Euro and U.S. Dollar
As AFP reported on March 6, 2004, “the euro soared by over a cent to above the 1.23-dollar threshold after a keenly awaited US labour market report defied expectations with only a modest rise in employment.” The article continued that the rise of the euro occurred “after the US government said American businesses added a meager 21,000 jobs in February, dashing hopes for an end to a three-year jobs drought… Analysts say the world’s biggest economy must generate at least 200,000 jobs a month to make a real dent on a growing workforce.”
Christian Discrimination?
Fox News reported on February 26 that “the Hispanic Club, the Chess Club and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance are just some of the clubs that have displays in the hallways of Portland schools. But after the Bible Club at Marshall High School put a Bible and some other Christian books in a display case, some teachers complained to the principal. After a call to the district lawyer, the display was taken down. District officials said they felt the display gave the impression that the school was endorsing Christianity.” The article pointed out that with the support of the American Center for Law and Justice, the Bible Club leader filed a lawsuit in Federal Court, claiming that his right to free speech was violated, and that the school violated the Federal Equal Access Act.
We wait with interest for the ruling of the Federal Court in this matter.
Locust Plague in Middle East
WorldNetDaily reported on March 2, 2004, that a “Biblical locust plague threatens Mideast.” The article stated: “With the Passover celebration just weeks away, a locust plague of biblical proportions could threaten parts of the Middle East and Africa, according to a United Nations agency. An outbreak that potentially could darken the sky and consume everything in its path is ‘in progress on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia where swarms are forming,’ the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said.”
Hell in Haiti
Bild Online wrote on March 4, 2004: “The Devil has a new address…. Haiti has become the most terrible place on earth, the hell of the Caribbean. Since Voodoo-President Jean Bertrand Aristide fled from the rebels, the mob reigns. The visitors take barbaric revenge… A witness: ‘They stone suspects to death… set them on fire. On the street…”
This is just another example of the terrible abuses of carnal human nature in a world cut off from God. Suppressed people become suppressors themselves, and more violence and murder is the result.
Russia and Europe
Itar-Tass reported on March 6, 2004, that Russia is “surprised at NATO plans to deploy bases in Baltic countries.” The article quoted Russia’s acting Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov as saying that “the intention to create new military bases in Europe doesn’t have any clear explanation,” making it clear that “Russia would retain its right to retaliate if NATO sets up bases in the Baltic countries.”
German President and the Pope
As Zenit reported on March 7, “German President Johannes Rau… thanked [John Paul II] for his contribution to [Germany’s] reunification.” The article pointed out, too, that “John Paul II spoke of Germany’s federal structure as a ‘model for a united Europe of nations.’… The Pope cited a need for greater commitment in politics by German Christians, saying that he hoped ‘the Christian heritage will be able to make more fruitful the society of Germany and the rest of the continent.'” The article also quoted a statement from the Vatican, as follows: “Catholics of Europe — around 80% of the total population — … want to see recognized the historical presence of Christianity in the life of the continent.”
Haider is back…
As the Herald Sun reported on March 8, “controversial right-wing politician Joerg Haider powered his party to a stunning win in his home province in Austria today, confounding pundits and strengthening the odds for a national comeback… While the voting was restricted to Carinthia, its significance extended beyond Austria’s southernmost province.”
Tiscali.europe added: “Winston Churchill said that the best argument against democracy is a ten minute conversation with your average voter. Events in Austria over the weekend would merely have confirmed his view. Joerg Haider brought his party a remarkable victory in his home province, defying pollsters and improving his chances of his national comeback despite or perhaps because of his anti-Jewish slurs and sympathies for the Nazi party.”
The article went on to explain:
“Austria has had a long standing attraction to far right politics but they are by no means alone. The Swiss, the French and the Italians are by no means immune… This is not a problem that should be under-estimated.”
