Before the Flood

Curt Here...

The following article linked below is by Javier Solana, and according to him "the scientific argument about climate change is over", and because of this "fact" the EU must devise strategies to deal with this climate change.

It's funny that all of the problems and the so called solutions do nothing but benefit Javier Solana and the EU. From building up EU capacities to solve future security issues, to instituting something called "carbon diplomacy" which I am assuming allows the EU to weld political power on other nations and regions in the name of saving the planet. And finally solving territorial claims and open up new trade routes to of course benefit the EU. Nothing like capitalizing on global warming.

I also find it very interesting that this article is titled "Before the Flood." I think this is in reference to the coming global flood of climate change, but I of course think of scripture and this one surely comes to mind.

Mathew 24:37-39

37. "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38. "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39.and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

I think that if we are worried about the coming global climate flood, we ought to realize that Christ is coming back soon and to some people He will come like a flood. Let's not be one of them.

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Before the flood

The countries of Europe must devise urgent strategies to deal with the consequences of climate change, as our report clearly shows

March 10, 2008 1:00 PM

The risks posed by climate change are real and its impacts are already taking place. This year the vast majority of emergency appeals for humanitarian aid were climate-related. But the risks go far beyond humanitarian crises. Nor is it "just" an environmental challenge, no matter how urgent and important. Climate change also causes serious political and security risks that directly affect European interests. That is why we need to address these together, as Europeans.
This week, I will present a report together with the European commission to European heads of state and government. Its core argument is that climate change is already having a profound impact on international security; that this will intensify in the years ahead; and that we need urgent action to safeguard our own interests.

The most appropriate way of viewing climate change is as a threat multiplier: it aggravates the stresses and strains within and between countries. Climate change threatens to overburden those countries and regions that are already fragile and conflict-prone. The critical variable is governance. How governments will respond to the impacts of climate change depends on how well they resolve conflicts today.

Let me be clear: saying that climate change poses security risks reinforces the need to stick to our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We cannot give up on mitigation or on ways to adapt to unavoidable climate change. Doing so is tremendously important. But it is not the whole story. Both mitigation and adaptation should go hand in hand with addressing the international security threats of climate change. Both should also be seen as preventive security policy.

Let me highlight just three of the threats posed by climate change.

Conflict over resources is one of them, especially where access is politicised. A reduction of arable land, widespread shortage of water, diminishing food and fish stocks, increased flooding and prolonged droughts are all set to increase in many parts of the world. Water shortage in particular has the potential to cause civil unrest. Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacities.

Second, increased migration. The UN predicts that there will be millions of "environmental" migrants by 2020 with climate change as one of the major drivers. Such massive migration flows are likely to increase conflicts in transit and destination areas. This may lead to greater tensions between different ethnic and religious groups and political radicalisation.

And third, what happens to oil, gas and fishing resources if borders and territories change, or disappear beneath the sea? Can the rights and responsibilities of a country exist with no landmass, as is predicted for some Pacific islands? What happens if the Northwest passage becomes permanently passable? If handled well, this is a huge opportunity. But without an agreed international framework, as is, for example, the case in the Arctic, on how to assess and adjudicate territorial claims, political tensions are bound to rise.

The multilateral system is at risk if the international community fails to address these threats. Those most affected by climate change are not those most responsible for causing it. This could fuel a politics of resentment: north-south but also south-south, pitting major emitters against those most affected. In short, the geopolitics of climate change will extend far beyond the environment and will link old problems in new ways.

What are we proposing?

First, to build up EU capacities across the board: from monitoring and early warning, to conflict prevention, crisis management and disaster response. If we agree as EU that the security impact of climate change is real and affecting our own interests then we should make the necessary financial resources available.

We should also develop "carbon diplomacy". We need to do more focused research and shared analysis with partners on what the security hot spots will be and how we can best tackle them together. In all our relationships - from Africa to the Middle East, from Latin America to Central Asia and beyond - we should raise awareness about the security effects of climate change and build capacity in those countries that will be hit hardest.

Third, we need to see whether existing rules of the game are "climate-proof". With rising waters and melting sea ice, there is an increasing need to address the growing debate over territorial claims, exclusive economic zones, and access to new trade routes. There might be a need to strengthen existing rules of international law such as the Law of the Sea. Some countries that are extremely vulnerable to climate change are also calling for international recognition of environmentally induced migration.

