On the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Benedict XVI presented Mary as the guide toward peace. During his visit Saturday to the image of the Immaculate Conception in Rome's Piazza de Spagna, the Pope proclaimed a "message of light and hope" to humanity. Benedict XVI invited "men of every nation and culture" to welcome "this message of light and hope": "They receive it from the hands of Mary, Mother of all humanity."
(Also: B16 on the Immaculate Conception)
Today, the second Sunday of Advent, the liturgy presents us with the austere figure of the precursor. His mission was to smooth out the roads before the Messiah, calling the people of Israel to repent of their sins and to correct every iniquity. He challenged the hypocrisy of those who felt secure simply because they belonged to the chosen people: Before God, he said, no one has a right to boast, but must bear "good fruit as evidence of conversion"
Chancellor Merkel's criticism of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe at the EU-Africa summit demonstrated she was "a racist and a fascist" and a "Nazi remnant," according to Zimbabwe's information minister. "She should shut up or ship out. Zimbabwe is not a colony of Germany. This is racism of the first order."
He also said that Merkel had "dirty hands" and had no right to comment on the situation in Zimbabwe. He said she had "demonstrated her Nazi inclination" when she banned the Scientology Church in Germany, and Tom Cruise from shooting a film on Claus von Stauffenberg, the Wehrmacht general who led a failed conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
Ahead of the negotiation deadline set by the UN for today, the EU, the US and Russia said further talks over Kosovo's status would be superfluous. The Serbian province could declare independence any time.
Russia's FM warned the West today that recognising a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo could set off a "chain reaction" of problems in the Balkans and beyond. "I want to stress that UDI of Kosovo and recognition of such independence will not remain without consequences. It will create a chain reaction throughout the Balkans and other areas of the world. Those who devise such plans must weigh up the consequences very carefully."
A top member of Olmert's government today announced Israel "must" give up sections of Jerusalem for a future Palestinian state, even conceding the Palestinians can rename Jerusalem "to whatever they want." "We must come today and say, friends, the Jewish neighborhoods, including Har Homa, will remain under Israeli sovereignty, and the Arab neighborhoods will be the Palestinian capital, which they will call Jerusalem or whatever they want."
Huh?!!...
Many evangelical Christians believe (wrongly) that the "Great City" in the Book of Revelation (14:8) which God destroys in His wrath and which is referred to figuratively as Babylon is Rome. They believe it is Rome because the city is described as being surrounded by 7 hills. However, Jerusalem, also, is surrounded by 7 hills.
The proof that Jerusalem is the city and not Rome is found in Revelation 11:8 where we read "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the Great City, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." Was the Lord crucified in Rome or in Jerusalem? The wrath of God against Jerusalem for its apostate Judaism is what the early portions of the Book of Revelation are all about.
Israel is trying to persuade hundreds of thousands of its citizens living overseas to return home in a project to coincide with the state's 60th anniversary next year, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry said Sunday. The project, dubbed "Coming Home," will try to lure Israelis living abroad to come back with tax breaks, employment and small business loans.
About 650,000 Israelis live abroad, 450,000 of them in North America, the ministry said. The ministry began contacting them last month with direct phone calls, an Internet site and a "hot line" phone connection. Traditionally, Israelis who left the Jewish state were widely looked down on by Israeli society and viewed as letting the country down or selling out. Linguistically, immigration to Israel is called "aliya," the Hebrew word for ascent, while emigrating is dubbed "yerida," or descent.
The US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland was neither a success nor failure, if one accepts that its so-called objective was indeed 'peacemaking'. From a US perspective, the meeting was, at best, a diplomatic manoeuvre on the part of the Bush administration, a last chance for becoming relevant to a region that is quickly escaping its grip.
At worst, the conference was a desperate public relations charade aimed at convincing the American public that the administration's plans for democracy and peace in the Middle East are unfolding smoothly. In both scenarios, the conference was a necessary but fleeting distraction from the prevailing criticism that the Iraq war is a 'nightmare' without end.
