Monday, January 21, 2013
'Snow tsunami' swallows streets, cars, buildings in Russia
Unrelenting snowfalls have caused unprecedented chaos in Russia. Over the past week, the country has seen scores of traffic accidents, flight delays and, in some cases, the complete isolation of some remote settlements and towns.
While the snowstorms have caused inconvenience for large population centers in western Russia, they have been life-threatening further east in the country. The polar circle city of Norilsk has been buried under 10 feet of snow – entire apartment blocks, markets, stores and offices were buried under snow overnight.
Banks of snow were as high as two people put together, reaching the second-story windows of some apartment buildings. Cars, stores, garages were blocked. Norilsk metropolitan workers were forced to dig passageways through the snow banks to create access between the outside world and the barricaded city.
Meanwhile, icicles up to three feet in length have formed off the ledges of buildings, breaking at random and causing a lethal hazard for pedestrians below.
Elsewhere, the extreme weather continues. In the Altai Republic in Western Siberia, 12 Russian settlements were isolated because of the snowstorm. Seven settlements, with a total population of 1,300 people, remain cut off from the outside world due to the snow drifts. Emergency crews are currently en route to deliver needed supplies to the stranded populations.
Snow accompanied by strong winds has caused flight delays in the airport of Russia’s far eastern town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The runway has been cleared, but planes are not risking takeoff due to strong sidewinds. Flights were also delayed in Russia’s easternmost cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.
More snow storms are predicted in Western Siberia and the Western Urals over the weekend.
RT
While the snowstorms have caused inconvenience for large population centers in western Russia, they have been life-threatening further east in the country. The polar circle city of Norilsk has been buried under 10 feet of snow – entire apartment blocks, markets, stores and offices were buried under snow overnight.
Banks of snow were as high as two people put together, reaching the second-story windows of some apartment buildings. Cars, stores, garages were blocked. Norilsk metropolitan workers were forced to dig passageways through the snow banks to create access between the outside world and the barricaded city.
Meanwhile, icicles up to three feet in length have formed off the ledges of buildings, breaking at random and causing a lethal hazard for pedestrians below.
Elsewhere, the extreme weather continues. In the Altai Republic in Western Siberia, 12 Russian settlements were isolated because of the snowstorm. Seven settlements, with a total population of 1,300 people, remain cut off from the outside world due to the snow drifts. Emergency crews are currently en route to deliver needed supplies to the stranded populations.
Snow accompanied by strong winds has caused flight delays in the airport of Russia’s far eastern town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The runway has been cleared, but planes are not risking takeoff due to strong sidewinds. Flights were also delayed in Russia’s easternmost cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.
More snow storms are predicted in Western Siberia and the Western Urals over the weekend.
RT
The Sovereign Debt Bubble Will Continue Until – BANG – The System Implodes
Why are so many politicians around the world declaring that the debt crisis is "over" when debt to GDP ratios all over the planet continue to skyrocket? The global economy has never seen anything like the sovereign debt bubble that we are experiencing today. The United States, Japan, and nearly every major nation in Europe are absolutely drowning in debt. We have heard a lot about "austerity" over in Europe in recent years, but debt to GDP ratios continue to rise in Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Portugal. In general, most economists consider a debt to GDP ratio of 100% to be a "danger level", and most of the economies of the western world have either already surpassed that level or are rapidly approaching it. Of course the biggest debt offender of all in many ways is the United States. The U.S. debt to GDP ratio has risen from 66.6 percent to 103 percent since 2007, and the U.S. government accumulated more new debt during Barack Obama's first term than it did under the first 42 U.S. presidents combined. This insane sovereign debt bubble will continue to expand until a day of reckoning arrives and the system implodes. Nobody knows exactly when that moment will be reached, but without a doubt it is coming.
But if you listen to the mainstream media in the United States, you would be tempted to think that this giant bubble of debt is not much of a concern at all. For example, in a recent article in the Washington Post entitled "The case for deficit optimism", Ezra Klein wrote the following...
"Here’s a secret: For all the sound and fury, Washington’s actually making real progress on debt."
How many times have we heard that before?
About a decade ago, government officials were projecting that we would be swimming in gigantic government surpluses by now.
Instead, we are running trillion dollar deficits.
But right now there is a lot of optimism about the economy. The stock market recently hit a 5 year high and the business community is loving all of the false prosperity that all of this debt is buying us.
Even Warren Buffett does not really seem concerned about the exploding U.S. government debt. He recently made the following statement...
"It is not a good thing to have it going up in relation to GDP. That should be stabilized. But the debt itself is not a problem."
Oh really?
A debt of 16 trillion dollars "is not a problem"?
Perhaps we should all run our finances that way.
Why don't we all go out and open up 20 different credit cards, run them all up to the max, and then tell the credit card companies that we can't pay them back but that it "is not a problem".
Of course real life does not work that way.
The truth is that government debt is becoming a monstrous problem all over the globe. Just check out how debt to GDP ratios all over the planet have grown over the past five years...
United States
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 66.6 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 103 percent
United Kingdom
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 43.4 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 85.0 percent
France
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 63.7 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 86 percent
Germany
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 67.6 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 80.5 percent
Spain
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 39.6 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 69.3 percent
Ireland
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 24.8 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 106.4 percent
Portugal
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 63.9 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 108.1 percent
Italy
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 106.6 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 120.7 percent
Greece
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 106.1 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 170.6 percent
The Eurozone As A Whole
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 68.4 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 87.3 percent
Japan
Debt to GDP ratio in 2007: 172.1 percent
Debt to GDP ratio in 2012: 211.7 percent
So how does all of this end?
Well, it is going to be messy, but it is very difficult to say exactly when the system will collapse under the weight of too much debt. Some nations, such as Japan, are able to handle very high debt loads because they have a very high level of domestic saving. Up to this point, an astounding 95 percent of all Japanese government bonds have been purchased domestically. But other nations collapse under the weight of government debt even before they reach a debt to GDP ratio of 100%. The following is an excerpt from a recent Congressional Research Service report...
