Prince Harry wearing a Nazi Uniform at Party

The pulsation of the march towards universal globalism is getting louder and louder. For those with “eyes to see and ears to hear” the map of the final events is getting clearer and clearer. Read the prophets! All the prophets of the Hebrews and the ‘prophet’ for the people of the reNewed Covenant (New Testament) each carry clues to the panorama of the Drama of the Ages that is preparing for is grand finale and the return of the messiah.

Time Magazine Persons of the Year for 1993 – Yassir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin

Rabin - "I've said more than once in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, we make peace, or we negotiate meaningful steps towards peace, with enemies. Sometimes bitter enemies."

The year of 2004 set the stage for the final revelation of the One World Order. Whereas George Bush Jr. was “given the crown” of the presidency in the year 2000, he earned the crown this year and become the front runner in America’s role in the globalists dream of world domination. The clarion call of using preemptive strikes to force the nations of the world to accept the one world domination is only one of many clues of the future foreign and national policy of the Bush administration.

The Seven year Oslo Accord

We have set forth the thesis that seven year “Land for Peace Oslo Accord” as a pathway for peace between Israel and the Palestinians has already occurred. This accord was designed to place Israeli-“occupied” Gaza Strip and eventually the rest of the West Bank under Palestinian rule. That this peace accord did occur according the lunar Hebrew festival calendar of the Lord gives it even more validity. This peace accord has already been Dalia Rabin-Pelossof Speaks on Oslo Ten Years Later recognized as a peace accord that affects not only the Middle East but the entire world. The mantra is that peace, any peace whether forced or willingly by Israel will give peace to all people. This in itself is an amazing concept and that it is accepted by the nations of the world suggests that the Name of the God of Israel is penetrating the consciousness of all people. Yet man will not bring the peace only grief and suffering by their quest for power, greed and control. Only the coming of the Messiah will bring peace.

Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with Yasser Arafat on White House lawn, September 13, 1994.

The historic Oslo Accord was signed and letters were enchanged beteen Arafat and Rabin on the lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993. It was witnessed by the whole world as Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat shook the hands of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin with the Masonic handshake while President Bill Clinton stood behind with hands wide open like a savior to the world. The Oslo Peace Accord lasted for seven years between Rosh Hashanah 1993 to Rosh Hashanah 2000. Peace with the ‘elect’ of Israel collapsed when prime minister elect Ariel Sharon mounted the Temple Wall and read about the Gog-Magog War on Ezekiel 39 while in the presence of the golden dome of the Mosque of Omar on the Temple Mount and Yassir Arafat declared an intifada against the people of Israel.

From all appearances the Intifada of the Palestinians which erupted within twenty four hours after that ascent to the mount effectively nullified the Oslo Accord. The Seals of Revelation are officially opened with the 1^st White Seal. Three and one half years later on Passover, 2004, it appears that the on the heels of the 1^st White Seal of Revelation, the 2^nd Red Seal also began. On April 5, 2004, the Ayatollah Mohammed Bakir Khakim through his leading Iranian cleric, Kadhem al-Husseini Al-Haeri sent the Iranian Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to raise up a national revolt against the United States (Big Satan) and the coalition of nations supporting the War against Iraq with military troops. Here we see Iran, the modern day Persia supported by (Red) Russia along with the support of many (Red) Islamic states supported by (Red) China fulfilling end time vision of Pope John Paul II and his mentor, Cardinal Wyszynski of Warsaw as the final international prime actors in the race for domination of the future one world order, the “Red Internationale”.

Throughout 2004 we watched as the “great sword” of the red rider beheaded one foreigner after another. One by one, international companies and countries crumbled and reversed their military contracts and agreements, removed their employees and military from the Middle East. When in the history of man did the entire military and foreign policy of a country suddenly reverse 180 degrees due to the beheading of one of their soldiers or contractors? This might occur if a military general, a rich noble or national leader but a normal everyday citizen? Even so when did a “great sword” cause the world to “fear” and for “all men to turn against one another? As the ‘sword’ unsheathes itself, the nations of the world rise up, not against the bearer of the sword but against one another.

The European Union and ancient Rome

In the meantime, the revival of the ancient Roman Empire is occurring before our eyes as prophesied by the prophet Daniel. Making a powerful thrust on the international scene, the European Union became official in 2004. This “Union” is founded with the ten (10) former “kingdoms” of the Roman Empire – Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain along with an additional fifteen (15) nations. The EU constitution was also adopted with the purposeful deletion of any reference to God or the historical Christian foundations of the European states. The Euro as a common currency pushed the American dollar to its lowest value in years and the EU voted to form a united military.

The power and might of this economic powerhouse was seeking international status. With aggressive trade and political maneuvering, the Neighborhood Plan adopted neighboring states and offered free access to trades and services, economic capital and human resources. Here they will be entitled to the vast shared economic might of the EU as long as they adhere and enhance the political goals of the EU (Rome/Edom).

This year also in 2004, the Nation of Israel became part of the EU Neighborhood Plan. By following the ways of the nations instead of following the commands of their God in the Torah, we will soon see how the Zionist leaders of the Nation of Israel have not only compromised their political freedom but also the spiritual freedom of the Jews to follow the dictates of the God of Israel.

The global ‘neighborhood’ for Israel as envisioned by the globalist in the EU include Cuba and possibly soon the nation of Syria. The goal of the Zionist leaders of Israel to link themselves with the countries that supported the Holocaust of their past and the nations of the Middle East that desire their ultimate destruction is almost complete. Will the remnant of Jews soon understand that their national freedom will depend upon the Moshiach (Messiah) of Israel and not an appointed king, prime minister or ruler? This is one reason why many Jewish scholars are beginning to understand that the globalists of the world and the Zionist of Israel are vying for the same goal. The historical roots of many of the modern day Zionists can be traced to the last great (false) messiah of the Jews, Sabbatei Zevi in 1666 and are known as the modern Sabbateans and the Dolmeh.

The strengths and weakness of the EU are for all to behold. The united military will give it its strength and is weakness will be seen in its multiple trade and political agreements and the dependence on a common currency. What it does give is the finishing touches of “the toes of the feet that were partly of iron and partly of clay” on the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar as a shadow picture that one of the principle actors in the final act of the Drama of the Ages has entered the stage.

Russia and China

Since Passover, 2004, the veil of transparency has been lifted over the multiple-layered tapestry of Russia and China and their undercover involvement with the enemies of Israel. The “Gog” of Ezekiel and the “two-hundred million man army” of Revelation are now making overtures of a military and economic pact between themselves. China and Russia are currently fierce competitors in the race to export military arms and conduct military war games with the countries of Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Sudan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. All of these countries are also considered adversaries of Israel.

At the time, China is livid when the Israeli-made Harpy assault drones they bought years ago and sent back for repairs are now being prevented by the United States from being upgraded and repaired and returned to their country. At the same time, a diplomatic crisis is erupting between Israel and Russia over the latter’s intent to deliver advanced SA-10 air defense system to Syria like those used to protect Moscow plus shoulder held SA-18 anti-air missiles. Suddenly the air superiority of the Israeli air force contracted with the SA-10 shield protecting Iran against Israeli warplanes and cruise missiles.

Let us reconsider that Russia is the step child or descendants of the ancient Persian Empire that ruled in the land of present day Iran. The affinity of these two cultures comes from their common roots. All through the year 2004, Iran played cat and mouse with the International Atomic Energy Agency who at the request of the United Nations was seeking to prevent any further nuclear proliferation. As the veil lifted the evidence became transparent. The Russians were the primary suppliers of nuclear technology to the Iranians. The Chinese have come on board now to provide missile technology so that that their missiles can penetrate to the heart of Israel. Here is the land that houses and protects the command centers for most of the terror groups to destroy Israel: al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas.

The political war games are getting more vicious between Bush, Sharon and Putin. Putin is livid with the United States for meddling now only of the sale of the assets of the Russian oil company, Yukos, but also meddling with the democratic process in Ukrainia with the overturned election by the Ukrainian Supreme Court of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych favored by Moscow. In the heels of the Orange Revolution came the nomination of the anti-Moscow opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko with the Orange Revolution and the sale of the assets of the Russian oil company, Yukos.

At the same time, Putin and his intelligence team have cornered Arial Sharon over the flight of Russian capital to the Banks of Israel from the money oligarchs of Russia. These include Boris Berizovsky, former director of ORT (Russian Public Television) who is living in self imposed exile in London after fleeing Russia under criminal indictment and Mikhail Khodorovsky the former owner of YUKOS, who is now imprison in a Russian jail for supporting political opposition in Russia. With personal representatives in Jerusalem, the moneyed rich in Russia are transferring vast sums of money to Israel outside of Putin grasp. Included in this money trail, non-Jewish assets such as from members of the Russian Christian Orthodox Church who are being protected by Israel under Sharon’s version of the Law of Return which forbids prosecution or extradiction of people or assets unless laws are broken.

The March towards a New World Order

Bush calls for global cooperation – Clarion call for “New World Order” through preemptive strikes - December 2, 2004

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Washington Post) - President Bush yesterday challenged international leaders to create a new world order, declaring pre-September 11 multilateralism outmoded and asserting that freedom from terrorism will come only through pre-emptive action against enemies of democracy. In his first major foreign-policy speech since his re-election, the president set out an expansive second-term agenda with three distinct goals: reforming multilateral institutions, prosecuting the war on terrorism and spreading democracy in the Middle East.

But even as Mr. Bush urged a new effort by free nations to join forces, he criticized the multilateral process that splintered as his administration moved toward war in the absence of action by the United Nations against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The success of multilateralism is measured not merely by following a process, but by achieving results," Mr. Bush said. "The objective of the U.N. and other institutions must be collective security, not endless debate."

The president, who was seated near Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, did not bring up the United States' disagreement with Canada over the U.S.-led Iraq war or chastise other nations that opposed the pre-emptive strike on Saddam, such as France, Germany or Russia. But one day after declaring in Ottawa that Americans on Election Day had endorsed the Bush administration's foreign policy and its doctrine -- which calls for pre-emptive action against states that harbor or aid terrorists -- the president had a clear message for the rest of the world. "Defense alone is not a sufficient strategy," he said. "There is only one way to deal with enemies who plot in secret and set out to murder the innocent and the unsuspecting: We must take the fight to them." The president declared that multilateralism has, of late, resulted in little action. Although he vowed to make an effort to build coalitions with foreign powers, he said those efforts must be geared toward results. "My country is determined to work as far as possible within the framework of international organizations, and we're hoping that other nations will work with us to make those institutions more relevant and more effective in meeting the unique threats of our time," he said.

