| Global Economic Crisis Watch |
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| Posted: Jul 31 2010, 11:18 PM Forum End Time News View full topic |
| Economic Growth Fades as Economy Falters GDP report: Economic growth slows with 2.4 percent rate in second quarter By Neil Irwin and Sonja Ryst Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, July 31, 2010 The recovery is fading, and a troubling new pattern is setting in: economic growth that is too slow to put Americans back to work. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, grew at a 2.4 percent annual rate in the April-through-June period, the government said Friday, down from 5 percent at the end of 2009 and 3.7 percent at the beginning of this year. ...The new numbers -- and the spreading realization that sluggish growth may be a lasting trend rather than a one-quarter phenomenon -- ..."It's hard to know what will happen next," said Pamela Kebe, manager of Piccolo Piggies, a children's clothing store in Georgetown. The retailer was expecting the economy to improve, but it hasn't happened.... Read more: Washington Post |
| Putin's War on Israel |
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| Posted: Jul 31 2010, 10:47 PM Forum Current Events View full topic |
Putin's War on Israel Now that another Middle East war seems imminent, concerns are growing about the new powerful weapons that are available to Palestinian terrorists. It appears to be virtually unknown that these weapons are being steadily supplied by Putin's Russia. In the present atmosphere of the everlasting "reset" of relations between the U.S. and Russia, it is not difficult for the Kremlin to camouflage its arming of terrorists. Indeed, the world is willing to turn a blind eye. This month, for instance, Russia announced it was making another gift to the "Palestinian security forces" on the West Bank: 50 armored vehicles. According to Russia's Foreign Ministry earlier this month, the gift was already in Jordan and about to be passed on to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). It was President Medvedev who made this decision which, the Kremlin says, will help the development of a Palestinian statehood. Read more: http://frontpagemag.com/2010/07/29/putin%E2%80%99s-war-on-israel/ |
| Epic Floods (Global) |
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| Posted: Jul 31 2010, 09:22 PM Forum Signs of the Times View full topic |
Floods in Pakistan Kill at Least 800 Soldiers evacuated a family by boat in Nowshera, Pakistan. By SALMAN MASOOD Published: July 31, 2010 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Floods driven by record-breaking rainfall have killed least 800 people and destroyed thousands of homes over the past week, officials said Saturday, in the latest disaster to test Pakistan’s already strained government... ...“Nineteen-thousand people have been rescued from the marooned areas,” General Abbas said. “The level of destruction is so widespread, so it is possible that in some areas deaths and damages haven’t been fully reported.” Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/world/asia/01pstan.html?src=mv |
| A Little Taste Of Heaven |
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| Posted: Jul 30 2010, 11:49 PM Forum Articles and Sermons View full topic |
| A LITTLE TASTE OF HEAVEN by David Wilkerson | July 30, 2010 A foretaste is an advance taste or realization. The Bible calls it an earnest—"the earnest of our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:14). It means to bring a taste of the whole before we have the whole. Our inheritance is Christ himself—and the Holy Spirit brings us into his very presence as a foretaste of being received as his bride, enjoying everlasting love and communion with him. Paul describes a people of God who are "sealed with that Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13). This speaks of a people specially marked by a work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has produced in them a distinguishing mark, a glorious inner work—something supernatural that has changed them forever. They are not ordinary believers anymore. They are no longer "of this world," since they have set their affections on things above, not on the things of this earth. They are not moved by the world's events; rather, they are unshakable. They are no longer lukewarm or halfhearted. Instead, their hearts cry out night and day, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus…." What happened to them? What did the Holy Spirit do in these believers? What marked and sealed them forever as the Lord's possession? Simply this: The Holy Ghost gave them a foretaste of the glory of his presence! He came to them, rolled back heaven—and they experienced a supernatural manifestation of his exceeding greatness! He gives us "a little heaven" to go to heaven with—a whetting of our appetite. What kind of bride do