Mario Freedom's Space: Possible

Showing posts with label Possible. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 April 2011

Found: 70 Anceient Books, possible earliest image of Jesus Christ

[What subject stirs up more disagreement than the Christian Holy Bible? Authenticity of artifacts discovered from the time of Christ, i.e. the Shroud, etc. ...]

"...The debate over whether these booklets are genuine and, if so, whether they represent the first known artefacts of the early Christian church or the first stirrings of mystical Kabbalah will undoubtedly rage for years to come. The director of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, has few doubts. He believes they may indeed have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion..."

View the original article here

Monday, 4 April 2011

UK MUSLIM Hate Preacher warns Muslims to stay away from Royal Wedding because of possible Muslim terror attack

Posted: April 1, 2011 | Author: barenakedislam | Filed under: Islamic Britain | 27 Comments »

UK DAILY MAIL –The hate preacher has told all Muslims to stay away from Westminster Abbey on April 29, describing it as ‘a prime target’. Choudary has also been preaching to followers of the hate group, Muslims Against Crusades, and is backing its plan for a ‘forceful demonstration’ at the wedding.

Choudary said: ‘All Muslims should stay away from the public gatherings like the Royal wedding and the Olympics because there is a very high likelihood of an attack (by Muslims).

‘Prime targets most probably would be public gatherings like that, so I think Muslims in general should stay away to avoid injury. ’Maybe when the priest says “is there anyone who objects to this wedding speak now or forever hold your tongue” – who knows what will happen at that time?

‘If my brothers decide to use the opportunity when the world is looking at the Royal Family to pass a message so that we can avoid more deaths of innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan, that should be applauded.

‘Prince William has been on military duty in Afghanistan, as well as his brother. He added: ‘We believe this is complete murder and mayhem that they have orchestrated. We will stand against and expose anyone who supports that. ’Security services in this country will tell you there is very high risk (of a terror attack). That is their main concern about the wedding.’

In 2004 Choudary said a terror attack on British soil was ‘just a matter of time’ and after the London bombings he refused to condemn the atrocities.

He became leader of Islam4UK but it was banned last year under the Terrorism Act 2000. Now a new group has emerged in its place and Choudary admits he is involved.

Muslims Against Crusades is attracting the same fanatics who caused uproar with their planned protest at Wootten Bassett. They sparked outrage when they demonstrated on Armistice Day, burning poppies during the two-minute silence. The group has set up a website with a clock counting down to the Royal wedding, calling the Royal Family ‘enemies to Allah and his messenger’.

Choudhary says the disruption to the Royal wedding could include hardliners from the group setting fire to Union Jack flags. He said: ‘It’s not illegal in this country to burn a Union Jack. There may be placards and people addressing the crowd.

‘They’re a good bunch of people and I think what they say is the truth. ’We live here under the covenant of security and in return for being protected we don’t target the lives of the people where we live. ’I don’t advocate anyone to try any operations of violence here but this is supposed to be a country where people believe in freedom of expression. I think people should express their freedom to loathe the monarchy and what they stand for.’

View the original article here

UK MUSLIM Hate Preacher warns Muslims to stay away from Royal Wedding because of possible Muslim terror attack

Posted: April 1, 2011 | Author: barenakedislam | Filed under: Islamic Britain | 27 Comments »

Choudary said: ‘All Muslims should stay away from the public gatherings like the Royal wedding and the Olympics because there is a very high likelihood of an attack (by Muslims).

In 2004 Choudary said a terror attack on British soil was ‘just a matter of time’ and after the London bombings he refused to condemn the atrocities.

He became leader of Islam4UK but it was banned last year under the Terrorism Act 2000. Now a new group has emerged in its place and Choudary admits he is involved.

View the original article here

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Possible End to QE2 Pushes the US Dollar Higher

03/28/11 St. Louis, Missouri – Good Day… Mike did a great job last week, didn’t he? I read over all of the Pfennigs yesterday to try and get caught up on things, and it sure sounded like an exciting week. A cooling of the reactors at the damaged nuclear plant in Japan and NATO military success in Libya have calmed the markets, and currency traders have begun to move back into the “risk” trades. This will be positive for the high-yielding commodity-based currencies, and should be negative for those currencies that were purchased as “safe havens.”

