I know that a lot of college kids like to get away during spring break and “party hard” with their friends.  It seems like, each year, the partying gets wilder and wilder.  I don’t think this is very wise, but people will do what they want to do.

On the other hand, there are some young adults who choose to be helpful to others during their time off.  For instance, students in the University of Delaware Alternative Breaks Program (UDAB) are working near Charleston, West Virginia, to improve the lives of other people there.

This short video shows Jesse Watters (on Bill O’Reilly’s program) interviewing students using their vacation time to help out numerous people, including a man whose home was severely damaged due to flooding.  They do not get paid anything for their selfless contributions.

Many feel that there is a conflict between science and the Christian faith.  It is felt that scientific discoveries make it impossible to believe in God and in the Creation account found in the Bible.  I disagree.

My cousin Bob wanted me to share 4 short videos with others.  They feature Dr. Fazale Rana of Reasons to Believe ministries interviewing Dr. Bernard Palmer, a senior surgeon and Christian.  In these brief videos, Palmer helps to refute the notion that science and Christianity are incompatible.

Video		Length
Harmony between Christianity and Science Has Science Ever Caused you to Doubt Your Faith? Why is the Scientific Community Resistant to the Idea of Design? The Creator’s Fingerprints in Nature		5min 55sec   5min 05sec   3min 39sec   3min 52sec

Not only have there been numerous protests against the new government in the USA, it looks like there also are increasing protests against the government in Russia.  Today, they were protesting what they insisted was widespread corruption among the country’s elite, mainly Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

There were about 8,000 protestors in Moscow.  Hundreds were arrested.  Overall, there were protests in about 100 Russian cities.

Russian authorities declared the protest march in Moscow “illegal.”  Just three days ago, a former Russian lawmaker and critic of the Russian government, Denis Voronenkov, was shot dead outside a luxury hotel in Kiev.

A vote in the House of Representatives was scheduled this afternoon to begin the process of repealing and replacing Obamacare.  However, once it was clear that there were not enough votes to pass it, Speaker Ryan withdrew the legislation after President Trump’s direction to do so.

If radical Islamists from Gaza, Lebanon or anywhere else go to war with Israel, they could find their usual targets empty.  In case warfare breaks out, Israel has plans to evacuate up to 250,000 civilians from border communities.  Perhaps this is being done as a result of the military exchange between Israel and Syria, just a few days ago, on Mar. 17.

I wonder what the chance is that this might happen sooner rather than later, like maybe even next month.

In other news, attacks by a single terrorist took place today in central London, near the Houses of Parliament.  Five people are dead, including the attacker and a policeman.

The attacker was Khalid Masood, 52, a convert to Islam.  He had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses.

Masood drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing at least three and injuring about 40 others.  Then he crashed his car into railings outside of Parliament, where he was confronted by police.

One officer, Keith Palmer, 48, was unarmed.  Masood stabbed and killed him, after which the armed officers shot the terrorist dead.  It was reported that he had been inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism.

Remember when Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady reported his jersey as missing after the 2017 Superbowl game on Feb. 5?  Well, that jersey, along with another of Brady’s jerseys from the 2015 Superbowl game, have been found at a home in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico. 

The accused thief is Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos.  He was the former editor of the newspaper La Prensa and is a memorabilia collector.  He recently resigned from the newspaper, citing “difficulties related to the health of a family member” as the reason for his resignation.  Numerous details about all of this can be found here:

Spring began today at 3:29 a.m. PDT.  It is the Spring Equinox, when the daylight hours equal the nighttime hours.

After today, the hours of light will increase and the hours of darkness will decrease each day until June 21 (the Summer Solstice).  Then the pattern will reverse.

Twice a year, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, San Diego, CA, the sunset lines up perfectly with the water channel.  This cool phenomenon occurs both on the Spring Equinox (today) and on the Autumnal Equinox (six months from now).

Occasionally, on the news, we hear about events that happen in Israel, such as in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the West Bank.  But people who have not visited Israel are unaware of the daily activities of the Jews and the Palestinians who live there.

I think that Rick Steves has made a couple of fair-and-balanced documentaries about Israel.  He includes both Jewish narratives and Palestnian narratives.  They should give the average person a better understanding of this historic land and the interactions of the people there.

There has been a rare but very concerning military exchange between Israel and Syria.  Evidently, there were Israeli airstrikes in Syria.  In response, Syria launched anti-aircraft missiles against Israeli warplanes.

Some have asked me about the possibility of a “firstfruits rapture” of a segment of Christian believers.  Although I do believe in a primary Rapture event of the majority of believers, I do leave open the possibility for other catching-up events of lesser numbers of believers.

