• Air Strike In Downtown Tyre (July 26, 2006) - An Israeli air strike in downtown Tyre Wednesday targeted a building reportedly housing the offices of Hezbollah's commander for south Lebanon. The building was empty but the powerful explosions injured 12 people nearby, according to reports, as people covered in dust from the explosion fled the scene. Kevin Sites was one of the first reporters on the scene and filed this video report. more... Video footage in link.
• CNN's Robertson Now Admits: Hezbollah 'Had Control' of His Anti-Israel Piece (July 24, 2006) - Better late than never? On CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday, CNN’s senior international correspondent Nic Robertson added all of the caveats and disclaimers that he should have included in his story last week that amounted to his giving an uncritical forum for the terrorist group Hezbollah to spout unverifiable anti-Israeli propaganda. Back on July 18, Hezbollah took Robertson and his crew on a tour of a heavily damaged south Beirut neighborhood. The Hezbollah “press officer” even instructed the CNN camera: “Just look. Shoot. Look at this building. Is it a military base? Is it a military base, or just civilians living in this building?” In his original story, Robertson had no complaints about the journalistic limitations of a story put together under such tight controls, and Robertson himself at one point seemed to agree with the Hezbollah propaganda claim that Israeli jets had targeted a civilian area: “As we run past the rubble, we see much that points to civilian life, no evidence apparent of military equipment.” Challenged by Reliable Sources host (and Washington Post media writer) Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Robertson suggested Hezbollah has “very, very sophisticated and slick media operations,” that the terrorist group “had control of the situation. They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath,” and he even contradicted Hezbollah’s self-serving spin: “There's no doubt that the [Israeli] bombs there are hitting Hezbollah facilities.” But the closest Robertson came to making any of these points in the taped package that aired last week was admitting that “we [he and his CNN crew] didn’t go burrowing into all the houses,” after pointing out (for the second time) that “we didn’t see any military type of equipment” in the area Hezbollah chose to let them tour. more... | Islam | See also Pallywood

• Europe Meets Israel (July 24, 2006) - Tel Aviv- A week ago I arrived here, and already the atmosphere was a bit surreal. I would sit outside in a beachfront restaurant, enjoying a warm summer breeze, music, and delicious grilled fish, as scores of young people walked the boardwalk. You felt that this half of the country at least was at peace. Tel Aviv's large white-sand beach was packed by day. But in the evening it was hard not to notice the military planes that passed overhead every few minutes on their way north. Israel was surely at war. I'm here co-hosting a group of European journalists, writers, and broadcasters from a half dozen different countries, all of whom are visiting Israel for the first time. Conventional wisdom early in our trip was that certain places in the north would be exempt from the violence. We had planned a trip to Tiberias, with a dinner on the Sea of Galilee. That was until we heard from Yaara, the manager of the Decks restaurant, who told us a rocket had hit nearby. Windows were damaged, she said, but "God would protect us" if we still wanted to come... ...In Jerusalem, the King David Hotel has become, once again, a center of backroom kibitzing in a time of crisis. New York Times columnist Tom Friedman passes one way through the lobby; Israeli politician and former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, the other. E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana strolls down an adjacent hallway with former Mossad head Efraim Halevy. You have to wonder whether Halevy, a former ambassador to the E.U., can make any headway. In his recently published memoir, Man in the Shadows, Halevy says if you take European arguments to their logical conclusions, "then only the disappearance of the State of Israel would succeed in pacifying the insatiable desires of the Arab world." This may sound a touch extreme, but Solana lives up to the caricature. When asked by a television reporter whether the axis of Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah has been behind the current conflict, Solana replies by saying that he does "not want to mention names." In another interview, Solana is pushed in vain to admit that Hezbollah belongs on the E.U.'s terrorist list. more... | Israel | Islam | EU/UN | Solana | Is it really a surprise Solana isn't openly criticizing these groups of terrorists? Read the rest on Solana
• 3 Baja cops, civilian found decapitated; cartels blamed (July 22, 2006) - The decapitated bodies of three police officers and a civilian were discovered here yesterday morning, and their heads were found hours later in Tijuana in what some see as a particularly grisly message from drug cartels. “We haven't seen this level and kind of killing before,” said Victor Clark, a Tijuana-based human rights activist who follows crime trends. The Arellano Félix drug trafficking organization has used Rosarito Beach for years as a place to bring in drugs by land and sea before transporting them through Tijuana and into the United States. Other groups have been muscling their way into the area, challenging the Arellanos' power in this part of Mexico. “We are seeing battles over the control of territories and routes . . . and the form of executions becomes more unusual as a way of sending messages that only those who are in the know understand,” Clark said. The case was turned over to Baja California's organized crime investigations group, which mostly probes drug and kidnapping rings. State authorities provided little information other than saying that the men were abducted Tuesday evening and that their bodies were found the next day. According to city officials, the abduction took place as two of the officers were investigating a complaint while accompanied by a police officer on leave and a civilian. more... Why did these cartels use beheading? That's kind of odd outside of Muslim culture now-a-days. At any rate, these are the people that our border agents may be dealing with currently with all the drug-running.

