http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Severe Thu, 23 May 2013 16:09:03 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Severe Thu, 23 May 2013 10:57:02 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=faf_1369320790 m16carbine Tony Badran, May 23, 2013 It's been five days since Hezbollah and Assad regime forces launched their joint offensive on the town of al-Qusayr in the Homs countryside. Hezbollah and regime media were quick to claim major advances, confidently predicting that the town would fall swiftly. These pronouncements have proven premature. The attack on al-Qusayr has been long in the making. Assad's forces, limited in manpower, are now acting more in concert with irregular sectarian militias trained by Iran. But the string of tactical gains in the Homs countryside, starting in April and leading to the current battle in al-Qusayr, is tied directly to Hezbollah's lead role in spearheading ground operations. As it became clear that the Syrian opposition was putting up fierce resistance, Hezbollah began adjusting its story about the battle for al-Qusayr. The group was now making it known that it was sending in reinforcements from its elite units, and that the fighting might last at least another week. More troublesome for Hezbollah, however, was the news about the severe losses its units were sustaining, with casualty numbers ranging from 30 to 40 dead after the first day of fighting alone. By Tuesday, Syrian activists in al-Qusayr were claiming another 25 dead Hezbollah fighters. This, of course, is not counting those who had been killed prior to the latest assault, going back to last year. The number and make-up of the casualties raise some interesting questions about Hezbollah's fighting force post-2006. It is generally estimated that Hezbollah lost 500-600 soldiers during the July 2006 war with Israel. Not only was that a high percentage of its regular fighting force - thought to be anywhere around 2,000 men at the time - but also, it represented a loss of operational memory, as many of those fighters had gained combat experience against Israel and its proxy (the South Lebanon Army) in southern Lebanon. Some observers at the time maintained that many of Hezbollah's best fighters "never saw action" in 2006, as local village fighters, and not Hezbollah "regulars," handled much of the defense. But this was mainly party propaganda attempting to put a brave face on what was by any measure a major blow to the resistance. It's been reported since that, after the war ended, Hezbollah embarked on a major recruitment effort, and sent new recruits to Iran for training in order to rebuild its elite units. These new members, however, have not seen actual combat. Judging from the death notices of Hezbollah fighters in al-Qusayr and Damascus, many of them seem to be in their early to mid-20s. In other words, these are fighters unlikely to have participated in the fighting in 2006, and who are part of the post-2006 recruitment drive. Accompanying these untested fighters are older experienced fighters and unit commanders, several of whom have been killed as well, as obvious from the various posters of the fallen released by the group. Last year, for example, one such senior military commander, Ali Nassif (Abu Abbas), was killed near al-Qusayr. Shimon Shapira, an authority on Hezbollah and a retired Brigadier General now at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, thinks that there are several hundred Hezbollah fighters in Syria, "most of them from the elite units." This description fits with what some local sources in Dahiyeh have told NOW Arabic about the Hezbollah soldiers in Syria. However, these sources applied that description to the young fighters who are trained but not battle tested. Shapira explains that these younger soldiers "are well trained, some of them in Iran, and are considered elite in Hezbollah standards" - the operative words here being "Hezbollah standards." In other words, as noted earlier in reference to the 2006 war, while there has been a tendency, carefully nurtured by Hezbollah, to mythologize the outfit's elite fighters, their capabilities should be kept in perspective. What, then, does it mean that Hezbollah is now sending "elite" units to reinforce its fighters in al-Qusayr? Does it mean more of the same younger, untested fighters? Or does it mean sending even more of the experienced, if older, soldiers? Each option exposes a different set of vulnerabilities. A high casualty rate of newly trained "elite" fighters, recruited to replace those killed in 2006, means a waste of precious time and resources. The loss of even more battle-hardened soldiers, on top of the 500-600 from 2006, means further loss of operational memory and combat experience in the party's fighting corps. If the casualty rate stays this high even for another week, it could prove devastating. For instance, according to a party official who spoke to the Kuwaiti al-Rai , many of those killed on the first day in al-Qusayr were cut down by landmines and IED's prepared by the Syrian rebels. A Lebanese source who follows the group closely says that a company of 200 Hezbollah fighters attempted the initial assault but ran into the hidden explosive devices, resulting in the high death toll. The source reveals that the Syrians received assistance from certain Palestinian factions in planning the defense of the town. Already, prior to the latest onslaught on al-Qusayr, Hezbollah's former secretary general, Subhi Tofeyli, stated that the group had lost 138 members in Syria. Shapira believes that "from the hundreds" they have deployed, "they have lost over 200. Some are commanders, over 30-35 years of age." As many as 65 - ten percent of the total lost in the 2006 war - were killed in just two days of fighting. There's another key issue to consider: Even if in the end Hezbollah manages to take the town, it remains unclear who would hold it. Indeed, this has been a problem for the Assad regime throughout the two-year conflict: Assad forces can capture ground from the rebels but they don't have enough manpower to hold it. The likelihood, then, of a renewed Hezbollah engagement in al-Qusayr further down the road is likely - provided the rebels continue to receive steady shipments of ammunition and are able to secure supply lines. The severity of this overall picture explains why Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah had to travel to Tehran and meet with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. There, he was reportedly told to go all in, regardless of the cost. It was Iran's call. After all, not only were these fighters trained in Iran, but also they were prepared in order to serve in the next ground war with Israel. In fact, over the last three years, Hezbollah has been putting out leaks in the media about its intention to have its commando infantry units go on the offensive and take the fight to northern Israel in any future conflict. By publicly taking the lead in the assault operations in Syria, Hezbollah was to show its military capability to decisively and swiftly win battles - first in al-Qusayr, then on other fronts in the country. The problem for Iran, however, is that, regardless what happens next in al-Qusayr, the performance of Hezbollah's elite forces is signaling the opposite of the message Iran sought to communicate. As more of the group's elite units are called up from Lebanon to reinforce their comrades in Syria, Iran has to be concerned about more than just seeing its strategic weapons caches blown up by Israel. It also has to be worried about how Hezbollah's vulnerabilities are being exposed not by the IDF, but by Syrian rebels that the Party of God was supposed to dispatch easily. If the Iranians have overestimated Hezbollah's capabilities against an adversary like the Free Syrian Army, one wonders what else about their power they've misjudged. ------------------------- ------------------------- Hezbollah's Fallen Soldiers BY PHILLIP SMYTH, MAY 22, 2013, Foreign Policy Magazine Hezbollah is throwing its men into battle in the Syrian city of Qusayr, and many are returning to Lebanon in coffins. Through their funerals and commemorations posted on pro-Hezbollah Facebook pages, we are now getting a sense of the casualties that the self-proclaimed "Party of God" is suffering as it joins the Syrian conflict on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. Despite Hezbollah's obscuring of facts surrounding their dead, it is clear their supporters know these men met their end in Syria. Chants of "Labayka ya Zaynab" ("We are here for you, O