News for October 21, 2006

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With all the news about North Korea, I thought everyone might want a closer look into the world most people on the outside never get to see.

• Video Lisa Ling, reporter for National Geographic, recently snuck into North Korea. She was watched at all times by "minders", but still managed to have discussions with citizens. And from this, she gathered that the people are willing to make sacrifices, because they believe they are at war with the United States.
• Pictures from North Korea.

There's a lot going on in the world right now and a lot of subtle build-up. From the Temple Mount to Gog/Magog buildup to the EU, it's all building up in line with Bible prophecy. Keep watching!

Discovery of the Treasures of Jerusalem's Temple, According to Claims of New Location, Could "Rock World Religions" Breaking Christian News (October 19, 2006) - In a Jerusalem Post article entitled, "Buried Treasure," reporter Gil Zohar explains: The Arch of Titus in Rome, erected shortly after the death of Titus who reigned as emperor from 79 to 81, clearly depicts Roman soldiers bearing on their shoulders the golden candelabrum, silver trumpets and bejeweled Table of the Divine Presence which the Roman emperor Vespasian and his son Titus carted back to Rome as trophies of war. Between 75 CE and the early fifth century, the treasure remained on public display in the Temple of Peace in Rome's Forum. In conclusion, notes Zohar, many Jews believe - almost as an article of faith - that the Temple artifacts remain there in Rome, secreted away in vaults beneath the Vatican. Now a modern day twist in the story has surfaced based around research included in a new book called God's Gold: The Quest for the Lost Temple Treasure of Jerusalem by British historian Sean Kingsley. Kingsley, says the report, "...argues that the treasures were removed from Rome after the Vandal invasion of 455 CE; that the loot was first taken to Carthage in Tunisia, then to Hippo Regius in Algeria, and on to Constantinople - today known as Istanbul, Turkey. The spoils, he claims, were finally returned to the Holy Land in the mid-sixth century where they were ultimately hidden in the Judean wilderness, beneath the remote Monastery of St. Theodosius 12 km. east of Bethlehem. "One thing is for sure - it is not imprisoned deep in Vatican City. I am the first person to prove that the Temple treasures no longer languish in Rome," says Kingsley, an expert on the East Mediterranean economy in Late Antiquity. Zohar intimates that if the Temple treasures were retrieved, the discovery could lead to the actual rebuilding of the Temple, the resumption of biblical sacrifice - and, according to Jewish tradition, the coming of the Messiah. According to Kingsley, "The treasure resonates fiercely across modern politics. Since the mid-1990s, a heated political wrangle has been simmering between the Vatican and Israel, which has accused the papacy of imprisoning the treasure. The Temple treasure remains a deadly political tool in the volatile Arab-Israeli conflict centered on the Temple Mount [the site of the Jewish Temple and the Muslim Dome of the Rock]. The treasure's final hiding place - in the modern West Bank ... deep in Hamas territory - will rock world religions." more...
| Temple Mount |

This is the very effect I believe the rediscovery of the Ark of the Covenant would have. I believe it would bring Jews from all over the world back into orthodox tradition and in aliyah back to Israel. I believe Ron Wyatt may have found it and the Jewish religious leadership is keeping it under wraps until the temple is rebuilt. I've seen his video and while there's no evidence the story is compelling and fits scripture as well as introducing some fulfilled symbolism in Christ's death when His blood dripped onto the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. Once a year on Yom Kippur, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood from a sacrifice onto the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, where God dwelt. In the hiding of the Ark hundreds of years before Christ was born (before the last Babylonian exile of the Jews), only God could have brought those two together to fulfill the ceremonial sprinkling of atoning blood from a blameless sacrificial Lamb, Christ. Ultimately, time will tell if Ron was truthful about his discovery, I tend to believe Him because it fits so well with how God would keep the traditions He told His chosen people to keep and atone for all of our sins through Christ's death for us.

Spanish foreign minister says no final peace in Mideast without Syria (October 16, 2006) - There can be no comprehensive and final peace in the Middle East without Syria, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Sunday. "There will be no final peace in the Middle East if there is no solution of the Syrian-Israeli relationship. If we need a comprehensive peace, all actors have to be involved in a peaceful agenda," Moratinos told reporters at the Damascus airport before departing for Turkey. During a two-day visit to Syria, Moratinos held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on ways to revive the stalled Middle East peace process. Moratinos said he won a pledge from Assad to work for peace in the region. "That's what I have got from President Assad and Moallem. ... They conveyed to me a genuine wish and will to work in a constructive and positive manner," he said. Israeli-Syrian peace talks broke down in 2000, with Syria demanding assurances that Israel would return the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Israel wanted modifications to the pre-1967 border and insisted that the issues of security arrangements and normalization be spelled out first. Moratinos said that he believes, from the Spanish point of view, that the only way to bring peace and stability to the region is to have "contacts and dialogue and engagement of all actors, the main actors in the region." Syria is "part of the solution and not part of the problem," Moratinos said. more...
| Israel | Islam |

While the Spanish Foreign Minister is correct, I don't believe the actions of Syria represent any willingness on their part to come to the table. Even if they did, Israel could expect to hear lies and deceit. Syria is a Muslim nation and Islam controls her actions. Islam has made it's position abundantly clear.

Ahmadinejad: God told me we would win (October 16, 2006) - Iranian president says has been in touch with God, who reassured him Tehran victory against West is guaranteed. While the West is preparing to impose sanctions on Iran, due to the country's failure to suspend its nuclear activities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still optimistic. "We shall win," he was quoted in the Iranian media as saying Monday, and added: "One day I will be asked whether I have been in touch with someone who told me we would win, and I will respond: 'Yes, I have been in touch with God'." "We must not be afraid of them," he stated, hinting to the western countries. Ahmadinejad also noted that although he was at times mocked for his preoccupation with spiritual matters and his use of "divine" words," he was nevertheless certain that Iran would prevail, after having secured the support of international public opinion for its cause. Meanwhile, Iranian news agencies reported Monday that Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi addressed the possibility of an attack on Iran and said, “If Americans and Zionists want to try their luck in Iran, they will experience a larger defeat than in Iraq.” Safavi added during a memorial service held at his headquarters: “We are obligated to our fallen to maintain the readiness and deal a powerful blow on the enemies in case of an attack. “The Basij (branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and the Revolutionary Guards are so strong they will not allow the enemy to even think of launching an operation against Iran,” he said. “The blood of our shahids will bring about not only the liberation of Jerusalem and Karbala (Iraq) but the liberation of all mankind from the evil powers of the world; the blood of our shahids boiled the blood of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, and they will overcome the evil Americans and Israel.” more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

This shows the fearlessness because I really believe that he believes that. Or at least he's trying to deceive the population into higher morale for a more willing army. However, since hatred of Israel is taught from the mosques and is beyond any territorial division, it's only a matter of time before all of Islam unites together against Israel and those who refuse to convert to Islam. Look at history and watch it repeat.