Reported from harpazo Ready:

• Syrian Reporter: In Syria There Is Atmosphere Of Eve Of War (July 28, 2006) - Exclusive: In conversation in Damascus, senior Syrian journalist tells about sentiments in Syria ('as if there will be war any moment'); talks about military preparations in his country ('identifying your reinforcements in Golan Heights'); and estimates that Israeli pounding in Lebanon to intensify grassroots support of Nasrallah and his organization. Also in Syria, he says, Nasrallah more popular than ever -Ali Waked
  As the conflict with Hizbullah in Lebanon escalates by the day, the question of Syria's involvement in the conflict becomes increasingly more relevant. "The atmosphere in Syria is in every way an atmosphere of war, or at least of the eve of war. Syrian television for the first time since the '80's has started broadcasting Syrian military marches and nationalistic songs. There is not difference between Syrian television broadcasts and Al-Manar broadcasts of the Hizbullah. The broadcasts are in preparation for war, as if Syria is involved in this war, or is going to be involved at any moment. The local newspapers and the television are conducting themselves as if they are preparing the Syrian public for war." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | It's only getting more intense over there. Either an amazing temporary and false peace deal will break out and the temple will be rebuilt, or greater war in the Middle East will erupt. Given the stories, it's looking more like war. Is this the beginning of Gog/Magog? We'll soon see! Keep watching!
• Iran Negotiator Reportedly In Syria Talks (July 28, 2006) - A top Iranian negotiator reportedly visited Damascus on Thursday for talks on the Lebanese crisis with the Syrian and Hezbollah leaders, highlighting the three-way alliance arrayed against Israel. The reported meeting underscored the Israeli and U.S. insistence that Syria and Iran have a powerful influence with the Shiite Hezbollah organization and its guerrillas. White House spokesman Tony Snow said Syria and Iran "are playing leading roles" in the conflict in Lebanon "and need to step up" to the task of finding a solution. "We have already made it clear to both parties what is necessary, and what is necessary is for Hezbollah to lay down arms and choose a political rather than a military track," he said Thursday. Snow's remarks reinforced those of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after the Syrians held out their diplomatic hand to the United States this week. But Rice said there already were sufficient contacts with Damascus and the Syrians were aware of what they need to do _ stop supporting Hezbollah and press it to disarm. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | They don't really care how obvious they're being. This is what they want.
• Ahmadinejad: Israel Pushed Self-Destruct Button In Lebanon (July 28, 2006) - Israel has ordained its own destruction by invading Lebanon, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday, according to the state news agency. Addressing the clerical staff of the Friday prayer sermons in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said Israel and its supporters "should know that they cannot end the business that they have begun." "The occupying regime of Palestine has actually pushed the button of its own destruction by launching a new round of invasion and barbaric onslaught on Lebanon," the official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted the president as saying. Iran is one of the two major patrons of Hezbollah, the Lebanese guerrilla group that began the current fighting when its fighters crossed into Israel on July 12 and kidnapped two Israel Defense Forces soldiers. The other patron is Syria, an Iranian ally. Ahmadinejad is a hardline opponent of Israel and the Jewish people. Last October he provoked an international outcry when he said that Israel should be "wiped off the map." He has repeatedly cast doubt on the Nazi Holocaust. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
• No Murders in Washington D.C. for Duration of Week-Long Prayer Vigil (July 28, 2006) - "Through the years, prayer has changed the course of history and helped reduce human suffering around the world." From July 1st to the 13th, there were 14 murders committed in Washington D.C., the sudden rise in homicides prompting the declaration of a "Crime Emergency" by city officials. That's when the Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) sponsored a six-day, round-the-clock prayer vigil, held in a large tent on the National Mall, from July 21st through the 26th. The goal of the 24/7 prayer was to seek God for a reduction in crime rate, in D.C. over the next six months. Throughout the duration of the entreaty, from July 21st through the 26th, there were no murders committed in Washington. more...
