"The WAR on error"
At the beginning of a new yearly cycle, the liturgy invites the Church to renew her proclamation to all the peoples and sums it up in two words "God comes". Let us pause a moment to reflect: it is not used in the past tense - God has come, - nor in the future - God will come, - but in the present: "God comes".
"Jews and Christians are called to work together for the healing of the world by promoting the spiritual and moral values grounded in our faith convictions. If we give a clear example of fruitful cooperation, our voice in responding to the needs of the human family will be all the more convincing."
"Peace can only come about if it is the concern of Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, expressed in genuine interreligious dialogue and concrete gestures of reconciliation."
Speech of the year...
Tübingen University has named its annual "Speech of the Year." This time, the honor goes to Pope Benedict's controversial homily in Regensburg, which outraged the Muslim world in September.
Whoreball?...
The Vatican — not known for excelling in sport — plans to field a football team in Italy’s first division and has ambitions for European competition. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the football-mad Secretary of State, said that the Vatican had “a huge pool of soccer talent” on which to draw. “Just think of all the Brazilian or African students who attend seminaries or pontifical universities. We could put together a magnificent team.”
A group representing Germans who were expelled from Poland after WW2 are claiming compensation from Warsaw. The move threatens to damage already fragile relations between Germany and Poland.
President Bush has delayed for another 6 months moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, citing national security interests.
Israel has spent the last 5 months unleashing missiles, attack helicopters and jet fighters over the densely packed concrete hovels in the Gaza Strip. Civil society itself—and this appears to be part of the Israeli plan—is unraveling.
Arab newspapers commented Monday on the inter-Palestinian fighting between rivals Fatah and Hamas, with many blaming both sides for the deteriorating conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Co-Chairman of Iran-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group today conferred with head of the Majlis Commission for Education and Research on expansion of cooperation between the two countries.
Outside view...
The U.N. Security Council plans to vote on a draft Iranian resolution on Dec. 24. The 5 permanent members of the Council and Germany still cannot agree on the proposed sanctions against Iran.
Ahmadinejad, a man of words without real power, is the big winner of 2006, because Bush, America, and Israel were the big losers.
The U.S. military is "planning a major buildup" of its naval forces in the Persian Gulf region "as a warning to Iran," reports CBS News. The buildup will reportedly begin in January. Should it occur, it would validate earlier speculation that the Bush administration could use the might of the U.S. military to stymie Iran's nuclear aspirations.
Freedom of press?...
Elliot Abrams and others at the National Security Council in Bush's White House have intervened to stop the publication of an op-ed in the New York Times by Flynt Leverett.
The changing character of Christianity in Britain. Britons have long been wary of demonstrative emotion in the practice of religion.
Following the controversy stirred by his recent book, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter wrote a letter addressed to Jewish citizens of America, explaining the media's "pro-Israel bias" partly on the powerful lobbying organization which faces no "significant countervailing voices," but primarily puts the blame on "Christians like me."
I believe our Founding Fathers had it right when they argued for peace and commerce between nations, and against entangling political and military alliances. In other words, noninterventionism. Noninterventionism is not isolationism. Nonintervention simply means America does not interfere militarily, financially, or covertly in the internal affairs of other nations.
US Special Forces teams sent overseas on secret spying missions have clashed with the CIA and carried out operations in countries that are staunch US allies. The spy missions are part of a highly classified program that officials say has better positioned the United States to track terrorist networks and capture or kill enemy operatives in regions.
Iran's top banker said on Monday that Iran will use all currencies, and not just the euro, in its international transactions. "We are going to use many currencies, and not just the euro, in our system of payments in line with national interests."
The Iranian government has finally developed a new weapon that can destroy the financial system underpinning the American Empire. The U.S. dollar dominance is coming to an end.
The Iranian central bank is to convert the state's foreign dollar assets into euros and use the euro for foreign transactions.
Iran is to shift its foreign currency reserves from dollars to euros and use the euro for oil deals in response to US-led pressure on its economy.
A spokesperson for the European Commission declined to speculate on media reports that Iranian hard currency budget revenue for the next fiscal year beginning March 21 will be calculated in euros. "For the moment I would prefer not to speculate on the impact of a decision when at the moment we don't exactly know what the decision entails. We do not encourage the use of the euro by economic operators outside the EU but this is a decision which they can take of course."
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is directing a growing share of the country's oil profits into euros as the dollar and crude prices fall. The dollar may face more pressure in 2007 because Venezuela and oil producers from the United Arab Emirates to Indonesia plan to funnel more money into the single European currency.
Gold may rise, snapping a two-week slide, on speculation Russia and Middle Eastern crude-oil producers may shift reserves away from the dollar, boosting the appeal of the precious metal as an alternative investment. Gold may rise to $1,000 an ounce over the next 18 months, driven by a falling dollar and rising energy costs.
Germany's Deputy Finance Minister held a briefing with reporters on Germany's upcoming presidency of the G8, and he plans to examine next year whether hedge funds pose systemic risks.
Wall Street is awarding itself tens of billions in bonuses this winter. The fantastic amounts of money being handed out to investment bankers, securities traders and the like is symptomatic of the vast social divide that blights every aspect of American life.
Millions of Americans are actually poorer, in terms of their net wealth, than the people who sleep on India's filthy streets. The poor in India have nothing. But many of America's poor – and this is true for other rich countries too – have less than nothing. They are in debt, often by thousands of dollars. How can you feel rich and happy, dear reader? Very simple. Just move to a very poor country.
George W. Bush is in total disconnect... Why economoists are wrong 2/3 of the time; the incredible growth of mortgages... the impending collapse of the dollar.
Oops...
In an explosive telephone argument that led to her firing, publisher Judith Regan allegedly complained of a "Jewish cabal" against her in the book industry and stated that Jews "should know about ganging up, finding common enemies and telling the big lie."
Last week's column got a lot of attention because it blindsided the overwhelming majority of readers. Perhaps fewer than 10% of us are aware that soybeans are a hotly debated topic in medical circles today. Soy products are rightly being blamed for a horrendous variety of medical conditions.
How bright were the auroras of Dec. 14th? As bright as city lights and easily seen from space. A US Air Force DMSP satellite took this picture from orbit 830 km above the United States. The bright arc stretching from Montana to Maine is the aurora borealis. In many places it completely overwhelms the city lights below.
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