Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Aircraft Carrier Strikeforce Readies in Case of War With Iran
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsThe Telegraph - By Nick Meo, on the USS John C Stennis near the Strait of Hormuz
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

When the aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis returns to the placid blue waters of the Gulf with her strike force of 70 jets in the next few days, she will be ready for action off the coast of Iran.

USS John C Stennis CVN-74 Aircraft Carrier: Royal Navy Pilot Stephen Collins call sign Lothar on secondment to the USS Navy Photo: PAUL GROVER

The flagship $4.5 billion carrier, a 100,000 ton floating city with a crew of 5,000, was despatched four months earlier than planned to bolster the United States Navy's already formidable force in the region, the Fifth Fleet.

Its mission is to keep some of the world's busiest shipping lanes open in its most combustible region; at any moment America's standoff with Iran could escalate into a crisis.

"Could there be a threat?" asked Rear Admiral Mike Shoemaker, the man who would command any mission to force open the sea lanes. "Yes is the answer. Is it manageable? Also yes."

Admiral Shoemaker, a wiry man with a Navy buzz cut, runs through the likely threats: anti-ship cruise missiles; midget submarines; speedboats on suicide missions. Iran's conventional air force and navy are clapped out and no match for the US Navy, but they had years of practising mine-laying.

"If they sunk a tanker, that could shut the Strait for a couple of days or a week," Adm Shoemaker said. "But we could deal with that quite quickly. A massive mine-laying effort, though, would take a while to clear."

Three Iranian Missile Experts in Gaza from Lebanon After Ceasefire
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Anti-Israel

“Israel will do all it can to prevent Iran from re-arming Hamas after its losses in our Gaza operation,” said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz when he met new armored corps conscripts Sunday, Nov. 25.
But debkafile intelligence sources have learned that Saturday, Nov. 24, just three days after the Gaza ceasefire halted Israel’s eight-day operation to stop the latest Palestinian missile blitz, three Iranian missile engineers managed to steal into the Gaza Strip. Another three are on the way.
They are the first Iranian military personnel to land in the Gaza Strip, arriving from their regular base n Lebanon and entering Egypt on false passports.

Bedouin guides led the Iranians through secret smuggling trails in Sinai up to the Gaza Strip undetected by Egyptian surveillance. They entered Palestinian territory through one of the tunnels for smuggling arms and people which Israel bombers had blasted 72 hours before the ceasefire. Hamas carried out a rush job to make it fit for use.
The Iranian missile experts came to assess the performance of the Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 supplied by Tehran which Hamas fired against the Israeli population up to and during the Israeli operation. It is important for the Iranian arms industry to learn the accuracy of their products' aim and trajectory in battle conditions and how efficiently they functioned against the defensive wall set up by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system.
The Iranian engineers had an important finding to work with: On Tuesday, Nov. 20, the day before the ceasefire, Hamas rocket teams carried out an experiment against Israel’s wonder weapon: They fired a 16-rocket Grad salvo at Beersheba. Iron Dome blew up 8 in mid-air, 4 landed outside built-up areas but 4 made it into the heart of the town. A few minutes later Hamas started shooting 14 Grades in volley after volley just a few minutes apart - altogether 30 rockets at the same target in the space of two hours.
The score was 8 to 22 in favor of the Hamas tactic. The experiment was designed to assess the Iron Dome teams’ post-operation reloading speed – information which is a close IDF secret.
What the Palestinians learned from the Beersheba experiment was that their strength against the Israeli defense system lies in numbers: the bigger the multiple missile barrage, the greater its chances of penetrating Iron Dome cover and reaching urban targets. They accordingly put together large batteries of 6 to 8 rockets each side by side and fired them all at the same time from underground silos.
The launchers were then folded back underground for concealment.
debkafile’s military sources confirm that, like the Palestinians and Iranian missile engineers, the team which developed Iron Dome likewise used the Gaza operation as a testing ground. Certain improvements were introduced on the spot in the course of the hostilities. This process continues apace.
The Iranian missile experts arrived in Gaza from their regular duties with Hizballah rocket units in Lebanon, which are to see to the proper maintenance of Lebanese militia’s store of Iran-made weaponry and train its men in their use.
While there, the Iranians learned Arabic and so have no difficulty in communicating with Tehran’s Palestinian protégés, Hamas an Jihad Islami in Gaza.

Syrian Islamists Declare Independence
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Ryan Jones
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Just as with Egypt, Syria's "Arab Spring" revolution is looking as though it will end with the creation of a new Islamic state.

On Monday, the more radical of the Islamist factions taking part in Syria's civil war posted a video online in which they declared the northern city of Aleppo to be independent from the regime in Damascus.

"We are the representatives of the fighting formations in Aleppo and we declare our rejection of the conspiratorial project, the so-called national alliance," said the rebels, referring to the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition.

