Food Riots Map

Business Insider published a map on Friday that gives a visual on where all the food riots and disturbances are happening all over the globe. A summary from the blaze.com is below with links to the map where you can zoom in to get a closer look.

Business Insider published a map on Friday that caught the attention of Glenn Beck. And it should catch yours.

Below you’ll be able to see where in the world food riots are taking place. But not just food riots, you’ll also see where governments have been overthrown, where protests and other riots are occurring, where there’s inflation, and even where social media has been shut down. It’s a fascinating map.

But what may be the most interesting is that it seems like the unrest is spreading.

“Most of the inflation riots and protests are concentrated in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region,” EconoMatters writes on the Business Insider site, “but as you can see on the Google map, they are starting to migrate into Europe, as well as China and India.”

It continues:

In the U.S., anemic growth, an ongoing housing depression, high unemployment and two rounds of quantitative easing (QE) probably have laid a pretty solid foundation for a similar riot map if Chairman Bernanke decides to grace us with QE3.

No longer, then, is the unrest localized to the “Arab Spring” countries from a few months ago. As Beck has talked about for a while, this could be the start of the “coming insurrection.”

To access other stories follow the links on theblaze.com

Check out the map here, at google maps.

Earthquake Armageddon

Call is a signal. Call it a sign. Call it a wake up call.

Or just call it a 'mysterious accident involving the earth's shifting of geothermal plates and tectonic shifting caused by years of built up stress within the earth's crust.'

Yesterday it was the largest earthquake ever to hit Colorado; today it is the largest earthquake to hit the east coast. 2012 approaches, with many signs indicating that it is a culmination of many prophecies and warnings about the end times. America has passed 400 years since the founding at Jamestown in 1607 and its support for abortion, violence, wickedness, and other sins has removed God's protection from as turning God's action toward the US from that of blessing to that of judgment. This is simply another warning for America to repent and turn toward its maker. Matthew 24 long ago predicted earthquakes before the Lord returned. New Zealand, Japan, Haiti, and now America.


Quoting from Joel Rosenberg's take on the Shaking Happening:

Two rare earthquakes have hit the U.S. in two days — a 5.9 magnitude tremor epicentered in southern Virginia on Tuesday shook the White House, Capitol and Pentagon and was felt up and down the Eastern seaboard; and the largest earthquake in Colorado and New Mexico four decades occurred on Monday.

Until now, I’d never experienced an earthquake before. While the one here in hte D.C. area was relatively mild (compared to the recent one in Japan, for example), it made me think of the column I wrote last month, entitled, “The Lord is shaking the nations physically, spiritually, financially: Why, and how should we respond?” A few excerpts might be worth reconsidering today:

* “Americans, too, are being shaken. We face arguably the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Nearly half of all Americans believe we are heading towards another Great Depression. Unemployment is over 9%. Housing foreclosures are skyhigh. People have lost enormous sums of money due to depressed housing prices and stock market volatility. The federal government is trying to spend our way to prosperity but is making things worse. Our annual federal budget deficit topped $1.3 trillion last year. This year, it looks like the feds will spend more than $1.5 trillion beyond what they are taking in in revenue. Our debt is skyrocketing. The U.S. is now on the verge of financial default, and hampered further by political ineptitude in Washington that threatens to comp0und an already precarious situation.

• “What if these events are not all random? What if the God of the Bible is allowing these to happen to shake us, to wake us, to get our attention, that we might turn to Him and ask Him to have mercy on us and help us?

• “The Lord said through the ancient Hebrew Prophet Haggai that the nations would be shaken in the future. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations….I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.” (Haggai 2:6, 7, 21, 22)”

Now would be a good time to rededicate ourselves to praying and fasting for America and Israel at this critical time and turning our hearts to spending more time in the Scriptures.

Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Hits Virginia, shocks America's East Coast

An unusually strong magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck central Virginia Tuesday afternoon and sent tremors along the East Coast, which prompted office buildings from Washington D.C. to New York to be evacuated.

There were no immediate reports of injury or serious structural damage.

The earthquake struck near Mineral, Va., more than three miles below sea level, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Mineral is town 83 miles from D.C. and has been known for its seismic activity, but seldom produces a substantial earthquake.

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5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Disrupts East Coast Transportation

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Relentless Rally: Traders Unshaken by Quake, Economy

Aug. 23: Buildings in New York City shook briefly due to tremors from a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Virginia.

Most of downtown D.C. was evacuated, including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and other office buildings. Pictures on the wall in the Capitol building reportedly fell and panicked workers ran to the exits, apparently fearing a 9/11-style attack. Workers were initially told not to re-enter the buildings, but were later allowed to enter the Capitol building.

Marine helicopters were seen hovering above the D.C, and there were reports that the Washington Monument may be tilting.

The press corp with President Obama in Martha's Vineyard said they felt slight shaking. Obama told reporters that he did not feel the tremor. Attorney General Eric Holder has been evacuated from the Department of Justice.

Obama and many of the nation's leaders were out of town on August vacation when the quake struck at 1:51 p.m. local time.

"People pouring out of buildings and onto the sidewalks and Into Farragut Park in downtown DC...," GOP strategist Kevin Madden tweeted, MyFoxDC.com reported.

At Reagan National Airport outside Washington, ceiling tiles fell during a few seconds of shaking. Authorities put all flights on hold.

A spokesman for Washington National Cathedral said at least three of the four pinnacles on the central tower have fallen off and the central tower appears to be leaning.

New York also felt tremors from the earthquake.

Buildings in New York City shook briefly and the FBI building was evacuated. Flights resumed at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Airport, where control towers were previously evacuated. Evacuations were demanded as north as Canada.

Federal officials say two nuclear reactors were taken offline near quake site in Virginia; there was no damage reported. Indian Point, a power plant in New York, said on Twitter that there are no issues at the facility.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a statement that it is monitoring the situation and in "close contact" with federal and state partners.

The East Coast gets earthquakes, but usually smaller ones and is less prepared than California or Alaska for shaking. The Washington area has had small, infrequent earthquakes over the years, including a 2.5-magnitude quake in 1997 that was within 25 to 30 miles of Friday's quake and a 2.3-magnitude quake in 1996 that was within 15 miles

Phone companies said they are being overwhelmed with phone calls, but said none of their infrastructure have been damaged.

FEMA requested that the public use e-mail or text messages in non-emergency cases so emergency officials can continue to receive and respond to urgent calls.

U.S. weather service says no tsunami expected after East Coast.

Subways in New York have not been affected, but the Metro in D.C. has been cancelled.

Amtrak said its trains along the Northeast Corridor between Baltimore and Washington were operating at reduced speeds and crews were inspecting stations and railroad infrastructure before returning to normal.

An unusually strong magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck central Virginia Tuesday afternoon and sent tremors along the East Coast, which prompted office buildings from Washington D.C. to New York to be evacuated.

There were no immediate reports of injury or serious structural damage.

The earthquake struck near Mineral, Va., more than three miles below sea level, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Mineral is town 83 miles from D.C. and has been known for its seismic activity, but seldom produces a substantial earthquake.

Related Video

Earthquake Felt Near Washington D.C.

USGS reports 5.8 magnitude quake in Virginia

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Earthquake Hits Virginia, Tremors Felt in D.C.

5.9 magnitude quake rattles east coast

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D.C. Reacts to Quake

Scientist at a loss: No plates underneath this area could have caused this Quake

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The strong earthquake that rattled the eastern United States on Tuesday was highly unusual in its severity, though it was centered in a part of Virginia known for smaller quakes, seismologists said.

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."

The quake's epicenter in central Virginia is in an area the U.S. Geological Survey calls the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, Fisher said by phone from Providence, Rhode Island.

While the strength of the quake was unusual, the wide spread of the shock waves was common for the East Coast, according to Peggy Hellweg, a research seismologist at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory in California.

This is largely due to the difference in the terrain, Hellweg said in a telephone interview.

"Our ground is all of this chopped-up stuff ... like a pile of marbles," Hellweg said of California's geology, which means that the waves from a quake don't spread out all that far.

In the Eastern United States, she said, "What you've got there is gorgeous bedrock and ... the waves propagate beautifully."

Another difference between the East and West U.S. coasts is that the West Coast is over the boundary between two active tectonic plates, the North American and the Pacific, and the force of these plates sliding against each other generates quakes regularly, Fisher said.

In the East, she said, "There's no driving engine in terms of the two plates sliding past each other ... so that's why it's much more unusual."

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.

(Additional reporting by Mari Saito; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

America's Steady Decline

How are our days spent under the sun?

For I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind, What is crooked cannot be made straight and what is lacking cannot be numbered." Ecclesiastes 1:14-15

Our days are numbered, our time finite. We live in a world where evil exists and permeates our core. I wish I could say we are distracted by the events of life, by the fun, by the time spent frolicking in the meadow of pleasure; but we are not. Instead we are play idly by the train tracks as the locomotive comes steaming down the track. We live almost in a bubble, choosing to believe that our lives are directed by only ourselves and that the situation of life we find ourselves in live on in perpetuity.

We choose to believe that those leaders we elect want to serve our best interests. We believe we are different than Russia or Germany, no, tyranny will not elect itself here. We were born with a silver spoon in our mouths, we have God's protection!, we are American's.

Our moral compass is pointing inward, to ourselves and not toward God. Now, we sit by and continue to focus inward hoping to find ourselves as our freedom crumbles all around us. By the time we awake, we will awake to chains and bondage of a world devoid of a conscience.

Tyranny Continues:

First consider these words from the Patriot Thomas Jefferson:

“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18 (1781

A nation that no longer enforces its laws its no longer a nation of justice. Congress could not pass the DREAM act, which would allow illegals to work for their citizenship, or more politically correct, 'earn' their citizenship. The failure to pass legislation is no problem for these leaders.

America's Attorney General Eric Holder, who is responsible for enforcing our laws, and Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, who is responsible for protecting our borders, came out and essentially said that they will no longer enforce laws that deport all illegal immigrants. Illegals are here to stay and live in America, only those who commit crimes will be deported.

From Fox News:

"Having failed in the legislative process, the Obama administration has simply decided to usurp Congress's constitutional authority and implement an amnesty program for millions of illegal aliens," FAIR President Dan Stein said. "This step by the White House amounts to a complete abrogation of the president's duty to enforce the laws of the land and a huge breach of the public trust. ... In essence, the administration has declared that U.S. immigration is now virtually unlimited to anyone willing to try to enter -- and only those who commit violent felonies after arrival are subject to enforcement."

Encouraging Ministry

After coming across this ministry, Vision Forum Ministries, I could not help but appreciate the mission statement and this project they are pursuing.

Inaugurating a Creative New Strategy for Helping Our Sons Prepare for Manhood and Marriage: The Life Preparation and Manhood Bootcamp

Is our discipleship model producing young men that are masculine, visionary, articulate, entrepreneurial, and really prepared for marriage? Why are their so many young ladies who are ready to wed, but fewer young men? It is clear that huge strides have been made, but after generations of fatherlessness in America, we have a lot of catch-up to do for our young men, and the purpose of this bootcamp is to help us jump-start the process. This one to two week course will provide young men with a framework for how to dress, speak, talk, and walk like a man. It will offer them a healthy vision to model excellence as a potential suitor, and provide them with clear, biblical guidelines on what they need to accomplish before pursuing a woman’s hand in marriage. The bootcamp will test their skills at entrepreneurship, communication, and more, even as they will be required to demonstrate a level of spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical intensity. Stay tuned for more information on our Life Preparation and Manhood Bootcamp.

Status: Please pray for the Vision Forum Ministries team as we spend the next few months preparing to build out this exciting new event. We anticipate that The Life Preparation and Manhood Bootcamp will take place in the second half of 2011. There will be a fee and participants will need to apply for acceptance. Stay tuned in Spring of 2011 for more details.

Government Targets the Farmer

This is what is both sickening and concerning to the average American. We want common sense laws and most importantly we want the the state to stay OUT of the affairs of the family and personal life, allowing each one to govern themselves within the confines of respect for community, others, and oneself. We desire freedom, the freedom to live simply by ourselves and bear the fruit of our own labor.

Here below is a summary of the proposed law, but the essence is this:

The department of Transportation is proposing that EVERY tractor and farm vehicle be registered with the state and those who drive it be required to obtain a license to operate it.

Excuse me---since when did allowing a 12 year old boy drive the family tractor over to the neighbors along a dusty country road constitute a risk to society? This is insane. This is not common sense.

Have you heard of a multi-tractor pile up? Do we have major traffic accidents every year involving tractors? The farmer doesn't need this. This isn't about special privilege, it's about common sense government being replaced by the police state, Orwellian style where the individual can no longer be trusted to rule themselves. There must be a law for everything; every move must be regulated.

What do we need next?, laws regulating the use of grocery carts in supermarkets? Should we have a license to mow our own lawn?

DOT targets farm tractors

One of the rites of passage in rural life comes when parents decide a child is old enough to help out by driving the tractor. If the Obama administration has its way that will be a thing of the past. The Federal government now proposes to require that motorized farm equipment carry DOT id numbers and that all users have a commercial drivers license. Most of these vehicle never travel on public roads unless it is a short trip to another field or a neighbor's farm.

The proposed rule change would mean that anyone who drives a tractor or operates any piece of motorized farming equipment would be required to pass the same tests and complete the same detailed forms and logs required of semi-tractor trailer drivers.

Drivers would keep logs of information including hours worked and miles traveled. Vehicles would be required to display DOT numbers. A CDL in Virginia costs $64 for eight years, or $8 per year, not including the cost of an instructional class and the written test.

If the DOT reclassifies farm vehicles and implements as commercial vehicles, the federal government will have regulatory control over the nation's farm workers, estimated at over 800,000, by requiring them to have commercial drivers licenses.

What's next from the Obama administration? Will HHS require all parents to have a nursing license before they can dispense an orange flavored low dose aspirin tablet to their child?

Mark of the Beast: Liquid Tattoo

More news out on the latest greatest piece of technology that is supposed to help us, and in this case help those who are sick. Technology continues to push us toward the eventually implementation. Could this be it? Perhaps. We already have a national ID card being pushed by the FBI and the Obama administration which would prohibit one from buying or selling on the internet without this chip in your computer. In addition finger printing, retina scans, etc are becoming mainstream with the implementation of the RFID chip.

Could it be a combination of these technologies that makes the mark of the beast such a divisive weapon to be used against mankind?

A Tattoo would be a tough sell to be used on the forehead unless there is invisible ink which could make the sell much easier. The RFID chip technology is terrific but has to be surgically implanted, which might be too much work as the chip most likely will be placed into millions of bodies within a short time frame. A tattoo makes a whole lot of sense, and invisible to boot? Oh my, watch out. If the RFID technology is able to combine itself into the tattoo somehow (which may already be the case with this EES technology described below), and if this chip is able to be scanned like the eye or fingerprint and required by government to be used to both buy and sell in the marketplace or online, then we have it......exigo perfectus.

We are this close. Be on guard.

This image courtesy of J. Rogers, University of Illinois shows an epidermal electronic system

This image shows an epidermal electronic system created by an international team of engineers and scientists. A hair-thin electronic patch that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could transform medical sensing, computer gaming and even spy operations, according to a US study published Thursday.


From Brietbart:

A hair-thin electronic patch that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could transform medical sensing, computer gaming and even spy operations, according to a US study published Thursday.

The micro-electronics technology, called an epidermal electronic system (EES), was developed by an international team of researchers from the United States, China and Singapore, and is described in the journal Science.

"It's a technology that blurs the distinction between electronics and biology," said co-author John Rogers, a professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Our goal was to develop an electronic technology that could integrate with the skin in a way that is mechanically and physiologically invisible to the user."

The patch could be used instead of bulky electrodes to monitor brain, heart and muscle tissue activity and when placed on the throat it allowed users to operate a voice-activated video game with better than 90 percent accuracy.

"This type of device might provide utility for those who suffer from certain diseases of the larynx," said Rogers. "It could also form the basis of a sub-vocal communication capability, suitable for covert or other uses."

The wireless device is nearly weightless and requires so little power it can fuel itself with miniature solar collectors or by picking up stray or transmitted electromagnetic radiation, the study said.

Less than 50-microns thick -- slightly thinner than a human hair -- the devices are able to adhere to the skin without glue or sticky material.

"Forces called van der Waals interactions dominate the adhesion at the molecular level, so the electronic tattoos adhere to the skin without any glues and stay in place for hours," said the study.

Northwestern University engineer Yonggang Huang said the patch was "as soft as the human skin."

Rogers and Huang have been working together on the technology for the past six years. They have already designed flexible electronics for hemispherical camera sensors and are now focused on adding battery power and other energy options.

The devices might find future uses in patients with sleep apnea, babies who need neonatal care and for making electronic bandages to help skin heal from wounds and burns.

Solar Flares Heating Up

The second massive solar flare in just two months has just occurred. On June 7th, 2011 a massive solar flare erupted. Now, on Tuesday August 8th, two months later another has occurred--this one even bigger than the one before and the largest in two years.

This intense level was last seen in the late 1800's with Northern Lights being observed as far south as Cuba. But the US and Canada was not electrified then. If we see similar levels again, there could be massive power outages and fried communication satellites that would cause many months of outage and disruption. Blame it on the Maxwell equations, or on the aligning of events before the return of the Lord.

June Solar Flare:

Earth to be Hit by Massive Solar Flare

The sun emitted an unusual solar flare, a small radiation storm and a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME) from a sunspot complex on the solar surface, on Tuesday. The flare peaked at 1:41 a.m. ET, according to NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

The US National Weather Service (NWS) said in a statement that the solar flare released radiation not witnessed since 2006, with the present one measured by NASA as M-2 or medium sized solar flare that carries "a substantial coronal mass ejection (CME) ... and is visually spectacular."

At most, the NWS said that the eruption will likely bring minor (G1) to moderate (G2) levels of geomagnetic storm activities, which could disturb Earth's power grids and global positioning systems that heavily rely on satellite communications.

The Sun released a moderate-classed solar flare (M2) and an S1-class (minor) radiation storm that will likely lead to moderate geomagnetic storm activity by Wednesday, which could disrupt communications and grids in some locations. This flare was a different kind because it started out slow, then the sun blasted it off like a volcanic eruption.

August Solar Flare:

An extremely powerful solar flare, the largest in over four years, rocked the sun early Tuesday (Aug. 9), but is unlikely to wreak any serious havoc here on Earth, scientists say.

"It was a big flare," said Joe Kunches, a space scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center. "We lucked out because the site of the eruption at the sun was not facing the Earth, so we will probably feel no ill effects."

Today's solar flare began at 3:48 a.m. EDT (0748 GMT), and was rated a class X6.9 on the three-class scale scientists use to measure the strength of solar flares. The strongest type of solar eruption is class X, while class C represents the weakest and class M flares are medium-strength events. [Video: Aug. 9 Solar Flare Briefly Knocks Out HF Radio]

The flare is the largest one yet in the sun's current cycle, which began in 2008 and is expected to last until around 2020. Solar activity waxes and wanes over an 11-year sun weather cycle, with the star currently heading toward a solar maximum in 2013.

"This flare had a GOES X-ray magnitude of X6.9, meaning it was more than 3 times larger than the previous largest flare of this solar cycle - the X2.2 that occurred on Feb 15, 2011," scientists with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a space observatory that monitors the sun, wrote in an update.

Before the Feb. 15 storm, the largest recent solar flare occurred in December 2006, when an X9-class solar storm erupted from the sun.

Solar flares occur when magnetic field lines on the sun get tangled up into knots, building potential energy until they reach a tipping point. Then, that energy is converted into heat, light and the motion of charged particles.

While all X-class solar eruptions are major events, they pose the greatest threat to Earth when they are aimed directly at the planet. During those events the sun often releases a cloud of plasma called a coronal mass ejection into space, and sometimes toward Earth. This ejection hurls charged particles that can damage satellites, endanger astronauts in orbit, and interfere with power systems, communications and other infrastructure on the planet.

Today's solar flare, and resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) was not aimed at us, however. [Anatomy of Sun Storms & Solar Flares (Infographic)]

"Because of its position the CME is going to shoot out into space and not be Earth-directed, and we don’t expect any big geomagnetic storm with this," Kunches told SPACE.com. "We did luck out. If this would have happened a week ago, who knows?"

However, some VLF and HF radio communications blackouts have been reported, according to Spaceweather.com, a website that monitors space weather events.

Whatever particles do head our way should reach us in a few days.

"The cloud will probably miss Earth," SpaceWeather.com wrote. "At this time, however, we cannot rule out a glancing blow from the flank of the CME on or about August 11th."

The plus side of such a collision is often unusually spectacular auroras, or Northern and Southern Lights, which occur when charged particles interact with Earth's magnetic field.

Global Unrest Increasing

Riots break out in London. It's not just a handful of youths unhappy with their condition of life, but thousands of them and they're finding out that working together can wreak havoc. What happens when God is removed from the public square, morality becomes disconnected from God, and economic conditions leave the youth hopeless? Despair, Frustration, Sadness---all culminating in riots.

The church has become nothing more than a symbol of Old England and a symbol of legalism and narrow thinking to many of the youth of England. The youth culture has embraced alternative drugs, alternative lifestyles, alternative ways to view the world. Absolute Truth? Rather Relativity where the truth is determined not by what the text intended it to mean, but by what you make it out read. The moral decline of a nation can be seen in divorce rates, out of wedlock births, church attendance among other indicators, but the greatest indicator is the status of a nation's youth. When they are restless, hopeless and unable to find even material purpose during this economic recession, they will rely upon what they have been taught to get them through the tough times. Apparently, the state and their parents have not been able to give them any substantive answers. Why? Hope is found Jesus, no one else.

James 4:

¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

London Riots: Cameron order 16K police officers to quell uprising.

*For dozens of more pictures on this story, click this link to the UK Daily Telegraph

Asked if plastic bullets could be used, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh said: 'That's a tactic that will be used by the Metropolitan Police if deemed necessary.'

He added that he was 'not going to throw 180 years of policing with the community away' as the prospect of using the non-lethal ammunition for the first time at a British disturbance was raised.

The army of police officers on duty in London will swell to 16,000 tonight - compared with just 6,000 last night - as reinforcements are drafted in from 26 forces across the country.

Mr Kavanagh said he was sorry 'that London has got to wake up to these scenes'.

'We need to do better for London because those images last night were shocking for everyone,' Mr Kavanagh told reporters.

Every police cell in the capital was full today, forcing officers to transport suspects outside the city.

The mayor Boris Johnson faced calls to resign from angry residents as he visited riot-hit Clapham with Home Secretary Theresa May.

Mr Johnson struggled to make himself heard as he said: 'Tonight we are going to have a huge number of police on the streets.'

He added: 'It is time that people who are engaged in looting and violence stopped hearing economic and social justification for what happened.'

The mayor, who was eventually guided away from the crowds and television cameras, followed other leaders by ending his stay abroad to join efforts to quell the violence that has blighted London.

The move came despite Mr Johnson's aides previously insisting he could deal with the burgeoning crisis remotely as if 'he was sitting in his office'.

Nick Clegg was booed on a walkabout in Birmingham city centre before hurriedly being rushed into a waiting car by police and security staff.

Amid the political backlash, the riots claimed their first life as a 26-year-old man who was shot as he sat in a car during rioting in Croydon died in hospital.

Huge swathes of the capital woke up to the charred debris of burned out buildings and streets littered with waste. David Cameron has recalled Parliament for the day on Thursday as he pledged to bring the situation under control.

GLOBAL UNREST Increasing:

Great article here that summarizes the global unrest occuring all over the globe:

Greece--
In late June, riots broke out in Athens and other parts of Greece as the
country's parliament voted to approve severe cutbacks in government spending.
Dozens were hurt and businesses destroyed as police battled rioters with tear
gas and night sticks. Greek lawmakers made the cuts in order to receive more
bailout money from the International Monetary Fund and European Union—or run the risk of defaulting on their debts.

Spain--
In Spain, thousands of people turned out in late May to protest the
country's 21 percent unemployment rate.
They also demonstrated against
government corruption and austerity measures to reign in the country's debt.
Hundreds of people set up tents in a Madrid square and spent a week there in
protest.

Portugal---
Portugal saw massive strikes and protests last March in response to
government spending cuts. At least 200,000 people gathered in Lisbon.

Philippines---
Thousand of workers took to the streets throughout the country
in May of this year to march for higher pay. They demanded better wages in light
of rising inflation, including higher oil prices. They called on the
government of President Benigno Aquino III to do more to help protect
jobs. In reaction, the government held job fairs as hundreds of workers have
been laid off as the economy slumps. Workers say that effort has fallen far
short of what they want.

China---
Nearly 1,000 cab drivers in eastern China blocked traffic and
protested on Aug. 1 over rising fuel costs. It was the latest sign of discontent
about the country's surging inflation. Inflation is hitting China hard, with
food prices recently increasing 12 percent. Many Chinese officials are reported concerned that inflation, along with rising property prices, could lead to even more unrest.This past June, thousands of workers battled for three days with police in the
capital city of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. They were protesting
declining living standards. The recent protests can be traced back to
February of this year, in what was an attempt to copy the Arab Spring uprising.
That's when calls through Chinese social networks were sent out for an uprising
in several local cities. However, reports say the turnout was small in
comparison to the enormous police presence and there were more clashes between
journalists and officials than demonstrators.

Syria---
In another legacy from the Arab Spring, protests and riots
in Syria against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad have been going on
for five months. Reports say at least 1,600 people have been killed by
government forces. The demonstrations are a combination of calls for economic
as well as political changes. Assad's government has promised a package of
reforms including higher wages, letting political parties exist, easing
restrictions on the media, and a new anti-corruption drive. But so far, none of
the measures has been set in place. Last week Assad sent troops and tanks to
quell the mostly Sunni Muslim city of Hama in central Syria, and the army
launched a similar assault on Sunday against Deir al-Zor. Syria has cracked
down with deadly force on protests in the past. In 1982 then-president Hafez al
Assad—the father of Bashar al-Assad—sent troops into the Syrian town of Hama, killing between 10,000 and 40,000 people. Syria's Arab neighbors as well as the United States have called for Assad to step down. He's ruled Syria for the past 11 years after succeeding his father. Assad says he has no intention of giving up his post as president.

Obamageddon

So we continue our decline from a free Republic to a socialized wellfare state where we lean no longer on each other nor God, but on the elite bureaucrats that grant us our freedom. With the market down another 500 points today amidst a downgrading of our credit rating, a new word has been formed to help us describe the events taking place.

Obamageddon: Curtosy of America's anchorman, El Rushbo.

Obamageddon. That's what we have witnessed since Friday.
Obamageddon. Barackalypse Now. The only silver lining I can find is that
as far as 2012 goes, Obama's a Debt Man Walking. Anybody want to tell me
he's not landslidable now? Let me repeat this as the Media Tweak of the
Day: "What we have witnessed since Friday is Obamageddon, Barackalypse Now; and the only silver lining out there is that as far as 2012 goes, Obama's now Debt
Man Walking." What's he gonna say? He's gonna make a speech at one
o'clock. "We gotta all work together! Construction workers, go out there and
rebuild America." Balanced approach? Yeah, balanced approach: Tax
increases!

Get the full transcript here:

Other Highlights

We've had a AAA credit rating since 1917, all the way through World War I. The Great Depression, we had a AAA credit rating.

So Democrats, let me ask you: Are you happy now? You've finally got your hope and change. I said that I hoped he would fail, and this is exactly what I meant. But, from your perspective, from Obama's perspective, he hasn't failed. He's succeeded beyond his wildest dreams -- and now look where we are. How many of you saw the movie Planet of the Apes? Do you remember how that movie ended? Colonel George Taylor on a beach, Statue of Liberty halfway buried. New York City doesn't exist. Charlton Heston is Colonel George Taylor, "You did it. You finally did it! Damn you all to hell, you did it." That's how I feel today. That's how I felt all weekend long. Damn it to hell, they did it!

Prayer Gathering in Houston amidst Turmoil

In the midst of the gathering storms, God is stirring up a remnant to intercede for America. America's once Christian culture has been eroded as secular humanism has taken the stage as the center of thought and action. Sins both large and small are adding up as God's mercy has been replaced by judgment, and we are reaping the fruits of our abandonment of Godly values in the form of broken families, broken lives, broken government.

We are at a point of no return. Like the Brits at Dunkirk in 1940, if God does not intervene we will not survive. God promises to heal our IF 'our people prays and humbles themselves before God.' Taking a stand in Texas this past weekend is an important first step toward humbling ourselves and appealing to the God of the universe to heal our land.

However, 30,000 people divided by 300 Million people that populate the USA is approximately .01%. Despite the small numbers, remember that God will act for the sake the few. Remember Abraham and Lot as God promised to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if only 10 righteous people were to be found. I bet that was even a smaller percentage than .01%.

Photo A/P

We Need another Dunkirk; 30,000 Attend Prayer Rally

(Houston, Texas) — The year was 1940. The moment was one of the darkest in the history of the English people. More than 300,000 British troops suddenly found themselves pinned down in northern France. Nazi forces were bearing down on them. The Brits didn’t have enough ammunition or supplies. At any moment, Hitler’s forces would launch a ferocious attack. The Brits faced imminent annihilation. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his advisors thought at best the navy could rescue 20,000 to 30,000 before it was too late. Others feared even that might not be possible. And the stakes couldn’t have been higher. If so many forces were wiped out, Hitler and the Nazis would invade the British Isles — and win.

So the King of England called for a national day of prayer. That Sunday, an estimated 70 percent of the British people showed up at churches all over the country. They begged for the Lord’s mercy on their fathers and sons, and for their national survival. And the Lord heard those heartfelt prayers and responded with what became known as “the miracle at Dunkirk.” Hitler inexplicably delayed giving his generals the order to finish off the Brits. A great storm over Germany prevented Nazi planes from being able to take off. The British people quickly assembled some 900 fishing boats, yachts, trawlers, and other private and government vessels, and began ferrying the troops of the French beaches and back to England a few at a time. By the grace of God, nearly a third of a million souls were saved as a result, as was the British nation.

“We need another Dunkirk,” said Dr. James Dobson at Saturday’s national day of prayer in Houston as he recounted the famous story and called American Christians to devote themselves to prayer and fasting. ”God answers prayer.” He is absolutely right.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry tells prayer rally: 'Our heart breaks for America'

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) addressed a seven-hour prayer and fasting rally in Houston Saturday, which was called to address the nation’s “historic crisis.”

Speaking in the late morning, Governor Perry read three portions of scripture and asked for prayers for the nation, President Obama, the military, and military families. Frequently choking back tears, Perry addressed “discord at home,” saying “our heart breaks for America.… We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government and as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, blesses us, and for that we cry out for your forgiveness.”

"The Response" is taking place at Reliant Stadium, a 71,000-seat facility in Houston that hosted the Super Bowl in 2004. Although the event is free, participants are required to sign up to attend. The Associated Press reports that 8,000 people were registered by Friday. Speaking from the stage late Saturday morning, James Dobson, founder of the evangelical Christian organization Focus on the Family, said 22,000 people were in attendance.

The event resembled a revival, with numerous speakers taking to the stage and asking for mercy, forgiveness, and guidance for the nation.

The event is being seen as an opportunity for Perry to burnish his credentials as a religious conservative ahead of his likely bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Last month, Perry told the Des Moines Register he expects to announce a presidential run in mid-to-late August.

Even though he is not yet an official candidate, Perry is already the second choice of leading Republican contenders, according to a Gallup poll released in late June. The poll shows Perry getting 15 percent of the vote, trailing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 2 percentage points.

Since he announced that he would attend the rally earlier this year, Perry has downplayed the political implications.

Last month, he told reporters in Texas that he appreciated the endorsement of anyone, “whether it's on The Response, or whether it's on a potential run for the presidency.”

“Just because you endorse me doesn't mean I endorse everything that you say or do,” he said.

In a video released to the rally website, where the entire event is being streamed live, Perry said he was “all too aware of government’s limitations when it comes to fixing things that are spiritual in nature.”

“That’s when prayer comes in. And we need it more than ever. With the economy in trouble and the community in crisis and people adrift in a sea of moral relativism, we need God’s help,” he said.

Perry reportedly invited his 49 fellow governors as well as select members of Congress and the Obama administration. The single governor who said he would be in attendance is Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R), although his office has said he will be attending at a private citizen, not as governor.

The American Family Association of Tupelo, Miss., an organization that considers homosexuality a moral threat to the nation, is producing The Response.

This is not the first time Perry, a Methodist, has been so public with his religious convictions as governor. In addition to promoting legislation that espouses social-conservative values, Perry has endorsed religious prayer in public schools. In April, he declared a three-day “Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas,” an official proclamation in response to the wildfires that were ravaging his state. In 2005, he signed a piece of abortion legislation at a ceremony at a Fort Worth school operated by an evangelical Christian church.

Some Christian leaders are speaking out and saying they are unhappy with Perry’s overtures at the rally, and that his motivations are political, not spiritual.

Marvin Vann, a deacon at Fort Worth First Congregational Church, plans to protest the rally Saturday. Mr. Vann told the Houston Chronicle Friday he is taking a van of Christian leaders from his area to the Reliant Stadium “to counteract the dominant thinking of Christianity as merely social conservatives.”

Official Website: http://theresponseusa.com

Syria Unrest, Global Turnmoil Continues

As economic unrest part II begins again, revolution from economic unrest part I continues to play out. First it was Tunisia, then Egypt, followed by Yemen, Libya, and Syria. The government of Syria is desperate not to turn into another Egypt. The leaders of the country have put the country on lockdown during this month of Ramadan so much so that if one simply walks out of their house during the daytime, one has the potential to be shot by government forces. Whole sections of the city have been blocked off and surrounded by government forces who have been ordered to suppress any dissent at all costs.

There is genuine fear by each leader over each one's life and power grip over their country. Saudi Arabia perhaps did the best to avert its overthrow by passing the equivalent of a 10% of GDP stimulus, which served as the equivalent of a 1.4 Trillion dollar stimulus in US terms. See Saudi Arabia Stimulus Package below.

Now we begin the next phase, perhaps the economic turmoil that lies ahead will usher in the final leader of the world under a promise of peace and economic stability. The massive amounts of debt that the world has incurred over just the last two years since the economic crash of 2008 is almost impossible to be repaid.

So we begin....

Activists Say Syrian Troops Kill at Least 52

In this image posted on the Internet by Shaam News Network, showing what they purport to be a demonstration in the streets of the city of Homs, Syria, on Friday Aug. 5, 2011.

BEIRUT – Syrian forces intensified their crackdown on an eastern city Sunday as they try to keep the anti-government uprising from escalating during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The assault and similar operations in at least two other towns killed at least 52 people, according to human rights groups, and the toll looked likely to rise.

The worst violence was in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, where troops stepped up a siege that had already been going on for days. At least 42 people were killed in a raid on the city that began before dawn, said Abdul-Karim Rihawi, the Damascus-based chief of the Syrian Human Rights League and Ammar Qurabi, who heads the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria.

Amateur video posted online by activists showed what it said were parts of Deir el-Zour with the sound of heavy cracks of gunfire and prayers blaring from loudspeakers. Another video showed Syrian troops on a hill as they positioned an anti-aircraft gun. An activist in the city told The Associated Press the military attacked before dawn from four sides and took control of eight neighborhoods.

"Humanitarian conditions in the city are very bad because it has been under siege for nine days," the activist said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "There is lack of medicine, baby formula, food and gasoline. The city is totally paralyzed."

The attack on Deir el-Zour is part of the latest phase of the government crackdown that began a week ago, just before the start of Ramadan when many Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, then eat festive meals and gather in mosques for special nightly prayers. The government has been trying to prevent the large mosque gatherings from turning into a new wave of anti-government protests, like those that have been sweeping the country since mid-March.

The government's crackdown has left more than 1,700 dead, according to activists and human rights groups. President Bashar Assad's regime disputes the toll and blames a foreign conspiracy for the unrest.

Assad has defied the growing chorus of international condemnation and pressed on with lethal military force to suppress mostly peaceful, unarmed demonstrators. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged Assad in a phone conversation on Saturday to immediately stop the use of military force against civilians.

The central city of Hama had been the focus of the crackdown for most of the past week, though Deir el-Zour has also been under siege.

In Hama, an official at Hourani Hospital reported that eight newborns died in their incubators on Wednesday when electricity was cut in the city, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The group had no further details.

Authorities have imposed a media blackout on Hama and the reports could not be immediately confirmed. Electricity, Internet and phone lines have been cut for seven days, and residents have reported dwindling food and medical supplies amid frequent shelling and raids. Rights group say at least 100 people have been killed, while some estimates put the number as high as 250.

The military attacks also spread Sunday to the central town of Houleh in Homs province, about 30 miles south of Hama and 212 miles (340 kilometers) east of Deir el-Zour. Rihawi said at last 10 people were killed in Houleh while Qurabi said the toll was 17.

Both Houleh and Deir el-Zour have witnessed intense protests against Assad since the uprising began. Deir el-Zour is the capital of an oil-rich province by the same name, but the region is among the country's poorest and was hit by drought in the past years. It is inhabited by Arab tribes that extend into Iraq, and Syrian authorities have said they thwarted attempts by Iraqis to smuggle arms from Iraq into Syria.

Qurabi said security forces also shot and killed 10 people in the northwestern city of Idlib Sunday. He said those killed in Idlib were taking part in a funeral of eight protesters shot dead by security forces Saturday night in the city.

Rihawi had no figures from Idlib but the Local Coordination Committees, a key activist groups tracking the Syrian uprising, said at least four people were shot dead in Idlib when security forces opened fire at a funeral.

In Hama, state-run news agency SANA said troops removed all barriers and roadblocks in the main streets, but continued "to chase remains of terrorists" who took positions in two neighborhoods.

SANA claimed anti-regime gunmen in the city had killed 13 policemen whose bodies were removed Saturday from the Orontes River, which runs through Hama. An amateur video posted online by government supporters last week showed men throwing what it said were dead plainclothes policemen's bloody bodies from a bridge into the river, turning the water to a red stream.

Turkey, which borders Syria, said Sunday it would send its foreign minister to Damascus on Tuesday to deliver a strong message condemning the crackdown on the protesters. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's patience was running thin and that Turkey could not remain a bystander to the violence.

Syria's reaction was quick. State-run TV quoted Assad's adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, as saying that Turkey's foreign minister "will hear stronger words because of Turkey's stance that did not condemn until now the brutal killings of civilians, members of military and police."

Gulf Arab countries broke their silence Saturday on the bloodshed, calling for an immediate end to the violence and for the implementation of "serious" reforms in Syria. In a statement posted on its website, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council expressed deep concern and regret for "the escalating violence in Syria and use of excess force."

Syria's state-run TV quoted an unnamed official as saying the GCC statement was ignoring the sabotage that armed groups are conducting.

Assad again promised to pursue reforms, SANA reported, something he has promised before but failed to deliver.

Saudi Arabia Unleashes Huge Stimulus Plan to Stave Off Uprising

We have become numb to large numbers in the U.S. with trillions thrown around by the Federal Reserve, and government - $300B bailouts to Citigroup (C) and Bank of America (BAC) don't even bother our psyche anymore. Hence, the $36B "social program" announced yesterday by Saudi's King Abdullah doesn't sound like much to the typical American, but in relation to the GDP of the country that is roughly 10% of GDP! In U.S. terms that would be a $1.4 trillion stimulus plan.

Hence we have a dichotomy in the Middle East/Northern Africa as those without oil can't afford to pay off the people to continue government as it is now, whereas those with oil (except for that crazy in Libya) have quickly been handing out goodies to the people. For example last week, Kuwait passed out $3600 to each citizen, and will now pay for free food for 14 months. Now comes the Saudi package.... funny on the timing of all this 'benevolence' in the Middle East.

Via Bloomberg:

• As Saudi Arabia's 86-year-old monarch returned home from back surgery, his government tried to get ahead of potential unrest in the oil-rich country Wednesday by announcing an unprecedented economic package that will provide Saudis interest-free home loans, unemployment assistance and sweeping debt forgiveness.
• The total cost was estimated at 135 billion Saudi riyals ($36 billion), but this was not largesse. Saudi Arabia clearly wants no part of the revolts and bloodshed sweeping the already unsettled Arab world.
• Saudi officials are "pumping in huge amounts of money into areas where it will have an obvious trickle-down by addressing issues like housing shortages," said John Sfakianakis, chief economist for the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Banque Saudi Fransi. "It has, really, a social welfare purpose to it."
• The most prominent step was the injection of 40 billion riyals ($10.7 billion) into a fund that provides interest-free loans for Saudis to buy or build homes. The move could help reduce an 18-year waiting list for Saudis to qualify for a loan, Sfakianakis said.
• Other measures included a 15 percent cost of living adjustment for government workers, a year of unemployment assistance for youth and nearly doubling to 15 individuals the size of families that are eligible for state aid. The government also will write off the debts of people who had borrowed from the development fund and later died.
• While Saudi Arabia has been mostly spared the unrest rippling through the Middle East, a robust protest movement has risen up in its tiny neighbor, Bahrain, which like others around the region is centered on calls for representative government and relief from poverty and unemployment.
• There are no government figures in Saudi Arabia that provide a national income breakdown, but analysts estimate that there are over 450,000 jobless in the country. Despite the stereotype of rich Saudis driving SUVs, large swaths of the population rely on government help and live in government-provided housing.
• King Abdullah returned to the situation Wednesday after spending three months in the United States and Morocco getting treatment for a bad back. The economic sweeteners were announced before his plane landed.

Much like the U.S. - it is the "circus and bread" routine I often mention, keep those struggling with just enough to keep them fed and entertained and they are content to sit home and not get into one of those inconvenient revolts. With 45M Americans on food stamps you can imagine what would happen within hours if that program would be repealed. Via the Globe & Mail:

• For economists, it’s all about incentives. Forget any deep seated human desire for things like freedom and dignity. The social unrest across the Arab world comes down to comfort: those who have nothing riot; those who can afford a decent meal will stay home rather than put themselves in front of batons and bullets.
• “The time tested way to dampen popular unrest is to provide food and entertainment to the masses,” Marc Chandler, head of global head of currency strategy at New York-based Brown Brothers Harriman, wrote in note Wednesday called “Bread and Circuses: Reform Saudi Style.” It said, in part, “In effect, the 86-year-old king is increasing the basket of goods citizens get in hope that it will help soften demands for political change.”

America's Police State has Arrived

Disturbing news here for those concerned with the continued loss of freedom in the once great Republic known as the USA. The continued creation of government agencies with recent legislation could fill a whole dictionary worth of abbreviations; the growth of government over just the last two years is mind blowing.

Two government agencies recently created to of course assist in the defense of our freedom; the National Security Administration (NSA) and Dept. of Homeland Security have come out with disturbing moves that should awaken those to the fact that our every move is being watched. Homeland Security recently came out with a memo saying that it has the legal means to access our online correspondence such as email and facebook accounts without a warrant. Now, it appears they also believe that monitoring such accounts are vital to protecting America from 'extremists.' What's concerning here is that Janet Napolitano, the director of Homeland Security has recently came out and said that the definition of an extremist could be any right wing fanatic--such as Christians and Tea Party members. She further stated that domestic extremists pose a greater threat that international terrorists. Lovely.

White House: Need to monitor online 'extremism'

A White House terrorism strategy released today says Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks aid in "advancing violent extremist narratives" and should be monitored by the government.

The 12-page strategy (PDF), which outlines ways to respond to violent extremism, promises that: "We will continue to closely monitor the important role the Internet and social-networking sites play in advancing violent extremist narratives."

President Obama said in a statement accompanying the report that the federal government will start "helping communities to better understand and protect themselves against violent extremist propaganda, especially online."

While much of the White House document is focused on al Qaeda--which The Washington Post recently reported is on the "brink of collapse"--it also talks about domestic terrorists, neo-Nazis, anti-Semitic groups, and a broad "range of ideologies" that promote radicalization.

Today's announcement may signal that monitoring of social networks will broaden beyond the U.S. Department of Homeland Security already does. Depending on the details, it could also raise concerns about how to balance Americans' privacy rights with desire of security agencies to collect and analyze information that is, more or less, publicly available.

In June 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed publicly (PDF) that its agents were permitted to create accounts on social-networking sites in some situations.

DHS's National Operations Center "will monitor activities on the social-media sites" using search engines, aggregators, and other tools, last year's announcement said. "The NOC will gather, store, analyze, and disseminate relevant and appropriate de-identified information to federal, state, local, and foreign governments, and private sector partners..."

In addition, the Electronic Frontier Foundation unearthed documents showing that DHS officials were sending "friend" requests to people applying for U.S. citizenship. DHS conducted extensive monitoring of social networks during Obama's inauguration.

In 2009, CIA investment arm In-Q-Tel invested in Visible Technologies, which monitors millions of posts on social-networking Web sites, Wired reported. Tax collectors, too, are "nabbing scofflaws by mining information posted on social-networking Web sites," according to The Wall Street Journal, and the FBI has previously supported legislation that would allow federal police to monitor the Internet for "illegal activity."

This move toward monitoring social networks hasn't been without controversy. A New York Times editorial suggested these techniques may go too far: "If government agents are joining social networks under false pretenses to spy without a court order, for example, that might be crossing a line."

It's also not been limited to the United States.

In 2009, the U.K. Home Office announced that it would monitor all conversations on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter, and Skype, in a crackdown on terrorists' use of the Internet. So has the Chilean government. And, of course, some repressive regimes have simply blocked Web sites completely.