Luciferian News Hour

January 6, 2006

Well Luciferians, our new year has started out with a harsh kick in the seat of the pants.

In the first five days we have had a coal mine disaster, a five story hotel collapse at the Moslem yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, deadly ice rink roof collapse in Bavaria, killer floods ravaging California, Java and Mozambique, and killer fires fanned by hot dry winds in Australia and the states of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Also the Iraq War has heated up once more, with suicide bombers taking nearly 200 hundred lives in two days. Everywhere we looked, the news was very bad.

Starting at what seemed to be a high note:

Chinese President Hu Jintao reiterated China’s strong commitment to peaceful development in his New Year Address broadcast Saturday to domestic and overseas audience via state TV and radio stations.

“I would like to reiterate that China’s development is peaceful development, opening development, cooperative development and harmonious development,” Hu said.

”The Chinese people will develop ourselves by means of striving for a peaceful international environment, and promote world peace with our own development,” Hu said.

He said the Chinese people are willing to join with peoples of all nations in the world to promote multilateralism, advance the development of economic globalization toward common prosperity, advocate democracy in international relations, respect the diversity of the world and push for the establishment of a new international political and economic order that is just and rational.

Taiwan Response:

But across the pond, in Taiwan, the mood was very different on New Year’s Day. In a televised speech that squelched months of speculation he might seek to improve relations with Beijing, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian did just the opposite, He said that Taiwan needed to increase its weapons purchases and warned against greater economic ties to the mainland.

Chen had said fairly little in the weeks since his Democratic Progressive Party, which seeks greater political independence from the mainland, fared badly in municipal elections on Dec. 3. The Nationalist Party, which favors closer relations with Beijing, did much better in those elections and has been riding a surge in popularity since its then-chairman, Lien Chan, visited the mainland in late spring shortly before his retirement last summer.

But Chen made clear Sunday that those setbacks would not fundamentally alter his policies. In his New Year’s speech, he used a series of politically charged phrases that appeal to independence advocates in Taiwan, but will probably offend Beijing, while calling for legislative approval of his plan to buy more weapons from the United States.

Do we see a pattern developing here? Remember that Chen is a fundamental Armageddon Christian president. He is driven by the angels to excite a world war. That is the last thing this world needs right now.

South American Socialist Movement

Exciting events are happening in South America as the socialist movement cranks up. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian president-elect Evo Morales met on Tuesday to consolidate ties between socialist soulmates united in their opposition to Washington.

Chavez and Morales, a former coca leaf farmer, have antagonized the U.S. government with their alliances with Cuba and promotion of leftist integration as an alternative to U.S. free-market policies in Latin America.

Morales, elected by more than 50 percent in a December 18 vote, made his short stop in Venezuela as part of a world tour that includes Spain, France, Brazil, China and South Africa. He takes office on January 22.

The Bolivian leader has rejected charges from foes that he received financing from Chavez, who Washington accuses of destabilizing the region by using Venezuela's huge oil wealth to spread his socialist revolution.

"We are joining this anti-neoliberal, anti-imperialist fight," Morales said as he met Chavez and his ministers at the airport. "We are in a new era, we are in a new millennium, a millennium for the people, not for the empire."

And In Israel:

In Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday and was on a respirator after falling ill at his ranch. Doctors operated to drain excess blood from his brain and later in the week operated on his heart. In the meantime, the power of running the country was transferred to his deputy, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert. It seems that a sudden and unexpected change of leadership is occurring in Israel. What will this bring for 2006?

Will U. S. Attack Iran?

A German newspaper reports that the United States government is coordinating with NATO its plans for a possible military attack against Iran.

The newspaper Der Tagesspiegel collected various reports from the German media supporting this story. One report indicated that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is examining the prospects of such a strike.

According to the report, CIA Director Porter Goss, in his last visit to Turkey on December 12, asked that country to provide military bases in 2006 from where the U.S. would be able to launch an assault.

The German news agency DDP noted that countries neighboring Iran, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, and Pakistan, were updated regarding the probable strike. American sources sent to those countries apparently mentioned an aerial attack is a possibility, but did not provide a time frame for the operation.

The Der Spiegel report also said that a January, 2005 New Yorker story stated that American forces entered Iran to mark possible targets for an aerial assault. The paper could not confirm that the plans for an attack were concrete, however.

Obviously President George W. Bush is leaving this option “on the table.”