you think the Spirit will present to Jesus Christ on that day of revelation? One who is halfhearted? Whose love is lukewarm, or cold? Who is not devoted to Jesus? Who does not want intimacy with Christ? If you truly love Jesus, he's never out of your mind. He is present in your every waking moment. Some Christians think, "That will happen after I die. When I get to heaven, everything will change. I'll become the special bride of the Lord then." No, dying doesn't sanctify anybody! This Holy Ghost is here today. He is alive and working in you—to produce in you a passionate love for Christ on this side of death! Romans 8:26 describes one of the most powerful works of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." The Greek word used for groaning means "a yearning"—a longing for more of Christ. You can yearn after Jesus so much that you sit in his presence and nothing comes out but a deep groaning—something that cannot be uttered. It says, "Jesus, you're the only happiness there is in this world. I have tasted and seen that you're good—and I want all of you." This is the mark of one who is walking in the Spirit. He has an insatiable appetite for Jesus. Like Paul, he is just anxious to depart and be with the Lord! http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/devotions/2010/a-little-taste-of-heaven |
| Epic Floods (Global) |
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| Posted: Jul 30 2010, 09:59 AM Forum Signs of the Times View full topic |
| Flood 2010 - West Virginia |
| Epic Floods (Global) |
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| Posted: Jul 30 2010, 09:47 AM Forum Signs of the Times View full topic |
Floods, Landslides Kill at Least 430 in Pakistan, Officials Say Published July 30, 2010 | Associated Press  AP July 30: Pakistani villagers try to catch trees float in the flooded Nelum river in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir. PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- The death toll from three days of flooding in Pakistan reached at least 430 on Friday, as rains bloated rivers, submerged villages, and triggered landslides. Pakistani TV showed striking images of people clinging to fences and other stationary items as water gushed over their heads. Helicopters were also shown winching people to safety. Read more: Fox News Pakistan flood death toll hits 430  Villagers move to safety from a flooded village near Nowshera, in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province, on Thursday. (Mohammad Sajjad/Associated Press) Massive flooding in Pakistan has killed at least 430 people as monsoon rains continue to bloat rivers, submerge villages and trigger landslides, according to rescue and government officials.  Residents and shopkeepers wade through a flooded street with their belongings after heavy rains in Peshawar, in northwest Pakistan, on Thursday. (Fayaz Aziz/Reuters) At least 291 people have died in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, in the country's northwest, since Wednesday, said Mujahid Khan of the Edhi Foundation, a privately run rescue service that operates morgues and ambulances across the South Asian country. Provincial officials called the flooding the worst in 90 years. Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/30/pakistan-flooding-death-toll.html#ixzz0vBFSh500 |
| You Need The Holy Ghost |
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| Posted: Jul 27 2010, 12:02 AM Forum Articles and Sermons View full topic |
| YOU NEED THE HOLY GHOST by David Wilkerson | July 26, 2010 Some have been saved for a number of years, some perhaps a year, and some just months or a few weeks. Being saved from sin is wonderful! Old things fade away—and all things become new. I am so glad you're saved! But in order to be a good soldier in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's not enough just to be saved. There is much more for you! You need to be baptized with the Holy Ghost! In Paul's time, some believers didn't even know there was a Holy Ghost. "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost" (Acts 19:2). These people were saved, but it is clear they were not filled or baptized with the Holy Ghost. I believe we are saved through the power and ministry of the Holy Ghost. But Scripture tells us that in addition to this, there is also a baptizing, an infilling, a possessing that the Holy Ghost does in us! Jesus himself did not send his disciples and followers into the world until they were baptized with the Holy Ghost. Certainly his disciples had pure hearts. They had faith to heal the sick, to cast out devils. They had the Word of the Lord and already had been preaching Christ and gaining converts. They were witnesses to his resurrection. What more could there be? They were willing to die for Jesus! Wasn't their love for him enough to send them into the world to do his work? Beloved, none of that was