President George W. Bush APR 17, 2007
Our nation is shocked and saddened by the news of the shootings at Virginia Tech today. The exact total has not yet been confirmed, but it appears that more than 30 people were killed and many more were wounded.I've spoken with Governor Tim Kaine and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger.
I told them that Laura and I and many across our nation are praying for the victims and their families and all the members of the university community who have been devastated by this terrible tragedy. I told them that my administration would do everything possible to assist with the investigation, and that I pledged that we would stand ready to help local law enforcement and the local community in any way we can during this time of sorrow.
President George W. Bush delivers a statement Monday, April 16, 2007, regarding the shooting deaths of more than 30 Virginia Tech students. Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech, said the President. We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today. White House photo by Eric Draper Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community.Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today.
BRUTAL SHOOTER MASSACRES 32 PLUS SELF AT BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA.
By Stan L Bowman Jr at 3PM APR 17,07
It was just an ordinary day until 7:15 AM at Virginia Tech when Police were called to the Campus about a shooting were 22 year old Ryan Clark and a Female student were found shot dead.
The Police thought it was a domestic dispute and never had a clue of what was to come two hours later. So they were collecting evidence from the crime scene.
Then at 10 AM as the reports go Cho the gunman went a half mile from the first crime scene to Norris Hall were he chained two doors closed and went on a shooting spree that spanned the stairwell as well as four different class rooms before the worst massacre in the U.S history was complete and then Cho the Gunman committed Suicide in one of the four class rooms.
In the German class at least 21 of the 25 students were unconscious or dead a student from the class reported who escaped death by pretending she was dead. If 21 did die in this class room alone as she said then there was a total of 11 deaths plus the gunman in the 3 rooms as well as in the stairwell.
We now need to PRAY TO GOD for healing and miracles in the lives of these students and teachers and family members. Its only JESUS that can heal the wounds and cleanse the soul now. And just pray that Prayer and the ten commandments get back in schools so we don't see this kind of Massacre ever again.
Father we Pray that you heal all the people affected by Cho, and I pray father you protect Chos family from persecussion because of this incident. We all have free will and Cho choose to do this not his family members. We also pray father that lives will be given to you through this incident and that people will realize that their is a GOD who loves and cares for everyone he created. We pray that forgiveness will be done (which is hard in a situation like this) but for your own sake you must forgive Cho and let the Holy Spirit give you life and power to go on. And we Pray this all to be accomplished in JESUS precious name Amen and Amen.
I will put the names of the People affected as I get them.
Guns confirmed connected to both shootings
9MM GLOCK MODEL 19
WALTHER P22
Gunman 23 year old South Korean Cho Seung-Hui. (SHOT SELF AFTER MASSACRE)
SHOT DEAD BY CHO
PROFESSORS
Jamie Bishop (Instructor in German) - 35
Kevin Granata (Science and Mechanics) - 45
Liviu Librescu (Science and Mechanics) (Israeli) - 76
G.V Loganathan (Civil and Enviromental Engineering) - 51
Jocelyn Couture-Nowak (French Instructor) -
STUDENTS
Ross Alameddine - 20
Brian Bluhm - 25
Ryan Clark - 22
Austin Cloyd -
Daniel Perez Cueva - 21
Matt Gwaltney - 24
Caitlin Hammeran - 19
Jeremy Herbstritt - 27
Rachael Hill - 18 *
Emily Hilscher - 19 (2nd shot in 7:15 AM Shooting)
Jarrett Lane - 22
Matthew LaPorte - 20
Henry Lee - 20
Partahi Lumbantoruan - 34
Lauren McCain - 20
Daniel O'Neil - 22
Juan Ortiz - 26
Minal Panchal - 26
Erin Peterson - 18
Michael Pohle Jr - 23
Julia Pryde - 23
Mary Read - 19
Reema Samaha - 18
Waleed Shaalan - 32
Leslie Sherman -
Maxine Turner - 22
Nicole White - 20
THE LIVES LOST IN THE MASSACRE NOT JUST NAMES
Friends mourn loss of Virginia Tech professor (JAMIE BISHOP)
By DORIE TURNER, Associated Press Writer
LaGRANGE, Ga. (AP) — Christopher Jamie Bishop was gentle and creative, often collaborating with his father, an author, on novels and short stories.Bishop, 35, designed the cover for at least one of the books his father, Michael Bishop, wrote, family friends said.Mourners gathered Tuesday at LaGrange College where the elder Bishop teaches creative writing and is writer-in-residence to remember Jamie Bishop, one of 33 people killed at Virginia Tech on Monday in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.Bishop, who had taught German at Virginia Tech for two years, was in the middle of a class when the gunman entered the classroom and opened fire, killing the instructor.He was a talented artist, said Nina Dulin-Mallory, a co-worker of Michael Bishop. (The Bishops) talked of their children so often — how creative, how bright.
Michael Bishop, an award-winning science fiction writer, and his wife, Jeri, left their home i! n nearby Pine Mountain on Monday when they heard their son might have been injured in the shooting.
While en route, they received a call from their daughter-in-law, Stefanie Hofer, that Bishop had died, said Brenda Thomas, who also works with Michael Bishop.He said their worst fears had been confirmed, said Thomas, who talked with Michael Bishop by telephone shortly after he received the news.The small chapel at the 1,000-student United Methodist college was packed with students, faculty, staff and community members on Tuesday evening. Dozens who could not fit in the chapel sat in chairs outside, listening to the prayers and hymns.
We felt we need to come together in a ritual place as an expression of solidarity with Mike and Jeri, LaGrange College President Stuart Gulley said after the hour-long service.Another memorial service later filled the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church of Pine Mountain but was closed to the media.Joy! Roberson, who grew up with Bishop, described him as a brilliant person. You always knew when we were growing up he would become somebody, she said. I will never forget Jamie.
Bishop was described in news reports as a gentle, outgoing person who rode his bicycle to campus.
He wore his hair long and loved the Atlanta Braves, friends said.He received both his bachelor's and master's from the University of Georgia.
Another Georgian, Ryan Stack Clark of Martinez also was killed in the rampage. The 22-year-old was a resident adviser on the fourth floor of the West Ambler Johnston dormitory, where the shooting spree began at 7:15 a.m. Monday, Clark's brother, Bryan Clark, told the Augusta Chronicle. A memorial service is planned in his honor for Saturday at Lakeside High School, which he had attended.Bryan Clark said his brother would have graduated in May with a triple major in psychology, biology and English. He was in his fifth year in the Marching Virginians band at Virginia Tech.
Kevin Granata: Professor’s reputation in department was growing
Kevin Granata Status: Professor, department of engineering science and mechanics Residence: Blacksburg Family: A wife, two sons and a daughter.Their Norris Hall offices were three doors apart, so after joining Virginia Tech’s faculty in 2003, Kevin Granata and Demetri Telionis became friends.
The fellow engineering professor visited Granata’s house, knew his wife and met his children.They often talked about sports or politics or the business of the department.But as Monday morning stretched into a long, wordless and worry-filled afternoon, Granata, a father of three and a rising star in Virginia Tech’s engineering school, still was missing.
Granata was teaching in Norris Hall when the massacre began inside the building. After the shooting, staffers from the engineering department began driving from hospital to hospital, said Ali Nayfeh, a distinguished professor in the engineering school. They were trying to account for everyone.Granata was not in any of the hospitals. No one received a phone call from the young professor who Telionis guesses was in his 40s. Time passed. Granata’s wife called Telionis’ wife. She was getting worried.
Athletic, confident and good-looking, Granata’s reputation had grown since he moved to Blacksburg from the University of Virginia, Telionis said.Granata and his students worked on human stability and movement dynamics. He sat on committees and supervised graduate students. He would teach almost any course if no one else was willing.He carried that same commitment from his to job to his family.
Telionis tried talking Granata into taking up sailing, but the younger professor was often too busy coaching his kids’ sports teams.When the news was confirmed Monday evening that Granata’s name was on the victims list, many people’s worst fears suddenly came to fruition.I was so much afraid this would be the case, said Telionis, who learned of his friend’s death when Granata’s sister-in-law called his house. He was probably one of the best in the department.— Erinn Hutkin
Canadian professor among Virginia Tech victims
Updated Wed. Apr. 18 2007 8:11 AM ET - CTV.ca News Staff
A Canadian professor, Holocaust survivor, and a renowned biomechanics researcher are among the victims killed Monday in a shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus.Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French-language professor from Truro, N.S., has been identified as one of the 32 victims of the worst shooting incident in U.S. history.Her husband, Virginia Tech horticulture professor Jerzy Nowak, confirmed her death in brief interviews with The Globe and Mail and The Canadian Press.
Both Couture-Nowak and her husband taught at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) before moving to Virginia Tech where they took teaching posts.He gave us a call to tell us that he and the three NSAC exchange students were fine, and at that time, wasn't aware that his wife had also been shot, Lloyd Mapplebeck, an NSAC professor, told CTV Atlantic.Three NSAC students, two from Nova Scotia and one from Prince Edward Island, are currently studying at Virginia Tech as part of an international academic mobility program. They are confirmed to be safe.In a sign of solidarity and sympathy for its sister institution, Virginia Tech, NSAC lowered its flags Tuesday.
Bernie MacDonald, NSAC's vice-president, described Couture-Novak as a very enthusiastic, vibrant person. She was very kind and warm and loving.Fellow Virginia Tech professor, Craig Brians, says he often had lunch with Nowak as she was friends with his wife. She was a very nice person, he told Canada AM. My wife often described Jocelyn as someone, when she'd walk into a room, just would bring a smile to the room, that even in the darkest of situations, she had something encouraging to say. She would have something uplifting to say. I heard nothing but exemplary comments from her students. When her students would take one of my classes, one of the things we're rated or evaluated on at this university is care and concern about students and she had the highest care and concern for her students.Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his condolences for the victims at the beginning of question period on Tuesday.We learned that a Canadian is among the victims in Virginia and I can say that the prayers thoughts and condolences of each and every one of us here in the House are with that family, Harper said in French.It's really almost impossible to comprehend why an individual would take his own life and that of so many others in this way, but I think we can all say that our thoughts are with all the victims, their families and the community, he said.
Other victims
The names of all the victims will be released only after all the victims have been identified and families have been contacted, police said Tuesday. However, some have already been identified.
Liviu Librescu, 75, an engineering science and mathematics lecturer who survived the Nazi killings and later escaped from Communist Romania, was one of several victims of the shootings, which coincided with Israel's Holocaust remembrance day.Librescu, who taught at Virginia Tech for 20 years, had an international reputation for his work in aeronautical engineering. Librescu's son, Joe, said his father's students sent emails detailing how the professor saved their lives by blocking the doorway of his classroom from the approaching gunman before he was fatally shot. My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee, Librescu's son, Joe Librescu, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv.
Students started opening windows and jumping out.
Professor Kevin Granata was also killed, AP reported. Ishwar K. Puri, the head of the engineering science and mechanics department, called Granata one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.
Indian-born G.V. Loganathan, 51, a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was shot and killed by the gunman, his brother G.V. Palanivel told the NDTV news channel. Loganathan won several awards for excellence in teaching, had served on the faculty senate and was an adviser to about 75 undergraduate students.
Ryan Clark, a fifth-year student from Martinex, Ga., who was working toward degrees in biology and English.
Other victims include:
Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., according to his mother, Lynnette Alameddine.
Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, killed in his French class, according to his mother, Betty Cueva, of Peru.
Caitlin Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, N.Y., a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to Minisink Valley, N.Y., school officials who spoke with Hammaren's family.
Jeremy Herbstritt, 27, of Bellefonte, Pa., according to Penn State University, his alma mater and his father's employer.
Emily Jane Hilscher, a 19-year-old freshman from Woodville, according to Rappahannock County Administrator John W. McCarthy, a family friend.
Matthew J. La Porte, 20, a freshman from Dumont, N.J., according to Dumont Police Chief Brian Venezio.
Jarrett L. Lane, according to Riffe's Funeral Service Inc. in Narrows, Va.
Daniel O'Neil, 22, according to close friend Steve Craveiro and according to Eric Cardenas of Connecticut College, where O'Neil's father, Bill, is director of major gifts.
Juan Ramon Ortiz, a 26-year-old graduate student in engineering from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, according to his wife, Liselle Vega Cortes.
Mary Karen Read, 19, of Annandale, Va. according to her aunt, Karen Kuppinger, of Rochester, N.Y. With a report from CTV Atlantic's Dan McIntosh
Former Centennial student killed during Virginia Tech shootings (AUSTIN CLOYD)
University police work to prevent similar incidents on campus - By Daily Illini Staff report Posted: 4/17/07 Section: News
Austin Cloyd, a former Centennial High School student, was among those killed during the shootings at Virginia Tech, The Associated Press reports.According to The News-Gazette, Cloyd attended Centennial during her freshman, sophomore and junior years before moving to Virginia with her family. She was an international studies major at Virginia Tech.Cloyd played volleyball and basketball at Centennial.She was a very good student, said Centennial High School principal Judy Wiegand.
Her father, Bryan Cloyd, a professor of accounting and information systems at Virginia Tech, taught at the University from 1999 to 2005, The News-Gazette said. Her younger brother Andrew attended Jefferson Middle School.The Cloyds were active members of the First United Methodist Church in Champaign, Ill., the Rev. Terry Harter said.
Harter, whose church held a prayer service for the family Tuesday night, described Cloyd as a very delightful, intelligent (and) warm young lady.Her father said she wanted to work for the United Nations in hopes of fostering peace in a troubled world.According to a story from The Associated Press, Interim Police Chief Krystal Fitzpatrick says she hopes to prevent tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech.Fitzpatrick says the University has tried to take a proactive approach to find and deal with possible problems, The Associated Press reports. She said the police department and the dean of students office meet monthly to discuss issues and develop coordinated responses.Police also meet with the University's Counseling Center once a month to discuss possible threats, the story said.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Making world better was a goal for slain Middletown student (JULIA PRYDE)
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/19/07
BY ALISON HERGET AND KEVIN PENTON KEYPORT BUREAU
MIDDLETOWN — Like many other students at Virginia Tech, Julia Pryde had a lot of classwork to complete in the days leading up to Monday's tragedy.
Through several e-mails, the 23-year-old who grew up in Middletown communicated with Mary Leigh Wolfe, who served as her academic adviser at the university for more than four years.Pryde wrote no broad ruminations on life but detailed how she was preparing for finals.She was very passionate about her schoolwork, but she was also a very well-rounded person, Wolfe said. She wanted to improve the living conditions of poor people.Pryde was killed in Monday's bloodbath on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va. A graduate student in the biological systems and engineering department, she was one of 33 killed in the tragedy. Three were from New Jersey.
Wolfe said Pryde aspired to either teach or continue research into improving the environment, particularly for those less privileged.
She was a very open-minded person, Wolfe said. She had a wonderful laugh that would not hold back, just like her.Pryde, a 2001 Middletown High School North graduate, also took to the water and had such a passion for swimming that she took a job as a lifeguard and office assistant in the summer of 1999 at the Middletown Swim and Tennis Club. She was also a member there for some time.Jim Kelly, who was club manager at the time, said Pryde loved what she did.She was hard working, always conscientious and really caring, said Kelly, of Middletown.A tight-knit community to which many members have belonged for decades, the swim club will feel the effects of Pryde's death.It brings you back to 9/11 and all the people (Middletown) lost then, he said. She was a part of the swim club family and we will really miss her.Pryde played soccer for several years for the Middletown Youth Athletic Association. Ben Curci, also Middletown's superintendent of recreation, was her coach for three years.She was versatile, often playing midfield, but could also play goalie when needed to help the team, Curci said.She did whatever she needed to help her teammates, he said.
