News for November 7, 2007

Other Stuff:+

Christians to Pray for 'Secret Believers' in Islamic Countries November 11, 2007 Christian Post (October 16, 2007) - Christians worldwide are being invited to join a global prayer event next month focused on the “secret believers” that live in Islamic countries. The International Day of Prayer (IDOP) on Nov. 11 is a day designated specifically for all concerned Christians worldwide to unite in prayer for persecuted Christians. Hundreds of thousands of people and congregations participate in the event annually. “This year, which marks the 10th anniversary of IDOP, our focus is on ‘secret believers,’” wrote Dr. Carl A. Moeller, president of Open Doors USA, in a letter. Secret believers are Christians who have left Islam to follow Jesus in countries where Islam is the dominant religion. “They are paying the highest price for their faith,” Moeller stated. Earlier this year, Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors, released his new book entitled, “Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ.” The book tells of the real-life experiences and sufferings of converts to Christianity living in countries where the majority of people are Muslims. The characters, whose names are changed for their protection, are all friends of Brother Andrew. “In their (the Secret Believers‘) countries, the biggest evil is if you turn away from Islam and become a Christian,” explained Brother Andrew to The Christian Post during an earlier interview on his book. “It’s not bad to be an atheist but to follow Jesus Christ is a deadly sin there.” Brother Andrew said his “cry” in the book was for Christians to become more involved and accept more responsibilities for the welfare of their Muslim-background brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians should realize that “[i]f we lead people there to Jesus, they will be shunned by their societies and their family is honor-bound to kill them – that is the real situation,” said the Open Doors founder. Six of the top ten spots on Open Doors’ 2007 Persecution Hot Spots list were countries where Islam is the major religion: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia Maldives, Yemen, and Afghanistan. There are an estimated 200 million Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith including interrogation, arrest and even death, according to Open Doors. Another 200-400 million face discrimination alienation. more...

Ex-Korn member on being saved – from himself Canadian Christianity (November 7, 2007) - In early 2005, Korn guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch’s conversion to Christianity was treated as a significant, newsworthy event. More than 13,000 people showed up when he shared his testimony at a church in Bakersfield, California. The next day, an MTV camera crew followed him to Israel, where he was baptized in the Jordan River. Subsequently, he traveled to India, where he opened Head Home, an orphanage for street children; he also began writing and recording his first solo album. After the initial burst of interest, things settled down. He recently released his autobiography; Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, And Lived to Tell My Story. I spoke to Welch about his life before and after, what got in the book, and a few things that didn’t. Korn is credited with popularizing nu-metal, an ingenious blend of death metal, electronica, hip hop - and in their case – bagpipes. By industry standards, they’re seasoned vets, releasing their first album back in 1994, when Seattle’s grunge bands were all the rage. Based out of L.A., their sound was even more aggressive, and netted them – at last count - nine top ten albums. Hits like ‘A.D.I.D.A.S.’ (an acronym for “All Day I Dream About Sex”) and ‘Freak on A Leash,’ have made them millionaires many times over. When the band started to make money, Welch invested in real estate, and discovered he had a knack for turning a profit. Supplementing his already considerable music-related earnings, he was soon set for life. Professionally, things couldn’t have been better, but on a personal level, his life was falling apart. His marriage had ended, leaving him a single parent, and after a decade of abuse, he was addicted to methamphetamines – speed - as well as Xanax, Vicodin, Valium and Celexa. All are potent, and highly addictive. Meth, in particular, is considered one of the hardest of all drugs to kick, with a very low recovery rate. He had also developed a serious drinking problem; both his father and grandfather were alcoholics, making Brian at least the third generation to struggle with the disease. After a decade in L.A., he returned to his hometown of Bakersfield in 2004, where, shortly before his conversion, he began a partnership with two local real estate developers. Both were Christians, yet rarely shared – or even spoke - about their faith with him. Nonetheless, their impact was significant. “You know what? I saw something different. They were glowing; they had a glow about them, and they were always in good moods. They were just these guys in the real estate business, but I looked up to them for some reason. I thought it was the business and the money, because they were always wheeling and dealing, and that was my thing. Money was my god. It made me feel powerful and safe, so I wanted more and more. And that’s how awesome God is; he didn’t care that I was blind, chasing money. He still used that to get me in. It was cool.” When he finally decided to reach out, they were there for him. more...

A great witness, I recommend everyone read the whole thing. This also shows how part of our witness and testimony to others is simply how we act, the fruits of our choices to choose God or the world.

Galatians 5:19-26
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Mideast terror leaders describe what life would be like in the U.S. under Islamic rule WorldNet Daily (November 7, 2007) - Madonna and Britney Spears stoned to death? Bars and clubs closed down? Church bells banned? That's just a taste of what Americans have to look forward to if terrorists ever took over the U.S. and imposed Islamic law, according to a new book. In one chapter of the recently released "Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, JIhadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!" author and WND Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein petitioned Mideast terror leaders to describe day-to-day life in the U.S. if al-Qaida won the war on terror. "Once Islam dominates, anyone living inside the Islamic state must abide by our rules. There is no choice. You will abide or face the punishment," said Muhammad Abdel-El, the spokesman and a senior leader of the Popular Resistance Committees terror organization. Sheik Abu Saqer, a prominent Gaza-based preacher, a founder of the Sword of Islam terror group and a subscriber to the ideology of al-Qaida, explained if Islam controls the U.S., all American women, whether Muslim or not, must cover their hair. "This is the demand of our religion. Being and walking naked doesn't mean that you are enjoying more freedom; it means that you are going against Allah's laws and you are serving the enemies of Islam who want to empty our Islamic society from its values. Uncovered heads is a form of nudity." Yasser Hamad, a cleric and a Hamas leader in the northern West Bank, explained in "Schmoozing" Islamic law enforcers would at first try to persuade American woman to cover their heads, but eventually females would be forced. Those women who refuse may be stoned. Asked by Klein whether stoning was too harsh a punishment, Hamad replied: "If you don't respect the local law in America, if you don't pay taxes, if you drive on a red light, aren't there sanctions used against you by your government? Of course there are and it's okay with you. Why is there a problem when it comes to the Islamic state that wants to impose its rules?" more...
| Islam | America |