• Syria Increases Alert Of War With Israel (July 27, 2006) - Syria has been preparing for war with Israel. Israeli intelligence sources said the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has placed the military on alert. The sources said Syrian infantry commandos, armored units and anti-aircraft batteries have been ordered to launch preparations for an Israeli strike. "Neither Syria nor Israel is interested in a military clash but the situation is explosive and the events may potentially be incorrectly interpreted," Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday. "This could entangle Syria up in a battle against us." Last week, Syrian President Bashar Assad placed his military on alert for an Israeli strike. Israel has repeatedly said it would not attack Syria. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Keep your eye on Damascus.
• Iran testing Israel ahead of confrontation? (July 27, 2006) - Tehran is using Hezbollah's confrontation with the Jewish state to test the abilities of Iranian weapons and to observe Israeli military capabilities, Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt charged in a WorldNetDaily interview yesterday. Jumblatt also said he fears Syria will take advantage of the growing crisis in Lebanon to reassert its influence in the country and convince the international community Syrian domination of Lebanon is crucial to the stability of the Middle East. He warned Damascus might initiate a wave of terror in Lebanon following Israel's military campaign there to further destabilize the country, including by assassinating the Lebanese prime minister. "Iran is bringing in [to Lebanon] sophisticated weaponry," said Jumblatt who is head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party and is largely considered the most prominent anti-Syrian Lebanese politician. "The Iranians are actually experimenting with different kinds of missiles in Lebanon by shooting them at the Israelis. Iran is using this violence to test certain of [Israel's] abilities," Iran is accused of supplying Hezbollah was thousands of rockets the terror group has launched the past three weeks into northern Israeli population centers, including Haifa, the country's third largest city. Many of the fired rockets have been Katyushas he says were upgraded by Iran. Hezbollah is also in possession of Iranian Zalzel missiles, with a range of about 125 miles, making Tel Aviv vulnerable. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I have no doubt that Iran is gauging Israel right now. Prophetically, Iran will attack Israel and certainly has stated the desire for that in the future publicly.

• Mideast Talks 'Fail To Reach Agreement' (July 26, 2006) - Talks between key Middle East players in Rome on a plan for ending the 15-day-old conflict in Lebanon Wednesday failed to reach agreement on an immediate cease-fire. The stormy meeting, which saw the United States pitted against European and Arab leaders, resulted in calls for a truce but little concrete action to end the fighting that has claimed more than 300 civilian lives. The meeting called for the formation of a U.N.-authorized force to help the Lebanese government exert its control over southern Lebanon. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the international community will be discussing the formation of that force in "the next few days." She said such a force needs to be "strong and robust to bring about peace." more... | Israel | Islam | EU/UN | False peace will come, but at the hands of a great diplomat leading a 10 member nation alliance. The EU is comprised of 10 voting members among 25 others. Javier Solana is the head of the political arm and has been granted power over a military arm, authorized to counter terror. Coincidence? We'll soon see.
• Annan: Israel "Deliberately" Killed 4 U.N. Observers (July 26, 2006) - A crisis in the U.N. is brewing following charges by UN Chief Kofi Annan that Israel "apparently deliberately" attacked a UNIFIL post, killing four. Israel is "shocked" at the accusations. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, speaking in Rome on Tuesday, said that the attack was an "apparently deliberate targeting" of the UNIFIL post. The victims included observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland. "I call on the government of Israel to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident," Annan said, "and demand that any further attack on U.N. positions and personnel must stop." He said that this "coordinated artillery and aerial attack" occurred "despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that U.N. positions would be spared Israeli fire." Foreign Minister Tzippy Livni called Annan's statement "more than disappointing." Dan Gillerman, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, was more outspoken, demanding an apology. He said he was "shocked" by Annan's "premature and erroneous" accusations. more... | Israel | Islam | EU/UN | I wonder where his bias lies?
