| 2. Israel - God's Timepiece Israel Faces Gridlock As Rivals Claim Power
Israel's new coalition government — whether led by hard-line Benjamin Netanyahu or his moderate rival Tzipi Livni — is likely to take a tough line on two burning issues: Hamas and Iran. As the two began courting potential coalition partners Wednesday, two scenarios took shape: a narrow alliance of hawks who would stall peacemaking with the Palestinians, or a broad power-sharing government that would give Israel a more moderate face and greater international support. With only a few thousand votes by soldiers still to be counted, Livni's Kadima Party had one more seat in parliament than Netanyahu's Likud. But Netanyahu's natural allies on the right have a clear majority of 65 in the 120-seat parliament, giving him the edge in forming a coalition. President Shimon Peres will consult all 12 parties in the new parliament next week before choosing either Netanyahu or Livni to try to form a government — a process likely to take weeks if not months. The two offer vastly different approaches when it comes to peacemaking with the Palestinians: Livni supports giving up territory to make room for a Palestinian state, while Netanyahu has said he considers current U.S.-backed Mideast peace talks a waste of time. However, they both take a hard line when it comes to the Islamic militants of Hamas, who overran the Gaza Strip in 2007, and the potential threat of Iran's nuclear program. Both threaten harsh military action against Hamas if rocket fire from Gaza persists and reject negotiations with Hamas in the wake of a punishing Israeli offensive in Gaza last month. They also agree the Hamas regime should be toppled, though neither has spelled out how that should be done. As for Iran, Israel considers it the nation's biggest threat and rejects Tehran's assertion that its nuclear program is to produce energy, not bombs. Both Livni and Netanyahu have hinted that military action might be necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining an atomic weapon. These key areas of accord might nudge Netanyahu and Livni into a joint government, especially since neither is in a strong position as coalition maneuvering begins........................ read more Huge Israeli Gas Find Even More Massive Than Expected
A massive natural gas find off the coast of Haifa which was lauded as capable of fueling all of Israel for 15 years is actually more than 60 percent larger than originally estimated, according to the American partner in the drill, Noble Energy Inc. Israeli companies Isramco Negev 2, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration, and Dor Gas Exploration had the majority of the stake on the dig – named Tamar-1 – which is estimated at a potential of 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That estimate is up from January, at which time the partners believed the well contained 3 trillion cubic feet of gas. The team will keep their drilling rig in the area for two more wells they believe may be present as well. "The implications of this discovery to Israel cannot be overstated," said Noble Energy Chief Executive Officer Charles Davidson, in a statement issued after following the revision of the estimate....................... read more IDF on high alert for fear of Hizbullah revenge attack
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday continued its heightened state of alert declared several days ago, particularly on the northern border, in a bid to thwart any attempt by Hizbullah to launch a revenge attack against Israel in response to the assassination of its senior commander exactly one year ago. According to estimates in the defense establishment, however, the organization may also act on a later date. Israel officially denied any involvement in the assassination of Imad Mugniyah, who was killed in a blast in his car in the Syrian capital of Damascus on February 2008. As Israel prepares for a possible terror attack on its northern border, the heightened state of alert continues worldwide for fear of an attempt to attack Israeli targets abroad, according to security sources. Several moves have been taken in recent weeks in a bid to thwart and disrupt attempts by terror attacks to carry out such an attack against a European target. "Hizbullah views Israel as responsible for Mugniyah's assassination and has vowed to avenge his death," a security source said. "All the relevant elements have been prepared accordingly for a long time now. This alertness will continue in the future as well according to evaluations of the situation." ....................... read more
3. A Revived Roman Empire? Five EU members figure among the world's top 10 least religious countries