Zaynab") are ubiquitous at funerals for Hezbollah's martyrs. The highly sectarian and mantra-like chant references the Zaynab mosque in Damascus, an important Shia shrine near Damascus and a gathering point for pro-Iranian foreign fighters in Syria. Qusayr isn't Hezbollah's first battle in Syria -- for months, its militiamen have also taken part in fighting around the Zaynab shrine . While in Damascus, Hezbollah members tend to operate under the moniker of a group called Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas (LAFA). The group is comprised of fighters from throughout the Shia world, the vast majority coming from Iranian proxy parties in Iraq and from Hezbollah. The group takes its name from a legendary Shiite fighter who was martyred during the Battle of Karbala , a central event in Shiism. Hezbollah's dead are often also claimed by LAFA on their wide network of Facebook pages. When a Hezbollah fighter is killed, the party often releases a photograph of the militiaman when he was still living. Their posters sometimes feature the Zaynab shrine's golden dome in the background. Hezbollah's semi-official Facebook announcements tend to offer the best information of the circumstances of a fighter's death: Some photographs are posted with a caption reading " defending Sayyida Zaynab" or "martyred during the sacred defense." Sometimes, there is enough publicly available information about a fallen Hezbollah militiaman to reach a conclusion about where he was fighting at the time of his death. The case of Hezbollah's "Haidar" Ali Jamal Jishi presents the perfect case where cross-referencing on YouTube, Facebook, and official Hezbollah pages established, without a doubt, that he was operating in Damascus. In one video, Jishi is seen firing a recoilless rifle in Damascus's Midan neighborhood. Semi-official Facebook announcements of his death said he died "defending Sayda Zaynab." Jishi was also pictured fighting in an urban area, and some of his martyrdom posters feature the gold dome of the shrine. However, Jishi's case is a rarity -- in most cases, it is difficult to determine with any degree of certainty where a Hezbollah fighter died. Other death notices suggest strongly that Hezbollah fighters were killed in Qusayr. One of the deceased fighters, Muhammed Fouad Raba', was pictured in an April 15 photo with what appears to be a Syrian military ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft gun. The photo's date also coincides with the beginning of the joint Syrian military-Hezbollah assault on Qusayr. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has explained his party's involvement in Syria by saying that it is an ad hoc effort by fighters from areas bordering the conflict zone to protect Shia villages within Syria. But the information coming to light about the dead belie that claim: Hezbollah's slain fighters come from a diverse set of locations within Lebanon, from towns in the central Beqaa to southern Lebanese towns on the Israel-Lebanon border. While burials of the Hezbollah fighters occur in these villages and towns, it is still hard to gauge where exactly they were living in Lebanon prior to the fighting in Syria, as funerals are generally held in those areas from where their families originated. Another narrative, primarily one emerging from pro-rebel sources, was that Hezbollah was mainly losing young men. This too appears to be incorrect: While ages of those killed are very rarely posted by any Hezbollah-affiliated source, a number of older members have been killed in Syria. Ahmed Kamal Khurees , a Hezbollah fighter from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, sports a white beard in his martyrdom photo. Fadi Muhammed Jazar , a Hezbollah member --and possible commander -- who served time in Israeli prisons and was released during a 2004 Hezbollah-Israel prisoner exchange, was no youngster. Ibrahim Husayn , reportedly a Hezbollah commander, was also an older fighter. The presence of veteran fighters in Syria underlines the importance of this campaign for Hezbollah. As fighting around Qusayr continues and announcements of new deaths flood in, one thing is certain: Hezbollah's involvement in Syria will only continue to grow. The group's slain fighters will now find graves in the soil of Lebanon, and on pages commemorating their life and death on Facebook. Despite Hezbollah's obscuring of facts surrounding their dead, it is clear their supporters know these men met their end in Syria. Chants of "Labayka ya Zaynab" ("We are here for you, O Zaynab") are ubiquitous at funerals for Hezbollah's martyrs. The highly sectarian and mantra-like chant references the Zaynab mosque in Damascus, an important Shia shrine near Damascus and a gathering point for pro-Iranian foreign fighters in Syria. Qusayr isn't Hezbollah's first battle in Syria -- for months, its militiamen have also taken part in fighting around the Zaynab shrine . While in Damascus, Hezbollah members tend to operate under the moniker of a group called Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas (LAFA). The group is comprised of fighters from throughout the Shia world, the vast majority coming from Iranian proxy parties in Iraq and from Hezbollah. The group takes its name from a legendary Shiite fighter who was martyred during the Battle of Karbala , a central event in Shiism. Hezbollah's dead are often also claimed by LAFA on their wide network of Facebook pages. When a Hezbollah fighter is killed, the party often releases a photograph of the militiaman when he was still living. Their posters sometimes feature the Zaynab shrine's golden dome in the background. Hezbollah's semi-official Facebook announcements tend to offer the best information of the circumstances of a fighter's death: Some photographs are posted with a caption reading " defending Sayyida Zaynab" or "martyred during the sacred defense." Sometimes, there is enough publicly available information about a fallen Hezbollah militiaman to reach a conclusion about where he was fighting at the time of his death. The case of Hezbollah's "Haidar" Ali Jamal Jishi presents the perfect case where cross-referencing on YouTube, Facebook, and official Hezbollah pages established, without a doubt, that he was operating in Damascus. In one video, Jishi is seen firing a recoilless rifle in Damascus's Midan neighborhood. Semi-official Facebook announcements of his death said he died "defending Sayda Zaynab." Jishi was also pictured fighting in an urban area, and some of his martyrdom posters feature the gold dome of the shrine. However, Jishi's case is a rarity -- in most cases, it is difficult to determine with any degree of certainty where a Hezbollah fighter died. Other death notices suggest strongly that Hezbollah fighters were killed in Qusayr. One of the deceased fighters, Muhammed Fouad Raba', was pictured in an April 15 photo with what appears to be a Syrian military ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft gun. The photo's date also coincides with the beginning of the joint Syrian military-Hezbollah assault on Qusayr. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has explained his party's involvement in Syria by saying that it is an ad hoc effort by fighters from areas bordering the conflict zone to protect Shia villages within Syria. But the information coming to light about the dead belie that claim: Hezbollah's slain fighters come from a diverse set of locations within Lebanon, from towns in the central Beqaa to southern Lebanese towns on the Israel-Lebanon border. While burials of the Hezbollah fighters occur in these villages and towns, it is still hard to gauge where exactly they were living in Lebanon prior to the fighting in Syria, as funerals are generally held in those areas from where their families originated. Another narrative, primarily one emerging from pro-rebel sources, was that Hezbollah was mainly losing young men. This too appears to be incorrect: While ages of those killed are very rarely posted by any Hezbollah-affiliated source, a number of older members have been killed in Syria. Ahmed Kamal Khurees , a Hezbollah fighter from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, sports a white beard in his martyrdom photo. Fadi Muhammed Jazar , a Hezbollah member --and possible commander -- who served time in Israeli prisons and was released during a 2004 Hezbollah-Israel prisoner exchange, was no youngster. Ibrahim Husayn , reportedly a Hezbollah commander, was also an older fighter. The presence of veteran fighters in Syria underlines the importance of this campaign for Hezbollah. As fighting around Qusayr continues and announcements of new deaths flood in, one thing is certain: Hezbollah's involvement in Syria will only continue to grow. The group's slain fighters will now find graves in the soil of Lebanon, and on pages commemorating their life and death on Facebook. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=faf_1369320790 m16carbine Hezbollah's assault at al-Qusayr (article) syria, hezbollah, qusayr, assad, Thu, 23 May 2013 05:47:04 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e2e_1369302249 omniradar 1043: We are being told that the PM's statement is now expected to take place at about 11:00 BST from outside 10 Downing St. 1042: Journalist Guido Olimpio writes in Italy's Corriere Della Sera newspaper that "the attack on the British soldier, even though many elements are still missing, is an absolutely perfect textbook case of individual jihadism bent on achieving results as macabre as they are 'spectacular'... Unfortunately, we are going to have to get accustomed to episodes such as the murder in London. At this juncture it is part of a trend". 1036: Breaking News The Metropolitan Police execute a search warrant at an address in Lincolnshire. A Lincolnshire Police spokesman says: "This is in connection with the ongoing investigation into the murder of a man in Woolwich. The Metropolitan Police are not prepared to discuss the matter further at this stage." 1035: Professor Paul Rogers, from Bradford University, is an expert in terrorism and says the attack seemed to be designed to cause widespread fear. He tells BBC News: "The alleged perpetrators really wanted to publicise what they did. In a way, it's almost exactly what academics say when they talk about the term terrorism, it's actions which may have a victim or some victims but are designed to cause fear among a much wider community." Breaking News Nick Robinson Political editor tweets: Advice not to wear uniforms in public set to be reversed. PM believes was "understandable reaction" but people should go about daily lives 1032: A Conservative MP says he intends to discuss the speed of the police response in Woolwich with ministers. Robert Buckland tells the BBC: "I will raise it with Home Office ministers as soon as we know the full picture." He was quoted in the Telegraph as saying it would be very worrying if there had been an "unwarranted delay" in the police response. 1031: A Cub Scout leader has spoken of how she confronted one of the alleged attackers who killed a member of the armed forces in Woolwich. In an interview, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett tells the Daily Telegraph the attacker said he had killed the soldier because "he had killed Muslim people" and that he was "fed up that people kill Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here is some audio of her describing what happened. 1030: The BBC's Jonathan Beale says armed forces personnel have been advised to conceal their uniforms if they are wearing them in public places, particularly on public transport. This advice has gone to regular members of the armed forces and the Territorial Army as well. 1028: Police conduct a fingertip search near to the scene of the crime. 1028: In his statement, Mr Murphy says: "The government and security services have our full support in establishing the facts and preventing any future such crimes. As a country we should respond with a reassertion of the values of tolerance and justice; the values that these extremists hate so much about our country. We should all help to ensure our Armed Forces never feel fearful in public. They protect us, and today each of us can send a loud message of support, solidarity and gratitude to all service personnel serving in our towns and cities at home and overseas." 1027: Shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, says: "This is firstly a personal tragedy for the family and friends of the victim. This horrendous and horrific act against our Armed Forces has shocked us all. In our moments of anger we should be strengthened in our national resolve to tackle hatred and terrorism wherever they exist." Lucy Manning ITV Home Affairs Editor tweets: Anjem Choudray tells ITV News (&amp; The Independent it seems) he knows 1 of attackers. Attended Al Muhajiroun events. Is Muslim convert. 1024: Statement after Cobra meeting: "There was an operational update from the police and agencies into the ongoing investigation and an update from the MOD on protective security. There was a discussion about community cohesion. The strength and unity of response from Muslim community leaders was recognised and commended by Ministers and others around the table." 1018: ITV News is reporting details of an email it says was sent to air cadets, saying: "No uniforms are to be worn by any military personnel whilst walking out of unit/MoD locations in London and Greater London with effect now until further notice. This includes the carriage of military day sacks." 1015: Russian state-owned TV Channel One, as seen by BBC Monitoring, says: "This is the first time that Londoners, who have been through more than one terror attack, have seen such a thing... Now the UK authorities will find it easier to achieve the deportation of radical Islamic preachers." Norman Smith, BBC News Channel chief political correspondent tweets : COBRA ends. PM and others encouraged by calm response of local community #woolwich Lucy Manning ITV Home Affairs Editor tweets: Police &amp; forensics are searching a London flat that ITV News believes is connected to one of the suspected Woolwich attackers. 1008: A statement from Prime Minister David Cameron is expected in Downing Street within 10 minutes. Stacey Rickman tweets: Never seen woolwich and plumstead so empty in the past two years I've travelled through wowza Kelly Lu tweets: Going to sleep hearing helicoptors and waking up to hearing helicoptors... 1007: A Kent MP describes the broadcast of footage of one of the alleged attackers in Woolwich as one of the worst examples of irresponsible journalism he has ever seen. Julian Brazier, a member of the Defence Select Committee, tells Julia George on BBC Radio Kent that the clip should never have been shown. 1006: Here is an audio interview with eyewitness Graham Wilders, who lives in Woolwich. He describes seeing the attack and how he initially thought there had been an accident with two men trying to resuscitate the victim. 1005: People have laid flowers and an Army T-shirt in tribute to the soldier who was killed. Reports say he had been wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo of the British military charity Help for Heroes. 1003: The statement concludes: "Let the response of our nation be mature and thoughtful. This is a moment of prayer, unity and not of hasty reaction." 1002: The Greenwich Islamic Centre adds: "The local Muslim community has always enjoyed an excellent relationship with the people from all walks of life regardless of their religion, colour or ethnic background. At this moment of confusion, uncertainty and naturally highly charged emotions, we earnestly appeal to the media not to rush to judgement and wait for the final findings by the law enforcement agencies." 1000: The Greenwich Islamic Centre condemns Wednesday's "barbaric murder": "The Muslims of the Greenwich Islamic Centre in the Royal Borough of Greenwich... share the grief and sorrow of the nation. Our hearts go out to the family, colleagues and friends of the victim of this despicable and horrific tragedy." 0954: Tributes have been pouring in on social media for the soldier killed in Woolwich. Here a woman places flowers outside the Royal Military Barracks, near the scene where he was killed. 0953: Graham Wilders - who witnessed the killing - says officers arriving at the scene had to take into account the fact that at least one of the attackers had a gun. He says: "The police officers didn't even get a chance to get out their car. They just, like, started running towards them, especially the bloke with the machetes. They just had to shoot him because he was just hurtling towards them, and then the other one with the handgun, lifted it up and obviously they shot him." 0952: Leaving the meeting of Cobra, London mayor Boris Johnson, appears to indicate Wednesday's attack was being seen as a one-off incident. "Everything I am hearing leads me to think that Londoners can go about their business in the normal way and we are going to bring the killers to justice," he says. 0950: Julie Siddiqi, of the Islamic Society of Britain, tells BBC Radio 4: "The people who did this act yesterday do not speak in my name, do not speak for my community or the rest of the country. We have to come out with the strongest condemnation, which is what I'm seeing this morning." 