"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished."   Proverbs 22:3 and Proverbs 27:12  KJV   Word study on this verse

Seducing of America by Spirits of Rebellion! lasttrumpetministries.org 12/28/6 [By Pastor David Meyer  "Just as Lucifer organized a rebellion and revolt in Heaven before he became Satan, so he is at this very time organizing all of this earth into a state of rebellion and insurrection against God and those who are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.  We see this rebellion rising rapidly in every level and endeavor of human activity. This is especially so in government, educational institutions, and churches of all kinds. The organized uprising against our Saviour is now seen by the discerning and true Christians as a clandestine crescendo of an infernal conspiracy that is nearly complete."]
Earthquake knocks Asia back to phone age, and beyond iht.com 12/28/6 ["In this time of rapid change, it is easy to forget how quickly innovations have become necessities, from mobile phones to the Internet to e-mail to instant messaging on both the computer and telephone.  ...found in the communications crash a concrete demonstration of the interconnectedness of the world."]
Christian Yoga? - C'mon! newswithviews.com 12/28/6 [By Marsha West  "Many pastors are unaware that some yoga practices, especially meditation to achieve an altered state of consciousness, can be spiritually damaging. "]
Military considers recruiting foreigners boston.com 12/28/6 ["The idea of signing up foreigners who are seeking US citizenship is gaining traction as a way to address a critical need for the Pentagon, while fully absorbing some of the roughly one million immigrants that enter the United States legally each year."]
Saddam Hussein's Baath party threatens to retaliate if their leader is executed iht.com 12/28/6 ["On Tuesday, Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam's appeal against a conviction and death sentence for the killing of 148 people who were detained after an attempt to assassinate in Dujail, northern Iraq, in 1982. The court said the former president should be hanged within 30 days."]
U.A.E. to sell dollars for euros iht.com 12/28/6 ["The United Arab Emirates plans to convert 8 percent of its foreign-exchange reserves to euros from dollars before September, the latest sign of growing global disaffection with the weakening U.S. currency."]
Euro notes cash in to overtake dollar ft.com 12/28/6 ["The value of euro notes in circulation is this month likely to exceed the value of circulating dollar notes, according to calculations by the Financial Times. Converted at Wednesday’s exchange rates, the euro took the lead in October.  The figures highlight the remarkable growth in euro notes since their launch on January 1 2002, three years after the start of Europe’s monetary union  ...Although the ECB does not deliberately promote the international use of the euro, it has become popular in official foreign exchange reserves – even if it is far from challenging the dollar’s lead as the most popular reserve currency."]
 

U.S. and Britain to mobilize in Gulf iht.com 12/27/6 ["The officials said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Robert Gates was expected to approve a request by commanders for a second aircraft carrier and its supporting ships to be stationed within quick sailing distance of Iran by early next year.  ...Admiral Mike Mullen, chief of naval operations, has made the case that the United States should seek to create what he calls "a thousand-ship navy." ...He said that such a cooperative naval concept would be a "global maritime partnership that unites navies, coast guards, maritime forces, port operators, commercial shippers and many other government and nongovernment agencies to address maritime concerns.""]
Online Sales Up 26 Percent This Season pcworld.com 12/27/6 ["Social networks, blogs, faster shipping influence holiday e-shopping."]
Lawsuits challenge Texas town's immigration law latimes.com 12/27/6 ["The challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund seeks to derail a new law that would require property managers to check the immigration status of apartment renters in Farmers Branch, Texas. The ordinance, approved last month, is set to take effect Jan. 12."]
Manufacturing forecast to slow in 2007 news.yahoo.com 12/27/6 [""]
The Morality Of Think Tank Millionairs newswithviews.com 12/27/6 ["One of the most terrifying trends in the age of media technology is mankind’s belief that wealth equals freedom. ...We aspire to be rich. It is a primary cultural desire. It is why we attend universities, why we buy lotto tickets, why we watch elite tell-a-vision, and why we try to emulate the rich by buying homes, automobiles, and stuff that we cannot afford. It is also why we are addicted to shopping and spoiling children. We want to be rich. We want to look rich. We want everything without the pain of debt, which to us equates to “freedom.”"]
PM okays removal of 27 IDF roadblocks jpost.com 12/27/6 ["Despite opposition within the IDF, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved in principle on Monday the removal of several West Bank roadblocks as part of a series of gestures aimed at boosting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas."]
Three Earthquakes in Four Days for San Francisco allheadlinenews.com 12/27/6 ["The 3.5 quake hit the Bay Area Saturday. There were no reports of injuries."]
Quake Jolts Central Japan ap.org 12/27/6 ["preliminary magnitude of 4.9 jolted central Japan early Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage"]

Discovery of Constant, Sun Spot Induced, Harmless 1500 Years Global Warming Cycles lifesite.net 12/23/6 ["began the discussion noting that the Romans grew wine grapes in Britain in the first century and records indicate grapes were being grown there again in the 11th century, both situations indicating that today's temperatures are not unprecedented.  Additionally, scientific analysis of ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic found that there is a clear record of a moderate, abrupt 1500-year climate change cycle running all the way through all the major warmings and all the ice ages. Cores taken from the seabed of six oceans, including the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arabian Sea have also revealed the same unmistakable 1500-year cycle."]
Abstinence Education Advocates Criticize Results of Guttmacher Sex Study lifenews.com 12/23/6 ["The report, based on interviews with 38,000 people in a government study, claims that about 95 percent of Americans engage in premarital sex.  The institute is affiliated with Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business and a frequent critic of abstinence education programs.  ...The Guttmacher report seems to contradict other studies such as one conducted by a University of Pennsylvania researcher in August that found teaching abstinence education to young teenagers in public schools reduces their sexual behavior. The study found that abstinence helped delay the starting point at which teenagers begin having sexual relations.  The Penn researchers studied 662 African-American students in 6th and 7th grade from inner-city schools in Philadelphia."]
Ministers to Olmert: End restraint policy ynetnews.com 12/23/6 ["More and more ministers have called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to consider ending the restraint policy in light of the ongoing Qassam fire from the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a violation of the ceasefire declared about a month ago.  Ten Qassam rockets have been fired at Israel in the past 24 hours, and it appears government ministers are starting to lose their patience."]
British Data Shows Repeat Abortions Increasing at Alarming Rate lifenews.com 12/23/6 ["more than 100 teenage girls every month have a second abortion and some of those girls are having a multiple abortion. The statistics show some teenagers are using abortion as a method of birth control and may prompt calls for tighter regulations.  According to the figures, 1,316 girls under the age of 18 had a second abortion during 2005 with 90 girls having a third abortion."]
 