Five EU members figure among the world's top 10 least religious countries, with Estonia leading the list, a new poll has shown. Just 14 percent of Estonians answered positively to the question: "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" according to a poll released by Gallup earlier this week. Estonia is followed by Nordic countries Sweden and Denmark, where 17 and 18 percent of those asked answered positively to the same question. The Czech Republic comes fifth at 21 percent, just after Norway (20%), while France is ninth with a quarter of French people declaring religion important in their daily life. The UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia and Bulgaria were also among the countries where most people did not consider religion to be such an important part of their lives. By contrast, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania and Greece emerged as the EU's most religious members. However, no EU country has made it into the top 10 of the world's most religious states, led by Egypt – where all of those asked responded positively to the question, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (each on 99%)..... ................. read more History repeating itself? 1/3 of Europeans: Jews caused economic meltdown
The Anti-Defamation League said Tuesday that a survey it commissioned found nearly a third of Europeans polled blame Jews for the global economic meltdown and that a greater number think Jews have too much power in the business world. The organization, which says its aim is "to stop the defamation of Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all," says the seven-nation survey confirms that anti-Semitism remains strong. The poll included interviews with 3,500 people - 500 each in Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain. It says that in Spain, 74 percent of those asked say they feel it is "probably true" that Jews hold too much sway over the global financial markets. That is the highest percentage in the survey. "This poll confirms that anti-Semitism remains alive and well in the minds of many Europeans," said Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL's national director in America. "Clearly, age old anti-Semitic stereotypes die hard." Foxman said the study's findings were "particularly worrisome" in light of the anger spawned by the global economic meltdown, and following a number of violent acts against Jews or Jewish property after Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip. Around Europe, several attacks have been reported against Jews and synagogues in France, Sweden and Britain since the Israeli offensive began in late December. Some Gaza protests in Europe have included the use of Nazi imagery, including signs and slogans comparing Israeli soldiers to German troops, the Gaza Strip to the Auschwitz death camp and the Jewish Star of David to the Nazi swastika. .... ................. read more President Blair? - Former PM set to become EU chief
Tony Blair is poised to become the first President of Europe after it was confirmed that French leader Nicolas Sarkozy is determined to help him win the post. A senior aide to President Sarkozy told a private gathering of senior British and French politicians that he is to tell fellow EU leaders that Mr Blair is the only man who can help Europe stand up to the rest of the world. The role is due to be created next year – but only if the EU’s controversial Lisbon Treaty is ratified in the autumn by Ireland and the Czech Republic, the two EU countries which have so far refused to do so. Mr Minc told the gathering, which was also attended by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon: ‘When the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, Europe will move into a new phase. Europe will need a strong leader and Nicolas Sarkozy will nominate Tony Blair for the position.’ Mr Minc explained why Mr Sarkozy was determined to overcome opposition to Mr Blair from a handful of EU leaders, notably German chancellor Angela Merkel. He said: ‘We have to unite and say to Mrs Merkel that we cannot afford not to have Tony Blair, who will be a strong figurehead, is entirely respected around the world and will be a commanding leader at the helm of Europe.’The post of President of the EU’s Council of Ministers will replace the current system under which the EU nations on a six-monthly basis. Supporters say it is the only way to give the presidency rotates among EU a strong voice. Critics claim it is another step on the road to a European superstate. .... ................. read more
5. Apostate Christianity Irreconcilable divisions over homosexuality expected to bring end to Anglican communion
Days after Anglican leaders came out of a global meeting pleased with the respect and graciousness that were exchanged despite ongoing internal conflicts, one prominent conservative bishop demanded that the "bitter truth" be acknowledged – that their differences are irreconcilable. In an open letter addressed to Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, who is considered the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, Nigerian Archbishop Peter J. Akinola expressed his discontentment with the churches in North America and their continued pro-gay actions. "It now seems increasingly clear that without a radical change of behavior on the part of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada the only possible outcome of such a process is acknowledgment of a bitter truth that the differences in the words of Archbishop Idris Jones are 'irreconcilable,'" Akinola wrote in the letter, released Tuesday. During a Feb. 1-5 meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, Anglican leaders agreed to maintain a moratorium on the ordination of openly gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions as they try to move forward to mend their rifts and re-establish mutual trust. Some Anglicans in North America, however, have taken steps to start blessing same-sex unions, Akinola noted. The Diocese of Virginia adopted an amendment, days before the Anglican meeting, affirming "the inherent integrity and blessedness of committed Christian relationships between two adult persons." Also, the Diocese of Toronto put forward a proposal last week to allow some parishes to offer blessings – although not the nuptial blessing – to same-sex couples...................... read more United Methodist group observes 'catastrophe' of Israel
