Despite our yearning for peace as we reach out to our neighbors, the time has not yet come to sheath our sword, he wrote. It must remain sharpened and honed, prepared to face any enemy.Askenazi, Israel's 19th chief of staff, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and formally handed command of the military in the office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with Defence Minister Amir Peretz, top brass and MPs also in attendance.He joined the elite Golani infantry brigade in 1972, rising through the ranks to become its commander in 1986.In 1976 he took part in a daring commando raid that rescued Jewish passengers taken hostage after an Air France flight was hijacked and flown to Entebbe, Uganda. He was wounded in 1978 in a military operation in Lebanon.He was named commander of Israel's northern military region in 1998 and deputy chief of staff in 2002. He resigned from that post three years later when Halutz was given the top job, and moved to the defence ministry.The married father of two has a degree in political sciences and is a graduate of Harvard University's Business Management program.
Israel: No Final Status Talks at Summit
By Gil Ronen (INN) FEB 14,07
PM, FM think talk of refugees, Jerusalem and 1967 borders may lead to violence.
As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice prepares to convene a three-way summit with the leaders of Israel and the PA, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is sticking to his refusal to discuss three major elements of any final-status agreement: Arab refugees from 1948, the status of Jerusalem and an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 armistice lines.
Raising any of these issues would doom the talks to failure, Olmert told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Monday. Olmert also believes that the US-brokered summit is not a substitute for direct bilateral negotiations, which should be the main route for progress. The summit meeting between Olmert, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Secretary Rice is to take place in Jerusalem next Monday. Rice wants to hold the meeting in order to demonstrate progress in Israel-PA relations, but Abbas and Olmert cannot agree on the agenda for the talks. Abbas said over the weekend that he had agreed with [Secretary] Rice that it is necessary to discuss a final-status arrangement and to begin negotiations on permanent borders, the settlements and the refugee problem. He reiterated his opposition to any discussion of an Arab state with temporary borders.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also believes that final-status issues should not be discussed now. A failure of the talks on these issues, she says, could spark renewed violence, as occurred after the Camp David summit of July 2000. The FM would prefer to focus on establishing a PA state within temporary borders, as outlined in the second stage of the Road Map to Peace plan. PA spokesmen conducted a massive diplomatic campaign Saturday, in an attempt to convince world leaders to support their unity government and lift economic sanctions on the PA. However, Western governments and Israel have shown little enthusiasm for the agreement signed Thursday by Hamas and Fatah leaders in Mecca. World leaders said they would have to study the deal and see how it changes the situation, before lifting sanctions.The Quartet of Mideast mediators – the U.S., U.N., Russia and the European Union – had demanded that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and accept past peace deals. However the Mecca accord says only that the new PA government pledges to respect the previous deals.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
TEMPLES LOCATION FOUND
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Tornado hits New Orleans area; 1 dead. 3-Nasty Midwest storm targets Northeast next. 4-Ireland examines tsunami early warning system. 5-Heavy B.C. snowpack could spell trouble. 6-EU sanctions cannot stop Iran bomb, memo says. 7-Sarkozy says Merkel is interested in mini-treaty. 9-Olmert caved to Muslims on Temple Mount. 10-Temple's location found,says Israeli archaeologist.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Wed Feb 14 12:16 AM EDT
FEB 13,07
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 BANDA SEA
MAP 5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 OREGON
MAP 2.9 OREGON
MAP 4.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.2 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
FEB 12,07
MAP 2.7 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 6.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 5.9 AZORES-CAPE ST. VINCENT RIDGE
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
MAP 5.8 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
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.
Tornado hits New Orleans area; 1 dead By KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press Writer FEB 13,07
NEW ORLEANS - A powerful storm and likely a tornado hit the New Orleans area early Tuesday, killing an elderly woman, injuring at least 15 other people, and damaging dozens of business and homes in a region still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. An 86-year-old woman died in the city's Gentilly neighborhood, one of the areas hit hardest by Katrina 18 months earlier.Another powerful storm cell hit south-central Louisiana, damaging buildings in New Iberia and on the outskirts of Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, but there were no reports of injuries.In the New Orleans area, FEMA trailers were tossed around, homes collapsed, and the wind tore the roof off a hotel across the river in Westwego. At least 10 structures were destroyed in New Orleans, said James Ross, a spokesman for Mayor Ray Nagin. Dozens of other homes and businesses were damaged in Westwego, Mayor Robert Billiot said.
There is just so much destruction, Billiot said.
About 20,000 people were without power in New Orleans, Westwego, and Metairie, a spokesman for Entergy Corp. said. Public, private and parochial schools in Westwego closed for the day. Xavier University in New Orleans shut down for the day because it had no power, said spokesman Warren Bell.Kevin Gillespie's trailer in Westwego was pulled five feet and shoved next to his steps so he couldn't open the door. The Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer behind his was pulled from its moorings and flipped into his back yard, Gillespie said.My next-door neighbors, they had just moved back into their house from (Hurricane) Katrina. Now it's totaled out again, he said.He didn't know how badly his own belongings were damaged; a crew had only just cut off the gas. But the storm removed every vehicle he owned: My car, pickup, motorbike and trailer all went away.
Still, he said, as dawn arrived, The more damage I see there, the more fortunate we are.At one point, emergency workers in New Orleans' uptown neighborhood scrambled to clear a downed magnolia tree so an ambulance could get by.John Carolan, 50, who lives in the neighborhood, said he was awakened by the storm and got up in time to get into a closet with his wife.
Ten seconds and it was over, he said.He said the storm blew the furniture from his porch into the street.Radar data provides pretty convincing evidence there was a tornado, said meteorologist Robert Ricks in the National Weather Service office in Slidell. He said the damage appeared to be from one storm cell that was behind a squall line moving east, he said.It should be an improving trend the rest of the day, Ricks said.
Ireland examines tsunami early warning system FEB 13,07
DUBLIN (AFP) - Ireland is to examine setting up a tsunami early warning system, even though such a threat is believed to be remote, Marine and Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey said. Dempsey said it will involve representatives of a number of ministries and state agencies like the meteorological service, the geological survey office and the marine institute.Although the probability of a tsunami along Irish coastlines is statistically very small, the EU has decided to fast track a number of initiatives aimed at predicting such events, Dempsey said.The International Oceanographic Commission (IOC), in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), is currently coordinating international efforts to deliver an initial system in the North East Atlantic and Mediterranean by end 2007 which will focus on linking up national systems.Dempsey said the committee will develop a fully designed and costed proposal for the Irish early warning system which will feed into the international efforts.Specific proposals for the implementation of the system will be brought to government for approval later in 2007, Dempsey said.
There is historical evidence that the south coast of Ireland experienced a tsunami following an earthquake that devastated Lisbon in Portugal in 1755.There is also geological evidence that Ireland may have experienced the effects of similar tsunamis in pre-historic times.In December 2004, more than 220,000 people were killed as a massive tsunami battered Indian Ocean coasts.The tragedy led to worldwide calls for a more effective tsunami response system -- including both the technology to predict the disasters and the means to get the message out.
Ireland has very little seismic activity.
In December 2005, an earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale occurred in the Irish Sea off Bray Head south of Dublin but no damage was caused.It occurred in an area close to where there was a 3.7 magnitude earthquake in 1951.The largest recorded earthquake in the Irish Sea area measured 5.4 on the Richter scale and had its epicentre on the Lleyn Peninsula in Wales in 1984. Structural damage was minor and it was only weakly felt in Ireland.
Nasty Midwest storm targets Northeast next Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
Northeast
A powerful winter storm will slam the Northeast tomorrow. Over two feet of wind-blown snow may bury portions of Upstate New York (including locations still digging out from lake-effect snows neck deep to a giraffe), northwest Pennsylvania and northern Vermont. Lesser but still hearty amounts will coat other parts of the interior, but in some spots the snow will give way to a treacherous mix of sleet and freezing rain. The most likely targets for this nastiness: northern Virginia, Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York and southern New England. Winds will increase dramatically as the storm strengthens during the day, and blizzard conditions could do some saber rattling in a few locations. Meanwhile, the big cities of the Megalopolis may see enough warming for the precipitation to change over to rain, but as cold air charges back in behind the storm later in the day, the precipitation could flop back briefly to snow. Not only that, but a quick drop in temperature could flash freeze any standing water or slush. High temperatures are expected to range from the teens in the heavy snow areas to the low 50s in southeast Virginia.
Midwest
Bitter cold winds will lash the Midwest and Plains tomorrow. Light snow and flurries will add to the wintry feel of the day on the Plains from South Dakota to Kansas. Lake-effect snows, meanwhile, will stream southward off Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron. The Lake Michigan snow band may blow southward along the Illinois-Indiana border. Simultaneously, light snow from today's storm may loiter over southeast Michigan, Ohio and eastern Kentucky through much of the day. High temperatures will range from the single digits in the northern Plains, much of Minnesota and northwest Iowa to the 20s in southeast Kansas, much of Missouri, the Ohio River Valley and Kentucky.
South
Windy, cold conditions will dominate the South tomorrow, Florida excepted. High temperatures are forecast to range from near 20 in the Oklahoma Panhandle to the low 80s in far south Florida. Most of the Deep South will top out in the 30s, 40s and 50s, north to south. Precipitation, meanwhile, will be limited to just a few areas: the Carolinas--a few morning showers; the Appalachians--scattered afternoon snow showers; and western Oklahoma and northwest Texas--some light snow or snow showers.
West
A Pacific front will push rain into western Washington and western Oregon tomorrow. Farther east, areas of light snow and snow showers will reach from western and southern Montana southward through Wyoming and Colorado into northern New Mexico. A few snow showers may dot Utah' mountains. Rain and snow showers are expected in parts of Arizona (mainly the mountains and high plateaus) and southern New Mexico. Sunshine will rule in Southern California. High temperatures will range from the single digits in far eastern Montana to the 70s in the lower Colorado River Valley. Readings in the 20s, 30s and 40s will prevail across the Intermountain region.
