"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

What Are They Putting On Your Tombstone? newswithviews.com 11/30/7 [By Coach Dave Daubenmire  "What are you pouring your life into?  ...We only pass this way once. Remember, time spent can never be recovered. Are you looking for a life filled with security or filled with meaning? You can’t always have both."]
 Home foreclosures soar 94 percent: RealtyTrac reuters.com 11/30/7 ["Home foreclosure filings in October edged up 2 percent from September but at 224,451 were a whopping 94 percent higher than a year earlier, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Thursday."]
 Hedge fund pumps 2.5 bln dlrs into ETrade as CEO exits afp.google.com 11/30/7 ["The former CEOs of Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, Charles Prince and Stanley O'Neill, respectively, stepped down in the past month. The two banks are also suffering from mortgage-related writedowns, but their multibillion-dollar losses have dwarfed ETrade's writeoffs.  Citigroup, America's second-biggest financial firm, won a vast cash injection of 7.5 billion dollars from a United Arab Emirates investment fund earlier this week."]
 Florida moves to stop run on fund msnbc.msn.com 11/30/7 ["Florida officials were on Thursday forced to intervene to stop a run on a state-operated investment pool from which municipal authorities have withdrawn almost $10bn in two weeks.  The crisis underscores how the upheaval in credit markets could spread to affect mainstream investors, institutions and their employees.  ...Suspending withdrawals could prevent some local authorities from accessing money needed to pay the salaries of their employees and contractors."]
 As credit dries up in U.S., concerns mount about recession iht.com 11/30/7 [""This is a very big deal," said Andrew Tilton, a senior economist in the U.S. Economic Research Group at Goldman Sachs. "You're basically crimping the growth of the more vulnerable companies. If they can't borrow the money, their options are much more limited. They'd have to have less ambitious hiring plans, buy less machinery and cancel projects.""]
 Massachusetts Spanking Ban Would Criminalize Good Parents Warns Family Group lifesite.net 11/30/7 ["Rep. Jay Kaufman, whose bill to ban spanking was heard yesterday in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.  House Bill 3922 states "it shall be unlawful" for a parent to provide corporal punishment to their own children. Taking direct aim at good parents who occasionally spank to correct rebellion, the bill specifically bans "the willful infliction of physical pain," even temporary pain to a child's buttocks."]
 General would deploy troops on U.S. soil worldnetdaily.com 11/30/7 ["The commander of USNORTHCOM says he's prepared to obey any order from the president to deploy U.S. troops on American soil in response to a domestic emergency.  ...In the NORAD/USNORTHCOM exercise in October – which included simulating simultaneous "dirty bombs" in Guam, Phoenix and Portland, Ore. – civilian authorities appeared to be in command."]
 

 After Wells Fargo, home equity has further to fall reuters.com 11/29/7 ["The Wells Fargo write-down, largely covering $11.9 billion of home equity loans the bank considers most at risk, shows how the U.S. housing crisis has bled well beyond subprime mortgages to home loans once regarded as relatively safe."]
 US home sales at record low, durables orders fall reuters.com 11/29/7 ["Sales of previously owned U.S. homes dropped to a record low in October and businesses slashed spending on new equipment..."]
 Pay-by-mobile phone trial starts in London uk.reuters.com 11/29/7 ["Hundreds of people have been given special handsets fitted with a built-in credit card and Oyster card, the device used to pay for train and bus tickets in London.  ...Wireless transactions are common in some countries, such as Japan, where consumers already use mobiles to pay for everything from burgers to train tickets."]
 Google Service Uses Cell Towers to Locate Users pcworld.com 11/29/7 ["Google Maps with My Location, currently in beta, locates users who don't have GPS-enabled phones based on their location to nearby cell towers. The result isn't as accurate as GPS (Global Positioning System) but works for people who lack the positioning technology in their phones.  "It helps users speed up search by showing the general neighborhood they're in," said Steve Lee, product manager at Google for the service."]
 RFID And National ID As Electronic Stalking newswithviews.com 11/29/7 [ By John Longenecker   "...when I was a Paramedic in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles in 1977, I had seen and treated many Jews who had Nazi Numbers on their arms. You know what those were for.  The RFID Chip is for that same purpose. Order.  You can call it fighting crime, you can call it tracking and you can call it Order, but it’s all the same: Control. "]
 IDF looks to install biometric ID systems at West Bank agricultural crossings jpost.com 11/29/7 [""The vision is to have carousel gates that open and close automatically after the Palestinian is checked by the biometric systems," a high-ranking Civil Administration officer told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. "If this happens, we might even be able to reach a stage that a soldier will only have to be there to ensure that the Palestinian is not carrying any explosives or weaponry.""]
 Georgia Officials Arrest Pro-Lifer Whose Truck Had Graphic Abortion Pics lifenews.com 11/29/7 ["Operation Rescue President Troy Newman told LifeNews.com he is very upset that local police would destroy the group's property and violate Roethlisberger's free speech rights.  ...Newman said the pro-life group got the vehicle out of police impound on Monday but indicated officials did thousands of dollars worth of damage to the truck and the banners."]
 President Bush Reduces Pay Raise For Federal Employees allheadlinenews.com 11/29/7 ["...overruled a pay raise required by law for federal employees, decreased "due to 'national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare.'"  In a letter addressed to the House and the Senate, Bush ordered the 12.5 percent locality pay increase scheduled for government workers January next year reduced to 0.5 percent. "]
 President Bush Attends Annapolis Conference whitehouse.gov 11/29/7 ["The Israelis must do their part. They must show the world that they are ready to begin -- to bring an end to the occupation that began in 1967 through a negotiated settlement. This settlement will establish Palestine as a Palestinian homeland, just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people. Israel must demonstrate its support for the creation of a prosperous and successful Palestinian state by removing unauthorized outposts, ending settlement expansion, and finding other ways for the Palestinian Authority to exercise its responsibilities without compromising Israel's security."]
 Russia to host next Mideast peace conference en.rian.ru 11/29/7 [""All the participants welcomed our readiness to hold the next meeting in Moscow. Its date and agenda have yet to be coordinated, and will take into account progress at talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.""]
 Breaking up not hard to do for China's "me" generation uk.reuters.com 11/29/7 ["China's phenomenal economic growth has created a generation of "emperors" and "empresses", the now-adult children of China's one-child policy, who often put their needs before anything and anyone else.  Experts say many of this generation are unable to sustain relationships, a result of being spoilt only children, doted on by parents and grandparents who catered to their every whim."]
 

