Archive

Archive for July, 2011

Strong 7.8 Earthquake Strikes North New Zealand in the Kermadec Islands Region, Tsunami Generated

07/06/2011 Leave a comment

Richter Magnitude 7.8 – KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
Thursday, July 07, 2011 at 07:03:16 AM
29.312°S, 176.204°W
Depth: 20 km (12.4 miles)

“A powerful magnitude 7.8 [downgraded to 7.6] earthquake struck off New Zealand’s Kermadec Islands, triggering a tsunami in the region, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Center said on Wednesday.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.9, triggered a tsunami warning for New Zealand, the Kermadec Islands and Tonga, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Center said.

‘Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami was generated. This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicenter,” the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Center said in its warning.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

European Union Follows Obama into the Muslim Brotherhood Abyss

07/06/2011 Leave a comment

Catherine Ashton, EU foreign policy chief

By Robert Spencer – “Following quickly after the revelation that the Obama administration had resolved to establish contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, the European Union has announced that it, too, is interested in talking with the group. Michael Mann, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, explained: ‘We are always open to dialogue with anyone who is interested in democracy.’ Ashton thus becomes the latest in a long line of Western officials who have confused democracy with the practice of voting itself, and ignored the manifest fact that the Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated to ideals that all free societies should oppose.

Among those officials also are a great many at the highest levels in Washington, where wishful thinking about the Brotherhood (and other matters Islamic) not only prevails, but is the guiding force in formulating Middle East policy. After all, it was the spectacularly clueless intelligence chief James Clapper who labeled the group ‘largely secular,’ demonstrating abject ignorance not only of the meaning of the word ‘Muslim’ in the group’s name, but of its own stated goals and agenda, which have been consistent since it was founded.

Contrary to claims that it is a moderate organization, the Muslim Brotherhood is actually the prototypical Islamic supremacist, pro-Sharia group of the modern age. It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna, who decried the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924 for separating ‘the state from religion in a country [Turkey] which was until recently the site of the Commander of the Faithful.’ Al-Banna dedicated the Brotherhood to restoring the caliphate and imposing Islamic law around the world. His message began and ended with Islam:

We summon you to Islam, the teachings of Islam, the laws of Islam and the guidance of Islam, and if this smacks of ‘politics’ in your eyes, then it is our policy. And if the one summoning you to these principles is a ‘politician,’ then we are the most respectable of men, God be praised, in politics . . . Islam does have a policy embracing the happiness of this world. . . . We believe that Islam is an all-embracing concept which regulates every aspect of life, adjudicating on every one of its concerns and prescribing for it a solid and rigorous order.” Read more.

Muslim Brotherhood Planning to Implement Sharia Law in Phases – “In a June 11, 2011 article on the website of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, veteran movement member Sheikh Ahmad Gad argued that the implementation of shari’a in Egypt must be achieved gradually, by preparing the peoples’ hearts and minds for it and introducing it in stages. He proposed learning from the methods of the early Muslim Brotherhood, which worked in a step-by-step fashion, and called on Al-Azhar to focus on promoting the implementation of shari’a.” Read more.

Categories: Radical Islam Tags: ,

Arizona: Huge Dust Storm Envelops Phoenix

07/06/2011 1 comment

By Matt Haldane – “A large dust storm rolling through the Phoenix area obscured visibility and created dangerous driving conditions Tuesday evening.

The storm traveled across much of the Valley at 30 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. It originated near Tucson and reached metro Phoenix about 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport had to shut down about an hour, causing some flight delays.

The storm also caused power outages in some areas. In Tempe, officers were directing traffic at intersections in blackout areas, according to police Lt. Scott Smith.

The storm brought down some in live wires in Tempe, and one started a fire near Rural and Southern, Smith said.” Read more.



Categories: Anything Else

Boat People – Some Questions for the ‘Activists’ Aboard the Gaza Flotilla

07/05/2011 1 comment

Very good questions, and a very good read …

By Christopher Hitchens – “The tale of the Gaza ‘flotilla‘ seems set to become a regular summer feature, bobbing along happily on the inside pages with an occasional update. A nice sidebar for reporters covering the Greek debt crisis: a built-in mild tension of ‘will they, won’t they?’; a cast of not very colorful characters but one we almost begin to feel we know personally. Such cheery and breezy slogans—’the audacity of hope‘ and ‘free Gaza’—and such an easy storyline that it practically writes itself. Since Israel adopts a posture that almost guarantees a reaction of some sort in the not-too-distant future, and since there was such a frisson of violence the last time the little fleet set sail, there’s no reason for it not to become a regular seasonal favorite.

