Watchman Newsletter for September 20, 2007This newsletter is printer-friendly! It will change format automatically when you print it.
Are feds hiding crash imagery?
World Net Daily (September
20, 2007) - Three
weeks ago,
I wrote about the FBI's unwitting revelation of a potential smoking gun
in the TWA Flight 800 case. I refer specifically to an amateur video
shot five days before the plane's demise. The video captured an image,
concedes the FBI, "consistent with the exhaust plume from a MANPAD
[Man-portable air-defense] missile." I argued that the suppression of
this video for 11 years strengthens the case that other imagery – in
particular an amateur video shot on the night of the crash, July 17,
1996 – might also have been suppressed. This argument elicited some
provocative responses from some very good sources. Let me cite a few.
The first one comes from Atlanta, Ga. "I, too, can attest to a video
broadcast on the night of the Flight 800 tragedy," writes the
correspondent. His wife, a television producer at work that night,
phoned him at home and instructed him to turn on the television.
According to this correspondent, the video showed "what appeared to be a
missile heading directly to and connecting with the airliner." The
correspondent's brother, an aircraft mechanic with Pratt & Whitney, saw
the tape as well. He immediately stated, 'Did you see the missile
connect with the plane?'" The correspondent adds, "After that fateful
evening, I have never seen the footage again." A second correspondent, a
retired FAA technician and licensed pilot, writes that both he and his
wife "clearly" saw the amateur video of the plane's destruction. What
they remember is "a fire trail ascending upward" followed by "a very
large flash," after which "pieces came tumbling down." They confirm that
the video was shown several times in the early morning hours after the
crash and then "completely disappeared from public access and viewing."
This correspondent argues that the video's removal from public access
and its replacement with a substitute video produced by the CIA "is all
the evidence any rational person needs to prove to themselves that TWA
Flight 800 was downed by an external ascending source." After reading
this, I took another look at the CIA video. The video famously shows the
nose of the 747 blowing off due to a fuel tank explosion, and the
nose-less fuselage zooming some 3,200 feet straight up like a rocket.
This zoom-climb allegedly confused more than 200 eyewitness into
thinking they were seeing a missile. It also inspired retired United
Airline Capt. Ray Lahr to petition the authorities for the data used to
concoct this preposterous scenario. This petition has turned into a
six-year-long slog through federal courts. Along the way, however, Lahr
and attorney John Clarke have unearthed one informational nugget after
another, like the revelation about the suppressed video cited above.
Like Lahr, I had grown inured to the CIA disinformation, but what struck
me in re-watching the video were the multiple references to "infrared
sensors aboard a U.S. satellite." These sensors apparently captured the
plane's demise. Unfortunately, the satellite imagery has also gone
missing. An airline pilot "with a major U.S. airline" addressed this
issue in still another e-mail. The pilot writes that a few days after
the downing of TWA Flight 800, an armed FAA officer showed up at the
last minute on a flight out of Washington National and manned his
plane's jump seat. While in flight, the FAA officer told him and his
co-pilot about a meeting that he had attended the day before, "where he
saw satellite photographs of TWA 800 exploding." "I didn't think that
much of it at the time because I figured that eventually the truth would
come out and we would all get to see the photos," the pilot writes.
"Guess not." As with the video, the evidence is overwhelming that U.S.
satellites did record the events of July 17, 1996. On July 22, 1996, the
London Times went so far as to report that "the satellite pictures show
an object racing up to the TWA jet, passing it, then changing course and
smashing into it." The major American media, however, chose not to
pursue this obvious line of inquiry. In the 25 most relevant New York
Times articles of the investigation's first two months, there is not one
single reference to a satellite. The Times likewise failed to interview
a single one of the roughly 270 official eyewitnesses to a potential
missile strike. Early in the investigation, the head of the FBI's
investigation, James Kallstrom, referred to the satellites as "our
friends in the sky" and suggested that they held the answers to the
investigation's seeming problems. That was not to be. Whatever promise
the satellites once held for the FBI, the word "satellite" was not
mentioned once at its comprehensive, case-scuttling press conference in
November 1997. This is all the more curious since the FBI showed the CIA
video – with its multiple references to relevant satellite imagery – at
this press conference, the one and only time it would be shown. Nor was
the word "satellite" mentioned at the NTSB's final two-day "sunshine"
hearings in August 2000. Our friends in the sky had gone mute. Despite
repeated requests through the Freedom of Information Act, they have
stayed that way. more...
Netanyahu says was in on Syrian mission plans
YNet News (September
20, 2007) - Opposition leader Benjamin
Netanyahu said Wednesday [September 19] that he had been informed about
the reported Israel Defense Forces [IDF] operation in Syria “from the
start” and praised Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for carrying out the
mission. He was the first Israeli official to break the silence and
admit that the overflight in Syria did take place. Netahyahu’s office
said in response that he was not referring to a specific operation and
that he did not reveal any details. In an interview with Channel 1 news
Wednesday, Netanyahu personally congratulated Olmert on the operation:
“When a prime minister does things that I believe are important and
necessary, I give my full support,” he said. “I was in on it from the
first moment, and I gave my support—but it’s too soon to discuss the
matter.” Later, however, in a conversation with Ynet, Netanyahu chose to
criticize the Olmert administration and its stance on Jerusalem and
willingness to make concessions. “Jerusalem isn’t just any city. The
Western Wall isn’t real estate, and the Temple Mount isn’t any piece of
land. “These concepts are at the root of our identity and national
existence. The unbearable lightness with which a government—that has no
mandate or support from the Jewish people—surrenders Zion shows the
deterioration of the values of Israeli society,” he said. Wednesday
night Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for over
an hour regarding the upcoming Middle East peace summit in Washington.
Netanyahu also ruled out joining a government led by Olmert, which he
called “dangerous to Israel.” “I think Olmert’s policies regarding
Jerusalem are very dangerous. Unfortunately, they haven’t learned their
lesson. Today, we understand that we have no partner. What they’re doing
doesn’t advance peace—it advances terrorism, it brings the missiles
closer to the heart of the country. It threatens the things most holy to
the Jewish people. “Who are they depending on—the UN?—to protect our
holy places and freedom of religion for three faiths? The Temple Mount
is in our hands only as long as the IDF is there,” he said. As for
Israel’s designation of Gaza and Hamas as “hostile entities,” Netanyahu
said the decision to do so came too late and endangers Israel. He said
he doesn’t trust Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas [Abu
Mazen] either, but trusts only the IDF. “We'll end up with Hamas in the
heart of Jerusalem,” he said. “The fact that the IDF is there is the
only reason the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] hasn’t become Hamastan.”
