Whole lotta shakin' goin' on!

Magnitude 2.9 - ILLINOIS

Magnitude 5.0 - TAJIKISTAN

Magnitude 5.5 - HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION--
Earthquake jolts northern Japan

Magnitude 5.3 - SAMAR, PHILIPPINES--
5.3 magnitude quake strikes off Samar island

Magnitude 6.1 - TONGA

Magnitude 5.1 - CENTRAL PERU

Magnitude 6.6 - ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION--
Magnitude 5.7 - ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION--
Andaman Islands Struck by 2 Earthquakes in 2 Hours

Magnitude 5.1 - OFFSHORE SUCRE, VENEZUELA

Magnitude 4.8 - SICHUAN-GANSU BORDER REGION, CHINA

***

Ouch~!

Burrowing Muskrat Causes Levee to Fail in Missouri

The furry rodent dug a hole through the earthen levee in this eastern Missouri community, allowing water to penetrate the floodwall, which failed shortly before dawn.

"It's so disappointing," said Linda Wilmesherr as she peered through binoculars at water pouring through a gap that appeared to be 30 feet wide. "With all the guns in this county, couldn't we kill a muskrat?"

Bees' decline could lead to higher food prices

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Food prices could rise even more unless the mysterious decline in honey bees is solved, farmers and businessmen told lawmakers Thursday.
...
About three-quarters of flowering plants rely on birds, bees and other pollinators to help them reproduce. Bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion annually in crop value.

In 2006, beekeepers began reporting losing 30 percent to 90 percent of their hives. This phenomenon has become known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists do not know how many bees have died; beekeepers have lost 36 percent of their managed colonies this year. It was 31 percent for 2007, said Edward B. Knipling, administrator of the Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service.

Omaha residents face up to a week without power

Nebraska's largest city struggled Saturday to restore power to thousands of residents a day after a severe storm damaged homes, uprooted trees and killed two people in a neighboring community.

It could take a week to fully restore electricity after high winds from Friday's storm, officials said. The storm is one of the worst the Omaha Public Power District has dealt with, said CEO Gary Gates.

Nearly 50,000 customers remained without power Saturday afternoon, utility spokesman Jeff Hanson said. At the peak of the failures, 126,000 customers lacked electricity.

Smoky skies threaten health in fiery California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities.

Air pollution readings in the region are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, said Saturday.
Some areas are experiencing the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging down to the ground like a fog.

Tourists Desert California Coast as Wildfires Spread

BIG SUR, Calif. — Every summer thousands of tourists travel to this rugged stretch of California coast whose soaring mountain cliffs and sweeping ocean views have inspired writers from Henry Miller to Jack Kerouac.

But many of the rustic inns, restaurants and art galleries that dot the coastal highway here are nearly deserted this week as hundreds of firefighters battle a massive wildfire that is threatening the community of Big Sur and its tourist-dependent businesses.

***

Palestinians fire shells as Israel decides to open Gaza crossings

Shortly Israel decided to open all the crossings into Gaza Saturday night several mortar shells were fired by Palestinian terrorists at the Karni Crossing area.

Niiiiice. "They're going to open the crossings like we asked, so let's shell them!"


Obama's Global Tax Bill Coming Soon

The Global Poverty Act of 2007 (S.2433) is coming up for a Senate vote sometime after the July 4 recess, according the office of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Once Harry Reid and the Democrat leadership put it on the calendar, we could have as little as a week to prepare for the vote.

The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Barack Obama. Read about it here.

If passed, it will cost taxpayers $845,000,000,000 over the next 13 years, in addition to our current foreign aid expenditures.

And the best part is that it will be administered in conjunction with...brace yourselves... the United Nations. The same one of "Food-for-Oil" fame.

It passed (H.R. 1302) earlier by a unanimous voice vote in the House.

It's about global income redistribution. Their distribution - our income.

Heard much debate about it? Ah, it's only 8.5 tenths of a trillion.

Emphasis mine. Nothing to see here, folks, move along.


Obama to visit Israel before conference

Barack Obama is a "very welcome visitor," and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "is looking forward to meeting the senator," Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said Saturday night amid reports that Obama is planning a trip to the Middle East and Europe this summer.

Neither Regev nor a Foreign Ministry spokesman said they had been contacted by Obama's campaign regarding the date of the visit, but it is expected to take place before late-August's Democratic Party convention in Denver.

I don't know, it's only a gut feeling, but I feel it so strongly, that something bad will come of this.

I really hope it's just that stale pizza I ate.



Bill Clinton says Barack Obama must 'kiss my ass' for his support
[the picture they chose is alone worth the click!]

The Telegraph has learned that the former president's rage is still so great that even loyal allies are shocked by his patronising attitude to Mr Obama, and believe that he risks damaging his own reputation by his intransigence.

Obama is everything Clinton wanted to be, but couldn't quite hack due to his inability to keep it in his pants.

Expo of Greatest Babylon Treasures Opens in Berlin

A touring exhibition of the greatest surviving treasures of ancient Babylon
opens Thursday in the German capital Berlin at the Pergamon Museum, which
already has one of the world's richest Babylonian collections.

Oh, but here's the fun part:

Exhibition designers said the 1,000 items on display illustrated the vast
cultural heritage of Iraq and would explore why western culture falsely
associated Babylonian civilization with evil, with a Biblical tradition
describing the city as the "Whore of Babylon."

Falsely? !?!

My, these folks are full of themselves.

A hodge-podge of items today, mostly left over from the last few days when I've been busy with this so-called "real life". pffft. Who needs that?



*****



Untouched water

More than 1 billion people, almost 20% of the global population, lack access to clean drinking water. Two billion more lack access to basic sanitation. Nearly 2 million children around the world will die this year from water-related illnesses, and with populations in the poorest regions growing faster than in industrialized areas we can expect this number to increase. Meanwhile, the United States has little to say on global or domestic water policy.

Fortune magazine reports that the global water crisis will be as serious in the 21st century as oil crises were in the 20th, potentially leading to warfare. So it should come as a shock that water is not on the lips of the presidential candidates.

Scientists to gather over worsening Murray crisis

There was an air of desperation in Melbourne today, when some of Australia's top water scientists gathered to urge politicians to do more, urgently, to save the Murray-Darling river system.

***



Western world is losing Christian values, says leading bishop

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, claimed the declining importance of the church was creating a "double jeopardy" situation where faith was being challenged at a time when society would most benefit.

He said believers needed to "recover their nerve" and spread the Gospel again.

Romans 1:16-17 (New International Version)


16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[a] just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."[b]

Dr Nazir-Ali said when changes took place in society they must be assessed against the Bible to see whether they should be accepted, and should not just be waved through.

He said those who were attending Gafcon, many of whom like him are boycotting the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference gathering of bishops because of their opposition to liberals over homosexuality, were at the forefront of a revival of Anglicanism.

"You are the miraculous beginning of a movement for the renewal of the church."

