Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Why the Double Standard Between ISIS and Hamas?
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

President Barack Obama has rightfully condemned the ISIS beheading of American James Foley in the strongest terms. This is what he said:

"There has to be a common effort to extract this cancer so it does not spread. There has to be a clear rejection of the kind of a nihilistic ideologies. One thing we can all agree on is group like (ISIS) has no place in the 21st century. Friends and allies around the world, we share a common security a set of values opposite of what we saw yesterday. We will continue to confront this hateful terrorism and replace it with a sense of hope and stability."

At the same time that President Obama has called for an all-out war against the "cancer" of ISIS, he has regarded Hamas as having an easily curable disease, urging Israel to accept that terrorist group, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction, as part of a Palestinian unity government. I cannot imagine him urging Iraq, or any other Arab country, to accept ISIS as part of a unity government.

Former President Jimmy Carter and Bishop Desmond Tutu have gone even further, urging the international community to recognize the legitimacy of Hamas as a political party and to grant it diplomatic recognition. It is hard to imagine them demanding that the same legitimate status be accorded ISIS.

Why then the double standard regarding ISIS and Hamas? Is it because ISIS is less brutal and violent than Hamas? It's hard to make that case. Hamas has probably killed more civilians — through its suicide bombs, its murder of Palestinian Authority members, its rocket attacks and its terror tunnels — than ISIS has done. If not for Israel's Iron Dome and the Israeli Defense Forces, Hamas would have killed even more innocent civilians. Indeed its charter calls for the killing of all Jews anywhere in the world, regardless of where they live or which "rock" they are hiding behind. If Hamas had its way, it would kill as least as many people as ISIS would.

Is it the manner by which ISIS kills? Beheading is of course a visibly grotesque means of killing, but dead is dead and murder is murder. And it matters little to the victim's family whether the death was caused by beheading, by hanging or by a bullet in the back of a head. Indeed most of ISIS's victims have been shot rather than beheaded, while Hamas terrorists have slaughtered innocent babies in their beds, teenagers on the way home from school, women shopping, Jews praying and students eating pizza.

Is it because ISIS murdered an American? Hamas has murdered numerous Americans and citizens of other countries. They too are indiscriminate in who they kill.

Is it because ISIS has specifically threatened to bring its terrorism to American shores, while Hamas focuses its terrorism in Israel? The Hamas Charter does not limit its murderous intentions to one country. Like ISIS it calls for a worldwide "caliphate," brought about by violent Jihad.

Everything we rightly fear and despise from ISIS we should fear and despise from Hamas. Just as we would never grant legitimacy to ISIS, we should not grant legitimacy to Hamas—at the very least until it rescinds its charter and renounces violence. Unfortunately that is about as likely as America rescinding its constitution. Violence, anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism are the sine qua non of Hamas' mission.

Just as ISIS must be defeated militarily and destroyed as a terrorist army, so too must Hamas be responded to militarily and its rockets and tunnels destroyed.

It is widely, and in my view mistakenly, argued by many academics and diplomats that there can never be a military solution to terrorism in general or to the demands of Hamas in particular. This conventional wisdom ignores the lessons of history. Chamberlain thought there could be a diplomatic solution to Hitler's demands. Churchill disagreed. History proved Churchill correct. Nazi Fascists and Japanese militarists had to be defeated militarily before a diplomatic resolution could be achieved.

So too with ISIS and Hamas. They must first be defeated militarily and only then might they consider accepting reasonable diplomatic and political compromises. Another similarity between ISIS and Hamas is that if these terrorist groups were to lay down their arms, there might be peace, whereas if their enemies were to lay down their arms, there would be genocide.

No democratic nation can accept its own destruction. We cannot compromise — come half way — with terrorists who demand the deaths of all who stand in the way of their demand for a Sunni caliphate, whether these terrorists call themselves ISIS or Hamas. Both are, in the words of President Obama, "cancers" that must be extracted before they spread. Both are equally malignant. Both must be defeated on the battlefield, in the court of public opinion and in the courts of law. There can be no compromise with bigotry, terrorism or the demand for a caliphate. Before Hamas or ISIS can be considered legitimate political partners, they must give up their violent quest for a worldwide Islamic caliphate.

We Need to Worry About a 9/11 - Style Attack By ISIS
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Daily Caller
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Former deputy director of the CIA Mike Morell warned Sunday that “over the long term — two and a half, three years — we need to worry about a 9/11-style attack by ISIS.”

Appearing Sunday on CBS’ “Face The Nation,” Morell broke down the radical Islamic terror group’s short and long-term threats to the United States.

“I think there’s three things we have to worry about,” he said. “Two are short-term, one is long-term.”

“The two short-term pieces are number one: will they inspire somebody here to conduct an attack?” Morell asked. “The second is that there are a number of Americans, a number of Canadians and a number of West Europeans who went to Syria to join ISIS to fight with them. Any one of those could be directed back to the United States to conduct a small-scale attack.”

“Over the long-term — two and a half, three years — we need to worry about a 9/11 style attack by ISIS,” the former deputy intelligence director cautioned.

His comments echo those made by the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward on Sunday, who noted that ISIS’ resources dwarf those possessed by al-Qaida when they killed nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001

UN to Continue Push for Global Governance Over Internet This Fall
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

In a recent essay entitled, "The Strategic Significance of the Internet Commons," former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff describes cyberspace and the Internet as a "global commons" that must come under "global governance." This is the latest salvo in an ongoing campaign by a disparate congeries of internationalists, socialists, communists, and jihadists to turn over control of the Internet to some sort of regime under the United Nations.

Unbeknownst to most Americans, the effort to transfer that control to the UN - including Internet taxing, censoring, and surveillance powers - is already far advanced. As The New American reported in March of this year, the Obama administration has already begun the phased transfer of Internet control to a nebulous and uncertain governance structure that has been set up as an innocent-appearing transition platform that, ultimately, is set for transfer to UN control. 

The Chertoff article, which appeared on the International Relations and Security Network (ISN) on August 14, was originally published in the Summer 2014 issue of Strategic Studies Quarterly, a journal published by the Air Force Research Institute. In it, Chertoff writes:

Cyberspace, much like the high seas, air, outer space, and Antarctica should be viewed as the newest global commons.... Cyberspace is a strategic resource that is essential to today's global economy yet poses unprecedented risk and vulnerability. Like the development of global governance for the high seas and outer space, cyberspace needs global governance that preserves its freedom and openness while strengthening its security to protect the shared economic and utility value of all nations.

Chertoff Cheers UN Law of the Sea Treaty

Chertoff seems especially enamored of the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), citing it approvingly several times as the model for dealing with the cyberspace global commons. This is revealing, inasmuch as LOST has been a cauldron of controversy for decades, since it would: a) challenge the sovereignty of our inland and coastal waters; b) give the UN pretended legal authority over "all ocean space"; c) give the UN a huge constant revenue stream from seabed mineral rights and sea lane taxes ; d) subject our naval operations to UN interference; and much more.

So, how is it that former DHS chief Chertoff is now an expert on the Internet, and why is he stumping for "global governance" for cyberspace? The short bio at the end of his article that we quote above states that he is "the co-founder and chairman of the Chertoff Group and a member of the Global Commission on Internet Governance." Following in the footsteps of many other "public servants," Chertoff has parlayed the contacts and connections from his government career into a lucrative and influential consultancy business. We won't take space here to go into his business conflicts of interest (as, for instance, his public promotion of full-body airport scans, while failing to disclose that his firm's client, RapiScan, is the main producer of the technology and is making millions of dollars on the supposed "security" provided by the devices), but what about this Global Commission on Internet Governance. Sounds very official, no? So who commissioned this commission?

Chatham House Leads Internet Grab

According to a press release from Chatham House on January 22 of this year: "Carl Bildt, Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs, will chair a new Global Commission on Internet Governance, launched by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House)."

The Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA, also known as Chatham House) is the British cabal of globalists who serve as the de facto governing class of the U.K., in much the same manner that its New York-based sister house, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR, also known as Pratt House), operates here in the United States. 

Bildt serves on the International Advisory Board of the CFR. Another CFR luminary serving on the new Global Commission on Internet Governance is Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael Spence, author of The Next Convergence. And another is Joseph Nye, professor and former dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, former chair of the National Intelligence Council, and current executive director at the CFR, chair of studies at the CFR, and current North American chairman of the Trilateral Commission. Chertoff's aforementioned bio neglects to mention that he also is a member of the Trilateral Commission, a very rarified group of one-worlders organized by David Rockefeller (former chairman of the board and current honorary chairman of the CFR, as well as founder and current honorary chairman of the Trilateral Commission). The CFR, RIIA, and Trilateral Commission form the top tier of globalist think tanks promoting world government. Notable allied outfits in this effort include the Brookings Institution, Aspen Institute, Peterson Institute, Club of Rome, Club of Madrid, Rand Corporation (of which Bildt is also a trustee), and a host of the big foundations, such as Ford, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Gates, Soros, Hewlett, et al.

