News for March 1, 2006

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Officials predicting ‘West Bank intifada’ (March 1, 2006) - With a large increase in the number of shootings, stabbings, stone and Molotov cocktail attacks against Israelis the past few weeks, Israeli security officials today said they fear the violent trend might indicate a plan by Palestinian terror groups to launch a new intifada, or “uprising,” against the Jewish state, focused mostly against Jews in the West Bank. The warning follows a widely circulated article in which leaders of all the major Palestinian terrorist organizations told WorldNetDaily recent events here are leading their groups to initiate what they called a third intifada against Israel, consisting of suicide bombings, rocket attacks against Jewish communities and “a few new surprises in our arsenal.” The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the declared military wing of the long-ruling Fatah party, claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting today of a Jewish man at a gas station southeast of Nablus in the West Bank. An Israeli was injured near the West Bank town of Qalqiliya in a second shooting attack today. Yesterday, Palestinian terrorists stabbed two Jewish men in the West Bank, and at least four other stabbings were prevented. Such incidences of stone-throwing, Molotov cocktail lobbing, shooting and stabbing have been reported daily the past two weeks, mostly in the West Bank. During this period, 50 firebombs were thrown, compared to 35 in the previous two weeks; 39 incidents of violence or damage to Jewish property were reported, compared to 26 in the previous two weeks; and there were 225 stone-throwing incidents, compared to 200 in the same period. Shooting attacks reportedly rose from 26 to 37 in the last two weeks, and the number of bombs planted from six to 15. more...

ADL to U.S.: Freeze seaport contract with UAE due to Israel boycott (March 1, 2006) - The Anti-Defamation League is demanding the American administration prevent a Dubai-owned corporation from operating seaports in the United States until the United Arab Emirates issues an official statement indicating it has abandoned the boycott of Israel. “Dubai continues to be an active partner in the economic boycott of Israel,” ADL Director Abraham Foxman told Haaretz on Tuesday. “This fact alone is reason enough to suspend or even cancel the implementation of the contract [for the operation of the seaports],” Foxman said. In a letter addressed to Treasury Secretary John Snow, Foxman wrote: “According to the Department of Commerce, as recently as 2005, the government of Dubai was alleged to be asking U.S. companies to certify that goods shipped to Dubai were ‘neither of Israeli origin nor do they contain Israeli materials, nor are being exported from Israel.’” For decades, the United States has been a leader in the fight against the economic boycott of Israel... Dubai, an adherent to this boycott, should not benefit from America’s open trade policy. more...

Teacher ‘sends’ Jewish student to furnace (March 1, 2006) - The Le Parisien newspaper revealed Tuesday that a schoolteacher seeking to punish a Jewish student proposed that the boy “go to a furnace,” Israel’s leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday. The incident took place about a month ago at one of Paris’ prestigious catholic school. During a physics class, a 10th grade student was busy chatting with his classmate. The teacher, named Pierre, asked the Jewish youth to leave the classroom and wait in the yard, which the students and teachers refer to as “the fridge” because of the intense cold that prevails there during the winter. But the punishment apparently did not suffice, and just before the student left the classroom the teacher told him that “if you don’t like it in the fridge, there is always room for you in the furnace.” The French word for “furnace” (four) bears a highly emotionally charged connotation in France. Therefore, many of the Jewish community members refuse to view the teacher’s remark toward a Jewish student as an innocent slip of the tongue.

Paper: Coast Guard Has Port Co. Intel Gaps (February 28, 2006) - Citing broad gaps in U.S. intelligence, the Coast Guard cautioned the Bush administration weeks ago that it could not determine whether a United Arab Emirates-based company seeking a stake in some U.S. port operations might support terrorist operations. The disclosure came during a hearing Monday on Dubai-owned DP World’s plans to take over significant operations at six leading U.S. ports. The Bush administration said the Coast Guard’s concerns were raised during its review of the deal, which it approved Jan. 17, and that all those questions were resolved. The port operations are now handled by London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. “There are many intelligence gaps, concerning the potential for DPW or P&O assets to support terrorist operations, that precludes an overall threat assessment” of the potential merger, the unclassified Coast Guard intelligence assessment said. “The breadth of the intelligence gaps also infer potential unknown threats against a large number of potential vulnerabilities,” the assessment said. The Coast Guard said the concerns reflected in the document ultimately were addressed. In a statement, the Coast Guard said other U.S. intelligence agencies were able to provide answers to the questions it raised. more...

