In the news:

1. Earthquakes

"We may be witnessing New Zealand's 'darkest day': PM says 65 killed in quake

This article contains some incredible pictures which reveal the devastation.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says 65 people died in the earthquake that devastated Christchurch today.

''The death toll I have at the moment is 65 and that may rise. So it's an absolute tragedy for this city, for New Zealand, for the people that we care so much about,'' Mr Key told TVNZ. ''It's a terrifying time for the people of Canterbury.''

As thousands of shocked people wandered the rubble-strewn streets of Christchurch after today's devastating and deadly earthquake, emergency workers were searching for survivors.

Christchurch earthquake: 'Dead bodies lying around'

Police said fatalities had been reported at several locations and that two buses had been crushed by falling buildings. Christchurch mayor Bob Parker has declared a state of emergency.

"Buildings are half-collapsed everywhere.

"It smells horrible. The roads are packed with cars. There aren't enough police or ambulances. Houses are all collapsing. It's pretty shocking; a total warzone."

Indiana Experts Wary of Earthquake Swarm

Indiana scientists are keeping a wary eye on a series of earthquakes that has been rattling Arkansas for days.
More than 60 tremors struck the state last week, a phenomenon that's almost becoming a daily routing for residents there, 6News' Stacia Matthews reported.

A half-dozen quakes shook one Arkansas community on Monday morning, with more than 700 recorded in Faulkner County, Arkansas within the past six months. Although most of the tremors are too small to be felt by humans, experts across the Midwest are trying to find out why they are occurring.

"This is absolutely a phenomenon, an interest to seismologists in this part of the country," said Michael Hamburger, a professor of geological sciences at Indiana University. "We're all trying to make sense of it."

Strong earthquake hits the South Pacific

2. The Middle East:

Look at who is back in the news:

Soros fingerprints on Morocco Riots

One of the main groups organizing protests against the pro-Western king of Morocco is funded by philanthropist George Soros and the U.S. State Department.

Soros' Open Society Institute also has funded opposition groups across the Middle East and North Africa, including organizations involved in the current chaos.

It marks the latest connection of the philanthropist activist to protests sweeping the Middle East and North Africa.

Soros' Open Society Institute's Middle East and North Africa Initiative has provided numerous grants to a wide range of projects that promote so-called democratic issues across the region, including in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood stands to gain from any future election.

The Open Society also funded the main opposition voice in Tunisia, Radio Kalima, which championed the riots there that led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Iranian Vessels Enter Suez Canal

Iran claimed that the warships were headed to Syria "for training." Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and others called the move a "provocation".

Israel has yet to issue a formal response to the Iranian ships' entry into Suez, but senior sources in Jerusalem told Voice of Israel state-run radio Tuesday that they are "following the developments."

Oil shock fears as Libya erupts

The spectre of full civil war in oil-rich Libya and reports of the creation of an Islamic emirate in the country's "Barqa" region has moved the Mid-East crisis into a more dangerous phase, setting off an explosive rise in US crude prices.

"This is potentially worse for oil than the Iran crisis in 1979," said Paul Horsnell, head of oil research at Barclays Capital. "That was a revolution in one country, here there are so many countries at once. The world has only 4.5m barrels-per-day (bpd) of spare capacity, which is not comfortable."

Top Sunni cleric says army should kill Kadhafi

Influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa on Monday that any Libyan soldier who can shoot dead embattled leader Moamer Kadhafi should do so "to rid Libya of him."

Famous in the Middle East for his at times controversial fatwas, or religious edicts, the octogenarian Qaradawi has celebrity status in the Arab world thanks to his religious broadcasts on Al-Jazeera.

3. Mysterious Animal Deaths Continue

107 Pilot Whales Dead on New Zealand Beach

More than a hundred whales have died on a remote New Zealand Island.

All members of a pod of 107 pilot whales died after they were stranded on the beach near Cavalier Creek on Stewart Island off of the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. Officials had to euthanize 48of the 107 whales.

The whales were found by hikers on Sunday.

Last month, 24 pilot whales died after stranding on the North Island.

