Curt Here...
Here is the latest update on the push for peace in the Middle East. The discussion used to center around whether or not it was even possible for some sort of peace agreement to be reached in the Middle East. Now it seems that peace is a forgone conclusion and everyone appears to be focusing in on the details so that the future agreement can be successful.
In the article below you will read that the Palestinians are demanding a international force under the command of the US to monitor the implementation of this future peace agreement with Israel. There also seems to be a quickening of the negotiations as Ehud Olmert could be in trouble with all of his scandals and President Bush's Term is quickly coming to a close.
Like I said before peace appears to be a forgone conclusion now, and who says that the US does not play a part in Biblical Prophecy? I am starting to wonder.
Stay Tuned
Curt
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The Palestinians are proposing that a multinational force under U.S. command be deployed in the future Palestinian state, to monitor the implementation of any peace agreement reached with Israel.
Meanwhile, the political-security cabinet is slated to meet this morning to discuss which Israeli security interests must be guaranteed in the framework of a final-status agreement with the Palestinian Authority. The meeting will be the first of its kind since the Annapolis conference in November.
Over the last few months, the Israel Defense Forces planning department has been working on compiling Israel's security demands from the Palestinians. The recommendations have been submitted to Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni - who is coordinating the negotiations - and will be presented to the cabinet today.
Livni is due to inform the cabinet of the status of the negotiations, particularly Israel's positions on the borders and security arrangements. These are the primary issues being negotiated at the moment, and both sides have agreed that any Israeli concession on the borders will be met with a Palestinian concession on security arrangements.
Defense Ministry representatives participated in a meeting yesterday on security arrangements between the Livni-led Israeli negotiation team and the Palestinian negotiators, headed by former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia. In an unusual move, the first few minutes of the meeting were open to press photographers.
The Palestinians are aware that no matter what agreement is reached, the future Palestinian state will not be allowed to possess heavy weapons. The PA is prepared to accept limitations on the degree to which its security services are armed, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday, in a closed meeting at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
"We don't need tanks or planes, but we will not relinquish our self-respect," he said. "But it its clear to everyone that on the security issue, the agreement cannot be implemented without the prominent intervention of America as a third party."
Erekat said reaching an agreement this year was "critical," adding that the negotiations were at the point "where we were in Taba in 2001, and even beyond that." He did not describe the scope of the prospective agreement, but said, "there's no need for a 1,000-page agreement, but a document that includes parameters for the establishment of two states. Such an agreement will pass in a national referendum and will remove Hamas from power."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/987691.html
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A "deluding influence"
Mike here...
I have been reading Thesolonains. I came across this passage today and found it to be very interesting.
2 Thesolonians 2:7-12
Thoughts?
I have been reading Thesolonains. I came across this passage today and found it to be very interesting.
2 Thesolonians 2:7-12
7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
8Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
9that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
11For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
12in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
So, what is this deluding influence? I'm not completely sure but what I am sure of is the only way to avoid it is to engage in God's truth and accepting Jesus as your savior.Thoughts?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
PA: Olmert Ready to Give Up Temple Mount
Curt Here....
According to the news link below it appears that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is ready to give up control of the Temple Mount and will also allow all religions freedom of worship on the Mount. This is amazing and highly prophetic news if it turns out to be true.
To show you what I mean, let's look at a verse in Revelation.
Revelation 11:1-2
1. Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2. "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.
From this passage it is clear that for 42 months (3 1/2 years) that part of the Temple Mount (the court) will be given over to the gentiles. If the above news article turns out to be true, then it appears that part of the Temple Mount will be given over to the gentiles in the near future for other forms of worship just as prophesied in the book of Revelation.
From the scriptures I find the time of 42 months to be very interesting as this is exact amount of time that the AC will reign. Here is some scripture to review.
Daniel 7:25
25. `He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Time, times and half a time equals 3 1/2 years. One more verse.
Revelation 13:5
5. There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
I am of the opinion that the 42 months that the gentiles are given access to a portion of the Temple Mount is the same time frame that the AC reigns.
If so, we are getting close.