Vatican officially confirms Pope trip to Turkey (October 16, 2006) - The Vatican on Monday officially confirmed that Pope Benedict will visit Turkey at the end of November, a trip that had been put into doubt by Muslim anger over controversial comments he made about Islam. The confirmation of the Nov 28-Dec 1 trip to the predominantly Muslim nation came in an advisory to journalists on accreditation and a separate announcement that he was making the trip at the invitation of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The German Pope will spend four days in Turkey, making stops at the capital, Ankara, as well as Izmir, Ephesus, where legend says Christ's mother went after his death, and Istanbul. The main purpose of the visit is to meet in Istanbul -- the former Constantinople -- with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians. In September, the Pope met ambassadors from predominantly Muslim countries, including Turkey and assured them that he was committed to dialogue with Islam. Church sources have said the Vatican's annual message to the Islamic world to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan due to be released on Friday, was rewritten to address the tensions that arose after the Pope's lecture. more...
| RCC |

Descendants of King David Planning Reunion in Israel (October 16, 2006) - An international foundation is seeking to gather Jewish descendants of King David, the second biblical king of Israel, for a reunion next year in Jerusalem aimed at fostering Jewish unity. "King David was the first and essentially the only king of Israel to unite all of the Jewish people under one kingdom," said Susan Roth, CEO and founder of the Eshet Chayil Foundation, a group that sponsors Jewish charitable organizations and promotes Jewish education. "In these times of conflict and divisiveness it is very fitting to make a public expression of unity, a demonstration to show it is time for the Jewish people to be joined together while common enemies from around the world once again seek our destruction," Roth said. Roth also founded the Davidic Dynasty, which is sponsored by the Eshet Chayil Foundation and seeks to promote awareness about Jewish history and Jewish ties to the land of Israel through the life and leadership of King David. The Dynasty is holding a launch dinner in New York this week ahead of a larger conference and a first-ever reunion of Davidic descendants in Israel in May 2007. The dinner honors prominent descendants of King David including Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau Jr. and senior rabbinic figures. more...
| Israel |

It's amazing to hear this kind of news given that it hasn't really been news since before the Diaspora in 70 AD. And even more amazing that they can trace their lineage back that far! I know people like Zola Levitt know they're from the tribe of the Levites because it's in their name, but they keep very good track of these things. We see that evident in the Old Testament and New Testament, where lineages are written out that show Christ's lineage from Adam through Abraham to Mary, all purely Jewish. The Christian and Jewish Messiah is a Jew, born of God through the Jews and it's all written down for us in black and white.

Christian Family, Severely Persecuted in Pakistan, Friends Who Helped Them Are Now on the Run for Safety **Warning!!! Graphic picture on source (October 14, 2006) - An underground missionary family from "At Anycost Jesus Mission," an organization which brings the Gospel to Muslims, suffered unbelievable persecution and violence, about a month ago. Dr. Mehaboob, and his wife Paulina, had their 15-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter (Shalom and Sharon) taken from them by "unidentified militants" who brutally murdered them. A report on the website read: "Shalom and Sharon were kidnapped along with their missionary parents and two other younger sisters 10 days before the murder. Militants asked them to convert towards Islam and work against Christians and Christianity. They refused." The militants then killed the two children in front of their parents. There is no further word about the state of the parents or the remaining children. When a fellow missionary and friend intervened to take the bodies of the murdered children at night, and give them a Christian burial, he also came under persecution. His home was burnt down, and the family is now on the run, going from house-to-house to find safety. Please pray for this very real situation, happening to our brothers and sisters in Pakistan at this moment. Pray that they find a safe place, that God would protect them and strengthen them. And please pray for healing and peace for the Mehaboob family, as they grieve. more...

There will come a point when it won't just be Muslim or third-world countries that this kind of barbarism towards Christians will take place. These are the times when we need to get close to our Savior, He will guide us through and give us the peace, wisdom, and understanding to make it through the difficult times. In the meantime, keep our brothers and sisters in Christ in your prayers throughout the world.

Iran’s supreme ruler Ali Khamenei delivers war sermon, symbolically totes Kalashnikov DEBKAfile (October 14, 2006) - Khamenei speaking at Tehran University on Oct. 13, the third Friday of Ramadan,. He is holding an automatic AK 47 rifle in his right hand in a pose reminiscent of Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein at their most belligerent. His sermon was tantamount to a declaration of war by Iran and its Middle East allies: Syria, Hizballah and the Palestinian Hamas against the United States and Israel. The Kalashnikov accentuated his words.
| Iran | Islam | Israel | America |

They're on the war path and they believe they have Allah on they're side. Of course they do, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will overcome in all things. We need to be aware of the power over the fear of death that religious belief can bring. We should know that ourselves as Christians if we believe it. Muslims believe the things they're taught from infancy and are brainwashed to be willing to kill themselves and others for their god. So when faced with the arguement that negotiations are possible, listen to their two-faced responces to the world then to their own people. It is the religion that controls the people, not the politics in Islam. The politics are something they have to fake until they can fulfill their religious duty, to dominate the world for Allah. Hear Iranian President | Hear Syrian Cleric http://memritv.org/

