False peace process

Assad praises US Baker report - 12/07/06

Syrian President Bashar Assad praised the US Baker-Hamilton report today, which demands that Israel withdraw from the Golan Heights, as "objective" and "positive".

The controversial report, drawn up by US senators [who know little if anything about war and middle eastern politics], examines where US policy has failed in Iraq and proposes what should be done in order to rectify it. President Bush has stated the report gives a "tough assessment" of the situation in Iraq, and its findings will be taken seriously. But Prime Minister Olmert has rejected the idea that violence in Iraq is related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and stated that he believed President Bush would agree with him on that.

Prime Minister Blair echoed those sentiments last month when he said solving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would calm the situation in the wider region. One of the proposals of the Baker-Hamilton report is for the US to launch a major diplomatic initiative that would begin on December 31st 2006, and would work towards a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Quote: "The committee recommended Bush to initiate a diplomatic offence, rather than a military one, which would be launched as of 31 December and would include, among other things, a move towards peace between Israel and the Arab world. "Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of US forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly," committee members wrote.

Friends, we know that the EU, and specifically the leader of the European Union, will be the ones to confirm the covenant between Israel and many nations. But with the US now forced to press for "peace" through party demographics, perhaps Prime Minister Olmert will have to start listening to what the EU has been saying or he'll soon find himself politically isolated. And the European leaders are also pressing President Bush to work towards the goal of a regional peace agreement.

Quote: "Like the panel, Blair is expected to urge Bush to embrace a wider Middle East peace policy to help resolve the Iraq crisis in what White House spokesman Tony Snow predicted would be a "very freewheeling" conversation.

I don't know whether we have a covenant in the form of the European Neighbourhood Policy or not, though the fact that it is an agreement for seven years is very interesting. If it turns out to be not, I believe we can expect some sort of covenant to appear sooner or later. Both the EU and US will now be pressing for peace. The ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians is "holding", despite Kassams continuing to land in Israel. Hamas is expected to announce a "tahdiah" for 2007. There's not much left needs to happen before we see a covenant of peace.

Revived Roman Empire - The EU grows again

Source YNet News, Reuters

Finland ratifies EU Constitution - 12/05/06

Finland has become the sixteenth European state to ratify the EU Constitution. The matter will now be passed to Finish President. The government hopes to have the constitution officially ratified by the time EU ministers meet for the end of the Finnish presidency of the European Union.

Quote: "The Finnish presidency held discussions with EU states during the autumn, and will present an assessment of the state of play to the summit. EU leaders are still hoping for agreement on measures to streamline EU institutions by 2009, when a new European Commission will be appointed and elections will be held to the European Parliament.

"Streamlining EU institutions" will of course give Javier Solana the official title of European Foreign Minister. Despite its rejection by a majority of citizens in both France and Holland, some EU states have continued to press on with ratification of the constitution, resulting in a truly bizarre situation. Some countries have declared the EU document "dead in the water", over half of the states have now ratified the treaty, and some others such as Germany are proposing it be rewritten.

Quote: "Germany's plan is to spend the first three months of its presidency sounding out opinion across Europe - "active listening", in the words of one diplomat. In March, EU leaders will meet in the German capital to sign a short and crisp Berlin Declaration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which first set out the idea of a common market. By June - with the political situation in Britain and France clearer - the Germans hope to produce a document that will set out the terms for a possible consensus and a time frame for moves to adopt the constitution.

March 2007 could be BIG trouble

Wars and rumours of wars

Iran confirms March nuclear point of no return - 12/05/06

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani confirmed today that Iran will have completed its nuclear research and development by March 2007. There had been reports earlier in the year that Israeli intelligence had evidence that Iran was only a few months away from perfecting its nuclear knowledge, and in the Israelis minds, knowledge of how to build a nuclear bomb is much more dangerous than possessing one. Israeli politicians have stated that under no circumstances will Iran be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon.