One of these possibilities is a Mid-Tribulation Rapture of “firstfruits” believers.  I have described this in the following lengthy email response:

• Is it possible that Jesus' parable about the ten virgins could indicate that there will be a Mid-tribulation Rapture?

Exactly one month from today, Apr. 16, is Resurrection Day = Feast of Firstfruits = Resurrection Day (often called “Easter Sunday”).  It will take place during Passover week.  Paul described Jesus Christ’s “firstfruits” resurrection from the dead this way:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that paying back the outstanding debt of the U.S. “is a critical commitment.”  He said that “extraordinary measures” will have to be taken to avoid default.

Mnuchin said that he will employ measures to avoid breaching the borrowing limit once the current suspension of the limit expires on March 16.  That is tomorrow.

The debt ceiling has not been raised since 2015.  If the Congress does not get around to raising it tomorrow, the U.S. Treasury will use a variety of bookkeeping maneuvers to continue to finance government operations.

In that case, sometime from August to November this year, Congress will need to enact an increase in the borrowing limit to avoid the first-ever default on the government’s obligations.  Such a default would send shock waves throughout global financial markets.

This is a supreme example of “kicking the can down the road.”  Indeed, it is a very inconvenient “can” to pick up and deal with.

Today, the U.S. national debt is about $19.918 trillion.  I believe it is so high and out-of-control that it cannot and will not be brought down.

As such, I feel it is only a matter of time before the U.S. does default on its debt.  That alone could cause a global economic collapse, if that hasn’t already happened by the time the default occurs.

The following is a short report by Brett Baier.  It is a good summary of the seriousness of the escalating national debt, which quickly is approaching $20 trillion.

In most of the United States (except Hawaii and most of Arizona), and in some other parts of the world, time has “sprung forward” an hour today.  These regions observe Daylight Saving Time, where the sun will rise an hour later in the mornings but set an hour later in the evenings.

In other news, today is Purim, which began last evening at sunset.  Many communities observe it tomorrow as well.  It is a time celebrated by Jews everywhere in commemoration of being saved from extermination.  This is a very interesting account of how God blessed a Jewish girl to the point of becoming Queen over the entire Medo-Persian Empire.

The annihilation of all the Jewish people had been decreed, and Queen Esther was in a position to prevent this from happening, even though she risked her life in doing so.  It is a fascinating, true story, in case you would like to read about it in the Book of Esther.  In that biblical account is written the mandate that every generation of Jews should celebrate Purim:

These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city.  And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants. (Esther 9:28)

       
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Daylight Saving Time begins tomorrow in most of the United States.  At 2:00 a.m., the time will become 3:00 a.m.

I like the fact that there will be an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day for about 8 months.  However, I don’t particularly enjoy losing an hour of sleep the first night.

Therefore, at noon today, I set my watch and the clocks in the house and in my car an hour ahead.  So I will be adapting to the new time the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Moreover, I will get my full amount of sleep tonight because I will be going to bed an hour early.  That way, I won’t be yawning during church tomorrow.  I use the official U.S. time clock to obtain the correct time, to the nearest second.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan gave a Powerpoint presentation today explaining the process of repealing and replacing Obamacare with the American Health Care Act.  Obamacare is collapsing and is going to get even worse if nothing is done.

There will be a three-pronged approach.  The first step is what the Ways and Means Committee marked up this morning and what the Commerce Committee is working on today.

Only so many things can be done in this bill, which eventually will go to the Senate.  This limitation is because of the Senate floor rule of Reconciliation.  Not everything can be put in the legislation at once because it would be filibustered in the Senate and would not even be brought up for a vote.

The whole three-pronged approach is complex.  Speaker Ryan also describes why Obamacare is such a failure and why something needs to be done to fix it now.  He said, “This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare.”

For a better understanding, listen to Speaker Ryan’s full explanation with questions (about 35 minutes) here:

I have felt earthquakes on both the Newport-Inglewood and Rose Canyon faults in So. CA.  However, it recently has been discovered that they are part of one continuous fault (NIRC) system.  This makes the likelihood of a large quake, such as a 7.3 or 7.4, more likely, and it could adversely affect millions of people.

U.S. House Republicans have unveiled their new plan to replace Obamacare.  Legislation released last night will next be refined in committees.

However, the replacement bill already is being met with resistance, even from congressional conservatives.  In the days ahead, there will be a great deal of discussion about this before a final bill is formulated.

