HAPPY ONE DAY DELAYED BIRTHDAY TO NATHALIE T. OF MONTREAL CANADA ON DEC 27,09. PRAY CHRISTIANS THAT THIS DANCER WILL BE SAVED FROM DANCING TO BE PART OF KING JESUS' KINGDOM FOREVER.
DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/site/14081545/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false
HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS MON DEC 28,2009
09:30 AM +4.40
10:00 AM +17.98
10:30 AM +14.66
11:00 AM +8.61
11:30 AM +17.00
12:00 PM +16.20
12:30 PM +14.28
01:00 PM +12.54
01:30 PM +5.29
02:00 PM -0.76
02:30 PM -11.04
03:00 PM -3.93
03:30 PM -0.61
04:00 PM +26.98 10,547.08
S&P 500 1127.78 +1.30
NASDAQ 2291.08 +5.39
GOLD 1,107.40 +2.60
OIL 78.61 +0.66
TSE 300 11,754.61 HOLIDAY
CDNX 1469.58 HOLIDAY
S&P/TSX/60 693.19 HOLIDAY
MORNING,NEWS,STATS
YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow +20 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -11 points at low today.
Dow +34 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,108.80.OIL opens at $78.62 today.
AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -11 points at low today so far.
Dow +34 points at high today so far.
WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -11 points at low today.
Dow +34 points at high today.
Monday, December 28, 2009
ISRAEL BUILDS - ARABS COMPLAIN AS USUAL
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Winter weather leaves behind flooding concerns By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer – Sun Dec 27, 6:14 am ET
OMAHA, Neb. – Snow and rain storms that have battered much of the country for days have started subsiding, leaving behind concerns about flooding in some areas.Storms from Texas to the Upper Midwest dumped 23.9 inches of snow in Grand Forks, N.D., and 18 inches near Norfolk, Neb. In the East, higher temperatures and rains have started melting and washing away last week's record-setting snowfalls, threatening the region with flooding.The National Weather Service also issued flood warnings for parts of the South and Midwest, and winter weather advisories were in effect in sections of Nebraska, Illinois Indiana and Michigan through Sunday.A woman and her teenage daughter in Middletown, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, were rescued from a rain-swollen creek after their SUV went off the road Saturday. Rescue workers found the 14-year-old clinging to a log; her mother was trapped in the vehicle.Authorities in southeast Missouri were searching for a woman who washed away in a ditch on Christmas Eve as heavy rains showered the region. Witnesses saw her in the water west of Powe, Mo., and tried to assist her, said Sgt. Jody Laramore of the state Highway Patrol.
In Chicago, one of the nation's busiest travel hubs, snow and ice along with rain on the East Coast canceled or delayed more than 450 flights Saturday.Shannon Fullmer drove two hours from his home in Freeport, Ill., to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Saturday to pick up his 12-year-old son. But the flight from New Jersey was delayed more than three hours.The 38-year-old waited in a long line to get through security so that he could wait by the gate where his son's plane was expected to arrive about 7:30 p.m. CST.Fullmer said he would wait as long as I have to.It doesn't do any good to get angry, he said.A few dozen flights were delayed and a few canceled Saturday afternoon in southern Wisconsin. Three to five inches of snow was expected by Sunday morning.Flights also were delayed at the three major airports in the New York area, which was getting rain and patchy fog. Some travelers arriving at Newark Liberty International had delays of nearly 2 1/2 hours.Most New York area delays were weather-related but some were worsened by stricter security precautions after an airplane bombing attempt in Detroit, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the area's airports.In South Dakota, state troopers assisted 182 people who were stranded in their vehicles or needed help getting through snowy roads, Col. Dan Mosteller said.In the East, rain and higher temperatures helped to melt snow in areas where as much as 2 feet fell last weekend. But freezing temperatures were expected overnight in parts of New England. A freezing rain advisory was extended through 6 a.m. Sunday for parts of western Massachusetts.In New Jersey, rain that began falling Christmas night was expected to continue through Sunday morning. Flood warnings were in effect for most of southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area through the late afternoon.Winter weather has been blamed for more than 20 deaths across the country in the past week. One of the latest was an 81-year-old Iowa man whose body was found in a ditch Friday after his pickup truck got stuck in the snow and he tried to walk home.Associated Press writers Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee, Verena Dobnik in New York, M.L. Johnson and Karen Hawkins in Chicago, Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Mo., Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, N.J., and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report. On the Net:
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
EU air passengers face extra restrictions after US bomb attempt
ANDREW RETTMAN Today DEC 28,09 @ 09:26 CET
Europeans flying to US airports in the wake of the failed Christmas Day aeroplane bomb attempt are facing minor disruptions due to extra security measures. Travellers have reported delays of between one and two hours following the introduction of full body searches for all passengers and more stringent checks on hand-luggage, especially liquids, such as baby milk.Some airlines have prevented passengers from carrying any more than one bag on board, including duty-free purchases.Passengers have been prevented from using the toilet during the one hour before landing in the US and have been asked to stow all items, including pens, blankets and computers, during the pre-landing period.In-flight information has also been affected, with some carriers no longer indicating the geographical position of the aircraft while en route in case it could be useful to an attacker.The ad-hoc measures have affected only flights to the US in what has been a light-touch response so far by US and EU security authorities.These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere, US Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said in a statement on Friday (25 December).A British-educated Nigerian man tried to detonate a liquid and powder-based bomb on Friday on a flight bound from Amsterdam to Detroit.The spectre of trans-Atlantic attacks had receded since the last high-profile plot using liquid bombs in 2006.
The period of calm has seen a renewed emphasis on passengers' rights, with European protests over US calls for extra security data or delays to visa waiver programmes for former Communist EU states.The EU has also avoided the introduction of new body scanners because they invade people's privacy by showing them nude.The US and UK governments have said they will launch a more in-depth security review following the Christmas Day scare. But one pilots' union has warned against splashing out on new technology while ignoring the basics, such as staff training.Fundamentally we should talk about the technology and the processes per se, but initially we should also talk about staff training, Georg Fongern, the deputy head of the German pilots' trade body, IFALPA, told German news agency DPA. It's crucial to ask what we can we expect from somebody carrying out the checks on minimal wages.
Christmas Day bomber was on UK watch list
MON DEC 28,2009
LONDON (AFP) – The Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a US airliner had been placed on a UK watchlist and barred from entering Britain earlier this year, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said on Monday.Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Johnson confirmed 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had been placed on a watch list in May after applying for a visa to study at a bogus college.
Abdulmutallab, who has been charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane over Detroit on Christmas Day, had previously been living in London between 2005-2008 on a student visa while reading mechanical engineering at University College London (UCL).He was a legitimate UK student on a legitimate student visa -- he hasn't been in this country for 14 months, he told the programme.In May, he made an application for a fresh student visa which was refused.As soon as that happened, he was on our watchlist. If someone's refused a visa, they automatically go on our UK watchlist, Johnson said.If you are on our watch list then you do not come into this country. You can come through this country if you are in transit to another country but you cannot come into this country.Police and MI5 officials were looking into a number of issues, including whether he had been radicalised while studying at UCL, Johnson said.What happened when he was in this country? Was he radicalised in this country, was there any association with whoever may have been behind this plot?
We don't know yet whether it was a single-handed plot or (if there were) other people behind it -- I suspect it's the latter rather than the former,he said.All information regarding people on the UK watchlist was routinely shared with the US authorities and Johnson said he would be very surprised if there had been any hiccup in procedures.Washington has said Abdulmutallab was added to a watchlist of some 550,000 names last month after his father warned US officials in Abuja about his son's increasing radicalism.But he was not added to the no-fly list, meaning he was able to secure a valid US visa with which he flew from Lagos to Amsterdam, then on to Detroit on Christmas Day.
ISRAELS INHERITED LAND IN THE FUTURE
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.
Israel to build 700 apartments in east Jerusalem By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer - DEC 28,09
JERUSALEM – Israel said Monday that it will build nearly 700 new apartments in east Jerusalem, drawing tough criticism from both the Palestinians and the United States, which denounced the plan as an obstacle to peacemaking.The dispute over east Jerusalem is the most intractable — and explosive — in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and consider Jewish neighborhoods there to be settlements. Israel claims all of the city as its eternal capital.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction several weeks ago in hopes of bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. But the order did not include construction in east Jerusalem, home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites.We make a distinction between the West Bank and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is our capital and remains such, said government spokesman Mark Regev.The Housing Ministry said it had approved a total of 692 new apartments in three existing Jewish neighborhoods already inhabited by tens of thousands of people.Israel does not consider its east Jerusalem neighborhoods to be settlements. It captured the city's eastern sector in the 1967 Mideast war and immediately annexed the area. The international community does not recognize the annexation.We condemn this Israeli policy of continuing settlement activities, and we hope this will be an eye opener for the U.S. administration and other members of the international community, said Palestinian official Saeb Erekat.The Palestinians have refused to reopen peace talks, which broke down a year ago, until Netanyahu halts all settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. For months, the United States has been trying to bring the sides together.
An Israeli official said the government had informed the Obama administration about the latest planned construction. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.However, a U.S. official said the construction was another blow to peace efforts.We feel that unilateral actions make it harder for people to get back together at the table, and that's what our goals are, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal reaction from Washington.We also have mentioned in the past ... that we consider all the Israeli settlements to be beyond the pale of what we wish to see going on, and are not helpful, again, to getting the two sides back to the table, he said.
Netanyahu announced the settlement slowdown last month in a bid to rekindle peace talks with the Palestinians. But the Palestinians have rebuffed that overture because the order does not affect east Jerusalem and or block construction that is already under way on 3,000 settlement apartments.
Settlement construction became the key sticking point in resuming negotiations after U.S. President Barack Obama demanded a total cessation shortly after taking office. He has since softened his stance, but the Palestinians have not.On Monday, Netanyahu told a group of Israeli ambassadors that Israel wants peace.It's time to resume the diplomatic process and launch peace talks between us and the Palestinians, he said.
News of the east Jerusalem construction plans was disclosed as a former Israeli lawmaker reported that Netanyahu was hammering out an agreement with the Americans on a framework for relaunching peace talks. Retired lawmaker Yossi Beilin said the framework would include negotiations on borders, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. However, Netanyahu has not accepted the key Palestinian demand of basing a final settlement on the borders before the 1967 war.
The Palestinians have insisted on a clear framework as a condition for restarting negotiations. Beilin, an architect of Israeli-Palestinian peace accords in the 1990s, would not say where he got his information. But he remains in touch with government officials and weeks ago, he was the first to report Netanyahu's plans for a 10-month slowdown in West Bank settlement slowdown. Regev, the government spokesman, said that Beilin speaks for himself, definitely not for the prime minister.Washington's special Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, is due back in the region on Jan. 7 to try to prod peacemaking ahead, a Palestinian official said. He spoke on customary condition of anonymity when discussing U.S. officials' timetables.
Palestinians condemn planned Jerusalem settler homes
Mon Dec 28, 3:55 am ET
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) – The Western-backed Palestinian Authority on Monday condemned Israeli plans to build new homes for settlers in east Jerusalem and said they were incompatible with peace efforts.The Palestinian Authority strongly condemns the new decision to build in east Jerusalem and wonders whether there is a freeze of settlement activity or an intensification of it, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.The American administration needs to realise that the policies of the Israeli government embody settlements and not peace and that their choice is settlements and not peace, he added.Israel's Channel 10 television reported Sunday that Israel has invited tenders for the building of some 692 new homes in three settlements in mostly Arab east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians have demanded as the capital of their promised state.There are already some 200,000 Jewish settlers living alongside 270,000 Arab residents in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed later in a move not recognised by the international community.The Palestinians have refused to restart peace negotiations suspended a year ago during the Gaza war unless Israel halts all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem.Israel has agreed to a 10-month moratorium on building starts in the West Bank excluding public buildings and projects already underway. The partial freeze does not include east Jerusalem.On November 16, Israel gave its approval for 900 new housing units in another east Jerusalem settlement in a move that drew a strong rebuke from its US ally, which has been pressing both sides to restart peace talks.
Israeli defense chief: Iran can build bomb by 2011
DEC 28,2009
JERUSALEM – Iran will possess the technology to build a nuclear bomb by early 2010 and be able to produce one the following year, Israeli media quoted Israel's defense minister as saying Monday.Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered his assessment before the Israeli parliament's defense and foreign affairs committee. It broadly matches assessments from other nations including the U.S., which estimates that Tehran could produce a nuclear weapon between 2010 and 2015.The Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the reports and a Barak spokesman wasn't immediately available for comment. The radio and newspaper Web site reports did not identify the source of their information, but participants in the committee meetings routinely brief reporters on the proceedings.Earlier this month, Israel's military intelligence chief said Iran was close to an unspecified technological breakthrough that would enable it to build nuclear weapons. He did not elaborate on the breakthrough or say when exactly he expected Iran to have weapons-making capability.
Israel, like the West, disputes Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is designed to produce energy, not bombs. It has lobbied for tough sanctions against Iran and has not ruled out a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.The international community must act, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a separate gathering of Israeli diplomats.If sanctions aren't imposed now, if true pressure isn't applied now — then when will they do it? A U.N.-drafted proposal aims to ease concerns that Iran could build a nuclear weapon by reducing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Under the proposal, the uranium would be shipped to France and Russia in exchange for more highly enriched fuel rods that are not suitable for use in weapons.Iran has not formally responded to the U.N. proposal, but recently proposed Turkey as a possible venue for exchanging nuclear material with the West.
Israel: 16,200 Jewish immigrants arrived in 2009
Sun Dec 27, 1:37 pm ET
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities say 16,200 Jews moved to the country in 2009, the first yearly increase in a decade.The quasi-governmental Jewish Agency handles immigration to Israel. In a statement, it said in 2008, almost 14,000 Jews came to live in Israel.The statement said 7,120 immigrants came from the former Soviet Union this year, and 5,300 came from English-speaking countries. Both increased over 2008.
The overall number of new arrivals has been dropping since immigration from the former Soviet Union peaked in the 1990s. Sunday's statement said a total of 221,000 Jews immigrated over the past decade.Israel offers automatic citizenship to Jews who move there. About 80 percent of the nation's 7 million residents are Jewish. Most of the rest are Arabs.
Russia warns EU of oil cuts over Ukraine row By Gleb Bryanski And Martin Santa – 6 mins ago DEC 28,2009
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has warned the European Union of oil supply cuts because of a fresh row between Moscow and Kiev, the Slovak government said on Monday, hours after Russia played down worries about a new gas row with Ukraine.The Slovak Economy Ministry said Russia has warned the European Union that Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic could experience oil supply cuts. A European Union source said oil stocks in those countries were adequate to withstand cuts.Europe, which receives the lion's share of its oil and gas needs from Russia, closely tracks Russian disputes with its neighbors after EU gas supplies were cut in the dead of winter in 2006 and 2009 due to disputes between Moscow and Kiev.Another key transit state, Belarus, cut Russian oil flows to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline in January 2007, also due to a pricing row, which further undermined the image of Russia, the world's top oil and gas producer, as a reliable energy supplier.The earlier cuts occurred amid strained political relations between Moscow and its neighbors. Ukraine will hold a presidential election in January and analysts have said that if a relatively pro-Russian leader is elected, Moscow is likely to take a more accommodating stance in future energy negotiations.On Monday, the head of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said he expected Ukraine to pay its December gas bill in full and that he saw no repeat of gas rows -- backtracking from remarks made last week.
But he spoke only a few hours before the head of another Russian monopoly -- oil pipeline company Transneft -- accused Ukrainian politicians of setting new unacceptable terms for oil transit via the Black Sea port of Yuzhny.Transneft President Nikolai Tokarev told Reuters Ukraine had asked Russia to pay more for transit and raised additional conditions concerning minimal volume guarantees, adding that oil supplies would be cut if no deal was quickly reached.We cannot and are not accepting tough terms. The (negotiation) process is continuing and I hope we will solve it before the New Year. But if they insist on their terms, we will also review the prospects of supplies, he said.Asked about the cause of the dispute, Tokarev said:These are purely political issues there (in Ukraine).The demand for higher fees from Ukraine comes as the International Monetary Fund has rejected Kiev's request for a $2 billion loan to help the recession-strapped country meet financial obligations by year's end.A senior official of Ukraine's central bank said last week it had enough foreign currency reserves to manage its finances until the end of the year.
