NZ quake 8.55pm today

A strong earthquake hit New Zealand's main island today, ripping up roads and cutting off power on the east coast. The quake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, was centred in the sea 30 miles off the North Island city of Gisborne. Emergency plans have been put into action but there have been no immediate reports of casualties. No tsunami warnings have been issued.The force of the quake was felt across most of the country but Gisborne appears to be worst hit. "There were holes opening up in some streets, partial building collapses in some areas," a police spokesman said. "We have got a lot of damage and are still assessing the situation," another spokesman added.Power cuts have hampered attempts to assess the extent of the damage.Callers to radio phone-ins described how the earthquake sent household appliances flying and knocked objects off shelves.There are around 14,000 earthquakes in New Zealand, of which around 20 are higher than 5.0 on the Richter scale.The quake, described as a series of sharp shocks with a roaring sound, was felt widely along the east coast of both the North and South Islands, including in the capital Wellington, which is around 400 km south of Gisborne. Murray McPhail, who lives about 10 km from Gisborne, said he could see waves in his swimming pool as the quake shook. "You could just about surf on it," McPhail told the NZ Press Association. "Stuff came out of cupboards, bottles fell off walls, ornaments fell."A seismologist said the depth of the quake had limited damage and minimized any chance of a tsunami. New Zealand scientists record around 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which around 20 top 5.0 on the Richter scale.The last fatal earthquake in the geologically active country, caught between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, was in 1968 when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale killed three people on the South Island's west coast.
dare I say "it's started" Read prior post
Prior to this quake there was another: A major 7.2 magnitude earthquake rumbled through Alaska's Aleutian Islands early Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.Seismographs recorded the quake about 12:30 a.m., centered 35 miles beneath the sea about 124 miles from Adak, and 1,304 miles from Anchorage, the USGS said.
ADDENDUM:
last night I had a dream that I was talking with a Maori. He was sitting on a low brick wall and I was standing infront of him and listening to what he was saying, of which in this state I can't remember 1 syllable and now this quake. I have also been incessantly hearing the name Mitar Tarabich going through my head for the past week, so I looked up his prophesies and posted on the "dawningone" blog.

Planetary alligned with the Galactic Centre

A very remarkable planetary/galactic configuration occurs on December 23rd and 24th 2007. The configuration on December 23 — Mars, Earth, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Galactic Centre — is shown in the graphic simulation linked below; it becomes even more remarkable in that it will be accompanied by the Full Moon (conjunct Mars) at about 2 a.m. on December 24 when a simultaneous Venus square Neptune occurs. It is even more remarkable in that the Pluto/Sun conjunction appears exactly on the Winter Solstice, just past conjunction with the Galactic Centre. Link below is the view from Mars toward the Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Mercury, Pluto alignment toward the Galactic Centre on 23 December 2007 which occurs just after the Pluto/Jupiter (Heliocentric) conjunction on 23 November 2007. NASA Solar System Simulator for 23rd Dec 2007 Solar System on Dec 22, 2007. What is not shown is Pluto (which would be to Jupiter's right) Saturn, which follows down from Venus, and Uranus and Neptune. Saturn and Neptune form the cross's t-member. It is a 23/12 configuration. There will be a full moon on Dec. 23, 2007 The Conjunction involving these Planets is Alligned with the Galactic Centre through Pluto. The incredible amount of Energy that will be going full tilt in to our Sun on the 23rd will be World changing and will affect every Planet in our Solar System... What happens when you put too much current through a Light Bulb? Will it explode? Will it change the Solar rays into a different kind of energy? We do not have very long to find out. The fact of the matter though is something very powerful will indeed happen.

Global warming and glaciers

The answers here have come from the transcript of the Cassiopean tapes.
Q: How does global warming cause glaciers?
A: Increases precipitation dramatically. Then moves the belt of great precipitation much farther north. This causes rapid buildup of ice sheets, followed by increasingly rapid and intense glacial rebound.
(This makes sense as we have observed the extraordinarily bitter winters recently in norther climes like Estonia. Granted, we are seeing melting of polar ice in a lot of places, but I think this is maybe related to earth's core heating and increased volcanic activity, more than atmospheric events.)
A: Climate is being influenced by three factors, and soon a fourth.
1) Wave approach.(indonesia, qld coast) 2) Chlorofluorocarbon increase in atmosphere, thus affecting ozone layer. 3) Change in the planet's axis rotation orientation. 4) Artificial weather tampering.
A change in the speed of the rotation may not be reported while it is imperceptible except by instrumentation. Equator is bulging more than the polar zones.
One change to occur in 21st Century is sudden glacial rebound, over Eurasia first, then North America. Ice ages develop much, much, much faster than thought.
The big current ballyhoo over global warming is, I think, likely a red herring to divert awareness away from a pending sudden temperature reversal trend in the northern latitudes and with the article prior to this one regarding the sea encroaching on Indonesia this to little ol' untrained me looks like a precursor. Only time will tell if I'm totally of the mark here or not.

Rising sea in Indonesia

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20071128102747&irec=27
November 30, 2007
JAKARTA (AP): Indonesia's environment minister said Tuesday global warming was to blame after parts of the capital were flooded with sea water, forcing thousands of people to flee inundated homes and cutting off a highway leading to the international airport. (and the fact that there have been numerous quakes in the area in the last several weeks in particular, has nothing to do with it?)Authorities used pumps to lower water levels, which reached up to 1.7 meters in the worst-hit areas and washed 2 kilometers inland, said Iskandar, an official at Jakarta's flood crisis center.
"I haven't seen it this bad in several years," said Toki, a policeman directing traffic around a flooded area near Sukarno-Hatta airport, where thousands of people have been stranded or trapped in the last 24 hours, forcing many flights to leave with only a handful of passengers.Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said global warming was at least partially to blame with rising sea levels making coastal cities like Jakarta especially vulnerable to flooding and monsoon storms. Authorities also ignored warnings about exceptionally high 18-year tide cycles, flood expert Jan Japp Brinkman told the Jakarta Post newspaper, and the situation was exacerbated by a failure to fix a sea barrier that was breached over a week ago. Iskandar, from the flood crisis center, said at least 2,200 houses were inundated with ankle-high to chest-deep water. The flooding came as Indonesia prepared to host the U.N. climate
change conference from Dec. 3-14, which aims to start negotiations on a replacement for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions that expires in 2012.The sprawling archipelagic nation is one of the largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions, thanks to the rapid pace of deforestation, but experts say it is also at risk of becoming one of the biggest victims of global warming.

