Bring Gilad Home

Aviva Shalit, mother of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday to secure her son’s release and “end this sad affair quickly, determinedly and without hesitation.”

The mother participated in a ceremony opening a recruitment campaign for the “army of Gilad’s friends” in Netanya, and said that “at a distance of some two hours from here, a soldier sits in Hamas captivity, with the entire people of Israel seeing his face for the first time about a month ago.”

She noted that the Israeli governments have failed in all efforts to bring her son home: “Assuming that there actually were efforts at least part of the time. We, the family, and the many dedicated activists for Gilad say - this is not preordained, we can and must end this sad affair quickly, and without hesitation.

“We must save Gilad before it is too late, before this affair turns into an irremovable stain on Israeli society.”

Last week head of the headquarters of the campaign for the release of Gilad Shalit Shimshon Libman said he and his fellow activists were ready to push forward with their struggle.

Libman said, “Since his family received the videotape showing Gilad, we have been taking quiet steps so as not to disturb and to give the prime minister space, but we are now ready to return and make our voices heard in public in a way that will not allow the matter to leave the decision makers’ agenda.”

Libman’s comments came several days after east Jerusalem-based newspaper al-Manar reported that the second phase of an exchange deal for Shalit’s release was nearing its completion.

The report cited sources close to the German mediator as saying that a date has yet to be set for the completion of the deal, but that work was being done.

Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip 1,237 days ago.

{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel/Ynet}

Ukraine Plague, Baxter International and Obama

"Armageddon Has Begun" - A Tale of Two Stories: The European BioWar outbreak and the censoring of it by the mainstream news media.

UPDATE: Latest Ukraine Plague figures: 1,253,558 very ill; 65,615 hospitalized in serious to critical condition. These are Ukraine only figures.

UPDATE #2: NY Times: Fragile Care Worsened "Swine Flu" in Ukraine

The biggest story on the Planet today is the outbreak of a very serious Advanced Biological War virus in Europe. The second biggest story on the Planet is the suppression of this story for almost two weeks by the corporate owned mainstream news media.

There is a lot we know and a lot that we can only speculate on about what is unfolding in Central Europe. We know that in mid-October, less than a month ago, there was a growing number of cases of what many thought was Swine Flu (A/H1N1) in the western part of the Ukraine. We know that many hundreds if not thousands of people in western Ukraine witnessed low flying light airplanes aerosol spraying something over Ukrainian cities during the days of October 29, 2009 and October 31, 2009. We know that beginning the night of October 29th, massive numbers of people begin to get very sick. We know that the Ukraine government issued a statement denying that it was doing any aerial spraying to combat the growing disease or authorizing any spraying over Ukrainian cities. We know that by October 30th, the Ukrainian authorities closed all schools for three weeks and banded public gatherings.

We do NOT know what disease the people were/are coming down with. We do know that doctors are describing the disease as Pneumonic Plague, or as some type of hemorrhagic fever, or as hemorrhagic influenza, or as hemorrhagic pneumonia. We know that the illness, whatever it is, does not appear to be A/H1N1. We do not know if the disease is a recombination of A/H1N1 with other viruses or some totally different virus or if it is in fact a virus. We know that the World Health Organization (WHO) has had several days to sequence the genes of the disease but has failed to release this data.

We know that WHO has NOT called for the quarantining of the Ukraine or the shutdown of all global travel to/from the area of infection and that this is the same thing that they did when Mexican Swine Flu (A/H1N1) first broke out and that the failure to contain that virus early on ensured its spread throughout the world.

We know that the internal temperature of the lungs of those with a terminal case of what many are calling 'Ukrainian Plague' is often from 130F to 135F. We do know that autopsies show that the lungs are filled with blood, and are black in color, and that the lung tissue has turned to mush. We know that patients who first show any signs of illness usually crash in less than 48 hours, sometimes the same day.

We know that the disease was spreading by about 200,000 per day but that this has slowed to about 100,000 day now, in the Ukraine, as people take extraordinary steps to contain the spread of the disease.

We know that the illness has spread to Poland, where over one quarter of a million people are now very ill. We know that it has spread to Belarus and to Hungary and elsewhere in central Europe. We know that 900,000 people are said to have Swine Flu in Norway but we do not know if this is related to Ukraine Plague in any way.

Read entire article here

****************

The company linked to the Ukraine aerial spraying and release of the disease is Baxter International. Below you can read about Obama’s ties to Baxter (from the NY Times 2007)

“Less than two months after ascending to the United States Senate, Barack Obama bought more than $50,000 worth of stock in two speculative companies whose major investors included some of his biggest political donors.

One of the companies was a biotech concern that was starting to develop a drug to treat avian flu. In March 2005, two weeks after buying about $5,000 of its shares, Mr. Obama took the lead in a legislative push for more federal spending to battle the disease.”

“But he put $50,000 to $100,000 into an account at UBS, which his aides say was recommended to him by a wealthy friend, George W. Haywood, who was also a major investor in both Skyterra and AVI BioPharma, public securities filings show.”

“Within two weeks of his purchase of the biotech stock that Feb. 22, Mr. Obama initiated what he has called “one of my top priorities since arriving in the Senate,” a push to increase federal financing to fight avian flu.”

“His first step came on March 4, 2005, when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his request for $25 million to help contain the disease in Asia; the full Senate later approved that measure. And in April 2005, he introduced a bill calling for more research on avian flu drugs and urging the government to increase its stockpiles of antiviral medicines.

Read more

Torah Codes: Prepare for the End

- or perhaps it should read "Prepare for the Beginning"

Received by email, authored by Dan S.
Published with permission

I am in the process of completing a most unique and vast Torah Code Matrix presentation, based on my bar Mitzvah Parsha - Vayechi (that is also my father's and brother's), that I have been working on for a few years now and which I hope to soon show the tzibbor. It beautifully reveals the current unfolding final redemption in graphic technicolor detail that is part of my upcoming book called, “Until the Hour of Redemption.”

I believe the weight of the encoded evidence potentially points to the coming date of November 20th in Kislev 5770 as confirmed by the month of Kislev mentioned on page one of Midrash Sefer Eliyahu which reveals some time-lines of events that ostensibly need to unfold and are doing so at the End of Days. With the usual caveat that dates are by far the least important aspect of the redemption and can actually cause people to give up hope, Heaven forbid -- the below encoded dates (and year) are indeed among the rarest in Torah and even in all of Tanach.

The following rare phrases are all encoded in just the right hand section of the overall Vayechi Matrix. A majority of these specific phrases are extremely rare in Torah and are unique even if searched for in all of Tanach on an equidistant between the letters basis. Intriguingly, at the same time they are all visible to the viewer (as is so much more) in the one fixed Vayechi Matrix..
This is just a sampling of the many unique encoded words and phrases that can be viewed in this particular section of the Vayechi Matrix.

This one happens to be the scariest among all the presentations, so brace yourself with complete emunah.

"Hashem observes (from above)"
"The Koran of Islam"
"Radical Islam"
"My judgments"
"During Obama"
"In 5770"
“And a day comes”
“When truth is transported via the radio”
“At the time of the End”
“WAR”
“In the second year (of the Mumbai Attacks)”
"The End"
"For Evil in 5770"
"The Twentieth of November"
"You will know by the Sixth of Kislev (November 23 this year)"
"A surprise attack"
"Bombay"
"The Atomic” -- “Explosion"
"In the land of” – “Mumbai"
"Shakes the ground"
“The Land of” – “India”
"Pandemonium"
"Death in the South"
“Mexico”
"The Atomic attack comes"
"An ignited fire and shade both of which spread out twenty"
“Because of its fire it is closed off”
"Nuclear Fallout"
"From Radiation"
"The Atomic Tribulations"
“With Terror”
“Sirens sound all day”
"Troubles” – “At the time of the End" (Endtime code repeated twice)
"Millions Dead"
"For as complete a destruction as Sodom"
"Many Diseases"
"Days of Despair" or “Days of giving up hope”
"From Gog"
"Do not fear"
"Safeguard the Sabbath day"
"Speedily"
“The Prophet”
"Mashiach" -- "ben Yoseph"
“The son (ben Yoseph) will rise up”
“Revenge will come.”
"Shas will pay tribute when Chushiel is named" (Mashiach ben Yoseph's descriptive name)

************************

Life is a Gift

Dvar Torah from Pure Torah

Life is a gift, a precious gift from Hashem.

