Pope to Visit Synagogue in Sign of Friendship Amid Questions

Pope to Visit Synagogue in Sign of Friendship Amid Questions (Source ABC) Pope Francis becomes the third pope to visit Rome’s main synagogue in a sign of continued Catholic-Jewish friendship that was highlighted by a recent Vatican declaration that it doesn’t support official efforts to convert the Jews. But the visit also follows a series of developments that have upset some in the Jewish community, including a new Vatican treaty signed with the “state of Palestine” and Francis’ own words and deeds that have been interpreted by some as favoring the Palestinian political cause. The chief rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, said in an interview that the papal visit is aimed at showing five decades of improving Christian-Jewish relations and interfaith harmony, at a time of Islamic extremist violence around the globe. But he said some recent Vatican developments “cannot be so appreciated by the Jewish community.” Earlier this month, a treaty went into effect regulating the life of the Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories. It was the first treaty the Holy See had signed with the “state of Palestine” after the U.N. General Assembly recognized Palestine in 2012. Before that, in May last year, Francis privately told the visiting Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, that he was “a bit an angel of peace.” And a year before that Francis began his visit to the region in Bethlehem, not Israel, and stopped his popemobile to pray at the separation barrier Israel had built around the West Bank city. Given all that, Jews welcomed a document issued by the Vatican last month tracing 50 years of improved relations following the Second Vatican Council’s “Nostra Aetate” declaration which , among other things, repudiated the centuries-old charge that Jews as a whole were responsible for the death of Christ. In the new document, the Vatican went farther than “Nostra Aetate” or any subsequent Vatican statement making clear that Jews are in a salvific relationship with God and that the Catholic Church “neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.” “This document is very significant,” said Rabbi David Rosen of the American Jewish Committee, the Vatican’s longtime dialogue partner with the Jewish community who will attend Sunday’s visit as a representative of the chief rabbinate of Israel. But Rosen, during the official Vatican launch of the document, pointed out the absence of any reference to Jews’ relationship with the land of Israel, or to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See in 1993. That development alone has paved the way for successive papal trips to Israel.

 

 

Activists call for American Indian genocide monument near Moscow US embassy

Activists call for American Indian genocide monument near Moscow US embassy (Source RT)

Russian activists are requesting permission to install a monument near the US embassy in Moscow dedicated to the genocide of American Indians. A member of the Russian Public Chamber says the move could soon get official support. The activists have launched a petition in support of the monument on the change.org website. It says that “despite assuming the position of a ‘global policeman’ the United States still refuses to accept the responsibility for killing over 15 million Native Americans.” The petition goes on to call for public support for the monument, which would be dedicated to “the memory of American Indians who perished as heroes in the unfair war with treacherous invaders.” According to the author of the document, the request will be forwarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, and to the Russian Public Chamber.

Public Chamber member Valery Korovin said in comments to RIA Novosti that the petition was timely and official support for it was very likely. “The initiative to install this monument is very urgent today because it would remind everyone how the history of the United States started. It must become a silent reproach to the modern-day American elites who have seriously diverged from the ideals that were made a foundation of American statehood,” Korovin told reporters.  He also noted that activists should consider a separate petition calling on the US Congress to recognize the genocide of American Indians and to pass a law on the rehabilitation of Native Americans – which is necessary for the US “be done with this dark spot in their history.” “Without the repentance of US society it is impossible to talk about this country’s leadership. The United States now has no moral right to speak about the rights and freedoms of any ethnic groups,” he added.