Here we have the apostate United Methodist Church headquartered in Washington, D.C. observing Israel's foundation as a catastrophe and inferring with the title word of their theme 'Dispossession' that the Israelis kicked the made-up 'palestinians' out, and the Israelis do not belong in Israel, when nothing is further from the truth as Israel's war history with the arabs clearly shows; and are now hosting a month-long exhibit that portrays the founding of Israel as a catastrophe. The display, which is titled "60 Years of Dispossession," chronicles what Palestinians call the "Nakba" the Palestinian word for "catastrophe." Palestinians use the word to describe Israel's founding, an event that is reviled in the Arab world. The photo exhibit trumps what it describes as "the 1948 mass deportation of Palestinians, massacres of civilians, and the razing to the ground of hundreds of Palestinian villages" following Israel's creation. Although the Bible, God's infallible and inerent word is full of prophecies for the last days that speak of the Jews being returned by God to the land of their forefathers and their homeland Israel, and that Israel would be reborn in a day, and where God will be sanctified through them, there are many people and 'church' groups that do not believe this, and teach otherwise. Nonetheless, it is true, for God cannot lie, and His Word is truth..... ................. read more A return to indulgences for Catholics
The announcement in church bulletins and on Web sites has been greeted with enthusiasm by some and wariness by others. But mainly, it has gone over the heads of a vast generation of Roman Catholics who have no idea what it means: “Bishop Announces Plenary Indulgences.” In recent months, dioceses around the world have been offering Catholics a spiritual benefit that fell out of favor decades ago — the indulgence, a sort of amnesty from punishment in the afterlife — and reminding them of the church’s clout in mitigating the wages of sin.The fact that many Catholics under 50 have never sought one, and never heard of indulgences except in high school European history (Martin Luther denounced the selling of them in 1517 while igniting the Protestant Reformation), simply makes their reintroduction more urgent among church leaders bent on restoring fading traditions of penance in what they see as a self-satisfied world. According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day. “It’s what?” asked Marta de Alvarado, 34, when told that indulgences were available this year at several churches in New York City. “I just don’t know anything about it,” she said, leaving St. Patrick’s Cathedral at lunchtime. “I’m going to look into it, though.” ................. read more
6. The Rise of Islam 'Fitna' maker Geert Wilders banned from UK
Dutch filmmaker Geert Wilders, whose film "Fitna" warns that Islam is threatening Western civilization, now has been banned from the United Kingdom. Wilders had been invited to Britain for a special private screening of "Fitna" for Parliament in what already has been a controversial event because of challenges to his right to show the film. "Fitna" features Quranic verses shown alongside images of the 9/11 terror attacks, the 2004 attacks in Madrid and the 2005 attacks in London. The film calls on Muslims to remove "hate-preaching" verses from the text of their holy book. Wilders, the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, has been living under 24-hour protection from police since 2004. All-Qaida has called for his murder. According to a report on his website, Wilders was told today in a letter from the British embassy he would not be allowed to enter the UK. "Great Britain is sacrificing freedom of speech," Wilders said. "You would expect something like this to happen in countries like Saudi Arabia, but not in Great Britain. This cowardly act by the British government is a disgrace. I was invited by a British member of parliament." According to Radio Netherlands, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen already has contacted his UK counterpart, David Miliband, by telephone and expressed concern. "The fact that a Dutch parliamentarian is refused entry to another EU country is highly regrettable," Verhagen said. "Fitna," among other things, features archive footage of speeches from Muslim clerics, including one who demanded the "beheading" of all Jews. ..................... read more New film uncovers 'homegrown jihad'