 The Iranian Threat

To make the situation in Iran even more ominous, a western intelligence report states that the Iranian government has been successfully scouring Europe for the sophisticated equipment needed to develop a nuclear bomb.

Scientists in Tehran are also shopping for parts for a new ballistic missile capable of reaching Europe, with "import requests and acquisitions ... registered almost daily", the report concludes.

The warning came as Iran raised the stakes in its dispute with the United States and the European Union by notifying the International Atomic Energy Authority that it intends to resume nuclear fuel research next week. Tehran has refused to rule out a return to attempts at uranium enrichment, the key to the development of a nuclear weapon.

Political Trouble At Home

Once-powerful lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud, agreeing to cooperate in an influence-peddling investigation that threatens powerful members of Congress.

In a heavily scripted court appearance, Abramoff agreed with U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle when she said he had engaged in a conspiracy involving "corruption of public officials." The lobbyist also agreed when she said he and others had engaged in a scheme to provide campaign contributions, trips and other items "in exchange for certain official acts."

Abramoff faces 30 years in prison, and he will cooperate with federal prosecutors in a wide-ranging corruption investigation that is believed to be focusing on as many as 20 members of Congress and aides.

Abramoff's travels with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay are already under criminal investigation. The lobbyist's interactions with the Texas Republican's congressional office frequently came around the time of campaign donations, golf outings or other trips provided or arranged by Abramoff for DeLay and other lawmakers. In all, DeLay received at least $57,000 in political contributions from Abramoff, his lobbying associates or his tribal clients between 2001 and 2004.

Court papers released Tuesday also detailed lavish gifts and contributions that Abramoff gave an unnamed House member, identified elsewhere as Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee, in return for Ney's agreement to use his office to aid Abramoff clients.

 Bird Flu In Turkey

The death of three teenagers from the same family in Turkey from bird flu, the first human cases of the disease outside China and southeast Asia, is a serious concern but not the start of a pandemic, health experts say.

A 15-year-old girl from a remote area near the Armenian border, died early on Thursday less than a week after the death of her 14-year-old brother. Her 11-year-old sister died today.

Turkish officials said tests at two laboratories showed the boy died of the H5N1 bird flu virus. Further tests are being done to confirm if it is the same strain of the virus that has killed 74 people in Asia since 2003.

Doctors at the hospital said 20 other people are being treated with similar symptoms.

"It is surprising that there are two deaths and a number of people have been infected in what we thought to be a rather small outbreak," said Professor John Oxford, of Queen Mary's School of Medicine in London.

"From an infectious disease point of view, that is the surprising thing and the unsettling thing."

It could mean that the extent of the outbreak in poultry in Turkey has been underestimated or that the virus can now jump more easily from birds to humans, he said.

But Oxford said it is his opinion that the deaths do not signify the start of a pandemic, which scientists believe could kill millions of people, because the virus has not shown it can spread easily from person to person.

Iraq Bloodshed

Two suicide bombers killed at least 110 people and wounded more than 200 in the Iraqi cities of Kerbala and Ramadi on Thursday, the second consecutive day of concerted insurgent attacks.

Another three bombs exploded in Baghdad, two of them detonated by suicide bombers, and a roadside bomb targeted a U.S convoy near the southern Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, destroying a Humvee and killing at least two civilians.

Coming a day after 58 people died in a wave of bombings and shootings, the latest bloodshed appeared certain to ratchet up tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims after December's election.

Kerbala is one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest cities while Ramadi is a Sunni Arab stronghold and a hotbed of insurgency.

The bombs shattered hope that Iraq might start 2006 on a more peaceful footing.

Troops Killed Too

And the killing rampage continues, with even more attacks today.

The U.S. military today announced the deaths of six more American troops killed in the recent barrage of violence that has swept Iraq, bringing to 11 the number of troops killed on the same day.

A U.S. Marine and soldier died in the attack by a suicide bomber who infiltrated a line of police recruits in Ramadi on Thursday, killing at least 58 and wounding dozens. Two soldiers were also killed in the Baghdad area when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

In addition, two U.S. Marines were killed by separate small arms attacks while conducting combat operations in Fallujah.

Will We Cut And Run?

An Australian newspaper reports that the United States is beginning a drawdown of troops in Iraq because the nation is running out of money.

The report said the U.S. is nearing the end of a $16.4 billion fund for Iraqi reconstruction “with little prospect of further multi-billion-dollar injections.

