Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I'm off for my holiday break and wanted to wish you all a happy and joyous Christmas. I know that the news we link to here is often grim but I'm sure that most of you who visit this site are Christians who understand that beyond the headlines we know that God is sovereign and always in control. We know that this effort to be watchful has a purpose and a focus, and that focus is on Jesus Christ, the very reason for this season of celebration.

We watch the signs of His return, but this season is all about the First Coming, not the Second Coming, so as we turn to our families and friends to celebrate the holidays we offer thanks and praise to God and above all, celebrate Jesus as the reason for the season.

Hark the herald angels sing
lyrics by Charles Wesley

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

My Way News - Hamas declares Gaza truce with Israel is at an end
AP reports: "Hamas formally announced the end of its unwritten, often-breached truce with Israel on Friday as Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired four rockets into southern Israel."

Russian warships visit Cold War ally Cuba - Americas- msnbc.com
AP reports: "A Russian anti-submarine destroyer and two logistical warships docked in Cuba on Friday, a thumb-your-nose port call aimed at Washington in waters just 90 miles from Florida."

My Way News - Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon protest Gaza siege
AP reports: "Thousands of supporters of the militant Hezbollah group swarmed Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, demanding Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip. [...] Chants of 'Death to America' and 'Israel is the enemy of Muslims' rang out from the crowd."

My Way News - EU to Obama: make Middle East peace a priority
AP reports: "The European Union's external relations commissioner says the new U.S. administration should make the Middle East peace process a priority and build upon progress made so far."

My Way News - Mugabe says 'Zimbabwe is mine,' won't be toppled
AP reports: "He has faced renewed criticism amid a humanitarian crisis that has pushed thousands of Zimbabweans to the point of starvation and left 1,123 people dead from cholera since August."

Officials: U.S. not ready for cyber attack - Security- msnbc.com
Reuters reports: "The United States is unprepared for a major hostile attack against vital computer networks, government and industry officials said on Thursday after participating in a two-day 'cyberwar' simulation."

My Way News - Got the flu? CDC says Tamiflu may not be much help
AP reports: "The medical arsenal against the flu just got weaker. Government health officials said Friday that a leading flu medicine, Tamiflu, might not work against all cases of the flu this year. The most common flu bug right now is overwhelmingly resistant to Tamiflu, they said."

Russian air defence deal with Iran under way - report - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Russia is currently fulfilling a contract to deliver S-300 air defence systems to Iran, RIA news agency quoted confidential sources as saying on Wednesday. [...] The most advanced version of the S-300 system can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away."

My Way News - UN says Zimbabwe cholera death toll reaches 1,111
AP reports: "The cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen above 1,000, the United Nations said Thursday, as one expert warned that the country is ill-prepared to deal with outbreaks of other diseases."

My Way News - Hamas says won't extend truce with Israel
AP reports: "Two Hamas officials said the Islamic group would not extend a six-month truce with the Israelis as militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at southern Israel and Israel hit back with airstrikes Thursday."

My Way News - Shoppers flee as police, youths clash in Athens
AP reports: "Masked youths set up burning barricades and threw fire bombs and chunks of marble at riot police Thursday, after a protest march erupted into new fighting that sent Christmas shoppers and panicked parents fleeing to safety."

My Way News - In Paris, Netanyahu airs concerns on Iran
AP reports: "Benjamin Netanyahu, who hopes to become Israel's next prime minister, warned Thursday that 'a terribly dangerous threshold will be crossed' if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, and urged world leaders to make sure it does not happen."

VOA News - US Says Russia Hardening Stance Against European Missile Defense Plan
VOA reports: "The Bush administration's top arms control official says Moscow is hardening its stance against a proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe - apparently intending to 'test the mettle' of incoming President Obama on the issue."

My Way News - Planner of Rwandan massacres convicted of genocide
AP reports: "The main organizer behind the 1994 slaughter of more than 500,000 people in Rwanda was convicted of genocide Thursday and sentenced to life in prison, the most significant verdict of a U.N. tribunal set up to bring the killers to justice."

My Way News - Gaza militants ready for end of truce with Israel
AP reports: "Israel's military says 1,786 rockets were fired in the first half of 2008, compared to around 199 in the second. During the truce, Hamas has been smuggling weapons through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border. Hamas militants are also believed to be burrowing tunnels into Israel to carry out attacks."

Comment: So, they are using the truce to continue to launch rocket attacks and to prepare for ground attacks. But, really, they do want peace...really.

My Way News - Israel issues new warning on Iranian nuclear arms
AP reports: "Indicating the possibility of a military strike, Barak said, 'We recommend to the world not to take any option off the table, and we mean what we say.'"

