Lion of Judah

Change of Address

2008-12-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

This blog is now located at lofj.wordpress.com

Signs of the Times

2008-12-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

WHO, CDC Report Drop in Measles Deaths Worldwide

ATLANTA (AP) — Measles deaths worldwide declined dramatically to about 200,000 a year, continuing a successful trend, global health authorities reported Thursday. From 2000 to 2007, annual measles deaths dropped 74%, largely because of vaccination campaigns, according to a report from the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations. Measles has long been a leading cause of death of young children globally and still kills more than 500 a day. But health officials estimate 11 million deaths were avoided in the decline. The most dramatic improvements were seen in Africa and in Greater Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, where measles deaths dropped by about 90%.

India: Abducted Pastor Escapes

ASSIST News Service reports that Gospel for Asia missionary N. Chauhan has escaped from his abductors after spending a day in captivity and torture. Chauhan was in a marketplace in Madhya Pradesh, India, when a group of anti-Christian extremists began questioning him. Chauhan could feel their animosity and refused to answer their questions about his ministry. The angry group dragged him to a secluded house and beat him. Hours later, the mob brought in a Bible and tried to force Chauhan to stomp on it. The missionary refused, and was rewarded with more severe beatings. Chauhan managed to escape when captors untied him by a dark road to let him relieve himself. He ran nine miles to another Christian's home, where he was able to contact worried Christian leaders.

Poll: Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Driven by Religion

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Voters' economic status and religious convictions played a greater role than race and age in determining whether they supported the Nov. 4 ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California, a new poll shows. The ban drew its strongest support from both evangelical Christians and voters who didn't attend college, according to results released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. People who identified themselves as practicing Christians were highly likely to support the constitutional amendment, with 85% of evangelical Christians, 66% of Protestants and 60% of Roman Catholics favoring it. Age and race, meanwhile, were not as strong factors as assumed. According to the poll, 56% of voters over age 55 and 57% of nonwhite voters cast a yes ballot for the gay marriage ban. The poll also showed that the measure got strong backing from voters who did not attend college (69 percent), voters who earned less than $40,000 a year (63 percent) and Latinos (61 percent).

TV More Gay than Ever

NEWSMAX — The number of gay and lesbian characters on television has more than doubled this season on American broadcast networks. There are currently 16 gay characters regularly featured on network scripted shows. Gays and lesbians now comprise 2.6% of the network TV universe, up from 1.1% in 2007 and 1.3% in 2006. Conservative Family Research Council’s Peter Sprigg says that he is “convinced that for the most part, these characters are placed on TV for propaganda purposes, to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct.”

Conservatives form Rival Group to Episcopal Church

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — Theological conservatives upset by liberal views of U.S. Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans formed a rival North American province Wednesday, in a long-developing rift over the Bible that erupted when Episcopalians consecrated their first openly gay bishop. The announcement represents a new challenge to the already splintering, 77-million-member world Anglican fellowship and the authority of its spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. The new Anglican Church in North America includes four breakaway Episcopal dioceses, dozens of individual parishes in the United States and Canada, and splinter groups that left the Anglican family years ago. It is unprecedented for an Anglican national province to be created where any other such national church already exists. But traditionalists say the new group is needed to represent the true historic tradition of Anglican Christianity.

JJ Commentary: We need more conservative Biblical fundamentalists to leave liberal un-Biblical churches and denominations and stand up for the absolute truth of God’s Word. It’s time, or even past time, to take a stand.

Fertility Patients Unsure what to Do with Leftover Embryos

USA TODAY — Perhaps half a million embryos lie frozen in U.S. clinics, and many are likely to continue to do so because fertility patients feel they don't have satisfactory options for dealing with embryos left over from their treatment, research out Thursday suggests. In what they describe as the largest and only multi-center study of its kind in the USA, researchers surveyed patients with frozen embryos at nine fertility clinics. Only about two-thirds of the 1,020 respondents said they were likely to use their embryos. But whether they reported wanting another baby or not, more than half of the respondents said they were "very unlikely" to donate extra embryos to another couple trying to have a baby. That finding contradicts the conventional wisdom, says lead author Anne Lyerly, a Duke University obstetrician/gynecologist and bioethics researcher. The most popular option was donating the embryos for research, the survey found. Among patients who reported they didn't want a baby, four out of 10 said they'd be "very likely" to donate their leftover embryos for research. The problem, Lyerly says, is that a ban on federal funds for research involving embryos prevents most fertility patients from choosing that option.

Americans Pass Economic Woes to Churches

A new study from the Barna Group shows that fears and disruptions in the economy have induced one in every five households to decrease donations to churches or other religious centers. Over the last three months, 22 percent have stopped giving entirely, and even 48 percent of givers in "upscale" housholds were likely to have reduced their donation. The report found that families with "serious financial debt, "downscale" households, and those who lost 20 percent or greater in their retirement fund or stock portfolio value were most likely to cut back. Among the 20 percent total who cut back at least somewhat, 28 percent had reduced their gifts by half or more. Christian Post reports that George Barna, head of the Barna Group, said, "The giving patterns we're witnessing suggest that churches, alone, will receive some $3 billion to $5 billion dollars less than expected during this fourth quarter." Churches can usually expect greater giving in the last quarter, Barna said, but need to prepare for a 4 percent to 6 percent dip below usual.

November Retail Sales are Worst in 30 Years

Retailers took another battering in November with sales that slumped worse than they had in decades, making continued dire predictions for December seem all the more likely. Even Black Friday promotions that lasted through much of November couldn't stop the bleeding. The Goldman Sachs-International Council of Shopping Centers index of 37 stores reported that sales dropped 2.7% for November, making it the worst month since at least 1969, when the index started. Target's monthly sales were down 10.4%, Macy's dropped 13.3%, Kohl's declined 17.5% and Nordstrom was down 15.9%. As has been the pattern during much of the downturn-turned-recession, Wal-Mart remained the only winner, with a 3.4% increase in same-store sales over the previous year.

60% of CEOs see Job Cuts as AT&T, DuPont, United slash thousands

AT&T, United Airlines and DuPont joined the layoff parade Thursday, as the number of people drawing unemployment benefits hit a 26-year high. AT&T announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, about 4% of its work force. DuPont says it will cut 2,500 jobs, mostly in its businesses that serve the U.S. and European auto and construction markets, plus 4,000 contractors. United Airlines plans to furlough 1,088 workers at bases around the country, according to layoff notices and the unions that represent the workers. Those announcements came as the Labor Department said the number of people claiming unemployment benefits reached a 26-year high 4.09 million, the most since December 1982, when the economy was in a steep recession. And a survey by the Business Roundtable showed that 60% of CEOs polled said they plan to cut workers the next six months, up from 32% in the third quarter. The CEOs also became gloomier about capital investments and sales. Fifty-two percent said they plan to cut capital expenditures in the next six months, up from 10% in the third quarter, while 45% said they expect their sales to drop, up from 7%.

The Labor Department says U.S. employers cut 533,000 jobs last month. That's the biggest cuts we've seen since December 1974. The unemployment rate rose from 6.5% in October to 6.7% in November. All told, 10.3 million Americans were unemployed during the month. The report points to a rapidly deepening recession. Adding in those who have given up looking for work and people working part-time because they can't find full-time work, unemployment was 12.5% in November, up from 11.8% in October and highest since the department began tracking the number in 1994.

Phoenix - The state will hire 45 new employees at its unemployment benefits office here to handle the soaring number of claims. The positions are exempt from a state hiring freeze imposed by Democratic Gov. Napolitano because they are federally funded. Some laid off workers are waiting nearly a month to get their first unemployment insurance check rather than the usual 10 days.

Union to Big 3 Auto-Makers: We will make Sacrifices

DETROIT - Worried about their jobs and warned that failure could lead to a depression, hundreds of leaders of the United Auto Workers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to make concessions to the struggling Big Three, including all but ending an often-derided program that let laid-off workers collect up to 95 percent of their salaries. Leaders also agreed to let the cash-starved automakers delay billions in payments to a union-administered trust set up to take over health care for blue-collar retirees starting in 2010. In addition, they decided to let the Detroit leadership begin renegotiating elements of contracts signed with the automakers last year, a move that could lead to wage concessions.

JJ Commentary: Unions killed the U.S. auto industry making it impossible to compete against foreign manufacturers

European Central Bank makes its Biggest Ever Rate Cut

FRANKFURT (Reuters) — The European Central Bank cut interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point Thursday, its biggest move ever, as inflation plummets and the euro zone economy sinks deeper into recession. The move takes the ECB's main refinancing rate to 2.50%, lowest in nearly 2-1/2 years and marks the third cut in barely two months amidst signs the financial crisis is biting hard into the economy. Other central banks have taken even more aggressive moves, with the Swedish central bank cutting by a record 175 basis points or 1.75 percentage points, while the Bank of England cut rates by 100 basis points to 2.0%, their lowest level since 1951.A basis point is one-hundreth of a percetage point.

Oil hits near 4-year Low on Weak Economic News

VIENNA (AP) — Oil prices sank Thursday to lows last seen nearly four years ago as more bleak news from the world's largest economy boosted views that crude could tumble below $40 by the end of the year. Oil prices have tumbled about 69% since peaking at $147.27 in July. But trader and analyst Stephen Schork suggested that the price decline had some ways to go before bottoming out, despite the arrival of the cold season in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Western hemisphere, which traditionally drives up demand. Investors were dismayed at more poor economic news from the U.S. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday its services sector index fell to 37.3 in November from 44.4 in October. The reading was significantly lower than the 42 the market expected. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has signaled it plans to lower output quotas at a Dec. 17 meeting, adding to a production cut of 1.5 million barrels a day in October.

Canadian Prime Minister Shuts Down Parliament

OTTAWA (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down Parliament on Thursday in an unprecedented attempt to keep his government in power, fending off a no-confidence vote he was all but certain to lose. Less than two months after winning re-election, Harper successfully asked the unelected representative of the head of state for the power to close down Parliament until January, hoping to buy enough time to develop a stimulus package that could prop up the economy. Three opposition parties have united against Harper, charging he has failed to insulate Canada from the global financial crisis.

JJ Commentary: People want someone to blame and the person at the top becomes the target. But neither Harper nor Bush nor any head of state is directly to blame for the financial crisis. Greedy banks, realtors and mortgage buyers bear the immediate blame, while decades of government debt-producing policies are the long-term culprit.

U.S. Combat Deaths Hit Five-Year Low

USA TODAY — U.S. combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan last month dropped to the lowest combined level since the United States began fighting the two wars more than five years ago. Eleven American servicemembers died in combat in the conflicts in November. Seven others died in non-hostile incidents. The highest monthly total for combat deaths in both wars was 129 in November 2004. Security in Iraq has improved dramatically over the past year, despite a number of high-profile bombing against civilian targets in recent weeks. Afghanistan is a more complicated picture. There was only one U.S. combat death in November, the lowest level since February. However, 11 other coalition troops died there last month. Fighting in Afghanistan tapers off in the winter when snow makes much of the terrain impassable.

Iraq approves U.S. Security Pact

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's three-member presidential council on Thursday approved a security pact with the United States that sets out a three-year timeframe for the full withdrawal of American troops, a spokesman said. The panel's approval was the final step for the agreement, which replaces a U.N. mandate that expires on Dec. 31. It came one week after Iraq's parliament signed off on the deal following months of tough talks between U.S. and Iraqi negotiators that at times seemed on the point of collapse, and then days of hardscrabble dealmaking between ethnic and sectarian groups. The agreement provides a legal basis for American troops in Iraq after the expiration of the U.N. mandate, but it includes the caveat that it should go before voters in a referendum to be held by the end of July. The agreement provides a legal basis for American troops in Iraq after the expiration of the U.N. mandate, but it includes the caveat that it should go before voters in a referendum to be held by the end of July.

10 killed, more than 100 Hurt in Iraq Truck Blasts

BAGHDAD (AP) — Two suicide bombers in explosives-laden trucks took aim at police stations in the former Sunni insurgent stronghold of Fallujah on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 100, Iraqi officials said. The apparently coordinated blasts struck within minutes of each other outside the concrete barriers surrounding two police stations in different sections of Fallujah. Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, is in Anbar province and saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war before local Sunni tribal leaders joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaeda in Iraq. The city, which is largely sealed off by checkpoints, has been relatively peaceful in recent months but attacks have continued. Thursday's bombings came three months after the U.S. handed control of the province to the Iraqi government. Political tensions also have been high in Anbar as rival Sunni groups jockey for power before Jan. 31 provincial elections.

India: Evidence shows Pakistani Muslim Militants Linked to Mumbai Attack

MUMBAI, India (AP) — India has evidence that two senior leaders of a banned Pakistani militant group orchestrated the 60-hour siege of India's financial capital that killed 171 people, Indian officials said Thursday. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met in Islamabad with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who said he will take "strong action" against elements in his country that were involved in last week's terrorist attacks. The nearly three-day assault was carried out by 10 suspected Muslim militants against upscale hotels, a restaurant and other sites across Mumbai.

Zimbabwe Declares National Health Emergency

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe has declared a national emergency over its cholera epidemic and the collapse of its health system due the country's economic crisis. "Our central hospitals are literally not functioning," Minister of Health David Parirenyatwa was quoted as saying by the state-run Herald newspaper on Thursday. The United Nations puts deaths from the cholera epidemic at more than 500. The outbreak is blamed on lack of water treatment and broken sewage pipes in a country that once had a sophisticated infrastructure. The European Commission said Wednesday it was providing more than $12 million for drugs and clean water while the International Red Cross was also releasing more funds to deal with cholera in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has been paralyzed since disputed elections in March. President Robert Mugabe and the opposition are wrangling over a power-sharing deal. The country is suffering from the world's highest inflation and Zimbabweans face daily shortages of food and other basic goods.

Riots Were Religious, Not Political, Nigerians Say

The Christian Post reports that Christians in Jos, Nigeria, resent the international media's spin on the riots that rocked the city Friday, saying that election results had little to do with the violence. A local source told Christian Solidarity Worldwide, "As usual they took Jos by surprise, and are now hiding behind election results to launch and excuse their mayhem." Rioters targeted Christian businesses, churches and clergymen's homes early Friday morning, armed with guns, spears and machetes. The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau State, the Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, said, "We were surprised at the way some of our churches and property were attacked and some of our faithful and clergy killed," he continued. "The attacks were carefully planned and executed. The questions that bog our minds are why were churches and clergy attacked and killed? Why were politicians and political party offices not attacked if it were a political conflict? Why were the business premises and property of innocent civilians destroyed?"

Earthquake Hits Northern Japan

TOKYO (AP) — The Meteorological Agency says an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted the coast of northern Japan. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The agency said the quake hit off the coast of Miyagi, about 180 miles north of Tokyo, at 8:23 a.m. on Thursday. It said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake. Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

Signs of the Times

2008-12-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

India Church Leaders Commit to Peace after Mumbai Siege

Christian Post reports that church leaders in India believe the attacks by Islamists in Mumbai aimed at "spreading fear and projecting the country as unsafe." Although attacks on Christians by Hindu extremists are common in more rural Orissa and neighboring states, Mumbai had been peaceful. Now, "The terror attacks have shaken the church in the city," said Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum. Dias said his group will try to comfort victims while helping thwart terrorist efforts throughout India. The attacks on 10 locations killed 155 people and wounded 327 more in what was the deadliest attack in India since the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai, which killed 257 people.

