Posts

Showing posts from May, 2006

BIRD FLU IN HUMANS EXPLODES IN INDONESIA

Associated Press Bird Flu Explodes in Indonesia By MARGIE MASON , 05.31.2006, 02:15 PM Indonesia averaged one human bird flu death every 2 1/2 days in May, putting it on pace to soon surpass Vietnam as the world's hardest-hit country. The latest death, announced Wednesday, was a 15-year-old boy whose preliminary tests were positive for the H5N1 virus. It comes as international health officials express growing frustration that they must fight Indonesia's bureaucracy as well as the disease. "We're tying to fix this leak in the roof, and there's a storm," World Health Organization spokesman Dick Thompson said. "The storm is that the virus is in animals almost everywhere and the lack of effective attention that's being addressed to the problem." Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands with a population of 220 million people, has a patchwork of local, regional and national bureaucracies that often send mixed messages. The impression, health offic

115 OUTBREAKS OF BIRD FLU IN ROMANIA

115 outbreaks of bird flu reported in Romania A total of 115 outbreaks of avian flu had now been reported in Romania, according to Agriculture Ministry spokesman Adrian Tibu on Monday. The number of reported outbreaks had increased by 27 on Monday alone, Tibu said. The total as of Sunday was just 88 outbreaks. The bird flu was spreading very rapidly in Romania, Tibu added. Currently, just two of the six districts of the Romanian capital have not reported any outbreaks. Local authorities on Monday continued large-scale disinfection and quarantines in the districts with reported outbreaks, as well as culling poultry raised by residents.

SECRET FEMA PLAN TO USE PASTORS AS PACIFIERS

Secret FEMA Plan To Use Pastors as Pacifiers in Preparation For Martial Law Nationwide initiative trains volunteers to teach congregations to "obey the government" during seizure of guns, property, forced inoculations and forced relocation Paul Joseph Watson/Prison Planet.com | May 24 2006 A Pastor has come forward to blow the whistle on a nationwide FEMA program which is training Pastors and other religious representatives to become secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to "obey the government" in preparation for a declaration of martial law, property and firearm seizures, and forced relocation. In March of this year the Pastor, who we shall refer to as Pastor Revere, was invited to attend a meeting of his local FEMA chapter which circulated around preparedness for a potential bio-terrorist attack, any natural disaster or a nationally declared emergency. The FEMA directors told the Pastors that attended that it was their job to help implement FEMA a

FLURRY OF H5N1 CASES IN INDONESIA DRAWS CONCERN

Flurry of H5N1 cases in Indonesia draws concern Tue May 30, 2006 6:00 AM ET By Tan Ee Lyn JAKARTA (Reuters) - Scientists are worried about a sudden flurry of human bird flu cases in Indonesia, warning that a failure to control the situation may raise the chances of a virus mutation and lead to a pandemic. However, local experts say all six of the recent infections in humans were probably linked to diseased birds: investigations found that in three cases, the victims fell sick a few days after chickens died in their villages. Three of the six died. "To me, the most likely cause is H5N1 from animals," said I Nyoman Kandun, director-general of communicable disease control. Indeed, apart from an 18-year-old and his 10-year-old sister, the four other cases were isolated infections and the victims lived far apart from one another. For an 18-year-old man from Surabaya in east Java, his work -- sorting feathers in a factory churning out shuttlecocks -- brought him close to possible s

CLUSTER OF DEATHS THE MOST WORRYING YET

The Times May 25, 2006 Pandemic fears as bird flu kills seven of this man's close family By Mark Henderson, Lewis Smith and Leo Lewis Cluster of deaths the most worrying yet Seven members of his family, including his ten-year-old son, have died within three weeks in what health experts fear is the first case of human-to-human transmission of the disease. For Mr Ginting, it is a personal tragedy. For the world, it raises the alarming prospect that the H5N1 virus may be passed from one human being to another. The World Health Organisation described the cluster yesterday as the most worrying outbreak since this strain of bird flu re-emerged three years ago. Tests on Mr Ginting, who comes from the remote village of Kubu Sembelang in the North Sumatra region of Indonesia, and six of his family have shown that they contracted the H5N1 strain of the virus. Mr Ginting’s sister was the first of the extended family to die. On April 29, as she coughed through the night, her two sons and her

HUMAN TO HUMAN TRANSMISSION BEGINS

Seven Indonesian Bird Flu Cases Linked to Patients (Update1) May 23 (Bloomberg) -- All seven people infected with bird flu in a cluster of Indonesian cases can be linked to other patients, according to disease trackers investigating possible human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus. A team of international experts has been unable to find animals that might have infected the people, the World Health Organization said in a statement today. In one case, a 10-year- old boy who caught the virus from his aunt may have passed it to his father, the first time officials have seen evidence of a three-person chain of infection, an agency spokeswoman said. Six of the seven people have died. Almost all of the 218 cases of H5N1 infections confirmed by the WHO since late 2003 can be traced to direct contact with sick or dead birds. Strong evidence of human-to-human transmission may prompt the global health agency to convene a panel of experts and consider raising the pandemic alert level, said M

