News for March 11, 2007

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Scientists say nerves use sound, not electricity (March 11, 2007) - The common view that nerves transmit impulses through electricity is wrong and they really transmit sound, according to a team of Danish scientists. The Copenhagen University researchers argue that biology and medical textbooks that say nerves relay electrical impulses from the brain to the rest of the body are incorrect. "For us as physicists, this cannot be the explanation," said Thomas Heimburg, an associate professor at the university's Niels Bohr Institute. "The physical laws of thermodynamics tell us that electrical impulses must produce heat as they travel along the nerve, but experiments find that no such heat is produced." Heimburg, an expert in biophysics who received his PhD from the Max Planck Institute in Goettingen, Germany — where biologists and physicists often work together in a rare arrangement — developed the theory with Copenhagen University's Andrew Jackson, an expert in theoretical physics. According to the traditional explanation of molecular biology, an electrical pulse is sent from one end of the nerve to the other with the help of electrically charged salts that pass through ion channels and a membrane that sheathes the nerves. That membrane is made of lipids and proteins. Heimburg and Jackson theorize that sound propagation is a much more likely explanation. Although sound waves usually weaken as they spread out, a medium with the right physical properties could create a special kind of sound pulse or "soliton" that can propagate without spreading or losing strength. The physicists say because the nerve membrane is made of a material similar to olive oil that can change from liquid to solid through temperature variations, they can freeze and propagate the solitons. The scientists, whose work is in the Biophysical Society's Biophysical Journal, suggested that anesthetics change the melting point of the membrane and make it impossible for their theorized sound pulses to propagate. The researchers could not immediately be reached for comment.
| Technology |

Technology to me isn't just gadgets, but understanding. This story confirms again what Samuel J. Hunt brought to light in his ministry, that God spoke the universe into existence.

Genesis 1:3
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Sure we all know that, but have you thought about what it means? Everything that exists is because of the electromagnetic spectrum. Different frequencies represent different parts of that spectrum and our senses pick up and translate those different spectrums. Some is visible light, some is auditory. God is continually keeping the creation in existence with His voice, which covers more than our ears can perceive or our eyes can see. In fact, there's a verse for that too.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

This also ties into my study I'm working on called Thought: Voice of the Spirit Realm.

Iran's defense minister holds talks with Syrian officials in Damascus (March 10, 2007) - Defense ministers from Iran and Syria on Saturday discussed strengthening cooperation between the two Middle East allies and their armies, Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported. SANA said Iran's Minister of Defense Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, who arrived in Damascus late Friday, also discussed with Gen. Hassan Turkmany the latest developments in the Middle East. The agency did not provide more details.
| Iran | Islam |

Strengthening ties between these two can only mean further movement toward Bible prophecy fulfillment.

UN chief announces Middle East visit (March 10, 2007) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories later this month in an effort to help revive the peace process between the two sides. Ban said he would make the trip, which will include a stop in Lebanon, on his way to the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on March 28-29. Ban said he chose the Middle East for his second major overseas trip as UN chief because "security in the Middle East is one of the most important issues which we are now facing." He visited several African countries last month. He singled out the Israel-Palestinian conflict as one of the most pressing in the region, saying resolving it would create a "conducive political atmosphere for the resolution of other issues in the Middle East." I'm looking forward to, first of all, a meeting with leaders in the region and making myself available for any consultation and to make a contribution to (the) peace process," he said. Ban has been involved in US-backed efforts to restart the Israel-Palestinian peace effort after a six-year freeze. He said he would participate in two months in another round of talks among the so-called Quartet of Mideast peacemakers - the UN, the US, the European Union and Russia. On Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet for the second time in a month in an effort to keep their line of communication open. Both sides, however, said they expected no major breakthroughs. Abbas, a moderate who is eager to restart peace talks, has been trying to finalize a power-sharing agreement with Hamas, an Islamic group that calls for Israel's destruction and has a majority in the Palestinian parliament. Israel says it does not want to delve into real issues of peace talks unless the new government meets international demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept existing peace agreements. The power-sharing deal falls short of those demands, but Abbas says its the best he can get from Hamas. more...
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | 4th Kingdom | 1st Seal |

Israeli military and government sources report Syria has positioned thousands of rockets on its border with Israel (March 9, 2007) - Quoting three Israeli military and two government sources, the French news agency AFP reports the Syrian army has accelerated its deployment of medium and long-range rockets capable of striking major towns across northern Israel. DEBKAfile’s sources note the timing of the unusual disclosure, the day before the Iraqi neighbors’ conference in Baghdad. It appears to be aimed at deterring Syria from being tempted into military action to ease the sense of isolation which the Baghdad meeting will tend to aggravate. In its detailed report, AFP discloses that most of the Syrian rockets positioned on Israel’s border are 220 mm with a range of 70 km and 302 mm rockets with a reach of 100 km, AFP reports. The latter could reach Israel’s third largest port city of Haifa and its industries, as well as Tiberias and Kiryat Shemona. Many are hidden in underground chambers and camouflaged silos. The Israeli sources said Syria had built a system of fortified underground tunnels along its border with Israel. They also believed Syria had deployed several FROG rocket launchers with a 550-kilogram warhead and 70-km range in areas between the border and the capital Damascus, 40 km away. Syria concentrates most of its long-range surface missiles in the north. Its decision to bring them so close to the border may indicate that Damascus is seriously thinking of attacking Israel. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this redeployment indicates Syria is anticipating an Israeli response to a potential attack by moving tank and armored infantry across the border to strike the rocket formations. The FROG rockets would be used against this incursion. AFP’s sources see the deployment as an indication that Damascus may be preparing for future “low intensity warfare.” The massive deployment of well-entrenched rockets poses “a real strategic threat” to Israel. Those sources therefore rebut the low expectations of war with Syria this summer as voiced by Israel’s chief of staff and military intelligence chiefs on Feb. 25. At the time, DEBKAfile’s military experts challenged this evaluation and criticized Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi for reflecting the Olmert government minister’s political line which is one of unquestioning alignment with the current US-Saudi strategy regardless of Israel’s national interests. A senior government official also told AFP: Israel has absolute superiority in several fields of warfare,” referring to advanced air force and “smart” weapons. DEBKAfile has reported that Russia was selling Syria thousands more advanced anti-tank missiles capable of piercing tank armor of the types which reached Hizballah from Syria in last year’s conflict.
| Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Update 3-10-07 No Syrian troop movements on border, says IDF