Male Bass are experiencing unwanted sex changes

MALE BASS ARE EXPERIENCING UNWANTED SEX CHANGES (Source NEWSER) Male bass are experiencing unwanted sex changes, apparently thanks to the “chemical soups” that pass for waterways in the Northeast. The Washington Post reports 85% of male smallmouth bass surveyed in the region have “characteristics of the opposite sex”—specifically eggs where their testes should be. The same is true of 27 percent of area largemouth bass, Vice adds. For a recently published study, researchers tested bass near 19 wildlife refuges in the Northeast, according to a US Geological Survey press release. Researchers didn’t do a chemical analysis of the water where the intersex fish were found, so they can’t be sure specifically what is causing the sex changes. But they suspect the problem is things that get dumped down drains and into US waters. Researchers believe the likely culprits are birth control pills, pesticides, hormones in livestock manure, and other chemical-heavy products, according to the press release.

Has Germany’s Strongman Finally Arrived?

Has Germany’s Strongman Finally Arrived? (Source thetrumpet.com) Germany is facing one of the worst crises in its modern history. Refugees from the Middle East are flooding into Europe by the hundreds of thousands, and more are traveling to Germany than to any other nation—an estimated 1.5 million just this year! This is an emergency with massive implications for Germany. First is the financial cost of assimilating all those people into German society, including the strain on public services and welfare programs. Many Germans are also troubled by the cultural and religious influence of so many Arabs and Muslims. Then there is the very real danger of violent terrorists entering in among the refugees! German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been very liberal in opening Germany’s borders to this flood of foreigners, and she is quickly losing popular support as a result. One prominent politician who has strongly criticized Chancellor Merkel for her response to the refugee crisis is Edmund Stoiber. He was once chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union. “Certainly he would ask the question, how many people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds can our country accommodate?” he said, according to Germany’s Der Bayernkurier. Spiegel Online published an article about the crisis on August 31. Its title: “Dark Germany, Bright Germany: Which Side Will Prevail Under Strain of Refugees?” Will this nation lose control of its borders and succumb to the flood of immigrants until much of it becomes more foreign than native? That is what we are seeing in Britain and the U.S. Or will Germany find some bright, enlightened course of action to solve this crisis? Or—will it respond with a strongman—and a dark Germany? Biblical prophecy makes the answer clear. A strongman is on the scene, just waiting for the right moment to emerge.

China plane landings in South China Sea raise tensions

China plane landings in South China Sea raise tensions (Source AFP) China’s recent landing of aircraft on a contested reef in the South China Sea is raising tensions and promoting instability in the region, the Pentagon warned. A Department of Defense spokesman said three civilian flights are now believed to have landed on one of the islands, corroborating Chinese state media reports that three civilian aircraft have landed on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed Spratlys island group. “We clearly are concerned by these flights… and we’re concerned by all of these activities being conducted by the Chinese in disputed islands in the South China Sea,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters. “We call for a diplomatic resolution to these issues in the South China Sea and certainly these flights do nothing to foster further stability and understanding in that part of the world,” Cook said.China’s initial aircraft landing on Saturday prompted a formal diplomatic complaint from Hanoi, which labelled it a violation of sovereignty. The Philippines also said it would file a protest.

 