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard dominated this weekend’s news with a suggestion that the Fed should consider exiting QE2 prior to spending the full $600 billion that was approved for the purchase of US Treasury securities. Apparently Bullard feels that the 3% GDP reported for the fourth quarter on Friday is strong enough to prompt an early exit from round two of the quantitative easing program. “The economy is looking pretty good,” Bullard said to reporters in France on Saturday. “It is still reasonable to review QE2 in the coming meetings, especially this April meeting, and see if we want to decide to finish the program or to stop a little bit short,” he said. QE2 is scheduled to continue through June, and many (including myself) still think there is a good chance we see a third round of easing before the end of the year. Chairman Bernanke has not shown any desire to end the program early, and continues to be worried about the “jobless” recovery here in the US.

But the dollar bulls liked what they heard from Bullard, and the dollar is up slightly in European trading. The reason for the dollar strength goes back to supply and demand. The Fed has been pumping dollars into the markets with their purchase of US Treasuries. So the currency markets have already priced in the additional $600 billion of supply, but if the Fed stops the program before placing all of these funds into the markets, there would be less US currency flooding the markets and therefore the value of each dollar should rise. An early exit by the Fed from the bond purchases would also move rates higher, decreasing the interest rate differential, which has been widening recently. The dollar also got some help from predictions that this morning’s Personal Spending data will show that US consumers are increasing their purchases. Personal spending is expected to have increased 0.5% in February, and Personal income is expected to have increased slightly less at 0.4%. We will also see pending home sales numbers for February, which will probably be disappointing.

The rest of the week will be pretty slow as far as economic data is concerned, with just the consumer confidence and CaseShiller home price index tomorrow and Challenger jobs data on Wednesday. Thursday will bring our usual weekly jobs numbers along with Factory orders for February. Friday will be the big data day, with the release of the employment data for March along with the ISM Manufacturing and Vehicle sales numbers. With no real data released until Friday here in the US, markets will continue to look for direction from Europe and the Middle East.

The euro (EUR) is trading off a bit in early trading after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats were defeated in a regional election. Merkel has been a strong force in the EU’s navigation through the treacherous waters of the sovereign debt crisis, and any indication that she could be losing her grip on power in Germany is bad news for the euro. Mike wrote about Portugal’s problems last week, and the ratings agencies are “piling on” as usual. S&P followed Fitch in cutting Portugal’s credit rating late last week and warned that further downgrades are possible as early as this week. Portugal’s President still hasn’t asked for help from the EU, and is convinced he will be able to get the country’s three biggest political parties to agree on budget cuts in order to meet the government’s deficit targets. The Portuguese government has set a target for a budget deficit of 4.6% of GDP in 2011 and aims to reach the EU limit of 3% in 2012. As Mike pointed out, Portugal is just a small piece of the European picture, but it shows that this sovereign debt problem has some real legs, and will continue to cast a shadow on the euro.

We will get a clear picture of how the markets feel about the EU debt crisis this week, as Italy plans to sell 21.5 billion euros of debt. Italy is Europe’s most indebted country in nominal terms with 1.8 trillion euros of debt. But Italy didn’t have a housing and borrowing fueled boom, so the Italian banks are in better shape than their competitors in Ireland and Greece. The debt auction is expected to go well, and should put a floor on any euro fallout from the Portugal downgrades.

The pound (GBP) continued to decline on Friday, and is off further in this morning’s European trading. The pound fell after a report showed that UK business confidence is the weakest in two years. As Mike reported last week, minutes from the last BOE meeting suggests that rates will remain low. Data to be released tomorrow may further weaken the pound, as it is expected to confirm that the UK economy shrank more than initially estimated in the fourth quarter. Government austerity measures and rising fuel prices are to blame for the negative confidence.

The commodity currencies of Canada (CAD), Australia (AUD), and New Zealand (NZD) were among the best performers over the weekend as investors felt more confidence in the global economic recovery. The Canadian dollar gained the most in three weeks versus the US dollar as crude oil held above $104 per barrel. But the loonie’s rally will probably be capped by political uncertainty, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government was toppled by opposition lawmakers.

