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Prophecy News Watch Headlines - October 23 Kade Hawkins Oct 23, 2008

Newsletter Archives | Contact us Prophecy News Watch Newsletter Biblical Prophecy In The News http://www.prophecynewswatch.com Keeping You Informed of World Events From A Biblical Perspective October 23, 2008 Welcome to this week's edition of Prophecy News Watch Our featured items: God's War On Terror & Islam & The End Times & “You can’t imagine how I felt when I read the Bible and found so much that describes the Mahdi who I had learned so much about growing up. The shock to me was that, while a character identical to my Mahdi was seen throughout the pages of the Bible, the character was not called “the Mahdi", but rather “the Antichrist” Walid Shoebat - Former Palestinian Terrorist & Author of God's War On Terror God's War on Terror : Islam, Prophecy & The Bible (Hardcover Book) - Does the Bible predict a final Islamic Empire and an Islamic Antichrist? - How the Islamic End-Times mindset perfectly matches the spirit of Antichrist - End time nations and coalitions that oppose God in the last days - all are Islamic today -43 parallels that exist between the Biblical Antichrist and the Islamic Mahdi - What is the Mark of the Beast and it's relationship to Islam? Islam & The End Times 3 DVD Set: In this three disc set, author and teacher Joel Richardson presents the Islamic End Time Theory that is now gaining a wide acceptance among the Body of Christ. This DVD set is a personal invitation from Joel to join the many who are examining this theory and discovering the Scriptural foundation for an Islamic Antichrist to be overwhelming. - Introduction the The Islamic End-Time Paradigm - Daniel 2 & The Islamic Empire - Understanding the Theology of the Antichrist - An Hour and a Half of Q&A Click here to donate and and receive these items Prophetic Trends & Headline News Click any of the headlines below to read the full article 1. Where is the United States in Prophecy? The Dangers of a Diminished America In the 1930s, isolationism and protectionism spurred the rise of fascism. With the global financial system in serious trouble, is America's geostrategic dominance likely to diminish? If so, what would that mean? One immediate implication of the crisis that began on Wall Street and spread across the world is that the primary instruments of U.S. foreign policy will be crimped. The next president will face an entirely new and adverse fiscal position. Estimates of this year's federal budget deficit already show that it has jumped $237 billion from last year, to $407 billion. With families and businesses hurting, there will be calls for various and expensive domestic relief programs. In the face of this onrushing river of red ink, both Barack Obama and John McCain have been reluctant to lay out what portions of their programmatic wish list they might defer or delete. Only Joe Biden has suggested a possible reduction -- foreign aid. This would be one of the few popular cuts, but in budgetary terms it is a mere grain of sand. Still, Sen. Biden's comment hints at where we may be headed: toward a major reduction in America's world role, and perhaps even a new era of financially-induced isolationism.................. read more US intelligence: Iran will be able to build first nuclear bomb by February 2009 US intelligence’s amended estimate, that Iran will be ready to build its first bomb just one month after the next US president is sworn in, is disclosed by DEBKAfile’s Washington sources as having been relayed as a guideline to the Middle East teams of both presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The information prompted the assertion by Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Biden in Seattle Sunday, Oct. 19: “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy.” McCain retorted Tuesday, Oct. 21: “America does not need a president that needs to be tested. I’ve been tested. I was aboard the Enterprise off the coast of Cuba. I’ve been there.”) DEBKAfile’s military sources cite the new US timeline: By late January, 2009, Iran will have accumulated enough low-grade enriched uranium (up to 5%) for its “break-out” to weapons grade (90%) material within a short time. For this, the Iranians have achieved the necessary technology. In February, they can move on to start building their first nuclear bomb. The same US evaluation adds that the Iranian leadership is holding off its go-ahead to start building the bomb until the last minute so as to ward off international pressure to stop at the red line. This development together with the galloping global economic crisis will force the incoming US president to go straight into decision-making without pause on Day One in the Oval Office. He will have to determine which urgent measures can serve best for keeping a nuclear bomb out of the Islamic republic’s hands - diplomatic or military – and how to proceed if those measures fail................... read more Hard times have some flirting with survivalism Atash Hagmahani is not waiting for the stock market to recover. The former high-tech professional turned urban survivalist has already moved his money into safer investments: Rice and beans, for starters. “I hoard food,” says Hagmahani, 44, estimating that he has enough to last