Rahul blames media for Dalit tag to his village visits.9/11 plotters have escaped to Pakistan: US,Pak sees India as greatest threat: US general
Troubled Galaxy Desrtoyed Dreams, Chapter 396
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered the biggest but never-before-seen ring around the planet Saturn.As US President Barack Obama has ruled out cutting the number of troops deployed in Afghanistan or turning the war into a counter-terror campaign.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Tuesday that the ring lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system, and its orbit is tilted 27 degrees from the planet's main ring plane.
In comments to congressmen during a meeting on America's Afghan strategy late on Tuesday night, Mr Obama did not signal whether he is prepared to send more troops to the war zone, either the 40,000 his top commander wants or a smaller build up.
But he made clear he does not favour restricting the campaign to air strikes and counter-terrorism efforts.
The ring is made of a tenuous array of ice and dust particles.
Leaders from both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate held a 90-minute discussion with Mr Obama, with Republicans pushing his to follow the advice of his military commanders and Democrats saying he should not be rushed.
His top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has warned that more troops are needed to right the war, perhaps up to 40,000 more. Mr Obama already has added 21,000 US troops this year, raising the total to 68,000.
Mr Obama also gave no timetable for a decision, which prompted at least one pointed exchange. Senator John McCain told Mr Obama that he should not move at a "leisurely pace".
That comment later drew a sharp response from Mr Obama, who said no one felt more urgency than he did about the war, and there would not be nothing leisurely about it.
Mr Obama may be considering a more modest buildup of troops, closer to 10,000 than 40,000, according to Republican and Democratic congressional aides. But White House aides said no such decision has been made.
The president insisted that he will decide on troops after settling on the strategy ahead. He told lawmakers he will be deliberate and also show urgency.
Mr Obama is examining how to move ahead with a worsening war that has claimed nearly 800 US lives and sapped American patience at home. The war was launched after the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001, to remove Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and rid al-Qaeda of a home base from which to launch attacks.
Mr Obama said before the meeting that al-Qaeda had "lost operational capacity" as a result of the drone strikes that have targeted its leaders in Pakistan.
Natro meanwhile said on Tuesday it will step up efforts to train local Afghan forces in the coming weeks.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian leadership made a mistake by suspending action on a U.N. report on Gaza war crimes, a member of President Mahmoud Abbas' inner circle said Wednesday — the first such acknowledgment after days of protests in the West Bank and Gaza.
At issue is a 575-page U.N. report that alleged both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes during Israel's three-week offensive against the Islamic militants in Gaza last winter.
Last week, Abbas withdrew Palestinian support for a vote in the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council to have the report sent to the U.N. General Assembly for possible action. Such a vote would have been a first of many steps toward possible war crimes tribunals.
With the Palestinians out of the picture, the council set the report aside for six months.
Abbas made the decision under heavy U.S. pressure, Palestinian and Israeli officials have said. U.S. officials told Palestinian leaders that a war crimes debate would complicate efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, according to participants in such meetings.
Abbas' aides have defended the step, saying the Palestinians needed more time to win international support for the U.N. report. They said deferring action did not mean burying the report.
But Abbas apparently underestimated the angry response at home. With every day, there were more protests, marches and statements of condemnations, not only from his Hamas rivals, but also from human rights groups and intellectuals.
On Wednesday, senior Abbas adviser Yasser Abed Rabbo told the Voice of Palestine radio that the Palestinian leadership had erred.
"What happened is a mistake, but (it) can be repaired," said Abed Rabbo, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization. "We have the courage to admit there was a mistake."
In Gaza, public outrage at Abbas reached a new level on Wednesday, when hundreds of posters criticizing the Palestinian president appeared in public areas around Gaza City. Abbas and Hamas have been bitter rivals since the Islamic group violently seized control of Gaza from pro-Abbas forces in June 2007.
The text on one poster under an Abbas photo read: "To the dumps of history, you traitor, Mahmoud Abbas." Another had a big, black X over Abbas' face.
A crew dressed in civilian clothes was seen putting up the posters Wednesday morning, though it was not immediately clear who headed the campaign. The posters were signed "Intellectuals and university professors."
In an apparent attempt at damage control, Abbas' government is now backing a request by Libya to convene the U.N. Security Council for an emergency session on the report, written by South African Judge Richard Goldstone. Council members were to meet Wednesday to discuss the request.
Libya is the only Arab member on the 15-nation council, the U.N.'s most powerful body.
Whether the Libyans and Palestinians succeed remains to be seen.
The United States, Israel's closest ally, is expected to argue that the Security Council should not take up the document until the Human Rights Council considers it. The U.S., along with four other permanent members of the Security Council, can veto any resolution before the Council. Israeli officials declined comment on the council meeting.
The Goldstone report accused Israel of using disproportionate force and deliberately harmed civilians. It said Hamas fired rockets indiscriminately at civilians in southern Israel.
Both Israel and Hamas have denied the allegations.
In a new and sinister move, the Pakistan military establishment is trying to push surrendered Taliban fighters into India across the Line of Control.
According to intelligence reports, at least 60 Taliban militants are waiting in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to cross over to India. They are among 350 militants housed in camps in POK.
Wednesday's encounter in Kashmir is an indication of this infiltration bid. Three top militants were among the five ultras killed in three separate encounters with security forces in Kashmir Valley on Wednesday.
Sources say that Pakistan's ISI has given the surrendered Taliban fighters two options: Jail or go to India and continue a jihad.
Following intelligence inputs, extra vigil has been mounted on the International border and Line of Control. Sources say that the next 15 days are key for India to prevent the militants from entering the country.
The move by the ISI is seen as a major shift in tactics. It will also defocus on the operations against the Taliban in the Swat Valley where Islamabad is facing a major challenge in the spread of the Taliban militia.
The Pakistan military has thus turned the situation in Swat to its advantage.
The Taliban are well trained and battle-hardened. They could put their experience of fighting US troops to use in Kashmir, sources said.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday accused Pakistan of 'not willing' to act against terrorists infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir from its side of the border, even after the Mumbai attacks last November.
"The main thing is, even after 26/11, Pakistan is not willing to take strong action against these infiltrators," Antony told reporters here on the sidelines of Defence Accounts Department headquarters building inauguration.
Noting that all these terrorist camps were near to their army formation, he said if they are sincere they can control it.
"By and large, they are always trying to push maximum number of people into Jammu and Kashmir," he said to a query on reports of a large number of ex-Taliban members waiting to infiltrate from across the border with Pakistan.
Exuding confidence, Antony said Indian armed forces were always ready to prevent infiltration and were maintaining their guard.
"Our armed forces are always taking care...are always on guard. I am sure that our armed forces will be able to prevent it to maximum extent. So, I do not expect a largescale infiltration," he added.
Meanwhile, top Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were among five ultras killed in three separate encounters with security forces in Kashmir Valley on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip off, police assisted by army cordoned Satkoji near Zachaldara in Kupwara, 80 kms from here.The militants hiding in the forest opened fire at the joint search party and in the ensuing encounter, three foreign militant sowing allegiance to LeT were killed, a police spokesman said.
One of the slain militants has been identified as Abu Hamza, a top LeT Pakistani militant.
Another militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces at Trikanjan in Baramulla district, 90 kms from here, this morning, the spokesman said.
Security forces also resumed operation this morning to flush out militants hiding in Khrew forests in Pulwama district of South Kashmir and recovered body of a militant, a defence ministry spokesman said.
The gunbattle broke out on Tuesday when security forces launched an operation in the area in which a security personnel was injured.
The operation was suspended last evening due to darkness after which security forces sealed all exit points to prevent escape of hiding militants.
As the day broke, security forces resumed the operation and body of a militant was recovered, he said, adding, the operation was still going on when last reports came in.
Abjure violence for dialogue, Chidambaram tells Maoists
MUMBAI: Maoist guerrillas should give up their "armed liberation struggle" to pave the way for dialogue and the development of violence-hit
Addressing a press conference here, Chidambaram refused to term actions against the guerrillas as "war" and said: "It is Naxalites who believe in violence, who use words like war and war preparation. We do not treat it as war.
"We are a civilised country... we do not wage war against our own people. Maoists must abjure violence and take the path of democracy and dialogue."
The home minister said the governments of states affected by Maoist violence had been asked to discuss the issues of development, neglect, deprivation and government structure in case they give up arms.
"Unless violence stops, no development is possible... Violence is simply unacceptable in a democracy and republic. No government which has taken oath under constitution can accept an armed liberation struggle.
"We have no option but to ask the security forces to engage them (Maoists), apprehend them. It (Maoist violence) has grown over last 10-12 years... As long as Naxalites do not abjure violence the security forces will confront them, engage them," the home minister added.
Chidambaram said surrendering arms was a must as the government and the Maoists could claim to represent the same group of people. The issues, he stressed, should be dealt with in democratic ways.
The minister said no foreign aid was being given to the Maoists to wage their movement.
"There is no evidence of Naxalites getting money from abroad. They are able to raise money inside the country. But they also loot banks, kidnap and extort," he added.
Chidambaram's comments come a day after Jharkhand police inspector Francis Induwar, who had been abducted on Sep 30, was found killed on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway.
No condition imposed on Pak for $7.5 billion aid: Kerry
washington A key US Senator and architect of the Congressional bill, which doles out $7.5 billion to Pakistan in the next five years, said that "no conditions" have been imposed on Islamabad in lieu of the non-military aid.
"There is no conditionality whatsoever in this legislation
(Kerry-Lugar bill) with respect to civilian assistance and the economic assistance that is provided. No conditionality. It is unfortunate the bill has been characterised in some quarters in ways that are just not accurate," Kerry said.
Kerry, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and its Ranking member Richard Lugar have authored a bill that pledges USD 7.5 billion of civilian aid to Pakistan for the next five years.
The bill passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously has been sent to the White House for the US President Barack Obama to sign it into law.
"This bill should be seen as a real sign of friendship of the American people towards people of Pakistan, not towards the government specifically," Kerry told reporters at the Capitol Hill yesterday after he and other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met the visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Qureshi and Lugar also addressed the press. "The United States is pledging $7.5 billion to Pakistani people to spur economic progress," Kerry said.
Denying media reports that the bill imposes conditions on Pakistan to take action against terrorists in lieu of the aid, the Senator said: "I want to emphasise again, there is no conditions attached to $7.5 billion in non-military aid (to Pakistan)."
However, Kerry said there are strict measures of financial accountability that Congress "we as representative of American people" are required and the US executive branch is required to place. "That is simply to make sure that the money is spent in the way that the American people sent it to Pakistan."
Kerry said: "The conditions on military aid do not require anything on Pakistan that is not already stated policy of the Government and the opposition party. It is already agreed upon. There is absolutely nothing on this bill related to private security firms, drone attacks, or host of other issues that are being tangled together by the press. There is nothing in this bill that impinges on Pakistani sovereignty."
In his remarks, Qureshi commended the efforts of the US Congress to pass the legislation, which he said was landmark for the people of Pakistan and reflects the long term commitment of the United States to his country.
"This USD 7.5 billion in economic assistance is free of conditionality. Let the people of Pakistan know, it is free of conditionality. There is no question of Pakistan sovereignty being compromised. There is no question of a micro-management from the US Senate or the US Administration," Qureshi said.
Terming the Kerry-Lugar bill as a new chapter in US-Pak partnership, Qureshi said: "People of Pakistan would benefit out of it."
During his three-day trip to Washington, Qureshi also met members of the House Committee on Foreign Relations including its Chairman Howard Berman.