The plan, still in the House Committee, can be viewed here:

Back on Feb. 9, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a travel ban put in place by President Trump.  Now Trump has revised that plan in a new executive order.  The main difference is that Iraq will be taken off the list of countries subject to the ban.

The big news this weekend has been about Donald Trump’s tweets, early yesterday morning, accusing Barack Obama of having the phones tapped at Trump Tower.  Here is one of the tweets (except he wrote “tapp” instead of “tap”):

How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

Trump presented no evidence to support his claim.  This accusation caught senior federal law enforcement officials, as well as many in the White House and the Justice Department, completely off-guard.  It really was baffling.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was up a whopping 303.31 points today.  It hit another record high, topping 21,100 for the first time.  The Dow was up 1.46% to 21,115.55, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 1.37% to 2,395.96.

 

President Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress took place tonight.  He took mostly an optimistic tone, focusing on economic opportunity, national security, education, immigration reform, health care reform and the “renewal of the American spirit.”

The entire speech, including the 94 interruptions of applause, lasted just over an hour.  It can be watched and heard here, with a link to the text of the speech below that:

I think this is the best speech I have heard Trump give, whether as a private citizen, as a candidate or as the president.  I suspect that this will have a very positive effect on the stock market tomorrow.

However, I am much more impressed with actions than with words.  So we’ll see if Trump will be able to follow through with his aggressive agenda.

In Philadelphia, PA, the Mount Carmel Jewish Cemetery was vandalized over the weekend.  More than 100 headstones were toppled over.  No arrests have been made, but the FBI is investigating.

This is the second such incident in a week.  The first one was on Feb. 20 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, MO.

Furthermore, threatening calls continue to be made to Jewish schools and community centers throughout the nation.  Just today, 20 Jewish institutions in the following 12 states received threats:

It’s been a few years since I’ve watched a movie.  To me, a movie is an attempt to to mimick reality by creating life-like situations that are not real.  Personally, I’d rather focus on the things in this world that are real.

I watched segments of Hollywood’s Academy Awards marathon tonight.  As usual, I was busy doing other things; so the TV was muted most of the time.

Also, I don’t have much interest in seeing all of the gloriously acclaimed “movie stars,” most of whom consider themselves to be what I refer to as “COTUs” (Centers of the Universe).  Most of them seem to be their own gods and godesses, but they definitely are not at the center of my universe.  Only the true God occupies that position for me.

The very last category of Oscars to be awarded was the Best Picture of the year category.  For the first time ever, the presentation of this award turned out to be a complete fiasco.  After all of the confusion for several minutes was over, I actually had a good laugh at the utter stupidity of it all.

The Best Picture presenters were Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.  For those who may not recall or who are not old enough to remember, these were the two main actors in the famous (and very violent) 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde.

Somehow, the envelope with the card inside that read “Emma Stone, La La Land” was mistakenly given to Beatty.  Stone had just won the Oscar for Best Actress in that movie.

Understandably, Beatty was confused and did not know what to say.  Dunaway, obviously becoming impatient, told him, “You’re impossible.  Come on!”  So he handed the card to her, and she announced, “La La Land!"

All of those associated with the movie La La Land came onto the stage and received Oscars.  A few of them gave “thank you” speeches.

But then...La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz came to the microphone, holding the Oscar that he had received, and said, “There’s a mistake.  Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture!”  In the chaos that followed, those associated with the movie Moonlight came to the stage to receive their awards, while the La La Land crowd left.  It was totally crazy.

In Atlanta, GA, today, Tom Perez was elected as head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).  He was the Secretary of Labor in Bill Clinton’s administration.  Perez was backed by former Attorney General Eric Holder and former Vice President Biden for this position.  Barack Obama had praised Perez but had not formally endorsed him.

Tom Perez won in the second round of voting, defeating Keith Ellison 235 votes to 200 votes.  However, Perez did appoint Ellison as deputy DNC chairman.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,800 for the first time.  The Dow was up 0.17% to 20,810.32, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.04% to 2,363.81, which is just below its record high.

 

A good friend in Arkansas and I have this “thing” about various sequences of numbers containing a repeat of the numeral 2.  Since today is 2/22 (or, in many parts of the world, 22/2), I sent him an email at exactly 2:22:22 a.m. his time (CST).  I used the clock at http://time.gov/HTML5 to determine the exact time.

Here are a few of the pics we’ve sent each other over the years:

     
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,700 for the first time.  The Dow was up 0.58% to 20,743.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.60% to 2,365.38.

 

In University City, MO (near St. Louis), the Chesed Shel Emeth Jewish Cemetery was vandalized today.  About 200 headstones were toppled over.  No arrests have been made.

