1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Winter blast slams Western Canada. 3-Storm sinks Irish trawler, disrupts travel in northwest Europe. 4-Behind the Headlines: Six months in terrorist captivity. 5-Iranian Jews Reject Urgent Warnings to Leave. 6-New Torah Ark Dedicated at Hebron´s Tomb of the Patriarchs. 7-Advocacy Groups Report Escalating Christian Persecution in China, India. 8-New Comet is Brightest in 30 Years. 9-US-made calf reopens clone debate. 10-Scorpions on planes not terror, say feds. 11-Madrid conference opens to mark 1991 Mideast peace talks
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 Jan 12 12:05 AM EDT
JAN 12,07
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
JAN 11,07
MAP 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.3 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.9 SERAM, INDONESIA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 VANUATU
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.3 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 2.9 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 CASPIAN SEA
MAP 3.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
JAN 10,07
MAP 2.5 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 4.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL 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.
Winter blast slams Western Canada Wed Jan 10, 7:42 PM ET
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Rescue Crews used helicopters and snowmobiles on Wednesday to search for drivers stranded by a blizzard that rolled through northeastern British Columbia and other large swathes of Western Canada. At least 16 vehicles were located with people in them on a road between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, British Columbia, but no injuries were reported despite a windchill that made it feel like it was -40 Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit).To the east, two people were reported to have frozen to death on the boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan as bone-chilling cold returned to the Prairie region after a month of unseasonably mild temperatures.Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported a 17-year-old boy and a 38-year-old woman appeared to have died of exposure overnight after their car got stuck in the snow and they tried to walk to safety.Temperatures in the
region, about 50 km (31 miles) north of Lloydminster, Alberta, were forecast to fall to -29 C (-20 F) on Wednesday. With the wind, it will feel like -38 C (-36 F), Environment Canada said.
In the British Columbia storm, stranded motorists were urged to stay with their vehicles until help arrived and emergency officials had set up a special facility to help warm up drivers as they were brought in by rescue crews.The winter blast created hazardous driving conditions on highways throughout Western Canada.For the second time in a week, an avalanche closed the Trans-Canada Highway in eastern British Columbia on Tuesday. It was slated to reopen late Wednesday afternoon.The Alberta government reported poor driving conditions on most highways in central and northern areas of the province due to blowing snow.
Storm sinks Irish trawler, disrupts travel in northwest Europe by Andrew Bushe Thu Jan 11, 7:19 AM ET
DUBLIN (AFP) - A storm packing gale-force winds has sunk an Irish trawler leaving five crew members missing, while sea and air traffic were disupted in the Netherlands and Britain, which issued flood warnings. Irish coastguards were battling winds of up to 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour in a major air and sea search for the five fishermen, whose trawler the Pere Charles went down in heavy seas southeast of Ireland.The storm severely disrupted sea traffic across the English Channel, with departures shut down entirely for several hours between Calais and the English port of Dover, while only large ships were using the French port of Dunkirk.
The English Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, particularly over the 25-mile (40-kilometre) stretch between Dover and Calais on the northeast French coast.In Calais, there is no traffic, but the port has not been closed, the harbour master said.
The port at Dover more fully exposed to the gale-force winds -- was closed from 5:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) to 8:00 a.m., he added Thursday.Regional traffic control authorities in France forecast a surge in cargo traffic through the Eurotunnel as trucks scheduled to cross the Channel by sea divert to rail instead.Elsewhere in Britain, winds reached 90 miles (144 kilometres) per hour in Scotland and low-lying eastern English counties were put on flood alert.In the Netherlands, the gathering stormfront disrupted air traffic at the Schiphol International airport, one of Europe's busiest.The number of planes allowed to take off and land was cut back to 50 from the normal flow of 70, airport authorities said according to Dutch news agency ANP.
The rest of the day should be calmer, an airport spokesman was quoted as saying.In Ireland, coastguards searching for the missing fishermen said a gas cylinder and life ring have been recovered since the vessel disappeared from radar screens Wednesday night, after which a nearby trawler was alerted by its emergency radio beacon.The French-built trawler had been fishing for herring off Hook Head in County Wexford and had been due to return to the nearby fishing port of Dunmore East in County Waterford.Conditions in the area are horrendous. The winds have been up to storm force 10. They will be gale force all day today, a coastguard spokesman told AFP.Hopes were fading for the men, four Irishmen and a Ukrainian, but there was a chance they could have taken to a life raft, he said.That is the hope, although there was a vessel very close by that had her on the radar. When she disappeared they were over very quickly and they found nothing, said the coastguard spokesman.
She must have gone down very quickly. The other vessel saw her lights and had her on radar and when they turned round to look for her again she was gone, he added.Two search and rescue helicopters, two lifeboats, local trawlers and fishing boats and four coastguard shore crews resumed the search at first light.Officials said Ireland's Marine Casualty Investigation Board had begun an inquiry into the tragedy. Irish Transport Minister Pat the Cope Gallagher, who is responsible for the coastguard, said police and navy divers were on standby to try and locate the sunken trawler when the weather improves. Hopefully we might find some survivors but as the hours move on there is less and less chance, he told RTE state radio. We have to now concentrate on retrieving bodies. I am sad to say that, Gallagher said.
ARABS FREE THE ISRAELI SOLDIERS NOW.
Behind the Headlines: Six months in terrorist captivity - 11 Jan 2007
Six months have passed since the unprovoked abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, and of Gilad Shalit on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. Six months have passed since the unprovoked abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, an action that precipitated widespread confrontation between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terrorist organization. To date no word has been heard from the two captive soldiers, and neither their families nor the government of Israel have any knowledge of their whereabouts or their current state of health. Two weeks prior to their abduction, another soldier, Gilad Shalit, was abducted as well, this time on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. His family, too, anxiously awaits news from him. Especially grave is the fact that these unprovoked abductions were carried out on sovereign Israeli territory.
Taken from their families six months ago, these captive soldiers are denied the most basic of human rights as enshrined in the Geneva Convention. In a gross breach of U.N. Resolution 1701, the terrorist organizations that carried out these abductions, and Syria and Iran who support them, behave as if these human rights are nothing more than a bargaining chip in their game of negotiation, refusing even to transmit messages to the captives from their families. International bodies who met with the captives' families have also tried to forward messages and letters, but they have been met with a negative response as well. The Israel Foreign Ministry is active in efforts to gain their release on all levels: Foreign Ministry Tzipi Livni and her fellow ministers, alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, raise the issue at the highest levels in their diplomatic meetings, in Israel and abroad - as do the Foreign Ministry's director-general and other senior officials. The Foreign Ministry also assists the families of the kidnapped soldiers in their meetings, both abroad and with visiting dignitaries in Israel, in an effort to keep the cause of the abducted soldiers on the international public agenda.
Israel's embassies abroad are also taking part in this effort, with emphasis on the humanitarian aspect: the families await a clear sign that their sons are alive and well. Those with influence, whether direct or indirect, on Syria and Iran are being asked to exert this influence on these countries. Thus, it is hoped, Syria and Iran, which sponsor the terrorist organizations holding the abducted soldiers, will be forced by growing international pressure to bring their influence to bear to obtain the hoped-for news and their eventual release.Neither Israel nor any other civilized, law abiding country can accept this situation. We urge you to support us in our endeavor - to bring our soldiers home.
Iranian Jews Reject Urgent Warnings to Leave
By Hana Levi Julian and Gil Zohar(INN) JAN 11,07
Iranian Jews are ignoring urgent warnings by American Jewish community leaders and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) to quit the Islamic Republic.The campaign to convince Iran’s 25,000 Jews to flee for their lives has stalled. According to statistics compiled by HIAS, only 152 Jews left Iran in the year between October 2005 and September 2006, down 40 percent from the same period in 2004-5. The year before that only 183 Jews left Iran.Sources said those Jews who left Iran in the past several years cited economic and family concerns as their primary reasons for leaving – not political considerations.It would appear that the repeated threats by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel off the map have not raised an alarm among the 25,000 Jews who still live in his country.
Nor has a recent Holocaust denial conference hosted by the Iranian president seemed to have made much of a dent in the Jewish community’s unwillingness to move.Last year’s contest by a leading Iranian newspaper soliciting Holocaust cartoons as a response to the uproar caused by a Danish caricature contest of the founder of Islam, Mohammed, has also had no noticeable effect.Other minority groups in Iran are not wasting time, however. HIAS workers in Vienna have noted a substantial increase in the number of refugees from Iran of other faiths, including the Bahai.
New Torah Ark Dedicated at Hebron´s Tomb of the Patriarchs
By Alex Traiman(INN) JAN 11,07
A Torah Ark was installed this week in the holy city of Hevron (Hebron) at the Cave of the Patriarchs, the ancient monument housing the graves of the Jewish Patriarchs and Matriarchs.The Ark strengthens the Jewish presence at the holy site called Me'arat HaMachpela, a double cave which the Torah (Genesis 23) records Abraham purchased from the Hittites for 400 silver shekels to use as a burial cave for his wife Sarah.Donated by New York financier and philanthropist Ira Rennert, the new Holy Ark was designed by Avraham Avargel - the same architect who constructed the large Ark at the Western Wall plaza.Standing more than four meters tall and three meters wide, the Ark will house handwritten Torah scrolls read on Monday, Thursday, Sabbath and holiday services.
The ark, featuring an etched wooden facade flanked by stone, stands in the large open courtyard that connects the smaller Jewish prayer rooms, each built in memory of one of the holy couples Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah.
(Rachel's Tomb is located in Bethlehem, between Jerusalem and Hebron.).The addition of the Ark is one of a series of uniquely Jewish improvements made to the site in recent years. Worshippers have noticed the additions of numerous prayer and study books and libraries, as well as several framed wall pieces with prayers for recitation at the site.This coming summer, a roof will be constructed over the courtyard where Jewish worshippers come to pray, rain or shine.Hevron spokesman David Wilder believes it is important to beautify the site, which is one of the holiest in Jewish history.
Every day when we pray to the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob, he said, we have to understand that this is where these people have been for almost 4,000 years.The monumental Cave of the Patriarchs complex was built over the caves 2,000 years ago by Herod the Great, then King of Judea. Since then, both Christians and Muslims have added onto the structure, at many points claiming the site belonged to them.
Arabs kept Jews from entering the holy site for 700 years between 1267 and 1967, when the IDF liberated Hevron together with the rest of Judea and Samaria during the Six Day War.Today both Jewish and Muslim worshippers pray regularly at the site, entering through separate gates, and praying in separate areas. Except for special days, neither Jews nor Arabs are allowed full access to the entire site. Muslims pray in the large room memorializing the Jewish forefather Isaac. The room bears the only entrances to the actual burial caves, and can house more than 1,000 worshippers. Jews are relegated to an outdoor courtyard, and the much smaller adjacent rooms.
Relations between Jews and Muslims at the site remain tense.
They continue to claim that the site belongs to them, said Wilder. If they controlled the site they would again declare it off limits.One of the ways to maintain our possession of the site, he said, and to show how important it is to us, is to bring such beautiful objects of sanctity into the building such as this beautiful aron kodesh (Holy Ark). Originally, when we came back to the site in 1967, we weren’t allowed to bring in anything that showed any permanence. Everything had to be movable because the Arabs claimed that it didn’t belong to us, it belonged to them, and they wanted to expel us at any given moment.By bringing in such beautiful works of art, such holy objects, we show both the Jewish people and people around the world that this is the second holiest site in the world for the Jewish people and we have no intentions of [leaving it].Wilder and the Hebron community are grateful that members of the Jewish community worldwide are aiding in the efforts to help build-up Jewish presence at the holy site.
I think that it is very noteworthy that people from all over the world have taken part in trying to beautify such a site because Me'arat HaMachpela doesn’t belong to me any more than it belongs to any other Jew in the world, Wilder says.It belongs to all the Jewish people from throughout all of the generations in the past to the present and in the future, and I am very happy that people around the world take such interest and want to partake in honoring such an important and significant site.
Advocacy Groups Report Escalating Christian Persecution in China, India JAN 11,07
Persecution continues to increase against Christians throughout India and in Communist China, AgapePress reports.
Representatives of organizations that minister to and advocate for believers in those countries say government authorities in both nations are severely oppressing Christians and limiting their religious freedom. Late last month, Hindu extremists torched a church in the Indian state of Orissa after members had decorated and prepared the sanctuary for Christmas services. The Global Council of Indian Christians is investigating the church burning. Ten Indian Christian missionaries along with a pastor were beaten and arrested for singing Christmas carols. An expert on Christian persecution within communist China says believers in that country will face increasing scrutiny from authorities.
New Comet is Brightest in 30 Years Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer - SPACE.com - Wed Jan 10, 2:30 PM ET
A newfound comet has backyard skywatchers buzzing about its incredible brightness even though it is a challenge to spot.Comet McNaught, named for Australian astronomer Robert McNaught who found it last year, is about to circle the Sun. It sets right after the Sun, making it visible in the West [sky map] for only a few minutes in twilight. Tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 10) may be the best chance for Northern Hemisphere viewers to spot it.Comet McNaught has become the brightest comet in 30 years, according to the International Comet Quarterly at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.The comet, dazzling in pictures, is brighter than was Hale-Bopp in 1995.
But this comet remains a challenge to see. You need a very clear view of a very flat horizon and good sky conditions. Look for it moments after sunset from high ground or tall buildings if possible. Binoculars can help to first detect the comet, but it is visible to the naked eye, several observers have reported. On Jan. 12, Comet McNaught's orbit [video] will take it closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury. Solar radiation could cause the comet to become even brighter. During its trip around the Sun, the comet will be visible on the Internet in images from the SOHO spacecraft.
Comet McNaught Viewer's Guide
Images: Comet McNaught Gallery
More Images: Great Comets
Original Story: New Comet is Brightest in 30 Years - Visit SPACE.com
US-made calf reopens clone debate JAN 10,07
The Holstein calf could grow up to be a productive dairy cow
A calf grown from an embryo taken from a cloned cow has been born on a British farm for the first time. The calf, named Dundee Paradise, was born on a farm near Wolverhampton after being created by scientists in the US. As the Holstein calf is not itself a clone, the environment department (Defra) says no health and welfare rules have been broken. Some animal rights groups say cloning causes suffering to animals and warns against buying their offspring. Dundee Paradise began life in a US laboratory, where scientists created an embryo from a normal bull and the clone of a prize-winning dairy cow. She was then flown to the UK as an embryo and implanted into a cow on a farm near Wolverhampton.
