"Has America Embraced the Spirit of Anti-Christ?"

That's the title of a recent commentary as found in Canada Free Press and it is definitely thought-provoking:

Has America Embraced the Spirit of Anti-Christ?

This essay is written for all principled free-thinkers, not just Believers. It examines the terrible impact on society of apostasy, symbolized by deviation from the biblical model in the American family structure over the past 50 years.

This illustrates the devastating results of widespread heresy.

Americans have abandoned their ancestral faith and practice, a subject affecting all persons, including the indifferent and non-religious. Therefore we can say a spirit of anti-Christ is unleashed.

This is not to be confused with “The Beast” of Revelations whom many believe will come to establish an infernal kingdom on earth before the end of times. Instead, this general spirit opposes Bible teaching, contradicting the doctrines of Jesus and the Apostles

That's quite an introduction. If true, what are the ramifications?
We can look to Europe, who has been ahead of us (not by much) in terms of contradicting the doctrines of Jesus and the Apostles:

Yet, today Europe is caught in a deep funk, not sure what it believes about religion, economics, or even freedom. France and other states are resisting takeover by Muslims while trying to understand what the first European Islamic state would resemble, especially regarding liberty.

Much of the problem here is caused by brainless liberal automatons who relentlessly attack larger families, lampoon the church and marriage, and hate all traditional beliefs. America is not far behind these suicide illiterates in rejection of the West’s sublime faith and glorious past. But we must all stand up now and defend our Christian institutions which served us so well for so long, and actually created the modern world.

"Anti-Christian Family Planning"? What is that all about?

There have been a number of changes in government policy and private habits over the last 50 years which have drastically impacted the quality of life in America for the worse. None have had a more dire impact than the destruction of the traditional family. Writes Slate:

There have been a number of changes in government policy and private habits over the last 50 years which have drastically impacted the quality of life in America for the worse. None have had a more dire impact than the destruction of the traditional family. Writes Slate:

In the last 50 years, there has been an extraordinary decoupling of marriage and procreation. In 1960 about 5 percent of births were to unwed mothers; that figure is now a record high of nearly 40 percent.

Does it matter?

The Bible is quite clear on the centrality of marriage in God’s creation, made obvious by a few examples. First, Adam and Eve become one flesh in paradise before any sin occurs. Second, we see that God gives marriage the ultimate blessing by comparing Christ’s relationship with the church to a wedding of a bride and groom. Third, God and Jesus both explicitly defend marriage.

Now consider the resultant folly of loosening human marriage via: no-fault divorces, abortion, cohabitation, remarriage and multiple-partner families, casual affairs, bastard offspring, and now gay marriage and even polygamy. The NY Times wrote in 2009:

Unmarried mothers gave birth to 4 out of every 10 babies born in the United States in 2007, a share that is increasing rapidly both here and abroad… First, the entrance of every child into society was once prepared by their complete family. Now, for example for African American births, that happens about 25% of the time

Now, just take a look at these statistics:

So what is the real impact of the breakup of the family? The following statistics will cast a light on the true cost of turning our back on traditional marriage.


- 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.—[U. S. D.H.H.S. Bureau of the Census]
- 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes; 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.—[Center for Disease Control]
- 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.—[Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14 p. 403-26]
- 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.—[National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]
- 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes.—[U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept., 1988]
- 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. —[Fulton County Georgia Jail Populations and Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992]
- 40% of children in America do not live with their fathers.—[US News and World Report, February 27, 1995, p.39]

What does this mean? Children from fatherless homes are:

4.6 times more likely to commit suicide; 6.6 times to become teenaged mothers; 24.3 times more likely to run away; 15.3 times more likely to have behavioral disorders; 6.3 times more likely to be in a state-operated institutions; 10.8 times more likely to commit rape; 6.6 times more likely to drop out of school; 15.3 times more likely to end up in prison while a teenager.—(Calculation above assumes 27% of children in care of single mothers.)
And—compared to children who are in the care of two biological, married parents—children who are in the care of single mothers are:

33 times more likely to be seriously abused (so that they will require medical attention); and 73 times more likely to be killed.—[”Marriage: The Safest Place for Women and Children”, by Patrick F. Fagan and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D. Backgrounder #1535.]

