Severe Flooding in Central Europe...Reminder of a Prophecy

"In southeast Germany, waters rose to levels not seen in over five centuries." - German News Agency DPA


In 1944, the Previous Rebbe wrote of natural disasters that will occur in the Final Redemption. This prophecy is based on Psalm 93.  Regarding the opening words, "G-d has reigned; He has donned grandeur; G-d has donned strength and girded Himself; even the world is firm, it shall not falter,” the Rebbe writes:

“G-d has reigned; He has donned grandeur: Generally speaking, everyone regards nature as the ruler of the world. They totally forget that there is a G-d Who rules over nature. Only when something unnatural occurs, like a flood, earthquake, or other terrible catastrophe, do they remember Him. Only under such circumstances do they recall that there is a G-d to Whom nature belongs. [And when they remember], they say, “G-d has reigned” – He has overridden nature, and demonstrated that He is the mightier. In other words, only when G-d dons a garment of grandeur, and demonstrates his authority over nature, do people begin to recognize Him – instead of nature and its “powers” – as the sole King and Ruler of the world."

The floods in Central Europe, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Poland have claimed twelve lives so far, and wreaked billions of dollars worth of damage. The state of Saxony in Germany evacuated ten thousand people. A spokesman commented, ''The situation is extremely dramatic.'' 

Central Europe on high alert amid severe flooding 

RT NEWS

Published time: June 04, 2013 09:14
Edited time: June 04, 2013 10:00

Floods raging across central Europe have killed nine people and left several missing, while 7,000 residents have been evacuated in the Czech Republic. No respite is in sight, with more heavy rains expected later this week.

Six people died in the Czech Republic from what appears to be the worst flooding in a decade, and Prague declared a state of emergency after the Vltava River reached its highest flood alert level. Eight metro stations have been shut down, and the Prague Zoo has ordered the evacuation of animals whose cages could be submerged. Prague’s Charles Bridge, built in the 14th Century, was also closed.

Volunteers built sandbag walls in the Czech capital to hold back the banks of the swollen river from overwhelming the historic city center, a UN World Heritage Site.

The statue of world harmony leader Sri Chinmoy is partially submerged in water from the rising Vltava river in Prague June 2, 2013 (Reuters / David W Cerny)

The flooding, which comes after several days of torrential rainfall, has also affected parts of Germany, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In Austria, two have died and another two have gone missing. In some areas, two months’ worth of rain fell in just a couple days.

Swollen rivers gushed into the old section of Passau in southeast Germany as waters rose to levels not seen in over five centuries, according to German news agency DPA, which reported that the water levels were the highest recorded in Passau since 1501. ''The situation is extremely dramatic,'' Herbert Zillinger, a spokesperson for Passau's crisis center told AP.

Electricity has been shut down as a precaution as rescue teams are use boats to evacuate residents from flooded parts of the city. Authorities evacuated a prison in danger of flooding, moving 60 inmates to two other nearby facilities.

The German army has deployed 1,760 soldiers in the south and east of the country to help local authorities reinforce flood defenses. Volkswagen shut down a plant in Zwickau, in the eastern German state of Saxony, after flooding made it impossible for workers to reach the factory.

  The flooding, which comes after several days of torrential rainfall, has also affected parts of Germany, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In Austria, two have died and another two have gone missing. In some areas, two months’ worth of rain fell in just a couple days.

Swollen rivers gushed into the old section of Passau in southeast Germany as waters rose to levels not seen in over five centuries, according to German news agency DPA, which reported that the water levels were the highest recorded in Passau since 1501. ''The situation is extremely dramatic,'' Herbert Zillinger, a spokesperson for Passau's crisis center told AP.

Electricity has been shut down as a precaution as rescue teams are use boats to evacuate residents from flooded parts of the city. Authorities evacuated a prison in danger of flooding, moving 60 inmates to two other nearby facilities.
The German army has deployed 1,760 soldiers in the south and east of the country to help local authorities reinforce flood defenses. Volkswagen shut down a plant in Zwickau, in the eastern German state of Saxony, after flooding made it impossible for workers to reach the factory.

The sign above the door of restaurant and hotel 'Am Paulusbogen' is partially submerged in the flooded centre of the Bavarian town of Passau, about 200 km north-east of Munich June 3, 2013 (Reuters / Michaela Rehle

Some of the worst flooding was seen around the Danube River, Europe's second-longest after Russia’s Volga River. The Danube originates in the German town of Donaueschingen, and passes through four European countries – Austria, Slovakia and Hungary – before it empties into the Black Sea. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit flood-hit areas on Tuesday. 

In the Austrian city of Salzburg, some 160 train passengers were put up overnight in army barracks after being stranded by heavy floods. 