There have been over 60 bomb threats at Jewish community centers across the U.S. since the beginning of the year, with 48 of these occurring in January.  The wave of bomb threats has affected centers in 27 states.  Some centers have received multiple calls, with most of the centers being evacuated.

Furthermore, in 2014 and 2015, the FBI recorded more than 1,270 hate crime incidents targeting Jews.  This is more than for any other religious group.

Rush Limbaugh appeared on Chris Wallace’s program on Fox News Channel today.  The entire interview lasted almost 12½ minutes.

Here are several things Limbaugh said, some direct quotations and some excerpts:

• It is preposterous to believe that the Russians had any effect on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, either on how the votes were cast or how they were counted.  There is no evidence for this.  Those who would insist that the Russians did have an effect would have to acknowledge that Hillary won the popular vote.
• People who voted for and supported Donald Trump really believed that they were going to lose the country, as founded, if Hillary Clinton won.
• Trump needs to get to work on repealing Obamacare, doing tax reform and shoring up our borders.
• The left says that “immigration” means that any non-citizens wanting to enter the country should be allowed to do so.  But they are defining and supporting illegal immigration, which should not be allowed.
• The Obama “stimulus” (in 2009) was a payoff to unions.  It didn’t stimulate anything.  But Obama got everything he wanted in the first year because anyone who opposed him would have been accused of being a racist or a bigot.  As a result, we didn’t get a growing economy or jobs being created at a replacement level for those whose jobs were lost.
• The media (such as ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times and USA Today) did not make Donald Trump, and they cannot destroy him.  They have a formula or blueprint for destroying Republican political officials they don’t like, but it’s not going to work on Trump.  He doesn’t fit that mold.
• Trump has a connection with his voters that most politicians don’t have.  No one can break that connection; he’s the only one who can do that.
• I know Donald Trump.  He’s a winner, he’s committed and he has intended all along what he thinks is necessary to save the country.  We’re only one month in, and he’s got three years and eleven months to go.  His supporters have gotten nowhere near the point of being worried or wanting to abandon him.

On Fortress of Faith this morning, the guest of Tom Wallace was Leo Hohmann, author of Stealth Invasion: Muslim Conquest Through Immigration and Resettlement Jihad.  They talked about the problems with the influx into the U.S. of refugees from countries controlled by Islamic governments.

One problem is that most of these countries are governed by Sharia Law, which is not at all compatible with the U.S. Constitution and laws.  Furthermore, there is very little assimilation of Islamic refugees into American culture and acceptance of our laws.

State and local governments usually are not even told about how many refugees will be coming in or where they will be placed.  Schools are impacted, there are translation issues, and numerous burdens are place on local communities.

The notes and audio recording of today’s Fortress of Faith program are here:

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint news conference today.  Afterwards, questions were asked, both to Trump and to Netanyahu.  The entire session lasted about 27 minutes.

Here are several things Prime Minister Netanyahu said that I like:

• There are two prerequisites for peace that I laid out several years ago, and they haven’t changed.  First, the Palestinians must recognize the Jewish state.  They have to stop calling for Israel’s destruction.  They have to stop educating their people for Israel’s destruction.  Second, in any peace agreement, Israel must retain the overriding security control over the entire area west of the Jordan River; because, if we don’t, we know what will happen.  Otherwise, we’ll get another radical Isalamic terrorist state and the Palestinian areas exploding the peace, exploding the Middle East.
• Unfortunately, the Palestinians vehemently reject both prerequisites for peace.  First, they continue to call for Israel’s destruction inside their schools, inside their mosques, inside their textbooks.  You have to read it to believe it.
• They even deny our historical connection to our homeland.  You have to ask yourself: Why are Jews called Jews?  Well, the Chinese are called Chinese because they come from China.  The Japanese are called Japanese because they come from Japan.  Well, Jews are called Jews because they come from Judea.  This is our ancestral homeland.  Jews are not foreign colonialists in Judea.
• This is the source of the conflict: the presistent Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any boundary—this persistent rejectionism.  That’s the reason we don’t have peace.  Now, that has to change.  I want it to change.
• Not only have I not abandoned these two prerequisites of peace, they’ve become even more important because of the rising tide of fanaticism that has swept the Middle East and has also, unfortunately, infected Palestinian society.
• I want this to change.  I want those two prerequisites of peace—substance, not labels—I want them reinstated.  But if anyone believes that I, as Prime Minister of Israel responsible for the security of my country, would gladly walk into a Palestinian terrorist state that seeks the destruction of my country, they’re gravely mistaken.
• The two prerequisites of peace—recognition of the Jewish state and Israel’s security needs west of the Jordan—they remain pertinent.  We have to look for new ways, new ideas, on how to reinstate them and how to move peace forward.