WND banned from secret meeting on selling U.S. assets
World Net
Daily (September 19, 2007) -
EuroMoney PLC, the UK-based
company that arranges dozens of financial conferences around the world
each year, has refused to allow WND staff reporter Jerome Corsi to
attend next week's "North American PPP (Public-Private Partnership) &
Infrastructure Finance Conference" in New York, even though WND offered
to pay the $1,999 conference fee required to attend. "When government
officials want to go behind closed doors with investment bankers and
lawyers to discuss selling our public infrastructure to foreign
investment leaders, investigative reporters need to be there to tell the
public what is really going on," Corsi said. "Why is it that all these
PPP and
SPP
(Security and Prosperity Partnership) meetings are behind closed
doors," Corsi asked, "and government officials and their supporters
think that's normal? But when investigative reporters want to attend and
report on what is being said, we are the ones who get accused of being
the conspiracy theorists?"
"By refusing to allow WND to attend as a paying
customer," Corsi argued, "EuroMoney is telling the American public that
they intend to conduct a secret meeting designed to teach government
officials how to sell out U.S. public infrastructure to foreign
investment concerns. "I'm sure we will all be told that EuroMoney
seminars and PPP structures are really for our 'security and
prosperity,' just as President Bush asserts for the SPP itself," Corsi
continued. "Evidently we are just supposed to close our eyes and trust
government officials, investment bankers and international lawyers,
putting aside national security concerns and other economic issues which
we believe may be of concern to our readers." According to the
conference brochure, the purpose of the EuroMoney seminar is to teach
state and local government officials in the U.S. how to lease a wide
range of public assets to international and foreign private investment
groups. "Your online news service is known for its political rather than
business content," EuroMoney's Joanna Johnson explained yesterday to WND
in an e-mail, while refusing to allow Corsi permission to attend the
conference. "We don't feel it's appropriate for a business conference."
In an Aug. 29 e-mail, Johnson told WND the seminar was "only open to
those who are internal to EuroMoney or those with whom we have a media
partnership. In this instance I am unable to extend a press pass to your
organization." WND then offered to pay the full registration fee for
Corsi, the author of
"The Late, Great USA" which uses government documents to
outline plans for a continental merger, to
attend. In response, Johnson sent a second Aug. 29 e-mail asking WND for
payment details and confirming Corsi could attend, provided WND paid the
full registration fee as offered. Yesterday's e-mail shutting the door
to Corsi came after WND pressed EuroMoney to send an invoice. "So,
EuroMoney made a political decision to keep me out of their private
meeting," Corsi commented, "but WND is the one EuroMoney objects to as
being too political. Seems to me like a case of guilty conscience where
EuroMoney is accusing WND of a fault EuroMoney knows itself to be
committing." Public-private partnerships, or PPPs, were authorized by
Executive Order No. 12803 President George H.W. Bush signed April
30, 1992, clearing federal barriers for cities and states to lease
public works infrastructures to private investors.
Foreshadowing of Wormwood - Meteorite crash leaves 66ft-wide crater,
toxic fumes, water contamination
Daily Mail (September 19, 2007)
- It has all the hallmarks of a 1950s B-movie - a remote location,
mysterious lights in the sky, a crater that appeared from nowhere, and a
disease that spread like the plague through locals. But this is no
science fiction film. Officials in Peru yesterday revealed that 200
people had fallen sick after an object from space crashed into the south
of the country over the weekend. The incident has echoes of The
Andromeda Strain - the Michael Crichton thriller in which a crashed
satellite brings an extra-terrestrial plague to the Earth. While no
scientists are seriously suggesting that aliens are to blame, the
incident has left many baffled. On Saturday morning locals saw a
fireball plummeting from the sky and heard it smash into the desolate
Andean plain close to Carancas, near the Bolivian border. Believing a
plane had crashed, they raced to the site to discover a crater around
66ft wide and 16ft deep. Soon after, many began to complain of
headaches, vomiting and sore throats. Farm animals were also affected -
left staggering, gasping and with eyes watering. By Tuesday, 200 people
were ill, said Jorge Lopez, the director of the local health department,
who blamed a meteorite. "This is caused by the gas they have inhaled
after the crash," he said. The mystery deepened when local news reports
said two "calcium life-forms" were found in the crater. One excited
radio reporter said: "They think they've found spacemen." The bodies
turned out to be the remains of dead animals buried before the object
hit. "We are all very worried," said villager Jorge Ballestas. "People
wonder if it is safe to drink the water, or eat the food." An engineer
from the Peruvian Nuclear Energy Institute said no radiation had been
detected. Scientists from San Andres University in La Paz said analysis
of sand samples from the crater showed it could be a meteorite which was
blasted to dust by the impact. However, other meteor experts are
unconvinced. Dr Caroline Smith of the Natural History Museum in London,
said: "It's the third incident like this in Peru in the last few years -
and none have turned out to be meteorites. "It's far more likely to have
a been caused by the explosion of gases that build up naturally under
the ground. "In that part of Peru, you might get a build up of methane
or hydrogen sulphide, both of which have an eggy smell and which could
cause health problems." She suspects the light in the sky seen around
the time of the crash was unrelated and was probably caused by a
fireball - a large meteor that produces a spectacular display as it
burns up in the sky.
Iran promises response to Zionist allies by October 12
Islamic
Republic News Agency (September 19, 2007)
- Supporters of the Zionist regime will receive their response during
the world Qods Day's rallies, government spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham,
said Wednesday. The spokesman made the remarks during his weekly press
conference while commenting on the current visit to the occupied
Palestine of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Qods Day is
held each year on the last Friday of Muslims fasting month of Ramadan
after it was nominated by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam
Khomeini, as a day to voice the protest of the Islamic Ummah against the
Zionists. The day falls on October 12 this year. "The US loses all
opportunities to cooperate with regional and other world states by
trying to support a regime (the Zionist regime) which is now at its
weakest political and social position," Elham said. He warned that
Washington's insistence on its wrong policies and arrogant approaches
would have no result "but further political disgrace" for itself.