Illinois U Professor Caves to Legal Pressure on Abortion Paper – Allows Christian Student to Graduate (March 9, 2007) - A professor at the Southern Illinois University has backed down from her refusal to grade a Christian graduate student’s paper on post-abortion syndrome in women, allowing the student to complete the course and graduate, an SIU official told LifeSiteNews.com today. The response comes just two days after attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom sent a letter Wednesday protesting to SIU officials that Christine Mize, a Christian graduate student in social work, was wrongly given an “incomplete” by her professor, Dr. Laura Dreuth Zeman, who was punishing her for her Christian views. “To the best of my knowledge, Christine Mize’s paper has been graded by Dr. Dreuth Zeman today and the grade is being posted to the university’s Records office,” Dr. Mizan R. Miah, the director of the School of Social Work at SIU told LifeSiteNews. “The student surely will be notified soon.” Although Mize decided to write her paper without the faith-based section rather than have the paper downgraded, she provided Dr. Dreuth Zeman with legal information on her constitutional right to include religion in her assignments when it is appropriate to the topic. Dr. Dreuth Zeman then refused to grade the paper giving Mize an “incomplete” for the course putting Mize’s graduation in jeopardy. After filing repeated unsuccessful appeals to school administrators, including an official grievance letter with SIU, Mize turned to the ADF Center for Academic Freedom for assistance. “Christian students do not forsake their constitutional right to express their faith-based views the minute they step on a university campus,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Amy Smith. Smith described Mize’s experience as “just another example of how Christian students are being punished at our nation’s public universities for expressing viewpoints that are not ‘politically correct.’”

Solana to Restore EU Ties with Syria (March 9, 2007) - Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, will restore high-level EU contact with Syria when he visits Damascus next week for the first time in more than two years. The trip is designed to encourage Syria to help end the Lebanon political crisis, which pits pro-Syrian parties against a government supported by the west. Diplomats on Friday linked the dispatch of Mr. Solana with the US’s decision to sit down with Syrian officials at Saturday’s Baghdad security conference. The EU move also comes at the end of the presidency of France’s Jacques Chirac, who has resisted initiatives to re-establish close contact between Syria and the EU as a whole, although officials such as Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spain’s foreign minister, have visited Damascus. Mr. Solana said the visit would be part of a broader regional tour and would focus in particular on Lebanon. Relations between the EU and Syria rapidly deteriorated after the February 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister and friend of Mr. Chirac. A UN investigation into the killing has yet to be completed but progress reports last year implicated Syrian and Lebanese officials. A main sticking point in Lebanon’s political crisis is the establishment of a UN-backed tribunal to try Hariri’s killers. The pro-western Lebanese government is seeking parliamentary approval for the tribunal, but the move is being resisted by the pro-Syrian opposition. Despite Arab and European pressure on Syria to accept the tribunal, Walid Muallem, Syrian foreign minister, earlier this week said Damascus wanted any nationals accused of involvement in the killing to be tried in accordance with Syrian law. Mr. Chirac on Friday said he supported the Solana trip, which would deliver a firm message to Damascus to cooperate with the Hariri inquiry. “We have finally decided that Europe will speak with one voice, that of Mr. Solana,” he said, in response to a question by the Financial Times. “When I had my reservations it was because various ministers went in a disordered way when it is an issue that needs complete coherence from the EU.” more...
| Islam | EU | 4th Kingdom | Solana |

Revelation 17:12-14
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

EU's Solana says Palestinians must give clear recognition of Israel (March 8, 2007) - The Palestinian unity government being formed by Hamas and Fatah must clearly state that it recognizes Israel, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Thursday. "There are many ways whereby you can express the recognition of Israel," Solana told The Associated Press. "I am not going to define what is the manner that would be the most appropriate, that's for them to decide, but in any case it has to be sufficiently clear that statement can be read and not only imagined." Solana spoke in an interview before an EU summit where French President Jacques Chirac pressed other European leaders to support the Palestinian efforts to form a coalition government. The EU presidency, held by Germany, also backed recent progress. "We note the important step taken in Mecca," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, referring to the deal in the Saudi city last month which pledges to "respect" certain agreements with Israel even though it does not explicitly recognize Israel. "It's not at the end of the matter yet but it's a basis for further work," Steinmeier said. French diplomats said at the summit that last month the power-sharing deal between Hamas and Fatah was "a first step toward the realization of the conditions" set by the EU, U.S. and others for the restoration of aid to the Palestinian government. Those conditions include recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and respect for previous peace agreements. Solana said the movement toward unity among the Palestinians was "a good decision" following outbreaks of fighting between Fatah and Hamas militants. He said Palestinian unity was also positive for Israel, but stressed that the EU would have to wait to see what the power-sharing deal would mean in practice before making any decisions. "These agreements have to be implemented," he said. "We'll have to make the final judgment ... when they are implemented." Despite the Mecca agreement, Fatah and Hamas have failed to agree on the formation of a unity government with differences focused on who would be interior minister, controlling security forces. more...
| Israel | Islam | EU | 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal | America |

Bill Clinton sees new dynamic at work in troubled Middle East (March 7, 2007) - Former President Clinton said last night that fear of Iran throughout the Middle East created a potential opening for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. In a speech to the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County's 70th anniversary dinner, Clinton, who tried and failed to broker such an agreement during his presidency, said a new dynamic had emerged in the region since he left office: that Sunni Arab states have come to fear Iran more than they do Israel. “The Arab states will lobby the Palestinians to take a reasonable deal because they need it for their own existence,” he told the audience of about 2,000 people at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. “The Israelis need to keep in mind what they could get in a deal now from the Arab states that they never could have gotten before. We aren't quite there on the formula yet, but I think there's a deal to be had there and I wouldn't want the Israelis to miss it.” Clinton said that although economic sanctions over Iran's nuclear program were working, “we should not take the military option off the table.” The former president divides his time between his foundation, which promotes medical care and economic development around the world, and the campaign of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton stressed that for serious Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to resume, the Hamas government of the Palestinian Authority must cool its demands for a major rollback of Israeli territory and unequivocally recognize Israel's right to exist. He warned that the United States must be prepared militarily to enforce any agreement. “The United States has to be prepared to give a security guarantee like we give our NATO allies both to Israel and to the new Palestinian state because they will both be under attack,” he said. Clinton criticized former President Carter's controversial book on the Middle East, which likens Israel's policies to the apartheid system of South Africa. “If I were an Israeli, I wouldn't like it because it's not factually accurate and it's not fair,” he said. more...
| Israel | Islam | EU | 4th Kingdom | 1st Seal | America |

Clinton's noticed too.