Earlier in the day, Qureshi met the Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke.
"We are very pleased with the strong Pakistani actions in the area of economy. These have made very positive impressions here. We are very pleased that the Congress passed the Kerry-Lugar bill with a unanimous and consent. It is a very strong demonstration of Congressional support for the people of Pakistan," Holbrooke said.
Noting that the legislation is an expression of the will of the US Congress and the executive branch, Holbrooke said: "This shows the Democrats, the Republicans, the Congress and the White House are all on the same page in supporting Pakistan."
The Economic Times reports:
The dollar fell hard on Tuesday after a new report said Gulf states might stop using the US currency for oil transactions, despite
denials by countries cited.
A rate hike by Australia meanwhile helped lift commodity currencies and boost risk-taking, which also weighed on the greenback.
The turbulence in the markets lifted gold to a new record of 1,045 dollars per ounce, breaking the prior record of 1,033.90 dollars.
The euro rose to 1.4715 dollars from 1.4648 dollars late in New York on Monday.
Against the Japanese currency, the dollar fell to 88.82 yen from 89.51 yen on Monday.
Britain's Independent newspaper reported on Tuesday that Gulf countries had held secret meetings with officials outside the region to discuss dropping the dollar for oil trade.
The countries would instead use a basket of currencies, including the yen, the paper said, citing Gulf Arab and Chinese banking sources in Hong Kong.
Despite quick denials, the market reaction "shows how negative sentiment is towards the dollar," said Michael Malpede at Easy Forex.
Barclay's Capital currency analyst Adarsh Sinha questioned the imminence of any move away from the dollar.
"An eventual move towards oil being traded in a wider range of currencies is possible, but in our view, The Independent article makes it sound far more imminent than it likely is," he said.
"In particular, the political consensus needed to achieve this would be very difficult, especially at a time when there is an apparent lack of consensus on more proximate issues for (Gulf) countries, such as the Gulf Monetary Union."
The report comes against the background of an agreement between China and Russia earlier this year to boost the use of their domestic currencies in bilateral trade at the dollar's expense.
Australia's rate hike -- the first by a G20 country since the financial crisis began -- boost risk appetite. The central bank announced a rise of 25 basis points to 3.25 percent, lifting rates off a 49-year low.
The surprise rate move "may now lead to increasing speculation on which major central bank will be next to raise rates," said Sacha Tihanyi at Scotia Capital.
Tihanyi said the US Federal Reserve is not likely to be among the first to boost rates.
"We still think it is quite unlikely that the Fed moves to tighten policy even within the next six months, as unemployment remains high, as does the risk of deflation," he said.
Gold, viewed as a safe-haven investment, has won back favor in recent months as the global economy struggles out of its worst slump in decades.
The runup in gold has been largely driven by weakness in the dollar, which makes dollar-priced commodities cheaper for holders of stronger currencies, boosting demand.
Gold also wins support from fears about higher inflation because the metal is widely regarded by investors as a safe store of value.
In late New York trade, the dollar stood at 1.0269 Swiss francs from 1.0320 Monday.
The pound was at 1.5914 dollars after 1.5934.
The Telegraph reports:
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Calcutta, Oct. 6:
The government today said there was no evidence of writers and artistes having links with Maoists, 24 hours after Mamata Banerjee warned that "Bengal will burn" if the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act is slapped against them for sympathising with the Lalgarh agitation.
Asked if some of Bengal's leading authors and artistes had been behind Chhatradhar Mahato's movement or had links with Maoists, home secretary Ardhendu Sen first evaded giving a direct answer.
"Yesterday, Prasun Chatterjee and Raja Sorkhel were arrested on the basis of evidence collected against them. They were not only involved in collecting money in order to provide financial assistance to the Maoists but they also maintained links with Maoist organisations.... No evidence has been found against the intellectuals you people are talking about," Sen said.
Asked if he was clearing the air on Mahasweta Devi, Aparna Sen and Joy Goswami, Sen said: "I have categorically said two people were arrested on the basis of information gathered against them. As for the names you mentioned, there is no proof or evidence of their involvement with the Maoists. They would have faced arrest had it been so."
On Saturday, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti had said "those who are helping any banned outfit are making themselves liable for punishment under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act".
Mamata's threat was in response to this statement.
Sen also clarified today that none of those arrested in connection with the Lalgarh movement were murderers. "The murderers are still in the forests,'' he said. But in the same breath he added that "two or three of those arrested have been found to be involved in some murder cases".
He said more arrests were likely in Calcutta as Mahato, who led the Maoist-backed People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, "has given certain names during the interrogation".
He admitted that, so far, the police had not found anything to prove that Mahato "was a member of any Maoist organisation".
Sen said: "The person who gave interviews with his back to the camera (in Lalgarh) was Kishanji or Koteswar Rao. He will also be arrested though it could prove to be a bit difficult than arresting Mahato."
MUZAFFAR RAINA
Srinagar, Oct. 6: Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today claimed considerable progress in back-channel talks with New Delhi for the formal resumption of a dialogue between the separatists and the Union government.
The talks between New Delhi and the separatists for resolution of the Kashmir issue broke down in 2006 after the Hurriyat refused to join a roundtable conference, organised by the Centre, saying they would not share the table with mainstream politicians.
It had then said the mainstream politicians should have "no say in the resolution process" as the Centre already represented their position.
Mirwaiz returned to Srinagar on Saturday after attending a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) in New York, which has ruffled many a feather in the capital.
Official sources said the Centre has taken strong exception to the role played by Mirwaiz in making OIC appoint a special envoy, Saudi national Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al Bakr, for Kashmir and his alleged pro-Pakistan rhetoric. This is likely to be a spoiler for the resumption of the talks, the sources added.
"The back-channel contacts with the separatists were established during home minister P. Chidambaram's visit to the Valley in June and it was moving in the right direction," a source said.
The Hurriyat chairman, however, said "for the past one month, considerable progress has been made so that dialogue should restart".
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091007/jsp/nation/story_11584816.jsp
Press sealed over Maoist magazine
OUR BUREAU
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| Raja Sorkhel (top) and Prasun Chatterjee while being brought to the Jhargram court. (PTI) |
Oct. 6: Police cracked down on Maoist "sympathisers" in the city today, arresting the owner of a press that printed a banned rebel magazine as well as its publisher.
The police said they found books and leaflets on Maoists in the Calcutta Graphics press in the Manicktala Industrial Estate. The press prints the People's March magazine, a banned publication.
The police claimed they found a copy of the magazine in the house of Raja Sorkhel, an alleged Maoist sympathiser who was arrested yesterday in the city along with Prasun Chatterjee.
Sorkhel, 46, and Chatterjee, 34, run an outfit called the Ganatantrik Adhikar Manch.
Four others were also detained tonight when the owner of the press, Sadananda Singha, and the publisher of People's March, Swapan Dasgupta, were arrested. Dasgupta stays in Paschim Balia, Garia.
The police also detained Bhanu Sarkar and Ramesh Das, members of an organisation called Bandi Mukti Committee. They were picked up from College Street.
Chatterjee and Sorkhel were arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Today, they were remanded in police custody for 14 days by a Jhargram court.
Public prosecutor Suman Das Mahapatra said the two had been charged under seven sections of the UAPA for terrorist activity, raising funds for terror activity, conspiracy for terror activity, offence relating to membership in a terror organisation and supporting such an organisation.
They have also been charged under IPC sections for attempt to murder, waging a war against the state, sedition, conspiracy against the state as well as the Explosives Substances Act.
Mahapatra claimed that on September 26, the day Chhatradhar Mahato was arrested, the Maoists tried to trigger a blast in Lalgarh when security forces were returning after patrolling. He said Chatterjee and Sorkhel had planned the blasts. "They were arrested following the interrogation of Chhatradhar Mahato, Sukhshanti Baskey (a treasurer of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities) and three others," said the public prosecutor.
In Calcutta, CID officials said investigations had revealed that Chatterjee and Sorkhel had collected and given Rs 1.5 lakh to the tribal committee. "The committee is supported and guided by the Maoists," an officer said. "So providing funds to the committee amounts to funding the Maoists. They organised medical camps for Maoists in Lalgarh."
"Chhatradhar said the meetings in Lalgarh — on funds collection — had representatives from three sections: the Maoists, the people's committee and some Calcutta- based organisations like the Manch," another officer said.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091007/jsp/bengal/story_11585030.jsp
- A self-defeating controversy surrounds Pokhran-II Kanwal Sibal
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It is not easily comprehensible why those who have held positions of responsibility and trust in our atomic energy and defence establishments should have been so unmindful of the national security repercussions of the public controversy they have stirred up over the status of our 1998 thermonuclear test. This is not an academic debate, a professional wrangle between scientists about the correct interpretation of complex technical data from some experiment with only in-house implications — however the conflicting arguments are settled.
The issue raised touches the core of India's national security. It is so sensitive that even the initiation of the debate by scientists associated with Pokhran-II on whether the country has, in fact, the kind of nuclear deterrent it officially claims to possess has profound external ramifications. India is building a nuclear deterrent to meet real threats to its external security, not as an addition to its internal security armoury. The government has maintained for 11 years that the thermonuclear and other tests were fully successful, that no further testing is required, that India now has the wherewithal to build a broad spectrum credible minimum deterrent, and on that basis a nuclear doctrine has been enunciated. The dissenting scientific voices, by publicly disputing this official position, are sowing internal confusion and giving comfort to our adversaries.
They imply that senior figures of the department of atomic energy, by their unwillingness to entertain outside technical evidence of the test's failure, and by insisting on their own evaluation of diverse data based on information about weapon design, material content and so on that they alone possessed, are guilty of wrongly certifying to the country's political leadership, and the nation, that the test was successful, whereas it was actually a "fizzle".
If, as is claimed, a Defence Research and Development Organisation report on the purported failure of the test was presented to the government end-1998, it is unimaginable that if it contained clinching arguments an internal review would not have been ordered, with efforts being made by the government to ascertain the factual position.
If the argument is that having once rejected the dissenting view, the then government was obliged to suppress the truth, then it needs to be asked whether the matter was raised afresh with the United Progressive Alliance government, in the reasonable expectation that it would appraise the issue with an open mind. If it wasn't then it must be explained why not. And if it was, and the new government reached the same substantive conclusion as before, then the evidence that the test had failed was inconclusive. It is well to remember that the tests were projected as a great national security achievement by the National Democratic Alliance government, as opposed to the pusillanimity of the previous Congress governments on the issue of testing, and therefore the UPA government would have had the incentive to nail fraudulent thermonuclear claims. And, even if for the sake of national interest, the findings could not be made public, at least the cabal of scientists responsible for hiding the truth and duping the country through technical obfuscation, could, at the very least, have been moved out.
If the intention in publicly raising a controversy over the issue now is that the door for testing is likely to be soon closed definitively with the Barack Obama administration's zeal to bring the comprehensive test ban treaty into force, and that India should therefore test while there still is opportunity to do so and have a reliable thermonuclear weapon in its panoply, then it must be said that such advocacy is as ill-timed as the "disclosure" about the failed test. Why was this revelation not made when the issue of India's right to test was at the centre of the acrimonious debate on the nuclear deal? The debate lasted three years, and so ample opportunities were available to critically intervene in it to protect the freedom of action to test that has suddenly become so important now.
