Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Iraq: Stability and Boosting Oil Production

ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images
Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani


January 7, 2009 0017 GMT

Summary


Iraq’s oil minister has announced a new tender for the development of 11 major energy fields. The tender is part of a plan to restore — and expand upon — Iraq’s status as a major energy exporter. Whether the plan succeeds, however, depends upon Baghdad’s ability to maintain domestic stability.

Analysis
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Iraq’s Oil:

http://www.stratfor.com/themes/iraqs_oil/?utm_source=General_Analysis&utm_campaign=none&utm_medium=email

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani on Dec. 31 announced a new international tender for the development of 11 major energy (mostly oil) fields as part of an effort to increase oil production. This second bid round comes six months after the first round of bidding was opened; six oil and two natural gas fields were offered for development in the first round. Al-Shahristani said developing the two sets of fields should allow Baghdad to increase production from its current 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) to some 6 million bpd in the next four to five years. The Iraqi government plans to sign the contracts of the first round in mid-2009, while the second round is to be concluded by the end of the same year.



The 11 fields are Majnoon, West Qurna Phase 2, Halfaya, Gharraf, Badrah, East Baghdad, Kifl/West Kifl/Merjan, Qamarim/Gullabat/Naudman, Najmah/Al-Qayara, Khashm al-Ahmar, and Siba (the last two are natural gas fields). Each field is in a politically sensitive area. Majnoon, West Qurna Phase 2, Halfaya, Gharraf, Kifl/West Kifl/Merjan, Khashm al-Ahmar, and Siba are located in southern provinces where rival Shiite factions are pitted against one another. The East Baghdad field in the capital is in a stronghold of the al-Sadrite movement. The Najmah/Al-Qayara field is in Ninawa province contested between the Kurds and the Sunnis. Khashm al-Ahmar and the Qamarim/Gullabat/Naudman field is in the communally mixed Diyala province.
In addition to the domestic issues, three of the fields are jointly owned with neighboring Iran and Kuwait. Majnoon and Badrah are located on the Iran-Iraq border, while Siba is on the Iraq-Kuwait border. Developing them will require agreements between Iraq and its two neighbors, something that will be complicated by a row over oil fields that led to the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and by Iranian interests in Iraq.

Political and security conditions allowing, the development of these fields could allow Iraq to re-emerge as a major oil-exporting state. Despite the global economic downturn, Iraq is the one place that could attract investment from global energy majors given the low cost of development and the potential for success.
As much as 80 percent of Iraq’s energy resources have long remained untapped. Whatever development took place occurred before the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein became president in 1979. From there onward, Iraq’s links to the wider world became constrained. The process began with the 1980-88 war with Iran and exacerbated in the wake of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Perhaps the worst period began with the 1991 Persian Gulf War and continued through twelve years of sanctions. The country then experienced nearly five years of insurgency in post-Baathist Iraq.
Together, this sequence of events took the country out of the select club of major oil exporters. This meant there is huge potential for increasing oil production, especially in the light of the technological developments that have taken place in the last three decades and the fact that Iraq has not barely been exposed to them.
The introduction of technology into the country will work well with the nature of Iraq’s oil fields - highly shallow and horizontal pool - and thus immensely facilitate development work. Unlike other oil fields around the world, which are deep below the surface and are in the vertical shafts, Iraq’s oil fields are in many ways large lakes that don’t require a whole lot of drilling. This aspect is extremely important from the point of view of the cost of enhancing production, which is why Iraq is the one place where the world’s energy majors are drawn to.
Having oil fields that require little work to begin production constitutes half the undertaking; being able to ship it is an equally important part of developing the energy sector. The world has many places — like Russia — where there is plenty of oil but where the fields are nowhere near any means of transport, which renders the project cost prohibitive. In Iraq, however, most of the fields are located near existing export points and other transit infrastructure. This means it does not require much effort to transport Iraqi crude.
Najmah/Al-Qayara and East Baghdad are not far from a pipeline running from Baghdad through Baiji to the tri-border area with Syria and Turkey. The Khashim al-Ahmar and Qamarim/Gullabat/Naudman are a little west of the same line. Meanwhile, the pipeline from Basra to Hadith runs through the Kifl/West Kifl/Merjan field near Najaf and runs close to Gharraf. And the Halfaya, Majnoon, West Qurna Phase 2, and Siba are located very close to the pipeline network hubbed at Basra. This leaves Badrah as the only field that is far from any existing pipeline. But since it is close to East Baghdad, it can be linked to the pipeline running north from the capital.
Despite these logistical positives, two key factors have prevented energy majors from leaping at the opportunity since the U.S. move to effect regime-change. The first has been the lack of an internationally recognized government, and the second has been a multifaceted security problem.
The Petraeus strategy allowed the United States to collapse the Sunni insurgency from within in 2007, while U.S.-Iranian dealings took care of the Shiite militia problem. The prospect of violence remains, however, given ongoing Sunni-Shiite and Arab-Kurdish tensions. On the political front, the Shiite-dominated central government has considerably extended its writ in the country. Even so, numerous faultlines at both the intra- and inter-communal levels continue to threaten the gains made over the last two years.
The issue of autonomy, which pits the central government against the Kurdistan Regional Government — especially over energy — continues to prevent the enactment of a national hydrocarbon law. Furthermore, 2009 is an election year, with provincial elections scheduled for Jan. 31 and parliamentary polls slated for later in the year. These votes are the next step in the process toward stabilizing the Iraqi state. If Iraq’s various stakeholders can move past these tensions, they will enhance the chances for success of the Oil Ministry’s plans to expand production.
Given the number of moving parts in the new Iraqi republic, any number of things could go wrong. But so long as Baghdad can maintain status quo in terms of Iraq’s relative security and stability, it stands a good chance to greatly exceed its past status as a major oil-exporting nation.


A Distinct People With a Testing Message.


The Lord has been pleased to give His people the third angel's message as a testing message to bear to the world. John beholds a people distinct and separate from the world, who refuse to worship the beast or his image, who bear God's sign, keeping holy His Sabbath--the seventh-day to be kept holy as a memorial of the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Of them the apostle writes, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

-- Letter 98, 1900. {Ev 233.3}

What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?


14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?


15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?


16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.


18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Leaked video of Alamo ministry child on Internet


Associated Press - December 31, 2008 6:44 PM ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A video of an interview by a state investigator with a teenage follower of jailed evangelist Tony Alamo (uh-LAW'-moh) has been leaked to the Internet. In the interview, the girl describes a life devoted to mission work -- passing out tracts on mass suicides -- +and seeing signs of the end times in natural disasters.

Over nearly two hours, she told a child welfare official that Alamo never touched her or had sex with underage girls. She said those were acts only a "backslider" outside of the church would commit. Instead, she said his hands and words toward Heaven worked miracles.

The girl told the investigator that Alamo prayed over a church member who had AIDS, and that person was healed. She said that, for Alamo to, "get an answer like that from God, you know he's not going to be sinning. I trust him. I believe everything he says,".

A video of her interview, conducted a day after FBI agents and Arkansas State Police raided Alamo's ministry in Fouke, found its way to the Internet this month. Now, the state Department of Human Services wants the video removed as officials still look for children associated with the ministries.

Julie Munsell, a DHS spokeswoman, said it appeared a family member passed the video along to a Web site called Inquisition Update with Tom Friess. Munsell said department lawyers sent a request to a Miller County judge today about the video, asking that an effort be made to remove it from the Internet site.

A message left at a telephone number registered in Friess' name in Perry, Iowa, was not returned. A man claiming to be Friess in a chat room on his Web site said he was, "not going to participate in another mainstream media hatchet job to smear Tony Alamo and the members of his Bible-believing community,".

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press


***FYI: View video at: http://inquisitionupdate.org/

Burger King Serves Up Cultural Imperialism


Burger King Serves Up Cultural Imperialism

By Jon Steinman, Deconstructing Dinner. Posted December 30, 2008.


BK's new advertising campaign proudly celebrates the cultural imperialism that Americans have become so famous for.


Perhaps you've already heard the buzz. In late November, Burger King launched a marketing gimmick called Whopper Virgins. The campaign would be waged via the Internet as well as a series of television ads directing people to the Whopper Virgins Web site.

Whopper Virgins is the product of American PR firm Crispin-Porter and Bogusky. The company employed a film crew to travel the globe and introduce BK's famous Whopper hamburger to people in some of the world's most far-flung places. Inuit of Greenland, Transylvanian farmers and the Hmong of Thailand were among those targeted for the experiment.

It was hoped that Americans would be fascinated to see the reactions of such "foreign" people tasting the homogenous staple of American fast food -- the hamburger.

In some cases, participants were also engaged in a taste test to compare the McDonald's Big Mac with the BK Whopper.

While it was likely not the intention of BK or its hired PR firm, the Whopper Virgins campaign has revealed the sheer ignorance of Western culture and has managed to proudly celebrate the cultural imperialism that North Americans have become so famous for.