Jordan’s King Urges U.S. to Pursue Peace in Mideast (March 7, 2007) - King Abdullah II of Jordan, in a rare appearance before a joint meeting of Congress, made an impassioned plea today for the United States to lead in an active pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace, saying that without it none of Middle East’s other problems would be solved. He implored the lawmakers to exert American “leadership in a peace process that delivers results not next year, not in five years, but this year.” The king pleaded as well for greater concern for the Palestinian people — a theme often heard in Europe but rarely in the halls of Congress. It met with a relatively tepid response, paling next to the applause for his broader calls for regional peace. “Sixty years of Palestinian dispossession, 40 years under occupation, a stop-and-go peace process — all this has left a bitter legacy of disappointment and despair on all sides,” he said. Palestinians grievances, the 45-year-old monarch said, were the "core issue" underlying violence throughout the region. "The wellspring of regional division — the source of resentment and frustration far beyond — is the denial of justice and peace in Palestine," Abdullah said. His plea for the United States to play a "central role" for peace in the Middle East came as the Bush administration, stung by setbacks from Iraq to Lebanon, has taken a broader diplomatic approach to the region, including a decision to meet on Saturday in Baghdad with Iranian, Syrian and other regional representatives to discuss security in Iraq. more...
| Israel | Islam | EU | 4th Kingdom | 1st Seal | America |

Israel responds cautiously to PA offer of truce for end to boycott (March 7, 2007) - Israel responded cautiously Wednesday to a Palestinian offer for a complete cease-fire if Jerusalem supports an end to the international aid boycott imposed on the Palestinians following Hamas' victory in the January 2006 parliamentary elections. A senior Hamas official told Haaretz on Tuesday that if Israel agrees to persuade the international community not to boycott the new Palestinian unity government, the Palestinians "will offer a promise from Hamas and Fatah of a total cease-fire with Israel, including a complete halt to Qassam [rocket] fire and suicide bombings." But said Prime Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisen, "We need to see that you can actually implement the ceasefire [in Gaza] before we can consider an extension." Eisen said Israel has not responded to repeated Qassam rocket fire on southern Israel since the cease-fire in Gaza took effect. "It's about time Palestinians deliver on a promise instead of just Israel delivering on ours." But a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, a group that carried out a suicide bombing in Israel in January and did not sign a Gaza truce in November, said it opposed the idea raised in negotiations on finalizing a unity government. "We cannot talk about calm while the Zionist aggression is continuing against our Palestinian people in the West Bank and the escalation against Islamic Jihad members and leaders," the leader, Khaled al-Batsh, said. Israel has killed three Islamic Jihad militants in raids in the occupied West Bank since a Jan. 29 suicide attack in the Red Sea resort of Eilat killed three Israelis. Batsh said his group was planning attacks to avenge the deaths of its men. more...
| Israel | Islam |

Blair wants EU to take on British foreign affairs, says German ambassador (March 6, 2007) - Tony Blair is set to back plans for a powerful new EU foreign minister to represent Britain's interests abroad, it has been claimed. A senior German official said it was time for Europe to "get its act together" by agreeing to create the massively influential post that would effectively limit the powers of national foreign ministers. His comments will fuel fears that Germany is trying to revive the discredited EU constitution by the back door during its six months presidency of the EU. And it is sure to be opposed by Tory leader David Cameron, who spoke out in Brussels against further centralisation of EU powers and the prospect of introducing key elements of the constitution - such as the common foreign minister plan - without the democratic support of voters. Germany's ambassador to the UK, Wolfgang Ischinger, spoke warmly of the idea of an EU foreign affairs supremo, a role that would go to a full-time unelected Brussels figure who would strut the world stage at taxpayers' expense to present a "harmonised" foreign policy on behalf of the 27-member club. Mr Ischinger confidently expressed his belief that Mr Blair secretly supports the plan - which critics warn is a major step towards a European superstate. He claimed that other world powers could not "understand" why the EU had so many representatives on foreign affairs. And he called for Javier Solana, the EU's current "High Representative" on foreign affairs, to be put in charge of European foreign policy as a formal foreign minister. The EU was forced to ditch the foreign minister plan last year after the French and Dutch refused to back the blueprint, but European leaders are plotting to bring it back in some form. Mr Ischinger told journalists in London: "Like a group of lobbyists, we are an incredibly diverse group of people and no-one in Washington has ever understood why there needs to be a President of the Commission, and a Commissioner, and then comes the higher representative for foreign policy, Mr (Javier ) Solana and then comes the Presidency...and it is very confusing for non-EU people. "Why can't we get our act together and have a European foreign minister who can travel to Malaysia, or Washington, or some other country and say this is what the EU believes." When asked whether the German Chancellor Angela Merkel also backs the idea of a single EU foreign minister, he added: "Absolutely. Sure. And I think the British Government thinks the same thing. more... Revelation 17:3;8-18
| EU | 4th Kingdom | Solana |

Iranian Imam Receives Christ Via Satellite TV, Escapes Country (March 5, 2007) - One of the top Islamic leaders in Iran accepted Christ and left the country after facing death threats and imprisonment, according to an Iranian pastor living in the U.S. “This man has been watching Christian TV programs for the past two years,” said Pastor Elnathan Baghestani, founder of Iran for Christ Ministries. Pastor Baghestani and his wife provide Christian programming to the Mohabat Network satellite, which broadcasts 24/7 into Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. The imam called one of the phone counselors connected to Iran for Christ Ministries and prayed to receive Christ in early February. “The man has been watching Christian TV programs for the past two years,” Baghestani said. “He said he has believed since he began watching the programs but his salvation was sealed through his confession.” “This man knows all the verses of the Qur’an by heart,” he added. “After he began watching, doubt began in his heart about the Islamic faith.” The man spent nine months in prison after he questioned the violence of radical Islam. Following his release from prison, he faced numerous death threats and escaped the country. Several other religious leaders may follow suit. “He knows four other high-ranking imams that are in the same condition and want to leave Iran,” Baghestani said. While it is illegal to own satellite dishes in Iran, many hide them on their roofs or other locations on their property. “They arrest people for having satellite dishes because they know the Christian programming is effective,” Baghestani noted. The imam who fled left everything behind. “His salary was 700,000 of their monetary units every month,” Baghestani said. “He was honored and respected, but when the gospel came to him he lost everything,” he noted. “Now he is a poor refugee in a foreign country.” “God is shaking the foundation of Islam in Iran,” Baghestani said. “We have been praying for some of the main government officials to come to Christ and God is answering us,” he reports. “I pray God will open more doors for us to send the gospel to the Middle East.”
| Islam |

