News for April 16, 2005

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DARPA’s ‘Wasp’ May Carry Powerful Sting (April 12, 2005) - The small, lightweight, hand-launched “Wasp” may be the Marine’s new best friend when it comes to performing reconnaissance missions. The Wasp is a MAV—a micro-air vehicle—that weighs approximately 200 grams depending on its configuration. This tiny terror runs on two small Kokam Lithium Polymer “spar” batteries inserted in the carbon-fiber leading edge of each Kevlar wing which not only power the electric propulsion system, but also provide structural support for the wing. The Wasp carries forward- and side-looking fixed-focus color daylight cameras. The images from these cameras are relayed back to a ground control unit along with global positioning system coordinates. A Marine controlling the MAV can then relay those coordinates to a fire control center for an artillery shoot. Once launched, the Wasp enters an automatic flight pattern that is programmed into its avionics software through a Toughbook computer using FalconView software for handling images and mission control. The operator can set GPS waypoints and even adjust those waypoints in flight. Once over the target, the Wasp enters into a circular flight pattern and points it side-looking camera at the target.

Second Volcano Intensifies Disaster Alarm in Indonesia (April 13, 2005) -- A second Indonesian volcano sprang to life after a series of terrifying quakes, intensifying fears that the archipelago’s violent geological forces will unleash a new disaster. Tangkuban Perahu, a smoldering 2,076-metre (6,933 foot) mountain near the city of Bandung on Java island, began rumbling overnight, prompting scientists to raise the alarm and declare the summit around the open crater off limits. “There is possibility that poisonous gas may come out,” said Surono, a vulcanology and geological disaster mitigation official, who said the volcano's alert status had been raised from “alert” to “prepare.” A day earlier, more than 20,000 people fled the slopes of Mount Talang on Sumatra island, as the peak spewed hot ash after being unsettled by huge tremors from the same faultline that caused last year's deadly tsunami.

Thousands of Missiles Fired by both Russian and United States Military Forces over Earths Arctic Regions as Large Cosmic Blasts Continue Hitting Planet (April 13, 2005) - Strange reports have reached us today from our Arctic Regions describing thousands of missile launches from both Russian and American military forces, and from both land based and aircraft launched these missiles that are being directed out of the earth’s atmosphere into the outer space regions of our planets atmosphere. From various news services however there is being reported that Russia and the United States are conducting Missile Defense War games, and as we can read as reported by the Moscow Times News Service in their article titled “Russia, U.S. Launch Joint Missile Defense War games,” and which says, “Russia and the United States have begun joint missile defense war games aimed at protecting vital installations in a third country in the course of future international operations,” a Russian Defense Ministry release said Monday. The war games will last until April 23.

Schools Boost Muslim Integration in Holland - An Islamic school in the Netherlands has signed a cooperation protocol with two Dutch schools with the ultimate aim of enhancing integration of young Muslims into Dutch society.

Vatican Is Rethinking Relations With Islam - After two decades of contact and dialogue with the Islamic world under Pope John Paul II, the Vatican is rethinking an outreach program that critics say is diluting Catholicism and has brought almost no benefits to beleaguered Catholic minorities in Muslim countries.

Students want Bibles removed from rooms ‘to avoid offence’ - UNIVERSITY students have voted to ban the Bible because they believe it could offend non-Christians. Up to 6,000 copies of the Gideon Bible could be taken out of rooms in the halls of residence at Stirling University.

Christians denied permit for service - A Michigan city faces a possible civil-rights lawsuit for denying a permit to a Christian group that wants to celebrate the National Day of Prayer with a meeting in front of city hall. The Troy National Day of Prayer Christian Task Force in Troy, Mich., says it has gathered at city hall in Veteran’s Plaza for each of the past 10 years for the national commemoration, held this year May 5.

Vermont resurrects assisted-suicide bill - Proponents of euthanasia have worked with supportive lawmakers in Vermont to introduce a proposed “Death With Dignity Act.” The House Human Services Committee held hearings this week on a bill to allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to terminally ill patients who have less than six months to live.

UN Must Reform Or Die, Says Rice - US Secretary of State Condoleza Rice has said the UN cannot “survive as a vital force” if it does not reform.

Dumped Temple Mount Rubble Yields Jewish Artifacts by Teresa Neumann (Apr 15, 2005) - The first-ever archaeological examination of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has been taking place for the past six months, yielding a wealth of artifacts, according to Arutz Sheva news. In November 1999, an illegal, unsupervised construction project on the Temple Mount caused irreparable damage to the important site in the Kidron Valley. Though the archaeological remains were no longer in their original contexts, they held enormous potential to shed light on the undocumented human history of the Temple Mount, as systematic archaeological excavation or scientific study have never taken place there. The mounds of dirt in the Kidron Valley therefore contained the only available data from the Temple Mount to which modern archaeologists have ever had access. more...

