December 31, 2007

Coming From The Lighthouse: 2007 Overview Lighthouse Trails (December 31, 2007) - This is our last issue of Coming from the Lighthouse newsletter for 2007. We have highlighted some of our most significant stories. Needless to say, contemplative/emerging spirituality has made some deep inroads in 2007 throughout the world. While this is sobering, and it saddens our hearts, we are also encouraged by the number of believers who have shared their stories with us about how they were able to help their families, friends, and sometimes pastors come to understand the truth about this anti-biblical belief system. We are honored and blessed to serve such courageous people, who have often lost relationships and been ridiculed and belittled for speaking up. As we remember many who have gone before us, throughout the centuries, who paid with their lives to stand for truth, may the Lord strengthen each one today who is willing to defend the precious Gospel message of Jesus Christ. more...
| Apostasy |

Test Driving the Future: Honda's FCX Fuel-Cell Car MSN - What's it like to drive the only hydrogen car that's government-certified for everyday use on American roads? It's very, very quiet. There are no engine or exhaust sounds from the sleekly styled, 4-seat, 4-door latest-generation Honda FCX prototype, which uses compressed hydrogen as its fuel. There's no need for noise. In onboard, electrochemical reactions, the hydrogen is directed to fuel cells and membranes therein where electricity is quietly created, and the electricity then quietly powers the car. There's no internal combustion engine under the hood or anywhere in the FCX, so there's no volatile gasoline-and-air-mix under explosive pressure of engine pistons. And so there's no need for a muffler. In fact, at most, my passengers and I in the Honda FCX merely heard a bit of wind noise and a high-pitch whine from an air pump that was working to keep the fuel cell properly cool. There also was some serenity-stealing tire squeal—honest—in this oh-so-environmentally advanced car as the instantaneous torque from electric power got the FCX wheels moving aggressively. But that was my fault. All too eager to get going in this rare, million-dollar prototype, I learned quickly that stepping hard on the accelerator brings a surge of electricity-supplied torque faster and smoother than the torque from a gasoline engine. more...
| Technology |

And Out of Zion Will Come the World's First Nano-Torah Israel National News (December 31, 2007) - Out of Zion has come the world’s tiniest Bible, engraved in gold on silicon, to illustrate the science of nanotechnology. More than 300,000 words and 1,200,000 letters, including vowels have been placed on less than half a square millimeter, allowing the tiny Torah to fit inside the first dot of the first letter of a traditional Torah scroll. “We took a piece of silicon and evaporated a very small layer of gold over it, about twenty nanometers thick,” explained Ohad Zohar, a Ph.D. student at the Technion, on Israel National Radio’s Yishai Fleisher Show. A nanometer is about a billionth of a meter. Click here to hear the interview with Zohar on Arutz-7's Israel National Radio “We then used a focused ion beam to inscribe the Biblical text on it,” Zohar said. “What the focused ion beam does is shoot gallium ions, focusing the charged particles on the substrip [of gold]. It digs little holes and each hole is a pixel for whatever picture you would like. In our case this is the Tanach [Five Books of Moses, Prophets and Writings –ed.].” “What did you make this for?” asked Fleisher. “It is not for ordinary use, of course,” Zohar said. “To read it you need very expensive equipment. You cannot read it with a magnifying glass or even the best optical microscope. You need an electron microscope to read it. It is not intended to replace any storage devices out there. We did this as part of a massive educational program aimed at mostly high school students to explain different methods of storing information and spark an interest in Nanotechnology.” The project was sponsored and conducted at the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at Haifa's Technion Institute of Technology. more...
| Israel | Technology |

Huckabee stands by 'Christ' comment Associated Press (December 30, 2007) - Mike Huckabee, a Republican relying on support from religious conservatives in Thursday's hard-fought presidential caucuses, on Sunday stood by a decade-old comment in which he said, "I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ." In a television interview, the ordained Southern Baptist minister and former Arkansas governor made no apologies for the 1998 comment made at a Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Salt Lake City. "It was a speech made to a Christian gathering, and, and certainly that would be appropriate to be said to a gathering of Southern Baptists," Huckabee said on NBC's "Meet the Press." He gave the speech the same year he endorsed the Baptist convention's statement of beliefs on marriage that "a wife is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ." Huckabee and his wife, Janet, signed a full-page ad in USA Today in support of the statement with 129 other evangelical leaders. The former governor, who rallied Christian evangelicals to make him a surprise force in Iowa, has put his faith front and center in his campaign. His stump speech sounds like a pastor's pitch from a pulpit. Campaign ads emphasize faith and call him a Christian leader. He frequently quotes Bible verses. As his fortunes have improved, Huckabee has faced a drumbeat of questions and criticism about his gubernatorial record and the role of faith in his administration. He also has made some missteps while trying to fend off a challenge — and critical TV ads — from Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and Mormon whose faith unsettles some religious conservatives. Four days before the caucuses Thursday, a new poll found Huckabee's surge may have stalled; his once double-digit lead over Romney has evaporated. Private polling shows the two in a dead heat. The television interview was Huckabee's only campaign appearance Sunday. With the media throng following him having grown immensely, Huckabee scrapped a public event at a church in favor of attending a private service closed to reporters. Instead of courting voters, he hunkered down to film new TV ads, perhaps spots responding to Romney's barrage of critical commercials. As recently as Friday, Huckabee insisted he wanted to run a positive campaign. He also reserved the right to respond aggressively. more...
| America |

Kingdom in 2007: Encouraging Historic Interfaith Dialogue Arab News (December 30, 2007) - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s historic meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Nov. 6 was one of the highlights of his two-week-long European tour in 2007. It opened a new era in Muslim-Christian relations as the two leaders called for dialogue between the followers of major religions in order to promote world peace. The Vatican meeting captured world attention. German Chancellor Angelo Merkel commended the king for his meeting with the pontiff. “We have been following up your meeting with the pope with great interest. It was a fruitful meeting and we know that you support interfaith dialogue to resolve all issues and problems,” she said. King Abdullah arrived in Rome on the second leg of his four-nation European tour, which also took him to the United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey. The visits were instrumental in strengthening relations with the four countries and mobilizing their support for Arab and Islamic causes. King Abdullah was the first Saudi monarch to have an audience with the pope. Benedict warmly greeted the king, grasping both his hands before leading him to a library for their brief private meeting, which lasted 60 minutes, with both leaders speaking through interpreters. The Vatican said the talks allowed a wide discussion on the need for religious and cultural dialogue among Christians, Muslims and Jews “for the promotion of peace, justice and spiritual and moral values, especially in support of the family.” Both sides emphasized the need for a “just solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. About a million Catholics, many of them migrant workers from the Philippines, live in Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s two holiest mosques. The BBC’s Frances Harrison in Rome said the symbolism of the meeting was huge for those who believe there should be more dialogue between Islam and Christianity, especially after the pontiff’s controversial September 2006 speech at Regensburg University, denigrating the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Benedict’s speech sparked anger across the Muslim world. Later he said he was misunderstood and regretted offending Muslims. Since then, he has met a number of Islamic leaders and a year ago visited predominantly Muslim Turkey. The Vatican has said it wants to pursue a dialogue with moderate Muslims. Marco Politi, the Vatican correspondent for the Italian daily La Repubblica and a biographer of Pope John Paul II, said: “I think it is extraordinarily important that an official communiqué from the Vatican and an important Islamic state like Saudi Arabia mentions ‘cooperation’ between Christians Muslims and Jews — not dialogue but cooperation.” The meeting, presaged by an upbeat front-page article in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s newspaper, was also a clear attempt by the Vatican to repair damage done by the pope’s statement on the Prophet, which the Islamic world had seen as insensitive if not incendiary. more...
| Islam | RCC | Apostasy |

IDF: Bomb making chemicals were disguised as EU aid The Jerusalem Post (December 29, 2007) - The IDF and Shin Bet uncovered 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate hidden in sacks that were disguised as aid from the European Union, the army announced on Saturday. Security forces discovered the stash in the cargo of a Palestinian truck at a West Bank checkpoint earlier in December. According to the IDF, the material, hidden in sugar sacks, was planned to be used by terrorists in the Gaza Strip. "Potassium Nitrate is a banned substance in the Gaza Strip and the Judea and Samaria region due to its use by terrorists for the manufacturing of explosives and Kassam rockets," the IDF spokesperson wrote in a statement. "This is another example of how the terror organizations exploit the humanitarian aid that is delivered to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip with Israel's approval," the statement read.
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

2007 a Year of Weather Records in U.S. Breitbart.com (December 29, 2007) - When the calendar turned to 2007, the heat went on and the weather just got weirder. January was the warmest first month on record worldwide—1.53 degrees above normal. It was the first time since record-keeping began in 1880 that the globe's average temperature has been so far above the norm for any month of the year. And as 2007 drew to a close, it was also shaping up to be the hottest year on record in the Northern Hemisphere. U.S. weather stations broke or tied 263 all-time high temperature records, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. weather data. England had the warmest April in 348 years of record-keeping there, shattering the record set in 1865 by more than 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn't just the temperature. There were other oddball weather events. A tornado struck New York City in August, inspiring the tabloid headline: "This ain't Kansas!" In the Middle East, an equally rare cyclone spun up in June, hitting Oman and Iran. Major U.S. lakes shrank; Atlanta had to worry about its drinking water supply. South Africa got its first significant snowfall in 25 years. And on Reunion Island, 400 miles east of Africa, nearly 155 inches of rain fell in three days—a world record for the most rain in 72 hours. Individual weather extremes can't be attributed to global warming, scientists always say. However, "it's the run of them and the different locations" that have the mark of man-made climate change, said top European climate expert Phil Jones, director of the climate research unit at the University of East Anglia in England. Worst of all—at least according to climate scientists—the Arctic, which serves as the world's refrigerator, dramatically warmed in 2007, shattering records for the amount of melting ice. 2007 seemed to be the year that climate change shook the thermometers, and those who warned that it was beginning to happen were suddenly honored. Former Vice President Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Oscar and he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international group of thousands of scientists. The climate panel, organized by the United Nations, released four major reports in 2007 saying man-made global warming was incontrovertible and an urgent threat to millions of lives. Through the first 10 months, it was the hottest year recorded on land and the third hottest when ocean temperatures are included. Smashing records was common, especially in August. At U.S. weather stations, more than 8,000 new heat records were set or tied for specific August dates. More remarkably that same month, more than 100 all-time temperature records were tied or broken—regardless of the date—either for the highest reading or the warmest low temperature at night. By comparison only 14 all-time low temperatures were set or tied all year long, as of early December, according to records kept by the National Climatic Data Center. For example, on Aug. 10, the town of Portland, Tenn., reached 102 degrees, tying a record for the hottest it ever had been. On Aug. 16, it hit 103 and Portland had a new all-time record. But that record was broken again the next day when the mercury reached 105. Daily triple-digit temperatures took a toll on everybody, public safety director George West recalled. The state had 15 heat-related deaths in August. Portland was far from alone. In Idaho, Chilly Barton Flat wasn't living up to its name. The weather station in central Idaho tied an all-time high of 100 on July 26, Aug. 7, 14 and 19. During 2007, weather stations in 35 states, from Washington to Florida, set or tied all-time heat records in 2007. Across Europe this past summer, extreme heat waves killed dozens of people. And it wasn't just the heat. It was the rain. There was either too little or too much. more...
| Earth Changes |

