News of the Imbalance May – June 2013

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A claim by the British Ministry of Defence that UFOs have no defense significance is "designed solely to keep Parliament, the media and the public off our backs," according to former MoD UFO Desk administrator Nick Pope.  

Pope's startling statement was in response to the MoD's release last week of what it says is its final batch of UFO documents. Official MoD spokesmen and one self-styled UFO expert, David Clarke, claim that the MoD found no evidence of a UFO threat to the UK and, therefore, closed its UFO Desk. The subsequent, widely-publicized declassification of its UFO documents—the implication being that nothing remained hidden—was intended to demonstrate the MoD's public transparency on the UFO issue.

In reality, Pope says, "the UK's Freedom of Information Act contains wide-ranging exemptions covering areas such as defense, security and intelligence" and the newly-available documents had already been "judged to be unclassified" before their release.  

Regarding David Clarke, Pope says, "Some people would probably use the term 'useful idiot' to describe his parroting the MoD 'no defense significance' sound bite."

Comment: Based on this press release, it seems Nick Pope is not too thrilled about the significance of the UFO document release and the false idea that the UK Ministry of Defense has left nothing hidden from the public about UFOs. Whatever, I really don't think Reuters should have mixed up the press release with the name calling... even though it does paint a graphic picture of exactly what is going on...

• UFO Files I have loved and lost
  Dr David Clarke, 23rd June 2013
  The media feeding frenzy that greeted the release of the final tranche of British UFO files was a fitting end to my involvement in one of the most successful Freedom of Information projects in recent years.
  
  Comment: So far, I have not seen Clarke defend himself after being called a "useful idiot". Thinking about it., plenty of people are prepared to play along and "survive"... I suppose its about values, if you have any, what those values equate to and whether they help or hinder the development of humanity... Sorry, that is how I think.
  

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NOAA: A Rare Tsunami Hit The East Coast Earlier This Month
NPR News, 25th June 2013
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a 6-foot wave that hit the East Coast earlier this month was a rare tsunami. The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said the source of the wave is "complex and under review," but they believe it was caused by a strong storm and perhaps even the "the slumping at the continental shelf east of New Jersey."

The weather service says that Brian Coen, who was spear fishing near Barnegat Inlet in New Jersey, saw the effect of the tsunami first hand. He told the weather service that he noticed an outgoing tide that lasted a couple of minutes and exposed rocks that had been submerged. That was followed by a big six-foot wave. [...]

He explained the weather system that moved through the area may have changed the air pressure enough to "generate waves that act just like tsunamis." When that happens, the wave is called a "meteotsunami" — in other words a tsunami caused by meteorological conditions, not seismic activity.

Comment: So......... Is this related to the weird report Dry Air Weather System Forms Over Atlantic Ocean? [VIDEO] by freaked out Dr Greg Forbes at weather.com on 9th June where he warned it might cause huge lightning storms? Obviously the timing is suspicious, but again this just adds to the reports of rarer types of atmospheric chaos being experienced around the world.

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Interview with author Leslie Kean
Airsafe.com, 19th June 2013
In June 2013, Dr. Todd Curtis interviewed Leslie Kean, New York Times best selling author of the 2010 book UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record. They discussed polices and traditions in the US government and the aviation community that keeps flying professionals from being fully informed about potential threats to aviation safety and security.

Comment: I was surprised to discover this website that was set up for pilot, air traffic controller, radar operator, or other aviation professionals. However, the biggest surprise is finding out that NASA has also a UFO database...

NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) collects voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident or situation reports from pilots, controllers, and others in the aviation community."

This is major news to me...

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Bacteria sent into space behave in mysterious ways
Phys.Org News, 25th June 2013
Colonies of bacteria grown aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis behaved in ways never before observed on Earth, according to a new NASA-funded study from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. Recent findings provide important evidence of spaceflight's effect on the behavior of bacterial communities, and represent a key step toward understanding and mitigating the risk these bacteria may pose to astronauts during long-term space missions.

Comment: A long time ago I picked up a report that suggested that bacteria became radiation hardened and rampant in space, basically eating and destroying the space station. I think this is most relevant in terms of certain lifeforms being able to quickly adapt to being in space and destroys the concept of space being "empty", an asteroid with its own plasmasphere as an electromagnetic shield seems to be enough....

• Astronauts vs. fungus: Orbiting spacecraft turns out to be food for aggressive mold
  The Globe, 10/1/2000
  

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Obama: driving a green dagger into the heart of the American dream
Telegraph Delingpole, 26th June 2013
When it comes to pinpointing the nadir of the Obama administration, future historians are going to suffer a serious case of option paralysis. Was it Benghazi? The NSA? His use of the IRS to harass the Tea party? The various scandals involving his black ops department, the EPA? Obamacare?

Personally, though, I think the one they will eventually plump for is Obama's Climate Action Plan of June 25 2013. The economy, after all, is everything. Without an economy you can't afford a domestic policy, let alone a foreign policy. So you'd think the very last thing any president would do as his country began to show the first vague signs of slow – and quite possibly illusory – recovery after a long recession would be to jeopardise it with a whole new raft of utterly pointless regulation and wasteful government expenditure. Why it would be like seeing a man drowning and, instead of throwing him a life line tossing him a lead weight.

But that's just what President Obama has done with today's Climate Action Plan whose gory details you can read here.

Comment: Most environmentalists are still disappointed though...

'We Need to Act': Transcript of Obama's Climate Change Speech
Bloomberg News, 25th June 2013


• Obama's scaled-down climate-change agenda
  Politico News, 26th June 2013
  Barack Obama finally gave his big climate speech Tuesday — the one environmentalists have been waiting for since he first took office.
  
  But even his biggest proposals fall short of what environmentalists had been hoping for, and what he came into the White House promising to achieve.
  

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Family 'lucky to be alive' after freak meteorite shower
Telegraph, 26th June 2013
The rocks landed just inches away from where Sarah Marston-Jones' son Harry, aged two, and Benjamin, four, were playing. Ms Marston-Jones said they were lucky to be alive after at least 15 rock fragments peppered them as her children played on a trampoline.

They had been enjoying the sunshine when there was a "whooshing and cracking" sound and a strong smell of burning, according to Ms Marston-Jones. She said the brown and black coloured rocks, which also fell on the outside patio, ranged in size but some were more than an inch wide. "We're still in shock - they missed the boys by little more than inches and we found fragments underneath the trampoline," Marston-Jones said.

Comment: This could have been a terrible incident, I am quite horrified. In reality, due to the changing cosmic environment, the amount of meteors entering our atmosphere, still seems to be on an upward trend. Thanks to S. Pleas for the tip.

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Rent boy scandal rocks the Vatican
The Australian, 27th June 2013
THE Vatican is bracing itself for a rent boy scandal after a convicted pedophile priest apparently sought vengeance by informing on other child abusers in the Roman clergy.

Don Patrizio Poggi, who served a five-year sentence for abusing five 14 and 15-year-old boys at his parish on the outskirts of the Italian capital, has reportedly handed names to police. So far, four people have formally been placed under investigation by Rome magistrates.

Comment: This looks to me like some effective communication i.e. telling the truth for a change... even if it is an act of revenge... This is just an intro as the story is for subscribers only, but here is a longer German version translated using Google translation. As far as I am concerned, the Catholic Church hierarchy is religious mafioso and as such need a certain level of discipline to at least act the part of a religious authority with high levels of moral authority. Since there does not seem to be much of an effort in the Vatican hierarchy to maintain appearances, a major clean up operation is required or else the game will be up. Really, it does seem that many have lost sight of what the Catholic Church is about, but maybe since they still have over 1 billion followers, the deviants still think they can get away with the hypocrisy.

• Busted prostitution ring for priests in Rome
  According to Italian media reports, a prostitution ring in Rome to be busted, the Catholic priests to minors have supplied. Even high-ranking clerics should be involved
  Die Welt, 26th June 2013
  

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Cleaning Up the Vatican Bank
The Globalist, 26th June 2013
The Vatican Bank has been accused of operating in the world banking system in an opaque way.

Among the many reforms that lie ahead for the Vatican, explains Massimo Franco, a key one is to change its financial diplomacy in a globalized environment. That is a tough task and yet critical for Pope Francis to accomplish.

The Roman Catholic Church sees itself as destined to judge and to take confession from the world. In the past, its moral leadership was undisputed, at least in theory. But in the last ten years or so, its image has been shattered by scandals — both sexual and financial.

Comment: This article explains the background story and edifice of the pious fraud at the Vatican bank. I think the latest news is about who has been picked for a new commission. This is a Reuters story, In bold move, Pope names commission to reform Vatican bank. I think Pope Francis has some big balls, Pope John Paul I was killed for a similar attempt to deal with Vatican corruption.

• British author claims “honest, reforming” Pope John Paul I murdered in 1978 for beliefs on Vatican wealth, artificial birth control
  Big 3 News, 4th March 2013
  With a fatal dose of an odorless drug called digitalis — traceable only by blood tests — that imitates a heart attack, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church was murdered sometime in the late night of September 28 or early morning of September 29, 1978 in his papal apartment. The unprosecuted crime, according to British investigative journalist David Yallop, involved numerous suspects who conspired to coverup more than $1 billion of theft, partly through the Vatican Bank, and to halt proposed reforms on vital issues of the day such as artificial birth control and the influence of Freemasonry in the Church.
  
  Comment: I read this book a long time ago as part of my life long interest in the Catholic Church... Yet, nothing has changed with the amount of corruption in the Catholic Church, if anything the reports have just got uglier.
  

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Record heat wave hits Alaska
CBS News, 25th June 2013
Baked Alaska is taking on a new meaning this week. Temperatures in Anchorage, the country's northernmost city with a population of more than 250,000, reached the 80s and are expected to remain high through the weekend. [...]

Meteorologists say the jet stream, a big river of air high above Earth that dictates much of the weather for the Northern Hemisphere, is causing the unseasonably high temperatures. The jet stream has been unusually erratic the past few years. They blame it for everything from snowstorms in May to the path of Superstorm Sandy.

The jet stream usually rushes rapidly from west to east in a mostly straight direction. But lately it's been wobbling and weaving like a drunken driver, wreaking havoc as it goes. The more the jet stream undulates north and south, the more changeable and extreme the weather.

"I've been doing meteorology for 30 years and the jet stream the last three years has done stuff I've never seen," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private service Weather Underground. "The fact that the jet stream is unusual could be an indicator of something. I'm not saying we know what it is."

Comment: You would think that understanding the mechanics of the jet stream would be bread and butter science, but it is not because the jet stream is fundamentally an electromagnetic atmospheric phenomenon and as such, an in depth understanding has been deliberately avoided. Note: the electric nature of space was classified information in the 1980s.... Obviously, this is now changing because the interference of electrical energy from space is simply causing too many problems.

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23 Scouts hospitalized after lightning strike in Belmont, New Hampshire
NBC News, 25th June 2013
Twenty-three Boy Scouts were hospitalized after a lightning strike in New Hampshire on Monday night, a fire chief said. Chief David Parenti, of Belmont Fire Station, said the Scouts, aged from 12 to 16, were at the Griswold Scout Reservation in Belmont when the incident happened.

He said they were taken to local hospitals for further evaluation. When asked about their conditions, he said he “wouldn't even call it serious.” Parenti told NBC station WHDH that many of the injuries were minor burns. He said six scouts were given cardiac monitors because the burns were in the chest area.

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Aren't I a-daw-able? Rare albino jackdaw sends birdwatchers wild after being spotted in Welsh countryside
Daily Mail, 25th June 2013
Looking forlorn, this little bird was probably wondering why it was getting so much attention. But that's the price you pay when you're a rare albino jackdaw.

If you're not getting picked on by the larger, more common black jackdaws, you have to contend with excited birdwatchers trying to take a picture of you. This albino was spotted by head gardener Joseph Atkin at Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire, South Wales.

Comment: Is this bird really albino or does it have another rare DNA mutation that makes it all white? See many previous comments in the archives about why this matters and how this relates to being another 'sign of the times' that we are at the end of an age or aeon, a transition point where cosmic changes are now very evident.

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Surge in 'digital dementia'
Doctors in South Korea are reporting a surge in "digital dementia" among young people who have become so reliant on electronic devices that they can no longer remember everyday details like their phone numbers. Telegraph, 24th June 2013
South Korea is one of the most digitally connected nations in the world and the problem of internet addiction among both adults and children was recognised as far back as the late 1990s.

That is now developing into the early onset of digital dementia – a term coined in South Korea – meaning a deterioration in cognitive abilities that is more commonly seen in people who have suffered a head injury or psychiatric illness. [...]

The situation appears to be worsening, doctors report, with the percentage of people aged between 10 and 19 who use their smartphones for more than seven hours every day leaping to 18.4 per cent, an increase of seven per cent from last year.

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Rare ‘ball lightning’ blamed as Mannings Heath loses power and internet
West Sussex County Times, 25th June 2013
An eyewitness has described seeing a ball of white light shoot through Mannings Heath, just before a power cut and digital disruption. The object, which appears to fit descriptions of a rare phenomenon called ‘ball lightning’, was seen in the village on the afternoon of June 7.

Comment: In this instance, I believe this was a real example of ball lightning.

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AERB studying undersea volcano near Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu
Times of India, 25th June 2013
CHENNAI: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has begun a detailed study to analyze the possible threats of an underwater volcano near the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam, about 70km south of Chennai.

Confirming the presence of an underwater volcano five weeks ago, an AERB reply to an RTI query said the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has also recommended an advanced study to figure out the status of the volcano, though initial investigations did not detect any significant geological signs

Comment: The sea bottom is now peppered with undersea volcanoes warming the ocean and helping to release CO2 but not necessarily interfering with global temperatures which is a major enigma for climate scientists.

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ICBC customers lose cool over glitch
China.org News, 24th June 2013
A system glitch suffered by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China paralyzed its over-the-counter, ATM and online trading in several cities in the country yesterday, sparking talk that it has run out of money before the bank issued a clarification later.

"Now the system has recovered and all services are back to normal. ICBC is deeply sorry about the inconvenience it has brought to the customers," the bank said.

The glitch had caused several of its customers to leave angry messages on ICBC's official page on Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter-like service, after they failed to draw or transfer their money from their ICBC accounts yesterday morning.

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Think tank warns of extreme weather risks
THe Local Switzerland, 24th June 2013
Climate change is creating more frequent and more unpredictable extreme weather events, forcing insurers to change how they assess the risk of natural disasters hitting a specific area, the Geneva Association think tank said on Monday.

"Traditional approaches, which are solely based on analysing historical data, increasingly fail to estimate today's hazard probabilities," the think tank for strategically important insurance and risk management issues, warned in a report.

"A paradigm shift from historic to predictive risk assessment methods is necessary," it stressed, adding that the insurance industry needed to support scientific research to gain a better understanding of when and where weather-related disasters will hit.

According to a UN report last month, natural disasters have cost the world $2.5 trillion so far this century, which is far higher than previously estimated.

Comment: Folk are waking up... Here are the latest extreme weather reports.

• Uttarakhand [FLOODS]: 5,000 feared killed, 19,000 still stranded
  Times of India, 23rd June 2013
  DEHRADUN: Kedarnath valley, the temple town which was the epicentre of the Uttarakhand rain fury, was on Sunday cleared of all stranded pilgrims, as rescuers battled rains to evacuate 3,000 more people in the disaster in which the death toll is likely to cross 5,000.
  
  With MeT department warning of adverse weather in the region from Monday, the multi-agency operations raced against time to try to rescue remaining 19,000 stranded people stuck in three areas including Badrinath. Air operations had to be also briefly suspended due to bad weather.
  
  
• Lourdes faces 'economic disaster' after floods
  The Local France, 20th June 2013
  After flood waters devastated the Catholic shrine at Lourdes in south west France this week, the mayor says his town is facing 'economic disaster,'. The French president said the region would be declared a natural disaster in the coming days.
  
  
• State of Disaster Declared in Flooded French Areas
  Prensa Latina News, 24th June 2013
  
  
• Massive rainfall causing flooding on Italian East Coast
  Sott.net News, 24th June 2013
  
  
• Alberta [CANADA] flood recovery could take 10 years, says premier
  CBC News, 24th June 2013
  
  

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Mystery as museum statue starts turning in display case
An Eygptian statuette that mysteriously turns itself round inside its display case has left experts baffled at the Manchester Museum.
Telegraph, 23rd June 2013
Even eminent television physicist Professor Brian Cox has weighed in on the mystery of Manchester Museum's moving statuette, which dates back to 1800 BC. The 10-inch tall statue of Neb Sanu was discovered in a mummy’s tomb and has been with the Museum for eighty years, but has only recently been noticed moving. Prof Cox, who teaches physics at the city's university, claims the movement is due to the "differential friction". However, Manchester Museum's resident Egyptologist Campbell Price suggested something more sinister, an Egyptian curse. [...]

“But it has been on those surfaces since we have had it and it has never moved before. And why would it go around in a perfect circle?”

Comment: According to the Fiji World News, Spooky! Egyptian statuette spins untouched inside glass case – video included this statute does NOT move at night, only during the day which tells you this is something to do with the sun and the true nature of sunlight that our scientists still don't understand. I am hoping we get some world class physicists fixing their mind on this mystery too, but I know what I think. I hope we start to get more examples to help prove something really incredible is happening. Whatever, it is a fact that fundamental changes are taking place in our solar system. We are already getting new reports that changes are happening at the sub-atomic level for various elements, constants in physics are no longer constant and even something going on with spacetime affecting satellites... Maybe there is a reminder in the collective memory, the phrase someone 'spinning in their grave' comes to mind.... Personally, I think scholars of ancient mythology and esoteric knowledg may understand from the symbolism what is about to start on this planet, after all, the statute represents the Egyptian God Osiris, god of the dead and underworld... For those with the knowledge, this is a very interesting development.

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Scientists find proof plants are capable of complex arithmetic
Plants carry out arithmetic calculations each night to prevent them starving before dawn, scientists have discovered for the first time. Telegraph, 23rd June 2013
In order to keep themselves going in the absence of sunlight, plants perform division equations throughout the night to ration their stores of starch until the moment the sun reappears.

By counting their starch and dividing it by the number of hours left until morning they ensure they do not run out until the crack of dawn, and can even adjust their calculations during the night. The discovery is the first known example in nature of sophisticated arithmetic being carried out at a fundamental level, as opposed to in the brain cells of animals like humans, scientists said.

Comment: Plants are a lifeform that interacts intelligently with their environment. For me, this is scientists confirming the obvious that plants interact intelligently with their environment and are provided with enough intelligence to help them survive when environmental changes occur... I suppose philosophers over millenia have debated the origin of this intelligence, but today the question remains unanswered as to why certain species can adapt to sudden change and others cannot.

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Riot after Chinese teachers try to stop pupils cheating
What should have been a hushed scene of 800 Chinese students diligently sitting their university entrance exams erupted into siege warfare after invigilators tried to stop them from cheating.
Telegraph, 20th June 2013
The relatively small city of Zhongxiang in Hubei province has always performed suspiciously well in China's notoriously tough "gaokao" exams, each year winning a disproportionate number of places at the country's elite universities.

Last year, the city received a slap on the wrist from the province's Education department after it discovered 99 identical papers in one subject. Forty five examiners were "harshly criticised" for allowing cheats to prosper. So this year, a new pilot scheme was introduced to strictly enforce the rules.

Comment: A whole nation that thinks cheating is fair... This mentality explains why life in China is so nauseating in so many different ways.

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ANDREW COHEN AND THE FALL OF THE MYTHIC GURU IN AN AGE OF PR-SPIN
What Enlightenment??!, 21st June 2013
Controversial spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen will be stepping down from his role as guru and leader of the organization he founded, EnlightenNext. In a startling turn of events, Cohen has also begun apologizing to some former and current students for misdeeds and abuses of the past. Core students in the leadership of EnlightenNext have left the organization and apparently struck out on their own. But a recent “PR and Communications Plan” message, widely circulated to EnlightenNext students, leaves both the scope of future change in the organization and the depth of Andrew Cohen’s remorse over his abuse of students in the past unclear.

Comment: This is brilliant news, the take down of a big-time guru thug. Cohen is a narcissist, a nasty one too, this must be killing him.... LOL... I feel like celebrating.... BUT due to what I have learnt, I believe that unless followers are de-programmed effectively, the spread of Cohen's nasty guru cult mindset, energy and disease will just go into hibernation but continue to spread where it will bear fruit elsewhere in time. Whatever, I congratulate all the people who have contributed to the removal of this monster. I am astounded, I knew there was a possibility (see archives) but already there is some real success in the effort to clean up the Cultic Milieu... Who is next? Update 25th June 2013: I am feeling perplexed and a bit stunned... Cohen's management consultants have truly seen the light and are signalling the end of an era or error if you like... They persuaded Cohen to admit that he is a fake by spinning that he was acting the role of a "mythic guru"..... just incredible....

The Death of A Mythic Guru: In this second post (which may end up in multiple parts), Andrew will speak about his own development as a Guru and how he created a “mythic” Guru model within the postmodern world, outlining the negative and positive consequences of that. He'll talk about how difficult it has been for him to recognize the mythic structures within himself, and how he's going to now take the time necessary to develop both himself and the teachings.

That is some spin... I will make it easier for you... Andrew Cohen was a big fake... Well, by this definition there is a lot of other "mythic gurus" out there.... I think this has major implications because gurus abusing their followers has been so normalised, a malignant narcissist's and predator's dream.... Remember the facts, according to psychologists, cult leaders have at least 7/9 traits of a psychopath and since Cohen had an inner circle of followers that he would beat up if they displeased him in any way, this by definition is an abusive cult leader. Read the books that have been written by his ex-followers if you want the background to this momentous announcement, see archives for links. Thus, I am await further serious analysis and developments... Also, if I was Mr Enlightenment aka Ken Wilber, I would be worried because he was a major enabler of this mythic guru as most people know who have followed this saga for many years. Deepak Chopra is also looking suspect too for getting involved and making him one of his "evolutionary leaders"... What a joke... Another grave misdemeanour... there will be some major fallout I assure you.

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The Bling Ring
Trapped in the closets of the rich and famous.
Willamette Week, 19th June 2013
The Bling Ring takes its name from the real-life cabal of Southern California acquaintances who made a habit of breaking, entering and burgling their favorite celebrities’ Beverly Hills homes. (In the film, Paris Hilton’s mansion practically becomes their clubhouse.) Coppola has crafted well-drawn analogs for the actual perpetrators: Cold-blooded Rebecca (Katie Chang) hatches the schemes while her insecure sidekick Marc (Israel Broussard) handles the particulars.

Frequently along for the ride are Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga)—home-schooled friends who subsist on Ativan and treat The Secret as scripture—and Chloe (Claire Julien), who wears the bruises from her latest DUI accident like a badge of honor.

Comment: Well, I have just found out about the film The Bling Ring, also see the 1st slide wording of the Yahoo Movie Review: 'The Bling Ring' Burglars and Their Big-Screen Players The movie will make a big point of the fact that some of these robbing teenagers were home-schooled with New Ager parents who used the The Secret as scripture. I think the scene with this family saying prayers ending with the often 'channelled' saying, "And so it is." really twists the knife... I see this will bring a litte bit more humiliation for Oprah, The Secret pushers and the New Age movement in general.

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Does Oprah “Own Your Power?”
Jet Law, 5th June 2013
Surprisingly, there may be more than one person trying to make sure you Own Your Power. Forgetting for the moment what those words may mean or how some may go about owning their power, the Second Circuit has revived the debate over who owns the right to exploit those words–for the time being.

Three years ago, Simone Kelly-Brown sued Oprah for plastering “Own Your Power” on the cover of The Oprah Magazine and subsequently hosting a corporate event with the same title. Before Oprah published that magazine or held that event, Kelly-Brown had trademarked the phrase and created a website and suite of writings centered on the idea. So, upon seeing Oprah’s use of the phrase, Kelly-Brown went to the courts.

Comment: A sign of the New Age times.... I wonder if Oprah has already done a show on how she attracted a lawsuit because this started 3 years ago.... Well, we all know Oprah is a target because she is a rich woman and the popular New Age mentality is trying to see what one can get with magical thinking and minimum effort... However, the real irony is one Big Name New Ager being sued by another wannabe Big Name New Ager concerning 'Owning Your Power'. The whole concept that anyone has rights over this phrase is just ridiculous but that is fake New Age 'slogan' spirituality in a nutshell. Just keep repeating the mantras and by magic your life will change... A damn lie... The truth is that when you get involved with these New Age wannabe guru types, what you actually find is many examples of people covertly systematically stripping you of your power and setting themselves up to be the spiritual authority in your life. The real specialists use a "syntax" as we were informed by felon James Ray... Whilst we are on the subject, James Ray is coming out of prison mid July 2013. I wonder whether Oprah will be waiting with flowers when he gets out and invites him back onto her show to explain how he attracted the nightmare scenario of killing 3 of his followers by his greed and psychopathic tendencies. Oh yes, we can't forget that James Ray (the scammer who told his devotees the bullshit story of him "...finding himself in the cave where Moses is said to have rested before receiving the Ten Commandments" according to the UK Guardian, see archives) repeatedly stated there is no such thing as balance, and this might explain why he went too far and killed 3 people. So now he has been exposed as a complete fraud to people not brainwashed by the New Age scam culture, it is no surprise that there are no Big Name New Wagers looking to help him out in is hour or 110 days of need. The New Wage scene nurtures narcissism not empathy and here James Ray is proving once again he thinks he is entitled to special treatment. Btw, I don't care whether Oprah wins this case or not. Oprah lost my respect when I found out she had promoted a dangerous thug like James Ray, at a time when people were getting routinely hurt at his seminars and there were clear warnings provided by cult watchers.

• Case regarding Oprah’s use of “Own Your Power” will continue
  Lexology, 13th June 2013
  
  
• Halfway Harmonic Destitution
  Salty Droid, 15th May 2013
  James Arthur Ray :: aka inmate 267823 :: used to have a house in Beverly Hills … 90210. He paid an eye-popping $4 million for it :: although at the time he could afford it because Oprah said he knew The Secret … so he was totally rolling in other people’s money. [...] Now that his saggy guru ass is only a few months from semi-freedom :: it seems the comeback plans have begun. He’s starting small of course :: with destitution … and then maybe he’ll work his way back up to Harmonic {I stole your} Wealth™.
  It's the Salty Droid (aka Jason Jones), lawyer and scam buster. There is no restraint on hatred here and a profanity warning is in place....
  

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Ferry damaged hitting dock in Harwich
BBC News, 22nd June 2013
A lifeboat has been launched after a ferry carrying 400 people struck the dock in Harwich, Essex, as it berthed. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the Sirena Seaways vessel listing to its port side in Parkeston Quay after the accident.

Eric Chalmers, who is at the scene, said the ferry was "only just" upright in the water. Essex Fire and Rescue Service said no-one was trapped and there had been no injuries but the vessel had suffered damage below the water line.

Comment: Another major navigational fail.... Dare I repeat my usual stance that GPS is unreliable....

• Sirena Seaways ferry damaged hitting Harwich dock [PHOTOS]
  BBC News, 22nd June 2013
  Eyewitness Chris Vincent said the ship was coming in at "quite some speed" -- Gert Jakobsen, vice-president of communications for DFDS, said it was "difficult to say" why the ship had struck the quayside. "There might have been some wind, we don't know why, but it hit the quay," he said.
  

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Devastating floods struck Alberta, Canada forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate
The Watchers, 22nd June 2013
Since Wednesday June 19, 2013 almost 200 millimeters of rain have fallen in some areas in Alberta, Canada devastating communities, creating mudslides and washing out many roads. On Thursday June 20, 2013 river banks have burst throughout southern Alberta, because of heavy rainfall that caused the swelling of rivers.

Many towns and communities across Alberta have declared states of emergency. Some of them like High River and Bragg Creek have been ordered to evacuate.

• In flood ravaged High River, Canadian soldiers find something resembling a war zone [PHOTOS]
  National Post, 22nd June 2013
  

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250 Southwest Airlines flights cancelled or delayed nationwide after system outage
Chicago Sun Times, 22nd June 2013
About 250 Southwest Airlines flights were cancelled or delayed nationwide after a system-wide outage prevented flights from departing.

The outage did not affect flights in the air, but forced Southwest Airlines to keep planes grounded, the airline said on its Twitter feed late Friday. The problem, which started about 11 p.m. Friday, was resolved about two hours later.

Comment: At this moment, some work needs to be done to assess the reason why so many airlines are having problems with their computer systems.... Yes, I do explain there is a problem with cosmic rays corrupting computer hardware and software and those with the biggest banks of computers will get hit and get the publicity because of the impact when things go wrong, but location (height above sea level etc) and IT management are also important to consider...

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Could big bills from extreme weather drive climate action?
Trust Org News, 21st June 2013
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Could the growing costs of damage from extreme weather – in rich countries as well as poor – be the push that finally drives action on climate change?

Worst-in-a-decade flooding that swept through Germany as U.N. climate talks took place there this month will cost Germany’s government and its insurance companies up to $8 billion, experts estimate. In the United States, the bill for recovery from Hurricane Sandy is estimated at more than $50 billion, with agricultural losses from that country’s widespread drought last year even more costly.

“When you add up what all the extreme weather events cost last year (in the United States), it’s in excess of $250 billion,” said Rachel Kyte, vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank. “You’re talking about economic devastation that at some point is going to start hitting.”

Comment: Maybe..... but that is because most people are like sitting ducks... folk are not prepared... Society has refused to pay attention to the ancient warnings about what happens at the end of an age -- so-called leaders have failed -- message not understood by the masses -- but judgment time has arrived...

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Extreme Weather in France and Switzerland Kills 3
NTD TV News, 22nd June 2013
Hailstorms and floods hit separately in Switzerland and southern France on Thursday, killing three people and causing huge economic losses. Flooding has swollen the Po River in Pau, capital of France's Pyrenees-Atlantiques department, bringing damage to the city, despite widespread anti-flooding measures. Local media reported that days of rainfall and thawing snow water from the neighboring Pyrenees Mountains have caused floodwater to spill into the city.

Comment: Things have been extreme all over the place, Ice Age Now has more stories.

Storm sends tents flying at Swiss gymnastics tournament
BBC News, 21st June 2013
A gymnastics tournament in central Switzerland has been seriously affected by a storm involving 80 mph (130 kilometre per hour) winds, heavy rain and 2cm-wide hailstones.

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Sonic boom heard in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire
BBC News, 16th June 2013
"Loud explosions" heard across the east of England were caused by a sonic boom when a jet broke the sound barrier.

The noise, at 11:30 BST, caused shaking and smashed windows and prompted calls to police in Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. The Ministry of Defence said a Typhoon jet from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire was launched when communication was lost with a Heathrow-bound plane.

Comment: Hmmmm...... either way, an atmospheric blast or lost communications for a plane, this should concern a few...

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How Did a Third Radiation Belt Appear in the Earth's Upper Atmosphere?
Science Daily, 20th June 2013
Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts in in Earth's upper atmosphere in 1958, space scientists have believed that these belts consisted of two doughnut-shaped rings of highly charged particles -- an inner ring of high-energy electrons and energetic positive ions, and an outer ring of high-energy electrons.

However, in February of this year, a team of scientists reported in the journal Science the surprising discovery of a previously unknown third radiation ring. This narrow ring had briefly circled Earth between the inner and outer rings in September 2012 and then almost completely disappeared.

Comment: This article carefully tells you as little as possible... Well, temporary radiation belts have been created by exploding nuclear bombs in the atmosphere and presumably something similar happened as there is vague talk of measuring the scattering of high energy relativistic electrons... Well, I think this might have been an example of what some scientists call a magnetic reconnection event but on a massive scale.... Scientists like to talk about magnetic lines of force that cross, cancel, and reconnect releasing magnetic energy in the form of heat and charged-particle kinetic energy, but plasma physicists think this is rubbish and we are really talking about electric currents because magnetic field lines don't exist right.... they are only like contour lines on a map.... So, in plain English, if electric currents merge huge amounts of energy are released.... If this were to happen low enough down in our atmosphere, we would get a repeat of what some scientists believed to be comet explosions that changed Earth's climate sufficiently to end the Clovis culture in North America about 13,000 years ago..... Note the date is about half a precessional cycle.... Tick tock... If you want to get really frightened, I recommend the book Magnetic Reversals and Evolutionary Leaps by Robert Felix where he points out the geological evidence that these blasts would actually create fireballs in the sky similar to those seen when military deliberately exploded nuclear bombs in the atmosphere just for the sake of it... This book radically changed my perspective on what could happen on this planet, but we must remember we are already getting huge mega blasts in our atmosphere that our scientists call Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes.... the mystery booms might not just be exploding meteors either, see archives for previous comments... Our planet is now experiencing a range of high energy atmospheric phenomena and that is because in the last 25 years, there has been a huge surge of energy from the cosmos that will force rapid evolutionary change.

• NASA's Magnetospheric Mission Passes Major Milestone
  PhysOrg.com, 6th September 2010
  The universe is still an arcane place that scientists know very little about, but a new NASA Solar Terrestrial Probe mission is going to shed light on one especially mysterious event called magnetic reconnection. It occurs when magnetic lines of force cross, cancel, and reconnect releasing magnetic energy in the form of heat and charged-particle kinetic energy.[...]
  
  In 2014, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite that will greatly increase our understanding of this phenomenon when it launches the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, a suite of four identical spacecraft that will study magnetic reconnection in the best possible laboratory - the Earth’s magnetosphere. The spacecraft will obtain measurements necessary to test prevailing theories as to how reconnection is enabled and how it progresses. [...]
  
  
• Article 4 : “No” to Magnetic Reconnection and “Yes” to Electrified Plasma
  Thunderbolts.info, 24th December 2011
  Electrical engineers and plasma cosmologists have been known to say that magnetic reconnection is one of the stupidest theoretical ideas that researchers ever derived from the mistaken belief that there are no significant electric currents in space. Yes, the mathematics can be made to fit – though with increasing difficulty as observations proceed – with the energy needs involved, but it should be remembered that processes of physics are not explained by such equations. However, in the case of “magnetic reconnection” there is a much deeper difficulty than that. I refer to the inconvenient truth that the lines of force of a magnetic field do not physically exist at all! They are only a mental aid for us to conceptualise the shape and intensity of a magnetic field.

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The Stock Exchange of Thailand's online trading system collapsed
The Nation, 21st June 2013
The Stock Exchange of Thailand's online trading system collapsed at 4.10pm, leaving some orders unsettled. SET President Charamporn Jotikasthira told Krungthep Turakij today that the system should be recovered by 7.30pm today, when the night trading session for futures will start. He attributed the collapse to the malfunction of computer hardware. Settrade, which oversees the system, announced that the system has been successfully fixed. "The SET and brokerage houses have in place the damage-prevention system. Yet, this is beyond our control as two hardware equipment malfunctioned at the same time," he said.

Comment: I changed the headline to reflect the severity of the problem... these stock market computer system failures just keep on coming... but it looks like there was some kind of recovery plan in place as one would expect.

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Birmingham woman abandons 'breatharian' bid to survive on sun's rays alone after 47 days
Birmingham Mail, 20th June 2013
A Birmingham woman has been forced to admit light lunches are bad for you – after spending 47 days attempting to survive on the sun’s rays. Aptly-named Naveena Shine this week called off her 100-day bid to live on light alone.

She hoped for increased spiritual awareness but found only severe body cramps and nausea and admitted: “This could be slow starvation.” The 65-year-old, originally from Aston, but now living in Seattle in the US, tried to follow the ‘breatharian’ lifestyle, which calls on devotees to survive on sunlight, air and water. To date, four devotees have died while attempting to follow the food-free path.

Comment: No surprise.... I found a good short write-up by a Christian concerning some of the main issues with New Agers, and of course, the lack of interest in reality is pointed out. Obviously, there is a certain amount of the pot calling the kettle black here too... ASS Syndrome: The Problem With New Age “Religion”.

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50,000 trapped by flooding and landslides in Himalayan foothills
Fears that death toll of 150 could soar, with up to 14,000 unaccounted for
The Independent, 21st June 2013
Indian troops and rescue workers are battling to help 50,000 people still trapped in the Himalayan foothills after massive monsoons triggered devastating flooding and landslides. The Indian media has reported that up to 14,000 could still be unaccounted for and that the death toll of around 150 could soar.

Around 10,000 soldiers and dozens of helicopters are spearheading efforts to reach people that have been cut off since monsoon rains hit at the weekend. Reports say food and clean water is in short supply and that operations are being hampered by the problems of getting fuel to the helicopters. The image icon is a submerged statue of the Hindu Lord Shiva stands amid the flooded waters of the river Ganges at Rishikesh in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, on June 17, 2013. See Could big bills from extreme weather drive climate action?.

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UFO sightings: Files explain why MoD closed down special desk
BBC News, 21st June 2013
The Ministry of Defence closed its UFO desk because it served "no defence purpose" and was taking staff away from "more valuable defence-related activities", newly released files show. The desk was closed in December 2009 despite a surge in reported sightings.

The disclosure came in National Archives files relating to reports of UFOs - Unidentified Flying Objects - between 2007 and November 2009. They show UFOs were reported at several UK landmarks, including Stonehenge. [...]

The latest tranche of declassified files covers the final two years of work carried out by the MoD's UFO desk.

Comment: The MOD realise that UFOs are not a huge problem because they know that we are dealing with a shadow biosphere that belongs to another lifeform. Most of the time there is not a major problem co-existing with this presence, but the problem of folk not being able to work this out needs addressing. Personally, I think there has been plenty of UFO disclosure already for those who can think.

• Giant, Cigar-Shaped “Mothership” Filmed Releasing UFOs Over Mexico City
  Who Forted?, 19th June 2013
  A Mexican woman with her eye on the sky managed to capture a particularly interesting UFO on video last month, a video that many viewers believe shows individual crafts releasing from a “mothership”. The seven minute long clip was posted on June 3rd 2013, and appears to show a metallic, cigar shaped UFO gleaming in the sun over Mexico City. After a few moments, several smaller orbs are seen seemingly releasing from the bottom of the object and going their own separate way.
  
  Comment: These videos are not even that rare... Its almost like an atmospheric creature giving birth to lots of spawn...
  

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Heavy rains in southern Alberta force mandatory evacuations in areas of Calgary and surroundings [Canada]
National Post, 20th June 2013
Torrential rains and widespread flooding throughout southern Alberta on Thursday washed out roads and bridges, sent residents scurrying for safety, and delivered up surreal scenes of cars, couches and refrigerators just floating away.