Pilot whales are about 13 to 20 feet long and are the most common species of whale in New Zealand waters. Whale strandings are common in New Zealand.

Does it have anything to do with this?

Shift in Magnetic North

Magnetic north, the point at the top of the Earth that determines compass headings, is shifting its position at a rate of about 40 miles per year. In geologic terms, it's racing from the Arctic Ocean near Canada toward Russia.

Over the past century, the shift has been increasing in speed. It went from creeping as slow as nine miles per year in the early 1900s to more than 35 miles per year in the 2000s

Humans aren't the only ones affected by magnetic north. Birds that fly south for the winter and some sea turtles that migrate from Africa to South America must learn to adjust their senses so they end up migrating in the right direction, Love said.

"Some sea turtles live for a long period of time, up to 100 years," he said. "They have to accommodate the change in the magnetic field, because it changes substantially over 100 years."

Birth pains. Jesus' description of the signs served as a perfect description of everything that we are watching on a daily basis.

We have a roadmap for these end times events - a roadmap which describes in graphic detail exactly what would be happening on earth before His coming. And we are seeing these signs increasing in frequency and severity exactly as He informed us, and as the ancient prophets described.

There is absolutely no doubt. He will return to gather up His bride. And that return appears to be approaching rapidly.

Maranatha!

6.3 Quake Hits New Zealand

It looks like the earthquake story is coming back strong - a trend I have noticed over the past week or two. Just take a look at the map (there are too many to list right now):

Seismic Monitor

And now this quake in New Zealand:

New Zealand earthquake magnitude 6.3 hits Christchurch

New Zealand earthquake: a major quake hit New Zeland's second largest city Tuesday, local time. Initial reports indicate collapsed buildings and possible casualties from the New Zealand earthquake.

For the second time in five months, New Zealand's south island city of Christchurch was rocked by a major earthquake on Tuesday afternoon local time.

Initial reports from Reuters news agency indicated that there were no reports of casualties, from the magnitude 6.3 temblor.

But the New Zealand Herald is reporting casualties and major damage to downtown buildings, including the Christchurch Cathedral.

This one appears to have caused major damage:

One blog entry says New Zealand's TV3 is reporting the Pyne Gould financial services building has collapsed. Another, unsubstantiated report claims that the cathedral has collapsed.The New Zealand Press Association reported that the TVNZ building in Christchurch had collapsed.

And there's an entry that a facade of a building in downtown Christchurch has collapsed on a bus, injuring passengers. NZTV is reporting at least one fatality.

We can only hope and pray that the damage won't be as significant as the early reports are stating. The various news channels have picked up the story and are sure to provide updates.

Taking a step back

Below are two excellent "review articles" that are both timely and comprehensive and cover recent happenings in the Middle East, with some implications for the future:

Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa - country by country

This one comes from Caroline Glick:

Mixed SIgnals

For better or worse, each passing day the Middle East is becoming more unstable. Regimes that have clung to power for decades are now being overthrown and threatened. Others are preemptively cracking down on their opponents or seeking to appease them.

While no one can say with certainty what the future will bring to the radically altered Middle Eastern landscape, it is becoming increasingly apparent that US influence over events here will be dramatically diminished.

That is the intro - and there is a lot in this article - one that is well worth reading. But lets jump to the end which gives us the "bottom line" regarding Egypt's future:

At the latest, this crisis will occur in September with the scheduled elections. At that point, three scenarios will arise.

1. The ruling military junta may cancel the elections and foment another rebellion.

2. If the military permits free and fair elections, the Muslim Brotherhood will become the most potent force in Egypt due to its unmatched organizational capacity.

After the elections the Muslim Brotherhood may adopt the model of Turkey’s Islamist AKP party and move Egypt into the Iranian camp while pretending it is still a US ally.

3. After the elections, the Muslim Brotherhood may adopt the Khomeinist model and foment an Islamic revolution in Egypt.

IN ALL these scenarios, America’s strategic interests will be placed in jeopardy.

Not to mention Israel, who is already on high alert (even more than usual, if that's possible).

As mentioned before, we're watching the last pieces of the puzzle assembled as we watch.