Tehran Arms Hamas for a Double-Barreled War Option and Gaza as Second Lebanon (October 13, 2006) - The military pacts Palestinian Hamas interior minister Said Siyam signed with his Iranian counterpart Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi in Tehran on Oct. 12 are designed to transform Hamas’ military wing, the Ezz e-Din al Qassam, into a crack operational arm of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and Gaza into a second Lebanon. Syam was in Tehran for two days at the head of a 7-man delegation. DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources report Tehran has committed to training Hamas’ rapid deployment force of 6,500 men in Hizballah combat tactics, with the accent on missiles, especially the anti-tank variety which were used with devastating effect against Israeli tanks in the Lebanon War. The force will be sent over in batches for six-week courses at Revolutionary Guards installations in southern Iran. Iran will foot the $60 million bill for the training as well as for the top-notch weaponry. The Hamas military delegation flew from Cairo to Dubai and on to Tehran. Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief, Gen. Omar Suleiman, were apprised of the Hamas leaders’ trip and the military accords they were to sign, but did nothing to detain the travelers. This was taken by Hamas and the Iranian government as signaling Cairo’s assent to the Hamas-Iranian transaction, a green light for the trips through Egypt of trainee groups to and from Iran and a continuing blind eye to the delivery of Iranian armaments via Egypt to Gaza. more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Nobody's trying to stop them. Israel will have to worry about the condemnation of the world if they do anything. Israel doesn't have many allies in the world. Zechariah 12:1-6 - I believe this verse is talking about the time since June 7, 1967. Israel has consistently held back the Muslim attackers against all odds and everyone that comes against Israel is driven back. There's even a case to be made that hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Wilma, and Rita were a direct result of US meddling in giving away land for peace. Eye To Eye by Bill Koenig

The naval exercise to be held by US, Bahrain and allies later this month brings a massive concentration of American naval, air and marine might to the Persian Gulf (October 13, 2006) - US officials said the exercise starting Oct. 31 will practice interdicting ships carrying weapons of mass destruction and missiles. DEBKAfile’s military sources report: US naval, air and marine forces are massing in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and eastern Mediterranean opposite Lebanon and Syria. The big USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (picture) arrives by Oct. 21. Facing these units are Iranian Revolutionary Guards naval, air and marine units together with the Iranian armed forces on full war preparedness. The forthcoming DEBKA-Net-Weekly discusses this menacing maneuver at length in its coming issue out on Friday. The US announcement came as the US and other powers discussed sanctions on North Korea, including searching its ships following Monday’s nuclear test. It followed shortly after they also agreed on a Security Council session next week to impose sanctions on Iran. The US spokesman said the exercise, in which Bahrain, Kuwait, France, Britain, Canada and others will take part, will demonstrate “our resolve and readiness to act” against nuclear proliferation. South Korea will be an observer. Clearly the Bush administration has more forceful “repercussions” in mind for Iran than diplomacy. Iran will no doubt respond to the demonstrative exercise, the massing of US forces around its shores and the threat of UN sanctions by a counter-stroke that raises tensions in the region and involves Iraq and/or the countries on Israel’s border – Lebanon and Syria.
| Iran | Islam | America |

North Korea threatens New York, Washington (October 12, 2006) - As reports circulated of a second imminent nuclear test, a high-ranking North Korean official who is called the unofficial spokesman for Kim Jong-il issued a not-so-veiled threat to the United States today in an interview with South Korean radio. "Everything will be settled in a week," said Kim Myong-chol on KBS Radio. "That is, whether we, Korean people, will remain as we are now, or lose, or New York will lose, or Washington, D.C., will lose, it will all be settled once and for all." The report was carried in Chosun Ilbo, a Korean-language newspaper in the south. The South Korean government is trying to verify intelligence that North Korea is to conduct another nuclear test soon – possibly in the next two or three days. Quoting a reliable source on North Korea, the report said: "Many indications from North Korea point to the high likelihood that North Korea would conduct another nuclear test in two or three days. We received intelligence Oct. 11 that says the North Korean military is showing unusual movements." Alexander Downer, Australian foreign minister, said yesterday, "We have intelligence that North Korea would have another nuclear test soon. We are very concerned about it." Meanwhile, in what would appear to be a major setback for the U.S., which is banking on China to rein in North Korea, Beijing appeared to shy away today from backing U.S. efforts to impose a travel ban and financial sanctions for its claimed nuclear test, saying any U.N. action should focus on bringing its neighbor back to talks. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said North Korea should understand it had made a mistake but "punishment should not be the purpose" of any U.N. response. more...
| America |

I don't think that we have to worry about this, but I could be wrong. I just watched an interview with Lisa Ling, a reporter for National Geographic, who recently snuck into North Korea. She was watched at all times by "minders," but was able to talk to some of the people in North Korea. They said they were willing to make sacrifices because they believe they are at war with America! Watch the video They have no internet, cell phones, or connection with the outside world. There are only two television stations and they're both state-run, so the brainwashing comes from all sides and they have no idea what the reality is. This is one of the dangers of complacent people accepting restrictions on their learning about the world. They have no frame of reference to compare their lives and the lies they're being told. This is a good example of why we should guard our freedom of speech and freedom to learn and be careful what water-holes we drink from! Someone may have tainted the water.

Rabbis split on Temple Mount synagogue plan (October 12, 2006) - Any attempt to build a synagogue on Jerusalem's Temple Mount would immediate plunge Israel into horrible bloodbath, warned Tuesday MK Ibrahim Sarsur, head of the southern wing of the Islamic Movement. "Muslims and Arabs will not stand idly by while representatives of Satan on earth such as MK Uri Ariel and his lunatic friends from the Yesha Rabbinic Council try to launch their insane plots," said Sarsur. "We will resort to violence if need be, which I believe is legitimate under such circumstances." Sarsur was reacting to an announcement by Ariel (National Union-National Religious Party) Tuesday that he intended to revive an old idea to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount and reverse a cabinet decision that prohibits Jewish prayer on the mount. Ariel stressed in his announcement that his proposal would maintain the status quo and would not infringe Muslims' right to full access to the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is situated on the ruins of the destroyed Second Temple. "Muslims now have the opportunity to prove they are tolerant enough to accommodate faiths that different from their own," said Ariel. "[Building this synagogue] will rectify an historic injustice, much more than the re-interment of [Theodore] Herzl's children in Israel. Since the Temple's destruction and the consequent loss of independence, exile and oppression, Jews' presence on the Temple Mount has clear symbolism." But Sarsur said that the very building of the synagogue was a gross violation of the status quo and tantamount to a call to war. more...
| Temple Mount |

Across Europe, Worries on Islam Spread to Center (October 11, 2006) - Europe appears to be crossing an invisible line regarding its Muslim minorities: more people in the political mainstream are arguing that Islam cannot be reconciled with European values. “You saw what happened with the pope,” said Patrick Gonman, 43, the owner of Raga, a funky wine bar in downtown Antwerp, 25 miles from here. “He said Islam is an aggressive religion. And the next day they kill a nun somewhere and make his point. “Rationality is gone.” Mr. Gonman is hardly an extremist. In fact, he organized a protest last week in which 20 bars and restaurants closed on the night when a far-right party with an anti-Muslim message held a rally nearby. His worry is shared by centrists across Europe angry at terror attacks in the name of religion on a continent that has largely abandoned it, and disturbed that any criticism of Islam or Muslim immigration provokes threats of violence. For years those who raised their voices were mostly on the far right. Now those normally seen as moderates — ordinary people as well as politicians — are asking whether once unquestioned values of tolerance and multiculturalism should have limits. more...
| Islam | EU/UN |