The RCMP put out a call for help to the Canadian Armed Forces, which sent in two helicopters and a Hercules aircraft to help extract people stranded by water.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement saying the federal government would offer “any and all possible assistance to the Province of Alberta in response to the situation.”

Comment: There are quite a few reports of extreme weather and flooding, it is really difficult to keep up. Severe weather in New Zealand, see Warning, aftermath Wellington in dark as storm slams capital & Clean-up begins after chaos in capital [VIDEO].

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GPS Leads Woman Onto Railroad Tracks, Minivan Destroyed
Breitbart News, 20th June 2013
BELMONT, Mass. — A woman and her two children, ages 7 and 10, narrowly escaped serious injury when a train smashed into their minivan after a GPS device led the driver onto MBTA train tracks Tuesday night.

The woman was driving southbound on Brighton Street shortly before 9 p.m. when the GPS device directed her to make a right turn which placed her vehicle directly onto railroad tracks. Apparently the woman was unable to drive off the tracks, forcing her to flee the vehicle with her children.

Comment: I am starting to think the numbers of these GPS stories suggests there is a bad combination of factors operating. We have a certain percentage of people who routinely refuse to think for themselves and are susceptible to being hypnotised whilst listening for the next sat-nav command. Once they are in automatic mode they will obey absolutely any command no matter how ridiculous...

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Report: Building resilience to climate-fueled extreme weather is ‘woefully underfunded’
The Hill, 19th June 2013
The federal government spends six times more on disaster recovery than helping communities become resilient to extreme weather that’s predicted to become more intense and frequent in a warming world, a new study shows.

The analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a prominent liberal think tank, labels the approach “pound foolish” and calls for a dedicated fund for “community resilience” fed by higher levies on fossil fuel production.

“We must help communities enhance their ability to withstand the high winds, flood waters, scorching heat, searing wild fires, and parched earth from extreme weather,” states the CAP analysis released Wednesday, which alleges the federal government “woefully underfunds” such efforts. [...]

The report – which is titled “Pound Foolish: Federal Community-Resilience Investments Swamped by Disaster Damages” – estimates that applying that formula to fiscal 2013, the amount earmarked for a resilience fund would have been $7 billion.

Comment: It really does seem that authorities are starting to pay attention especially to the rising cost of continuous natural disasters.

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What's going on with the weather?
BBC News, 19th June 2013
[...] Generally, the advent of satellites to watch the weather systems and supercomputers to crunch the numbers has led to a massive increase in the accuracy of forecasting, especially over the next few days.

But what is progressing far more slowly is an understanding of exactly why we get the weather we do. [...]

When I joined a research flight last year the scientists were open about what they still don't know, as they flew into a weather front to gather data about temperature, humidity and pressure.

No surprise, the Met Office meeting did not produce any startling conclusions. Instead it pointed to areas where more research is needed (though scientists always say that more research is needed.)

For reasons that are not fully clear, the Met Office itself seemed curiously coy about this gathering. None of us could sit in to follow the debate. We weren't even allowed to film the opening minutes of the session, which is common practice at all kinds of events.

Comment: Hmmm.... Climate skeptics did not really expect any confessions or major announcements from this summit, but this BBC reporter David Shukman thinks the Met Office is hiding something... Personally, I think Shukman needs to get around a bit more on the internet. He might find people very willing to explain in plain English why meteorologists are having major problems forecasting the weather more than a few days in advance.

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Climate chaos: after record winter cold, Alaska bakes in record heat-wave
Extinction Protocol, 19th June 2013
ALASKA - Taking advantage of an intense heat-wave that broke long-standing records yesterday, residents of Anchorage, Alaska headed to the beach at Goose Lake. As The Anchorage Daily News reports, the National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 81 degrees in the city, beating the previous record set in June of 1926.

The AP reports that in other spots, it got in even hotter: “All-time highs were recorded elsewhere, including 96 degrees on Monday 80 miles to the north in the small community of Talkeetna, purported to be the inspiration for the town in the TV series, ‘Northern Exposure’ and the last stop for climbers heading to Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest mountain. One unofficial reading taken at a lodge near Talkeetna even measured 98 degrees, which would tie the highest undisputed temperature recorded in Alaska.

Comment: It was only a few weeks ago there was real concern in Alaska about the winter ice refusing to melt, see older news reports.

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Video of giant snake opening door goes viral
Julius the albino burmese python demonstrates some impressive dexterity, proving that a closed door is no obstacle for a snake.
Telegraph, 19th June 2013
A video of a giant yellow pet snake successfully opening a door has become an internet hit. The short film was uploaded two years ago by Vimeo user Jenner but has recently gone viral. The home video shows "Julius", a 16-foot female albino burmese python bursting through a closed door and crashing onto the floor.

Comment: I liked the Daily Mail headline and photos, but I really don't like promoting this tit and dumb website too much with their sidebar of shame... see Stuff of nightmares: The giant snake that can open doors.

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Mass hysteria outbreaks hit Bangladesh's garment workers
Doctors say 'mass psychogenic illness' – not contaminated water – is to blame for recent outbreaks of sickness. Garment workers are fearful of workplace safety after a year of deadly accidents.
Christian Science Monitor, 17th June 2013
The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Bangladesh, which tested samples of the water after the incident at Starlight Sweaters on June 5, said they did not find anything unusual from the regular contaminants in water. The Institute’s director, Dr. Mahmudur Rahman, found the case to be a result of “mass psychogenic illness.”

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Bangladesh, which tested samples of the water after the incident at Starlight Sweaters on June 5, said they did not find anything unusual from the regular contaminants in water. The Institute’s director, Dr. Mahmudur Rahman, found the case to be a result of “mass psychogenic illness.”

Comment: I keen reporting because I am convinced that social scientists will soon report that the incidents of mass hysteria are going up. I think the problem is too many peoples' minds are being locked into phase by the working environment and the result is a highly sensitive group mind that can then be shifted more easily to orchestrate a mass hysteria outbreak... Think of lining up dominoes, you hit one and they all go down... Sorry, I don't have time to find expert opinion (but I bet Rupert Sheldrake has something to say about these outbreaks), but I would be amazed if this is not the answer....

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Russia blast: Multiple explosions rock arsenal storing ‘millions’ of shells as hundreds fight blaze [PHOTOS]
RT News, 19th June 2013
Huge explosions have ripped through a munitions depot in Russia’s Samara Region where over 13 million shells were stored. More than 1,500 firefighters were deployed to combat the blaze, and thousands of locals were evacuated.

Local authorities declared a state of emergency after artillery shells began exploding at an ammunition depot about 15 kilometers from the city of Chapaevsk. The first blast was heard at around 15:00 GMT on Tuesday, with further detonations rocking the area through the night.

Firefighters initially had difficulty reaching the blaze, as shell shards were scattering around the area. The depot housed some 13 million shells of various calibers at the time the explosions began. [...]

Ammunition depot explosions are not a rare occurrence in the Russian Federation. Over the last three years, more than a dozen incidents have shocked the nation taking the lives of both civilians and military personnel.

Comment: There are constant reports of ammunition depot explosions and many many reports of major explosions becoming quite frequent all over the planet... one really has to wonder what is going on, see previous comments. (This is a separate issue to space weather corroding pipelines and causing oil and gas leaks etc, see archives for more info.) The website http://jumpingjackflashhypothesis.blogspot.co.uk/ points out the increase in methane and hydrogen sulfide and suggests we are facing an extinction level event. The listing of daily incidents is quite impressive but as they say, coincidence or correlation does not imply causation. Obviously, something is happening.

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The Singularity Is Near: Mind Uploading by 2045?
Live Science, 17th June 2013
NEW YORK — By 2045, humans will achieve digital immortality by uploading their minds to computers — or at least that's what some futurists believe. This notion formed the basis for the Global Futures 2045 International Congress, a futuristic conference held here June 14-15.

The conference, which is the brainchild of Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Itskov, fell somewhere between hardcore science and science fiction. It featured a diverse cast of speakers, from scientific luminaries like Ray Kurzweil, Peter Diamandis and Marvin Minsky, to Swamis and other spiritual leaders.

Comment: These transhumanists make New Agers trying to upgrade their energy fields look tame and everybody else seem backward for the lack of interest in wanting to evolve... The GF 2045 International Congress is sponsored by Russian billionaire Dmitry Itskov who thinks an android body is the "next step" in human evolution or "neo-humanity" as he refers to it.... The whole thing pisses me off as most people are so oblivious to the severe issues humanity are facing, but these intelligentsia rightly or wrongly are making their own plans.

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State makes it law to harden grid against EMP
Strategy encourages others to take similar precaution WND Weekly News, 17th June 2013
WASHINGTON – Maine has become the first state in the nation to pass legislation ordering its grid to be hardened against an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, event, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

The law not only requires preparation against a natural or man-made EMP, it encourages other states to take a similar initiative, since the federal government has refused to make the potential for an EMP event a priority.

The “Act to Secure the Safety of Electrical Transmission Lines” was introduced by Maine Representative Andrea Boland, D-Sanford.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, had promised that if the legislation became law it would provide Maine with a study of the most cost-effective options to protect the Maine electric grid from an EMP, free of charge. [...]

“This is the first major success for those who have been fighting to get grass roots Americans to take this existential threat seriously and to deal with it,” said former Ambassador Henry Cooper, the first director of the Strategic Defense Initiative under then President Ronald Reagan.

Comment: Progress...

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Doing something about space weather
Canada Free Press, 17th June 2013
A wit once observed a persistent truth: “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” That has been especially the case with respect to “space weather” – a phenomenon associated with intense solar activity, known by scientists as coronal mass ejections and popularly as solar flares. If oriented in the wrong direction, one of these flares could blanket much of the earth with devastatingly powerful bursts of energy known as electromagnetic pulse (EMP). [...]

The latest study of our vulnerability to EMP from space weather was conducted for Lloyds of London by Atmospheric and Environmental Research. It set out to assess what would happen if we were subjected to solar flaring comparable to that of an 1859 sun storm known as the Carrington Event – the sort of severe space weather that seems to occur roughly every 150 years. (That would put us approximately four years overdue for such an event.)

The researchers appear, however, to have used levels of sun-induced EMP closer to those associated with a 1989 space storm that took down the Quebec grid in ninety-seconds. These involved electromagnetic pulses that were actually four-times less powerful than those first correlated a century-and-a-half ago by British scientist Dr. Richard Carrington with fires in telegraph stations and lines across the northern latitudes of his country and ours.

Even so, the Lloyds-AER team’s conclusions were bad enough.

Comment: Well, I suppose it is a relief that there are a few intelligentsia who are actually interested in reality. Folk who are who are not swayed by popular culture for dumb people and who realise there is a distinct possibility that they could wake up one morning and find out that a hundred million people have had the mechanism for electricity supplies destroyed. These intelligent people can actually think ahead and plan to make our world a safer place rather than embrace ignorance, total chaos and catastrophe.

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Essay: carbon footprint as ‘original sin’
WUWT, 17th June 2013
This essay appears today in The Chronicle Review and it makes an interesting claim:

What is the carbon footprint, after all, if not the gaseous equivalent of Original Sin, the stain we inflict on Mother Gaia?

Pascal Bruckner writes:

There are at least two ecologies: one rational, the other nonsensical; one that broadens our outlook while the other narrows it; one democratic, the other totalitarian. The first wants to tell us about the damage done by industrial civilization; the second infers from this the human species’ guilt. For the latter, nature is only a stick to be used to beat human beings. Just as third-worldism was the shame of colonial history, and repentance was contrition with regard to the present, catastrophism constitutes the anticipated remorse of the future: The meaning of history having evaporated, every change is a potential collapse that augurs nothing good.

Comment: This is in the same vein as other essays from other religionistas trying to guilt trip some into false beliefs and obeying duplictious leaders.

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Incredible: Tiny monkey buys himself a drink from machine
Incredible: Tiny monkey buys himself a drink from machine
Irish Independent, 16th June 2013
At LiveLeak.com Link.

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Blast hits midtown Manhattan
RT News, 16th June 2013
A massive explosion has rocked Manhattan, few blocks away from the UN headquarters. Police and firefighters are at the scene. Initial reports suggest that an underground transformer exploded setting nearby cars on fire.

Comment: These transformer fires happen quite frequently these days. Presumably, this is caused by a combination of stray electrical currents and bad maintenance. GICS (geomagnetically induced currents) are much more of a problem now due to worsening space weather conditions. See archives for previous comments.

• Why do Transformers Explode?
  Transformer Protector Corp Flashback!
  "A one-year research project led to the discovery of 730 transformer explosions in the USA only Click for document #5. Many experts anticipate that the number of failures will increase significantly in the near future, from 1% in 2001 to 2% in 2008 Click for document #17. In addition, the shorter lifetime of new transformers will sharply increase above this rate after 2008 Click for document #18."
  I picked this up originally in May 2011 when there was a bout of transformer fires. These website has since been updated and evidence of these reports might be harder to find.
  
  
• Pavement explosion rise 'worrying'
  BBC News, 17th June 2013
  Londoners could be at risk of serious injury after a large increase in the number of exploding pavements. The Health and Safety Executive says it is worried by the rise in blasts across the capital over the past year. UK Power Networks, the company which distributes electricity across London, claims its system is actually safe.
  
  Comment: I have been saying this has become a problem, I am vindicated yet again!
  

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Huge Earth-Passing Asteroid an 'Entirely New Beast'
Space.com, 15th June 2013
A big asteroid that flew past Earth last month belongs to a new category of space rock, scientists say.

Asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon sailed within 3.6 million miles (5.8 million kilometers) of Earth on May 31, making their closest approach to our planet for at least the next two centuries. New radar images captured by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico are revealing just how unique this binary asteroid is, researchers say.

“Asteroid QE2 is dark, red, and primitive — that is, it hasn’t been heated or melted as much as other asteroids," Arecibo's Ellen Howell said in a statement. "QE2 is nothing like any asteroid we've visited with a spacecraft, or plan to, or that we have meteorites from. It's an entirely new beast in the menagerie of asteroids near Earth." [Potentially Dangerous Asteroids (Images)]

Comment: Dark, red and primitive.... what does that actually mean? Asteroids are supposed to be icy, but I suppose many astrophysicists already know their beloved comet/asteroid theories are wrong. Presumably the temperature of this rock (and a host of other parameters) were not revealed for this reason.

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NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants
National Security Agency discloses in secret Capitol Hill briefing that thousands of analysts can listen to domestic phone calls. That authorization appears to extend to e-mail and text messages too.
CNET News, 15th June 2013
The National Security Agency has acknowledged in a new classified briefing that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, disclosed this week that during a secret briefing to members of Congress, he was told that the contents of a phone call could be accessed "simply based on an analyst deciding that."

If the NSA wants "to listen to the phone," an analyst's decision is sufficient, without any other legal authorization required, Nadler said he learned. "I was rather startled," said Nadler, an attorney and congressman who serves on the House Judiciary committee.

Comment: The United States of America, the land of Big Brother and communist style surveillance.

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Pentagon bracing for public dissent over climate and energy shocks
NSA Prism is motivated in part by fears that environmentally-linked disasters could spur anti-government activism
Guardian, 14th June 2013
[...] Other documents show that the "extraordinary emergencies" the Pentagon is worried about include a range of environmental and related disasters. In 2006, the US National Security Strategy warned that:

"Environmental destruction, whether caused by human behavior or cataclysmic mega-disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or tsunamis. Problems of this scope may overwhelm the capacity of local authorities to respond, and may even overtax national militaries, requiring a larger international response." [..]

The Pentagon knows that environmental, economic and other crises could provoke widespread public anger toward government and corporations in coming years. The revelations on the NSA's global surveillance programmes are just the latest indication that as business as usual creates instability at home and abroad, and as disillusionment with the status quo escalates, Western publics are being increasingly viewed as potential enemies that must be policed by the state.

Comment: So controllers fully expect "a high-magnitude natural disaster" and combatting desperate people with nothing to lose because the United States is not the sort of nation that cares about people with nothing. The sense from this and many other similar news reports is that shooting people dead and burying them in mass graves is the best disaster visited folk can expect. If this is not the case, then why do U.S. government agencies just keep buying millions billions of bullets? DHS Claims Billions of Bullets Purchased Were “Clerical Error” & National Weather Service buying hollow point bullets? .

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Atomic Weights Tweaked for 5 Elements
Live Science, 14th June 2013
Standard atomic weights, those numbers emblazoned under the elements on the periodic table, were once thought of as unchanging constants of nature.

But researchers have tweaked the atomic weights of five elements — magnesium, bromine, germanium, indium and mercury — in a new table published by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

To calculate standard atomic weight, scientists have traditionally averaged the weights of the stable variations of an element known as isotopes. [...]

Standard atomic weight also depends on how common an element's stable isotopes are. In other words, the more plentiful an isotope, the more it will influence the average. But the abundance of an isotope can also vary from place to place on Earth, leading to differences in an element's atomic weight depending on its context. [...]

The changes aren't unprecedented. In 2010, the IUPAC replaced standard atomic weights with intervals for hydrogen, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur, chlorine and thallium. Elements like fluorine, aluminum, sodium and gold have just one stable isotope and thus do not exhibit variations in their atomic weights.

Comment: Hmmm.... I think the interesting part is: why are isotopes varying around Earth to the extent that this can no longer be ignored? Well, I think the problem is due to cosmic rays and space weather.

"Nuclear reactions triggered by cosmic rays can alter the isotopic composition of not only nonterrestrial but also terrestrial materials. This effect in terrestrial samples is normally negligible, mainly because of effective shielding against cosmic rays by the Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere."
T. B. COPLEN, ATOMIC WEIGHTS OF THE ELEMENTS 1999, 2001 IUPAC, Pure and Applied Chemistry 73, 667–683

The problem is we no longer have effective shielding, the European Space Agency have been kind enough to tell us Earth's magnetic cosmic shield is sometimes full of holes but have declined to tell us specifically just what percentage of the time the inhabitants of Earth are being fried with cosmic rays. Whatever, this seems to be in line with other elements and scientific parameters changing. So, do we have more solid evidence that the very basis of our reality is changing? Is the answer blowing in the solar, cosmic and galactic wind?

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Siberia: Scorching Sun To Snow Storm In A Day
Residents in a Siberian town were shocked to see heavy snow just one day after temperatures had hit 30C.
Sky News, 14th June 2013
Surely, this means atmospheric conditions were in a total state of chaos?

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UFOs & Billionaires
High Strangeness, 14th June 2013
This is just an amusing read about UFO Disclosure.

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Green Fireballs & Project Twinkle
The Big Study, 13th June 2013
[...] Out in the real world, more sky invasions. This included the to-this-day mystery of the Green Fireballs. These things were like meteor fireballs but the wrong color [a sort of light lime green] and looking, even to VERY experienced meteor observers, as if they were often "flying horizontally". The really bad part of this was that they were doing whatever they were doing over the Atomic Energy Commission's secret labs at Los Alamos, Sandia, and, shortly, Oak Ridge. The potential significance of that was not lost by the people working there, nor the military in charge.

Right at the top of these power structures the alarms were going off, and the complaints began moving towards the Pentagon. General Cabell was once again reaping a stinking mess from the policy that the Pentagon had sown.

It appears as if it was the Atomic Energy Commission who had enough weight to get the Air Force to move at all. But the Pentagon apparently didn't trust Wright-Patterson to do this job, and with reluctance spent a little money to form Project Twinkle out of their Cambridge [MA] Research Labs.

Twinkle with woefully little real money and support accomplished little. It did track a few objects. Previously a local commander had sanctioned a plane to fly a "dustcatcher" along the route of a green fireball, and the analysis showed unusual copper content in that dust. These were the sorts of things [plus radiation detector arrays and regular watch groups with the sorts of scopes used to track missile launches, etc] that the local commanders and scientists wanted done. Almost none of it was.

Comment: I am very pleased to find this info...

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Confessions of a Sociopath
She's a successful law professor and a Sunday school teacher, with a host of family and friends. But her interpersonal calculus centers on how to manipulate and outmaneuver the many people in her life. Welcome to a world of ruthless cost-benefit analysis, charm, and grandiosity.
Psychology Today, 19th May 2013
[...] You would like me if you met me. I have the kind of smile that is common among television show characters and rare in real life, perfect in its sparkly teeth dimensions and ability to express pleasant invitation. I'm the sort of date you would love to take to your ex's wedding—fun, exciting, the perfect office escort. And I'm just the right amount of successful so that your parents would be thrilled if you brought me home.

Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of my confidence is the way I sustain eye contact. Some people have called it the "predator stare." Sociopaths are unfazed by uninterrupted eye contact. Our failure to look away politely is also perceived as being aggressive or seductive. It can throw people off balance, but often in an exciting way that imitates the unsettling feeling of infatuation. Do you ever find yourself using charm and confidence to get people to do things for you that they otherwise wouldn't? Some might call it manipulation, but I like to think I'm using what God gave me.

Comment: This is a good read.... I love an honest sociopath... For me I feel relieved that I now understand the modus operandi of the most shitty people I have come across in my life and why I am bothered by a constant stream of narcissists that I can only refuse to accomodate.

• Understanding the Sociopath: Cause, Motivation, Relationship
  Psychology Today, 2nd April 2013
  

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Speedy evolution may help sea urchins survive
Futurity, 14th June 2013
Rapid adaptation could be sea urchins’ primary weapon against acidification and climate change as the carbon content of the ocean increases. [...]

To observe the potential effects of future increased levels of carbon dioxide in ocean water, researchers bred generations of purple sea urchins in conditions mimicking projected environment of the ocean in near the end of the century. “We exposed them to 1,100 parts per million of carbon dioxide,” Kelly says.[...]

While the larvae reared under the future carbon dioxide levels were, on average, smaller, the researchers also noted a wide variation in size, indicating that some of these larvae—the ones that remained the same size as they would have under today’s conditions—had inherited a tolerance for higher CO2 levels.

Size is an important trait. It’s tied to feeding rate and the risk of being eaten by other creatures. The animals that can withstand higher CO2 levels in the ocean will leave more offspring than their weaker counterparts. This natural selection, coupled with the finding that variation in size under more acidic conditions is heritable, points to the rapid evolution of the purple urchin.

“This is what allows us to predict that this species will evolve increased tolerance—as CO2 rises, urchins that have greater tolerance will have a better chance of survival, and they will pass on their greater tolerance to their offspring,” Kelly says.

Comment: These marine biologists have already done the experiments and they fully expect sea urchins to quickly evolve to cope with a changing environment.

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CRYPTOZOOLOGY IN THE VATICAN
Shuker Nature, 11th June 2013
A few years ago, a friend bought me a wonderful little book entitled And To Every Beast..., one in a series of beautifully-illustrated thematic mini-volumes collectively entitled Treasures of the Vatican Library. All of them combine biblical quotations with illustrations selected from various tomes or manuscripts held in the vast collection of the Vatican's library (which contains over one million printed books, as well as 150,000 manuscripts and some 100,000 prints). [...]

Whoever would have guessed that the Vatican was such a rich repository of cryptozoological and zoomythological exotica? And if you can obtain a copy of And To Every Beast..., please do so, because it's a thoroughly delightful, beautiful little book – highly recommended!!!

Comment: For lots of reasons, the study of cryptozoology by Vatican scholars will give some pause for thought... I was quite intrigued by the frog with horns but the other images are equally fascinating.

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Yahoo Was Reportedly Forced To Join PRISM By A Secret Court
Huffington Post, 14th June 2013
Yahoo fought PRISM, and PRISM won. Court records obtained by The New York Times show that Yahoo had fought back against the National Security Agency's broad requests for user data in 2008. The company, which provides email service to hundreds of millions of people, argued that the order violated Yahoo account holders' constitutional right against unreasonable searches and seizures. The secret court didn't buy Yahoo's argument, and compelled the company to give the NSA digitally stored email and photos at its beck and call.

Since the bombshell revelation of NSA's so-called PRISM program last week, the public has learned more about how the nine participating Internet companies let the government collect broad swaths of personal information from Internet users for national security purposes. The secret 2008 decision seemed to put a dark cloud over Silicon Valley: cooperate with the government to fight terrorism abroad, or you'll find yourself in court.

Comment: Secret courts?

• U.S. Agencies Said to Swap Data With Thousands of Firms
  Bloomberg, 14th June 2013
  

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US warns of cyberattacks targeting medical devices
RT News, 14th June 2013
The FDA is warning that implanted medical devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, are often connected to networks that are vulnerable to cyber attacks that could shut down or manipulate the machinery.

Hackers with malicious intentions could introduce malware into the equipment, thereby gaining access to configure settings in medical devices or hospital networks, the Food and Drug Administration said in a warning sent to hospitals, medical device manufacturers, user facilities, and biomedical engineers.

“Over the past year, we’ve become increasingly aware of cyber security vulnerabilities in incidents that have been reported to us,” William Maisel, deputy director for science at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, told Reuters. “Hundreds of medical devices have been affected, involving dozens of manufacturers.”

Comment: I don't believe this story, secure encryption is available and that is why the US government has to take major companies to secret courts to get them to hand over data.. So, anyone who understands the implications of space weather and the ensuing geomagnetic chaos as I have been documenting on my News of the Imbalance Blog will realise there is good reason for warning people about medical devices being hacked. If authorities can't even keep jail locks from unopening what else do you think is going to happen? See archives, Best of the Blog - Space Weather, Electronics & Electromagnetic Chaos . Btw it is not all bad, I have received one email informing me that a pacemaker had naturally re-charged itself...

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Jeb Bush: ‘More fertile’ immigrants needed to care for aging Americans
Raw Story, 14th June 2013
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) told a conservative conference on Friday that comprehensive immigration reform could be turn around a trend of lower birth rates in the U.S. because “immigrants are more fertile.”

“Demography is destiny,” Bush explained to the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference. “We’re going to have fewer workers taking care of a larger number of people that the country has a social contract with to be able to allow them to retire with dignity and purpose. We cannot do that with the fertility rates that we have in our country. We’re below break-even today.”

“The one way that we can rebuild the demographic pyramid is to fix a broken immigration system to allow for people to come, to learn English, to play by our rules, to embrace our values and to pursue their dreams in our country with a vengeance, to create more opportunities for all of us,” he continued. “This is a conservative idea.”

Comment: Wow... It seems the low sperm count crisis is now becoming an issue and the talking heads have been briefed to talk-up the benefits of the normally dispised immigrant. However, how does this work when there are already huge numbers of unemployed people desperate for decent well paying jobs that have disappeared overseas due to cheap labour forces? Well, there being no money available to pay the pensions of the babyboomers is a major problem that needs to be rectified, maybe they should tax the rich and start sorting out the poor infrastructure too ...

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12 Reasons Why The Met Office Is Alarmed
WUWT, 14th June 2013
The Met Office’s temperature forecasts issued in 12 out of the last 13 years have been too warm. None of the forecasts issued ended up too cold. That makes the errors systemic and significant.

Comment: This is a listing of recent major Met Office forecasts and damning "Reality Check" headlines. Whatever, the Met Office "pow wow" headlines suggest the great and the good are going to sit around the table and lament just how awful the weather has been in recent years but this not what will happen as the "disappointing weather" is not the problem. The fundamental issues are that the weather is failing to cooperate with the global warming scaremongering. Furthermore, what is obvious is that weather men cannot accurately forecast the weather because they do not understand what causes the weather from first principles. This has been accerbated by the dramatic impact of space weather. Prof Paul Song, who directs UMass Lowell’s Center for Atmospheric Research states, “Predicting space weather is the next frontier in weather forecasting”, (see archives) So we know that a few in the academic world have been charged with sorting out this academic failing. Whatever happens, even if meteorologists learn how to do proper forecasting, as we are seeing climate change, then the weather is going to continue being extreme and erratic.

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Met Office to hold summit on unusual UK weather
The Met Office is to hold an emergency meeting of experts to discuss the increasingly unusual weather in the UK, it has been reported.
Telegraph, 13th June 2013
It follows the coldest spring in more than 50 years, as well as droughts and floods in 2012 and the freezing winter of 2010.

Climate scientists and meteorologists will travel to the forecaster's headquarters in Exeter on Tuesday for the unprecedented meeting. Attendees are expected to debate whether the changing weather pattern in the UK, and in northern Europe, is because of climate change or simply variable weather.

A Met Office spokesman told the Guardian: "We have seen a run of unusual seasons in the UK and northern Europe, such as the cold winter of 2010, last year's wet weather and the cold spring this year. "This may be nothing more than a run of natural variability, but there may be other factors impacting our weather.

Comment: Since it is now over 17 years with no significant gobal warming see, No significant warming for 17 years 4 months and some real dismal prospects due to the recent low solar activity, meteorology is in crisis. Due to the reach of the internet, it is impossible to believe that climate scientists and meteorologists have not been severely embarrassed by the widespread chatter on the internet. The upsurpers are lesser mortals with laptops and not supercomputers who are doing a far better job in predicting the weather and weather trends that are ultimate related to climate studies. All talk of "global warming" is looking banal, especially as the realisation hits that the UK is now facing a crop production crisis.

• Met Office brainstorms UK bad weather
  Guardian News, 13th June 2013
  [...] Tuesday's meeting at the forecaster's HQ in Exeter is being convened in response to this year's cool spring, which, according to official records, was the coldest in 50 years.
  
  The one-day gathering will be led by Stephen Belcher, head of the Met Office Hadley Centre and professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, and will include up to 20 experts from the UK's leading climate research institutions.
  
  The "roundtable workshop" will attempt to outline the "dynamical drivers of the cold spring of 2013", but attendees are expected also to debate the "disappointing summers of the last seven years".
  

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‘Game changer’ – Antarctic melt due to warm water, not air temperature
WUWT, 13th June 2013
UC Irvine found that ocean currents cause most of the observed melt, so air temperature really isn’t much of an issue.

Warm ocean drives most Antarctic ice shelf loss, UC Irvine and others show

Findings are a game changer for future forecasts about thawing continent

Irvine, Calif. – Ocean waters melting the undersides of Antarctic ice shelves, not icebergs calving into the sea, are responsible for most of the continent’s ice loss, a study by UC Irvine and others has found.

The first comprehensive survey of all Antarctic ice shelves discovered that basal melt, or ice dissolving from underneath, accounted for 55 percent of shelf loss from 2003 to 2008 – a rate much higher than previously thought. Ice shelves, floating extensions of glaciers, fringe 75 percent of the vast, frozen continent.

The findings, to be published in the June 14 issue of Science, will help scientists improve projections of how Antarctica, which holds about 60 percent of the planet’s freshwater locked in its massive ice sheet, will respond to a warming ocean and contribute to sea level rise.

Comment: It is very interesting that in the comments here there is very little discussion of the HUGE increase in undersea volcanoes around the globe. The recent discoveries of undersea volcanoes melting some parts of the Antarctica ice cap but overall there is still an increase in ice, needs to be thought about in the context of scientists worrying about where the "global warming" has gone. Personally, I would like to thank Robert Felix (Ice Age Now) in his writings who has been pointing out the role of volcanoes in determining climate change.

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Okla. congressman wants Obama apology for spending 30x more on global warming than weather forecasting and warning
Maddow MSNBC, 12th June 2013
About three weeks after a deadly tornado slammed Oklahoma, one of the state's Republican congressmen, Jim Bridenstine, wants an apology from President Obama. Is Bridenstine upset about a possible misstep from FEMA? Was a promise not kept? Were locals snubbed in some way? No, as it turns out, Bridenstine wants a presidential apology for a different reason entirely.

Comment: The headline was picked up at junkscience.com. I expect this will be the first of many similar demands as the new frequency of extreme weather becomes apparent and people start to get really exasperated.

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The Sun has a strange magnetic outbreak
spaceweather.com, 13th June 2013
AN OUTBREAK OF MAGNETIC FILAMENTS: The sunspot number may be low, but the sun is far from blank. Amateur astronomers monitoring the sun report a large number of magnetic filaments snaking across the solar disk. Sergio Castillo captured more than half a dozen in this picture he sends from his backyard observatory in Inglewood, California:

"Filaments are popping up all over the solar surface," says Castillo. "Each one has a unique shape and length." The longest one, in the sun's southern hemisphere stretches, more than 400,000 km from end to end. "It's one of the longest filamentary structures I have ever seen," says veteran observer Bob Runyan of Shelton, Nebraska.

If any of the filaments collapses, it could hit the stellar surface and explode, producing a Hyder flare. Filaments can also become unstable and erupt outward, hurling pieces of themselves into space. Either way, astronomers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.

Comment: Lets just watch and see what happens...

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The biggest threat to the global economy could come from outer space
Quartz, 12th June 2013
Imagine waking up just after midnight to a sky so bright you swear it must be early morning. Imagine seeing the Northern Lights as far south as Cuba or Hawaii. Imagine that the same phenomena behind both has also generated electric fields in the ground strong enough to power small electronics. That’s what happened in 1859, when the earth was struck by the most severe geomagnetic storm ever recorded.

Forget asset bubbles, recessions, or hurricanes—space weather could prove far more economically harmful. A severe geomagnetic storm—a sudden, violent eruption of gas and magnetic fields from the sun’s surface—could prove particularly devastating. If the 1859 storm, known as the “Carrington event,” were to recur today it could cause trillions of dollars in economic damage and take years to recover from, according to estimates. The sun would sneeze and the economy could shatter.

Comment: I am so glad that many parts of the mainstream media have some interest in reality...

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NSA surveillance played little role in foiling terror plots, experts say
Obama administration says NSA data helped make arrests in two important cases – but critics say that simply isn't true
Guardian, 12th June 2013
Lawyers and intelligence experts with direct knowledge of two intercepted terrorist plots that the Obama administration says confirm the value of the NSA's vast data-mining activities have questioned whether the surveillance sweeps played a significant role, if any, in foiling the attacks.

The defence of the controversial data collection operations, highlighted in a series of Guardian disclosures over the past week, has been led by Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, and her equivalent in the House, Mike Rogers. The two politicians have attempted to justify the NSA's use of vast data sweeps such as Prism and Boundless Informant by pointing to the arrests and convictions of would-be New York subway bomber Najibullah Zazi in 2009 and David Headley, who is serving a 35-year prison sentence for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Comment: It looks to me from this article that the U.S. intelligence agencies are at war... I think we have already been told by Snowden what PRISM is about. The American government (but maybe even a secret shadow government, who knows?) want the right to store individuals personal electronic based information on anyone in the world (if they can get the data) and then be in a position to be able to use this information to go digging for dirt. This means that anyone can be blackmailed or framed if possible, at any time in the future or even have their character blackened by their past associates becoming known.... The fact that other intelligence agencies have stated that data-mining through Prism and other NSA programmes does not have great merit in the instances the Obama Administration have cited to prove their affectiveness in counteracting terrorism, combined with Snowden's concerns should at least get thinkers thinking and quick thinkers totally alarmed...

• Senators challenge NSA's claim to have foiled 'dozens' of terror attacks
  Mark Udall and Ron Wyden – critics of NSA's surveillance – say they want proof that programs have disrupted plots against US
  Guardian, 13th June 2013
  Maybe senators have wised-up to the weapons of mass destruction level of 'proof'...
  

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'Gay lobby' in the Vatican, says Pope Francis
Pope Francis has admitted that a "gay lobby" exists within the Vatican's administration and is planning to take action about it, according to reports.
Telegraph News, 11th June 2013
The Pontiff supposedly made the claim during an audience last Thursday at the Vatican with a group of Latin American priests and nuns. "Yes, it is difficult," he reportedly said. "In the Curia there are holy people, truly holy people. But there is also a current of corruption, also there is, it is true ... they speak of a 'gay lobby' and that is true, it is there ... we will have to see what we can do."

Comment: This is not really news, just acknowledgement of what the current Pope Francis is prepared to admit to a few, who have then run along to the media... Actually, I first saw this story at the Vatican Crimes website, after reading the different but related story Ex-Archbishop of Archdiocese of Miami accused of leading Secret Gay Cabal of Rampant Sex, Embezzlement, Hedonism, Alcoholism during his 16 year tenure and I was sickened by all the other headlines there... This whole website is just full of Catholic abuse stories and general sanctimonious filth so I was going to ignore the story, but a day later I decided I must be going soft in my old age... After some consideration, I decided there was a need to inform and explain to anyone interested about the source of the power of one of the oldest institutions on the planet. As I try to explain in my writings, there are cyclical occurrences of periods of massive evolutionary change. This is known to a few who have retained ancient knowledge concerning 'The Signs Of The Times'. The Vatican has MASSIVE archives of historical documents, some of these documents nobody outside of the Catholic Church are allowed to see, not even Presidents of the United States... This is very relevant when the world elite know for a fact that, 'Knowledge is Power'. It must be very obvious to lots of people that modern religious institutions have very little to do with anything Divine and lots to do with controller/predatory types who see religion as an easy way to grab some power. If you read the history books, the administrative hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church have never been very holy... The difference today is the Church has been stripped of its power to kill and murder its opponents and stiffle dissenters. Word spreads very fast in the modern media communications/internet age and the hypocrisy and vileness of these people is impossible to hide. Those institutions who rely on sanctimonious 'blessings' from these hypocritical monsters are in a terrible situation as the largely completely out of control religious mafia today appear greatly perverted to those who actually understand the Christian concepts of temperance, moderation and virtue.

• Pope Francis ‘appoints management consultant’ to advise on reform of Roman Curia
  Catholic Herald, 13th June 2013
  

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'Spooky' caterpillars shroud trees in cobwebs
Trees and shrubs around the country have been shrouded in cobwebs due to a mystery plague of caterpillars.
Telegraph, 12th June 2013
The ermine moth caterpillars emerge when the weather gets warm and spin a cobweb over the trees to protect them from birds.

The high numbers this year could be because the cold winter has killed off predators like ladybirds. The cherry trees in Jesus Green, Cambridge have been stripped by the caterpillars and are now covered in a fine white cobweb.

Comment: A caterpillar plague in the UK...

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NSA surveillance: anger mounts in Congress at 'spying on Americans'
After a closed-door briefing of the House of Representatives, lawmakers call for a review of the Patriot Act Guardian News, 12th June 2013
Anger was mounting in Congress on Tuesday night as politicians, briefed for the first time after revelations about the government's surveillance dragnet, vowed to rein in a system that one said amounted to "spying on Americans".

Intelligence chiefs and FBI officials had hoped that the closed-door briefing with a full meeting of the House of Representatives would help reassure members about the widespread collection of US phone records revealed by the Guardian.

But senior figures from both parties emerged from the meeting alarmed at the extent of a surveillance program that many claimed never to have heard of until whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked a series of top-secret documents.