And since we have mentioned the Aspen Institute, it is apropos also to mention that Michael Chertoff co-chaired Aspen's Homeland Security Group, which produced the 2012 report entitled, "Homeland Security and Intelligence: Next Steps in Evolving the Mission." As to be expected the Chertoff-led Aspen report advocated for evolution in the direction of centralized, nationalized control of police functions. That is always a given: In the CFR-RIIA world view, power - political and economic - must always "evolve" (with plenty of helpful pushes, shoves, and brow beatings by the CFR thought cartel) toward more concentrated and centralized power, first by breaking down checks and balances and transferring authority from the local to the national level, and then from the national to the regional and global levels.

So, it is not surprising that Chertoff is once again toadying for the CFR-RIIA globalist powers-that-be in asserting the need for "global governance" over another vital aspect of our lives. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden, a CFR member, is a principal of the Chertoff Group. General Hayden served as a member of the CFR's Advisory Committee that helped produce the Council Special Report No. 56 entitled, "Internet Governance in an Age of Cyber Insecurity." The report was a project of the CFR's International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) program, an ongoing project that is ever pushing for more centralized, concentrated global government.

WEF and Upcoming UN's Internet Summit in September

It is also worthy of note that the venue chosen by the RIIA for its press release announcing the launch of the Global Commission on Internet Governance was - the 2014 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos Switzerland. The WEF is that annual glamorous soiree of globalist billionaires, bankers, butchers, dictators, politicians, and academics where the CFR-RIIA elites of the capitalist world hobnob and network with their communist and socialist counterparts. Thus the explosion of activity and propaganda in favor of "global governance" for the Internet.

The timing of the RIIA announcement at the WEF was not accidental; the organized one-worlders hope to push through much of their agenda to seize the Internet at the rapidly approaching Ninth Annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) conference to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, this September 2-5. Turkey, which is supplying the IGF venue, is, of course, something less than a paragon of civil liberties. And heading up the Internet Governance Forum confab is United Nations Under-Secretary General Wu Hongbo, a functionary of the Communist Party of the Peoples Republic of China, where posting an unapproved Internet comment can bring a visit from the cyber police and cause the offending commenter to "disappear."

The VMT Tax: Big Brother will be Watching You Drive
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

For years, even decades, the federal government has been urging motorists to drive fuel-efficient vehicles. In President Obama's first term, there was even a "Cash for Clunkers" program, offering drivers a financial reward if they traded in an old car for a more fuel-efficient new vehicle. And apparently Americans have done too good a job of following that government policy. Greater fuel efficiency means minimal or less frequent purchases at the gas pump. Some motorists have switched to hybrid or electric cars, which enables them to avoid the gas pumps altogether. All of which results in lower revenue from federal and state gas taxes, which means less money to build and repair roads and bridges and fund myriad mass transit programs. So policymakers are looking at taxing not the gas you buy, but the miles you travel.

A Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax might not reduce air pollution or the nation's dependence on foreign oil, the main reasons given for government's campaign to get motorists into more fuel-efficient vehicles. But it could raise more revenue and even be useful for traffic control since it could tax motorists for driving into already congested areas. But chances are drivers won't like being penalized for having long commutes to work or going extra miles on vacation trips any more than they would like paying more in taxes at the gas pumps. And at least some of us might resent the invasion of privacy involved in having the government track all our trips, short and long, to total up our mileage bill. As described on the federal technology news site, Nextgov.com:

It has long been a nightmare scenario for privacy advocates: Every time you get in your car, a computer relays your location and tracks your trip from start to finish. It can track how far you go, where you drive, how long the trip is, and even how much traffic you encounter.

For many drivers it is already a reality, as motorists take part in ride-sharing programs such as Zipcar or Car2Go, though both services record cars and drivers. E-Z passes enable drivers to zip through tolls without the delay and inconvenience of stopping to pay, but the system also creates electronic records of everyone's trips on toll roads. But to have a Global Positioning System or some such device in every car to track each motorist's comings and goings has overtones of an Orwellian "Big Brother" government, watching you every move and knowing where you are at all times. When then-Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood proposed such a system in early 2009, NextGov.com recalled, the Obama administration quickly disowned it, saying it was off the table. A proposal to research a VMT system was left out of the 2012 transportation reauthorization bill. But some transportation experts argue that Americans have already surrendered so much privacy for the conveniences of modern technology that the intrusive watchfulness of a VMT system should hardly bother us. 

"Logic has not really entered into that discussion," said Joshua Schank, president of the Eno Center for Transportation. "People have had cell phones and private cell companies knowing where they travel for years, but somehow that doesn't give them any more comfort if the federal government is going to track their driving."

Ride-sharing companies track trips for locations, speed, and travel times, but have policies aimed at offering motorists some assurance of privacy protection. Zipcar says it does "not actively track or monitor vehicle location, and we do not store historical GPS data regarding vehicle location." Uber, the rideshare and taxi service, uses GPS and geolocation through its mobile app to see where users and drivers are, but says the data is not shared with third parties and is used only for purposes such as customizing services, promotions, and data analytics.

"There's really a lot less privacy with those systems because they know at least where you are picked up and dropped off and someone's keeping track of that," said Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. "I have no reason to doubt that these companies are trustworthy and it's possible that as people become more comfortable with that, they'll see that there are less privacy concerns."

"I don't think that means we should be any less concerned about the government doing something like this," said Gautum Hans, an attorney with the Center for Democracy and Technology. He told Nextgov.com that people may be more comfortable with a private company using location tracking for business or research use, but "as we like to say, a private company can't put you in jail." "Research is understood by individuals. You can understand why a ride-sharing app would want to do research as long as it's aggregated and takes steps to protect your privacy," he said. "With the government, there are reasons you would be concerned, whether it's the First Amendment and the freedom of association or how the information is kept."

A federal pilot program is already underway in Oregon, offering 5,000 volunteers a variety of options, including a smartphone app, self-bought GPS systems, or even a flat fee that would require no tracking at all. But if millions of motorists have switched to smaller, more fuel efficient cars to escape rising prices at the gas pump, would millions more not curtail needless trips to reduce their tax burden under a VMT system? What will that do to vacation trips?

Stay tuned for opposition from the travel and tourist industry.

Tehran Vows to 'Accelerate' Arming of Palestinians
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Elbit's Hermes UAV (file)

Elbit Systems

Tehran will "accelerate" arming Palestinians in Judea and Samaria in retaliation for Israel allegedly deploying a spy drone over Iran, which was shot down, a military commander said on Monday.

"We will accelerate the arming of the West Bank and we reserve the right to give any response," said General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of aerial forces of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, in a statement on their official website sepahnews.com.

The warning comes a day after the Guards said they had brought down an Israeli stealth drone above the Natanz uranium enrichment site in the center of the country. Hours later, a senior Iranian official said on Sunday that parts of the drone remained intact.

General Ramazan Sharif, a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, was quoted by The Associated Press (AP) as having told Iranian state television that officials believed the drone to be a "new generation" drone used by Israel.

"Major parts of the devices of the drone are intact and have been received by our friends that can be used for further information," Sharif was quoted as having said.

He did not say when the aircraft was shot down, but said it was "identified upon arrival in Iranian airspace."

Sharif said authorities allowed it to fly for a short time to determine its destination.

An Israeli spokesman told AFP in Jerusalem on Sunday after the report that the drone had been shot down that the military does "not address foreign media reports".  

Hajizadeh said at a news conference broadcast on television that the unmanned aircraft shot down was a "Hermes" stealth drone that "can evade radar".

"Pieces of the drone have been recovered intact and are being analysed," he said, adding that it had a range of 800 kilometres (500 miles).  

It was spotted by our surveillance system and shot down by a Revolutionary Guards surface-to-air missile," Hajizadeh said.

Although Hermes drones are produced by Israel, the downed UAV's country of origin is far from certain. Several western nations, as a well as Iran's neighbor Azerbaijan, also use the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft as well.

Surprising Results from Bible Belief Poll
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Non-Christians obviously don’t believe in the Bible – or they likely wouldn’t remain non-Christians, but would instead embrace the teachings in the Bible and become followers of Jesus Christ. This general perception seems logical enough, therefore it is quite surprising that findings from the 2014 Gallup Value and Beliefs poll actually suggest otherwise. The poll respondents comprised both Christians and non-Christians.