Honey Remedy Could Save Limbs (October 11, 2006) - Wired News, reporting on the amazing healing properties of honey, tells the story of Jennifer Eddy, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and a diabetic patient she had been treating who had an ulcer on his foot that had become an "unrecognizable black mess." According to the article, doctors tried everything they knew, but after five hospitalizations, four surgeries, regimens of antibiotics, and losing two toes, doctors wanted to remove his entire foot. "He preferred death to amputation, and everybody agreed he was going to die if he didn't get an amputation," said Eddy, so she turned to a treatment "used by ancient Sumerian physicians, touted in the Talmud [the Jewish Law] and praised by Hippocrates: honey" -- and in just two weeks, her patient's ulcers reportedly started to heal. Notes reporter Brandon Keim, a year later, he could walk again. "I've used honey in a dozen cases since then," said Eddy. "I've yet to have one that didn't improve." Says Keim, "Most tantalizingly, honey seems capable of combating the growing scourge of drug-resistant wound infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, the infamous flesh-eating strain. The article goes on to tout successes at Germany's Bonn University Children's Hospital. To read more news about honey's marvelous claims, click on the link above. more...

Iran's target: 3,000 dead Americans by Nov. 7 (October 11, 2006) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, has given the order: Raise the American death count in Iraq to 3,000 before the Nov. 7 general election. This news came from a high-level Israeli leader. The death count in the month of September was 65 and stands at 28 thus far for the month of October. The dead and wounded in Iraq to date number 23,212. The total number of dead stands at 2,744 – Iran is 256 body bags away from achieving its goal, which means it will have to accelerate the death count to approximately nine Americans per day in Iraq. American and Iraqi forces are fighting various battles with Iran's Mahdi Army. Muqtada al-Sadr, Iran's personal envoy in Iraq, is receiving funding, intelligence and armaments from Iran. Al-Sadr is to Iraq what Nasrallah is to Lebanon. According to Moshe Ya'alon, former chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (and who also endorsed "Showdown with Nuclear Iran"), 85 percent of all IEDs that kill Americans in Iraq are imported from Iran. Iran has a definite purpose in trying to get the body count in Iraq up to 3,000; they believe that number will do enormous damage to President Bush during the mid-term elections Nov. 7. Iran has expertise in influencing American elections. The 1980 campaign against then-President Jimmy Carter was very successful. The founder of Israeli intelligence, Isser Harel, told me in September of 1980 that Iran would take Jimmy Carter out of the White House by humiliating him and refusing to release the hostages until Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president. He also told me that America's first terrorist attack would be on New York City's tallest building. (This story appeared in the Jerusalem Post Sept. 30, 2001.) Ahmadinejad's desire to influence U.S. elections is just another in a series of events this year that bear his imprimatur: more...
| Iran | America |

Israel Raises Prospect of War in 2007 (October 10, 2006) - For the first time in more than a decade, Israel's military has raised the prospect of a Middle East war. Military sources said the Intelligence Corps has warned of the possibility of war in 2007. The sources said the corps, in its annual intelligence assessment, has notified the General Staff that Syria represented the greatest danger of war over the next year. "The main message was that the chance of war with Syria in 2007 was greater than during 2006," a source said. "This does not mean that it will happen. It means that there is a reasonable change of it taking place." The annual assessment relayed to the General Staff was expected to be revised over the next few months. The Cabinet would receive the annual assessment toward the end of 2006.
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Secular Jews join religious trends (October 10, 2006) - According to the results of a recent poll conducted by Ynet and the Smith Institute, many Israelis are looking to embrace Judaism by visiting the tombs of the righteous. The data was collected by two simultaneous methods: A telephone survey of the older community, and an internet poll posted on Ynet which had over 40 thousand participants. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed answered positively when asked whether they have visited the tombs of the righteous; 11 percent of those who answered “yes” were secular, while the rest were traditional (31 percent) and religious (82 percent) Jews. Rafi Smith, of the Smith Institute, said more Israelis aged 29-years-old and under have visited the graves than Israelis aged 50 and up. The poll also showed that seven out of 10 Israelis believe in the existence of God, and six out of 10 believe it was God who created the world in which we live today. The data points to a phenomenon whereby Israelis embrace Judaism in unconventional ways, as only nine percent of the respondents said they visit a synagogue on a daily basis, and 33 percent said they go to temple on Sabbath and holidays; 31 percent said they go to shul only for “events and bar-mitzvahs.” more...
| Israel |

This will happen on an even greater scale, I believe, when the Gog/Magog attack is stopped by God. Ezekiel 38,39 says that the nations will know the God of Israel, so imagine how Israelis will act when they clearly see God protected them? Expect an even greater aliyah.