Seniors with 'Purpose' Win Prizes

USA TODAY — The winners are a diverse lot: a former movie industry worker who used his skill to invent an inexpensive peanut sheller to help the poor in the developing world; a retired professor who's organized volunteers to help teach English to refugees; and a former New York executive who is helping give life skills and job guidance to ex-prisoners. They're among the top winners of the third annual Purpose Prize by San Francisco based Civic Ventures, a think tank and an incubator. The prizes honor social entrepreneurs over 60 who make a difference. The six top winners each get $100,000. Nine other winners each get $10,000.

Christian Leaders Urge Global Solidarity Against HIV

The Christian Post reports that several Christian leaders spread a message of love and compassion yesterday on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, encouraging the church to fight the epidemic and help those suffering from the disease. "Faith leaders should hence commit themselves to working towards achieving a generation without AIDS, and show loving care and support for those infected," former leader of South Africa's Anglican church Archbishop Njongo Ndungane said. Dr. Rick Warren, who launched the first church-based HIV/AIDS conference with the support of his church in 2005, honored President George W. Bush for his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has funded more than $18.8 billion in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention since 2003.

Thai Airports Reopen after PM Ousted by Court

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — The first commercial flight in a week arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday as anti-government protesters ended their siege of the country's two main airports, declaring victory after Thailand's prime minister was ousted by a court ruling. Thousands of jubilant protesters streamed out of the Suvarnabhumi international airport in cars and trucks, while others cleaned up the mess that had accumulated during their week-long takeover. Similar scenes were witnessed at the domestic Don Muang airport. The departure of the People's Alliance for Democracy from the airport ended the country's immediate crisis, which had virtually severed Thailand's air links to the outside world for a week, and stranded more than 300,000 tourists. In swiftly unfolding developments Tuesday, the country's Constitutional Court brought down the government by disbanding the three top ruling coalition parties, finding them guilty of electoral fraud. It also banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and other top leaders from politics for five years. The ruling satisfied the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has been campaigning for months to topple the government. But the alliance warned it would be on the streets again if a new government tried to return to its past policies.

1 in 5 young adults has personality disorder

CHICAGO (AP) — Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind. The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25% of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment. Experts praised the study's scope — face-to-face interviews about numerous disorders with more than 5,000 young people ages 19 to 25 — and said it spotlights a problem college administrators need to address. Counting substance abuse, the study found that nearly half of young people surveyed have some sort of psychiatric condition, including students and non-students.

JJ Commentary: The increased immorality of our society opens the door to increased mental/emotional disorders that, in turn, are exacerbated by demonic influence.

The World is Moving Past USA in Higher Education

USA TODAY — The USA has made modest gains since the early 1990s in preparing students for college and providing access, a report says today. But other countries are advancing more quickly, and if trends continue, the picture is only going to get worse, the authors warn. "The rest of the world is moving past us," says Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the non-profit California-based group that released the report. Measuring Up 2008 is the fifth in a series of biennial state-by-state report cards on six key measures of educational performance: preparation for college, participation, affordability, completion, benefits and learning. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, whose members include the world's most developed countries, show that between 2003 and 2006, the USA slipped from fifth to seventh in the percentage of adults ages 18-24 enrolled in college, and from seventh to 10th in the percentage of adults 25-34 holding an associate's degree or higher.

30-Mile Debris Pile in Texas shows FEMA Delays

SMITH POINT, Texas (AP) — A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA's sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season. Two and a half months after Hurricane Ike blasted the shoreline, alligators and snakes crawl over vast piles of shattered building materials, lawn furniture, trees, boats, tanks of butane and other hazardous substances, thousands of animal carcasses, perhaps even the corpses of people killed by the storm. State and local officials complain that the removal of the filth has gone almost nowhere because FEMA red tape has held up both the cleanup work and the release of the millions of dollars that Chambers County says it needs to pay for the project. FEMA, whose very name became a bitter joke after the agency's botched response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said it is working as fast as it can considering the complex regulations and the need to guard against fraud and waste in the use of taxpayer dollars.

Economy Cripples Galveston's Comeback after Hurricane Ike

GALVESTON, Texas — Two months after Hurricane Ike ravaged this GulfCoast city, Galveston is struggling to resurrect itself amid a sour economy. Before Ike slammed ashore in the early hours of Sept. 13, Galveston was a bustling port and regional beach destination that drew in $700 million a year from tourists, according to its visitors bureau. It also had one of the largest teaching hospitals in the state, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which employed 12,000 people. Then came Ike, which caused 17 deaths in Galveston County, damaged 85% of the island's houses, flooded its hospital and crippled its tourist industry. As Galveston begins anew, money for construction loans is tight. Texas, feeling its own economic pinch, has decided not to restore Galveston's hospital complex — the city's largest employer — to its pre-storm strength. Ike also severely damaged Galveston's second biggest employer, the Port of Galveston. The port, which employs about 3,000 people, will need two to three years and hundreds of millions of dollars to restore it 100%. Many neighborhoods, including in the West End, remain desolate.

Recession is Official, Economists Say

WASHINGTON — It's official: The USA is in a recession that started in December 2007. The peak of economic activity in December marks the end of the expansion that began in November 2001 and the beginning of a recession. December 2007 is the last month in which U.S. employers added jobs. Since then, businesses have shed workers. The responsibility for defining U.S. recessions falls to economists who are members of the Business Cycle Dating Committee at the private, non-profit National Bureau of Economic Ressearch in Cambridge, Mass. The organization has been dating business cycles since 1929 and first formed the all-volunteer committee 30 years ago. While recessions are often described as two consecutive quarters of decline in economic output, that's not the official definition. Instead, the panel looks at a multitude of economic data, including gross domestic product, income, employment, industrial production and retail sales. The economy contracted in the July-September quarter at the fastest pace in seven years.

JJ Commentary: It would have been a lot more helpful if these economists could have identified the economic downturn shortly after it started instead of waiting 11 months to make a backward declaration. Instead, the media and hopeful government economists kept saying it wasn’t a recession. Are they going to apologize now that they’ve been officially declared wrong? No, I don’t think so either.

Prices Falling, a Boon and a Problem

WASHINGTON — Everything is on sale. And that's not a good thing. Consumer prices in October fell at the fastest pace in more than 60 years, sucked down by the rapidly deteriorating economy. The prices of oil, food, cars, clothing and electronics have all plunged. Home prices continue to swoon and so do stock prices. As the early reports from the holiday shopping season suggest, the nationwide fire sale might seem like a boon for consumers. But it's increasing the risk that the economy could become mired in a dangerous deflationary spiral — a widespread, sustained reduction in prices. That's something that hasn't happened here since the Great Depression. Economists say it's too early to tell whether deflation has set in — and many say the government's aggressive responses to the credit crunch likely will prevent sustained deflation. Others aren't so sure. Ultimately, higher unemployment and lower demand create a self-reinforcing cycle that further depresses profits, growth, wages and prices.

Mortgage applications more than doubled in the holiday week ended Nov. 28 from the week before, as interest rates plunged, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. The association's index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was up 112% on a seasonally adjusted basis from the week earlier. The refinance index increased 203% from the previous week and the seasonally adjusted purchase index increased 38% from one week earlier. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 69% of applications from 49.3% the previous week. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 5.47% from 5.99%, with points dropping to 1.16 from 1.23, including the origination fee, for 80% loan-to-value (LTV) loans.

Abysmal November Auto Sales fall 31%

Auto sales in November plummeted to the lowest monthly total in a quarter century as consumers hold back for better economic times. Sales tallies released by Autodata Tuesday showed a 36.7% drop in car and truck sales overall in November compared with the month last year. The 746,789 total sales marked the first time the industry failed to sell 750,000 vehicles in a single month since January 1982, Autodata said. Every big automaker, foreign and domestic, took a drubbing. General Motors' sales tumbled 41.3%, Ford Motor's fell 30.5%, and Chrysler's were off 47.1%, adding to the deep financial distress on the day their CEOs presented plans to Congress to make their case for a bailout.

Maricopa County Copes with Blight left by Shut Stores

As big-box retailers like Circuit City and Mervyn's shut down stores amid a troubled economy, Arizona cities are preparing for the aftermath: falling sales-tax revenues and an onslaught of vacant storefronts. By early next year, experts expect that close to 2 million square feet of retail space, about twice the size of an indoor shopping mall like Arizona Mills or Arrowhead Towne Center, will have been vacated in Maricopa County as a result of the economic downturn. By late next year, more than 75 stores are expected to close, resulting in a loss of nearly 2,000 Arizona retail jobs. The closures also have city officials scrambling to cover revenue shortfalls and deter commercial blight. Arizona is affected by the retail bloodletting more so than other states. It has a growth-based economy, and the state's general fund relies heavily on sales-tax revenue.

Job Cuts at Highest Level Since '02

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Jobs took another painful hit in November, with planned cuts rising to the highest level in seven years, according to a report released Wednesday by an outplacement firm. Job cut announcements by U.S. employers soared to 181,671 last month, up 61% from October's 112,884 cuts, and 148% higher than the same period a year ago, when 73,140 job cuts were announced, according to the report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. November's total represents the second highest on record, shy of the 248,475 planned layoffs in January 2002, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Financial and retail industries were hit the hardest.

JPMorgan will Cut 9,200 Jobs at Washington Mutual

NEW YORK — JPMorgan Chase said Monday that it will cut 9,200 jobs at Washington Mutual, which it acquired Sept. 25 after Washington Mutual became the nation's largest bank to fail. Of the 9,200 jobs being eliminated as JPMorgan integrates Washington Mutual, 4,000 will be cut by the end of January, a JPMorgan spokesman said. The remaining 5,200 employees will remain with JPMorgan through a transition period, but will lose their jobs by the end of 2009. Washington Mutual had 41,500 to 42,000 employees nationwide when JPMorgan took over the bank at the end of September. Washington Mutual was weighed down by deep exposure to the crumbling mortgage market, which has been the hardest hit area of the markets since mid-2007. As mortgages increasingly defaulted, Washington Mutual was forced to set aside billions to cover losses.

Factory Closures, Layoffs Stir Unrest in China

BEIJING — A wave of often violent protests poses a challenge to China's ruling Communist Party, as people take to the streets on issues ranging from factory closures to government land grabs. Thousands of taxi drivers in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou went on strike Monday during rush hour. It was the ninth city hit by a cab strike over the past month. The "recent mass incidents are the biggest political test the ruling party has faced since the 1989 incident" at Tiananmen Square, says Mao Shoulong, professor of public policy at Beijing's Renmin University, referring to the pro-democracy protests that year. "Social unrest is spreading, and China's leaders are worried about these problems." The global financial crisis sparked several protests last month as the slowdown in growth hits China's export-dominated economy. Zhang Ping, China's top economic planner, said last week that "excessive bankruptcies and production cuts will lead to massive unemployment and stir social unrest." And police chief Meng Jianzhu warned of "lots of social problems affecting stability under the current circumstances."

Iran's President Acknowledges Economy in Danger

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is acknowledging publicly for the first time that tumbling oil prices are gouging the country's fragile economy. The official IRNA news agency is quoting the increasingly unpopular president as saying Iran will be forced to trim spending and generous subsidies and raise taxes. It's a sensitive admission for the Iranian president, who is seeking re-election in June. Oil prices have plunged from $147 a barrel in July to under $50, adding to the pain of Iran's rising inflation and unemployment.

JJ Commentary: The lower oil prices are also hurting other OPEC nations, most of them Muslim and all of them anti-America. The hand of God?

Iran Holding Massive Naval Maneuvers near Persian Gulf

Iran on Tuesday launched a large-scale, six-day naval maneuver in the Sea of Oman, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, which will involve about 60 warships and numerous aircraft, the official news agency IRNA, reported. This type of "maneuver has been rare in the past 30 years both in its size and commissioning of new weapons," IRNA quoted the maneuver's spokesman, Adm. Ghasem Rostamabadi, as saying. Iran regularly holds war games in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, which are linked by the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which 40 percent of the world's crude oil passes. Tehran has repeatedly warned that it would close the narrow strait if the US or Israel attacked its disputed nuclear program. Israel’s former deputy defense minister, Ephraim Sneh, said on Tuesday that "Iran's unprecedented naval activity is actually a drill for taking over the Gulf all-important oil route. "The Iranian aggression is a threat to the entire world and should not be passed over quietly," warned Sneh.

Panel Warns Biological or Nuclear Attack Likely by 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States can expect a terrorist attack using nuclear or more likely biological weapons before 2013, reports a bipartisan commission in a study being briefed Tuesday to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. The report suggests the Obama administration bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists. The commission is also encouraging the new White House to appoint one official on the National Security Council to exclusively coordinate U.S. intelligence and foreign policy on combating the spread of nuclear and biological weapons. The report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism, led by former Sens. Bob Graham of Florida and Jim Talent of Missouri, acknowledges that terrorist groups still lack the needed scientific and technical ability to make weapons out of pathogens or nuclear bombs. But it warns that gap can be easily overcome, if terrorists find scientists willing to share or sell their know-how. The commission believes biological weapons are more likely to be obtained and used before nuclear or radioactive weapons because nuclear facilities are more carefully guarded. Civilian laboratories with potentially dangerous pathogens abound, however, and could easily be compromised.

NATO backs U.S. Missile Shield

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday confirmed their support for U.S. plans to install anti-missile defenses in Europe despite Russia's strong opposition. The ministers said the planned U.S. defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic will make a "substantial contribution" to protecting allies from the threat of long-range ballistic missiles. Russia has vehemently opposed the deployment, threatening to respond by placing short-range missiles in its westernmost region, Kaliningrad, which borders Poland. The U.S. insists the defenses are aimed at potential attack from Iran and pose no threat to Russia's ballistic arsenal.

Israeli Riot Police Move into Hebron

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security officials say hundreds of riot police have been sent into the volatile West Bank town of Hebron after several days of unrest. Extremist Jewish settlers have been attacking Palestinians and Israeli soldiers there. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the paramilitary border police will replace soldiers on duty in the area. He says the police are better trained to deal with the recent clashes. The unrest has taken place around a house where settlers have holed up in defiance of an Israeli Supreme Court eviction order. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that the eviction order would be enforced. Jewish settlers and Palestinian protesters clashed in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday morning after some 1,500 supporters of the settler movement poured into the area following rumors that the IDF would soon move to evict the nine families living in the disputed Beit Hashalom apartment building.

Cholera outbreak out of control in Zimbabwe

Cholera has spread to more than 11,700 people in Zimbabwe since August, according to the United Nations. The disease, a diarrheal illness that spreads through contaminated water, has reportedly killed at least 484 people in recent months. Deutsche Press-Agentur reports that the outbreak is crossing international borders, with cholera deaths now being reported in South Africa. The World Health Organization says the fatality rate reached 50% in some parts of Zimbabwe. "Cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe have occurred annually since 1998, but previous epidemics never reached today's proportions," WHO says.