NSW, Victoria to lift ban on GM canola

This story has just brought me a crashing down. So called 'experts' look at implications of GM crops yet not one of them makes a connection with GM crops and bee colonies becoming extinct.
Read on
A four-year ban on genetically modified (GM) canola crops is to be lifted in NSW, giving farmers the opportunity to grow the crop if they want.NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the changes would be made within the next month and would put NSW farmers on a level playing field with their overseas counterparts for the first time. The Victorian government is also lifting a ban on growing GM canola.
Mr Macdonald said farmers had been missing out on export opportunities to the US and Canada because of the failure to adopt GM canola. "Market conditions have changed since the Act was introduced, with GM canola now responsible for 70 per cent of the world's trade," Mr Macdonald said in a statement. "NSW farmers will now have a choice as to whether they want to grow GM canola or not, and customers will be able to decide whether or not they want to buy them. "This is all about informed choice." (NO GUYS i BEG TO DIFFER, IT ALL ABOUT MAKING MONEY AT THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR PLANET)
The bill to change the legislation will also establish an expert committee that will assess whether the industry is capable of segregating GM and non-GM food crops. The decision to allow GM canola to be grown follows a comprehensive review by a Three-member panel chaired by former Nationals leader Ian Armstrong. Victorian Premier John Brumby said his government had decided not to extend a moratorium on growing GM canola, which expires on February 29. A panel headed by Sir Gustav Nossal reviewed the economic impact of removing the ban on the commercial planting of GM canola. Mr Brumby said the state government had accepted federal government approval and the findings of Sir Gustav's report. Mr Brumby said lifting the ban would make Victorian farmers more internationally competitive and deliver environmental and economic benefits to the state. "In direct terms, the review panel concluded that the economic benefit to the state over the next eight years of this decision will be something like $115 million of additional economic activity," he said. "The benefit of GM canola is that it uses far less pesticide than does traditional canola."
Some Western Australian farmers are calling on the government to review its ban on GM crops. WAFarmers president Trevor De Landgrafft said WA growers have been left behind by their overseas competitors in recent years. Now, he said, they faced the risk of falling behind their interstate colleagues with NSW and Victoria ending their Respective moratorium on GM canola. "There is no reason that the WA government should not follow the leadership demonstrated by their interstate counterparts and keep WA growers on an equal footing in relation to access to technology," Mr De Landgrafft said in a statement. On Monday, WA's Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance and Tasmania's Primary Industries and Water Minister David Llewellyn had jointly called on Victoria, NSW and South Australia to maintain their moratorium on the commercial production of GM crops.The South Australian government says it is considering an expert report on GM crops with a current ban due to expire in April next year.
A moratorium on GM crops, including canola, has been in place in SA since 2004.
The government has pledged to make a decision on the issue before it expires and is currently assessing a report from the Genetically Modified Crops Advisory Committee.
"We will respond to the recommendations in the report in a timely manner, well ahead of the deadline for the end of the current moratorium," acting Agriculture Minister Paul Holloway said.The Australian Democrats introduced a bill to state parliament earlier this month to extend the ban until 2013.State Democrat MP Sandra Kanck said there was growing support from consumers for SA to remain GM free."Australian governments have ignored nature's limits with climate change," Ms Kanck said.
"We can't make the same mistake with our food sources."If Australia wants to keep its clean, green image and ensure food security it must keep GM crops out."Ms Kanck said extending the moratorium until 2013 would give scientists a chance to provide some definitive answers on the benefits or dangers associated with GM foods.Tasmania is reviewing its ban on genetically modified (GM) crops and will make a decision mid-way through next year, a government spokesman says."Tasmania's position on GM crops is currently subject to a joint house parliamentary review which is due to provide advice to the government so it can review the moratorium by June 2008," the spokesman says.

SEED of EXTINCT DATE PALM SPROUTS After 2,000 YEARS

Ain't nature spectacular????!!!!
It has five leaves, stands 14 inches high and is nicknamed
Methuselah. It looks like an ordinary date palm seedling, but for
UCLA- educated botanist Elaine Solowey, it is a piece of history
brought back to life. Planted on Jan. 25, the seedling growing in
the black pot in Solowey's nursery on this kibbutz in Israel's Arava
desert is 2,000 years old -- more than twice as old as the 900-year-
old biblical character who lent his name to the young tree. It is the
oldest seed ever known to produce a viable young tree.
The seed that produced Methuselah was discovered during
archaeological excavations at King Herod's palace on Mount
Masada, near the Dead Sea. Its age has been confirmed by
carbon dating. Scientists hope that the unique seedling will
eventually yield vital clues to the medicinal properties of the fruit of
the Judean date tree, which was long thought to be extinct....
The Judean date is chronicled in the Bible, Quran and ancient
literature for its diverse powers -- from an aphrodisiac to a
contraceptive -- and as a cure for a wide range of diseases
including cancer, malaria and toothache. For Christians, the palm
is a symbol of peace associated with the entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem. The ancient Hebrews called
the date palm the "tree of
life" because of the protein in its fruit and the shade given by its
long leafy branches. The Arabs said there were as many uses for
the date palm as there were days in the year. Greek architects
modeled their Ionic columns on the tree's tall, thin trunk and
curling, bushy top. The Romans called it Phoenix dactylifera --
"the date-bearing phoenix"
-- because it never died and appeared to be reborn in the
desert where all other plant life perished.
Now Solowey and her colleagues have brought this phoenix of the
desert back to life after 2,000 years.
The ancient seeds were found 30 years ago during archeological
excavations on Mount Masada, the mountaintop fortress on the
shore of the Dead Sea where King Herod built a spectacular
palace. When the Romans conquered Palestine and laid waste to
the Temple in Jerusalem, Masada was the last stand of a small
band of Jewish rebels who held out against three Roman legions
for several years before committing mass suicide in A.D. 73.
Archaeologist Ehud Netzer found the seeds, which were identified
by the department of botanical archaeology at Israel's Bar-Ilan
University. Then they were placed in storage, where they lay for
30 years until Sallon heard about the cache. "When we asked if
we could try and grow some of them, they said, 'You're mad,' but
they gave us three seeds," she said. Sallon took the seeds to
Solowey, who has cultivated more than 3,000 date palms and
rarities like the trees that produce the fragrant resins frankincense
and myrrh. Solowey admits she was skeptical about the chances
of success with this project. "When I received the seeds from
Sarah, I thought the chances of this experiment succeeding were
less than zero," said Solowey, cradling the precious seedling in a
specially quarantined section of her nursery on the kibbutz. "But
Dr. Sallon insisted and I took this very seriously. Lotus seeds over
1,000 years old have been sprouted, and I realized that no one had
done any similar work with dates, so why not give it our best shot
-- and we were rewarded."
"It's certainly the oldest tree seed that's ever been sprouted.
Wheat seeds from pharaohs' tombs have been sprouted, but none
of the plants have survived for very long. Before this, the oldest
seed grown was a lotus from China, which was 1,200 years old,"
she said. "I'm very excited. I wasn't expecting anything to happen.
I'm really interested in finding out what the DNA testing is going to
show. I know that date seeds can stay alive for several decades.
To find out that they can stay alive for millennia is astonishing."
... When the Romans invaded ancient Judea, thick forests of date
palms towering up to 80 feet high and 7 miles wide covered the
Jordan River valley from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the
shores of the Dead Sea in the south. The tree so defined the local
economy that Emperor Vespasian celebrated the conquest by
minting the "Judea Capta," a special bronze coin that showed the
Jewish state as a weeping woman beneath a date palm.
Today, nothing remains of those mighty forests....
The ancient Judean date, renowned for its succulence and famed
for its many medicinal properties, had been lost to history. Until now
~Matthew Kalman, SF Chronicle Foreign Service.
SOURCE: www.sfgate.com