This is undeniably an exciting time to be a prophecy watcher.

We know what is coming and the idea of being with Jesus gives us indescribable joy - joy that cannot be diminished by scoffers, fear of the present, attacks from the other side, hardships, or too many cats in the house (opps, that one is my personal problem. Sorry to digress with a small attempt at humor).

But to be honest? I'm feeling pretty good these days. I also find it very hard to NOT look up with the anticipation of what I know is coming soon. Even if we have to wait a little longer - it will be worth the wait.

I want to see Jesus. I want to be with Him. I want to fall at His feet. I want to see His face. I want to thank Him for everything that He has done for me and that list is too long to even begin compiling, but it starts with what He did on the cross.

I know that you all feel the same. Its the very thing that I love about prophecy watchers - we share these same ideas. There aren't that many folks around that share these same ideas - even within the Christian community.

And we will be rewarded for our vigilance. That too, is a promise:

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Timothy 6:6-8).

While I'm rambling (and I typically try to avoid making this about me - for a long list of reasons) - I just want to take the opportunity to thank so many of you who have taken the time and effort to contact me - either on the board, or through email, or phone - in order to give encouragement. Its really touching and it means a whole lot and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

It just shows what kind of community we prophecy watchers are. Thanks so much. I can't wait to see every single one of you - and I really think it will be soon.

Maranatha!

Headlines for a Day

Protesters in Libyan capital torch government buildings

Hezbollah might attack Israeli target to help

Hizbullah Army Help Iran Suppress Massive Rallies

Earthquake Shakes Up Suez Canal as Iran Warships Approach

Massive haze cloud sweeps through central Israel

Space weather could wreak havoc in gadget-driven world

Extremist cleric to lead White House protest calling for Muslims to 'rise up and establish Islamic state in America'

Nicolas Sarkozy calls for action against 'great threat': Rising food prices and 'hunger riots'

The settlements are neither 'illegitimate' nor 'illegal'

One day of headlines. And the day is just beginning.

News you won't find in the MSM:

We used to run these commentaries (based upon the title above) frequently; it may be time to bring it back.

In the age of lies and deception, the truth is even more important than usual. Today is no exception:

If a Mob Screams 'Jew, Jew' in a Cairo Square, Do MSM Hear It?

Why CBS kept mum for four days about the brutal sexual assault of network correspondent Lara Logan by a Tahrir Square mob on Feb. 11 we just don't know.

Did Logan, flown out of Cairo by a network-chartered jet to a U.S. hospital hours after the attack, request secrecy as a brutalized victim?

Were news executives, or even Logan herself, concerned that the bombshell news of the assault, which took place almost exactly as Hosni Mubarak was relinquishing all powers, would detract from the "jubilant" crowd's "democracy" drama?

These represent questions that should be asked - yet they aren't.

Such a news blackout is hard to imagine if, for example, a star correspondent had been similarly violated by a mob of tea party-goers at, say, a massive Glenn Beck rally - and particularly if other correspondents had previously suffered unprecedented assaults and threats from the same crowd.

A keening outcry would have arisen from the heart of the MSM (mainstream media) against the mob, accompanied by a natural zeal to investigate cultural or other reasons for the brutality. Not excuses. And not disinterest.

Can that be denied? And when the story finally broke, the following aspects were conveniently ignored:

What CBS didn't mention -- what was later attributed to an unnamed network source -- was that as the thugs assaulted the 39-year-old journalist and mother of two, they shouted, "Jew! Jew!"

This essential piece of the story, this clue to the hysterical, obsessive anti-Semitism of the Islamic world including Egypt, was broken by the New York Post.

It has sparked little comment, which in itself is worth comment.

But Islam, even with its Koranically enjoined anti-Semitism and misogyny, isn't considered a factor here. Islam might as well not exist. Islamic misogyny might as well not exist. Islamic anti-Semitism might as well not exist.

More quotes from this revealing article:

Those few reports that even discuss the anti-Semitic angle do so without comment, or let it go slack, as when Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, noting the "undertones of pogromist anti-Semitism," only concluded that "not everyone in Tahrir Square that night had democracy on their mind."