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. --Romans 12:1-3 (Amplified Bible)



Looks like he's got his act together.



***



Florida Buying Big Sugar Tract for Everglades

LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — The dream of a restored Everglades, with water flowing from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay, moved a giant step closer to reality on Tuesday when the nation’s largest sugarcane producer agreed to sell all of its assets to the state and go out of business.

Under the proposed deal, Florida will pay $1.75 billion for United States Sugar, which would have six years to continue farming before turning over 187,000 acres north of Everglades National Park, along with two sugar refineries, 200 miles of railroad and other assets.

Wait, what? The state is going through a huge budget crunch, resulting in the layoff of 2100 teachers and numerous law enforcement and corrections officers but we can shell out 1.75 billion for swampland? Aaaarrgh!





Scuffles Break out Between Wisconsin Flood Victims in Line for Food Vouchers

MILWAUKEE — Pushing and shoving broke out among some of the 2,500 people hit hard by recent floods who lined up outside a county office early Monday in hopes of collecting free food vouchers.

Some residents told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they heard from friends or at food pantries that they could get free vouchers to replace food lost in recent floods and power outages. But the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center was just taking names for a state voucher program.

Scuffles began breaking out around 7 a.m. with people shoving, pushing, and taking a door off its hinges, police said. Police arrived in dozens of squad cars and restored
order.

Photo:http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/graphic.asp?graphic=http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/jun08/crowd_62508_big.jpg



You know what troubles me about this picture? Look at all the women and kids. Momma and Grandma couldn't find a babysitter for a few hour while they took care of this? No man of the house to stand in line while the kids stay home? :(





AQ Khan 'nuclear middleman' freed

The Malaysian government says it has released an alleged middleman in the nuclear secrets ring run by disgraced Pakistani scientist AQ Khan.

Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, a Sri Lankan businessman, was arrested in Kuala Lumpur in May 2004.

US President George W Bush described him as AQ Khan's "chief financial officer and money launderer".

Well, I feel safe now, don't you?







Messianic Jews to protest 'discrimination'

A contingent of about 300 Messianic Jews from the US will protest this weekend against what they call Israel's discriminatory immigration policy against Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah.

The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, an umbrella body for about 80 US congregations, is holding a three-day conference in Jerusalem that starts Thursday.

During the conference a number of issues will be discussed - including the recent public burning by haredim of New Testaments distributed by missionaries in Or Akiva, a bomb attack that seriously wounded the son of well-known Messianic Jew in Ariel and the attempt to disqualify a Messianic Jewish high school girl from this year's International Bible Quiz for Jewish youth.

I love the scare quotes in the title. ;P





Signs of division on Egypt's brow

The zebiba used to be the mark of an elderly Muslim man, the fruit of a lifetime's devotion, but it is increasingly seen on the faces of young Egyptians.

Literally meaning "a raisin", the zebiba is a patch of hardened skin where the forehead touches the ground during Muslim prayers.

Some welcome the trend as a sign of devotion, others say it is ostentatious piety.

Worse still there are fears public displays of faith like the zebiba and the hijab, or headscarf, are spilling over into vigilantism.

Liberals or Christians who don't conform in the workplace or on the street say they are being harassed.

Display the mark, or be attacked. Yeah, nothing creepy or prophetic about that. *whistles*



A Dark Past
Contraception, abortion, and the eugenics movement.
By Jonah Goldberg

Read it, read it, read it! And throw it in the face of the next person who spouts crapola about how great Planned Parenthood is.


And speaking of death activists...

Drug company supplies cancer drug Oregon Health Plan won't

EUGENE, Ore. — After weeks of bad news, things turned Barbara Wagner’s way this week. Last month her lung cancer, in remission for about two years, was back. After her oncologist prescribed a cancer drug that could slow the cancer growth and extend her life, Wagner was notified that the Oregon Health Plan wouldn’t cover it.

It would cover comfort and care, including, if she chose, doctor-assisted suicide.

***

Court bans death penalty for child rape

Rape and other crimes "may be as devastating in their harm, as here, but 'in terms of moral depravity and of the injury to the person and to the public,' they cannot be compared to murder in their 'severity and irrevocability,'" Kennedy said, quoting from earlier decisions.

We are talking about children under the age of twelve. Anyone who gives a $#!+ about the value of life would agree that child rape is much more injurious to the public than treason, yes?

"The opinion reads more like an out-of-control legislative debate than a constitutional analysis," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican. "One thing is clear: The five members of the court who issued the opinion do not share the same 'standards of decency' as the people of Louisiana."

The more I know about this guy, the more I like him. I'm pro-death penalty, though I think we need to be careful about it. Rape of a child that age is a no-brainer, though. I consider that even worse than murder.


*****

And now, a bit of good news:

Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Gun Ban, Upholds Individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a constitutional right to keep guns in their homes for self-defense, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun control in U.S. history.

I'm still reading the raw decision, but I can tell you this: Stevens has his head up his ass.

In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."

He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."

Fool. No other word for it. That is EXACTLY why we have the second amendment.

Rockets hit Israel, which says truce broken
[Gee, ya think?--A]

Palestinian militants on Tuesday fired three homemade rockets into southern Israel, the first such attack since a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza militants took effect last week. Israel condemned the attack as a "gross violation" of the truce, but did not say whether it would retaliate.
...
Just before midnight, Palestinian militants fired a mortar shell into an empty area in southern Israel. And in a pre-dawn raid, Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Islamic Jihad, a small armed group backed by Syria and Iran, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Although the West Bank is not included in the truce, the group said the Nablus raid had soured the atmosphere of calm. "We cannot keep our hands tied when this is happening to our brothers in the West Bank," the militant group said.

Iran: Leader of the Sunni Movements

Paradoxically, Iran, an extremist theocratic Shiite regime with Ahmadinejad at its helm, is orchestrating and funding the activities of extremist Sunnis in the region.

The paradox is most striking in the case of Al-Qaeda, the most extremist Sunni organization, which has joined, in the full sense of the word, the Iranian apparatus. The alliance between the two enemies began in the wake of the defeat of Al-Qaeda and the organization's flight from Afghanistan to all Sunni countries. The first group of Al-Qaeda, which was led by Egyptian national Saif Al-Adel, and included Saad bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's son, fled to Iran immediately after the fall of the Taliban regime.

Group Home Girls Make a Barefoot Run for It

Three bipolar teen girls who live in a rural North Carolina group home for adolescents with mental and behavioral problems remained missing today, two days after they eluded a counselor Sunday night by wading barefoot across a shallow river.

Shikeyla Wilfong, 16, Taylor Sandefer, 13, and Brittany Roper, 17, were reported missing to the Boiling Springs, N.C., Police Department at 7:25 p.m. Sunday after leaving during a group outing at a recreational area.
...
Thomas said he is most concerned for the safety of the 13-year-old, Taylor Sandefer. He said the girl came to the group home from a broken family and has had violent manic episodes in the past. She has a severe beesting allergy and is traveling without an EpiPen, which could prevent her from experiencing anaphylactic shock if stung.