It is hard to predict at what point bond holders would deem it to be unsustainable. A few other advanced economies have debt-to-GDP ratios higher than that of the United States. Some of those countries in Europe have recently seen their financing costs rise to the point that they are unable to finance their deficits solely through private markets. But Japan has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio of any advanced economy, and it has continued to be able to finance its debt at extremely low costs.
When a government runs up massive amounts of debt, it is playing with fire. You can pile up mountains of government debt for a while, but eventually it catches up with you.
Over the past 10 years, the U.S. national debt has grown by an average of 9.3 percent per year, but the overall U.S. economy has only grown by an average of just 1.8 percent per year. That is unsustainable by definition.
There is going to be a tremendous price to pay for the debt binge that the U.S. government has indulged in over the past decade. During Barack Obama's first term, the amount of new debt accumulated by the federal government breaks down to about $50,521 for every single household in the United States. That is utter insanity.
If you can believe it, we have accumulated more new government debt under Obama than we did from the inauguration of George Washington to the end of the Clinton administration.
And most Americans realize that something is seriously wrong. One recent poll found that only 34 percent of all Americans believe that the country is heading in the right direction, and 60 percent of all Americans believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction.
If we keep piling up so much debt, at some point a moment of great crisis will arrive. When that moment arrives, we could see havoc throughout the entire global financial system. For instance, most people don't really understand the key role that U.S. Treasuries play in the derivatives market. The following is from a recent article posted onZero Hedge...
This time around, things will be far worse if nothing is solved. If the US loses another AAA rating, then the financial markets could face systemic risk. The reason for this is that US Treasuries are one of the senior most forms of collateral used by the banks to backstop the $600+ trillion derivatives market.As any trader who trades on margin can tell you, when the value of your collateral is called into question, those on the other side of the trade come looking for you to put up more capital on your trades. This can result in assets being sold en masse (similar to what happened after Lehman failed) and things can get very ugly very fast.
For much more on the danger that derivatives pose to our financial system, please see this article: "The Coming Derivatives Panic That Will Destroy Global Financial Markets".
Once again, nobody knows exactly when the sovereign debt bubble will burst, but if we continue down the path that we are currently on, it will inevitably happen at some point.
And according to Professor Carmen Reinhart, when this bubble does burst things could unravel very rapidly...
"These processes are not linear," warns Prof. Reinhart. "You can increase debt for a while and nothing happens. Then you hit the wall, and—bang!—what seem to be minor shocks that the markets would shrug off in other circumstances suddenly become big."
At some point the global financial system will hit the wall that Professor Reinhart has warned about.
Are you ready?
Economic Collapse
Delays in Apple pc production due to worldwide shortage of silver
Silver expert Ted Butler has long predicted and awaited an eventual industrial shortage of physical silver, and a resulting panic silver buying that terminates the bullion bank cartel’s manipulation of the silver market.
Butler may be about to be finally proven correct, if an Apple contractor is right that Apple has delayed production on the new 27” iMacs over an industrial silver shortage in China.
Submitted to Ted Butler and Silver doctors:
I work as a sales contractor for a local independent Apple dealer. I don’t know how many of you closely watch Apple delivery dates, but we received a consignment of the new 21.5″ iMacs and then they dried up. We haven’t received any of the new 27″ iMacs. Our shelves are bare with lots of backorders. I’ve never seen this before.
Apple announced the new iMacs on Oct. 23 2012.
http://www.neowin.net/news/apple-announces-new-imac
It’s been 10 weeks now since any 27″ iMacs have been shipped and Apple states that another 3 to 4 week delivery for those models, if you order today. -Silver Doctors
The price of gold and silver has been pushed down below $1700 and $30 per ounce respectively in the past 45 days in the paper and spot markets, but dealer premiums and over the counter sales show that physical metal prices have disconnected from those market determinants. Many metals dealers such as Apmex now require a $3.99 premium for a single ounce of silver, and sales on EBAY are going for over $35 an ounce lower silver spot prices, and economic uncertainly, is causing many Americans to stock up on the precious metal.
Besides increased industrial use, and the influx of silver coin sales in the U.S., foreign countries and central banks outside the Western world are buying gold and silver in bulk as a hedge against the devaluing dollar. In fact, Germany announced a repatriation of its gold holding from French and American depositories this week, even as China announced record gold buying in the open markets for 2012.
Silver is the metal that the common man has historically used for barter, trade, and as wealth protection against currency and economic devaluation. Where gold is the metal of kings and kingdoms, silver, normally set at a ratio of 10 or 15:1 against gold, is the metal that is most accessible for the middle class and business owner to purchase. With current gold to silver ratios at 52:1, the investment ceiling for silver is much greater than gold, as silver is currently devalued four times lower than its historic price, and is in much smaller quantities above ground than gold is.
As more and more indicators around the world point to a growing shortage in silver, the potential for a massive rise in price increases as investors, central banks, and industrial producers see the need to hoard the metal before prices become unaffordable. The newest revelation today that Apple is unable to produce and deliver their new iMac devices because of a shortage in silver, will not only affect the stock price of the world's largest tech company, but possibly lead to a silver crisis, similar to the airline industry when oil prices climbed to $145 a barrel, that will force a price war between investors and commercial producers over acquisition of the precious metal.
Examiner
2013 - Year of Acceleration
Joseph Herrin (01-20-2013)
If you did not read the previous blog post on the year 2013, and what it portends..