MARKETS "ARE LIKE 1987 CRASH"

The Sunday Times May 21, 2006 Markets ‘are like 1987 crash’ David Smith, Economics Editor CONDITIONS in the financial markets are eerily similar to those that precipitated the “Black Monday” stock market crash of October 1987, according to leading City analysts. A report by Barclays Capital says the run-up to the 1987 crash was characterised by a widening US current-account deficit, weak dollar, fears of rising inflation, a fading boom in American house prices, and the appointment of a new chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. All have been happening in recent months, with market nerves on edge last week over fears of higher inflation and a tumbling dollar, and the perception of mixed messages on interest rates from Ben Bernanke, the new Fed chairman. “We are very uncomfortable about predicting financial crises, but we cannot help but see a certain similarity between the current economic and market conditions and the environment that led to the stock-market crash of October 1987,” sa

IRAN TO TAG ALL NON-MUSLIMS

Fri May 19, 6:23 PM ET The United States, Canada and Australia lost little time in blasting Iran for a report, quickly denied, that Tehran may force non-Muslims to wear colored badges in public. While acknowledging they had no details beyond a report in a Canadian newspaper, the three countries went on the offensive in separate statements, with Washington and Ottawa evoking the atrocities of Nazi Germany. "If you did have such an occurrence, whether it was in Iran or elsewhere, it would certainly be despicable," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. "I think it has clear echoes of Germany under Hitler." The National Post newspaper, citing human rights groups, reported Friday that Iran's parliament had passed a law this week that sets a public dress code and requires non-Muslims to wear a special insignia. Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear a yellow, red or blue strip of cloth, respectively, on the front of their

FEARS FOR EUROZONE IF US DOLLAR CRASHES

Fears for eurozone if dollar crashes · ECB boss warns of future damage to export demand · Poor US economic data adds to the pressure Larry Elliott, economics editor Wednesday May 17, 2006 The Guardian The European Central Bank warned last night of the dangers to the world economy of a plunge in the dollar as the US currency came under renewed pressure on foreign exchange markets. Christian Noyer, a member of the ECB's governing council, said a marked depreciation in the greenback would be bad for growth in the 12-nation eurozone and run counter to agreements made by the G7 industrial nations. Mr Noyer's remarks, made in an interview on Reuters TV, came as a business survey in Germany showed that a stronger euro and higher commodity prices may already be hurting confidence. The ZEW expectations index - a barometer of Germany's future economic health - fell sharply from 62.7 in April to 50 this month, its fourth consecutive decline. Analysts said Germany - the eurozone's

IRAN TO REQUIRE OIL PAYMENTS IN EUROS

Iran to require oil payments in euros TEHRAN, May 15 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Friday that in July Iran will abandon dollar payments for its oil and natural gas exports in favor of euros. The move comes amid a standoff between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment program. The Bush administration insists the program is cover for a nuclear weapons program, a charge that Iran denies. All current international oil transactions on the New York Mercantile Exchange and London's International Petroleum Exchange are priced in dollars. Middleeastforex.com reported May 13 that Ahmadinejad announced the change Friday during a visit to Baku, Azerbaijan. Many political observers see the decision as an attempt to pressure Washington, which is attempting to line up other U.N. Security Council members to act against Iran for its nuclear policies. Iran has also proposed establishing a euro-based Iranian oil bourse to compete with NYMEX and the

MARKETS BRACED FOR THE WORST

Markets braced for the worst By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (Filed: 15/05/2006) Global markets are bracing for turmoil today after an ominous slide in the US dollar and a slump in equity and bond prices late last week sent tremors through the global financial system, evoking memories of the 1987 crash. Emerging economies have led the sell-off as investors recoil from risky assets, pummelling stocks and bonds in Turkey, Hungary, Iceland and much of Latin America. The currencies of Brazil, Mexico and South Africa all suffered their sharpest falls in two years as foreign funds rushed for the exits. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial index fell 262 points over Thursday and Friday to 11381, setting off contagion in Japan and Europe. The FTSE 100 had its worst drop in three years on Friday, falling 129.9 points, or 2.2pc, to 5912.1. Analysts said there were now clear signs that monetary tightening by the world's central banks was starting to crimp growth. Lombard Street Research warned th

AVIAN FLU UPDATE

AVIAN FLU UPDATE - The Avian flu continues to be a topic of public interest and debate. US government officials have instructed communities, schools, businesses, and individuals on how to prepare for a possible outbreak. Scientists say the virus poses a serious threat, yet some critics have accused the administration of fear mongering. Adding fuel to the fire, this week ABC will air a made-for-TV movie titled "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America." The movie follows an outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus from its origins in a Hong Kong market through its mutation into a pandemic virus that becomes easily transmittable from human to human and spreads rapidly around the world. [Please Note: The Department of Health and Human Services has prepared a viewer's guide to provide factual information for viewers of the movie, see links below.] In the news, Robert G. Webster, a virologist at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis is quoted as saying "I've