Shocking numbers. Period. And most of these numbers have been created by government policies too long and complex to even begin to cite - but keep in mind that in 1960 (before such policies came into existence), only 5% of births were to unwed mothers.

In conclusion:

The spirit of anti-Christ is now strong across America, and growing daily in countless areas, such as government, economics, art, politics, religious liberty, and many others. Yet, consider this statement on apostasy:

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt13:41-42)

Whether Christian or atheist, we must admit the collapse of the family creates enormous social, financial, and emotional problems, which only increase over time. So to fight against fatherlessness is to battle for common sense, itself.

If the Bible is really all that separates us from barbarianism, as some historians have written—then we better stand up and fight for our classic institutions as if our very lives depended upon it, because they do.

One can debate this topic all day, but the numbers don't lie. We see what our current culture has created and it isn't a pretty sight.

What does God think of human government?
All one has to do is read Daniel 2 - where the statue represents the various human governments who have ruled over Israel, but also serves as a representation of all human government:

"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it itself will endure forever." (Daniel 2:44)

In other words, when Jesus comes back to the earth at the Second Coming, He will establish His kingdom which "will never be destroyed" and it will NEVER "be left to another people". Thank God. The end of human government once and for all. Jesus' kingdom on earth, once established will "crush all those (human) kingdoms and bring them ALL to an end." (parens and caps mine).

Only Jesus' kingdom is worth living in. Human kingdoms have ALWAYS proven to be failures and the current human established governments around the world have proven that time and time again.

Only Jesus will bring true peace and true justice. Only Jesus and Jesus only.

Fortunately, its coming soon.

Is Time Running Out For Israel?

In Israel, Time for Peace Offer May Run Out

With revolutionary fervor sweeping the Middle East, Israel is under mounting pressure to make a far-reaching offer to the Palestinians or face a United Nations vote welcoming the State of Palestine as a member whose territory includes all of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

That statement above pretty sums up the situation that Israel is facing. More details follow:

The Palestinian Authority has been steadily building support for such a resolution in September, a move that could place Israel into a diplomatic vise.

Israel would be occupying land belonging to a fellow United Nations member, land it has controlled and settled for more than four decades and some of which it expects to keep in any two-state solution.

“We are facing a diplomatic-political tsunami that the majority of the public is unaware of and that will peak in September,” said Ehud Barak, Israel’s defense minister, at a conference in Tel Aviv last month. “It is a very dangerous situation, one that requires action.” He added, “Paralysis, rhetoric, inaction will deepen the isolation of Israel.”

September seems to be "the" month. Recall U.S. President Obama has been repeatedly stating that he wants to see resolution of this issue in September as well - probably not a coincidence.

“We want to generate pressure on Israel to make it feel isolated and help it understand that there can be no talks without a stop to settlements,” said Nabil Shaath, who leads the foreign affairs department of Fatah, the main party of the Palestinian Authority. “Without that, our goal is membership in the United Nations General Assembly in September.”

Israel, seeing the prospect of even more hostile governments as its neighbors, is insisting on caution and time before taking any significant steps. It also wants to build in extensive long-term security guarantees in any two-state solution, but those inevitably infringe the sovereignty of a Palestinian state.

And as predicted, once again we hear the calls for the "pre-1967" borders:

Germany, France and Britain say negotiations should be based on the 1967 lines with equivalent land swaps, exactly what the Netanyahu government rejects because it says it predetermines the outcome.

“Does the world think it is going to force Israel to declare the 1967 lines and giving up Jerusalem as a basis for negotiation?” asked a top Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “That will never happen.”

While the Obama administration has referred in the past to the 1967 lines as a basis for talks, it has not decided whether to back the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — the other members of the so-called quartet — in declaring them the starting point, diplomats said. The quartet meets on April 15 in Berlin.

It all boils down to whether or not the UN will "officially" recognize a "PA State". If they do so, the ramifications are as follows:

Efforts are still under way to restart peace talks but if, as expected, negotiations do not resume, come September the Palestinian Authority seems set to go ahead with plans to ask the General Assembly to accept it as a member.

