Destructive Solar Storm in 2012?
On August 26, Yahoo India News published an article by Australasian Science (ANI), stating the following:
“Astronomers are predicting that a massive solar storm, much bigger in potential than the one that caused spectacular light shows on Earth earlier this month, is to strike our planet in 2012 with a force of 100 million hydrogen bombs… Similar storms back in 1859 and 1921 caused worldwide chaos, wiping out telegraph wires on a massive scale. The 2012 storm has the potential to be even more disruptive.
“‘The general consensus among general astronomers (and certainly solar astronomers) is that this coming Solar maximum (2012 but possibly later into 2013) will be the most violent in 100 years,’ News.com.au quoted astronomy lecturer and columnist Dave Reneke as saying…
“No one really knows what effect the 2012-2013 Solar Max will have on today’s digital-reliant society. Dr Richard Fisher, director of NASA’s Heliophysics division, told Reneke the super storm would hit like ‘a bolt of lightning’, causing catastrophic consequences for the world’s health, emergency services and national security unless precautions are taken.
“NASA said that a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause ‘1 to 2 trillion dollars in damages to society’s high-tech infrastructure and require four to 10 years for complete recovery.'”
Volcano Erupts after 400 Years
The Associated Press reported on August 30:
“An Indonesian volcano dormant for four centuries erupted for the second straight day Monday, shooting clouds of hot ash more than a mile into the air and forcing 30,000 people to flee. Some domestic airplanes had to be diverted because of poor visibility. Many villagers living along the slopes of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province wore masks as they packed their belongings and headed to emergency shelters, mosques and churches… Their abandoned homes and crops were blanketed in gray soot and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur…
“Sinabung last erupted in 1600… Indonesia is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes because of its location within the so-called ‘Ring of Fire’ — a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.
“It is also home to some of the largest eruptions in recorded history. The 1815 explosion of Mount Tambora buried the inhabitants of Sumbawa Island under searing ash, gas and rock, killing an estimated 88,000 people. The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa could be heard 2,000 miles away and blackened skies region-wide for months. At least 36,000 people were killed in the blast and the tsunami that followed.”
For more information on volcanic eruptions, as well as past space impacts, as discussed in the next article, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution… A Fairy Tale for Adults.”
The Destruction of the Dinosaurs
BBC reported on August 27:
“The dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago by at least two space impacts, rather than a single strike, a new study suggests. Previously, scientists had identified a huge impact crater in the Gulf of Mexico as the event that spelled doom for the dinosaurs. Now evidence for a second impact in Ukraine has been uncovered. This raises the possibility that the Earth may have been bombarded by a whole shower of space rocks…
“What might have caused this bombardment is highly uncertain.”
However, the Bible explains what caused the devastation in the past.
Devastation in Pakistan Continues…
The New York Times wrote on August 27:
“Hundreds of thousands more Pakistanis fled their homes as high floodwaters reached the southernmost region of the country and inundated several more districts… Almost one million people have been displaced since midweek in Sindh Province, adding to the estimated six million already made homeless countrywide over the last three weeks in Pakistan’s worst floods in living memory…
“Health workers setting up clinics in the major centers of displacement reported a sharp increase in cases of acute diarrhea. The numbers represent an increase of 30 percent compared with the same period last year… A high incidence of malaria is also being reported in the southern provinces…”
America’s Grim Economic Future
The Daily Mail wrote on August 27:
“America was heading for a second recession last night as gloomy figures showed its economy grinding to a halt. Slowing growth and rising unemployment across the Atlantic cast a long shadow over a small improvement in the UK economy –which grew at its fastest rate for nine years this spring…
“Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke described the financial outlook yesterday as ‘inherently uncertain’ and said the economy ‘remains vulnerable to unexpected developments’… Any worldwide slowdown led by an American slump would hurt Chancellor George Osborne’s hopes of leading the UK to a recovery led by exports.”
