Current Events And Bible Prophecy

Parental rights increasingly under attack

2009-06-17T06:16:00.000-06:00

A proposed parental rights amendment has been introduced in Congress.

Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, notes that it has not been too many years since prayer was challenged in public schools.

"Now we're finding that parental rights are being attacked by courts all over the country," he contends. "And as we look at where this country is going, particularly more association with the United Nations and the U.N. Convention on the rights of the Child, these treaties would supercede all the laws in 50 states."

And it would challenge parental rights in different ways, he argues.

"[It would] outlaw spanking and prohibit parents from raising children in the family religion, negates legal assumptions that parents act in the best interest of their kids," he points out. "Things [like these] that are inconceivable in America are now being contemplated and planned by a number of people."

Those results have already occurred in nations that have signed on to the treaty, and DeMint says it would happen in the United States as well. More than 60 members of Congress have endorsed the amendment, but DeMint believes it will take a grassroots effort to get it passed.

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2012: TEOTWAWKI

2009-06-16T08:32:00.002-06:00

There has been a lot of hype in the media lately about the year 2012. There's even a movie set to be released this year. Got this in my email today and thought it was good about Christians, Bible prophecy and even 2012.

Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor

If you are a Christian, and you believe that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled in this generation, then you are probably the oddball in your church.

In fact, scratch 'probably'. It is pretty much a dead-bang certainty that you are. It is fascinating to me that a person can be pro-choice, anti-Israel, pro-gay marriage, and be labeled a 'Christian progressive'.

But if you believe that God not only knows the future, but recorded it for us in advance, well, then you're a nut.

Most Christians are ok with the idea that God created the universe. Whether or not they accept it as a literal 'creation' or some kind of modified evolutionary scheme notwithstanding, few Christians would argue that creation is beyond God's power.

For reasons nobody has ever been able to logically articulate to me, Christians have no problem agreeing that the First Advent of Jesus Christ was prophesied.

But prophecies pointing to His Second Advent are merely symbolic and not to be taken literally. If YOU do, then you are a nut.

There are some churches, on the other hand, that are wholly given over to the study of Bible prophecy for the last days. If you are a member of a church like that, not only are YOU a nut, but you probably belong to a cult.

If you wanted to draw a cartoon in which you wanted one of the characters to be instantly recognized as being a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic, the most recognizable way would be to draw a guy with a long beard wearing a burnoose and brandishing a sign saying, "Repent! The end is near!"

And that's just the way the subject is treated by other Christians. To the world, if you study Bible prophecy, you are probably not just crazy, but dangerous.

If you believe Nostradamus knew the future, you're a harmless eccentric, if you believe the Mayans calculated The End of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) you are an historian. If you believe St Malachy, you are a Catholic theologian.

But if you believe that the God of the Universe has a Divine Plan that culminates with the judgment of mankind during the Tribulation Period, based entirely on a literal reading of His Word, then there's something wrong with you.

The Mayan Indians, whose culture died out 1400 years ago, developed a complex calendar system that continues to fascinate scientists to this day.

The Mayan Calendar divides the history of man into five distinct 'ages' and this present age is scheduled to end exactly at 11:11 am (Greenwich Mean Time), on 24 December, 2012. The Mayans believed that on that date and time, the world as we know it will end with the final destruction of mankind on the earth.

Nostradamus is credited with having predicted the 9/11 attacks as kicking off the end of days. According to one celebrated 'quatrain' a King of Terror wearing a blue turban will attack 'the "Great City", etc., etc.

Although his most famous quatrain makes reference to the 'King of Terror' "in the seventh month of 1999" and the 9/11 attacks took place in the 9th month of 2000, for Nostradamus fans, that was close enough.

An 12th-century Irish priest recorded a prophecy in which he allegedly named the rest of the Popes in human history, from Celestine II (1143-1144) to the last pope at the end of the world.

According to St. Malachy, there would be exactly 112 Popes. Malachy predicted the second last Pope would be called 'a Benedictine.' I wrote about St Malachy's 'Benedictine prophecy' in April, 2005, as the new Pope was being selected.

Cardinal Ratzinger chose, as his papal name, "Pope Benedict the XVI". According to St Malachy, the Benedictine's reign will be short, (Ratzinger is in his 80's) and he will be succeeded by the last Pope, "Peter the Great."

The various adherents of the Mayans, Nostradamus, St Malachy (and there are others) all share the same basic worldview that could be paraphrased thusly: let every man be true and God a liar.

All the various secular 'prophets' prove is that Satan knows his time is short. There is a singular difference between secular prophecies and Bible prophecy that reveals the source of the information.

Secular prophecies can only 'predict' events, not outcomes. Bible prophecy tells how they turn out. "I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done." (Isaiah 46:9b-10a)

Satan is the universe's master deceiver. His ultimate goal is to be received as God. Only God is capable of prophecy.

But Satan has a counterfeit plan of his own, and he has had six thousand years to develop it. Since he knows what he has planned, it is no trick to reveal the plan to some secular 'prophet'. Satan doesn't know how his plan will turn out, any more than any other created being, but he DOES know what he has in mind.

From our dimension of time, it seems like prophecy. Remove the element of time, and what seem now to be prophecy would no more than the outline of a plan.

Extra-Biblical prophecies, are part of that overall plan to counterfeit the miracles of God, so that, one day, " he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:4)

If one examines the extra-Biblical prophecies for the truth they contain, rather than looking for the sensational, what what learns is that it isn't just prophecy nuts who believe in Bible prophecy. Satan believes it, too, or he wouldn't be trying to counterfeit it.

What it DOES establish is that even Satan has an idea of the time of the end -- and Satan thinks it will be some time around 2012.

We know that, of the day and hour, no man knoweth, but we are told we WILL know that it is 'near, even at the doors.' And from that time, Jesus tells us,

"Verily I say unto thee, this generation shall not pass, until ALL these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:34)

TEOTWAWKI on December 24, 2012? I don't think so. But soon?

No doubt about it.

Sarkozy raps globalised economy

2009-06-16T05:41:00.000-06:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned of political and social unrest unless there is greater regulation of the globalised economy.

He argued that the current system of "speculation and dumping" cannot continue. "We have to overhaul everything," he said.

He called for a larger role for social institutions in financial regulation.

The president was speaking in Geneva at the invitation of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

'Obsession'

"Regulation of globalisation is the central issue," he argued.

"Either we have reason or we will have revolt. Either we have justice or we will have violence. Either we have reasonable protection or we will have protectionism.

"It is irresponsible to believe that the financial markets can continue to impose their obsession with short-term profit on the entire global economy, and on society," he added.

Earlier on Monday, the US government outlined plans that will lead to tighter regulation of the biggest financial institutions and a new framework for consumer and investor protection.

Full Story

Netanyahu defies Obama with harsh conditions for Palestinian

2009-06-15T05:19:00.003-06:00

Binyamin Netanyahu threw down the gauntlet to the US last night, grudgingly agreeing to a limited Palestinian state that would be demilitarised and not in control of its airspace or borders. The hawkish Prime Minister insisted that Israel would never give up a united Jerusalem as its capital, and said that established Jewish settlements in the West Bank would continue to expand - despite explicit objections from Washington.

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Leaders gather for Shanghai talks

Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders are gathering in Russia for the ninth Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit. Some will also attend the first summit of the four emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India and China. The main agenda item at the meetings in Yekaterinburg will be how to deal with the global economic crisis.

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Netanyahu wants demilitarized PA state

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lifted the shroud from his diplomatic endgame on Sunday night, saying at the BESA Center at Bar-Ilan University that he would support a Palestinian state if he received international guarantees that it would be demilitarized, and if the Palestinians accepted Israel as the Jewish homeland.

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Scientists Say 'Super Volcano' May Be Brewing Beneath Mount St. Helens

2009-06-14T09:51:00.000-06:00

A team of scientists say they have evidence that a "super volcano" may be brewing underneath Mount St. Helens, NewScientist.com reports.

Researchers say indicators suggest Mount St. Helens and other northwest volcanoes are plugged into a huge subterranean pool of magma that could one day burst to the surface in a "super" eruption.

If what they believe is true, the structure beneath the mountain would be comparable in size to the biggest magma chambers ever discovered, such as the one below Yellowstone National Park.

Story Here

The Late Great U.S.A.

2009-06-14T06:55:00.000-06:00

The Late Great U.S.A.
by Thomas Ice

"My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?" Proverbs 24:21-22

Former Clinton advisor and commentator Dick Morris announced:

"On April 2, 2009, the work of July 4, 1776 was nullified at the meeting of the G-20 in London."[1]

That is an amazing statement and a tragedy if true. One of my best friends in the ministry, with whom I have co-authored two books, Mark Hitchcock wrote a book, which was finished before last November's election, entitled The Late Great United States.[2] There are two other books listed on amazon.com with similar titles. Why are many concerned that our great country is on the verge of extinction?

Change

It is said after the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that a lady asked Dr. Ben Franklin the following: "Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy?" "A republic" replied the Doctor..."if you can keep it."[3] Well, apparently a growing number of Americans think that we have lost it after about 220 years. Some are suggesting that it was lost via suicide. What have we received in return for our once great republic? We are now part of an international oligarchy run by a bunch of global elites. How did this happen and when did this change take place?

Like many things that bring change, it has not taken place overnight. America has been gradually moving toward socialism for the last hundred years, but I do not want to trace that history in this article. I want to focus on recent events that are producing so much change since the election of Barack Obama as president of these United States.

Dick Morris notes that Obama at the recent meeting of the G-20 in London has agreed to enter the United States into an economical arrangement that will regulate our economy in terms of the international interests of this European dominated oligarchy at the expense of American interests. The agreement by which Obama has obligated the United States is called the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which is "a body of central bankers from each of the G-20 states and the European Union."[4] The head of the FSB is Mario Draghi, Italy's central bank president. In a speech on February 21, 2009, he gave us clues to his thinking. He noted that "the progress we have made in revising the global regulatory framework . . . would have been unthinkable just months ago."[5]

"Obama, perhaps feeling guilty for the US role in triggering the international crisis, has, indeed, given away the store," notes Morris. "Now we may no longer look to presidential appointees, confirmed by the Senate, to make policy for our economy. These decisions will be made internationally."[6]

So what does this mean specifically for the American economy? Morris said to Greta Van Susteren on Fox News the following:

Literally from April 2nd of this year-that is, today-it's a whole new world of financial regulation in which, essentially, all of the U.S. regulatory bodies and all U.S. companies are put under international regulation, international supervision. It really amounts to a global economic government.

. . . Just when Obama is accused of socialism, he's essentially creating world economic governance. This means that the FSB, . . . will make the decisions on what standards our own SEC and Federal Reserve board should apply to all firms in the United States of any significant size about executive compensation, market activities, and a whole range of issues that used to be under free enterprise reserved for private decision making.[7]

A New World Order

In 1989 President George H. Bush spoke of a new world order in one of his speeches. However, it produced a flurry of criticism and he stopped using the term in public. Many have known for a long time that the phrase "new world order" is essentially a code word for global socialism. The last couple of years, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown can hardly give a speech without making reference to the new world order. During a speech he recently gave in conjunction with the G-20 summit in London, sounding like a twenty-first century Neville Chamberlain, Brown said the following about the new world order:

"This is Collective action, people working together at their best . . . I think the New World Order is emerging, and with it the foundations of a new and progressive era of international cooperation...From today we will together manage the process of globalization...To secure responsibility from all and fairness to all."[8]

In January 2009, Henry Kissinger made a remark about the new world order during an interview with CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" hosts Mark Haines and Erin Burnett at the New York Stock Exchange. When Burnett asked him what international conflict would define the Obama administration's foreign policy, Kissinger said the following:

"The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously," Kissinger responded. "You have India, Pakistan; you have the jihadist movement. So he can't really say there is one problem, that it's the most important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It's a great opportunity, it isn't just a crisis."[9]

No one can doubt that President Obama is currently taking advantage of the crisis. After all, Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both noted that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

Further the Chinese and Russians have called for a new global currency that would replace the dollar and would not represent any specific country. They want the new global currency to be issued by the World Bank, which is something that seemed impossible this time last year but now could be a very real possibility in the near future.

The European Union

Dick Morris not only emphasizes that the United States is now locked into the matrix of a global economic oligarchy but it is one that will be primarily under the control of the European Union.

"You know, I've had a long experience in dealing with the European Union, and this is how they operate," explains Morris. "And in the meantime, they slip this in under the radar, which is absolutely creating an international economic union."[10]

Then Morris concluded with amazement, "This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don't look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels."[11]

Thus, from a prophetic view, the Bible teaches that the tribulation will be a time in which there will be not only a global government during the last half of the seven-year tribulation, but that governance will emanate from the Revived Roman Empire. This means a Euro-centric power base is what we can expect and that is exactly what is developing. Morris concludes his article with the following comment:

"The Europeans have been trying to get their hands on our financial system for decades. It is essential to them that they rein in American free enterprise so that their socialist heaven will not be polluted by vices such as the profit motive. Now, with President Obama's approval, they have done it."[12]

Conclusion

Where are all of these explosive trends heading? As Bible prophecy predicts, there will be a one world government during the seven-year tribulation, headed by a person we know as the Antichrist. Since the Antichrist will arise out of the Revived Roman Empire, which the European Union appears to be setting the stage for just such an entity, we should not be surprised to see things trending in that direction even before the rapture.

Previously, the United States was often the one standing in the way of a global economy and government. We are not yet there, but who can doubt that since the beginning of the Obama presidency that we are indeed seeing change and moving into harmony with the one world government crowd. In the past the United States stood in the way and acted in her national interest, as I believe we should still do, but now we are the last domino to fall and nothing of significance appears to stand in the way of globalism. Only the future return of Christ after the tribulation will really bring change for Christians.

I have noticed on the internet that certain Bible prophecy ministries are noting the very things that I have just outlined and often call these things a "fulfillment" of Bible prophecy. Such language is an overstatement and an incorrect conclusion drawn from the signs of our times. Instead, it is best to see these events as preparation for fulfillment, which will take place during the tribulation that we are currently not yet in. We are seeing the stage being set for future events. Such stage-setting certainly is moving our pre-rapture world toward the one world government and economy that is predicted by Bible prophecy for this future time.

There are so many events taking place each day one can hardly keep up with them. Nevertheless, we are to always be looking up for Him. Maranatha!

Ahmadinejad defiant on 'free' Iran poll

2009-06-13T23:14:00.000-06:00

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defended his "completely free" re-election as Iran's president, amid violent clashes on the streets over claims of election fraud.

Mr Ahmadinejad condemned the outside world for "psychological warfare" against Iranians during the election.