The scientific argument about climate change is over. Even if we switched off for good all the lights today, the consequences of past emissions will be felt tomorrow and we must prepare for them now. This equally applies to the security consequences. And it is up to Europe to lead the international response.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/javier_solana/2008/03/before_the_flood.html

END OF NATIONS - EU Takeover & the Lisbon Treaty (MOVIE) *

Curt Here....

This is a very intresting and informative video about the Lisbon Treaty and the EU. I would highly recommend that people view this.

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We set out to make a video about the pros and cons of the Lisbon Treaty and found out to our horror the lies, manipulations and deceit behind the EU. From MEPs, legal experts and EU researches the true nature of the EU unfolded, how it really operates from behind closed doors and away from prying eyes. We discovered the massive power grab away from citizens and nations to the elites that is being proposed in this treaty. Most shocking of all was how our elected representatives are willingly handing us over to this emerging Totalitarian Superstate by deception , propaganda and outright lies.

This video details how the structures of the EU really operate, what the full significance of the Lisbon Treaty is and how it is the end of Nations within in the EU. MEPs describe their experience in Brussels and how they are undermined by the real power of the unelected and unaccountable Eurocrats who run the organization. How the politicians are working together for their own selfish needs while being used for a bigger agenda.

http://www.wiseupjournal.com/?p=173

Curt

Food Prices Soar

I found this article on food prices and commodities interesting. It is along the same subject as Curt had posted a few blogs back.

Here is a portion of it.

Lawton, N.D. — Whatever Dennis Miller decides to plant this year on his 2,760-acre farm, the world needs. Wheat prices have doubled in the last six months. Corn is on a tear. Barley, sunflower seeds, canola and soybeans are all up sharply.

“For once, there's great reason to be optimistic,” Miller said.

But the prices that have renewed Miller's faith in farming are causing pain far and wide. A tailor in Lagos, Nigeria, named Abel Ojuku said recently that he had been forced to cut back on the bread he and his family love.

“If you wanted to buy three loaves, now you buy one,” Ojuku said.

Everywhere, the cost of food is rising sharply. Whether the world is in for a long period of continued increases has become one of the most urgent issues in economics.

Many factors are contributing to the rise, but the biggest is runaway demand. In recent years, the world's developing countries have been growing at about 7 percent a year, an unusually rapid rate by historical standards.

The high growth rate means hundreds of millions of people are, for the first time, getting access to the basics of life, including a better diet. That jump in demand is helping to drive up the prices of agricultural commodities.

You can read the full article here.

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=36223053-8af3-42a1-9bb5-47ccab418d81

In combination with the economy and recent decline in the stock market I'm curious to know how others are looking at this situation.

Feel free to comment.

Mike

Be Alert!

Mike here....

Sorry, it has been so long since I posted. I was sick for a good two weeks and am now better but carving the time out of my life to post has been a big challenge.

I was reading Mark 13 today. A good chapter to read no doubt.

I was impressed by a few things. The first is that Christ and the disciples were walking out of the temple and the disciples were commenting on how beautiful the buildings were and Christ responds with a prophesy that they would all be destroyed. Well he was right it was all destroyed.

I also took note of four verses in the middle of the chapter. Here they are.

Mark 13:24-27 (New American Standard Bible)

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Return of Christ

24"But in those days, after that tribulation, ^(A)THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,

25^(B)AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

26"Then they will see ^(C)THE SON OF MAN ^(D)COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

27"And then He will send forth the angels, and ^(E)will gather together His elect from the four winds, ^(F)from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

So much seems to be made of when, within the time line of unfulfilled prophecy, that Christ will take believers out of this world. This passage seems to make it clear, it is after the tribulation. Feel free to read the entire chapter to see the signs and characteristics of the tribulation.

All good stuff for sure, but my favorite is found at the end of the chapter.

35"Therefore, ^(AA)be on the alert--for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or ^(AB)when the rooster crows, or ^(AC)in the morning--

36in case he should come suddenly and find you ^(AD)asleep.

37"What I say to you I say to all, '^(AE)Be on the alert!'"

Christ warns that we won't know the specific time but uses two analogies to explain that Disciples of Christ should be alert and prepared for his return.

Now, the concept of being asleep can be taken literally but I believe this concept is more of being spiritually and mentally unaware, or taken by surprise.