Comment: They say timing is everything... If this had happened 6 months ago there might not have been such a furore. However, since the recent IRS revelations where it looks like the Obama Administration directed the IRS to target political opponents, something that most normal people realise is heinous, the political darkness is at record levels and a major bloodletting exercise is about to start. Whatever, these big internet companies now have a serious credibility problem... I suspect the problem is that it is very difficult for the government to defend their actions as we must assume that the secrecy surrounding the PRISM spy system is due to the unlawful activity...

• 27 Edward Snowden Quotes About U.S. Government Spying That Should Send A Chill Up Your Spine
  theeconomiccollapseblog.com, 10th June 2013
  [...] “There is a reason why government whistleblowers are so rare. And most Americans are so apathetic that they wouldn't even give up watching their favorite television show for a single evening to do something good for society. Most Americans never even try to make a difference because they do not believe that it will benefit them personally. Meanwhile, our society continues to fall apart all around us.” [...]
  
  #11 "Even if you're not doing anything wrong, you're being watched and recorded. ...it's getting to the point where you don't have to have done anything wrong, you simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody, even by a wrong call, and then they can use this system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you've ever made, every friend you've ever discussed something with, and attack you on that basis, to sort of derive suspicion from an innocent life."
  
  Personally, I don't think the problem is specific to Americans... I think quote #11 is the most frightening and insidious...
  
  
• NSA scandal: Twitter and Microsoft join calls to disclose data requests
  Technology companies want government's permission to give public a more detailed list of demands for data from their servers
  Guardian News, 12th June 2013
  Microsoft and Twitter have joined calls by Google and Facebook to be able to publish more detail about how many secret requests they receive to hand over user data under the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa).
  
  "Permitting greater transparency on the aggregate volume and scope of national security requests, including Fisa orders, would help the community understand and debate these important issues," Microsoft said in an emailed statement to the Reuters news agency.
  

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Unusually massive line of storms may affect 1 in 5 Americans
Fox News, 12th June 2013
A gigantic line of powerful thunderstorms could affect one in five Americans on Wednesday as it rumbles from Iowa to Maryland packing hail, lightning and tree-toppling winds. Meteorologist are warning that the continuous line of storms may even spawn an unusual weather event called a derecho, which is a massive storm of strong straight-line winds spanning at least 240 miles. Wednesday's storms are also likely to generate tornadoes and cause power outages that will be followed by oppressive heat, said Bill Bunting, operations chief at the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

Comment: Hmmm... The wild weather in the United States just seems to be continuous at the moment, hardly time to clean up before the next disaster strikes...

• Massive storm system that battered Midwest surges toward Mid-Atlantic
  Fox News, 13th June 2013
  
  
• WeatherAction Top Red, R5, period ~10-12 June "A brilliant call" - storms sweeping USA (10/11th....) on cue likely* to become a 'Derecho' - giant storm.
  Weatheraction.com, 13th June 2013
  *"WeatherAction view (10/11th) is that AccuWeather USA 'Derecho possible' warning is DERECHO LIKELY because we are in a top Red R5 period. "Similarly the storms hitting Ireland, Britain and Europe which we predicted in detail in the Br+Ir 45d forecast issued mid-May will exceed the expectations of standard meteorology** "There will also be many severe weather events around the world 10-12 June" - Piers Corbyn
  
  Comment: I do not subscribe to weatheraction.com but I think it is important to acknowledge this work especially as establishment meteorologists are struggling.
  

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Michael Bloomberg calls for New York flood barriers and levees after Sandy
New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg has unveiled plans for the city to defend itself against a crippling repeat of Hurricane Sandy with a major network of anti-flood fortifications including removable storm barriers, levees and sand-dunes.
Telegraph, 12th June 2013
Mr Bloomberg, an outspoken believer that climate change fuelled the impact of last year's superstorm, said that the number of New Yorkers living in flood-threatened areas would more than double to 800,000 by 2050.

Low-lying districts were deluged by a record 14ft tidal surge when Sandy hit the city. The mayor said that rising sea levels, expected to increase by six inches in the next decade, meant that New York would be increasingly exposed to future storms.

He called the city's plan to counter climate changes the most ambitious in the world. Critics have accused him of exaggerating the threats for political purposes.

Comment: It seems the rich and powerful are waking up to the reality of climate change and realising their greed and lack of foresight may no longer be sustainable.... (The New York Stock Exchange being inoperable after Superstorm Sandy must have focused a few obtuse minds.) The critics must still be oblivious to the seriousness of dramatically changing climate and erratic weather.

• New Climate Data Depict a City More at Risk
  New York Times, 10th June 2013
  The Bloomberg administration on Monday issued new warnings about New York City’s vulnerability to climate change, offering updated data to encourage businesses, residents and perhaps even future mayors to better prepare against hotter weather, fiercer storms and increased rainfall.
  
  
• NYC: Quarter 'Could Be Flood Zone By 2050s'
  Sky News, 11th June 2013
  
  
• Bloomberg’s Climate Fantasy
  WUWT, 11th June 2013
  The data doesn’t support him. The temperature rise seems to have slowed in the past few years, here is NYC’s Central Park data:
  Of course the climate skeptics have got something to say...
  

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Kitten with two faces born in Oregon – video
Guardian, 12th June 2013
A kitten that has two faces was born in Amity, Oregon, on Tuesday. The animal, who meows loudly from both mouths, has just one body and set of organs. Owner Stephanie Durkee says she thought her children had made a mistake when they told her a cat with two heads had been born

Comment: The Roman god Janus is an ancient, composite and obscure god who is associated with doorways, beginnings, and transitions. Based on easily available research, we must conclude that the ancients translated the memory of a period of cosmic transition into a deity and then esoteric trappings were then built around the original edifice. Presumably, just as we are experiencing today, Earth's cosmic magnetic shield declined, cosmic rays increased and due to DNA mutations, there was an incease in two-faced animals and humans (see archives for other stories). This also relates to the increase in white animals and the similar explanation retained within indigenous folklore that this is associated with global transitions and new eras (aeons) driven by changes in Earth's cosmic environment (see archives).

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Simple theory may explain dark matter
Phys.Org News, 10th June 2013
Most of the matter in the universe may be made out of particles that possess an unusual, donut-shaped electromagnetic field called an anapole.

This proposal, which endows dark matter particles with a rare form of electromagnetism, has been strengthened by a detailed analysis performed by a pair of theoretical physicists at Vanderbilt University: Professor Robert Scherrer and post-doctoral fellow Chiu Man Ho. An article about the research was published online last month by the journal Physics Letters B.

"There are a great many different theories about the nature of dark matter. What I like about this theory is its simplicity, uniqueness and the fact that it can be tested," said Scherrer.

In the article, titled "Anapole Dark Matter," the physicists propose that dark matter, an invisible form of matter that makes up 85 percent of the all the matter in the universe, may be made out of a type of basic particle called the Majorana fermion. The particle's existence was predicted in the 1930's but has stubbornly resisted detection. [...]

"Most models for dark matter assume that it interacts through exotic forces that we do not encounter in everyday life. Anapole dark matter makes use of ordinary electromagnetism that you learned about in school – the same force that makes magnets stick to your refrigerator or makes a balloon rubbed on your hair stick to the ceiling," said Scherrer.

Comment: Basically, these physicists are suggesting a simple solution that talks about reinterpreting the basic laws of electromagnetism that some physicists confess that we don't understand properly anyway... This sounds very positive to me...

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Garage-door glitch: Army radio technology locks out Georgia homeowners
Washington Times, 11th June 2013
Fort Gordon in Georgia is getting a new military radio upgrade — and area residents aren’t happy. They report a side effect of the system upgrade is leaving them locked out of their garages.

Apparently, the military’s radio system is jamming remote-control garage-door-opener signals, The Associated Press reported.

Reports of the stopped-up garages began filtering in to military personnel last week, the Augusta Chronicle reported. That’s coincidentally the time that Fort Gordon started upgrading its land-to-mobile radios to a 390 megahertz bandwidth — the same frequency used by remote controllers for garage doors, AP said.

The lockout has hit nearly 500 residents, who brought their concerns to their garage-door dealer, Overhead Door Co. of Augusta.

Comment: How can this be caused by a military upgrade when it means the military must be using a frequency that is used to open garage doors? This is not the first example of the exact same issue so maybe a proper explanation is required.

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Woman missing in Washington state forest after going on naked 'spiritual quest' with nothing but a fanny pack
Daily Mail, 11th June 2013
* Maureen Kelly, 19, has been missing in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest since Sunday night
* Kelly has a small knife and a compass with her—but nothing else
* Search crews are flummoxed how Kelly navigated the steep and mountainous area where she disappeared wearing no shoes or clothes

Authorities are searching for a Washington woman who was last seen walking away from a campground in nothing but a fanny pack to go on a 'spiritual quest'. Maureen Kelly, 19, went missing early Sunday night from the Canyon Creek Campground in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington, according to KPTV.

A friend told the Skamania County Sheriff's office that Kelly left the campsite to go on a naked 'spiritual quest' with nothing but a fanny pack, but she never returned.

Comment: The Fox 12 Oregon report says:

"It's super cold at night and without clothes. I really don't see how it's possible," said camper Liz Newland. "There are bears out here, mountain lions, there's any number of things that could get you out here. Landslides are prominent out here," said another camper, Jessica Herman."
Search for missing naked woman now in second day,
Fox 12 Oregon, 10th June 2013

This is just another example of a New Ager who has lost their mind. I will look out for reports to find out whether they find her dead or alive. The real question is: why do so few people point out the nonsense? I suppose the answer is that the New Age cult mindset is just too widespread. People are either being taken in or finding new opportunities to exploit the vulnerable.

• Search suspended for missing naked woman in the woods
  Fox 12 Oregon, 12th June 2013
  

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After Outage, Critical Weather Satellite Back Online
Weather Underground, 10th June 2013
One of NOAA's most important weather satellites returned to normal service last week, nearly a month after a micrometeroid struck the satellite and knocked it slightly off its path in orbit around the Earth.

Tests showed the GOES-13 satellite likely took a hit in the arm of its solar array panel on May 22, which shifted the satellite off its "delicate, geostationary balance" over the eastern United States, NOAA reported in a press release June 6.

The impact forced the satellite to shut down immediately, which alerted NOAA engineers to put the GOES-13 into safe mode while they studied what went wrong. The collision was determined not to have damaged the satellite's instruments or the satellite itself.

Comment: Wow... So now we know, the GOES-13 weather satellite was hit by a meteoroid... That is quite interesting, but at least weather men can get back to normal service warning folk about the next extreme weather event coming their way...

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The NSA’s Prism leak could fundamentally change or break the entire internet
Extreme Tech, 10th June 2013
[..] Despite the focus on domestic implications, Prism is a system specifically designed to eavesdrop on foreign Internet traffic flowing through the United States — the NSA even says so.

Comment: Things are now going to change and the big Internet names will be made to suffer.

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US lawmakers call for review of Patriot Act after NSA surveillance revelations
White House insists it welcomes 'appropriate debate' after Republican leadership questions implementation of security act Guardian, 10th June 2013
The White House has said it would consider congressional calls to review the Patriot Act after conceding that revelations over the scale of US surveillance activity had sparked "an appropriate debate".

The legislation, which was introduced after the 9/11 attacks, has been cited as the legal basis for the National Security Agency scouring billions of ordinary US telephone records in an effort to combat terrorism.

But even one it authors, Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, has questioned whether the act has been misapplied in the cases revealed to the Guardian by former CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Comment: Here is the latest: Live coverage of all today's developments After the IRS scandal where non Democrats were targetted because of their political affiliations, how on Earth can folk believe that a secret government spy surveillance system is not going to be used against them? You don't have to be that intelligent to work out this is an attempt to reach the most feared Big Brother 1984 omnipresent state of government control dreamed about by George Orwell. Things are so bad that even the biggest Obama supporters are appalled. The prospects look grim for the biggest internet companies involved who agreed to let the government have its own key for the back door so that they can spy on folk in other countries! Americans would have to be really stupid to let this stand...

• 'Barack Obama Is a Liar!': Left-Wing Talk Show Flips Out at President on Air
  Breitbart News, 10th June 2013
  
  
• "Obama Is BIG BROTHER And He's A LIAR!"
  YouTube, 6th June 2013
  Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks is very upset and he was previously a big Obama supporter, so I think he realises he has been betrayed.... At about 5 minutes, he keeps repeating that Obama is a liar... The Young Turks have 964,000 YouTube subscribers... Oh dear!
  
  
• Sales of George Orwell’s ’1984' up 69 percent on Amazon
  Washington Examiner, 10th June 2013
  Update: As of 3:22 p.m. EDT, sales of Orwell's "1984" are up 91 percent on the Amazon Movers and Shakers list.
  Update II: As of 10:16 p.m. EDT, sales of Orwell's "1984" are up 126 percent on the Amazon list. The sales rank is now at 71 - up from 161.
  It looks like the sales increase depends on the version being sold by Amazon. One copy has jumped 3379% when I looked today, see Amazon Movers and Shakers.
  
  
• Edward Snowden has blown the whistle on this presidency. You have to wonder: Will Obama see out his full term?
  Telegraph Blog, 11th June 2013
  [...] Suddenly the worse-than-Watergate rhetoric doesn't seem overblown. And I do wonder: can a president who's presided over, and possibly encouraged, Chinese-style surveillance of The Land of the Free honestly expect to serve out his full term?
  

Alex Jones's appearance turned Sunday Politics into Beadle's About
Bilderberg was meant to be debated, but by booking the US shock jock the production team opted for a bellowing shambles
Guardian News, 10th June 2013
[...] But the Sunday Politics didn't want a discussion. They wanted chaos, so they booked a volcano. Barely for a second did the programme stray into a critique of the event itself. The whole sequence, from start to finish, was deliberately shaped to discredit any serious discussion of a conference which takes itself seriously enough to spend millions of pounds on security.

[...] "It's like Christmas for conspiracy theorists," grinned Neil, introducing a short video package about this year's conference. No mention made of all the mainstream press that turned up (Reuters, AP, the Times, Telegraph, Channel 4 News, BBC London News, Sky News, Daily Mail, many others) – or the fact that the report itself was shot in a press area, a first for the conference. It was just a chance to giggle at the crazies.

Comment: Interestingly, there are quite a few articles about the reason for bringing Alex Jones onto national UK TV. It seems there is a new consensus that Jones is now actively discrediting conspiracy theorists by his bizarre rants. Focusing on the loony element like Alex Jones is more important to some parts of the mainstream media than focusing on the genuine concern about this unelected elite Bilderberg group meeting with elected government officials to decide on their secret strategies...

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ICICI Bank glitch hits customers, shoppers
They could not withdraw money or shop for hours on Sunday
The Hindu, 10th June 2013
ICICI bank customers found themselves left high and dry for a while here on Sunday afternoon when they could neither withdraw money from the ATMs nor swipe their cards for transactions while shopping. [...] When contacted, ICICI sources said that a 13-minute technical glitch due to a snapping of a switch on Sunday afternoon led to failure of ICICI ATMs in the city.

Comment: So, here in India, the technical staff can provide the details immediately about what went wrong, but this ability is rare elsewhere around the globe....

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Dry Air Weather System Forms Over Atlantic Ocean? [VIDEO]
Satellite Captures a Rare Anomaly
Weather.com, 9th June 2013

Dr. Greg Forbes breaks down, what he calls a biggest dry upper low he has ever seen.

Comment: We are lurching from one extreme to the next... The image comes from Dr. Greg Forbes's Facebook page. Here is the current radar satellite image of water vapour at mid-levels of the atmosphere (about 12,000 feet), link. I am not a meteorologists but this is astounding to me... How can there be VIRTUALLY NO WATER VAPOUR in the atmosphere over an ocean? Apparently this strange dry air weather system is expected to generate some severe lightning storms.

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Satellite's malfunction casts new questions on accuracy of future weather forecasts
New Jersey, 9th June 2013
For a brief period on May 22, Dan Kottlowski’s view of the eastern Atlantic Ocean went dark, and as a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, that’s a problem. A satellite used for monitoring weather conditions had malfunctioned for the second time in a year, and suddenly Kottlowski’s ability to provide clear forecasts to hundreds of clients and the general public had been hampered.

"We really did not have any coverage for a period of time off the East Coast," Kottlowski said. "It put us in an awkward position." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but a bulletin posted on its website shows the satellite was restored to service last week after engineers were able to correct the problem and another satellite was repositioned to make up the gap — ultimately, no harm was done. But the incident has frayed nerves in the nation’s forecasting community, which worries that the federal government’s aging fleet of satellites is in danger of failing and more than $20 billion in planned replacements are not on the immediate horizon.

Comment: The weather is getting increasingly wild all over the planet and forecasting for extreme weather events should be given priority. Presumably, lots of rich people need to have their assets destroyed enough times to force some action.

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The Many Ways That Obama Has Been Spying On You
Motherboard, 7th June 2013
Planning on doing something online today? Or making a phone call, perhaps? Well, do it with a smile, because the National Security Agency will have a record of it. Over the last 24 hours, a pair of game-changing reports have revealed the truly stunning amount of data the federal government is collecting about your personal life. There's a lot of information swirling around now, so here's a handy guide to all of the things Obama's crew have gone big brother on. [...]

Obama has clearly expanded the surveillance activities instigated by George W. Bush, though he is not wiretapping phones outright like his predecessor. Still, his administration has overseen the most drastic expansion of surveillance by the state, perhaps in history. Our chat logs, status updates, phone records, even our video conference calls—they're all sitting in a massive database housed in a government-protected data center

Comment: From The Guardian article, Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations, Snowden implies that U.S. government spooks are looking for information that can be used to blackmail people in order to force people to work for the US government and he gives an example of a banker in Switzerland. As far as I am concerned, this is criminal activity but it is now common knowledge that this is how things are done in certain quarters... I suppose this is really business as usual.

• Tech Companies Concede to Surveillance Program
  New York Times, 7th June 2013
  "But instead of adding a back door to their servers, the companies were essentially asked to erect a locked mailbox and give the government the key, people briefed on the negotiations said. Facebook, for instance, built such a system for requesting and sharing the information, they said."
  Of course, folk have to trust that government insiders will not start selling information to their corporate friends...
  

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Space Storm Could Black Out US East Coast for Two Years - Expert
RIA NOVOSTI News, 5th June 2013
WASHINGTON, June 4 (by Karin Zeitvogel for RIA Novosti) – Severe space “weather” can knock out satellite communications and GPS systems, expose space tourists and astronauts to dangerous levels of radiation, and even cause massive blackouts on Earth that could last up to two years, scientists and NASA officials warned at a conference here on Tuesday.

A sun storm on the scale of one that happened in 1859, which was recorded by British brewer and amateur astronomer Richard Carrington, would potentially have sweeping consequences on huge population clusters in the United States, experts at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum said.

“The United States population that is at risk of an extended power outage from a Carrington-level storm is between 20-40 million, with an outage duration of possibly 16 days to one to two years,” said Kathryn Sullivan, the first woman to walk in space and now the acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which hosted Tuesday’s conference. [...]

“Space weather is not science Fiction, it is an established fact,” the Lloyds report said.

Comment: Well, I think the issue is: how do you reach people who are heavily conditioned or brainwashed into the belief that electricity is almost always available at a flick of a switch? Space weather experts realise that Earth's defenses are weak and deteriorating fast whilst an extreme solar storm is likely some time soon where a hundred million people (at least) could face the reality of no electricity available for two years. We live in a world where many people like to delude themselves and think positively. Others prefer to think about themselves and their own retirement funds but these folks can't comprehend that their retirement funds mean nothing when all the computer systems locally are inoperable as well as everything else... I am even wondering about the recommendation for people to think when society as a whole encourages people to react to threats rather than be proactive.... Well, an attempted knee-jerk reaction after an apocalyptic blow-out from the Sun will be too late. Due to the inertia, at this moment, the belief that a huge percentage of people will die seems most likely.

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Severe space weather event could have huge effect on insurance industry: Lloyd's
Canadian Underwriter News, 4th June 2013
A severe space weather event that causes major disruption to the electricity network in North America could have major implications for the insurance industry, according to Lloyd’s.

In Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid, Lloyd’s reports that between 20-40 million Americans are at risk of an extended outage, with durations up to one to years, from a Carrington-level, extreme geomagnetic, storm.

“The knock-on effects of loss of electricity are very difficult to quantify, but given the fact that our society is increasingly dependent on electricity they are likely to be severe and wide-ranging,” according to the report.

Insurers could be exposed to significant business interruption claims in the event that businesses, public services and households are without power for a sustained period of time. This would be more so as backups are likely to last for a limited period, the report cautions.

Comment: Here Lloyd's point out that our world is already overdue for an extreme solar storm 'Carrington Event'. There is nothing really new here, but I think world controllers realise that they have to keep putting out the press releases in the hope that a few more folk will be aware that we could face a sudden apocalyptic disaster and societies are generally not prepared. Personally, I think new solutions are needed. Currently, our modern technological world is in a vulnerable state and society is being forced to play Russian roulette with the Sun. The obvious target is decentralised power grids and new forms of power supply, but of course there is huge resistant to change.

Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid (.pdf)
Lloyd's, May 2013
The report, which was produced in collaboration with the Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), examines the impact of solar storms on North America’s electric grid. By developing a model with the latest information on surface disturbances from geomagnetic storms and using storm simulations, the report quantifies the risk of space weather to North America.
This report is 21 pages long but the Executive Summary is less than 1 page.

Executive Summary

A Carrington-level, extreme geomagnetic storm is almost inevitable in the future. While the probability of an extreme storm occurring is relatively low at any given time, it is almost inevitable that one will occur eventually. Historical auroral records suggest a return period of 50 years for Quebec-level storms and 150 years for very extreme storms, such as the Carrington Event that occurred 154 years ago.

The risk of intense geomagnetic storms is elevated as we approach the peak of the current solar cycle. Solar activity follows an 11-year cycle, with the most intense events occurring near the cycle peak. For the current Cycle 24, the geomagnetic storm risk is projected to peak in early 2015.

As the North American electric infrastructure ages and we become more and more dependent on electricity, the risk of a catastrophic outage increases with each peak of the solar cycle. Our society is becoming increasingly dependent on electricity. Because of the potential for long-term, widespread power outage, the hazard posed by geomagnetic storms is one of the most significant.

Weighted by population, the highest risk of storm-induced power outages in the US is along the Atlantic corridor between Washington D.C. and New York City. This takes into account risk factors such as magnetic latitude, distance to the coast, ground conductivity and transmission grid properties. Other high-risk regions are the Midwest states, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, and regions along the Gulf Coast.

The total U.S. population at risk of extended power outage from a Carrington-level storm is between 20-40 million, with durations of 16 days to 1-2 years. The duration of outages will depend largely on the availability of spare replacement transformers. If new transformers need to be ordered, the lead-time is likely to be a minimum of five months. The total economic cost for such a scenario is estimated at $0.6-2.6 trillion USD (see Appendix).

Storms weaker than Carrington-level could result in a small number of damaged transformers (around 10-20), but the potential damage to densely populated regions along the Atlantic coast is significant. The total number of damaged transformers is less relevant for prolonged power outage than their concentration. The failure of a small number of transformers serving a highly populated area is enough to create a situation of prolonged outage.

A severe space weather event that causes major disruption to the electricity network in the US could have major implications for the insurance industry. If businesses, public services and households are without power for sustained periods of time, insurers may be exposed to business interruption and other claims.and other claims.


Comment: I had to think about this but I suppose the super rich and elite will just get on their private jets, (even if air traffic control is still very dangerous due to poor geomagnetic conditions and satellite communications are a bit hit and miss), but they should be able to reach a place of relative safety and then initiate their plans... Hence, these types would probably already their own and very different survival plan to most ordinary people.

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NASA: Space's weather a new hurdle
Solar and magnetic storms can wreak havoc if a surprise
Florida Today, 4th June 2013
SILVER SPRING, MD — For about two weeks in March 2012, powerful solar flares pounded the Earth with a series of geomagnetic body blows.

More than a dozen NASA spacecraft experienced data outages or had to be rebooted, and there were fears the space storm would disrupt power networks, commercial aviation and communications systems.

The space agency scrambled to minimize the damage to its space vehicles, even as the potentially dire consequences to the planet's electronic and industrial grid never materialized. But scientists describe the episode as a wake-up call.

Comment: I am wondering how many wake-up calls we have had now....

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Extreme Jet Stream Pattern Triggers Historic European Floods
Weather Underground, 9th June 2013

A historic multi-billion dollar flood disaster has killed at least eighteen people in Central Europe after record flooding unprecedented since the Middle Ages hit major rivers in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Slovakia over the past two weeks. The Danube River in Passau, Germany hit the highest level since 1501, and the Saale River in Halle, Germany was the highest in its 400-year period of record. Numerous cities recorded their highest flood waters in more than a century, although in some locations the great flood of 2002 was higher. The Danube is expected to crest in Hungary's capital city of Budapest on June 10 at the highest flood level on record, 35 cm higher than the record set in 2006. The flooding was caused by torrential rains that fell on already wet soils. [...]

If it seems like getting two 1-in-100 to 1-in-500 year floods in eleven years is a bit suspicious--well, it is. Those recurrence intervals are based on weather statistics from Earth's former climate. We are now in a new climate regime with more heat and moisture in the atmosphere, combined with altered jet stream patterns, which makes major flooding disasters more likely in certain parts of the world, like Central Europe.

Comment: Finally we get some analysis but there is some real fighting talk here that should cause major concern, especially if you live in Central Europe. Again there is focus on the jet stream being blocked and causing an extreme weather event. So, as we have already seen with various incidents in the last few years (the devastating Russian heatwave, Pakistan floods and flooding in Australia see archives for other recent examples), these 1 in 100 year events are coming round much more frequently than that. Here the discussion focuses on major flooding twice in 11 years in central Europe. People have been warned but few care until they are devastated.

Atmospheric Rivers: key to extratropical water vapor transport
WUWT, 12th February 2011
Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics. These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.

Comment: There are a few trying to claim that the jet streams and atmospheric rivers are the same thing, but as it is detailed here, that is not quite correct. The ARs are like tendrils or offs-shoots from the main jet stream air currents as can be seen in the images provided here. If you have studied your Electric Universe theory properly, the light bulb should go off in your head after seeing the satellite images... Furthermore, you will recognise immediately why there is concern that extreme weather events due to erratic ARs are likely to become more common.

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Asteroid the size of a small truck buzzes Earth
Flyby is the latest in a series of celestial close encounters
CBC News, 9th June 2013
An asteroid the size of a small truck zoomed past Earth four times closer than the moon on Saturday, the latest in a parade of visiting celestial objects that has raised awareness of potentially hazardous impacts on the planet.

NASA said Asteroid 2013 LR6 was discovered about a day before its closest approach to Earth, which occurred at 12:42 a.m. ET about 105,000 km over the ocean south of Tasmania, Australia. The 10-metre-wide asteroid posed no threat.

Comment: Another asteroid fly-by at 0.25 LD [Lunar Distance] and we only spot it the day before its closest approach... See previous comments re living in a cosmic bowling alley...

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'We’re in a police state': US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in bizarre rant on BBC's Andrew Neil show
The Independent, 9th June 2013
US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones lost his temper in spectacular style on live television on Saturday, accusing the Bilderberg group of being “heavily involved in the EU plan”, which he described as a “Nazi plan” and shouting “Freedom will not stop” repeatedly to bemused guests.

Jones had been invited to appear on BBC1’s Sunday Politics show alongside Times columnist David Aaronovitch to discuss the Bilderberg Conference which took place this weekend. During his outburst, Jones said that some of his reporters had been turned away, “but they didn’t turn me back and I was told this because they don’t wanna make a stink.”

Comment: Alex Jones is repulsive. He is deliberately acting like an arse to help label anyone with alternative views as a conspiracy theorist and therefore suspect. His followers are beyond help. See, Info-Spats: Conspiracy Theorists Are Sick of Alex Jones

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Chinese Passenger Aircraft Has High Altitude Collision With “Unknown Object”
Who Forted, 8th June 2013
A Chinese flight was cut short earlier this week when the passenger aircraft had a high altitude collision with an “unknown object”, putting a heck of a dent in the hood and grounding the plane. Did a commercial aircraft get into a fender bender with a UFO? On June 4th, Air China flight CA4307 took off towards Guangzhou, but just 40 minutes later, a mid-air collision with a mysterious foreign object resulted in “worsened performance”, and sent the flight back to its departure point.

When the aircraft landed, and the passengers were safely escorted off, maintenance crews noticed a huge dent in the nose of the plane, prompting an internal investigation into the incident that remains ongoing.

Comment: For the skeptics out there, the pilot and ground crew can only be imagining the massive dent in the nose of this aircraft... Well, I suppose it also means that some objects will not get out of the way if they are approached and then we have to wonder if these objects somehow have some kind of Earth monitoring function and may even be a man-made object... At this moment, I am prepared to consider that this was an example of some kind of cloaked device [drone] because I can't understand why a UAP would allow itself to be hit. Anyway, this reminds me of someone driving that hit an invisible object that completely and inexplicably crumpled the side of a car to the astonishment of car mechanics, see below:

• Mitsubishi Lancer Sideswiped By UFO?
  Offbeat News, 18th February 2009 Flashback!
  "A woman was driving around suburban Chicago when her Mitsubishi Lancer was gently bumped, though no cars were around. When she pulled over her car was massively dented."
  
  Comment: This is listed because the picture of the car was not provided with the original 14th November 2008 report, Selective damage to car drives UFO theorists, or see archives. The picture is quite priceless, but please ignore the stupid commentary and read the original report analysis.
  

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Hammond mystery glitter is magnetic, source unknown
Journal Gazette, 7th June 2013
HAMMOND, Ind. – The state environmental agency says a glittery substance that coated a northwestern Indiana neighborhood was a magnetic metallic flake and its source hasn’t yet been found. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management said Friday officials had determined the black-and-silver material wasn’t a graphite substance that the Hammond neighborhood has seen over the years from nearby steel mills.

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Noctilucent Clouds Get an Early Start
NASA Science News, 7th June 2013
[...] News flash: This year, NLCs are getting an early start. NASA's AIM spacecraft, which is orbiting Earth on a mission to study noctilucent clouds, started seeing them on May 13th. [...]

"It turns out that meteoroids play an important role in the formation of NLCs," explains Hampton University Professor James Russell, the principal investigator of AIM. "Specks of debris from disintegrating meteors act as nucleating points where water molecules can gather and crystallize."

This diagram shows why NLCs are best seen at sunset or sunrise. Click to view the full-sized diagram. NLCs appear during summer because that is when water molecules are wafted up from the lower atmosphere to mix with the "meteor smoke." That is also the time when the upper atmosphere is ironically coldest. [...]

The early start of the 2013 season appears to be caused by a change in atmospheric “teleconnections.” “Half-a-world away from where the northern NLCs are forming, strong winds in the southern stratosphere are altering global circulation patterns,” explains Randall. "This year more water vapor is being pushed into the high atmosphere where NLCs love to form, and the air there is getting colder."

Comment: This report from NASA informs us that climate change is being driven by a new cocktail of atmospheric parameters and that more noctilucent clouds are a visible sign. The term “teleconnections” is hermetic, since we are not talking about telephone wires here, it seems NASA scientists still don't want to fully acknowledge the role Earth's electromagnetism in driving weather systems and global circulation patterns. Whatever, we are being told that space weather in the form of meteoroids (cosmic dust from meteors) are creating dramatic and largescale atmospheric changes that are being linked to climate change.

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20 Completely Ridiculous College Courses Being Offered At U.S. Universities
The Economic Collapse, 5th June 2013
Would you like to know what America's young people are actually learning while they are away at college? It isn't pretty. Yes, there are some very highly technical fields where students are being taught some very important skills, but for the most part U.S. college students are learning very little that they will actually use out in the real world when they graduate. Some of the college courses listed below are funny, others are truly bizarre, others are just plain outrageous, but all of them are a waste of money.

Comment: I don't agree that all these courses are ridiculous. Unfortunately, universities are having to deal with students who are a product of society obsessed with the celebrity/fame/tv culture... Most of these courses are focusing on themes in popular culture and trying to bridge a chasm to more intellectual concepts... Yes, we do have entrepreneur types who didn't need a degree, but if they could not think in the first place, they would not have been successful... Basically, the issue is society desperately needs people who are creative and who can think so that society as a whole can survive new challenges. Maybe we can get to the stage where there is enough intelligentsia to rein in and outwit the predator types who act like a plague on society.

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Will Vatican declaration of an alien savior spark a religious war?
Exopolitics.org, 3rd June 2013
Exovaticana is both an informative and dangerous book. Informative insofar as the authors, Chris Putnam and Thomas Horn, provide extensive scholarship into the history of the Catholic Church and its evolving position on extraterrestrial life. They claim that the Catholic Church has begun a global dialogue on extraterrestrial life where Pope Francis I will ultimately disclose the former’s existence to the world. Exovaticana is dangerous insofar as Putnam and Horn undergird it with some powerful religious prejudices about the motivations of alien visitors to our world. They claim that biblical scripture is a solid foundation for understanding that aliens are demonic entities who destructively intervened in human history, and are about to return and do so again.

Comment: Hmmm.... Basically the focus here is fundamentalist Christians Chris Putnam and Thomas Horn, who believe the Catholic Church are about to promote demons masking as extraterrestrials. The response here is that it is a big assumption that all ETs are a threat to humans... Well, after 35 years of searching for truth, I am coming to the conclusion that these Christians might be partly right. I am not a Christian and I have serious reservations about modern Christianity based on Roman Catholic machinations started when Emperor Constantine decided to create a new religion and cobbled together a new god and a new church hierarchy to get the new show on the road. (For those who are interested, scholarly works that are hundreds of years old, now easily available on the internet, prove over and over about the true ancient/pagan/astronomical origins associated with all of the world's religions). Anyway, due to my own research and experiences, I think there is plenty of evidence that humans are being manipulated. Thus, I am starting to agree with a few folk who realised this quite some time ago. I believe that there is a Shadow Biosphere on this planet and the vast majority of this lifeform do not interfer directly with humans. However, in the same way that viruses behave, I think there is a problem with some members of this lifeforms that are parasitical and others who are abusing their original position as "Guardians" on this planet. I believe the story of what goes wrong with the Guardians is preserved in ancient religious text and decipherable to a few. So, if there are a few friendly ETs out there, I think they would have the same problems with this presence too, not to mention a not too friendly world government and military... this might explain why any ETs might choose to stay largely undercover... One thing I would like to add is that I would be very very suspicious of any ETs who would be foolish enough to get involved with the Catholic Church, as the Church have a very long track record of deception.

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Solar storm could leave Britain without power 'for months'
The risk of a catastrophic solar storm that would leave countries including the United Kingdom and United States without electricity for days or even months will peak in 2015, a new report claims.
Telegraph, 7th June 2013
The study, a joint venture from researchers at Lloyd's of London and Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) in the United States, details a dystopian scenario where a shortage of electrical transformers would leave Western nations without electricity for months because of the time needed to build replacements.

A solar storm occurs when magnetic fields "loop" out of sunspots, releasing huge amounts of energy. These bursts of "plasma", a superheated, electrically-charged gas, could enter the Earth's own magnetic field and eventually disrupt networks dependent on electricity on the ground.

Huge surges of electricity flowing unexpectedly into telephone lines, the National Grid and transport networks would overwhelm them, resulting in widespread power failures.

Comment: I would like to point out that the Lloyd's report focuses on the United States and the only mention of the UK is the following reference.

"The insurance industry often plans for and is regulated in certain countries (in the UK for example) to hold capital for 1 in 200 year events. Given the difficulties of estimating probabilities for extreme events, it could be argued that the grid network, including transformers, should aim to protect society to at least a level of 1 in 250 years. This would allow a tolerance for error."

Actually the lack of interest in the UK goes as far as the Lloyd's report not even bothering to cite the UK Royal Academy of Engineering's 70-page February 2013 report Extreme space weather: impacts on engineered systems and infrastructure, is available at www.raeng.org.uk/spaceweather (.pdf). The Royal Academy of Engineering report needs to be read in context, but it does say the following:

"UK studies that are still on-going, sponsored and undertaken by National Grid indicate that a Carrington-level event could have a significant impact. The current worst case estimates are for some local blackouts lasting a few hours as a result of increases in demand for local reactive power. National Grid has a well established plan for this type of event, whether or not caused by space weather, and the plan is rehearsed regularly. It is estimated that, for a prolonged storm with maximum rate of change of the geomagnetic field of 5000 nT/min, around six grid transformers in England and Wales and a further seven grid transformers in Scotland could be damaged and taken out of service. This number of failures is within the capacity of National Grid’s transformer spares carrying policy to replace sufficient transformers to restore demand. The time for an emergency transformer replacement, when a spare is available, would normally be 8 to 16 weeks although the record is four weeks. A significant delay can be the time required to get permission to transport the spare transformer on the road, and in the event of a severe event it is hoped that priority would be given to allow transport to occur more rapidly."

The Executive Summary is only 3 pages, but presumably reporters at The Telegraph are not in a position to keep on top of developments.

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Officials Meet in Washington to Discuss Solar Storms, Great and Small
NASA Science News, 5th June 2013
[...] The theme of this year's SWEF recognizes that space weather is ever-present. The gaps between big events are not empty times of quiet. They are filled with lesser storms that can pose a threat to our increasingly high-tech society.

Air travel is a good example. At the meeting, Thomas Fahley and Gregg Scott of Delta Airlines will detail how solar flares and radiation storms caused multiple flights to be redirected away from the poles during 2012. To avoid communications blackouts and high-energy radiation, which are concentrated around the poles during solar storms, more than 16 transcontinental flights were detoured to more southerly latitudes. [...]

Space weather affected the airlines in 2012 despite the fact that solar activity was relatively low. There were only a handful of X-class solar flares during the 12-month period. And while magnetometers counted more than two dozen geomagnetic storms in 2012, the vast majority were minor. Earth's magnetic field did not experience extreme storming even once.

However, the statistics of muted solar activity conceal an underlying potency. Lika Guhathakurta, the head of NASA's Living with a Star Program at NASA Headquarters, put it into perspective:

"Who needs an X-flare?" she said. "Small flares are powerful, too. They explode with as much energy as a billion atomic bombs dozens to hundreds of times every year. We feel their effects even when they don't make the news." Guhathakurta pointed out that our society relies more than ever on high-tech devices such as GPS, telecommunications satellites and smart power grids. "This makes us increasingly vulnerable to solar storms, great and small." The sun is currently near the peak of Solar Cycle 24, but so far the strongest storms have missed Earth.

Comment: Real change for the citizens of planet Earth.

