Taurid Meteor Shower Coming Wednesday

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

If storms don’t block your view, you may get to see a beautiful spectacle from the heavens on Wednesday night as the Taurid meteor shower lights up the sky between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. local time.

According to the International Business Times, Earth is still passing through the tail of Comet Encke, causing the meteor shower. And while Wednesday is the peak time to watch the meteor shower, NASA stated that Monday and Tuesday nights are also good for watching the shower.

The fireballs are expected to be as bright as Venus, and during the peak hours, observers will get to see approximately 7 to 10 meteors every hour, according to NASA.

Earth is currently passing through a stream of residual dust and debris in space that was left by the passing comet. Earth’s center of gravity pulls the debris in and it burns in the atmosphere, creating the falling stars.

According to the American Meteor Society, there were seven other meteor showers in 2015 in January, April, mid-April to mid-May, August, October, November, and another will take place in December.

Syrian Opposition Rejects Russia’s Peace Plan; Syrian Forces Take Down ISIS Siege

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,

On Wednesday, Russia drafted a peace proposal to solve the Syrian crisis, but it was rejected by Syrian opposition forces due to the fact that the draft made no reference to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stepping down – a key opposition demand.

“The Syrian people have never accepted the dictatorship of Assad and they will not accept that it is reintroduced or reformulated in another way,” Monzer Akbik, member of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, told Reuters.

Reuters and the Associated Press were able to receive the drafted documents that stated the Kremlin asked for Damascus and unspecified opposition groups to agree on launching a constitutional reform that would take approximately 18 months. Afterward, there would be an early presidential election. However, the document does not bar Assad from participating in the election or relieving him of his position during the 18 month reform.

Russia denied that any such document is being prepared before the Vienna meeting this week where world leaders will discuss international peace talks for a second time.

Russia began intervening in the Syrian conflict six weeks ago when rebels were getting closer to taking over government-held areas. Since then, the Kremlin has stepped up its airstrike campaign and diplomatic efforts.

A member of the coalition’s political committee, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that in order for there to be peace, any talks will have to have more assurances and guarantees. He added that there could not be any elections under the current system.

“How can the elections be fair when the citizens inside Syria are afraid of retaliation from the security services of the regime?” he said.

Meanwhile in Syria, Fox News reported that Syrian government forces were able to take down an ISIS siege that was attempting to take over a Syrian military air base. ISIS has been attempting to take over this specific base since 2013. Between the troops in the Syrian base, the new forces that launched the large-scale offensive, and the Russian airstrikes, state TV reports confirmed that dozens of ISIS fighters were killed and hundreds of extremist bodies were found around the base. The breaking of the siege marks the first major achievement by Assad’s soldiers since Russia began their airstrikes in September.

Oklahoma: World’s #1 Earthquake Area

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

A state agency released a report on Tuesday claiming that Oklahoma is now the number one earthquake area of the world.

According to the Enid News and Eagle, Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) spokesman, Matt Skinner, stated that there has been 15 earthquakes in the Medford area since Saturday. He added that the world is currently going through a seismic phase.

“In North America, Oklahoma is very unique and unique in the world, in the sense that it’s concentrated so much in just one area,” said Jim Palmer, OCC director of public information and manager of consumer education.

And because state officials see this as a very real problem, the commission’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division announced a plan to help reduce the risk of induced earthquakes in the area.

The oil and gas industry now gives seismic activity data to the Oklahoma Geological Survey who uses the information and turns into data that the OCC can use. This helps the OCC find disposal wells that could be causing seismic activity due to water being injected into the basement rock. And the reason the water was disposed of in the first place was because it was saltwater that contained natural constituents like arsenic and lead that could infect surface water.

“You really don’t want it out on the surface. You want to put it back down the hole. So, that’s done in the name of protecting groundwater, it’s protecting underground drinking water supplies and it’s worked quite well for a long, long time,” Skinner said. “However, now, we have a new thing to worry about, which is induced seismicity.”

And while the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is trying their best to reduce the amount of earthquakes in the area, Skinner admits they still don’t have all the details.

“All we have is data,” he said. “In terms of this phenomenon, very little is really known.”

Russia Agrees to Provide S-300 Missiles to Iran

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday that Russia is honoring its deal with Iran and delivering S-300 surface-to-air missiles that could protect Iran from multiple targets and shoot down other missiles.

Russia and Iran were able to write a contract for their deal after international sanctions on Iran were lifted due to the nuclear deal with the U.S. and its allies. However, BBC New reports that Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States are against the new missile contract between Iran and the Kremlin.