Dubai ports firm enforces boycott of Israel (February 28, 2006) - The parent company of a Dubai-based firm at the center of a political storm in the US over the purchase of American ports participates in the Arab boycott against Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The firm, Dubai Ports World, is seeking control over six major US ports, including those in New York, Miami, Philadelphia and Baltimore. It is entirely owned by the Government of Dubai via a holding company called the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCZC), which consists of the Dubai Port Authority, the Dubai Customs Department and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Area. more...

Supreme Court rules against abortion clinics (February 28, 2006) - The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled for the third time in favor of pro-life activists who were sued by the National Organization for Women for their aggressive demonstrations at abortion clinics. The high court said federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban the protests. As WorldNetDaily reported, NOW lost its second round in the Supreme Court in 2003 in a decisive 8-1 ruling. The feminist group charged that protests organized by Scheidler's Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League amounted to extortion under RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. “Naturally I am gratified to be vindicated once again by the United States Supreme Court,” said Scheidler. “I am mystified that I had to go to the trouble and expense of appearing before the Supreme Court three times.” Justice Stephen Breyer said in the majority opinion today Congress did not intend to create “a freestanding physical violence offense” in the federal extortion law. Scheidler and the other defendants were supported in the case by an unusual coalition of about activists and groups that included actor Martin Sheen and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who argued similar lawsuits could be used to stop their efforts. Scheidler’s attorney Thomas Brejcha said, “This unanimous ruling is not just a victory for pro-life activists, but for anyone who chooses to exercise his First Amendment rights to effect social change.” more...

Mother sad daughter didn’t carry out bombing (February 28, 2006) - The mother of a woman arrested in a suicide-bombing attempt told a Palestinian TV interviewer she was upset by her daughter’s capture, but only because it meant the 21-year-old wouldn’t be able to kill Israelis targeted for attack, including children. The mother of Wafa Al-Bas – arrested at the Erez border crossing last June concealing a 20-pound bomb under her clothing – spoke to official Palestinian Authority television in a segment translated by Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch. Al-Bas was on her way to bomb the outpatient clinic of Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where she had been receiving regular treatments for serious burns to 45 percent of her body from a gas stove explosion in her home. She said her greatest wish was to kill 30 to 50 Israelis, including children. PMW said the attack likely would have killed or maimed the Israeli doctor who saved her life. In the Feb. 20 interview, the mother said her daughter had wanted to be a martyr since she was a little girl. But the mother didn’t encourage her – not due to opposition to suicide bombing – but because Wafa was female. “If it was a boy, I would have supported, but since she is a girl I discouraged,” the mother said. more...

They must really love their children over there! It’s sad the brainwashing that has gripped the minds of these people.

Leftist U.S. Jews stand by ‘failed’ border deal (February 28, 2006) - Two months after their organizations reportedly urged U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to pressure Israel into accepting a border deal Israeli officials now call an “abject failure” that is threatening the country’s security, leftist American Jewish leaders said yesterday they stand by their vocal support for the international agreement. The Jewish leaders made the statements in spite of a WND probe last week that found Rice’s border agreement is currently allowing terrorists to infiltrate the Gaza Strip, where they are poised to attack Israel. WND also found the deal allows Gaza-based terrorists freedom to travel into the nearby Sinai desert, where they can meet with regional jihadists. “We don’t have any regrets. The Palestinians need their freedom of movement,” Seymour Reich, president of the Israel Policy Forum, a prominent leftist think tank, told WND. Reich was one of several leftist Jewish leaders who urged Rice during a meeting prior to her trip here this past November to pressure Israel into signing a deal regarding security at the Rafah crossing, the main checkpoint between Egypt at Gaza. The checkpoint is one of the largest crossings between the Sinai and the Gaza Strip. It has been the scene of rampant Palestinian weapons smuggling the past few years. Prior to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in August, the Gaza side of the border was entirely controlled by the Israeli Defense Forces. But Rice’s border deal, which Israel accepted reportedly after intense American pressure, restricted the Jewish state to monitor the area by camera, called for a European presence at the border station, and offered the Palestinians some veto power on vehicles and persons entering Gaza. more...