(The light might have dawnethed more brightly had the MSM actually reported on the widespread anti-Semitic iconography visible in the demonstrations, as amply archived by John Rosenthal at Pajamas Media.)

Indeed. It didn't take much searching to see that these demonstrations clearly contained a large element of anti-Israeli sentiment, and photos of the demonstrators and their signs and propaganda revealed this fact. But this doesn't fit in with the MSM commentary.

Missing is any acknowledgement of the fact -- the overwhelming, highly upsetting but nonetheless unavoidable fact -- that Islam's teachings on women and particularly Jews are literally hateful.

And that's the Koranic truth, as copiously expressed by the late Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar University, approximately Sunni Islam's "pope." As he put it, and with plenty of canonical support: Jews "are the enemies of Allah, descendants of apes and pigs."

The conclusion is sad but true:

Rather than consider the sources of violent animus that appear to have been manifested in the assault on Logan, who, by the way, is not a Jew, the MSM let it all go. The crowd was "whipped into a frenzy" just as CBS said. But was the frenzy cultural? Religious? Don't ask, and certainly don't tell.

That would spoil the story.

Lies and Deception in this age. Business as usual. The MSM will only report what fits in with their agenda - that much is crystal clear.

Fortunately, today, we can still find the truth via the internet and communications between people seeking the truth - but this "truth-seeking" won't last forever. We are ready to enter an era in which everything in an individual's life will be tightly controlled, including communications and even the ability to simply buy and sell goods. And this era, known as the Tribulation is rapidly approaching.

Thankfully, we won't be here to see it.

More on Iran: The Growing Influence of Radicalism

Iran continues to influence events in the Middle East - exactly as we would expect from biblical prophecy. Additionally, their ships are continuing their trip through the Suez Canal:

Iran Naval Ships to Cross Suez Canal on Monday

Two Iranian naval ships will sail through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean on Monday, a Suez Canal official said, in what will be the first passage of Iranian naval ships through the canal since 1979.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has described Iran's plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria as a "provocation."The official said the vessels would arrive at the southern mouth of the canal in the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez on Sunday.

They would enter the canal in the northern convoy on Monday morning and complete the journey to the Mediterranean by evening.

This situation, in a most volatile region is becoming very interesting.

Israel's response:

Israel views Iran ships crossing Suez with utmost gravity

Netanyahu says in cabinet meeting that Iran is trying to "expand its influence in the region.

At the risk of stating the obvious, as they say.

Netanyahu said during the weekly cabinet meeting that the "security component is critical to any peace agreement." "I think that today, we can see what an unstable region we live in, a region in which Iran tries to exploit the situation that has been created in order to expand its influence by passing warships through the Suez Canal," he added.

"Two Iranian warships have passed through the canal and are heading towards a Syrian port," the Iranian television network reported.

Also note that Iran is officially declaring these ships as "warships" - another interesting development.

Netanyahu: Iran exploiting unrest to widen its Mideast influence

"Israel takes a grave view of this Iranian step," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would need to boost defense spending as a result of Tehran's move and recent regional upheaval.

Israel believes the Egyptians had no choice but to allow the ships to pass through the Suez Canal, because the treaty to which it is a signatory obliges it to allow free passage through the waterway.

However, during recently ousted President Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Iranians did not make such a move, apparently due to clear opposition from Cairo.

So yes. The turmoil in Egypt has led to this situation. Instability on top of instability.

And in other breaking news in the Middle East, we see this:

Palestinian PM: Hamas can keep Gaza if it joins unity cabinet

The Palestinian Authority has offered Sunday to form a unity government with the rival Hamas militant group in hopes of paving the way for national elections later this year.

This would represent yet another ominous development in the Middle East. A joint, unified front of Hamas and the PA, working together against Israeli interests can't be good for Israel.

In fact almost all of the news coming in from the Middle East are categorically seen as preparations to go to war. War which we know definitively will come. We're just seeing the preparations. Just as Jesus said we would.