Sun Responsible for Global Warming (March 5, 2007) - Two new reports cast doubt on the manmade global warming theory and instead point to another cause for the recent warming of Earth — changes in the sun. One report from National Geographic News asserts, "Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet’s recent climate changes have a natural — and not a human-induced — cause, according to one scientist’s controversial theory.” Data from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey mission in 2005 disclosed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps” near Mars’ south pole had been shrinking for three consecutive summers. Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the shrinking provides evidence that the current warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun, according to the National Geographic article. "The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars,” he said. "Manmade greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance.” The other report offers a mechanism behind the changes in the sun — variations in its magnetic field. Compiled by scientists at the Danish National Space Center, it maintains that the Earth’s climate is strongly influenced by cosmic rays from exploded stars. The cosmic rays help make ordinary clouds, and high levels of rays and cloudiness cool the planet, while lower levels of radiation lead to milder temperatures, according to the Danish report, which is cited by Marc Morano, communications director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, on the committee’s Web site. "Cosmic ray intensities — and therefore cloudiness — keep changing because the sun’s magnetic field varies in its ability to repel cosmic rays coming from the galaxy before they reach the Earth,” the Danish report by Henrik Svensmark, head of the Space Center, explains.
| Earth Changes |

Britney 'attempted rehab suicide' (March 5, 2007) - BRITNEY Spears has flipped her lid in rehab, trying to hang herself with a bedsheet after screaming "I am the anti-christ" to frightened staff. She made the demonic cry after scrawling the devil's number "666" across her head. Spears's manic behaviour has concerned relatives who once again fear for her safety, and has staff at the Promises Clinic in Malibu, California struggling to cope. The former chart-topper's troubles have been revealed in Britain's News Of the World, which broke the exclusive story. Within days of her suicidal behaviour, Spears - who was in and out of rehab before shaving her own head and later attacking a photographer's car with an umbrella - was begging estranged husband Kevin Federline not only for a reconciliation, but demanding she wanted to soon have another baby. The ordeal began when she terrified staff by writing the number of the beast on her head and running around the clinic screaming, "I am the antichrist!" "The clinic people just didn't know what to do," a friend claimed. The pop star then tried to hang herself with a bedsheet was but was found before she could hurt herself.

So why in the world am I sharing this story? Normally I could care less, but the whole antichrist thing got my attention. Why would she do this? Then I saw a link that said most people approved of Brittney's friendship with Paris Hilton. Then I remembered how Lindsey Lohan has been hanging out with her too. Then I remembered all the news that has been coming out over the past years involving that group and all the partying and it made me wonder what kind of life they are all living behind closed doors that would be manifest now in the antichrist statement and writing 666 on her head. Then I am reminded of De Jesus, who claims to be the 2nd coming of Christ and has 666 tattooed on his arm. All his followers have this tattooed on them too. Then I see Christians who are reporting dramatic changes in their lives where they no longer tolerate their sin and make a stand to obey God again. My personal experience was a spiritual shift that took place on February 6, 2007 and this shift has been confirmed by many others who have felt a change over the past couple months. It's as if a release has taken place in the spirit and depending on what side you're aligned with, the change is manifest differently. For people of the world, this kind of insanity will increase because they already listen to the darkness. For those in Christ, greater understanding and expression of the Holy Spirit will come as we are prepared to meet the Lord in the air! The HIStory, Our Future Bible study brings to light why this change may be happening right now. I believe the first seal has been broken. Acts 17:11

Syria ready with bio-terror if U.S. hits Iran (March 5, 2007) - An American biodefense analyst living in Europe says if the U.S. invades Iran to halt its nuclear ambitions, Syria is ready to respond with weapons of mass destruction – specifically biological weapons. "Syria is positioned to launch a biological attack on Israel or Europe should the U.S. attack Iran," Jill Bellamy-Dekker told WND. "The Syrians are embedding their biological weapons program into their commercial pharmaceuticals business and their veterinary vaccine-research facilities. The intelligence service oversees Syria's 'bio-farm' program and the Ministry of Defense is well interfaced into the effort." Bellamy-Decker currently directs the Public Health Preparedness program for the European Homeland Security Association under the French High Committee for Civil Defense. She anticipates a variation of smallpox is the biological agent Syria would utilize. "The Syrians are also working on orthopox viruses that are related to smallpox," Bellamy-Decker said, "and it's a good way to get around international treaties against offensive biological weapons development. They work on camelpox as a cover for smallpox." According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, camelpox is a virus closely related to smallpox, that causes a "severe and economically important disease in camels," but rarely, if ever, causes the disease in humans. WND asked Bellamy-Decker if the Syrians have any history of having used biological weapons. "I believe they are testing biological weapons right now, in Sudan, in the conflict in Darfur," she answered. "There is credible information about flyover activity in Darfur, where little parachutes have been dropped down on the population. This is consistent with dispersal methods in bioweapons attacks. I've also seen evidence of bodies that have been recovered from Darfur that look as if they had been exposed to biological weapons." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran met with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum Feb. 28 to exchange expressions of support and solidarity. "The Syrians now consider biological weapons as part of their arsenal," Bellamy-Decker said. "The Syrian military is also beginning to plan the eventual integration of biological weapons in its tactical and strategic arsenals." She referenced an April 2000 article published by Syrian defense minister General Mustafa Talas, titled "Biological (Germ) Warfare: A New and Effective Method in Modern Warfare." The article was republished in a Farsi translation in Tehran. more...
| Iran | Israel | Islam |

Arabs To Re-launch Peace Bid With Israel (March 4, 2007) - Arabs will relaunch a 2002 land-for-peace offer in an effort to end the decades-long conflict with Israel at a summit later this month, but without changes Israel has been pushing, the Arab League's Secretary-General said Sunday. Amr Moussa's remarks to a meeting of Arab foreign ministers came as Saudi Arabia announced that hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered support for the initiative during talks with Saudi officials, though Iran later denied the two discussed the peace plan. "The Arab peace initiative expresses an Arab consensus and will not be redrafted as demanded by some foreign powers," Moussa told the ministers, who were meeting in Cairo ahead of the Arab League summit scheduled for March 28-29 in the Saudi capital. "Maneuvering and watering down (the initiative) will be a strategic mistake," Moussa said. "It perhaps will lead to new bloodshed. Last week, Israeli newspapers quoted Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as saying Israel would not accept the Arab peace plan as is and asked to drop any reference to the right of the Palestinians displaced in the 1948 Mideast war to return to their homes inside the Jewish state. Moussa reiterated that Israel should give back all territories it seized in the 1967 war and allow Palestinian refugees to return. The 2002 plan calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state and full recognition of Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from all territory captured in the Arab-Israeli wars. A later version of the initiative states that Israel should return all Arab land and also allow Palestinian refugees to return. more...
| Israel | Islam | 1st Seal |

I find it interesting how this push for peace was kicked up a notch after the new year rang in with the ENPI. Could it be the funding promised mixed with fear of radical Islam is resulting in a coming false peace? The next story sure seems to demonstrate the Israeli government's willingness to give up.