Health Care Workers Group Backs Assisted Suicide, Opposes Abstinence lifenews.com 12/22/6 ["American Public Health Association  ...APHA says it has "significant ethical and human rights concerns" in cases where "abstinence is presented to adolescents as the sole choice, or when health information regarding other choices is limited or misrepresented."  The group is calling on the federal government to turn from funding abstinence education programs to those involving comprehensive sex education.  The group also approved an assisted suicide policy urging euphemistic wording to replace the terminology used when a physician assists a patient in killing himself."]
Willful Ignorance Regarding Abortion  newswithviews.com12/22/6 [ By Bill Sizemore  "Abortion on demand has so cheapened human life that we no longer look with disdain on the man who would rather terminate his unborn baby’s life than have to provide for it. We now acknowledge that as a rational, morally acceptable choice."]
Christian leaders seek to help pastors battle desires latimes.com 12/22/6 ["Some gay-rights activists had hoped these accounts would prompt a reevaluation of the widespread view among evangelicals that homosexuality is a choice — and that it can be overcome with prayer and discipline. "If one of these guys in power would say 'I've been wrong,' that would change the world," said the Rev. Mel White, who runs a faith-based gay-rights group called Soulforce.  But many evangelicals have drawn a very different lesson from the scandals.  They note that Barnes and Haggard said they felt alone in their struggles, unable to confide in anyone. And they blame that isolation — at least in part — for the pastors' falls."  Editor: this issue is being ballooned to be used more and more to justify sodomite relationships by the world, and within Christian circles.]
Patrick to rescind pact on undocumented immigrants boston.com 12/22/6 ["Governor elect Deval Patrick said Thursday that soon after taking office he will rescind an agreement between Governor Mitt Romney and federal authorities that allows state troopers to arrest undocumented immigrants."]
Americans spend every cent - and more cnn.com 12/22/6 ["Before the current streak of negative rates started in April 2005, only one month on record back to the late 1940s had a negative savings rate. As recently as the second quarter of 1985, Americans were saving more than 10 percent of their paychecks.  ...Largely to blame for the negative rate, Baker said, is the spike in home prices over the last five years that convinced many Americans they no longer needed to save. Many also pulled cash out of their homes via home equity loans and mortgage refinancing"]
Test run of military draft machinery announced chron.com 12/22/6 ["As part of the exercise, the agency is expected to conduct a mock draft and convene an "appeals board" to handle draftees who claim status as conscientious objectors.  The test announcement comes as President Bush and Congress take up plans to expand the overall size of the Army and Marine Corps and train thousands more additional forces.  ...The upcoming test of the military draft system will be "a total mobilization exercise that will be tailored to evaluate the Selective Service System's mandates for a mobilization of any type,""]
Honest Sinners And Phony Christians newswithviews.com 12/22/6 ["Jesus had zero tolerance for liars and phonies Himself - and His language reflected that. In fact, His harshest words were always directed toward the devoutly disingenuous - religious rogues and professional pretenders who empowered and esteemed themselves by misleading the masses... "]
Bush's move to supersize US military csmonitor.com 12/22/6 ["Ground forces may not be as glamorous as high-tech weaponry, but they are expensive nonetheless. Each increment of 10,000 soldiers added to the Army costs just a tick over $1 billion, according to a service estimate.  Thus, adding 30,000 troops a year for two years, as proposed by a recent American Enterprise Institute study co-written by military expert Robert Kagan, would add more than $6 billion to the military budget at a time when the cost of the Iraq conflict is exceeding $6 billion per month."]
A vexing leap in US robbery rate csmonitor.com 12/22/6 ["Possible explanations abound for the soaring robbery rate - 9.7 percent nationwide in the first half of 2006, according to federal crime statistics released this week. But a lead suspect in that troubling trend, say some criminologists, is added economic stress."]
 

Real U.S. shortfall: $4.6 trillion in red worldnetdaily.com 12/20/6 ["The real 2006 federal budget deficit was $4.6 trillion, not a previously reported $248.2 billion, according to the 2006 Financial Report of the United States Government as released by the Treasury Department Friday."]
Ahmadinejad: What would Jesus do today? ynetnews.com 12/20/6 ["Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sent a greeting to the world's Christians for the coming New Year, in which he has linked Christianity's deity, Jesus, with the Shiite messianic figure, Imam Mahdi, saying he expected both to return and "wipe away oppression.""]
Most Americans Have Had Premarital Sex forbes.com 12/20/6 ["More than nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, according to a new study. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past."]
Second evangelical exits Colo. church under cloud usatoday.com 12/20/6 ["An ongoing review of staff members at New Life Church initiated in the wake of the Rev. Ted Haggard's dismissal has resulted in the resignation of a pastor who oversaw a youth ministry at the Colorado Springs mega-church."]
U.S. Plans Military Buildup To Warn Iran cbsnews.com 12/20/6 ["the U.S. military build-up, which would include adding a second aircraft carrier to the one already in the Gulf, is being proposed as a response to what U.S. officials view as an increasingly provocative Iranian leadership."]
Lifelong Learning, Thought Control & Behavior Modification newswithviews.com 12/20/6 [By Nancy Levant  "What do 12 years of tax payers’ public (mental health) education, universities that spit out 21-year-olds who are $50,000.00 to $100.000.00 in student loan debt, and “lifelong learning” have in common? Try these answers on for size..."]
Loss for one is another's gain rockymountainnews.com 12/20/6 ["Applicants line up to fill jobs left empty by Swift plant raid"]
Angel Wars: A 'Christian' Animation Or A Deceptive Imitation? newswithviews.com 12/18/6 [By Berit Kjos  "The Angel Wars illustrate the process. Each episode starts with the same introduction -- a strange blend of truth, myth and fantasy. In this context, Biblical words such as "redemption" are linked to angelic efforts, not to the crucified and resurrected Christ. Our sovereign, personal God is replaced with a remote creator-god who plays no further part in the action:"]
Most troops ‘comfortable’ with gays, poll finds armytimes.com 12/20/6 ["“Today’s poll is one more nail in the coffin of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a Washington-based, nonprofit gay-rights group, which released the poll data."]
EU to Israel: Stop violating int'l law ynetnews.com 12/20/6 ["European Council urges Israel to release detained Hamas ministers alongside release of abducted IDF soldier Shalit; ‘Israel must put an end to all activities which are contrary to international law, including settlement activities and construction of barrier on Palestinian land"]
 

Person of the Year: You cnn.com 12/17/6 ["It's a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people's network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.  The tool that makes this possible is the World Wide Web. ...The new Web is a very different thing. It's a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter. "]
FLASHBACK: The Internet – America’s Electronic Brain Transplant! lasttrumpetministries.org 12/17/6 [by Pastor David Meyer  "It is a sad fact that the computer has taken over our country and the world, and this Earth can no longer operate without it. Things would suddenly collapse if this electronic world-wide brain was instantly disabled. The micro-computer is another attempt of Satan to be God. The world-wide web, or “www”, is a sort of artificial omniscience (all-knowing), omnipresence (in all places), and omnipotence (having all power) that Satan has established. "]
Flu Shot Dangers Far Outweigh Benefits newswithviews.com 12/17/6 ["the flu is an inconvenience and usually not life threatening. The only time it is life threatening is if someone is immune deficient. When you consider what is in the shot and how it is made, the toxic ingredients and additives are much worse for the body than the illness."]
Chess giant Kasparov leads anti-Putin rally cbc.ca 12/17/6 ["Hundreds of police turned out to surround about 2,000 demonstrators calling for free elections next year in what the protesters say is an increasingly authoritarian regime.  Ahead of the rare rally, authorities pulled hundreds of opposition activists off buses and trains and detained them along with scores of others, in many cases without explanation, organizers claimed.  ...Let's not forget Putin was not elected; he was appointed by Yeltsin."]
Olmert: Willing to trade land for peace ynetnews.com 12/17/6 ["Israeli prime minister making "extraordinary efforts" to start peace negotiations with Abbas, expresses willingness to give up territories"]
Iran Offers to Transfer Nuke Technology guardian.co.uk 12/17/6 ["President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday his country was ready to transfer nuclear technology to neighboring countries, nearly a week after Arab states on the Persian Gulf announced plans to consider a joint nuclear program."]
 