Personally, I do not believe that real peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis is possible.  I feel that the friction in Israel is going to go from bad to worse because it is prophesied, in the Bible, to happen that way.

I got a stash of 50%-off candy at WalMart this morning.  Most of it is Reese’s chocolate with peanut butter, my favorite combination.  A lot of the candy is for someone else who didn’t want to get to WalMart at 7:00 a.m. before they started removing Valentine candy and replacing it with Easter candy.

 
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There is a total of 166.10 ounces = 10.38 pounds.  I’ll give some of my portion away; the rest of it will last me quite awhile.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,600 for the first time.  The Dow was up 0.52% to 20,611.86, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.50% to 2,349.25.

 

To those who like this day and all that it brings: Happy Valentine’s Day! 

       
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Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,500 for the first time.  The Dow was up 0.45% to 20,504.41, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.40% to 2,337.58.

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,400 for the first time.  The Dow was up 0.70% to 20,412.16, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.52% to 2,328.25.

 

Although I attend church almost every Sunday, I observe a seventh-day Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15)—see Sabbath: Saturday or Sunday?  A good friend and I get together each Saturday morning for a Bible study and prayer.

Recently, he found an interesting ministry online: 119 Ministries.  They have loads of YouTube videos.

Right now, we’re both interested in their “Pauline Paradox” series.  Most Christians seem to think that the majority of the written Law/Torah of Moses has been “done away with” or was “nailed to the cross.”  We disagree with that notion, and this series provides excellent, detailed explanations about this topic.

For those with similar interests, I would recommend watching the first video.  If you like it, then continue on to other videos.  The whole series consists of these five videos:

Video		Length
Part 1: Is the Majority Ever Wrong? Part 2: The Paul You Never Knew Part 3: Why Is Paul So Difficult to Understand? Part 4: Which Law Paul? Part 5: Galatians		54min 16sec 1hr 30min 28sec        51min 18sec        55min 15sec 2hr 58min 32sec

There are multiple events going on in the sky tonight: a full moon, a lunar eclipse and Comet 45P streaking by.

The eclipse will be only penumbral (partial), and much of the U.S. will not be able to see it due to cloud cover.  In the U.S., it will be called the “snow moon” because, on average, February is the USA’s snowiest month.

The comet can be viewed, looking to the east, around 3:00 a.m. EST Saturday morning, where it will be visible in the sky in the constellation Hercules.  Binoculars or a telescope will be helpful.

Watch for a bright blue-green “head” with a tail.  In cloudy areas where it cannot be seen, there are some websites where all of these events can be viewed.

In two months is the full moon of Passover, and then Passover week (Apr. 10-18) will follow.  While I am attending a Passover Seder on the evening of Apr. 10, I will be thinking about the possibility that certain events may happen in Jerusalem and that the Great Tribulation could begin within a week, as explained in my anticipated prophetic events and significant dates sections.  I’ll be hoping that these events will not happen.

In other news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,200 for the first time.  The Dow was up 0.49% to 20,270.68, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.36% to 2,316.10.

 

Today, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco unanimously ruled against a travel ban put in place by the Trump administration.  The ban had prevented entrance into the United States by refugees, migrants and green-card holders from seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Trump probably will appeal to the Supreme Court.  However, unless his nominee Neil Gorsuch has been approved and sworn in by that time, there is a good chance that the Supreme Court vote would be 4-4, thus upholding the 9th Circuit Court ruling against Trump’s ban.

In other news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit another record high today, topping 20,100 for the first time.  Some feel that it may be due to the possibility that tax cuts, proposed by President Trump, are coming this year.  The Dow was up 0.59% to 20,172.40, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.58% to 2,307.87.

 

The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument for Israel includes the following statement:

The achievement of lasting peace in the Middle East is a central aim of the EU, whose main objective is a two-State solution leading to a final and comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on implementation of the Road Map, with Israel and a democratic, viable, peaceful and sovereign Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace within secure and recognised borders and enjoying normal relations with their neighbours.

Anyone in the European Union or elsewhere who thinks that a meaningful, workable “peace” agreement is possible between the Palestinians and the Israelis is living in an idealistic fantasy world.  It has been attempted numerous times before, but it always has failed.