In the Talmud Gittin 64a, Chazal teach us the signs for determining a young child's maturity level. If one gives a child a stone and he proceeds to throw it away, but he keeps a nut which he has been given, it indicates that his mind is beginning to develop. If one gives him an object which he is prepared to return to its owner after a while, it is a clear sign that he is mature. In other words, the ability to distinguish between what is a gift and what is not; and the awareness that one must return the gift when it is demanded, are clear indications of a growing mind.

Horav Avraham Pam zl, explains that life is a gift, a gift which we return after a while. One who does not understand this idea behaves as if he will live forever, not caring that he has no purpose in life, acting like an immature child. On the other hand, even a young person is capable of understanding the transitory nature of life and appreciating the unique gift granted to him by the Almighty. Thus, this young person who values every minute of this precious gift, is, despite his age, a mature person. Furthermore, one who does not value and appreciate the gift of life repudiates his Benefactor.

The Chafetz Chaim zl, was a person who valued the gift of life. I recently heard that his nephew, Horav Chaim Yitzchak Pupko zl, who served him for twelve years, once got up his nerve and asked the Chafetz Chaim, "How old is the uncle?" The Chafetz Chaim seemingly ignored the question. A few moments later, the Chafetz Chaim took an envelope of coins and handed it to his nephew. "Here, take this," he said. A moment went by, and the Chafetz Chaim asked, "Are you not going to count what I gave you?" "No," he responded. "It is not proper to count a gift." "You are right," countered the Chafetz Chaim. "Life is a gift from Hashem. It is not proper to count it." What an incredible thought, but that is why he was the Chafetz Chaim.

Life is a gift and must, therefore, be cherished. Every minute is special, every minute an opportunity that should not be wasted. Alas, some people realize this only when they have almost lost it. The following story demonstrates how a person who realized that he had almost died spent the rest of his life with this memory firmly entrenched in his mind.

The story is about two very famous brothers, both multi-millionaires, Nathan and Isidore Strauss, considered to be among the greatest philanthropists of their day. They, together with their wives, took a trip to Europe in 1912. After enjoying all the cultural sights and sounds of the continent, they decided to go to what was then called Palestine.

When these two philanthropists arrived in Eretz Yisrael, they were given the royal treatment wherever they went. The holy places, shuls, yeshivos, all received their attention. While Nathan was captivated by the pure holiness of the land, his brother Isidore was getting bored. "How many camels and how many schools and hovels can you see? Once you've seen one, you've seen them all," he complained. "It is time to go."

Nathan Strauss and his wife refused to leave. For some reason, he was overcome by the sight of so many people living in abject poverty, yet remaining committed and filled with inner joy. He just could not pull himself away. The brothers argued. Finally Isidore said, "You are intractable. I am leaving. Stay here if you insist. I am going back to America."

They parted. Nathan stayed in Eretz Yisrael, traveling throughout the length and breadth of the land. Wherever he went, he contributed. He gave money for the creation of a city on the shores of the Mediterranean. Being its major benefactor, the city was named for him. Hence, the city of Netanya, after Nathan, was established.

Isidore did not stay. He rushed and got to his ship just on time. You see, his connection was very important to him. He wanted badly to sail back to the United States on the most famous ship of the day. In fact, it was just taking its maiden voyage. Yes, Isidore and Ida Strauss made the connection in Southampton, England, on the ill-fated Titanic. Five days later, they were among the 1500 who went down with the ship that "would never go down."

Nathan Strauss lived for the rest of his life with the acute awareness that, if not for the grace of the Almighty, he would have been on the Titanic too. He realized that he could have died and that he was saved for a reason: He had a mission to perform. For the rest of his life, he continued to give of his means and his time and energy to promote acts of chesed.

While an encounter with our own mortality is certainly a sobering motivator, we should not wait for the reminder. We are here for a reason. Life is short. Let us live it to its fullest - by making every minute count through serving Hashem.

Photo (C)op

Officer Delfin Lantigua, one of the police task force cops recruited to secure Crown Heights for the [Chabad] Kinus Hashluchim (the annual gathering of worldwide Chabad Shluchim), got requests Wednesday to be photographed. The reason: his unique badge number.

Rubashkin's Defence Fights Back

The trial of Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin (Agriprocessors) wound to a close on Monday. Jurors will resume deliberations Thursday after today's Veterans Day holiday.

In the closing arguments, Defense attorney Guy Cook told jurors that the prosecution had invented a story that didn’t happen. He asked the jury to take the necessary time to think about the evidence and to weigh it carefully.

“The prosecution wants you to set aside the evidence, and regardless of whether it makes sense, to find the defendant guilty,” he said. “I’m asking you not to rush to judgment but to think carefully about what you’ve heard here. Think about the evidence. Any reasonable person can see the government’s case is implausible. It goes against common sense.”

Bank Signaled Its Consent
Cook addressed the central charge that Reb Shalom Mordechai had defrauded the bank by creating false invoices to show inflated sales, so as to entitle Agriprocessors to additional loan funds.

Cook said, “Shalom Rubashin has acknowledged he made mistakes. But it was obvious the bank knew about it and still continued to lend Agriprocessors money. In so doing, the bank was signaling its tacit consent.”

Interest on the $35 million line of credit came to $13.5 million and was enormously lucrative for the lender bank. It helped shaped the bank’s policy of not looking closely at Agriprocessors’ paperwork, never once conducting an audit, and continuing to lend the meat company millions of dollars even after the government raid.

Given the bank’s intentionally turning a blind eye, how could the government possibly cry fraud, Cook asked the jury. Furthermore, while the bank itself launched its own civil suit against Agriprocessors to recover its loan money, strikingly, the lawsuit makes no complaint of fraud.

Cook said that this fact underscores that the government has manufactured a federal criminal case out of a matter that should have remained in civil litigation. The government had overreached in this case, he said.

He said his client was an inexperienced businessman who tackled too much. “My client is guilty of incompetence and oversight. That doesn’t make him a criminal. Defaulting on a bank loan is not a crime.”

The Government of the United States Against…. Shalom Rubashkin?
Cook reminded jurors of some of the terms in the plant’s loan contract with the bank, that Aaron Rubashkin, Shalom’s father, carries “unlimited” responsibility for the $35 million loan, while Shalom was responsible for just $1 million. He noted that Agriprocessors had many high-level managers, and Reb Shalom Mordechai was not responsible for all financial transactions.

The fact that the government insists on singling out Reb Shalom Mordechai exclusively for every minor and major violation they uncovered invites suspicion, Cook said. How is it possible in a business so massive, he asked, for one person to be single-handedly responsible for every single mistake and oversight?

Read the entire article at Matzav

Israel: Perception vs Reality

Toldos Avraham Yitzchak: Perception vs. Reality
By Larry Gordon

Photo: The Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe visited 5 Towns this week.

They are seen as firebrands who are by choice isolated and who stick to themselves. They shun the limelight and instead prefer to live simple, pious, and humble lives without the accoutrements of modern life—all in an effort to pull themselves closer to G-d. This week they momentarily transplanted the leadership of the movement to New York, and the Toldos Avraham Yitzchok Rebbe prayed, hosted a tisch, and met with Jews from various backgrounds, sharing a bit of each other’s world.

Their Old World traditions handed down through the generations, however, are also shrouded in controversy, as fringe elements organize sometimes violent demonstrations on the streets of Jerusalem on matters they feel come into conflict with the sanctity of Shabbos, particularly in their carefully cut-out conclaves and neighborhoods. Who the actual players are in these unnecessary and embarrassing demonstrations is largely unclear.

These activities, though, combined with the community’s official position of non-recognition of the legitimacy of the secular State of Israel, brought them at loggerheads with others this week as they seek material support from communities who are identified by their strong support for the State of Israel.

