"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

Powerful Ring-Like Oscillations Reflect the "Hum" of the Earth; Like a Giant Symphony of Unexpected Tunes

Earth gives off a relentless hum of countless notes completely imperceptible to the human ear, like a giant, exceptionally quiet symphony, but the origin of this sound remains a mystery.
Now unexpected powerful tunes have been discovered in this hum.These new findings could shed light on the source of this enigma.The planet emanates a constant rumble far below the limits of human hearing, even when the ground isn't shaking from an earthquake.(It does not cause the ringing in the ear linked with tinnitus.)This sound, first discovered a decade ago, is one that only scientific instruments-seismometers-can detect.Researchers call it Earth's hum.
Investigators suspect this murmur could originate from the churning ocean, or perhaps the roiling atmosphere.To find out more, scientists analyzed readings from an exceptionally quiet Earth-listening research station at the Black Forest Observatory in Germany, with supporting data from Japan and China.
Different types
In the past, the oscillations that researchers found made up this hum were "spheroidal"-they basically involved patches of rock moving up and down, albeit near undetectably.Now oscillations have been discovered making up the hum that, oddly, are shaped roughly like rings. Imagine, if you will, rumbles that twist in circles in rock across the upper echelons of the planet, almost like dozens of lazy hurricanes.Scientists had actually expected to find these kinds of oscillations, but these new ring-like waves are surprisingly about as powerful as the spheroidal ones are. The expectation was they would be relatively insignificant.
New thinking
This discovery should force researchers to significantly rethink what causes Earth's hum. While the spheroidal oscillations might be caused by forces squeezing down on the planet-say, pressure from ocean or atmospheric waves-the twisting ring-like phenomena might be caused by forces shearing across the world's surface,from the oceans, atmosphere or possibly even the sun.Future investigations of this part of the hum will prove challenging, as "this is a very small signal that is hard to measure, and the excitation is probably due to multiple interactions in a complex system," said researcher Rudolf Widmer-Schnidrig, a geoscientist at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.Still, a better understanding of this sound will shed light on how the land, sea and air all interact, he added.Researcher Dieter Kurrle and Widmer-Schnidrig detailed their findings March 20 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
By Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience
As in the days of Noah...

Bangladesh Rice Harvest Could Ease Famine Concerns

Bangladesh's hardiest rice, sown back in January and known as the "boro" crop, is now being harvested. Initial reports are that it is plentiful.This is encouraging news for a nation where the majority of people are employed in agriculture and rice is the dominant crop, contributing more than one-fourth of the country's gross domestic product.The positive assessment from the government in Dhaka comes amid soaring rice prices and concerns about whether India, China and Vietnam will be able to provide sufficient rice imports for Bangladesh.World Food Program spokesman Emamul Haque in Dhaka says a bumper harvest would ease some of the burden on Bangladeshis."The whole nation is expecting that we will have a bumper 'boro' product. But we do not have any specific scientific assessment so far. If we really get this the way we are expecting, it will have some impact on the food security situation as well," said Haque.A shortage of rice amid a doubling of prices in the past year has led to hoarding and rioting in Bangladesh. Trying to ensure the civilian population has enough to eat, the government is ordering the half-million members of its army to substitute potatoes for rice and wheat.The World Food Program spokesman in Bangladesh says the general population this year also will need to rely more on potatoes, something traditionally not on the menu."Many of them will definitely depend on the potato. And this is not a bad idea. But it cannot be the substitute of the rice. If they don't get rice, if the potato is cheap, definitely they do not have any other option," said Haque.Many Asian nations have been severely affected by surging prices for rice, wheat, food oils and pulses. Compounding the misery for Bangladesh-two devastating floods and a cyclone in the past year, which ruined several million tons of food grains, raising worries about famine.

As in the days of Noah....

Family groups urge parents to leave gay-friendly public schools

New California laws will eventually demand that all public school activities and instruction be positive in their portrayal of transexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality, even when teaching children in kindergarten. Randy Thomasson, chief of the Campaign for Children and Families, is spearheading a drive to get 600,000 children to withdraw from the state’s public schools.“When you can no longer protect your children, you must remove them from a threatening environment,” Thomasson said. He and other pro-family advocates cite specifically California Senate Bill 777 and Assembly Bill 394,both recently passed by the legislature and approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to the Web site http://www.rescueyourchild.org/, SB 777 will affect everything on campus-classroom instruction, curriculum materials, guest speakers, sex education, drama and music, assemblies, athletics and clubs.The same site says AB 394 “effectively promotes transexual, bisexual, homosexual indoctrination of students, parents and teachers via ‘anti-harassment’ materials.”Even public school insiders have joined the campaign. For example, veteran public school teacher Nadine Williams of Torrance said she will remove her grandchildren from public schools because of the new indoctrination laws.The laws may yet face a challenge in the courts-on the grounds of constitutionality. And a vote of the people could occur if an initiative effort succeeds.

As in the days of Noah....

Nuclear soil tester missing in Gables

Missing: A biohazardous nuclear testing device.
Last seen: Coral Gables.
The danger: It emits radioactivity when tested.
It sounds like the start of a Tom Clancy novel, but this is no fiction.The device, commonly used to test the density of soil in construction sites, went missing late Thursday afternoon, according to Coral Gables police.A worker loaded the device-roughly the size of a treasure chest-onto a pickup truck at a construction site at 135 San Lorenzo Ave. about 5 p.m.When the driver arrived at his destination-Flagler Street near Southwest 31st Avenue-the device was missing.Police believe it fell off the truck.'This device is used in construction sites everyday,'' said Sgt. Javier Bruzos."Although it's not particularly dangerous, it's a concern.''The device is not hazardous to the touch, police say, but it sends off radioactivity when in use.
As in the days of Noah...

US Lawmakers Voice Concerns About Iran Nuclear Ambitions

It was another opportunity to vent frustrations about what some lawmakers see as ineffective U.S. and international diplomatic efforts, and voice concerns about threats posed by Iran.While remaining committed to diplomatic efforts, working with international partners, President Bush has also stressed that the military option has never been taken off the table.In written testimony, Jeffrey Feltman,(picture left) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, underscored this describing military action as a last resort.He reiterated the administration's assessment of continuing dangers posted by Iran's nuclear program."Iran's leadership remains committed to two key elements of building a nuclear weapon: acquisition of high-grade nuclear material and development of a capable delivery system," said Jeffrey Feltman."Tehran can re-start the third element, weaponization at any time and conceivably could already have taken that step."Feltman pointed to efforts of the P5 + 1 group comprising the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia, and Germany involving dual-track strategies to escalate pressure on Tehran, through the U.N. Security Council and unilateral economic sanctions, to abandon any long-term nuclear weapons work, while offering political, economic, technological and other incentives.Democrat Gary Ackerman isn't satisfied, asserting along with a number of other House Democrats that, in his words, a slow motion multilateral diplomatic track has produced no change in Iranian behavior."The multilateral sanction effort is moving at a glacial pace," said Gary Ackerman."Iran's uranium enrichment program is in the home stretch and sprinting. We're moving in inches and they are advancing in yards. The mullahs are not only ahead in this race, they are expanding their lead."Lawmakers have been assessing the latest statements by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, including some describing the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on the U.S. a suspect event.Republican Mike Pence calls the Iranian leader's remarks bizarre and offensive, and refers to other Iranian statements about uranium centrifuge operations."Iran's nuclear intentions can not be ready in anything but the most ominous light," said Mike Pence. "Now the subject of four U.N. Security Council resolutions as recently as March 3, 2008 this is a state more than willing to harm itself economically in order to advance a nuclear program that cannot be viewed as peaceful."Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, Daniel Glaser, responded to skeptical lawmakers, insisting that U.S. and international steps are having an impact."With mounting evidence of Iran's elicit behavior, the international financial community that doing business with Iran is too risky," said Daniel Glaser. "The world's leading financial institutions have largely stopped dealing with Iran and especially Iranian banks in any currency. Iranian financial institutions and businesses have been left with decreased access to private international financial institutions and a lessened ability to attract international investment and capital.Glaser describes possible future action against Iran's central bank as one of a number of options to pressure Iran, but said doing so would be an extraordinary step.Congressman Brad Sherman is a leading voice among Democrats who accuse the Bush administration of failing to enforce provisions of the Iran Sanctions Act, and undermining other congressional efforts."We have a law that requires at a minimum the administration to identify, name and shame the companies involved," said Brad Sherman."To not take that action is to violate American law in order to protect Tehran and its business partners."Responding to questions on Iran in Thursday's hearing, Ambassador Feltman also issued a strong warning regarding Iranian actions in support of instability in Iraq.While the U.S. would like to see a peaceful relationship between Iran and Iraq, Feltman said make no mistake, the U.S. will act to protect its interests, our troops and our Iraqi partners.

