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Friday, August 25
Evacuation Drill: Are You Prepared for a Disaster?
by
Jodie A.
on Fri 25 Aug 2006 08:34 PM EDT
By Heather Sells
CBN News
CBNNews.com – (CBN News) - The one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is next week, and most Americans are still not prepared for a Katrina-size disaster. Are you?
What would you do if you had just 10 minutes to get out?
Here is the story of two families -- one that prepared, and one that did not.Firefighter: We have an emergency. You need to evacuate the house. You have 10 minutes!
Two families, same drill, but there’s a difference. Erica and Jason Bissch talked about and practiced for an evacuation.Erica Bissch said to her husband, “You do the office and photos, and I’ll do the suitcase.”
Alex and Steve Gorman, like most American families, had not.‘Let me just put some clothes together,” Alex said. “Just hurry. I'll get it. Just hurry.”The Bissch family divided up their responsibilities. Jason Bissch packed personal files and grabbed a pre-packaged box of financial records and photo albums.
Erica Bissch put family medicines, comfort items, and ready-to-load suitcases in the car.It's a different scene at the Gorman home.“Hey Alex, where is that book I am reading?” Steve asked.Alex Gorman asked, “Did you get all the things for Jolene and Isabelle and ... more »
Symbolism of the Shofar
by
Jodie A.
on Fri 25 Aug 2006 08:29 PM EDT
by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
The shofar is the quintessential symbol of Rosh Hashana. Is it just a primitive trumpet? Or is there a much greater story to be told? During the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana, notice there are three distinct sounds:
- Tekiah -- one long, straight blast
- Shevarim -- three medium, wailing sounds
- Teruah -- 9 quick blasts in short succession
Hear the Shofar Sounds
Let's examine each of these shofar sounds, and see how they relate to the different
themes of Rosh Hashana.THE TEKIAH SOUNDRosh Hashana is the day of appreciating who God is. We then internalize that understanding so that it becomes a living, practical part of our everyday reality. God is all-powerful. God is the Creator. God is the Sustainer. God is the Supervisor. In short, God is King of the Universe. But for many of us, the idea of a "king" conjures up images of a greedy and power-hungry despot who wants to subjugate the masses for his selfish aims. In Jewish tradition, a king is first and foremost a servant of the people. His only concern is that the people live in happiness and harmony. His decrees ... more »
Peace in Israel is possible, but ultimately not through the force of arms.
by
Jodie A.
on Fri 25 Aug 2006 07:55 PM EDT
by Rabbi Noson Weisz
Peace in Israel is possible, but ultimately not through the force of arms. The State of Israel may be 58 years old, but we are still fighting for our existence. We do not need the experts to tell us that this ceasefire is merely a respite; experience has taught us that lasting peace in the Middle East is a chimera.The Declaration of Independence in 1948 defines the State of Israel as a Jewish country. No other country on earth is defined in terms of its religion. There are many countries where the majority of the population is Moslem or Christian, but a Christian has no right of return to England or France or the United States, nor will Egypt or Iran accept every Moslem. Every Jew, however, has the right of return and can become an Israeli citizen on demand. Why? Because Israel is the Jewish homeland and a place of refuge for world Jewry.
This is an inspiring concept, but it presents the Jewish people with an extremely challenging issue; how to define a Jew. It is absurd to call yourself a Jewish country if you have no clear idea of what being Jewish means, ... more »
Russia rejects sanctions against Iran
by
Jodie A.
on Fri 25 Aug 2006 06:52 PM EDT
By Ron PopeskiMOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Friday rejected any talk for now of sanctions against Iran and France warned against conflict with Tehran, raising doubt whether it will face swift penalties for not halting nuclear work by an August 31 deadline.Responding to an offer of economic incentives to stop enriching uranium, Iran hinted to six world powers on Tuesday it could curb its program as a result of talks to implement the package -- but not as a precondition as they demand.The reply seemed designed to crack the ramshackle united front of four Western powers and Russia and China behind the U.N. Security Council deadline. The West sees Iran's nuclear work as a looming threat to peace. Russia and China do not."I know of no instances in world practice and previous experience in which sanctions have achieved their aim and proved effective," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters during a trip to Russia's far east.Moreover, I believe that the question is not so serious at the moment for the U.N. Security Council or the group of six to consider any introduction of sanctions. Russia stands for further political and diplomatic efforts to settle the issue."Ivanov is regarded ... more »
Halutz names officer to prepare for possible war with Iran
by
Jodie A.
on Fri 25 Aug 2006 06:49 PM EDT
| By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent |
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In an effort to upgrade Israel's preparedness for a possible confrontation with Iran, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has appointed Israel Air Force Commander Major General Elyezer Shkedy as the IDF's "campaign manager" against countries that do not border on Israel - primarily Iran.
The appointment was made before the war in Lebanon.
As part of his new responsibilities, Shkedy will act as "GOC Iran Command": He will oversee battle plans and manage the forces if war breaks out. According to a security source, Shkedy will be the "orchestra conductor," coordinating the operational activity of Mossad and Military Intelligence with the IDF's various operational branches. The security source noted that during the 1991 Gulf War, the IDF did not have a "campaign manager" for Iraq. Instead, the IAF, the intelligence agencies and the ground forces each operated within their own areas of responsibility and authority.
Original Source
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Iran leadership poses threat
by
Jodie A.
on Fri 25 Aug 2006 06:46 PM EDT
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if he ever became the supreme decision maker in his country, would "sacrifice half of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel," Giora Eiland, Israel's former national security adviser, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. At present, Eiland stressed, the ultimate decision maker in Iran was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 67, whom he said was "more reasonable." But, Eiland went on, "if Ahmadinejad were to succeed him - and he has a reasonable chance of doing so - then we'd be in a highly dangerous situation." The 49-year-old Iranian president, he said, "has a religious conviction that Israel's demise is essential to the restoration of Muslim glory, that the Zionist thorn in the heart of the Islamic nations must be removed. And he will pay almost any price to right the perceived historic wrong. If he becomes the supreme leader and has a nuclear capability, that's a real threat." In facing up to Iran's nuclear ambitions, Eiland said the United States had three possible courses of action, "all of them bad," and that a decision could not be postponed for too long, "since delay, too, is a decision of sorts." The first option was "to ... more »
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