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Bear caught opening truck door on video
Smarter than average bear opens vehicle doors and gets inside
CBC News, 6th June 2013
A Maple Ridge, B.C., resident caught an unusual sight on video this week — a bear standing on its hind legs breaking into a pickup truck. Rebecca Moore, who took the video and posted it to YouTube on Tuesday, says she and her husband were awakened by a noise outside at about 5:30 a.m.

"By the time we got out of bed, [the bear] was actually inside one of our cars. We saw the car door open and it was just coming out one of our cars," she said. "We saw him just open the door of the truck, just easy as anything.… He was obviously used to accessing vehicles." [...]

Conservation officer Denny Chretien believes the three-year-old bear has broken into other cars in the area. "It's not a common behaviour but it is occurring." Chretien says conservation officers have received four calls about bears breaking into cars, including one involving a Porsche.

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Exclusive: Co-hosts of radio show 'The Pursuit of Happiness' committed suicide [PHOTOS]
Lynne Rosen and John Littig were found dead Monday in their Park Slope home. As a psychotherapist Rosen, 46, and motivational speaker Littig, 48, were in the business of telling people how to
NY Daily News, 6th June 2013
A Brooklyn couple who hosted a radio show called "The Pursuit of Happiness" committed suicide together by putting plastic bags over their heads and inhaling helium. Lynne Rosen and John Littig, who were found dead on a couch in the living room of their Park Slope apartment, left behind two notes, police said Wednesday. [...]

Rosen, 46, was a psychotherapist. Littig, 48, was a motivational speaker and a musician. And for an hour every month, they took to the airwaves and doled out advice on how to be your best self. "People get scared to make changes, right, and to step out of that comfort zone," Rosen said on the April show. "Alternatively, you can get comfortable with change," Litting piped in.

Comment: Hmmm.... I suppose this was a pair of New Agers who realised that what they were teaching did not actually help them on a personal level and they decided to give up... Personally, I have been astounded by being involved with people who set themselves up as spiritual teachers who think being positive whilst spouting bullshit is enough.... Well, I found a useful link posted in response to this story on the notorious GLP forum, see THE ACHIEVER: Overview of Type Three and since I am very interested in systems that profile human development, especially those that focus on narcissists, I was quite impressed with this summary.

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Bosnia: Protesters Force Government Workers To Go back to work!
Thousands in Bosnia protest ID glitch
New Europe, 6th June 2013
Nearly 3,000 people have formed a chain around Bosnia's parliament on June 6, saying they won't let politicians go home until they start doing their jobs instead of keeping the country paralyzed with ethnic bickering.

What started as a small protest over a new law on personal identification numbers the day before has grown into a blockade of the building, with more people joining the protest every hour.

They demand a new law on personal ID numbers after the old one lapsed in February, leaving all babies born since without personal documents. The crowd has rejected the government's offer for a temporary solution.[...]

Police special forces were deployed to keep protesters away from parliament, but a number of young mothers with babies born after February and deprived of personal documents pushed their carriages between the protesters and the officers, making everybody stop.

Bosnian Serb lawmakers inside have expressed concern over their safety and said there won't be a parliamentary session because of security reasons. Some parliament employees tried to escape through windows but protesters turned them back yelling "Go back to work!"

Comment: This is quite hilarious...

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Beer fridge causes mobile network outage
Daily Caller, 6th June 2013
An Australian man’s faulty beer fridge is being blamed for blackouts in the mobile network in multiple neighborhoods. “I’m amazed something like that could knock out part of the network,” fridge owner Craig Reynolds told the Herald Sun last weekend.

The interference, spread throughout the town of Wangaratta, is believed to have been caused by the fridge’s emissions of unusual electrical signals. Engineers from Australian telecom company Telstra report that any electric signal of a large enough strength can generate radio frequency noise that causes blackouts.

Comment: I had some difficulty believing this story was genuine, but there are other versions of this story with extra details, see Isn’t It A Pain When Your Beer Fridge Knocks Out The Entire Neighborhood’s Cell Network? [The Consumerist] & Fridge fault causes Telstra mobile network blackouts [Herald Sun] Update: Beer cans can be used to boost wi-fi signals, see archives.

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Space Weather Forecast: Blackouts with a Chance of Business Interruption
PropertyCasualty360, 6th June 2013
Solar activity predicted to peak in early 2015 may release powerful geomagnetic energy that can disrupt electric grids, causing widespread blackouts and disrupting markets, says Lloyd’s of London.

“One of the reasons that we are interested in activity on the sun in 2015 is that it has the potential to cause more damage now due to our increasingly complex electric systems and rapidly rising dependence on electricity,” Neal Smith, emerging risks and research manager at Lloyd’s, tells PC360.

The insurance implications would start with contingent business interruption (CBI) claims, says Lloyd’s in its report. Although standard CBI policies usually require evidence of physical damage to equipment, it might apply if transformers were to explode because of space weather. [...]

Smith says, “The aim of the report, as with many rising risks, is to hopefully raise awareness among governments and energy companies to act now to study the defenses of the electrical system, rather than wait for a huge storm to occur. Mitigation is a better strategy [than paying for damage later].”

Comment: All these space weather articles this week due to Lloyd's of London warning business of their potential financial liabilities due to a major space weather event... Well, I was going to ignore this article by another Underwriter but the second twin peak of solar cycle 24 expected in 2015 caught my attention. Well, solar cycle 24 has just turned into utter torture for sun watchers, see previous comments especially those from March 2013.... Sigh..... Over at Watts Up With That, the resident sun watchers have been debating this solar cycle ad infinitum and the comparison with solar cycle 14 means several peaks not twin peaks, dragged out over a 17 year period as already explained.... See chart solar cycle 14, but I still think we have an element of real danger with the arrival of a large sungrazer comet ISON in November 2013. For anyone new to this blog, the space weather angst is due to the recent transformation of the cosmic environment around Earth as those who are interested in ancient knowledge were well aware should have been expected combined with concern it is time for the next massive solar storm from the Sun which is expected to cause huge amounts of damage to our modern technological infrastructure..

• Current solar cycle data seems to be past the peak
  WUWT 9th April 2013
  Given the tepid state of solar activity now, a maximum in May seems unlikely. “We may be seeing what happens when you predict a single amplitude and the Sun responds with a double peak,” says Pesnell. He notes a similarity between Solar Cycle 24 and Solar Cycle 14, which had a double-peak during the first decade of the 20th century. If the two cycles are twins, “it would mean one peak in late 2013 and another in 2015.” UPDATE: From: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80572
  

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Climate modeling EPIC FAIL – Spencer: ‘the day of reckoning has arrived’
WUWT, 6th June 2013
I was aware of this story yesterday, but I didn’t like the original plot, (see at the end of this post) since use of straight line linear trends doesn’t accurately reflect the reality of the observation data. While it is often hard to find any reality in climate models, linear trend lines mask the underlying variance. Today, Dr. Spencer has produced a graph that I feel is representative and very well worth sharing, because it does in fact convey an EPIC FAIL speaking directly to the accuracy of an ensemble of climate models. [...]

In my opinion, the day of reckoning has arrived. The modellers and the IPCC have willingly ignored the evidence for low climate sensitivity for many years, despite the fact that some of us have shown that simply confusing cause and effect when examining cloud and temperature variations can totally mislead you on cloud feedbacks (e.g. Spencer & Braswell, 2010). The discrepancy between models and observations is not a new issue…just one that is becoming more glaring over time. [...]

Now, in what universe do the above results not represent an epic failure for the models?

Comment: This graph was hard to resist... Note: This graph is just a selection of 19 climate models, but 73 climate models have all failed!

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Stellar Winds May Electrify Exoplanets
Space Daily, 6th June 2013
The strangest class of exoplanets found to date might be even stranger than astronomers have thought. A new model suggests that they are partially heated by electric currents linked to their host stars. Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) astronomer Dr. Derek Buzasi has proposed a model in which electric currents arising from the interaction between the planet's magnetic field and the hot charged wind from the star flow through the interior of the planet, heating it like an electric toaster.

Comment: Another acknowledgement by cosmologists that unsolved problems maybe be tackled by considering the electromagnetic properties of cosmic objects that exist in an electromagnetic universe. What is interesting is that the induced heating caused by a fluctuating solar wind being compared to the same effect as an electric toaster is actually acknowledged for Earth. So cosmologists dare to mention it, but climate scientists have ignored this completely.... As I have already pointed out, a few scientists already think Earth's magnetic index helps us to understand what exactly is going on with global temperature trends.

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NYSE Euronext markets back on line after glitch
Boston.com, 6th June 2013
PARIS (AP) — Trading on a number of European exchanges started about an hour late Thursday after a problem with NYSE Euronext’s systems prevented customers from placing orders. Exchanges in Paris, Lisbon, Brussels and Amsterdam were affected by the unexplained glitch.

But NYSE Euronext spokeswoman Caroline Tourrier said all trading was normal by around 10:00 a.m. CET (0800 GMT) and that the New York exchange should not be affected when it opens. Tourrier said the company still could not say what caused the glitch and that investigations were ongoing.

Comment: Also at Bloomberg.com, Euronext Glitch Delays Trading From Paris to Amsterdam. Well, there are even complaints that traders expected better reliability from the Twitter website which was down Tuesday Twitter's outage stakes grow as stock traders lose social factor , but its like there is a high level of delusion concerning the reliability of computer systems where the facts are stray cosmic rays are regularly bringing down computer systems and there is a limit to what can be done to minimise the impact. At the moment, Intel's cosmic ray detectors on a chip don't seem to be in widespread use even though they should be.

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PM: Vltava Basin, meteorologists not to blame for floods
Prague Daily Monitor, 6th June 2013
Prague, June 5 (CTK) - Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said yesterday the flood-related problems can be blamed neither on the Vltava Basin management nor meteorologists and Agriculture Minister Petr Bendl (both Civic Democrats, ODS) echoed his opinion.

They were reacting to various critics of the flood situation. Bendl said he will submit an analysis of the steps taken by the Vltava Basin management during the flooding to the government. Necas said the Vltava Cascade and the Vltava Basin were proceeding correctly based on the prognoses of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMU).

"I want to stress that it is weather forecasting, that it is not even possible to blame the CHMU for not having guessed the amount of precipitation, it is really a very complicated thing, even though scientific and based on mathematical models," Necas said after a government meeting.

Comment: There are claims this is a 500 year flood... Well, so far I have not come across anyone who predicted these European floods, not even Piers Corbyn, but I am still looking... Whatever, what concerns me is that as soon as disaster strikes the accusations start to fly, but very few are interested in the very real implications of climate change and extreme weather. Despite all the politics and talk of the non existent global warming, folk are being warned, see Evidence linking climate change to extreme weather mounts & EU body predicts more extreme weather as floods devastate central Europe. Well, so far, the weather this year for Europeans has been largely quite incredible. The image icon is an aerial view of the swollen Vltava River and flooded Red Mill at chateau park in Veltrusy, about 35km north of Prague, see Ten dead, thousands evacuated as floods sweep Europe .

• Flooding in Europe
  Boston.com, 4th June 2013
  The Danube River reached its highest level in 500 years. The Elbe, Rhine, and other rivers and tributaries are cresting high as well as swathes of central Europe lie inundated by floodwaters that have killed 12 and displaced tens of thousands. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic have been severely affected, as Hungary prepares for the swell of water. Gathered here are images of the flooding and people affected in the last several days. -- Lane Turner (40 photos total)
  

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Three faces Ofcom probe following 3G data outage
The Inquirer, 5th June 2013
UK MOBILE OPERATOR Three is in talks with Ofcom following its 3G data outage on Tuesday, which saw subscribers left without access to the web. That's according to Sky News, which has heard from UK watchdog Ofcom that it has contacted the mobile operator over the outage.

This outage saw Three users unable to access the web on Tuesday, but the operator managed to restore its 3G services. By midday, the network's data services were back up and running in London, although despite promising that all would be resumed by the afternoon, full service was not restored until Tuesday evening.

Comment: Again, no immediate explanation offered but hopefully an enquiry will eventually provide answers.

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The Tornado That Hit Oklahoma Last Week Was A Record-Breaking 2.6 Miles Wide
Yahoo News, 4th June 2013
The tornado that killed nine and injured about 50 people near Oklahoma City on Friday has been rated a top-of-the-scale EF5, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

It also had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles, double the size of the 1.3-mile-wide tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma last month. The National Weather Service posted thus graphic to its website illustrating the path of the huge tornado.

Comment: I updated the headline, the additional 0.6 miles adds to the wow factor.... I don't know if it is worth repeating that when folk regularly experience these dangerous mega-tornadoes, why is it that some are forced to try and hide in a freezer or a bathtub with a mattress over the top for protection? What's wrong with building tornado resistant shelters above and below ground? More: Weather.com: Widest tornado in history [VIDEO]

• A Quarter Of Oklahoma's Strongest-Recorded Tornadoes Happened In The Past 2 Weeks
  Business Insider, 4th June 2013
  Here is a mind-blowing Tweet from Weather Channel meteorologist Eric Fisher (via OKCenergybeat's Jay Marks): Since 1950, there have only been 8 tornadoes rated F5/EF-5 in Oklahoma. So 25 percent of them have been in the past 2 weeks. — Eric Fisher (@EricFisherTWC) June 4, 2013
  br> F5/EF-5 is the strongest category of tornado. We've discussed that while climate change may not be causing more tornadoes, there's evidence it's making storms in general more intense. This may be more proof...
  It will be interesting to see if climate skeptics decide to ignore the facts here...
  

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Westpac's banking system hit by overnight glitch [NZ]
New Zealand Herald, 5th June 2013
A glitch in Westpac's banking system caused processing delays overnight, frustrating a number of customers.

Several customers voiced dissatisfaction on the bank's Facebook page, with many complaining they hadn't received wages or other payments overnight as expected.

A bank spokesman said the problem was solved before the start of the business day, and he apologised to any customers who were inconvenienced.

Comment: Somebody is lying or how could customers notice there was a problem and complain? Even if there was a problem, a backout and restart overnight should in effect be invisible to bank customers. I worked in IT in the financial sector so I know how it works.

• Debit card glitch hits Capital G customers
  Royal Gazette, 5th June 2013
  Capital G has issued a statement explaining a technical glitch affecting customers using their credit and debit cards abroad. The bank’s chief banking officer Bob Wilson said yesterday: “We are aware that some Capital G customers requesting cash withdrawals from international ATMs or attempting point of sale transactions abroad may currently be experiencing issues with the use of their Capital G credit and debit cards.
  
  Comment: I need more technical info to make a call here, but this should not be happening...
  

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STV [Scottish TV] apologises after glitch blanks out screens
Herald Scotland, 4th June 2013
STV viewers were dismayed tonight after the channel went off air shortly before a flagship referendum documentary was to be shown.

Viewers reported the channel cutting out during the Scottish news programme at around 6.30pm on some networks including Sky and FreeSat.

However, the broadcaster's programmes stayed on screen for viewers watching via the Freeview service. An STV spokesman said the glitch was linked to a network transmission issue on some platforms.

Comment: Long TV outages seem to be quite rare...

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Man Of Steel Ties Into Religious Sermons
Comic Book, 2nd June 2013
When watching the Man Of Steel trailer, it’s not difficult to pick up on several parallels to religious teachings. Superman himself has often been compared to being a Christ-like figure.

With that in mind, Warner Bros. has teamed up with MinistryResources.org to create a pastor resource site for the Man Of Steel movie. The site located at ManOfSteelResources.com provides videos, sermon outlines, and images that pastors can use in sermons to their congregations. The site even offers a listing of free pastor screenings of the Man Of Steel by city.

According to the “Jesus – The Original Superhero” sermon outline on the site, “Superman’s mythical origins are rooted in the timeless reality of a spiritual superhero who also lived a modest life until extraordinary times required a supernatural response.”

Comment: I think there are quite a few religious scholars who would argue that Jesus Christ is not the original spiritual superhero.... Anyway, the issue is that the Superman/Christ archetype is just one of many archetypes that are embedded deep into the human psyche and are routinely used to influence humans, (I touch on this in the 2012 e-book version of my TTD book). What is really interesting is the effort to re-inforce this archetype amongst the religious when being religious is no longer deemed necessary by the higher-ups in society.... So the question is: why the blatant effort now? Well, I have simply not studied archetypes enough to know what the perils of this kind of influence are if any. (Reading more Carl Jung is on my to-do list.....) All I know is that at the moment, I am wary of those who want to blatantly tap into this level of human consciousness because it is any easy way to manipulate people if you know how.

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Man, 66, goes to doctor and finds he's a woman
South China Morning Post, 4th June 2013
A 66-year-old apparently male patient made a stunning discovery when he sought treatment for swelling in his abdomen. The swelling was a cyst on his ovary and he was in fact a woman. The condition was caused by a very rare combination of two genetic disorders. One, Turner syndrome, causes women to lack some female features, including the ability to get pregnant. Sufferers usually look like women, but in this case the patient also had congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which boosted the male hormones and made the patient look like a man.

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‘Jellyfish UFO’ recorded on video in Peru
Open Minds, 3rd June 2013
A witness recorded video of a UFO over Lima, Peru on the afternoon of Thursday, May 30.

Christian Ubillus, a professional cameraman for Peruvian television network Frecuencia Latina Channel 2, recorded ten minutes of footage of the UFO, which was later aired on the network’s program 90 Segundos. The object was reportedly seen by several witnesses, and, as International Business Times points out, the UFO “was described as a ‘Jelly Fish’ and kept changing its shape.”

The Peruvian blog Nuestro Pasado Extraterrestre describes the UFO as resembling “a string of balloons,” and points out that it is very similar to the EBANI (Entidad Biological Anomalous No Identificada, or its English translation, Unidentified Anomalous Biological Entity) phenomenon predominantly seen in Latin America. Peruvian UFO researcher Mario Zegarra also mentioned the EBANI theory to 90 Segundos.

Comment: I find it really strange when even websites supposedly dedicated to understanding the UFO phenomena pretend they are oblivious to the issue of massive biodiversity on Earth. It seems apparent to me that ufologists do not want to acknowledge that a huge percentage of reported UFOs are in fact UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) that belong to Earth's Shadow Biosphere. Yes, I am very cynical. The ufo business model is about perpetuating mystery, selling, books, DVDs and hosting the next seminar... What we have is a cult establishing itself as mainstream religion, thats it. Scientific enquiry is only useful if it helps to perpetuate the mystery. For other examples of jellyfish seen floating in the skies, see Best of the Blog Orbs, UAP & UFO Traffic.

• UFO Sightings: Mysterious Shape Changing ‘Jelly Fish’ UFO Spotted over Peru [VIDEO]
  International Business Times, 2nd June 2013
  

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Why does France insist school pupils master philosophy?
BBC News, 3rd June 2013
[...] So the purpose of teaching philosophy was - and remains, in theory - to complete the education of young men and women and permit them to think.

To see the universal arguments about the individual and society, God and reason, good and bad and so on, and thus escape from the binding imperatives of the now - by which I mean the dictatorship of whatever ideas are most pressingly forced on us in the day-to-day by government, media, fashion, political correctness and so on.

How wonderful, you cannot help thinking. What a great idea. Now that is what I call civilisation. Or is it? I mean, maybe this is one of those very French situations where the theory is all very well, but somehow reality does not behave as it is supposed to?

Comment: I was generally appalled by the tone of this article written by a British author who seemed to think encouraging young people to think by being guided by the finest brains that civilisation has been able to produce was somehow strange... Sigh...

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Evolution - No proof, only imagination
News24, 3rd June 2013
Firstly, I have to explain to the readers that Evolution is purely without a doubt the biggest lie and controversy ever in the history of mankind. It has nothing to do with Science and has absolutely no place in our textbooks… It’s all a figure of their (Evolutionists) Imagination. No proof exists.

When a scientist is confronted with the simple question of has anyone observed Macro Evolution? In other words an ape like creature giving birth to a human. The answer is No. They then immediately jump to the imagination factor by adding this happened over a period of millions of years by means of “natural selection”. The problem is no one has ever lived this long in order to observe this and the other problem is natural selection is limited (Micro Evolution/variations within a kind).

Comment: Of course I can't agree with all of this... The problem with creationists is that a Creator most definitely exists but it does not mean a particular preferred man-made religion is definitive, but that of course is always mostly inferred... As far as I am concerned, creationists and evolutionists are like colour-blind men arguing about what they see down a kaleidoscope.... Neither realise they have a vision problem and that provides different perspectives... Another perspective might be that the creative force does not need an excuse to be creative and has nothing to do with any religions or belief systems... Well, I actually like my philosophical traits, it means I can turn my back on the abundance of historical nonsense and just examine the facts to the best of my ability. I also found this Podcast at the website http://www.evolutionnews.org/that points out that there are some very unhappy scientists and philosophers who are challenging neo Darwinian evolution, see Non-Religious Skeptics of Darwinian Evolution

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Axa customers hit by pensions glitch
Thousands of pension customers with Axa Wealth saw their monthly payments taken early as the result of an IT glitch.
Telegraph, 3rd June 2013
Six thousand Axa Wealth customers had their monthly pension contributions incorrectly taken from their bank account last Wednesday as the result of a computer glitch. All those affected were reimbursed on Friday, and a Axa spokesman told Telegraph Money that if customers had incurred any bank fees as a result of the mistake, it would reimburse them.

The company stressed that customers did not need to take any action – the payment will be taken on the correct day as usual and the issue had been resolved. The pension provider is writing to all its customers with details of the glitch and has set up a phone line to answer any queries concerning the incident.

Comment: I see this as bad for society as trust in computer systems is being steadily eroded.

• RBS apologise as app glitch locked customers out of their accounts for the second time this month
  Herald Scotland, 31st May 2013
  Royal Bank of Scotland customers faced more frustration today as they struggled to check their money using the bank's mobile phone app.
  RBS just can't seem to get their computer systems straight. I admit, this is not just about space weather, this is mainly really poor management...
  

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UFO sightings have doubled in Canada: Are there aliens among us?
How to explain the stunning increase in UFO reports — all those humming, blinking, blinding lights — which have more than doubled in Canada in the last year?
The Star, 3rd June 2013
How to explain the stunning increase in UFO reports — all those humming, blinking, blinding lights — which have more than doubled in Canada in the last year? [...]

In Winnipeg, Chris Rutkowski and Geoff Dittman recently released their analysis of the leap in UFO sightings in Canada — 986 reported in 20l1; 1,981 last year, or about five each day. Ontario has more sightings than any other province, but it also has the largest population.

There is more activity in the sky and possibly more people looking, Rutkowski says. Most reports are of lights, which could be popular Chinese paper lanterns that float high with a heat source, military exercises, airliners viewed at odd angles, or comets entering the atmosphere. Access to UFO sites on the Internet makes it easier to report.

Comment: Hmmm... This is another article re-hashing mostly old info.... yes the UFO/UAP reports are going up but it seems those who claim to understand about changing epochs (the metaphysical community) are still dumbstruck... all that enlightenment but no bloody clue... Whatever, the gods are back, but the mainstream want to talk about aliens... lots of things many don't understand all rolled into one and called aliens... just dumb... These "humming, blinking, blinding lights" are plasma entities that have always been here (see archives for more info), but the conditions are just more favourable so we are seeing a lot more and not just in a few hotspots... What is it going to take for more people to wise up? Sigh....

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Evacuation in Prague, state of emergency as floods grip Czech Republic (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
RT News, 2nd June 2013
The historical center of Prague is under threat as the worst flood in decades cause chaos, claiming the lives of at least five people. Almost 2,700 people from low-lying areas of Czech Republic were evacuated, schools closed and transportation halted.

The subway in the center of the capital was halted for the first time since massive floods hit the city in 2002. The disaster, caused by torrential rains, has prompted evacuation of hospitals, retirement homes and cultural institutions as well as the city zoo. [...]

Foul weather has also hit Germany, Austria and Switzerland with at least six people reported dead and seven missing because of floods, according to the Associated Press.

Comment: I have already highlighted the existence of atmospheric rivers and with the geomagnetic chaos and specifically the jet streams becoming more erratic, it is likely that these kind of apocalyptic flooding events will become more common, see archives for more background info on what is most likely happening.

• Rain, Rain, Go Away: Germany Drowns in Endless Downpour
  Spiegel Online News, 31st May 2013
  After barely surviving the darkest winter in decades, Germans are now suffering through one of the soggiest springs in memory. Flooding has led to major damage and one death, and only one corner of Germany can expect any relief soon. Rain, rain and, yes, more rain. Welcome to Germany!
  
  For weeks, rain has been pounding Germany, whose serotonin-sapped residents are straining to hold on to the last vestiges of hope after already having suffered through the darkest winter in over four decades. But, save for a few soon-forgotten days of sunshine, most of Germany's vitamin-D-deprived residents have had to live through endless days of gray drizzle and downpour this spring. Though summer is officially just around the corner, refrains of "Can you believe this (insert expletive) weather?" have given way to silent, knowing looks and forlorn sighs.
  
  
• Ten dead, thousands evacuated as floods sweep Europe
  Herald Sun, 4th June 2013
  

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Silly Moth, You Aren’t A Spider
Business Insider, 1st June 2013
If you come across the Lygodium Spider Moth, don’t be afraid. It’s just a moth, after all. The fascinating bug was discovered in Thailand in 2005, and is described in the journal Annals Of The Entomological Society of America [PDF].

The moth feeds on ferns, and the researchers think that the creepy spider markings help protect it from predators. That’s pretty awesome.

Researchers have documented previous incidences of moth species mimicking the behaviour of spiders as a way to defend against their predation, but this spider moth species is a dramatic example of how one species can reap benefits from mimicking or looking like another species.

Comment: This kind of revelation makes me want to study the ideas of those who propose the concept of Intelligent Design.... We can forget this as being natural selection over hundreds of thousands of years because this spider pattern camouflage has appeared from nowhere... No half-baked copies to be found anywhere.... This is an intelligent idea that has been implemented, but intelligence in what mind? The idea of a moth using spider camouflage must have started somewhere... This is the kind of thoughts that philosophers routinely contemplate and I am with the philosophers and maybe a few religious folk who believe that everything starts off as an idea, the issue is where does that mind reside? Does this mind take into account the consequences of these kind of changes or does it allow a feedback mechanism that learns from what happens? I think many evolutionists are not philosophers or else they would not support such shallow theories that cannot be proven even after hundreds of years.... This is the UK Daily Mail article version, Moth displays the ultimate deterrent after evolving camouflage on its wings that looks like a SPIDER.

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NASA Invites Media to Space Weather Enterprise Forum
NASA Science News, 31st May 2013
WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will deliver the keynote address at the annual Space Weather Enterprise Forum Tuesday, June 4, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Auditorium and Science Center, located at 1301 East-West Highway in Silver Spring, Md.

Media representatives are invited to attend the forum, which will focus on the impact of space weather events on communications, navigation, and national security. The theme of this year's forum is "Space Weather Impacts: They Happen All the Time." It will examine the high-frequency, low-impact events that routinely occur, but generally go unnoticed by the public. The meeting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT. Bolden will speak at 8:30 a.m., and several other NASA officials will make presentations.

Forum participants include researchers, policymakers, and forecasters sharing information to raise awareness about space weather and its effects. Space weather involves conditions and events on the sun and in near-Earth space that can affect critical space-borne and ground-based technological systems, such as electric power grids, communications and navigation systems.

Comment: NASA waking people up via the media... This is totally necessary if our modern technological society is to survive the threats from space weather. To those who have a problem with NASA's credibility, I would like to point out that NASA scientists live on planet Earth and realise the vast implications of space weather and the future challenges for citizens living on planet Earth. This is NOT the time to entertain ignorant, uneducated and stupid conspiracy theorists or pied pipers in the New Age movement...

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NASA PSA features Jaden Smith and his new movie
Open Minds, 31st May 2013
Jaden Smith and NASA have joined up to help promote Smith’s new movie and NASA’s Earth Sciences programs. In a new PSA, Jaden warns people that we need to learn more about our environment so we don’t end up with the futuristic Earth portrayed in the movie.

The movie is After Earth, a collaboration between M. Night Shyamalan and Jaden’s dad, Will Smith. It stars Will and Jaden, and takes place on a futuristic planet Earth that has become hostile to human beings. The atmosphere and the animals have evolved to focus on destroying the Earth’s biggest threat, humanity. In the future portrayed in the movie, humans have actually left Earth, but the father and son team accidentally crash land on Earth and have to survive long enough to be rescued.

Comment: How interesting.... It looks like more of the intelligentsia (even NASA scientists) are starting to see the seriousness of what could happen as we enter a period of rapid evolutionary change...

Space jewelry? Egyptian bead likely came from meteorite, study says
LA Times, 31st May 2013
Did ancient Egyptians prize meteorites so much that they turned them into jewelry? A new study of a 5,000-year-old iron bead hints that the rocky fragments that fell from the sky may have held a special place in the ancient civilization.

The findings published in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science center around one of the small, tube-shaped beads pulled from tombs in the Gerzeh cemetery on the Nile’s western bank, dating from 3600 BC to 3350 BC.

Comment: I am very sure there are already many hundreds of scholarly works that lay out in detail the evidence that ancient civilisations worshiped the stars and heavens and that meteorites were particularly revered. It is also easy to prove that this belief still influences modern religious traditions and continues to the present day. I suppose the best example is the Kaaba, the ancient stone building toward which Muslims pray. This is a cuboid building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, dating back as far as 2030 B.C.E and is one of the most sacred sites in Islam. Muslim believers are also required to make a pilgrimage, known as the Tawaf ritual of the Hajj and circle this building at least once in their lives as part of their religious duties. The significance is that the eastern cornerstone contains The Black Stone, a religious relic which is believed to be from pre-Islamic times and therefore pagan origins. The Stone is a dark rock, broken into a number of fragments and cemented into a silver frame fixed into the side of the Kaaba at the eastern cornerstone. The Stone was once believed to have been of meteoric origin but today the meteoritic hypothesis is now seen as doubtful. Some authors have some very interesting ideas see The Mysterious Black Stone of Kaaba - Worship of a Meteorite?. The other more surprising example is the black stone that can be found in the Meditation Room of the United Nations Building in New York City. In the center of the room is a 4 foot high, black casket-shaped stone slab which happens to be the largest piece of magnetite ever mined and thus is extremely magnetic. There is no argument that this altar was designed with occult features and various articles can be found discussing the symbolism. Those who have studied enough, will easily see the same astronomical principles and esoteric symbolism that have been repeated and perpetuated throughout all world religions and advanced societies ancient and modern.

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TORNADO CHASERS: 5/31/2013 CLOSE RANGE Union City, Oklahoma Tornado - INSANE Video
YouTube, 31st May 2013
Brett and Brandon got extremely close to a violent tornadic circulation that produced multiple tornadoes in very close range... The team was hit by inflow jet winds into the tornado and their vehicle received damage as a barn was completely destroyed. A hay bale came barreling across the road and was tossed into their car.. The team is very fortunate to live to chase another day... Incredible storm chaser traffic prevented an escape from the tornado like normal.. There have been fatalities with this tornado.. The team's thoughts go out to those affected!

Comment: This tornado chaser's video footage is the most incredible I have ever seen... These guys took a huge risk and maybe next time they do this they will end up dead. The best quote comes from ATS, "It's like Sheldon decided to be a stormchaser." LOL... Sorry if you don't know who Sheldon is, it's a geek thing... LOL

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Giant, fluorescent pink slugs found on mountain
Yahoo News, 30th May 2013
It would seem to be something you'd see only in a cartoon or at a Phish concert, but according to park rangers in New South Wales, Australia, dozens of giant, fluorescent pink slugs have been popping up on a mountaintop there.

"As bright pink as you can imagine, that's how pink they are," Michael Murphy, a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "On a good morning, you can walk around and see hundreds of them."

The eight-inch creatures have been spotted only on Mount Kaputar, a 5,000-foot peak in the Nandewar Range in northern New South Wales.

Comment: Hmmm.... I am not convinced by the explanation here but environmental change could have provided the catalyst for a throw-back and the sudden arrival of these pink slugs. See archives re somatic hypermutation.

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Study says global warming caused by CFCs interacting with cosmic rays, not carbon dioxide
WUWT, 30th May 2013
WATERLOO, Ont. (Thursday, May 30, 2013) – Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are to blame for global warming since the 1970s and not carbon dioxide, according to new research from the University of Waterloo published in the International Journal of Modern Physics B this week.

CFCs are already known to deplete ozone, but in-depth statistical analysis now shows that CFCs are also the key driver in global climate change, rather than carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

“Conventional thinking says that the emission of human-made non-CFC gases such as carbon dioxide has mainly contributed to global warming. But we have observed data going back to the Industrial Revolution that convincingly shows that conventional understanding is wrong,” said Qing-Bin Lu, a professor of physics and astronomy, biology and chemistry in Waterloo’s Faculty of Science. “In fact, the data shows that CFCs conspiring with cosmic rays caused both the polar ozone hole and global warming.”

Comment: Prof. Qing-Bin Lu has been making these claims for a long time, but now the global temps are starting to dip, there may well be more focus on cosmoclimatology related theories. In fact, I think this theory provides some much needed cohesiveness and sophistication as it is easy to factor in solar activity and Earth's magnetic index that affects the abundance of cosmic rays. Of course, the recent dramatic impact of space weather and the recent increase in cosmic rays makes cosmoclimatology theory all so much more significant. So, whilst a few scientists have tried to point out some climate reality in the face of juggernaut political/scientific machinations trying desperately hard to blame the public for global warming without much success, it looks like the truth will prevail.

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How a large, violent tornado stood still for nearly an hour (Bennington, Kansas)
Washington Post, 30th May 2013
The large, violent tornado that touched down near Bennington, Kansas Tuesday [28th May] hardly moved over the course of an hour – astonishing meteorologists and storm chasers used to twisters plowing ahead at swift forward speeds.

“I have never seen such a stationary tornado, especially not for so long and for such a violent tornado,” said Joshua Wurman, a meteorologist at the Center for Severe Weather Research. “The tornado is moving less than 2 mph for a while, and changes direction, dwelling over the same areas for a long time.” [...]

Given its non-movement, it’s extraordinarily fortunate the Bennington tornado formed and remained over farmland during its life cycle. Wurman and his team, who were chasing the storm, clocked a wind gust of 247 mph using their mobile doppler radar unit, known as Doppler on Wheels (DOW).[...]

The preliminary storm survey from the National Weather Service assigned the storm an EF4 rating. “Damage to structures within the path yielded EF3 damage however supplemental data provided by mobile doppler radar sampled winds suggest that this was a violent [i.e. EF4+] tornado,” the NWS survey said.

Comment: This is a detailed analysis and one for the record books. more: Numerous Reports of Tornadoes Tuesday (PHOTOS) & Day 3 of extreme weather in the Midwest [VIDEO]

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Free 6 Week Disaster Preparedness Course University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh, May 2013
During this course, students will gain an understanding of the Disaster Cycle, concentrating on the Mitigation Phase. They will examine disaster planning on a personal level developing a disaster plan and examine Awareness and Attitude during disasters and daily life. Workload: 2-4 hours/week, Sessions: Aug 26th 2013 (6 weeks long)

Comment: A sign of the times... Even the intelligentsia are prepping to cope with major disasters which are now guaranteed in our immediate future.

• Extreme weather threatens all corners of the country
  NBC News, 27th May 2013
  
  
• Day 3 of extreme weather in the Midwest [VIDEO]
  Washington Post, 30th May 2013
  
  
• Extreme weather prompts stronger structures [VIDEO]
  USA Today, 30th May 2013
  

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Monkey with 'human eyes' among top discoveries of 2012
Telegraph, 23rd May 2013
[...] "I don't know whether to be more astounded by the species discovered each year, or the depths of our ignorance about biodiversity of which we are a part," said Professor Quentin Wheeler, founding director of the International Institute for Species Exploration. Among the other species highlighted by the scientists is the world’s smallest vertebrate - a tiny species of frog discovered in Papua New Guinea, called Paedophryne amanuensis, that measures just seven millimetres.

Comment: Historically, scientists have preferred to create distinct groups of lifeforms to the chagrin of more evolved thinkers like Charles Fort who realised that scientists were just ignoring evidence they did not like. Simply, most scientists have been too narrow minded and hence the issue with the reality and complexity of the vast biodiversity on Earth. This becomes a major issue when scientists start trying to understand possible forms of alien life that could exist and explains why the scientific community have until recently refused to acknowledge so-called 'alien life' already here on Earth.

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Tim Yeo: humans may not be to blame for global warming
Humans may not be responsible for global warming, according to Tim Yeo, the MP who oversees government policy on climate change.
Telegraph, 29th May 2013
The chairman of the Commons Energy and Climate Change committee said he accepts the earth’s temperature is increasing but said “natural phases” may be to blame.

Such a suggestion sits at odds with the scientific consensus. One recent survey of 12,000 academic papers on climate change found 97 per cent agree human activities are causing the planet to warm.

Mr Yeo, an environment minister under John Major, is one of the Conservative Party’s strongest advocates of radical action to cut carbon emissions. His comments are significant as he was one of the first senior figures to urge the party to take the issue of environmental change seriously.

Comment: The political backtracking has begun.

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French ski station to re-open slopes, in June!
The Local France, 29th May 2013
Struggling to know what to do this weekend? Well, summer is officially here so why not head to the ski slopes of the French Pyrénées? Yes, believe it or not a French ski station is reopening its doors to make the most of the unseasonal snow.

A combination of an icy winter and a chilly spring has meant that for the first time ever in the month of June, skiers will have the option of heading to the pistes in the French Pyrénées, French TV TF1 reported on Wednesday.

After recent cold weather, bosses at the ski station Porte Puymorens in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of the mountain range that divides France from Spain have taken the exceptional step to re-open the slopes this weekend after they had closed them at the end of the season in April.

Comment: After years of following the climate wars the sudden shift in the climate is still shocking... NO PUBLIC CLIMATE MODELS PREDICTED THIS AND WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO A SECRET PENTAGON REPORT MADE PUBLIC THAT GALVANISED THE MAKING OF THE MOVIE 'THE DAY AFTER TOMMORROW' THAT STATED THAT A SUDDEN SHIFT COULD OCCUR.... The scientific explanation given was a collapse of the Gulf stream and we have to wonder when it was reported the British Met Office held emergency meetings in mid April about what to tell farmers about spring starting (see April 2013 blog archive). According to The Observer/Guardian, THE PENTAGON MEMO STATED SUDDEN CLIMATE CHANGE COULD HAPPEN IN 15 YEARS, BUT THE MOVIE WAS EXAGGERATED TO SHOW THE SAME IMPACT IN 5 DAYS.

• Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us
  · Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war
  · Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years
  · Threat to the world is greater than terrorism
  Observer/Guardian, 22nd February 2004 Flashback!
  Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters..
  