Referring to the approaching World Qods Day, the spokesman stressed,
"Supporters of the Zionist regime will definitely receive the final
response for their support on that day."
Terror group broadcasting from Temple Mount Associated
Press (September 18, 2007) - The
official radio network of a major terror organization has been
exclusively broadcasting daily from the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest
site, WND has learned. The radio network regularly features Iranian and
anti-Semitic propaganda and death threats against Jews. The Al-Quds
network, the official radio station of the Islamic Jihad terror group,
has been exclusively broadcasting special nightly Ramadan prayers from
the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque since last week. The station also is
broadcasting the Tarawih prayers, special Sunni Muslim prayers recited
at night during Ramadan. Saleh Al-Massri, Al-Quds radio station manager,
told WND the Temple Mount broadcasts provide Islamic Jihad with "an
opportunity to spread Islam and its values and to bring some happiness
to the suffering Palestinians who can't reach the Al Aqsa Mosque for
Tarawih prayers." Islamic Jihad, together with Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades terror group, took responsibility for every suicide bombing in
Israel the last three years. Islamic Jihad also carried out scores of
deadly rocket and shooting attacks and is one of the most active
Palestinian terrorist organizations. According to Palestinian leaders in
the Gaza Strip, the nightly prayer broadcast on Islamic Jihad's station
is currently the most popular radio program in the Palestinian
territories. The last few days the special broadcasts, sampled by WND,
have been preceded and followed by Islamic Jihad speeches featuring
anti-Israel propaganda, such as calling for the destruction of the
Jewish state and advocating Palestinian solidarity with Iran. It was
unclear whether Islamic Jihad had official permission from Israel or
from the Waqf Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount to broadcast from
the holy site, located in Jerusalem and jointly administered by the Waqf
and Israeli police. A spokesman for Israel's Police Authority did not
return phone calls before press time. According to Palestinian security
sources speaking to WND, Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds radio has been using
technicians from the Voice of Palestine, the official radio network of
the Palestinian Authority, to facilitate the Temple Mount broadcasts,
even though the program is not aired on PA radio. The sources said the
Waqf as well as the PA is "well aware" Islamic Jihad is broadcasting
from the Mount. more... Venezuela's Chavez may take over schools Associated Press (September 17, 2007) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Monday to close or take over any private school that refuses to submit to the oversight of his socialist government as it develops a new curriculum and textbooks. "Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants," said Chavez, speaking on the first day of classes. All schools, public and private, must admit state inspectors and submit to the government's new educational system, or be closed and nationalized, with the state taking responsibility for the education of their children, Chavez said. A new curriculum will be ready by the end of this school year, and new textbooks are being developed to help educate "the new citizen," said Chavez's brother and education minister Adan Chavez, who joined him a televised ceremony at the opening of a public school in the eastern town of El Tigre. The president's opponents accuse him of aiming to indoctrinate young Venezuelans with socialist ideology. But the education minister said the aim is to develop "critical thinking," not to impose a single way of thought.
Euro Could Replace U.S. Dollar As Favored Reserve Currency
Associated
Press (September 17, 2007) - Former
U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said it is possible that
the euro could replace the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of
choice. According to an advance copy of an interview to be published in
Thursday's edition of the German magazine Stern, Greenspan said that the
dollar is still slightly ahead in its use as a reserve currency, but
added that "it doesn't have all that much of an advantage" anymore. The
euro has been soaring against the U.S. currency in recent weeks, hitting
all-time high of $1.3927 last week as the dollar has fallen on turbulent
market conditions stemming from the ongoing U.S. subprime crisis. The
Fed meets this week and is expected to lower its benchmark interest rate
from the current 5.25 percent. Greenspan said that at the end of 2006,
some 25 percent of all currency reserves held by central banks were held
in euros, compared to 66 percent for the U.S. dollar. In terms of being
used as a payment for cross-border transactions, the euro is trailing
the dollar only slightly with 39 percent to 43 percent. Greenspan said
the European Central Bank has become "a serious factor in the global
economy." He said the increased usage of the euro as a reserve currency
has led to a lowering of interest rates in the euro zone, which has
"without any doubt contributed to the current economic growth." Report: Syria had planned 'devastating surprise' for Israel Haaretz (September 16, 2007) - Former United Nations ambassador John Bolton said Sunday that Israel's reported military operation inside Syria earlier this month should be regarded as a 'clear message to Iran' that its nuclear efforts will not be ignored by the international community. "I think it would be unusual for Israel to conduct a military operation inside Syria other than for a very high value target, and certainly a Syrian effort in the nuclear weapons area would qualify," Bolton told Channel 10 in an interview broadcast Sunday. "I think this is a clear message not only to Syria, I think it's a clear message to Iran as well, that its continued efforts to acquire nuclear weapons are not going to go unanswered," Bolton said. Bolton, who has long called for a hard line against the Syrian and Iranian regimes, did not indicate that he had first-hand information about the incident. The U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times quoted an Israeli source on Sunday as saying that Syria had been planning a "devastating surprise" for Israel, in the wake of reports that the Israel Air Force carried out an air strike against a North Korean nuclear shipment to Syria. The paper quoted Israeli sources as saying that planning for the strike began shortly after Meir Dagan, chief of the Mossad intelligence agency, presented Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in late spring with evidence that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear device from North Korea. Dagan apparently feared such a device could eventually be installed on North-Korean-made Scud-C missiles, the paper reported. "This was supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel," the Sunday Times quoted an Israeli source as saying. "We've known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can't live with a nuclear warhead." South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Sunday that a senior North Korean official denied a Washington Post report that Pyongyang was giving nuclear expertise to Syria. The report suggested intelligence including satellite images revealed a facility in Syria which may be used to build nuclear warheads. "They often say things that are groundless," Yonhap quoted deputy chief of the North Korean mission to the United Nations Kim Myong-gil as saying in response to the Post report. When asked to elaborate Kim hung up the phone, Yonhap reported. more... | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 |
'As many as eight IAF jets involved in strike on Syria' The
Jerusalem Post (September 16, 2007)
- Unconfirmed details of Israel's alleged foray into Syrian airspace
10 days ago continued to circulate Sunday in foreign media with a
latest report by The Sunday Times. According to the report,
at a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando
team waited to direct their laser beams at the target for the
approaching IAF planes. The team had arrived a day earlier, taking
up position near a large underground depot. Soon the bunkers were in
flames. According to Israeli sources, the Times continued,
preparations for the attack had been going on since late spring,
when Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, presented the PM with evidence
that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear device from North Korea.