Peres: We Will Surrender Judea-Samaria (March 4, 2007) - Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said on Saturday that the current government still very much intends to uproot thousands of Jews from Judea and Samaria and surrender their homes to the "Palestinians." In an interview on Israel's Channel 2 TV, Peres stated matter-of-factly: "The government will evacuate...dozens of settlements by the end of its term." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert originally ran on a platform of additional "disengagement" from the biblical Land of Israel. But his plummeting popularity following Israel's failures in last summer's Lebanon war called into question the ability to implement such a controversial policy, and Olmert put the issue on the back burner. At the time, Olmert claimed that he had been forced to change his mind due to the fact that Israel's withdrawals from southern Lebanon and Gaza had brought increased violence instead of peace. But the fact that Peres made his latest remarks at a time when hostility from Lebanon and Gaza continues unabated calls into question whether or not Olmert has really learned his lesson. | Israel | Islam | 1st Seal | With this kind of results, I'm not surprised Islam is using these terrorist tactics. They work quite well to accomplish their desires.

Lunar eclipse wows sky watchers (March 4, 2007) - Sky watchers across the world have been enjoying the first total lunar eclipse in more than three years. The eclipse began at 2018 GMT, with the Moon totally immersed in the shadow of the Earth between 2244 and 2358 GMT. During "totality" the Moon took on a reddish hue; the only light reaching its surface by this stage had been filtered through Earth's atmosphere. The eclipse was visible from the whole of Europe, Africa, South America, and eastern parts of the US and Canada. The copper-red Moon was visible across large areas of the UK thanks to clear skies. Robin Scagell, from the Society for Popular Astronomy, said that it was "one of the best lunar eclipses from Britain for years". "It was fascinating to watch the Moon's graceful movement through the shadow of the Earth and check its coppery glow," he said. The last total eclipse visible from the UK was back in May 2004, but it was obscured by cloudy skies. Lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon are in a near-perfect line in space. The Moon travels through the long cone-shaped shadow that the Earth casts in space. At totality, the only light reaching the Moon's surface has been refracted through the Earth's atmosphere. more...
| Earth Changes |

This lunar eclipse came just before Purim March 4, 2007. Just something I noticed. I wish I could have seen it from Seattle. :(

Peres says U.S. mediation bid stymied by internal PA divisions (March 4, 2007) - Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Saturday that while Jordan's King Abdullah would like to see a stronger U.S. role in resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict, greater American intervention is being thwarted by internal divisions within the Palestinians. "The Americans are ready to be more involved, but they encounter factions within the Palestinian camp itself, and also disagreements between Sunni and Shiites, who influence the Palestinians as well." Speaking on state television in Amman on Friday ahead of a visit to the U.S., Abdullah said the United States was the country most capable of influencing Israel. "It is time that the [U.S.] employ this influence to prove its transparency to the people of the region, and that it is not biased," Abdullah said. The king, who has long urged America to make a greater effort on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, is likely to make the same point when he addresses the U.S. Congress on Wednesday. He called on Israelis to choose between a "fortress" mentality or living in peace and security with their neighbors. "The Middle East faces two choices - either the choice of peace or the choice of chaos, violence and destruction," the king told Jordanian television, to which he rarely gives interviews. He said that a solution to the Palestinian problem would spare the region disaster and chaos. Referring to the United States, he said: "It is our duty to push this great state, and others, to take balanced positions and support the peace process." Abdullah said that he realized that Washington was preoccupied with Iraq, and said Jordan too wanted to see reconciliation and stability in Iraq. But, the king added, "the principal problem in the region is the Palestinian issue and, if it is not solved, it will be impossible to solve the other problems." more...
| Israel | Islam | America |

Christian belief a 'hate crime' under plan (March 3, 2007) - Americans worried about new "hate crime" legislation that could be used to make criminals of those whose religious faith doesn't endorse homosexuality could be facing a two-pronged attack, according to groups that monitor those developments. The newest threat is being prepared by U.S. Rep. John Conyers, the head of the House Judiciary Committee, whose work is being called "The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007," according to the Rev. Ted Pike, of the National Prayer Network. He said a letter to other members of the House was intercepted by Focus on the Family and indicated that it "gives the federal government even more power to create a bias motivation justice system, turning America into a police state." Michael Marcavage, director of Repent America and Pike both had alerted their constituencies earlier to H.R. 254, or the David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which could create "anti-hate" restrictions and penalties. Marcavage told WND that plan would invert American justice, and instead of requiring evidence it would leave it to someone who claims to be offended to determine whether a "crime" has been committed. "Truth is not allowed as evidence in hate crimes trials. … A homosexual can claim emotional damage from hearing Scripture that describes his lifestyle as an abomination. He can press charges against the pastor or broadcaster who merely reads the Bible in public. The 'hater' can be fined thousands of dollars and even imprisoned!" Marcavage said. So there immediately was a flood of calls to Congress with opposition to H.R. 254 and it appeared that the plan might not make it out of committee. In fact, records show it still is pending in the House Judiciary Committee. But Pike is says the danger is far from over. "I think H.R. 254 may be a decoy, designed to absorb the bulk of protest from Christians and conservatives. Because of massive protest, it may be voted down or set aside in Judiciary soon. But Conyers will then substitute the bill that's really wanted by the Anti-Defamation league of B'nai B'rith, architect of this legislation," Pike said. "Conyers could reintroduce this bill very soon. Since Nancy Pelosi and the House Rules Committee can speed any bill forward for a House vote, even bypassing Judiciary altogether, Conyers and Pelosi could almost immediately put LLEHCPA at the head of the docket and up for a vote in the House," he said. Pike said the same plan passed the House in 2005, but not the Senate. This year, "buttressed by a host of co-sponsors and virtually untainted by criticism, it could be sped forward," he said. more...
| America | NewWorldOrder |