Gordon Brown delivered a stirring festive message to Our Boys in Iraq: "Happy Christmas – war is over." He was cheered as he praised UK troops and revealed combat operations in Basra will end "within 2 weeks". Iraqi forces will take over as the 4,500-strong British force switches from front-line duties to a training role. By early next year, our contingent in Southern Iraq will be cut to 2,500 – and may be withdrawn completely in March.
A diplomatic row between the US and China over the docking of American warships in Hong Kong harbour points to sharpening tensions between the two countries. The emergence of tensions over the docking of US warships in Hong Kong is a sign of the developing rivalry between the two countries.
In the aftermath of WW2, the US treated the Pacific as "an American lake," seeking to ensure Washington's unchallengeable military superiority throughout the region. A string of US military bases were all part of the Cold War framework aimed against China and the former Soviet Union.
Over the past 2 decades, US corporations have joined the rush to exploit China as a vast cheap labour platform, but there are deep concerns in American ruling circles over China's rise as a potential economic and strategic rival. For its part, Beijing is worried about Washington's continuing efforts to encircle China through a series of strategic alliances.
The US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq raise the prospect that China's growing demands for raw materials, including access to oil and gas from the Middle East and Central Asia, could be subject to Washington's veto. Indeed, the recent naval "incidents" between the US and China point to conflicting economic and strategic interests that could well become the axis of a new global confrontation.
The historical name of 'Persian Gulf' is seen in the oldest color map of Iran, which is held in the National Northwest Documents Center in Tabriz. The embossed map dates back to 1277 (1898) and includes 2 names of 'Persian Gulf' and 'Bandar Bushehr Sea'. The historical document and old map prove Iran's right on the Persian Gulf.
[WAR: Hmmm ... interesting coincidence on the above highlighted names and their interest in attacking Iran - along with Prince Bandar's nickname being "Bandar Bush."]
China's Sinopec has signed a $2 billion deal with Iran amid US efforts to discourage international firms from investing in the country. China has so far opposed the US drive for more sanctions against Iran, which is Beijing's third-largest supplier of crude oil and also a main trade partner.
Prime Minister Olmert told ministers on Sunday that Israel would continue to work alongside the IAEA in order to expose covert Iranian activities and investigate its military program to develop nuclear weapons, despite efforts by Tehran to stymie their efforts. He said that, based on a US intelligence report released last week, Iran is enriching enough uranium to have a nuclear weapon within 3 years.
Israeli officials have conducted a quiet campaign aimed at exposing the deficiencies of the National Intelligence Estimate.
(Also: Israel: Iran nukes at full speed)
The top US army commander holds high-level talks with Israeli military echelons after the Zionists rejected the NIE report on Iran. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen met his Israeli counterpart Lieutenant General Ashkenazi and War Minister Barak in Tel Aviv today, Israeli sources said.
Zionists military sources added that Admiral Mullen, who has been reportedly opposed to military strikes against Iran's nuclear sites, was briefed on the argument of Israeli spy agencies that the Islamic Republic 'could have nuclear bombs by 2010'.
It all goes back to what is called "the laptop of death" – a portable computer obtained in mid-2004 from a "walk-in" source, who had supposedly received it from another unidentified person in Iran, which contained "voluminous" plans for the construction of a missile containing a nuclear warhead. US officials used this "find" to convince the Europeans that the Iranian nuclear threat is real and menacing.
Yet the story of where this treasure trove of intelligence allegedly came from kept getting murkier and more dubious. According to the Washington Post, it was "allegedly stolen from an Iranian whom German intelligence tried, unsuccessfully, to recruit as an informant. It was whisked out of the country by another Iranian who offered it up to foreign intelligence officials in Turkey as evidence of a nuclear weapons program."
President Bush's worst misrepresentations about the Iranian nuclear issue do not focus on whether Tehran is currently pursuing a nuclear weapons program or when Bush knew the US intelligence community was revising its previous assessments. Rather, the real lie is the president's claim that his administration has made a serious offer to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, and that Iranian intransigence is the only thing preventing a diplomatic resolution.