Militants, Bhutto aides allege cover-up Associated Press (December 29, 2007) - Pakistan rejected foreign help in investigating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Saturday, despite controversy over the circumstances of her death and three days of paralyzing turmoil. The Islamic militant group blamed by officials for the attack that killed Bhutto denied any links to the killing on Saturday, and Bhutto's aides accused the government of a cover-up. President Pervez Musharraf ordered his security chiefs to quell rioting by Bhutto's grieving followers that has killed at least 44 people over three days and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage. "Criminals should stop their despicable activities, otherwise they will have to face serious consequences," Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party called a meeting Sunday expected to choose a new leader, decide whether to participate in Jan. 8 parliamentary elections and hear her last will and testament. If the party pulls out, it would destroy the credibility of the poll, already being boycotted by rival opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. The U.S. government has pressured Musharraf, who seized power in a coup eight years ago, to push ahead with the election to promote stability in this nuclear armed nation, a key ally against Islamic extremism. The riots destroyed nine election offices — along with the voter rolls and ballot boxes inside, the election commission said. The commission has called an emergency meeting for Monday to decide how to proceed. Questions about Bhutto's assassination have intensified since she died Thursday evening when a suicide attacker shot at her and then blew himself up as she waved to supporters from the sunroof of her armored vehicle outside a campaign rally. The disputes were sure to further enflame the violence and have led to calls for an international, independent investigation into the attack. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that an international probe was vital because there was "no reason to trust the Pakistani government," while others called for a U.N. investigation. more...
| Islam |

Huckabee Exposed as New World Order Puppet The National Expositor (December 29, 2007) - Mike Huckabee recently named Richard Haas (the President of the CFR) as his advisor on foreign policy. CNN's WOLF BLITZER asked "Who are your principal foreign policy advisers, Governor?" Mike Huckabee responded: "Well, I have a number of people from whom I get policy. I'm talking to Frank Gaffney, I talk to Richard Haas.." So what does Richard Haas believe in? Here's an article below which was written by Haas for the Tapei Times. It basically states the Bill of Rights and Constitution should be given up in favor of a cooperative world body run by elite consensus. Who needs individual rights in the techno-futuristic world police state? And you thought liberty was in jeopardy now? Just wait till you see what your children will have to deal with. Get activated folks, These police state freaks want to shape your future into a control grid enforced through the fear based reaction to state sponsored false flag terror.

State sovereignty must be altered in globalized era by Richard Haass In the age of globalization, states should give up some sovereignty to world bodies in order to protect their own interests. For 350 years, sovereignty -- the notion that states are the central actors on the world stage and that governments are essentially free to do what they want within their own territory but not within the territory of other states -- has provided the organizing principle of international relations. The time has come to rethink this notion. The world's 190-plus states now co-exist with a larger number of powerful non-sovereign and at least partly (and often largely) independent actors, ranging from corporations to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), from terrorist groups to drug cartels, from regional and global institutions to banks and private equity funds. The sovereign state is influenced by them (for better and for worse) as much as it is able to influence them. The near monopoly of power once enjoyed by sovereign entities is being eroded. As a result, new mechanisms are needed for regional and global governance that include actors other than states. This is not to argue that Microsoft, Amnesty International, or Goldman Sachs be given seats in the UN General Assembly, but it does mean including representatives of such organizations in regional and global deliberations when they have the capacity to affect whether and how regional and global challenges are met.

Less is more

Moreover, states must be prepared to cede some sovereignty to world bodies if the international system is to function. This is already taking place in the trade realm. Governments agree to accept the rulings of the WTO because on balance they benefit from an international trading order even if a particular decision requires that they alter a practice that is their sovereign right to carry out. Some governments are prepared to give up elements of sovereignty to address the threat of global climate change. Under one such arrangement, the Kyoto Protocol, which runs through 2012, signatories agree to cap specific emissions. What is needed now is a successor arrangement in which a larger number of governments, including the US, China, and India, accept emissions limits or adopt common standards because they recognize that they would be worse off if no country did.

Official says PA dismantling Al-Aqsa and other militant groups Haaretz.com (December 29, 2007) - The top Palestinian security official said on Saturday his government was dismantling militant groups, including those connected to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. Officials said Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades largely agreed to go along with the government's security plan in the West Bank without putting up a fight. "There is no Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades any more," Interior Minister Abdel-Razak al-Yahya told Voice of Palestine radio, referring to Fatah's largest armed group. The pledge by Yahya came one day after Palestinian militants killed two Israelis who were hiking near the West Bank city of Hebron. Two of the militants were also killed in an ensuing gunbattle. Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed at a U.S.-sponsored peace conference last month in Annapolis, Maryland to launch negotiations with the goal of reaching a statehood agreement by the end of 2008. But Israel has said it will not implement any agreement until the Palestinians meet their obligations under the long-stalled "road map" peace plan to rein in militants in the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Hamas Islamists seized control of Gaza in June after routing Abbas' secular Fatah forces there, but Fatah still holds sway in the West Bank. The Palestinians assert that they are meeting their security obligations in the West Bank by launching a security clampdown in some of the largest cities. After commenting on the dismantling of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Yahya said: "We wish they [other groups] will respond positively and follow al-Aqsa's example." He said Abbas's Western-backed government has started "working to dismantle" other militant groups, though he did not spell out how that would be accomplished. more...
| Israel | Islam | 1st Seal |

Bin Laden issues warning on Iraq Breitbart.com (December 29, 2007) - The head of the Al-Qaeda network Osama Bin Laden issued a message Saturday warning Muslims against supporting Iraq's US-backed government, and suggested the liberation of Palestine would follow the Iraqi struggle. In the 56-minute audio tape released online, the hunted militant accused the United States of seeking to control the region through the Iraqi government, according to SITE, a US-based institute that monitors extremist web forums. He singled out the Islamic Party of Iraq, a leading political group allied with the government, saying that Muslims supporting the party are traitors to Islam, the monitor said in a report. "The group is assisting the Americans in Iraq," Bin Laden said, according to an excerpt translated from the Arabic by SITE. He added they were "fighting against the mujahedin, while they should have created unity, with the heroes that established the Islamic State." Bin Laden labeled any Muslims cooperating with the US-led Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as apostates. He also said that with Islamist mujahedin fighters currently engaged in Iraq, the "liberation of Palestine" will follow, adding the mujahedin would never recognize Israel nor any Palestinian government that accepts a Jewish government, including one led by the Hamas Islamist movement. The White House said the message showed the situation in Iraq was improving with Iraqis turning against Al-Qaeda, and the importance of the US-led military mission there. "This is a reminder that the aim of Al-Qaeda in Iraq is to block democracy and freedom for all Iraqis. It also reminds us that the mission to defeat Al-Qaeda in Iraq is critically important and must succeed," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "The Iraqi people -- every day, and in increasing numbers -- are choosing freedom and standing against the murderous, hateful ideology of Al-Qaeda in Iraq -- and we stand with them." Bin-Laden also apologized for the death of Muslims during attacks and asked the Islamist fighters to carry out their attacks away from Muslim places, SITE said in its report "I want to assure the Muslims that we are trying to protect the Ummah (the Muslim world) from the enemies, and trying to fight them everywhere," he said, in the SITE translation. "However, when our Muslim brothers die as part of our attacks against the infidels, crusaders, or their agents the apostates, we are extremely sad about it. We don't want that, and we are asking God to enter them to heaven," he added. SITE judged that the audio tape was made after the Mideast peace conference in the US city of Annapolis in late November but before the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday, which Pakistan's government has blamed on Al-Qaeda. more...
| Islam | America |

NAFTA Cementing a North American Union News With Views (December 29, 2008) - Millions of Americans are now aware of the plan for a North American Union (NAU)/Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). This awareness came via the Internet thanks to Phyllis Schafly and Dr. Jerome Corsi (video). Lou Dobbs has given it an extraordinary amount of exposure during his shows on CNN; the rest of CNN ignores it. The silence by ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and FAUX (FOX) "news" networks has been deafening. The attack by legends in their own minds, i.e., pusillanimous individuals like Michael Medved, have been remarkable and a shame upon their so-called profession. If you are not familiar with this final step in the complete and total destruction of our sovereign republic, I strongly recommend you go to this web site and watch this fully documented and factual slide presentation on this plan which I call treason. The definition of treason is: disloyalty or treachery to one's country or it's government. Treason is any attempt to overthrow the government or impair the well-being of a state to which one owes allegiance; the crime of giving aid or comfort to the enemies of one's government. I don't believe it is inappropriate to use the word treason when it comes to this plan to integrate America into one region with all the trappings of totalitarian government. We are now starting to see the provisions kicking in at hyper speed to finally destroy these united States of America and let me lay it out crisp and clear: The destruction of NAFTA was felt within the first 18 months and has continued to destroy our sovereignty and job bases ever since. In the first few years, over 4,000 factories closed down, small towns became dying towns. To date MILLIONS of jobs have been lost with more all the time because of the evil called out sourcing. America continues to lose in the fair trade arena; instead we are steadily being crushed by the evil of "free" trade. In 1995, American businesses were notified by the IRS that that under NAFTA, they would have to make all of their federal employment taxes by electronic transfer; view this document here. Why? The same reason we the people are being taxed to death to pay for new infrastructure inside Mexico: one world government. One worker base of three countries merged into one region, all under the same homogenized laws. Despite the massive invasion of illegal aliens crossing over our borders, neither Marxist Bill Clinton or globalist George Bush, made any effort to stop it and millions of Americans - especially post 911 - simply could not understand why Bush has steadfastly refused to do what President Eisenhower did so effectively. Many of us who have been in the trenches for decades knew and now millions more know: a North American Union means just that. No borders, no sovereign nations, just one big region for these diabolically evil men and women who lust for raw power to rule over us and they don't care who they destroy on their path to supreme imperialism. more...
| NewWorldOrder | America |

Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the CFSP, welcomes the completion of the procedures for the accreditation of EUPOL COPPS Europa Document (December 28, 2008) - Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), today welcomed the completion of the procedures for the accreditation of EUPOL COPPS and made the following statement: "I welcome the completion of the procedure that paves the way for the accreditation of the European Union police mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS) by the Government of Israel. I wish to thank Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs Tzipi Livni for her support. This agreement will facilitate the implementation of the mandate of the mission." The aim of the EUPOL COPPS mission is to work with the Palestinian civilian police to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order, and improving its civilian police and law enforcement capacity. EUPOL COPPS helps to establish sustainable and effective policing arrangements under Palestinian ownership in accordance with the best international standards. This mission is a central pillar of the EU Action Strategy in support of renewed peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians launched in Annapolis last November.
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal |

Sports: America's True Religion Light The Path (December 28, 2007) - Recently on my way to lunch, a friend and I happened upon an art exhibit in a downtown hotel lobby. AFTER eating lunch – I do have my priorities – we decided to casually stroll through the exhibit. We looked at the various reproductions of classic artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet. For some of the pieces, we scratched our heads and wondered why. For others, we paused and marveled at their beauty and craftsmanship. Toward the end of the exhibit, we came to a series of large, framed photographs of football stadiums. Notre Dame Stadium, Michigan Stadium, Heinz Field, and Gillette Stadium were among several prominently displayed football facilities in the exhibit. Each football stadium appeared clad in the team’s colors – green and gold at Notre Dame, blue and yellow at Michigan, black and yellow at Heinz, etc. The sheer number of fans in attendance at each stadium staggers the imagination. Indeed, few events could draw 105,000 fans to an outdoor stadium for three hours in a Michigan winter! While staring at these framed photos, I commented that our gaze fell upon America’s cathedrals. My friend shot me a quizzical expression, and I repeated my assertion that sports stadiums and arenas serve as modern America’s houses of worship. After I explained, he concurred that most Americans do view our athletes and our sporting coliseums as idols. Certainly, God created humans with a desire to worship. Romans 1:20 states, “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” Obviously, Almighty God demands that we worship only Him. Clearly, though, some choose to ignore this basic teaching. Look at verse 23 of the same chapter, “And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes.” Certainly, the worship of idols continues today. In our culture, the object of that worship has changed over the years. Today, Americans seem inclined to worship, among other things, the god of sports. Consider the influence of the sporting world on our culture. We spend our hard-earned dollars on outrageously priced tickets so that we may go and express our devotion in these magnificent coliseums of worship. We make a point to attend these worship services called games even during inclement weather such as freezing cold temperatures, rainstorms, ice, sleet, and snow; and even high heat and humidity. If we cannot afford to attend in person, we worship by watching the game on television or by listening on the radio. We display our devotion by wearing authentic athletic apparel so that we may dress just like our team. In so doing, we feel as if we can personally cheer our favorite team on to victory. Indeed, we have replaced the worship of our Creator with the worship of His creation by elevating the athlete to god-like status. We justify incredible salaries for athletes just because they excel at playing a game. We cheer our favorite sports competitors with intense enthusiasm while in attendance at games, and we lavish them with praise during personal encounters. We beg for their autographs while secretly wishing that we could trade places with them. Do you remember the Gatorade / Michael Jordan commercial from a few years ago that asked us, “Don’t you want to be like Mike!?!” Sure, virtually everyone wants to “be like Mike.” Imitation truly serves as the sincerest form of flattery, or, in our nation’s case, idolatry. Please do not misunderstand my intent. I do not claim that watching a ballgame is evil. Nor am I saying that we should abandon athletics. Instead, I merely call for balance in our lives. Remember, life does not revolve around sports. Let’s attempt to maintain the proper perspective. The worship of Jesus the Christ comes first. Spending time with our families and engaging in family activities must come next. Everything else must stand in line behind these high-priority activities. Let’s remember to keep our priorities straight and to place our love for sports in perspective.
| America |

Suspects admit to slayings in Washington Associated Press (December 28, 2007) - Court documents detail six methodical killings that began on Christmas Eve when a woman and her boyfriend shot her parents at their rural home, dragged their bodies to a shed, then gunned down the woman's brother, his wife and their two young children. What the documents don't say is why. Michele K. Anderson and Joseph Thomas McEnroe, both 29, were ordered held without bail after a hearing Thursday. Formal charges had not been filed. In police affidavits filed in court Thursday, King County Sheriff's Detective John Pavlovich described the horrific killings he said McEnroe outlined to authorities, but the detective made no mention of motive. First, Pavlovich wrote, McEnroe and Anderson shot her parents, Wayne Anderson, 60, and Judy Anderson, 61, with large-caliber pistols and dragged the bodies to a shed. A short time later, the Andersons' son, Scott, his wife, Erica — both 32 — and their children, Olivia, 6, and Nathan, 3, arrived for a Christmas Eve visit. "Knowing that Scott and his family were potential witnesses, Joe and Michele shot them," Pavlovich wrote. His affidavit said McEnroe shot all four. McEnroe and Anderson confessed to authorities, court documents said. Anderson said both of them shot her parents, brother and sister-in-law, and McEnroe killed the children, according to a separate affidavit. It also does not give a motive. McEnroe and Anderson, who had been together for six years, lived in a trailer about 200 yards from her parents' house. After the killings, they tried to flee to Canada, court documents said, but they returned the following day and were detained. At Thursday's hearing, both defendants waived their right to appear before a judge. She told The Seattle Times that her eldest son was a "good Christian" and she was shocked he had been arrested in the slayings. more...
| Signs of the Times |

Terrorist Bodyguards for President Bush Bridges For Peace (December 27, 2007) - You can apparently choose your friends but not your bodyguards. In a year when stories from the Middle East have often defied logic, now President Bush will have members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, armed to the teeth, as his bodyguards. This intriguing event will take place January 9, when the President makes his swift dash into Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority [PA] chairman Mahmoud Abbas [Abu Mazen]. The twist in the tale of this absurdity is Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is the military wing of the Abbas’ led Fatah and is listed by the US State Department as a “terrorist organization.” They have taken credit for suicide bombings in Israel in 2005 and 2006 and have a long list of shootings and rocket launching activities. WorldNetDaily broke the story this week. They spoke with a chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Ramallah who also serves as a senior officer in Force 17, the PA presidential guard unit. He confirmed to WND he had been “slated to patrol the road outside Abbas’ compound during his meeting with President Bush.” The Israeli security for the Presidential visit is likely to cause chaos in the region. 8,000 police officers will be on duty. Thousands from the local fire departments will be on duty. The main highway between Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will be completely closed to civilian traffic as the US convoy moves out to attend meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. There are reports that armored vehicles from the USA are being shipped to Israel for the event. Radical groups are marshalling to protest and proclaim their points of view at various locations. This will add to the sensitivity of the situation and the extreme state of high alert surrounding the visit.
| Islam | America |

'Gospel of wealth' facing scrutiny Associated Press (December 27, 2007) - The message flickered into Cindy Fleenor's living room each night: Be faithful in how you live and how you give, the television preachers said, and God will shower you with material riches. And so the 53-year-old accountant from the Tampa, Fla., area pledged $500 a year to Joyce Meyer, the evangelist whose frank talk about recovering from childhood sexual abuse was so inspirational. She wrote checks to flamboyant faith healer Benny Hinn and a local preacher-made-good, Paula White. Only the blessings didn't come. Fleenor ended up borrowing money from friends and payday loan companies just to buy groceries. At first she believed the explanation given on television: Her faith wasn't strong enough. "I wanted to believe God wanted to do something great with me like he was doing with them," she said. "I'm angry and bitter about it. Right now, I don't watch anyone on TV hardly." All three of the groups Fleenor supported are among six major Christian television ministries under scrutiny by a senator who is asking questions about the evangelists' lavish spending and possible abuses of their tax-exempt status. The probe by Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has brought new scrutiny to the underlying belief that brings in millions of dollars and fills churches from Atlanta to Los Angeles — the "Gospel of Prosperity," or the notion that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. All six ministries under investigation preach the prosperity gospel to varying degrees. Proponents call it a biblically sound message of hope. Others say it is a distortion that makes evangelists rich and preys on the vulnerable. They say it has evolved from "it's all right to make money" to it's all right for the pastor to drive a Bentley, live in an oceanside home and travel by private jet. "More and more people are desperate and grasping at straws and want something that will alleviate their pain or financial crisis," said Michael Palmer, dean of the divinity school at Regent University, founded by Pat Robertson. "It's a growing problem." The modern-day prosperity movement can largely be traced back to evangelist Oral Roberts' teachings. Roberts' disciples have spread his theology and vocabulary (Roberts and other evangelists, such as Meyer, call their donors "partners.") And several popular prosperity preachers, including some now under investigation, have served on the Oral Roberts University board. One of the teaching's attractions is that it doesn't dwell on traditional Christian themes of heaven and hell but on answering pressing concerns of the here and now, said Brian McLaren, a liberal evangelical author and pastor. But the prosperity gospel, McLaren said, not only preys on the hope of the vulnerable, it puts too much emphasis on individual success and happiness. "We've pretty much ignored what the Bible says about systemic injustice," he said. The checks and balances central to Christian denominations are largely lacking in prosperity churches. One of the pastors in the Grassley probe, Bishop Eddie Long of suburban Atlanta, has written that God told him to get rid of the "ungodly governmental structure" of a deacon board. Some ministers hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works. Atlanta-area pastor Creflo Dollar, who is fighting Grassley's inquiry, owns a Rolls Royce and multimillion-dollar homes and travels in a church-owned Learjet. more...