Curt
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(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority officials quoted Saturday in the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed in principal to allow Arab or Muslim authorities to control the Temple Mount. Olmert had asked to keep the Old City of Jerusalem along with the Mount of Olives and the neighborhood of Mei Shiloach (Silwan), they said, but was willing to split control in a manner that would allow all religions freedom of worship.
The sources said negotiations between Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas had failed, as Olmert’s offers did not come close to meeting Abbas’s expectations. Olmert wants to keep 15 percent of Judea and Samaria, including part of the Jordan River Valley, they said, and is unwilling to allow hundreds of thousands of foreign Arabs to settle in Israel. Abbas, on the other hand, says he will allow Israel to keep a maximum of two percent of Judea and Samaria, and insists that at least 100,000 foreign Arabs be granted Israeli citizenship in the next decade.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/145511
According to the news link below it appears that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is ready to give up control of the Temple Mount and will also allow all religions freedom of worship on the Mount. This is amazing and highly prophetic news if it turns out to be true.
To show you what I mean, let's look at a verse in Revelation.
Revelation 11:1-2
1. Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2. "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.
From this passage it is clear that for 42 months (3 1/2 years) that part of the Temple Mount (the court) will be given over to the gentiles. If the above news article turns out to be true, then it appears that part of the Temple Mount will be given over to the gentiles in the near future for other forms of worship just as prophesied in the book of Revelation.
From the scriptures I find the time of 42 months to be very interesting as this is exact amount of time that the AC will reign. Here is some scripture to review.
Daniel 7:25
25. `He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Time, times and half a time equals 3 1/2 years. One more verse.
Revelation 13:5
5. There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
I am of the opinion that the 42 months that the gentiles are given access to a portion of the Temple Mount is the same time frame that the AC reigns.
If so, we are getting close.
Curt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority officials quoted Saturday in the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed in principal to allow Arab or Muslim authorities to control the Temple Mount. Olmert had asked to keep the Old City of Jerusalem along with the Mount of Olives and the neighborhood of Mei Shiloach (Silwan), they said, but was willing to split control in a manner that would allow all religions freedom of worship.
The sources said negotiations between Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas had failed, as Olmert’s offers did not come close to meeting Abbas’s expectations. Olmert wants to keep 15 percent of Judea and Samaria, including part of the Jordan River Valley, they said, and is unwilling to allow hundreds of thousands of foreign Arabs to settle in Israel. Abbas, on the other hand, says he will allow Israel to keep a maximum of two percent of Judea and Samaria, and insists that at least 100,000 foreign Arabs be granted Israeli citizenship in the next decade.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/145511
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Javier Solana In His Own Words
Curt Here...
It is not often that you come across an article that sums up the reason that many of us prophecy watchers are so closely watching Javier Solana. What is even better is the fact that most of the article is in his own words.
The article listed below is a question and answer by the Jerusalem Post with Javier Solana. Check it out as it lists Javier's rise to power along with a current listing of Job names and descriptions.
Javier, is very clear that the way to ensure a peaceful solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis is through economic channels. This is exactly why the Barcelona Process and later the ENP were negotiated. To achieve peace through trade.
This should get every one's attention as I believe it to be a very significant article.
I have bolded the questions from the Jerusalem Post for easier viewing and I have red lined some of Solana's more significant responses.
Curt
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU). He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent members of the Western European Union in November 1999. Solana is a physicist who later became a politician, serving as a minister in Spain for 13 years under Felipe González before serving as Secretary General of NATO from 1995 to 1999.
Since October 1999, Javier Solana has served as the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 2004, Solana had been designated to become the EU's Minister for Foreign Affairs for when the European Constitution was to come into force in 2009, but it was not ratified and his position has been renamed under the Treaty of Lisbon.
Here are Solana's e-mail responses to questions sent to him by this columnist:
The EU (in its early version as a common market) came about as an attempt to bring a halt to hostilities among European countries, especially France and Germany. How relevant is this experience for the current Middle East situation, and what role could the EU play in facilitating similar developments?
It is true that the driving force behind European integration from its very beginning was a clear desire of the then European leaders to overcome old differences and assure a peaceful development of Europe for future generations of our continent. This idea of peace is still very much relevant today - but not only for us, Europeans - it represents a condition sine qua non for the development and a successful future of all the peoples of the Middle Eastern region.