Thousands have protested against the result, burning barricades on the streets of Tehran and clashing with police, who responded with tear gas.

Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi urged his supporters to avoid violence.

'Down with the dictator'

Speaking on national television, Mr Ahmadinejad praised the Iranian people for choosing to "look toward the future" rather than returning to the past.

President Ahmadinejad addresses the nation

"This is a great victory at a time and condition when the whole material, political and propaganda facilities outside of Iran and sometimes... inside Iran, were total
mobilised against our people," he said.

He blamed "foreign media" for instigating a "full-fledged fight against our people".

"Nearly 40 million people took part in a totally free election," he said.

Mr Ahmadinejad is set to hold a press conference on Sunday, followed by a huge rally.

BBC Iranian affairs analyst Sadeq Saba says the margin of the win was so wide that it made a lot of people suspicious.

Story Here

The Time Is Now

2009-06-13T14:30:00.001-06:00

UN warns of catastrophe as hungry people top 1 billion

2009-06-13T05:20:00.001-06:00

High food prices have pushed another 105 million people into hunger in the first half of 2009, the head of the U.N. World Food Programme said on Friday, raising the total number of hungry people to over 1 billion.

Urging rich nations at a meeting of the Group of Eight's development ministers not cut back on aid, Josette Sheeran told Reuters the world faced a "human catastrophe" as more and more people struggle to eat a decent meal.

"This year we are clocking in on average four million new hungry people a week, urgently hungry," Sheeran told Reuters.

"Already for the first six months of this year, 105 million people have been added," she said, citing figures to be released by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation next week that will raise the total number of undernourished people to over 1 billion.

In 2008, FAO said the world's hungry numbered 963 million.

The WFP needs $6.4 billion this year for food aid, but donors' contributions have fallen way behind that level -- it had around $1.5 billion at the end of last week.

The agency says it has had to cut food aid rations and shut down some operations in eastern Africa and North Korea because of the credit crunch.

"I know it seems a big figure, but if you compare it with the global stimulus package, it means that for less than 1 percent of that we could help meet the urgent human crisis that is unfolding, and that is just as essential to the stability of the world," Sheeran said.

Full Story Here

America's first Muslim president?

2009-06-11T11:55:00.001-06:00

During his White House years, William Jefferson Clinton -- someone Judge Sonia Sotomayor might call a "white male" -- was dubbed "America's first black president" by a black admirer. Applying the standard of identity politics and pandering to a special interest that earned Mr. Clinton that distinction, Barack Hussein Obama would have to be considered America's first Muslim president.

This is not to say, necessarily, that Mr. Obama actually is a Muslim any more than Mr. Clinton actually is black. After his five months in office, and most especially after his just-concluded visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, however, a stunning conclusion seems increasingly plausible: The man now happy to have his Islamic-rooted middle name featured prominently has engaged in the most consequential bait-and-switch since Adolf Hitler duped Neville Chamberlain over Czechoslovakia at Munich.

What little we know about Mr. Obama's youth certainly suggests that he not only had a Kenyan father who was Muslim, but spent his early, formative years as one in Indonesia. As the president likes to say, "much has been made" -- in this case by him and his campaign handlers -- of the fact that he became a Christian as an adult in Chicago, under the now-notorious Pastor Jeremiah A. Wright.

With Mr. Obama's unbelievably ballyhooed address in Cairo Thursday to what he calls "the Muslim world" (hereafter known as "the Speech"), there is mounting evidence that the president not only identifies with Muslims, but actually may still be one himself.

Full Story Here

I Sing To Glorify Your Holy Name Jesus Christ

2009-06-11T07:46:00.003-06:00

Take some time out today and come worship with me!

SWINE FLU OUTBREAK

2009-06-11T07:18:00.000-06:00

WHO to declare pandemic after emergency meeting, CDC announces 12.45 p.m. EDT news conference.

UN holds swine flu crisis talks

2009-06-11T05:43:00.000-06:00

UN health officials are holding emergency talks on swine flu, amid speculation that the first global flu pandemic in 40 years will be declared.

The World Health Organization called the meeting after a steep rise in the number of cases in Australia.

Hong Kong on Thursday announced it was closing all its nurseries and primary schools for two weeks after 12 students tested positive for the virus.

The last global flu pandemic came in 1968 over the Hong Kong flu.

That pandemic killed about one million people.

A disease is classed as a pandemic when transmission between humans becomes widespread in two regions of the world.

The latest virus emerged in Mexico in April and since then thousands of cases have been confirmed throughout North and South America.

The H1N1 strain has spread to 74 countries but the WHO has resisted labelling the outbreak a full-blown pandemic.

Full Story Here

Tickling the World's Itching Ears

2009-06-10T06:41:00.000-06:00

The apostle Paul said: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Indeed, this generation is loath to tolerate not only biblical doctrine but also other truths. President Barack Obama tickles the world's ears with promises of hope, change, peace, harmony, diversity, pluralism and "tolerance," but in too many cases, he has allowed truth to become a casualty -- and more than a harmless casualty. Nowhere was that more clearly demonstrated than in his speech in Cairo to the Muslim world.

Many judge Obama's speeches, not to mention his policies and actions, on his high-sounding rhetoric and professed good will. They ignore his obvious errors and contradictions, duping themselves into believing that supposedly good intentions alone will trump facts and reality and insulate us from the negative consequences that will flow from his distortions.

In his Cairo speech, Obama, as usual, served up a plentiful smorgasbord of platitudes sufficient to appeal to the appetites of almost everyone (except, notably, our steadfast ally Israel). His idolaters in the mainstream media obediently praised him for his "honesty" in trashing America and for his equal-opportunity softball scolding of the Muslim world.

Newsweek's Evan Thomas even likened him to God -- not a god, but God. Many conservative commentators similarly bent over backward to heap guarded praise on him, apparently unable to muster the courage to warn of the dangers inherent in Obama's skewed vision without throwing in the required adulation.

Magnanimous rhetoric has its place, but we cannot achieve peace and security with wishful thinking and falsehoods.

Full Article Here

Dividing the Land of Israel: Blessing or Curse?

2009-06-09T15:53:00.000-06:00

Joel 3:2 which says, "I will gather all the nations, and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land". This prophecy written around 800 B.C., ultimately promises God's retaliation against those who have taken the Jewish people from their land, or divided His land, the land He promised to Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, in the last days.

Some disasters appear to be related to God's promise to bless those who bless Israel but curse those who slight Israel .

October 30, 1991

As President George Bush, Sr. is opening the Madrid Conference to consider "Land for Peace" in Israel's Middle East role, the "Perfect Storm" develops in the North Atlantic, creating the largest waves ever recorded in that region. The storm travels 1,000 miles from East to West (instead of the normal West to East pattern) and crashes into the New England coast. Thirty five foot waves crash into the Kennebunkport home of President Bush.

August 23, 1992

When the Madrid Conference moves to Washington D.C. and the Peace Talks resume, Hurricane Andrew, the worst natural disaster ever to hit America , comes ashore producing an estimated $30 billion in damage and leaving 108,000 homeless in Florida .

January 16, 1994

President Bill Clinton meets with Syria 's President Hafez el-Assad in Geneva . They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights . Within 24 hours a powerful (6.9 on the Richter scale) earthquake rocks Southern California . The Northridge earthquake becomes the second most destructive natural disaster to hit the United States , behind Hurricane Andrew.

January 21, 1998

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meets with President Clinton at the White House and is coldly received. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeline Albright refuse to have lunch with him. Shortly afterwards on that day, the Monica Lewinski scandal breaks into the mass media and begins to occupy a major portion of Clinton 's time.

September 28, 1998

Secretary of State Albright works on the final details of an agreement in which Israel would give up 13% of Judea and Samaria . Hurricane George, with winds of 110mph gusting up to 175mph, slams into the United States Gulf Coast . Hurricane George stalls. Clinton meets with Arafat and Netanyahu at the White House to finalize this land deal. Later Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999. Hurricane George pounds the Gulf Coast causing $1 billion in damage. At the exact time Arafat departs the country, the storm starts to dissipate.

October 15-22, 1998

Arafat and Natanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland . The talks are scheduled to last five days with a focus on Israel giving up 13% of Judea and Samaria . The talks are extended and conclude on October 23rd. On October 17th awesome rains and tornados hit Sothern Texas . The rain and flooding in Texas continue until October 22nd and then subside. The floods ravage 25% of Texas and leave over $1 billion in damage. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area.

November 30, 1998

Arafat comes to Washington again to meet with President Clinton to raise money for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. A total of 42 other nations were represented in Washington . All agreed to give Arafat $3 billion in aid. Clinton promised $400 million and the European nations $1.7 billion. On the same day, the Dow Jones average drops 216 points, and on December 1, the European Market had its worst day in history. Hundreds of billions of market capitalization were wiped out in U.S. and Europe .

December 12, 1998

Clinton lands in the Palestinian-controlled section of Israel to discuss the "land for peace" process. The House of Representatives votes four articles of impeachment against Clinton .

May 3, 1999

The day Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas . Winds are clocked at 316mph, the fastest wind speed ever recorded. The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of Clinton , whose letter to Arafat encourages him in his "aspirations for his own land." He also writes that the Palestinians have a right to "determine their own future on their own land" and that they deserve to "live free today, tomorrow and forever."

October 11, 1999

Jewish settlers in 15 " West Bank " ( Israel ) settlements are evicted from the covenant land in Israel . Dow Jones financial averages loses 5.7% in the worst week since October 1989. On October 15 the Dow lost 266 points. A hurricane slams into North Carolina . Next morning, October 16, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocks the Southwest in the fifth most powerful earthquake in the 20th century. The earthquake was centered in the California desert and did little damage but it was felt in three states.

August 2005

Jewish families were evicted from their homes in the Gaza communities as part of Ariel Sharon's "Disengagement" plan. This disengagement was a response to the American Foreign Policy pressure being exerted by Condoleeza Rice. As the world watched the Jews being removed from their homes, a weather system was forming in the Atlantic . This storm became Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed New Orleans , Louisiana (Miss Rice's home state) and an area the size of Britain , rendering thousands of Americans homeless and leaving thousands dead. Hurricane Katrina also spoiled the "Southern Decadence" weekend planned by the homosexual community for New Orleans and supported by the mayor of New Orleans . By September 7th, further parallels were becoming apparent. The Mayor of New Orleans, having been heavily criticized for ineffectiveness has ordered troops (local people) and police to evacuate all residents who refuse to leave. The police chief has expressed reservations about tackling defiant householders as it would be a "PR disaster."

God continues to send warning after warning as we as a country insist that Israel give up land that God promised to Abraham, then to Isaac, then to Jacob and to his descendents. The responsibility of such action rests on our own shoulders because God has warned in His Word, in Joel 3:2, for the nations to keep their hands off of His covenant land and has demonstrated in history that He is serious about that warning.

Massive e-cash surge hits Japan's shops Will cash die out if RFID money becomes the norm?

2009-06-09T04:59:00.000-06:00

We've seen before how pervasive RFID-based electronic money is in Japan, but it comes as a bit of a shock to note that the country now has exactly one e-cash card in circulation for every member of the population.

The surprising statistic comes from Nomura Research Institute, which says the end of April this year saw the number of e-cash cards reach 127 million - one for every Japanese resident.

Tower of Babel

More than ten variations on the basic RFID electronic money card are available, as well as several different standards embedded in phones.

That mix initially created something of a problem in finding a single reader/writer terminal to allow retail outlets to accept e-cash.

However, the advent of terminals that can support multiple standards seems to be behind the surge in popularity of e-cash.

Bright future

And Nomura predicts the future can only get brighter - it forecasts Japanese e-cash purchases hitting a staggering ¥3 trillion (£19 billion) in less than four years and that's excluding the Oyster Card-like travel cards that are already ubiquitous there.

Article Link

For Those That May Be Struggling Today

2009-06-08T14:39:00.001-06:00

The Lord is the One who will go before you.
He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.
Do not be afraid or discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8 HCSB

If God is everywhere, why does He sometimes seem so far away? The
answer to that question, of course, has nothing to do with God and
everything to do with us.

When we begin each day on our knees, in praise and worship to Him, God
often seems very near indeed. But, if we ignore God’s presence
orâ€”worse yetâ€”rebel against it altogether, the world in which we
live becomes a spiritual wasteland.

Are you tired, discouraged, or fearful? Be comforted because God is
with you. Are you confused? Listen to the quiet voice of your Heavenly
Father. Are you bitter? Talk with God and seek His guidance. Are you
celebrating a great victory? Thank God and praise Him.
He is the Giver of all things good.

In whatever condition you find yourself, wherever you are, whether you
are happy or sad, victorious or vanquished, troubled or triumphant,
celebrate God’s presence. And be comforted. God is not just near. He
is here.

God is in the midst of whatever has happened, is happening, and will happen.
Charles Swindoll

God is not hurried along in the Time-stream of this universe any more
than an author is hurried along in the imaginary time of his own
novel. He has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. He does
not have to deal with us in the mass. You are as much alone with Him
as if you were the only being He had ever created. When Christ died,
He died for you individually just as much as if you have been the only
man in the world.
C. S. Lewis

God’s silence is in no way indicative of His activity or involvement
in our lives. He may be silent, but He is not still.
Charles Swindoll

The real test of being in the presence of God is that you either
forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a very small
object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether.
C. S. Lewis

Today’s Prayer

Heavenly Father, even when it seems to me that You are far away, You
never leave my side. Today and every day, I will strive to feel Your
presence, and I will strive to sense Your love for me. Amen

UCLA student told she can't say 'Jesus' Adviser edits senior's statement, cites, 'This is department policy'

2009-06-08T05:34:00.000-06:00

An adviser on the campus of UCLA has edited a student's personal graduation statement to remove her reference to "my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," citing policy in the Department of Molecular, Cell & Development Biology.

Word of the situation came from an Internet posting by Gordon Klingenschmitt, the former Navy chaplain who was removed from the military in a dispute over the use of Jesus' name in his prayers.

"This is another example of the improper application of separation of church and state," he told WND. "As a government school, UCLA cannot prohibit religious expression. They're the ones crossing the line here."

The school, in a later statement, confirmed it had reviewed its procedures and would read the statements as submitted by students, after "making clear" that it was understood that it is not a university statement.

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South Asia hunger back at 1960s famine levels

2009-06-07T04:50:00.000-06:00

A United Nations report says the number of people going hungry in South Asia has jumped by 100 million in the past two years.

The UNICEF report says the global economic crisis has exacerbated poverty in a region where more than 1 billion people live on less than $2 a day.