In language mirroring the announcement of a planned reduction of troops, US officials in Baghdad have begun talking of "drawdown", "transition" and the "wind-down" of US reconstruction projects.

Instead, they will focus on the Iraqi Government's capacity to manage its own affairs.

Outlining the "drawdown", one US official said: "US reconstruction is basically aiming for completion (this) year. No one ever intended for outside assistance to continue indefinitely, but rather to create conditions where the Iraqi economy can use reconstruction of essential services to get going on its own."

The realization that the last of the US money will be allocated by mid-year, but with work due to continue well into next year, will dismay the Iraqis, the newspaper Australian said.

Millions are frustrated at the lack of large-scale projects such as power stations. They expect the US coalition to rebuild the shattered country's electricity network and essential services.

This is how they see us from down under. And there may be an element of truth in the story. Since we attacked Iraq under false pretenses and literally bombed their infrastructure into ruins, it seems really wrong for us to just walk away. But in doing what we did, we launched a guerilla war that we cannot win.

It is, indeed, George Bush’s Vietnam all over. It is suicide for our troops to hang around and try to beat the insurgents. No matter what we do now, it will be wrong.

No Money For Research

Defense and space projects account for most increases in the $135 billion federal research and development budget next year, worrying scientists who fear that after years of growth the United States is beginning to skimp on technology that fuels marketplace innovation.

The realignment by Congress of research money toward national defense and human space exploration means many universities, institutions and scientists will have to scramble for new sources of money or cut back current or planned projects.

“There is a battle for the future in science and technology. That’s what is going to govern the future of our country. Not increasing investments in those areas sends a signal the country is going to regret,” said Dr. Harold Varmus, who now heads the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Federal research and development spending will rise $2.2 billion, or 1.7 percent, in 2006, to about $135 billion, according to an analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Of that increase, 97 percent will go to Department of Defense weapons development and National Aeronautics and Space Administration spacecraft programs, AAAS said.

The nation’s universities and research institutes fret the emphasis increasingly falls on development, which tends to help industry, instead of the experimentation and exploration associated with basic research.

Research spending is falling or stagnating, disproportionately hurting the colleges and universities that depend on federal support to run their electrical engineering, computer science and other departments, said Tobin Smith, senior federal relations officer for the Association of American Universities.

The group’s 60 research universities account for 60% of federally supported, university-based research.

 For Lack Of A Shuttle

Europe has begun evaluating its options in the event the U.S. space shuttle is retired too early to launch the Columbus science laboratory, Europe’s billion-dollar showcase contribution to the international space station, the European Space Agency (ESA) says.

ESA has ordered a team of engineers to evaluate scenarios in which the shuttle is capable of launching 20 times, 15 times and 10 times between now and its intended 2010 retirement date. The study, whose conclusions are expected in early September, includes a scenario in which the shuttle cannot launch the Columbus module.

"I will have an evaluation of all these scenarios, including a scenario in which there is no Columbus," the agency director said. "My biggest concern is to optimize the investments that our member governments have already made."

Columbus is the centerpiece of a multibillion-dollar European investment in the space station that includes an unmanned space tug, called the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) that will deliver water, fuel and other supplies to the station. The ATV, whose first launch is scheduled for mid-2006, has been financed by ESA governments in part to repay NASA for the U.S. investment in the station’s basic infrastructure and utility-type support including electricity and astronaut transport.

If Columbus is not launched, the ATV program’s original reason for being would be lost and the program’s interest to European governments would diminish, the ESA statement said.

Coal Mine Disaster

Twelve of 13 West Virginia coal miners died after they became trapped 260 feet below the surface of the Sago Mine in an explosion early Monday.

Family members and friends gathered near the mine while rescue operations continued for two days and nights. Then early Wednesday the word spread that 12 of the 13 miners were found alive and people began celebrating. They danced in the streets and the churches rang their bells.

Then they learned the truth, that only one man, Randy McCloy, 27, came out alive. McCloy was found unconscious and was hospitalized in critical condition, suffering from hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning. The cause of the explosion and the deaths of the miners is under investigation.

Hotel Collapse In Mecca

A five-story hotel outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city collapsed Thursday as millions of Muslims converged for the annual (hazh) hajj pilgrimage. Al-Jazeera TV said at least 76 people were killed and 60 injured. Rescue teams pulled bodies from beneath the rubble of the hotel located about 200 feet away from the mosque.

Texas – Oklahoma Wildfires

A wildfire that scorched about 50,000 acres in western Texas was nearly contained Wednesday as firefighters across the state monitored flare-ups amid slightly lighter winds and cooler temperatures.

