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The Pope recalled that "Theotokos" or "Mother of God" was "the title officially attributed to Mary in the 5th century, at the Council of Ephesus of 431". On that occasion, solemn confirmation was given, "on the one hand, to the unity of the 2 natures (the divine and the human) in the person of the Son of God and, on the other, to the legitimacy of attributing to the Virgin the title of Theotokos" against those who, "in an attempt to safeguard the full humanity of Jesus", suggested she be called "Christotokos" or "Mother of Christ", the which represented "a threat to the doctrine of the full unity of divinity and humanity in Christ".
(Also: The day's Gospel reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, which touches on "the liberation of man achieved by God through the mystery of the Incarnation", said the Pope, "discreetly mentions the woman by whom the Son of God entered into the world". -- EWTN)
[WAR: "God" (the Word) emptied Himself and became lower than the angels - became 100% flesh, not a 2-natured/bi-polar "God-man." So Mary is not the "mother of God," but the "mother of the Messiah." And this truth is indeed a threat to the Roman/pagan antimessiah doctrine of "God in the flesh" / "mystery of the Incarnation" - which is the foundational doctrine of Christianity. And that ipso facto means that ... ]
Muslims whorin' around...
Catholic and Muslim representatives plan to meet in Rome in the spring to start a "historic" dialogue between the faiths after relations were soured by Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 comments about Islam and holy war, Vatican officials said. "The meeting with a delegation of some of the 138 Muslims, planned for Rome next spring, is in a certain sense historic."
Even though Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting the US when its 2008 presidential campaign will be in full swing, he will keep himself above the political fray, said the Vatican's secretary of state. Cardinal Bertone said that "someone said there's always an electoral campaign under way in the United States" no matter what time of year it is. "The pope is nonpartisan," he said.
Cardinal Bertone said the pope's address to the UN "will reassert the need to focus on the values that underline historic international declarations even amid concerns over the difficulties of holding together one global consensus" among nearly 200 different nation-states. In his speech, the pope "will confirm the irreplaceable nature of the United Nations."
A German state governor has won applause from fellow conservatives for demanding a crackdown on "criminal young foreigners." Immigrant groups and political rivals say he is playing with fire in a debate that reveals the widespread xenophobia obstructing integration in Germany.
The American sub-prime crisis is the main reason for lower growth forecasts for Germany in 2008. But the jury is still out on a German minimum wage - which could raise earning power but dampen employment figures.
Eight houses owned by Serbs have been attacked in Kosovo on the first day in the New Year. Later in the day, a Serb bank was blown up in a bombing attack in Kosovo. Kosovo Serbs are habitually targeted by the Albanian Muslim extremists across the Kosovo province.
Prime Minister Olmert will transfer complete control over religious affairs to MK Yitzhak Cohen (Shas), recreating a ministry that was dismantled 4 years ago. "It is a technical change. What was until now under Cohen's control de facto will also be under his control de jure. Now the prime minister won't have to sign so many documents."
Jews are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount in any way whatsoever, even if they only move their lips or demonstrate other "signs" of prayer on Judaism's holiest site, ruled Israel's public security minister. He was responding to a recent decision by 2 Knesset members who said they would ascend the Temple Mount quietly – without informing the media or making any protest – and attempt to pray on the holy site.
Government leaders should be hanged for negotiating with the Palestinians, a rabbi told an audience of rabbis in Tel Aviv. "The terrible traitor, Ehud Olmert, who gives these Nazis weapons, who gives money, who frees their murderous terrorists, this man, like Ariel Sharon, collaborates with the Nazis. "[Olmert's punishment], and the punishment of [Vice Premier] Ramon, and the punishment of [Foreign Minister] Livni, and all these people, like [Defense Minister] Barak, should be to hang from the gallows."
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Nasrallah accused Israel yesterday of being behind the series of political assassinations in Lebanon that has targeted lawmakers and other public figures. He said Israel carried out the attacks in order to sow strife in the country between its various factions. "Israel has the most to gain by these assassinations. It wants to tear Lebanon from Syria - and prove Lebanon can't take care of its own security so that security agencies will be in charge of security here, like in Iraq."
He also denied claims that his terrorist organization took orders from its ally Iran, and said it reached its decisions independently. "It's a lie propagated by the media" he said about Iran's alleged influence over his group. "We influence Iranian policy in the region more than they do us."
A Syrian official asked Turkey to release more water from the Euphrates River to help combat the country's drought problem. The 2 neighbors suffered from tense relations in the past regarding the use of Euphrates water.
The 6oil-rich Gulf monarchies started the new year by setting up a common market with a combined economy of $ 715 bn. The grouping should ensure economic equality for Gulf Cooperation Council citizens.
Iranian parliamentarian says expansion of Iran-Egypt ties will lead to an increase in the Muslim world's role in international arenas. "The more relations are enhanced, the stronger will be the Islamic Ummah's influence on Muslim world's policy."