Not good at all. :( I hope they're found safe.


Swollen Mississippi defeats another levee
Floodwaters submerge farmland and threaten residential area

WINFIELD, Mo. - The swollen Mississippi River burst another levee Tuesday, submerging farmland and threatening a residential area whose occupants had
already moved out in anticipation of a flood.

The levee failure near St. Charles comes as teams furiously fill sandbags to reinforce other waterlogged embankments guarding towns still waiting for the arrival of the huge river's flood crest.

Forecasters expect the last stretch of the bloated river to crest later this week.

Hundreds of post-lightning fires burn in California

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was told late Sunday evening that the state had 520 fires, and he found it "quite shocking" that by Monday morning the number had risen above 700. Moments later, a top state fire official standing at Schwarzenegger's side offered a grim update. The figure was actually 842 fires, said Del Walters, assistant regional chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. All but a couple were in the northern part of the state.

"This is an unprecedented lightning storm in California, that it lasted as long as it did, 5,000 to 6,000 lightning strikes," Walters said. "We are finding fires all the time."

Gonna be a rotten summer out there.

On a lighter note:

Gallery: 10 Best Apocalyptic Vehicles

Global warming. Faltering economies. Dwindling resources. Mankind has finally set in motion environmental, political and social policies that will surely destroy the world as we know it.

Not everyone will fall. Those who survive will roam the scorched wasteland to fend for themselves against the predatory undead while scavenging what they can to survive. The end of days is at hand, and the only question is this: What will you drive when it all comes tumbling down?

Click through our reader submissions to see your best bet for survival.

I think I want number 5 the most. ;)

Of course, then there's the 2012 furor.

The world will come to an end in 2012
Thousands of people in the Netherlands believe in an impending apocalypse in 2012 and are buying survival rations and boats.

The Fat Lady's Aria? Humanity's Last Stand? Or Just Another Apocalypse Soon?

No man knows the hour. But it's interesting, all the same.

Philippines Typhoon Capsizes Boat, 700 Missing

Rescuers hoped to get inside with U.S. assistance requested by the Philippine Red Cross. Typhoon Fengshen has killed at least 163 people across the sprawling archipelago, setting off landslides and floods, and knocking out electricity.

CHILE'S CHAITEN VOLCANO BACK IN ACTION

The eruption of southern Chile's Chaitén Volcano intensified on Friday, inflicting a new round of damage on nearby communities and slowing government-led relief efforts. Local officials said that volcanic activity could be at one of its highest levels since Chaitén began erupting more than one month ago.

“Even though the volcano has remained active since its initial explosion, today we can definitely said that the situation has worsened,” said Chilean Defense Minister José Goñi.

California Firefighters Battle Hundreds of Blazes

Hundreds of wildfires sparked by lightning flared Sunday across the heart of wine country and remote forests in Northern California, the latest batch of destructive blazes in the bone-dry state.

One had spread across nearly 6 square miles by early Sunday after starting the previous afternoon in Napa County and quickly moving into a mostly rural area of Solano County.

The fire threatened more than 100 buildings as it fed on grassy woodland about 40 miles southwest of Sacramento, said Roger Archey, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Say, that's odd: Cat killed in Missouri identified as leopard

NEOSHO, Mo. - Missouri state biologists said Sunday that a big, black cat killed by a sheriff's deputy has been identified as a leopard.

James Dixon of the Missouri Department of Conservation said the animal was identified by the St. Louis Zoo.

The AP seems determined to fuel the crazy.

Is everything spinning out of control?
Can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in American psyche is under assault

Global weirding is not going to assault the American psyche. You know what will? The we're-too-pathetic-to-accomplish-anything-on-our-own-we-need-the-government-to-save-us approach pushed on us by a leftist media, including the AP.

Freak not out over a world gone mad, mis amigos! The One who hung the world in place is the One who told us these things would happen. Trust in Him, and not your own understanding. Acknowledge Him, and He'll direct your paths.



Magnitude 3.7 - PAKISTAN

Magnitude 5.7 - KURIL ISLANDS

Magnitude 5.9 - NORTHEASTERN SAKHA, RUSSIA
Magnitude 5.9 quake hits Northeastern Sakha, Russia



Army crisis as 10,000 troops are unfit to fight
More than ten thousand British soldiers are unfit for frontline duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Telegraph has learnt.

Senior officers fear that the cumulative effect of "tour fatigue" – the pressure of supplying troops to combat zones continuously for over five years – is beginning to take its toll on the Army.

One in 10 soldiers are now classified as unfit for operations, a higher proportion than at any time since the start of the Iraq war in 2003.

Female suicide bomber in Iraq kills 15, wounds 40

A female suicide bomber concealing explosives beneath her black robe struck outside a government complex northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 40, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

It was the 21st suicide mission carried out by a woman in Iraq this year, the U.S. military said, as al-Qaida and other Sunni militant groups try to regroup from major losses suffered at the hands of U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Israel 'will attack Iran' before new US president sworn in, John Bolton predicts

John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has predicted that Israel could attack Iran after the November presidential election but before George W Bush's successor is sworn in.
...
Israel, however, still had a determination to prevent a nuclear Iran, he argued. The "optimal window" for strikes would be between the November 4 election and the inauguration on January 20, 2009.

"The Israelis have one eye on the calendar because of the pace at which the Iranians are proceeding both to develop their nuclear weapons capability and to do things like increase their defences by buying new Russian anti-aircraft systems and further harden the nuclear installations .

"They're also obviously looking at the American election calendar. My judgement is they would not want to do anything before our election because there's no telling what impact it could have on the election."

Bolton goes on to suggest Israel would hold off in the event Obama wins. I disagree; I think anyone can see that Obama isn't going to stand with Israel no matter what she does, and she's going to have to handle threats herself.



Minister: Saudi Arabia Can Increase Oil Production

Saudi Arabia is willing to produce more oil if customers need it, the kingdom's oil minister said Sunday without citing any specific output increase.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has been under intense pressure from the U.S. and other oil consumers to increase its crude output to help slow the soaring price of oil.

The kingdom already announced modest increases and said it would pump 9.7 million barrels a day beginning in July. But those increases have not done much to stem the skyrocketing price of oil, which closed near $135 a barrel on Friday.

*Sigh.* Our "friends" the Saudis have us over a barrel (so to speak.) More money to fund their madrassas. I suspect the prices will have to come back down a bit--even they know better than to piss off Joe Bluecollar American in an election year.



UN atomic inspectors begin Syria mission

U.N. nuclear sleuths looking into allegations that Syria is hiding secret atomic activities expressed hope Sunday that a fact-gathering trip to Damascus will be the start of a thorough investigation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors face a daunting task. Syrian officials are expected to place strict limits on where they go and what they see during their three-day visit.