A jihadist group responsible for nearly 50 attacks on American soil is operating 35 training camps across the nation, but its name cannot be found on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations. Exposing Jamaat ul-Fuqra's threat to the U.S., putting it on the terror list and shutting it down is the aim of a new documentary film, "Homegrown Jihad: The Terrorist Camps Around the U.S.,". In 2006, the film points out, a Justice Department document, marked "Dissemination Restricted to Law Enforcement," exposed 35 terrorist training compounds in the U.S. Among the items of evidence was a confiscated terrorist training film by Jamaat ul-Fuqra's leader, Sheik Muburak Gilani, called "Soldiers of Allah." In "Soldiers of Allah," Jamaat ul-Fuqra's reason for being in America is clearly stated. "We are fighting to destroy the enemy. We are dealing with evil at its roots and its roots are America," declares Giliani. The training video, featured prominently in CAN's documentary, teaches American students how to operate AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers, and machine guns; how to kidnap Americans and then kill them; how to conduct sabotage and subversive operations; and how to use mortars and explosives. Jamaat ul-Fuqra's attacks on American soil range from bombings to murder to plots to blow up U.S. landmarks..................... read more Sharia Inspired Laws Spreading across Indonesia
Sharia-based laws have been passed in more than half of Indonesia’s provinces with support for such Islamic laws expected to grow as the country heads towards its presidential election in July. More than 50 regencies in 16 of the 32 provinces in Indonesia have passed laws linked to sharia, or Islamic religious law, according to persecution watchdog group Compass Direct News. These sharia inspired laws vary vastly across the regencies and include requiring both Muslim and non-Muslim women to wear headscarves; arresting and then charging women found “loitering” alone on the street after 10 p.m. with prostitution; providing conditions for Quran literacy among schoolchildren; as well as severe punishment for adultery, alcoholism and gambling. In Padang - the capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia – all schoolgirls, including non-Muslims, are required to wear a headscarf. Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, is a democracy that promises religious freedom to its citizens. ..................... read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies US military develops anti-aircraft laser
The Laser Avenger successfully shot down a series of unmanned aerial vehicles during recent tests and is being hailed as a revolutionary weapon for future warfare. The experiment was the first time that a ground vehicle has used a laser to destroy moving aircraft and marks a watershed moment in the development of lasers for battlefield use. Invented by Boeing, the laser is fitted to a Humvee off-road vehicle, allowing it to be moved into the most remote locations to shoot down enemy planes. It is hoped that the Laser Avenger will be used to help US forces tackle small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which often carry explosives or surveillance equipment. Such devices are difficult for conventional air defence systems to shoot down.. .......................... read more Televisions to be fitted in contact lenses within ten years
It sounds like science fiction - contact lenses that transmit TV shows and tattoos that let us feel the emotions of the actors on screen. Yet experts believe both could be reality within ten years. They say the constant miniaturisation of technology will lead to TV sets being shrunk to the size of contact lenses and powered by body heat. Channels could be changed by voice commands or a wave of the hand, says a report on the future of home entertainment. Ian Pearson, a 'futurologist' who advises companies on new technologies, said of the TV contact lens: 'You will just pop it into your eye in the morning and take it out at the end of the day.' Digital tattoos, meanwhile, will pick up on the emotions portrayed by actors in TV shows and create impulses allowing us to feel the same emotions. This would allow James Bond fans to feel the thrill of outdoing the enemy or sports fans to experience the elation of jubilant players, the report, commissioned by electrical retailer Comet, predicts. While the wearer's eyes might seem a bit tinted to onlookers, they wouldn't be able to tell what programme was being viewed, a report on the future of home entertainment states. It states: 'We could even get to the point where we'll be able to immerse ourselves in a football game, making it feel like you're running alongside your favourite player or berating the ref.' Miriam Rayman, of the Future Laboratory consultancy, which compiled the report, said that while the predictions may sound pie in the sky, most of the know-how already exists. She said: 'The technology is getting smaller and smaller and people are trying to work out how to make it more immersible. They are trying to bring it closer and closer to the eye.'.......................... read more Merciless robots will fight future wars: researcher
