News for March 20, 2005

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What luck for rulers that men do not think. | Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

Cells of Native Israeli “Resurrection Plant” Reveal Surprising Shape: the Star of David Leora Eren Frucht / Aimee Herd reporting (Mar 21, 2005)

The Israeli Persian Buttercup is native to Israel, and a “survivor” wildflower that thrives under the dry, harsh conditions found in that region of the world. Its existence alone provides an analogy of the surviving nature of the Israeli people, but when one looks closer an amazing image is revealed. The cells of the flower's root, when viewed under a microscope are the very shape of the Israeli “Star of David.”

The discovery was made by Dr. Rina Kamenetsky, a researcher for the Volcani Institute in Israel, when she was studing the survival qualities of the plant. “When my Canadian colleague Professor Larry Peterson saw it, he called me over right away and said: 'Look, Rina: here’s something especially for you.’ I was truly amazed,” said Kamenetsky, “It really is symbolic.”

The flower is known as a “resurrection plant,” meaning that it can survive without water then revives when water is available. The information this plant contains on drought-resistance could prove valuable in making other plants hardier, in the future.

I’m not sure God can make any clearer a stamp on who He says gets the land of Israel, also called “Palestine” He built it into the nature that has existed since the beginning of time so that the one symbol of the oldest existing nation would match with a flower that lives without water in the desert and revives again when there is water. Hmm... Sounds pretty clear to me.

Report: China, Russia to 'Rehearse Invasion of Taiwan' - Yesterday, March 16, Chief of the Russian General Staff Yury Baluyevsky left for China to settle a scandal over the first Russian-Chinese military exercise, Commonwealth-2005, which is due to be held this fall off the Yellow Sea coast, writes Kommersant. The initial plans were to practice operational teamwork in combating terrorism during the exercise. However, Beijing, skillfully changing the format of the exercise, has tried to re-orient the two countries' armies to practicing an invasion of Taiwan.

NOAA Issues 2005 Spring Outlook - Today, NOAA unveiled the 2005 U.S. Spring Outlook for April through June. Of significance, one of the wettest winters on record has resulted in major reductions in the area and severity of drought in the Southwest and the Colorado River Basin—the first time this has occurred in five years. Click the article for more information and visuals.

Ocean Heat Store Makes Climate Change Inevitable  - No matter how well the world controls emissions of greenhouse gases, global climate change is inevitable, warn two new studies which take into account the oceans' slow response to warming. Even if greenhouse gases never rise beyond their present level, temperatures and sea levels will continue rising for another century or more because of a time lag in the oceans' response to atmospheric temperatures, say researchers.

I’ve been thinking this for years. We’re so bombarded by “environmentalist wakos” that say we’re destroying our planet, when the signs from all of nature are showing cycles and elements beyond our control.

Underground Extra-terrestrial UFO Bases All Around the World – A Mind Boggling Theory - Geologists in the East and West coasts are busy understanding a new theory that shows possible underground UFO bases all around the world. According to this theory the UFO bases are along the interface of the seven large and many small tectonic plates meet each other. According to the UFO researchers, the underground UFO bases are deep under the ground where multiple tectonic plates push on top of each other. For example the Indian plate and Eurasian plates colliding against each other along the Himalayas makes it an ideal locations.

Next Generation Fighter Aircrafts And Submarines Based on Shark’s Electromagnetic Flux for Navigation and Stealth - Scientists and defense engineers have understood that Sharks not only use electromagnetic flux for navigation but also they use it for stealth. The Defense researchers are working on prototypes that provide similar capabilities to next generation submarines and fighter aircrafts. If these researchers are right, next generation submarines and fighter aircrafts will be able to disappear from any and all radars or similar devices and be able to navigate towards a target without any artificial guidance systems as it is used today.

Seismologists: Another Sumatran Quake Likely - A buildup of stress on faults in Sumatra is likely to trigger another large earthquake -- and potentially another tsunami -- in the Indian Ocean region, seismologists say. Researchers at the University of Ulster-Coleraine in Northern Ireland report in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature that stress is building not only in the Sumatra fault, where the magnitude 9.0 quake struck December 26, but also on the adjacent fault zone known as the Sunda Trench, located under the sea west of Sumatra.