I sat down with the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe and his Rebbetzin between appointments to see people last Sunday—some of whom had flown in from other parts of North America—to try to clarify and understand where the Rebbe and his chassidim stand on the all-important issue of support for the State of Israel.

“What it comes down to, very briefly, is that the government violates Shabbos and sanctions this desecration,” the Rebbe said clearly and calmly in Yiddish. “If there would not be this violation of Shabbos, we would have absolutely no problem with the State of Israel.”

The idea that the litmus test for recognition of the State of Israel is the observance of Shabbos was handed down from the Rebbe’s father, the Toldos Ahron Rebbe, who passed away in 1997. The Rebbetzin interjected that the Rebbe is the older of two brothers and by right he should have been the next Toldos Ahron Rebbe. “The Rebbe was too easygoing and soft-spoken on issues, and many of the chassidim wanted a leader who was more of an activist and less of a pacifist,” she said in a very animated Yiddish.

It’s true, she said, that it’s difficult to sit idle and not protest the desecration of Shabbos. “It hurt us to see a Jew riding in a car on Shabbos—and yes,” she added, “even the Rebbe goes outside and protests by declaring three or four times in a raised voice ‘Shabbos,’ but then he goes back inside to his study and goes about his business,” she says.

She explained that those chassidim seen protesting, throwing things, and rioting in Jerusalem this last summer are not the followers of the Toldos Avraham Yitzchok Rebbe. “The people you see in the streets rioting are bums”—she used the English word there—“and people with nothing else to do.”

When the matter was raised about Toldos Avraham Yitzchok’s alleged ties to the infamous Neturei Karta, which protests Israeli policy together with radical Arabs and has met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Tehran and here, the Rebbetzin said, “This is something that we are not involved in and have never been involved in. The truth is that this whole business started with Satmar in New York.”

So the strain with the Israeli government and the matter of legitimacy and recognition is a matter that is played out on a very limited basis, though it is costly for the chassidim. It’s not entirely accurate to say that since there is the issue of Shabbos that they refuse to accept any money from the government. The fact is that they live there in Jerusalem; they utilize mass transit, which, though a fare is paid, is still subsidized by the State of Israel. The same is true when you take a drink of water or turn on a light switch.

One area in which this is played out is in chinuch—the education system. This sect, as well as others, refuses to take money from Israel’s Education Ministry for their schools, because they do not want their Torah studies financed by a government that openly and deliberately violates Shabbos. Therefore, their institutions are seriously in debt. And that’s why they are in New York now, to raise money for the considerable education system that they administer.

I suggested to the Rebbe that since he was here in New York seeking vital funding for his educational institutions, perhaps we could arrange for the Israeli government to send us—here in the Diaspora—the money, and then we could in turn give it to his organization. The Rebbe said, with a smile, that it sounded like a good idea, but they have not yet encountered a person who can successfully effectuate that type of arrangement.

The Rebbe unequivocally condemned participation in any kind of riots by chassidim. He said he does not advocate or encourage getting involved in those types of activities, and that he bans any individual who does participate from entering his shul in Jerusalem.

Some voiced their opinion last week that the Rebbe’s visit specifically to Lawrence was in and of itself provocative and that he should be rejected on all levels for representing a group that refuses to lend full legitimacy to the elected government of Israel.

That position, it seems, was based mostly on the need of some to sensationalize, dramatize, and exaggerate a situation that has only a minimal resemblance to reality. It’s odd to think that we, sitting in the Diaspora in New York, are the big pro-Zionists, while those living on the front lines—which is all of Israel—are the anti-Zionists. There’s something incongruous about that thought process, and it is misguided to draw definitive conclusions based on that skewered formula.

A lot of the criticism of the Rebbe’s visit was based on the usual conflict between perception and reality. Coverage by media outlets with limited space to explore all sides of the issue, combined with impatience and inattentiveness by readers, often leads to the wrong conclusions. People often use only droplets of information that are available to them to paint individuals or groups of people with this broad brushstroke that labels them dangerous to the cause of K’lal Yisrael.

Based on what the Rebbe and his wife had to say, and taking them at their word, it seems that they are simply principled people who, as observant Jews, find the desecration of Shabbos in the land of the Jews intolerable. The Rebbetzin recalled the situation when they were a starving young couple, lacking the resources to purchase food. “There was a woman that I met who nebach lost her son in a car accident. I met her by mere chance,” she said. “She wanted to donate some money to us in her son’s memory, and I thought it was a piece of unexpected good fortune—really a miracle—that I had met her. I told my husband about what had transpired and he had only one question for me: Did the woman keep and observe Shabbos?” They concluded the story saying that, sadly, the woman was not shomer Shabbos, and her husband refused to accept the money.

As devoted Jews, many of us here feel that the State of Israel, situated in our ancient homeland, represents us all and defines us as a people, on a multiplicity of levels. We are composed of people from many different backgrounds, orientations, and customs. Our ancestors hail from different continents and countries. In a sense, within the relatively small but global Orthodox Jewish community we are frequently unified by our diversity.

And viewing Israel as central to our lives may even be a healthy thing. One only hopes that some of the strong feelings voiced last week, albeit by a fringe minority, are not based on the different ways the Rebbe’s chassidim and those of us here lead our lives. We would all probably be better off not displaying for the public the intertribal differences that very often set us apart from one another. Feeding fuel to this divisive fire conjures up the worst kind of prejudices, which we certainly have no right to display against one another.

In fact it does immeasurable damage, because the critics of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael are gleefully watching, pleased that we can attempt to harm one another’s causes by vilifying and denigrating a segment—no matter how much we disagree with them—of our people. By indulging in this kind of practice, we do the bidding of our critics, and that must make them extremely content and satisfied.

Aside from the money they so desperately need, the Rebbe says that each time he comes to New York he gets a chance to get closer to Jews he otherwise would not have the opportunity to come in contact with. “I draw closer to them and I hope that through the relationship they are able to come closer to Hashem,” he said.

To many of us, the image of Israel and her survival is the greatest and most challenging undertaking of our time. I don’t believe that the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe feels any differently about this issue. It may very well be that those chassidim of various sects—perhaps only on the periphery—who question the entire concept of Zionism, its proliferation, and support do so because of the fashion in which Shabbos has been trampled on all too often over the years.

We are passionate about the survival of Israel. Perhaps we are willing to overlook some aspects of what we consider the compromised Jewish character of the state in the interest of the greater good of her survival. If that is so, then that’s where our convictions may diverge with the Rebbe’s. He, too, is passionate about Israel—where he and his children reside—but he is just as passionate about the sanctity of the holy Shabbos as it relates to the Jewish state. Dismissing and denigrating him is a hurtful simplification of the reality.

Source: 5 Towns Jewish Times

Media Watch

I would like to congratulate The Baltimore Chronicle for being the first and only - (as far as I can tell) - mainstream media outlet to actually report the Ukranian Pneumonic Plague.

Watch this space

I have it on good authority from the "SDIS" (Shirat Devorah Intelligence Sources - not recognised by ASIO, but nevertheless pretty reliable).... that Pakistan is about to launch a major assault on India. Certain people in America have been valiantly trying to persuade Jews in India to get the hell out of there..... some have listened, some have not.

It has been said several times (by other people) that something big will happen before the first anniversary of the Mumbai killings ... which was 26 November 2008 - Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5769.

Not being one to go by "SDIS" alone, I try and wait for a news item to back up the intelligence emails I receive (thank you to everyone who emails me, by the way, I really appreciate it).

And here we have it:

New Delhi: A conspiracy is being hatched to launch a major assault on India via its waters before the first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said Intelligence sources.

It is learnt that Pakistani nationals in the guise of local fishermen are trying to infiltrate into India. Reports have also revealed that during the past one month, they have tried four times to penetrate the borders albeit in vain. On November 26 of last year, India witnessed the worst terror attack in its history when corporate capital Mumbai was hit by a wave of terror causing many lives to be lost.