his family a year or two. “I’m not ashamed to admit it.” “People keep asking when this (economic crisis) is going to clear up,” says Hagmahani, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that he be identified only by this pseudonym, which he uses for his survivalist blog, or by his first name, Rob. The answer, he predicts, is that the country is entering what he calls a “Greater Depression.” Hagmahani is not alone in concluding that desperate times call for serious preparations. With foreclosure rates running rampant, financial institutions teetering and falling, prices for many goods and services climbing, and jobs being slashed, many Americans are making preparations for worse times ahead. For some, that means cutting spending and saving more. For others, it means taking a step into survivalism, once regarded solely as the province of religious End-of-Timers, sci-fi fans and extremists. That often manifests itself as a desire to secure basic emergency resources — what survival guru Jim Wesley Rawles describes as “beans, bullets and Band-Aids.” Rawles, speaking by phone from an “undisclosed location” somewhere between the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains, said he has seen traffic on his Web site, SurvivalBlog.com, explode in the last year.................... read more Has the financial meltdown defused military options on Iran? The global financial crisis has eclipsed Western jitters over Iran's nuclear program and may have put paid to the possibility of the United States or Israel resorting to preemptive military strikes. To bomb Iranian sites now, diplomats and analysts say, would risk triggering an even more intolerable tumult should Tehran choke off oil exports -- something neither U.S. President George W. Bush nor his imminent successor looks likely to countenance. With the U.N. Security Council in stalemate after Russia and China balked at initiatives to pass a fourth round of sanctions against Iran, Western powers may be forced to focus on diplomatic engagement and economic incentives instead. That would leave Israel, which has vowed to deny Iran the means to threaten its existence, with a stark choice between launching unilateral attacks and being branded a warmonger or accepting the prospect of an arch-enemy with nuclear weaponry. Some analysts suggest Israel could strike after the November 4 U.S. election but before Barack Obama or John McCain becomes president in January, to avoid alienating American voters while capitalizing on the parting largesse of the Bush White House.................... read more 2. Israel - God's Timepiece Egypt drafts Palestinian unity paper Egypt on Monday called on rival Palestinian factions to form a unity government and restructure their security forces in a bid to end hostilities that have undermined efforts to reach a statehood deal. Cairo presented a four-page proposal, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction and Islamist Hamas, outlining steps the groups should take to end their power struggle. Egypt also said Abbas should continue peace talks with Israel but that any deal needs approval from a national referendum or the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which it said should be restructured to include all factions, including Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction. Egypt drafted the proposal after a series of talks with 13 Palestinian factions and it will be discussed when the groups meet again in Cairo on November 9. Previous Arab-led initiatives have failed to reconcile the bitter rivals and initial reactions by the groups cast doubt on whether any deal can be reached. The Egyptian proposal calls for the immediate formation of a Palestinian unity government and an agreement on when to hold national elections.. ................. read more Israel: 'We're in the midst of preparing the home front for war' According to Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, the country is in one of the most complicated and dangerous periods of its history. And though he does not believe that Israel can be "wiped off the map," in spite of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats, he is increasingly concerned about the current political instability here, which he blames for delays in projects he deems essential, such as the revamping of the Home Front. This week Vilnai gave The Jerusalem Post a lengthy interview, during which he covered a wide range of topics, from Labor's coalition talks with Kadima, to how Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is a target, to the danger of holding public demonstrations calling for the release of Gilad Schalit. The former deputy chief of General Staff and deputy commander of the elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, says that the IDF is at a most critical juncture. It is the only military in the world, he explains, that needs to be ready at any given moment to fight a guerrilla war in Lebanon, a terror war in the West Bank and a conventional war with Syria, and confront a possible existential threat from Iran. There are existential threats today coming from farther away. The additional complication when dealing with Islamic radical terror is that the war is not just against terrorists, but against a population. In Gaza, you can hit Hamas, but