Japanese Earthquake Kills 1, Injures 381 - A powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Japan on Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least 381 others, damaging buildings and jolting residents with a series of strong aftershocks.

Judge in Schiavo case withdraws membership from church - Judge George Greer -- whose rulings set the March 18 removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube -- has withdrawn his membership at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Fla.

Tsunami warning after Japan quake (ADDITIONAL NEWS) - A powerful earthquake has rattled southern Japan, swaying buildings and prompting authorities to issue a temporary warning for tsunami.

Bush Returning to Washington Over Schiavo - President Bush is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday.

Strong earthquake jolts tsunami-devastated Aceh - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale on Friday jolted Indonesia's tsunami-devastated province of Aceh, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the state meteorological agency said.

Earthquake shakes parts of East Tenn. - An earthquake registering a 2.5 magnitude shook parts of Loudon, Blount and west Knox Counties Thursday night.

Evangelist Uses Award-Winning Show to Teach Effective Witnessing - A weekly television program created by actor Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort that airs on Trinity Broadcasting and has garnered two awards from the NRB may be expanded to become a tool churches can use to facilitate evangelism. The Way of the Master, currently in it's second season, won both the "People's Choice" and "Best Program" awards from the NRB for 2005, the show addresses the most effective ways to evangelize, dealing with issues that may be encountered by those who are "witnessing" and sharing their faith.

"I've Learned that You Should Never Hide Your Faith" - Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox Pitcher and Christian - Prior to testifying before Congress regarding the use of steroids in baseball, Boston's veteran pitcher Curt Schilling told Townhall's Marvin Olasky he's not keeping his faith under wraps anymore. Lamenting that he wasted 7 years where he could've been more verbal in his Christian witness, Schilling says he's learned, " . . . that you should never hide your faith."

God Uses Survivor of Doctor-Assisted Suicide Attempt as 'Spokesman' For Him - By Don Colburn / Teresa Neumann reporting (Mar 18, 2005) (Oregon) On February 2, 2005, David E. Prueitt of Estacada, Oregon, awoke from a doctor-assisted suicide induced coma intended to kill him and asked his wife, "Why am I not dead?" Sixteen days later the cancer in his lungs took his life naturally. But since Mr. Prueitt's family has gone public with what he experienced during his coma, pro-euthanasia advocates are squirming.(Oregon) On February 2, 2005, David E. Prueitt of Estacada, Oregon, awoke from a doctor-assisted suicide induced coma intended to kill him and asked his wife, "Why am I not dead?" Sixteen days later the cancer in his lungs took his life naturally. But since Mr. Prueitt's family has gone public with what he experienced during his coma, pro-euthanasia advocates are squirming.

Bush and Leading Lebanese Christian Call for Religious and Political Freedom - By Davin Dahlgren (Mar 18, 2005) In the ongoing efforts to encourage the expansion of freedom and ultimately peace in the Middle East, President Bush met with Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, a Leading Lebanese Christian on Wednesday. The two discussed Syria and Hezbollah as factors in the establishment of free elections in Lebanon.In the ongoing efforts to encourage the expansion of freedom and ultimately peace in the Middle East, President Bush met with Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, a Leading Lebanese Christian on Wednesday. The two discussed Syria and Hezbollah as factors in the establishment of free elections in Lebanon.

Good News from Iraq, a New Hospital, Power Substation, and Fresh Water Supply, Part of 2,000 Projects to Rebuild the Country, Iraqis Say, "We are So Grateful to the American People" - (Mar 19, 2005) (Baghdad, Iraq) While suicide bombers and kidnappers usually grab most of the headlines coming out of Iraq, there have been great strides in the country's rebuilding process in the form of 2,000 projects being worked on by both the U.S. and Iraq together. Workers in Baghdad are erecting a new hospital, while Americans and Iraqis are working together in Kurdistan to build a 10 million dollar electricity substation which will provide needed power to thousands of homes. U.S. Gen. Thomas Bostick, overseer of reconstruction in all of Iraq said, "It's wonderful to see all the Iraqi workers that are here working on a very important project...it's a very powerful message." Some of the projects involve bringing a clean water supply, vital to communities. The work is appreciated by residents as local families told Fox News, "We are so grateful to the American people. We've never had fresh water pumped into our homes before."