It cannot happen for one basic reason: the primary goal of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas is the elimination of the Jewish state.  It is an ancient conflict that will not be resolved until Israel’s Messiah returns and eliminates Israel’s sworn enemies.

The following article is one of the best and most precise descriptions of why a manmade “peace” between the Palestinians and the Israelis is not possible.  It includes explanations as to why Israeli settlements on so-called “occupied Palestinian territory” are not the main deterrent to peace.

A law legalizing and protecting thousands of Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria has been passed in the Israeli Knesset.  These homes were built with government backing.  The Regulation Law passed its final reading in the Knesset by a majority of 60 to 52.

Super Bowl LI (51) took place today in Houston, Texas.  Tom Brady and the New England Patriots beat Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.  The final score was 34 to 28.

Following the passage of U.N. Security Council resolution 2334 on Dec. 23, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump said that he had supported a veto vote by the U.S.  Instead, the U.S. abstained from voting, so the anti-Israel resolution passed.

Since then, Trump has continued to support everything that Israel has been doing.  He’s even talked about moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  However, now he may be rethinking those positions, saying that constructing new settlements by Israel “may not be helpful” to Middle East peace efforts.

Trump’s comments came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to establish the first new West Bank settlement since 1992.  Netanyahu, along with other Israeli nationalists, defend the settlements on both security grounds and the historic religious ties to the territory.  They also say that East Jerusalem is an eternal part of Israel’s capital and is not up for negotiation.

Today was Groundhog Day.  Punxsutawney Phil came out and saw his shadow, which is supposed to indicate that there will be six more weeks of winter.

President Trump has announced his pick for the U.S. Supreme Court to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away almost a year ago on Feb. 13, 2016.  Trump’s nominee is Neil Gorsuch, 49, who is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Colorado.

This video shows a 7-minute introduction of Neil Gorsuch and his wife, Anne, by Donald Trump.  Then Judge Gorshuch speaks for another 5 minutes.

In other news, the vote on a bill in the Israeli Knesset to retroactively legalize nearly 4,000 Jewish homes in the West Bank has been delayed.  The Knesset website indicates that the earliest the vote will happen is Feb. 6.

There have been many questions about President Trump’s travel ban three days ago.  It prevents entry into the United States by refugees, migrants and green-card holders from seven mostly Muslim countries.

The countries on the ban list for 90 days are Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.  In fact, all of these countries had been identified as “countries of concern” by the Obama administration.

Another Democratic president spoke out against the “large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.”  This was Bill Clinton in his State of the Union address on January 24, 1995.  Clinton added the following:

The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants.  The public service they use pose a tax burden on our taxpayers.  That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens....

We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.  It is wrong, and ultimately self-defeating, for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.

Maybe Trump should tweet a link to this 1½-minute video clip and add the words, “I approve this message!”:

In other news, the vote on a controversial bill in the Israeli parliament or Knesset is anticipated soon, perhaps tomorrow.  The bill, which is expected to be adopted, would legalize thousands of colonist homes on what is considered to be private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Ze’ev Elkin, head of the ruling Likud faction in the Knesset, has called for the gradual annexation of the West Bank by Israel.  He has pointed out how the Palestinians have rallied international support for a Palestinian state, but they have not learned to give concessions as Israel has.

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s defense minister, has said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not adequately represented his people, nor does he have any intention of reaching a final peace agreement with Israel.  Lieberman said that the Palestinians need a strong leader with wide support, unlike Abbas.

Lieberman also spoke out against the international community for “over-involvement” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He said that this over-involvement is disruptive and does nothing to help achieve peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Tayseer Khalid, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, has indicated that no Palestinian leader is prepared to make concessions with Israel.  He feels that the Palestinian leadership should approach the U.N. Security Council and request that Israel be punished for its “war crimes.”

Khalid says that Palestinians should defend their basic and legitimate rights.  He also feels that Palestinians should defend the legitimacy of two U.N. resolutions, including resolution 2334, and their use in the political confrontation with Israel.

The 44th annual March for Life is being held today in Washington, DC.  Each year, this rally takes place during the week of the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, on January 22, 1973.  The rally is a protest of the court’s legalization of a woman’s “freedom of choice” to have an abortion.

The rally involves marching on behalf of the unborn, who are unable to march for themselves.  The overall goal of the march is to have the Roe v. Wade decision overturned or, at least, to reduce access to the abortion procedure.

Mike Pence is the first vice president to attend this event.  His speech at the event, lasting almost 10 minutes, can be viewed here:

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists says they are taking the “unprecedented” step of moving the symbolic Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight.  It has been moved from 3 minutes until midnight (11:57:00) to 2½ minutes to midnight (11:57:30).