Novel food
A Defra spokeswoman said the animal's health was not of particular concern as the calf had not been genetically modified. Any offspring from a cloned animal is considered to be the same as any other naturally-born cow, she said. The animal was born as the majority of the 220,000 animals that we register in the UK every year are born - as a result of artificial insemination.
Simon Gee Holstein UK .However, the Food Standards Agency said it was in discussions about the legal requirements relating to offspring of cloned animals. Any products taken from Dundee Paradise could need authorisation from an EU committee of experts and labelled a novel food. Simon Gee, of Holstein UK, an organisation that represents the Holstein and British Friesian breeds, said the calf was created using conventional breeding technology. The animal was born as the majority of the 220,000 animals that we register in the UK every year are born - as a result of artificial insemination. The difference here is that the embryos were imported into the UK, frozen in liquid nitrogen and then implanted into recipient cows here.
REVELATION 9:1-11
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Scorpions on planes not terror, say feds Pair of deadly creatures attacks passengers on American, United flights in same week January 10, 2007 - 9:35 p.m. Eastern - By Joe Kovacs - 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
It's not Snakes on a Plane causing concern among the traveling public, but scorpions, as two of the deadly creatures have attacked passengers on separate U.S. flights in the past week. Yet federal officials are downplaying the possibility the events are related to terrorism. We have no reason to believe there is any connection to any kind of terrorist activity, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, a division on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The first incident took place Jan. 3 as David Sullivan of Stowe, Vt., was stung twice on a trip home from San Francisco. He and his wife, Helena, boarded a United Air Lines connecting flight in Chicago, and were just minutes from their destination in Burlington, Vt., when he first noticed a problem with his right leg, feeling as if it had gone to sleep. After the plane landed, Sullivan was waiting for his luggage, and again felt a strange sensation, but this time it was his left shin.
It was getting more intense. It felt like a small electric shock, Sullivan told the Burlington Free Press. I could feel the venom work its way through my body. When he pulled up his pants leg to investigate, an inch-and-a-half-long scorpion scooted down his leg and onto the floor, where a fellow passenger stepped on it. The feeling of electrical shock remained in Sullivan's legs for 36 hours, and he suffered flu symptoms for several days afterward. The second incident took place Sunday, as a Canadian college student was returning to Toronto on an American Airlines flight out of Miami. Anthony Harris, 21, who had been in Costa Rica prior to stopping in Miami, suddenly felt as if someone were tearing the hair out of his leg. He told the Toronto Star that when the sharp pain dulled to a throbbing ache, he thought his leg had simply cramped up.
Then I looked down and there was a scorpion crawling up my leg, he said. Harris was unsure if the arachnid snuck into his knapsack in Costa Rica, or if it came with someone else, but he used his school textbook to kill the creature. I scooped it up and sort of smooshed it closed, he said. Though Harris and Sullivan didn't suffer any serious complications from their encounters, the fact that two scorpions made it onto U.S. commercial flights and stung two passengers in the same week is raising eyebrows.
Melendez at the TSA, which was created as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, told WND this is the first time he's ever heard of incidents involving scorpions, let alone two within four days of each other. But he adds the scorpions have not changed the way the agency is handling security. As far as TSA is concerned, nothing [different] is being done. We're looking for prohibited items such as knives and bombs and guns, Melendez said. We don't have a prohibition on God's creatures going on planes. When WND contacted the Federal Aviation Administration, officials there had not even heard of the scorpion incidents, but later indicated airlines are not mandated to inform the agency of such cases unless they create serious problems. There's no requirement to report such an occurrence to the FAA unless there's a medical emergency that requires the plane to divert or to declare an emergency and land, or if the animal or bug or whatever causes damage to the aircraft that results in a system malfunction, said Les Dorr, an FAA spokesman. Officials at American and United have not commented on how they believe the scorpions got aboard their respective flights, nor any measures they might have in place to preclude such incidents in the future.
But United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski told the Associated Press the Sullivan case is something that we will investigate and look into. We're very sorry for what happened. Our customer safety and security is our No. 1 priority. The airlines tell you you can't bring water or shampoo on a plane, Helena Sullivan told AP, referring to recent security restrictions. All the security we go through apparently didn't apply to the scorpion, she said. While healthy adults can normally withstand scorpion stings, the venom can be lethal to the young, elderly, infirm or those allergic to the venom.
Madrid conference opens to mark 1991 Mideast peace talks JAN 11,07
An international conference began on Wednesday to commemorate the 1991 peace talks which brought Israeli and Arab leaders together for the first time and paved way for the Oslo Accords.
The Madrid conference aimed to bring new vigor to the stalled Mideast peace process. Some leaders involved in past efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict sent letters to voice their support for the conference, which is sponsored by private peace foundations. Messages from former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ex-U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III were read out at the opening session. The convening of this conference 15 years later could not be more timely, wrote Baker, who helped arranged the 1991 talks. It offers an opportunity to assist the possibility of moving forward toward Arab-Israeli conflict resolution. Clinton underlined the importance of the 1991 talks in his letter, saying It was the first time that Israeli and Arabs met at the conference table rather than on the battlefield. He said the new meeting showed there was still hope for the future. The two-day conference brought together foreign ministers from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and experts from the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the Middle East. The Madrid conference in October 1991 set the framework for a peace process which ultimately led to the Oslo Accords, which in 1993 outlined a plan for a Palestinian state. Source: Xinhua
Friday, January 12, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
EU CLIMATE CHANGE
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Moderate earthquake hits Aleutians. 3-Typhoon Muifa creating battering waves. 4-Another winter storm lurks for the weekend. 5-Firefighters face horror day. 6-Killer bees tracked near New Orleans. 7-Report: Hamas Boasts it Will Obtain US Funds and Arms. 8-Al-Qaeda, Hizbullah and Hamas Are Gaining Strength. 9-Mideast quartet paralyzed, restart sought: Merkel. 10-Nato chief extends term. 11-New Year’s Bible Study in Communist Party School Raided in China. 12-Police in Vietnam Detain Members of Pastor’s Family. 13-Iran smog kills 3,600 in month. 14-EU: Climate change will transform the face of the continent.
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 Jan 11 12:00 AM EDT
JAN 11,07
MAP 5.3 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 2.9 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 CASPIAN SEA
JAN 10,07
MAP 2.5 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 4.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
JAN 09,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.5 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 5.6 BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 WYOMING
MAP 5.3 MYANMAR
MAP 4.9 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Moderate earthquake hits Aleutians Wed Jan 10, 11:36 AM ET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook Alaska's seismically active Aleutian Islands on Wednesday. No damage was reported in the island chain, which extend southwestward from Alaska into the northern Pacific. The quake was centered 39 miles west of Unalaska and likely was felt along the state's western coast, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said.
On Tuesday, another moderate earthquake with a magnitude of about 5.7 jolted Southeast Alaska and was widely felt throughout the Panhandle. That tremor was centered 57 miles west of Haines, about 1,300 miles east of Unalaska.
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.
Typhoon Muifa creating battering waves Tim Ballisty, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Jan 10, 5:23 PM ET
What started Tuesday innocently enough as a moderate tropical storm has become a small, but potent, typhoon east of the Philippines. Typhoon Muifa (Moy-fa) became worthy of its prefix today when winds were estimated at near 105 mph. Muifa is at best meandering to the north while churning in the Philippine Sea just east of Manila. In fact, for all intents and purposes, the typhoon has stalled. Though forecast to move west over the islands, forward progression will be slow. Bad news for the island chain as flooding and mudslides will result from the copious amounts of rain expected to fall over the next 48 hours. There is no doubt that the large and powerful waves have been battering the eastern coast of the northern Philippines. The system is forecasted to weaken gradually over the next 5 days as it heads towards southern Vietnam. The Atlantic and eastern Pacific Basins remain quiet.
Another winter storm lurks for the weekend Jonathan Erdman, Sr. Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Jan 10, 4:31 PM ET
West
Continuing a saga whose first chapter began just after the middle of December, another deep, cold storm system will congeal over the Rockies and Great Basin through the next few days. The result will be plentiful snow in the Rockies, and cold temperatures for most everybody else.
The initial cold invasion brought snow and colder air into the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies Wednesday. Light snow fell along much of the I-5 corridor from Puget Sound to Oregon's Willamette Valley. Even the coast joined in the act, as an inch of snow with pea-size hail was reported just west of Washington's Olympic National Park. Thursday's cold will be felt moist acutely in the northern Rockies and Great Basin. Highs along the Canadian border in far northern Montana may not rise above zero. Single digits and teens will be the rule elsewhere in the northern Rockies and adjacent High Plains. Twenties will dominate much of the northern Great Basin. California won't escape the cold either. Highs in the Bay area will struggle to reach 50#. Following Tuesday's record highs in the 80s in parts of Southern California, 50s or low 60s will be the rule Thursday, with some patchy drizzle or showers possible. Behind the cold front, snow levels could lower to 1000 feet in Southern California by Friday morning, bringing flakes to rather unfamiliar territory. Snow will continue in the northern Rockies Thursday, slowly shifting southward into the Wasatch and Colorado Rockies. A winter storm watch continues for the Salt Lake Valley, benches, and Wasatch. A second upper-level low that spread mainly high cloudiness into the Desert Southwest Wednesday, will become a bit more proficient precipitation generator tonight into Thursday. Showers, falling as snow in the higher terrain, are expected in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas' Big Bend. This northern and southern storm will combine into one lumbering storm Friday, lingering over the Four Corners through at least Saturday, perhaps Sunday. This will continue to manufacture snow, heavy at times, in the central and southern Rockies this weekend. Heavier snow will eventually spread out into the central High Plains this weekend, potentially including the beleaguered, snow-weary Colorado Front Range Urban Corridor (Denver metro). By Sunday, travel could again become difficult in the eastern Colorado, including the Front Range.
Midwest
As lake-effect snow winds down, attention then turns to a developing messy multi-faceted winter storm taking shape this weekend. The Arctic air will be a blunt reality check for the northern Plains Thursday. Highs won't get out of the single digits in parts of North Dakota, and teens may be the warmest parts of western South Dakota get. Keep in mind many locations from the Upper Midwest and Plains states haven't had a day colder than average in a month or more.
This front will plunge through the Plains and Upper Midwest Thursday, then stall out from the Great Lakes to the Southern Plains Friday. Warm, and increasingly moist air will intersect and override this front late Thursday into Friday. While most precipitation will fall as light rain in the Missouri and Mississippi Valleys Thursday, a thin area of light freezing rain is possible Thursday night into Friday from southern and eastern Nebraska into Lower Michigan. This would only be the opening act in this wintry play. A more significant snowstorm may emerge into the Plains states Saturday, spreading snow, possibly heavy over some of the same areas that are still recovering from a crippling blizzard or ice storm just before the New Year's holiday. Heavy snow may then spread into the Upper Midwest Sunday and Monday, possibly bringing some the first snow of the season (Des Moines, for example) and others their first significant snow in over a month (Wisconsin, northern Illinois, for example). A zone of icing is also possible as the main storm pulls out later this weekend. Not to be overshadowed, a zone of significant, persistent rainfall should set up near the sluggish frontal boundary from the Ozarks to the Ohio Valley. The first wave of moderate to, at times, heavy rainfall, can be expected Friday. A second enhancement to the rainfall could lift into the above areas Saturday night into Sunday. Flood watches have already been hoisted over parts of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, and western Kentucky. Some rivers remain near or even above flood stage Wednesday in Indiana, Illinois and western Kentucky. Rainfall amounts from 2-4" are possible, with locally higher amounts, through Monday.
Northeast
Following a brief reminder that this is indeed January, we'll continue to turn the calendar ahead to spring as we head into the upcoming weekend. This roughly month-long stretch of warm weather was briefly interrupted Wednesday in the wake of a cold front earlier this week. Heavy lake-effect snow fell in areas to the east of Lake Ontario, with up to 19 measured in Highmarket, N.Y. Eight inches blanketed Syracuse, N.Y. Daytime temperatures struggled in the 30s in New York City and Washington, D.C. These highs are par for the January course, but haven't been witnessed since early December! One rogue snow shower Wednesday brought the first flakes of the season to New York City. This was the latest first flakes of the season (defined as a trace of snow) at Central Park on record, besting the previous latest date by 6 days (Jan. 4, 1878). That said, Boston's significantly behind on snow as well, only measuring 0.8 so far this season at Logan International Airport. High pressure will rule the roost on Thursday. Only a shield of high clouds moving through Upstate New York and northern New England will blemish what's otherwise a pleasant January day. Much of the Middle Atlantic states should see highs at least in the low 40s, including New York City. Southern New England and Upstate New York should manage 30s. Twenties will hang on in northern New England. Light snow should spread into Upstate New York and northern New England Friday. There may be a zone of light sleet or freezing rain early Friday in parts of interior New York State into parts of southern New England. For the Big Apple, the Keystone State southward, this looks to be a rain event Friday, lingering into early next week.
South
Even as high pressure shifts into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday, its influence will still be sufficient to keep the weather quiet for most in the Southeast Thursday. Only a few nuisance easterly-flow sprinkles or light showers along the Southeast coast will blot an otherwise tranquil day. Highs will be at or above seasonal averages. Fifties can be expected in much of the Carolinas and Tennessee Valley. Sixties will cover much of the Deep South.