Bird Flu Stories

Matthew 24:7,8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

• Flamingo Deaths Spark Bird Flu Probe in Bahamas 3/1/2006
• Bird flu found in dead cat in Germany 2/28/2006
• Bird flu hits Sweden, seen spreading in EU poultry 2/28/2006
• Nigerian bird flu spreads to two new states: minister 2/27/2006
• Hong Kong confirms deadly avian flu virus in three more birds 2/27/2006
• Pakistan confirms bird flu strain on poultry farms 2/27/2006
• EU warnings as bird flu spreads 2/27/2006
• Bird flu has New York authorities, if not residents, on watch 2/26/2006
• France Fights Panic From Bird Flu Outbreak 2/26/2006
• Spooked by Bird Flu, Egyptians Horde Water 2/26/2006

Muslim Preacher on Temple Mount: Restore Worldwide Islamic Rule (February 27, 2006) - Sheikh Ismail Nawahda, preaching to Moslem masses on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Friday, has brought it out into the open: the call to restore the Moslem Khalifate, or, “Genuine Islamic Rule.” A plan for the “Return of the Khalifate” was published secretly in 2002 by a group called “The Guiding Helper Foundation.” The group explained that it wished to “give direction to the educated Muslim populace in its increasing interest in the establishment of Islam as a practical system of rule.” This past Friday, Feb. 24, however, the plan went public. Sheikh Nawahda called publicly for the renewal of the Islamic Khalifate, which would “unite all the Moslems in the world against the infidels.” The Khalifate system features a leader, known as a Khalif, who heads worldwide Islam. Assisted by a ten-man council, his decisions are totally binding on all Moslems. According to the Foundation’s vision of the Khalifate, significant punishment can only be meted out for 14 crimes, including “accusing a chaste person of fornication,” “not performing the formal prayer,” and “not fasting during Ramadan.” The Foundation recommends working to restore the Moslem dictatorship using a system of small groups around the world. The purpose is so that the “enemies of Islam” who “will definitely try to stop us” will have a “much harder task, if not impossible, if they are faced with a myriad of small groups of differing locations, ethnicities,” etc. This method also “ensures that if one group... is found and cut off, other similar groups will remain undetected.” more...

Leftist U.S. Jews oppose anti-Hamas legislation- While the U.S. Congress is attempting to push tough legislation aimed at financially and diplomatically isolating the new Hamas-led Palestinian government, WND has learned leftist American Jewish organizations are working to block the anti-Hamas efforts, some arguing the terror group – which has killed hundreds of Israeli civilians – may be willing to make peace with the Jewish state. “We oppose the legislation. The U.S. should be extending carrots to Hamas, and not just slapping them with sticks. We should be trying to encourage Hamas to recognize Israel, not shutting them out completely,” M.J. Rosenberg, director of policy for the Israel Policy Forum, a prominent leftist think tank, told WND. Rosenberg is one of several leftist Jewish leaders opposing a bill initiated in the House of Representatives following Hamas’ major election victory last month by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Tom Lantos, D-Calif., that calls for a strict termination of aid to the new Hamas-dominated government. The Ros-Lehtinen legislation designates the Palestinian Authority under Hamas a terror supporting entity. It demands the halt of direct and indirect U.S. assistance to the PA with the exception of certain humanitarian aid, and bars American financial support for U.N. and non-governmental agencies connected to the PA. The bill calls for PA officials to be prevented from receiving visas to enter the U.S., restricts the Palestinian government from maintaining representative offices in the U.S., and places travel restrictions on PA and PLO representatives to the U.N. more...

Islamic Leaders Decide to Blame Israel For Bombed Shiite Mosque (February 26, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, Islamic leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini and Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah all blamed Israel for the bombing of a Shi'ite mosque in Iraq last week. “These heinous acts are committed by a group of Zionists and occupiers that have failed. They have failed in the face of Islam’s logic and justice,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast live on state-controlled TV. “But be sure, you will not be saved from the wrath and power of the justice-seeking nations by resorting to such acts,” the Iranian firebrand declared, answered by cries of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” from the crowd. Khameini urged Shi’ite Muslims not to take revenge on Sunnis but instead to focus their anger upon the West. “There are definitely some plots to force Shi’ites to attack the mosques and other properties respected by the Sunnis,” he said. “Any measure to contribute to that direction is helping the enemies of Islam and is forbidden by Sharia [Islamic law].” The Islamic leader declared a week of mourning in Iran due to the bombing. “I tell the Americans, the Zionists and the criminals who committed yesterday’s crime in Samarra that all your aims will fail,” Hizbullah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah said at a rally of Lebanese Shi'ites south of Beirut Friday. “I tell them that the Muslim nation will not be torn apart - it will not fall for the tricks of the occupier.” In Pakistan, an Islamic leader blamed the attacks on India, in addition to the U.S. and Israel. Maulana Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, the head of a Pakistani Islamic group, said he was “praying fervently for another Hitler who should affect another and more powerful Holocaust against the nefarious, plotting and scheming Jews.”