Behold, E8

Theory of everything

From UK Telegraph
Surfer dude stuns physicists with theory of everything
An impoverished surfer has drawn up a new theory of the universe, seen by some as the Holy Grail of physics, which has received rave reviews from scientists. Despite this unusual career path, as a surfer, his proposal is remarkable because, by the arcane standards of particle physics, it does not require highly complex mathematics. Even better, it does not require more than one dimension of time and three of space, when some rival theories need ten or even more spatial dimensions and other bizarre concepts. And it may even be possible to test his theory, which predicts a host of new particles, perhaps even using the new Large Hadron Collider atom smasher that will go into action near Geneva next year.Although the work of 39 year old Garrett Lisi still has a way to go to convince the establishment, let alone match the achievements of Albert Einstein, the two do have one thing in common: Einstein also began his great adventure in theoretical physics while outside the mainstream scientific establishment as a patent officer.
The new theory reported today in New Scientist has been laid out in an online paper entitled "An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything" by Lisi, who completed his doctorate in theoretical physics in 1999 at the University of California, San Diego.
He has high hopes that his new theory could provide what he says is a "radical new explanation" for the three decade old Standard Model, which weaves together three of the four fundamental forces of nature: the electromagnetic force; the strong force, which binds quarks together in atomic nuclei; and the weak force, which controls radioactive decay.
The reason for the excitement is that Lisi's model also takes account of gravity, a force that has only successfully been included by a rival and highly fashionable idea called string theory, one that proposes particles are made up of minute strings, which is highly complex and elegant but has lacked predictions by which to do experiments to see if it works.
Lisi's inspiration lies in the most elegant and intricate shape known to mathematics, called E8 - a complex, eight-dimensional mathematical pattern with 248 points first found in 1887, but only fully understood by mathematicians this year after workings, that, if written out in tiny print, would cover an area the size of Manhattan.
E8 encapsulates the symmetries of a geometric object that is 57-dimensional and is itself is 248-dimensional. Lisi says "I think our universe is this beautiful shape."
What makes E8 so exciting is that Nature also seems to have embedded it at the heart of many bits of physics. One interpretation of why we have such a quirky list of fundamental particles is because they all result from different facets of the strange symmetries of E8. Lisi's breakthrough came when he noticed that some of the equations describing E8's structure matched his own. "My brain exploded with the implications and the beauty of the thing," he tells New Scientist. "I thought: 'Holy crap, that's it!'"
What Lisi had realised was that he could find a way to place the various elementary particles and forces on E8's 248 points. What remained was 20 gaps which he filled with notional particles, for example those that some physicists predict to be associated with gravity.
Physicists have long puzzled over why elementary particles appear to belong to families, but this arises naturally from the geometry of E8, he says. So far, all the interactions predicted by the complex geometrical relationships inside E8 match with observations in the real world. "How cool is that?" he says.
The crucial test of Lisi's work will come only when he has made testable predictions. Lisi is now calculating the masses that the 20 new particles should have, in the hope that they may be spotted when the Large Hadron Collider starts up.
"The theory is very young, and still in development," he told the Telegraph. "Right now, I'd assign a low (but not tiny) likelyhood to this prediction
"For comparison, I think the chances are higher that LHC will see some of these particles than it is that the LHC will see superparticles, extra dimensions, or micro black holes as predicted by string theory. I hope to get more (and different) predictions, with more confidence, out of this E8 Theory over the next year, before the LHC comes online."

COMMENTS:
*I suggest the new theory is respected, not the least because it may get us out of the clutches of the Particle-philes. Before any number of Big Bangs there was no matter. An event of such magnitude would have represented a rapidly changing wave front, from inf. positive to inf. negative in zero time. Or near enough as not to matter. Fourier analysis would then give the reason for any amount of 'Matter waves' to be produced. Don't just object!!! Look at Radar wave guides as to the production of rotational waves, possibly spherical or barrel shaped waves. Look at Aether theory again. Light is refracted around the Sun. Mass is 'attracted' by 'Gravity' to the sun. Gravity would be the refraction of the matter wave by the Sun's 'mass'. In other words mass does not 'attract' mass by 'Gravity'. The apparent attraction is due to the slowing down of those parts of the 'matter wave' nearest to the other's mass.
Refraction, no direct pull as such. Other references:- Ball lightning, superconductivity, where the particles pass through as waves in a wave guide,
Inertia, where movement of a 'particle' would force part of the matter wave to exceed the speed of light and another part to drop below the speed of light. Since this would not be possible, then the wave would distort it's path and absorb energy during the acceleration.Momentum, just the reverse, energy released on decceleration.
*My guess is that Lisi experienced, first hand, the zen of particle physics (surfing).
*So is E8 actually what a block hole looks like? And is the spirograph the ultimate telescope back to the beginning of time, or even a time machine itself? Was it surreptitiously planted here by advanced alien life forms to give a species of bone-headed ape a bit of a clue

When to see Holmes

University of Hawaii astronomers have measured the diameter of
Comet 17P/Holmes: 1.4 million kilometers. This makes the exploding comet bigger than the sun and now the largest object in the solar system. Not surprisingly, the comet is visible to the naked eye; with only a backyard telescope you can watch its gigantic debris cloud expand from night to night.
Nov. 19th is an especially good night to look: Comet Holmes will glide by Mirfak, the brightest star in the constellation Perseus, and appear to swallow it. Visit
http://spaceweather.com for a sky map and images.
UPDATE
Holmes is still visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy star low above the northern horizon between 1-2 am (daylight saving.

but wait, there's more....

Comet Holmes Bigger Than The Sun

Summary
Formerly, the Sun was the largest object in the Solar System. Now, comet 17P/Holmes holds that distinction.
Spectacular outbursting comet 17P/Holmes exploded in size and brightness on October 24. It continues to expand and is now the largest single object in the Solar system, being bigger than the Sun (see Figure). The diameter of the tenuous dust atmosphere of the comet was measured at 1.4 million kilometers (0.9 million miles) on 2007 November 9 by Rachel Stevenson, Jan Kleyna and Pedro Lacerda of the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. They used observations from a wide-field camera on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), one of the few professional instruments still capable of capturing the whole comet in one image. Other astronomers involved in the UH program to study the comet include Bin Yang, Nuno Peixinho and David Jewitt. The present eruption of comet Holmes was first reported on October 24 and has continued at a steady 0.5 km/sec (1100 mph) ever since. The comet is an unprecedented half a million times brighter than before the eruption began. This amazing eruption of the comet is produced by dust ejected from a tiny solid nucleus made of ice and rock, only 3.6 km (roughly 2.2 miles) in diameter.
Caption: (Left) Image of comet Holmes from the 3.6-meter Canada-France-Hawaii telescope on Mauna Kea showing the 1.4 million km diameter coma. The white ''star'' near the center of the coma is in fact the dust-shrouded nucleus. (Right) the Sun and planet Saturn shown at the same scale for comparison. (Sun and Saturn images courtesy of NASA's SOHO and Voyager projects). [The same image is available here as a 300 dpi tif file.]
The new image also shows the growth of a tail on comet Holmes (the fuzzy region to the lower right in the comet picture), caused by the pressure of sunlight acting on dust grains in the coma. Over the next few weeks and months, the coma and tail are expected to expand even more while the comet will fade as the dust disperses. Comet Holmes showed a double outburst in November 1892 and January 1893. It is not known if the present activity in the comet will follow the pattern from 1892, but continued observations from Mauna Kea are planned to watch for a second outburst. Most comets show small fluctuations in brightness and some have distinct outbursts. The huge event on-going in comet Holmes is unprecedented, however.
The orbit period of comet Holmes is about 6 years, putting it in the class of Jupiter Family Comets whose orbits are strongly influenced by Jupiter. These objects are thought to have spent most of the last 4.5 billion years orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, in a region known as the Kuiper Belt. Holmes probably was deflected into its present orbit within the last few thousand years and is losing mass as it evaporates in the heat of the Sun. In another few thousand years it is likely either to hit the Sun or a planet, be ejected from the Solar system, or simply die by running out of gas. David Jewitt. Last updated 09 Nov 2007