Located on the campaign's Web site is an approximately 7-minute video that showcases the film crew's Whopper expedition.

In the early stages of the film, a member of the crew is recorded expressing his excitement at the de-virginizing of the Hmong people: "They've never seen such a foreign piece of food before," he proclaims. "They didn't know how to pick it up."

Maybe I'm being picky here, but of course the Hmong of Thailand have not seen a "foreign" piece of food before, that's what makes it "foreign"!

I'd be curious to observe whether or not this member of the film crew would be as amazed with himself upon being presented with a bowl of salted crickets (insects being a staple of many cultures) only to then realize he doesn't know how to use the chopsticks placed beside the bowl. Hmm, that could make a good film!

The Whopper Virgins film continues with an animated map of the world and a diagram of where the film crew (and Whoppers) will be travelling to. The same person who was shocked to see people who had never seen a hamburger is heard narrating in naïve wonder: "You're going to go all around the world and find people that are really off the grid, who perhaps don't have televisions, who don't have access to restaurants and what-not, who really live outside of things."

"Outside of things?"

And what would the Hmong, Inuit and Transylvanians think of these half-witted Americans trucking Whoppers around for the purpose of producing a marketing gimmick?

I seriously question just who of those represented in the film are "living outside of things."

Of course, the spreading of their brand around the world has long been the objective of BK.

BK restaurants number 11,900 and are dispersed throughout 69 countries, with 34 percent of the outlets outside of the United States. So in the case of Whopper Virgins, BK is simply celebrating the global influence the company has exerted thus far.

However, I consider it a fair assumption that while North Americans may well be aware of the downsides to cultural imperialism, our continued support and participation in this longstanding phenomenon does not seem to be abating. Perhaps the widespread viewing of the Whopper Virgins film will succeed in showcasing exactly how our Western culture can so easily pollute and patronize other cultures.

As one case in point, when the film moves to the Inuit of Greenland, an older member of the community is seen unwrapping his first-ever Whopper. The wrapper is swiftly discarded in what was likely the first piece of non-reusable food waste that he's ever been responsible for.

Many critics of Whopper Virgins have suggested that the gimmick was purposefully designed to create controversy. I would disagree.

The orchestral music played throughout the duration of the film is suggestive that what the film crew and staff are doing is a noble cause and a sign of American superiority. The music is so epic in tone, that in many respects, the handing over of Whoppers to "foreigners" evokes an image that introducing a Whopper to a Whopper Virgin is akin to a gift from God.

In the end, I propose that Whopper Virgins ranks as one of the greatest displays of unintelligence ever seen in the world of marketing and not because of the content of the film, but because of the name of the campaign.

"Virgin" is often used to depict purity and something uncorrupted. By choosing the title "Whopper Virgins," BK has indirectly admitted that the introduction of the Whopper to people who have never tried one amounts to corrupting what was once pure.

I for one agree with Burger King.

Listen to the podcast here.


Text messages and phone calls add psychological aspect to warfare in Gaza


Hamas fires threatening text messages at Israeli mobile phones while Israel bombards Palestinians with menacing phone calls

Hazem Balousha in Gaza City and Toni O'Loughlin in Jerusalem guardian.co.uk, Saturday 3 January 2009 00.01 GMT

Israel and Hamas have mounted psychological warfare on each others' civilian populations. Hamas says it is firing threatening text messages at Israeli mobile phones and jamming radio stations while Israel is bombarding Palestinians with menacing phone calls and leaflets.

"The messages say that the Palestinian resistance missiles will reach you wherever you are and your government won't be able to protect you," said Abu Mujaheid, spokesman for the Palestinian Resistance Committees.

Hamas says it can send up to 70,000 text messages but so far there have been reports of just dozens.

"[Israel is] sending text messages and interrupting Palestinian radio and trying to scare Palestinians with their messages so we are running a counter campaign by sending text messages to Israelis," Mujaheid said.

According to Israeli media reports the messaging is crude. "Rockets on all cities, shelters not protect, Qassam rocket, Hamas," is how the text reportedly read in Hebrew.

"This is another manipulation by Hamas, whether they are sending the messages or not," said Captain Benjamin Rutland, a spokesman for Israel's military, who said he could not confirm what Hamas claiming.

"While they claim to send threatening messages, the IDF uses messages to warn people to evacuate areas that are about to be attacked because they are being used for terrorist purposes," Rutland said.

But many Palestinians perceive Israel's messages as threatening.

One leaflet found in Gaza City by the Guardian reads: "To the residents of the Gaza Strip, be responsible for your fate. The rockets launched by terrorists are putting you and your families at risk. For your safety, please keep your call secret. The Israeli army will respond if the rocket fire continues."

"If you want to help your families and friends and brothers in the Gaza Strip please call," it says, listing what appears to be either a Jerusalem or Ramallah number.

There is also a mistrust of Israel's phone calls, some of which are recorded and some of which are live, warning people they have just minutes to evacuate before they bomb the house.

Hamdi Shakura, a human rights lawyer at the Palestinian Human Rights Centre in Gaza says despite the hundreds of phone calls to families warning their house is about to be blown up, only 37 have been destroyed.

Many families have left their homes to stay with friends and relatives.

"Who can tell where the next hit will be," says Shakura. "Who can advise people not to take the threats seriously, it's psychological war fare but it's real."

The Palestinian phone company, Paltel, has been phoning customers in Gaza to reassure them that they are not responsible for the calls that Israel has been making to their phones.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/03/israelandthepalestinians-middleeast

"A" Bomb Calling!

Not, Avon calling!

Do Israel pilots feel happy killing innocent women and children?




A Palestinian in Gaza chronicles life under Israeli bombardment


Fida Qishta
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 3 January 2009 13.35 GMT




Saturday 27 December

I go to visit friends in the Block J neighbourhood in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. While I am in a friend's house, my phone rings. It's a friend from Gaza City, calling for a chat. Suddenly I hear the sound of an explosion at his end. At the same time I hear an explosion in Rafah too. Just outside, somewhere near. My friend says: "Fida, they are attacking nearby." I say: "They are attacking here too."

I run into the street and everybody is running, children and grown-ups, all looking to see if their relatives and friends are alive. It is the time for children to go to school for the second shift, after the first shift finishes at 11.30am.Naama is aged 13. This is what she tells me: "I was sitting in the classroom with my friends when the attack happened. We were scared and we ran out of our school. Our headmaster asked us to go home. We saw fire everywhere."

People are looking at the remains of a police station. There are still bodies under the wreckage. It is scary because the attack isn't over, and from where we are we can see an Israeli airplane attacking another police station.

At the hospital, I speak to a wounded police officer, aged 39. "We were at the police station," he said. "The Israeli planes came and suddenly the building collapsed on us. I saw four dead bodies near me. They were in pieces. Outside there were more bodies. Everyone was shouting. I lost consciousness and then found myself in hospital."

Later I am at home with my family. We've just received a phone call on our land line. It's the Israeli defence ministry, and they say that any house that has guns or weapons will be targeted next, without warning and without any announcement. Just to let you know, we don't have any weapons in our house. If we die please defend my family.

Sunday 28 December

I wake up at 7am after an Israeli F-16 attack. Our house is shaking. We all try to imagine what has happened, but we want to at least know where the attack was. It is so scary. We try to open the main door to our flat, but it's stuck shut after the attack. I have to climb out of the window to leave the house. I am shocked when I find out our neighbour's pharmacy was the target. It is just 60 metres from our house. They targeted a pharmacy. I still can't believe it.

Om Mohammed says: "They [Israeli forces] attack everywhere. They have gone crazy. The Gaza Strip is just going to die ... it's going to die. We were sleeping. Suddenly we heard a bomb. We woke up and we didn't know where to go. We couldn't see through the dust. We called to each other. We thought our house had been hit, not the street. What can I say? You saw it with your own eyes. What is our guilt? Are we terrorists? I don't carry a gun, neither does my girl.

"There's no medicine. No drinks, no water, no gas. We are suffering from hunger. They attack us. What does Israel want? Can it be worse than this? I don't think so. Would they accept this for themselves?

"Look at the children. What are they guilty of? They were sleeping at 7am. All the night they didn't sleep. This child was traumatised during the attack. Do they have rockets to attack with?"

Monday 29 December

The Israeli army is destroying the tunnels that go from Rafah into Egypt. For the past year and a half the Israeli government has intensified the economic blockade of Gaza by closing all the border crossings that allow aid and essential supplies to reach Palestinians in Gaza. This forced Palestinians to dig tunnels to Egypt to survive. From our house we can hear the explosions and the house is shaking.At night we can't go out. No one goes out. If you go out you will risk your life. You don't know where the bombs will fall. My mother is so sad. She watches me writing my reports and says: "Fida, will it make any difference?"

