Iran dumps U.S. dollar for oil trades - CNN.com
CNN reports: "Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, has stopped conducting oil transactions in U.S. dollars, a top Oil Ministry official said Wednesday, in a concerted attempt to reduce reliance on Washington at a time of tension over Tehran's nuclear program and suspected involvement in Iraq."

Comment: I can't help but feel this portends war with Iran in the near future. One of the foundational rules of the American Empire is that oil trading is to be conducted with U.S. dollars. Bush either defends this basic rule or he concedes that the Pax Americana is over. I can't really see him making that concession, can you?

My Way News - Israeli president takes swipe at Iran's nuclear program
AP reports: "Israel's president took a veiled swipe at Iran and its disputed nuclear program Wednesday, using his Holocaust Memorial Day speech to talk about the danger the world would have faced if Adolf Hitler had succeeded in his quest to build atomic bombs."

My Way News - Witnesses: Ethiopian Troops kill 13 civilians in Somalia
AP reports: "Ethiopian troops allied to Somalia's shaky government opened fire on civilians in a street in southwestern Somalia, killing 13 on Wednesday after an explosion there killed two soldiers, witnesses said."

My Way News - US troop deaths hit 7-month high in Iraq
AP reports: "The U.S. military death toll hit a seven-month high of 50 on Wednesday - with more than half the losses in Baghdad as American forces wage growing street battles against Shiite fighters."

My Way News - Activists: China persecuting Buddhist monks in Tibet
AP reports: "China has stepped up persecution of Buddhist monks with mass detentions, Tibet activists said Wednesday, as China prepares to take the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest."

My Way News - AT&T launches TV service on new phones, rivaling Verizon
AP reports: "AT&T Inc. (ATT) is launching its new video service for cell phones Sunday on two phones, and will charge $15 per month for 10 channels."

My Way News - Circuitry discovery could lead to beefier memory
AP reports: "he newly discovered circuit element - called a memristor - could enable cell phones that can go weeks or longer without a charge, PCs that start up instantly, and laptops that retain your session information long after the battery dies."

Scientology Shares Secrets on YouTube ... Sort Of | The Underwire from Wired.com
Wired News reports: "Additionally, hacker group Anonymous rose to attention earlier this year after issuing video attacks against the church, protesting Scientology's history of censorship. The Anonymous pranksters have posted videos of live 'rickrolling' raids on Scientology churches."

My Way News - Israeli general warns militants aim for holiday attack
AP reports: "The commander of Israeli military intelligence warned Tuesday that Palestinian militants will try to stage a large-scale attack on Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations next month."

My Way News - Russia building up troop in separatist Georgian regions
AP reports: "Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it is building up troop contingents in two separatist regions of Georgia because of provocative actions by the former Soviet republic."

My Way News - Militiamen ambush drives back US patrol in Sadr City
AP reports: "Clashes have intensified in Sadr City since the Mahdi Army leader - the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr - reiterated his threat of an all-out war against U.S.-led forces last week. U.S. troops, meanwhile, find themselves increasingly drawn into the fight opened by the Iraqi government to cripple the power of Shiite militias."

My Way News - China sentences 30 people _ some to life _ over Tibet riots
AP reports: "Six Buddhist monks were among 30 people sentenced by a Chinese court Tuesday to jail terms ranging from three years to life for taking part in deadly riots in Tibet."

My Way News - Scientists seek clues as Reno earthquakes keep shaking
AP reports: "Scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno are scrutinizing seismic readings and studying damage at residents' homes to try to figure out what's happening beneath the earth's surface under a northwest Reno neighborhood rocked by a seemingly endless string of earthquakes."

My Way News - Food scientists say stop biofuels to fight world hunger
AP reports: "The three senior scientists with an international research consortium pushing a biofuel moratorium said nations need to rethink programs that divert food such as corn and soybeans into fuel, given the burgeoning worldwide food crisis."

My Way News - Singapore sees more HIV infections in 07
AP reports: "Singapore recorded 422 new HIV infections last year, the highest number in a single year since records started in 1985, the city-state of 4.5 million people said Tuesday."

Report Details Targeting of Christians in North Korea - Crosswalk.com
Compass Direct News reports: "Refugee testimonies in a report released this month by a U.S. government body confirm severe persecution of Christians throughout North Korea."