Rabbis warn Bush: Annapolis will bring destruction to US YNet News (November 6, 2007) - Group of right-wing rabbis writes open letter to US president demanding he cancel Annapolis summit or risk provoking 'wrath of the almighty.' Rabbis assert Katrina disaster a result of America's support of 2005 disengagement, say California fires a warning. A fringe group of prominent ultranationalist rabbis issued a harshly-worded letter to United States President George W. Bush earlier this week, warning him that the upcoming Annapolis peace conference would bring destruction upon America. The rabbis evoke their previous prediction in 2005, when they published an open letter to Bush in the New York Times, demanding the US rescind its support of the disengagement plan. "We wrote to President Bush, a man who believes in the Bible, to warn him against the terrible danger to which he is exposing his country by hosting such a conference," said Rabbi Meir Druckman, one of signatories to the letter. "The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. God punishes anyone who coerces Israel to give up its land," he said. "There is no doubt the New Orleans flood from the Katrina hurricane was God's punishment for evicting the settlements," said Druckman, "with hundreds of thousands left homeless, hundreds killed or wounded and billions of dollars sent down the drain – can we really ignore God's hand collecting an eye for an eye?" The disengagement from Gaza and the northern West Bank was completed August 23rd, 2005 – which was also the date Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas. "Despite those consequences, yet again we find ourselves facing an initiative to expel Jews from Judea and Samaria and cede their cities to terror organizations. And once again the patrons of the event are President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "This time the Almighty is warning the US in advance: if the plague of water was not enough now he shall send flames. While hundreds of thousands of families have already fled the terrible fires in California, and we ask you, will you really forge ahead with this malevolent plan?" added Druckman. The letter was authored by SOS Israel, a right-wing movement which earlier this year distributed citations to IDF soldiers who disobeyed orders and refused to take part in the disengagement. The rabbis urged Bush's administration to back down from the current direction of the peace process, saying that not an inch of Israeli land should be ceded. "Be merciful to yourselves and the beloved America and its citizens. Lay down the hand you have raised against the Creator in war. Help the people of Israel fight without compromise against the terrorists who rise against it, and then, with a pure heart, you will truly be able to pray: May God bless America," the rabbis said. Among the rabbis who signed the letter are several leading religious figures, including Rabbis Dov Wolfa, Yekutiel Rap, Gedalia Axelrod as well as the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, Dov Lior and the son of former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Yaakov Yosef.
| Dividing the Land | America | Apostasy |

If you have read Eye To Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel by William Koenig, you may see the connection of America's trying to deal with bringing peace to the Middle East by dividing Israel. It reminds me of some scripture:

Zechariah 12:2-3
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Jeremiah 30:20
Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

Zechariah 12 speaks to those of Judah and Jerusalem besieged by the world, Gentiles. This is Israel in the land of Judea and Jerusalem. It is speaking to the conflict now that none can solve. America has tried and on the very days we take action, disaster befalls America. This proves Jeremiah 30:20 true as seen in how God's wrath is manifest in the natural world. It is the same way that much of His wrath will be poured out in the end.

Dividing Jerusalem, it's a done deal. Below are pictures to prove it The Golden Report (November 5, 2007) - The politicians would like for you to believe that nothing has been decided on Israel’s surrender to the Islamic Arabs on the division of Jerusalem. But thanks to George Bush, Rice and God only knows who else, the lines have been drawn and Border Crossings and walls are going up as you read this article. If we listen to the Media and believe what they say, and I am not stupid enough to think anyone reading is does. They would have us believe that the fences, borders and walls are going up in areas only to protect us from the Islamic suicide bombers, that is true but not the whole truth and what is really happening is they are using that to cover up the division of Jerusalem. more... View pictures at link above.
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land | 1st Seal |

EU Holds Talks with Israelis, Palestinians; Praises Olmert Deutsche Welle (November 5, 2007) - The foreign ministers will talk separately with senior European Union in Lisbon at the 9th Euro-Mediterranean Conference which runs until Tuesday, Nov. 6. Discussions are expected to focus on the Middle East peace process. Tensions are now high in the Middle East after Israeli air and ground strikes on Sunday killed four Palestinians, including three civilians. Palestinian militants fired six missiles at western Israel, causing a power outage in one town. There are not expected to be any direct talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Malki, but the two of them are expected to face each other during a dinner Monday with fellow foreign ministers from the EU and the Mediterranean area. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership was set up in 1995 and aims on establishing a common area of peace and security and works toward enhancing cooperation between the EU and 10 of its southern neighbors. The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Monday praised the "constructive" approach of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the upcoming US-sponsored conference on the Middle East, saying it could help bring peace to the region. Preparations are being made for the international conference to be held later this year in Annapolis, Maryland, although no specific date has been set. "Olmert yesterday gave a very constructive speech, one of his best in recent times," Solana said. "If that is the spirit with which he is approaching the [Middle East peace] process, I think we have many chances of having a positive outcome." Solana was addressing reporters in Lisbon ahead of talks between senior EU officials and the foreign ministers of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Speaking in Israel on Sunday, Olmert said he was willing to deal with the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the conference. "[The conference] will be the start of a future process ... we will enter into intense and continuous negotiations," Olmert said. more...
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Solana | 1st Seal |