Also see: Lashkar Planning More Attacks In India

Her Majesty: Shomer Negiah

Rabbi Aryeh Sofrin - Chabad shaliach in Ilford, Essex northeast London - is dubbed Member of the British Empire for his 18 years as Head of a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center. Out of respect for the Rabbi's adherence to the law of not shaking the hand of a woman, the Queen diverted from the usual protocol and did not offer her hand.

Soros: "New World Architecture"

InfoWars reports:

In a shocking Op-Ed piece published Thursday on project-syndicate.org, globalist financier George Soros calls for a “New World Architecture”. In his essay, he states how international capitalism, led by the United States has “broken down” and how “A new multilateral system based on sounder principals must be invented” through the use of the IMF (International Monetary Fund). Soros goes on to recommend SDR’s (Special Drawing Rights), created by the IMF, as a replacement for the declining US Dollar,
“The dollar no longer enjoys the trust and confidence that it once did… The US ought not to shy away from wider use of IMF Special Drawing Rights. Because SDRs are denominated in several national currencies, no single currency would enjoy an unfair advantage.”

Soros also calls for the United Nations and its Security Council, currently led by President Barack Obama, in direct violation of the U.S, Constitution, to serve as the overseeing enforcement body for this new financial system,

“Reorganizing the world order will need to extend beyond the financial system and involve the United Nations, especially membership of the Security Council. That process needs to be initiated by the US, but China and other developing countries ought to participate as equals…The system cannot survive in its present form, and the US has more to lose by not being in the forefront of reforming it.”

In the most troubling part of this his article, Soros calls public outcry over the declining economy and outrage against globalism, “populist demagogy” and eludes to a new U.S. led war overseas stating, “In fact, democracy is in deep trouble in America. The financial crisis has inflicted hardship on a population that does not like to face harsh reality…If Obama fails, the next administration will be sorely tempted to create some diversion from troubles at home – at great peril to the world.”

Read Soros’ article here

Springtime in Sydney

Ukraine's Pneumonic Plague #2

As we know, the deadly disease affecting millions in the Ukraine is not being reported by the media. However, some independent blogsites have done a lot of research, and here is one of the best, from this site. All sources are documented, and whilst it may read like an episode of The X Files, it is really happening.

Evidence appears to suggest that Baxter International is responsible for a new deadly outbreak of viral pneumonia in Ukraine.

In February of 2009 Bloomberg reported that Baxter "accidentally" sent vaccine material containing both live Avian bird flu and seasonal influenza to multiple laboratories worldwide. A laboratory decided to test the vaccine on it's ferrets, but the ferrets all unexpectedly died. It must be noted that Baxter has made a "mistake" like this before. Blood products produced by Baxter once containd HIV. Thousands of haemophiliacs died due to this, and many went on to infect their spouses.

Later in the year, a bizarre story emerged on the internet. The Huffington Post reported on a a man named Joseph Moshe who was arrested after an hours long standoff with the police because he had supposedly made threats against the White House. The man was able to withstand multiple rounds of tear gas.

However, the internet community was very skeptical of the true reasons behind this man's arrest. Comments on the Huffington Post website immediately began pouring in about an unreported side to this story, namely that Joseph Moshe was a Mossad Agent specialized in biological warfare who called into a radio show to warn people about a biological weapon that was being made by Baxter international that would be spread through vaccine and would cause a plague upon it's release.

Although anyone can make a doomsday claim and we should never believe anyone (and it must be said that the Truth movement handled this well, the message was spread without being proclaimed as gospel) the amazing part about Moshe's claim was the location where Moshe said the biological weapon was being produced.

Moshe claimed that Baxter's laboratory in the Ukraine out of all places was creating this biological weapon. All of this came out in the beginning of August, which is more than 2 months before the situation that is currently unfolding. For Moshe to correctly name the country where a new epidemic would be unleashed, requires either inside information, or an incredible coincidence as anyone with a basic knowledge of statistics can confirm for himself.

Let us assume for a moment that every person on our planet has an equal chance of giving rise to a new lethal epidemic due to a virus that mutates as it spreads through his body. The Ukraine has 46 million inhabitants. The current estimated global population is about 6.7 billion. This means that if a new epidemic were to arise, the chance of this epidemic starting in the Ukraine would be 0.69%. However, it appears that this virus is a form of flu. This makes the odds of being right when guessing that a deadly flu is going to break out in the Ukraine even smaller.

The reason for this is that back in early August the vast majority of influenza infections were found in different countries than the Ukraine. In fact, on 30 October, Earthtimes reported that Ukraine had officially reported only two cases of swine flu, and no deaths, until last Friday. This deadly epidemic appears to have arrived out of nowhere in the Ukraine.

Moshe's biomed profile appears to confirm his position as a microbiologist. Furthermore, this page with Baxter's contact information for it's Ukraine office confirms that Baxter has a presence in the Ukraine.

It must also be noted that massive numbers of microbiologists have been dying bizarre deaths. This case of what appears to be a brave man who sacrificed it all to bring us this message may explain why so many microbiologists have been murdered. The fact that this man managed to predict an outbreak of highly lethal influenza in a place where we would least expect it, 2 months before it a actually occured, lends credence to his claim that Baxter International is responsible for the outbreak and shows that top microbiologists can pose a problem to the people responsible for this ongoing disaster.This is a developing story....

***************

Due to many requests I have decided to update the story about a possible man-made epidemic in Ukraine. Evidence from the Ukrainian media appears to suggest that the Ukrainian government was aware of the current Influenza epidemic before it occurred. The Ukrainian "Security Service" warned the Ukrainian cabinet of Ministers and the Ukrainian Defense Council on 20 October, 10 days before the epidemic was officially recognized.

It is interesting to note that Moshe also claimed to be working for a Security Service, namely, the Israeli Intelligence agency Mossad. It appears that the intelligence community was aware of this outbreak before the rest of the public.

Lending strength to this theory is a report from the Ukrainian media that the entire cabinet of Ministers received a vaccine against the swine flu three months ago. Considering that Baxter finished it's first batches of swine flu vaccine in late July this is possible.

For original article click here.

Also see: http://www.unfictional.com/joseph-moshe-mossad-bioweapon-swine-flu-vaccine-westwood

The First 12-Step Program

The First 12-Step Program in History And Why It Didn’t Work

By: Rabbi Y Y Jacobson

Israeli “Serenity”

An American tourist was riding in a taxi in Israel.

As the taxi approached a red light, the tourist was shocked to see the driver drive straight through without even slowing down. Surprised as he was, he didn't say anything, feeling himself a 'guest' and not wanting to make waves.

The trip continued without event until the next intersection.

This time the light was green and, to the American's dismay, the cab driver brought the vehicle to a grinding halt.

Unable to contain his astonishment, he turns to the driver. "Listen", he says, "When you went through the red light, I didn't say anything. But why on earth are you stopping at a green light?"

The Israeli driver looks at the American as if he was deranged. "Are you crazy?!" he shouts. "The other guy has a red light! Do you want to get us killed?!"

Twelve Princes

It would not be a bad idea for contemporary descendants of Ishmael – and for all of us -- to reflect on the individual names of Ishmael's 12 sons, who all became princes and fathers of Ishmaelite nations.

"These are the names of Ishmael's sons in order of their birth," records the Torah in this week's portion, Chayei Sarah, and it goes on to list them in three groups and in three separate verses (1):

"Ishmael's firstborn was Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbiel, Mibsam." Then is the second group of sons: Mishma, Dumah and Massa. Finally, the Torah lists the last five sons: Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Nafish and Kedmah.The Torah then relates where they lived in the Middle East. It concludes its account – and the entire portion -- by stating these ambiguous words: "They fell in the presence of all their brethren" (2).

What’s the Relevance?

What is this episode telling us? Is it a mere incidental detail? The Torah does not include mere incidental details. We have no idea, for example, what Abraham, Sarah, Isaac or Ishmael looked like. Though the Bible records many genealogical and historical facts, it is fundamentally not a book of history or genealogy, but as its very name “Torah” indicates, it is a book of instruction, a blueprint for human life.

The record of Ishmael's family members, then, is not merely a record of dry genealogical facts. Rather, like every sentence and word recorded in the Torah, it is part of a roadmap for our lives' journeys.