According to a recent report by Krista Burdine published in the World Religious News.com: “Each year the Gallup poll asks, “Which of the following statements comes closest to describing your views about the Bible?” As usual, about 75% of respondents believe it is the word of God, while 21% think it is a collection of fables. But an additional answer option this year for half the surveyed group strengthened and changed the composition of the group that believes the Bible is the word of God.” The survey has a margin of error of 5%, and taking this into account, results were as follows for the first (Form A) version:

• 28% believe that the Bible is the actual Word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word.
• 47% believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally.
• 21% believe that the Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.

The second or ‘Form B’ version of the survey kept these options and added a fourth, with the following results:

• 22% believe that the Bible is the actual Word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word.
• 28% believe that the Bible is the actual Word of God but multiple interpretations are possible.
• 28% believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally.
• 18% believe that the Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.

The impact of adding the additional fourth “multiple interpretations” option was a resonation with 31% of respondents, nearly a third. Reasons for this vary and several opinions have been offered by Burdine as follows:

• It seems to confirm the sense that American culture has become more openly pluralistic. John MacArthur, megachurch pastor and bestselling author, finds this revealing of a shift in Christian culture, claiming there is little threat to believing in the Bible as God’s Word as long as one can reserve the right of refusal and claim a misinterpretation when that Word challenges our desires.
• Another more encouraging perspective is that a greater percentage of respondents were able to attribute the Bible to God as opposed to a completely man-made collection of fables. 
• Some of the Christians polled may have understood the Bible to be composed of various types of literature with parts to be taken literally while others such as proverbs and parables are to be considered allegorical or merely illustrative.
• The possibility exists that perhaps the same percentage of respondents felt the same way on Form A, but did not have a choice that best described their opinion. In this case, the survey may rather merely reflect the improved accuracy of the poll.
• It seems that non-Christians prefer to think of the Bible as a divine book that is open to interpretation, than to say it’s a true book with some non-literal content. 
•About 6% of non-Christians do believe in the Bible as the literal Word of God. When examining the demographics of non-Christian literalists further, this group generally has no religious upbringing or affiliation, yet they believe in the existence of God.

 They tend to be non-white, second generation Americans with less education than average, and politically liberal. Burdine concludes: “if anything, this sounds like a group disillusioned with what they have seen of religion in America, who have not found themselves compelled by what they have seen to seek out the God who literally wrote the book.”

Another potential factor that was not listed could be that Protestantism is dogged by much denominational bias, hence Christians across various denominations tend to assume that multiple Biblical interpretations are possible - just as long as core/foundational Biblical tenets of faith such as the fall of man and the redemption purchased for man by Jesus Christ are not compromised.

The question also arises as to whether this confusion is really necessary amongst Christian believers. Does the Bible itself have verses that will point us to the correct and exact interpretation of what we should believe about it? Consider this:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

This one scripture alone confirms that the Bible is indeed the actual and inspired word of God. It also debunks the myth, believed by an astonishing 10% of professing Christians, that the Bible is just an ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man. If this group of people ignore the authority of the holy scriptures and dismiss them in exchange for what is clearly an–age old satanic deception that has led multitudes to hell, on what basis are they calling themselves Christians rather than agnostics or even atheists? No wonder Burdine asks: “Maybe next time, someone can explain how 10% of people who identify as Christian also see the Bible as a collection of fairy tales, or manage to have no opinion on the matter.” 

Just as interesting and adding to the paradox is the 6% of non-Christians who do believe in the Bible as the literal Word of God. They may fit a certain profile or demographic but in both cases of “Christian non- believers” and “non-Christian believers” perhaps another poll would really be useful in asking them why they believe as they do – assuming that they themselves even understand why. 

Based on 2 Timothy 3:16, we can however safely move away from the cut-and-dried onto the slightly grayer areas: Yes the Bible is the actual Word of God but is to be taken literally, word for word? Certainly in some cases but not all, depending on the context in which each particular scripture was written. Consider these examples:

And put a knife to thy throat, if you are a man given to appetite (Proverbs 23:2).

If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8).

It is also critical to note that whereas the interpretation of the scriptures is not always literal, its meaning still has a relevant application or principle as there is nothing irrelevant or insignificant in the Bible:

For assuredly I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law, till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:18-19).

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

And yes the Bible is the actual Word of God but are multiple interpretations still possible? Certainly. There is no shortage of denominations and other forms of doctrinal divisions that are proof of this, ranging from such controversial topics as the role of women in the church today, the role of the Holy Spirit and whether or not the rapture will be pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post tribulation. So perhaps the further question that needs to be asked is, although multiple interpretations of the scriptures are not only possible but prevalent, did God intend it to be that way? Hardly: the Bible categorically states that God is not the author of confusion (1Corinthians 14:33) so it must be that any interpretations of scripture that are contradictory or irreconcilable, point to errors in the understanding of the scriptures. No wonder the scriptures admonish:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worer who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth(2 Timothy 2:15).

This will be the third time I am coming to you. By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established (2 Corinthians 13:1)

Perhaps the failure of so many Christians to read the Bible whilst ensuring that every doctrine based on the scriptures is supported at least twice or thrice elsewhere within the Bible , is most responsible for the multiple interpretations in the church today. The natural outcomes of this are evidenced in the kind of poll results that reflect so much ignorance about the authority and relevance of the Bible within the body of Christ, and how it is to be understood and applied. How should we correct this? In part, we would do well to take some advice from David the Psalmist:

O how love I your law! it is my meditation all the day. You, through your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep your precepts (Psalms 119: 97-100).

State of Emergency After Northern California Shaken By Biggest Earthquake in 25 Years
Aug 25th, 2014
ABC NewsANC News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

 

California Governor Declares State of Emergency After Earthquake

Northern California was shaken awake Sunday by its strongest earthquake in 25 years, a jolt that damaged historic buildings and hurt dozens of people, including a 13-year-old critically injured by a crumbling fireplace.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency after the South Napa Earthquake, which struck about 3:20 a.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicenter was located about six miles south-southwest of Napa, California, and 51 miles west-southwest of the state capital, Sacramento. Officials have variously referred to the earthquake's magnitude as 6.0 and 6.1.

The earthquake was the largest one to shake the Bay Area since the 1989 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta Earthquake. Dozens of aftershocks followed.

 

ABC News

Northern California struck by earthquake Sunday, August 24, 2014.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company initially showed more than 15,000 customers without power, primarily in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Rosa Counties.

Several buildings in Napa were damaged or on fire in the wake of the earthquake, ABC News station KGO in San Francisco reported. Napa City Manager Mike Parness said at least 15 buildings will need to be inspected or repaired before they can be occupied again.

"We had multiple structure fires that we've been dealing with -- a total of about six," John Callanan of the Napa Valley Fire Department told reporters. "In one of those incidents, it involved approximately six mobile homes together, so that was one single incident. Four of the six are completely damaged. The other two have suffered some major damage."

Callanan also said firefighters have received more than 100 calls from people who smelled natural gas.

"Our resources are exhausted as far as quantity of on-duty personnel," he said.

Dozens of water main leaks were also reported, although city officials said the water was safe to drink.

 

Laura Anthony/KGO

PHOTO: Laura Anthony posted this photo to Twitter with the caption "Napa couple looks at the remains of mobile home they own with their son. One of 4 completely destroyed by fire." on Aug. 24, 2014.

At least 120 people were treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, hospital officials told ABC News. Only a handful of patients needed to be hospitalized.

Six of those people suffered critical injuries, including the child hurt by the fireplace, who was flown to UC Davis Medical Center for further treatment, said hospital president Walt Mickens. The child was in stable condition.

All schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District will be closed Monday. Justin Siena High School will also be closed.

Historic buildings damaged by the earthquake included Sam Kee Laundry, Goodman Library and the Napa County Courthouse, the city said, adding that two commercial buildings also suffered severe damage.

Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd said he believed the county courthouse had been retrofitted for earthquakes.

"I've been through a few of these and I've never seen anything like this, particularly in downtown Napa," Dodd said, according to ABC News Radio. "The county building is just in total disrepair, and they've moved it down to the sheriff's office -- so that's where the coordinating all the emergency services for the county."

President Obama was briefed on the earthquake this morning, a White House spokesman said.

Dozens living in the region reported falling dishes and violent shaking inside their homes.