The commodity rally and a return to “risk” trades has helped push the Australian dollar to the highest level versus the US dollar since 1983. The Aussie dollar traded above $1.03 for the first time since it began trading freely, surpassing the previous record which it hit on Thursday of last week. The combination of rising commodity prices, and positive interest rate differentials has encouraged investors to flock back into the Aussie dollar.

Both the gold price and silver price are off their highs of last week, but are still trading at fairly strong levels. The precious metals declined on Friday on signs that the US economy is improving, decreasing the need to hold them as a hedge. Bullard’s talk of ending QE2 early eased inflationary concerns, pushing the metals lower. NATO success against Libyan military forces have also helped ease the “need” for the relative safety of the precious metals. Global events over the past few months confirm our belief that all investors should hold a diversified portfolio including metals and currencies. Diversification is an investor’s best protection against the unknown!

Recap: St. Louis Fed Head suggested the FOMC should look for an early exit to QE2, which pushed the dollar higher. Portugal had a ratings decrease, but the President is confident that he will be able to get his government to accept austerity measures. The euro will be tested by Italy’s bond auction this week, but is looking like it will hold up above $1.40. The pound sold off as UK business confidence is at the lowest point in two years. Commodity currencies continued to rally as “risk” trades were put back on, and gold and silver sold off their highs, but continue to protect investors.

Chris Gaffney
for The Daily Reckoning

Chris Gaffney is vice president of EverBank World Markets and the alternate author of the popular Daily Pfenning newsletter. Mr. Gaffney has been involved in the global marketplace since 1987, and is director of sales for EverBank World Markets. The Daily Pfennig is delivered via e-mail to tens of thousands of market watchers globally, providing commentary that allows them to stay on top of economic, currency, and market happenings. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds degrees in accounting and finance from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Thursday, 24 March 2011

More Details on Concerns Over Possible Terror Ties of UK Shariah Banks and Islamic Charities

It sure would have been nice if these same concerns were shared by our shameful US Treasury Department, which held seminars on Shariah-Compliant Finance after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised these issues…

These are the exact issues that we and other opponents of Shariah-Compliant Finance have raised for years, yet Wall Street and federal regulators remain oblivious to the threat.

The article below from The Telegraph in Great Britain quotes a British Foreign Office director as describing Al Qaeda as a “money making machine,” due to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s practice of ransoming hostages for money. Evidently, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland have all paid such ransoms to the Jihadist terrorist organization.

This article gives us an opportunity to point out that Al Qaeda doesn’t just get its money from kidnapping. In fact, the reality is that Al Qaeda gets its money from a variety of sources.

One source is zakat. Zakat is a form of tithing in Islam whereby all Muslims who are able to do so must share 2.5% of their wealth. Often zakat payments are made to Islamic charities (many of which have been tied to terrorism):

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2009/04/18/shariah-approved-islamic-charities-found-to-fund-terror/

How do we know that zakat funds Al Qaeda?

All one has to do is to go back to the 2004 9/11 Commission Report for authoritative statements on the subject:

http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf

From page 170 of the report:

Al Qaeda and its friends took advantage of Islam’s strong calls for charitable giving, zakat. These financial facilitators also appeared to rely heavily on certain imams at mosques who were willing to divert zakat donations to al Qaeda’s cause.
Al Qaeda also collected money from employees of corrupt charities. It took two approaches to using charities for fundraising.One was to rely on al Qaeda sympathizers in specific foreign branch offices of large, international charities–particularly those with lax external oversight and ineffective internal controls, such as the Saudi-based al Haramain Islamic Foundation. Smaller charities in various parts of the globe were funded by these large Gulf charities and had employees who would siphon the money to al Qaeda.
In addition, entire charities, such as the al Wafa organization may have wittingly participated in funneling money to al Qaeda. In those cases al Qaeda operatives controlled the entire organization, including access to bank accounts. Charities were a source of money and also provided significant cover, which enabled operatives to travel undetected under the guise of working for a humanitarian organization.