No, really?



Sarkozy urges Israel to share sovereignty over Jerusalem

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy told Israel today to share sovereignty over Jerusalem with the Palestinians and to stop building settlements in the occupied territories.

#*(%. Jerusalem belongs to Israel. Period.



Tsvangirai seeks refuge at Dutch Embassy
Opposition leader flees after raid on party headquarters

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's opposition leader took refuge in the Dutch Embassy after pulling out of the presidential runoff, and dozens of his supporters were hustled away by police in a raid on party headquarters Monday.

Western powers outraged at the turmoil began pushing Monday for the U.N. Security Council to condemn the violence and insist on a fair presidential election. They expected opposition from Zimbabwe's two biggest trading partners, South Africa and China.

Yeah, I'm sure the UN is really going to make it stop. *eyeroll*



Children fed 'silly pills,' forced to perform sex shows

Dad takes police to remains of son, daughter

Arkansas Man Arrested for Kidnapping, Beating Mother Over Death of Pet Skunk

Anglican church schism declared over homosexuality

Hardline church leaders have formally declared the end of the worldwide Anglican communion, saying they could no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate homosexual clergy.

The traditionalists dealt a serious blow to the Archbishop of Canterbury by claiming he can no longer hold the church together.

They warned that the church is gripped by its most serious crisis since the Reformation, and could only be saved by the repentance of the Americans who triggered the row by ordaining an openly homosexual bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, five years ago.

The formal pronouncement of the schism is contained in an 89-page document titled “The Way, the Truth and the Life”, which has been drawn up by conservative Anglicans ahead of the breakaway Gafcon summit next week and which has been seen by The Telegraph.

["The Way, the Truth, and the Life." Important words. Important verse.--A]

The Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter AkinolaThe Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, states in one section: “There is no longer any hope, therefore, for a unified Communion. “Now we confront a moment of decision.

“If we fail to act, we risk leading millions of people away from the faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures and also, even more seriously, we face the real possibility of denying Our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“We want unity, but not at the cost of relegating Christ to the position of another 'wise teacher’ who can be obeyed or disobeyed.

“We earnestly desire the healing of our beloved Communion, but not at the cost of re-writing the Bible to accommodate the latest cultural trend.

“We have arrived at a crossroads; it is, for us, the moment of truth.’’

Conservative Anglicans Lament 'Brokenness' of Communion

More than 1,000 conservative Anglican leaders were in Jerusalem on Sunday to open a week of discussions looking at the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
...
Unity is the goal, Archbishop of Sydney the Most Rev. Peter Jensen said, but he admitted that it might not be achieved.

"What we would like to see is the renewal of the Communion so that we can all again walk together,” Jensen said. “I'm not confident that it can be done.”

But Jensen pointed out that schism already began when the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated the openly gay V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire and the Diocese of New Westminster in the Anglican Church of Canada blessed same-sex unions in 2003.

"What the Americans did in 2003 and what the Canadians did was to rip the communion," Jensen said. "If we're talking about schism and the breakup of the communion – that's where it starts and that is where the responsibility is. What GAFCON is doing is saying that given that new state of affairs, how now can we live together and how can we sustain the highest level of communion and work well together.

Reclaiming Orthodoxy
1000 conservative evangelicals gather in Jerusalem to reclaim Anglicanism. An interview with Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen.

GAFCON is not just a conference. It's a movement. From the very beginning, the emphasis has been on truth and transformation. There's a very strong evangelical strain in this movement. It's not only evangelical by any means, but there is a strong evangelical strain. Evangelicals are particularly interested in truth. We believe the truth, that we have access to truth in Scripture, and we believe in transformation. We believe that people's lives could be changed. Our interest is not so much in human sexuality as such, but our interest is in that gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth that transforms, and the impact of that gospel in the whole world.
...
Our problems are not so much to do with homosexuality; they're to do with human nature, human relationships, and the call of the gospel to sacrifice. We have a different view of human nature than that of the world around us. We have a different view as to what constitutes the good life. It's in those areas that the battle needed to be fought first before we ever got to the human sexuality battle.

Now we've reached the point where Christians seem to be saying: "Sorry, what we Christians say as normal, the rest of the world thinks is absolutely impossible and extraordinary."

Hence, when we say we call upon people whether homosexual or heterosexual, to live a life of self-discipline outside marriage, people around us, the world around us, thinks this is some of the most extraordinary stuff they've ever heard.

Well, it's only what all Christians used to believe, and it's what the Bible teaches.

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. --1 John 5:1-5


But gee, maybe I shouldn't be writing on this. It might be against the law in Colorado!

But now an analyst for Focus, Bruce Hausknecht, has told WND there are other, significant, potential ramifications hidden in the fine print of the new law. The law provides an exemption allowing religious groups to continue teaching, inside their doors, the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality. But the exemption itself is ultimately harmful to the church, Hausknecht contends."It tends to marginalize the church," he said. "They'll say, 'It's just a church.' It will allow gay activists to continue to marginalize Christians. They'll say, 'Keep it within your four walls. That's all.'"
...
Section 8. 24-34-701. Publishing of discriminative matter forbidden. No person, being the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or employee of any place of public accommodation... shall publish, issue, circulate, send, distribute, give away, or display in any way, manner, or shape or by any means or method, except as provided in this section, any communication, paper, poster, folder, manuscript, book, pamphlet, writing, print, letter, notice, or advertisement of any kind, nature, or description THAT is intended or calculated to discriminate or actually discriminates against... SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status... in the matter of furnishing or neglecting or refusing to furnish to them or any one of them any lodging, housing, schooling, or tuition or any accommodation, right [marriage], privilege [adoption], advantage, or convenience... on account of... SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status... [which] is unwelcome or objectionable or not acceptable, desired, or solicited."

http://hr.cch.com/news/employment/061908a.asp

http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2008a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/BD7A295EB6F4460E872573F5005D0148?open&file=200_enr.pdf





Ex-Traffic Cop Says He's Jesus
Remote Russian Sect Revolves Around Self-Proclaimed Messiah

Deep in the heart of Siberia's birch forests lies one of the largest and
most remote religious communes of the planet. More than 5,000 people have left
their families and their homes to move here and join the Church of the Last
Testament, which has more than 10,000 followers worldwide. The church centers on
one man. He is known simply as Vissarion, meaning "he who gives new life," or
simply as the teacher, and he claims that he is Jesus Christ.

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.



Christians: No One Path to Salvation

Americans of every religious stripe are considerably more tolerant of the beliefs of others than most of us might have assumed, according to a new poll released Monday. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews.

4For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.


3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing.


1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

19 Dead, Hundreds Adrift in Philippines Typhoon

Typhoon Fengshen has killed at least 19 people in the Philippines and is hampering efforts to rescue more than 700 people aboard a ferry adrift in the storm.Rough seas and large waves forced Philippine coast guard crews to turn back in their attempt to reach the "Princess of the Stars."