The entire (lengthy) report can be read here:

In the report, one thing that is said is this:

In addition to the existential threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change, new global realities emerged, as trusted sources of information came under attack, fake news was on the rise, and words were used in cavalier and often reckless ways.

I have no comment on any of that.  I will say, though, that when God’s “day of vengeance” commences—which I feel will span a year of time—people will realize that the worst damage and terror that could possibly be caused by people would not even compare to what is being doled out upon the earth by God’s seven angels.

I find it interesting that the new “Doomsday Clock” has only 2½ minutes remaining until midnight.  In case the speculative hypotheses put forth in my End of the Age: 2020? commentary turns out to be correct, then there will be 2½ years from Passover week (April 10-18, 2017) until the Trumpets of the seven angels are blown.

In other news, the U.S. State Department's entire senior management team has resigned.  They join other officials who have resigned since Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration last week.

The State Department's Undersecretary for Management, Patrick Kennedy, resigned.  He had been in that job for nine years.  Three of his top officials also resigned: Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Joyce Anne Barr, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Bond and director of the Office of Foreign Missions Ambassador Gentry O. Smith.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has hit an historic milestone today.  It has passed the 20,000 mark.

The Dow was up 0.78% to 20,068.51, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 0.80% to 2,298.37.  Perhaps the significant rise, since Donald Trump won the election over two months ago, is due to an anticipation of more jobs and lower income taxes.

 

It has been revealed that on the last day of Barack Obama’s presidency (Jan. 20), he funneled out millions of dollars through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  This was prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Of this money, $1.25 million has been designated to go to United Nations organizations, $4 million to climate change programs, and a whopping $221 million to the Palestinian Authority.

A portion of the Palestinian Authority (PA) budget is given to terrorists and their families.  So if the PA receives the $221 million, millions of U.S. tax dollars will go to fund new terrorism.

However, the State Department under President Trump has said that it plans to review the decision to send the $221 million to the Palestinian Authority.

Hundreds of thousands of people came together today in the Women’s March on Washington, DC.  It was a show of protest on the first full day of the Trump administration.

They were joined by countless protesters in other U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Boston, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, St. Louis, Austin, Columbia and others.

Furthermore, there were similar marches in over 20 countries around the globe.  These included world cities such as Paris, Marseille, London, Bristol, Berlin, Athens, Rome, Pristina, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Barcelona, Mexico City, Dublin, Oslo, Budapest, Accra, Cape Town, Prague, Geneva, Kolkata, Bangkok, Sydney, Melbourne and others.

I heard someone report during the day that liberal Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros was the main funder of “partners” of the Washington protesters.  I searched around and found this interesting article by a lifelong liberal feminist who voted for Donald Trump:

Donald J. Trump 45th President		Michael R. Pence 48th Vice President

This was Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C., USA.  Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President after Michael R. Pence was sworn in as the 48th Vice President.

In his first speech as the new U.S. leader, Trump put American interests first.  He promised to bring “power to the people” and pledged to protect the country’s borders.  He also said that he will unite the world against radical Islamic terrorism.

20-second slideshow

The first speech of President Trump, about 17 minutes in length, can be viewed here:

One day before inauguration day, President-elect Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, held his first full news conference.  I watched most of it on TV while doing other things.

At the beginning, Vice President-elect Mike Pence spoke for about 10 minutes.  The entire news conference lasted 46 minutes and can be seen here:

The World Economic Forum began today in Davos, Switzerland.  The forum will continue for three more days.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated his opposition to Israel’s settlements in the West Bank.  Among other statements, he said, “Most of the West Bank has been reserved for the exclusive use of Israel.  That’s not a Palestinian state.”

Kerry might as well meet with the leaders of Hamas and Israel and say this to Benjamin Netanyahu:

Representatives from over 70 nations attended a so-called “peace conference” in Paris today.  Their focus was on stressing the formulation of a two-state peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  A Middle East Peace Conference Joint Declaration was made.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the conference “useless.”  Speaking to his Cabinet today, Netanyahu said that the conference sought to “force terms on Israel that conflict with our national needs.”

Perhaps this is one more step in the ultimate declaration of a Palestinian State by the nations of the world.  If so, Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including those praying at the Western Wall, might be forced to leave land that God promised to them millennia ago.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution today that begins the process of repealing Obamacare, ineptly named “The Affordable Care Act.”  This follows the Senate’s passage of the resolution yesterday.