Census Bureau: Media use dominates our lives bradenton.com 12/16/6 ["How will we spend our time in 2007?  We will watch the equivalent of 65 days of television. We will spend 41 days listening to radio. We will surf the Web for more than a week, and we will spend about a week reading a daily newspaper.  Those are among the findings scheduled for release today in the Census Bureau's 126th annual Statistical Abstract of the United States, a 999-page book of numbers that provides a snapshot of America, everything from education to politics to economics."]
Americans use TV, other media 10 hrs a day: Census reuters.com 12/16/6 ["In its "Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007" released on Friday, the agency also noted that Americans drink about a gallon of soda a week, along with a half gallon each of milk, bottled water, coffee and beer.  ...They projected Americans will spend an average of nearly 4 1/2 hours daily in front of the television in 2006, or 1,555 hours in all."]
New Jersey Passes Two Big Gay Rights Laws, Gains Big New Momentum for Gay Marriage biz.yahoo.com 12/16/6 ["Passage of the transgender equality law today makes New Jersey the third most populous state to outlaw discrimination based on "gender identity or expression."  ...As the New Jersey legislature today passes a civil unions law short of true marriage equality, key legislators are infusing the marriage-equality movement in New Jersey with dramatic new momentum as they acknowledge the civil unions law is merely an interim step."]
Two Mommies or Two Daddies Will Do Fine, Thanks time.com 12/16/6 ["Responding to the news of the pregnancy of Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of the Vice President, Dobson, writing in a viewpoint in TIME magazine, put to work the time-worn tools of lies and distortion to make his argument that lesbian and gay parents are not able to provide environments for their children comparable in quality to those created by heterosexual parents."]
Bush: happy for Cheney's gay daughter pregnancy reuters.com 12/16/6 ["He sidestepped the issue when questioned by People magazine about whether he still held that belief.  "Mary Cheney is going to make a fine mom and she's going to love this child a lot," he said, according to an excerpt from the interview."]
U.S. Judge: California Executions Unconstitutional npr.org 12/16/6 [" In California, a federal judge rules that lethal injection, as it is currently carried out in the state, violates the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against 'cruel and unusual punishment." District Court Judge Jeremey Fogel"]
New UN Convention Forbids Withdrawal of Food or Fluids from Disabled like Terri Schiavo lifesite.net 12/16/6 ["The newly approved United Nations "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" which was adopted by the General Assembly Wednesday forbids nations which sign on to it from denying "food and fluids" to disabled persons.  Article 25 of the Convention, which deals with health, directs (in sub-section f) nations to "Prevent discriminatory denial of health care or health services or food and fluids on the basis of disability.""]
Pentagon to move troops into Kuwait news.yahoo.com 12/16/6 ["The U.S. military is planning to move a brigade of troops into Kuwait in what could be the first step of a short-term surge of American forces into Iraq to stabilize the violence.  ...The Army is considering ways it can speed up the creation of two additional combat brigades — a move intended to expand the pool of active-duty combat brigades in order to relieve some of the strain on the Army from large-scale deployments to Iraq."]
KGB influence 'soars under Putin' bbc.co.uk 12/16/6 [" Four out of five political leaders and state administrators in Russia either have been or still are members of the security services, a study suggests."]
 

Army may "break" unless reserves help: general reuters.com 12/15/6 [""At this pace, without recurrent access to the reserve components through remobilization, we will break the active component," he told a commission mandated by the U.S. Congress to look at issues related to the reserve forces.  The Army has already been authorized to boost the number of active-duty soldiers temporarily from 482,000 to a maximum of 512,00, although it has yet to reach that limit. "]
Book says Bush just using Christians msnbc.msn.com 12/15/6 [Editor: An article title such as this will convince many that true Christians are simple-minded nuts.  It also provides a strawman over much more serious matters such as Skull & Bones.]
Bush to seek $100 bln more war funds: House report reuters.com 12/15/6 ["Such a large request would mark a rapid escalation in the cost of the Iraq war at a time when public support is plummeting and Bush is looking for new answers to stem violence that threatens to spin out of control.  In a broad report criticizing Republicans' fiscal decisions, Democratic staffers on the House Appropriations Committee and House Budget Committee also noted that Congress already had appropriated about $379 billion for the war in Iraq. "]
Planned Parenthood Abortion Business Closing More Centers lifenews.com 12/15/6 ["A Planned Parenthood watchdog group says the nation's largest abortion business closed more centers last year and more than 100 in the last 11 years. According to a study by STOPP Planned Parenthood, the number of Planned Parenthood facilities is at its lowest point in 20 years."]
Gas dispute threatens Belarus, Georgia ft.com 12/15/6 ["Russia is preparing to cut off natural gas supplies to neighbouring Belarus and Georgia unless the two former Soviet republics agree by the year-end to pay much higher prices in 2007."]
If Roe is Overturned our Pro-Life Incremental Laws Will Keep Abortion Legal says Pro-Life Prof. lifesite.net 12/15/6 ["Rice also questioned the wisdom of the recently failed Fetal Pain Act, which was promoted by National Right to Life. He indicated that of course anesthesia will actually encourage some women to get an abortion, and may make late-term abortion seem more humane to the public."]
Bakker, Brown: What the hell happened to Christianity? cnn.com 12/15/6 [Editor: this article paints all Christians with a broad brush as hypocrites.  The impetuous is one true Christians to live their life and conversation as a light and salt, not sugar.  Your testimony will say more than your preaching.]
Three Homosexual Activist Groups Gain Previously Denied UN Consultative Status lifesite.net 12/15/6 ["The European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe), along with two member groups--the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians and the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany--were granted consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).  Consultative status gives non-governmental organizations the right to represent their own interests at the UN and to participate in the UN’s work."]
 