Diplomats involved in the issue say most countries — more than 100 — are expected to vote yes, meaning it will pass. (There are no vetoes in the General Assembly so the United States cannot save Israel as it often has in the Security Council.) What happens then?

Mr. Shaath said Israel would then be in daily violation of the rights of a fellow member state and diplomatic and legal consequences could follow, all of which would be painful for Israel.

In Haaretz newspaper on Thursday, Ari Shavit, who is a political centrist, drew a comparison between 2011 and the biggest military setback Israel ever faced, the 1973 war.

He wrote that “2011 is going to be a diplomatic 1973,” because a Palestinian state will be recognized internationally. “Every military base in the West Bank will be contravening the sovereignty of an independent U.N. member state.” He added, “A diplomatic siege from without and a civil uprising from within will grip Israel in a stranglehold.”

And if this happens, how long before we would see a UN resolution, much like we have seen in Libya? If a "PA State" had been declared, then technically there would be the issue of "occupied" land (the fact that such a declaration would be a complete lie would be irrelevant), and then an opportunity for troops to come in and resolve the border dispute.

The so-called "responsibility to protect" doctrine which has been used to explain the UN declared "action" against Libya almost looks specifically made for Israel. Was Libya just a test run for a future Israeli incursion?

This scenario could end up being the tipping point in the region - the beginning of the final battles in the Middle East, as described in the pages of biblical prophecy.

If the UN unilaterally creates an independent "PA State", then the game changes instantly. Israel would be squarely in the crosshairs of the UN (aka "the nations") - a UN which is dominated by the Arab League and other countries aiding in Israel's destruction whether by intent or by accident.

The Prophet Zechariah saw this day coming, when he described the era in history in which all the nations of the world would be aligned against Israel (Zechariah 12).

We seem to be witnessing these last steps in the process of the world coming against Israel, a process which includes the surrounding terrorists groups and nations emboldened enough to attack Israel - just as God stated in Ezekiel 39:8:

"It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of."

News According to Prophecy

There are so many interesting articles today, lets break the stories down according to prophetic headers:

1. Development of 10 Kings? Progress towards a North American Union (this one with the usual caveats):

Canadian officials 'secretive' on North American perimeter security agreement

Will the undisclosed plan bring to life the CFR’s vision for a North American Border Pass requiring biometric data & security clearance to cross borders?

Unifying the once sovereign nations of North America under treaty law continues to move forward by stealth. And many Canadians are sitting uneasy about the secrecy.

Members of Canada’s CTV express concern in the following clip about a draft agreement for ‘integrated perimeter security’ between the U.S. & Canada that Canadian officials have refused to release. As one of CTV’s panel members points out, it seems the Canadian government has “put the cart before the horse,” intent on ‘first signing the deal, then discussing it.’ Another panelist quips he has a copy of the agreement that “doesn’t exist,” refusing to show it to viewers because officials were keeping it under wraps.

The plan was termed a ‘mini-NAFTA’ that could undermine sovereignty through its integration scheme. “Perimeter agreement could mean goodbye to the 49th parallel,” as one journalist put it, emphasizing that the plan utilized the word “integrate.” Panelist Robert Fife lauded one of the agreement’s worst proposals: utilizing biometric data like iris scans at airport and border checkpoints.

The draft, available to Fife but not the public, draws directly from the CFR’s recommendation for a North American Border Pass. If the CFR’s vision is fulfilled, crossing the border would require security clearance for a ‘smart card’ that would include the mandatory submission of biometric identifiers and a fee.

The CFR’s own document states that: “Only those who voluntarily seek, receive, and pay the costs for a security clearance would obtain a Border Pass.” Put into action, such a plan would go beyond ‘trusted traveler’ measures and heavily restrict international travel.

North America activists plotted 'stealth' strategy

Participants in a high-level, closed door, three-day conference on the integration of the three North American nations debated whether openness about goals was preferred to a stealthy policy of building infrastructure before a vision of the end result was even laid out to the people of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, according to notes obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Official notes taken on a session on "Border Infrastructure and Continental Prosperity" at the North American Forum in Banff, Canada, last September, reveal the internal debate over continued secrecy.