Dagan feared such a device could later be mounted on
North-Korean-made Scud-C missiles, the report said. "This was
supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel," said an
Israeli source to the Times. "We've known for a long time
that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel
can't live with a nuclear warhead." According to an IAF source, the
Israeli satellite Ofek 7, launched in June, was diverted from Iran
to Syria. It sent out high-quality images of a northeastern area
every hour and a half, making it easy for air force officials to
spot the facility, the Times reported. According to the
report, early in the summer, Defense Minister Ehud Barak
had given the order to double IDF
presence in the Golan Heights border with Syria in anticipation of
possible retaliation by Damascus in the event of air strikes. Sergei
Kirpichenko, the Russian ambassador to Syria, warned President
Bashar al-Assad
last month that Israel was
planning an attack, but suggested the target was the Golan Heights.
Israeli intelligence sources claim Syrian special forces moved
towards the Israeli outpost of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights.
Tension rose, but nobody knew why. more...
Syrian
denies saying Damascus wouldn't respond to IAF attack Haaretz (September
15, 2007) - The Syrian
deputy foreign minister on Saturday denied reports that he had said
Damascus was not planning a military response, 10 days after Syria
accused that Israel Air Force warplanes
bombed targets in its
territory. (Click
here for map). Damascus said on September 6 that IAF jets had
violated its airspace in the early hours of the morning, and had been
fired upon by Syrian air defenses. Shortly after the first announcement,
Damascus said that the IAF had bombed targets, but the Syrian envoy to
the U.S. over the weekend denied that an IAF attack had occurred. Israel
has declined to comment about the incident at all. Syrian Deputy Foreign
Minister Faysal Mekdad told a Lebanese newspaper that his words were
taken out of context and that Syria has never remained silent in the
face of a military penetration of its territory. Mekdad warned after a
meeting with his Russian counterpart Friday that growing tension could
spark a violent outbreak in the region, and that Syria has the "means to
respond in ways that will preserve its position of power." In an
interview with Newsweek published Friday, Syria's ambassador to
Washington, Imad Moustapha, said that Israel would "pay a price" for
violating Syria's airspace. He told the American publication that it
went against Syria's national interests not to respond to Israel's
provocation. He also denied
reports in the U.S. media
that the IAF had been targeting a nuclear project that Syria was
developing in cooperation with North Korea. European diplomats who met
with Syrian Vice President Walid Moallem earlier this week had told
Haaretz that they had received the impression that Syria would not
retaliate militarily. Syria protested Tuesday to the United Nations
about the strike, but said that no targets had been struck and that
there was no damage. According to Syria's envoy to the United Nations,
Bashar al-Jaafari, the protest complained of Israel's "aggression and
violation of [Syrian] sovereignty." more...
U.S.: Syria on nuclear watch list Associated
Press (September 14, 2007) - A
senior U.S. nuclear official said Friday that North Koreans were in
Syria and that Damascus may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to
obtain nuclear equipment. Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant
secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, did not identify
the suppliers, but said North Koreans were in the country and that he
could not exclude that the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear
scientist A.Q. Khan may have been involved. He said it was not known if
the contacts had produced any results. "Whether anything transpired
remains to be seen," he said. Syria has never commented publicly on its
nuclear program. It has a small research nuclear reactor, as do several
other countries in the region, including Egypt. While Israel and the
U.S. have expressed concerns in the past, Damascus has not been known to
make a serious push to develop a nuclear energy or weapons program. In
Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to
comment on Semmel's remarks but noted that the United States had
longstanding concerns about North Korea and nuclear proliferation.
"We've also expressed, over time, our concerns about North Korea's
activities in terms of dealing with A.Q. Khan and others around the
globe," he told reporters. McCormack said he was not aware of any
specific link between North Korea and Syria. Proliferation experts have
said that Syria's weak economy would make it hard-pressed to afford
nuclear technology, and that Damascus — which is believed to have some
chemical weapons stocks — may have taken the position that it does not
also need nuclear weapons. Semmel was responding to questions about an
Israeli airstrike in northern Syria last week. Neither side has
explained what exactly happened, but a U.S. government official
confirmed that Israeli warplanes were targeting weapons from Iran and
destined for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The Washington Post
reported Thursday that Israel had gathered satellite imagery showing
possible North Korean cooperation with Syria on a nuclear facility.
North Korea, which has a longstanding alliance with Syria, condemned the
Israeli air incursion. Israeli experts say North Korea and Iran both
have been major suppliers of Syria's missile stock. Syrian Information
Minister Mohsen Bilal told the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on
Thursday that the accusations of North Korean nuclear help were a "new
American spin to cover up" for Israel. more... Robot Maker Builds Artificial Boy my way (September 13, 2007) - David Hanson has two little Zenos to care for these days. There's his 18-month-old son Zeno, who prattles and smiles as he bounds through his father's cramped office. Then there's the robotic Zeno. It can't speak or walk yet, but has blinking eyes that can track people and a face that captivates with a range of expressions. At 17 inches tall and 6 pounds, the artificial Zeno is the culmination of five years of work by Hanson and a small group of engineers, designers and programmers at his company, Hanson Robotics. They believe there's an emerging business in the design and sale of lifelike robotic companions, or social robots. And they'll be showing off the robot boy to students in grades 3-12 at the Wired NextFest technology conference Thursday in Los Angeles. Unlike clearly artificial robotic toys, Hanson says he envisions Zeno as an interactive learning companion, a synthetic pal who can engage in conversation and convey human emotion through a face made of a skin-like, patented material Hanson calls frubber. "It's a representation of robotics as a character animation medium, one that is intelligent," Hanson beams. "It sees you and recognizes your face. It learns your name and can build a relationship with you." It's no coincidence if the whole concept sounds like a science-fiction movie. Hanson said he was inspired by, and is aiming for, the same sort of realism found in the book "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," by Brian Aldiss. Aldiss' story of troubled robot boy David and his quest for the love of his flesh-and-blood parents was the source material for Steven Spielberg's film "Artificial Intelligence: AI." He plans to make little Zenos available to consumers within the next three years for $200 to $300. Until then, Hanson, 37, makes a living selling and renting pricey, lifelike robotic heads. His company offers models that look like Albert Einstein, a pirate and a rocker, complete with spiky hair and sunglasses. They cost tens of thousands of dollars and can be customized to look like anyone, Hanson said. more... | Technology |
0:01:23 Very, very dangerous -- Excuse for EU to unite and come after USA? Constance Cumbey (September 13, 2007) - USA to begin crafting Iran Bombing Plan?
