The Pope, who has made improving relations with China one of the goals of his pontificate, presided over the traditional Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession commemorating Christ's crucifixion and death. Attended by tens of thousands of people, the solemn, night-time ceremony is one of the main services ahead of Easter -- the climax of the Christian year.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong, who has criticised a lack of religious freedom in China, wrote the meditations for this year. They paid tribute to those "living martyrs" who suffer for their faith. "In many parts of the world, (the Church) is undergoing the dark hour of persecution," Zen wrote in one of the meditations. China's 8 to 12 million Catholics are split between a church approved by the ruling Communist party and an "underground" church wary of government intervention. Beijing and the Vatican severed ties two years after the 1949 Communist takeover.

"Colosseums have multiplied down the centuries, wherever our brothers and sisters, in different parts of the world, continue to be harshly persecuted today," Zen wrote in the forward, which the Pope read aloud. Earlier this month, an Iraqi archbishop was found dead in eastern Mosul after being kidnapped by gunmen, in an attack Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed on al Qaeda.

President Bush visited the scene of the disaster and assured the nation, "We in the federal government will respond," and Congress allocated nearly $200 million for repairs. But since then, very little has changed in how the country ensures bridges are safe. Throughout the U.S., bridges continue to be inspected only every two years, just as they were before the tragedy in Minnesota.

And although a disaster may have been averted on a Philadelphia bridge this week, it was only thanks to the careful watch of a single engineer. Peter Kim wasn't scheduled to inspect a certain overpass outside Philadelphia until next year, but the alert contractor, passing through the area on his way from lunch, SPOTTED A 6-FOOT CRACK IN A 40-YEAR-OLD COLUMN ON INTERSTATE 95, the main highway corridor from New England to southern Florida. "I passed by this column and saw that it had deteriorated to a point that needed immediate attention," Kim said. A DECISION TO CLOSE A STRETCH OF THE BRIDGE AND A PORTION OF I-95 WAS MADE WITHIN MINUTES.

AROUND THE COUNTRY, 74,000 BRIDGES ARE CLASSIFIED AS STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT. Just this week in Minnesota, another bridge was closed to traffic - ITS CONDITION SO POOR THAT IT MAY BE BEYOND REPAIR. Experts believe another collapse is all but inevitable. These troubled bridges are a problem with no easy solution: ENGINEERING ESTIMATES SAY IT WILL TAKE $1.6 TRILLION TO REPAIR AND REPLACE THEM.

But the more than $120 billion spent over 25 years to build the "Star Wars" missile shield has not left the U.S. less vulnerable to attack - SOME WOULD ARGUE THAT IT HAS DONE EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE, BY DIVERTING RESOURCES AWAY FROM DEALING WITH MORE URGENT AND PLAUSIBLE THREATS.

To those who fear a missile strike on the American mainland from North Korea or Iran - not that either is anywhere close to achieving such capability - the investment in a missile shield, even one whose efficacy is far from clearly established, may seem worthwhile. To those who believe the more salient and insidious threats are those of the type we experienced on 9/11, this shield against a handful of rogue missiles represents an unfortunate diversion of funds that could be used far more effectively to defend the U.S.

The growing consensus among national-security professionals is that A DEADLY WEAPON TARGETING THE U.S. IS FAR MORE LIKELY TO BE DELIVERED HIDDEN IN A SHIPPING CONTAINER THAN IN THE WARHEAD OF AN INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE. But the $10 billion a year the Pentagon devotes to missile defenses is almost twice the amount the U.S. spends on defending the nation's borders and ports from smuggled weapons.

Along the Meramec River in eastern Missouri, residents of Valley Park hoped the town's $49 million earthen levee, built in 2005 to withstand a 100-year flood, would pass its first big test. The surging Meramec was expected to crest at a record 40 feet on Saturday - 24 feet above flood stage. The Army Corps of Engineers and Missouri Public Safety said the levee was in good shape, but some residents decided to leave for higher ground just in case.