"While a vision is appealing, working on the infrastructure might yield more benefit and bring more people on board ('evolution by stealth')," record the notes discovered amid documents obtained by Judicial Watch.

At least one attendee of the conference said the meeting was intended to subvert the democratic process. Mel Hurtig, a Canadian author and publisher elected as the leader of the National Party of Canada, told WND last fall the idea of the North American Forum is to move the countries toward integration without public consent or even knowledge.

The conference raised more suspicions about plans for the future merger of the U.S., Canada and Mexico – with topics ranging from "A Vision for North America," "Opportunities for Security Cooperation" and "Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration."

2. Wars and rumors of war

'Israel must prepare for Palestinian fury'

Popular Resistance Committees, Democratic Front for Liberation of Palestine's military wing say they are backing out of lull agreement with Israel following IAF strike that killed three members of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza Strip

"Palestinian blood has a heavy price and Israel must prepare itself for the Palestinian fury," read a statement issued by the PRC.

Israel and Hamas near a spring war

After nearly two months of rising tension, Israel and Hamas have taken a step towards a full-blown military confrontation: Before dawn Saturday, April 2, an Israeli air strike killed three senior Hamas Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades gunmen in the Gaza Strip

The Hamas Brigades warned Israel its "dangerous escalation" would have "consequences."

DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources predict that the war confrontation which Saturday brought closer to realization will be unlike any previous Israel-Palestinian showdowns in the sense that it will be less the product of the old Middle East order and fall more under the influence of the radical elements rising out of the current Arab unrest, especially in Cairo, amid the decline of Western influence.

Saturday, after nearly two months of heightened Palestinian terrorist activity and low-key Israeli reprisals, both sides dropped their long pretense of seeking calm.

The difference between the present and past conflicts is that Hamas is now drawing encouragement not just from Tehran but also from the new Egyptian regime

Hizbullah Fortifying South Lebanon

According the the Israel Defense Forces, Hizbullah has built bunkers and underground weapons depots in most southern Lebanese villages as it continues building its army, the Associated Press reports.

A memo from the IDF brass to Israeli embassies on Thursday to Israel details the acceleration of Hizbullah's fortification of the volatile border region since the end of the 2006 Lebanon war.

he memo says, "Hezbollah has built as many as 550 bunkers in the southern Lebanon region, holding various weapons. In addition, the organization has built 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons."

Hamas warns of 'consequences' after Gaza strike

Hamas on Saturday morning warned of "consequences" after an IAF air strike killed three members of its Izzadin Kassam Brigades overnight, including a senior member of the group, AFP and Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.

The Izzadin Kassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, warned in a statement that the air strike was a "serious escalation" and said Israel would "bear all the consequences."

3. Japan (prophecy link = world financial crisis, aftermath of earthquake):

Japan: Radioactive water leaking through crack into sea

Nuclear watchdog prepares to pour concrete to control leak; Japanese PM visits tsunami-struck town, enters nuke zone; "no quick solution."

The operator of Japan's stricken nuclear plant said on Saturday it had found radioactive water leaking into the sea from a cracked concrete pit at its No.2 reactor in Fukushima.

Japan's nuclear watchdog said TEPCO is preparing to pour concrete into the pit to stop the leak.

Reactor Core Was Severely Damaged

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday that roughly 70 percent of the core of one reactor at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan had suffered severe damage.

In addition to the severe damage at Reactor No. 1, the Energy Department said that Reactor No. 2 had suffered a 33 percent meltdown. Mr. Chu cautioned that the figures were “more of a calculation” because radiation levels inside the plant had been too high for workers to get inside, and sensors were unreliable.

Attempts to cool the reactors and spent-fuel pools, and efforts to answer the critical question of where the radiation leaks are coming from, are being hindered by highly radioactive water in turbine buildings attached to Reactors 1, 2, 3...

Regulator Says Radioactive Water Leaking Into Ocean From Japanese Nuclear Plant

Highly radioactive water is leaking directly into the sea from a damaged pit near a crippled reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, safety officials said Saturday, the latest setback in the increasingly messy bid to regain control of the reactors.

Although higher levels of radiation have been detected in the ocean waters near the plant, the breach discovered Saturday is the first identified direct leak of such high levels of radiation into the sea.