Meteorologists fear the flooding could follow the course of the Danube River down to other European countries along its route. 

Flood barriers have also been erected along the banks of the Danube River where it passes through Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. "We are getting bad news from Germany and Austria. We have to do all we can to protect... the capital," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said. 

Gyorgy Bakondi, the head of the Hungarian National Disaster Authority, told local media that water levels in the Danube River could exceed 2002’s worst-ever record, and that 400 people are currently working on flood defenses.

As awareness of the Redemption penetrates the world, there is bound to be some unusual quirky fallout. Here's an example in an Associated Press story. We know that the actual Messiah is a King, and his title is The King Messiah. So here we have a story about the shifting popularity of baby names. True, King and Messiah have made the list. But it's startling to see these names together in the headline, no?
We'll say no more.

King, Messiah: New baby names suggest high hopes

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER | Associated Press – Thu, May 9, 2013
Suggested by S.Koncepolski

WASHINGTON (AP) — Talk about high expectations for a newborn: King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names forAmerican boys.

They're just a little behind Major, the boy's name that jumped the most spots on the Social Security Administration's annual list ofpopular baby names.

Jacob is the most popular for boys — again — and Sophia is the top name for girls, according to the list released Thursday.

It was Jacob's 14th straight year at the top. Next were Mason, Ethan, Noah and William. Liam cracked the top 10 for the first time, coming in at No. 6. Daniel slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1998, to No. 11.

It was Sophia's second year in a row at the top for girls. Next were Emma, Isabella, Olivia and Ava.

But what about those rising boys' names?

Typically, says Laura Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard" and founder of Babynamewizard.com, "You don't get a lot of Messiahs. You can have a lot more Majors."

"I have no doubt Major's rising popularity as a boy's name is in tribute to the brave members of the U.S. military, and maybe we'll see more boys named General in the future," said acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn W. Colvin.

Wattenberg said Americans have long given their children "aggrandizing names." She noted that Noble and General were on the list of popular boys' names for much of the 20th century, though neither ever cracked the top 100.

"We've pretty much run out of presidential names, all the Jeffersons and Jacksons and Madisons, so we're moving on to the aristocracy, I guess, or to the military."

Jennifer Moss, author of "The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book" and founder of Babynames.com, says she discourages parents from giving children "expectation names, like Justice and Chastity."

"We feel that it kind of puts an undue pressure on the child when you use those kinds of grandiose or purity names," Moss said.

Chastity was in the top 1,000 for more than two decades before dropping off the list in 1994. Justice was on the list in 1880 but then fell off for more than 100 years. The name reappeared in 1992 and was No. 518 last year.

Jacob's popularity endures because the name has much of what parents look for in a boy's name, said Moss.

"It's easy to pronounce, and it's easy to spell. It's a solid manly name," she said. "It's a biblical name, and biblical names are always in style."

On the girls' side, Sophia first cracked the top 100 in 1997. Isabella dropped off the list from 1949 to 1990.

The Social Security Administration's website provides lists of the top 1,000 baby names for each year, dating to 1880. The top baby names that year were John and Mary. John is now No. 28 and Mary has fallen to No. 123 — the lowest for both names.

The list, which also includes top baby names by state, draws millions of viewers. The agency hopes that people go to the website to see the baby names and stay to learn about other services.

The website also shows which names are gaining — and losing — popularity. Among the boys' names that are spiking, Major jumped 505 spots, to No. 483, followed by Gael, Jase, Messiah and Brantley. Messiah gained 246 spots, to No. 387.

Jase Robertson is a character on the reality TV show "Duck Dynasty," about a family that runs a business making duck calls and other duck hunting gear. Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.

Among the other boys' names gaining in popularity: Maverick, Armani and King, which jumped 133 spots, to No. 256.

Among the rising girls' names, Arya jumped 298 spots, to No. 413, followed by Perla, Catalina, Elisa and Raelynn. And Raelyn with one 'n' was eighth.

Arya Stark is a character in the TV show, "Game of Thrones."

Among the girls' names that are losing popularity, Dulce dropped the most, 159 spots, to No. 574. Next were Mikaela, Estrella, Danna and Audrina.

Among the boys' names that dropped, Braeden fell 105 spots, to No. 581. Next were Yahir, Kieran, Cullen and Brayan.

The popularity of Cullen was fleeting. In 2010, it was the fastest rising name for boys. Edward Cullen is a vampire in the "Twilight" books and movies.

The list shows that top names for boys have been more stable over the years than names for girls. William, for example, has been a popular boy's name for more than 100 years, never falling out of the top 20. Mason is an exception, entering the top 100 for the first time in 1997.

Today's top names aren't nearly as popular as the top names were a generation ago.