Seventies will greet a lucky few along the Texas Coastal Bend and also in the Sunshine State. A developing storm system in the western U.S. will slowly trend the weather wetter by late Thursday into the weekend. Due to the sluggish, slow nature of the attendant frontal system, an area of heavy rainfall may set up Thursday night into Friday from northeast Texas and eastern Oklahoma into Arkansas, western Kentucky and western Tennessee. Rainfall of 2 inches or more may be measured as repeated impulses in the upper atmosphere sweep across this quasi-stationary boundary from late Thursday into the weekend. Flood watches are already hoisted for parts of western Kentucky in advance of this storm. A few t-storms Friday could become severe from northeast Texas into western Tennessee. This sluggish front doesn't appear to clear this rain-soaked region until Monday. On the brighter side of this storm, warm air ahead of the front should send temperatures back into the 60s and 70s from the Virginia Tidewater region to the Gulf Coast this weekend. Eighties will return to central and South Florida.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Firefighters face horror day
Email Print Normal font Large font January 11, 2007 - 6:57AM
Total fire ban statewide
A cool change moving slowly across Victoria could worsen bushfires raging in eastern Victoria.Temperatures around the state hovered near 30 celsius overnight, with the mercury tipped to reach the high 30s, with gusty north winds and extremely low humidity ahead of a cool change expected to reach Melbourne this morning and the Gippsland region by mid-afternoon.A total fire ban has been declared across Victoria today for the second consecutive day.More than 300 firefighters worked through the night to reinforce containment lines around a fire burning near Tambo Crossing, 30 km north of Bruthen, in East Gippsland to try and stop the fire advancing south and east.Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Country Fire Authority (CFA) crews spent yesterday backburning in the south and west edges of private property in Tambo Crossing to extend the control line.But DSE spokesman Pat Groenhaut said there was no rain with the change and erratic winds.There will some be some fairly unpredictable fire behaviour, so we are bracing ourselves for that a bit, he said.We're seeing the change coming through with a bit of lightning, moving fairly slowly through the west of the state, but there's no rain at all with it.You get a build-up of erratic conditions (ahead of the change) and that's what we're really worried about.The best thing we can hope for is cooler conditions.Lightning with the change could spark further bushfires, Mr Groenhaut said.
Residents in the Brookville, Doctors Flat, Ensay, Ensay North and Ensay South areas have been told to remain vigilant and activate their fire plans.The CFA has crews in those areas to help protect private property.The Red Cross opened a relief centre yesterday at the Swifts Creek Secondary School for residents who had left their homes in the Tambo Valley and Ensay.The Great Alpine Road has been closed north of Bruthen to Ensay, but Omeo Highway north of Ensay remained open.A 2000-hectare fire at Boulder Creek, near Orbost, has been contained but the CFA has warned residents and communities near Club Terrace, Goolengook, McKenzie River, Bemm River, Bellbird Creek and Cabbage Tree Creek to plan for possible fire outbreaks that could spread rapidly with the high winds.Fires are again threatening the alpine resort at Mt Buller, in the state's north-east, Mr Groenhaut said.Mt Buller has fires on three sides of it at the moment, which we're watching pretty closely. They have had a very nervous night because there is still a lot of activity up there, he said.Conditions in Victoria's south-west, which threatened to fan a blaze in the Framlingham Forest, east of Warrnambool, have eased, a CFA spokesman said.The 1000-hectare fire, which had burned 75 per cent of the forest, has moved on to private property.About 140 firefighters worked through the night, the spokesman said.The change reached the area about 2am and initially the fire flared up, but crews kept the fire from jumping a road and spreading, he said.AAP
Killer bees tracked near New Orleans Mon Jan 8, 6:01 PM ET
ARABI, La. - The residents of flood-damaged St. Bernard Parish, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, have a new concern: killer bees. Agriculturalists began setting traps around a half-mile radius of a storm-wrecked home Monday that authorities have confirmed was infested with aggressive Africanized honey bees.The hybrids first drove away contractors hired to tear the house down. Then they drove off beekeepers called in to catch them.Finally mosquito workers killed the bees. The state agriculture department confirmed in late December that they were hybrids with the aggressive African strain, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom said.The traps are to determine if more Africanized bees are lurking in the area. So far, this is an isolated find in the New Orleans area, Odom said.
The bees probably were descendants of stowaways who arrived in New Orleans on a ship, said Jimmy Dunkley, the department's coordinator of nursery and apiary programs.Nine swarms have been intercepted at state ports since 1988, some in shipping containers, some in barges, and some in the ships themselves, Dunkley said.Africanized bees are the result of an experiment to increase honey production in Brazil. A swarm of the small, aggressive bees escaped the lab in 1957 and headed north. When they mated with native strains, the offspring turned out to be as aggressive as the African parents. They are sometimes called killer bees because their intense attacks can be fatal.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Report: Hamas Boasts it Will Obtain US Funds and Arms (INN) JAN 10,07
According to a report by WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein, Hamas officials are expecting to receive a portion of the $86.4 million allocated by the US to bolster Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah organization.
Klein quotes a spokesman for Hamas, referred to as Abu Oubaida, as saying, I am sure that, like in the past, this $86 million from America will find its way to the Hamas resistance via the honorable persons in the Fatah security organizations, including in Force 17. I can confirm 100 percent that this money and purchased weapons will find its way to Hamas.The US last week pledged to provide the grant to those Fatah-affiliated militias loyal to Abbas, the current Palestinian Authority chairman, in order to strengthen his hand against the Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The monies are to be transferred despite the clear involvement of Fatah militias, such as Force 17 and the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, in ongoing anti-Israeli terrorism. A US government document quoted from in the WND article says that the US expects its generous funding of the Fatah forces to be used "to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza.In addition, the US and Egypt recently transferred rifles and ammunition to Fatah's Force 17.
A leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a multi-factional terrorist group, told WND, We vow to show the Israelis very soon [that] the weapons lately channeled to the Presidential Guards [Force 17] and to the Fatah security services will be directed against the occupation. In all the security services, including in Force 17, there are activists affiliated with all the Palestinian groups, including ours, and Hamas. We vow that there will be no use [of these arms] in a civil war, as we promise that should these arms reach us, we will use them against the occupation and the Zionist enemy.A terrorist from Hamas said of the US-supplied weapons, The US gives weapons to Fatah during internal Palestinian clashes, but one day, when we go back to carrying out operations together, these [weapons] will be shared. When the attacks occur, the PRC will announce that foreign weapons were used, Klein wrote. We will obtain the US weapons, the PRC leader said.Hamas and Fatah sources explained that members of Force 17 and other Fatah-affiliated militias are also joining Hamas in Gaza. A Hamas source told WND, When they join Hamas, they bring along their new weapons. Abu Yousuf, a senior member of Fatah's Force 17, which received Egyptian and American weapons, told WND, During our official service and during our job hours, we are soldiers [in Force 17]. What we do in our free time - it is our business.
Al-Qaeda, Hizbullah and Hamas Are Gaining Strength
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz(INN) JAN 10,07
The international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda is boosting its presence in three Arab states bordering Israel, while Hizbullah and Hamas are also getting stronger, a Knesset committee is told. Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, commander of the IDF Intelligence Corps, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that Lebanon, Syria and Egypt have all seen an increase in Al-Qaeda activity in recent months. The IDF assessment is that Ayman Al-Zawahiri, assumed to be Al-Qaeda's current second-in-command, has given the order for the organization's operatives to spread out in the three Arab countries. In addition, a small number of Al-Qaeda terrorists reached Gaza, Yadlin said. IDF forces were said to have arrested several Al-Qaeda members in the Shechem area in Samaria, as well. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Al-Qaeda men have reached Lebanon, said Yadlin. The men are trained and possess terrorist knowledge. Al-Qaeda in Lebanon poses a threat mostly to UNIFIL and Western interests, the IDF Intelligence Corps commander explained.
Addressing another Islamist threat to Israel from Lebanon, Maj.-Gen. Yadlin told the Knesset committee that the Hizbullah is steadily increasing its strength there, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers trying to implement UN Resolution 1701. While there are confrontations between UNIFIL and Hizbullah fighters, it doesn't prevent Hizbullah from revitalizing itself, Yadlin said.
On Saturday, French soldiers in Lebanon exchanged fire with members of Hizbullah. The clash ended only with the intervention of the Lebanese army.At the same time, Yadlin noted that the Hizbullah patron Syria has stepped down from its high level of military alert, instituted at the start of the war in Lebanon over the summer. Maj.-Gen. Yadlin admitted to the MKs that he was uncertain if Syrian President Bashar Assad was sincere in seeking a diplomatic agreement with Israel at this stage. Regarding the Iranian backers of Hizbullah, the IDF intelligence chief said that they may be able to produce a nuclear bomb by mid-2009, or earlier, if they can obtain enriched materials from outside Iran. As for now, Yadlin said, Iran is using the UN Security Council's ultimatum countdown for uranium enrichment. Iran is trying to convey the message that it is too late, he said.
Like Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda, the Hamas terrorist organization and its Palestinian Authority government is also gaining strength, Yadlin said. Thanks to massive smuggling across the Egypt-Gaza border and other forms of money transfer, Yadlin explained, the Hamas government is stabilizing economically.
An additional factor in its stabilization is the international legitimacy Hamas leaders are given in many countries, including invitations extended to PA prime minister Ismail Haniyeh. On the other hand, last month, Al-Qaeda's Al-Zawahiri attacked the leaders of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority as betrayers of Islam and collaborators with the United States and Israel. Referring to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and to a senior member of the Fatah organization, Al-Zawahiri asked: How is it possible for Mahmoud Abbas to be a brother of ours, or for Muhammad Dahlan to be a brother of ours, when they have grown fat on the bribes of the Jews and gifts of the Americans? ...Do not recognize their legitimacy... Don't sit with them... and do not sign with them the documents that will make you lose Palestine. Responding to the Al-Qaeda charges that the Fatah leadership consists of enemies to the Muslims, PA spokesman Jamal Nazal said that Al-Qaeda was trying to drive a wedge between Fatah and Hamas, whose militias clashed violently last month. Both Hamas and Fatah forces admit to collaboration in using foreign aid and weapons against Israeli and Jewish targets.
Mideast quartet paralyzed, restart sought: Merkel Wed Jan 10, 9:11 AM ET
MILAN (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will see if conditions are right for a meeting of four-party Mideast peace mediators, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Rice leaves for the Middle East and Europe on Friday to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and to seek Arab help in stabilizing Iraq. The Mideast peace quartet groups the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.Merkel told Italy's La Stampa newspaper in an interview that President Bush agrees with us on the fact that the quartet should take back its leading role.The quartet, as is known, is paralyzed in the face of recent developments, but it remains the most effective institutional possibility for coordinating international efforts in the region.
She added, We have agreed that Condoleezza Rice, in a trip this weekend, should check if the conditions are there for a new meeting of the quartet, because we cannot intervene as mediators if the region's protagonists do not show a clear will to put an end to conflicts.Germany assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union at the start of the year.In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament he hoped there would be a quartet meeting within the next few weeks.But I think what is very important now is to create the situation in which we build the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, that we ensure that the Palestinian people have their suffering alleviated and the proper money gets through to the Palestinians for the basic services they need, Blair said.
Palestinian armed factions have demanded Israel release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, held captive by Palestinian militants in Gaza.Blair said it was important that if at all possible we are able to get the release not just of Corporal Shalit but of the Palestinian prisoners likewise, and that in addition to that we are able to set out a framework for political negotiation leading to a negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine.I hope very much in the next few weeks we will be able to announce some progress on that issue, he said.(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London)
Nato chief extends term JAN 10,07
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, second left, hopes to bring more Eastern European nations into Nato [AFP] Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has agreed to a two-year extension of his term as Nato secretary-general into 2009, an alliance official has said.The official said the Dutch diplomat, who began his term in 2004, would stay on to prepare and preside over a series of high-profile events marking the 60th anniversary of the Western military alliance in 2009.He accepted today, the official said.
He also said that the exact run-down of the anniversary events - and therefore de Hoop Scheffer's new departure date - had not yet been fixed.He had been due to leave at the end of this year.The 26 ambassadors endorsed the extension of his mandate, which will end during 2009, at a weekly meeting of the North Atlantic Council held in his presence, the Nato official said.Scheffer, 58, has sought to transform the 26-nation alliance that was the Cold War role guarantor of Europe's security into a body able to launch operations worldwide at short notice.He oversaw the deployment of Nato troops into southern Afghanistan last year in what has become the alliance's toughest conflict so far.Source: Agencies
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.
New Year’s Bible Study in Communist Party School Raided in China JAN 10,07 (Crosswalk.com)
The new year got off to a difficult start for some Christians in China, ASSIST News Service reports. According to China Aid Association (CAA), the local police in Baoding city attacked a Christian Bible Study held in a Communist Party School. On Jan. 1 a group of Christians had gotten together in an office in the Party School to celebrate New Year by studying the Bible. However, the meeting was raided by local law enforcement officials. According to CAA, more than 40 attendees were subsequently interrogated.
Most of them, CAA reported, were not released until 6 p.m. that night. Those questioned included Dr. Li Baiguang, a well known Christian legal activist from Beijing.
Police in Vietnam Detain Members of Pastor’s Family JAN 10,07 (Crosswalk.com)
Police burst into the Vietnam Mennonite church and residence of the Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang at 8:20 this morning, broke up a prayer meeting and arrested 17 people, including his son and elderly mother-in-law, Compass Direct News reports. They were all released at 5 p.m. – after officials had demolished part of the family’s church/residence. The 17 people had complied with authorities’ request to halt the prayer meeting and exited the building, but nevertheless they were taken into custody and detained at the police station of Binh Khanh Ward, District 2. While virtually all buildings in the area were constructed irregularly without proper building permits more than 20 years ago, ward authorities have long singled out the Mennonite church and residence for selective enforcement because of Pastor Quang’s advocacy activities.
Iran smog kills 3,600 in month JAN 10,07
Tehran is one of the world's most polluted cities Air pollution is estimated to have killed nearly 10,000 people in Tehran over a one-year period, including 3,600 in a month, Iranian officials say. Most of the deaths were caused by heart attacks and respiratory illnesses brought on by smog, they said. The scale of the problem led one senior official to say living in the Iranian capital was like collective suicide. Cheap fuel encourages car use in Iran, correspondents say, and many vehicles do not meet global emissions standards. It is a very serious and lethal crisis, a collective suicide, the director of Tehran's clean air committee, Mohammad Hadi Heydarzadeh, told an Iranian newspaper. A real revolution is needed to resolve this problem. He said air quality had worsened and was linked to some 3,600 deaths in October. Many of the deaths were caused by heart attacks brought on by the air pollution.