Abbas visits Olmert's home talking peace Breitbart.com (December 27, 2007) - Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem was the key topic for peace talks Thursday between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Jerusalem, officials said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at his official Jerusalem residence for the first time since the U.S.-brokered summit in Annapolis, Md., late last month, Haaretz reported. Prior to the meeting Palestinian media said two issues are considered deal-breakers by Abbas: Israel's decades-old annexation of East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as a capital of their eventual state, and Israel's construction of new settlements inside the so-called Green Line near East Jerusalem. Negotiating teams from both sides have met twice since the Annapolis meeting and each time ran into roadblocks on the issues, the newspaper said. Other issues the two leaders could discuss included the removal of checkpoints in the West Bank, the Hamas control of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, officials told Haaretz. U.S. President George Bush is scheduled to visit the region in January with a goal of encouraging both sides to move forward.
| Israel | Islam |

World outraged, fearful over Bhutto assassination Reuters (December 27, 2007) - World leaders voiced outrage at the assassination on Thursday of Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and expressed fears for the fate of the nuclear-armed state. President George W. Bush condemned the killing as a "cowardly act" and urged Pakistanis to press ahead with a planned national election. Russia's top Asia diplomat said the assassination would "trigger a wave of terrorism." French President Nicolas Sarkozy called it odious. "France, like the European Union, is particularly attached to stability and democracy in Pakistan," he said in a letter to Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack as she left a rally ahead of an election due on January 8. The identity of the attacker was not immediately clear, but Islamist militants have been blamed for a previous assassination bid. "The subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Pakistan's giant neighbor and nuclear rival. "The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat." Pakistan was already a big global worry. The U.S. ally has been struggling to contain Islamist violence while Musharraf, whose popularity has slumped, only lifted a state of emergency on December 15 after six weeks. more...

Iran, Malaysia sign $16 billion oil deal Associated Press (December 26, 2007) - Iran and Malaysia signed a $16 billion agreement to develop two Iranian gas fields, state-run television reported Wednesday, describing the deal as the largest energy contract in Iran. Iran's Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) and Malaysia's SKS Ventures signed the multibillion dollar contract to develop Golshan and Ferdows gas fields in southern Iran. The contract was formally signed by Ali Vakili, director of POGC, and Mokhtar Al-Bokhari, director of SKS Ventures, in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, according to the report. "This contract worth $16 billion. Some $6 billion is for development of offshore and $10 billion for development of onshore gas fields for a period of 25 years," Vakili told the official IRNA news agency. Iran's Oil Minister, Gholam Hossein Nozari, said the deal was a vindication of his country's efforts to counter pressures to isolate his nation. "This is the biggest investment contract in the country's energy sector," the official IRNA news agency quoted Nozari as saying. The multibillion dollar contract was signed weeks after China's biggest oil refiner, Sinopec, and Iran signed a $2 billion agreement on developing the Yadavaran oil field despite U.S. calls for sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. China rejected U.S. complaints about the deal. That agreement, coinciding with U.S.-led efforts to pressure Iran with threats of tighter economic sanctions to rein in Tehran's nuclear program, drew a sharp rebuke from Washington. Nozari said an economic boom in southeastern Asia has sharply increased its need for imported oil and gas and that the contract with Malaysia has to be seen in that light. The reserves at the Golshan gas field, 65 kilometers from the southern port city of Bushehr, is estimated more than 50 trillion cubic feet of gas and it is expected to produce 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The Ferdows' gas reserves is estimated at around 10 trillion cubic feet and it would produce more than 880 million cubic feet of gas on a daily basis.
| Iran |

People's voice thunders a clear 'yes' The Jerusalem Post (December 25, 2007) - The issue of Palestinian recognition of Israel's identity as a Jewish state is emerging once again as a controversial issue in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian political and opinion leaders have been debating this issue publicly, and leaders of the Israeli Arab or Israeli Palestinian community have added their say. In the process, this issue has become a tool in the hands of those who contemplated to spoil the recent American initiative which began at Annapolis and derail any ensuing peace process. We wish to add to the public debate our insights based on our joint Israeli-Palestinian Public Opinion Poll (JIPP). This project is an initiative of the Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in Ramallah, and is supported by the Ford Foundation and the Adenauer Foundation. It tracks Palestinian and Israeli public opinion on the conflict and the attempts to resolve it since mid 2000. We repeatedly examined this hotly debated issue since mid 2003, and not often does one obtain such clear-cut and consistent results as we do here. Our findings have significant implications for the negotiations following the Annapolis conference. They clearly indicate that the best negotiating strategy is one that frames this issue in the context of two parameters: (1) it must be mutual; i.e., Palestinians too must receive an Israeli recognition of the national identity of their state as they grant Israelis recognition of the Jewish nature of their state, and (2) it must come as a crowning step; one that seeks to assure the two sides of future intentions rather than one that seeks to impose an Israeli precondition for future concessions. IF FRAMED within these parameters, the people's voice thunders a clear "yes" to mutual recognition of identity. We wish here to expose this silent majority, and turn private opinions of the citizens on both sides into public opinion, and a factor in public discourse. The question we ask our Israeli and Palestinian respondents draws on the two states for two peoples formula from the Ayalon-Nusseibeh Peace Plan from July 2002. The question we pose to both Israelis and Palestinians is the following: There is a proposal that after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the settlement of all issues in dispute, including the refugees and Jerusalem issues, there will be a mutual recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people and Palestine as the state of the Palestinian people. Do you agree or disagree to this proposal? In nine polls we conducted between 2003 and 2006, our findings show substantial and consistent majority support in both publics for a mutual recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people and Palestine as the state of the Palestinian people when such recognition comes at the crowing stage of negotiations. WHAT IS perhaps even more striking is the high level of support for this formula among Palestinian citizens of Israel. As a matter of fact, the Arab minority in Israel supports this formula at a higher degree than Israeli Jews as well as Palestinians, and the pattern of the findings is highly consistent. Over two thirds of Israeli Jews and Arabs and an average of 60% of the Palestinians over the nine polls support such a declaration. more...
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land |

Israel fears clash with U.S. over peace talks' impasse Haaretz (December 25, 2007) - The United States will conduct confidential assessments of whether Israel and the Palestinians are meeting their peacemaking commitments and share the results privately with the parties, U.S. and Western officials said. Israel has sought to keep the U.S. process of judging compliance with the long-stalled "road map" peace plan largely secret. Palestinians say they favour disclosure of judgments on whether Israel is halting all settlement activity and whether the Palestinians are curbing militants as the plan demands. Though the Bush administration has decided to keep the assessment process confidential, it reserves the right to go public with its views if necessary, the officials said. U.S. judgments will be crucial because Israel has said it will not implement any peace deal until the Palestinians meet their commitments to combat militants in both the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where militants continue to fire rockets across the border into Israel. The monitoring process may be a test of Washington's readiness to hold a key ally to its commitments. Despite U.S. and Palestinian pressure on Israel to freeze settlements, the Housing Ministry said on Sunday 740 new homes would be built in East Jerusalem next year. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed at U.S.-sponsored conference in Annapolis, Maryland last month to relaunch final-status peace talks with the goal of reaching a statehood agreement by the end of 2008. more...
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder | America |

EU is increasingly perceived worldwide as a global player Bertlesmann-Stiftung (December 25, 2007) - International opinion survey: US experiences dramatic loss of stature - Rapidly growing awareness of environmental threats - EU recognized as world power. The European Union is increasingly perceived all over the world as a global power, and is anticipated to play a major role on the international stage in 2020 after the US, China and Russia. The US's superpower image is fading, while China and Russia have risen enormously in stature. There was a spike in many parts of the world in people's awareness of the dangers of climate change and environmental devastation. Climate protection and poverty are currently seen as the most important tasks facing international policy makers. These are some of the findings of a worldwide opinion poll conducted by the German foundation, the Bertelsmann Stiftung. According to the poll, the European Union already enjoys the reputation of a global player, and was ranked fifth on average by all international respondents. This picture improves for the Europeans as time goes on. When asked which nations and organizations would be global powers in 2020, every third person mentioned the EU. On the other hand, the US lost its undisputed leadership position. While 81 percent of people would still call the US a world power today, only 61 percent expect it to retain this position into 2020. Once again, China, India and - more recently - Russia have greatly boosted their own profiles as global players. With a 57 percent response rate, China was mentioned almost as frequently as the US as a future superpower. They were followed further down by Russia with 37 percent, the EU with 33 percent, Japan with 33 percent and India with 29 percent. Compared to the United Nations, the EU is perceived as a very strong player in global politics. This applies in all countries surveyed except India, where the UN has a higher standing. And in China, the perception of the EU as a world power rose significantly - by 15 percentage points in the past two years. When asked if their own country should cooperate more closely with the EU, the vast majority of the international respondents - 74 percent on average - said yes. This desire is particularly strong in China and Russia, where stronger ties with the EU are favoured by 98 percent and 91 percent of respondents, respectively. In the US, these numbers were 78 percent, in Brazil 70 percent, in India 68 percent and in Japan 48 percent. Recent years have seen a shift in perceptions of what challenges face the world and what goals global players should work towards. For example, in almost all the countries surveyed, awareness of environmental threats skyrocketed, while dangers such as global terrorism were viewed as less urgent. Awareness of environmental problems has risen more than 10 percentage points worldwide since 2005. The percentage of people who viewed climate change and environmental devastation as global threats rose in all countries surveyed, but especially in the US (+22 percentage points), China (+17 percentage points) and Japan (+16 percentage points). On average, 54 percent of all people viewed environmental destruction as the most important threat. Only in Russia (31 percent) and India (28 percent) did a minority of the population view this problem as a major threat. At the same time, the perceived significance of global terrorism showed no change compared to two years ago. The other key challenges cited by respondents were poverty and overpopulation, war, resource scarcity, and religious conflicts and fundamentalism. more...
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder |

RFID poised for the big time in 2008 Vnunet (December 24, 2007) - Next year will witness the spread of RFID applications into familiar, everyday settings, while consumer electronics, wireless technologies and security requirements will continue to benefit from the integration of RFID. These are just some of the predictions from AIM Global, the worldwide industry trade association and self-proclaimed authority on automatic identification and mobility solutions. Practical RFID applications will find their way into familiar settings, including sporting events, the latest toys and food safety, according to the trade association. Next year's Beijing Olympics will see RFID applications being used to track marathon runners to ensure race time accuracy, watched by sports fans holding tickets authenticated by the same technology. This year's highly publicised recalls of contaminated foods and unsafe toys will push firms to use RFID to immediately track the origins of compromised items, halting the production of potentially harmful goods. 2008 will also witness the increasing integration of RFID into mobile devices and consumer electronics, providing consumers and business users with new and more convenient services. This technological marriage will result in multi-functional mobile devices that allow users to manage voice calls, email, text messages, multimedia, location-based information, personal finance accounts and many other aspects of everyday lives. According to AIM Global, the convergence of RFID and other wireless technologies is now inevitable. As such the coming together of RFID, real-time locating systems technology, GPS, sensor and other wireless technologies will spur a "disappearance" of these acronyms as businesses and individuals become more accustomed to the benefits. 2008 will also see RFID addressing security vulnerabilities in the global supply chain. From transportation worker ID cards and border cards, to RFID-based electronic seals on cargo containers, RFID will increasingly be deployed in a bid to improve security without hampering international trade. more...
| Technology | NewWorldOrder |