For example, 18,899 babies were named Jacob last year. Two decades ago, that wasn't good enough to crack the top 25. In 1992, Michael was the top name for boys, with more than 54,000 boys getting the name.

"We're seeing a total revolution in terms of the diversity of naming," Wattenberg said. "Parents are really focused on choosing a distinctive name that will make their child stand out."

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Israeli War Hero Wrote of Redemption, Holy Temple, to His Bride.

In an act of self-sacrifice, Roi Klein gave up his life for his fellow soldiers. Here in this video, his wife reveals that he wrote to her about the goal of their life -- the Redemption and the Holy Temple.

In his letter to his bride, Roi Klein asked for G-d's blessing...

“..that we succeed in establishing an eternal home…with the expectation of the salvation and the redemption of Israel with the knowledge that the strength of Israel is the building block with responsibility for this generation that is in the footsteps of the Mashiach, for any step, any progress in building the Holy Temple."

Muslim Official: We'll Give Up Mount for Messiah

According to the great sage Maimonides, one of the last jobs of the Messiah,--that will confirm that he is actually the Messiah, is to rebuild the Holy Temple. Well, this Muslim official certainly has that right...in the Redemption, it could be that the Muslims themselves will acknowledge the Messiah and willingly give up their claims to the Temple Mount.

“According to the Jewish religion, the Holy Temple is to descend from Heaven when the Messiah comes. Let us allow the place to remain Muslim until that time, and afterwards we will surrender our prayer rights in the area.”

                                   

                                                -    Rian Kamal, Alaqsa Fund

ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS

Muslim Official: We'll Give Up Temple Mount When Messiah Comes 

An at-times angry discussion took place in the Knesset Wednesday on the rights of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount

By David Lev
5/8/2013
Suggested by Neshamala of HaBayitah.blogspot.com

An at-times angry discussion in the Knesset Wednesday on the rights of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount saw a top official of an Islamic organization that funds and manages prayer services on the Mount say that the Muslims would give up their control of the Mount – when the Messiah comes.

Rian Kamal, the head of the Alaqsa Fund, which raises money for services, facilities, and other projects for Muslim worshippers on the Temple Mount, spoke at the Knesset hearing on demands by Jewish groups that Jews be allowed to ascend the Mount and pray openly. Currently, Jews are allowed to visit the Mount, but are forbidden from praying. The law is enforced by Israeli police, with Jews often shadowed by a member of the Waqf, who closely watches the Jewish visitor to ensure that his or her lips are not moving in prayer.

According to Kamal, 90% of rabbis are opposed to Jews' ascending the Mount altogether. “I have a good solution,” he told MKs. “According to the Jewish religion, the Holy Temple is to descend from Heaven when the Messiah comes. Let us allow the place to remain Muslim until that time, and afterwards we will surrender our prayer rights in the area.”

MK Miri Regev, chairperson of a special Knesset committee discussing the issue, said that Jews had no plans to surrender their rights to the Temple Mount. “Why does it bother you that Jews would pray on the Mount?,” she asked Kamal, who responded that he was not allowed to pray at the Kotel. “This is a religious issue, not a political one,” he added.

Speaking at the session, Manhigut Yehudit official Michael Puah said that police acted in a discriminatory manner against Jews who sought to visit the Mount. “We cannot tolerate this racist discrimination. It is unthinkable that I would have to stand at the entrance to the Mount and seek entry, only to be denied it because I am a Jew. This is contrary to the very nature of the State of Israel,” he added.

According to the Foreign Ministry, any change in the status quo on the Mount would likely cause an international incident that would put Israel in a very poor light. Speaking at the session, Freida Yuval, deputy head of the Jordan desk in the Foreign Ministry, said that allowing Jews free worship on the Mount would “awaken the entire world,” and bring about another intifada, similar to the one that began after Ariel Sharon ascended the Temple Mount in 1999, or engender riots similar to those that took place after the opening of the Kotel tunnels.

Parents Fight To Ban Anti-Semitic School Text Book in Tennessee

In the era of Redemption, good and evil will separate out and good will be seen more clearly as will evil. The evil here is a textbook in Tennessee schools that slurs the right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, and insinuates that terrorists are justified in their heinous crimes. The good is those parents who want this textbook banned. They do not want their children exposed to twisted thinking. It is good when people of conviction stand up for what they believe and want to strike down evil when they see it. (suggested by S. L.)

www.Opposing Views.com

POLITICS

Tennessee Parents Upset Over 'Pro-Palestinian' High School Text Book

By Sarah Rae Fruchtnicht, Sat, April 27, 2013

Some parents in Williamson County, Tenn., are calling for the removal of a high school text book they believe is biased against Israel.