DRUZHBA PIPELINE IN FOCUS
Traders told Reuters on Friday Transneft had told them it would scrap the initial January program for Yuzhny consisting of 0.5 million tonnes, in a move that would effectively damage the Mediterranean oil market.Yuzhny remains the last Ukrainian port through which Russia sends transit crude to the West after it stopped exporting crude via another outlet, Odessa, earlier this year.Ukraine is also a major transit route for crude flowing to Eastern Europe via the Druzhba pipeline and Russia sent its warning to the European Union fearing a repeat of the January 2007 dispute with Belarus.From the EU point of view, the early warning systems have worked, said a EU source, referring to a recent deal under which Russia has to warn the continent about potential supply problems.U.S. crude oil rose to above $79 a barrel on Monday, the highest in more than a month, largely because of colder weather across the major energy market the United States. The tensions involving Russia provided additional support. The Druzhba pipeline supplies Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic via Ukraine with more than 300,000 barrels per day of crude while another spur goes via Belarus to Germany and Poland shipping some 800,000 bpd. The two latter states also have no guarantees of smooth supplies after the New Year as Moscow and Minsk struggle to agree on volumes of duty-free Russian oil for Belarus. Russia's top energy official Igor Sechin said on Monday he hoped the deal with Belarus would be signed on December 30-31. If no deal is reached then we will have to apply full fees from January 1,he told reporters. In 2007, Minsk suspended supplies along Druzhba after failing to clinch a deal on crude supplies for its domestic plants and agreeing on fees.(Additional reporting by Luke Baker; writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov, editing by Anthony Barker)
Oil holds near $78 a barrel in Asia By Eileen Ng, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 28, 3:53 am ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Oil prices held near $78 a barrel Monday in Asia ahead of inventory figures later in the week that could send it through the $80 mark.
Benchmark crude for February delivery was flat at $78.05 at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Trading was thin due to the holiday season.The contract rose $1.38 to settle at $78.05 on Thursday, the first time in more than a month that it closed above $78. Oil markets were closed on Friday for Christmas.Inventory figures from the Energy Information Administration later this week will determine if oil prices can end the year above $80 a barrel, said Clarence Chu, a trader with Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore.The government last week reported a crude stocks drawdown of five million barrels and if inventories continue to decline — suggesting improved demand — it will be a boost to crude prices.Improved employment figures in the U.S. last week also buoyed sentiment and raised expectations of stronger consumer spending.There is an upside bias and oil can close the year above $80 a barrel but fundamentals are still weak and don't support oil at this level, Chu said.He expects crude inventories to build up again in January, which could easily drag oil prices back down to $70.In other Nymex trading in January contracts, heating oil rose 1.1 cents to $2.05 while gasoline rose 1.1 cents to $2. Natural gas added 13.9 cents to $5.78 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude for February delivery rose 18 cents to $76.49 on the ICE Futures exchange.
Stocks edge higher following retail sales data By SARA LEPRO, AP Business Writer DEC 28,09
NEW YORK – Stocks edged higher in early trading Monday as investors returning from a long holiday weekend were heartened by good news on retail sales.Shares of major retailers rose after data showed shoppers opened their wallets more this holiday season, a good sign that consumers are feeling better about the economy.Figures from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which track all forms of payment, show retail sales rose 3.6 percent from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, compared with a 2.3 percent drop a year ago. Adjusting for an extra shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the number was closer to a 1 percent gain.Consumer spending is one of the biggest drivers of economic growth and is vital to a sustained recovery.Commodities prices rose as the dollar fell, giving a boost to energy and materials stocks. Bond prices fell ahead of an auction of two-year notes.
Keeping the market's gains in check, airline stocks fell after two security incidents on Northwest flights this weekend.Stocks are currently at their highest levels of the year, and in the absence of any bad news, analysts say the market is likely to drift higher during the final days of 2009. Trading volume has been extremely light due to the holidays, which can exaggerate price swings. Markets were closed on Friday for Christmas and will be closed again this Friday for New Year's Day.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 9.44, or 0.1 percent, to 10,529.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.48, or 0.04 percent, to 1,126.96, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 4.35, or 0.2 percent, to 2,290.04.Major stock indexes ended a holiday-shortened session Thursday at new 2009 highs following upbeat reports on unemployment and durable goods orders. This week, readings on home prices and consumer confidence are among the few economic reports expected.Stocks have managed to grind higher this month despite lingering concerns about the economic recovery. But the gains have been more subdued than in recent months as investors have held back on taking risks heading into the end of the year. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 66.5 percent since hitting 12-year lows in March.Bond prices fell, pushing yields higher ahead of a fresh round of government auctions. The Treasury Department will issue $44 billion of two-year notes later Monday, followed by $42 billion of five-year notes on Tuesday and $32 billion of seven-year notes on Wednesday. Investors often sell bonds heading into auctions in an effort to command higher yields.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.85 percent from 3.80 percent Thursday.Commodities prices rose as the dollar fell. Commodities are priced in U.S. dollars, so when the greenback is weak they become more attractive to foreign buyers.The ICE Futures U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against other major currencies, slipped 0.2 percent. Oil prices gained 62 cents to $78.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold prices also rose.Among retail stocks, Macy's Inc. rose 45 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $18.02. JCPenney & Co. added 44 cents to $27.46.Shares of Delta Air Lines Inc., which owns Northwest, fell 27 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $11.50. A failed attack on a Northwest flight on Christmas Day and another incident on the same flight to Detroit from Amsterdam on Sunday raised security concerns over the weekend.About five stocks rose for every four that fell on the New York Stock Exchange where volume came to a low 137.6 million shares.In other trading, the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies slipped 0.42, or 0.1 percent, to 633.65. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.3 percent to its highest close since late August, boosted by encouraging news on factory production. In afternoon trading, Germany's DAX index rose 0.7 percent, while France's CAC-40 rose 0.8 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 was closed for a holiday.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
PSALMS 14:1
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Parents pray for missionary thought held in NKorea By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 28, 4:11 am ET
SAN MARCOS, Calif. – An American missionary believed to be detained when he stepped into North Korea on Christmas didn't inform his parents of his plans but they had a hunch he would visit the communist nation.We had a sense, Pyong Park, the missionary's father, told The Associated Press late Sunday.We told him to continue what you're doing in South Korea.About 100 people held candles Sunday night at Palomar Korean Church in San Marcos, a north San Diego suburb, to commend Park for going to North Korea.Robert is doing what God called on him to do, the Rev. Madison Shockley told the crowd.We call this speaking truth to power.Robert Park, 28, slipped across the frozen Tumen River into the North from China carrying a letter calling on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to shut down the country's political prison camps. There has been no word from him since.Park's parents last heard from their son Dec. 23 in an e-mail that predicted upheaval in North Korea.Know that I am the happiest in all my life, his e-mail read. Incredible miracles are happening in the liberation of North Koreans right now ... We are going to see a big and beautiful change in Korea and in the World this year! Park was born in Los Angeles to Pyong and Helen Park, Korean immigrants who met in the United States. He spent much of his childhood in Tucson, Ariz., where he stayed after his parents moved to the San Diego area about four years ago.
His parents say he has devoted himself to church work since 2000, making regular Saturday runs to the slums of Nogales, Mexico, where he distributed food and did missionary work.He planned to visit South Korea for about a month in June 2008 but ended up staying because he was deeply moved by the poverty of North Koreans, his mother said.He felt their pain so much, she said.Park was in China, near the North Korean border, for about two months last summer to provide food and shelter to refugees, his parents said. He gave that up because he knew China would deport any refugees who got caught, exposing them to harsh punishment back home.He helped a lot of people, said Manchul Cho, an uncle. Neither Cho nor his parents knew how many refugees Park helped.Back in Seoul, South Korea, Park worked with other organizations pressing for peaceful change in the communist nation. Pyong Park, 68, said his son wanted quicker results.
He wanted to do a bigger thing, he said.The Parks, who live in the north San Diego suburb of Encinitas, said they are in daily contact with the State Department. North Korea has not acknowledged Park is in the country.He was not afraid to die, Pyong Park said.What he wanted was the whole world to know of North Korea's situation.His only sibling, Paul, 38, also lives in the San Diego area.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Winter weather leaves behind flooding concerns By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer – Sun Dec 27, 6:14 am ET
OMAHA, Neb. – Snow and rain storms that have battered much of the country for days have started subsiding, leaving behind concerns about flooding in some areas.Storms from Texas to the Upper Midwest dumped 23.9 inches of snow in Grand Forks, N.D., and 18 inches near Norfolk, Neb. In the East, higher temperatures and rains have started melting and washing away last week's record-setting snowfalls, threatening the region with flooding.The National Weather Service also issued flood warnings for parts of the South and Midwest, and winter weather advisories were in effect in sections of Nebraska, Illinois Indiana and Michigan through Sunday.A woman and her teenage daughter in Middletown, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, were rescued from a rain-swollen creek after their SUV went off the road Saturday. Rescue workers found the 14-year-old clinging to a log; her mother was trapped in the vehicle.Authorities in southeast Missouri were searching for a woman who washed away in a ditch on Christmas Eve as heavy rains showered the region. Witnesses saw her in the water west of Powe, Mo., and tried to assist her, said Sgt. Jody Laramore of the state Highway Patrol.
In Chicago, one of the nation's busiest travel hubs, snow and ice along with rain on the East Coast canceled or delayed more than 450 flights Saturday.Shannon Fullmer drove two hours from his home in Freeport, Ill., to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Saturday to pick up his 12-year-old son. But the flight from New Jersey was delayed more than three hours.The 38-year-old waited in a long line to get through security so that he could wait by the gate where his son's plane was expected to arrive about 7:30 p.m. CST.Fullmer said he would wait as long as I have to.It doesn't do any good to get angry, he said.A few dozen flights were delayed and a few canceled Saturday afternoon in southern Wisconsin. Three to five inches of snow was expected by Sunday morning.Flights also were delayed at the three major airports in the New York area, which was getting rain and patchy fog. Some travelers arriving at Newark Liberty International had delays of nearly 2 1/2 hours.Most New York area delays were weather-related but some were worsened by stricter security precautions after an airplane bombing attempt in Detroit, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the area's airports.In South Dakota, state troopers assisted 182 people who were stranded in their vehicles or needed help getting through snowy roads, Col. Dan Mosteller said.In the East, rain and higher temperatures helped to melt snow in areas where as much as 2 feet fell last weekend. But freezing temperatures were expected overnight in parts of New England. A freezing rain advisory was extended through 6 a.m. Sunday for parts of western Massachusetts.In New Jersey, rain that began falling Christmas night was expected to continue through Sunday morning. Flood warnings were in effect for most of southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area through the late afternoon.Winter weather has been blamed for more than 20 deaths across the country in the past week. One of the latest was an 81-year-old Iowa man whose body was found in a ditch Friday after his pickup truck got stuck in the snow and he tried to walk home.Associated Press writers Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee, Verena Dobnik in New York, M.L. Johnson and Karen Hawkins in Chicago, Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Mo., Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, N.J., and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report. On the Net:
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
EU air passengers face extra restrictions after US bomb attempt
ANDREW RETTMAN Today DEC 28,09 @ 09:26 CET
Europeans flying to US airports in the wake of the failed Christmas Day aeroplane bomb attempt are facing minor disruptions due to extra security measures. Travellers have reported delays of between one and two hours following the introduction of full body searches for all passengers and more stringent checks on hand-luggage, especially liquids, such as baby milk.Some airlines have prevented passengers from carrying any more than one bag on board, including duty-free purchases.Passengers have been prevented from using the toilet during the one hour before landing in the US and have been asked to stow all items, including pens, blankets and computers, during the pre-landing period.In-flight information has also been affected, with some carriers no longer indicating the geographical position of the aircraft while en route in case it could be useful to an attacker.The ad-hoc measures have affected only flights to the US in what has been a light-touch response so far by US and EU security authorities.These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere, US Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said in a statement on Friday (25 December).A British-educated Nigerian man tried to detonate a liquid and powder-based bomb on Friday on a flight bound from Amsterdam to Detroit.The spectre of trans-Atlantic attacks had receded since the last high-profile plot using liquid bombs in 2006.
The period of calm has seen a renewed emphasis on passengers' rights, with European protests over US calls for extra security data or delays to visa waiver programmes for former Communist EU states.The EU has also avoided the introduction of new body scanners because they invade people's privacy by showing them nude.The US and UK governments have said they will launch a more in-depth security review following the Christmas Day scare. But one pilots' union has warned against splashing out on new technology while ignoring the basics, such as staff training.Fundamentally we should talk about the technology and the processes per se, but initially we should also talk about staff training, Georg Fongern, the deputy head of the German pilots' trade body, IFALPA, told German news agency DPA. It's crucial to ask what we can we expect from somebody carrying out the checks on minimal wages.
Christmas Day bomber was on UK watch list
MON DEC 28,2009
LONDON (AFP) – The Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a US airliner had been placed on a UK watchlist and barred from entering Britain earlier this year, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said on Monday.Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Johnson confirmed 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had been placed on a watch list in May after applying for a visa to study at a bogus college.
Abdulmutallab, who has been charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane over Detroit on Christmas Day, had previously been living in London between 2005-2008 on a student visa while reading mechanical engineering at University College London (UCL).He was a legitimate UK student on a legitimate student visa -- he hasn't been in this country for 14 months, he told the programme.In May, he made an application for a fresh student visa which was refused.As soon as that happened, he was on our watchlist. If someone's refused a visa, they automatically go on our UK watchlist, Johnson said.If you are on our watch list then you do not come into this country. You can come through this country if you are in transit to another country but you cannot come into this country.Police and MI5 officials were looking into a number of issues, including whether he had been radicalised while studying at UCL, Johnson said.What happened when he was in this country? Was he radicalised in this country, was there any association with whoever may have been behind this plot?
We don't know yet whether it was a single-handed plot or (if there were) other people behind it -- I suspect it's the latter rather than the former,he said.All information regarding people on the UK watchlist was routinely shared with the US authorities and Johnson said he would be very surprised if there had been any hiccup in procedures.Washington has said Abdulmutallab was added to a watchlist of some 550,000 names last month after his father warned US officials in Abuja about his son's increasing radicalism.But he was not added to the no-fly list, meaning he was able to secure a valid US visa with which he flew from Lagos to Amsterdam, then on to Detroit on Christmas Day.
ISRAELS INHERITED LAND IN THE FUTURE
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.
Israel to build 700 apartments in east Jerusalem By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer - DEC 28,09
JERUSALEM – Israel said Monday that it will build nearly 700 new apartments in east Jerusalem, drawing tough criticism from both the Palestinians and the United States, which denounced the plan as an obstacle to peacemaking.The dispute over east Jerusalem is the most intractable — and explosive — in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and consider Jewish neighborhoods there to be settlements. Israel claims all of the city as its eternal capital.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction several weeks ago in hopes of bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. But the order did not include construction in east Jerusalem, home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites.We make a distinction between the West Bank and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is our capital and remains such, said government spokesman Mark Regev.The Housing Ministry said it had approved a total of 692 new apartments in three existing Jewish neighborhoods already inhabited by tens of thousands of people.Israel does not consider its east Jerusalem neighborhoods to be settlements. It captured the city's eastern sector in the 1967 Mideast war and immediately annexed the area. The international community does not recognize the annexation.We condemn this Israeli policy of continuing settlement activities, and we hope this will be an eye opener for the U.S. administration and other members of the international community, said Palestinian official Saeb Erekat.The Palestinians have refused to reopen peace talks, which broke down a year ago, until Netanyahu halts all settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. For months, the United States has been trying to bring the sides together.
An Israeli official said the government had informed the Obama administration about the latest planned construction. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.However, a U.S. official said the construction was another blow to peace efforts.We feel that unilateral actions make it harder for people to get back together at the table, and that's what our goals are, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal reaction from Washington.We also have mentioned in the past ... that we consider all the Israeli settlements to be beyond the pale of what we wish to see going on, and are not helpful, again, to getting the two sides back to the table, he said.
Netanyahu announced the settlement slowdown last month in a bid to rekindle peace talks with the Palestinians. But the Palestinians have rebuffed that overture because the order does not affect east Jerusalem and or block construction that is already under way on 3,000 settlement apartments.
Settlement construction became the key sticking point in resuming negotiations after U.S. President Barack Obama demanded a total cessation shortly after taking office. He has since softened his stance, but the Palestinians have not.On Monday, Netanyahu told a group of Israeli ambassadors that Israel wants peace.It's time to resume the diplomatic process and launch peace talks between us and the Palestinians, he said.
News of the east Jerusalem construction plans was disclosed as a former Israeli lawmaker reported that Netanyahu was hammering out an agreement with the Americans on a framework for relaunching peace talks. Retired lawmaker Yossi Beilin said the framework would include negotiations on borders, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. However, Netanyahu has not accepted the key Palestinian demand of basing a final settlement on the borders before the 1967 war.
The Palestinians have insisted on a clear framework as a condition for restarting negotiations. Beilin, an architect of Israeli-Palestinian peace accords in the 1990s, would not say where he got his information. But he remains in touch with government officials and weeks ago, he was the first to report Netanyahu's plans for a 10-month slowdown in West Bank settlement slowdown. Regev, the government spokesman, said that Beilin speaks for himself, definitely not for the prime minister.Washington's special Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, is due back in the region on Jan. 7 to try to prod peacemaking ahead, a Palestinian official said. He spoke on customary condition of anonymity when discussing U.S. officials' timetables.