Haitians Still in Need after Hurricane Season

Mission News Network reports that the eight hurricanes which slammed Haiti this year are still felt among the country's people. According Craig Dyer with Bright Hope International, "Right now, as best we can estimate, there are about 1,000 families that are still in shelters around the city of Gonaives. There's about three-quarters of a million people who are receiving some sort of food aid, and of course pastors and churches have all been in the center of that." Bright Hope has assisted with food, funds to reach clean water, and shelters for families. Some families that lost their homes months ago are still sleeping inside local churches and gaining all their resources - spiritual and physical - from these local establishments.

Dry conditions could fuel fires in South

NEW ORLEANS — Wildfires have burned more than 2.3 million acres across the South so far this year, and the region has accounted for more than half the fires reported across the country, according to a report issued Monday. The one-year high for the South was 2006, with 2.6 million acres burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire center, in an outlook released Monday, says dry conditions in parts of south-central Texas and Oklahoma are expected this winter to help create or worsen an above normal potential for significant fires, or fires that need additional, outside resources to fight.

Venice Faces Worst Flooding in 20 Years

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Venice could use a bailout. The city built on water has too much of it. Residents and tourists waded through knee-deep water Monday as they navigated the city's narrow streets and alleys, and its historic St. Mark's Square was inundated. Boxes of tourist merchandise floated inside the flooded shops around the square and even the city's famed pigeons sought refuge on rooftops and windowsills. One of the highest tides in its history brought Venice to a virtual halt, rekindling a debate over a plan to build moveable flood barriers in an effort to save the lagoon city from high tides. City officials said the tide peaked at 61 inches, well past the 40-inch flood mark, as strong winds pushed the sea into the city.

Earthquake strikes Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — TaiwanTaiwan's Central Weather Bureau says the magnitude 6.0 quake struck just offshore, near a sparsely populated area about 20 miles north of the city of Taidung. Buildings shook in Taipei, about 90 miles to the northwest of the epicenter.authorities say a powerful earthquake has struck the southeastern part of the island.

Signs of the Times

2008-12-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Power may Shift to Anti-Abortion Side in AZ

One by one, the Legislature has approved bills barring the use of state funds for abortion, requiring that prospective patients be notified of the pain their fetus would endure and otherwise making the procedure less accessible to women and minors. And, one by one, Gov. Janet Napolitano has vetoed them - sometimes the same provisions more than once in a legislative session. Along the way, the two-term Democrat has earned a reputation as a staunch defender of abortion rights. Since taking office in 2003, Napolitano has vetoed at least nine measures limiting abortion. But opponents of the procedure are hopeful the legislative blockade will soon be at an end. Napolitano is expected to join the incoming Obama administration as secretary of Homeland Security. In her place would step Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer, an abortion opponent more in line with GOP legislative leaders. The potential impact of GOP control of the state House, Senate and Governor's Office isn't lost on abortion-rights advocates.

In Arizona, Napolitano has stood as a bulwark against anti-abortion measures, but "everyone's aware there would likely be a shift (under Brewer's leadership)," said Len Munsil, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for governor against Napolitano in 2006. Munsil, who founded the socially conservative Center for Arizona Policy, called Napolitano "way out of the mainstream" on matters of abortion, especially regarding her rejection of limitations on late-term abortion. Beyond abortion, there is also speculation that Brewer would rescind a new state policy that awarded state benefits to the domestic partners of state employees. The controversial move, which Napolitano supported, was accomplished through an administrative rule change rather than via the Legislature. State employees began signing up for the expanded benefits last month.

JJ Commentary: Goodbye and good riddance to Napolitano. Arizona is reaping the rewards of being a national leader in prayer.

Abraham's Children: An Unquiet Grave in the West Bank

HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — With its dueling street names, barbed wire barricades and the tomb of a shared patriarch split between two religions, the city of Abraham takes the feud between Israelis and Palestinians to its outer limits. Even a humble olive harvest is a cue for violence in Hebron, where 600 of Israel's most radical citizens have carved out an enclave bristling with guns and watchtowers in the midst of 170,000 Palestinians. Yet for all the city's complexities, the essence of Hebron's anguish is simple: one forefather, one city and two peoples — one feeling invaded, the other convinced it has come back to its biblical birthright, right down to the deed of sale recounted in the Book of Genesis, when Abraham purchased a burial plot for 400 silver shekels.

Jews and Arabs both claim descent from the biblical patriarch, but their relationship in Hebron is anything but brotherly. Fearful of a peace deal that would lead to their evacuation, the settlers are growing increasingly violent, throwing rocks, assaulting farmers and even taking on Israeli soldiers — all to show their government how difficult any withdrawal from the West Bank will be. According to Islamic, Jewish and Christian belief, Hebron, in the southern West Bank hills, is where not only Abraham — Ibrahim to Muslims — is buried, but also the patriarchs Isaac and Jacob and the matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca and Leah. But two massacres define the city as much as religion. In 1929 rampaging Arabs killed 67 Jews, and in 1994 a Jewish extremist named Baruch Goldstein shot dead 29 Palestinians praying at the mosque surrounding Abraham's grave.

JJ Commentary: This ancient feud between the relatives of Ishmael (Abraham’s first son by the Egyptian handmaiden Hagar) and Isaac (the son God promised the 90-year old Abraham and his wife Sarah) is the source of all Middle East conflict. Ishmael fathered the Arabs, Isaac the Jews. However, this feud has been rendered irrelevant by Jesus Christ who bought a new covenant to reconcile all people to God the one true Father. Unfortunately, the Bible says this feud will eventually fuel the Great Tribulation.

Stocks Rise for Fifth Straight Day

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks finished higher Friday, wrapping up its biggest five-day rally in more than 75 years, even as investors digested signs of a bleak holiday season for retailers and fears that a flurry of reports next week will show more economic distress. The market got big boosts over the past week from President-elect Barack Obama naming his economic team, the government propping up Citigroup, and the Federal Reserve deciding to buy massive amounts of mortgage-backed securities. These efforts reassured the market that broad efforts are still being made to fight the financial crisis that intensified in September with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.

JJ Commentary: There will be a temporary respite in the economy as the bailout frees credit and props up the financial system. However, this is only a tiny patch on a debt-ridden economy that will collapse as part of the unfolding end-time scenario.

Cities Cut Back, Expecting Shortfalls

USA TODAY — Battered by record foreclosures and falling tax revenue, cities are laying off workers, raising fees and closing libraries and recreation centers. "Almost every city in the country is feeling the impact," says Chris Hoene, director of policy and research at the National League of Cities. A survey in September found that city finance officers expect revenue from property, sales and income taxes to decrease 4.3% this year, Hoene says. The problem will be worse next year, he says, because there is a lag between current economic conditions and when they affect city revenue. The survey found that 79% of cities expect their finances to worsen in 2009. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is asking Congress for a $90 billion stimulus plan to help cities with infrastructure projects, the creation of green jobs and community development.

Economic Downturn has More Folks Stashing their Cash

USA TODAY — The personal saving rate, which measures how much people save out of disposable income, was 1.3% in the July-September quarter. Although that's low in comparison with other countries and a far cry from the double-digit percentages seen most recently in 1985, it's more than twice last year's rate. But economists predict that once the economy improves, Americans will return to their shop-till-you-drop ways. And it's unclear how much Americans are cutting back. A USA TODAY/Gallup survey conducted in early November found that only 32% of Americans are saving more as a result of the economic downturn.

Faces or Finances? Economy Cuts into Cosmetic Procedures

USA TODAY — The economic meltdown isn't pretty. Literally. Fewer people are dishing out dollars in recent months for the beauty perks of cosmetic procedures, particularly major surgical procedures, according to plastic surgeons, dermatologists and consumer surveys. Some practices are down by as much as 15% to 30%. In a poll by the society in October, 59% of women said the economy had influenced their plans for cosmetic procedures

JJ Commentary: A frivolous item perhaps, but an indicator of where we’ve been as a society. So now there’s two good things about the meltdown (gas prices the other).

Students Cheat, Steal, but Say They're Good

NEW YORK (AP) — In the past year, 30% of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64% have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey suggesting that Americans are too apathetic about ethical standards. The Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles-based ethics institute, surveyed 29,760 students at 100 randomly selected high schools nationwide, both public and private. Cheating in school is rampant and getting worse. Sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38% did so two or more times, up from 60% and 35% in a 2006 survey. Despite such responses, 93% of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77% affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."

JJ Commentary: That’s the trouble with relativism – people compare themselves to each other instead of an absolute standard leading to a downward spiral of moral decay.

Hillary Clinton Named Secretary of State

WASHINGTON — She'll bring global star power, a long-standing commitment to improving the status of women and children around the world and muscular promises of military action when U.S. interests are crossed. The question for Hillary Rodham Clinton, named secretary of State on Monday by President-elect Barack Obama, is whether she can forge the sort of close relationship with a former rival that is crucial to giving the nation's top diplomat the credibility to get things done. She will be taking the lead on a crushing set of global challenges, including repercussions from last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, which threaten a conflagration on the nuclear-armed subcontinent. In collaboration with other administration officials, the incoming secretary of State will deal with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, efforts to turn around the war in Afghanistan, nuclear programs in such rogue nations as North Korea and Iran, the challenge from a resurgent Russia and growing concerns about global climate change.

JJ Commentary: This is the key position demanded by the New World Order folks to further their cause of a one-world government. Obama is an unwitting but willing dupe.

100,000 Stranded in Thailand after Airports Shut

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — The vacation is over for tens of thousands of tourists in Thailand. But they can't go home. The Hotel California-like drama began Tuesday when anti-government protesters shut the country's primary international airport. The following day they moved in on the capital's domestic airport, grounding all commercial flights in and out of the city. About 300,000 people have been stranded by the closures, dealing a severe blow to the country's reputation as a safe and reliable vacation destination. Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy and police reinforced their presence at Suvarnabhumi airport on Saturday, but there was no word on when airports would reopen.

Mumbai Struggles to Heal

MUMBAI, India (AP) — With corpses still being pulled from a once-besieged hotel, India's top security official resigned Sunday as the government struggled under growing accusations of security failures following terror attacks that killed 174 people. Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who has become highly unpopular during a long series of terror attacks across India, submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who accepted it, according to the president's office. The Cabinet reshuffle comes as a chorus of criticism about the government's handling of the Mumbai attacks grows louder. A day after the siege ended, authorities were still removing victims bodies from the ritzy Taj Mahal hotel, where three suspected Muslim militants made a last stand before Indian commandos killed them in a blaze of gunfire and explosions. On Sunday, the waterfront landmark, popular among foreign tourists and Indian high society, was surrounded by metal barricades, its shattered windows boarded over.

The rampage was carried out by gunmen at 10 sites across Mumbai starting Wednesday night. At least 239 were wounded A previously unknown Muslim group called Deccan Mujahideen — a name suggesting origins inside India — has claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed more than 170 people. Rakesh Maria, a top police official in Mumbai, said the only gunman in custody confessed to being a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani militant group. Lashkar is banned in Pakistan and listed as a terrorist organization by the United States. Pakistan denied it was involved and demanded evidence. The assaults have raised fears among U.S. officials about a possible surge in violence between Pakistan and India. The nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars against each other, two over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Death Toll over 300 in Nigerian Riots

JOS, Nigeria (AP) — Mobs burned homes, churches and mosques Saturday in a second day of riots, as the death toll rose to more than 300 in the worst sectarian violence in Africa's most populous nation in years. The fighting began as clashes between supporters of the region's two main political parties following the first local election in the town of Jos in more than a decade. But the violence expanded along ethnic and religious fault lines, with Hausas and members of Christian ethnic groups doing battle. The violence is the worst since the May 2007 inauguration of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who came to power in a vote that international observers dismissed as not credible. More than 10,000 Nigerians have died in sectarian violence since civilian leaders took over from a former military junta in 1999. Political strife over local issues is common in Nigeria, where government offices control massive budgets stemming from the country's oil industry.

Report: Russia to Upgrade Missiles

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military will upgrade its missiles in response to U.S. plans for weapons in space, a top Russian general reportedly said Monday. Interfax news agency quoted Russia's Strategic Missile Forces chief, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, as saying that Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles will be modernized to protect them from space-based components of the U.S. missile defense system. The upgrade will make the missiles' warheads capable of flying "outside the range" of the space-based system, Solovtsov was quoted as saying.

JJ Commentary: Back to the future of Cold War politics.

Signs of the Times

2008-11-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

Lower Cancer Death Rate

USA TODAY — The number of new cancer cases and deaths are falling for both men and women for the first time since the government began compiling a report on long-term trends, researchers announced Tuesday. Overall cancer death rates decreased an average of 1.8% a year from 2002 to 2005. Researchers say they were particularly encouraged that the number of new cases also fell, by an average of 0.8% a year, from 1999 to 2005. From 1995 to 1999, the overall number of new cases in both sexes grew by 0.9% a year. Declining cancer rates are particularly impressive, given that the nation is aging. Researchers credit declines in smoking for much of this progress.

Miami Judge Rules against Florida Gay Adoption Ban

MIAMI (AP) — A Miami judge has struck a blow against a Florida law banning adoptions of children by gay people. Miami Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ruled Tuesday there was "no rational basis" for prohibiting gays from adopting children. Florida has one of the strictest bans on gay adoptions in the country. A judge in Key West ruled in September that the ban was unconstitutional, but that ruling has had limited legal impact.

Commentary: “No rational basis” will continue to be the mantra used to justify violating God’s absolute law. A world that exalts man’s reason above God’s wisdom will give rise to the end-time “lawlessness” the Bible prophesizes.

Big Easy has Highest Crime Rate

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans ranks as the most violent U.S. city, with more than 19,000 reported crimes and 208 murders in 2007, according to a study released Monday. The study published by CQ Press, the book publishing arm of Congressional Quarterly, examined six categories — homicide, rape, burglary, robbery, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft. The rankings include all cities of at least 75,000 residents that reported crime data to the FBI in those crime categories for 2007. New Orleans was well ahead of second-place Camden, N.J., and third-place Detroit, according to the study. St. Louis and Oakland, Calif., rounded out the top five.

JJ Commentary: Most immoral, highest crime rate. Seems like cause and effect to me.

More Tunnels Found on Border

ARIZONA REPUBLIC — Authorities are finding record numbers of tunnels on the U.S.-Mexican border, which signals that Mexican drug cartels are increasingly desperate to circumvent the hundreds of miles of new border barriers. The majority of tunnels have been discovered along the border in Arizona, a state that has seen many new border barriers. Since 2006, the year that Congress passed the Secure Border Fence Act, smugglers have bored 32 known tunnels into Arizona, more than all the tunnels discovered in the state before. Only four other border tunnels have been found outside Arizona since 2006. As the U.S. government plans and builds more fences and vehicle blockades, law-enforcement agents expect to find more excavations. They say tunneling, a tricky and sometimes expensive undertaking, reflects smugglers' growing frustration with the security buildup along the border. The tunnels range from large concrete-reinforced ones allowing smugglers to pass through to tubes a foot or two wide that are designed to transfer drug bundles. Almost all the 90 known tunnels found along the border since 1990 were built for drug running.