The number of people suffering from chronic hunger in South Asia is now the same as it was 40 years ago.

The raw figures are stark. In the South Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, one third of people are going hungry.

Almost half of all children are underweight, as regional director of UNICEF in South Asia Daniel Toole explains.

"Perhaps the most dramatic impact is that we see that there are about 100 million more people hungry in South Asia than two years ago. That's a huge change," he said.

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Obama postpones U.S. embassy move from T.A. to Jerusalem

2009-06-06T09:08:00.000-06:00

United States President Barack Obama on Friday postponed moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by an additional six months, Israel Radio reported.

A senior White House official said that U.S. policy regarding the status of Jerusalem remains unchanged, and that it is a final-status issue to be resolved within the framework of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The U.S. Congress approved the transfer of the embassy 14 years ago.
Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that all of Jerusalem would always remain under Israeli sovereignty. Netanyahu said he had made the same declaration during his visit to Washington last month when he met with Obama.

"The new U.S. administration informs us with intolerably ease that we have to give up Jerusalem," the premier said during a May ceremony marking Jerusalem Day.

"With all due respect, the U.S. president sees the American interest and does not know that Jerusalem is not a territorial issue, but a much deeper one - 'the hope of two thousand years/the land of Zion and Jerusalem,'" he said, quoting Israel's national anthem.

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Black magic booms in Venezuela

2009-06-05T09:42:00.000-06:00

Milvia Santos went with her children to the Southern Municipal Cemetery in the Venezuelan capital on Mother's Day to pay her respects to her late mother.

As they were about to lay a dozen red roses on the grave, however, they found a hole in the concrete slab. When they warily reached in to open the coffin, they saw that the skull had been stolen.

"This was supposed to be my grandmother's place to rest in peace for eternity," Yohan Camacho, Santos' son, said later by the grave site. "Instead, it was ransacked for black magic rituals."

Grave-plundering at cemeteries in Caracas has reached epidemic proportions. Priests, academics and the victims' families blame black-magic practitioners known as "paleros," who use other human bones to initiate members into an African-based cult that spread to Venezuela from Cuba and is growing rapidly.

The Rev. Rafael Troconis, a Roman Catholic priest in Venezuela who's studied the occult, said Venezuela's close ties with Cuba had fueled the dramatic spread of the paleros and practitioners of Santeria, another black-magic religion.

"There's always been a certain interest in witchcraft in Venezuela because of our African and Indian roots," Troconis said, "but it has reached such proportions that it has become quite worrisome to us in the church."

Wagner Barreto, a Santeria priest in Caracas, said that Santeria had become increasingly popular in part because of the belief that President Hugo Chavez was a practitioner, although he'd denied it.

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Blast at mosque in Pakistan kills 10

2009-06-05T05:02:00.000-06:00

An explosion at a mosque killed 10 people during Friday prayers, while a roadside bomb killed four soldiers in Pakistan's tribal belt — the latest violence to rock the country's northwest as the army says it is beating back the Taliban in the Swat Valley.

The attacks came as U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke met with top Pakistani officials after evaluating the plight of some of the nearly 3 million Pakistanis made refugees by the Swat offensive. Hundreds trying to return home to Swat on Friday were stopped by troops.

Pakistani leaders insist they are serious about wiping out militancy in Swat, a one-time tourist haven that largely fell under Taliban control over the past two years. The U.S. backs the operation and sees it as a test of the government's resolve in taking on al-Qaida and Taliban militants along the Afghan border region.

The generally broad public support in Pakistan for the operation, however, could falter if militant violence spikes in reaction. There already have been attacks in major cities such as Peshawar and Lahore that officials suspect were revenge by the militants for Swat.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the mosque attack in the Haya Gai area of Upper Dir, a rough and tumble district next to Swat, said police official Imran Khan. It was unclear what sort of mosque it was and whether sectarian differences played a role.

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No Bible show-and-tell in school, court says

2009-06-04T13:20:00.000-06:00

A kindergartner's mother cannot read Scripture during show and tell, even if the Bible is the boy's favorite book, a U.S. appeals court ruled.

"Parents of public school kindergarten students may reasonably expect their children will not become captive audiences to an adult's reading of religious texts," Chief Judge Anthony J. Scirica wrote in Monday's split 2-1 opinion, which upheld a lower court's ruling.

In October 2004, the Marple Newtown School District in suburban Philadelphia told plaintiff Donna Kay Busch that she could not read the Bible passages during her son's "All About Me" program. The school did permit the boy to discuss a poster that included references to his church as well as his family, pet and best friend.

Busch argued that the young students heard stories related to Passover, Christmas and other religious holidays, but the court concluded there was a "significant difference" between identifying such holidays and reading from Scripture.

Principal Thomas Cook of Culbertson Elementary School believed such a reading would "proselytize ... a specific religious point of view," the opinion stated.

Busch, an evangelical Christian, is contemplating an appeal, according to lawyer Jason Gosselin. He said he took the case pro bono after a request from The Rutherford Institute, which focuses on First Amendment and religious freedom issues. Busch had contacted the group.

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Obama delivers strong attack on Israeli settlements in speech to Muslim world

2009-06-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

Barack Obama today delivered one of the strongest condemnations by an American president of Israeli settlement building as he appealed for a fresh start between the US and the Islamic world.

In an audacious address at Cairo university to a worldwide audience of 1.5 billion Muslims, Mr Obama told the Israeli government that continuing to construct new Jewish homes in the occupied Palestinian territories was unacceptable and must stop.

Mr Obama went further than any US President in recent memory in conceding that America had sometimes been wrong, citing past policies towards Iran and recent reactions after 9/11. He implied that the invasion of Iraq had been a mistake.

He also made thinly veiled criticisms of the authoritarian regimes in Middle Eastern countries to which America has in the past appeared uncritically supportive.

But perhaps his toughest words, and one of the most warmly received sections of the speech, were his rebuke for Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, who has refused to halt West Bank settlement expansion.

"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements," said Mr Obama.

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Obama declares June 'LGBT Pride Month'

2009-06-04T04:19:00.000-06:00

In a presidential proclamation on the White House website, Barack Obama has lauded what he calls "the determination and dedication" of the LGBT movement by proclaiming June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month."

"The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress," Obama states in the official proclamation, "but there is more to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect."

The proclamation, released on Monday, credits the LGBT movement with being a factor in more Americans who ascribe to those groups "living their lives openly today than ever before."

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Dollar Declines as Nations Mull Reserve Currency Alternatives

2009-06-03T10:29:00.000-06:00

The dollar weakened beyond $1.43 against the euro for the first time in 2009 on bets record U.S. borrowing will undermine the greenback, prompting nations to consider alternatives to the world’s main reserve currency.

The euro gained for a fourth day versus the dollar as the Russian government said emerging-market leaders may discuss the idea of a supranational currency. The pound rose to the highest level since October and the Canadian dollar traded near an eight-month high on speculation signs of a recovery in U.S. and U.K. housing will spur higher-yield demand.

“There’s been a lot of talk out of Russia about a new global currency, and that’s contributing toward this latest bout of dollar weakness,” said Henrik Gullberg, a currency strategist in London at Deutsche Bank AG, the world’s largest currency trader. “These latest comments are just adding to the general dollar weakness we’ve seen recently.”

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It’s Getting Late; Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?

2009-06-03T05:00:00.001-06:00

By Dan Ecklund

I can recall dozens of times when I was a kid playing out at dusk with my friends and anticipating that any second I’d hear my name being yelled across the neighborhood from a lighted doorway. I always hoped it would be one of my friends’ names that would be called before mine, to save me the embarrassment of having to be the first to leave the fun-filled activities. Ironically, now that I’m married, I’ve learned that that kind of anticipation never seems to end.

Widespread changes have taken place that are not for the better. As the sun sets on this generation, people should be listening for their names to be called from the lighted doorway. The problem is, our fun activities and desire to play have distracted us so much that we fail to notice how late it is, despite the darkness. We need to see both how dark it is and where we are playing, in order to understand the serious nature of the problem.

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness,” (John 12:46).

Do You Live in Darkness?

It’s been well stated that the best way to judge a man is by what he does when no one is looking and when no one else knows. Human nature more often than not directs us to do things that we know are wrong out of the sight of people. That in itself is a testament of man: We know right from wrong, and have no excuse before God.

Does your life include a sin that you’re holding onto, without any intention of trying to remove it from your life? Many professing Christians have ceased struggling with sin, and have taken the position that they are just “backsliders” who live in sin while God is still in their hearts. However, Scripture speaks to the contrary regarding the lifestyle and practice of sin:

· “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

· “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

For the record, we acknowledge the obvious: Sin is fun for a time. We enjoy sin, as it has a strong pull on the flesh because we are, by nature, self-centered. We very seldom take sin seriously, and almost never see the consequences for our actions. However, in reality, people often pay twice for sin—once in this world and once again after death.

A trail of pain and broken families follows those who fail to see that sin produces much more than temporal fun for the flesh. Tragedies, to one degree or the other, almost always result. While you think you might be immune to the consequences of sin, just check your conscience to see if you’re free from sin.

Who’s Calling Whose Name?

Some people have an image of Jesus knocking at the hearts of men, begging them to “open the door.” Biblically speaking, it’s a poor analogy to depict Jesus as a beggar who wants us to allow Him to come in, as though it’s cold and raining outside.

People who that say they have accepted Jesus often fail to understand that Jesus isn’t made “acceptable” to us. It’s we who need to be made acceptable to Him, because we are the true beggars. Listen to the words of Paul, who knew his personal state, despite all his works: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).

How do you view God? Do you see Him as happy with mankind and wanting to give people gifts and keep them happy, or is He angry with sin and the way people live?

The nature of good is to punish evil and see justice done. The world seems to generally blame God for causing or allowing plagues, earthquakes, floods, and all kinds of destruction. But the world will not admit the reasons God takes actions. The collective attitude is that it is His fault that all such catastrophes happen. People call these things “acts of God.” The lost refuse to see that the way they live has anything to do with God trying to get their attention.

God has gone all out to try to get mankind to understand that fallen man is living in sin, and that each person who lives without repenting of that sin has a day of judgment coming.

Responding to the Call

Most people reading this believe themselves to be saved, I’m almost certain. I do hope they are, indeed, saved. However, being a false convert for years myself, I now see clearly that a “response” to the call requires inward change. So how do you know if you’re saved? Here’s a simple list.

1. Do you struggle with sin or just live in it?

If the Bible says something is wrong, you should fight against the desire to do it. People who confess to be “followers of Christ” but don’t follow His words need to examine their salvation. No Christian will be perfect this side of heaven, but every Christian will—because of God the Holy Spirit within him or her—fight against the sinful nature as a result of the life-changing properties of salvation: “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity’” (2 Timothy 2:19).

2. Are you getting better or worse?

Each year, you should be a better Christian than you were the last. That doesn’t mean your life itself will be better in every aspect, in terms of the trials of daily life, but it does mean that your obedience to God will be improved. We often think that those who’ve taken a few years off from their faith are just backsliding a little and will return once they “sin themselves out.” Scripture warns that this should not happen. Our goal is to move forward: “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

3. Do you value your God enough to talk about Him?

Do people around you know “WHY” you’re a Christian? Most of the people in the U.S. today think they are “Christian” by default, despite common rejection of Bible teachings and denial of the very words of Christ. Do you tell people around you the reason you’re a believer and that you hold the words of Christ in higher regard than does public opinion? According to researcher George Barna, fewer than 2 percent of Christians truly witness. If the Living God has altered your life, pulling you out of sure judgment, the supernaturally influenced reaction is to tell someone the reason they need to submit to Him as well. ““Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven? But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Faith vs. evolution - considering the debate

2009-06-02T06:16:00.000-06:00

The Discovery Institute has launched a new website which debates the question: Can evolution and faith co-exist?

John West, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, says he has heard the growing debate about whether God and Darwinian evolution can co-exist. "So we wanted to do a site -- FaithandEvolution.org -- that would allow people to explore for themselves just what the tensions are between evolution and faith, and the social implications," he notes.

The website allows users to engage in debate, see arguments from both sides, and draw their own conclusions, West points out. He contends that major media outlets are not covering the debate adequately enough and that many in the scientific community are even questioning of Darwinian theory.

"The Discovery Institute supports scholars who are raising critical questions about Darwin's theory and who support intelligent design," West adds. "And so we think that this voice needs to be heard in this conversation."

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Swine Flu Cases in Australia May Prompt Pandemic Call

2009-06-01T11:35:00.000-06:00

Swine flu cases in Australia, doubling about every two days, may convince the World Health Organization to declare the first influenza pandemic in 41 years, said Raina MacIntyre, head of public health at the University of New South Wales.

Australia has 401 confirmed cases of the new H1N1 influenza strain, the Department of Health and Ageing in Canberra said in a statement today. The tally, the highest outside North America, has risen from 20 on May 25.

Victoria has 306 cases, up from 173 two days earlier, reflecting the spread of the virus within communities in the southeastern state. Evidence that swine flu has gained a foothold in Australia may compel WHO Director-General Margaret Chan to raise the pandemic alert to the highest of the agency’s six-step system, MacIntyre said in a telephone interview today.

“It must be fairly close to moving into phase 6,” said MacIntyre, who is also professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at the university in Sydney. “It’s clearly spreading in the community in Victoria.”

Disease trackers are looking for evidence of sustained, community transmission of the pig-derived virus outside North America to meet the WHO’s criteria for a pandemic. Such a global epidemic occurs when a new flu strain, to which most people have no immunity, appears and spreads worldwide.

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Air France Rio-Paris flight missing with 228 aboard

2009-06-01T04:54:00.000-06:00

An Air France plane on its way from Brazil to Paris has gone missing with 228 people on board, the airline said on Monday.

Its last known location was unclear. Brazilian television said the Brazilian air force had started a search mission over the Atlantic Ocean for the plane.

Flight AF 447 has 216 passengers and 12 crew on board. It left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time and was expected in Paris on Monday at 11:15 a.m. (5:15 a.m. EDT).

"Air France regrets to announce that it is without news from flight AF 447, which was flying on the Rio de Janeiro - Paris Charles de Gaulle route and was scheduled to arrive at 11.15 a.m. today (5:15 a.m. EDT)," an Air France spokesman said.

An Air France-KLM spokeswoman in Amsterdam said there had been no radio contact with the missing plane "for a while."

The plane was an Airbus 330-200, according to the Paris airports authority website.

Air France said relatives of people traveling on board flight AF 447 were being taken care of in a special area of Charles de Gaulle airport.