 Forecast: U.S. dollar could plunge 90 pct upi.com 11/28/7 ["Celente -- who forecast the subprime mortgage financial crisis and the dollar's decline a year ago and gold's current rise in May -- told the newspaper the subprime mortgage meltdown was just the first "small, high-risk segment of the market" to collapse."]
 Report: Foreclosures to Hit Metro Areas ap.google.com 11/28/7 ["Rising foreclosures will lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity next year in the nation's major metropolitan areas  ... according to a report compiled for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  ...The report also projects property values will decline by $1.2 trillion in 2008, due in part to the foreclosure crisis, with drops in home prices across the U.S. averaging 7 percent. And it said the loss of property, sales and real estate transfer taxes will hurt local and state governments."]
 Home price drop largest on record: S&P reuters.co.uk 11/28/7 ["...in the index's 21-year history, S&P said in a statement.  The composite month-over-month index of 20 metropolitan areas fell 0.9 percent to 195.62 in September from August, bringing the measure down 4.9 percent from a year earlier."]
 Samsung Develops RFID Chip for Cell Phones pcworld.com 11/28/7 ["RFID technology is still in the early stages of use, a spokeswoman for Samsung in Seoul said, and Samsung currently has no timeline for when the RFID reader chips might enter mass production."]
The Pennsylvania Government Thinks You Are Too Dumb to Make Your Own Shopping Choices mercola.com 11/28/7 ["As of January 1, 2008, Pennsylvania will ban all labels on milk and dairy products that indicated they come from cows that haven’t been treated with artificial bovine growth hormone, also know as rBGH or rBST. State officials say that such labels are “confusing”."]
 Israelis and Palestinians pledge to reach peace pact by end of 2008 iht.com 11/28/7 [""]
 Christian Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors Together christianpost.com 11/28/7 ["The Christian signatories said they “share the sentiments” of the Muslim leaders who pointed out that Muslims and Christians make up over half of the world’ population and therefore true peace cannot occur as long as conflict persists between the two religious communities."]
 EU is warned over resisting genetically modified products iht.com 11/28/7 ["The European agriculture commissioner, Mariann Fischer Boel, warned farm ministers on Monday that resistance in Europe to imports of genetically modified products was contributing to the rising cost of raising pigs and chickens, and could pose a threat to the meat industry."]
 Is November 29 a day to celebrate? jpost.com 11/28/7 ["There is a bit of perverse poetry in the fact that the Annapolis conference is taking place the same week as the 60th anniversary of the UN General Assembly's resolution recommending that the British Mandate of Palestine be partitioned between a Jewish and Arab state."]
 

'Global warming' shocker – Who's minding thermometers? wnd.com 11/27/7 ["The vast majority of the stations surveyed to date fail to meet the prescribed standards. Using a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 reflecting proper maintenance and standards and 5 representing facilities that are severely compromised, Watts says 70 percent of those stations surveyed received a 4 or 5 rating, while only 4 percent received a grade of 1.  All of the most egregious violations he has observed in the study would result in artificially higher temperatures being recorded. "]
US magazine names J.K.Rowling entertainer of the year afp.google.com 11/27/7 [""Not only do (her) novels feel timeless, but they also manage to speak to today's fraught world," the magazine said in its latest edition."]
Illegal immigrants not US health care burden -study reuters.com 11/27/7 ["The finding from Alexander Ortega and colleagues at the school was based on a 2003 telephone survey of thousands of California residents, including 1,317 undocumented Mexicans, 2,851 citizens with Mexican immigrant parents, 271 undocumented Latinos from countries other than Mexico and 852 non-Mexican Latinos born in the United States."]
 

Military training program for teens expands in US afp.google.com 11/26/7 ["One in 10 public high school students in Chicago wears a military uniform to school and takes classes -- including how to shoot a gun properly -- from retired veterans.  That number is expected to rise as junior military reserve programs expand across the country now that a congressional cap of 3,500 units has been lifted from the nearly century-old scheme.  ...opponents say the programs divert critical resources from crumbling public schools and lead to a militarization of US society."]
Shaping A New Civilization newswithviews.com 11/26/7 [ By Berit Kjos  "Do you wonder why yoga, labyrinths and other meditational practices have suddenly emerged in churches across America? Or why "Christians" now use the old occult formulas practiced by sorcerers, alchemists and "enlightened" yogis (a combination of concentration, meditation, visualization and mental projection) to invoke the presence of "God"?  This East-West synthesis didn't happen by chance. For several decades, influential church leaders have been promoting a "new way of thinking," a more experiential religion, an end to "separatism," and an inclusive oneness that would fulfill their vision of an earthly "Kingdom of God." "]
Disasters quadruple over last 20 years - Oxfam reuters.com 11/26/7 ["From an average of 120 disasters a year in the early 1980s, there are now as many as 500, with Oxfam attributing the rise to unpredictable weather conditions cause by global warming."]
With dollar low, U.S. is one big outlet iht.com 11/26/7 ["As a result, the euro has shot up by 33 percent compared with the dollar since 2002, so Europeans who exchange 1,000 euros now get close to 1,500 US dollars. And the Canadian dollar is worth as much as the US dollar for the first time in three decades."]
US peace meet buoyed by Arab pledges to send top diplomats afp.google.com 11/26/7 ["The United States was buoyed Friday by pledges from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to send their top diplomats to a conference next week aimed at reviving Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations."]
How Brussels Regulates our Daily Lives spiegel.de 11/26/7 ["The European Commission in Brussels wants to protect European citizens even more effectively against danger and disease. Soon there will be a well-intended -- but mostly completely unnecessary -- regulation for every aspect of life."]
 

Is This Really Thanksgiving? newswithviews.com 11/25/7 [By Paul Proctor  "...if people act like this just to gain entry into a shopping mall to spend their money on bargains in times of plenty, how will they behave when the stock market plummets to near half its value, banks close their doors for days or weeks at a time and the U.S. dollar collapses on world markets - when food, water, shelter and the bare necessities of life suddenly become scarce, unavailable or just unaffordable? Are we ready for that?"]
Markets unsure if they will decouple from US ft.com 11/25/7 ["Global markets are reflecting unease that a deteriorating US economy, which comprises about 25 per cent of total world activity, could torpedo the notion that Asia and other countries can “decouple” from a sickly North America."]
Federal Robbery newswithviews.com 11/25/7 [ by Alan Stang  "That’s what happened in Indiana. In Idaho, they stole even more gold and silver from the mint that makes the Liberty Dollars, where Liberty Dollar customers store their holdings. The mint is an entirely separate business that Liberty Dollar does not own. What does that tell you about the safety of your “safe” deposit box? Wasn’t one of FDR’s “solutions” to the Fed’s Great Depression his theft of the people’s gold?"  Editor: Food for thought...]
Cellphone Tracking Powers on Request washingtonpost.com 11/25/7 ["Such requests run counter to the Justice Department's internal recommendation that federal prosecutors seek warrants based on probable cause to obtain precise location data in private areas. The requests and orders are sealed at the government's request, so it is difficult to know how often the orders are issued or denied.  The issue is taking on greater relevance as wireless carriers are racing to offer sleek services that allow cellphone users to know with the touch of a button where their friends or families are.  ...Nextel, for instance, boasts that its "loopt" service even sends an alert when a friend is near..."]
20,000 vets' brain injuries not listed in Pentagon tally usatoday.com 11/25/7 ["The data, provided by the Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs, show that about five times as many troops sustained brain trauma as the 4,471 officially listed by the Pentagon through Sept. 30. These cases also are not reflected in the Pentagon's official tally of wounded, which stands at 30,327."]
 