Heavy B.C. snowpack could spell trouble
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 CBC News
Snowpack levels across B.C. are at their highest levels since 1999, according to the latest figures from the B.C. Environment Ministry, raising concerns about spring flooding in the Fraser Valley.The heavy storms that pounded the B.C. coast from late October to mid-January caused flooding, power outages and boil-water advisories — and there could be still more impact in the next few months.
Allan Chapman of the provincial river forecast centre said the heavy precipitation has left a deep blanket of snow on the mountains. When that snow melts it feeds the river systems leading down to the Lower Fraser River.Up in the Upper Fraser, the Nechako and the Skeena [rivers], the snow is generally between 160 and 140 per cent of normal, he told CBC News.That means scientists are watching the weather, said Chapman, noting a warm spring would mean a fast runoff, which could produce flooding.
Questions about dike safety
A report released by the Fraser Basin Council last fall showed that the current system of dikes would not be able to hold back record Fraser River water levels.Steve Litke, who headed the study, said that would mean flooding for tens of thousands of people living in the Fraser Valley.What we found was the predicted water levels would over-top the dikes in one or more levels basically along the Lower Fraser from Chilliwack to Pitt Meadows, he said.And in a number of other places, the water levels are high enough that it could compromise the integrity of the dikes and cause dike failures.More than 20 Fraser Valley communities are protected by more than 300 km of diking.
EU sanctions cannot stop Iran bomb, memo says
13.02.2007 - 09:27 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
EU foreign ministers have clinched a deal on sanctions against Iran over the country's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. But an internal EU memo suggests sanctions can do little to stop Tehran from getting the bomb. Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (12 February) agreed on restrictive measures against Iran in line with a UN security council resolution adopted last December.The EU sanctions will: ban the supply of enrichment-related goods, technology or assistance; block Iranian officials linked to the nuclear scheme from traveling to the EU; freeze the assets of bomb-related institutions and stop Iranian students abroad from studying enrichment-related subjects. But before the EU gave the green light to the measures, the ministers received an internal memo from EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana which argued that international diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions have proved ineffective in changing Iran policy.
Technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure have so far delayed the completion of the country's nuclear programme, the paper said according to the Financial Times.At some stage we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons programme, the UK daily quotes the so-called reflection paper as saying. The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone, the document added. The news comes just days after US diplomats urged Europe to take tougher measures against Tehran, suggesting that financial sanctions are especially effective.The Solana paper could also be used by advocates of military action who argue that if nothing concrete is done Iran will obtain nuclear capacity in 2010. The US this week presented findings that Iran is supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents in a report seen by some analysts as a prelude to war.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later said in a rare interview on US TV We think there are wise people in the US who would stop such illegal actions.International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El Baradei will on 21 February deliver a report to the UN Security Council on Iran's compliance with demands put forth in the December resolution.He is expected to again call for Iran to suspend its nuclear development program and for the UN to lift the sanctions so that dialogue can restart, AP reports. The two parties need to take a timeout, Mr El Baradei said on Monday after meeting Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt. Sanctions are an important tool, but sanctions alone will not solve the issue.
Sarkozy says Merkel is interested in mini-treaty
13.02.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Mark Beunderman
French presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy has claimed that his idea of a mini-treaty replacing the European constitution is now also raising interest with German chancellor Angela Merkel. After talks with Ms Merkel in Berlin on Monday (12 February), the centre-right frontrunner in the French presidential race said that although Ms Merkel cannot publicly admit this, she is in fact sympathetic to his proposals for a slimmed-down version of the EU constitution. Of course we understand that given the European as well as German responsibilities that she has, Ms Merkel cannot go public with all of her thinking, he said according to press reports. But I believe that there is a big understanding, a big comprehension, and that the idea of a simplified treaty is an idea which at least raises a lot of interest.
Mr Sarkozy last year proposed a mini treaty salvaging only the institutional reforms of the constitution while ditching most of the values- and policy parts of the text. It would provide a way out for those countries that voted 'no' without humiliating those who voted yes, he said in Brussels in September, with France rejecting the constitution in a 2005 popular referendum. The mini-treaty idea has so far met resistance in Berlin, which currently holds the EU presidency and which seeks to revive as much of the current constitutional text as possible. Ms Merkel did not want to comment on the talks with Mr Sarkozy on Monday, according to newspaper reports. The German chancellor is very preoccupied to find a way out of the institutional blockade [of the EU] and I believe that we have found common understanding, Mr Sarkozy said however.
Mr Sarkozy's statements come despite strong and consistent German public support for the entire EU constitution text, which Berlin has already ratified like 17 other EU capitals. Earlier reports have however suggested that circles in Ms Merkel's and Mr Sarkozy's political parties - belonging to the same European conservative political family - are in close informal contact to find common ground between Berlin and Paris. But Mr Sarkozy's claim that he has German support for his mini-treaty plan also sheds light on his intense campaign for the French presidency, with polls currently showing him ahead of socialist contender Segolene Royal.
Olmert caved to Muslims on Temple Mount
Israeli PM criticized for approving plan for minaret, but not synagogue
Posted: February 12, 2007 10:40 a.m. Eastern By Aaron Klein WorldNetDaily.com
Temple Mount
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to allow Muslims to construct a massive minaret on the Temple Mount will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state and signal that violence and terrorism are working, according to a group of prominent rabbinic leaders in Israel. The Rabbinical Congress for Peace, a coalition of more than 300 Israeli rabbinic leaders and pulpit rabbis, said in a statement today Olmert does not have the moral or historic right to hand over even one inch of Israeli territory to foreigners.The mere fact of giving up sovereignty of the Temple Mount – the holiest site of the Jewish People – is an indication of how far the Israeli government has deteriorated and is prepared to forfeit Jewish rights and ownership of Israel granted in our holy Torah, the most authoritative book in the world, the rabbis said. The rabbis were responding to a story first reported by WND that Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue. A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.
There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables. Aryeh Eldad, a Knesset member from Israel's National Union party, last year drew up plans with Jewish groups to build a synagogue near the Marwani Mosque. The synagogue was to be built in accordance with rulings from several prominent rabbis, who said Jews can ascend the Mount at certain areas. A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100-percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims.This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif, the Waqf official said.
Sources in the Jordanian monarchy and the Waqf told WND Olmert last month gave Jordan's King Abdullah official permission to build the minaret. The sources said the minaret will rise 130 feet above the ancient walls of Jerusalem. A senior Olmert adviser confirmed to WND the Israeli prime minister told Abdullah he will allow the minaret's construction. The adviser said he could not speak on the record because Israel has been waiting for an opportune time to officially announce permission for the new minaret. The Rabbinic Congress for Peace said Olmert's allowing construction of the new minaret poses a grave threat to the security of Israel. It will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state to believe their tactics of violence and terrorism are paying off and that Israel is in retreat.We have already witnessed in the past the use of the Temple Mount as a pretence to launch violence and murder Jews, the Rabbis stated.
The Temple Mount has long been used by Palestinians to start violence.
The Palestinian intifada that began in 2000 started with rock-throwing on the Temple Mount after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the holy site. The past few days, Muslim leaders worldwide have been criticizing Israeli renovation work near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem to replace a ramp that provides access to a gate leading to the Mount. Muslim leaders claim Israel is trying to weaken the foundations of the Mount. The Israeli government contends the work, taking place in the Jewish Quarter outside the Temple Mount, poses no threat whatsoever to the Mount, but the mayor of Jerusalem yesterday postponed construction of the new gate. In October, King Abdullah announced plans to build the fifth minaret, although at the time the Jordanians reportedly did not have Israel's permission to commence construction. Abdullah said the minaret would bear the symbol of the Jordanian monarchy. The Temple Mount's first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner in 1278, the second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329 and the last in 1367.
Prominent Israeli archeologist Gabi Barkai of Tel Aviv University slammed the new minaret plans.
I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site, Barkai said. Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, told WND Olmert's decision to allow the minaret is repugnant to anyone who knows what it is to be a Jew.The decision and Israel's general attitude toward the Temple Mount is the manifestation of spiritual bankruptcy in the country's leadership. Olmert is turning his back on our Jewish heritage while the rest of the world looks at us with amazement at how we can be so insensitive to our own spiritual legacy.
Al Aqsa mosque built by angels?
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. For Muslims, it is Islam's third holiest site.
The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries. The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's presence dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site. The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays. The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact. The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark the place where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.
Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to the farthest mosque, and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem. Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah. According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammad tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven. In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.
When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed, said Hatib. And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa, he continued. We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left.
Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed
Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque. The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.
He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and not rooted in facts. Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed, said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WND from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City. The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life. He told WND true Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque. [The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed.
He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:
We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so, they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus. It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place.
Temple Mount: No-prayer zone
Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site. The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians. The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered sensitive by the Waqf. During open days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any holy objects to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines
Temple's location found,says Israeli archaeologist - Study of ancient cisterns pinpoints sacred site,– Muslim Dome of the Rock outside confines Posted: February 11, 2007 - WorldNetDaily.com
Using maps created in 1866 by a British explorer and passages from the Jewish Mishnah, an Israeli archaeologist and professor at Hebrew University says he has pinpointed the location of the sacred Jewish Temple, twice built and twice destroyed in ancient times. While popular consensus places the Temple, built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. and rebuilt by Jews who returned from Babylon in the 5th century B.C., on the site of the present Muslim Dome of the Rock, Prof. Joseph Patrich says archaeological remains show its exact location – and the consensus is wrong.
Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, facing west.
According to Patrich, the Temple, its corresponding courtyards, chambers and gates were oriented in a more southeasterly direction, sitting diagonally on what is the modern Temple Mount. The difference in orientation and the placement further eastward varies from the east-facing orientation of other scholars who believe the Temple was closer to today's Western Wall. However, that difference is why, Patrich says, the Temple did not sit over the rock believed by Jews to be the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac and where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven. Patrich's siting of the Temple is derived from information collected by British engineer Sir Charles Wilson in 1866 on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. Wilson mapped a series of ancient cisterns below the present Temple Mount platform. One of those, Patrich says, preserves a vestige of the Temple that stood until it was destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70. The cistern mapped by Wilson, approximately 15 feet wide, 170 feet long and 45 feet deep, was located near the Temple Mount's southeast corner. It was oriented in a southeasterly direction with branches extending north and south.