"I was alone in the house so I didn't know what to do -- and the first thing when it stopped I ran under the table and tried to get cover because it's the first thing they say to do for an earthquake is get under the table," Diana Martini, who lives in Vallejo, California, told ABC News.

Martini said her television crashed to the ground, along with some of her dishes.

"I'm on the first floor, so that was the scariest thing. I thought the building was going to come down," she said.

Security Minister Admits Gov't not Tough Enough Against Hamas
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Yitzhak Aharonovich

Flash 90

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich (Yisrael Beytenu) has called on the government to take a much firmer hand with Hamas, just hours before a ceasefire is rumored to go into effect Monday.

Aharonovich made his comments following a "difficult" visit to the Tragerman family, whose four-year-old son Daniel was killed in a mortar attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel on Friday.

Relating to criticism by residents of southern Israel towards the government's dealing with incessant rocket fire by Hamas and other terrorists, Aharonovich said "I understand these things and accept them," according to Channel 10.

"They expect us to reach a decision, and I agree with them," he said. "With a terrorist group you need to deal in a far more violent and harsh way, to defeat it. I have said this already a number of times in the past."

"What is important to us is to return security to the residents of the State, with an emphasis on the south," he continued, adding that the government was committed to "taking care of the residents" of southern Israel, and was preparing additional aid and benefits to help them cope with their difficult situation.

Meanwhile, amid increasing talk of an imminent ceasefire, terrorists continue to pound southern Israel with rockets. 25 struck in the Eshkol Region alone, with five landing inside communities and the rest in open areas around them. At least 37 rockets have been fired on Israeli civilians since Monday morning, following six hours of quiet overnight.

Sirens were also heard in central Israel, but later revealed to have been a false alarm.

Ret U.S.af General Warns of Possible 9/11/14 Coming
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsBreitbart
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Saturday on Fox News Channel's "America's News HQ," network military analyst Ret. Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney told host Uma Pemmaraju that in oder to address the current threat ISIS posses, the Untied States should "go to DEFCON 1, our highest state of readiness and be prepared as we lead up to 9/11," because he warned "we may even see a 9/11/14."

McInerney referenced the missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 from earlier this year and said, "On the seventh of September, a major news network and publishing network are going to put out a book. It is going to be earth shattering of what's happening and what happened. The fact is we may even see a 9/11/14 MH-370 surface again. We should go to DEFCON 1, our highest state of readiness and be prepared as we lead up to 9/11."

Pemmaraju asked, "When you say a major news organization is coming forward with a publication, what are you referring to specifically? Can you allude to that, give us more details? 

McInerney continued,"I can't give you any more than what I've just said. But it is going to be extremely important  and America should take notice. We are less safe today than we were six years ago."

The general again confirmed America should raise the terror level threat at this point ahead of the anniversary of 9/11.

Report: Israel Ready to Accept 'Open - Ended' Truce
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Palestinian delegation at Cairo talks

Reuters

Israel is set to accept an indefinite ceasefire with Gazan terrorist groups, which will last for a minimum of one month, unnamed security sources told Walla! news.

Barring any last-minuted developments, the Egyptian-brokered deal will go into effect today, according to the source, ushering in an "open-ended" ceasefire between Israel and Gazan terrorists, primarily Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The reports seemingly corroborate this morning's claims by senior Islamic Jihad leaders that a truce would be reached "within hours". A Hamas spokesman rejected those claims, however.

According to the source, in the first stage of the ceasefire Egypt will open the Rafah Crossing with Gaza, in exchange for a cessation of rocket fire.

If the ceasefire holds, the second stage will see Israel extend the Gaza fishing zone - currently restricted to 0-3 miles from the coast for security reasons - first to six, and later 12 miles.

Israel will also open the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which has been shelled by terrorists on numerous occasions during Operation Protective Edge, and allow goods for trading to pass through, including food and, at a later stage, building materials.

The topic of building materials such as cement and metal entering Gaza is a sensitive one. The vast network of "terror tunnels" leading from Gaza into Israel in preparation for attacks on Israeli civilian and military targets were constructed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad using cement meant for building Gaza's civilian infrastructure. 

However, the deal stil relies on one unpredictable factor, according to another official: Hamas's Qatar-based "political leader" Khaled Mashaal. Mashaal has successfully sabotaged previous ceasefire deals, allegedly under orders from his Qatari hosts. 

He will need to accept this deal in order for it to come into effect - and it is far from certain he will. After the massive damage incurred in Gaza due to the war with Israel initiated by the area's Hamas rulers, a ceasefire without major Israeli concessions will be viewed as a humiliating defeat, and a serious blow to Hamas's popular image.

Meanwhile, despite rumors of an impending ceasefire, terrorists continued to pound southern Israeli communities with rocket fire, shooting dozens of projectiles at civilian population centers. 

Several rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, and a number of others fell in open fields. No injuries or damage was reported.

The IDF continued its strikes on Gaza terrorist targets. Overnight two terrorists were killed in a series of strikes, which have continued into Monday morning.

Physicists Say Fukushima Reactors Pose Eternal Threat to Humanity
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsRia Novosti
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Japan matches severity level of Fukushima nuclear accident with Chernobyl disaster

MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - The three molten cores at Fukushima plant, each weighing a hundred tons, are so radioactive, that no one can approach them, including robots, which melt down immediately, Dr. Helen Caldicott, the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, physician and anti-nuclear advocate, states in an interview to Radio VR:

“And no one ever will, and the contamination will go on for hundreds of years,” Ms. Caldicott cites top physicists as saying.

Initially, TEPCO, the Japanese power provider wanted to erect an ice wall around the perimeter of the Fukushima complex, as ground water the underneath the reactor is absorbing radiation and then flowing into the ocean.

An ice wall is a silly idea given the circumstances, remarks the expert, as it would have to last at least a hundred years. Moreover, you would have to have electricity running all the time to keep the ground frozen, explains Ms. Caldicott.

Surprisingly enough, TEPCO is not consulting with anyone, says the expert, neither with Russia, after it survived the Chernobyl catastrophe, nor Bechtel, a US major engineering company. It is, conversely, “saving money, using paper coming from homeless shelters”, and the Japanese mafia Yakuza is hiring people to do this work.

The expert stresses they are witnessing an absolute catastrophe: 300-400 tons of radioactive water pour daily into the Pacific, and this has been going on for over three years now contaminating the ocean and its ecology.

Radiation cannot be diluted, as many isotopes, namely strontium, are concentrated in food chains, in algae for instance. The contamination then passes one to bigger fish typically caught on the east coast from Fukushima. Radiation in the ocean and its ecology has been detected as far away as the America West Coast. TEPCO has stated more than once, the expert says, that they know radioactive water is seeping into the ocean, however, they keep assuring that it is not at levels high enough to cause a significant threat.

Another VR expert, Thomas Drolet, who is Chairman, CEO and President at GreenWell Renewable Power Corporation, sounds less pessimistic, stating the radiation can essentially be done away with as time passes:

“As a technician and nuclear reactor engineer I can say that they will eventually succeed.”

Conditions on the site are difficult, though, he adds. Two big problems arose from the very start: for one thing, there’s water that originated in the reactor, which flowed through the damaged fill and went to the lower levels. Secondly, there is the ground water that naturally flows from higher elevations to the west, through the ground system, picks up radioactivity around the basement areas of the damaged reactors and flows on to the sea and to the bottom parts of the damaged reactors, Mr. Drolet says.

“The way it can eventually be solved is that of removing the water that is in the basement areas of the turbine building (and they are working on unit 2 right now) and getting it pumped out,” points out Mr. Drolet citing sophisticated filtration systems now being employed. “They can absorb the radiation and hold it.”
Engineer brigades are currently aiming to block a particular pass so that work could be done inside the building to get the contaminated water sucked out.

Still, the complex radiation fields make the surrounding environment hard enough to handle, with people at all times wearing thick suits to protect them from “external radiation inhalation”. This further complicates specialists’ day to day life on the site. Mr. Drolet clearly differentiates between the site as is and the exclusion zone, comprised of small towns and roads lying nearby, within 18 kilometers from the place. The latter can be cleaned up in the next several years, the expert argues. The work consists in finding hot spots in terms of increased radiation, taking off the top layer of the soil, in other words, “taking down some of the radioactivity near the surface and on the surface” and rehabilitating that exclusion zone.

The reactor itself is by far “the most difficult issue,” Mr, Drolet states. Each of the three damaged reactors has two main areas of broken fuel: in the spent fuel base, which is up high, and the reactor core. “Slowly and identically they have to remove that fuel, some of it damaged, some of it whole”, using the robotic equipment to a great extent, and move it off site to the repository. Only once the excessive fuel is removed can they move to what the expert calls “nitty gritty of decommissioning” of the reactors themselves, which might span for another decade, before the engineers could turn the site to the so-called brown field condition. As compared to the green field condition, it means the area is safe, clean and cannot be reused, the expert concludes.