A Cardboard Christ  newswithviews.com 12/14/6 ["Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image  ...end justifies the means - that love is a license to do whatever you feel is effective, as long as it's for Jesus - even when the Lord Himself says "Thou shalt not."  I mean, while angry Christian activists busy themselves year after year foolishly fighting for the ridiculous right to set up their plastic Jesus displays - what I like to call "Naiveté Scenes" - they ignore the very thing we were commanded by Jesus to do: Hear, obey and proclaim His Word - and in doing so, exchange Divine instruction for Christian idolatry! "]
Federal judge invokes Military Commissions Act to reject Gitmo habeas petition jurist.law.pitt.edu 12/14/6 ["Hamdan's lengthy detention beyond American borders but within the jurisdictional authority of the United States is historically unique. Nevertheless, as the government argues in its reply brief, his connection to the United States lacks the geographical and volitional predicates necessary to claim a constitutional right to habeas corpus. Petitioner has never entered the United States and accordingly does not enjoy the “implied protection” that accompanies presence on American soil."]
Home foreclosures soar: Mass. sees 300 percent increase bostonherald.com 12/14/6 ["as a chilly market left financially strapped homeowners unable to sell houses they could no longer afford, new figures show.  “Any way you slice it, there are many more homes in foreclosure - and the rates are going up significantly,” said Rick Sharga of RealtyTrac.com, which yesterday reported 2,100 Massachusetts homes in foreclosure during November. "]
Falling prices trap new homebuyers ocregister.com 12/14/6 ["Neighbors in a new Garden Grove tract say a developer's plan to slash prices by about $140,000 has left them owing more for their homes than they're now worth.  ...Most homebuilders are reporting that 40 percent or more of their buyers are canceling this year. Often, cancellations result in the builder getting stuck with an empty home that's already under construction."]
IRS tightens rules for income tax deductions on donations freep.com 12/14/6 ["The IRS is going to require a receipt for cash contributions -- even for small amounts -- next year and afterwards, if you want to deduct those donations on your federal tax returns.  So consider writing checks instead of putting $10 or $20 in cash in the collection plate at church. Some religious organizations offer a way to have donations automatically deducted from your checking account. That would also provide records for the IRS."  Editor:  Matthew 6:3-4 "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."  It will be interesting to see the effect this has on 501c3 'churches'.]
"I Left My Dead Baby In The Toilet" - Former Patient of Abortionist Tells O'Reilly Factor lifesite.net 12/14/6 ["The pain of Kelly's abortion was still evident in her face. Even O'Reilly seemed deeply affected by her story." Newman added, "Unfortunately, her tragedy is being repeated every week at George Tiller's abortion mill on other vulnerable girls. There are literally thousands of Kelly's out there, each with her own horrific story to tell.""]
Medical Expert Debunks JAMA Article Claiming Fetuses Feel No Pain agapepress.org 12/14/6 ["Gupta points out that the JAMA article in question was not based on research but was simply an opinion from pro-abortion activists, including one involved with an abortion clinic. His own opinion about the pain early-stage fetuses experience during abortion diverges sharply from that in the JAMA piece."]
Despite a $168B budget, Army faces cash crunch post-gazette.com 12/14/6 ["The strains here at Fort Stewart -- one of the busiest posts in the U.S. military -- are apparent throughout the Army. They spotlight a historic predicament: The Iraq war has exposed more than a decade's worth of mistakes and miscalculations that are now seriously undermining the world's mightiest military force."]
FBI director wants ISPs to track users news.com.com 12/14/6 ["FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday called on Internet service providers to record their customers' online activities, a move that anticipates a fierce debate over privacy and law enforcement in Washington next year."]
Struggle of gay evangelicals for acceptance continues iht.com 12/14/6 ["Those who advocate acceptance of gays assert that the passages have to do with acts in the context of idolatry, prostitution or violence. The Bible, they argue, says nothing about homosexuality as it is largely understood today, as an enduring orientation, or about committed long-term, same-sex relationships."]
China's Largest Province Prohibits Sex-Selection Abortions, Gender ID lifenews.com 12/14/6 ["The largest province in China has issued new regulations prohibiting sex-selection abortions and the use of ultrasound technology to identify the sex of an unborn child for non-medical purposes. The new rules are intended to combat the problematic gender imbalance the nation is experiencing."]
Troops dig in as Somalia war fears grow reuters.com 12/14/6 ["Fighters from the religious movement and Western-backed government have skirmished several times in the past week near Baidoa, a south-central trading town."]
Poisoned-spy case tests Europe's cross-border cooperation csmonitor.com 12/14/6 ["British police have been pounding Moscow pavement for over a week. Russian detectives are headed for London, while a Scotland Yard liaison arrived Monday in Hamburg. On Tuesday, Interpol got into the act."]
 

British embryo laws face overhaul washingtontimes.com 12/13/6 ["Researchers will be allowed to create test-tube embryos that are part human, part animal under a proposal to be announced by government health officials this week.  ...These and other changes in Britain's laws on embryos are to be introduced this week in a major overhaul for a nation that already has some of the world's most liberal laws on stem-cell research. "]
Ukraine Killing Newborns To Harvest Stem Cells Says BBC With Video Evidence lifesite.net 12/13/6 ["In 2003, a campaign to expose the barbaric practice was successful in forcing the hospital to exhume 30 bodies of dead babies. Footage from the ensuing autopsies was released to the BBC and the Council of Europe.  The BBC report tells of dismembered bodies and mature newborn bodies stripped of organs."]
Who Makes Foreign Policy? house.gov 12/13/6 [by Ron Paul  "it is assumed that the president will make Iraq policy. I’m not talking about the details of actual military operations in Iraq; I’m talking about the broader policy questions of how long our troops will stay, how many will stay, and how victory will be defined.  The media, Congress, and the American public all seem to have accepted something that is patently untrue: namely, that foreign policy is the domain of the president and not Congress. This is absolutely not the case and directly contrary to what our founding fathers wanted."]
India Sex-Selection Abortions Not Declining New UNICEF Report Shows lifenews.com 12/13/6 ["The report indicates 7,000 fewer female babies are born every day because parents can determine the sex of their unborn baby and kill her before birth."]
$20bn gas project seized by Russia guardian.co.uk 12/13/6 ["The moves will alarm many investors in the City of London as Shell and other share prices are hit, but the news will also increase ministers' concerns about Britain's energy security.  Russia is becoming a key source of natural gas to the UK and Gazprom has already made clear it would like to buy a company such as Centrica, which owns British Gas. One third of western Europe's natural gas is supplied by Russia"]
Faith's purchasing power usatoday.com 12/13/6 ["Family Christian is housed in the same Grand Rapids complex as its original parent company, Zondervan. The world's largest Bible publisher, Zondervan holds the copyright on the most popular Bible translation in America, the New International Version  ...Zondervan launched California mega-church pastor the Rev. Rick Warren to publishing superstardom: 19% of Americans, including 25% of women, say they've read Warren's Christian living handbook, The Purpose-Driven Life, according to the Baylor survey. "]
 