Snow forced the cancellation of more than 450 flights and delayed numerous others at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, one of the world's busiest. Many flights were also canceled at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan, where up to 12 inches of snow was expected in areas. Northern Ohio residents prepared for an expected 3 to 6 inches of snow, while flood victims in the southern parts of the state began the arduous task of cleaning up after some of the heaviest rain in years. A blizzard warning remained in effect in northern Maine, where fierce winds scattered snow, uprooted trees and brought down power lines.

At least 16 deaths have been linked to the weather over the past few days, and at least two people whose vehicles were swept away by rushing water Tuesday were still missing in Arkansas

GERMAN BANKS ARE NERVOUS. Deutsche Bank Chairman Josef Ackermann demanded earlier this week that governments and banks cooperate more closely in overcoming the current crisis. His comments came on the heels of rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve and the Fed's cash injection to help out wobbly banks in the US. In Germany, however, Ackermann's plea unleashed a heated debate in Germany over the market's ability to recover without state intervention.

Axel Weber, president of the Bundesbank, Germany's federal bank, rejected Ackermann's statement. In an interview with the financial daily Handelsblatt, he said: "THE BANKS THEMSELVES MUST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING AND SOLVING THEIR OWN PROBLEMS." Calling for greater transparency, he said that, "all participants in the financial markets must inform promptly about their risks."

"For example, Deutsche Bank boss Josef Ackermann admitted at the beginning of the week that he no longer believes in the market's ability to recover on its own - despite having cited this very ability for years in his rejection of state intervention. It seems likely that we're in for a dramatic change in the political weather: EVEN IF MONEY BEGINS TO FLOW ABUNDANTLY AGAIN BETWEEN BANKS, THEIR CREDIBILITY WITH THE PUBLIC IS ZERO."

"The price of the ongoing bailouts will take the form of significantly stricter regulations and greater state influence."

Frenchman Jérôme Kerviel offered a particularly enlightening commentary on the steadily worsening crisis in the financial markets. Just as a reminder, Kerviel is one of the young traders whose UNAUTHORIZED TRADES RESULTED IN THE STUNNING LOSS OF €4.9 BILLION ($7.66 billion) for his employer, French bank Société Générale. When questioned by prosecutors, Kerviel offered this logical explanation for his actions: "WORKING IN THIS PROFESSION, YOU LOSE YOUR SENSE FOR SUMS." Then he added: "You get a little carried away."

The sad and, for many contemporaries, extremely costly truth is that the ENTIRE FINANCIAL SECTOR HAS APPARENTLY LOST ITS SENSE FOR SUMS IN RECENT YEARS. We are all in the hands of tens of thousands of men and women like Kerviel, who pursue their business deals in banks around the globe.

No matter how it ends, we must learn our lessons from this tremor as quickly as possible. Perhaps the most important lesson is that the financial sector is far too important to be left almost entirely in the hands of nimble financial traders in Frankfurt, London and New York. As it happens, the financial industry plays a special role in a market economy. A crisis in the auto or chemical industry can be contained. BUT A BLOW TO THE BANKING SYSTEM AFFECTS EVERYONE AND CAN EVEN LEAD TO THE COLLAPSE OF POLITICAL STRUCTURES, AS THE CRASH OF 1929 AND ITS CONSEQUENCES HAVE SHOWN.

There is little left from the days when the town of Tarsus was not Turkish but part of the Roman Empire: a handful of columns, a few old walls -- and a house where, about 2,000 years ago, a man who would become a central figure in Christianity was born.

Every year, thousands of visitors travel to Tarsus, which is near the Turkish-Syrian border. But Christians who wish to worship in the Church of St. Paul, built several centuries ago, must overcome bizarre hurdles to do so. A permit is required from the local authorities to celebrate mass in the church. In addition, worshippers are charged an entry fee and required to bring along the essentials - from the altar crucifix to candles - and then promptly remove them after the service. The church was used as a military depot for several decades, before the Turkish government suddenly declared it a museum in the 1990s.