Comet Holmes update

I have been looking into this whole issue of this Comet and have come across very interesting information. check out this link: http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/anasazi/time2007g.html
it has to do with an event happening on Nov 21 2007 that has been shown in crop circles back in 2005.
November 21, 2007 will be when the newly-exploded Comet Holmes conjuncts a bright star Mirfak in Perseus. Comet Holmes suddenly exploded in the constellation Perseus on October 25, 2007. While studying the near-future path of that comet through Earth's sky, it was noted that it would conjunct (or join very closely) with a very bright star Mirfak in Perseus on November 21, 2007.
Many different crop pictures from 2005 show in retrospect what appears to be an "exploding comet"
One full turn of the comet happens by Nov 21 07.It will be interesting to see how the real Comet Holmes behaves over the next month, will it taper off after Dec 8?
Another crop picture from Crabwood 2002 told us in plain English: "Much pain but still time". That was five years ago. How much time do we have left?
So this begs the question, why are we being shown this information from other beings, whether it's us in the future or the past or beings from other galaxies unless it was of major concern and significance to us. just how blind and stubbornly ego driven are we that we don't want to see that which is plainly plastered infront of our noses.

Comet 17P/Homes. Comet or something else?

The Comet 17P/Holmes thing is really such
an anomolous event in the cosmos! Latest
reports indicate the comet has now reached
2 Million brighter which has never happened
per comets and astronomers are completely
puzzled with no real explanation to what has
happened to this comet. On Oct.23-24 comet
Holmes did a strange thing ~ erupted into a
400,000 brighter comet, the Oct.25-26 went
to 1 Million times brighter and images show
a gold colored core with green atmosphere.
Then October 31 reports indicate this comet
has now brightened to 2 Million times
Sorry guys, but in my humble opinion and with my untrained eye, this does not look like a comet!
ok, I retract that statement
images at cyberspaceorbit.com

Current Warming Trend Indicates Rising Sea Levels

As laid out in the book 'Global Warming: A Convenient Disguise', we see the true science of today's warming trend coming into fruition. What most of you did not know is the IPCC (intergovernmental panel on climate change) knew all along the current warming trend "is not preventable".In fact, the IPCC specifically outlines future "mass migration" as imminent. An estimated 46 million people per year who live on coastal areas are currently at risk of flooding from storm surges. Climate change will exacerbate these problems, leading to potential impacts on ecosystems and human coastal infrastructure. Large numbers of people also are potentially affected by sea-level rise-for example, tens of millions of people in Bangladesh would be displaced by a 1 millimeter sea level increase (the top of the range of IPCC Working Group I estimates for 2100) in the absence of adaptation measures.The myth of the 1988 made up name 'global warming' is now having a horrible backlash as a result of misleading lies and deception. Very few people now trust all the dogma coming from the well organized self-centered environmentalist who latched on to the global warming cabal. The Al Gore movement has created a very dangerous "cry wolf" scenario with serious consequences at hand.Al Gore and the global warming army used the exact same playbook as the Bush regime. Instead of the litany of lies as presented by the Bush regime such as: "You are either with me or with the terrorist; 9/11 = Iraq = weapons of mass destruction." ------- The Al Gore regime uses: "you are either with me or you are with the polluters; the scientific debate is over; we must fight the evil doers and save the Polar Bears". Needless to say the world has witnessed the implosion of the Bush regime from the weight of their deception, trickery, and lies. But what about the Gore regime? Well let's take a closer look and see how their "playbook" is working out----------A High Court Judge Rules Against Former US Vice President Al Gore's Movie, 'An Inconvenient Truth' Well I guess we can see where this is going. Looks pretty much like the Bush regimes' Iraq = 9/11 shameful outcome.
High court judge Justice Burton ruled against Al Gore's global warming hyped film 'An Inconvenient Truth'. The most striking slap-down was his ruling that Gore's Hollywood docu-drama provided "no evidence of anthropogenic warming". The word "anthropogenic" is nothing but a legal scientific term meaning "human caused".
But it didn't stop there. Judge Burton had a long list of descriptive adjectives to describe Gore's false statements and "intent" to project as science fact. What we found was nothing more than "science fiction". In Burton's own descriptive words. Judge Burton's ruling: "no evidence, one-sided, exaggeration, very unlikely, cannot be established, (the facts) plainly does not support Mr Gore's description." OUCH---- that can't feel good.But the most telling of Burton's ruling statement as the result of legal adjudication was this: "It is apparently considered to be far more likely to result from other factors." Other factors indeed---such as the Sun. Just as with the Bush regime's mis-steps with Iraq causing the United States to lose its posture of integrity throughout the world because of the deception, lies, and cover-ups; the Gore 'global warming' cabal has fallen into the same pattern. The world is now quickly discovering the falsehoods, deception, and lies brought forward by the Gore regime regarding the made up name 'global warming'. But in this lays a cruel, dangerous, and deadly outcome. As with the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians and thousands of US troops who have been killed all based on a LIE, the same will happen to whole communities around the world because they were sold a pack of lies; now they no longer believe a word any form of government official will say when warning about rising sea levels. How Bush or Gore can live with themselves is beyond my comprehension.-----As stated by the IPCC themselves, a growing number of extremely large cities are located in coastal areas, which means that large amounts of infrastructure may be affected. Although annual protection costs for many nations are relatively modest-about 0.1% of gross domestic product (GDP)-the average annual costs to many small island states total several percent of GDP. For some island nations, the high cost of providing storm-surge protection would make it essentially infeasible, especially given the limited availability of capital for investment. Beaches, dunes, estuaries, and coastal wetlands adapt naturally and dynamically to changes in prevailing winds and seas, as well as sea-level changes; in areas where infrastructure development is not extensive, planned retreat and accommodation to changes may be possible. It also may be possible to rebuild or relocate capital assets at the end of their design life.
In other areas, however, accommodation and planned retreat are not viable options, and protection using hard structures (e.g., dikes, levees, floodwalls, and barriers) and soft structures (e.g., beach nourishment, dune restoration, and wetland creation) will be necessary. Factors that limit the implementation of these options include inadequate financial resources, limited institutional and technological capability, and shortages of trained personnel. In most regions, current coastal management and planning frameworks do not take account of the vulnerability of key systems to changes in climate and sea level or long lead times for implementation of many adaptation measures. Inappropriate policies encourage development in impact-prone areas. Given increasing population density in coastal zones, long lead times for implementation of many adaptation measures, and institutional, financial, and technological limitations (particularly in many developing countries), coastal systems should be considered vulnerable to changes in climate.In an article released today by Geoffrey Lean of The Independent shows: "an inhabited island has disappeared beneath rising seas." Rising seas have washed over Lohachara Island, in India's part of the Sundarbans where the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal, may be the first sign of what is to come.