While applauding Canada's expansive military role in the world, with its peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti, Sudan, Cyprus and the Middle East, Mr. Bush recalled Canada's pre-emptive entry into World War II, noting, "Some Canadians argued that Canada had not been attacked and had no interest in fighting a distant war." The Canadian prime minister echoed Mr. Bush's view of the post-September 11 world, saying the terrorist attacks on America "have redefined many realities in the world and on our own continent." "We're in a war against terrorism, and we are in it together, Americans and Canadians. ... Together we have come to realize that the world is indeed smaller since 9/11. It's more complex, perilous, more challenging," Mr. Martin said.

Both leaders called for renewed efforts in prosecuting the war on terrorism. "In the new era the threat is different, but our duties are the same. Our enemies have declared their intentions -- and so have we. Peaceful nations must keep the peace by going after the terrorists," Mr. Bush said. He also called on all free nations to become more involved in spreading democracy in the Middle East. "By taking the side of reformers and democrats in the Middle East, we will gain allies in the war on terror and isolate the ideology of murder and help to defeat the despair and hopelessness that feeds terror. The world will become a much safer place as democracy advances," Mr. Bush said. But again, he urged all parties to avoid the endless debate over the decades-old issue, dismissing past efforts to accept small compromises over borders and settlement sites. "This approach has been tried before without success," he said. "The Palestinian people deserve a peaceful government that truly serves their interests, and the Israeli people need a true partner in peace."

The president caused a bit of a stir when he mentioned the U.S. missile-defense program, which many Canadians oppose. The first U.S. missile bases in the shield have been set up in Alaska and California -- and with Canada in between, the question of whether Canada will help out could become a sensitive point. Mr. Martin told reporters after Mr. Bush had left that whatever his government decides, it "will be in Canada's interests. We are a sovereign nation, and we will make our own decisions on our airspace," he said, but added, "We are opposed to the weaponization of space."

During his speech, Mr. Bush was conciliatory toward Canada and its prime minister, who replaced Jean Chretien, a vehement opponent to the war in Iraq. He said that because the United States and Canada are neighbors that are engaged in "more multilateral institutions than perhaps any two nations on Earth" and conduct $1 billion in trade each day, "when frustrations are vented, we must not take it personally." Mr. Bush visited Halifax because on September 11, 2001, about 33,000 passengers on airplanes bound for U.S. airports were diverted to Canadian provinces, including Nova Scotia. "You opened your homes and your churches to strangers, you brought food, you set up clinics, you arranged for calls to their loved ones, and you asked for nothing in return," the president said. "Thank you for your kindness to America in an hour of need." Mr. Martin replied, "Well, Mr. President, that's what neighbors do." (Article)

Elder Bush, Clinton to Lead Relief Effort – January 3, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Monday tapped two former presidents - his father, President George H.W. Bush, and his predecessor, President Clinton - to lead a nationwide, private fund-raising campaign to help victims of the Asian tsunamis.

(AP) President Bush, center, announces, Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, in the Roosevelt room at the White House "I ask every American to contribute as they are able to do so," Bush said in the White House's Roosevelt Room, the two former presidents at his side. Clinton and the first President Bush are to lead an effort to encourage the American people and businesses to support relief and reconstruction activities in areas devastated by the tsunamis, the president said. He also ordered that American flags fly at half-staff all week in sympathy for "the victims of a great tragedy," particularly the many thousands of dead and orphaned children.

"In the coming days, Presidents Clinton and Bush will ask Americans to donate directly to reliable charities already providing help to tsunami victims," Bush said. "I've asked the former presidents to solicit contributions both large and small." The president urged Americans to give money instead of other items. "Cash donations are most useful," he said. The announcement came as the White House has been scrambling to repair an image battered at home and abroad by perceptions that U.S. aid for the tsunamis lagged behind other countries - especially considering the outpouring of support for America from other countries in the hours and days immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Bush faced criticism for waiting until three days after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami to interrupt his holiday vacation and make his first personal comments about the deadly disaster. Other countries also were quicker to commit large amounts of aid money, and Japan has outpaced the U.S. total of $350 million pledged so far. But private donations began pouring in from people in the United States and around the world at unprecedented levels almost immediately. Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan, dismissed any suggestion the White House campaign to encourage private giving was behind that curve as well, saying the new effort was about ensuring that impressive flow continues. "This will bring even more focus on the need to provide support for these international organizations in the affected areas," he said. "This is a human tragedy that is really beyond comprehension and we want to make sure we're doing everything we can both from the government perspective as well as private support to help those who are suffering."

Bush himself has not yet made a personal contribution, but plans to give an unspecified amount, McClellan said. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has decided to send the USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed hospital ship based at San Diego, to join the tsunami relief effort in south Asia, two officials said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The ship, currently at sea for a previously scheduled test, is capable of receiving patients by helicopter or by ship, either at anchor or while underway. Later Monday, Bush, accompanied by first lady Laura Bush as well as his father and Clinton, paid brief visits to the embassies of the four nations hit hardest by the disaster - Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

At the Indonesian and Indian embassies, Mrs. Bush presented officials with bouquets of white roses and the foursome signed condolence books. "We look forward to working with the Indonesian government to help those who need food, medicine, water and shelter to get their lives back in order so the great country of Indonesia can rise up from this disaster. May God bless the people of Indonesia," the president said in a brief statement at the Indonesian embassy. He made similar remarks at other embassies.

While at the Indian embassy, Bush said he told the ambassador he intends to travel to India this year. "In the meantime, though, our country stands with the people who have suffered," he said. The president also was waiting to hear back from a delegation he dispatched to the region to assess what more the United States government can do to help. That team, led by Secretary of State Colin Powell and the president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, arrived in the region Monday. Powell said in Bangkok, Thailand, that the relief effort appears to be going so well that he sees no immediate need for more U.S. governmental money. Coordinating all the international aid is now the most urgent task, he said. To solicit private contributions, the former presidents will travel the country and do media interviews as part of their effort, McClellan said. Reflecting the White House's concerns about the damage done, Monday's appearance by Bush was the fifth statement - either written or verbal - from the president himself on the disaster in six days. And aides normally tight-lipped about the president's behind-the-scenes activities have been eagerly offering tidbits of Bush's calls to other leaders on the crisis and his monitoring activities. (Article)

Torture' to uncover brain secret - More Bizarre Psychological Torture Testing so Scientists Can Figure Out How To Make Torture More Effective – January 10, 2005

BBC News - Torture is being used to help scientists understand how the brain works Volunteers are to undergo torture to see if faith eases pain. Oxford University scientists will carry out experiments on hundreds of people in a bid to understand how the brain works during states of consciousness. One aspect of the two-year study will involve followers of both religious and secular beliefs being burnt to see if they can handle more pain than others. Some volunteers will be shown religious symbols such as crucifixes and images of the Virgin Mary during the torture. Researchers believe the study may improve understanding of faith, how robust it is and how easily it can be dislodged.

The team from the newly-formed Centre for Science of the Mind also want to include people with survival techniques in the torture experiments, which may help the special forces easily identify people with high pain thresholds. How scientists plan to torture volunteers

Gel - A gel containing chilli can be applied to the back of the hand to simulate a burning sensation
Heat-pad - A pad which can reach up to 60C will be put against the skin

Volunteers will have a gel containing chilli powder or heat-pad applied to the back of their hand to simulate pain.

A team of neurologists, pharmacologists and anatomists will then analyse how people react by using brain scans. Another part of the research involves tests using anaesthetic, to see what effect it has on the brain and why some people need higher doses to make them unconscious. Baroness Greenfield, director of the centre, said 20 years ago scientists had shied away from studying the brain in such away but that was now changing. "We want to find out what the brain is doing, how it is working when we are having feelings and most importantly of all when we are conscious. Christians feel pain just like everyone else, but many would say that their belief in a God who cares and the promises of the Bible are a huge comfort in difficult times

Church of England spokesman: "I am not promising we are going to solve the problem, I don't think we are. "But I think we are going to get more of an insight." Centre deputy director Toby Collins added: "The reason we are using pain is that it is easily standardised but varies greatly between individuals. "The pain matrix is not fully understood yet." Dr Alison Gray, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "The experience of pain depends on biological factors such as the amount of tissue damage and release of natural pain killers - endorphins - in the brain. "We know anecdotally that religious believers can tolerate great pain when there is a specific purpose, and I would speculate that this would operate via endorphin release. "Religious practices such as prayer and meditation release endorphins and would in theory increase the pain threshold. "It will be interesting to see what these trials show, it may be that the specific purpose of bearing the pain is missing, if so I would expect the tests would be inconclusive."

But the Church of England said it was possible religion could be of help. A spokesman said: "Pain is a fact of life, whatever your beliefs. Christians feel pain just like everyone else, but many would say that their belief in a God who cares and the promises of the Bible are a huge comfort in difficult times." (Article)

Torture Experiment: Believers go on rack to prove God relieves pain - January 12, 2005

Jewish Zionism and the Authentic Judaism

Judaism And Zionism Are Not The Same Thing - Orthodox Jews speaking on their identity and faith - December 24, 2004

Neturei Karta demonstration Jews United Against Zionism - We would like to take a few minutes of your time to prevent you from making a terrible mistake that may have disastrous results for many. You have always without a doubt heard and read much about the political crises in the Middle East in which the State of Israel plays a central role. This is, in fact, an ongoing series of crises with potential to bring the greatest misfortune on the entire world. Tragically many believe that Zionism and Judaism are identical. Thus they conclude that the entire Jewish people are responsible for the actions of the Zionist government and the world crises which emanates from it. This is a Grave Error! The truth is that the Jewish faith and Zionism are two very different philosophies. They are as opposite as day and night.

Muslims and Jews demonstrate solidarity in protest against the apartheid wall

The Jewish people have existed for thousands of years. In their two thousand years of Divinely decreed exile no Jew ever sought to end this exile and establish independent political sovereignty anywhere. The people's sole purpose was the study and fulfillment of the Divine commandments of the Torah.

The Zionist movement created the Israeli state. The latter is a persuasion less than one hundred years old. Its essential goal was and is to change the nature of the Jewish people from that of a religious entity to a political movement. From Zionism's inception the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people stood in staunch opposition to it. To this day Torah Jewry remains forever loyal to its faith. Zionists want the world to believe that they are the representatives of the entire Jewish people. This is false! The Jewish people never chose them as their leaders. The Zionists have deceived many well meaning Jewish people via terror, trickery and false propaganda. They have at their disposal the use of a nearly universally subservient media. Whoever attempts to criticize them puts his livelihood and, at times, his very life in danger. However, despite the media blackout and easy resort to terror the simple truth remains unrefuted and irrefutable: ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH FAITH AND TORAH LAW THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE FORBIDDEN TO HAVE THEIR OWN STATE WHILE AWAITING THE MESSIANIC ERA!