As The High Representative of the European Union for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, both in my EU capacity and within the framework of the international Quartet, I strongly and consistently keep advocating a comprehensive and peaceful solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict in general and Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular. It is indeed a strategic priority for the European Union. I continue to be convinced that despite all difficulties we can achieve the goals set most recently at the Annapolis meeting and the Paris donors' conference organized at the end of 2007.
How could the EU help Israeli and Arab companies pursue business joint ventures through the auspices of the European Union?
Any effort, any initiative to promote economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and conducive to building trust between them is to be supported. But we cannot forget that peace and security are fundamental for economic development and in order to create the conditions for such initiatives to be viable. I think that it is evident to everybody that economic normalization goes hand-in-hand with desirable normalization of political relations.
The EU will continue relentlessly to help Israelis and Palestinians in finding a lasting solution to their conflict - through political and diplomatic efforts but also through economic cooperation. Within this context, I recognize the crucial role that Arab states play in support of the Middle East peace process and I stress in this respect the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.
We also hope very much that the access and movement agreement will be implemented without delay since this will allow Palestinians to rebuild their economy and be an important step on the path of normalization. Overcoming old antagonisms and resolving current disputes is necessary to confront the new challenges we are all facing today.
Do you believe there is interest from Arab business sectors in different countries to strengthen economic ties with Israel?
I strongly believe that not only the business community, but all people in the Middle East are tired of a decades-long Israeli-Arab conflict, and deserve to have normal relations including, of course, ever stronger and mutually profitable economic relations.
Do you as EU High Representative see it as part of your agenda to promote a Free Trade Area or other economic cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors?
It was our own European experience which led us to launching the Barcelona process in 1995 and offering our Mediterranean partners, including Israel, a much needed multilateral approach. The European Neighborhood Policy was designed later to develop the Barcelona process and assists us further in this effort. I can just confirm that Israel plays a very important role in this Partnership, where our main objective is to create a common area of peace, stability and prosperity, including the creation of a Free Trade Area by 2010.
The EU could afford to concentrate on first economic matters and then deeper integration thanks to the defense umbrella provided by the US during the cold war. Could the EU play a similar role today for the Middle East?
In my view, any historical comparison or simplification is very risky. The situation in Europe after the Second World War was very complex and definitely influenced by the antagonism of the two major superpowers. Today we are trying to build a new world, where a multilateral approach to our common problems and challenges would be predominant.
It is absolutely clear that Europe should play a significant role in this process and match its major economic potential with an adequate political role. We can witness that the European Union is taking this responsibility seriously, for instance through our many European Security and Defense Policy missions, of which the first two operate in the Middle East.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208870473869&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
It is not often that you come across an article that sums up the reason that many of us prophecy watchers are so closely watching Javier Solana. What is even better is the fact that most of the article is in his own words.
The article listed below is a question and answer by the Jerusalem Post with Javier Solana. Check it out as it lists Javier's rise to power along with a current listing of Job names and descriptions.
Javier, is very clear that the way to ensure a peaceful solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis is through economic channels. This is exactly why the Barcelona Process and later the ENP were negotiated. To achieve peace through trade.
This should get every one's attention as I believe it to be a very significant article.
I have bolded the questions from the Jerusalem Post for easier viewing and I have red lined some of Solana's more significant responses.
Curt
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU). He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent members of the Western European Union in November 1999. Solana is a physicist who later became a politician, serving as a minister in Spain for 13 years under Felipe González before serving as Secretary General of NATO from 1995 to 1999.
Since October 1999, Javier Solana has served as the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. In 2004, Solana had been designated to become the EU's Minister for Foreign Affairs for when the European Constitution was to come into force in 2009, but it was not ratified and his position has been renamed under the Treaty of Lisbon.
Here are Solana's e-mail responses to questions sent to him by this columnist:
The EU (in its early version as a common market) came about as an attempt to bring a halt to hostilities among European countries, especially France and Germany. How relevant is this experience for the current Middle East situation, and what role could the EU play in facilitating similar developments?