it does not hurt Hamas, since the people there support Hamas. This is the same in Lebanon, where the civilian population supports Hizbullah. This makes the conflict much more complicated. As a result, what is needed is a combined military-diplomatic solution, as well as alliances with other countries. ................... read more Israeli air force planning answer for missile war The Israel Air Force has been preparing for massive missile strikes by Iran and Syria. Officials said the air force has sought to enhance capabilities that would enable fighter-jets to take off and land during missile and rocket strikes from such countries as Iran, Lebanon and Syria. They said the air force began the planning effort soon after the Hizbullah war in 2006, which paralyzed at least one major base. "We believe that our air bases would be a key target in any war," an official said. The air force has been testing material that would enable aircraft to take off from damaged runways. Officials said the military has procured an unidentified non-asphalt substance that could restore destroyed runways within minutes. "The tests were successful and would allow combat aircraft to take-off and land even under terrible conditions," the official said. Officials said the air force has determined that Hizbullah and Hamas would coordinate in an effort to paralyze bases throughout the country. They said Hizbullah would target northern air bases and Hamas would fire extended-range rockets toward bases south of Tel Aviv as well as in the Negev desert.................. read more Barak: Israel giving serious thought to Saudi peace plan Defense Minister and Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak said this week that Israeli leaders have been discussing pursuing a comprehensive Saudi peace plan, an initiative touted by the moderate Arab elements across the Middle East. Barak told Army Radio that with individual negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians making little headway, it may be time to pursue an overall peace deal for the region. "There is room in the Israeli coalition for the Saudi initiative," he said. "We have a mutual interest with moderate Arab elements on the issues of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas." The defense minister President Shimon Peres is in agreement with such consideration and he has spoken about the matter with Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni about the matter as well. Peres proposed merging Israel's various peace talks into one track last month at the United Nations. In a speech to the General Assembly, he called on Saudi King Abdullah to further his initiative. He has since been pushing the idea in meeting with Israeli, Arab and Western officials, his office said. The Saudi peace initiative was first proposed in 2002. It offers pan-Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Arab lands captured in 1967.................. read more Israel mulling non-aggression treaty with Lebanon The Foreign Ministry is examining an initiative aimed at reaching a long-term non-belligerence pact with Lebanon to prevent renewed fighting along the northern border. The initiative was first revealed two weeks ago during a strategic discussion over the future of the Middle East peace process that was held as part of the ministry's evaluation of regional developments. The evaluation is the first of its kind, and was initiated by ministry director-general Aharon Abramovich, and later supported by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Livni's close advisers and senior ministry officials participated in the discussion. Given the officials' close relationship with Livni, the evaluation's recommendations are likely to turn into official policy should she succeed in forming a government. Eran Etzion, the head of the Foreign Ministry's political planning section, said a full peace agreement with Lebanon can only come in the wake of a similar deal with Syria. Still, he said, Israel can try to advance on a separate political track with Lebanon, the end result of which could be a long-term non-belligerence pact. .................. read more 4. The Gog/Magog War Libya seeks Russian arms, including surface-to-air missiles Libya may agree to buy more than $2 billion worth of Russian weapons during a visit by Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow this month, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing an unidentified source in Russia's arms industry. "An agreement on concluding a major set of arms contracts for more than $2 billion could be reached during the visit of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow," Interfax quoted the source as saying. The source said Gaddafi's visit to Moscow was planned for the end of October. Russian warships visited Libya this month, signalling a warming of ties between Tripoli and Moscow, which supported Libya during the Soviet era. Libya is interested in buying surface-to-air missile systems such as the S-300, TOR-M1 and Buk, as well as several fighter aircraft, dozens of helicopters and about 50 tanks, Interfax quoted the source as saying. Russia is also preparing contracts to upgrade Libya's Soviet-era weapons, the agency said. Libya wants to expand ties with Russia, which it sees as a counterbalance to US