enough! Clearly, there was more. "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Do you really want the Holy Ghost? Do you want him to fall upon you and baptize you with fire? You have to be convinced this is for you. You must come to the place where you know you are nothing, have nothing and can do nothing without the power and leading of the Holy Ghost. You must know he is still baptizing, still falling upon believers—possessing their bodies! "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:38–39). Every hour of every day, multitudes worldwide are being baptized with the Holy Ghost! They have read of this promise in the Bible or have heard it preached. So they have cried out, claiming the promise, and they have been baptized! The baptism is especially for those living in the last days. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…. I will pour out in those days of my Spirit" (Acts 2:17–18). He is yours for the asking: "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13). God wants you to live and walk in the Spirit. You should not run to find someone else to meet a person's need. You are called to speak the Word of God as the Spirit moves on you, and to lay hands on the sick and cast out devils just as the apostles did. We are all called to be witnesses who are full of the Holy Ghost and power! http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/devotions/2010/you-need-the-holy-ghost |
| Epic Floods (Global) |
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| Posted: Jul 25 2010, 11:29 AM Forum Signs of the Times View full topic |
Dam fails in eastern Iowa, causing massive flooding (CNN) -- A dam on an eastern Iowa lake suffered a "catastrophic" failure Saturday, sending a massive amount of water into nearby communities and forcing residents to flee, officials said. The Lake Delhi dam, about 45 miles north of Cedar Rapids, failed as a result of "massive rain -- a very unusually high amount this season," according to Jim Flansburg, communications director for Gov. Chet Culver. Culver told CNN that nearly 10 inches of rain had recently fallen in a 12-hour period in the area and was "too much water for the dam to hold." Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/24/iowa.dam.breach/index.html Dam fails in Iowa floods  Water from the Maquoketa River surges through the Delhi Dam as it collapses under the strain of heavy rains on Saturday, July 24. People downstream were being evacuated as boats, propane tanks and buildings were pushed along by the rushing water. (Julie Koehn / EPA) 'Catastrophic' The 200-foot breach in the dam began with a section of two-lane road collapsing, realizing the worst fears of “a catastrophic release of water,” David Fink, Lake Delhi dam operation manager, told the Register. “It’s going to have a hell of a lot of velocity.” Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38395404/ns/weather/ Chicago areas declare disaster after flooding By the CNN Wire Staff July 25, 2010 12:10 p.m. EDT (CNN) -- Floodwaters covering the Chicago area were receding Sunday, as damages surfaced and communities began the clean-up process.  Two men push a stalled car through a flooded street Saturday in the Chicago, Illinois, area. Ten towns in Cook County have declared their communities as disaster areas, said Dave Ramos, executive director for Cook County Emergency Management. Friday night's heavy rains hit Westchester and Melrose Park the hardest, filling some Cook County basements with up to four feet of water, Ramos said. He said he will recommend to the county's president that all of Cook be declared a disaster area Monday. Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/25/chicago.area.floods/?hpt=T2 Heavy Rain and Floods continue in China ... |
| Peace Accord in NOVEMBER 2010? |
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| Posted: Jul 24 2010, 04:53 AM Forum Discussion View full topic |
| ...an interesting video |
| Ga. School Forces Christian Student to Alter Beliefs to Graduate |
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| Posted: Jul 24 2010, 04:07 AM Forum Current Events View full topic |
| Ga. School Forces Christian Student to Alter Beliefs to Graduate An Augusta State University student filed suit Wednesday after she was told to change her Christian beliefs or otherwise be expelled from the school's graduate counseling program. "A public university student shouldn’t be threatened with expulsion for being a Christian and refusing to publicly renounce her faith, but that’s exactly what’s happening here," said David French, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. "Simply put, the university is imposing thought reform." Jennifer Keeton, 24, has been enrolled in the College of Education's School Counselor masters degree program since fall 2009. She has expressed her Christian beliefs in class discussions and written assignments, but it was