• NEA keeps tilting to the left (July 26, 2006) - Parents who wonder why the public schools teach so many things parents don't approve of need look no further than the official policies of the nation's largest teachers union, the National Education Association. Meeting in Orlando, Fla., this year in annual convention over the Fourth of July weekend, the NEA adopted a long series of left-liberal resolutions. Word leaked out several weeks ahead of time that the convention was ready to take the plunge and endorse same-sex marriage. That would be no surprise, because the NEA usually passes at least a dozen resolutions promoting the gay rights agenda. Apparently, the advance negative publicity had a salutary effect and, although already circulated, the same-sex resolution did not come to the floor for action. A compromise resolution, however, was easily adopted as part of resolution B-10 on Racism, Sexism, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identification Discrimination. It reads as follows: "The Association also believes that these factors should not affect the legal rights and obligations of the partners in a legally recognized domestic partnership, civil union, or marriage in regard to matters involving the other partner, such as medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, and immigration." "Factors" refers to "race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, disability, ethnicity, immigration status, occupation, and religion." more... | America | Our education system is a mess. I think it's time to go to home schooling. I believe it would help keep families together better when God is involved too.
• Nasrallah Vows to Begin Firing Missiles Deeper into Israel (July 26, 2006) - The Iranian Fars news agency in Lebanon quoted a senior Hizbullah official Wednesday as saying that the organization has set a new target for itself - the city of Netanya. "Hizbullah has not yet shown the Zionist regime and its supporters its full rocket-launching capabilities," said Fuad Dirani, a commander in Hizbullah, and called for the residents of Netanya to evacuate their homes because "soon the range of our rockets will reach 100 kilometers (62 miles) into Israel and we will attack military installations and infrastructure." Earlier Wednesday, Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, looking extremely tired, defiantly vowed that his fighters would begin firing rockets deeper into Israel, beyond the northern port of Haifa, and said the Jewish state's two-week-long military offensive against Lebanon was linked to a US-Israeli plan for "a new Middle East." more... | Israel | Islam | As of today, the 28th, these new missiles have been fired into Israel.
• Iran Warns the West: Ignore Us At Your Peril (July 26, 2006) - Iran warned the west yesterday that attempts to broker a Lebanon peace deal at today's Rome summit are destined to fail and it predicted a backlash across the Muslim world unless Israel's military forces were immediately reined in. Senior government officials said the exclusion from the summit of Iran, Syria and their Lebanese ally Hizbullah meant that no lasting settlement was possible. Hamid Reza Asefi, the foreign ministry spokesman in Tehran, said: "They should have invited all the countries of the region, including Syria and Iran, if they want peace. How can you tackle these important issues without having representatives of all countries in the region?" The Rome conference is to be attended by the US, Canada, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the UN and the World Bank. It is due to publish a statement setting out the broad outlines of a possible deal, including the injection of a muscular international stabilisation force which Hizbullah rejected yesterday. But the mood in Rome was soured last night when an Israeli air strike hit a UN monitoring post in south Lebanon, killing four UN peacekeepers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland. Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, immediately demanded that Israel investigate the direct hit that he said was "apparently deliberate". more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I noted in the news a couple issues ago about the promised retaliation against America and the fears of WMDs already in America. It isn't looking good and political correctness will probably end up our undoing.