However, given the luxury of time, might it not be possible to ask the ‘activists’ onboard just a few questions? (Activist is a good neutral word, isn’t it, with largely positive connotations? Even flotilla, with its reassuring diminuendo, has a ‘small is beautiful’ sound to it.) Most of the speculation so far has been to do with methods and intentions, allowing for many avowals about peaceful tactics and so forth, but this is soft-centered coverage. I would like to know a little more about the political ambitions and implications of the enterprise.

It seems safe and fair to say that the flotilla and its leadership work in reasonably close harmony with Hamas, which constitutes the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. The political leadership of this organization is headquartered mainly in Gaza itself. But its military coordination is run out of Damascus, where the regime of Bashar Assad is currently at war with increasingly large sections of the long-oppressed Syrian population. Refugee camps, some with urgent humanitarian requirements, are making their appearance on the border between Syria and Turkey (the government of the latter being somewhat sympathetic to the purposes of the flotilla). In these circumstances, isn’t it legitimate to strike up a conversation with the ‘activists’ and ask them where they come out on the uprising against hereditary Baathism in Syria?” Read more.

Iran Attempting to Exert More Influence in the Middle East, Infiltrates the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

07/05/2011 Leave a comment

By Moran Azulay – “Military Intelligence chief Major-General Aviv Kochavi said Tuesday Iranian influence was growing in Middle Eastern countries experiencing unrest or upheaval – such as Egypt and Syria.

‘Assad understands today that his solution cannot only come from military responses, and that is why he is turning to reform,’ Kochavi told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, referring to the protest-plagued president of Syria.

In Egypt, meanwhile, Tehran is trying to influence the outcomes of elections by tightening relations with the Muslim Brotherhood, the MI chief added…

The MI chief noted that Iran also played a direct role in events on Israel’s border. ‘Iran acted directly in Lebanon in organizing ‘Nakba Day’ and ‘Naksa Day’. It is working to make sure these acts of protest will continue.'” Read more.

UK: Islamic Extremists Want to Establish Three Independent States in Britain Governed by Sharia Law

07/05/2011 Leave a comment

This needs to be viewed as a violation of England’s Treason Act 1351. These enemies of the state and enemies of the West need to be arrested, prosecuted, and deported at once.  ‘Is your heart longing for an Islamic state governed by Sharia Law?  Then Saudi Arabia is your home.’  It is only a matter of time before similar calls of subversion become a problem on this side of the pond.  But is anyone listening?

“Islamic extremists have called on British Muslims to establish three independent states within the UK.

The notorious Muslims Against the Crusades (MAC) group have named Yorkshire towns Bradford and Dewsbury and Tower Hamlets in East London as testbeds for blanket sharia rule.

The medieval ’emirates’ would operate entirely outside British law, according to a document on the MAC website.

The MAC group, led by Abu Assadullah, was set up last year and has become notorious because of its violent protests, most provocatively burning poppies during the Remembrance Day silence.

Under the heading ‘Muslims should set up Islamic emirates in the UK’, MAC says: ‘We suggest it is time that areas with large Muslim populations declare an emirate delineating that Muslims trying to live within this area are trying to live by the sharia as much as possible with their own courts and community watch and schools and even self sufficient trade.'” Read more.

‘London Taliban’ – ‘Wear a headscarf or we will kill you’ – “Women who do not wear headscarves are being threatened with violence and even death by Islamic extremists intent on imposing sharia law on parts of Britain, it was claimed today. Other targets of the ‘Talibanesque thugs’, being investigated by police in the Tower Hamlets area of London, include homosexuals.” Read more.

Muslims Again Demand Sharia For Britain – “Muslim protesters, some of them women clad in black burqas, marched in London last week to demand Sharia law for the United Kingdom… The protesters carried signs with disturbing anti-American and anti-European messages. ‘Islam the solution for mankind,’ one said, while another proclaimed that ‘democracy will bring oppression.’ Another called the United States, Britain, and France a ‘trinity of evil,’ while fourth warned that ‘Sharia will dominate the world.’” Read more.

