Lift up a prayer today, November 9. Ask the Lord to cause the public to be aware of this FEMA exercise, so as not to cause unnecessary panic. Pray that those in authority inside FEMA and the FCC will move in perfect synchronicity with each other, so that all lines of communication will be working at 100% capacity. Pray, too, that at the end of the day, any lessons to be learned from this exercise will be duly noted and corrected.

 "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry." (Psalm 34:15)

 

At the Federal Communications Commission's June 9, 2011 Agenda meeting, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett, joined by representatives from FEMA and the National Weather Service, announced that the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) would take place at 2:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) today, November 9, 2011, lasting 30 seconds. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism. EAS Participants currently participate in state-level monthly tests and local-level weekly tests, but no top-down review of the entire system has ever been undertaken.

Nationwide EAS Test Frequently Asked Questions - The national-level EAS leverages the communications support of all participating analog and digital radio, television, cable, satellite, and wireline providers (also known as EAS Participants) through specialized EAS equipment. A single, live-code alert, called the Emergency Action Notification, (EAN) is sent simultaneously to Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations across the country. PEP stations are designated to relay national alerts to the public and other stations in their coverage area.

Has there ever been an activation of the national-level EAS? - Although the EAS is frequently used by State and local governments to send weather alerts and other emergencies, there has never been a national activation of the system. The purpose of the November 9, 2011 Test is to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the current system and identify incremental improvements to better serve our communities in the preservation of life and property.

Why test the national-level EAS? - FCC's Part 11 Rules require EAS Participants to regularly test the system on a weekly and monthly basis, called required monthly and required weekly tests. Although the EAS has been in existence for over 15 years, a nationwide test of the system has never occurred. FEMA and federal partners are working with the EAS Community to assess if the national-level system will work as designed should officials ever need to send a national alert. A simultaneous test can provide an accurate picture of the current state of the system and the improvements necessary for a more reliable and resilient EAS.

Who will conduct a nationwide EAS Test? - The nationwide EAS Test will be conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS). The three federal partners have EAS management roles. FEMA is the lead agency in all operational and management functions of the EAS, developing national alert and warning capabilities, and integrating new technologies. The FCC is an independent agency that grants licenses, and presides over EAS rules and the rulemaking process, enforces rules, and handles test reporting data directly from EAS Participants. FCC rules regulate the transmission of EAS alerts. The NWS is a key player in the dissemination of local warnings via the EAS.

What will people hear and see during the Test? - During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that "This is a test." Although the EAS Test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear. The audio message will be the same for all EAS Participants; however, due to limitations in the EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that "This is a test." This is due to the use of the live EAN code - the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. The text at the top of the television screen may indicate that an "Emergency Action Notification has been issued." This notification is used to disseminate a national alert and in this case, the test. In addition, the background image that appears on video screens during an alert may indicate that "This is a test," but in some instances there might not be an image at all.

There are several limitations to the current EAS for individuals with access and functional needs. FEMA and the FCC are committed to providing organizations and the EAS community with information well in advance of the Test. FEMA and the FCC will further engage the EAS community to better understand the wide range of information and access needs in preparation for the national EAS. IPAWS has been performing outreach to access and functional needs organizations in several different forums, including working groups and roundtables led by the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, with representation from multiple FEMA program offices, other Department of Homeland Security components, and other Federal Departments and Agencies.

Why is the Test being conducted at this particular date and time? - The November 9 date is near the end of hurricane season and before the severe winter weather season. The 2 p.m. Eastern broadcast time will minimize disruption during rush hours, while ensuring that the test can occur during normal business hours across several time zones.

What is the source of FEMA's and the FCC's authority for conducting the Test? - FEMA administers the EAS and has the authority to ensure the conduct of training, tests, and exercises of the EAS by Executive Order 13407. FCC's rules require that EAS Participants take part in nationwide tests of the EAS. For more information, go here. (Contributors: FEMA, Capitol Hill Prayer Partners)

 

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Pray that our leaders cut budget items that would weaken our national defense. Ask the Lord to give wisdom to our leaders in finance committees that make decisions regarding national defense measures.

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;" (Luke 11:21)

Under orders to cut the Pentagon budget by more than $450 billion over the next decade, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is considering reductions in spending categories once thought sacrosanct, especially in medical and retirement benefits, as well as further shrinking the number of troops and reducing new weapons purchases. He said that meeting deficit-reduction targets might require another round of base closings, which could be highly contentious as members of Congress routinely fight to protect military deployments and jobs in their communities. Among other steps, Mr. Panetta said, Pentagon strategists were looking at additional cuts in the nuclear arsenal, with an eye toward determining how many warheads the military needed to deter attacks.

Mr. Panetta also held out the possibility of cutting the number of American troops based in Europe, with the United States compensating for any withdrawal by helping NATO allies improve their militaries. That effort would free up money so the United States could maintain or increase its forces in Asia, a high priority for the Obama administration, and sustain a presence in the Persian Gulf after the withdrawal from Iraq this year, he said.