If the argument is that India can take the risk of scuttling the nuclear deal by unilaterally testing now, then why was not any attempt made earlier to scuttle the negotiations on the deal by divulging the failure of the thermonuclear test and generating public pressure on the government to reject the test-connected "right to return" provision of the negotiated accord, as mandated by United States of America's nuclear legislation? The consequences for the nuclear deal and relations with the US apart, unilateral testing by India could threaten to unravel the global non-proliferation regime, isolate India internationally, expose it as an irresponsible power with lasting political consequences for its ambition to play a more prominent international role, invite a slew of sanctions and damage its economic prospects. The hubris of over six per cent growth at a time of global recession should not blind us to the realities of our situation.
The demand for a peer review of the data from the thermonuclear test may sound reasonable, but it is hardly workable in practical terms. This demand implies the rejection of government claims, reiterated recently, that several such reviews have been undertaken in the last 11 years. A proper, independent peer review is demanded, but what does it mean in effect? Would it entail sharing sensitive information with experts of high public standing in diverse test related disciplines, after they have been sworn to secrecy? Would any government concede an outside review and indirectly acknowledge it had mishandled a vital matter until now? But would such a review necessarily efface the damage already done?
Naturally, if the findings of any workable peer review were to uphold the government's position, they could be made public, but the sceptics could still say that the government had too much at stake not to arrange a whitewash. But would any government publicize a negative finding and open itself to accusations of compromising national security by not taking action at the right time, lying to the nation, and invite demands for fixing responsibility? Would it be wise in such a case to officially expose the gap in our nuclear deterrent and give unsolicited comfort to our enemies?
One might have hoped that after the initial deplorable indiscretion, wiser counsel would have prevented any further damaging debate. Regrettably, the clarifications by the national security adviser — functionally the appropriate authority to pronounce on the current controversy — have been scoffed at in personally pejorative terms. The argument that he lacks the scientific credentials to make a judgment would apply to the prime minister too. The recent briefing by Anil Kakodkar and R. Chidambaram should normally suffice to end a self-defeating debate, but when egos and rivalries are at play one cannot be sure. Unfortunately, the present controversy is symptomatic of the growing breakdown of consensus in society.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091007/jsp/opinion/story_11570127.jsp
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Calcutta, Oct. 6: Abdur Rezzak Mollah today said an inquiry into the land deal by promoters for a proposed IT township had revealed the involvement of some employees of his land and land reforms department in certain irregularities.
"We had issued orders for an inquiry into the purchase of land and their mutation for the IT township that the government had thought of in Rajarhat and Bhangar, in North and South 24-Parganas. Our intention was to find out how much land had been purchased by the private players and whether there had been inconsistencies in the deal. According to preliminary reports, some irregularities have been detected in transactions and the involvement of some land department employees has been found," he said at Writers' Buildings.
Asked if the employees had been identified, the minister said a second round of inquiry had been ordered to find out who were behind the irregularities and to find out what sort of irregularity was committed. "We have asked our officials to make a detailed second inquiry. We want to know who are the people involved and to what extent they have committed irregularities."
Raj Kishore Modi of Vedic Realty and Amarnath Shroff of the Diamond Group-promoted Akash Nirman had joined hands with Webel, a state agency to promote IT, to form a company called Webel Akash IT Link. The idea was to procure 1,200 acres for the IT township of which 600 acres would go to Webel free of cost. Webel would create the infrastructure for the entire 1,200 acres and allow Akash Nirman to sell land to IT majors like Wipro and Infosys.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091007/jsp/bengal/story_11585033.jsp
Rahul blames media for Dalit tag to his village visits
Thiruvananthapuram: The media had thrust a Dalit "frame" on his visits to poor districts of the country, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said here Wednesday while stressing that he did not believe in the caste system and only saw people as human beings.
"I see myself going to a human being's house. I don't see it as a Dalit or an upper caste or lower caste house. As far as I am concerned, I am going to the poor man's house whether a Dalit or minority," Gandhi said at a press conference here.
The young leader held that the media was to blame for the Dalit tag on his visits to poor villages in the country's remote districts.
"This differentiation occurs in the media, this doesn't happen in my mind. I personally don't believe in the caste system... The only difference I see between a poor person and rich person is that of opportunity."
He added vehemently: "This frame of Dalit (visits) is your frame not mine."
Gandhi lashed out at sceptics saying that a "young politician" like him trying to get close to the people could not do so "sitting in an air conditioned office".
Pakistan fumes over US bill, military upset
The Kerry-Lugar bill granting Pakistan $ 1.5 billion annually for five years has left both the civilian and the military in Pakistan fuming mad. Both the parties are upset at the language used in the bill and feel that the US is poking its nose in the internal affairs of the country. The bill has also caused a serious rift between the government and the military in Pakistan.
The language that has caused the deep consternation between the pro-US civilian government and the military in Pakistan is embedded in a clause that calls on the US secretary of state to give a regular assessment of the "extent to which the government of Pakistan exercises effective civilian control of the military, including a description of the extent to which civilian executive leaders and parliament exercise oversight and approval of military budgets, the chain of command, the process of promotion for senior military leaders, civilian involvement in strategic guidance and planning, and military involvement in civil administration."
In other words, the bill bluntly implicates Pakistan in the use of terrorism and the legislation clearly seeks to establish civilian control over the military, which the pro-military constituency sees as "provocative" and an interference in Pakistan's internal affairs.
Even as Pakistan was fuming at the language of the bill, the US refused to back down. Declaring Kerry-Lugar (KL) Bill a milestone in the history of Pak-US relations US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the critics of the bill should read it.
Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Washington Wednesday, Hillary Clinton said the democratic government of Pakistan will be given aid under KL-Bill to improve education, health and other disciplines.
She said Islamabad wants to follow democracy and Washington will help it in this regard. The US government is working to promote direct relations with the people of Pakistan.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi also tried to assuage ruffled feathers by saying neither US has intentions of Pakistan's micro-management nor Islamabad will compromise on the national sovereignty.
"US wants to establish long-term relationship with Pakistan. It respects the sovereignty of Pakistan and does not want to destabilise it."
Meanwhile, US Senator John Kerry said the manuscript of Kerry Lugar Bill (KL-Bill) has been sent to President Barack Obama for signature.
In a joint press conference in Washington Wednesday, after a meeting with Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the US Senator said this Bill is a clear sign of direct relations with the people of Pakistan.
He said this Bill will not harm the sovereignty of Pakistan.
Back in Pakistan, the legislation has pitted the pro-US civilian government in the country against its powerful military.
Pakistan's Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday dubbed the Kerry-Lugar Bill as a complete failure of the incumbent government and its lobbyists sitting in the US.
"Besides other questions relating to terms and conditions, the language used in the bill about Pakistan and its institutions is highly objectionable that we, the members of parliament, must reject while adopting a collective approach," Chaudhry Nisar told The News.
Responding to a counter question related to the Pakistan armed forces that are already paying sacrifices in the war on terror, the opposition leader said the bill "was actually targeting our institutions, including the Army".
"How can we accept such conditions against $1.5 billion? It is clearly a compromise on the national interests as the Government of Pakistan and its lobbying persons not only let the US administration free to impose the toughest conditions but also failed to impress upon the US Congressmen in favour of Pakistan," he said.
Source: India Syndicate
Jharkhands police knew where Naxals kept beheaded cop
Ranchi: Jharkhand police had specific information that Francis Induwar, whose decapitated body was found six days after he had been abducted by Maoists, had been taken to the Bundu forests near here, senior officials admitted here Wednesday.
Family blames administration
A day later, as family members and colleagues accused the administration of making no serious efforts to rescue Induwar, sources said police did have information that he had been kept in the Bundu forests, about 50 km from here. But they could not track the specific location of the hostage in the 20 sq km forested area.
"There was specific information and we tried our best to rescue him. But there was nobody to take us where he was kept in the jungle areas," said a police officer.
Deputy Inspector General (Ranchi zone) R.K. Mallik added: "Yes, we had information and we had launched the operation in Bundu but he was killed before we reached him."
He was tortured before being murdered
According to the post mortem report, he was tortured by the rebels before his throat was slit. There were many wounds found on his body.
The brutal killing of Induwar, in a style that was compared to the Taliban, shocked his fraternity and family.
"We were only given assurances that he would be freed soon. No serious efforts were made to rescue him," said the slain officer's wife, Sunita.
His colleagues in the intelligence department were equally furious.
"The special teams formed to rescue the abducted cop did not dare venture into the deep jungle. Had serious efforts been made, he could have been rescued," said a Special Branch officer on condition of anonymity.
9/11 plotters have escaped to Pakistan: US
Washington: The US has claimed that most of the terrorists who planned 9/11 attacks, including Osama Bin Laden have entered into Pakistan.
A US Department of State spokesperson claimed most of the terrorists responsible for 9/11 attacks have entered into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
In a routine briefing to newsmen, the spokesperson said Al-Qaeda network proved fatal for the world.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has vowed to continue targeting the Al Qaeda that is threatening the US from Pakistan and beyond, even as the terror network is said to have "lost operational capacity" after a series of recent missile strikes.
"We know that Al Qaeda and its extremist allies threaten us from different corners of the globe-from Pakistan but also from East Africa and Southeast Asia; from Europe and the Gulf," Obama said in a visit Tuesday to the National Counterterrorism Centre just outside Washington in McLean, Virginia.
"And that's why we're applying focused and relentless pressure on Al Qaeda," he said, citing intelligence-sharing, disruption of terrorism financing, and attacks on Al Qaeda's leadership.
Pak sees India as greatest threat: US general
Washington: Despite the fact that their military is fighting tough battle against Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists, the Pakistan leaders and the ISI still believes India is the greatest threat to them, a top US military official said on Tuesday.
"It is important to note that India is still seen as the greatest threat, greater than the Taliban, greater than even al-Qaida. So there are still some dynamics there that are challenging," US Central Command Commander Gen David Petraeus said at the Association of the US Army annual meeting.
Commending Pakistani military in taking successful action against the terrorists in the Swat Valley, Petraeus said they have cleared the vast majority of the Swat Valley. The US general said the operations have resulted in the death and capture of significant number of senior Taliban leaders.
"They have carried out a number of operations in some of the tribal areas here -- this is the Federally Administered Tribal Area all along right here -- Baijur, Momah (sic) and Khyber," he said, adding that they have largely encircled a key area of South Waziristan, a stronghold of Taliban.
Also in this area, he said a number of other extremist groups, many of which are of significant concern in eastern Afghanistan like the Haqqani Network, Commander Nasir, Hekmatyar's Hizbe-Islami and a couple of other acronym elements that compromise what can be described as syndicate of extremists.
Petraeus said it is now increasingly becoming clear that al-Qaida is now a diminished organisation.
"It's become fairly commonplace, in recent weeks in particular, to hear that al-Qaida overall -- certainly in the region, and arguably globally; despite picking up various individuals, including some in the United States -- is a considerably diminished organisation," he said.
Noting that it is a fact that the Taliban were the host to al-Qaida in Afghanistan, he said: "That is a key reason, a key objective is to ensure that they are not able to return to sanctuaries in Afghanistan of the type in which, they did the original planning for the attacks of 9/11.
"Certainly, then that was furthered in Hamburg and US flight schools, but the 9/11 Commission very clearly shows the very strong linkages to Kandahar and several other areas and some training camps in Afghanistan before that was all launched."
Source: PTI
Recession fallout: America is on sale
There has never been a better time to be a consumer. Prices, for everything from homes to frozen pizzas, are tumbling at the fastest rate in decades.
The Great Recession has caused massive job losses and hardship for millions, but it has also fostered a shoppers' paradise. Anyone who still has the means to spend can find unheard-of deals.
