Birth Pangs of Matthew 24, Jan. 13, 2007

[Shammu]

Here truly is some deception......................

Divine Readings (By Cally), is providing spiritual readings and counsel based on her Christian faith in the psychic industry.

HAWTHORNE, FL -- JANUARY 11, 2007 --- Through one of the internet's most popular websites for psychic readings. Cally is bringing a different, but daring approach to the psychic industry She provides spiritual readings and counsel through her gifts of christian prophecy.

New York (MediaPressRelease) January 12, 2007 - In the psychic industry today, very few people like her share their faith to others who call for psychic advice; for fear that they may offend people, or lose their validity as a psychic or medium.

Cally's experience in providing these services has been for over 14 years. According to Cally; " My goal is to help the person find their answers and advice by looking up, not down or around. I don't pretend to be high and mighty just because I have the gifts of divine prophecy, counsel and healing. I profess my faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. So the messages I recieve in the gifts I have, allow the person to come to understand why they are going through a particular situation, how to get out of it, or what will happen if they stay in it. I don't sue toward divination, but the power of God.

My desire is to see souls changed and come to know the One who is REALLY in control. I do this in a way that doesn't shove it down people's throats or pass judgement either. Some people like it and some don't. Alot people turn to psychics looking for some kind of direction and peace. This is the reason why I do what I do. I want to do His will, and what better way to roll up your sleeves and be a Godly influence? In the psychic world of course. "Cally is currently providing her through a popular website on the internet (they wish to be nameless) and has her own private website. (website edited out.... DW)

Cally's clients include everyday people, people in the entertainment and corporate industries. She is an Ordained christian minister, christian spiritual counselor and spiritual healing practioner. She has studied in christian apologetics, several christian theologies, jewish theology, and spiritual counseling for 14 years. She is currently writing her first book about her experiences in the psychic industry and continues to provide spiritual advice, and christian counsel over the phone via her website.

[Shammu]

New York Firefighters Outraged by Ban on American Flags, Pictures of Fallen Colleagues on Lockers

Thursday , January 11, 2007

In a stunning crackdown, the FDNY has demanded that all personal decorations, including flags and pictures of colleagues killed on Sept. 11, 2001, be removed from lockers.

The controversy began two weeks ago when a sexually explicit slogan was reported at Engine 230 in Brooklyn. In response, FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta banned all decorations, including American flags, "Support Our Troops" stickers, pictures of family and Mass cards.

Stephen Cassidy, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said the department has gone too far.

"We're tired of being treated like children," he told WCBS-TV. "It will not continue. If we have to take legal action we will."

Union officials said they planned to hand out 10,000 decals of American flags to firefighters so they could stick them on lockers in defiance of the crackdown.

The fire department later Wednesday issued a statement that sought to alleviate firefighters' concerns.

"Over the past 18 months, the New York City Fire Department has made a concerted effort to eliminate offensive material from firehouses. However, American flags and mass cards of firefighters killed on Sept. 11, 2001, are certainly permitted."

But earlier, it appeared the FDNY was sticking to its guns.

"No city agency should permit the work place to display inappropriate stuff," said Mylan Denerstein, the FDNY's deputy commissioner for legal affairs.

The union has retained civil rights attorney Ron Kuby to fight the regulation. Kuby once famously defended associates of the Gambino crime family and once handled a controversial plea deal for alleged mobster John Gotti Jr.

"Treating firefighters like unruly high school students is demeaning, insulting," Kuby said.

While some firefighters are fighting and dying in Iraq, Kuby told a news conference on the steps of City Hall, "we don't trust them to decorate their lockers?"

Many firefighters decorate their lockers with photos of loved ones, or fellow firefighters who died on Sept. 11 or in their regular line of duty. Yellow ribbons supporting the troops and American flag decals are also common.

FDNY is the largest municipal fire department in the United States, with more than 11,000 uniformed officers and firefighters.

New York Firefighters Outraged by Ban on American Flags, Pictures of Fallen Colleagues on Lockers

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Syria diplomat: No preconditions to negotiations with Israel
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent in Madrid

Damascus will not accept any preconditions over entering negotiations with Israel, Syrian delegation head to a Middle-East conference in Madrid, Riad Daoudi, said on Friday.