As in the days of Noah....

"FOR I AM FROM HIM,AND HE SENT ME"

"Jesus answered and said unto them,I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision;(not because it is of Moses,but of the fathers;)and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision,that the law of Moses should not be broken;are ye angry at me,because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
Judge not according to the appearance,but judge righteous judgment.
Then said some of them of Jerusalem,Is not this he,whom they seek to kill?
But,lo,he speaketh boldly,and they say nothing unto him.Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
Howbeit we know this man whence he is:but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught,saying,Ye both know me,and ye know whence I am:and I am not come of myself,but he that sent me is true,whom ye know not.
But I know him:for I am from him,and he hath sent me.
Then they sought to take him:but no man laid hands on him,because his hour was not yet come.
And many of the people believed on him,and said, When Christ cometh,will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?
The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him;and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.
Then said Jesus unto them,Yet a little while am I with you,and then I go unto him that sent me.
Ye shall seek me,and shall not find me:and where I am,thither ye cannot come.

Then said the Jews among themselves,Whither will he go,that we shall not find him?will he

go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles,and teach the Gentiles?
What manner of saying is this that he said,Ye shall seek me,and shall not find me:and where I am,thither ye cannot come?"

John 7:21-36

GAY WATCH:Lesbian demands custody of Christian mom's 6-year-old;Ex-partner argues in court faith 'is harmful to children'

A ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court, if it goes the wrong way, could yank a 6-year-old girl from the Christian home her mother has created and set her up to be "paraded as a political trophy of the homosexual community in Vermont," according to a lawyer who argued the case before the court today.Mathew Staver, chief of Liberty Counsel, said the impact of the decision will reach far beyond the important determination of the future for the child in question, also impacting states' sovereignty and the values on which Christian parents make decisions."This case is exceptionally important because the future of the child Isabella hangs in the balance," he said."Her future will be to either remain with her biological mother, Lisa Miller, or potentially be ripped away from her mom and placed in a lesbian household…This case is also important because states must also have the sovereign authority to maintain their marriage policy as the union of one man and one woman, while rejecting same-sex unions. Virginia's Constitution compels the state supreme court to not recognize out-of-state, same-sex marriages and civil unions."But if Virginia loses its sovereignty, then the sovereignty of every other state is put in jeopardy," he said.Staver argued on behalf of Miller, who left a lesbian relationship and became a Christian, and her daughter.The other part of the now-terminated relationship, Janet Jenkins, has alleged that because of Miller's Christian parenting practices, she no longer is a fit mother. She's seeking full custody of the child.The Vermont Supreme Court already has granted parental rights and visitation to Jenkins. But Miller and her daughter live in Virginia, and Miller has gone to the state's highest court defending her right to custody and to raise her own daughter according to Christian parenting principles."This hearing will determine whether a lesbian woman who is Lisa Miller's former partner will share custody of Isabella, Lisa's daughter," wrote Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues at Concerned Women for America. "The woman is neither an adoptive parent nor is she biologically related to Isabella. In fact, she's a total stranger to the little girl."Isabella, who is now 6 years old, hadn't seen this woman since she was 17 months old. This case could have national ramifications and will help decide whether states like Vermont and Massachusetts get to export their radical new definitions of marriage and family around the country," Barber said.WND reported earlier when the Vermont Supreme Court opined that it, alone, has jurisdiction over the child custody battle because the pair lived together briefly in Vermont. That ruling came even though Miller gave birth in Virginia through artificial insemination, her daughter was born in Virginia and that's where the mother and daughter now live.The two women were living in Virginia in 2000 when they went to Vermont to get a "civil union." Miller later gave birth to a girl, but the child was not adopted by Jenkins.The relationship ended when Miller became a Christian and claimed Jenkins was abusive. Miller, who says she no longer is a lesbian, lives with her daughter in Virginia.Lower courts in Virginia have ruled Miller is the sole parent and the Virginia Marriage Affirmation Act bars recognition of civil unions. The Vermont Supreme Court, however, reached across state lines to demand that Miller allow Jenkins visitation.Liberty Counsel characterized the case as a "precedent-setting legal battle between Virginia and Vermont over same-sex unions and the rights of fit, biological parents against unrelated third parties."Among the precedents developing in the case is whether one state can force another to recognize its "same-sex" arrangements or whether states' sovereignty will prevail. Also at issue is the acceptance as valid Christian values parents use to raise children. "That's true. Janet Jenkins, in court documents in Vermont, argued because Lisa prays for her daughter and her well-being, and even prays for Janet, that in fact that is not in the best interests of Isabella. She Jenkins says because Lisa prays for her daughter, and tells her she's praying to do God's will, Janet has taken the position that … Christianity is harmful to children," Staver told WND.Staver said Vermont's supreme court already has granted rights to Jenkins "as though she were in a marital relationship" and that if the Virginia court decision conflicts, the case automatically will go to the U.S. Supreme Court.Barber noted Miller's own account reveals emotional problems triggered by abandonment by her father, abuse from her mentally ill mother and a decade-long war with alcohol led her into the lesbian lifestyle. In 1999, the relationship with Jenkins was begun and on a weekend trip, they traveled from Virginia where they lived to Vermont for their "civil union."After Isabella was born, Miller and Jenkins moved to Vermont.But things were unstable and Miller alleged Jenkins was abusive."It was a troubled relationship from the beginning," Miller told "World Magazine," The relationship did not improve as Jenkins … grew increasingly bitter and controlling."Months later, the relationship ended and Miller and her daughter returned to Virginia.Then in 2003, Jenkins demanded that the courts in Vermont award her custody of Isabella, instead of leaving her with her mother. Since the Vermont court's ruling, Miller and her daughter "now are required to make the several hundred mile roundtrip journey from Virginia to Vermont every other week to visit a total stranger Jenkins who, according to reports, outrageously forces the confused and traumatized little girl to call her 'momma,'" Barber said."After Lisa ended her relationship with Janet, when Isabella was only 17 months old, Lisa became a born-again Christian. … She has attempted to raise her child according to biblical principles," said Rena M. Lindevaldsen, a Liberty Counsel who has worked on the case."According to recent filings by Janet, however, Janet believes that Lisa's religious beliefs render Lisa incapable of properly parenting Isabella," she said."Lisa and Isabella's story tragically demonstrates that it's all too often children who are ultimately victimized by state-recognized immorality. It's the children who suffer when adults selfishly depart from God's intended design for human sexuality and marriage-as reaffirmed by Christ's teachings in the New Testament-and enter into counterfeit homosexual 'civil-unions' or 'same-sex marriages,'" Barber said."Although Lisa and Isabella's situation is both heartbreaking and unjust, it shouldn't be at all surprising. In the name of so-called 'gay rights,' the militant homosexual lobby has made its position crystal clear.The selfish individual interests of those who define themselves based upon a choice to engage in deviant homosexual behaviors supersede the best interests of everyone else...even children," Barber said.There's no timetable yet for the decision to be issued. http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61875
PS:This is why allowing "civil unions" or full blown gay marriage in our land is so dangerous....this is part of the beginning of the fall out of this craze.
And for those reading wrongly thinking that I support this abomination....I side with the Word of God and this clearly states that matrimony is between a man and a woman and their purpose,among others,is to procreate...
Gays have gotten it all messed up in their minds....They hate God but want to embrace an institution created by God....????Aint that crazy...???Im glad that Lisa got saved.May the Lord help her in this matter....!!!!
As in the days of Noah.....