"We have unanimously agreed to urgently establish an Islamic state," the video concluded.

The rebels fear that just as in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere, Western powers are trying to use the Arab Spring to turn Syria into a Western-style democracy that is in line with American and European interests.

But, just as in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere, the West initially underestimated the influence of Islamist groups in Syria and the major role they are playing in the battle against the current dictator.

Across the border in Israel, the concern is that, again like Egypt, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad will simply be replaced by a more radical Islamist ruler.

Some in Britain Say EU is Bringing a New 'Marxist Revolution'
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsLos Angeles Times - Henry Chu
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Hostility toward the European Union is increasing, making British withdrawal a real possibility and creating a big headache for the Conservative-led government.

RAMSEY, England — Looking at Europe from this side of the English Channel, Peter Reeve doesn't see a "cuddly" continent of biscotti, Burgundy and BMWs. He sees the evil specter of Soviet Russia.

Only this time, it's Brussels, not Moscow, at the center of an expanding, metastasizing super-government bent on turning independent nations like France and Germany into vassal states. Instead of the Soviet Union, it's the European Union that scares him.

Reeve, a local councilor with the UK Independence Party, wants Britain to pull out of the EU while it still can, before it's trapped in such a thick web of European regulation and control that escape becomes impossible and the country winds up as an offshore outpost of a totalitarian EU regime.

"I genuinely believe this is a Marxist revolution happening," said Reeve. "This country is part of it, but balking on it" — an impulse he heartily encourages.

Reeve's dystopian view lies on the more extreme end of "Euroskepticism" here in Britain. But dissatisfaction and downright hostility toward the European Union is undeniably on the rise, making British withdrawal from the 27-nation club a more real prospect than it has been for years and creating a massive headache for the Conservative-led government.

Upset at EU court rulings that trump British ones, health-and-safety regulations viewed as ridiculously onerous and Eastern European migrants "stealing" local jobs, many Britons feel that EU membership is now more a liability than an asset. At best, they say, Britain is being held back from achieving its economic potential; at worst, it's been stripped of sovereignty and placed at the mercy of unfriendly, unelected "Eurocrats" at EU headquarters in Brussels.

Polls increasingly show more Britons in favor of leaving the EU than staying in. Anti-EU sentiment pervades British politics, with some Cabinet ministers openly calling for Britain to pull out, or at least for the question to be put to voters in a referendum.

All this has thrown the government of Prime Minister David Cameron into a tricky position. He must weigh growing public disenchantment with the EU against the pro-Europe interests of big business, a natural constituency of his Conservative Party, which fears being shut out of the EU's single market.

Some political analysts warn that outside the EU, Britain's global influence would sharply diminish, especially its role as a transatlantic bridge for the U.S.

"The Americans have always told the Brits that 'you guys are important for us because you have a big influence in Europe,'" said Philip Whyte, a research fellow at the London-based Center for European Reform. "If Britain left the EU, you [in the U.S.] won't be necessarily picking up the phone to London. Britain won't be the first country you'd be calling; the first country you'd be calling would be Germany."

With so much at stake, Cameron has continually put off setting out his vision on Britain's relationship with the EU. He is acutely aware that the last two Conservative prime ministers, John Major and Margaret Thatcher, were both toppled from power amid disputes over Europe, and he doesn't want to make it three in a row.

But there is growing clamor for him to take a stand, particularly from his own backbenchers, among whom "Euroskepticism" runs strong. Analysts say Cameron will have to make a decision soon on whether to call a referendum.

The pressures on him were on full display last week at a tense summit of European leaders in Brussels. Fury at home over a proposed increase to the EU's budget, which is funded by member states, obliged Cameron to take a hard line against any deal that he said amounted to "picking the pockets" of British taxpayers. The meeting ended in collapse.

Finance ministers from the 17 countries that use the euro currency are to meet Monday to talk about Greece, the epicenter of Europe's debt crisis, but the next full meeting of all 27 EU nation leaders is not until December.

Further distancing itself from the rest of Europe, Cameron's government has declared its intention to opt out of some of the EU's unpopular legal and judicial agreements, which critics say handcuff Britain's own law-enforcement system. A government report is due to be completed in 2014 that will spell out other powers that London ought to "repatriate," or take back from the EU.

That kind of cherry-picking irritates Britain's continental partners, many of which are drawing closer economically and politically to save the euro just as Britain, which has clung to the pound as its currency, pulls in the opposite direction. Some EU countries are beginning to wonder why they don't simply show the door to such an uncooperative club member that seems determined to go its own way anyway.

Ironically, the British backlash against the EU comes at a time when Britons are better traveled than ever before, cosmopolitan enough to know "the difference between a latte and a macchiato," as Whyte put it.