New figures showed a sharp rise in pollution-related deaths in Iran, where 9,900 people died of pollution in the previous Iranian year (March 2005 to March 2006). The latest assessments were based on World Bank figures which extrapolate mortality rates according to certain levels of pollution.
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS
LUKE 21:11,25
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
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)
EU: Climate change will transform the face of the continent
By Michael McCarthy and Stephen Castle 10 January 2007
Europe, the richest and most fertile continent and the model for the modern world, will be devastated by climate change, the European Union predicts today. The ecosystems that have underpinned all European societies from Ancient Greece and Rome to present-day Britain and France, and which helped European civilisation gain global pre-eminence, will be disabled by remorselessly rising temperatures, EU scientists forecast in a remarkable report which is as ominous as it is detailed.Much of the continent's age-old fertility, which gave the world the vine and the olive and now produces mountains of grain and dairy products, will not survive the climate change forecast for the coming century, the scientists say, and its wildlife will be devastated.Europe's modern lifestyles, from summer package tours to winter skiing trips, will go the same way, they say, as the Mediterranean becomes too hot for holidays and snow and ice disappear from mountain ranges such as the Alps - with enormous economic consequences. The social consequences will also be felt as heat-related deaths rise and extreme weather events, such as storms and floods, become more violent.
The report, stark and uncompromising, marks a step change in Europe's own role in pushing for international action to combat climate change, as it will be used in a bid to commit the EU to ambitious new targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.The European Commission wants to hold back the rise in global temperatures to 2C above the pre-industrial level (at present, the level is 0.6C). To do that, it wants member states to commit to cutting back emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, to 30 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, as long as other developed countries agree to do the same.
Failing that, the EU would observe a unilateral target of a 20 per cent cut.The Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, gave US President George Bush a preview of the new policy during a visit to the White House this week.The force of today's report lies in its setting out of the scale of the continent-wide threat to Europe's ecosystem services.That is a relatively new but powerful concept, which recognises essential elements of civilised life - such as food, water, wood and fuel - which may generally be taken for granted, are all ultimately dependent on the proper functioning of ecosystems in the natural world. Historians have recognised that Europe was particularly lucky in this respect from the start, compared to Africa or pre-Columbian America - and this was a major reason for Europe's rise to global pre-eminence.
Climate change will alter the supply of European ecosystem services over the next century, the report says. While it will result in enhancement of some ecosystem services, a large portion will be adversely impacted because of drought, reduced soil fertility, fire, and other climate change-driven factors.Europe can expect a decline in arable land, a decline in Mediterranean forest areas, a decline in the terrestrial carbon sink and soil fertility, and an increase in the number of basins with water scarcity. It will increase the loss of biodiversity.The report predicts there will be some European winners from climate change, at least initially. In the north of the continent, agricultural yields will increase with a lengthened growing season and a longer frost-free period. Tourism may become more popular on the beaches of the North Sea and the Baltic as the Mediterranean becomes too hot, and deaths and diseases related to winter cold will fall.But the negative effects will far outweigh the advantages. Take tourism. The report says the zone with excellent weather conditions, currently located around the Mediterranean (in particular for beach tourism) will shift towards the north.
And it spells out the consequences.
The annual migration of northern Europeans to the countries of the Mediterranean in search of the traditional summer 'sun, sand and sea' holiday is the single largest flow of tourists across the globe, accounting for one-sixth of all tourist trips in 2000. This large group of tourists, totalling about 100 million per annum, spends an estimated €100bn (£67bn) per year. Any climate-induced change in these flows of tourists and money would have very large implications for the destinations involved.While they are losing their tourists, the countries of the Med may also be losing their agriculture. Crop yields may drop sharply as drought conditions,
exacerbated by more frequent forest fires, make farming ever more difficult. And that is not the only threat to Europe's food supplies. Some stocks of coldwater fish in areas such as the North Sea will move northwards as the water warms.There are many more direct threats, the report says. The cost of taking action to cope with sea-level rise will run into billions of euros. Furthermore, for the coming decades, it is predicted the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events will increase, and floods will likely be more frequent and severe in many areas across Europe.The number of people affected by severe flooding in the Upper Danube area is projected to increase by 242,000 in a more extreme 3C temperature rise scenario, and by 135,000 in the case of a 2.2C rise. The total cost of damage would rise from €47.5bn to €66bn in the event of a 3C increase.Although fewer people would die of cold in the north, that would be more than offset by increased mortality in the south. Under the more extreme scenario of a 3C increase in 2071-2100 relative to 1961-1990, there would be 86,000 additional deaths.
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 Jan 11 12:00 AM EDT
JAN 11,07
MAP 5.3 KORYAKIA, RUSSIA
MAP 2.9 GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 CASPIAN SEA
JAN 10,07
MAP 2.5 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 4.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
JAN 09,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.5 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 5.6 BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 WYOMING
MAP 5.3 MYANMAR
MAP 4.9 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Moderate earthquake hits Aleutians Wed Jan 10, 11:36 AM ET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook Alaska's seismically active Aleutian Islands on Wednesday. No damage was reported in the island chain, which extend southwestward from Alaska into the northern Pacific. The quake was centered 39 miles west of Unalaska and likely was felt along the state's western coast, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said.
On Tuesday, another moderate earthquake with a magnitude of about 5.7 jolted Southeast Alaska and was widely felt throughout the Panhandle. That tremor was centered 57 miles west of Haines, about 1,300 miles east of Unalaska.
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.
Typhoon Muifa creating battering waves Tim Ballisty, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Jan 10, 5:23 PM ET
What started Tuesday innocently enough as a moderate tropical storm has become a small, but potent, typhoon east of the Philippines. Typhoon Muifa (Moy-fa) became worthy of its prefix today when winds were estimated at near 105 mph. Muifa is at best meandering to the north while churning in the Philippine Sea just east of Manila. In fact, for all intents and purposes, the typhoon has stalled. Though forecast to move west over the islands, forward progression will be slow. Bad news for the island chain as flooding and mudslides will result from the copious amounts of rain expected to fall over the next 48 hours. There is no doubt that the large and powerful waves have been battering the eastern coast of the northern Philippines. The system is forecasted to weaken gradually over the next 5 days as it heads towards southern Vietnam. The Atlantic and eastern Pacific Basins remain quiet.
Another winter storm lurks for the weekend Jonathan Erdman, Sr. Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Wed Jan 10, 4:31 PM ET
West
Continuing a saga whose first chapter began just after the middle of December, another deep, cold storm system will congeal over the Rockies and Great Basin through the next few days. The result will be plentiful snow in the Rockies, and cold temperatures for most everybody else.
The initial cold invasion brought snow and colder air into the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies Wednesday. Light snow fell along much of the I-5 corridor from Puget Sound to Oregon's Willamette Valley. Even the coast joined in the act, as an inch of snow with pea-size hail was reported just west of Washington's Olympic National Park. Thursday's cold will be felt moist acutely in the northern Rockies and Great Basin. Highs along the Canadian border in far northern Montana may not rise above zero. Single digits and teens will be the rule elsewhere in the northern Rockies and adjacent High Plains. Twenties will dominate much of the northern Great Basin. California won't escape the cold either. Highs in the Bay area will struggle to reach 50#. Following Tuesday's record highs in the 80s in parts of Southern California, 50s or low 60s will be the rule Thursday, with some patchy drizzle or showers possible. Behind the cold front, snow levels could lower to 1000 feet in Southern California by Friday morning, bringing flakes to rather unfamiliar territory. Snow will continue in the northern Rockies Thursday, slowly shifting southward into the Wasatch and Colorado Rockies. A winter storm watch continues for the Salt Lake Valley, benches, and Wasatch. A second upper-level low that spread mainly high cloudiness into the Desert Southwest Wednesday, will become a bit more proficient precipitation generator tonight into Thursday. Showers, falling as snow in the higher terrain, are expected in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas' Big Bend. This northern and southern storm will combine into one lumbering storm Friday, lingering over the Four Corners through at least Saturday, perhaps Sunday. This will continue to manufacture snow, heavy at times, in the central and southern Rockies this weekend. Heavier snow will eventually spread out into the central High Plains this weekend, potentially including the beleaguered, snow-weary Colorado Front Range Urban Corridor (Denver metro). By Sunday, travel could again become difficult in the eastern Colorado, including the Front Range.
Midwest
As lake-effect snow winds down, attention then turns to a developing messy multi-faceted winter storm taking shape this weekend. The Arctic air will be a blunt reality check for the northern Plains Thursday. Highs won't get out of the single digits in parts of North Dakota, and teens may be the warmest parts of western South Dakota get. Keep in mind many locations from the Upper Midwest and Plains states haven't had a day colder than average in a month or more.
This front will plunge through the Plains and Upper Midwest Thursday, then stall out from the Great Lakes to the Southern Plains Friday. Warm, and increasingly moist air will intersect and override this front late Thursday into Friday. While most precipitation will fall as light rain in the Missouri and Mississippi Valleys Thursday, a thin area of light freezing rain is possible Thursday night into Friday from southern and eastern Nebraska into Lower Michigan. This would only be the opening act in this wintry play. A more significant snowstorm may emerge into the Plains states Saturday, spreading snow, possibly heavy over some of the same areas that are still recovering from a crippling blizzard or ice storm just before the New Year's holiday. Heavy snow may then spread into the Upper Midwest Sunday and Monday, possibly bringing some the first snow of the season (Des Moines, for example) and others their first significant snow in over a month (Wisconsin, northern Illinois, for example). A zone of icing is also possible as the main storm pulls out later this weekend. Not to be overshadowed, a zone of significant, persistent rainfall should set up near the sluggish frontal boundary from the Ozarks to the Ohio Valley. The first wave of moderate to, at times, heavy rainfall, can be expected Friday. A second enhancement to the rainfall could lift into the above areas Saturday night into Sunday. Flood watches have already been hoisted over parts of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, and western Kentucky. Some rivers remain near or even above flood stage Wednesday in Indiana, Illinois and western Kentucky. Rainfall amounts from 2-4" are possible, with locally higher amounts, through Monday.
Northeast
Following a brief reminder that this is indeed January, we'll continue to turn the calendar ahead to spring as we head into the upcoming weekend. This roughly month-long stretch of warm weather was briefly interrupted Wednesday in the wake of a cold front earlier this week. Heavy lake-effect snow fell in areas to the east of Lake Ontario, with up to 19 measured in Highmarket, N.Y. Eight inches blanketed Syracuse, N.Y. Daytime temperatures struggled in the 30s in New York City and Washington, D.C. These highs are par for the January course, but haven't been witnessed since early December! One rogue snow shower Wednesday brought the first flakes of the season to New York City. This was the latest first flakes of the season (defined as a trace of snow) at Central Park on record, besting the previous latest date by 6 days (Jan. 4, 1878). That said, Boston's significantly behind on snow as well, only measuring 0.8 so far this season at Logan International Airport. High pressure will rule the roost on Thursday. Only a shield of high clouds moving through Upstate New York and northern New England will blemish what's otherwise a pleasant January day. Much of the Middle Atlantic states should see highs at least in the low 40s, including New York City. Southern New England and Upstate New York should manage 30s. Twenties will hang on in northern New England. Light snow should spread into Upstate New York and northern New England Friday. There may be a zone of light sleet or freezing rain early Friday in parts of interior New York State into parts of southern New England. For the Big Apple, the Keystone State southward, this looks to be a rain event Friday, lingering into early next week.
South
Even as high pressure shifts into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday, its influence will still be sufficient to keep the weather quiet for most in the Southeast Thursday. Only a few nuisance easterly-flow sprinkles or light showers along the Southeast coast will blot an otherwise tranquil day. Highs will be at or above seasonal averages. Fifties can be expected in much of the Carolinas and Tennessee Valley. Sixties will cover much of the Deep South.
Seventies will greet a lucky few along the Texas Coastal Bend and also in the Sunshine State. A developing storm system in the western U.S. will slowly trend the weather wetter by late Thursday into the weekend. Due to the sluggish, slow nature of the attendant frontal system, an area of heavy rainfall may set up Thursday night into Friday from northeast Texas and eastern Oklahoma into Arkansas, western Kentucky and western Tennessee. Rainfall of 2 inches or more may be measured as repeated impulses in the upper atmosphere sweep across this quasi-stationary boundary from late Thursday into the weekend. Flood watches are already hoisted for parts of western Kentucky in advance of this storm. A few t-storms Friday could become severe from northeast Texas into western Tennessee. This sluggish front doesn't appear to clear this rain-soaked region until Monday. On the brighter side of this storm, warm air ahead of the front should send temperatures back into the 60s and 70s from the Virginia Tidewater region to the Gulf Coast this weekend. Eighties will return to central and South Florida.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Firefighters face horror day
Email Print Normal font Large font January 11, 2007 - 6:57AM
Total fire ban statewide
A cool change moving slowly across Victoria could worsen bushfires raging in eastern Victoria.Temperatures around the state hovered near 30 celsius overnight, with the mercury tipped to reach the high 30s, with gusty north winds and extremely low humidity ahead of a cool change expected to reach Melbourne this morning and the Gippsland region by mid-afternoon.A total fire ban has been declared across Victoria today for the second consecutive day.More than 300 firefighters worked through the night to reinforce containment lines around a fire burning near Tambo Crossing, 30 km north of Bruthen, in East Gippsland to try and stop the fire advancing south and east.Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Country Fire Authority (CFA) crews spent yesterday backburning in the south and west edges of private property in Tambo Crossing to extend the control line.But DSE spokesman Pat Groenhaut said there was no rain with the change and erratic winds.There will some be some fairly unpredictable fire behaviour, so we are bracing ourselves for that a bit, he said.We're seeing the change coming through with a bit of lightning, moving fairly slowly through the west of the state, but there's no rain at all with it.You get a build-up of erratic conditions (ahead of the change) and that's what we're really worried about.The best thing we can hope for is cooler conditions.Lightning with the change could spark further bushfires, Mr Groenhaut said.