Before the attack started we got some food aid from the EU. It's not much, but it's enough, we're not starving. But some of our friends have nothing. My mum warns me: "Fida, don't leave the house, it's too dangerous outside." Then she goes out to share our food with the neighbours who have nothing.

Wednesday 31 December

11.40pm: a powerful air strike somewhere nearby. I was sleeping but the blast wakes me up. I see my mum looking from the window. She points at one of the refugee camps. "The attack was there," she said.

I went back to sleep – not because I don't care, but because I can't deal with it. If the attack was really aimed at one of the camps that means hundreds are going to be injured or even killed, the houses destroyed. I really can't imagine it.

Thursday 1 January

In the morning I get up early and call a friend who lives in Alshabora camp. He confirms the attack had hit there and I go to meet him.

It looks like an earthquake. Many houses have been damaged, and many people have been wounded. The people who had escaped injury were trying to clean the place up – they have nowhere else to go. But the biggest shock is when I ask about the target. It was the children's playground.

"We heard a strong explosion happen, but with all the smoke and the dust we couldn't see well, and the electricity was off," I am told by a small child.

"We saw everything fall down – the window broke on us. We went downstairs, and people were saying that the playground's been targeted. This park is not a member of Hamas, it's a park for playing. It's for civilians – so why did they attack it?," asks one 12-year-old girl who lives nearby.

The target was a civilian area – but there was no warning, not one phone call from the Israeli army to tell civilians to beware.

I visit the main hospital in Rafah. There are so many injured people, most of them children. In one ward, I meet four children aged five or six. They are in deep shock. They can't speak, they just look at you.

Only one child could say his name: "Abdel Rahman". That's all he can say. Otherwise, he just stares. He's five. His ear was wounded by shrapnel, his head is covered by bandages.

There is a 16-year-old girl also suffering from shrapnel injuries. Three of her brothers were killed; all her family were injured. She looks like a zombie and says nothing at all. Her mother is dying in the intensive care unit.

The hospital manger, Abu Youssef Alnajar, gives the statistics for 1 January: two dead – a young man aged 22 and a woman aged 33; 59 injured – 16 children, 18 women and the rest old people. Most of them had been sleeping when the bombs dropped.

I go back home and the first thing I do is take a shower. I feel really upset after what I have seen. As always I am trying to cope with the situation but sometimes it is too much to deal with.

A short message to the pilots in the Israeli F-16s: does it make you feel happy to kill Palestinian children and women? Do you feel it's your duty? Killing every child and woman, man and teenager in Gaza? I don't know what exactly you feel, what exactly you think, but please think of your mother and sister, your son and daughter.

Friday 2 January

I am in the hospital again. An ambulance crew has been called out to help an injured man somewhere near the ruins of the old Gaza airport. He's a civilian, one of the bedouin who tend their sheep in that area. Four shepherds saw an explosion and went to investigate – when they arrived at the scene there was a second bomb and they were injured. An ambulance managed to rescue three of the men. But one of their friends is still there, bleeding.

The ambulance crew are afraid to go back for him. The wounded man is just 50 metres away from the green line so they are afraid the Israeli soldiers will target them.Outside there are still planes in the air. I have just heard a big explosion on the border area.

• Fida Qishta is a freelance Palestinian television producer and writer based in Gaza's southern township of Rafah

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009






*Bolds (Emphasis mine) Arsenio.

McKinney relief ship, Israeli vessel collide


Click-2-Listen:



McKinney relief ship, Israeli vessel collide


By Julia Malone, Bob Deans, Jeffry Scott

Cox Washington Bureau

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, standing beside a damaged yacht, Tuesday accused the Israeli navy of ramming the vessel to halt the delivery of medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip.

But Israeli authorities said the collision was accidental. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the boat tried to outmaneuver an Israeli navy ship and crashed into it, lightly damaging both vessels. The navy then escorted the boat out into the territorial waters of Cyprus.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said Tuesday that U.S. diplomats had issued no protests to Israeli authorities. But the incident reverberated in Atlanta, McKinney’s hometown.

A protest was held Tuesday outside the Israeli Consulate on Spring Street by pro-Palestinian groups in the Atlanta area. Saba Khalid, a member of Emory Advocates For Justice In Palestine, said about 100 people protested against Israeli action in Gaza.

At an afternoon press conference in Atlanta, Israeli Ambassador Reda Mansour decried McKinney’s involvement.

“We think this is an irresponsible act by a political figure,” said Mansour.

McKinney, the recent Green Party candidate for U.S. president and frequent center of controversy, defended her action.

“Our mission was a peaceful mission,” McKinney told CNN after she and 15 others aboard the boat made it safely to the harbor in the Lebanese seaport of Tyre.

McKinney is the most prominent political figure to join the relief voyages sponsored by the Free Gaza Movement.

McKinney was slated to travel by car to Beirut where she was expected to conduct media interviews and meet with Lebanese government officials, said Paul Larudee, a co-founder of the California-based Free Gaza group. Larudee said the organization was determined to continue the relief mission.

“We’re going to get it repaired,” Larudee said of the “Dignity,” the 66-foot cabin cruiser that he said sustained damage to the hull, the bridge and the engine room.

Jonathan Peled, spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said “the boat came very close, we called the ship to basically to turn around, we informed the ship that they wouldn’t be allowed to enter Gaza. The ship wasn’t rammed, that definitely wasn’t the idea.”

The Israeli naval craft did, however, prevent the aid ship from landing in Gaza, he said in a telephone interview.

The Dignity set off from Cyprus on Monday with almost 4 tons of Cypriot-donated medical supplies, including surgical equipment and antibiotics, as well as 16 passengers from the United States, Cyprus, Britain, Australia, Ireland and elsewhere, organizers said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.



Job's Security


For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Job 19:25-27.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Wall Street Braces for a Tense Week


Sunday, January 4, 2009 3:00 PM

NEW YORK -- Wall Street will open for trading Monday at a two-month high as investors have grown more optimistic that the worst of the market's rout might be over. But, analysts contend, the real test is still to come.


There will be no shortage of economic data and potential corporate news as traders get back to work after the holidays. The real hope is that the market can build upon Friday's rally, when the Dow Jones industrial average snapped a four-week losing streak and closed above 9,000 for the first time since Nov. 5.


The past month has shown that the negative sentiment about things like corporate earnings and still-sluggish credit markets have already been factored into the market. Analysts say the next few weeks will determine if investors are comfortable enough to return to the market— with their fears of missing out on a rally outweighing concerns of a renewed downturn.


"There's now an estimated $8.9 trillion sitting on the sidelines in cash and money markets," said Stephen Leeb, president of New York-based Leeb Capital Management. "High cash levels and low stock prices historically go hand in hand. The current level as a percentage of the stock market's capitalization matches that at the market bottom in 1990."


He said this huge amount of liquidity "has yet to include the massive amount of money that will be created as a result of the Federal Reserve's recent unprecedented actions to stimulate the economy and financial system." That also could help bolster markets in the coming months.


Leeb and other analysts do not discount that the market may retreat and retest lows seen in November. The next few weeks will go a long way in assessing the market's resiliency, even in the face of abysmal economic news.


This week investors will be eyeing the Labor Department's December unemployment report, due out Friday. Employers are expected to have cut 475,000 jobs from their payrolls, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. That would be below the 533,000 jobs in the previous month.


Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is expected to have risen to 7 percent from 6.7 percent in November. The government will also release its weekly jobless claims report on Thursday, which is again expected to show another increase.


Other reports on tap this week include November construction spending, auto sales reports, a survey on the services sector, November factory orders, and chain store sales.


The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will release the minutes from its Dec. 15-16 policy-making meeting. At that meeting, the central bank lowered the federal funds rate to between zero percent and 0.25 percent, and indicated rates would remain at that level for foreseeable future.


Also on Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee meets to discuss how the next administration might make use of the remaining TARP funds. A House panel will also hold an economic recovery plan hearing with testimony from some of the nation's top economists.


The House Financial Services Committee on Monday will also hold a hearing on Bernard Madoff, the investor who lost potentially $50 billion in what is being called the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history.


In corporate news, technology stocks may also be in the spotlight with two major events planned _ Macworld and the Consumer Electronics Show.


Apple Inc. will unveil some of its new products at Macworld in San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday, where investors will be looking for any signs into the health of Chief Executive Steve Jobs. He is not expected to attend the event.


The Consumer Electronics Show will kick off in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The trade show gives tech companies an opportunity to present new products, and that often can send their shares higher.


© 2009 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved


Charity homes built by Hollywood start to crumble


John Harlow in Los Angeles


RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart.

Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.

The case could challenge the bedrock philosophy behind Habitat for Humanity, claiming that using volunteers, rather than professional builders, is causing as many problems as it solves.

April Charney, a lawyer representing many of the 85 homeowners in Fairway Oaks, said she had no problems taking on Habitat for Humanity, despite its status as a “darling of liberal social activists”. She said the charity should have told people that part of the estate had been built on a rubbish dump.