influence in the Mediterranean. ................. read more Large-scale Iranian Air force exercise simulates attack on Israel DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the drill in northern Iran, is Tehran’s rejoinder to Israel’s big aerial maneuver last June. Then, more than 100 Israeli fighter-bombers went through their paces over the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, roughly the same distance from Israel as Iran. Tehran’s media claim the exercise will test its air force’s ability to fly to Israel and back without refueling. The Iranians say they will be practicing their “state-of-the-art military equipment and flight tactics,” meaning an attempt to jam US and Israeli electronics and radar. In mid-August, Iran's Air Force chief, Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani, maintained that its antiquated fighter jet fleet had been overhauled and upgraded to fly distances of 3,000 kilometers without refueling. That would be more than double the distance between Iran and Israel.The Iranian Air force also aims at deploying more than 100 warplanes for the exercise, matching the number Israel used in its maneuver four months ago. Tehran has timed this large-scale drill for just weeks before the US presidential election on Nov. 4, in response to speculation rife in the West that Israel may use the window between the US election and the swearing-in of the new president in January for an attack on Iran’s nuclear installations. The Iranians aim to show they have a first and second strike capability - not just with ballistic missiles but also by aerial attack. .. ................. read more Top Iran officials recommend preemptive strike against Israel Senior Tehran officials are recommending a preemptive strike against Israel to prevent an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear reactors, a senior Islamic Republic official told foreign diplomats two weeks ago in London. The official, Dr. Seyed G. Safavi, said recent threats by Israeli authorities strengthened this position, but that as of yet, a preemptive strike has not been integrated into Iranian policy. Safavi is head of the Research Institute of Strategic Studies in Tehran, and an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The institute is directly affiliated with Khamenei's office and with the Revolutionary Guards, and advises both on foreign policy issues. Safavi said Tehran recently drafted a new policy for responding to an Israeli or American attack on its nuclear facilities. While the previous policy called for attacks against Israel and American interests in the Middle East and beyond, the new policy is to target Israel alone. He added that many Revolutionary Guard leaders want to respond to a U.S. attack on Iranian soil by striking Israel, as they believe Israel would be partner to any U.S. action. Regarding dialogue with the United States and the West, Safavi said Iran's decision would be influenced by the results of the U.S. presidential elections next month, as well as by the Iranian presidential elections in June and the economic situation in the Islamic Republic. .. ................. read more 5. Apostate Christianity 'Third Jesus' Author to Discuss 'What Jesus Really Taught' in Web Series The author of controversial book The Third Jesus will be discussing “what Jesus really taught” and how it can be applied in today’s world through a six-part Web series that will be aired by an equally controversial group. The online radio series is set to begin Wednesday, according to Paula Coppel, vice president of Communications at Unity School of Christianity in Unity Village, Mo. Unity School of Christianity and its affiliated organizations, like author Deepak Chopra, have been criticized for their belief that Jesus was only a man who attained a higher mental state, among other controversial ideas. "We came up with the idea for this series after Oprah Winfrey's successful webcasts last spring with Eckhart Tolle on his book ‘A New Earth,'" said Coppel in a released statement, referring to another book that has drawn criticism from the conservative Christian community. “The Web series contends that Jesus was not trying to start a new religion, nor was he aiming his teachings at some people and not others,” Coppel added. “He was pointing the way for all of us to experience the awakening that he himself had experienced." Since the release of The Third Jesus earlier this year, a number of heated debates have flared up amid its rising popularity. While some say the book is helpful in deepening understanding of how God works in the world, others are quick to criticize it for undermining the credibility of the gospels and asserting that the orthodox version of Christianity is nothing more than a sham. “It is obvious that when Chopra approaches the New Testament he is so blinded by his New Age ‘light’ that he can only see that which supports it,” wrote Kelly Boggs, editor of the Baptist Message, the newspaper of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, in a column appearing in Baptist Press. “As such, he cherry picks quotes of Jesus and twists them to fit his New Age version of a ‘third Jesus,’” added Boggs, who argues that “Chopra’s ‘third Jesus’ is no Jesus at all.” “He is nothing more than the figment of a New Age imagination.”