Residents in the Brookville, Doctors Flat, Ensay, Ensay North and Ensay South areas have been told to remain vigilant and activate their fire plans.The CFA has crews in those areas to help protect private property.The Red Cross opened a relief centre yesterday at the Swifts Creek Secondary School for residents who had left their homes in the Tambo Valley and Ensay.The Great Alpine Road has been closed north of Bruthen to Ensay, but Omeo Highway north of Ensay remained open.A 2000-hectare fire at Boulder Creek, near Orbost, has been contained but the CFA has warned residents and communities near Club Terrace, Goolengook, McKenzie River, Bemm River, Bellbird Creek and Cabbage Tree Creek to plan for possible fire outbreaks that could spread rapidly with the high winds.Fires are again threatening the alpine resort at Mt Buller, in the state's north-east, Mr Groenhaut said.Mt Buller has fires on three sides of it at the moment, which we're watching pretty closely. They have had a very nervous night because there is still a lot of activity up there, he said.Conditions in Victoria's south-west, which threatened to fan a blaze in the Framlingham Forest, east of Warrnambool, have eased, a CFA spokesman said.The 1000-hectare fire, which had burned 75 per cent of the forest, has moved on to private property.About 140 firefighters worked through the night, the spokesman said.The change reached the area about 2am and initially the fire flared up, but crews kept the fire from jumping a road and spreading, he said.AAP
Killer bees tracked near New Orleans Mon Jan 8, 6:01 PM ET
ARABI, La. - The residents of flood-damaged St. Bernard Parish, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, have a new concern: killer bees. Agriculturalists began setting traps around a half-mile radius of a storm-wrecked home Monday that authorities have confirmed was infested with aggressive Africanized honey bees.The hybrids first drove away contractors hired to tear the house down. Then they drove off beekeepers called in to catch them.Finally mosquito workers killed the bees. The state agriculture department confirmed in late December that they were hybrids with the aggressive African strain, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom said.The traps are to determine if more Africanized bees are lurking in the area. So far, this is an isolated find in the New Orleans area, Odom said.
The bees probably were descendants of stowaways who arrived in New Orleans on a ship, said Jimmy Dunkley, the department's coordinator of nursery and apiary programs.Nine swarms have been intercepted at state ports since 1988, some in shipping containers, some in barges, and some in the ships themselves, Dunkley said.Africanized bees are the result of an experiment to increase honey production in Brazil. A swarm of the small, aggressive bees escaped the lab in 1957 and headed north. When they mated with native strains, the offspring turned out to be as aggressive as the African parents. They are sometimes called killer bees because their intense attacks can be fatal.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
Report: Hamas Boasts it Will Obtain US Funds and Arms (INN) JAN 10,07
According to a report by WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein, Hamas officials are expecting to receive a portion of the $86.4 million allocated by the US to bolster Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah organization.
Klein quotes a spokesman for Hamas, referred to as Abu Oubaida, as saying, I am sure that, like in the past, this $86 million from America will find its way to the Hamas resistance via the honorable persons in the Fatah security organizations, including in Force 17. I can confirm 100 percent that this money and purchased weapons will find its way to Hamas.The US last week pledged to provide the grant to those Fatah-affiliated militias loyal to Abbas, the current Palestinian Authority chairman, in order to strengthen his hand against the Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The monies are to be transferred despite the clear involvement of Fatah militias, such as Force 17 and the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, in ongoing anti-Israeli terrorism. A US government document quoted from in the WND article says that the US expects its generous funding of the Fatah forces to be used "to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza.In addition, the US and Egypt recently transferred rifles and ammunition to Fatah's Force 17.
A leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a multi-factional terrorist group, told WND, We vow to show the Israelis very soon [that] the weapons lately channeled to the Presidential Guards [Force 17] and to the Fatah security services will be directed against the occupation. In all the security services, including in Force 17, there are activists affiliated with all the Palestinian groups, including ours, and Hamas. We vow that there will be no use [of these arms] in a civil war, as we promise that should these arms reach us, we will use them against the occupation and the Zionist enemy.A terrorist from Hamas said of the US-supplied weapons, The US gives weapons to Fatah during internal Palestinian clashes, but one day, when we go back to carrying out operations together, these [weapons] will be shared. When the attacks occur, the PRC will announce that foreign weapons were used, Klein wrote. We will obtain the US weapons, the PRC leader said.Hamas and Fatah sources explained that members of Force 17 and other Fatah-affiliated militias are also joining Hamas in Gaza. A Hamas source told WND, When they join Hamas, they bring along their new weapons. Abu Yousuf, a senior member of Fatah's Force 17, which received Egyptian and American weapons, told WND, During our official service and during our job hours, we are soldiers [in Force 17]. What we do in our free time - it is our business.
Al-Qaeda, Hizbullah and Hamas Are Gaining Strength
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz(INN) JAN 10,07
The international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda is boosting its presence in three Arab states bordering Israel, while Hizbullah and Hamas are also getting stronger, a Knesset committee is told. Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, commander of the IDF Intelligence Corps, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that Lebanon, Syria and Egypt have all seen an increase in Al-Qaeda activity in recent months. The IDF assessment is that Ayman Al-Zawahiri, assumed to be Al-Qaeda's current second-in-command, has given the order for the organization's operatives to spread out in the three Arab countries. In addition, a small number of Al-Qaeda terrorists reached Gaza, Yadlin said. IDF forces were said to have arrested several Al-Qaeda members in the Shechem area in Samaria, as well. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Al-Qaeda men have reached Lebanon, said Yadlin. The men are trained and possess terrorist knowledge. Al-Qaeda in Lebanon poses a threat mostly to UNIFIL and Western interests, the IDF Intelligence Corps commander explained.
Addressing another Islamist threat to Israel from Lebanon, Maj.-Gen. Yadlin told the Knesset committee that the Hizbullah is steadily increasing its strength there, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers trying to implement UN Resolution 1701. While there are confrontations between UNIFIL and Hizbullah fighters, it doesn't prevent Hizbullah from revitalizing itself, Yadlin said.
On Saturday, French soldiers in Lebanon exchanged fire with members of Hizbullah. The clash ended only with the intervention of the Lebanese army.At the same time, Yadlin noted that the Hizbullah patron Syria has stepped down from its high level of military alert, instituted at the start of the war in Lebanon over the summer. Maj.-Gen. Yadlin admitted to the MKs that he was uncertain if Syrian President Bashar Assad was sincere in seeking a diplomatic agreement with Israel at this stage. Regarding the Iranian backers of Hizbullah, the IDF intelligence chief said that they may be able to produce a nuclear bomb by mid-2009, or earlier, if they can obtain enriched materials from outside Iran. As for now, Yadlin said, Iran is using the UN Security Council's ultimatum countdown for uranium enrichment. Iran is trying to convey the message that it is too late, he said.
Like Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda, the Hamas terrorist organization and its Palestinian Authority government is also gaining strength, Yadlin said. Thanks to massive smuggling across the Egypt-Gaza border and other forms of money transfer, Yadlin explained, the Hamas government is stabilizing economically.
An additional factor in its stabilization is the international legitimacy Hamas leaders are given in many countries, including invitations extended to PA prime minister Ismail Haniyeh. On the other hand, last month, Al-Qaeda's Al-Zawahiri attacked the leaders of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority as betrayers of Islam and collaborators with the United States and Israel. Referring to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and to a senior member of the Fatah organization, Al-Zawahiri asked: How is it possible for Mahmoud Abbas to be a brother of ours, or for Muhammad Dahlan to be a brother of ours, when they have grown fat on the bribes of the Jews and gifts of the Americans? ...Do not recognize their legitimacy... Don't sit with them... and do not sign with them the documents that will make you lose Palestine. Responding to the Al-Qaeda charges that the Fatah leadership consists of enemies to the Muslims, PA spokesman Jamal Nazal said that Al-Qaeda was trying to drive a wedge between Fatah and Hamas, whose militias clashed violently last month. Both Hamas and Fatah forces admit to collaboration in using foreign aid and weapons against Israeli and Jewish targets.
Mideast quartet paralyzed, restart sought: Merkel Wed Jan 10, 9:11 AM ET
MILAN (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will see if conditions are right for a meeting of four-party Mideast peace mediators, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Rice leaves for the Middle East and Europe on Friday to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and to seek Arab help in stabilizing Iraq. The Mideast peace quartet groups the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.Merkel told Italy's La Stampa newspaper in an interview that President Bush agrees with us on the fact that the quartet should take back its leading role.The quartet, as is known, is paralyzed in the face of recent developments, but it remains the most effective institutional possibility for coordinating international efforts in the region.
She added, We have agreed that Condoleezza Rice, in a trip this weekend, should check if the conditions are there for a new meeting of the quartet, because we cannot intervene as mediators if the region's protagonists do not show a clear will to put an end to conflicts.Germany assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union at the start of the year.In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament he hoped there would be a quartet meeting within the next few weeks.But I think what is very important now is to create the situation in which we build the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, that we ensure that the Palestinian people have their suffering alleviated and the proper money gets through to the Palestinians for the basic services they need, Blair said.
Palestinian armed factions have demanded Israel release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, held captive by Palestinian militants in Gaza.Blair said it was important that if at all possible we are able to get the release not just of Corporal Shalit but of the Palestinian prisoners likewise, and that in addition to that we are able to set out a framework for political negotiation leading to a negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine.I hope very much in the next few weeks we will be able to announce some progress on that issue, he said.(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London)
Nato chief extends term JAN 10,07
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, second left, hopes to bring more Eastern European nations into Nato [AFP] Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has agreed to a two-year extension of his term as Nato secretary-general into 2009, an alliance official has said.The official said the Dutch diplomat, who began his term in 2004, would stay on to prepare and preside over a series of high-profile events marking the 60th anniversary of the Western military alliance in 2009.He accepted today, the official said.
He also said that the exact run-down of the anniversary events - and therefore de Hoop Scheffer's new departure date - had not yet been fixed.He had been due to leave at the end of this year.The 26 ambassadors endorsed the extension of his mandate, which will end during 2009, at a weekly meeting of the North Atlantic Council held in his presence, the Nato official said.Scheffer, 58, has sought to transform the 26-nation alliance that was the Cold War role guarantor of Europe's security into a body able to launch operations worldwide at short notice.He oversaw the deployment of Nato troops into southern Afghanistan last year in what has become the alliance's toughest conflict so far.Source: Agencies
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.
New Year’s Bible Study in Communist Party School Raided in China JAN 10,07 (Crosswalk.com)
The new year got off to a difficult start for some Christians in China, ASSIST News Service reports. According to China Aid Association (CAA), the local police in Baoding city attacked a Christian Bible Study held in a Communist Party School. On Jan. 1 a group of Christians had gotten together in an office in the Party School to celebrate New Year by studying the Bible. However, the meeting was raided by local law enforcement officials. According to CAA, more than 40 attendees were subsequently interrogated.
Most of them, CAA reported, were not released until 6 p.m. that night. Those questioned included Dr. Li Baiguang, a well known Christian legal activist from Beijing.
Police in Vietnam Detain Members of Pastor’s Family JAN 10,07 (Crosswalk.com)
Police burst into the Vietnam Mennonite church and residence of the Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang at 8:20 this morning, broke up a prayer meeting and arrested 17 people, including his son and elderly mother-in-law, Compass Direct News reports. They were all released at 5 p.m. – after officials had demolished part of the family’s church/residence. The 17 people had complied with authorities’ request to halt the prayer meeting and exited the building, but nevertheless they were taken into custody and detained at the police station of Binh Khanh Ward, District 2. While virtually all buildings in the area were constructed irregularly without proper building permits more than 20 years ago, ward authorities have long singled out the Mennonite church and residence for selective enforcement because of Pastor Quang’s advocacy activities.
Iran smog kills 3,600 in month JAN 10,07
Tehran is one of the world's most polluted cities Air pollution is estimated to have killed nearly 10,000 people in Tehran over a one-year period, including 3,600 in a month, Iranian officials say. Most of the deaths were caused by heart attacks and respiratory illnesses brought on by smog, they said. The scale of the problem led one senior official to say living in the Iranian capital was like collective suicide. Cheap fuel encourages car use in Iran, correspondents say, and many vehicles do not meet global emissions standards. It is a very serious and lethal crisis, a collective suicide, the director of Tehran's clean air committee, Mohammad Hadi Heydarzadeh, told an Iranian newspaper. A real revolution is needed to resolve this problem. He said air quality had worsened and was linked to some 3,600 deaths in October. Many of the deaths were caused by heart attacks brought on by the air pollution.
New figures showed a sharp rise in pollution-related deaths in Iran, where 9,900 people died of pollution in the previous Iranian year (March 2005 to March 2006). The latest assessments were based on World Bank figures which extrapolate mortality rates according to certain levels of pollution.
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS
LUKE 21:11,25
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
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)
EU: Climate change will transform the face of the continent
By Michael McCarthy and Stephen Castle 10 January 2007
Europe, the richest and most fertile continent and the model for the modern world, will be devastated by climate change, the European Union predicts today. The ecosystems that have underpinned all European societies from Ancient Greece and Rome to present-day Britain and France, and which helped European civilisation gain global pre-eminence, will be disabled by remorselessly rising temperatures, EU scientists forecast in a remarkable report which is as ominous as it is detailed.Much of the continent's age-old fertility, which gave the world the vine and the olive and now produces mountains of grain and dairy products, will not survive the climate change forecast for the coming century, the scientists say, and its wildlife will be devastated.Europe's modern lifestyles, from summer package tours to winter skiing trips, will go the same way, they say, as the Mediterranean becomes too hot for holidays and snow and ice disappear from mountain ranges such as the Alps - with enormous economic consequences. The social consequences will also be felt as heat-related deaths rise and extreme weather events, such as storms and floods, become more violent.