One man pulled up his floorboards to find rubbish 5ft deep under his kitchen. Other complaints include cracking walls and rotting door frames that let in rats and ants. Many residents have complained of mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

One resident said her children were suffering from skin complaints. “The intentions are good, but when the politicians and big-shot stars have left we’re stuck with the consequences. This house looks pretty but inside it either stinks or sweats,” she said.

Judy Hall, the charity’s local development director, said recently that it had been dealing with about 30 complaints. She added that skilled work was carried out by professionals.

Some residents dismiss their neighbours’ worries. Diennal Fields, 51, said people did not know how to look after their homes: “It’s simple stuff: if there is mildew, don’t get a lawyer, get a bottle of bleach.”


Flat-screen TVs to face energy-efficiency rules in California


Starting in 2011, state regulators want retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient models of power hungry LCD and plasma sets. The industry opposes the new rules and warns of higher prices.



By Marc Lifsher


January 3, 2009



Reporting from Sacramento -- That 52-inch, flat-screen television on the family room wall may have a terrific picture, but there's a big drawback: It's an energy hog.


State regulators are getting ready to curb the growing power gluttony of TV sets by drafting the nation's first rules requiring retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient models, starting in 2011.


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The consumer electronics industry opposes the regulations, expected to pass in mid-2009, and claims that they could remove some TVs from store shelves and slightly boost sticker prices.But the California Energy Commission is looking for ways to relieve the strain on the power grid. Officials say the standards, once fully in place, would reduce the state's annual energy needs by an amount equivalent to the power consumed by 86,400 homes.During a peak viewing time when most sets are on, such as the Super Bowl, TVs in the state collectively suck up the equivalent of 40% of the power generated by the San Onofre nuclear power station running at full capacity. Televisions account for about 10% of the average Californian's monthly household electricity bill.



Some manufacturers could struggle to meet the new standards, particularly those that make plasma TVs. And the regulations could create a "gray" market, sending consumers intent on buying power-hungry models to Amazon.com and other Internet retailers based outside the state.Sales of television sets are growing by 4 million a year, the vast majority of them flat-panels. LCD -- liquid crystal display -- sets use 43% more electricity, on average, than conventional tube TVs; larger models use proportionately more. Plasma TVs, which command a relatively small share of the market, need more than three times as much power as bulky, old-style sets.The regulations would be phased in over two years, with a first tier taking effect on Jan. 1, 2011, and a more stringent, second tier on Jan. 1, 2013. Purchasers of Tier 1-compliant TVs would shave an average of $18.48 off their residential electric bill in the first year of ownership, the Energy Commission estimates. Tier 2 sets would save an additional $11.76 a year.Over the years, California has pioneered similar tough standards for appliances, home insulation and food service equipment that eventually were adopted by the federal government and promoted to consumers with utility rebate programs."I think this is basically doable," said Energy Commission member Arthur Rosenfeld, an international leader for more than three decades in finding ways to save energy by boosting the efficiency of household appliances.


"Refrigerators and air conditioner manufacturers have grown up with standards, and, now, they are generally considered successes." he said. "But this is a new wrinkle for the TV industry."Television manufacturers, wholesalers and national electronics chains stress that they are committed to making energy-frugal products and are moving as quickly as they can to respond to consumers' desire for energy-efficient televisions. But they aren't enthusiastic about the California plan, which they say will limit customer choice."The passion is correct. The proposal is not," said Doug Johnson, senior director of technology at the Consumer Electronics Assn. in Arlington, Va. "We can accomplish this without regulation as a result of innovation and voluntary approaches."Mike McMaster, president of Wilshire Entertainment Inc., worries that a rush to impose TV efficiency standards "would be basically the end of our business." His locations in Thousand Oaks and Valencia employ 54 people and specialize in sales and installation of custom home theater systems centered on extremely large TVs."It would kill dealerships because people would buy on Amazon and have them shipped in and maybe not pay sales tax," he said. "If a customer wants a 12-cylinder car or a 60-inch plasma that uses this much energy, they're going to get it."But shoppers waiting for a Best Buy store to open in Sacramento's post-Christmas fog showed little concern that some less efficient televisions might not be available two years from now."They should take them off the shelves," said Sam Ortega, a retired state worker. "We need to monitor our energy. It's good for everybody."California should apply the same efficiency standards to televisions that it has used for the last 32 years with refrigerators and other products, argued Duane Larson, director of customer energy efficiency at Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the state's largest investor-owned utility, which serves customers from the Oregon border to the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles.About two years ago, PG&E began thinking about applying energy-efficiency know-how to the consumer electronics industry, whose products, including computers, televisions and audio equipment, have become common in nearly every room of a house."We project that by 2010, one-quarter of the energy in a house will be used by consumer electronics," Larson said.Increasing TV energy efficiency provides a triple benefit to California by boosting the economy, lowering electricity ratepayers' utility bills and helping the state meet its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2020, Larson said. "Every dollar spent on energy efficiency returns $2 in savings," he added.Such savings should be encouraged, but not at the expense of businesses, large and small, that may see sales fall if they don't offer a wide variety of televisions, industry officials say.The industry isn't sure how the regulations will affect it. The Consumer Electronics Assn. presented three scenarios to the commission, showing 10%, 20% and 30% drops in product availability and each of their potential financial effects.If 30% of televisions fail to meet standards and can't be sold, California could lose $130 million in tax revenue and 15,800 jobs, Shawn DuBravac, an economist with the Consumer Electronics Assn., testified at a Dec. 15 Energy Commission workshop.Rosenfeld was skeptical. DuBravac's numbers sounded "like arguments we heard from General Motors and Ford that SUVs are more profitable to make and create more jobs," he said. "There's a catch to it, as we all know."What's more, Rosenfeld noted that a number of television makers already produce models that meet the proposed commission efficiency standards and that 87% of current stock complies with the planned 2011 threshold. That deadline may be pushed back a bit if the industry needs a little more time "to get used to the standards," he said.More time might make the efficiency standards a lot more palatable, said Bob Smith, a training executive at AVAD, a Van Nuys wholesaler that supplies TVs and related equipment to independent installation contractors."I would hate to wake up one day and discover that 30% of my flagship products were no longer allowed to be sold." he said. "But I have no objection to regulations per se as long as there's enough lead time for manufacturers to meet the target."


marc.lifsher@latimes.com



Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-tv3-2009jan03,0,1059107.story

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Israeli ground forces cross into Gaza

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com: Israeli ground forces cross into Gaza, Israeli defense officials say
For more, go to abcnews.go.com?CMP=EMC-1396

--------------------------------------------
P.S.
I guess the sun has set in Israel, the Sabbath is over......Arsenio.

Dr. Barry Black receives Bill Bright Scripture Impact Award


During the kickoff weekend, the Bill Bright Scripture Impact Award was given to Dr. Barry Black, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. After the award was presented, Dr. Black spoke. He did a marvelous job of articulating the power of God’s Word in his own life, tying that into the ministry of Wycliffe and to the urgency of the Last Languages Campaign.(Listen to Dr. Black's message: Part 3)





* On Moody Broadcasting Network: Prime Time Florida (Week of December 29th)

The Second Angel's Message


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WHO IS BABYLON?
Babylon is fallen, but who, or what is Babylon?

Revelation 17 represents Babylon by the symbol of a woman seated on a scarlet colored beast. Here we already see that Babylon cannot represent the whole fallen world. If it did, what does the beast represent upon which the woman is seated? The same chapter represents the unlawful connection of Babylon with the kings of the earth, and that she has made the inhabitants of the earth drunken. Babylon is also represented as that great city that reigns over the kings of the earth. So Babylon is distinct from the kings of the earth, and therefore does not include all the wicked of the earth.

When Babylon is destroyed, being thrown down as a millstone is cast into the mighty deep, and utterly burned with fire, the kings and the merchants, the sailors, etc, are still around and mourn and lament. So the destruction of Babylon is not the destruction of those wicked men who lived in iniquity with her.

Now we say Babylon is Roman Catholicism. She sits on seven hills and rules over kings so there there is strong support for this. But is this conclusive? We see that there are also "daughters" which constitute Babylon.

A woman is the symbol of a church. The pure woman of Revelation 12 symbolizes Christ's bride- His people— His church. A harlot is the symbol of an unfaithful bride or church. The harlot and her daughters therefore would not be limited to a single ecclesiastical body; but many. Babylon has made all the nations drunk with her wine; it can therefore symbolize nothing less than the universal worldly church.

The fact that the people of God are in the midst of Babylon even near the end of time, before the plagues fall— for Rev. 18 says "come out of her MY people that you receive not her plagues" proves that she is a professedly religious body.

What constitutes the fall of Babylon?

The fall of Babylon according to Revelation 18 is her acceptance of the wrong spirits. She becomes the hold of every foul spirit. Her rejection of truth grieves the Holy Spirit and leaves her open to the deceptive spirits.