My Way News - Thousands of Tibetans protest in Nepal
AP reports: "Thousands of Tibetans, mostly monks and nuns, held another of their near-daily demonstrations Monday in Nepal's capital, urging the U.N. to investigate China's crackdown on protests in their homeland, but for the first time they were not stopped by police."

My Way News - US accuses Iran and Syria of trying to destabilize Iraq
AP reports: "In a report to the council on behalf of the multinational forces, Khalilzad says Iran and Syria must stop sending weapons and foreign fighters into Iraq. Iran and Syria have repeatedly denied trying to destabilize Iraq."

My Way News - Iran discusses package of nuclear proposals with Russia
AP reports: "Iran and Russia on Monday discussed the outlines of 'serious proposals' aimed at assuring the international community that Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful, state media reported."

My Way News - Police: Austrian kids locked in basement, never saw sunlight
AP reports: "The children locked in the basement never saw the light of day for years. A retired electrician has confessed to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering seven children with her in a windowless cell sealed by an electronic keyless-entry system, police said Monday."

My Way News - 3 tornadoes rip through Va., hundreds of people hurt
AP reports: "Three tornadoes ripped through Virginia on Monday, with one hop-scotching across the southeastern part of the state and leaving behind a 25-mile trail of smashed homes, tossed cars and more than 200 injured residents."

VOA News - Top US Officer Says Iran Increasing Support for Iraqi Shi'ite Insurgents
VOA reports: "Admiral Mullen said Friday he does not expect a U.S.-Iran military confrontation anytime soon, and he says there are other things the U.S. government can do to press Iran to stop helping the Iraqi insurgents."

My Way News - Thousands attend Easter ritual at holy shrine in Jerusalem
AP reports: "Hundreds of police were deployed in and around the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday to control an estimated 10,000 pilgrims."

My Way News - Military: Turkish planes, artillery bomb Kurdish rebels
AP reports: "Turkish warplanes and artillery units struck Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq who were preparing to cross the border to carry out attacks, the military said Saturday."

My Way News - Hamas says cease-fire is a 'tactic'
AP reports: "The chief of Hamas said Saturday that the Palestinian militant group would accept an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel but it would be a 'tactic' in the group's struggle with the Jewish state."

Comment: And it doesn't undermine them when they say this in public? What if Israel publicly acknowledged that they were seeking peace with the Palestinians as a mere tactic in their larger effort to destroy them? Do you think anyone might notice that, maybe protest that, just a little?

My Way News - Conservatives dominate in Iran parliament run-offs
AP reports: "Conservatives consolidated control of Iran's legislature in run-off elections but opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gained strength, according to final results Saturday."

My Way News - Reno urged to prepare for worse as earthquakes continue
AP reports: "Scientists urged residents of northern Nevada's largest city to prepare for a bigger event as the area continued rumbling Saturday after the largest earthquake in a two-month-long series of temblors."

My Way News - Indonesians hold major drill for bird flu pandemic
AP reports: "Indonesia launched a major bird flu drill Friday that will test the ability of the nation hardest hit by the virus to respond to a possible pandemic. Thousands were taking part, from local residents to government officials."

What is 'New Age' Religion, and Why Can't Christians Get Along with it? - Crosswalk
This Crosswalk article answers an important question: "What exactly is the New Age? Impossible to narrow down, the New Age is actually a vast smorgasbord of beliefs and practices. Each New Ager fills his tray with whatever assortment fits his appetite. All is liberally seasoned with self-centeredness. It's really a Have-It-Your-Way religion – thus its modern appeal."

Wheat Crop Failures Could be Total, Experts Warn - moneynews.com

moneynews.com reports: "On top of record-breaking rice prices and corn through the roof on ethanol demand, wheat is now rusting in the fields across Africa. Officials fear near total crop losses, and the fungus, known as Ug99, is spreading."

My Way News - 1 Palestinian killed in clashes with Israeli troops in Gaza
AP reports: "Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen are exchanging heavy fire in northern Gaza. Medics say one Palestinian has been killed."

My Way News - Russia sounds warning to Georgia over breakaway regions
AP reports: "Russia said Friday it may use military force if conflict breaks out between Georgia and its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, voicing concern about the presence of Georgian troops in the area."

Comment: The newly resurgent Russia is starting to reshape the local neighborhood by absorbing two regions that ostensibly belong to Georgia. I wonder if this has anything to do with Kosovo? Russia pushes back.