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake swept across the Japanese coast in March 2011, triggering a devastating tsunami and killing more than 15,000 people and injured 6,000. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant consequently faced meltdowns at three reactors heavily damaged in the tsunami, which led to masses of contaminated water pouring into the ocean.

New Three Parent Baby IVF Plan Raises Ethical Questions
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

If you are used to the concept of a one daddy and mommy, you may also soon need to adjust to the idea of daddy, mommy and mommy. And no, daddy isn’t getting a second wife, even where that is legal or permissible. Rather, when mommy number one isn’t able to have healthy kids due to some medical defects with her reproductive eggs, mommy number two steps in. And no, she won’t be a surrogate mum by carrying daddy and mommy number one’s child. Instead, she will donate sections of her eggs to mommy number one, so that mommy number one can have healthy children with daddy.

Ruth Gledhill writes about this budding IVF plan in a recent edition of Christian Today. The plan has been raising concern amongst certain Christians and scientists: the concept of "three-parent babies" or "mitochondrial donation" which has been criticized both by scientists and representatives of the Church of England as well as the Roman Catholic Church.

Gledhill reports that the Government last week published its response to a 12-week Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) consultation on draft regulations to permit the use of new techniques to prevent transmission of serious mitochondrial disease from mother to child. Some oppose the proposed IVF technique, "mitochondrial replacement therapy", because they believe it is a form of genetic modification and creates children with, in effect, three parents. The Government response emphasizes that no nuclear DNA, which provides physical and other traits that children inherit from their parents, would be contributed from the donated female egg or embryo. The Government has consistently rejected claims that the techniques constitute genetic modification. Critics in turn have rejected the Government's working definition which excludes mitochondrial donation techniques from being counted as actual genetic modification.

On the face of it, the government motive seems to be acting in a medically responsible, sensitive and pro-active manner, managing a form of preventative disease control. Gledhill quotes the Department of Health document in which it is estimated that one in 6,500 children is born each year with serious mitochondrial DNA disorder which can have a "devastating" effect on families. Consequences include premature death of children, painful and debilitating suffering, long-term illness and low quality of life. The intention is to avoid this by allowing the use of eggs and embryos where the damaged mitochondria are replaced by healthy mitochondria from a donor.

Critics however cite certain risks and concerns and risks:

• The loss of genetic material during transfer; 
• The transfer of small amounts of [mitochondrial DNA or] mtDNA from the affected egg to the donor egg; 
• A mismatch between foreign mtDNA and nuclear DNA;
• Concerns regarding possible genetic mutations caused by "disrupting nuclear-mitochondrial interactions, including the production of 'unhealthy mitochondria and compromised cell function. These could submit the resulting children to serious, irreversible health risks, which would pass from generation to generation;
• "Lasting emotional damage" to children arising from such confusions as their parental and personal identities emanating from three legal parents rather than the normal genetic two;
• Questions around further genetic modification of children to "enhance" traits such as intellect and appearance to create "designer babies";
• The clear establishment for the need for these procedures, and in-built safeguards, such as children born from the process to have access to medical and personal information about donors. 
• The Government should have waited for the conclusion of these further tests before publishing the Draft Regulations.

Perhaps the statement attributed to Dr. Helen Watt (senior research fellow of the Anscombe Centre, a Roman Catholic medical ethics centre) best encapsulates the critic’s views: "The tone of the report is reassuring, but the proposals are extraordinarily reckless with the lives and health of future generations. To remove the entire nuclear material from one egg or embryo and place it in another partially-gutted egg or embryo is hardly a minor intervention. It is absurd to deny that this is germ-line genetic modification, just because the nuclear material is left untouched when 'harvested' from a donor egg or worse, a donor embryo. After all, on that definition cloning from an adult human being would not be 'genetic modification' either…these techniques treat no-one, they merely manufacture children by means which are hazardous not just to those particular children but to generations to come. It is far better for couples who wish to avoid passing on a condition linked to mitochondrial genes to adopt a child than to seek new ways to be genetically related to a child lab-produced in this destructive and fragmentary way."

Neither are these concerns unique or isolated: According to another Christian Today report published in May, Lobbyist group Christian Concern issued a statement calling the UK's proposal to allow two mothers' genetic material to be used for Invitro fertilization (IVF) "dangerous and unethical." The statement added that "There are widespread concerns about the profound, adverse effects on a child's physiological well-being, including the impact on his or her sense of identity, which could arise from a genetic, parental connection with three, instead of two, individuals." The report states that whereas as IVF and surrogacy have already navigated legal and societal conflicts, three-parent IVF poses more questions for legislators and parents.

Other ethical questions come to mind: could the death of any embryos in this process be equated to a laboratory abortion? According to a report published by Life Site News, this process can actually be considered worse than “regular” abortions. The limits are being pushed in the name of medical advancement and the greater good of all, but the fact remains that cloning, euthanasia, and forms of IVF that involve killing embryos are attempts to play God or attempt to improve on His original plans and designs for man, while disregarding His laws and principles. The Bible states that life begins before birth, at conception, and that a God–ordained marriage is the union between a single man and a single woman, which naturally would exclude any genetic third party contributions to their biological offspring. 

Another example of how far science will go to replace God’s creation and systems can be seen from a recent report, published in Aleteia.org, titled ‘Growing Babies in Artificial Wombs: Inevitable? Desirable? Moral?’ Susan Wills describes this plan as “The logical next step in the techno-quest to do reproduction better than God.” Wills further explains that “The possibility of perfecting artificial wombs to gestate human babies until they are full-term and physically ready for our brave new world is the unapologetic goal of Dr. Helen Hung-Ching Liu. She directs the Reproductive Endocrinology Laboratory at Cornell University’s Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility."

One wonders where it will all end and what will spring from fertile, evil and godless imaginations next – all in the name of good, of course. No wonder the scriptures warn that in these last days, “… But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13).

Let the Headlines Speak
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Bashar al-Assad: Obama’s new ally
Early in the Obama administration, the ever sagacious Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to Syrian President Bahar al-Assad as a “reformer” before demanding his ouster. Now it seems that Obama has made the decision that the United States must cooperate with Syria in order to suppress ISIS/ISIL.  

From Pigs to Monkeys, Ebola Goes Airborne
the Public Health Agency of Canada, observed transmission of Ebola from pigs to monkeys. They first inoculated a number of piglets with the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus. Ebola-Zaire is the deadliest strain, with mortality rates up to 90 percent. While the study provided evidence that transmission of Ebola between species is possible, researchers still cannot say for certain how that transmission actually occurred. There are three likely candidates for the route of transmission: airborne, droplet, or fomites.  

UPDATE 1-Congo declares Ebola outbreak in northern Equateur province
Democratic Republic of Congo declared an Ebola outbreak in its northern Equateur province on Sunday after two out of eight cases tested came back positive for the deadly virus, Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said.  

Hurricane Marie Intensifies In Pacific, Dangerous Forecast
Forecasts warn that the storm will create rough seas and likely dangerous beach conditions throughout Baja and Southern California. This includes large swells and rip currents along with rough surf and some coastal flooding as a result.  

Northern California braces for aftershocks after magnitude 6.0 earthquake
Aftershocks were expected to continue for several weeks, though State Geologist John Parrish told the Associated Press that they would decrease in magnitude and it was unlikely that there would be a large follow-up earthquake. Still, he warned people to be careful because buildings that were damaged by the quake were now more susceptible to collapse from aftershocks.  

Putin’s Pride – Danger for the World
Vladimir Putin is proudly boasting of his nation's "offensive and defensive" weaponry which is so advanced that "other armies in the world" do not yet have their equal"...  

Palestinian source: Hamas prepared to accept ceasefire
A senior Palestinian source told AFP that all the factions – including Hamas – were prepared to accept the Egyptian ceasefire proposal that was reported earlier on Monday,  

Anti-Semitic expression in France no longer in hiding, says Jewish communal leader
Haters are not afraid of the police or prison; "the jihadism we’re seeing today is modern-day Nazism"  

California wine country rocked by 6.0 quake, dozens hurt
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked wine country north of San Francisco early on Sunday, injuring more than 100 people, damaging historic buildings, setting some homes on fire and causing power outages around the picturesque town of Napa.  