Scholarship in her name
The school community is already taking steps to remember Pryde. A $500 scholarship in her name will be given this year to a North graduating senior.The sign outside High School North on Wednesday read: Julia Pryde in our hearts and thoughts.A member of the National Honor Society and frequently on the high honor roll, Pryde participated in the high school swim team all four years and was captain of the varsity team as a senior, interim Schools Superintendent Karen L. Bilbao said.
There were many, many Middletown staff members who knew her because their children went to school with her, Bilbao said. There were lots of memories, so this has really hit home for us.Even though Pryde graduated from North almost six years ago, the death has still taken its toll on the school community, she said.When something like that happens, it seems so distant, Bilbao said. Then the pieces start to come together . . . and you find out one of the victims is one of your former students that so many people knew. It's just devastating.Alison Herget: (732) 888-2621 or
aherget@app.com
Names of Victims at Virginia Tech
April 19, 2007 - 12:04pm
By The Associated Press
(AP) - A list of the victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech:
_ Brian Roy Bluhm, 25, civil engineering graduate student from Stephens City, Va. He had previously lived in Iowa, Detroit and Louisville, Ky.
_ Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24, of Chester, Va., graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, according to his father and stepmother, Greg and Linda Gwaltney.
_ Rachael Hill, 18, of Glen Allen, Va., according to her father, Guy Hill.
_ Henry J. Lee, also known as Henh Ly, 20, first-year student majoring in computer engineering from Roanoke, Va. He had enough advanced-placement credits to be considered a sophomore by Virginia Tech.
_ Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan, 34, of Indonesia, civil engineering doctoral student.
_ Lauren Ashley McCain, 20, of Hampton, Va., freshman international studies major.
_ Minal Hiralal Panchal, 26, of Mumbai, India, graduate student in architecture.
_ Erin Peterson, 18, of Chantilly, Va., an international studies major, according to her father, Grafton Peterson.
_ Michael Steven Pohle Jr., 23, of Flemington, N.J., senior majoring in biology.
_ Reema Joseph Samaha, 18, freshman from Centreville, Va.
_ Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, 32, of Zagazig, Egypt, doctoral student in civil engineering.
_ Leslie Sherman, sophomore history and international studies student from Springfield, Va., according to her grandmother Gerry Adams.
_ Maxine Turner, 22, senior majoring in chemical engineering from Vienna, Va., according to her father, Paul Turner.
_ Nicole White, 20, junior majoring in international studies from Smithfield, Va., according to a family statement released by the Suffolk, Va., Police Department.
Authorities ID gunman in Va. Tech rampage
Student’s writings raised red flags before 33 killed; bomb threat found
MSNBC and NBC News APR 17,07
BLACKSBURG, Va. - A 23-year-old senior from South Korea whose creative writing was so disturbing that he was referred to the school’s counseling service was behind the massacre of 30 people locked inside a university classroom building in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, the university said Tuesday.Ballistics tests found that one of the guns used in that attack was also used in a shooting two hours earlier at a dormitory that left two people dead at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State Police said. Investigators said in a court filing that they had found a bomb threat note near the gunman’s body.Police identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui (pronounced Choh Suhng-whee), of Centreville, Va., who was a senior in the English Department at Virginia Tech. Cho, a resident alien who immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1992, lived on campus in Harper Residence Hall.The bloodbath ended with Cho’s suicide, bringing the death toll from two separate shootings — first at the dormitory, then in a classroom building — to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy.
Note listed gunman’s grievances
Professor Carolyn Rude, chairwoman of the university’s English department, said she did not personally know the gunman. But she said she spoke with Lucinda Roy, the department’s director of creative writing, who had Cho in one of her classes and described him as troubled. There was some concern about him, Rude told The Associated Press. Sometimes, in creative writing, people reveal things and you never know if it’s creative or if they’re describing things, if they’re imagining things or just how real it might be. But we’re all alert to not ignore things ike this.She said Cho was referred to the counseling service, but she said she did not know when or what the outcome was. Rude refused to release any of his writings or his grades, citing privacy laws.NBC News Pete Williams reported that police had found a note in which Cho listed random grievances, but few other details were immediately available. That seemed in keeping for a young man who apparently left little impression in the Virginia Tech community.Cho’s fellow residents of Harper Hall said few people knew thegunman, who kept to himself. He can’t have been an outgoing kind of person, Meredith Daly, 19, of Danville, Va., told MSNBC.com’s Bill Dedman.Stephen Scott, a freshman engineering student from Marlton, N.J., said police and FBI agents went through the dorm Monday night showing a picture of Cho and trying to find anybody who recognized or knew him. He did not know whether they were successful.
Very quiet, always by himself
In Centreville, a suburb of Washington where Cho’s family lived in an off-white, two-story townhouse, people who knew Cho concurred that he kept to himself.He was very quiet, always by himself, said Abdul Shash, a neighbor. Shash said Cho spent a lot of his free time playing basketball and would not respond if someone greeted him. He described the family as quiet.Rod Wells, a postal worker, said that characterization of Cho did not fit the man’s parents, who, he described as always polite, always kind to me, very quiet, always smiling. Just sweet, sweet people.I talk to particularly everybody here, Wells told NBC News. So I guess nobody had any intimation that he was like that. I don’t think the parents did, because they were quite the opposite.Cho graduated in 2003 from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., said Jack Dale, superintendent of the Fairfax County schools.I want to express the devastation that we in Fairfax County Public Schools all feel about the news from Blacksburg, Dale said in a statement.This is a time for families and friends to grieve.Dale said the school system had called in psychologists and social workers to work with students and employees who may have been affected by these terrible events.South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences, saying that there was no known motive for the shootings and that South Korea hoped the tragedy would not stir up racial prejudice or confrontation.
Ballistics evidence points to student
Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said it was reasonable to assume that Cho was the shooter in both attacks but that the link was not yet definitive.
There’s no evidence of any accomplice at either event, but we’re exploring the possibility, he said.An affidavit filed Tuesday in Montgomery County circuit court, said police had found a bomb threat note ... directed at engineering school department buildings near the shooter’s body, The Washington Post reported on its Web site.
The affidavit was filed as part of a request for a warrant to search Cho’s room in Harper Hall, it said. The note is connected with the shooting incident, the affidavit said, according to The Post.Police said that there had been bomb threats on campus over the past two weeks but that they had not determined a link to the shootings.Two law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been officially announced, said Cho’s fingerprints were found on the two guns used in the shootings.
The serial numbers had been filed off, the officials said. Law enforcement officials told NBC News that Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for the purchase of a Glock 9mm pistol in March. As a permanent legal resident, Cho was eligible to buy a handgun unless he had been convicted of any felony criminal charges.Cho renewed his green card in late 2003 and would have undergone a background check at that time, immigration officials told NBC affiliate WSLS-TV of Roanoke. If a criminal record had shown up then, officials would have denied the renewal, they said.
At least 26 people were taken to hospitals after the second attack, some of them seriously injured. Twelve students remained in hospitals in stable condition Tuesday, and most were expected to be released soon, NBC News’ Michelle Kosinski reported from Montgomery Regional Medical Center. After the shootings, all campus entrances were closed, and classes were canceled for the rest of the week. The university set up a spot for families to reunite with their children.President Bush planned to attend a memorial service Tuesday afternoon, the White House said, and Gov. Timothy Kaine was flying back to Virginia from Tokyo for the 2 p.m. convocation.
He didn’t say a single word
Wielding two handguns and carrying multiple clips of ammunition, Cho opened fire about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coeducational dorm, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building a half-mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus. Some of the doors at Norris Hall were found chained from the inside, apparently by the gunman.Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including Cho, who put a bullet in his head.
Students jumped from windows in panic. Trey Perkins, who was sitting in a German class in Norris Hall, told MSNBC-TV on Monday that the gunman barged into the room about 9:50 a.m. and opened fire for about a minute and a half, squeezing off 20 to 30 shots.The gunman first shot the professor in the head and then fired on the students, Perkins said, who added: He didn’t say a single word the whole time.He didn’t say, Get down. He didn’t say anything. He just started shooting, said Perkins, 20, of Yorktown, Va., a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. I got on the ground, and I was just thinking, like, there’s no way I’m going to survive this. All I could keep thinking of was my mom.
Mon, April 16, 2007 - U of C will review security in wake of Virginia massacre UPDATED: 2007-04-16 15:55:46 MST - By BILL KAUFMANN, SUN MEDIA
33 killed in Virginia Tech shootings, including gunman who killed himself
Shaken by the campus massacre in the U.S. today, University of Calgary security officials say they may learn some gruesome lessons on halting such an onslaught. In an eerie prelude to the shootings in Virginia, the U of C and Calgary police on April 4 conducted a table-top exercise in responding to just such an incident, said campus Security Director Lanny Fritz. But he said the Virginia Tech attack will be closely studied and the U of C’s strategy possibly overhauled to ensure the campus is as secure as possible. We’ll go through our emergency response plan page by page, it’ll make us stop and reflect and we’ll see if we can learn anything, said Fritz, a former Calgary police officer. Though the multiple murders occurred thousands of kilometres away, Fritz said it nonetheless hit close to home. We can quickly visualize how tough for them it must be to go through...a shooting on campus has to be the most horrific thing,he said. We just hope it’s a scenario we never have to confront, he said.
Though the Virginia gunman’s rampage apparently lasted hours, Fritz said he’s in no position to comment on that university’s security plan or performance. But he said the Calgary plan is for police to bypass victims and go straight for the source of the violence. Going directly to where the shooter is, that’s the first priority, said Fritz. We are prepared for these certain horrific incidents.Central to their strategy, he said, is evacuating buildings and locking them down while communicating with the entire campus. While many U.S. campus security forces carry firearms, the U of C’s 38 officers are equipped only with handcuffs and there’s no plan or desire to holster guns, said Fritz. For now, campus security will rely on cameras that cover 85% of its real estate at any one time and by regular patrols that are to backed up by city police when necessary. They’ll also continue to rely on information fed to a threat assessment committee that evaluates risks posed by certain individuals, said Fritz. We get at these threats at the early stages, said Fritz, adding psychiatric help is sought for many of the individuals. We may have been able to prevent some horrific things.He said about two or three such threats are assessed to be of a serious nature each year.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
ISRAEL MARKS HOLOCAUST DAY
BREAKING NEWS - BLACKSBERG VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS 7-12AM EDT BY STAN BOWMAN JR
A LONE GUNMAN OR MORE SHOT DEAD 21 AND INJURED 21 STUDENTS AT VIRGINIA TECH TODAY. IT ALL HAPPENED AT 2 DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CAMPASS IN VIRGINIA. AT VIRGINIA TECH AND NORRIS HALL, BUT REPORTS SAY THERE COULD BE 4 DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE SCHOOL WERE THE SHOOTING OCCURED. THE 1 GUNMEN IF ONLY 1 WAS SHOT DEAD.
FOLKS I FIND THIS INTERESTING THAT THE ISRAELIS CELEBRATE THE DEATH OF 6 MILLION JEWS ON THIS DAY TODAY WHEN A MASSACRE NOW OCCURS TO GENTILES (WORLD) ON THIS VERY DAY. LIKE I SAID GOD IS GIVING A WAKE UP CALL TO THE WORLD TO REPENT AND GET BACK TO PRAYER IN SCHOOLS AND THE 10 COMMANDMENTS.
THIS IS THE DEADLIEST SCHOOL MASSCRE IN US HISTORY. THE HOLOCAUST WAS THE WORST MASSACRE OF ISRAELIS IN HISTORY AND ALSO ANOTHER COMPARISON YET. AT 10AM THE ISRAELIS WERE MARKING THEIR MASSACRE WHILE IN VIRGINIA THE GUNMEN MURDERED MOST OF THE VICTOMS AROUND THE SAME TIME THIS MOURNING.
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Small quake strikes Southern California. 3-Storm pummels East Coast with rain, wind. 4-The Nation's Weather. 5-Israel, Poland mark Holocaust day. 6-Sirens Wail in Israel and Echo Around the World for 6 Million. 7- Iran: Sanctions could push nuclear drive. 8-Teething polar bear cub off display. 9-Britain and the Constitutional Treaty.
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 = Mon Apr 16 10:48 AM EDT
APR 16,07
MAP 6.2 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
MAP 4.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.9 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 ALBANIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
APR 15,07
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.4 TONGA
MAP 4.7 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 WESTERN IRAN
MAP 5.4 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.8 WASHINGTON
Small quake strikes Southern California Sun Apr 15, 8:04 PM ET
SAN DIEGO - A small earthquake shook a tiny desert town Sunday near the Mexican border, but no injuries or damage were reported, officials said. The magnitude 4.2 quake struck at 3:57 p.m. PDT, 5 miles southwest of the tiny town of Ocotillo, according to seismologists at the California Institute of Technology.It shook the building some but it didn't knock anything down, said Helen Lynch, an employee at Ocotillo's Old Highway Cafe. It lasted about five seconds.Lynch said no one at the cafe was unnerved because earthquakes are fairly common in the area.Last year we had eight or ten, she said.Ocotillo, about 85 miles east of San Diego, has a population of fewer than 300 people.
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.
Storm pummels East Coast with rain, wind By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer APR 16,07
NEW YORK - People were evacuated from flooded homes Monday and hundreds of thousands had no electricity as a fierce nor easter drenched the Northeast with record rainfall. Residents in at least one New York City neighborhood paddled through streets in boats.
And in suburban Mamaroneck, Nicholas Staropoli said a truck near his home actually floated up on the riverbank.Rain was still falling Monday morning in the New York area and New England after it began early Sunday along the East Coast from Florida to New England. The National Guard was sent to help with rescue and evacuation efforts in the suburbs north of New York City.Firefighters plucked Kathleen Reale and her twin boys from their window in suburban Mamaroneck using a front-end-loader. Water reached up to her knees in her garage and basement and her family was evacuated to a shelter.I mean everything will be ruined, she said Monday. Everything will be gone. It's unbelievable.The shelter was filled to capacity Monday morning with about 300 people sleeping on cots. Mamaroneck, in Westchester County, called for voluntary evacuations of areas on Long Island Sound.The rain totaled 7.81 inches in Central Park from early Sunday to Monday morning, the National Weather Service said. The previous record in the park for April 15 was just 1.8 inches, set in 1906.
Snow fell in inland areas, including 17 inches in Vermont, with flakes still falling Monday across sections of Pennsylvania, upstate New York and Maine.Nearly 300,000 homes and businesses had lost power from Maryland to Maine.
In Westchester County, north of New York City, all public schools were closed Monday. Cars were stalled in water on numerous roads and several major highways were closed at times by flooding. New Jersey also had school closings, highways blocked by water and dozens of residents being evacuated from homes, authorities said. Hundreds of people had been evacuated from their homes in southern West Virginia as crews worked to pump water from a private lake near Hamlin to keep an unstable earthen dam from collapsing.If the dam breaks, millions of gallons of water could pour into Hamlin, Mayor Brian Barrett said Monday. We're being told it could be eight or nine feet of water, Barrett told the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington.Coastal residents were urged to evacuate in parts of Maine, and a nursing home in Portland was evacuated as a precaution, state officials said. In southeastern New Hampshire, parts of downtown Newmarket were evacuated because of flooding.