My Way News - Beijing says Zimbabwe arms shipment being returned to China
AP reports: "China's global weapons exports are considered tiny in dollar terms, although Beijing is a principal exporter of cheap, simple small arms that are blamed for fueling violence in Sudan and other parts of Africa. The timing of the arms shipment further cast a spotlight on China's ties with Africa, where its aggressive business practices and support for authoritarian regimes have drawn increased scrutiny."

My Way News - Syria denies US claims of a secret nuclear program
AP reports: "Syria's president scoffed at U.S. claims that his country was building a nuclear reactor at a site attacked by Israel seven months ago, according to excerpts of an interview published Friday."

My Way News - Sweep of polygamists' kids raises legal questions
AP reports: "The sect believes polygamy brings glorification in heaven and its leader Warren Jeffs is revered as a prophet. Jeffs was convicted last year in Utah of forcing a 14-year-old girl into marriage with an older cousin."

Comment: I agree that the leader of this group is, by orthodox Christian standards, a false prophet. However, I also agree that the state overstepped the bounds in seizing and removing all of the children (especially infants and the males of all ages) from the group, and if it is demonstrated that the phone call which instigated the removal proves to have been fraudulent, the children should be immediately returned to the parents.

My Way News - Report: Global cell phone sales up 14 pct in 1Q
AP reports: "Global mobile phone sales continued to surge in the first quarter, when shipments reached 282 million despite an economic downturn, research firm Strategy Analytics said Friday."

My Way News - UN chief to announce plan to eliminate deaths from malaria
AP reports: "Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will announce a global initiative Friday that steps up the fight against malaria - seeking to eventually wipe out a tropical scourge blamed for killing a million people a year."

Signs of the Second Coming
This is a very simple but moving YouTube video about the Signs of the Second Coming:

Wal-Mart limits rice purchases - CNN.com
CNN reports: "The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, called 'recent supply and demand trends.'"

My Way News - Russia rejects Western request regarding Georgian regions
AP reports: "Russia has rejected a call by key Western powers to rescind its plan to strengthen ties with two breakaway Georgian regions, insisting it only wants to promote their economic development and not annex them."

My Way News - Syrian president ready to talk to Israel once Bush term ends
AP reports: "Syria's president said in an interview published Thursday that his country may hold peace talks with Israel, but not until a new U.S. administration takes office."

My Way News - Iranians mark US copter crash during failed 1980 rescue try
AP reports: "Addressing the worshippers, Sardar Alaei, a Revolutionary Guards commander, said Iran should build a city called 'Death to America' at the site to showcase 'America's failure in invading Iran.'"

My Way News - Libya says Gaza is 'worse' than Nazi concentration camps
AP reports: "Libya's deputy ambassador to the United Nations confirmed Thursday that he compared the situation in Gaza to Nazi concentration camps, but toughened his language and said matters are actually 'worse' in Gaza."

My Way News - Egyptian report says Hamas offers 6-month truce with Israel
AP reports: "The Palestinian group Hamas is proposing a six-month cease-fire with Israel, saying it will stop firing rockets out of Gaza if the Jewish state simultaneously lifts its blockade of the coastal strip, Egypt's state run MENA news agency said Thursday night."

My Way News - Series of minor earthquakes shakes Reno; no major damage
AP reports: "The strongest quake, with a magnitude of 4.2, was centered 6 miles west of Reno, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It shook downtown for about 30 seconds just before 4 p.m. and followed a 4.1-magnitude quake minutes earlier. No injuries or major damage were reported."

At Expense of All Others, Putin Picks a Church - New York Times
AP reports: "There was a time after the fall of Communism when small Protestant congregations blossomed here in southwestern Russia, when a church was almost as easy to set up as a general store. Today, this industrial region has become emblematic of the suppression of religious freedom under President Vladimir V. Putin."

My Way News - Iran booted from defense show for displaying missile systems
AP reports: "Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Iranian firms exhibited missile systems at the Defense Services Asia show that were 'offensive' and contravened U.N. resolutions."

My Way News - Russia rejects Western request regarding Georgian regions
AP reports: "Diplomats from the United States, Britain, France and Germany, who are supporters of Georgia, said they were 'highly concerned' about Russia's strengthened ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

My Way News - Director of "Basic Instinct" writes Jesus biography
AP reports: "'Basic Instinct' director Paul Verhoeven has written a book that contradicts biblical teaching by suggesting that Jesus might have been fathered by a Roman soldier who raped Mary."

My Way News - Syria says Israel ready to return Golan for peace accord
AP reports: "A Cabinet minister said Wednesday that Israel has passed a message to Syria saying it is prepared to return the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace treaty."