Weather and crops

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) has revised down its forecasts for 2007-08 winter crops due to the continuation of the drought. The winter wheat crop output is now forecast at 12.1 million tonnes, compared with a previous estimate of 15.5 million tonnes. Barley is forecast at five million tonnes, against a previous prediction of 5.9 million tonnes. This year's canola crop is now estimated at 900,000 tonnes, versus 1.1 million tonnes previously. ABARE said with the exception of Queensland, pockets of northern NSW and southern Western Australia, rainfall during the critical September-October period had been below to very much below average throughout the grains belt. NSW had been particularly dry, with many regions recording their lowest September-October rainfall on record. "This lack of rainfall, combined with hotter than average daytime temperatures and strong winds, has led to the rapid deterioration of crop yield potential and in many areas has resulted in total crop failure,". Although the combined total of 18 million tonnes for the three major crops is about 42 per cent below the five-year average, it is still about four million tonnes above 2006-07 production.A significant number of winter cereal crops had also been cut for hay in an attempt to recoup some planting costs. Mr Glyde said livestock had also been affected by the deterioration in seasonal conditions, with farmers continuing to reduce stock numbers."High yardings of cattle, sheep and lambs during September and the first three weeks of October have led to lower saleyard prices,". The rainfall outlook for summer crop production was promising.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has indicated in its latest seasonal rainfall outlook for the November-January period that there is a moderate to strong shift in the odds toward above-average rainfall for southern Queensland and northern NSW

Soaring Aussie Dollar!!! Yay

A soaring Australian dollar is turning away foreign tourists from our shores — while locals are taking up ever more affordable opportunities to spend their cash on overseas holidays, according to an Australian newspaper. The Australian Tourism Expert Council has warned that the local tourism industry needs to reinvigorate its pitch to overseas markets, especially where gains by the Australian dollar have caused concern among prospective inbound tourists. The tourism council's managing director, Matthew Hingerty, told the Sydney Morning Herald: "There's massive investment in infrastructure in our region, and we are missing out in particular in (the hosting of) meetings and events in "We need a significant injection of marketing dollars, and we also lack innovation." (just one man’s view. We infact are a very innovative society Mr Hingerty!)">The Australian dollar stands at US92.07 cents and 105.52 yen, according to overnight market reportsThe latest Tourism Research Australia International Visitor Survey revealed that 5.1 million international visitors came to Australia in the 2006/07 financial year — three percent up on the previous year but lagging behind the global growth rate of 4.5 percent. Mr Hingerty said he welcomed the Federal Government's $8 million campaign last month promoting world heritage areas to the Japanese market.
the Phoenix's view: Australia is coming into it's own power at last! not being reliant on the US dollar.We are independent!
A most positive statement for Australia, we are growing up as a nation in it's own right.

Tsunami warning maintained for Tasmania

Sunday September 30, 06:30 PM

A potential tsunami threat has been dropped for the coast of south-east Australia but maintained for Tasmania following an earthquake in the Southern Ocean."At this stage a threat is no longer expected for the NSW and Victorian coasts," the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said in a bulletin issued at 6.06pm AEST."But there is still a possibility for a tsunami to affect coastal regions about south-east Tasmania."

A strong 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit 500 km (300 miles) southwest of New Zealand. Currently there were no reports of damage and authorities discounted the risk of a major tsunami.The quake occurred at around 6:24 p.m. local time, and was felt throughout the south of New Zealand's South Island, said Warwick Smith of state agency GNS Science. The quake was near to the Auckland Islands, a group of seven uninhabited islands 467 km south of South Island.Update Note: Tsunami alert has now been canceled. NOAA's official statement: "Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected".
September 30, 2007 Sunday 6.6 Major EQ
Location: 49.377S, 163.221E
REGION: AUCKLAND ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND REGION
150 Miles WNW from Auckland Island, New Zealand
315 Miles SW from Invercargill, New Zealand
790 Miles SW from Wellington, New Zealand
1200 Miles SSE from Canberra, A.C.T., Australia
[6.2 Miles Deep]
EMSC - 6.8 EQ

september 30, 2007 8:40am Central
September 30, 2007 Sunday 7.3 Major EQ
Location: 49.416S, 163.843E
REGION: AUCKLAND iSLANDS, NEW ZEALAND REGION
125 Miles NW from Auckland Island, New Zealand
295 Miles SW from Invercargill, New Zealand
770 Miles SW from Wellington, New Zealand
1220 Miles SSE from Canberra, A.C.T., Australia
[6.8 Miles Deep]
USGS - 7.3 EQ
EMSC - 7.4 EQ
September 30, 2007 8:30am Central

Meteorite

This is on ABC news today
Locals fall sick after meteorite lands in Peru
Posted 1 hour 44 minutes ago
More than 100 people in a remote province of Peru have been struck by a mystery illness after a meteorite crashed there at the weekend.
Authorities say villagers living near the Bolivia border fell ill after going to the see the 20-metre wide crater. Their complaints include headaches, vomiting and nausea.
Hundreds of people say they were overcome by a strange odour when they went to the site after the fireball fell to earth. Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also fell ill and there have been several reported animal deaths. Specialist teams have begun to arrive at the crater to collect samples.Source: Agencia Andina, RPP Noticias,

Date: 09.18.07

Peru: Meteor Crash in Puno Leaves a Crater 30 meters in Diameter

An unidentified luminous object fell from the sky, leaving a hole six meters deep by 30 meters in diameter in the community of Carancas on the Bolivian border, according to the Puno based Direccion Territorial Policial (Dirtepol). The alleged meteorite alarmed local residents. The community is located in the Desaguadero district of the Province of Chucuito.

At 23:45 hours yesterday, residents heard a stentorean noise that they believed was produced by an airplane, according to police sources. They then witnessed the impact of a luminous object in flames, which resulted in a loud explosion, according to the Agencia Andina news agency.Remains of an unknown calcinated mass were found at the impact site. As it occurred in an unpopulated area, the incident did not affect any local residents. However, after the strange object gave off bits of lead and silver as it fell to earth, and the peasantry is worried that some illness may come about, according to RPP Noticias. Police and curiosity-seekers reported to the site. Puno: Seven Policemen Become Ill After Gathering Meteor Samples

Puno, Sept. 17 (Agencia Andina) - Seven policemen took ill after collecting samples from the area where the alleged meteorite crashed in the community of Carancas (Puno) according to regional health director Jorge Lopez Tejada. He explained that the officers showed symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and dizziness and were sent to the Desaguadero Hospital and then to the Hospital de Sanidad de la Policia in Puno.