The Catholics are pursuing a politically explosive plan. Roughly 2,000 years after the birth of St. Paul, they want to get a Christian meeting center constructed in Tarsus. They have chosen an auspicious moment for the scheme. With Turkey vying for European Union membership, the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan can hardly afford to turn down a Christian project. In addition, the Church, especially the German bishops, is offering something in return. The Germans have often taken a benevolent stance toward the construction of mosques in Germany, a policy they intend to continue. In return, they are demanding tolerance for Christians in Turkey.

This view is also shared by other well respected financial analysts. Peter Schiff recently raised concerns about A HYPER-INFLATIONARY COLLAPSE OF THE U.S. DOLLAR, Robert Reich a former Clinton cabinet member believes we are facing a depression and Alan Greenspan the man who caused this whole mess wrote in the Financial Times stating that we are facing the worst financial crisis since World War II.

What's amazing is that the Federal Reserve isn't even trying to protect the U.S. Dollar because all they care about is saving the power of their private banking cartel. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE U.S. DOLLAR NOR DO THEY CARE ABOUT THE COUNTRY ITSELF. They are destroying this country through their actions and there needs to be an investigation into the controllers of this bank. WHEN WILL PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THE FEDERAL RESERVE IS A PRIVATE CENTRAL BANK THAT IS MERELY LOOKING TO PRESERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE BANKING CARTEL? It is likely that we are seeing the start of a domino collapse in the U.S. financial system and it's going to get ugly.

Webb says the industrial base needed to rebuild the Navy is "pretty precarious. The commercial shipping industry has gone elsewhere," he told Seapower magazine. "The shipbuilding industry for our military base has gone through a lot of changes and consolidations. The key to maintaining America's strategic advantages on the high seas is dependent," he says, "on re-establishing a stable shipbuilding program, without the ups and downs, in order to preserve the industry."

"It's a highly skilled work force, and they tend to go away," said Webb. "I've often said to people who haven't been around the military, 'Go down and watch them build an aircraft carrier, and you'll understand why we're the only country that is really able to do this.' It has taken generations of handing down the skills to do that, and it's very difficult to regrow those skills after you lose them."

Branson does - and so did most of his guests. So on this recent weekend on his private hideaway in the crystalline waters between the islands of Tortola and Anegada, they tried to figure out what to do about it and perhaps get richer in the process. Some of them, like Page, carbon-consciously jet-pooled in from Silicon Valley, where the financiers who bankrolled the Web boom of the 1990s have started chasing the new "New New Thing": green power. In an era of $100-plus oil, venture capitalists like Vinod Khosla, another invitee, are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into young companies that cook up biofuels and harness the power of the sun.

The Caribbean getaway was the brainchild of Richard Stromback, a former professional hockey player who struck gold as a clean-technology entrepreneur. Stromback, the chief executive of Ecology Coatings, joked that a gathering like this might seem nefarious to some people.

"In James Bond movies, evil-doers meet in exotic settings to plot the destruction of the planet," Stromback said, puffing on a cigar before dinner one night. But the people here, he said, were plotting to save the planet.
So far, however, the hopes and dreams of alternative energy have far outstripped reality. But for Stromback and many of the other participants, a confluence of two powerful forces - soaring oil prices and growing concern over global warming - means the era of economically viable green power is finally at hand.

Speaking at the launch of France's fourth nuclear-armed submarine, the "Terrible" (Fearsome), Sarkozy said his nation had to face new security threats, including Iran, and needed to be able to strike back forcefully if attacked. "Everyone must be aware today that even far-flung powers' nuclear missiles can reach Europe in less than half an hour," Sarkozy said in a speech at the northern port of Cherbourg.

While only major powers had such means today, countries in Asia and the Middle East were conducting a "forced march" to acquire such ballistic missile capabilities, he added. "I am thinking in particular of Iran. Iran is increasing the range of its missiles while grave suspicions hang over its nuclear program. Europe's security is at stake," he said.

The voluntary crucifixions in the northern Philippines were the most extreme displays of religious devotion in this mainly Catholic country, where millions are praying and fasting ahead of the Easter weekend. In the small village of Cutud, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, men cried out as nails the size of pencils were driven into their hands and feet before they were hoisted up in the scorching heat. Eight went through the process. Eleven backed out, organizers said.