My Way News - World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger

AP reports: "A 'silent tsunami' of hunger is sweeping the world's most desperate nations, said Josette Sheeran, the WFP's executive director, speaking Tuesday at a London summit on the crisis. The skyrocketing cost of food staples, stoked by rising fuel prices, unpredictable weather and demand from India and China, has already sparked sometimes violent protests across the Caribbean, Africa and Asia."

My Way News - Thousands of Christians baptized near Jordan River
AP reports: "Pilgrims from Russia, eastern Europe, France and Belgium arrived on dozens of buses, organizers said. At a Tuesday morning ceremony, visitors in white baptismal robes sold at the site leaned over metal fences to look at the river."

My Way News - UN says Darfur conflict worsening
AP reports: "The conflict in Darfur is deteriorating, with full deployment of a new peacekeeping force delayed until 2009 and no prospect of a political settlement for a war that has killed perhaps 300,000 people in five years, U.N. officials said Tuesday."

My Way News - Zimbabwe's neighbors unite to block arms shipment
AP reports: "Zimbabwe's regime got a taste of the international isolation critics say it deserves, with its neighbors blocking a shipment of Chinese arms to prevent them from being used against Robert Mugabe's opponents."

Comment: It's nice to see the spotlight on the international arms trade, especially focused on those (like China) who fuel the incessant conflicts in Africa.

My Way News - Hamas changes stance, saying it's open to Gaza-only truce
AP reports: "Senior Hamas representatives said Tuesday that the militant group is willing to accept a cease-fire limited to the Gaza Strip, dropping a long-standing demand that the West Bank be included in a halt to fighting with Israel."

My Way News - Israel says Carter effort at cease-fire with Hamas failed
AP reports: "Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad says that Hamas presented nothing new in its demands for a truce during Carter's recent meetings with officials of the militant group."

My Way News - Hawking: Unintelligent life is likely on other planets: "Famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has been thinking a lot about the cosmic question, 'Are we alone?' The answer is probably not, he says."

Comment: Are we alone? The Bible says we are not alone, and we never have been. The Creator God designs universes, perhaps metaverses, filled with expressions of His creativity. The heavens declare the glory of God, says the psalmist, so we know that whatever may be there has been created by God and is a reflection of His providential design.

My Way News - Magnitude-4.0 aftershock reported from Midwest earthquake
AP reports: "More aftershocks shook Southern Illinois on Monday, three days after a magnitude 5.2 quake rattled nerves across the region. The U.S. Geological Survey said a total of 22 aftershocks had been recorded since last week's tremor that was centered deep beneath the surface near West Salem."

My Way News - Polio cases double in Nigeria
AP reports: "Polio cases have nearly doubled this year in the West African nation of Nigeria as officials struggle to fight various natural strains of the virus as well as an outbreak set off by the polio vaccine itself three years ago."

Biofuels starving our people, leaders tell UN - guardian.co.uk
The Guardian reports: "The leaders of Bolivia and Peru have attacked the use of biofuels, saying they have made food too expensive for the poor. Speaking at the United Nations, the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, said the increased use of farmland for fuel crops was causing a 'tremendous increase' in food prices."

Phoenix man: Neighbor caused Monday's mysterious lights
azcentral.com reports: "Several Valley residents reported seeing the lights in the sky on Monday night and Gregor said the FAA received numerous calls. Witnesses said they saw four lights in a square shape that eventually became a triangular shape. The lights were moving to the east and they disappeared one by one."

My Way News - Israel at 60: A vibrant nation still in search of itself
AP reports: "Dispirited though they may be about their political predicament, Israelis don't lose sight of the astonishing fact that nearly 2,000 years after the Romans extinguished Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land, their reborn republic is still standing tall again, peopled by Jews from dozens of countries as disparate as Russia and Ethiopia, Chile and Denmark, Australia and Azerbaijan."

My Way News - 5.2 earthquake rocks large region of Midwest
AP reports: "Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage."

My Way News - Olmert: Israel, Syria exchanging messages on expectations
AP reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told a newspaper that Israel and Syria have been exchanging messages to clarify expectations of any future peace treaty."

My Way News - Iran denies charges it's supporting Iraqi insurgency
AP reports: "Iran's U.N. Mission is rejecting allegations by U.S. officials that the country is supporting the insurgency in Iraq. It calls the claims 'unfounded' and 'baseless.'"