Report: Abortions Target Blacks, Repeat Abortions High, 10% Use RU 486 lifenews.com 11/24/7 ["However, the abortion ratio for black women (472 per 1,000 live births) was 2.9 times higher than the ratio for white women (161 per 1,000).  Examined another way, nearly half of all pregnancies among black women end in abortion while just 16 percent of pregnancies among while women end in abortion."]
US FDA staff recommend psych warnings for 2 flu drugs reuters.com 11/24/7 ["Experts then found no evidence of a direct connection between the drug and the deaths, although the FDA did ultimately update Tamiflu's label to add a caution urging close monitoring of patients for abnormal behavior such as delirium or self-injury."]
Local 2 Investigates Police Secrecy Behind Unmanned Aircraft Test click2houston.com 11/24/7 ["HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site."]
Japanese shift cash out of U.S. investments iht.com 11/24/7 ["Now, however, Japanese individuals are diverting more and more of that money away from the United States and the dollar and into higher-yielding global investments, ranging from high-interest Australian government bonds to shares in fast-growing Indian construction companies.  ...In October alone, Japanese individuals pulled 33.9 billion yen, or about $300 million, out of mutual funds that invested solely in North American stocks and bonds, according to Daiwa Fund. In the same month, it said, Japanese individuals put 175.2 billion yen, or $1.6 billion, into funds investing in stocks and bonds in emerging countries."]
 

"Oprah and Friends" to teach course on New Age Christ crossroad.to 11/23/7 [By Warren Smith  "Teaching A Course in Miracles will be Oprah’s longtime friend and special XM Satellite Radio reporter Marianne Williamson—who also happens to be one of today’s premier New Age leaders.  ...seeks to usher in an era of global peace founded on the principles of a New Age/New Spirituality that they are now referring to as a “civil rights movement for the soul.”7 They all agree that the principles of this New Age/New Spirituality are clearly articulated in A Course in Miracles—which is fast becoming the New Age Bible. So what is A Course in Miracles and what does it teach?"]
San Francisco approves ID cards that exclude gender usatoday.com 11/23/7 [""Transgender" is a broad term for people who do not identify with their birth sex. Those who refer to themselves as transgender include cross-dressers and transsexuals.  "The card really makes gender a non-issue," says Kristina Wertz, legal director of the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco."]
Britain Plans Flu Shots for Everyone ap.google.com 11/23/7 ["in the advent of a flu pandemic."]
 

Israel setting tone for talks washingtontimes.com 11/21/7 [""two states for two peoples."  ...the formulation is in fact a political battle cry — a blunt rejection of Arab demands that Palestinian refugees be permitted to return to Israel.  If this was not clear enough, Israeli spokesmen have spelled it out. The phrase, they said, means that Palestinian refugees could return to the planned Palestinian state but not to Israel, whose Jewish character would be overwhelmed by such an influx."]
Gay rights group raises red flag on Wal-Mart policies usatoday.com 11/21/7 ["Citing Wal-Mart's refusal to offer domestic partner benefits to its gay and lesbian workers, the HRC said Tuesday that the USA's biggest private employer has "more work to do in furthering equality." It advised gays and their supporters to shop elsewhere."]
Los Angeles Times Reporter Admits Inflating Mexico's Illegal Abortion Count lifenews.com 11/21/7 ["Pierre noted how only 3,400 women have received abortions at 14 of the capital's public hospitals in the six months since lawmakers legalized abortions there.  With 40 percent of Mexicans living in the capital or within a day's drive from it and so few abortions done legal, Pierre said there is no way so many illegal abortions would be done in the nation annually."]
US Supreme Court ponders gun law news.bbc.co.uk 11/21/7 ["It has agreed to rule on whether a ban on handguns by the city of Washington, DC complies with the Second Amendment of the US Constitution."]
Dollar May Extend Loss Versus Euro on Rate-Cut Speculation bloomberg.com 11/21/7 ["The dollar will decline to $1.50 per euro by the end of the year, according to Boyton. Europe's single currency will trade at $1.45 by year-end, according to the median forecast of 43 analysts and brokerages surveyed by Bloomberg News."]
Countrywide shares go on wild ride reuters.com 11/21/7 ["Countrywide Financial Corp shares plummeted as much as 22 percent on Tuesday on speculation the largest U.S. mortgage lender might run short of cash, but recovered most of that loss after the company said it has ample liquidity and will not go bankrupt."]
Oil Surges Above $99 as Weaker Dollar Spurs Commodity Demand bloomberg.com 11/21/7 ["``Oil has become a hedge for investors and the weaker U.S. dollar has contributed to the rise in gold and oil,''"]
 

China launches new push to slow population growth reuters.com 11/20/7 [""At present, rural population and family planning work face unprecedented challenges," the commission and over a dozen other agencies warned in a document that called rural family planning "the number one tough task under heaven"."]
Aurora Police Chief Threatens Arrests as Pro-Life Citizens Gear Up for Protest at Planned Parenthood christiannewswire.com 11/20/7 ["In Heated Discussion Chief Powell Tells Scheidler, "I Don't Care What the City's Attorneys Say, I Will Do What I Want""]
Farming, Fatherhood Hallmarks of Men Who Live to 100 statesman.com 11/20/7 ["The research, based largely on data from World War I draft cards, suggests that keeping off excess weight in youth, farming and fathering a large number of offspring all help men live past a century."]
The Economy's $2 Trillion Worry businessweek.com 11/20/7 ["a new report from Goldman Sachs (GS) says losses from subprime exposure could be much larger than recently assumed, hitting as much as $400 billion. But that's not the extent of the financial carnage: Goldman said the full impact on the economy could be even more substantial, because the losses could compel banks and other lenders to curtail lending by as much as $2 trillion."]
 

Fears for thousands in remote areas as Bangladesh storm toll hits 2,300 guardian.co.uk 11/19/7 ["The death toll from the cyclone that obliterated parts of coastal Bangladesh soared above 2,300 yesterday, amid warnings from relief workers that the body count could ultimately rise to more than 10,000 once remote regions have been accessed."]
Putin Supporters Call for an Unconstitutional Third Term dw-world.de 11/19/7 ["The group, which was founded in the provincial town of Twer this week, claims to have collected 30 million signatures in support of President Vladimir Putin serving a third term, although the constitution prohibits it. "]
After the Oil Crisis, a Food Crisis? time.com 11/19/7 ["The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported last week that, at nearly $100 a barrel, the price of oil has sent the cost of food imports skyrocketing this year. Add in escalating crop prices, the FAO warned, and a direct consequence could soon be an increase in global hunger — and, as a consequence, increased social unrest."]
A Fiscal ‘Tsunami’ newsweek.com 11/19/7 ["A former partner at Arthur Andersen LLP, he has been the comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office since he was appointed to a 15-year term in 1998.  ...I don't believe that the United States will decline and fall, but I think it's important that we wake up and recognize that we are seeing some of the same warning signs that existed with the Roman Republic. There are many people who think the United States is the longest-standing republic in the history of mankind, and that's not true. Rome lasted over double the period of time that we have existed so far"]
The Religious Right: Dumb And Dumber newswithviews.com 11/19/7 ["That is why they wind up lying. They talk about liberty, but they want the federal government to run everything including the church because they want to wield the religious power, “saving souls” or else."]
 