Well, I know Christ was right with His first prophecy within this chapter of Mark, I have no reason to doubt He will be 100% correct on the elements that we know have not yet been fulfilled. If you have any questions about who Christ is or what he has done for us please feel free to comment here or email us at the70thweek@gmail.com.

BE ON THE ALERT!

Blessing,

Mike

Wheat Breaches $12 A Bushel For First Time Ever

Curt Here.....

Revelation 6:5-6

5. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, "Come!" I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand,

6. and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay, and three quarts of barley for a day's pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!"

Please don't misinterpret my intentions, I am not saying that third seal has been broken, but I find it quite interesting that the price of wheat is currently skyrocketing. We are obviously not at the point where a quart of wheat cost the same as a days wages as it will someday, but it is alarming to see the wheat market move in such an upward direction. (See article below)

Keep Watching.
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Wheat Breaches $12 for First Time After Biggest Gain Since 2002

By Jae Hur and Danielle Rossingh

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Chicago wheat prices rose the most in more than five years, breaching $12 a bushel for the first time as investors poured money into agricultural commodities on signs that global crop production isn't keeping pace with demand.

Global wheat stockpiles will probably fall to a 30-year low this year, while corn inventories are headed for the lowest since 1984, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Feb. 8. Almost $1.5 billion flowed into farm commodities in the week to Feb. 19, investment bank UBS AG said in an e-mailed report yesterday. The UBS Bloomberg Constant Maturity Commodity Index of 26 raw materials has jumped 15 percent this year.

Wheat, soybeans, corn and palm oil are among commodities that have touched records this month, stoking prices of bread, pasta and noodles worldwide. The gains have driven up costs for food companies from Kellogg Co. to Premier Foods Plc and complicated efforts to curb prices in China, India and Malaysia.

``Agricultural commodities such as wheat are the place to be right now,'' Eugen Weinberg, a commodities analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt, said in an interview today. ``Production may be rising, but not at the pace necessary to keep up with increased demand.''

Wheat for May delivery rose by the daily limit of 90 cents, or 8 percent, to $12.145 a bushel in after-hours trading on the Chicago Board of Trade, the biggest one-day percentage gain since October 2002. It was at $11.615 as of 10:20 a.m. in London.

The exchange expanded its daily limit after the contract surged by the previous 60-cent limit yesterday.

Milling wheat for May delivery in Paris rose as much as 2.4 percent to 290 euros ($431) a metric ton. The contract traded at 289 euros as of 11:30 a.m. local time. Milling wheat has more than doubled in the past 12 months.

Jumping In
``Speculators keep jumping into the market as supplies are very tight globally, especially spring wheat,'' Takaki Shigemoto, an analyst with Tokyo-based commodity broker Okachi & Co. Dry conditions in some wheat-producing areas in northern China also lent support, he said.

``These kinds of rises are not sustainable,'' Commerzbank's Weinberg said, adding that wheat may fall as low as $10 a bushel next month. ``It's overdone for the short-term, however still a good investment for the long term.''

Wheat's 14-day relative strength index, used by some investors to guide trading, was at 75.395 today. A reading of 70 or more indicates prices may fall.

Stockpiles Shrinking
Record prices, led by scarce high-protein varieties, haven't deterred buyers. Export sales from the U.S., the world's largest shipper of the grain, are up 56 percent since June 1 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Global wheat stockpiles may fall to 109.7 million metric tons by May 31, while corn inventories may decline to 101.9 million tons as of Oct. 1, the U.S. government estimated Feb. 8.

U.S. inventories of wheat will drop to 272 million bushels, or 7.4 million tons, the lowest for the end of the marketing year since 1948, according to the USDA. Hard-red spring varieties, traded in Minneapolis, are in short supply as dry weather curbed output last year in the U.S. and Canada.

On the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, wheat for May delivery advanced $1.35, or 7.9 percent, to $18.4325 a bushel. The March contract, which has no limit because it is the closest to delivery, rose as high as $24.26 a bushel, after yesterday becoming the first U.S. wheat contract to top $20 a bushel.

Rising Costs
Rising prices for edible commodities are slicing into cash flows across the food industry. Fourth-quarter earnings at Kellogg Co., the largest U.S. cereal maker, fell 3.3 percent as price increases failed to keep pace with the higher expense of making Eggos, Frosted Mini-Wheat cereal and cookies.