The worst crisis I've seen in 30 years Guardian Unlimited (November 4, 2007) - I have been following the financial markets for more than 30 years. Crises have come and gone, but the one unfolding since August and which intensified last week is the most serious. It is not just that its impact is cascading around the world because of the new interconnectedness of global finance, it is that the authorities, particularly in Britain and America, have lost control and do not have the means to regain it as quickly as we might hope. With an oil price approaching $100 a barrel, we are in an uncharted and dangerous place. After more than 15 years of extraordinarily benevolent economic conditions worldwide - cheap oil, cheap money, growing trade, the Asia boom, rising house prices - things are unravelling at bewildering speed. The system might be able to handle one shock; it is undoubtedly too fragile to handle so many simultaneously. The epicentre is the hegemonic London and New York financial system. No longer are these discrete financial markets; financial deregulation and the global ambitions of American and European banks have made them intertwined. They are one system that operates around the same principles, copying each other's methods, making the same mistakes and exposing themselves to each other's risks. Thus the collapse of the American housing market, the explosive growth of American home repossessions and the discovery that 'structured investment vehicles' (SIVs), the toxic newfangled financial instruments that own as much as $350bn of valueless mortgages, are not American problems. They are ours too. The recent departure of the CEOs of two of the biggest investment banks - UBS and Merrill Lynch - after unexpected losses and loan write-offs running into many billions of dollars is not just an American problem, it's ours. It is also our problem that Credit Suisse last week announced more billions of write-offs, and Citigroup was rumoured to be following suit with even bigger losses. When banks take hits as big as this, it hurts their capacity to lend, because prudence demands they have up to eight dollars or pounds of their own capital to support every hundred dollars or pounds that they lend. If they don't, they have to lend less - and that is called a credit crunch. This crunch is already upon us - hence the massive selling of bank shares at the end of last week and the extraordinary news that the taxpayer, one way or another, now has supplied £40bn to the stricken mortgage lender Northern Rock, a sum that could climb to £50bn by Christmas. Stunningly, that represents 5 per cent of GDP. The bank got into trouble because it thought, under the chairmanship of free-market fundamentalist Viscount Ridley, that it could escape trivial matters like having savers' deposits to finance its adventurous lending. Instead, it could copy the Americans and sell SIVs to banks in London - most of them the same banks that bought from New York - and it could steal a march on its competitors. But in the London/New York financial system, when things went wrong in the US they immediately went wrong for Northern Rock in Britain. The banks announcing those epic write-offs no longer wanted to buy Northern Rock's loans - and neither did anybody else. The Bank and Treasury hoped to get by with masterly inactivity, but instead, as we know, there was a run on the bank. The government had to step in by guaranteeing £20bn of small savers' deposits - but also, we now learn, by supplying £30bn of finance that the financial system will no longer supply itself. This is testimony to the degree of fear that characterises today's credit crunch - and it bodes ill. What is worse, the Ridleyite maxims that got Northern Rock into trouble have also disabled the rescue, protracting rather than limiting the crisis. more...
| America |

Israel, with US support, says peace possible by end of 2008 Breitbart.com (November 4, 2007) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he may be able to make peace with the Palestinians by the end of 2008 as the United States vowed to defend Israel's security during the difficult process. "If we act decisively together, we and the Palestinians, there is a chance for us to reach real achievements, maybe even before the end of President (George W.) Bush's term," he said at the Saban Forum think-tank in Jerusalem. "There is no intention to drag out the negotiations without end. There is no reason to again hit the foot-dragging that characterised our talks in the past," the premier said. Israel and the Palestinians have been engaged in intensive talks in an effort to draft a joint statement outlining a solution to the decades-old conflict ahead of a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland expected later this year. The two sides plan to launch intensive bilateral talks on a permanent agreement following the international meeting, aimed at reviving a peace process that has been dormant for seven years. The Palestinians have repeatedly demanded that the joint statement include a clear timetable for the negotiations, but Israel has insisted on a looser document based on a 2003 peace blueprint known as the roadmap. At the same event US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice vowed to defend Israel as it pushes ahead with the peace process, saying that it was time for all sides to make the difficult decisions necessary for a lasting peace. "All Israelis should be confident that America is fully behind you, that we are fully committed to your security and that you can thus be bold in your pursuit of peace," she said. Rice, on her eighth visit to the region since the begining of the year, warned that if peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians flounder, extremists would take over the Palestinian leadership. "If we do not act now to show the Palestinians a way forward, others will show them a way forward," Rice said. "Failure is simply not an option." Around 2,000 Jewish settlers protested against the talks in central Jerusalem, saying they would lead to painful concessions on the fate of the city, which they call the indivisible, eternal capital of Israel. "We know perfectly well that with the concessions envisaged by Olmert, Hamas will end up in the West Bank and the heart of Israel will be within the range of their rockets," Shaul Goldstein, a protest leader, said. The Islamist movement Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since a bloody takeover in which security forces loyal to Abbas were defeated nearly five months ago, has also rejected the conference. "It's well-known goals are normalisation with the Arabs, the hardening of internal divisions and the preparation for the coming attack on Iran and Gaza and Syria and Lebanon," Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said in Gaza City on Sunday. Special Middle East envoy Tony Blair nevertheless insisted that despite the differences between Israel and the Palestinians, everyone involved in the negotiations knows what a final agreement will look like. "The irony is the final settlement is not hard to see. It is visible in the distance, the house on the hill. But the path to it is utterly fraught," he said. Israeli negotiators and their Palestinian counterparts have been divided for weeks over a joint document which will form the basis of future negotiations, and until now have not written a word. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has pushed for a document with a timetable that addresses the most hotly contested issues of the conflict -- the borders of a Palestinian state and the fate of Jerusalem and the refugees. On Sunday, Olmert said he was not opposed to discussing the so-called final status issues, but that he preferred to wait until after the conference that Washington hopes to convene before the end of the year. more...
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land | America |

EU seeks mediating role in Mideast conflict - looking to develop Mediterranean Union Monsters & Critics News (November 3, 2007) - EU officials hope to play a 'constructive' role in the Middle East peace process when they meet delegations from Israel and the Palestinian territories in Lisbon on Monday. The talks are due to take place just hours before a meeting of foreign ministers from Europe and the Mediterranean area and several weeks before a US-sponsored conference on Palestinian statehood is due to take place in Maryland. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who planned to send his foreign minister Bernard Kouchner to the Portuguese capital on Monday, has recently called on Israel and the Palestinians to 'take a risk' and 'make peace'. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited both Tel Aviv and Ramallah this week and later said talks between Israelis and Palestinians had entered 'a decisive phase'. During his visit to the Middle East, Steinmeier unveiled a German-initiated plan aimed at supporting Palestinian businesses, education and security services. He said the initiative was designed to allocate European aid in a timely and organized manner. The EU's executive, the Commission, has announced its intention of resuming direct financial aid to the Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. But the plan, announced by EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner in Portugal two months ago, has yet to be put into practice as the EU has yet to finish providing the necessary training to Palestinian finance ministry officials. Soldiers from Italy and France are leading peace-keeping operations in southern Lebanon and Israel tends to view the EU as traditionally pro-Arab. Such feelings were likely to have been reinforced when Brussels issued a number of statements criticizing Israel over its decision to reduce the supply of fuel to Gaza. 'While condemning the unacceptable and continued attacks on Israel's territory and recognizing Israel's legitimate right to self defence, the EU underlines the need for carefully weighing the negative impact of such measures on a civilian population already living under very difficult conditions,' a statement from the Portuguese presidency of the EU said. Ferrero-Waldener had earlier described the move as a form of 'collective punishment' against the people of Gaza. Palestinian Foreign and Information Minister Riyad Malki was expected to represent the Palestinians at the talks in Lisbon, while it was not yet confirmed whether Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni would be attending. Malki said he planned to inform EU officials about 'the importance of lifting the siege and sanctions on the Gaza Strip.' more...
| Israel | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | 1st Seal |