They were given oxygen and rehydration at Desaguadero, and were transferred to the other hospital after being stabilized, according to RPP Noticias.[Tejada] also noted that a strong odor emanates from the impact site and which is not native to the area. This has caused commotion among settlers."Our cleanup crew has already reached the area and says that there is a hole filled with water. The odor is strong and (would be) affecting neighboring communities. There are some 500 families nearby and symptoms of nausea, vomiting, headache and body aches," he remarked. He added that the has recommended that police authorities and the regional government should form a perimeter to keep people from coming near the site. He repeated that a medical brigade will set out from Puno and Julí tomorrow to perform the corresponding tests upon the locals. Lopez Tejada called upon the authorities in Lima to send out a special brigade equipped with suitable equipment to gather samples from the alleged meteor more efficiently, as his office lacks such facilities. He explained that according to the settlers, the object fell on midday Saturday and the hole it left behind has an estimated depth of five meters and a width of 15 meters.

This incident has been considered by the locals as a bad omen.

Tsunami warning for Australian islands

A preliminary tsunami warning has been issued to residents of Christmas and Cocos islands following a massive 7.9-magnitude undersea earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island.

The undersea earthquake, which hit at 6.10pm (2110 AEST), struck in the sea about 100 kilometres south-west of the city of Bengkulu, at a depth of roughly 15 kilometres

The quake was strongly felt in the capital Jakarta, some 600km away, where it caused tall buildings to sway.The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) issued a potential tsunami threat warning at 9.44pm (AEST) on Wednesday saying that a tsunami could start affecting Christmas and Cocos islands from 7pm local time.The centre is seeking confirmation that a tsunami has been generated."People in coastal areas in threatened regions should move out of the water and away from low lying foreshore areas and should then listen for further advice from state emergency authorities," a JATWC statement said."Tsunami warnings will be issued, if necessary, by the regional offices of the Bureau of meteorology in affected states."
UPDATE

Residents of the Cocos and Christmas Islands braced for a tsunami after a SECOND EARTHQUAKE off the coast of Indonesia in 12 hours. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned a tsunami could hit the two islands off the coast of Western Australia just before 11am (AEST), but nothing happened and the warning was later cancelled. The Christmas Island based-administrator for both islands, Neil Lucas, said he was watching the ocean at the time any tsunami would have hit and nothing happened."The water was just dead flat. I was looking out the window at the wide expanse of water at the time it was predicted to come through here and didn't see a thing," Mr Lucas said. Nothing was reported at Cocos Island either, he said. Christmas and Cocos islands are largely protected from tsunamis because they sit on the top of huge sea mountains and the deep water saps most of the energy out of any surge, he said.
"We're just fortunate here that it's not really a big issue."Emergency services were on standby and residents told to identify a safe area on higher ground that could be quickly and easily reached. An earthquake, reaching 8.4 on the Richter scale, hit 130km off the coast of the Sumatran city of Bengkulu at 9.10pm (AEST) on Wednesday. The quake was followed by an aftershock slightly further north at 9.50am (AEST) on Thursday, measuring 7.9. Geoscience Australia project scientist Dr Jonathan Bathgate said the magnitude of the earthquake was significant and comparable to the quake in Peru last month that killed hundreds of people. "Last night's shock and the aftershock are both significant earthquakes in terms of magnitude," Dr Bathgate said. "With an earthquake of 8.4 you would expect significant damage associated with an earthquake of that size." Dr Bathgate said residents of the Cocos and Christmas Islands were told to stay away from the coast until the tsunami warning was cancelled.

Cloud formations

These clouds are unique.
What do you think? In order to see what I'm talking about click on each photo and scroll across, you will then see what I mean.

One for the books

well, have you ever heard of this one?
Question: why was Fluffy's egg so small?
Answer: because it had no yoke in it at all!!!

I've never come across an egg without a yoke. Have you?

Total lunar eclipse Aug 28

In the early evening hours (Australian Eastern time) of August 28, sky watchers across much of the world can look on as the Moon crosses in to the shadow of the Earth, becoming completely immersed for one-hour and 30 minutes, a period of time much longer than most typical lunar eclipses. In fact, this eclipse will be the deepest and longest in 7 years.

Pic:The Moon takes on a strange reddish glow during a total eclipse due dust and pollution in the Earth’s atmosphere. Image credit: Shevill Mathers - Sky and Space Magazine.

At first, there is little change. The outskirts of Earth's shadow are as pale as the Moon itself; an onlooker might not even realize anything is happening. But as the Moon penetrates deeper in to the Earth's shadow, a startling metamorphosis occurs. Around 7.51pm (Australian Eastern time) the colour of the Moon changes from moondust-grey to sunset-red. This is totality, and it lasts for almost 90 minutes. Australia will be treated to a total lunar eclipse early in the evening of Tuesday August 28 and the moon is expected to take on an eerie 'reddish glow'. The most impressive part starts when the Moon's leading edge first enters the earth's shadow, and the eclipse begins,then over the next hour or so, the Moon will slip into total darkness. For Australian eastern states the partial eclipse begins 6.51 pm with the moon totally eclipsed at 7.52pm. This is when it will be at its most impressive. We won't see another one like this until 2010.Suddenly the moon begins to 'disappear'. From that time on, more and more of the Moon will be seen to be in shadow, as if a 'bite' were being taken out of it.As the eclipse progresses, the Moon's disc will take on an eerie coppery-red glow. This is because sunlight falling on the Moon has been filtered through the earth's atmosphere. In fact, the Moon can take on a range of colours, anywhere from dark brown and red to bright orange and yellow.The exact appearance depends on how much dust and clouds are present in the upper atmosphere at the time. The fully eclipsed moon won't be totally dark - and that's what makes totality delightful.Total eclipses tend to be very dark after major volcanic eruptions or major bushfires since these events dump large amounts of volcanic ash into Earth's atmosphere.Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch. You don't need any kind of protective filters. It isn't even necessary to use a telescope. If you have a pair of binoculars, they will help magnify the view and will make the red coloration brighter and easier to see.

A day to remember

On Saturday August 25, 2007 Fluffy laid her annual egg.
As this is such a monumental occassion, it deserves it's own entry. How do we know that it's Fluffy's egg? Easy, because its a quarter of the size of all the other eggs!
Please note: Fluffy
She looks mean when viewed from this angle but in reality is anything but.