The report, stark and uncompromising, marks a step change in Europe's own role in pushing for international action to combat climate change, as it will be used in a bid to commit the EU to ambitious new targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.The European Commission wants to hold back the rise in global temperatures to 2C above the pre-industrial level (at present, the level is 0.6C). To do that, it wants member states to commit to cutting back emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, to 30 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, as long as other developed countries agree to do the same.
Failing that, the EU would observe a unilateral target of a 20 per cent cut.The Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, gave US President George Bush a preview of the new policy during a visit to the White House this week.The force of today's report lies in its setting out of the scale of the continent-wide threat to Europe's ecosystem services.That is a relatively new but powerful concept, which recognises essential elements of civilised life - such as food, water, wood and fuel - which may generally be taken for granted, are all ultimately dependent on the proper functioning of ecosystems in the natural world. Historians have recognised that Europe was particularly lucky in this respect from the start, compared to Africa or pre-Columbian America - and this was a major reason for Europe's rise to global pre-eminence.
Climate change will alter the supply of European ecosystem services over the next century, the report says. While it will result in enhancement of some ecosystem services, a large portion will be adversely impacted because of drought, reduced soil fertility, fire, and other climate change-driven factors.Europe can expect a decline in arable land, a decline in Mediterranean forest areas, a decline in the terrestrial carbon sink and soil fertility, and an increase in the number of basins with water scarcity. It will increase the loss of biodiversity.The report predicts there will be some European winners from climate change, at least initially. In the north of the continent, agricultural yields will increase with a lengthened growing season and a longer frost-free period. Tourism may become more popular on the beaches of the North Sea and the Baltic as the Mediterranean becomes too hot, and deaths and diseases related to winter cold will fall.But the negative effects will far outweigh the advantages. Take tourism. The report says the zone with excellent weather conditions, currently located around the Mediterranean (in particular for beach tourism) will shift towards the north.
And it spells out the consequences.
The annual migration of northern Europeans to the countries of the Mediterranean in search of the traditional summer 'sun, sand and sea' holiday is the single largest flow of tourists across the globe, accounting for one-sixth of all tourist trips in 2000. This large group of tourists, totalling about 100 million per annum, spends an estimated €100bn (£67bn) per year. Any climate-induced change in these flows of tourists and money would have very large implications for the destinations involved.While they are losing their tourists, the countries of the Med may also be losing their agriculture. Crop yields may drop sharply as drought conditions,
exacerbated by more frequent forest fires, make farming ever more difficult. And that is not the only threat to Europe's food supplies. Some stocks of coldwater fish in areas such as the North Sea will move northwards as the water warms.There are many more direct threats, the report says. The cost of taking action to cope with sea-level rise will run into billions of euros. Furthermore, for the coming decades, it is predicted the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events will increase, and floods will likely be more frequent and severe in many areas across Europe.The number of people affected by severe flooding in the Upper Danube area is projected to increase by 242,000 in a more extreme 3C temperature rise scenario, and by 135,000 in the case of a 2.2C rise. The total cost of damage would rise from €47.5bn to €66bn in the event of a 3C increase.Although fewer people would die of cold in the north, that would be more than offset by increased mortality in the south. Under the more extreme scenario of a 3C increase in 2071-2100 relative to 1961-1990, there would be 86,000 additional deaths.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
IAEA NUKE FREE WORLD
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Moderate quake shakes southeast Alaska. 3-Quake rattles northwestern British Columbia. 4- Lake-effect snow off Lakes Erie and Ontario. 5-Nicaraguan volcano erupts, spewing ash. 6-continue our study this week in the Time of Jacob's Trouble. 7-Brush fire destroys homes in millionaire's enclave of Malibu. 8-2006 warmest on record in United States: NOAA. 9-Project Aims to Tag Tokyo Neighborhood With RFID. 10-Plans for European far-right group intensify. 11-Israel's Foreign Ministry Hosts First Israel Model United Nations. 12-Israel Soon to Launch New Anti- Missile Drone. 13-Catastrophic: Now thousands of birds fall from sky. 14-ElBaradei renews call for nuclear bomb-free world.
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 Jan 10 12:39 AM EDT
JAN 10,07
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
JAN 09,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.6 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 WYOMING
MAP 5.3 MYANMAR
MAP 4.9 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
JAN 08,07
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 OKLAHOMA
MAP 6.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.1 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 4.7 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS
Moderate quake shakes southeast Alaska Tue Jan 9, 1:16 PM ET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A moderate earthquake jolted Southeast Alaska on Tuesday and was widely felt throughout the Panhandle.
There were no immediate reports of damage, according to the Alaska Earthquake Information Center in Fairbanks.The quake, at 6:49 a.m., had a magnitude of 5.7, according to preliminary estimates, the center said. It was centered 57 miles west of Haines at a depth of five miles.The earthquake was felt in Haines, Juneau, Sitka and numerous other communities. Haines is about 900 miles northwest of Seattle.
Quake rattles northwestern British Columbia Tue Jan 9, 8:09 PM ET
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) A moderate earthquake rattled northwestern British Columbia and the Alaska Panhandle on Tuesday, but there were no reports of damage, seismologists said.
The quake at 7:49 a.m. PST was centered in the mountains of British Columbia about 192 km (120 miles) southwest of Whitehorse, Yukon, in a sparsely populated area prone to earthquakes, according to Natural Resources Canada.Canadian seismologists said the quake was magnitude 5.6, having initially estimated it at 6.0 magnitude. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center put the strength at magnitude 5.7.
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.
Lake-effect snow off Lakes Erie and Ontario B. Bernard, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Tue Jan 9, 4:06 PM ET
Lake-effect and upslope snow prevails from the Great Lakes southward into the southern Appalachians this afternoon. Lake-effect snow warnings remain posted for areas of New York state east of Lake Ontario and southeast of Lake Erie.
Up to two feet of fresh snow may pile up in localized areas east of Lake Ontario into the Adirondacks by tomorrow, while as much as a foot-and-a-half could accumulate in southwestern New York state south of Buffalo and in extreme northwest Pennsylvania. A lake-effect snow warning is also in effect for a small portion of northwest lower Michigan. In the Appalachians, up to 6 or 8 inches of new snow may coat the mountains of West Virginia by tomorrow morning, while 2 to 5 inches of wind-driven fluff are expected in the southern Appalachians (Tennessee/North Carolina) above 3000 feet. Elsewhere, red flag warnings for high wildfire danger are posted in the mountains of Southern California, much of Georgia and most of Florida. In the West, gusty winds will buffet Washington and Oregon as a strong Pacific cold front slams through the Northwest late today and tonight.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Nicaraguan volcano erupts, spewing ash JAN 9,07
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nicaragua's Telica volcano spewed ash into the air Tuesday but caused no major damage or forced any evacuations, officials said. The eruption 55 miles west of the capital of Managua was the 3,500-foot volcano's first in more than two years.The National Institute of Territorial Studies said the ash erupted about 1,500 feet above the volcanic crater.The eruption did not endanger nearby residents and there were no immediate evacuations.
SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.
GENESIS 1:14
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
We want to continue our study this week in the Time of Jacob's Trouble.DR JACK VAN IMPE JAN 9,07
The First Seal is found in Revelation 6:1,2: And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals.... and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.The seals speak of the political, economic, and religious problems that will occur during the Tribulation. A world leader appears who seems to have the answers for peace. He rides a white horse.
Commenting on the first seal, Dr. H. A. Ironside wrote:
This rider on the white horse evidently pictures man's last effort to bring in a reign of order and peace while Christ is still rejected. It will be the world's greatest attempt to pull things together after the church is gone. It will be the Devil's cunning scheme for bringing in a mock millennium without Christ.The second seal reveals that this peace is short-lived. One who rides a red horse is given power to take peace from the earth and a terrible war follows (Revelation 6:3,4). And when he had opened the second seal.... there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another.The third seal announces famine, inflation, and shortages, well-known companions of war (Revelation 6:5,6). And when he had opened the third seal.... lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not
the oil and the wine.
The fourth seal announces plagues, sicknesses, and all kinds of violence, bringing death to many (Revelation 6:7,8). And when he had opened the fourth seal.... behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
The fifth seal reveals religious persecution and indicates that multitudes will be martyred during this terrible time (Revelation 6:9,10) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
The sixth seal pictures ecological upheavals that challenge description. Generations of pollution combined with the problems in nature brought on by nuclear warfare may contribute to the chaos in nature pictured here. However, it is clear that the wrath of God is the moving force in this frightening rebellion of the creation (Revelation 6:17). And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?The seventh seal, described in Revelation 8:1, depicts the lull before the storm. The catastrophic trumpet judgments are so horrendous that all heaven sits in awesome silence before the blitzkrieg begins. That is why the text reports, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Then each of the seven angels sounds a trumpet before each calamitous judgment begins.
First Trumpet
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up (Rev. 8:7).
Second Trumpet
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed (Rev. 8:8,9).
Third Trumpet
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter (Rev. 8:10,11).
Fourth Trumpet
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Rev. 8:12,13).
Fifth Trumpet
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death
shall flee from them (Rev. 9:1-6).
Sixth Trumpet
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt (Rev. 9:13-19).
Seventh Trumpet
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.... And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail (Rev. 11:15,19).The trumpets sound the coming of divine judgments. The Tribulation period is a time of wrath God's wrath. And the plagues that descend are reminiscent of those brought upon Pharaoh by the hand of Moses under the direction of God. There is hail and fire mingled with blood. Trees and grass are burned. Water is turned to blood. Great turbulence comes to the sea, destroying ships and marine life. There are disturbances in the heavens and on earth. The stars fall. Darkness descends.
Demonic activity is widespread. An army of unprecedented size, numbering 200 million, moves from the east toward Jerusalem. It will be a fearsome time to be alive.The blast of the seventh trumpet also begins the seven vial judgments, which we will cover in our next newsletter.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Brush fire destroys homes in millionaire's enclave of Malibu Tue Jan 9, 6:21 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A wildfire tore through the exclusive enclave of Malibu north of Los Angeles, devastating eight homes as it ripped through several acres of prime real estate, fire officials said.
The fire erupted at around 5 pm (0100 GMT) local time, with high winds sending flames roaring through 20 acres (eight hectares) of tinder-dry brush, officials said, destroying Pacific Ocean-front properties worth millions of dollars.There were no immediate reports of injuries.Malibu is popular with A-list celebrities from the film, television and music industries. Hollywood stars such as Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks all own homes in the area.Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla said 200 firefighters from across the district had been mobilized to help tackle the blaze, both on the ground and in the air.Four water-dropping helicopters have been deployed to try and douse the blaze, reports said.
Another LA County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson later said eight buildings had been destroyed while a further five had suffered damage. Officials had earlier said 10 buildings had been lost.Haralson said 300 firefighters were on the scene.Dramatic television footage showed fires blazing on land adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, with several beach-front properties in flames.Houses in the affected area are situated between the oceanfront and the famous Pacific Coast Highway. According to property website Zillow.com, homes in the district are valued at between two and 10 million dollars.It was not known what had caused the blaze. Padilla said wind conditions would play a key part in how the fire develops.It all depends on the wind, Padilla said.If the fire gets directed towards the sand it's going to run out of fuel.The blaze immediately evoked memories of 1993 fires which devastated Malibu. Three people were killed in the blaze, and around 400 homes were gutted by the flames, including properties belonging to actors Sean Penn and Ali McGraw.The fires, which were blamed on arsonists, caused hundreds of millions of dollars damage. A 1996 fire in Malibu injured 11 people and gutted six homes.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
2006 warmest on record in United States: NOAA Tue Jan 9, 3:07 PM ET
SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - The year 2006 was the warmest in the contiguous United States since record keeping began 112 years ago, due in large part to an unusually warm December, U.S. government weather forecasters said on Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) preliminary forecast released in mid-December forecast 2006 as the third warmest year on record.NOAA said in a written statement that no state was colder than average last month and five states had their warmest December on record Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire.The average temperature in the United States in 2006 was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2.2 degrees (1.2 degrees Celsius) above the average temperature recorded from 1901 to the end of 2000.
The warm start to the winter was tied partly to the rarity of Arctic outbreaks across the country because of El Nino, NOAA said.El Nino, which is Spanish for the little boy, is an abnormal warming of water in the Pacific Ocean every three or so years that can wreak havoc with global weather patterns. It usually brings warmer weather to much of the United States.Weather forecasters said another factor in the record warmth was a long term warming trend some have linked to increases in greenhouse gases.This has made warmer-than-average conditions more common in the U.S. and other parts of the world, NOAA said. It is unclear how much of the recent anomalous warmth was due to greenhouse-gas-induced warming and how much was due to the El Nino-related circulation pattern.NOAA began keeping records in 1895.
Dec 27, 2006 - Project Aims to Tag Tokyo Neighborhood With RFID
A location-based services trial that will see a famous Tokyo neighborhood blanketed with about 10,000 radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and other beacons got its start earlier this month.The Tokyo Ubiquitous Network Project seeks to install RFID, infrared and wireless transmitters throughout Tokyo’s Ginza area, which is the most famous shopping area in the capital. The tags and transmitters will provide location-related information to people carrying prototype readers developed for the trial, said Ken Sakamura, a professor at The University of Tokyo and the leader of the project.The system works by matching a unique code sent out by each beacon with data stored on a server on the Internet. The data is obtained automatically by the terminal, which communicates back to the server via a wireless LAN connection and requests the data relevant to the beacon that is being picked up.Sakamura envisages the system will be able to provide users with basic navigation and information about the shops and stores in the area in at least four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
For example, bringing the terminal close to an RFID tag on a street lamp will pinpoint the user’s location, and the system will be able to guide the user to the nearest railway station, while walking past a radio beacon in front of a shop might bring up details of current special offers or a menu for a restaurant.Ginza is the most famous shopping district in Japan, said Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara at an event to launch the project. In every building there are many shops, bars and clubs and it can be difficult to find the one you want. With this, you can just push a button and find the where you want to go even if you’re drunk! The terminal being used in the Ginza trial has been developed by Tokyo’s Ubiquitous Computing Technology Center, which is a joint venture between the Japanese government and some of the country’s largest high-tech companies including Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi and NTT East.It features a 3.5-inch organic light emitting diode touch-panel display and a host of networking interfaces. There is RFID, infrared and 429MHz wireless for interacting with the beacons in the trial, wireless LAN for connection to the Internet and a Bluetooth link.