We are only 20 days into the new year and things are already heating up. The focus on gun control has been stirring intense emotions on both sides of the issue. Americans are becoming more polarized. Fighting words are being spoken (and sung).
http://soundcloud.com/stevevaus/come-and-take-it
States and local law enforcement personnel are pushing back against the 23 Executive Orders Barack Obama recently signed that are just the first steps in removing all assault rifles from Americans, removing from them the ability to defend themselves against government tyranny. (Keep in mind, that Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Their allegiance is not to the U.S.A. or other terrestrial kingdoms. See the recent posts on the gun ownership and the mind of Christ.)
http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-great-gun-grab.html
http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/gun-ownership-and-mind-of-christ.html
http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/waco-texas-and-weapons-of-our-warfare.html
As disciples of Christ, we ought to be alert and sober, understanding what is occurring in the world around us, yet we are not to entangle ourselves in worldly affairs.
II Timothy 2:4
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
Those who are disciples of Christ have a heavenly allegiance. Yahweh is not an American, an Englishman, and not even an Israeli.
Isaiah 40:15, 17
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales... All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
Yahshua stated:
John 18:33-36
Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?”... Yahshua answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
If you are a disciple of Christ, then neither is your kingdom of this terrestrial realm. If you are fighting to protect worldly possessions, or to defend a Constitution and Bill of Rights written by rebellious men under the influence of Lucifer, you have embraced a conflict that Yahweh has not given to you. You need to heed the words of Christ, for they are true words.
Matthew 26:52
Then Yahshua said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”
The alternative media is filled with voices of “Christian” men and women who are advocating armed resistance against political tyranny. Christians are being urged to take up carnal weapons to resist flesh and blood. I am appalled at the things that are being declared by men who pretend to be speaking for God, yet they are blind leaders of the blind. Following is one example of the vitriol being spewed forth to the destruction of the people of God.
The Bible and self-defense
If you did not read the previous blog post on the year 2013, and what it portends..
We are only 20 days into the new year and things are already heating up. The focus on gun control has been stirring intense emotions on both sides of the issue. Americans are becoming more polarized. Fighting words are being spoken (and sung).
http://soundcloud.com/stevevaus/come-and-take-it
States and local law enforcement personnel are pushing back against the 23 Executive Orders Barack Obama recently signed that are just the first steps in removing all assault rifles from Americans, removing from them the ability to defend themselves against government tyranny. (Keep in mind, that Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Their allegiance is not to the U.S.A. or other terrestrial kingdoms. See the recent posts on the gun ownership and the mind of Christ.)
http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-great-gun-grab.html
http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/gun-ownership-and-mind-of-christ.html
http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/waco-texas-and-weapons-of-our-warfare.html
As disciples of Christ, we ought to be alert and sober, understanding what is occurring in the world around us, yet we are not to entangle ourselves in worldly affairs.
II Timothy 2:4
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
Those who are disciples of Christ have a heavenly allegiance. Yahweh is not an American, an Englishman, and not even an Israeli.
Isaiah 40:15, 17
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales... All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
Yahshua stated:
John 18:33-36
Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?”... Yahshua answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
If you are a disciple of Christ, then neither is your kingdom of this terrestrial realm. If you are fighting to protect worldly possessions, or to defend a Constitution and Bill of Rights written by rebellious men under the influence of Lucifer, you have embraced a conflict that Yahweh has not given to you. You need to heed the words of Christ, for they are true words.
Matthew 26:52
Then Yahshua said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”
The alternative media is filled with voices of “Christian” men and women who are advocating armed resistance against political tyranny. Christians are being urged to take up carnal weapons to resist flesh and blood. I am appalled at the things that are being declared by men who pretend to be speaking for God, yet they are blind leaders of the blind. Following is one example of the vitriol being spewed forth to the destruction of the people of God.
The Bible and self-defense
Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. He is the author or co-author of 13 books, including his latest, "The Tea Party Manifesto," and his classic, "Taking America Back," now in its third edition and 14th printing.
After my plea to Americans last week to buy firearms as a first step to fighting terrorism, a number of Christians wrote challenging my prescription as unbiblical, unscriptural and ungodly.
Wrong.
The Bible couldn’t be clearer on the right – even the duty – we have as believers to self-defense.
Let’s start in the Old Testament.
“If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him,” we are told in Exodus 22:2. The next verse says, “If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.”
In other words, it was perfectly OK to kill a thief breaking into your house. That’s the ultimate expression of self-defense. It doesn’t matter whether the thief is threatening your life or not. You have the right to protect your home, your family and your property, the Bible says.
The Israelites were expected to have their own personal weapons. Every man would be summoned to arms when the nation confronted an enemy. They didn’t send in the Marines. The people defended themselves.
In 1 Samuel 25:13, we read: “And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.”
Every man had a sword and every man picked it up when it was required.
Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm: “They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?”
The answer to the rhetorical question is clear: No. The people had rebelled against God and put away their weapons of self-defense...
[Source: http://www.wnd.com/2001/11/11783/]
I am going to stop right here, as this article by Joseph Farah reveals how far the church in America has fallen. Not only have the people of God declined morally, but they have forsaken truth. They wrest Scriptures out of their context. They make applications that are false. They use the holy words of Yahweh for their own self-serving, carnal ends. In the three Scriptures cited above by this author, he has failed to “rightly divide the word of truth” in every instance.
In quoting from Exodus 22, Mr. Farah concludes:
In other words, it was perfectly OK to kill a thief breaking into your house. That’s the ultimate expression of self-defense. It doesn’t matter whether the thief is threatening your life or not. You have the right to protect your home, your family and your property...
Mr. Farah has neglected to consider “the whole counsel of God.” He would rather live according to the Law of Moses which was “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” than follow the example of the meek, and suffering Lamb of God.
Matthew 5:38-40
“You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”
Mr. Farah has willfully overlooked the example of the apostles and early church.
Hebrews 10:34
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.
Do these words and examples of the followers of Christ infer a right to protect one’s property, and to shoot an intruder even if they are not threatening a person’s life, as Mr. Farah declares? Absolutely not.