  A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.
  
  The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.
  

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Update on the CLOUD experiment at CERN
WUWT, 29th May 2013
[...] Suppose you demonstrate that cosmic rays affect the formation of clouds actually at a greater extent. What would that mean?

I believe that these experiments are significant in two respects. Firstly, because they would show a new natural source of climate change. And secondly, because it would change the understanding of anthropogenic climate change. We are well informed about greenhouse gases. But we know too little about aerosols. Also airborne particles that pass through our industry in the atmosphere.

You have a cooling effect with certainty. But we have no idea how big this effect is. It might be small, but also very large. Maybe it is so large that it compensates for the effect of additional CO2 in the atmosphere. We do not know.

Comment: This statement from a CERN scientist implies that some information is being hidden from the public concerning gases and vapors that work with cosmic rays to enhance the formation of condensation nuclei that eventually lead to the formation of clouds.... Maybe there is a big surprise that cosmic rays have a direct impact of counteracting CO2 in the atmosphere and therefore undermines the current rhetoric that too much CO2 causes gobal warming. The crowd of skeptics here are very suspicious and so am I.

• CERN: 'Climate models will need to be substantially revised'
  The Register, 25th August 2011 Flashback!
  CERN's 8,000 scientists may not be able to find the hypothetical Higgs boson, but they have made an important contribution to climate physics, prompting climate models to be revised.
  
  The first results from the lab's CLOUD ("Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets") experiment published in Nature today confirm that cosmic rays spur the formation of clouds through ion-induced nucleation. Current thinking posits that half of the Earth's clouds are formed through nucleation. The paper is entitled Role of sulphuric acid, ammonia and galactic cosmic rays in atmospheric aerosol nucleation.
  
  This has significant implications for climate science because water vapour and clouds play a large role in determining global temperatures. Tiny changes in overall cloud cover can result in relatively large temperature changes.
  
  Unsurprisingly, it's a politically sensitive topic, as it provides support for a "heliocentric" rather than "anthropogenic" approach to climate change: the sun plays a large role in modulating the quantity of cosmic rays reaching the upper atmosphere of the Earth.
  
  Comment: This announcement is getting minimum press because the result is NOT what climate campaigners have been leading the public to believe. Solar and cosmic ray variability, NOT CO₂ is the real cause of global warming or climate change.
  
  
• CERN chief forbids “interpretation” of CLOUD results
  Calder's Updates, 17th July 2011 Flashback!
  "And in an experimental chamber one can study, under controlled conditions, how the formation of droplets depends on the radiation and particulate matter. The results will be published shortly. I have asked the colleagues to present the results clearly, but not to interpret them. That would go immediately into the highly political arena of the climate change debate. One has to make clear that cosmic radiation is only one of many parameters."
  

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Human “cyborgs” Spiritual Transformation and the 2045 Global Future
What does religion and “human cyborgs” have to do with Spiritual Transformation on a global scale?
Stand Up For The Truth, 28th May 2013
In New York City, the second international Global Future 2045 congress will converge at the Lincoln Center to discuss a new evolutionary strategy for humanity, merging two revolutions in the spiritual and science/technology realms.

The event on June 15th – 16th is a gathering of the world’s leading specialists in the field of neural interfaces, robotics, artificial organs and systems, who will launch a brand new vision for the “spiritual transformation of humanity.” This is quite possibly the most heart-stopping convergence I’ve heard yet. And when I say heart-stopping, I mean in the literal sense. There is a group of international scientists and spiritual/religious leaders converging to talk about how we could all be immortal by 2045.

This congress will introduce the world to its Avatar mega-project, which will enable a gradual transition from our biological bodies to an increasingly advanced artificial carrier of the human self. That’s right. Your spiritual essence transported into a robot. Why? Because humankind is on the verge of collapse, and we can either regress into the dark ages, or evolve into a new civilization, requiring the deepest social and spiritual transformation. “We believe this is the only way to overcome existing crises,” says it’s GF2045 website:

Comment: Updated: Hmmm... Well, there are a few people tracking what is going on with the Transhumanism movement.... Huge subject... Do these people really think that transferring your spiritual essence into a robot is going to work? Has anyone ever isolated this spiritual essence that relates to the human soul? Personally I would like to read up on this scientific woo.... [Correction: The "spiritual essence" is known to exist as it can be measured as a huge electrical spark that leaves the body at the moment of death (info in my TTD book, Jay Alfred has also done a good article in recent years), but do you know anyone who has captured an electrical spark that represents a human soul and then transferred it into a robot? If you like, we can debate the use of Faraday cages but that still leaves the issue of transference...] Have these so called scientists never heard of Earth's magnetic field declining and cosmic rays corrupting electronics? I suppose if the in-crowd support it then the yes-men, too dim to argue dummies will think it's a great idea.... Let's think: The argument is that humans don't have good enough bodies to make them highly spiritual beings but all that would change by swapping the human body for a robot body.... Where exactly is there any logic that humans will change for the better by having an artificial enhanced body with super enhanced abilities derived from animal senses? This is total bullshit... Have you ever had anything to do with people claiming spirituality? Some of the nastiest %&ç"*++ you would ever want to meet... Anyone who has anything to do with folk in the Cultic/New Age milieu will know this is true... I think we have psychopath billionaires testing the waters to see which idiots swallow this crap... Meanwhile the truth about what is really happening is being buried by the duplicity of completely clueless so-called spiritual leaders... or more rightly, the abundance of wolves in sheep's clothing... Totally frightening... If you want a deeper analysis, you need to start reading up on this subject... Update 2: Can you imagine a sizeable group of scientists believe that the current humanity is over, so-called religious/spiritual leaders are "advising" about how we can become immortal by 2045 by becoming cyborgs and there is hardly a whisper in the mainstream media? It is absolutely unbelievable... Then more than a few wonder why I have nothing but disdain for the half-baked beliefs coming from the metaphysical community... The 2012 Winter solstice fiasco is a recent reminder of just how clueless many claiming to be in the know really are...The whole thing is incredible...

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A primer on Nova Prime: the world 'After Earth'
The Philippine Star, 28th May 2013
MANILA, Philippines - A post-apocalyptic, primal world confronts Jaden Smith (“The Karate Kid”) and Will Smith (“Men in Black” trilogy) in Columbia Pictures' futuristic action adventure “After Earth.”

In the film, a crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home. [...]

A Dying Earth

Starting in the 21st Century, Earth’s environment became increasingly uninhabitable. Massive seismic activity caused frequent earthquakes of alarming intensity; tectonic plates shifted, creating enormous volcanoes and violent collisions between continents; clean water became scarce and the atmospheric composition changed, resulting in deadly temperature fluctuations and air too toxic for human lungs to breathe.

By 2025 AD, it was clear that mankind would need to leave Earth, if there were any chance of survival. The governments of the world convened and mandated the construction of 10 spaceships, or “arks,” that could sustain human life on a quest to find a new inhabitable planet in another galaxy. The destruction of Earth came faster than any had imagined, however, and only six arks were completed in time for launch. Each ark could house only 125,000 – just .0000625% of the human population – but enough to start a new society. Upon leaving Earth, calendars were changed from AD to AE, reflecting our new life “After Earth.”

Comment: Updated: I have read some more reviews and this primer is a bit hit and miss... but I still might go and see this... These days the initial storyline sounds more than plausible even likely.... See more social comment below: The metaphysical message is interesting too... especially if you believe that modern day humans have had their DNA and therefore their natural evolution interfered with and the mostly corrupted, obnoxious, vile and evil types have become a pestilence on this planet... [UK movie adverts stress that ALL the animals on this future Earth have evolved to kill humans...] This primer emphasises that 'aliens' on Nova Prime hate humans so much that they have genetically created Ursa to kill humans and due to the crash, one Ursa is on the loose trying to kill the father and son duo. Their salvation comes when the son discovers it is possible to generate a high vibration that makes the human invisible to the Ursa.... The modern day spiritual message is very clear... Those who are of a high spiritual vibration have nothing to worry about, the rest will be hunted down and destroyed because the other lifeforms don't want trouble-making low vibration humans around... Hmmmm.... I am a bit stunned by this storyline, it needs some thinking about...

• Ready For the Apocalypse?
  Azizonomic, 30th November 2012 Flashback!
  
  A new national survey by National Geographic and Kelton Research finds some interesting results:
  
  Comment: This is mainly graphics but very interesting... As someone points out in the comments.. “7% of Americans think the Planet of the Apes might come true?” Well, a lot of people have noticed that some humans are becoming more feral and that some animals are acting more human... The book and movie Planet of the Apes (1968) was set in the future AD 3978, on another planet and quite frankly, nobody can say whether the human race as a whole is fit enough to comply with universal directives and continue as the dominant species on this planet in the future...
  

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More severe weather to hit many parts of US after tornadoes, thunderstorms
U.S. News, 29th May 2013
Severe weather will continue to batter many parts of the United States on Wednesday, forecasters warned, after violent storms brought heavy rain to Chicago and large tornadoes to Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and a fatal lightning strike in Florida.

New York City and western Long Island were among the areas that could be hit by heavy rain and high winds, the Weather Channel said.

Further west, a severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak is expected from South Dakota to central Texas with the tornado threat highest from south-central and southeast Nebraska to western Oklahoma. [...]

“The ingredients are coming together for a severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak in the Plains Wednesday,” said Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth. Many parts of the Chicago metropolitan area were lashed by torrential rain, frequent lightning and high winds late Tuesday, NBCChicago.com reported.

Comment: So was Piers Corbyn a couple of days out in his forecast or will the bad weather peak on the 29th?

• Several Twenty tornadoes in nation's Midwest overnight
  ABC 7 Local News, 29th May 2013
  MICHIGAN (KGO) -- People in Flint, Michigan are waking up to a big mess this morning after a tornado touched down overnight, one of 20 tornadoes that hit the Plains and Midwest last night. More severe weather is expected today.
  
  
• Severe weather threatens more than half the country
  CNN, 29th May 2013
  
  

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Comparing this weekend’s snow to “The Year Without A Summer”
Ice Age Now, 28th May 2013
“The last time we had snow this late (Memorial Day weekend) was back in 1816 – the year without the summer,” says reader Kenneth Lund. “And that was only 1 inch of snow. Here we’re talking 34 inches !”

“Even though 1816 happened in early June, this event in 2013 was far more significant. You could subtract maybe 15 inches if it had happened on June 6th – but even then it would still be unprecedented – still over a foot at least. (considering that it was 11 days later in the season)

To figure out how unusual this weekend’s snowfall was, Weather Underground had to go back to 1816, the infamous ‘Year without Summer.’

Comment: Curious.... we are being told here that the infamous “The Year Without A Summer” in 1816 was caused by a volcanic eruption. We have had a lot of volcanic eruptions in recent years but no claims that we have seen anything disasterous. Yet, the low temperatures being recorded and expected this summer are happening at the same time that noctilucent clouds have become established as a regular feature in lower latitudes, but the cause is expained as meteoric dust... Noctilucent clouds were first discovered and linked to volcanic eruptions after Krakatoa exploded in 1883, read the reports, articles and comments in the archives... As a reminder for new website visitors, the European Space Agency warned about a massive influx of cosmic dust that they believed would peak in 2012, see archives....This is quite sensational analysis and we have to wonder why climate scientists have not made this same connection and made subsequent warnings.... I suppose the answer is that climate scientists are not being paid to see this space weather connection. Whatever, note all the other snow headlines at Ice Age Now.

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New Daily Noctilucent Cloud Global Coverage Reports?
spaceweather.com, 28th May 2013
NOCTILUCENT CLOUD SEASON BEGINS: Over the weekend, sky watchers in northern Europe and Canada spotted electric-blue tendrils of light reaching out of the western sky at sunset. This signals the beginning of the 2013 season for noctilucent clouds (NLCs). Photographer Silvar Mehik sends this picture from the island of Saaremaa in Estonia:

NLCs are Earth's highest clouds. In the upper atmosphere, 80+ km high, tiny ice crystals nucleate around meteoroids and other aerosols. When the crystals catch the rays of the setting sun, they glow electric blue. For reasons that are not fully understood, these highest and coldest of clouds form during the warmest months on the ground--late spring and summer.

Noctilucent clouds first appeared in the 19th century after the eruption of super-volcano Krakatoa. At the time, people thoght the clouds were caused by the eruption, but long after Krakatoa's ash settled, the clouds remained. In those days, NLCs were a polar phenomenon confined mainly ro far-northern places such as Scandinavia or Alaska. In recent years they have intensified and spread with sightings as far south as Utah and Colorado. Could this be a sign of climate change? A NASA spacecraft named "AIM" is in orbit to investigate.

NEW! Daily images from AIM are now published here on Spaceweather.com. To find them, look in the left column of the home page and scroll down below the coronal holes.

Comment: I was most interested in WHY noctilucent clouds have become part of the daily space weather reporting... Presumably, they are causing some interference somewhere along the line, but I have never seen a report that gives a hint there is an issue. Please note: noctilucent clouds reflect radar signals...

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Killer Electrons Swarm Around Earth
spaceweather.com, 15th May 2013
ELECTRON STORM: In the past 24 hours, the flux of high-energy electrons swarming around Earth has increased more than tenfold. The source of this "electron storm" is a 700 km/s stream of solar wind buffeting Earth's magnetic field. NOAA cautions satellite operators that "satellite systems may experience significant charging" in response to accumulated electrons.

Comment: So, is this a warning that we might see more satellites incapacitated? This is is an interesting report about the impact Solar storms create ‘killer electrons’

• WeatherAction: Comment re Electron Flux early 26th to late 27th May
  WeatherAction.com, 20th May 2013
  Electron flux increased 300 fold from early 26th to late 27th in line with major Sun-Earth effect as forecast for R5+(27-29th)/QV5+(26-29th) period:
  
  Comment: Piers Corbyn is pointing out the GOES electron flux has actually gone up 300 times based on the data from the GOES 15 electron flux 5 min data.... Direct link here
  

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Spain braces for 'coldest summer in 200 years'
Local Spanish News, 27th May 2013
French weather channel Meteo has forecast that this summer will be the worst on record in Western Europe since 1816 – known by meteorological experts as “the year without summer”.

If you've been looking forward to spending your Spanish summer sunning yourself by the pool, don’t pack away your winter clothes just yet. France’s main weather channel has announced that there is a 70 percent chance of this summer being cold and wet across Spain, France, Portugal, Germany and Austria.

Cold maritime fronts and weak solar activity during the winter months have not only given us a chillier Spanish spring than normal, they’re also going to make the summer months unusually dreary and rainy. According to Meteo, June and July are only likely to have short periods of summer heat which will in turn bring heavy storms in August.

The year without summer, 1816, is not an old wives’ tale. Overcast skies and cold temperatures across the northern hemisphere led to severe crop failures and food shortages in France, England, Ireland and the US during the summer months of that year.

Comment: Hmmm.... This year is becoming a big time climate reality check.

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Met Office admits claims of significant temperature rise untenable
Bishop Hill, 27th May 2013
It has been widely claimed that the increase in global temperatures since the late 1800s is too large to be reasonably attributed to natural random variation. Moreover, that claim is arguably the biggest reason for concern about global warming. The basis for the claim has recently been discussed in the UK Parliament. It turns out that the claim has no basis, and scientists at the Met Office have been trying to cover that up. [...]

The issue here is the claim that “the temperature rise since about 1880 is statistically significant”, which was made by the Met Office in response to the original Question (HL3050). The basis for that claim has now been effectively acknowledged to be untenable. Possibly there is some other basis for the claim, but that seems extremely implausible: the claim does not seem to have any valid basis.

Plainly, then, the Met Office should now publicly withdraw the claim. That is, the Met Office should admit that the warming shown by the global-temperature record since 1880 (or indeed 1850) might be reasonably attributed to natural random variation. Additionally, the Met Office needs to reassess other claims that it has made about statistically significant climatic changes.

Comment: This is long-winded report but important as the focus increases on the lies told by climate scientists. Those who have been telling lies are now starting to feel the heat even as global temperatures start to decline and the onset of a mini Ice Age becomes more and more obvious. Why is this important? Personally, I think the truth of an expected climatic shift that was preserved as ancient knowledge is for those who don't want to be bambozzled by frauds, liars and well meaning but wrongly informed environmentalists.

Uh oh, the Met Office has set the cat amongst the pigeons
WUWT, 27th May 2013

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Memorial Day Storms From Texas to the Dakotas
AccuWeather.com, 27th May 2013
Dangerous thunderstorms will once again erupt across the Plains this Memorial Day from West Texas northward to the western Dakotas. All totaled, over 10 million people run the risk of strong thunderstorms during the day.

• Live: Severe Storms Fire in Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska
  

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Carl Jung UFO letter up for auction
Open Minds, 23rd May 2013
A letter from Carl Jung to an editor at the New Republic newspaper in Washington D.C. about UFOs has recently gone up for auction at the Swann Auction Galleries. The letter, dated December 12, 1957, appears to be in response to a request to write an article about UFOs and Jung’s upcoming book on the topic.

Jung demonstrated a great interest in UFOs in his career, primarily the psychological aspects of the modern mythology, but as he expresses in the letter, to his chagrin, “one almost must regret that the Ufos seem to be real after all.”

In 1958, Jung wrote a book focused on the psychological aspects of the phenomenon titled, Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies.

Comment: The point of my interest is Carl Jung was concerned that humanity was not prepared for a dramatic increase in UFO sightings, and he felt compelled to warn about UFOs appearing at the end of an astrological age. He was so concerned he risked his reputation and wrote the book Flying Saucers : A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies (1959). This quote implies he got his information from ancient Egyptian sources, but I have still not come across a scholar who has cited the same sources.

These days I am thinking he did not need to worry as many prefer fantasy and playing video games to care what is happening in our skies.

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Persistent Sinkholes and Unexplained Booms
Earthfiles, 13th May 2013
“Since 2011, many geologists have noticed almost a 1000% increase in soil liquefaction.” - Geophysicist subcontractor for U. S. Air Force [...] Recently I received an email from a retired communications and electronics expert for several contractors that have done work for Hill AFB in Utah. He has also worked for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Strategic Planning Office between 1993 to 2005. In his work, he came to know a geophysicist also working on military contracts for the U. S. Air Force. [...] The geophysicist said he and his colleagues “believe something is going on in the inner core of the Earth. They don't know if it's a magnetic pole change; restructuring of minerals within the soil down to the mantle and core. It's becoming more frequent and so has the intensity. They really have no real idea what's going on. He said they don't know if it's a short term, one-time boom phenomenon, or something very serious. They don't know if it's a regular occurrence that happens in cycles on the Earth. So far, there is no explanation for the boom phenomenon. ”

Comment: I missed this... It annoys me that the source is anonymous... All we are being told is that something is going on and a few geophysicists think it is related to processes within the Earth's core but I think that is obvious (we are still awaiting the results from the ESA's SWARM Mission & other geophysical missions). The real question is how this relates to the influx of energy from deep space stirring the core. I have been attempting to document the known science and theoretical work, because cause and effect is a universal law and cannot be ignored.

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JamesMcCanneyScienceHour_May_23_2013.MP3
jmccanneyscience.com, 26th May 2013


Comment: James McCanney says he believes the wild weather for the last 2 months was caused by a strong electrical connection with Saturn and he spends about 34 mins of this show talking about it including a clip from a show that did not air last week. He says the Saturn connection has gone but astrophysicist Piers Corbyn says there is worst to come.... Piers is not very often wrong... [Piers predicted tornadoes in the United States for the 3 day period, 26th to 29th and there were in fact 76 tornado's in 10 states.] I would like to add that the recent bout of solar flares and CME's might have added to the bumper cosmic energy supply. WHATEVER, IF YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES IN AN AREA THAT IS PRONE TO TORNADOES OR IF YOU THINK BEING HIT BY GIANT HAIL IS A PROBLEM, THEN DOWNLOAD THE FREE WEATHERACTION.com MAY LONGTERM WEATHER ADVISORY. Download WeatherAction USA May forecast with likely main threatened areas 25-29 May (.pdf) & Source link

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Wintry spring costs Western Europe
Euro News, 24th May 2013
The weather in Western Europe this month could easily have been mistaken for mid-winter. Around the French mountain community of Little Saint Bernard, very close to the border with Italy. In the Alps, the snow ploughs have been out daily.

They can keep the road clear in the Serra de Estrela in the middle of Portugal, but the last time they had snow there this late in the year was eight years ago.

A tourist who found it bewildering said: “It is very strange, but I think the whole of Europe had a very long winter, but I didn’t expect snow in the Serra de Estrela in May.” The northern Spanish city of Burgos felt temperatures drop to 3°C on May 15.

Comment: Think of all the billions of dollars spent trying to convince the public of global warming.... There has been no warming for nearly 17 years and we are staring at the strong likelihood of a mini Ice Age... Humanity have not been served well by the scientific community overall, (but we do have to thank the skeptics) the think tanks serving world controllers badly got this wrong. They can think again.

• Historic cycling race in Italy is halted by snow for the first time in 24 years
  Irish Independent, 24th May 2013
  HEAVY snow forced organisers of the Giro d'Italia cycling race to call off yesterday's mountain stage – the first time in 24 years that a stage of the famous bike race was cancelled due to the weather.
  
  
• Heavy snow in the Alps
  Planet Ski, 26th May 2013
  It seems that winter in the Alps is not over as snow falls across the ski resorts making it look more like the middle of winter. However there are just 15 resorts open across the world at the moment. Check out news and pictures of the latest snow. Heavy snow is continuing to fall in The Alps.
  

Alaska Continues Its Record Long, Snowy Winter
Heartland, 20th May 2013
“Forget global warming, Alaska is headed for an ice age,” the Alaska Dispatch reported December 23.
Less we forget, the reality of winters all year round is looming fast for some...

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Northern California quake is a curiosity for seismologists
The 5.7 temblor northeast of Sacramento, in a part of the state that hasn't been studied much, didn't do a lot of damage but was felt 'along an unusual distance.'
LA Times, 24th May 2013
A magnitude 5.7 temblor Thursday night was the largest earthquake to shake California since 2008 and has generated curiosity from seismologists.

The temblor occurred in a rugged section of Northern California that has not been studied as thoroughly as Southern California and the Bay Area and has less monitoring equipment. Experts said they were surprised the quake was felt over such a large area, and they plan to go to the region to investigate.

The magnitude 5.7 quake struck around 8:47 p.m., about 150 miles northeast of Sacramento; its epicenter was about 27 miles southwest of the town of Susanville.

Comment: I will look out for seismologists' conclusions.

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Great moments in activist climate science – NRDC’s Dr. Laurie Johnson: ‘CO2 makes your car hot’
Watts Up With That, 23rd May 2013
People send me stuff. This makes Bill Nye’s recent CNN fail look almost forgivable.

My friend Lars Larson, who runs a nationally syndicated radio show out of Portland, OR sent me this audio clip today. I had to listen to it to believe his claim, because who would guess that a credentialed scientist who is lecturing a national audience on climate change issues could misunderstand the greenhouse effect so badly. Here is the audio clip, with Dr. Laurie Johnson of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Have a listen:

Comment: I liked the following comment concerning a major problem in society. We have too many very stupid people with too much power threatening the survival of the whole of humanity.

otropogo says:
May 24, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Just another example of the advancing stupification of academia, an issue that far transcends the climate change controversy. Even as the tools available to humanity become more and more capable of destroying our civilization, and possibly our species and much of earth’s biosphere, the judgment of those “certified” and appointed to manage these tools appears to be degenerating to the point of simple lunacy.

Whether the next immediate threat is an asteroid impact, a deadly runaway virus, a crippling solar EMP event, sudden onset glaciation, or a string of nuclear accidents, we can be certain that the response of governments and their appointed talking heads will be be either tragically inadequate or totally inappropriate.

This is the fundamental issue humanity urgently needs to face, not only because of any imminent danger, but also because, if allowed to corrupt our institutions of learning sufficiently, it may become irreversible. We must find a way to firmly say “no” to academic “yes-men”.

Stupid people are too stupid to see the importance of the issues... So, why are the stupid tolerated? Because stupidity rules in a stupid society where world controllers benefit from being able to easily manipulate stupid people. Now we are at a point where humanity is facing major threats, but the stupid thrive and those of us with any intelligence struggle if we don't love entertaining the truly stupid. Frankly, humanity is finished in its current manifestation.

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Pesticides Make a Comeback
Many Corn Farmers Go Back to Using Chemicals as Mother Nature Outwits Genetically Modified Seeds
Investors Hub, 22nd May 2013
Wall Street Journal paywall copy: Insecticide sales are surging after years of decline, as American farmers plant more corn and a genetic modification designed to protect the crop from pests has started to lose its effectiveness.

The sales are a boon for big pesticide makers, such as American Vanguard Corp. and Syngenta AG. But it has sparked fresh concerns among environmental groups and some scientists that one of the most widely touted benefits of genetically modified crops—that they reduce the need for chemical pest control—is unraveling. At the same time, the resurgence of insecticides could expose both farmers and beneficial insects to potential harm.

Until recently, corn farmers in the U.S. had largely abandoned soil insecticides, thanks mostly to a widely adopted genetic trait developed by Monsanto Co. that causes corn seeds to generate their own pest-killing toxins, but which the Environmental Protection Agency says doesn't hurt humans.

The modified seeds, first introduced in 2003, proved to be largely effective against the corn rootworm, a voracious bug that is the main scourge of the nation's largest crop. Today, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, two-thirds of all corn grown in the U.S. includes a rootworm-targeting gene known as Bt.

As more farmers switched to the modified seed, the share of corn acreage treated with insecticide fell to 9% in 2010, the most recent year for which data are available, from 25% in 2005, according to USDA data. Those farmers who continued to use insecticide applied less in 2010, the data showed.

In 2011, however, entomologists at Iowa State University and the University of Illinois started to document rootworms that were immune to the Monsanto gene, and have found these resistant pests scattered across the Midwest. Now, many farmers have decided they need to spray their soil to kill any rootworms that have developed Bt resistance, as well as growing populations of other pests.

Comment: What we are being told is that in a matter of a few years, rootworms evolved their DNA to become resistant to pest-killing toxins from genetically modified seeds to ensure their survival. Therefore, it looks like Monsanto's business plan is bust, but obviously there are wider issues concerning rapid evolutionary change being demonstrated by various forms of life on this planet. Humans, on the surface, cannot seem to benefit from the same rules to cope with environmental threats. Why is that?

• 800 Scientists Demand Global GMO “Experiment” End
  Natural Society, 24th May 2013
  Some scientists with functioning brains who realise that big greedy corporations are forcing humanity to take too much of a big risk. By trying to mess too much with Mother Nature, it is looking increasingly like humans will come off worse.
  

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Mutant roaches evolve to avoid sticky traps
The Sydney Morning Herald, 24th May 2013
San Francisco: Roaches that have been hard to trap may be a variety that find sugar doesn't taste quite so sweet as bait anymore, a study suggests.

Most cockroach baits cover poison in a layer of glucose, a sugar. Some mutant German roaches, the most common species of pest found in houses, apartments, restaurants and hotels, now taste glucose as bitter, researchers said today in a study released in the journal Science. This change in palate enables them to avoid traps.

The scientists collected 19 roach populations, mostly from the US and Puerto Rico, to look at how common the glucose- spurning had become. They found seven populations that had the taste trait, said Coby Schal, a study author and a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He expects the numbers would have been higher had his group asked exterminators to send sample roaches from infestations that had been difficult to control by ordinary means.

Comment: More speedy evolution...

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NOAA turns to backup after weather satellite glitch
Spaceflight Now, 23rd May 2013
A week before the official start of a potentially active Atlantic hurricane season, the primary U.S. weather satellite keeping watch over the tropics has stopped collecting imagery, NOAA officials said Thursday.

The GOES 13 satellite, designated the prime spacecraft to cover the eastern United States and the Atlantic Ocean, suffered a fault late Tuesday in its attitude control system, according to Thomas Renkevens, deputy chief of NOAA's satellite products and services division.

"It appears to have been a problem with the star tracker, which caused the satellite to lose its position hold capability," said Kathryn Sullivan, acting NOAA administrator.

Comment: Another satellite busted by the star tracker dying... What's that, two in 10 days? (The planet hunting Kepler satellite is also down for the same reason.) This is the reality of space weather and we can expect more and more satellites to become unreliable as electronics becomes more vulnerable to worsening cosmic conditions. Luckily, there is a backup satellite which is very much needed as NOAA have just announced a busy hurricane season is to be expected and vital warnings are needed to save lives. See NOAA news NOAA predicts active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

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OSE president to lose pay for glitch
Japan Times, 23rd May 2013
OSAKA – The Osaka Securities Exchange said Wednesday it will cut the monthly pay of its president, Motoharu Fujikura, by 30 percent for one month over a system problem that forced it to suspend derivatives trading in March.

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Earthquakes Create Global-Scale GPS Errors
Live Science News, 23rd May 2013
Twelve years of supersized earthquakes have contaminated GPS sites around the world, a new study finds.

The Global Positioning System is a network of satellites and ground stations that provide location information anywhere on Earth. Except for spots in Australia, western Europe and the eastern tip of Canada, every GPS site on the ground underwent small but important shifts since 2000 because of big earthquakes, according to a study published May 6 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

The research confirms that great earthquakes, those bigger than magnitude 8.0, can have far-reaching effects on the Earth's crust. And because GPS is critical for everything from calculating satellite orbits to sea level rise to earthquake hazards, scientists can't ignore these tiny zigs and zags, the researchers conclude. [...]

Here's why these seemingly small changes matter. Scientists who rely on GPS need to compare one place to another. There are a handful of stable spots around the world, usually in the interior of continents, called the terrestrial reference frame. For example, a geologist measuring the speed of the Pacific plate would compare it with the North American reference frame. But Tregoning's study shows these stable spots were shifted by the massive earthquakes.

Comment: We are now living on a planet where there is no such thing as 'stable'. The latest big 8.3 Earthquake might just have made things far worse.

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Tremors felt in Moscow as 8.2 quake rattles Russia's Sakhalin region
RT News, 24th May 2013
Tremors have been felt all across Russia and in Europe, following a major 8.2 earthquake in the Sakhalin region. Panicking Muscovites began calling security services, and some decided to leave their homes.

The residents informed security services of vibration and tremors that caused furniture and kitchen utensils to move.

The magnitude of the tremors felt in Moscow was no higher than 1 on the Richter scale, the Agency of Hydrometeorological and Environmental monitoring indicated. [...]

Russia’s Emergency Ministry said that all of its departments are on high alert following the quake in the Okhotsk Sea.

“Our special attention is on the coastal area. The Ministry is going to watch out for the possible aftershocks. At the moment there’s absolutely no threat of tsunami, no buildings are destroyed, there are no injured and people are in no danger” Ministry representative Irina Rossius said.

Some Sakhalin region residents reported that they were unable to turn on electronic devices after the earthquake.

In the meantime, the seismic forecasters say that another quake with the magnitude of over 7 is expected to hit the Sakhalin region in the coming week.

Comment: Its going down... The release of energy that disrupted electronics is exactly what I have been trying to warn about for years.... the human energy field is being continually flashed fried by some very disruptive energies and my research proves to me that faint warnings from metaphysical sources concerning the human impact of seismic activity were valid.

• Massive earthquake in Russia’s far east – Felt in Moscow and parts of China, India and Japan
  EarthQuake Report, 24th May 2013
  - An other country, feeling this quake, is Kazakhstan. 20 people in Uralsk in western part of the country reported authorities they felt it.
  
  - Seems that this quake was felt over the whole Eurasian plate. Russian media report that also some people in Romania felt it. We received reports from Finland and Denmark and a perso from Italy gave their report to ESMC.
  
  In St. Peterburg one more building was evacuated. Both towns, Moscow and St. Petersburg, usually do not have any earthquakes. So people are frightened if it happenes. There are still no news about damage from Kamtchatka. But usually those buildings widestand larger intensities than V, so no heavy damage is expected.
  
  - Many parts of China were also affected by the quake. People from different provinces said they felt the quake, among them Heilongjiang, Gansu, Hubei, Chongqing, Jiangsu and Sichuan. No damage was reported from China.
  
  
• 8.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes offshore Russia, Tsunami Center Investigating
  The Weather Space, 24th May 2013
  A magnitude 8.2 Earthquake struck offshore Russia on Friday. The Tsunami Center is investigating further on the quake’s power. Earthquakes of this size are known to generate tsunamis, potentially dangerous to coasts outside the source region.
  
  More information will be available as products are issued and the investigation is underway. TheWeatherSpace.com Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin says the quake might be too deep.
  
  “You are looking at a quake that was 385 miles deep,” said Martin. “Generally tsunamis are generated with much shallower earthquakes so chances are the warning center will not issue watches for it. We are awaiting their official word.”
  
  Comment: This is too big to ignore... but deep earthquakes generally do not produce tsunamis
  
  IRIS WORLD SEISMIC MONITOR
  IRIS, 24th May 2013
  
  
• PUBLIC TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1 NWS WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK 1053 PM PDT THU MAY 23 2013
  Tsunami.gov, 24th May 2013
  
  
• Russian Earthquake Could Be Deepest Ever
  Live Science, 24th May 2013
  

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3 survive I-5 bridge collapse over Skagit River
King5 News, 24th May 2013
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. -- An Interstate 5 bridge over a river north of Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.

The four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed about 7 p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said. Skagit County Sheriff's Department said three people - two men and one woman - were rescued from the water and transported to area hospitals. All three were reported in stable condition.State authorities say there were no fatalities. [...]

While the cause of the collapse was being investigated, witnesses reported seeing a semi-truck with an oversized load crossing the bridge and striking the beams on the north end before the bridge collapsed.

Comment: Lots of details here....

• PHOTOS: Photos of I-5 bridge collapse over Skagit River
  
  
• Report finds thousands of U.S. bridges in dangerous need of repair
  Homeland Security News, 4th April 2011
  Last week a new report found that nearly 12 percent of the bridges in the United States were “structurally deficient” and required replacement; the report found that major repairs and critical maintenance has often been delayed as states are struggling with budget shortfalls; the average age of bridges across the country is nearing forty-two years, and most were designed to have a fifty year lifespan before they were replaced or reconstructed; Transportation for America has called for increased federal funding for infrastructure to help make repairs; the American Society of Civil Engineers has recommended that the United States spend $17 billion a year on bridge maintenance, significantly more than the $10.5 billion that is currently spent each year
  
  Comment: At a time of constant Earth changes, poor infrastructure is only going to make things worse. The United States has allowed its infrastructure to fall into a state of decay, so citizens should expect more of the same.
  

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WeatherAction predicted 3 weeks ahead that Oklahoma would be targeted for storm hits 19-24 May. Worse still to come for many parts USA.
WeatherAction, 23rd May 2013
USA Major Thunder tornado and hail Oklahoma and other parts (20-23rd) were explicitly warned 3 weeks ahead in WeatherAction long range forecast – Oklahoma was explicitly highlighted.

? EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD AND MORE SERIOUS THUNDER, HAIL AND TORNADOES ARE PREDICTED FOR 25-29 MAY IN MANY PARTS OF USA – From LongRange forecast issued 30April

Piers Corbyn astrophysicist of WeatherAction said:

"We explicitly highlighted Oklahoma as a danger area in the period 19-24 May with tornado events warned (see right hand bar of forecast period below). Although this was a low confidence period we still got the essentials right in long range.

A more widespread more serious storm period for most parts in our forecast is 25-29 May and for that reason we are now making WeatherAction USA MAY FORECAST available FREE for distribution without restriction provided WeatherAction is acknowledged, see link below. Thank you.”

Comment: This is another response to the morons trying to imply that tornadoes can be invoked and steered by HAARP... If you have not worked this out yet, there are a lot of uneducated people being suckered by paid hands brainwashing them into believing that an all powerful elite class exists that have all the powers in the universe at their disposal.

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More Than Half of Spiders No Longer Build Webs
Real Clear Science News, 22nd May 2013
Spider webs are beautiful to behold, but they're not necessarily all that efficient to use. For spiders that weave webs to hunt, their foraging is effectively restricted to one area. Moreover, ignorant and unappreciative humans frequently rip the elegant, silken constructs to shreds, leaving the eight-legged owners temporarily without means to attain nourishment.

Perhaps due to these stark limitations, more than half of spider species have abandoned the web-spinning ways of many of their forebears, instead pursuing prey in a more traditional "search and seize" manner. [...]

We may indeed be witnessing a noticeable example of evolution in action. Over the coming centuries, it will be quite interesting to see if more and more spiders switch to a web-less hunting style. If so, pristine, silken webs sparkling with dew on a clear, spring morning may, sadly, become a rare sight.

Comment: Evolutionary change, this time for spiders, in very short timescales. Gone is the belief that everything takes hundreds of thousands of years replaced with sudden change that happens in decades and maybe hundreds of years. The image icon is from the surprising 'happy face' spider discovery announced in April 2009, British scientists study Hawaiian happy face spider.

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Climate change 'spurred modern human behaviour'
BBC News, 22nd May 2013
Abrupt climate change in Africa helped trigger technological and cultural advances in early modern humans, according to new research. Archaeologists had long noted that the complexity displayed by human groups moved in fits and starts.

But there has been a debate about the causes of this stop-start pattern. Analysis of marine sediments suggest a close link between changes in human behaviour and changes in the southern African climate. The research by a British, Swiss and Spanish team is published in the journal Nature Communications. [...]

Prof Chris Stringer, from London's Natural History Museum, who was also an author on the paper, said: "The quality of the southern African data allowed us to make these correlations between climate and behavioural change.

Comment: Actually, I would be interested to find evolutionary biologists who have developed sophisticated theories concerning the specifics of the triggers that link changes in human behaviour and changes in the climate. I have been stating that morphogenetic templates are controlled by the environment for a long time because it seems obvious to me but in my book Tuning The Diamonds, I actually quote from a paper, “Consciousness As A Self-Organizing Process: An Ecological Perspective” (1998). In the abstract, the authors Goerner & Combs write: “The evolution of consciousness is seen in the context of energy-driven evolution in general, where energy and information are understood as two sides of the same coin.” Most importantly, the authors Goerner & Combs write:

“We are now coming to understand the innate tendency of energy systems to evolve into structures that capture energy and use it to organize even more complex, flexible, and tenacious structures. It turns out that systems which exist far from equilibrium are the natural product of the self-organizing tendencies of energy currents throughout the universe to move toward greater complexity. Thus these systems are information intensive, capturing free but patterned energy from the environment and using it to enrich their own complex structures.”