Palestinians condemn planned Jerusalem settler homes
Mon Dec 28, 3:55 am ET
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) – The Western-backed Palestinian Authority on Monday condemned Israeli plans to build new homes for settlers in east Jerusalem and said they were incompatible with peace efforts.The Palestinian Authority strongly condemns the new decision to build in east Jerusalem and wonders whether there is a freeze of settlement activity or an intensification of it, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.The American administration needs to realise that the policies of the Israeli government embody settlements and not peace and that their choice is settlements and not peace, he added.Israel's Channel 10 television reported Sunday that Israel has invited tenders for the building of some 692 new homes in three settlements in mostly Arab east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians have demanded as the capital of their promised state.There are already some 200,000 Jewish settlers living alongside 270,000 Arab residents in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed later in a move not recognised by the international community.The Palestinians have refused to restart peace negotiations suspended a year ago during the Gaza war unless Israel halts all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem.Israel has agreed to a 10-month moratorium on building starts in the West Bank excluding public buildings and projects already underway. The partial freeze does not include east Jerusalem.On November 16, Israel gave its approval for 900 new housing units in another east Jerusalem settlement in a move that drew a strong rebuke from its US ally, which has been pressing both sides to restart peace talks.
Israeli defense chief: Iran can build bomb by 2011
DEC 28,2009
JERUSALEM – Iran will possess the technology to build a nuclear bomb by early 2010 and be able to produce one the following year, Israeli media quoted Israel's defense minister as saying Monday.Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered his assessment before the Israeli parliament's defense and foreign affairs committee. It broadly matches assessments from other nations including the U.S., which estimates that Tehran could produce a nuclear weapon between 2010 and 2015.The Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the reports and a Barak spokesman wasn't immediately available for comment. The radio and newspaper Web site reports did not identify the source of their information, but participants in the committee meetings routinely brief reporters on the proceedings.Earlier this month, Israel's military intelligence chief said Iran was close to an unspecified technological breakthrough that would enable it to build nuclear weapons. He did not elaborate on the breakthrough or say when exactly he expected Iran to have weapons-making capability.
Israel, like the West, disputes Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is designed to produce energy, not bombs. It has lobbied for tough sanctions against Iran and has not ruled out a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.The international community must act, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a separate gathering of Israeli diplomats.If sanctions aren't imposed now, if true pressure isn't applied now — then when will they do it? A U.N.-drafted proposal aims to ease concerns that Iran could build a nuclear weapon by reducing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Under the proposal, the uranium would be shipped to France and Russia in exchange for more highly enriched fuel rods that are not suitable for use in weapons.Iran has not formally responded to the U.N. proposal, but recently proposed Turkey as a possible venue for exchanging nuclear material with the West.
Israel: 16,200 Jewish immigrants arrived in 2009
Sun Dec 27, 1:37 pm ET
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities say 16,200 Jews moved to the country in 2009, the first yearly increase in a decade.The quasi-governmental Jewish Agency handles immigration to Israel. In a statement, it said in 2008, almost 14,000 Jews came to live in Israel.The statement said 7,120 immigrants came from the former Soviet Union this year, and 5,300 came from English-speaking countries. Both increased over 2008.
The overall number of new arrivals has been dropping since immigration from the former Soviet Union peaked in the 1990s. Sunday's statement said a total of 221,000 Jews immigrated over the past decade.Israel offers automatic citizenship to Jews who move there. About 80 percent of the nation's 7 million residents are Jewish. Most of the rest are Arabs.
Russia warns EU of oil cuts over Ukraine row By Gleb Bryanski And Martin Santa – 6 mins ago DEC 28,2009
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has warned the European Union of oil supply cuts because of a fresh row between Moscow and Kiev, the Slovak government said on Monday, hours after Russia played down worries about a new gas row with Ukraine.The Slovak Economy Ministry said Russia has warned the European Union that Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic could experience oil supply cuts. A European Union source said oil stocks in those countries were adequate to withstand cuts.Europe, which receives the lion's share of its oil and gas needs from Russia, closely tracks Russian disputes with its neighbors after EU gas supplies were cut in the dead of winter in 2006 and 2009 due to disputes between Moscow and Kiev.Another key transit state, Belarus, cut Russian oil flows to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline in January 2007, also due to a pricing row, which further undermined the image of Russia, the world's top oil and gas producer, as a reliable energy supplier.The earlier cuts occurred amid strained political relations between Moscow and its neighbors. Ukraine will hold a presidential election in January and analysts have said that if a relatively pro-Russian leader is elected, Moscow is likely to take a more accommodating stance in future energy negotiations.On Monday, the head of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said he expected Ukraine to pay its December gas bill in full and that he saw no repeat of gas rows -- backtracking from remarks made last week.
But he spoke only a few hours before the head of another Russian monopoly -- oil pipeline company Transneft -- accused Ukrainian politicians of setting new unacceptable terms for oil transit via the Black Sea port of Yuzhny.Transneft President Nikolai Tokarev told Reuters Ukraine had asked Russia to pay more for transit and raised additional conditions concerning minimal volume guarantees, adding that oil supplies would be cut if no deal was quickly reached.We cannot and are not accepting tough terms. The (negotiation) process is continuing and I hope we will solve it before the New Year. But if they insist on their terms, we will also review the prospects of supplies, he said.Asked about the cause of the dispute, Tokarev said:These are purely political issues there (in Ukraine).The demand for higher fees from Ukraine comes as the International Monetary Fund has rejected Kiev's request for a $2 billion loan to help the recession-strapped country meet financial obligations by year's end.A senior official of Ukraine's central bank said last week it had enough foreign currency reserves to manage its finances until the end of the year.
DRUZHBA PIPELINE IN FOCUS
Traders told Reuters on Friday Transneft had told them it would scrap the initial January program for Yuzhny consisting of 0.5 million tonnes, in a move that would effectively damage the Mediterranean oil market.Yuzhny remains the last Ukrainian port through which Russia sends transit crude to the West after it stopped exporting crude via another outlet, Odessa, earlier this year.Ukraine is also a major transit route for crude flowing to Eastern Europe via the Druzhba pipeline and Russia sent its warning to the European Union fearing a repeat of the January 2007 dispute with Belarus.From the EU point of view, the early warning systems have worked, said a EU source, referring to a recent deal under which Russia has to warn the continent about potential supply problems.U.S. crude oil rose to above $79 a barrel on Monday, the highest in more than a month, largely because of colder weather across the major energy market the United States. The tensions involving Russia provided additional support. The Druzhba pipeline supplies Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic via Ukraine with more than 300,000 barrels per day of crude while another spur goes via Belarus to Germany and Poland shipping some 800,000 bpd. The two latter states also have no guarantees of smooth supplies after the New Year as Moscow and Minsk struggle to agree on volumes of duty-free Russian oil for Belarus. Russia's top energy official Igor Sechin said on Monday he hoped the deal with Belarus would be signed on December 30-31. If no deal is reached then we will have to apply full fees from January 1,he told reporters. In 2007, Minsk suspended supplies along Druzhba after failing to clinch a deal on crude supplies for its domestic plants and agreeing on fees.(Additional reporting by Luke Baker; writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov, editing by Anthony Barker)
Oil holds near $78 a barrel in Asia By Eileen Ng, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 28, 3:53 am ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Oil prices held near $78 a barrel Monday in Asia ahead of inventory figures later in the week that could send it through the $80 mark.
Benchmark crude for February delivery was flat at $78.05 at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Trading was thin due to the holiday season.The contract rose $1.38 to settle at $78.05 on Thursday, the first time in more than a month that it closed above $78. Oil markets were closed on Friday for Christmas.Inventory figures from the Energy Information Administration later this week will determine if oil prices can end the year above $80 a barrel, said Clarence Chu, a trader with Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore.The government last week reported a crude stocks drawdown of five million barrels and if inventories continue to decline — suggesting improved demand — it will be a boost to crude prices.Improved employment figures in the U.S. last week also buoyed sentiment and raised expectations of stronger consumer spending.There is an upside bias and oil can close the year above $80 a barrel but fundamentals are still weak and don't support oil at this level, Chu said.He expects crude inventories to build up again in January, which could easily drag oil prices back down to $70.In other Nymex trading in January contracts, heating oil rose 1.1 cents to $2.05 while gasoline rose 1.1 cents to $2. Natural gas added 13.9 cents to $5.78 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude for February delivery rose 18 cents to $76.49 on the ICE Futures exchange.
Stocks edge higher following retail sales data By SARA LEPRO, AP Business Writer DEC 28,09
NEW YORK – Stocks edged higher in early trading Monday as investors returning from a long holiday weekend were heartened by good news on retail sales.Shares of major retailers rose after data showed shoppers opened their wallets more this holiday season, a good sign that consumers are feeling better about the economy.Figures from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which track all forms of payment, show retail sales rose 3.6 percent from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, compared with a 2.3 percent drop a year ago. Adjusting for an extra shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the number was closer to a 1 percent gain.Consumer spending is one of the biggest drivers of economic growth and is vital to a sustained recovery.Commodities prices rose as the dollar fell, giving a boost to energy and materials stocks. Bond prices fell ahead of an auction of two-year notes.
Keeping the market's gains in check, airline stocks fell after two security incidents on Northwest flights this weekend.Stocks are currently at their highest levels of the year, and in the absence of any bad news, analysts say the market is likely to drift higher during the final days of 2009. Trading volume has been extremely light due to the holidays, which can exaggerate price swings. Markets were closed on Friday for Christmas and will be closed again this Friday for New Year's Day.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 9.44, or 0.1 percent, to 10,529.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.48, or 0.04 percent, to 1,126.96, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 4.35, or 0.2 percent, to 2,290.04.Major stock indexes ended a holiday-shortened session Thursday at new 2009 highs following upbeat reports on unemployment and durable goods orders. This week, readings on home prices and consumer confidence are among the few economic reports expected.Stocks have managed to grind higher this month despite lingering concerns about the economic recovery. But the gains have been more subdued than in recent months as investors have held back on taking risks heading into the end of the year. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 66.5 percent since hitting 12-year lows in March.Bond prices fell, pushing yields higher ahead of a fresh round of government auctions. The Treasury Department will issue $44 billion of two-year notes later Monday, followed by $42 billion of five-year notes on Tuesday and $32 billion of seven-year notes on Wednesday. Investors often sell bonds heading into auctions in an effort to command higher yields.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.85 percent from 3.80 percent Thursday.Commodities prices rose as the dollar fell. Commodities are priced in U.S. dollars, so when the greenback is weak they become more attractive to foreign buyers.The ICE Futures U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against other major currencies, slipped 0.2 percent. Oil prices gained 62 cents to $78.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold prices also rose.Among retail stocks, Macy's Inc. rose 45 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $18.02. JCPenney & Co. added 44 cents to $27.46.Shares of Delta Air Lines Inc., which owns Northwest, fell 27 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $11.50. A failed attack on a Northwest flight on Christmas Day and another incident on the same flight to Detroit from Amsterdam on Sunday raised security concerns over the weekend.About five stocks rose for every four that fell on the New York Stock Exchange where volume came to a low 137.6 million shares.In other trading, the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies slipped 0.42, or 0.1 percent, to 633.65. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.3 percent to its highest close since late August, boosted by encouraging news on factory production. In afternoon trading, Germany's DAX index rose 0.7 percent, while France's CAC-40 rose 0.8 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 was closed for a holiday.
PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS
JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME
PSALMS 14:1
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).
WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Parents pray for missionary thought held in NKorea By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 28, 4:11 am ET
SAN MARCOS, Calif. – An American missionary believed to be detained when he stepped into North Korea on Christmas didn't inform his parents of his plans but they had a hunch he would visit the communist nation.We had a sense, Pyong Park, the missionary's father, told The Associated Press late Sunday.We told him to continue what you're doing in South Korea.About 100 people held candles Sunday night at Palomar Korean Church in San Marcos, a north San Diego suburb, to commend Park for going to North Korea.Robert is doing what God called on him to do, the Rev. Madison Shockley told the crowd.We call this speaking truth to power.Robert Park, 28, slipped across the frozen Tumen River into the North from China carrying a letter calling on North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to shut down the country's political prison camps. There has been no word from him since.Park's parents last heard from their son Dec. 23 in an e-mail that predicted upheaval in North Korea.Know that I am the happiest in all my life, his e-mail read. Incredible miracles are happening in the liberation of North Koreans right now ... We are going to see a big and beautiful change in Korea and in the World this year! Park was born in Los Angeles to Pyong and Helen Park, Korean immigrants who met in the United States. He spent much of his childhood in Tucson, Ariz., where he stayed after his parents moved to the San Diego area about four years ago.
His parents say he has devoted himself to church work since 2000, making regular Saturday runs to the slums of Nogales, Mexico, where he distributed food and did missionary work.He planned to visit South Korea for about a month in June 2008 but ended up staying because he was deeply moved by the poverty of North Koreans, his mother said.He felt their pain so much, she said.Park was in China, near the North Korean border, for about two months last summer to provide food and shelter to refugees, his parents said. He gave that up because he knew China would deport any refugees who got caught, exposing them to harsh punishment back home.He helped a lot of people, said Manchul Cho, an uncle. Neither Cho nor his parents knew how many refugees Park helped.Back in Seoul, South Korea, Park worked with other organizations pressing for peaceful change in the communist nation. Pyong Park, 68, said his son wanted quicker results.
He wanted to do a bigger thing, he said.The Parks, who live in the north San Diego suburb of Encinitas, said they are in daily contact with the State Department. North Korea has not acknowledged Park is in the country.He was not afraid to die, Pyong Park said.What he wanted was the whole world to know of North Korea's situation.His only sibling, Paul, 38, also lives in the San Diego area.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
10TH OF TEVET FAST DAY IN ISRAEL TODAY
Tevet 10 Jerusalem Under Siege SUNDAY DEC 27,2009
The walls of Jerusalem at night
On the 10th of Tevet of the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later -- on Tammuz 9, 3338 -- the city walls were breached, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years.
Tevet 10 (this year December 27, 2009) is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance. We refrain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and add the Selichot and other special supplements to our prayers. More recently, Tevet 10 was chosen to also serve as a general kaddish day for the victims of the Holocaust, many of whom the day of their martyrdom is unknown.
An ancient Jewish custom, which was revived by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, is to deliver words of inspiration and arousal to repentance on fast days. Presented here is our modest contribution to our duty as Jews to reflect on the significance of the tragic events of our history and come away motivated, encouraged, and -- yes -- even inspired:
The Destruction of the Temple
a historical background
The seige of Jerusalem that began on the tenth of Tevet is marked -- and observed each year as a public fast day -- as the event that began the downward spiral toward the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the exile (galut) of the Jewish people from their homeland. The actual process, however, originated when the Jews began straying from G-d, long before the seige of Jerusalem.
The Children of Israel entered the Holy Land in the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE) in the long-awaited culmination to their exodus from Egypt forty years earlier. Four hundred forty-seven years later, their settlement in the Land of Israel was consummated and a golden age was ushered in with the completion and dedication of the Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash) in Jerusalem, wherein the Divine Presence came to dwell and manifest itself through daily miracles. Three times a year -- on Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot -- every Jew made a piligrimage to the Temple, to see and be seen by the face of the L-rd G-d of Israel.
The Temple was supposed to last forever; this depended, however, on the Jews' adherence to the Torah and its mitzvot (Divine commandments). At first, the Jews kept the Torah and steadfastly retained their faith, enjoying peace, prosperity and a direct connection to G-d through the Temple. However, after 300 years the Jews began to stray from the Torah and leave the path of their fathers. G-d sent prophets repeatedly to admonish them, but the Jews refused to change their ways, choosing instead to deride these prophets as false messengers come to discourage them with predictions of destruction.
Following is a brief recounting of the final years before the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, excerpted from Our People, a book on Jewish history by Jacob Isaacs.
JEHOAHAZ AND JOIAKIM
JUDEA ON THE DOWNWARD PATH: Before his death, King Josiah designated his second son Jehoahaz as his successor to the throne, because he seemed to be more inclined than his older brother to follow in the footsteps of his father. Indeed the people proclaimed him king, but his reign was very brief. His reign lasted only three months, during which he did not live up to his father's expectations at all. His reign was terminated by Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, whose anger Jehoahaz had provoked. Necho advanced upon the land of Israel, attacked and captured Jehoahaz, and brought him in fetters to Egypt, where he died in captivity. Having exacted a heavy tribute from the people of Judah, Necho placed Jehoahaz's brother, Eliakim, on the throne, and changed his name to Joiakim.
The newly-appointed king Joiakim, Josiah's eldest son, was much worse than his brother. He disregarded the laws of the Torah which his father had so strictly enforced in the land, and he set a poor example for his people by following the ways of wickedness and idolatry. The people were easily led astray inasmuch as their plight under the burden of heavy taxes made them restive and rebellious. With pain in his heart, the prophet Jeremiah watched this growing depravity of the people and sternly admonished them.