Billions Coming for Mortgages, Credit Cards, Student, Car Loans

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Tuesday unveiled $800 billion in programs designed to relieve severe pressures in financial markets, and ensure that mortgages, student loans, car loans and other forms of consumer credit remain available at reasonable prices. In the latest in a series of increasingly dramatic announcements, the Fed said it would purchase up to $600 billion in mortgage-related assets, including $100 billion in bonds or other debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks, and $500 billion in other mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the government entities, including Ginnie Mae, which oversees Federal Housing Administration mortgages. The Fed and the Treasury Department also unveiled a program to lend up to $200 billion to securities dealers and other financial firms that hold Triple-A rated securities backed by "newly and recently originated" consumer loans, such as credit cards and auto loans. The program will also cover loans originated by the government's Small Business Administration. The Treasury will provide $20 billion from the recently enacted $700 billion financial rescue package to cover potential losses from the program. The first losses will be borne by borrowers under criteria yet to be determined.

A main goal of the sweeping initiatives is to reduce market risk so investors will be more willing to buy securities and consumers will have access to loans at levels closer to those in effect before the financial crisis took hold. The Fed noted that the level of asset-backed securities being issued "declined precipitously in September and came to a halt in October." At the same time, the interest-rate risk premiums for the products soared. A secondary effect of the programs is that they will pump more cash into the financial system, including increasing bank reserves. That could help inflate the economy at a time when officials are increasingly worried about possible deflation — a widespread fall in prices that can cripple economic activity. Officials said the larger reserves were a side effect of the program, however, not a central aim. The program will essentially be financed by having the government increase the money supply. The government issued revised data showed the economy contracted at a deeper-than-first-thought rate in the third quarter of the year, while a key measure of housing in 20 major markets found prices was down a sharper-than-expected 17.4% from last year.

JJ Commentary: “Billions coming” but from where? From you and me, that’s who. And from the “air” as the government prints more money not backed by anything but debt obligations which theoretically would also be paid by us. This mountain of debt is already sliding downhill and will soon bury us.

Bailout Grows to $7 Trillion with Latest Pledges

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rolling out powerful new weapons against the financial meltdown, the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve pledged $800 billion Tuesday to blast through blockades on credit cards, auto loans, mortgages and other borrowing. Total bailout commitments, loans and pledges of backing neared a staggering $7 trillion. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who has been criticized for constantly revising the original $700 billion rescue program, said the administration is considering even more changes in its final two months in office.

FDIC Adds 54 more Banks to its 'Problem List'

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday the list of banks it considers to be in trouble shot up nearly 50% to 171 during the third quarter — yet another sign of escalating troubles among the institutions controlling Americans' deposits. Total assets held by troubled institutions climbed from $78.3 billion to $115.6 billion — a figure that suggests that the nation's top 20 banks aren't on the list, even though they are getting slammed, too, by the growing credit crisis. The FDIC does not reveal the institutions it deems troubled. On average, about 13% of institutions on the FDIC's list end up failing.

Economic Indicators Point Down

WASHINGTON (AP) — A raft of economic reports Wednesday all pointed to a slowing economy. Consumer spending plunged 1% last month, the largest amount since the 2001 terrorist attacks and even worse than the 0.9% decline that had been expected. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods plunged in October by the largest amount in two years as manufacturing was battered by the overall economic weakness. The Commerce Department said orders for durable goods dropped 6.2% last month, more than double the 3% decline economists expected. Demand for autos fell 4.5% last month, reflecting the hard times facing U.S. automakers, who are appealing to Washington for a sizable bailout package. The government reported that the gross domestic product shrank 0.5% in the third quarter, which was worse than expected. It was the worst showing since the economy contracted 1.4% in the third quarter of 2001, during the last recession. Jobless claims fell more than expected last week from a 16-year high, the Labor Department said, but claims remain at elevated levels.

Home Prices off 21.8% since Peak

USA TODAY — Home prices continued their free fall nationwide in September, and economists say foreclosures and tight credit will continue to keep the market down. The median price of a single-family home in September was down 17.4% from September 2007 and down 21.8% from the peak in July 2006, according to the widely followed Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 metropolitan areas. Prices dropped 1.8% from August. The cities with the biggest annual declines were Phoenix, down 31.9%; Las Vegas, down 31.3%; and San Francisco, down 29.5%. Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego followed with prices down 25% or more. Moderate annual drops were reported for cities such as New York, down 7.3%; Boston, down 5.7%; Charlotte, down 3.5%; and Dallas, down 2.7%.

Oil Futures Tumble and Gasoline Prices Keep Falling

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Oil prices fell nearly 7% Tuesday as a raft of lousy news about the economy, housing and the consumer state of mind suggested the U.S. economy is slowing sharply. Consumers and businesses have pulled back on energy spending, with massive layoffs and cost-cutting across almost every sector. That means less money will go toward powering everything from industrial plants to automobiles. Gasoline prices nationwide continued to decline, falling 2.3 cents overnight to $1.885, their lowest levels since September 2004 when the average price for three days was $1.886, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. The current price is $1.20 below where it was a year ago and down $2.225 from the peak in July when prices hit $4.11 per gallon.

Food Banks Can't Meet Growing Demand

USA TODAY — Donations to many of the USA's food banks are not keeping pace with growing demand as the sour economy forces more people to seek help, charitable organizations say. "We have seen a 100% increase in demand in the last year … and food donations have dropped precipitously," says Dana Wilkie, CEO of the Community Food Bank in Fresno, Calif. Nationally, donations are up about 18%, but demand has grown 25%-40%, says Vicki Escarra of Feeding America, the USA's largest hunger-relief charity. Feeding America, formerly America's Second Harvest, has a network of 206 food banks. About 70% of new clients are making their first visit to a food bank, Escarra says.

Obama Vows to Slash Wasteful Federal Spending

USA TODAY — Faced with an unprecedented federal budget deficit of $1 trillion or more next year, President-elect Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to do what most presidents before him have tried: cut wasteful spending. Like President Bush, Obama promised to target wealthy farmers who receive federal aid. Like Bill Clinton, he stressed the importance of reducing health care spending. Like Ronald Reagan, he pledged to go line by line through the federal budget in search of reductions. Like Jimmy Carter, he pledged to target programs that have outlived their usefulness. "Every president-elect has promised spending cuts, but they rarely happen," said Brian Riedl, budget analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Every federal dollar spent, no matter how wasteful, will be defended by whoever receives it."

JJ Commentary: Any organization comprised of people behaves like a living organism which not only seeks to survive but to grow and flourish. The bureaucracy wants to keep their manpower and budget while recipients of service have a sense of entitlement, a deadly combination.

Phoenix Slashing 1200 Jobs

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said today the city is eliminating 1,200 positions next fiscal year, part of its effort to slash the budget by $250 million because of the ailing economy and a drop off in tax collections. The mayor also said he and staffers in his office will be voluntarily working one day each month without pay - and he will be asking every city employee to do the same. And Gordon will be meeting with labor unions to request that employees forego pay raises for one year to avoid layoffs.

U.S. 'Falling Behind' in Afghanistan, panel says

WASHINGTON — A congressional panel has warned that the U.S. is "falling behind" in Afghanistan in the fight against makeshift bombs, the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops there, after the attacks reached an all-time high this summer. Improvised explosive device (IED) attacks have increased every year since 2005, according to Pentagon data. The attacks peaked at 329 in August before declining to 264 last month upon the arrival of colder weather, which usually hinders fighting in Afghanistan. The increased deployment of IEDs has come amid a broad offensive by the Taliban and warnings from U.S. commanders that violence could worsen. The bombs have contributed to an increase in casualties among coalition forces: 129 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan through October this year, compared with 83 combat deaths in all of 2007.

Iran Says it Now Runs more than 5,000 Centrifuges

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's nuclear chief says Iran now has more than 5,000 centrifuges operating at its uranium enrichment plant. The announcement Wednesday is Iran's latest defiance of U.N. demands that Tehran halt the controversial program. The Iranian official, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, says Iran will continue to install centrifuges and enrich uranium in order to produce nuclear fuel for the country's future nuclear power plants. Uranium enriched to low level is used to produce nuclear fuel. Further enrichment makes it suitable for use in nuclear weapons The new number of working centrifuges is a significant increase from the 4,000 Iran said were up and running in August at the plant in the central Iranian city of Natanz.

Egypt's Suez Canal Traffic Declines as Piracy Spikes

CAIRO (AP) — For nearly 140 years it's been a vital shortcut between East and West, cutting days off the time ships must travel from Asia to Europe or America. But the Suez Canal now faces an enormous challenge, as the scourge of Somali piracy prompts major shipping companies to seek another route. Egypt, which is heavily dependent on the fees it charges ships to go through the Canal, has expressed concern over a possible drop in income — though it says it's hopeful an international flotilla patrolling the pirate infested waters will be able to ensure safe passage. At least two shipping companies have announced their vessels will take the long route around the southern tip of Africa rather than go through the canal, which requires crossing through the Gulf of Aden, scene of most pirate attacks.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Shipping officials from around the world called Monday for a military blockade along Somalia's coast to intercept pirate vessels heading out to sea. Yemen's government said Somali pirates have seized another ship. Peter Swift, managing director of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, said stronger naval action — including aerial and aviation support — is necessary to battle rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. But NATO, which has four warships off the coast of Somalia, rejected a blockade. The association, whose members own 2,900 tankers or 75% of the world's fleet, opposes attempts to arm merchant ships because it could escalate the violence and put crewmembers at even greater risk.

Brazil Flood Death Toll Rises to 79

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from rain-spawned floods and mudslides in southern Brazil has risen to 79 people, with 30 or more still missing, civil defense authorities said Tuesday. Most died in mudslides that swept away homes and businesses, and officials from Santa Catarina state say they fear more mudslides because the earth is still saturated with water. Eight cities remained isolated because of weekend rains that caused rivers to overflow their banks, civil defense officials said in a statement. A pipeline rupture cut off the state's sole source of natural gas from Bolivia, prompting shortages of cooking gas and fuel for cars. Six large textile mills also shut down because they had no natural gas to generate electricity. Seventeen highways are blocked by mudslides. Authorities say that more than 52,000 people were forced to leave their homes. More than 150,000 people in the city of Blumenau had no electricity.

Flooding and Landslides Kill 5, Force Evacuations in Panama

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Five people died in flooding and landslides in western Panama provoked by heavy rains, authorities said Monday. Hundreds fled the province of Chiriqui and thousands were cut off by washed out roads in Bocas del Toro. The provinces are located along Panama's northern coast. 600 people were evacuated in the province after two rivers overflowed their banks. In neighboring Costa Rica, more than 3,000 people were forced from their homes by flooding. Forecasts call for more rain through Wednesday.

Rain Coming, Some Urged to Leave Calif. Burn Areas

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities are urging residents to consider evacuating areas of Southern California that were stripped by wildfires because an approaching storm could set off mudslides. Authorities also warned that the heavy rain on burned-over slopes could cause mudslides and slumping hillsides. Voluntary evacuation warnings were set to go into effect Tuesday in several areas charred by fierce wildfires earlier this month. Property owners in some areas have built sandbag barricades to channel storm runoff away from their homes.

Endangered Sea Turtles Killed by Cold Snap

Every year, endangered sea turtles wash up on the beaches of Massachusetts' Cape Cod Bay, freezing and near death. Most are nursed back to health. This fall, though, an unusually early, long cold snap and lashing winds have caused more Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, the most endangered sea turtles in the world, to wash ashore dead.

JJ Commentary: An ironic twist, don’t you think? It was global warming that was supposed to threaten extinction to endangered life forms.

Signs of the Times

2008-11-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

Americans Still Giving Despite Economic Downturn

The Associated Press reports that Americans' generosity doesn't seem tied to how the economy is managing, a new World Vision study conducted by Harris Interactive. On the contrary, some are actually giving back more than previous years. The study found that seven in 10 adults plan to spend less money on holiday presents this year, but about half say they are more likely to give a charitable gift than a traditional present such as clothing or an electronic toy. "At a time when people have things and they know that other people don't, Americans' generosity wins out," said Justin Greeves, senior vice president of Harris Interactive, which regularly polls Americans about their charitable giving. World Vision hopes this perspective will motivate Americans to purchase items such as chickens and bicycles from their holiday gift catalogue to donate to poverty-stricken families worldwide.

APEC Leaders Endorse Ban on Protectionist Measures

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Leaders from 21 nations that account for half the world's economy pledged Saturday not to implement protectionist measures for the next 12 months — no matter how punishing the global downturn gets. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru, the leaders endorsed a declaration made at last weekend's Group of 20 summit in Washington, which brought together the world's richest economies and major developing nations. They also pledged to reach agreement next month on the outlines of a World Trade Organization pact that collapsed in July after seven years of negotiations. Kazuo Kodama, a Japanese government spokesman, said concern over the global financial crisis revived willingness to push forward on the so-called Doha round of trade talks.

JJ Commentary: In other words, don’t interfere with the globalization process leading to the one-world government, not matter what.

Worst of Financial Crisis Yet to Come: IMF Chief Economist

ZURICH, Switzerland (AFP) — The International Money Fund's chief economist has warned that the global financial crisis is set to worsen and that the situation will not improve until 2010, a report said Saturday. Olivier Blanchard also warned that the institution does not have the funds to solve every economic problem. He said economic growth would not kick in until 2010 and it will take another year before the global financial situation became normal again. The International Monetary Fund on Friday promised to help Latvia deal with its economic crisis after it assisted Iceland, Hungary, Ukraine, Serbia and Pakistan. The IMF had spent a fifth of its 250 billion dollar (200 billion euro) fund in the last two weeks, Blanchard added.

Feds Shutter Two Thrifts plus Georgia Bank

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Friday shut down two big thrifts based in Southern California, saying they fell victim to the acute distress in the housing market in that state. The failures of Downey Savings and Loan Association, based in Newport Beach, and PFF Bank & Trust of Pomona brought the number of U.S. bank failures this year to 22. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the two thrifts. U.S. Bank, based in Minneapolis, is acquiring all the deposits and nearly all the assets of both. The combined 213 branches of the two will reopen as branches of U.S. Bank under their normal business hours. Downey, the 23rd-largest U.S. savings and loan, had assets of $12.8 billion and deposits of $9.7 billion as of Sept. 30. PFF, the 38th-largest, had assets of $3.7 billion and $2.4 billion in deposits. Also Friday, Georgia regulators shuttered The Community Bank, a small bank in Loganville, Ga. The FDIC was made receiver of the bank, which had $681 million in assets and $611.4 million in deposits as of Oct. 17.

Government Unveils Plan to Rescue Citigroup

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators late Sunday agreed to backstop about $306 billion of Citicorp's riskiest assets to bolster the staggering banking giant, in yet another in a growing list of radical efforts to shore up confidence in troubled financial markets. Under the agreement announced by the Treasury Department, the FDIC and the Federal Reserve, the government will protect Citi securities backed by residential and commercial real estate. The assets will remain on Citigroup's balance sheet. As a fee for the government protection, Citi will issue $7 billion in preferred stock to the Treasury and FDIC. In addition, the Treasury Department will inject another $20 billion into Citigroup, in exchange for preferred stock, with the money coming from the recently approved $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. The government has previously invested $25 billion into Citigroup under the program. The federal guarantees will be in place for 10 years for residential assets, and five years for the other securities.