Robots will be armies of the future in a case of science fact catching up to fiction, a researcher told an elite TED gathering on Wednesday. Peter Singer, who has authored books on the military, warned that while using robots for battle saves lives of military personnel, the move has the potential to exacerbate warfare by having heartless machines do the dirty work. "We are at a point of revolution in war, like the invention of the atomic bomb," Singer said. "What does it mean to go to war with US soldiers whose hardware is made in China and whose software is made in India?" Singer predicts that US military units will be half machine, half human by 2015. The US Army already recruits soldiers using a custom war videogame, and some real-world weapon controls copy designs of controllers for popular videogame consoles. Attack drones and bomb-handling robots are already common in battle zones. Robots not only have no compassion or mercy, they insulate living soldiers from horrors that humans might be moved to avoid. "The United States is ahead in military robots, but in technology there is no such thing as a permanent advantage," Singer said. "You have Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran working on military robots." There is a "disturbing" cross between robotics and terrorism, according to Singer, who told of a website that lets visitors detonate improvised explosive devices from home computers. "You don't have to convince robots they are going to get 72 virgins when they die to get them to blow themselves up," Singer said. Robots also record everything they see with built-in cameras, generating digital video that routinely gets posted online at YouTube in graphic clips.. .......................... read more Mexico 'to fingerprint all mobile phone users'
Under a new law published on Monday and due to be in force in April, mobile phone companies will have a year to build up a database of their clients, complete with fingerprints. The idea would be to match calls and messages to the phones' owners. Hundreds of people are kidnapped in Mexico every year and the number of victims is rising sharply as drug gangs, under pressure from an army crackdown, seek new income. Politicians who pushed the bill through Congress last year say there are around 700 criminal bands in Mexico, some of them operating from prison cells, that use cell phones to extract extortion and kidnap ransom payments. Most of Mexico's 80 million mobile phones are prepaid handsets with a given number of minutes of use that can be bought in stores without any identification. The phones can be topped up with more minutes via vendors on street corners. The register, detailed in the government's official gazette, means new subscribers will now be fingerprinted when they buy a handset or phone contract. The plan also requires operators to store all cell phone information such as call logs, text and voice messages, for one year............................ read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues Billy Graham Association Makes 'End Times' a Focus in 2009
This year, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will focus on the return of Jesus Christ and help prepare believers for life in the last days, according to a recent announcement. "People ask me, 'Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is going to come back to this earth again?'" writes the Rev. Billy Graham in one of the several resources that the ministry is providing on the End Times. "Yes, I do,” he continues. “The Bible teaches that Jesus is coming again. And I don’t see any other hope, because we’re heading toward a catastrophe in our world." As part of its effort, the ministry has compiled a number of End Times resources including a message delivered by Graham in 1998, a 2008 message from BGEA president and CEO Franklin Graham, an article adapted from a message delivered by Anne Graham Lotz in 1996, an End Times article on the basics of the Second Coming, and a couple of Q&As with Billy Graham that includes a question on whether the world will end in 2009. “The most important question, however, is this: Are you ready for Christ's return?” Graham writes after offering his response. The BGEA is hoping that through its compilation of resources on the Second Coming of Christ, believers will learn how they can fulfill God's plan for their life, increase their love for the Savior and grow their faith during these times — as if it were their last days. “If that happens today, are you ready?” Graham poses. ................... read more Many Christians Claim Unbiblical Spiritual Gifts, Survey Finds
A surprising number of Americans who said they were familiar with spiritual gifts identified ones that are not listed in the Bible as gifts, a new survey found. About one-fifth (21 percent) of respondents who said they have heard of spiritual gifts claimed to have gifts such as a sense of humor, singing, health, life, happiness, patience, a job, a house, compromise, premonition, creativity, and clairvoyance – ones that are not among those deemed to be spiritual gifts in the passages of Scripture that teach about gifts, according to a Barna Group report released Monday. The report is based on three nationwide surveys that included 1,006 adults in 1995; 1,003 adults in 2000; and 1,006 adults in 2008. In each survey, the first question related to spiritual gifts was limited to people who had described themselves as Christians. The follow-up question regarding what spiritual gifts they possessed, if any, was limited to people who said they had heard of spiritual gifts. Overall, two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans who described themselves as Christian said they have heard of spiritual gifts. Among the self-proclaimed Christians, an astounding 99 percent of evangelicals have heard of the term, which is far more than the 74 percent of non-evangelical born again Christians and the 58 percent of notional Christians. The most popular biblical spiritual gifts that respondents claimed to possess are teaching (9 percent), service (8 percent) and faith (7 percent). Encouragement (4 percent), healing (4 percent), knowledge (4 percent), and tongues (3 percent) followed the top three. The gift of leadership was named by only two percent of those interviewed. ............... read more New 'Fairness Doctrine' seen as threat to Christian radio