Flights were delayed Monday at the New York area's three major airports, where airlines canceled more than 500 flights Sunday as wind gusted to 48 mph, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Dozens more flights were canceled in Philadelphia, Boston and elsewhere in New England. We came up to see the city, said Amby Lewis, the leader of a girl scout troop from North Carolina who was stranded at LaGuardia airport. And the lovely weather rolled in and we've been stuck ever since.The storm about 20,000 runners in Monday's Boston Marathon something to worry about besides Heartbreak Hill as the course was doused with several inches of rain driven by wind gusting to more than 30 mph.When you live in the Northeast, you've got to respect this kind of weather, said marathoner Rob Comitz, 31, from Harleysville, Pa. Power outages affected more than 10,000 households and businesses in the New York area and more than 55,000 customers elsewhere in the state, more than 30,000 in Maryland, 50,000 in Pennsylvania, more than 43,000 across Connecticut, at least 46,000 in New Hampshire, 17,000 in Maine, 25,000 in Vermont and 12,000 in Massachusetts, utility officials said.
At least three tornadoes touched down Sunday in South Carolina. One cut a 14-mile-long, 300-yard-wide swath through Sumter County in the central part of the state, killing a woman and seriously injuring four other people. One person was killed by a tornado in South Carolina, and two died in car accidents one in upstate New York and one in Connecticut. The storm rattled the Gulf states Friday and Saturday with violent thunderstorms after taking Texas with at least two tornadoes, and it was blamed for five deaths in Texas and Kansas.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Mon Apr 16, 7:24 AM ET
The storm that battered the mid-Atlantic and Northeast was swirling over the New Jersey and Long Island coasts early Monday morning. Strong wind gusts and coastal flooding were feared. Storm surge levels were forecast to reach up to 6 feet above normal high tide levels across western portions of the Long Island Sound. Elsewhere along the coast, water levels could rise at least 2 feet above their already high spring tide heights.
Heavy snows continue to be a threat across the interior of the region, especially in New England. Parts of New Hampshire could see more than a foot of snow.Across the rest of the nation, much calmer weather was anticipated, with only a few showers and thunderstorms in the central Rockies breaking up a swath of dry conditions from the western Great Lakes to the West Coast.A low pressure system was moving into the Northwest, bringing rain to coastal portions of Washington and Oregon. Aside from these two areas of precipitation, the West was expected to experience a quite pleasant day.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Sunday ranged from a low of 15 degrees at Moriarty, N.M., to a high of 88 degrees at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
ISRAEL WILL BECOME A NATION. LITERALLY IN THE SPRING.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram,(CHANGED TO ABRAHAM LATER) Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:(PALESTINE,ISRAEL)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
EZEKIEL 37:9-28
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds,(ALL THE WORLD) O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.(COME TO LIFE)
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.(ISRAEL WILL HAVE A POWERFUL ARMY)
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.(BURNED BY HITLER)
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.(THE DRY BONES COME TO LIFE IN ISRAEL)
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
MATTHEW 24:32
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:(ISRAEL WAS LITERALLY REBORN JUST BEFORE SUMMER,MAY 14,1948).
MARK 13:28
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
DANIEL 9:24
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE
LAST GENERATION.
LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
I BELIEVE THE VERSES ABOVE LITERALLY SAY FROM THE DRY BONES OF THE HOLOCAUST CAME THE MIRACULAS MIRACLE OF THE REBORN NATION OF ISRAEL.
Israel, Poland mark Holocaust day By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer APR 16,07
JERUSALEM - Sirens sounded across Israel Monday morning, bringing life to a standstill as millions of Israelis observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The two-minute siren at 10 a.m. is an annual tradition marking Israel's Holocaust remembrance day, which began Sunday evening and ends at sundown Monday. Pedestrians froze in their tracks, buses stopped on busy streets, and cars on major highways pulled over as the country paused to pay respect to the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis.All day, television stations devoted their broadcasts to historical documentaries and movies, and radio stations played somber music and interviews with survivors.
Schools held memorial services, places of entertainment were shut down and the Israeli flag was waved at half staff.
At Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial and museum, the nation's leaders gathered along with Holocaust survivors for the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Warsaw Ghetto Square. Later, ordinary Israelis flocked to the museum's hall of remembrance to recite names of victims. Other ceremonies, prayers and music performances were planned.In Poland, thousands of Jews from around the world, many draped in blue-and-white Israeli flags, gathered at Auschwitz.About 8,000 people walked amid the barracks at the former Nazi death camp for the annual March of the Living, a two-mile walk from the notorious Auschwitz wrought-iron gates, reading Arbeit Macht Frei, or Work Sets You Free, to the death camp of Birkenau, where most of the gas chambers were located.
A shofar, or ram's horn, sounded the event's start.We are all very proud to walk with our flags, said Zohar Cohen, a 16-year-old visiting from Ashkelon, Israel. Especially in this place in Poland, where the Germans tried to exterminate all Jews.The U.S. military said Monday that 34 Jews who died serving as slave laborers for the Nazis were honored with the dedication of gravestones in a ceremony at the U.S. Army airfield in Germany where their mass grave was recently discovered.More than 200 mourners were on hand for Sunday's ceremony to dedicate the gravestones to the anonymous victims of the Echterdingen concentration camp that were discovered in September 2005 during construction at the airfield.At Sunday night's opening ceremony at Yad Vashem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert noted that Israel celebrates its 59th independence day next week.
The renewal of the Jewish people, its shaking off the ashes of the Holocaust for a new life and national rebirth in its historic birthplace, is the pinnacle of its victory, he said.But the plight of the Holocaust survivors in Israel has been difficult. Many arrived directly from Europe to fight in the Jewish state's war of independence in 1948, and have since struggled to cope with the physical and emotional burdens of World War II.Recent data reveals that about a third of the remaining Holocaust survivors in Israel live under the poverty line, drawing widespread outrage.We must never accept a reality in which even one of the Holocaust survivors in Israel is living without dignity, Acting President Dalia Itzik said in a speech Sunday.The government announced it was establishing a commission to solve the matter, but hundreds gathered in front of parliament Monday to protest what they called the state's neglect of survivors.
With the passing years fewer and fewer survivors remain. There are some 250,000 survivors in Israel, about half of the worldwide total. Nearly 10 percent of the aging population dies each year.In Israel, 2,000 die each month, a rate of 65 daily, according to experts cited in Israeli newspapers Monday.
With each passing day, the world loses its last live voices who can directly attest to the horrors of the Holocaust and confront a growing tide of worldwide Holocaust denial. To this purpose, Yad Vashem has led a vigorous campaign in recent years to complete its database of names of Holocaust victims, encouraging survivors to come forth and fill out pages of testimony for those murdered, before their names and stories are lost forever. Even so, Yad Vashem has only managed to gather just 3.1 million names. In the museum's vast Hall of Names, half the folders remain empty. Reading from her list of names on Monday, Michal Beer halted to choke back the tears. The 78-year-old survivor of the Terezin concentration camp has submitted more pages of testimony than anyone else, documenting the lives of 450 friends and relatives, including her father and almost all the Jews in her hometown of Prostejov, in the Czech Republic. I feel as if a great weight has lifted from my heart, she said of the pages of testimony. No one would have remembered them, if I hadn't done this, who would have?
Soon, I will no longer be around. We really are the last ones.
Sirens Wail in Israel and Echo Around the World for 6 Million
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu APR 16,07
Sirens wailed in Israel for 2 minutes at 10 a.m. Monday in memory of six million victims of Nazi terror while communities around the world stand united with the Jewish People at Holocaust remembrance ceremonies. In Israel, the entire country came to a halt as cars and buses stopped and people in buildings and on the streets stopped in their tracks and stood silently to unite in prayer and remember the six million who were butchered by Nazis. During the memorial services which followed, survivors related the horrible past with some breaking a 60-year-silence to bring to light new episodes of horror. In the Knesset and at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum and Remembrance Authority, names of victims are being read aloud. In Europe, several thousand young Jews are participating in the traditional three-kilometer March of the Living. The march begins from the site of the former German concentration camp Auschwitz and retraces the steps that Jews were forced to take on their way to the gas chambers at the Birkenau death camp, the largest that the Nazis operated. In major cities and rural towns in American and around the world, survivors are revealing the nightmares that still haunt them.
In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said at a memorial service in Ottawa Sunday, There are still people who would perpetrate another Holocaust if they could. Implying but not directly referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Prime Minister Harper added, Politicians... must stand up to those who advocate the destruction of Israel and its people today, and they must be unequivocal in their condemnation of anti-Semitic despots, terrorists and fanatics.Israeli Ambassador to Canada Alan Baker was more direct and said, Any attempt to resurrect such designs, as we are presently witnessing emanating from the president of Iran and others, must be firmly dealt with by all responsible nations and peoples of the world.In Austria, a project in coordination with Yad Vashem provides a video link between school children and Holocaust survivors, who will answer questions after telling the stories of the nightmares of the Nazi era. Recent studies have shown that anti-Semitism is on the rise again in Europe, and the Austrian program is designed to educate the younger generation to the threat of another genocide against Jews. Henry Golde, age 77 and one of the last survivors in the state of Wisconsin, has launched a tour of schools in the state. He published his memoirs in the Ragdolls three years ago.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger related stories related by his mother, who told him of bodies she saw lying on the side of the road, shot to death because they were Jews.As time takes its toll and blurs the past, children of survivors are concerned about the new wave of Holocaust denial.
They had no graves, no names it is important to remember they were once here, said Eda Yardeni Taylor of Macon, Georgia, whose mother survived Auschwitz. Henry Freidman of Atlanta related that he worked in a German munitions factory and didn't hear of the concentration camps until after the war because the German propaganda was very, very good. Learning the extent of the persecution and seeing the devastation was shocking and horrifying. Friedman moved to the United States after the war and married and had a son, but like many survivors, For many, many years, I wasn't able to talk about it. It was very painful. He says that now he feels an obligation to pass down to generations the stories of the Nazi era. If you forget, its destined to happen again, said a young non-Jewish girl who participated in a memorial ceremony in Kentucky. Its our generations duty to stop it.
Iran: Sanctions could push nuclear drive By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer APR 16,07
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday warned that Iran would respond to additional U.N. sanctions with new nuclear advances, in yet another show of defiance to international demands that the country roll back its atomic program. The U.N. Security Council has set a deadline of late May for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, warning it will gradually ratchet up its punishments. The council imposed limited sanctions in December and strengthened them slightly last month because of Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment.
The enrichment process can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or if taken to a higher degree the material for atomic bombs. Iran, however, denies accusations from the U.S. and some of its allies that the country is secretly developing nuclear weapons.After the first resolution, we undertook the nuclear fuel cycle; after the second one, we began the industrial phase of nuclear fuel; and if another resolution is issued, new capabilities of the Iranian nation will surface, the state broadcasting company's Web site quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in a speech in the southern city of Kazeroun.
The U.N.'s latest sanctions ban Iranian arms exports and freeze the assets of 28 individuals and companies involved in Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
Iran has rejected the sanctions and announced a partial suspension of cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Association.The Iranian president did not specify how the country would ramp up its development in response to a third set of sanctions.Last week, Iran said it had begun operating 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz plant — nearly 10 times the previously known number. The U.S., Britain, France and others criticized the announcement, but experts expressed skepticism that Iran's claims were true.During Monday's speech, Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran would not back down from its right to pursue nuclear development and maintained the peaceful nature of the country's program.The Iranian nation will use all capacities of nuclear energy in agriculture, industry, medicine and generating electricity, he said.Iran's defiance has heightened concerns in the region that the U.S. or Israel could respond with a military strike against the country's nuclear facilities.
The U.S. stoked these fears last month when it held a military exercise off Iran's coast that included two aircraft carrier groups, its largest show of force in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen attempted to quell concerns Monday by saying the U.S. had no plan to attack Iran and the heightened naval presence was meant to reassure its regional allies.I'm aware of no plans that involve any kind of attack on Iran, Mullen told reporters in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. All efforts with respect to Iran, I believe, need to be handled through the diplomatic channels.
MY FAVORITE POLAR BEAR KNUT HAS TEETHING TROUBLES BOOO, THE POOR CUTE KID.
Teething polar bear cub off display APR 16,07
BERLIN - Knut, the Berlin Zoo's lovable polar bear cub, was taken off display Monday because of teething pains. He is getting his right upper canine, zoo veterinarian Andre Schuele told The Associated Press.Earlier, the 4 1/2-month old cub's daily public appearance was cut short after only 30 minutes and he was put on antibiotics.At the moment he is resting on his blanket and sleeping, Schuele said, adding that despite his lethargy Knut did eat his regular meal in the morning. Thousands of people line up daily to see the cub, and his button-eyed face has been a fixture for newspapers, television and the Internet.Born at the zoo on Dec. 5, Knut was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeepers. So potent is his appeal that zoo attendance has roughly doubled to 15,000 on average daily since his debut, officials said. He has his own blog and TV show and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair.Schuele did not know if Knut would be strong enough for public appearances in the next days.We don't know yet — the little one is not a machine, he said.
Britain and the Constitutional Treaty
16.04.2007 - 09:24 CET | By Richard Corbett
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - As discussions recommence on what to do about the Constitutional Treaty, now ratified by two thirds of the member states of the European Union, the question arises as to what is the position of the UK.
Anyone following such debates across Europe rapidly finds that the UK is lumped together with Poland and the Czech Republic as the opponents of the draft Constitution, a position seized on with relish by some French politicians who are keen to point the finger at somebody else and make us forget that it was France that (not for the first time) has blocked reform of the European Union.Naturally, eurosceptics in Britain like to portray the Constitutional Treaty as something that is not in Britain's interests or has even been foisted on a reluctant Britain.
This is in fact far from being the case. Britain was central to the negotiations that agreed the text, the government signed the treaty and, as Tony Blair said to the House of Commons in June 2004:This constitutional treaty represents a success for the new Europe that is taking shape, is a success for Britain.Of course, the British government is realistic enough to know that the current text of the Constitutional Treaty is unlikely to be ratified as it stands by all member states without further ado.
France alone will see to that. One of the leading French presidential candidates has called instead for a mini-treaty. The other one has called for a complete re-negotiation of the Constitutional Treaty. In such circumstances the British government is being realistic in holding fire and not holding a referendum on a text that may well be moribund, or at least subject to additions or modifications. If it were a matter for simple parliamentary ratification, the government could well consider adding Britain to the list of countries that have endorsed the Constitution as a political gesture. However, the requirement for a referendum on the text as it stands - or, presumably, on anything approaching its scope and carrying the name Constitution - precludes such an approach.
Needless to say, the results of the referendums in France and the Netherlands, notwithstanding the positive outcomes of referendums elsewhere, have almost certainly made it more difficult to win referendums in some of the other member states. Voting on a text that very few people will have read leaves the debate very vulnerable to superficial perceptions. One of the strongest perceptions that will linger in people's minds is the rejection by people in France and the Netherlands - and never mind that many of those voters were really expressing opposition to the government of the day rather than to the text itself.