Pressure intensified on Citigroup to sell part or all of itself as its stock fell below $4 a share on Friday and fears escalated about future loan losses. What investors are worried about is that all the risky debt sitting on Citigroup's balance sheet will eventually turn into losses as the economy worsens and the markets stay turbulent — losses that could be nearly impossible to reverse. Investors were also fearful that the government might orchestrate a takeover of Citigroup that could wipe out common shareholders. The government was instrumental in JPMorgan Chase's buyout of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual, deals that left shareholders with little or no payouts.

JJ Commentary: Please note that these measures continue to give government more direct ownership of banking assets, a further step toward socialism and the New World (Dis)Order.

FDIC Approves Backing for U.S. Bank Debt, Deposits

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators will guarantee as much as $1.4 trillion in U.S. banks' debt in a bid to get the distressed financial system pumping again. They also took steps Friday to make it easier for private investors to buy failed banks seized by the government. Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. voted to approve the bank-debt guarantee program, which is part of the government's financial rescue package. The FDIC program is meant to break the crippling logjam in bank-to-bank lending by guaranteeing the new debt in the event of payment default by the borrowing bank. Some analysts have said that freeing up bank-to-bank lending with the guarantees won't necessarily translate into a thaw in broader lending as banks are still wary of making loans to businesses and consumers.

Obama Outlines Plan to Create 2.5M Jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday outlined his plan to create 2.5 million jobs in coming years to rebuild roads and bridges and modernize schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars. These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio address. A trio of crises — housing, credit and financial — have badly damaged the economy, and financial analysts have projected the country's economic hardships will continue through much of 2009. Obama acknowledged Saturday that evidence is growing the country is "facing an economic crisis of historic proportions."

Spasm of 'Hate-Related Incidents' since Election Day

With Barack Obama set to become the nation's first black president, the Chicago Tribune says "a spasm of noose hangings, racist graffiti, vandalism and death threats is convulsing dozens of towns across the country as white extremists lash out at the new political order." The paper relies on anecdotal evidence from activists and law-enforcement agencies who say they have recorded more than 200 "hate-related incidents" since Election Day. In addition to the outcome of the presidential election, the paper says "white supremacist anxieties" are being driven by the nation's changing demographics and the economy's continued decline.

Strong Quake Hits Indonesia Coast

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The U.S. geological agency says a strong earthquake has struck in the waters off western Indonesia. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey put Saturday's preliminary magnitude of the quake at 6.8. It says the quake was centered 100 miles southwest of Bengkulu, a city on Sumatra island, and that it was 16 miles beneath the ocean floor. Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that battered much of the Indian Ocean coastline and killed more than 230,000 people.

Landslides in Southern Brazil kill 20

BRASILIA, Brazil— Flooding and landslides provoked by heavy rains in southern Brazil have killed 20 people and are driving more than 15,000 from their homes. Civil defense officials in Santa Catarina state say floods have cut off access to four towns where residents have no electricity. Rescue efforts are focusing on the Itajai river valley, where waters are 9 meters (30 feet) above normal. The federal government is providing planes to deliver food and medicine to victims.

Signs of the Times

2008-11-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Gay Activists Focusing on Rights Issues other than Marriage

Gay rights advocates are rethinking their political strategy after losing the right to marry in California. Votes in California, Florida and Arizona that bring to 29 the number of states whose constitutions ban same-sex marriage are likely to prompt more focus on passing legislation to include gays in laws covering hate crimes and discrimination, advocates say. "Marriage is just an issue where the public is not there yet," says Clyde Wilcox, co-editor of The Politics of Gay Rights. Many gays welcomed Barack Obama's victory. An Edison-Mitofsky survey at polling places found that 70% of gay voters chose Obama, compared with 53% of voters overall. Obama has voiced support for civil unions and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act so gays could enjoy the federal benefits, such as Social Security survivor payments, that married couples do.

Calif. Supreme Court to Take Up Prop. 8

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California's highest court agreed Wednesday to hear several legal challenges to the state's new ban on same-sex marriage but refused to allow gay couples to resume marrying before it rules. The California Supreme Court accepted three lawsuits seeking to nullify Proposition 8, a voter-approved constitutional amendment that overruled the court's decision in May that legalized gay marriage. All three cases claim the measure abridges the civil rights of a vulnerable minority group. They argue that voters alone did not have the authority to enact such a significant constitutional change.

JJ Commentary: Huh? Voters don’t have the authority? What happened to government “of the people, for the people, by the people?”

Americans Don't Know Civics

USA TODAY — From high-school dropouts to college graduates to elected officials, Americans are "alarmingly uninformed" about the USA's history, founding principals and economy — knowledge needed to participate wisely in civic life, says a report released Thursday. The study, the third in a series by the non-profit Intercollegiate Studies Institute, finds that half of U.S. adults can name all three branches of government, and 54% know that the power to declare war belongs to Congress. Almost 40% incorrectly said that it belongs to the president. Those who have held elected office lack civic knowledge; 43% do not know the Electoral College is a constitutionally mandated assembly that elects the president. One in five thinks it "trains those aspiring for higher office" or "was established to supervise the first televised presidential debates."

Among findings: 71% earn an F; the average score was 49%. Ages 25 to 34 had an average score of 46%; ages 45 to 64 had a 52% average. Of 164 respondents who say they have held elected office, 44% was average. Those with bachelor's degrees had an average score of 57% vs. 44% for those with a high-school diploma. The average score for advanced degree-holders inches up to 65%, or a D. Civic knowledge declines in proportion to time spent using passive media, such as TV.

Supreme Court to Review Barack's Citizenship

WORLDNETDAILY — A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court. Conferences are private meetings of the justices at which they review cases and decide which ones to accept for formal review. This case is set for a conference Dec. 5, just 10 days before the Electoral College is scheduled to meet to make formal the election of Obama as the nation's next president. Some believe that Obama was actually born in Kenya, and the constitution forbids the foreign-born from being President.

Mexican Emigration Drops 42% over last Two Years

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican emigration has dropped 42% over the last two years, a government study released Thursday showed, confirming that America has become less appealing amid an economic downturn and stepped up raids against illegal migrants. About eight of every 1,000 Mexicans emigrated between February and May of this year, according to the survey conducted by the National Statistics and Geography Institute. That's a 42% drop from the same period in 2006. In all of 2007, an estimated 814,000 Mexicans emigrated, compared to 1.2 million in 2006. Experts say America's economic troubles and tighter border security have deterred many Mexicans from risking the journey to the United States, a trip that often means long desert treks, dodging bandits and bribing corrupt police.

Napolitano is Obama's Pick for Homeland Security

ARIZONA REPUBLIC — Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, multiple news agencies reported late Wednesday. If appointed, the Democrat in her second term would head the sprawling federal agency, which is responsible for immigration policy and border security as well as emergency response issues. A popular Democratic governor in a red-state, and an early Obama supporter, Napolitano, 51, has been the focus of Cabinet speculation for weeks. Her departure would send ripples through Arizona politics. Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer, next-in-line to the governorship, would serve the remaining two years of Napolitano's term - putting all three branches of state government under GOP control. In making Gov. Janet Napolitano his top pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, President-elect Barack Obama has signaled a moderate approach toward immigration and border policies and laid the path to pursue comprehensive reform later. As the Democratic governor of a border state and a former federal prosecutor, Napolitano would bring to the job years of experience in dealing with border and immigration issues, something previous Homeland Security chiefs have lacked.

More U.S. Soldiers Seek Substance Abuse Help

USA TODAY — The number of soldiers seeking help for substance abuse has climbed 25% in the past five years, but the Army's counseling program has remained significantly understaffed and struggling to meet the demand, according to Army records. About 13,500 soldiers sought drug counseling this year and 7,200 soldiers were diagnosed with an abuse or dependency issue and enrolled in counseling, Army data show. That compares with 11,170 soldiers reporting to drug counseling in 2003, when 5,727 enrolled. Army records show 2.38% of all soldiers had positive results on routine drug urinalysis screening, a 10-year record. In 2004, when combat troops returned from Iraq in large numbers, 1.72% had positive results. The Army requires one drug counselor for every 2,000 soldiers, yet is currently operating with one for 3,100 soldiers, a chronic shortage exacerbated by the increase in substance abuse cases.

India: Reports of Rewards to Kill Christians

The UK-based Christian Today reports that radical Hindu militants are inciting the general population to act against Christians with various incentives, offering money, food and even liquor. "People are being offered rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian properties," a spokesman for the All India Christian Council (AICC) told Release International. "Different tasks have different rewards," he added. "They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken, mutton and weapons. They are being given petrol and kerosene." According to Good News India, pastors in refugee camps are prime targets, earning $250 US dollars. According to the AICC, violence in India has spread from Orissa into 13 more states.

Iran has Enough Enriched Uranium to Build Nuke

Nuclear experts scanning over reprts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded that Iran now has enough enriched uranium to produce an atomic weapon, though it needs to be further refined, according to The New York Times on Thursday. "They clearly have enough material for a bomb. They know how to do the enrichment. Whether they know how to design a bomb, well, that's another matter," top-physicist Richard Garwin told the newspaper. Recent IAEA reports say that Iran has produced rougly 630 kilograms of enriched uranium, which is enough to produce a single nuclear weapon if purified further. It is unknown whether Iran has enough centrifuges configured to enrich the uranium to weapons-grade material, since there may be hidden facilities besides the Natanz plant.

Jobless claims hit 16-year high

The number of new jobless claims hit 542,000 last week, the highest level in 16 years, according to the Labor Department. "The four-week average of claims, which smooths out fluctuations, was even worse: it rose to 506,500, the highest in more than 25 years," AP says. The worst isn't over, according to projections cited by The Washington Post. "The most pessimistic of 17 Federal officials expects joblessness to rise to 8% at the end of 2009, which would be the highest in a quarter-century," the paper says.

Congress OKs Extension of Jobless Benefits

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jarred by new jobless alarms, Congress hurriedly approved legislation Thursday to keep unemployment checks flowing through the December holidays and into the new year for a million or more laid-off Americans whose benefits were running out. The White House, which had opposed broader legislation containing the benefits extension, urged passage of the new version and said President George W. Bush would quickly sign it. As Congress prepared to leave town — perhaps for the year — there was no such resolution on helping the auto industry, a disaster in the making that could lead to hundreds of thousands if not millions of additional lost jobs.

Mortgage Aid Falls Short

WASHINGTON — Two government programs designed to help hundreds of thousands of delinquent borrowers avoid foreclosure are having negligible effects, a top Bush administration official acknowledged Wednesday. One program will be revamped immediately, and the other possibly in the near future. Steve Preston, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said both private industry and government efforts have fallen short as the foreclosure crisis has exceeded all but the most dire forecasts. "Few lenders have actually signed up, and few borrowers are submitting applications," Preston said. "So clearly we needed to make meaningful changes."

Economy hits Immigrants Harder than Most

USA TODAY — Low-skilled immigrants are taking a hard hit from the faltering economy, losing jobs, sending less money to families overseas and cutting back spending at businesses that cater to them. The effect is most pronounced on immigrants, both legal and illegal, working in struggling sectors such as construction and manufacturing. The Pew Hispanic Center, a non-partisan research organization, estimates there are 11.9 million illegal immigrants in the USA this year. In October, the jobless rate was 6.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the rate for Hispanics was 8.8%. Slightly more than half of the Hispanic labor force is foreign-born. Day laborers may be among the most affected. Revenue at Hispanic-owned businesses was down 15% to 20% from July through September, compared with the same quarter last year.

Average Gasoline Price Falls Below $2

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) — The national average price for a gallon of gasoline has fallen below $2 for the first timel since March 2005, the Energy Department and AAA say. The price for regular unleaded gasoline fell for the ninth week in a row, sinking to $1.989 a gallon overnight Friday. Thirty states have gasoline prices that average under $2 a gallon. But oil refiners, the chief buyers of crude, aren't celebrating. Gasoline prices are falling even harder and faster than crude oil, so U.S. refiners are losing money on every gallon of gasoline they sell.

Falling gasoline prices are putting extra money in the pockets of consumers, but there is concern some drivers may return to their gas-guzzling vehicles. The chairman of the Senate Energy Committee said Monday the new Congress probably will not approve legislation to raise the federal tax on gasoline. Americans pay an 18.4-cent federal tax on each gallon of gasoline they buy, plus another 29 cents on average in combined state and local taxes.

Fannie, Freddie Halt Foreclosures for the Holidays

USA TODAY — Mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will suspend foreclosures and evictions for owners of occupied homes through the holidays — the latest effort to keep people in their houses. Freddie and Fannie, which were seized by the government in September, announced Thursday that they will contact an estimated 16,000 borrowers who are facing foreclosure or evictions between Wednesday and Jan. 9. Those proceedings will be delayed and the homeowners will have a chance to work with mortgage servicers to modify their home loans into affordable payments.

Bush Promotes Action Plan on Global Financial Crisis in South America

LIMA, Peru (AP) — President George W. Bush, struggling to get ahead of a global financial crisis, hopes to win more converts at a summit here for an action plan aimed at showing governments have the will and the means to halt the turmoil. Bush embarked Friday on what could be his final overseas trip as president, leaving the White House in the early morning to fly to Peru for the annual gathering of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

JJ Commentary: Regional organizations in Asia and South America are growing in significance and are following the European Union model. The North American Union is next on tap in the march toward the one-world government prophesied in Revelation 13.

Iceland gets Billions in Aid amid Financial Meltdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday approved a two-year, $2.1 billion support program for Iceland designed to restore confidence and stabilize the country's shattered economy. The approval had been held up because of a British-Icelandic dispute over Britons' accounts in failed Icelandic banks. After the IMF announcement, four Nordic countries agreed to lend Iceland $3.1 billion, Finland's Finance Ministry said. The four countries agreeing to the package were Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Iceland needs the financing to buy imports and support its currency, which has lost around two-thirds of its value since the beginning of the year because of the collapse of its banking system.

Ireland's Economy not Roaring Back

Ireland's fall perhaps is the hardest because it was riding so high. Economic growth since the early 1990s ranged from 4.5% to 10.7% — higher than Europe and the USA. That's why Morgan Stanley analyst Kevin Gardiner dubbed it the Celtic Tiger in 1994. By 2006, Ireland provided full employment and the highest incomes in the eurozone, except for tiny Luxembourg. Now the jobs and high incomes are disappearing as construction projects are postponed, houses remain unsold, and property prices are in free-fall. About 35,000 new houses sit unsold across the country, according to Ireland's Construction Industry Federation. More than 250,000 Irish — 6.7% of the workforce — receive jobless benefits now, a 60% increase over last year.