The blaze, which stretched across Irion and Reagan counties west of San Angelo, was the last major wildfire in Texas.

Grass fires started by as little as a spark from a car or downed power lines have burned more than 600,000 acres across a drought-stricken stretch of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico in the past week and a half. The fires have destroyed at least 470 homes and killed five people.

Officials in New Mexico contained a grass fire there Tuesday night. Fires were largely contained in Oklahoma, but more were expected, with highs in the low 60s and winds of up to 20 mph in some areas. No rain was in the forecast.

Some smaller towns were completely destroyed by the fast moving fires.

Australian Wildfires

In southeastern Australia, walls of flames 100 feet high swept through parched eucalyptus forests Sunday as several fires raged out of control injuring one man and destroying several homes and seven fire vehicles.

Dozens of people fled their homes north of Sydney - some using boats - as hundreds of firefighters battled flames lapping the edges of the city. Authorities closed the main freeway heading north from the city as a huge pall of gray smoke drifted across the area.

Three houses were destroyed near Woy Woy, nearly 40 miles north of Sydney, the New South Wales state Rural Fire Service said.

Elsewhere, a wildfire destroyed five houses and blackened nearly 60,000 acres in Junee, 180 miles southwest of Sydney. A man was hospitalized with burns to 60 percent of his body.

Dozens of fires burned across New South Wales state, fanned by hot dry winds from the Australian Outback as temperatures reached 111 degrees in Sydney - the hottest New Year’s Day on record for the city.

Several blazes north of the city merged into one “very fast-moving fire,” consuming seven firefighters’ vehicles.

Ice Rink Disaster

A snow-laden roof of an ice rink collapsed in Bavaria Monday killing up to 15 people, including children, hospitalized 13 others, and four skaters were still missing as of Tuesday, authorities said..

Schools in the region were on holiday and about 50 children and their parents were inside the building in the Bavarian town of Bad Reichenhall, near the Austrian border, when the roof, weighed down by masses of snow, fell in.

By early Tuesday rescuers had recovered the bodies of 11 people, including a woman, two teenagers and six children aged between nine and 12, all from the local area.

Police said four people were still buried in the wreckage, although the chance of finding any alive appeared slim.

“It’s unfortunately deathly quiet in the hall,” a spokesman said during the night.

Record Snows In Japan

Japan was bracing for more snow today after some of the heaviest snowfall on record that has left 57 people dead and paralyzed transport.

Almost 13 ft of snow has piled up in the worst-hit areas of Niigata near the Japan Sea coast, though the snowiest season of the year is yet to come.

Television pictures showed drifts burying the ground floors of houses and almost covering street lamps.

Java Flood And Mud

Some 200 people are feared dead in a landslide triggered by heavy rains that buried scores of houses in Indonesia's Central Java province Wednesday, police said as rescuers scrambled to find survivors.

"We suspect there are about 200 people in 120 houses buried in the mud," local chief of police operations Budi said, adding that about 150 police and soldiers were at the scene carrying out rescue operations.

In East Java, Indonesia, rescuers combed through debris and mud for victims after flash floods inundated villages and swept away homes there as well. The death toll was at 77 on Tuesday. Another 50 people were hospitalized.

Thousands sought shelter, medical care and food in the wake of the disaster, which environmentalists have blamed on rampant illegal logging in one of the world’s most densely-populated areas.

Starvation In Kenya

The death toll from hunger and related illness in drought-hit northeastern Kenya has risen to at least 40 as more malnourished children perish, hospital and aid officials said, amid new appeals for urgent help to avert a major famine in the region.

Since the beginning of December, at least 40 people have died as a result of malnutrition in hospitals and outlying nomadic villages in northeastern Kenya, which, along with neighboring southern Somalia and southeast Ethiopia, has been badly hit by two years of failed rains, they said.

Heavy Rains In California

The second major storm in two days washed across Northern California on Sunday, prolonging the threat of flooding as residents tried to clean up thick layers of mud and debris left behind as the first wave of floodwater receded.

Hundreds of homes and businesses were inundated on Saturday as heavy rain sent the Napa and Russian rivers spilling over their banks.

In many areas, the rivers and creeks were back within banks, though some towns remained flooded or flooded again as the rain, heavy at times, came and went throughout the day Sunday. The Sonoma County town of Guerneville was among those still fighting floodwater amid pouring rain.

Wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California were under a flash flood watch and a threat of mudslides as heavy rain headed in their direction.

In Pasadena heavy rain pounded the Rose Parade for the first time in a half century, sending hundreds fleeing while die-hard fans fought to steady their umbrellas in strong winds and parade participants proudly marched on as if it were sunny and warm. A powerful storm hit Southern California late Sunday and by the time the parade started Monday morning about four inches of water gushed down both sides of Colorado Boulevard, the parade route.

Poland Storms

Tens of thousands of homes were without electricity after snow blanketed parts of Poland and Romania, power companies said.

In southwest Poland about 30,000 homes were without electricity.

"We have a large number of small blackouts caused by trees that broke under the weight of wet snow which damaged power lines," an electric company spokesman said.

Pakistan Relief Blocked

The season’s heaviest rain and snow lashed Pakistan’s earthquake-hit areas Sunday, grounding helicopter aid flights and deepening the misery of survivors who huddled around campfires to keep warm.

Aid workers have warned that cold weather in the Himalayan foothills, where temperatures have already fallen below freezing, may claim more lives after the magnitude-7.6 quake Oct. 8 left about 87,000 dead and 3.5 million homeless.

Poor visibility forced a suspension of flights by helicopters from the United Nations, foreign militaries and Pakistan’s army, which have been delivering winterized tents, clothes, food and other provisions to survivors.

Severe Cold In China

China, already enduring its coldest winter in 20 years, is preparing for a cold snap that will see temperatures drop by as much as 29 degrees Fahrenheit.

Northern China, where temperatures are already as low as minus 15-20 degrees Celsius, will feel the strongest effects of the cold front, which is sweeping in from Mongolia and western Siberia, the China Daily reported.

In the capital of Beijing, which enjoyed a relatively warm start to the New Year with temperatures just above freezing, the thermometer is expected to plunge 10 degrees on Monday night, according to the paper.

Flooding In Mozambique

Heavy rainfall and flooding in southern Africa over the past few days has claimed 13 lives in Mozambique and left thousands homeless.

"Incessant rainfall and lightning across the country claimed two lives in the central province, four in the northern province and another two in the southern province in the past few days," a spokesman for Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster Management said Tuesday.

In an ironic twist of fate, the drought-ravaged district in southern Malawi experienced its worst flooding in almost half a century. At least 2,000 people were displaced as the Ruo River burst its banks to flood six villages.

Australian Heat Records

Last year was the hottest on record in Australia, official figures show, forcing the government to defend its refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing global warming.

The annual mean temperature in 2005 was 1.09 degrees Celsius (1.96 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average between 1961 and 1990, the Bureau of Meteorology said in its annual climate summary.

This made it "the warmest year since reliable, widespread temperature observations became available in 1910."

Whales Beached

Wildlife officers shot 41 pilot whales that beached on New Zealand’s South Island, the Department of Conservation said.

A total of 49 whales came ashore Saturday near Farewell Spit in the second major stranding in the area within two weeks. Eight died on the beaches, and the remaining animals were shot when heavy seas prevented any attempt to re-float them.

Fighting Smog In China

Beijing is fitting out 50 of its buses with experimental braking systems that it hopes could cut fuel use by up to 30 percent and help clear its smoggy skies, the China Daily reported on Tuesday.

The 50 buses in the trial will be fitted with hydraulic hybrid vehicle technology, which absorbs energy released as a vehicle brakes and allows it to be released when they restart or speed up, the paper said.

It is believed to cut fuel consumption by over 30 percent, and emissions by 20 to 70 percent.

The test run would last one to two years, but if it was successful Beijing could add the technology to its whole fleet of 18,000 buses, the article quoted a municipal official saying.

The move is just one of a series of strategies Beijing is sampling or considering to help clear its smog-laden skies before the 2008 Olympics. It has a trial fuel cell bus plying its roads, and some of its fleet is powered by cleaner gas.

Cutting Oil Dependency In France

President Jacques Chirac announced plans on Thursday to cut oil consumption in France, including the launch of the latest nuclear reactor prototype so that French trains will not use a drop of oil in 20 years' time.

Chirac sealed France's commitment to nuclear power by announcing the launch of a fourth generation prototype reactor to be in use by 2020.

France has become the world's second largest nuclear power producer after it decided after the 1970s oil shocks to reduce its oil dependence by building a fleet of 58 nuclear reactors.