Cut Carter Center funding, congressman says:'Legislation would assure taxes don't support negotiations with terrorists'

A Michigan congressman has proposed cutting all federal funding for ex-President Jimmy Carter's Carter Center because of his current trip to meet with leaders of terrorist organizations.The CARTER Act,by U.S.Rep.Joe Knollenberg, of Farmington Hills, Mich., would prevent federal dollars from being used to finance discussions and negotiations with terrorist groups, he said.The Coordinated American Response To Extreme Radicals Act estimates taxpayers already have given the Carter's think-tank foundation some $19 million. But Knollenberg is suggesting no more."America must speak with one voice against our terrorist enemies," he said in a statement at the time the proposal was readied for Congress."It sends a fundamentally troubling message when an American dignitary is engaged in dialogue with terrorists. My legislation will make sure that taxpayer dollars are not being used to support discussions or negotiations with terrorist groups."WND has reported how Carter initiated a conversation aimed at setting up meetings with the terrori group Hamas, as well as when the meeting took place.
Knollenberg was the first member of Congress to speak out against Carter's plans to meet with Hamas, sending a letter to Carter suggesting his travel itinerary was troubling."As a former president of the United States, you undoubtedly understand that the United States must speak with one voice to our enemies. I hope and pray that we all as Americans stand in strong opposition to acts of terror and the terrorist groups that coordinate and fund them," the letter said.On Commentary Magazine, Eric Trager said if Carter had had his wishes, the situation would have been worse than the meetings with Hamas."Palestinian Islamic Jihad has announced that its leadership has refused former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's request for a meeting," he reported. "According to PIJ's QudsNews website, Egyptian authorities contacted PIJ Secretary-General Dr. Ramadan Shallah on Carter's behalf earlier this week, inviting Shallah to meet with Carter in Cairo."He reported Shallah is on the FBI's list of Most Wanted Terrorists and the reward for information leading to his capture is $5 million.But Shallah declared Carter was "carrying an American-Israeli agenda" and refused.Jimmy Carter's book, 'Palestine Peace Not ApartheidThe Carter Center did not respond to Trager's requests for confirmation."PIJ is generally considered even more extreme than Hamas," he wrote. "While PIJ shares many of Hamas' militant features – including its coordination of terrorist activities, calls for Israel's destruction, and theocratic aims – PIJ lacks Hamas' social and political significance...Carter is therefore unable to argue that PIJ is somehow central to any Israeli-Palestinian peace process…""This isn't the first time the Carter Center has come under fire because of the anti-Israeli stance of its founder.[[[[[[[[[[[In December, 2006, Emory University Middle East scholar Kenneth Stein resigned both as Middle East scholar at the Center and from its advisory board in response to the publication of Carter's book, 'Palestine: Peace not Apartheid," wrote Winfield Myers at The Democracy Project."In mid-January of last year, 14 advisory board members resigned from the Center to protest Carter's extraordinarily biased and error-ridden book." ]]]]]]]]]]
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61877
PS:Jimmy Carter is a disgrace as a citizen....also the most inept of all the US Presidents we had...
As in the days of Noah....

PERSECUTION WATCH:China Scalates Bible Crackdown...

*China Scalates Bible Crackdown...
*Street preacher claims police harassment...
*District bans 'John 3:16,' promotes demonic leer...
To read these news and more about christian persecution in the US and worldwide go to:
As in the days of Noah...

NWO WATCH:Newborns' DNA targeted for state research, profiling

The state of Minnesota has advanced a plan to own the DNA of newborns, preserving it in a warehouse for use in genetic research, experimentation, manipulation, and profiling, according to an advocacy organization seeking to protect the privacy of that individual information."Citizen DNA is citizen property. The government should be required to ask, not allowed to take," said Twila Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care, a Minnesota-based organization familiar with the progress in that state."If this bill becomes law, each year 73,000 newborn citizens will not be protected by the state genetic privacy law.The state will take their DNA and unless the parents figure it out, the government will keep it," she said."Children grow up. Eventually, every citizen will have their DNA owned by state government and available for government to engage in genetic research, experimentation, manipulation, and profiling," she warned. "What good is the state genetic privacy law if government warehousing and analysis of every child's DNA from birth is exempt from its informed consent protections?"In Minnesota, the state's genetic privacy law was challenged by the Health Department, which lost a court battle over the issue. But now the legislation could give the state government by legislative activism what it could not obtain through the judiciary.Brase said the state House voted this week to approve the plan forwarded by the state Senate. "If the Senate accepts the minor amendments adopted by the House without a conference committee, the bill could be sent directly to Gov. Tim Pawlenty for his signature."The legislative specifically would exempt warehousing, use and analysis of newborn blood and DNA from the informed consent requirements of the 2006 Minnesota Genetic Privacy Law."We now are considered guinea pigs, as opposed to human beings with rights," she said, warning such DNA databases could spark the next wave of demands for eugenics, the concept of improving the human race through the control of various inherited traits. Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, advocated eugenics to cull people she considered unfit from the population.In 1921, she said eugenics is "the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political and social problems," and she later lamented "the ever increasing, unceasingly spawning class of human beings who never should have been born at all."Minnesota already has stockpiled the DNA of more than 780,000 Minnesota children, and already has subjected the DNA of 42,210 children to research without their consent or knowledge, Brase told WND.And she confirmed although her organization works with Minnesota issues, similar laws or rules and regulations already are in use across the nation.The National Conference of State Legislatures, in fact, lists for all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia the various statutes or regulatory provisions under which newborns' DNA is being collected.Such programs are offered as "screening" requirements to detect treatable illnesses. They vary as to exactly what tests are done, but the Health Resources and Services Administration has requested a report that would "include a recommendation for a uniform panel of conditions."Further, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., is on record proposing a plan that would turn the program into a consolidated nationwide effort. "Fortunately," he said at the time, "some newborn screening occurs in every state but fewer than half of the states, including Connecticut, actually test for all disorders that are detectable... This legislation will provide resources for states to expand their newborn screening programs… "So what's the big deal about looking into DNA to hunt for various disease possibilities?Nothing, said Brase, if that's where the hunt would end.However, she said,"researchers already are looking for genes related to violence, crime and different behaviors.""This isn't just about diabetes, asthma and cancer," she said. "It's also about behavioral issues.""In England they decided they should have doctors looking for problem children, and have those children reported, and their DNA taken in case they would become criminals," she said.In fact, published reports in the UK note that senior police forensics experts believe genetic samples should be studied, because it may be possible to identify potential criminals as young as age 5.There, Chris Davis of the National Primary Headteachers' Association warned the move could be seen "as a step towards a police state."Brase said such efforts to study traits and gene factors and classify people would be just the beginning. What could happen through subsequent programs to address such conditions, she wondered."Not all research is great," she said. Such classifying of people could lead to "discrimination and prejudice...People can look at data about you and make assessments ultimately of who you are."The Heartland Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening is one of the organizations that advocates more screening and research.It proclaims in its vision statement a desire to see newborns screened for 200 conditions.It also forecasts "every student...with an individual program for education based on confidential interpretation of their family medical history, their brain imaging, their genetic predictors of best learning methods…"Further, every individual should share information about "personal and family health histories" as well as "gene tests for recessive conditions and drug metabolism" with the "other parent of their future children."Still further, it seeks "ecogenetic research that could improve health, lessen disability, and lower costs for sickness.""They want to test every child for 200 conditions, take the child's history and a brain image, and genetics, and come up with a plan for that child," Brase said. "They want to learn their weaknesses and defects."Nobody including and especially the government should be allowed to create such extensive profiles," she said.The next step is obvious: The government, with information about potential health weaknesses, could say to couples, "We don't want your expensive children," Brase said."I think people have forgotten about eugenics. The fact of the matter is that the eugenicists have not gone away. Newborn genetic testing is the entry into the 21st Century version of eugenics," she said."This is in every state, but nobody is talking about it. Parents have no idea this is happening," she said.

