Two Minutes Closer To Midnight - Jan 20

Who says its two minutes closer to midnight? According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists we are indeed that close (now at five minutes to midnight). It is feared that even a few small atomic weapons being used in a war would have disasterous consequences on the global climate far away from the battlefield. Keep in mind that this 'clock' moves both backwards and forwards as the graph below shows.

What is it with this 'wrath of God' type weather that is happening around the world today? Violent storms in Europe has left 47 dead with recorded gusts of over 200 km/hr! Lithuania's stormy coast from the Beeb's picture gallery is shown here.


It's not just in Europe either. In Malaysia, 23 year-old Chai Ming Hui was struck by lightning just as she was answering her cell phone. Chai died as a result of the burns she suffered from the lightning strike. Also, as a result of massive drought in Australia, many poisonous snakes such as the Eastern Brown are making their way to urban areas in search of water. Some Aussies have already been bit and have died as a result. Crikey!

The End Is Nigh Dep't: Probably one of the surest signs of the apocalypse is Hillary Rodham Clinton announcing her bid for the presidency. I think if Hillary secures the Democratic nomination the Dems will get slaughtered by the American voters. Not that any of the GOP nominees look like a winner with the possible exception of Tom Tancredo.

I called this post 'Two Minutes Closer To Midnight' but I could've just as easily called it Wars and Rumors of Wars. As the U.S.-Iran showdown looms, it appears that plans for an outright invasion of Iran and not just mere strategic airstrikes is being seriously considered.

The Chinese, not content with being a Far East economic powerhouse, are looking to claim space as their final frontier as well. An aging Chinese weather satellite was destroyed recently with a ballistic missile. The 'shot across the bow' to the Americans is obvious. However, any attempt by the Chinese to start picking off American assets in space will invite massive retaliation, a certainty that the Chinese know all too well.

Are our 'allies' the Turks scheming to invade the Kurdish north of Iraq as well? Should Kurdish forces weaken and the Americans commit that just might happen. The oil fields in Iraq's north are an inviting trophy to be sure. What does all this prove to us? That oil and Islam simply don't mix.

Three more articles to close out this fairly large post.

Assyrian Christians have had it tough in Iraq, no question about it. They have suffered for their faith a great deal but it appears now that the end game is in sight. What a sad story. As the bride of Christ grows in places like China and India, the church appears to be dying a slow death in the Middle East, the very birthplace of Christianity.

Speaking of Turkey, Armenian journalist Hrant Dink has been assassinated by a teenaged Ogun Samast. Mr. Dink (Yes, that's his real name. Stop giggling.) was reporting on the Armenian genocide that occured many years ago at the hands of the Turks, considered an 'offence to Turkiness' in so-called securalist Turkey.

Lastly, here's a fun quiz from Christian Science Monitor called 'Shiite or Sunni?'. Eight well-known leaders in the Islamic world are shown and you guess which one. Not to brag but I got seven out of eight. So there.

Johnny Cash