0947: The politicians will now want to leave the police and intelligence services to pursue the lines they need to, our correspondent Norman Smith adds. 0947: Our correspondent says this means security services are still thought to be piecing together information about the attack. So when the PM speaks in the next hour or so, it will a more general appeal for calm and a message of reassurance. 0946: We are hearing that the Cobra meeting in Whitehall has finished. It lasted about an hour and was not a "nuts and bolts meeting", according to BBC chief political correspondent Norman Smith. 0943: Farouk Murad, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, says the attack is "an insult and attack against our faith and our community", adding: "We must stand united against this kind of criminal activity... Islam does not under any pretext give the licence to kill innocents on our streets." 0942: Residents in Woolwich tell the BBC the killing should not diminish the community spirit that exists in the area. One resident, Keira, says: "I don't think it's anything to do with religion, or race or anything else. I think it's all to do with the person and who did it. And that's it really... We've just got to all pull together really and just accept what's happened and move on from it." 0942: There are still large numbers of police officers at the scene of the killing, while soldiers are standing guard outside the Royal Military Barracks in Woolwich, south-east London. 0941: A Ministry of Defence source says the uniform advice is a "common sense"" measure while the investigation into yesterday's attack is ongoing. He says it does not amount to a change in policy. Security at a number of military bases has already been stepped up and members of the services have been told to remain vigilant. 0939: Breaking News The BBC understands guidance has been issued to members of the armed forces to "conceal" their uniforms if in public, especially when travelling alone, in light of Wednesday's attack. 0932: The Press Association news agency, quoting sources, says the Woolwich suspects are of Nigerian background and are not thought to have links to terror groups based there. There has been no confirmation of this. Garath Dobbs, from Cardiff, emails: It strikes me that the attackers have gained exactly what they wanted from this - exposure. The media outlet could not wait to get this 'exclusive' on the air. There has to be a way to deny these attackers the oxygen of publicity. I think there should be a law against televising diatribes relating to such acts and a law against filming and sharing any such things on the internet. I understand the second part will be difficult but national television would be easy. It just seems very naive of ITV to show these people on primetime. Secunder Kermani tweets : Been at the #woolwich school near ydays killing. Parents say they've struggled to shield their kids from what happened. Some still scared 0928: Boris Johnson continues: "I think it's very important that... the people of London should take their cue from the behaviour of the people of Woolwich yesterday, who showed such astonishing natural courage in dealing with an appalling event, and who stood up to those killers. And I think that that's the spirit of London, and that's what I would call on people to do today - go about their lives in the normal way." 0927: Mayor of London Boris Johnson is attending the Cobra meeting in Whitehall. On his way in he says: "It is completely wrong to blame this killing on the religion of Islam. But it is also equally wrong to try to draw any link between this murder and British foreign policy, or the actions of British forces who are risking their lives abroad for the sake of freedom. The fault lies wholly and exclusively in the warped and deluded mindset of the people who did it. And what we need now is, for the sake of the victim, and for the sake of his family, is for those killers to be brought to justice." 0927: Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, tells BBC News the government must find out "who committed this barbaric crime and follow it up swiftly". He adds: "People need to stay calm - I think some of the stories that we've heard this morning of demonstrations in certain areas... this is not helpful to the police, the police should not be distracted from the very important work that they have to do." 0925: Former chairwoman of the British Joint Intelligence Committee, Baroness Neville-Jones, tells the BBC that the inspiration for the Woolwich attack "comes from internet hate speech and jihadist rhetoric". She says: "Muslim leadership must help with tackling the spread of this kind of rhetoric." 0915: Breaking News In a message on Twitter, Prime Minister David Cameron says: "I have been updated by the commissioner and will chair Cobra shortly. I will make a statement on this sickening killing this morning." 0914: Prime Minister David Cameron was briefed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe on the murder investigation before chairing the meeting of Cobra at 10 Downing Street. 0912: Breaking News PM David Cameron is now chairing the Cobra emergency government crisis committee. 0911: The Metropolitan Police are expected to release the name and regiment of the soldier killed later this morning. His family has already been informed. 0908: Here is a picture taken at the scene of yesterday's London street attack - an air ambulance can be seen landing. Have a look at our BBC picture gallery for more images of the scene in Woolwich. Warning: some of the following images are graphic in nature. 0903: Lord Reid tells BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland that the killing in Woolwich was a "horrific and terrible attack", and adds: "The bad news is that becomes harder to prevent." He says it was "a testament to the effectiveness of our security forces in this country that they have prevented it for many, many years". 0902: Col Kemp also tells BBC News he believes this morning's Cobra meeting will try to ascertain whether the attack was part of a wider extremist conspiracy. He says: "I don't think it looks like that myself but I think they will want to know that. And the second thing, I think, in that area is there will be a great deal of concern that this form of attack now, which I think has been long feared by the security services, could lead to copycats." 0901: A former commander of British soldiers in Afghanistan, Col Richard Kemp, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme "it would be wrong to suggest we live in a state of fear of this type of attack". 0901: Former Home Secretary Lord Reid condemns the "brutal, inhumane and terrible murder of an innocent person". While he said the threat from terrorists was continual, he insisted they would not succeed in their bid to "impose their will on others" in the UK. 0852: A Facebook page set up in honour of the victim of yesterday's attack has received one million "likes", according to the Metro newspaper . It features a statement saying: "A British soldier has been murdered as he walked a street in London in a 'suspected' terror attack. RIP to a hero!" 0851: Raffaelle Pantucci, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, tells the BBC: "The brazenness of this incident is what marks it out from previous ones. The willingness of these guys to conduct this attack in the middle of the street and then sort of talk about it, shout about it in front of people in the street afterwards, is I think a new level of brutality." 0825: Lincoln Jopp, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, tells the BBC this was a tragic act, but adds the British army will rally round at times like this - as they always do. He says he realises people will be looking at procedures, but says he would like military personnel to continue wearing their uniforms outside barracks. He says the British public's support gives the military great strength. 0816: Our correspondent adds the Cobra meeting will decide how to respond to the killing - looking at whether it was a lone attack or a wider orchestrated campaign. So far, he says, the UK's terror alert level has not been raised and the security response has been limited to military barracks, which would lead one to speculate it is believed to have been an isolated act. 0815: Political correspondent Norman Smith says the Cobra emergency meeting - for which the PM has returned from France - will get under way in about 20 minutes. Before that the home secretary will brief David Cameron on the latest thinking of the intelligence service, because overnight they have gone through a mass of material - witness statements, footage, and of course their own records, he says - to see if the attackers were in any way known to the security services. 