My Way News - Al-Qaida leader: 5 years of US in Iraq brought 'failure'
AP reports: "The authenticity of the 16-minute recording, posted on a Web site known for militant messaging, could not be independently verified. But it carried the logo of al-Qaida's media wing and was the second in April attributed to the terror network's chief strategist."

My Way News - March the warmest on record over world land surfaces
AP reports: "Planet Earth continues to run a fever. Last month was the warmest March on record over land surfaces of the world and the second warmest overall worldwide."

My Way News - CDC: Flu season worst in 4 years
AP reports: "Based on adult deaths from flu and pneumonia, this season is the worst since 2003-2004 - another time when the vaccine did not include the exact flu strain responsible for most illnesses."

My Way News - Asia is world's cradle for new strains of flu
AP reports: "Scientists have pinpointed the cradle-to-grave path that flu takes as it sweeps the globe every year - starting with the birth of new strains in Asia and ending when the virus burns out in South America."

My Way News - Gaza fighting kills 20 Palestinians, including 5 children
AP reports: "Wednesday's death toll was the highest since a broad Israeli military offensive in early March killed more than 120 Gazans, including dozens of civilians. Since then, Israel and Hamas appeared to be honoring an informal truce, though punctuated with Palestinian rocket attacks, some Israeli airstrikes and minor border skirmishes."

My Way News - Hamas says Carter visit a boost to militants' legitimacy
AP reports: "Hamas officials said Wednesday that Jimmy Carter's meetings with leaders of the Palestinian militant group will boost its legitimacy despite criticism by Israel and the U.S. government of the former president's personal peace mission."

Comment: Carter's moral compass has always been off. I used to think that he was getting senile, but I think he has displayed a remarkable consistency in his views over the course of his political life, it's just that his views represent a inversion of standard morality. In his view the good guys are bad guys and the bad guys become the good guys. In creating this moral gray zone he then seeks to bridge the gap, and in so doing he becomes a peacemaker. Sadly, the peace he makes requires the transformation of dictators and despots from rogue status to peace partners, a PR move to facilitate a respectable peace. Some may agree with this approach, I do not.

My Way News - Report says North Koreans with religious ties face torture
AP reports: "The report found that, despite repression and anti-religion propaganda, 'remnants' of traditional folk beliefs, Buddhism and Christianity continue in the North. But, it said, Christianity and Buddhism have been thoroughly repressed and 'reduced largely to clandestine worship at what are largely religious tourist attractions.'"

My Way News - Putin accepts leadership of dominant Russian party
AP reports: "Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday to take command of the United Russia Party when he steps down as president, enhancing the power he will wield as prime minister and bolstering his platform for a potential return to the Kremlin."

My Way News - Carter embraces Hamas official at West Bank meeting
AP reports: "Former President Carter angered Israel's government Tuesday by embracing a Hamas politician during a visit to the West Bank, ignoring Israeli and U.S. designation of the Islamic militants as a terror group. Israel accused Carter, the broker of the first Arab-Israeli peace accord, of 'dignifying' extremists. But Carter vowed to meet Hamas' supreme leader this week in Syria."

My Way News - Outposts traded for settlement houses in West Bank
AP reports: "Settlers have put up more than 100 outposts since the 1990s in an effort to expand the Jewish presence in the West Bank. Under the U.S.-backed road map peace plan, which is serving as the basis for the latest talks, Israel has promised to take down 26. The road map also requires Israel to halt all settlement construction and obliges Palestinians to end violence and crack down on armed groups."

My Way News - Hamas says 4 gunmen killed in clashes with Israeli troops
AP reports: "Intense fighting in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday left four Hamas gunmen dead, Hamas said."

BBC NEWS - Warning on plastic's toxic threat
The BBC reports: "Plastic waste in the oceans poses a potentially devastating long-term toxic threat to the food chain, according to marine scientists. Studies suggest billions of microscopic plastic fragments drifting underwater are concentrating pollutants like DDT."

WorldNetDaily - America drafts plan to divide Israel capitol

WND reports: "The United States, which has been mediating negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority here, has proposed a plan to divide Jerusalem, WND has learned. The plan, divided into separate phases, among other things calls for Israel eventually to forfeit parts of the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site."

allAfrica.com - Kenya: Severe Famine Looms in Lamu)
All Africa reports: "Lamu District residents face starvation if the long rains delay. Lamu DC, Mr Charles Mwathe, said about half of the 80, 000 residents are vulnerable."