Her fall also includes her unlawful union with the kings of the earth. As well as the wine with which she has intoxicated the nations of the earth. The wine represents false doctrines.

Now how does this fit into 1844?


During the preaching of the 1st angel's message the Christians were all in the various churches. Obviously if they were called out of Babylon, it was not a call out of one specific church. Yet these Protestant churches were at the beginning of the call not spoken of as fallen. The message was a message from heaven to awaken the Christian churches from their drift into worldly conformity, their unscriptural hope of a blessed earthly millennium, and adherence to other papal errors which they had not thrown off at the Reformation. If all the churches had accepted the message and moved forward, America would have been changed totally. The power of the Holy spirit to change lives and bring people into that transformed new life of obedience to God's commandments would have been tremendous.

During the first angel's message, believing people searched their hearts and sought after the Lord for an ever closer relationship— they realized what it meant to prepare themselves to see their God. It became their whole life. The churches involved had to make a decision, they either had to support this movement or turn away. For those who heard the message and had members who embraced it, there was no middle ground. The main body of the churches turned against the message. The believers were pushed out. They left the churches.

Now some say these churches only rejected the date. No, there was much more to it than that! They rejected everything Miller and his followers had discovered. Including the concepts of the second coming, the millennium, and the importance of uplifting of standards. They set themselves in opposition and have continued in opposition.

They set themselves in opposition to the prophetic understanding of the day/year principles which eventually lead to the rejection of the historic methods of interpreting prophecies. This of course, totally obliterates the main issues in Revelation as to who and what the great coming deceptions will be. They rejected the judgment message and as a result rejected the Sabbath, and as a result of rejecting the Sabbath, they had to get rid of the ten commandments. This lead to an elaborate counter structure to prove to the world that God's commandments did not fit into the plan of salvation, and the Sabbath was just a Jewish ceremony.

This of course completely obliterates the whole issue of the testing and trials in the last days when God's people will be identified as they who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Roman Catholicism had fallen years earlier. The Reformation was a call to come out of Rome. The Protestant churches were the daughters of the harlot, they had determined they would not follow in their mother's footsteps, but gradually they are being pulled into the same lifestyle as their mother.

When they rejected the 1st angels message, they set themselves on the slippery road to becoming like their mother. They rejected the advancing light and upheld the wine of many papal and other false doctrines, and are even now thinking and trying to commit fornication with the kings of the earth. In 1844 the people were called to come out and advance rather than slid back. They were to come out and be distinctive.

Revelation 18 repeats the call to come out— the call continues until the plagues come. There is no doubt that God has many dear saints united with the various bodies of professed Christians. These will yet hear the call given in Rev. 18:4

Retreated back to Babylon on state of Death Doctrine

This second urgent cry to come out of Babylon informs us that she has become the hold of foul spirits. The immortality of the soul is almost a universally accepted doctrine in the Protestant churches. The concept of soul sleep was known to the Reformers. They were made aware that upon the false theory of man's immortal soul was built the whole Roman doctrine of purgatory and hell, as well as praying to saints and Mary. It was stated that this false concept of the soul was derived, not from the Bible, but from the Neoplatonism of Augustine. Petrus Pomponatus in his work, "On the Immortality of the Soul", said the soul was not immortal, and therefore had no conscious existence after the death of the body, but was in unconscious "sleep" until the resurrection. Pomponatus' teaching gained wide currency and was brought back by scholars such as Karlstadt and Westerburg to Germany. Luther himself declared, while defending himself against the papal bull of 1520, "The immortality of the soul was only a papal opinion to make it possible for them to hold fast to human dreams and doctrines of devils." He frequently referred to the "sleep" of the dead in his sermons and commentaries. But later referred less and less to it. Tyndale declared that: "in putting them (souls of the dead) in heaven, hell and purgatory you destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul proves the resurrection"

Michael Sattler was an Anabaptist leader taken to trial by the Catholic authorities. Among other charges against which he defended himself, was the charge that he denied Mary and the saints because of his belief that the dead were in unconscious sleep until the resurrection. Sattler was brutally executed with three others.

Yet now, the protestant churches almost unanimously declare the dead do not really die. Leaving them wide open for spiritualistic manifestations.

Retreated back to Babylon on Sabbath Understanding

The same is true for the Sabbath. History reveals the gradual change from the Sabbath to Sunday. The Roman Catholic Church claimed the change to be the sign of her authority over the laws of God. Then we see the first angel gave the call to return to the Worship of our Creator God. The saints are those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. Therefore the trademark of Babylon is in opposition to this call! The trademark is Sunday!

Yet the Sabbath was also introduced to the reformers. Oswald Glait in the 1520's pointed out that the true Sabbath was the seventh and not the first day of the week. Sabbath keeping groups sprang up in Moravia, Bohemia and Austria. The Seventh-day Baptists are descendants of these groups. Yet when the Sabbath truth came in it's full blaze of evidence shortly after 1844 the protestant churches refused it. They have since established a massive counter reaction against the Sabbath, even to claiming God did away with His moral ten commandment law in order to maintain their position against God's holy Sabbath day. Once again the Protestant churches have refused to cut their ties to the wine of Babylon and have adopted and are vigorously defending the sign which the papacy claims shows it has authority over God's laws, in direct opposition of the angel's clear call to worship the Creator God upon the day commanded.

COME OUT MY PEOPLE

The duty of the people of God is plainly expressed, "Come Out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues." Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities; she has united herself to the kings of earth and confided in the arm of flesh, and not in Jehovah. In the name of assurance of salvation, she has smoothed down the threatenings of God against the result of rebelling against His commandments. Worldly pursuits, pleasures and pride fill the heart where the Holy Spirit is to reign.

To leave Babylon it is not enough to separate from the denominations which sustain her errors. It is necessary to renounce these errors by receiving the truth of God, and it is necessary, also, to renounce the sins of Babylon by true repentance. Protestants do not have to be part of Babylon if they had only continued in receiving the truths as they were revealed.

The biggest problem of Babylon is the unconverted state of many of its members. With the lose of baptism— (another doctrine that was rediscovered by the Anabaptists and strongly opposed, with persecution, by the mainline Protestants)— the whole concept that a person dies to the old way of life and rises in newness of life in Christ Jesus, is lost. The putting away of the old sinful lifestyle and habits, the burying them in the watery grave, dying with Christ, and arising to a totally new life committed fully and completely to Christ is essential to true Christianity.

How does a church commit fornication?

The church commits fornication with the kings of the earth. In other words the church turns to political powers for her strength. Protestant America will form an image or replica to the beast. How did the original beast operate?

When the early church departed from truth and began to incorporate pagan teachings, they lost the power of the true Holy Spirit who convicts people of sin, and converts them, and teaches them to walk in the ways of the Lord. But once this heavenly power to transform lives was pushed aside with false teachings and admission of unconverted multitudes into the church, corruption resulted. Then the church turned to political powers to force the multitudes to obey the laws the church decreed.

And what do we see in America right now? We see a real movement under the Christian New Right to make America a "Christian" nation, to bring "Judeo-Christian" values back to America. Just as when the church first linked with the state, American Christianity today is full of all manner of corruption, false doctrines, and unbiblical traditions. Most Christians cannot be identified from the worldling.

The rise of the New Right and the sudden thrust of Christians into the politcal arena indicates a church that has lost the power of God's Spirit. Unable to "control the consciences" of the people, it seeks the "support of the secular power" instead.

The church forms her unlawful union with the kings of the earth, the political powers, so she may profit by their revenues, and that she may use this power to persecute those who do not accept her dogmas.

Babylon will be the great kingdom of false worship which overspreads the earth in the last days. But God will vindicate His faithful, who keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Babylon will come to a sudden and awful end, but those in whose hearts, God's kingdom is established will go to the eternal kingdom of God.


Babylon the great is fallen, fallen,...


Revelation 18


1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Coming Soon - Obama - King of the World


America has chosen a new President – one devoted to “CHANGE”!
He is a virtual “unknown” – has grown up with radical friends and
was mentored by a Communist while a youth in Hawaii. His pastor
Jeremiah Wright cursed and swore at America and prayed God would
“damn” America. Obama is slick, clever, an eloquent, spell-binding
orator. What does his election bode for America? Is America and
the world entering a perilous passage leading up to global catastrophe?

William F. Dankenbring

Visit site mentioned below for the whole article:

NEW YEAR'S DAY and NEW YEAR'S EVE


Here are some facts about the origin of NEW YEAR'S DAY and NEW YEAR'S EVE, from the book Holiday Symbols 1998 by Omnigraphics and edited by Sue Ellen Thompson (pgs. 320-324).

New Year's Day

Type of Holiday: Calendar

Date of Observation: Jan. 1

Where Celebrated: Australia, British Isles, North and South America, Europe, Scandinavia, and in all countries using the Gregorian calendar.