Not So Hidden Dangers at the UN -- Nominated by our "Christian President?" (October 7, 2006) - Javier Solana’s BIG agenda item has been “UN Reform”. Back in 1983, Joseph Tully, director of CAUSA USA, admitted to me they were working with Benjamin Creme and Tara Center. He volunteered the name of Creme's front organization, "Tara Center," to me himself. It did not come from my lips in that very bizarre confrontation. Needless to say, I have kept the closest of eyes on Unification Church in all of its ugly manifestations since. In 1990, I had a well publicized local debate with Ed Taub, Rev. Moon's designated leader then for the Metropolitan Detroit area. I was distressed to see in 1987 that Jerry Falwell was serving as a keynote speaker for the CAUSA organization. More than ample warnings had gone to the Christian community about this group for many years both before and after. Since then Falwell has accepted large sums of moneys from known Unification Church sources to keep his Liberty University financially afloat. Needless to say, we hear shockingly little from Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, and so many others about the not-so-hidden dangers of compromise with Unification Church. Their usual line is that it’s ok to take money from such sources, the devil has had it long enough. More likely, the devil has now bought their silence. I pray all of the above will promptly repent. With our “born-again” president and his administration, it appears that some ultimate prizes may have been handed to this devil we should have known. Rev. Moon has long boasted that the day would come when people would have to “seek Father’s permission” to run for public office in the USA. Rev. Moon who impudently refers to himself as “The Lord of the Second Advent” has not slacked in his efforts to advance a theology that Jesus failed in his assigned mission to have children and form a new covenant race. Rev. Moon shamelessly preaches that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ represented failure and hopelessness rather than redemption for the human race. It turns out that the Bush administration has long had a high level Moon follower in the deepest bowels of growing UN global power. Her name is Josette Sheeran Shiner. She has long served as an assistant director at the State Department for the United States government. The Bush administration is now apparently nominating her to be in full charge of a world food program.Already she was on the ominously named “System Wide Coherence” high level panel of the United Nations. -> Link This is also the panel charged with proposals for UN Reform. In 1983 Joseph Tully, the director of CAUSA, USA, (a major Unification Church front group) personally admitted to me: “Yes, we work with Benjamin Crème AND TARA CENTER.” I had confronted him with known Moonie presence at a Benjamin Crème event in Detroit, 1984. I had not mentioned Tara Center to him. He went on to say, “but we don’t all agree on who that new Christ is!” I said to him, “yes, but you all agree on who he isn’t, don’t you? You all agree he isn’t Jesus and he isn’t Jewish.” That my friend is the test of antichrist, not who’s currently jockeying for power in your crummy movement.”I am now afraid, very afraid, that the Moonies are indeed making major and successful power plays – both in Washington and at UN headquarters in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland. Given the other confluence of events, may the Lord help us all!
| NewWorldOrder |

Look for the continued integration of beliefs and religions into a one-world religion that will eventually be hijacked by the antichrist. In the end, everyone will either worship the antichrist or die, so the coming together of religions is a natural step to bringing everyones' mindset to a common place of acceptance of all religions. That way, they'll be trained to accept other things. True Christians will be part of the group shunned because they will refuse to give up their belief in One God, which is viewed as "extremist" and intolerant. If you're a believer, expect increasing persecution for it. If you're not, I pray you see the truth of the matter before your decision is eternal.

Ahmadinejad's political mysticism (October 7, 2006) - On June 25, 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran. He beat former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a run-off election, winning a reported 60 percent of the vote. Ahmadinejad's election was a clear sign the ruling powers in Iran had decided to move in an ultra-conservative direction. The mullahs evidently had rejected the strategy of reform as a way to appease the widespread domestic dissatisfaction sweeping through Iranian society. The ruling clerics feared that a Gorbachev style perestroika would be seen a sign of weakness, a strategy the mullahs believed would backfire on them, just as it had backfired on the Russian communist rulers who were trying at the end of the 1980s to prevent the breakup of the Soviet Union. Today the ultra-conservative mullahs that compose the minority ruling Iran are not prepared to tolerate internal dissent or civil disobedience. Instead, under Ahmadinejad, the regime intends to reinforce a strict Islamic moral code that would end Western-type freedoms such as free speech via the Internet. Even the mildest forms of "indecent behavior," such as young lovers holding hands in public or women who do not properly cover their heads and faces with the traditional hejab when leaving the home, risk severe punishment. In accepting the victory, Ahmadinejad gave a short but significant statement, emphasizing both his devotion to the late Ayatollah Khomeini and to the radical Islamic revolution Khomeini had led. "Iran has high capacities and can promulgate Islamic civilization worldwide," he said, as he vowed to fulfill the ideals of Imam Khomeini as well as meet the demands of the Iranian people. These words were carefully chosen. Ahmadinejad's spiritual and moral roots are deeply embedded in the radical Islamic revolution brought forth upon Iran by Khomeini. His words affirmed his conviction that the Iranian revolution was destined to be a worldwide revolution. more...
| Iran | Islam |

IDF: Syrian Army In Battle Positions (October 15, 2006) - Brigadier-General Yossi Beyditz, head the Research Department in the IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence, told Cabinet Sunday that, “(Syrian President Bashar) Assad is preparing his army for a confrontation with Israel.” “Assad has not returned the army to its pre-Lebanon war positions,” Beyditz said. However, he added that the Syrian army is not prepared to attack, but rather to defend the country against a possible Israeli offensive "These are artillery cannons, missiles and rockets positioned in forward positions. He is preparing for a defensive and not offensive response. He estimates that Israel would want to attack him," he said. He added: "Assad continues to support Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah. We have unequivocal proof on his direct involvement in smuggling weapons to Lebanon. In the past there was no proof," he said. "The Syrians continue to sabotage attempts to implement UN Resolution 1701 and also to harm (Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad) Siniora's sovereignty and create a majority block against him in the government," he added. "Bashar Assad continues him wave of equivocal messages. Once he speaks about sticking with a peace strategy and simultaneously speak of a confrontation and about us as not ready for a political process and he in fact means both options: a political arrangement according to Assad's known conditions, but prepares that army for a confrontation with Israel," the officer said. more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Disaster declared as quake hits Hawaii (October 15, 2006) - A strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake shook Hawaii early Sunday, jolting residents out of bed and causing a landslide that blocked a major highway. Ceilings crashed at a hospital, and aftershocks kept the state on edge. The Pacific Tsunami Center reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, while the U.S. Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.6. The earthquake was followed by several strong aftershocks, including one measuring a magnitude of 5.8, the Geological Survey said. The quake hit at 7:07 a.m. local time, 10 miles north-northwest of Kailua Kona, a town on the west coast of Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey. more...
| Earth Changes |

Canadian Jews say goodbye to Liberal Party (October 14, 2006) - One of the most significant phenomena in current Canadian politics – i.e. the growing shift of Canada's Jewish community from the Liberal to the Conservative Party – took a major stride last week when the top contender for the Liberal leadership accused Israel of committing a war crime. Michael Ignatieff, a longtime Harvard authority on human rights and international law who came back to Canada two years ago to seek the Liberal leadership, seemed to stumble into the accusation. In an interview with the Toronto Star last August, he was asked about the Israeli bombing of the Lebanese town of Qana during the Israel-Lebanon war. He replied that it was a "dirty war," and he wasn't "losing sleep" over Qana. But when this remark was condemned in Quebec as heartless, Ignatieff backtracked, saying he had erred in making it. Asked last Sunday on Quebec's top-rated talk show for further explanation, he landed himself in hotter water. This exodus of Jews from the Liberal Party is an historic switch. All through the 20th century the dominant Liberals could count on strong Jewish support. While there were certainly some Jewish Conservatives, the community as whole tended leftward, as did Canadian academe. Within the last decade, however, Canada's socialists have increasingly opposed Israel, much to the consternation of their long-time Jewish allies. Meanwhile, it was not immediately apparent how seriously the Ignatieff incident might damage his leadership prospects at the convention in early December. A delegate count earlier this month gave him 30 percent of the committed convention delegates and Rae 20 percent, with the other six candidates ranging from 1 percent to 17 percent. more...
| Israel |