My Way News - Army says Gaza militants fire 9 rockets at Israel
AP reports: "Israel's army says Gaza militants have fired nine rockets at Israel. Wednesday's rocket fire came just two days before militants say a truce along the Gaza border is to expire. The rockets were fired by three small militant groups and caused no injuries, the army said."

Comment: Well, I guess that answers that question, Hamas did not get the memo about the peace process being irreversible. It won't change anything, of course, the U.S. and the rest of the Quartet will continue to act as if the Palestinians want peace, even as rockets fall on Israel.

My Way News - Russia wants to negotiate arms control with Obama
AP reports: "Russia's foreign minister said he hoped that Moscow will negotiate a new arms control deal with Barack Obama's administration, news agencies reported Wednesday."

My Way News - Pope: crisis helps restore simplicity to Christmas
AP reports: "Benedict has expressed hope that the financial crisis will help people focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas, when Christians worldwide mark the birth of Jesus."

My Way News - Oxfam appeals for funds for Zimbabwe
AP reports: "The British charity Oxfam is asking the public and international donors for $6 million to fight cholera and hunger in Zimbabwe."

My Way News - Israeli-Palestinian peace process is irreversible

AP reports: "The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Tuesday stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process initiated by the United States last year is irreversible and urging intensified efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East."

Comment: Nice to hear that the process is irreversible, I hope Hamas gets the memo.

My Way News - Arabs want meetings on Iran's nuclear program
AP reports: "Arab nations concerned about Iran's nuclear program want to meet regularly with the six international powers trying to ensure that it remains peaceful, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday."

My Way News - Indonesia scraps plans to tag HIV patients
AP reports: "An Indonesian province beleaguered by a spiraling HIV infection rate scrapped plans to implant microchips in those with full-blown AIDS on Tuesday, following strong opposition from government officials, health workers and rights activists."

Comment: I was watching this story to see how it developed, to see if a government in the world right now had the power to impose mandatory chip implants. Looks like the answer is no.

My Way News - UN says cholera death toll in Zimbabwe reaches 978
AP reports: "The United Nations says the death toll from a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has risen to 978 - an increase of nearly 25 percent in three days."

My Way News - UN gives OK to land, air attacks on Somali pirates
AP reports: "On the same day Somali gunmen seized two more ships, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the coast of the Horn of Africa country."

Comment: It's official now, it's open season on Somali pirates, this could get interesting.

My Way News - Impoverished NKorea gets new mobile network
AP reports: "An Egyptian telecoms giant launched an advanced mobile phone network in North Korea on Monday, the latest attempt to introduce a global symbol of personal freedom into one of the world's most tightly controlled societies. [...] Orascom runs networks in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and has not shied from investing in places considered challenging and politically unpredictable, such as Zimbabwe."

My Way News - Negotiator: Israel wants 6.8 percent of West Bank
AP reports: "Israel proposed to annex 6.8 percent of the West Bank and to take in a few thousand refugees under a peace deal, but it has not revealed its position on the most contentious issue - the future of Jerusalem, the chief Palestinian negotiators said Friday night."

My Way News - Week of Greek rioting taps into wider discontent
AP reports: "Protesters took to the streets of Athens for the seventh consecutive day Friday, vowing to maintain pressure on the government with both peaceful demonstrations and violent clashes that left one police officer engulfed in flames."

My Way News - EU hails climate deal as example for the world
AP reports: "European nations on Friday dared the United States, Russia and China to follow their lead on global warming after agreeing on a plan to meet the so-called '20-20-20' targets: reducing greenhouse emissions by 20 percent and ensuring that 20 percent of energy comes from wind, sun and other renewable sources by 2020."

My Way News - 6 alleged Islamic extremists charged in Belgium
AP reports: "Authorities on Friday arrested the Belgian widow of a man involved in killing an anti-Taliban warlord, saying she was part of an al-Qaida group that was about to launch a suicide attack."

My Way News - Hyperinflation, cholera, politics curse Zimbabwe
AP reports: "As Zimbabweans suffer, President Robert Mugabe claimed Thursday that his government, with the help of international groups, has contained a cholera epidemic that has come on top of a hunger crisis, the highest inflation rate in the world and shortages of everything from cash to medicine."

Police: Teen attended mom's sex party - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A Detroit mother has been arrested after allegedly hosting a sex party that involved her 16-year-old daughter and 19 prostitutes, police said."

Vietnam prostitutes kept in dog cages - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Some 130 women were held prisoner, some in dog cages, at a Ho Chi Minh City brothel, forced to work as prostitutes 18 hours per day, local media reports say."