"Roam about the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and notice, and search in its broad places, if you can find one man, if there be one that executes justice, that searches for truth: And I will pardon it. And though they say, As the Lord lives! surely they only swear to a falsehood. Oh, Lord, are not Your eyes directed to the truth? You did strike them, but they felt it not; You did make an end of them, yet they refused correction: they made their faces harder than a rock, they refused to return. Yet I myself thought, oh these are but poor; they are foolish; for they knew not the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their G-d. I had better go unto the great men and let me speak to them; for these surely know the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their G-d; but these altogether have broken the yoke, burst the bands. Therefore slays them the lion out of the forest; the wolf of the desert wastes them; the leopard lies in wait against their cities: Everyone that comes out thence shall be torn in pieces; because many are their transgressions, very numerous are their backslidings.
In vain did Jeremiah reprove the king, warning him of the imminent doom which would visit the land. In vain did he paint the gloom and despair that would prevail when G-d would punish the people for their faithlessness, immorality, and injustice. There were so many false prophets who misled the king and the people by their predictions of glorious days to come that Jeremiah's words were unheeded; nay, he became an object of public ridicule and derision. Every day that passed without any disturbance to the normal life of Jerusalem afforded another opportunity for the people to make Jeremiah appear ridiculous and insane. They challenged him and his Divine mission: Where is G-d's word? Why does it not come true? G-d is not, and misfortune will never reach us.
Jeremiah never ceased to admonish the people, and he was finally put in prison by the king.
Meanwhile Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of a large army, was advancing upon the land of Israel. The king and people were determined to oppose them, despite Jeremiah's pleas that opposition to the Babylonians would spell disaster.
JOIAKIM IS DETHRONED: For three years Joiakim remained obedient to the king of Babylon. Then he revolted and joined forces with Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar. To punish this rebellion, the king of Babylon again sent his armies into Judea. They put Joiakim in chains and led him into captivity. But while the Babylonian forces were on their way home, Joiakim died, and was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin (or Jechoniah).
The new monarch had been on the throne for scarcely more than three months when Jerusalem came under the siege of the Babylonian hosts. To appease Nebuchadnezzar and save the city, Jehoiachin delivered himself up to the Babylonian conqueror, together with his motherand all his chief officers. After plundering the Temple and the royal palace, Nebuchadnezzar returned to his land, carrying away from Jerusalem ten thousand captives, including the king and his family, the nobility of the land, and the leaders of the army. Only the poorest of the population were left, and over them Zedekiah eventually became king.
ZEDEKIAH
ZEDEKIAH'S REBELLION: Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he ascended the toppling throne of Judea. The admonitions of Jeremiah and the other Divine prophets went unheeded. There was no sign of a general repentance and return to G-d, and the fate of Judea was sealed. Zedekiah had sworn allegiance to the king of Babylon, but he broke his vow, and secretly joined Egypt in the attempt to throw off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. Turning a deaf ear to Jeremiah's entreaties and warnings, Zedekiah entered into an alliance with Egypt. In the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah openly declared his revolt against the Chaldeans. Again Nebuchadnezzar led a vast army to quell the revolt. Remaining at Riblah, he sent his troops southward under the leadership of Nebuzaradan, his chief general. On the tenth of Tevet, in the year 3336, Jerusalem came under siege.
JEREMIAH'S ADVICE IGNORED: Now Zedekiah sent word to Jeremiah asking him to pray to G-d for help. Jeremiah replied that the fate of Jerusalem was sealed, and that Zedekiah, his sons, servants, and all those who remained in the city would be mercilessly slain. Only those who submitted to the Babylonians would be spared. Zedekiah did not listen to Jeremiah's advice, and he refused to surrender.
JEREMIAH THROWN INTO PRISON: Meanwhile Nebuchadnezzar was forced to abandon the siege of Jerusalem temporarily, because the king of Egypt had led a large army against him. Jeremiah predicted, however, that the Chaldeans would return and again attack and destroy the city. Jeremiah, who had been tolerated thus far, was now accused of being in league with the enemy, and was consequently thrown into prison. The desperate king, however, recalled him from the dungeon and asked him for a message from G-d. But once again Jeremiah could reiterate only what he had told him before. The king's fate, like that of the city, was sealed; nothing could prevent their falling into the vengeful hands of the enemy. Then Jeremiah asked for a better prison than the dungeon in which he had been held. The king granted his request, and every day he was given a loaf of bread, until the time when the supply of bread in Jerusalem gave out.
JEREMIAH THROWN INTO MUDPIT: Jeremiah's repeated predictions of the fall of the city and his pleas for surrender roused the anger of the defenders of the city. The prophet was seized by his enemies and thrown into a pit where he almost drowned in mud. A servant of the name of Ebed M'elech of Kush heard of this and reported it to the king Zedekiah. The king ordered the servant to pull Jeremiah out of the pit. The man did so and saved the prophet's life in the nick of time. Again Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought before him and asked for the Divine message. Jeremiah asked whether he could talk freely, without fear of being killed. The king swore that no harm would befall him, regardless of what he would say, and added that he himself would protect Jeremiah from his enemies. Then Jeremiah told the king that if he would leave the city and surrender to the enemy, he would live and the city would be spared. But the king was afraid of the people's wrath and did not dare to act upon the prophet's advice. After that Jeremiah was put safely behind prison bars and remained there until after the capture of Jerusalem.
CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM: In the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, in the month of Tammuz, after a long (two-and-one-half years') siege, during which hunger and epidemics of disease raged all over the city, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the enemy. The king fled through a subterranean passage, but he was captured in the plains of Jericho and brought before Nebuchadnezzar in Riblah. There the king's sons and many other Jewish princes were slain before his eyes; then his own eyes were put out, and he was led in chains to Babylon.
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE HOLY TEMPLE
NEBUCHADNEZZAR DESTROYS JERUSALEM: On the seventh day of Av the chief of Nebuchadnezzar's army, Nebuzaradan, began the destruction of Jerusalem. The walls of the city were torn down, and the royal palace, and other structures in the city were set on fire. On the ninth of Av, towards the evening, the Beit Hamikdosh was set on fire and was destroyed. Everything of gold and silver that still remained was carried off as loot by Babylonian soldiers. All the beautiful works of art with which King Solomon had once decorated and ornamented the holy edifice were destroyed or taken away. The holy vessels of the Temple that could be found were brought to Babylon. The high priest Seraiah and many other high officials and priests were executed. Many thousands of the people that had escaped the sword were taken prisoner and led into captivity in Babylon, where some of their best had already preceded them. Only the poorest of the residents of Jerusalem were permitted to stay on to plant the vineyards and work in the fields. Over these Nebuchadnezzar set a governor, Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, a great friend of Jeremiah.
Upon Nebuchadnezzar's orders Jeremiah was released from prison and saved from the cruel fate that befell the other leaders of the people. Nebuchadnezzar took off Jeremiah's chains, and allowed him to choose between remaining in his native land or going to Babylon, not as a captive but as an honored guest. Jeremiah preferred to stay and end his days on the holy soil of Judah.
IN EXILE
Thus ended the empire of David and Solomon; thus the magnificent city and holy Temple were destroyed. Thus G-d punished His people for deserting Him and His laws. All this had been predicted in the Torah, and it truly came to pass with all the horror of which Moses had warned. Yet G-d also preserved His covenant with the people of Israel, and another prophecy of Moses came true. This prophecy was remembered by the Jews in exile and lightened the burden of their suffering for it contained this promise: And yet, for all that, though they be in the land of their enemies, will I not cast them away, neither will I loath them to destroy them utterly, to break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord, their G-d. And I will remember for their sake the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt before the eyes of the nations, that I may be unto them G-d; I am the Lord.
The walls of Jerusalem at night
On the 10th of Tevet of the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later -- on Tammuz 9, 3338 -- the city walls were breached, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years.
Tevet 10 (this year December 27, 2009) is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance. We refrain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and add the Selichot and other special supplements to our prayers. More recently, Tevet 10 was chosen to also serve as a general kaddish day for the victims of the Holocaust, many of whom the day of their martyrdom is unknown.
An ancient Jewish custom, which was revived by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, is to deliver words of inspiration and arousal to repentance on fast days. Presented here is our modest contribution to our duty as Jews to reflect on the significance of the tragic events of our history and come away motivated, encouraged, and -- yes -- even inspired:
The Destruction of the Temple
a historical background
The seige of Jerusalem that began on the tenth of Tevet is marked -- and observed each year as a public fast day -- as the event that began the downward spiral toward the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the exile (galut) of the Jewish people from their homeland. The actual process, however, originated when the Jews began straying from G-d, long before the seige of Jerusalem.
The Children of Israel entered the Holy Land in the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE) in the long-awaited culmination to their exodus from Egypt forty years earlier. Four hundred forty-seven years later, their settlement in the Land of Israel was consummated and a golden age was ushered in with the completion and dedication of the Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash) in Jerusalem, wherein the Divine Presence came to dwell and manifest itself through daily miracles. Three times a year -- on Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot -- every Jew made a piligrimage to the Temple, to see and be seen by the face of the L-rd G-d of Israel.
The Temple was supposed to last forever; this depended, however, on the Jews' adherence to the Torah and its mitzvot (Divine commandments). At first, the Jews kept the Torah and steadfastly retained their faith, enjoying peace, prosperity and a direct connection to G-d through the Temple. However, after 300 years the Jews began to stray from the Torah and leave the path of their fathers. G-d sent prophets repeatedly to admonish them, but the Jews refused to change their ways, choosing instead to deride these prophets as false messengers come to discourage them with predictions of destruction.
Following is a brief recounting of the final years before the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, excerpted from Our People, a book on Jewish history by Jacob Isaacs.
JEHOAHAZ AND JOIAKIM
JUDEA ON THE DOWNWARD PATH: Before his death, King Josiah designated his second son Jehoahaz as his successor to the throne, because he seemed to be more inclined than his older brother to follow in the footsteps of his father. Indeed the people proclaimed him king, but his reign was very brief. His reign lasted only three months, during which he did not live up to his father's expectations at all. His reign was terminated by Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, whose anger Jehoahaz had provoked. Necho advanced upon the land of Israel, attacked and captured Jehoahaz, and brought him in fetters to Egypt, where he died in captivity. Having exacted a heavy tribute from the people of Judah, Necho placed Jehoahaz's brother, Eliakim, on the throne, and changed his name to Joiakim.
The newly-appointed king Joiakim, Josiah's eldest son, was much worse than his brother. He disregarded the laws of the Torah which his father had so strictly enforced in the land, and he set a poor example for his people by following the ways of wickedness and idolatry. The people were easily led astray inasmuch as their plight under the burden of heavy taxes made them restive and rebellious. With pain in his heart, the prophet Jeremiah watched this growing depravity of the people and sternly admonished them.
"Roam about the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and notice, and search in its broad places, if you can find one man, if there be one that executes justice, that searches for truth: And I will pardon it. And though they say, As the Lord lives! surely they only swear to a falsehood. Oh, Lord, are not Your eyes directed to the truth? You did strike them, but they felt it not; You did make an end of them, yet they refused correction: they made their faces harder than a rock, they refused to return. Yet I myself thought, oh these are but poor; they are foolish; for they knew not the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their G-d. I had better go unto the great men and let me speak to them; for these surely know the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their G-d; but these altogether have broken the yoke, burst the bands. Therefore slays them the lion out of the forest; the wolf of the desert wastes them; the leopard lies in wait against their cities: Everyone that comes out thence shall be torn in pieces; because many are their transgressions, very numerous are their backslidings.
In vain did Jeremiah reprove the king, warning him of the imminent doom which would visit the land. In vain did he paint the gloom and despair that would prevail when G-d would punish the people for their faithlessness, immorality, and injustice. There were so many false prophets who misled the king and the people by their predictions of glorious days to come that Jeremiah's words were unheeded; nay, he became an object of public ridicule and derision. Every day that passed without any disturbance to the normal life of Jerusalem afforded another opportunity for the people to make Jeremiah appear ridiculous and insane. They challenged him and his Divine mission: Where is G-d's word? Why does it not come true? G-d is not, and misfortune will never reach us.
Jeremiah never ceased to admonish the people, and he was finally put in prison by the king.
Meanwhile Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of a large army, was advancing upon the land of Israel. The king and people were determined to oppose them, despite Jeremiah's pleas that opposition to the Babylonians would spell disaster.
JOIAKIM IS DETHRONED: For three years Joiakim remained obedient to the king of Babylon. Then he revolted and joined forces with Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar. To punish this rebellion, the king of Babylon again sent his armies into Judea. They put Joiakim in chains and led him into captivity. But while the Babylonian forces were on their way home, Joiakim died, and was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin (or Jechoniah).
The new monarch had been on the throne for scarcely more than three months when Jerusalem came under the siege of the Babylonian hosts. To appease Nebuchadnezzar and save the city, Jehoiachin delivered himself up to the Babylonian conqueror, together with his motherand all his chief officers. After plundering the Temple and the royal palace, Nebuchadnezzar returned to his land, carrying away from Jerusalem ten thousand captives, including the king and his family, the nobility of the land, and the leaders of the army. Only the poorest of the population were left, and over them Zedekiah eventually became king.
ZEDEKIAH
ZEDEKIAH'S REBELLION: Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he ascended the toppling throne of Judea. The admonitions of Jeremiah and the other Divine prophets went unheeded. There was no sign of a general repentance and return to G-d, and the fate of Judea was sealed. Zedekiah had sworn allegiance to the king of Babylon, but he broke his vow, and secretly joined Egypt in the attempt to throw off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. Turning a deaf ear to Jeremiah's entreaties and warnings, Zedekiah entered into an alliance with Egypt. In the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah openly declared his revolt against the Chaldeans. Again Nebuchadnezzar led a vast army to quell the revolt. Remaining at Riblah, he sent his troops southward under the leadership of Nebuzaradan, his chief general. On the tenth of Tevet, in the year 3336, Jerusalem came under siege.
JEREMIAH'S ADVICE IGNORED: Now Zedekiah sent word to Jeremiah asking him to pray to G-d for help. Jeremiah replied that the fate of Jerusalem was sealed, and that Zedekiah, his sons, servants, and all those who remained in the city would be mercilessly slain. Only those who submitted to the Babylonians would be spared. Zedekiah did not listen to Jeremiah's advice, and he refused to surrender.
JEREMIAH THROWN INTO PRISON: Meanwhile Nebuchadnezzar was forced to abandon the siege of Jerusalem temporarily, because the king of Egypt had led a large army against him. Jeremiah predicted, however, that the Chaldeans would return and again attack and destroy the city. Jeremiah, who had been tolerated thus far, was now accused of being in league with the enemy, and was consequently thrown into prison. The desperate king, however, recalled him from the dungeon and asked him for a message from G-d. But once again Jeremiah could reiterate only what he had told him before. The king's fate, like that of the city, was sealed; nothing could prevent their falling into the vengeful hands of the enemy. Then Jeremiah asked for a better prison than the dungeon in which he had been held. The king granted his request, and every day he was given a loaf of bread, until the time when the supply of bread in Jerusalem gave out.
JEREMIAH THROWN INTO MUDPIT: Jeremiah's repeated predictions of the fall of the city and his pleas for surrender roused the anger of the defenders of the city. The prophet was seized by his enemies and thrown into a pit where he almost drowned in mud. A servant of the name of Ebed M'elech of Kush heard of this and reported it to the king Zedekiah. The king ordered the servant to pull Jeremiah out of the pit. The man did so and saved the prophet's life in the nick of time. Again Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought before him and asked for the Divine message. Jeremiah asked whether he could talk freely, without fear of being killed. The king swore that no harm would befall him, regardless of what he would say, and added that he himself would protect Jeremiah from his enemies. Then Jeremiah told the king that if he would leave the city and surrender to the enemy, he would live and the city would be spared. But the king was afraid of the people's wrath and did not dare to act upon the prophet's advice. After that Jeremiah was put safely behind prison bars and remained there until after the capture of Jerusalem.
CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM: In the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, in the month of Tammuz, after a long (two-and-one-half years') siege, during which hunger and epidemics of disease raged all over the city, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the enemy. The king fled through a subterranean passage, but he was captured in the plains of Jericho and brought before Nebuchadnezzar in Riblah. There the king's sons and many other Jewish princes were slain before his eyes; then his own eyes were put out, and he was led in chains to Babylon.
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE HOLY TEMPLE
NEBUCHADNEZZAR DESTROYS JERUSALEM: On the seventh day of Av the chief of Nebuchadnezzar's army, Nebuzaradan, began the destruction of Jerusalem. The walls of the city were torn down, and the royal palace, and other structures in the city were set on fire. On the ninth of Av, towards the evening, the Beit Hamikdosh was set on fire and was destroyed. Everything of gold and silver that still remained was carried off as loot by Babylonian soldiers. All the beautiful works of art with which King Solomon had once decorated and ornamented the holy edifice were destroyed or taken away. The holy vessels of the Temple that could be found were brought to Babylon. The high priest Seraiah and many other high officials and priests were executed. Many thousands of the people that had escaped the sword were taken prisoner and led into captivity in Babylon, where some of their best had already preceded them. Only the poorest of the residents of Jerusalem were permitted to stay on to plant the vineyards and work in the fields. Over these Nebuchadnezzar set a governor, Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, a great friend of Jeremiah.