According to Russian officials, the first missiles could be delivered 18 months after Iran decides what type of S-300 missiles they want; talks between the two countries continue.

“The deal to supply the S-300 to Iran has not only been signed between the parties but it has already come into force,” said Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia’s Rostec arms firm, speaking at the Dubai Airshow-2015.

The deal was originally signed in 2007, but international sanctions forced Russian leaders to freeze the deal. President Putin unfroze it in April. CBS News reports that the original model of the S-300 that was proposed in the first deal are no longer manufactured, and Russian officials had to modify the agreement.

Israel and the U.S. worry that if Iran receives these missiles they could effectively protect their nuclear sites from airstrikes. CBS News adds that Israel also fears that the Islamic State could get their hands on the S-300 if they are in Iran.

Christianity Facing Extinction in Many Middle Eastern Countries

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

Aid groups told Fox News on Tuesday that Christianity could vanish in the Middle East within the next decade as many Christians are being killed, ran out of their homes, or forced to renounce their faith in order to live.

As Islamic State radicals plague Syria and Iraq and continuously kill Christians and others with different religious views than their own, other areas are continuing to put pressure on Christians including Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf nations.

A report done by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need states that the Christian population in Iraq was 1.5 million in 2003, and now in 2015, there is estimated to about 275,000. The numbers continue to dwindle as Christians are killed, living in secret, or flee. In Iraq alone, a dozen Christian families flee each and every day according to 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, a Falls Church, Va., nonprofit dedicated to promoting religious freedom worldwide.

“Unless the global community gets involved, we will witness the loss of Christian witnesses in a land that is biblically significant,” Elijah Brown, executive vice president for 21st Century Wilberforce, told FoxNews.com.

He told Fox News that Iraq’s second largest city has been purged of Christians after ISIS took over.

“Last Christmas was the first time that bells did not ring out in the city of Mosul in 2,000 years,” Brown said. “I think that speaks to the reality that hundreds of thousands of Christian families are living on the edge of extinction.”

And while Christians in Syria and Iraq continue to flee in fear of ISIS, one Middle Eastern country was mentioned in the report as being tolerant and protective of their Christian community: Egypt. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has vowed numerous times to protect the Coptic Christians and even attended Christmas church services with them as a sign of tolerance and solidarity.

“Such a development holds out a potential beacon of hope for Christians and others in the Middle East against a backdrop of growing Islamism,” the report stated.

While the Middle East is the most well-known area for Christian persecution, Christianity in Africa and Asia is in danger too. Boko Haram, an Islamist terror group, has killed several Christians in Nigeria and has sparked other extremists to do so in Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and other parts of the continent. Christians located in Asia face persecution from nationalist religious movements such as Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist in countries such as Pakistan, Hindu, and Myanmar. In most of these countries, Christianity is viewed as a foreign, Western practice, according to Fox News.

Extreme Storms, Tornadoes Expected in the Heartland by Wednesday

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

An impressive storm over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has sent a powerful southward dip in the jet stream which will hit the continental U.S. Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing severe weather, including possible tornado threats.

The Weather Channel reports that the cold air mixed with warmer, humid air in the lower levels of the atmosphere could produce severe thunderstorms. They also state that since this weather prediction is a few days early, that it is uncertain to measure the level of the tornadic threat.

The main threat from severe thunderstorms are gusting winds, hail, flash flooding, and the possibility of tornadoes. The tornadic threat level can range depending on how unstable the air mass becomes, which is something that cannot be easily predicted. Winds are expected to pick up in the midsection late Tuesday, with sustained winds of up to 40mph by Wednesday with gusts at 50 to 60 mph or more.

Regions on the northwestern part of the storm will see high winds and snow. Colorado and Kansas were placed under blizzard watches and high wind watches were issued for Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas, according to ABC News.

November has seen its fair share of severe weather in the past. Nearly two years ago, 72 tornadoes made their way through 7 states.

U.S. Prepared to Take More Action in Syria

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Days after President Obama announced the deployment of special operations forces in Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said more American soldiers could “absolutely” be sent to Syria if the U.S. can find additional local groups willing to fight ISIS.

Carter told Voice of America News that the key to victory comes from local groups who are capable of winning and keeping the peace.

“Now, those are hard to find in Iraq and Syria. That’s why it’s going to take some time because we have to help develop, enable, encourage those forces,” the defense chief said. Using an acronym for the group, he added that some forces “have shown some effectiveness in fighting ISIL and, if they grow in size, we’ll do more. If we find additional groups that are willing to fight ISIL, and they’re capable and are vetted, we’ll do more. The president has indicated a willingness to do more. I’m certainly prepared to recommend that he do more, but you need to have capable local forces.”