Villagers flee slopes as sensors show one of Indonesia's deadliest volcanos has begun erupting Santa Barbara News-Press (November 3, 2007) - Villagers fled the slopes of one of Indonesia's deadliest volcanos Saturday after seismic readings indicated that an eruption had started after weeks of heightened activity. The volcano in the heart of densely populated Java island was shrouded in fog and no visual confirmation of the apparent eruption was possible before night fell, government seismologist Umar Rosadi said. By early Saturday evening, detecting instruments close to the crater were still operating, indicating any eruption had not been large enough to damage them, he said. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Scientists said it was impossible to predict whether larger eruptions were on the way. Scores of people, including women hauling babies in slings, descended from the mountain in police trucks and on bicycles and motorcycles. Some were in tears, and many wore masks to protect against volcanic ash. ''I am afraid because the authorities say this eruption will be worse than the ones that have come before,'' said Marsini, resident of a village three miles from the crater. ''They say there may be poisonous gas. I am leaving now.'' Rosadi and another government scientist said official monitors had left their posts after detecting continuous tremors, indicating an eruption had begun. For weeks, authorities have warned of an impending eruption and pleaded with villagers to move to tent camps or government buildings. Thousands have evacuated villages closest to the crater but many people have insisted on staying behind to tend to crops or look after their houses. Some apparently believe a local myth stating if they stayed at home without switching indoor lights on or speaking in a loud voice then the mountain would not erupt. In 1990, Mount Kelud killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds. In 1919, a powerful explosion that could be heard hundreds of miles away destroyed dozens of villages and killed at least 5,160. Scientists fear a buildup of magma under Kelud's crater lake could trigger a violent blast, sending a torrent of mud, ash and rock careering down the side of the 5,679-foot mountain. The mountain has been on its highest alert status for more than two weeks, but in the last 48 hours the intensity of the quakes and the temperature of its lake have exceeding those in the days preceding the 1990 blast, scientists say. Indonesia has about 100 active volcanos, more than any nation. The country is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes because of its location on the so-called ''Ring of Fire'' - a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia. At least three are currently erupting elsewhere in the country, including Mount Anak Krakatau, which lies of the northern tip of Java island. The mountain was formed after the famous Krakatau volcano erupted in 1883 killing thousands, but it is not seen as at risk of a major blast. more...
| Earth Changes |

Global Food Crisis Looms As Climate Change And Fuel Shortages Bite Guardian Unlimited (November 3, 2007) - Empty shelves in Caracas. Food riots in West Bengal and Mexico. Warnings of hunger in Jamaica, Nepal, the Philippines and sub-Saharan Africa. Soaring prices for basic foods are beginning to lead to political instability, with governments being forced to step in to artificially control the cost of bread, maize, rice and dairy products. Record world prices for most staple foods have led to 18% food price inflation in China, 13% in Indonesia and Pakistan, and 10% or more in Latin America, Russia and India, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). Wheat has doubled in price, maize is nearly 50% higher than a year ago and rice is 20% more expensive, says the UN. Next week the FAO is expected to say that global food reserves are at their lowest in 25 years and that prices will remain high for years. Last week the Kremlin forced Russian companies to freeze the price of milk, bread and other foods until January 31, for fear of a public backlash with a parliamentary election looming. "The price of goods has risen sharply and that has hit the poor particularly hard," said Oleg Savelyev, of the Levada Centre polling institute. India, Yemen, Mexico, Burkina Faso and several other countries have had, or been close to, food riots in the last year, something not seen in decades of low global food commodity prices. Meanwhile, there are shortages of beef, chicken and milk in Venezuela and other countries as governments try to keep a lid on food price inflation. Boycotts have become commonplace. Argentinians shunned tomatoes during the recent presidential election campaign when they became more expensive than meat. Italians organised a one-day boycott of pasta in protest at rising prices. German leftwing politicians have called for an increase in welfare benefits so that people can cope with price rises. "If you combine the increase of the oil prices and the increase of food prices then you have the elements of a very serious [social] crisis in the future," said Jacques Diouf, head of the FAO, in London last week. The price rises are a result of record oil prices, US farmers switching out of cereals to grow biofuel crops, extreme weather and growing demand from countries India and China, the UN said yesterday. "There is no one cause but a lot of things are coming together to lead to this. It's hard to separate out the factors," said Ali Gurkan, head of the FAO's Food Outlook programme, yesterday. He said cereal stocks had been declining for more than a decade but now stood at around 57 days, which made global food supplies vulnerable to an international crisis or big natural disaster such as a drought or flood. "Any unforeseen flood or crisis can make prices rise very quickly. I do not think we should panic but we should be very careful about what may happen," he warned. Lester Brown, president of the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute thinktank, said: "The competition for grain between the world's 800 million motorists, who want to maintain their mobility, and its 2 billion poorest people, who are simply trying to survive, is emerging as an epic issue." more...
| 3rd Seal |

Could we be building up to the ultimate fulfillment of the third seal?

Revelation 6:5,6
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."