Patrich's reconstruction of Temple in 1st century A.D., facing northeast. Courtesy Hebrew University. (Drawing by Leen Ritmeyer) Until now no one has ever thought that the location of the cistern on the Temple Mount and its unique shape were derived from the shape and location of the altar and sanctuary, Patrich told YNetNews. According to the archaeologist, this cistern is the only one found on the Temple Mount that corresponds to descriptions in the Jewish Mishnah – the rabbinic oral tradition compiled in the 3rd century A.D. – of daily purification and sacrificial duties carried out by the priests on the altar in the Temple courtyard. The Mishnah says water was drawn by a waterwheel mechanism from a cistern and held in a large basin, or laver, for daily purification by the Temple's priests before they ascended the nearby ramp to the altar to offer sacrifices. Patrich's reconstruction of Temple in 1st century A.D. overlaid on modern Temple Mount. Octagonal feature is Dome of the Rock. Diagram is oriented east up. Courtesy Hebrew University. (Drawing by Leen Ritmeyer)
Patrich believes the placement of the waterwheel and laver can be reconstructed from Wilson's map of the giant southeast-trending cistern and from that, the location of the altar and the Temple itself.
Patrich's siting has the Temple further east and south of locations proposed by other scholars and diagonal, rather than perpendicular to the Temple Mount's eastern and western walls. It also leaves the rock in the Dome of the Rock outside of the confines of the Temple itself. Patrich said his research on the Temple's location is strictly academic, and political connotations should not be attributed to it.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Wed Feb 14 12:16 AM EDT
FEB 13,07
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.1 BANDA SEA
MAP 5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 OREGON
MAP 2.9 OREGON
MAP 4.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.2 ECUADOR
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP 4.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
FEB 12,07
MAP 2.7 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 6.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 5.9 AZORES-CAPE ST. VINCENT RIDGE
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 2.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
MAP 5.8 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
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.
Tornado hits New Orleans area; 1 dead By KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press Writer FEB 13,07
NEW ORLEANS - A powerful storm and likely a tornado hit the New Orleans area early Tuesday, killing an elderly woman, injuring at least 15 other people, and damaging dozens of business and homes in a region still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. An 86-year-old woman died in the city's Gentilly neighborhood, one of the areas hit hardest by Katrina 18 months earlier.Another powerful storm cell hit south-central Louisiana, damaging buildings in New Iberia and on the outskirts of Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, but there were no reports of injuries.In the New Orleans area, FEMA trailers were tossed around, homes collapsed, and the wind tore the roof off a hotel across the river in Westwego. At least 10 structures were destroyed in New Orleans, said James Ross, a spokesman for Mayor Ray Nagin. Dozens of other homes and businesses were damaged in Westwego, Mayor Robert Billiot said.
There is just so much destruction, Billiot said.
About 20,000 people were without power in New Orleans, Westwego, and Metairie, a spokesman for Entergy Corp. said. Public, private and parochial schools in Westwego closed for the day. Xavier University in New Orleans shut down for the day because it had no power, said spokesman Warren Bell.Kevin Gillespie's trailer in Westwego was pulled five feet and shoved next to his steps so he couldn't open the door. The Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer behind his was pulled from its moorings and flipped into his back yard, Gillespie said.My next-door neighbors, they had just moved back into their house from (Hurricane) Katrina. Now it's totaled out again, he said.He didn't know how badly his own belongings were damaged; a crew had only just cut off the gas. But the storm removed every vehicle he owned: My car, pickup, motorbike and trailer all went away.
Still, he said, as dawn arrived, The more damage I see there, the more fortunate we are.At one point, emergency workers in New Orleans' uptown neighborhood scrambled to clear a downed magnolia tree so an ambulance could get by.John Carolan, 50, who lives in the neighborhood, said he was awakened by the storm and got up in time to get into a closet with his wife.
Ten seconds and it was over, he said.He said the storm blew the furniture from his porch into the street.Radar data provides pretty convincing evidence there was a tornado, said meteorologist Robert Ricks in the National Weather Service office in Slidell. He said the damage appeared to be from one storm cell that was behind a squall line moving east, he said.It should be an improving trend the rest of the day, Ricks said.
Ireland examines tsunami early warning system FEB 13,07
DUBLIN (AFP) - Ireland is to examine setting up a tsunami early warning system, even though such a threat is believed to be remote, Marine and Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey said. Dempsey said it will involve representatives of a number of ministries and state agencies like the meteorological service, the geological survey office and the marine institute.Although the probability of a tsunami along Irish coastlines is statistically very small, the EU has decided to fast track a number of initiatives aimed at predicting such events, Dempsey said.The International Oceanographic Commission (IOC), in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), is currently coordinating international efforts to deliver an initial system in the North East Atlantic and Mediterranean by end 2007 which will focus on linking up national systems.Dempsey said the committee will develop a fully designed and costed proposal for the Irish early warning system which will feed into the international efforts.Specific proposals for the implementation of the system will be brought to government for approval later in 2007, Dempsey said.
There is historical evidence that the south coast of Ireland experienced a tsunami following an earthquake that devastated Lisbon in Portugal in 1755.There is also geological evidence that Ireland may have experienced the effects of similar tsunamis in pre-historic times.In December 2004, more than 220,000 people were killed as a massive tsunami battered Indian Ocean coasts.The tragedy led to worldwide calls for a more effective tsunami response system -- including both the technology to predict the disasters and the means to get the message out.
Ireland has very little seismic activity.
In December 2005, an earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale occurred in the Irish Sea off Bray Head south of Dublin but no damage was caused.It occurred in an area close to where there was a 3.7 magnitude earthquake in 1951.The largest recorded earthquake in the Irish Sea area measured 5.4 on the Richter scale and had its epicentre on the Lleyn Peninsula in Wales in 1984. Structural damage was minor and it was only weakly felt in Ireland.
Nasty Midwest storm targets Northeast next Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
Northeast
A powerful winter storm will slam the Northeast tomorrow. Over two feet of wind-blown snow may bury portions of Upstate New York (including locations still digging out from lake-effect snows neck deep to a giraffe), northwest Pennsylvania and northern Vermont. Lesser but still hearty amounts will coat other parts of the interior, but in some spots the snow will give way to a treacherous mix of sleet and freezing rain. The most likely targets for this nastiness: northern Virginia, Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York and southern New England. Winds will increase dramatically as the storm strengthens during the day, and blizzard conditions could do some saber rattling in a few locations. Meanwhile, the big cities of the Megalopolis may see enough warming for the precipitation to change over to rain, but as cold air charges back in behind the storm later in the day, the precipitation could flop back briefly to snow. Not only that, but a quick drop in temperature could flash freeze any standing water or slush. High temperatures are expected to range from the teens in the heavy snow areas to the low 50s in southeast Virginia.
Midwest
Bitter cold winds will lash the Midwest and Plains tomorrow. Light snow and flurries will add to the wintry feel of the day on the Plains from South Dakota to Kansas. Lake-effect snows, meanwhile, will stream southward off Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron. The Lake Michigan snow band may blow southward along the Illinois-Indiana border. Simultaneously, light snow from today's storm may loiter over southeast Michigan, Ohio and eastern Kentucky through much of the day. High temperatures will range from the single digits in the northern Plains, much of Minnesota and northwest Iowa to the 20s in southeast Kansas, much of Missouri, the Ohio River Valley and Kentucky.
South
Windy, cold conditions will dominate the South tomorrow, Florida excepted. High temperatures are forecast to range from near 20 in the Oklahoma Panhandle to the low 80s in far south Florida. Most of the Deep South will top out in the 30s, 40s and 50s, north to south. Precipitation, meanwhile, will be limited to just a few areas: the Carolinas--a few morning showers; the Appalachians--scattered afternoon snow showers; and western Oklahoma and northwest Texas--some light snow or snow showers.
West
A Pacific front will push rain into western Washington and western Oregon tomorrow. Farther east, areas of light snow and snow showers will reach from western and southern Montana southward through Wyoming and Colorado into northern New Mexico. A few snow showers may dot Utah' mountains. Rain and snow showers are expected in parts of Arizona (mainly the mountains and high plateaus) and southern New Mexico. Sunshine will rule in Southern California. High temperatures will range from the single digits in far eastern Montana to the 70s in the lower Colorado River Valley. Readings in the 20s, 30s and 40s will prevail across the Intermountain region.
Heavy B.C. snowpack could spell trouble
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 CBC News
Snowpack levels across B.C. are at their highest levels since 1999, according to the latest figures from the B.C. Environment Ministry, raising concerns about spring flooding in the Fraser Valley.The heavy storms that pounded the B.C. coast from late October to mid-January caused flooding, power outages and boil-water advisories — and there could be still more impact in the next few months.
Allan Chapman of the provincial river forecast centre said the heavy precipitation has left a deep blanket of snow on the mountains. When that snow melts it feeds the river systems leading down to the Lower Fraser River.Up in the Upper Fraser, the Nechako and the Skeena [rivers], the snow is generally between 160 and 140 per cent of normal, he told CBC News.That means scientists are watching the weather, said Chapman, noting a warm spring would mean a fast runoff, which could produce flooding.
Questions about dike safety
A report released by the Fraser Basin Council last fall showed that the current system of dikes would not be able to hold back record Fraser River water levels.Steve Litke, who headed the study, said that would mean flooding for tens of thousands of people living in the Fraser Valley.What we found was the predicted water levels would over-top the dikes in one or more levels basically along the Lower Fraser from Chilliwack to Pitt Meadows, he said.And in a number of other places, the water levels are high enough that it could compromise the integrity of the dikes and cause dike failures.More than 20 Fraser Valley communities are protected by more than 300 km of diking.
