Strongest Storm on Earth En Route to Hong Kong

Super-Typhoon Usagi became the strongest storm on Earth on Thursday. Though it’s weakened since then, the storm is still churning toward Hong Kong and could create major disruptions with a likely landfall as early as Sunday.

On Thursday, Usagi measured sustained wind speeds of 160 mph. Those winds made it the strongest storm on Earth this year, besting Utor, which recorded wind speeds of 150 mph prior to making landfall in the Philippines in mid-August according to the Capital Weather Gang. NASA created a 3D satellite image of Usagi at its peak, showing an extremely well-developed eyewall.

Credit to Climate Central

Stocks are about to plunge, Wells Fargo warns

Gina Martin Adams is sticking to her guns.

The Wells Fargo strategist has been bearish on stocks all year, even as she watched the S&P 500 (^GSPC) add 21 percent. And on Thursday's " Futures Now ," Adams reiterated her call that the index would close out the year at 1,440.

"Our target is based on fundamentals," Adams insisted. "We're basing our target on typical valuation measures, given the level of interest rates and also on earnings forecasts. And that's why our target is relatively low."

In fact, "low" is somewhat of an understatement. Adams' target implies that the market will drop 16 percent in little more than three months, erasing everything that stocks gained after the year's first day of trading. This makes her one of the lone bears on the Street.

So what could produce such a dismal fourth quarter for stocks? First of all, Adams is highly skeptical about the rally that the market has enjoyed thus far.

"It's all about emotion at this point. The entirety of the S&P 500's increase this year has come via the multiple," Adams said. "It's been simply through the amount that investors are willing to bid up the value of the future earnings stream."

Indeed, the S&P 500's price-earnings multiple has risen from 17 on Jan. 1 to nearly 20. That means the market has largely been rising due to investors' willingness to pay more for those earnings.

Adams goes on to argue that the recent rise in Treasury yields could put an end to this inclination.

"The multiple is one of the most valuable components" of the rally, and "typical drivers of the multiple are interest rates." So despite the fact that yields have cooled off recently, "simply the fact that we moved from 1.6 [percent] on the 10-year Treasury rate to now the 2.7 [percent] range is a potential tremendous shock over the next six months," Adams contended.

Adams believes that stocks haven't yet digested the rate rally. "Stocks tend to follow rates over time," she said. "Typically, when you get a 100 basis point [or 1 percent] move in Treasury rates, you get a contraction on the P/E multiple on stocks of about a full turn. That, by itself, implies you get something of a 10-percent-plus correction in stocks."

And while the Fed's decision that it wouldn't slow its rate of asset purchases has driven the market to yet another all-time high this week, Adams doesn't believe the surprising announcement will ultimately make a difference.

"Unless bonds can actually rally substantially with the so-called Fed bid, and the Fed is able to manipulate yields significantly lower, the damage has been done, and I think the cat is quite frankly out of the bag."

Couple the rise in rates with slow earnings growth, and Adams believes the market is in for a very tricky fall.

"We're going to have to face the music come October," she said.


Credit Yahoo News

Biometric ID coming to a government office near you

Biometric systems are increasingly found across government for personal identification/authentication applications, being used for homeland security, identity management, border crossing, electronic commerce and the prevention of ID theft. This week’s Biometric Consortium Conference in Tampa, Fla., showcases a wide range of hardware and software solutions to identity management challenges, such as fingerprint, earlobe, hand geometry and gait recognition, as well as PC/network access, point-of-sale authentication and surveillance.

The new biometric products and services aimed at government include:

The SEEK Avenger from Crossmatch Technologies, a rugged, mobile, fully certified biometric enrollment and credential reading device. It combines forensic-quality fingerprint, stand-off dual iris capture, high-resolution facial and evidence imaging, and multiple-format credential reading. The SEEK Avenger’s optional 3G/4G wireless connectivity and an onboard watch list of up to 250,000 records allows enrollment or verification in the field, which can be valuable in remote locations, conditions where connectivity has been compromised or when virtually instantaneous confirmation is required.

Lumidigm’s multispectral imaging sensor offers multifactor authentication on a single sensor. It can natively read two different authentication factors, a fingerprint and a new optical barcode credential. Multispectral imaging can overcome the fingerprint capture problems that conventional imaging systems have in less-than-ideal conditions. It uses multiple spectrums of light and advanced optical techniques to extract unique fingerprint characteristics from both the surface and subsurface of the skin. The technology can also be used to authenticate factors beyond fingerprints, such as copy-resistant optical credentials.

SecuGen Biometric Solutions’ USB fingerprint reader comes in a stand-alone (peripheral) model and an OEM sensor version that can be integrated into hardware products where space is at a premium, such as access control systems, kiosks, ATMs, safes and industrial equipment. Both are FAP 20 Mobile ID and PIV certified by the FBI.