Nigeria oil pipeline 'attacked'

US oil giant Chevron has halted onshore oil production at its Escravos oilfield after an attack on a pipeline.

The loss could equate to about 120,000 barrels per day, about 6.6% of Nigeria's total daily crude production.

The Nigerian military said militants blew up the Niger Delta pipeline, but the region's main armed group blamed angry youths for the attack.

Ireland under Franco-German pressure to hold new EU vote

The Irish government is expected to bow to Franco-German pressure and hold a second referendum to try to rescue the Lisbon treaty that voters rejected this month.

The plan for a possible new vote in Ireland, being discussed by some ministers in Dublin, will be greeted with outrage by opponents of the treaty in Britain.

Czech Mother Accused of Skinning Caged Son, Feeding Him to Relatives

A mother is accused of partially skinning her caged son and feeding his flesh to relatives.

Kalra Mauerova, 31, of Brno in the Czech Republic, wept in court as she admitted torturing her son Ondrej, and his ten-year-old brother, Jakub, The Sun reported.

Mauerova, a member of the Grail Movement cult, caged Ondrej for months while relatives, also members of the cult, ate his raw flesh, a judge heard yesterday.

5-year-old boy suffered 'unbearable' abuse

LOS ANGELES - The little boy's body was a study in pain.

He was covered in cigarette burns, including to his genitals. He couldn't fully open his hand because it had been burned on a stove. His tooth was broken with a nerve exposed. And he had been made to sit in his own urine and feces, authorities say.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:13-16)

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:31-46)

God does not look kindly on those who abuse the helpless.

***

Man bites dog: Israeli Settlers Fire Rocket at Palestinians



Israeli Military Demonstrates Ability to Attack Iran, U.S. Officials Say

American military officials say Israel launched a major military exercise that appeared to be aimed in part at demonstrating its ability to stage an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israel's military refused to publicly confirm or deny whether the exercise was a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack.

But a senior Israeli Air Force official close to the operation told FOX News that the military is preparing for all possibilities with Iran, and during this exercise was testing its refueling capabilities. The source said helicopters were even used to practice how to respond to a downed plane.

EXCLUSIVE: Hezbollah Poised to Strike?
Officials Say "Sleeper Cells" Activated in Canada

Intelligence agencies in the United States and Canada are warning of mounting signs that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is poised to mount a terror attack against "Jewish targets" somewhere outside the Middle East.

Intelligence officials tell ABC News the group has activated suspected "sleeper cells" in Canada and key operatives have been tracked moving outside the group's Lebanon base to Canada, Europe and Africa.

Officials say Hezbollah is seeking revenge for the February assassination of Hezbollah's military commander, Imad Mugniyah, killed by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria.

Russia's Lavrov warns against attack on Iran

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's foreign minister on Friday warned against the use of force on Iran, saying there is no proof it is trying to build nuclear weapons.

Sergey Lavrov said Iran should be engaged in dialogue and encouraged to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency.

Lavrov made the statement when asked to comment on an Israeli Cabinet member's statement earlier this month that Israel could attack Iran if it does not halt its nuclear program.

Things are heating up over there.

***

Southern California Blisters in Record Heat Wave

Southern California roasted Thursday in a record-breaking, end-of-spring heat wave that sent temperatures soaring past 100 degrees in many areas, posing hazards for anyone who ventured outside.

And then there's this this nutty piece claiming that global warming is causing the increase in earthquakes, nicely debunked by the Weekly Standard.



Upstream Levee Breaks Ease Danger in St. Louis

The failure of Mississippi River levees to the north in Missouri and Illinois on Thursday eased pressure Friday on St. Louis, where estimates of the river’s crest were lowered below the feared record level.

According to the National Weather Service, the river is expected rise to 37.3 feet on Friday, well below the 49.58 foot level recorded during the heavy flooding in 1993.

One of the ways I had not really thought about the weather affecting agriculture:

Impact of tornadoes causing hay baling problems

Weather this spring has been turbulent, unpredictable and devastating. Many parts of Arkansas experienced destructive tornadoes. These tornadoes spread all types of debris across the countryside.

"Much of this material landed on pastures and in hay meadows," Dr. Tom Troxel, extension animal science professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said.

Items such as fiberglass insulation, metal, wood and other items are posing a problem for cattle producers who are now baling hay in many parts of the state, he said. It's not practical to pick up every bit of debris and trash that was blown onto farmland by the tornadoes.

"However, it's important to pick up all you can because you shouldn't bale hay with large pieces of foreign material, and you don't want cattle to ingest foreign material while grazing."

4.4 - EASTERN TURKEY
4.8 - SOUTHERN GREECE
5.4 - SOUTHERN GREECE
4.6 - SOUTHERN GREECE
Two strong quakes shake Peloponnese, no damage reported


Flooding strands 100-plus barges on Mississippi

The flooding in the Midwest has brought freight traffic on the upper Mississippi to a standstill, stranding more than 100 barges loaded with grain, cement, scrap metal, fertilizer and other products while shippers wait for the water to drop on the Big Muddy.

"We're basically experiencing total shutdown," said Larry Daily, president of Alter Barge Line Inc. of Bettendorf, Iowa.

While the bottleneck is costing him and other barge operators tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue per day, June is a slow shipping period on the river compared with the late-summer harvest, the shutdown is expected to last only a few weeks, and it involves primarily non-perishable goods. So no major damage to the economy is expected.

Floodwaters to widen 'dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) — Floodwaters loaded with farm runoff are heading down the
Mississippi River, and scientists fear the deluge will dramatically increase this summer's dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, covering an area the size of Maryland.

The dead zone is a region of the gulf that becomes starved for oxygen during much of the summer and cannot support fish or other sea life.

There are hundreds of dead zones around the world that wreak havoc with marine ecology and cut off vast areas for commercial fishing. The zone in the gulf is the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

Wildfires raging in Calif., New Mexico

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California wildfire was almost fully contained Saturday after forcing thousands to evacuate, destroying several homes and closing a six-mile stretch of scenic Highway 1, fire officials said.

The fire near Watsonville was 90 percent contained and could be surrounded by the end of the day, said officials of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It had charred 630 acres, or less than a square mile.

News out of the middle east today makes me a bit queasy-- things are heating up; time is winding down. Also mucho interested in what's going on with the Anglicans, and GAFCON.

Deleted the sidebar link to Townhall.com after that disgusting Holocaust revisionism by Nazi Buchanan. I'm EXTREMELY disappointed.

Far right, far left, it's all the same.

No linkies tonight; took a long walk this evening, then took a shower, and now I'm getting sleepy.

Saw an armadillo.



And a snake.



I got lots of exercise, and learned a few new things about my camera in the process. Gotta get ready for D*C.

Viva la muerte!
/sarc

Twins' deaths prompt community soul-searching (Australia)

The twins were not known to child protection agencies in Queensland, but questions are being asked about why no-one acted sooner.