S. Dakota Passes Law Requiring Women Seeking an Abortion to Sign Warning That They Will Be 'Terminating the Life of a Whole, Separate, Unique, Living Human Being' - By Bob Mercer / Teresa Neumann reporting (Mar 18, 2005))- A new state law in South Dakota requires doctors to have women sign a statement before performing an abortion. The statement notifies the patient that they are "terminating the life of' a whole, separate, unique, living human being." It also informs the woman that she has ''an existing relationship with that unborn human being" and that the relationship is protected under the US Constitution and the laws of South Dakota, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The report adds that women must also be told of the mental and physical health risks of abortion. If a woman has questions, the doctor must answer them in writing, and the answers become part of the patient's medical records.- A new state law in South Dakota requires doctors to have women sign a statement before performing an abortion. The statement notifies the patient that they are "terminating the life of' a whole, separate, unique, living human being." It also informs the woman that she has ''an existing relationship with that unborn human being" and that the relationship is protected under the US Constitution and the laws of South Dakota, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The report adds that women must also be told of the mental and physical health risks of abortion. If a woman has questions, the doctor must answer them in writing, and the answers become part of the patient's medical records.

Rumors of Americans 'Turning Evangelical' Prompts Canadian Reporter to Head South to See for Himself - By Teresa Neumann (Mar 18, 2005) - The Globe & Mail, a Canadian news publication which "is not known for its coverage of evangelical Christianity," published a three-part series called In God They Trust on the topic of the U.S. evangelical Christian right. Reporter Ian Brown -- a "non-believer" -- admits that rumors of the U.S. "turning Evangelical" made him want to head south and check it out. Part one of the series, which ran in the March 12 edition, was called "Letting Jesus Drive," part two "Supersize Thee," and part three, "Family Values Central." Brown writes: "I thought I would climb in a car and try to meet a few religious people first-hand, without prejudice. I wasn't sure it was possible . . . I'm the most banal kind of secular, the kind of person who prays when he's scared, but doesn't believe the rest of the time. Can such a person meet believers on their own terms?"

Americans move in with Israel settlers - By Aaron Klein (Mar. 17, 2005)A group of forty Americans, led by a New York state lawmaker, moved here for three days this week as part of a larger trip that will bring over a thousand U.S. citizens to protest Israel's planned withdrawal this summer from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. "We are here to show solidarity and compassion," the group leader, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn, told WND. "These Jews who have moved here over thirty years ago with the assistance of Israel are being kicked out of their homes simply because of their nationality, not by their enemies, but by a Jewish government. It is an unconscionable thing to do, and we must stand with them."A group of forty Americans, led by a New York state lawmaker, moved here for three days this week as part of a larger trip that will bring over a thousand U.S. citizens to protest Israel's planned withdrawal this summer from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. "We are here to show solidarity and compassion," the group leader, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn, told WND. "These Jews who have moved here over thirty years ago with the assistance of Israel are being kicked out of their homes simply because of their nationality, not by their enemies, but by a Jewish government. It is an unconscionable thing to do, and we must stand with them."

'Israel' erased from Canadian passports - (Mar. 15, 2005) Under a new passport policy in Canada, 'Israel" cannot be specified as the country of birth for Canadian citizens born in Jerusalem. Canadian Jews are being told by their government to surrender their passports so the word "Israel" can be removed if it appears next to the name of the Jewish state's declared capital, according to a report by Israel National News. Under a new passport policy in Canada, ''Israel" cannot be specified as the country of birth for Canadian citizens born in Jerusalem. Canadian Jews are being told by their government to surrender their passports so the word "Israel" can be removed if it appears next to the name of the Jewish state's declared capital, according to a report by Israel National News. 

10,000 Jews to ascend Temple Mount - movement to reclaim Temple Mount - Aaron Klein (Mar. 16, 2005) A grassroots Jewish organization plans to bring 10,000 Jews to the heavily restricted Temple Mount to spark Israeli dialogue about reclaiming the holy site from its Muslim custodians. "The Temple Mount is the single holiest place in the world for Jews. It's about time the Israeli government restores it to the Jewish people, where it belongs," David Ha'ivri, chairman of Revava, the group orchestrating the gathering, told WND.