Securing a compromise will not be easy
Perceptions are political reality, and there is no way around the fact that securing a compromise around a text that will be acceptable to all 27 governments and capable of ratification will not be easy. Among the options available, it is not yet clear what is likely to achieve consensus. These options include:
* Treaty-plus options: keeping the text intact but adding protocols to it or declarations interpreting it in order to respond to concerns that have been expressed.
* Re-negotiating the text: re-examining the content, the style and name of the Constitutional Treaty, if possible without re-opening some of the complex bargains which were struck.
* A mini-treaty: bringing in the emergency repairs needed for the institutional system to enable the union to cater for an ever growing number of members.
Of course, a mix of additional protocols, some re-writing and some deletions is also conceivable - but the more complex the approach, the longer it is likely to take. Nor should we forget that some 22 countries attended the Friends of the Constitution meeting in Madrid in January and expressed their attachment to keeping the current text as intact as possible.Whichever option is chosen, there will have to be an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to negotiate and endorse whatever the new package entails. Such an IGC could, in theory at least, be short and sweet, and be held over this summer and early autumn enabling a new text to emerge by the end of the year. Whether that is feasible as a timetable will depend on the degree of consensus that emerges at the European Council meeting in June.Already, some British voices are attempting to identify what are the essential elements that should be salvaged from a British perspective. Lord Kerr, formerly Britain's ambassador to the EU and former Secretary General of the Convention, whose knowledge on these matters is vast, writing in the Financial Times at the end of February, identified seven vital elements:
* Replacing the six monthly rotating "Buggin's turn" Presidency of the European Council with a full-time fixed term president, chosen by the heads of government to chair their meetings.
* Empowering the EU's High Representative for foreign policy with co-ordinating all external relations of the EU Commission and Council, on both of which he would sit.
* Introducing the reformed qualified majority voting system envisaged under the Constitutional Treaty which is more proportionate to the size of each country.
* Introducing the subsidiarity mechanism for involving national parliaments in prior scrutiny of all EU legislative proposals.
* Subjecting the Commission President to election by the European Parliament.
* Making more visible the principle of conferral, whereby the EU may only act within the powers given to it by the Member States.
* Introducing a secession clause, explicitly empowering Member States to leave the European Union if they so wish.
To the list I would, myself, add some others -
* Cutting the size of the Commission.
* Making all EU legislation subject to the double scrutiny of requiring approval by national ministers in the Council and elected MEPs in the European Parliament.
* Giving more prominence to the treaty article obliging the union to respect the national identities of Member States.
The charter of rights
More tricky is what to do about Part II of the Constitutional Treaty - the charter of rights.Intended as a limitation on the powers of the Union, by obliging it to respect rights that, for the most part, member states themselves already have to respect, it has become embroiled in a debate about whether national courts would defer to the EU court when deliberating on rights cases under national law.Perhaps the solution here would be to have a single article saying that the EU institutions are obliged to respect the charter on rights approved in 2000 in Nice, but that this would not apply to Member States (except when they are applying European law).Another complex matter is the ambition of the Constitutional Treaty to codify all previous treaties into a single document.This worthy idea led to a hasty re-casting of the original set of treaties which, whilst shorter, still represented a constitutional text of inordinate length.Perhaps, here too, an answer might be to have a single article empowering the European Council, by unanimity, to codify and reorganise the existing treaties and to delete redundant articles, provided that the Court of Justice certifies that, in so doing, they are not increasing the competences or powers of the European Union.
Finally, there will no doubt be many suggestions for other additions to the treaty. Some of these should be looked upon favourably: articles on tackling climate change, respecting social security systems of member states and others may well make the text of the treaty more acceptable in some or all the Member States.Negotiating these aspects may well be tricky but will inevitably be part of the final package.All in all, it is high time that British politicians and others start thinking carefully about the details of this debate. Above all, they should not abandon this terrain to the tangential cliches that the eurosceptics are determined to push it down. Their unrealistic and sensationalist portrayal of the issues is already leading the debate in a direction that is totally divorced from what the Constitutional Treaty actually says and from the political reality of what is likely to be negotiated among the 27 Member States. This must be countered by a measured, factual and intelligent contribution to the debate by the true eurorealists - those who know that Britain's interests are best served if we and our neighbouring countries can agree on a settled, well functioning, democratically accountable European framework, better able to address those issues where a joint approach is mutually advantageous.The author is a Labour MEP
A LONE GUNMAN OR MORE SHOT DEAD 21 AND INJURED 21 STUDENTS AT VIRGINIA TECH TODAY. IT ALL HAPPENED AT 2 DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CAMPASS IN VIRGINIA. AT VIRGINIA TECH AND NORRIS HALL, BUT REPORTS SAY THERE COULD BE 4 DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE SCHOOL WERE THE SHOOTING OCCURED. THE 1 GUNMEN IF ONLY 1 WAS SHOT DEAD.
FOLKS I FIND THIS INTERESTING THAT THE ISRAELIS CELEBRATE THE DEATH OF 6 MILLION JEWS ON THIS DAY TODAY WHEN A MASSACRE NOW OCCURS TO GENTILES (WORLD) ON THIS VERY DAY. LIKE I SAID GOD IS GIVING A WAKE UP CALL TO THE WORLD TO REPENT AND GET BACK TO PRAYER IN SCHOOLS AND THE 10 COMMANDMENTS.
THIS IS THE DEADLIEST SCHOOL MASSCRE IN US HISTORY. THE HOLOCAUST WAS THE WORST MASSACRE OF ISRAELIS IN HISTORY AND ALSO ANOTHER COMPARISON YET. AT 10AM THE ISRAELIS WERE MARKING THEIR MASSACRE WHILE IN VIRGINIA THE GUNMEN MURDERED MOST OF THE VICTOMS AROUND THE SAME TIME THIS MOURNING.
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Small quake strikes Southern California. 3-Storm pummels East Coast with rain, wind. 4-The Nation's Weather. 5-Israel, Poland mark Holocaust day. 6-Sirens Wail in Israel and Echo Around the World for 6 Million. 7- Iran: Sanctions could push nuclear drive. 8-Teething polar bear cub off display. 9-Britain and the Constitutional Treaty.
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 = Mon Apr 16 10:48 AM EDT
APR 16,07
MAP 6.2 WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
MAP 4.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.9 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 ALBANIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
APR 15,07
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.9 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 5.1 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.7 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.1 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 4.4 TONGA
MAP 4.7 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 WESTERN IRAN
MAP 5.4 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.8 WASHINGTON
Small quake strikes Southern California Sun Apr 15, 8:04 PM ET
SAN DIEGO - A small earthquake shook a tiny desert town Sunday near the Mexican border, but no injuries or damage were reported, officials said. The magnitude 4.2 quake struck at 3:57 p.m. PDT, 5 miles southwest of the tiny town of Ocotillo, according to seismologists at the California Institute of Technology.It shook the building some but it didn't knock anything down, said Helen Lynch, an employee at Ocotillo's Old Highway Cafe. It lasted about five seconds.Lynch said no one at the cafe was unnerved because earthquakes are fairly common in the area.Last year we had eight or ten, she said.Ocotillo, about 85 miles east of San Diego, has a population of fewer than 300 people.
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.
Storm pummels East Coast with rain, wind By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer APR 16,07
NEW YORK - People were evacuated from flooded homes Monday and hundreds of thousands had no electricity as a fierce nor easter drenched the Northeast with record rainfall. Residents in at least one New York City neighborhood paddled through streets in boats.
And in suburban Mamaroneck, Nicholas Staropoli said a truck near his home actually floated up on the riverbank.Rain was still falling Monday morning in the New York area and New England after it began early Sunday along the East Coast from Florida to New England. The National Guard was sent to help with rescue and evacuation efforts in the suburbs north of New York City.Firefighters plucked Kathleen Reale and her twin boys from their window in suburban Mamaroneck using a front-end-loader. Water reached up to her knees in her garage and basement and her family was evacuated to a shelter.I mean everything will be ruined, she said Monday. Everything will be gone. It's unbelievable.The shelter was filled to capacity Monday morning with about 300 people sleeping on cots. Mamaroneck, in Westchester County, called for voluntary evacuations of areas on Long Island Sound.The rain totaled 7.81 inches in Central Park from early Sunday to Monday morning, the National Weather Service said. The previous record in the park for April 15 was just 1.8 inches, set in 1906.
Snow fell in inland areas, including 17 inches in Vermont, with flakes still falling Monday across sections of Pennsylvania, upstate New York and Maine.Nearly 300,000 homes and businesses had lost power from Maryland to Maine.
In Westchester County, north of New York City, all public schools were closed Monday. Cars were stalled in water on numerous roads and several major highways were closed at times by flooding. New Jersey also had school closings, highways blocked by water and dozens of residents being evacuated from homes, authorities said. Hundreds of people had been evacuated from their homes in southern West Virginia as crews worked to pump water from a private lake near Hamlin to keep an unstable earthen dam from collapsing.If the dam breaks, millions of gallons of water could pour into Hamlin, Mayor Brian Barrett said Monday. We're being told it could be eight or nine feet of water, Barrett told the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington.Coastal residents were urged to evacuate in parts of Maine, and a nursing home in Portland was evacuated as a precaution, state officials said. In southeastern New Hampshire, parts of downtown Newmarket were evacuated because of flooding.
Flights were delayed Monday at the New York area's three major airports, where airlines canceled more than 500 flights Sunday as wind gusted to 48 mph, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Dozens more flights were canceled in Philadelphia, Boston and elsewhere in New England. We came up to see the city, said Amby Lewis, the leader of a girl scout troop from North Carolina who was stranded at LaGuardia airport. And the lovely weather rolled in and we've been stuck ever since.The storm about 20,000 runners in Monday's Boston Marathon something to worry about besides Heartbreak Hill as the course was doused with several inches of rain driven by wind gusting to more than 30 mph.When you live in the Northeast, you've got to respect this kind of weather, said marathoner Rob Comitz, 31, from Harleysville, Pa. Power outages affected more than 10,000 households and businesses in the New York area and more than 55,000 customers elsewhere in the state, more than 30,000 in Maryland, 50,000 in Pennsylvania, more than 43,000 across Connecticut, at least 46,000 in New Hampshire, 17,000 in Maine, 25,000 in Vermont and 12,000 in Massachusetts, utility officials said.
At least three tornadoes touched down Sunday in South Carolina. One cut a 14-mile-long, 300-yard-wide swath through Sumter County in the central part of the state, killing a woman and seriously injuring four other people. One person was killed by a tornado in South Carolina, and two died in car accidents one in upstate New York and one in Connecticut. The storm rattled the Gulf states Friday and Saturday with violent thunderstorms after taking Texas with at least two tornadoes, and it was blamed for five deaths in Texas and Kansas.
The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Mon Apr 16, 7:24 AM ET
The storm that battered the mid-Atlantic and Northeast was swirling over the New Jersey and Long Island coasts early Monday morning. Strong wind gusts and coastal flooding were feared. Storm surge levels were forecast to reach up to 6 feet above normal high tide levels across western portions of the Long Island Sound. Elsewhere along the coast, water levels could rise at least 2 feet above their already high spring tide heights.
Heavy snows continue to be a threat across the interior of the region, especially in New England. Parts of New Hampshire could see more than a foot of snow.Across the rest of the nation, much calmer weather was anticipated, with only a few showers and thunderstorms in the central Rockies breaking up a swath of dry conditions from the western Great Lakes to the West Coast.A low pressure system was moving into the Northwest, bringing rain to coastal portions of Washington and Oregon. Aside from these two areas of precipitation, the West was expected to experience a quite pleasant day.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Sunday ranged from a low of 15 degrees at Moriarty, N.M., to a high of 88 degrees at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
ISRAEL WILL BECOME A NATION. LITERALLY IN THE SPRING.
GENESIS 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram,(CHANGED TO ABRAHAM LATER) Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:(PALESTINE,ISRAEL)
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
EZEKIEL 36:24
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
EZEKIEL 37:9-28
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds,(ALL THE WORLD) O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.(COME TO LIFE)
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.(ISRAEL WILL HAVE A POWERFUL ARMY)
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.(BURNED BY HITLER)
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.(THE DRY BONES COME TO LIFE IN ISRAEL)
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
MATTHEW 24:32
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:(ISRAEL WAS LITERALLY REBORN JUST BEFORE SUMMER,MAY 14,1948).
MARK 13:28
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
DANIEL 9:24
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
ISRAEL WILL BE IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM, THE SIGN OF THE START OF THE
LAST GENERATION.
LUKE 21:24
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
I BELIEVE THE VERSES ABOVE LITERALLY SAY FROM THE DRY BONES OF THE HOLOCAUST CAME THE MIRACULAS MIRACLE OF THE REBORN NATION OF ISRAEL.
Israel, Poland mark Holocaust day By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer APR 16,07
JERUSALEM - Sirens sounded across Israel Monday morning, bringing life to a standstill as millions of Israelis observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The two-minute siren at 10 a.m. is an annual tradition marking Israel's Holocaust remembrance day, which began Sunday evening and ends at sundown Monday. Pedestrians froze in their tracks, buses stopped on busy streets, and cars on major highways pulled over as the country paused to pay respect to the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis.All day, television stations devoted their broadcasts to historical documentaries and movies, and radio stations played somber music and interviews with survivors.
Schools held memorial services, places of entertainment were shut down and the Israeli flag was waved at half staff.
At Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial and museum, the nation's leaders gathered along with Holocaust survivors for the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Warsaw Ghetto Square. Later, ordinary Israelis flocked to the museum's hall of remembrance to recite names of victims. Other ceremonies, prayers and music performances were planned.In Poland, thousands of Jews from around the world, many draped in blue-and-white Israeli flags, gathered at Auschwitz.About 8,000 people walked amid the barracks at the former Nazi death camp for the annual March of the Living, a two-mile walk from the notorious Auschwitz wrought-iron gates, reading Arbeit Macht Frei, or Work Sets You Free, to the death camp of Birkenau, where most of the gas chambers were located.
A shofar, or ram's horn, sounded the event's start.We are all very proud to walk with our flags, said Zohar Cohen, a 16-year-old visiting from Ashkelon, Israel. Especially in this place in Poland, where the Germans tried to exterminate all Jews.The U.S. military said Monday that 34 Jews who died serving as slave laborers for the Nazis were honored with the dedication of gravestones in a ceremony at the U.S. Army airfield in Germany where their mass grave was recently discovered.More than 200 mourners were on hand for Sunday's ceremony to dedicate the gravestones to the anonymous victims of the Echterdingen concentration camp that were discovered in September 2005 during construction at the airfield.At Sunday night's opening ceremony at Yad Vashem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert noted that Israel celebrates its 59th independence day next week.
The renewal of the Jewish people, its shaking off the ashes of the Holocaust for a new life and national rebirth in its historic birthplace, is the pinnacle of its victory, he said.But the plight of the Holocaust survivors in Israel has been difficult. Many arrived directly from Europe to fight in the Jewish state's war of independence in 1948, and have since struggled to cope with the physical and emotional burdens of World War II.Recent data reveals that about a third of the remaining Holocaust survivors in Israel live under the poverty line, drawing widespread outrage.We must never accept a reality in which even one of the Holocaust survivors in Israel is living without dignity, Acting President Dalia Itzik said in a speech Sunday.The government announced it was establishing a commission to solve the matter, but hundreds gathered in front of parliament Monday to protest what they called the state's neglect of survivors.