• Olmert Rules Out Syrian Talks (July 25, 2006) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ruled out Syrian participation in diplomatic efforts to end the violence in Lebanon. "Syria is not a partner in the current diplomatic effort," said Olmert while visiting an air base in the south of the country. "Syria could get recognition only if it takes its finger off the trigger on the two fronts in Lebanon and Gaza." Israel accuses Syria of continuing to arm the Shi'ite Hezbollah fighters and of giving asylum to Khaled Meshaal, the exiled political leader of Hamas, the ruling party of Palestine. Israeli leaders, however, have said they have no wish to unleash an armed conflict with Syria. They said they preferred to concentrate their military efforts on Hezbollah. Syria has adopted a wait-and-see policy since the Israeli offensive on Lebanon began on July 12, after Hezbollah captured two soldiers and killed eight others in cross-border attacks. Damascus is seeking to end its current international isolation by putting itself forward as an inevitable partner in any solution to the crisis, Syrian analysts and a diplomatic source told AFP. | Israel | Islam |
• Israel says Any Deal Must Include Block On Syria Supplying Arms To Hizbullah (July 25, 2006) - Israel is demanding that any peace deal with Lebanon includes agreement on international control or monitoring of the country's border crossings with Syria to block the delivery of weapons to Hizbullah fighters. Katyusha rockets and other equipment are still being sent from Damascus into Lebanon as fighting continues in the south, a senior Israeli foreign ministry official told the Guardian yesterday. Israel says Syrian or Iranian-supplied military material has been hit in its air strikes on the Beirut-Damascus road, though Israel has been reluctant to reveal this for fear of exposing its intelligence sources. Syria claims the vehicles are carrying humanitarian or medical supplies. more...  | Israel | Islam |
• Muslims attack Jew at U.S. Islamic rally (July 25, 2006) - A Jewish activist was physically assaulted and his life was threatened during a planned "peaceful" rally held by the Muslim American Society in Boston, he told WorldNetDaily today. "I have never been physically attacked before. I've had slurs thrown at me, got into heated debates, but what was amazing was that I was actually physically attacked," Seva Brodsky said. "Since they were the majority, and felt invincible, they threatened to kill me!" Brodsky, who recently returned from nearly six months in Israel, captured some of the confrontation on video, available at the weblog Solomonia.com. more... | Israel | Islam | America | Note the story today (28th) in Seattle, where 5 are injured and one killed in a Jewish center by a Muslim mad at Israel.
• Scientists Say They’ve Found a Code Beyond Genetics in DNA (July 25, 2006) - Researchers believe they have found a second code in DNA in addition to the genetic code. The genetic code specifies all the proteins that a cell makes. The second code, superimposed on the first, sets the placement of the nucleosomes, miniature protein spools around which the DNA is looped. The spools both protect and control access to the DNA itself. The discovery, if confirmed, could open new insights into the higher order control of the genes, like the critical but still mysterious process by which each type of human cell is allowed to activate the genes it needs but cannot access the genes used by other types of cell. The new code is described in the current issue of Nature by Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute in Israel and Jonathan Widom of Northwestern University in Illinois and their colleagues. There are about 30 million nucleosomes in each human cell. So many are needed because the DNA strand wraps around each one only 1.65 times, in a twist containing 147 of its units, and the DNA molecule in a single chromosome can be up to 225 million units in length. more... | Technology |

Reported from Steve Quayle:

• Al-Qaida Calls for Holy War Against Israel (July 27, 2006) - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call in a new videotape released Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq." In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us." The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements." "It is a Jihad for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims until they were driven from power at the turn of the 16th century. He also said that Arab regimes were complicit in Israeli fighting against Hezbollah and the Palestinians. "My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit ... and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies ... make yourselves martyrs." Al-Zawahri wore a gray robe and white turban in the video. A picture of the burning World Trade Center was on the wall behind him along with photos of two other militants. One appeared to be a bearded Mohammed Atta, the Egyptian ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks. The other was Mohammed Atef, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top lieutenant of bin Laden who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in November 2001. more... | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Looks like the war drums are beating louder.