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Obama promises Arabs Jerusalem will be theirs

2009-05-31T09:22:00.000-06:00

President Obama and his administration told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting last week the U.S. foresees the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, according to a top PA official speaking to WND.

"The American administration was very friendly to the position of the PA," said Nimer Hamad, Abbas' senior political adviser.

"Abu Mazen (Abbas) heard from Obama and his administration in a very categorical way that a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is in the American national and security interest," Hamad said.

Another PA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WND today that Obama informed Abbas he would not let Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "get in the way" of normalizing U.S. relations with the Arab and greater Muslim world.

"We were told from this new administration they will not allow a Netanyahu government to hurt their efforts of rehabilitating U.S. relations with the Arab and Islamic world, which is a high priority of Obama," the official said, speaking during a visit to Cairo.

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COUPLE ORDERED TO STOP HOLDING BIBLE STUDY AT HOME WITHOUT PERMIT

2009-05-30T09:17:00.000-06:00

“Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.

‘On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county.’ David Jones told FOX News.

‘We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all,’ Jones said.

A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited ‘unlawful use of land,’ ordering them to either ‘stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit,’ the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.

But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over.

For David and Mary Jones, it's about more than a question of money.

‘The government may not prohibit the free exercise of religion,’ Broyles told FOX News. ‘I believe that our Founding Fathers would roll over in their grave if they saw that here in the year 2009, a pastor and his wife are being told that they cannot hold a simple Bible study in their own home.’

‘The implications are great because it’s not only us that’s involved,’ Mary Jones said. ‘There are thousands and thousands of Bible studies that are held all across the country. What we’re interested in is setting a precedent here — before it goes any further — and that we have it settled for the future.’…”

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Scientists identify new lethal virus in Africa

2009-05-29T05:32:00.000-06:00

Scientists have identified a lethal new virus in Africa that causes bleeding like the dreaded Ebola virus. The so-called "Lujo" virus infected five people in Zambia and South Africa last fall. Four of them died, but a fifth survived, perhaps helped by a medicine recommended by the scientists.

It's not clear how the first person became infected, but the bug comes from a family of viruses found in rodents, said Dr. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University epidemiologist involved in the discovery.

"This one is really, really aggressive" he said of the virus.

A paper on the virus by Lipkin and his collaborators was published online Thursday on in PLoS Pathogens.

The outbreak started in September, when a female travel agent who lives on the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia, became ill with a fever-like illness that quickly grew much worse.

She was airlifted to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she died.

A paramedic in Lusaka who treated her also became sick, was transported to Johannesburg and died. The three others infected were health care workers in Johannesburg.

Investigators believe the virus spread from person to person through contact with infected body fluids.

"It's not a kind of virus like the flu that can spread widely," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helped fund the research.

The name given to the virus—"Lujo"—stems from Lusaka and Johannesburg, the cities where it was first identified.

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N. Korean Christians Pray amid Gov't Military Aggression

2009-05-28T06:51:00.000-06:00

The underground Christian body in North Korea has launched a prayer campaign for evangelization in the country in response to the government’s recent missile testing and threat to attack its southern counterpart, South Korea.

Church leaders in the country say the situation is extremely unstable inside and urge North Korean Christians to become more united during this difficult time, according to Open Doors sources.

Not only is the country supposedly restarting its nuclear weapons program and threatening war against its neighbor, but North Korean authorities have reportedly intensified tactics to expose underground church members.

“Christians in North Korea are suffering terribly for their faith,” said Open Doors USA president/CEO Carl Moeller. “Of the estimated 200,000 in political prison camps, an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 are Christians.”

He added, “Now with the firing of several missiles and the on-going war footing, the scrutiny of believers has increased.”

Open Doors ranked North Korea as the No. 1 persecutor of Christians for the seventh year in a row in its latest World Watch List. Earlier this month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that the State Department re-designate North Korea on its list of “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) for its systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom.

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7.1 magnitude earthquake off Honduras coast

2009-05-28T04:31:00.000-06:00

Honduras – A strong earthquake struck early Thursday off the coast of Honduras, sending people running into the streets throughout northern Honduras and as far away as Guatemala. No major damage was immediately reported.

Across Honduras' Caribbean coast, people ran into the streets in their pajamas when the magnitude-7.1 quake struck at at 3:24 a.m. (0824 GMT), according to Ana Maria Rivera, spokeswoman for Honduras' emergency commission.

The quake struck at the relatively shallow depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado. The epicenter was 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of La Ceiba, Honduras, and 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the capital, Tegucigalpa.

A tsunami watch was in effect for Honduras, Belize and Guatemala, according to the Pacific tsunami warning center.

Rivera said a stadium wall collapsed in Puerto Cortez, on the Caribbean coast. A major bridge across the Ulua River suffered major damage in the northern town of El Progreso, mayoral spokesman Osman Hernandez told Radio Satelite.

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Russia fears Korea conflict could go nuclear

2009-05-27T07:34:00.000-06:00

Moscow official quoted as saying his country taking precautionary security measures because it fears tensions over North Korea's atomic test could descend into nuclear war
Reuters

Russia is taking precautionary security measures, including military ones, because it fears tensions over North Korea's atomic test could descend into nuclear war, news agencies quoted an official as saying on Wednesday.

Interfax quoted an unnamed security source as saying that a stand-off triggered by Pyongyang's nuclear test on Monday could affect the security of Russia's far eastern regions, which border North Korea.

"The need has emerged for an appropriate package of precautionary measures," the source said.

"We are not talking about stepping up military efforts but rather about measures in case a military conflict, perhaps with the use of nuclear weapons, flares up on the Korean Peninsula," he added.

North Korea has responded to international condemnation of its nuclear test and a threat of new UN sanctions by saying it is no longer bound by an armistice signed with South Korea at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Itar-Tass news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry official as saying the "war of nerves" over North Korea should not be allowed to grow into a military conflict, a clear reference to Pyongyang's decision to drop out of the armistice deal.

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Is this God's Final Warning to America?

2009-05-26T11:06:00.001-06:00

By Jan Markell

America is at a crossroads. Many are asking if she can be saved, or has God abandoned America? What a pitiful conclusion, if so, for a nation that has been a beacon of hope for the oppressed of the world. How often has America banded to fight off aggression or traveled to the ends of the earth to aid the less fortunate? How many missionaries has she provided to the world saving an untold number of lost souls?

Some say America must be punished for her sins, but are they really that much more grave than other wealthy nation? Luke 12:48 reminds us that from those given a great deal will be required much more. Have we used our God-given assets properly?

Right now America is torn in two, and the more Obama pushes the division of Israel, the more division there will be in our country. It has far surpassed the clever little red state-blue state illustration of a few years ago. Now it is hard-core secular humanist liberalism vs. traditional values and biblical values' people butting heads. Just this rampant division in our country is judgment. We cannot all get along! The chasm of division grows more each day!

America is trillions of dollars in debt. More than 60% of the country is experiencing a drought. Two million houses are in foreclosure. Read Deuteronomy 28 to see how God dealt with a rebellious Israel. Why would He do less to a rebellious America?

Recently Homeland Security declared millions of good people "right-wing extremists." Janet Napolitano has now pulled that position paper due to the outcry. Nonetheless, very good people were called evil with overtones of Isaiah 5:20 at play. Let's be honest and say this kind of labeling was going on long before the Obama administration came to power but now it is on fast-forward.

Dr. James Dobson stated that "America is awash in evil." He also stated in WorldNetDaily on May 14, 2009, "There is utter evil coming out of the U.S. Congress." Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) has been reporting on the "pedophile protection act" being promoted by Congress. He states, "If we don't have another awakening, I'm not sure what's left (of America)." Dobson concurs and says that the threat to religious rights "keeps me awake at night."

Under certain circumstances, names for Jesus or symbols of Jesus must be covered up as ordered by the Obama administration. If any prayer is to be used in any service or ceremony, it must be approved and likely will be stricken out. There is almost unbelievable news that our Pentagon is burning Bibles. Do we even have a right to expect God's favor on America?

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Iran watching US reaction to N. Korea

2009-05-26T04:41:00.000-06:00

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent Monday engaged in "intensive diplomacy" concerning North Korea's reported nuclear test, according to the State Department.

She had spoken by phone to her Japanese and South Korean counterparts by press time and was due to consult with Chinese and Russian leaders later in the day.

While it wasn't immediately clear what steps the US would be taking in response to the test, US President Barack Obama paused before his Memorial Day visit to Arlington Cemetery Monday morning to denounce the "blatant violation of international law."

He called the test a threat to the populations in the region and a violation of North Korea's own commitments made under multilateral negotiations - known as the six-party talks - over ending its nuclear program.

"The United States and the international community must take action in response," he declared. "North Korea will not find security and respect through threats and illegal weapons."

Obama added, "We will work with our friends and our allies to stand up to this behavior and we will redouble our efforts toward a more robust international nonproliferation regime that all countries have responsibilities to meet."

Story Here

Atheists roll out ad campaign-"In the Beginning, Man Created God."

2009-05-25T09:18:00.000-06:00

This provocative twist on the Bible’s opening line was plastered on the side of 25 Chicago buses this week as part of an advertising crusade by the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign.

The ads have been cruising between downtown and the city’s North and South sides, including the No. 56 Milwaukee route, since the beginning of the week and will run through June.

"The intent of the campaign is to stimulate discussion of religion and its place in our society," said Charlie Sitzes, a spokesman for the Indiana group who with help from the American Humanist Association has collected more than $10,000 in private donations to buy the ad space in Indiana and Illinois.

The group brought its message to Chicago after a similar campaign in Indiana – to post the slogan "You can be good without God" – was rejected by transit authorities in Bloomington and stalled by officials in South Bend, who didn’t want the ads posted in time for President Barack Obama’s speech at Notre Dame.

Indiana's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sued the Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation on the atheist group's behalf. Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan has denounced his own transit system, saying he does not condone government censorship.

"It would appear that where there is more opposition to the message that maybe that would be the place where we needed dialogue more," Sitzes said, maintaining that the slogan is a simple fact.

Full Story Here

NKorea declares it conducted nuclear test

2009-05-25T04:32:00.000-06:00

North Korea claimed it carried out a powerful underground nuclear test Monday — much larger than one conducted in 2006 — in a major provocation in the escalating international standoff over its rogue nuclear and missile programs.

Pyongyang announced the test, and Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed an atomic explosion at 9:54 a.m. (0054 GMT) in northeastern North Korea, estimating the blast's yield at 10 to 20 kilotons — comparable to the bombs that flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The regime also test-fired three short-range, ground-to-air missiles later Monday from the same northeastern site where it launched a rocket last month, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. The rocket liftoff, widely believed to be a cover for a test of its long-range missile technology, drew censure from the U.N. Security Council.

North Korea, incensed by the condemnation of the April 5 rocket launch, had warned last month that it would restart its rogue nuclear program, conduct an atomic test and carry out long-range missile tests.

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Australia's east coast a disaster zone after severe floods

2009-05-24T09:45:00.000-06:00

Emergency services estimated that 21,500 people were isolated by the flooding, which has caused widespread evacuations from the Gold Coast in Queensland to the northern rivers region of New South Wales (NSW).

One man, aged 70, died when his car was swamped by raging torrents that swept through the NSW town of Coffs Harbour, 340 miles north of Sydney, overnight.

The discovery of his body in the floodwaters brought the death toll from the storms, which were the worst to hit Queensland since 1974, to two. Earlier in the week a man was killed when freak winds flung a sheet of metal through an office window on the Gold Coast tourist strip.

While the extreme weather was easing there was still a risk of further flash-floods, the weather bureau warned.

"We could be talking weeks of inundation for some areas, if not longer," said an emergency service spokesman.

Flood warnings were in place for ten rivers in northern NSW. Residents of the coastal town of Kempsey were ordered to evacuate in the early hours of the morning before the Macleay River breached its levy, cutting off the town.

Full Story Here

Wash. state woman 1st death under new suicide law

2009-05-23T05:02:00.000-06:00

Linda Fleming was diagnosed with terminal cancer and feared her last days would be filled with pain and ever-stronger doses of medication that would erode her mind.

The 66-year-old woman with late-stage pancreatic cancer wanted to be clear-headed at death, so she became the first person to kill herself under Washington state's new assisted suicide law, known as "death with dignity."

"I am a very spiritual person, and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at the time of my death," Fleming said in a statement released Friday. "The powerful pain medications were making it difficult to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death. And I knew I would have to increase them."

With family members, her physician and her dog at her side, Fleming took a deadly dose of prescription barbiturates and died Thursday night at her home in Sequim, Wash.

Chris Carlson, who campaigned against the new law with the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide, called the death unfortunate.

Story Here

Palestinian government: Christians being 'watched'

2009-05-22T10:58:00.000-06:00

Christians in the Palestinian territories are being "watched," a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority admitted to WND.

"We have been watching this Christian organization and for the moment there is nothing special in their activity," said Adnan Dmeire, spokesman for the PA's security organizations in West Bank.

Dmeire was referring to the Association of the Holy Book, one of the main groups that attends to the needs of Christians in the Palestinian territories. The group has been accused by both the PA and Hamas of carrying out missionary activities. A Bible store the association sponsored in the Gaza Strip – the only Christian bookstore in the territory – was attacked by Islamists several times. The store's owner, Rami Ayyad, was found shot to death in 2007, his body riddled with bullets.

Dmeire was responding to a WND inquiry regarding a Hamas accusation earlier this week that the PA was allowing the Christian association to carry out missionary activity in the West Bank.

Christian persecution trend

Christians living in the Palestinian territories have not faired well under PA or Hamas rule.

In 2006, a YMCA in the northern West Bank was attacked. Gunmen destroyed the locks on the YMCA's entrance gates, crushed the gates, then entered the building and set it ablaze. Local fire brigades reportedly rushed to the scene and stopped the blaze before it spread to neighboring buildings. The attack occurred just after a PA-linked preacher accused the YMCA of missionary activity.

Following the YMCA attack, one Christian leader, an aide to Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch Michel Sabah who asked his name be withheld for fear of Muslim retaliation, called the rampage part of a general trend of Christian persecution in Palestinian areas.

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PM: Jerusalem will always be ours

2009-05-22T07:50:00.001-06:00

The State ceremony marking Jerusalem Day was held Thursday at the capital's Ammunition Hill.

"Unified Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem always has been and always will be ours and it will never be divided again," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the sounds of roaring applause.

"I stand here today… saying what I said in my visit to the US: Jerusalem will never be divided again. Only Israeli sovereignty over the city would ensure the freedom of religion for the three faiths, and it is the only thing that can guarantee that all minorities and congregations could continue living in it," he said.