With the passing years fewer and fewer survivors remain. There are some 250,000 survivors in Israel, about half of the worldwide total. Nearly 10 percent of the aging population dies each year.In Israel, 2,000 die each month, a rate of 65 daily, according to experts cited in Israeli newspapers Monday.
With each passing day, the world loses its last live voices who can directly attest to the horrors of the Holocaust and confront a growing tide of worldwide Holocaust denial. To this purpose, Yad Vashem has led a vigorous campaign in recent years to complete its database of names of Holocaust victims, encouraging survivors to come forth and fill out pages of testimony for those murdered, before their names and stories are lost forever. Even so, Yad Vashem has only managed to gather just 3.1 million names. In the museum's vast Hall of Names, half the folders remain empty. Reading from her list of names on Monday, Michal Beer halted to choke back the tears. The 78-year-old survivor of the Terezin concentration camp has submitted more pages of testimony than anyone else, documenting the lives of 450 friends and relatives, including her father and almost all the Jews in her hometown of Prostejov, in the Czech Republic. I feel as if a great weight has lifted from my heart, she said of the pages of testimony. No one would have remembered them, if I hadn't done this, who would have?
Soon, I will no longer be around. We really are the last ones.
Sirens Wail in Israel and Echo Around the World for 6 Million
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu APR 16,07
Sirens wailed in Israel for 2 minutes at 10 a.m. Monday in memory of six million victims of Nazi terror while communities around the world stand united with the Jewish People at Holocaust remembrance ceremonies. In Israel, the entire country came to a halt as cars and buses stopped and people in buildings and on the streets stopped in their tracks and stood silently to unite in prayer and remember the six million who were butchered by Nazis. During the memorial services which followed, survivors related the horrible past with some breaking a 60-year-silence to bring to light new episodes of horror. In the Knesset and at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum and Remembrance Authority, names of victims are being read aloud. In Europe, several thousand young Jews are participating in the traditional three-kilometer March of the Living. The march begins from the site of the former German concentration camp Auschwitz and retraces the steps that Jews were forced to take on their way to the gas chambers at the Birkenau death camp, the largest that the Nazis operated. In major cities and rural towns in American and around the world, survivors are revealing the nightmares that still haunt them.
In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said at a memorial service in Ottawa Sunday, There are still people who would perpetrate another Holocaust if they could. Implying but not directly referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Prime Minister Harper added, Politicians... must stand up to those who advocate the destruction of Israel and its people today, and they must be unequivocal in their condemnation of anti-Semitic despots, terrorists and fanatics.Israeli Ambassador to Canada Alan Baker was more direct and said, Any attempt to resurrect such designs, as we are presently witnessing emanating from the president of Iran and others, must be firmly dealt with by all responsible nations and peoples of the world.In Austria, a project in coordination with Yad Vashem provides a video link between school children and Holocaust survivors, who will answer questions after telling the stories of the nightmares of the Nazi era. Recent studies have shown that anti-Semitism is on the rise again in Europe, and the Austrian program is designed to educate the younger generation to the threat of another genocide against Jews. Henry Golde, age 77 and one of the last survivors in the state of Wisconsin, has launched a tour of schools in the state. He published his memoirs in the Ragdolls three years ago.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger related stories related by his mother, who told him of bodies she saw lying on the side of the road, shot to death because they were Jews.As time takes its toll and blurs the past, children of survivors are concerned about the new wave of Holocaust denial.
They had no graves, no names it is important to remember they were once here, said Eda Yardeni Taylor of Macon, Georgia, whose mother survived Auschwitz. Henry Freidman of Atlanta related that he worked in a German munitions factory and didn't hear of the concentration camps until after the war because the German propaganda was very, very good. Learning the extent of the persecution and seeing the devastation was shocking and horrifying. Friedman moved to the United States after the war and married and had a son, but like many survivors, For many, many years, I wasn't able to talk about it. It was very painful. He says that now he feels an obligation to pass down to generations the stories of the Nazi era. If you forget, its destined to happen again, said a young non-Jewish girl who participated in a memorial ceremony in Kentucky. Its our generations duty to stop it.
Iran: Sanctions could push nuclear drive By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer APR 16,07
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday warned that Iran would respond to additional U.N. sanctions with new nuclear advances, in yet another show of defiance to international demands that the country roll back its atomic program. The U.N. Security Council has set a deadline of late May for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, warning it will gradually ratchet up its punishments. The council imposed limited sanctions in December and strengthened them slightly last month because of Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment.
The enrichment process can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or if taken to a higher degree the material for atomic bombs. Iran, however, denies accusations from the U.S. and some of its allies that the country is secretly developing nuclear weapons.After the first resolution, we undertook the nuclear fuel cycle; after the second one, we began the industrial phase of nuclear fuel; and if another resolution is issued, new capabilities of the Iranian nation will surface, the state broadcasting company's Web site quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in a speech in the southern city of Kazeroun.
The U.N.'s latest sanctions ban Iranian arms exports and freeze the assets of 28 individuals and companies involved in Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
Iran has rejected the sanctions and announced a partial suspension of cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Association.The Iranian president did not specify how the country would ramp up its development in response to a third set of sanctions.Last week, Iran said it had begun operating 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz plant — nearly 10 times the previously known number. The U.S., Britain, France and others criticized the announcement, but experts expressed skepticism that Iran's claims were true.During Monday's speech, Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran would not back down from its right to pursue nuclear development and maintained the peaceful nature of the country's program.The Iranian nation will use all capacities of nuclear energy in agriculture, industry, medicine and generating electricity, he said.Iran's defiance has heightened concerns in the region that the U.S. or Israel could respond with a military strike against the country's nuclear facilities.
The U.S. stoked these fears last month when it held a military exercise off Iran's coast that included two aircraft carrier groups, its largest show of force in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen attempted to quell concerns Monday by saying the U.S. had no plan to attack Iran and the heightened naval presence was meant to reassure its regional allies.I'm aware of no plans that involve any kind of attack on Iran, Mullen told reporters in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. All efforts with respect to Iran, I believe, need to be handled through the diplomatic channels.
MY FAVORITE POLAR BEAR KNUT HAS TEETHING TROUBLES BOOO, THE POOR CUTE KID.
Teething polar bear cub off display APR 16,07
BERLIN - Knut, the Berlin Zoo's lovable polar bear cub, was taken off display Monday because of teething pains. He is getting his right upper canine, zoo veterinarian Andre Schuele told The Associated Press.Earlier, the 4 1/2-month old cub's daily public appearance was cut short after only 30 minutes and he was put on antibiotics.At the moment he is resting on his blanket and sleeping, Schuele said, adding that despite his lethargy Knut did eat his regular meal in the morning. Thousands of people line up daily to see the cub, and his button-eyed face has been a fixture for newspapers, television and the Internet.Born at the zoo on Dec. 5, Knut was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeepers. So potent is his appeal that zoo attendance has roughly doubled to 15,000 on average daily since his debut, officials said. He has his own blog and TV show and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair.Schuele did not know if Knut would be strong enough for public appearances in the next days.We don't know yet — the little one is not a machine, he said.
Britain and the Constitutional Treaty
16.04.2007 - 09:24 CET | By Richard Corbett
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - As discussions recommence on what to do about the Constitutional Treaty, now ratified by two thirds of the member states of the European Union, the question arises as to what is the position of the UK.
Anyone following such debates across Europe rapidly finds that the UK is lumped together with Poland and the Czech Republic as the opponents of the draft Constitution, a position seized on with relish by some French politicians who are keen to point the finger at somebody else and make us forget that it was France that (not for the first time) has blocked reform of the European Union.Naturally, eurosceptics in Britain like to portray the Constitutional Treaty as something that is not in Britain's interests or has even been foisted on a reluctant Britain.
This is in fact far from being the case. Britain was central to the negotiations that agreed the text, the government signed the treaty and, as Tony Blair said to the House of Commons in June 2004:This constitutional treaty represents a success for the new Europe that is taking shape, is a success for Britain.Of course, the British government is realistic enough to know that the current text of the Constitutional Treaty is unlikely to be ratified as it stands by all member states without further ado.
France alone will see to that. One of the leading French presidential candidates has called instead for a mini-treaty. The other one has called for a complete re-negotiation of the Constitutional Treaty. In such circumstances the British government is being realistic in holding fire and not holding a referendum on a text that may well be moribund, or at least subject to additions or modifications. If it were a matter for simple parliamentary ratification, the government could well consider adding Britain to the list of countries that have endorsed the Constitution as a political gesture. However, the requirement for a referendum on the text as it stands - or, presumably, on anything approaching its scope and carrying the name Constitution - precludes such an approach.
Needless to say, the results of the referendums in France and the Netherlands, notwithstanding the positive outcomes of referendums elsewhere, have almost certainly made it more difficult to win referendums in some of the other member states. Voting on a text that very few people will have read leaves the debate very vulnerable to superficial perceptions. One of the strongest perceptions that will linger in people's minds is the rejection by people in France and the Netherlands - and never mind that many of those voters were really expressing opposition to the government of the day rather than to the text itself.
Securing a compromise will not be easy
Perceptions are political reality, and there is no way around the fact that securing a compromise around a text that will be acceptable to all 27 governments and capable of ratification will not be easy. Among the options available, it is not yet clear what is likely to achieve consensus. These options include:
* Treaty-plus options: keeping the text intact but adding protocols to it or declarations interpreting it in order to respond to concerns that have been expressed.
* Re-negotiating the text: re-examining the content, the style and name of the Constitutional Treaty, if possible without re-opening some of the complex bargains which were struck.
* A mini-treaty: bringing in the emergency repairs needed for the institutional system to enable the union to cater for an ever growing number of members.
Of course, a mix of additional protocols, some re-writing and some deletions is also conceivable - but the more complex the approach, the longer it is likely to take. Nor should we forget that some 22 countries attended the Friends of the Constitution meeting in Madrid in January and expressed their attachment to keeping the current text as intact as possible.Whichever option is chosen, there will have to be an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to negotiate and endorse whatever the new package entails. Such an IGC could, in theory at least, be short and sweet, and be held over this summer and early autumn enabling a new text to emerge by the end of the year. Whether that is feasible as a timetable will depend on the degree of consensus that emerges at the European Council meeting in June.Already, some British voices are attempting to identify what are the essential elements that should be salvaged from a British perspective. Lord Kerr, formerly Britain's ambassador to the EU and former Secretary General of the Convention, whose knowledge on these matters is vast, writing in the Financial Times at the end of February, identified seven vital elements:
* Replacing the six monthly rotating "Buggin's turn" Presidency of the European Council with a full-time fixed term president, chosen by the heads of government to chair their meetings.
* Empowering the EU's High Representative for foreign policy with co-ordinating all external relations of the EU Commission and Council, on both of which he would sit.
* Introducing the reformed qualified majority voting system envisaged under the Constitutional Treaty which is more proportionate to the size of each country.
* Introducing the subsidiarity mechanism for involving national parliaments in prior scrutiny of all EU legislative proposals.
* Subjecting the Commission President to election by the European Parliament.
* Making more visible the principle of conferral, whereby the EU may only act within the powers given to it by the Member States.
* Introducing a secession clause, explicitly empowering Member States to leave the European Union if they so wish.
To the list I would, myself, add some others -
* Cutting the size of the Commission.
* Making all EU legislation subject to the double scrutiny of requiring approval by national ministers in the Council and elected MEPs in the European Parliament.
* Giving more prominence to the treaty article obliging the union to respect the national identities of Member States.
The charter of rights
More tricky is what to do about Part II of the Constitutional Treaty - the charter of rights.Intended as a limitation on the powers of the Union, by obliging it to respect rights that, for the most part, member states themselves already have to respect, it has become embroiled in a debate about whether national courts would defer to the EU court when deliberating on rights cases under national law.Perhaps the solution here would be to have a single article saying that the EU institutions are obliged to respect the charter on rights approved in 2000 in Nice, but that this would not apply to Member States (except when they are applying European law).Another complex matter is the ambition of the Constitutional Treaty to codify all previous treaties into a single document.This worthy idea led to a hasty re-casting of the original set of treaties which, whilst shorter, still represented a constitutional text of inordinate length.Perhaps, here too, an answer might be to have a single article empowering the European Council, by unanimity, to codify and reorganise the existing treaties and to delete redundant articles, provided that the Court of Justice certifies that, in so doing, they are not increasing the competences or powers of the European Union.
Finally, there will no doubt be many suggestions for other additions to the treaty. Some of these should be looked upon favourably: articles on tackling climate change, respecting social security systems of member states and others may well make the text of the treaty more acceptable in some or all the Member States.Negotiating these aspects may well be tricky but will inevitably be part of the final package.All in all, it is high time that British politicians and others start thinking carefully about the details of this debate. Above all, they should not abandon this terrain to the tangential cliches that the eurosceptics are determined to push it down. Their unrealistic and sensationalist portrayal of the issues is already leading the debate in a direction that is totally divorced from what the Constitutional Treaty actually says and from the political reality of what is likely to be negotiated among the 27 Member States. This must be countered by a measured, factual and intelligent contribution to the debate by the true eurorealists - those who know that Britain's interests are best served if we and our neighbouring countries can agree on a settled, well functioning, democratically accountable European framework, better able to address those issues where a joint approach is mutually advantageous.The author is a Labour MEP
Sunday, April 15, 2007
RUSSIA LAUNCHES NUCLEAR SUB
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Moderate quake jolts Japan, five injured. 3-Storms cancels flights in N.Y and N.J. 4-Sask. roads at risk of flooding with sudden warm spell 5-Powerful Storm`s Fury Overspreading The East Coast. 6-Tainted food kills 2 dogs in Puerto Rico. 7-Sea lion mauls surfing teen in Australia. 8-Dearest readers: Jewish World Review. 9-Israel ready for talks with Arabs on peace plan: Olmert. 10-Statement of G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. 11-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 12-Russia launches new generation nuclear submarine.
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 = Sun Apr 15 11:14 AM EDT
APR 15,07
MAP 5.2 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.2 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 5.0 PHOENIX ISLANDS, KIRIBATI REGION
MAP 4.7 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 WESTERN IRAN
MAP 5.4 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.8 WASHINGTON
APR 14,07
MAP 4.6 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.8 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 4.8 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 4.7 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 4.4 GUADELOUPE REGION, LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 CENTRAL MONGOLIA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 LOYALTY ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 3.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 ECUADOR
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 WEST CHILE RISE
MAP 3.2 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Moderate quake jolts Japan, five injured APR 15,07
YOKKAICHI, Japan (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake jolted central and western Japan on Sunday, injuring at least five people and damaging houses. An official at Kameyama City, one of the sites hardest hit by the magnitude 5.4 quake, said two people were injured and 46 houses and other buildings had suffered partial damage.Some 4,300 households in the region suffered a temporary power outage and five people overall were hurt, Kyodo news agency said.The focus of the tremor that occurred at 12:19 p.m. (0319 GMT) was 16 km (10 miles) below the surface of the earth, in Mie Prefecture, about 300 km (190 miles) west of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The shaking was like a big thud, said Motoko Asada, a 56-year-old housewife in Yokkaichi City, just east of Kameyama and where one house had been badly damaged.Luckily, nothing fell and there's been no damage to my house, Asada told Reuters.About six hours later, a tremor with preliminary magnitude of 4.5 jolted the same area, the JMA said.Two people in Kameyama were injured by the first quake after a part of a ceiling fell in a restaurant, and a stone wall of a 16th century castle had partially collapsed, the city official said.Kameyama is home to Sharp Corp.'s flagship liquid crystal display factory and the region is often called Crystal Valley because there are numerous LCD parts and materials suppliers located there to feed into the Sharp plant.