. ................. read more Christian leader urges Islamic control of Temple Mount A top Christian Palestinian leader here yesterday urged Islamic control of the Temple Mount while claiming Israel was threatening the site's famous Al Aqsa Mosque."Regarding threats against the Al Aqsa Mosque from fanatic Jews, what is threatening you is threatening Christians. One who is attacking you is attacking Christians. We are one family and one people, and we belong to the Palestinian national cause," said Attallah Hanna, archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Church is regarded by Orthodox Christians as one of the most important churches in Christendom. It has 100,000 Christians followers in the Holy Land and is also one of the largest landowners in Israel. Hanna was speaking to Islamic leaders yesterday gathered at the Al Aqsa Mosque.He went on to urge the Waqf, the Mount's Muslim custodians, to "keep fighting and protect Jerusalem." He thanked them for maintaining the Mount as a sacred Islamic site. Hanna himself is closely aligned with the Palestinian cause. He was previously dismissed from his church position after Israel accused him of directly aiding terror organizations. He has held public solidarity meetings with leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and appears regularly on Palestinian television urging children to engage in suicide attacks.. ................. read more 6. The Rise of Islam Taliban Kill Christian Aid Worker for Proselytizing to Muslims Taliban gunmen on a motorbike killed a Christian aid worker in the Afghan capital on Monday, and the militant group said it had targeted the woman because she was proselytizing. The woman, a British national, worked with handicapped Afghans and was killed in the western part of Kabul as she was walking alone around 8 a.m., police said. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the slaying, saying the woman was killed because she was spreading Christianity. "This woman came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to people of Afghanistan," Mujahid told the Associated Press. "Our (leaders) issued a decree to kill this woman. This morning our people killed her in Kabul." Afghanistan is a conservative Islamic nation and has little tolerance for outside religious interference. Proselytizing is prohibited by law, and other Christian missionaries or charities have faced severe hostilities. Last summer a group of 23 South Korean aid workers from a church group were taken hostage in southern Afghanistan. Two were killed and the rest were released. In 2001, eight international aid workers, including two Americans, were imprisoned and charged with preaching Christianity. The eight were freed by Afghan mujahedeen fighters attacking the Taliban after the U.S.-led invasion. In 2006, an Afghan man who converted from Islam to Christianity was sentenced to death by an Afghan court. Following an international outcry Afghan authorities declared the man insane and he was granted asylum in Italy, where he now lives................. read more Malaysians Warned Not to Question Islam An influential council of Malaysia's state rulers has warned people not to question the supremacy of Islam or the special privileges enjoyed by the country's ethnic Malay majority. Racial and religious tensions have increased in the past year as minorities have become more vocal in their complaints about an affirmative action program that they say unfairly favors Malays. They also complain that their religious rights are being ignored.In an unprecedented comment on current affairs, the sultans of nine states did not directly accuse the Chinese and Indian minorities of stoking anti-Malay feelings, but said recent statements and forums "held by certain quarters" had "caused provocation and uneasiness among the people." Questioning the special position of Malays "can lead to disunity and racial strife that can undermine the peace and harmony," the state rulers said in a statement. The warning underscores the social tensions in Malaysia, where Muslim Malays are about 60 percent of the nation's 27 million people. Chinese and Indians, who are mostly non-Muslims, comprise a third of the population and friction among the three ethnic groups is always below the surface. .................. read more Ultraconservative Islam on rise in Mideast The Muslim call to prayer fills the halls of a Cairo computer shopping center, followed immediately by the click of locking doors as the young, bearded tech salesmen close shop and line up in rows to pray. Business grinding to a halt for daily prayers is not unusual in conservative Saudi Arabia, but until recently it was rare in the Egyptian capital, especially in affluent commercial districts like Mohandiseen, where the mall is located. But nearly the entire three-story mall is made up of computer stores run by Salafis, an ultraconservative Islamic movement that has grown dramatically across the Middle East in recent years. Critics worry that the rise of Salafists in Egypt, as well as in other Arab countries such as Jordan and Lebanon, will crowd out the more liberal and tolerant version of Islam long practiced there. They also warn that the doctrine is only a few shades away from that of violent groups like al-Qaida _ that it effectively preaches "Yes to