Rafik Husseini, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in response to Netanyahu's speech that "Israeli occupation of east Jerusalem is illegal," adding that an Israeli attempt to keep control of east Jerusalem would be a "major obstacle to peace."

President Shimon Peres took the stage before Netanyahu, saying that Jerusalem is the only capital Israel and the Jewish people have ever known.

"Jerusalem's greatness does not stem from its geography, but rather from its history. No other city in the world has created such an abundance of spiritual and political history.

"Jerusalem is held sacred by half of mankind. It has and always will be Israel's capital. We never had another and it has never been the capital of any other people."

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American Christians to Declare 'Dependence' on God

2009-05-21T16:38:00.000-06:00

American Christians across the nation will band together the day after Independence Day to repent and pray for God to heal the country.

The newly launched initiative Call2Fall, organized by the conservative Christian group Family Research Council, will focus on the spiritual and moral problems growing in the nation.

"America is a nation in moral crisis,” says FRC President Tony Perkins. “Four out of every ten children are born out of wedlock, and every day roughly 3,000 unborn children are aborted in our county. From homosexual 'marriage' to proposed curbs on religious speech, there are serious matters for the church to address, humbly and with great earnestness, before God.”

Held a day after Americans celebrate their “independence,” Call2Fall will be a day when Christians declare their “dependence” on God, Perkins explains. The name of the initiative means call to fall on our knees.

Supporters of the July 5 prayer initiative echoed FRC’s concerns during a media teleconference on Tuesday. They called on churches to mobilize members in prayer and repentance and for pastors to lead by example.

“We are seeing the crumbling of our nation economically, spiritually, and perhaps even militarily,” said the Rev. Larry Stockstill, senior pastor of Bethany World Prayer Center in Louisiana.

“I feel that our only hope as a nation – there really isn’t a new political agenda we can pull out of the hat or any other form of medicine for America – is prayer and fasting,” he said.

Dr. Richard Land, head of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention – the nation’s largest Protestant denomination – said he believes Southern Baptists will be receptive to the initiative.

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Iran claims missile test with Europe in range

2009-05-21T05:44:00.000-06:00

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed to have sucessfully tested another ballistic missile capable of reaching Europe.

Speaking in the northern Iranian city of Semnan, where the Sajil-2 missile was allegedly test-fired, Mr Ahmadinejad said the blast was a success and "met the predetermined target."

If its alleged range of almost 2,000 kilometers is true, the missile could reach Athens, southern Italy and the Black Sea coast of new EU members Romania and Bulgaria.

A similar test was carried out in November, while in February Iran launched a domestically-made satellite that prompted France and Great Britain to express their concerns over the missile capabilities of the Islamic state.

Full Story Here

Dengue fever epidemic hits South America

2009-05-20T07:43:00.001-06:00

While the world continues to be on alert for a potential swine flu pandemic, South Americans have been suffering for months from one of the worst viral epidemics on record. Hundreds of thousands of people have been sickened by dengue fever this year; more than 70 have died. "This is the largest epidemic in many years"

This is the largest epidemic in many years," said Dr. Eddy Martinez, the director of epidemiology for Bolivia's Ministry of Health in the capital city of La Paz.

By mid-April, he said, there had been more than 55,000 suspected cases in Bolivia's eastern and southern lowlands, with 25 fatalities. Most of those were in Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne virus endemic in lowland tropical regions around the world but little known in the northern hemisphere, struck particularly hard this year in Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil.

Health officials say the disease is increasingly a problem in the region's densely-populated cities, and is spreading.

Full Story Here

Brazil and China eye plan to axe dollar

2009-05-19T11:55:00.000-06:00

Brazil and China will work towards using their own currencies in trade transactions rather than the US dollar, according to Brazil’s central bank and aides to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president.

The move follows recent Chinese challenges to the status of the dollar as the world’s leading international currency.

Mr Lula da Silva, who is visiting Beijing this week, and Hu Jintao, China’s president, first discussed the idea of replacing the dollar with the renminbi and the real as trade currencies when they met at the G20 summit in London last month.

An official at Brazil’s central bank stressed that talks were at an early stage. He also said that what was under discussion was not a currency swap of the kind China recently agreed with Argentina and which the US had agreed with several countries, including Brazil.

“Currency swaps are not necessarily trade related,” the official said. “The funds can be drawn down for any use. What we are talking about now is Brazil paying for Chinese goods with reals and China paying for Brazilian goods with renminbi.”

Henrique Meirelles and Zhou Xiaochuan, governors of the two countries’ central banks, were expected to meet soon to discuss the matter, the official said.

Full Story Here

Christians Join Jews in Washington to Fight PA State

2009-05-19T08:20:00.000-06:00

A powerful Christian activist group joined thousands of Jews Monday at a massive rally in Washington DC to protest the Obama administration’s pressure on Israel to accept the establishment of a Palestinian Authority state within its current borders.

The Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC Heartland), which links Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria with Christian churches and individual sponsors around the world, launched its internet initiative over the weekend.

The group urged its members to contact the White House and oppose President Barack Obama’s plan to pressure Israel into dividing the country with the Palestinian Authority.

It also urged members to show up en masse for the rally, scheduled to last from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – the same time, approximately, that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Obama at the White House.

The email, sent to a list of tens of thousands of people, informed members that the White House has been pressuring Israel to agree to a two-state solution in exchange for U.S. cooperation against Iran.

“Iran poses an existential threat to Israel and to the entire free world,” noted the statement, signed by U.S. CFOIC director Kimberly Troup and Israeli office director Sandra Oster Baras.

“The two-state solution is synonymous with full Israeli withdrawal from the heart of Biblical Israel. This poses an existential threat as well as a spiritual threat to the Nation of Israel.

Full Story Here

"The Worst Is Yet to Come": If You're Not Petrified, You're Not Paying Attention

2009-05-18T12:03:00.001-06:00

The green shoots story took a bit of hit this week between data on April retail sales, weekly jobless claims and foreclosures. But the whole concept of the economy finding its footing was "preposterous" to begin with, says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates.

"We're in a complete mess and the consumer is smart enough to know it," says Davidowitz, whose firm does consulting for the retail industry. "If the consumer isn't petrified, he or she is a damn fool."

Davidowitz, who is nothing if not opinionated (and colorful), paints a very grim picture: "The worst is yet to come with consumers and banks," he says. "This country is going into a 10-year decline. Living standards will never be the same."

This outlook is based on the following main points:

With the unemployment rate rising into double digits - and that's not counting the millions of "underemployed" Americans - consumers are hitting the breaks, which is having a huge impact, given consumer spending accounts for about 70% of economic activity.

Rising unemployment and the $8 trillion negative wealth effect of housing mean more Americans will default on not just mortgages but student loans and auto loans and credit card debt.

More consumer loan defaults will hit banks, which are also threatened by what Davidowitz calls a "depression" in commercial real estate, noting the recent bankruptcy of General Growth Properties and distressed sales by Developers Diversified and other REITs.

As for all the hullabaloo about the stress tests, he says they were a sham and part of a "con game to get private money to finance these institutions because [Treasury] can't get more money from Congress. It's the ‘greater fool' theory."

Full Story with Video Here

Japan's swine flu cases jump; New York school official dies

2009-05-18T07:34:00.000-06:00

Japan reported a weekend explosion of swine flu cases, and a World Health Organization official said Sunday that experts are looking closely at the spread of the virus in that country, Spain and Britain.

Spain and Britain have had the highest numbers of cases in Europe, reporting 103 and 101 cases, respectively.

The epidemic is expected to dominate the WHO's annual meeting, a five-day event that begins today in Geneva and involves health officials from the 193 member states.

In Japan, health officials said today that at least 121 people had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, prompting the government to shut down schools and cancel public events. Most of the infected are teenagers, and all were recovering in hospitals or their homes. Local media reports said the number was likely to increase beyond 130. On Saturday, the nation had only five confirmed cases.

Many of the new cases were among students who had not traveled overseas.

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Thirteen Ton Temple Corner Stone to Be Presented to the People of Israel

2009-05-17T04:52:00.000-06:00

The holy cornerstone for the Third Temple will be transported by the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement as they march on Jerusalem Day, 27 Iyar 5769 (May 21, 2009). It will be driven from Ammunition Hill to the Jaffa Gate, along the western walls of the Old City to the downtown streets of Jerusalem. There it will be presented to the people of Israel and to the entire world for the first time since the destruction of the Holy Temple in 70 CE.

Since 1967, Jerusalem Day has become one of the most important holidays in Israel. This public holiday commemorates the liberation of the Temple Mount, the biblical city of Jerusalem, the City of David and the biblically significant areas of Judea, Samaria, Gaza, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. All of this happened in the Six Day War of 1967. It was then that G‑d returned the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to His People Israel so that they would immediately rebuild His Holy Temple in order to renew biblical worship there.

The Jerusalem Day march of the Temple Mount Faithful will begin at Ammunition Hill, located in northern Jerusalem. This was the site of some of the most heroic action during the Six Day War. Intense fighting took place from bunker to bunker. Israeli soldiers sacrificed their lives in battle for the G‑d of Israel, for the Holy City of Jerusalem and for the Temple Mount. Ammunition Hill became the symbol of both Israeli heroism and the fighting together of G‑d and His people Israel in fulfillment of His prophetic Word.

The marchers will be led by a truck carrying the holy cornerstone for the Third Temple. The cornerstone, weighing 13 tons, will be carried on the back of the truck, underneath a chuppah, and decorated with Israeli flags, the Star of David and Temple flags. Silver trumpets reconstructed for future worship in the Third Temple will be blown throughout the march.

Full Story Here

The Jonah Syndrome

2009-05-16T11:17:00.000-06:00

How often does God put people across our path that we don't like? Ever wonder why? It could be a boss, a co-worker, a former friend, a neighbor, a family member, and even a brother or sister in Christ, or anyone else we feel animosity toward. The reason for these people entering your life is because God is conforming you to be the image of Christ, teaching you to love even your enemies so that you can be used by Him to be a vessel of compassion. Jesus told us in (Matthew 5:44-47 NKJV) "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, {45} "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. {46} "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? {47} "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?

If we don't love people who curse us, hate us, use us, and persecute us then we are no better than any non-Christian; if we hate or dislike anyone can we really claim to be children of God? God brings these people into our lives for our spiritual benefit and growth, and if we obey God it will be for the benefit of our enemies also. The Lord tells us how to love our enemies we are to bless them, which is speaking good things to them, we are to do good to them, and most important we are to pray for them. Doing these things will turn our hate into love and then God can send His compassion through us to them; touching them with the most powerful force in the universe, LOVE. Love always conquers hate as light conquers darkness. Our natural flesh response is to just get away from them, thinking then our life will be better well that is what Jonah thought.

The famous story of "Jonah and the Whale" told in the book of Jonah in the Bible tells of the Prophet Jonah's ordeal when God commanded him to go to Nineveh and preach the word from God to repent or be destroyed. Nineveh was the capitol of the Assyrian Empire, the Assyrian's were a heartless, cruel, and evil people; they were great enemies of Israel. Jonah did not want them to repent, Jonah did not want God to have mercy and compassion on such people so he fled in the opposite direction getting on board a ship to escape from doing God's will.

Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. Jonah said to the ship's crew, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

Continued here

This is a message that spoke loudly to me today! A very good read

Spain plans abortion law changes

2009-05-16T04:28:00.000-06:00

The Spanish cabinet has agreed to liberalise the country's strict abortion laws, allowing abortion in most cases up to 14 weeks of pregnancy.

The proposals must go to parliament, where Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero lacks a majority.

His deputy, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, said changes were necessary to preserve the "dignity of women".

Anti-abortion groups have condemned the proposals and the Roman Catholic church has started an anti-abortion campaign.

Under current law, introduced in 1985, abortion is allowed in cases of rape up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 22 weeks in the case of foetal malformation.

Full Story Here

Did You Paint That?

2009-05-15T15:22:00.003-06:00

When we look at a painting, we know there was a painter. It didn't happen by itself. Its only logical. Great video to use for witnessing!

See Video Here

IAEA CHIEF SAYS MIDEAST 'TICKING BOMB'

2009-05-15T14:05:00.000-06:00

YnetNews.com reports: “The number of potential nuclear weapons states could more than double in the next few years unless major powers take radical steps towards disarmament, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog was quoted saying on Friday.

Mohamed ElBaradei said the threat of proliferation was particularly great in the Middle East and the international regime designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons was at risk of falling apart, the Guardian newspaper reported.

‘Any regime ... has to have a sense of fairness and equity and it is not there,’ ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview with the paper.

He predicted the next wave of proliferation would involve ‘virtual nuclear states’ which could produce plutonium or highly enriched uranium and would have the knowhow to make warheads, but would stop just short of assembling a weapon.

Such states would remain technically compliant with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) while being within a couple of months of deploying and using a weapon, he said.

‘This is the phenomenon we see now and what people worry about in Iran’, he was quoted as saying. ‘And this phenomenon goes much beyond Iran. Pretty soon ... you will have nine weapons states and probably another 10 or 20 virtual weapons states.’

Full Article Here

Dobson: 'There's utter evil coming out of Congress' Focus on the Family ministry founder condemns 'Pedophile Protection Act'

2009-05-15T08:57:00.002-06:00

James Dobson, the founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family Christian ministry, warned today that there is "utter evil" coming out of Washington, D.C., these days.

"I want to tell our listeners something has come up that is so shocking and so outrageous, we must make our friends out there aware of it," he said on his daily radio program.

"I'm going to speak very bluntly today because there's no other word for it: the utter evil that's coming out of Congress," he said. "I've been on the air 32 years and I've never seen a time quite like this.

"The radical left controls the executive branch through the president, and the Congress where the Democrats have control of both the House and the Senate," he said, adding the courts are expected to move even further to the left.

The target of his worry is the so-called "hate crimes" bill already approved in the U.S. House and now pending in the Senate.

Many have dubbed it the "Pedophile Protection Act," and Reps. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, and Steve King, R-Iowa, explained on Dobson's program how they tried to have majority Democrats in Congress define "sexual orientation" in the bill – and were refused.

They also tried to add an amendment that would state that pedophiles were not, in fact, protected under the law, and Democrats again voted to reject that idea.

King explained it's part of a national effort by homosexual activists not to just have the freedom to choose their lifestyle, but to be able to demand approval and likewise condemn those who don't agree with homosexual behavior.

Full Article Here

World Health Organization Investigating Claims of Human Error Behind Swine Flu Virus

2009-05-14T05:17:00.000-06:00

The World Health Organization is investigating claims made by an Australian researcher that new the H1N1 swine flu virus may have evolved as result of human error.