General trials in Ginza are scheduled to begin on Jan. 21 and will run until March.
The project is supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MILT) and is one of several taking place in Japan.In one of the trials, RFID tags have been embedded in yellow studded rubber tiles that are often put onto pavements as an aid to blind or partially sighted people. An RFID reader at the tip of a cane picks up the tags, and a transmitter box mounted higher on the cane sends the tag’s ID to the prototype terminal, which gets relevant information from the server. In a demonstration of the system, the terminal alerted the user that the pavement was coming to an end but that there was a ramp to the right and stairs to the left.By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Plans for European far-right group intensify
08.01.2007 - 09:17 CET | By Honor Mahony (Eu Observer)
The European Parliament looks set to have a far-right grouping within its corridors by mid-January, with MEPs from new member states Bulgaria and Romania helping to make the formation possible.Under EU rules, there need to be at least 20 MEPs from six different member states for a political group to be formed.The bloc's 1 January expansion means that the group-in-making is likely to get one MEP from Bulgaria's extreme Ataka party and five MEPs from Romania's nationalistic and anti-Roma Greater Romania Party.Attempts to form a far-right political party in the Brussels assembly have been on-going in recent years but have generally been hampered by divisions among the various national groups and the lack of a common political platform.But according to Austrian MEP Andreas Moelzer, who has been one of the main proponents of forming a European far-right movement, the group could be established on 15 January and is expected to be called Identity, Sovereignty and Transparency (IST).Mr Moelzer told Austrian news agency APA that the new group is expected to be headed by Bruno Gollnisch, a member of France's National Front.
There are still a few imponderables, but it is pretty much watertight, Mr Moelzer told APA of the 15 January plans.He said the group is likely to have at least 20 members and will have a minimal consensus programme being broadly against immigration, against Turkey's EU membership, against the EU constitution for its tendencies...towards a central government.The loose programme marks the disharmony between the different national elements with one of their main motives for forming a group being to get more say in the European Parliament.It is more a technical than a political group, Alessandra Mussolini, grand daughter of the facist Il Duce, told APA.We are mainly getting together out of necessity. Survival is only possible in a political group, she added, referring to the fact that groups have a right to more funds and political positions in the European Parliament, something non-attached MEPs do not have.Should the far-right party get off the ground, it will bring together a motley group of politicians.
Mr Gollnisch is waiting for a court verdict on charges of questioning the Holocaust. Bulgarian would-be member Dimitar Stoyanov late last year circulated a derogatory email in the European Parliament about Gypsies after a Hungarian Roma MEP was nominated for MEP of the year, while the Greater Romanian MEPs come from a party whose leader, Cornelio Vadim Tudor, has drawn attention for his racist tones.Other MEPs that may join the group include two independent members, Italy's Luca Romagnoli and the UK's Ashley Mote, as well as MEPs from the Flemish Vlaams Belang.
Israel's Foreign Ministry Hosts First Israel Model United Nations Jan 08, '07
(IsraelNN.com) Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded its two-day U.N. model conference on Monday. The Model United Nations is an international project, held in dozens of countries around the world, in which 11th and 12th grade students represent various member states of the U.N. and simulate the General Assembly and committee debates. Through participation in the project, students learn about the work of the United Nations, as well as international conflicts and global problems faced by the member states.In preparation for the simulated General Assembly, the students also learn about the work of the diplomat: rules of behavior and debate, public speaking, drafting resolutions, and even code of dress.The opening ceremony, held at the Moshe Sharett Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by the representative of the U.N. Secretary General to the Middle East, the head of the Jerusalem Education Administration and principals of the seven high schools taking part in the project.
Israel Soon to Launch New Anti- Missile Drone
By Hana Levi Julian(INN) JAN 09,07
A new drone designed to identify, intercept and destroy ballistic missiles as they are launched from the ground will soon make its debut. The drone, designed and produced by the Israel Aircraft Industries, is the largest unmanned aircraft in the world.
It is a huge aircraft, almost the same size as a Boeing 737 passenger airliner with a wing span of 110 feet (35 meters), said a security official quoted in the daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot. The aircraft is designed to fly at high altitudes and is equipped with cameras which identify the missiles as they are launched. It is also armed with missiles, which are used to intercept and destroy those which are fired by the enemy. Named the Eitan, the unmanned aircraft will be used for long-range operations and is expected to make its first flight within the near future.The development of the new anti-missile system comes as the Jewish State eyes with concern the increasing threat to its existence by sabre-rattling calls from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel off the map.
Hizbullah terrorists in southern Lebanon fired Iranian-made long-range missiles at Israel during the war last summer, hitting an Israeli naval vessel in Mediterranean waters and killing four sailors. Syria and Iran have also broadened military cooperation in recent months. Iran agreed last June to sell missiles and establish weapons production plants in Syria. Defense ministers of the two Muslim countries said the agreement was intended as a move against Israel and the United States. Earlier in the year, Iran conducted a successful test launch of its Shehab-3 surface-to-air (SAM) ballistic missile. The weapon is designed to carry a non-conventional weapon, such as an atomic warhead, according to a report that was published in the British Telegraph. Russia has also been arming the Islamic Republic. Iran received the first of 29 surface-to- air missile systems from Russia in November, according to the Tass news agency.
Iranian crews were trained by Russia to man the weapons.
Catastrophic: Now thousands of birds fall from sky
Wildlife officers baffled, autopsies shed no light on mystery
Posted: January 9, 2007 - 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Thousands of birds inexplicably dropped like rocks from the sky over Australia. Thousands of wattle birds like this one have mysteriously dropped dead in Australia The mysterious catastrophe has taken place over a period of three weeks in Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of Perth. The area was declared a disaster zone by government officials. So far, authorities are clueless as to the cause. Autopsies on the birds have shed no light. The main casualties, according to Australian news sources, are wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and singing honeyeaters. Some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also been found. Some birds were seen convulsing when they died. Wildlife officers are baffled by what they characterize as a catastrophic event. It does not appear to be weather-related.
District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland. Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence. Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species, chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about. Just yesterday, some 60 birds fell out of the sky in Austin, Texas, without explanation. The incident prompted street closings for several hours. Officials said they had tested the air for dangerous substances but found nothing, and they declared the area safe. The dead birds – grackles, sparrows and pigeons – were being checked for avian flu, but officials said they saw no symptoms of the illness and believed it more likely they had been poisoned, possibly deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather.
ElBaradei renews call for nuclear bomb-free world By William Maclean
Tue Jan 9, 10:25 AM ET
ALGIERS (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed ElBaradei renewed a call on Tuesday for a nuclear weapons-free world, saying atom bombs and missiles held by nine nations could end life as we know it. In a speech to a conference in Algeria, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate added his agency enjoyed only uneven authority as it sought to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons among nations who have pledged to respect its watchdog role.Building a new international system of security that shunned nuclear weapons and placed fresh emphasis on negotiations and fighting poverty could help put that right, he said.
We should always remember that the goal of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a world free from nuclear weapons, he told the conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Africa, a nuclear weapons-free zone since South Africa gave up its
nuclear arsenal over a decade ago.We have nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, we have 27,000 warheads in existence. We still have more than 30 countries that are members of alliances that rely on nuclear weapons as part of their security, ElBaradei said.ElBaradei did not name the nine countries. Known nuclear states are the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan and North Korea.Israel, widely believed to be nuclear armed, does not comment on the topic.We witness increasing concern regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and with it the increased danger of both the intentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons that could end life as we know it, ElBaradei said.The IAEA plays a crucial role in this. However the extent of the agency's authority remains uneven from country to country, he added.He explained that too few countries had brought into force the Additional Protocol to the NPT that allows for intrusive, short-notice IAEA inspections of nuclear sites.Iran has also minimized its cooperation with U.N. nuclear inspectors after ceasing to implement the Additional Protocol.
Iran's nuclear energy program is seen by the West as a major proliferation risk. Gulf Arab nations who are uneasy neighbors of Iran say they will pursue nuclear power too.The U.N. Security Council imposed some sanctions on Iran last month for failing to heed its demand to suspend its nuclear energy program, seen as a possible smokescreen for assembling atom bombs since Tehran has impeded IAEA investigations. Iran says it has a right assured by its membership of the NPT to enrich uranium for nuclear power plant fuel. It denies any intent to divert enrichment activity into bombmaking.Reclusive North Korea drew international condemnation for an October 9 nuclear weapons test but has since agreed to return to six-party disarmament talks it had boycotted for a year.
Algerian President Bouteflika, in a speech, criticized what he called an unbalanced situation in which non-nuclear armed states were told to help fight the spread of nuclear weapons while nuclear armed states were being slow to keep promises to substantially cut stockpiles of atom bombs.ElBaradei, an Egyptian, and his agency won the Peace Prize in 2005 for fighting the spread of nuclear weapons.
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 Jan 10 12:39 AM EDT
JAN 10,07
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
JAN 09,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.6 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 WYOMING
MAP 5.3 MYANMAR
MAP 4.9 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
JAN 08,07
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 OKLAHOMA
MAP 6.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.1 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 4.7 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS
Moderate quake shakes southeast Alaska Tue Jan 9, 1:16 PM ET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A moderate earthquake jolted Southeast Alaska on Tuesday and was widely felt throughout the Panhandle.
There were no immediate reports of damage, according to the Alaska Earthquake Information Center in Fairbanks.The quake, at 6:49 a.m., had a magnitude of 5.7, according to preliminary estimates, the center said. It was centered 57 miles west of Haines at a depth of five miles.The earthquake was felt in Haines, Juneau, Sitka and numerous other communities. Haines is about 900 miles northwest of Seattle.
Quake rattles northwestern British Columbia Tue Jan 9, 8:09 PM ET
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) A moderate earthquake rattled northwestern British Columbia and the Alaska Panhandle on Tuesday, but there were no reports of damage, seismologists said.
The quake at 7:49 a.m. PST was centered in the mountains of British Columbia about 192 km (120 miles) southwest of Whitehorse, Yukon, in a sparsely populated area prone to earthquakes, according to Natural Resources Canada.Canadian seismologists said the quake was magnitude 5.6, having initially estimated it at 6.0 magnitude. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center put the strength at magnitude 5.7.
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.
Lake-effect snow off Lakes Erie and Ontario B. Bernard, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Tue Jan 9, 4:06 PM ET
Lake-effect and upslope snow prevails from the Great Lakes southward into the southern Appalachians this afternoon. Lake-effect snow warnings remain posted for areas of New York state east of Lake Ontario and southeast of Lake Erie.
Up to two feet of fresh snow may pile up in localized areas east of Lake Ontario into the Adirondacks by tomorrow, while as much as a foot-and-a-half could accumulate in southwestern New York state south of Buffalo and in extreme northwest Pennsylvania. A lake-effect snow warning is also in effect for a small portion of northwest lower Michigan. In the Appalachians, up to 6 or 8 inches of new snow may coat the mountains of West Virginia by tomorrow morning, while 2 to 5 inches of wind-driven fluff are expected in the southern Appalachians (Tennessee/North Carolina) above 3000 feet. Elsewhere, red flag warnings for high wildfire danger are posted in the mountains of Southern California, much of Georgia and most of Florida. In the West, gusty winds will buffet Washington and Oregon as a strong Pacific cold front slams through the Northwest late today and tonight.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Nicaraguan volcano erupts, spewing ash JAN 9,07
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nicaragua's Telica volcano spewed ash into the air Tuesday but caused no major damage or forced any evacuations, officials said. The eruption 55 miles west of the capital of Managua was the 3,500-foot volcano's first in more than two years.The National Institute of Territorial Studies said the ash erupted about 1,500 feet above the volcanic crater.The eruption did not endanger nearby residents and there were no immediate evacuations.
SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.
GENESIS 1:14
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)
ISRAELS TROUBLE
JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.
DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)
We want to continue our study this week in the Time of Jacob's Trouble.DR JACK VAN IMPE JAN 9,07
The First Seal is found in Revelation 6:1,2: And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals.... and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.The seals speak of the political, economic, and religious problems that will occur during the Tribulation. A world leader appears who seems to have the answers for peace. He rides a white horse.
Commenting on the first seal, Dr. H. A. Ironside wrote:
This rider on the white horse evidently pictures man's last effort to bring in a reign of order and peace while Christ is still rejected. It will be the world's greatest attempt to pull things together after the church is gone. It will be the Devil's cunning scheme for bringing in a mock millennium without Christ.The second seal reveals that this peace is short-lived. One who rides a red horse is given power to take peace from the earth and a terrible war follows (Revelation 6:3,4). And when he had opened the second seal.... there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another.The third seal announces famine, inflation, and shortages, well-known companions of war (Revelation 6:5,6). And when he had opened the third seal.... lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not
the oil and the wine.
The fourth seal announces plagues, sicknesses, and all kinds of violence, bringing death to many (Revelation 6:7,8). And when he had opened the fourth seal.... behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
The fifth seal reveals religious persecution and indicates that multitudes will be martyred during this terrible time (Revelation 6:9,10) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
The sixth seal pictures ecological upheavals that challenge description. Generations of pollution combined with the problems in nature brought on by nuclear warfare may contribute to the chaos in nature pictured here. However, it is clear that the wrath of God is the moving force in this frightening rebellion of the creation (Revelation 6:17). And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?The seventh seal, described in Revelation 8:1, depicts the lull before the storm. The catastrophic trumpet judgments are so horrendous that all heaven sits in awesome silence before the blitzkrieg begins. That is why the text reports, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Then each of the seven angels sounds a trumpet before each calamitous judgment begins.
First Trumpet
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up (Rev. 8:7).
Second Trumpet
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed (Rev. 8:8,9).
Third Trumpet
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter (Rev. 8:10,11).
Fourth Trumpet
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Rev. 8:12,13).
Fifth Trumpet
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death
shall flee from them (Rev. 9:1-6).
Sixth Trumpet
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt (Rev. 9:13-19).