Some experts in the nuclear industry are now starting to question the so-called “feed-and-bleed” strategy of pumping the reactors with water, because so much contaminated water is injuring workers and escaping into the ocean.

New Photos of Fukushima Reactors

4. Living in these Last Days: The Power of Prayer

Walnuts and Rice: Prayer in Real Life

Several years ago at our Bible study, the leader gave each of us a jar with unshelled walnuts, and rice filled in around them. They were a gift meant to remind us how to do it—how to fit prayer into our overfull days—which she then demonstrated.

Into her own empty jar, the leader poured rice, and then tried to insert all of her own walnuts.
They didn't fit, that way.

Emptying the jar again, this time she put the walnuts in first, then poured in the rice, and everything fit—each walnut and every grain of rice.

She explained that the walnuts represented our time spent with the Lord, and the rice represented all the other busy things that fill up our days. When you put in the walnuts first, and pour in the rice after that, it all fits. If you try to put in the rice first, there isn't enough space in the jar for it all, even though the same amount fit when we put the walnuts first.

This is a great article and serves as a reminder on the importance of prayer in the busy days that we all face. The paragraph below says it all:

God wants us to make our faith, and our obligations to our family, the first priorities in our lives. Other priorities are doing the work we are given to support ourselves and family. We need a balance in our lives; if we set God as our first priority, He makes everything else work out well.

Amen. Its so easy during our busy days - days in which many of us simply struggle for survival - to forget the importance of taking time to talk with God and to pray to our Father. But it is of such importance in our daily walk - especially in these last days.

A World Divided

A recent bible study group which I was involved with somehow led to an epiphany on my behalf (something that most of you have probably been on to long ago, but I'm usually "late to the party", so forgive me if this is old news:).

That idea is this:

The world is rapidly heading into a new era - an era in which God reveals Himself to the entire world, and at that point the notion that "God doesn't exist" will be forever destroyed as a doctrine. That's a fascinating development in world history, so lets take a look at the scriptures:

First, we see this process of God revealing Himself to the world - quite possibly begins during the Gog-MaGog invasion of Israel, if, as many of us believe this invasion occurs before the Tribulation.

"...and all the people of the earth will tremble at my presence" (Ezekiel 38:20)

"And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 38:23)

"I will display my glory among the nations" (Ezekiel 39:21)

So you can see in these scriptures that God will reveal Himself to everyone on earth: "all the people of the earth" is pretty comprehensive isn't it? That would include everyone.

During the Tribulation, as the judgments of God begin, we see not only acknowledgement of what is happening on earth, but another reference to everyone on earth being aware of God's presence:

"Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every free slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.'" (Revelation 6:15-17)

So during the Tribulation God makes His presence abundantly clear. We see the same idea in Revelation 11, where the "Two Witnesses" proclaim the Gospel to the entire world - a world who also watches the miraculous resurrection of these same two individuals as they rise three days following their deaths.

God is moving in the entire world into a place where they will have an easy decision to make:

To choose God or to reject God, because denying God's existence will no longer be an option. I see this as an incredible act of mercy, and quite possibly the main aspect of the Tribulation period: In the last days, God completely eliminates the option of "God doesn't exist" - therefore making the decision to accept or to reject God much easier.

By eliminating a third choice - God forces mankind into a binary decision. And even with that obvious choice, people will, incredulously, choose to reject God:

"The rest of mankind...still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and the idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts." (Revelation 9:20)

"Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done." (Revelation 16:10-11)

"And they cursed God..." (Revelation 16:20)

But note that there is no denial of God in these scriptures. How interesting. People will have a very simple choice - to choose God or to reject God. And one living at that time cannot complain that God didn't reveal Himself, as God will have made His presence in the universe abundantly clear to ALL people, as stated in the scriptures.

It actually seems more than fair. God will take an unrepentant world - a world who has repeatedly denied His presence - and He will give them a second chance. Not just any second chance - but a second chance that involves making such a decision easy because God will reveal Himself, leaving only two options - he will remove any ambiguity from this process.

What more can He do?

But don't forget; God may not wait until the Tribulation to reveal Himself in this way.