A frightening headline on a Fox news story ran yesterday. It indicated:
Now, the reality, probabilities, and prophetic implications:
I am writing this in shock and on the fly. I must go
to my office for an appointment. I will add hyperlinks to this story and
amplify it later. We indeed live in serious times and I fear for my
country. Stay tuned!
State's 'hate crimes' code used against 'pure speech' WorldNet
Daily (September 12, 2007) - While
California hate-crimes laws are being used to target "pure speech," a
federal plan that would impose similar speech restrictions on Christians
"is still lurking in the shadows" in the U.S. Senate, warns a team of
civil rights advocates. The warning comes from the
Pacific Justice Institute, which is running an online petition
campaign to alert people to the dangers the pending legislation poses. As
WND reported, the federal plan, H.R. 1592, was approved by the U.S.
House of Representatives, but when it reached the U.S. Senate, instead
of holding hearings and a vote, senators tried to attach it to another
bill as an amendment. The maneuver would have prevented any public input
on the plan. That effort failed, but that doesn't mean the American
public is safe from the dangers the federal legislation poses, according
to Matt McReynolds, a staff attorney for Pacific Justice. The full title
of the legislation is "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act
of 2007," and it provides federal help to local agencies dealing with
"hate crimes." It also separately creates new federal offenses for "hate
crimes," including the addition of "sexual orientation" and "gender
identity" for inclusion as protected characteristics. "It hasn't gone
away, it's still lurking in the shadows," he told WND. "And not just
that. The U.S. House version has passed, so they can slap it on as an
amendment to something else." McReynolds said the dangers are real.
"When you start down the list of Western countries, Australia, Canada,
Britain, France. Everywhere hate crimes plans have been adopted there
are examples of problems. It's gotten to the point even pure speech is
being criminalized, with no actions or violence," he said. "That's where
hate crimes legislation inevitably has led in other Western societies,"
McReynolds said. His organization has worked on a number of such cases
already involving California's own version of a "hate crimes" plan. "The
law of unintended consequences – or perhaps intended consequences
cleverly disguised – is starkly illustrated by the ongoing federal case
Harper v. Poway Unified School District," he wrote in a summary of the
problems. "In Harper, a student responded to the annual pro-homosexual
'Day of Silence,' which was being heavily promoted on his high school
campus, by wearing a T-shirt which expressed his religious viewpoint
that homosexuality was 'shameful.' "Instead of allowing a differing
viewpoint, school officials pulled aside Harper, demanding that he
change his expression or face suspension. An assistant principal even
suggested to Harper that he needed to leave his faith in the car while
at school, in order not to offend homosexual students," according to
McReynolds. more... Reports: Putin Dissolves Government Fox News (September 12, 2007) - President Vladimir Putin dissolved Russia's government Wednesday and then quickly nominates Viktor Zubkov, a Russian Cabinet official who oversees the fight against money laundering, to be the new prime minister. Boris Gryzlov, the speaker of the State Duma, said Putin nominated Zubkov, who heads the Federal Financial Monitoring Service and who served under Putin when the two worked in the city administration of St. Petersburg in the early 1990s. Earlier Wednesday, in a major political shakeup, Putin dismissed Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and dissolved his cabinet, paving the way for Putin to name a new head of government. Most observers had expected that the new premier would be the leading contender to succeed Putin when he steps down after March elections. But Zubkov had not been even considered as a contender. A Kremlin source told FOX News that Zubkov was not Putin's choice to be the next president of Russia. The newspaper Vedomosti, citing unidentified Kremlin officials, reported that Sergei Ivanov, a first deputy prime minister and a leading contender to succeed Putin, could be appointed to replace Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Under the constitution, which the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has one week to vote on a nominee for prime minister. the pres. Russian news agencies said Fradkov would serve as acting prime minister until the vote. Fradkov said he asked for the dissolution of his government because with elections approaching, Putin needed to have a free hand to make decisions, including those concerning appointments. more... | Gog/Magog | PA: Israel Agrees to Destroy Jewish Towns, Starting in November Israel National News (September 12, 2007) - The Palestinian Authority's Maan news agency has published a copy, in Hebrew, of PM Olmert's agreement to expel tens of thousands of Jews and replace them with a Palestinian state. The report states that Israel has agreed to begin destroying Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria immediately following the US-sponsored international summit this coming November. The PA claims that the document's eight points represent the principles of agreement between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, in anticipation of the upcoming Middle East summit. The document begins by stating that Israel and the PA are to immediately enter a process "that will lead to the formation of two states, Israel and Palestine, side by side," and are "to reach understandings of the type detailed below." The eight points upon which Olmert and Abbas undertake to agree are the following:
The agreement ends with this paragraph:
A document based on principles of the above type must be reached before the international summit in November, must be presented during the summit, and must be anchored in international decisions after it. Immediately following the summit, parallel with the negotiations for a detailed agreement, Israel will begin withdrawing its forces and evacuating settlements from areas in the West Bank. Completion of the various stages of evacuation will be done parallel to the completion of the negotiations. Clauses 3 and 4 indicate that Israel has agreed to give up the Temple Mount, Judaism's most sacred spot in the world, and allow an "administration" to determine when Jews would be allowed to visit or pray there. Clauses 1 and 2 do not take into account the tremendous amount of Arab-held weaponry already present in Judea and Samaria, nor the anti-Israel violence emanating from Gaza that increased dramatically upon Israel's withdrawal in 2005. Clause 6 leaves open the possibility that "Right of Return" refugees would be allowed to live in Israel. The immediate response of the Yesha Council (the body representing the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria) was this:
Well, if this is truly it, we could see the dividing of the land in Zechariah 14:1,2 this fall. Israel would still not have control over the Temple Mount, but that will change in time, probably after the Magog attack. And with the story about Israel finding nuclear installations in Syria and bombing a site there, Israeli-Syria tensions could play right into the Isaiah 17 destruction of Damascus. It says they leave their cities because of the children of Israel, and with the threat of a terrorist-supporting state like Syria having this kind of weaponry, I could see Israel preemptively removing that threat, bringing down on them the Magog attackers, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Libya, and others. God destroys them with fire from heaven and I believe that is when we will see Israel take partial control of the Temple Mount again and rebuild the temple leading to the coming abomination of desolation. I lay this out in more detail with news stories in the coming times. Keep watching! Pro-Europeans launch fightback against calls for treaty referendum Independent.co.uk (September 12, 2007) - Pro-Europeans are launching a fightback today against growing demands for a referendum on the new European Union treaty. The Coalition for the Reform Treaty will argue that the treaty is in Britain's interests as well as the EU's because it will lead to more efficient, effective and democratic decision-making. The long-awaited response by pro-European businessmen and politicians comes after the campaign in favour of a referendum gathered momentum during the summer. Roland Rudd, chairman of Business for New Europe, said: "We have heard a lot of negative things about the treaty. Many are scare- stories or based on inaccuracies. We took the initiative to form this coalition to make a more positive case." The new network aims to co-ordinate pro-European activity, rebut Eurosceptics' arguments and lobby for the treaty when it is debated in Parliament. Business bosses joining the coalition in a personal capacity include Sir Philip Hampton, (Sainsbury), Niall FitzGerald (Reuters), Sir Michael Bishop (BMI), Phillipe Varin (Corus), Roger Carr (Centrica), Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP) and Sir Mike Rake (KPMG ). The campaign begins as the European Commission formally ended its long fight to persuade Britain to abandon the mile and the pint in favour of the kilometre and litre. EU industry commissioner Gunter Verheugen said it was a "pointless battle". | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Magnitude 8.0 quake hits Indonesia's Sumatra Reuters (September 12, 2007) - An earthquake measuring 8.O struck Indonesia's Sumatra region on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said. The quake had the potential to cause a tsunami, an Indonesian meteorological agency official said, putting the magnitude at 7.9. Some offices in Jakarta were evacuated after the tremors were felt. Witnesses in Singapore and Thailand said they also felt the quake.| Earth Changes | 'Advisors to Assad pressuring him to respond with force' The Jerusalem Post (September 12, 2007) - Advisors to Syrian President Bashar Assad are pressuring him to respond to the alleged IAF attack by "landing a blow to an Israeli target," the Kuwait-based Al-Jareeda reported Wednesday. According to the report, Israel targeted long-range missile batteries that were brought to Syria from Iran. The report said five IAF fighter jets carried out the attack. Israel Radio quoted the Kuwaiti paper to the effect that the group advocating a military response is being spearheaded by Assad's brother in law, who has met in recent days with senior Hizbullah and Hamas officials in an effort to draw up an operation plan. The Kuwaiti paper also reported that the Syrian army has begun drafting reservists from the armed corps, missile corps and anti-aircraft units, and quoted "sources in the know" who said the draft was a response to Israel raising its level of readiness in the north. Meanwhile, Syria's UN Ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, denied the reports on Wednesday, claiming the Israeli jets escaped without hitting their target, Israel Radio reported. Ja'afari also said Israel's silence over the alleged strike resulted from the fact it constituted a violation of international law. According to a report by The Nazareth-based al-Sinara newspaper Wednesday, the IAF targeted a joint Syrian-Iranian missile base in northern Syria. Reportedly, the Iranian-funded installation was razed to the ground. The report claimed its information was gleaned from an "Israeli source." more... | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 | It appears the tensions may not be founded on Israel bombing anything, but some are trying to paint it that way as a reason for and aggressive response. Whether or not the Israeli Air Force bombed any installations in Syria doesn't matter when it comes to the rising tensions between the two nations.
Report: Israel spots nuclear installations in Syria YNet
News (September 12, 2007) -
Washington official says Israeli surveillance shows possible Syrian
nuclear installation stocked by North Korea, Israeli Arab newspaper
claims target of alleged raid last week was Syrian missile base financed
by Iran. Israel believes that North Korea has been supplying Syria and
Iran with nuclear materials, a Washington defense official told the New
York Times. “The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria
what little they have left,” he said. The official added that recent
Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear
installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied
with material from North Korea. Meanwhile on Wednesday the
Nazareth-based Israeli Arab newspaper The Assennara cited anonymous
Israeli sources as saying that Israeli jets "bombed a Syrian-Iranian
missile base in northern Syria that was financed by Iran... It appears
that the base was completely destroyed." According to the Times,
American officials confirmed Tuesday that Israeli jets launched an
airstrike inside Syria. Sources said that Israel struck at least one
target in northeastern Syria, but could not provide more details. The
most likely target was, according to some administration officials,
weapon caches sent by Iran to Hizbullah through Syria. North Korea
commented on the incident Tuesday, calling it a "dangerous provocation",
Chinese News Agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. "This is a very
dangerous provocation little short of wantonly violating the sovereignty
of Syria and seriously harassing the regional peace and security," a
North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea strongly denounces the above-said intrusion and
extends full support and solidarity to the Syrian people in their just
cause to defend the national security and the regional peace." Wheat Price Rises to a Record Ahead of Large Tenders International Herald Tribune (September 12, 2007) - Wheat prices surpassed $9 a bushel for the first time as a drought in Australia cut production, pushing global stockpiles toward a 26-year low. The forecast for the Australian wheat crop may fall to 18 million metric tons from a previous prediction of 23 million tons in a U.S. report scheduled for release Wednesday. In Canada, the world's second-largest wheat exporter, reserves of the grain plunged 29 percent at the end of July from a year earlier, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. Rising prices of food, from wheat to milk and pork, are stoking inflation at a time when traders expect the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to bail out the housing market and avoid a recession. Wheat prices more than doubled in the past year, increasing costs at companies like Sara Lee and Premier Foods. "The market is in a real frenzy," said Tobin Gorey, commodity strategist with Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "It's feeding through to the consumer." Wheat for December delivery rose as much as 17.25 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $9.0775 a bushel in after-hours electronic trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. The contract was at $9.0475 a bushel in Sydney. Prices have risen 80 percent this year. The advance comes as Egypt, Jordan, Japan and Iraq plan to buy some 460,000 tons of wheat at tenders. The grain is used as livestock feed and to make noodles, cakes and bread, with one bushel being enough to make 73 loaves. Australian farmers face an unprecedented crisis within a month unless spring rains arrive, The Age reported Tuesday, citing Peter McGauran, the agriculture minister. more...