At the show, EyeVerify and Fixmo will demo their biometric solution for mobile security that delivers password-free mobile authentication by using the cameras on smartphones to image and pattern-match the blood vessels in the whites of the eye. Fixmo will integrate EyeVerify’s Eyeprint Verification into Fixmo Safezone, a mobile, defense-grade secure workspace that is encrypted, contained and managed by IT independent of the device itself.

Credit To GCN

Europeans into poverty.....

Iran president blames Israel for 'instability,' calls for peace

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed Israel for causing "injustice to the people" of the Middle East during an exclusive interview with NBC News in which he also called for peace, saying Iran is not "looking for war."

Unlike his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rouhani struck a moderate tone on many issues, but he deflected a question from NBC News' Ann Curry about whether he believed that the Holocaust was "a myth."

"I'm not a historian. I'm a politician," he replied. "What is important for us is that the countries of the region and the people grow closer to each other, and that they are able to prevent aggression and injustice."

Rouhani's comments came in his first interview with a U.S. news outlet since his June election. The interview was broadcast Thursday on TODAY.

David Lom / NBC News

NBC News' Ann Curry speaks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday. It was Rouhani's first interview with a U.S. news outlet since being elected.

When asked by Curry about the fact that Ahmadinejad had people believing that Iran wanted to wipe Israel off the map, Rouhani replied: "What we wish for in this country is rule by the will of the people. We believe in the ballot box."

Curry also asked Rouhani to respond to comments by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called him a "wolf in sheep’s clothing."

Rouhani described Israel as "an occupier and usurper government" that "does injustice to the people of the region, and has brought instability to the region, with its warmongering policies."

He added Israel "shouldn't allow itself to give speeches about a democratically and freely elected government."

Netanyahu has previously hinted at the possibility of Israeli military strikes on Iran over the country's controversial nuclear program if Western sanctions and diplomacy fail.

However, Rouhani also said it was important that countries across the Middle East learn to peacefully coexist.

"We are not seeking ... and looking for war with any nations. We are seeking peace and stability among all the nations in the region," Rouhani said.

In an exclusive interview with NBC's Ann Curry, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country is asking for peace, stability and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction.

Rouhani replaced Ahmadinejad who had been quoted as describing the Nazi Holocaust as "a myth" while in office. In 2009, Ahmadinejad dropped language from a speech at a U.N. conference on racism that branded the Holocaust "ambiguous and dubious."

Rouhani's comments underscored the shift in tone since he was elected with just over 50 percent of the vote. During his inaugural address, the new president spoke of engagement with the West to end bruising sanctions over his country’s controversial nuclear program.

Rouhani also appeared to pledge his support for increasing Iranians’ access to the Internet and other political and social freedoms.

"We want the people, in their private lives, to be completely free, and in today’s world having access to information and the right of free dialogue, and the right to think freely, is the right of all peoples, including the people of Iran," he said.

When asked whether his government would stop censoring the Internet, Rouhani said "a commission for citizens' rights" would be established.

"Does that mean that people in Iran will have access now to Twitter and to Facebook?" Curry asked.

"The viewpoint of the government is that the people must have full access to all information worldwide," Rouhani replied. "Our opinions on this should based on protection of our national identity and on our morals."

Officials in Washington, D.C., say the time is right for Iran, which wants a deal to get out from sanctions that are crippling its economy. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

In the interview with Curry, Rouhani also said his country will never develop nuclear weapons and that he has the clout to make a deal with the West on the disputed atomic program.

"In its nuclear program, this government enters with full power and has complete authority," he said, adding that Iran has repeatedly pledged that "under no circumstances would we seek any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, nor will we ever."

Rouhani, who earned a Ph.D. from a Scottish university, was the only non-conservative in the field during the election to replace Ahmadinejad. He got more than 18 million votes while five conservative candidates combined garnered just under 18 million.

Rouhani also discussed how he and President Barack Obama have exchanged letters in which they traded views on "some issues."

"From my point of view, the tone of the letter was positive and constructive," Rouhani said of the note he got from the White House congratulating him on his election.

The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 1980 after students supporting the Iranian revolutionaries who overthrew the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

"It could be subtle and tiny steps for a very important future," Rouhani told Curry. "I believe the leaders in all countries could think in their national interest and they should not be under the influence of pressure groups. I hope to witness such an atmosphere in the future."

Rouhani's is due to appear next Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly — where Western diplomats regularly walked out during Ahmedinejad's fiery speeches.