Upon Nebuchadnezzar's orders Jeremiah was released from prison and saved from the cruel fate that befell the other leaders of the people. Nebuchadnezzar took off Jeremiah's chains, and allowed him to choose between remaining in his native land or going to Babylon, not as a captive but as an honored guest. Jeremiah preferred to stay and end his days on the holy soil of Judah.
IN EXILE
Thus ended the empire of David and Solomon; thus the magnificent city and holy Temple were destroyed. Thus G-d punished His people for deserting Him and His laws. All this had been predicted in the Torah, and it truly came to pass with all the horror of which Moses had warned. Yet G-d also preserved His covenant with the people of Israel, and another prophecy of Moses came true. This prophecy was remembered by the Jews in exile and lightened the burden of their suffering for it contained this promise: And yet, for all that, though they be in the land of their enemies, will I not cast them away, neither will I loath them to destroy them utterly, to break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord, their G-d. And I will remember for their sake the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt before the eyes of the nations, that I may be unto them G-d; I am the Lord.
TORAH PORTION FROM DEC 27 - JAN 2,2010
SINCE WHAT ISRAEL READS WILL BE FULFILLED IN THAT WEEK I WILL BE PUTTING THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION ON FOR ALL OF US TO KEEP TRACK OF ISRAEL HAPPENINGS.
TORAH PORTION FROM DEC 27 2009 6PM - JAN 02 6PM 2010
GENESIS 47:28 - 50:26
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
GENESIS 48:1-22
1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
GENESIS 49:1-33
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
GENESIS 50:1-26
1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
PROPHETS PORTION
1 KINGS 2:1-12
1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
NEW TESTAMENT PORTION
ACTS 7:9-16
9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
HEBREWS 11:21-22
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
1 PETER 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1 PETER 2:11-17
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
TORAH PORTION FROM DEC 27 2009 6PM - JAN 02 6PM 2010
GENESIS 47:28 - 50:26
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
GENESIS 48:1-22
1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
GENESIS 49:1-33
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
GENESIS 50:1-26
1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
PROPHETS PORTION
1 KINGS 2:1-12
1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
NEW TESTAMENT PORTION
ACTS 7:9-16
9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
HEBREWS 11:21-22
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
1 PETER 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1 PETER 2:11-17
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
POPE ATTACKED BY WOMAN
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Strong quake hits off Indonesian island
Sat Dec 26, 5:55 am ET
JAKARTA (AFP) – A strong quake with a magnitude of 6.7 hit off the Indonesian island of Maluku on Saturday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of a tsunami or casualties.The quake struck at 15:57 pm local time (0657 GMT) about 152 kilometres (94 miles) northwest of Tual, Maluku province, at a depth of 67 kilometres, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.The quake happened under the sea far enough from the nearest town of Tual. It's also deep, meaning that its effect will be insignificant,the agency's technical head Suharjono told AFP.
There is no report of damages yet,he added.A later US Geological Survey report registered the quake, in the Banda Sea, at a magnitude of 6.0.Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Australians evacuated as fires rage
Thu Dec 24, 2:54 am ET
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian holidaymakers were evacuated Thursday from a campsite in the path of raging wildfires, a day after an inferno destroyed 13 homes in the country's southeast, officials said.Fire crews in Victoria state were on high alert as strong winds and searing temperatures prompted extreme fire warnings, but most of the eight wildfires burning across the state had been brought under control, officials said.Camping areas in East Gippsland north of Melbourne were evacuated, but a cooler change in the evening pushed flames away from properties and the campers were allowed to resume their Christmas celebrations.We're feeling really good about all of these fires so we're in pretty good shape -- as good as we could be at the moment, a Country Fire Authority spokesman said late Thursday.The blazes come after February's Black Saturday inferno killed 173 people and flattened more than 2,000 homes in Victoria, in Australia's worst natural disaster of modern times.
Savage fires razed 13 homes and an emergency services building at Port Lincoln and Kingston in the neighbouring state of South Australia Wednesday.Authorities said cooler temperatures and rain overnight had helped emergency crews bring some fires under control. Five firefighters were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation but no one was seriously injured.Much of South Australia had on Wednesday been declared a catastrophic fire risk, when conditions are considered on a par with the Black Saturday firestorm and residents are urged to evacuate.Meanwhile farmers in central New South Wales were being advised to stock up on food and medical supplies ahead of a major Christmas Day deluge, with the weather bureau forecasting the worst floods in a decade.We'd hope most people would be prepared to be (trapped) out there for five days, because that's how long it takes for floodwaters to subside, a spokesman for the NSW state emergency service said.The heavy rains are expected as cyclone Laurence moves inland after hammering the country's west coast earlier this week.
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.
Connecting Global Warming to Intelligent Design
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-loeffler-steel-on-steel-connecting.html#links
Global Governance without Consent of the Governed
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/12/12192009-global-governance-without.html#links
NIGEL FARGE ON ALEX JONES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emOj59ZppOA&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IWQqQENRlg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1OFbNykXWM&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8G697oEvJk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnqnhib48Oc&feature=player_embedded
Forecasters warn of continued blizzards in Plains By DINESH RAMDE, Associated Press Writer – DEC 26,09
MILWAUKEE – Residents in the nation's heartland were digging out after a blustery storm as meteorologists warned that blizzard conditions could continue across the northern Plains on Saturday.The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin through Saturday. The storm had already dumped significant snow across the region, including a record 14 inches in Oklahoma City and 11 inches in Duluth, Minn., on Thursday.Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 21 deaths this week as the storm lumbered across the country from the Southwest.Paul Mews, who drove from Faribault, Minn., to a relative's home in Plum City, Wis., on Friday morning, said the first 15 minutes of the 80-mile trip were clear, but a surge of heavy snowfall produced a stretch of near-whiteout conditions.It was snow-pocalypse. It was wicked, said Mews, 25.We thought about turning around and going back.
They decided to continue when the surge passed minutes later.
Others weren't as lucky.
Army Sgt. Mark Matthey was spending Friday night at the Flying J Travel Plaza in Sioux Falls, S.D., after Interstate 90 closed. Matthey, 26, left Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday for his hometown of Spokane, Wash., in hopes of making it by late Friday or early Saturday.Instead, he spent Friday afternoon drinking coffee, watching TV and making friends at the truck stop. Matthey said he and the other travelers were in decent spirits.Everybody has the attitude that you have to play the cards you were dealt, he said. No use in getting upset about something you can't control.Interstates also were closed in North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Meteorologists warned that massive snow drifts and blustery winds could cause whiteouts across the northern Plains. Officials urged travelers to stay home and pack emergency kits if they had to set out.In Texas, volunteer firefighters and sheriff's deputies rescued hundreds of people stranded along Interstate 44 and Texas State Highway 287 near Wichita Falls. The area recorded up to 13 inches of snow, said Doug Speheger, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
It's really been horrible, Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said.Although we live in north Texas and get a lot of cold weather, we weren't prepared for the significant amount of snow that we've received.Only two of the sheriff department's vehicles have four-wheel drive, so rescuers used their own pickups and the heavy 5-ton brush trucks normally used to fight fires to get to motorists, many of whom ran out of gas while they were stuck in traffic stalled by the storm.It was exciting at first to wake up and go, Oh, this will be great. We'll have a white Christmas, Wichita Falls Mayor Lanham Lyne said.Then it kept snowing. As the roads became impassable, then we started to worry.The storm grounded flights at South Dakota's biggest airports. Sioux Falls Regional Airport was closed until Saturday morning at the earliest, manager Dan Letellier told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Flights also were canceled at Rapid City Regional Airport and Pierre Regional Airport.Mark Kranenburg, director of the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City predicted it would be two or three days before all three runways were open and flights resumed as scheduled at Oklahoma's largest airport.The 14 inches of snow in Oklahoma City broke a record of 2.5 inches set back in 1914. The previous record for Christmas Eve in Duluth, which has gotten more than 22 inches in two days, was 3 inches in 1893, said Kevin Kraujalis, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
With heavy winds producing snow drifts as deep as 5 feet, it's awful, it's just awful,Kraujalis said.It's a big workout just walking outside to check my weather equipment.Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota, Missouri and New Mexico. Associated Press writers Patrick Condon in Minneapolis, Eric Olson in Omaha, Neb., Melanie Welte in Des Moines, Iowa, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Linda Stewart Ball in Dallas and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report. On the Net: National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Asia marks tsunami's fifth anniversary with prayer
By Jason Szep Jason Szep – DEC 26,09
PATONG, Thailand (Reuters) – Thousands of candles lit up Thailand's Patong beach, thousands of saffron-robed Buddhist monks marched and people held vigils as Asia marked the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Saturday.Hundreds of lanterns floated into the sky at Patong in one of many events across the region in memory of one of history's worst natural disasters when towering waves crashed ashore with little warning, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries.We came here to remember those who died,said Sainamphueng Kachan, 32, who lost 20 friends in the tsunami and was among the tourists, mourners and tsunami survivors gathered in bustling Patong to light candles dug into holes in the beach.In Indonesia's Banda Aceh, about 100 people took part in a prayer ceremony close to a fishing boat that landed on the rooftop of a two-storey house after being swept miles inland.
Indonesia was the worst hit with more than 166,000 dead and missing. Massive reconstruction aid in Banda Aceh has rebuilt a new city on top of the ruins but survivors are only now putting memories of the disaster behind them.Some villagers shed tears as they remembered the day their homes and lives were destroyed by the wall of water that rose as high as 30 meters (98 ft), triggered by an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.I will never forget it in all my life. After the earthquake, we ran out of the house and within minutes people screamed on seeing the towering water, said Ambasiah, 40, owner of the house with the fishing boat where about 50 people took refuge.When the water got higher, suddenly a boat landed on top of the house. We climbed and stayed there until afternoon. We saw the waves from atop.Indonesian Vice President Boediono attended another ceremony in Ulee Lheu, a port about 5 km (3 miles) from Banda Aceh which was worst hit by the tsunami.After five years, the government of Aceh and Aceh people, with the help of the central government and the international society, have resurrected Aceh to start a new life and rebuild Aceh, he told a gathering of about 1,000 people.Some locals such as Taufik Rahmat say they have moved on, helped along by new homes in the Banda Aceh region following one of the largest foreign fund-raising exercises. But still pockets of people in his village remain homeless.Not all elements have been fulfilled, I think about 80 percent to 90 percent of the people still don't have proper housing,he said.
FRIGHTENED OF THE SEA
Thousands of Buddhist monks chanted and marched in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village on Thailand's Andaman Sea coast that lost nearly half its 5,000 people.All souls from all nationalities, wherever you are now, please receive the prayers the monks are saying for you,said Kularb Pliamyai, who lost 10 family members in Ban Nam Khem.Ban Nam Khem village is a shadow of its former self. Its once-thriving center of dense waterfront stores, restaurants and wooden homes is gone, replaced with souvenir shops, a wave-shaped monument and a small building filled with photographs of the tsunami recovery effort.Many former residents are now too frightened of the sea to rebuild close to the water.I still feel bad about what happened. People from all over the world were killed here. It's their misfortune,Kularb said. In Thailand, 5,398 people were killed, including several thousand foreign tourists, when the waves swamped six coastal provinces, turning some of the world's most beautiful beaches into mass graves. Many are still missing. In Patong, local artists performed traditional Thai songs and Buddhist monks chanted as tourists and locals gathered in a pavilion to look at photographs of the tsunami's damage. We come and stay here because we are alive, said Ruschitschka Adolf, a 73-year-old German who survived the tsunami, as his wife Katherina waded into Patong's turquoise waters to lay white roses in the waves in memory of the dead. Almost all of those killed were on holiday on or around the southern island of Phuket, a region that had contributed as much as 40 percent of Thailand's annual tourism income.
AID DRYING UP
Tsunami aid efforts have mostly finished, said Patrick Fuller, Tsunami Communications Coordinator at the Red Cross. A lot of the physical reconstruction has ended. There are some major infrastructure projects that are still going on. There are some road projects, longer term projects. But all the housing projects are pretty much wrapped up, he said. The Red Cross built 51,000 houses over the past five years, mostly in the Maldives and Indonesia. But locals say they need more than new buildings, clean-water plants and other infrastructure. The economy has not recovered,said Rotjana Phraesrithong, who is in charge of the Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage, opened in 2006 for 35 children who lost parents in the tsunami. Dozens of small hotels and resorts are up for sale in Thailand's Phang Nga province north of Phuket whose forested coastline includes Ban Nam Khem and the serene 19-km (12-mile) Khao Lak beach, two of Thailand's worst tsunami-hit areas. More than 100 of these small hotels and retail tour operators are looking to sell their operations because they can't obtain loans from banks to keep going, said Krit Srifa, president of the Phang Nga Tourism Association. On Khao Lak beach, where the tsunami killed 3,000 people, mourners lit 2,552 traditional Khomloy floating paper lanterns -- a number representing the Thai Buddhist calendar year when the tsunami struck. (Additional reporting by Masako Iijima, Reza Munawir and Heru Asprihanto in Banda Aceh and Vorasit Satienlerk and Noppawan Bunlueslip in Thailand; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Pope in good shape 2 days after Xmas scare By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer DEC 26,09
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI appeared in good shape on Saturday as he addressed the faithful two days after a woman knocked him down at the start of Christmas Eve Mass.Benedict spoke about the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and did not mention the incident in his message to a crowd gathered in a rainy St. Peter's Square.On the day Christians commemorate St. Stephen, the church's first martyr, the pope remembered those who undergo trials and suffering because of their faith and urged prayers for them.The 82-year-old pontiff was processing through St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday when a woman described by Vatican officials as mentally unstable jumped the barricades and pulled him to the ground as she was taken down by guards.Benedict quickly got up and, though slightly rattled, continued with the Mass. The morning after, he delivered his traditional Christmas Day message.While Benedict was unhurt in the tumble, a retired Vatican diplomat, French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, fell and fractured his hip in the commotion.The Vatican's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Saturday that the 87-year-old prelate would probably undergo surgery on Sunday.Visitors report that the cardinal is serene and in high spirits and that he offers his prayers for the pope and awaits with optimism the surgery, Lombardi said in a statement.The Vatican identified the woman involved in Thursday night's incident as 25-year-old Susanna Maiolo, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems.She remains in a clinic for treatment and Lombardi said she is still under Vatican jurisdiction. The city-state's judiciary will decide in the coming days whether to take further steps against her based on the reports from Vatican police and doctors, he said in the statement.Maiolo was from in the Swiss town of Frauenfeld, where she spent two years at a residential home for people with psychiatric disorders and illnesses, said Rolf Kessler, director of the Wohngruppe Kanzler home.Confirming reports in Swiss media, Kessler said Maiolo stayed there from July 2006 to July 2008 before moving into her own apartment.Italy's ANSA news agency said the woman's family visited her Saturday afternoon at a hospital outside Rome where she is being held.The incident raised fresh questions about security for the pontiff, especially after officials said Maiolo was the same person who had jumped the barriers at the 2008 Christmas Eve Mass in a failed bid to get to the pope. She even wore the same red hooded sweat shirt.The Vatican has said it will review security procedures, while warning there will always be risks since the pope is regularly surrounded by tens of thousands of people for his weekly audiences, Masses, papal greetings and other events.AP writer Eliane Engeler contributed to this report from Geneva.
Pope calls for peace amid concern over his security By Philip Pullella – Fri Dec 25, 7:21 am ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict called on the world to abandon violence and vengeance on Friday and showed no sign of strain after an unstable woman lunged at him, forcing him to the ground, on Christmas Eve.In his traditional Urbi et Orbi message to the city and the world from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the pope urged the world to rediscover the simplicity of the Christmas message and read Christmas greetings in 65 languages.As the pope spoke to tens of thousands of people in the square below, the Vatican remained focused on Thursday night's incident, which raised again the question of how the pope can be protected while still having close contact with people.Susanna Maiolo, 25, an Italian-Swiss national, shocked the Catholic world and Vatican security when she jumped over a barricade in the basilica, lunged at Pope Benedict, grabbed his vestments and caused him to fall to the marble floor.The Vatican said she was psychologically unstable and unarmed and the pope was not hurt in any way. She was taken to an Italian hospital for psychological treatment.Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Friday that it was impossible to provide watertight security for the pope because being close to people is part of his mission.It is impossible to prevent every possibility of something happening, even at close range,Lombardi told reporters.The pope wants to have a direct, pastoral relationship with people where you can touch children, shake hands and do what you want to do and what the people want you to do, Lombardi said.If you want watertight security you can't do that. Being out of touch with people, being far from them, runs against the spirit of his mission so there will always be a risk, he said.