Global Financial Turmoil Continues on Fears of Slower Growth

Global Financial Turmoil Continues on Fears of Slower Growth (Source globalresearch.ca) China’s stock market was closed early for the second time in four days as stocks plunged as soon as it opened.. When the markets re-opened the losses continued and the market was shut for the day when they hit 7 percent. The China plunge came after a day of turbulence in European and US markets on, prompted by a further drop in oil prices, rising concerns over Chinese growth and financial stability, and worries over emerging market debt. Reports of a North Korean hydrogen bomb test added to the uncertainty. In the US, the major indexes fell by more than 1 percent, with the Dow and the S&P 500 ending the day below 17,000 and 2,000, respectively. The US share sell-off followed sharp declines in Japan and other parts of Asia, as well across Europe. The main factor at work is the deepening trend toward recession in the global economy, which is starting to undermine the financial bubble that has been created by the pumping of trillions of dollars into global financial markets by the US Fed and other major central banks. Market analysts speaking to the American business channel CNBC cited China and signs of a worsening situation globally and in the US. “It’s pretty much the same story. You’ve got China growth problems,” and “the US manufacturing sector seems to be in recession territory,” one commentator said. Another commented that the “biggest thing affecting markets” is that “we’re coming in with an assumption that the global economy is slowing more” in 2015 than 2016. “We’re worried about China.” Another analyst told the Los Angeles Times that markets were “trading on fear that Chinese growth is going to collapse and that… lower oil prices are going to lead to a growing number of defaults in the high-yield bond market.” Those fears have been compounded by the fall in the price of Brent crude to below $35 per barrel for the first time since 2004, while the price of American crude hit its lowest point in seven years. The falling oil price feeds directly into energy markets via energy-based companies and into the high-yield or “junk” bond market, which saw an infusion of cheap money when oil was trading at more than $100 a barrel barely 18 months ago. The worsening situation in China is evidenced both in the economy and the financial system. Chinese growth is already down to its lowest levels in a quarter of a century, with manufacturing activity experiencing lower growth for five months in a row and exports down for each of the last 15 months. But a new cause for concern appeared on Wednesday with the news that the services sector had experienced its lowest growth for 17 months. The official policy of the Chinese government is that it is making a transition to a more service-based economy. Chinese stock market and financial turbulence, which rattled world markets in August last year, has also returned. On the first day of trading, markets were automatically shut down following a drop of almost 7 percent, as the date for the lifting of government restrictions on share trading imposed in August approached. As in the crisis five months ago, there are concerns about the stability of the Chinese currency, the renminbi. It has now reached its lowest point in five years, as the gap between its value in the more tightly controlled domestic market and the offshore market widens to record levels. The offshore value of the renminbi has dropped by more than 2 percent this week, recalling the events of August, when its surprise devaluation sent shock waves through world markets.

Putin points to NATO threat in new security strategy

Putin points to NATO threat in new security strategy (Source CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a new security strategy, which points to NATO expansion as a threat to the country. The document outlines the national interests and strategic priorities of the nation. Putin signed the executive order Thursday, establishing a new posture toward the NATO bloc, which has seen its relationship with Russia deteriorate since the crisis in Ukraine, which began in 2014. Russian news agency Tass quotes the strategy, which cites a NATO military buildup, and “the alliance’s approach to Russia’s borders,” as a threat to Russia’s national security. The document says the organization is illegally extending its reach. “The buildup of the military potential of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and vesting it with global functions implemented in violations of norms of international law, boosting military activity of the bloc’s countries, further expansion of the alliance, the approach of its military infrastructure to Russian borders create a threat to the national security,” it says.

How the Obama Administration Changed Our Missile Defense Strategy

How the Obama Administration Changed Our Missile Defense Strategy (Source cnnews.com) Recently the Russian strategic missile forces’ commander Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said Russia’s new missiles will have the capability to neutralize any future U.S. missile defense system. For now, Karakayev is right – not because the missiles are invincible – but because the Obama administration is deliberately limiting the United States’ ballistic missile defense program. This must change. Background on U.S. Missile Defense Strategy. After the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense Treaty in 2002, the United States focused on developing a layered ballistic missile defense system. The Bush administration concentrated on quick deployment of the ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system for the protection of U.S. homeland. This system is made up of ground based missiles and radars, which can incept incoming missiles. To augment the protection within the United States, the Bush administration planned on deploying a radar to the Czech Republic with two-stage ground-based midcourse defense interceptors in Poland. In order to address intermediate, and shot-range ballistic missile threats, the Bush administration developed and deployed Aegis ship-based missile defense system, the Theatre High Altitude Area Defense System, and the Patriot system. Change of Plans Under Obama. The U.S. missile defense plans changed, however, under the Obama administration. Our current administration decided to pursue a European Phased Adaptive Approach, a modified missile defense plan emphasizing medium-range ballistic missile threat, instead of putting a radar and two-stage ground-based interceptors in Europe. The Obama administration was to augment protection of the U.S. homeland in the 2020 timeframe. But the Obama administration decided to cancel that aspect of the plan and focus on short- and medium-range missile defense protection for the European allies (Russia happened to object to this part of the plan most). The United States therefore is deliberately pursuing a missile defense program to be able to intercept only a handful of incoming ballistic missiles of first, not as technologically advanced, generations. Given the spread of ballistic missiles – their increasing sophistication, range, and lethality – it is time to put U.S. missile defense policy on a sound track. Additionally, Russia’s aggressive behavior and a desire to use its nuclear and ballistic missile leverage to blackmail the U.S. and its allies, the United States should plan in a comprehensive-layered ballistic missile defense system capable of shooting down all ballistic missiles. To do so, the United States will have to pursue a space-based ballistic missile defense layer as well as continue to work on future technologies, for example directed energy.

