News for November 03, 2005

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Israeli Company “Engineuity” Develops Car That Makes Its Own Fuel (October 31, 2005) - As President Bush urges Americans to cut back on the use of oil in wake of the recent surge in prices, more and more people are looking for more viable alternatives to the use of petroleum as the main fuel for the automotive industry. IsraCast recently covered the idea developed at the Weizmann Institute to use pure Zinc to produce Hydrogen using solar power. Now, a different solution has been developed by an Israeli company called Engineuity. Amnon Yogev, one of the two founders of Engineuity, and a retired Professor of the Weizmann Institute, suggested a method for producing a continuous flow of Hydrogen and steam under full pressure inside a car. This method could also be used for producing hydrogen for fuel cells and other applications requiring hydrogen and/or steam. The Hydrogen car Engineuity is working on will use metals such as Magnesium or Aluminum which will come in the form of a long coil. The gas tank in conventional vehicles will be replaced by a device called a Metal-Steam combustor that will separate Hydrogen out of heated water. The basic idea behind the technology is relatively simple: the tip of the metal coil is inserted into the Metal-Steam combustor together with water where it will be heated to very high temperatures. The metal atoms will bond to the Oxygen from the water, creating metal oxide. As a result, the Hydrogen molecules are free, and will be sent into the engine alongside the steam. The solid waste product of the process, in the form of metal oxide, will later be collected in the fuel station and recycled for further use by the metal industry. more...

A nuclear surge to follow Iran’s diplomatic purge (November 03, 2005) - IRAN announced yesterday that it was removing 40 ambassadors from their posts abroad and indicated a further hardening of the regime’s policies by preparing a new phase in its nuclear programme. A day after The Times revealed that senior envoys were being purged from Iran’s diplomatic service, Manoucher Mottaki, the Foreign Minister, told the parliament in Tehran that “the missions of more than 40 ambassadors and heads of Iranian diplomatic missions abroad will expire” by March 20. He described the drastic changes, affecting nearly half of Iran’s foreign posts, as normal and insisted that many envoys were close to retirement. His assurances failed to silence critics, both in Iran and abroad, who insisted that key envoys were being dismissed because they were moderates closely identified with the reformist policies of previous administrations. more...

France struggles as unrest spreads (November 03, 2005) - Pressure mounted on French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin’s government to move quickly to restore order as violence broke out in the suburbs of Paris for the seventh night running. The French government leader canceled a trip to Canada yesterday to tackle the spreading unrest in areas with large African and Muslim populations, and to quell a damaging dispute among his ministers over how to respond. Last night, youths went on a rampage in nine areas in poor suburbs ringing the French capital to the north and the east, setting on fire about 40 cars, two buses and trash cans, as well as causing damage to at least one school and a shopping center. Hundreds of police were deployed to control the disturbances, with some units diverted from a soccer match. One trade union representing policemen described the unrest as a “civil war” and called on Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy to impose a curfew in areas that have been affected by the violence to ensure that the violence did not spiral out of control. The week of street fighting was sparked by the deaths of two teenagers who were fatally shocked while apparently fleeing police during a local disturbance. more...

House churches emphasis community, relationships (November 03, 2005) - CEDAR FALLS --- Over a round of spaghetti and meatballs, laughter is frequent. Conversation is diverse. The small gathering of friends and acquaintances is informal but purposeful. “Sharing a meal is one overt expression of our humanity, our needs, our dependency,” said Emily Kearney, who with husband, Joe, hosts the weekly meeting at their Cedar Falls residence. Dinner dishes make way for apple pie a la mode and Trivial Pursuit. The game continues as long as it takes Emily to put the Kearney’s two children to bed. A bit later, Bibles open and talk turns to the book of Hebrews and commentary by renowned pastor John Piper. Some would call the evening a Bible study with food. These Christians call it church. The practice of believers “doing life” together, part of the new Abundant Life Church in Cedar Falls, is repeated in six households and counting. “The purpose of midweek meetings is to get to know each other and encourage each other on,” Joe said. “We can bring our realities, our character flaws ....” “Our successes, our lives,” Emily added. more...

Iran gives $1 million to Palestinian terror (November 03, 2005) - Iran last month distributed $1 million to families of Palestinian suicide bombers and jailed terrorists at a ceremony sponsored in part by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, WND has learned. A speech given on behalf of Abbas at the distribution ceremony called for the liberation of “all” Palestinian lands and a stop to the “Judaization” of Jerusalem, reported the Information and Terrorism Center at Israel’s Center for Special Studies. The Al-Ansar Association, a division of the Iranian Martyrs Foundation, based in Tehran, held the ceremony in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 13 to distribute the funds to families of suicide bombers, jailed terrorists and Palestinians whose homes were demolished during Israeli anti-terror operations – usually because a family member committed a terror act or terrorists were allowed to use their homes as shelter. Al-Ansar was founded in 2003 to serve as the Palestinian branch of the Iranian Martyrs Foundation, which, according to the Center for Special Studies, grants money on behalf of Iran. Al-Ansar also operates under the auspices of the Martyr Institution run by Iran-backed Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Al-Ansar’s Palestinian office is headed by an Islamic Jihad member who is directed by Hezbollah, said the Center for Special Studies. more...