EU sanctions cannot stop Iran bomb, memo says
13.02.2007 - 09:27 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
EU foreign ministers have clinched a deal on sanctions against Iran over the country's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. But an internal EU memo suggests sanctions can do little to stop Tehran from getting the bomb. Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (12 February) agreed on restrictive measures against Iran in line with a UN security council resolution adopted last December.The EU sanctions will: ban the supply of enrichment-related goods, technology or assistance; block Iranian officials linked to the nuclear scheme from traveling to the EU; freeze the assets of bomb-related institutions and stop Iranian students abroad from studying enrichment-related subjects. But before the EU gave the green light to the measures, the ministers received an internal memo from EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana which argued that international diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions have proved ineffective in changing Iran policy.
Technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure have so far delayed the completion of the country's nuclear programme, the paper said according to the Financial Times.At some stage we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons programme, the UK daily quotes the so-called reflection paper as saying. The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone, the document added. The news comes just days after US diplomats urged Europe to take tougher measures against Tehran, suggesting that financial sanctions are especially effective.The Solana paper could also be used by advocates of military action who argue that if nothing concrete is done Iran will obtain nuclear capacity in 2010. The US this week presented findings that Iran is supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents in a report seen by some analysts as a prelude to war.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later said in a rare interview on US TV We think there are wise people in the US who would stop such illegal actions.International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El Baradei will on 21 February deliver a report to the UN Security Council on Iran's compliance with demands put forth in the December resolution.He is expected to again call for Iran to suspend its nuclear development program and for the UN to lift the sanctions so that dialogue can restart, AP reports. The two parties need to take a timeout, Mr El Baradei said on Monday after meeting Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt. Sanctions are an important tool, but sanctions alone will not solve the issue.
Sarkozy says Merkel is interested in mini-treaty
13.02.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Mark Beunderman
French presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy has claimed that his idea of a mini-treaty replacing the European constitution is now also raising interest with German chancellor Angela Merkel. After talks with Ms Merkel in Berlin on Monday (12 February), the centre-right frontrunner in the French presidential race said that although Ms Merkel cannot publicly admit this, she is in fact sympathetic to his proposals for a slimmed-down version of the EU constitution. Of course we understand that given the European as well as German responsibilities that she has, Ms Merkel cannot go public with all of her thinking, he said according to press reports. But I believe that there is a big understanding, a big comprehension, and that the idea of a simplified treaty is an idea which at least raises a lot of interest.
Mr Sarkozy last year proposed a mini treaty salvaging only the institutional reforms of the constitution while ditching most of the values- and policy parts of the text. It would provide a way out for those countries that voted 'no' without humiliating those who voted yes, he said in Brussels in September, with France rejecting the constitution in a 2005 popular referendum. The mini-treaty idea has so far met resistance in Berlin, which currently holds the EU presidency and which seeks to revive as much of the current constitutional text as possible. Ms Merkel did not want to comment on the talks with Mr Sarkozy on Monday, according to newspaper reports. The German chancellor is very preoccupied to find a way out of the institutional blockade [of the EU] and I believe that we have found common understanding, Mr Sarkozy said however.
Mr Sarkozy's statements come despite strong and consistent German public support for the entire EU constitution text, which Berlin has already ratified like 17 other EU capitals. Earlier reports have however suggested that circles in Ms Merkel's and Mr Sarkozy's political parties - belonging to the same European conservative political family - are in close informal contact to find common ground between Berlin and Paris. But Mr Sarkozy's claim that he has German support for his mini-treaty plan also sheds light on his intense campaign for the French presidency, with polls currently showing him ahead of socialist contender Segolene Royal.
Olmert caved to Muslims on Temple Mount
Israeli PM criticized for approving plan for minaret, but not synagogue
Posted: February 12, 2007 10:40 a.m. Eastern By Aaron Klein WorldNetDaily.com
Temple Mount
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to allow Muslims to construct a massive minaret on the Temple Mount will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state and signal that violence and terrorism are working, according to a group of prominent rabbinic leaders in Israel. The Rabbinical Congress for Peace, a coalition of more than 300 Israeli rabbinic leaders and pulpit rabbis, said in a statement today Olmert does not have the moral or historic right to hand over even one inch of Israeli territory to foreigners.The mere fact of giving up sovereignty of the Temple Mount – the holiest site of the Jewish People – is an indication of how far the Israeli government has deteriorated and is prepared to forfeit Jewish rights and ownership of Israel granted in our holy Torah, the most authoritative book in the world, the rabbis said. The rabbis were responding to a story first reported by WND that Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue. A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.
There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables. Aryeh Eldad, a Knesset member from Israel's National Union party, last year drew up plans with Jewish groups to build a synagogue near the Marwani Mosque. The synagogue was to be built in accordance with rulings from several prominent rabbis, who said Jews can ascend the Mount at certain areas. A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100-percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims.This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif, the Waqf official said.
Sources in the Jordanian monarchy and the Waqf told WND Olmert last month gave Jordan's King Abdullah official permission to build the minaret. The sources said the minaret will rise 130 feet above the ancient walls of Jerusalem. A senior Olmert adviser confirmed to WND the Israeli prime minister told Abdullah he will allow the minaret's construction. The adviser said he could not speak on the record because Israel has been waiting for an opportune time to officially announce permission for the new minaret. The Rabbinic Congress for Peace said Olmert's allowing construction of the new minaret poses a grave threat to the security of Israel. It will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state to believe their tactics of violence and terrorism are paying off and that Israel is in retreat.We have already witnessed in the past the use of the Temple Mount as a pretence to launch violence and murder Jews, the Rabbis stated.
The Temple Mount has long been used by Palestinians to start violence.
The Palestinian intifada that began in 2000 started with rock-throwing on the Temple Mount after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the holy site. The past few days, Muslim leaders worldwide have been criticizing Israeli renovation work near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem to replace a ramp that provides access to a gate leading to the Mount. Muslim leaders claim Israel is trying to weaken the foundations of the Mount. The Israeli government contends the work, taking place in the Jewish Quarter outside the Temple Mount, poses no threat whatsoever to the Mount, but the mayor of Jerusalem yesterday postponed construction of the new gate. In October, King Abdullah announced plans to build the fifth minaret, although at the time the Jordanians reportedly did not have Israel's permission to commence construction. Abdullah said the minaret would bear the symbol of the Jordanian monarchy. The Temple Mount's first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner in 1278, the second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329 and the last in 1367.
Prominent Israeli archeologist Gabi Barkai of Tel Aviv University slammed the new minaret plans.
I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site, Barkai said. Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, told WND Olmert's decision to allow the minaret is repugnant to anyone who knows what it is to be a Jew.The decision and Israel's general attitude toward the Temple Mount is the manifestation of spiritual bankruptcy in the country's leadership. Olmert is turning his back on our Jewish heritage while the rest of the world looks at us with amazement at how we can be so insensitive to our own spiritual legacy.
Al Aqsa mosque built by angels?
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. For Muslims, it is Islam's third holiest site.
The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries. The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's presence dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site. The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays. The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact. The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark the place where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.
Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to the farthest mosque, and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem. Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah. According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammad tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven. In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.
When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed, said Hatib. And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa, he continued. We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left.
Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed
Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque. The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.
He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and not rooted in facts. Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed, said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WND from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City. The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life. He told WND true Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque. [The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed.
He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:
We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so, they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus. It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place.
Temple Mount: No-prayer zone
Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site. The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians. The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered sensitive by the Waqf. During open days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any holy objects to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines
Temple's location found,says Israeli archaeologist - Study of ancient cisterns pinpoints sacred site,– Muslim Dome of the Rock outside confines Posted: February 11, 2007 - WorldNetDaily.com
Using maps created in 1866 by a British explorer and passages from the Jewish Mishnah, an Israeli archaeologist and professor at Hebrew University says he has pinpointed the location of the sacred Jewish Temple, twice built and twice destroyed in ancient times. While popular consensus places the Temple, built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. and rebuilt by Jews who returned from Babylon in the 5th century B.C., on the site of the present Muslim Dome of the Rock, Prof. Joseph Patrich says archaeological remains show its exact location – and the consensus is wrong.
Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, facing west.
According to Patrich, the Temple, its corresponding courtyards, chambers and gates were oriented in a more southeasterly direction, sitting diagonally on what is the modern Temple Mount. The difference in orientation and the placement further eastward varies from the east-facing orientation of other scholars who believe the Temple was closer to today's Western Wall. However, that difference is why, Patrich says, the Temple did not sit over the rock believed by Jews to be the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac and where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven. Patrich's siting of the Temple is derived from information collected by British engineer Sir Charles Wilson in 1866 on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. Wilson mapped a series of ancient cisterns below the present Temple Mount platform. One of those, Patrich says, preserves a vestige of the Temple that stood until it was destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70. The cistern mapped by Wilson, approximately 15 feet wide, 170 feet long and 45 feet deep, was located near the Temple Mount's southeast corner. It was oriented in a southeasterly direction with branches extending north and south.
Patrich's reconstruction of Temple in 1st century A.D., facing northeast. Courtesy Hebrew University. (Drawing by Leen Ritmeyer) Until now no one has ever thought that the location of the cistern on the Temple Mount and its unique shape were derived from the shape and location of the altar and sanctuary, Patrich told YNetNews. According to the archaeologist, this cistern is the only one found on the Temple Mount that corresponds to descriptions in the Jewish Mishnah – the rabbinic oral tradition compiled in the 3rd century A.D. – of daily purification and sacrificial duties carried out by the priests on the altar in the Temple courtyard. The Mishnah says water was drawn by a waterwheel mechanism from a cistern and held in a large basin, or laver, for daily purification by the Temple's priests before they ascended the nearby ramp to the altar to offer sacrifices. Patrich's reconstruction of Temple in 1st century A.D. overlaid on modern Temple Mount. Octagonal feature is Dome of the Rock. Diagram is oriented east up. Courtesy Hebrew University. (Drawing by Leen Ritmeyer)
Patrich believes the placement of the waterwheel and laver can be reconstructed from Wilson's map of the giant southeast-trending cistern and from that, the location of the altar and the Temple itself.