sun and quakes

Recent study by a team of scientists from the ESA (European Space Agency), proves sound generated by the Sun causes earthquakes. The ESA team involved in the HISCALE (Heliosphere Instrument for Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at Low Energies), which sits aboard the Ulysses spacecraft, have determined specific isolated tones (waves) which are produced by the gravity waves in the Sun, reach Earth and are detecable by seismic instruments.
More on a related topic, "sun's rays affecting Earth:The team of more than 100 researchers, including National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported investigators at Princeton University and Virginia Tech, have operated the so-called Borexino experiment in one of the deepest laboratories in the world, the Gran Sasso Laboratory of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN, the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics), near the town of L'Aquila, Italy.These are the first results from the Borexino experiment that has been under construction since the late 1990s with the support of INFN as the lead agency, NSF in the United States, and institutions in Germany, France and Russia."In making these first direct measurements of low-energy neutrinos coming from the sun, Borexino represents a convergence of our present understanding of neutrino properties and the physics of solar energy generation," said Brad Keister, program director for nuclear physics in NSF's mathematical and physical sciences directorate."The great depth of the laboratory and the incredible purity of the materials used in the detection were critical to the discovery and demonstrated the impact of eliminating background radiation from such experiments," added Keister.Produced in the Big Bang, and more recently in stars and nuclear reactors, neutrinos are everywhere. They constantly bombard the Earth, but because they interact very weakly, chances are slim a neutrino will hit anything. More than 100,000,000,000,000 pass through each of us every second without our noticing them.An international team of researchers has detected low-energy solar neutrinos--subatomic particles produced in the core of the sun--and measured in real-time the rate the particles hit our planet. The researchers also obtained fresh evidence that neutrinos oscillate (transform from one state to another) before arriving at Earth, adding weight to present theories about the nature of neutrinos and the inner workings of the sun and other stars. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Catching_Some_Rays_999.html

Peruvian quake 8.01

Personal Report of Peru Quake from Dr. Kristen Neiling in Argentina

Over 1000 people dead---

The Peru 8.0 earthquake was felt in Chile , Bolivia , Ecuador , and even Colombia . This is considered to be the most serious earthquake in the last several decades in Peru . The only communication system working is the Internet. No water, no electricity, no telephones, no food. President Alan Garcia has called a State of Emergency for at least for the next 60 days.

Situation is getting worst---Over 1,000 dead; people are in the streets destroying entire cities looking for food, more tourists missing. Aftershocks are intensifying and people are terrified. According to sources, the city of Pisco is being reported as completely destroyed. Homes do not exist; bodies are all over the place and no hope to find people alive. Still not able to get to remote locations. All prisoners, estimated to be around 300 from the Pisco jail, escaped when one entire wall fell and left the prison open. Huge fractures in the Earth's crust are visible throughout the locations. Electric wires are hanging all over the cities blocking the main highways south of Lima to the Andes mountains. No access is possible. Pope Benedict XVI is asking all countries in the western world for help to assist Peru in this tragedy. International Red Cross and the Crescent Moon, have sent airplanes, tents, plastic covers, blankets, and water.The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit at 6:40 p.m. August 16 07 about 90 miles southeast of Lima at a depth of about 25 miles. Four strong aftershocks ranging from magnitudes of 5.4 to 5.9 were felt afterwards. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center responded with a tsunami warning for the coasts of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. A tsunami watch was issued for the rest of Central America and Mexico and an advisory for Hawaii. The center canceled all the alerts after about two hours, but it said the quake had caused an estimated 10-inch tsunami near the epicenter.

Australia's 'Conveyor belt'

A DEEP sea current flowing past Sydney has been found to be part of a long-sought "missing link" thought to connect all the world's southern oceans. CSIRO scientists who discovered the current say it plays a crucial role in controlling not only the world's temperature but the food supply for marine life around the globe. Dubbed the southern hemisphere supergyre, it travels at depths averaging 800 to 1000 metres. Starting in the Pacific north near New Zealand, it flows towards the Queensland coast, where it bends south. Passing Tasmania, it turns west until it reaches Western Australia, where it splits in two before crossing the Indian Ocean. Then it curves south of Africa and into the South Atlantic. Ken Ridgway, a scientist with the CSIRO Ocean Flagships research program, said yesterday that because the current travelled at great depths its temperature and salinity, as well as the nutrients swept along with the flow, changed little. As a result it played an important role in stabilising the world's temperatures, and ensuring the survival of sea life. Monitoring changes in such a stable system should provide pointers to global climate change. Dr Ridgway said scientists had known about what appeared to be three separate westward-flowing currents in the southern Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. While modelling suggested they should be linked, there was no proof. "We knew about individual bits. We knew about the current east of Australia, but when it reached Tasmania, we didn't know whether it went east or west." The previously unknown section of the current, south of Australia, has been named the Tasman Outflow. "That's the missing link," Dr Ridgway said. "We have been able to show that the global circulation in the southern hemisphere is connected."Identifying such a deep current had taken "thousands and thousands of observations" collected between 1950 and 2002 by ships, automated ocean monitors and satellites. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857596830.html?from=top5
Go Oz scientists!!!!

Lunar Eclipses: 2007 - 2012

Here is a list of Lunar eclipses for 2007 through to 2012. I am highlighting the lunar eclipses visible in Australia.
Date	Eclipse Type	Saros	Umbral Magnitude	Eclipse Duration	Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility
2007 Mar 03	Total	123	1.238	03h42m 01h14m	Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia
2007 Aug 28	Total	128	1.481	03h33m 01h31m	e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas
2008 Feb 21	Total	133	1.111	03h26m 00h51m	c Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa
2008 Aug 16	Partial	138	0.813	03h09m	S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus.
2009 Feb 09	Penumbral	143	-0.083	-	e Europe, Asia, Aus., Pacific, w N.A.
2009 Jul 07	Penumbral	110	-0.909	-	Aus., Pacific, Americas
2009 Aug 06	Penumbral	148	-0.661	-	Americas, Europe, Africa, w Asia
2009 Dec 31	Partial	115	0.082	01h02m	Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus.
2010 Jun 26	Partial	120	0.542	02h44m	e Asia, Aus., Pacific, w Americas
2010 Dec 21	Total	125	1.262	03h29m 01h13m	e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas, Europe
2011 Jun 15	Total	130	1.705	03h40m 01h41m	S.America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus.
2011 Dec 10	Total	135	1.110	03h33m 00h52m	Europe, e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific, N.A.
2012 Jun 04	Partial	140	0.376	02h08m	Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas
2012 Nov 28	Penumbral	145	-0.184	-	Europe, e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific, N.A.

Geographic abreviations (used above): n = north, s = south, e = east, w = west, c = central

Meteor watch

meteor watching is a cold thing to do in the winter on a windy hill.
the air was reasonably still, clouds weren't too bad, although they kept sweeping slowly past the part of the sky that I was watching. During the day you don't see the number of planes high up in the sky but at night you do when they flash their lights. There are so many of them going in different directions.
The Milky Way was so clear as it weaved hazily across the sky and the black canvas was strewn with silver twinkles that sometimes flashed a wink at me and who ever was looking.
Oh yes, the meteors, well I saw a couple and it wasn't because I was looking in the wrong direction. It will be interesting to see what the astronomers say about the display but even though I'm out in the country and don't have to contend with the lights of the city, I didn't see many in the two hours I stayed outside watching before I decided it wasn't worth being outside in the cold waiting for that elusive meteor or two to pass by .
Maybe I'll find a photo of a Perseid meteor and post it here just to remind me of how much I didn't see.