her views regarding gender and sexuality that irked faculty. According to the filed complaint, "She has stated that she believes sexual behavior is the result of accountable personal choice rather than an inevitability deriving from deterministic forces. She also has affirmed binary male-female gender, with one or the other being fixed in each person at their creation, and not a social construct or individual choice subject to alteration by the person so created. Further, she has expressed her view that homosexuality is a 'lifestyle,' not a 'state of being.'" In May, Keeton was notified that she would be asked to participate in a remediation plan. Mary Jane Anderson-Wiley, an associate professor who also oversees student education and discipline, explained that the faculty wanted to see Keeton's writing skills improve and that they are concerned with some of her beliefs and views pertaining to GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) issues. Several faculty members later met with the student and told her that they considered her to be failing to conform to certain professional standards. In a written Remediation Plan, the faculty said her speech on GLBT matters violated the codes of ethics that counselors and those in training are required to adhere to. Keeton's views "depart from what 'the psychological research about GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) populations asserts' that that 'sexual orientation is not a lifestyle or choice, but a state of being,'" faculty members said. The Remediation Plan required that Keeton attend workshops on diversity sensitivity training toward working with GLBTQ populations, work to increase exposure and interaction with gay populations by attending such events as the Gay Pride Parade in Augusta, and read more on the topic to improve counseling effectiveness with GLBTQ populations. Failure to complete all elements of the remediation plan will result in dismissal from the Counselor Education Program, according to the plan. Keeton told faculty members, "I can’t alter my biblical beliefs, and I will not affirm the morality of those behaviors in a counseling situation." But she stressed, "I understand the need to reflect clients’ goals and to allow them to work toward their own solutions, and I know I can do that." When Keeton asked why her biblical ethical views would disqualify her competence as a counselor, Anderson-Wiley at one point responded, "Christians see this population as sinners." Though Keeton stated that all people are sinners, including herself, Anderson-Wiley told her that she had a choice of standing by the Bible or by the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics. Keeton chose the Bible. "Abandoning one’s own religious beliefs should not be a precondition at a public university for obtaining a degree," ADF's David French contended. "This type of leftist zero-tolerance policy is in place at far too many universities, and it must stop. Jennifer’s only crime was to have the beliefs that she does." source: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100722/ga-school-forces-christian-student-to-alter-beliefs-to-graduate/index.html |
| Global Economic Crisis Watch |
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| Posted: Jul 24 2010, 04:05 AM Forum End Time News View full topic |
| Bank failure tally passes 100 for the year NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A Minnesota bank was closed by government regulators Friday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said, bringing the total number of failed banks this year past 100.... ...FDIC spokesman Andrew Gray said the agency expects the number of failed banks to exceed last year's total of 140... http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/23/news/economy/bank_failures/index.htm?hpt=T2 |
| Trouble In Korea |
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| Posted: Jul 23 2010, 11:51 PM Forum Current Events View full topic |
| NKorea Vows Nuclear Response to US-SKorea Drills North Korea threatens nuclear retaliation to US-South Korea military exercises By KWANG-TAE KIM Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea July 24, 2010 (AP) North Korea warned Saturday that joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises poised to begin this weekend amount to a military provocation that will draw a "powerful" nuclear response from Pyongyang. North Korea routinely threatens war when South Korea and the U.S. hold joint military drills, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an attack on the North. The latest threat comes amid increased tensions on the peninsula over the deadly sinking of South Korean warship that Seoul and Washington blame on Pyongyang. Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11242349 |
| Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Solar Flares |