Post-Earthquake Honesty

BEIJING (AP) — More than 19,000 schoolchildren died in a massive earthquake that struck Sichuan province in May, China acknowledged Friday for the first time. The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing, but the government has never before said how many of the casualties were students. Most of them perished when their shoddily built schools collapsed. Their deaths become a sensitive political issue for the government, with parents of dead children staging protests demanding investigations. Many parents says they have been subjected to intimidation and financial inducements to keep them silent. Millions of those displaced in the earthquake still need quilts and repairs to their homes if they are to survive the coming winter, which is expected to be unusually cold.

Weather Signs

BRISBANE, Australia — Two strong storms cut power to tens of thousands of homes and flooded streets along Australia's east coast Thursday, sweeping away one woman in her car amid the worst flooding in decades. The first storm early Thursday dumped almost 8 inches of rain in a matter of hours on Brisbane, Queensland's capital, and surrounding towns. Strong winds lashed coastal areas in the southeast corner of the state. A second storm swept through the region on Thursday night, cutting power to 45,000 premises. Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said police had recovered the body of the woman who was swept away from a town west of Brisbane. Her death brought to two the number of people killed by violent weather in the east of Australia in the past five days.

Signs of the Times

2008-11-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

States Lend a Hand in Time of Home Foreclosures

(USA TODAY) — States and local governments are stepping up help for residents coping with foreclosures and job losses amid a sinking economy. New assistance efforts range from laws that give homeowners time to renegotiate loans to job training programs. Many state and local efforts regulate foreclosures. There were 2.6 million foreclosures from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31 — a 45% jump from the same period last year. This year, 31 states and the District of Columbia passed 60 laws regulating foreclosures. They counsel homeowners, require lenders to notify the state before a foreclosure filing, or create a grace period for homeowners before lenders file a foreclosure, says the National Conference of State Legislatures. Cities and counties expect to launch more foreclosure-prevention plans as they get grants from a housing bill that Congress passed in July.

Consumer Prices Take a Record Drop in October

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Consumer prices plummeted at the sharpest rate on record in October as a slowing economy caused energy costs to drop for a third month, according to a Labor Department report Wednesday. The widely watched consumer price index fell 1%, the biggest drop since the department began keeping monthly data in 1947. Core prices, which exclude food and energy items, declined 0.1%. Energy prices dropped 8.6% in October, after declines of 3.1% in August and 1.9% in September. Gasoline prices plunged 14.2% in October, also a record drop. However, gasoline prices were still 12% above a year ago.

Home Prices Down 9% from a Year Ago

(USA TODAY) — The rise in foreclosures continued to drive down the median price of homes across the country in the third quarter, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday. Economists expect the fourth quarter to be worse Between 35% and 40% of all transactions were either foreclosures or pre-foreclosure sales — called short sales — in the quarter, the report says, causing the national median price of a single-family home to drop to $200,500, 9% lower than the third quarter of 2007 and 11.9% off the peak of the housing boom, in the third quarter of 2005. "Homes are selling because prices are plunging," said Patrick Newport, economist at Global Insight. "Prices are plunging because of distressed sales."

Military Recruitment Seen Rising Amid Job Woes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of young people considering a military career has significantly increased for the first time in about five years, buoyed by more positive news out of Iraq. Military officials predict interest will rise even further because of the worsening economy. The percentage of young people who said they would probably join the military increased from 9% to 11% in the first half of this year, according to a Pentagon-sponsored survey.

Joint Chiefs Head Says War Stresses May be Growing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stress on U.S. troops from repeated combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan is "extraordinary" and may be worsening even as fighting eases in Iraq, the military's top officer says. In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Adm. Mike Mullen expressed hope that the strain will be relieved gradually as the Marine Corps and Army expand the pool of available forces. The Marines, for example, created an additional battalion this fall and plan to add another by February, Mullen said. That will allow them to "feed the fight as well as relieve the stress," he said. The Army, while also growing, will take longer to put additional combat units into the pipeline for fighting wars.

Banned Firms Got New U.S. Contracts in Iraq

WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) — A firm suspended from U.S. government contracts for allegedly bribing Army officers was awarded a new contract in Iraq two days after the suspension was imposed, government investigators found. The Pentagon paid the suspended company more than $1 million under the new contract. Contracting officers gave Lee Dynamics International a new contract in July 2007 despite warnings from military lawyers, according to a report issued by Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. The new, one-year contract allowed Lee Dynamics to continue operating warehouses for the Iraqi security forces. Army Maj. Gloria Davis, who was involved in awarding the company's initial contract in 2005, killed herself in December 2006 after telling investigators that she took $225,000 in bribes from company founder George Lee, federal court records show. Another Army officer, Lt. Col. Levonda Selph, pleaded guilty last year to taking $9,000 in bribes. Lee Dynamics, based in Kuwait, was one of three firms in the past two years that the U.S. military awarded new contracts or allowed to continue working on existing ones after they were banned.

JJ Commentary: Who you know (and bribe) is still more important than law and justice in our government and military as end-time lawlessness grows.

Canceled Iraq Contracts Cost U.S. $600 Million

WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) — The Pentagon spent about $600 million on more than 1,200 Iraq reconstruction contracts that were eventually canceled, nearly half of them for mismanagement or shoddy construction, government investigators say. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) found that 42% of canceled contracts were terminated because the contractor either failed to deliver or performed poorly. The rest were canceled for the "convenience of the government," usually for security problems, lack of funding or changing requirements. The $50.8 billion U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq is winding down, with about 70% of the money already spent on about 50,000 projects. Still, federal investigators continue to find examples of waste, fraud and mismanagement.

JJ Commentary: Government waste remains a growing source of funds that greatly contribute to increased debt.

Schwarzenegger Opens Calif. Climate Summit with Obama

BEVERLY HILLS — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opened his international climate change summit on Tuesday by upstaging himself with an even bigger political star — President-elect Barack Obama. Schwarzenegger, a Republican whose efforts to combat global warming in California have generated worldwide acclaim, wants to show that governments can balance environmental protection and economic growth. He hopes his summit will influence negotiations over a new climate treaty during a United Nations gathering in Poland next month. In a taped message to attendees, Obama said his administration is committed to a cause that has all but languished at the federal level during the term of President George W. Bush. U.N. negotiators have a December 2009 deadline to complete the next global warming treaty, which would succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. That treaty, which expires in 2012, does not include the USA or China — the world's largest emitters. Negotiators want to cut in half the amount of carbon dioxide discharged into the atmosphere from transportation, industry and power generation by mid-century.

Cost of Diabetes in U.S. Rises to $218B

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — As diabetes is rapidly becoming one of the world's most common diseases, its financial cost is mounting, too, to well over $200 billion a year in the U.S. alone. That figure includes direct medical care costs, from insulin and pills for controlling patients' blood sugar to amputations and hospitalizations, plus indirect costs such as lost productivity, disability and early retirement. "The numbers just keep going higher and higher, and what we want to say is, 'It's time for government and businesses to focus on it,'" said Dana Haza, senior director of the National Changing Diabetes Program, who believes diabetes will be the country's biggest health problem in the future, worsened by the obesity epidemic.

Primary Care Doctors in Short Supply

(USA TODAY) — Primary care doctors are an endangered breed of physician, a new survey suggests. The Physicians' Foundation, an Irving, Texas, non-profit group of state medical societies and physician leaders, commissioned a survey in May of virtually every primary care doctor in the USA as well as 50,000 doctors in subspecialties such as cardiology. Primary care doctors include family practitioners, general internists, pediatricians and obstetricians/gynecologists. Throughout the country and across all specialties, more than three of four respondents said they believed there was a shortage of primary care doctors. The shortage could grow more critical: About half the respondents said they planned to reduce patient loads or stop practicing within the next three years. More than half said they wouldn't recommend that young people pursue careers in medicine. The main reason is that the health care system "tends to undervalue what it is that a primary care doctor does." Many medical students start out aiming to be primary care doctors, but then they realize they could pay off their accumulating debt more quickly as a subspecialist.

Israeli Tanks Forge into Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli tanks forged into the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, drawing mortar fire from Palestinian militants and intensifying violence that has chipped away at a tenuous cease-fire. Israel and Hamas have been trading fire for two weeks after nearly five months of relative quiet. The tanks did not respond to the Palestinian fire. The June 19 truce is due to expire next month, and both sides might be trying to dictate more favorable terms in anticipation of the agreement's renewal.

Indian Navy Sinks Suspected Pirate 'Mother Ship'

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian naval vessel sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats into the night, officials said Wednesday, as separate bands of brigands seized Thai and Iranian ships in the lawless seas. The owners of a seized Saudi oil supertanker, meanwhile, negotiated for the release of the ship, anchored off the coast of Somalia. A multinational naval force has increased patrols in the waters between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, where pirates have grown bolder and more violent. Larger "mother ships" are often used to take gangs of pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water, and can be used as mobile bases to attack merchant vessels. Tuesday hijackings raised to eight the number of ships hijacked this week alone, he said. Since the beginning of the year, 39 ships have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, out of 95 attacked.

Magnitude-4.1 Quake hits Southern California

TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) — A moderate earthquake struck early Monday in a remote area of the Cleveland National Forest in northern San Diego County. There were no reports of damage or injury. It was followed by a magnitude-3.8 aftershock five hours later, the USGS said. The quake was felt from San Diego to Palm Desert.

Signs of the Times

2008-11-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

Thousands Flee as Fierce Winds fan California Wildfires

YORBA LINDA, California — Walls of towering flames pushed by dry winds raged through Southern California hills early Sunday after destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee. Evacuees could only watch the wildfires from a distance and wait to learn the fate of their homes and possessions. Fires burned in Los Angeles County, to the east in Riverside and Orange counties, and to the northwest in Santa Barbara County, blackening a total of 26 square miles and burning more than 800 mobile homes, houses and apartments since Thursday night. The most threatening blaze early Sunday had scorched more than 9 square miles in Orange and Riverside counties after erupting Saturday and shooting through neighborhoods entwined with wilderness parklands. Containment was just 5%. Six firefighters from various agencies were injured in the blaze. A separate fire in the Orange County city of Brea destroyed the main building of a high school. Firefighters continued to make gains early Monday as ferocious Santa Ana winds finally abated.

The largest fire grew to more than 15 square miles in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley after destroying 500 mobile homes, nine single-family homes and 11 commercial buildings early Saturday. Containment was put at 20%. No deaths were reported at the park, but police Chief William Bratton said dogs would be brought in to search the rubble on Sunday to determine whether anyone perished. Northwest of Los Angeles, authorities raised the number of homes lost in a fire that began in the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito on Thursday night to 183 and said the final total could top 200. At least 13 people were injured in that fire. Early Saturday, the fire surrounded Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and caused an electricity outage, forcing officials to evacuate some 200 patients. The hospital's power and backup generators also failed, and emergency room staff had to keep critical patients alive with hand powered ventilators. A few babies were rushed out in ambulances to another hospital.

About 80 miles to the west, a blaze in the Santa Barbara community of Montecito had forced the evacuation of more than 5,400 homes since it started Thursday night. About 800 firefighters were battling the fire at the wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave. Several multimillion-dollar homes and a small Christian college received major damage from the blaze in Montecito The fire started Thursday evening and turned into an exploding inferno fueled by blistering winds, dry brush and vast stands of oil-rich eucalyptus trees. Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum said up to 200 homes may have been destroyed or damaged in his city.

ANAHEIM — As one of Southern California's major thoroughfares, it carries several names — the Riverside, Artesia or simply the 91. But this weekend, it might as well be called the Freeway of Flames On a 10 miles section through a narrow canyon, flames shot from both sides on the freeway. At one point, even the median was ablaze. And smoke was so dense during much of the corridor as to make it almost impassible at times. As the Los Angeles reeled from four major wildfires burning out of control, the region faced an almost unprecedented challenge of different sort: widespread freeway closures encircling the metropolis threatened to seal off the region to interstate —or even in-state — travel. The Orange Freeway also was shut and the critical Interstate 5 and San Diego Freeway, major routes to San Francisco, were also shut down at various times.

JJ Commentary: In earlier “Signs of the Times” it was prophesied that California would bear the brunt of judgment as the nation’s most corrupt and immoral state. Now we see it coming to pass.

Iraq Approves Security Pact with U.S.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's Cabinet on Sunday approved a security pact with the United States that will allow American forces to stay in Iraq for three years after their U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year, the government said. The agreement will be submitted to parliament later Sunday, but did not say when the 275-member legislature will vote on the document. The decision followed months of difficult negotiations and, pending parliamentary approval, will remove a major point of contention between the two allies. The final draft of the agreement is designed to meet Iraqi concerns over its sovereignty and its security needs as it continues to grapple with a diminished but persistent insurgency. It provides for the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 and gives Iraq the right to try U.S. soldiers and defense contractors in the case of serious crimes committed off-duty and off-base. It also prohibits the U.S. from using Iraqi territory to attack Iraq's neighbors, like Syria and Iran. Neighboring Iran has bitterly opposed the pact on grounds that it enshrines the U.S. military presence in Iraq and threatens its security and regional influence.

Gay-Marriage Supporters Rally over California Ban

SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of supporters of gay marriage – including gay, straight and many families with children – gathered in dozens of cities across the country, braving heat in the West and rain in the East to demonstrate against new laws that ban gay marriage, especially Proposition 8 in California. They listened to speeches, chanted and shouted. But they were also peaceful; there was no counter demonstration. The protests were organized over email, social networking sites such as Facebook and through blogs and websites. Since Proposition 8 passed 52.2% to 47.8%, opponents have filed three separate lawsuits in California State Supreme Court, speaking out in favor of gay marriage and against those who supported gay marriage bans. Close to 2,000 people gathered in Phoenix to protest the recently adopted Prop. 102, a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage in Arizona. Nearly 1,000 people demonstrated in downtown Tucson on Friday night.

JJ Commentary: While the votes in California, Arizona and Florida were encouraging for opponents of gay marriage, these were really last gasp victories. The slide of the USA into ungodliness is accelerating and the end-time “lawlessness” prophesied in the Bible is well underway.

PepsiCo Gives $500,000 to Promote the Gay Agenda in Workplace

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION — Pepsi has given Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) a half-million dollars to help push the homosexual agenda in the workplace. PFLAG is a political advocacy group that promotes radical homosexual political causes like same-sex marriage, hate-crime laws, and gay adoption. Pepsi has a long tradition of financial support for homosexual groups. According to Jacqueline Millan, director of PepsiCo Corporate Contributions, "We are delighted to continue our partnership with PFLAG...(in) promoting the necessary message of inclusion to untapped groups...and that is a crucial step toward building a healthy working environment." AFA wrote Pepsi on October 14 and again on October 29 asking the company to remain neutral in the culture war. Pepsi didn't care enough to respond to the AFA letters. Pepsi's lack of response indicates the company plans to continue support for the homosexual agenda.

Opponents Brace for End of Stem Cell Ban

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama could reignite an emotional national debate over the promise and the perils of medical research using cells taken from human embryos. Like previous presidents, Obama is expected to issue a flurry of executive orders after he takes office Jan. 20. Some could reverse Bush administration policies; others could promote his own. Ending a ban on government funding for research using embryonic stem cells would be among the most controversial. Samuel Casey of Advocates International, a Christian law firm that opposes abortion rights, says a change in the Bush policy "would give a green light to the kind of eugenic human experiments that people think of when they talk about cloning." Scientists say cells taken from human embryos offer the most promise of being used to develop therapies for Parkinson's, diabetes and other diseases. Some scientists have found cells taken from adults also have lifesaving potential.