And people are asking themselves how two children could die in a quiet suburban street and their deaths go unnoticed for more than a week.

Charity investigated for helping teen in abortion (Virginia)

RICHMOND, Va. - Federal authorities are investigating whether a Richmond-based Catholic charity caring for an underage illegal immigrant violated state law by helping the teenager get an abortion last winter. [Catholic? They frown on that. What
gives?--Amanda]

Record numbers of abortions in under-age girls. (UK)

The number of under age girls having abortions has risen by 10 per cent in one year, official figures have revealed.

In total there were 205,600 abortions carried out in England and Wales in 2007 a 2.2 per cent rise on the previous year.

Of those 4,376 were carried out on girls too young to legally have sex.

Women aged 19 were the most likely to have an abortion in 2007 with 36 procedures carried out for every 1,000 19-year-olds.

Abortion rate up in 2007 (New Zealand)

In his judicial review released last week High Court Justice Forrest Miller questioned how the law was being implemented.

The review was initiated by Right to Life New Zealand, which argued New Zealand had an unlawful "abortion on demand" system.

Statistics New Zealand acting government statistician Dallas Welch said 18,380 abortions were performed in New Zealand in the year ending December 2007 -- 2.5 per cent more than 2006. The general abortion rate (abortions per 1000
women aged 15-44 years) also increased from 19.6 in 2006 to 20.1, Mrs Welch
said.

Michigan abortion ban vetoed, new bill on deck

Despite successfully passing through both the Republican-controlled Senate and Democrat-controlled House, Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-Lansing) vetoed a bill banning partial-birth abortion last Friday.

"I think the governor's veto was extremely unrealistic and economical with the truth," said Sen. Nancy Cassis (R-Novi), who co-sponsored the bill. "The title of this is to stop the killing of the children who are partially born. I don't think there are any more horrendous acts of murder than this being done. I don't believe in killing children when that child is fully formed and ready to be alive. It's murder, pure and simple. It's murder. The governor has gone along with contributing to the murder of children. This would have safeguarded the life of the mother and life of the child."

Elderly suicides surge in Japan

Suicides involving people over the age of 60 rose by almost 9% to 12,107, making up nearly 40% of all cases in Japan, the National Police Agency said.

Japan's elderly are increasingly concerned about money and rising health care costs. Nationwide, the number of suicides rose by 2.9% to 33,093, the second-highest figure since records began in 1978.

Why I'm uneasy about 'assisted suicide' campaigners (UK)

One reason is Miss Purdy's threat that unless she's given an assurance that her husband will escape prosecution, she will go to Switzerland by herself to end her life, while she's still able and 'before I'm ready'.

Now, I have great sympathy for anyone suffering MS - and I know that it's all very well me sitting here, in full health, passing judgment on a woman who is going through something I can barely imagine.

But when Miss Purdy makes such a lurid threat - tantamount to telling the judges 'you'll have my blood on your hands if you don't find in my favour' - I wonder if she's being as dispassionately reasonable as she would like to appear.

MS victim wins assisted suicide review (UK)

LONDON (Reuters) - A woman with multiple sclerosis has won the right to mount a challenge in the High Court to force the country's top prosecutor to clarify the law on assisted suicide.

Switzerland Euthanasia Center Kills Nearly 900 Since Opening, More Brits

The euthanasia center has killed 868 in assisted suicides since it began and 335 people in the last two years alone. About 85 percent of the people who die there are foreign nationals with the rest hailing from Switzerland.

Assisted suicide is bad medicine (Washington)

Consider the following. We are told by backers that assisted suicide should be restricted to cases of unbearable suffering. Yet, current legislation in California and Vermont to legalize assisted suicide contains no such requirement; nor does the law in Oregon, where doctors who assist suicides report that most patients do not seek death because of pain, but because they fear being a burden, can no longer engage in enjoyable activities, and/or fear losing dignity.

Don't get me wrong: These are important issues that cry out for proper care. Thankfully, we have hospice care — the true death with dignity — to treat these needs. Indeed, studies show that when these problems are addressed, suicidal desires almost always disappear, even in people who are imminently dying.

Wash. Considers Assisted Suicide Measure

Voters in Washington state may get a chance to consider a measure allowing physicians to end the life of a terminally ill patient of supporters collect enough signatures by next month.Supporters need 225,000 valid voter signatures by July 3 to get the "Washington Death with Dignity Initiative" on the November ballot. Oregon is the only other state in the nation with such a law.

Mercy-killing death: women found guilty

In a blow to the euthanasia movement, a jury has found one women guilty of the manslaughter and another an accessory to the manslaughter of Alzheimer's sufferer and former Qantas pilot Graeme Wylie.

I'm not EVEN going into the depths of depravity taking place in the Netherlands.

This article makes some very good points, up until it delves into the silliness of anthropogenic global warming.

Iowa flooding could be man’s fault, experts say
Where some blame days of rain, others point to an altered landscape

Enshayan, director of an environmental center at the University of Northern Iowa, suspects that this natural disaster wasn't really all that natural. He points out that the heavy rains fell on a landscape radically reengineered by humans. Plowed fields have replaced tallgrass prairies. Fields have been meticulously drained with underground pipes. Streams and creeks have been straightened. Most of the wetlands are gone. Flood plains have been filled and developed.
...
I sense that the flooding is not the result of a 500-year event," said Jerry DeWitt, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. "We're farming closer to creeks, farming closer to rivers. Without adequate buffer strips, the water moves rapidly from the field directly to the surface water."
...
The basic hydrology of Iowa has been changed since the coming of the plow. By the
early 20th century, farmers had installed drainage pipes under the surface to lower the water table and keep water from pooling in what otherwise could be valuable farmland. More of this drainage "tiling" has been added in recent years. The direct effect is that water moves quickly from the farmland to the streams and rivers.

We humans tend to think we can conquer the landscape, bend it to our will. And God shows us over and over again that we are puny compared to Him and the scope of His creation.

Mississippi River threatens more Midwest levees

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- The Mississippi River claimed new tracts of farmland overnight north of St. Louis, Missouri, as officials warned that the swollen river could breach four or five more levees Thursday around the Gateway City.
...
The floods in six states have killed two dozen people, injured 148 and forced at least 35,000 out of their homes, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director David Paulison said Wednesday.

***

Fire! (I can say that, because I'm not in a crowded theater.)

Oregon: Road near Chiloquin wildfire reopens

Officials reopened a stretch of the Sprague River Highway that had been closed because of the Pine Ridge wildfire burning north of Chiloquin. Six miles of the road had been closed because of falling rocks and firefighting efforts.

Oklahoma: Drought-Fueled Wildfire Burns Across 5,500 Acres in Panhandle

Jun. 13--Windy conditions and a record drought fueled a 5,500-acre fire in the Oklahoma Panhandle on Wednesday and Thursday.