But what is the relevance of the 12 ancient names of Ishmael's children? And why did Ishmael give his sons these particular names?

One more question: Why does the Torah divide the 12 names into three distinct uneven groups: a group of four, a group of three and a group of five?

The First Twelve-Step Program

The writings of Jewish mysticism explain that these names represent Ishmael's 12-step program toward living a healthy and well-balanced life. His guide to good living covers the three primary components of life: health, relationships and work.

A. Health

The first group of Ishmael's sons, comprised of four names, represents his four-step guide towards good health.

1. Nebayoth

Nebayoth in Hebrew means hollowness (3). This indicates the need to maintain a body that is hollow and clean from trash and substances detrimental to the human organism. The body is not a garbage can. The body must remain “hollow,” free and light, translucent and filled with alacrity and energy.

2. Kedar

The meaning of the Hebrew word Kedar is warmth or heat (4). This represents the need to exercise regularly, maintaining a warm body temperature and good blood circulation.

3. Adbiel

The meaning of this name is "do not overeat (5)." Even if you are eating nutritious foods, you should consume only the amounts that are needed for your health.

4. Mibsam

The Hebrew translation of Mibsam is spice. In addition to good eating habits and regular exercising, one should add some "spice" and “seasoning” to his or her bodily life, enriching its existence and giving it pizzazz. This is achieved through fine living – eating first rate foods, drinking fine drinks, absorbing the sights and fresh air of nature, enjoying fragrant scents (6), etc.

B. Relationships

The next group of Ishmael's children, comprised of three sons, represents Ishmael's three-step guide towards effective relationships, both in the home and in the work place.

5. Mishmah

Mishmah means to listen, to pay heed to. You must cultivate the skill to truly listen to another human being.

6. Dumah

Dumah means silence. The second step toward creating a good relationship consists of the ability to remain silent. Your must not always feel that you need to respond to your wife's criticism; or don’t always have to give an answer to a question asked. Remain silent. You won’t perish if you don’t shoot a response out of your hip; your silence may even grant you unexpected insight. Successful people do a lot more listening than talking.

7. Massa

Massa, which literally means "a burden," symbolizes the third step which is effective in developing balanced and long-term relationships, namely, patience and tolerance, the ability to tolerate and contain the burdens of another human being, though they may be flawed and imperfect.

C. Work
Once our bodies and our relationships are in order, we may approach the final group of Ishmael's five sons, conveying his five-step program toward work and productivity. In this case, the five names need to be read and understood in a single sequence.

Chadad in Aramaic means newness. Tema indicates wonder. Yetur is a straight line. Nafish means serenity, finally, Kedmah means first and ahead (7).This is Ishmael's five-step program towards work and achievement:

8. Chadad

First, you must be driven to embark on a new and novel path, the road less traveled. You must overcome the fear of failure and be ready to take risks and break new ground. Fear not to be original and creative.

9. Tema

Yet every creator and entrepreneur will encounter resistance. People around you will shrug their shoulders in wonder and astonishment (Tema), criticizing you for an unrealistic fantasy, for youthful arrogance, for immature stupidity. They will predict your failure. What do you do?

10. Yetur

At this point, you need to make sure that your plan is well organized and structured, as perfect as a straight line.

11. Nafish

You also need to withdraw, relax and rethink your plans and goals from a serene and tranquil state of mind. Don't allow an inspiring but fleeting mood to define your long-term goals; make sure you have serenely internalized your mission statement.

12. Kedmah

But if and when you conclude that this is the right path, you need to jump into the project headfirst and not allow the many obstacles along the way to hinder the execution of your dreams. "Move on!" – be first and ahead of the game, because if you procrastinate at this point, someone else will beat you to it.

Thus we have Ishmael's 12-step program towards good living: hollowness, exercise, nutrition and pizzazz; listen, be silent and tolerate; think out of the box, be confident, organized, thought-out and when the moment comes, don’t look back.

The Void

When we reflect on these 12 steps, we notice that one crucial element – perhaps the most important element -- is missing from Ishmael's impressive list. This is the component of meaning.

A human life needs meaning. When we are devoid of inner purpose, it is extremely difficult to maintain these 12-steps which require discipline and focus. At some point you ask yourself, what is the purpose of it all? This question cannot be answered with getting a personal trainer, learning about effective relationships and working your way up in the company.

Thus, the Torah concludes its account of these 12 sons by stating, "They fell in the presence of their brethren." Even the balanced life of health, relationships and work that is devoid of inner meaning, might ultimately fail, because it lacks the oxygen of depth that keeps the person inspired and motivated to live well, and to ensure that the steps are channeled for the right purposes, not for futile or detrimental objectives.

Ishmael's twelve-steps capture an important but superficial layer of existence. It tells us how to live within the rhythms of nature and biology. It does not address our sense that there is something at the core of nature which transcends it. For this we have the names of another twelve tribes, the twelve sons of Jacob, whose names represent the blue print for living not only a fine and balanced life, but also living with the Divine, with the mysterious core of reality (8).

Footnotes:

1) Genesis 25: 13-15.

2) Ibid. 25-18. This verse is translated in different ways by various biblical commentators. The translation given here is based on the Iban Ezra, who understands the word "nafal" in terms of falling.

3) Cf. Exodus 27:8.

4) That is why the Hebrew word for a cooking pot is "kedeirah."

5) Mei Hasheluach Parshas Chayei Sarah. I would be grateful to any reader who can enlighten me how this word signified the lack of overeating.

6) The Talmud shares the value of this. See Talmud Yoma 76b (and references noted there); Tanya chapter 7.

7) This is why east is termed Kedem in the Hebrew language, since the sun rises there first.

8) This essay is based on Mei Hasheluach (by Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Ishbitz) Parshas Chayei Sarah and on other sources.

Tonight, Monday, November 9, 2009, at 8:30pm EST, Rabbi YY Jacobson will deliver a 65-minute global webcast – Relationships in Five Dimensions: Five perspectives, paralleling five layers of Torah-study, on why we derive the Jewish laws of marriage from Sarah’s demise and burial.To watch, please visit www.TheYeshiva.net

Go back Kevin, you are going the wrong way.....

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is hell-bent on signing the Copenhagen Treaty, and doesn't like it when people disagree with him. In fact, he will become hysterical if you challenge his views. He believes, or pretends to believe, that emissions from things like air-conditioners and factories are the cause of climate change.

If you're an Australian, and you think Kevin Rudd has lost the plot, I suggest you head on over to Senator Barnaby Joyce's site and sign the petition . Hey, you can sign it even if you're not an Australian.... you'll be helping us out.

Anyone reading this who doesn't know what the Copenhagen Treaty is, and doesn't understand why there is such a fuss, please read From Global Warming to the New World Order (Kevin Rudd, maybe you should read it too).

Or just listen to this Podcast from the Alan Jones show to understand why:
Is the Copenhagen treaty about creating a world government?

The Mysteries of Obama

Researchers have discovered that Obama’s autobiographical books are little more than PR stunts, as they have little to do with the actual events of his life. The fact is we know less about President Obama than perhaps any other president in American history and much of this is due to actual efforts to hide his record. This should concern all Americans.

A nation-wide network of researchers has sprung up to attempt to fill in the blanks, but at every opportunity Obama’s high-priced lawyers have built walls around various records or simply made them disappear. It is estimated that Obama’s legal team has now spent well over $1.4 million dollars blocking access to documents every American should have access to. The question is why would he spend so much money to do this?

The president who campaigned for a more “open government” and “full disclosure” will not unseal his medical records, his school records, his birth records or his passport records. He will not release his Harvard records, his Columbia College records, or his Occidental College records—he will not even release his Columbia College thesis. All his legislative records from the Illinois State Senate are missing and he claims his scheduling records during those State Senate years are lost as well. In addition, no one can find his school records for the elite K-12 college prep school, Punahou School, he attended in Hawaii.

What is he hiding? Well, for starters, some of these records will shed light on his citizenship and birth.

