URGENT NEWS/PRAYER ALERT!"Kim Jong-un Calls for Execution of 33 Christians" - 3/7/2014; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3651 "North Korea tyrant Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered that 33 Christians believed to be working alongside South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook be put to death. The South Korean missionary - who was arrested last year - and his accomplices have reportedly started 500 or so underground churches..."[PRAY that the plans for execution would be rescinded, and these believers released.] [Che\ck out: They'll Be Dead By Morning (What Difference Will It Make) http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-what.html
PRAISE ALERT! "New Hampshire Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide Overwhelmingly Defeated" -
by Alex Schadenberg | Concord, NH | LifeNews.com | 3/7/14;http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/07/new-hampshire-bill-to-legalize-assisted-suicide-overwhelmingly-defeated/ "Nancy Elliott, a Euthanasia Prevention Coalition International board member and a former three term New Hampshire state representative led the charge to defeat assisted suicide bill HB 1325 in New Hampshire ...The focus now turns to defeating the assisted suicide bills in Connecticut and New Jersey."
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
LATEST NEWS ALERT! - "Ukraine Diplomacy Stalled, Congress Eyes Sanctions" - CBNNews.com, March 06, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Ukraine-Diplomacy-Stalled-Congress-Eyes-Sanctions/ "Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine are off to a very slow start, with talks between U.S., Ukrainian and Russian leaders going nowhere...Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is rushing to impose stiff sanctions on Russia, whose troops have seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula..."
NEWS /PRAYER ALERT! - Ukraine Accuses Russia of 'Invasion, Occupation'- By George Thomas, Friday, February 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Ukraine-Accuses-Russia-of-Invasion-Occupation-/ - SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine -- Russian troops now control an airport near their naval base in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is calling the siege a "military invasion and occupation." "It is in violation of all international treaties and norms," he charged. "This is a direct provocation to armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state."... [Let's be in prayer as the Ukraine is facing an ever increasing threat of civil war. Pray esp. for beievers to be submitted to and guided by the Holy Spirit in how to BE JESUS during these turbulent times. May many who are and will encounter great suffering as a result of this continuing conflict find their hope and strength in Jesus by coming to faith in Him. - Stan]
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT! "Ukraine President Becomes Fugitive from Justice "- By George Thomas, Monday, February 24, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Opposition-Takes-Presidency-in-Divided-Ukraine/ KIEV, Ukraine -- ...On Saturday, Ukraine's parliament stunned the nation by voting overwhelmingly to impeach Yanukovych. Hours later, members of parliament picked Oleksandr Turchynov, a prominent evangelical Christian, as interim president until new elections in May. "Christians were praying on Independence Square," Pastor Kaluzhny said. "We were praying in our churches. People around the world were praying for us, and God did a miracle! Ukraine is a new country." What happens next is uncertain.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
-That the turmoil in Ukraine will be resolved
-That the leaders of Ukraine will be able to peacefully resolve their impasse
-Safety for those trapped by the violence in the nation
Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan]
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison.
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- For leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison.
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- For leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
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"Power Grid: Target in 'New Attack on America'?" - By Mark Martin, March 17, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/March/Power-Grid-Target-in-New-Attack-on-America/ [NOTE: Go to the website noted above to see the VIDEO report of the following article.]SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. -- Electricity could be considered the nervous system of our country. It provides light, runs all types of devices, and helps power the economy. If America's power grid went down, the results could be catastrophic. How secure is our grid, and is it a target for terrorists?
Military-Style Incident - With its maze of electric equipment, the Metcalf Transmission Substation quietly took up space in California's Santa Clara County. On April 16 last year, that all changed.Surveillance video shows the muzzle flash of rifles and sparks from bullets striking the chain-link fence around the substation. For nearly 20 minutes, snipers unloaded, then vanished before police arrived.Even the shell casings left behind, the kind ejected by AK-47s, carried no fingerprints.