The Creator gave us the Holy Land thousands of years ago. Yet, when we sinned, He took it away and sent us into exile. Since that time our task is to wait for Him to send the Messiah. At that time, the Creator alone, without any human being lifting a hand or saying a word, will bring us together and take us out of exile. He will likewise establish universal peace among all mankind and all will serve Him in good will. Some religious Jews, confused by Zionist propaganda quote Biblical verses that state that G-d gave the children of Israel the Holy Land. They overlook, unfortunately, those verses which say that He took it away due to our sins. They further ignore those prophecies which explicitly describe the last exile's conclusion as a Divine, not a human process. The Creator has commanded every Jew to follow the ways of peace and to be loyal to the country where he lives. Torah true Jewry waits patiently for the Messianic redemption. They have nothing to do with any kind of pseudo "Jewish State" and its aggressions against other peoples. They have a deep sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians who have suffered the most from Zionism's false teachings and barbaric actions. The Zionist state is not a Jewish state. The Zionists alone are the only ones responsible for their actions. Authentic Jewry has and will continue to oppose the very existence of this blasphemous state. May all mankind witness the true redemption. (Article)

The Tale of the Wall – by Jews United against Zionism

Orthodox Jews as new Evangelicals? – January 19, 2005

STAMFORD, CONN. (Jewish World Review) - Standing below a banner proclaiming "Keepers of a sacred trust" Rabbi Shmuel Bloom, executive vice president of the Orthodox grassroots umbrella group Agudath Israel of America, faced a crowd of nearly two thousand men, women and children of varying ages gathered here for the group's annual convention. He stood proudly and assured and declared, "We have an unprecedented opportunity today to have a true impact on the American political scene. Almost 70% of Orthodox Jews, compared to 23% Conservative, and 15% Reform Jews, cast their votes for President Bush." His organization, he added, has done a "wonderful job establishing and promoting a special relationship with the administration."

Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe and head of Agudath Israel, speaking from dais (partial view)

It was more than an applause line or mere triumphalism. To those in the audience — and others in 15 cities across North America connected via a webcast — it was a call to continuing arms. If they missed the rabbi's first reference, there was another: "The time has come for Agudath Israel to stand up and take its rightful place at the helm of the Jewish community. And to stand there proudly and without compromise as the bearer of the Torah's message, as the movement whose members care about all Jews throughout the world." The fervently-Orthodox and Chassidic communities are often portrayed as insular. If that stereotype has gradually begun to fray over the years, by now it's now outright torn. Imbued with a sense of purpose, but now also realizing they've become a power to be reckoned with, religious Jewish activists are beginning lay the groundwork to make sure their newly found status becomes permanent. No longer will they accept just being "tolerated" — particularly by the secular Jewish establishment.

Walking the halls of the Westin hotel here, one passed the usual luminaries — long bearded rabbis and their stylish but modestly dressed wives, noted authors, educators, and lecturers. But this year, there were other "stars": Grass-roots activists, previously unknown, appeared to be everywhere. There were yeshiva educators who organized the Jewish get-out-the-vote drive in battle grounds states of Florida and Ohio, the small businessman who spearheaded voter registration in Israel and other "machers" from across the fruited plane. The convention was for many of them the place to meet for a "l'chaim" after against-the-odds success. Indeed, at an unofficial and off-the-record meeting, a number of the activists gathered after midnight to exchange battle stories and business cards. As one assured me afterward, "This is just the beginning." But there's a long way from ambition to actuality, as became evident from one roundtable forum, "Culture Climate Control: Can We Affect the Moral Tenor of the World Around Us?" There activists debated a strategy of seeing their goal realized.

The first step, proposed Michael Landau, the chairman of West Side COJO, is to draw attention to the distinction between observant Jews and their more-secular co-religionists. "It is important to make sure the American majority knows we are part of that majority. That Orthodox Jews are not like the rest of the Jews and we are very much inline with the moral majority of America," he said. "We must begin to redefine ourselves internally within the Jewish community and make sure our voice is better heard." One model proposed was to emulate evangelicals. "We can be perceived, if we really make clear the things we profess to believe, as a faith community, not unlike that of the Christian faith community," argued Michael Fragin, an executive assistant to New York Gov. George Pataki. "We are here as the oldest faith community in the entire world, the oldest monotheistic religion in the world. We are the religion that gave birth to all others and gave birth to society. And somehow we are outside that debate." By "we" he meant Orthodox Jews.

On a personal level, Fragin said he feels "ashamed" when confronted by Christian co-workers wondering why the Jews are "always on the other side." You could hear the hurt in his voice. "[Secular] Jews time and time again have shown that they are interested in removing any vestiges of G-d and faith in many cases from the public debate and society," he said. Religious Jews, he asserted, must step forward and change that. Doing so will show their true essence.

Agudath Israel has, of course, long made coalitions with other religions over secular and sociological issues. But they've always remained non-partisan. Rabbi Avi Shafran, one of the group's leaders, said it would not be prudent for Orthodox Jews to be "constrained by consistency." There are times, he said, "when we should and must argue there should be a separation of church and state and there are times when we shouldn't. .. That may not always be a pretty thing to hear and say, but it's a reality. In the end what must concern us is the welfare of our children and what the Torah demands of us. It's as simple as that, though it's not a simple equation." (Article)

The Sale of the Jerusalem Post – Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) sells to CFR - January, 2005
Jerusalem Post was sold to Israeli/Canadian Companies. CanWest, owned by the Asper family, is one of the largest media companies in Canada, with newspapers, television stations and channels, publishing houses, and radio stations in Canada, Britain, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. I actually met the scion of CanWest, Izzy Asper. He was running for the premiership of a Canadian province and I was a young BA student. His sole issue was that a dam project would flood some Native Indians' land. He brought the tribe in full regalia to the university and I accused him of playing on our feelings and exploiting the Natives for his own purposes. I was roundly booed for doing so.

He has passed away but his son Leonard will be the new publisher of the Jerusalem Post. I have long proven that the Post is a mouthpiece for the Council On Foreign Relations because its previous owner, Conrad Black, CEO of the Hollinger Corp. was a prominent CFR member. Now, with gratitude to my correspondent Elisheva Rubin, I can report to you that the Post hasn't really been sold. It's still safely in the hands of the promulgators of the New World Order. We begin with the 2000 Bilderberg meeting. Look who are both invited participants: Izzy Asper and Conrad Black. Now look who is a director of Asper's CanWest Global Communications. Why it's Conrad Black of the CFR!! The Jerusalem Post sold itself to itself.

Conrad M. Black (by CDN) - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hollinger International Inc. in the United States, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Argus Corporation Limited and Hollinger Inc. in Canada and Chairman of Telegraph Group Limited in London. He became a member of the British House of Lords as Lord Black of Crossharbour in October, 2001. Hollinger International Inc. owns English-language newspapers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Israel. Included among the paid daily newspapers that the company owns are the Chicago Sun-Times (U.S.), The Daily Telegraph (U.K.) and The Jerusalem Post (Israel). In addition, the company owns a large number of non-daily periodicals, numerous magazines and other publications, including the Sunday Telegraph and Spectator, (U.K.). Hollinger is also a successful Internet publisher and investor. In addition, Lord Black is a director of Sotheby's Holdings, Inc., Brascan Corporation, The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, CanWest Global Communications and The Jerusalem Post Limited and serves on the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Meetings and is Chairman of the Editorial Board of the National Interest in Washington D.C. He is also a member of The Trilateral Commission, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Chairman's Council of the Americas Society, a trustee of the Malcolm Muggeridge Foundation, the Nixon Center and the Hudson Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a director of the Centre for Policy Studies in London, a member of the International Advisory Board of The Council on Foreign Relations in New York

Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism, and the Holocaust by Barry Chamish – December, 2004
Joel Skouson - World Affairs Brief - No update on Israel would be complete without a review of Barry’s unique series of exposes putting Israel’s treacherous leaders under the scrutiny of truth. I read everything Barry Chamish writes about Israel. I consider his works, even with their flaws, essential reading for any serious student of the inner workings of Israel. He is literally Israel’s lone voice in the wilderness, trying desperately to wake up a sleeping nation to the reality of their impending demise—by their own leaders. There are other valiant voices defending Israel from its enemies within, but none has the clarity of understanding that Barry has concerning the conspiratorial and globalist ties which control Israel’s leaders, whether on the right or the left.

Most defenders of the Jewish Torah-Zion position in Israel naively think their problems with leaders are the result of "rogue" elements of corruption that can be fixed by simply changing leaders. Little do they know that the corruption and betrayal is systemic, rather than exceptional. And, as in US politics, globalist controllers in Israel cultivate opposition leaders further to the right (i.e.: Netanyahu) of the current phony conservative leader (Sharon) so that when the people finally get fed up with betrayal they fall into the arms of another phony savior claiming to champion their cause, and so the cycle of deception continues.

Barry Chamish is loved and appreciated by thousands and hated by many more for having the audacity to challenge the official government version of events surrounding the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. That was the key event that changed Barry’s life and career. Not only was Rabin NOT shot by a right-wing fanatic settler, as the government claimed, but the blank-shooting patsy who was set up to be blamed for the assassination, Yigal Amir, turned out to be an agent for the Shabak (Israeli Secret Service) and part of a radical right wing outfit created by and run by other Shabak agents. In other words, Rabin was killed by dark side elements of his own government—just like JFK in the US. Chamish has discovered 90% of all the sordid details surrounding the assassination and subsequent cover-up, and sources keep coming forward to confirm more of the actual story. Chamish’s Who Murdered Yitzhak Rabin is a classic in the genre. His video analysis of the assassination film graphically proves his case as well.

One of the fascinating things to read in Barry’s subsequent books are the number of first hand witnesses that come forward to give him additional pieces of information missing in the original work—which served as an impetus to bring many reluctant witnesses out from the woodwork. We in America almost never have the benefits of so many insiders coming forward, so great is their fear of elimination and retribution from the powerful forces that control our country.

There are reasons why Israel’s fate is a little different. First, because of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel (though most Jews are irreligious and undeserving) the Lord keeps intervening, thwarting these conspirator’s designs through continual Palestinian terror. Second, dealing with conspiracy in the nation of Israel is like dealing with a city government the size of Houston, rather than a nation. When a nation has only a few million people and is tucked into a city the size of Houston, you run into people who see things and know things much more easily than you do in a huge country like the United States. Barry is always running into conspirators at public functions where he confronts them brazenly and records their reactions, ranging from outright disdain to livid bursts of anger. He tirelessly hauls his books around to conferences or meetings and dares people to read the truth. Many do, and now over half of Israel believes there was a conspiracy by government to kill Yitzak Rabin and blame it on radical settlers.