It is true that the driving force behind European integration from its very beginning was a clear desire of the then European leaders to overcome old differences and assure a peaceful development of Europe for future generations of our continent. This idea of peace is still very much relevant today - but not only for us, Europeans - it represents a condition sine qua non for the development and a successful future of all the peoples of the Middle Eastern region.
As The High Representative of the European Union for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, both in my EU capacity and within the framework of the international Quartet, I strongly and consistently keep advocating a comprehensive and peaceful solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict in general and Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular. It is indeed a strategic priority for the European Union. I continue to be convinced that despite all difficulties we can achieve the goals set most recently at the Annapolis meeting and the Paris donors' conference organized at the end of 2007.
How could the EU help Israeli and Arab companies pursue business joint ventures through the auspices of the European Union?
Any effort, any initiative to promote economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and conducive to building trust between them is to be supported. But we cannot forget that peace and security are fundamental for economic development and in order to create the conditions for such initiatives to be viable. I think that it is evident to everybody that economic normalization goes hand-in-hand with desirable normalization of political relations.
The EU will continue relentlessly to help Israelis and Palestinians in finding a lasting solution to their conflict - through political and diplomatic efforts but also through economic cooperation. Within this context, I recognize the crucial role that Arab states play in support of the Middle East peace process and I stress in this respect the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.
We also hope very much that the access and movement agreement will be implemented without delay since this will allow Palestinians to rebuild their economy and be an important step on the path of normalization. Overcoming old antagonisms and resolving current disputes is necessary to confront the new challenges we are all facing today.
Do you believe there is interest from Arab business sectors in different countries to strengthen economic ties with Israel?
I strongly believe that not only the business community, but all people in the Middle East are tired of a decades-long Israeli-Arab conflict, and deserve to have normal relations including, of course, ever stronger and mutually profitable economic relations.
Do you as EU High Representative see it as part of your agenda to promote a Free Trade Area or other economic cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors?
It was our own European experience which led us to launching the Barcelona process in 1995 and offering our Mediterranean partners, including Israel, a much needed multilateral approach. The European Neighborhood Policy was designed later to develop the Barcelona process and assists us further in this effort. I can just confirm that Israel plays a very important role in this Partnership, where our main objective is to create a common area of peace, stability and prosperity, including the creation of a Free Trade Area by 2010.
The EU could afford to concentrate on first economic matters and then deeper integration thanks to the defense umbrella provided by the US during the cold war. Could the EU play a similar role today for the Middle East?
In my view, any historical comparison or simplification is very risky. The situation in Europe after the Second World War was very complex and definitely influenced by the antagonism of the two major superpowers. Today we are trying to build a new world, where a multilateral approach to our common problems and challenges would be predominant.
It is absolutely clear that Europe should play a significant role in this process and match its major economic potential with an adequate political role. We can witness that the European Union is taking this responsibility seriously, for instance through our many European Security and Defense Policy missions, of which the first two operate in the Middle East.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208870473869&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Monday, April 14, 2008
Riots, Instability Spread as Food Prices Skyrocket
Curt Here.....
This is a very interesting article about the alarming rise in the price of food and how it is effecting the poorest countries and how it will soon effect all of us. In my humble opinion this is all a precursor to how bad it is going to get during the Great Tribulation.
If you read further in the article there is also a very interesting back and forth about who and what is to blame for rise in the cost of food. I find it very interesting that the environmental ethanol crowd is blaming the high cost of oil for our lack of food supply, rather than the fact that millions of acres that have previously been used for wheat and other agricultural products are now being raised for corn (ethanol).
The blame game will continue, and the world supply of wheat and rice will continue to decline.
Curt
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Riots from Haiti to Bangladesh to Egypt over the soaring costs of basic foods have brought the issue to a boiling point and catapulted it to the forefront of the world's attention, the head of an agency focused on global development said Monday.
"This is the world's big story," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute.
"The finance ministers were in shock, almost in panic this weekend," he said on CNN's "American Morning," in a reference to top economic officials who gathered in Washington. "There are riots all over the world in the poor countries ... and, of course, our own poor are feeling it in the United States."