President Obama Dismissive
Politico wrote on August 29:
“President Barack Obama dismissed a recent poll showing that a third of Americans don’t know he’s a Christian — and blamed an online campaign of misinformation by his conservative enemies for perpetuating the myth that he’s a Muslim.
“Obama, speaking with NBC ‘Nightly News’ anchor Brian Williams on Sunday afternoon, was equally dismissive of conservative talk show host Glenn Beck — saying he didn’t watch the Fox host’s Saturday rally in Washington but wasn’t surprised that Beck was able to ‘stir up’ people during uncertain economic times…
“‘I can’t spend all of my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead,’ quipped Obama, who took a deep breath to gather his thoughts when asked if the poll reflected his inability to communicate with voters. ‘The facts are the facts. We went through some of this during the campaign — there is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly,’ said a visibly annoyed Obama, referring to ‘birthers,’ who have waged a guerrilla campaign questioning either the existence or the validity of his Hawaiian birth certificate…
” A stunning 18 percent of Americans identify Obama as Muslim… Only a third identify Obama, who speaks passionately about his faith in his autobiography, as Christian…”
“Six Days to War” With Iran
Newsmax reported on August 27:
“Iran expert Kenneth R. Timmerman… lays out the scenario likely to unfold if the United States and Iran go to war. In Timmerman’s report, you’ll find out why ‘Six Days to War’ could happen sooner than you think — as many American assets are already ‘in position’ for an attack…
“Timmerman’s report on the looming war with Iran is based on sources including top Israeli intelligence officers, military, and political leaders interviewed in Israel and Washington, D.C., and a key planning document… developed by the Iranian navy.”
In a SPIEGEL interview, which was published on August 30, Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki discussed the “risk” of a military strike against Iran. We are bringing you the following excerpts:
“SPIEGEL: There are growing calls in Israel for a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities — with or without Washington’s approval.
“Mottaki: Israel has been talking about this for years. The Zionist regime knows exactly what fate awaits it here. The regime would be putting its own existence at stake with an attack.
“SPIEGEL: You would attack Israel?
“Mottaki: I have just told you what would happen.
“SPIEGEL: Your first reactor, in Bushehr, is scheduled to go online on Sept. 26 after more than 30 years of construction. Do you really want to see the Israelis reduce it to rubble?
“Mottaki: Do you have evidence that Bushehr will be attacked? How probable do you think such an attack is?
“SPIEGEL: The likelihood is considered high.
“Mottaki: We don’t see this likelihood.
“SPIEGEL: Do you want to ignore reality? Don’t you recognize the military threat? Don’t you see the worldwide protest against the impending stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani [accused of adultery and sentenced to death]?
“Mottaki: What is the point of these questions? You would be better advised to listen to us. It was our interpretations of the situation in this region that have proved to be right. We predicted that the United States would capitulate in Iraq, and that’s what has happened. Instead, you are playing the human rights game. You ask me about the possible killing of a human being. But you show no sensitivity for the many, many people that are being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. How long does the West intend to live with this contradiction?”
Iraq’s Dire Situation–Waste of U.S. Taxpayer Money
The Associated Press reported on August 29:
“A $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children’s hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets
“As the U.S. draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted — more than 10 percent of the some $50 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a U.S. watchdog agency.
“That amount is likely an underestimate, based on an analysis of more than 300 reports by auditors with the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. And it does not take into account security costs, which have run almost 17 percent for some projects…
“Even completed projects for the most part fell far short of original goals… And the verdict is still out on whether the program reached its goal of generating Iraqi good will toward the United States instead of the insurgents…
“The reconstruction program in Iraq has been troubled since its birth shortly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The U.S. was forced to scale back many projects even as they spiked in cost, sometimes to more than double or triple initial projections…”
Iraq’s Dire Situation–Fears of Civil War
Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 30:
“US combat troops are withdrawing from Iraq, where terrorist attacks are once again part of everyday life. The Iraqi population is suddenly mourning the departure of the once-hated occupiers, as fears of a civil war grow…
“Only 50,000 US troops will remain in the country, out of a total of over 170,000 soldiers that were in Iraq at the high point of the American deployment. They are staying mainly to support the Iraqi security forces as advisers and trainers, and are also due to return to their homeland at the end of 2011.