Premier Foods, the maker of Hovis bread, fell for a second day in London trading. Premier shares slid 12.5 pence, or 13 percent, to 84.5 pence at 10:24 a.m., the steepest decline in Europe's Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index.

The rise in wheat prices has prompted some governments, including China, to impose export taxes on grains to ensure adequate domestic supply and curb price increases.
Kazakhstan, the world's fifth-largest wheat exporter, plans to impose export tariffs from March 1, Agriculture Minister Akhmetzhan Yesimov said today.

Corn in Chicago declined as much as the daily price limit, falling for the first time in eight days, and soybeans fell for the first day in four after they reached records yesterday on signs that global crop production isn't keeping pace with demand.

Corn futures for May delivery, which reached $5.55 a bushel yesterday, fell as much as 3.7 percent to $5.27 and traded at $5.3575 as of 9:35 a.m. local time in London. Corn is up more than 17 percent this year.

Soybeans for May delivery, which rose to $14.855 a bushel yesterday, declined as much as 1.8 percent to $14.4275 and stood at $14.5575 as of 9:36 a.m. in London. The futures have gained almost 87 percent in the past year after U.S. farmers planted the fewest acres in more than a decade.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aKwZrf5aHgfI

Iranian Official: Countdown To Israel's Destruction Has Begun

Curt Here.....

If you have been following the news over the last few years then you are well aware of the fact that Iran has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel. When I first head their threats I found it quite alarming, and in view of the prophecy of the Gog/Magog war as described in Ezekiel 38-39 I believe there was good reason to be alarmed. Over time, as the threats continued and the rhetoric sounded the same, my alarm bells somewhat quieted.

Recently, over the last month or so the threats and rhetoric has increased and in my opinion the threats have become even more pointed (if that were possible). I believe this increase is tied directly to the assassination of Hezbollah's second-in-command Imad Mugniyah that occurred earlier this month in Syria. Although it is unclear who committed this assassination it is clear that most within the Iranian regime, blame Israel. (Please see article posted below)

After studying the scriptures of Ezekiel 38-39, it is clear that Iran (Persia) is part of the group of nations that suddenly attack Israel. When all seems lost God will divinely intervene and save the Nation of Israel from certain destruction.

So with this new increase in threats are we getting closer to the Gog/Magog war? Are we getting closer to Iran actually acting out on their ongoing threats of destruction against the Nation of Israel? If so when does it happen in the prophetic calendar? I have to admit, I am unsure on the exact timing of this event and am not sure that I can answer these questions accurately. Some say this war occurs prior to onset of the 70th week and some say that it occurs at beginning of the 70th week. Some even make a good case for it happening towards the end of the week.

Whenever it occurs, it is obvious we are getting closer and closer to our Lord's return. Keep watching for our redemption draws nigh.

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Iranian official: Countdown to Israel's destruction has begun


By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies

Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam Hadad has warned that the "countdown to Israel's destruction has begun," in an interview published Thursday in an Iranian newspaper.

Hadad's comment was one of a number of scathing remarks made by Iranian officials regarding Israel this week, a trend apparently escalated by the assassination of Hezbollah's second-in-command Imad Mugniyah earlier this month.

Also Thursday, an adviser to Iran's most powerful figure said Mughniyah's assassination would accelerate Israel's demise at the hands of outraged followers of the Shi'ite Lebanese group.

Yahya Rahim Safavi, a former commander-in-chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, Mughniyah's killing in a car bomb in the Syrian capital Damascus had angered thousands of young members of Iran-backed Hezbollah. "With such anger, the definite death of Israel will arrive sooner," Rahim Safavi told the official IRNA news agency. Rahim Safavi was appointed as a military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in all state matters.

Western analysts say the Revolutionary Guards, an ideological wing of Iran's armed forces, has given military support to Hezbollah. Tehran denies this, saying it only provides moral backing to the Lebanese group.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called Israel a "filthy germ" and "savage beast" established by Western states in their bid to dominate Middle East nations.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon promised Wednesday to respond "firmly" to Ahmadinejad's verbal attacks on Israel, which he called "intolerable." Ban made the promise in a meeting with Israel's Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman, who requested the meeting with the UN chief.