I am wondering if this is just too sophisticated and/or too esoteric for most but I am grateful that a at least a few academics understand this and those who want to understand can ignore the New Age woo... In straight language, if humans cannot pick up the new “patterened” energy from the environment and that means morphogenetic templates that control the physical formation of every living creature to invoke DNA changes, then humanity will go extinct, it is that simple....As stupid humans think polluting the environment and our own existing templates does not matter, it is inevitable that most of humanity will die off and it might explain the Transhumanism that is still largely under the radar, for those scientists and academics who think they can upsurp Universal Intelligence.... How foolish.

• Rapid cooling triggered Bronze-Age collapse and Greek Dark Age
  Ice Age Now, 20th May 2013
  Of course the politically correct verbiage is “climate change.” Between the 13th and 11th centuries BCE, most Greek Bronze Age Palatial centers were destroyed and/or abandoned throughout the Near East and Aegean, says this paper by Brandon L. Drake. A sharp increase in Northern Hemisphere temperatures preceded the wide-spread systems collapse, while a sharp decrease in temperatures occurred during their abandonment.
  
  Comment: This is an example of humans failing to adapt...
  

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Energy companies testing "liquid air" as a means of storing backup electricity
Phys.Org News, 22nd May 2013
(Phys.org) —Highview Power Storage, a British company that develops energy storage systems for utility companies has received $18 million in funding from several backers to investigate the use of "liquid air" as a means of storing electricity for backup purposes. Liquid air is air that has been chilled to the point of liquefying—when warmed it expands, allowing for the possibility of driving turbines to create electricity.

Comment: All of a sudden, relying on the current system of electricity supply is looking foolhardy and alternatives are now imperative.

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Researchers explain magnetic field misbehavior in solar flares
Phys.org News, 22nd May 2013
When a solar flare filled with charged particles erupts from the sun, its magnetic fields sometime break a widely accepted rule of physics. The flux-freezing theorem dictates that the magnetic lines of force should flow away in lock-step with the particles, whole and unbroken. Instead, the lines sometimes break apart and quickly reconnect in a way that has mystified astrophysicists. [...]

The flux-freezing theorem was developed 70 years ago by Hannes Alfvén, who later won a Nobel Prize in physics for closely related work. His principle states that magnetic lines of force are carried along in a moving fluid like strands of thread cast into a river, and thus they can never "break" and reconnect. But scientists have discovered that within violent solar flares, the principle does not always hold true. Studies of these flares have determined that their magnetic field lines sometimes do break like stretched rubber bands and reconnect in as little as 15 minutes, releasing vast amounts of energy that power the flare.

"But the flux-freezing principle of modern plasma physics implies that this process in the solar corona should take a million years!" Eyink said. "A big problem in astrophysics is that no one could explain why flux-freezing works in some cases but not others."

Comment: This is some backward solar scientists finally admitting what plasma physicists have known for over 45 years and that is magnetic fields are not "frozen-in". Hannes Alfvén, Professor of Electrical Engineering & Plasma Physics, towards the end of his career realised he was wrong and in 1970, at his Nobel Prize lecture he stated: “It is only the plasma that does not ‘understand’ how beautiful the theories are and absolutely refuses to obey them.” Space weather predictions are needed based on reality because our real technological world is in peril. This announcement tells us that the powers that be are kicking backsides to force academic types to move the science on, fantasy theory is not good enough.

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Researchers reveal model of Sun's magnetic field
Phys.Org News, 22nd May 2013
The research, published in the journal Nature, explains how the cyclical nature of these large-scale magnetic fields emerges, providing a solution to the mathematical equations governing fluids and electromagnetism for a large astrophysical body.

The mechanism, known as a dynamo, builds on a solution to a reduced set of equations first proposed in the 1950s which could explain the regular oscillation but which appeared to break down when applied to objects with high electrical conductivity. The mechanism takes into account the 'shear' effect of mass movement of the ionised gas, known as plasma, which makes up the Sun. More importantly it does so in the extreme parameter regime that is relevant to astrophysical bodies.

Comment: I think this is another reality bite... Admitting that the laws of electromagnetism dominate the big ball of plasma we call the Sun is a big step for these scientists.... /sarc off

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Couple's £163,000 mobile phone bill shock
BBC News, 22nd May 2013
An electrician and his wife had a shock when they received a mobile phone bill for £163,000, then fought for months to have the debt cleared.

For 15 years, Alan and Carolyn Mazkouri, from Swansea, had a business deal with Orange for 10 phones. They told the BBC's Watchdog programme that they normally had a bill for £300 a month, before the shock demand came in September. [...] The bill suggested that Mr Mazkouri's phone had downloaded data by dialling up the internet every 20 minutes for three weeks.

Comment: So... did Orange really expect this couple to pay the bill?

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5 die in 33-foot sinkhole that opened up in China
Raw Story, 21st May 2013
Five people died when a 10 metre (33 feet) wide sinkhole opened up at the gates of an industrial estate in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese boom town neighbouring Hong Kong, local authorities said Tuesday.

The Shenzhen Longgang district government said on its verified page on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, that five people had died and added that it was investigating the incident.

The sinkhole formed just outside the Huamao Industrial Park in Shenzhen on Monday evening, at a time when many factory workers would have been changing shifts, according to the website of Beijing-based newspaper the Guangming Daily.

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Alex Jones Explains How Government "Weather Weapon" Could Have Been Behind Oklahoma Tornado
Media Matters, 21st May 2013
Conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones explained to his audience today how the government could have been behind the devastating May 20 tornado in Oklahoma.

On the May 21 edition of The Alex Jones Show, a caller asked Jones whether he was planning to cover how government technology may be behind a recent spate of sinkholes. After laying out how insurance companies use weather modification to avoid having to pay ski resorts for lack of snow, Jones said that "of course there's weather weapon stuff going on -- we had floods in Texas like fifteen years ago, killed thirty-something people in one night. Turned out it was the Air Force."

Following a long tangent, Jones returned to the caller's subject. While he explained that "natural tornadoes" do exist and that he's not sure if a government "weather weapon" was involved in the Oklahoma disaster, Jones warned nonetheless that the government "can create and steer groups of tornadoes."

Comment: Wow.... Alex Jones crawling out from under his rock and spouting crap for the truly ignorant and scientifically illiterate presumably to maintain credibility with his dumbed-down audience... As far as I am concerned this rabble rouser sold his soul a long time ago...

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Herbrandston residents 'tortured' by mystery low frequency noise [UK]
Western Telegraph, 18th May 2013
A group of Herbrandston residents have reached breaking point after a 'torturous' mystery noise made life in the village a 'living hell'. Jane and Steve Ingram said life at their quiet Herbrandston home became unbearable when a low, drowning noise started keeping them awake at night. Jane, who began to hear the drone back in 2009, said she hasn't had a full night's sleep in years and has even considered moving house. [...]

Anne Kerr, who has lived at her home in St Margarets Way, Herbrandston, for 33 years, said she started hearing the noise about three years ago. She said: "It's more of a vibration than a noise, it's very disturbing to my body - my heart vibrates. "Sometimes I feel suicidal because it's becoming hell, like hell on earth." Another sufferer Louise Cleaver said she is constantly haunted by the noise at her Tiers Cross home.

Comment: See archives for previous comment.

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School experiment discovers garden cress won’t germinate near a router
Geek.com, 17th May 2013
Garden cress is a fast growing and edible herb that will sprout in just a small amount of slightly alkaline water. But there is one exception to that rule, and is has scientists scratching their heads.

A group of 5 girls have carried out a science experiment at Hjallerup School in North Jutland, Denmark that saw garden cress seeds placed in 12 tubs and split into two batches. Both batches were placed in different rooms that remained the same temperature, and were given the same amount of water and sunlight over the course of 12 days.

You’d expect both batches of 6 tubs to grow equally well, but one set didn’t even germinate. The reason? They were placed next to two routers. Although it’s unclear exactly why this happened, it is thought that the radiation produced by the routers is what stopped the seeds germinating.

Comment: It makes you wonder about whether electromagnetic pollution has a connection with the rapid sperm count decline and future looming crisis for humanity...

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ABC comets rise from the dead
ABC News, 21st May 2013
Astronomers have found a group of comets that have risen from the dead.

The asteroidal belt comets - or ABCs for short - lie in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, report astronomers on the on the pre press website ArXiv.org.

Dr Ignacio Ferrin, Dr Jorge Zuluaga and Pablo Cuartas from Columbia's University of Antioquia, say the group of eleven objects behave like comets, but have asteroidal orbits.

They propose the objects they've dubbed 'Lazarus comets' are extinct comets that have been rejuvenated when their orbits changed.

"The asteroidal belt contains an enormous graveyard of ancient dormant and extinct rocky comets, that [are rejuvenated], in response to a diminution of their perihelion distance [closest orbital position to the Sun]," the authors write.

Comment: This is exactly what NASA scientists claimed they were looking for, see press release from last week. This news really does bring to mind the ancient warnings.... I would describe this news as omninous...

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US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse From Rhode Island Provides Erroneous Information To American Public in Global Warming Rant
WUWT, 20th May 2013

First, I’m sure I speak for everyone at WUWT when I say that our hearts go out to all the families in Oklahoma affected by the weather tragedy there today.

In the video above US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse states that:

“When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas.”

Read more: Daily Caller

If Senator Sheldon Whitehouse did more reading and less ranting, he might know that Continental US Temperature Lower Troposphere (TLT) – 1979 to Present;

Comment: I am sure there are going to be lots of rants about extreme weather, but telling lies about the cause for political purposes is not going to save lives and property. This article is a general debunking of those who want to blame the recent tornado outbreak on global warming and we are presented with a lot of charts and data.... As I have repeated before, we seem to be seeing extreme swings but rarely nothing we have not experienced before.

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Oklahoma tornado officially an EF5 – wind speeds still less than 1999 Moore tornado
WUWT, 21st May 2013
The map below shows ‘Tornado Tracks Streak Across Oklahoma’ as measured by doppler radar.

The rotation of tornadoes creates a distinctive signature in radar data, and can be used to estimate the track that the system takes over land. This image shows the rotational velocity of the systems that passed over Oklahoma on the afternoon of May 20, 2013. A single cohesive structure can be seen to cut across seven counties, with Moore directly in the middle.

• A block away from F5 Tornado! May 20, 2013 Moore Oklahoma
  YouTube, 20th May 2013
  

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Oklahoma tornadoes end quiet storm season
USA Today, 20th May 2013
The violent tornado outbreaks of the past several days, including the killer twister that hit Moore, Okla., on Monday, have shattered the calm of what had been a very quiet tornado season so far. More violent storms appear to be on the way for Tuesday.

As of a week ago, tornadoes had killed only three Americans in 2013, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. In the past week, 59 people have died in storms in Texas and Oklahoma, but that number could rise as first responders continue to recover victims of Monday's twister. [...]

Oklahoma City is "probably the largest, most tornado-prone, urban area in the world," according to Christopher Burt's book Extreme Weather.

"Sitting in what is practically the epicenter of North America's most active 'tornado alley,' Oklahoma City has been struck by tornadoes 112 times since the city's first recorded twister in 1893." he writes. "Residents may expect a damaging tornado to hit somewhere in the metro area about once every two years."

Comment: Over at weatheraction.com, astrophysicist Piers Corbyn informs us that, "Predictable Solar-Lunar factors drive weather & REAL climate change." Jet-stream movements have a major influence on creating the most extreme weather and the jet stream is directed impacted by energy from space and geomagnetic factors. Piers Corbyn predicted US tornadoes and hail. His report states: "Major thunderstorms with damaging large / giant hail and tornados are expected during main WeatherAction R5/R4/R3 periods: ~3-5th, 9-12th, 13-14th, 22-25th, 26-27th, 30th-1st May." I think he got this totally correct. Source: WeatherActionUSA: Long Range Weather Forecast b) USA / South Canada

• Severe Weather Drought: Tornadoes drop to a new all time record low, major hurricane absence is setting a new record every day
  WUWT, 4th May 2013
  
  
• 5/20/13 Moore, OK Devastating Tornado
  YouTube, 20th May 2013
  Large, violent tornado plowed through Moore, OK. We intercepted the tornado from within a half mile by South Moore High School. Complete destruction...prayers needed!
  

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Huge Oklahoma tornado, on ground 40 minutes, smashes schools, homes
LA Times, 20th May 2013
A mile-wide tornado slammed into Oklahoma on Monday afternoon, leveling neighborhoods, starting fires and causing, as one storm chaser put it, "total destruction."

Two elementary schools were destroyed, and an untold number of homes and businesses sustained heavy damage near the cities of Moore, Newcastle and Oklahoma City. CNN reported that rescue crews swarmed over Plaza Towers Elementary School, where 75 students and staff had sought refuge in a hallway.

Britane Diacon-Boese of Oklahoma City was worried about students she works with. "I have clients who can't be found," she said. "I'm terrified; I'm completely terrified," she told the Los Angeles Times. "There's no power, it's all down."

Comment: So, people live in a tornado alley with properties that are not tornado resistant and where nobody cares enough to even build tornado shelters for schools... The latest reports state rescuers are currently digging children out from the rubble of one school that has been destroyed... plus estimates of up to 37 children dead, drowned in the school basement. Info from Fox News streaming live. http://www.wwhdtv.com/watch-fox-news-live-streaming/ Update: 24 children dead: Found drowned beneath school devastated by tornado reported. & Mother’s Action Saved 5-Year-Old as Tornado Bore Down on School

• Moore Tornado 2013: Photos Show Oklahoma Twister Devastation (PICTURES, LIVE UPDATES)
  Huffington Post, 20th May 2013
  A tornado hit the city of Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, leaving behind significant destruction. The twister is one in a series of tornadoes that swept across the central United States Sunday and Monday, killing two in Shawnee, with more fatalities expected. According to a tweet from the National Weather Service, the tornado will receive a preliminary rating of at least EF 4.
  
  
• Horrifying Photos Of The Massive Tornado Tearing Through Oklahoma City
  A mile-wide tornado touched down in suburbs of Oklahoma City Monday afternoon, tearing through homes and businesses.
  BuzzFeed, 20th May 2013
  

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Baboons ransack house near Cape Town - video
The Guardian, 20th May 2013
A gang of baboons are filmed by a neighbour entering a house in Betty's Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa, and ransacking the property. The primates climb through an open upstairs window and race round the house, helping themselves to food in the kitchen. The neighbour tries to get rid of the animals using a broom. Most flee but one stubbornly refuses to leave an upstairs bathroom

Comment: I am not sure this is a demonstration of evolving primates... but it demonstrate that it does not take much intelligence or innovation to steal from others....

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Blood Falls, five stories high, seeps from an Antarctic glacier
The bright red waterfall – dubbed Blood Falls by geologists who discovered it in 1911 – is the work of microbes trapped beneath ice for nearly 2 million years.
Earth Sky News, 19th May 2013
In 1911, Australian explorer and geologist Griffith Taylor discovered a strange glacial feature in Antarctica, which is now known as Blood Falls. It’s a bright red waterfall, nearly five stories high, seeping through a crack in what’s now called Taylor Glacier, which flows into Antarctica’s Lake Bonney. Geologists first believed that the color of the water came from algae, but today the red color is known to be caused by microbes living off sulfur and iron in oxygen-free water trapped beneath the ice for nearly 2 million years. The hidden lake beneath Taylor Glacier sits beneath a quarter mile (400 meters) of ice and trickles out at the glacier’s end. It deposits an orange stain across the ice as its iron-rich waters rust on contact with air.

Comment: I think it is worth repeating examples of 'alien' life forms that are already known to exist on this planet now that astrobiologists are trying to point out the obvious that Earth has a Shadiow Biosphere. In January 2012 I wrote: "So, 3.43 billion years old microfossils that are sulphur-based, living off and metabolising compounds containing sulphur rather than oxygen for energy and growth is OK. 2 million year old LIVE microbial life 17 different kinds found on Earth, that use sulfur as a catalyst instead of oxygen, which has never been seen before is OK, but LIVE arsenic-based life in Mono Lake is not allowed... I just don't get it at all... Alien life is alien life, don't you agree?" For more info see archives Best of the Blog The Search For Extraterrestrial Life.

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Climate Scientist Hans Von Storch Warns: Climate Scientists Have Been “Taking On The Roles Of Medicine Men And Priests”
NoTricksZoneNews, 18th May 2013
What follows is a critical article written by Jens Meyer-Wellmann appearing in German national daily Die Welt that got by me a couple of weeks ago.[...]

Sebastian Lüning’s and Fritz Vahrenholt’s blogsite www.kaltesonne.de presented an excerpt of the Die Welt article, which I’ve translated in English:

‘Unfortunately in climate science there is a tendency to proclaim absolute truths and to link these immediately to instructions on actions to take,’ von Storch said. ‘The climate pope tells us what has to be done, and for the people it’s: keep your mouths shut. Scientists have been taking over the roles of medicine men and priests. That’s not the job of scientists. Science is supposed to help understand problems, show the possibilities that exist in dealing with them. The best is to show many possibilities. Then the political process has to decide the path to take.’

But some of his colleagues in science like to use ‘stories that point to a catastrophe,’ said the professor of meteorology. One example was the assumption that our region would see ‘murderous violent storms’. But there was no data showing this. ‘It all has a cultural, anthropological background’ . ‘If you sin, then you will be punished. And the punishment always takes on an environmental dimension which also included storms in the past. In former times it was God’s punishment. Today it’s punishment by Nature. Nature is to keep man in check. And for this we see idiotic films like ‘The Day After Tomorrow.’’

Comment: Well, for those following the climate science drama, it is evident we have reached the point where some climate scientists have turned into over-zealous cult followers using cult tactics to further the agenda. A good example is Dr James Hansen who had become a major embarrassment at NASA before he announced his retirement to the relief of many... Btw, here is the latest on Hansen: Hansen's scandalous interview (17th May 2013). Anyway, going through my archives, I found the article below that reminded me of my understanding that there are severe consequences to humanity refusing to maintain a balance with our environment. From my new FAQ page:

The influx of cosmic energy seems to have a function of re-balancing human consciousness and behaviour. This can be compared to the discoveries made by ecologists and biologists where during periods of evolutionary change, any negative and malignant force that has sprung up and poses a threat to a harmonious ecosystem, becomes subject to elimination. Simply, at times of great environmental stress, the agents of stress are eliminated to restore balance. This is well explained by biologist Bruce Lipton during an interview with Laura Lee in 2004, where Lipton explains new scientific evidence provided in the journal Nature, suggests that Darwin was wrong and it is not survival of the fittest, it is what the community of organisms contribute to a well functioning ecosystem environment that matters. Lipton states that, “evolution is selected by complementarity to the environment, organisms that push the environment to extremes are ultimately eliminated from the environment”. So, what humanity fails to comprehend is that this seems to apply on a planet-wide scale. Today it is recognised that humans are having a negative impact on this planet, but traditionally, the threat of judgement by a deity for human indiscretions in general, was used by religious leaders to help apply control over other humans, it was not necessarily about encouraging higher levels of consciousness.
FAQ: What is the “Planetary Refresh” and what does it have to do with Space Weather?.

What I am now thinking is that maybe some atheists realise that religion is useful enough to ensure certain rules are in place to stop the routine wipeouts of humanity... The only problem is that the religious leaders today have become too corrupt to even grasp the importance of why religion was invented in the first place... It's not just for personal self-aggrandisement and financial benefits... For the conspiracy theorists out there, religion was not invented back in ancient times just to control the masses...

• Maybe religion is the answer claims atheist scientist
  The world may have to turn to God to save itself from climate change, claims one of Britain’s most eminent scientists.
  The Telegraph, 7th September 2009 Flashback!
  "Lord May, the president of the British Science Association, said religion may have helped protect human society from itself in the past and it may be needed again.
  
  Speaking on the eve of the association’s annual conference, the committed atheist said he was worried the world was on a “calamitous trajectory” brought on by its failure to co-ordinate measures against global warming. He said that no country was prepared to take the lead and a “punisher” was needed to make sure the rules of co-operation were not broken.
  
  The former Government chief scientific advisor said in the past that was God and it might be time again for religion to fill the gap.
  
  “Maybe religion is needed,” said Lord May, who was brought up a Scottish Presbyterian but went through an "inverse epiphany" at the age of 11.
  
  “A supernatural punisher maybe part of the solution.” He said in the past a belief in a god, or gods, that punish the unrighteous may have been part of the mechanism of evolution that maintains co-operation in a dog-eat-dog world."
  
  Comment: Yes, there are lots of articles calling for drastic changes to counteract the non existent "global warming", but when a "committed atheist" starts talking about a need for God to start punishing people in order to get us to co-operate with earthly "powers" and this is printed in the mainstream media, you really have to wonder.
  
  
• Episcopal "green" bishop Cederholm conducts service to bless solar panels
  New Nostradamus of the North, 19th May 2013
  
  [...] At 10 a.m. on Sunday May 19, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church will conduct a service to bless the solar panels they installed in April. The blessing will be conducted by the Episcopal Diocese’s “Green Bishop,” the Right Rev. Bud Cederholm, assisted by St. Dunstan’s rector, the Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet.
  
  “Using solar energy decreases our use of fossil fuels, and thus our contribution to global warming,” said McKone-Sweet. “It is a way to live our faith by caring for those who will be affected by the extreme weather global warming causes.”
  
  Now that is what I call Green religion....
  

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Spiegel Trashes John Cook’s Survey. Man’s Impact “Remains Hotly Disputed”…Only 10% Have Faith In Models
NoTricksZone, 18th May 2013
German flagship news magazine Spiegel Online today has an article authored by Axel Bojanowski which takes a close look at the recent John Cook survey. German alarmists like the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research hailed it as proof that climate science was settled and done. But Spiegel draws a different a totally conclusion.

First Bojanowski describes how a large number of Americans have serious doubts when it comes to man-made climate change, and so surveys get conducted with the aim of trying to sway public opinion. The latest was carried out by John Cook of the University of Queensland in Australia, and the results were published in the journal of Environmental Research Letters: 97% of thousands of papers surveyed agree that climate change is man-made, it asserted.

Comment: The climate wars have now descended into the realm of farce and the serious lampooning is being carried out elsewhere... I can recommend Climate Depot.... See more below:

• The 97% consensus – a lie of epic proportions
  WUWT, 17th May 2013
  
  
• = Friday Funny – great moments in 97% beliefs
  WUWT, 17th May 2013
  

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Dark, massive asteroid to fly by Earth on May 31
LA Times, 17th May 2013
It's 1.7 miles long. Its surface is covered in a sticky black substance similar to the gunk at the bottom of a barbecue. If it impacted Earth it would probably result in global extinction. Good thing it is just making a flyby. Asteroid 1998 QE2 will make its closest pass to Earth on May 31 at 1:59 p.m. PDT.

Scientists are not sure where this unusually large space rock, which was discovered 15 years ago, originated from. But the mysterious sooty substance on its surface could indicate it may be the result of a comet that flew too close to the sun, said Amy Mainzer, who tracks near-Earth objects at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. It might also have leaked out of the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, she said.

Comment: Another huge rock fly-by of Earth. As far as I am concerned the admission in this report are quite astounding. There is no talk of this asteroid being an icy rock, instead we have the confession of hydrocarbon baked on sticky black tar more usually associated with unactivated comets.... Whatever, the black tar makes the rock virtually impossible to see opticall but now doubt the this rock is glowing in the infra-red... So, after all the false claims by NASA scientists, it seems that reality is winning the day.

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How Electric Spacecraft Could Fly NASA to Mars
Space.com, 17th May 2013
Electric vehicles aren't just popular on the ground — it turns out they're all the rage in space these days, too. While still not as common as traditional chemical spacecraft engines, electric engines are growing in popularity for both Earth-orbiting satellites and scientific spacecraft on missions to deep space. And electric engines could turn out to be a key element in NASA's goal of sending people to Mars, experts say.

"The maturity of the various technologies that make up electric propulsion is getting there," said Vlad Hruby, president of the Busek spacecraft engine company. Hruby said he's been waiting for a renaissance in electric spacecraft for about 20 years. "Now it's finally coming to fruition."

Comment: Another reminder we live in an electromagnetic universe and the truth of this is now impossible to ignore as the near Earth environment is getting much more electrified these days.... The image icon came from an 2011 article: NASA picks five companies to study solar electric spacecraft propulsion.

EdgeScience Magazine - issue 14
Society for Scientific Exploration, May 2013
Edge Science is a new magazine from the Society for Scientific Exploration. Why Edge Science? Because scientific knowledge is still full of unknowns. What remains to be discovered—what we don't know—very likely dwarfs what we do know. And what we think we know may not be entirely correct or fully understood. Anomalies, which researchers tend to sweep under the rug, should be actively pursued as clues to potential breakthroughs and new directions in science.

Comment: No. 14 is free but SSE would like new members and people to donate. Download here. From anomalist.com: "There's a large gap between simple 'woo' and maverick science. Consider Rupert Sheldrake, compare his contributions to the work of Commander X to appreciate the divide. It's why we're happy to announce the newest issue of EdgeScience is available and the price is right, free. What can you expect of this issue? Our buddy Michael Prescott reviews the groundbreaking The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Robert van de Castle explores the connections between dreams and psi, and David Pratt details the troubles of plate tectonics theory. Challenging and provocative ideas are what fuel scientific progress, and The Society for Scientific Exploration does a bang-up job."

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USA has the world's most extreme weather
USA Today, 17th May 2013
North America — and the USA in particular — has the world's wildest weather extremes: No other part of the planet can boast its ferocious weather stew of hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, floods, wildfires, blizzards, heat waves and cold snaps.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find another patch of land on Earth the size of the USA that boasts such a variety of such intensely extreme weather inside its borders," says meteorologist and author Robert Henson of Boulder, Colo.

"We get more high-impact weather than any other country on the planet," agrees Sean Potter, a meteorologist and weather historian in New York City. [...]

Tornadoes, such as the ones that slammed Texas on Wednesday, are nearly a uniquely American phenomenon. Each year, "the U.S. experiences about 80% to 90% of all of the tornadoes that occur across the world," says Randy Cerveny, a professor of geography at Arizona State University.

"The U.S. averages more than 10,000 severe thunderstorm events per year, with more than 1,000 tornadoes," Potter says. "By comparison, China, which is slightly larger in size, sees around the same number of severe thunderstorms, but fewer than 10 tornadoes per year." [...]

"In some cases, the incredible diversity of climate, even within short geographic distances, has led to actual differentiation of species. In the Grand Canyon, for instance, there are two distinct species of squirrels — one on the north side of the canyon and another on the south side," Cerveny concludes.

Comment: This is one country in the world that should be encouraging their citizens to become resilient against extreme weather. The evidence suggests that extreme weather is associated with climate change and extreme space weather factors, as well as powerful but erratic energy supplies from space drives weather on this planet. I also think that due to military experimentation and electromagnetic pollution, the atmosphere over the United States is in a poor state and subject to huge direct blasts from outer space.... i.e. the atmospheric filters are no longer optimal... Those who want to argue have to compete with climate 'experts' who have demonstrated utter ineptitude as their failed climate models demonstrate. In terms of weather, the most sucessful weather forecasts come from those who understand the Sun-Earth Connection and have factored in the new influence of space weather, see archives for more details.

• Texas tornado victims vow to rebuild
  Tornadoes that killed six people and injured 53 this week in north Texas also damaged dozens of homes constructed by Habitat for Humanity.
  LA Times, 18th May 2013
  On the limb of a barren tree in the tornado-devastated north Texas community of Rancho Brazos, an American flag flaps in the wind — placed there by a firefighter.
  
  "It's symbolic of, 'We're here, we're going to rebuild,'" said Sgt. Nathan Stringer, a Hood County sheriff's spokesman. The tornado has "broken homes, but it hasn't broken our will," he said.
  
  A fierce series of twisters tore through the northern part of the state Wednesday, killing six people, injuring 53, leaving scores of damaged and destroyed houses and many people homeless.
  
  Comment: I wonder if the people who have seen their houses plus all their belongings destroyed would consider that maybe re-building a torndo resistant dome-house might be a better idea...
  
  
  • Tornado-Resistant Concrete Houses
    tornadoproofhouses.com, May 2013
    The following details shown on this website do not necessarily represent the only methods for building a disaster-proof house. Instead, they illustrate proven solutions to the problem of building houses that are sustainable, with high resistance to powerful winds, earthquakes, fire, termites and critters. At the same time, new energy conserving methods permit easy accomplishment of meaningful energy conservation.
    
    
  • Monolithic Domes
    Monolithic Domes, May 2012
    

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Some of the Sheep Are No Longer Asleep
The Commonsense Show, 16th May 2013
The world is finally beginning to wake up to the global tyranny that is threatening all of humanity. In the past two months I have heard from people that I have not heard from or seen for 10-20 years. I have heard from former players, students, friends and neighbors. [...]

How Does the Process of Awakening Work?

Scientists from the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have determined that if just 10% of any given population holds to an unshakable idea, that the idea will become adopted by the majority of the country. However, the scientists who belong to the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) found that if the ideas are shared by less than 10% of the population, the idea will not progress and will eventually die out. The research was first published in a peer reviewed E Journal in an article titled “Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities.”

Computational and analytical methods were used to discover the tipping point where an obscure idea eventually becomes the majority opinion. The finding has dramatic implications for those of us trying to wake up the sheep in this country. The SNARC scientists found that the 10% figure was applicable whether they were talking about the spread of innovations or to advance a political ideal.

Comment: This article resonated with me, I suppose I think I am already awake but there is a few caveats... Well, since I prefer to engage brain and think and I don't restrict myself to popular ideas created for the benefit of malignant narcissists and predators to fool those who don't know any better, I don't see myself as being part of any popular grassroots movement. Due to my interest in metaphysics, I attract very dim-witted types who automatically assume I am a New Ager as they don't even realise that philosophers exists in society and how this type of person views the world. I suppose the issue is refusing to be involved with those who don't want to use their mind or are intellectually challenged and/or are devious and who prefer to play along with the game for their own reasons. Well, these days I simply really don't have the patience with the mindlessness any more and very few get past my initial screening process. Whatever, this article has somehow touched a nerve about people waking up but I think there is a need to quantify what exactly people are waking up to... Many think most of our 'glorious leaders' (that includes those claiming enlightenment too) are malignant narcissists and psychopaths. The most predatorial absolutely hate humanity and think they are just controlling cattle who can be killed off as and when it is possible to help maintain tighter control of the masses. Well, based on the evidence it is hard to deny the reality, but it is not really my particular focus so I resent people thinking I need to be educated with the latest 'conspiracy theory'... Thus, I think the Truther Movement is not the same as those who are real Seekers who are interested in more fundamental issues of our existence because that requires a more philosophical bent. Yet, those who like to be pretentious waxing lyrical about quantum mechanics and so pontificate about the evolution of consciousness do not impress me either. On reflection it is apparent that these same intellectuals cannot make a connection with reality and thus failed to realise the implications of space weather literally changing the fabric of spacetime around our planet.... So when I see a headline like this, it makes me wonder about what exactly is happening on an evolutionary level... Whatever, the best news for me all week has been discovering the opinion of some intelligentsia at Oxford.... It seems that a few more visionaries exists and I am not the alone in some of my opinions...

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Bright Explosion on the Moon
NASA Science News, 17th May 2013
May 17, 2013: For the past 8 years, NASA astronomers have been monitoring the Moon for signs of explosions caused by meteoroids hitting the lunar surface. "Lunar meteor showers" have turned out to be more common than anyone expected, with hundreds of detectable impacts occurring every year. They've just seen the biggest explosion in the history of the program.

"On March 17, 2013, an object about the size of a small boulder hit the lunar surface in Mare Imbrium," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "It exploded in a flash nearly 10 times as bright as anything we've ever seen before." Anyone looking at the Moon at the moment of impact could have seen the explosion--no telescope required. For about one second, the impact site was glowing like a 4th magnitude star. [...]

"On the night of March 17, NASA and University of Western Ontario all-sky cameras picked up an unusual number of deep-penetrating meteors right here on Earth," he says. "These fireballs were traveling along nearly identical orbits between Earth and the asteroid belt."

This means Earth and the Moon were pelted by meteoroids at about the same time. “My working hypothesis is that the two events are related, and that this constitutes a short duration cluster of material encountered by the Earth-Moon system," says Cooke. [...]

One of the goals of the lunar monitoring program is to identify new streams of space debris that pose a potential threat to the Earth-Moon system. The March 17th event seems to be a good candidate.

Comment: Hmmm... So, the moon got plummelled by a train of meteors... The question is: where are these new streams of space debris coming from? What NASA are suggesting is that we have entered into a new period where we can expect major planetary bombardments as explained by Napier & Clube (1979) see, Evidence for cometary bombardment episodes (2006) or Orbital Resonance Theory. To my knowledge, both theories can provide the evidence but neither can explain the triggering mechanism. I think the triggering mechanism is planetary/solar system energy levels that cause satellites to shift if they are no longer in harmony. Rather like the concept of a cloud of electrons orbiting an atom and these 'electrons' being periodically disturbed by electromagnetic factors.... Anyway, the issue is Earth being at the receiving end of some serious meteor impacts generating some serious evolutionary change... Certain members of the scientific community are well aware of the issues, but most of humanity are totally unaware that we have entered a new cosmic dispensation.

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Planet-Hunting Kepler Spacecraft Suffers Major Failure, NASA Says
Space.coms, 15th May 2013
The planet-hunting days of NASA's prolific Kepler space telescope, which has discovered more than 2,700 potential alien worlds to date, may be over.

The second of Kepler's four reaction wheels — devices that allow the observatory to maintain its position in space — has failed, NASA officials announced Wednesday (May 15).

If one or both of those failed wheels cannot be brought back, the telescope likely cannot lock onto target stars precisely enough to detect orbiting planets, scientists have said.

Comment: As I explained in my What Is Space Weather? E-book, this might be a space weather induced failure. But, as we know from the Galaxy 15 "ZombieSat" even after many months satellites come come back from the dead... See, Kepler space telescope 'isn't down-and-out just yet' – Nasa.

Texas tornadoes leave a path of destruction near Dallas/Fort Worth [45 PHOTOS]
Baltimore Sun, 17th May 2013

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Pope asks prayers for pastors that they not become ‘wolves’
Todays Catholic News, 15th May 2013
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis asked Catholics to pray for their bishops and priests, asking God to help them be real shepherds who are poor, humble and meek.

“Pray for us bishops and priests,” he said May 15 during an early morning Mass with employees of Vatican Radio. “We need to remain faithful, to be men who watch over our flocks and over ourselves.”

Celebrating the Mass in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope asked the employees to pray that God would defend bishops and priests from what St. Augustine defined as their principal temptations: money and pride.

“If we follow the path of riches, if we follow the path of pride, we will become wolves and not shepherds,” the pope said. “Pray for this.”

Comment: OK. What the hell is going on in the Vatican? The sheeple are being told by the Pope who historically is usually but not always the biggest predator amongst predators (do the history lesson) that their spiritual leaders are money grabbing wolves... What is he going to say next? Will he exhort his flock to learn about malignant narcissists and psychopaths who hide behind a mask to provide cover for their real intentions?

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End of the world? Bizarre 'bubble cloud' formations baffle onlookers
DARK, menacing and bubbly - these images show the outstanding phenomenon which materialised over the skies in Shropshire.
The Express, 14th May 2013
The skies above Telford formed into dark clouds which turned into grey and imposing bubbles and resembled the advent of an alien landing. The imposing clouds left onlookers questioning their existence and how they had formed. In fact, the clouds, known as the lesser-spotted mammatus - appeared as a lobe and were packed full of ice and rain.

According to local forecasters the clouds created a large thunderstorm which drenched much of Britain over the weekend. The clouds are associated with the powerful storms which can sometimes occur in the summer and are a sign of massive quantities of water vapour. Phil Spencer, a 39-year-old truck driver from Telford, was left baffled by the sudden change in the weather.

Comment: These are mammatus clouds. Mammatus are pouch-like cloud structures and a rare example of clouds in sinking air. . I do not believe this is the end of the world just the end of our current dispensation. Planet Earth will survive, but because we are at the end/start of a new cosmic cycle, universal intelligence has an opportunity to do some cosmic housekeeping that can only be achieved in extreme cosmic conditions that also produce extreme and 'weird' weather. This knowledge has been retained in the collective consciousness and that is why people associate extreme weather with apocalypse. See the archives to find the opinion of the academic elite that inform us that space weather is now affecting our weather.

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Argentina: Remotely- Guided UFOS Threaten Highways in Buenos Aires
Inexplicata, 14th May 2013
To the south of La Plata, these devices pursue cars or appear out of thin air in the midst of the river, shoulders or cattle troughs to startle drivers and fishermen alike.

A wide area bordered by the Bay of Sanborombón and Route 2 to the south of La Plata have turned into a pole of attraction for the same UFO phenomenon that researchers have associated with the “activity of remotely guided luminous probes” – a miracle of nanotechnology – and which have allegedly caused accidents on roads and highways in the area in question. In fact, reports and records kept by the Fundación Argentina de Ovnilogía (FAO) disclose a rich case history provided by direct witnesses to the encounters produced by these luminous devices which are apparently “research devices pursuing cars, or appear out of thin air in the midst of the river, shoulders or cattle troughs to startle drivers and fishermen alike.”

Comment: The language here seems to be related to scientists involved with SETV which seems to be justification for funding by using the excuse that aliens are sending down probes, the probes are hidden inside plasma orbs... See archives for info about real scientists doing real science concerning the existence of another lifeform on this planet.

'Dead' man comes back to life at his funeral
Mourners attending a funeral in central Zimbabwe were shocked when the man they had come to bury "returned from the dead."
The Telegraph, 14th May 2013
Family and friends were filing past a coffin with the remains of Brighton Dama Zanthe, 34, when one of them noticed the dead man's legs twitching. One of the mourners, Lot Gaka, who employs Mr Zanthe at his transport company, said: "I was the first to notice Zanthe's moving legs as I was in the queue to view his body. This shocked me. We called an ambulance immediately. It's a miracle and people are still in disbelief."

Comment: I am just paying attention to this new syndrome of 'fake' death...

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What We Don’t Know [The Sun changes the rate of radioactive decay]
WUWT, 13th May 2013
Back in August 2010, WUWT ran an article wherein it was claimed that variations in the sun changed the rate of radioactive decay. This, of course, flew in the face of years and years of experimental evidence, starting with the Curies, that the rate of radioactive decay is constant, unaffected by pressure or temperature or anything else.

However, this claim that the sun could change radioactive decay rates was shortly challenged by a follow-up article at WUWT and then a second follow-up, both of which threw cold water on the idea.