Barry’s other books, Traitors and Carpet Baggers in the Promised Land, and Save Israel continue to saga of collusion and conspiracy between those pretending to represent Israel’s Right (the Likud) and the radical Marxist Left (Labor Party). Chamish details the manner in which America’s elite leaders of the Council on Foreign Relations and other interlocking globalist conspirators suborn, train up, and control Israel’s leaders. He is the only Israeli investigative reporter other than Joel Bainerman (Author: Crimes of a President) who really understands this crucial issue.

Chamish’s latest book is Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism, and the Holocaust ($25 postpaid from Israel for WAB subscribers). Don’t be put off by the difficulty of the title. Like his other works, most of this book is a chronicle of his latest research uncovering the hidden hand of treachery behind the most recent political assassinations and murders in Israel. His analysis of the Ginosar scandal is a must read, showing who in Israel colluded with terrorists to set up Arafat’s secret bank accounts and why. Only the last two chapters deal with the historical conspiracies of Shabtai Tzvi and Labor Zionism.

As a caution to those unfamiliar with his works, you have to know how to read Chamish. He is brilliant, but also a little erratic, darting from one topic to another without refreshing the reader’s memory about who’s who, or explaining titles or acronyms that abound. Keep in mind, these books are all produced under the greatest personal strain by a man impassioned by a just cause but operating with no outside editor, little money, and harried by government attempts on his life and sanity. It’s best to get the whole set of Barry’s books and start from the beginning. If you come to a part you don’t understand, just keep reading; he’ll eventually repeat the information in another context, and after hearing certain key people show up numerous times, you’ll start to remember who the real dangerous people are. This is real live sleuthing, even if the prose is not as clear as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Be patient. The journey is worth the effort. For books and prices, go to Barry’s website, www.barrychamish.com. Send check or money order to Barry Chamish, Nahal Zohar 40/2, Modiin, 71700 Israel. Contact email is: chamish@netvision.net.il. Telephone from US: 011 972 8 9752937. (Article)

The Cry for Peace Resounds around the World

Tsunami Aid May Help Broker Sri Lankan Peace – December 30, 2004

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - The aftermath of a tsunami that destroyed vast swathes of Sri Lanka's coastline raised hopes on Thursday of a new era of peace between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government. Just weeks after the Tigers threatened to resume a two-decade war for self-rule, rebel political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan accepted a government offer of aid and vowed to work with officials to get supplies to survivors. "This new tragic situation has laid the foundation for both parties to come together and work toward closing the division between the two parties," he said after a meeting with aid workers and Norwegian peace envoys in the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.

"The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) is very happy and encouraged by the government's offer and this would help break the rift between the two parties," he said.

The conciliatory tone followed an unprecedented statement by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who on Wednesday sent condolences to the southern Sinhalese he has warred against for 20 years at a cost of over 64,000 lives. The tsunami that flooded Sri Lanka's famed, palm-fringed shores on Sunday has killed more than 24,000 people and counting. The Tigers say almost half of the dead come from their northern and eastern strongholds and thousands have been buried in mass graves. President Chandrika Kumaratunga has said relief would be given to all, irrespective of religion and politics. Thamilselvan said he had received a message from the government that aid would be not just for the short-term, but to rebuild the northeast.

Medatiors who met the Tigers were optimistic the tsunami would help bridge the political divide. "I believe if this joint effort and this spirit of harmony prevails at this stage, a lasting peace in Sri Lanka will be achieved," said United Nations country representative Miguel Bermeo. Tension between the Tigers and the government reached fever pitch last month, stoking fears of a slide back to a war. The rebels vowed to resume their bloody freedom struggle, on hold after a three-year cease-fire, unless the government agreed to discuss granting them autonomy soon. Killings and sporadic violence across the ethnic divide were becoming a daily routine but both sides appear to agree that coping with the tsunami aftermath should take precedence over their political battle. Efforts to forge lasting peace have been deadlocked since last year over the rebels' central demand for interim self-rule. The Tigers want the right to govern what they regard as their homeland of Tamil Eelam enshrined in the constitution before they will consider talking about a permanent end to their war. The government says the rebels must agree to lasting peace first. (Article)

Sudan peace deal hailed, refugees looking forward to going home – January 10, 2004

NAIROBI, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- No one could be more happy than the Sudanese people on Sunday as the government and southern rebels finally signed the comprehensive peace agreement, which ends the longest-running war in Africa and is hailed by regional and world leaders as a historic achievement.

Sudanese First Vice President Ali Osman Taha and John Garang, leader of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), inked the deal, which is expected to usher in peace and stability for conflict-ridden region of southern Sudan. A number of foreign dignitaries, regional leaders and Kenyan officials attended the ceremony, which was marked by singing, dancing, and ululating by excited Sudanese. Up to 10,000 people, many of whom are Sudanese refugees in Kenya, thronged the Nyayo National Stadium in Kenyan capital Nairobi, where the historic occasion took place. They cheered loudly and waved flags and banners to hail a new dawn for Sudan after decades of fighting.

In their speeches, both President Omar el Bashir and the SPLM/A chairman John Garang expressed their willingness to work in partnership in ensuring the successful implementation of the signed peace agreement. The two Sudanese leaders talked against discrimination on the basis of tribe, race or religion, saying true peace and democracy will thrive in Sudan if the people of Sudan come together as a united nation. "We are going to work together to ensure peace prevail in the country and hope that this agreement will be implemented," Bashir said. "This is a just and honorable peace agreement. ... This peace agreement will change Sudan forever and Sudan will not be the same again as the spirit of peace will engulf the country and usher in democratic development but not war," Garang said.

Speaking shortly after the signing process, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki noted that the signing ceremony marked the beginning of a new and brighter future for Sudan."It also signals a new era in Africa where conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue," Kibaki said, urging all Africans to embrace dialogue as the best approach in resolving conflicts in the continent. He said the resolution of the Sudan conflict should demonstrate the power of dialogue and expose the futility of war as an instrument in resolving conflicts.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who signed the protocols as one of the key witnesses, commended the regional leaders for facilitating the successful conclusion of the Sudan peace process. Pledging the US government's support to the reconstruction of post-conflict Sudan, Powell said the signing of the comprehensive Sudan peace accord has made Sudan an example of reconciliation in the world. Powell urged the reconciled parties to work together in ensuring that the agreement is used as a roadmap in ending the violence and atrocities in Darfur. "We urge all parties involved to cooperate fully with the African Union towards peace in Darfur. The US government will use all the necessary means to end the violence that has caused a lot of suffering to the people of Sudan," Powell said. Thousands of Sudanese, either just arrived in Kenya from Sudan or refugees living here, shouted and waved their national flags to celebrate the moment. "We are all very happy today, because the peace deal means no fighting and killing in southern Sudan," said Joseph Aleep, a Sudanese refugee in Kenya, adding that all of his friends in the refugee camps are willing to go back to Sudan if peace is guaranteed there.

Many of the Sudanese in the stadium kept singing or dancing to the traditional African music, and some of them holding the slogans, reading "Peace Agreement is Step Toward Progress," "Today, the Glorious Day for Africa," "We are brothers, and Sudan is our country," among others. On one of the slogans, it reads "We register our appreciation and joy for the birth of comprehensive peace agreement. We wish everybody safe return home." Actually, returning home is on nearly every Sudanese refugees' mind. "If there is peace, I'll go back." That's their common answer to the question about whether to return.

This peace pact covers all the eight peace deals signed previously, including earlier agreed protocols on how to share power and natural wealth, what to do with armed forces during a six-year interim period, how to administer three disputed areas, and the latest on permanent ceasefire and modalities of implementing peace deals. Many African heads of state came to witness the historic signing ceremony. Among the present are Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria. Others were the Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa, UN special representative for Sudan Jan Pronk, European Union representative Charles Goerens and Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar representing chairman of the African Union among others. The Sudanese civil war broke out in 1983 when the SPLM/A took up arms fighting for self-determination in the southern part of the country. It is estimated that two decades of conflict have claimed 2 million lives, primarily from war-induced famine and disease, and displaced over 4 million others. (Article)

Yushchenko claims Ukraine victory - 'We were independent for 14 years, today we became free' – December 27, 2004
Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has claimed victory in the re-run of the presidential election, as early Viktor Yushchenko claims victory in the presidential poll results indicate a clear lead.

With 80% of the votes counted, Mr Yushchenko is 14 points ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. He hailed a new era in Ukraine but the results could be challenged. The original vote, won by Mr Yanukovych last month, was annulled due to fraud. Sunday's re-run was monitored by 12,000 international observers.

Mr Yushchenko hailed the start of a "new political year"

At about 0000 GMT, Mr Yushchenko declared: "I want to say this is a victory of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian nation. We were independent for 14 years, today we became free. "Today, in Ukraine, a new political year has begun. This is the beginning of a new epoch, the beginning of a new great democracy."

Shortly afterwards he addressed tens of thousands of jubilant opposition supporters in Kiev's central Independence Square, thanking them for their support and urging them to remain in the square until he was officially declared as the winner. Yushchenko supporters, in their distinctive orange colours, celebrated the anticipated victory with a concert and a fireworks display.

Election Results: Yushchenko: 55.1%, Yanukovych: 41.1%, Turnout: 77.3%, Source: Ukraine Central Election Commission, with 80% of votes counted

As polls closed, Mr Yanukovych - who has not conceded defeat - vowed to lead "a strong opposition" if he lost, saying it would be "senseless" to negotiate with his rival. An aide, Nestor Shufrich, later told reporters it appeared likely the numbers would put Mr Yanukovych in second place. But he added: "We don't admit defeat. If the results of the vote are contested in certain precincts, the outcome of the election could be different."

The Ukrainian Committee of Voters, a voters' rights organisation, said in an initial statement it could see no grounds to talk about mass irregularities in Sunday's re-run. Many Ukrainians, going back to the polls for the third time in less than two months, said they wanted to put an end to the country's bitter political crisis . Public support for Mr Yanukovych - once seen as the favourite of the Ukrainian establishment and neighbouring Russia - has been strong in the industrialised east and the south of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will accept, and work with, whoever wins.

Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma suggested the loser should concede within two days. "Dear God, let this be the final vote. I'm sure it will be," he said. Mr Kuchma backed Mr Yanukovych in the earlier vote - but the prime minister had recently attacked the president, presenting himself as an anti-establishment candidate. Allegations of vote-rigging in the original ballot were just part of a campaign characterised by alleged dirty tricks.