Mortgage delinquencies a rising threat chron.com 12/12/6 ["There have started to be "early signs of credit distress" in financial institutions' holdings of so-called "subprime" mortgages, especially in California, Richard Brown, chief economist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., said at the conference.  In the sizzling housing boom that waned in the latter half of last year, many people took out subprime mortgages _ higher-interest loans for people with blemished credit records who are considered higher risks _ with adjustable interest rates."]
Top gay-friendly city: San Francisco news.yahoo.com 12/12/6 ["Following San Francisco on the list's top 10 were Key West, Fla.; New York City; Fire Island, which is part of Long Island in New York; Provincetown, Mass.; Los Angeles; Miami-South Beach, Fla.; Las Vegas; New Orleans, and Palm Springs-Palm Desert, Calif."]
2nd pastor resigns over gay sex scandal seattlepi.nwsource.com 12/12/6 ["On Sunday, Paul Barnes, founding pastor of the 2,100-member Grace Chapel in this Denver suburb, told his evangelical congregation in a videotaped message he had had sexual relations with other men and was stepping down."]
Top-Level Insiders Selling Their Stock nypost.com 12/12/6 ["Analysts say a take-the-money-and-run flight from their own companies signals a growing lack of confidence in the economy's future course, as well as fears of a possible global meltdown if the Iraq crisis escalates across borders."]
NJ Legislature Set to Approve $500 Million for Embryonic Stem Cell Research lifesite.net 12/12/6 ["An initial measure that would allocate $270 million towards stem-cell research centers is set to pass the full Assembly next week, the Daily Mail reported Dec.7. A second measure, calling for a voter referendum on a proposal to borrow an additional $230 million to finance embryonic research projects, would go before the Assembly early in the new year."]
U.S. dollar facing imminent collapse? worldnetdaily.com 12/12/6 ["This week, in an unusual move, the Bush administration is sending virtually the entire economic "A-team" to visit China for a "strategic economic dialogue" in Beijing Dec. 14 and 15.  Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are leading the delegation, along with five other cabinet-level officials, including Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. Also in the delegation will be Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman, and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab. "]
Nigeria considers same-sex marriage ban seattlepi.nwsource.com 12/12/6 ["Lawmakers in Nigeria are debating a bill that would ban same-sex marriage and any form of association among gays, even sharing a meal at a restaurant.  Few in Nigeria's deeply closeted gay community have publicly opposed the legislation, which proposes penalties of up to five years in prison and is widely expected to pass."]
US choses new site to expand emergency oil reserve reuters.com 12/12/6 ["The oil reserve currently has a storage capacity of about 727 million barrels, but Congress passed an energy bill last year requiring the boost in the stockpile's size."]
Iran stirs up hatred with Holocaust conference telegraph.co.uk 12/12/6 ["The conference, Review of the Holocaust: Global Vision, was initiated by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who has described the killing of six million Jews in Nazi Germany as a "myth" and called for Israel to be wiped off the map. His remarks have caused grave international alarm at a time that Iran is feared to be developing nuclear weapons."]
 

'Truthiness' named word of the year theglobeandmail.com 12/11/6 ["“We're at a point where what constitutes truth is a question on a lot of people's minds, and truth has become up for grabs,” said Merriam-Webster president John Morse."]
Oil producers shun dollar ft.com 12/11/6 ["Oil producing countries have reduced their exposure to the dollar to the lowest level in two years and shifted oil income into euros, yen and sterling, according to new data from the Bank for International Settlements.  ...Russia and the members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the oil cartel, cut their dollar holdings from 67 per cent in the first quarter to 65 per cent in the second."]
Sears Supports Homosexual TV Network With Advertising afa.net 12/11/6 ["Two-minute infomercials sponsored explicitly by Sears helps keep the homosexual network on the air.  Sears has thrown its support to the LOGO network. LOGO is the 24-hour cable television network dedicated to programming for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders..."]
Russian troops get new mobile nuclear weapons news.scotsman.com 12/11/6 ["Topol-M missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 6,000 miles away, have so far been deployed only in silos. The new version is mounted on a heavy off-road vehicle, making it harder for an enemy to track down."]
France deploys UAVs to stop IAF flights jpost.com 12/11/6 ["While welcoming the use of UAVs as part of UNIFIL operations in Lebanon, a high-ranking officer said Sunday that the IDF would not stop flying over Lebanon.  ...until Hizbullah fulfills its part of UN resolution 1701 and returns the kidnapped soldiers"]
China expects 10.5 percent yearly growth businessweek.com 12/11/6 ["the expansion has slowed slightly as Beijing tries to cool off a boom in real estate development and bank lending.  Chinese leaders worry that a surge in credit and spending will ignite inflation or leave companies and lenders with dangerously high debt."]
Beirut rally: Death to Israel, US ynetnews.com 12/11/6 ["Hundreds of thousands of protesters thronged central Beirut's two central squares, Riyad al-Solh Square and Martyrs' Square on Sunday to participate in the Hizbullah -led opposition's second rally."]
New Ecuador Leader Nixes U.S. Trade Pact abcnews.go.com 12/11/6 ["The Andean country adopted the dollar as its currency in 2000 to halt hyperinflation. But Correa says that a trade agreement with the U.S. like the ones Colombia and Peru already have signed could create "incalculable" damage for Ecuador since the country cannot control its currency's value.  "We don't have a national currency, we have the dollar," he told Radioprogramas."]
 

U.S. has most prisoners in world due to tough laws reuters.com 12/10/6 ["one in every 32 American adults -- were behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of last year. Of the total, 2.2 million were in prison or jail.  ...more people are behind bars in the United States than in any other country. China ranks second with 1.5 million prisoners, followed by Russia with 870,000. "]
Iran offers to help U.S. withdraw from Iraq iht.com 12/10/6 ["but only if Washington makes some tough policy changes.  Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki claimed U.S. troops were responsible for at least half the violence tearing apart Iraq and that their departure would pay security dividends for the entire region."]
China central bank sees risk of US dollar slide on asset sell-off forbes.com 12/10/6 ["China said in its 2006 Financial Stability Report that Asian oil exporting countries also may need to adjust their foreign exchange holdings to reduce risk.  ...Officials have talked of diversifying the nation's foreign exchange holdings but they do not want to trigger a sharp sell-off that will reduce the value of the assets China now holds."]
US Congress approves bioterrorism preparedness bill alertnet.org 12/10/6 ["The measure would provide $1 billion over three years to develop vaccines and drugs to counter such threats.  It also would build on Project BioShield, a $5.6 billion program created in 2004 that was spurred by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and subsequent anthrax scares, and would aim to develop more and better drugs and vaccines in a national stockpile."]
Analyst: Gold will top $1,000 an ounce businessweek.com 12/10/6 ["Billed as the second-largest annual mining convention in the U.S., the five-day gathering drew 1,800 people before it ended Friday.  Industry officials said van Eeden is among at least three dozen analysts who have predicted gold prices would surpass $1,000 an ounce over the next five years.   ...Van Eeden said rising gold prices have been tied to the dollar's devaluation. The dollar has dropped an average of 10 percent this year compared with the pound, franc and euro.  Van Eeden said he expects America's increasing trade deficit to lead to an overall 35 percent drop in the value of the dollar against other currencies over the next two to five years."]
Saudi King: Spark Could Ignite Region apnews.myway.com 12/10/6 ["Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal warned earlier this week that Iraq "poses a great challenge to the region, its security and its future" and called for "halting all forms of interference in Iraq" - an apparent reference to Syria and Iran.  Each has ties with key factions in Iraq: Iran with Shiite Muslim parties that dominate the U.S.-backed government and have militias blamed for much of the sectarian bloodshed, and Syria with Sunni Arabs, who are the main force in the insurgency. But both Iran and Syria deny supporting violence in Iraq."]
Power Company Taken To Task Over Outage cbsnews.com 12/10/6 ["Heading into Friday, some 19,000 Ameren customers still were without power, all but about 1,000 of them in Illinois, spokesman Tim Fox said. At the peak, more than 500,000 Ameren customers in both states were without power."]
Olmert says open to international force in Gaza ynetnews.com 12/10/6 ["Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Friday he was ready to discuss Italy's proposal to send international troops to Gaza when he travels to Rome next week for a meeting with the Italian premier."]
 

