Pope Benedict made one of his strongest peace appeals ever, calling for an end to all wars and saying the people of the Middle East have had enough of "the horrors of combat, of terrorism, of blind violence." He also called for more dialogue between religions and urged Catholics to shore up their faith and shun what he called the "many seductions" of the modern world.
Chancellor Merkel is facing growing discord in her ruling coalition and could return from playing the stateswoman at a EU summit this week to strife at home. Senior figures from Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats meet today for regular talks but policy differences risk exacerbating a split between the rival parties.
We cannot be sure what will come out of the meeting. The whole new treaty might collapse. For a number of countries — but not for Mrs Merkel — by far the best result would be no treaty at all.
(EO: EU treaty rifts remain)
(EO: This week in the EU)
Gordon Brown defied Tony Blair last night by making clear he is prepared to give the British people a referendum on plans to resurrect the European constitution. Europe's leaders know such a move would kill off any hopes of a treaty because the British people would almost certainly vote it down.
Sarkozy has no need to risk his authority on a rushed new EU treaty.
Paranoid Protestant seeing the light...
Hank Hanegraaff, radio's Bible Answer Man, says he's written a book that refutes the idea that modern Israel is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. He says the Zionism that's popular among Christians - and which has influenced US foreign policy - is actually a form of racism that misinterprets the Bible. He also seeks to refute the kind of end-times beliefs popularized by the "Left Behind" novels and advocated by some Christian leaders.
The law of unintended consequences continues to throw up more consequences that were not intended. Israel is now boxed in between 3 pro-Iran entities and 2 pro-al-Qaida terrorist groups. Now the chances for a Palestinian settlement remain stuck at minus zero. Extremists have displaced pragmatists. Moderation doesn't pay in today's Middle East; violence does. And the Bush administration's campaign for democratic reform in the region has petered out.
There are few areas in the world more entangled in historical deceit and betrayal than northern Iraq, where the British, the Ottomans, and the Americans have played a deadly game of political chess at the expense of the local Kurds. And now, because of a volatile brew of internal Iraqi and Turkish politics, coupled with the Bush administration's clandestine war to destabilize and overthrow the Iranian government, the region threatens to explode into a full-scale regional war.
The US Deputy Secretary of State reportedly planned the attack on the holy Shia shrines in Samarra to help topple the Iraqi government. According to an informed source John Negroponte plotted the attack during an unannounced trip to Iraq on June 12 in order to fuel insecurity and sectarian violence in the country. His motive was to overthrow Iraq's legitimate government, the same source added.
Britain joined the US invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001 because it feared America would "nuke the shit" out of Afghanistan, the former British ambassador to Washington reportedly told a television documentary. "Blair's real concern was that there would be quote unquote 'a knee-jerk reaction' by the Americans ... they would go thundering off and nuke the shit out of the place without thinking straight."
The UN Security Council and the Sudanese government have hammered out the major details of a proposal to send more than 20,000 peacekeeping troops to Darfur, clearing the way for a joint force with the African Union, which will be led and paid for by the UN.
This is the Ogaden, a corner of Ethiopia that the urbane officials in Addis Ababa, the capital, would rather outsiders never see. It is the epicenter of a separatist war in which impoverished nomads are fighting one of the biggest armies in Africa.
Gulf Arab countries will not be used as a launch pad for any military attack on Iran, a powerful Saudi royal was quoted as saying. The Saudi Interior Minister said Iran had no interest in striking its oil-producing Arab neighbours if it comes under attack from the US.
The American Empire is being undone by its bigness – no one can centrally plan such an enormous undertaking. The physical holdings of the Pentagon alone are so vast that they constitute a nation unto themselves, a huge empire as complex and far-flung as Great Russia then or now. The American Empire will end just as certainly and ignominiously as the Soviet Empire did – and, perhaps, even more rapidly, on account of the economic factors involved. In the end, we may wind up being destroyed by the very market forces we are so intent on globalizing.
On May 9, 2007, with little attention from the snoozing media, George W. Bush issued a "presidential directive" that allows him to assume control of the federal government following a "catastrophic emergency." This directive followed on the heels of a bill, which I have previously written about, that was pushed through Congress and which gave the president the power to declare martial law and establish a dictatorship. In other words, the groundwork has been laid for the president of the United States to do away with our democracy, such as it is, and establish a dictatorship. The president, in effect, has become a power unto himself.
Australia and the US launched a massive war game today aimed at honing their ability to act together against threats to Asia-Pacific security, commanders said. More than 20,000 US troops and 12,000 Australians, backed by a total of 30 ships and 125 aircraft, will be involved in "Operation Talisman Sabre 2007" on the northeast coast until July 2.
In some parts of the world the solstice begins the seasons, while in the UK they are considered to be centre points of the year, occurring within days of midsummer and midwinter.
[WAR: The pagans - and Xianity - uses the solstices and equinoxes as the foundation for their calendars and holidays. Does it make sense that those called by the Father should share the same foundation for determining when the feast days are? Not just no, but hell no.]
After many years of intense Bible study I have come to the conclusion that God cares deeply about our health and how we take care of our bodies. He created us for a divine purpose and He knows what we need to do in order to live long and healthy lives.
Your body's ability to eliminate toxins and wastes determines your entire state of health. While discussing the body's intestinal system is not generally a topic people feel comfortable sharing with others, it's one that cannot be ignored if you want to remain healthy or restore lost health.
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