SIMPLICITY OF CHRISTMAS
In his Urbi et Orbi message, the pope said today's world had to rediscover the simplicity of the Christmas message.People should abandon every logic of violence and vengeance and engage with renewed vigor and generosity in the process which leads to peaceful coexistence.He said that while the world was currently steeped in a grave financial crisis, it was also affected even more by a moral crisis, and by the painful wounds of wars and conflicts.Thursday's incident took place as the 82-year-old pope, flanked by security men and bishops, was walking up the main aisle of the basilica to start a Christmas Eve mass.Members of the congregation screamed as Maiolo, wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt, jumped the barrier and lunged at him.
French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, 87, who has been in frail health recently, fell to the floor in the confusion and was taken away in a wheelchair. He suffered a broken femur and will have to undergo surgery but is not in serious condition.The Vatican acknowledged that Maiolo had also tried to jump a barricade to reach the pope at last year's Christmas Mass.It's surprising that it happened inside St Peter's, because the security there has changed a great deal in recent years and is much more tight than it used to be, the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales, told the BBC. But there it is, I'm sure those arrangements will be reviewed and greater care will be taken, he said. There have been few security breaches in Benedict's pontificate, which began in 2005. In 2007 a German man jumped over a barricade in St Peter's Square as the pope's jeep was passing during a general audience and tried to board the vehicle. The most serious attack on a pope in the Vatican was in 1981 when Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca shot and nearly killed Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Square. While visitors to the basilica must pass through metal detectors and spot checks, security once they get inside is relatively light. Vatican security is shared by a police force and Swiss Guards.(Editing by Tim Pearce)
Jewish advocacy group questions Carter's apology By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 24, 6:01 pm ET
ATLANTA – Former President Jimmy Carter's apology to the Jewish community has sparked a debate among Jewish groups, as some reacted with skepticism while others sought to wait before gauging the Georgia Democrat's attempt to heal an often strained relationship.Is it correct to outright dismiss his apology? No, if he issues it, we have to look at it seriously, said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.But the devil is in the details. And if there's a nuanced change about how he approaches Israel in the future, it's an important statement.
Carter issued an open letter this week apologizing for any words or deeds that may have stigmatized Israel. He offered an Al Het — a prayer said on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement — that signifies a plea for forgiveness.Some organizations were reluctant to accept his offer. Shalom International, a Miami-based group known for staging protests to fight anti-Semitism, called the apology a publicity stunt and invited Carter to attend one of several rallies planned for the next few months.
I'm sorry doesn't cut it,said Bob Kunst, the group's president.Carter has galvanized the Jewish community like few other politicians. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate brokered a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt during his presidency and he has long said bringing peace to the Middle East remains one of his unfulfilled goals.
But many Jews were outraged by his 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, in which critics said he unfairly compared Israeli treatment of Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza to the legalized racial oppression that once existed in South Africa.And Israeli leaders have shunned him for his journeys to Gaza to meet with officials from Hamas, which is considered a terror group by the U.S., the European Union and Israel.Some Jewish groups welcomed Carter's statement, but said it's too early to tell if he meant it.The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America said true repentance requires Carter to reverse any of the harm he caused, and called on the president to take concrete actions to redress troubling false statements the group said he made about the war Israel waged in Gaza a year ago to subdue Hamas.We hope your conciliatory words are indicative of a true change of heart in which Israel is no longer subjected to unwarranted and false criticism, said Andrea Levin, the group's executive director, in a letter to Carter.Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League said Carter's apology was a good start to repairing relations with the Jewish community. Others said they were cautiously optimistic.We are happy to criticize him when he's being unfair, so when he says something like this, he should be congratulated and encouraged, said Ira Forman, chief executive of the Washington-based National Jewish Democratic Council.You have to take people at their word, he said before invoking the Yiddish word for an honorable person.And I think it's mensch-like to say that we appreciate that.
Virgin Mary sighting a glimpse of hope for Egypt Christians by Mona Salem – Thu Dec 24, 1:28 pm ET
CAIRO (AFP) – Every night in the run-up to Christmas thousands of Egypt's Coptic Christians have been gathering in a Cairo suburb eager for a glimpse of a vision that has given hope to their marginalised community.It is three hours past midnight in Al-Warrak, a poor working class neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital, and a 10,000-strong crowd is silently staring at the sky.Then the appearance of a mysterious light over the church tower jolts the gathering into a frenzy of cries and ululations. It is the apparition of the Virgin Mary, they say.Thousands have been coming nightly since the first sighting of the Virgin Mary on December 10, in the hope of being blessed by her light.The prospect of benediction is a much needed morale boost for the Christian minority which complains of systematic discrimination and marginalisation in the Muslim majority Arab country.Tea vendors and sweet sellers snake through the crowd where thousands of families have gathered with young children and babies.The first person to spot the sighting of the Virgin Mary was a Muslim neighour. He took a video and pictures and distributed them to everyone, said Father Fishay, a priest at the Warrak church, describing how he first heard of the apparition.Hassan, the Muslim neighbour, was sitting at his local coffee shop when at around 8:30 pm, he saw a strong light coming from the church.Others on the street began to notice the light and saw a bird circling above the church. At around 2 am, a vision of the Virgin Mary in her white and blue robes appeared, Fishay said.But Muslim residents of the area insist it is a hoax, with someone creating the image with laser beams.
News of the apparition quickly spread in the area, prompting hundreds to rush out of their homes armed with mobile phones to capture the momentous event.It's her, with her blue and white clothes, there is no doubt about it. It cannot be an illusion, said an excited Rami, 36, in response to sceptics.The church closes its doors in the evening, we were not there when the image appeared the first time, so we decided to come back the second night and we saw the bird circling the church then the light, Fishay said in his measured manner.Kawkab Munir Shehata, 39, is convinced. The mother of two says the Virgin Mary even performed surgery on her, giving her back the sight she had lost in her left eye.It was about 3:40 am when she started performing the surgery on my left eye. I felt immense pain which lasted about quarter of an hour. Then I was ecstatic to find out that I could see clearly, said Kawkab.
You see, my left eye is even better than my right one now, she said.Nabil, 32, his wife Mariam, 28, and their three children came from Shubra al-Kheima, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away on the other side of town, to receive the Virgin's blessings.Her appearance means she approves of us and if she blesses us, we will stay till morning, Mariam said. Her husband said the sighting proves that Christianity is still alive. He is angry over the recent publication of an article in a periodical of Cairo's Al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, questioning the foundations of Christianity. The apparition of the Virgin Mary means that Christianity is real and the Bible is real, he said. Raafat, 38, goes to Warrak every night but has to leave early to make it to his pre-dawn job. His wife Mariam however stays up with their four children. Schools are closed due to swine flu, there's no reason not to stay up late and wait for the Virgin Mary, she said. Egypt's Christians make up around 10 percent of the 80 million population but complain they are kept out of jobs in the army, judiciary and universities. The apparition of the Virgin provides comfort for many of the Coptic faithful as they prepare to celebrate Christmas on January 7 in accordance with the ancient Julian calendar used by many Eastern Churches. It is not possible to know the reason for the Virgin's appearance, but it could be to push people towards faith, and help put an end to their problems, Fishay said. Maybe her appearance is to bring people closer together, maybe it will bring about the end of the state of tension between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism, he said. Maybe it'll bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt.
Iran willing to swap nuclear material in Turkey By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 25, 12:41 pm ET
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran would be willing to swap nuclear material with the West in Turkey, the foreign minister said in the country's latest counteroffer to a U.N.-drafted deal aimed at thwarting Tehran's ability to produce atomic weapons.The U.N. proposal aims to ease concerns that Iran could build a nuclear weapon by reducing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Under the proposal, the uranium would be shipped to France and Russia in exchange for more highly enriched fuel rods that are not suitable for use in weapons.Speaking on Iran's state TV, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki suggested Turkey, which neighbors Iran and has good relations with the West, as a venue for exchanging nuclear material.Iran does not have a problem with Turkish soil as the location for an exchange of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, he said late Thursday.In Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed the Iranian announcement and said his government is ready to do its best to help reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program.While Iran's remarks signaled a slight change in stance — the country has said before it would only accept such an exchange on its own territory — they represent no significant shift in Iran's policy.
The U.S. and its allies have demanded Iran accept the terms of the U.N.-brokered plan without changes. Under the plan, drafted last month, Iran would export its low-enriched uranium for further enrichment in Russia and France, where it would be converted into fuel rods. The rods, which Iran needs for a research reactor in Tehran, would be returned to the country about a year later.Exporting the uranium would temporarily leave Iran without enough stockpiles to further enrich the uranium into the material for a nuclear warhead, and the rods that are returned could not be used to make weapons.Iran says it has no intention of building a bomb, maintaining its program is for generating electricity.At various times, Iran has proposed swapping material in batches — which would not necessarily reduce its ability to build a bomb. At other times it has insisted on a simultaneous swap inside Iran, or threatened to just produce the fuel rods on its own.The West needs to prove its goodwill intentions toward Tehran first, Mottaki said in the interview.Exchange is acceptable, he said.They (West) have to do the trust-building, then it is pursuable.
Iran is able to produce the fuel on its own, Mottaki said, calling this a preferable option while adding that Iran is still ready for talks with the West.The ball in their own court, they should answer us, said Mottaki. Threat and sanctions are useless.Enrichment is at the core of the nuclear controversy. Low-enriched uranium is used to fuel a nuclear energy reactor, but highly enriched uranium can be turned into a nuclear warhead. Once converted into rods, the uranium cannot be enriched further.The U.N. has demanded that Iran suspend all enrichment, a demand Tehran has refused, saying it has a right to develop the technology under the Nonproliferation Treaty. Iran has also defiantly announced it intends to build the 10 new uranium enrichment sites, drawing a forceful rebuke from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.
The U.S. and its allies are threatening to impose more sanctions on Iran if it does not cooperate.Earlier this week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed a year-end deadline set by the Obama administration and the West for Tehran to accept the U.N.-drafted deal and also shrugged off the threat of more sanctions.
Mideast tensions rise after deadly West Bank raid
by Imad Saada Imad Saada – DEC 26,09
NABLUS, West Bank (AFP) – Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in two separate operations on Saturday, including a West Bank raid the Palestinian Authority condemned as a dangerous escalation.It was the highest toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in a single day since a 22-day Gaza war launched one year ago tomorrow, and came amid growing tensions between Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.The raid in the West Bank town of Nablus saw dozens of Israeli jeeps roar into the historic Old City before troops barged in and shot three members of president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement in different houses, witnesses said.The military said the three had killed an Israeli settler driving through the West Bank on Thursday when they sprayed his vehicle with bullets and that one of them, Anan Subuh, 36, was in a hiding place and armed with a handgun.Another militant, Raid al-Surakji, 40, used his wife as a shield when troops stormed his house, the military said. Soldiers opened fire, killing him and wounding the woman with a shot to the leg.Family members said the troops entered without warning and killed all three men in cold blood, insisting none resisted arrest or opened fire.Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner confirmed none of the men fired any shots but said they refused to surrender and were considered armed and dangerous.
These were not people handing out roses or flowers, these are people who are shooting at Israelis driving on the road, he told reporters on a conference call.We don't wait to be shot at if we have a threat.Subuh was a member of Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, but had been granted amnesty by Israel. The other two were party activists, said a Palestinian security official who asked not to be named.Lerner said the men's membership in Fatah raises question marks and that Palestinian security forces were not informed of the raid until just before it happened.Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad denounced the operation as a deliberate attempt to undermine recent security gains.This operation represents a dangerous escalation, and can only be seen in the context of targeting the security and stability that the Palestinian Authority has been able to bring about, he said in a statement.Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina also slammed the operation, accusing Israel of trying to drag our people into a spiral of bloody violence.At the funeral processions for the three men, hundreds of people marched through the streets waving Palestinian and Fatah flags, chanting With our souls, with our blood we sacrifice for you, martyrs.The Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza said in a statement that Abbas' illegitimate government was partly to blame for the killings because of its security cooperation with Israel.
The uptick in violence in the West Bank comes after more than two years of relative calm during which Palestinian security forces loyal to Abbas have restored law and order in several former militant strongholds.Israel has in turn lifted some of its hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks and scaled back military operations in the occupied territory.Nablus saw heavy fighting during the 2000 intifada, or uprising, but has more recently been held up as a model of calm and proof of the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the peace process with Israel. Meanwhile, another three Palestinians were killed in an air strike in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip near the security fence along the northern border, local medics and the Israeli military said. A military spokeswoman said the three were militants who had ignored warning shots, but medics and Hamas border guards stationed nearby said they were civilians scavenging for scrap metal. Gaza, which Hamas seized from Abbas' forces in June 2007, has been relatively calm since a January 18 ceasefire ended Israel's massive 22-day offensive aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. Some 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israelis were killed and entire neighbourhoods were flattened in what was the deadliest Israeli offensive ever launched on the territory.
Netanyahu asks rival Livni to join government By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 25, 4:31 am ET
JERUSALEM – The Israeli prime minister has asked moderate opposition leader Tzipi Livni to join his government — a move that could boost efforts to restart negotiations with the Palestinians if she accepts or rip apart her rival party if she refuses.The offer, made late Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, came amid reports that Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to persuade lawmakers from Livni's Kadima party to bolt to his Likud. On Friday, one lawmaker announced she would join Likud if Livni rejected the offer.
Livni did not turn down the offer.I'm not closing the door, she said. If the offer is serious, Livni said, she wants to explore how far Netanyahu is willing to go in negotiations with the Palestinians.However, she also said she wouldn't be part of a maneuver to split Kadima, and earlier this week accused Netanyahu of trying to break up her party by courting its lawmakers.Livni, a former foreign minister and chief negotiator with the Palestinians, refused to join Netanyahu's hardline government in March because he would not embrace the notion of a Palestinian statehood at the time.
Netanyahu has since endorsed the idea, albeit with stipulations the Palestinians have rejected, such as continued Israeli control over east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state.He also recently announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction, bucking the hawkish Jewish settlers who form an important component of support.The Haaretz newspaper on Friday quoted Netanyahu as saying that if he can't coax Livni to join,I'll take at least part of Kadima.Kadima's presence in the coalition could help to entice the Palestinians to resume negotiations. So far, they have refused to do so, distrustful of Netanyahu's true intentions and angry that his settlement slowdown has been partial and does not include east Jerusalem.It could also dilute the power of the hardline parties that currently dominate the coalition, a prospect that would be welcomed internationally.
A broad coalition could also give Netanyahu added backing as he decides what to do about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Israel insists that Tehran is lying when it says it isn't developing bomb technology and has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program.While Netanyahu's gestures toward the Palestinians might suggest that he and Livni have more to talk about than before, political commentators on Friday didn't think she'd take him up on his offer.It's more likely Netanyahu's real aim is to dismantle Kadima, the largest party in parliament with 28 of 120 seats, they said.Though there is discontent with Livni's leadership inside Kadima, with former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz making no secret of his desire to unseat her and others accusing her of an autocratic style, there were no immediate signs a mass exodus was in the offing.Not because of confidence in Kadima's future, but because there are no great promises outside, Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
AP sources: Attempt to blow up airliner foiled By JIM IRWIN and LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writers – Sat Dec 26, 3:07 am ET
ROMULUS, Mich. – A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said. Law enforcement officials said the burns indicated the explosive was strapped to his legs.One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase,said Peter Smith, a traveler from the Netherlands. First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke.Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, a young man behind me jumped on him.Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic, said Jafri. Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.
The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers. Reid is serving a life sentence.Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil, but other law enforcement officials cautioned that such claims could not be verified immediately, and said the man may have been acting independently — inspired but not specifically trained or ordered by terror groups.All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.Another law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the case, said Mutallab's name had surfaced earlier on at least one U.S. intelligence database, but not to the extent that he was placed on a watch list or a no-fly list.Mutallab was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital. One passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She referred all inquiries to the FBI.The trauma burn center at the hospital said it did not have Abdul Mutallab in its unit.Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
A spokeswoman for police at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam declined comment about the case or about security procedures at the airport for Flight 253. Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest with a heavy load of transit passengers from Africa and Asia to North America, strictly enforces European security regulations including only allowing small amounts of liquid in hand luggage that must be placed inside clear plastic bags.A spokesman for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Akin Olunkunle, said all passengers and their luggage are screened before boarding international flights. He also said the airport in Lagos cleared a U.S. Transportation Security Administration audit in November.We had a pass mark, spokesman Akin Olukunle said.We actually are up to standards in all senses.There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:01 p.m. EST, she said. Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance. It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.The passenger was taken into custody and questioned by law enforcement authorities,the airline said.
According to the airline, eight flight attendants and three pilots were on board.