jihad, just not now." In the broad spectrum of Islamic thought, Salafism is on the extreme conservative end. Saudi Arabia's puritanical Wahhabi interpretation is considered its forerunner, and Saudi preachers on satellite TV and the Internet have been key to its Salafism's spread. Salafist groups are gaining in numbers and influence across the Middle East. In Jordan, a Salafist was chosen as head of the old-guard opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. In Kuwait, Salafists were elected to parliament and are leading the resistance to any change they believe threatens traditional Islamic values. The gains for Salafists are part of a trend of turning back to conservatism and religion after nationalism and democratic reform failed to fulfill promises to improve people's lives. Egypt has been at the forefront of change in both directions, toward liberalization in the 1950s and '60s and back to conservatism more recently... .................. read more 7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies UK looks to extend powers of surveillance with mobile phone registration Everyone who buys a mobile telephone will be forced to register their identity on a national database under government plans to extend massively the powers of state surveillance. Phone buyers would have to present a passport or other official form of identification at the point of purchase. Privacy campaigners fear it marks the latest government move to create a surveillance society. A compulsory national register for the owners of all 72m mobile phones in Britain would be part of a much bigger database to combat terrorism and crime. Whitehall officials have raised the idea of a register containing the names and addresses of everyone who buys a phone in recent talks with Vodafone and other telephone companies, insiders say. The move is targeted at monitoring the owners of Britain’s estimated 40m prepaid mobile phones. They can be purchased with cash by customers who do not wish to give their names, addresses or credit card details. The move aims to close a loophole in plans being drawn up by GCHQ, the government’s eavesdropping centre in Cheltenham, to create a huge database to monitor and store the internet browsing habits, e-mail and telephone records of everyone in Britain........................... read more Company develops Ink-based RFID Tags - first step to a RFID enabled Tattoo? California-based Kovio Inc. has unveiled a silicon ink-based RFID tag and an accompanying RFID platform. The first products based on the patented technology are printed silicon HF integrated circuits (PICs) with 128 bits of printed read-only memory, which will serve as the foundation for a low-cost HF RFID tag family. Kovio’s new product was announced during a presentation by the company’s CEO, Amir Mashkoori, at an EPC Connection 2008 event. “The platform will enable new opportunities for advertisers, retailers, consumer packaged good manufacturers, and system integrators to provide instantaneous and contextual experiences to everyone who interacts, uses and purchases everyday consumer goods,” said Mashkoori. The company believes the silicon ink-based products, which are the first of their kind, will enable the development of affordable item-level RFID intelligence solutions for various developing RFID markets. Kovio’s technology platform is based on combining silicon inks and graphics printing technology. This enables the fabrication of silicon devices over large areas and on flexible substrates at a lower cost than conventional silicon technology. Kovio also claims its additive printed silicon technology is significantly cleaner and more resource-efficient than conventional silicon technology. The printed silicon platform facilitates item-level intelligence beyond identification through the integration of printed sensors and displays........................ read more Interpol Details Plans For Global Biometric Facial Scan Database Global security authorities are to push for a huge biometric facial scan database of international travelers so they can cross-check everyone against a database of terror suspects, international criminals and fugitives. Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, is planning to expand its role into the mass screening of passengers moving around the world by creating a face recognition database to catch wanted suspects, reports the London Guardian. The database will hold the records of every citizen who has ever traveled in and out of the virtually every country in the world, representing intelligence agency style bulk interception of information and sounding alarm bells for civil liberties groups. Two months ago we reported on the moves underway to phase out passport control officers at airports and replace them with biometric face scanning cameras. The automated face recognition gates match passengers to a digital image stored on a microchip in the new e-passports. Interpol wants a facial database to be linked into this technology and used in conjunction with its already existing fingerprint and DNA databases, according to Mark Branchflower, head of Interpol's fingerprint unit. We have previously noted that the vast array of databases currently being employed by intelligence agencies, government and law enforcement agencies worldwide were