Carter did mention that if more American troops were to go to Syria, their main mission would be to advise and assist rebel groups. However, he did admit that there may be situations in which U.S. troops may be forced into a combat situation, according to ABC News.

Meanwhile, the Huffington Post reported yesterday that the United States has intensified their airstrikes against the Islamic State within the last few days.

U.S. military forces reported from October 30 to November 6, coalition forces carried out 56 strikes against ISIS. The strikes were focused on the towns of al Hawl, al Hasakah, Mar’a, and Dayr az Zawr. Comparatively, there were only 3 airstrikes deployed within the 8 days before October 30. On Saturday alone, the U.S. and its allies carried out a dozen strikes, according to the Huffington Post.

Investigation of Russian Plane Crash Continues; Bomb Theory Supported By Egyptian Officials

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , ,

New evidence, including a voice recording of the cockpit, is bolstering the theory that a bomb did take down the Russian airplane, killing 224 people. The Egyptian team investigating the crash told Fox News that they are “90 percent sure” a bomb brought down the plane.

“The indications and analysis so far of the sound on the black box indicate it was a bomb,” the investigator added.

The investigator did ask to remain anonymous due to “sensitivities.”

An Egyptian official heading the investigation told CBS News that there is a noise that can be heard on the recording of the cockpit just before it cuts out, however, they cannot define it as a bomb at this time.

Over the past week, U.S. and U.K. investigators believed that the evidence pointed to a bomb being planted on the plane by Islamist militants due to intercepted chatter from members of ISIS, but Russian and Egyptian officials dismissed the claim. However, an ISIS affiliate has claimed that they brought down the plane since the beginning of the investigation.

And while Egyptian and other officials believe there is a high chance of a bomb being the cause of the crash, Russian forensic experts did warn NBC News that it could be weeks or months before they can conclusively affirm that theory. Pieces of the plane have been sent to Moscow for analysis.

Since the crash, Russia has suspended all flights to Egypt for security issues. Russian inspectors have been sent to the Sharm el-Sheikh airport to investigate security concerns. Egyptian officials are also questioning airport security and staff and some employees are even under surveillance. Security officials at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport have told the Associated Press that there have been gaps in security for awhile. Between non functioning equipment, lax searches, and policemen who can be bribed, that drugs and weapons slip through security all the time according to Fox News.

British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond stated that if a bomb was the cause of the plane crash, that airport security in all areas where ISIS is active would have to be rethought.

At this time Britain and the United States have stopped flights to the resort and Russia has suspended all flights to Egypt due to security concerns.

Netanyahu and Obama to Meet for the First Time Since the Iran Deal

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama will meet today at the White House. It will be their first meeting since their public disagreements over the Iran nuclear deal.

CBS News reports that the two world leaders will discuss Israel-Palestine relations, Middle East security issues, and the nuclear deal with Iran. They will also discuss an extension to a 10-year agreement that expires in 2017 where the U.S. will continue to provide military aid to Israel.

And while the Obama administration did recently admit that Palestine-Israel peace will not be achieved during Obama’s term in office, administration officials did tell CBS News that Obama will discuss with Netanyahu the possibility of peace talks with the future administration.

However, the ultimate goal for both countries is to reopen channels of communication and to ease past tensions, according to Ilan Goldenberg, a former State Department official who now directs the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will also be speaking at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal organization, during his visit to the U.S. Political analysts believe it is a move to mend bridges with U.S. Democrats after his speech in March where he condemned the nuclear deal with Iran.

Giant Sinkhole Swallows More Than a Dozen of Cars in Mississippi IHOP Parking Lot

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: ,

Local media reported that a massive sinkhole opened up in an IHOP parking lot in Meridian, Mississippi on Saturday night, swallowing at least a dozen cars. There have been no reports of injuries.

According to the International Business Times, witnesses reported that they heard a large “boom” and then the restaurant experienced a power outage. The asphalt of the parking lot then gave away, creating a huge hole about 35-feet wide, 375-feet long, and 30-feet deep. USA Today reports that about 15 vehicles were submerged.

Meridian Public Safety Director Buck Roberts told USA Today that the collapse was not technically a sinkhole. He believes that it was more likely a collapsed drain.

“You can call it what you want, a cave-in or whatever, but it is not a sinkhole,” Roberts said.

However, there is still an ongoing investigation as to what caused the hole.

“We won’t know exactly what happened until engineers can determine the cause,” Roberts said.

The Washington Post reports that the IHOP had just opened earlier that week and that the area had been drenched by 10 inches of rain over the past two weeks.