Smith said while he was leaving the plane, he looked at where the man had been sitting and saw a pillow that seemed to have been burned. Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher. President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii. Federal officials said there would be heightened security for both domestic and international flights at airports across the country, but the intensified levels would likely be layered, differing from location to location depending on alerts, security concerns and other factors. Passengers can expect to see heightened screening, more bomb-sniffing dog and officer units and behavioral-detection specialists at some airports, but there will also be unspecified less visible precautions as well, officials said. The FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued an intelligence note on Nov. 20 about the threat picture for the holiday season, which was obtained by The Associated Press. At the time, officials said they had no specific information about attack plans by al-Qaida or other terrorist groups. In 2003, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly marked Nigeria for liberation in a recording posted on the Internet, calling on Muslims in the oil-rich country to rise up against one of the regimes who are slaves of America.But links to al-Qaida remained rare, though security forces claimed to break up such a linked terror cell in November 2007.
Delta, which is days away from obtaining a single operating certificate from the FAA to fully integrate itself and Northwest, has been hosting military personnel who have to travel over the holidays in a lounge at the Detroit airport. Margasak reported from Washington. Associated Press Writers Lara Jakes in Baghdad, Randi Berris in West Bloomfield, Mich., Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Devlin Barrett, Shelley Adler, Eileen Sullivan, Pamela Hess, Harry R. Weber and Joan Lowy in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, Arthur Max in Amsterdam and Philip Elliott in Kailua, Hawaii, contributed to this report.
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Strong quake hits off Indonesian island
Sat Dec 26, 5:55 am ET
JAKARTA (AFP) – A strong quake with a magnitude of 6.7 hit off the Indonesian island of Maluku on Saturday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of a tsunami or casualties.The quake struck at 15:57 pm local time (0657 GMT) about 152 kilometres (94 miles) northwest of Tual, Maluku province, at a depth of 67 kilometres, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.The quake happened under the sea far enough from the nearest town of Tual. It's also deep, meaning that its effect will be insignificant,the agency's technical head Suharjono told AFP.
There is no report of damages yet,he added.A later US Geological Survey report registered the quake, in the Banda Sea, at a magnitude of 6.0.Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Australians evacuated as fires rage
Thu Dec 24, 2:54 am ET
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian holidaymakers were evacuated Thursday from a campsite in the path of raging wildfires, a day after an inferno destroyed 13 homes in the country's southeast, officials said.Fire crews in Victoria state were on high alert as strong winds and searing temperatures prompted extreme fire warnings, but most of the eight wildfires burning across the state had been brought under control, officials said.Camping areas in East Gippsland north of Melbourne were evacuated, but a cooler change in the evening pushed flames away from properties and the campers were allowed to resume their Christmas celebrations.We're feeling really good about all of these fires so we're in pretty good shape -- as good as we could be at the moment, a Country Fire Authority spokesman said late Thursday.The blazes come after February's Black Saturday inferno killed 173 people and flattened more than 2,000 homes in Victoria, in Australia's worst natural disaster of modern times.
Savage fires razed 13 homes and an emergency services building at Port Lincoln and Kingston in the neighbouring state of South Australia Wednesday.Authorities said cooler temperatures and rain overnight had helped emergency crews bring some fires under control. Five firefighters were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation but no one was seriously injured.Much of South Australia had on Wednesday been declared a catastrophic fire risk, when conditions are considered on a par with the Black Saturday firestorm and residents are urged to evacuate.Meanwhile farmers in central New South Wales were being advised to stock up on food and medical supplies ahead of a major Christmas Day deluge, with the weather bureau forecasting the worst floods in a decade.We'd hope most people would be prepared to be (trapped) out there for five days, because that's how long it takes for floodwaters to subside, a spokesman for the NSW state emergency service said.The heavy rains are expected as cyclone Laurence moves inland after hammering the country's west coast earlier this week.
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.
Connecting Global Warming to Intelligent Design
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-loeffler-steel-on-steel-connecting.html#links
Global Governance without Consent of the Governed
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/12/12192009-global-governance-without.html#links
NIGEL FARGE ON ALEX JONES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emOj59ZppOA&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IWQqQENRlg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1OFbNykXWM&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8G697oEvJk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnqnhib48Oc&feature=player_embedded
Forecasters warn of continued blizzards in Plains By DINESH RAMDE, Associated Press Writer – DEC 26,09
MILWAUKEE – Residents in the nation's heartland were digging out after a blustery storm as meteorologists warned that blizzard conditions could continue across the northern Plains on Saturday.The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin through Saturday. The storm had already dumped significant snow across the region, including a record 14 inches in Oklahoma City and 11 inches in Duluth, Minn., on Thursday.Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 21 deaths this week as the storm lumbered across the country from the Southwest.Paul Mews, who drove from Faribault, Minn., to a relative's home in Plum City, Wis., on Friday morning, said the first 15 minutes of the 80-mile trip were clear, but a surge of heavy snowfall produced a stretch of near-whiteout conditions.It was snow-pocalypse. It was wicked, said Mews, 25.We thought about turning around and going back.
They decided to continue when the surge passed minutes later.
Others weren't as lucky.
Army Sgt. Mark Matthey was spending Friday night at the Flying J Travel Plaza in Sioux Falls, S.D., after Interstate 90 closed. Matthey, 26, left Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday for his hometown of Spokane, Wash., in hopes of making it by late Friday or early Saturday.Instead, he spent Friday afternoon drinking coffee, watching TV and making friends at the truck stop. Matthey said he and the other travelers were in decent spirits.Everybody has the attitude that you have to play the cards you were dealt, he said. No use in getting upset about something you can't control.Interstates also were closed in North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Meteorologists warned that massive snow drifts and blustery winds could cause whiteouts across the northern Plains. Officials urged travelers to stay home and pack emergency kits if they had to set out.In Texas, volunteer firefighters and sheriff's deputies rescued hundreds of people stranded along Interstate 44 and Texas State Highway 287 near Wichita Falls. The area recorded up to 13 inches of snow, said Doug Speheger, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
It's really been horrible, Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said.Although we live in north Texas and get a lot of cold weather, we weren't prepared for the significant amount of snow that we've received.Only two of the sheriff department's vehicles have four-wheel drive, so rescuers used their own pickups and the heavy 5-ton brush trucks normally used to fight fires to get to motorists, many of whom ran out of gas while they were stuck in traffic stalled by the storm.It was exciting at first to wake up and go, Oh, this will be great. We'll have a white Christmas, Wichita Falls Mayor Lanham Lyne said.Then it kept snowing. As the roads became impassable, then we started to worry.The storm grounded flights at South Dakota's biggest airports. Sioux Falls Regional Airport was closed until Saturday morning at the earliest, manager Dan Letellier told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Flights also were canceled at Rapid City Regional Airport and Pierre Regional Airport.Mark Kranenburg, director of the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City predicted it would be two or three days before all three runways were open and flights resumed as scheduled at Oklahoma's largest airport.The 14 inches of snow in Oklahoma City broke a record of 2.5 inches set back in 1914. The previous record for Christmas Eve in Duluth, which has gotten more than 22 inches in two days, was 3 inches in 1893, said Kevin Kraujalis, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
With heavy winds producing snow drifts as deep as 5 feet, it's awful, it's just awful,Kraujalis said.It's a big workout just walking outside to check my weather equipment.Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota, Missouri and New Mexico. Associated Press writers Patrick Condon in Minneapolis, Eric Olson in Omaha, Neb., Melanie Welte in Des Moines, Iowa, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Linda Stewart Ball in Dallas and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report. On the Net: National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Asia marks tsunami's fifth anniversary with prayer
By Jason Szep Jason Szep – DEC 26,09
PATONG, Thailand (Reuters) – Thousands of candles lit up Thailand's Patong beach, thousands of saffron-robed Buddhist monks marched and people held vigils as Asia marked the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Saturday.Hundreds of lanterns floated into the sky at Patong in one of many events across the region in memory of one of history's worst natural disasters when towering waves crashed ashore with little warning, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries.We came here to remember those who died,said Sainamphueng Kachan, 32, who lost 20 friends in the tsunami and was among the tourists, mourners and tsunami survivors gathered in bustling Patong to light candles dug into holes in the beach.In Indonesia's Banda Aceh, about 100 people took part in a prayer ceremony close to a fishing boat that landed on the rooftop of a two-storey house after being swept miles inland.
Indonesia was the worst hit with more than 166,000 dead and missing. Massive reconstruction aid in Banda Aceh has rebuilt a new city on top of the ruins but survivors are only now putting memories of the disaster behind them.Some villagers shed tears as they remembered the day their homes and lives were destroyed by the wall of water that rose as high as 30 meters (98 ft), triggered by an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.I will never forget it in all my life. After the earthquake, we ran out of the house and within minutes people screamed on seeing the towering water, said Ambasiah, 40, owner of the house with the fishing boat where about 50 people took refuge.When the water got higher, suddenly a boat landed on top of the house. We climbed and stayed there until afternoon. We saw the waves from atop.Indonesian Vice President Boediono attended another ceremony in Ulee Lheu, a port about 5 km (3 miles) from Banda Aceh which was worst hit by the tsunami.After five years, the government of Aceh and Aceh people, with the help of the central government and the international society, have resurrected Aceh to start a new life and rebuild Aceh, he told a gathering of about 1,000 people.Some locals such as Taufik Rahmat say they have moved on, helped along by new homes in the Banda Aceh region following one of the largest foreign fund-raising exercises. But still pockets of people in his village remain homeless.Not all elements have been fulfilled, I think about 80 percent to 90 percent of the people still don't have proper housing,he said.
FRIGHTENED OF THE SEA
Thousands of Buddhist monks chanted and marched in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village on Thailand's Andaman Sea coast that lost nearly half its 5,000 people.All souls from all nationalities, wherever you are now, please receive the prayers the monks are saying for you,said Kularb Pliamyai, who lost 10 family members in Ban Nam Khem.Ban Nam Khem village is a shadow of its former self. Its once-thriving center of dense waterfront stores, restaurants and wooden homes is gone, replaced with souvenir shops, a wave-shaped monument and a small building filled with photographs of the tsunami recovery effort.Many former residents are now too frightened of the sea to rebuild close to the water.I still feel bad about what happened. People from all over the world were killed here. It's their misfortune,Kularb said. In Thailand, 5,398 people were killed, including several thousand foreign tourists, when the waves swamped six coastal provinces, turning some of the world's most beautiful beaches into mass graves. Many are still missing. In Patong, local artists performed traditional Thai songs and Buddhist monks chanted as tourists and locals gathered in a pavilion to look at photographs of the tsunami's damage. We come and stay here because we are alive, said Ruschitschka Adolf, a 73-year-old German who survived the tsunami, as his wife Katherina waded into Patong's turquoise waters to lay white roses in the waves in memory of the dead. Almost all of those killed were on holiday on or around the southern island of Phuket, a region that had contributed as much as 40 percent of Thailand's annual tourism income.
AID DRYING UP
Tsunami aid efforts have mostly finished, said Patrick Fuller, Tsunami Communications Coordinator at the Red Cross. A lot of the physical reconstruction has ended. There are some major infrastructure projects that are still going on. There are some road projects, longer term projects. But all the housing projects are pretty much wrapped up, he said. The Red Cross built 51,000 houses over the past five years, mostly in the Maldives and Indonesia. But locals say they need more than new buildings, clean-water plants and other infrastructure. The economy has not recovered,said Rotjana Phraesrithong, who is in charge of the Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage, opened in 2006 for 35 children who lost parents in the tsunami. Dozens of small hotels and resorts are up for sale in Thailand's Phang Nga province north of Phuket whose forested coastline includes Ban Nam Khem and the serene 19-km (12-mile) Khao Lak beach, two of Thailand's worst tsunami-hit areas. More than 100 of these small hotels and retail tour operators are looking to sell their operations because they can't obtain loans from banks to keep going, said Krit Srifa, president of the Phang Nga Tourism Association. On Khao Lak beach, where the tsunami killed 3,000 people, mourners lit 2,552 traditional Khomloy floating paper lanterns -- a number representing the Thai Buddhist calendar year when the tsunami struck. (Additional reporting by Masako Iijima, Reza Munawir and Heru Asprihanto in Banda Aceh and Vorasit Satienlerk and Noppawan Bunlueslip in Thailand; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Pope in good shape 2 days after Xmas scare By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer DEC 26,09
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI appeared in good shape on Saturday as he addressed the faithful two days after a woman knocked him down at the start of Christmas Eve Mass.Benedict spoke about the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and did not mention the incident in his message to a crowd gathered in a rainy St. Peter's Square.On the day Christians commemorate St. Stephen, the church's first martyr, the pope remembered those who undergo trials and suffering because of their faith and urged prayers for them.The 82-year-old pontiff was processing through St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday when a woman described by Vatican officials as mentally unstable jumped the barricades and pulled him to the ground as she was taken down by guards.Benedict quickly got up and, though slightly rattled, continued with the Mass. The morning after, he delivered his traditional Christmas Day message.While Benedict was unhurt in the tumble, a retired Vatican diplomat, French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, fell and fractured his hip in the commotion.The Vatican's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Saturday that the 87-year-old prelate would probably undergo surgery on Sunday.Visitors report that the cardinal is serene and in high spirits and that he offers his prayers for the pope and awaits with optimism the surgery, Lombardi said in a statement.The Vatican identified the woman involved in Thursday night's incident as 25-year-old Susanna Maiolo, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems.She remains in a clinic for treatment and Lombardi said she is still under Vatican jurisdiction. The city-state's judiciary will decide in the coming days whether to take further steps against her based on the reports from Vatican police and doctors, he said in the statement.Maiolo was from in the Swiss town of Frauenfeld, where she spent two years at a residential home for people with psychiatric disorders and illnesses, said Rolf Kessler, director of the Wohngruppe Kanzler home.Confirming reports in Swiss media, Kessler said Maiolo stayed there from July 2006 to July 2008 before moving into her own apartment.Italy's ANSA news agency said the woman's family visited her Saturday afternoon at a hospital outside Rome where she is being held.The incident raised fresh questions about security for the pontiff, especially after officials said Maiolo was the same person who had jumped the barriers at the 2008 Christmas Eve Mass in a failed bid to get to the pope. She even wore the same red hooded sweat shirt.The Vatican has said it will review security procedures, while warning there will always be risks since the pope is regularly surrounded by tens of thousands of people for his weekly audiences, Masses, papal greetings and other events.AP writer Eliane Engeler contributed to this report from Geneva.
Pope calls for peace amid concern over his security By Philip Pullella – Fri Dec 25, 7:21 am ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict called on the world to abandon violence and vengeance on Friday and showed no sign of strain after an unstable woman lunged at him, forcing him to the ground, on Christmas Eve.In his traditional Urbi et Orbi message to the city and the world from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the pope urged the world to rediscover the simplicity of the Christmas message and read Christmas greetings in 65 languages.As the pope spoke to tens of thousands of people in the square below, the Vatican remained focused on Thursday night's incident, which raised again the question of how the pope can be protected while still having close contact with people.Susanna Maiolo, 25, an Italian-Swiss national, shocked the Catholic world and Vatican security when she jumped over a barricade in the basilica, lunged at Pope Benedict, grabbed his vestments and caused him to fall to the marble floor.The Vatican said she was psychologically unstable and unarmed and the pope was not hurt in any way. She was taken to an Italian hospital for psychological treatment.Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Friday that it was impossible to provide watertight security for the pope because being close to people is part of his mission.It is impossible to prevent every possibility of something happening, even at close range,Lombardi told reporters.The pope wants to have a direct, pastoral relationship with people where you can touch children, shake hands and do what you want to do and what the people want you to do, Lombardi said.If you want watertight security you can't do that. Being out of touch with people, being far from them, runs against the spirit of his mission so there will always be a risk, he said.
SIMPLICITY OF CHRISTMAS
In his Urbi et Orbi message, the pope said today's world had to rediscover the simplicity of the Christmas message.People should abandon every logic of violence and vengeance and engage with renewed vigor and generosity in the process which leads to peaceful coexistence.He said that while the world was currently steeped in a grave financial crisis, it was also affected even more by a moral crisis, and by the painful wounds of wars and conflicts.Thursday's incident took place as the 82-year-old pope, flanked by security men and bishops, was walking up the main aisle of the basilica to start a Christmas Eve mass.Members of the congregation screamed as Maiolo, wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt, jumped the barrier and lunged at him.