Iran: Arab Uprisings Testify to the ‘Definite Fulfillment of God’s Qur’anic Promises’

07/05/2011 Leave a comment

Here is Iran once again proving a point I made in the concluding remarks of the article Revelation 13: A Commentary: “Islamic ‘prophecy’ is false.  It is nothing more than Islamists taking true Biblical prophecy and then turning it on its head so that it is pro-Islam, and anti-Judeo/Christian… But we must not dismiss the river that is raging in the undercurrents of Islamic eschatology.  Its banks are about to burst and what we must take into consideration is not the fact that Islamic ‘prophecy’ is false and void of Divine inspiration, but rather the fact that they BELIEVE that it is true and that their destiny is Divinely appointed. Because of this belief they will in turn interpret events on the world stage in accordance to this way of thinking, as fulfillment and proof that the ‘prophecies’ of Islam are true.”

“Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the recent uprisings in the region testify to the certainty of God’s promises in the Holy Qur’an.

‘The uprisings of the nations in the region are clear signs of the definite fulfillment of God’s Qur’anic promises,’ the Leader told a group of participants in the 28th International Holy Qur’an Competition in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday.

The Leader added that the US, Israel, and their allies would not even think of a revolution in Egypt, but the Egyptian nation became victorious with the help of God, IRNA reported.

By helping the Egyptian nation, God proved once again that if the Almighty helps somebody, no power can defeat them, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader also said Qur’an is ‘the most important factor of unity, dignity and authority of Muslim nations.'” Read more.

Storm Clouds on the Horizon as Germany Sells 200 Battle Tanks to Saudi Arabia

07/05/2011 Leave a comment

If true, does this mean that the Saudis are beginning to prepare for a possible war with Iran and Iran’s allies, or something else?

“A security source in Saudi Arabia said Monday that the oil-rich Gulf state would be buying 200 state-of-the-art Leopard tanks from Germany in a deal that has caused a political row in Germany.

‘So far, Saudi has bought 44 tanks from Germany and in total wants to buy 200 tanks from Germany,’ a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency.

The source declined to give a value for the purchase, saying it was a multi-billion euro deal involving the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.

The purchase follows a $93 billion stimulus package from Saudi King Abdullah that included extra support for police and security forces. The March handout was a response to unrest sweeping through the Arab world.” Read more. (Thanks Kurt J. for the link).

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Will Build Nuclear Weapons if Iran Gets Them, Saudi Prince Warns – “A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict in the Middle East if Iran comes close to developing a nuclear weapon. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior Nato military officials that the existence of such a device ‘would compel Saudi Arabia … to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences’.” Read more.

The Gulf Cooperation Council is expanding its army, but for what? – “A proposal to boost the Peninsula Shield, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s combined military force, has been approved by its six member states, and could increase to include 100,000 troops before the end of the year, the director of a government linked think-tank in Kuwait has told Al Jazeera. The Peninsula Shield currently consists of about 40,000 troops and has its permanent base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The proposed expansion would be a huge boost from the previous force’s incarnation, whose numbers fluctuated between 5-10,000 troops during its existence.” Read more.

Turkey to Double Size of Its Army – “Now there are strong indicators in the Turkish media that Turkey is planning on literally doubling the size of its army – this coming from the nation that already has the largest army in Middle East and the second-largest army in NATO, second only to the United States. Presently, Turkey’s army has over 500,000 troops.” Read more.

Flashback: Growing ties between Turkey, China, Iran worry Israel and U.S. – “The United States and Israel are watching with concern the growing military cooperation among Turkey, China and Iran, especially following a joint Turkish-Chinese air-force exercise last week… The Obama administration protested Turkey’s military cooperation with Iran after it was reported that the Chinese fighter planes were sent to Turkey via Pakistan and Iran. The developing ties among Turkey, Iran and China are also reflected in weapons deals, with Iran buying from China mainly missile technology.” Read more.

Turkey to Double Size of Its Army

07/05/2011 1 comment

By Joel Richardson – “With Prime Minister Erdogan’s Islamist AK party having seized its third landslide election victory in Turkey, many throughout the international community have been watching to see what will be next on the Turkish agenda.