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| Posted: Jul 23 2010, 08:15 PM Forum Signs of the Times View full topic |
| WOW!!! MAP 7.4 2010/07/23 23:15:09 6.749 123.268 616.7 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES MAP 7.6 2010/07/23 22:51:12 6.494 123.533 576.3 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES MAP 5.4 2010/07/23 22:19:36 6.764 123.545 594.8 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES MAP 7.3 2010/07/23 22:08:11 6.708 123.479 604.5 MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES MAP 5.1 2010/07/23 18:31:13 -22.157 170.253 31.5 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS MAP 5.1 2010/07/23 14:34:16 -4.566 102.571 58.4 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA MAP 5.2 2010/07/22 22:26:47 1.385 126.863 52.8 MOLUCCA SEA MAP 5.0 2010/07/22 21:06:36 35.873 140.374 56.9 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN MAP 6.2 2010/07/22 05:04:01 -15.153 168.185 35.2 VANUATU MAP 5.1 2010/07/22 03:54:28 -6.244 149.913 35.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.3 2010/07/21 22:36:39 -15.234 168.203 82.8 VANUATU MAP 5.3 2010/07/21 22:25:30 -5.301 100.868 32.0 SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA MAP 6.1 2010/07/21 09:16:05 3.037 128.214 102.0 NORTH OF HALMAHERA, INDONESIA MAP 5.1 2010/07/20 23:54:36 -2.924 141.000 47.4 NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, P.N.G. MAP 5.0 2010/07/20 22:49:05 -37.389 -73.139 25.1 BIO-BIO, CHILE MAP 5.0 2010/07/20 21:19:23 34.303 135.749 79.2 NEAR S. COAST OF WESTERN HONSHU, JAPAN MAP 5.0 2010/07/20 21:06:39 -22.888 171.841 44.6 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS MAP 5.3 2010/07/20 20:31:10 -6.051 150.661 48.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.2 2010/07/20 19:50:11 27.046 53.821 10.0 SOUTHERN IRAN MAP 5.8 2010/07/20 19:38:09 27.009 53.855 10.0 SOUTHERN IRAN MAP 6.3 2010/07/20 19:18:24 -5.912 150.665 54.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.7 2010/07/20 17:19:52 -29.031 -13.089 19.3 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE MAP 5.1 2010/07/20 12:53:51 52.740 -169.494 10.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA MAP 5.0 2010/07/20 08:32:05 -8.699 157.672 34.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS MAP 5.1 2010/07/19 17:15:03 49.730 -129.682 1.0 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION MAP 5.0 2010/07/19 15:34:23 -6.087 151.013 50.9 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.0 2010/07/19 14:24:41 52.703 -169.491 10.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA MAP 5.5 2010/07/19 08:23:15 52.752 -169.580 10.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA MAP 5.8 2010/07/19 08:20:31 52.769 -169.221 10.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA MAP 5.3 2010/07/19 03:01:13 -6.507 150.215 37.5 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.0 2010/07/19 02:32:11 -6.510 150.594 37.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.1 2010/07/18 20:50:31 -6.220 150.535 59.8 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 6.0 2010/07/18 19:48:10 52.858 -169.631 47.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA MAP 7.3 2010/07/18 13:34:59 -5.939 150.572 35.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 6.9 2010/07/18 13:04:11 -6.000 150.436 42.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAP 5.1 2010/07/18 13:03:25 24.031 122.439 27.2 TAIWAN REGION MAP 6.6 2010/07/18 05:56:44 52.867 -169.840 10.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA MAP 5.0 2010/07/18 03:29:38 -41.813 -73.464 34.9 GOLFO DE ANCUD, LOS LAGOS, CHILE MAP 5.2 2010/07/17 20:35:34 -54.364 -136.262 16.6 PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE MAP 5.3 2010/07/17 16:20:03 -15.551 -175.084 10.2 TONGA MAP 5.5 2010/07/17 06:07:43 -24.691 -69.819 49.0 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php |
| Gulf Coast Oil Disaster |
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| Posted: Jul 22 2010, 11:25 AM Forum Current Events View full topic |
| Tropical weather could hamper effort to seal oil well By the CNN Wire Staff July 22, 2010 12:43 p.m. EDT  CNN's Rob Marciano takes you inside the biggest cleanup job in the world. Watch "Rescue: Saving the Gulf" at 8 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday on CNN. New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Tropical Depression 3 formed near the Bahamas Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said, carrying sustained winds of 35 mph and possibly threatening operations to clean up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The system showed significant signs of intensification during the overnight hours with thunderstorm activity increasing, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said. Several forecast models show the system could move into the Gulf. The National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm warnings and watches for portions of the Bahamas and Florida. If the system is powerful enough to become a tropical storm, with sustained winds of at least 39 mph, it would be named Bonnie. Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/22/gulf.oil.disaster/index.html?hpt=T1 |