United Nations to expand police force Associated Press (November 1, 2007) - With the world facing new security threats, the U.N. is planning for an unprecedented expansion of its police missions. U.N. officials say a shift in the nature of conflicts requires revamped peacekeeping operations. Traditionally, the U.N. has facilitated peace between warring states by sending its blue-helmeted soldiers to man buffer zones between their armies. But today, interventions are increasingly focused on settling civil wars. "In recent years the character of conflicts has changed dramatically from mainly state-to-state wars (to) intrastate conflicts which pit various factions within the boundaries of a single state," U.N. Police Chief Andrew Hughes said. As a result, there is a greater need than ever for conventional police duties in post-conflict situations. Nowhere is this highlighted more clearly than in Darfur. The U.N. is recruiting nearly 7,000 police officers to assist some 20,000 U.N. peacekeeper-soldiers in trying to end the four-year conflict in western Sudan. Police involvement in peacekeeping dates from the inaugural 1948 mission, when first Secretary-General Trygve Lie urgently dispatched several dozen U.N. security guards from New York to Jerusalem when Jewish extremists assassinated the U.N. peace envoy Folke Bernadotte. In later interventions, however, the U.N. has come to rely mostly on soldiers to monitor cease-fires or interpose themselves between warring sides, as happened in the Sinai after the 1956 Egypt-Israel war, or later in disputed Kashmir, Cyprus and Lebanon. The Balkan wars of the 1990s put renewed focus on peacekeeping by police units. "In such conflicts, once peace is restored the U.N. then has a key role in re-establishing rule of law, which includes police, courts, prisons and the whole justice sector, and to ensure that they rebuild or build up from scratch their police services," Hughes said. "Our duties included everything a policeman can possibly do, from breaking up domestic disturbances to chasing and arresting armed criminals," said Irhad Campara, a Bosnian policeman who served in the U.N. mission in East Timor. "In addition, we recruited, vetted and trained from scratch East Timor's new national police force." Whereas military units are dispatched by governments, police officers are recruited on individual contracts from contributing nations. They continue to collect their home pay but receive an extra daily allowance of $150 and accommodation from the U.N. more...
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder |

Now imagine a world in chaos where global governance uses the police forces in conjunction with military forces to enforce peace. Or further along, enforce worship of the antichrist. It's all leading to prophetic fulfillment.

Indonesia Sentences 41 Christians To Five Years Imprisonment, report Persecution.org (November 1, 2007) - An Indonesian court has sentenced 41 Christian leaders to five years imprisonment on charges of blasphemy because they openly prayed that Muslims "come to know Christ," local Christians and a well-informed human rights group told BosNewsLife Thursday, November 1. more...
| Signs of the Times |

EU Report On Turkey Deals New Blow To Ankara's Membership Bid International Herald Tribune (November 1, 2007) - In a fresh blow to Turkey's hopes of joining the European Union, a key report has concluded that reforms there slowed in 2007 because of a constitutional crisis over the election of a president with an Islamic background. With attention distracted by tensions between the ruling AK Party and the military over the election of Abdullah Gul, Turkey did too little to root out corruption, modernize its judiciary, reduce the power of the military and increase freedom of expression. The annual progress report compiled by the European Commission, to be released next week, comes amid preparations for a new committee on the future of the EU which may try to determine where Europe's frontiers should lie and how much further the bloc should expand. Public opinion across the EU is hardening against Turkey's EU membership bid and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France leads a group of countries opposed to full EU membership for Turkey, preferring a looser association with Ankara instead. Sarkozy has proposed the new committee, scheduled to be approved by EU heads of government next month, which Turkey fears will to kill off their membership bid. Anxious to limit the damage to Turkish accession hopes, a draft of the commission's report stresses Turkey's strategic importance as a "unique interface between the west and the Muslim world," a diplomatic and military partner and an energy hub. But it also makes clear that the implementation of reforms was "uneven" and "has slowed down since 2005." The number of those prosecuted for freedom of expression doubled between 2005-6, corruption remains rife and Turkey was found to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights in 330 cases. Earlier this year the Turkish military spoke out against Gul's candidacy for the post of president which is one of the central pillars of the secular Turkish state. The crisis prompted fresh parliamentary elections which returned the AK Party to power, allowing Gul - whose wife wears a headscarf - to win the presidency through a parliamentary vote. Though the military "made statements beyond its remit," parliamentary elections were conducted properly, the draft report says. "Turkey now needs to renew the momentum of political reforms," the draft document said. It called for significant further efforts on freedom of expression, civilian control of the military, increased rights for non-Muslims, the fight against corruption and judicial reforms. more...
| Gog/Magog | Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom |

In Ezekiel 38,39 we see that Iran, Russia and Turkey are the three main national players in an attack on Israel that is stopped by God with fire and brimstone from heaven. We're seeing the pulling away of Turkey from the West back to their Islamic roots aligned with Iran and their weapons supplier, Russia. I expect this relationship with the West to get worse to the point of Turkey's attack on Israel, but only time will tell.

Saudi king to visit the Vatican Gulf Times (November 1, 2007) - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will make an unprecedented visit to the Vatican next week, the Pope’s press office announced yesterday. Abdullah, currently on a state visit to Britain, will have an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on November 6. It will be the first time a Saudi king has visited the Vatican and the two states do not have diplomatic relations. Abdullah will meet Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi later that day, the chair of the cabinet announced. Last month the Pope met the Saudi foreign minister at his summer residence outside Rome to discuss the Middle East and the “defence of religious and moral values” — as well as the political and religious situation in Saudi Arabia.
| Islam | RCC |

Gulf states 'offer Iran uranium' BBC News (November 1, 2007) - Gulf states are willing to set up a body to provide enriched uranium to Iran, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister is reported to have said. Prince Saud al-Faisal told the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) the plan could defuse Tehran's stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme. The prince was quoted as saying that Iran was considering the Gulf states' offer, but the US was not involved. The BBC's Paul Reynolds says it is doubtful the plan will go anywhere. It is similar to one proposed by Russia in December 2005, which led to initially positive talks between Moscow and Tehran, but in the end led nowhere, says our world affairs correspondent. Prince Saud said the offer came from the six states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "We have proposed a solution, which is to create a consortium for all users of enriched uranium in the Middle East," he was quoted as saying. "[We will] do it in a collective manner through a consortium that will distribute according to needs, give each plant its own necessary amount, and ensure no use of this enriched uranium for atomic weapons." He outlined the plan in an interview for the MEED during Saudi King Abdullah's state visit to London. Prince Saud said the GCC had developed the proposal to stave off a nuclear arms race in the Gulf. Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian energy purposes, but the US claims Tehran is developing nuclear weapons. Prince Saud is reported to have said: "They [the Iranians] have responded that it is an interesting idea and they will come back to us. "The US is not involved, but I don't think it would be hostile to this, and it would resolve a main area of tension between the West and Iran." The UK foreign office said the five permanent UN Security Council members - the US, China, Russia, France and Britain - along with Germany would meet on Friday in London to discuss the next step on Iran's nuclear programme.
| Iran | Islam |