Turkey Lines Up Alongside Syria To Condemn Israeli Incursions Eurasia
Daily Monitor (September 11, 2007)
- Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan’s blunt condemnation of an
alleged violation of the Turkey’s airspace by Israeli warplanes has
dealt another blow to already deteriorating relations between the
two countries. In 1996 a military training agreement between Israel
and Turkey was hailed by many as heralding a new strategic alignment
in the eastern Mediterranean. Over the years that followed Israeli
jets regularly used the Turkish air force base in Konya for training
missions while Turkish pilots underwent specialized training in
facilities belonging to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in the Negev
Desert. There was also extensive cooperation in the defense
industry, with Israeli firms receiving a string of lucrative defense
contracts. American Jewish lobby groups became Turkey’s strongest
supporters in Washington. However, plans to underpin the
relationship by transporting Turkish water to Israel came to
nothing. While a number of disagreements over defense contracts, and
allegation of corruption involving Israeli defense suppliers, soured
relations between the two countries’ militaries. Relations began to
cool rapidly following the victory of the moderate Islamist Justice
and Development Party (AKP) in the Turkish general election of
November 2002. Although the AKP’s leaders publicly reaffirmed
Turkey’s commitment to friendship with Israel, much of the party’s
grassroots support remained simply and viscerally anti-Semitic.
After taking power, the AKP downplayed ties with Israel, while
trying to form a closer relationship with other Muslim states in the
Middle East, particularly its neighbors Syria and Iran. The last
five years have seen an unprecedented increase in bilateral contacts
and AKP leaders have become frequent visitors to both Damascus and
Tehran. On September 6, after the Syrian government claimed that
Israeli warplanes had overflown its territory and dropped munitions
onto deserted areas, fuel tanks belonging to IAF warplanes were
found on the Turkish side of the country’s border with Syria. The
assumption is that they were jettisoned in order to increase the IAF
planes’ maneuverability as they sought to avoid Syrian ground fire.
On September 6, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement
supporting the Syrian protests and informing the Israeli government
that Ankara took “a harsh view of the invasion of Syrian airspace by
the IAF” (Hurriyet, Milliyet, September 7). On September 9, Syrian
Foreign Minister Wallid Moallem flew to Ankara to seek Turkish
support and met with Babacan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and President Abdullah Gul (Sabah, September 11). On September 10,
Moallem and Babacan held a joint conference to condemn the IAF’s
incursions on September 6. more...
Syria warns flyovers will have tragic consequences YNet
News (September 11, 2007) -
Damascus warns that international
community's silence on Israel's violation of Syrian airspace will have
tragic consequences. Syria revved up Tuesday its rhetoric on Israel's
reported violation of Syrian airspace by warning the United Nations that
the international community's silence over the incident could have
"tragic consequences." In a letter sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
Syria warns Israel that its "outrageous aggression" will have serious
consequences. Syria "insists that the continuing silence of the
international community vis-à-vis Israel's illegal act will place the
region as well as the peace and security of both countries in the face
of uncontrollable tragedies," read the letter. A copy of the letter was
also sent to the Security Council. "Israel is determined to choose
aggression instead of peace and by doing so it reveals its true
intentions that it tries to hide using fake claims of seeking peace in
the region," the letter said. The Syrian government said last week that
Israeli jets entered Syria's airspace from the Mediterranean Sea and
jettisoned fuel tanks near the Turkish border when intercepted by Syrian
air-defense systems. Israel has remained silent on the incident. N. Korea: Israeli invasion of Syrian airspace 'dangerous provocation' YNet News (September 11, 2007) - 'We extend our full support and solidarity to the Syrian people in their just cause to defend the national security and the regional peace,' republic's foreign ministry says. North Korea commented on the incident in which Israeli planes allegedly entered Syrian airspace last week, calling it a "dangerous provocation", Chinese News Agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. "This is a very dangerous provocation little short of wantonly violating the sovereignty of Syria and seriously harassing the regional peace and security," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly denounces the above-said intrusion and extends full support and solidarity to the Syrian people in their just cause to defend the national security and the regional peace." Earlier on Tuesday CNN reported that the incident was actually an attack on Iranian weapons transferred to Syria. According to the report, which was based mainly on sources in the American government, the incident involved an aerial operation that also included Israeli ground forces that were meant to mark targets or inspect the damage caused by the attack. Hours before CNN report was broadcast, Syria appealed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, and warned Israel of "the consequences of this outrageous aggression". | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 | Dozens dead in Mexico truck crash and blast Reuters (September 10, 2007) - Dozens of people died when a trailer-truck loaded with highly flammable chemicals exploded in a road accident in northern Mexico, Mexican media reported on Monday. The blast left a crater of up to 65 feet in diameter in the road in the northern state of Coahuila, the El Universal daily said on its Web site. The paper, quoting police, said 37 people were killed when the blast erupted after the trailer-truck hit another truck. But the civil protection agency put the death toll at 25. "Part of the trailer caught fire after the crash and that's where the explosion came from," said state Gov. Humberto Moreira. Some 150 people were injured. Most of the people who died, including three newspaper journalists, had rushed to the scene of the crash. "Reporters who were taking photographs died there as well as emergency workers and drivers who stopped to help," Moreira said. The trailer-truck was carrying 25 metric tons of a derivative of the volatile ammonium nitrate chemical used for fertilizers, civil protection authorities said. The media had earlier said it had been carrying explosives.