The chances that President Bush will fundamentally change his policy toward Iran, even in light of the latest NIE, seem slim. Regrettably, opposition Democrats are not defining a genuine alternative. Beyond criticism of President Bush's "saber rattling," Democratic presidential candidates offer, for the most part, only vacuous rhetoric about "engaging" Iran.
The one thing a president cannot afford to be is ridiculous. This week George Bush lurched into that fatal category and into the true twilight of his presidency, festooned with all the traditional discomfitures.
For months the blathersphere has quivered with predictions of a coup here in the US coinciding with an attack on Iran. The bit they got wrong was that their supposed perps turned out to be on the receiving end and the coup was aimed at preventing such an attack.
(Also: Final disgrace for Bush & Co.)
Over a week after a US intelligence report revealed that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, the saber-rattling inside the Washington Beltway appears to have receded for the moment, and with it, the Bush administration's strongest pretext for a military confrontation with Iran. But the competition of dueling intelligence estimates is already underway, as is a battle for the integrity of the US intelligence community.
Meanwhile, neo-conservatives and former Bush officials have launched a ferocious counterattack on the NIE, and more pointedly at its authors - the intelligence officers whose presumable goal is to undermine the Bush policy agenda.
There is no shortage of speculation about "why" our leaders are still adamantly planning for the destruction of Iran, in the face of overwhelming popular opposition, even though everyone except the neocons and their allies believes that America would not survive our own actions. An irrational attack is planned and apparently the decision has been chiseled in stone. It may be for Israel. It may be for oil. Maybe it is for world domination?
We are launching a nuclear world war to save us from ourselves. "We have found the enemy and he is us." (Pogo). We risk blowing the world apart, to avoid watching America slowly choke on its own excesses.
The government has known for decades that America is on a countdown to self-destruction. Among the elite it is common knowledge that our "global economy" must one day collapse from its own dead weight.
Bush's appointed task is to bully America through this turbulent period of upheaval, with as little disruption of corporate activity as possible. This is also one of the primary reasons for the coming world war, to serve as a prelude to American martial law. Instead of calling out the troops after the insurrection has begun, they plan to call out the troops first.
If the American military is to forcefully control the homeland, including their own relatives, then the troops must first be convinced that the nation's survival depends upon their patriotic actions. This is why the world war against Iran has not started yet, because our National Guard must first be convinced that its duty is to put down the American rebellion which will surely accompany the bombing of Iran.
This video was recently removed from YouTube. I suggest you save this video on your local hard drive because it will probably be removed again!
Where were all those American attorneys over the past six years, as the Bush administration and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have shredded our own Constitution and Bill of Rights? Apparently doing the same thing as most everyone else: going along, sheep-like, as our leaders take us down the path toward the total state.
Fortunately, at least one lawyer – Judge Andrew P. Napolitano – has taken notice of all that's been going on right here at home. His new book, A Nation of Sheep, documents just some of the many assaults upon our basic liberties that government at all levels has launched since Sept. 11, 2001.
One of history's most stirring success stories seems to be withering on the vine. That is why the Telegraph has launched its Call Yourself British campaign. Its purpose is to celebrate Britishness and to bolster a Union that is in danger of dying of neglect. This is imposing new and dangerous strains on a Union that is already taken far too much for granted. This year's 300th anniversary went virtually unremarked.
[WAR: Beriyth-'iysh (Strong's #1285-376) = covenant-man.]
France will today request the return to French soil of the remains of its last emperor and first president, Napoleon III. After lying ignored in a crypt in an English abbey for 120 years, the exiled emperor's ashes are suddenly the subject of a French ministerial delegation intent on repatriating them to the republic he helped bring about.
Born in Paris in 1808, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and lived just as colourful a life. Despite the ignominy of his later years, France owes much to Napoleon III.
Oil dropped below $88 a barrel in Asian trade today, extending a decline that began Friday after a November US jobs report turned out to be less robust than expected. Crude oil futures have retreated in part on the belief that slower growth in the world's largest economy will cut into demand growth for oil. Also, oil and petroleum product supplies are no longer seen as insufficient for the Northern Hemisphere's winter.