Sharp, the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, said it had halted operations at the Kameyama plant for safety checks, but resumed work after confirming there had been no damage to the facility.
The high speed bullet train service was also briefly halted for checks but resumed service, and some highways were temporarily closed for inspections.Late last month, a 6.9-magnitude quake struck the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, about 300 km west of Tokyo, killing one person, injuring more than 200 people and destroying many homes.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
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.
Storms cancels flights in N.Y and N.J. By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer APR 15,07
NEW YORK - Airlines canceled 300 flights Sunday as a hard-blowing nor'easter gathered strength along the East Coast and threatened to deliver some of the worst flooding to coastal Long Island in 14 years. The cancellations at the New York area's three major airports affected most carriers, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. More cancellations were expected throughout the day.Forecasters expected sustained wind of 40 mph and a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet, a combination that could cause as much coastal damage as a winter storm that wreaked havoc on the island in late 1992, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said.Heavy rain and thunderstorms extended from Florida up the coast to southern New England on Sunday morning.
Spitzer said some low-lying areas of Long Island may need to be evacuated, and he deployed 3,200 members of the National Guard to potential flood areas.The weather system was forecast to strengthen along the East Coast and form a nor'easter, a storm that follows the coast northward with northeasterly wind driving waves and heavy rain.The National Weather Service posted storm warnings and watches all along the East Coast, with tornado warnings in South Carolina and flood warnings extending from Virginia north to the New York area. Winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of New England.Two to 4 inches of rain was forecast for the New York City region with wind gusting to 50 mph. Snow and sleet were possible inland, the weather service said.The weather service said as much as 20 inches of snow was possible at higher elevations of New York's Adirondacks by the time the storm passes late Monday and Tuesday.Pennsylvania officials activated the state emergency operations center in anticipation of the storm. While snowfall in April is highly unusual, it is critical to remain vigilant in executing winter weather preparedness plans, Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement.New Jersey made preparations for heavy snow in the state's northwest corner and possible flooding elsewhere.
We're ready for everything, which based upon the forecast, is pretty much what we could get, said Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.The storm also rained out Sunday's Washington Nationals game with the New York Mets at New York's Shea Stadium. Last weekend, snow dumped by another major storm system wiped out scheduled Mariners-Indians games at Cleveland for four straight days.Organizers canceled the Greek-American Independence Day parade that had been planned on Fifth Avenue.
It is unusual for this time of year. We probably see a storm like this, at this time of year, probably once every 25 years or so, said Brian Korty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Md.The storm had been blamed for five deaths as it blew out of the Plains late in the week, two in violent thunderstorms in Texas and three on slippery roads in Kansas, where more than a foot of snow fell. Two tornadoes caused damage Friday in Texas.
Sask. roads at risk of flooding with sudden warm spell
Last Updated: Saturday, April 14, 2007 | 4:49 PM ET CBC News
Rising temperatures in Saskatchewan this weekend will mean a lot of melting snow and possibly flooded country roads, according to the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.Authority spokesman Doug Johnson says a rapid melting will create fast moving water in some areas.
We're expecting flows in the once-in-25-year range. There'll be a number of grid roads — significant number of grid roads— and a number of farm access roads that are going to be impacted.Johnson says the Watershed Authority is monitoring a number of communities for high water levels. The risk of flooding is highest along Highway 5 between Canora and Humboldt and in the communities of Wolsley Lake and Lanigan.When we start to see double digits, 15-20 degrees … and we tend to see the nighttime temperatures not dropping below zero, then we start to see a rapid runoff, and that's a problem, he told CBC.
Johnson says flooding was confined to a relatively small area last year, but he adds that isn't the case this year.This year, it's not only the Red Deer River system but the Carrot River basin and some of the basins like Duck Creek that are going into the South Saskatchewan [River], Saskatchewan basin, so it's a much wider area.Spring run-off warnings and water level advisories have been popping up from British Columbia to Manitoba in recent weeks with potential for ice-jam flooding on major rivers.
Unseasonably cool, wet weather in early April has delayed some of the normal melting and set the stage for flooding problems, said Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.
Powerful Storm`s Fury Overspreading The East Coast APR 15,07
(State College, PA) - The powerful storm that has been the culprit behind severe weather and a snowstorm the past couple of days will strengthen into a major nor'easter today. While the Northeast is just beginning to feel the storm's fury which will persist into Monday, gusty winds will follow this morning's severe thunderstorms over much of the Southeast.
Our Severe Weather Center's page displays all the watches and warnings related to the potent storm that will batter the East Coast the next couple of days as it strengthens into a powerful and slow-moving nor'easter. As it begins to transition into the major nor'easter, the storm will continue to be responsible for triggering damaging thunderstorms and a couple of destructive tornadoes across the Southeast today. Our SevereWeather Center states that the severe weather will be limited to the morning hours across the Southeast coastline, and bear similar characteristics to what the News Summaries page reports ignited Saturday.
The severe weather threat will only persist into the afternoon hours over the Outer Banks of North Carolina and South Florida, including Miami. North of the severe weather, the East Regional News story details that the band of soaking rain, shown on the Northeast Regional Radar, will continue to spread from north to south over the Interstate 95 corridor from Richmond, Va., to Bangor, Maine, through tonight. Since rain gauges will fill up to the three-inch mark, with locally higher amounts, flooding problems are likely, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Flooding in not only a concern along the immediate coastline due to the drenching rain, but also because the storm's strong winds will pile water up against the shore. In addition, the winds, gusting past 50 mph, will rough up the ocean and cause potentially beach-altering erosion. With a plethora of moisture wrapping around the storm's center and meeting up with colder air, snow will make a late-season appearance across the interior.
According to our Winter Weather Center, up to a foot of snow will blanket the majority of New York to far western Maine through Monday. The higher terrain will top the snowfall totals list with one to two feet. Not only will the snow make travel extremely difficult, but its weight could down tree limbs and power lines, leading to power outages, and cause roofs to fail. With temperatures staying close to the freezing mark, the snow will be a heavy, packing snow, not light and fluffy. As the storm departs and temperatures begin to moderate, the melting of this snow will bring a threat of flooding during the middle of the workweek. The threat for downed trees and power lines, and other minor structural damage, will also exist over the rest of the Northeast, as well as the Southeast, as strong winds howl around the storm through Monday. Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be advised that the winds could easily overturn or steer these vehicles off roadways. The intense weather all across the East this weekend could impact other travelers. Air travelers should check the FAA's Flight Delay map and their specific airline before heading to airports. On the ground, motorists heading where the storm's heavy rain and severe thunderstorms will occur should be prepared for slow travel. The heavy, wet and wind-swept snow across the interior Northeast will make for even worse driving conditions.
Tainted food kills 2 dogs in Puerto Rico Sun Apr 15, 11:23 PM ET
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Two dogs in Puerto Rico died of kidney failure after eating dog biscuits that were among the 100-plus brands of pet foods and treats contaminated with an industrial chemical, a veterinarians' group said Saturday. The Ol'Roy dog biscuits were purchased at Amigo, a supermarket chain owned by Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to Victor Collazo, chief of Puerto Rico's Veterinary Medical Association.The deaths of the miniature schnauzers were the first in the U.S. Caribbean territory stemming from the contaminated pet food, Collazo said in a statement.Testing has revealed that wheat gluten, a protein source, imported from China was contaminated with melamine, used to make plastics and other industrial products.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received thousands of complaints but has confirmed only about 16 pet deaths. Other sources put the death toll much higher.
Sea lion mauls surfing teen in Australia Sun Apr 15, 1:01 AM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian teenager was lucky to be alive on Sunday after she survived being mauled by a massive sea lion while surfing. Ella Murphy was attacked by the creature, thought to weigh about 300 kilograms (660 pounds), as she stood on a surfboard being towed behind a boat on Saturday.The animal was close to charging the 13-year-old girl a second time as she floundered in the water off the coast of the small town of Lancelin in Western Australia when she was rescued by the driver of the boat, Chris Thomas.
You can only describe it as like a white pointer (shark) jumping out of the water, he told News Limited newspapers.It was really sort of movie-like. This thing just exploded in a full-on, frontal attack.It actually lined her up. It jumped out of the water at her and hit her head-on. It must have been travelling at an enormous speed.It opened its mouth and grabbed her head. It latched on.Thomas manoeuvred his boat between the sea lion and the girl to prevent a second mauling.It was going back for her, it was looking for her and it spotted her, he said. I had this horrible feeling I was not going to make it back in time.
Ella, who suffered a broken jaw and lost three teeth in the attack, was in a stable condition at Princess Margaret Hospital late Saturday.Her mother, Michelle Forbes, said her daughter had a gash under her chin which was quite close to her carotid artery.We could have lost her, she said.Sea lions are a protected species and it is thought that environmental officers will attempt to move it into another area rather than kill it.
Dearest readers: Jewish World Review APR 15,07
I believe in the Power of Prayer. I TRULY BELIEVE IN IT.This is one of the hardest letters I'm likely to ever write.My father is in his 80s and his life is now hanging in the balance.There are tens of thousands who receive JWR daily. I'm asking that each of you take a moment and recite a prayer on behalf of Yehudah ben (son of ) Rivka.I don't care if you identify as a Jew, Christian, Hindu, or member of any other faith or no faith. Please beseech the One Who Grants Life to allow my father
to live!
Israel ready for talks with Arabs on peace plan: Olmert by Ron Bousso APR 15,07
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that Israel was ready to talk with Arab states over their peace plan as he held the first round of planned regular meetings with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
We are ready to hold talks with any combination of Arab states on their ideas and I would be glad to hear their ideas on the Saudi initiative, Olmert said at the weekly cabinet meeting.I'll be glad to hear their ideas and for them to listen to ours, he said. I hope there will be a chance for such meetings.He was referring to a blueprint revived during an Arab League summit last month which offers Israel peace and normal ties with Arab countries in exchange for withdrawing from Arab land occupied during the 1967 Six Day War, allowing the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of refugees.
Israel, which initially rejected the plan when it was first unveiled in 2002, has said recently it could provide a basis for talks, provided there are amendments to the refugee issue something the Arab states have refused.
We are looking for a way to advance the Saudi initiative, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said. Both sides can come with their positions and since there are disagreements between the two sides, we have to find a way to bridge them.Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, meanwhile, Sunday urged Israel to respond to Arab gestures for peace in order to avoid a catastrophe.The statements came ahead of a meeting of 12 Arab ministers in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the Saudi-drafted peace initiative. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was later Sunday to hold talks with her Jordanian counterpart in Amman in preparation for Wednesday's meeting, a senior official in her ministry said.
Critics have accused Olmert, whose ratings are approaching zero, of being disingenuous in turning to the dormant peace process as an attempt to divert attention from criticism over last year's war against Hezbollah and a string of corruption scandals.Earlier this month, Arab League chief Amr Mussa rejected Olmert's offer to participate in a meeting of Israelis, Palestinians and moderate Arab nations because the Israelis described the return of refugees as a red line.Its only goal was to get normalisation for free, Mussa said of the offer, adding that it wasn't serious and offered nothing new.
Olmert and Abbas met in Jerusalem on Sunday in the first of what are due to be regular meetings between the two leaders aimed at jumpstarting peace talks, which have been largely stalled for six years, and that were agreed during a visit last month by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Olmert and Abu Mazen (Abbas) discussed mainly the diplomatic horizon without delving into core issues of negotiations, a senior Israeli government official told AFP.The Israeli premier again urged Abbas to do all to secure the release of an Israeli soldier seized by Gaza-based militants last June, which has since been a main stumbling block between Israelis and Palestinians, the official said. The two sides did not discuss the details of a possible Palestinian prisoner release in exchange for Shalit, drawn-out negotiations that have been mediated by Egypt, he said.
Palestinians have demanded that Israel release hundreds of prisoners in exchange for Shalit, but the Olmert government has so far refused to free any detainees with blood on their hands those involved in attacks that have killed Israelis.The Palestinians said they would deploy forces of the presidential guard, loyal to Abbas, along the so-called Philadelphi Route on the border of Gaza and Egypt to stem the alleged smuggling of arms into the coastal strip, the official said. The two leaders agreed to hold the next round of talks before the end of the month in the West Bank town of Jericho, the first such high-level meeting in a Palestinian city, said Palestinian chief negotiation Saeb Erakat.
Statement of G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors APR 15,07
Washington, DC- We, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, met today to evaluate the global economic outlook. Although risks remain, the global economy is having its strongest sustained expansion in more than 30 years and is becoming more balanced. In our economies, U.S. economic activity remains solid even as domestic demand moderates to a more sustainable growth path.
The euro-area is experiencing a healthy upswing. UK growth remains robust and Canadian growth is accelerating. Japan's recovery is on track and expected to continue. We remain confident that the implications of these developments will be recognized by market participants and will be incorporated in their assessments of risks.Further strengthening and rebalancing of domestic demand is desirable to help ensure the global economic expansion remains robust. We continue to be committed to maintaining price stability as the best contribution that monetary policy can make to sustained global growth. We will do more to increase trend economic growth rates, especially through structural reforms such as improving labor markets and long-term fiscal sustainability. We are confident that the continuation of our policies will support economic growth and contribute to reduce international imbalances. We will continue to work together to support the global adjustment process and urge others to do likewise.We reaffirm that exchange rates should reflect economic fundamentals. Excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates are undesirable for economic growth.
We continue to monitor exchange markets closely, and cooperate as appropriate. In emerging economies with large and growing current account surpluses, especially China, it is desirable that their effective exchange rates move so that necessary adjustments will occur.We believe that a successful conclusion of the Doha Development round is imperative. We are committed to resisting protectionist sentiment.
Substantially lowering tariffs and other barriers is essential to spur new growth in global trade and reduce poverty. We welcome recent steps to intensify engagement, recognizing that substantive movement towards a comprehensive final outcome requires all parties to make additional efforts. We expect spending on Aid for Trade to increase to $4 billion, including through enhancing the Integrated Framework. We support initiatives to enhance cooperation to enforce intellectual property rights and combat counterfeiting which are crucial to our knowledge-based economies. We continued our discussions on how to develop local currency bond markets to enhance the contribution of financial markets to sustainable economic growth and to reduce emerging market economies' vulnerability to external shocks and financial crises. We look forward to the results of the high level conference on May 9-10 in Frankfurt, which will help to identify concrete recommendations to sustain the momentum of reform.We discussed recent developments in global financial markets, including hedge funds, which along with the emergence of advanced financial techniques such as credit derivatives, have contributed significantly to the efficiency of the financial system. We will continue to monitor the implications of thesedevelopments. Market-led and official initiatives focused on issues around private pools of capital intended to strengthen market discipline, risk management, market infrastructure, information and valuation practices, are essential contributions to global financial stability.
In this context, we welcomed the work of the United States' President's Working Group on Financial Markets and its Principles and Guidelines Regarding Private Pools of Capital and look forward to the Financial Stability Forum's update of its 2000 Report on Highly Leveraged Institutions. We discussed the issue of mutual recognition of comparable regimes and look forward to further progress being made on cross-border access by investors to our securities markets.