JUST IN - The "Best Documented Record" of Climate Change Submitted

by Mitch Battros - Earth Changes Media The new data show that throughout millions of years, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels swung back and forth between about 250 parts per million, close to present-day levels, to more than 2,000 parts per million. At the same time, the southern ice sheets retreated as carbon dioxide rose and expanded again when levels fell. "This is the best documented record we have of what happens to the climate system during global warming following an ice age," said Isabel Montanez, professor of geology at the University of California, Davis, and lead author on the paper. (Content from the Univ. of Calif. - Davis)It can be said Al Gore had good intentions, and lets even say well meaning passion, but he had it all wrong. The unintended consequences thrust upon him, and the global warming army, is to now attempt to separate the myth of so-called global warming, with pollution, and the real culprit 'climate change' directed by the Sun. What began as a well hidden agenda to simply attack pollution (which is indeed a worthy cause) by conjuring up this disguised swindle, called global warming, is blowing up in their face. I am not joyful to disclose and present this information because it may in fact allow, or even escalate, reckless irresponsible polluting of our earthly home. The very same nasty backlash the Iraq invasion has caused the United States in the eyes of the world by trying to "trick" Americans i.e. 9/11 = Iraq = weapons of mass destruction = terrorists.Let this be a lesson to all people of the world ----- Whenever you hear even a whisper of fascist comments such as: "You are either with me or you are with the terrorists" (George Bush) or "You are either with me or you are with the polluters" (Al Gore), fight like hell to squash such evil intended greed, manipulation, powerless invoking rhetoric. As I have aged, a sliver of wisdom has bestowed upon me to carefully 'pick my battles'. No need to fight every one over every thing. But when I find a cause worthy of battle, it is my duty of integrity to fight like hell and yell as loud as I can. The global warming fraud is indeed worthy of this notion. I hope you feel the same --- As documented in my book "Global Warming: A Convenient Disguise", the politicizing of science for self-seeking needs is not altogether new, but never ever ever have we seen it so flagrant without fear of reprisal in our recent history.There is an almost frightening capture in this new empirical data. We see the leaders of this research team remind us of what is really worth preparing for ----- "Coming Mass Migration is Imminent". The following is from the book "Global Warming: A Convenient Disguise": (IPCC) "The current coastal management and planning frameworks do not take account of the vulnerability of key systems to changes in climate and sea level or long lead times for implementation of many adaptation measures. Inappropriate policies encourage development in impact-prone areas. Given increasing population density in coastal zones, long lead times for implementation of many adaptation measures, and institutional, financial, and technological limitations (particularly in many developing countries), coastal systems should be considered vulnerable to changes in climate." Source: 'Global Warming: A Convenient Disguise' The new report shows the record of fossil plants shows the drastic effects of major climate change on living things. In the modern era, tropical forests are already stressed by human use and settlement, and ecological researchers have recorded species moving north or south, likely driven by current climate change. The Science behind the Myth The transition from an ice age to an ice-free planet 300 million years ago was highly unstable, marked by dips and rises in carbon dioxide, extreme swings in climate and drastic effects on tropical vegetation, according to a study published in the journal Science Jan. 5. "This is the best documented record we have of what happens to the climate system during global warming following an ice age," said Isabel Montanez, professor of geology at the University of California, Davis, and lead author on the paper. In the mid-Permian, 300 million years ago, the Earth was in an ice age. Miles-thick ice sheets covered much of the southern continent, and floating pack ice likely covered the northern polar ocean. The tropics were dominated by lush rainforests, now preserved as coal beds. Forty million years later, all the ice was gone. The world was a hot, dry place, vegetation was sparse, soils little more than drifts of wind-blown dust. "You'd have to be a reptile to want to live there," Montanez said. Montanez and her co-authors derived records of atmospheric carbon dioxide from ancient soils that have been preserved as rocks, from coal and from fossils of plants. They extracted a record of sea surface temperatures from the fossils of brachiopod shellfish and looked at the extensive records of past plant life from fossils of the ancient rainforests. To see how the glaciers advanced and retreated, they looked at the scars and clues left by ice sheets that once covered the great southern continent of Gondwanaland, which included most of the land masses of the modern southern hemisphere. They placed statistical constraints on their data with computer modeling by Deb Niemeier, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment at UC Davis. The new data show that throughout millions of years, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels swung back and forth between about 250 parts per million, close to present-day levels, to more than 2,000 parts per million. At the same time, the southern ice sheets retreated as carbon dioxide rose and expanded again when levels fell, a pattern compatible with the idea that greenhouse gases caused the end of the late Paleozoic ice age. "We can see a pattern of increasing carbon dioxide and increasing temperatures, with a series of rises and dips," Montanez said. Scientists had assumed that as the climate warmed, a tipping point would be reached at which the ice sheets would melt rapidly and for good. Instead, the new data shows that the climate went back and forth between the extremes. But the overall trend was to warming, and by 260 million years ago, the ice sheets were gone. Records of fossil plants show rapid changes in tropical plant communities as the climate changed. On scales of a few thousand years, lush forests of tree ferns in cool, wet periods alternated with conifers and other plants adapted to a harsher, drier and warmer climate. "The Permian greenhouse is the only record we have of the transition from an ice age to an ice-free climate on a vegetated planet," Montanez said. But instead of a smooth shift, the transition occurred in a series of sharp swings between cold and hot conditions, occurring during perhaps a half-million to few million years. Montanez pointed out the data does show that such a major change in climate will likely not proceed in small, gradual steps, but in a series of unstable, dramatic swings. While these data cover millions of years, similar events might take place during a much shorter time span. Perhaps this is the behavior one should expect when we go through a major climate transition," Montanez said. Further, the record of fossil plants shows the drastic effects of major climate change on living things. In the modern era, tropical forests are already stressed by human use and settlement, and ecological researchers have recorded species moving north or south, likely driven by current climate change.

Update August Perseids

The meteors in this shower all appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus. The August Perseids are among the strongest of the readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity nominally yield 90 or 100 meteors per hour. However, observers with exceptional skies often record even larger numbers.To see the show, one need only find a comfortable spot with a clear view of the northeast horizon, away from local lights. A dark rural location is best. Lie back on a blanket or lounge chair and scan the entire sky. In the late evening, starting around 9 p.m. local time, sharp-eyed observers might see "earth grazing" meteors that skim the northeast horizon. Earth grazers are long, slow and colourful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors. Later and during the overnight hours, the shooting stars will be more frequent. Some skywatchers enjoy counting the number of meteors they see per minute, per hour or during a 15-minute interval and comparing notes.
The Moon is new on August 12, which means no moonlight, dark skies and plenty of meteors.

Ominous Ice Storm in Costa Rica

India, Indonesia, Great Britain and Texas are flooding. The US Southwest, Southern Europe and parts of China are suffering serious droughts as the Amazon threatens to dry up and drought persists in areas of Australia.But the most ominous indication that sudden climate change is under way does not come from these areas. It comes from a storm that took place last week in Costa Rica. This storm involved extremely fine ice crystals, which were a form of sleet rather than hail. Sleet has fallen before in Costa Rica, but only very rarely and certainly never in summer. For this to occur, it means that the storm's vertical circulation must have been unusually intense, and the clouds must have reached far into the stratosphere. Over the past ten years, the difference between stratospheric temperatures and temperatures close to the ground has been increasing dramatically, setting the stage for unusual and violent storms. More bizarre storms can be expected, and some of them are almost certainly going to be more violent--or as in this case--more unusual than ever recorded before.