"When people think about Europe, they think in a lot less parochial way than probably 25 years ago," he said. "The paradox is that the growth of that feeling has coincided with a growth of hostility to the Brussels institutions. It's not that people hate the French more than they did 25 years ago; it's that they're more hostile to Brussels institutions than 25 years ago."

Reports: Iran Feverishly Rearming Hamas
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Ryan Jones
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. According to Israeli sources cited by London's Sunday Times, satellites have picked up Iranian cargo ships being loaded with medium and long-range missiles, presumably destined for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Israel agreed to a sudden, and some say premature, ceasefire in Gaza as Israeli leaders told the public that the military goals had all been achieved. That might be true - a bulk of Hamas' missile stockpile was destroyed - but that's only telling half the story.

With Hamas still in charge, and apparently more popular than ever after its "victory" over Israel, finding willing soldiers to assist in the rearming isn't going to be difficult.

And Iran is seemingly all too thrilled to pick up the tab.

If intelligence sources are right, the cargo ships will head to Sudan, from where the medium-range Fajr-5 missiles will be smuggled overland into Gaza. The long-range Shahab-3 missiles believed to also be on board will likely remain in Sudan, which itself will be only too happy to join the next war against Israel.

With it becoming abundantly clear that Hamas will recover, and perhaps even increase, its military strength, and with the premature ceasefire having given the group a major boost of confidence, many Israelis are wondering what was the point of the limited aerial campaign their nation waged.

Let the Headlines Speak
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Jamie Foxx Calls Obama ‘Our Lord And Savior’ During Awards Show
Actor and musician Jamie Foxx called President Barack Obama ‘our lord and savior’ during his appearance on the Soul Train Awards 2012 on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada. “It’s like church over here. It’s like church in here. First of all, give an honor to God and our lord and savior Barack Obama. Barack Obama,” Foxx told the audience.

Brzezinski: “Populist Resistance” is Derailing the New World Order
During a recent speech in Poland, former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski warned fellow elitists that a worldwide “resistance” movement to “external control” driven by “populist activism” is threatening to derail the move towards a new world order.

Palm scanners get thumbs up in schools, hospitals
At schools in Pinellas County, Fla., students aren't paying for lunch with cash or a card, but with a wave of their hand over a palm scanner. "It's so quick that a child could be standing in line, call mom and say, 'I forgot my lunch money today.' She's by her computer, runs her card, and by the time the child is at the front of the line, it's already recorded," says Art Dunham, director of food services for Pinellas County Schools.

TriHealth fires 150 employees for not getting flu shots
One of Cincinnati’s largest employers fired approximately 150 employees Wednesday for failing to get a required flu shot.

UN to launch new round of talks on global warming
As nearly 200 countries meet in oil-and-gas-rich Qatar for annual talks starting Monday on slowing global warming, one of the main challenges will be raising climate aid for poor countries at a time when budgets are strained by financial turmoil. Rich countries have delivered nearly $30 billion in grants and loans promised in 2009, but those commitments expire this year.

Second earthquake reported in Hawaii
The quake reportedly occurred at 3:56 p.m. PST, which is 1:56 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. The epicenter is believed to be 10 miles south of Volcano, 12 miles south-southwest of Fern Forest, 14 miles south-southwest of Eden Rock, 28 miles south-southwest of of Hilo, and 218 miles southeast of Honolulu.

In Shocker, Israel's Barak Quits Politics
Barak, Israel's most-decorated soldier and one-time prime minister, said he would stay on in his current post until a new government is formed following the Jan. 22 balloting. His resignation could mean the departure of the most moderating influence on hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds a wide lead in polls and is expected to easily win re-election.

Egypt crisis: Mohammed Mursi meets top judges
Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi is meeting senior judges to try to ease a crisis over the extent of his powers, reports say. A decree giving him sweeping new powers was announced on Thursday, sparking violent nationwide protests and leading to a 9% drop in Egypt's stock market. Mr Mursi said on Sunday the decree was temporary and not intended to concentrate power in his hands.

Floods in UK: Storm front expected to move north
North-east England and north Wales are braced for possible flooding as the weather front which brought heavy rain to southern England moves north. There are about 210 flood warnings and 300 flood alerts in England and Wales, and two flood alerts in Scotland. This weekend 816 homes were flooded, mainly in south-west England.

Strong Earthquake Strikes Western China
The magnitude-5.5 quake struck at early Monday afternoon near the town of Ruoqiang in the vast but lightly populated region. Homes were damaged, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a bid to thwart a rising tide of euroscepticism in the country, Mr Blair will deliver a speech to the lobby group Business in New Europe on Wednesd
If Earth is struck by a large solar flare, some in the scientific community believe: •The planet will be hit with a widespread loss of power. •Air travel would be grounded. •Nuclear plants would be crippled and without sufficient back-up power, dozens could meltdown. •Satellites would be disabled, causing a serious loss of communication in all areas (military and civilian). •Food and medicine would be in short supply, setting up the potential for food riots within days of an outage.