Boston: Police to search for guns in homes boston.com 11/18/7 ["a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children's bedrooms.  ...Critics said they worry that some residents will be too intimidated by a police presence on their doorstep to say no to a search."]
No Repentance from Willow Creek - Only a Mystical Paradigm Shift crossroad.to 11/18/7 ["The most current issue (Fall 2007) of Willow Creek's magazine... gives a clear view of the organization's spiritual emphasis. The issue titled Ministry Shifts has a subtitle that says: "The landscape of our ministries is shifting. Brace yourself for the aftershocks."   ....In the first article, "Seismic Shifts," the message is straightforward: "Change or die."]
Clinton, Bush Sr. to help organize events marking Israel's 60th anniversary ynetnews.com 11/18/7 [""]
EU may 'fast track' gun control news.bbc.co.uk 11/18/7 ["The directive would include background checks would have to be carried out before people can purchase guns, new measures would be brought in to ensure guns are registered and can be traced back to their owners; new controls on convertible weapons and control of internet trade in firearms.  "I am pleased that member states are supporting my amendments to include 'convertible weapons' in the review of EU law. "]
 

Israel's demand to be recognized as Jewish state roils preparations for Annapolis iht.com 11/17/7 ["...the Palestinians think offering that recognition would imply they are dropping one of their key demands in any peace deal — a solution for Palestinian refugees who lost their homes after Israel's 1948 creation and for their millions of descendants. Israel opposes a return of refugees, for fear they would eventually outnumber the Jewish majority."]
Reservists back in police jobs raise concerns usatoday.com 11/17/7 ["Police and mental health authorities say Williamson's case represents an increasing concern about thousands of returning reservists. Unlike other part-time soldiers, they resume duties that sometimes require the use of lethal force under conditions very different from the combat zone.  ...For those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, lethal force is a central part of the mission. Rules governing its use vary where enemy attacks are constant threats."]
Hillary Clinton to speak at Rick Warren's church onenewsnow.com 11/17/7 ["...his third annual Global Summit on AIDS"]
Pennsylvania Court Overturns Hate Crimes Expansion Tacked Onto Agricultural Bill lifesite.net 11/17/7 ["The bill started as a measure against agricultural vandalism, and was changed by the state legislature into a hate crimes bill designed to make it illegal for anybody to protest public homosexual activities and celebrations. The law was used to persecute anybody who stood in the way of the homosexual agenda, redefining peaceful protest by Christians as hate crime."]
Harry Potter Works Magic at School time.com 11/17/7 ["While Rowling's tales have long been cultural touchstones and commercial blockbusters, at Robert Mellors they permeate every aspect of this term's studies. In literacy classes, students learn to distinguish between types of prose by writing their own screenplays based on Potter's exploits; they pick up the basics of geography by plotting locations used in the Potter films. The student body is divided into the four "houses" in Rowling's novels — Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin — and earn "house points" for academic achievement, just like in the books."]
Quake Leaves 15,000 Homeless in Chile nysun.com 11/17/7 ["Dr. Cristian Castillo said "80% of our hospital is useless.""]
Bangladesh cyclone claims 500 lives abc.net.au 11/17/7 [""]
Report shows 35m Americans going hungry abc.net.au 11/17/7 ["Among them are 11 million who say their situation is so grim they sometimes don't eat for an entire day because they can't afford to."]
Same-sex couples grow in U.S. west, south: study reuters.com 11/17/7 ["The report by the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law found that the number of reported U.S. same-sex couples had quadrupled to nearly 780,000 nationwide between 1990 and 2006.  Using U.S. census numbers taken every decade as well as recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), it found that by far the fastest growth was in areas associated with conservative politics and values."]
 

Fed pumps 47.25 bln dlrs into US banking system afp.google.com 11/16/7 ["It was the largest single-day cash infusion since September 2001, when the terror attacks in New York and Washington shocked the financial markets, according to the Federal Reserve of New York, which conducts the operations for the Fed."]
Gas Costs Propel Consumer Prices Higher ap.google.com 11/16/7 ["Economists are concerned that rising energy prices will leave consumers with less money to spend on other items and will depress their spending, which accounts for two-thirds of economic activity. That would add to the list of problems already facing a slowing economy."]
Dollar dives on fears Gulf will abandon link telegraph.co.uk 11/16/7 ["The dollar has slumped again on fears that the oil-rich Gulf states will ditch their US currency pegs, setting off a massive realignment of the global currency system and a flight from dollar assets across Asia."]
Olmert to settlers: Stop growing families, and prepare to be expelled israelinsider.com 11/16/7 ["In the largest planned anti-Jewish expulsion plan since the Nazi deported the Jews of Poland, the government of Ehud Olmert has apparently agreed to expel more than a hundred thousand Jews from their homes and destroy their communities in Judea and Samaria."]
SF to Issue ID Cards to Immigrants ap.google.com 11/16/7 ["a program to provide identification cards to illegal immigrants, transgender people and other residents who may be unable or unwilling to get a state-issued driver's license.   ...To be eligible, residents would have to produce an existing photo ID, such as a passport or foreign driver's license, as well as a recent utility bill or bank statement. The recipients cannot use the IDs to drive; they would still need a state driver's license."]
Sweden Parliament Approves Effort to Become International Abortion Hotspot lifenews.com 11/16/7 ["Foreign women will now be allowed to have abortions in Sweden in what detractors call "abortion tourism" by offering abortions to women in nations where the practice is illegal.  The practice would be similar to that in which pro-euthanasia organizations in Switzerland operate assisted suicide houses where elderly and disabled patients are killed."]
Frozen vault saves crops for mankind guardian.co.uk 11/16/7 ["Over the next few weeks, the huge cavern - backed by the Norwegian government and the Gates Foundation - will be filled with more than a million types of seed and will be officially opened in February next year.  'This will be the last refuge for the world's crops,' said Cary Fowler, of the Rome-based Global Crop Diversity Trust, which is building the vault."]
Time to pat down air travelers, GAO says latimes.com 11/16/7 ["Federal investigators testifying before Congress on Thursday said that more physical searches of passengers are needed to reduce the chances that a terrorist can sneak a bomb onto an airplane. But air safety officials resisted the suggestion, saying American passengers dislike intrusive "pat-downs.""]
Just Tell Your Story newswithviews.com 11/16/7 [By Coach Dave Daubenmire  "Researchers said “That’s where the term 'unChristian' came from. Young people are very candid. In our interviews, we kept encountering young people - both those inside the church and outside of it - who said that something was broken in the present-day expression of Christianity.”  According to a recent book by Tom Bissett, 85% children raised in the Church leave the faith when they go to college. "]
Cellphone generation keeps in touch ... from their rooms afp.google.com 11/16/7 ["At the Mobile Internet World conference here, Norman Lewis, chief strategist of the Wireless Grids Corp., is certain this "bedroom culture" -- centered on self-expression, fear of the outside world and a desire to connect to the world from its room -- will carry into adulthood."]
Sex-Obsessed Culture Can Damage Young Brains, Says Doctor cnsnews.com 11/16/7 ["If they are getting the wrong flood of chemicals -- if their neural pathways are being developed in an abnormal way, those parts of the brain will be superhighways that can't be changed when they come into adult life.  People who have multiple sexual partners at a young age are likely going to continue to have multiple partners all their lives. Certain synapses of the brain will be pruned off -- and risk-avoidance and delayed gratification may be affected."]
Georgia Gets Rain Day after Gov. Leads Prayers to God christianpost.com 11/16/7 ["“We're thankful for the rain and hopefully it's the beginning of more,” said Perdue, who is on a trade mission in Canada, according to The Associated Press. “Frankly, it's great affirmation of what we asked for.”  ...During his prayer, the governor asked God to forgive them for their wastefulness and appealed to Him for a miracle.  “It is Your power and Your miracles that we need,” prayed Perdue."  Editor:  I have yet to hear our faker-Christian president offer up a verbal public prayer.]
 