| Trouble In Korea |
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| Posted: Jul 21 2010, 11:49 PM Forum Current Events View full topic |
| North Korea May Use Direct Attacks The BBC News is reporting that North Korea may resort to more direct attacks to achieve its political aims. So testified James Clapper who has been selected to be the new Director of National Intelligence. "At his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Mr Clapper chose to highlight the growing concerns within the agencies about North Korea’s recent actions. He said the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March, which a South Korean-led inquiry found was the result of a North Korean torpedo attack, and unsuccessful attempts to assassinate a senior North Korean defector reminded him of the bombing of Korean Airlines Flight 858 in 1987. “The most important lesson for all of us in the intelligence community from this year’s provocations by Pyongyang is to realise that we may be entering a dangerous new period when North Korea will once again attempt to advance its internal and external political goals through direct attacks on our allies in the Republic of Korea.” “Coupled with this is a renewed realisation that North Korea’s military forces still pose a threat that cannot be taken lightly,” he added." Analysis.We should also be reminded of 1994 when the last succession occurred. We got very close to nuclear war. We are entering another period of succession where the successor is even less prepared than Kim 2 was when he replaced daddy. And we are starting serious naval exercises in the Sea of Japan shortly. Depending on exactly where those exercises occur will tell us a lot about how hard we are poking Kimchee. If they remain south of the DMZ, they will probably not be considered as threatening as if they are held east of Wonsan. I am also sure that there will be the appropriate number of land based exercises using the ranges near the DMZ. These probably will not have any effect on the North Koreans. Nor will the mobility exercises that practice bringing reinforcements into South Korea. Those are pretty normal things. However, if the normal number is exceeded that may cause an outcry from Kimchee about the US preparing to invade. If the number of Cope Strike exercises went from one every six weeks or so to one every three weeks or so, the North would take serious notice. Then there are the sure to be held in the future exercises in the Yellow Sea. The North will bleat like a stuck pig over these. The People’s Republic of China will probably chime in also depending upon the US vessels involved. A surface action group probably won’t raise a lot of ire. The George Washington will send the PRC into apoplectic fits. We have already seen that. It was fun to watch. But the North is a serious threat. They are a 30 day or so army. They have little logistics capability and few supplies even if they had a logistics system of note. But in those 30 days they can shoot off a lot of artillery shells and rockets and make a bloody awful mess of everything south of the DMZ to the Han River. That is what everybody fears. Still, Kimchee’s health is not good. The government may not have a lot of time to build up Kim 3 to the stature where he might be acceptable to the Party and the Army. That will put additional stress on the government. The price of rice has gone up appreciably according to DailyNK. They opine that this is due to the appreciation of the Yuan versus the Won. That makes food more expensive and that does not make the North Korean people happy after the recent devaluation that really screwed a lot of people who had been participating in the local markets. This is one of those “stay tuned” situations. We have little idea of the thought process that goes on in the DPRK. That makes this situation all the more dangerous. Source: http://www.worldthreats.com/?p=2823 |
| Global Economic Crisis Watch |
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| Posted: Jul 21 2010, 11:36 PM Forum End Time News View full topic |