Siswa SMP Indonesia ciptakan situs Jejaring Sosial

Siswa SMP Indonesia ciptakan situs Jejaring Sosial

Seorang siswa SMP di Bandung, Jawa Barat berhasil menciptakan jejaring sosial. Bahkan, saat ini karya tersebut telah diakses di 47 negara seluruh dunia.Pergaulan di dunia maya melalui jejaring sosial saat ini sedang digandrungi masyarakat dari berbagai usia dan kalangan sosial. Hal inilah yang mendasari Muhammad Yahya Harlan, siswa SMP kelas I Sekolah Alam Bandung untuk menciptakan jejaring sosial dengan nama salingsapa.com.

Proses pembuatan jejaring sosial ini hanya satu bulan. Yahya mencoba membuat fitur-fitur menarik untuk melengkapi jejaring sosial karyanya. Berbeda dengan jejaring sosial lainnya, salingsapa.com ditujukan untuk mengajak kebaikan.Sejak diluncurkan dua minggu lalu, pengguna salingsapa.com sudah mencapai 5500 dan diakses oleh 47 negara di dunia, seperti Amerika Serikat, Belanda, Norwegia dan Malaysia.

Orang tua Yahya menyebutkan, minat dan bakat bahwa anaknya pada komputer telah terlihat sejak berusia tiga tahun. Karena karyanya ini, Yahya diminta mengisi kuliah umum dihadapan sejumlah dosen dan mahasiswa ITB, Bandung.Tapi sebenarnya saya juga merasa canggung situs jejaring sosial ini, karena fitur templatenya mirip dengan template facebook. Yeah, mungkin dugaan saya melenceng sedikit, setelah saya cari lebih dalam lagi informasi mengenai salingsapa.com ini saya menemukan jawabannya di detiknet, berikut ini isi beritanya.

Forum Kaskus, misalnya, memunculkan thread yang mempertanyakan pengembangan situs tersebut. Diketahui situs Salingsapa itu dibuat menggunakan produk bernama JCow. Dalam kesempatan berbincang dengan detikINET, Yan Harlan, ayah dari Muhammad Yahya Harlan menjelaskan permasalahannya."Memang itu dari CMS tertentu, tapi kita beli lisensinya. Dan dalam aturannya, kalau kita beli lisensinya kita diberi kebebasan untuk mencantumkan atau tidak," katanya Minggu, (13/2/2011) malam.

Dalam aturan lisensi di JCow, saat ditelusuri detikINET, memang disebutkan bahwa kata-kata 'powered by JCow' boleh dihilangkan bagi mereka yang membeli lisensi piranti lunak ini. Yan juga menambahkan, dengan dibelinya lisensi tersebut maka pembeli bebas mengkreasikan source tersebut.

"Ibarat membeli daging kambing, kita tahu seperti apa rasanya. Tapi kita bisa mengolahnya menjadi apa saja," katanya mencontohkan.

'Semoga Tidak Patah Semangat'

Saat ini dalam situs tersebut sudah dicantumkan kalimat "implementation by". Dengan pencantuman tersebut Yan berharap kontoversi yang cenderung menghakimi anaknya bisa segera berakhir. Pasalnya bukan hanya di forum-forum diskusi yang beredar di internet, kalimat-kalimat cacian dan hujatan juga dituliskan oleh orang-orang yang tidak bertanggung jawab ke dalam situs salingsapa.

"Dia masih anak kecil. Tidak seperti orang dewasa yang mungkin bisa mengerti. Mudah-mudahan ini tidak mematahkan semangatnya," harapnya. Walaupun menuai kecaman, namun dukungan terhadap jejaring sosial islami ini pun mengalir deras. Tak sedikit pula yang membela bocah kelas 1 SMP ini. Baik di komentar berita, forum diskusi ataupun di situs salingsapa.

"Nanti biar dia (Yahya - red) tenang dulu sehingga dia bisa mengklarifikasi," tukasnya. Meski baru diluncurkan 2 minggu yang lalu situs ini sudah dikunjungi 3 juta lebih pengunjung.

Yahya merupakan satu dari lima 'bocah' yang memberikan kuliah umum di kampus Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) pada Jumat, 11 Februari 2011.