China signals dollar swap; Dow plunges washingtontimes.com 11/15/7 ["China roiled financial markets around the globe yesterday when it asserted that the dollar is losing its luster as the world's reserve currency and that Beijing will swap some of its $1.4 trillion in reserves out of U.S. dollars into stronger currencies like the euro and Canadian dollar.  ...the news left the greenback at a record low near $1.50 to the euro in New York trading, the lowest level in 57 years against the Canadian dollar, and the lowest levels in a generation against the British pound and other currencies."]
$4 Gas Closer Than You Think abcnews.go.com 11/15/7 ["...the most unlikely impact of the increased fuel costs are on the family's relationship with God.  "Our church is approximately 35 to 40 miles away. We've really cut down on the amount of times we go to services since the price went up," Martinez said. "]
Get Kids Vaccinated Or Else, Parents Told washingtonpost.com 11/15/7 ["The parents of more than 2,300 Prince George's County students who failed to get needed vaccinations could face fines of $50 a day and up to 10 days in jail if their children do not meet the state's immunization requirements, county officials said yesterday.  ..."It hurts us when any child is out of school because he needs to be immunized, and so we felt we needed to be creative. We need those students immunized. We need them in schools.""]
The Wasteland Of Willow Creek newswithviews.com 11/15/7 [By Paul Proctor  "According to Hybels, each group surveyed was asked: "How helpful is Willow Creek Church being to you?" On a one-to-ten scale, he said the "pre-Christians" gave them nines - the score "new Christians" gave them, he said "came down a little bit" - but then when they got to "growing Christians," the scores started going down significantly - and when it came to "fully devoted followers of Christ," the scores got "scarily low."  He also revealed that after probing further, those in the fully devoted category told them "they're not being fed - that they want more meat of the Word of God - they want more serious-minded scripture taught to them - they want to be challenged more…" "]
NY immigrant license plan dropped news.bbc.co.uk 11/15/7 [""I've listened to the legitimate concerns of the public and those who would be affected by my proposal, and have concluded that pushing forward unilaterally in the face of such strong opposition would be counterproductive," he added."]
London:  Bird flu cull begins on turkey farm gulfnews.com 11/15/7 ["Officials began slaughtering thousands of turkeys yesterday after detecting bird flu at a farm in eastern England, with scientists carrying out urgent tests to see if it was the dangerous H5N1 strain."]
 

Report Puts Hidden War Costs at $1.6T ap.google.com 11/14/7 ["The report, released Tuesday, attempted to put a price tag on the two conflicts, including "hidden" costs such as interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars, lost investment, the expense of long-term health care for injured veterans and the cost of oil market disruptions.  ...Meanwhile, "the sum of interest paid on Iraq-related debt from 2003 to 2017 will total over $550 billion," the report said. The government has to make interest payments on the money it borrows to finance the national debt, which recently hit $9 trillion for the first time."]
Putin: I have a moral right to continue wielding influence guardian.co.uk 11/14/7 ["Putin said that if, as expected, his United Russia party wins a landslide victory in next month's parliamentary elections this would give him a mandate to carry on as the country's de facto leader.  He refused to explain how he intends to maintain his grip on power, merely saying that there were "various possibilities"."]
Autism Can Be Treated newswithviews.com 11/14/7 ["The CDC does not publicize the fact that in the 1970s only one in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism, however, in the 1980s, this figure rose to one in every 2,500. Nor does it mention that the massive escalation of cases started in the 1990s coincided with the addition of several new vaccines to the compulsory childhood vaccination lists. Currently, every American child is expected to have 36 shots by the time they are six years old."]
Bill expands protest-free zone around abortion clinics in Massachusetts iht.com 11/14/7 ["Governor Deval Patrick signed a law expanding that zone to 35 feet (10 meters)."]
Japan eyes satellite tracking of defence bureaucrats afp.google.com 11/14/7 ["The ministry recently proposed giving bureaucrats mobile telephones equipped with global positioning system (GPS -- the satellite technology developed for the US military -- so they can be located at all times."]
 

Ga. Governor Prays for Rain Amid Drought ap.google.com 11/13/7 ["Perdue won't be the first governor to hold a call for public prayer during the epic drought gripping the Southeast. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley issued a proclamation declaring a week in July as "Days of Prayer for Rain" to "humbly ask for His blessings and to hold us steady in times of difficulty.""]
Cloned Monkey Embryos: the “Breakthrough we’ve all been waiting for” to Produce Stem Cells lifesite.net 11/13/7 ["The breakthrough marks the first time that primate embryos have been cloned in large numbers. Most previous attempts at cloning primates, including humans, have failed or the resulting embryos did not live long and many scientists had thought that cloning primates was virtually impossible."]
Sign Of Times: NJ School Cameras Fed Live To Cops wcbstv.com 11/13/7 ["Plans are already underway to install a more advanced system in Northern Valley High school, which can alert a patrolling officer when someone is in distress or suddenly falls down."]
Subprime Losses May Reach $400 Billion, Analysts Say bloomberg.com 11/13/7 ["Citigroup Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley led more than $40 billion of writedowns as record U.S. foreclosures plundered asset prices. Estimates are rising with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. last week predicting losses linked to U.S. mortgages may reach $250 billion over the next five years. Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group in July forecast $52 billion of costs related to mortgage-backed securities."]
Thanksgiving Links crossroad.to 11/13/7 [""]
Sunday Times: Dimona on Red Alert in readiness for possible Syrian strike web.israelinsider.com 11/13/7 ["The defensive missile shield around Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor was placed on red alert thirty times last week amid fears of a possible airstrike by Syria, the Sunday Times of London reported."]
 