Syria says ready to cooperate in anti-terror fight
The Syrian government is ready to cooperate with international and regional efforts to fight terror but efforts must be coordinated with it, the Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday. Asked if Syria was ready to cooperate with the United States and Britain, he said: "They are welcome."  

Report: Suspect in Foley beheading was once rapper known as 'L Jinny'
'The Independent' reports that Abdel Majed Bary had a rising music career in the UK; his father is a suspected lieutenant of Bin Laden and is in US custody.  

Wildfire threatens 500 northern California homes
A fast-growing wildfire near the Northern California town of Weaverville forced the evacuation of about 150 homes and is threatening about 500 additional residences, authorities said Monday. The fire about 2 miles west of Weaverville was also threatening about 20 businesses and facilities, including the town airport and high school...  

Iran says it downed Israeli drone over nuclear site
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard said it has brought down an Israeli stealth drone above the Natanz uranium enrichment site in the centre of the country. "A spy drone of the Zionist regime (Israel) was brought down by a missile... This stealth drone was trying to approach the Natanz nuclear zone," the corps said in a statement on its official website sepahnews.com.  

Ukraine crisis: Russia 'to send new aid convoy'
Russia plans to send another humanitarian convoy into eastern Ukraine "in the next few days", Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. Mr Lavrov said the humanitarian situation there was "deteriorating". Ukraine did not authorise the first convoy, which returned to Russia at the weekend, fearing it carried military equipment for pro-Russia separatists.  

Boko Haram declares 'Islamic state' in northern Nigeria
Militant group Boko Haram has said it has set up an Islamic state in the towns and villages it has seized in north-eastern Nigeria. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was speaking in a video released to congratulate his fighters for seizing the town of Gwoza earlier this month. It is not clear if Mr Shekau has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria.  

California begins clear-up after San Francisco Bay quake
Workers are assessing damage and have begun to clear up after a 6.0 magnitude quake in California's San Francisco Bay area, the strongest there in 25 years. No-one has been killed but scores of people sought medical care after Sunday's quake, which struck four miles from the town of American Canyon. The quake started fires, cracked roads, caused gas and water leaks and left dozens of buildings uninhabitable.  

Comment: Jihadi cancer thrives in London
To British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond: I read what you wrote when you learned that “Jihadist John,” who decapitated American journalist James Foley, is London-born Majd Abed el-Bary, a British citizen. According to you, Mr. Foreign Secretary, “sooner or later they will try to attack us on our own land” and you accused that same jihadist of “an utter betrayal of everything the British people stand for.”  

Russia Asks If America Is Still Fit To "Participate In Solving International Problems"
"More and more questions are being raised about the ability of the current US administration to participate in the development of realistic and pragmatic approaches to international problems, to adequately assess the situation in the various regions of the world," the Russia Foreign Ministry noted.  

KKK is using pamphlets to recruit in the Hamptons in Long Island
Even KKK members summer in the Hamptons. The Ku Klux Klan has been leaving recruitment pamphlets next to mailboxes and in driveways in Hampton Bays over the past few weeks. The hate-filled leaflets include racist cartoons and caution recipients to “beware” of people looking to steal their jobs in the Suffolk County community, said the Southampton Town Police Department.  

British-born rapper is main suspect in search for ISIS jihadist who beheaded James Foley
Authorities are close to identifying the black-clad Islamic State jihadist who beheaded an American journalist — and a prime suspect is a British-born rapper who left his parent’s million-dollar home last year to fight in Syria.  

Syria conflict: Islamic State seizes Tabqa airbase
Fighters from Islamic State (IS) have taken control of a key Syrian government airbase, activists say. The Tabqa airbase was the last remaining stronghold of Bashar al-Assad's government in Raqqa province.. State TV confirmed that government forces had "evacuated" the airbase. Days of fighting there have reportedly killed hundreds on both sides.  

Netanyahu warns Gaza civilians after Israel destroys apartment block
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Palestinian civilians on Sunday to leave immediately any site where militants are operating, one day after Israel flattened a 13-story apartment block in Gaza.  

DR Congo confirms first two cases of Ebola
The Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday confirmed its first two cases this year of Ebola but claimed they were unrelated to the epidemic ravaging West Africa.  

Large 6.9 Earthquake Reported in Central Peru
A large 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck a sparsely populated area of central Peru, the U.S. Geological Survey said Sunday.  

Israel is 'Choosing not to Win', Says British Expert
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary;The Nation Of Israel

IAF airstrike in Gaza

Reuters

Barak Seener, an Associate fellow at Britain's Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, thinks Israel is “choosing not to win” the war in Gaza.

Seener – who has provided analysis and expert commentary for a range of international broadcasters and news outlets including the Associated Press, Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, Chinese CCTV, Fox News, Sky News, Voice of America, Bloomberg, Reuters and Xinhua – told Arutz Sheva that Israel is pursuing a misguided approach to the war, both on the ground and in the battle of words and images. The result will inevitably a deterioration of Israel's international standing, as the war wears on.

“In general,” he explained, “modern warfare is not geared towards protracted conflict, and thus Israel should have initially gone in harder. This was prevented by a lack of extensive sound intelligence of tunnels and the whereabouts of Hamas operatives. Israel's diplomatic standing will decline as Europe does not anymore understand the power of ideologies, let alone a genocidal, zero sum game Islamist and suicidal ideology.”

Is Israel's hasbarah effort regarding the effort to avoid civilian casualties doing any good?

“There is so much that has been reported in Israeli news outlets but has not been reported in European outlets. This includes Hamas executing Fatah members, children digging tunnels, concrete being redirected to building tunnels rather than hospitals and schools, the affluence of Hamas's leadership who divert funding to the Palestinians to their own personal accounts, even pictures of tunnels were reported by the Washington Post a few weeks earlier than Reuters.

“The main issue is that Israel should take exactly the same initiatives (not more) as Allied forces have done in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. While it is natural that Israel should seek to avoid civilian casualties, its priority is to its own civilians and soldiers. Israel has failed as there is a current stalemate of its civilians under attack, Hamas perpetuating its firing of rockets with Israel's economy having been hurt as a result.

“If Israel chooses not to win a war against Hamas decisively then it will continue to conduct reprisal attacks while emphasizing its avoidance of civilian casualties. If it seeks to win decisively then Israel will not cede the initiative and strategic surprise to Hamas by announcing beforehand where it plans to strike. This serves to embolden Islamism and provokes them to continue their practices of human shields and firing of rockets.

“Paradoxically, the only way to win decisively is by reclassifying human shields as combatants and demonstrating that Israel will not abort strikes or hand Hamas the initiative by announcing beforehand Israel's plans. It is tragic that civilians unwittingly find themselves as combatants, but this may be the only way to demonstrate to Hamas the futility of their current strategy of human shields, which has already caused their popularity to plummet in Gaza and the broader arab world.

“Imagine, had US forces announced to ISIS its strike plans and in turn handed to them the strategic initiative. It would be considered absurd! Israel has nothing to be proud of with such a morally dubious approach of letting Hamas know where and when it plans to strike. Israel should be consistent. If it resents being subjected to double standards, then it should not subject itself to norms and procedures that no military of any western liberal democracy would ever consider. The way Israel is conducting its measures against Hamas may create a precedent for allied forces abroad."

How does the conduct of the war tie in to the rise in anti-Semitism?

“Anti-Semitism has spiked in Europe. The unfortunate irony of Zionism is that while it was intended to be an antidote to anti-Semitism, it led to its mutation from an ethnic to nationalistic critique. In the past, Israel failed to call for an international condemnation of the PA's outlets that projected classical antisemitism and incitement.

“Only recently has Israel recognized the genocidal ideology driving Hamas, and there is no reason why the international community should be more catholic than the pope on this matter. Israel in the past took the initiative in reframing the conflict as nationalistic and territorial and thus willing to make territorial compromises. The international community merely followed suit. Furthermore, Israel also did not preemptively take to task bodies that disproportionately critiqued, and delegitimized the state of Israel.”

What is Britain's Jewish community doing about anti-Semitism and Israel bashing?

“There is a causal relationship between disproportionate criticism of Israel and an increase of anti-Semitism in Europe and it is impossible to address one effectively without the other. Representatives of the Jewish community in Britain have been severely wanting in countering anti-Semitism. Every campaign has sprung up from the grassroots, and has not originated or been coordinated by the Board of Deputies or Jewish Leadership Council.

“The former chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, has condemned European anti-Semitism, but when he addresses the Middle East, the only thing he mentions is the plight of Christians. In this manner, he fails to effectively represent his constituencies' interests in the UK and represent his peoples' safety and security in Israel. Why should the non-Jewish leadership be any better than the Jewish leadership in the UK?”