Prices on everything from clothes to coffee to cat food are dropping, some faster than they have in half a century. Items rarely discounted -- like Tiffany engagement rings -- are now. The two biggest purchases most people make -- homes and new cars -- are selling at steep price reductions.
"This is the new normal," says Donald Keprta, president of Dominick's, a supermarket chain in the Midwest, which just cut prices by as much as 30% on thousands of items. "We aren't going back."
Consumers like Karen Wilmes, a mother of two in Hopkinton, R.I., relish the steals. During a recent trip to Shaw's Supermarkets, she bought a basketful of goods, including Eggo waffles, Kleenex tissues and Betty Crocker cake mix. The retail price: $63.89. Wilmes paid $7.31 by buying items on sale and using coupons.
"The deals out there are unbelievable," says Wilmes, 36, who writes the Frugal Rhode Island Mama blog, which tracks local and national bargains. "We can put the money I save toward something else."
And she's doing just that, but only when she can find another deal. Wilmes and her husband recently bought a Samsung television from Best Buy's Web site for $1,299, about $300 less than she found at other stores. She also got free delivery and another $13 back from ebates.com, which receives commissions from online retailers for directing customers their way.
What's happening now has been building for years. Wal-Mart introduced "everyday low prices" many years ago. Amazon.com redefined the idea of bargain prices during the late 1990s when it helped introduce online shopping. After the 2001 recession, automakers introduced zero-percent financing to boost sales. McDonald's "dollar menus" made fast food even cheaper.
But until the Great Recession came along, consumers hadn't seen anything yet.
Last fall's financial meltdown triggered a plunge in stock prices and home values and wiped out 11% -- $6.6 trillion -- of household wealth in six months. It also put an end to easy credit, which had fueled the consumption that powered the economy for most of the decade.
Those who still have jobs don't want to spend as they once did. There is a new societal pressure to be careful and smart when buying almost anything. From Chicago's Miracle Mile to malls around Orange County, Calif., it was once a status symbol to trot around with armloads of shopping bags with designer names on them. Now, it's considered ostentatious.
Traditionally, manufacturers and retailers lowered prices to clear inventory. Today, they're cutting prices because consumers are demanding it. If it lasts, the ramifications will be wide-ranging.
"There's almost a new morality to spending," Liz Claiborne CEO Bill McComb told an investor conference last month.
Dear All,
The tensions over the Haram-i-Sharif (claimed by Zionists as the Temple Mount) that houses both the 'Masjid-i-Aqsa' & the 'Dome of the Rock' are under severe attack by the Zionist fanatics, whose final aim is to destroy the two mosques & rebuild the Third temple on that very site. This will be accompanied by the Zionist programme or rather pogrom that will lead to the total ethnic cleansing of all the Palestinians from all of the historic land.
Do follow the events as closely as possible. Even the Second Intifada had ignited with a similar provocation on the 28th of Sept 2000, when Sharon had stormed onto the Holy site.
The anger was extreme & the frustration ran deep as the Palestinian masses had been once again betrayed under the guise of the Oslo Peace process, where the Labour as well as the Likud governments had made a mockery off every tenet of the accords. Worse the PA was turned into a collaborator as is very evident now.
Similarly the worsened conditions in East Jerusalem, the West bank & the Gaza as well as for the Israeli Palestinian population, have once again led to the eruption of a mass uprising, where the proverbial last straw on the camel's back was the provocation by Zionist fanatics in their bid to lay claim the Muslim holy site.
It has a strong resonance with the events as they unfolded in India, when the Brahmanical Hindutva fascist hordes destroyed the Babri Masjid on the 6th of December 1992 in the holy city of Ayodhya. These are the Indian allies of the Zionist state of Israel as well as their ardent admirers. They also run a mutual 'Muslim Hate club' with membership that is open to all Islamophobes.
Some of it's leading luminaries exchange regular notes on the Muslims killed during the genocidal wars, riots, pogroms, fake encounters, as well as the false flag terror attacks that are executed to spread Islamophobia & the further demonization & thus the isolation of the Muslim community.
The mass resistance that is spreading all across historic Palestine needs the support of the global solidarity movement.
This seems to be the beginning of Intifada III. The next three years are crucial.
Regards
Feroze & Kishore
--------------------------------------------
1) Silobreaker: High Tension Over Al-Aqsa Aggressions
2)Zionist crime in the Aqsa meant to destroy it | İslâmi Davet ...
October 2009 11:24. aqsa. Ezzat Al-Resheq, member of Hamas's political bureauwww.islamidavet.com/.../zionist-crime-in-the-aqsa-meant-to-destroy-it/ -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Published 10/05/2009 by Islam Online
What others report on the same story
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| Abbas cabinet says will confront Israel (Reuters) - Yahoo! News [10/05/2009] |
 Reply | Reply to all | Forward | feroze i |
For antiwar protesters, the cause isn't lost
But will Washington D.C. rally spark a groundswell?
 | Protesters carry signs with the names of the dead from America's wars on Monday. While the anniversary of the war in Afghanistan was the main focus of the demonstration, some protesters also remembered those who have died in Iraq. |
| Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post |
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The protesters convened for a final planning meeting, already triumphant, convinced that nine months of preparation was about to pay off. Antiwar organizers who had come to Washington from 27 states exchanged hugs inside a Columbia Heights convention hall and modeled their protest costumes: orange jumpsuits, "death masks," shackles and T-shirts depicting bloody Afghan children. Then Pete Perry, the event organizer, stood up to deliver a welcome speech.
"This is a great moment for our movement," he said. "We are continuing an incredible tradition."
"Like Gandhi," said the next speaker.
October 07, 2009 5:27 AM ET
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Towards an international Intifada against Imperialism & Zionism
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Former Arafat aide: Third Intifada on its way | The American Task
... 30, 2009. Arafat Aide warns of third intifada over Al-Aqsa clashes, September 28, 2009 ... Restricted: Visas Good for West Bank Only, October 10, 2009 ...
www.americantaskforce.org/daily.../2009/09/.../1254283200_6 - -
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www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23616.htm
Shani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Shani | |
|---|---|
 A 1782 engraving after Pierre Sonnerat's painting made during India voyage in 1770's | |
| Saturn | |
| Devanagari | शनि / शनैश्वर |
| Affiliation | Graha |
| Mantra | Om Sham Shanaiscaryaye Namah |
| Mount | Raven / Vulture |
Shani (Sanskrit Śani शनि) is one of the Navagraha which are the nine primary celestial beings in Hindu astrology, or Jyotiṣa. Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn. Shani is the Lord of Saturday; the word Shani also denotes the seventh day or Saturday in most Indian languages.
The origin of word Shani(शनि) comes from the following: Shanaye Kramati Sa: (शनये क्रमति सः) i.e. the one who moves slowly, as Saturn takes about 30 years to revolve around the Sun. Shani is also known as Shanaiscarya (शनैश्वर) Shani Bhagavan, Shaneesvara, Saneesvara, Shaneesvaran, Shani Deva.
Shani is a Deva and son of Surya (the Hindu Sun God) and his wife Chhaya (Shadow goddess) and hence also known as Chayyaputra. He is the cousin of Yama, the Hindu God of justice. It is said that when he opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts. He is known as the greatest teacher. Shani dev is said to be very harmful to those who follow the path of betrayal, backstabbing and unjust revenge. He is known in Hindu scriptures as the greatest trouble giver as well as the greatest well wisher. He is depicted dark in colour, clothed in black; holding a sword, arrows and two daggers and variously mounted on a black crow.[1]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] In Hindu scriptures
The story of Shani Bhagavan's life is described in Shri Shani Mahatmyam ॥श्रीशनिमहात्म्यं॥ written several centuries ago. The story of Shani Mahatyam describes how devotion is required to please him and receive his kripa (blessings). Shri Shani Mahatyam begins with descriptions of the importance of the other planets and their strengths. These are told by the scholars serving king Vikramaditya's court from the city of Ujjain.
Shani Bhagavan is described as having a dark complexion, a beautiful face, his caste is teli (Oil vendors), and he prays Kal-bhairav. After listening to the birth story of Shani, Vikramaditya laughed and ridiculed him. Shani heard the remarks of Vikramaditya and placed a curse on him. The story goes on to describe Vikramaditya's difficulties as a result of offending Shani. He loses his kingdom, he is charged with stealing, his hands and legs are cut-off by a neighbouring king. Eventually, Vikramaditya prays to Shani, who is satisfied with Vikramaditya's devotion and brings him back to his former glory. The last part of the story describes various experiences faced by various gods, demons and sages, including Brihaspati (the Guru of gods) and Shiva et al. Shani Mahatyam stresses values such as perseverance in difficult times, complete devotion (bhakti) and faith in the values one believes in, and never to lose confidence in life in spite of difficulties.
According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, when the navagraha came to look upon Ganesha shortly after his birth, he lost his human head under Shani's gaze.[2]
[edit] Shaniswara and Hanuman
The worship of Lord Hanuman is a panacea for the harsh effects of the 'unfavourable' presence of Lord Shani. In the Ramayana, Lord Hanuman is said to have rescued Shani from the clutches of Ravana and in gratitude, Shani promised Hanuman that anyone who prayed to Him (Hanuman), especially on Saturdays, would be rescued from the "malefic" effects of Saturn, or at the very least, the effects would be softened.
Another version of the encounter between Lord Hanuman and Shani Bhagavan is that once Shani climbed on to Hanuman's shoulder, implying that Shani's influence was beginning on Lord Hanuman. At this, Hanuman assumed a large size, and Shani was caught painfully between Hanuman's shoulders and the ceiling of the room they were in. As the pain was unbearable, Lord Shani requested Lord Hanuman to release him, promising in return, that if a person prayed to Lord Hanuman, he (Shani) would moderate or eliminate the malefic effects of his influence on that person; following this, Lord Hanuman released Shani.
[edit] Shaniswara and King Dasaratha
Dasaratha Maharaja was the only person who called Lord Shaniswara for duel as he was to cross his country bringing drought and poverty.Lord Shaniswarar extolled Dasaratha's virtues and replied him that "i cant skip my duties but im pleased on your courage.Great sage Rishyasingar can help you.Wherever rishyasingar is, wherever he lives that country will have no drought and dryness".King Dasaratha after receiving the blessings from Lord Shaniswarar, wisely resolved the difficult situation by making Rishyasingar as his son-in-law.'Santha' is known to be daughter of Dasaratha was married to Rishyasingar so that he is present in Ayothya.
[edit] Ways to please Shani Bhagavan
According to legend, Shani is a devotee of Lord Shiva. As mentioned in the "Navagraha Pidahara Sthothram" of "Brahmanda Purana", anybody who chants the following sthothra is relieved from all the ill effects of Shani.
Suryaputhro Deerghadeho Vishaalaakshah Shivapriyah | Mandachaarah Prasannathmaa peedam harathu me Shanih || सूर्य पुत्रो दीर्घ देहो विशालाक्षः शिवप्रियः। मन्दचारः प्रसन्नात्मा पीडां हरतु मे शनिः ॥The Shaneeswara Mantra In Tamil:
Sangadangal Theerpai Shani Bagavane Mangalam Ponga Manam Vaitharul Vai Sacharavindri Saaga neriyil Icchagam Vaazha Innarul Thaa ThaaAccording to the Vedic astrology, in order to get protection against the bad effects of Saturn's transit, the following are the possible remedies during the important transits of Saturn - Kanta Sani (When Saturn transits through the eighth house from the natal moon sign), Sade-sati (when Saturn transits through the twelfth, first and second houses from the natal moon sign) -
- Worship Mother Goddess Kali during Dark Moon
- Worship Vishnu in the form of Lord Krishna and keep chanting 'Om Namo Narayanaya', 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare..'