EU giant isolated as Merkel puts Germany first - The Guardian
The Guardian reports that Germany and France are leading the EU in different directions: "The expansion of the EU from 15 countries only a few years ago to 27 and growing has also shifted the German perspective, putting Berlin in the centre of the union, rather than on its eastern frontier, and weakening the centrality of the Franco-German alliance that has been the backbone of the EU."

My Way News - Greek-inspired protests spread across Europe
AP reports: "Protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks this week, while in France, cars were set ablaze Thursday outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming 'insurrection.'"

My Way News - Suicide bomber kills 55 in packed Iraq restaurant
AP reports: "A suicide bomber killed at least 55 people Thursday in a packed restaurant near the northern city of Kirkuk where Kurdish officials and Arab tribal leaders were trying to reconcile their differences over control of the oil-rich region."

My Way News - Israel's Netanyahu tells EU he will pursue peace
AP reports: "Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu sought Thursday to reassure Europeans that he will continue peace talks with the Palestinians if he wins February's general election, despite a rightward tilt in his Likud Party."

My Way News - 14 alleged Islamic extremists detained in Belgium
AP reports: "Police detained 14 suspected al-Qaida-linked extremists on Thursday in raids in Brussels and eastern Belgium, including one militant who allegedly was plotting a suicide attack."

My Way News - Sumatra quake likely in few decades
AP reports: "Another devastating earthquake along the coast of western Sumatra is likely during the lifetime of many people now living there, researchers are warning."

My Way News - Nobel Peace winner urges Obama to focus on Mideast
AP reports: "Obama has pledged to make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a key diplomatic priority. He has called for a sustained push to achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state, that can exist in peace and security. He has also pledged to end the Iraq war and employ diplomacy more often than Bush."

My Way News - Clashes, looting rock Greek cities for 4th night
AP reports: "Masked youths and looters marauded through Greek cities for a fourth night Tuesday, in an explosion of rage triggered by the police shooting of a teenager that has unleashed the most violent riots in a quarter century."

My Way News - Petraeus: more troops from US for Afghan war
AP reports: "The 20,000 additional troops sought by American commanders for the NATO mission in Afghanistan would come from the United States, with any additional increase supplied by allies, the U.S. general who oversees the Afghan war said Tuesday."

My Way News - Scientists try to mitigate climate change effects
AP reports: "Scientists studying the changing nature of the Earth's climate say they have completed one crucial task - proving beyond a doubt that global warming is real. Now they have to figure out just what to do about it."

My Way News - Illinois governor's arrest stuns politicos
AP reports: "Even in this city inured to political chicanery - three other governors have gone to prison in the past 35 years, and numerous officeholders from Chicago have been convicted for graft - the latest charges were stunning. And not just for the vulgarity, but for the naked greed, the recklessness and the self-delusion they suggest."

My Way News - Rioters rampage for 3rd day in main Greek cities
AP reports: "Gangs of youths smashed their way through central Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities into the early hours Tuesday, torching stores, buildings and cars in a third day of mayhem after the fatal police shooting of a teenager."

Comment: The groups are composed mainly of young anarchists who believe in rebellion against all forms of authority. They are in rebellion against all laws, whether of man or of God. Pray for peace in Greece and especially in Thessaloniki, site of one of the earliest churches in Christendom, it is under extreme attack by our common spiritual enemy.

My Way News - Iran rejects Obama's 'carrot-and-stick' proposal
AP reports: "Iran on Monday rejected a proposal by President-elect Barack Obama that a combination of economic incentives and tighter sanctions might persuade the Iranian government to change its behavior."

My Way News - Health groups: Unknown thousands dying in Zimbabwe
AP reports: "Even as deaths from a cholera epidemic climbed into the hundreds, international and local organizations say many more are dying needlessly in a disaster critics blame on President Robert Mugabe's government. [...] She said many people Oxfam interviewed in Zimbabwe say they have cut back to one meal in three days. Some are trying to survive on insects and berries."

Op-Ed Contributor - They Hate Us — and India Is Us - NYTimes.com
From an op-ed in The New York Times regarding the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks and their supposed political motivations:

But there is no sane reason to think Lashkar-e-Taiba would shut down if the situation in Kashmir improved. Its literature is much concerned with establishing a caliphate in Central Asia, and murdering those who insult the Prophet. Its leader, Hafiz Saeed, who lives on a large estate outside Lahore bought with Saudi Money, goes about his business with minimal interference from the Pakistani government. Lashkar-e-Taiba is part of the International Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders (the Qaeda franchise). Mr. Saeed’s hatreds are catholic — his bugbears include Hindus, Shiites and women who wear bikinis. He regards democracy as “a Jewish and Christian import from Europe,” and considers suicide attacks to be in accordance with Islam.