Patrich's siting has the Temple further east and south of locations proposed by other scholars and diagonal, rather than perpendicular to the Temple Mount's eastern and western walls. It also leaves the rock in the Dome of the Rock outside of the confines of the Temple itself. Patrich said his research on the Temple's location is strictly academic, and political connotations should not be attributed to it.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
STUDY OF ORAL LAW
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Earthquake hits southern Portugal. 3-Snow isn't over til it's over. 4-Mozambique floods displace 68,000, more at risk. 5-Tentative N.Korea nuclear accord reached. 6-Jerusalem mayor tries to calm Muslim ire. 7-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 8-High Court Deliberates Fate of 43 Families in Heart of Israel. 9-New Study on Geographical Development of Oral Law. 10-Olmert says Israel may lose Golan Heights.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Tue Feb 13 12:28 AM EDT
FEB 12,2007
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 6.0 AZORES-CAPE ST. VINCENT RIDGE
MAP 2.8 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
MAP 5.7 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
FEB 11,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 3.2 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.5 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 5.1 ISLAS MARIAS REGION, NAYARIT, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Earthquake hits southern Portugal Mon Feb 12, 6:36 AM ET
LISBON (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck off the southern coast of Portuga, official seismic observers said. No casualties or major damage to buildings were recorded in the aftermath of the tremor, which occurred at 10:36 am (1036 GMT) Monday some 160 kilometres (100 miles) east the Cape Saint Vincent in Portugal's southernmost province of Algarve.
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.
Snow isn't over til it's over By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
REDFIELD, N.Y. - The snow squalls that have buried Redfield and its neighbors up to their stop signs finally tapered off Monday, but forecasters warned that another storm system was on the way. Unofficially, the past week of lake-effect storms dumped 12 feet, 2 inches of snow at Redfield.If that number checks out, it would break the state record of 10 feet, 7 inches of snow that fell in nearby Montague over seven days ending Jan. 1, 2002, said Steve McLaughlin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Buffalo. A weather service representative was sent to Redfield on Monday to verify the total.Residents of this hardy upstate New York village seem unfazed by the weather, and a bit surprised by all the attention. Their economy thrives on snowmobilers and cross-country skiers, and they usually average 270 inches of snow for the season — more than 22 feet.It's snow. We get a lot of it. So what? said Allan Babcock, owner of Shar's Country Diner in this Oswego County village of 650 people.
The nearby community of Parish had recorded 115 inches of snow by early Sunday. Mexico had 103 inches, North Osceola had 99 and Scriba 94. The city of Oswego had 85 inches.A cold front finally stifled the lake-effect snow squalls created by persistent wind picking up moisture from Lake Ontario to the west.However, McLaughlin noted that a coastal winter storm expected to plow along the East Coast during the middle of the week could bring another 6 to 12 inches to parts of upstate New York.
A winter storm watch was in effect through late Wednesday for Oswego County and other areas from Virginia to Maine, the weather service said Monday.Oswego County roads had been mostly cleared as workers turned their attention to removing the snow and trimming down 10- and 12-foot-high snow banks that made driving dangerous.In all my life, I mean my entire life combined, I've never seen this much snow at once, said Jim Bevridge, 47, of Timmonium, Md., who drove up for a long weekend of snowmobiling.
Mozambique floods displace 68,000, more at risk By Charles Mangwiro
Mon Feb 12, 5:34 AM ET
CAIA, Mozambique (Reuters) - Floods in Mozambique have left 68,000 people homeless and 280,000 more may be forced to evacuate this week as torrential rains lash the impoverished country, a top official said on Monday. The head of Mozambique's national relief agency INGC told Reuters around 27,000 people had been moved to accommodation centers from areas along the Zambezi river and around 41,000 more had no shelter after their homes were submerged.Paulo Zucula said 280,000 people -- mostly poor rural folk who live in tiny mud huts and survive by growing vegetables and rearing goats and chickens -- would probably be forced from their homes this week as more rains swept the southern African country.Experts fear the crisis could surpass the devastating floods of 2000 and 2001, which killed 700 people, displaced half a million and wrecked infrastructure.We expect more water than we had in 2001. ... The situation is deteriorating and it will get worse but this time we are better prepared than in 2001, Zucula said in an interview in Caia, one of the worst hit areas, some 1,400 kilometres (875 miles) north of the capital Maputo.
The floods, sparked when rains from neighboring Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi poured into the overflowing Cahora Bassa Dam, have killed 29 people and damaged thousands of homes and schools, mainly in the central Zambezia and Sofala provinces.Many face homelessness for the second time after the floods six years ago wrecked their homes. Even in accommodation centers, food, water and medicine are scarce and shelter limited.In Chapunga, in Sofala, around 600 people flocked to an accommodation center but tents are scarce and many are sleeping in the open.I lost everything, I brought my wife and my two sick children and we are sleeping in the open, there are no tents and there is no food here, said 45-year-old Joaquim Dausse.This is the second time I'm facing this flooding... I can't believe it, said Dausse, hunched beside a sick child whose bloated tummy hinted at malnutrition.
Tentative N.Korea nuclear accord reached By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
BEIJING - International negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament, the first concrete progress after more than three years of talks, the U.S. envoy said early Tuesday. The draft agreement, worked out at the latest round of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear program, contained commitments on disarmament and energy assistance along with initial actions to be taken by certain deadlines, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said. He said working groups will be set up, hopefully in a month, laying out a framework for dealing with regional tensions.
Hill declined to give further details of the draft.
The agreement could herald the first step toward disarmament since the talks began in 2003; the rounds have been marked by repeated delays and deadlock.
The process reached its lowest point in October when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test explosion, alarming the world and triggering U.N. sanctions.Hill said the draft agreement still must be reviewed by the home governments of the six countries at the talks, but he was upbeat about it. He said he was in constant communication with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.We feel it's an excellent draft, I don't think we're the problem, he said.North Korea did not immediately make any public comment, but South Korea's envoy Chun Yung-woo said he believed the proposal would be acceptable to Pyongyang.Chun said the five other countries agreed to evenly share the energy aid outlined under the deal.However, Japan was more noncommittal. Its envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, said it was too early to tell whether Tokyo was satisfied.
Hill said the parties to the talks will meet again later Tuesday.
The last major agreement on the issue was in September 2005 when North Korea was promised energy aid and security guarantees in exchange for a pledge to abandon its nuclear programs. But since then, talks on implementing that agreement snarled on other issues and the plan went nowhere.Hill has repeatedly said he hoped a resolution would help improve stability in a region filled with bitter historical disputes. The two Koreas remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty.
We're trying to do more than just do denuclearization for energy, Hill said. We're trying to address some of the underlying problems.Though he did not provide specifics, North Korea has demanded improved relations with the United States. Japan and North Korea remain fiercely antagonistic in part because of North Korea's acknowledged but unresolved abductions of Japanese citizens.In the last couple of days, the talks had appeared to be on the verge of foundering and envoys made clear that their frustration level was rising while their patience was growing thin. The current round was to conclude on Monday but as they progressed toward a deal, negotiators extended it late into the night and into the early hours of Tuesday.
The current talks began Thursday on a promising note after the United States and North Korea held an unusual meeting last month in Germany and signaled a willingness to compromise.
But negotiations quickly became mired on the issue of how much energy aid the impoverished and isolated communist country would get as an inducement for initial steps toward disarmament.It's always 3 yards, 3 yards, 3 yards, and it's always fourth and one. Then you make a first down and do 3 more yards, Hill said early Tuesday, using a football metaphor. It's painful.During the days of arduous negotiations, he said everybody has had to make some changes to narrow the differences.Some delegates at the talks — which also include China, Russia and South Korea — had called North Korea's demands for energy excessive. South Korean and Japanese media reports gave varying accounts of how much energy North Korea was demanding, including up to 2 million kilowatts of electricity or 2 million tons of
heavy fuel oil.
Chinese envoy Wu Dawei told a visiting Japanese lawmaker that North Korea had agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor and submit a list of its atomic facilities. But the size of the energy aid Pyongyang would get in return was still undecided, the lawmaker, Fukushiro Nukaga, told reporters Monday. Under a 1994 U.S.-North Korea disarmament agreement, the North was to receive 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year before construction was completed of two nuclear reactors that would be able to generate 2 million kilowatts of electricity. That deal fell apart in late 2002 when the U.S. accused the North of conducting a secret uranium enrichment program, sparking the latest nuclear crisis.
Associated Press reporters Jae-soon Chang, Charles Hutzler, Alexa Olesen and Hiroko Tabuchi contributed to this report.
Jerusalem mayor tries to calm Muslim ire By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
JERUSALEM - Hoping to quell days of Muslim protests, Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jewish mayor on Monday ordered a review of construction outside a holy site at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a spokesman said. However, the move — meant to prove Israel will not damage Muslim shrines — will not affect preparatory excavations that began last week and have infuriated people across the Muslim world.The dispute centers on a new walkway Israel is building to the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The walkway is meant to replace an earthen ramp that partially collapsed in a snowstorm three years ago.Israeli archaeologists began an exploratory dig in the area last week to ensure no historical remains are destroyed during the construction. That work sparked fierce protests from Muslims, who accused Israel of plotting to damage the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and the Al Aqsa Mosque in the same compound.
Israel denies the charge, noting the work is about 60 yards from the compound.
Small clashes persisted Monday, with incidents in which Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police in the city's Arab neighborhoods.
In an effort to defuse the tensions, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, who has direct responsibility for the work, decided the construction plan should be sent for a new review that will allow for public objections, spokesman Gidi Schmerling said.The mayor made the decision after meeting Muslim leaders so that the process will be transparent, and so that it will be entirely clear that there is no attempt to harm any Muslim holy sites, the spokesman added.City Hall expects thousands of objections, he said.