Dollar's Fall Is Felt Around The Globe Washington Post (December 24, 2007) - The sharp decline of the U.S. dollar since 2000 is affecting a broad swath of the world's population, with its drop on global markets being blamed at least in part for misfortunes as diverse as labor strikes in the Middle East, lost jobs in Europe and the end of an era of globe-trotting rich Americans. It marks a shift for Americans in the global economy. In times of strength, a mightier dollar allowed Americans to feed their insatiable appetite for foreign goods at cheap prices while providing Yankees abroad with virtually unrivaled economic clout. But now, as the United States struggles to fend off a recession, observers say the less lofty dollar is having both a tangible and intangible diminishing effect. "The dollar was the dominant force in world economics for 100 years -- we had no competition," said C. Fred Bergsten, an American economist and director of the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. "There was no other economy close to the size of the United States. But all that is now changing." The dollar is down more than 40 percent against the euro over the past seven years, taking a particularly sharp drop last month. Despite a bit of a rebound in recent weeks, the dollar is still off nearly 12 percent since Jan. 11, when it hit its peak for 2007. For now, that drop is allowing the U.S. economy to reap rewards. American products have become exceedingly competitive, boosting exports ranging from Caterpillar tractors to Boeing jumbo jets that are now relative blue-light specials in the global marketplace. Using the same logic of chasing cheaper local production costs that has driven many U.S. factories to China, a few iconic European companies, including Airbus, are set to shift some manufacturing lines to the United States. But for untold millions worldwide, the weak dollar has emerged as a troubling dark spot. Take Ngengi Mungai, a Nairobi coffee exporter trapped between the weaker dollar and the rapidly appreciating Kenyan shilling -- which gained as much as 12 percent against the dollar this year amid an export-driven economic surge across much of Africa. His coffee sales overseas, as with the bulk of global commodities, are priced in weaker dollars. But he must then convert them into stronger shillings to cover his local costs for local labor, materials, even the clothes on his back. It has cut sharply into his annual income. "Basically," Mungai said, "it's bad." more...
| America | Economic Crisis |

An asteroid set for collision course with Mars Russian News & Information Agency (December 24, 2007) - An asteroid, which is believed to be on a collision course with Mars, will not affect the Earth if it hits the 'Red' planet in January 2008, a Russian Academy of Science spokesman said. Sergei Smirnov said the explosion could be on a scale equal to the Tunguska event, when a meteorite, which crashed into central Siberia in 1908 caused destruction on a nuclear scale. The enigma still thrills scientists all over the world. See Image

Britain set to release secret UFO files United Press International (December 23, 2007) - The British government will soon release previously classified details regarding hundreds of reported sightings of unidentified flying objects. The Sunday Telegraph said Sunday that this coming spring, the Defense Ministry will release to the general public 160 files about alleged UFO sightings. Since the British government department began keeping records about the unusual reports in 1950, more than 10,000 sightings have been recorded. With officials failing to explain 5 percent of those sightings, a growing number of Freedom of Information requests prompted the release of the classified information. A former head of the Defense Ministry UFO project told the newspaper that no matter what an individual believes regarding UFOs, the released files should prove to be interesting reading. "Whatever people think about UFOs, these documents are fascinating and show how the MoD has researched and investigated this mystery for nearly 60 years, without an answer," former department official Nick Pope said.
| UFO |

FBI prepares to build the world's largest database of peoples' physical characteristics The Washington Post (December 22, 2007) - The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad. Digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns are already flowing into FBI systems in a climate-controlled, secure basement here. Next month, the FBI intends to award a 10-year contract that would significantly expand the amount and kinds of biometric information it receives. And in the coming years, law enforcement authorities around the world will be able to rely on iris patterns, face-shape data, scars and perhaps even the unique ways people walk and talk, to solve crimes and identify criminals and terrorists. The FBI will also retain, upon request by employers, the fingerprints of employees who have undergone criminal background checks so the employers can be notified if employees have brushes with the law. "Bigger. Faster. Better. That's the bottom line," said Thomas E. Bush III, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, which operates the database from its headquarters in the Appalachian foothills. The increasing use of biometrics for identification is raising questions about the ability of Americans to avoid unwanted scrutiny. It is drawing criticism from those who worry that people's bodies will become de facto national identification cards. Critics say that such government initiatives should not proceed without proof that the technology really can pick a criminal out of a crowd. The use of biometric data is increasing throughout the government. For the past two years, the Defense Department has been storing in a database images of fingerprints, irises and faces of more than 1.5 million Iraqi and Afghan detainees, Iraqi citizens and foreigners who need access to U.S. military bases. The Pentagon also collects DNA samples from some Iraqi detainees, which are stored separately. The Department of Homeland Security has been using iris scans at some airports to verify the identity of travelers who have passed background checks and who want to move through lines quickly. The department is also looking to apply iris- and face-recognition techniques to other programs. The DHS already has a database of millions of sets of fingerprints, which includes records collected from U.S. and foreign travelers stopped at borders for criminal violations, from U.S. citizens adopting children overseas, and from visa applicants abroad. There could be multiple records of one person's prints. "It's going to be an essential component of tracking," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's enabling the Always On Surveillance Society." If successful, the system planned by the FBI, called Next Generation Identification, will collect a wide variety of biometric information in one place for identification and forensic purposes. In an underground facility the size of two football fields, a request reaches an FBI server every second from somewhere in the United States or Canada, comparing a set of digital fingerprints against the FBI's database of 55 million sets of electronic fingerprints. A possible match is made -- or ruled out--as many as 100,000 times a day. more...
| Technology | NewWorldOrder | America |

Shiite/Sunni rapprochement? - Abdullah, Ahmadinejad Hold Wide-Ranging Talks Arab News (December 21, 2007) - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks here yesterday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on major regional and international issues as well as ways of strengthening bilateral ties, the Saudi Press Agency said. Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian president to perform Haj as guest of a Saudi king, arrived in the Kingdom on Monday accompanied by top aides. Nearly three million pilgrims from different parts of the Islamic world including several thousands from Iran performed Haj this year. “In my discussion with King Abdullah we discussed different ways to consolidate the brotherly relations among Muslim nations,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the Iranian media covering his trip. He described Tehran’s relations with Riyadh as “friendly,” adding: “The message of my presence here is boosting ties among Islamic nations.” Iranian pilgrims in the Kingdom expressed their hope that Ahmadinejad’s participation in the pilgrimage would help repair ties between the Islamic republic and its Arab neighbors. “Ahmadinejad’s Haj, since it comes at the invitation of the Saudi king, shows that Muslim nations are supporting one another in times of need,” an Iranian teacher said. “Having ties with big Arab nations is a sign of unity among Muslims, and the West will understand that it cannot divide Shiites and Sunnis,” said Hossein, a trader from Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad attended a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Qatar, becoming the first Iranian president to attend a GCC summit. Addressing the summit, the president tried to allay fears of his Gulf neighbors and presented a 12-point program to promote relations between Tehran and the six-member GCC. In his speech at the summit, Ahmadinejad offered to sign a security pact with the GCC that groups Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. “I personally hope that President Ahmadinejad will be able to successfully implement his plans and improve Iran’s international situation (as a result of the pilgrimage),” said university student Ali Rahmati. Ahmadinejad was elected president in 2005.
| Iran | Islam |

Fed: Another $20B auctioned to banks Associated Press (December 21, 2007) - The Federal Reserve, working to combat the effects of a severe credit crunch, announced Friday it had auctioned another $20 billion in funds to commercial banks at an interest rate of 4.67 percent. Fed officials pledged to continue with the auctions "for as long as necessary." The central bank said it had received bids for $57.7 billion worth of loans, nearly three times the amount being offered, indicating continued strong interest in the Fed's new approach to providing money to cash-strapped banks. It was the second of four scheduled auctions. The first auction, on Monday, of $20 billion resulted in loans being awarded at an interest rate of 4.65 percent. There were 93 bidders seeking $63.6 billion at the first auction and 73 at the second. Two more auctions will occur in early January. In a statement Friday, the central bank said it would continue with further auctions "for as long as necessary to address elevated pressures in short-term funding markets." The new auction process was announced by the Fed last week in a coordinated action with central banks around the world trying to address a global credit crunch. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues decided to try the new process because their efforts to inject funds into the banking system through the Fed's discount window, which makes direct loans to banks, had proven less successful than Fed officials had hoped. Many banks had avoided using the Fed's discount window out of concern that investors would see the move as an indication of underlying problems at their financial institutions. The auction process was developed as a second way to get money into the banking system with the hopes that it would not carry the stigma of the discount window. The Fed said Friday that it would announce on Jan. 4 the sizes of the next two auctions which will be held Jan. 14 and Jan. 28. Officials have said the Fed will evaluate the interest in the auctions after the initial four and determine whether more auctions will be scheduled. The new auction results cover short-term loans for 35 days. more...
| NewWorldOrder | America | Economic Crisis |

NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer NATO highlights by 51 Reasons (December 20, 2007) - On the eve of the festive season I would like to share with you my thoughts on the months ahead. But first I want to address the people we owe most in this organisation – the men and women in uniform. Over 60000 of you currently serve with distinction in NATO-led operations in different parts of the world. Your dedication, courage, professionalism and hard work are a credit to you and to NATO. The risks you take in fulfilling dangerous missions – in Afghanistan, in Kosovo, in the Mediterranean, as well as providing training in Iraq and helping logistically the African Union with its mission in Darfur – say so much about your commitment to security and stability goals. This commitment is greatly appreciated and embodies the highest standard of excellence associated with the Alliance. At this time of the year our thoughts are in particular with the families of those who have paid the highest price in these operations: your sacrifices will not be forgotten and have not been made in vain. Next year promises to be just as active as the passing one. The whole NATO community – civilians and military alike – will be burning midnight oil to prepare for the key event at the beginning of April: the Bucharest Summit of NATO. Important decisions await the leaders of 26 Allied countries. They will deliberate on the further enlargement of NATO, on strategic guidance shaping the nature of our continued engagement in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as on all the crucial projects essential for tackling major security challenges confronting us. This list includes such diverse topics as fight against terrorism, missile defence, new capabilities, energy security or cyber defence. I am also convinced that coming months will broaden and intensify NATO’s dialogue and cooperation with our partners. We will strive to improve further a team-work approach with the United Nations and with the European Union. And we will also work more in the framework of the Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperative Initiative. We will spare no efforts to resolve existing differences with the Russian Federation, to support reform efforts in Ukraine. This is a long list of goals. But NATO is a busy Alliance. Projecting stability where it is needed. Building global partnerships, where they make sense. And standing as a unique forum for transatlantic consultation on security issues. All, as ever, to preserve the security of the citizens of NATO countries and the broader international community. NATO will continue to make its contribution to international security in 2008. I wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy year. And once again, I send my best wishes, and warm thanks, to the NATO and Partner soldiers far away from home during this festive season.
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder | America |