Symbols: Baby, First-footing, Football Games, Gifts, Pig, Resolutions

Related Holidays: Chinese New Year, Dewali, Nawruz, New Year's Eve, Oshogatsu, Rosh Hashanah, Saturnalia, Tet

ORIGINS

Celebrating the first day of the year on January 1 is a relatively modern practice. Up until the time of Julius Caesar, the Romans generally celebrated New Year's Day in March, the first month of the Roman year. January 1 marked the beginning of the civil year for the ancient Romans, a time when new consuls were inducted into office. Although there were games and feasting at this time, March 1 was still observed as New Year's day with a festival to Mars, the Roman god of war.

Caesar changed the Roman New Year's Day to January 1 in honor of Janus, the god of all beginnings and the keeper of the gates of heaven and earth. Janus was always represented with two faces, one looking back to the old year and the other looking forward to the new year. It was customary to celebrate the festival in his honor by exchanging GIFTS and making RESOLUTIONS to be friendly and good to one another.

When the Romans under Constantine accepted Christianity as their new faith, they retained the Festival of Janus as their New Year's Day but turned it into a day of fasting and prayer. It was a time for all good Christians to turn over a new leaf, but not all Christians observed it. Even after the Gregorian calendar was adopted by Roman Catholic countries in 1582, Great Britain and the English colonies in America continued to begin the year in March. It wasn't until 1752 that Britain and its possessions adopted the so-called New Style calendar (Gregorian) and accepted January 1 as the beginning of the year. But among the Puritans in New England, the old associations with the pagan god Janus were offensive enough to persuade many of them to ignore the day altogether and refer to January simply as "First Month."

The modern New Year's Day is geared toward feasting rather than fasting. Almost everywhere it is a day for receiving visitors (see FIRST-FOOTING) and recovering from NEW YEAR'S EVE festivities.

New Year's Eve

Type of Holiday: Calendar

Date of Observation: December 31

Where Celebrated: Australia, British Isles, North and South America, Europe, Scandinavia, former Soviet Union, and in all countries using the Gregorian calendar

Symbols: Auld Lang syne, Noisemaking, Old Man, Wassail Bowl

Related Holidays: Chinese New Year, Dewali, Nawruz, New Year's Day, Oshogatsu, Rosh Hashanah, Saturnalia, Tet

ORIGINS

Midnight on December 31 marks the transition between the Old Year and the New Year, an occasion that is celebrated with everything from prayer to parties. Some people wear silly hats, drink champagne, and use NOISEMAKERS; they're apt to kiss their bosses, throw their arms around strangers on the street, and generally engage in behavior that would be considered scandalous at other times of the year. Others attend midnight church services, while still others congregate in public places like New York City's Times Square or London's Trafalgar Square to count down the closing seconds of the old year.

It is likely that our New Year's Eve customs are related, if only indirectly, to the ancient Roman SATURNALIA, which was observed around the time of the WINTER SOLSTICE in December. This pagan holiday was characterized by the suspension of discipline and rules governing behavior, and like New Year's Eve celebrations today, it occasionally got out of hand. In eighteenth- century America, the New Year's Eve revelry in such cities as Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore often ended in street demonstrations and violence. Groups of men and boys would blow tin horns, set off firecrackers, knock down gates and fences, shatter windows, and even break into the homes of the wealthy, demanding money or hospitality.

Unlike CHRISTMAS, which is traditionally celebrated indoors, New Year's Eve festivities frequently take place in the out-of-doors, particularly in urban areas. A popular trend that has emerged in recent years is attending "First Night" celebrations. These originated in Boston in 1976 and are now held in more than 65 American cities. They represent a deliberate attempt to replace the partying and drinking that have traditionally marked New Year's Eve with a wide variety of cultural events and performances in both indoor and outdoor settings. Those who prefer a quiet New Year's Eve at home often get their outdoor experience vicariously by watching the illuminated ball that descends on Times Square during the closing minutes of the old year.



America - A Nation Unprepared!


Volume XXVIII Issue I January 2009
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/


America - A Nation Unprepared!

"Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usery to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word."

Isaiah 24:1-3
"Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name."

Amos 4:12-13
"And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:19-21
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will look with spiritual eyes at an amazing sight. The once great United States of America has become a nation in desperate trouble, not only among all the other nations but also with Almighty God. Gross sin, graft, corruption, deception, and every form of evil have taken root in every enterprise and endeavor, and there is no soundness left in the institutions of government, banking, commerce, education, and religion. We are a nation totally unprepared for the future, including the ambiguous change promised by Barack Hussein Obama. More urgently, this nation is totally unprepared to meet Almighty God, who will soon come forth with final judgment!

There was a time, not that long ago, when the United States of America was the crown jewel of the world. Immediately after World War II, the United States contained only six percent of the world's population, but controlled eighty-five percent of the world's wealth! What happened? How could a nation that had become so great fall to the depths of poverty and bankruptcy that it is now in? The answer is simple: evil and conspiratorial forces in high places wanted it to happen and gained the power to make it happen. We must remember the words of the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an illuminist and 32nd degree Freemason, who said, "If it happens, you can bet that we planned it that way."

The ultimate objective of the conspirators is one-world government, which is only possible with a one-world money system. The current money systems of the world, especially the economy of the United States, must be sabotaged to supply the excuse to implement a new economic system of cashless, computerized commerce and exchange. Meanwhile, wars and commotions continue to reshape the international order while people are held in check by fear of terrorism and dare not raise a voice against the prevailing powers of satanic governance, which oversees the entire operation. Our current conditions are not by accident, nor are they by chance!

None of the above is a surprise to Almighty God. He foretold this through many of His prophets long ago. The powers of antichrist are hard and fast at work to bring forth the mark of the beast, which will demand total subservience to Satan himself. This is the change that Barack Hussein Obama is talking about, and it is nigh upon us. Large numbers of people are now throwing their hands up and saying what can I do? There is something you can and must do! First of all, if you do not personally know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, surrender you life to Him now in sincere prayer. He will hear you and prepare your heart to meet Him when He returns to this earth. Do it now before it is too late! Then, watch and pray and be vocal to others about what is happening, why it is happening, and what is soon to come! Even if only one person speaks out and declares the truth, then that thought lives. God will bless you and you will become very close to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Obama's New Age of Aquarius!

On January 20th, 2009, an event is scheduled to take place which the Wall Street Journal is calling "Washington's Woodstock." The original Woodstock was the infamous rock concert that took place over three decades ago with its wild orgies, drugs, marijuana, and numerous rock bands. Now, the inauguration of Barack Obama is being given the same name because of the countless rock stars and Hollywood celebrities that are planning to be there. Night clubs are setting up tents to expand their capacity for the wild revelers. (1) The city of Washington, D.C., is also making a special allowance and waiving the laws regarding closing times for sin businesses. Nightclubs, bars, strip joints, and other such evil establishments will be allowed to operate all night until 5:00 A.M. for the Obama occasion. (2) In addition to all of that and just in time for the inaugural rock fest, the Vatican issued a full and official forgiveness to the late John Lennon, the member of the Beatles who publicly declared, "The Beatles are more famous than Jesus Christ." That statement was made by Lennon in 1966, and now, forty-two years later, the Vatican decided to condone the declaration. (3)

The inauguration takes place on a day that is of vital importance in the world of witchcraft and occultism. Astrology is the time clock of Satan and his kingdom of demons, and it is impossible to practice witchcraft without it. January 20th, the day when Obama moves into his position of power, is the very day when the sun moves into the sign of Aquarius, the 11th sign of the zodiac. The hit song called "Aquarius" by the Fifth Dimension told the entire story of the day that would come that would bring change for a thousand years. Adolph Hitler also claimed that the Third Reich would last for a thousand years. Officially, it lasted only thirteen years and ended on the eve of Beltaine, the druid witches' New Year sabat.

We must also bear in mind that the word inauguarate comes from the ancient Latin language of the old Roman Empire. In ancient Rome there were soothsayers called augurs who were invested with evil spirits and could supposedly declare the future. From the word augur came the word inaugurate, which literally means to take omens. In European nations the monarchs and heads of nations were always crowned by some kind of religious leader such as the Pope, a Cardinal, the Archbishop of Canterbury, or another religious official. That way, the impression was given that none would dare question the authority of the "crowned one", because the crown was placed by a supposed representative of God. Obama has chosen his so-called "holy man" to do the job. It is the immensely popular Rick Warren, the pastor of a mega church and author of the book A Purpose-Driven Life. Warren is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, which is the Illuminati in the United States. Warren also admitted in an interview that he loves hard rock music. Although Warren claims to be "anti-gay" and "pro-life", it is all a front because Obama is very pro-gay rights and pro-abortion. Why would Warren support him if he had true convictions on these issues? This is the man who was handpicked by Obama to be the officiating "holy man" as he takes omens and heads for the Oval Office!