Mr. Panetta spoke less than three weeks before a special bipartisan committee is supposed to produce a far-reaching deficit-reduction plan. If the committee deadlocks and fails to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions, then automatic cuts go into effect and the Pentagon could face an estimated $500 billion in additional reductions over the next decade. (Contributor: Thom Shanker and Elisabeth Bumiller - New York Times)

 

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Ask the Lord to bring to light any hidden agenda that the Iranian government might have regarding nuclear weaponry. Ask the Lord to give wisdom to world leaders regarding the ongoing issue of nuclear proliferation in Moslem countries world-wide. Ask the Lord to keep His protective hands upon the Israeli leadership in these perilous times.

 "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it." (Joel 3:1-3)

 

The United States is increasingly worried by indications that Iran may be on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, but the latest report on its atomic program from a U.N. watchdog is unlikely to sway the Obama administration from its plan to rely on sanctions and diplomatic pressure to deter Iranian ambitions.

Officials said the option of using military force, a topic of intense speculation in Israel, Europe and the United States in recent days, to prevent Iran from acquiring an atomic weapon will not be taken off the table. Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.

The possibility of a U.S. strike is considered remote, however. That is partly because there is no certainty it would successfully stop Iran and partly because of the diplomatic and political repercussions for a cash-strapped nation emerging from two wars.

Iranian officials have already seen the Vienna-based IAEA's intelligence to be released to the U.N. this week, diplomats told the AFP news agency.

In a report on its website, the Washington Post newspaper quoted Western officials as saying that the new information reinforced concerns that Iran continued to conduct weapons-related research after 2003 when, according to US intelligence agencies, Iranian leaders halted such experiments in response to international and domestic pressures.

Publication of the report will bring to light elements of the dispute between intelligence agencies in the U.S. and those in the U.K., France and Israel over Iran's actions and intentions toward developing nuclear weapons. (Contributors: Washington Post, Al Jazeera, San Francisco Chronicle)

 

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Pray that U.S. leaders and righteous judges will recognize the sovereign will of Israel to determine where it wants its capital, just like all other sovereign nations.

"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its cunning. If I do not remember thee, may my tongue, cleave to the roof of my mouth; If I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy." (Psalms 137: 5-6)

 

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a Jerusalem-born boy's challenge to U.S. State Department policy that prevents him from having his passport show he was born in Israel.

Middle Eastern politics and the battle between Congress over foreign policy are at play in the case being argued at the high court Monday. The boy, Menachem Zivotofsky, and his parents, Naomi and Ari, flew in from Israel to attend Monday's Supreme Court arguments.

Lawyers for 9-year-old Menachem argue that the foreign policy concerns are trivial. Thirty-nine lawmakers from both parties are siding with the boy and his parents, defending a provision in a 2002 law that allows Israel to be listed as the birthplace for Americans born in Jerusalem

President George W. Bush signed the much larger law, but said the provision on Jerusalem interfered with his power over foreign affairs, including the authority to recognize foreign states. Bush issued a signing statement at the time in which he said that "U.S. policy regarding Jerusalem has not changed."

Israel has proclaimed the once-divided city as its capital, as it has a right to do as a sovereign nation. Misguided U.S. policy does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that is why the U.S. Embassy is in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The U.S. State department guidelines say: "For a person born in Jerusalem, write Jerusalem as the place of birth in the passport" (not Jerusalem, Israel).

Had Menachem been born in Tel Aviv, the State Department would have issued a passport listing his place of birth as Israel. The regular practice for recording the birth of a U.S. citizen abroad is to list the country where it occurred, not the city only. (Contributor: Haaretz, BBC)

 

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Pray that U.N. leaders will understand the importance of helping the widows, children, orphans, and the poor, but not foster agendas that run contrary to God's will regarding His desires to bless the world through Israel.

  

"Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this." (Deuteronomy 24:17-18)

 

The Palestinians are slated to receive some 200 million dollars in U.S. security assistance after a top House Republican ended her hold on the money.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, informed the Obama administration in recent weeks that she no longer would block 50 million dollars in economic support funds for the Palestinian Security Forces and 148 million dollars in other assistance.

In separate letters to the State Department and USAID, Ros-Lehtinen cited Obama certification that the funds were in the national security interests of the United States as well as word that the government of Israel did not object to the assistance. The letters were sent in September and October.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the administration has reached out to Israel, which has an interest in maintaining security aid to the Palestinians, to help urge Congress to continue assistance. "We're asking the Israelis on a case-by-case basis," she said.

Ros-Lehtinen had blocked the funds in late August just as the Palestinians were gearing up to seek statehood recognition at the United Nations. The lawmaker placed an "informational hold" on the money, seeking material from the administration. The Palestinians pursued that move despite strong objections from the United States and Israel.