The Scariest Unemployment Graph I've Seen Yet The median duration of unemployment is higher today than any time in the last 50 years. That's an understatement. It is more than twice as high today than any time in the last 50 years. OK, you're saying, but what does this mean? Does it mean we must increase the duration of unemployment benefits to protect this new class of unemployed, or does it mean we need to stop subsidizing joblessness? Does it mean we need to expand federal retraining programs, or does it mean federal retraining programs aren't working? Does it mean we need more stimulus, more state aid, more infrastructure projects, more public works ... or does it mean it's time to stop everything, stand back and let business be business? You're going to find smart people make a case for all six of the above public policy directions. (I tend to side with the first of each coupling.) It's hard to know for sure how to design public policy for historically unique crises precisely because they are historical orphans, without precedent to show us the right way from the wrong. One of my first reactions to this graph was: Surely this is why we don't have to worry about inflation for a very, very long time. However, here's evidence that despite the historically inverse relationship between inflation and joblessness, "the long-term unemployed put less downward pressure on inflation." Ultimately, this is a graph that should humble policy makers more than it should scare them into confidently arguing they know exactly how to fix it. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/07/the-scariest-unemployment-graph-ive-seen-yet/60086/ |
| Global Economic Crisis Watch |
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| Posted: Jul 21 2010, 09:39 PM Forum End Time News View full topic |
| Oh Ohh... So what are they saying...they are expecting the economy to falter again? ... Federal Reserve ready to step in if economy falters again, Bernanke says  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke prepares to testify before the Senate banking committee. (Alex Brandon/associated Press) By Neil Irwin Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 22, 2010 The Federal Reserve would take action if necessary to keep the economic recovery on track, Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said Wednesday, even as he asserted that he expects the expansion to continue. It was the first time the Fed chairman has publicly opened the door to further policy steps to bolster the recovery, part of a dual message delivered in his high-profile, semiannual testimony on monetary policy: one of cautious optimism about continued growth and recognition that the risk of a faltering recovery has risen in recent months. ...Bernanke and his Fed colleagues "recognize that the economic outlook remains unusually uncertain," he told the Senate banking committee. "We remain prepared to take further policy actions as needed to foster a return to full utilization of our nation's productive potential in a context of price stability." Financial markets tumbled on Bernanke's testimony. ... Read more: Washington Post |
| Epic Floods (Global) |
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| Posted: Jul 20 2010, 11:31 PM Forum Signs of the Times View full topic |
| Isaiah 17 Watch |
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| Posted: Jul 19 2010, 11:22 PM Forum Israel and the Middle East View full topic |
| MONDAY, JULY 19, 2010 Hizballah Prepares for War Based on Using Civilians as Shields By Barry Rubin The Israeli army has released for the first time sensitive intelligence data on how Hizballah is digging into southern Lebanon. The deliberate strategy is to store weapons and put defense positions right next to civilian houses. In the event of a war, Israel will have to choose between giving Hizballah a tremendous advantage or killing civilians. Or as a Lebanese person remarked privately, "Hizballah is painting a big fat target on all the Shi'a down there." This strategy is the fruit of the world reaction to the 2008-2009 war in the Gaza Strip when Hamas was rewarded for using civilians as human shields. Despite the care Israel took to avoid damaging civilian property or endangering civilian lives, there was a strong anti-Israel response... Read more: Rubin report |
| Iranian Nukes & Missiles... |
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| Posted: Jul 19 2010, 11:15 PM Forum Current Events View full topic |
| US and Israel fear Iran may be capable of a nuclear test this year Shahram Amiri's voluntary repatriation to Iran and a second close look at the nuclear data he passed to the CIA are raising grave doubts about its value, DEBKAfile's intelligence sources report. There is mounting suspicion in Washington and Jerusalem that Tehran employed the scientist to strew red herrings in their path, namely, out-of-date material for concealing and misdirecting their attention from the rapid progress taking place secretly in Iran's nuclear program. A high-ranking intelligence source in Washington remarked Monday, July 19, that he would not be surprised "if we woke up one morning to find the Iranians had conducted an underground nuclear test." This was not to say Iran had a bomb or nuclear warhead ready packed for delivery, he said, "Only that it was a lot closer to this option than the Americans and Israelis had been led to believe."... Read more: http://www.debka.com/article/8918/ |
7:34 PM Jan 27