We agree to push forward the ambitious package of bold and fundamental reforms in order to retain the IMF's relevance and legitimacy. Reforms should ensure that actual IMF quota shares, especially those of the most dynamic members, many of which are emerging markets, better reflect relative weights and roles in the global economy. We agree that the voice of low-income countries should be enhanced. A necessary element of IMF reform is improved surveillance over exchange rates.
Surveillance must focus on external stability and be applied equally and even-handedly without creating new obligations. In this context, we welcome the Managing Director's proposals to update the 1977 Decision on Surveillance over Exchange Rate Policies and to develop a surveillance remit. We look forward to finalizing these proposals rapidly after the Spring Meetings. We took note of the work of the External Review Committee on IMF-World Bank Collaboration as well as of the report of the Committee to Study Sustainable Long-term Financing of the IMF. We agreed to consider the latter proposal in time alongside measures to further reduce administrative expenditures.
We encourage the use of the debt sustainability framework by all borrowers and creditors. We welcome continued work on principles for responsible lending and seek to involve other interested parties. We advocate a rapid resolution to Liberia's arrears to the international financial institutions.
Available internal resources should be fully used to this end. We are prepared to make additional financial contributions. We look forward to the forthcoming International Conference on Education in Brussels.In order to ensure energy security and to address climate change, we consider energy efficiency and the promotion of energy diversification to be important issues for both developed and developing economies. Diversification can include advanced energy technologies such as renewable, nuclear, and clean coal. We agree that market based policy measures should be effectively designed to meet specific conditions in each country.
We commit to continue the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit finance that risks the stability and integrity of the global financial system. We call for the effective and timely implementation of UN Resolutions 1540, 1718, 1737 and 1747.
We commend the Financial Action Task Force on its commitment to examine the risks of weapons of mass destruction proliferation finance. We urge that as it reviews its strategic direction, the FATF consider expanding its mandate, enhancing global implementation of its standards, improving its strategic surveillance, and examining ways to bolster accountability and outreach activities. We look forward to the successful launch of the International Compact for Iraq in Sharm El Sheik on May 3. We discussed economic prospects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and agreed to keep this under review.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein April 12, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
This Sunday, Jews around the world will observe Yom Ha'Shoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates one of the most terrible chapters in Jewish and human history. Motivated by a fanatical hatred of Jews and a desire to rid society of undesirable elements, the Nazi regime that ruled Germany during the mid-20th century engaged in a systematic, methodical, and brutal campaign to destroy the Jewish people. They nearly succeeded, murdering six millions Jews - about one third of the world's Jewish population at the time.The full name of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Hebrew is actually Yom Ha'Shoah Ve-Hagevurah, meaning the Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism. This reminds us that even though a shockingly high number of people looked the other way when presented with evidence of Nazi crimes, there were those who went to great lengths to save Jews.
Not all of these were Jewish. In fact, many remembered today as righteous gentiles were Christian. There was Corrie ten Boom, whose home in Holland sheltered those fleeing Nazi oppression. In France, Pastor Andre Trocme helped make an entire town, Le Chambon, a haven for persecuted Jews. Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish Christian, rescued thousands of Jews from the Nazi death machine. And there were, of course, many more who are less well-known, but no less deserving of our gratitude.
Some say the Holocaust is too terrible to remember. But there is a reason that the Jewish people promise to never forget. We remember so that we may prevent such horrible events from ever occurring again.
Today there seems to be a trend to forget the lessons of history taught by the Holocaust, or even to rewrite history as if it never occurred. The radical Muslim regime of Iran, which has dedicated itself to Israel's destruction, held a Holocaust denial conference last year that attracted not only Islamist fanatics, but a disturbingly high number of Western academics and other public figures as well. A
recent study found that many British schools are dropping Holocaust education for fear that Britain's rising Muslim population will take offense. If indeed it is true that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, we have very real cause for alarm today making observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day all the more important.No one who experiences Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel ever forgets it. For two minutes, as sirens sound across the country, all activity literally comes to a halt. People stop working, pedestrians pause, cars pull over to the side of the road, and Israel is united in silent remembrance of the six million murdered.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is not observed in the United States outside of the Jewish community. But even so, I invite you to pause on Sunday to remember the six million who were killed for being Jewish, to give thanks to God for the righteous gentiles whose faith led them to risk their lives saving Jews, and to renew the vow to never forget the horrors of the Holocaust. During these days when the threats to Israel's existence are all too real and she faces the dire prospect of a similar fate, it is critical that we stand with her. The need to remember - and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem - is greater than ever.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
DANIEL 11:40
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame
burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Russia launches new generation nuclear submarine By Guy Faulconbridge APR 15,07
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia launched its first new generation nuclear submarine since the fall of the Soviet Union on Sunday, as the Kremlin seeks to upgrade its undersea nuclear strike force. The long-delayed Yuri Dolgoruky, the first Borei-class (Arctic Wind) nuclear submarine, was moved to the dry docks at a highly secret submarine base in the Arctic town of Severodvinsk, the heart of Russia's northern submarine fleet.Sergei Ivanov, Russia's powerful first deputy prime minister who rules the military-industrial sector, took part in the ceremony along with the navy top brass and Kremlin advisers.For the first time in 17 years we are launching such a vessel --in essence this is the first Russian strategic submarine, a submarine of the new generation, the RIA news agency quoted Ivanov as saying.
The launch of the new submarine is part of a plan, approved by President Vladimir Putin, to upgrade the core of Russia's undersea nuclear attack forces, military analysts said.Putin has boosted funding for the submarine fleet, which has been involved in a string of fatal accidents including the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea in August 2000. All 118 sailors aboard the Kursk
perished.The Yuri Dolgoruky has taken 12 years to build following funding problems in the chaos of the 1990s, when the post-Soviet navy and shipbuilding sector lost much of its talent.Russia wants to show that she remains a nuclear power and -- as the Putin administration says -- still a great power and for them the greatness of that power is measured by its weapons, Alexander Nikitin, a former Russian navy engineer now working as an environmental campaigner, told Reuters from Oslo.
Russia has the second largest nuclear submarine fleet in the world after the United States.Russia's attack submarines fulfil the function of preventing the United States's freedom of action at sea, said Ivan Safranchuk, head of the World Security Institute's Moscow office.The development of this submarine fleet illustrates the intentions of Russia to preserve its position on the world ocean, he said.
The Yuri Dolgoruky, which takes its name from a Slavic prince who helped defend Moscow, can descend to a depth of 450 meters (1,500 feet) and can carry 107 sailors for 100 days without rising to the surface.
The submarine, which Interfax said had cost about 23 billion roubles ($890 million), should have been ready in 2002 but will enter full service in the northern fleet in 2008.Russia will build 8 of the new generation submarines by 2018, defence officials said.But Russia has had problems developing the Bulava-M ballistic missiles, which the new submarines will carry. The missiles, which have a range of 8,000 km (5,000 miles), have misfired in four out the five recent tests.
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 = Sun Apr 15 11:14 AM EDT
APR 15,07
MAP 5.2 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.2 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 5.0 PHOENIX ISLANDS, KIRIBATI REGION
MAP 4.7 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 2.5 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 WESTERN IRAN
MAP 5.4 WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
MAP 2.8 WASHINGTON
APR 14,07
MAP 4.6 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 2.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 2.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.8 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 4.8 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 4.7 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G.
MAP 4.4 GUADELOUPE REGION, LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 CENTRAL MONGOLIA
MAP 3.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 LOYALTY ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 3.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 ECUADOR
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 WEST CHILE RISE
MAP 3.2 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Moderate quake jolts Japan, five injured APR 15,07
YOKKAICHI, Japan (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake jolted central and western Japan on Sunday, injuring at least five people and damaging houses. An official at Kameyama City, one of the sites hardest hit by the magnitude 5.4 quake, said two people were injured and 46 houses and other buildings had suffered partial damage.Some 4,300 households in the region suffered a temporary power outage and five people overall were hurt, Kyodo news agency said.The focus of the tremor that occurred at 12:19 p.m. (0319 GMT) was 16 km (10 miles) below the surface of the earth, in Mie Prefecture, about 300 km (190 miles) west of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The shaking was like a big thud, said Motoko Asada, a 56-year-old housewife in Yokkaichi City, just east of Kameyama and where one house had been badly damaged.Luckily, nothing fell and there's been no damage to my house, Asada told Reuters.About six hours later, a tremor with preliminary magnitude of 4.5 jolted the same area, the JMA said.Two people in Kameyama were injured by the first quake after a part of a ceiling fell in a restaurant, and a stone wall of a 16th century castle had partially collapsed, the city official said.Kameyama is home to Sharp Corp.'s flagship liquid crystal display factory and the region is often called Crystal Valley because there are numerous LCD parts and materials suppliers located there to feed into the Sharp plant.
Sharp, the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, said it had halted operations at the Kameyama plant for safety checks, but resumed work after confirming there had been no damage to the facility.
The high speed bullet train service was also briefly halted for checks but resumed service, and some highways were temporarily closed for inspections.Late last month, a 6.9-magnitude quake struck the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, about 300 km west of Tokyo, killing one person, injuring more than 200 people and destroying many homes.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
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.
Storms cancels flights in N.Y and N.J. By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer APR 15,07
NEW YORK - Airlines canceled 300 flights Sunday as a hard-blowing nor'easter gathered strength along the East Coast and threatened to deliver some of the worst flooding to coastal Long Island in 14 years. The cancellations at the New York area's three major airports affected most carriers, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. More cancellations were expected throughout the day.Forecasters expected sustained wind of 40 mph and a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet, a combination that could cause as much coastal damage as a winter storm that wreaked havoc on the island in late 1992, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said.Heavy rain and thunderstorms extended from Florida up the coast to southern New England on Sunday morning.
Spitzer said some low-lying areas of Long Island may need to be evacuated, and he deployed 3,200 members of the National Guard to potential flood areas.The weather system was forecast to strengthen along the East Coast and form a nor'easter, a storm that follows the coast northward with northeasterly wind driving waves and heavy rain.The National Weather Service posted storm warnings and watches all along the East Coast, with tornado warnings in South Carolina and flood warnings extending from Virginia north to the New York area. Winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of New England.Two to 4 inches of rain was forecast for the New York City region with wind gusting to 50 mph. Snow and sleet were possible inland, the weather service said.The weather service said as much as 20 inches of snow was possible at higher elevations of New York's Adirondacks by the time the storm passes late Monday and Tuesday.Pennsylvania officials activated the state emergency operations center in anticipation of the storm. While snowfall in April is highly unusual, it is critical to remain vigilant in executing winter weather preparedness plans, Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement.New Jersey made preparations for heavy snow in the state's northwest corner and possible flooding elsewhere.
We're ready for everything, which based upon the forecast, is pretty much what we could get, said Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.The storm also rained out Sunday's Washington Nationals game with the New York Mets at New York's Shea Stadium. Last weekend, snow dumped by another major storm system wiped out scheduled Mariners-Indians games at Cleveland for four straight days.Organizers canceled the Greek-American Independence Day parade that had been planned on Fifth Avenue.
It is unusual for this time of year. We probably see a storm like this, at this time of year, probably once every 25 years or so, said Brian Korty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Md.The storm had been blamed for five deaths as it blew out of the Plains late in the week, two in violent thunderstorms in Texas and three on slippery roads in Kansas, where more than a foot of snow fell. Two tornadoes caused damage Friday in Texas.
Sask. roads at risk of flooding with sudden warm spell
Last Updated: Saturday, April 14, 2007 | 4:49 PM ET CBC News
Rising temperatures in Saskatchewan this weekend will mean a lot of melting snow and possibly flooded country roads, according to the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.Authority spokesman Doug Johnson says a rapid melting will create fast moving water in some areas.
We're expecting flows in the once-in-25-year range. There'll be a number of grid roads — significant number of grid roads— and a number of farm access roads that are going to be impacted.Johnson says the Watershed Authority is monitoring a number of communities for high water levels. The risk of flooding is highest along Highway 5 between Canora and Humboldt and in the communities of Wolsley Lake and Lanigan.When we start to see double digits, 15-20 degrees … and we tend to see the nighttime temperatures not dropping below zero, then we start to see a rapid runoff, and that's a problem, he told CBC.
Johnson says flooding was confined to a relatively small area last year, but he adds that isn't the case this year.This year, it's not only the Red Deer River system but the Carrot River basin and some of the basins like Duck Creek that are going into the South Saskatchewan [River], Saskatchewan basin, so it's a much wider area.Spring run-off warnings and water level advisories have been popping up from British Columbia to Manitoba in recent weeks with potential for ice-jam flooding on major rivers.
Unseasonably cool, wet weather in early April has delayed some of the normal melting and set the stage for flooding problems, said Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.
Powerful Storm`s Fury Overspreading The East Coast APR 15,07
(State College, PA) - The powerful storm that has been the culprit behind severe weather and a snowstorm the past couple of days will strengthen into a major nor'easter today. While the Northeast is just beginning to feel the storm's fury which will persist into Monday, gusty winds will follow this morning's severe thunderstorms over much of the Southeast.
Our Severe Weather Center's page displays all the watches and warnings related to the potent storm that will batter the East Coast the next couple of days as it strengthens into a powerful and slow-moving nor'easter. As it begins to transition into the major nor'easter, the storm will continue to be responsible for triggering damaging thunderstorms and a couple of destructive tornadoes across the Southeast today. Our SevereWeather Center states that the severe weather will be limited to the morning hours across the Southeast coastline, and bear similar characteristics to what the News Summaries page reports ignited Saturday.
The severe weather threat will only persist into the afternoon hours over the Outer Banks of North Carolina and South Florida, including Miami. North of the severe weather, the East Regional News story details that the band of soaking rain, shown on the Northeast Regional Radar, will continue to spread from north to south over the Interstate 95 corridor from Richmond, Va., to Bangor, Maine, through tonight. Since rain gauges will fill up to the three-inch mark, with locally higher amounts, flooding problems are likely, especially in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Flooding in not only a concern along the immediate coastline due to the drenching rain, but also because the storm's strong winds will pile water up against the shore. In addition, the winds, gusting past 50 mph, will rough up the ocean and cause potentially beach-altering erosion. With a plethora of moisture wrapping around the storm's center and meeting up with colder air, snow will make a late-season appearance across the interior.
According to our Winter Weather Center, up to a foot of snow will blanket the majority of New York to far western Maine through Monday. The higher terrain will top the snowfall totals list with one to two feet. Not only will the snow make travel extremely difficult, but its weight could down tree limbs and power lines, leading to power outages, and cause roofs to fail. With temperatures staying close to the freezing mark, the snow will be a heavy, packing snow, not light and fluffy. As the storm departs and temperatures begin to moderate, the melting of this snow will bring a threat of flooding during the middle of the workweek. The threat for downed trees and power lines, and other minor structural damage, will also exist over the rest of the Northeast, as well as the Southeast, as strong winds howl around the storm through Monday. Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be advised that the winds could easily overturn or steer these vehicles off roadways. The intense weather all across the East this weekend could impact other travelers. Air travelers should check the FAA's Flight Delay map and their specific airline before heading to airports. On the ground, motorists heading where the storm's heavy rain and severe thunderstorms will occur should be prepared for slow travel. The heavy, wet and wind-swept snow across the interior Northeast will make for even worse driving conditions.