“The withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq’s urban centers just over a year ago was welcomed euphorically… Visitors to Baghdad can sense the fear [now] that many people have of a new civil war. That fear is underscored by the daily news reports on television. Last week, at least 56 Iraqis died at the hands of suicide bombers and snipers in around two dozen terrorist attacks. In August, an average of five policemen or soldiers died every day…
“Given the violence that is flaring up again, many Iraqis want their occupiers to stay longer… The uncertainty about what will happen now is so far-reaching that it has even affected the former arch-enemies of the US Army. Abu Mujahid lost a leg in 2004 when he fought against the invaders in the battle of Fallujah. Shrapnel fragments are lodged in his head, the legacy of a US missile strike. ‘Yes, we fought them to the death,’ Mujahid, who is a Sunni Muslim, told the news agency Reuters. ‘We dreamed of the day when they would leave Iraq. But their withdrawal at this time is not in Iraq’s interests’…
“The US forces, for their part, are observing the sudden regret over their departure with interest. ‘We are seeing that very clearly,’ says Brigadier General Mark Corson, speaking in the US military base in Balad about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Baghdad… The decision to leave the country has not been called into question for one moment, despite the Iraqis’ new-found affection for their occupiers, Corson says. ‘You can’t please the Iraqis. If you’re here, you are the evil occupier. If you leave, you are letting them down. Then it’s better to just leave at some point.'”
Iraq’s Dire Situation–President Obama’s Oval Office Speech
The Associated Press reported on September 1:
“Despite President Barack Obama’s declaration Tuesday of an end to the combat mission in Iraq, combat almost certainly lies ahead. And in asserting the U.S. has met its responsibilities in Iraq, the president opened the door wide to a debate about the meaning of success in the muddle that most – but not all – American troops are leaving behind.
“A look at some of the statements Obama made in his Oval Office speech and how they compare with the facts:
“OBAMA: ‘Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.’
“THE FACTS: Peril remains for the tens of thousands of U.S. troops still in Iraq, who are likely if not certain to engage violent foes. Counterterrorism is chief among their continuing missions, pitting them against a lethal enemy. Several thousand special operations forces, including Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs, will continue to hunt and attempt to kill al-Qaida and other terrorist fighters – working closely with Iraqi forces. Obama said, ‘Of course, violence will not end with our combat mission,’ while stopping short of a full accounting of the hazards ahead for U.S. troops.
“OBAMA: ‘We have met our responsibility.’
“THE FACTS: That depends entirely on how the U.S. responsibility is defined. Sectarian division – the danger that Obama said as a presidential candidate had to be addressed before Iraq could succeed – continues to deprive the country of a fully functioning government. U.S. goals for reconstruction are unmet. And although the U.S. says Iraqi forces can handle the insurgency largely on their own, Iraq is expected to need U.S. air power and other military support for years to control its own air space and to deter a possible attack by a neighboring state.
“It was the U.S. that invaded Iraq, overthrew its government, disbanded its security forces and failed in the early phases of the conflict to understand the depth of Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic divisions and its political paralysis… today Iraq has no permanent government and its security forces arguably are not fully prepared to defend the country’s skies and borders…
“OBAMA: ‘Within Afghanistan, I have ordered the deployment of additional troops who – under the command of Gen. David Petraeus – are fighting to break the Taliban’s momentum. As with the surge in Iraq, these forces will be in place for a limited time to provide space for the Afghans to build their capacity and secure their own future.’
“THE FACTS: Obama is reciting almost the exact language of the Bush administration’s rationale for the Iraq surge: to buy time and space for the Iraqis to reach political accommodations and to strengthen their own security forces. That’s quite a change from Obama’s stand as a presidential candidate, when he criticized it. Obama seems to be embracing the troop surge logic now, even though it’s clear that the Iraqis have yet to achieve the necessary level of reconciliation to form an enduring government.”