World Tribune — U.S. Air Force sets up cyberspace command against continuing China attacks
World Tribune reports: "China has developed cyber warfare forces and the Air Force has created a cyberspace command to provide both defensive and offensive computer network weapons, a senior Air Force general said last week."

Israel Can Stand Up for Itself - New York Times
This op-ed in the New York Times argues that Israel should be willing to stand up to Iran by itself and not rely on any other nation to challenge Iran's development of nuclear weapons.

israelinsider: security: Israel prepares for the Apocalypse
Israel Insider reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared a simulated state of emergency Monday following the scenario of a barrage of hundreds of missiles fired on Israel from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, as the country's largest-ever emergency exercise, 'Turning Point 2,' continues."

My Way News - IMF Head Warns About Food Prices

AP reports: "The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Saturday that if food prices remain high, there will be dire consequences for people in many developing countries, especially in Africa."

My Way News - Unusual Earthquakes Measured Off Oregon

AP reports: "Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption - except there are no volcanoes in the area. [...] There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0, OSU reported."

My Way News - US GIs in Iraq Suffer Worst Week of '08
AP reports: "American casualties have risen with an outbreak of fighting in Baghdad between U.S. and Iraqi forces and the largest Shiite militia - the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr."

My Way News - Earthquake Shakes Hills Near Rome
AP reports: "Italian authorities say a small earthquake has shaken the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. No injuries or damage have been reported. Many people were awakened by the quake, which struck at 1:44 a.m. EDT Saturday. Parts of eastern Rome also have reported feeling it."

My Way News - Attys: Texas Polygamists May Recant
AP reports: "'Warren thought it was there were too many unfaithful people in Colorado City,' Jessop said. 'So he started the culling, if you will.' 'He started moving all the most faithful to Texas so that God would be able to lift them up while he swept the evil wicked outsiders off the face of the Earth.'"

My Way News - Benedict XVI Ready to Meet America
AP reports: "'This pope, without in any way trying to be critical of his predecessor, has emphasized Jesus Christ, not the person of the pope, as critically significant,' O'Connell said. 'The other pope used his personality to spread the Gospel and the Gospel message, and he did it very effectively. This pope knows he doesn't have a rock star personality and he's using what his greatest gifts are to get the message out there. And his greatest gifts are intellectual and pastoral.'"

My Way News - Dangerous Animal Virus on US Mainland?
AP reports: "The Bush administration is likely to move its research on one of the most contagious animal diseases from an isolated island laboratory to the U.S. mainland near herds of livestock, raising concerns about a catastrophic outbreak."

Comment: What a brilliant idea! This is the kind of thing that really engenders faith in the wisdom of government planning. After all, what could possibly go wrong? Ok, seriously, I would hope that there is someone in authority who could simply veto this idea. Just say no.

My Way News - Indonesia Ends Ban on YouTube Over Film
AP reports: "On Tuesday, the government in the world's most populous Muslim nation ordered Internet service providers to block YouTube, MySpace and other sites, but savvy surfers had little trouble circumventing the ban."

Mobile devices stoke 'micro-blogging' fervor - Yahoo! News
AFP reports: "'What are the four things you can do with a mobile phone? You can talk, you can send text, you can take pictures and send video,' Utterz president Randy Corke told AFP. "We want to use the technology that you have in your pocket," he said. 'We want to make blogging as easy as talking ... Our users can literally take their mobile telephone out and capture the experience, and the emotion of their voice, and interview people.'"

My Way News - Iran Demands Israel Stop Force Threats
AP reports: "Iran urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israel and demand that it stop threatening to use military force against the Islamic republic, according to a letter obtained Friday."

My Way News - 8 Palestinians Killed in Gaza
AP reports: "Hamas has continued attacking Israeli forces along the border and firing rockets at Israeli towns, and allows Gaza's other militant factions to do the same. It has also threatened to breach the borders with Israel and Egypt if their closure of crossings to and from Gaza continue."

My Way News - Navy Ship Encounters Iranian Boat
AP reports: "The USS Typhoon tried unsuccessfully to establish radio contact with the Iranian boat after it came within an estimated 200 yards of the Typhoon on Thursday, outside Iranian territorial waters. A Navy official says the ship then fired the flare and continued on its way without incident."