Now there are strong indicators in the Turkish media that Turkey is planning on literally doubling the size of its army – this coming from the nation that already has the largest army in Middle East and the second-largest army in NATO, second only to the United States. Presently, Turkey’s army has over 500,000 troops. Its army is larger than France, Germany and England combined. And now Turkish media are reporting that they are planning on adding another 500,000 paid soldiers…

The silence of the Western media has been surprising. Imagine Israel announcing an expansion of its forces by 500,000 men to address its Palestinian terrorism problem. Yet the Western media has yet to comment regarding Turkey’s grandiose plans.” Read more.

‘With Turkey Flexing its Muscles, We May Soon Face a Revived Ottoman Empire’ – “… And yet we need to look more closely at Erdogan. For there is good reason to suspect he dreams of transforming Turkey in ways Suleiman the Magnificent would have admired. In his early career as mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan was imprisoned for publicly reciting these lines by an early-20th-century Pan-Turkish poet: ‘The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets, and the faithful our soldiers.’ His ambition, it seems clear, is to return to the pre-Atatürk era, when Turkey was not only militantly Muslim but also a regional superpower. This explains his sustained campaign to alter the Turkish Constitution in ways that would likely increase his own power at the expense of the judiciary and the press as well as the military, all bastions of secularism.” Read more.

Muslims Down Under Go Over-The-Top, Burn More Bridges with Plan to Expand Offensive Anti-Christian Signs to Other Cities

07/04/2011 Leave a comment

Another Sharia creep tactic intended to deceive those who are not fully grounded in the faith that was delivered to the saints. Sure, the Jesus-is-a-prophet-of-Islam proponents will say that Jesus is the Christ, but will then preach another gospel and another Jesus that is completely different from the historical Christian faith.  Not only are they coming in Christ’s name — the Prince of Peace — by claiming that Jesus is a prophet of Islam and by claiming itself to be the ‘religion of peace‘, they also claim that Jesus was not God who came in the flesh, that Jesus was not the unique Son of God, that Jesus did not die on the cross and was resurrected, and that Jesus is not the Savior of humanity because someone else is.  They deny the very foundation upon which Christianity stands. But do not believe the lie:

2 John 1:7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

Galatians 1:9, “As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”

Matthew 24:5, “For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and will deceive many.”

By David Nankervis – “CONTROVERSIAL billboards proclaiming Jesus is a prophet of Islam will be rolled out in Adelaide.

The signs are part of a campaign claiming to promote religious tolerance.

The campaign will feature provocative ads saying Jesus a Prophet of Islam and will appear on billboards and public transport buses, Islamic group Mypeace says.

The campaign was launched in Sydney six weeks ago amid much controversy, with two billboards later vandalised and a Christian group countering the public statement with its own billboard campaign at a cost of $25,000.

The Mypeace advertisements – which included a contact number for information about Islam and offers of a free copy of the Koran – were displayed on four billboards and 40 buses and resulted in 65 complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau.

But following the bureau’s dismissal of the complaints last week, Mypeace founder Diaa Mohamed said he would start an advertising campaign in Adelaide “within the next few weeks”.

‘There will probably be a couple of billboards but we are not sure about how many buses,’ he said.

‘We want to create greater tolerance and understanding of Muslims, it’s about building bridges.'” Read more.

Update: Houston National Cemetery to Veterans: The Word ‘God,’ ‘Jesus’ are Offensive, No Longer Allowed

07/04/2011 7 comments

You can contact the Houston National Cemetery by calling (281) 447-8686.  Let your voice be heard loud and clear.  For those in the area, please also take the time to join the July 4th rally being planned at the Houston National Cemetery between 10:00 and 11:00 am.  Celebrate your Independence Day by standing up for freedom …

“The Houston National Cemetery has told veterans and volunteers alike that they can no longer use the word ‘God,’ ‘God bless,’ or ‘Jesus’ at any and all funerals or condolence cards. The word has been deemed ‘offensive.’

That is according to local volunteer and veterans groups that work at the cemetery. They are now suing the Cemetery in federal court so that they can use the word God.

To cite one specific example given in the suit, the director of the cemetery, Arleen Ocasio commanded volunteers never to use “God bless you” and “God bless” ever again at the cemetery.

Cheryl Whitfield, founder of Houston National Memorial Ladies, could not simply stand by. ‘I could’ve kept my mouth shut and let things happen, but when it comes to standing up for your belief in God and giving comfort to the families, I don’t want to regret not saying anything,’ she said. ‘We all had to stand up for what we believe in.’