Ban says global warming 'an emergency' ynetnews.com 11/12/7 ["Antarctica has warmed faster than anywhere else on Earth in the last 50 years, making it a fitting destination for Ban  ..."I need a political answer. This is an emergency and for emergency situations we need emergency action," he said during Friday's visit to three scientific bases on the barren continent..."]
Interfaith peace plan touted washingtontimes.com 11/12/7 ["At an unprecedented press conference in Washington, members of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land announced six concrete steps they plan to take, including establishment of a hot line to connect its members and efforts to foster mutual respect between religions."]
World faces choice on human cloning: U.N. study reuters.com 11/12/7 ["The world faces a stark choice between banning cloning of humans or preparing ways to protect them from potential abuse or discrimination, a U.N. study said on Sunday.  Experts at the U.N. University's Institute of Advanced Studies said it would only be a matter of time before scientists manage to clone a human if governments do not impose a ban."]
Non-Prophet Churches newswithviews.com 11/12/7 [By Coach Dave Daubenmire  "The prophetic voice of the Church is almost silent. It is the pastors who have silenced it. Our church-culture has elevated them to a position they do not deserve. The pastor is merely one gift of the five-fold ministry. We have made the pastor, “king of the church.” Sorry; I don’t think that is Biblical."]
Adults Beware -- New Vaccine Guidelines Released mercola.com 11/12/7 ["Some hard-hitting evidence released just a couple of months ago should make anyone think twice about the flu shot: flu vaccines have NEVER been proven to prevent flu-related deaths in people over age 65, which is one of the primary groups for which they’re recommended.  You may also be shocked to learn that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grossly distorts the facts about flu deaths. If you go to the CDC’s main flu page, you’ll see their statistic that about 36,000 people die from the flu in the United States each year. "]
New Study Shows 32% of Homosexuals Have Suffered Abuse by their "Partner" lifesite.net 11/12/7 ["The study also states that "depression and substance abuse were among the strongest correlates of intimate partner abuse", reflecting previous studies that have shown a high level of substance abuse, depression, and other psychological and behavioral disorders among homosexuals."]
Fingerprints, eye scans stop suspects in tracks usatoday.com 11/12/7 ["The military has four crime labs in Iraq and a fifth in Afghanistan. The labs specialize in lifting fingerprints from IED fragments and distinguishing marks from spent ammunition. Two more labs are scheduled to open in Iraq this year.  ...And for about the past year, soldiers have used a handheld device to match fingerprints of detainees to prints downloaded from a Defense Department database. The device has scored a number of successes, said Thomas Dee, director of defense biometrics at the Defense Department."]
Project Seeks to Track Terror Web Posts ap.google.com 11/12/7 ["Researchers at the University of Arizona are developing a tool that uses these clues to automate the analysis of online jihadism. The Dark Web project aims to scour Web sites, forums and chat rooms to find the Internet's most prolific and influential jihadists and learn how they reel in adherents."]
Online prediction: Sales will rise 21% jconline.com 11/12/7 ["Forrester Research Inc., an independent technology and market research company, is predicting that Americans will spend $33 billion doing holiday shopping online between Thanksgiving and Christmas."]
Chinese Sub Pops Up Undetected in U.S. Navy Exercise clevelandleader.com 11/12/7 ["By the time the Chinese sub surfaced, the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missles at the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, a 1,000ft. supercarrier with 4,500 military personnel onboard.  According to senior Nato officials, the incident caused a sense of sudden fear in the U.S. Navy, as officials realized the seriousness of the encounter. The U.S. apparently had no idea just how sophisticated China's fast-growing submarine fleet had become, or that they even posed such a threat."]
Ground Is Rising at Yellowstone Park abcnews.go.com 11/12/7 ["Yellowstone National Park, once the site of a giant volcano, has begun swelling up, possibly because molten rock is accumulating beneath the surface, scientists report.  But, "there is no evidence of an imminent volcanic eruption,""]
Colorado Planned Parenthood Abortion Center Was Also Built in Secret lifenews.com 11/12/7 ["According to documents from the city of Denver, Planned Parenthood created Fuller 38 in December 2006 and purchased the land at 7155 East 38th Ave from United weeks later for $1.35 million.  No one knew about the new abortion center until August that the new facility will house the pro-abortion group's headquarters and an abortion facility in the same 50,000-square foot space. state2426.html"]
 

House Approves Broad Protections for Gay Workers nytimes.com 11/8/7 ["Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and a longtime supporter of gay rights legislation, said he would move swiftly to introduce a similar measure in the Senate. Some Senate Republicans said that, if worded carefully, it would have a good chance of passing, perhaps early next year."]
Foreclosure wave sweeps America bbc.co.uk 11/8/7 ["There have already been 1.7 million foreclosure proceedings in the US in the first eight months of 2007, and up to 2 million families are expected to lose their homes over the next two years, according to estimates by the US Congress's Joint Economic Committee."]
Dollar Slumps to Record on China's Plans to Diversify Reserves bloomberg.com 11/8/7 ["Chinese investors have reduced their holdings of U.S. Treasuries by 5 percent to $400 billion in the five months to August. China Investment Corp., which manages the nation's $200 billion sovereign wealth fund, said last month it may get more of the nation's reserves to invest to improve returns."]
Mortgage woes pile up; Morgan Stanley sees $3.7B loss usatoday.com 11/8/7 ["This is only the beginning of legal problems for the big banks and brokerage firms, says Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital. Noting that Wall Street firms have been posting record earnings in recent years, Schiff says those earnings were based on unrealistic valuations placed on mortgage-related assets. "Wall Street is going to be restating years of good earnings and posting losses," he says."]
Alarm: China signals flight from dollar worldnetdaily.com 11/8/7 ["Smith said the fundamental conditions are worse today than in 1979 and 1980, when gold spiked to $850 an ounce then fell for the next 20 years.  Today, instead of a rapid increase, there has been a gradual rise in oil and gold prices, among others, that suggests a long-term condition. Gold, for example, has gone from $265 in 2000 to $845 today. "]
U.S. Fifth Fleet in Gulf exercise for possible war in Iran worldtribune.com 11/8/7 [" The U.S. Fifth Fleet conducted a crisis response exercise that included amphibious, air and medical forces. The five-day exercise by the USS Wasp, led by Commander Task Force 59, was scheduled to end on Nov. 5.  The U.S. Fifth Fleet has been operating two strike groups in the Gulf. The USS Enterprise and USS Kearsarge have also been training in the region."]
 