Doctors recently confirmed that Mr Yushchenko, who developed a disfiguring skin condition in September, had been poisoned with dioxin. The opposition leader has suggested he was poisoned at a dinner with heads of the Ukrainian security service (SBU) - an allegation denied by the SBU. (Article)

How Top Spies in Ukraine Changed the Nation's Path – January 17, 2005

Kiev, Ukraine (New York Times) - As protests here against a rigged presidential election overwhelmed the capital last fall, an alarm sounded at Interior Ministry bases outside the city. It was just after 10 p.m. on Nov. 28. More than 10,000 troops scrambled toward trucks. Most had helmets, shields and clubs. Three thousand carried guns. Many wore black masks. Within 45 minutes, according to their commander, Lt. Gen. Sergei Popkov, they had distributed ammunition and tear gas and were rushing out the gates. Kiev was tilting toward a terrible clash, a Soviet-style crackdown that could have brought civil war. And then, inside Ukraine's clandestine security apparatus, strange events began to unfold.

While wet snow fell on the rally in Independence Square, an undercover colonel from the Security Service of Ukraine, or S.B.U., moved among the protesters' tents. He represented the successor agency to the K.G.B., but his mission, he said, was not against the protesters. It was to thwart the mobilizing troops. He warned opposition leaders that a crackdown was afoot. Simultaneously, senior intelligence officials were madly working their secure telephones, in one instance cooperating with an army general to persuade the Interior Ministry to turn back. The officials issued warnings, saying that using force against peaceful rallies was illegal and could lead to prosecution and that if ministry troops came to Kiev, the army and security services would defend civilians, said an opposition leader who witnessed some of the exchanges and Oleksander Galaka, head of the military's intelligence service, the G.U.R., who made some of the calls. Far behind the scenes, Col. Gen. Ihor P. Smeshko, the S.B.U. chief, was coordinating several of the contacts, according to Maj. Gen. Vitaly Romanchenko, leader of the military counterintelligence department, who said that on the spy chief's orders he warned General Popkov to stop. The Interior Ministry called off its alarm.

Details of these exchanges, never before reported, provide insight into a hidden factor in the so-called Orange Revolution, the peaceful protests that overturned an election and changed the political course of a post-Soviet state. Throughout the crisis an inside battle was waged by a clique of Ukraine's top intelligence officers, who chose not to follow the plan by President Leonid D. Kuchma's administration to pass power to Prime Minister Viktor F. Yanukovich, the president's chosen successor. Instead, these senior officers, known as the siloviki, worked against it. Such a position is a rare occurrence in former Soviet states, where the security agencies have often been the most conservative and ruthless instruments of state power.

Interviews with people involved in these events - opposition leaders, chairmen of three intelligence agencies and several of their senior officers, Mr. Kuchma, a senior Western diplomat, members of Parliament, the interior minister and commander of the ministry's troops - offer a view of the siloviki's work. The officers funneled information to Mr. Kuchma's rivals, provided security to opposition figures and demonstrations, sent choreographed public signals about their unwillingness to follow the administration's path and engaged in a psychological tug-of-war with state officials to soften responses against the protests. Ultimately, the intelligence agencies worked - usually in secret, sometimes in public, at times illegally - to block the fraudulent ascension of Mr. Yanukovich, whom several of the generals loathe. Directly and indirectly, their work supported Viktor A. Yushchenko, the Western-oriented candidate who is now the president-elect. Many factors that sustained the revolution that formed around Mr. Yushchenko are well known. They include Western support, the protesters' resolve, cash from wealthy Ukrainians, coaching by foreign activists who had helped topple presidents in Georgia and Serbia, the unexpected independence of the Supreme Court and cheerleading by a television station, Channel 5, which Mr. Kuchma never shut down. (Article)

Russians rush to rethink Ukraine - December 27, 2004

Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Yushchenko BBC News - It appears that Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has won a decisive victory over Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in the re-run of the country's presidential election.

It is widely accepted that the outcome of this election will help to shape the relationship between these two historically bonded nations, which continue to share economic, social and religious links. It will also help to determine Russian foreign policy over the coming years, particularly during the remaining time President Vladimir Putin has in office.

When Mr Putin came to power in 2000, he promised to restore Russia's influence in what he termed "the zones of traditional influence" - or the republics of the former Soviet Union. Ukraine has been a litmus test of Russia's capacity to influence events in the neighbouring countries. And it appears that capacity is limited after the defeat of Mr Yanukovych, the candidate Moscow directly backed with money, moral support, advertising and TV airtime.

Already, Russian commentators have rushed to set out what they see as the consequences for Russia, and for Russo-Ukrainian relations. Some are distancing themselves from the policy of backing Mr Yanukovych, and the public recognition of his 'victory' after a second round marred by allegations of widespread fraud. The hard-line, nationalist MP Dmitry Rogozin has promised that the top Kremlin spin-doctors, who helped to shape the Yanukovych campaign, will "pay" for their failures. Speaking live on Ukrainian television, Mr Rogozin said they were "guilty of creating the wrong image of Russia among Ukrainians". Their contribution consisted of portraying Mr Yushchenko as a Nazi, an anti-Semite, anti-Russian and pro-American.

Ultimately, the Kremlin spin-doctors may have reinforced anti-Western stereotypes already widespread and deeply embedded in Russian society. This is clearly reflected in the doom-laden predictions of the Russian left. One communist newspaper, Pravda, says the result means "the complete loss of our gas and oil export routes to the USA or the European Union". It also voices the fear that Mr Yushchenko's election means "Russia no longer exists as a world-class power". Pravda blames Washington for this.

Centrist commentators portray a very different situation. A writer for business publication Kommersant claims the outcome of Ukraine's political crisis means "the Orange Revolution virus will now spread to Russia". He writes: "It will not take long to dismantle the new Russian totalitarianism". Media sources close to the Kremlin have stayed away from an assessment of Ukrainian exit polls. Instead, they have concentrated on the happy atmosphere in Kiev, and the apparent absence (so far) of reports of mass violations.

Mr Yushchenko has said that, in the event of his election, Russia would be the first foreign country he visited. Ukraine's high level of dependence on Russia means u-turns in its policies towards its bigger, richer, northern neighbour are unlikely. But there are likely to be long-term consequences in Russia. Perhaps there will be a rejection of the policy of preserving influence at all costs, tied with a greater acceptance that the empire is no more. It would seem more likely, given recent events, that an increasingly angry tone in public statements about the wider world may emerge, particularly regarding the US and Europe. (Article)

Yushchenko's acne points to dioxin poisoning – December 11, 2004

Nature - As disputed presidential election results provoke protests in Kiev, a British toxicologist is supporting candidate Viktor Yushchenko's claim that he was poisoned earlier in the campaign.Yushchenko, the leader of the opposition, was hospitalized with a mystery illness in September and later claimed that he had been poisoned by the government. However, the Austrian doctors who treated him denied having found any evidence of this.

Viktor Yushcenko, Ukraine’s opposition leader, in Kiev on 19 November AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

John Henry, a clinical toxicologist at St Mary's Hospital, London, and a consultant for Britain's National Poisons Information Service, points out that current photos of Yushchenko's face show a dramatic transformation compared with a few months ago.He says that Yushchenko's disfiguring acne is almost certainly 'chloracne', a characteristic symptom of dioxin poisoning.

Dioxin danger

Dioxins are a group of chlorinated organic molecules. They are long-lived and form as a by-product of many industrial processes, such as waste incineration. Exposure to dioxins is known to increase the risk of cancer and can cause severe reproductive and developmental problems.

The most toxic dioxin is a compound called 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, or TCDD. In 1976, an industrial explosion in Seveso, Italy, released 20 kilograms of dioxins into the atmosphere, causing the highest known exposure of any population to TCDD. Skin lesions similar to burns appeared on some children a few hours after the accident. Two months later, chloracne broke out on the people most exposed to the cloud.

Yushchenko looks fit and healthy on 2 August 2004, before mystery illness – AP Photo/Anatoly Medzyk

Snap judgement

Marcello Lotti, an expert in occupational medicine at the University of Padua, Italy, questions the validity of Henry's conclusion. He argues that it is impossible to make such a diagnosis simply by looking at a photo. Lotti adds that he would be surprised if anyone were to select dioxin as a poison. "Dioxins have only modest toxicity and you would need an extremely high dose to get chloracne," he says. "Only kilos of contaminated food, administered over several days, would give you chloracne." Henry admits that he does not have any toxicological evidence to back up his claim. "My diagnosis is from the photo and from the medical report of him being normal two months earlier," he says."Very few medical conditions give this type of transformation in such a short time," he points out. Henry also argues that it would be possible to produce the effect seen in Yushchenko's face from a single high dose of dioxin hidden in food. (Article)

Sharon Predicts 'Breakthrough' in Ties With Palestinians – December 16, 2004

Herzliya, Israel (NYTimes) - Next year could bring a "historic breakthrough" in Israel's relations with the Palestinians, a buoyant Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel said today, insisting that his plan to pull out of Gaza had united the country, even if it had divided his own party. Mr. Sharon said that his government would implement his proposal to dismantle all the Israeli settlements in Gaza and four small ones in the West Bank on schedule, and that he wanted to coordinate it with a new, elected Palestinian leadership that turned its back on violence." In 2005 we have the opportunity for an historic breakthrough in relations between us and the Palestinians, a breakthrough for which we have waited many years," Mr. Sharon told delegates to the annual Herzliya conference on policy and strategy.

Israel also has the opportunity to "establish a new partnership with the international community in the struggle against terror and regional and global instability," he said. But to take advantage of those opportunities, Israel "must take the initiative," he said, adding: "This is the hour, this is the time. This is the national test." Leaving Gaza and fighting violence against Israeli civilians have united Israelis around the goals that matter, he said. "It is uniting us in distinguishing between goals that deserve to be fought for, since they are truly in our souls - such as Jerusalem, the large settlement blocks, the security zones and maintaining Israel's character as a Jewish state - rather than the goals where it is clear to all of us that they will not be realized, and that most of the public is not ready, justifiably, to sacrifice so much for." By the latter, Mr. Sharon meant the settlements in Gaza - and by implication, a significant but unstated percentage of the settlements in the West Bank.

He insisted that his understanding of Israel's "most essential interests" was shared with the United States and the Bush administration. He defined those issues as a refusal to return to 1967 borders, "allowing Israel to permanently keep large settlement blocs which have high Israeli populations and the total refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to return to Israel." In addition, he insisted that Israel had won the argument that there should be no movement toward recognizing a Palestinian state until the Palestinians "take genuine action against terror until it is eliminated, advance real reforms and stop teaching hatred toward Israel."

Mr. Sharon was speaking to a national audience on television, on a day when his efforts to expand his minority coalition stalled temporarily, with the religious Shas party refusing to join him and the Labor Party temporarily suspending negotiations in a bitter dispute about ministerial portfolios. But Mr. Sharon's mood was optimistic and self-confident, and he promised that concrete steps by a new Palestinian leadership would be met in kind by Israel. "Now there is a real chance that new Palestinian leaders will rise, those who will be elected, who will truly abandon the path of terror and instead will advance a strategy of reconciliation and negotiation," he said. Israel would try to help the Palestinians to be ready to take over Gaza next year, he said, as an important first step toward an eventual Palestinian state.