The 70th Week Herb L. Peters (March 3, 2007) - For those having trouble reading the writing, this report spells it out Read about it here. It begins by saying: Israel is examining the idea of upgrading its relations with the European Union and gaining the status of Norway and Switzerland. It goes on to talk about the foundational agreement that exists between the many EU nations and the Mediterranean nations -- including Israel. As you may know, I strongly suspect that this 1995 agreement -- known as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership for Peace, the Barcelona Process, and sometimes just Euromed -- could be the covenant with many that's foretold in Daniel 9:27. Close ties The EU-Israel Association Agreement, signed in 1995, included in its preamble a declaration that the European Union, the member states and Israel are interested in promoting the integration of Israel's economy into the European economy. Interestingly, this agreement with many nations entered into force with Israel while the 10-nation Western European Union was adopting and implementing its Recommendation 666. The report says: The Agreement underwent a ratification process between 1996-2000, and entered into force in 2000 [It entered into force on June 1. Recommendation 666 was adopted June 5]. Now, as if following the outline of Bible prophecy, we come to a seven-year program that, if you have been following the news, appears to be changing the face of the Middle East and making a lasting and comprehensive peace possible. The report continues: European Neighbourhood Policy Monday's EU-Israel bilateral discussions will also focus on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) framework under which the EU offers its neighbours a privileged relationship that brings advantages to both sides. The European Commission has proposed to promote the ENP policy in order to strengthen political, trade, economic and human rights agreements between the EU and nearby countries, including Israel. You see, when the Commission proposed to promote the ENP, it was proposing a new seven-year push to strengthen existing agreements under what's called the "New" ENP. And this "New" ENP began on January 1, 2007. And as I said before, this new push appears to be already baring fruit Read about it here | And here. So, in this one report, we serious students of Bible prophecy may have all we need to suspect that we could already be in the 70th week of Daniel. And in my opinion, the only arguments that can be raised against this possibility are based either on past speculations, or ignorance of the facts on the ground -- not the Bible. Does that mean I know for sure we're in the 70th week? Although I believe all the evidence suggests this, I allow room that I could be reading things wrong. However, I know what I see. And so far, what I see matches the prophecy of Daniel's 70th week. Stay tuned.
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | 1st Seal |

Israel, E.U. talk improved ties (March 3, 2007) - Israel and the European Union discussed upgrading their relations. The E.U.-Israel Association Council, the ministerial body that monitors E.U.-Israel relations in the framework of the 2000 Association Agreement, held its annual meeting Monday in Brussels. It was attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Israel expressed an interest in joining European agencies, including Europol, Eurojust and the new European Environmental agency, as well as participating in E.U. cultural programs. The discussions also focused on the European Neighborhood Policy, a framework designed by the European Commission to strengthen political, trade and human rights agreements between the E.U. and nearby countries, including Israel. "We are more than willing to explore all possibilities to tighten our relations with the E.U., and we congratulate the decision to create a common team for that purpose," Livni said.
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | 1st Seal |

See Also: MK Dotan: Israel interested in closer ties with EU (March 3, 2007)

Enough gladiator games, the Middle East must talk (March 3, 2007) - Suddenly, the diplomatic season seems to have broken out all over the Middle East. The main players perhaps have seen the looming catastrophe hovering over the region, and decided to pull back from the brink. The most important meeting is the one this weekend between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. Other significant gatherings include the March 10 meeting in Baghdad of regional states and world powers who will explore how to restore security in and sovereignty to Iraq; the trip of an American assistant secretary of state to Syria to discuss humanitarian issues related to Iraqi refugee flows; last month's meetings of Palestinian and Israeli leaders with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; and the Hamas-Fatah leaders' meeting and agreement in Mecca under Saudi auspices. This movement reflects a growing realization that everybody will lose if things continue on their present trajectory in the Middle East. The danger signs are embodied in two continuing violent trends that plague the region: the steady expansion and popularity of militias, resistance organizations, other powerful armed political groups, and terrorists, that are beyond the control of governments and often challenge these; and, the steady build-up of American-led armed forces in the region, combined with diplomatic pressure, aimed against Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas and others who oppose the American-, British-, and Israeli-led alignment that includes several Arab governments. This trend culminated in last summer's Israel-Hizbullah war, a worsening security situation in Iraq, and the continuing pressures against Iran and Syria. Both sides in this regional face-off continue to prove their strength in public opinion and in their determination to face down and, if necessary, militarily fight the other side. The big losers are incumbent Arab regimes, who are squeezed between the indigenous militancy of their own people and the aggressive militarism of their foreign allies. Lost, too, is the wellbeing of ordinary citizens throughout the Arab world and Iran, who do not wish to see themselves collapse into the incoherence and suffering of open war that are the natural consequence of intemperate policies. more...
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN | 1st Seal |

Real IDs to Become Real in 2010 (March 2, 2007) - US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced today that states will be given an additional two years past the original May 11, 2008 deadline to comply with the directives of the controversial Real ID Act. Originally enacted into law in 2005, the Act contains many contentious directives, such as state agencies scanning of personal documents into a nationally-accessible database, giving a uniform appearance to each state's personal IDs, and implementing RFID tagging. Today, in announcing the new deadline of December 31, 2009, Sec. Chertoff stressed that the process of tightening identification security strictly involves common sense.Once the deadline has passed, applicants for driver's licenses will need to prove five items to their local DMV: name, birth date, legal status, social security number, and address. These can all be confirmed with birth certificates, passports, permanent resident cards, Social Security cards, or W-2s; and for addresses, a recent utility bill or similar document. This is all essentially the same process US citizens had to endure 20 years ago to verify their new address for the Postal Service, although now documents will be scanned or copied and stored in the DMV's database. According to Chertoff, some states have already begun doing this. In addition, states will be required to prepare security plans for DMV offices, license storage and production facilities, databases, and systems. Chertoff today addressed fears that the federal government was accumulating a central database of citizens' identities - one which would inevitably become the target of attack from malicious users. "We at the Department of Homeland Security in the federal government will not build, will not own, and will not operate any central database containing personal information," he told reporters. "The data will continue to be held at the state level as it has traditionally been since they began to issue drivers’ licenses." As for the RFID tagging, Chertoff said: "The magnetic strips, these aren’t RFID. You’d have to actually take the strip and run it into a reader." While Chertoff's comments do address the state of affairs at present, he did not decisively say whether the magnetic strips will be replaced with RFID by the January 2010 implementation date. He repeated several times, however, his belief that technology makes these IDs better.
| America |

French Scientist—Among First to Sound the Alarm on Global Warming—Changes His Mind, and His Position (March 2, 2007) - Claude Allegre, one of France's leading socialists and among her most celebrated scientists, was among the first to sound the alarm about the dangers of global warming. "By burning fossil fuels, man increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which, for example, has raised the global mean temperature by half a degree in the last century," Dr. Allegre, a renowned geochemist, wrote 20 years ago in Cles pour la geologie.." Fifteen years ago, Dr. Allegre was among the 1500 prominent scientists who signed "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity," a highly publicized letter stressing that global warming's "potential risks are very great" and demanding a new caring ethic that recognizes the globe's fragility in order to stave off "spirals of environmental decline, poverty, and unrest, leading to social, economic and environmental collapse." In the 1980s and early 1990s, when concern about global warming was in its infancy, little was known about the mechanics of how it could occur, or the consequences that could befall us. Since then, governments throughout the western world and bodies such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have commissioned billions of dollars worth of research by thousands of scientists. With a wealth of data now in, Dr. Allegre has recanted his views. To his surprise, the many climate models and studies failed dismally in establishing a man-made cause of catastrophic global warming. Meanwhile, increasing evidence indicates that most of the warming comes of natural phenomena. Dr. Allegre now sees global warming as over-hyped and an environmental concern of second rank. His break with what he now sees as environmental cant on climate change came in September, in an article entitled "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" in l' Express, the French weekly. His article cited evidence that Antarctica is gaining ice and that Kilimanjaro's retreating snow caps, among other global-warming concerns, come from natural causes. "The cause of this climate change is unknown," he states matter of factly. There is no basis for saying, as most do, that the "science is settled." more...
| Earth Changes |