Syrian vice president a-Shara: 'We will respond soon enough' The
Jerusalem Post (September 8, 2007)
- "Top [Syrian] political and military men are examining a series of
potential responses. The results will come soon enough," Syrian Vice
President Farouk a-Shara said Saturday evening, referring to the
alleged IAF foray into Syrian airspace undertaken, so Syria claims,
Wednesday overnight. A-Shara, speaking to the Italian La
Republica, revealed no other details, saying the matter was of
"top national security." Earlier Saturday, a Syrian government
newspaper accused the US of encouraging Israel's reported violation
of Syrian airspace by remaining silent on the issue. "This new
Israeli hostile operation was carried out in coordination between
Washington and Tel Aviv," the Tishrin newspaper said in a
front-page editorial. US silence can only be interpreted as an
"overt and scandalous encouragement of Israel," it said. Damascus
has said that Israeli jets broke the sound barrier flying over
northern Syria before dawn Thursday, then "dropped munitions" onto
deserted areas after being shot at by Syria's air defenses. It is
still unclear exactly what happened, and Syria has stopped short of
accusing Israel of purposely bombing its territory. An Israeli
spokesman has said he could not comment on military operations. "How
could a superpower call for the establishment of peace and send
invitations to some countries to convene a peace conference at a
time when it maintains silence over a clear violation of the
simplest laws and international norms?" Tishrin said in its
editorial on Saturday. The newspaper also criticized Arab countries
for planning to attend the proposed conference. "How would they go
to Bush's conference and how would they justify to their people
shaking hands with those who kill Palestinians and Iraqis and
threaten the Arabs' future with grave consequences?" it said. French Bulldog is Catalyst for Investigation of Microchip-Cancer Connection Spychips.org (September 8, 2007) - Could a microchip implant like the VeriChip cause cancer? A French Bulldog named Léon was the catalyst for new questions about the safety of RFID implants. One year ago, Léon's owner contacted me with startling news. She believed that her dog's cancerous tumor and his untimely death might have been caused by a microchip implant. This was not just idle talk by a grieving dog owner grasping at straws to figure out why she had been robbed of her constant companion. This was a gutsy lady who refused to allow the vet to simply cremate the evidence. This lady prefers to be known only by her first name of "Jeanne," so the Associated Press couldn't credit her properly as the original source for some of the explosive information in its article "Chip Implants Linked to Animal Tumors," but I have the leeway in this forum to share the behind-the-scenes story. Jeanne spent a small fortune trying to cure her ailing French bulldog, Léon, after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. When medical interventions failed and Léon passed away, she decided to hunt for the reason the fatal tumor in his body was attached to the glass-encapsulated microchip that had been injected into his neck for identification purposes. Jeanne located a team of researchers in Italy who agreed to test tissue samples from a biopsy of Léon's tumor to determine if the microchip was implicated in his aggressive cancer. They documented their findings in a 2006 paper entitled, “Fibrosarcoma with Typical Features of Postinjection Sarcoma at Site of Microchip Implant in a Dog: Histologic and Immunohistochemical Study.” The full text is available online at: http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/full/43/4/545. Since Léon's suspicious cancer was not enough evidence to prove microchip implants were a threat, Jeanne decided to search for other proof of a link. She unearthed scholarly animal studies documenting a possible chip-cancer link and posted several of these at the website that she formed as a tribute to Léon: http://www.noble-leon.com/resourcesAdvanced Jeanne informed us of this research and even faxed us copies of these studies as they were difficult to obtain. Fortunately, my Spychips co-author Dr. Katherine Albrecht had access to the Harvard library and was able to take Jeanne's work further, analyzing additional studies that seemed to support a cancer-microchip link in animals. Sometime later, AP Reporter Todd Lewan entered the picture, eager for an exclusive. He used his press credentials to gain further information, tie up the story with a perfect, documented bow, and broadcast it to media outlets around the world. He and Katherine tirelessly pursued the truth that you can now find published in the explosive AP story. I promised Jeanne that Katherine and I would share the whole story, and that Léon would be remembered for his contribution. Here's to you, Jeanne and Léon! I'm so sorry it took tragedy for this information to be brought to light. I applaud your tenacity, bravery, and amazing research skills. Could this be the what pushes for the ink RFID tattoo instead of the grain-of-rice-sized Verichip? The Bible talks about the mark of the beast without which you cannot buy or sell. It will happen and the technology to force people to buy and sell only by getting the RFID mark that carries a unique ID number is already here. The system is being implemented now, prepared for future use. Imagine a world with no more paper currency. The stores don't take it, they just have RFID readers. There is no longer exchange rates or different currencies. Due to financial collapse and world catastrophes, the world will be united under a man declaring himself to be God. Anyone who refuses cannot buy or sell and will be rejected from society and eventually will be forced to participate or will be killed. Sound crazy? That is nothing compared to what else will be going down during this time. We need to develop a personal relationship with Yeshua because He is our blessed hope. See also: Chip implants linked to animal tumors Associated Press (September 9, 2007) The Rise of Atheist America WorldNet Daily (September 7, 2007) - The signs are everywhere. Many of America's top-selling books right now are angry, in-your-face, atheist manifestos. Judges try to outdo each other in banning references to God like the Ten Commandments and the "Under God" phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance. And nearly half of Americans, according to a recent Gallup poll, would be willing to vote for an atheist for president of the United States of America – a nation founded by devout Christians. In its groundbreaking September edition, titled "THE RISE OF ATHEIST AMERICA," WND's monthly Whistleblower magazine provides a powerfully eye-opening analysis of what's really behind the current atheist phenomenon. "This is atheism's moment," brags David Steinberger, CEO of Perseus Books, celebrating the tremendous success of anti-God bestsellers like "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" by journalist Christopher Hitchens and "The God Delusion" by Oxford evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. "Mr. Hitchens has written the category killer," he says, "and we're excited about having the next book." That's right – this fall the publishing world will further cash in on the anti-God juggernaut with the release of "The Pocket Atheist," featuring the writings of famous atheists, edited by Hitchens. In earlier eras, atheists were on the fringes of society, mistrusted by the mainstream. Those few who dared to publicly push their beliefs on society, like Madalyn Murray O'Hair, were widely regarded as malevolent kooks. But today, Hitchens' No. 1 New York Times bestseller, which has dominated the nonfiction charts for months, boldly condemns religion – including Christianity – as "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." Indeed, arrogant denial of God and condemnation of religious people characterize today's popular atheist books, which besides Hitchens' and Dawkins' bestsellers include "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris, sequel to his earlier bestseller "The End of Faith," as well as "God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist" by Victor J. Stenger, "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon" by Daniel C. Dennett, "Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism" by David Mills and others. more... | America | Apostasy | e-mail:
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