Synthetic DNA on the Brink of Yielding New Life Forms Washington Post (December 17, 2007) - It has been 50 years since scientists first created DNA in a test tube, stitching ordinary chemical ingredients together to make life's most extraordinary molecule. Until recently, however, even the most sophisticated laboratories could make only small snippets of DNA -- an extra gene or two to be inserted into corn plants, for example, to help the plants ward off insects or tolerate drought. Now researchers are poised to cross a dramatic barrier: the creation of life forms driven by completely artificial DNA. Scientists in Maryland have already built the world's first entirely handcrafted chromosome -- a large looping strand of DNA made from scratch in a laboratory, containing all the instructions a microbe needs to live and reproduce. In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up," like software downloaded from the Internet, and cajole the waiting cell to do its bidding. And while the first synthetic chromosome is a plagiarized version of a natural one, others that code for life forms that have never existed before are already under construction. The cobbling together of life from synthetic DNA, scientists and philosophers agree, will be a watershed event, blurring the line between biological and artificial -- and forcing a rethinking of what it means for a thing to be alive. "This raises a range of big questions about what nature is and what it could be," said Paul Rabinow, an anthropologist at the University of California at Berkeley who studies science's effects on society. "Evolutionary processes are no longer seen as sacred or inviolable. People in labs are figuring them out so they can improve upon them for different purposes." That unprecedented degree of control over creation raises more than philosophical questions, however. What kinds of organisms will scientists, terrorists and other creative individuals make? How will these self-replicating entities be contained? And who might end up owning the patent rights to the basic tools for synthesizing life? Some experts are worried that a few maverick companies are already gaining monopoly control over the core "operating system" for artificial life and are poised to become the Microsofts of synthetic biology. That could stifle competition, they say, and place enormous power in a few people's hands. "We're heading into an era where people will be writing DNA programs like the early days of computer programming, but who will own these programs?" asked Drew Endy, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the core of synthetic biology's new ascendance are high-speed DNA synthesizers that can produce very long strands of genetic material from basic chemical building blocks: sugars, nitrogen-based compounds and phosphates. Today a scientist can write a long genetic program on a computer just as a maestro might compose a musical score, then use a synthesizer to convert that digital code into actual DNA. Experiments with "natural" DNA indicate that when a faux chromosome gets plopped into a cell, it will be able to direct the destruction of the cell's old DNA and become its new "brain" -- telling the cell to start making a valuable chemical, for example, or a medicine or a toxin, or a bio-based gasoline substitute. Unlike conventional biotechnology, in which scientists induce modest genetic changes in cells to make them serve industrial purposes, synthetic biology involves the large-scale rewriting of genetic codes to create metabolic machines with singular purposes. "I see a cell as a chassis and power supply for the artificial systems we are putting together," said Tom Knight of MIT, who likes to compare the state of cell biology today to that of mechanical engineering in 1864. That is when the United States began to adopt standardized thread sizes for nuts and bolts, an advance that allowed the construction of complex devices from simple, interchangeable parts. more...
| Technology |

Prince Charles will appear at conference as a hologram Daily Mail (December 15, 2007) - His detractors may argue that his green principles do not stand up to close examination. But now Prince Charles is set to confound his critics by addressing an energy conference - as a hologram. Determined to keep his environmental damage to a minimum, Charles will save the 15 tons of carbon that would have been generated by flying himself and his staff 7,000 miles to the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Instead, a three-dimensional image of the Prince will be seen giving a five-minute talk. Charles recorded the message at Highgrove last month. It will be transformed into a hologram-style image using technology based on a Victorian music-hall technique called "ghosting". A video projector will beam an image of the Prince on to the floor. It is then reflected up on to a paper-thin sheet of foil to create an optical illusion that makes him appear as a 3-D image on stage. Former US Vice-President Al Gore used similar technology to appear as a hologram at Wembley Stadium at the beginning of the Live Earth concerts earlier this year. Charles was heavily criticised in January when he and the Duchess of Cornwall flew to Philadelphia with 12 staff to pick up an award from Mr Gore honouring him as an environmentalist. That trip created 20 tons of carbon dioxide. The idea of the virtual Prince came from the Abu Dhabi conference organisers, who asked British events firm Revolution to produce special events for the three-day summit which starts on January 21. Matt Sims said: "He will appear as a three-dimensional holographic image. All credit to His Royal Highness who was very keen to do it. more...
| Technology | Image of the Beast technology?

Is a New Solar Cycle Beginning? - Possible peak in 2012 Science@NASA (December 14, 2007) - The solar physics community is abuzz this week. No, there haven't been any great eruptions or solar storms. The source of the excitement is a modest knot of magnetism that popped over the sun's eastern limb on Dec. 11th, pictured below in a pair of images from the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). It may not look like much, but "this patch of magnetism could be a sign of the next solar cycle," says solar physicist David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center. For more than a year, the sun has been experiencing a lull in activity, marking the end of Solar Cycle 23, which peaked with many furious storms in 2000--2003. "Solar minimum is upon us," he says. The big question now is, when will the next solar cycle begin? It could be starting now. "New solar cycles always begin with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot," explains Hathaway. "Reversed polarity " means a sunspot with opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. "High-latitude" refers to the sun's grid of latitude and longitude. Old cycle spots congregate near the sun's equator. New cycle spots appear higher, around 25 or 30 degrees latitude. The region that appeared on Dec. 11th fits both these criteria. It is high latitude (24 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. Just one problem: There is no sunspot. So far the region is just a bright knot of magnetic fields. If, however, these fields coalesce into a dark sunspot, scientists are ready to announce that Solar Cycle 24 has officially begun. more...
| 4th Bowl |

Assad: Syria-Iran alliance unshakeable The Jerusalem Post (December 13, 2007) - Syrian President Bashar Assad rejected claims that Syria's alliance with Iran had been weakened by Damascus' participation in last month's US-sponsored Mideast peace conference, saying Thursday that the two countries' ties will never be shaken. Assad made the comments as he inaugurated two joint Syrian-Iranian industrial projects - factories for cars and cement. He was joined at the ceremonies by the Iranian industry and housing ministers. The November conference in Annapolis, Maryland, which relaunched Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, was widely seen as also aimed at isolating Iran by bringing together Arab nations. US officials have expressed hopes that Syria's attendance would mark a start to easing it out of its alliance with Teheran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other top officials denounced the conference, and some officials expressed surprise over Syria's participation - though none directly criticized it. Speaking at the auto factory, Assad said, "inaugurating this plant in partnership with our Iranian brothers and officials is a response to those who tried to circulate (reports) ... that relations between the two countries have been shaken." "I confirm, on this occasion, that relations will not be shaken for any reason or under any circumstance," Assad said at the factory in Hasya, some 160 kilometers north of the Syrian capital, Damascus. according to the official SANA news agency. Syria and Iran have growing economic ties, with the annual two-way trade estimated at about US$200 million. The size of Iranian investments in Syria has reached around US$2 billions in sectors such as power generation, automobiles, cement and agriculture. Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Persian Iran against Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. The $50 million International Syrian-Iranian Factory for Cars is the second car venture between the two countries in less than a year. It will have an initial production capacity of up to 15,000 cars a year and would likely increase to reach 35,000 cars annually at its final stage, SANA said. In March, Syria and Iran inaugurated the first joint car project in the industrial city of Adra near Damascus. Assad and the Iranian ministers also inaugurated a new cement plant in the northern city of Hama, some 210 kilometers northwest of the Syrian capital. The factory that had cost US$250 million has a production capacity of 1.1 million tons annually, SANA said. The project, which would create some 400 jobs, was initially agreed upon during a visit by then Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to Syria in mid 1999. The project is financed by the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development and the Iranian company has provided all the necessary equipment.
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Islam |

Mitt Romney to buy clear channel Media Monarchy (December 13, 2007) - from lew rockwell: What would it cost to buy the support of just about every nationally-syndicated neocon talk show host in America? About $19.5 Billion, which is what Mitt Romney's private equity firm, Bain Capital, and Thomas H. Lee Partners have agreed to pay in a leveraged buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio station owner in the country. Clear Channel owns over 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States. Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and many others. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel, as well. From an anonymous email: "I'll bet those hosts won't reveal that conflict of interest, but it's worth noting when you hear them begin hyping Romney, which has already begun. A lot of GOP supporters will support whomever they are told to support, so be prepared for a big push for Romney. On the bright side, Romney has more vulnerabilities than Rudy, based on his record. Look at this as the GOP establishment doing us a favor. Rich men can bankroll their own campaigns (a la John Kerry), but it takes a special breed to use investors' money to buy entire networks that can operate as passive wings of a presidential campaign."
| NewWorldOrder | America |

Russia to boost presence in Mediterranean Sea with extended naval exercises BBC News (December 5, 2007) - Russia is planning naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in what it says is a bid to boost its presence and protect shipping. Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said battleships, helicopters and aircraft would take part in a range of manoeuvres, due to end in February. This is the latest sign of a resurgence in Russia's military capabilities, the BBC's Nick Childs says. Russia recently resumed long-range patrols by its bomber aircraft. The practise was suspended after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was revived in August this year, as part of a more assertive foreign policy pursued by President Vladimir Putin. According to a Kremlin transcript, Mr Serdyukov told Mr Putin on Wednesday that the "aim of the sorties is to ensure a naval presence in tactically important regions of the world's oceans". Mr Serdyukov said Russia's Black Sea fleet would monitor the Mediterranean while its Northern Fleet would operate in the Atlantic. Military analysts say Russia's boosted military presence is largely symbolic. Higher oil prices have enabled Russia to re-invest in its armed forces but its military capabilities remain far below what they were during the Soviet era, correspondents say. The Russian navy's reputation has been severely dented by accidents such as the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in 2000.
| Gog/Magog |