As in the days of Noah....

China Announces New Restrictions on Visa Applications

Foreign nationals living in Hong Kong no longer have the luxury of applying for a multiple entry visa. They also have to now include their flight information and hotel reservations, unless they are traveling in border cities such as Shenzhen.David Zweig is the director of the Center on China's Transnational Relations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.He says the visa restrictions are not surprising, and were most likely implemented to help alleviate concerns that protests will spoil the games."China will make it as difficult as it can for people that are not going to the games to enjoy the games, but who are instead going to the games to use it as a vehicle for protest, they will try and make it as difficult as possible for those people to get into China," he explained.China's selection as host of the Olympic Games was controversial from the beginning, mainly because rights activists said that Beijing's long list of human rights concerns should prevent it from being an eligible host.But recent riots in Tibet have sparked demonstrations worldwide, and increased fears among Chinese authorities that more protests will take place during the games.Zweig says Chinese authorities believe extra precautions such as the visa restrictions are more than justified."And if that effort, discomfort makes it difficult for the foreign community then I think China is willing to pay that price," he added.Restrictions are also in place for those inside the country, particularly in Xinjiang province where a minority Muslim ethnic group has long called for their own homeland.Chinese authorities consider Uighur activists to be terrorists, while rights groups say the Chinese government has used fear of Islamic extremism to clamp down on the group. Demonstrators hold up Tibetan flags and a banner demanding Freedom for the Tibet in front of Buenos Aires' obelisk during a protest, 11 Apr 2008Zweig says Beijing is somewhat justified in thinking that the Olympic Games will be a target and an opportunity for people, both domestically and internationally, that have strong views against China."I don't think any other country has been as worried about protests and probably isn't as sensitive to protests as China," he noted."I think one of the big differences is that China is the first developing country to have the Olympics."Many activists, however, say China's attempts to prevent demonstrations and protests against it merely heighten concerns that authorities are trying to shield the international community from human rights issues.

As in the days of Noah...

KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE:Nano switch hints at future chips

Researchers have built the world's smallest transistor-one atom thick and 10 atoms wide-out of a material that could one day replace silicon.The transistor, essentially an on/off switch, has been made using graphene, a two-dimensional material first discovered only four years ago. Graphene is a single layer of graphite, which is found in the humble pencil.The transistor is the key building block of microchips and the basis for almost all electronics.Dr Kostya Novoselov and Professor Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester have been leading research into the potential application of graphene in electronics and were the first to separate a sheet of the material from graphite
Super material
Graphene has been hailed as a super material because it has many potential applications.It is a flat molecule, with only the thickness of an atom, and both very stable and robust.The researchers are also looking at its use in display technology - because it is transparent.The Manchester-based scientists have shown that graphene can be carved into tiny electronic circuits with individual transistors not much larger than a molecule.Dr Novoselov told BBC News that graphene had many advantages over silicon because it could conduct electricity faster and further."These transistors will work and work at ambient, room temperature conditions - just what is required for modern electronics," he said.Dr Novoselov said graphene was a "wonderful conductor", making it a perfect material for chip applications."It is already superior to silicon by an order of magnitude and comparable to the best samples of other materials."We believe we can increase this mobility of electron flow 10-fold."Graphene is a hot topic among semiconductor researchers at the moment because it is an excellent conductor of electricity. Unlike silicon graphene transistors perform better the smaller they become.
Leak electricity
The global semiconductor business is currently built on sand; stamping out microchips from large silicon wafers.Companies like Intel have a roadmap to reduce the size of circuits on the silicon wafer, down to about 10 nanometres - 10,000 times smaller than the width of a single human hair.Many researchers believe that producing circuits smaller than 10 nanometres in silicon will be too difficult because they start to leak electricity at that size.That current silicon roadmap is expected to end in 2020, making the race to find alternative materials potentially very lucrative.Producing graphene sheets big enough to be used as wafers for chip production remained the biggest hurdle, said Dr Novoselov."We can control the cut down to 20 nanometres. And then when we have to scale down to one nanometre we use a bit of luck."The yield of the working devices is about 50%."Many researchers around the world are working on creating large wafers of graphene.In order to produce microchips wafers would need to be several inches across. The biggest wafer produced so far is 100 microns across, just a tenth of a millimetre."I do believe we will find the technology to do this. And when we do silicon will be replaced by graphene," said Dr Novoselov.Professor Bob Westervelt, in an assessment of the material and its future application in the journal Science, wrote: "Graphene is an exciting new material with unusual properties that are promising for nanoelectronics."The future should be very interesting."Dr Novoselov added: "Given the material was first obtained by us four years ago, we are making good progress."He said the process of using graphene to build circuits was very compatible with silicon technology."At the moment we use all the same steps to make a transistor as is done by the silicon industry. So once we have large wafers of graphene it should be straightforward to use the same process."But it might be another 10 years before the first integrated circuits on graphene chips appear, he said.
Shorter term
In the shorter term graphene could be used in LCD displays to replace materials used to create transparent conductive coatings."The computer screen relies on good transparent conductors. But current materials are expensive and hard to produce."Graphene is only one atom thin so is absolutely transparent - it's a really wonderful conductor."We propose to use it as a transparent conductor, using small interconnecting graphene sheets all together."The material is also being touted for use in solar panels, transparent window coatings and also for sensing technologies.Dr Kostya Novoselov and Professor Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester presented their findings in the 17 April issue of Science.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7352464.stm
As in the days of Noah....