Mr. Sharon's aide, Ranaan Gissin, said that Israel was now supportive, for example, of a British proposal for a conference in London, probably in February, to help the Palestinians with security, economic and political improvements in preparation for running Gaza. Israel would not attend, Mr. Gissin said, given the Palestinian agenda, but would encourage Western donor nations to do what they can to help the Palestinians make a success of Gaza and see an economic incentive to stop violence. Mr. Gissin described Mr. Sharon's policy as "a breakthrough through a narrow valley," that could lead to increased cooperation and coordination with the Palestinians after elections that presumably would be won by the moderate Mahmoud Abbas. Mr. Abbas is going to need money in any event, in order for the Palestinian Authority to keep paying the salaries of the various competing security services while it tries to rein them in. Mr. Sharon, his aides say, is reluctant to get caught up in any larger international forum about peace until the Palestinians get their own house in order. While encouraged by the statements against violence from Mr. Abbas, Israeli officials also note that violence has not stopped and that Mr. Abbas will need time to reorganize Palestinian security forces, let alone confront radical Islamic groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Most importantly, one official said, Mr. Sharon does not want to be "trapped" into a discussion of a Palestinian state, leaping to stage two of the road map peace plan before Palestinians meet their commitments to stopping violence and incitement to violence, a requirement laid out in the first stage of the peace plan drafted by the United States, Europe, Russia and the United Nations. (Article)

Through Arms to Syria, Putin Challenges US Middle East Game Rules – January 12, 2005

DEBKAfile Exclusive Military Report - Disturbing reports were coming out of the Russian capital Wednesday, January 12, about Russian president Vladimir Putin’s plan to accede to Syria’s request for advanced weaponry during president Bashar Assad’s visit to Moscow on January 24. DEBKAfile’s US and Israeli security sources quickly contradicted reports that 18 Iskander-M or SS-X-26 surface-to-surface missiles were on the table. The items for sale, they revealed, are advanced SA-10 air defense systems of the type that protects Moscow and shoulder-held SA-18 anti-air missiles, whose transfer to the Hizballah and/or Iraqi guerrillas would move at least two sets of goal posts in the Middle East balance of strength. The SA-10 is an effective defense against Israeli warplanes and missiles, including cruise missiles. Its presence in Syria would therefore knock a serious hole in Israel’s deterrent ability against Assad and the Hizballah.

The Kremlin’s willingness to sell these items to Israel’s northern neighbor and backer of Iraqi insurgents is a rocket from the Putin to the White House in Washington, a declaration that he has had enough of sitting on the sidelines and watching US move the January 30 election pieces around the Iraq board and tilt the Palestinian ballot in favor of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as Yasser Arafat’s successor.

The Russian president’s exasperation boiled over when he saw Washington’s hand in the Ukraine presidential election stirring up the anti-Moscow Orange Revolution that brought opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko to office, and, again, in the sale of the Russian oil concern Yukos. The Russian leader felt he had been made the target of a well- orchestrated campaign for undermining him personally and politically.

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is also put on notice that Washington’s backing alone does not lend him the status of unilateral player for disengagement in the Palestinian arena. The Russian leader has another large bone to pick with Sharon. He has complained often on the basis of intelligence received that Israel provides a backstairs rendezvous venue for Jewish Russian oligarchs conspiring against him, among them Berizovsky who lives in London, and Khodorovsky, founder of the oil giant YUKOS who sits in a Moscow jail. Each of those moneyed plotters, he charges, maintains a representative in Israel to look after the transfer of his wealth to Israeli banks. More than once, the Russian president asked Sharon to put a stop to this activity. When the Israeli prime minister informed him that the Law of Return forbids prosecution or extradition unless laws are broken, Putin was disbelieving. He later sneered to his aides that he had not known that the Law of Return applied to members of the Russian Christian Orthodox Church, a veiled reference to the Russian oligarchs’ hired personnel who relocated with them to Israel.

The Kremlin’s decision to supply advanced SA-10 and SA-18 missiles to Syria constitutes a direct threat to Israel. But it is also a shot across Washington’s bows. DEBKAfile’s Russian and Israeli military experts described the SA-10 (“Grumble”) as an advanced surface-to-air missiles system capable of seriously limiting Israel’s aerial activity over Syria and Lebanon. It can engage more than one target and counter low and high-flying aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. “Grumble” can outperform the US Patriot anti-missile missile system supplied to Israel and counter the aircraft and most of the missiles in the Israel Air Force’s arsenal, to the detriment of its deterrent capabilities The SA-18 “Grouse” is a highly effective shoulder-held missile. If it reaches Iraqi guerrillas it will constitute a direct threat to US troops. In Hizballah hands, it would add to US troubles in Lebanon. Now that the cat is out of the bag, Putin and his top strategists can sit back and see how Washington and Jerusalem react. (Article)

The Fears of Chaos in the World

Warren Buffett Warns of Financial 'Chaos' – The Sage of Omaha has real worries about the U.S. dollar - December 28. 2004

It is no surprise that billionaire stock investor Warren Buffett continues to flee the U.S. dollar as he pours billions into foreign currencies.

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Last year Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett’s holding company, reported it had placed some $12 billion in foreign currencies. Now Forbes reports that Buffett continues to exit dollar investments, and Berkshire Hathaway holds some $20 billion in foreign currencies. Buffett has used foreign currencies as a hedge against his weakly performing U.S. portfolio. According to the New York Times, the firm reversed a second quarter loss and gained $412 million between July and September, after increasing its share of foreign currency contracts from $12 billion at the close of 2003 to $20 billion now. Buffett managed to do that by betting the dollar would decline, and it has.

In fact, it has recently hit record lows against the euro, and experts who spoke to the Times believe the decline will continue, possibly for years. "In 2002, we entered the foreign currency market for the first time in my life, and in 2003 we enlarged our position as I became increasingly bearish on the dollar," Buffett told investors in a letter in last year's annual report. He remains bearish on the dollar even now. Recently Buffett spoke with Forbes, who described him as full of “doom and gloom” for the dollar. For one thing Buffett fears the $10 trillion of the U.S. economy owned by foreigners. As they continue to exit the dollar, it could wreak havoc. “If lots of people try to leave the market, we’ll have chaos because they won’t get through the door,” Buffett told Forbes. Buffett believes that a the dollar fall off “could cause major disruptions in financial markets.” Today, Buffett continues his strong position in the euro, sterling and six other currencies.

The Federal Reserve has continued to increase interest rates – a conventional method of boosting the value of dollar. But Buffett is not sure this will work, and says the move simply will “put off the day of reckoning.” What worries Buffett is the huge deficits being run up by the federal government, adding to the huge existing debt load.

Buffett tells Forbes he may end up owning currencies “for years and years” - and worries U.S. politicians will fix the deficit problem using inflation. "The dollar is in a decline that will continue for years to come," Jim Rogers, co-founder of the Quantum fund with Soros in 1969. "Somebody's making a whole lot of money, if not the hedge funds." In the long run, the dollar's decline will definitely hamper U.S. economic growth. The Christian Science Monitor adds that a continued slide in value could cause a run on the dollar, which could affect "everything from mortgages to prices at Wal-Mart." But there is an upside as well. The dollar's decline makes U.S. goods less expensive and easier for them to be sold overseas. Also, it could be a boon for other industries, such as tourism, as foreign residents find exchange rates cheaper. (Article)

Analysis: Blair's new rules – December 22, 2004

Jerusalem (JPost) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair opened a press conference in Jerusalem Wednesday dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by sending condolences to the families of US soldiers killed in the attack on the US mess tent near Mosul. Blair was in Iraq Tuesday, the day of the gruesome attack. His condolences, and the grave manner in which he delivered them, had a very real and genuine ring to them. Blair's brief trip to Iraq left its impact.

Just how great an impact was apparent well beyond Blair's condolences. It was apparent in his unequivocal words about fighting terrorism and creating democracy, and in his comments about the diplomatic process here. Ever since before the US elections, when Blair said that he would make the Mideast peace process his number one priority and prod the US Administration into doing the same, there has been concern in Jerusalem that the politically beleaguered British prime minister would try to pay for his own domestic woes in Israeli currency. If the British public was fed up with Blair because of his deep involvement with the US in Iraq, according to this line of reasoning he would try to win them back by delivering some kind of success in the Middle East. And how better to ensure success in the Mideast than to turn up the heat on Israel.

This was one of the reasons for Israel's initial skepticism about Blair's initiative to host an international "meeting" on the Middle East early next year: concern that it was a vehicle for Blair to score points domestically. Israel's eventual embrace of the conference, even though it will not attend, was the result of assurances that the meeting will not deal with the peace process, but only with Palestinian reform, and also assurances that Blair – during his visit to Israel – would speak out forcefully against terror. Blair lived up to his side of the bargain. Standing next to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Wednesday, Blair didn't seem at all like a man interested in turning up the heat on his host. On the contrary, he seemed a man very much under the influence of what his own troops, and those of his close allies, are facing in Iraq. And he drew unstated analogies. "There is not going to be successful negotiations or peace without an end to terrorism," Blair said. "The world has changed in these past few years." One thing that has changed is that the world as a whole is now bedeviled by the terrorist scourge. "All of us now in the world today are fighting terrorism," Blair said. "In different ways, we're fighting in Britain with radical groups who want to cause terrorist acts in our country. We're fighting in Iraq now, where the people in Iraq want democracy and the terrorists are trying to stop them."

Blair, while in Iraq, framed the current fight there as "very clearly a battle between democracy and terror." It's obvious that you can't say that in Baghdad one day, and say something completely different in Jerusalem the next. Blair, to his credit, was consistent in his message: Iraq's new rules need to apply here as well. The new rules also apply in respect to the viability of the Palestinian state. Blair charted new ground for a European leader by intimating that a Palestinian state is not an end in and of itself, and that its viability goes beyond the usual catch-phrases of territorial contiguity and economic independence. "This idea about viability for any Palestinian state encompasses ideas of democracy, economic transparency and an end to the security problems that have beset this process," Blair said. In other words, the question is not only about a Palestinian state, but about the type of Palestinian state to emerge.