Adrian Gibbs, 75, said he planned to publish a report saying the never-before-seen strain of influenza may have evolved in eggs used to grow viruses for scientific research and vaccine development, according to Bloomberg News.

The noted virologist said his findings could help better understand the microbe's ability to spread.

World Health Organization Assistant Director-General of Health Security Keiji Fukuda is reviewing the study, Bloomberg reported.

If Gibbs' research is confirmed, Fukuda said it will raise many new questions about the new strain.

Full Article Here

FASTING IN SOLIDARITY FOR DARFUR

2009-05-13T09:38:00.004-06:00

Jon Foreman is the front-man for multi-platinum selling rock band Switchfoot. Over the course of the last ten years Switchfoot has developed a reputation as an amazing live experience with songs that transcend the boundaries of simple rock and roll. Jon is also fasting for Darfur.

Many others are joing him in solidarity for this cause. To learn more and to get information on how you can get involved visit the link below:

Website Link

If your not able to join along please remember to pray for these people! God bless you!

Something my son wrote about the situation in Darfur:

As I sit here late at night I stumble across something said very well by one of my favorite artist/songwriters.

"America requested a $1.5 billion emergency appropriation to deal with a flu outbreak that has killed 3 people in the US. An estimated 300,000 folks have already died in Darfur and we do nothing... $0.00. And three people die of the flu and we spend $1.5 billion to figure things out. $1,500,000,000.00"
- Jon Foreman

Are we that selfish of a nation that we can let thousands of innocent people die each day in other countries and it’s no big deal to us, as we fatten ourselves behind our TV screens. While we leave it up to them to deal with it while the weight of it all comes crashing down on their shoulders. But all of a sudden when something happens to us (the flu) we act upon it immediately. I understand the need to protect ourselves from an epidemic but when are we going to start thinking outside our convenient Lexus cages, or beyond our nice houses with central air. Are we so blind that we can't see past outside of our Hollister stores to a world in hurt and pain? We need to start stepping into reality; just because we can't see it doesn't mean it’s not happening.

We spend millions of dollars a year on PETA in an effort to protect our innocent, cute, and fuzzy little animals that spend half the day licking their butts and chasing their tails, when we don't even turn our heads to a nation that is under mass Genocide. Picture, two innocent children being taken and slaughtered, that have a future a life ahead of them. Picture, women being raped and murdered. Why do we not care, is it because these people have a different color of skin, or maybe because they haven't showered in years and most likely smell? Are these people not worth one ounce of our time? What makes us so much different than they are? Maybe the answer is simply because we are fortunate enough to have running water or a safe place to rest our head at night. We are much more than Continents separated by water. Are we not all human beings? Do we not all have our own unique voice, face, heart, mind and soul?

The trees will replant themselves each year with the seasons. The flowers always bloom and open every spring without our help. Our environment is fine; it has been fine for two thousand years and will continue to be for two thousand years more. It is WE the people that need all the help we can get.

Why are we sitting back waiting for Obama to make the change? When are we going to awaken? Were we all not taught to memorize in school "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

If we want to see change WE need to be that change that WE are so dying to see. WE choose the president, WE create the media, WE ARE THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION to all this madness, hurt and hatred in the world. It has been years now Darfur has suffered long enough and yet we do NOTHING. It is not limited at Darfur there are many other countries out there that are hurting as well. Even in America children go hungry at night and don't have a roof under their heads. If we can look under our couch cushions and find $1.5 billion for the lives of 3 people in the US why can we not help someone else out? Do we not care until something bad happens to us? When will we ever get past our selfishness and greed? It is about time we stop complaining about someone else having the same prom dress or that our parents only gave us $100 dollars to spend at the mall. We are fortunate enough to live in a nation where we can rest our heads at night without worrying about mass Genocide. So why can we not extend a hand out to someone else in need and spread love?

This goes beyond holding picket signs and yelling. WE need to wake up or we will be woken up. This being said I will fast not because it’s the cool thing to do but because I want to know what it feels like to go to bed hungry to feel the pain that all these children and families go through. God created us all with a voice so I am going to use it. I don't want to be Labeled behind a group of activists. I want to be my own voice in this silent world.

Spiritual warfare - it's real

2009-05-13T07:45:00.000-06:00

The president of a Christian mission organization is trying to help believers become better equipped to battle their biggest enemy.

Dr. Jerry Rankin is president of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In his new book Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for God's Glory, Rankin examines the causes for spiritual warfare, and the methods and disciplines Christians can use for victory.

Rankin says spiritual warfare is real for all believers. "Satan is not just going to roll over and relinquish the kingdoms of the world to become the kingdoms of our Lord," he counsels.

"And in much more subtle ways, I think that target is on the church and on Christians and [is] just responsible for our failure to live a victorious Christian life that would draw people in our own society into the Kingdom of God."

The Bible, says the missions enthusiast, has clear strategies for Christians. "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world," he explains. "We have the shield of faith to deflect the lies of Satan. We're told in [the Book of] Peter [to] resist him, firm in our faith."

Dr. Rankin and his wife spent 23 years as missionaries in Asia until he became IMB president in 1993.

Article Link

Swine flu hits China as global cases rise

2009-05-12T09:41:00.000-06:00

China confirmed Monday its first case of swine flu on the mainland, underlining the outbreak's global spread, as the United States reported hundreds more cases and warned of further deaths.
Worldwide, the death toll passed 50 after Costa Rican authorities reported its first fatality from the virus, officially known as A(H1N1) influenza, and the United States confirmed a third death.

Fears that infections would gather pace were heightened when China said it had detected its first mainland case in a man who had recently travelled back from the United States.

The 30-year-old was hospitalised with a fever after arriving in the Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu, in southwestern China, from the United States via Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, the health ministry said.

"This is our country's first case of A(H1N1)," its spokesman Mao Qunan said in a statement on its website.

State television said the man, surnamed Bao, was in a stable condition. He flew from Tokyo to Beijing on a Northwest Airlines flight before connecting on a domestic flight to Chengdu, the ministry said.

China, which has come under criticism from abroad for its tough swine flu quarantine measures, was seeking a number of passengers, including foreigners, who took the same Northwest flight as Bao, state media reported.

They included 144 passengers on the flight to Beijing and about 150 on the Beijing-Chengdu flight aboard Sichuan Airlines, state television added, saying some had already been located.

The virus was first reported in Mexico in April but has spread to more than 30 nations since and the global number of infected cases is at least 4,380.

Full Story Here

Floods ease in Brazil, but 300,000-plus homeless

2009-05-11T09:31:00.000-06:00

Floodwaters receded some in inundated towns across northern Brazil on Sunday, but the number of homeless rose above 300,000 and two people were missing after an overloaded canoe overturned in swift waters.

Forty deaths had been confirmed in northern Brazil's worst flooding in decades, fed by two months of unusually heavy rains in a zone stretching from deep in the Amazon to normally arid areas near the Atlantic coast.

In Maranhao state, one of the worst affected regions, a small canoe capsized with seven people aboard on a river between the towns of Pedreiras and Trizidela do Vale. Two passengers were missing: a 54-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman.

"She knew how to swim, but it looks like the current was too strong," said Francisco Aguiar, an uncle of the missing woman.

Police officers and firefighters were searching in motorboats, said Wallace Pires, an official with Brazil's national security force.

Emergency crews struggled to clear debris from highways blocked by landslides, seeking to open the way for desperately needed aid shipments. There have been widespread complaints that the government was too slow in delivering food and water.

"It's raining less and we were able to clear some of the highways that were blocked," Maranhao state civil defense spokesman Ivar Araujo said. "It will be easier bring help to the victims, but the situation is still a little complicated."

There were reports of scattered looting in Maranhao and of residents refusing to leave flooded homes for fear of thieves.

But the gradual retreat of high water in many places boosted spirits.

Full Story Here

George Barna: America Is Being Destroyed Inside Out

2009-05-10T15:58:00.000-06:00

Christian pollster George Barna made a controversial argument Wednesday night that Americans are to blame for the destruction of their country and it is up to faith groups to restore it.

The once great United States is decaying, declared Barna to a crowd of hundreds of Christian journalists on the opening night of the Evangelical Press Association/Associated Church Press Convention.

America's divorce, abortion, sexually transmitted disease, spousal abuse and crime rates are the highest or among the highest compared to other developed nations. And the percentage of students graduating from high school on time has not changed in 32 years.

"The enemy of America today is not Iraq. It is not Afghanistan or communism. It is not Somalian pirates. It's the moral degradation and spiritual complacency of Americans," contended Barna, founder of the research firm The Barna Group. "In essence it is the willingness of Americans to become victims of the imposition of values and objectives that defy our common good."

Many factors have led to America's deterioration, he said, including moving from mass production to mass consumption, moving from common values to now radical individualism with personal values, and competition among faith groups rather than cooperation.

"Just think about the shift in mottos that characterize our nation," Barna noted. "We talked about one nation under God, but today really we are one nation under self, sometimes aided by one or more gods."

"We shifted from a nation that said ‘In God We Trust' to reality and self we trust," he said. "We transitioned from being a land of the free and the home of the brave, to now we are the land of the indebted and the home of the self-indulgent. We also shifted from a land that believes you can be all you can be to now it's get all you can get."

Full Story Here

JERUSALEM WORRIED OVER BREAKDOWN OF U.S.-ISRAEL COOPERATION UNDER OBAMA

2009-05-09T09:39:00.001-06:00

Haaretz reports: “Senior officials in Jerusalem expressed concern recently over the sharp decline in the coordination between Israel and the United States on security and state affairs since President Barack Obama's entered the White House and especially since the formation of Israel's new government.

Senior White House officials told their Israeli counterparts that Obama will demand Netanyahu completely suspend construction in the settlements, the officials said.

‘Obama's people brief their Israeli counterparts in advance much less about security and Middle East policy activities than the Bush administration used to,’ the officials said.

In addition, when they do brief Israeli officials, they don't consult with them or coordinate their statements in advance.

This has caused several coordination ‘malfunctions’ between the two states in the past two months, they said.

The last incident was the statement of Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller, calling on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The statement had not been coordinated with Israeli officials in charge of the nuclear issue and they heard it first from the media.

This followed other equally problematic incidents. The American policy shift toward Syria and opening direct talks with Damascus followed minimal coordination with Israel. For example, Israel was not briefed about senior American diplomats' trip to Damascus, which the U.S. had initiated.

Another incident concerned U.S. envoy for Iranian affairs Dennis Ross' trip to the Gulf states a few days ago for talks on Iran. Israel was briefed on the trip in general details, but no consultations or message-coordination took place before the trip. In addition, Ross did not pass through Israel on his way to the Gulf or back to brief Israel on the talks' outcome.

The American policy toward Iran has remained generally ambiguous as far as Israel is concerned and the administration has not outlined to Israel its plan for a dialogue with Iran in an orderly way. Many of the details Israel learned about this plan were obtained via European channels.

The Israeli officials said the problem also stems from the government change in both states and because clear work procedures between the sides have not been set established.

‘This will be one of the most important things Netanyahu will have to settle with Obama,’ a senior official said.

However, the official said the new administration no longer seems to see Israel as a ‘special’ or ‘extraordinary’ state in the Middle East, with which the U.S. must maintain a different dialogue than with other states…”

Article Here

UN food organisation says number of people who go hungry will increase to 1-billion

2009-05-08T09:50:00.000-06:00

THE number of hungry people in the world could soon hit a record 1-billion, despite a drop in food prices, the United Nations food aid organisation said.

The recent financial crisis, though it has helped bring global food prices down, also has led to falling trade and lower development aid, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) general director, Jacques Diouf.

As a result of the crisis, an additional 104-million people were likely to go hungry this year — meaning they would receive fewer than 1800 calories a day, Diouf said on Wednesday after a two-day meeting in Paris between the FAO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“We have never seen so many hungry people in the world,” he said.

The number of people considered hungry increased last year as well, by 40-million, and in 2007, when 75-million more people joined the ranks, Diouf said.

If the projection for this year proves accurate, that would mean that about 1-billion people — or roughly one-sixth of the world’s population — would go hungry by the end of the year, he said.

“Food security is a matter of peace and security in the world,” Diouf said, stressing that the production of food would have to double by 2050 just to keep pace with population growth.

Despite a 30% drop in food prices from June last year, overall food prices still remained above 2006 levels, Diouf said. In the developing world, however, food prices had dropped only 12%-14% since June last year, he said .

Link to Story http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/world.aspx?ID=BD4A995485

Not a Christian Nation? Think Again

2009-05-07T16:23:00.001-06:00

Just had this forwarded to me...thought I'd share it

President Barack Obama said in Turkey : "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

I found this very interesting.
Do you know the Preamble for your state? . .

Be sure to read the message at the bottom!

Alabama 1901, Preamble
We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..
Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...
Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe....
Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences...
Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...
Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the St ate of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble.. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..
Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity .. And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction
Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.
Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution...
Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution ..
Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..
New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carolina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...
North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance....
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing...
South Carolina , 1778, Preamble We, the people of the State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties ...
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...
Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ..
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other
Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ...
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility...
Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming , grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...

After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong! If you found this to be 'Food for thought' send to as many as you think will be enlightened as I hope you were.

(Please note that at no time is anyone told that they MUST worship God.)

GOD BLESS AMERICA

LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER Bilderbergers plan secret meeting in Greece

2009-05-07T09:58:00.000-06:00

The 57th meeting of representatives from Western European and North American countries known as Bilderberg Group will be held next week at a five-star hotel in Greece, reports Daniel Estulin, an investigative author who has written a defining book on the secretive annual gathering.

Estulin says his sources in Greece have confirmed the meeting will be held at the Nafsika Astir Palace Hotel in Vouliagmeni from May 14-17.

The Bilderberg Group is an elite invitation-only conference of influential members of the business, media and political community. Past attendees have included Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Tony Blair.

While the group claims its purpose is to facilitate discussion amongst western powers, many see the group as a means toward globalization.

Full Story Here

National Day of Prayer Thursday, May 7, 2009

2009-05-06T16:12:00.001-06:00

May, 2009 The 58th Annual National Day of Prayer will take place Thursday, May 7, 2009. Millions will unite in prayer as thousands of events will take place from coast to coast. The theme for this year is "Prayer... America's Hope" and is based on the verse from Psalm 33:22 which states: "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Beth Moore will join Shirley Dobson to lead the nation in prayer as the 2009 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

You can watch there event here

Sadly the White House is not participating this year.