My Way News - Austria: Furor Over Jesus Orgy Drawing
AP reports: "Austrians are locked in a nationwide debate touched off by the brief display in a prestigious Roman Catholic museum of an etching that depicts Jesus Christ and his disciples having an orgy during the biblical Last Supper."

My Way News - Polygamist Sect Encouraged Fear
AP reports: "The renegade Mormon splinter group requires girls at puberty to enter into polygamous marriages with much older men and produce children, authorities say. The sect also teaches children to fear the outside world, including the very authorities who removed them until a court hearing Thursday that will help determine their future."

My Way News - Video of Teen Beating Raises Questions
AP reports: "The teenagers have been arrested on charges that they beat the teen so they could make a video of the attack to post online. One of the girls struck the 16-year-old victim on the head several times and then slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, according to an arrest report."

My Way News - Swarm of Earthquakes Detected Off Oregon
AP reports: "Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption - except there are no volcanoes in the area."

My Way News - Protesters Retreat in Haiti - for Now

AP reports: "Peacekeepers cleared roadblocks and businesses reopened in Haiti's debris-littered capital Thursday, but protesters warned that chaos will return quickly if the government fails to rein in soaring food prices."

My Way News - China Keeping Tibet Closed to Tourists
AP reports: "Chinese authorities jittery about protests during the Mount Everest leg of the Olympic torch relay have abruptly reversed a decision to reopen Tibet to foreign tourists. Foreigners have not received permits to visit the Himalayan region since deadly anti-government riots broke out in the capital, Lhasa."

My Way News - Israel Cuts Off Gaza Fuel After Attack
AP reports: "Israel cut off the only source of fuel to Gaza's 1.4 million people Thursday after a deadly Palestinian raid on the Israeli depot, deepening the seaside territory's hardship."

Comment: Israel is in an untenable situation. Gazans hate Israel and use the territory that Israel willingly gave up (in hopes of peace) as a base from which to launch attacks against Israel, and yet Israel is responsible for the physical welfare of Gazans. What to do? Invite the leaders of the international aid community to Jerusalem and give them an ultimatum: start organizing aid for Gaza because Israel will renounce all ties to Gaza within 48 hours. If the rocket attacks stop, they can always reconsider. This strategy to stop the rocket attacks has not been tried, so it's worth trying at least once.

My Way News - Blogger Posts Anti-Christian Video
AP reports: "A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring alleged Christian extremists preaching violence and a Bible passage calling for war, in response to an anti-Quran film that sparked protests across the Muslim world."

Comment: The difference is that Dutch filmmaker Geert Wilders' movie "Fitna" would only spark a few protests in Europe, this guys anti-Christian video can get Christians killed in the Middle East.

My Way News - US Shifts Enemy in Iraq
AP reports: "The top U.S. commander has shifted the focus from al-Qaida to Iranian-backed 'special groups' as the main threat to a democratic Iraq - a significant change that reflects both the complexity of the war and its changing nature."

My Way News - UN Chief Asks Russia to Contribute More
AP reports: "United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Moscow on Thursday to increase its contributions to the U.N. and its peacekeeping operations, suggesting Russia's growing economy and global clout have put it in a position to give more."

Comment: It appears that Russia's comeback has been so pronounced that the U.N. wants Russia to pay more to support the global forums budget. Alternate Headline: U.N. To Russia: Power Players Must Pay!

My Way News - MySpace Inks Global TV Distribution Deal
AP reports: "Los Angeles-based MySpace retained the right to distribute content from MySpaceTV online and over mobile networks worldwide - and on broadcast networks in the U.S., the company said."

The Church in the Middle East
Joel Rosenberg recently had a very interesting report on his blog about Christians in the Middle East. I recommend it to you if you are interested in how the gospel is being shared in that part of the world:

The God of the Bible is moving powerfully in the Middle East to draw men, women and children to His heart and adopt them into His family in record numbers. More Muslims have come to faith in Jesus Christ over the last thirty years -- and specifically over the last seven to ten years -- than at any other time in human history. There is a revival going on among the ancient Catholic, Coptic, and Chaldean churches. Today, the Church is being truly resurrected in the lands of its birth.

Food price rises threaten global security - The Guardian

The Guardian reports: "Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN's top humanitarian official warned yesterday after two days of rioting in Egypt over the doubling of prices of basic foods in a year and protests in other parts of the world."

Putin: Moscow is committed to hosting Mideast peace meet - Haaretz - Israel News
Israel News reports: "Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia was committed to promoting a Middle East peace conference in Moscow, meant to act as a follow-up to the U.S.-hosted Annapolis conference held last November."