Why Isn't Homosexuality Considered A Disorder On The Basis Of Its Medical Consequences? lifesite.net 12/9/6 ["Can anyone refute that increased morbidity and mortality is an unavoidable result of male-with-male sex--not to mention the increased rates of alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, suicide and other maladies that so often accompany a homosexual lifestyle?[v] People with this whole cluster of behavior patterns are somehow "normal"?"]
US bill meant to twist Hamas's arm jpost.com 12/9/6 ["The House of Representatives gave final passage Thursday to a bill aimed at forcing the Palestinians' ruling Hamas government to accept Israel and join negotiations toward a Palestinian state in formerly Israeli-occupied territory.  House passage, by voice vote, came a day after the Iraq Study Group Report urged President George W. Bush's administration to reinvigorate the effort to settle the half-century-old Israeli-Palestinian dispute. "]
Pandemic threat in Mecca pilgrim crush theaustralian.news.com.au 12/9/6 ["Muslims about to travel to Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage risk sparking a devastating global influenza pandemic because too few of the worshippers are being vaccinated before they go.  ...The next hajj starts on December 28 and lasts for seven days. Between two and three million pilgrims from all over the world are expected to descend on Mecca"]
Senators challenge FBI chief over domestic spying program boston.com 12/9/6 ["Mueller said he was unable to talk about the warrantless spying program because it is classified.  "What assurances can you provide that the program is worthwhile?" asked Senate Judiciary chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican. "Have arrests been made? Have terror cells been broken?""]
Dick Chaney Should Resign newswithviews.com 12/9/6 [By Coach Dave Daubenmire  "The American culture has become so narcissistic. No one seems to care any more how their actions might affect others...how their right to "live as they please" can have a devastating impact on those around them, and on those who watch them.   ...Two lesbians do not just accidentally get pregnant, like two teenagers ignorant of birth control. No, her actions were planned. "]
Uzbekistan Government "Attacking" Evangelical Christians; Churches Raided, Bibles Burnt worthynews.com 12/9/6 [""The Christian churches have been likened to terrorist groups and the country is being warned about these "dangerous people". They were even talking about some foreigners and labeling them as missionaries who gain a lot of money out of converting people to their religion," the Christian said on condition of anonymity."]
Donors pledge nearly $500 million more to battle bird flu iht.com 12/9/6 ["The US$476 million (€360 million) in pledged grant money to fight the virus over the next year is in addition to about US$600 million (€450 million) in loans and credit still in the pipeline from a January conference in Beijing, where donors pledged US$1.9 billion (€1.4 billion)."]
Company claims herbal treatment for bird flu bangkokpost.com 12/9/6 ["has extracted key active ingredients from the elderberry to create herbal lozenges that could rival Tamiflu, HerbalScience claimed Saturday."]
 

Dollar, yuan, and wary euro iht.com 12/8/6 ["To maintain the dollar-yuan peg, China has been recycling huge sums of U.S. dollars back to America, mainly buying U.S. government bonds and stocks.  In effect, then, China has been financing both the budget and trade deficits of the United States. which, under the Bush administration, has shown little fiscal or monetary restraint."]
Christmas 2006: Send A Clear Message Against "Free" Trade newswithviews.com 12/8/6 [By: Devvy Kidd   "A nation that produces nothing cannot survive nor will we be able to gear up for a war on our own soil to protect ourselves if necessary because our factories are rusted out old buildings, the skilled workers gone. Congressman Henry Clay said it best back in 1824: "The measure of the wealth of a nation is indicated by the measure of its protection of its industry; the measure of the poverty of a nation is marked by the degree in which it neglects and abandons the care of its own industry, leaving it exposed to the action of foreign powers.""]
Buy Made in the USA devvy.com 12/8/6 [" There is no charge to list these companies and resources.  They are listed because we believe in America's workers and want to keep them employed."]
More families playing video games but concerns remain reuters.com 12/8/6 ["An online survey of 1,014 U.S. children and their parents, conducted by market researcher Harrison Group -- and commissioned by U.S. game publisher Activision -- found 58 percent of parents surveyed said they play video games and more than half this time is spent with their children."]
Baker report: Israel must withdraw from Golan ynetnews.com 12/8/6 ["The report also states in the Palestinian context that "the United States will not be able to achieve its goals in the Middle East unless the United States deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict."]
Canada upholds law allowing same-sex marriage reuters.com 12/8/6 ["Canada's Parliament upheld a 2005 law allowing same-sex marriage on Thursday when it threw out a bid by the minority Conservative government to revisit the contentious issue."]
Anti-Abortion Signs antiabortionsigns.com 12/8/6 [Editor: If you, Christian, are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.  Get busy doing something for God.  Time is too short.]
 

Australian Parliament lifts cloning ban chron.com 12/7/6 ["lifted a four-year ban on cloning human embryos for stem cell research despite opposition from the prime minister and other party leaders.  ...The law passed Wednesday allows therapeutic cloning, the splicing of skin cells with eggs to produce stem cells, also known as master cells, which are capable of forming all the tissues of the human body."]
Planned Parenthood Giving Away Morning After Pills in National Event lifenews.com 12/7/6 ["Studies have shown the drug, which may possibly cause an abortion in limited circumstances, does nothing to reduce abortions.  More than 350 Planned Parenthood centers will give away the morning after pill to anyone who wants a packet, including adult men who may be using it as a way of covering up sexual abuse.  ...Some women who sign up for the free pills will also qualify for free or reduced cost services -- including abortions -- at the Planned Parenthood facilities."]
Abortion Advocates Cite Biased Fetal Pain Study During House Debate lifenews.com 12/7/6 ["During the debate on an abortion-fetal pain bill in the House of Representatives, leading pro-abortion lawmakers cited a bogus study claiming babies don't feel pain until 29 weeks into pregnancy. However, the report was written by two abortion advocates including an abortion center director.  ...the authors are not "an expert on fetal or neonatal pain" and did not include any such experts in their study."]
Iran to complete nuclear R&D by March ynetnews.com 12/7/6 ["Tehran says it will expand its atomic work by installing 3,000 centrifuges, devices used to enrich uranium either to make fuel for power stations or material warheads. Tehran insists its plans are peaceful but the West fears it has military goals.  Iran now operates two chains of 164 centrifuges and has only enriched tiny quantities of uranium to levels used in power stations. Experts say with 3,000 centrifuges in place, Tehran could make enough material for at least one warhead in a year."]
Survivors return to Pearl Harbor for final reunion usatoday.com 12/7/6 ["Now the people who survived the surprise attack that killed more than 2,400 people and led to America's entry into World War II are in their 80s or older. Dying or too frail to travel, they say this week's reunion will be their last official gathering at the sacred site."]
Conservative Jews ok gay rabbis reuters.com 12/7/6 ["The statements issued by the committee are not binding on congregations or seminaries. One said openly gay people should be allowed as rabbis and that "committed gay relationships" can be recognized but not blessed. That statement also retained the prohibition in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) against male homosexual intercourse."]
Fannie Mae Reports 2001-2004 Loss of $7.9 Billion bloomberg.com 12/7/6 ["Fannie Mae, the largest source of money for U.S. home loans, today reported a less-than expected loss of $7.9 billion for 2001 through 2004, completing a restatement of earnings and providing the first accurate picture of performance for a period tainted by accounting manipulation.  ...Congress created Fannie Mae and McLean, Virginia-based Freddie Mac to expand homeownership by increasing mortgage financing. The companies own or guarantee about 40 percent of the $10.5 trillion residential U.S. mortgage market. They are the biggest borrowers in the U.S. after the federal government."]
 