Villages 'discovered' in DR Congo

Hundreds of villagers are helping to map parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo where thick forest and conflict have prevented effective mapping.So far about 190 villages have been found in one area of Bandundu province where old maps show only 30, UK-based charity The Rainforest Foundation says.Most maps are produced from satellite images taken from above, but this project is using handheld GPS units. The map is intended to aid post-war planning and timber permit allocations.A five-year conflict in DR Congo ended in 2003.
Resource-rich
"In one of the sectors of the territory that the groups are mapping at the moment, there are something like 190 villages but on the official map there are about 30," Cath Long of the Rainforest Foundation which is organising the project told the BBC's Network Africa.She said millions of Congolese depend on the forest for their existence."The real worry is that permits to cut timber, permits to extract resources will be given to external companies without recognising the fact that people are already there and already using the forest," she said.The charity hopes the map will be ready for a government meeting in May on forest and land.The government has already allocated parts of the territory to 11 logging concessions, it says.DR Congo is home to one of the word's largest rainforests and has huge reserves of gold, diamonds, copper and coltan, used to make mobile phones.Correspondents say these riches have been a key factor in the civil wars, instability and bad government the country has known since independence.

As in the days of Noah...

"HE THAT SPEAKS OF HIMSELF SEEKS HIS OWN GLORY"

"Then the Jews sought him at the feast,and said,Where is he?
And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him:for some said,He is a good man: others said,Nay;but he deceiveth the people.
Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple,and taught.
And the Jews marvelled,saying,How knoweth this man letters,having never learned?
Jesus answered them,and said,My doctrine is not mine,but his that sent me.
If any man will do his will,he shall know of the doctrine,whether it be of God,or whether I speak of myself.
He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory:but he that seeketh his glory that sent him,the same is true,and no unrighteousness is in him.
Did not Moses give you the law,and yet none of you keepeth the law?Why go ye about to kill me?
The people answered and said,Thou hast a devil:who goeth about to kill thee?"

John 7:11-20

Bomber targets Gaza crossing

ENVIRO WATCH:Smoke worsens over Buenos Aires

Smoke blanketing the Argentine capital Buenos Aires has thickened, prompting the authorities to close airports and major highways.The smoke started a week ago, caused by fires on grassland outside the city that are being blamed on farmers clearing the land to graze cattle.The government has said it will prosecute anyone it finds to be responsible for lighting the fires.Health fears are growing as more people complain of sore throats and eyes.Argentina's health ministry says the smoke is not toxic although it contains high levels of carbon monoxide, says the BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires.The international airport was still operating but authorities closed the domestic airport, ports and several major roads as visibility declined in some areas to just a few metres.Firefighters are battling to control the flames that have spread over thousands of hectares of scrubland.Extremely dry pastures are providing ample fuel for the fires."The fires aren't coincidental and they haven't been spreading by themselves," said Justice Minister Anibal Fernandez.Farmers have rejected the charge, however, saying it is designed to distract attention from a row over tax rises on farm exports. Earlier this month, farmers suspended a strike which had led to shortages but gave the government until the end of the month to address their concerns.Hospitals are reporting increasing complaints of respiratory problems and sore eyes, and some shops have run out of dust masks.Residents are being advised to stay indoors and keep windows closed but the smell of burning has filled houses and offices anyway, says our correspondent.Buenos Aires residents are hoping for a change in the wind direction to bring back the "good airs" which gave their city its name, our correspondent says.However, meteorologists do not expect any change for a few more days.

As in the days of Noah...

BOLIVIA:WORST FLOODING IN 50 YEARS

EL BENI, Bolivia-[[[Floodwaters have destroyed more than 1.2 million houses, according to Bolivian officials, with the northeastern department of Beni seeing the worst flooding in 50 years."There are still about 29,000 to 30,000 families that will need food for the next four or five months,"]]] said Victoria Ginja, director of the World Food Programme in Bolivia.Bolivia needs nearly $10 million to ease the hunger of the thousands of displaced people and more than $800 million to recover from the disaster, officials said.In the entire area, much of it low-lying areas, more than 19,000 families remain in a critical condition after having lost their means of subsistence, officials said. Of those, 16,000 families are living in shelters.For some, this is the third consecutive year that flood waters have sent them fleeing their homes."Everything's lost, even my children's birth certificates," said Virginia Salvatierra, one of the displaced.

As in the days of Noah...

Heavy shelling in Burundi capital

Burundi's army has launched a counter-attack in the hills around Bujumbura after the capital was shelled by suspected rebels.Four soldiers and 10 rebels were killed in the clashes, the government says.A BBC correspondent in the city says the sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard throughout the night.Peace deals have been signed with most of Burundi's rebel groups-including one which now forms the government - except the FNL, which remains active.The military's deputy spokesman Colonel Justace Ciza said the fighting had broken out in Bubanza, 50km (30 miles) north-west of the capital, Bujumbura."FNL rebels shelled mortar bombs and threw hand grenades on our different positions... but we retaliated," he said, Reuters news agency reports. He also told the AFP news agency there were clashes in numerous locations around the city following a "major attack" by the rebels.
'Self-defence'
"The FNL has shown they are not commmitted to peace," government spokesman Hafsa Mossi told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.But an FNL spokesman said the army had started the fighting."This was self-defence," said FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana from Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.The BBC's Prime Ndikumagenge in Bujumbura says a ceasefire was agreed with the FNL in September 2006 but it has not been implemented.Witnesses have told him they saw troops and armoured vehicles heading to the hillsides north of the capital, shortly before the shelling started late on Thursday.Ex-rebel Pierre Nkurunziza was elected president in 2005 under a deal to end years of conflict between the Tutsi army and Hutu rebels.More than 300,000 people died in the war sparked in 1993 by the assassination of Burundi's first Hutu head of state and democratically elected president, Melchior Ndadaye.

As in the days of Noah...

Zimbabwe weapons ship headed for Angola

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-A Chinese ship loaded with arms and ammunition sailed away from a South African waters and is on its way to Luanda, Angola to unload its cargo bound for Zimbabwe.South Africa's High Court ruled Friday the cargo could be offloaded in the Durban port, but it could not pass over South Africa roads to get to Zimbabwe, a country in crisis because of an election stalemate. Durban's dockworkers also said they would not handle the cargo, fearing the arms would be used by the Zimbabwean government against its own people.
A South African government source told CNN the China-flagged An Yue Jiang had sailed away from Durban Friday evening before the High Court's order could be served to the ship's captain.
The ship was headed to the port of Luanda, Angola, according to the South African Department of Transport.Zimbabwe is in turmoil after elections last month that saw the opposition Movement for Change party win a majority of seats in the parliament, although Mugabe's ZANU-PF party has contested 16 seats, claiming the MDC cheated.The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission began a recount of 23 of those districts Saturday morning.The presidential election, however, has sparked much more concern. The government of President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe won its independence in 1980, has refused to release results of that vote before a recount.The MDC says its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the election, but ZANU-PF has claimed the MDC engaged in election tampering. The delay in releasing the vote sparked violence and a government crackdown on opposition members."This union has a proud history of taking action against regimes which it disapproves of in the past, but this is certainly the first time it has gotten involved in an African regime like Zimbabwe," David Cockroft, general secretary of the International Transport Workers Federation, said."I don't think there's much doubt that the (dock) workers ... are very strongly against the Mugabe regime," he said.Cockroft said that arms had almost certainly been shipped to Zimbabwe through Durban in the past, but the size of this shipment-"more than a million pounds" and 3.5 million rounds of rifles, small arms, mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades-made it more noteworthy.Earlier, South African Revenue Service spokesman Adrian Lackay told CNN "that it is commonplace for landlocked neighboring states in southern Africa to use South African ports of entry for the transshipment of goods."Lackay indicated that the ship had complied with South African regulations requiring it to disclose the contents of the cargo it is carrying.A government spokesman, Thembo Maseko, told CNN, "There were arms on the ship."The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement in a fax to the Reuters news agency saying that China and Zimbabwe have normal trade relations, that the Chinese government takes a "prudent and responsible" position on arms deals and that it does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries.