World Bank President Robert Zoellick has said the surging costs could mean "seven lost years" in the fight against worldwide poverty.
"While many are worrying about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs, and it is getting more and more difficult every day," Zoellick said late last week in a speech opening meetings with finance ministers.
"The international community must fill the at least $500 million food gap identified by the U.N.'s World Food Programme to meet emergency needs," he said. "Governments should be able to come up with this assistance and come up with it now."
The White House announced Monday evening that an estimated $200 million in emergency food aid would be made available through the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"This additional food aid will address the impact of rising commodity prices on U.S. emergency food aid programs, and be used to meet unanticipated food aid needs in Africa and elsewhere," the White House said in a news release.
"In just two months," Zoellick said in his speech, "rice prices have skyrocketed to near historical levels, rising by around 75 percent globally and more in some markets, with more likely to come. In Bangladesh, a 2-kilogram bag of rice ... now consumes about half of the daily income of a poor family."
The price of wheat has jumped 120 percent in the past year, he said -- meaning that the price of a loaf of bread has more than doubled in places where the poor spend as much as 75 percent of their income on food.
"This is not just about meals forgone today or about increasing social unrest. This is about lost learning potential for children and adults in the future, stunted intellectual and physical growth," Zoellick said.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, also spoke at the joint IMF-World Bank spring meeting.
"If food prices go on as they are today, then the consequences on the population in a large set of countries ... will be terrible," he said.
He added that "disruptions may occur in the economic environment ... so that at the end of the day most governments, having done well during the last five or 10 years, will see what they have done totally destroyed, and their legitimacy facing the population destroyed also."
In Haiti, the prime minister was kicked out of office Saturday, and hospital beds are filled with wounded following riots sparked by food prices.
The World Bank announced a $10 million grant from the United States for Haiti to help the government assist poor families.
In Egypt, rioters have burned cars and destroyed windows of numerous buildings as police in riot gear have tried to quell protests.
Images from Bangladesh and Mozambique tell a similar story.
In the United States and other Western nations, more and more poor families are feeling the pinch. In recent days, presidential candidates have paid increasing attention to the cost of food, often citing it on the stump.
The issue is also fueling a rising debate over how much the rising prices can be blamed on ethanol production. The basic argument is that because ethanol comes from corn, the push to replace some traditional fuels with ethanol has created a new demand for corn that has thrown off world food prices.
Jean Ziegler, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, has called using food crops to create ethanol "a crime against humanity."
"We've been putting our food into the gas tank -- this corn-to-ethanol subsidy which our government is doing really makes little sense," said Columbia University's Sachs.
Former President Clinton, at a campaign stop for his wife in Pennsylvania over the weekend, said, "Corn is the single most inefficient way to produce ethanol because it uses a lot of energy and because it drives up the price of food."
Some environmental groups reject the focus on ethanol in examining food prices.
"The contrived food vs. fuel debate has reared its ugly head once again," the Renewable Fuels Association says on its Web site, adding that "numerous statistical analyses have demonstrated that the price of oil -- not corn prices or ethanol production -- has the greatest impact on consumer food prices because it is integral to virtually every phase of food production, from processing to packaging to transportation."
Analysts agree the cost of fuel is among the reasons for the skyrocketing prices.
Another major reason is rising demand, particularly in places in the midst of a population boom, such as China and India.
Also, said Sachs, "climate shocks" are damaging food supply in parts of the world. "You add it all together: Demand is soaring, supply has been cut back, food has been diverted into the gas tank. It's added up to a price explosion."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/14/world.food.crisis/index.html#cnnSTCText
This is a very interesting article about the alarming rise in the price of food and how it is effecting the poorest countries and how it will soon effect all of us. In my humble opinion this is all a precursor to how bad it is going to get during the Great Tribulation.
If you read further in the article there is also a very interesting back and forth about who and what is to blame for rise in the cost of food. I find it very interesting that the environmental ethanol crowd is blaming the high cost of oil for our lack of food supply, rather than the fact that millions of acres that have previously been used for wheat and other agricultural products are now being raised for corn (ethanol).