A common mantra for drawing the support of Shani Bhagavan is: Om Sham Shanaiscaryaye Namah. The following is another mantra for propitiating Shani: Aum praang preeng proung sah Shanaye namah Neelaanjan samaabhaasam raviputram yamaagrajam, Chaayaa-maartandam-sambhootam, Tam namaami Shanaishcharam.
Some devotees chant 'Om Sham Shanaiscaryaye Namah' 108 times daily. Also, if reading vedic textures are practised, then it is suggested to recite Saturn's sloka from Navagraha Suka starting 'Shanno...'
- Perform thilabhishekam on sanitrayodasi, sanijayanthi (pushya masam bahula astami) and saniamavasya days.
- Donate black till to Brahmin (1kg900grams)
- Feeding to black cow(kapila govu) till, joggry mix.
- Fasting on Saturdays (only liquids) 6 a.m to 6 p.m (sravana masam must)
- Feeding to crows(mornings)
- Feeding to physically disabled people.
- Navagraha pradakshinas(19 rounds)/walking, jogging.
- Visit famous sanitemples (once in 2/1/2years) Mandapalli, Sanisingnapur, Tirunallar, Narsingole, Venkathala and Veerannapalem (parchur mandalam, prakasam district).
- Light two lamps in front of your main door after sunset every day with til oil.
- Recite dasaradha maharaja krutha sani sthothram.
- Jyestadevi, saneeshwara swamyvarla kalyanam (sravana purnimaday).
- Sanijapam 19000, with moolamantram, punarcharana, havanan, danam.
- Sanaichara vratham, homam on Saturdays in sravana masam.
- Sanaichara dheeksha: sravana sudda vidiya to sravana bahula sashti.
- Chanting 'rama nama', Hanuman chalisa, Durga sthuthi.
- Prayers and devotion to Hanuman, Sri Durga Devi, Vinayaka.
- Offer Curd rice, ('Thothiyanam'in tamil) curd rice mixed with cumin seeds to god and feeding them to crows.
[edit] In astrology
According to Vedic astrology, Shani Bhagavan is one of the nine Navagraha or planets. Shani is considered to be the strongest malefic and a stern teacher who represents patience, effort, endeavour, and endurance; and who brings restrictions and misfortunes. However, a favourably-placed Shani on the horoscope of a person stands for a strong career, healthy life and everything positive for that person. In fact, a well-placed Shani in one's horoscope is something every astrology-believing Hindu hopes for, as no other 'graha' can bestow what a favourable Shani can. Shani placed "unfavourably", on the other hand, denotes troubles in all of the above. Shani is much feared by those Hindus who believe in astrology, as the "malefic" effects of his being unfavourably placed can be quite severe. However, it is to be remembered that any pleasure or pain that befalls a person during Shani's influence is not arbitrary; rather, it is the result of the person's own karma, now being manifested in the "presence" of Shani. Thus an "unfavourably-placed" Shani brings about the harsh results of one's bad karma, and vice-versa.
The planet Shani or Saturn revolves around the Sun in about 30 years, which means it passes through all the 12 rashis or moonsigns in 30 years. Thus Shani Bhagavan spends on an average about two and half years in each rashi or moonsign. This movement of Shani through the moonsigns carries great importance in Hindu astrology and horoscope predictions. The effect of Shani starts when it enters the previous rashi/moonsign to one's own birth rashi and stops when it leaves the rashi/moonsign after one's birth rashi. The total period of 7.5 years (2.5 years × 3) is called Saadesaati or "Elanata Shani", and is typically a period of great difficulty. When it occurs for a person foregoing Shani Maha Dasha the malefic effects of the planet are highly pronounced. It is said that Shani can reduce even a king to a pauper during such period.
Shani rules the signs Makara (Capricorn) and Kumbha (Aquarius), is exalted in Tula (Libra) and is debilitated in Mesha (Aries). Mercury, Venus, Rahu, Ketu are considered friendly towards Shani or Saturn, while the Sun, Moon and Mars are enemies. Guru or Jupiter maintains neutral relations with Shani. Shani is the lord of three nakshatras or lunar mansions: Pushya, Anuradha and Uttara Bhadrapada.
Shani Bhagavan has the following associations: his color is black or dark blue, metal is iron and gemstone is Blue Sapphire. His element or tattva is air, direction is west (where the sun sets and darkness begins) and he rules all seasons. The traditional foods for Shani are sesame seeds or black gram, black lentils or udad, his flower is the violet and he is linked to all black animals and all trees that are considered useless and ugly.
Shani rules over masses. Without the planet's blessings in one's horoscope, a mass following is difficult to come by. It is said that an exalted Saturn in the ascendant (or Lagna) of one's horoscope awards one with such leadership position entailing fame from and recognition among masses. More over, such people are said to have high commitment and perseverance for the task at hand. On the other hand, a debilitated Saturn in one's horoscope makes one's 'Karma' weak and such individual with debilitated Saturn is said to have poor commitment and perseverance towards duties and hence suffers in the process of completing one's karmic obligations. Hence 'Moksha' is difficult to come by without Shaniswara's blessings in one's horoscope.
Lord Shaniswara is also known as Needhiman(Judge). He only troubles the person during his dasa for the wrong doings. Even in Shani Dosha, if a person is Righteous & Devoted he is sure to come out of this period without any ill effects.
Lord Shaniswara is more known for his Blessings than his ill effects. No other graha is comparable with Lord Shani in terms of blessings. He showers with his blessings at the end of his dasha.
[edit] Shrines for Lord Shani
"Thirunallar Shree Saneeshwarar Koil" There are clusters of nine temples/shrines dedicated to the Navagrahas. One such cluster is located near the town Kumbakonam in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Lord Shani's shrine in this cluster is located at Tirunallar. It is a Temple dedicated to Lord Darbaranyesvara, a Form of Lord Shiva, in which Lord Shani is located in a niche in a wall. At this Temple, Lord Shani is considered to be of benevolent nature. Tirunallar is close to Pondicherry, and is of paramount importance to Shaneeswaran. Millions of devotees visit this place to protect themselves from the effects of the transit of Saturn.
The Lord here is so powerful that when a person who is suffering from shani dasa comes here takes bath in the NALA THEERTHA and with their clothes wet goes and has darshan of Sri Shaneeshwara, the ill effects which he is suffering through shani dasa is sure to vanish or at least abate to some extent.
The legendary King Nala is said to have been relieved of his afflictions, which were due to the malefic influence of Saturn, after worship in this temple. Of the numerous tanks theertams, the Nala theertam is the most important one. By bathing here, it is believed that one is washed off all kinds of misfortune and afflictions.
Shani Devaalayam in Deonar: There is a Shani Temple in Deonar, in Mumbai. The temple is situated east of the Shivaji statue at the junction of Chembur, Deonar, Govandi on (Mumbai-Pune-Bangalore) Eastern Express Highway. The Presiding Deity of this Temple is Lord Shaneeswara: a beautiful, mighty, and imposing seven-foot-tall black statue.
sri saneeswralayam, veeranna palem, prakasam (dist), Andhra Pradesh.
Many devotees who have Shani Dosham, or people who are passing through Shani Mahar Dasa throng the temple, for doing Tailabhishekam (Tailam means oil in Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam). Nuvvula Nune (Nuvvulu means Sesame; Nune means oil in Telugu) and Ellenne (Ellu means sesame; enne means oil in Kannada) is poured with utmost devotion on the head in a manner such that the oil covers the entire idol while flowing down. The pooja done with this oil is believed to please Shaneeswara. Shaneeswara descends:
Every Saturday approximately at 10:30 in the morning, as soon as the priest gives Arati, Lord Shaneeswara is said to descend upon the main priest (who is fondly referred to as 'Swami'). All of a sudden, the whole atmosphere in the Temple changes. One can see and feel the charged atmosphere in the temple. There after 'Swami' sits on a chair which has a seat made of very sharp, long iron nails pointing upwards. The foot rest and hand rest are also fully fitted with upward facing, sharp long iron nails. When Lord Shaneeswara descends on Swami, he sits on this chair throughout the day, most of the time with his eyes closed. On some Saturdays he may sit upon the chair for a continuous stretch of between 12 and 13 hours without ever indicating any pain or discomfort.
Thereafter the devotees sit in silence in front of 'swami.' They are asked to bring and keep a pair of yellow lemons in their hands, waiting for their turn. Swami signals one by one by turn, to come near to him. People place the pair of yellow lemon in front of him. He listens patiently to their problems, agony, or distress or whatever they say. Then he explains the reason/cause of their agony/problem/distress. It could be 'Prarabdham', consequences of their past karmas (deeds) which are carried over to present janma, which means "life" in Sanskrit, Telugu, kannada and Malayalam. Or as Swami explains, their problems could be the result of actions/deeds of his or her present birth itself. In some cases it could be handy work of Vamachara Tantra (black magic) by their enemies and ill-wishers. There are other types of cases where it is believed that Aatmas (spirits) of the deceased have occupied the sufferer's body causing misery and trouble. 'Swami' listens to them all with apt attention with closed eyes and in intent silence and offers them Prakshalana, or "cleansing" Praayaschitam Sanskrit and Telugu, or "repentance" through procedures such as yagna, pooja, dana, abstinence, etc. Thousands have claimed that their prayers have been answered by "Shaneeswara" through 'Swami'.
In the premises of this Shani temple, navagraha mandapam is also there apart from Hanuman, Jagadeeswara, Saibaba and Mata deities. sanctum Sanctorum has a very tall imposing murthy of Lord Shaneeswara along with Jestha Devi. To his left is Hanuman and to his right is Jagadeeswara Swami.
Shani Shingnapur – Another important Shrine for Lord Shani is in Shingnapur, in Maharashtra, India. Shingnapur is located half-way between Shirdi and Aurangabad. The deity here is "Swayambhu" that is self emerged from earth in form of Black but imposing stone. Though no one knows exact period, it is believed that Swayumbhu shaneeswara was found from time immemorial by shepherds of then local hamlet. It is believed be in existence at least since Kaliyugam.
The story of swayambhu (=Sanskrit self-evolved deity) handed down from generations through word of mouth, goes something like this : When the Shepherd touched stone with a pointed rod the stone began bleeding. The shepherds were astounded soon whole village hamlet gathered around to watch the miracle. On that night Lord shaneeswara appeared in the dream of most devoted and pious of the shepherds.
He told the shepherd that he is "Shaneeswara". He also told that the Unique looking Black Stone is His swayambhu form. The shepherd prayed and asked Lord whether he should construct a temple for him. To this, Lord Shani Mahatma said there is no need for a roof as the whole sky is his roof and he preferred to be under open sky. He asked the shephered to do daily pooja and 'tailabhishekam' every Saturday without fail. He also promised the whole hamlet will have no fear of dacoits or burglars or thieves.
So, Lord Shaneeswara can be seen even today, in the open yard without any roof above. To this day, there are no doors for any house, shop, temple. It is to be seen to believe that even post office has no door, not to speak of locks. Due to fear of Lord Shani, none of the structures, be it dwelling houses, huts, shops etc situated within one kilometer radius of this Lord Shani temple, have neither doors and locks. No thievery or burglary ever occurred here in this hamlet called Shani Shingnapur. Some who have tried to steal have died omitting blood within minutes of their act and before they could cross the boundary. Many others are said have received varied punishments such as long sickness, mental imbalance etc.