The changes Iraq wrought on Blair were also evident in the way he sidestepped a question about whether Israel was missing a historic opportunity by shrugging aside recent overtures from Damascus. "I think on the issue of Syria, that is really for Israel to take its decision and see if it's possible to move forward on that track," Blair said. No word about reaching for outstretched hands, for seizing an opportunity, for giving Bashar Assad a chance. Keep in mind that this cool response came from Blair, who two years ago angered Israel by rolling out a red-carpet welcome for Assad in London. In the interval, or course, Iraq has intervened and – as Blair and Sharon discussed in their meeting Wednesday – Syria is doing little to prevent terrorists from crossing their border into Iraq, where they are attacking both US and British troops. Or, as Blair himself so aptly put it, "The world has changed in these past few years" – something very evident in the tenor of his remarks. (Article)

German researchers move forward on plastic RFID chip - Pioneering technique for printing circuits directly onto foils – January 13, 2005

(IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Researchers in Germany have come one step closer to realizing a dream of manufacturers, retailers and other companies seeking advanced but nexpensive ways to trace products and materials: a cheap chip made of plastic that can be printed on foil the same way a newspaper is printed on paper. Although PolyIC GmbH, a joint venture between Siemens AG and Kurz GmbH KG, isn't claiming to have developed the first integrated circuit made of polymer, it is taking credit for having created the world's fastest plastic chip to date -- at 600 KHz -- and having pioneered a technique to print circuits directly onto foils.

"We're still at the beginning of using polymer, an organic material, to mass-produce inexpensive chips that could be used, for instance, as RFID tags, but we're moving steadily ahead," said Wolfgang Mildner, managing director of PolyIC in Erlangen, Germany. Using its technology, PolyIC plans to next year begin production of a plastic 4-bit chip that could be used for applications such as forgery-proof labeling, according to Mildner. The next step will be a 32-bit chip aimed at applications in the logistics sector.

By 2008, PolyIC hopes to have a chip with a storage capacity of 128 bits and a processing speed of 13.56 MHz to comply with radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, according to Mildner. Today's bar code labels, which many companies hope to replace with RFID tags, have a typical storage capacity of 44 bits. The prototype plastic chips of PolyIC contain at least four layers placed on a foil substrate made of a special type of polyester. The electrodes consist of conductive polymers. Above them is a semiconductive layer made from poly-3 alkylthiophene, followed by an insulating polymer layer and a counter-electrode. Mildner referred to the process as "a chip evolving on foil and becoming one."

The plastic chips are only a few square centimeters in area and have a thickness of 1 micrometer, while the electrodes and the semiconductor layer account for only a few hundred nanometers of the total. In the lab printing process, researchers use stamps to print the conductors. Then they coat the foil with the semiconductor and insulator using a type of squeegee technology that is common in the textile-printing industry.

PolyIC's goal is to produce RFID chips that cost 1.3 cents, said Norbert Aschenbrenner, a spokesman in the Siemens research and development division. Prices for silicon-based RFID chips range from 39 cents to 66 cents. PolyIC was launched after Siemens decided to spin off its plastic chip research activities into the new joint venture with Kurz, which specializes in production of stamping foils, according to Aschenbrenner. Albrecht von Truchsess, a spokesman for Metro AG, which is at the forefront of deploying RFID technology in the European retail sector, called the PolyIC development "super." Metro welcomes all technology advances that will help make the price of RFID chips become "a nonissue," von Truchsess said.

In an interview in the German weekly business magazine WirtschaftsWoche, Zygmunt Mierdorf, a Metro board member, said he expects to have the retail group's entire operations -- from the producer and shipper to the warehouse and checkout counter -- equipped with RFID technology within the next 15 years. Since November, 22 suppliers have been delivering products on pallets marked with RFID tags, according to von Truchsess. The goal is to have around 100 suppliers using RFID by the end of this year. Currently, around 20 of Metro's 1,800 stores and distribution centers in Germany are using RFID, according to von Truchsess. The goal is 250 by year's end, he said. Metro, based in Dusseldorf, Germany, has more than 2,500 retail stores and distribution stores worldwide. (Article)

Do we need a national ID card? – December 22, 2004

Washington Times - Are you in favor of a national identity card? Even though many Americans are against the idea of a national identity card, it is coming. In fact, in many ways, it is already here. Every American citizen and every foreign worker in America is required to have a Social Security card. Your Social Security card is only supposed to be used to gain employment and receive Society Security benefits, but try applying for credit without giving your Social Security number -- and most often you will be turned down. You cannot board an airliner or certain trains, cash a check, go to a hospital, obtain a hotel room or even enter some office buildings without showing a photo ID. You cannot travel to foreign countries without a passport. Yes, we have no national ID card but, instead, we are required to have many ID cards just to engage in the normal activities of life.

We are torn on the issue of a national ID because we do not want big brother government to monitor us (we all know the potential horrors from the Gestapo and sci-fi movies). On the other hand, we understand the legitimate needs of many purveyors of public and private services to know who we are. We also worry about the theft of our identity. We want to be able to provide our medical history to those who need it to help us in a medical emergency, but we don't want those who might abuse or embarrass us with that knowledge to have the information.

In the current world, we are required to know and give more passwords than most of us can remember to access our bank and credit card accounts, frequent flyer accounts, e-mail and Internet providers, and other information service accounts. If the question posed at the beginning of this commentary was: "Would you be in favor of a card that could prove your ID while at the same time protect you from giving information about yourself (including medical and financial information) that you do not wish to provide?" I am sure that more people would give a yes response.

The fact is we do not need nor should we have a government issued national ID card. What we need is for the government to specify for what purposes and when it positively must know our identity, and what constitutes acceptable proof. Private organizations, such as airlines, banks and merchants already do the same thing. Then the private sector will develop the most user-privacy-friendly and cost-effective devices. Tiny computer chips containing all of the necessary biometric information coupled with nearly unbreakable encryption have already been developed. Consumers will be able to choose what information they wish to have stored in such devices, and who is allowed to have access to what. The chips can be placed in "smart cards," cell phones and PDAs, or even implanted in the body.

In my ideal world, the government would know with certainty who has voted (but not their vote), who is coming into the country, to whom it is making payments and from whom it is receiving taxes. I would like to be able to prove my identity to government agencies, airlines, banks, etc., and have access to all my password accounts and computers, and deliver such additional information about myself to those I choose to (such as my medical history to a hospital in case of an emergency), while protecting all my information from those with whom I choose not to share it.

In addition, I do not want to have to carry more than one device with me (such as a card or PDA), nor do I want to have to remember any passwords. Fortunately, the current technology will indeed allow all of the above (my thumbprint could give me access to my PDA with all of the passwords, etc.). The Government Passport Agency is in the process of developing new passports to prevent counterfeiting and to give more secure ID. In reality, it is not necessary for us to have passports. What is necessary is for the government to know whether or not I am a U.S. citizen when I am entering the country, and whether or not I should be detained because of some criminal act. If I provide the government with a high quality ID, including proof of citizenship, they should instantaneously be able to determine if I am on a wanted list (including my foreign travel history). The idea of having passports stamped is not only obsolete and useless, but just plain silly. (Obviously, foreign governments would also have to agree to do away with the existing passport system, to get the full advantages of the new private ID systems.) Again, we do not need a government issued ID. Those who require information about us (including government agencies) should merely specify what information they need and what forms are acceptable. Private companies can then compete to give us the most secure, cost-effective, user-friendly personal information and protection ID devices and systems. (Article)

Globalism continues its Progressive Order

Charles plans his modern coronation – December 26, 2004

The Times on Line - The royal family has started making preparations for the Prince of Wales to become king by secretly devising sweeping changes to modernise the coronation and other ceremonies marking his accession. Under the review, courtiers are considering pruning “Ruritanian” elements of the coronation ceremonial and creating a new role for leaders of non-Christian religions in the service.

“A lot has happened since the (Queen’s) coronation in 1953. There will be a large number of differences. I don’t mind the word modernising,” said the Duke of Norfolk, who as earl marshal will organise Charles’s coronation. Although he emphasised that at 78 the Queen remains in robust good health, the duke said: “I have been secretly planning and secretly thinking and secretly consulting and secretly liaising.” He has already completed a revised plan for her funeral. The duke will discuss the plans in the new year with Prince Charles’s office, which is conducting a parallel review of the accession ceremonies. These are held immediately after the death of a monarch.

The Queen’s willingness to permit the review will give scope to Charles, 56, to assert himself after a miserable year. In recent months his aides’ efforts to polish his image have been hampered by bad publicity at an industrial tribunal and by his refusal to attend a society wedding with other members of the royal family because he could not be seated with Camilla Parker Bowles, his companion. There was further positive news for him this weekend as a senior figure in the Church of England raised the possibility of a resolution to his marital status by proposing a register office wedding. David Stancliffe, Bishop of Salisbury, said: “If the Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles expressed a wish to marry, the proper pastoral approach should be to advise them to seek a civil ceremony which may be followed by prayers of dedication in church.” This suggestion, which he said was supported by the majority of the episcopate, marks a significant development from the position taken a year ago by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Williams indicated that the couple might not meet the criteria for a remarriage in church.

According to Stancliffe, the church’s expert on liturgy, the dedication ceremony would be appropriate for a future supreme governor of the Church of England. “That can be a solemn and splendid affirmation of their new marriage.”

An act of parliament would be required because at present there is no provision for the royal family to marry in a register office. Although the earl marshal said detailed plans for Charles’s coronation would remain flexible, in order to “judge the (public) mood correctly”, he disclosed that Charles will not have to wait as long as his mother did to be crowned after her death. The Queen waited 16 months from the death of her father, George VI, in February 1952, until her coronation in 1953. “It will all happen much quicker,” the earl marshal said. “I don’t envisage anything like that gap again.”

On the death of the Queen, a new monarch will be proclaimed as soon as possible at an accession council to be held at St James’s Palace to which all members of the privy council will be summoned. Its meeting will be televised for the first time and the new king may also make a broadcast. Under existing rules, parliament is suspended on the death of the monarch, but it meets again to enable MPs to take an oath to the new sovereign. The traditional pageantry accompanying public proclamations of a new monarch in Windsor, York and the City of London is likely to be pruned, however. In the capital, the city marshal traditionally makes a show of challenging a carriage procession led by the Household Cavalry. To the sound of marching trumpeters, and the reverberation of gun salutes from Hyde Park and the Tower of London, the common cryer and the serjeant at arms of the City read the proclamation.

This weekend, spokesmen for Buckingham Palace and Clarence House confirmed the review of the accession arrangements, which they described as “contingency planning”. Neither was able to say when the plans had last been reviewed. (Article)

Outrage at Nazi Harry – January 13, 2005
London – Evening Standard (This is London) - Prince Harry should not be allowed to join the Army after being pictured dressed up as a Nazi soldier, a leading politician said today. Former Armed Forces minister Doug Henderson said that the 20-year-old prince was "no longer suitable" for officer training at Sandhurst after being photographed wearing an Afrika Korps uniform, complete with swastika, at a friend's party. The prince is due to begin his training at the academy later this year but today Mr Henderson said Harry should withdraw. He added: "After the revelations I don't think this young man is suitable for Sandhurst. If it was anyone else the application wouldn't be considered. It should be withdrawn immediately." He added: "A quick way of nipping it in the bud is for Harry to make it clear he has withdrawn his application for Sandhurst."