Continue reading: The Mystery of Barack Obama Continues

Ukraine's Pneumonic Plague

The Ukraine has effectively been shut down by the Pneumonic Plague - not swine flu, not H1N1 or H5N1 - but a new disease that is killing many and infecting approx one million people. As various rumors swirl around the internet - that it is a bio-weapon delivered by any one of the following: Russia/chemtrails/Baxter International/Al Qaeda/Mossad ...... no-one really has any solid information (and the mainstream media are totally ignoring it, which should make us all very suspicious), but there is a blog that is giving regular updates - click here to read.

Update: Russia Belarus and Bulgaria on the verge

And how strange that just one month ago, they play-acted this very same crisis :

In September 2009, senior law enforcement officials, health care professionals and experts from international organizations joined their forces to confront a chilling crisis – the plague had just been unleashed on their countries by unknown evildoers......Organized by the INTERPOL Bioterrorism Unit, this third edition of the event took place from 29-30 September in Warsaw, Poland. Participants in the workshop numbered 27 from six Central and Eastern European countries (Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine)....

Can you give tzedaka with stolen money?

by Rabbi Yaakov Menken

Before a person gives charity with his money, he or she must first ensure that his or her money was acquired honestly, and not through theft or dubious business practices. If not, the "charity" will be of no benefit to the giver, meaning that it will not be considered a Mitzvah at all.

In the laws of Sukkos, we learn that one cannot use a stolen Lulav, referring to the palm frand taken during the holiday. If one uses a stolen Lulav, he has not fulfilled the Mitzvah and has recited a blessing in vain. According to the Bais HaLevi, the law here is the same.

This is why the prophet Isaiah says: "So says HaShem, 'Guard judgment and do Tzedakah'" [56:1] While we would likely translate Tzedakah in this verse as "justice," the other meaning of the word, charity, is also accurate. Guard judgement, and do charity. First be sure to do your business with judgment, and then give charity -- for then and only then will your charity be a mitzvah!

Here we see how the interpersonal laws and those between man and G-d are intertwined. One cannot take a stolen Lulav and do a Mitzvah. One cannot take stolen money and give it to charity. The principle is the same -- one cannot do a mitzvah with stolen goods.

Source: Torah.org

Toward Evening

"Yitzchak went out toward evening to pray in the field" [Chayei Sarah 24:63]

It was at that time, Chazal teach us, that Yitzchak instituted the Minchah (afternoon) prayer.

Chazal state: "The prayers were instituted by the Forefathers [Berachos 26a]: Avraham instituted Shacharis; Yitzchak Minchah; and Yaakov Ma'ariv.

The second letter of each of their names alludes to the prayer that they were responsible for instituting:

The second letter in the name Avraham is "beis". This is the first letter of the word boker, morning - alluding to the Shacharis prayer, which is recited in the morning.

The second letter in the name Yitzchak is "tzaddi". This is the first letter of tzaharayim, afternoon, which is the time that Minchah is recited.

The second letter in the name Yaakov is "ayin" which is the first letter of the word erev - evening - which is the time for reciting Ma'ariv.

Words: Rabbi Y. Bronstein

Art: James Cobban

Everlasting Typos

The Torah forbids us from tattoo-ing our bodies - "You should not make scratches in your flesh...." [Leviticus 19:28]

At Bad Hebrew we can see a few reasons why.

(Photo shows a tattoo which is meant to say "chai" (life) but instead says "hi")

HT: Brooklyn Wolf

Pidyon Shevuyim

Last week I wrote focus on the real captives ..... and it seems I got it wrong. Here's the real deal.....

Over Shabbos lunch, I learned why we assist people involved in a (secular) court case and call it "Pidyon Shevuyim" - redemption of captives.

According to Jewish law, any Jew on trial in a court other than a Beth Din, is regarded as a "captive" of the secular society. Therefore we go out of our way to raise money to assist him in the case. He is innocent until proven guilty. If he is found guilty, then of course he will have to pay the price for his crime. But until then, he is "captive", and it is a case of pidyon shevuyim. This also applies in Israel, where the justice system is not based on halacha, but on secular law.

Parenthood never ends

Mother to babysitter: "Ten minutes only, and then they have to go to bed."

5 year old: "Can you PAUSE it please, I'm just going to bathroom."

6 year old: "FAST FORWARD the bathroom Mendy, we don't have time for that."

5 year old: "I can't, but tell mom to REWIND a bit, and that'll take us back to where we started."

.......................................................................

The servant took ten camels from his master's camels, and he left. In his hand was all his master's possessions. [Chayei Sarah 24:10]

Some parents think that when a child reaches the age of 20, the obligations of parenthood end. The son or daughter is now a mature adult who can, and must, learn to fend for his or herself.

However, we can learn from the conduct of Avraham that education never ceases. At this point, Yitzchak was 37 years old, and Avraham could have quite reasonably taken a "back seat", allowing Yitzchak to make his own choices about where to live and whom to marry.

In fact, Avraham did precisely the opposite. Instead of relaxing and enjoying his own life, he relinquished his life's savings and all his possessions, giving them to Yitzchak in an attempt to help him find an appropriate wife. [Rashi]

From this we can learn that parenthood never ends. Even when one's children become mature adults, we should be willing to sacrifice everything that we have for their benefit.

Based on a Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Obama the Muslim

It's hard to believe that Yishmael's reign is ending now but I'm happy to go along with Rav Shmueli anyway. It's even harder to believe when you see videos like the one below:

Note that while the video says Obama is a muslim, actually he isn't.... he just appears to be.... for more info see: Mr V is not a muslim

The real reason we exist #2

The post below reminded me of a conversation I had with a Rabbi some years ago. I was asking this Rabbi how to deal with a certain situation, where the other person was being extremely difficult and refusing to compromise. This particular person had a very un-compromising nature, yet he was an orthodox Jew who kept all the mitzvos, and in fact was very machmir (stringent) in everything. I suggested to the Rabbi that people who are orthodox, but don't work on their own short-comings, are missing the point.

The Rabbi dismissed my comment and said "but people don't see their own faults".

This really aggravated me. Because if I can see my own faults.... then why is this Rabbi telling me that "people don't see their own faults"? Am I so unique in the world that I know I need to work on certain traits (which I was either born with, or have cultivated over the years)... such as learning to keep my mouth shut and not necessarily have an opinion on every single event in the world.... that there are times to be silent, and times to speak up.....

Then, when I learn that the Baal Shem Tov told us that the reason we are created is to change our nature..... how could that other (aggravating) Rabbi possibly be right?

G-d doesn't give us impossible missions. If we are born, with the express purpose of changing our nature, then obviously at some point in our lives we will wake up and notice exactly what it is about our nature that needs changing. Through learning Torah we find out how people should behave, and we try to adjust our own behaviour to come closer to the examples shown by our leaders.

This Rabbi's throw-away line, that "people don't see their own faults", is no doubt true of a lot of people in the world. But how can it be true of someone who studies Torah, someone who lives as an orthodox Jew? Surely the whole point of being an orthodox Jew is to rise up above the nature that G-d gave you, and rectify whatever needs to be rectified.

Ba'alei teshuva know this well, because a ba'al teshuvah has to struggle up through the levels to achieve the goal of orthodoxy, and thereby change a great deal of his or her lifestyles, and adjust their character to fit in with these new guidelines. But those who are FFB's (frum from birth) don't seem to make the same effort. It seems to me that many FFB's feel superior, and even look down on others who have struggled to reach a higher level. That is ironic, because the Torah tells us that the journey of a ba'al teshuvah (or convert) is so immense that no-one can stand where they stand, they are higher because they have worked so hard to get there.

So if you're doing all the mitzvas, but you're still behaving like a beheima (animal), then it's all pointless. Isn't it?

The real reason we exist

The Baal Shem Tov taught:

And G·d said to Abram, "Go out from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)

"I will make your nature known in the world" (Rashi).

I heard from my Master in the name of Rav Sa'adiah Gaon, that a person is created in this world solely to break his negative, inborn character traits. Through this, he raises up the level called "your nature" [i.e. what is natural for you] "in the world" - [i.e. into the world] Above." It is called "world" (olam) from the word "hidden" (he'elam) and "concealed."

Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore

Australia's most expensive home

was sold yesterday to media tycoon Lachlan Murdoch for AU$23 million. A stunningly beautiful Georgian mansion, with panoramic views of Sydney, the mansion was built at a time when there were very few houses in existence, and they chose the best spot at the top centre of the Hill, ensuring views that could never be built out.

More photos, click here

Not Reality

Never succumb to feelings

of loneliness. No matter where

you are, God is close by.

Remember:

Feeling distant from God

is subjective, not objective;

it is just your own feeling,

not reality.

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

What happens to your email when you die?

(click to enlarge)

IN a digital world your deepest secrets no longer die with you. Andrew Ramadge reports on what happens to your private emails when you pass away.

Remember that time you poured your heart out in an email to your best friend after one too many glasses of wine? Or that sexy message from an old lover that made you blush at work? Well, if you die, your family and others could end up reading them. Web email services owned by internet giants Google and Microsoft have a policy of keeping your data after you die and letting your next of kin or the executor of your estate access it. There is no way for users to flag that they don't want this to happen and no recourse under Australia's existing privacy laws. And they archive the messages you've written as well as received.

When it comes to deleting the data, Microsoft's Hotmail will remove an account if it is inactive for 270 days, while Gmail leaves the responsibility to the next of kin.

Of the top three providers, only Yahoo! refuses to supply emails to anyone after a user has died. The user's next of kin can ask for the account to be closed, but cannot gain access to it. A Yahoo! spokesperson said the only exception to this rule would be if the user specified otherwise in their will.

Australian privacy laws do not cover the emerging problem of what happens to your web-based data when you die. The Privacy Act only refers to people who are alive.

On top of that, many of the most popular web services are not covered by local privacy laws because they are based in the US.

The subject has also proved problematic for social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. More than eight million Australians visited one or both of those sites in September, according to Nielsen's figures.

Facebook has recently publicised a feature called memorialisation that lets the family of deceased users keep their profile page online as a virtual tribute.

Turning a profile into a memorial will remove sensitive information from the page and restrict access to the deceased's friends. The family will not be allowed to log in to the account or access private messages, but can request that it be taken down.

MySpace on the other hand says it addresses the issue of family access to sensitive data on a "case by case basis".

A spokesperson for MySpace could not rule out letting a user's next of kin log into their profile – potentially giving them access to private messages. There is no way for users to tell MySpace that they don't want this to happen, however the site said it was "a good idea that we are exploring".

Hotmail has a policy of deleting email accounts if they are not touched for 270 days. If you die, your next of kin would be able to access your account within that period by proving their identity and supplying a death certificate. A spokesperson said: "Microsoft's policy allows next of kin to gain access to the content of the account of the deceased upon proving their own identity and relationship. Hotmail does not have an option to specify in advance that they do not want the contents of their email accessed by a next of kin."

Gmail will also allow the next of kin or executor of estate to apply for access to a deceased user's email account. However, they need more identification than Hotmail. The person would have to prove their own identity and supply a death certificate as well as proof of an email conversation between them and the deceased.

If the deceased user was underage, the next of kin would also have to provide a copy of their birth certificate.

Gmail does not delete the deceased user's account, but says the next of kin could choose to do so after gaining access to it.

Yahoo! has the strictest policy when it comes to the data of deceased users. The company will let the user's next of kin ask for the account to be closed, but will not give them access to it. It says users who want their emails to be inherited should make arrangements in their will.

A spokesperson said: "The commitment Yahoo! makes to every person who signs up for a Yahoo! Mail account is to treat their email as a private communication and to treat the content of their messages as confidential.

"Internet users who want to be sure their email and other online accounts are accessible to their legal heirs may want to work with their attorneys to plan an offline process for such access as part of their estate planning process."

Facebook has a policy called memorialisation that applies to the profiles of deceased users. Once the user's death is confirmed, their profile can be turned into a sort of virtual shrine. When that happens, the profile is locked so no one can log into it and sensitive information (including status updates) is removed.

Family members can determine how the memorial looks and behaves – for example if other people can continue to write on the user's page – but can't log into the profile themselves.

From Facebook's Help page: "Please note that in order to protect the privacy of the deceased user, we cannot provide login information for the account to anyone. We do honour requests from close family members to close the account completely."

MySpace has no set policy when it comes to the profiles of deceased users. A spokesperson said: "Given the sensitive nature of deceased member profiles, MySpace handles each incident on a case-by-case basis when notified and will work with families to respect their wishes."

The site says it will not allow anyone to "assume control" of the user's profile, however it won't rule out giving families access to the user's private data. MySpace does not delete profiles after periods of inactivity, but will remove a deceased user's profile at the family's request. A spokesperson said giving users a choice about who can access their data "sounds like a good idea".

Original article here

Prophecies of the End Times (Now!)

Reposting this from a few weeks ago, now in its entirety and with corrections.

Author: Dan S.

Obama as described in the ancient Oral Torah (Zohar and Midrash) Sivan 5769
1) Zohar Chadash – Parshas Balak 68b-69a: Near the end of page 68b it says: “A man, unsuitable to rule (the world), will be 'brought to power' in the very Last Days... there will be other men similarly undeserving to be leaders at that time.”

Simply turning the page to 69a it says: וכנישתא חדא לצד דרומא יתאביד ויתחריב. וחמשה זכאי קשוט יתקטלון בינייהו - “A Shul (Chabad house) in the South of the world (Mumbai, India) is utterly destroyed among which 5 tzaddikim perish.” This happened on November 27, 2008 just 3 weeks after Obama's election the events of which are written in the Zohar in this sequence. The Zohar Chadash explains that this latter event makes Hashem extremely angry and fervently zealous to designate both Mashiach ben Yoseph and Mashiach ben Dovid by the subsequent holiday of Shavuos 5769.

The Zohar further states on that same page:
ובגו שפה רפייא וממלל רכיך, יעביד כרעותיה ישלוט

“With a soft spoken, slick sounding voice, he will do as he pleases, he will rule.”וההוא מלכא דהוה שליט בפום רכיך, ישלוט ברגז בגיאו נס ובתוקפא על עמא קדישא “And this king, that rules with a slick voice, will rule with great rage and wrath attacking the holy nation (Israel). Sage commentators: “Harboring many enraged thoughts, he singles out only Israel from among all the nations of the world, giving them trouble and grief, dictating to them many evil edicts.” (Halt all Jewish building, split Jerusalem into a capitol for a palestinian state, redeploy American troops from Iraq to West Bank to insure a nuclear free Middle East, i.e. Israel).

2) Prophet Daniel 7:25: ויסבר להשניה זמנין ודת ויתיהבון בידה עד עדן ועדנין ופלג עדן
“And he shall think to “change” the times and (his country and Israel's) religion (“Obamerica is a Muslim nation”); and they (the holy nation) shall be given into his hands until a time, and times, and half a time.” The commentaries say this is three and a half years (from six months into his term - until the end of his term). “Immediately afterward arrives the Final Redemption,” according to the Prophet who is one of two people (Daniel and Yaakov) to know the End date.

3) בית המדרש חלק ג קמ"א אגדת משיח: (A Midrash about the signs just prior to Mashiach):ויתגאו בני מערב ויבואו ויחזיקו מלכות בלא אפסים “And the Westerners (democrat politicians) will arrogantly come to seize power setting up the kingdom in a manner so that they should rule without end.” (socialism, nanny state, amnesty for illegals, bailouts, government takeovers, economic stimuli, Obamericare, etc., etc.)

ובימים ההם יקום מלך עז פנים...והוא מחזיק מלכות בחלקלקות “And in the those same (End) days a shameless King will rise... and he will seize the Kingdom with a smooth and slick tongue.”

4) בית המדרש חלק ג ס"ה ספר אליהו: (Another Midrash about signs just before Mashiach):

“After the last king of Persia (AchmadeniJihad - Hashem will erase his name) goes up and speaks out against Edom (America - in the U.N.) for three years in succession... a man (will then come to power), who is the least (ideologically respected, and a bold-faced liar) among all the (historic Edomite) kings and is the son of a maid who washes clothes in a tub... He is very tall, has a long face with a wide forehead, thin, thin thighs.”