PREPARATION FOR DELUSION

PREPARATION FOR DELUSION from "GLOBAL PEACE AND THE RISE OF ANTICHRIST by DAVE HUNT That the world in the last days will irrevocably turn its back upon truth and righteousness and opt for a false peace, and thus reap God's judgement and its destruction, is one of the clearest teachings in the Bible. Yet at the same time it is one of the most puzzling revelations of the stubborn perverseness of the human heart. Men and woman everywhere long for peace, but the path that must be followed to reach it is repugnant to human pride. Mankind is like a terminally ill patient who desires the cure the doctor offers, yet finds the prescribed medicine ("repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" - ACTS 20:21) too distasteful to swallow - and take a sugar-coated but deadly pill instead. Even with all the evidence we have given, it may still seem unbelievable that Antichrist could so thoroughly deceive mankind. Once again it will help to turn to a man whose rise

IS THE COMING NATIONAL ID THE "MARK OF THE BEAST"

Is coming national ID 'mark of the beast'? - By Ron Strom Opposition grows to federal law requiring data-filled card in 2008 Is the national ID card the next step toward the imposition of the biblical "mark of the beast" Christians believe will be required to buy and sell during the Last Days? That's the contention of a growing group of believers who are working to turn back the approval of the Real ID Act by Congress last year. Public Law 109-13 requires the national ID portion of the plan go into effect by May 2008. "There is a prophecy in the Bible that foretells a time when every person will be required to have a mark or a number, without which he or she will not be able to participate in the economy," states the Christian website NoNationalID.com. "The prophecy is 2,000 years old, but it has been impossible for it to come to pass until now. With the invention of the computer and the Internet, this prophecy of buying and selling, using a number,

NEVER AGAIN

Never Again? - By Charles Krauthammer The creation of the Zionist state was supposed to protect the post-Holocaust Jew forever http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | When something happens for the first time in 1,871 years, it is worth noting. In the year 70, and again in 135, the Roman Empire brutally put down Jewish revolts in Judea, destroying Jerusalem, killing hundreds of thousands of Jews and sending hundreds of thousands more into slavery and exile. For nearly two millennia, the Jews wandered the world. And now, in 2006, for the first time since then, there are once again more Jews living in Israel — the successor state to Judea — than in any other place on Earth. Israel's Jewish population has just passed 5.6 million. America's Jewish population was about 5.5 million in 1990, dropped to about 5.2 million 10 years later and is in a precipitous decline that, because of low fertility rates and high levels of assimilation, will cut that number in half by mid-century. When 6 mil

THE RETURN OF THE MAHDI

The return of the Mahdi - Michael Evans - WorldNetDaily.com Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited to speak at the United Nations in October 2005. At the conclusion of his discourse, he called upon Allah to quickly usher in the re-emergence of the "Twelfth" or "Hidden Imam," sometimes referred to as the "Mahdi." The fanatical leader later claimed that while he spoke to that august body, he was surrounded by a halo of light. Mr. Ahmadinejad regaled a local ayatollah with the story of how "The leaders of the world" stared at him during the time he spoke. He further claimed that they were unable to blink or turn away, as though some unseen force held them in a trance-like state. "When I say they didn't bat an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating, because I was looking at them," intoned Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad is a Shia Muslim. Many of them believe that the Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi, the last in a line of saints descended from A

US OUTLINES HUMAN BIRD FLU PLAN

US outlines human bird flu plan Wed May 3, 2006 3:31 PM ET By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans should prepare for travel restrictions and school closures if an influenza pandemic hits, but such measures can only temporarily slow the inevitable spread of disease, the government's new flu plan says. The White House influenza plan released on Wednesday builds on an earlier plan to combat a potential pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza, including preparations to build a stockpile of vaccines and drugs, already under way, and work to develop newer and better vaccines. As before, it assumes that 30 percent of the population would be infected, and that anywhere between 200,000 and 1.9 million would die, depending on how deadly the virus turns out to be. The H5N1 avian flu virus has spread out of Asia, across Europe and into many parts of Africa. Although the disease is still confined largely to birds, it has killed 113 people out of a recorded 205

MAGNITUDE 7.8 QUAKE STRIKES NEAR TONGA

Magnitude 7.8 Quake Strikes Near Tonga By PESI FONUA NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga (AP) - A massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the ocean bed near the South Pacific island nation of Tonga, but U.S. officials lifted initial warnings of a possible tsunami as far away as New Zealand. No giant waves hit Tonga, and authorities in New Zealand - after initially going on high alert - said there was no danger of a damaging wave slamming into the New Zealand east coast. Sergeant James Tasmania of Gisborne police said civil defense authorities such as police had been put on ``high alert,'' but he added that ``none of the (ocean) monitoring buoys have reported anything significant.'' In the Tongan capital, the coastal city of Nuku'alofa, there were no signs of a tsunami or major damage caused by the giant quake. A reporter who drove through the city saw no building damage, but said that inside buildings he could see bookshelves that toppled over. Power in the city was restored some