130 Christians murdered over cartoons (February 24, 2006) - Muslim rioters, incensed over the cartoons of Muhammad published in Denmark, were responsible for killing at least 130 Christians on the streets of Maiduguri and Onitsha in Nigeria, according to reports filtering out of the country from Voice of the Martyrs. At least 51 Christians are confirmed dead in the Maiduguri attacks that took place Saturday. In the rampage, more than 150 homes and 32 churches were burned, and 85 shops were destroyed. Authorities were finally able to control the volatile scene after arresting 114 and having militia enforce a curfew. The mayhem began when Muslims staged their demonstration against degrading caricatures of Muhammad that were originally published in September 2005 by the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten. Even though the cartoons were by no means a Christian attack on Islam, Muslims in Nigeria and throughout the world have turned their rage toward Christians – many of whom have never even heard of the controversial sketches, reports Voice of the Martyrs. Muslims were reported running through the streets of Maiduguri threatening people with death and violence if they did not speak their local dialect. Many of the dozens of victims were publicly tortured to death in the city streets. more...

Rice fails to persuade Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to stop funding Hamas (February 23, 2006) - This was the main object of the US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice’s Middle East trip. With the promise of financial support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf states and private Muslim donors, the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government of Ismail Haniyeh is guaranteed at least half a billion dollars a year, or $40 million a month. DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources: Saudi Arabian King Abdullah decided to pledge the financial support needed to prop up the Hamas-led PA government and maintain its ability to function. (During the first week of February, immediately after Hamas’s victory in the Palestinian elections, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 241, February 10, reported the failure of US attempts to dry up Hamas’s financial sources, as had Israel’s diplomatic efforts led by Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni). The king also decided that the Hamas should not be forced to recognize Israel, only to be more flexible in maintaining regular contacts with the Jewish states and honoring the agreements signed by the PA. The Hamas assented. more...

Is a New World Order Evolving? A Shift From Dollars to Euros & Gold Will Impact You (March 1 , 2006) - Some very rapid changes are taking place that threaten the world order as we know it. In addition to Congressman Paul’s speech and discussion of our budget deficits, several headlines caught my attention this past week that illustrate these changes. For example, we see China Daily reported on Friday that China is seeking to quickly finalize a $100 billion energy deal with Iran before the U.S./U.N. puts sanctions on that country, allegedly related to its uranium enrichment activities. Then we learn that the Indian central bank was a big buyer of gold this past week. Meanwhile, Germany, which used to be one of the big gold selling countries during the heydays of gold manipulators up until about 2002, is saying no more central bank gold sales, and apparently Deutsche Bank doesn't like that much. If you wonder why that would be, all you have to do is go back and read some of what the Gold Anti Trust Action Committee has been saying about Deutsche Bank's activities as one of the anti-gold bullion banks who were defendants in Reginald Howe’s anti-gold manipulation lawsuit. Deutsche Bank rather likes the fascist economic policy of government bailing out big corporations, at least when it is the big corporation. There has been rumor after rumor of central banks now buying gold. Remember when Argentina flipped the U.S. and the U.K. and their owned and manipulated institutions, the World Bank and IMF, the bird by taking some of their precious dollars and buying gold rather than paying back dollar-denominated loans? more...

The Sorriest Generation (March 1, 2006) - If the World War II generation was America’s greatest generation (while it was great, I believe the founding generation was actually America’s greatest), this generation is America’s sorriest generation! In fact, I am ashamed of my generation. Furthermore, it seems the one coming behind me is even worse, if that’s possible. If God doesn’t miraculously intervene on behalf of our once great nation, we are doomed! And I do not say this lightly or without deliberation. Financially, America is bankrupt and living on borrowed monies. In all likelihood, it is beyond financial recovery. Culturally, America is decadent and, apart from divine intervention, beyond repair. Politically, America has abandoned constitutional government and is now in the hands of lawless thugs. Spiritually, America is apostate. The vast majority of America’s Christian leaders are aiding and abetting our spiritual demise. Every single standard of national greatness has fallen into the basement! America has lost its identity and is fast losing its language! We have lost our Christian heritage, and most Christians either don’t notice or don’t care. We are losing our borders and our resolve to protect them. Foreigners control our debt, and now President Bush wants to give them control of our ports. And for the most part, foreigners even control our foreign policy. In addition, politicians and preachers alike are slaves to the rich and powerful. Beyond that, our nation has become addicted, yes, even obsessed, with sports, leisure, and gambling! Sports celebrities are more than icons, they are gods! Leisure is more than a pastime, it is the greatest motivation for living. It seems that all people dream about is having the financial ability to retire. more...

