Iran: Ready for War - Ahmadinejad's Rhetoric Escalates

Ahmadinejad just won't stop. His rhetoric almost sounds like a call for war at this point. One has to wonder what he has in mind as his proxies continue to pound Israel:



Ahmadinejad: Palestinian statehood only 'first step'



Of course we prophecy watchers knew this anyway, but for Ahmadinejad to publicly announce this represents a huge escalation beyond the usual inflammatory rhetoric. Is he making a public call for war?

The creation of a universally-recognized Palestinian state would be just a first step towards wiping out Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday.



He spoke weeks ahead of a UN General Assembly in New York where the Arab League plans to seek full UN membership for a Palestinian state.

Didn't he get the memo? This is supposed to be a covert operation until it happens. But he is announcing it to the world. What will this do for the Palestinian "apologists" who have denied that this was the overall plan?



Ahmadinejad is confirming what prophecy watchers have said for years and years: The 'real' goal is the complete destruction of Israel. "PA Statehood" is simply a means to that end.

"Recognizing the Palestinian state is not the last goal. It is only one step forward towards liberating the whole of Palestine," Ahmadinejad told worshippers at Friday prayers on international Qods Day -- an annual show of support for the Palestinian cause.



"The Zionist regime is a center of microbes, a cancer cell and if it exists in one iota of Palestine it will mobilize again and hurt everyone."



"It is not enough for them to have a weak, powerless state in a very small piece of Palestine. They should unite to establish a state but the ultimate goal is the liberation of the whole of Palestine," he said.

Ahmadinejad: Israel is greatest threat in Mideast

Israel poses the greatest threat in the Middle East and regional states should take the necessary steps to contain it, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said late Monday as he met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the Fars news agency reported.



Ahmadinejad called on neighboring countries to remain vigilant against foreign plotters and to prevent external meddling, according to the report.



He warned that "any move in line with the Zionist regime's goals and objectives means committing suicide."

More evidence that Iran is on the move:



Iran stirs up new conflict: Its Iraqi terrorist arm shoots Scuds at Kuwait

Three Scud missiles flying from Iraq to Kuwait early Friday, Aug. 26 were launched by the Iran-backed Ketaeb Hizballah of Iraq, the first such attacks since the US invaded Iraq in 2003. It was also the first time any Middle East terrorist group had used Scud missiles.



DEBKA-Net- Weekly's military and intelligence sources reported on Aug. 12: A threat from the Iraqi Shiite radical Ketaeb Hizballah, an arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Al-Qods Brigades, trained by the Lebanese Hizballah, to strike the new port with Scud missiles, a threat they started carrying out this Friday.



Until Friday, there was no confirmation of the group's claim to have recovered most of the inventory of 250 Scuds held by Saddam Hussein before the US invasion of 2003. But now, is clear to Kuwaiti and Western intelligence officials in the Gulf that the Scud cache has indeed fallen into the hands of the Ketaeb Hizballah of Iraq and that there is a real danger of Tehran using Iraqi Shiite extremists to sabotage the Boubiyan Island project.

And don't forget, Iran has tremendous influence on the recent events in Egypt, as they are backing the radical groups within the country in order to cause conflict with Israel - and that is exactly what we have been seeing:



Egyptian Parliament Want Eilat

Egypt has insisted it has a claim to the city of Eilat since it lost the city to the nascent state of Israel in the wake of the Egyptian army's defeat in Israel's 1948 War of Independence, but after the 1979 Camp David Accords the claim was officially dropped. Or so it seemed.



The control of trade routes has been a principle source of conflict in human history. The 1967 Six-Day War broke out after Egypt closed the straits of Tiran and strangled the trade from Israel's southern port city of Eliat.



In exploring the 'claim,' which has been hotly debated in Egypt's parliament this week, Abed el-Aziz Sayef a-Nasser, an aide to the Egyptian foreign minister, was called as an expert witness. A-Nasser is the director of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's legal department.



"Eilat, or by its former name Umm Rashrash, belongs to the Palestinians," he said on behalf of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.



His predecessor, Dr. Nabil el-Arabi, was the head of the Foreign Ministry's legal department and headed the delegation for negotiations at Taba. He also emphatically maintained: "Eilat belongs to the Palestinians."

So this much is clear (and there is much more in the article): Egypt wants Eilat and considers it theirs. What will they do to get it?

Despite Israel's 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, the Arab League's 1948 declaration of war to liquidate the state of Israel remains in force.

We have to always keep in mind the influence of Iran in the region, which has grown in leaps and bounds with the Muslim Brotherhood's evolving takeover. And below we see a stark reminder:

Egypt's 2001 revolution has brought a wave of radical anti-Israel sentiment to the country. Egypt has already sought to re-militarize the Sinai with tacit Israeli approval and the masses are demanding Israel's ambassador in Cairo be ejected from the country - a qualitative first step to the cessation of peaceful relations. The once touted Camp David Accords seem to have been cast into Cairo's dustbin



In terms of relations between Jerusalem and Cairo its increasingly looking like a return to the strategic reality of October 5, 1973.

In other words - we have another "pre-war" set-up in the region - a region that is just on the brink.



Also see:



Egypt Concerned Over Terror Threats to Suez Canal

The latest tensions in the Sinai Peninsula and the concerns over the growing presence of terrorist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda are having an effect on Egyptian operations in the Suez Canal, it was reported Thursday.