Some analysts think volatility is becoming a central feature of the oil market. Other analysts said it was difficult to find reasons to explain the market's recent pricing swings.
US trade deficits are perilous and significantly exceed those of Rome, Brazil or any Asian country one decade ago. With the recent decline of the US dollar, there are good reasons to expect its slide to continue.
After 2 winning weeks onWall Street, investors find out Tuesday if their wish for an interest rate cut—the driver behind the rally—will be granted. Federal Reserve officials in recent weeks have indicated a willingness to cut rates further, so it's almost a foregone conclusion that the target federal funds rate is headed lower.
The debate over whether the blame for the crisis should rest with lenders or borrowers misses a crucial point: if lenders couldn't offset their loans to Wall Street, their practices couldn't have spiraled out of control.
The rising economies of Asia are too small and deformed to save world growth as America, Britain, Australia and Club Med face their day of debt reckoning. China may make matters worse, not better. China is gobbling up iron ore, soy beans and crude oil, but it accounts for less than 4pc of global consumption and is no longer adding to total demand.
In Europe, not a single junk bond has been issued since August. The Europe economist for Deutsche Bank said the European Central Bank must cut rates immediately, regardless of the lingering inflation threat. "This could go beyond just a normal recession. It could turn into a real economy-wide crunch that we cannot stop."
Four months after the global credit system suffered its August heart attack, nothing has been resolved. The unthinkable now looms. The root cause of this debacle lies in errors made by the Federal Reserve and fellow sinners. They inflated the credit bubble by holding interest rates too low for too long and lulled nations into suicidal levels of debt.
The strategic failure of a whole generation of economists, bankers, and policy-makers has been so enormous that it may now take a strong draught of socialism to save the Western democracies.
Venezuela has created its own, unique time zone on the orders of President Chavez, setting clocks back half an hour and putting the oil-rich nation out of step with its neighbours. "I don't care if they call me crazy, the new time will go ahead," said Chavez.
He said the change would improve health, as the sun will rise before most Venezuelans get up ensuring all go to work or school in daylight. "These children have to get up at 5:00 in the morning... they arrive at school dead tired. And why? Because of our time."
Yes!...
Why should anyone be concerned about what the Bible has to say about food? Biblical nutrition is a "new" and exciting way to look at food, nutrition, diet and health and yet it is as old as the world itself. Most people tend to read right over the Bible's many references to food, missing a very important mystery of the Scriptures.
In fact, the concept of eating the right foods is so important to God that He wastes no time in the Bible instructing us on how to eat properly: "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food." (Gen 1:29).
(Also: We are what we eat)
Scientists believe they have located a new brain area essential for good memory - the "irrelevance filter". Clinically, it could also aid the understanding of ADHD. The ability to hold information in the mind so that it is immediately accessible is known as working memory.
Have you ever been left with the impression after a thorough poking, prodding and testicular cupping at the doctor's office that perhaps they don't always know what's best? The thought is usually pushed from your mind, after all these people had to go through years of school and thousands of dollars of their wealthy parents' money to get where they are! If you can't trust them about your health, who can you trust?
Here's the thing though, doctors have a long storied background of not knowing what the hell they're doing. History is filled with stories of hilarious medical ineptitude, and in all likeliness, today's medical practices will be similarly snorted at 100 years down the road.
You cannot see it, taste it or smell it, but it is one of the most pervasive environmental exposures in industrialized countries today. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are the terms that broadly describe exposures created by the vast array of wired and wireless technologies.
However, these technologies were designed to maximize energy efficiency and convenience; not with biological effects on people in mind. Based on new studies, there is growing evidence among scientists and the public about possible health risks associated with these technologies.
Human beings are bioelectrical systems. Our hearts and brains are regulated by internal bioelectrical signals. Environmental exposures to artificial EMFs can interact with fundamental biological processes in the human body. In some cases, this can cause discomfort and disease.
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