As the National Religious Broadcasters convened today in Nashville, an ominous shroud cast by political chatter about the reimposition of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" in the nation's capital hung over the gathering. NRB President Frank Wright said he sees the move as a credible threat under a Democrat-dominated Congress and with President Obama in the White House. "And we have a personal concern," Wright told Broadcasting & Cable. "The only radio station that ever lost its license under the fairness doctrine regime was a Christian radio station in Red Lion, Pa. We are only responding now to the statements the Democrats themselves are making." Representing 1,400 organizations, including large ministries and TV and radio stations, NRB said it is "girding itself for a major battle over broadcasting freedoms," and was prepared to go to court, lobby Congress, or take its message to the public. He said the new political climate doesn't just threaten broadcasters, but even churches that have no broadcast outlet. "The fairness doctrine has a tremendous potential for constraining free speech, but hate crimes legislation has the potential of criminalizing it," he said. "In the short run, the fairness doctrine has the immediate threat of being applied to Christian broadcasters and to the church in a very deleterious way. Hate crimes legislation, if that is enacted, will evolve over time and bleed over into speech and have a negative effect, but not right away. The fairness doctrine will have a negative impact the day it is implemented." He said he expects religious broadcasters, largely Christian, to be particularly hard hit because of the doctrine's requirement for so-called "balance." If an opposing view must be found for every matter of controversy, Christian broadcasters could find themselves in the unenviable and untenable position of seeking out other religious viewpoints – Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist or atheist – to counter what ministers of the Gospel say on the air. "I have had a number of conversations with NRB members who operated under the old 'Fairness Doctrine' regime," he said. "What happens is there is a chilling of free speech because the license-holder tends to take off the air the programmer whose content is deemed to be controversial." . ... .................. read more
9. Other Events To Watch Emerging global elite to use new global media to educate 'global citizens'
Elite members of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, recently considered a proposal for a new global television network to usher in a state of “global governance.” The concept strikes some as authoritarian, even totalitarian. But the parent company of Fox News was one of the sponsors of this year's gathering. The media proposal, which was included in “The Global Agenda 2009” report, is to create “a new global network” with “the capacity to connect the world, bridging cultures and peoples, and telling us who we are and what we mean to each other.” Several prominent U.S. media figures signed on to the alarming and controversial proposal. Isn’t it nice that we might have a TV network telling us “who we are?” And “what we mean to each other?” Perhaps we will learn that we are global citizens. Perhaps a global leader of some sort will tell us that. Who might that be? This proposal doesn’t come from a fringe organization. The WEF is an exclusive club of very rich and powerful people from around the world. It describes itself as “an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.” This year’s conference featured speeches by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Chinese Premier We Jiabao. Many U.S. corporations, including some getting Wall Street bailout money, were sponsors. News Corporation, the parent of Fox News, was a “strategic partner” of the event. Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison, represented the Obama Administration at this year’s event and called leaders from all nations to “seize gladly” the duties of collaborating and boldly embrace “a new era of global financial responsibility.” But the WEF also envisions cooperation and collaboration in global media ventures. It asks, “How can we save journalism to help it save the world?” Clearly, this is advocacy journalism on a global scale. Indeed, the list of “Recommendations” says it is imperative to start “Communicating a global agenda, and motivating and mobilizing people to support it…” Is this journalism? Or is it brainwashing and propaganda? ....................... read more |
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