In the neighboring province of Bulacan, five people were nailed to wooden crosses, including a 15-year-old boy and an 18-year-old girl. Thousands watched the spectacle in Cutud, which has grown from a village production started in 1962 to a media and tourist attraction copied in other parts of the country. For hours before the crucifixions lines of men, hooded and half naked, flayed their backs with bamboo whips and paddles tipped with broken glass. Blood splattered over the road.

The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips. VIPs watched from a specially elevated "viewing platform".

The plan is part of a wider programme launched by the Saudi monarch a few years ago to encourage moderation and tolerance in Saudi society. The ministry of religious affairs and new centre for national dialogue will carry out the training, the paper said. The centre was created five years ago to disseminate a moderate interpretation of Islamic tradition. There is growing awareness in Saudi society that security measures alone are not enough to counter the threat of Islamic militancy.

Saudi clerics have long been accused of encouraging Saudi youth to join global jihad and of inciting hatred of non-Muslims. Nearly 1,000 imams have already been sacked over the past few years. The Saudi royal family has come under increasing pressure - mainly from Washington - to change religious textbooks and to rein in militant clerics. But critics are sceptical about whether such initiatives would work as long as the powerful, and ultraconservative, religious establishment in Saudi Arabia continues to exert enormous influence over society.

Only last week, a prominent cleric called for the beheading of two liberal writers who had questioned the orthodox view that Muslims can not change their religion.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien will use his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a scathing attack on the prime minister over the controversial proposals. He will also criticise Mr Brown for not allowing Labour MPs a free vote on the issue at Westminster. Mr Brown has said the bill would improve research into many illnesses. Supporters of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill believe hybrid embryos could lead to cures for diseases including multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Brown said: "This is an important Bill that improves the facilities for research and is vital for dealing with life-threatening diseases."

But in his sermon, which was released on Friday, Cardinal O'Brien claims that the Bill would lead to the endorsement of experiments of 'Frankenstein proportion'. He will say: "This Bill represents a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life. In some European countries one could be jailed for doing what we intend to make legal. I can say that the government has no mandate for these changes: they were not in any election manifesto, nor do they enjoy widespread public support." The Cardinal will describe the practice as "grotesque" and "hideous".

HOW BAD CAN THINGS GET? The answer is: very bad indeed, but not necessarily in the way many people think. THIS IS A BRUTAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, which is very likely to lead to a long and nasty recession in the US. But the outcome of this crisis is more likely to be HYPERINFLATION, than deflation.

This time, the Fed not only accepts the risk of higher inflation. It actually appears to seek higher inflation, as this would ease some of the problems (obviously not for all of the people). Inflation reduces the pain of borrowers. IT WILL MARK THE END OF THE US AS THE WORLD SOLE ECONOMIC SUPERPOWER; THE END OF THE DOLLAR AS THE GLOBAL RESERVE CURRENCY, AND ITS REPLACEMENT BY THE EURO; and the de facto end of Anglo-Saxon transaction-based financial capitalism. All three are, of course, related, but it is worth pondering those consequences in turn.

The US financial superpower status was geared not primarily to the relative size of the US economy, close to 30%, but in terms of the role played by the US in the globalisation Ponzi game. The US current account deficit was an important part of this game, as was China's c/a surplus and its undervalued currencies.

But as the dollar collapses and inflation rises, the US will not be able to maintain that game indefinitely. Nor will it be able to maintain the status as a global reserve currency for any length of time, as rising inflation will not be acceptable for many economies pegged to the dollar. The euro is the currency of the least inflated global economic region, and as such offers the best store of value - a consideration likely to prove increasingly important as this crisis unfolds.

SO THIS RUN ON FINANCIAL AMERICA IS NOT ONLY A HUGE FINANCIAL EVENT. IT IS A GEOSTRATEGIC SHIFT OF GREAT IMPORTANCE.