Are our elected officials truly prepared to lead? I wonder how many of them have ever read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States. I wonder how many of them can name at least half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence from memory. Here let it be noted that a test of thirty-three questions related to civic knowledge was given to our elected officials by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. The questions were regarding how the government works. The average score of our high officials was 44 percent, which is a solid "F." Dr. Josiah Bunting of the National Civil Literacy Board at ISI made the following comment, "How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don't understand the American experience?" (4)

President-elect Barack Obama rose to power within the Chicago political machine, which is known to work with the corrupt underworld crime elements. The Chicago politicians are notorious for being as crooked as a barrel of fishhooks. The current intrigue with Illinois Governor Blagojevich is one example of the environment from which Obama came. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the high court to declare the Governor unfit. (5) Very soon we will see that the governance of Obama is even more deranged and evil! Obama declared that he had no contact with the Illinois governor, but it has now been proven that he used his chosen White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, to interact with the governor. (6)

We must also note that Obama reportedly went to three intense counseling sessions with New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson. Robinson is an outspoken flaming red-hot homosexual. (7)

On December 1st, 2008, Barack Obama announced that he has nominated his choice for Secretary of State to also be one of the heads of his National Security Team. (8) Hillary Clinton will help to oversee the new Gestapo, which will enforce compliance to Obama's directives. What is left of privacy is soon to be a thing of the past as the new National Security Team, involving many thousands of new government security agents, are everywhere. As a back up to the NST, the Pentagon is planning to have 20,000 troops on ready alert to police the civilian population of the United States. (9)

Hillary Clinton is soon to hold the powerful office of Secretary of State of the United States of America. This is the woman who admitted that she held séances in the White House solarium with the mystic Jean Houston and would speak to famous dead people such as Eleanor Roosevelt. (10) I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton is a witch of the first magnitude at least to the fourth level of Wicca.

On December 3rd, 2008, the Washington Post reported that Barack Obama has sent out "teams of ten," wearing yellow badges, to swarm into government offices uninvited. These teams are seizing upon records and vital information from the Pentagon to the National Council on Disability. (11) It appears that this aggressive action is similar to the violent takeover so common in Communist countries.

When Barack Obama went to Berlin, Germany, to address the German people during his campaign, it was no accident, but rather by design that he stood at the monument in the center of the Tiergarten and lifted his arm in a Hitler-like salute. Just below this Tiergarten is a vast network of tunnels that were built for Hitler by the architect Albert Speer. (12) Hitler had plans to declare Berlin as the "Capital of the World", and the spot where Obama made his speech marked the place that represented underground or clandestine world dictatorship in a new world order; three words often used by Adolph Hitler.

Berlin, Germany, had another attraction for Barack Obama. During the 1880's, German archaeologists were in the ancient city of Pergamos where they found the massive altar of Zeus. They offered to buy the altar from the Ottoman Moslem rulers, and upon purchasing it, they moved the structure to Berlin where it was fully restored. It now resides in a museum in Berlin, Germany. This altar of Zeus is the very seat of Satan! In Revelation 2:12-13, we read as follows: "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth." These words were written to the early Christians of Pergamos and were spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. Incidentally, Antipas was a true martyr back in those days, but his name carries a great prophetic significance. The name Antipas is a contacted form of anti-papas, or those who oppose the Pope or papal rule.

When Barack Obama visited Berlin, Germany, he no doubt visited the altar of Zeus, or Satan's seat, because he designed a replica of this altar and seat of Satan from which he made his rousing speech launching his Democratic candidacy. Remember the strange columns he stood in front of? They were made of staging materials and styrofoam, but the design and effect were still there. It was the altar of Zeus and seat of Satan.

On November 27th, 2008, Barack Obama was asked the question regarding the vision for change and where the change would be. Obama quickly stated, "I am the change, the change comes from me." (13) We are made to wonder who this strange one is, and what is his real agenda? According to Islamic tradition, there was an Islamic Imam who was the Prophet Mohammed's cousin and son-in-law. His name was Ali Ibn Abi-Talib. This man gave the following prophecy: "At the end of times, and just before the return of the Mahdi, a tall black man will assume the reins of government in the West; commanding the strongest army on earth. The new ruler in the West will carry a clear sign from the third Imam, whose name was Hussein Ibn Ali ." (14) Strangely enough, the name Obama in the Persian language means "He is with us."

With all of this in mind, my attention was jolted by an article featured in the Baltimore Sun newspaper on November 30th, 2008, with the following headline: "Codes for Armageddon: A New President to Hold Nuclear Launch 'Football.'" The article told of an event which is to take place immediately after the inauguration of Obama, scheduled for January 20th, 2009. George W. Bush, along with a military officer, will accompany Barack Hussein Obama to the White House. In the White House, a small leather-bound metal briefcase known as the "football" will be handed to Obama. Inside the briefcase, according to the article, are "the codes to identify and authenticate a presidential order that could launch nuclear weapons and ignite a global holocaust." (15) What is awaiting the new commander-in-chief? Only God knows exactly how long it will be until the final prophecies are fulfilled and this present world ends. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled every day. We have been and are being warned. We are also commanded to watch and pray!

The Economic Blood of the Beast!

It has been said that "money is the lifeblood of a nation." If we follow through with that analogy, we can say that in a global economy, he who controls the money controls the world. We know from Revelation 13:11-18 that the second beast brings forth the final economy, and it is universally imposed upon all the people in the world. Verse 17 of that chapter clearly states the following: "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." In order for this to happen, all the economies of the world must merge into one. To make that happen, the present economies must be brought into deep trouble and crumble in order to induce the people of the world to accept the new system. This new world money system will be the very lifeblood of the beast government of Antichrist.

Is it really happening? On December 1st, 2008, the London Daily Telegraph featured a headline story entitled "World Stability Hangs by a Thread as Economies Continue to Unravel." The story tells of worldwide collapse as economies everywhere on earth are in deep trouble. The writer described the once strong economies of the nations as being like stars that have fallen to the earth. It also states that in America, U.S. Treasury bills, the safe haven for money, have fallen to a 0.02 percent yield. This yield is less than zero after costs. (16) This means that people are giving their money to the government for nothing in return and are asking only that the government will promise to give it back.

On November 9th, 2008, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a stunning speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet in London. In the speech, Brown said, "Now is the time to build a global society." He also said, "Britain, the United States, and Europe are key to forging a new world order." (17) Truly, the ten-horned beast of Revelation, chapter 13, is rapidly rising. Gordon Brown and others of his ilk are also secretly pushing to have Britain join the euro currency community, which would be the demise of the British pound. The euro community is fully expecting this to happen. (18)

In the United States, conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Jim Rogers, one of the world's most prominent international investors, declared that most big U.S. banks are totally bankrupt. Rogers, who is a commodities expert, has recently exited dollar-dominated assets. (19)

We know that nearly two years ago, the Federal Government began to refuse to publish or disclose the M-3 index, which tells us the total money supply. Now the Federal Reserve refuses to disclose the recipients of two trillion dollars in emergency loans. (20) We must remember that the Federal Government often uses the word "loans" to describe its hand-out money, but there is no expectation of repayment. If recipients are already in trouble to the tune of many billions of dollars, how will they ever get so far ahead of the break-even point that they would be able to repay the government? It is like loaning money to hobos on the street. With all of the bailouts, obligations, and commitments considered, the Federal Government is now in hock for over five trillion dollars! (21) This is more than the entire cost for all of World War II, which was just over four trillion dollars, if costs are adjusted for inflation. (22) In addition to that, the numbers keep going up. On November 24th, 2008, Bloomberg News Service reported that the pledges of the United States to ease frozen credit have now topped 7.7 trillion dollars. (23) This vast amount is equal to approximately two-thirds of our existing national debt.

We are living in a time when almost every bank, institution, corporation, and even state and city governments are crying for a bailout! How do you bail out a sinking ship that is this large? Where is the money to come from? The state of California has declared that they will be out of money by February 2009 and will be in a 15 billion dollar hole! (24) The state of New York is also broke, according to Governor David Paterson, who has brought forth a plan to impose eighty-eight new taxes and fees on New Yorkers. There will also be layoffs of state workers and a notable reduction in services. (25)

The United States Treasury continues to bail out our largest banks, and they are still in trouble. Twenty-one mega-banks received 33.56 billion dollars recently. The Federal Government is actually buying into these banks as part owners. (26) Eventually, the government will own everything, including all banks, industry, airlines, and so on. I can say that in twenty-eight years of watching, praying, and researching, I have never seen conditions as desperate as they are right now. The giant Bank of America Corp. announced on December 12th, 2008, that they are eliminating 35,000 jobs. (27) The massive Citigroup Bank announced the elimination of 53,000 jobs, and even though they are down-sizing by 20 percent, they remain in deep trouble. (28) Clients of Citigroup recently became very anxious when they could not access account information or only portions of information. The banks gave the excuse that the computers were down and they didn't know why! (29) This went on for days and may not yet be resolved!