Daoudi, the top legal adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad and to the Foreign Ministry in Damascus, responded to MK Ophir Paz-Pines' (Labor) criticism of Syria's support of Palestinian Islamic group Hamas and close ties with Iran.

He said that those issues could be discussed in the future as part of possible talks, but that in any case Hamas and Iran play a significant role in the area and cannot be ignored

The second Madrid conference, which commemorates the 15-year anniversary of the historic 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, began Thursday morning. The participation of Israeli and Syrian representatives at a dinner Wednesday to inaugurate the conference marked the first time in seven years that officials from the two countries sat together at the same table.

On Thursday, Daoudi said that the lack of peace has an adverse effect on Middle East stability. He said that now was the time to set in motion fresh negotiations, something he said was a matter of urgency for Syria and for the entire region.

Daoudi is accompanied by Damascus' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Bushra Kanafani. The Israeli delegation is comprised of Knesset members and former ministers.

He said that Israel's intentions were unclear and blamed it for the failure of bilateral peace talks, particularly in 1996, when Shimon Peres was prime minister, and in 2000, when Ehud Barak led the government, and for the subsequent refusals to renew talks.

Daoudi also accused the U.S. of taking peace off its agenda in favor of force, which he said went against the interests of the regional states.

He called on Europe to take a more active role in renewing talks, and to take an official role in the Madrid conference in order to revive negotiations through all channels.

Syria diplomat: No preconditions to negotiations with Israel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hmmm.... why am I suspicious??

[Shammu]

France Recovers Stolen 13th-Century Hebrew Manuscript from US
23:25 Jan 13, '07 / 23 Tevet 5767
by Gil Zohar

France has recovered an invaluable 13th-century Hebrew manuscript of the Bible that was stolen from its National Library in Paris.

The document, known as Hebrew 52, which was sold to a New York Jewish antiquities dealer, was returned to the National Library of France last Saturday following a verdict by the New York State Supreme Court handed down on Wednesday, January 3.

On May 19, 2000, the Brooklyn purchaser, a dealer in rare Hebraica named Yosef Goldman, picked up the manuscipt by paying $358,000 at a Christie’s auction in New York.

Six years later the Bibliothטque Nationale de France filed suit against Goldman, demanding the return of the stolen manuscript. This suit came after a former chief curator of the library's Hebrew collection, Michel Garel, was convicted in March 2006 of stealing Hebrew 52 in 1998. After pleading innocent, he was fined 400,000 euros and given a two-year suspended sentence.

The lawsuit against Goldman alleged that the manuscript he purchased was the one known as ‘Hebrew 52.’ In July, 2006, Goldman in turn sued Christie's in Brooklyn Supreme Court, saying the auction house should never have accepted the work for auction, and that he should be refunded $358,000 in return for the manuscript.

On January 10, 2007, The New York Times reported that a settlement had been reached. After complex negotiations between French officials, Christie’s and Goldman, the manuscript was returned to the library, and Goldman received a refund. Library officials said that Goldman purchased the manuscript in good faith and had already resold it when its theft was discovered. France reportedly agreed to cover some of Goldman’s legal expenses.

France Recovers Stolen 13th-Century Hebrew Manuscript from US

[Shammu]

 American Jews Welcome Muslim U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
17:39 Jan 09, '07 / 19 Tevet 5767
by Hana Levi Julian

Jewish groups in the United States say U.S. President George W. Bush’s choice for America’s new ambassador to the United Nations is a boon for Israel.


The appointment of Zalmay Khalilzad, the first Muslim to serve in the post, is considered to be a positive sign that U.S. support for the Jewish State will continue.

According to the Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Hoenlein, “Khalilzad is considered to have a positive attitude towards Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship.” Hoenlein, whose umbrella organization is the central coordinating body for 50 national Jewish organizations, said he expects Khalilzad to maintain the U.S.’s current policies on Israel.

He added that Khalilzad’s background may also be a plus for the both the U.S. and Israel in the world body. “Having a Muslim ambassador may help improve communication with some member states at the U.N.,” he said. But the final word on the American agenda remains in the hands of the President, he added, saying, “I don’t see any major shift in U.S.-Israel policy.”