Leader of Germany’s Central Bank under Fire over “Attacking” Jews and Muslims
The Daily Mail reported on August 30:
“A leading member of Germany’s central bank has caused outrage by claiming that Jews are identified by a particular gene. Thilo Sarrazin, who is on the board of the Bundesbank in Frankfurt, said in a newspaper interview: ‘All Jews share a certain gene. Basques (Spanish separatists) have particular genes, that distinguishes them from others.’
“Germany’s Jewish community today reacted with horror and accused him of anti-Semitism and attempted racial profiling. Germany’s deputy Chancellor Guido Westerwelle accused the banker of stoking up hatred… Another member of the German cabinet, defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, said Sarrazin had ‘overstepped the borders of provocation’. German Chancellor Angela Merkel tonight condemned Sarrazin for making ‘stupid and pointless’ statements…
“Sarrazin gave an interview to the respected Welt am Sonntag Sunday newspaper to promote his book entitled ‘Deutschland schafft sich ab’, which can be translated as ‘Germany does away with itself.’ In the book he claims the country is on the road to ruin because of the influx of immigrants from the Middle East which would overwhelm the indigenous population and create a nation of ‘dunces’. In particular he singles out Muslims for failing to integrate and having low IQs… He asserts the result has been a ‘dramatic fall’ in literacy and numeracy. ‘Germany is becoming more stupid,’ he said.
“‘Muslim immigrants don’t integrate as well as other immigrant groups across Europe. The reasons for this are apparently not based on their ethnicity, but are rooted in their culture of Islam,’ he told Welt am Sonntag. Germany has strict laws which ban inciting racial hatred. These include denying the Holocaust, using the Heil Hitler salute and displaying a Swastika. Making anti-Semitic remarks is also an offence but Sarrazin’s comments – while distasteful – are unlikely to lead to a prosecution.”
Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 30:
“Sarrazin, a member of the center-left Social Democrats [and] a former minister of finance for the city-state of Berlin, has repeatedly caused controversy by criticising Turks and Arabs in Germany… In his book, Sarrazin argues that Muslims undermine German society and that young Muslim men are aggressive due to sexual frustration…
“Left-wing Die Tageszeitung writes: ‘He is without doubt a racist. Unlike other opponents of Islam, Sarrazin doesn’t just believe in a “clash of cultures” and voice shrill warnings about “over-alienation” by Muslims. He goes further by attributing cultural and social differences mainly to genetic dispositions… What should be done if 65 years after the banning of “Mein Kampf” another treatise of racial theory turns into a bestseller in Germany?’
“Conservative Die Welt writes: ‘He is right on many counts… One has to be appalled at a growing, passive-aggressive underclass, about miserable educational achievements and also about Turkish and Arab immigrants who refuse to integrate and to get an education. Even if many people claim that all this has long been known, nothing has been done. We still lack the political will to tackle this unpleasant conflict… One has to be tough and honest, but one mustn’t argue in static technocratic terms like Sarrazin…’
“Left-wing Frankfurter Rundschau writes: ‘The hobby author Sarrazin is responsible for risk control in the most important central bank of the euro zone. Such an office cannot seriously be carried out by someone who no one takes seriously anymore in the financial sector.'”
Germans Sympathetic Towards Sarrazin
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 30:
“Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Monday said it would begin proceedings for the expulsion of longstanding member Thilo Sarrazin over comments in his new book. Sarrazin… officially launched his book ‘Deutschland schafft sich ab’ (‘Germany does away with itself’) at a press conference in Berlin on Monday…
“At the launch, Sarrazin reiterated his beliefs about the threat of Muslim culture to European societies. He told reporters that Germans were in danger of becoming ‘strangers in their own country’ and demanded stronger checks on immigrants…
“Advance orders have sent the book to the top of German sales charts.”