As in the days of Noah...

Muslim preacher sentenced in Britain for supporting terrorism

A controversial Muslim preacher and five of his supporters were jailed Friday by a court in Britain for supporting terrorism. Abu Izzadeen, a 32-year-old former electrician and Muslim convert, was given a four-and-a-half-year jail term for terrorist fund-raising and inciting terrorism overseas. He gained notoriety in 2006 when he heckled a speech given in a mosque in east London by John Reid, Britain's Home Secretary at the time.The charges related to speeches made at London's Regent's Park mosque in November 2004, at the height of an attack by US forces on the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Five of Izzadeen's supporters, who were all members of the group Al-Muhajiroun, which is banned in Britain, were given prison terms ranging between two years and four-and-a-half years.

As in the days of Noah...

Egypt: 'Good progress' made in Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks

WASHINGTON - Egypt said on Friday it was making good progress trying to negotiate a tacit cease-fire, including a prisoner exchange, between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said his government was speaking with both sides to get a "period of quiet," which would help Israeli and Palestinian negotiators achieve a deal more easily in U.S.-mediated Palestinian statehood talks that exclude Hamas."Hamas wants to call it a period of quiet. That suits the Israelis because they do not want to reach a signed, written agreement with Hamas," Gheit said of Egypt's mediation attempts in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington."We are making good progress mediating but the difficulty we face is that often, certain trends inside Israel challenge the idea and certain trends inside Gaza challenge the idea and maybe, maybe there could also be a foreign element," he said with a smile, referring to the United States. Israel and the United States both classify Hamas as a terrorist organization and shun contacts with it, although Washington has quietly given a nod for Egypt to negotiate with the Islamist group to end violence that threatens the statehood talks. Outlining three elements of Egypt's mediation plan, Gheit said Hamas must cease firing missiles from Gaza into Israel. The Israelis, in turn, would vow not to target Palestinian activists inside Gaza and stop "targeted killings, assassinations or what have you." The second element was a prisoner swap of about 400 Palestinians held by Israel in exchange for Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, said Gheit. Shalit was abducted in June 2006 and taken to the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has balked at the scope of the prisoner release roster. Gheit said the plan was for Shalit to be delivered to the Egyptians, who in turn would hand him over to the Israelis. "Our information is that he is still alive," said Gheit of the Israeli soldier, without providing further details. The third element is to allow border crossings between Gaza and Israel to be open, with the help of European observers. "If the crossings are to be open, then we would ensure that the flow of goods, of people, of material and of everything is allowed and the Palestinians in Gaza will not feel deprived as they are right now," he said. The peace talks only involve the Wester-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Olmert. Gheit said if they reached a deal, which Washington wants by the end of the Bush administration's term in January 2009, then Hamas would be under pressure to accept it. "I think over time, Hamas will have to change because by not changing they are damaging prospects for Palestinian peace," said Gheit, who also questioned whether Israel was committed to reaching a final settlement with the Palestinians. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter set out plans for a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel during a meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Syria on Friday. Gheit did not mention Carter's meeting with the Hamas leader. The Bush administration strongly opposed Carter's talks with Hamas and had advised him against it.

As in the days of Noah...

"THE WORLD HATES ME BECAUSE I TESTIFY OF IT,THAT THE WORKS THEREOF ARE EVIL..."

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee:for he would not walk in Jewry,because the Jews sought to kill him.
Now the Jew's feast of tabernacles was at hand.
His brethren therefore said unto him,Depart hence,and go into Judaea,that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret,and he himself seeketh to be known openly.If thou do these things,shew thyself to the world.
For neither did his brethren believe in him.
Then Jesus said unto them,My time is not yet come:but your time is alway ready.
The world cannot hate you;but me it hateth,because I testify of it,that the works thereof are evil.
Go ye up unto this feast:I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come
.
When he had said these words unto them,he abode still in Galilee.
But when his brethren were gone up,then went he also up unto the feast,not openly,but as it were in secret."

John 7:1-10

Qassam hits power line in Sderot causing blackout

A Qassam rocket launched from the Gaza Strip Friday evening hit high-tension power lines in Sderot, causing an electricity blackout in several neighborhoods of the western Negev town and a nearby Kibbutz. Another rocket exploded in the yard of a residential building, causing some property damage. Police sources said several people were treated for shock. Sixteen Qassam rockets were fired toward Israel on Friday and hit open areas. One rocket sparked a fire, which was later contained. No injuries were reported.On Thursday, 17 rockets were fired at the western Negev, including an upgraded Qassam rocket which activated the "color red" alert in Ashkelon. They all hit open areas across the region, but no injuries were reported.

As in the days of Noah....