Buffet Dumping Stocks

Buffet Dumping Stocks?(Source Yahoo) This is a fascinating story with implications for every American. Warren Buffett – one of the most successful investors of our time – recently made a series of stunning financial moves… moves that suggest he could be anticipating a big movement in the value of the dollar. What is he doing exactly? Over the past couple of years, Buffett has sold off or reduced his holdings in businesses that depend on consumer spending, like Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson. He’s purchased hard assets such as one of the largest railways in North America. which includes real assets such as rights of way, adjacent mining rights, rail, and rolling stock.He also acquired huge oil and natural gas resources in Canada. Why do some think these moves are in preparation for a major dollar movement? Well, these moves appear to follow a script produced by one of the richest men of the 1920s… German tycoon Hugo Stinnes.Stinnes owned interests in the coal, steel, and shipping industries… and leveraged those interests to not only protect, but also to grow his fortune during extreme hyperinflation.

Revealed: Russia’s Plans for Lethal New S-500 Missile System

Revealed: Russia’s Plans for Lethal New S-500 Missile System (Source nationalinterest.org) Russia will soon be fielding the powerful S-500 integrated air and missile defense system, which is currently under development by the Moscow-based defense firm Almaz Antey. Is not clear if the new weapon—which is referred to as both the S-500 Prometey and as the 55R6M Triumfator-M—is an upgraded variant of powerful S-400 that Russia recently deployed to Syria or a clean-sheet design. However, what is known is that the new S-500 boasts impressive capabilities and will pose an even greater threat to allied air power than its predecessors once it becomes fully operational. Igor Korotchenko, director of the Russian think-tank Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade and chairman of the Russian ministry of defense’s public council, told the state-owned media outlet Sputnik last Friday that the new weapon would enter service shortly. “We heard figures indicating that the Russian Aerospace Forces will soon receive more S-400 systems. The S-500 will soon finish state tests and enter service,” Korotchenko said following a Russian defense ministry board meeting. Earlier reports had suggested that the S-500 would enter service in 2017. There is little solid information about the new missile defense system available—but there are some indications that it is a completely new design. “Work is underway to create a new fifth-generation air defence system S-500 which can destroy aerodynamic and ballistic targets of all types at all altitudes used in combat,” Russian deputy defense minister Yuri Borisov told TASS in 2014.

The S-500 is expected to able to detect and simultaneously attack up to ten ballistic missile warheads flying at speeds of up to 23 thousand feet per second. It is also reportedly being designed to use hit-to-kill interceptors—a design with similarities to Lockheed Martin’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). It may have a range as great as 373 miles and hit targets as high as 115 miles. That means the S-500 will be able to intercept warheads incoming from space. Like all modern Russian air defense systems, the S-500 is expected to be highly mobile and will use a network of radars for targeting over vast distances. The missile system is expected to use the 91N6A(M) battle management radar, a modified 96L6-TsP acquisition radar, as well as the new 76T6 multimode engagement and 77T6 ABM engagement radars, according to Missile Threat—which is run by the George C. Marshall and Claremont Institutes. The S-500s are also expected to be networked with their S-400 and S-300 predecessors as part of an overall integrated air-defense network.