• Syria's Military Flatters to Deceive (July 27, 2006) - While it is still largely true that the Syrian military remains one of the largest and best-trained forces in the Arab world, it has significantly lost every major conflict with Israel since 1948. Its combat strength has deteriorated dramatically over the past 15 years as its equipment has become increasingly obsolescent, poorly maintained and short of spare parts. The collapse of the Soviet Union created immense problems of re-supply for the Syrians, and the slowdown experienced by the Syrian economy resulted in a further downgrading of the military's combat efficiency. This said, the recent military cooperation agreement signed with Iran has offered Damascus a much-needed opportunity to update and re-equip large parts of its armed forces. Spare parts for its Russian weapons, improved electronics and new Iranian-made missile systems will provide a considerable strengthening of combat capability and a possible improvement in morale. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
• Direct Saudi Threat to Israel (July 25, 2006) - Following is the statement issued today by the royal court: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has undertaken the role required of it by its religious and national duty with regard to the situation in the region and repercussions of events in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. In this regard, it has cautioned, warned and extended advice. Furthermore, it has striven from the first moment to stop the aggression, moving on more than one front and by more than one means, to persuade the international community to force Israel to agree to a ceasefire. Meanwhile, the kingdom has dispatched the foreign minister and the secretary general of the national security council to meet the U.S. President in Washington and inform him of its views on the grave and unpredictable consequences of the unremitting Israeli aggression if matters went beyond control. The kingdom has also asked personal envoys to visit the capitals of the security council's permanent member states to convey the same message. The Arabs have proclaimed peace as a strategic option for the Arab nation. They presented a just and distinct plan for regaining the occupied Arab territories in exchange for peace. They refused to respond to provocations and ignored anti-peace extremist calls. It should be stated that patience could not last forever. If the Israeli military brutality persisted with killings and destruction no one could predict the consequences and than regrets will be in vain. Therefore, the kingdom addresses an appeal and a warning to the international community in its entirety, as represented by the U.N. and in particular the U.S. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on all to act in accordance with honest, conscious and international moral and humanitarian laws. It also warns all that if the peace option is rejected due to the Israeli arrogance then only the war option remains and no one knows the repercussions befalling the region, including wars and conflict that will spare no one including those whose military power is now tempting them to play with fire. | Islam |

• Suicide Armies Launched (July 24, 2006) - Teams of Iranian suicide bombers were heading for Lebanon’s war zone last night in a terrifying bid to spark meltdown in the Middle East. Twenty-seven martyrdom-seekers have been sent to Syria on their way to front line positions. The mad fanatics, belonging to the Iranian Martyrs of Islam World Movement, have been training for months to wreak maximum havoc on military and soft civilian targets. Their aim is to spark terror which will detonate all-out war and suck Western nations into a final bloody showdown. A spokesman for the martyrs group said yesterday: “Two teams of 18 and nine have gone to Syria separately. “They have been deployed on a voluntary basis in order to get to the areas of conflict in any way they can.” The man, named only as Mohammadi, claimed the 27 were picked from 55,000 who registered in Iran. They were briefed and have completed the “relevant courses” so that they could perform both military services and helping the wounded. Mohammadi added: “If Israel would decide to occupy Lebanon again, they will carry out martyrdom-seeking operations.” more... | Iran | Israel | Islam |

Reported from Stan Deyo:

• California's Heatwave: "Freakish, Epochal, Unprecedented" (July 27, 2006) - The Great Heat Wave of 2006 was not just an epic meteorological event -- it was an epochal one, unprecedented in the north state's weather annals, meteorologists agree. It has been hotter for longer than ever before, and the weather patterns that caused the scorching temperatures were positively freakish. The region's last significant heat wave -- in 1972 -- lasted just two days, and never in the past has the Bay Area suffered through as many consecutive days of temperatures above 110. "We've had several one-day wonders over the years," said Cordelia-based consulting meteorologist Mike Pechner, "but nothing of this extent and duration. It has been truly extraordinary." "From an historical perspective, what happened in the nine Bay Area counties was particularly noteworthy," he said. "We didn't set many all-time temperature records in the Bay Area, but we did set records for the number of consecutive days with temperatures above 110." Before the current heat wave, Pechner said, there was no record of Bay Area temps hitting 110 degrees for three consecutive days. According to Pechner, who uses data from the National Weather Service and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, there were five consecutive days this month with temperatures above 110: July 21 (111 degrees, Vacaville), July 22 (114 degrees, Morgan Hill), and July 23 through July 25 in Rio Vista (110 degrees, 113 degrees, and 111 degrees, respectively). more... | Earth Changes |

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