The text book is taught in a college-level elective course called Human Geography and available to students in Williamson County public schools, which also offer an elective course on the Bible.

Parents are against the kinds of questions it encourages teenagers to ask. In “The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,” author James Rubenstein writes, "…if a Palestinian suicide bomber kills several dozen Israeli teenagers in a Jerusalem restaurant, is that an act of terrorism or wartime retaliation against Israeli government policies and army actions?"

Julie West, mother of a 15-year-old at Franklin High School in Franklin, Tenn., said the question is pro-Palestinian.

"We're living in a time where people are saying, 'How could anyone put a bomb outside a restaurant or on a street intending to kill innocent people?'" West said. "And we ask ourselves that, when at the same time our children are being taught from a curriculum that says that might be okay, or at least it might be okay if those kids are Jewish."

Rubenstein said that the question was taken out of context, and that the rest of the introduction discusses both Israeli and Palestinian views of the issue.

In an email to Fox News, Rebenstein explained why such questions are important to understanding terrorism.

"For example, we want to know why the Tsarnaev brothers bombed the Boston Marathon," Rubenstein writes in the email. "Understanding why they did it doesn't mean we are justifying what they did. It's the same thing with other world conflicts and terrorist acts."

Laurie Cardoza-Moore, head of the pro-Israel group Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, says the book is anti-Semitic. She this passage from the book: "If a Palestinian suicide bomber kills several dozen Israeli teenagers in a Jerusalem restaurant, is that an act of terrorism or wartime retaliation against Israeli government policies and army actions?"

Cardoza-Moore says the book aims to delegitimize the right of the Jewish people to the Holy Land.

Tim Gaddis, assistant county school superintendent, argued that the text is not biased. He says the college-level book gives equal weight to competing argument and does not take any position.

The Williamson county school system has a formal process in which parents can write to request a formal review of a text book by a committee of representing parents, administrators, teachers, and curriculum experts. School officials have not received any formal request yet on this particular book.

"I think it's a slippery slope to go down if we start banning books because people take opposing views," said county school superintendent Mike Looney. "I think the critical question to answer is: Does the book create an opportunity for students to engage in deep dialogue about important issues in the world? And I think that it does that in the context of geography."

Sources: Fox News, UPI

Boston: Goodness & Kindness Amidst the Carnage

People offered their homes near the hospital for sleeping. Restaurants in the area gave free meals. People posted free car rides. The Red Cross had to turn blood donors away. Goodness and kindness is alive in Boston.

The Telegraph (UK)

Boston Marathon heroes: Kindness and humanity amid the carnage

Out of the horror of the Boston marathon bombings, there emerged uplifting examples of human kindness as the city's residents did all they could to help those caught up in the attack.

A police officer carries a child to safety after the
Boston Marathon bombings Photo: Kylie Atwood/CBS News

By Harriet Alexander

11:29AM BST 16 Apr 2013

One of the most shared messages on Twitter was a quote from American television host and Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers: "Look for the helpers. You'll always find people who are helping."

And it proved to be true.

So many of the runners continued to run across the finishing line and onwards to the Massachusetts General Hospital, in a rush to give blood, that they had to be turned away.

"Due to the generosity of our donors we don't need blood at this time," wrote the Red Cross for Eastern Massachusetts on Twitter.

But the volunteers kept on coming, leading the organisation to tweet an hour later: "We do *NOT* need blood at this time. Please schedule a future donation."

So great was the wish to help that the Red Cross was forced to set up a diary to arrange appointments for all those queuing up to give blood.

Others provided more immediate assistance. One man was caught on camera rushing straight to site where the bomb had detonated, where bloodied people were lying dazed on the pavement. He ripped off his belt to make a tourniquet and stem the bleeding, before turning to assist other seriously-injured victims.

Luke Russert reported on Twitter that he watched as a white-shirted volunteer in his red official baseball cap wheeled a woman out of the danger zone before rushing immediately back to the scene.

(Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Other people opened their homes to those who were stranded, or offered lifts to people without transport. A Google document was set up with offers of help, such as: "Located across the street from Mass General Hospital. I have a couch and an inflatable twin mattress for anyone who needs to stay."

Kristin Corona who lives in central Boston wrote: "I have a couch to offer and two beautiful chihuahuas to love you. My apartment is open to anyone in need."

Restaurants in the area offered free meals and shelter to those caught up in the tragedy, allowing people to pay only if they were able to.

"Open wifi, place to charge your phone, cold drinks, or just don't want to be alone," tweeted the owner of El Pelon, a Mexican restaurant in the area.

"My coworkers and staff deserve a lot of credit: not one blinked when asked, not one went home when they could, those not working came in."