The situation in the entire Islamic world is too unstable, the outcome of the changes that are occurring within it unknowable. But America's war in Afghanistan further destabilized Pakistan and weakened the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, making the longer term consequences of the conflict there pale in importance. Any upheavals in either of these 2 crucial nations are likely to bring to power men essentially sympathetic to one or another brand of Islamic fundamentalism.
There are a number of ways Pakistan could be shaken to its core, and Washington was aware of these dangers but it decided to play a very dangerous game with high risks, and now there is a strong chance it will see the worst case realized.
US special forces snatch squads are on standby to seize or disable Pakistan's nuclear arsenal in the event of a collapse of government authority or the outbreak of civil war following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The troops, augmented by volunteer scientists from the Nuclear Emergency Search Team organisation, are under orders to take control of an estimated 60 warheads dispersed around 6 to 10 high-security Pakistani military bases.
(Also: Pakistan election delay)
German press...
A US diplomat was shot dead in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday, just one day after a joint UN-AU force took over peacekeeping duties in the region of Darfur. German newspapers on Wednesday are pessimistic about how much the new UN force can achieve.
Riot police are preparing for bloody confrontation with tens of thousands of protesters today after supporters of Raila Odinga said that they would take their battle against President Kibaki to the centre of Nairobi. The international community is desperately trying to negotiate a compromise.
(Also: Op-ed: Step back, Kenya)
(Also: Uganda army at Kenya border)
The Israeli president says he does not believe that a war with Iran is necessary at present and tougher sanctions will do for now. Shimon Peres repeated the allegations against Iran that the country was 'a threat not only to Israel but to the future of humanity and Israel had to take preventive measures to contain the threat'.
On December 30, the New York Times published a brief item on its inside news pages bearing the nondescript headline "The Times Adds an Op-Ed Columnist." The columnist in question, the article reported, is William Kristol. He is, in fact, one of the most prominent and notorious ideologists of the Republican neo-conservative right.
With this action, the leading organ of the liberal establishment in the US is bringing on board an individual who, on a personal level, bears considerable political responsibility for one of the great war crimes of modern history—the illegal and unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq. The naming of Kristol is one more demonstration of the absence of any principled differences within the US media and political establishment and the 2 major parties. The differences that do exist are purely tactical.
Defending American values from a president run amok
In this remarkable book, Glenn Greenwald solves a difficult problem. The administration thinks that certain wiretaps are necessary. But under existing law, it can readily obtain a warrant from a special court. When warrants have been requested from this court, they have never been denied. Why, then, do the minions of the Bush administration decline to seek a warrant?
A: "FISA's truly meaningful check on abuse in the eavesdropping process is that the president is prevented from engaging in improper eavesdropping because he knows that every instance of eavesdropping he orders will be known to a federal judge – a high level judicial officer who is not subject to the president's authority … it is precisely that safeguard which President Bush simply abolished by fiat. In effect, President Bush changed the law all by himself, replacing the federal judges with his own employees at the NSA and abolishing the approval and warrant process entirely."
On September 12, 2001, while the site of the once-upon-a-World Trade Center was still smoldering, a French journalist wrote the famous words "we are all Americans now." It was a nice sentiment, I suppose. But it wasn't true then, and it isn't true now. I think there is an intriguing parallel between Prussia and the rise to power of Otto von Bismarck and the US of not just today, but the last few decades. One that is worth paying attention to. The truth is we are all Prussians now.
Future historians will look back on the current decade as a turning point comparable with that of the Seventies. No, not the 1970s. I am talking about the 1870s. We are indeed living through a global shift in the balance of power very similar to that which occurred in the 1870s.
This is the story of how an over-extended empire sought to cope with an external debt crisis by selling off revenue streams to foreign investors. The empire that suffered these setbacks in the 1870s was the Ottoman empire. Today it is the US.
It remains to be seen how quickly today's financial shift will be followed by a comparable geopolitical shift in favour of the new export and energy empires of the east. Suffice to say that the historical analogy does not bode well for America's quasi-imperial network of bases and allies across the Middle East and Asia. Debtor empires sooner or later have to do more than just sell shares to satisfy their creditors.
Crude oil has touched the $100 milestone for the first time in history, as a host of commodities smashed through record levels. Analysts warned that inflation and high energy prices would remain a key threat on the economic agenda throughout 2008 as gold and platinum also hit record highs. The news caused a shudder of alarm throughout the global economy.
(Also: OPEC: Oil at $100 not our fault)
(Also: Gold rises to 28-year high)
10 years? More like in 10 months...
German research institute DIW sees oil prices doubling to $200 per barrel within the coming 10 years.
Welcome to 2008 ;-)
Political cartoon from the London Times.
Internet helps religious quests. According to Google Zeitgeist's second annual report, "Who is God" was the most searched question on the search engine last year. It was first in the "Who is . . . ?" category. As for "What is . . . ?," love came on top. All this confirms that thoughtful and existential questions play a hugely important role on the net.
The study indicated that most questions came from the US, the country with the most developed Internet. A study by the Pew Internet Project also showed that in the US 64% of Americans connected to the net use it for religious or spiritual purposes.