The blame game will continue, and the world supply of wheat and rice will continue to decline.
Curt
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Riots from Haiti to Bangladesh to Egypt over the soaring costs of basic foods have brought the issue to a boiling point and catapulted it to the forefront of the world's attention, the head of an agency focused on global development said Monday.
"This is the world's big story," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute.
"The finance ministers were in shock, almost in panic this weekend," he said on CNN's "American Morning," in a reference to top economic officials who gathered in Washington. "There are riots all over the world in the poor countries ... and, of course, our own poor are feeling it in the United States."
World Bank President Robert Zoellick has said the surging costs could mean "seven lost years" in the fight against worldwide poverty.
"While many are worrying about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs, and it is getting more and more difficult every day," Zoellick said late last week in a speech opening meetings with finance ministers.
"The international community must fill the at least $500 million food gap identified by the U.N.'s World Food Programme to meet emergency needs," he said. "Governments should be able to come up with this assistance and come up with it now."
The White House announced Monday evening that an estimated $200 million in emergency food aid would be made available through the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"This additional food aid will address the impact of rising commodity prices on U.S. emergency food aid programs, and be used to meet unanticipated food aid needs in Africa and elsewhere," the White House said in a news release.
"In just two months," Zoellick said in his speech, "rice prices have skyrocketed to near historical levels, rising by around 75 percent globally and more in some markets, with more likely to come. In Bangladesh, a 2-kilogram bag of rice ... now consumes about half of the daily income of a poor family."
The price of wheat has jumped 120 percent in the past year, he said -- meaning that the price of a loaf of bread has more than doubled in places where the poor spend as much as 75 percent of their income on food.
"This is not just about meals forgone today or about increasing social unrest. This is about lost learning potential for children and adults in the future, stunted intellectual and physical growth," Zoellick said.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, also spoke at the joint IMF-World Bank spring meeting.
"If food prices go on as they are today, then the consequences on the population in a large set of countries ... will be terrible," he said.
He added that "disruptions may occur in the economic environment ... so that at the end of the day most governments, having done well during the last five or 10 years, will see what they have done totally destroyed, and their legitimacy facing the population destroyed also."
In Haiti, the prime minister was kicked out of office Saturday, and hospital beds are filled with wounded following riots sparked by food prices.
The World Bank announced a $10 million grant from the United States for Haiti to help the government assist poor families.
In Egypt, rioters have burned cars and destroyed windows of numerous buildings as police in riot gear have tried to quell protests.
Images from Bangladesh and Mozambique tell a similar story.
In the United States and other Western nations, more and more poor families are feeling the pinch. In recent days, presidential candidates have paid increasing attention to the cost of food, often citing it on the stump.
The issue is also fueling a rising debate over how much the rising prices can be blamed on ethanol production. The basic argument is that because ethanol comes from corn, the push to replace some traditional fuels with ethanol has created a new demand for corn that has thrown off world food prices.
Jean Ziegler, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, has called using food crops to create ethanol "a crime against humanity."
"We've been putting our food into the gas tank -- this corn-to-ethanol subsidy which our government is doing really makes little sense," said Columbia University's Sachs.
Former President Clinton, at a campaign stop for his wife in Pennsylvania over the weekend, said, "Corn is the single most inefficient way to produce ethanol because it uses a lot of energy and because it drives up the price of food."
Some environmental groups reject the focus on ethanol in examining food prices.
"The contrived food vs. fuel debate has reared its ugly head once again," the Renewable Fuels Association says on its Web site, adding that "numerous statistical analyses have demonstrated that the price of oil -- not corn prices or ethanol production -- has the greatest impact on consumer food prices because it is integral to virtually every phase of food production, from processing to packaging to transportation."
Analysts agree the cost of fuel is among the reasons for the skyrocketing prices.
Another major reason is rising demand, particularly in places in the midst of a population boom, such as China and India.
Also, said Sachs, "climate shocks" are damaging food supply in parts of the world. "You add it all together: Demand is soaring, supply has been cut back, food has been diverted into the gas tank. It's added up to a price explosion."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/14/world.food.crisis/index.html#cnnSTCText
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Report: Olmert to Divide J'lem, Accept Arab Influx
Curt Here...