Chirac also said in a New year's speech that France had to develop solar energy, electronic and hybrid diesel cars, and increase production of biomass fuels five times over the next two years.

Considering Biofuels

Waste products make a better biofuel than traditional crops such as rapeseed and grain because of the energy it takes to grow them, a former chairman of Shell Trading and Transport said.

"The attractive thing about waste is that it represents a problem," Lord Oxburgh told reporters at the annual Oxford Farming Conference in the UK.

He said rapeseed and grain required fertilizer inputs, effectively negating much of the savings they might otherwise provide when changed into biofuels.

"You really have got to think very hard about the amount the energy that goes into producing your biofuel," he said.

Oxburgh pointed to the production of ethanol from waste straw in Canada as one example of a project which was energy efficient and had environmental benefits.

By way of contrast, he said the most expensive method was being employed in the United States using corn, which consumes an enormous amount of energy before being turned into fuel.

"You put in nearly as much energy into producing energy than you get out of it. It doesn't actually make a lot of sense," he said.

Caviar Banned

Caviar lovers beware: the United Nations has slapped a freeze on exports of caviar from wild sturgeon, saying the move was essential to protect the endangered fish that produces the gourmet eggs. Every year, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has asked caviar producing countries for a quota for the following year’s catch.

In Business News:

Stock markets in Japan and across Europe finished the year with double-digit gains, significantly outperforming U.S. stock markets during 2005.

For the year, the Nikkei gained 40.24 percent – the largest annual gain since 1986 amid encouraging signs of an economic recovery in Japan.

European stock indexes ended the year with smaller double-digit gains, propelled by buyout activity, a weaker dollar and corporate restructurings. The FTSE 100 climbed over 16 percent, Germany’s DAX 30 gained 28 percent and the French CAC 40 jumped about 24 percent.

By comparison, the Dow Jones Industrials fell 0.61 percent for the year, closing in negative territory for the first time since 2002, while the S&P rose 3 percent and the Nasdaq gained 1.37 percent.

End Of Year Reports

Deep December discounts lured holiday shoppers and pushed sales slightly ahead of modest expectations, top U.S. retailers reported on Thursday, but a disappointing profit forecast from Wal-Mart raised concerns about the vital fourth quarter.

Teen apparel retailers were among the big winners as cut-price winter fashions flew off the shelves at chains.

Department stores including Nordstrom Inc. and Federated Department Stores Inc. rebounded from a disappointing November with stronger-than-expected sales.

But stores catering to lower-income shoppers struggled as some blamed steep gasoline and heating fuel prices that have cut into consumer spending. Ultra-discounters including Dollar General Corp. missed sales forecasts, while mid-tier department store chain Kohl's Corp. warned of weaker-than-expected profit.

U.S. Auto Sales Down

General Motors Corp. said its US sales fell 10.3 percent in December and four percent in 2005 with the biggest losses coming from passenger car sales. The struggling automaker sold 392,041 vehicles in December, bringing the year's total to 4,517,730.

Ford Motor Co. said its December US auto sales fell nine percent, ending the month at 267,881 units. Full-year sales also were lower, falling five percent to 3,168,156 vehicles in 2005.

A strong performance at Chrysler Group pushed US auto sales up four percent in 2005 at DaimlerChrylser AG, the company said. The company sold 2,529,254 vehicles in 2005 after posting a two percent monthly dip in December to 220,641 vehicles.

Layoffs Increasing

Planned U.S. layoffs rose by 8.6 percent in December, pushing the 2005 annual total of job cuts 3.1 percent higher than in 2004, according to a report released on Thursday.

The increases were due in large part to big jumps in job cuts in the government, non-profit and automotive sectors.

Total announced layoffs in the month were 107,822 jobs, compared with 99,279 planned cuts in November.

"Unfortunately for workers in these sectors, there does not appear to be any relief in the near term," one analyst said.

Unemployment Down?

The government is telling us something different. The Labor Department said the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment aid plunged by an unexpectedly large 35,000 last week to the lowest level in more than five years.

The Labor Department said 291,000 initial claims for state jobless benefits were filed in the week ended December 31, the lowest number since September 2000 and down from a revised 326,000 in the prior week. It was the largest weekly drop since late September.

It appears a large block of unemployed people has either dropped off into limbo and is no longer being counted, or these people all went to work at Walmart for the holiday season.