Link to story here

Blair: Quartet to present new strategy for peace negotiations

2009-05-06T07:28:00.000-06:00

The US-led Quartet of Middle East mediators is working on a new strategy for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and is expected to present it in five to six weeks, Quartet envoy Tony Blair has said. The plan is being devised by the Obama administration, with input from others, Blair told Palestinian reporters.

"We're about to get a new framework," Blair said Tuesday evening, adding that he did not know the details. "The reason I say people should be more hopeful, is that this is a framework that is being worked on at the highest level in the American administration, (and) in the rest of the international community."

US President Barack Obama is holding separate meetings at the White House this month with the Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders to hear their views. Once those meetings are over, the Quartet is to convene in Washington to discuss and present the new strategy, Blair said. "I think that within the next five to six weeks, you will have a very clear picture of what the plan is."

Full Story Here

EU wants 'Internet G12' to govern cyberspace

2009-05-05T06:23:00.000-06:00

The European Commission wants the US to dissolve all government links with the body that 'governs' the internet, replacing it with an international forum for discussing internet governance and online security.

The rules and decisions on key internet governance issues, such as the creation of top level domains (such as .com and .eu) and managing the internet address system that ensures computers can connect to each other, are currently made by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a private, not-for profit corporation based in California which operates under an agreement with the US Department of Commerce.

Full Story Here

Walking in the Messiah's Footsteps: Israel Opens Jesus Trail

2009-05-04T09:46:00.000-06:00

The Jesus Trail is 40 miles long and starts in Jesus' home town of Nazareth.

Recently completed, its route winds through the towns and villages of the Galilee region in northern Israel. This is the place where Jesus and his disciples established their ministry. It is a landscape steeped in the history of the New Testament and the gospels.

The free trail is the brainchild of local Israeli tour operator Maoz Inon, who runs a guesthouse in Nazareth in partnership with American David Landis, who has a track record in adventure tourism. They hope it will attract Christian pilgrims from around the world and help boost the local economy.

It took several years to plan in coordination with Israeli tourist authorities and has opened in time for the arrival of the pope and an expected spike in Christian tourism.

Full Story Here

U.S. Fears Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons at Risk

2009-05-04T04:57:00.000-06:00

Senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal may be at risk from a rising Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgency in the vulnerable country, the New York Times reported Monday.

Officials told the Times they are worried militants could take possession of the arms during transport or by potentially infiltrating atomic laboraties or fuel-production plants, but emphasized that there was no reason to believe that the arsenal faced an imminent threat.

The Taliban's recent incursion into Buner, a key region 60 miles from the capital, Islamabad, heightened global fears as the whereabouts of all of Pakistan’s nuclear sites is unknown.

According to The Times, the insurgency has left U.S. officials less willing to accept blanket assurances from Pakistan that the weapons are safe.

Full Story Here

NPR axes Christian radio programs

2009-05-03T09:12:00.000-06:00

In 1985, National Public Radio (NPR) adopted a policy stating that member stations had to provide "nonsectarian, non-political, noncommercial" educational programming. But in February 2009, the wording was changed to say: "NPR Member Stations shall provide ONLY [emphasis added] nonsectarian, non-political, noncommercial educational content on all broadcast channel(s) and related media distribution platforms such as member partners that use the NPR member brands."

The rule, which takes effect May 1, means that any NPR stations carrying religious programming must cease and desist that programming as of that date. In explaining its decision in a similar matter, PBS -- another federally funded media outlet -- says it "places a high value on presenting diverse perspectives, as opposed to rigidly adhering to any single political or religious point of view." Allowing such programming, it continues, "would cause the public's trust in PBS to erode, along with the value of the brand."

David McNabb is the host of "Christian Corner" on KJZA (in Williams, Arizona), which is a partner station with KJZZ in Phoenix. His and several other religious programs featured on the NPR member station will be axed effective tomorrow.

Full Story Here

Riots across Europe fuelled by economic crisis

2009-05-03T05:49:00.000-06:00

Police in Berlin arrested 57 people while around 50 officers were hurt as young demonstrators threw bottles and rocks and set fire to cars and rubbish bins. There were also clashes in Hamburg, where anti-capitalist protesters attacked a bank.

In Turkey, masked protesters threw stones and petrol bombs at police, smashing banks and supermarket windows in its biggest city, Istanbul. Security forces fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of rioters and more than a hundred were arrested with dozens more hurt. There were also scattered skirmishes with police in the capital, Ankara, where 150,000 people marched.

The government had declared May Day, traditionally marked by rallies by labour unions, a public holiday this year under pressure from unions.

In Greece, officers fired flash grenades to disperse rioters in Athens after attacks on banks and traffic cameras. Transport strikes disrupted bus, train and ferry services as well as flights by Greek carrier Olympic Airlines.

Full Story Here

Doctors face orders to 'kill on demand' New assisted suicide law requires physicians to act

2009-05-02T05:58:00.001-06:00

Physicians in Montana could be facing "kill-on-demand" orders from patients who want to commit suicide if a district court judge's opinion pending before the state Supreme Court is affirmed.

The case has attracted nominal attention nationwide, but lawyers with the Christian Legal Service have filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the pending case because of what it would mean to doctors within the state, as well as the precedent it would set.

The concern is over the attack on doctors' ethics and religious beliefs – as well as the Hippocratic oath – that may be violated by a demand that they prescribe deadly chemicals or in some other way assist in a person's death.

M. Casey Mattox, a lawyer with the CLS, told WND that states allowing a "right to die" across the country – Oregon and Washington – include an opt-out provision for physicians with ethical or religious opposition to participating in killing a patient.

Full Story

Hamas Army Preparing for New War

2009-05-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

The defacto Hamas government in Gaza is re-training its army and changing its tactics in preparation for what it believes will be another war with Israel, according to Staretegypage.com. Iran and Hizbullah are advising Hamas on how to overcome its failures against Israel in the IDFs Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign earlier this year.

Hamas tactics in the war backfired. It told its fighters to dress in civilian clothes as a ploy to raise civilian casualties, but the IDF surprised it by pinpointing its attacks and warning civilians to leave areas before they were bombed.

Hamas has used the ceasefire, which Israel declared on condition that international monitors would be positioned along the Egyptian border to stop smuggling, to bring in advanced weapons through new tunnels that have been built. Two Arab smugglers or workers were killed Thursday morning in a tunnel collapse underneath the border at Rafiah.

Full Story

Homosexuals would get new protections under House bill

2009-04-30T08:31:00.000-06:00

(AP) - Gay victims of violence would gain new federal protections under a revived and expanded hate crimes bill passed by the House on Wednesday over conservatives' objections.

Hate crimes—as defined by the bill—are those motivated by prejudice and based someone's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The bill, which passed 249-175, could provide a financial bonanza to state and local authorities, with grants for investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. The federal government could step in and prosecute if states requested it or declined to exercise their authority.

A weaker bill died two years ago under a veto threat from President George W. Bush.

President Barack Obama, in contrast, urged support, saying it would "enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association." Obama called for passage in the Senate, where Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is the chief sponsor.

The House bill added protections based on sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., a supporter of the bill, contended it was protection for gays that drove the opposition.

"I wonder if our friends on the other side of the aisle would be singing the same offensive tune if we were talking about hate crimes based on race or religion," she said, referring to Republican opponents. "It seems to me it is the category of individuals that they are offended by, rather than the fact that we have hate crimes laws at all."

She then recounted cases where gay people were victims of violence.

The issue was personal for openly gay Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who said the bill would protect "people like me." He said he wasn't asking for approval from people with whom he didn't want to associate.

Answering those who said the protections were not needed, Frank quoted Chico Marx, one of the Marx Brothers comedy team, from the movie "Duck Soup": "Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?"

Current law only permits federal prosecutions against crimes based on race, religion, color or national origin—and only when the victims are engaged in federally protected activity such as voting.

The bill aroused the ire of conservative religious groups and pastors. Several Republicans argued those leaders could face criminal charges for speaking out against homosexuality or, at the very least, would be reluctant to state their views.

Full Story

Swine Flu and the Pale Horse of the Apocalypse

2009-04-29T13:40:00.001-06:00

Fear of an imminent, potentially devastating flu pandemic is sweeping the globe.

A multistrained swine flu has infected nearly 2,000 people in Mexico, it is believed, killing up to 149 as of Monday just in that one country. According to authorities, this flu is an animal strain of the H1N1 virus that killed around 50 million people in 1918.

The United States declared a state of emergency on the weekend when at least 20 people were identified with the virus. Cases have also been identified in Canada, New Zealand and Spain. European Union Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou went so far as to warn EU citizens against traveling to America or Mexico. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, warned that the virus has “pandemic potential” and is a “public health event of international concern.”

“We have determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its website. In Mexico City, the government has canceled all public events, from ministerial speaking engagements to rock concerts. Schools have been closed and millions have been cautioned against going to work. Soldiers and police have handed out 2 million face masks in the city.

For those familiar with Bible prophecy, the sea of face-masked people in Mexico City and widespread fear of a global flu pandemic brings to mind the image of the pale, or sickly, horse of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as described by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.

The first three horsemen of the apocalypse symbolize religious deception, war, and famine. Along with the fourth horseman, pestilence, these riders represent the end-time culmination of the most traumatic problems endured by a rebellious mankind. They picture one of the most ominous scenarios ever.

“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:7-8).

The key to the identity of the last horseman is the word pale, which often makes us think of someone who is feeling sick, having an anemic-looking appearance. Pale is translated from the Greek chloros, which we would normally take to mean the color of chlorophyll, the property that gives plants their healthy green appearance. When used biblically, however, chloros means the sickly pale green color of sickness and disease.

In Matthew 24, Christ the Revelator unlocks the true identity of this pale green horse: “and there shall be … pestilences” (verse 7). The man on the pale horse symbolizes climactic, globe-encircling plagues and pandemics occurring and soon to occur in this modern age!

Full article here

Toddler in Texas becomes 1st swine flu death in US

2009-04-29T08:45:00.001-06:00

HOUSTON – A 23-month-old toddler in Texas became the first confirmed swine flu death outside of Mexico as authorities around the world struggled to contain a growing global health menace that has also swept Germany onto the roster of afflicted nations. Officials say the death was in Houston.

Kathy Barton, a spokeswoman for the Houston Health and Human Services Department, said Wednesday that the child had traveled with family from Mexico to Brownsville in South Texas. The child became ill in Brownsville and was taken to a Houston hospital and died Monday night, she said.

"Even though we've been expecting this, it is very, very sad," Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday of the infant's death. "As a pediatrician and a parent, my heart goes out to the family."

President Barack Obama said this morning that Americans should know the government is doing all it can to control virus. Obama also says schools should consider closing if the spread of the swine flu virus worsens.

Canada, Austria, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Britain and Germany also have reported cases of swine flu sickness. Deaths reported so far have been limited to Mexico, and now the U.S.

As the United States grappled with this widening health crisis, Besser went from network to network Wednesday morning to give an update on what the Obama administration is doing. He said authorities essentially are still "trying to learn more about this strain of the flu." His appearances as Germany reported its first cases of swine flu infection, with three victims.

Full story

Judiciary Committee greenlights 'hate crimes' Members refuse to protect Christian pastors from charges

2009-04-28T06:46:00.000-06:00

Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee today rejected an opportunity to protect Christian pastors who preach the biblical condemnation of homosexuality and approved on a 15-12 vote a "hate crimes" bill that supporters admit could be used to bring charges against religious leaders.

The bill, H.R. 1913, now will be considered by the full House of Representatives.

The committee rejected a number of amendments offered by several members seeking to protect religious liberty, to protect the unborn, to protect against violence by illegal aliens, and to clarify the bill's meanings of "gender identity" and "sexual orientation."

One of the rejected proposals was offered by Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, who sought to ensure ministers could not be prosecuted for abetting a "hate crime" simply because they preach from the Bible or another religious book.

When a nearly identical plan was developed in the last Congress, Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., admitted during a hearing on the bill it could be used to prosecute pastors merely for preaching under the premise that they could be "inducing" violence in someone.

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Mexico hit by 6.0 magnitude earthquake: USGS

2009-04-27T11:23:00.000-06:00

Mexico was hit by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The USGS said the quake hit 19 miles south-southeast of Tixtla, Guerrero, about 150 miles south of the capital, Mexico City. It was 25.6 miles deep.

Buildings in the capital shook.

Quakes of this magnitude are classified as strong and are capable of causing severe damage.

The USGS earlier reported the quake measured 5.8.

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China backs Syria's quest to recover Golan

2009-04-27T11:21:00.000-06:00

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi wrapped up a regional Middle East visit in Damascus on Sunday saying Israel should return the Golan Heights to Syria.

"China supports Syria's efforts to recover the Golan," which Israel seized during the 1967 war and annexed in 1981, Yang told reporters during a joint news conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

While Yang was visiting Syria, a split appeared on Sunday within the Israeli government of hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu on possible peace negotiations with Syria.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel had an interest in holding talks with Damascus, in an apparent rebuke to comments made by firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

"Israel has an interest in normalising its relations with Syria while protecting its vital interests," Barak told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of Israel's weekly cabinet meeting.

"Negotiations with Syria should always be part of the Israeli government's agenda," he said.

Lieberman said in an interview published on Saturday that Syria's support of Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups made it no partner for peace.

"We need to look at the reality. Until today, Syria is hosting the headquarters of terror organisations such as Hamas and the (Islamic) Jihad," he told the Berliner Zeitung daily, referring to radical Palestinian groups.

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New Zeland students in swine flu scare

2009-04-26T06:22:00.000-06:00

Health Minister Tony Ryall has this evening confirmed ten positive influenza results from testing carried out on 13 Rangitoto College students who returned from Mexico early yesterday morning.

"Ministry of Health officials advise me there is no guarantee these students have swine influenza, but they consider it likely. All precautions are being taken to allow for this. However, I am also informed none of the affected patients are considered seriously ill, and most in fact seem to be on the road to recovery," said Tony Ryall.

"I am advised ten students have tested positive for Influenza A, and these results will now be sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Melbourne to ascertain whether it is the H1N1 swine influenza."

H1N1 influenza is a subset of influenza A.

A timeline when those results will be available will be advised, however it is expected given the global situation that they will be treated with considerable urgency.

Other passengers on NZ1, the flight the Rangitoto College students returned on, are encouraged to consult with their GP or other health professional if they develop flu-like symptoms.

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Mexico bid to contain deadly flu

2009-04-25T07:18:00.000-06:00

Mexican authorities have closed schools and public buildings in the capital in a bid to contain a new flu virus suspected of killing up to 60 people.

Public events were suspended and residents donned face masks as concern grew over the outbreak.

Health experts say tests so far seem to link it with a new swine flu virus that sickened eight in the southern US.