Palestinians: Hamas debating Carter truce proposals after Syria talks

Hamas engaged in an internal debate Saturday over proposals put froward by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for a unilateral cease-fire with Israel and more political flexibility, Palestinian politicians said. Carter left the Syrian capital Saturday for Riyadh after an early morning meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal. Carter and Meshaal held more than four hours of talks Friday night that discussed how the Islamist group could be drawn into a Middle East peace plan and drop its opposition to peace talks between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the rival Fatah faction.Carter demanded that Hamas stops firing rockets on Israel while he pursues efforts with Israel and the West to lift the siege on the Gaza strip, which is ruled by Hamas, politicians familiar with the meetings said. "Carter also asked Meshal to adopt more flexible public statements and talked to him as a leader of a national liberation movement, not as the terrorist Israel and America try to depict him as being," one of the sources told Reuters. "Meshal is a first among equals in Hamas. He has to secure agreement from the rest of the Hamas leadership," he added. Carter defied U.S. and Israeli opposition to meet twice this weekend with Meshal and his deputy, two men the U.S. government has labeled terrorists and Israel accuses of masterminding attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians. Thr former president is the most prominent American to hold talks with Meshal, whose group claimed new legitimacy from the meeting along with two other sessions the Nobel laureate held with Hamas leaders in the Middle East this week. "Political isolation [of Hamas] by the American administration has begun to crumble," Mohammed Nazzal, a top figure in Hamas' political bureau, told The Associated Press after Friday's meeting at Meshal's Damascus office. Meshal's deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said the meetings centered on crossings on the Gaza-Israel border, abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, the Israeli siege on the Strip and a potential cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. Meanwhile, Egypt said Friday it was making good progress in its own efforts to negotiate a tacit cease-fire, including a prisoner exchange, between Israel and Hamas. Another senior Hamas official in Damascus, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to represent the group publicly, described the meetings as warm. But he said Carter did not receive a response to either of the two requests the former president made: that Hamas halt its rocket attacks against Israel, and agree to a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai to discuss a prisoner exchange. Former Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar and former Interior Minister Saeed Seyam, two Hamas officials living in Gaza who met Carter in Cairo last week, are due in Damascus later Saturday for consultations with the leadership in exile about Carter's proposals. Nazzal said that Carter will be informed of Hamas' response in the coming days. But underscoring the impression that Carter did not win any concessions, Hamas said Friday that Shalit would never see the light of day until Palestinian prisoners are also released in an exchange. Previous efforts to broker a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel involving the soldier, have floundered. A Hamas official said Friday that Shalit would until Israel released Palestinian prisoners held in its jails. Hamas is open to the release of Shalit, "but not without a price", Nazzal said. "This meeting was not a courtesy call, concrete proposals were discussed and we admire Carter for making this effort. The discussions were frank and direct," Nazzal said. Carter's convoy arrived at Meshal's office for the meeting under tight security, and reporters were prevented from getting near the site. The meetings were closed to media, and Carter was not available for comment. He left Damascus mid-morning Saturday, flying to Saudi Arabia for the next leg of his Mideast tour. But Carter, who brokered the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, has defended what he calls his personal peace mission. He says Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, must be engaged in order to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The controversy over his visit highlights two different approaches to foreign policy. Some, like Carter, believe that is impossible to resolve a conflict without engaging all parties, even those responsible for attacks on civilians. Others, including the Bush administration, contend that such meetings give credibility to hard-line militants and allow them to play for time when they are not serious about peace. Echoing criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before the trip, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack suggested Friday that Carter had opened himself up to exploitation by both Hamas and the Syrian government. "We find it very odd that one would encourage to have a conversation between the Israeli government and Hamas, which doesn't even recognize the right of the Israeli government to exist," McCormack said. "Is that really the basis of a conversation?" Several members of Congress also urged Carter not to meet Hamas leaders, saying it would confer legitimacy on the group behind dozens of suicide bombings and other attacks that have killed some 250 Israelis. "We have a policy in this country about Hamas. And he is just deliberately undermining that policy, and it's wrong," Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., told Fox News on Friday, calling for the State Department to revoke the former president's passport. Friday's meeting, which followed a session between Carter and Syrian President Bashar Assad, was the first public contact between a prominent American figure and Hamas officials since the Rev. Jesse Jackson met with Meshal in Syria in 2006. The U.S. government has no contact with Hamas after designating it a terrorist organization in 1995 - an official label that means any financial or business transactions with the group are illegal. The government has also blacklisted Meshal and Abu Marzouk, making it illegal to conduct any transactions with them. Marzouk, who attended both meetings with Carter, has been accused of organizing a network of Islamic charities to funnel money to Hamas. He spent two years in prison in a New York jail after his name appeared on a list of people suspected of terrorist activity. He was deported in 1997. Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Bush, called Carter's meetings with Hamas officials a strategic and tactical mistake. "Palestinians believe they cannot implement a peace agreement without Hamas, but they also understand that they can't reach such an agreement with Hamas in power," Kurtzer said. Martin Indyk, a U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Clinton, said the problem with trying to bring Hamas into the negotiations is it will force Israel out. Israel brands Hamas a terrorist organization and has accused Meshal of masterminding the kidnapping of Shalit near Gaza two years ago. Israel has also blamed Meshal and the group's Damascus-based leadership of directing suicide bombings such as the September 2004 attacks that killed 16 Israelis in the southern city of Be'er Sheba. Israel tried to kill Mashaal in 1997, when agents sprayed him with poison on a street in Amman. Jordan's late King Hussein, who had signed peace with Israel in 1994, forced Israel to send the antidote that saved his life. Afterward, Jordan expelled Meshal to Qatar as the kingdom's ties with Hamas deteriorated, and he moved to Damascus in 1999. Yishai, the deputy prime minister, was the only Israeli minister to meet Carter when he visited Israel and the Palestinians territories earlier this week. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he did not meet Carter during his visit to avoid creating the impression that he was negotiating with Hamas. Carter met senior Hamas officials from Gaza in Cairo on Thursday and asked them to halt rocket attacks against Israel. And in the West Bank on Wednesday, he embraced a Hamas representative, angering Israelis. Though Israel's government refuses to deal with Hamas, Carter said Thursday he knows some Israeli government officials are quite willing to meet the militant group. Yishai said Friday he asked Carter this week to arrange a meeting with Hamas to discuss a prisoner exchange. He said he wanted to try to win the release of Shalit. Hamas official Mushir Masri, in a fiery speech Friday to thousands of Hamas supporters in Gaza, said the meetings with Carter were proof that Hamas was not a terrorist group but a national liberation movement.

As in the days of Noah....

Pakistan Successfully Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Long-Range Missile

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-Pakistan successfully test-fired a long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on Saturday, the military said.The Shaheen-2 missile was launched from an undisclosed location and has a range of 1,245 miles. The military said the missile has the capability to carry conventional and non-conventional warheads.Saturday's launch was witnessed by new Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, who congratulated the scientists and engineers for "achieving an important milestone in Pakistan's quest for sustaining strategic balance in South Asia," the military said in a statement.It quoted Gilani as saying that the defense needs of the country would remain a"high priority"for his elected government.Although Pakistan routinely tests various versions of missiles in its arsenal, the latest one came weeks after a new government, dominated by the party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was installed after winning elections in February.Pakistan became a declared nuclear power in 1998 by conducting nuclear tests in response to those carried out by neighboring India. Islamabad test-fired its first missile the same year.Since then, Pakistan and India have routinely tested their missiles.Saturday's test came about two months after Pakistan test-fired a short-range Ghazanvi missile with a range of 180 miles.Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and have fought three wars after gaining independence from Britain in 1947.However, relations have improved since 2004, when the two countries started a peace process to resolve outstanding disputes, including competing claims to the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.

As in the days of Noah....

MASSIVE DEMON POSSESSION...???:More Than 50 Senegal Students Treated After Screaming,Fainting Spells

DAKAR,Senegal-More than 50 school children underwent hospital treatment Friday after developing what educators called mass hysteria, marked by fainting and screaming.Firefighters immediately shut down Dakar's Lamine Gueye Secondary School and Senegal Minister of Education Moustapha Sourang ordered an investigation."It's the first time that I have seen such a phenomenon," Sourang said.Fifty-three teenage girls and two boys were treated at the capital's main hospital, said principal Adina Aidara."The phenomenon started in one of the classrooms," Aidara said."Three students, all girls, fell down. The same phenomenon was repeated 30 minutes later during recess." Worried parents fussed over their daughters at the hospital, and some allowed their girls to be interviewed on condition that their name not be published.A 15-year-old girl said that she was in the middle of chatting with a friend. "Suddenly I had a horrible headache. It hurt so much that I started screaming. And then I fainted.From that moment on, I no longer knew where I was," she said.Doctors didn't immediately provide a medical diagnosis, and rumors began circulating in the city linking the incident to supernatural involvement.Chief hospital psychiatrist Ababacar Wilane tried to put it into perspective, saying many of the students were "probably caught up in the moment and succumbed to a kind of domino effect" when they saw the others fainting and screaming.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351823,00.html
PS:This type of phenomenon has happened also in Uganda and there was atributed to witchcraft.....

As in the days of Noah...

Ahmadinejad Says Oil at $115 a Barrel is Too Low, Calls for Higher Prices

TEHRAN, Iran-Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted Saturday as saying crude oil prices at $115 a barrel are too low,and that oil must "discover its real value."Oil prices have hit all-time highs above $115 a barrel in recent weeks,amid reports that oil and gasoline stocks in the United States were lower than expected and as the dollar sinks to record lows."The oil price of $115 a barrel in today's global markets is a deceiving figure. Oil is a strategic commodity that needs to discover its real value," the Web site of Iran's state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.The Iranian president made the remarks during a visit to an oil and gas exhibition in Tehran late Friday.Crude oil futures surged to a new trading record of $117 a barrel Friday following an attack on a key pipeline in Nigeria. The rise capped a week of record highs fueled by supply woes and the dollar's weakness relative to other major currencies.Ahmadinejad said despite the surge in oil prices, the economic value of crude oil is currently less than what it was in 1980."While the price of other commodities have increased, the economic value of the current oil price is even less than 1980," he said.Ahmadinejad accused Western industrialized nations of "selfishness" in their quest for cheaper oil."When they get hold of oil, they assume that oil is a free commodity and belongs to them and has wrongly been placed in other territories... This is the spirit of selfishness and arrogance," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.A host of supply and demand concerns in the U.S. and abroad, along with the dollar's weakness, have bolstered oil prices, even as record retail gasoline prices in the U.S. appear to be dampening demand.A stronger dollar makes commodities such as oil less attractive to investors as a hedge against inflation, and it makes oil more expensive to investors overseas. Analysts believe the weaker dollar is the primary reason oil has soared well past $100 a barrel this year. But the effect tends to reverse when the greenback gains ground.Ahmadinejad called the U.S. currency "a handful of paper" without any global support.Iran has stopped using the U.S. dollar in its oil transactions with the outside world, switching to other non-dollar currencies such as Euro."The dollar is not money any longer but a handful of paper distributed in the world without commodity support," the Web site quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351789,00.html
As in the days of Noah...