Stated on the same first page of this Midrash:

“After the last King of Iran has power for three years and 12 months” (elected in June 2005, Achmadenijad took office on August 6, 2005) “he will be held liable in it” (starting with his fraudulent re-election of mid-June 2009 followed perhaps by a repeat terrorist attack against Mumbai, India (and soon after Mexico) this time nuclear – see Navi Yoel 1:15-2:13 as is depicted on the fifth line of this Midrash).

On the bottom of the first page it continues:

“Then, on the twentieth of the month called Mar (bitter) Cheshvan, the entire world will shake through a seismic noise that will sound from the earth until the sky.” This Hebrew date uniquely falls out on November 7th 2009, though a year is not mentioned, implied is after around 4 years +3 (months) that the last ruler of Iran has held power. So this time frame is August 6, 2005 – November 6, 2009 which begins the next distorted gap-down stock market crash. Not so coincidentally, this date is also the exact one-year anniversary of this final king of Edom's election (Obama) and the month of the first series of Mumbai attacks. Also, Obama was elected just days prior to the 70 year (see end footnote) commemoration of Krystall Nacht. But why was Mumbai attacked in the first place and why again perhaps in a much more devastating way as Sodom was, that triggers the nine-months of chevlay – birth pangs before Mashiach?

Days after the attacks, an autistic young Jewish man (Binyamin Golden Dec.1, 2008) is quoted through verified facilitated communication: “Notice the place where all this happened. Mumbai, India, is a city centered around money [it is India's financial center]. It is a major city of Olam Hazeh [this materialist world]: full of Western tourism, restaurants, fancy hotels, etc. Moreover, the essence of India is based on avodah zara (equivalent to idol worship) and there is avodah zara in every corner. And along with that, Mumbai is also filled with the spiritual filth of the Western countries, gashmius [materialism] and many other things hated by Hashem. That is why it is an appropriate place to pass on this message against the Eigel hazahav Golden Calf [“The Holy Cow,”a euphemism for materialism and vanities of this world]. This is only one small example of what will take place, throughout the entire world, if we don't do teshuva and eradicate the terrible impurity that was created by our sins (see Joel 1:15-2:13). That is why it was so vicious. Yet this is still small in comparison with what is waiting for the world if Am Yisrael does not destroy the Egel Hazahav (golden calf) and return to the service of Hashem.

Unfortunately, most of the Jews nowadays are very absorbed in the ways and lifestyles of the gentiles, which revolve around gashmius and the Egel Hazahav. But now Hashem is putting an end to the golden calfs destroying it completely. It is already in the process of dying [Weekly bank failings, bankruptcies, unemployment skyrocketing, dollar collapsing, etc.

However we are not entirely finished with the Egel Hazahav yet, and many Jews are still dreaming and wishing that the world would return to the way it was not too long ago, when money was flowing and people were very busy with shopping and walking around immodestly and all the other materialistic, frivolous things which are the exact opposite of Hashem's will - which is His Torah and His mitzvos.

Yet now, while the Egel Hazahav is dying, many Jews who have become so dependent on the excess materialism of the world, find that they must curtail the extravagant lifestyles they have led until now. They are confused and don't know what to do.

They are willing to pray to Hashem for livelihood, but in most cases they are still not prepared to do real and complete teshuva and make the decision to never again return to their old forbidden lifestyle, their life of excessive materialism, of the Golden Calf [See Mesilas Yesharim, chapter 1, which explains that the true good life of a Jew is exactly the opposite of the Egel Hazahav].

As long as they are not willing to do real teshuva and go back to being true Jews, then there will continue to be terrible tragedies. It will continue until the present world of sheker [falsehood] completely crumbles and those unwilling to do teshuva will disappear from the world, chas veshalom [see Rambam, Hilchos Teshuva, chapter 8, halacha 5], because in the imminent coming world of Emes [Truth], only people of Truth can live.

Two of our prophets, Zechariah and Ezekiel, gave us different versions of how the world as we know it will end. According to one prophecy, many nations will come to Israel to fight against and destroy the Jewish people. But since the Jews will have done teshuva, Am Yisrael will not be harmed [see Ezekiel 38]. However, if chas veshalom, we don't do teshuva, there is the other version, may we never know of it. And that is, that the war will reach all the way to Jerusalem, with terrible seismic quakes and many, many deaths, etc. [see Zachariah 14 and Radak on Joel 3:2]. There will be many victims and relatively very few will receive Moshiach Tzidkenu.”

Finally, on the bottom of the Midrash’s first page it says on the 20th of Kislev all of Israel will stand in prayer crying out to their Father in Heaven. This, I believe, is because of the prior event should it take place, America (Obama) will be dragged to bomb Iran and thus 100,000 missiles will be flying from Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, and Chamas, Chas Vishalom. A couple of pages later the same Midrash discussed above says: “Before Edom (America) falls from power, 10 places will be destroyed and 10 places will be overturned, involving 15 countries that will be destroyed while this same arrogant king (Obama) will stand and decree evil decrees from his kingdom,” indicating these events are to occur over the next 3 years.

The significant hidden meaning of the Hebrew year 5770:

For the first time since creation, this year on the Jewish calendar is התש"ע that can be read as HATISHUA meaning “The Redemption.” This, I believe, points to the entire decade during which the redemption will hopefully unfold with Hashem's help, as each year contains that message within it in gradually increasing stages. For example, the year התשע 5770 – 2010 is followed by 5771 -- התשע'א then 5772 - התשע'ב and so on, unfolding in ever increasing stages of holiness, clarity, and truth. The year התש"ע 5770 – 2010 also spells out HA'TAISHA – “The Nine.” As we know numbers are very important in mystical Jewish tradition. The number nine means truth. Here is how:

The number seven or sheva represents the tevah (nature) and thus the physical world. Why does the number seven represent this concept? Hashem created the world in seven days. Shmitah of the land is every seven years. The Hebrew word Savai'ah means fullness / to be satisfied. The number eight, or shimonah, is ma'aleh min hatevah or rising above nature - spiritually speaking which is one reason why a Bris is done on the eighth day.

The next number is nine. After one has risen above the material (7) and into the spiritual realm (8), the only other place left to reach is “truth”(9). Absolute “Truth” is thus represented by the number “Nine.” The small gematria of אמת - Emes in fact has the value of 9. After that, the count simply reverts to the mathematical concept of the Base 10 decimal numbering system, causing the count to begin anew. This upcoming year התש"ע or “The Nine” can thus be more precisely stated as: “Ha'Emes” - “The Truth” -- intrinsic to every year of the next decade. Naturally, along with “Ha'Teshua”-- Hashem's Redemption comes “Ha'Emes”-- “Hashem's Truth.” So after nearly 2000 years of exile, darkness, suffering, and lies, in התש"ע all truths can begin to be revealed in the world. This climaxes with the ultimate truth and knowledge born from the Redemption which also makes whole the seventh sefirah of Malchus representing Hashem's Kingship. Each year in the coming decade in fact contains this seventh sefirah concept, again, in gradually increasing stages -- the “seventh” centennial (700) and “seventh” decade (70)[1] both of which are built into each year of the decade - (5)770, 771, 772, etc. A wise person will know exactly how to prepare in addition to intensive prayer, so that Hashem brings our Redemption even sooner. In the meantime, in His abundant mercy, Hashem is granting us a few more minutes to return to Him BiT'shuva (with repenta

[1] The number 70 is significant in its own right i.e. Hashem's 70 Names corresponding to the Torah's 70 facets. Avraham's Bris Bein Habisarim - covenant between the parts - occurred when he was 70 years old; 70 years of Babylonian exile; Yaakov's family of 70 who went down to Egypt; 70 years of Soviet galus Communism; 70 nations of the world that equal the gematria of Gog Umagog; 70 years ago Hitler started his mission to destroy us corresponding to 70 words of the prayer Laminatzaich about which the Gaon says equals 70 years of the birth pangs until the Mashiach. Stay tuned ...