Quote: "All parts of our research and development program will be achieved by the end of this Iranian year (March 2007)," Ali Larijani told Iran’s official IRNA news agency, without elaborating. Tehran says it will expand its atomic work by installing 3,000 centrifuges, devices used to enrich uranium either to make fuel for power stations or material warheads. Tehran insists its plans are peaceful but the West fears it has military goals. Iran now operates two chains of 164 centrifuges and has only enriched tiny quantities of uranium to levels used in power stations. Experts say with 3,000 centrifuges in place, Tehran could make enough material for at least one warhead in a year.

Some interesting facts about March 2007. It's the month in which a total lunar eclipse will be visible from the whole Middle East (the 3rd of March). The lunar eclipse also falls on the days of Purim - when the Jews celebrate deliverance from their Persian enemies and wicked Haman. It's the month in which the Israeli elections fall. It's the month in which Iran hopes to complete its Bushehr nuclear facility. And according to a top Russian politician, it's the month in which Israel has decided to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. So all does not look well for March, if the negotiations Javier Solana is proposing continue to stall.

PRAY FOR ISRAEL!!!

Mark of the Beast - Heathrow biometric trials

USA Today, Ibiblio

Heathrow starts biometric trial - 12/06/06

Terminal three at Heathrow Airport in London has begun a new biometric identification trial today. The miSense scanner was inaugurated by the Labour government's Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne, and will provide travellers on participating flights with the ability to skip long check-in queues. miSense works on scanning the iris and finger print of travellers.

Quote: "Immigration Minister Liam Byrne officially opened the miSense system at Heathrow's terminal three. "In an era of mass movement we can't secure our border effectively unless we deploy biometric technology much more widely than we do today," he told reporters. He said the technology was also crucial for monitoring the entry of foreign nationals into the country, helping to tackle illegal immigration and preventing the use of multiple identities.

A second trial scheme will also involve the use of RFID enabled identity cards. The trial will show how effective Britain's electronic passports and compulsory national identification card system will be.

Quote: "Passengers will enjoy a speedier journey through the airport as a result, but Mr Byrne said the principal benefit would be increased security. He said: "It's really easy and I've enrolled today. But the reason that this kind of technology is important is not just because it helps travellers go through the system quicker but also because it makes the system more secure. We think it can be part of a much better system to protect identity. "We will next week make an announcement on our plans for ID cards and we want technology like this to plug into a national ID system."

Hello?!?!? WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!

End Times odd weather

Tornado damages northwest London
By ROBERT BARR, Associated Press Writer
Thu Dec 7, 9:57 AM ET

LONDON - A tornado Thursday ripped off a section of a wall of a northwest London house, damaged several nearby homes and injured at least six people, authorities said.

A man was taken to a hospital with a head injury, and five other adults were treated at the scene for minor injuries and shock, London Ambulance Service said.

"It came from nowhere, the sky turned dark, hail started falling and then within 10 minutes it was gone," said resident Perrin Sledge.

"A police officer told me he had a report of the tornado on his radio, turned the corner and saw the wind whip a garbage can into another car. He said it was like a scene from the movie 'Twister,'" Sledge said.

London Fire Brigade reported that about 100 properties were affected in a quarter-square-mile area.

The freak storm hit just after 11 a.m. on a day of unsettled weather, as high winds, bursts of rain and occasional hail and thunder swept across southern England.

The tornado ripped whole sections of roof off some homes, tore tiles from other roofs, uprooted trees and left the street strewn with debris.
One car was buried under a pile of fallen bricks, video footage from Sky News showed.

"It was like some sort of cyclone," said Tim Klotz, a resident of the Kensal Rise neighborhood in northwest London.

"I was actually in an attic room working at my desk on the computer and there was heavy rain and sleet and then the wind just really changed. I looked up through a skylight and debris was falling through the air. I heard what seemed like large, clay dominoes falling, which I think were roof tiles," Klotz said.

Daniel Bidgood told British Broadcasting Corp. radio that he saw a "huge cloud rolling up the street," making a loud sound.

"I went to try to take a picture of it but a shower of debris smashed all the windows of my house," Bidgood said.

An average of 33 tornadoes are reported annually in Britain, according to the Tornado and Storm Research Organization.

One of the worst to hit Britain destroyed the church of St. Mary le Bow and 600 homes in central London in 1091.

1091??? London wasn't even a thought in 1091! Maybe 1901?