Congress open to passing bill on immigration washingtontimes.com 12/6/6 ["ongress will approve an immigration bill that will grant citizenship rights to most of the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S. after Democrats take control next month, predict both sides on Capitol Hill.  While Republicans have been largely splintered on the issue of immigration reform, Democrats have been fairly unified behind the principle that the illegals currently in the country should get citizenship rights without having to first leave the country. "]
More Than 100,000 US Government Immigration Files Missing newswithviews.com 12/6/6 ["Republican senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Susan Collins of Maine released details of the investigation on Tuesday. The senators claimed they sought the investigation after a suspected terrorist was granted US citizenship in 2002.  "It only takes one missing file of somebody with links to a terrorist organization to become an American citizen," Grassley said in a news release. "]
NY rejects transgender birth certificate law reuters.com 12/6/6 ["New York City's health department on Tuesday rejected a proposal that would have allowed transgender people to switch the gender on their birth certificates without a sex-change operation."]
U.S. manufacturers getting desperate for skilled people usatoday.com 12/6/6 ["There were 10.2 million manufacturing production workers in the USA in October, down 19% from 10 years ago and 28% fewer than 40 years ago.  The percentage of all workers in the USA employed in manufacturing has been declining for 50 years. In October, 10% of the U.S. workforce was employed in the manufacturing sector, an all-time low. In 1946, one out of every three workers had jobs in manufacturing."]
Rich few hold world's wealth news.com.au 12/6/6 ["Still, many in the wealthy West are house-poor, with assets well below this number due to mortgages and other debt.  “Many people in high-income countries have negative net worth and - somewhat paradoxically - are among the poorest people in the world in terms of household wealth,” the report said. "]
Military Commissions Act: A Precursor To Tyranny? newswithviews.com 12/6/6 [By Pastor Chuck Baldwin  "Rep. Ron Paul of Texas recently discussed President Bush's support for the Military Commissions Act. During the interview, Paul said that "the law officially allows for citizen concentration camp facilities."  Paul also warned that "the Military Commissions Act and the Defense Authorization Act . . . essentially wipes out Habeas Corpus."  Paul continued by noting, "Right now we don't have concentration camps, but . . . the authority has been given so that concentration camps can come without Habeas Corpus." He then said, "If they can lock you up, what good is freedom of speech or what good is a gun?" "]
Abortion Raises Risk of Miscarriage of Subsequent Pregnancy 60 Percent lifenews.com 12/6/6 ["The study also showed that women using in-vitro fertilization have higher miscarriage risks as well.  ...Women using the in-vitro technique had a 40 percent greater risk of suffering a miscarriage."]
Sweden's gay blood ban to stay thelocal.se 12/6/6 ["A proposal to allow gay men in Sweden to give blood is to be put on hold for at least another year after concerns were raised by health authorities.  The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) had been expected in November to end Sweden's lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have had sex with men."]
Ten Reasons To Impeach The President infowars.com 12/6/6 ["North American Union, Amnesty program, Killing sovereignty  ...Illegal legislation / Re-writing law: Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act, Wiretapping"]
 

Gay 'weddings' top 15,500 in UK news.bbc.co.uk 12/5/6 ["in the first nine months after new laws were brought in the UK."]
FDR and the Pearl Harbor attack worldnetdaily.com 12/5/6 ["Allowing Japan to "commit the first overt act" – military aggression against America on our own soil – can hardly be called anything but murder. The American people deserved to be told the truth by FDR and what he was planning."]
IVF Children Suffer More Over-All Health Problems Than Naturally-Conceived Children lifesite.net 12/5/6 ["While increased rates of specific abnormalities have been known to be associated with IVF, such as brain abnormalities and defective urological systems, the new research showed an overall increase in poor health among IVF children, including single-birth children."]
Repercussions Of Senate Bill 2611 newswithviews.com 12/5/6 ["Impacts of S.B. 2611: 1. Dissolves our sovereignty and free choice to protect our nation. If passed, neither federal, state nor local governments can build barriers on our side of the border to protect from illegal entry without permission of Mexico.  2. The Heritage Foundation estimates the bill would increase federal spending by $50 billion annually. That does not include the estimated cost of $100 billion annually for anchor babies..."]
Panel snubs proposed e-voting check news.com.com 12/5/6 ["Computer scientists all too familiar with code bugginess have long criticized electronic voting machines that rely entirely on successful software performance, but they have failed for now to persuade a federal advisory committee to recommend otherwise."]
British Scientist Uses Adult Stem Cell Research to Treat Back Pain lifenews.com 12/5/6 ["A University of Manchester researcher has developed a treatment for lower back pain using the patient's own stem cells, which could replace the use of strong painkillers or surgery. UNFPA Convenes Meeting of Parliamentarians That Endorses Abortion lifenews.com 12/5/6 ["The United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) sponsored a gathering of 180 parliamentarians in Bangkok last week in an effort to get the lawmakers to pledge to promote “reproductive rights.”  During the meeting, organized by UNFPA and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), the parliamentarians signed a statement pledging to prioritize: “the promotion and protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights”, “gender equality,” “unsafe abortion” and “safe motherhood,” all words, phrases and programs used to support abortion on demand."]
Australia's winter crop drops 62 pct on drought; summer crop off 33 pct forbes.com 12/5/6 [" This combined with some of the highest mean maximum temperatures on record which resulted in a significant decline in winter crop production and has placed summer crops in an uncertain position.  Wheat production in 2006-2007 is estimated to have plunged 61 pct from the previous season to 9.7 mln metric tons, while barley production is expected to have fallen 63 pct to 3.7 mln tons."]
 

Dollar traders on edge as they suspect Fed is wrong ft.com 12/4/6 ["The latest bout of dollar weakness has occurred as currency markets have developed a growing belief that the US economy is in worse shape than the Federal Reserve claims. They have also been encouraged to buy the euro by the lack of concern expressed so far by ECB officials about the rise of the single currency.  On a trade-weighted basis, the dollar has declined nearly 4 per cent since the middle of October, with more than half that fall being recorded since November 20."]
Iraq situation 'much worse' than civil war, Annan says iht.com 12/4/6 ["Given the level of violence, the level of killing and bitterness and the way that forces are arranged against each other, a few years ago, when we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war; this is much worse," Annan said."]
Phoenix airport to test X-ray screening news.yahoo.com 12/4/6 ["A handful of other U.S. airports will have the X-rays machines in place by early 2007 as part of a nationwide pilot program, TSA officials said.  The technology already is being used in prisons and by drug enforcement agents, and has been tested at London's Heathrow Airport."]
War Widow Dedicates Wiccan Plaque Symbol guardian.co.uk 12/4/6 ["The widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan saw a Wiccan symbol placed on a memorial plaque for her husband Saturday, after fighting the federal government for more than a year over the emblem."]
Villages and families wiped out as deadly mudslides follow typhoon scotsman.com 12/4/6 ["A State of "national calamity" was declared by the Philippines' president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, yesterday as the Red Cross estimated more than 1,000 people had been killed in mudslides triggered by a typhoon that have swamped entire villages."]
Deaths from Midwest storm hit 19; thousands lack power chron.com 12/4/6 ["By this afternoon, about 350,000 customers of St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. had no electricity in a roughly 300-mile swath from Jackson, Mo., northeast to Pontiac, Ill., paralleling the track of the storm. Spokeswoman Susan Gallagher said about 200,000 were in Missouri and about 150,000 in central and southern Illinois.  The utility said today it would not estimate when power will be totally restored."]
 