French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, 87, who has been in frail health recently, fell to the floor in the confusion and was taken away in a wheelchair. He suffered a broken femur and will have to undergo surgery but is not in serious condition.The Vatican acknowledged that Maiolo had also tried to jump a barricade to reach the pope at last year's Christmas Mass.It's surprising that it happened inside St Peter's, because the security there has changed a great deal in recent years and is much more tight than it used to be, the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales, told the BBC. But there it is, I'm sure those arrangements will be reviewed and greater care will be taken, he said. There have been few security breaches in Benedict's pontificate, which began in 2005. In 2007 a German man jumped over a barricade in St Peter's Square as the pope's jeep was passing during a general audience and tried to board the vehicle. The most serious attack on a pope in the Vatican was in 1981 when Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca shot and nearly killed Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Square. While visitors to the basilica must pass through metal detectors and spot checks, security once they get inside is relatively light. Vatican security is shared by a police force and Swiss Guards.(Editing by Tim Pearce)
Jewish advocacy group questions Carter's apology By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 24, 6:01 pm ET
ATLANTA – Former President Jimmy Carter's apology to the Jewish community has sparked a debate among Jewish groups, as some reacted with skepticism while others sought to wait before gauging the Georgia Democrat's attempt to heal an often strained relationship.Is it correct to outright dismiss his apology? No, if he issues it, we have to look at it seriously, said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.But the devil is in the details. And if there's a nuanced change about how he approaches Israel in the future, it's an important statement.
Carter issued an open letter this week apologizing for any words or deeds that may have stigmatized Israel. He offered an Al Het — a prayer said on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement — that signifies a plea for forgiveness.Some organizations were reluctant to accept his offer. Shalom International, a Miami-based group known for staging protests to fight anti-Semitism, called the apology a publicity stunt and invited Carter to attend one of several rallies planned for the next few months.
I'm sorry doesn't cut it,said Bob Kunst, the group's president.Carter has galvanized the Jewish community like few other politicians. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate brokered a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt during his presidency and he has long said bringing peace to the Middle East remains one of his unfulfilled goals.
But many Jews were outraged by his 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, in which critics said he unfairly compared Israeli treatment of Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza to the legalized racial oppression that once existed in South Africa.And Israeli leaders have shunned him for his journeys to Gaza to meet with officials from Hamas, which is considered a terror group by the U.S., the European Union and Israel.Some Jewish groups welcomed Carter's statement, but said it's too early to tell if he meant it.The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America said true repentance requires Carter to reverse any of the harm he caused, and called on the president to take concrete actions to redress troubling false statements the group said he made about the war Israel waged in Gaza a year ago to subdue Hamas.We hope your conciliatory words are indicative of a true change of heart in which Israel is no longer subjected to unwarranted and false criticism, said Andrea Levin, the group's executive director, in a letter to Carter.Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League said Carter's apology was a good start to repairing relations with the Jewish community. Others said they were cautiously optimistic.We are happy to criticize him when he's being unfair, so when he says something like this, he should be congratulated and encouraged, said Ira Forman, chief executive of the Washington-based National Jewish Democratic Council.You have to take people at their word, he said before invoking the Yiddish word for an honorable person.And I think it's mensch-like to say that we appreciate that.
Virgin Mary sighting a glimpse of hope for Egypt Christians by Mona Salem – Thu Dec 24, 1:28 pm ET
CAIRO (AFP) – Every night in the run-up to Christmas thousands of Egypt's Coptic Christians have been gathering in a Cairo suburb eager for a glimpse of a vision that has given hope to their marginalised community.It is three hours past midnight in Al-Warrak, a poor working class neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital, and a 10,000-strong crowd is silently staring at the sky.Then the appearance of a mysterious light over the church tower jolts the gathering into a frenzy of cries and ululations. It is the apparition of the Virgin Mary, they say.Thousands have been coming nightly since the first sighting of the Virgin Mary on December 10, in the hope of being blessed by her light.The prospect of benediction is a much needed morale boost for the Christian minority which complains of systematic discrimination and marginalisation in the Muslim majority Arab country.Tea vendors and sweet sellers snake through the crowd where thousands of families have gathered with young children and babies.The first person to spot the sighting of the Virgin Mary was a Muslim neighour. He took a video and pictures and distributed them to everyone, said Father Fishay, a priest at the Warrak church, describing how he first heard of the apparition.Hassan, the Muslim neighbour, was sitting at his local coffee shop when at around 8:30 pm, he saw a strong light coming from the church.Others on the street began to notice the light and saw a bird circling above the church. At around 2 am, a vision of the Virgin Mary in her white and blue robes appeared, Fishay said.But Muslim residents of the area insist it is a hoax, with someone creating the image with laser beams.
News of the apparition quickly spread in the area, prompting hundreds to rush out of their homes armed with mobile phones to capture the momentous event.It's her, with her blue and white clothes, there is no doubt about it. It cannot be an illusion, said an excited Rami, 36, in response to sceptics.The church closes its doors in the evening, we were not there when the image appeared the first time, so we decided to come back the second night and we saw the bird circling the church then the light, Fishay said in his measured manner.Kawkab Munir Shehata, 39, is convinced. The mother of two says the Virgin Mary even performed surgery on her, giving her back the sight she had lost in her left eye.It was about 3:40 am when she started performing the surgery on my left eye. I felt immense pain which lasted about quarter of an hour. Then I was ecstatic to find out that I could see clearly, said Kawkab.
You see, my left eye is even better than my right one now, she said.Nabil, 32, his wife Mariam, 28, and their three children came from Shubra al-Kheima, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away on the other side of town, to receive the Virgin's blessings.Her appearance means she approves of us and if she blesses us, we will stay till morning, Mariam said. Her husband said the sighting proves that Christianity is still alive. He is angry over the recent publication of an article in a periodical of Cairo's Al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, questioning the foundations of Christianity. The apparition of the Virgin Mary means that Christianity is real and the Bible is real, he said. Raafat, 38, goes to Warrak every night but has to leave early to make it to his pre-dawn job. His wife Mariam however stays up with their four children. Schools are closed due to swine flu, there's no reason not to stay up late and wait for the Virgin Mary, she said. Egypt's Christians make up around 10 percent of the 80 million population but complain they are kept out of jobs in the army, judiciary and universities. The apparition of the Virgin provides comfort for many of the Coptic faithful as they prepare to celebrate Christmas on January 7 in accordance with the ancient Julian calendar used by many Eastern Churches. It is not possible to know the reason for the Virgin's appearance, but it could be to push people towards faith, and help put an end to their problems, Fishay said. Maybe her appearance is to bring people closer together, maybe it will bring about the end of the state of tension between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism, he said. Maybe it'll bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt.
Iran willing to swap nuclear material in Turkey By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 25, 12:41 pm ET
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran would be willing to swap nuclear material with the West in Turkey, the foreign minister said in the country's latest counteroffer to a U.N.-drafted deal aimed at thwarting Tehran's ability to produce atomic weapons.The U.N. proposal aims to ease concerns that Iran could build a nuclear weapon by reducing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Under the proposal, the uranium would be shipped to France and Russia in exchange for more highly enriched fuel rods that are not suitable for use in weapons.Speaking on Iran's state TV, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki suggested Turkey, which neighbors Iran and has good relations with the West, as a venue for exchanging nuclear material.Iran does not have a problem with Turkish soil as the location for an exchange of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, he said late Thursday.In Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed the Iranian announcement and said his government is ready to do its best to help reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program.While Iran's remarks signaled a slight change in stance — the country has said before it would only accept such an exchange on its own territory — they represent no significant shift in Iran's policy.
The U.S. and its allies have demanded Iran accept the terms of the U.N.-brokered plan without changes. Under the plan, drafted last month, Iran would export its low-enriched uranium for further enrichment in Russia and France, where it would be converted into fuel rods. The rods, which Iran needs for a research reactor in Tehran, would be returned to the country about a year later.Exporting the uranium would temporarily leave Iran without enough stockpiles to further enrich the uranium into the material for a nuclear warhead, and the rods that are returned could not be used to make weapons.Iran says it has no intention of building a bomb, maintaining its program is for generating electricity.At various times, Iran has proposed swapping material in batches — which would not necessarily reduce its ability to build a bomb. At other times it has insisted on a simultaneous swap inside Iran, or threatened to just produce the fuel rods on its own.The West needs to prove its goodwill intentions toward Tehran first, Mottaki said in the interview.Exchange is acceptable, he said.They (West) have to do the trust-building, then it is pursuable.
Iran is able to produce the fuel on its own, Mottaki said, calling this a preferable option while adding that Iran is still ready for talks with the West.The ball in their own court, they should answer us, said Mottaki. Threat and sanctions are useless.Enrichment is at the core of the nuclear controversy. Low-enriched uranium is used to fuel a nuclear energy reactor, but highly enriched uranium can be turned into a nuclear warhead. Once converted into rods, the uranium cannot be enriched further.The U.N. has demanded that Iran suspend all enrichment, a demand Tehran has refused, saying it has a right to develop the technology under the Nonproliferation Treaty. Iran has also defiantly announced it intends to build the 10 new uranium enrichment sites, drawing a forceful rebuke from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.
The U.S. and its allies are threatening to impose more sanctions on Iran if it does not cooperate.Earlier this week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed a year-end deadline set by the Obama administration and the West for Tehran to accept the U.N.-drafted deal and also shrugged off the threat of more sanctions.
Mideast tensions rise after deadly West Bank raid
by Imad Saada Imad Saada – DEC 26,09
NABLUS, West Bank (AFP) – Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in two separate operations on Saturday, including a West Bank raid the Palestinian Authority condemned as a dangerous escalation.It was the highest toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in a single day since a 22-day Gaza war launched one year ago tomorrow, and came amid growing tensions between Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.The raid in the West Bank town of Nablus saw dozens of Israeli jeeps roar into the historic Old City before troops barged in and shot three members of president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement in different houses, witnesses said.The military said the three had killed an Israeli settler driving through the West Bank on Thursday when they sprayed his vehicle with bullets and that one of them, Anan Subuh, 36, was in a hiding place and armed with a handgun.Another militant, Raid al-Surakji, 40, used his wife as a shield when troops stormed his house, the military said. Soldiers opened fire, killing him and wounding the woman with a shot to the leg.Family members said the troops entered without warning and killed all three men in cold blood, insisting none resisted arrest or opened fire.Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner confirmed none of the men fired any shots but said they refused to surrender and were considered armed and dangerous.
These were not people handing out roses or flowers, these are people who are shooting at Israelis driving on the road, he told reporters on a conference call.We don't wait to be shot at if we have a threat.Subuh was a member of Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, but had been granted amnesty by Israel. The other two were party activists, said a Palestinian security official who asked not to be named.Lerner said the men's membership in Fatah raises question marks and that Palestinian security forces were not informed of the raid until just before it happened.Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad denounced the operation as a deliberate attempt to undermine recent security gains.This operation represents a dangerous escalation, and can only be seen in the context of targeting the security and stability that the Palestinian Authority has been able to bring about, he said in a statement.Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina also slammed the operation, accusing Israel of trying to drag our people into a spiral of bloody violence.At the funeral processions for the three men, hundreds of people marched through the streets waving Palestinian and Fatah flags, chanting With our souls, with our blood we sacrifice for you, martyrs.The Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza said in a statement that Abbas' illegitimate government was partly to blame for the killings because of its security cooperation with Israel.
The uptick in violence in the West Bank comes after more than two years of relative calm during which Palestinian security forces loyal to Abbas have restored law and order in several former militant strongholds.Israel has in turn lifted some of its hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks and scaled back military operations in the occupied territory.Nablus saw heavy fighting during the 2000 intifada, or uprising, but has more recently been held up as a model of calm and proof of the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the peace process with Israel. Meanwhile, another three Palestinians were killed in an air strike in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip near the security fence along the northern border, local medics and the Israeli military said. A military spokeswoman said the three were militants who had ignored warning shots, but medics and Hamas border guards stationed nearby said they were civilians scavenging for scrap metal. Gaza, which Hamas seized from Abbas' forces in June 2007, has been relatively calm since a January 18 ceasefire ended Israel's massive 22-day offensive aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. Some 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israelis were killed and entire neighbourhoods were flattened in what was the deadliest Israeli offensive ever launched on the territory.
Netanyahu asks rival Livni to join government By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 25, 4:31 am ET
JERUSALEM – The Israeli prime minister has asked moderate opposition leader Tzipi Livni to join his government — a move that could boost efforts to restart negotiations with the Palestinians if she accepts or rip apart her rival party if she refuses.The offer, made late Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, came amid reports that Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to persuade lawmakers from Livni's Kadima party to bolt to his Likud. On Friday, one lawmaker announced she would join Likud if Livni rejected the offer.
Livni did not turn down the offer.I'm not closing the door, she said. If the offer is serious, Livni said, she wants to explore how far Netanyahu is willing to go in negotiations with the Palestinians.However, she also said she wouldn't be part of a maneuver to split Kadima, and earlier this week accused Netanyahu of trying to break up her party by courting its lawmakers.Livni, a former foreign minister and chief negotiator with the Palestinians, refused to join Netanyahu's hardline government in March because he would not embrace the notion of a Palestinian statehood at the time.
Netanyahu has since endorsed the idea, albeit with stipulations the Palestinians have rejected, such as continued Israeli control over east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state.He also recently announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction, bucking the hawkish Jewish settlers who form an important component of support.The Haaretz newspaper on Friday quoted Netanyahu as saying that if he can't coax Livni to join,I'll take at least part of Kadima.Kadima's presence in the coalition could help to entice the Palestinians to resume negotiations. So far, they have refused to do so, distrustful of Netanyahu's true intentions and angry that his settlement slowdown has been partial and does not include east Jerusalem.It could also dilute the power of the hardline parties that currently dominate the coalition, a prospect that would be welcomed internationally.
A broad coalition could also give Netanyahu added backing as he decides what to do about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Israel insists that Tehran is lying when it says it isn't developing bomb technology and has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program.While Netanyahu's gestures toward the Palestinians might suggest that he and Livni have more to talk about than before, political commentators on Friday didn't think she'd take him up on his offer.It's more likely Netanyahu's real aim is to dismantle Kadima, the largest party in parliament with 28 of 120 seats, they said.Though there is discontent with Livni's leadership inside Kadima, with former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz making no secret of his desire to unseat her and others accusing her of an autocratic style, there were no immediate signs a mass exodus was in the offing.Not because of confidence in Kadima's future, but because there are no great promises outside, Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
AP sources: Attempt to blow up airliner foiled By JIM IRWIN and LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writers – Sat Dec 26, 3:07 am ET
ROMULUS, Mich. – A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said. Law enforcement officials said the burns indicated the explosive was strapped to his legs.One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase,said Peter Smith, a traveler from the Netherlands. First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke.Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, a young man behind me jumped on him.Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic, said Jafri. Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.
The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers. Reid is serving a life sentence.Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil, but other law enforcement officials cautioned that such claims could not be verified immediately, and said the man may have been acting independently — inspired but not specifically trained or ordered by terror groups.All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.Another law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the case, said Mutallab's name had surfaced earlier on at least one U.S. intelligence database, but not to the extent that he was placed on a watch list or a no-fly list.Mutallab was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital. One passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She referred all inquiries to the FBI.The trauma burn center at the hospital said it did not have Abdul Mutallab in its unit.Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
A spokeswoman for police at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam declined comment about the case or about security procedures at the airport for Flight 253. Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest with a heavy load of transit passengers from Africa and Asia to North America, strictly enforces European security regulations including only allowing small amounts of liquid in hand luggage that must be placed inside clear plastic bags.A spokesman for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Akin Olunkunle, said all passengers and their luggage are screened before boarding international flights. He also said the airport in Lagos cleared a U.S. Transportation Security Administration audit in November.We had a pass mark, spokesman Akin Olukunle said.We actually are up to standards in all senses.There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:01 p.m. EST, she said. Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance. It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.The passenger was taken into custody and questioned by law enforcement authorities,the airline said.
According to the airline, eight flight attendants and three pilots were on board.
Smith said while he was leaving the plane, he looked at where the man had been sitting and saw a pillow that seemed to have been burned. Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher. President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii. Federal officials said there would be heightened security for both domestic and international flights at airports across the country, but the intensified levels would likely be layered, differing from location to location depending on alerts, security concerns and other factors. Passengers can expect to see heightened screening, more bomb-sniffing dog and officer units and behavioral-detection specialists at some airports, but there will also be unspecified less visible precautions as well, officials said. The FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued an intelligence note on Nov. 20 about the threat picture for the holiday season, which was obtained by The Associated Press. At the time, officials said they had no specific information about attack plans by al-Qaida or other terrorist groups. In 2003, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly marked Nigeria for liberation in a recording posted on the Internet, calling on Muslims in the oil-rich country to rise up against one of the regimes who are slaves of America.But links to al-Qaida remained rare, though security forces claimed to break up such a linked terror cell in November 2007.
Delta, which is days away from obtaining a single operating certificate from the FAA to fully integrate itself and Northwest, has been hosting military personnel who have to travel over the holidays in a lounge at the Detroit airport. Margasak reported from Washington. Associated Press Writers Lara Jakes in Baghdad, Randi Berris in West Bloomfield, Mich., Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Devlin Barrett, Shelley Adler, Eileen Sullivan, Pamela Hess, Harry R. Weber and Joan Lowy in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, Arthur Max in Amsterdam and Philip Elliott in Kailua, Hawaii, contributed to this report.
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