CFR, Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commission insiders usually run for, win White House, shows new book WorldNet Daily (November 1, 2007) - Nearly every person elected as president of the United States since then – and nearly every opponent – has belonged to a secretive, globalism-oriented organization known as the Council on Foreign Relations. Some presidents and their challengers have belonged to additional clubs of internationalists – the Bilderberg Group and the Trilateral Commission. Running mates, too, more often than not have had ties to the groups. That the groups exert enormous influence on public policy is indisputable. What is disputed is whether such groups are, as adherents and members argue, just discussion forums for movers and shakers, or, as critics have long alleged, secret societies shaping a new world order from behind the scenes. On that last point at least, no one could challenge the critics: All these groups operate in considerable secrecy, away from the scrutiny of the American public. Regardless of how one characterizes them, the fact that virtually all presidents belong to the same secret clubs prompts the author of a new book to wonder if the 2008 election will also be a contest between globalist insiders. Judging from the list of frontrunners of each party, Daniel Estulin, author of "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group," may be on to something. According to a variety of sources, the following presidential candidates are either members of one of the groups or have strong ties: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, John McCain, John Edwards, Fred Thompson, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson. Mike Huckabee, though not a member, spoke to the CFR in September. Since then, his political star has risen to the point that he has become a top-tier candidate. So often throughout recent history it has been the case. Ever since Democrat Adlai Stevenson challenged Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, the odds have significantly favored those with membership in the elite groups.

• In 1960, both John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon were members.
• In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was not a member. Neither was his opponent, Barry Goldwater. But Johnson had already staffed his administration with plenty of insiders.
• In 1968, it was Nixon versus club member Hubert H. Humphrey.
• In 1972, it was Nixon again against Democratic Party CFR member George McGovern.
• In 1976, it was CFR Republican Gerald Ford losing to CFR Democrat Jimmy Carter.
• In 1980, Ronald Reagan was not a member, but his running mate, George H.W. Bush, was. So were both of his opponents – Carter and independent John Anderson. Assuming office, however, Reagan quickly named 313 CFR members to his team.
• In 1984, another CFR member, Walter Mondale, was nominated by the Democratic Party to challenge Reagan.
• In 1988, CFR member Bush took on CFR member Michael Dukakis.
• In 1992, Bush was challenged by an obscure governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton, who won the "trifecta" by being a member of the CFR, Trlateral Commission and Bilderberg Group. He was also a Rhodes scholar – another favored credential of the worldwide elite.
• In 1996, Clinton was challenged by CFR member Bob Dole.
• In 2000, CFR member Al Gore ran against non-member George W. Bush, but his running mate, Dick Cheney, was.
• In 2004, Bush was challenged by CFR member John Kerry.

"David Rockefeller, whose family financed the CFR, is a common denominator among these parallel groups," writes Estulin. "Not only is he the CFR chairman emeritus, but he also continues to provide financial and personal support to the TC, CFR and Bilderberg Group." What is the agenda behind these groups, which Estulin says are comprised of "self-interested elitists protecting their wealth and the investments of multinational banks and corporations in the growing world economy at the expense of developing nations and Third World countries"? "The policies they develop," he writes, "benefit them as well as move us towards a one-world government." Those questioning Estulin's conclusion as mere speculation need only recall organizational financer David Rockefeller's own words as recorded in his "Memoirs." "Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will," he wrote. "If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it." With regard to insider roles in recent U.S. presidential races, two of the most interesting were 1976 and 1992. more...
| NewWorldOrder | America |

Something to consider in the election process, just how much control do a people have when their options are given to them by those running the world? I'm going to be working on researching the current top candidates for President and present some background you may not have known about. If we are truly in the end-times, no matter who we vote for and who wins, global governance will be the result. We should keep this in mind when voting on laws that restrict or remove freedom in the name of security. Who will be in the position in the future to utilize these laws? Do they really have our best interest in mind?

Hamas setting stage for West Bank seizure WorldNet Daily (November 1, 2007) - Hamas is setting the stage for a takeover of the West Bank similar to the coup in which the terror group seized control of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli and Palestinian security officials. Hamas leaders confirmed to WND they are planning a West Bank takeover. "Fatah will fall in a matter of weeks at most, and the Islamic resistance (Hamas) will reign in the West Bank just as we do in Gaza," said Abu Abdullah, considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' so-called resistance department. The West Bank borders Jerusalem and is within rocket range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, slated to arrive here next week for her second visit this month, has been serving as mediator for an upcoming U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian summit later this month. At the meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is widely expected to outline a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank, ultimately handing the strategic territory to security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah militias. But Israeli security officials are warning Abbas' forces are not strong enough to contend with controlling the West Bank without the aid of the Israel Defense Forces. Yuval Diskin, head of Israel's Shin Bet Security Services, estimated during a Knesset meeting earlier his week that if control of the West Bank were handed over to Abbas, Israel would suffer a "significant threat to its security." Palestinian security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted to WND they cannot control the West Bank without Israeli intervention. According to the officials, Fatah's intelligence apparatus routinely hands the IDF lists of Hamas militants that threaten Fatah rule, requesting that Israel make arrests. Israeli and Palestinian security officials told WND they have specific information Hamas is quietly setting the stages for an imminent West Bank takeover attempt. The officials said that among other things, Hamas has been acquiring weaponry in the West Bank and has set up a sophisticated system of communication between cells for a seizure attempt. In what is considered the most threatening Hamas move, according to the officials, the terror group is thought to have heavily infiltrated all major Fatah forces in the West Bank and has been attempting to buy off Fatah militia members, many times successfully. According to Palestinian sources, Hamas has, among other things, recruited important members of Fatah's declared military wing, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The terror group particularly has targeted those who were against a deal this past summer in which Olmert extended amnesty to Brigades members as a gesture to Abbas. The Brigades, along with the Islamic Jihad terror group, has taken responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past three years along with thousands of shootings and rocket firings against Jewish civilian population centers. According to the Palestinian sources, a West Bank shooting against a Jewish vehicle last week carried out by the Brigades was planned by Hamas. The shooting, in which a man was seriously wounded at a major junction near the Jewish community of Ariel, was perpetrated by a Brigades cell calling itself the Army of al-Boraq, named after the Muslim prophet Muhammad's horse. The cell used weapons given by Hamas, the sources said. The issue of Hamas infiltration of Fatah was thought to have been the Achilles heel that led to the terror group's takeover last summer of the entire Gaza Strip, including dozens of major, U.S.-backed Fatah security compounds there. Hamas' seizure is thought to be a partial consequence of Israel evacuating Gaza in 2005. more...
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land |

We saw what happened in Gaza after the land was given up. With the increased radical fervency seen of late, imagine these groups swarming into the land they blow themselves up to get upon the world giving them what they are killing for.