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool news.zdnet.com 12/3/6 [" The surveillance technique came to light in an opinion published this week by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. He ruled that the "roving bug" was legal because federal wiretapping law is broad enough to permit eavesdropping even of conversations that take place near a suspect's cell phone.  Kaplan's opinion said that the eavesdropping technique "functioned whether the phone was powered on or off.""]
Privacy watchdogs attack traveler profiling system seattletimes.nwsource.com 12/3/6 ["It is simply incredible that the Bush administration is willing to share this sensitive information with foreign governments and even private employers, while refusing to allow U.S. citizens to see or challenge their own terror scores," Leahy said. This system "highlights the danger of government use of technology to conduct widespread surveillance of our daily lives without proper safeguards for privacy."]

Congressional oath doesn't involve a Bible or anything else mercurynews.com 12/2/6 ["...Minnesota Democratic Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran when he's sworn in to office Jan.4. He's the first Muslim to be elected to Congress."]
Gay marriage bill is back sacbee.com 12/2/6 ["A San Francisco assemblyman will introduce new legislation to allow gay marriage when the Legislature reconvenes for its new session Monday.  Democratic Assemblyman Mark Leno said his bill will be nearly identical to one vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2005."]
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Backers Down 39 Votes, Starting Lobbying lifenews.com 12/2/6 ["Supporters of a measure to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research are short of the two-thirds needed to overturn a likely second presidential veto by at least 39 votes in the House. Lawmakers pushing the bill are slated to meet next week to begin coordinating their lobbying strategy to get those votes."]
Abortion Drug RU 486 Wouldn't Help Most Women With Breast Cancer lifenews.com 12/2/6 ["Scientists released a new study Thursday showing the RU 486 abortion drug as able to treat mice with the gene that causes breast cancer. Though the drug helped block the breast cancer gene, 90 to 95 percent of women contracting breast cancer won't get it from the gene and are still susceptible to the abortion-breast cancer link."]
Middle East hot spots merging csmonitor.com 12/2/6 ["A growing number of observers - most notably British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Jordan's King Abdullah - have advocated that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would boost stability. But others say the rise of radical Islam, Iran's push to become a nuclear and regional power, and the US initiative to promote democracy have created a complex web of forces that contribute to conflicts around the Middle East."]
Israel: Hizbullah coup could oust UNIFIL jpost.com 12/2/6 ["Israeli defense officials expressed extreme concern Thursday over Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah's call for a massive protest Friday to bring down the Lebanese government, warning that UNIFIL might be expelled from Lebanon if Prime Minister Fuad Saniora were forced to leave office."]
Pope hailed for praying towards Mecca like Muslims reuters.com 12/2/6 [""]
Manufacturing contracts, construction spending falls usatoday.com 12/2/6 ["Construction activity in October plunged a sharp 1% — the biggest drop in more than five years, with housing activity falling for a seventh straight month, the Commerce Department said Friday. The overall plunge in the construction measure was the sharpest since September 2001, the month of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon."]
Beware the falling dollar money.cnn.com 12/2/6 ["Like many globally traded commodities, oil is priced in dollars. Thus any weakening of the dollar versus other major currencies almost always inflates the cost of energy here at home. Consumers in London, Tokyo and Vancouver don't feel it because of their more favorable exchange rates."]
Criminal psychopathy may be biological dysfunction: study reuters.com 12/2/6 ["He added psychopaths might not stop their attacks because they may have learned to dampen their brain's response to other peoples' distress signals."  Editor: hardened hearts and seared consciences.]
Court to decide case on Bush's faith initiative reuters.com 12/2/6 ["The lawsuit said administration officials violated the Constitution by organizing national and regional conferences at which faith-based groups were singled out as being especially worthy of federal funding due to their religious orientation."]
 

Wal-Mart becomes gay-friendly cnn.com 12/1/6 ["the Rev. Donald Wildmon, called for a boycott of Wal-Mart during the Thanksgiving weekend, and then called it off abruptly  ...Does that mean Wal-Mart's pulling back its support of gay groups? Probably not. Mona Williams, a company spokeswoman, told me that Wal-Mart intends to be "more thoughtful" and "more selective" when it makes contributions, directing them to "specific projects" rather than to supporting "an organization across the board." But she also said the company would remain "100 percent supportive" of its own, newly-organized group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees, called Wal-Mart Pride."]
Don't Believe The Lie! Wal-Mart Is Still Strongly Supportive of Gay-Lesbian Causes! cuttingedge.org 12/1/6 ["The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay-rights group, ranks large corporations for their gay-friendly policies toward employees. While many other Fortune 500 companies have scores of 100 on a scale from 0 to 100, Wal-Mart's score in the most recent ranking is 65. That's an increase from a score of 14 in the 2002 rankings."  This means that Wal-Mart is "improving" their sensitivity to Gay - Lesbian causes in the mindset of the people running the Human Rights Campaign!"]
US Jewish movement moves to allow gay rabbis nzherald.co.nz 12/1/6 [""The way it looks, it will be decided on a more liberal understanding of the law," Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of the National Jewish Centre for Learning and Leadership, told Reuters. "It would be a very big, big surprise if that's not the case."  ...A gay pride rally in Jerusalem this month met with stormy protests and finally unfolded in a small stadium under heavy security. But Israel's highest court also has ruled that homosexuals who marry abroad may be registered as married in the country."]
Indian gay law hits rights, AIDS fight -U.N. reuters.co.uk 12/1/6 ["India is violating the human rights of its gay minority and undermining a battle against HIV/AIDS by holding on to a "puritan" colonial-era law that bans homosexuality, the UNAIDS country chief said on Thursday."]
N.H. to offer girls free cancer vaccine seattlepi.nwsource.com 12/1/6 ["New Hampshire announced plans Wednesday to become the first state to offer the new cervical-cancer vaccine free to all girls.  ...It prevents infection from some strains of HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Cervical cancer is the No. 2 cancer killer in women."]
Hezbollah, Allies Call for Mass Protests in Lebanon voanews.com 12/1/6 ["aimed at bringing down the anti-Syrian government and replacing it with what they call a government of national unity."]
Bush seeks to ease visa requirement washingtontimes.com 12/1/6 ["President Bush said yesterday he will push Congress for a "loosening" of requirements for foreigners to visit the United States without a visa, pitting him against those who have called for the program instead to be tightened or even scrapped altogether after September 11. "]
European Union Finalizes Budget on Embryonic Stem Cell Research lifenews.com 12/1/6 ["The parliament of the European Union has finalized its research and development budget, which will cover the next seven years. The budget contains a compromise that would make sure the EU does not directly pay for embryonic stem cell research but allows nations to fund it with their own money."]
New citizen test aims for 'meaningful' questions usatoday.com 12/1/6 [""]