Prophetic Words for 2008

Convictions for praying appealed

'Christians shouldn't be punished for expressing their religious beliefs'

A notice of appeal has been filed on behalf of four Christians who were fined for praying in a public park in Elmira, N.Y., according to officials with the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance that defends the right to hear and speak the truth.
"Christians shouldn't be punished for expressing their religious beliefs," said Joel Oster, a senior legal counsel for the ADF. "They have the same First Amendment rights as anyone else in America."
The case stems from a visit by seven Christians to a homosexual festival in a public park in Elmira last year. They were convicted of "disorderly conduct" even though the police officer who arrested them testified their actions were peaceful.
Charges against three of the defendants were dropped, but Elmira City Judge Thomas Ramich concluded Julian and Gloria Raven, Maurice Kienenberger and Walter Quick were guilty of disorderly conduct and fined them $100 apiece, plus court costs.

Iris and retina scans

The iris has a fine texture that — like fingerprints — is determined randomly whilst the foetus is in the womb, thus making every person's irises unique.
An iris scan works by taking a high resolution image of the iris, converting the pattern into a mathematical representation and comparing this to a template of digital images.
Because the process is similar to taking a photo, it is fairly unobtrusive and can be performed up to a few metres away from the individual. However, as with facial recognition technology, there is still the problem of 'live tissue verification', which means that the system needs to be supervised.
The United Arab Emirates has used iris recognition at all its border controls since 2001.

States urged to comply with ID rule

WASHINGTON — Millions of residents of three states will soon face tougher and longer screening at airport checkpoints if their governors defy a federal law requiring new, more-secure driver's licenses.
Maine, New Hampshire and South Carolina have until March 31 to say whether they plan to comply with the law, which they say is costly and will inconvenience residents by forcing them to get new licenses.
If the states don't comply, the Homeland Security Department will bar travelers from using those state's licenses and ID cards to board airplanes starting May 11.
"We are not bluffing," department spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said.

Signs of Possible Deal on New ID Rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — There are signs of a potential compromise to end the Bush administration's standoff with states resisting new standards for driver's licenses. For people who live in those holdout states, the dispute raises the specter of hassles at airports and federal buildings.
At issue is a law known as Real ID that would require new security measures for state-issued driver's licenses. The Bush administration says the law, passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, will hinder terrorists, con artists and illegal immigrants. Opponents say it will cost too much and weaken privacy protections.

Yellowstone Park hit with 4.1-magnitude earthquake

Georgia moves from exceptional to extreme drought

Arkansas winter wheat crop hit by flooding

Philippine officials boost rice imports amid supply crisis

Limited rice supply will force price rise: farmers

Spy-in-the-sky drone sets sights on Miami

MIAMI (Reuters) - Miami police could soon be the first in the United States to use cutting-edge, spy-in-the-sky technology to beef up their fight against crime. A small pilotless drone manufactured by Honeywell International, capable of hovering and "staring" using electro-optic or infrared sensors, is expected to make its debut soon in the skies over the Florida Everglades. If use of the drone wins Federal Aviation Administration approval after tests, the Miami-Dade Police Department will start flying the 14-pound (6.3 kg) drone over urban areas with an eye toward...

U.S. increases fingerprints IDs at airports

YouTube video: Security company wants airline passengers to wear shocking bracelets

Patent application for airline passenger security bracelet

NATO fighters accompany Russian bombers near Alaska

MOSCOW, March 26 (RIA Novosti) -- NATO fighters accompanied Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers on a regular strategic patrol flight on Wednesday, a Russian Air Force spokesman said. Two Bear bombers and two Il-78 aerial tankers conducted a 16-hour patrol mission on Wednesday over the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean and performed aerial refueling.

Russian Charged With Bringing Illness to U.S.

Gov't sources: Russia set on Mideast parley

Putin and Mubarak strike deal on nuclear cooperation

Mubarak: Gaza tension brings Iran threat closer

"The situation that has developed in the Gaza Strip in recent months has led to Egypt in practice having a border with Iran," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told a senior European diplomat about three weeks ago. According to Haaretz's source, who requested anonymity, Mubarak told the diplomat he was concerned over Iran's growing influence in the region. He also compared the situation in Lebanon to that in Gaza, saying that...

Saudi king calls for interfaith talks

Chief rabbi hails king's initiative

Newspeak: Colorado judge rules baby born by C-section was not a person

Why Evangelize the Jews?

Deadline nears for televangelists

Begging for fire and brimstone .... San Francisco homosexuals mock Jesus

A San Francisco-based homosexual organization that has run "Revival Bingo" and whose members have taken communion in a Catholic church in full costume regalia chose Resurrection Sunday to stage its 2008 "hunky Jesus" competition. "This behavior is shameful," said a commentator on the Roman Catholic blog, which has monitor the activities of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" in prior events.