Muslim stabs wife when daughter becomes Christian (October 14, 2006) - A devout Muslim woman was attacked and stabbed to death, allegedly by her husband, after their 17-year-old daughter announced she was embracing Christianity, according to police and news reports. Officials say Dr. Muhammad Hussain, 48, remained in critical condition in the Gold Coast Hospital with knife wounds, under police guard, as authorities investigated the death from stabbing injuries of his wife, Yasmine, 41. According to Assist News Service, neighbors of the Australian family reported "blood curdling" and "terrifying" screams, along with cries of "Help me, help me, they're trying to kill me," on Monday night. Shortly after, the report said, Kaihana Hussain fled from the family's apartment, dressed in underwear because her clothes had been torn off, with blood splattered over her scratched and cut body. Police found the mother inside the apartment, dead, and the father seriously hurt. It was not immediately clear how the father was also stabbed. "From what we understand the daughter decided to tell her father of her radical plan to convert to Christianity which, in the eyes of most Muslims, is totally unacceptable and to be honest, sadly, many would react as he has done," a Muslim source told "The Gold Coast Bulletin." more...
| Islam |

What a loving family Islam has created. This kind of story is not uncommon and family members are murdered for affronting Islam. It's also another sign of the times. Matthew 24:10

U.N. Council Imposes Harsh Sanctions On North Korea (October 14, 2006) - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose financial and arms sanctions on North Korea to punish the reclusive Communist nation for its nuclear weapon test on Monday. The U.S.-drafted resolution allows nations to stop cargo going to and from North Korea to check for weapons of mass destruction or related supplies. It requires all countries to prevent the sale or transfer of materials related to Pyongyang's unconventional weapons programs. And the resolution demands nations freeze funds overseas of people or businesses connected with North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. "Today we are sending a strong and clear message to North Korea and other would-be proliferators that there will be serious repercussions in continuing to pursue weapons of mass destruction," U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told the council. more...
| EU/UN |

What about Iran? The UN is himming and hawing over that one.

Anti-Tank Missiles Smuggled Into Gaza (October 13, 2006) - The IDF released information Friday that indicated the pace of weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip was increasing. A senior army officer said terror groups were arming at an "unprecedented" pace, Channel 2 reported, and some officials were calling for a re-evaluation of the IDF's strategy in Gaza. Despite intense IDF activityAddMinn along the security fence in recent days and non-stop air strikes on Gaza weapons depots, terror groups have been importing more than two tons of TNT per month through tunnels burrowed under the Philadelphi corridor along the Egyptian border. Aside from the usual merchandise of explosives, light weapons and ammunition, some 20 advanced anti-tank missiles have found their way into Gaza - a development the IDF has feared since the end of the war in Lebanon, officials said. Several anti-tank missiles have been fired at troops and vehicles in the army's latest forays across the security fence. In two separate incidents Friday, Palestinians targeted tanks operating in Khan Yunis, but failed to inflict casualties. more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Just negotiate with them. The missiles mean nothing, it's just self-defense for the ones who keep trying to kill the Jews. In case you missed it, that was extreme sarcasm intended to point out the futility of negotiating with those clearly gearing up for war. At least Israel isn't oblivious even if the rest of the world seems to be since they're still supporting the poor beleaguered "Palestinians." I recommend everyone read the REAL history of the land of Israel and the deceptions that have gone into deceiving the whole world into taking the side against Israel. From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine by Joan Peters

Plague Confirmed In Congo, 42 Reported Dead: WHO (October 13, 2006) - An outbreak of plague has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 42 deaths reported among 626 suspected cases over the past 10 weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. But the U.N. health agency said the number of suspected cases "may be an overestimation" as the fatality ratio was unusually low for pneumonic plague. "Preliminary results from a rapid diagnosis test in the field found three samples positive, out of eight," the WHO said, confirming the presence of the disease. It said additional tests were under way. Highly contagious pneumonic plague is the most deadly form of plague. It can be spread by humans and usually kills half of its victims. more... Matthew 24:7

Israel Must Prepare For Iran to Push the Button - Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz (October 21, 2006) - Iranian president said earlier there is no reason for Israel “the greatest insult to human dignity” to exist and it would soon disappear. Halutz also warned Israel to prepare for possible war with Syria, whose missile threat to Israel's population is similar to that of Hizballah. Another of his outrageous speeches was delivered Friday to a pro-Palestinian rally marking the Islami Republic’s “al Qods Day” (Jerusalem Liberation Day). In further inflammatory remarks, Ahmadinejad said “the world knows the US and Britain are enemies of the Iranian nation.” He warned European nations not to harm Iran, saying that if anger in the region boiled over, Europe would get hurt because of its support for Israel. “Europe must distance itself from Israel at once. That is Iran’s ultimatum. “He went on to brand the UN Security Council and its decisions “illegitimate.” DEBKAfile adds: These words amounted to an Iranian threat of harm to the European UN forces deployed in Lebanon unless they left forthwith. His harsh words followed two events: one, the Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert’s statement in Moscow this week after he met with Russian leaders: “They need to fear that something that they do not want to happen will happen. In no case, Olmert stressed, “will we reconcile with nuclear arms in Iranian hands. There is no margin for error here.” The other event was the arrival in the Persian Gulf of the giant US carrier Iwo Jima with its Expeditionary Strike Group to join the American naval, air and marine might piling up opposite Iran’s shores. Next week too, the Security Council convenes to discussion a form of sanctions against Iran for refusing to desist from enriching uranium.
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Peru Shaken by "Strong" 6.5 Quake, Tsunami Warning Issued (October 20, 2006) - A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit near the coast of central Peru today shaking three cities and causing some light damage but no injuries were reported, Peru's Geophysical Institute said. Graphic: This morning's earthquake was located 90 miles south of Lima (RPP) The quake struck at 5.48am (2048 AEST) with an epicentre 90km northwest of the city of Pisco, at a depth of 43km. The US Geological Survey reported the quake was of a 6.5 magnitude at a depth of 33km. "Some light damage to houses in Pisco has been reported but there are no deaths or injuries," institute director Hernando Tavera said. The quake could also be felt in the capital Lima and the city of Camana. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cautioned that people along coasts within 100km of the epicentre should be aware of the threat of a local tsunami, although there was no threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami. more...
| Earth Changes |

Iran Warns of Revenge Over Israel (October 20, 2006) - Iran's president has warned that Muslims around the world will take revenge on states which support Israel against the Palestinians. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again questioned the extent of the Holocaust, when German Nazis murdered six million Jews. Israel was founded on "claims about the Holocaust" for which the Palestinians were paying the price, he told a rally. He was speaking on Jerusalem Day, when there are large demonstrations in Iran in support of the Palestinians. BBC Tehran correspondent Frances Harrison says the tone of the speech was hard-line, even by Mr Ahmadinejad's standards.