JJ Commentary: What scientists hush up and the media doesn’t talk about is that adult stem cells have actually shown the most promise and eliminate the need for embryonic stem cells.

World Leaders Agree on New Regulations to Strengthen Global Markets

WASHINGTON — Amid the gravest financial crisis since the Great Depression, international leaders agreed Saturday to develop new regulations to strengthen global markets. The leaders directed their finance ministers to draft specifics by March 31. Those recommendations will be discussed at a second summit by April 30 to include the next U.S. president, Barack Obama. Among the proposals that need to be fleshed out: a way to give more countries a say in the operations of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Both institutions were created after the last financial summit of this type, the 1944 conference at Bretton Woods, N.H. In a joint declaration after Saturday's sessions, the participants agreed in principle to an early warning system advocated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others that would detect red flags such as the mortgage problems that contributed to the U.S. financial woes. The leaders also directed their finance ministers to develop global accounting standards, especially for complex securities, and ways to review executive compensation. President Bush praised the talks as a successful beginning, in part because world leaders reaffirmed their support for "pro-growth" capitalist policies and free trade.

JJ Commentary: Despite President Bush’s praise, this summit only serves to emphasize the inexorable march toward the end-time one-world government prophesied in Revelation 13.

Credit Crisis Sends Economic Forecasters' Views Downhill Fast

WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) — Forecasters' views of the economy are deteriorating rapidly, with economists now expecting job losses to be deeper and last longer and consumers to cut back spending at a far more rapid pace than earlier thought. The U.S. economy is contracting at a 2.6% annual rate in the last three months of the year and will fall at a 1.3% pace in the January-March quarter, according to a survey of 50 members of the National Association for Business Economics taken Oct. 28-Nov. 7 and released Monday. That is a big change from the survey conducted in mid-September, when the economists said the economy would grow, albeit at a slow pace, during the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. The economy contracted at a 0.3% pace in the July-September period.

JJ Commentary: Economists have been behind the curve all the way down this slippery slope. This crisis is beyond their forecasting models capabilities because there is no precedent and therefore no prior data to analyze. Conditions are sufficiently different than the Great Depression to render direct comparisons invalid.

FDIC Proposes to Modify 2.2M Mortgages to Fight Foreclosures

WASHINGTON — Publicly breaking with the Bush administration's official stance, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposed Friday to use $24 billion in government financing to modify 2.2 million mortgage loans and help a projected 1.5 million American households avoid foreclosure. The FDIC posted the plan on its website two days after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson rejected the idea of using money from the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry to pay for such a proposal.

Post Office $2.8 Billion in the Red

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Postal Service ended its fiscal year $2.8 billion in the red, battered by a faltering economy that cut the amount of mail being sent. Postmaster General John Potter said the agency is making sharp cuts in hours and overtime, but added there are no plans for layoffs. The mail being sent dropped by 9.5 billion items. By cutting back on spending the post office had a net operating income of $2.7 billion in 2008, but still ended up in the red because of the requirement for a $5.6 billion payment to a health benefit fund for retirees. Even so, the $2.8 billion loss was well short of last year's $5.1 billion postal deficit.

More Business Declines/Layoffs/etc.

BOSTON (AP) — Fidelity Investments will eliminate 1,700 jobs early next year in a second round of cuts at the nation's largest mutual fund company, which has seen its money management fees decline along with the markets. Combined with 1,300 cuts that Fidelity announced last week, the second round disclosed Friday will eliminate about 7% of the company's workforce of about 44,400.

NEW YORK — Citigroup said Monday that it plans to cut about 50,000 jobs as souring economies and global credit conditions cause the U.S. bank with the farthest reach worldwide to retrench. The cuts are expected in the near-term and are on top of roughly 23,000 jobs eliminated by the second-largest U.S. bank between January and September. This would leave Citigroup with about 300,000 jobs worldwide, down 20% from the end of 2007.

DETROIT FREE PRESS — As Detroit's crumbling auto industry asks Congress for a bailout, Chrysler is in the awkward position of paying about $30 million in retention bonuses to keep top executives while the company cuts thousands of jobs. Chrysler owes the bonuses under its contracts with about 50 executives, based on a retention incentive plan crafted early last year by former German parent DaimlerChrysler, when it was preparing to sell the Chrysler unit. Retention bonus plans are fairly common in volatile times and at troubled companies that are straining to attract and retain top talent.

NEW YORK TIMES — The technology industry, which resisted the economy’s growing weakness over the last year as customers kept buying laptops and iPhones, has finally succumbed to the slowdown. In the span of just a few weeks, orders for both business and consumer tech products have collapsed, and technology companies have begun laying off workers. The plunge is so severe that some executives are comparing it with the dot-com bust in 2000, when hundreds of companies disappeared and Silicon Valley lost nearly a fifth of its jobs. Tech companies directly account for about 4 percent of the nation’s employment. But the industry’s importance to the world economy is larger than its size might suggest. Technology has fueled many of the productivity gains of the last two decades. And about half of the capital spending by corporations goes toward technology products.

USA TODAY — The long knives are coming out in the mutual fund industry. Faced with a soul-searing bear market and record outflows, funds are starting to lay off workers. And, although few have been sent packing lately, many mutual fund managers will be scanning the want ads soon, too. The Dow Jones industrial average has plunged 36% this year, and staggering losses have sent investors fleeing from mutual funds. Funds make their money by charging a percentage of assets, so the less money they manage, the less the management company earns. Already, some fund companies are announcing layoffs.

15-Nation Euro-Zone and Japan in Recession

BRUSSELS — The 15 countries that use the euro are in a recession, the European Union said Friday, as their combined economies shrank for a second straight quarter because of the world financial crisis and sinking demand. The euro zone shrank 0.2% in both the third and second quarters from the quarter before, further stoking expectations the European Central Bank will cut interest rates to limit the economic damage. Two successive quarters of economic contraction is one shorthand definition of a recession. The spending slowdown and tight credit conditions have industry hurting across the continent. The worry is that the sharp reining in of personal spending will push unemployment much higher in months to come. So far, euro-zone economies — with 16% of world output and 319 million people — have not seen unemployment surge, though the EU executive Commission estimates it will rise steadily.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan fell into a recession in the third quarter for the first time since 2001, as the impact of the global slowdown took its toll on the world's No. 2 economy. Japan's gross domestic product, or the total value of the nation's goods and services, dropped at an annual pace of 0.4% in the July-Septebmer period as companies sharply curtailed spending, the government said Monday. But the worst may be yet to come, economists say, especially with dramatic falls in demand overseas for trademark Japanese products like cars and gadgets. As a result, major exporters including Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. have slashed their profit forecasts and sales projections for the full year.

Transition a Tangle of Ties to Lobbying

NEW YORK TIMES — President-elect Barack Obama has imposed stricter conflict-of-interest restrictions on his White House transition team than any president before him. But a list of transition team members that his office made public on Friday includes a complicated tangle of ties to private influence-seekers. Among the full roster of about 150 staff members being assigned to government agencies between now and Inauguration Day are dozens of former lobbyists and some who were registered as recently as this year. Many more are executives and partners at firms that pay lobbyists, and former government officials who work as consultants or advisers to those seeking influence.

Pakistan: $7.6 billion IMF loan OK'd

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan has agreed to borrow $7.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund to avoid adding an economic crisis to its struggle against Islamic militants, an official said Saturday. Finance chief Shaukat Tareen said the IMF had agreed "in principle" to the bailout after vetting government plans to tackle Pakistan's yawning budget and trade deficits. The loan will top up Pakistan's foreign currency reserves, whose rapid rundown had raised the prospect of a run on the rupee and a default on the country's international debt. That risk has already eroded confidence in Pakistan's government and economy, deterring badly needed foreign investment at a time of slowing economic growth and runaway inflation.

Palestinian Rockets fly Deep into Israel

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian militants fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel on Monday, causing no injuries but casting a shadow over a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, unleashing their most powerful weapons yet in a week of tit-for-tat fighting that threatens to destroy a five-month-old cease-fire. Both Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers held out hope the calm would be restored, and Israeli leaders late Friday decided against any immediate major military action. But the sides also vowed to strike hard at each other if violence persisted. The cease-fire has mostly held, but began to deteriorate last week after an Israeli military raid on what the army said was a tunnel that militants planned to use for a cross-border raid. Eleven militants have been killed, and some 140 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza at Israel. Israel also has shut Gaza's vital border crossings, blocking the entrance of food, humanitarian goods and fuel into the impoverished area. Gazans seeking food aid walked away empty-handed from locked United Nations distribution centers Saturday after a strict Israeli border closure depleted U.N. food reserves.

Fighting in Congo Goes on Despite Rebel Promises to U.N.

RWINDI, Congo (AP) — Congo's army clashed with rebels in some of the worst fighting in a week despite the rebel leader's promise to support a cease-fire, the United Nations and witnesses said Monday. The two sides battled Sunday night in Rwindi, about 75 miles north of the eastern provincial capital of Goma. About 150 people took refuge outside a U.N. peacekeeping base. Heavy fighting also broke out Sunday in Ndeko, about 55 miles north of Goma. The Central African nation has the world's largest U.N. peacekeeping mission, with some 17,000 troops, but the peacekeepers have been unable to either stop the fighting or protect civilians caught in the way.

Powerful Indonesia Quake Kills 4, Crumples Homes

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A powerful earthquake jolted eastern Indonesia early Monday, killing at least four people, damaging hundreds of homes and briefly triggering a region-wide tsunami warning, officials said as they surveyed the damage. The 7.5-magnitude quake struck off the coast of SulawesiGorantalo and was centered 16 miles beneath the sea. Two strong aftershocks followed, one measuring 5.5 and the other 5.1. island in the middle of the night, sending thousands fleeing homes, hotels and even hospitals. The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor hit 85 miles from the nearest city of

Violent Storms in East Australia

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — A series of violent storms tore across Australia's east coast, sweeping one man down a storm drain to his death, blowing roofs off houses and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of buildings. Sunday's storms dumped golf ball-sized hail and torrential rains, causing flash flooding and knocking out power to more than 230,000 homes and businesses along a 112-mile stretch of southeast Queensland state coastline. More than 58,000 customers still had no electricity Monday, energy supplier Energex said.

Signs of the Times

2008-11-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

Economic Summit to Focus on the Long Term

USA TODAY — World leaders converging in Washington D.C. this weekend will try to reverse the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, amid a change in the White House that leaves a key player on the sidelines. The agenda for the meeting of 20 top economies — among the most important summits of its kind since World War II — includes discussions of how to stimulate the slumping economy, impose more government control over lending and create more transparency within financial markets. Missing from the talks will be President-elect Barack Obama, who will assume a leading role in helping to solve these issues when he takes office. He declined to participate because President Bush, the man he will succeed, is the summit's official host. Obama has been wary of projecting presidential authority before his inauguration.

Atheists Launch Ads on D.C. Buses

Religion News Service reports that a new holiday ad from the American Humanist Association (AHA) declaring "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake" will be featured on buses in Washington, D.C., beginning Nov. 18. "We are declaring loudly and clearly an important part of the humanist ethical message," said Fred Edwords, director of communications for AHA. "All of us can have moral values as a natural result of who we are as a species and who we have become as a civilization." Other organizations have been running similar campaigns in other cities. Jan Meshon, president and founder of FreeThoughtAction, has helped launch billboard ads in New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Kansas City, Mo., with several on the way in Denver and Colorado Springs.

Catholics Bishops Vow to Confront Obama on Abortion

The Associated Press reports that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Tuesday said that they will view the new presidential administration's passage of no-limits abortion rights "an attack on the church." Many present on Tuesday condemned the Catholic theologians and politicians who showed their support for Obama in spite of his abortion stance. "I cannot have a vice president-elect coming to Scranton to say he's learned his values there when those values are utterly against the teachings of the Catholic Church," Martino said. The Obama-Biden press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Diocese of Kansas City in Kansas said of such politicians, "They cannot call themselves Catholic when they violate such a core belief as the dignity of the unborn."

Government Opens Year with $237.2B Record Monthly Deficit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government began the new budget year with a record monthly deficit in October of $237.2 billion, reflecting the billions of dollars the government has started to pay out to rescue the financial system. The Treasury Department said Thursday that the deficit for the first month in the new budget year was the highest monthly imbalance on record. It was far bigger than analysts expected, over four times larger than the October 2007 deficit of $56.8 billion, and more than half the total for all of last year. The big surge reflected the government spending $115 billion to buy stock in the nation's largest banks. Those were the first payments made from the $700 billion government rescue program passed by Congress to deal with the most severe financial crisis to hit the country since the 1930s. The October deficit began a period in which economists are forecasting the red ink for the entire year could well hit $1 trillion, reflecting what many expect to be a severe recession, which will depress tax revenue, and the heavy costs of the financial system bailout.

Ø JJ Commentary: Huge debt was already a problem. Now it is a huge problem, an albatross permanently encumbering our once free-market system.

Retail Sales take Biggest Fall on Record in October

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Retail sales suffered a record decline in October, the Commerce Department said Friday. Sales slumped 2.8% last month to a seasonally adjusted $363.7 billion, largest decline since the data series began in 1992, Commerce said. This compared with a revised 1.3% fall in September. The largest previous decline was a 2.65% drop in November 2001, in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The decline in sales was led by a huge drop in auto purchases, but sales of all types of products, from furniture to clothing, fell as consumers retrenched. Excluding autos, retail sales fell 2.2%, also a record decline, underscoring the widespread weakness last month.

Jobless Claims Rocket to 7-year High

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of newly laid-off individuals seeking unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped last week to a seven-year high. The Labor Department said Thursday that jobless claims increased 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 516,000. That is the highest total since just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and second-highest since 1992. Thursday's figure is the first time claims have topped 500,000 during the current economic slowdown. Jobless claims above 400,000 are considered a sign of recession. A year ago, claims stood at 338,000. The number of individuals continuing to seek unemployment benefits jumped 65,000 to 3.9 million in the week ended Nov. 1, the latest period for which data were available. Several companies recently have announced mass layoffs, including Morgan Stanley, General Motors, Ford Motor and Fidelity Investments.

More Business Declines/Layoffs, etc.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Investors on Wednesday got more evidence of just how bad consumer spending has been hurt: Electronics retailer Best Buy sharply cut its fiscal 2009 earnings outlook, and department store operator Macy's swung to a loss in the third quarter as sales dropped 7% Best Buy's same-store sales dropped 7.6% in October. Same-store sales are a closely watched performance indicator because they measures sales at existing locations rather than newly opened ones.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sun Microsystems says it will cut up to 6,000 workers, or 18% of its global staff, as sales of high-end servers have collapsed. The drastic move announced Friday highlights Sun's desperation to survive as an independent company. Sun's shares have fallen so steeply they've crossed an ominous threshold, driving the company's market value below its cash on hand. The company has been deeply wounded by the credit crunch, because customers can't get loans to buy expensive servers. A quarter of the Sun's business comes from the ailing financial services sector.