Gold prices climb as oil, metals rally and dollar slump iht.com 11/7/7 ["The dollar's continuing slide contributed to the upward momentum in commodities, as investors pulled out of the greenback and stashed funds in raw materials such as oil and gold, which are seen as holding their value relative to all currencies. The dollar has suffered badly as troubles in the housing and credit markets — and uncertainty about the extent of the problems — have increased the possibility of further interest rate cuts, after the Federal Reserve slashed rates twice in the past two months."]
Gold hits 28-year high on ailing dollar, strong oil reuters.co.uk 11/7/7 ["boosted by an ailing dollar and strong oil, with gold hitting 28-year highs, silver soaring to its best price in 27 years and platinum setting a record."]
Empire of Debt I: The Great Unraveling Begins oftwominds.com 11/7/7 ["Let's say you are offered a chance to play roulette, a very risky game of chance, but with an option for insurance which guarantees you will suffer no more than a tiny loss.  Let's say you place a $10 bet, in the hopes of winning $100. Your "insurance"--what we call a hedge, as in "hedging your bets"--costs only $1. Thus you can gamble $10, with a chance of winning as much as $100, and your loss is limited to a mere $1--the cost of your hedge. If you lose the $10, the other side of the hedge trade--whoever took your $1--will give you $10..."]
Grassley Probes Evangelical Ministers newsmax.com 11/7/7 [" Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is investigating Benny Hinn and five other television evangelists to find out if they avoided taxes on for-profit activities or used their ministries for personal gain.  All six evangelists are “prosperity theology” adherents who preach that wealth is a sign of God’s favor. "  Editor:  This will be repeated in mainstream media, and paints Christianity with a very broad brush in the public's mind.]
Foreign business gets a Bush assist washingtontimes.com 11/7/7 ["A draft presidential order on foreign investment in U.S. companies would limit government security reviews and give more power to such pro-business agencies as the Treasury Department"]
 

Sinking Currency, Sinking Country news.yahoo.com 11/6/7 [By Pat Buchanan  "The Chinese, whose currency is tied to the dollar, and Japan will continue, as long as they can, to keep their currencies low against the dollar. For the Asians think long term, and their goals are strategic.  China — growing at 10 percent a year for two decades and now growing at close to 12 percent — is willing to take losses in the value of the dollars it holds to keep the U.S. technology, factories and jobs pouring in, as their exports capture America's markets from U.S. producers. "]
Thousands Demonstrate in Jerusalem Against Annapolis Summit israelnationalnews.com 11/6/7 ["Steinitz derided plans to divide Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, saying that such plans “would bring bloody riots in the Old City in place of peace.”  MK Uri Ariel (NU/NRP) told reporters from the rally, “We’re telling Olmert: Stop selling the land of Israel, do not divide Jerusalem, do not even think of destroying Jewish towns, the land of Israel belongs to us, to the people of Israel. You have no mandate for this.”"]
Sherry Jackson Convicted Under What Law? newswithviews.com 11/6/7 [By Devvy Kidd  "So, we have Vernie, Whitey, Franklin, Tommy and Joseph all acquitted on willful failure to file charges. Yet, Dr. Clayton and Sherry are convicted on the same charges by different juries in different states. If the law is so clear cut, how is it some Americans are getting acquitted and some convicted on the same charges? Where is there justice in this insanity?  Congressman Ron Paul has promised that if elected president he will get rid of the IRS immediately."]
Dividing Jerusalem, it's a done deal. Below are pictures to prove it. thegoldenreport.com 11/6/7 [Editor: Food for Thought]
Feds Fight Ruling on Security Letters ap.google.com 11/6/7 ["The U.S. government on Monday appealed a ruling that it shouldn't be able to get personal phone, e-mail and financial records without a judge's approval, as now allowed under the USA Patriot Act."]
An Evangelical Rethink on Divorce? time.com 11/6/7 ["the controversy suggests that even the country's most rule-bound Christians will search for a fresh understanding of scripture when it seems unjust to them. The implications? Flexibility on divorce may mean that evangelicals could also rethink their position on such things as gay marriage, as a generation of Christians far more accepting of homosexuality begins to move into power."]
Missing Nukes: Treason of the Highest Order globalresearch.ca 11/6/7 ["If a soldier, marine, airman, or sailor were even to be issued a rifle and rifle magazine — weaponry of a far lesser significance, danger, and cost — there is a strict signing and accountability process that involves a chain of command and paperwork. This is part of the set of military checks and balances used by all the services within the U.S. Armed Forces."]
Global food crisis looms as climate change and fuel shortages bite guardian.co.uk 11/6/7 ["Record world prices for most staple foods have led to 18% food price inflation in China, 13% in Indonesia and Pakistan, and 10% or more in Latin America, Russia and India, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). Wheat has doubled in price, maize is nearly 50% higher than a year ago and rice is 20% more expensive, says the UN. Next week the FAO is expected to say that global food reserves are at their lowest in 25 years and that prices will remain high for years."]
 

Putin says Russia threatened by 'Unipolar World' reuters.com 11/5/7 [""There are those who would like to build a unipolar world, who would themselves like to rule all of humanity," Putin said, a phrase he has used over the past seven years of his administration to mean the United States."]
Iraqi weapons 'expert' unmasked as a fraud news.independent.co.uk 11/5/7 ["The Iraqi defector whose claims regarding Saddam Hussein's biological warfare capabilities were central to the US government's case for the 2003 invasion, despite repeated warnings that they were dubious, has been unmasked..."]
Hungry Mexico flood victims turn to looting afp.google.com/ 11/5/7 ["The floods completely wiped out crops in the region, and a farm association estimated losses at 480 million dollars.  Health officials have meanwhile started to fret about looming health risks from open sewage and the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Dengue, cholera and diarrhea outbreaks now are very real possibilities, they said."]
Musharraf imposes emergency rule news.bbc.co.uk 11/5/7 ["The moves come as the Supreme Court was due to rule on the legality of Gen Musharraf's October election victory.  The court was to decide whether Gen Musharraf was eligible to run for re-election last month while remaining army chief. "]
Iran shielded from sanctions theaustralian.news.com.au 11/5/7 ["...China was expected to overtake Germany as Iran's biggest trading partner this year.  The paper quoted Iran Investment Monthly - a newsletter providing an in-depth analysis of the Tehran Stock Exchange - as saying that Germany and other European countries had been Iran's largest trading partners for more than a decade. "]
Open Season On Young Impressionable Souls newswithviews.com 11/5/7 [ by Ellen Makkai  "Odds are that Tinsel-town buzz will propel kids to the movie; they will love it and beg for the books in which Christianity is labeled “a powerful and convincing mistake.” The legitimate fear is that children’s righteous trajectory and fledgling faith, which innately gravitate toward belief, will be compromised - even axed."]
 