This Shani Shingnapur is visited daily by thousands of devotees praying for Lord Shaneswara's favour. The place is busiest on Saturdays. Shani Trayodasi is considered to be a fourite day for the lord. Similarly Saturday falling on 'Amavasya'(new moon day in Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) is considered to be a favorites day for the Lord Shaneeswara. Thousands of devotees seeking his blessings throng this temple in thousands.
One of the mantras for Shani raya is NILANJANA SAMABHASAM RAVI PUTRAM YAMAGRAJAM | CHAYA MARTHANDA SAMBHUTAM TAM NAMAMI SHANAISCHARAM ||
Shree Shaneeshwarar Temples in Mumbai:: There are several Shree Shaneeswara Swami Temples in Mumbai.
- There is a very nice Shani temple in Dombivli in the area Shankeshwar Nagar on Manpada Road. Every Saturday devotees gather together to chant Lord Shani's aarti & stotra at 8 p.m.
- One mandir is situated next to Nageshwar pasharvanathji jain temple, at Ghatkopar (west) close to Sheryas cinema.
- There is a Shree Shani Mandir at Katemanevli, Kalyan (East), near Vitthalwadi ( Central Rly ) Railway Station.
- There is a Shree Shani Mandir on the Service Road at Khar East on Western Express Highway just about 500 mts before the Vakola Signal when travelling from Mumbai city to Suburbs.
- There is a Shree Shani Mandir 15 minutes walkable from National Park at Savarpada, Borivali (East).
- One Shani temple is in Jogeshwari (East) in Meghwadi here devoties can avail the facility of listening to The story of Shani Mahatmya during 12 Noon to 6 pm on Saturday Evenings.
- There a temple at Sector-11, Nerul(East), Navi Mumbai.
In several parts of India, there are clusters of nine temples/shrines dedicated to the Navagrahas. One such cluster is located near the town Kumbakonam in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Lord Shani's shrine in this cluster is located at Tirunallar. It is a Temple dedicated to Lord Darbaranyesvara, a Form of Lord Shiva, in which Lord Shani is located in a niche in a wall. At this Temple, Lord Shani is considered to be of benevolent nature. Tirunallar is close to Pondicherry, and is of paramount importance to Shaneeswaran. Millions of devotees visit this place to protect themselves from the effects of the transit of Saturn.
Temples at other places: A Shani temple ShaniDham, is at Fatehpur Beri, about 6 km from Chhattarpur temple and 16 km from the Qutub Minar, at Mehrauli, South Delhi, India. It has the tallest (21 feet high) statue of Lord Shani in the world made of Astdhatu and a natural rock of Shani. Many devotees visit every Saturday to please Lord Shani. The main Poojan for Kaalsarp and Sadhesatti and Dhaiya are done here on Shani Amavasaya, the most auspicious day for pleasing Lord Shani.
Vada Thirunallar Sri Saneeshwaran Koil - This temple is located in Venkatachalam Street, West Mambalam, Chennai, India. In this temple Sri Shani Bhagawan can be seen along with his wife Sri Neelambikai. The temple also has Sri Vinayagar, Sri Durga and Sri Panchamukha Hanuman.
Another temple is at Kuchanoor, 20 km from Theni, near Madurai. The Lord is seen in swayambhu (self-appeared) form, the name of the town being derived from Kubjan, one of Shani's names (Kubjanoor).
There is a Viswaroopa Sarvamangala Shaneeswara Bhagawan sannidhi inside Devi Nagamuthu Mariamma temple in EB Colony, Adambakkam.
Saneeswarar Sannadhi inside Paya Lebar Eeswaran Temple, Singapore: There is a majestic Saneeswara bhagavan in full standing form enshrined in a separate sannadhi in the Sivan Temple in Paya Lebar. (Alight at Aljunied MRT and walk a few mins). Sani bhagavan is accompanied on both sides by deepa maadams - walls with small pedestals for hundreds of oil lamps - a blissful sight when you go there on Saturdays when most devotees offer lamps lit in Sesame oil. Om Saneeswaraye Namah:
[edit] Shani in Jainism
One who prays to Lord Munisuvarat is protected from Shani as he is a devotee of Lord Munisuvarat Swami, the 20th Jain Tirthankar).
[edit] Shani pilgrimages
- Lord Shani Temple, Gwalior Kokilavan, Vrindavan.
- Shree Shani Temple Beedh, Maharastra.
- Shree Shani Kshetra Nastanpur, Maharastra.
- Shree Shani Kshetra Model Tirth Nandur bar, Maharastra.
- Shree Shani Kshetra Rameshwar Tirth.
- Shree Shani Tirth Tirunalaru, Tamil Nadu.
- Shree Shani Mandir Tirth, Ujjain.
- Shree Shani Shingnapur, Maharastra.
- Shree Shani Tirth Kshetra, Asola, Fatehpur Beri, Mehrauli, Delhi.
- Shree Sidh Shakti Peeth ShaniDham,
- Shree Shani Temple, Madivala, Bangalore
- Shanaischara Temple Hassan
- Sree Shanimahatma Temple, Pavagada, Tumkur dist, Karnataka
- Sree Shanimahatma Temple, Sayyajirao road, Mysore.
- Sree Shaneeswara Temple, NandiWaddemanu, Nagarkurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
- Sree Shani Temple, Hathla, Jamnagar District, Gujarat
- sri saneeswaralayam, veerannapalem, parchoor mandal, prakasam (dist) Andhra Pradesh.
- Sri shaneeswaralayam, Mandapalli village, West-Godavari dist, Andhra Pradesh, India.
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Gunjur Village, next to Varthur, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Kannanmangala Village, next to Belthur, Near Sri Sathya Sai Ashram, Whitfield, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, on the way to Chikka thirupathi, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Metupalayam, Tamil Nadu, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Mondipalayam, Near Annur Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Tirupathi, near Tirupathi bus stand, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Inside Kalahasti temple, Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Sri Shaneeswara Temple, Hosur Main Road, Next to Hosa Road, Basapura Village, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
[edit] See also
[edit] References
The Greatness of Saturn or Shani Mahatmyam, from Robert Svoboda.
[edit] External links
- Live Webcasting of Sanipeyarchi on 26 Sept 2009 from Thirunallar
- Shani in Your Life
- Shani Shinganapur
- http://www.chennaionline.com/toursntravel/placesofworship/lordsani.asp
- Shani dev Shingnapur
- Saturn in Numerology
- Thirunallaru Saneeswara Bagawan Temple Website
- Sanipeyarchi Live Webcast from Thirunallaru
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New Delhi, Oct. 6: Delhi has shot down Beijing's proposals to teach Chinese in schools here and take Indian students to China under exchange programmes, the rejections coming in the wake of the neighbour issuing "stapled" visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
The veto of the plans, mooted as part of the celebrations to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, comes amid indications that preparations for President Pratibha Patil's visit to China early next year have been slowed, too, sources said.
Last week, New Delhi had protested China's move to issue visas on separate pieces of paper stapled to the passport — the standard practice is to stamp it on the passport — of visitors from Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi saw in the step an attempt by Beijing to question Jammu and Kashmir's status as an integral part of India and endorse ally Pakistan's stand.
Officially, the ministry of external affairs said the proposals for teaching Chinese and student visits were "unacceptable". China had initially suggested that its teachers would come to India to teach the language.
Later, Beijing modified its proposal and said that "it will be a locally administered programme", the sources said. This meant that while Chinese teachers would have come here, the control of the programme would be in Indian hands.
The Kashmir visa provocation may have acted as an unstated flashpoint but Delhi seems to have had other misgivings, too. Indian officials also suspected a Chinese design to spread its "soft power" — widening influence by using culture as a tool — by camouflaging the Confucius Institute in the language proposal.
The institute, started in 2004, has a presence in 50 countries, including the US, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But the institute's two pilot centres in India — based in the Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu and Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University — have not made much progress so far.
The Confucius Institute, a non-profit body based in Beijing and working like the American Center, was conceived to promote Chinese culture and language across the world. But there has been concern in various quarters about the institute's real aim.
Among those who have cast doubts is the Canadian Security Intelligence, which said in a declassified intelligence report: "China wants the world to have positive feelings towards China and things Chinese, which… (is a sign of) a desire for soft power."
On Pratibha's visit, the sources said the external affairs ministry had got "some valid excuse" from the Presidents' office for slowing down the preparations. The President's office, the sources said, has made it known that Pratibha will not be free till this month's elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. That leaves some time, but such trips require elaborate planning over several months.
"The visit will eventually happen. But not much progress is taking place now. The visit is reciprocal. We also expect a high-profile visit from the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party," said a diplomatic source.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091007/jsp/frontpage/story_11585564.jsp
Excellent article: The Unacceptable Cost of Judeo-Christianity - Pharisee Watch - whtt.org
Bizarre ?! Read on, Regards - Feroze
For the latest, clean, printer friendly update of this story go here:
http://cp.whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=3307
The Unacceptable Cost of Judeo-Christianity, Its Legacy of Pain
"The Unacceptable Cost of Judeo-Christianity" is offered as memorial to eight dead American soldiers, who did not need to die, and uncounted Afghans, Iraqis, and Palestinians, all killed the first four days of October.
Far and near, high and clear,
Hark to the call of War.
Over the gorse and the golden dells,
Ringing and swinging the clamorous bells,
Praying and saying of wild farewells:
War! War! War!
The Unacceptable Cost of Judeo-Christianity
No religious persuasion has ever been more clearly responsible for so much bloodshed and destruction as has 'Christian Zionism.' This 100-year old offshoot of fundamental Christianity has almost single-handedly legitimized wars in Arab states since January 1991. Its destructive power is only now being understood.
We Hold These Truths' objective for nine years has been to explain why members of this loosely knit group we call Judeo-Christianity thinks and acts as though political Israel was a god. We have documented how they have been misled, especially at the seminary level, by deliberately corrupted scripture and commentaries about scripture, which has then been taught from thousands of pulpits and media outlets. We have amply covered the changes made in the Bible(s) used by Christian Zionists in prior referenced works. (1)
We note again that the grassroots individuals within this movement are almost always motivated by altruistic religious belief (this author was once one of these), while the driving force behind their leaders is almost always tainted by money and the power of fame.
This paper explores how Christian Zionism is co-opted by a foreign lobby, AIPAC, and used to carry out Israeli objectives. AIPAC and its powers were well documented in 1994, in One Nation under Israel by Andrew J Hurley, and published by We Hold These Truths. (2)
Southern Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell (died in 2007) may have been the first leader to recognize the potential for linking dispensational Christianity with Zionism and harness its combined power into a political movement with loyalty to the state of Israel as its primary and passionate mission. In the early 1980s, Falwell called his fledgling army 'The Moral Majority.' It was later referred to as the 'Christian Right.' Today the millions of people who have made the present state of Israel the centerpiece of their Christian religion have been given the name 'Christian Zionists.' (3)
We Hold These Truths prefers to describe both the Christian Zionist leaders and their misled followers as 'Judeo-Christians,' a broadly accepted term, to reflect the fact that the religion they are following is no longer traditional Christianity, but one into which Judaism was injected, producing a radically altered hybrid.
Essential facts about Christian Zionism
First: It must be understood what Judeo-Christianity (also called 'evangelicalism,' dispensationalism, or Christians Zionism) is: by any name, a 20th Century phenomena, an apostate-cult, meaning it practices, in part, a deviant path of following Christ, and it relies upon many varied human sources other than the traditional bible(s) for its theology.(4)(5)
Second: Judeo-Christianity ascribes holiness to a foreign political state, Israel, as though it was itself a god. It placed political Israel on the throne along side of Jesus Christ, and, in so doing, its teachers ignore, if not annul, much of Jesus' teachings. (1) (2) (3)
Third: Rank and file churchgoers and many lesser known Judeo-Christian pastors think of themselves as moral, even when they are actively contributing to immoral acts, such as supporting mass military assassinations in Gaza and the West Bank. They do not consider these acts immoral because they believe events are ordained, or even demanded, by God.