Implicit threat

Mr. Ahmadinejad called Israel's leaders a "group of terrorists" and appeared to threaten any country that supports it." You imposed a group of terrorists... on the region. It is in your own interest to distance yourself from these criminals... This is an ultimatum. Don't complain tomorrow." The "ultimatum" was directed at European states in particular. "We have advised the Europeans that the Americans are far away, but you are the neighbors of the nations in this region," Mr. Ahmadinejad said. "We inform you that the nations are like an ocean that is welling up, and if a storm begins, the dimensions will not stay limited to Palestine, and you may get hurt." more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |

Hundreds of Ecuadorean Villagers Evacuated as Tungurahua Volcano (October 19, 2006) - About 300 villagers were evacuated from the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano following a surprise eruption of ash, lava and incandescent rocks, a local mayor said Thursday. "We were able to take them out last night from the most dangerous zones located on the flanks where the explosions occurred Aug. 16," said Juan Salazar, mayor of Penipe, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the volcano. No injuries were immediately reported. Experts have warned that renewed explosions could come any time from the 5,023-meter-high (16,575-foot-high) volcano 135 kilometers (85 miles) south of the capital of Quito. A violent eruption in mid-August killed four people and left two others missing and still unaccounted for. Nearly 5,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged and some 190,000 hectares (475,000 acres) of farmland were covered by ash, the government has said. Thousands of people were also evacuated in July during an earlier eruption. Salazar said unlike that eruption, which followed months of loud, booming explosions and rumbling, the smaller explosion late Wednesday came with no warning. more...
| Earth Changes |

No. California Rattled by 4.5 Quake (October 20, 2006) - The second-strongest earthquake ever recorded in The Geysers area hit Friday at 10 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The magnitude 4.5 quake had an epicenter about 13 miles east of Cloverdale and five miles northeast of The Geysers, a seismically active area along the Sonoma-Lake county border, according to the USGS. The strongest quake the USGS ever recorded in the area was a magnitude 4.6 on May 29, 1987, according to seismologist David Oppenheimer. "They've been getting a lot of constant activity in the geothermal field up there at The Geysers lately," Oppenheimer said. "There are usually many shallow and low magnitude quakes at The Geysers, but there have been several more quakes in the 3-4 magnitude range in about the last five years." People at the River Rock Casino in Geyserville said they did feel the temblor Friday morning, but business was generally unaffected and no injuries or damage were reported. more...
| Earth Changes |

Philippines Thumped By Twin Quakes (October 20, 2006) - Map and information on the 5.8 and 5.7 magnitude quakes. more...
| Earth Changes |

Turkey Shaken by 5.0 Quake (October 20, 2006) - An earthquake shook northwestern Turkey on Friday, prompting some residents of Istanbul to flee their homes, officials and news reports said. There were no immediate reports of injury or significant damage. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0, was centered near a lake at the Manyas nature reserve in Balikesir province about 260 miles west of the capital Ankara, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake, which struck at 2:15 p.m. EDT, was felt in Istanbul, some 250 miles north. Balikesir police chief Celal Uzunkaya said there were no reports of any injuries. People in Balikesir and Istanbul rushed out of their homes when the quake struck, CNN-Turk television and the government-owned Anatolia news agency reported. Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, which lies on active fault lines. Two devastating earthquakes hit northwestern Turkey in 1999, killing some 18,000 people.
| Earth Changes |

Report: Kim Sorry About N. Korea Nuclear Test (October 20, 2006) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il expressed regret about his country’s nuclear test to a Chinese delegation and said Pyongyang would return to international nuclear talks if Washington backs off a campaign to financially isolate the country, South Korean media reported Friday. But NBC News reported Friday that State Department officials dismissed reports that Kim made any such apology. “If the U.S. makes a concession to some degree, we will also make a concession to some degree, whether it be bilateral talks or six-party talks,” Kim was quoted as telling a Chinese envoy, the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo reported, citing a diplomatic source in China. Kim told the Chinese delegation that “he is sorry about the nuclear test,” the newspaper reported. Kim also said that “we have no plans for additional nuclear tests,” the Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unnamed diplomatic source in Beijing. But according to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, discounted that report. The State Department also dismissed any assurances of nuclear testing being over, saying there may have been a breakthrough as a result of Kim’s talks with the Chinese envoy, but no word on a guarantee of no future tests. North Korea kept up its bellicose rhetoric as more than 100,000 people gathered Friday in Pyongyang’s central Kim Il Sung square to “hail the success of the historic nuclear test,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. At the rally, the first-known celebration directly tied to the explosion, a North Korean official defended last week’s nuclear test and said Pyongyang would “crush U.S. imperialists’ schemes with its self-defensive power.” more...