Mr. Farah then cites a Scriptures from I Samuel 25:13 where David tells his men to strap on their swords. If the author even read the context of the passage I would be surprised. If he did read it, he is being exceptionally deceitful. This passage records David’s carnal response when a wealthy man named Nabal (folly) insulted him. David arose to take vengeance into his own hands. He made an oath that not a male from the man’s family would remain alive by morning light. David was about to avenge himself, and commit an atrocity before both God and men.
Mercifully, Yahweh sent the man’s wife, a woman of beauty and wisdom, to persuade David not to avenge himself and have this act trouble his conscience in coming days. David came to his senses. He calmed down, and thanked God for keeping him from committing a great transgression. It is a great perversion of Scripture to use the words of David in this passage to justify man’s carnal impulse for self-defense.
Mr. Farah does no better in his next example.
Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm: “They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?”
The answer to the rhetorical question is clear: No. The people had rebelled against God and put away their weapons of self-defense...
Mr. Farah states things in such a way as to imply that the people rebelled BY PUTTING AWAY THEIR WEAPONS. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yahweh gave the Israelites into the hands of their enemies because they had turned to idolatry and immorality. It was their enemies that stripped the weapons from their hands, for Yahweh removed the ability of His people to defend themselves. The passage cited is from the song of Deborah. Deborah was a prophetess. She was recounting the dealings of Yahweh with His people. Because the Israelites had turned to other gods, Yahweh delivered them into the hands of their enemies. If one begins at the first verse of this historic account, they would understand the true context of these words.
Judges 4:1-3
Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of Yahweh, after Ehud died. And Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. And the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.
Shame and condemnation are upon the head of Joseph Farah. He has distorted the Scriptures for his own agenda. Those who would be teachers to the people of God will be held to a stricter judgment. This man is not walking in the fear of Yahweh. Tragically, myriads of Christians have no more integrity than this man. They do not examine the Scriptures to see if what is being declared is true. When they hear something that appeals to their soul, they embrace it without discernment. Those who receive evil counsel will fall into great harm. Satan would like nothing better than to foment a physical war between Christians and the governments of this world. It would provide justification to slaughter the people of God. Men like Joseph Farah are leading the people of God into paths of destruction.
I recommend the following post that was forwarded to me this morning.
http://weeping-jeremiahs.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-american-patriots-gospel.html
What is occurring in America is no different than what occurred in the days of Deborah. Yahweh has given a nation into the hands of evil men who are disarming them. This is Yahweh’s judgment upon the great evil in America. In three days the nation will mark the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision which led to the slaughter of more than 50 millions babies. The blood of these innocent victims cries out from the ground, and blood will be required in return. If you take up arms, it will be your blood added to the soil of this nation.
I was discussing the government’s agenda to remove guns from the people with a brother in Christ some weeks ago. I shared with him that now that the government has begun the push to wrest guns away from the people, they will not let the issue die until their purpose has been accomplished. He wrote me and suggested that he believes it will take an act of violence that will stir up a great cry against guns in this nation, something that exceeds even the outcry over the Sandy Hook massacre, to give the government the justification to enact draconian gun measures. He suggested that one event he could envision would be the assassination of the President.
I am loathe to make predictions based upon what is observed in events that man has had a hand in creating, such as the symbolism of the Olympic ceremonies, or the themes and details of Hollywood productions. I have found that such things are far better understood in hindsight, and that using them to predict the future is a dubious endeavor. Nevertheless, I believe there are some things that bear watching. Therefore, I share the following not as a prophecy of what will occur, but for the sake of being alert if such a thing does occur.
I will share the following in chronological order of occurrence. Back in 2008 as Barack Obama campaigned for the Presidency the media made much of parallels between Obama and Abraham Lincoln. They were both politicians from Illinois. Both men were tall and lanky. Both had some tie-in to civil rights and establishing equal rights for black Americans. Obama took a train from Chicago to Washington, D.C. following a course similar to the one Lincoln took when he was elected President.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/obama-traces-lincoln-s-1861-route-to-washington-1.361278
Obama took his oath of office with his hand upon the same Bible used by Lincoln.
Parts of Obama’s inaugural festivities were held in front of the Lincoln Memorial, including a crowd of 500,000 people signing along to the song American Pie with the newly elected President. This song includes the phrase, “This’ll be the day that I die.”
http://youtu.be/yN098nBhggc
http://youtu.be/qoK-0-43wW8
This song was sung on national television during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City last month. It has intentionally been given a repeated national audience. The Don McLean segment begins at about 25 seconds into the video below.
http://youtu.be/Y_weGsxv9S8
President Lincoln, like Obama, was elected to a second term. Lincoln was assassinated after serving only 42 days of his second term in office.
During the 2012 London Olympics, a time when Satan broadcasts his plans to the world, albeit in a manner designed to hide his true agenda, we have seen that Sande (pronounced Sandy) and Hook were prominent characters, and that children were in focus. Demonic creatures terrorized the children, and there was a very pointed emphasis on children lying on hospital beds.
A theme of the closing ceremony was people who have been assassinated. John Lennon was the foremost among them as a macabre image of his face was assembled on the ground. Notably, it was presented on the same plane that one would associate with a deceased person. The face was on the ground looking upwards. It was also displayed among newspaper headlines and articles which creates a mental link between obituaries and reports of criminal acts.
In a recent post I made mention of the children’s animated film Rise of the Guardians. The plot of this story includes the early demise of the character called Sandy, who is the Sandman.
Pitch learns of the Guardians' resistance and attacks Jack and Sandy; despite Jack's great efforts to save him, Sandy is overwhelmed by Pitch and seemingly destroyed...
Pitch's seemingly overwhelming power of nightmare proves no match against the children's faith, which restores the Guardians' full power to battle the villain. Sandman is resurrected by this belief, and joins the fight, leaving Pitch defeated and children's faith restored, as well as in Jack Frost.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_the_Guardians]
Note this emphasis on apparent death and resurrection. Remember that Barack Obama is the Sandman. This was revealed at the Democratic National Convention at which he was nominated for a second time as the party’s candidate for president.