Soon To Be Gone From A Military Doctor (November 29, 2007) - I am a doctor specializing in the Emergency Departments of the only two military Level One-Trauma Centers, both in San Antonio, TX and they care for civilian Emergencies as well as military personnel. San Antonio has the largest military retiree population in the world living here. As a military doctor, I work long hours and the pay is less than glamorous. One tends to become jaded by the long hours, lack of sleep, food, family contact and the endless parade of human suffering passing before you. The arrival of another ambulance does not mean more pay, only more work. Most often, it is a victim from a motor vehicle crash. Often it is a person of dubious character who has been shot or stabbed. With our large military retiree population, it is often a nursing home patient. Even with my enlisted service and minimal combat experience in Panama, I have caught myself groaning when the ambulance brought in yet another sick, elderly person from one of the local retirement centers that cater to military retirees. I had not stopped to think of what citizens of this age group represented. I saw "Saving Private Ryan." I was touched deeply. Not so much by the carnage, but by the sacrifices of so many. I was touched most by the scene of the elderly survivor at the graveside, asking his wife if he'd been a good man. I realized that I had seen these same men and women coming through my Emergency Dept. and had not realized what magnificent sacrifices they had made. The things they did for me and everyone else that has lived on this planet since the end of that conflict are priceless. Situation permitting, I now try to ask my patients about their experiences. They would never bring up the subject without the inquiry. I have been privileged to an amazing array of experiences, recounted in the brief minutes allowed in an Emergency Dept. encounter. These experiences have revealed the incredible individuals I have had the honor of serving in a medical capacity, many on their last admission to the hospital. There was a frail, elderly woman who reassured my young enlisted medic, trying to start an IV line in her arm. She remained calm and poised, despite her illness and the multiple needle-sticks into her fragile veins. She was what we call a "hard stick." As the medic made another attempt, I noticed a number tattooed across her forearm. I touched it with one finger and looked into her eyes. She simply said, "Auschwitz. Many of later generations would have loudly and openly berated the young medic in his many attempts. How different was the response from this person who'd seen unspeakable suffering. Also, there was this long retired Colonel, who as a young officer had parachuted from his burning plane over a Pacific Island held by the Japanese. Now an octogenarian, he had a minor cut on his head from a fall at his home where he lived alone. His CT scan and suturing had been delayed until after midnight by the usual parade of high priority ambulance patients. Still spry for his age, he asked to use the phone to call a taxi, to take him home, then he realized his ambulance had brought him without his wallet. He asked if he could use the phone to make a long distance call to his daughter who lived 7 miles away. With great pride we told him that he could not, as he'd done enough for his country and the least we could do was get him a taxi home, even if we had to pay for it ourselves. My only regret was that my shift wouldn't end for several hours, and I couldn't drive him myself. I was there the night MSgt. Roy Benavidez came through the Emergency Dept for the last time. He was very sick. I was not the doctor taking care of him, but I walked to his bedside and took his hand. I said nothing. He was so sick, he didn't know I was there. I'd read his Congressional Medal of Honor citation and wanted to shake his hand. He died a few days later. The gentleman who served with Merrill's Marauders, the survivor of the Bataan Death March, the survivor of Omaha Beach the 101 year old World War I veteran the former POW held in frozen North Korea, the former Special Forces medic - now with non-operable liver cancer the former Viet Nam Corps Commander. I remember these citizens I may still groan when yet another ambulance comes in, but now I am much more aware of what an honor it is to serve these particular men and women. I have seen a Congress who would turn their back on these individuals who've sacrificed so much to protect our liberty. I see later generations that seem to be totally engrossed in abusing these same liberties, won with such sacrifice. It has become my personal endeavor to make the nurses and young enlisted medics aware of these amazing individuals when I encounter them in our Emergency Dept. Their response to these particular citizens has made me think that perhaps all is not lost in the next generation. My experiences have solidified my belief that we are losing an incredible generation, and this nation knows not what it is losing. Our uncaring government and ungrateful civilian populace should all take note. We should all remember that we must "Earn this." Written By CPT. Stephen R. Ellison, M.D. US Army
| America |

I’m Homo-Nauseous Pass The Salt Ministries (November 8, 2007) - Warning: Commentary is not politically correct. I'm sick of it. I really am. I'm not homo-phobic. I'm not homo-hateful. I'm not homo-latent. I'm homo-nauseous. I really couldn't care less where a man desires to put his appendage. But I'm sick of hearing about it. I'm sick of talking about it. I'm sick of it being force fed to me on TV. In all of my life I have never seen such deviancy so openly celebrated. They are deviant, you know? No matter how many names they will try and call me, no matter how many "sensitivity" classes they try and send me to, no matter how much tolerance they try and cram down my throat (sorry), the fact remains homosexuals are deviant.

Homosexual behavior is a deviant lifestyle. Everyone knows that. So in order to make themselves look "normal" the "homosexual movement" is doing everything that it can to change "social standards." They can't feel good about themselves, so they must make sure WE feel good about them. Well, I'm sick of it. I'm homo-nauseous. The homo-sexual movement is making me sick. I understand what I am opening up myself to. It happens every time I take on this subject. My emails will be flooded by those who are concerned that I must "secretly" be battling homo-feelings, that I need to "get-over" my homo-phobia, and that Jesus would not be so judgmental. And that is just from the Christians. You couldn't stomach what the sodomites say about me. Hey, I'm used to it. It comes with the turf. But I thought "homosexuals" were just like everyone else and that all they wanted was to be free to "live their lives" in peace. If that is the case, why won't they stop identifying themselves by what the do in the privacy of their bedroom? Why are they so intent on making me accept their deviancy? Why are they trying to indoctrinate 6-year olds into their perversion? I'm sick of it. Take your behavior into you house and leaves us alone. They're everywhere, these "norm changers." They are perverted. (I'm sure that makes all of you nervous as well.) But interestingly enough, "perverted" shows up in the dictionary as a synonym for "deviant."

That is straight out of the dictionary. It is not a right-wing, fundamentalist version of the word. It is what the word "perverted" means. The homosexual lives a deviant, perverted lifestyle. The dictionary says so. Don't blame me. Words have meaning. Here is what their "godfather" Alfred Kinsey wrote. "Perversions are defined as unnatural acts, acts contrary to nature, bestial, abominable, and detestable. Such laws are interpretable only in accordance with the ancient tradition of the English common law which ... is committed to the doctrine that no sexual activity is justifiable unless its objective is procreation." [A.C. Kinsey, et.al., "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male," 1948] They're behavior and actions are perverted and deviant. Go ahead, call me hateful. I'm only defining the words. What they do can never be "normal," so they must change the meaning of "normal." They must alter "societal standards." Have you been watching? They take their "lifestyle" to the streets to "celebrate" their debauchery (which I suppose is a harsh word too unless you read the definition.) "Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance." Look at these pictures (Warning: Graphic debauchery. May make you homo-nauseous) of the "normal" "gay" lifestyle. Governor Arnold has given his blessings to the indoctrination. Mom and Dad now are "offensive" terms. These "normal" folks are brazen enough to parade their perversity in the church. Look at this video! (Watch-out. More gut-busting stuff.) Why didn't some strong Catholic-man tackle that freak? Perhaps Arnold knew what he was talking about when he mentioned "girlie-men." They're behavior is costing billions in medical care. Look at this "educational material" they are force-feeding public-school kids. They attack anyone who disagrees with their debauchery. Remember, they must change "societal standards" to accept their debaucherous, perverted, deviant, lifestyle. They can't change their behavior so they must force you to change yours. The government promotes it. The schools promote it. TV and films are awash with homo-stars. Churches are embracing it. Homosexual activists are the real fascists. They are determined to control what you think, believe, and say. They hate free speech. They will do all they can to silence men like me. Well, I'm sick of it. Leave me alone. Leave our children alone, leave our schools alone, and leave our culture alone. What is wrong with the Church? Can't they see what is happening to America? Can't they see what is happening to our children? Can't they see the rug is being pulled out from under them?

"...but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores." Putrifying "refers to the decay of the body of a formerly living organism into simpler forms of matter." America is dying. It makes me sick. I'm homo-nauseous.
| Signs of the Times |

Why so many Americans today are 'mentally ill' WorldNet Daily (August 14, 2007) - "When I was lying in my bed that night, I couldn’t sleep because my voice in my head kept echoing through my mind telling me to kill them." You're reading the words of 12-year-old Christopher Pittman, struggling to explain why he murdered his grandparents, who had provided the only love and stability in his turbulent life. He was angry with his grandfather, who had disciplined him earlier that day for hurting another student during a fight on the school bus. So later that night, he shot both of his grandparents in the head with a .410 shotgun as they slept and then burned down their South Carolina home, where he had lived with them. "I got up, got the gun, and I went upstairs and I pulled the trigger," he recalled. "Through the whole thing, it was like watching your favorite TV show. You know what is going to happen, but you can’t do anything to stop it." His lawyers would later argue the boy had been a victim of "involuntary intoxication," since Pittman's doctors had him taking the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft just prior to the murders. Paxil's known "adverse drug reactions" – according to the drug's 2001 FDA-approved label – include "mania," "insomnia," "anxiety," "agitation," "confusion," "amnesia," "depression," "paranoid reaction," "psychosis," "hostility," "delirium," "hallucinations," "abnormal thinking," "depersonalization" and "lack of emotion," among others. Andrea Yates, in one of the most horrifying and heartbreaking crimes in modern history, drowned all five of her children – aged 7 years down to 6 months – in a bathtub. Insisting inner voices commanded her to kill her kids, she had become increasingly psychotic over the course of several years. At her 2006 murder re-trial, Yates' longtime friend Debbie Holmes testified: "She asked me if I thought Satan could read her mind and if I believed in demon possession." And Dr. George Ringholz, after evaluating Yates for two days, recounted an experience she had after the birth of her first child: "What she described was feeling a presence ... Satan ... telling her to take a knife and stab her son Noah," Ringholz said, adding that Yates' delusion at the time of the bathtub murders was not only that she had to kill her children to save them, but that Satan had entered her and that she had to be executed in order to kill Satan. Yates had been taking the antidepressant Effexor. In November 2005, more than four years after Yates drowned her children, Effexor manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals quietly added "homicidal ideation" to the drug's list of "rare adverse events." The Medical Accountability Network, a private nonprofit focused on medical ethics issues, publicly criticized Wyeth, saying Effexor's "homicidal ideation" risk wasn't well-publicized and that Wyeth failed to send letters to doctors or issue warning labels announcing the change. And what exactly does "rare" mean in the phrase "rare adverse events"? The FDA defines it as occurring in less than one in 1,000 people. But since, according to an Associated Press report, about 19.2 million prescriptions for Effexor were filled in the U.S. alone in 2005, statistically that means thousands of Americans could experience "homicidal ideation" – murderous thoughts – as a result of taking just this one brand of antidepressant drug. Effexor is Wyeth's best-selling drug, by the way, bringing in $3.46 billion – with a "b" – in sales worldwide in 2005, almost one-fifth of the company's total revenues. Columbine mass-killer Eric Harris was taking Luvox – like Paxil and Zoloft (and trendsetter Prozac), a modern and widely prescribed type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Harris and fellow student Dylan Klebold went on a hellish school shooting rampage in 1999 during which they killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 24 others before turning their guns on themselves. Luvox manufacturer Solvay Pharmaceuticals concedes that during short-term controlled clinical trials 4 percent of children and youth taking Luvox – that's 1 in 25 – developed mania, a dangerous and violence-prone mental derangement characterized by extreme excitement and delusion. The inescapable truth is, perpetrators of many of the nation's most horrendous murder rampages in recent years were taking, or just coming off of, prescribed psychiatric drugs. more...
| Technology |

NAFTA: The Shocking "Rest of the Story" The Cutting Edge - NAFTA was sold to the American public as a brilliant economic plan. Very few people realize that they have just witnessed Biblical prophecy occurring before their unsuspecting eyes!! In the News!!