Ahmadinejad Predicts Israel's Collapse, Warns of 'Boiling Wrath' (October 20, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted Israel would collapse and warned that its allies face the "boiling wrath" of the people if they continue to support the Jewish state. The renewed assault on Israel by Ahmadinejad -- who has been castigated by world powers for his frequent anti-Israeli outbursts -- came as tens of thousands marched through Tehran in an annual pro-Palestinian protest. "This regime (Israel) will be gone, definitely," Ahmadinejad, who has previously called for Israel to be "wiped from the map" and described the Holocaust as a myth, told the protestors. "You (the Western powers) should know that any government that stands by the Zionist regime from now on will not see any result but the hatred of the people," he added. "The wrath of the region's people is boiling." "Efforts to stabilise this fraudulent regime have completely failed, thank God ... This regime has lost the rationale of its existence," the president said. Ahmadinejad described his warning as an "ultimatum" for Western powers. "You should not complain that we did not give a warning. We are saying this explicitly now." "If a hurricane starts be rest assured that the dimensions of this hurricane will not be limited to the geographic borders of Palestine," he added. "This regime (Israel) will take its supporters to the bottom of the swamp." "The best solution is for you to take all the components of the regime and take it away," Ahmadinejad said. Chanting "Death to Israel" and predicting the "Triumph of Palestine", tens of thousands of people had earlier converged on Tehran University, where Ahmadinejad gave his speech, to mark Iran's Quds (Jerusalem) Day. more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |

Syrian Military Impart Hizballah’s Combat Methods to Hamas Terrorists (October 19, 2006) - AMAN chief Maj.-Gen Amos Yadlin and head of research division Brig. Yossi Baidatz also reported to the Israeli cabinet Sunday, Oct. 15. that Hamas is taking delivery of anti-air missiles as well as anti-tank rockets. Saturday night, 3 Qassam missiles exploding near at Nir Am triggered an Israeli air strike at Palestinian launch team near Jebalya, N. Gaza. During the day, Israeli forces killed 8 Palestinian gunmen in clashes in Jebalya, northern Gaza Strip. At least 6 were from Hamas and they directed anti-tank fire at Israeli troops. They were killed when an Israeli rocket hit a house. Israeli ground forces are operating in three Gaza Strip sectors to fight off Palestinian missile attacks and destroy their arsenals. The IDF has stepped up pressure since the June kidnapping of Cpl Gideon Shalit. This operation, which went into its fourth day Saturday, is aimed at stemming the inflow of Iranian long-range anti-tank weapons and Grad 17-km range rockets through the tunnels of the Philadelphi border strip with Egypt. The latest arrivals now are ground-to-air and anti-tank rockets. The Egyptian police do nothing to hinder the Palestinian terrorist arms build-up in Gaza through their lines in Sinai.
| Israel | Islam |

The Barbarians Are Past the Gate — Part 1 (October 19, 2006) - The first of three excerpts from “In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security.” Testifying before Congress in 2005, FBI director Robert Mueller Jr. revealed that his agency had “received reports that individuals from countries with known al Qaeda connections have attempted to enter the United States illegally using alien smuggling rings and assuming Hispanic appearances.” Mueller confirmed that the FBI suspected many of these people had changed their Islamic surnames and had adopted false Hispanic identities in order to escape detection and blend into American society. Additionally, Richard Clark, the counterterrorism czar who worked in both the Clinton and Bush administrations, disclosed, “Of the 17,000 people who are missing in the United States somewhere, some are from countries of concern, and could be known terrorists. We really have no way of knowing who they are.” After the September 11, 2001 attacks, U.S. Border Patrol agents experienced an increase in apprehending so-called special-interest aliens (SIAs) trying to sneak into this country from nations that we know support or tolerate terrorism. In 2003, the Border Patrol snagged about 39,000 illegal immigrants from countries “other than Mexico” (OTM), which includes SIA nations. By the end of 2005, that number had grown to 155,000, more than double the 76,000 apprehended in 2004. Evidence of terrorists in our midst does not stop there. U.S. and Mexican authorities are well aware of suspected training camps, one of them near Matamoros, Mexico, a few miles across the Rio Grande and south of Brownsville, Texas. There are reports that a large number of people are being trained in paramilitary warfare and exotic explosives in these camps, which are operated by the Zetas, a group of former Mexican military special forces troops who deserted in the mid-1990s to work as highly effective enforcers for the drug cartels. The FBI believes that such paramilitary organizations working in partnership with the drug cartels have the networks and the capacity to smuggle terrorists and weapons into the United States as easily as they smuggle drugs and people seeking jobs. Texas and federal law-enforcement agencies believe these paramilitary forces have been monitoring and evaluating U.S. law-enforcement operations along the Rio Grande. more...
| Islam | America |

Remittances to Mexico: More Money on the Move (October 19, 2006) - From a southwest Houston money-wiring agency, restaurant cashier Juan Torres sent $100 to his mother in Tampico, Mexico, on Tuesday, contributing to the increasing cash flow to Latin America. Torres is one of the 2.8 million Latin American immigrants in Texas who will send $5.2 billion back home to relatives this year, according to a state-by-state breakdown released Wednesday by the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund. Remittances from Texas will soar by 64 percent this year compared with 2004, surpassing the national increase of 51 percent, the study found. The Washington-based organization that promotes development in Latin America and the Caribbean estimates that the 12.6 million immigrants living in the United States will send $45.3 billion to relatives living across Latin America this year, from the border towns in Mexico to the tip of Argentina. These cash flows have captured the attention of U.S. and international businesses in the last few years. Banks across the country are trying to tap into that market by offering money-wiring services. And in cities with large immigrant communities like Houston, furniture, cement and real estate companies offer immigrants here the chance to pay for sofas, construction materials and new homes in Mexico and Central America. more...
| America |

'We're Near on a 'Cloak of Invisibility,' Scientists (October 19, 2006) - Harry Potter and Captain Kirk would be proud. A team of American and British researchers has made a Cloak of Invisibility. Well, OK, it’s not perfect. Yet. But it’s a start, and it did a pretty good job of hiding a copper cylinder. In this experiment the scientists used microwaves to try and detect the cylinder. Like light and radar waves, microwaves bounce off objects making them visible and creating a shadow, though it has to be detected with instruments. If you can hide something from microwaves, you can hide it from radar — a possibility that will fascinate the military. Cloaking differs from stealth technology, which doesn’t make an aircraft invisible but reduces the cross-section available to radar, making it hard to track. Cloaking simply passes the radar or other waves around the object as if it weren’t there, like water flowing around a smooth rock in a stream. The new work points the way for an improved version that could hide people and objects from visible light. Conceptually, the chance of adapting the concept to visible light is good, cloak designer David Schurig said in a telephone interview. But Schurig, a research associate in Duke University’s electrical and computer engineering department, added, “From an engineering point of view it is very challenging.” Nonetheless, the cloaking of a cylinder from microwaves comes just five months after Schurig and colleagues published their theory that it should be possible. Their first success is reported in a paper in Friday’s issue of the journal Science. “We did this work very quickly ... and that led to a cloak that is not optimal,” said co-author David R. Smith, also of Duke. “We know how to make a much better one.” more...
| Technology |