Why was this image created for Obama’s second term? What is being prophesied by the image of Obama being damaged and then repaired (healed) by the rain storms that struck the area?
This theme of apparent death and resurrection is repeated again in the movie Skyfall, the latest in the James Bond series which is playing in theaters now. Watch the trailer, and observe the emphasis on feigned death, and resurrection. Note also what weapon is used to inflict the fatal injury.
http://youtu.be/6kw1UVovByw
Knowing that the proponents of a New World Order have determined to take away gun ownership from private citizens, and recognizing that Americans are zealous in protecting this right, it could only be a very major event of worldwide significance that provides the pretext for revoking this second amendment right. Is what this brother in Christ wrote to me correct? Are the servants of Lucifer foretelling of this event in the various media venues under their control? It is worth keeping in mind.
It has recently been reported that Obama will use both Lincoln’s and Martin Luther King’s Bibles during his second inauguration. Both of these men died from an assassin’s bullet. When something is provided a double witness, it often means the thing is determined and it will come about quickly.
Genesis 41:32
Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
I have no word of prophecy from God that such an event will occur. I can only watch and wait. I desire to be alert and sober. We live in an hour of great deception. There are forces of wickedness controlling events.
What is certain is that now that this issue of gun control has been fully engaged, it will not be set aside until those in favor of it have achieved the outcome they desire. Even as universal healthcare became the do-it-at-all-cost goal of the first term of Obama’s presidency, gun control will be pushed forward with the same irresistible force until it is achieved.
History has shown that deceivers will engineer large scale false flag events to push forward their agenda. Nero burned Rome and blamed it on the Christians. Hitler firebombed the Reichstag and blamed it on the Communists. Elements within the American government destroyed the World Trade Centers buildings 1, 2, and 7, and blamed it on Islamic extremists to initiate a perpetual “war on terror” and the implementation of a Big Brother surveillance state. Satan has not changed his tactics, for they have proven very effectual.
As Christians we are not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of this world. We are not called to rally against Satan’s plans for global government, nor to resist through carnal means the evil works of those who are his disciples. Yet, we should recognize that the hour is late. An hour of great darkness is at hand. The dark night is rising. Let us put aside a pursuit of the world and the things in it and devote ourselves to walking by the Spirit of Christ. Then we will have the light that is needed to navigate victoriously through dark and evil days.
The world is being flooded with a focus on guns at this time. Understand that the Christian’s safety is not to be found in guns and bullets. Don’t be driven by the media, by ministers, or by voices of fear to put your hope and trust in that which cannot save you. Yahweh is our refuge and strength and a very present help in times of trouble.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
After my plea to Americans last week to buy firearms as a first step to fighting terrorism, a number of Christians wrote challenging my prescription as unbiblical, unscriptural and ungodly.
Wrong.
The Bible couldn’t be clearer on the right – even the duty – we have as believers to self-defense.
Let’s start in the Old Testament.
“If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him,” we are told in Exodus 22:2. The next verse says, “If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.”
In other words, it was perfectly OK to kill a thief breaking into your house. That’s the ultimate expression of self-defense. It doesn’t matter whether the thief is threatening your life or not. You have the right to protect your home, your family and your property, the Bible says.
The Israelites were expected to have their own personal weapons. Every man would be summoned to arms when the nation confronted an enemy. They didn’t send in the Marines. The people defended themselves.
In 1 Samuel 25:13, we read: “And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.”
Every man had a sword and every man picked it up when it was required.
Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm: “They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?”
The answer to the rhetorical question is clear: No. The people had rebelled against God and put away their weapons of self-defense...
[Source: http://www.wnd.com/2001/11/11783/]
I am going to stop right here, as this article by Joseph Farah reveals how far the church in America has fallen. Not only have the people of God declined morally, but they have forsaken truth. They wrest Scriptures out of their context. They make applications that are false. They use the holy words of Yahweh for their own self-serving, carnal ends. In the three Scriptures cited above by this author, he has failed to “rightly divide the word of truth” in every instance.
In quoting from Exodus 22, Mr. Farah concludes:
In other words, it was perfectly OK to kill a thief breaking into your house. That’s the ultimate expression of self-defense. It doesn’t matter whether the thief is threatening your life or not. You have the right to protect your home, your family and your property...
Mr. Farah has neglected to consider “the whole counsel of God.” He would rather live according to the Law of Moses which was “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” than follow the example of the meek, and suffering Lamb of God.
Matthew 5:38-40
“You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”
Mr. Farah has willfully overlooked the example of the apostles and early church.
Hebrews 10:34
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.
Do these words and examples of the followers of Christ infer a right to protect one’s property, and to shoot an intruder even if they are not threatening a person’s life, as Mr. Farah declares? Absolutely not.
Mr. Farah then cites a Scriptures from I Samuel 25:13 where David tells his men to strap on their swords. If the author even read the context of the passage I would be surprised. If he did read it, he is being exceptionally deceitful. This passage records David’s carnal response when a wealthy man named Nabal (folly) insulted him. David arose to take vengeance into his own hands. He made an oath that not a male from the man’s family would remain alive by morning light. David was about to avenge himself, and commit an atrocity before both God and men.
Mercifully, Yahweh sent the man’s wife, a woman of beauty and wisdom, to persuade David not to avenge himself and have this act trouble his conscience in coming days. David came to his senses. He calmed down, and thanked God for keeping him from committing a great transgression. It is a great perversion of Scripture to use the words of David in this passage to justify man’s carnal impulse for self-defense.
Mr. Farah does no better in his next example.
Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm: “They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?”
The answer to the rhetorical question is clear: No. The people had rebelled against God and put away their weapons of self-defense...