Khalilzad’s appointment was also met with positive reactions from officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who said they “look forward to working with him.”

The Bush administration is going through a number of personnel changes at present. John Negroponte, until now the director of National Intelligence, is moving over to take the number two spot at the State Department as deputy to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Prior to his stint as intelligence chief, Negroponte served as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

The international executive vice president of the Bnai Brith organization, Dan Mariaschin, spoke warmly about Negroponte’s tenure in the U.N. when commenting on Khalilzad’s appointment, saying he hoped the new ambassador would continue the “Negroponte doctrine” at the world body. Mariaschin was referring to Negroponte’s policy of vetoing one-sided anti-Israel resolutions presented in the U.N. Security Council.

Khalilzad’s immediate predecessor, John Bolton, was not approved by the U.S. Senate to continue in the post due to his criticism of the U.N. and strong ideological convictions. Bolton was a staunch supporter of Israel and his loss has some Jewish leaders worried.

“Not having John Bolton at the U.N. will be a change. You could see a different kind of advocacy there,” said one unnamed Jewish leader who asked not to be identified. “For John Bolton, support for Israel was a major concern. For others it might be less of a priority.”

Khalilzad, a Sunni Muslim, currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, a position he took up after serving in the same role in Afghanistan, where he was born. Khalilzad studied at the American University of Beirut and the University of Chicago. He must still be confirmed by the Senate in order to formally take up his new post.

American Jews Welcome Muslim U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

[Shammu]

Russia Demands Tighter Security for Embassy in Iraq After Gunfire Attack

Created: 12.01.2007 11:14 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:49 MSK

MosNews

Russian foreign ministry demanded tighter protection for the Russian embassy in Baghdad after it was fired upon with automatic weapons, the Interfax news agency reports.

The twice came under automatic gunfire on Wednesday evening, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported on Thursday.

No one was injured, but the embassy building sustained material damage, the ministry said.

“Russia demands that the Iraqi authorities take immediate and comprehensive measures to increase the physical protection of the diplomatic mission,” the ministry said.

The Iraqi authorities “are directly responsible” for the embassy’s security under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the ministry said.

Russia Demands Tighter Security for Embassy in Iraq After Gunfire Attack

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Top U.S. Official Warns West of Russian Policy

Created: 12.01.2007 11:08 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:50 MSK

MosNews

U.S. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte warned Thursday that Russia is becoming a regional energy superpower and increasingly is pursuing foreign policy goals that threaten U.S. and Western interests, the Associated press reports.

High energy prices have allowed Russia to increase its assertiveness in foreign affairs, said Negroponte in his annual global review.

“A flush economy and perceived policy successes at home and abroad have bolstered Russian confidence, enabled increased defense spending and emboldened the Kremlin to pursue foreign policy goals that are not always consistent with those of Western institutions,” Negroponte told the Senate Intelligence Committee in written testimony.

Rivalry with Russia, he said, will complicate cooperation on important foreign policy goals including counterterrorism, nonproliferation and democracy promotion in the Middle East.

As Russia approaches a March 2008 presidential election, the government has been undermining its credibility as a partner with the West by stifling political opposition, Negroponte said.

Alexander Litvinenko, a Kremlin critic who lived in exile in London, died in a London hospital on November 23 after receiving a lethal dose of polonium-210. In a deathbed statement, he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, which the Kremlin has denied.

Russia’s foreign policy tactics also are producing friction with the West.

Negroponte said Russia is trying to use economic power stemming from its exports of the country’s immense energy resources to influence the internal politics of neighbors, including countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, former Soviet republics that have recently moved toward greater democracy.

“Russia is attempting to exploit the leverage that high energy prices has afforded it, increasingly using strong-arm tactics against neighboring countries,” he said.

He warned more broadly that access to energy is emerging as a source of greater vulnerability for the West as producers increase their economic power and consumers compete more aggressively for resources.

“We have entered a new era in which security has become an increasing priority not only for the U.S. and the West, but also rapidly developing economies like China and India that are becoming major energy consumers,” he said.

In separate prepared testimony, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Michael Maples, said “Russian entities” sell technologies useful for weapons of mass destruction and missile programs abroad.

Top U.S. Official Warns West of Russian Policy