Brad Goehner, a spokesman for the committee, said Monday that the administration had provided the panel with some 1,000 pages of documents.

The Palestinians have received about 500 million dollars a year from the U.S. alone in recent years, including tens of millions of dollars for training the Palestinian security services. The partial suspension of aid by Congress had mainly affected development and infrastructure programs being supervised by USAID but not the support for the security services.

The United States recently stopped 60 million dollars in aid to UNESCO after it admitted the Palestinians as a member. Ros-Lehtinen stands firm on that issue, saying recently that she opposes any attempts to change U.S. law that requires a cutoff of American funds to any UN entity that gives membership to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

"That is the right policy, and it must continue in order to deter other U.N. entities from following in UNESCO's footsteps," Ros-Lehtinen said.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland commented Monday on the matter, saying that "it would be most welcome on our side. Our focus had been on working with members of Congress to make clear why we continue to believe that this money is important." She added: "Israeli officials have the same interests that we have in ensuring that we can all support stability in the Palestinian territories." (Source: By Natashia Mozgovaya - Associated Press, The Jerusalem Connection, UNESCO)

 

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A 12-hour prayer chain will observe this day via
a nationwide conference call. Join Christians around the world in prayer this Sunday, November 13! 

 

"Have mercy on me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, you that lift me up from the gates of death:" (Psalm 9:3)

 

 

 

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) on November 13th is a global day of intercession for persecuted Christians worldwide. Its primary focus is to encourage intercessory prayer on behalf of persecuted communities of the Christian faith.

 

A coalition of ministries are working together to host a 12-hour, marathon conference call to pray for Christians who are being persecuted worldwide.

Dial: 712.432.0031
Access is 452614#
Time: 8 am - 8 pm (EST)

 Hosted by The Persecution Watch in collaboration with:

 

Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
Mission America Coalition
International Orality Network

IDOP Official Website: http://www.persecutedchurch.org/

 

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The Dead Sea is a finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature global campaign. Voting ends this Friday (11-11-11), and for the final push, the Prime Minister Netanyahu has filmed a short video to encourage people from around the world to vote. A win could result in a large boost in tourism and economic growth for Israel and the Dead Sea region.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please SHARE the Prime Minister's Video with your friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrUk5R0CqVk 

 

VOTE via the Tourism Ministry's website dedicated Dead Sea website. (www.votedeadsea.com)

 

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"Partnering with CHRIST for REVIVAL 

In the Middle East AND America" 

  

Saturday Morning, 11.12.11 

7:30-11am Eastern, 6:30-10am Central, 5:30-9am Mountain,
4:30-8am Pacific, 3:30-7am Alaska, 1:30-5am Hawaii   

www.PrayerSurgeNow.blogspot.com  prayersurgenow@gmail.com  

 

Conference Call Number & Code  

712-432-0075 & 6149782 

 

4:30-6:00 am Pacific & 7:30-9:00 am Eastern 

Reading of God's Word

with John Moore, TX

&

Operation Prayer Surge Prayer Points
for Israel, Middle East, Our Military
Hosted by Tom Smith, TN & Al McCarn, VA

www.flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com

  

6:00-8:00  am Pacific & 9:00-11:00 am Eastern  

Interceding on the Eve of International Day of
Prayer for the Persecuted Church
CLICK HERE & WATCH THIS VIDEO

 

Also, please go to www.operationworld.org
to learn about these & other nations

Intercession for:  

Afghanistan with Missionary to Afghan People

www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/October/Watchdog-Group-No-Religious-Freedom-in-Afghanistan-/
Iraq with Abby Abildness, PA

www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/October/Persecuted-Christians-Fret-as-US-Iraq-Pullout-Nears/
Eritrea with Blaine Scogin, AR

www.cbn.com/cbnnews/shows/cwn/2009/January/Eritrea-Christian-Deaths-Mount-in-Prisons-/
North Korea with BJ Min, CA

www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/September/Balloon-Offensive-Invades-North-Korea-for-Christ/

 

 

 

Praying for the Persecuted Church - Would you gather this week as family, prayer group & congregation to intercede for our suffering brothers & sisters around the world?  Also, consider the invitation & opportunity to connect heart-to-heart with intercessors across the nation for conference call prayer on Sunday, 11/13, anytime from 8am-8pm Eastern, using 712-432-0031 & code 453614#.    

 

Prayer Surge NOW 11/12 will focus on 4 nations where many Christians are facing death: Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea & North Korea.  Please consider joining us this Saturday morning 4:30am-8am Eastern for Operation Prayer Surge Prayer Points for Israel, Middle East, US Troops & Intercession for the Persecuted Church using 712-432-0075 & code 6149782#.  Details below & www.PrayerSurgeNow.Net.  PSN is thankful for our brother Blaine Scogin for his passion for revival & ove for the suffering Christians around the world.   

 

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for packet of 25!      

Dr. Richard G. Lee

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