So I was interested to stumble across an announcement issued by Purdue University in August 2012, which strongly confirmed the reality of the phenomenon. Purdue has applied for a patent for the use of this effect as a means to supply advance warning of solar flares.

I found this most interesting, however, not because it affords a chance to have warning of another Carrington Event, although that would be great in itself. Instead, I found it interesting for a curious reason involving the mechanism whereby the sun is able to affect the rate of radioactive decay.>

Comment: I was most interested in the announcement by Purdue University in August 2012 that they are patenting an early warning device for solar flares, it seems that in some instances, reality has more sway than scientific dogma.

• New system could predict solar flares, give advance warning
  Purdue University 13th August 2012
  WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.
  
  The system works by measuring differences in gamma radiation emitted when atoms in radioactive elements "decay," or lose energy. This rate of decay is widely believed to be constant, but recent findings challenge that long-accepted rule.
  
  The new detection technique is based on a hypothesis that radioactive decay rates are influenced by solar activity, possibly streams of subatomic particles called solar neutrinos. This influence can wax and wane due to seasonal changes in the Earth's distance from the sun and also during solar flares, according to the hypothesis, which is supported with data published in a dozen research papers since it was proposed in 2006, said Ephraim Fischbach, a Purdue University professor of physics.
  

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Fourth X-Class Solar Flare Released And Earth Is About To Be In A Shooting Gallery
TheWeatherspace.com, 15th May 2013
For many years scientists have theorized that the planet Earth will be struck by a major solar flare, pushing us back into the 15th century. It can happen today, tomorrow, or 10,000 years from now, but we will be hit.

The sun unleashed the fourth X-class flare, a 1.2 on the Solar Richter Scale, which goes from C, to M, and then to X, the largest. A 1.2 is large, but not large enough to bring us back to the stone-age. We need something larger than an X45-60 to do this.

“This game we play with our Sun is like ‘Solar Russia Roulette’ and the Sun is the weapon and the Coronal Mass Ejections are the bullets,” said TheWeatherSpace.com Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin. “The sun rotates around every couple of weeks or so and blasts CMEs off in various directions. One of them is bound to be the bullet to send us back in time and fry all of our electrical systems.”

Comment: I think this article has been written with a little poetic licence. I have been reading space weather articles, reports and books for over 8 years but nowhere has any scientist claimed that a X45-60 solar flare will take us back to the Stone Age but if they have, I would like a reference... Basically, it's a lot more complicated than that. The mixture of parameters is what causes uncertainty and that is why scientists are so concerned about forecasting space weather in order to mitigate the impact. So, we could have a bolt out of the blue but the damage is more likely to come from a weakened magnetic field that has been hit with a volley of big solar flares and CMEs. Simply, if we get a hail of bullets, it becomes debateable which bullet caused the fatality. Here is a good report that summarises in 29 pages the issues Solar Storm Threat Analysis (2007) by James A. Marusek, but as you can see from my archives, there are lots and lots of similar reports detailing the issues. If you new to the concept of space weather and would prefer to watch an old documentary-drama I can recommend Perfect Disaster: Solar Storm (2006). The documentary-drama points out how we can tell space weather is getting much worse and my archives provide ample examples based on the criteria provided here. Engineer and hero John Kappenman is quoted here and he stated that governments aiming to take down national power grids in order to save them from being destroyed was akin to playing Russian Roulette with the Sun. Nothing has changed... Read my archives... the only thing that has changed is Kappenman is prepared to claim that the whole United States power grid could be destroyed in one powerful blast and that is why ex-CIA director Director R. James Woolsey is bleating in the mainstream media about decentralised power grids.... It seems that the realisation has finally hit home with paranoid war hawks with less evolved mental faculties, of just how vulnerable our modern technological society has become. See Best of the Blog Space Weather News & Reports.

• INFOgraphics: The Origin of Geomagnetic Storms
  RIA NOVOSTI News, 17th May 2013
  

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Another X-rated Solar Flare
spaceweather.com, 15th May 2013
ANOTHER X-FLARE ON MAY 15: When the week began, the sun hadn't unleashed an X-flare all year long. In only two days, sunspot AR1748 has produced four. The latest X-flare from this active sunspot occured on May 15th at 0152 UT. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme ultraviolet flash:

Although the sunspot is not directly facing Earth, this flare might have produced a CME with an Earth-directed component. We are waiting for coronagraph data from SOHO and the twin STEREO probes to check this possibility. Stay tuned for updates.

In summary, AR1748 has produced an X1.7-class flare (0217 UT on May 13), an X2.8-class flare (1609 UT on May 13), an X3.2-class flare (0117 UT on May 14), and an X1-class flare (0152 on May 15). These are the strongest flares of the year, and they signal a significant increase in solar activity

Comment: The issue now is if this sunspot is going to just keep popping strong flares in our direction....

• Another X-rated Solar Flare
  spaceweather.com, 15th May 2013
  ION WAVES IN THE ATMOSPHERE: Although AR1748 is not directly facing Earth, its strong flares have nevertheless affected our atmosphere. UV and X-radiation hitting the top of the atmosphere ionizes atoms and molecules, creating ion waves over the dayside of the planet. Roberto Battaiola detected these waves on May 13th using a Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance monitor in Milan, Italy: Sudden ionospheric disturbances--"SIDs" for short--make themselves known by the effect they have on low-frequency radio signals. When a SID passes by, the atmosphere overhead becomes an good reflector for radio waves, allowing signals to be received from distant transmitters. Battaiola monitored a faraway 21.75 kHz radio station to monitor the SIDs over his location.
  

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Third major X-class solar flare in 24 hours - X3.2 on May 14, 2013
The Watchers, 14th May 2013
Solar activity increased rapidly in the past two days with three M-class and three major X-class solar events. The latest recorded is the strongest flare so far this year, recorded as X3.2 on May 14, 2013 at 01:17 UTC. This event was associated with Type II and Type IV Radio Emissions and 10cm radio Burst.

Comment: I am not really too interested until solar flares are X20+ and/or there is 50+ big solar flares in a week accompanied with a similar number of MASSIVE coronal mass ejections where Earth's magnetic field will be left in shreds... Then, if and when we get a killer shot, I will be interested in what will happen next...

• Triple X-Class Solar Flares - May 14, 2013
  YouTube, 14th May 2013
  Newly numbered active region 11748 has ejected three major X-Class solar flares in the last 24 hours, the latest peaking to X3.2 at 01:10 UTC this morning. This followed an X2.8 eight hours earlier and the X1.7 which began the triple X-Class barrage at 02:32 UTC yesterday. Associated with these blast were strong coronal mass ejections (CME's), none of which have an earth directed component and are being sent safely into space but this may not be the case in the coming days as this active region starts to rotate into an earth facing position.
  
  
• Solar Flares Explained: What You Need to Know
  Space.com, 13th May 2013
  
  
• The Impacts Of Strong Solar Flares
  Red Orbit, 14th May 2013
  
  
• New Solar Flare Packs the Power of Millions of H-Bombs
  Discover Magazine, 14th May 2013
  
  
• Sunspot Blasting Out Major Solar Flares Will Face Earth Soon
  Space.com, 14th May 2013
  The super-active sunspot responsible for unleashing the three most powerful solar flares of 2013 within a 24-hour stretch this week is slowly rotating toward Earth and will likely be facing our planet by the weekend, experts say.
  

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Homer really IS a vegetable! Root dug up in China looks just like Simpson
Daily Mail, 148th May 2013
*Fleece flower roots are pulled up for use in traditional Chinese medicine
* It is said to cure male sexual dysfunction, infertility, and male baldness
* Fleece flower roots are very large and they often resemble human faces
* But this is the first root found by Chinese farmers said to look like Homer

Two Chinese farmers got more than they bargained for when they pulled up the root of a fleece flower - and came face-to-face with the doppelganger of Homer Simpson.

The large root appears to have two bulging eyes and a prominent nose - giving it an uncanny resemblance to the famous cartoon character.

With two offshoot roots shaped like arms, it even looks like it is pondering or confused - just what you would expect from the real Homer.

Comment: China... I am quite convinced that this root was derived from the template of some weird object held in the aethers with a lot of energy... Well, for quite some time I have been pointing out the science that I think explains some very strange oddities... It might be too advanced for some, but I think the only way to explain this is to understand the concept of morphogenetic/morphic fields. These are held in Earth's magnetic field or aether and can be corrupted OR more likely, the right connection between the different aetheric/physical realms becomes corrupted and wrong signals can be sent or received. The geomagnetic field is often in a chaotic state, but in the case of China, it is also a heavily polluted country which I don't think helps either as chemicals are just a dance of EM signals so they must reflect the toxicity and become corrupted. I am sure some will argue with this basic assessment, but as things really start to get weird. I am sure a few will start to twig that maybe they really don't understand what is happening on this planet, but they will not have the background knowledge to work this out from first principles either.

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The new mini ice age is upon us! says astrophysicist
Ice Age Now, 13th May 2013

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Giant chunk of ice slams to Earth near kids playing in Tenn.
WBTW News, 13th May 2013
GRAY, TN (WJHL) -- -A Tri-Cities man has video of what appears to be a large chunk of ice that he says fell from the sky on Wednesday and landed in a yard in Gray, TN.

Andy Miller says his children were playing outside along Keeview Drive off Hales Chapel Road around 4 p.m. when they heard what sounded like a rocket.

"They ran into the house shaking," Miller said. He used his phone to record video of the children inspecting the pile of pure white ice sitting in a gouged out hole in the ground near where they were playing.

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Monster Barf: Weird, Smelly Foam Oozes Through Cracks in Chinese Streets
Who Forted? Blogs, 13th May 2013
Something very strange started oozing out of the streets in the Chinese city of Nanjing on Saturday night. Generally, when weird things start erupting from the ground in Asian countries it’s in the form of a giant b-movie monster, but this invasion was a whole lot realer, and a whole lot smellier.

At around 9PM, pedestrians began to notice the pavement at the Wende Baiyun Lane cross intersection started to crack and split open, and before long, a foamy white substance was spewing from the cracks, brining with it a foul-smelling stench. Within a short time, the foam had spread to a 50 meter radius and stood a foot high.

According to the Chinese news outlet Longhoo, firefighters and police rushed to rope off the scene, evacuating civilians and helping redirect the flow of traffic from the flow of ooze.

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Spectacular Satellite Re-Entry Caught on Video
Slate.com, 11th May 2013
On Thursday night, reports of a stream of UFOs over Chile and Argentina started making the rounds. It was caught on video, and it’s pretty amazing!

It’s with some relief I can say that’s not a fleet of alien spaceships bent on either enslaving the human race or possibly eating us. It's not even a swarm of meteors: what you're actually seeing there is a satellite dramatically breaking up as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere. And it’s even been identified: it was the Cygnus mass simulator, a payload lofted into space by the Antares rocket in April!

Comment: Phil Plait is a well known astronomer and debunker of anything world controllers don't want 'plebs' thinking about.... Normally satellite debris has a well defined glowing green and orange tail, this is a good example, Rocket Debris Re-entry - Munich, Germany 24th December 2011. Maybe this was another arrival of a magnetospheric plasmoid that has already split into smaller orbs on arrival, (but see archives for previous instances) the issue with not making a call here is that we need to see more of what actually happened, this video does not capture enough of this event.

• Strange lights in the sky over Podgorica, Montenegro [Photos]
  In Serbia, 11th May 2013
  PODGORICA – On Thursday night, about 9 p.m. unusual light phenomenon, bright orange lights was noticed above Podgorica, capital city of Montenegro, Vijesti.me reported.
  

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Red Comet [Multiple Requests]
Psychic Focus, 9th May 2013
I also see some kind of discussion with government officials. My focus with that turns to military. At first I thought NASA, but then my mind redirected to government military officials. The discussion doesn't question whether this comet is there, but rather what it will do. Some of these military people don't think it will do too much but others that are wearing white lab coats are very concerned, almost hysterical during this conversation. It looks like some of the military aren't as concerned, but these higher, more scientific personnel are very concerned. Now I realize the reason the military aren't worried is because they feel confident because they have somewhere to go during a global event; whereas the military in the white coats are genuinely worried about the people themselves.

Comment: Hmmm... At the moment there is only one very red comet. We know the Vatican are also keeping a close watch because they are only interested in self-preservation and benefiting from any celestial conflagration. See more below and previous comments at Best of the Blog End Times & 2012 & Best of the Blog Space & Cosmology

• Rush to Mars: Comet impact could make Red Planet inhabitable
  RT News, 28th February 2013 Flashback!
  A comet near Mars may strike it in a powerful impact, potentially making the planet much warmer. The Red Planet is luring many entrepreneurs, including billionaire Dennis Tito, who aims to beat other nations by sending a man and a woman to Mars.
  
  The make-or-break window for this possible game-changer is October 2014. At that time, an Oort cloud comet called C/2013 A1, first discovered last month, will approach Mars, missing it by about 35,000 km, which is quite close.
  
  However the comet’s trajectory is still uncertain, which leaves a small chance it could impact the planet, said Russian astronomer Leonid Elenin, who worked on calculating the course of the celestial body. The comet will be travelling at a speed of 56 kilometers per second relative to Mars when it passes; if they do collide, the resulting explosion would be equal to a 20,000-gigaton bomb blast – powerful enough to leave a 50-kilometer crater on the planetary surface
  
  Comment: It looks like a VERY RED COMET AND GUESS WHO IS WATCHING....
  
  
  • C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)
    Take a look... the Vatican Observatory are using the VATT Telescope to watch C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)... So.... Is this the real Red Dragon/Destroyer Comet? Well, if it hits Mars, there will certainly will be a lot of destruction and some of that destruction is certain to visit this planet too... As far as I am concerned, things are getting clearer and clearer....
    

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Ice wall destroys homes on Dauphin Lake [Canada]
CTV News, 11th May 2013
A state of emergency was declared Friday night in the Rural Municipality of Ochre River as strong winds drove ice pile-up from the lake onto yards. Earlier this week, provincial flood forecasters predicted a moderate to high risk of shoreline ice pile-up on Dauphin Lake, as ice began to break up and melt.

Strong north winds Friday afternoon and evening pushed the ice piles from the lake onto yards in Ochre Beach. The R.M. says 20 homes are majorly damaged on Lake View Drive with minor damage on Sombrero Drive and Beach Road. “Fortunately, nobody was hurt,” says Deputy Reeve Clayton Watts. “There was extensive damage, though.”

Comment: The internet is abuzz with video footage of an ice wave in the United States but this event in Canada seems to have been far more destructive, see also Wall of ice destroys Manitoba homes, cottages & Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe

• Ice Charging Into Northern Minn. Homes Caught on Video [United States]
  KSTP News, 11th May 2013
  Ice outs are still happening on lakes in northern Minnesota because of our cold and snowy spring. Now, homes along the shore of Lake Mille Lacs are getting damaged because the ice is moving like a glacier, and pushing up against the homes. [...]
  
  In a video sent to us by KSTP viewer, Darla Johnson, you can see the ice making its charge onto shore. Then in a matter of minutes the wind pushes the ice about 15 feet from the shore to the doors of a home. Johnson even tried saving patio furniture but she couldn't stop the ice before it pushed in doors and windows, causing damage.[...] KSTP.com meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas said 35 mph wind gusts Saturday pushed the ice onto the shore.
  
  
• Glaciers Visit Izatys Resort - Mille Lacs Lake, MN
  YouTube, 11th May 2013
  For those who have studied some geography, this seems to negate the idea that glaciers grow slowly... I am not totally convinced with the concept of wind 'pushing' either... Can you imagine the weight of the ice being 'pushed'? Whatever, it really seems like a mini Ice Age has already started in some parts...
  
  
• Still waiting for spring in Minnesota
  WUWT, 11th May 2013
  Even though we all know “weather is not “climate,” that rarely stops CAGW’s fiercest proponents, so we might as well have a little fun with it as well. This weekend is the 2013 Minnesota State Fishing Opener. And the joke around these parts is the most important equipment a fisherman needs this year is …. an ice auger.
  

Namibia: Meteorite Strikes Mahangu Field
All Africa, 10th May 2013
Onesi — Thousands of people have flocked to the Omusati Region out of curiosity to view a small piece of meteorite that landed in a mahangu field in the village of Oshika, in Onesi Constituency, yesterday morning.

A piece of meteorite, the of a size of a small ball or two human fists put together made such an impact that people within a radius of over 200km were able to hear the explosive impact, feel the resulting tremor and observe the blinding light that followed as it landed. [...]

Selma Shikongo, the wife of Ningilenimo, said the incident took place at around 4.30 yesterday morning when the family was still in bed. "First we saw a light through our bedroom window, which my husband brushed off, thinking that it was car passing by. We then heard a sizzling sound, then a loud bang. The children ran to me saying that something had fallen near the entrance of the house, and we should run away. While I was comforting the children, we saw another bluish light - and once more there was a sizzling sound, then everything went silent," Shikongo explained.

According to Shikongo, the family went out of the house later in the morning in search for what had fallen but they couldn't find it immediately. It was only after they returned from the homestead of their neighbours, that they noticed the object that looked like burned metal lying in their own mahangu field - just a few metres from their homestead. That is when they reported the incident to the police. People who flocked to the scene from as far as the Oshana and Ohangwena regions, also claimed to have seen the light, while some claim to have heard the loud bang and even felt tremors.

Comment: OK, a meteor landed and there was a big bang for a change... Yes, they should guard it because a meteorite can be worth more than three times the price of gold.

• VIDEO: Meteor explodes over Japan
  Fox Crawl, 6th May 2013
  A meteor exploded over Japan terrifying dozens people in the early morning of May 6, 2013. An amateur photographer captured spectacular images of the blast which were then posted on the Internet (scroll down for video and photos). The space rock disintegrated in the atmosphere releasing a noisy boom over Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. The celestial event took place at 3.58 a.m. local time and a video footage shows the meteor appearing as a fast moving fireball whose intensity gradually increases.
  
  Comment: I can't work out why this meteor which appears to have exploded over the outskirts of Tokyo was generally ignored... Here are more photos from a Japanese website, Photos: Meteor Explodes Over Japan 5/6/13
  
  
• Soccer ball-sized meteor burns green in sky over Fort Collins
  Twenty sightings from Colorado to northern Idaho reported the space rock burning nearly as bright as the sun as it streaked toward Earth.
  Coloradoan News, 8th May 2013
  A soccer ball-sized meteor that flashed through the night sky above Fort Collins on Sunday was observed by people from Snowmass to Idaho.
  
  “It was a bright-green glow,” said John Foster of Fort Collins, who saw it “coming through the clouds” at about 10:55 p.m. west of Interstate 25. “It was a biggie.”
  
  The meteor exploded through the atmosphere with a northwest trajectory of a few hundred miles starting west of Laramie, Wyo. Its path was derived through observations reported from 20 sources to the American Meteor Society. [...] , but the glowing-green meteor was unrelated. It probably came from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
  
  Comment: Another large chunk of space rock at the same time as other large chunks...
  
  
• Video: Large green 'fireball' meteor seen shooting across sky above England and Wales
  Fist-sized fireball likely to be formed from debris from Halley's Comet
  The Independent, 9th May 2013
  People from as far afield as Cornwall and Lancashire have reported seeing a green-tinged meteor hurtling across the night sky. The 'fireball' shot over England and Wales in a northerly direction at around 9.45pm last night, with sightings reported in Cornwall, Hampshire, Lancashire, South Wales and Worcestershire. Experts believe that the meteor was formed from debris from Halley's Comet and that it was probably only the size of a clenched fist. The green hue is likely from copper inside.
  
  Comment: This sighting has caused some excitement in the UK.... This is another more local report from The Birmingham Mail, Stargazers see green-tinged meteor streaking across sky . Again, I am very skeptical about the explanation of why another large piece of rock is coming down in our atmosphere supposedly from a passing comet...
  

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Church of England facing new child abuse allegations
Archbishop accused of not reporting claims made against former dean of Manchester to police at the time
Guardian, 10th May 2013
The Church of England is facing a new child protection scandal after accusations that the former archbishop of York failed to report allegations of child abuse by a senior clergyman.

Lord Hope of Thornes, the former archbishop, said he stripped the Very Rev Robert Waddington, a former dean of Manchester cathedral who was once in charge of church schools, of his right to conduct church services after allegations of child abuse against him. But Hope said he did not report the matter to the police or other child protection agencies because he deemed Waddington did not pose a further risk to children.

Comment: Back to the standard 'filth' of wrongdoing by the guardians of religious fiction. (Well, that is based on an understanding of the mythos, with a much required general scholarship and education about what is really going on...) Whatever, here is some related news concerning someone who does actually care about the victims of serial religious abusers, Kevin Annett is nominated for the Nobel Peace

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Survivor Found in Bangladesh Disaster Rubble
VOA News, 10th May 2013
Bangladesh rescue workers say they found a woman survivor Friday amid the rubble of a garment factory complex that collapsed more than two weeks ago. Emergency workers had earlier given up hope that they would find any more survivors from the accident near Dhaka that has killed more than 1,000 people.

The Bangladesh government says it has shut down 18 garment factories for safety reasons following the April 24 collapse of the building that housed five garment factories. Officials say the running of several heavy generators on upper floors may have contributed to the collapse because the structure was not built to support them.

Authorities have arrested at least nine people in the aftermath of the accident. On Wednesday, eight people died in a garment factory fire in the the capital. The fire erupted it the Tung Hai Sweater Factory after most workers had gone home.

Comment: So over 1,000 lives could have been saved by timely action but according to The Irish Times, "The government has blamed the owners and builders of the eight-storey complex for using shoddy construction materials, including substandard rods, bricks and cement, and not obtaining the necessary clearances." Personally, I think the government should be culpable too. There must have been a large cabal of greedy and evil people who must have realised the building should be condemned especially after engineers stated it was structurally unsafe. Bank workers on the ground floor were all saved because someone cared about their safety and told them to stay at home, they were just lucky as it could have easily been another malignant narcissist in charge who did not care whether people lived or died.

• Dhaka collapse toll passes 1,000
  Bodies are still being pulled from rubble two weeks after disaster
  The Irish Times, 10th May 2013
  The death toll from the catastrophic collapse of a Bangladesh factory building, the world’s worst industrial accident since the Bhopal disaster in India in 1984, climbed above 1,000 and more bodies might still be trapped inside as rescuers struggle to end the salvage operation.
  

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Forget Beatles... now he's all about the grasshoppers! Paul McCartney's stage is invaded by insects during Brazilian show
Daily Mail, 9th May 2013
His band The Beatles are arguably the most famous musical group of all time. But on Tuesday night, Paul McCartney was more about the grasshoppers as he found his stage invaded by a swarm of the insects during a concert in Goiania, Brazil. The 70-year-old musician was forced to complete his three-hour performance as clouds of the Esperanca Grilo creatures buzzed around him.

Comment: All very biblical... A sign of the times.... As we get an acceleration of 'signs', it becomes more apparent to more than just a few scholars that the preservation of ancient knowledge is to warn about periods of extreme climatic and celestial turmoil.

• Climate change unleashing pestilence omens: Bosnian capital hit by plague of flies
  The Telegraph, 2nd May 2013
  Some people reportedly fled the city to escape the aerial invasion, according to local media. Bosnian fire brigade officials said that could do little to combat the flies but advised people to shut doors and windows in order to keep the swarming insects at bay.
  
  Likened to blizzards and leaving surfaces covered with a thick layer of crawling insects, the swarms have already struck a number of towns across the Balkans. Serbian press said that the insects cleared streets and squares of people in just a few minutes after they descended on the central town of Kraljevo on Monday night.
  
  Experts said rare climatic conditions with temperatures rising rapidly after a period of damp weather have created the perfect conditions for fly hatching.
  
  
• Plague of locusts blankets Madagascar
  New Scientist, 10th May 2013
  A locust plague of epic size is devastating the island nation of Madagascar, threatening the lives of 13 million people already on the brink of famine. Billions of locusts are destroying crops and grazing lands across half the country. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expects the plague to get worse, with two-thirds of the country likely to be affected by September.
  

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Another Meteorite Lands in a Connecticut "W" Town
The avocado-sized rock crashed through Jay Langlois' gutter.
NBC Connecticut, 9th May 2013
Jay Langlois of Waterbury discovered a meteorite that struck his house. The discovery comes 19 days after a meteorite struck a home less than a mile away in Wolcott.

A meteorite has hit another house in Connecticut just 19 days after one landed on a home in Wolcott. Jay Langlois didn't hear or see the rock fall from the sky, but did notice his broken gutter behind his house spewing water. He didn't know it at the time, but a meteorite had crashed down and landed on his lawn on Red Maple Lane in Waterbury. It was found still intact. It is about the same shape and size of an avocado, weighs 1.6 pounds and measures 2 inches by 2.5 inches by 4 inches. [...]

At first he thought his kids had thrown a firecracker at his gutter, but later his wife found the rock on the lawn. Langlois contacted the same Yale expert who confirmed the meteorite that crashed through a house in Wolcott on April 19. Dr. Stefan Nicolescu, the collections manager for the Mineralogy Division at the Yale Peabody Museum, confirmed a meteorite landed on Langlois' home.

According to Nicolescu, the Waterbury meteorite is likely related to the one in Wolcott. It was found miles away from where the Wolcott meteorite landed. He hopes to run additional tests of the two.

Comment: At this moment in time, I am struggling with the concept of two houses in close proximity (within 1 mile) being hit by meteorites but separated by 19 days. The probability must be astronomical and I can't see how they were related at all unless something is circulating the planet and at certain 'weak' points rocks are allowed to fall but this idea is all rather iffy... Will we get an astronomer to explain this properly? I don't think so...

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Dust in the clouds
Cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles, study finds.
MIT News, 9th May 2013
At any given time, cirrus clouds — the thin wisps of vapor that trail across the sky — cover nearly one-third of the globe. These clouds coalesce in the upper layers of the troposphere, often more than 10 miles above the Earth’s surface.

Cirrus clouds influence global climate, cooling the planet by reflecting incoming solar radiation and warming it by trapping outgoing heat. Understanding the mechanisms by which these clouds form may help scientists better predict future climate patterns.

Now an interdisciplinary team from MIT, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and elsewhere has identified the major seeds on which cirrus clouds form. The team sampled cirrus clouds using instruments aboard high-altitude research aircraft, analyzing particles collected during multiple flights over a nine-year period. They found that the majority of cloud particles freeze, or nucleate, around two types of seeds: mineral dust and metallic aerosols.

Comment: As a reminder, noctilucent clouds exist 50 to 53 miles (80 and 85 kilometers) above ground in the atmosphere, the edge of space is , 50 miles or 80 km high up a region often permeated with meteoric dust.

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Distinguished physicist Dr. William Happer: 'The incredible list of supposed horrors that increasing carbon dioxide will bring the world is pure belief disguised as science'
Harrison H. Schmitt and William Happer: In Defense of Carbon Dioxide
The Hockey Schtick, 8th May 2013
The demonized chemical compound is a boon to plant life and has little correlation with global temperature.

WSJ.COM 5/8/13: Of all of the world's chemical compounds, none has a worse reputation than carbon dioxide. Thanks to the single-minded demonization of this natural and essential atmospheric gas by advocates of government control of energy production, the conventional wisdom about carbon dioxide is that it is a dangerous pollutant. That's simply not the case. Contrary to what some would have us believe, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will benefit the increasing population on the planet by increasing agricultural productivity. [...]

The current levels of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere, approaching 400 parts per million, are low by the standards of geological and plant evolutionary history. Levels were 3,000 ppm, or more, until the Paleogene period (beginning about 65 million years ago). For most plants, and for the animals and humans that use them, more carbon dioxide, far from being a "pollutant" in need of reduction, would be a benefit.

Comment: At this moment, I am still considering the evidence that the desperation to remove CO2 from our atmosphere is related to the deluge of charged particles from space. Even though scientists have tried to blame the increase of CO2 on human activity and a release of trapped CO2 from the oceans, the desperation suggests other worldly concerns and I am not satisfied I know everything there is to know on this matter.

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First Biological Evidence of a Supernova
Science Daily, 8th May 2013
In fossil remnants of iron-loving bacteria, researchers of the Cluster of Excellence Origin and Structure of the Universe at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM), found a radioactive iron isotope that they trace back to a supernova in our cosmic neighborhood. This is the first proven biological signature of a starburst on our Earth. The age determination of the deep-drill core from the Pacific Ocean showed that the supernova must have occurred about 2.2 million years ago, roughly around the time when the modern human developed. [...]

"It seems reasonable to suppose that the apparent signal of Fe-60 could be remains of magnetite chains formed by bacteria on the sea floor as a starburst showered on them from the atmosphere," Shawn Bishop says. He and his team are now preparing to analyze a second sediment drill core, containing upwards of 10 times the amount of material as the first drill core, to see if it also holds the Fe-60 signal and, if it does, to map out the shape of the signal as a function of time.

Comment: This is direct physical proof that living creatures are affected by extreme space weather.

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Bikram Choudhury Accused of Rape in Two New Lawsuits -
YogaDork, 8th May 2013
This just in…Two women filed separate lawsuits earlier this week claiming they were raped by Bikram Choudhury and that Bikram’s inside circle actively recruits women for him. We know, there are so many Bikram-related lawsuits it’s hard to keep track. This is where it gets real.

“Jane Doe No. 2 sued Choudhury and Bikram Yoga College of India in Superior Court on Monday, alleging sexual battery, false imprisonment, discrimination, harassment and seven other counts. Jane Doe No. 1 filed a similar complaint Tuesday against the same defendants in the same court,” Courthouse News Service reported earlier today.

Note, this is in addition to the lawsuit from March that rocked the house that Bikram built filed by former student and Bikram Yoga teacher Sarah Baughn alleging sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination, all of which Bikram denied. We thought there might be more. This time, it’s rape. And it is incredibly ugly, contemptible and beyond disturbing. [...]

Bikram’s rants and outrageous antics are something we’ve grown accustomed to in the yoga community and have even made light of in the past, and for which he is largely unapologetic, but after reading this you may never think the same way about him again.

Comment: Yet another egomaniac exposed for abusing his followers. Well, it must seem obvious to some that yoga has just become good cult bait for the numerous predators out there... Victims are just lambs to the slaughter because the Cultic Milieu operates on a time honoured model where future victims are lured for systematic abuse by other docile followers in exchange for a pat on the head by the guru... Well, as psychologists tell us, cult leaders have at least 7/9 traits of psychopaths but it seems that many think this egomaniac behaviour is what is required of 'leaders' and so they expect to be abused. Here is a old documentary that sums this up nicely, YouTube link Egomania.

• 9 reasons why the current yoga scene can be likened to Gwyneth Paltrow (Take a freakin’ chill-pill, this is a Rant)
  The Shift Has Hit The Fan, 17th April 2013
  1) The yoga scene is usually all about being thin, white and privileged.
  Yoga: While things are slowly changing and awareness is definitely increasing, classes like queer yoga or curvy yoga are now popping up in many cities and there are now amazing Facebook groups as well as many great yoga blogs which are discussing these issues head-on, all of which are about making yoga more accessible to all, there is still unfortunately a long way to go.
  
  Comment: This is quite an amusing rant...
  
  
• Yoga and Sex Scandals: No Surprise Here
  New York Times, 12th February 2012
  

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Robert W. Sullivan - The Royal Arch of Enoch
Red Ice Radio, 7th May 2013
Robert Sullivan is a philosopher, historian, antiquarian, jurist, theologian, writer, and a lawyer. He is a Freemason, having joined Amicable-St. John's Lodge #25, Baltimore Maryland in 1997; he became a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason in 1999, Valley of Baltimore, Orient of Maryland. "The Royal Arch of Enoch: The Impact of Masonic Ritual, Philosophy, and Symbolism" is his first published work and is the result of twenty years of research. We’ll discuss freemasonic lore, rituals, ceremonies and the deities surrounding the Royal Arch Degree. Also, we discuss the history of battling secret societies, philosophies of pro-papal Jesuits and warring anti-royal aristocratic masons.

Comment: Henrik Palmgren is again hitting on another Freemason with useful information for anyone interested in the preservation of an ancient astronomical religion in its most true form... (Christianity is too much of a smorgasbord mess to be given that kind of accolade...) Well, I am coming to the conclusion that even when major secrets are in plain sight – not even hidden in plain sight – many don't have the mental hardware to process the facts... There are 7 million Freemasons but how many understand the crux of the ancient message that has been preserved over many thousands of years? Well, I was impressed in Part I with the admission that Freemasons are trying to preserve knowledge especially at times when God (Universal Consciousness) routinely tries to erradicate mankind .... The educated cannot challenge the fact that ancient knowledge has been passed down that Earth experiences regular conflagration by fire or flood, the issue is few want to discuss why humans are routinely up for extermination and why we deserve to be wiped off the planet.... Obviously, narcissists will not discuss why regular checks by Universal Consciousness forces drastic action to destroy the pestilence that is humanity... Whatever, I have given my opinion on this blog a few times and nobody has challenged my assessment and I suppose that is because it requires deep honesty and most people are too deluded for that.

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Solar cycle update – sun’s magnetic activity still in a slump
WUWT, 7th May 2013
Despite some small upticks on sunspot and 10.7cm radio activity, the magentic activity of the sun is still bumping along the bottom. A slight uptick was seen in sunspot count. [...] Solar scientist David Hathaway has updated his prediction page on 5/1/13:

The current prediction for Sunspot Cycle 24 gives a smoothed sunspot number maximum of about 66 in the Fall of 2013. The smoothed sunspot number has already reached 67 (in February 2012) due to the strong peak in late 2011 so the official maximum will be at least this high and this late. We are currently over four years into Cycle 24. The current predicted and observed size makes this the smallest sunspot cycle since Cycle 14 which had a maximum of 64.2 in February of 1906.

Comment: The Sun is in a big slump but if it is approached by a big comet the result is MASSIVE flares and/or Coronal Mass Ejections as we saw in March 2013 with Comet Pan-STARRS. I have now come to the conclusion that the real fear of solar max in 2012 has morphed into real fear concerning the arrival of sungrazer Comet ISON that on November 28, 2013, will fly through the sun's outer atmosphere only 1.2 million km from the stellar surface below. I imagine there is a huge community of space scientists, scientists, engineers and intelligentsia in fear and trepidation. If people are not frightened it is because they are oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.

• A Perfect Storm of Planetary Proportions
  The approach of the solar maximum is an urgent reminder that power grids everywhere are more vulnerable than ever to geomagnetic effects
  IEEE Spectrum, 24th Jan 2012
  [...] But how does all this space weather cause damage down on the ground? It's a multistep process. First, the intense magnetic field variations in the magnetosphere induce electric fields and currents over large areas of Earth's surface. In turn, this geoelectric field creates what are known as geomagnetically induced currents, or GICs, which flow in any available conductor, including high-voltage transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, railways, and undersea communications cables. These interconnecting networks essentially act as giant antennas that channel the induced currents from the ground. Hit with a 300-ampere GIC, a high-voltage transformer's paper tape insulation will burn, its copper winding will melt, and the transformer will fail, either right then and there or in the future.
  
  Comment: I think this long article for the world's largest organisation of engineers was missed originally, but it was probably the source for other articles that were picked up, so I have updated the archive. Nothing has changed, the danger to the inhabitants of planet Earth still exists and the sentiment now is not if but when a major conflagration will occur....
  

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Large meteor spotted in night sky in England and Wales
The meteor was captured on CCTV by the BBC in Cardiff
BBC News, 9th May 2013
A meteor has been spotted travelling across the night sky by people in many parts of England and Wales. Sightings of the celestial body were reported on Twitter in areas such as Cornwall, Hampshire, Lancashire, south Wales and Worcestershire. Suzy Buttress, of Basingstoke, described witnessing the meteor as a "once in a lifetime thing". Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock said the phenomenon was likely to have been debris from Halley's Comet.

Comment: The "once in a lifetime thing" is getting very stale as reports of blazes in the sky and massive explosions from meteors are becoming at least once in many many people's lifetimes. I have decided to not commit on this one because it could even have been space junk coming down, see archives for more comment.

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China in spotlight over mislabelled meat and poor hygiene
BBC News, 9th May 2013
When shoppers in Europe found themselves unwittingly buying horsemeat earlier this year, retailers rushed to take it off the shelves and reassure their customers. In China there is a seemingly endless diet of food safety scandals and growing public anger. Last week more than 900 people were arrested for selling what they said was lamb but which was in fact rat and fox meat.

Comment: The same old disgusting news from China. The National Darwin Award is coming....

• China arrests hundreds over fake or tainted meat
  BBC News, 3rd May 2013
  More than 900 people have been arrested in China for selling fake or tainted meat in the last three months, state media say. Officials say they uncovered almost 400 such cases and seized more than 20,000 tonnes of fake meat.
  
  In one case, the suspects made fake mutton from foxes, mink and rats after adding chemicals, state media said. The report is the latest in a series of cases highlighting food safety issues in China.
  

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Amanda Berry’s mother ‘gave up hope’ when ‘evil, evil’ psychic said her daughter was dead
National Post, 8th May 2013
When Amanda Berry’s mother, Louwana, died in 2006, three years after the disappearance of her daughter, friends said she had been able to withstand the anguish no longer.

“She died of a broken heart,” said Dona Brady, a local councillor. Two years earlier, a television psychic had told her to give up hope: her daughter was dead.

Louwana Miller was only 44 when she died of heart failure. She was never the same after the television psychic’s message, said a friend at the time. “I think she had given up hope.”

An online backlash against the psychic, Sylvia Browne, has begun. At the time, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that that Miller believed the psychic “98%.”

Comment: Sylvia Browne has a number of high profile fails and it makes you wonder why the woman is taken seriously. This article published in The Guardian in October 2007 Sylvia Browne: is she for real? looks like the subtitle has been updated this week as it reads: "Sylvia Browne is famous for telling distraught parents where their missing children are – but as in the case of Amanda Berry, she gets it wrong. A lot. So why does she still have such a massive following? Jon Ronson took a cruise with America's most controversial psychic to find out."

• Stopping Sylvia Browne
  Daily Grail, 8th May 2013
  [...] This is not the first time that Sylvia Browne has been horribly wrong about a missing person. In 2007 Shawn Hornbeck was found alive, after Browne had previously told his parents that he was dead. In 1999 she told a missing girl's grandmother that she had been kidnapped and put into slavery in Japan, but four years later her body was found in the U.S. - investigators found that she had been killed shortly after her abduction. The list of terrible gaffes goes on. [...] Stop Sylvia Browne. Don't buy her books, watch any TV shows she is on, or reward her in any way for what she does. Enough is enough.
  