Reportedly, the Egyptians’ main concern is that Al-Qaeda terrorists will try to attack a Western ship as it is crossing the Suez Canal.



...the Sinai Peninsula has been in a state of anarchy with terrorists, some of them affiliated with Al-Qaeda, having infiltrated the region.

Iran seems ready for war, as they have been rapidly ramping up the rhetoric and as their proxies continue to send a barrage of missiles into Israel. At the same time. they continue to stir unrest in and around Egypt, which is predictably directed against Israel.



Don't forget this important fact: Ahmadinejad sees himself as someone who has an important role to play in the world - as he feels it is his sole job on earth to precipitate the coming of the Islamic Mahdi. The only problem is this: the Mahdi will only show up when war is raging in the Middle East with Israel at the center of attention. Ahmadinejad knows that his time as Iranian president could be short so his window of opportunity may be closing.



It seems that he has been baiting Israel for years to attack Iran - which could be then be followed by Iran playing the victim and subsequently calling upon the arab states to gather to collectively and attack Israel.



With that plan not working, we should watch him closely. It seems that now he is using his proxies from Egypt and Gaza to provoke Israel.



Sooner or later, he will take more drastic measures - that is a guarantee.

Is The Number Of Earthquakes Increasing?

This was the title of an article today and represents yet another writing that looks like it came directly from the pages of biblical prophecy.



Keep in mind, it was only around 10 years ago that the total number of earthquakes recorded worldwide was close to 20,000/year. Now we are having over 30,000/year. That is a 10 year period. And this is not to mention the fact that earthquakes are very much part of the news. Back around 1980 the number was in the neighborhood of 10,000/year.



Most of us have already forgotten the epic quake and tsunami of just a few years ago, as the last couple of years have brought headline quakes in Haiti, Chile, and Japan just to name a few.



This generation, which we assume began in the WWI era has seen more quakes than any other generation - by far. It isn't even close.



That takes us to this article:



Is The Number Of Earthquakes Increasing? Why The 5.8 Virginia Earthquake Might Just Be A Preview of Things To Come

Is the number of earthquakes increasing? Are major earthquakes becoming more frequent? In the aftermath of the magnitude-5.8 earthquake in Virginia, a whole lot of people are asking those questions.



The truth is that this year we are on pace to have more than twice the number of major earthquakes than we did just 10 years ago.



Our planet is becoming increasingly unstable, and the magnitude-5.8 Virginia earthquake that we just witnessed might just be a preview of things to come.



The Virginia earthquake is already being called a "once a century" earthquake for the east coast. The earthquake was felt from Georgia all the way up to Ottawa, Canada.



But that was not the only major seismic event in the U.S. that day. A magnitude-5.3 earthquake rattled the area along the Colorado/New Mexico border. That was the largest earthquake that region had seen in more than 40 years.



If these were isolated incidents, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, major earthquakes are popping up all over the globe with alarming frequency. In fact, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake just struck northern Peru.

But what about the overall numbers?

Back in 2001, the world had 1361 earthquakes of magnitude-5.0 or greater. This year, we are on pace to have over 2800. In fact, the number of major earthquakes this year is going to be the highest number we have seen during this past decade by far.

Take a look at the chart (in the article) - with this preface below:

The following chart shows the number of earthquakes having a magnitude of 6.0 or greater since 1973. This chart comes from dlindquist.com, and it includes data for this year. As you can see, the number of magnitude-6.0 earthquakes for this year is "off the charts" because we are on pace for well over 200....



So after viewing these charts, how can anyone still deny that the number of major earthquakes is increasing?



But that is exactly what all of the "experts" on the mainstream news are going to keep on doing.



In the end, do your own research and find out for yourself. Don't let the television do your thinking for you.

Good advice. Just look at the numbers, they will tell the story.

There are all sorts of theories about why the planet seems to be becoming more unstable, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this is not a good trend and that we should all be preparing for the worst.



So the next time an "expert" appears on television assuring you that earthquakes are not becoming more frequent and that you don't have anything to be concerned about, don't be so quick to believe that person.



The cold, hard reality of the matter is that the number of earthquakes is increasing and our planet is becoming increasingly unstable.

The funny thing is, Jesus didn't really emphasize the raw numbers of quakes (although there is a story regarding the increasing numbers). Like the other signs - these events would be noteworthy.



We are living in a generation in which earthquakes have become part of the narrative - and we are most definitely seeing an increase in frequency (total number of earthquakes per year) and in severity (frequency of 'strong' quakes).



Exactly as we would expect in this generation.

Israel: On the Brink of War?

If you have been keeping up with the news you know that we are now seeing a dramatic escalation of violence against Israel. More and more rockets are pouring into Israeli cities and rural areas, Egypt appears to be involved and is continuing to increase their rhetoric against Israel as their citizens call for more Israeli blood, Syria is a ticking time bomb and Ahmadinejad is sabre-rattling more than usual.



War seems to be in the air.



One also has to wonder if the terrorist groups and nations realize that their time may be short - with upcoming U.S. elections possibly ending the current anti-Israeli administration of the U.S. - especially considering Obama's continual sinking in the polls. At the risk of stating the obvious, it would be far more preferable to attack Israel now - while the current administration is in office, as compared to waiting until a conservative, pro-Israel administration is in office.



Ahmadinejad: Iran is determined to eradicate Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel, ISNA news agency reported Thursday.

Wow. Even for Ahmadinejad, who usually has at least a tiny amount of political correctness, this is a shocking statement and he has now completely taken off the gloves towards Israel. I cannot recall such a dramatic, bold, unequivocal statement directed towards Israel.

"Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime (Israel) as symbol of suppression and discrimination," Ahmadinejad said in an interview with a Lebanese television network, carried by ISNA.



"Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy," the Iranian president added in the interview with the Al-Manar network.

Why is he coming out now and making such bold statements?



Take a look at these other recent updates (below) revealing just how much things are escalating in Israel - and connect the dots with Ahmadinejad's statements.



At Least 17 Rockets, Mortars Fired From Gaza

Rocket fire from Gaza resumed as expected Thursday evening in an onslaught that started with last week’s deadly bus-attack that left 8 Israelis dead.



At lest seventeen Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza on Thursday evening exploding in open fields in Eshkol, the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, and south of Ashkelon. The "Color Red" warning siren was sounded in the areas under attack.



Shortly after 7pm another rocket was fired that struck near the Erez crossing. The IAF reported that warplanes struck a separate terror cell preparing a launch just before the Erez attack and scored a "precise hit."



The attacks come as Israelis braced for more attacks after at least 20 rockets fired into Israel Wednesday night. These were in addition to a shooting attack that wounded two and the par for the course rock-throwings.

And see this - we're only at the beginning of what is to come:



Islamic Jihad vows to send rockets deeper into Israel



Terror group says it will extend rocket range; More than 15 rockets fired into Israel; Erez-border crossing damaged; 2 Islamic Jihad members killed in IAF strike, Palestinian report says.

Hours after Palestinian sources reported that the IAF killed to Islamic Jihad operatives in the Gaza Strip, the terrorist group vowed to extend the range of their rocket capabilities, sending projectiles deeper into Israeli territory, Israel Radio reported Thursday.



According to Islamic Jihad, a small terrorist group with roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, it would triple the number of Israelis affected by rocket attacks.



The Code Red siren was heard throughout the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils and in Ashkelon as 15 rockets and mortar shells fell throughout those areas, the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement.

Take a look at Egypt becoming more and more involved:



Egypt: Forbade an Israeli Gaza Operation

Yasser Othman, the Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, said Wednesday that there Egyptian-Israeli relations are still tense after the killing of five Egyptian soldiers last week, in the aftermath of a murderous terror attack on Israel.



Egypt had "forbidden" Israel from launching a large-scale operation in Gaza, he added.

“We want a clear, strong apology and a pledge to not to repeat such acts in the future,” he told Bethlehem-based Maan News.

We are very very close to all-out war in the region. Period.



Not only that, but the overall situation in the region is more volatile and more unpredictable than it has ever been - the rapid changes in Egypt and their deteriorating relations with Israel - the uprisings and instability in Syria - the Hezbollah takeover of Lebanon - the rapid infusion of arms into Gaza (via Egypt) - and even Jordan, who is having more and more demonstrations - and more importantly, the increasing number of rockets coming into Israel, which is almost at wartime levels right now.



And on top of that - one of the leading nations in the Gog-MaGog conflict, Iran - is making unprecedented threats to Israel - clearly stating that they are "determined to eradicate Israel" with "determination and decisiveness".



We're close. So close.



Once the warfare begins, I believe the dominoes will topple rapidly - including the Isaiah 17 scenario rapidly followed by the Gog-MaGog conflict detailed in Ezekiel 38-39.



This all means that the gathering up of the Bride of Christ is coming soon as well.



The time to prepare - at peak levels - is now.



UPDATE: A href="http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=235472">South pounded by rockets, prepares for more violence

Signs Everywhere: Birth Pains are Increasing in Frequency and Severity

There is absolutely no doubt about it - the generational birth pains are most definitely increasing. Every single sign: Earthquakes, war/rumors of war, pestilence, persecution, famine, you name it and its increasing in an undeniable way. We seem to be reaching the last stages of "labor" as we approach the Tribulation:



EARTHQUAKES:



Virginia Earthquake 2011: USGS Warns it May be a Foreshock

Minutes after the quake, the director of the USGS, Marcia McNutt -- who watched objects falling from the shelves in her office -- cautioned that the shaking might not be over.



"What the concern is, of course, is that this is a foreshock. If it's a foreshock, then the worst is yet to come," McNutt told The Washington Post.

Today we see yet another huge quake in the world, this time in Peru:



7.0-Magnitude earthquake strikes northern Peru

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Peru on Wednesday, authorities said.

The quake's epicenter was about 350 miles (570 kilometers) northeast of the country's capital, Lima, and 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Pucallpa, Peru, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

4.5=Mag Aftershock Rumbles Overnight

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake Tuesday that shook people from Georgia to Canada has produced at least five aftershocks, including one at 1:07 a.m. Thursday that clocked in at a magnitude of 4.5 and woke up many people across the D.C. region.

Just take a look at the quakes over the past two weeks:



Earthquake Map



MIDDLE EAST and LIBYA:



Libya's deadliest weapons not yet corralled

No one can be sure who controls the Libyan government's weapons stockpiles, a stew of deadly chemicals, raw nuclear material and some 30,000 shoulder-fired rockets that officials fear could fall into terrorists' hands in the chaos of Moammar Gadhafi's downfall or afterward.



One immediate worry, U.S. intelligence and military officials say, is that Gadhafi might use the weapons to make a last stand. But officials also face the troubling prospect that the material, which was left under Gadhafi's control by a U.S.-backed disarmament pact, could be obtained by al-Qaida or other militants even after a rebel victory is secured.

Nuclear experts warn of Libya "dirty bomb" material

A research center near Tripoli has stocks of nuclear material that could be used to make a "dirty bomb," a former senior U.N. inspector said on Wednesday, warning of possible looting during turmoil in Libya.

Islamist Cleric: Meet an Israeli? Kill Him



Keep this in mind as the MSM tells us that the Muslim Brotherhood is a "moderate" group:

A senior cleric in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has declared that ordinary Egyptians are obligated to kill 'Zionists' whom they encounter. According to Arutz Sheva Arab affairs expert Dalit Halevy, the pronouncement is part of a general wave of incitement that directly endangers Israelis who are currently in Egypt.

Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Threatens To Kill Israeli Ambassador Unless He Leaves The Country

The Muslim Brotherhood has threatened to kill Israel’s ambassador to Cairo if he does not leave the country. The radical Muslim group has been leading daily protests at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, demanding the expulsion of the envoy and a break in relations between Egypt and Israel.



Hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the embassy Monday as armored military and police officers prevented them from repeating Saturday night’s incident when rioters broke down the gate. One firebomb smashed through a front window of the embassy’s office.

Rocket hurts baby: IDF hits Gaza arms depot

At least 20 rockets were fired at Israel's southern communities since Wednesday evening with calm nowhere in sight.



A rocket fired at Ashkelon Wednesday evening exploded near a house in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. A 9-month-old baby was hit by glass splinters and sustained light to moderate wounds. He was taken to the Barzilai Medical Center. A vehicle caught fire and damage was also caused to several structures.

US and EUROPE:



America is Under Attack

As most of you are aware, the fascist and Marxist left has, over the years, infiltrated and virtually taken over middle and upper management of our government agencies. Land and environmental management agencies, especially, have been infested with radicals and extremists, the way the Democrat-run inner cities are infested with rats, cockroaches, and criminals. They are everywhere, in the daylight, and in the dark nooks and crannies.



As early as 1946, the left began a strategy to use people’s concern for the environment to impose government control over land use (http://sovereignty.net/). They tricked people into accepting laws that on the surface appeared designed to protect some aspect of the environment, but always, with vague or ambiguous language, or clauses hidden deep within the legalese and gobbledygook, gave government the power to regulate and control our property, our businesses, and our lives. Today, we see this manifest in the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the totally misnamed Environmental Protection Agency.



The insane reporting requirements for “greenhouse gas emissions” that will cost consumers tens of millions of dollars, are just the beginning. What the neo-fascist and Marxist Democrats were stopped by the American people from doing with cap-and-trade, they are now trying to do using administrative rules and executive orders. Remember when he told us we couldn’t keep using air conditioning and heat?

Shadowhawk: RC Copter from Hell

When you think about RC helicopters, the word lethal isn’t really something that pops into mind, but it might when you see this one. The Shadowhawk helicopter is remote-controlled and can fire stun batons, shotgun shells and grenades at your enemies.



It took Vanguard Defense about three years to come up with this, but it will sure surprise anyone who dismisses the Shadowhawk as a toy. It’s 7 feet long and weighs 49lbs. It can travel at speeds of up to 70mph. It’s got a bunch of sensors so that it can also serve as a drone, as well as laser pointers, range finders, and 37mm or 40mm grenade launchers.

Judge Calls Location-Tracking Orwellian, While Congress Moves To Legalize IT

A federal judge’s decision requiring the government to get a court warrant before obtaining mobile-phone location data is one of a string of conflicting opinions on the topic. It comes as lawmakers and the Supreme Court weigh in on the hot-button issue of locational privacy.



U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled on Tuesday that the government can only acquire cellphone location data on a surveillance target with a full-blown “probable cause” warrant from a judge. The government had argued that it’s entitled to the data whenever it’s “relevant” to a criminal investigation — a lower standard. The feds were seeking 113 days worth of cell-site data, or “recorded information identifying the base-station towers and sectors that received transmissions” from the target’s cellphone.



“While the government’s monitoring of our thoughts may be the archetypical Orwellian intrusion, the government’s surveillance of our movements over a considerable time period through new technologies, such as the collection of cell-site-location records, without the protections of the Fourth Amendment, puts our country far closer to Oceania than our Constitution permits,” (.pdf) the judge wrote.

Ron Paul: Mobs in Europe A Sign Of Things Coming



ALSO:



Magnitude 7.0 - Northern Peru



Hurricane Irene: Major Northeast Threats

Our projected path map below continues to paint an ominous picture by pointing Hurricane Irene right in the direction of the East Coast this weekend. The latest computer model guidance confirms this threat and the first hurricane watches have been issued for the United States.



The potential is real for the strongest hurricane hit on the Northeast in at least a couple decades this weekend!

We're clearly in the mist of growing birthpains, both in frequency and magnitude. There can be no doubting this fact.



Jesus gave us these signs for a reason - our knowing the signs and preparing for His coming is of tremendous importance to Jesus.



Just consider that His last teaching - only moments before His arrest and execution - He was discussing end times prophecy in great detail (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13)...



And consider that immediately following His resurrection, He was discussing the importance of prophecy and He was teaching that confusion arose about His death and resurrection because the people of that day (including the apostles) resulted from not knowing the prophetic scriptures. Take a look at Luke 24, where Jesus described the prophecies to the two men walking back to Emmaus, and His detailed review of the prophecies of His first coming to the apostles.



He wants us to be prepared for His coming - one of the main reasons we have these prophetic scriptures.



The signs are in abundance - every single sign that He gave us is peaking right now - all of them.



Jesus gave us a "cheat-sheet" concerning His coming - He took considerable time and effort making sure that these prophecies were transcribed and available to all of us. It is that important to Jesus.



Just take a look Luke 12. Jesus actually called His followers hypocrites for not understanding the prophetic scriptures of that day, as they pertained to His first coming.



Time is growing short now. The time to be fully prepared for His coming is now.



We need to prepare by continual deep prayer and a longing to be with Him.



The Groom is coming for His Bride. What Bride doesn't want to be prepared for that day?



This is an expectation that Jesus has - the basis of His prophetic scriptures.



He also said to be looking up at this time. Looking up for His return with a focus on Him and our imminent fate - not to be concerned, worrying or fretting over the condition of this world.



Jesus has a far better plan for us. A plan that will be coming soon. Its a promise.



Now is the time. We need to be fully prepared for His coming.



Maranatha!

In the news:

LIBYA:



We'll see fall-out from this situation in Libya, and it is somewhat predictable for a prophecy watcher. Libya will be part of the "Gog-MaGog" coalition that invades Israel, and watching their takeover by radical Islam should be expected and anticipated.



First of all, the fighting continues as this situation is far from being over (however it is just a matter or time with NATO supporting the "rebels")



Gaddafi calls Tripoli compound retreat 'tactical'

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has vowed 'martyrdom or victory' in his fight against aggression, according to Libyan media reports. Gaddafi called his withdrawal from the Bab al-Aziziya compound a "tactical move" hours after it was seized by rebel fighters.

Have we fallen for rebel propaganda in Libya?

Rebels and forces loyal to the Libyan leader waged fierce street battles Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, a day after opposition fighters swept into the capital with relative ease and claimed to have most of it under their control.



A NATO spokesman said what is left of Col. Gadhafi's forces has shown "no sign of giving up their aggressive actions."

"The tensions are far from being over. The situation is dynamic and complex," said Col. Roland Lavoie.



It should also be pointed out that Gaddafi has forces loyal to him fighting other battles in towns and cities across western Libya. They appear to be holding their own and show no signs of giving up.

The following commentary hits to the heart of matters and should be read by all:



NATO Brings Chaos And Terror To Libya

The great hoax pushed by NATO and the corporate-state media is that Libya has fallen, the rebels took control of Tripoli, Gaddafi is on the ropes, and the country is now free. But this is not true. The situation on the ground is more complicated and complex. This narrative of events may satisfy your inner hatred of dictators, but it is false for so many reasons.



One, the war for Tripoli and Libya has just begun. Tripoli is not under the control of NATO. The rebels, who consist of al-Qaeda fighters and other anti-freedom crusaders, were only able to advance because NATO bombed strategic sites ahead of them. Special forces from England and other NATO countries also assisted in the effort by unleashing a campaign of terror and chaos.



Two, Gaddafi won't quit until he is dead. And even then the people of Libya won't just hand over their country to a government consisting of people they believe to be traitorous rats that have brought in the old colonial wolves back into the Libyan jungle under the disguise of fighting a revolution for freedom and justice. Gaddafi is a native lion, a brutal one, but he comes from the roots of Libya.



And three, Libya is not free. It is being submerged from all sides by foreign mercenaries and neo-colonial governments. The country will be looted, destroyed and raped by thieves inside and outside Libya. Western oil companies and private contractors are already drawing up plans.



If the rebels had a real popular movement on their hands they wouldn't have to go begging to NATO for help from the air and seas. The Libyan people would've joined them in their fight against tyranny and oppression. But this fight was never started by the "rebels." It was an overseas operation from the start. This is an astroturf version of the Arab Spring.

West anxious over Libya's chemical weapons cashes

As the world watches deposed Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's forces take their last stand in Tripoli, western intelligence officials are trying to follow the trail of Libya's chemical weapons arsenal, and especially its mustard gas caches.



Most of Libya's chemical weapons are held at a facility located in Rabta, south of Tripoli. Western analysts believe that the country's WMD (weapons of mass destruction) arsenal alone contains some 10 tons of various chemical agents which can inflict grave damage. It is also believed that Gaddafi was in possession of Scud-B missiles, over 1,000 tons of uranium powder and mass quantities of conventional weapons.

And now we'll see these weapons in the hands of terrorists. Another dose of reality:



Why this is the moment Libya's Islamic extremists have prayed for

...we have been here twice before in the Middle East in recent months. First, when Tunisia’s strongman, Zine El-Abidene Ben Ali, fled Tunis, and then when Egypt’s dictator Hosni Mubarak vacated the presidential palace in Cairo.



Seven months on, both countries are as authoritarian as ever. The Islamists have hijacked the popular uprisings there. And little evidence of a popular thirst for democracy can be found.

'Material to make nuclear dirty bomb remains in Libya'

Tajoura continues to stock large quantities of radioisotopes, radioactive waste and low-enriched uranium fuel after three decades of nuclear research and radioisotope production, he said.



"While we can be thankful that the highly enriched uranium stocks are no longer in Libya, the remaining material in Tajoura could, if it ended up in the wrong hands, be used as ingredients for dirty bombs. The situation at Tajoura today is unclear."



...a "dirty bomb", where conventional explosives are used to disperse radiation from a radioactive source, is a "high probability, low consequence act" with more potential to terrorise than cause large loss of life.

ISRAEL:



'Egyptians took part in attack'

IDF investigation shows at least three of the terrorists that perpetrated attack near Eilat were Egyptians; clips show IDF did everything in its power to prevent Egyptian troops from getting hurt



The terrorists, who positioned themselves a few dozen meters from the Egyptian military post, launched an RPG rocket at one of the helicopters, and directed machine gun fire at it.



In addition, an examination of the bodies of the terrorists killed by the IDF clearly showed that at least three of them were Egyptian citizens. One was a member of a radical Egyptian group who was tried in the country.



The Egyptian terrorists joined Palestinian operatives from the Popular Resistance Committees and together they perpetrated the coordinated attacks. Israel also has further proof that joint Palestinian-Egyptian terror cells were in Sinai for weeks and were assisted by Bedouins in the region.

Rocket from Gaza Strip lands in Egypt; woman injured

As border tensions simmer, sources say incident marks first rocket from Strip to land on residential area rather than desert, "raising concern among the security forces."



A woman was injured by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into the Egyptian town of Rafah on Wednesday, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported, as tension simmered in the region after a spate of cross-border violence.

If it weren't so sad and so serious, one would have to laugh at this next one:



Hamas' Definition of Ceasefire - Two Shell Attacks

Hamas continued to uphold its version of a new “ceasefire” Wednesday morning by firing two mortar shells at a Gaza Belt community.



One of the mortars exploded inside the Jewish town, but no injuries or damage was reported. The second shell hit an open area.



The IDF spotted and targeted the terrorists who launched the mortars almost immediately. “Hits were confirmed,” IDF spokesmen said, and one of the terrorists was killed. The mortar attacks were launched from two separate locations in northern Gaza.

The U.S.



Strong East Coast quake highly unusual: scientist

The initial earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 5.9 just before 2 p.m. EDT, was felt from the Carolinas to New England.



"One of this size is highly unusual," said Karen Fisher, a professor of seismology at Brown University and president-elect of the seismology section at the American Geophysical Union. "This is the largest earthquake by far that I am aware of occurring there in recent history."



David Oppenheimer, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said aftershocks should be expected for months.



"You'll feel magnitude 3 earthquakes over great distances ... I would expect tens of magnitude 3s for earthquakes of this size," Oppenheimer said from Menlo Park, California.

Below is an interesting update from Dutch regarding the increase in quakes:



Global earthquake Threat Watch



FEMA: Entire East Coast should prepare for Hurricane Irene

The entire eastern coast of the United States should prepare for Irene, a large and dangerous hurricane churning northwestward over the tropical waters of the Caribbean, the nation's emergency chief warned Tuesday.



Irene is still forecast to become a Category 3 event, a major hurricane, by Wednesday night or Thursday, the center said.

Hurricane Projections



JAPAN:



Japan is still experiencing the fall-out from their earthquakes:



Fukushima fallout said 30 times Hiroshima's

Video footage of Tatsuhiko Kodama's impassioned speech before a Diet committee in July went viral online recently, showing the medical expert's shocking revelation that the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant spewed some 30 times more radioactive materials than the fallout from the Hiroshima atomic bombing.



But his expression became grave when discussing the 20-km no-go zone in Fukushima, explaining that decontamination of such areas will take not years but decades.



Kodama said he can't give an estimate of how many people will suffer from cancer symptoms due to exposure to radiation, or how long it will take for signs to surface.



The most difficult problem for the scientists trying to cope with the situation is that the Fukushima crisis is unprecedented.

10 Tweets yang Menguncang Dunia

Facebook memang terkenal, tapi Twitter juga tidak kalah tenar. Jejaring sosial yang super sederhana ini setiap harinya mengalami kemajuan pesat dalam jumlah penggunanya. Kalau dulu masih dihitung jutaan, sekarang sudah terhitung ratusan juta!


Status Update di Twitter dinamakan dengan 'Tweets', dan terkadang status yang cuma 140 karakter itu bisa berpengaruh pada dunia. Berikut ini adalah 10 Tweets yang mampu mengguncang dunia dengan box yang hanya berisikan maksimal 140 karakter itu.


1. @jack - Jack Dorsey

"just setting up my twttr"


Inilah Tweets pertama dari sang pendiri Twitter, Jack Dorsey. Apa artinya? Artinya bagi sang pendiri adalah batu loncatan pertama untuk jejaring sosial yang terkenal, dan ternyata memang begitulah kenyataannya.


2. @jamesbuck - James Buck

"Arrested"


Tweet ini berasal dari Co-Founder-nya Twitter, James Buck. Tweets ini bukan sembarangan status update karena dia memang benar-benar ditangkap pihak berwajib. Ceritanya sewaktu dia sedang pergi ke Mesir, kebetulan disana sedang ada demo. James yang tidak tahu menahu soal demo itu, tiba-tiba langsung dikejar oleh massa yang kemudian menyerahkannya ke polisi. James yang pasrah kemudian membuka handphone-nya dan meng-tweet "Arrested". Follower-nya yang saat itu masih 48 orang kaget dengan tweet itu, yang kemudian melaporkannya ke sekolah James dan kemudian melaporkannya ke Dubes Amerika Serikat di Mesir. Dubes Amerika Serikat kemudian membuka konferensi pers dan tak disangka-sangka James dikeluarkan tanpa syarat.


3. @BarackObama - Barack Obama

"We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion. All of this happened because of you. Thanks"


Siapa yang tidak tahu dengan Presiden yang satu ini. Presiden yang akrab di sapa Barry ini meng-tweet kalimat yang cukup panjang yang artinya, "Kita baru saja mencetak sejarah. Semua terjadi karena kalian telah memberikan waktu, kemampuan dan semangat. Semua karena kalian. Terima kasih." Tweet ini di post sehari setelah Obama dilantik menjadi Presiden Amerika Serikat resmi. Ini merupakan sesuatu yang amat berarti bagi Obama dan juga bagi para staf Twitter.


4. @MarsPhoenix - NASA

"Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!"


Mungkin Tweet yang satu ini terlalu gembira sehinga bahasanya agak kacau. Tweet ini berasal dari Mars Phoenix Lander yang melakukan pendaratan ke Planet Mars yang kemudian menemukan bahwa Mars memiliki persediaan air di dalam es. Bagi beberapa orang, mungkin kedengarannya biasa saja, tapi bagi pecinta astronomi ini merupakan berita gembira. Setelah Tweet ini muncul, NASA kemudian memutuskan untuk memberitahukan publik hasil kerja NASA lewat Twitter.


5. @jkrums - Janis Krums

"There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy."


Tweet ini seolah-olah memberitahukan dunia betapa internet adalah sumber berita yang tercepat dan terakurat. Pada tanggal 15 Januari 2009, sebuah pesawat penumpang US Airways Flight 1549 mendarat darurat di sungai Hudson. Janis Krums yang kebetulan berada di kapal ferry penyeberangan sungai itu, secara spontan langsung membuka handphone-nyadan memasang status lengkap dengan foto US Airways Flight 1549 yang setengah tenggelam dengan penumpangnya yang berusaha menyelamatkan diri dengan perahu karet. Apa yang terjadi setelah itu? Tweet-nya langsung disorot jutaan media di seluruh dunia dan menjadi headline news dimana-mana. Sejak itulah, seluruh stasiun televisi dan berita dunia berlomba-lomba membuat akun Twitter karena diyakini sebagai media pemberitaan tercepat di dunia ketimbang situs lainnya.


6. @aplusk - Ashton Kutcher

"Victory is ours!!!!!!!"


Tweet dari bintang film "The Butterfly Effect" ini ada sejarahnya tersendiri. Ashton menantang CNN untuk berlomba-lomba mendapatkan 1 juta follower. Berita Ashton menantang CNN mendadak menjadi berita nasional di Amerika Serikat. Lalu hasilnya? Ashton menjadi juaranya dan langsung memasang status ini.


7. @AnnCurry - Ann Curry

"@usairforce find a way to let Doctors without Borders planes land in Haiti: http://bit.ly/8hYZOK THE most effective at this."


Di tahun 2010, Haiti tengah dilanda bencana alam dan militer AS melarang siapapun untuk memasuki Haiti karena masih berstatus rawan. Ann Curry kemudian memasang status ini dan kemudian wartawan NBC memperlihatkan Tweet ini ke militer AS. Tak disangka-disangka, setelah Tweet ini beredar militer AS kemudian membolehkan tim medis untuk memasuki Haiti untuk menyelamatkan para korban bencana alam. Sungguh status yang heroik.


8. @Astro_TJ - TJ Creamer

"Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station -- the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s"


Kaget melihat Twitter ini? Apalagi penduduk dunia yang juga pengguna Twitter. Inilah Twitter pertama yang dikirim secara langsung dari stasiun luar angkasa internasional. Setelah Tweet ini beredar, TJ Creamer, Jeff Williams dan Soichi Noguchi, yang merupakan astronot stasiun itu mengabarkan jalannya kegiatan mereka melalui Twitter.


9. @librarycongress - Library Of Congress

"Library to acquire ENTIRE Twitter archive -- ALL public tweets, ever, since March 2006! Details to follow"


Boleh percaya atau tidak. Library Of Congress telah mengumpulkan data-data kongresial dan kampanye kepresidenan dunia di internet sejak tahun 2000. Tak terkecuali di Twitter, Library Of Congress juga mengarsipkan data-data ini. 167 Tera Byte sudah dihabiskan untuk mengarsipkan data-data ini dan jumlahnya terus berkembang.


10. @SarahPalinUSA - Sarah Palin

"Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate"


Tweet ini berasal dari mantan kandidat wakil presiden Amerika Serikat, Sarah Palin. Maksud dari Tweet ini adalah mengajak para penduduk New York untuk mendukung kebebasan warga Muslim untuk membangun Mesjid. Kritik pun bermunculan tapi bukan untuk statusnya, melainkan untuk kata terakhir yang dia ketik, "refudiate". Sarah kemudian mengatakan dia salah ketik, maunya mengetik huruf D tapi malah tertekan huruf F. Berita ini kemudian menjadi berita nasional dan menghebohkan, bahkan kamus bahasa Oxford pun memasukkan kata "refudiate" sebagai 'kata-kata terbaik tahun ini'.

5 Pembalap Wanita Terseksi di Dunia

Balap mobil sering kali identik dengan dunia laki-laki, sementara perempuan cuma pemanis dengan pakaian minimnya. Tapi tunggu dulu, itu gagasan yang seksis, karena di zaman sekarang, pembalap perempuan nggak kalah jago dengan pembalap mobil laki-laki. Bayangkan perempuan yang memegang kendali setir, mengebutkan kendaraannya hingga ratusan kilometer per jam, menikung dengan menimbang kecepatan dan kehati-hatian.

Inilah dia para wanita yang bisa membuat jantung deg-degan karena kenekatan mereka dalam mengebut, dan juga karena kecantikan mereka:

1. Ashley Force Hood

Dia adalah pembalap mobil jenis Funny Car drag race kelahiran California, AS, tahun 1982 yang merupakan keturunan pembalap juara John Force. Pada usia remaja, Ashley sudah terjun ke dunia balap mobil dan menjadi perempuan pertama yang memenangkan lomba balap mobil kelas Funny Car pada tahun 2008. Pada musim balap tahun 2009 ia menduduki tempat nomor dua dan menjadi perempuan pertama dengan poin tertinggi dalam sejarah Funny Car. Polling di AOL Sports tahun 2007 menempatkan Ashley Force sebagai the Hottest Athlete, mengalahkan Tom Brady dan Danica Patrick. Pada bulan Januari 2011, Ashley mengumumkan dirinya cuti dari dunia balap karena sedang hamil.

2. Katherine Legge

Dia adalah pembalap mobil asal Inggris kelahiran tahun 1980. Ia mencatat sejarah pada tahun 2005 ketika dia menjadi perempuan kedua yang menguji mobil balap Formula One setelah Sarah Fisher pada tahun 2002. Sayangnya, mobil balap F1-nya mengalami kecelakaan saat itu. Pada tahun yang sama, Katherine menjadi perempuan pertama yang menguji mobil Grand Prix A1 dengan Tim Inggris. Kecelakaan berat juga dialami Katherine pada tahun 2006 ketika sayap belakang mobilnya patah, namun dia bisa keluar dari mobil dalam keadaan tak terluka. Saat ini ia bergabung dengan Deutsche Tourenwagen dan menyetir mobil balap Audi dalam Indycar Series.

3. Sarah Fisher

Dia adalah pembalap profesional kelahiran Ohio, AS tahun 1980. Sejak usia 5 tahun ia sudah diajak balapan oleh sang ayah, dan ia pun jatuh cinta pada dunia balap pada usia dini. Kuliahnya di jurusan Teknik Mesin terpaksa ditinggalkan karena dia mendapat panggilan untuk mengikuti lomba balap IndyCar Series. Berbagai gelar balap menghiasi dinding ruang kerjanya, bahkan majalah Sports Illustrated memasukkan namanya dalam daftar Top 10 Female Race Car Drivers in the World tahun 2007. Belakangan Fisher lebih berkonsentrasi pada perusahaan tim balapnya, Sarah Fisher Racing. Pada tahun 2008, ia menjadi satu-satunya perempuan pertama dan pemilik termuda yang memiliki tim balap. Pada tahun 2010, ia berhasil menduduki posisi kesembilan di final Indy 500, yang juga menjadi akhir kariernya di dunia balap karena Sarah memutuskan pensiun sebagai pembalap pada akhir tahun lalu.

4. Milka Duno

Lahir di Caracas, Venezuela tahun 1972 adalah mantan model yang beralih karier menjadi pembalap pada usia 24 tahun. Selain menjadi model dan pembalap, perempuan yang satu ini memiliki gelar master dalam bidang Perancangan Kapal Laut, Bisnis Kelautan, dan Bilogi Kelautan, bahkan pernah bekerja sebagai insinyur kapal laut. Ia memegang rekor balap tertinggi untuk pembalap perempuan dalam 24 Hours of Daytona. Beberapa kecelakaan dialaminya, yang terakhir adalah tabrakan beruntun yang membuatnya harus berhenti lomba karena mobilnya jungkir balik di arena balap. Untuk tahun 2011, Milka dikontrak oleh Sheltra Motorsports dan dalam uji coba Daytona bulan Januari, dia menduduki urutan lima sampai tujuh tercepat dalam uji coba balap hari pertama.

5. Danica Patrick

Dia adalah pembalap mobil Amerika kelahiran tahun 1982. Bisa dibilang dia adalah pembalap perempuan yang paling sering disebut namanya oleh media. Saat ini ia mengikuti lomba IndyCar Series dan NASCAR Nationwide Series. Selain menjadi pembalap, ia juga menjadi bintang iklan, model video klip, berakting di TV. Pada tahun 2009 ia mencapai urutan 3 dalam Indianapolis 500, yang menjadi poin tertinggi yang diraih perempuan dalam sejarah balap. Pada tahun 2007, dia mendapat poling tertinggi sebagai atlet terseksi dalam daftar Victoria’s Secret “What is Sexy” list. Pada tahun 2006 dan 2007, Danica juga masuk daftar perempuan terseksi di dunia dalam daftar FHM’s 100 sexiest women in the world. Berbagai rumor menyebut namanya bisa jadi menjadi perempuan pertama yang jadi pembalap F1.