In the news:

A scary prediction for the collapse of paper money

London-based economist Detlev Schlichter says, succinctly:
He says the world’s major currencies are destined to crash. “The dollar, the euro and the yen are locked in a race to the bottom,” he writes on his website, papermoneycollapse.com. The only question is which one crashes first.

Mr. Schlichter argues that we are only part of the way through the market meltdown – and that the worst is still to come. How much worse? Considerably worse, he says, than the Great Depression.

Mr. Schlichter’s analysis rests on an Austrian-school interpretation of things. The essential premise of the Austrians is that paper dollars get depreciated, sooner or later, “to a dime a dozen.”

Paper currency, he says, hasn’t fared any better in the West. He defines hyperinflation as a monthly rise in consumer prices of 50 per cent or more; the 20th century, he says, witnessed 29 such hyperinflations involving “elastic money.” Mr. Schlichter thinks that the collapse of U.S., European and Japanese currencies will be the worst in history. It will be a collapse “of epic proportions.”

Cyber-security of continent's power grid 'chaotic' report warns

The cyber-security of the North American power grid is "in a state of near chaos," according to a report by a respected U.S. energy consultancy monitoring the industry's transition to wireless digital technologies.

The white paper by Pike Research reveals that a $60 smart phone application can bypass security measures and allow direct communications between the phone and some control systems (ICS) that regulate breakers, relays, feeders and the flow of electricity.

The news comes on the heels of a warning from the cyber-security arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the hacker collective known as Anonymous appears intent on exploiting the ICS vulnerabilities within the energy industry.

As the industry evolves from largely isolated systems to a grid built around interoperable, digital technologies, security jitters are rising.

Many ICS have lifespans of 30 years and mitigation and compensation measures to help them mesh with the newer technologies are creating additional weak links and vulnerabilities.

US-Israel-Qatar 'Bunker Bomb Axis' against Iran?

The U.S. Air Force has received a shipment of 30,000-pound bombs, six times larger than those now in use, which can penetrate concrete bunkers. Iran has buried new nuclear plants in rocky mountainous areas and has buried them so deep under concrete to minimize the damage of an aerial attack, even if bunker buster bombs are used.

The Air Force began receiving the new monster bombs in September, and Boeing may build as many as 16 of the weapons, a U.S. military spokesman told Bloomberg News.

The B-2 stealth bomber will carry the bombs, which give “the war-fighter increased capability against hardened and deeply buried targets,” according to Air Force Lieutenant General James Kowalski.

Israel has received the older bunker bombs and may be armed with the new ones. Media reports, possibly trial balloons, once again brought up the possibility that Israel is planning to attack Iran’s nuclear plants. If war is necessary, neither Israel nor the United States wants to be the lone attacker.

U.S. Air Force receives new 15-ton bunker buster bombs

The U.S. Air Force has received new 30,000-pound bombs capable of destroying deep underground bunkers, the Bloomberg news agency reported.

The U.S. Air Force reportedly started receiving the bombs in September. The bombs are six times bigger than the U.S. Air Force's current bunker-busters.

Syrian army deserters strike first big security facility at heart of Assad regime

The Assad regime suffered a major shock Wednesday Nov.16 when self-styled "Free Syrian Army" deserters firing shoulder-borne rockets and heavy machine guns struck its biggest security complex at Harasta west of Damascus on the highway to Aleppo.

It was a sign of the opposition's growing confidence in their ability to shake the high military command's support for Bashar Assad.

More importantly, we see this (recall Syria's threats to attack Israel if any 'outside' intervention enters into the conflict):

The Arab League, under the leadership of Egypt's Supreme Military Council in conjunction with Saudi Arabia, is planning to submit a motion to the UN Security Council on the Syrian crisis that would open the door to outside military intervention in the Syrian crisis. If the motion is defeated by Russia or China, the Arab League will act on its own as the paramount Arab authority in the region.

The AL took the first step in this direction Tuesday, Oct. 15, with the announcement of plans to create a force of 500 monitors for sending into Syria. The next step would be a joint Arab force to safeguard the monitors.

Turkey is leading the way for a pan-Arab offensive by reiterating its threat to invade Syria and establish a military buffer zone as a haven for Syrian rebels and refugees - unless the massacre of civilians stops. The Syrian opposition would then have its first territorial base inside the country under Turkish protection.

And this last tidbit is even more interesting:

Until now, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, have limited their intervention in Syria to weapons and funding. Now they have begun paying Iran back for its subversive troublemaking in Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.

Until now, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, have limited their intervention in Syria to weapons and funding. Now they have begun paying Iran back for its subversive troublemaking in Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.
From now on, the GCC proposes to make the upgrading of its support for anti-Assad rebels commensurate with the level of Iranian meddling against Arab rulers. Jordan's King Abdullah, who has forged a pact with the GCC, gave due warning of this strategy Monday, Nov. 14, when he became the first Arab ruler to openly call for Bashar Assad to step down

It appears that "outside intervention" is imminent. Syria has already made their threats, interestingy, against Israel if and when this intervention occurs. Has this been planned all along - as an 'excuse' to attack Israel? Or will such action by Syria simply represent desperate efforts by a desperate leader?

The motives are somewhat irrelevant. What matters are the coming wars as predicted by biblical prophecy, and these wars appear to be imminent.