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times". With these words, the classic novel, "Tale of Two Cities" began, a novel set in the midst of the French Revolution. Today, the same thing could be said for Christians. While we are living in the worst time in American history in terms of declining moral standards, declining traditional faith, and economic stress, we are also living in the most exciting time in history. Since Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948, thus beginning the End of the Age countdown, all the signs of the End of the Age have been occurring together. In the past, many of these signs were seen individually, such as rampant wars, widespread disease, earthquakes, but they never occurred simultaneously as they have now been occurring. Christians who know their Bibles should be very excited, because all our beliefs concerning the accuracy of the Bible are coming to pass, in the daily news, right before our eyes. This is the purpose of The Cutting Edge, to show you how you can see this advance to the Tribulation period right before your eyes, in your daily news. The Biblical term, "Tribulation" or "Great Tribulation" now has a secular name, The New World Order. Their plans to achieve this new order so parallel Biblical prophecy that, if you were to envision all Biblical prophecy about the End of the Age as a photograph, then the plans for The New World Order could be thought of as the negative, producing the positive picture! Today's news concerns NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, created two years ago, which economically joined Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Most Americans think of NAFTA simply and only as an Economic Entity, because that is the only context in which the media has ever portrayed it. However, the leaders of The New World Order have long been following a plan to recreate the many nations of the world into 10 Super Nations. And, not surprisingly, this Plan fulfills Biblical prophecy! Let us first begin with the New World Order Plan to create 10 Super Nations. In 1957, Alice Bailey, then the leader of the House of Theosophy, wrote in her collection of writings, "The Externalisation of the Hierarchy", that the world must first be reorganized into Spheres of Influence before it could be organized into a Global government (Page 209). She made it very clear that this reorganization would not follow traditional national boundaries, but would be a completely different organization. Bailey did not specify how many "Spheres of Influence" would be created, but her plan was fleshed out in 1974, by New World Order authors, Mihajlo Mesarovic and Eduard Pestel, in a book entitled, "Mankind At The Turning Point". They wrote that the world would be reorganized into 10 Super Nation States, listed below.

Remember, this New World Order Plan was published in 1974. Firmly set this date in your mind, as it will become very important in just a few paragraphs. The first question is "Why 10 Nation specifically?" The answer lies in a knowledge of the spiritual beliefs of the Occult. They believe that man is to be spiritually "perfected" by undergoing the process of "Illumination" by achieving a long, arduous study of "Hidden Truth". Once a man is totally perfected, he is pictured as standing "upright" next to, but uncontrolled, by his world. This perfected man is thought of as the Number 1, while the world is pictured as a zero (0). Thus, the number 10 forms this picture of perfected man standing apart from his world. The number 10 is a very important symbolic number to the occultist. ("Magic Symbols", Frederick Goodman, Brian Todd Publishing House, London, 1989, p. 46-47). Therefore, when the occultic leaders of the New World Order devised their plan to reorganize the world into Spheres of Influence, they acted in accordance with their occultic beliefs in deciding to create 10 Super Nation states. They were creating a New World Order, which, by its very structure, screamed to the peoples of the world, "We have created the 'Perfected" world organization, of 10 Super Nations". The symbolism is powerful: they are the "Perfected" men, standing apart, but controlling, the world. Ten had to be the number; Occult Doctrine demanded it. But, this Plan also fulfills a most important Biblical prophecy. This prophecy was given to the prophet, Daniel, approximately 2,500 years ago, and is the only prophecy which gives a sequence of events which God foretold would flow from this creation of the world into 10 nations. Hang on to your hat, for we are going on an exciting ride. First, let us review the prophecies. The Bible foretells in Daniel that there is a sequence of events which will foretell the appearance of Anti-Christ. Turn with me now to Daniel 7:7-8, remembering that Daniel is talking here of the End of the Age. Consider the Scripture: "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly ...and it had 10 horns. I considered the horns and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first plucked up by the roots..." These 10 horns are further explained in Daniel 2:41 and Revelation 17:12. These prophecies are quite clear in predicting that the world in the last days of time, during the Great Tribulation will be reorganized into 10 Super Nation States, or 10 Regions. This is a shocking revelation, since the world has been controlled by individual sovereign nations since the Tower of Babel 5,000 years ago. Today, there are over 170 sovereign nations in the world today. A new governmental structure is being silently erected over these 170+ sovereign nations Before our very eyes, a new government is being erected; this plan, originally published in 1974 in "Mankind At The Turning Point", is being implemented. And when it is finally implemented, it will fulfill this Biblical prophecy of 10 Nations at the End of the Age. Therefore, you see, NAFTA is not simply an economic super nation; rather, it is Nation #1 of this 10 Nation New World Order. Very few people understand this, because they have been conditioned by our national leadership, aided by our national mass media. No one has ever explained this before. Now, you can understand why Presidents as seemingly dissimilar in world view, style and philosophy as Presidents Bush and Clinton could support the creation of NAFTA. President George Bush began the push to create NAFTA, but was unable to see it created before he left for office. President Clinton supported NAFTA, even though he opposed nearly every other thing for which Bush stood. At this point, I am going to state a truth which I have carefully enunciated in my radio programs, and which I will soon state again: The New World Order Plan was created officially in 1776, and has been consistently supported by Presidents ever since. In this 20th Century, nearly every President, both Democratic and Republican, has secretly supported the Plan for The New World Order. It has not mattered whom we have elected, because both political parties are united in this drive to accomplish this Plan. Generally, Republican Presidents have concentrated on changes in the Foreign Policy field, while Democratic Presidents have concentrated on the needed changes in Domestic Policy. But, whether we have a Republican or Democratic President, the New World Order Plan continues unabated. NAFTA is one example of a Foreign Policy change initiated by a Republican President and continued by a Democratic President. more...
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder | America |

Don't be deceived by nice sounding labels such as Healthy Start, Healthy People, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities, and Healthy Cities. These and other "local" campaigns for public and mental health follow a global blueprint. They all fit into a worldwide system of health management and surveillance led by the World Health Organization, a UN special agency that equates faith with hate and truth with intolerance.1 The goal is conditioning the masses to willingly conform to new "universal" values, environmental guidelines, and a global management system. Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon-General and Assistant Secretary for Health, gave a progress report at a National Healthy People Consortium in November 1998 "We have a clear blueprint in place," he announced. "Currently, 47 states are actively involved in Healthy People 2000 and 'Healthy City and Healthy Community' initiatives are being pursued throughout the country. Hundreds of national organizations have reviewed the Year 2000 objectives and have adopted them as their own." Dr. Satcher then drew the connection between Healthy Start,2 Healthy People, mental health and the World Health Organization:

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

In a 1996 speech at The National Children's Mental Health Initiative, Donna Shalala, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), said,

As head of the DHHS, Shalala helped organize The National Mental Health Services Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN). Ponder its definition for mental health:

Do you wonder what Dr. Shalala and her network of health planners would consider good thinking? Or bad thinking? This definition doesn't tell us. How do they want people "to look at themselves" or "explore choices"? The answer is clear when you study UNESCO's psycho-social strategies for conforming the minds of our children to its anti-Christian world view. But without background information, these ambiguous, open-ended phrases hide the true intentions. However, Dr. Shalala and other self-proclaimed "change agents" do tell us that the old ways "a person thinks, feels, and acts" must change. They don't fit the new global ideology or the consensus process. According to Professor Benjamin Bloom, called the Father of OBE, the new "purpose of education and the schools is to change the thoughts, feelings and actions of students."7 So it's not surprising that UNESCO's Commission on Culture and Development in its report, Our Creative Diversity, wrote that -

Referring to the management and monitoring of its education program, the Kansas State Board of Education made a similar statement, "QPA [Quality Performance Accreditation] is a process which demands new thinking, new strategies, new behavior, and new beliefs." "New beliefs" and "new thinking" are key to the global management system. Adults as well as children must trade truth, facts, and logical thinking for myths, UN values, and the consensus process. The masses must learn to see themselves, not as individuals, but as part of a greater whole: a group, a community, the planet. Finally, the United Nations is nearing its goal: to create a unified, socialist world made up of compliant world citizens ready to adapt to what Al Gore called "a wrenching transformation of society."

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)

In 1946, the first head of WHO laid the foundation for today's mental health program. Having implied that Christian parents indoctrinated "their defenseless children" with "poisonous certainties" that cause war and conflict, Canadian psychiatrist Brock Chisholm, added,

Half a century has passed since Dr. Chisholm called for UN controls that would abolish divisive Christian "certainties". Today, WHO commands an international networking agency that helps nations around the world change and monitor the ways their people think, choose, and act. Called Nations for Mental Health, it links each member state to the UN agenda and promises to steer each nation toward the UN goal:

To develop "the mental health of the population" and to prevent dissent and conflict from blocking progress, everyone must participate in the consensus process. Assessments for all -- young and old -- will show who might be "at risk" of not meeting the new mental standards for healthy communities. more...
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder |

News for December 31, 2007

Less is more

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)