If Gog-MaGog begins before the Tribulation, as many of us believe, then we may be here to witness God's initial world-wide declaration of His existence (in these last days) as the scriptures reveal. To add to that, the way things are shaping up in the Middle East, this may not be far off.

As stated before, I don't believe the Bride (aka The Church) will be here for Gog-MaGog. Recall the words of the apostle Paul:

"We live by faith not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7)

In the news:

Hizbullah Accelerates Preparations for War

According the the Israel Defense Forces, Hizbullah has bunkers and underground weapons depots in most southern Lebanese villages, the Associated Press reports.

A memo from the IDF brass to Israeli embassies on Thursday to Israel details the acceleration of Hizbullah's fortification of the volatile border region since the end of the 2006 Lebanon war.

The memo says, "Hezbollah has built as many as 550 bunkers in the southern Lebanon region, holding various weapons. In addition, the organization has built 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons."

And we also see how they are already planning for their "political statements" to be used during the next war - readily willing to sacrifice human life to score political points:

"Many of these terror centers are located near hospitals, private homes and schools, Hezbollah's way of taking advantage of the civilian population of Lebanon," the memo said, citing Hizbullah's well-established tactic of placing fighters and munitions among civilians - a war crime - in order to create bad press for Israel when civilians become collateral damage in strikes on such targets.

Gaza Fires Rocket as Ashkelon

After two days of relative quiet on the Gaza front, Gaza terrorists fired a short range missile into Israel Thursday. It exploded south of Ashkelon, but caused no casualties or damage. Israeli security forces are looking for the remains of the rocket.

The Iron Dome system, which is supposed to protect against missile strikes, is currently only stationed near Be'er Sheva. It did not go into action.

EU crisis deepens on Portugal deficit, Irish banks

Portugal revealed that its budget deficit had ballooned above target and Ireland said its banks needed 24-billion euros in extra capital, shaking euro zone markets and deepening the bloc’s sovereign debt crisis.

Portugal had been under intense pressure to seek financial assistance from the EU and IMF even before the resignation of Prime Minister Jose Socrates last week following the rejection of his latest budget cuts by parliament.

Now the country is in political limbo, with only a caretaker administration in place that would find it hard to commit to a near-term rescue.

Earthquake cluster spurs questions of another quake soon

All the huge earthquakes in recent years have sparked debate. Are they related? Are we seeing an unusual cluster of earthquakes and does it mean another is likely to happen soon in the Pacific Basin that could send a tsunami to Hawaii?

"People have asked," said Greg Moore, Chairman of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Hawaii. "Now that we've had this magnitude 9 earthquake in Japan, is that earthquake itself going to cause other big earthquakes to occur say other places around the pacific?"

The experts tell us it is very possible the quake along the Japan Trench off Northern Honshu March 11 will increase tension and contribute to another large quake, but only along that same trench within about 250 miles of the March 11 quake

175 tons of dead sardines scooped from CA marina

Three weeks after a huge fish die-off in Southern California, officials said Thursday they have a body count but still can't say what drove 175 tons of sardines into the marina where they died.

As many as 2.5 million sardines created a silvery blanket on the surface and floor of King Harbor Marina on March 8, said Dave Caron, professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern California.

That left scientist struggling to explain the strange behavior in other ways.

"The only question that remains is why the fish jammed themselves into such a little spot?" Caron said.

Syria tightens security ahead of 'Friday of Martyrs' demonstrations

Syrian security forces stepped up their presence in the capital and across Syrian provinces Friday ahead of planned demonstrations to honor those killed in two weeks of protests demanding reforms.

Syrian activists have called through social network sites for massive demonstrations following Friday midday prayers across the nation. They have dubbed the protests "Friday of Martyrs" in reference to more than 70 people who died in the government crackdown on protesters.

As people began leaving the mosque Friday, a crowd of about 300 people carrying Syrian flags and pictures of Assad broke out into clapping and chants of "Allah, Syria, Bashar!"

Security forces made no attempt to stop them.

An eyewitness in the restive southern city of Daraa, the center of the clashes last week, said troops were surrounding the city in an effort to head off planned protests.

This story should be evolving during the course of this day and updates will be provided. This will be a very interesting story to follow, and potentially an important development in the Middle East.