USA TODAY — Business has gotten so bad that the nation's restaurants are being forced to step waaaaaay outside the box to try to lure folks inside — or even online. Ruth's Chris Steak House has begun mailing out $25 — yes, $25 — gift certificates. McCormick & Schmick's this week launches a website to sell many of its menu items uncooked and ships them overnight anywhere in the U.S. Bad as it is now, 50% of restaurant owners say the economy will worsen over the next six months, says a National Restaurant Association survey.

USA TODAY — Business travelers may notice quieter hotels next year. Hotel forecasters have been busy revising their expectations in light of all the economic turmoil and an anticipated drop in business travel. One forecast suggests that U.S. hotels will fill the smallest percentage of rooms since the figure has been tracked. In its 2009 forecast — completed in September, but revised after the stock market collapsed in October — PKF Consulting of Atlanta expects hotels to fill an average of just 58.3% of rooms.

USA TODAY — Perhaps shoppers needed the diversion from October's economic woes. Whatever the reason, the financial downturn did not keep shoppers from indulging in their video game avocation, according to researcher NPD Group's monthly sales report . Overall, sales of console game systems, software and accessories rose 26% compared to October 2007.

October Foreclosures up 25% from a Year Ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Foreclosure activity in October rose 25% from a year earlier. Foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sales notices and bank repossessions — rose by 5% from September to 279,561 in October, according to Irvine, California-based research firm RealtyTrac. That means one in every 452 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing in October. Years of lending to risky, or "subprime" borrowers that fueled the housing boom has created an unprecedented number of foreclosures due to the inability of many of those borrowers to pay their mortgages, particularly as interest rates reset and as plunging home values nationwide increasingly render properties worth less than the mortgage. Nevada posted the nation's highest foreclosure rate for the 22nd consecutive month in October, with one in every 74 housing units, or 14,483, receiving a foreclosure filing during the month — more than six times the national average. Arizona registered the second-highest state foreclosure rate. Filings were reported on 17,507 Arizona properties, an increase of 35% from the previous month and 176% from October 2007.

Treasury's Paulson Shifts Focus of $700 Billion Bailout

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration changed course on the $700 billion financial rescue package Wednesday, saying it would scrap plans to buy troubled assets and focus on directly injecting money into the nation's banking system. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the government's shifting plans reflect an economy that is in far worse shape than it was just a few weeks ago. Reacting to the news, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 411 points to 8282.66 Wednesday. The Treasury Department has already started buying $250 billion in bank stock to infuse money into the troubled financial sector, but it previously said it was working simultaneously on a plan to buy troubled assets, such as bad mortgage loans, from bank balance sheets. That was the original intent of the legislation passed in early October. But Paulson, in an interview with USA TODAY, said, "You need to be able to change strategies as the facts change." He reiterated that he expects that taxpayers will eventually make money from the rescue plan. "By putting capital in, that is much more powerful and it goes a lot further."

Ø JJ Commentary: Do you get the sense that our government officials don’t really know what to do to stem the bleeding?

Regulators Nix Credit Card Debt Forgiveness Plan

WASHINGTON — Federal bank regulators have rejected a request by banks and consumer advocates for a program to let lenders forgive huge portions of credit card debt. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency rejected the request for a special program that would allow as much as 40% of credit card debt to be forgiven for consumers who don't qualify for existing repayment plans. An unusual alliance of financial industry interests and consumer advocates, represented by the Financial Services Roundtable and the Consumer Federation of America, made the request to the Treasury Department agency on Oct. 29. It demonstrated the urgency of the situation in a deepening economic crisis: consumers — even those with strong credit records — defaulting at high levels on their credit cards, while banks battered by the credit crisis bleed tens of billions from the losses. The Financial Services Roundtable, which represents more than 100 large banks, brokerage firms and insurance companies, will "continue to look for ways to help consumers in these extraordinary times," said the group's senior vice president Scott Talbott.

Ø JJ Commentary: As we previously pointed out, this plan to forgive debt rewards those who rack up unconscionable, even ungodly, amounts of indebedness. The Bible tells us in several places to avoid debt.

Fannie, Freddie Join Citi, Others Trying to Halt Foreclosures

USA TODAY — The federal government and one of the country's largest banks are expanding their efforts to help homeowners with troubled mortgages avoid joining the millions of Americans who have already lost their homes to foreclosure. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which own or guarantee nearly 60% of all single-family home mortgages, said Tuesday that they will accelerate the process for modifying thousands of home loans. In addition, Citigroup announced it will expand its moratorium on foreclosures and initiate a new program to assist borrowers who may develop problems paying their mortgages. Both efforts show how the Bush administration and private lenders are scrambling to cope with an unprecedented wave of home foreclosures. The government is working on a plan to help as many as 3 million homeowners avert foreclosure.

Drop in Crude Oil Imports Helps Trim Trade Deficit to $56.5B

WASHINGTON — A record decline in the price of crude oil helped push the U.S. trade deficit down to its lowest level in nearly a year even though the deficit with China shot up to an all-time high. The Commerce Department said Thursday that the trade deficit fell 4.4% to $56.5 billion in September, smallest imbalance since October 2007. The better-than-expected improvement reflected a 15.7% drop in petroleum imports as the average price for imported crude oil dropped a record $12.41 per barrel and the volume of shipments fell to the lowest level in more than five years.

Ø JJ Commentary: While we’re applauding the decline of the trade deficit, let’s please note that it is still a very large deficit. Even at this lower rate, we’re talking about $678 billion a year. And this has been going on for year after year after year.

Interest Rates Soar as Credit Tightens in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — The Wal-Mart slogan in Mexico is the same as in the USA: Always low prices. Yet that doesn't apply to the store's credit cards, which carry a 69.6% annual interest rate. Such high rates are increasingly common in Mexico, and they are rising even further as banks worldwide tighten lending limits amid a worsening economic crisis. Some economists are worried it could send millions of Mexicans spinning into a cycle of debt, a situation that could hurt the United States, Mexico's largest trading partner. Up to now, Mexico's financial system has suffered less damage than that seen by U.S. banks because of tougher lending terms imposed after Mexico's own financial crash in the 1990s. However, the financial burden on Mexican families is getting steadily heavier. From January to September, average interest rates on bank credit cards in Mexico rose 10 percentage points to 41.78% — more than triple the rate in the U.S. rate.

World Bank Readies $100M in Loans for Developing Nations

The World Bank expects to lend $100 billion to developing nations whose economies are jeopardized by the global economic meltdown, Financial Times says. “You are seeing countries that had very good, sound macroeconomic programs – Mexico, Indonesia – that are in a position where ... they are not at financial risk but they are worried about ... getting financing,” World Bank President Robert Zoellick tells the paper. “These are the types of countries – Colombia, others – that we are offering as much support as we can.” Zoellick tells the Times that global trade is forecast to shrink in 2009. The last time that happened was 1982.

Deadly Stomach Bug More Common than Expected

ATLANTA (AP) — A nasty, sometimes deadly stomach bug is at least six times more common than was thought, researchers said Tuesday, based on a survey of hundreds of U.S. hospitals. The germ, Clostridium difficile, is resistant to some antibiotics and has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. Doctors say it plays a role in hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations each year, and that number has been growing. The latest study estimates that more than 7,100 American hospital patients are infected with it on any given day. That number is between 6.5 and 20 times greater than previous estimates, according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Researchers. The study suggests that about 13 per 1,000 hospital patients have the germ. The bacteria are found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It can be deadly, particularly to the elderly, and has been blamed in outbreaks that have killed as many as 100 people at some hospitals. The most dangerous form is spread by spores in feces, and the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap.

Longer, Taller Fencing Not Deterring Illegal Immigrants

NACO, Sonora - Mario Garcia Salcido and a friend left home in Culiacán for this dusty speck of a border town last week, headed for jobs in an Idaho milk-processing plant. They met up with the tallest obstacle the U.S. government has ever erected along the Mexican border: an 18-foot, mesh-metal fence west of here, with poles sunk deeply into concrete. Garcia hoisted his friend, who wouldn't identify himself, up the barrier, and in 20 minutes, they clambered into the United States illegally. An hour later, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested them for the third time in a month. Garcia and his friend say the tall fence won't deter future illegal immigrants. "Everybody can climb it. They cross by every manner," Garcia's 42-year-old friend said as he waited in Naco's Migrant Resource Center after being returned to Mexico. The United States is spending $700 million to build 670 miles of new fencing along the border, but lured by U.S. jobs with higher wages, immigrants are adapting. The large fences stretch in broken but growing segments across the 1,950-mile border. The fences are high enough to deter some would-be illegal immigrants. But the Border Patrol and immigrant-aid centers report that people are devising ways to scale the fences, be it by two-by-four ladders, tree limbs or rope - and some are injuring themselves in the process. "The border fence is a speed bump in the desert," Border Patrol spokesman Mike Scioli said. "It slows them down long enough for us to respond."

Increased Bombings in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of blasts struck Baghdad for the third consecutive day, killing nine people and wounding more than 30 others Wednesday, police said. The attacks underlined the fragility of recent security gains in the Iraqi capital. In the face of heightened violence in Baghdad, the Iraqi military said it was taking measures to curb "the increasing number of terrorist attacks" in the city. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the measures would include stepped up intelligence gathering and pre-emptive strikes on suspected extremists. The first of Wednesday’s car bombs ripped through a bustling section of downtown Baghdad during the Wednesday morning rush hour, killing four people and injuring 15 others. A second car bomb exploded near the Baidha secondary school in the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab in north Baghdad, but there were conflicting casualty reports from that attack.

Ø JJ Commentary: One has to wonder if the insurgents have become emboldened by Obama’s election, knowing that he wants to pull the troops out ASAP.

U.S. Rejects Scrapping Missile Defense Plans

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has rejected a Russian suggestion that both countries scrap plans to place missile systems in Eastern Europe. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a televised interview with French journalists broadcast Thursday that Moscow was willing to reconsider deploying Iskander missiles in its westernmost region of Kaliningrad if Washington did not place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a missile-tracking radar in the Czech Republic. Medvedev announced Moscow's intention to deploy the missiles a day after the U.S. presidential election. It was "hardly the welcome a new American administration deserves," Gates said. "Such provocative remarks are unnecessary and misguided."

Iran Test-Fires New Missile

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has successfully test-fired a new generation of its longer range surface-to-surface missile using solid fuel, making them more accurate than its predecessors, the defense minister announced Wednesday. Mostafa Mohammed Najjar said on state television that the Sajjil was a high-speed missile manufactured at the Iranian Aerospace department of the Defense Ministry. He said it had a range of about 1,200 miles. At that range it could reach Greece and Bulgaria in southeastern Europe, as well as easily strike arch-foe Israel. Najjar said the missile was a defensive weapon and not a response to threats against Iran. He didn't name any country but Israel has recently threatened to take military action against Iran to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

N. Korea Rejects Request for Nuclear Sampling

SEOUL (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday that it won't allow outside inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex to verify the communist regime's accounting of past nuclear activities. Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it never agreed to such sampling, contradicting statements by U.S. officials last month following a breakthrough deal about how to verify North Korea's list of nuclear programs the regime submitted in June under a disarmament pact. The conflicting statements could prove a new snag in the long, tortured process of nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has agreed to give up its nuclear weapons but has bickered with the U.S. over verification, with Washington insisting on strict measures to ensure Pyongyang is not hiding any active atomic programs. Sample-taking is believed to be a key means of nuclear verification.

N. Korea to Halt Border Crossings with S. Korea

SEOUL (AP) — North Korea ratcheted up its threats to sever ties with South Korea by announcing Wednesday that it will halt cross-border traffic next month and cut telephone lines inside the demilitarized zone over what it calls Seoul's confrontational stance. The North's military is taking action to "restrict and cut off all the overland passages" across the frontier beginning Dec. 1, the country's official Korean Central News Agency said. Relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated since South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's conservative government took over in February, pledging to get tough with Pyongyang. North Korea has stepped up the rhetoric against the South in recent weeks, warning that it will attack South Korea and reduce it to "debris" if Seoul continues what it says are confrontational activities against the communist country.

Sudan President Announces Darfur Ceasefire

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — President Omar al-Bashir has announced a unilateral ceasefire by government forces in the war-torn Darfur region and is calling for rebels to join in peace negotiations. The announcement Wednesday launches a new push by the Khartoum government to show it is willing to make peace in Darfur, where at least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes in fighting since 2003. Darfur's multiple rebel groups have so far dismissed the government peace moves, calling them insincere, and has not signed on to a cease-fire. Past cease-fires announced by Khartoum have collapsed.

U.N.: 100,000 Trapped, Troops Needed in Congo

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N.'s most powerful body is close to approving 3,000 more peacekeeping troops for the world body's overstretched force in war-stricken areas of eastern Congo, diplomats said late Tuesday. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, called for an immediate cease-fire to urgently help "at least 100,000 refugees" cut off by fighting in rebel-held areas north of Goma in eastern Congo. After a two-hour closed-door meeting Tuesday, members of the 15-nation U.N. Security Council and the Congolese ambassador said broad agreement exists for beefing up the 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Congo. About 250,000 people in all have been displaced by fighting in eastern Congo. Ethnic hatred left over from the 1994 slaughter of at least 500,000 Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda has fueled the fighting.

Fire in California Destroys 100 Homes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters were racing early Friday to push back a wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed about 100 homes and a college dormitory in the tony community of Montecito, injured four people and forced thousands to flee the longtime celebrity hideaway. The fire broke out just before 6 p.m. Thursday and spread to about 2,000 acres — more than 3 square miles — within hours, destroying dozens of luxury homes and parts of a college campus in the foothills of Montecito, just southeast of Santa Barbara. About 5,400 of the community's 14,000 residents were evacuated and more could be forced to flee if the fire spreads, said Terri Nisich, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office. At Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college nestled amid wooded rolling hills, some 1,000 students were caught off-guard by the rapidly moving flames and were moved from the cafeteria to the gym.

U.N. Sees Peril in Asia's Huge Brown Cloud

BEIJING — Thick brown clouds of soot, particles and chemicals stretching from the Persian Gulf to Asia threaten health and food supplies in the world, the U.N. reported Thursday, citing what it called the newest threat to the global environment. The regional haze, known as atmospheric brown clouds, contributes to glacial melting, reduces sunlight, and helps create extreme weather conditions that impact agricultural production, according to the report commissioned by the U.N. Environment Program. The huge plumes have darkened 13 megacities in Asia — including Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Cairo, Mumbai and New Delhi — sharply "dimming" the amount of light by as much as 25% in some places. Caused by the burning of fossil fuels, wood and plants, the brown clouds also play a significant role in exacerbating the effects of greenhouse gases in warming up the Earth's atmosphere, the report said. Some particles within the pollution cloud, such as soot, absorb sunlight and heat the air. That has led to a steady melting of the Himalayan glaciers, which are the source of most of the major rivers on the continent. The report also noted that health problems associated with particulate pollution, which include cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, are linked to nearly 350,000 premature deaths in China and India every year.