New TV Series Revelations Puts Dent in American Idol Audience Aimee Herd, Davin Dahlgren reporting (Apr 15, 2005) - According to a report by the NY Post, the new 6-week TV series Revelations, beating out NBC’s American Idoll by nearly 9 million viewers. Editor’s Note: These numbers are another example, I think, of the great hunger there is among people for a “God connection.” While this show is not biblically accurate as to how the end times will unfold , the public’s response is nevetheless an indication, of how many, who may not even be Believers, are interested in things concerning the end times. Truly the “fields are white for harvest.” --Aimee Herd, Breaking Christian News.

Miracles in Mozambique--The Deaf Hear, The Blind See, Spreading Glory from Village to Village
Rolland Baker / Teresa Neumann Reporting (Apr 13, 2005)

Kakala is grinning broadly, so excited. Missionary Heidi Baker is prompting her syllable by syllable, and she is answering perfectly into the microphone. This stirs the whole watching village, which knows that Kakala has been a deaf mute all her life. They run to get Kakala’s mother, and soon the two of them are beaming as they stand together on our revival platform -- the flat bed of our 3-ton truck. The mother confirms to the whole crowd that she has never heard Kakala speak before (Pictured: Kakala the deaf mute speaking to her villager friends with a microphone!).

This is such great news that someone runs off to bring another deaf mute to the meeting, a little girl named Magdalena, much younger than Kakala. Heidi and our ministry team lay hands on her, and instantly she can hear and speak too. more...

God Rules in Australia Stadium as Franklin Graham Shares the Gospel with Nearly 80,000 Peoplee Teresa Neumann  (Apr 13, 2005) - 

MELBOURNE -- The Telstra Dome in Melbourne is famous as a home for Australian Rules, but when the sports loving people of the city packed the stadium last month it was for a different reason.

The stadium was transformed into the home of Festival Victoria with Franklin Graham, with the huge grass playing field the meeting place for over 5000 people who made first-time decisions for Christ or rededicated their lives.

Graeme Lee, of the National and South Pacific Evangelism and Discipleship Centre, who attended the event, says that during the appeal on the Saturday “Youth Night” 2500 people made responses.

“It was a very moving scene to see such a large number of people streaming onto the grounds to dedicate their lives to Christ.” more...

Marine Regiment Testifies of Miracles of Divine Protection over Them in Iraq--Though They Saw Some of the Heaviest Fighting, God Saw Them Through Aimee Herd  (Apr 14, 2005) Before the soldiers of the 8th Marine Regiment went into battle in Iraq back in March of 2003, their commander of the Combined Anti-Armor Tank platoon, Capt. Seth MacCutcheon, a Christian, asked Chaplain Don Rogers if he would pray over each vehicle. The regiment’s mission was to find enemy armor and destroy it, before they could use it against them.

“When Seth asked me to pray, I laid hands on every vehicle in 2/8 -- more than 70 Humvees and trucks,” said Rogers, “praying that the vehicles would not be hit and for safety of the men who would ride in them.” He was not the only one interceding however. Echo Rifle Company Capt. Kevin Yeo’s wife Andrea and 7 other women met regularly to cover the regiment in prayer.

Though they were involved in some of the heaviest fighting, not one soldier was lost, and except for several who were wounded non-seriously with shrapnel, not one Marine lost an eye, finger or toe or was disabled.

In fact, according to author Glenn Thomas who penned God Saw Them Through, about the regiment, there were over 40 answers to prayer and 35 miracles of protection which he recorded in the book. (The book will soon be available in The Well Bookstore.) More on the 8th Marine Regiment's experiences are shared in the April issue of Charisma magazine.

President Bush Tells Reporters about His ‘Walk with Christ’ Teresa Neumann  (Apr 14, 2005) - Seven reporters traveling with President Bush on Air Force One after the pope’s funeral in Rome, were treated to a personal conversation about the president’s relationship with Jesus Christ. Charisma reports that for 47 minutes, Bush and the journalists had an “intimate, friendly chat” largely about the pope, his legacy and Bush’s “own walk with Christ.” Subsequently, a headline in the Washington Post this week read, “Preacher Bush.”

“There is no doubt in my mind there is a living God. And no doubt in my mind that the Lord, Christ, was sent by the Almighty. No doubt in my mind about that,” Bush is quoted as saying.