European Union lowercases ‘Christ’ (November 02, 2005) - A new grammar rule devised by the European Union in Brussels stipulates the word “Christ” shall be spelled with a lowercase “c.” The rule was part of an orthography reform published in October, reported Canada Free Press. The paper cites a German newssite, Kath.net, in reporting that the new guidelines also indicate the Dutch word for “Jews” (Joden) is to be spelled with a capital “J” when referring to nationality and with a lower-case “j” when referring to the religion. The EU changes become mandatory next August. There are no penalties set out for those who insist on continuing to spell Christ with a capital “C.” Canada Free Press noted the title of Javier Solana, secretary general of the EU, was still to be spelled with capital letters. Many Europeans have long discarded belief in God and in fact believe more deeply in ghosts than in a deity. A new poll finds two-thirds of Britons said they believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits, but only 55 percent said they believe in the existence of God. Meanwhile, 26 percent believe in UFOs, 19 percent in reincarnation and 4 percent in the Loch Ness Monster, Ananova reported.

Israel will fall from within: Ayatollah (November 02, 2005) - IRAN’S supreme leader said yesterday that Palestinian “resistance” will topple the Israeli regime, amid international condemnation of the Iranian president’s remarks that Israel should be erased from the map. “It is the resistance in Palestine which will undoubtedly lead to the fall of the Zionist regime,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a statement carried by the student-run news agency ISNA. Mr Khamenei’s statement came four days after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked international outcry when he declared that the Jewish state should be “wiped off the map.” The UN Security Council condemned the hardline president’s words. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday the statement “only demonstrates why we are working so hard to keep Iran from getting technologies that lead to a nuclear weapon under cover of civilian nuclear power.” Mr Khamenei retorted: “These ignorant people do not realize that nuclear weapons are no good for toppling regimes or governments. It is the nation’s resistance and will that destroys corrupt regimes.”

Spiritual symbiosis: A surprising one (October 31, 2005) - TAMPA - It’s Monday night, and 13 teenagers gather at the Glorious Church of God in Christ, a predominantly African-American church in a working class neighborhood of East Tampa. The teens bow their heads and pray Jesus will make this a productive evening. Then one hands out pamphlets titled The Way to Happiness. “Be worthy of trust” is the passage the kids read before launching into a discussion of moral issues touching on race, sex and honesty. The concepts aren’t unusual for a Christian teen group, but the author is. The Way to Happiness is a moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology. And the Way to Happiness class is just part of a relationship between the Glorious Church of God in Christ and the Church of Scientology. About 20 Glorious Church members have been schooled on Hubbard’s study technology at Scientology’s Tampa facility on Habana Avenue. Soon Glorious Church parishioners plan to teach Hubbard’s so-called “study tech” to children in their neighborhood, where one in five live in poverty. The Glorious Church also hopes to host Narconon and Criminon programs based on the teachings of Hubbard and aimed at drug treatment and criminal rehabilitation. more...

U.S. Fears Prospect of Saudi Coup, Weighs Invasion Plans (November 03, 2005) - The United States has raised the prospect of a military invasion of Saudi Arabia. The House Armed Services Committee considered the possibility of a Saudi coup and U.S. response during a hearing on Oct. 26. Saudi Arabia, with 200,000 military and National Guard troops, is the largest oil producer and exporter, with an output of nine million barrels of oil per day, according to Middle East Newsline. The Arab kingdom is the third largest supplier of oil to the United States, with more than 1.55 million barrels per day. The scenario was outlined by Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow of the Brookings Institution, who cited a Saudi coup as one of several threats to the United States. “How should the United States respond if a coup, presumably fundamentalist in nature, overthrows the royal family in Saudi Arabia?” O’Hanlon asked. “Such a result would raise the specter of major disruption to the oil economy.” The response could include the deployment of three U.S. Army divisions backed by fighter-jets and airborne early-warning and alert aircraft. In all, the U.S.-led mission could include up to 300,000 troops. more...

‘A World Without America’ (November 03, 2005) - President Ahmadinejad’s speech to the Iranian student organization Union of Islamic Students Association’s “World Without Zionism” conference last week stating, “Very soon, this stain of disgrace [i.e. Israel] will vanish from the center of the Islamic world” has been widely condemned internationally. In Iran, however, his speech was surrounded by celebrations and proclamations — which were part of Al-Quds Day. This included a reception for ambassadors from Muslim countries “thrown in their honor” by Iran’s Foreign Ministry on October 27. A legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority on “peace negotiations,” Diana Butto, was pictured by the Islamic Republic News Agency on October 28 speaking to an audience in Iran about “her support of the intifada.” A Hamas leader, Khaled Meshal, issued a statement to the conference with a warning to America: “The Islamic nation feels ready to confront Zionism and the United States.” more...

Historic Vermont Meeting in State Capital Passes Resolution to Secede from the U.S. (November 03, 2005) - The neo-con band of criminals running Washington, trampling on civil rights at home and invading countries at will overseas, has led a large group of strong-minded Vermont freedom-fighters with no choice but to secede from the United States . And last Friday at the state capital building in Montpelier , a historic independence convention was held, the first of its kind in the United States since May 20, 1861, when South Carolina decided to leave the Union . A packed House Chamber in the Vermont statehouse, with more than 400 gathered, started the daylong secession convention with a speech by keynote James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency, and ended with a resolution passed to secede from the United States . Most people think of secession as impossible if not treasonous, but the concept is deeply rooted in the Declaration of Independence, reminding us that “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it and to institute new government.” And with the neo-con takeover of Washington , including all its branches of government transforming America into a one-party dictatorship, that’s exactly what the resolution passed in Vermont seeks to do by members of grassroots movement growing in numbers daily. more...