ISIS Seizes Last Syrian Regime Base in Raqqa Province Read More
Aug 25th, 2014
Islamic StateThe Daily Star
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

ISIS Intent on Hitting West, External Operations Under Way, McCaul Believes
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsABC News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

House Homeland Security Chair Rep. Michael McCaul said today he believes that ISIS, the jihadist army that has taken control of large part of Iraq and brutally murdered American journalist James Foley, has external operations under way to hit the West.

“Their focus right now is establishing the caliphate. But don’t kid yourself for a second, they [are] intent on hitting the West. And there are external operations, I believe, under way,” McCaul, R-Texas, told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.”

“We have tens of thousands of foreign fighters from all over the world pouring into this safe haven that’s now been established, including hundreds of Americans with Western passports and legal travel documents, which would enable them not only to travel to Western Europe, but to the United States,” McCaul added.

Also on “This Week”, retired Gen. John Allen — who has called ISIS a clear and present danger — said that destroying the group would require “a comprehensive approach” that would necessitate more resources.

“It’s going to take more than what we’re doing right now, George. There’s just no question of this,” Allen said on “This Week.” “We need to give the American public more clarity in terms of our commitment solely using the terms boots on the ground.

“I think we’ve been very clear that we don’t want to put American maneuver forces necessarily, conventional maneuver forces back on the ground, but we have really significant capabilities to provide special operators into these formations, both at the tribal level, some of the more recently emerging Sunni conventional forces that are appearing in northwest Iraq, the Free Syrian Army, and Sunni tribes in Syria,” Allen added.

Allen also told Stephanopoulos that the effort to eliminate ISIS might mean working toward the same goal as the regimes in Iran and Syria, even if the efforts were not coordinated.

“I think that the actions that we take may, in fact, be not in coordination, necessarily, but provide an opportunity for a coordinated effort,” he said.

“But we don’t share any values with the Iranian regime, and we don’t share any values with the Syrian regime,” Allen added. “The Syrians, in fact, are one of the principle reasons that ISIS has had the opportunity to incubate to this point to the level that it is, to the threat that it has become. The Assad regime, in fact, has turned a blind eye to the development of ISIS and permitted ISIS ultimately to attack that element that we have been and ought to be supporting in Syria, the free Syrian movement.”

IS Captures Key Syrian Tabqa Air Base. Hundreds Killed in Battle
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Two weeks of fierce fighting ended Sunday with an Islamist siege force breaking through into the strategic Tabqa airbase southwest of their northern stronghold of Raqqa. Hundreds of the 1,000 Syrian soldiers trapped there were killed. This is IS’s second major victory after conquering Iraq’s second city of Mosul in early July.

Invasive Insect Threatens Iconic Florida Citrus
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Houston Chronicle
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Photo By Lynne Sladky/AP 

In this Wednesday, July 30, 2014 photo, Ellis Hunt Jr., 61, walks past an orange tree, left, which is affected by a disease called "greening", in Lake Wales, Fla. The Hunt family owns 5,000-plus acres of groves and is part of the co-op that contributes to Florida's Natural, the third largest juice brand in the country. Florida's $9 billion citrus industry is facing its biggest threat yet by a tiny invasive bug called the Asian Citrus Psyllid, which carries bacteria that are left behind when the psyllid feeds on a citrus tree's leaves.

LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — Citrus has always been synonymous with Florida.

The orange adorns the state license plate. The University of Florida's famed football stadium was named after an orange magnate. There is even a county called Citrus.

Throughout the decades, the citrus industry has always stood strong — through freezes, hurricanes and rampant development.

But now the $9 billion industry is facing its biggest threat yet, putting at risk the state's economy but also its very identity. Blame a mottled brown bug no bigger than a pencil eraser that carries a lethal disease.

In China, where the problem was first discovered, it's called huanglongbing. Translation: "the yellow dragon disease." In Florida, it's known simply as "greening."

It arrived here via an invasive bug called the Asian Citrus Psyllid, which carries bacteria that are left behind when the psyllid feeds on a citrus tree's leaves. The tree continues to produce useable fruit, but eventually disease clogs the vascular system. Fruit falls, and the tree slowly dies.

The psyllid isn't native to Florida, but it is believed to have arrived from someone who perhaps unknowingly brought a slip of a tree from Asia. Some think it then spread on the winds of hurricanes a decade ago. There is no cure for greening, and no country has ever successfully eradicated it.

All of that has Florida's growers in a frenzy to find a way to stop it.

"It feels like you're in a war," said Ellis Hunt Jr., whose family owns 5,000-plus acres of orange groves and is part of the co-op that contributes to Florida's Natural, the third-largest juice brand in the country.

Hunt estimates he's spending some $2,000 an acre on production costs, a 100 percent increase from 10 years ago. Much of that goes toward nutrients and spraying to try to control the psyllids. The thought of the demise of his farm — of Florida citrus — gnaws at him.

"We can't let this thing go down on our watch," he said.

Nearly all of the state's citrus groves are affected in varying degrees by greening disease, and researchers, growers and experts agree that the crisis has already started to compromise Florida's prominence as a citrus-growing region. Florida is second in the world, behind Brazil, in growing juice oranges, producing about 80 percent of juice in the U.S.

This past growing season, the state produced 104 million boxes of oranges, which comprise the bulk of Florida's overall citrus crop. In 2003, two years before greening was discovered and prior to several devastating hurricanes, 243 million boxes were picked.

"This affects the whole state. The economic impact. The landscape. The iconic image of Florida and how it has drawn people here to smell the orange blossoms in the spring and look forward to that Christmas gift of fresh Florida citrus," said state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, whose family has grown oranges since the early 1900s.

"It will have a ripple effect throughout the economy if we can't get our arms around this disease."

Experts say that if a solution isn't found, Florida's entire citrus industry — with its 75,000 jobs — could collapse. Compounding the problem is the timing of it: The disease coincides with an increase in foreign competition and a decrease in juice consumption as health-conscious consumers count carbs. In July, U.S. orange juice retail sales fell to the lowest level in 12 years for a second consecutive four-week period.

The war room in the fight against the yellow dragon is found in Lake Alfred, 30 miles southwest of Walt Disney World, in a nondescript cluster of buildings at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center.

There, some of the world's top citrus researchers — from the U.S., China, Brazil, India — slouch over microscopes and peer into makeshift greenhouses, hoping to unlock the puzzle that is greening. They talk about nucleotides and genomes like regular folks order a sandwich.

The researchers are concentrating on two things: a short-term workaround that will allow existing trees to survive, and a long-term solution — possibly three to five years away — to develop a greening resistant tree.

"A lot of people are looking for miracle cures," said Jude Grosser, a horticulture professor who has spent his 30-year career developing citrus varieties and is now focused on solving greening. "But the answer for greening will be a number of different pieces. Our part is the genetic resistance to the disease."

Some growers are taking matters into their own hands. Rick Kress, president of Southern Gardens Citrus, has hired a private team of researchers to work on genetically engineering a greening resistant tree with the DNA from spinach. He understands that introducing juice from a genetically modified orange would create another hurdle because of the public's perception of such foods.

But the alternative — no juice at all — is unthinkable.

"Irrespective of the challenges," Kress insisted, "Florida orange juice is not going to go away."

Hurricane Marie Forecast: Dangerous High Surf, Rip Currents in Southern California
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Weather Channel
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hurricane Marie, located several hundred miles off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is expected to maintain a west-northwest heading through mid-week, remaining safely offshore the Mexican Pacific coast.

Marie is a large Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale., and will undergo fluctuations in intensity due to the replacement of its eyewall, a common occurrence in intense hurricanes.

By mid-week, Marie will have moved into a more stable (i.e., air is less prone to rise and support thunderstorms) and drier atmosphere and over cooler water, inducing steady weakening to a remnant low by the weekend.

While not directly affecting land, large swells from a south-southeast direction will begin to impact Southern California beaches Tuesday through Thursday. The National Weather Service in Oxnard, California breaks down the potential impacts below.

According to NWS-Oxnard, this could be the largest surf event seen in recent years, including a rare high surf event for the beaches of southern Santa Barbara County.

The bottom line from the NWS: "Swimmers and inexperienced surfers should stay out of the water. Stay off rocks and jetties and away from the water's edge to avoid being swept away by sneaker waves." According to NBC-4 in Los Angeles there were 178 water rescues along Orange County beaches alone on Saturday.

Projected Path

Projected Path

The latest forecast path and wind speeds from the National Hurricane Center.