Mr. Farah states things in such a way as to imply that the people rebelled BY PUTTING AWAY THEIR WEAPONS. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yahweh gave the Israelites into the hands of their enemies because they had turned to idolatry and immorality. It was their enemies that stripped the weapons from their hands, for Yahweh removed the ability of His people to defend themselves. The passage cited is from the song of Deborah. Deborah was a prophetess. She was recounting the dealings of Yahweh with His people. Because the Israelites had turned to other gods, Yahweh delivered them into the hands of their enemies. If one begins at the first verse of this historic account, they would understand the true context of these words.
Judges 4:1-3
Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of Yahweh, after Ehud died. And Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. And the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.
Shame and condemnation are upon the head of Joseph Farah. He has distorted the Scriptures for his own agenda. Those who would be teachers to the people of God will be held to a stricter judgment. This man is not walking in the fear of Yahweh. Tragically, myriads of Christians have no more integrity than this man. They do not examine the Scriptures to see if what is being declared is true. When they hear something that appeals to their soul, they embrace it without discernment. Those who receive evil counsel will fall into great harm. Satan would like nothing better than to foment a physical war between Christians and the governments of this world. It would provide justification to slaughter the people of God. Men like Joseph Farah are leading the people of God into paths of destruction.
I recommend the following post that was forwarded to me this morning.
http://weeping-jeremiahs.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-american-patriots-gospel.html
What is occurring in America is no different than what occurred in the days of Deborah. Yahweh has given a nation into the hands of evil men who are disarming them. This is Yahweh’s judgment upon the great evil in America. In three days the nation will mark the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision which led to the slaughter of more than 50 millions babies. The blood of these innocent victims cries out from the ground, and blood will be required in return. If you take up arms, it will be your blood added to the soil of this nation.
I was discussing the government’s agenda to remove guns from the people with a brother in Christ some weeks ago. I shared with him that now that the government has begun the push to wrest guns away from the people, they will not let the issue die until their purpose has been accomplished. He wrote me and suggested that he believes it will take an act of violence that will stir up a great cry against guns in this nation, something that exceeds even the outcry over the Sandy Hook massacre, to give the government the justification to enact draconian gun measures. He suggested that one event he could envision would be the assassination of the President.
I am loathe to make predictions based upon what is observed in events that man has had a hand in creating, such as the symbolism of the Olympic ceremonies, or the themes and details of Hollywood productions. I have found that such things are far better understood in hindsight, and that using them to predict the future is a dubious endeavor. Nevertheless, I believe there are some things that bear watching. Therefore, I share the following not as a prophecy of what will occur, but for the sake of being alert if such a thing does occur.
I will share the following in chronological order of occurrence. Back in 2008 as Barack Obama campaigned for the Presidency the media made much of parallels between Obama and Abraham Lincoln. They were both politicians from Illinois. Both men were tall and lanky. Both had some tie-in to civil rights and establishing equal rights for black Americans. Obama took a train from Chicago to Washington, D.C. following a course similar to the one Lincoln took when he was elected President.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/obama-traces-lincoln-s-1861-route-to-washington-1.361278
Obama took his oath of office with his hand upon the same Bible used by Lincoln.
Parts of Obama’s inaugural festivities were held in front of the Lincoln Memorial, including a crowd of 500,000 people signing along to the song American Pie with the newly elected President. This song includes the phrase, “This’ll be the day that I die.”
http://youtu.be/yN098nBhggc
http://youtu.be/qoK-0-43wW8
This song was sung on national television during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City last month. It has intentionally been given a repeated national audience. The Don McLean segment begins at about 25 seconds into the video below.
http://youtu.be/Y_weGsxv9S8
President Lincoln, like Obama, was elected to a second term. Lincoln was assassinated after serving only 42 days of his second term in office.
During the 2012 London Olympics, a time when Satan broadcasts his plans to the world, albeit in a manner designed to hide his true agenda, we have seen that Sande (pronounced Sandy) and Hook were prominent characters, and that children were in focus. Demonic creatures terrorized the children, and there was a very pointed emphasis on children lying on hospital beds.
A theme of the closing ceremony was people who have been assassinated. John Lennon was the foremost among them as a macabre image of his face was assembled on the ground. Notably, it was presented on the same plane that one would associate with a deceased person. The face was on the ground looking upwards. It was also displayed among newspaper headlines and articles which creates a mental link between obituaries and reports of criminal acts.
In a recent post I made mention of the children’s animated film Rise of the Guardians. The plot of this story includes the early demise of the character called Sandy, who is the Sandman.
Pitch learns of the Guardians' resistance and attacks Jack and Sandy; despite Jack's great efforts to save him, Sandy is overwhelmed by Pitch and seemingly destroyed...
Pitch's seemingly overwhelming power of nightmare proves no match against the children's faith, which restores the Guardians' full power to battle the villain. Sandman is resurrected by this belief, and joins the fight, leaving Pitch defeated and children's faith restored, as well as in Jack Frost.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_the_Guardians]
Note this emphasis on apparent death and resurrection. Remember that Barack Obama is the Sandman. This was revealed at the Democratic National Convention at which he was nominated for a second time as the party’s candidate for president.
Why was this image created for Obama’s second term? What is being prophesied by the image of Obama being damaged and then repaired (healed) by the rain storms that struck the area?
This theme of apparent death and resurrection is repeated again in the movie Skyfall, the latest in the James Bond series which is playing in theaters now. Watch the trailer, and observe the emphasis on feigned death, and resurrection. Note also what weapon is used to inflict the fatal injury.
http://youtu.be/6kw1UVovByw
Knowing that the proponents of a New World Order have determined to take away gun ownership from private citizens, and recognizing that Americans are zealous in protecting this right, it could only be a very major event of worldwide significance that provides the pretext for revoking this second amendment right. Is what this brother in Christ wrote to me correct? Are the servants of Lucifer foretelling of this event in the various media venues under their control? It is worth keeping in mind.
It has recently been reported that Obama will use both Lincoln’s and Martin Luther King’s Bibles during his second inauguration. Both of these men died from an assassin’s bullet. When something is provided a double witness, it often means the thing is determined and it will come about quickly.
Genesis 41:32
Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
I have no word of prophecy from God that such an event will occur. I can only watch and wait. I desire to be alert and sober. We live in an hour of great deception. There are forces of wickedness controlling events.
What is certain is that now that this issue of gun control has been fully engaged, it will not be set aside until those in favor of it have achieved the outcome they desire. Even as universal healthcare became the do-it-at-all-cost goal of the first term of Obama’s presidency, gun control will be pushed forward with the same irresistible force until it is achieved.
History has shown that deceivers will engineer large scale false flag events to push forward their agenda. Nero burned Rome and blamed it on the Christians. Hitler firebombed the Reichstag and blamed it on the Communists. Elements within the American government destroyed the World Trade Centers buildings 1, 2, and 7, and blamed it on Islamic extremists to initiate a perpetual “war on terror” and the implementation of a Big Brother surveillance state. Satan has not changed his tactics, for they have proven very effectual.
As Christians we are not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of this world. We are not called to rally against Satan’s plans for global government, nor to resist through carnal means the evil works of those who are his disciples. Yet, we should recognize that the hour is late. An hour of great darkness is at hand. The dark night is rising. Let us put aside a pursuit of the world and the things in it and devote ourselves to walking by the Spirit of Christ. Then we will have the light that is needed to navigate victoriously through dark and evil days.
The world is being flooded with a focus on guns at this time. Understand that the Christian’s safety is not to be found in guns and bullets. Don’t be driven by the media, by ministers, or by voices of fear to put your hope and trust in that which cannot save you. Yahweh is our refuge and strength and a very present help in times of trouble.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Joseph Herein
'Blame The Weather' As UK Heads For Unprecedented Triple-Dip-Recession
How many 'dips' before a recession cycle becomes a depression structure?That is likely the question on Carney's mind as he enters his role as top man at the BoE shortly. As The Guardian reports, an unprecedented third slump in four years looms for the UK as shoppers stay at home and vital transport links grind to a halt amid paralyzing weather. As snow blankets much of the nation, it would appear the next round of central bank easing will be to print 'sunshine'. A series of economic releases – including weak trade data, downbeat business surveys and dreary retail sales – have fueled concerns that official figures out this week will show that output fell in the final quarter of last year. Now analysts fear a cold snap in January could lead to another quarter of contraction in Q1. The snow, bitter cold and harsh easterly winds continue to cause widespread disruption to travel by air, road and rail. "Clearly, the longer that the snow and ice lasts, the greater will be the negative impact on the economy," IHS' Archer added, though we are sure we will hear of the 'broken icicle fallacy' soon enough.
Via The Guardian:
...As transport services ground to a halt, Britons were unable to get to shops and restaurants, companies shut down early, construction work was hit, and supply chains were disrupted. Howard Archer, chief European and UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said retailers would be particularly hard hit, as the weather disrupted Saturday's shopping hours.David Tinsley, UK economist at BNP Paribas, said: "The scary thing is that, as the snow falls in London and widespread disruption beckons, we could yet get a drop in first-quarter GDP as well. We would then be in triple-dip territory, albeit for erratic reasons." With the Met Office forecasting snow in parts of the country well into next week, the economic hit could be serious. "Clearly, the longer that the snow and ice lasts, the greater will be the negative impact on the economy," said Archer.The snow, bitter cold and harsh easterly winds continued to cause widespread disruption to travel by air, road and rail on Saturday.Further problems are expected as a blanket of snow falls across the country on Sunday morning in London and the south-east and spreading north throughout the day....At Heathrow furious passengers vowed to boycott British Airways, the airport and, in some cases, Britain itself....Some roads, both motorways, major routes and minor roads remained impassable on Saturday. Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, said: "With the snow compacting down and turning icy, we're likely to see treacherous driving conditions throughout the weekend. Any fresh snow on top will just add to the problems."
Zero Hedge
Newsweek cover calls Obama's 'The second coming'
A post at Twitchy called the cover "creepy," while The Blaze described it as "controversial" and “questionable.”
The cover highlights an article by former editor Evan Thomas, who once compared Obama to God.
“Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama’s had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he – he has a very different job from – Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is ‘we are above that now.’ We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial. We stand for something – I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God," he told Chris Matthews in 2009.
This is not the first time Newsweek has used such a theme when portraying Obama.
A cover in 2010 called him "god of all things" and another cover used religious imagery when praising the president for his latest stand supporting gay marriage.
After Obama won re-election, Newsweek portrayed him as a conqueror dressed in an 18th century uniform.
Twitchy noted that a number of conservatives on Twitter were repulsed by the cover.
"I don't tend to get indignantly offended that easily, but this newsweek cover is makes me ill,"tweeted Ben Howe.
"The Second Coming? Really? You've got to be kidding me," another person wrote.
Another Twitter user said the publication went "full Jim Jones," a reference to the cult leader who led his followers to their death by drinking poison.
Twitchy reminded readers that Newsweek was not as nice to George W. Bush when he was inaugurated in 2005.
Examiner
American isolationism: Obama’s unfolding signature policy
Whereas in his first term as president, Barack Obama opted for “leading from behind,” in international military operations, he enters his second term - even before being sworn in this week - by expanding this step-back precept into American isolationism proper – even when it comes to countering Islamist terrorism.
DEBKAfile’s analysts note that this stance was heralded in December 2012 by his abrupt order to the USS Eisenhower strike group and the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group to withdraw from stations opposite Syria.
Washington had already then decided to ignore the Syrian chemical war threat, and brush aside the report from the US consul in Istanbul that the Syrian ruler Bashad Assad had already fired chemical bombs against rebels.