On November 26th, 2008, the FDIC added another fifty-four banks to its "problem list." (30) Meanwhile, the working men and women of our nation are losing their jobs at a rapid rate. There are now ten million people out of work with little hope of obtaining a new job. (31) On November 23rd, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama warned that millions more jobs will be lost in the year 2009. One of his biggest concerns about the economy was the falling price spiral. (32) Here let it be noted that one of the primary characteristics of a depression is that prices drop very low, but people don't have the money to buy anything. This condition is now developing at breakneck speed. The next meltdown is expected to be a mortgage crisis in commercial properties. Watch for stores, businesses, and shopping malls to close their doors for good. (33)

The Detroit "big three" automakers have occupied the news lately when the U.S Congress refused to bail them out. The automakers began to cry out that their survival was a national security issue, (34) so President Bush arranged for General Motors and Chrysler to receive bailout money from the funds Congress designated for banks a few months ago. How poorly are these companies managed? When the union was asked to accept a cut in pay for the workers, it was proven that even if every auto worker would work for no pay at all, the companies still couldn't make it. This was reported on CNN News on December 10th, 2008. We must also remember that two-thirds of all U.S. corporations pay no federal taxes at all! (35) Top executives have paid themselves so many hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, and it's all at the expense of the American people. The executives have grabbed all the money they could and went running for the tall grass. When we think of such thieves as Jesse James, Bonny and Clyde, John Dillinger, and others, we must think of them as petty thieves compared to the business executives of America and their willing stooges in Washington who perform like trained seals for them! There are numerous reports about these "distressed" executives by the hundreds partying at some of the most expensive night clubs in New York. They are seen swilling martinis and banqueting like there is no tomorrow. (36)

What is all of this leading up to? A prominent Russian professor recently predicted that once the ultimate crash occurs in the United States, the nation will fracture into six parts. Dr. Igor Panarin named the six divisions as follows: "the Pacific coast, the South, Texas, the Atlantic coast, the central states, and the northern states." He also stated that each area will be dominated by a different ethnic group. (37) Will it really happen? Only God knows for sure because He has the final say on all things!

Marshalling the Forces for World War III

There are so many signs of the times, and our world is rapidly approaching World War III, also known as Armageddon. Barack Obama has been warned of a nuclear Iran, and the entire Middle East is ready to explode into war. (38) Russian warships are now in Venezuela doing naval war exercises with the Venezuelan Navy. (39) President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has ordered the U.S. ambassador out of his country. (40) This is customary just before a war. The oil-rich country of Venezuela is also purchasing combat planes from Red China. (41) We also know that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently visited Venezuela and then Cuba. (42) On December 4th, 2008, a Russian warship was headed for the Panama Canal, (43) and more Russian warships were headed for Cuba. (44) Quite obviously, something is going on that will soon manifest itself. Is Barack Obama ready for all of this? There will be much more on this subject in the February issue of the Last Trumpet.

The Voice of God's Creation!

The Bible warns us of great signs that would take place in God's creation as the end of the world draws near. In Luke 21:10-11 we read of these as follows: "Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." We are certainly living during the time of these signs! As of the time of this writing, there have been 249 significant earthquakes worldwide within the past thirty days. These quakes are at least magnitude 4 in strength. The news media says very little about this subject. As the Scripture says, there are many fearful sights, and they come in many forms.

The United States of America is now going through one of the strangest and most intense winters of all time. Freak storms have left significant snow amounts in places like Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; and even Malibu, California. Intense ice storms have left millions of people without power, and temperatures were as cold as thirty degrees below zero, Fahrenheit, in some parts of the country. Blizzards of heavy snow have crippled much of the country, and winds in excess of forty miles per hour have caused snow drifts to block major highways. It seems that our entire nation has already experienced the hardships of a severe winter, and at the time of this writing, winter has not even officially begun. From Washington to New York, extreme winter weather has hammered our nation. (45) Conditions are not normal.

There is also trouble in the heavens above, just as the Bible said there would be. On November 26th, 2008, AFP News Service reported that experts are calling for a global network to prevent asteroid disasters. The Association of Space Explorers presented a report to the United Nations on November 25th, 2008, entitled, "Asteroid Threats, a Call for Global Response." The report indicated that there are now over 6,000 cosmic objects circulating around our planet, and 1,000 of these have a diameter of 93 miles or more. If even one of these hit the earth, it would bring catastrophic damage, such as fires and tsunamis. (46) When I read this, I was reminded of Revelation 6:13-14, which reads as follows: "And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

Scientists are also baffled because the heliosphere, the protective shield of energy that surrounds our solar system, has weakened by 25 percent over the past ten years. Thus, the sun's protective bubble of solar wind is greatly diminished, and this leaves the earth vulnerable to intense stellar radiation. (47) Indeed, our Lord is coming!

In conclusion, I would like to urge everyone to pray fervently and continually. Your prayer requests are always welcomed and we do take them very seriously. I also sincerely thank all of you who continue to support this end time prophetic ministry. God bless you exceedingly is my prayer. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Always remember that there is a God in heaven who hears you when you call upon Him. He will answer you prayers.

David J. Meyer

Acknowledgements
01. The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 21, 2008, by John Jurgensen & Jamin Brophy Warren, New York, NY.
02. The Washington Times, Dec. 3, 2008, by Michael Drost & Timothy Warren, Washington, D.C.
03. Reuters News Service, Nov. 23, 2008, Vatican City.
04. AFP News Service, Nov. 20, 2008, Washington, D.C.
05. Associated Press, Dec. 12, 2008, by Christopher Wills, Springfield, IL.
06. Fox News Service, Dec. 11, 2008, Chicago, IL.
07. The London Times, Nov. 21, 2008, London, England, UK.
08. The London Daily Telegraph, Dec. 1, 2008, by Alex Spillius, Washington, D.C.
09. The Washington Post, Dec. 1, 2008, by Spencer S. Hsu & Ann Scott Tyson, Washington, D.C.
10. Associated Press, Nov. 8, 2008, by Kevin Freking, Washington, D.C.
11. The Washington Post, Dec. 3, 2008, by Shailagh Murray & Carol D. Lennig, Washington, D.C.
12. Melbourne MX News, Aug. 26, 2008, Melbourne, Australia.
13. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 27, 2008, AP, Washington, D.C.
14. The Free Republic, Oct. 26, 2008, http://www.freerepublic.com.
15. The Baltimore Sun, Nov. 30, 2008, by David Wood, Baltimore, MD.
16. The London Daily Telegraph, Nov. 30, 2008, by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, London, England, U.K.
17. Reuters News Service, Nov. 9, 2008, London, England, U.K.
18. AFP News Service, Nov. 30, 2008, London, England, U.K.
19. Reuters News Service, Dec. 11, 2008, by Jonathan Stemper, New York, NY.
20. Bloomberg News Service, Dec. 12, 2008, by Mark Pittman, Washington, D.C.
21. Forbes Magazine, Nov. 12, 2008, by Elizabeth Moyer, Washington, D.C.
22. CNBC News, Nov. 18, 2008, Washington, D.C.
23. Bloomberg News Service, Nov. 24, 2008, by Mark Pittman & Bob Ivry, Washington, D.C.
24. Reuters News Service, Dec. 5, 2008, by Jim Christie, San Francisco, CA.
25. New York Daily News, Dec. 17, 2008, by Kenneth Lovett & Glenn Slain, Albany, NY.
26. Associated Press, Nov. 18, 2008, Washington, D.C.
27. Reuters News Service, Dec. 11, 2008, by Jonathan Stemper & Dan Wilchins, New York, NY.
28. Associated Press, Nov. 18, 2008, New York, NY.
29. Associated Press, Dec. 17, 2008, New York, NY.
30. Associated Press, Nov. 25, 2008, by Madlen Read, New York, NY.
31. West Bend Daily News, Nov. 8, 2008, AP, Washington, D.C.
32. MSNBC News, Nov. 22, 2008, Washington, D.C.
33. West Bend Daily News, Nov. 29, 2008, AP, Washington, D.C.
34. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 19, 2008, by Richard Lardner, AP, Washington, D.C.
35. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug. 13, 2008, AP, Washington, D.C.
36. AFP News Service, Dec. 5, 2008, New York, NY.
37. Bloomberg News Service, Nov. 24, 2008, by Robin Stringer, New York, NY.
38. The London Times, Dec. 3, 2008, by Catherine Philp, Washington, D.C.
39. AFP News Service, Nov. 24, 2008.
40. Associated Press, Sep. 11, 2008, Caracas, Venezuela.
41. AFP News Service, Sep. 21, 2008.
42. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 28, 2008, AP, Havana, Cuba.
43. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 4, 2008, Associated Press.
44. AFP News Service, Dec. 15, 2008.
45. Associated Press, Dec. 16, 2008.
46. AFP News Service, Nov. 25, 2008, Vienna, Austria.
47. The London Daily Telegraph, Oct. 19, 2008, by Richard Gray, London, England, U.K.

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