Authorities later discovered the military-style attack blasted 17 giant transformers and six circuit breakers, resulting in more than $15 million in damage. Those transformers send power to an area that heavily relies on it -- the Silicon Valley.Former FBI agent Rick Smith, who was a part of the anti-terrorism unit, said the message is clear."Obviously, it wasn't just a couple of guys out having a beer," Smith said. "It was some orchestrated attack that was planned, and it looked somewhat professional. If you don't have any power, you obviously have disruption, and the message is that our facilities were vulnerable."
America's Soft Underbelly - Fortunately, in the Metcalf case, electric grid officials rerouted power to prevent a blackout.Still, that did not stop Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the time, from telling the Wall Street Journal the attack was "the most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the grid that has ever occurred" in the United States.
That statement unleashed a firestorm from lawmakers and security experts wondering about the vulnerability of the American power grid in the event of a physical attack and EMP, or electromagnetic pulse attack. "That's where you would basically wipe out our electric grid and any instruments that use computer chips," Kevin Freeman, a security expert and author, told CBN News.
California Assemblyman Jim Patterson, vice chair of the Utilities and Commerce Committee, agreed with Wellinghoff."What keeps me awake at night and a lot of the people who produce and distribute power in California is this whole question about whether this was isolated or whether we need to see this as the beginning of a new security risk," Patterson told CBN News."The big picture is, though, that this is an indication of the soft targets and the variety of targets in this new attack on America," he said.
Precursor to an 'Act of War?' - Rich Lordan, with the Electric Power Research Institute, called the attack and its execution unprecedented. "So the feeling is this may have been preparation for an act of war," Lordan said.Lordan's colleague at the Institute strongly disagrees."I think he was off base for making that sensational kind of remark," Clark Gellings, with the Institute, told CBN News. "I don't understand why he would even say that. We've had quite a conversation since then about this." Gellings thoughts on the motivation behind the attack, however, don't change his concern for the security of the grid."It's an ongoing battle to stay one step ahead of these folks who might want to do us some harm, not just physical harm to the power system, but also the cyber side," he explained.
Flimsy Security - There's a lot of ground to cover in that battle. The U.S. power grid is extensive, and from the East Coast to the West Coast, many substations are located in remote areas with minimum security.
CBN News discovered the same situation in the largest city in the country. One switchyard that powers the financial district and also much of the New York City subway system is only protected by a flimsy fence and minimum security. "As horrible as 9/11 was to this nation and to the city, had the terrorists flown two planes into this facility, the consequences to New York City and to the nation would have been orders of magnitude more damaging than what actually happened," Adam Victor, with the TransGas Development Systems, told CBN News.
"I hope we never get to the point where we have to monitor this entire infrastructure, which is literally millions of miles of wire, 150,000 poles, and roughly the same number of substations... Impossible!" Gellings exclaimed.However, Gellings and other leaders are by no means throwing in the towel. Pacific Gas & Electric, owner of the Metcalf substation, has worked with federal and local agencies and consultants to increase security.
Powering Up Security - Among other things, company leaders plan to put up opaque fencing, advanced camera systems and lighting, and more alarms. "These are things we've already done -- perform a risk assessment, evaluate the gaps we have, and then implement strategies to fill those gaps," Brian Swanson, a PG&E spokesperson, explained.
One strategy is increasing patrols around substations. As CBN News walked around and shot video of the Metcalf substation, it took about half an hour before we encountered inquisitive deputies with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department."There's a lot more public safety eyes in the areas," Patterson said. "There's a lot more tracking and identifying of potential domestic threat with respect to that kind of chatter."
As far as the hardening of the grid itself, Gellings said the Electric Power Research Institute is literally developing a kevlar vest to put around transformers to protect them.He said researchers are also working on devices that would sense the vibrations of people and report that movement to provide more awareness of the situation on location."Then we want to get overall situational awareness and use... unmanned aerial vehicles to actually look at a whole area of the power system," Gellings added.
The drone idea has been met with reluctance from the Federal Aviation Administration. That's not stopping power industry leaders and others, though, from exploring options to fortify a grid which has shown itself to be quite vulnerable.
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