And so French military intervention in Mali on Jan. 12 and Al Qaeda’s massive attack on an international Algerian gas field four days later found the United States without a single carrier, landing vessel or marine force anywhere in the vicinity, to be available for aiding in the rescue of scores of Western hostages from ten countries, including the United States.
The USS John Stennis carrier is the only vessel left at a Middle East battle station. It is tied down at the Strait of Hormuz to secure the flow of Gulf oil to the West.
It is therefore hardly surprising to find Pentagon and top US military experts leveling sharp criticism at the White House’s policy of non-intervention in the Mali conflict, where France is fighting alone, or in Algeria’s In Amenas gas field, where Algerian forces are battling a multinational al Qaeda assault and multiple hostage-taking raid for the third day.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday, Jan. 20 that the sharp debate between the Pentagon and White House is over the “danger posed by a mix of Islamist militant groups, some with murky ties to Al Qaeda that are creating havoc in West Africa” and whether they present enough of a risk to US allies and interests to warrant a military response.
Many of Obama's top aides say “it is unclear whether the Mali insurgents, who include members of the group Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, threaten the US.”
As to the question, “What threat do they pose to the US homeland? The answer so far has been none.”
Some top Pentagon officials and military officers warn that without more aggressive US action, Mali could become a haven for extremists, akin to Afghanistan before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
DEBKAfile’s counterterrorism sources report that these assertions are misleading.
Whereas the US homeland may not be in immediate peril from the Mali and Algeria episodes, it is important to remember the far-reaching interconnectivity of al Qaeda’s operations. Seven years ago, the suicidal jihads who on July 7, blew up London trains and a bus, used explosives provided by the same Al Qaeda cells of Sahel Desert which are now threatening Mali and which struck the Algerian gas field.
No US official can guarantee that such explosives from the same source won’t be used in 2013 against American targets in Europe or be smuggled into the American homeland by al Qaeda cells in Europe.
The Algerian gas field hostage siege was carried out after all by a multinational group that included Algerians, Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans, a Frenchman and a Malian.
It is true that Al Qaeda terrorists are engaged in vast smuggling rackets – especially of drugs and cigarettes – across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, as well arms trafficking through networks covering Egypt, Sinai, Arabia, the Gulf, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan – all of which are direct threats of US national security. But to write them off as criminals and smugglers is simplistic: “… some are diehard terrorists with more grandiose visions,” as Pentagon officials point out.
The way the Al Qaeda menace is being handled by Washington has a ripple effect in the wider context. Tehran and Damascus are avidly watching the Obama administration’s stand-aside stance on military involvement in external crises – even emergencies posed by the Al Qaeda terrorist threat encroaching on continental Europe and Africa and the Middle East up to and including the Persian Gulf.
Washington should therefore not be surprised when its diplomatic efforts – overt and secret – to rein in Iran’s military nuclear ambitions run into the sand. The Iranians know they have nothing to fear from the Obama administration. The next surprise, our Middle East sources are now reporting, will come from Damascus where, according to a hint President Bashar Assad threw out this week to his intimates.
Debkafile
Upgraded Iron Dome intercepts medium-range missile
The Israeli defense establishment on Monday announced the successful testing of an upgraded version of the Iron Dome missile defense system.
The tests, according to the Defense Ministry, aimed to broaden and improve Iron Dome’s “capability and performance” to contend with threats. According to Channel 10 TV military reporter Alon Ben-David, Iron Dome intercepted a missile heavier than a Fajr — the type fired at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip during November’s Operation Pillar of Defense.
The test missile was also fired from a greater distance than its ordinary interception range (the Fajr-5 has a maximum range of 75 kilometers), suggesting that Iron Dome is being upgraded to protect Israeli cities against medium-range missile threats. Iron Dome, according to official literature from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has a range of 70 kilometers (42 miles).
Together with the David’s Sling medium-range missile defense system, the upgraded Iron Dome will provide Israel with a more comprehensive missile defense capability, military sources said.
Iron Dome was credited with 421 missile interceptions during Pillar of Defense, with an overall success rate of 84%, according to IDF statistics. The system only targets rockets which, based on their trajectory, are set to hit populated areas.
The Times of Israel
German Patriot missile troops arrive inTurkey
Germany has sent 240 soldiers to southern Turkey as part of a NATO mission using Patriot missiles to deter cross-border airstrikes from war-torn Syria. Units are also being provided by the Netherlands and the US.
The main German contingent flew out of Berlin Sunday, headed for Kahramanmaras, 100 kilometers (62 miles) inside Turkey's border with Syria, where two German Patriot units are to be fully operational by early February.
An advance Bundeswehr team is already on site and the missiles with launch equipment arrived by ship in Turkey on Monday. The deployment will number some 350 German soldiers, including medics.
The NATO alliance agreed in early December to the stationing of two units from each of the three NATO partners at the request of its member Turkey after Syrian shelling along the border killed five Turkish civilians in October. NATO said it was a purely defensive move.
Germany's Bundestag parliament approved the deployment - limited to one year - on December 14.
Syria's allies, Iran and Russia, opposed the Patriot deployment, saying they feared that it could spark regional conflict that could draw in NATO.
'Deterrent effect'
German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the Patriots should have a "deescalating effect" on Syria where forces of President Bashar Assad and rebels have clashed for nearly two years.
"We learnt during the Cold War that deterrence can only function when in doubtful moments one is ready to use the weapons," de Maiziere told the Neuen Osnabrücker newspaper on Saturday.
"Should Syrian rockets be fired at Turkey then NATO will use the Patriot missiles," he said, adding, however, that he did not expect the German Bundeswehr troops to be involved in combat.
Turkey's border with Syria is 900 kilometers (560 miles) long. The Dutch, German and US Patriots will be stationed around three southeastern Turkish cities.
The PAC-2 version of the Patriot missile works by exploding close to an incoming missile. The more advanced PAC-3 hits the incoming missile directly.
DW
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)