Anger against Christian Zionists is misplaced, because they, too, are victims of their own acts. They probably bring more suffering upon themselves and their families than any other middle class group. Judeo-Christians parents rarely opposing any war that Israel favors, so it is quite likely more serve, and therefore more are killed in military combat, than for instance the sons of agnostics or other religious groups. We have yet to find reliable data to support this argument so it is offered strictly as this author's observation and opinion based on many talks with parents and youths at churches where we have conducted vigils.
Finally, Judeo-Christianity is much larger than generally believed and is active in every state and community in the USA. The new CNN.com six-hour television feature, God's Warriors, hosted by CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, stated in the introductory segment:
'A recent poll found that 59 percent of American evangelicals believe Israel is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. She also asserted: 'The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates 85 million evangelicals believes God tells them to support Israel - more than six times the world's Jewish population."
Several Pew Foundation polls have supported this statement over the last four years, and in fact may suggest higher percentages than used by CNN. (6)
For these several reasons Judeo-Christianity can easily be used by its leader, and by the leaders of Israel, to carry out a political agenda that favors that foreign political state over and ahead of the interests of America, and ahead of the interest of any humans in the USA or any other country except Israel. For the most part followers of the cult do not know they are being used. Without this understanding many are confused between Judeo-Christian religion and its political agenda. Pro-Israel activists, including John Hagee, should rightly be registered as agents for a foreign government, so open are their objectives.,Some of our allies against serial wars attribute them to Israel, working through its agents and lobbies for the purpose of gaining US dollar support and creating chaos in the Middle East for its own benefit.
Much is finally being exposed about the powerful Israeli lobby led by The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC'S agenda that calls for the USA to finance and bless its occupation of its neighbors, and eventually control the oil of the Middle East, tactics that are contrary to American interests.
Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt have written a powerful paper, The Israel Lobby, which tells us Israel has too much influence in US Foreign Policy. Their paper has led to a soon to be released and much anticipated book that is making giant waves across the world even before it is printed, as Israel seeks to prevent its promotion. (7.Rapture ready video)
We Hold These Truths sees hope. Educate the laymen within our own churches, especially mainline churches, can break Israel's power-hold over our politicians, and it can restore others to follow Christ instead of Israel. More important, we see no other way to do it!
Without the voting support of church Israel's well-established desire to see Iraq destroyed and its oil divided up resulted in the first gulf war in 1991 and the present contemplated devastation of Iran is nearly unstoppable. AIPAC and many American businessmen have profit interests in war and campaigned for new wars as a matter of business, but it is the Judeo-Christians who have provided the grassroots clout to keep the War On Islam churning.*
The Dollar Cost of killing:
The occupation of Iraq paralyzed the oil production from the 2nd largest oil resource in the world. Before the occupation it did not cost $50 to fill the family car. Before the occupation Christian Zionist children and grandchildren could afford milk at a cost per gallon less than diesel fuel, and truck drivers could afford both milk and fuel. Before 'wars' on Iraq, American industry was healthy and had not yet been shipped to China.
Our economic catastrophe is real, lead by the real estate and mortgage bubble. Why? Because of the cost of a war is over $500 thousand million dollars, and most of the money has been printed, so it will have to be repaid in higher prices later on. This judgment is like a foul smelling vapor that cannot be put back in the bottle. I use the word 'catastrophe' where others talk of 'crisis' because crisis can sometimes be avoided and often leads to practical solutions. Not so with our 'catastrophe.' We have passed the crisis stage years ago when we began serial wars for economic purposes, printing the money to pay for them.
There is no end to the amount of price inflation we can expect, food prices will surely be the next to skyrocket on our shopping list for reasons to be explained in our next issue. Judeo-Christians as a group are most responsible for our dollar dilution because it is they that supported the wars for which all these dollars were wasted on killing people.
Christian Zionist leaders like Gary Bauer, John Hagee and Pat Robertson are not the only ones who believe the Christian Zionist vote controls the USA. Politician Tom Delay who was an ardent supporter of every war against Islam, recently was quoted as saying at John Hagee's Night to Honor Israel in Washington DC, that he not only 'believes in the Rapture, I live for it' Too bad Delay left the world in such a mess just before his anticipated departure.(8)
Israel lobby harness Judeo-Christianity
Every politician in Congress and those competing for the presidency know George W. Bush became president because he and Carl Rove found a way to identify Bush with the Christian Right, but to get this blessing one must also be Israel blessed. Even today 70% of Republicans support Bush and his war in Iraq because what is left of the Republican Party is predominantly Judeo-Christian.
The relationship between the Christian-Zionists leaders and AIPAC is simple and straightforward. AIPAC pressures Congressmen in Washington to give Israel what it wants; the Christian-Zionist celebrities brainwash the laymen in hometowns to pressure the Congressmen at the polls, and the Congressman takes a junket to Israel and complies. Congress is in the vice between the strongest lobby in Washington and the biggest lobbying voting block in the country. Why would they listen to you or me?
Christians are deceived by Zionism
Misguided Christians have been used to fight and support war from the 11th Century Crusades to Iraq. The names have changed but the message has not. A Pope who called himself Urban II is said to have told the bishop and earls who were to lead the First Crusaders it was up to them to rid the Holy Land of infidels so 'Jesus could return there.' They passed this message on to the peasants who suffered and died for this false cause for the better part of 200 years. The result was the feudal system in Europe.
Judeo-Christianity, like Pope Urban II, teaches we all must honor Israel ahead of America, and even rebuild a temple there before Jesus will come. The story has hardly changed in a thousand years. Never mind the fact that Jesus did not seem to say anything like this. Urban II did not share his private economic dreams with the peasants, but he did tell the leaders of the Crusade that the purpose of holy wars was for the loot, and the Crusaders proved to be expert looters.
The leaders of the Christina Zionists, Hagee, Robertson, and a hundred more are the knights and barons at the head of the Crusades' columns. Their loot comes in the mail and from credit card contributions from the peasant's foot soldiers.
Human coast to the Judeo-Christian families
Church-going Americans are not only going in debt for war, they supply their sons and daughters to be killed and maimed in the contest. Celebrity Zionists beat the drums for war that Israel wants, but I have not heard of Hagee's or Farwell's son enlisting, or any of the congressmen's children. The scorched foot soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan include a disproportionately large number of Judeo-Christians, who we believe, often enlist because mom and dad raised him in the Judeo-Christian church where volunteering is considered noble, even today after Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Their youths are taught that if we honor Israel we earn blessings for America from God. It is these young men who pay with shattered bodies and broken minds for the free junkets to Israel taken by a reported 80 Congressmen in August 2007.
"Where are you going, Young Fellow My Lad,
On this glittering morn of May?"
"I'm going to join the Colors, Dad,
They're looking for men, they say."
"But you're only a boy, Young Fellow My Lad,
You aren't obliged to go."
"Well, I'm seventeen and a quarter, Dad,
And ever so strong, you know."
Recently I was introduced to a sandy-haired, smiling 26-year old with a crushing handshake. But he walked haltingly on two steel legs and his hip joints are also man-made so terrible were his wounds in a rocket attack in Iraq. He talked of friends who have died. He was 17 when he enlisted and the army is all he knows, he would go back to his unit. It did not surprise me when this clean cut young American told me he is a Southern Baptist...every bit a gentleman, he looked and acted the part. He confided that his mother has recently become adamantly against the War (though he did could not bring himself to engage in 'political talk'). I know that this mother must be thinking... if only she had been pro-peace before her young son enlisted seven years ago.
We Hold These Truths has hear other stories from boys with a Judeo-Christian upbringing whose parents did not know they needed to guard their children from recruiters. We owe it to every Judeo-Christian to tell them about the cost of our serial wars against Islamic non-enemies. The giant Israeli Lobby does what it wants in its own interest...in Israel's interest and they will not stop no matter what we do.
We must blame those who have influence, the Christ follower who mistakenly listens to the celebrity Christian leaders, and who are themselves victims. What has the Judeo-Christian movement given back to America? Is has sacrificed the value of loving your brother as yourself, as Jesus demanded...even loving your enemy. It has left in its place a legacy of hatred, war, violence, and diluted money, all in the name of Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. This can and must be changed from inside these apostate churches and media sources.
We need to appeal to the sense of morality of Judeo-Christians. Its members are directly responsible for the three current crises in American culture, these being the War, inflation and the break down of morality that always accompanies war. They do it for only one reason; they are led into following an apostate Christianity that started only about 100 years ago, first legitimized by Cyrus I Scofield. (1)(5)
We concluder there could have been no Shock and Awe or war of occupation in Iraq were it not for the Christian Zionists' zealous campaign to destroy Muslim nations. The now publicly acknowledged War on Islam is in fact already 17 years old. Project Strait Gate was started to challenge it in its very lair. Jesus and his disciples took their arguments to the temple and the synagogues. We are doing the same.
What is the matter, Young Fellow My Lad?
No letter again to-day.
Why did the postman look so sad,
And sigh as he turned away?
Well, I hear them tell that we've gained new ground,
But a terrible price we've paid:
God grant, my boy, that you're safe and sound;
But oh I'm afraid, afraid.
ENDNOTES:
War! War! War! By Robert W. Service, poet of the Alaskan gold rush, who served as an ambulance driver, but refused to enter combat in World War I.
Story originally published as: "The Unacceptable Cost of Christian-Zionism" by same author, 2007, (whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=1715)
(1) Scofield Reference Bible Audio Visual, Charles Carlson (http://www.whtt.org/show)
(2) One Nation Under Israel, Andrew J. Hurley, AIPAC power and Israel's history (http://eshop.whtt.org/eshop.php?id=28)
(3) Forcing God's Hand, Grace Halsell, describing authors Junket with Falwell to Israel (http://eshop.whtt.org/eshop.php?id=28)
(4) God's Wrath On The Left Behind, Lisa Ruby, an evolution of the Left Behind Series (http://eshop.whtt.org/eshop.php?id=28)
(5) The Final Apostasy, by Gordon Ginn, Ph.D., a deeper look at the abuse of Scripture (http://eshop.whtt.org/eshop.php?id=28)
(6) Pew Foundation asks what White Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants and Catholics believe about Israel (Pew http://eshop.whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=1389)
(7) The Israeli Lobby and US Foreign Policy, John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, http://eshop.whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=885
(8) Rapture Ready, Mike Blumenthal at CUFI Washington DC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjMRgT5o
We Hold These Truths
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DVD, 64 Minutes How it happened!
Obama 'not cutting' Afghan troops
US President Barack Obama has said his review of Afghan strategy will not look at pulling out or cutting troop levels.
Mr Obama told key members of Congress that he would decide on a course of action with a sense of urgency - but that not everyone would be pleased.
But a source said he did not pledge to increase troop numbers as his top general in Afghanistan wants.
The meeting came on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the start of the US-led Afghan military operation.
It was launched to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan following the 11 September attacks on the US.