Credit to NBCNEWS

Defund Obama Care, Stock Market New Highs, Navy Yard Shooting & JP Morgan Fined $920 Million

Do NOT Be Decieved, DO NOT Pray For America!

The godless Left in America at this very moment are beyond ecstatic with with the apathy of the majority of Americas and all the opportunities which stands before them. In the Left's heart of hearts they cannot believe how easy it has been to continually lie and be believed by dummkoff Americans, who would sell ALL of their freedoms and liberties in a heart beat for a bowl of soup, birth control and an Obama phone. 

Oh how these elitist Marxist have waited ever so patiently for this very moment when all the doors would be opened for the plunder of the American culture, society and people. The Secular tsunami is ripping across America and truly what can stop it? The stench of the Marxist fragrance of the Left's American Utopia dream is ripe in the air and happy days are indeed here at last. 

With a spineless social liberal/moderate GOP in Washington you can bet your last deflated dollar that there is nothing to hold back the Left from making all of their Marxist dreams come true, but they (Obama and the Left) have better be careful for that which they wish for; for in their lawless endeavors little do they know they are setting the global stage for the EXPONENTIALLY HORRIFIC period call the Day of the Lord!(1 Thess. 5:3,Rev. 6-19).

Truly my dear friends, who will hear TRUTH today (societal and spiritual) and even more so, who will walk in it?

 

In a day of great national and global uncertainties, oh how we need DIVINE REALITY! This technological age in which we live has EXPONENTIALLY accelerated and exposed the absolute bankruptcy and godlessness of our nation and fallen world. We are indeed at the very precipice of our world’s collapse. 

Words alone are infinitesimally inadequate to describe or explain what is at our very door and to get people to even listen to the Divine warning sirens and Biblical shofar blasts is even infinitesimally more so (Rev. 6-19). Truly my dear friends, who will hear TRUTH today (societal and spiritual) and even more so, who will walk in it? Our nation's conservatives today are on maximum suicide alert in light of the last five years and their "Christianity" is failing them because some are ignorant of the Holy Scriptures and many do not have a saving relationship to the Creator in Spirit and TRUTH (Matt. 7:21-23, John 4:24, Rom. 10:2-4, 2 Tim. 3:5-7, Rev. 3:14-22).

Only those who possess a saving relationship to Almighty God in Spirit and TRUTH and by faith in Almighty God's Word possess a heavenly objectivity and perceive of these matters from a heavenly and biblical point of view will be able to see our critical status as a world and a nation and find security and comfort in Almighty God's ETERNAL plan (Rev. 21-22:1-5). Jesus said in ALL TRUTH and AUTHORITY, that one must be born again to see the Kingdom of God (literally and spiritually – John 3:3-7, Rom. 8:5-8, 1 Cor. 1:9-16, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Col. 3:1-4). O how true He is!


Almighty God has already given this nation over to judgment and once this is happening who can stop it? In our dire hour DO NOT seek to pray for our nation any more, for we are well pass the point of no return and Almighty God the RIGHTEOUS Judge is now our RIGHTEOUS Adversary.

 

No doubt our message here at the IFB concerning our nation is becoming very repetitive and "blah, blah, blah" to our visitors, but was not this also the same message in Jeremiah's day before Babylon came in to level and ravish Jerusalem (Jer. 6, 7, 15:1, Ezek. 14:14, 21)? The message then was not popular and neither is this one today. Hear me my dear friends... I beg you, as a voice shouting in the wilderness, Almighty God has already given this nation over to His Divine judgment and once this has begun who can abide and let alone stop it? In our dire hour DO NOT be deceived and seek to pray for our nation any more, for we are well pass the point of no return. Almighty God the RIGHTEOUS Judge of ETERNITY has now become our nation's RIGHTEOUS Adversary and WOE! WOE! WOE unto America!

However dearly beloved, pray fervently in these hours that individuals will wake up to the REALITY of our hour and their desperate need of Almighty God's RIGHTEOUSNESS and be saved! The upcoming seven tribulation will begin because the Age of Grace will have come to a stone hearted end - being that there are no more in this dispensational time block which will hear the global message of Almighty God's wondrous grace and mercy. All that is now left for our nation and world is Almighty God's RIGHTEOUS WRATH (Isa. 24, Matt. 24, Rev. 6-19). Do your part as an American, May God help us... but DO NOT trust in it at ALL any more, for the Day of the Lord is at hand and who then will be able to stand and let alone stop the global EXPONENTIAL CATASTROPHIC tsunami which is heading our way(Isa. 24, Matt. 24, Rev. 6-19).

Beloved, Be strong in the Lord and rejoice in His PERFECT salvation and RIGHTEOUSNESS!

God speed for Almighty God's glory!

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

DJP I.F.




Credit to the Ignorant Fisherman Blog