Specifically, the suit brought against the cemetery and the Department of Veterans Affairs states that there has been ‘a widespread and consistent practice of discriminating against private religious speech.'” Read more.

Local coalition of pastors calls on Texas Congressional Delegation to demand removal of Houston National Cemetery Director – “Houston, TX – A greater Houston coalition of pastors representing a broad ethnic and denominational spectrum is planning an event on the 4th of July to call for the removal of Arleen Ocasio, director of the National Cemetery in Houston. Ocasio ignited controversy prior to Memorial Day by attempting to censor a pastor’s prayer, and has issued a general policy prohibiting reference to God or Jesus as well as other prohibitions of religious expression at the cemetery.

Pastor Willie Davis of Houston, an Army Special Forces veteran himself, stated on behalf of Houston Area Pastor Council that Ocasio’s actions are offensive in every possibly way and should result in her termination. ‘We concur wholeheartedly with Congressman Ted Poe’s call for her dismissal for these egregious attacks on the sacred right of expressing religious faith on the hallowed ground of our National Cemetery on behalf of those who died to protect that right,’ Pastor Davis declared. ‘There can be no better way to spend a few minutes on Independence Day than to stand together as a community at the National Cemetery and make our voices heard.'” Read more.

Update July 4, 2011:  More than 1,000 attend rally at Houston National Cemetery to call for director’s firing – “HOUSTON—More than a 1,000 people showed up for a rally held Monday to call for the firing of the director of the Houston National Cemetery. Veterans and clergy were expected to show up to the rally, which started at 10 a.m. at the cemetery. The event, organized by the Houston Area Pastor Council, came days after at least two members of Congress called for the termination of Arleen Ocasio amid allegations of religious censorship.” Read more.





Categories: Anything Else

Cancer Expert on Fukushima: ‘I Just Cannot Feel Any Hope for Japan’s Future’

07/04/2011 Leave a comment

By Matthew Penney – “Japan’s leading business journal Toyo Keizai has published an article by Hokkaido Cancer Center director Nishio Masamichi, a radiation treatment specialist. The piece, entitled ‘The Problem of Radiation Exposure Countermeasures for the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Concerns for the Present Situation’, was published on June 27 and is consistent with the critical coverage of the Fukushima crisis that has appeared in independent weekly magazines, notably Shukan Kinyobi, which have taken a strong anti-nuclear stance since the March 11 earthquake-tsunami-meltdown, and have repeatedly focused on the dangers of radiation exposure while calling for far-reaching measures to protect those at risk.

Nishio begins by asserting that the Fukushima crisis has caused Japan’s ‘myth of nuclear safety’ to crumble. He has ‘grave concern’ for the public health effects of the ongoing radiation leak.

Nishio originally called for ‘calm’ in the days after the accident. Now, he argues, that as the gravity of the situation at the plant has become more clear, the specter of long-term radiation exposure must be reckoned with.

Lamenting the poor state of public knowledge of radiation, Nishio writes, ‘Japan, with its history of having suffered radiation exposure from the atomic bombs, should have the most [direct] knowledge of radiation, but in fact, in the approach to the nuclear accident, has simply fallen into confusion.’ He places blame on a number of groups:

  • TEPCO executives, who he accuses of having hidden the truth and prioritized the survival of the company over public health.
  • Bureaucrats who were unable to put together an accurate body of information about radiation effects from which to formulate policy.
  • A prime minister and cabinet lacking both leadership and an appropriate sense of urgency.
  • Politicians who sought to use the crisis in intra- or inter-party struggles.
  • Nuclear industry lobbyists and ‘academic flunkies’ (goyo gakusha) of the government who built up the myth of nuclear safety in the first place.

Looking at these groups, he writes, ‘I just cannot feel any hope for Japan’s future. These circumstances are simply tragic.'” Read more.

Radiation Expert Predicts More Threats from Fukushima – “A former nuclear adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan blasted the government’s handling of the crisis, and predicted more revelations of radiation threats to the public in the coming months. In his first media interview since resigning his post in protest in April, Toshiso Kosako, one of the country’s leading experts on radiation safety, said Mr. Kan’s government has been slow to test for dangers in the sea and to fish, and has understated certain radiation threats to minimize clean-up costs.” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters