The science behind the sixth seal: Revelation 6:12

The science behind the earthquake that shook Southern New England

Did you feel it? At 9:10 am EST Sunday morning, a Magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck just south of Bliss Corner, Massachusetts, which is a census-designated place in Dartmouth. If you felt it, report it!

While minor earthquakes do happen from time to time in New England, tremors that are felt by a large number of people and that cause damage are rare.

Earthquake Report

The earthquake was originally measured as a magnitude 4.2 on the Richter scale by the United States Geological Surgey (USGS) before changing to a 3.6.

Earthquakes in New England and most places east of the Rocky Mountains are much different than the ones that occur along well-known fault lines in California and along the West Coast.

Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts fall nearly in the center of the North American Plate, one of 15 (seven primary, eight secondary) that cover the Earth.

Earth’s tectonic plates

Tectonic plates move ever-so-slowly, and as they either push into each other, pull apart, or slide side-by-side, earthquakes are possible within the bedrock, usually miles deep.

Most of New England’s and Long Island’s bedrock was assembled as continents collided to form a supercontinent 500-300 million years ago, raising the northern Appalachian Mountains.

Plate tectonics (Courtesy: Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Fault lines left over from the creation of the Appalachian Mountains can still lead to earthquakes locally, and many faults remain undetected. According to the USGS, few, if any, earthquakes in New England can be linked to named faults.

While earthquakes in New England are generally much weaker compared to those on defined fault lines, their reach is still impressive. Sunday’s 3.6 was felt in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Hampshire.

USGS Community Internet Intensity Map

While M 3.6 earthquakes rarely cause damage, some minor cracks were reported on social media from the shaking.

According to the USGS, moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in the region every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly twice a year.

The largest known New England earthquakes occurred in 1638 (magnitude 6.5) in Vermont or New Hampshire, and in 1755 (magnitude 5.8) offshore from Cape Ann northeast of Boston.

The most recent New England earthquake to cause moderate damage occurred in 1940 (magnitude 5.6) in central New Hampshire.

Iraq Rallies Against Babylon the Great

US dream of enjoying security in Iraq will never come true, Iraqi resistance warns

Iraqis rally ahead of anniv. of US assassination of Gen. Soleimani, burn model of US embassy

Saturday, 01 January 2022 1:47 AM  [ Last Update: Saturday, 01 January 2022 1:47 AM ] The video grab shows Iraqi demonstrators who rallied ahead of the second anniversary of the US assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU, on December 31, 2021.

Hundreds of Iraqis have rallied ahead of the second anniversary of the US assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani, burning a model of the US embassy in Iraq.

General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and his Iraqi comrade Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were martyred along with their companions in a US drone strike authorized by former President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.

On Friday, demonstrators convened in front of the capital Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, which hosts diplomatic buildings, including the US embassy, to remember General Soleimani and al-Muhandis ahead of the second anniversary of their assassination. The demonstrators were carrying national flag and holding up posters of Gen Soleimani and al-Muhandis.

They also built and burned a model of the US diplomatic mission in Iraq to express their strong dissent against the US leaders and any American presence in the Arab country.

“Today we are remembering the day the evil embassy entered Iraq, the embassy of the great devil. This American embassy that never brings good things to all countries, bringing harm to the Iraqi people. Today, the Iraqis also mourn Qassem Soleimani, and the heroic martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who walked on this path,” said a demonstrator.

The demonstration was organized by the PMU, better known by the Arabic name as Hashd al-Sha’abi.US has ‘definite international responsibility’ for Soleimani assassination, says IranIran’s Foreign Ministry says the US government has a “definite international responsibility” over its assassination of General Soleimani.

Last year, Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement on ending the presence of all US combat troops in Iraq by the end of the year.

The US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq in December, but resistance forces remain bent on expelling all American forces, including those who have stayed in the country on the pretext of training Iraqi forces or playing an advisory role.US dream of enjoying security in Iraq will never come true, Iraqi resistance warnsThe Iraqi resistance says the US dream of enjoying security in Iraq will never come true.

Iraqi demonstrators on Friday also marked the second anniversary of torching a security post at the US embassy by people protesting against US airstrikes.

The demonstrators further called for the quick withdrawal of all American forces from Iraq.

Rockets Fired From Outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Rockets fired from Gaza land off central Israel’s coast

By Associated PressToday at 2:05 a.m. EST

JERUSALEM — Rockets fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday landed in the Mediterranean Sea off central Israel, the Israeli military said.

It was not immediately clear whether the rockets were meant to hit Israel, but Gaza-based militant groups often test-fire missiles toward the sea. There were no reports of casualties.

Apart from a single incident in September, there has been no cross-border rocket fire since a cease-fire ended an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May.

In a statement, the Israeli army said the rockets fell off the coast of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. “According to protocol, no sirens were sounded and no interception took place,” it added.

Witnesses in Gaza said they woke up to the sound of outgoing missiles around 7 a.m. and pictures circulated on social media showed whiffs of white smoke from the launching area.https://5599f9511688f2d36c79ea755d543ff0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The cease-fire, brokered by Egypt and other mediators, has been fragile. The militant Hamas group says Israel did not take serious steps to ease the blockade it imposed on Gaza with Egypt’s help when the Islamic movement seized control of the coastal enclave in 2007.

Tension are also high as other groups like the smaller but more hard-line Islamic Jihad threaten military escalation if Israel doesn’t end the administrative detention of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for over 130 days.

On Wednesday, Palestinian militants in Gaza shot and lightly wounded an Israeli civilian near the security fence and Israel responded with tank fire targeting multiple Hamas sites in the first exchange of fire in months.

Army Fires Live Rounds At Farmers And Shepherds Outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

Army Fires Live Rounds At Farmers And Shepherds in Gaza

Israeli soldiers fired, Friday, many live rounds at Palestinian farmers and shepherds on lands east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers, stationed in military bases across the perimeter fence, fired many live rounds and gas bombs at the Palestinian shepherds.

They added that the attack did not lead to casualties but forced the farmers and the shepherds to leave their lands in fear of further escalation.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers and navy ships attacked Palestinian farmers and fishermen in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The army frequently attacks farmersshepherds, workers, and fishermen across the eastern parts of the coastal region and in Palestinian territorial waters, leading to dozens of casualties, including fatalities, in addition to preventing the Palestinians from tending to their lands and from fishing to provide for their families.

In March of this year, the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza said Israeli mines were responsible for an explosion that led to the death of three fishermen.

The China Nuclear Horn is Growing Twice as Fast as the US: Daniel 7

PLA armored assault vehicles will fire smoke bombs on November 30, 2021 to test new weapons. Austin said China is building up its army at an astonishing pace.

Top Space Force official says China is developing space capabilities at ‘twice the rate’ of the US

deepdesrochers

David Thompson, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Space Operations, said China is moving “twice as fast” and could exceed US space capacity by 2030.

David Thompson, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of Space Operations, said: China It is moving “twice as fast” as the United States in capacity building in space.

“In essence, the fact that they are building, fielding, and updating space features twice as fast on average, unless we start accelerating development and delivery capabilities. Means to surpass us soon, Thompson said at the Reagan Defense Forum on Saturday.

“2030 is not an unreasonable estimate of when China can surpass the United States in space capacity,” he added.

CNNChristine Fisher moderated a panel that included Thompson on Saturday.Democratic Party Representative Jim Cooper TennesseeChairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, which helps oversee the Space Force’s budget. Chris Kubasik, President and CEO of L3 Harris Technologies, a defense industry contractor, develops space and airborne systems.

At a weekend forum, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that China could collect 1,000 nuclear warheads in its arsenal by the end of the decade.

“We have seen 20 years of breakthrough modernization by the PLA,” he said in a keynote speech when referring to the Chinese military. “And China’s army is moving at a pace to compete with the United States in Asia and ultimately around the world.”

But he also downplayed the possibility of a new Cold War and emphasized diplomacy and deterrence as a US strategy to compete with growing economies.

Pentagon chiefs devoted much of his nearly hour-long appearance at the Reagan Forum to discussing “increasingly assertive and dictatorial” China’s efforts to overturn US dominance in the world order. bottom.

In addition to increasing nuclear weapons, Austin said China is making rapid progress in outer space and cyberspace.

“Now we always value intent and action as well as ability,” Austin said.

“And the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party have been speaking out more and more about their dissatisfaction with the dominant order and their purpose to drive America out of its global leadership role.”

Austin outlined America's plans to deal with

Austin outlined America’s plans to deal with “increasingly assertive and dictatorial” China on Saturday

Austin accused Beijing of “abusing technology to advance oppressive agendas domestically and export dictatorship tools abroad.”

World defense experts warn against China’s and Russia’s military expansion at a rate not seen since the end of World War II, urging speculation that the world is in the early stages of a new Cold War. bottom.

But on Saturday, Austin claimed that the United States was trying to address these new challenges while avoiding conflicts that could have a devastating spillover effect on millions of people.

“We don’t want conflicts or conflicts, and as President Biden repeatedly revealed,” we don’t want a new Cold War or a world divided into solid blocks, “Austin said. rice field.

“Yes, we are facing formidable challenges. But America is not a country that fears competition. And we will meet and solve this with confidence-not panic or pessimism. . “

Instead, he said the US approach was one of the deterrents, “preventing conflict and establishing common sense guardrails.”

“We are always ready to win the conflict, but American defense is always rooted in our determination to prevent conflict,” he said.

PLA armored assault vehicles will fire smoke bombs on November 30, 2021 to test new weapons. Austin said China is building up its army at an astonishing pace.

“So we are actively seeking open communication with Chinese defense leaders, especially in times of crisis. And between both our diplomats and the military, we take risks. We are taking measures to reduce the number and prevent miscalculations.

He also did not want the United States to build a NATO-style alliance with China, trying to assure Beijing that it would not let the country choose an ally.

China does not keep its global ambitions a secret. President Xi Jinping has vowed that his country will be able to “fight and win” the war with the United States by 2049.

Austin says China is “the only country that can combine its economic, diplomatic, military and technological capabilities to initiate a sustainable challenge to a stable and open international system.” Quoted President Joe Biden’s warning.

China's President Xi Jinping has set a goal of being able to

China’s President Xi Jinping has set a goal of being able to “fight and win” the war with the United States by 2049.

Recently released satellite images reveal that the country is building hundreds of new silos that can be used for nuclear weapons.

Beijing, the world’s largest combat force, already with more than 2 million active duty personnel, is also investing in expanding its arsenal of non-nuclear weapons, including fighters and other military equipment.

It also expanded its military presence in the South China Sea and alerted US allies in the region.

Austin has vowed to strengthen its US commitment to these countries, especially by strengthening military exercises with Japan and South Korea.

He also has a new agreement between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom to share submarine technology to increase US influence in the Indo-Pacific, and an informal alliance between the United States, India, Japan and Australia called India. Cited many defense pacts, including. Pacific Quad.

“We are based on the lessons learned in uniforms for over 40 years. Whether in war or peace, we are always stronger when working with friends,” Austin said.

As part of a campaign to expand its attacks on Taiwan, China has flown 27 military aircraft across the airspace of a small island in recent weeks.

Just days after Chinese troops conducted a “battle-ready” patrol into the Taiwan Strait as a delegation of the U.S. Parliament suddenly visited Taipei to support China’s alleged democratically governed island. was.

But on Saturday Austin downplayed the possibility of a real intrusion.

“I don’t want to guess, but certainly … it’s a lot like a rehearsal,” he said.

He also emphasized that the United States is acting on one long-standing one-China policy that only recognizes the Beijing government as legitimate, not the Taipei government.

But he added that the United States is committed to “the ability to protect itself while maintaining our ability to resist means of force that would threaten the security of Taiwanese people.”

“Currently, we are working to strengthen deterrence and do not want to change the status quo.”

Biden and Xi attended the Virtual Summit in November to discuss the need for open communication and the growing problem in Taiwan.

Towards the beginning of their meeting, Biden told Xi, “We are responsible for the world and our people.”

“That’s why we believe-and you and I talked about this-all nations must play according to the same road rules, why the United States is always in our interests and values, And do you stand up for the benefit and values ​​of our allies? Partners, “Biden said.

“If the past was a prologue, I am confident that today we will be discussing areas of concern: human rights, the economy, and securing a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Top Space Force official says China is developing space capabilities at ‘twice the rate’ of the US Source link Top Space Force official says China is developing space capabilities at ‘twice the rate’ of the US

US Concerned About the Iranian Nuclear Horn

A Simorgh (Phoenix) satellite rocket is launched at an undisclosed location in Iran in 2017.
A Simorgh (Phoenix) satellite rocket is launched at an undisclosed location in Iran in 2017.

U.S. Concerned Over Iran’s Rocket Launch, Linking It To Ballistic-Missile Development

December 30, 2021 10:03 GMTUPDATED December 30, 2021 19:26 GMT


The United States voiced concern on December 30 over Iran’s new space launch, saying such activities use technology that can help further its ballistic-missile program.

“The United States remains concerned with Iran’s development of space launch vehicles, which pose a significant proliferation concern,” a State Department spokesperson said after Iran announced it had launched a rocket carrying three satellites.

The space launch vehicles “incorporate technologies that are virtually identical to, and interchangeable with, those used in ballistic missiles, including longer-range systems,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also said the launch violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which backed the 2015 nuclear deal and called on Iran not to carry out work on ballistic missiles with the potential to carry nuclear warheads.

Earlier on December 30, Defense Ministry spokesman Ahmad Hosseini said the rocket used was an Iranian Simorgh (Phoenix) rocket and that the payload reached an altitude of 470 kilometers.

It was unclear whether any objects had successfully entered Earth’s orbit.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted Hosseini as saying the launch was a “space research mission.”

He said the “performance of the space center and the performance of the satellite carrier were satisfactory.”

State television showed footage of the rocket launching from the Imam Khomeini Spaceport near the northern city of Semnan.

The reported launch comes amid difficult negotiations in Vienna between Tehran and world powers over reviving the nuclear deal aimed at restricting Iran’s nuclear program. That deal has been under threat since the United States withdrew from it and reimposed sanctions against Iran in 2018.SEE ALSO:European Powers Call For ‘Urgency’ As Iran Nuclear Talks Resume

One reason the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump gave for withdrawing from the agreement was concern that it did not restrict Iran’s strategic missile program.

Iran has said that it is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons and that its rocket tests do not have military objectives.

European delegates to the talks for weeks have warned that they are close to collapsing. In a joint statement on December 28, they said: “We are clear that we are nearing the point where Iran’s escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out” the 2015 agreement.

Iran’s chief negotiator at the talks, Ali Bagheri, said on December 30 that the talks had seen some progress.

“Some written changes on the lifting of sanctions were established between the two parties and relatively satisfactory progress has been made over the first days of the eighth round of negotiations,” Bagheri said in a video published by Tasnim.

Negotiations to restore the agreement began earlier this year but were put on hold in June as the Islamic republic held its presidential election, which brought an ultraconservative government led by President Ebrahim Raisi to power. They resumed in late November, and the latest round got under way on December 27.

The nuclear deal offered Iran relief from sanctions that have weighed heavily on its economy. Bagheri said on December 30 that the discussions had recently focused mainly on the lifting of sanctions.

“We hope that after a few days of pause, more serious work will continue on the question of lifting sanctions,” he continued.

Talks are due to resume on January 3.