Ahmadinejad's comments came just days after a top commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard called Israel a "cancerous germ" which would be wiped out by Hezbollah.

Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted by the Fars News Agency on Monday as saying: "In the near future, we will witness the destruction of the cancerous germ of Israel by the powerful and competent hands of the Hezbollah combatants." Jafari made the remark in a letter to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, offering condolences after the killing of terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyah, which Iran has blamed on Israel.

The Foreign Ministry sent a letter of protest to the United Nations over Jafari's remarks, Army Radio reported earlier this week.

Last month, Ahmadinejad called on the West to acknowledge Israel's "imminent collapse" and to "stop supporting the Zionists, as [their] regime reached its final stage." "Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end," the Iranian president said in a televised speech. He added, "What we have right now is the last chapter [of Israeli atrocities] which the Palestinians and regional nations will confront and eventually turn in Palestine's favor."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/956744.html

Curt

Barkat: Secret Agreement To Divide Jerusalem Reached

Curt Here....

According to Jerusalem municipal opposition leader Nir Barkat there has been a secret agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinians to divide the City of Jerusalem. It is hard to confirm if this has really happened. Barkat claims to have "senior sources" within the administration, but he has refused to reveal their identity.

Israel foreign minister Livni denies that this has occurred, but doesn't deny that these talks are ongoing. It is clear from her comments that all core negotiations are continuing including Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

So who is telling the truth? Well it is hard to say, but where there is smoke there is fire and to me it is getting pretty smoky.

On another note my friend framer has posted a very interesting article about the EU and the key issues for a lasting settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Check it out.
http://freiberg.blogspot.com/

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Barkat: Secret agreement to divide Jerusalem reached

Jerusalem municipal opposition leader accuses Prime Minister Olmert, Vice Premier Ramon of 'deceiving Israeli citizens'. Ramon aide: This is nonsense

Roni Sofer

Israeli and Palestinian representatives have reached an agreement to divide Jerusalem, the capital's municipal opposition leader Nir Barkat said Wednesday.

"(Vice Premier) Haim Ramon and the prime minister are deceiving Israel's citizens," Barkat added after exchanging letters with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the negotiations with the Palestinians.

Barkat based his accusations on information from "senior sources" which he refused to reveal, claiming that Ramon and Palestinian tycoon Muhammad Rashid had agreed in secret talks on Jerusalem's division.

"Livni refuses to reveal the fundamental information she has, according to which there is a secret channel which is not being led by the Foreign Ministry. Knowing this makes her an accomplice in this political deceit, which is really aimed at dividing Jerusalem behind Israeli citizens' backs," said Barkat.

In his letter to Livni, Barkat wrote, "I was amazed to learn that a senior and official Palestinian source was quoted as saying that 'we can say that Israel is ready to pullout of all the Arab villages and neighborhoods in Jerusalem.'"

He went on to demand that "the secret agreements" be revealed or that denied.
"I would like to remind you that if this is true, it constitutes a complete deviation from Kadima's basic principles, a blatant violation of Basic Law: Jerusalem, a breach of the voter's trust and an undermining of the Knesset's sovereignty," he wrote.

'Groundless conspiracy theory'The foreign minister replied in a letter, "In Annapolis (peace conference) it was decided that Israel and the Palestinians would hold negotiations in which all the core issues would be discussed, with no exception," confirming that negotiations are being held on the Jerusalem issue, contrary to Prime Minister Ehud Olmer's remarks in Berlin that the Jerusalem issue would be postponed to the end of the process.

Livni noted in her letter that "the negotiations are being conducted according to an agreement between the parties, which states that until everything is agreed upon there will be no agreement, and that the contents will not be made public."

An official at Ramon's office said in response, "This is nonsense. These remarks are unfounded and nothing of this kind took place."

Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said in response to Barkat's claims, "This is a groundless conspiracy theory. The prime minister and the Palestinian president meet face to face and do not need anyone's mediation.

"The negotiations are being held in a responsible manner by the prime minister opposite the Palestinian Authority. There is no need for a secret channel, and therefore all attempts to invent secret chancels are doomed to fail."

Barkat's remarks joined voices from the coalition by members of the Shas faction, who threatened to quit the government once negotiations on Jerusalem are launched.

Last week, Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai called on the government to cease the negotiations with the Palestinians following the terror attack in Dimona.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3506539,00.html

Curt