0807: You can read our main news story here for an overview of what is happening today. Here is a map of the scene. David Dixon, a local head teacher, told the BBC News Channel he walked out of the school gates and saw a body lying in the road a short distance away. He then heard gunshots and instructed staff to lock all the gates of his school. An air ambulance landed in the playground and the children were sent home. 0802: If you want more background on yesterday's attack, you can look back at Wednesday's live page here. 0800: Here is a picture of the scene yesterday, following the attack - which took place at 14:20 BST in John Wilson Street, the A205. We will bring you more photos as they come in today. 0758: Usama Hasan is a senior researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, a think tank specialising in counter extremism. He tells the BBC that the hatred preached by some Islamic clerics has to stop: "The real problem here is the decisive hatred preached by a very small minority of clerics in this country in a small number of our mosques and universities. They know who they are and there are Muslim groups and other groups - left wing groups may I say - who defend that kind of grievance and victimhood mentality. That's what must change and has to stop. A very small number of people but unfortunately their influence is too high." Mark Coyle tweets : Police helicopter overhead #Woolwich. A sense of bewilderment in the air. I swear I saw a dad holding his kids' hands tighter than normal. 0754: ITV News has broadcast footage of a man with bloodied hands talking to a camera, following the attack. He makes a series of political statements before walking towards a man, who is believed to be a soldier, lying on the street. Warning: This footage contains disturbing images. CJ, from Surrey A dark day for us all. Whatever their reasons, this was wrong. This can only lead to opposing hate groups (re)surfacing and promoting further further hate amongst understandably frightened people. 0745: Wednesday's events in Woolwich have shocked the UK - but this was precisely the kind of attack that security chiefs have long feared could come, writes the BBC's home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani in his blog this morning. 0743: A passer-by, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, confronted one of the attackers in the street. She says he told her that he had killed because he was "fed up" about the deaths of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Speaking on ITV Daybreak she describes the scene, saying: "More and more people were starting to come. I mean there was absolutely nobody when I arrived apart form the bus and people stayed on the bus and there was just this lady cradling the soldier and gradually people started to come. I imagine the soldier was losing more and more blood and attracting people and there was so many people around." 0741: The Muslim Council of Britain says the killers' use of "Islamic slogans" indicates they were motivated by their faith. A statement from the council says: "This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly. Our thoughts are with the victim and his family." 0740: The BBC's Jonathan Beale says security at London military barracks has been stepped up, but the overall threat of terrorism warning has not been raised to severe - it is at substantial at the moment. Severe would mean a terror attack is likely. One of the issues the Cobra meeting will look at is whether soldiers should wear their uniform outside their barracks, he says. They will also discuss if this is a one-off attack or part of a wider move. 0736: There are reports that it was 20 minutes before armed police arrived at the scene of the attack yesterday. But local MP for Greenwich and Woolwich Nick Raynsford tells the BBC he thinks police arrived pretty quickly and very quickly dealt with the two suspects. "We know very well that quick response is important, but it's difficult to think in an urban area that it would be possible to get to a scene of a crime much quicker than that given all the communication there has to be - given that there had to be an armed unit to respond, and given the evidence there were two very dangerous suspects who themselves were armed." 0733: There are many questions today about who the victim of this brutal attack was. He is said to have been a member of the British armed forces, but people will want to know who he was, which unit was he with, and if he was linked to the Woolwich barracks. For the Cobra emergency committee, perhaps the overriding question will be whether the two attackers were acting unilaterally or were part of a more orchestrated plot. The committee will also be discussing the motive for the attack, says the BBC's Ben Ando. 0732: Already security has been stepped up at military barracks across London. Police now are waiting to question the two attackers, who are in separate hospitals after being shot by armed police. The BBC's Ben Ando says we do not know which hospitals are looking after the men or what condition the men are in - although one is thought to be in a critical condition. 0730: Since the attack there were confrontations in Woolwich between police and a group of around 60 people - some from the English Defence League - but there were no arrests. Here members of the EDL wear balaclavas as they gather outside a pub in Woolwich in London last night. There have also been attacks on mosques in Kent and Essex. 0726: Initially, witnesses thought the two men were trying to help the man, but then they realised they were killing him. Lots of amateur footage was recorded at the scene yesterday and police have urged people to send them any video or images they have of the scene. 0726: Meanwhile, a tow-truck has removed a vehicle - covered with a red canvas cover - which is thought to have been involved. It is thought the victim was struck by a car before being attacked by the two men, says our correspondent Ben Ando. 0725: The BBC's Ben Ando, who has been in Woolwich overnight, says it has been a scene of considerable and measured activity. The scene of the killing was on the south circular road - one of London's busiest routes, and forensic teams have worked through the night to complete their work so the road can re-open. 0723: The two men - who were shot by police - are being held in hospital under armed guard while counter terrorism police wait to question them. 0722: Witnesses yesterday described seeing two men armed with knives and a gun repeatedly assault the victim. One of the men called for Britain to end its involvement in foreign conflicts. The image shown here is from footage taken at the scene. 0721: The emergency meeting this morning will be attended by politicians, the UK's most senior police officer and the new head of MI5. 0721: Home Secretary Theresa May has said that while we have seen terrorism on the streets of London before, "we have always stood firm against it - despicable acts like these will not go unpunished", she has promised. 0720: The home secretary says security has been tightened at all London barracks, and the government's emergency response committee Cobra will meet this morning to discuss the attack. David Cameron has cut short his trip to Paris to chair the meeting. 0719: Two suspects were shot by armed police after spending several minutes speaking to bystanders and making political statements to camera. 0718: A man said by Whitehall sources to be a member of the British armed forces has been killed on a busy south London street in what has been described as a terror attack. His exact identity has not been revealed. Follow our live coverage of the day's events here. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e2e_1369302249 omniradar Todays Collection Of Tweets Texts to The BBC from all walks of life here ! UK reaction to the beheading of a Soldier in a UK street. Wed, 22 May 2013 19:30:14 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aa3_1369265301 falsephrophet PARMA, OH - A mother in Ohio is outraged after being told her son can't return to school unless he gets rid of his mohawk. The 5-year-old was sent home from kindergarten last week over the hair style and has not been back since. She said keeping him out of class is too severe a punishment. "I'm going to have to take him to go get it shaved because obviously he has to go to school," Keshia Castle said. "I'm already going to a mediation because he's missed a few days of school." The school district told her that his hair caused a disturbance in class because teachers couldn't keep the attention of the other students. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aa3_1369265301 falsephrophet Five Year Old Boy Suspended From Kindergarten For Getting A &quot;Disruptive&quot; Mohawk Five Year Old Boy Suspended From Kindergarten For Getting A &quot;Disruptive&quot; Mohawk Tue, 21 May 2013 15:31:39 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ab9_1369164340 flank99 Severe Thunderstorms is going to hit New Jersey on Thursday and it will bring Heavy Rain and Very Strong Winds with Chain Lightning and It will Bring 50+ mm of rain and People in New Jersey be Prepared here is my advice Have your Rubber Boots Ready, Have your Rain Coats Ready and have your Rain Suits Ready and Have your iPads Charged, iPods Charged, iPhones Charged, Cell Phones Charged and your Tablets Charged Unplug all your Electronics Such as Televisions, Computers and Gaming Consoles So you don't Get a Power Surge During the Severe Thunderstorms Order your Pizzas and Order your Chinese Food Have your Extra batteries, Flashlights, Candles and Crank up Radio and Buy your Bottled Water and Don't Drive your Car Through the Flood or your Car will get Stalled when the Chain Lightning Happens Stay Away from the Trees and Stay Away from the Open Fields Such as Golf Courses the Basement will get Flooded Remove anything from the Basement Floor and when the Hail Happens Stay Interior of the House and Stay Away from the Windows and Umbrellas will break during the Very Strong Winds Power lines will be down Transformers will be Destroyed and Trees will be Snapped in half and Telephone Poles will also be snapped in Half during the Severe Thunderstorms. http://www.sydneyinearlymarch.blogspot.ca http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ab9_1369164340 flank99 <span class="highlight">Severe</span> Thunderstorms to hit New Jersey on Thursday May 23, 2013 Severe Thunderstorms to hit New Jersey on Thursday May 23, 2013 Fri, 17 May 2013 16:03:23 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b04_1368820728 flank99 Severe Thunderstorms is on its way for Minnesota and it will bring Heavy Rain and Very Strong Damaging Winds and it will also Have Heavy Downpours and the there are 2 Upper Level Low Pressure Systems and it will bring Severe Thunderstorms and it will bring up to 30+ mm of rain and Chain Lightning and People in Minnesota Be Prepared Have your Rubber Boots and Rain Coats Ready and your Rain Suits Ready too and have your Hip Waders Ready Have your iPads Charged, iPods, Charged, iPods Charged, Cell Phones and Tablets Charged Unplug all your Electronics Such as Televisions, Computers and Gaming Consoles so you don't get a Power Surge and Remove all the Wires from the Floor before the Basement Gets Flooded and Don't Drive your Car Through the Flood or your Car will get Stalled People in Minnesota Stay Away from the Trees and Open Fields Such as Golf Courses and when the Hail Happens Stay away from the Windows and Stay interior of the House and Order your Pizzas and Order your Chinese Food and Have your Flashlights, Candles, Crank Up Radio, Extra batteries and Bottled Water Ready just in case you lose the Power during the Severe Thunderstorms and when the Wind is Very High Don't Open up your Umbrella and the Tree Branches will be Snapped in Half and Power Lines will be down Especially in Minneapolis St Paul Area and People in Minnesota Take Caution and Be Prepared Stay Safe. http://www.sydneyinearlymarch.blogspot.ca http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b04_1368820728 flank99 <span class="highlight">Severe</span> Thunderstorm to Hit Minnesota on Sunday May 19, 2013 Severe Thunderstorm to Hit Minnesota on Sunday May 19, 2013 Mon, 20 May 2013 13:46:49 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=12b_1369071783 toastt21a It's a REPOST but it's reposted because the audio of the wind/ debris hitting the roof of the news building can be heard much better here than the dude's post where it was recorded off of his TV... http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=12b_1369071783 toastt21a <span class="highlight">Severe</span> Weather hits the TV Station that's reporting the <span class="highlight">Severe</span> Weather severe thunderstorm, warning, tornado alert, witchita kansas, ks, weather, weather channel, weatherman, radar, doppler Mon, 20 May 2013 14:02:16 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d6b_1369072795 MaKaElectric VR To - Solar Activity = Earthquakes And Tsunamis http://youtu.be/C0iG7s90zSk Same As Above From MyFoxBoston.com http://www.myfoxboston.com/video?autoStart=false&amp;topVideoCatNo=default&amp;clipId=8893387 GLP Thread On Story Above http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2238187/pg1 2 Dead As Tornadoes Hit 5 States http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/22293599/tornadoes-touch-down-in-oklahoma-kansas-iowa-1-dead 6.5 Mag Quake Hits Off Shore Aisen Chile http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/map_detail.php?id=453953 Live Earthquake Map http://gimquakesmap1.com/ ISWA Cygnet Streamer http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=2038-01-23+00%3A44%3A00&amp;window=-1&amp;cygnetId=261 WSA Solar Wind Prediction http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d6b_1369072795 MaKaElectric Solar And Earthquake Watch 05/20/2013 ~ 06/05/2013 Earthquakes, Tsunami, Tornado, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, Solar, Solar Flare, Solar Flares, M Flare, X Flare, Kill Shot, Ed Dames, Quake, Quakes, CME, Coronal Mass Ejection, Storm, Storms, Weather, Severe Weather, NOAA, NASA, NWS, 2012, Planet X, N Fri, 17 May 2013 03:35:15 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=158_1368775762 stirgy . This is an excerpt from a documentary called " Clusterheads ". It covers the phenomenon known as "cluster headaches" or "suicide headaches", the pain of which is said to be worse than natural childbirth or amputation without anesthetics. In short, the worst pain known to humans. The guy's name in this video is "Chuck". He reportedly suffers from a heart condition with makes him unable to take most abortive drugs, so the only way he can attempt to stop the attacks is by breathing pure oxygen. By the looks of this video, it doesn't help much. This documentary was made by a group advocating the use of such drugs as LSD and psylocibin (found in shrooms), which have reportedly had great effect in aborting "cluster cycles" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headaches . http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=158_1368775762 stirgy The 'Suicide' Headache headache, intense, severe, pain, poor guy! Wed, 22 May 2013 15:39:48 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=743_1369250308 Furia I recently visited india for International Yoga festival held at Uttarakhand and i regret my decision. I first visited a place called Bodhgaya. I found some pics on the internet that were a common scene in india. This pictures show the real india what their government is hiding from the world. I have got severe Diarrhea and have been on "Imodium" for about 1 week now. I advise everyone not to go there ! http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=743_1369250308 Furia Before You Visit India India Wed, 22 May 2013 14:35:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ba1_1369247676 MaKaElectric On May 31, 2013, asteroid 1998 QE2 will sail serenely past Earth, getting no closer than about 3.6 million miles (5.8 million kilometers), or about 15 times the distance between Earth and the moon. And while QE2 is not of much interest to those astronomers and scientists on the lookout for hazardous asteroids, it is of interest to those who dabble in radar astronomy and have a 230-foot (70-meter) -- or larger -- radar telescope at their disposal. More http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-163&amp;cid=release_2013-163 Asteroid 1998 QE2 NASA JPL Orbit Diagram http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=1998%20QE2&amp;orb=1 Copyright NASA http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html Recent &amp; Upcoming Earth Asteroid Encounters http://www.spaceweather.com (Near Bottom Of Page) 7 Asteroids To Pass Near Earth Over Next 2 Months http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2237837/pg1 Meteor Hits Moon Causes Explosion Visible On Earth http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/nasa-meteor-slams-into-moon-causes-explosion-visible-to-naked-eye-on-earth/ Oklahoma Tornado Tears Massive Path Of Destruction http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/severe-weather/index.html Videos Capture Oklahoma And Kansas Twisters http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/tornado-videos-oklahoma-kansas-iowa-2013_n_3308902.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ba1_1369247676 MaKaElectric Asteroid 1998 QE2 Close Approach 05/31/2013 1998 QE2, Asteroid 1998 QE2, Close Approach, Oklahoma Tornado, Oklahoma, Tornado, HAARP, Planet X, Nibiru, 2012, 2013, Asteroid, Asteroid Impact, Close Call, Wormwood, The Destroyer, Destroyer, End Of Days, 2012 End Times, End Times, NASA, JPL, NASA JPL, Wed, 22 May 2013 11:36:02 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d1_1369236379 potrblog http://pissinontheroses.blogspot.com/2013/05/mers-cov-sars-outbreak-fort-rucker.html (c)2013 http://www.POTRBLOG.com At least 2 dead, and a cluster of people hospitalized near Fort Rucker, Alabama, in what we suspect is an outbreak of the SARS like MERS-CoV FLU. The obvious source vector of such an outbreak in Lower Alabama would be from soldiers deployed to the Middle East out of Fort Rucker, Alabama. We base our analysis on: The index patient's illness date of approximately April 19th 2013 The patient's extreme proximity to Fort Rucker Fort Rucker's Middle East Deployments The symptoms The epidemiological presentation, likely large outbreak with minimal severe hospitalizations Our initial risk mitigation position on this outbreak is that the risk is low but the impact is high; hence only low cost mitigation efforts are required. In that regard, the best mitigation is Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG). CHG is a surgical scrub which forms an invisible barrier on the skin and kills the influenza virus and corona (SARS) virus for multiple HOURS after washing with it. Links to purchase CHG are here http://pissinontheroses.blogspot.com/2013/05/mers-cov-sars-outbreak-fort-rucker.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d1_1369236379 potrblog Fort Rucker Flu: MERS-CoV &quot;SARS&quot; Outbreak - Alabama h1n1, MERS, CoV, Alabama, Dothan, Fort Rucker, Flu Wed, 22 May 2013 11:11:11 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1369229212 BloodyPeasant Another video about the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes, this time produced jointly by the USGS and the state of Tennessee with more of a focus on Tennessee itself. The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were an intense intraplate earthquake series beginning with an initial pair of very large earthquakes on December 16, 1811. These earthquakes remain the most powerful earthquakes to hit the eastern United States in recorded history. These events, as well as the seismic zone of their occurrence, were named for the Mississippi River town of New Madrid, then part of the Louisiana Territory, now within Missouri. There are estimates that the earthquakes were felt strongly over roughly 50,000 sq mi, and moderately across nearly 1 million square miles. The historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, by comparison, was felt moderately over roughly 6,200 sq mi. The 1811-1812 earthquakes The four earthquakes December 16, 1811, 2:15 a.m. (M ~7.2 - 8.1) epicenter in northeast Arkansas. It caused only slight damage to man-made structures, mainly because of the sparse population in the epicentral area. The future location of Memphis, Tennessee experienced level IX shaking on the Mercalli intensity scale. A seismic seiche propagated upriver, and Little Prairie (a village that was on the site of the former Fort San Fernando, near the site of present-day Caruthersville, Missouri) was heavily damaged by soil liquefaction. December 16, 1811, 8:15 a.m. (M ~7.2-8.1) epicenter in northeast Arkansas. This shock followed the first earthquake by six hours and was similar in intensity. January 23, 1812, 9 a.m. (M ~7.0-7.8) epicenter in the Missouri Bootheel. The meizoseismal area was characterized by general ground warping, ejections, fissuring, severe landslides, and caving of stream banks. Johnson and Schweig attributed this earthquake to a rupture on the New Madrid North Fault. This may have placed strain on the Reelfoot Fault. February 7, 1812, 4:45 a.m. (M ~7.4-8.0) epicenter near New Madrid, Missouri. New Madrid was destroyed. At St. Louis, Missouri, many houses were severely damaged, and their chimneys were toppled. This shock was definitively attributed to the Reelfoot Fault by Johnston and Schweig. Uplift along a segment of this reverse fault created temporary waterfalls on the Mississippi at Kentucky Bend, created waves that propagated upstream, and caused the formation of Reelfoot Lake by obstructing streams in what is now Lake County, Tennessee. Susan Hough, a seismologist of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), has recently estimated the earthquakes' magnitudes as "right around magnitude 7. Possibly a bit below, possibly a bit above, but not as big as 7.5." Eyewitness accounts John Bradbury, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, was on the Mississippi on the night of December 15, 1811, and describes the tremors in great detail in his Travels in the Interior of America in the Years 1809, 1810 and 1811, published in 1817. After supper, we went to sleep as usual: about ten o'clock, and in the night I was awakened by the most tremendous noise, accompanied by an agitation of the boat so violent, that it appeared in danger of upsetting ... I could distinctly see the river as if agitated by a storm; and although the noise was inconceivably loud and terrific, I could distinctly hear the crash of falling trees, and the screaming of the wild fowl on the river, but found that the boat was still safe at her moorings. By the time we could get to our fire, which was on a large flag in the stern of the boat, the shock had ceased; but immediately the perpendicular banks, both above and below us, began to fall into the river in such vast masses, as to nearly sink our boat by the swell they occasioned ... At day-light we had counted twenty-seven shocks. Eliza Bryan in New Madrid, Territory of Missouri, wrote the following eyewitness account in March, 1812. On the 16th of December, 1811, about two o'clock, a.m., we were visited by a violent shock of an earthquake, accompanied by a very awful noise resembling loud but distant thunder, but more hoarse and vibrating, which was followed in a few minutes by the complete saturation of the atmosphere, with sulphurious vapor, causing total darkness. The screams of the affrighted inhabitants running to and fro, not knowing where to go, or what to do-the cries of the fowls and beasts of every species-the cracking of trees falling, and the roaring of the Mississippi- the current of which was retrograde for a few minutes, owing as is supposed, to an irruption in its bed- formed a scene truly horrible. John Reynolds (February 26, 1788 - May 8, 1865) who was the 4th governor of Illinois, among other political posts, mentions the earthquake in his biography My Own Times: Embracing Also the History of My Life (1855): On the night of 16th November, 1811, an earthquake occurred, that produced great consternation amongst the people. The centre of the violence was in New Madrid, Missouri, but the whole valley of the Mississippi was violently agitated. Our family all were sleeping in a log cabin, and my father leaped out of bed crying aloud "the Indians are on the house" ... We laughed at the mistake of my father, but soon found out it was worse than the Indians. Not one in the family knew at the time that it was an earthquake. The next morning another shock made us acquainted with it, so we decided it was an earthquake. The cattle came running home bellowing with fear, and all animals were terribly alarmed on the occasion. Our house cracked and quivered, so we were fearful it would fall to the ground. In the American Bottom many chimneys were thrown down, and the church bell in Cahokia sounded by the agitation of the building. It is said the shock of an earthquake was felt in Kaskaskia in 1804, but I did not perceive it. The shocks continued for years in Illinois, and some have experienced it this year, 1855. The Shaker diarist Samuel Swan McClelland described the effects of the earthquake on the Shaker settlement at West Union (Busro), Indiana, where the earthquakes