Lupolianski's move came despite the Israeli Cabinet's vote Sunday to push ahead with the work.The mayor's decision would likely delay the actual construction, which was scheduled to begin in six months. But it would not stop the current excavations, and Muslim leaders rejected it as insufficient.The problem is the digging, which hasn't stopped, and unfortunately the Israeli government has decided to continue the digging, Mohammed Hussein, Jerusalem's mufti, or Muslim religious leader, told The Associated Press.Israeli hard-liners also criticized Lupolianski, saying he caved in to Arab pressure.Lawmaker Arieh Eldad called it a disgraceful surrender to the threats from the Arabs of Israel and the Arabs and Muslims of the neighboring countries that if we behave as a nation behaves in its capital, they will ignite the Middle East.Speaking to Israel Radio, he said the fight over the walkway is really a fight over the sovereignty of Jerusalem.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, where the disputed hilltop and other religious sites are located, in the 1967 Mideast war and considers the entire city its undivided capital. The Palestinians hope to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future independent state.Yona Metzger, one of Israel's chief rabbis, visited the construction site Monday, calling on the government to continue work and terming
allegations that Muslim holy places could be harmed nonsense. Metzger also called for calm.We don't want any problems here. This is a holy place for us as well, he said. The compound is the holiest site in Judaism, revered as the home of the biblical Temples. It is Islam's third-holiest shrine. The compound has been a catalyst for earlier rounds of Israel-Palestinian fighting. The new construction
sparked several days of Palestinian protests, and Muslim nations also condemned the work. On Monday, police charged Muslim leader Raed Salah with attacking police officers during a demonstration last week against the construction, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been the leading critic of the repair work. After Salah scuffled with police outside the shrine last Wednesday, authorities briefly detained him for questioning and issued a 10-day restraining order barring him from Jerusalem's Old City. Police wanted the courts to extend the restraining order a further 60 days, Rosenfeld said.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein February 12, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Anyone who cares about Israel wants to know if her Arab and Muslim neighbors will ever recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist and whether or not there will come a time when Israel's people will be allowed to live in peace.Given the news coming out of the Middle East in recent months, it is hard to be optimistic about the prospects for peace. The three volatile situations I describe below which most Israeli leaders agree pose the greatest challenge and danger to Israel's future will help you understand why I believe 2007 will be a watershed year for both Israel and America.
Middle East Update
Iran is the greatest threat facing Israel—and the world—today. This Muslim fundamentalist state provides weapons and money to terrorists throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and groups murdering civilians and attacking American soldiers in Iraq. The Iranian president has not backed away one inch from his hateful anti-Israel, anti-Western rhetoric, and continues his country's aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of the international community. Iran backs Hezbollah, Hamas, Fatah.
Ahmadinejad in his own words
Despite ban, Iran's nuclear program moves forward.In Lebanon, Hezbollah is struggling to attain more power, leading supporters in violent protests against the government and clashing with rival Sunni Muslims. United Nations' forces charged with enforcing the ceasefire that ended last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war have stood by as Hezbollah rearms and develops more lethal fighting capabilities. While a Hezbollah takeover in Lebanon would be a disaster for Israel, and would almost
certainly mean war on a large scale, maintaining the status quo is not a recipe for peace either: in a recent appeal for an end to sectarian strife in his country, the Lebanese Prime Minister reminded warring factions that they must save their energy for fighting the real enemy—meaning Israel. U.N.:
We can't stop Hezbollah
Scores of Palestinians—including children and other innocent bystanders—have been killed, and hundreds more injured, in Gaza during the past few months of bitter fighting between rivals Fatah and Hamas. The likelihood that a true Palestinian partner for peace will emerge from the bloody battle is slim to none. Several ceasefires between Fatah and Hamas have been broken, and fighting has begun to spread to the West Bank. Meanwhile, rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian terrorists continue to fall on Israeli cities such as Sderot, and suicide bombers—like the one that murdered 3 Israelis last week in the southern city of Eilat—continue to enter Israel from the region. U.S. officials on front lines of rocket attack.There are few good options for addressing these threats. With none of her Arab and Muslim neighbors interested in making peace, Israel will be forced for the foreseeable future to maintain and even increase spending on defense, even though it is likely to come at the additional expense of social programs that benefit Israel's poor and needy.
Last month, I challenged all of us to become better informed advocates for Israel. As the year takes shape, it is clear that rising to that challenge is of critical importance. Please take some time today to explore these issues in greater depth by reading some of the articles linked above—and then spread the word by forwarding this message to a friend. Now, more than ever, Israel needs friends like you who understand the nature of the threats facing her—and who will continually uphold Israel through their prayers, gifts, and advocacy.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President Fellowship of Christians and Jews
High Court Deliberates Fate of 43 Families in Heart of Israel
By Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 12,07
The fate of the thriving community of Migron, just north of Jerusalem, is to be determined today by the Supreme Court. Residents fear that its fate will be like that of Amona. Peace Now, the radical organization working tirelessly to destroy the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria [Yesha], has petitioned Defense Minister Amir Peretz to order the expulsion of all 43 Jewish families living in Migron. Peace Now claims that most of land on which Migron was built belongs to Arabs. Migron residents say that Peace Now worked hard to find the Arabs in question and convinced them to file the suit against the Jewish town.
One resident, Aviva W., told Arutz-7, When we arrived here, it was clear that the land had no claimants and no one working on it... We are a continuation of the Zionist enterprise and the Zionist dream - just like all the pioneers who came to the Land of Israel over the centuries, starting with the students of the Gaon of Vilna [early 19th century], and later the First Aliyah [1882-1903], and the Second Aliyah [1904 - 1914], etc. - there is no difference. If anything, we are more in the heart of the Land of Israel than Tel Aviv is.
The only difference is political - an arbitrary difference made based on what is convenient for different politicians at different times - but we are doing the same thing that Land of Israel pioneers have done for generations.The residents fear that the Supreme Court will issue a restraining order, meaning that the town will have to be dismantled - but not immediately. We are praying that this will not happen, of course, Aviva said, but if so, it should be clear to all that this is exactly what happened at Amona, and we will be in grave danger of literally being thrown out of our homes and losing yet another Jewish town. The Supreme Court, after all, rules this country...It was exactly a year ago this month that hundreds of people - mostly youths protesting the abandonment of the Land of Israel - were injured while protesting the Supreme Court-ordered destruction of nine houses in Amona, just ten kilometers north of Migron. In that incident, as well, Peace Now had petitioned the government to destroy the homes, claiming that they were built on privately-owned, never-worked land.Today's Supreme Court session takes place in the shadow of Defense Minister Amir Peretz's threat to his boss, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, to turn to the Attorney General if Olmert does not begin acting to remove unauthorized Jewish outposts throughout Judea and Samaria. Peretz did not include illegal Arab construction in his ultimatum. Peretz has been accused of using the outposts to promote his political standing within the Labor Party. Just yesterday, at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Peretz should stop acting as if he is running in party primaries and should start acting more like a Defense Minister.
The judges in the case are Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch, Ayala Procaccia - neither of whom are known to greatly sympathize the Jewish enterprise in Yesha - and Edmond Levy. In June 2005, Levy was the only justice on an 11-judge panel to vote that the Disengagement plan should be struck down.Migron (mentioned in Samuel I 14,2 and Isaiah 10, 28) is located on a strategically important hill crest, overlooking the highway leading to Beit El, Ofrah, Shilo and the northern Shomron. It is located between Kokhav Yaakov, Psagot and Michmash, about a 12-minute drive north of Jerusalem.Founded in March 2002, Migron grew quickly, reaching 42 families after only a year and a half - at which point the government abruptly clamped down on further growth. Over 200 people, including well over 100 children, now live there. The synagogue and two homes are in permanent structures, while most of the residents live in caravans (mobile homes without wheels). Six government ministries, the Civil Administration, the Electric Company, Mekorot Water Company and other official bodies have all taken part in establishing infrastructures for the community.
New Study on Geographical Development of Oral Law
By Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 12,07
Much of European Jewry assimilated or became Christian following the Second Temple's fall - largely because of their isolation from the Rabbinic world of the Land of Israel and Babylon. A new study by two Israeli historians finds that the western and eastern Diasporas were greatly divided in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple and the exile of the Jews, in the year 68 C.E.The lack of a translation of the Mishnah - the Oral Law - into Greek or other European languages was a major contributing factor to a serious gap between the western Jewish Diaspora and the eastern one. The laws of the Five Books of Moses, which had been translated into Greek, continued to be largely observed, until Christian missionary work succeeded in winning over much of the Jewish population there.The study was published in the January 2007 edition of the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, by Aryeh Edrei of Tel Aviv University and Doron Mendels of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Mendels is also the author of a work entitled The Media Revolution of Early Christianity. In it, he shows how early Christians worked like modern journalists, selecting, shaping, and presenting stories for popular consumption in order to promote their religion.
The best example, Mendels writes, is that of 4th-century Eusebius, the author of a monumental work entitled Ecclesiastical History, which he used as a publicity tool to further the cause of early Christianity. Such works found fertile ground among Jews in Europe, Mendels and Edrei claim, in that no Oral Torah developed there - as opposed to in the East. Hence it is not surprising that western Jews contributed nothing to the development of the oral law, the authors posit. The Oral Law developed greatly after the exile, with the Mishna and Gmara finally becoming two monumental written works - the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud - in the middle centuries of the first millennium of the Common Era. The preceding centuries, however, were critical, Mendels and Edrei write, in that they were not written and were not taught to the Jews of the West who did not speak Hebrew or Aramaic.
The researchers add that the divide between the two Jewish populations was also furthered by the fact that Eastern rabbis did not often visit the West. Though the Talmud often recounts rabbis traveling between the Holy Land and Babylon to the east, travel to the west is rarely mentioned in this connection.The publicized summaries of the research by Mendels and Edrei did not specify the size of the Jewish population in Europe in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple.
Olmert says Israel may lose Golan Heights
Feb. 12, 2007 at 2:33PM Upi
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that Israel would have to give up the Golan Heights if peace will ever be achieved with Syria.