Manufacturing Slowing

The U.S. manufacturing sector slowed in December as higher energy prices knocked the edge off a buoyant economy. In its monthly report for December, the Institute for Supply Management, also pointed to worrying signs in the U.S. economy. But the private economic think-tank said the hiccup did not stop manufacturing from growing at a good pace.

Recession Warning

The U.S. bond market's most accurate forecaster, who plies his trade 500 miles from Wall Street, says yields are sending ominous signs about the economy.

James F. Smith, 67, who teaches finance at the University of North Carolina says the bond market is waving a caution flag on the economy. Two-year Treasury yields last week rose above those on 10-year notes, creating a so-called inverted yield curve for the first time since December 2000. An inversion preceded the past four U.S. recessions.

"When the curve inverts, run for the exits," said Smith, who served as an economist for the Fed from 1975-77. "It will stay that way until the Fed realizes it caused a recession in 2007. Investors should start planning for a recession."

Northwest Pilot Threat

The pilots' union at Northwest Airlines Corp. warned that the carrier is "risking labor peace" if it voids a collective bargaining agreement before another consensual deal is in place, according to court documents.

The Air Line Pilots Association asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in a filing on Wednesday to defer the hearings on the airline's bid to void their contract and allow more time for the two sides to reach a deal.

Northwest plans to renew an earlier request that the judge let the carrier scrap the existing contract with its pilots and other union-represented workers if a deal is not reached by January 17. A hearing on the airline's motion is set for that day.

"Northwest is risking labor peace with its pilots," the union said in the document. "The unilateral implementation of Northwest's demands ... would leave Northwest without a consensual pilot contract and the pilots with the right to strike."

Independence Air Shuts Down

Independence Air, which won fans with its low fares, announced plans Monday to cease operations just days into the new  year.

The carrier said its money troubles will force it to cancel all departures after 7 p.m. Thursday. The end came less than 19 months after the airline’s first takeoff.

“A lot of people have described the current economic conditions in the industry as the worst ever in history, and that’s certainly proved to be the case in our situation,” a company spokesman said.

Thursday was be last day of work for most of the 2,700 employees, though about 180 will remain to close out the carrier’s affairs.

Indonesian Bombing

A bomb packed with nails exploded in a crowded Christian market selling pork ahead of New Year celebrations in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least seven people and wounding 53, police said.

The early morning blast in Palu, capital of volatile Central Sulawesi province, came after warnings of militant violence during the Christmas and New Year season in Indonesia. But it appeared to be linked to regional tensions, not international Islamic militancy.

Russian-Ukraine Gas Crisis

Russia took Europe to the brink of a winter energy crisis this week when it carried out a Cold War-style threat and temporarily halted gas deliveries to Ukraine, the main conduit for exports to the West.

With a quarter of its gas supplied by Russia, Europe found itself facing serious disruption and price rises.

Moscow turned off the tap Sunday after the Ukraine refused to sign a new contract with the Russian state monopoly Gazprom that raised prices 460 percent.

Russia and Ukraine reached a face-saving five-year deal on Wednesday, however, which ended the dispute and assured gas supplies for Europe.

The European Union welcomed the pact but still held talks to discuss energy security after the sudden reduction over the New Year of Russian deliveries through Ukrainian pipelines, which cover a quarter of the continent's needs.

Poisoned Pet Food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it is conducting an investigation into the deaths and illnesses of dogs who consumed food made by the privately owned Diamond Pet Foods.

The Meta, Missouri-based maker of premium pet food, sold under labels that include Diamond, Country Value and Professional, last week said it discovered the toxin aflatoxin in products made at its Gaston, South Carolina, plant.

“Customers who have purchased the recalled Diamond Pet Food manufactured in the South Carolina plant should immediately stop using it and return any remaining product to their retailer,” the FDA said in a statement.

Aflatoxin comes from a fungus and develops on crops during hot weather and drought. It was detected in several key growing states including Iowa and Illinois this year. Large quantities can cause cancer in humans, and it can be deadly to animals.

Hoof-and-Mouth Is Back

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease forced the killing of 91 cattle in northeastern China this week, the official News Agency said. Foot-and-mouth disease causes severe weight loss in cloven-hoofed animals. It does not affect humans and outbreaks are relatively easy to control, but can have serious economic impact on the livestock industry.

Laughing At Bush

Call it the wrong phrase at the wrong time but “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job” was named on as U.S. President George W. Bush’s most memorable phrase of 2005.

The ill-timed praise of a now disgraced agency head became a national punch line for countless jokes and pointed comments about the administration’s handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and added to the president’s reputation for verbal gaffes and clumsy turns of phrase.