I watched all 51 minutes of President Obama’s farewell speech last night.  I wish I had drunk a strong cup of coffee and taken a NoDoz tablet before it began.

He did say some nice things about Michelle and their two daughters.  However, I was not impressed with most of the speech...ho hum.  All I know is that this country and my life are much worse off due to his 8-year presidency and destructive policies.

A huge amount of rain has been falling on California, which is much needed after many years of an exceptional and devestating drought.  It’s the most to hit many parts since 1997.  I remember all of the rain that year.

The first wave of storms came this past weekend.  More is expected through the middle of the week.  Incidents of urban flooding, river flooding, mudslides and rock slides have occurred and will be increasing.

Yesterday, an intense storm toppled the famous Pioneer Cabin Tree, also known as “The Tunnel Tree,” a giant sequoia tree estimated to be over 1,000 years old.  Located in Calavares Big Trees State Park, the bottom of the tree was hollowed out in the 1880s so that tourist could drive and walk through it.  I have done both.

An Islamic terror attack in Jerusalem today left 4 IDF cadets dead, all in their 20s, and at least 16 injured.  The terrorist, who recently had purchased a large flatbed truck, rammed it into the crowd of cadets who had just gotten off of a bus.

Israeli police shot and killed the driver, whom they identified as Fadi Qunbar, 28.  Police also have arrested nine other suspects, including five of Qunbar’s family members.

According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “All signs show he is a supporter of the Islamic State.”  He also said, “We know there is a sequence of terror attacks, and it’s quite possible that there is a connection between them, from France, Berlin and now Jerusalem.”

Jerusalem’s mayor, Nir Barkat, said there is “no limit to the cruelty of the terrorists who use every means to murder Jews and damage the routine life in the capital of Israel.”

On the 700 Club this morning, the first segment dealt with the U.N. Security Council’s anti-Israel resolution 2334, which was passed on Dec. 23.  Gordon Robertson began the segment by saying, “According to the United Nation’s resolution that was passed last month, the old city of Jerusalem is ‘occupied Palestinian territory.’  But the Jews who live there have a very different view; they say it’s home.”

Moshe Kempinski was interviewed.  He is a shop owner in the Jewish Quarter of the old city, East Jerusalem, Israel.  He insists that it “is not ‘occupied territory’”; rather, it “has been the place of God’s presence, and the place of His people, for three thousand years.”  I agree with that.

In East Jerusalem are located the following Jewish Israeli sites, among others:

• Temple Mount • Western Wall

• Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives • Jewish Quarter

Later in the segment, Mike Huckabee (former Governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate) said it was “embarrassing that the United States abstained” from the vote on the resolution.  “I think it was almost unforgiveable.”  Huckabee feels that the incoming Trump administration will work to reverse the resolution.  If the U.N. does not do this, then Huckabee feels that the U.S. should “pull out of the U.N.”

In the last days of Barack Obama’s administration, many fear that he might try again to delegitimize Israel.  Potentially, this could happen at the upcoming Paris Peace Conference on Jan. 15.  Perhaps there might even be another anti-Israel resolution before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Gordon Robertson finished the segment by talking about what happened in Israel in 1949 after the Jordanians took over the West Bank.  There was an “ethnic cleansing,” where the Jewish population in the Jewish Quarter of East Jerusalem went down to zero.  Also, Jewish synagogues and cemeteries were desecrated.  This should give us an indication of what probably would happen, again, if East Jerusalem, including the Jewish Quarter, were given over to Palestinian rule.

As I have stated before, this reminds me of what Jesus said, in Matthew 24:15-22 and Luke 21:20-24, pertaining to what will happen at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.  The question is, could this begin to happen again if these and other anticipated prophetic events happen to take place, in 3 months, during Passover week?  I hope not, but time will tell.

In case you want to watch the 700 Club segment, a little over 6 minutes in length, click on the video below and move your arrow along the timeline at the bottom.  The segment begins at 0:36 (click there) and ends at 6:48.

Happy New Year.  Below are links to my annual calendar and list of 2017 holidays and observances that many like to download and tape to a wall nearby.  That is what I do, with the calendar on one side and the holidays/observances on the other side of one piece of paper.  Both are in .doc and .pdf format.

Click on each image below and print out the two pages (.doc files) on either side of one piece of paper.  Just change my name, at the top of the calendar page, to your name before you print it.

 

Or else you could print out these two pages (.pdf files), with no name on the calendar page:

 

If you’ve never read the Bible straight through, from cover to cover, you might want to do it in 2017.  Go to the following page, print out the pages in either .doc, .pdf, or .html format, and check off the passages as you read them: