Benedict XVI made a plea for a rejection of the arms race and the attempt to solve problems with war, which he called a "useless bloodbath."
Cardinal Martino says that Benedict XVI's book, "Jesus of Nazareth," is pointed and sometimes polemical, a "book with salt and pepper" - and sometimes "hot peppers." "Its observations are acute and go against the grain, and its ideas are original, even provocative. The reader is frequently surprised by what the Pope says and his attention is drawn away from what is politically correct."
In making 2 controversial decisions this month, the Vatican insisted that no essential Catholic belief or practice had been changed. Pope Benedict XVI and other Vatican officials stressed their decisions' coherence with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the international assembly that ushered in a series of reforms during the 1960s. Some observers thus view the recent decisions as an effort by Benedict to correct misunderstandings of Vatican II and its teachings - an effort some say could undermine the council's legacy.
Chancellor Merkel said she could not rule out an increase in Germany's military deployment to Afghanistan, but could "not yet confirm this at the present time." She is scheduled to seek parliamentary authorization in October to extend the current deployment.
The EU is to start drafting a new treaty to reform the 27-member bloc. The launch of talks in Brussels aims to end 2 years of confusion after the proposed European constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters. After June's summit, where EU leaders agreed on the treaty's outlines, there is a common desire to proceed quickly. They will thrash out the details, aiming to reach a final deal by mid-October.
Tensions between the US and Russia, already inflamed at the G8 summit last month, have erupted over the issue of independence for Kosovo. The dispute is also splitting Europe, emboldening secessionist movements elsewhere to press for independence and threatening further instability in the Balkan region. There is widespread fear of further violence whether independence goes ahead or not.
The seriousness of the issue for Moscow in what it sees as its sphere of influence was hinted at in an op-ed piece by Novosti news agency political commentator Pyotr Romanov. He warned, "The old order is crumbling before our very eyes. Russia has firmly upheld the territorial integrity of Georgia and Moldova, in line with international law and even though its relations with these states are far from ideal. What should it do now, support separatist tendencies on its border? Or withdraw from the UN? This reminds me of the demise of the League of Nations and of the run-up to WW2."
Turkey's Justice and Development Party today prepared for its 2nd 5-year term in power after winning a landslide victory in legislative elections.
Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and – for the first time in 30 years – has opened a strategic border road to civilian traffic.
Saudi Arabia has dropped its support for a land-for-peace deal between Israel and the Arab world over fears of al-Qaeda attacks, an Israeli official said. "According to our information, the royal palace was frightened, withdrew from the peace initiative and threw the political ball in the court of Jordanian King Abdullah."
Hiding in the high mountains and deep gorges of one of the world's great natural fortresses are bands of guerrillas whose presence could provoke a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq and the next war in the Middle East.
In Baghdad, 2 powerful legislators said on Sunday prospects were dim for passage of the a US-backed oil law before parliament's August vacation, casting a new cloud over a pivotal September progress report that could weigh heavily on the future of the US military presence in Iraq. American officials have pressed Prime Minister al-Maliki and parliament to pass laws that Washington deems essential to restoring stability in Iraq — the oil law is at the top of the list.
Like a Frankenstein monster that escapes the castle and preys on innocent villagers, "militants" of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan, itself a creation of the doctor Frankenstein relationship between Pakistan's ISI and the CIA, are out of control, thus prompting the US to threaten invasion. If the neocons have their way, no Muslim nation will remain standing.
The White House response to recent Democratic accusations that we aren't paying enough attention to al-Qaeda's growing presence in Pakistan has been to threaten Pakistan with military action – and not for the first time. That an American invasion would create unintended consequences and shake up the entire region – dooming Musharraf's government and creating a massive insurgency that would spill over into Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia – is surely foreseeable.
To take part in annual exercises with the U.S. Air Force last month, Japan practiced dropping 500-pound live bombs. The exercise would have been unremarkable for almost any other powerful military, but it was highly significant for Japan, a country still restrained by a Constitution that renounces war and allows forces only for its defense. In a little over half a decade, the Japanese military has carried out changes considered unthinkable a few years back. Japan is acquiring weapons that blur the line between defensive and offensive.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that televised "confessions" of 2 detained American-Iranians unveiled a US-backed plan to topple Iran's clerical establishment.
Iran has dismissed allegations by a newspaper that Tehran has promised Syria military aid if Damascus denounces peace with Tel Aviv.
Iran and Turkey are determined to proceed with a recent gas deal signed despite Washington's dissatisfaction with it. "Iran and Turkey have lived in peace for centuries and are fully capable of protecting their own interests. Pursuant to its intrusive and hegemonic policies, the US was the only country in the world to have registered its unhappiness with this agreement. But it has no effect whatsoever on the issue."
Paranoid Protestans Politicking...
A representative of CUFI's public relations firm engaged a group of us in conversation. She insisted that Hagee wears two hats - one as a pastor and one as a political activist.
President Bush's post-terror attack martial law plan is so shocking that even sitting members of Congress and Homeland Security officials are barred from viewing it, another example of executive über alles and a chilling portent of what is to come as constant reminders of the inevitability of terror attacks reverberate.
The Bush administration, which has been pushing presidential power to new extremes, is reportedly developing an even more dangerous new theory of executive privilege. It says that if Congress holds White House officials in contempt for withholding important evidence in the US attorney scandal, the Justice Department simply will not pursue the charges. This stance tears at the fabric of the Constitution and upends the rule of law.
The $100-a-barrel oil that Goldman Sachs Group said would prevail by 2009 may be only a few months away. "We're only a headline of significance away from $100 oil. The unrelenting pressure of increased demand has left the market a coiled spring." New disruptions of Nigerian or Iraqi supplies, Kilduff said, or any military strike against Iran might trigger the rise. Oil prices could triple in 3 months to more than $200 a barrel, given the right circumstances, according to Matthew Simmons, chairman of Simmons, a Houston investment bank.
The US dollar touched a new record low against the euro in Asian trade today, hit by jitters about the US housing market troubles and recent falls in global share prices.
Morgan Stanley has warned that current jitters on the global credit markets could spread to equity markets. Morgan Stanley said the trigger for a stock market fall could be a sudden unwinding of yen "carry trade" from Japan, a major source of global liquidity.
All the major brokerage firms are in serious trouble and the financial damages they'll have to pay will be enormous if they lose the lawsuit brought against them by Overstock.com for naked short sales. Of course the SEC is nowhere to be found.
America's leading public finance watchdog has sounded a warning that the US economy is vulnerable to hostile financial actions by nations that are not its "allies". The US comptroller general indicated that the huge holdings of American government debt by countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Libya could leave a powerful financial weapon in the hands of countries that may be hostile to US corporate and diplomatic interests.
President Bush's newfound opposition to the kind of spending on agriculture he once embraced may not be enough to stop it - or to prevent new global trade conflicts as a result. US crop subsidies, which date back to the Great Depression, are among the most popular programs among rural lawmakers. While most farm-bill spending goes toward food-aid programs for the needy, the crop subsidies are by far the most contentious part.
Russian Roulette – it's a rather innocent sounding term for a high stakes game with deadly consequences. That's what got me thinking about a similar dead end game being played every day by millions of people taking prescription medication. Let's call this one "Pharmaceutical Roulette," only in this high-stakes game the potential killer isn't a bullet, but a pharmaceutical drug lurking in your nearest pill bottle.
The attack against religion started by Richard Dawkins in his book "The God Delusion" shows no sign of letting up. In recent months a number of emulators have published books that continue the polemic. But the atheist attacks have not gone unanswered.
Not smelling the coffee...
Only in the minds of poets and hymn-writers are floods cleansing. In real life, they are filthy, opening sewers, contaminating water sources and spreading disease. Warnings were slow in coming; housing has encrusted the flood plains as the result of overcrowding. But the precipitation is no one's fault. As God demands, a touch sarcastically, of the prophet Job: "Hath the rain a father?"
[WAR: "Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am YAHWEH. If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season..." (Lev 26:2-4). "He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm..." (Job 28:26). "He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'" (Job 37:6). "I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still 3 months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up." (Amos 4:7)]
Our Earth in perspective (PDF)
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