Storm Information

Current Information

So, where exactly is the cyclone's center located now? If you're plotting the storm along with us, the information depicted in the map above provides the latitude/longitude coordinates, distance away from the nearest land location, maximum sustained winds and central pressure (measured in millibars).  

Infrared Satellite

Infrared Satellite

This infrared satellite image shows how cold (and therefore how high) the cloud tops are. Brighter orange and red shadings concentrated near the center of circulation signify a healthy tropical cyclone.

Brief History

Marie strengthened into the eighth hurricane of the eastern Pacific hurricane season Saturday morning. 

Marie developed from a tropical depression to a tropical storm on August 22, thereby becoming the 13th named storm in a busy eastern Pacific hurricane season.

By August 24, Marie's wind speeds increased to 160 mph, making Marie a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, the first such intensity hurricane in the eastern Pacific since Hurricane Celia in June 2010.

Hamas Repudiates Talk of Imminent Ceasefire
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

EJC Chief: Parts of Europe Ripe for Islamic State Attack
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Islamic State terrorists (illustration)

Reuters

Dr. Moshe Kantor, head of the Brussels-based European Jewish Congress (EJC) says that the last few weeks have demonstrated that parts of Europe have become vulnerable to a terrorist attack by the Islamic State.

“Over the last few weeks," Dr. Kantor said, "we have witnessed tens of thousands of radical Islamists on the streets of Europe calling for Jihad, the slaughter of Jews and the imposition of Sharia law."

“The fact that specifically Jewish targets have been attacked in growing numbers," Kantor continued, "demonstrates that the perpetrators are seeking to ignite a religious war on the continent." He said that the authorities have been slow to act in some cases, "further emboldening the extremists.”

It is already well-known that anti-Semitic attacks in many European countries are on the rise, and Kantor noted that as the level of violence and rhetoric increases, "terrorist groups like Islamic State, whose flag has been waved openly across Europe, are watching the impunity of these violent demonstrations and taking note.”

The EJC notes that since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas nearly two months ago, many anti-Jewish demonstrations have taken place across Europe. At many of them, Jews and Jewish institutions have been openly attack, and chants of “Jews, the Army of Mohammed is coming for you,” “Hitler was right,” and “Hamas, Jews go to the gas” have been heard.

Kantor implores European leaders to "prevent the import of fanatic terrorists into Europe and act strongly against extremist preachers, incitement to religious hatred and sleeper cells… [F]irst and foremost, authorities must take measures to reassure the Jewish community that it will be protected against the largest and most violent wave of anti-Semitism in Europe since the end of the Holocaust.”

The European Jewish Congress is the democratically-elected representative organization of European Jewish communities.

China Hosts Largest Ever Military Drill With Russia, Other SCO Nations
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsRT
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

ARCHIVE PHOTO: The column of Russian BMP-2 during the joint Russian-Chinese exerciseы Peace Mission 2013 at the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region. (RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn)

China’s Inner Mongolia is hosting the biggest military drill ever held by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The training of 7,000 servicemen from five SCO member states is set to test troops’ effectiveness in fighting terrorism.

The Peace Mission-2014 drill, being conducted from August 24 to 29 in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was declared open by Deputy Chief of Chinese People's Liberation Army's General Staff Wang Ning, who is supervising the military training.

The war games have attracted a record number of troops and military hardware, never previously gathered in one place before by the SCO member states.

Gen. Wang Ning deputy Chief Staff of the People's Liberation Army (AFP Photo / Pool / Alexander F. Yuan)

Armed forces from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan have come to the Zhurihe firing range to test deploy everything that might be needed to eliminate a considerable terrorist force.

ARCHIVE PHOTO: Russian Mi-24 helicopters during practical training held as part of the Peace Mission 2013, a Russia-China joint anti-terrorism drill, at the Chebarkul firing range. (RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn)

Apart from infantry troops and special forces, the international task force has been strengthened with air defense systems, radio-electronic warfare units and aviation.

ARCHIVE PHOTO: Chinese Z9B helicopters and Russian BMP-2 vehicles during practical training held as part of the Peace Mission 2013, a Russia-China joint anti-terrorism drill, at the Chebarkul firing range. (RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn)

The Russian army has come to China with a tactical group of the 36th Motor Rifle Brigade from the Eastern Military District and an aviation wing of the third Command of Air Force and Air Defense Troops.

ARCHIVE PHOTO: Russian servicemen during practical training held as part of the Peace Mission 2013, a Russia-China joint anti-terrorism drill, at the Chebarkul firing range. (RIA Novosti / Pavel Lisitsyn)

The Russian contingent at Peace Mission-2014 consists of 1,000 plus servicemen, 60 armored vehicles, (including 40 BMP-2 fully amphibious crawling traction infantry combat vehicles), 13 main T-72 battle tanks, more than 20 artillery and missile systems, such as self-propelled artillery SAU 2S3M guns, multiple BM-21 rocket launch systems, more than 60 vehicles of different assignments, 8 Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter gunships, 4 Sukhoi Su-25 assault jets and two Il-76 military transport airplanes.

According to the scenario, the international task force will eliminate terrorist groups in various situations and environments.

Chief Rabbi Lau Pushes Secular - Religious Jewish Unity
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Rabbi David Lau at EduAction

Dan Balilty

Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi David Lau on Monday took part in EduAction, the largest educational conference in Israel, where he was asked about what religious Jewish education can learn from the secular Israeli educational system.

The word "secular" is lost in translation when it comes to Judaism according to Rabbi Lau, who spoke at the annual forum held just before the school year opens in September at the Mediatheque in Holon.

"It seems to me that I'm defined as secular; the Torah speaks about how the kohen (priest) can enter the Temple and those who aren't a kohen can't enter the Temple - in other words a 'secular' is not a kohen. So I don't know how to define the concept 'secular,'" posed the rabbi.

Rabbi Lau stressed the importance of openness between religious and secular Jews, citing the Mishna text in saying "I don't think there's anyone that you can't learn from. 'Who is wise? He who learns from all people'; and whoever wants to be wise needs to know how to learn from all people."

"The are people who maybe outwardly have a big kippah and a big beard, but as far as I'm concerned they are very far from the religion; these people bother me. On the other hand, there are people who outwardly I would not call them religious, but their devotion, values and acts are completely religious," commented the rabbi.

Calling for greater understanding, Rabbi Lau said "let us learn to appreciate a bit more. Let's stop getting angry and feeling hatred towards one another, only in this way will the mutual respect stay."

Many have commented on the great feeling of unity in Israel since Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha'ar (16) were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12, lasting on into the current Operation Protective Edge.

Rabbi Lau has worked to actively support this unity, by among other things visiting soldiers wounded in the operation.

The rabbi, himself a major in the IDF reserves, has used his position to strengthen the connection with IDF soldiers at a time when there is tension over the new Draft Law which is harming hareidi enlistment. He also visited Sderot in March in a show of solidarity even as rockets from Gaza were falling in the area during a barrage at the time.

'Islamic State' Captures Major Syrian Airbase
Aug 25th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Islamic State supporters celebrate capture of Tabqa airbase, Syria

Reuters

Jihadi forces from the Islamic State organization have seized a military airport which was the last remaining Syrian army outpost in the country's northern Raqqa province, capturing heavy weapons including missiles, tanks, artillery batteries, helicopters and warplanes.

Tabqa airbase fell Sunday night after days of fighting claimed the lives of approximately 500 Syrian soldiers and Islamic State fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory claimed a further 150 soldiers were trapped in a position nearby the base and were effectively being held captive by the Islamists.

The Syrian military attempted to put a positive spin on the defeat by claiming its forces had conducted a "successful evacuation operation" of the base, and added planes were bombing the airbase following its capture.

But pictures shared on social media show grinning Islamic State fighters displaying captured weaponry and standing atop captured MiG fighter jets.

The Syrian regime had sent reinforcements to the embattled base on Friday night, and as late as Saturday Syrian State TV was broadcasting footage from inside the base, showing loyalist forces in full control.

The fall of the base is a serious strategic blow for the Assad regime, which had used it to bomb both the Islamic State in the north as well as other rebel groups to the south. The Islamic State now has full control over Raqqa Province and roughly a third of northern and eastern Syria in total, as well as vast swathes of northern Iraq.

Meanwhile, IS withdrew from a part of the city of Homs previously under its control in the face of a concerted assault by rival rebel forces, led by Al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, the Nusra Front. IS and the Nusra Front have been engaged in an increasingly bloody rivalry in Syria, after IS's (then ISIS) broke away from Al Qaeda in 2013.

IS has also been involved in a prolonged battle with other rebel groups elsewhere in the country.