The fire burned through rangeland in Texas County and was extinguished by midday Thursday, according to authorities. Texas County Sheriff Arnold Peoples said the fire was sparked when an oil-field truck hit a power line.

The fire caused no injuries or damage to homes, but underscored the intense drought conditions that plague the area. Two officials interviewed Thursday compared the situation to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

See also: Oklahoma Panhandle's Drought Seeks Federal Aid

California: Central California wildfire burns several homes

KING CITY, Calif. (AP) — A stubborn central California wildfire that has burned
more than 65 square miles of wilderness has destroyed several homes and led to
evacuation warnings for dozens of residents.

About 50 people living near the Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County received voluntary evacuation notices Wednesday. Another 500 were told to prepare for a possible evacuation.

Colorado: Wildfire threatens homes, destroys barn

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said the fire started 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, they believe it was ignited by multiple lightning strikes in the area. In total, 1,000 acres were charred and two structures, a barn and out-building, burnt to the ground.

South Carolina: Wildfire on Hartwell Lake islands creates smoke

ANDERSON, S.C. — A wildfire on two islands on Hartwell Lake sent a plume of smoke over the area, but no one was injured. The Anderson Independent-Mail
reported Thursday that the fire was reported under control.

North Carolina: Too little rain in forecast to put out NC wildfire

Fire command center spokesman Dean McAlister said Thursday that forecasters aren't predicting more than 2 inches of rain in and around the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge for either June or July. But he said a hurricane or tropical storm could change that.

***

Blood Oil

Could a bunch of Nigerian militants in speedboats bring about a U.S. recession?
Blowing up facilities and taking hostages, they are wreaking havoc on the oil
production of America's fifth-largest supplier. Deep in the Niger-delta swamps,
the author meets the nightmarish result of four decades of corruption.
by Sebastian Junger February 2007

This ties in to the link in my last post about the Nigerian oil attacks. You'll note the date of the article.

Christianity 'could die out within a century'

More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the country within a century, according to a survey.

Research by the Orthodox Jewish organisation Aish found that just over a third of people thought religions like Christianity and Judaism would still be practiced in Britain in 100 years' time.

Although four in 10 people said they would choose to be a member of the Christian religion, almost the same number said they would rather practice no religion at all.

Well, I don't think we have a hundred years to see it play out. I also don't think it's going to take anywhere near that long.

‘Little Baghdad’ thrives in Sweden
Sodertalje has taken in more Iraqis than U.S., but mood is changing

Change has come to Sweden because of the Iraq war, driven by an open-arms refugee policy and word of mouth in Iraq. Most of the 2 million externally displaced Iraqis are living in Syria and Jordan, but Sweden tops the list of Western nations that have offered a haven.

In 2007, Iraqi citizens claimed asylum in 89 countries, with almost half those claims — 18,600 — reported in Sweden, the U.N. refugee agency reported this week. And Sodertalje, a city of 83,000 people, took in more Iraqis than the United States and Canada combined.

Zimbabwe: wife of Harare's MDC mayor killed

The body of the wife of Harare's mayor has been discovered hours after she was abducted with her four-year-old son in the latest raid targeting Zimbabwe's senior opposition figures.

Abigail Chiroto, 27, was kidnapped yesterday by armed men who then petrol bombed the house she shared with her husband, Emmanuel Chiroto, the recently elected mayor of Harare and a member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The cause of death was not immediately revealed.

***

Obama says bin Laden must not be a martyr

Of course, Obama is a dangerous idiot.

Why bin Laden should get the death penalty rather than prison (I think he's already dead, but just sayin'):
1) He is responsible for the deaths of thousands. Prison time is morally insufficient.
2) Better to spent our tax dollars killing him than supporting him.
3) Consideration of the pluses to the jihadis from using him as a martyr must be balanced by consideration of the minuses to us of being seen as weak in their eyes.

And a friendly reminder of just how dangerous BHO's foreign policy is. :)

Australia's mining powerhouse rocked by explosion at gas plant

Island explosion could cripple iron ore and gold production of Western province, reports Peter Taylor

An explosion at a gas plant off the Australian coast has catapulted one of its powerhouse commodity-rich states into an energy crisis, casting a pall over the nation's economy.
...
The state has lost a third of its gas supply after the explosion at Varanus, a small island 60 miles off the north-western coast, costing it hundreds of millions of dollars every week.

Nigerian attack closes oilfield

Oil company Royal Dutch Shell says it has temporarily stopped production at its
main offshore oilfield in Nigeria, following a militant attack.

The raid took place overnight on the Bonga oil platform about 120km (75 miles) off the coast of the Niger Delta, the company said.

Demand stays the same, supply goes down, guess what the results are?

And guess how oil affects all other supplies?

Mexico caps price of basic foods

Mexico's government is concerned about the impact of soaring food bills. Overall consumer price inflation was 4.95% over the past year, but food price inflation was far higher at 8%.

Last year, Mexicans took the streets in protest over a sharp rise in the price of tortillas, maize-based pancakes that are an important part of the national diet.

And what happens when prices spiral out of control? People turn into panicky, scared cattle. Moo. And that affects the entire world economy.

China and India lose their appeal for investors on inflation fears

The world's fund managers are pulling their money out of China and India at a record pace on mounting fears of inflation and are now more pessimistic about global equities than at any time in the past decade.

The latest survey of investors by Merrill Lynch shows that Europe has become the most unpopular region, while Britain is still trapped in the doldrums.

But the big surprise is the sudden change in view on the emerging powers of Asia, as overheating and spiralling oil costs spoil the boom.

"World growth is slowing and yet central banks might still have to tighten monetary policy, that is what is scaring people," said David Bowers, the organiser of the survey. The vast majority of fund managers think earnings forecasts have lost touch with reality.

Bank of England's Mervyn King warns wages will stagnate and house prices will fall

In his most sombre message yet, Mr King said families were being squeezed hard by higher electricity and food prices on the one hand and slowly-increasing wages on the other.

He told Alistair Darling and leading City dignitaries in London that the experience would be even tougher than the credit crunch, and warned that the "era of cheap mortgage finance... is over".

Mr King said: "This year our real take-home pay will rise at a slower pace than national productivity. Rising fuel, gas, electricity and food prices, mean that average real take-home pay will stagnate this year. It will not be an easy time, and I know that some families will find it particularly difficult."

So, if you're like me, and trying to eat heathfully on a tighter (though not fully stressed) budget, there's this.

Can Less Money Equal Better Eating?
Healthy Eating Need Not Be Expensive, Even in a Bad Economy

The rundown: swap out meat for eggs, prepared/instant foods for what you cook yourself, go with fresh or frozen vegetables.