For Arab Nations, Ominous Signs (February 28, 2006) - Shortly before the American- led invasion of Iraq, Amr Moussa, head of the League of Arab States, warned the attack would “open the gates of hell.” Now, more than three years later, there is a sense around the Middle East that what was once viewed as quintessential regional hyperbole may instead have been darkly prescient. Even before the bombing of one of Shiite Islam’s holiest shrines in the Iraqi city of Samarra set off bloody sectarian fighting last Wednesday, the chaos in Iraq helped to elevate Iran’s regional influence - a great concern to many of the Sunni-led governments around the region - while also giving Al Qaeda sympathizers a new foothold in the region. But the bombing itself, and the prospect of a full-blown civil war driven by sectarian divisions, holds even more ominous signs for the Middle East. Nine countries in the region have sizable populations of Shiites living side-by-side with Sunnis, and there is concern in many of them that a split in Iraq could lead to divided allegiances and, perhaps, conflict at home. more...

Hitler, Stalin Were Greatly Interested in the Magic of Ancient Runes (February 28, 2006) - “Paganism has again become hugely popular in Western Europe,” says Anton Platov, an author of a book on the runic magic. “The whole thing sprang from a mystical event on a nationwide scale. A mighty thunderstorm broke out in Iceland shortly after the Icelandic government refused to grant an official registration to a neo-pagan community. It was a third refusal. Then the thunderstorm started to rage across the sky. The thunderbolts were hitting the Parliament building. Before long the government apparently took the hint from above and issued a decree proclaiming paganism one of the three state religions of Iceland. In today’s Europe, a person is regarded as a well-mannered individual if he or she shows knowledge of the runes or the alphabet used by Norse, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon peoples from around 1,500 years ago. The runes are also a powerful divinatory and magical system. You can even see walls and windows painted with runes in some European respectable companies these days,” says Platov. Runes are equivalent to the Roman, Greek, Cyrillic, or Hebrew alphabets. But they are much more than an alphabet. “Rune” means “secret”, “mystery”, or “hidden”, and is related to the German raunen, meaning “to whisper”, and the Irish run, meaning “a secret.” more...

Hybrid to Pack 1000 Mile Battery (February 27, 2006) - Hybrid Technologies is teaming up with Kokam South Korea to build a car capable of traveling 1000 miles on a single battery charge. The North Carolina company is opening a facility in Asia to further develop integration between its electrical management system and Kokam’s lithium ion batteries. The companies are designing a 300 kilowatt hour system that has 10 times the capacity of current battery systems. The two companies are already providing lithium-powered custom hybrids for Frito Lay. I’m guessing that this would have to be a plug-in hybrid as generating all of that electricity for recharging the batteries from regenerative braking seems to be impossible.

Impenetrable Darkness to Envelop Earth on March 29 (February 22, 2006) - A total eclipse of the Sun is just round the corner. It is due on March 29, 2006. Earth dwellers have been observing a total solar eclipse, an extremely interesting astronomical phenomenon, for a few thousand years. However, scientists became capable of explaining the essence of solar eclipse just recently. Still, modern civilized people, no matter how well-educated they may be, are likely to be filled with awe when suddenly he sees the whole world being plunged into darkness at midday and a “black hole” with a pearly otherworldly corona eats away the Sun. All world religions pay special attention to the description of an eclipse. Normally, it would comprise a lucid god of the Sun fighting against the forces of Evil e.g. devils, demons, and a horrid dragon. Our ancestors would help the Sun overcome a terrifying black shadow by making a lot of noise – they would beat the drums and blow the horns, they would shake the rattles and fire their weapons at the demons. And the Sun would always gain the victory. Actually, it is wrong to use the term eclipse with regard to the phenomenon of the Moon passing in front of the Sun. In precise scientific terms, it is an occultation. An eclipse takes place when an object passes into the shadow cast by another object. When the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon, the phenomenon is called a total eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and the Moon are exactly in line. When the Sun and the Moon are not exactly in line, and the Moon obscures only part of the Sun, it is called a partial eclipse. The generic term for a total, an annular and hybrid eclipse is a central eclipse. The reason why some solar eclipses are total and others are annular or partial lies in the elliptical nature of the Moon. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is inclined at an angle of 5.2 degrees to the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic). Because of this, the Moon will only pass above or below the Sun at the time of a New Moon. A solar eclipse can occur only when the New Moon is close to the so-called nodes i.e. the points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic. more...