The northern region was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. Olmert told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee because of what three of his predecessors had done in negotiations, the Golan Heights would have to be forfeited, Haaretz reported. That sparked an angry exchange between Olmert and one of his predecessors, Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party, who said he had never agreed to returning the Golan Heights.Recently, Syrian President Bashar Assad has been making diplomatic peace overtures to Israel, but Olmert told the committee he didn't feel negotiations would lead anywhere. Syria is interested in the industry of peace, rather than real peace, Olmert said.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Tue Feb 13 12:28 AM EDT
FEB 12,2007
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 6.0 AZORES-CAPE ST. VINCENT RIDGE
MAP 2.8 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
MAP 5.7 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
FEB 11,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 3.2 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.5 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 5.1 ISLAS MARIAS REGION, NAYARIT, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Earthquake hits southern Portugal Mon Feb 12, 6:36 AM ET
LISBON (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck off the southern coast of Portuga, official seismic observers said. No casualties or major damage to buildings were recorded in the aftermath of the tremor, which occurred at 10:36 am (1036 GMT) Monday some 160 kilometres (100 miles) east the Cape Saint Vincent in Portugal's southernmost province of Algarve.
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.
Snow isn't over til it's over By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
REDFIELD, N.Y. - The snow squalls that have buried Redfield and its neighbors up to their stop signs finally tapered off Monday, but forecasters warned that another storm system was on the way. Unofficially, the past week of lake-effect storms dumped 12 feet, 2 inches of snow at Redfield.If that number checks out, it would break the state record of 10 feet, 7 inches of snow that fell in nearby Montague over seven days ending Jan. 1, 2002, said Steve McLaughlin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Buffalo. A weather service representative was sent to Redfield on Monday to verify the total.Residents of this hardy upstate New York village seem unfazed by the weather, and a bit surprised by all the attention. Their economy thrives on snowmobilers and cross-country skiers, and they usually average 270 inches of snow for the season — more than 22 feet.It's snow. We get a lot of it. So what? said Allan Babcock, owner of Shar's Country Diner in this Oswego County village of 650 people.
The nearby community of Parish had recorded 115 inches of snow by early Sunday. Mexico had 103 inches, North Osceola had 99 and Scriba 94. The city of Oswego had 85 inches.A cold front finally stifled the lake-effect snow squalls created by persistent wind picking up moisture from Lake Ontario to the west.However, McLaughlin noted that a coastal winter storm expected to plow along the East Coast during the middle of the week could bring another 6 to 12 inches to parts of upstate New York.
A winter storm watch was in effect through late Wednesday for Oswego County and other areas from Virginia to Maine, the weather service said Monday.Oswego County roads had been mostly cleared as workers turned their attention to removing the snow and trimming down 10- and 12-foot-high snow banks that made driving dangerous.In all my life, I mean my entire life combined, I've never seen this much snow at once, said Jim Bevridge, 47, of Timmonium, Md., who drove up for a long weekend of snowmobiling.
Mozambique floods displace 68,000, more at risk By Charles Mangwiro
Mon Feb 12, 5:34 AM ET
CAIA, Mozambique (Reuters) - Floods in Mozambique have left 68,000 people homeless and 280,000 more may be forced to evacuate this week as torrential rains lash the impoverished country, a top official said on Monday. The head of Mozambique's national relief agency INGC told Reuters around 27,000 people had been moved to accommodation centers from areas along the Zambezi river and around 41,000 more had no shelter after their homes were submerged.Paulo Zucula said 280,000 people -- mostly poor rural folk who live in tiny mud huts and survive by growing vegetables and rearing goats and chickens -- would probably be forced from their homes this week as more rains swept the southern African country.Experts fear the crisis could surpass the devastating floods of 2000 and 2001, which killed 700 people, displaced half a million and wrecked infrastructure.We expect more water than we had in 2001. ... The situation is deteriorating and it will get worse but this time we are better prepared than in 2001, Zucula said in an interview in Caia, one of the worst hit areas, some 1,400 kilometres (875 miles) north of the capital Maputo.
The floods, sparked when rains from neighboring Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi poured into the overflowing Cahora Bassa Dam, have killed 29 people and damaged thousands of homes and schools, mainly in the central Zambezia and Sofala provinces.Many face homelessness for the second time after the floods six years ago wrecked their homes. Even in accommodation centers, food, water and medicine are scarce and shelter limited.In Chapunga, in Sofala, around 600 people flocked to an accommodation center but tents are scarce and many are sleeping in the open.I lost everything, I brought my wife and my two sick children and we are sleeping in the open, there are no tents and there is no food here, said 45-year-old Joaquim Dausse.This is the second time I'm facing this flooding... I can't believe it, said Dausse, hunched beside a sick child whose bloated tummy hinted at malnutrition.
Tentative N.Korea nuclear accord reached By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
BEIJING - International negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament, the first concrete progress after more than three years of talks, the U.S. envoy said early Tuesday. The draft agreement, worked out at the latest round of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear program, contained commitments on disarmament and energy assistance along with initial actions to be taken by certain deadlines, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said. He said working groups will be set up, hopefully in a month, laying out a framework for dealing with regional tensions.
Hill declined to give further details of the draft.
The agreement could herald the first step toward disarmament since the talks began in 2003; the rounds have been marked by repeated delays and deadlock.
The process reached its lowest point in October when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test explosion, alarming the world and triggering U.N. sanctions.Hill said the draft agreement still must be reviewed by the home governments of the six countries at the talks, but he was upbeat about it. He said he was in constant communication with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.We feel it's an excellent draft, I don't think we're the problem, he said.North Korea did not immediately make any public comment, but South Korea's envoy Chun Yung-woo said he believed the proposal would be acceptable to Pyongyang.Chun said the five other countries agreed to evenly share the energy aid outlined under the deal.However, Japan was more noncommittal. Its envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, said it was too early to tell whether Tokyo was satisfied.
Hill said the parties to the talks will meet again later Tuesday.
The last major agreement on the issue was in September 2005 when North Korea was promised energy aid and security guarantees in exchange for a pledge to abandon its nuclear programs. But since then, talks on implementing that agreement snarled on other issues and the plan went nowhere.Hill has repeatedly said he hoped a resolution would help improve stability in a region filled with bitter historical disputes. The two Koreas remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty.
We're trying to do more than just do denuclearization for energy, Hill said. We're trying to address some of the underlying problems.Though he did not provide specifics, North Korea has demanded improved relations with the United States. Japan and North Korea remain fiercely antagonistic in part because of North Korea's acknowledged but unresolved abductions of Japanese citizens.In the last couple of days, the talks had appeared to be on the verge of foundering and envoys made clear that their frustration level was rising while their patience was growing thin. The current round was to conclude on Monday but as they progressed toward a deal, negotiators extended it late into the night and into the early hours of Tuesday.
The current talks began Thursday on a promising note after the United States and North Korea held an unusual meeting last month in Germany and signaled a willingness to compromise.
But negotiations quickly became mired on the issue of how much energy aid the impoverished and isolated communist country would get as an inducement for initial steps toward disarmament.It's always 3 yards, 3 yards, 3 yards, and it's always fourth and one. Then you make a first down and do 3 more yards, Hill said early Tuesday, using a football metaphor. It's painful.During the days of arduous negotiations, he said everybody has had to make some changes to narrow the differences.Some delegates at the talks — which also include China, Russia and South Korea — had called North Korea's demands for energy excessive. South Korean and Japanese media reports gave varying accounts of how much energy North Korea was demanding, including up to 2 million kilowatts of electricity or 2 million tons of
heavy fuel oil.
Chinese envoy Wu Dawei told a visiting Japanese lawmaker that North Korea had agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor and submit a list of its atomic facilities. But the size of the energy aid Pyongyang would get in return was still undecided, the lawmaker, Fukushiro Nukaga, told reporters Monday. Under a 1994 U.S.-North Korea disarmament agreement, the North was to receive 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year before construction was completed of two nuclear reactors that would be able to generate 2 million kilowatts of electricity. That deal fell apart in late 2002 when the U.S. accused the North of conducting a secret uranium enrichment program, sparking the latest nuclear crisis.
Associated Press reporters Jae-soon Chang, Charles Hutzler, Alexa Olesen and Hiroko Tabuchi contributed to this report.
Jerusalem mayor tries to calm Muslim ire By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
JERUSALEM - Hoping to quell days of Muslim protests, Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jewish mayor on Monday ordered a review of construction outside a holy site at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a spokesman said. However, the move — meant to prove Israel will not damage Muslim shrines — will not affect preparatory excavations that began last week and have infuriated people across the Muslim world.The dispute centers on a new walkway Israel is building to the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The walkway is meant to replace an earthen ramp that partially collapsed in a snowstorm three years ago.Israeli archaeologists began an exploratory dig in the area last week to ensure no historical remains are destroyed during the construction. That work sparked fierce protests from Muslims, who accused Israel of plotting to damage the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and the Al Aqsa Mosque in the same compound.
Israel denies the charge, noting the work is about 60 yards from the compound.
Small clashes persisted Monday, with incidents in which Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police in the city's Arab neighborhoods.
In an effort to defuse the tensions, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, who has direct responsibility for the work, decided the construction plan should be sent for a new review that will allow for public objections, spokesman Gidi Schmerling said.The mayor made the decision after meeting Muslim leaders so that the process will be transparent, and so that it will be entirely clear that there is no attempt to harm any Muslim holy sites, the spokesman added.City Hall expects thousands of objections, he said.