Zechariah 14:2
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

5.6-strong quake shakes San Francisco Bay area; none hurt The Jerusalem Post (October 31, 2007) - A magnitude-5.6 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night, rattling homes and nerves, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. The moderate temblor struck shortly after 8 p.m., about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the US Geological Survey. Residents reported feeling the quake as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma. The California Highway Patrol has received no reports of damage or injuries, spokesman Tom Marshall said. It was the strongest tremor in the Bay Area since 1989, when a magnitude-7.1 quake killed 62 people. The epicenter of the quake was near Alum Rock, in the Diablo Range foothills east of San Jose - not far from the home of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. Pictures fell off the walls of Reed's house, but the mayor said there was no major damage there. "It was a pretty strong ride here, a lot of shaking but nothing broken," Reed told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his home. "I've talked to a few people and we have no reports of injuries or damage. There was a lot of shaking, but it wasn't the big one." Amrit Shergill, a night cashier at Alum Rock Shell gasoline station in San Jose, said there was no damage other than some small items that toppled off a shelf - but the intensity of the shaking sent her outside and crouching on the sidewalk. "My God, I felt like running because the roof might come down on my head," said Shergill, who was born in India. "I've never felt anything like this in 16 years in the United States." Rod Foo, a resident of south San Jose, about 10 miles from the epicenter, said everything in his house shook for several seconds, but the electricity never went out and his telephone was still working. "I could hear it coming up the street before it hit the house," said Foo, a former reporter with the San Jose Mercury News. "I thought it was the kids messing around at first, then I felt the house shaking and I knew it was an earthquake. ... It was rattling for a long time and really loud." The USGS reported 10 aftershocks, the biggest with a preliminary magnitude of 2.1. more...
| Earth Changes |

Palestinians demand deadline for statehood One News Now (October 30, 2007) - The chief Palestinian peace negotiator threatened on Tuesday that there would be no talks with Israel unless a deadline is set for establishing a Palestinian state - the first indication the Palestinians could scuttle a U.S.-sponsored peace summit over the issue. Palestinian officials have repeatedly said they want a detailed timeline for talks that are expected to begin in earnest after a U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference in November or December. But although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has consistently resisted the notion of a deadline, they had never before made the matter a condition for talks. On Tuesday, lead negotiator Ahmed Qureia tightened the screws. "The Israeli prime minister has stated that he will not accept a timetable, and we say we will not accept negotiations without a timetable," Qureia said at a news conference with the European Union's external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. He delivered the ultimatum as the two sides struggle to bridge yawning gaps ahead of the fall peace summit. It wasn't clear whether the Palestinians would really carry out the threat, or were trying to wrest concessions from Israel. In the past, however, deadlines have been set and ignored. No date has been set for the U.S.-sponsored summit, set to take place in Annapolis, Md., because the two sides remain so far apart on the starting point for talks. Israel wants a vague, joint statement of objectives. The Palestinians want a detailed outline that would address core issues that need to be resolved before peace can be achieved and a Palestinian state can be established. These are final borders, sovereignty over disputed Jerusalem, and a solution for Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes in the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948. Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have met several times in recent months to try to come up with a joint platform ahead of the meeting, and negotiating teams from both sides have recently entered the process. more...
| Israel | Islam | Dividing the Land | 1st Seal |

Guess who Europe's subsidizing? The Jerusalem Post (October 30, 2007) - The European Union and its member countries have been subsidizing various opponents of Israel for many years. A study, just published by the Dutch Center for Documentation and Information on Israel contains perhaps the most detailed investigation of one such case. A group called United Civilians for Peace is a joint venture of five Dutch NGOs. Fifty to 90% of their budgets are funded by the Dutch government and the European Union. A sixth partner left UCP in view of its extreme anti-Israeli activities. UCP - among other things - publishes research about "Dutch economic links in support of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and/or Syrian territories." Journalist Joost de Haas, writing in the Dutch Telegraaf summed up the 50-plus page report by the Dutch Center for Documentation saying: "A peace organization financed with taxpayers money is guided by the Palestinian terror organization Hamas and supports the Iranian atom bomb." The EU and the Dutch government thus indirectly finance Dutch opponents of Israel. This story is the tip of a European iceberg of financial support for anti-Israeli bodies. NGO Monitor has exposed various state agencies which finance extreme anti-Israeli organizations. In an article in the Swiss daily Le Temps, Gerald Steinberg, who heads NGO Monitor cited examples of such support by the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation. A few months ago the Jewish Chronicle wrote that Israeli diplomats intended to raise claims with the Irish government that its Irish Aid Department was financing anti-Israeli NGOs some of which promote the demonization of Israel and boycott actions. The Swedish International Development Agency is also involved in financing extreme anti-Israeli groups. IN AN interview with Rijk van Dam, a former Dutch member of the European Parliament he told me that the government of Finland had contributed millions of Euros to pay for Palestinian textbooks which promote the hate of Israel. In 2004 Wall Street Journal op-ed writer Daniel Schwammenthal detailed how difficult it was to obtain information on the funding of the PLO by European governments. This, while the latter claimed their activities were transparent. Earlier this year the Israeli government criticized the British embassy in Tel Aviv for contributing funds to a study on the security barrier and its impact on the Palestinians. A Foreign Ministry source said: "It is interference by Britain in an internal Israeli matter. How would they react in London if our embassy was to fund a British research organization that is trying to promote an agenda critical [of their government]. This is not acceptable in international relations." AND THEN there is the abuse by the Palestinian Authority of part of the many billions of Euros it gets in funding from the EU. Van Dam says: "There is no doubt that a substantial portion of European funding has served purposes such as corruption and terrorism." He added that at a meeting in the European Parliament the then Palestinian finance minister [and now Prime Minister Salam Fayad] was asked how European money was spent. He replied that he did not know, not a penny was left, and it had all gone to the pockets of fat cats. more...
| Islam | EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder |

It's not too big of a surprise that Europe, and America for that matter, are ultimately funding those behind the chaos in the Middle East. Why? According to the plans for a New World Order, global governance will be brought about through a series of wars and chaotic struggles that will wear out the people and through their desire for peace and safety, hand over their freedoms and sovereignty to one man who will eventually demand worship as God. Sound preposterous? Don't be surprised when it happens as the Bible says it will. Read this

The European Union is the most popular great power - more people across all continents want to see its power increase Open Democracy (October 30, 2007) - An ambitious survey of public opinion around the world contains valuable findings of great interest to the world's citizens and policymakers alike. The project, conducted by Voice of the People for the European Council on Foreign Relations and released on 25 October 2007, has discovered: There is widespread support for a more multipolar world and a greater role for "herbivorous powers" - countries not widely perceived as military superpowers. There is mistrust of the cold-war powers as well as Islamist-inspired Iranian autocracy. More people want to see a decline rather than an increase in the power of Russia (29 percent decline, 23 percent increase), of China (32 percent decline, 24 percent increase), of the United States (37 percent decline, 26 percent increase), and of Iran (39 percent decline, 14 percent increase). On the other hand, there is strong support for an increase in the power of fast-developing powers such as South Africa, India and Brazil (the "IBSA" countries). The European Union is the most popular great power. Uniquely among great powers, more people across all continents want to see its power increase than decrease. This demand for more European power extends to many former European colonies. Whilst American soft power has declined, the rise of China has led to a resurgence in support for American power in Asia. Increasing Russian influence in Eastern Europe is paralleled by a demand for a greater American role. Outside Europe, "the west" is still seen to some extent as a single actor: countries suspicious of American power tend also to be against EU power. In the run-up to the Iraq war, Mary Robinson called global public opinion the "second superpower." She may have exaggerated its ability to sway the decision to invade Iraq, but she was right to point to its importance as a source of legitimacy in world politics. Even in the many places where citizens cannot vote in free and fair elections, governments constantly poll the public to understand their aspirations and pre-empt them. Their findings can have an impact on decisions about war and peace and can even affect the positions they defend in institutions such as the United Nations and World Trade Organization. more...
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder |

IWT tour: “Spiritual bomb” hits Fiji Assist News Service (October 29, 2007) - Over 165,000 people heard a clear presentation of the Gospel with 17,474 recorded decisions for Christ, when Impact World Tour(IWT), a ministry of YWAM Campaigns, swept through 16 main cities and communities across Fiji Islands recently. For six weeks, from September 3 to October 13, the team ministered in 24 schools, into three prisons and at gatherings across the nation. The response was so overwhelming in some communities, that the total number of decisions made, other than decisions for Christ, was not recorded, because of the size of some of the crowds, said IWT regional director David Cole. Despite the wet weather, experienced on 19 of the 39 campaign nights, the IWT teams were astounded at the way Fijians came out to the stadiums and parks and not only stood in the rain, but came forward to give their lives to Christ. Amongst those responding were many Indo-Fijians from other religious backgrounds, the largest unreached people group in the South Pacific. “An Indian pastor shared with me after one campaign night that he knew of four Indian families in his neighbourhood who had given their lives to Christ and he had been approached by another man who had a family of six come to his home to share about Christ and pray for them” said Mr Cole. “We were excited to see whole families respond to give their lives to Christ, often lead by the fathers bringing their families forward to respond.” At Subrail stadium in Labasa, the main city on the Island of Vanua Levu, 25,000 people attended in total over the three campaign nights with a powerful presentation of the Gospel given through the IWT teams. “It was like a spiritual bomb going off in some of the high Indian population communities,” local pastors told IWT leaders. “There has never been anything like this in our history.” Despite the interim Fiji government issuing an emergency edict on the first night of the campaign banning all public gatherings, IWT was able to continue its tour on the strength of an earlier agreement with the interim government. Opportunities to preach the Gospel arose spontaneously. On the way to a stadium to prepare for one evening campaign, some of the Team Xtreme evangelists stopped for refreshment next to a local police station. When the policemen came out to see who they were and to talk to them, they were given the Gospel and two of the policemen gave their lives to Christ. Taubale and Ofa Toki, who were involved in the IWT campaigns in Auckland in 2004, had moved to Suva in 2005 and had been preparing for the 2007 campaign together with their Fijian trained staff, for the past two years. The M/V Pacific Link, part of the international YWAM ministry Marine Reach based in Tauranga, was in the Fiji region for four months prior to the IWT campaign, reaching those on 11 more remote outer islands with health care(medical and dental), construction and evangelism teams from YWAM and local churches. A YWAM team on the ‘Shekinah’ a Nelson based mission yacht also made trips to some of the outer islands for many months also leading up to the campaigns, sharing the gospel, teaching and helping with providing clean water resources.

Hezbollah-like Syrian cells plan provocations to force war between Damascus, Israel WorldNet Daily (October 4, 2007) - A recently formed Syrian guerrilla group modeling itself after the Lebanese Hezbollah militia is preparing for "resistance attacks" against the Jewish state, leaders of the purported group stated during in-person interviews released in a new book. The information comes as Israel yesterday broke its nearly four-week silence and admitted officially the Jewish state's warplanes struck a "military installation" in Syria last month, prompting some officials in Damascus to call for retaliation, including guerrilla raids against Israel. In his new book, "Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!" WND Jerusalem bureau chief obtained access to the leadership of the new purported Syrian group, calling itself the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan. "If an agreement is not quickly forged between Israel and Syria [for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan], we will begin attacks," a senior leader of the Committees told Klein, speaking on condition his name be withheld. The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli and Syrian population centers captured by Israel after Damascus twice used the territory to attack the Jewish state. The Committees leader stated Syria watched as Israel "lost" a war against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the summer of 2006 and noted the Syrian leadership learned that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory. The leader explained in "Schmoozing" his group will initiate rocket attacks and Hezbollah-like raids against Israeli troop positions and Golan-based Jewish communities in hopes of eventually provoking a conflict or generating domestic Israeli pressure for Israel to vacate the Golan. Much of the Israeli sections of the Golan look down on Syria, and there are U.N. posts at international buffer areas between the Israeli and Syrian sides of the territory, but the Committees leader explained there are multiple points of vulnerability along the Syria-Israel border that can be exploited, including many Israeli sections of the Golan that are at level with the Syrian sides. The Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus, the Committees leader stated. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Committees last June. more...
| Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 |