GROWING CONCERN:Largest Military Parade in History in Iran

Iranian ambassador denounces US operation in Baghdad

BAGHDAD - Iran's ambassador to Iraq on Saturday denounced U.S. military operations in Baghdad's Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, saying they had led to the deaths of innocent people and threatened to aggravate an already tense situation.The comments by Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi came after police and hospital officials reported that 12 people had died in overnight clashes in Sadr City.U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by air power have largely blocked off the southern section of the sprawling district in a bid to prevent Shiite militia fighters led by the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr from firing rockets at the U.S.-protected Green Zone.Iraqi troops also kept up the pressure on Shiite militants in the southern city of Basra, where they fanned out through a Mahdi Army stronghold.The chief security commander in Basra, Gen. Mohan al-Fireji, said Iraqi forces were making a new push into the Hayaniyah area and had chased gunmen off a main street, with many abandoning their weapons. Several others were detained, he said, without providing numbers.Qomi expressed support for the Iraqi-led Basra offensive, which was launched on March 25, but warned that "the insistence of the Americans to lay siege" on Sadr City has led to the killing of several innocent people and "is a mistake."U.S. and Iraqi troops clamped down on Sadr City after fighting spread and attacks against the Green Zone intensified in the wake of the offensive. Four Americans were killed in near daily shelling."We criticize the measures taken by the U.S. forces. Shelling cities and surrounding people will aggravate the situation and make things worse," Qomi said during a news conference at the Iranian Embassy."The U.S. insistence on continuing this military action is a mistake and it will lead to negative results that the Iraqi government will have to shoulder the responsibility for," he added.In Sadr City's general hospital, officials said 71 people were admitted for treatment of injuries received in the overnight fighting and 12 bodies were received.The fighting came amid reports that Iraqi troops backed by U.S. forces were trying to recapture a position in the district abandoned a day ago by a company of Iraqi soldiers.Security forces in the area also have come under repeated attack by militants trying to prevent the construction of a concrete wall through the district.The wall — a concrete barrier of varying height up to about 12 feet — is being built along a main street dividing the southern portion of Sadr City from the northern, where Mahdi Army fighters are concentrated.American commanders hope the wall will hamper the fighters' ability to fire rockets and mortars at the Green Zone, the central Baghdad district where government offices and the U.S. Embassy are located.Militants have used mortars and rockets of various calibers in attacks on the Green Zone.The U.S. military said one of its attack helicopters located and hit a mortar crew in Sadr City at 3:30 a.m. Saturday, killing two gunmen and destroying the weapon.The near-daily clashes in Sadr City since then have fueled worries over a total breakdown of a truce called last year by al-Sadr, with fears of wider violence.The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also kept up the pressure on al-Sadr's followers in Basra, launching an operation early Saturday aimed at clearing militants from the Hayaniyah district, a Mahdi Army stronghold in Iraq's oil capital. British artillery and U.S. warplanes were supporting the Iraqi army operation, which met minimal resistance, military spokesman Maj. Tom Holloway said.He said that as a show of force British gunners fired a barrage of shells into an empty area near Hayaniyah and U.S. warplanes bombed it."This was intended to demonstrate the firepower available to the Iraqi forces," Holloway said.A Sadrist spokesman, Aqil al-Bahadili, also said the group had evacuated their Basra offices under orders by al-Sadr's main office in the holy city of Najaf. The cleric has maintained a cease-fire despite continuing military operations.Clashes also were reported near Nasiriyah, a city about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. Authorities imposed a curfew on the town of Suq al-Shiyoukh after a firefight in which one militant was killed and six policemen were wounded.Meanwhile, the U.S. military said an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Salahuddin province. At least 4,038 members of the U.S. military have now died since the war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.Elsewhere in Iraq, at least five people died and 18 were injured in separate bombings in the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk and the Diyala provincial capital of Baqouba.The attacks capped a violent week that has raised concerns that suspected Sunni insurgents are regrouping in the north. U.S. and Iraqi troops have stepped up security operations in Mosul, believed to be one of the last urban strongholds of al-Qaida in Iraq. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Ajy7ihZxi28UiU49snGn9HBI2ocA
As in the days of Noah....

AND WE BELIEVE AND ARE SURE THAT YOU ARE THAT CHRIST,THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD"

"From that time many of his disciples went back,and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve,Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him,Lord,to whom shall we go?thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ,the Son of the living God.
Jesus answered them,Have not I chosen you twelve,and one of you is a devil?
He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon:for he it was that should betray him,being one of the twelve."

John 6:66-71

First Korean astronaut returns to Earth

MOSCOW-South Korea's first astronaut returned to Earth on Saturday, touching down with two International Space Station crew members in a cramped Russian landing pod, space officials said. The Soyuz craft landed slightly off its target in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan, but Korean scientist Yi So-Yeon and her two colleagues emerged unscathed, the officials said in a televised briefing."The landing was within the normal limits... all of the cosmonauts are well," said Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos.The three crew members said they felt "wonderful," another official said.Yi, whose mission was hailed as a landmark for the Korean space programme, was joined on the descent by Russian flight engineer Yury Malenchenko and US astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has now spent more time in space than any other American.The three were plucked by Russian helicopters from the barren steppe of Kazakhstan, the centre of the Russian space programme since the Soviet era, Roskosmos head Perminov said.They landed off target because they changed their landing plan at the last minute without telling mission control, delaying the rescue mission, he said.Yi, a biosystems engineer, carried out a series of experiments during her nine-day mission on the space station, which has been hailed as a landmark for South Korea's space programme. President Lee Myung-Bak described it as the start of a "march towards space" for South Korea.After paying some 20 million dollars (12.8 million euros) for Yi's mission, Seoul is due to launch a satellite from its own space base later this year.Yi also brought an Asian flavour to the ISS, taking a kimono on board and bringing South Korea's beloved pickle dish kimchi into space.While Yi only spent nine days on board, Whitson and Malenchenko were in orbit for 191 days. The trip pushed Whitson's career total to 377 days in space, more than any other American, US space agency NASA said.She was replaced as commander by Russian Sergei Volkov, who at 35 is the youngest person ever to run the ISS, which has accommodated 156 astronauts from 15 countries,as well as five "space tourists." Volkov is the son of former Russian cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who launched from the Soviet Union and returned only after the Soviet collapse of December 1991, the two forming the first father-and-son space dynasty.Back at mission control in Moscow, Malenchenko's wife Yekaterina said she was not upset that the crew had changed their landing plan at the last minute."It's the second time that has happened," she said."My first word to him will be 'hi-it's been so long since I've seen him," she said. Malenchenko, who was making his third long-term flight in space, married Yekaterina via a video link up from the space station in 2003.

As in the days of Noah...