I find it noteworthy that the religious aspect of the terrorist attacks have not received attention from the mass media. I wonder why that is? Can it be that if the motive was religious the media will simply ignore it? Is it plausible that the mass media can ignore the question of motive entirely and simply report on what happened and offer sensational interviews with tearful victims and never get around to discussing motive? The answer would appear to be yes if that discussion would call into question the MSM narrative of Islam as a peaceful religion.

My Way News - Malaria vaccine shows promise in Africa tests
AP reports: "A vaccine that may become the world's first to prevent malaria shows promise in protecting African children, researchers said Monday, calling the results a 'major milestone.'"

Hoax phone call 'almost took Pakistan to war' - Times Online
The Times Online reports: "A hoax telephone call almost sparked another war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan at the height of last month's terror attacks on Mumbai, officials and Western diplomats on both sides of the border said today."

BBC NEWS - Zimbabwe 'set for cholera jump'
BBC News reports: "The UN Children's Fund in Zimbabwe says it is preparing to deal with a possible 60,000 cholera cases in coming weeks, four times current official estimates."

My Way News - Bush: war in Iraq on its way to being won
AP reports: "President George W. Bush said Saturday the U.S.-Iraqi security pact approved this week calls for 150,000 American troops to be withdrawn from Iraq in two stages - all by the end of 2011."

Comment: Nice to have some good news on the war front for a change. I'm actually amazed that they passed the status of forces agreement, I guess the Iraqis really can set aside their sectarian differences, let's hope that spirit of unity is motivated by something more than anti-Americanism or it won't last very long.

WND - Scientists: Rain stopped when Jews left Mideast
WND reports: "Confirming a rabbi's reading of Bible prophecy, scientists reported yesterday that an analysis of rings on stalagmite from a cave near Jerusalem reveals the climate of the region got drier shortly after the Roman dispersion of the Jews in A.D. 70."

Iran Confronts an 'Economic Evolution': Ahmadinejad's Plan to Curb Government Subsidies Threatens to Alienate Recipients - washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post reports: "Known abroad for incendiary rhetoric and his defense of Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad's domestic political standing relies more on his largely unfulfilled promises to use Iran's oil wealth to improve the lives of poor people."

Comment: Depending on how his economic program goes, Ahmadinejad's days may be numbered.

Report: Syria won't renew peace talks until Israel clarifies Golan plans - Haaretz
Israel News reports: "Syria refuses to renew its indirect negotiations with Israel until the latter responds to queries regarding plans for the disputed Golan Heights, the Arabic-language Al-Hayat daily reported on Thursday."

SpaceWeather - Meteor Explodes over Colorado
Space Weather reports, "Last night, a fireball one hundred times brighter than the full Moon lit up the sky near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Astronomer Chris Peterson photographed the event using an all-sky video camera dedicated to meteor studies. "In seven years of operation, this is the brightest fireball I've ever recorded."

VOA News - US Conducts Another Successful Missile Defense Test
VOA reports: "The Pentagon says its forces successfully conducted a ballistic missile defense test over the Pacific on Friday, further demonstrating the capabilities of the ground-based system the United States wants to deploy to Poland and the Czech Republic. But a key part of the test did not go as planned."

BBC NEWS - Somalia nearing a 'total famine'
BBC News reports: "Somalia is in danger of descending into famine while the world's attention is focused on the problem of piracy off its coast, the Red Cross has warned."

NBC News - Thousands Fee Zimbabwe Cholera Crisis

Jerusalem Post - IDF preparing options for Iran strike
The Jerusalem Post reports: "The IDF is drawing up options for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities that do not include coordination with the United States, The Jerusalem Post has learned. While its preference is to coordinate with the US, defense officials have said Israel is preparing a wide range of options for such an operation."

CNN - Missile shield test to be most realistic yet, officials say
CNN reports: "In the upcoming test, the target will be a mock warhead accompanied by 'countermeasures similar to what Iran or North Korea could deploy,' according to a missile defense agency official."

My Way News - Israelis can't escape troubles in world travels
AP reports: "This week, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there was 'no doubt' the attacks in Mumbai targeted Jewish institutions. Jewish and Israeli targets have been struck before, most notably in the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, which killed 29 people, followed by an attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish center that killed 85 in 1994. In recent years, Israelis have been killed in hotel bombings in Sinai and Mombasa, Kenya. During the 2002 attack in Kenya, attackers also fired a missile at an Israeli airliner but missed their target. Even so, the perception that no place is safe doesn't deter the young trekkers."