Fed pumps $41B into US financial system businessweek.com 11/3/7 ["the largest cash infusion since September 2001, to help companies get through a credit crunch.  ...The cash injection also came as Wall Street took a nosedive Thursday. The Dow Jones industrials were down more than 260 points in afternoon trading."]
Tough illegal-migrant law protested dallasnews.com 11/3/7 ["The law, called one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration proposals in the nation, gives police new power to detain illegal immigrants for deportation by federal authorities, reduces state benefits to illegal immigrants and requires prospective employees to verify their legal status through a federal online program."]
Gun experts say Eliot Spitzer's plan a license to buy guns nydailynews.com 11/3/7 ["Once they got driver's licenses under Gov. Spitzer's plan, illegal immigrants could arm themselves to the teeth simply by lying about their status, gun experts said Thursday.  "They could definitely get shotguns and rifles," said Thomas King, executive director of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. "]

Mexico flooding affects '700,000' news.bbc.co.uk 11/2/7 [""We have lost 100% of our crops and 70% of the state is under water,"  ...The storms have forced the closure of three of Mexico's main oil ports, preventing almost all exports and halting a fifth of the country's oil production."]
Shook-Up San Franciscans Prepare to Crack Open Earthquake Kits bloomberg.com 11/2/7 ["The 5.6-magnitude earthquake that rattled the Bay Area significantly increased the likelihood of another damaging seismic shift in the next few days, a panel of scientists said yesterday. The quake broke windows and tossed items from shelves in San Jose but didn't cause major damage. It was centered near the junction of the Calaveras and Hayward faults, making them more prone to shift soon.  ...More than 600,000 employees earning $8.2 billion in quarterly payrolls work along the Hayward fault, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said in a September report."]
Council of Europe: Ban Creationism since it may become "Threat to Human Rights" and Democracy lifesite.net 11/2/7 ["The CoE, an advisory body without power to mandate its resolutions, calls on all nations of Europe "to firmly oppose the teaching of creationism as a scientific discipline on an equal footing with the theory of evolution and in general resist presentation of creationist ideas in any discipline other than religion.""]
Noisy for a peace proponent denverpost.com 11/2/7 ["One man's construction project is another man's Nazi death camp.  ...Hornaday's company is building a new headquarters for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains...  "Anybody who would participate in abortion is involved with it," Mason told me as he led a protest outside Weitz's offices in the Denver Tech Center on Thursday. "They are complicit in it.""]
Governors: Drought Calls for 'Tough Decisions' wyff4.com 11/2/7 ["...Even though were a few days of rain last week, WYFF News 4's Weather Team says that it hasn't come close to ending the drought.  The rainfall totals in the Upstate since Monday were all under 2 inches for the area. To actually end the drought, about 17.5 inches of rain are needed in the S.C. mountains, 16.5 inches in the Upstate and 14.5 inches in the N.C. mountains."]
Tennessee town has run out of water news.yahoo.com 11/2/7 ["...the town's 145 residents  ..."You never get used to it," says Cheryl Evans, a 55-year-old who has lived in town all her life. "When you're used to having water and you ain't got it, it's strange. I can't tell you how many times I've turned on the faucet before remembering the water's been cut.""]
Anger as Putin restricts election observers guardian.co.uk 11/2/7 ["Russia was accused yesterday of imposing unprecedented restrictions on foreign observers visiting the country to monitor parliamentary elections in early December, amid growing concern that the Kremlin might manipulate the vote."]
911: Moral Cowards And FBI Admission newswithviews.com 11/2/7 [By Devvy Kidd  "...a statement made by American Airlines in 2006 that their 757s in 2001 had had no onboard phones, so that anyone calling out from Flight 77 had needed to use a cell phone. Barbara Olson, therefore, could not have used a passenger-seat phone. That left open, of course, the possibility that Ted Olson was correct when he said that his wife had used her cell phone.  "However, the evidence from the Moussaoui trial ruled out this possibility. In its report on AA 77, it listed one attempted call from Barbara Olson, which was "unconnected" and hence lasted "0 seconds.""]
Rumsfeld 'kept up fear of terror attacks' telegraph.co.uk 11/2/7 ["One memo, written in April 2006, contained a list of instructions to Pentagon staff including "Keep elevating the threat" and "Talk about Somalia, the Philippines etc. Make the American people realise they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists"."]
 

Gold passes 800 dollars an ounce afp.google.com 11/1/7 ["The price of gold passed 800 dollars an ounce here on Wednesday for the first time since 1980 after the US Federal Reserve lowered its key short-term interest rate..."]
Moscow: Schools ban "cult of death" Halloween reuters.com 11/1/7 ["Moscow schools have been ordered to ban students from celebrating Halloween despite the widespread popularity of the imported festival to Russia.  Halloween is being forced underground because it "includes religious elements, the cult of death, the mockery of death," a spokesman for the city's education department Alexander Gavrilov said Wednesday."]
Crowds due for Halloween in Salem, Mass. mercurynews.com 11/1/7 ["Police in Salem expect more than 100,000 people to descend on the self-proclaimed Halloween capital of the world."]
Kansas church liable in Marine funeral protest reuters.com 11/1/7 ["The federal jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, and three of its principals invaded the privacy of the dead man's family and inflicted emotional distress."  Editor: The 'church' mentioned has zeal without knowledge.  However, I fear that this court case may open the door for other 'hate' related cases against true Christian ministries.]
Some Christian pastors embrace Scientology cnn.com 11/1/7 ["...according to published reports, Scientology has been recently diversifying its outreach to include other religions and ethnic groups.  Kennedy, McLaughlin and a handful of other Christian church leaders -- no one can say how many -- are finding answers to their communities' needs in Scientology's social programs. "]
U.S. Senate panel backs Law of the Sea treaty reuters.com 11/1/7 ["Some Republicans and other critics have argued it would hurt U.S security by overemphasizing peaceful use of the oceans. They cite limits it would impose on collecting intelligence and submarine operations in territorial waters.  Some also have criticized provisions they say would restrict U.S. sovereignty, impose new environmental obligations and thwart commercial development of the deep seabed."]
A Congregation of Customers wsj.com 11/1/7 ["Oddly, this sacrificial principle doesn't easily apply to megachurches. As Mr. Twitchell acknowledges, most don't have "high barriers to entry" -- that is, they don't demand a lot of their congregants. They're often referred to as "seeker" churches because they appeal to nonbelievers -- and not always successfully. It's easy to get in; but it's also easy to get out."]
China warns Taiwan upi.com 11/1/7 ["China Wednesday warned Taiwan it would take “necessary measures” if the island nation continues to push for independence   A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said if Taiwan’s “secessionist forces” cling to their course, the mainland “will definitely take necessary measures to safeguard state sovereignty and territory integrity and protect our nation's core interests.”"]
Rick Warren's Latest "P" - Reconciliation crossroad.to 11/1/7 ["The "P" in Rick Warren's Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan has changed once again. [At first, it was "Plant churches]. It now means "Promote reconciliation," according to the latest press puff piece updating his ambitious plans to mobilize tens of thousands of churches and people."]
The Tragic Condition of Willful Ignorance! lasttrumpetministries.org 11/1/7 [By Pastor David Meyer  "As we look at the events that are continually happening in the realms of religion, economics, government, and society in general; we see a deterioration of morality, character, and principle. In fact, the very conditions that existed in the Roman Empire as it began to crumble and decay until it finally fell into absolute ruin now exist in the United States!  ...As of October 1st, 2007, there had been 356 major earthquakes in the past thirty days with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater."]
Australia to collect troop DNA to help ID bodies reuters.com 11/1/7 ["Nikolic said the DNA blood samples would build a bank of identifying material for all 90,000 regular and reserve soldiers in the country's military."]
Moderate Earthquake Rattles Bay Area guardian.co.uk 11/1/7 ["but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.  The moderate temblor struck shortly after 8 p.m., about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents reported feeling the quake as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma. "]