'Rigorous and deliberate'
About 30 senior congressional figures - Democrats and Republicans - had been invited to the meeting with the US leader.
 | ANALYSIS  Mark Mardell, BBC News, Washington
As one administration official put it - it's not about doubling down or leaving. But it's going on too long for some Republicans, and members of the president's own party are dubious about committing more resources and military personnel to a conflict where there is no end in sight. The word Vietnam is heard more and more on Capitol Hill. |
Divisions are emerging between some Democrats concerned by the prospect of deploying more US forces to Afghanistan and some Republicans urging the Obama administration to follow the advice of top generals and increase troop levels.
President Obama told the group that his assessment would be "rigorous and deliberate" and that he would continue to work with Congress in the best interests of US and international security.
According to one White House source, he told the meeting that he would not shrink the number of troops in Afghanistan or opt for a strategy of merely targeting al-Qaeda leaders.
But he would not be drawn on sending additional troops - which his top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, requested last week.
Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that there had been some agreement but also some "diversity of opinion" during the talks.
Former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain urged Mr Obama to take heed of the advice given by generals on the ground.
A US official, quoted by Reuters news agency, said of the meeting: "He... made it clear that his decision won't make everybody in the room or the nation happy, but underscored his commitment to work on a collaborative basis."
Afghan strategy
The BBC's Mark Mardell, in Washington, says there appears to be a frustration that the review of strategy has some times been portrayed in black and white terms of a massive increase or reduction of troop numbers.
|   |
Dr Anthony Cordesman, an adviser to General McChrystal, told the BBC the decision was much more complex than was being portrayed.
"It is a very big decision and it involves a great deal more than simply troop levels.
"There's a decision as to what strategy to pursue, how committed to stay in Afghanistan, how to deal with Nato and Isaf [International Assistance Security Force] allies, how to reshape the aid programme - and how to deal with the future of the Afghan government.
"So this is much more than simply a military strategy decision."
'Serious'
By the end of 2009 there will be a total of 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan, based on current deployment plans.
President Obama has said the strategy in Afghanistan must be agreed before a decision can be made on troop numbers.
Gen McChrystal had described the situation in Afghanistan as "serious" and is believed to have requested up to 40,000 additional troops.
He is believed to want the focus of the strategy to fall on protecting the Afghan people and carrying the fight to the Taliban.
Future US strategy will be discussed in a series of Obama administration meetings this week.
On Wednesday President Obama is holding his third of five meetings with his National Security Council, as well as field commanders and regional ambassadors.
Who are the Taliban? History of movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Social work US marines try to win hearts and minds
Fraud spotlight Doubts about poll cast lengthening shadow
The new face of Pakistan's Taliban 
'Radical change' for Afghan mission 
Afghans talk about their daily struggles 
News feeds | South Asia |
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News and analysis
Latest World Service bulletin 
Giant ring detected around Saturn
| By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News |
A colossal new ring has been identified around Saturn.
The dusty hoop extends some 13 million km from the planet, about 50 times further out into space than its more familiar rings.
Scientists tell the journal Nature that the tenuous ring is probably made up of debris kicked off Saturn's moon Phoebe by small impacts.
They think this dust then migrates towards the planet where it is picked up by another Saturnian moon, Iapetus.
The discovery would appear to resolve a longstanding mystery in planetary science: why the walnut-shaped Iapetus has a two-tone complexion, with one side of the moon significantly darker than the other.
|   The particles smack Iapetus like bugs on a windshield  Dr Anne Verbiscer, University of Virginia |
"It has essentially a head-on collision. The particles smack Iapetus like bugs on a windshield," said Anne Verbiscer from the University of Virginia, US.
Observations of the material coating the dark face of Iapetus indicate it has a similar composition to the surface material on Phoebe.
The scale of the new ring feature is astonishing. Nothing like it has been seen elsewhere in the Solar System.
The more easily visible outlier in Saturn's famous bands of ice and dust is its E-ring, which encompasses the orbit of the moon Enceladus. This circles the planet at a distance of just 240,000km.
The newly identified torus is not only much broader and further out, it is also tilted at an angle of 27 degrees to the plane on which the more traditional rings sit.
This in itself strongly links the ring's origin to Phoebe, which also takes a highly inclined path around Saturn.
Scientists suspected the ring might be present and had the perfect tool in the Spitzer space telescope to confirm it.
 Impacts on the moon Phoebe are probably supplying the ring |
The US space agency observatory is well suited to picking up the infrared signal expected from cold grains of dust about 10 microns (millionths of a metre) in size.
The ring would probably have a range of particle sizes - some bigger than this, and some smaller - and modelling indicates the pressure of sunlight would push the smallest of these grains towards the orbit of Iapetus, which is circling Saturn at a distance of 3.5 million km.
"The particles are very, very tiny, so the ring is very, very tenuous; and actually if you were standing in the ring itself, you wouldn't even know it," Dr Verbiscer told BBC News.
"In a cubic km of space, there are all of 10-20 particles."
Indeed, so feeble is the ring that scientists have calculated that if all the material were gathered up it would fill a crater on Phoebe no more than a kilometre across.
The moon is heavily pockmarked. It is clear that throughout its history, Phoebe has been hit many, many times by objects.
Some will also have been orbiting Saturn; others will have come from deep space.
Scientists now think frequent impacts
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
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| Israeli highschoolers choose jail over occupation army service (by Nora Barrows-Friedman, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 19:37) As US-made Hellfire missiles and white phosphorus rained down on the entrapped people of the Gaza Strip earlier this year, a number of "refuseniks," young Israeli men and women who refuse to serve mandatory military conscription after high school, along with anti-occupation activists attempted to shut down the Israeli Air Force base near Tel Aviv. It was from this base that airborne weapons of war, flown by their former classmates, took off to kill Palestinians just miles down the beach in Gaza. |
| Israel deliberately sparking fire in Jerusalem (by Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz , published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 16:58) A senior Palestinian official on Tuesday accused Israel of deliberately creating "an extremely dangerous situation" in East Jerusalem, to trigger violence, justify a crackdown and tighten its grip on the disputed city. Read more... |
| Who is a Jew? (by Gilad Atzmon, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 15:36)
Read more... |
| How Israel bought off UN's war crimes probe (by Jonathan Cook, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 15:39) The about-turn, following vigorous lobbying from Israel and the United States, appears to have buried the damning report of Judge Richard Goldstone into the fighting, which killed some 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians. |
| How Israel Was Disarmed (by Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 11:39) Jan. 20, 2010 NEW YORK—When American diplomats sat down for the first in a series of face-to-face talks with their Iranian counterparts last October in Geneva, few would have predicted that what began as a negotiation over Tehran's nuclear programs would wind up in a stunning demand by the Security Council that Israel give up its atomic weapons. Yet that's just what the U.N. body did this morning, in a resolution that was as striking for the way member states voted as it was for its... Read more... |
| Deconstructing the Israeli Narrative (by Dan Lieberman , published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 05:47) As Israel's democratic posture becomes more questioned, its mystique becomes more exaggerated. To prove the validity of its actions, Israel's supporters focus on three components of Israel's drive to an accomplished nation: The significance of the Zionist mission, Israel as a Jewish state, and Israel not being responsible for the Palestinian displaced persons. All of these issues, which had roles in establishing the Israel state, are expressed with sweeping generalities, devoid of specifics... Read more... |
| The Bailout in under ten minutes (by The Nation, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 17:05) How much money did we really spend on the bailouts? Where did it go? Are we getting it back? The Nation's Washington D.C. Editor Chris Hayes explains how the bailouts were really $17.5 trillion - not $700 billion - and if President Obama, Tim Geithner and the architects of "TARP" will pay a political price if the bailouts don't lead to job creation.
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| Charles Lindbergh - Pilot and Prophet (by Citizenfitz, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 03:39) Lindbergh well understood the factions that were maneuvering behind the curtain to bring America into WW2. Time has has proved he was right... and his detractors were wrong. |
New Israeli settlement construction underway (by Agence France Press, published Tuesday, 06 October 2009 16:58)
JERUSALEM – A Peace Now report said on Monday that some 800 new housing units are being built in settlements across the occupied West Bank, despite US calls for... Read more... |
Monday, 05 October 2009
PressTV
http://www.therebel.org/politics/asia_pacific/afghan_election_recount_begins_2009100564867/
Election workers began recounting ballots from the disputed August 20 presidential election Monday.
Election workers in Afghanistan have begun recounting ballots of the disputed votes in the August presidential election.
A commission backed by the United Nations called for a partial recount of the votes from about 10 percent of the disputed polling stations.
The move is expected to end weeks of political tension caused by allegations of fraud. Last month's results showed the incumbent president, Hamid Karzai, as the winner with 54.6 percent of the votes.
The coming to power of an effective government in Kabul is considered central to tackling the growing violence.
There are now around 100,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan but the Taliban have been stepping up their attacks since they were driven from power in 2001.
In the latest string of violent attacks on Saturday, eight US troops were killed when their outpost in Nuristan province came under Taliban fire.
Following the deadly attack, US and Afghan forces sealed off an area where the assailants responsible for the incident were believed to be hiding, Afghan officials said Monday.
Abdullah questions UN impartiality in Afghan vote
Saturday, 03 October 2009
PressTV
http://www.therebel.org/politics/asia_pacific/abdullah_questions_un_impartiality_in_afghan_vote_2009100363802/
Afghanistan's former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah (L) and incumbent President Hamid Karzai.
Abdullah Abdullah, the main challenger to incumbent President Hamid Karzai, has raised serious doubts about the neutrality of the UN since the August poll in Afghanistan.
During a Saturday news conference in Kabul, the former foreign minister sharply criticized the head of the United Nations' mission in Afghanistan.
Abdullah emphasized that Kai Eide, the UN special envoy to the country, had worked against uncovering the full extent of fraud in the polls, which were also marred by the Taliban intimidation.
He also suggested that a full internal inquiry was needed into Eide's conduct, saying that the alleged fraud had "greatly damaged" the reputation of the UN in Afghanistan.
"... But as far as I am concerned, in my mind I have no doubt that it has seriously damaged the UN's credibility in Afghanistan."
The sharp criticism comes after the dismissal of a key deputy to Eide. Deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan Peter Galbraith was sacked over a dispute with his superior about how to handle allegations of fraud.
Galbraith had requested the annulment of the votes in 1,000 of the 25,000 polling stations and a recount of ballots at 5,000 more. Eide, however, had called for the recount of 1,000 polling stations.
The UN mission alongside the Kabul government was responsible for the election's smooth running in the war-ravaged country.
The final and uncertified count of votes indicated a Karzai victory in the Afghan presidential election. The results showed Karzai gaining more than 54.6 percent of the vote and rival Abdullah Abdullah, who managed to win less than 27.8 percent.
The election has been overshadowed by allegations of widespread fraud. Should fraud investigations cause Karzai's figure to drop below 50 percent, he would have to go and compete against Abdullah in a second round of elections.
http://www.therebel.org/politics/americas/colombia_says_%27no%27_to_us_bases_2009100464198/
Amid reports of a deal reached for the establishment of US military bases in Colombia, the country's foreign minister says there is no need for more American personnel.
In an effort to reassure other South American countries, Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez told the BBC that Colombia seeks only "information, technology, intelligence" in the form of military cooperation with the US.
"We don't need personnel, we need more information, technology, intelligence - that's the key issue… Those who fight best in Colombia are our own soldiers. We don't need American soldiers to do this."
"We are not going to have American bases in Colombia. Today we have 71 military personnel from the US," Bermudez said.
His remarks come as South American nations feel threatened by what is considered as 'suspicious intentions' of their northern neighbor.
He, however, said while it is important for his country to stay in good relation with its neighbors, especially Venezuela, Colombia appreciates US help.
The minister said the US has been helping Colombia in fighting "narco-traffickers and terrorists."
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