My Way News - OSCE gives cool response on Russian security pact
AP reports: "Russian plans for a European security pact drew a cool response from a long-established, trans-Atlantic group Thursday, with the U.S. saying there was no need for a new 'security architecture.'"

My Way News - Putin: no need for Cuban, Venezuelan bases
AP reports: "Russia does not need to build permanent naval bases in Cuba or Venezuela, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, speaking amid a Kremlin push to increase Moscow's influence in Latin America."

My Way News - Zimbabwe declares national health emergency
AP reports: "Zimbabwe has declared a national emergency over a cholera epidemic and health care system collapse, and is seeking more international help to pay for food, drugs and hospital equipment, the state-run newspaper said Thursday."

My Way News - Measles deaths drop worldwide, report estimates
AP reports: "Measles deaths worldwide declined dramatically to about 200,000 a year, continuing a successful trend, global health authorities reported Thursday."

Comment: It's nice to see some good news on the pestilence front.

My Way News - Russia to send warship through Panama Canal
AP reports: "Russia said Wednesday it is sending a warship through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II, a short journey loaded with symbolic weight: the destroyer will dock at a former U.S. naval base, showcasing Russia's growing influence in the region."

My Way News - Human noise drowns out song of whales
AP reports: "That sound pollution - everything from increasing commercial shipping and seismic surveys to a new generation of military sonar - is not only confounding the mammals, it also is further threatening the survival of these endangered animals."

BBC NEWS - Zimbabwe 'asks for cholera help'
BBC News reports: "Cholera has killed at least 565 people in Zimbabwe since August, the UN says. Ministers previously said the outbreak was under control. They blamed it on Western sanctions on President Mugabe."

Comment: Brilliant, blame the West and not the dictator who has allowed his country to fall into a preventable humanitarian crisis. It's a tale as old as history, keep the people impoverished and starving and they will be too weak to resist.

AFP - Fourteen wounded as Jewish settlers riot in Hebron
AFP reports: "At least 13 Palestinians and one Israeli were wounded on Tuesday as ultra-nationalist Israelis clashed with residents and police in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron."

Comment: Read the news report above and then read this AP chronology of the Jewish presence in Hebron, which starts in 1800 B.C. and then marvel yet again at the scandal of the Jews continuing to occupy land that was theirs thousands of years ago. What I find interesting (and a great example of media bias) is the very last paragraph of the chronology which describes this month as, "Forty years after first Jews moved into Hebron," and yet their own chronology (just scroll up) goes back thousands of years. Forty years indeed.

CNN - Biological terror attack likely by 2013, panel says
CNN reports: "Terrorists are likely to use a weapon of mass destruction somewhere in the world in the next five years, a blue-ribbon panel assembled by Congress has concluded. They are more likely to use a biological weapon than a nuclear one -- and the results could be devastating, the chairman of the commission told CNN."

My Way News - Crisis in South Asia may overshadow NATO talks
AP reports: "NATO nations are worried that rising tensions between India and Pakistan, after last week's attacks in Mumbai, could weaken Pakistan's resolve to combat pro-Taliban fighters on its border with Afghanistan."

My Way News - 2 arrested in alleged torture of teen, who escaped
AP reports: "A Girl Scout leader and her husband were arrested after an emaciated, terrified and nearly naked 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, saying he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday."

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - Imagine this: Ready for the WMD attack
CNN reports: "The new report from the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction underscores the danger. It tells us that terrorists are likely to hit in the next five years using a weapon of mass destruction…most likely a biological weapon."

My Way News - Russian warships hold exercises with Chavez's navy
AP reports: "Russia sent the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and support ships, and Russian television said they were joined by three Venezuelan frigates for the exercises, dubbed 'Venrus 2008.'"

My Way News - China pledges to fight AIDS discrimination
AP reports: "Official estimates put the number of people living with HIV in China at about 700,000, with around 85,000 people with full-blown AIDS, UNAIDS said in a statement. But the number of officially reported HIV cases remains only 264,302 - far lower than the estimated total, in part because of reluctance to seek testing."

My Way News - Mormon-owned press releasing Joseph Smith journals
AP reports: "Smith founded the Mormon church in 1830 with just six adherents, most of them members of his own family. By the time he was shot and killed in 1844, hundreds had joined the church, which was maligned and persecuted for its practice of polygamy and the exhortations of its colorful leader."