Der Spiegel added on August 31:
“Thilo Sarrazin’s comments about Muslims have triggered outrage in Germany and abroad, but have met with willing listeners among the general public. His rhetoric is slowly bringing about change in Germany, transforming it from a tolerant society into one dominated by fear and Islamophobia…
“Of course, these fears are not completely unfounded. Conditions in areas like Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood give rise to very real, justified concerns. There are schoolrooms where three-quarters of the students are from immigrant families, students whose German is barely good enough to get by. There are Arab and Albanian family clans that control crime syndicates and receive welfare benefits. There are phenomena like forced marriages and honor killings. In some mosques, imams are encouraging the faithful to engage in Islamist terror. All of this exists, and yet it has nothing to do with ordinary Islam and the day-to-day lives of well over 90 percent of Germany’s Muslims. And yet these are precisely the kinds of things that fuel cheap attempts to create stereotypes of Muslims as the enemy…
“There is no question that there are Muslims in Germany who sympathize with Islamist ideas… It is also undeniable that suicide bombers worldwide frequently invoke Islam — a deplorable but not an isolated phenomenon. Every monotheistic religion, through its claim to exclusivity, contains the potential for violence.
“But no one condemns Christianity as a whole when Northern Irish breakaway factions commit murder in the name of God. We don’t blame all Catholics when some of them kill abortion doctors while invoking their faith. And we don’t take all of Judaism to task when a Jewish terrorist named Baruch Goldstein slaughters dozens of Muslims during prayers in Hebron while invoking Yahweh. But we do condemn Islam, whose holy book contains about as many passages glorifying violence as the Old Testament (which, unlike the Koran, does mention stoning as a punishment).”
The false claim that the Old Testament glorifies violence is absolutely outrageous and blasphemous. For more information, please read our free booklets, “And Lawlessness Will Abound…” and “Should YOU Fight in War?” .
Changes in German Bundeswehr?
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 28:
“German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has announced plans to reduce the size of the German military by about a third of the current 250,000 troops, and to end Germany’s mandatory military service. At the same time, however, he said he also wants to see an increase in the number of troops available for active duty, which is currently 7,000.
“Outlining his plans to make military service more attractive, Guttenberg told the mass market Bild am Sonntag newspaper that despite ending conscription, a trial period for potential volunteer troops could be an option to avoid a shortage of service members… In an interview with ARD television, German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported Guttenberg’s ideas to reform the Bundeswehr, saying she’d like to see a ‘culture of volunteerism’ and that signing up for the Bundeswehr should be made more attractive for young people.
“Guttenberg estimates the German military would need between 7,500 and 15,000 short-term volunteer troops. Additionally, the defense ministry said he is looking into various means of compensation for volunteers who would serve between 12 months and 23 months. This could include a salary, pension or educational opportunities, he said.
“The interview was published while Guttenberg was paying a surprise visit to German troops in the Baghlan province of Afghanistan… He emphasized his support for the troops’ efforts, but wouldn’t comment on a possible date for the withdrawal of German soldiers from Afghanistan.
“The idea of ending Germany’s long-standing tradition of mandatory military service has not been without criticism. In a speech to the Marine Officer’s School in Ploen, Peter Harry Carstensen, the state premier of Schleswig-Holstein, said he considered Germany’s mandatory military service an integral part of society. ‘This is not something we can sacrifice easily,’ he said.
“But Guttenberg said only a small percentage of German men were actually called on to perform mandatory service… adding that only 13 to 16 percent of men are drafted into temporary service.”
Germany Strengthens EU
The EUObserver wrote on August 26:
“Germany’s constitutional court has laid down the ground rules for controlling decisions by the EU’s top court… Thursday’s pronouncement backed by seven of the eight judges not only avoids a direct conflict with the EU’s Luxembourg court but also appears to strengthen it. Germany’s court stated that EU decisions may only be checked if European institutions seriously overstep their powers. A headline in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung says: ‘Karlsruhe (the court) restricts its own powers’…”