Pope's Retreat Preacher Speaks on Antichrist as a "pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist" (March 1, 2007) - Papal watchers are wondering what message Pope Benedict XVI was giving when he selected retired Bologna archbishop Cardinal Giacomo Biffi to preach the annual Lenten retreat to the Pope and the top members of the Vatican. Rocco Palmo, expert Vatican reporter for The Tablet, the international Catholic weekly published in London England has noted the significance of the selection of the Lenten retreat preacher. "Since time immemorial -- or, at least, the retreat's heightened profile over the 20th century -- the selection of the preacher has become a closely-watched indicator of the prevailing winds in the papal apartment," said Palmo on his blog. "(T)he choice often falling to a voice the Pope might like to tout... and not just for a higher prominence on the preaching circuit." Palmo added weight to his remarks noting that "Before their respective elections to the papacy, both Joseph Ratzinger and Karol Wojtyla were tapped to lead the annual exercises." This year's selection when it became known created a stir since Cardinal Biffi, while he is known for orthodox faith and frank words, is most well known, at least in the secular media, for his preaching on the Antichrist. In fact, the Times of London reported in 2004 that the Cardinal described the Antichrist as "walking among us". The Lenten retreat did not disappoint. Cardinal Biffi picked up on his oft repeated theme of the Antichrist, basing his remarks on the works of Vladimir Soloviev, a Russian theologian who has received praise from Pope Benedict prior to his elevation to the pontificate. Quoting Soloviev, the Cardinal said "the Antichrist presents himself as pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist." "He will convoke an ecumenical council and will seek the consensus of all the Christian confessions, granting something to each one. The masses will follow him, with the exception of small groups of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants," he said according to a Zenit translation of a Vatican Radio summary here. In his "Tale of the Antichrist" Solovyov foresees that a small group of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants will resist and will say to the Antichrist: "You give us everything, except what interests us, Jesus Christ". For Cardinal Biffi, this narrative is a warning: "Today, in fact, we run the risk of having a Christianity which puts aside Jesus with his cross and resurrection." The 78-year-old cardinal added that if Christians "limited themselves to speaking of shared values they would be more accepted on television programs and in social groups. But in this way, they will have renounced Jesus, the overwhelming reality of the resurrection." The cardinal said he believes that this is "the danger that Christians face in our days … the Son of God cannot be reduced to a series of good projects sanctioned by the prevailing worldly mentality." The preacher of the Spiritual Exercises added that "there are relative values, such as solidarity, love of peace and respect for nature. If these become absolute, uprooting or even opposing the proclamation of the event of salvation, then these values become an instigation to idolatry and obstacles on the way of salvation." Cardinal Biffi affirmed that "if Christianity -- on opening itself to the world and dialoguing with all -- dilutes the salvific event, it closes itself to a personal relationship with Jesus and places itself on the side of the Antichrist." Cardinal Biffi's reflections, in fact, are very similar to remarks Pope Benedict made last Fall in a meeting with Swiss Bishops. While Pope Benedict did not speak of the Antichrist, he spoke of a new false or "substitute" religion, calling it also a "successor" of religion. "Modern society is not simply without morality, but it has, so to speak, 'discovered' and professes a part of morality", the Pope told the Swiss bishops. "These are the great themes of peace, non-violence, justice for all, concern for the poor, and respect for creation." However, the Pope warned that these "great moral themes" have "become an ethical complex that, precisely as a political force, has great power and constitutes for many the substitute for religion, or its successor." "It is only if human life is respected from conception to death that the ethics of peace is also possible and credible," concluded the Pope. "It is only then that non-violence can express itself in every direction; only then that we truly welcome creation, and only then that we can arrive at true justice."
| RCC |

Not everyone in Roman Catholicism has put aside a personal relationship with Yeshua the Christ for the traditions and ceremony and Mary. While I prefer an approach to Christ outside of man's added rules, there are many true believers with a personal relationship with Christ in many different denominational variances of scripture. Our focus must remain Christ and our foundation in the Word of God. Cardinal Giacomo Biffi clearly has a heart for Christ, desiring that He remains in the forefront and that is encouraging to see. I think he's pretty right on in his assessment too.

Border Guard Officer Kills Two Terrorists in a Week (March 1, 2007) - Chief superintendent M., a company commander in the Border Guard, on Wednesday morning killed the commander of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, Ashraf Sa'adi, who was responsible for launching several suicide attacks in 2005 and 2006. The company was operating in the Jenin refugee camp. M. describes the morning's events for Ynet: "We received specific information about a vehicle. When we noticed it, we tried to capture the three terrorist inside. "They escaped into one of the alleyways and started to shoot in our direction. We returned fire. I felt something hit me in my shoulder but continued fighting. I then saw someone run away from the vehicle. I shot and killed him. That was Ashraf Sa'adi." The other two gunmen, also wanted terrorists, were shot down by the company. M. was lightly injured in his shoulder but refused to be evacuated for medical treatment. "I did not want to leave until it was over and everyone was out. I went to hospital when we were done," he explained. This is the second recent successful operation for M. The same unit was responsible for last week's killing of Mahmoud abu Abid, who was responsible for sending the suicide bomber caught by police in Bat Yam. more...
| Israel | Islam |

Islamic Jihad Vows Retaliation for Killing (February 28, 2007) - The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is vowing a violent retaliation for the killing of the group’s leader in the West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli military and security forces killed Ashraf Sa’adi, 28, and two of his aides in an operation on Wednesday morning. The PIJ is warning Israel will pay a high price for its actions. “The accountability bill with the Zionist enemy is increasing,” Abu Ahmad, a spokesman for the organization said on the PIJ website. He vowed the response would be violent and shocking. Palestinian news sources said two of the people assassinated were senior members of the PIJ-affiliated Al-Quds Brigades. The third person, a driver, was a member of the PIJ. Israel said Sa’adi was responsible for numerous terror attacks against Israelis over the past two years. Armed members of the PIJ and the Al-Aq’sa Martyrs Brigades gathered in the streets of Jenin for an “anger rally” after the killing and vowed revenge, the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency reported. This was the second targeting of senior PIJ members in a week. The Israeli army killed 21-year-old Mahmoud Al-‘Ubeid in Jenin last Wednesday. The army said he had been wanted by the security forces for a long time for recruiting suicide bombers to attack Israeli civilians and for manufacturing explosives. Meanwhile, Israeli army forces are continuing to engage in an anti-terror sweep in Nablus.
| Israel | Islam |

Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says (February 28, 2007) - Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory. According to one scientist's controversial take, the simultaneous rise in temperatures on Earth and Mars indicates a natural—and not a human—cause for global warming. But the vast majority of experts maintain that humans are responsible for Earth's climate changes and that the Mars phenomenon is mere coincidence. (NASA) Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Mars, too, appears to be enjoying more mild and balmy temperatures. In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row. Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of the St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun. "The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," he said. Abdussamatov believes that changes in the sun's heat output can account for almost all the climate changes we see on both planets. Mars and Earth, for instance, have experienced periodic ice ages throughout their histories. "Man-made greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years, but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance," Abdussamatov said. By studying fluctuations in the warmth of the sun, Abdussamatov believes he can see a pattern that fits with the ups and downs in climate we see on Earth and Mars. Abdussamatov's work, however, has not been well received by other climate "His views are completely at odds with the mainstream scientific opinion," said Colin Wilson, a planetary physicist at England's Oxford University. "And they contradict the extensive evidence presented in the most recent IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report." (Related: "Global Warming 'Very Likely' Caused by Humans, World Climate Experts Say" [February 2, 2007].) Amato Evan, a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, added that "the idea just isn't supported by the theory or by the observations." more...
| Earth Changes |

Huge 'Ocean' Discovered Inside Earth (February 28, 2007) - Scientists scanning the deep interior of Earth have found evidence of a vast water reservoir beneath eastern Asia that is at least the volume of the Arctic Ocean. The discovery marks the first time such a large body of water has found in the planet’s deep mantle. The finding, made by Michael Wysession, a seismologist at Washington State University in St. Louis, and his former graduate student Jesse Lawrence, now at the University of California, San Diego, will be detailed in a forthcoming monograph to be published by the American Geophysical Union. The pair analyzed more than 600,000 seismograms—records of waves generated by earthquakes traveling through the Earth—collected from instruments scattered around the planet. They noticed a region beneath Asia where seismic waves appeared to dampen, or “attenuate,” and also slow down slightly. “Water slows the speed of waves a little,” Wysession explained. “Lots of damping and a little slowing match the predictions for water very well.” Previous predictions calculated that if a cold slab of the ocean floor were to sink thousands of miles into the Earth’s mantle, the hot temperatures would cause water stored inside the rock to evaporate out. “That is exactly what we show here,” Wysession said. “Water inside the rock goes down with the sinking slab and it’s quite cold, but it heats up the deeper it goes, and the rock eventually becomes unstable and loses its water.” The water then rises up into the overlying region, which becomes saturated with water [image]. “It would still look like solid rock to you,” Wysession told LiveScience. “You would have to put it in the lab to find the water in it.” more...
| Earth Changes |

I saw a video recently on the flood and how it happened. The Bible talks about oceans of the deep breaking open. This video showed it really well, I'll have to see if I can figure out what it was and let you know for those interested.

UFOs over Iran could be U.S. operations, extraterrestrial visitors or both (February 2, 2007) - People in Iran, as in many other countries, have had interesting sightings of and encounters with unidentified flying objects (UFOs) over the years. Lately these sightings seem to have increased. Are Iranians seeing U.S. surveillance drones, extraterrestrial visitors, some combination of both or something entirely different? According to a Jan. 19 report from the Fars News Agency (FNA) in Iran, a UFO was observed Wednesday, Jan. 17. FNA reported, “A radiant unidentified flying object was again observed in the sky of Central Sepidar in the vicinity of Bouyer Ahmad in western Iran from 19:10 to 20:30 hours local time (15:40 to 17:00 GMT) Wednesday. Witnesses told FNA that the object has been observed for more than an hour.” FNA reports said another case occurred two days prior on Jan. 15: “In a similar incident last Monday, an unidentified flying object was witnessed in the same area and at the same time.” “Witnesses also said that the UFO has been as big as a ball, with a yellow ray and a bright reddish color in the center. They also stated that the object has been flying at a very low altitude,” FNA said. In another Jan. 17 incident in Iran that made news worldwide, multiple witnesses reported a “crash” of a UFO. FNA also covered that story and reported, “Last Wednesday, a UFO crashed in Barrez Mounts in the central province of Kerman. Deputy Governor General of Kerman Province Abulghassem Nasrollahi told FNA that the crash, which was followed by an explosion and a thick spiral of smoke, has caused no casualties or damage to properties.” “Eyewitnesses assured that the explosion has been caused as a result of the crash of a radiant unidentified flying object onto the ground. The source also said that the crash has been witnessed by people in several cities, and mentioned that the rendezvous point was located 100 kilometers from the provincial capital city of Kerman,” FNA reported. Nasrollahi told FNA, “People in the city of Rafsanjan also reported to have witnessed a similar incident several days ago. Similar crash incidents have been witnessed frequently during the last year all across Iran, and officials believe that the objects could be spy planes or a hi-tech espionage device.” more...
| UFO |

I believe it is possible that we may see an increase in UFO sightings in these last days. Genesis 6:1-9 speaks to sons of God bearing Nephilim with the daughters of men. We also see that this is why God destroyed the earth in the flood. Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream had an end-time kingdom of iron mixed with clay. This represents some group that "shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." Daniel 2:41-44 How can "they" be human if "they" mingle themselves with the seed of men? You see extraterrestrials (those not of terra firma) have come to earth before in Genesis 6. Is that what we're seeing here? I don't believe there are other civilizations out there. I've heard many people describe their encounters and on in particular stands out. Whitley Strieber, author of Communion, is an atheist and his description of his abduction experience was "demonic." This irrational fear is associated with all these encounters. I've never seen a UFO or experienced anything but when people come out and speak of their experiences which relate to others and they get no benefit from it, I take notice. In most cases they're actually mocked and spurned because the whole idea is not widely accepted. Given that the Bible speaks of this happening before, I would expect it to happen again, especially in the end times. Fallen angels came before, they will come again and they were not created from the dust of the earth as man, nor did they originate from this planet. Therefore, they are extraterrestrial and not of this world. Biblically they are angels, fallen or not.