Some in Britain say EU is bringing a new 'Marxist revolution
Looking at Europe from this side of the English Channel, Peter Reeve doesn't see a "cuddly" continent of biscotti, Burgundy and BMWs. He sees the evil specter of Soviet Russia. Only this time, it's Brussels, not Moscow, at the center of an expanding, metastasizing super-government bent on turning independent nations like France and Germany into vassal states. Instead of the Soviet Union, it's the European Union that scares him.

KAHLILI: Iran thrilled over Obama re-election
Iranian leaders did not hide their satisfaction in Mr. Obama’s re-election and the prospect of more negotiations, which, in their view, will buy them more time to develop nuclear weapons.

Hezbollah says could hit all of Israel in future war
Speaking four days after the ceasefire which ended a week of conflict between Israel and the Islamist Hamas rulers of Gaza, Nasrallah said Hezbollah's response to any attack would dwarf the rocket fire launched from Palestinian territories. "Israel, which was shaken by a handful of Fajr-5 rockets during eight days - how would it cope with thousands of rockets which would fall on Tel Aviv and other (cities) ... if it attacked Lebanon?" Nasrallah said.

Ehud Barak Drops Out of Israeli Politics
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Ryan Jones
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday announced that his newly-formed Independence Party will not be running in the upcoming general election, and that he is retiring from politics.

Barak said at a press conference in Tel Aviv that he had been considering making such an announcement for some time, but that the recent Gaza war postponed the event.

Barak will continue on as defense minister until after the election and the formation of a new government.

Ehud Barak is the most decorated soldier in the modern State of Israel's short history. He took part in numerous battles, and a number of daring commando raids, many of them at the side of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's current prime minister.

Referencing Barak's martial history, Shelley Yachimovich, the current leader of Labor, wished Barak well on his new life outside politics:

"Ehud Barak is the most decorated soldier in the world, one of the most highly regarded [in the realm of] international security and a man who contributed to the army and state security more than the public will ever know."

Naftali Bennett, new head of the right-wing Jewish Home Party, offered similar praise:

"Ehud Barak is a man of many merits and amazing contributions to the state. Many of us owe our lives to him."

Of course, it was not all positive. Many saw Barak as a shrewd and egotistical political rival, and welcomed his departure.

David's Sling: Israel's Next Generation of Missile Interceptors
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Ryan Jones
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Over the weekend Israel successfully tested the latest piece in its national missile shield: David's Sling.

Developed jointly by Israeli and American defense contractors, David's Sling is capable of downing medium-range projectiles and cruise missiles. In the recent test, the two-stage interceptor destroyed an incoming medium-range missile fired over Israel's southern Negev region.

David's Sling fills the gap between Israel's short-range Iron Dome anti-missile system (which performed so well during the recent Gaza war) and the long-range Arrow system.

When all three systems are fully operational, they will provide a near complete missile shield for the Jewish state.

David's Sling in particular is being touted as an effective defense against Hizallah's large arsenal of missiles in southern Lebanon. It can also act as a back-up for any Iranian missiles missed by the Arrow system.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said at the David's Sling test that a multi-layered missile defense has become a top priority for Israel:

"The major success of Iron Dome batteries in Operation Pillar of Defense clarifies beyond all doubt the huge importance of missile defense programs. The State of Israel is a world leader in this field, thanks to its Israeli defense industries and their people."

Could a ‘Solar Maximum’ Event Spark Food Riots and Meltdowns? (one Respected Scientist Says ‘yes!’)
Nov 26th, 2012
Daily NewsThe Blaze
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

Image: NASA

If Earth is struck by a large solar flare, some in the scientific community believe:

• The planet will be hit with a widespread loss of power.
• Air travel would be grounded.
• Nuclear plants would be crippled and without sufficient back-up power, dozens could meltdown.
• Satellites would be disabled, causing a serious loss of communication in all areas (military and civilian).
• Food and medicine would be in short supply, setting up the potential for food riots within days of an outage.

The same scientists who believe that a large solar strike could lead to a very rapid societal breakdown say that steps to avoid the problem are available and at a relatively low cost to all of us. What is a “relatively low cost?” They estimate the amount of money needed to insulate the power grid (and ourselves) from trouble to be less than one dollar per American. But Congress said “no” to their proposal.

Is there really cause for concern?

Over the next fourteen months Earth will be on high alert for a huge burst of electromagnetic energy from the sun. This powerful pulse is known as a “Solar Maximum” – an event that could cause catastrophic damage to power grids and communications systems. The peak time for the next big flare is sometime between now and the end of 2013. This possibility has scientists at the " target="_self">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on alert. Tom Bogdan, the director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, is monitoring the situation as closely as possible.