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I post today bringing some very interesting news. According to article listed below, over the next six months Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are expected to finalize an agreement which includes the following:
1) Divide Jerusalem
2) Allow Palestinian Immigrants into Israeli Land
3) Israel will withdrawal from Land back to the 1948 original Armistice Line.
This means that all land that was captured during the six day war of 1967 will be returned to the various Arab Nations. Sadly, President George Bush seems to pushing Israel in this direction along with EU.
Some will naturally think that this could be the "Covenant With Many" as described in Daniel 9:27, but if you have been following my blog or the few others that I have listed on my favorites than you will know that this so called "agreement" is probably part of existing deal that is already in place. You see the European Neighborhood Policy requires peace with your neighbors in order to participate and receive funding and trading incentives with the EU. With regularly scheduled reviews from the EU into each countries individual ENP Action plans, the EU continues to put more and more pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to come to peace with each other, and if they don't they could lose their right to participate in the ENP. This is what I believe is happening and the reason the push for peace continues.
I think if you follow and study Biblical Prophecy at all then you know that Jerusalem will someday be divided, but it is very sad to be watching it happen. The good news is that this is all part of God's plan and it means we are one step closer to our Lord's return.
Keep looking up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
IsraelNN.com) Over the next six months Israeli and PA negotiators are expected to finalize an agreement that will include dividing Jerusalem, flooding Israel with Palestinian immigrants and an Israeli withdrawal to the 1948 Armistice Line.
According to a report issued by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Prime Minister Olmert has indicated Israel's willingness to be "flexible" in meeting Arab demands, and US President George W. Bush will pressure PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to do the same during meetings next month. Israel will reportedly withdraw most military and civilians to the 1967 border, with the exception of large settlement blocks near pre-1967 Israel.
Israel is also expected to meet Arab demands to "make up" territories in Judea and Samaria that remain under Israeli control by transferring lands from pre-1967 Israel to PA control. But the PA has refused to accept Arab-populated regions of pre-1967 Israel as part of the deal.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/144324
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I post today bringing some very interesting news. According to article listed below, over the next six months Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are expected to finalize an agreement which includes the following:
1) Divide Jerusalem
2) Allow Palestinian Immigrants into Israeli Land
3) Israel will withdrawal from Land back to the 1948 original Armistice Line.
This means that all land that was captured during the six day war of 1967 will be returned to the various Arab Nations. Sadly, President George Bush seems to pushing Israel in this direction along with EU.
Some will naturally think that this could be the "Covenant With Many" as described in Daniel 9:27, but if you have been following my blog or the few others that I have listed on my favorites than you will know that this so called "agreement" is probably part of existing deal that is already in place. You see the European Neighborhood Policy requires peace with your neighbors in order to participate and receive funding and trading incentives with the EU. With regularly scheduled reviews from the EU into each countries individual ENP Action plans, the EU continues to put more and more pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to come to peace with each other, and if they don't they could lose their right to participate in the ENP. This is what I believe is happening and the reason the push for peace continues.
I think if you follow and study Biblical Prophecy at all then you know that Jerusalem will someday be divided, but it is very sad to be watching it happen. The good news is that this is all part of God's plan and it means we are one step closer to our Lord's return.
Keep looking up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
IsraelNN.com) Over the next six months Israeli and PA negotiators are expected to finalize an agreement that will include dividing Jerusalem, flooding Israel with Palestinian immigrants and an Israeli withdrawal to the 1948 Armistice Line.
According to a report issued by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Prime Minister Olmert has indicated Israel's willingness to be "flexible" in meeting Arab demands, and US President George W. Bush will pressure PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to do the same during meetings next month. Israel will reportedly withdraw most military and civilians to the 1967 border, with the exception of large settlement blocks near pre-1967 Israel.
Israel is also expected to meet Arab demands to "make up" territories in Judea and Samaria that remain under Israeli control by transferring lands from pre-1967 Israel to PA control. But the PA has refused to accept Arab-populated regions of pre-1967 Israel as part of the deal.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/144324
Friday, March 14, 2008
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.
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
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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