From page 372 of the report:

Charitable giving, or zakat, is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is broader and more pervasive than Western ideas of charity–functioning also as a form of income tax, educational assistance, foreign aid, and a source of political influence. The Western notion of the separation of civic and religious duty does not exist in Islamic cultures. Funding charitable works is an integral function of the governments in the Islamic world. It is so ingrained in Islamic culture that in Saudi Arabia, for example, a department within the Saudi Ministry of Finance and National Economy collects zakat directly, much as the U.S. Internal Revenue Service collects payroll withholding tax. Closely tied to zakat is the dedication of the government to propagating the Islamic faith, particularly the Wahhabi sect that flourishes in Saudi Arabia.
Traditionally, throughout the Muslim world, there is no formal oversight mechanism for donations. As Saudi wealth increased, the amounts contributed by individuals and the state grew dramatically. Substantial sums went to finance Islamic charities of every kind. While Saudi domestic charities are regulated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, charities and international relief agencies, such as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY). are currently regulated by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. This ministry uses zakat and government funds to spread Wahhabi beliefs throughout the world, including in mosques and schools. Often these schools provide the only education available; even in affluent countries, Saudi-funded Wahhabi schools are often the only Islamic schools. Some Wahhabi-funded organizations have been exploited by extremists to further their goal of violent jihad against non-Muslims.

In other words, Islamic charities have played an integral role in Al Qaeda’s funding structure, and in some cases Islamic charities have also played an operational role for Al Qaeda. Furthermore, the system of zakat has laid the foundation for violent jihad through the promotion of Wahhabi (Salafi) Islam, the religion of Al Qaeda.

This is relevant to Shariah-Compliant Finance, because zakat is part and parcel of Shariah-compliant financial institutions. They both pay zakat themselves and, in some cases, facilitate zakat payments for investors. At least one such entity, Bank al Taqwa, was designated a terrorist entity by the US Treasury Department and shut down back in 2001.

With charities funding other charities, oversight would be difficult under most circumstances. But, because there is no real international oversight of zakat and Islamic charities, there is virtually no way for investment firms or their clients to perform anywhere near adequate due diligence to determine the final destination and disposition of zakat funds.

Perhaps that is because, in reality, the funding of violent jihad is actually a requirement of Shariah law. In other words, funding groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas is as natural under zakat laws as disaster relief is for the American Red Cross.

The most authoritative source for such information is a book which is available on Amazon called “The Reliance of the Traveler, A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law.” That book has a whole section devoted to the rules of zakat, including “THE EIGHT CATEGORIES OF RECIPIENTS.” On page 272, section h8.17, one category is labeled:

THOSE FIGHTING FOR ALLAH

The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged. Though nothing has been mentioned here of the expense involved in supporting such people’s families during this period, it seems clear that they should also be given it).

This passage, from this widely-used Shariah text seems to have been written expressly about zakat payments to charities which have funded Al Qaeda, HAMAS, Hezbollah and the Taliban. Note from the passage that such payments are meant specifically for irregular forces who are not part of any army roster, which describes terrorist/guerilla/insurgent groups exactly. Note that they are meant for “Islamic” military operations and not secular groups (i.e. HAMAS and not the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command). Note that such payments are made even if the recipient is affluent…like Osama Bin Laden. And, finally, the families of fighters are to be taken care of, such as payments by Saddam Hussein and Saudi princes to families of Islamikaze bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

All too often, the destinations of zakat payments are to Jihadists, simply because Shariah mandates it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8383789/Al-Qaeda-a-money-making-machine.html

AS POWEL SAID ” WE MUST BE MAD “

Posted by shariahfinancewatch on March 20th, 2011

Many thanks to the intrepid Janet Levy for this translation of an article from a German blog dated 18 March…

The Kraken [ed. a type of giant squid – making reference to the tentacles] of Islamic Banking.
A hand full of Sharia-Mullahs watch over the Islamic banking institution.  Men like Mohammed Elgari from Saudi Arabia, Abdul Sattar Abu Ghuddah from Syria, and Nizam Yaqubi from Baharain meet in the Sharia Boards of a dozen financial organizations.  They are the mighty lords of the Islamic world of finance (see graphic, “The Sharia nework below”).
Yaqubi alone sits in 85 committees, as the research of the Mainz network research Murat Ünal demonstrates.  Only five Sharia-Watchmen are seated at a third of all boards.  They administer like professionals over insurance, funds, banks or Islamic market indices.  Sheik Guddah, for example, sits on the board of all Islamic index funds providers.  At the world-conferences in Geneva and London they are the keynote speakers.  They are the legal consultants, confessors, and law-givers in one person for bankers.  Their specialty:  here and there they avert their eyes, such as when Yaqubi preaches in the Baharaini mosques.  Three to four percent is what he accepts as “administration fees, something that does not go against the principles of Sharia.”
The Honorariums and rules appear to be all laid out.  “There is a shortage of Learned who are prepared to make rulings that banks like.”, as the adviser Tarek El Divany in London says.  In other words: The Lords have very secular pronouncements, and no wonder:  Millions and Billions depend on their decisions.  In this field [of work] there are six-figure gains for board membership for naming a new financial product.
“A show of religious authority, demonstrated by Islamic Scholars”, economist Mahmoud El-Gamal from Rice University in Texas, laments.  He has been dealing with this new discipline for ten years.  He has a stack of dozens of stories, details of which illustrate the exploitation, dating as far back as the 80’s.  All possible sticky bank dealings that should actually be forbidden [under Sharia] get crafted for gain – from leasing to the bonds market-, with an annual growth of up to 25%.
Source: Bilanz

http://www.bilanz.ch/edition/artikel.asp?AssetID=7825

Great graphic on the Shariah Finance Scholar Network:

http://www.bilanz.ch/media/download/BIL_2310_Islam2.pdf

WAKE UP SHEEPIE’S TAKE A LOOK AROUND!

Posted by shariahfinancewatch on March 21st, 2011

View the original article here

Monday, 21 March 2011

Warning issued over possible surface flooding, slips and fast-rising water levels

Infonews.co.nz Monday 21 March 2011, 9:55AM
By Environment Waikato
WAIKATO

Waikato Civil Defence is warning people to be aware of the dangers posed by heavy rain expected to hit the Coromandel later today, while a weather watch is also in place for the rest of the Waikato.

Emergency management officer Greg Ryan said the MetService had advised that up to 180mm was expected for the Coromandel Ranges from 4pm, with up to 100mm elsewhere on the Peninsula.

“Up to 50mm of rain could fall in an hour and this heavy rainfall has the potential to cause surface flooding, as well as slips on some of the Coromandel’s rural roads,” Mr Ryan said.

“Due to the intensity of this rainfall storm water drains could struggle to cope. The community can help minimise the impact of surface flooding by clearing debris and rubbish from drains and gutters.

“Motorists should ensure their headlights are on, so other road users can see their vehicles in the rain. Drivers should also reduce their speeds and increase their following distances to minimise their risk of a serious crash.

“The combination of the heavy rainfall, strong on-shore winds and higher than normal tides could also lead to flooding in low-lying areas.”

Mr Ryan advised water users to always check conditions prior to entering the coastal areas and adhere to all warnings.

He also reminded members of the public that the impact of the rainfall on rivers and streams would not be realised immediately and people should not endanger their lives by entering either flood waters, or swollen rivers or streams.

The Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group is working closely with Environment Waikato to monitor the region’s rainfall and river levels.

On the web:
http://www.waikatoregioncdemg.govt.nz/
www.facebook.com/WaikatoCivilDefence
http://www.metservice.com/
http://www.aa.co.nz/

I wrote for Investigate Magazine from 2000-2005, then decided to invest my energy in the alternative media, when I became aware of the rise of fascism that was being concealed from the public under the guise of hoaxes, such as the "war on terror," by the mainstream media.

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Friday, 18 March 2011

UN warns possible radioactive plume to reach Aleutian Islands, S Califormia

A United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume coming from crippled Japanese reactors shows it churning across the Pacific, and touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday.
Continues here

Forcast for Plume's Path

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