The World Health Organization's head flew urgently to Geneva to oversee the agency's handling of the outbreak.

Margaret Chan curtailed her visit to Washington to return to WHO's headquarters where an emergency committee would likely convene in the coming hours.

The WHO said it had prepared "rapid containment measures" in case they were needed.

"We are very, very concerned," said WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham.

"We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human. It's all hands on deck at the moment."

The WHO is also sending its top experts to Mexico and the US to work with the local officials.

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Seven people in U.S. hit by strange new swine flu

2009-04-24T05:39:00.000-06:00

Seven people have been diagnosed with a new kind of swine flu in California and Texas, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.

All seven people have recovered but the virus itself is a never-before-seen mixture of viruses typical among pigs, birds and humans, the CDC said.

"We are likely to find more cases," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat told a telephone briefing. "We don't think this is time for major concern around the country."

Only one of the seven cases was sick enough to be hospitalized and all have recovered, Schuchat said.

CDC officials are unsure whether the cases are related to an unusually late and severe flu season in Mexico in which 20 people have died.

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Netanyahu to offer U.S. three-part plan for peace talks

2009-04-23T10:47:00.000-06:00

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is developing a "laundry list" that he will present to U.S. President Barack Obama when they meet next month in Washington. The Israeli premier will present Obama with a three-part plan involving halting Iran's nuclear program, closer relations with moderate Arab states and dealing with the Palestinian issue through several channels.

Netanyahu will tell Obama that he will not recognize a nation-state providing Palestinian self-determination if the Palestinians don't recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. From the standpoint of the Israeli prime minister, the requirement that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people is a fundamental demand in any negotiations on a final settlement. It is not a precondition to conducting negotiations, but rather necessary to progress towards an agreement.

During the course of negotiations to form his coalition government, Netanyahu revealed that the Olmert government demanded recognition of Israel as a Jewish state in its talks with the Palestinians, but withdrew that demand within just 24 hours because of opposition from the Palestinian negotiators. Netanyahu intends to stop the erosion of the fundamental Israeli positions, as was his position during his prior term as prime minister following the Oslo Accords.

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Fertility expert: 'I can clone a human being'

2009-04-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

A controversial fertility doctor claimed yesterday to have cloned 14 human embryos and transferred 11 of them into the wombs of four women who had been prepared to give birth to cloned babies.

The cloning was recorded by an independent documentary film-maker who has testified to The Independent that the cloning had taken place and that the women were genuinely hoping to become pregnant with the first cloned embryos specifically created for the purposes of human reproduction.

Panayiotis Zavos has broken the ultimate taboo of transferring cloned embryos into the human womb, a procedure that is a criminal offence in Britain and illegal in many other countries. He carried out the work at a secret lab-oratory, probably located in the Middle East where there is no cloning ban. Dr Zavos, a naturalised American, also has fertility clinics in Kentucky and Cyprus, where he was born. His patients – three married couples and a single woman – came from Britain, the United States and an unspecified country in the Middle East.

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that potential losses from the credit crunch could reach $4 trillion (£2.75tn) and damage the financi

2009-04-21T11:42:00.000-06:00

t says that even if urgent action is taken to clean up the banking system, the process will be "slow and painful", delaying economic recovery.

It says that banks may need $1.7 trillion in additional capital.

And it warns that the cost of the bail-out will hit UK government finances.

It estimates that the total costs of bailing out the UK banking will add 13.4% to total government debt, or around £200bn - compared to 12.1% in the US and 13.9% in Ireland.

But a Treasury spokesman told the BBC that the IMF forecast was "very high" and took no account of the fees paid by the banks.

He added that the Budget "will make a prudent provision for potential losses from banking interventions".

Tory shadow chancellor George Osborne said the IMF figures showed the "potentially massive cost of Gordon Brown's utter failure to regulate the banking system".

WHY $4TN LOSS MATTERS

* The banks' huge losses have made them reluctant to lend
* The lack of lending has pushed the world economy into a deep recession
* Government budgets are strained by the cost of the bail-outs, hitting taxpayers

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'Hate crimes' bill - bad news for believers

2009-04-20T06:50:00.002-06:00

A vote is looming this week in Congress on a bill that one conservative activist warns would not only silence Christian opposition to homosexuality, but also would legitimize deviant forms of "sexual orientation."

A markup vote is expected Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee on the Local Law Enforcement and Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. House Democrats only have to give 24-hours notice before the vote. The measure (H.R. 1913) sponsored by Representatives John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) would add homosexuals and transgender people to the list of classes federally protected from so-called "hate crimes."

Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, says the bill is a serious threat to religious freedom.

"Your pastor could be prosecuted for conspiracy to commit a hate crime if it passes and become law," she warns. "This so-called 'hate crimes' bill will be used to lay the legal foundation and framework to investigate, prosecute, and persecute pastors, business owners, Bible teachers, Sunday School teachers, youth pastors -- you name it -- or anyone else whose actions are based upon and reflect the truth found in the Bible."

TVC says H.R. 1913 broadly defines "intimidation" -- and offers up this example: "A pastor's sermon could be considered 'hate speech' under this legislation if heard by an individual who then acts aggressively against persons based on 'sexual orientation.'" Under those circumstances, says the group, the pastor could be prosecuted for "conspiracy to commit a hate crime."

The legislation has another "serious problem," the pro-family group says, because Congress has failed to define the term "sexual orientation." Consequently, says TVC, 30 sexual orientations (as defined by the American Psychiatric Association) will "arguably be protected" under the legislation. "Those 30 sexual orientations include behaviors that are felonies or misdemeanors in most states or can result in death," notes the group's website.

In addition, TVC argues the bill is based on a fraudulent premise: that there is an epidemic of so-called "hate crimes" against "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" persons that needs federal involvement for local law enforcement officials.

Lafferty says unless Christians in America act, the hate crimes bill could be on President Obama's desk in three to four weeks at the most.

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G8 set out to fight famine, war, pestilence and death

2009-04-19T04:56:00.000-06:00

It is a crisis of almost biblical proportions. With almost one billion people living with permanent hunger, ministers from the world's largest producers and consumers of food meet in Italy this weekend to avert a permanent food crisis on an unprecedented scale. A report prepared by the G8 for its first ever Food Summit meeting warns of "structural" problems in world food markets that risk war and famine – unless food output is doubled in 20 years: "Immediate interventions" are required.

This weekend the first meeting of the G8's agriculture ministers will be held in the north Italian province of Treviso. They will be joined by their counterparts from Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and Egypt. Food security and measures to boost farming output will be at the top of their agenda.

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'IAF preparing to strike Iran at several hours' notice'

2009-04-18T05:26:00.000-06:00

The IAF is preparing for the possibility that it will need to attack Iran's nuclear facilities at several hours' notice, The London Times reported Saturday.

According to an unnamed Israel security official quoted by the paper, "Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours."

"They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality," the source said. "The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words."

According to the paper, such an attack would involve strikes on over a dozen targets, including the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, the uranium conversion facility in Isfahan, the heavy water plant in Arak, as well as moving convoys.

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Jesus Missing From Obama's Georgetown Speech

2009-04-17T05:01:00.001-06:00

Amidst all of the American flags and presidential seals, there was something missing when President Barack Obama gave an economic speech at Georgetown University this week -- Jesus.

The White House asked Georgetown to cover a monogram symbolizing Jesus' name in Gaston Hall, which Obama used for his speech, according to CNSNews.com.

The gold "IHS" monogram inscribed on a pediment in the hall was covered over by a piece of black-painted plywood, and remained covered over the next day, CNSNews.com reported.

The Washington Times' Belief Blog asked the university about the presidential request:

Julie Bataille from the university's press office e-mailed me that the White House had asked that all university signage and symbols behind the stage in Gaston Hall be covered.

"The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they've done for other policy speeches," she wrote. "Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn't high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context."

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Why call Americans 'extremists?' DHS asked

2009-04-16T06:03:00.001-06:00

The Thomas More Law Center of Ann Arbor, Mich., says it has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Homeland Security demanding why it calls Americans who oppose abortion, support 2nd Amendment gun rights and dislike lax immigration law enforcement "extremists."

"This is not an intelligence report but a diatribe against those who oppose the policies of the Obama administration," said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel for the organization.

"It is a declaration of war against the American people and our constitution. It is a prelude to extreme gun control legislation and hate speech laws targeting Christian churches and others who oppose abortion and same sex marriage," he continued. "The federal government should be focusing its attention on the 35 radical Muslim compounds in the U.S. training its followers on how to kidnap and kill Americans."

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Most U.S. Christians Don't Believe Satan, Holy Spirit Exist

2009-04-15T16:36:00.001-06:00

The majority of American Christians do not believe that Satan is a real being or that the Holy Spirit is a living entity, the latest Barna survey found.

Nearly six out of ten Christians either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan "is not a living being but is a symbol of evil," the survey found.

Forty percent strongly agreed with the statement while 19 percent of American Christians somewhat agreed.

In contrast, about 35 percent of American Christians believe Satan is real. Twenty-six percent strongly disagreed with the statement that Satan is merely symbolic and about one-tenth (9 percent) somewhat disagreed.

The remaining eight percent of American Christians responded they were unsure what to believe about the existence of Satan.

The remaining eight percent of American Christians responded they were unsure what to believe about the existence of Satan.

Interestingly, the majority of Christians believe a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits, even though many of these same people believe Satan is merely a symbol of evil. Two out of three Christians agreed that such forces are real (39 percent agreed strongly, 25 percent agreed somewhat).

More than one-fifth (22 percent) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17 percent agreeing somewhat.

The Barna report is based on telephone interviews for two surveys among people who described themselves as Christians. A total of 1,871 adults were randomly selected from across the 48 continental states, with the first 873 interviews conducted in January and February 2008, and the remaining 998 interviews conducted in November 2008.

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Wow!

Tax day brings tea party day for protests nationwide

2009-04-15T03:32:00.000-06:00

You’re invited to an afternoon tea party — and not the raised-pinkie, one-lump-or-two variety, either.

Try a Boston Harbor, sneak over the bow, throw-stuff-in-the water populist protest against the federal government.

Today in Kansas City, and 2,000 other communities large and small across America, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather to mimic the Boston Tea Party, arguing for an end to deficit spending, lower taxes and a reduced government role in the economy.

“You can’t spend all this money, most of which we do not have,” said Carl Bearden, a former state lawmaker helping organize Missouri tea parties.

They’re marching. They’re sending tea bags to Congress, creating something of a mess in post offices. And on the day millions of taxpayers drop their returns into the mailbox, they intend to be heard.

“There’s concern among the American people about this debt, about our deficit,” said Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a Missouri Republican. “I lose sleep every night worrying about what I’m laying on my children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, we’re in a bad state right now.”

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Are you planning on attending?

Undeterred, Somali Pirates Hijack 3 More Ships

2009-04-14T05:14:00.002-06:00

MOMBASA, Kenya — Undeterred by U.S. and French hostage rescues that killed seven bandits, Somali pirates brazenly hijacked three more ships in the Gulf of Aden, the key waterway that's become the focal point of the world's fight against piracy.

The latest trophy for the pirates was the M.V. Irene E.M., a Greek-managed bulk carrier sailing from the Middle East to South Asia, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

The Irene was attacked and seized in the middle of the night Tuesday — a rare tactic for the pirates.

U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the Irene was flagged in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and carried 23 Filipino crew. Choong reported a crew of 21, and there was no immediate way to reconcile the figures.

A maritime security contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity because it is a sensitive security issue, said the ship put out a distress signal "to say they had a suspicious vessel approaching. That rapidly turned into an attack and then a hijacking."

"They tried to call in support on the emergency channels, but they never got any response," the contractor said

On Monday, Somali pirates also seized two Egyptian fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's northern coast, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry, which said there were 18 to 24 Egyptians onboard at the time.

Choong said pirate attacks this year had risen to 77, with 18 of those ships hijacked and 16 vessels with 285 crew still remaining in pirates' hands. Each boat carries the potential of million-dollar ransom.

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Ever so quietly, 'hate crimes' legislation re-introduced

2009-04-13T17:20:00.001-06:00

A Texas Republican is speaking out against "hate crimes" laws, arguing they could be used to intimidate and prosecute pastors to preach the full counsel of God.

Hate crimes laws -- recently re-introduced in Congress as H.R. 1913 -- could be used to attack Christians and pastors, just as has been done in Canada. Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) spoke about it on the House floor, saying the misunderstanding is on the part of homosexuals.

"Many people do not understand the Christian heart because they just don't like people that disagree with them," stated Gohmert. "Whereas the true Christian heart can disagree with people and love them, love them deeply, and be willing to give their lives for them."

The lawmaker went on to say that the proposal is an unfair law, and that an amendment to supposedly correct the injustice was defeated. Gohmert explained why.

"We are not going to protect religious speech because you can go after a minister who says relations outside of a marriage of a man and a woman [are] wrong," he suggested. "Someone goes out after hearing that, shoots somebody, and then [argues] 'The preacher told me it was wrong. That's what induced me to do that -- the sermons, the Bible teachings, what not.'"

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Warning that Pakistan is in danger of collapse within months

2009-04-13T17:18:00.001-06:00

PAKISTAN could collapse within months, one of the more influential counter-insurgency voices in Washington says.

The warning comes as the US scrambles to redeploy its military forces and diplomats in an attempt to stem rising violence and anarchy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We have to face the fact that if Pakistan collapses it will dwarf anything we have seen so far in whatever we're calling the war on terror now," said David Kilcullen, a former Australian Army officer who was a specialist adviser for the Bush administration and is now a consultant to the Obama White House.

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Wake Up America Prophecy Conference Little Rock-April 18th

2009-04-13T08:32:00.002-06:00

Terry James will be featured speaker as well as five other top prophecy teacers. The event will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2009, at the Embassy Suites Hotel which is located at 11301 Financial Centre Parkway Little Rock, Arkansas

Call 1-800-652-1144, or go to swrc.com for further details.
The conference is free and no registration is required.

Looks like it will be a very informative event!

Vermont Considers Legalizing Teen 'Sexting'

2009-04-13T05:37:00.000-06:00

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Legislature is considering a bill that would legalize so-called "sexting" between teenagers.

Sexting refers to the exchange of explicit photos and videos via mobile phone. Under current laws, participants can be charged with child pornography, but lawmakers are considering a bill to legalize the consensual exchange of graphic images between two people 13 to 18 years old. Passing along such images to others would remain a crime.

Supporters told The Burlington Free Press they don't want to condone the behavior but they don't think teenagers should be prosecuted as sex offenders for consensual conduct.

The bill passed the state Senate earlier this month. The House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on it this week.

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