designed to be linked together in a system which will tie in the management and control of all facets of life for citizens to one central hub. Earlier this year we reported on the announcement of a vast intelligence program to establish a global biometric database known as "Server in the Sky" that will collate and provide an " International Information Consortium" with access to the biometric measurements and personal information of citizens across the globe in the name of fighting the "war on terror"......................... read more Real Time Advanced Video Increases Spying Capabilities Real-time streaming video of Iraqi and Afghan battle areas taken from thousands of feet in the air can follow actions of people on the ground as they dig, shake hands, exchange objects and kiss each other goodbye. The video is sent from unmanned and manned aircraft to intelligence analysts at ground stations in the United States and abroad. They watch video in real time of people getting in and out of cars, loading trunks, dropping things or picking them up. They can even see vehicles accelerate, slow down, move together or make U-turns. "The dynamics of an urban insurgency have resulted in a rapid increase in the number of activities visible in the video field of view," according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Although the exploits of the Predator, the Global Hawk and other airborne collectors of information have been widely publicized, there are few authoritative descriptions of what they can see on the ground. But some insights into the capabilities of the Predator and other aircraft can be drawn from a DARPA paper that describes the tasks of a contractor that will develop a method of indexing and rapidly finding video from archived aerial surveillance tapes collected over past years. The resolution capability of the video systems ranges from four inches to a foot, depending on the collector and environmental conditions at the time, according to the DARPA paper. The video itself is also shaped by the angle to the ground from which it is shot, although there are 3-D capabilities that allow viewers on the ground to manipulate videos of objects so they can see them from different vantage points. Systems also exist that allow tracking, moving-target detection of objects under forest or other cover and determination of exact geographic location. Development is underway of systems that allow recognition of faces and gait -- in other words, human identification.......................... read more 8. Christian Worldview/Issues Christian Reality TV Shows Burst on to the Scene Many say Christian entertainment is a good couple of years behind mainstream entertainment, with some placing Christian radio behind by about five years and others even claiming that Christian media in general is more than a decade behind. “I've always been frustrated by Christian media, which at best has lagged 10 years behind the mainstream and is often 30-40 years behind,” says Christian author and musician Jay L. Young of San Antonio, Texas. “Even the good media tends to be just ‘on par’ with mainstream media and true trailblazing is either excessively rare or (more likely) never gets a fair shake in the Christian marketing establishment.” The latest example of this is the emergence of several Christian reality TV programs that have hit the Web and the airwaves in recent weeks. Though reality television has been around as early as the 1940s and exploded in popularity globally starting in the early 2000s, a wellspring of Christian reality programs including “THEDRIVEtv,” “The Uprising,” and “Revolve: Rockin’ The Road” is just now entering the picture. All three programs target Christian youth and look to impact them with a positive message through exciting adventures and live, unrehearsed ministry................. read more The 'how-to' plan to criminalize Christianity A growing movement that experts believe could end up in the criminalization of Christianity in the United States is being exposed in a new documentary being prepared for airing on October 26, officials at Coral Ridge Ministries have announced. "Hate Crime Laws" is a half-hour exposé that shows how Christians in America, Canada, Australia, and Sweden have been arrested and prosecuted for expressing opinions that are rooted in the Bible regarding homosexual conduct, Islam or other topics about which Scriptures express clear teachings. "On the surface, hate crime laws might sound like a good idea," said Jerry Newcombe, of Coral Ridge, who hosts the special. "After all, none of us advocates hatred or violence against another person. But if you look below the surface, suddenly you realize that these laws are really thought crime laws." The program will air on The Coral Ridge Hour time slot and local airing times are available online. WND has reported previously on hate crimes plans at the local level. In Colorado, for example, Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law earlier this year a plan that analysts believe effectively bans publication of the Bible in the state. The gender "anti-discrimination" law bans publication of statements that can be perceived as being negative toward those individuals choosing alternative sexual lifestyles. WND also has reported when family groups with alarm have warned