Quick roundup, because I am sleepy:

Bush Urges Congress to Lift Offshore Drilling Ban

Fla.'s governor has new view of offshore drilling
Drops moratorium support, endorses McCain's proposal to let states decide

McCain says wants 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030

5.1, 5.2 Moderate earthquakes jolt western China, no injuries reported

5.4 2 earthquakes strike Greece; no injuries

5.5 Earthquake hits E Indonesia

Two More Levees Break in Western Illinois, Floodwaters Threaten Residents and Farmland

O'Neill Uses Snowplow On Hail
Severe Weather Could Hit Omaha Overnight

LA turns to rainmakers as drought starts to bite

CDC: 383 tainted tomato cases confirmed
Source of nationwide salmonella outbreak remains unclear

Pakistani Sentenced to Die for Blasphemy
Muslim man in Pakistan sentenced to death for blasphemy

Final stage of Gaza truce may include multinational Arab force

Mohamed Pleads Guilty In Terrorism Trial
TAMPA - A former University of South Florida student admitted in court this morning that he helped terrorists by making an Internet video showing how to use a remote-controlled toy car to detonate a bomb.

China Approves Gospel Booklets for Athletes at Olympics

RBS issues global stock and credit crash alert
The Royal Bank of Scotland has advised clients to brace for a full-fledged crash in global stock and credit markets over the next three months as inflation paralyses the major central banks. "A very nasty period is soon to be upon us - be prepared," said Bob Janjuah, the bank's credit strategist.

Energy bills could go up by 40%

Careening toward the fourth beast?

19 "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left.
...
23 "He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.


Time overdue for a world currency

A world central bank is becoming a necessity in a global economy. Such an independent central bank, not subject to the political whims of a particular government, would be more likely to apply orthodox and safe central banking. Contrary to any country's central bank, a world central bank would have no obligation to accommodate budgetary deficits, war spending, domestic wage and price rigidities, speculative asset bubbles, or rescue ailing domestic banks. Its law should be as meticulously applied as any constitutional law of a Western democracy.
...
Second, a world central bank would create a reserve currency, not be a fictitious unit account such as the IMF's Special Drawing Right (SDR), but a true legal tender represented by a currency bill, the same as a dollar, euro, sterling, or any other currency bill. Rueff was a strong proponent for a gold standard. Recently, Mundell maintained that gold could be used as a reserve asset in a reformed international monetary system for the 21st century.

Hmm. The authors of this piece:

Hossein Askari is professor of international business and international affairs at George Washington University. Noureddine Krichene is an economist at the
International Monetary Fund and a former advisor, Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah.

Democracy and markets link will help India outdo China

If you were to pick out the main reason for the financial crisis, what would that be?

The main reason is that we have a global economy without global governance. The global economy is creating resources by providing resources for creating newer financial instruments. But we don’t have a world central bank to limit the money supply. Today, we have too much resources, which jeopardize the integrity of the system. The lack of a global control on the creation of financial instruments is the most challenging issue around the globe.

Kenya: We Need New Deal for Global Food Policy

We need a New Deal for Global Food Policy. This New Deal should focus not only on hunger and malnutrition, access to food and its supply, but also the interconnections with energy, yields, climate change, investment, the marginalisation of women and others, and economic resiliency and growth.

Food policy needs to gain the attention of the highest political levels, because no one country or group can meet these interconnected challenges.We should start by helping those whose needs are immediate. The UN's World Food Programme requires at least $500 million of additional food supplies to meet emergency calls.

Madeline Albright. Ugh.
Since Iraq, the world is scared to help

A third reality is that the concept of national sovereignty as an inviolable and overriding principle of global law is once again gaining ground. Many diplomats and foreign policy experts had hoped that the fall of the Berlin Wall would lead to the creation of an integrated world system free from spheres of influence, in which the wounds created by colonial and Cold War empires would heal.

In such a world, the international community would recognise a responsibility to override sovereignty in emergency situations - to prevent ethnic cleansing or genocide, arrest war criminals, restore democracy or provide disaster relief when national governments were either unable or unwilling to do so.
...
In this view, sovereignty is still a central consideration, but cases may arise in which there is a responsibility to intervene - through sanctions or, in extreme cases, by force - to save lives.

U.N. might need bold action in disasters

This next idea might sound scary to many, but I have been thinking about this for a long time. With the failure of so many countries in the world to feed and care for their people, perhaps the United Nations could consider a bolder mission, a more intriguing and dangerous discussion.

For example, in the wake of a disaster such as the malfeasance of the Myanmar government in this tragedy, the U.N. could consider “mandatory management” of crucial institutions whose purpose is to serve the needs, hopes and desires of the people in the country.

What that means is in tragedies of this scale, artificial borders set up by local politics become irrelevant. Saving people becomes the priority. The diplomats will sort it all out later when the people have food, clothing, shelter, and are free of disease.

Conservatives Place Hold on Obama's Global Poverty Bill

Officially, S. 2433 declares it to be U.S. policy to help reduce global poverty and eliminate extreme global poverty. It also commits the U.S. to achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme global poverty in half by 2015 and directs the president to create a strategy to help reduce global poverty.
...
But conservatives say the legislation also pledges the U.S. government to make available "additional overall United States assistance levels as appropriate."

Ian Vasquez, director of the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity at the libertarian Cato Institute, said that plan is troubling because the U.N. has been after the U.S. for years to substantially increase the amount of foreign aid it gives to impoverished nations. "There has been a push for the past several years, which is a political push, to double the size of aid going to the poorest countries, despite the fact that most of the academic literature and the experience shows that foreign aid is not a key to economic development," Vasquez told Cybercast News Service.

Obama’s Bill Would Commit the United States to UN Poverty Goals

Obama’s Global Poverty Act does not authorize or appropriate any money to fight global poverty, but does require the president to develop a strategy for achieving UN Millennium Development goals for reducing poverty. Based on the 2002 UN goal of foreign-aid spending of 0.7 percent of GNP by developed nations, it has been estimated by some conservative commentators that achieving the Millennium Declaration’s development goal of poverty reduction could ultimately cost the United States over $800 billion by 2015.

***

Then of course, there's Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty.

Ireland rejects EU reform treaty

Voters in the Irish Republic have rejected the European Union's Lisbon treaty in a vote by 53.4% to 46.6%.

The poll is a major blow to leaders in the 27-nation EU, which requires all its members to ratify the treaty. Only Ireland has held a public vote.

EU ministers ask Ireland to explain Lisbon Treaty no

Luxembourg - The European Union's foreign ministers Monday called on their
Irish colleague to explain his countrymen's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, warning that no quick solutions were in sight.

'Ireland signed the Lisbon Treaty, it is up to her to find a solution,' Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said at a meeting in Luxembourg.

European Treaty: Irish plan to get around 'no' vote

Officials in Brussels are working on plans to ensure that the European Treaty is still implemented elsewhere if Ireland votes against it in the referendum.

Although measures such as creating an EU president, "foreign minister" and European diplomatic service may be delayed, they are still expected to be introduced.

One diplomat said a "bridging mechanism" was being discussed. If Ireland rejects the treaty, it may simply be removed from the list of signatories and will not be legally obliged to abide by it.

5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.[b]

--Revelation 13:1-10