Seventh Trumpet
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.... And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail (Rev. 11:15,19).The trumpets sound the coming of divine judgments. The Tribulation period is a time of wrath God's wrath. And the plagues that descend are reminiscent of those brought upon Pharaoh by the hand of Moses under the direction of God. There is hail and fire mingled with blood. Trees and grass are burned. Water is turned to blood. Great turbulence comes to the sea, destroying ships and marine life. There are disturbances in the heavens and on earth. The stars fall. Darkness descends.
Demonic activity is widespread. An army of unprecedented size, numbering 200 million, moves from the east toward Jerusalem. It will be a fearsome time to be alive.The blast of the seventh trumpet also begins the seven vial judgments, which we will cover in our next newsletter.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Brush fire destroys homes in millionaire's enclave of Malibu Tue Jan 9, 6:21 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A wildfire tore through the exclusive enclave of Malibu north of Los Angeles, devastating eight homes as it ripped through several acres of prime real estate, fire officials said.
The fire erupted at around 5 pm (0100 GMT) local time, with high winds sending flames roaring through 20 acres (eight hectares) of tinder-dry brush, officials said, destroying Pacific Ocean-front properties worth millions of dollars.There were no immediate reports of injuries.Malibu is popular with A-list celebrities from the film, television and music industries. Hollywood stars such as Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks all own homes in the area.Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla said 200 firefighters from across the district had been mobilized to help tackle the blaze, both on the ground and in the air.Four water-dropping helicopters have been deployed to try and douse the blaze, reports said.
Another LA County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson later said eight buildings had been destroyed while a further five had suffered damage. Officials had earlier said 10 buildings had been lost.Haralson said 300 firefighters were on the scene.Dramatic television footage showed fires blazing on land adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, with several beach-front properties in flames.Houses in the affected area are situated between the oceanfront and the famous Pacific Coast Highway. According to property website Zillow.com, homes in the district are valued at between two and 10 million dollars.It was not known what had caused the blaze. Padilla said wind conditions would play a key part in how the fire develops.It all depends on the wind, Padilla said.If the fire gets directed towards the sand it's going to run out of fuel.The blaze immediately evoked memories of 1993 fires which devastated Malibu. Three people were killed in the blaze, and around 400 homes were gutted by the flames, including properties belonging to actors Sean Penn and Ali McGraw.The fires, which were blamed on arsonists, caused hundreds of millions of dollars damage. A 1996 fire in Malibu injured 11 people and gutted six homes.
OZONE DEPLETION
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
2006 warmest on record in United States: NOAA Tue Jan 9, 3:07 PM ET
SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - The year 2006 was the warmest in the contiguous United States since record keeping began 112 years ago, due in large part to an unusually warm December, U.S. government weather forecasters said on Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) preliminary forecast released in mid-December forecast 2006 as the third warmest year on record.NOAA said in a written statement that no state was colder than average last month and five states had their warmest December on record Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire.The average temperature in the United States in 2006 was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2.2 degrees (1.2 degrees Celsius) above the average temperature recorded from 1901 to the end of 2000.
The warm start to the winter was tied partly to the rarity of Arctic outbreaks across the country because of El Nino, NOAA said.El Nino, which is Spanish for the little boy, is an abnormal warming of water in the Pacific Ocean every three or so years that can wreak havoc with global weather patterns. It usually brings warmer weather to much of the United States.Weather forecasters said another factor in the record warmth was a long term warming trend some have linked to increases in greenhouse gases.This has made warmer-than-average conditions more common in the U.S. and other parts of the world, NOAA said. It is unclear how much of the recent anomalous warmth was due to greenhouse-gas-induced warming and how much was due to the El Nino-related circulation pattern.NOAA began keeping records in 1895.
Dec 27, 2006 - Project Aims to Tag Tokyo Neighborhood With RFID
A location-based services trial that will see a famous Tokyo neighborhood blanketed with about 10,000 radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and other beacons got its start earlier this month.The Tokyo Ubiquitous Network Project seeks to install RFID, infrared and wireless transmitters throughout Tokyo’s Ginza area, which is the most famous shopping area in the capital. The tags and transmitters will provide location-related information to people carrying prototype readers developed for the trial, said Ken Sakamura, a professor at The University of Tokyo and the leader of the project.The system works by matching a unique code sent out by each beacon with data stored on a server on the Internet. The data is obtained automatically by the terminal, which communicates back to the server via a wireless LAN connection and requests the data relevant to the beacon that is being picked up.Sakamura envisages the system will be able to provide users with basic navigation and information about the shops and stores in the area in at least four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
For example, bringing the terminal close to an RFID tag on a street lamp will pinpoint the user’s location, and the system will be able to guide the user to the nearest railway station, while walking past a radio beacon in front of a shop might bring up details of current special offers or a menu for a restaurant.Ginza is the most famous shopping district in Japan, said Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara at an event to launch the project. In every building there are many shops, bars and clubs and it can be difficult to find the one you want. With this, you can just push a button and find the where you want to go even if you’re drunk! The terminal being used in the Ginza trial has been developed by Tokyo’s Ubiquitous Computing Technology Center, which is a joint venture between the Japanese government and some of the country’s largest high-tech companies including Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi and NTT East.It features a 3.5-inch organic light emitting diode touch-panel display and a host of networking interfaces. There is RFID, infrared and 429MHz wireless for interacting with the beacons in the trial, wireless LAN for connection to the Internet and a Bluetooth link.
General trials in Ginza are scheduled to begin on Jan. 21 and will run until March.
The project is supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MILT) and is one of several taking place in Japan.In one of the trials, RFID tags have been embedded in yellow studded rubber tiles that are often put onto pavements as an aid to blind or partially sighted people. An RFID reader at the tip of a cane picks up the tags, and a transmitter box mounted higher on the cane sends the tag’s ID to the prototype terminal, which gets relevant information from the server. In a demonstration of the system, the terminal alerted the user that the pavement was coming to an end but that there was a ramp to the right and stairs to the left.By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Plans for European far-right group intensify
08.01.2007 - 09:17 CET | By Honor Mahony (Eu Observer)
The European Parliament looks set to have a far-right grouping within its corridors by mid-January, with MEPs from new member states Bulgaria and Romania helping to make the formation possible.Under EU rules, there need to be at least 20 MEPs from six different member states for a political group to be formed.The bloc's 1 January expansion means that the group-in-making is likely to get one MEP from Bulgaria's extreme Ataka party and five MEPs from Romania's nationalistic and anti-Roma Greater Romania Party.Attempts to form a far-right political party in the Brussels assembly have been on-going in recent years but have generally been hampered by divisions among the various national groups and the lack of a common political platform.But according to Austrian MEP Andreas Moelzer, who has been one of the main proponents of forming a European far-right movement, the group could be established on 15 January and is expected to be called Identity, Sovereignty and Transparency (IST).Mr Moelzer told Austrian news agency APA that the new group is expected to be headed by Bruno Gollnisch, a member of France's National Front.
There are still a few imponderables, but it is pretty much watertight, Mr Moelzer told APA of the 15 January plans.He said the group is likely to have at least 20 members and will have a minimal consensus programme being broadly against immigration, against Turkey's EU membership, against the EU constitution for its tendencies...towards a central government.The loose programme marks the disharmony between the different national elements with one of their main motives for forming a group being to get more say in the European Parliament.It is more a technical than a political group, Alessandra Mussolini, grand daughter of the facist Il Duce, told APA.We are mainly getting together out of necessity. Survival is only possible in a political group, she added, referring to the fact that groups have a right to more funds and political positions in the European Parliament, something non-attached MEPs do not have.Should the far-right party get off the ground, it will bring together a motley group of politicians.
Mr Gollnisch is waiting for a court verdict on charges of questioning the Holocaust. Bulgarian would-be member Dimitar Stoyanov late last year circulated a derogatory email in the European Parliament about Gypsies after a Hungarian Roma MEP was nominated for MEP of the year, while the Greater Romanian MEPs come from a party whose leader, Cornelio Vadim Tudor, has drawn attention for his racist tones.Other MEPs that may join the group include two independent members, Italy's Luca Romagnoli and the UK's Ashley Mote, as well as MEPs from the Flemish Vlaams Belang.
Israel's Foreign Ministry Hosts First Israel Model United Nations Jan 08, '07
(IsraelNN.com) Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded its two-day U.N. model conference on Monday. The Model United Nations is an international project, held in dozens of countries around the world, in which 11th and 12th grade students represent various member states of the U.N. and simulate the General Assembly and committee debates. Through participation in the project, students learn about the work of the United Nations, as well as international conflicts and global problems faced by the member states.In preparation for the simulated General Assembly, the students also learn about the work of the diplomat: rules of behavior and debate, public speaking, drafting resolutions, and even code of dress.The opening ceremony, held at the Moshe Sharett Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by the representative of the U.N. Secretary General to the Middle East, the head of the Jerusalem Education Administration and principals of the seven high schools taking part in the project.
Israel Soon to Launch New Anti- Missile Drone
By Hana Levi Julian(INN) JAN 09,07
A new drone designed to identify, intercept and destroy ballistic missiles as they are launched from the ground will soon make its debut. The drone, designed and produced by the Israel Aircraft Industries, is the largest unmanned aircraft in the world.
It is a huge aircraft, almost the same size as a Boeing 737 passenger airliner with a wing span of 110 feet (35 meters), said a security official quoted in the daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot. The aircraft is designed to fly at high altitudes and is equipped with cameras which identify the missiles as they are launched. It is also armed with missiles, which are used to intercept and destroy those which are fired by the enemy. Named the Eitan, the unmanned aircraft will be used for long-range operations and is expected to make its first flight within the near future.The development of the new anti-missile system comes as the Jewish State eyes with concern the increasing threat to its existence by sabre-rattling calls from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel off the map.
Hizbullah terrorists in southern Lebanon fired Iranian-made long-range missiles at Israel during the war last summer, hitting an Israeli naval vessel in Mediterranean waters and killing four sailors. Syria and Iran have also broadened military cooperation in recent months. Iran agreed last June to sell missiles and establish weapons production plants in Syria. Defense ministers of the two Muslim countries said the agreement was intended as a move against Israel and the United States. Earlier in the year, Iran conducted a successful test launch of its Shehab-3 surface-to-air (SAM) ballistic missile. The weapon is designed to carry a non-conventional weapon, such as an atomic warhead, according to a report that was published in the British Telegraph. Russia has also been arming the Islamic Republic. Iran received the first of 29 surface-to- air missile systems from Russia in November, according to the Tass news agency.
Iranian crews were trained by Russia to man the weapons.
Catastrophic: Now thousands of birds fall from sky
Wildlife officers baffled, autopsies shed no light on mystery
Posted: January 9, 2007 - 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Thousands of birds inexplicably dropped like rocks from the sky over Australia. Thousands of wattle birds like this one have mysteriously dropped dead in Australia The mysterious catastrophe has taken place over a period of three weeks in Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of Perth. The area was declared a disaster zone by government officials. So far, authorities are clueless as to the cause. Autopsies on the birds have shed no light. The main casualties, according to Australian news sources, are wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and singing honeyeaters. Some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also been found. Some birds were seen convulsing when they died. Wildlife officers are baffled by what they characterize as a catastrophic event. It does not appear to be weather-related.
District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland. Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence. Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species, chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about. Just yesterday, some 60 birds fell out of the sky in Austin, Texas, without explanation. The incident prompted street closings for several hours. Officials said they had tested the air for dangerous substances but found nothing, and they declared the area safe. The dead birds – grackles, sparrows and pigeons – were being checked for avian flu, but officials said they saw no symptoms of the illness and believed it more likely they had been poisoned, possibly deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather.
ElBaradei renews call for nuclear bomb-free world By William Maclean
Tue Jan 9, 10:25 AM ET
ALGIERS (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed ElBaradei renewed a call on Tuesday for a nuclear weapons-free world, saying atom bombs and missiles held by nine nations could end life as we know it. In a speech to a conference in Algeria, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate added his agency enjoyed only uneven authority as it sought to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons among nations who have pledged to respect its watchdog role.Building a new international system of security that shunned nuclear weapons and placed fresh emphasis on negotiations and fighting poverty could help put that right, he said.
We should always remember that the goal of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a world free from nuclear weapons, he told the conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Africa, a nuclear weapons-free zone since South Africa gave up its
nuclear arsenal over a decade ago.We have nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, we have 27,000 warheads in existence. We still have more than 30 countries that are members of alliances that rely on nuclear weapons as part of their security, ElBaradei said.ElBaradei did not name the nine countries. Known nuclear states are the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan and North Korea.Israel, widely believed to be nuclear armed, does not comment on the topic.We witness increasing concern regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and with it the increased danger of both the intentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons that could end life as we know it, ElBaradei said.The IAEA plays a crucial role in this. However the extent of the agency's authority remains uneven from country to country, he added.He explained that too few countries had brought into force the Additional Protocol to the NPT that allows for intrusive, short-notice IAEA inspections of nuclear sites.Iran has also minimized its cooperation with U.N. nuclear inspectors after ceasing to implement the Additional Protocol.
Iran's nuclear energy program is seen by the West as a major proliferation risk. Gulf Arab nations who are uneasy neighbors of Iran say they will pursue nuclear power too.The U.N. Security Council imposed some sanctions on Iran last month for failing to heed its demand to suspend its nuclear energy program, seen as a possible smokescreen for assembling atom bombs since Tehran has impeded IAEA investigations. Iran says it has a right assured by its membership of the NPT to enrich uranium for nuclear power plant fuel. It denies any intent to divert enrichment activity into bombmaking.Reclusive North Korea drew international condemnation for an October 9 nuclear weapons test but has since agreed to return to six-party disarmament talks it had boycotted for a year.
Algerian President Bouteflika, in a speech, criticized what he called an unbalanced situation in which non-nuclear armed states were told to help fight the spread of nuclear weapons while nuclear armed states were being slow to keep promises to substantially cut stockpiles of atom bombs.ElBaradei, an Egyptian, and his agency won the Peace Prize in 2005 for fighting the spread of nuclear weapons.
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