contributed to the temporary abandonment of the westernmost Shaker community. Consequence of the 1811-12 earthquakes Sand blows were common throughout the area, and can still be seen from the air in cultivated fields. The shockwaves propagated efficiently through the firm midwestern bedrock, with residents as far away as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk, Virginia, awakened by intense shaking. Church bells were reported to ring as far as Boston, Massachusetts and York, Ontario (now Toronto), and sidewalks were reported to have been cracked and broken in Washington, D.C. There were also reports of toppled chimneys in Maine. Disaster relief A request, dated January 13, 1812, by William Clark (famous for his exploration of the American West with Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery from 1803 to 1805), then the governor of the Louisiana Territory (the territory was renamed the Missouri Territory soon after the quake to eliminate confusion with the new state of Louisiana), asked for federal relief for the "inhabitants of New Madrid County." Whereas the Catalogue of miseries and afflictions, with which it has pleased the Supreme Being of the Universe to visit the inhabitants of the earth there are none more truly awful and destructive than Earthquakes ... The inhabitants of the late District now County of New Madrid, in this Territory, have lately been visited with several calamities of this kind, which have deluged large portions of their country and involved in the greatest distress many families, whilst others have been entirely ruined ... In the opinion of the said General Assembly provisions ought to be made by law for or cashiered to the said inhabitants relief, either out of the public fund or in some other way as may can meet to the cost demand availability of the General Government. This is possibly the very first request that the U.S. Federal Government had received for aid from one of its territories. Slave George murder The earthquakes helped bring to justice the murderers of George Lewis (commonly known as "Slave George"). George was slain on the night of December 15-16, 1811 by two nephews of Thomas Jefferson, Lilburn Lewis and Isham Lewis, who were also relatives of Meriwether Lewis. After killing him with an axe in front of other slaves, George's owners intended to burn his remains, but the first New Madrid earthquake interrupted their effort, and so the corpse was interred in a brick chimney. The murder might well have escaped discovery by authorities, except that the January 23 and February 7 quakes caused the chimney to partially collapse, exposing George's remains. Lilburn and Isham Lewis were quickly investigated, arrested and charged. Lilburn killed himself; Isham escaped from jail and probably died during the War of 1812. Geologic setting The underlying cause of New Madrid earthquakes is not well understood, but modern faulting seems to be related to an ancient geologic feature buried under the Mississippi River alluvial plain, known as the Reelfoot Rift. Reelfoot rift The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) is made up of reactivated faults that formed when what is now North America began to split or rift apart during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia in the Neoproterozoic Era (about 750 million years ago). Faults were created along the rift and igneous rocks formed from magma that was being pushed towards the surface. The resulting rift system failed but has remained as an aulacogen (a scar or zone of weakness) deep underground. Another unsuccessful attempt at rifting 200 million years ago created additional faults, which made the area weaker. The resulting geological structures make up the Reelfoot Rift, and have since been deeply buried by younger sediments. But the ancient faults appear to have made the rocks deep in the Earth's crust in the New Madrid area mechanically weaker than much of the rest of North America. This weakness, possibly combined with focusing effects from mechanically stronger igneous rocks nearby, allows the relatively small east-west compressive forces that exist in the North American plate to reactivate old faults, making the area prone to earthquakes. Since other rifts are known to occur in North America's stress environment but not all are associated with modern earthquakes, (for example the Midcontinent Rift System that stretches from Minnesota to Kansas), other processes could be at work to locally increase mechanical stress on the New Madrid faults. Stress changes associated with bending of the lithosphere caused by the melting of continental glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age, has been considered to play a role, as well as downward pull from sinking igneous rock bodies below the fault. It has also been suggested that some form of heating in the lithosphere below the area may be making deep rocks more plastic, which concentrates compressive stress in the shallower subsurface area where the faulting occurs. There may be local stress from a change in the flow of the mantle beneath the NMSZ, caused by the sinking Farallon Plate, according to one model. Seismic zone When epicenters of modern earthquakes are plotted on a map, three trends become apparent. First is the general northeast-southwest trend paralleling the trend of the Reelfoot Rift, in Arkansas, south of where the epicenters turn northwest. This is a right-lateral strike-slip fault system parallel to the Reelfoot Rift. The second is the southeast to northwest trend that occurs just southwest of New Madrid. This trend is a stepover thrust fault known as the Reelfoot Fault, associated with the Tiptonville dome and the impoundment of Reelfoot Lake. Epicenter locations on this fault are more spread out because the fault surface is inclined and dips into the ground, towards the south, at around forty degrees. Slip is towards the northeast. Motion on this fault in the 1811-1812 series created waterfalls on the Mississippi. The third line, extending northeast from the northwestern end of the Reelfoot Fault is another right-lateral strike-slip fault, termed New Madrid North. The epicenters of over 4,000 earthquakes can be identified from seismic measurements taken since 1974. It can be seen that the earthquakes originate from the seismic activity of the Reelfoot Rift. The zone which is colored in red on the map is called the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Recent earthquakes 4000 earthquake reports since 1974 The zone remains active today. In recent decades minor earthquakes have continued. New forecasts estimate a 7 to 10 percent chance, in the next 50 years, of a repeat of a major earthquake like those that occurred in 1811-1812, which likely had magnitudes of between 7.5 and 8.0. There is a 25 to 40 percent chance, in a 50-year time span, of a magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquake. Recurrence potential In a report filed in November 2008, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that a serious earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone could result in "the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States," further predicting "widespread and catastrophic" damage across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and particularly Tennessee, where a 7.7 magnitude quake or greater would cause damage to tens of thousands of structures affecting water distribution, transportation systems, and other vital infrastructure. The potential for the recurrence of large earthquakes and their impact today on densely populated cities in and around the seismic zone has prompted research devoted to understanding the New Madrid Seismic Zone. By studying evidence of past quakes and closely monitoring ground motion and current earthquake activity, scientists attempt to understand their causes and recurrence intervals. The lack of apparent land movement along the New Madrid fault system has long puzzled scientists. In 2009 two studies based on eight years of GPS measurements indicated that the faults were moving at no more than 0.2 millimeters (0.0079 in) a year. In contrast, the rate of slippage on the San Andreas Fault averages as much as 37 mm (1.5 in) a year across California. Description from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Madrid_quakes For similar videos visit: http://disasters.liveleak.com http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1369229212 BloodyPeasant The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes (720p) new madrid earthquake, mo, quake, 1811, 1812, tennesee, tennessee, tenessee