Stupid Burglar

Swedish police caught a burglar after he answered a phone he had just stolen and did not hang up, letting them eavesdrop on his getaway ride in a taxi.

The man broke into a house in northern Sweden, stealing a mobile phone and other possessions.

The police rang the stolen phone and heard him swearing about the late arrival of a taxi. "The thief answered the phone but then just put it away without turning it off," said a local officer.

The police tracked down the taxi and arrested the man.

Stupid People

Animals know stupid when they see it. Consider the following:

A South African mugger fleeing the scene of his crime hid in a tiger enclosure. Authorities found him mauled to death by the big cats.

On this country's coast, a woman attempts to be a good Samaritan by pushing a young seal into the sea, believing the poor thing is stranded. The seal bit off her nose.

Both people paid heavily for their stupidity, underscoring one of nature's truisms: humans do dumb things around wild animals.

"I blame it on Walt Disney, where animals are given human qualities. People don't understand that a wild animal is not something that is nice to pat. It can seriously harm you," said James Cameron, a South African professional hunter.

Sky Birth

An airplane flying to France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion landed with an additional passenger after a woman gave birth in the aircraft's toilet, the airline said.

The Air Austral flight had been in the air more than five hours after taking off from the eastern French city of Lyon on Saturday when a steward noticed a passenger had been in a toilet for a long time, and upon investigation the woman turned out to be in labor.

"I didn't believe it and so I got up to go see and the baby was already out," the pilot said after arriving in Reunion on Sunday.

A stewardess wrapped the baby in a blanket and a doctor on board cut the umbilical cord.

Lost Fortune

The holder of a British lottery ticket worth nearly 10 million pounds (14.5 million euros, 17.2 million dollars) had until 5:30 p.m. on Monday to collect or forfeit the entire amount.

Most likely, the soon-to-be unlucky winner simply forgot to check the ticket which would make him or her 9,476,995 pounds richer.

According to lottery rules, if the winner fails to recoup the bounty within six months, the money is automatically given to a charitable organization.

Had the ticket holder placed his windfall into a savings account immediately, a British newspaper calculated, an extra 300,000 pounds (437,000 euros, 517,000 dollars) in interest would have accrued.

The largest unclaimed lottery prize in Britain to date has been seven million pounds (10.2 million euros, 12 million dollars).

Bathroom Shooting

A 21-year-old North Vancouver, BC, man was facing numerous weapons charges after he shot off one of his fingers while apparently playing with a gun on New Year's Day, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Police reminded residents that it was not a good idea to play with a loaded gun while using the bathroom.

We think there may be more to this story than we are being told.

Useless Ventures Department

A new chord sounded in the world's slowest and longest lasting concert of a piece of music that is taking a total 639 years to perform in its entirety.

An abandoned church in Halberstadt, eastern Germany, is the venue for a mind-boggling 639-year-long performance of a piece of music by US experimental composer John Cage (1912-1992).

Entitled "organ2/ASLSP" (or "As SLow aS Possible"), the performance began on September 5, 2001 and is scheduled to last until 2639.

The first year and half of the performance was total silence, with the first chord -- G-sharp, B and G-sharp -- not sounding until February 2, 2003.

Then in July 2004, two additional Es, an octave apart, were sounded and are scheduled to be released later this year on May 5.

But on Thursday, the first chord progressed to a second -- comprising A, C and F-sharp -- and is to be held down over the next few years by weights on an organ being built especially for the project.

Cage originally conceived "ASLSP" in 1985 as a 20-minute work for piano, subsequently transcribing it for organ in 1987.

Now there is probably the most useless piece of “creative” work I have ever heard of.

Not Looking Ahead

An intrepid British oarsman's bid to row round Antarctica ended after just 20 miles when he unexpectedly collided with the Falkland Islands, British newspapers reported.

Colin Yeates was attempting to make history with the first solo unsupported rowing circumnavigation, expected to last 10 and a half months and cover 21,630-kilometres.

However, the "personal quest" to "push the boundaries of what is believed possible" hit the rocks after just 30 miles.

And That is our news for the first week of 2006. If the volume of news for this one week is any indication of what is to come, we can expect a very busy and eventful year ahead.

Be sure to listen to Voice of Lucifer on Sunday evening at this same time with Psychic and Prophet Aaron C. Donahue and his psychic sister Jennifer Sharpe.

Goodnight, and thanks for listening.