Tainted food kills 2 dogs in Puerto Rico Sun Apr 15, 11:23 PM ET
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Two dogs in Puerto Rico died of kidney failure after eating dog biscuits that were among the 100-plus brands of pet foods and treats contaminated with an industrial chemical, a veterinarians' group said Saturday. The Ol'Roy dog biscuits were purchased at Amigo, a supermarket chain owned by Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to Victor Collazo, chief of Puerto Rico's Veterinary Medical Association.The deaths of the miniature schnauzers were the first in the U.S. Caribbean territory stemming from the contaminated pet food, Collazo said in a statement.Testing has revealed that wheat gluten, a protein source, imported from China was contaminated with melamine, used to make plastics and other industrial products.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received thousands of complaints but has confirmed only about 16 pet deaths. Other sources put the death toll much higher.
Sea lion mauls surfing teen in Australia Sun Apr 15, 1:01 AM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian teenager was lucky to be alive on Sunday after she survived being mauled by a massive sea lion while surfing. Ella Murphy was attacked by the creature, thought to weigh about 300 kilograms (660 pounds), as she stood on a surfboard being towed behind a boat on Saturday.The animal was close to charging the 13-year-old girl a second time as she floundered in the water off the coast of the small town of Lancelin in Western Australia when she was rescued by the driver of the boat, Chris Thomas.
You can only describe it as like a white pointer (shark) jumping out of the water, he told News Limited newspapers.It was really sort of movie-like. This thing just exploded in a full-on, frontal attack.It actually lined her up. It jumped out of the water at her and hit her head-on. It must have been travelling at an enormous speed.It opened its mouth and grabbed her head. It latched on.Thomas manoeuvred his boat between the sea lion and the girl to prevent a second mauling.It was going back for her, it was looking for her and it spotted her, he said. I had this horrible feeling I was not going to make it back in time.
Ella, who suffered a broken jaw and lost three teeth in the attack, was in a stable condition at Princess Margaret Hospital late Saturday.Her mother, Michelle Forbes, said her daughter had a gash under her chin which was quite close to her carotid artery.We could have lost her, she said.Sea lions are a protected species and it is thought that environmental officers will attempt to move it into another area rather than kill it.
Dearest readers: Jewish World Review APR 15,07
I believe in the Power of Prayer. I TRULY BELIEVE IN IT.This is one of the hardest letters I'm likely to ever write.My father is in his 80s and his life is now hanging in the balance.There are tens of thousands who receive JWR daily. I'm asking that each of you take a moment and recite a prayer on behalf of Yehudah ben (son of ) Rivka.I don't care if you identify as a Jew, Christian, Hindu, or member of any other faith or no faith. Please beseech the One Who Grants Life to allow my father
to live!
Israel ready for talks with Arabs on peace plan: Olmert by Ron Bousso APR 15,07
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that Israel was ready to talk with Arab states over their peace plan as he held the first round of planned regular meetings with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
We are ready to hold talks with any combination of Arab states on their ideas and I would be glad to hear their ideas on the Saudi initiative, Olmert said at the weekly cabinet meeting.I'll be glad to hear their ideas and for them to listen to ours, he said. I hope there will be a chance for such meetings.He was referring to a blueprint revived during an Arab League summit last month which offers Israel peace and normal ties with Arab countries in exchange for withdrawing from Arab land occupied during the 1967 Six Day War, allowing the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of refugees.
Israel, which initially rejected the plan when it was first unveiled in 2002, has said recently it could provide a basis for talks, provided there are amendments to the refugee issue something the Arab states have refused.
We are looking for a way to advance the Saudi initiative, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said. Both sides can come with their positions and since there are disagreements between the two sides, we have to find a way to bridge them.Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, meanwhile, Sunday urged Israel to respond to Arab gestures for peace in order to avoid a catastrophe.The statements came ahead of a meeting of 12 Arab ministers in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the Saudi-drafted peace initiative. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was later Sunday to hold talks with her Jordanian counterpart in Amman in preparation for Wednesday's meeting, a senior official in her ministry said.
Critics have accused Olmert, whose ratings are approaching zero, of being disingenuous in turning to the dormant peace process as an attempt to divert attention from criticism over last year's war against Hezbollah and a string of corruption scandals.Earlier this month, Arab League chief Amr Mussa rejected Olmert's offer to participate in a meeting of Israelis, Palestinians and moderate Arab nations because the Israelis described the return of refugees as a red line.Its only goal was to get normalisation for free, Mussa said of the offer, adding that it wasn't serious and offered nothing new.
Olmert and Abbas met in Jerusalem on Sunday in the first of what are due to be regular meetings between the two leaders aimed at jumpstarting peace talks, which have been largely stalled for six years, and that were agreed during a visit last month by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Olmert and Abu Mazen (Abbas) discussed mainly the diplomatic horizon without delving into core issues of negotiations, a senior Israeli government official told AFP.The Israeli premier again urged Abbas to do all to secure the release of an Israeli soldier seized by Gaza-based militants last June, which has since been a main stumbling block between Israelis and Palestinians, the official said. The two sides did not discuss the details of a possible Palestinian prisoner release in exchange for Shalit, drawn-out negotiations that have been mediated by Egypt, he said.
Palestinians have demanded that Israel release hundreds of prisoners in exchange for Shalit, but the Olmert government has so far refused to free any detainees with blood on their hands those involved in attacks that have killed Israelis.The Palestinians said they would deploy forces of the presidential guard, loyal to Abbas, along the so-called Philadelphi Route on the border of Gaza and Egypt to stem the alleged smuggling of arms into the coastal strip, the official said. The two leaders agreed to hold the next round of talks before the end of the month in the West Bank town of Jericho, the first such high-level meeting in a Palestinian city, said Palestinian chief negotiation Saeb Erakat.
Statement of G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors APR 15,07
Washington, DC- We, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, met today to evaluate the global economic outlook. Although risks remain, the global economy is having its strongest sustained expansion in more than 30 years and is becoming more balanced. In our economies, U.S. economic activity remains solid even as domestic demand moderates to a more sustainable growth path.
The euro-area is experiencing a healthy upswing. UK growth remains robust and Canadian growth is accelerating. Japan's recovery is on track and expected to continue. We remain confident that the implications of these developments will be recognized by market participants and will be incorporated in their assessments of risks.Further strengthening and rebalancing of domestic demand is desirable to help ensure the global economic expansion remains robust. We continue to be committed to maintaining price stability as the best contribution that monetary policy can make to sustained global growth. We will do more to increase trend economic growth rates, especially through structural reforms such as improving labor markets and long-term fiscal sustainability. We are confident that the continuation of our policies will support economic growth and contribute to reduce international imbalances. We will continue to work together to support the global adjustment process and urge others to do likewise.We reaffirm that exchange rates should reflect economic fundamentals. Excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates are undesirable for economic growth.
We continue to monitor exchange markets closely, and cooperate as appropriate. In emerging economies with large and growing current account surpluses, especially China, it is desirable that their effective exchange rates move so that necessary adjustments will occur.We believe that a successful conclusion of the Doha Development round is imperative. We are committed to resisting protectionist sentiment.
Substantially lowering tariffs and other barriers is essential to spur new growth in global trade and reduce poverty. We welcome recent steps to intensify engagement, recognizing that substantive movement towards a comprehensive final outcome requires all parties to make additional efforts. We expect spending on Aid for Trade to increase to $4 billion, including through enhancing the Integrated Framework. We support initiatives to enhance cooperation to enforce intellectual property rights and combat counterfeiting which are crucial to our knowledge-based economies. We continued our discussions on how to develop local currency bond markets to enhance the contribution of financial markets to sustainable economic growth and to reduce emerging market economies' vulnerability to external shocks and financial crises. We look forward to the results of the high level conference on May 9-10 in Frankfurt, which will help to identify concrete recommendations to sustain the momentum of reform.We discussed recent developments in global financial markets, including hedge funds, which along with the emergence of advanced financial techniques such as credit derivatives, have contributed significantly to the efficiency of the financial system. We will continue to monitor the implications of thesedevelopments. Market-led and official initiatives focused on issues around private pools of capital intended to strengthen market discipline, risk management, market infrastructure, information and valuation practices, are essential contributions to global financial stability.
In this context, we welcomed the work of the United States' President's Working Group on Financial Markets and its Principles and Guidelines Regarding Private Pools of Capital and look forward to the Financial Stability Forum's update of its 2000 Report on Highly Leveraged Institutions. We discussed the issue of mutual recognition of comparable regimes and look forward to further progress being made on cross-border access by investors to our securities markets.
We agree to push forward the ambitious package of bold and fundamental reforms in order to retain the IMF's relevance and legitimacy. Reforms should ensure that actual IMF quota shares, especially those of the most dynamic members, many of which are emerging markets, better reflect relative weights and roles in the global economy. We agree that the voice of low-income countries should be enhanced. A necessary element of IMF reform is improved surveillance over exchange rates.
Surveillance must focus on external stability and be applied equally and even-handedly without creating new obligations. In this context, we welcome the Managing Director's proposals to update the 1977 Decision on Surveillance over Exchange Rate Policies and to develop a surveillance remit. We look forward to finalizing these proposals rapidly after the Spring Meetings. We took note of the work of the External Review Committee on IMF-World Bank Collaboration as well as of the report of the Committee to Study Sustainable Long-term Financing of the IMF. We agreed to consider the latter proposal in time alongside measures to further reduce administrative expenditures.
We encourage the use of the debt sustainability framework by all borrowers and creditors. We welcome continued work on principles for responsible lending and seek to involve other interested parties. We advocate a rapid resolution to Liberia's arrears to the international financial institutions.
Available internal resources should be fully used to this end. We are prepared to make additional financial contributions. We look forward to the forthcoming International Conference on Education in Brussels.In order to ensure energy security and to address climate change, we consider energy efficiency and the promotion of energy diversification to be important issues for both developed and developing economies. Diversification can include advanced energy technologies such as renewable, nuclear, and clean coal. We agree that market based policy measures should be effectively designed to meet specific conditions in each country.
We commit to continue the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit finance that risks the stability and integrity of the global financial system. We call for the effective and timely implementation of UN Resolutions 1540, 1718, 1737 and 1747.
We commend the Financial Action Task Force on its commitment to examine the risks of weapons of mass destruction proliferation finance. We urge that as it reviews its strategic direction, the FATF consider expanding its mandate, enhancing global implementation of its standards, improving its strategic surveillance, and examining ways to bolster accountability and outreach activities. We look forward to the successful launch of the International Compact for Iraq in Sharm El Sheik on May 3. We discussed economic prospects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and agreed to keep this under review.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein April 12, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
This Sunday, Jews around the world will observe Yom Ha'Shoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates one of the most terrible chapters in Jewish and human history. Motivated by a fanatical hatred of Jews and a desire to rid society of undesirable elements, the Nazi regime that ruled Germany during the mid-20th century engaged in a systematic, methodical, and brutal campaign to destroy the Jewish people. They nearly succeeded, murdering six millions Jews - about one third of the world's Jewish population at the time.The full name of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Hebrew is actually Yom Ha'Shoah Ve-Hagevurah, meaning the Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism. This reminds us that even though a shockingly high number of people looked the other way when presented with evidence of Nazi crimes, there were those who went to great lengths to save Jews.
Not all of these were Jewish. In fact, many remembered today as righteous gentiles were Christian. There was Corrie ten Boom, whose home in Holland sheltered those fleeing Nazi oppression. In France, Pastor Andre Trocme helped make an entire town, Le Chambon, a haven for persecuted Jews. Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish Christian, rescued thousands of Jews from the Nazi death machine. And there were, of course, many more who are less well-known, but no less deserving of our gratitude.
Some say the Holocaust is too terrible to remember. But there is a reason that the Jewish people promise to never forget. We remember so that we may prevent such horrible events from ever occurring again.
Today there seems to be a trend to forget the lessons of history taught by the Holocaust, or even to rewrite history as if it never occurred. The radical Muslim regime of Iran, which has dedicated itself to Israel's destruction, held a Holocaust denial conference last year that attracted not only Islamist fanatics, but a disturbingly high number of Western academics and other public figures as well. A
recent study found that many British schools are dropping Holocaust education for fear that Britain's rising Muslim population will take offense. If indeed it is true that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, we have very real cause for alarm today making observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day all the more important.No one who experiences Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel ever forgets it. For two minutes, as sirens sound across the country, all activity literally comes to a halt. People stop working, pedestrians pause, cars pull over to the side of the road, and Israel is united in silent remembrance of the six million murdered.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is not observed in the United States outside of the Jewish community. But even so, I invite you to pause on Sunday to remember the six million who were killed for being Jewish, to give thanks to God for the righteous gentiles whose faith led them to risk their lives saving Jews, and to renew the vow to never forget the horrors of the Holocaust. During these days when the threats to Israel's existence are all too real and she faces the dire prospect of a similar fate, it is critical that we stand with her. The need to remember - and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem - is greater than ever.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
DANIEL 11:40
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame
burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Russia launches new generation nuclear submarine By Guy Faulconbridge APR 15,07
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia launched its first new generation nuclear submarine since the fall of the Soviet Union on Sunday, as the Kremlin seeks to upgrade its undersea nuclear strike force. The long-delayed Yuri Dolgoruky, the first Borei-class (Arctic Wind) nuclear submarine, was moved to the dry docks at a highly secret submarine base in the Arctic town of Severodvinsk, the heart of Russia's northern submarine fleet.Sergei Ivanov, Russia's powerful first deputy prime minister who rules the military-industrial sector, took part in the ceremony along with the navy top brass and Kremlin advisers.For the first time in 17 years we are launching such a vessel --in essence this is the first Russian strategic submarine, a submarine of the new generation, the RIA news agency quoted Ivanov as saying.
The launch of the new submarine is part of a plan, approved by President Vladimir Putin, to upgrade the core of Russia's undersea nuclear attack forces, military analysts said.Putin has boosted funding for the submarine fleet, which has been involved in a string of fatal accidents including the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea in August 2000. All 118 sailors aboard the Kursk
perished.The Yuri Dolgoruky has taken 12 years to build following funding problems in the chaos of the 1990s, when the post-Soviet navy and shipbuilding sector lost much of its talent.Russia wants to show that she remains a nuclear power and -- as the Putin administration says -- still a great power and for them the greatness of that power is measured by its weapons, Alexander Nikitin, a former Russian navy engineer now working as an environmental campaigner, told Reuters from Oslo.
Russia has the second largest nuclear submarine fleet in the world after the United States.Russia's attack submarines fulfil the function of preventing the United States's freedom of action at sea, said Ivan Safranchuk, head of the World Security Institute's Moscow office.The development of this submarine fleet illustrates the intentions of Russia to preserve its position on the world ocean, he said.
The Yuri Dolgoruky, which takes its name from a Slavic prince who helped defend Moscow, can descend to a depth of 450 meters (1,500 feet) and can carry 107 sailors for 100 days without rising to the surface.
The submarine, which Interfax said had cost about 23 billion roubles ($890 million), should have been ready in 2002 but will enter full service in the northern fleet in 2008.Russia will build 8 of the new generation submarines by 2018, defence officials said.But Russia has had problems developing the Bulava-M ballistic missiles, which the new submarines will carry. The missiles, which have a range of 8,000 km (5,000 miles), have misfired in four out the five recent tests.
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