Sun Tabloid with Prince Harry in Nazi Outfit

His view was echoed by Labour MP Ian Davidson who said: "You would have expected that someone who aspired to join the British Army would have considered what they were doing. "He might have ended the evening drunk but presumably he was sober when he dressed up. Surely there was someone about who could have advised him not to be such a fool." Harry's astonishing gaffe came at the 22nd birthday party of his close friend Harry Meade at his parents' Wiltshire home, which was attended by 250 people. Harry Meade's father Richard is an Olympic gold medal-winning horseman. The theme of the party was "native and colonial". Prince William wore a black leotard with a a long leopard-skin tail. Witnesses said Harry was "the life and soul of the party" and had a brunette on his lap for much of the time.

He was pictured in today's Sun with a cigarette and drink in hand. Today Clarence House moved to defuse the row by issuing a formal apology by the Prince. He said: "I am very sorry if I have caused any offence. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise." The row, however, showed no signs of abating. Lord Janner, a former Labour MP and one-time president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "I think it was totally wrong and totally inappropriate ... I understand [Harry] has apologised and so he should. "To dress as a Nazi was just youthful stupidity. I think he should be disciplined. He should understand what he has done and why it is so offensive."

Jeff Barak, deputy editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said his reaction to the photograph was one of "shock and revulsion". Andy Pike from Unite Against Fascism added: "One would be very surprised if [Harry] were not aware of the significance of wearing the swastika and the amount of offence that would cause. "We believe it will offend the whole of the Jewish community and many others. It is extremely disrespectful to the millions of people that fought against fascism." Mr Pike called for the prince, who is third in line to the throne, to go further than apologising. He said: "We would like to see Harry distance himself from Nazi ideas of white supremacy, anti-semitism and racism because he is a very influential figure. We think just an apology won't do."

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, a spokesman for the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain, said: "The fact that the palace has issued an apology indicates that this was a mistake by the prince. But having being given, the apology should now be accepted." A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews echoed the words of Dr Romain, saying: "The board is pleased that he's apologised for the incident. It was clearly in bad taste." Former Buckingham Palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter said Prince Charles should take some of the blame. Asked if there were any checks on Harry's private life, he said: "It would appear that there aren't, because if there were checks he wouldn't be allowed to go on like that. There is a lack of discipline, there is a lack of control. The Prince of Wales, he's a humanitarian and he does some terrific work, but I don't think he has the discipline and the right discipline over his children, particularly Prince Harry."

Prince William gives familiar Satanic Signal

Harry's actions will have embarrassed the Queen, who is due to commemorate the Holocaust and 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by inviting survivors of the Nazi death camps and British veterans who liberated them to a reception at St James's Palace. With Prince Philip, she will also attend the Holocaust Memorial Day national commemoration at Westminster Hall on 27 January. The gaffe is not Harry's first. At a society wedding he was reported to have said about his new girlfriend Chelsy Davy: "She's not black or anything, you know." His recent trip to Argentina was marred by reports that his partying had caused a security scare, which was strongly denied by Clarence House. (Article)

Touchy subject of royal links with Nazi Germany – January 13, 2005
London (This London) - Linked by blood but twice divided by war, the royal family's relationship with Germany, its people and its troubled history has long been a sensitive one. The photograph of Prince Harry wearing a swastika has echoes of one particularly disturbing incident involving the family, one which seared itself into the British collective memory - that of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor meeting Adolf Hitler in 1937.

The ex-King Edward VIII and his wife were known sympathisers of the Nazis and their policies, a feeling shared by a large number of British aristocrats who admired the way Hitler was dealing with the Communists. The Nazis regarded the duke, who had abdicated over his affair with divorced American Wallis Simpson, as a potential ally and a possible head of state for a subjugated Britain. But his flirting with Hitler's regime threatened to undermine years of work by the royal family to distance themselves from their German roots.

The modern royal family was founded in 1840 when Queen Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg, a Germany duchy, creating The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Such was the ill-feeling towards all things German during the First World War that in 1917 Victoria's grandson King George V - an honorary Field Marshal in the German army - thought it prudent to renounce the German name and titles and adopt that of Windsor. It was a masterful PR exercise, replacing the Teutonic surname with that of a quintessentially home counties town.

His son Edward VIII once declared: "There is not one drop of blood in my veins that is not German." Both he and George VI were bilingual in German and English.

Throughout the Twenties and Thirties, the royals were steadfastly opposed to conflict with their ancestral fatherland. Indeed George V's wife Queen Mary always maintained that Britain had "backed the wrong horse" in 1914. His son's meeting with Hitler threatened irrevocably to undermine the royal family's support among their subjects.

It took the Queen Mother's steadfastness in the face of German bombs and her visit to the East End during the Blitz to restore public faith in the family. The Windsors' links with Germany remained a touchy subject however. There was embarrassment in the Eighties when Princess Michael of Kent's father, Baron Gunther von Reibnitz, was exposed as a former Nazi party member and SS officer. Less well known is the fact that one of Prince Philip's sisters, Sophie, was married to Christopher of Hesse-Cassel, an SS colonel who named his eldest son Karl Adolf in Hitler's honour. Indeed, all four of Philip's sisters married high-ranking Germans. The prospect of the former Nazis and Nazi sympathisers attending his wedding to the Queen meant he was allowed to invite only two guests. (Article)

Origins of the swastika – January 18, 2005

Nazi swastika The EU has been urged to ban the swastika because of its Nazi associations with hate and racism. But the symbol was around long before Adolf Hitler. The swastika is a cross with its arms bent at right angles to either the right or left. In geometric terms, it is known as an irregular icosagon or 20-sided polygon. The word is derived from the Sanskrit "svastika" and means "good to be". In Indo-European culture it was a mark made on people or objects to give them good luck.

The Nazis hijacked the symbol from its Hindu origins

It has been around for thousands of years, particularly as a Hindu symbol in the holy texts, to mean luck, Brahma or samsara (rebirth). It can be clockwise or anti-clockwise and the way it points in all four directions suggests stability. Sometimes it features a dot between each arm. Nowadays it is commonly seen in Indian artwork and current and ancient Hindu architecture, and in the ruins of the ancient city of Troy. It has also been used in Buddhism and Jainism, plus other Asian, European and Native American cultures.

The British author Rudyard Kipling, who was strongly influenced by Indian culture, had a swastika on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate. It was also a symbol used by the scouts in Britain, although it was taken off Robert Baden-Powell's 1922 Medal of Merit after complaints in the 1930s. The Finnish Air Force also used it as its official symbol in World War II, and it still appears on medals, but it had no connection with the Nazi use. It is rarely seen on its own in Western architecture, but a design of interlocking swastikas is part of the design of the floor of the cathedral of Amiens, France.

Nazi's hooked cross

Swastika is also a small mining town in northern Ontario, Canada, about 580 kilometres north of Toronto. Attempts by the government of Newspapers on Harry Ontario to change the town's name during World War II were rejected by residents. But it is its association with the National Socialist German Workers Party in the 1930s which is etched on the minds of Western society. Before Hitler, it was used in about 1870 by the Austrian Pan-German followers of Schoenerer, an Austrian anti-Semitic politician.

Prince Harry's Nazi fancy dress uniform sparked anger

Its Nazi use was linked to the belief in the Aryan cultural descent of the German people. They considered the early Aryans of India to be the prototypical white invaders and hijacked the sign as a symbol of the Aryan master race. The Nazi party formally adopted the swastika - what they called the Hakenkreuz, the hooked cross - in 1920. This was used on the party's flag (above), badge, and armband.

In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler wrote: "I myself, meanwhile, after innumerable attempts, had laid down a final form; a flag with a red background, a white disk, and a black swastika in the middle. After long trials I also found a definite proportion between the size of the flag and the size of the white disk, as well as the shape and thickness of the swastika." (Article)

Hindus want to 'reclaim' swastika – January 19, 2005

Hindus in the UK are starting a campaign to reclaim the swastika from its Nazi associations.

BBC News - German MEPs called for a Europe-wide ban of the symbol after Prince Harry wore it on a fancy dress costume. But Hindu Forum spokesman Ramesh Kallidai said the swastika had been a Hindu good luck charm for centuries. The group will stage public awareness workshops across the UK and lobby politicians in an attempt to educate the public and prevent a ban, he said. "It's the second most sacred symbol in the Hindu tradition which has been used for 5,000 years to ward off evil," Mr Kallidai said. The forum would make a particular effort to get the message across to Jewish groups, he added. "After all it is the Jewish anguish that needs to be considered. They were the community that was most affected by the misuse of the swastika so naturally they would have concerns. "Hindus use the swastika merely as a religious sacrament, to express their devotion to God, surely nobody can have any objections to that," he said.

The swastika is the second-most sacred Hindu symbol

'Mirror image'

Displaying the swastika is illegal in Germany. However, Mr Kallidai said a similar ban in the UK would have an adverse affect on Hindus who regarded a swastika in much the same way as a Christian viewed a cross. "You find it in houses, temples and in portraits of Hindu gods. A swastika is even painted on the head of a baby who's just had his first hair-cutting sacrament," he said. The Hindu swastika faces to the right, unlike the one adopted by the Nazis which faces to the left. It is also traditionally red, a colour regarded as auspicious by Hindus. "Just because at a particular moment in history one section of society used it, or a mirror image, to unleash xenophobic ideology does not mean Hindus should be punished," Mr Kallidai said. "It's like saying the Ku Klux Klan burn crosses so therefore let's ban the use of crosses worldwide."

'Positive symbol'

The Hindu Forum's campaign has gained backing from other groups. Maganbhai Patel of Leicester's Hindu Association said the general public's confusion needed to be Buddhist temple addressed. "Hindus have been using the swastika for centuries, whereas it was only adopted by Hitler comparatively recently, in the 1920s and 1930s. "We use it for marriage ceremonies and also for other religious ceremonies and events," Mr Patel said.

Buddhists also view the swastika as a good luck charm

And Kapil Dudakia, of Milton Keynes Hindu Association, said the swastika was viewed "positively" by billions of people around the world including followers of the Buddhist and Jain faiths. "When I got married, literally as soon as you entered the hall where the marriage took place you saw swastikas everywhere. They were also on the invitation cards," he said. "It's only in certain quarters of the western world where you've got these very negative connotations. "What we've got to do is separate the evil of Hitler and his ideology from the symbol of the swastika which actually means something quite different," Mr Dudakia said. (Article)

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