Comment: Russia is basically proposing the idea that each of the Quartet sponsors of the current Mideast peace process hold their own conference to advance the process. If this idea is accepted by the stakeholders it will then mean that after the Russian hosted conference, it would then be the EU's turn to host a conference, followed a year later by the United Nations. This scenario offers some very interesting implications for the unfolding of Bible prophecy. Israel has signaled that it does not support this idea and will not back a Russian hosted conference. Time will tell.

Clinton says would be active in Mideast peace - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton would be 'fully engaged and involved' in the Middle East as U.S. president and would maintain a full-time presence there to spur the peace process, the New York senator told Reuters."

Syrian official: We're prepared for war - Jerusalem Post
JPost reports: "A senior Syrian official said Tuesday that Syria would be prepared for all possible scenarios as soon as the 'language of understanding' with Israel over the peace process ended."

Jewish group to slaughter lamb in Passover sacrifice rehearsal - Israel Today

Israel Today reports: "A Bible-adherent Jewish group on Sunday ritually slaughtered a young lamb in what is called a 'rehearsal' for the renewal of the Passover sacrifice once the Jerusalem temple is rebuilt."

Gulfnews - China and Syria sign deal to build refinery
Gulf News reports: "Shanghai: China and Syria have signed an agreement to build a joint venture refinery in eastern Syria, expanding their cooperation to include oil processing, China National Petroleum Corp said in a statement seen yesterday."

My Way News - Local Nuke War Would Cause World Havoc

AP reports: "A regional nuclear war would not only be devastating to the countries involved, it would cause havoc worldwide for at least a decade, according to a new analysis. The massive fires resulting from even a limited conflict would blast enough soot into the atmosphere to create an ozone hole over heavily populated areas, researchers warned in a paper in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

My Way News - Physicist Says Particle Will Be Seen
AP reports: "The new Geneva collider will recreate the rapidly changing conditions in the universe a split second after the Big Bang. It will be the closest that scientists have yet come to the event that they theorize was the beginning of the universe. They hope the new equipment will enable them to study particles and forces yet unobserved."

My Way News - Israel, Palestinian Leaders Resume Talks
AP reports: "Israeli and Palestinian leaders renewed efforts Monday to end their conflict by year's end, but their first meeting in two months deteriorated into accusations that each side was not living up to a U.S.-backed peace plan."

My Way News - US Evangelicals March Through Jerusalem
AP reports: "American televangelist John Hagee led several hundred flag-waving followers across Jerusalem on Monday, a colorful display of the growing alliance between Christian evangelicals and Israel."

My Way News - Israel Unveils 60th Birthday Plans
AP reports: "Israel on Sunday rolled out its plans for this year's 60th anniversary celebrations, promising concerts, Holocaust remembrance events and a workshop promoting Arab-Israeli coexistence."

My Way News - Uneasy, Normal Life Follows Tibet Riots
AP reports: "Three weeks after anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks spread across western China, police checkpoints and roadblocks have mostly disappeared. Smashed panes of glass in shops and government buildings attacked by demonstrators have been replaced and businesses have reopened."

My Way News - EU Allows Mobile Phones on Airplanes
AP reports: "The European Union on Monday opened the way for air travelers to use mobile phones to talk, text or send e-mails on planes throughout Europe's airspace."

My Way News - US Cyberwarfare Prep Includes Offense
AP reports: "U.S. military officials seeking to boost the nation's cyberwarfare capabilities are looking beyond defending the Internet: They are developing ways to launch virtual attacks on enemies."

My Way News - China Confirms Human H5N1 Transmission
AP reports: "Human-to-human transmission of bird flu has happened about a dozen times in the past, in countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Turkey. In nearly every case, transmission has occurred among blood relatives who have been in close contact, and the virus has not spread into the wider community."

Danger Room - Wired Blogs
The Wired blog Danger Room posts about a new book that imagines war with Iran: "Although talk of war with Iran has subsided somewhat, a French author has taken the prospect seriously enough to devote a whole book to a chilling, highly detailed look at how it might play out."

NATO boosts cyber-attack response force - Yahoo! News
AFP reports: "NATO has put in place special emergency response teams to deal with cyber terrorism following a serious attack on member state Estonia last year, a senior official said on Friday. Estonia's government websites were crippled for nearly two months in 2007 by Internet attacks believed to emanate from Russia."