Lupolianski's move came despite the Israeli Cabinet's vote Sunday to push ahead with the work.The mayor's decision would likely delay the actual construction, which was scheduled to begin in six months. But it would not stop the current excavations, and Muslim leaders rejected it as insufficient.The problem is the digging, which hasn't stopped, and unfortunately the Israeli government has decided to continue the digging, Mohammed Hussein, Jerusalem's mufti, or Muslim religious leader, told The Associated Press.Israeli hard-liners also criticized Lupolianski, saying he caved in to Arab pressure.Lawmaker Arieh Eldad called it a disgraceful surrender to the threats from the Arabs of Israel and the Arabs and Muslims of the neighboring countries that if we behave as a nation behaves in its capital, they will ignite the Middle East.Speaking to Israel Radio, he said the fight over the walkway is really a fight over the sovereignty of Jerusalem.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, where the disputed hilltop and other religious sites are located, in the 1967 Mideast war and considers the entire city its undivided capital. The Palestinians hope to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future independent state.Yona Metzger, one of Israel's chief rabbis, visited the construction site Monday, calling on the government to continue work and terming
allegations that Muslim holy places could be harmed nonsense. Metzger also called for calm.We don't want any problems here. This is a holy place for us as well, he said. The compound is the holiest site in Judaism, revered as the home of the biblical Temples. It is Islam's third-holiest shrine. The compound has been a catalyst for earlier rounds of Israel-Palestinian fighting. The new construction
sparked several days of Palestinian protests, and Muslim nations also condemned the work. On Monday, police charged Muslim leader Raed Salah with attacking police officers during a demonstration last week against the construction, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been the leading critic of the repair work. After Salah scuffled with police outside the shrine last Wednesday, authorities briefly detained him for questioning and issued a 10-day restraining order barring him from Jerusalem's Old City. Police wanted the courts to extend the restraining order a further 60 days, Rosenfeld said.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein February 12, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Anyone who cares about Israel wants to know if her Arab and Muslim neighbors will ever recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist and whether or not there will come a time when Israel's people will be allowed to live in peace.Given the news coming out of the Middle East in recent months, it is hard to be optimistic about the prospects for peace. The three volatile situations I describe below which most Israeli leaders agree pose the greatest challenge and danger to Israel's future will help you understand why I believe 2007 will be a watershed year for both Israel and America.
Middle East Update
Iran is the greatest threat facing Israel—and the world—today. This Muslim fundamentalist state provides weapons and money to terrorists throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and groups murdering civilians and attacking American soldiers in Iraq. The Iranian president has not backed away one inch from his hateful anti-Israel, anti-Western rhetoric, and continues his country's aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of the international community. Iran backs Hezbollah, Hamas, Fatah.
Ahmadinejad in his own words
Despite ban, Iran's nuclear program moves forward.In Lebanon, Hezbollah is struggling to attain more power, leading supporters in violent protests against the government and clashing with rival Sunni Muslims. United Nations' forces charged with enforcing the ceasefire that ended last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war have stood by as Hezbollah rearms and develops more lethal fighting capabilities. While a Hezbollah takeover in Lebanon would be a disaster for Israel, and would almost
certainly mean war on a large scale, maintaining the status quo is not a recipe for peace either: in a recent appeal for an end to sectarian strife in his country, the Lebanese Prime Minister reminded warring factions that they must save their energy for fighting the real enemy—meaning Israel. U.N.:
We can't stop Hezbollah
Scores of Palestinians—including children and other innocent bystanders—have been killed, and hundreds more injured, in Gaza during the past few months of bitter fighting between rivals Fatah and Hamas. The likelihood that a true Palestinian partner for peace will emerge from the bloody battle is slim to none. Several ceasefires between Fatah and Hamas have been broken, and fighting has begun to spread to the West Bank. Meanwhile, rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian terrorists continue to fall on Israeli cities such as Sderot, and suicide bombers—like the one that murdered 3 Israelis last week in the southern city of Eilat—continue to enter Israel from the region. U.S. officials on front lines of rocket attack.There are few good options for addressing these threats. With none of her Arab and Muslim neighbors interested in making peace, Israel will be forced for the foreseeable future to maintain and even increase spending on defense, even though it is likely to come at the additional expense of social programs that benefit Israel's poor and needy.
Last month, I challenged all of us to become better informed advocates for Israel. As the year takes shape, it is clear that rising to that challenge is of critical importance. Please take some time today to explore these issues in greater depth by reading some of the articles linked above—and then spread the word by forwarding this message to a friend. Now, more than ever, Israel needs friends like you who understand the nature of the threats facing her—and who will continually uphold Israel through their prayers, gifts, and advocacy.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President Fellowship of Christians and Jews
High Court Deliberates Fate of 43 Families in Heart of Israel
By Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 12,07
The fate of the thriving community of Migron, just north of Jerusalem, is to be determined today by the Supreme Court. Residents fear that its fate will be like that of Amona. Peace Now, the radical organization working tirelessly to destroy the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria [Yesha], has petitioned Defense Minister Amir Peretz to order the expulsion of all 43 Jewish families living in Migron. Peace Now claims that most of land on which Migron was built belongs to Arabs. Migron residents say that Peace Now worked hard to find the Arabs in question and convinced them to file the suit against the Jewish town.
One resident, Aviva W., told Arutz-7, When we arrived here, it was clear that the land had no claimants and no one working on it... We are a continuation of the Zionist enterprise and the Zionist dream - just like all the pioneers who came to the Land of Israel over the centuries, starting with the students of the Gaon of Vilna [early 19th century], and later the First Aliyah [1882-1903], and the Second Aliyah [1904 - 1914], etc. - there is no difference. If anything, we are more in the heart of the Land of Israel than Tel Aviv is.
The only difference is political - an arbitrary difference made based on what is convenient for different politicians at different times - but we are doing the same thing that Land of Israel pioneers have done for generations.The residents fear that the Supreme Court will issue a restraining order, meaning that the town will have to be dismantled - but not immediately. We are praying that this will not happen, of course, Aviva said, but if so, it should be clear to all that this is exactly what happened at Amona, and we will be in grave danger of literally being thrown out of our homes and losing yet another Jewish town. The Supreme Court, after all, rules this country...It was exactly a year ago this month that hundreds of people - mostly youths protesting the abandonment of the Land of Israel - were injured while protesting the Supreme Court-ordered destruction of nine houses in Amona, just ten kilometers north of Migron. In that incident, as well, Peace Now had petitioned the government to destroy the homes, claiming that they were built on privately-owned, never-worked land.Today's Supreme Court session takes place in the shadow of Defense Minister Amir Peretz's threat to his boss, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, to turn to the Attorney General if Olmert does not begin acting to remove unauthorized Jewish outposts throughout Judea and Samaria. Peretz did not include illegal Arab construction in his ultimatum. Peretz has been accused of using the outposts to promote his political standing within the Labor Party. Just yesterday, at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Peretz should stop acting as if he is running in party primaries and should start acting more like a Defense Minister.
The judges in the case are Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch, Ayala Procaccia - neither of whom are known to greatly sympathize the Jewish enterprise in Yesha - and Edmond Levy. In June 2005, Levy was the only justice on an 11-judge panel to vote that the Disengagement plan should be struck down.Migron (mentioned in Samuel I 14,2 and Isaiah 10, 28) is located on a strategically important hill crest, overlooking the highway leading to Beit El, Ofrah, Shilo and the northern Shomron. It is located between Kokhav Yaakov, Psagot and Michmash, about a 12-minute drive north of Jerusalem.Founded in March 2002, Migron grew quickly, reaching 42 families after only a year and a half - at which point the government abruptly clamped down on further growth. Over 200 people, including well over 100 children, now live there. The synagogue and two homes are in permanent structures, while most of the residents live in caravans (mobile homes without wheels). Six government ministries, the Civil Administration, the Electric Company, Mekorot Water Company and other official bodies have all taken part in establishing infrastructures for the community.
New Study on Geographical Development of Oral Law
By Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 12,07
Much of European Jewry assimilated or became Christian following the Second Temple's fall - largely because of their isolation from the Rabbinic world of the Land of Israel and Babylon. A new study by two Israeli historians finds that the western and eastern Diasporas were greatly divided in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple and the exile of the Jews, in the year 68 C.E.The lack of a translation of the Mishnah - the Oral Law - into Greek or other European languages was a major contributing factor to a serious gap between the western Jewish Diaspora and the eastern one. The laws of the Five Books of Moses, which had been translated into Greek, continued to be largely observed, until Christian missionary work succeeded in winning over much of the Jewish population there.The study was published in the January 2007 edition of the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, by Aryeh Edrei of Tel Aviv University and Doron Mendels of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Mendels is also the author of a work entitled The Media Revolution of Early Christianity. In it, he shows how early Christians worked like modern journalists, selecting, shaping, and presenting stories for popular consumption in order to promote their religion.
The best example, Mendels writes, is that of 4th-century Eusebius, the author of a monumental work entitled Ecclesiastical History, which he used as a publicity tool to further the cause of early Christianity. Such works found fertile ground among Jews in Europe, Mendels and Edrei claim, in that no Oral Torah developed there - as opposed to in the East. Hence it is not surprising that western Jews contributed nothing to the development of the oral law, the authors posit. The Oral Law developed greatly after the exile, with the Mishna and Gmara finally becoming two monumental written works - the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud - in the middle centuries of the first millennium of the Common Era. The preceding centuries, however, were critical, Mendels and Edrei write, in that they were not written and were not taught to the Jews of the West who did not speak Hebrew or Aramaic.
The researchers add that the divide between the two Jewish populations was also furthered by the fact that Eastern rabbis did not often visit the West. Though the Talmud often recounts rabbis traveling between the Holy Land and Babylon to the east, travel to the west is rarely mentioned in this connection.The publicized summaries of the research by Mendels and Edrei did not specify the size of the Jewish population in Europe in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple.
Olmert says Israel may lose Golan Heights
Feb. 12, 2007 at 2:33PM Upi
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that Israel would have to give up the Golan Heights if peace will ever be achieved with Syria.
The northern region was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. Olmert told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee because of what three of his predecessors had done in negotiations, the Golan Heights would have to be forfeited, Haaretz reported. That sparked an angry exchange between Olmert and one of his predecessors, Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party, who said he had never agreed to returning the Golan Heights.Recently, Syrian President Bashar Assad has been making diplomatic peace overtures to Israel, but Olmert told the committee he didn't feel negotiations would lead anywhere. Syria is interested in the industry of peace, rather than real peace, Olmert said.
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