constituents about pending plans in Congress to institutionalize nationwide such laws. Pro-homosexual advocates long have sought such a law, but opponents fear it would be used to crack down on those who maintain a biblical perspective that condemns homosexuality as sin. Observers note it would criminalize speech and thought, since other criminal actions already are addressed with current statutes. Canada already has an aggressive "hate crimes" law, and there authorities have gone so far as to tell a Christian pastor he must recant his faith because of the legislation that bans statements that can be "perceived" as condemning another person... ............. read more TV Couple Seeks to Put God First, Network Edits Out References to Him Kate Gosselin and her husband, Jon, can’t stop TLC from editing prayers and references to God out of their hit reality TV series, Jon & Kate Plus 8. But the couple still manages to share their faith with viewers. “There are many times that we pray, and there are many times we make reference to God,” said Gosselin, whose book, Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving With Twins and Sextuplets, released Tuesday. “It is many times edited out, which is TLC’s prerogative. We had a really hard time with that at first, and challenged them about it. “But then the e-mails starting coming in where it would say, ‘We knew you were Christians when we went to your Web site, and we were right.’” Debuting in April 2007, the Gosselins’ show is the most watched program on TLC and chronicles their atypical life in central Pennsylvania, raising sextuplets—Aaden, Joel, Leah, Alexis, Collin and Hannah—plus twin daughters—Cara and Mady—who are now 4 and 7-1/2 years old, respectively. “We don’t have editing rights one way or another,” said Gosselin, 33, whose family attends an Assemblies of God church. “If you edited all of our faith out of it and just saw a family—who through thick and through thin is sticking together in marriage—we always say that is so much better than what you’re going to see on TV anywhere else nowadays.” She noted that God has used the show to make a spiritual impact on fans, including a woman who contacted her family earlier this year because her daughter had ovarian cancer and her dying wish was to talk to Gosselin. “I felt very insecure about calling her,” Gosselin recalled. “She was a young mom, same age as me, and she had two young kids. I fought it for a few days. … I knew that God was telling me, ‘You must call her, you have no choice, you need to.’ “And so one night, I talked to her,” she added. “I was so inspired by her. She was an amazing woman who found humor in everything. … As she laid on her deathbed, I was able to lead her to the Lord that night. I knew I needed to do it and she was very accepting. She went to heaven less than 24 hour later.” Gosselin stayed in touch with the woman’s mother, who ended up taking care of her daughter’s small children. “A few months later, the grandmother called me, and the 7 year-old found out that he was dying of cancer,” she recounted. “It’s so horribly awful, and he passed away this summer. “I was able to lead him as well as the grandmother to the Lord. I never would have met them any other way, and that is how God chooses to use us. Three people coming to the Lord through our show is all worth it.”............... read more 9. Other Events To Watch World ill-prepared for next flu pandemic: UN Despite widespread awareness of the risks of the next flu pandemic, the world needs to drastically improve cooperation in preparing for what would be a major global crisis, a UN report said Tuesday. The report by the United Nations and the World Bank said that while most countries are planning for a flu pandemic, the worry was that "many plans have not been tested and may well fail once the next influenza pandemic starts." "Coming on the heels of a World Bank study suggesting that the economic cost of a pandemic could top a staggering three trillion dollars, this continuing lack of preparedness remains a cause of concern," it noted. According to the World Bank, a flu pandemic of moderate intensity could cut global gross domestic product by two percent, while a severe flu pandemic would slash global gross domestic product by nearly five percent, or more than three trillion dollars. The report said that even a mild flu pandemic might kill 1.4 million people worldwide, while the death toll from a severe global outbreak could reach 70 million. There have been three such pandemics in the past century. ................. read more Advertisement The 2009 Christian Filmmakers Academy If you are interested in filmmaking, screenwriting, or directing for the glory of God, or if you just want to learn about opportunities and avenues in the new world of independent Christian filmmaking, we invite you to sign up for one of our remaining seats at the 2009 Christian Filmmakers Academy. The Christian Filmmakers Academy is for industry professionals, aspiring filmmakers, Christian students, and men and women who want to broaden their grasp of the diverse skills necessary for transforming the culture through media and independent Christian film production. Click Here For More Information Your ad could be in our next newsletter. 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