Palestinians declare war over Temple Mount

The armed wing of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' own Fatah faction has declared war on Israel over what it said are attempts to lay the groundwork for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade issued a statement on Tuesday decrying renewed visits by Jewish groups to the Temple Mount, calling such visits an "invasion...by settlers" that had no other purpose but to harm Muslim interests.

In response, the group threatened to green light a new wave of terrorism against Israel if the Jewish visits to the Temple Mount did not cease by Friday.

Hours later, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, the Mufti of Jerusalem, got in on the game and declared that Israel was trying to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque that occupies the southern portion of the Temple Mount.

Hussein labeled Israeli policy that says Jews have a right to visit the Temple Mount as "dangerous" and an "insult" to Islam.

Credit To: Israel News

World Turns to Russia for Leadership Instead of Corrupt U.S.

Pope Francis assures atheists: You don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven

In comments likely to enhance his progressive reputation, Pope Francis has written a long, open letter to the founder of La Repubblica newspaper, Eugenio Scalfari, stating that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.

Responding to a list of questions published in the paper by Mr Scalfari, who is not a Roman Catholic, Francis wrote: “You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith. 

I start by saying  and this is the fundamental thing – that God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience.

“Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience.”

Robert Mickens, the Vatican correspondent for the Catholic journal The Tablet, said the pontiff’s comments were further evidence of his attempts to shake off the Catholic Church’s fusty image, reinforced by his extremely conservative predecessor Benedict XVI. “Francis is a still a conservative,” said Mr Mickens. “But what this is all about is him seeking to have a more meaningful dialogue with the world.”

In a welcoming response to the letter, Mr Scalfari said the Pope’s comments were “further evidence of his ability and desire to overcome barriers in dialogue with all”.

In July, Francis signalled a more progressive attitude on sexuality, asking: “If someone is gay and is looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him?”

The Independent

Minor Earthquake Felt in Jerusalem Area

A minor earthquake was felt in the Jerusalem area this morning (Thursday). According the Israel Geophysical Institute, the quake measured 3.5 on the Richter scale. There were no reports of injury or damage.

According to the Institute, the quake occurred at 4:20 Am local time. The epicenter of the quake was in an area north of the Dead Sea, about 30 kilometers outside Jerusalem. Residents of Jerusalem and its eastern suburbs reported feeling the tremor.

Last June, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale was felt in southern Israel. In May 2012, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale with its epicenter in Cyprus was felt throughout Israel. More than a 100 calls by concerned citizens were received in the northern city of Tzfat alone, reports said. The quake was felt as far as Bat Yam, Kfar Saba, Ramat Hasharon, Ra'anana and other areas in central Israel.

In recent years, school children around the country, from kindergarten age and up, have participated in annual earthquake drills in their schools, practicing safe steps to take when the ground starts shaking.

In a recent interview, Dr. Ephraim Laor, who headed the National Steering Committee for Earthquake Preparedness, told Arutz Sheva that each Israeli must prepare himself for a major earthquake that could hit Israel. Experts have warned that Israel is expected to be hit by a majorearthquake in the coming years.


Credit Israel National News

Massive Starfish Die-Off Baffles Scientists

The waters off British Columbia, Canada, are littered with dead starfish, and researchers have no idea what’s causing the deaths.

At the end of August, marine biologist and scuba enthusiast Jonathan Martin was out on his usual Saturday dive with some friends when he noticed something unusual.

“We just started noticing dead starfish that looked like they had their arms chopped off,” Martin said.

They were sunflower starfish (Pycnopodia helianthoides), a major marine predator in the area that feeds mostly on sea urchins and snails. Like most starfish, the sunflower starfish can regenerate lost limbs—it can have up to 20—and can grow to be up to three feet (a meter) across.

Since Martin was diving in an area frequented by crabbers, at first he thought the sunflower starfish had gotten caught in some of the crab traps and had lost limbs escaping. But Martin kept seeing large numbers of dead starfish as he and his friends swam to a marine park where such crab fishing is illegal. Martin knew then it wasn’t the traps that were causing the starfish deaths.

After returning from the dive, he visited friends at a local dive shop who were active in marine conservation. Without any definitive answer, he shared photos on Flickr and videos on YouTube—taken at Lion’s Bay and Whytecliff Park in Vancouver—to try to get ideas from others about what was going on.

“It really struck a chord in other divers who were seeing it on Facebook and social media, both locally and as far away as California, who had been seeing similar things,” Martin said.

Credit National Geographic

The U.S. Dollar will Collapse

Even bill talk about this...

Welcome to Obamacare: Now Hand Over Your Guns