  Comment: Folk are getting fed up and angry... This means that it is getting harder and harder for the sharks in the cultic milieu to earn a good living by being a lying fraud... I personally think the tide has turned... People are not turning the other cheek, instead they are now working to eradicate the fraudsters... Due to a shift in consciousness, the numbers of gullible folk around is rapidly decreasing and a major faux pas equates to the frauds poisoning their own well. Just think about how this is now working... each time they are exposed they have created another opportunity for themselves to lose more and more influence... The credibility downward spiral seems to go down faster than it goes up...
  
  
• Psychics like Sylvia Brown are immoral frauds
  Science Blogs, 9th May 2013
  In the wake of the dramatic events surrounding the discovery of three women including Amanda Berry, being held captive for a decade by a monster, it’s important not to forget another sociopath played a role in this drama. That sociopath is the psychic who told Amanda Berry’s mother that her daughter was dead: [...] As the Wiki shows, her predictions aren’t reliable, and not surprisingly, she has a history of criminal behavior, including indictments and convictions for fraud and grand theft.
  
  Comment: Wow.... this article makes some very unscientific claims, but I will admit when you hook up with these people and/or do the research, it becomes obvious that many claiming psychic powers are in fact sociopaths and psychopaths. They are evil and they are dangerous.
  

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Nerve stimulation for severe depression changes brain function
Eurekalert, 7th May 2013
For nearly a decade, doctors have used an implanted electronic stimulator to treat severe depression in people who don't respond to standard antidepressant therapy.

Now, preliminary brain scan studies conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are beginning to reveal the processes occurring in the brain during stimulation and may provide some clues about how the device improves depression. They found that vagus nerve stimulation brings about changes in brain metabolism weeks or even months before patients begin to feel better. [...]

All of the participants had surgery to insert a device to electronically stimulate the left vagus nerve, which runs down the side of the body from the brainstem to the abdomen. Once activated, the device delivers a 30-second electronic stimulus to the vagus nerve every five minutes. [...] Eventually, nine of the 13 subjects experienced improvements in depression with the treatment. However, in most cases it took several months for improvement to occur. [...]

Remarkably, in those who responded, the scans showed significant changes in brain metabolism following three months of stimulation, which typically preceded improvements in symptoms of depression by several months.

"We saw very large changes in brain metabolism occurring far in advance of any improvement in mood," Conway says. "It's almost as if there's an adaptive process that occurs. First, the brain begins to function differently. Then, the patient's mood begins to improve."

Comment: Just another example of how sensitive the brain is to specific electrical signals and how this knowledge can make a huge difference to healing people with depression who have not responded to any other type of treatment.

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Citizen hearings on UFO disclosure challenges decades of government cover-ups
Final Call, 8th May 2013
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - Rather than any transparency, there has been a lead shield for more than 60 years around information from the U.S. government concerning its investigations into Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).

Going back to the 1947 incident in Roswell, New Mexico, to an even more shocking event in 1980 near a U.S. nuclear-armed Air Force base in Britain, there has been cover-up after cover-up, on top of cover-up of information from government investigations about these sightings.

At an extraordinary four days of hearings here at the National Press Club called the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure (CHD), several former U.S. Senators and House members heard testimony from experts and eyewitnesses, including one witness who characterized a 1980 incident—which took place over three consecutive nights at the dual air base RAF Woodbridge and the U.S. Air Force’s Bentwaters, in England—as being possibly the “defining event in UFO history.”

Comment: I picked the image icon here because I like the link between UFOs and the New World Order or more correctly the Novus Ordo Seclorum of the Great Seal of the United States inspired by 'respected' prophetic sources such as Virgil, an ancient Roman poet and the Cumaean Sibyl. Frankly, the ancients got this right, but few get the significance today....

• Group Wants Global Effort to Unveil UFO Evidence
  Epoch Times, 8th May 2013
  WASHINGTON—After five days and 40 testimonies from international witnesses from the military, scientific and academic fields, a committee of six former Congress members agreed to seek international support to break a “truth embargo” on encounters with extraterrestrial life.
  
  On May 3, the last day of the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure, (CHD) organizer Stephen Bassett read the contents of a communiqué signed by four of the six retired Congress members.
  
  According to it, the Citizen Hearing Foundation will pursue a global campaign to form a world conference dedicated to discovering the truth behind “overwhelming scientific evidence” that suggests a link between sightings of unexplained craft and extraterrestrial intelligence. [...]
  
  “The military witnesses spoke of incidences from 30, 40, 50 years ago and have remained silent during this time. They have come out of retirement with compelling information that would have us look further into these phenomena,” she said.
  
  The first African-American woman to sit on a House defense committee and the first to agree to participate in the CHD hearings, Kilpatrick said: “This is an international phenomena and the U.S. and other countries need to acknowledge that there is other life.”
  

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Herschel finds hot gas[plasma] on the menu for Milky Way’s black hole
The space observatory has made detailed observations of hot molecular gas that may be orbiting or falling toward the supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galaxy.
Astronomy News, 7th May 2013
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Herschel Space Observatory has made detailed observations of surprisingly hot molecular gas that may be orbiting or falling toward the supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.

Our local black hole is located in a region known as Sagittarius A* — Sgr A* — after a nearby radio source. It has a mass about 4 million times that of our Sun and lies around 26,000 light-years away from the solar system. [...]

“The observations are also consistent with streamers of hot gas speeding towards Sgr A*, falling towards the very center of the galaxy,” said Goicoechea. “Our galaxy’s black hole may be cooking its dinner right in front of Herschel’s eyes.”

Just before material falls into a black hole, it is heated up enormously and can cause high-energy X-ray and gamma-ray flares. While Sgr A* currently shows little sign of such activity, this could change soon.

Using near-infrared observations, other astronomers have spotted a separate, compact cloud of gas amounting to just a few Earth masses spiraling toward the black hole. Located much closer to the black hole than the reservoir of material studied by Herschel in this work, it may finally be gobbled up later this year.

Comment: I read three or four versions and they all make the same misleading statements. Sagittarius A* is a region of space considered to be the galactic centre but it is filled with MILLIONS of stars with something that scientists are embarrassed to announce is our galaxy's "feeble" black hole (read my previous comments and links to the embarrassing info at Best of the Blog - Space & Cosmology). Scientists prefer to fudge the facts to sex-up our galaxy's black hole and this is achieved because this region has some humonguous active stars that emit huge amounts of radio waves. We were told in December 2011 to expect some action at the galactic centre in mid 2013, but we are still waiting... see more below.

• ESO Astronomers are expecting Cosmic Fireworks from our Galactic Center in 2013!
  Supermassive black hole will 'eat' gas cloud
  BBC News, 14th December 2011
  Researchers have spotted a giant gas cloud spiralling into the supermassive black hole at our galaxy's centre. Though it is known that black holes draw in nearby material, it will be the first chance to see one consume such a cloud.
  
  As it is torn apart, the turbulent area around the black hole will become unusually bright, giving astronomers a chance to learn more about it. An article in Nature suggests the spectacle should be visible in 2013. [...]
  
  Researchers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope estimate that despite its size, the cloud has a total mass of only about three times that of Earth.
  
  They have plotted the cloud's squashed, oval-shaped path and estimate it has doubled its speed in the last seven years - to 2,350km per second.
  
  It should spiral in to within about 40 billion kilometres of the black hole in the middle of 2013. Our local supermassive black hole, dubbed Sagittarius A*, lies about 27,000 light-years away, and has a mass about four million times that of our Sun.
  
  
• Gas Cloud En Route To Milky Way’s Black Hole [VIDEO]
  Red Orbit, 15th December 2011
  "Scientists say that by 2013, outbursts of X-rays and radio waves will be emitted as the cloud gets hotter and is obliterated by the black hole. The cloud is mostly made up of hydrogen and helium gas.
  [ Video 1 ] | [ Video 2 ] | [ Video 3 ] |
  

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Italy deaths as Genoa ship hits control tower
BBC News, 8th May 2013
At least four people have died and several more are missing after a container ship crashed into a control tower in the Italian port of Genoa.The Jolly Nero smashed into the concrete and glass tower late at night, reducing it to rubble. Three people were reported to have been trapped inside a lift that fell into the water as the tower collapsed. [...]

'Utterly shocked'

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but Genoa's Il Secolo XIX newspaper quoted the Jolly Nero's captain as saying that two engines appeared to have failed and "we lost control of the ship". The head of the Genoa Port Authority, Luigi Merlo, told the newspaper: "It's very difficult to explain how this could have happened because the ship should not have been where it was."

Comment: Hmmm.... Maybe, someone was looking at a navigational device rather than actually using lookouts to do visual sightings... As I keep saying, due to space weather, GPS is not reliable anymore, so these major ships, cargo ships, tankers and submarine accidents will keep happening until the message gets through, see archives Best of the Blog - Space Weather, Electronics & Electromagnetic Chaos .

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New Meat-Eating Plant Species Found In Japan
Popular Science, 7th May 2013
According to Japan Times, a new species of carnivorous plant has been found in Aichi Prefecture, on the central-southern coast of Japan's main island. The Japan Times calls it a "pitcher plant," which it is not; as a species related to (and mistaken for) Drosera indica, it's actually a sundew.

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Russian researchers find more evidence to support notion that lightning is caused by cosmic rays
Phys.Org News, 6th May 2013
Phys.org) —Russian physicists Alex Gurevich and Anatoly Karashtin claim, in a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, they have found more evidence to support their idea that lightning is caused by cosmic rays. The notion was first proposed by Gurevich back in 1992, and has been a source of debate ever since.

No one really knows what causes lightning to form and strike—the prevailing view is that it comes about as a result of collisions between ice crystals in clouds and hail stones. But because clouds and the lightning they produce are unpredictable and hard to pin down, no one has been able to prove this theory. Another theory, proposed by Gurevich twenty years ago, says that lightning is formed from the collisions between cosmic rays and water droplets present in thunderclouds. Now he and a colleague claim to have found evidence to support this idea.

Comment: There are approx. 40-50 strikes per second from lightning but this article tells us that scientists are still struggling to explain how lightning is caused. Whatever, the link with cosmic rays means that as NASA have informed us, cosmic rays are at an all time high and likely to increase so we are likely to see more lightning.

• Cosmic Rays Hit Space Age High
  NASA News, 28th September 2009
  Planning a trip to Mars? Take plenty of shielding. According to sensors on NASA's ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacecraft, galactic cosmic rays have just hit a Space Age high.
  
  "In 2009, cosmic ray intensities have increased 19% beyond anything we've seen in the past 50 years," says Richard Mewaldt of Caltech. "The increase is significant, and it could mean we need to re-think how much radiation shielding astronauts take with them on deep-space missions." [...] "The space era has so far experienced a time of relatively low cosmic ray activity," says Mewaldt. "We may now be returning to levels typical of past centuries." Please note: This is the primary reason why computer "glitches" are rising.
  

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"Space Weather Storms: Are we ready for a 'Space Katrina'?"
Public Star Night focuses on weather in space May 17 at the Little Thompson Observatory
Times Call, 6th May 2013
Our Nation is embarking on ambitious plans to modernize an infrastructure that will be based on advanced technological resources vulnerable to space weather. Space weather impacts everyday life, including national security, emergency response, electric power grids, aviation, communications, global positioning system (GPS) applications, and satellite operations -- technology we have come to rely on for our day-to-day activities. These recent advances in our technological infrastructure drive emerging space weather service needs undreamed of just a decade ago.

Extreme space weather storms are rare, but these low frequency events have significant consequences. Recent reports suggest the greatest natural disaster perhaps facing the Nation would be an intense geomagnetic storm. In December 2012, the U.S. National Intelligence Council presented solar geomagnetic storms as an event that could change the future course of human history. Building hazard-resilient communities is a national priority, but can we ensure the security of our high-tech community during an extreme space weather storm?

Comment: Many live in a fantasy world of refusing to think about anything they consider "negative". But thankfully, there are some interested in survival on this planet who realise the inhabitants on this planet are now vulnerable to harsh new cosmic conditions.

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Mystery bacteria 'cobwebs' found in SRS cooling tank
Aiken Standard, 4th May 2013
Spring cleaning is always a good way to get rid of those hard-to-reach cobwebs that appear around the house. However, when they appear in cooling tanks for spent nuclear fuel and have never been seen there before, special attention is warranted.

Sometime in Fiscal Year 2011, “cobwebs” of bacteria were first discovered in the L Area basin at the Savannah River Site. Since then, a process of getting to the 70-feet-deep life form, collecting it and then examining it has been undertaken.

The formations of bacteria are colloquially described as “cobwebs” as they form strands similar to the household dust collections. [..]

Maxted said that the bacteria would be killed before being studied. In previous, somewhat similar cases, such bacteria has been killed with hydrogen peroxide.

“Without the external nutrients, the bacteria cannot sustain themselves. Infrared from the measured levels of microbial diversity measured these requirements are currently being met. Sampling for organic carbon in multiple basin locations was unable to determine a definitive source of external carbon for the bacteria,” Caver said.

Not knowing the “food” source for these bacteria adds to the mystery.

Comment: Maybe this is not a carbon-based lifeform and therefore yet another example of something "alien".

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27,000 Atmos Energy customers overcharged 10x by billing glitch
Dallas Morning News, 6th May 2013
About 27,000 Atmos Energy customers have been mistakenly charged ten times the amount of their bill because of a billing glitch. The mistake happened to customers who have their bill automatically deducted from their checking accounts or credit cards, company spokeswoman Jennifer Ryan said.

The mistake caused headaches for customers who unexpectedly found themselves overdrawn through no fault of their own. "I was drafted $646.40 instead of $64.64," complained Melissa Alexander of Fort Worth on the company's website. "I AM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!" Alexander said later she contacted her bank immediately but the funds will be tied up until Atmos corrects the error.

Stunning Astronomical Alignment Found at Peru Pyramid
Live Science, 6th May 2013
An ancient astronomical alignment in southern Peru has been discovered by researchers between a pyramid, two stone lines and the setting sun during the winter solstice. During the solstice, hundreds of years ago, the three would have lined up to frame the pyramid in light.

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Former congress members impressed with UFO testimony
Open Minds, 6th May 2013
While not all of the congress members who participated in the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure are convinced we are being visited by extraterrestrials, they do appear unanimous in the opinion that the testimony was impressive. Most of them are now convinced this is a topic that the government should investigate further, and one is not only seeking a resolution from the UN to investigate UFOs, he has gone on camera with ABC News proclaiming the conspiracy to cover all of this up goes straight to the White House. [...]

The sixth member of the committee, former senator Mike Gravel, has been the most out spoken about his feelings on the topic. He says, “There is no doubt in my mind that there is an extraterrestrial presence that is affecting the planet.”

Gravel feels it is imperative that we learn more about these visitors. He says, “Probably the most important issue facing our civilization is to understand this, to explore it, and hopefully mature to level where we can have contact with extraterrestrial interests.”

Gravel has not been shy about sharing these opinions with the media. In the ABC News video blog Top Line, he was asked how high up he felt the conspiracy went to keep the lid on extraterrestrial visitation. He told them, “It goes right to the White House, and of course, once the White House takes a position, ‘well there’s nothing going on’…it just goes down the chain of command, everyone stands toe.”

When asked why the government would keep this secret, he replied, “The military wants to keep this secret, because they don’t want to reveal to the American people that all of these trillions of dollars that we have spent on this silly defense posture that they don’t work.”

Comment: This article comes with 5 YouTube video clips.

• Former Sen. Mike Gravel Speaks out about Citzen Hearing on UFO Disclosure
  YouTube, 11th May 2013
  

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UFOs ‘Roam our skies’ Says Former US Air Force Intelligence Officer
Prince Phillip invited pilot and crew to dine and discuss encounter
Epoch Times, 5th May 2013
WASHINGTON—A former U.S. Air Force major with 5,000 flying hours described in detail his encounter with an UFO, telling former members of Congress at a hearing on extraterrestrial sightings that he has been interested in UFOs ever since.

“These space craft occasionally roam our skies and my theory is they have been coming here for thousands of years,” Major George Filer III said May 3, the last day of the week long Citizen Hearing on Disclosure at the National Press Club.

Filer was one of 39 witnesses who gave testimonies during the hearing, including former members of the U.S. military and federal agencies, researchers, academics and ordinary citizens. [...]

Royal Attention

Filer said the incident did not gain vast attention although he did record it in his navigator’s log and it was mentioned the next day in operations. A few weeks later, however, he and his crew received an invitation to dine with Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, who had expressed an interest in their experience.

“About seven of us sat around a table discussing UFOs. Prince Phillip was very personable and friendly. He was very interested in our intercept and we assume he had also been briefed by London Control because the U.S. Air Force had no apparent interest,” he said in his written testimonial.

When he asked the royal consort of Queen Elizabeth II why he was interested he said Prince Phillip replied: “My uncle who raised me, Earl Mountbatten had seen UFOs close up while in the Navy.”

Filer said Prince Phillip told him he had debriefed aircrews who intercepted UFOs “on many occasions.”

Comment: I would like to point out to any intelligentsia reading this blog that in the 1990s, Hillary Clinton was photographed with Laurance Rockafeller who had just presented her with a UFO book, see archives. That book was eventually discovered to be a book written by Paul Davies who promotes the idea that Earth might have a Shadow Biosphere.... For those who have a functioning brain, you don't need to be told to think about the significance and then read up some so-called astrobiology 'theory'... This article is a reminder that the elite have a very keen interest in the Shadow Biosphere...

• Hillary Clinton’s ET book discovered
  Open Minds, 15th January 2010
  In the 1990’s Laurance Rockefeller became interested in paranormal phenomena, especially with UFOs and Extraterrestrial visitation. He funded scientific investigations and organized and funded a briefing document to record the best evidence (Open Minds journalist, Antonio Huneeus was a key contributor to this document). Rockefeller also conferred with the Clintons regarding the release of files by President Bill Clinton.
  
  Researcher Grant Cameron, who runs the website HillaryClintonUFO.net, was able to retrieve documents through the Freedom of Information Act that showed Rockefeller was soliciting help form Hillary’s staff on drafting a document to President Bill Clinton in 1995. The title of the document was: Lifting Secrecy on Information About Extraterrestrial Intelligence as Part of the Current Classification Review. In August of 1995 the Clintons made a trip to Rockefeller’s JY Ranch near Jackson’s Hole, Wyoming. Many speculate that UFOs and ETs must have been a subject of conversation during the visit. However, there has never been any proof of this, until now.
  
  
• Revisiting the famous 1979 UFO Debate at the House of Lords
  Open Minds TV, 18th November 2011
  The recent publication of author Philip Eade’s biography of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of queen Elizabeth II, has brought into the news once again the intense interest on UFOs by the upper crust of British society. As reported in recent stories in The Daily Beast and in the Huffignton Post , Eade’s biography. [...]
  
  Lords get UFO rundown With his credentials, then, it wasn’t a very difficult task for Lord Clancarty to give his peers a brief and complete rundown of the UFO story, from ancient times to the 1947 sighting by Kenneth Arnold up to the buzzing over a 13-day period of several Strategic Air Command nuclear bases in the United States. And from the candid declarations of the French Defense Minister, M. Galley, in 1974 to the famous Iranian UFO battle near Teheran two years later, in which all the communications and firing systems of a U.S.-made F-4 phantom jet were immobilized by a UFO. “There are literally vast numbers of these astounding reports,” said Clancarty. “Indeed, my lords, this worldwide UFO invasion of every country’s air space is of growing importance and therefore I suggest that Parliament keeps a continuous watch on the situation.” [...]
  

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Sheehan Controverts Consolmagno’s “No Vatican UFO Secrets” Claim
Logos Apologia, 5th May 2013
Attorney Daniel Sheehan, former lead counsel for the Jesuit order in America, testifies about the Vatican concealing UFO information as well as US government classified photos and records of a flying saucer crash and connections to churches around the world. Of course this controverts recent obfuscation by VORG astronomer Guy Conslomagno who claims “there are no Vatican UFO secrets.” If so, then why the refusal to release the requested files to the Carter administration described in this sworn testimony? Is Brother Guy hiding something?

Comment: Hmmmm....

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India BlackBerry services back to normal after outage by FP Staff May 6, 2013First Post News, 6th May 2013
BlackBerry services which faced an outage in India and some other parts of the world are finally functioning normally. A 3 May tweet from the company’s official handle read, “All BlackBerry services are returning to normal levels. Apologies to any customers who experienced issues earlier. ^DH”

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Italian village recovers from earthquake struck by tornado + TENNIS BALL-SIZED HAIL
Telegraph, 5th May 2013
Residents of an Italian village struck by a deadly earthquake last year are cursing their luck after a tornado destroyed containers used for temporary offices, ripped off roofs and hurled caravans through the air.

The tornado, which lasted around an hour on Friday and was accompanied by tennis ball-sized hail stones, swept through the village of San Martino Spino and surrounding countryside. The village, in the region of Emilia Romagna, was shaken last May by tremors which left 26 dead and 45,000 homeless.

Thirteen people were injured by flying debris and hailstones and 119 had their homes destroyed, while mayor Maino Benatti said it was "a miracle" no one was killed.

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‘Aliens’ Messed with US, Soviet Nukes – US Airmen
RIA Novosti News, 5th May 2013
WASHINGTON, May 1 (RIA Novosti) – In the midst of the Cold War on several occasions, nuclear missiles at US Air Force bases were mysteriously shut down, according to US servicemen who said they witnessed the failure of the heavily guarded missile systems.

But they don’t blame America’s Cold War enemy, the Soviet Union; they say aliens from space did it.

“This was something Russia could have developed, but it turns out they didn’t develop this and we don’t have it either – to be able to shut down nuclear weapons with a beam of light,” David Scott, a former sergeant in the US Air Force, told RIA Novosti at a conference in Washington on encounters with extraterrestrials.

Scott and three retired Air Force officers told a panel of six former members of the US Congress at the conference about their experiences with extraterrestrial “visitors” who meddled with US nuclear weapons systems.

Comment: Surely, intelligent folk realise which way the wind is blowing now...

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Fermi and Swift see 'shockingly bright' burst
Phys.Org News, 3rd May 2013
A record-setting blast of gamma rays from a dying star in a distant galaxy has wowed astronomers around the world. The eruption, which is classified as a gamma-ray burst, or GRB, and designated GRB 130427A, produced the highest-energy light ever detected from such an event.

"We have waited a long time for a gamma-ray burst this shockingly, eye-wateringly bright," said Julie McEnery, project scientist for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The GRB lasted so long that a record number of telescopes on the ground were able to catch it while space-based observations were still ongoing."

Just after 3:47 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 27, Fermi's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) triggered on eruption of high-energy light in the constellation Leo. The burst occurred as NASA's Swift satellite was slewing between targets, which delayed its Burst Alert Telescope's detection by a few seconds.

Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) recorded one gamma ray with an energy of at least 94 billion electron volts (GeV), or some 35 billion times the energy of visible light, and about three times greater than the LAT's previous record. The GeV emission from the burst lasted for hours, and it remained detectable by the LAT for the better part of a day, setting a new record for the longest gamma-ray emission from a GRB.

Comment: Thus is almost like deja-vu.... The number of these ultra bright flashes is now really starting to stack up and I am waiting for an astronomer with a decent hypothesis for why this is happening but I have declared my opinion quite some time ago in my writings.

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Got a headache? it might be the weather
theweathernetwork, 2nd May 2013
A barometric pressure headache is defined as a type of migraine that is caused by a change in atmospheric air pressure, and is characterized by a headache centered on the front of the head and sinus area. A drop in pressure happens before it rains, and studies say it can be linked to a risk of headaches in the next 48 to 72 hours.

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Spin-down Measurement of PSR J1745-2900: a New Magnetar
Astronomer's Telegraph, 4th May 2013
Following the detection with the NuSTAR X-ray Observatory of a pulsed signal from a likely magnetar (ATel #5020) located 3" from Sgr A* (ATel #5032), we requested a Swift ToO observation to monitor its temporal and spectral evolution. [...]

Based on the X-ray timing properties, the pulsed radio emission (ATel #5035,#5040,#5043), the X-ray spectral measurements (ATel #5006,#5011,#5020), and the likely association with Swift flaring behavior (ATel #5006,#5009), we conclude that PSR/SGR J1745-2900 is a magnetar that has emerged from a quiescent state. This is similar to the behavior of the Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsars, and further blurs any distinction among the different classes of magnetars.

Comment: From a previous Astronomer's Telegram we read:

The bursting, timing, and spectral properties strongly suggest a previously unknown magnetar undergoing an outburst. Further observations are planned to follow the flux and spectral evolution as well as to measure the spin-down rate and to search for additional bursts. NuSTAR has triggered additional ToO observations. Additional radio observations of the field, particularly to search for radio pulsations, are encouraged.
NuSTAR discovery of a 3.76 second pulsar in the Sgr A* region Astronomer's Telegram, 27th April 2013

This should be exciting news for citizens of planet Earth, as we are being fired on from a brand new magnetar that exists near the dead centre of our galaxy! Here is a reminder from my essay The Greatest Transition where I pointed out that ancient warnings were left for us Earthlings informing us that occasionally we are subjected to some serious cosmic fire power.

“Since astronomers have only recently become aware of the existence of Magnetars, we have to consider whether their existence could have been known to ancient astronomers. We know that the ancient practice was to carefully preserve cosmic events, so maybe we can rethink the meaning of some zodiacal imagery. The symbolism of the scorpion and archer that are often intertwined, are said to represent the twin guardians of Galactic Center, the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpio that are on opposite sides of Galactic Center. However, we could also see that the imagery of the scorpion-man archer and his stingers is really telling us that Earth could be stung or receive cosmic arrows from this region. As already mentioned, SGR 1806-20 lies in the constellation of Sagittarius and SGR 1900+14, is located in the constellation of Aquila about 20,000 light-years away. Both of these regions of the sky have been associated with catastrophe. Dr. LaViolette, in his book, Earth Under Fire, tells us that these regions of the sky were especially noted and that the Barasana Indians of South America with their Star Path Zodiac, have retained this ancient knowledge by a naming convention that highlighted obnoxious and negative regions and benign and positive ones along the center of the Milky Way. The understanding amongst the learned that has been passed down to us is that after the Conflagration there will be a Restoration, a New Heavens and a New Earth — literally Earth’s tilt will change and the dome of heaven will appear differently. Since, changes are already occurring; maybe we can hope that there is a universal plan for planet Earth that does not involve major catastrophe.” Source: The Greatest Transition in the History of Mankind (June 2010)

A Sketch of a scorpion-man archer (12cm tall) displayed on a twelfth-century B.C.E. Babylonian boundary stone from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar I, Assyro-Kassite Period (British Museum, London)

It is quite amazing to me that the cosmic conditions around Earth are getting more and more intense, but there is very little interest in reality, despite the effort to preserve ancient warnings. Presumably, the few that are awake can only surmise the real issue is the widespread low levels of consciousness and dumbed down so-called "spiritual" teachings being spread by hoardes of pied pipers. Thanks to S. Tellem for the tip.

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Cardinal ordered into exile by Vatican
Herald Scotland, 4th May 2013
CARDINAL Keith O'Brien has been told by the Vatican to leave the UK amid concerns of wreaking further damage on the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Friends of the cleric have said he has been told by Rome to shelve his plans to retire to a church-owned cottage in East Lothian and instead leave the country.

The Herald understands Cardinal O'Brien was given the news yesterday afternoon, three days after being photographed moving his personal belongings from his official residence in Edinburgh to the residence in Dunbar where he had been spending regular weekends over the past few years.

The parish priest in Dunbar, Canon John Creanor, is understood to have voiced upset at the Vatican's move against his "dear friend".

Comment: It looks like the Vatican are now in survival mode and that means getting rid of the dead wood... I also think the connection with Saville probably tipped the cardinal into the nonredeemable bracket... The response to this banishment is unbelievable... DO THESE DAFT AND OUT OF TOUCH FOLK THINK THE VATICAN IS WORRIED ABOUT "a Christian way to treat someone"... Do these people KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? EVEN POPES HAVE BEEN MURDERED FOR ROCKING THE BOAT... HOW DUMB ARE SOME PEOPLE?

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Bangladesh factory building collapse death toll exceeds 500
Engineer becomes ninth person to be detained over country's worst industrial accident, as number of deaths climbs to 501
Guardian News, 3rd May 2013
The death toll from the collapse of a Bangladesh factory building has passed 500, officials said, as police investigating the disaster arrested an engineer who warned the day before the tragedy that the eight-storey complex was unsafe.

The detention of Abdur Razzak brought to nine the number of people held over the disaster, which has put the spotlight on the many western clothing retailers using the country as a source of cheap goods.

Scores of relatives remained at the site in a Dhaka suburb on Friday, clutching photographs of loved ones attesting to the many more still missing, as the number of deaths in the country's worst industrial accident rose to 501.

Comment: Greedy malignant narcissists will ignore real danger that is very apparent to 'normal' people because their first priorities are self-aggrandisement, power and control. It means that you will NEVER be safe if your life is in their hands, because ultimately you don't matter.

• Bangladesh official: Disaster not 'really serious'
  USA Today, 3rd May 2013
  DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The death toll in the factory-building collapse in Bangladesh rose to more than 530 on Saturday, a day after the country's finance minister downplayed the impact of the disaster on the garment industry, saying he didn't think it was "really serious."
  Vile... A typical response from someone with a psychopath predatory mindset...
  

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Peruvian Jet Pilot Tells of Tangle With UFO (+Photos)
He shot 60 rounds at close range with no impact
Epoch Times, 4th May 2013
WASHINGTON—A fighter pilot in the Peruvian Air Force for 25 years, Col. Oscar Santa Maria Huerta, was no novice when he took aim at a threatening balloon-shaped object hovering above his airbase at Arequipa, Peru.

“I approached within shooting range and shot around sixty 30mm shells at the balloon” he said through a translator, “It had no effect at all.” One of those bullets would have blown up a truck, he said, but the shots he fired did not even make a dent. The object “seemed to absorb the shots,” he said describing the UFO encounter.

Huerta was one of six representatives from Latin American countries speaking at the Congressional-style hearing on UFOs being held this week at the National Press Club. During his testimony on May 2, he described the events as they unfolded of what would become one of the most memorable days in his life. It began at the La Joya Air Base at Arequipa, Peru around 7:15 a.m., April 11, 1980. There were around 1,800 men on the base that day and a number of Sukhoi 22 fighter jets. [...]

The craft, he said, seemed to anticipate his every move, noting with relief, that it never retaliated.

“The total 22 minutes of maneuvers is clearly etched in my brain,” he said, “I am convinced there is extraterritorial life. I will never forget my experience.”

The unidentified craft was witnessed by everyone on the base as well, Huerta said, and the event was registered by the U.S. Defense Department. Huerta submitted a copy of the message sent from the U.S. DOD.

Comment: This is a very interesting story as this pilot realised he had come across another life form... Well, the Washington Post is trying to tell us that this Congressional-style hearing on UFOs being held this week at the National Press Club is a waste of time but quite frankly, it is a case of needs must... For the thinkers out there; If you fly, then you might want to be 100% sure that your pilot will remain calm and not do anything stupid when a member of the Shadow Biosphere makes a sudden appearance. Still, those in the know in the military and some pilots know that there is a poorly understood phenomena that exists in our skies...

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Visitors From Outer Space, Real or Not, Are Focus of Discussion in Washington
New York Times, 3rd May 2013
[...] Every day this week, the former legislators presided over panels made up of academics and — former, of course — government and military officials, who were there to discuss their research or their own eyewitness accounts of unidentified flying objects and the extraterrestrials who presumably would have occupied them.

“Something is monitoring the planet, and they are monitoring it very cautiously, because we are a very warlike planet,” said Mike Gravel, a former Democratic senator from Alaska who ran in both the Democratic and Libertarian presidential primaries in 2008.

Mr. Gravel and his fellow panelists were assembled by the Paradigm Research Group, which says it is committed to ending the government’s “truth embargo” on the existence of extraterrestrial life. The lawmakers were there in hopes that their presence and political credibility would be enough to persuade Congress to take the issue seriously.

“I’ve been exploring how we might get this issue out of the shadows of the lunatic fringe,” said Roscoe G. Bartlett, a former Republican representative from Maryland. Before his defeat last year, Mr. Bartlett was known for sounding the alarm on the threat posed to the nation’s energy infrastructure by electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, the shock wave from a nuclear weapon detonated beyond the earth’s atmosphere.

Comment: This report is hardly impressive...Epoch Times did a much better job on reporting the information that needs to get to the public.

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UFOs in Chile, France and Russia – Citizen Hearing Transcripts
Open Minds, 3rd May 2013
Open Minds journalist, Antonio Huneeus, is one of the panel members speaking at the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure this week. Yesterday he presented to the committee of 6 former congress members on UFO activity and government reactions in Chile, France and Russia. You can read the text of his testimony below.

South America: Chile In recent years Chile has become one of the world’s leading nations in the official study and recognition of the UFO phenomenon. UFO agencies or departments have been traditionally under the Air Force in most countries. In France, as we shall see in the next session, the effort is under the space agency, but Chile has taken a novel approach which makes logical sense: its committee known as CEFAA (Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena) is under the Civil Aviation agency DGAC. In other words, it’s like if the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, had a UFO department. Civil aviation agencies all over the world deal with aircraft safety and navigation and UFOs, though not regulated by human governmental agencies, are primarily flying in the air and could pose a threat to aviation safety.

Comment: I have made a separate entry because this is about UFO/UAP disclosure in countries that are taking the apparent infestation of another life form in our skies seriously... The comment about the United States being behind the times is very very important... It does not matter how powerful this country thinks it is, THEY DO NOT CONTROL EVERY LIVING PERSON ON THIS PLANET.....

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‘Deathbed testimony’ about UFOs given by former CIA official (VIDEO)
Open Minds, 3rd May 2013
Video testimony by an anonymous alleged former CIA official was shown at the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on Friday, May 3.

UFO author and historian Richard Dolan interviewed “Anonymous” on March 5, 2013. Facing impending kidney failure, this individual felt compelled to disclose secret information he feels is too important to keep secret. In the video, he claims to have served in the U.S. Army, worked for the CIA, and worked on the U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book–one of the USAF’s official studies of UFOs. And he refers to the project as “partially a fraud.” Asking for clarification, Dolan states, “You’re saying some of the Blue Book cases were completely fictitious?” The anonymous man responds, “Yes.”

Comment: Watch the video! The implications of rogue military hiding their business from various presidents of the United States seems to be more important than the disclosure about the presence of aliens! It is up to you whether you think this old dying man is telling the truth, but I think if you are going to do a death-bed confession, this is how to do it...

• CitizenHearing onDisclosure | Anonymous goes on the record
  YouTube, 3rd May 2013
  

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Over 900 British Police Have Witnessed UFOs
Epoch Times, 2nd May 2013
WASHINGTON—British police officers have been personally involved in at least 430 UFOs sightings, including one that was three times the size of a football field, a hearing of six former members of the United States Congress heard on Thursday.

Gary Heseltine, a serving police officer in the United Kingdom, is the creator of PRUFOS a police database [www.prufospolicedatabase.co.uk] he maintains in an unofficial capacity. The database, which he launched in January 2002, caters to serving and retired officers who have been involved in British UFO police sightings.

“Sightings have been taking place the length and breadth of Britain at all times of the day,” he told the six member committee.

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Tornado spike in 2011 attributed to climate change. So what to make of this year’s tornado drought?
Chron News, 3rd May 2013
As informed citizens, we need to be careful about conflating weather, climate change and natural disasters.

Weather (i.e. the extreme cold we’re having in Texas this spring) is weather. Climate is the measurement of long-term weather data over broad areas (i.e. global temperatures over a 50 year period). For most people, these are pretty easy distinctions to make. But the issue becomes more complicated when it comes to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, droughts and tornadoes.

About 18 months ago the much-maligned IPCC released a report that takes a pretty balanced view of climate and natural disasters, concluding that weather extremes are probably affected by climate change, but generally stops short of saying global warming is the main driver.

Comment: As climate scientists admit, there is not really many with a deep understanding of the cause of weather or the cause of weather extremes. It seems that here the tornado weather data has gone from one extreme to the other i.e. flood to drought and the 'experts' have revealed their utter ignorance of why. Thankfully, there are a few astrophysicists who do pay attention to sun-earth connections and space weather, so they can provide good predictions of what we should expect.

• Severe Weather Drought: Tornadoes drop to a new all time record low, major hurricane absence is setting a new record every day
  WUWT, 4th May 2013
  

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Alaskans alarmed at Russian specter of 'global cooling'
Alaska Dispatch, 3rd May 2013
Snow fell on the Anchorage Hillside again Thursday. The National Weather Service was forecasting up to an inch by the end of the day. And for Alaskans wishing for spring, the news just kept getting wors

May arrived and most of Alaska's rivers are still locked in ice," the dastardly federal agency reported on its Facebook page. "NWS staff and river observers collect ice thickness data around the first day of each month during the winter. However, except on the North Slope and northwest Alaska, ice is typically gone or unsafe for measurements by the start of May.

"Not so this remarkably backwards spring. Ice thickness and snow on the ice at nearly all measured locations in the central Interior was THICKER than at the start of April. "

Yes, that's right. At a time when Alaska should be starting into breakup there isn't even a sign of it.

Comment: It's simple, Ice Ages start when snow remains at the end of each summer.

• Crack government scientists with supercomputers, predicted in January that this spring was going to be super hot!
  Real Science, 2nd May 2013
  

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Undergraduate Student Discovers How To Tell Time On Saturn
Nature World News, 3rd May 2013
Time on Saturn has proved to be a fickle beast for scientists to pin down because of the thick layers of clouds and liquid gases rotate at their own speeds around the planet.

Decades ago, a strong and naturally occurring radio signal called the Saturn Kilometric Radiation (SKR) was thought to provide an accurate measurement of a Saturn day. But data gathered since then has rebuffed the idea.

But Tim Kennelly, a junior majoring in physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, has made a significant observation about a process occurring Saturns's magnetosphere that is linked to the planet's seasons and changes with them. The find provides the breakthrough astronomers needed to accurately determine how time passes on Saturn and could also change our understanding of the magnetosphere on Earth.

Comment: I read a few of these articles on this discovery and this is the most straight forward. Obviously, this student was not brainwashed enough by the process of "education" and so managed to think outside the box... I think this article exemplifies how plasma cosmology is starting to dominate the way many space scientists can scientifically understand the complexity of the cosmos. Now that there are enough spacecraft in our solar system sending back data, the implications of the so-called vacuum being actually filled with plasma (sub-atomic particles) and that plasma being strongly influenced by electromagnetic forces can no longer be denied. These "flux tubes" are in effect MASSIVE electrical currents that are over a million amps (a flux tube that links the moon Io to Juipiter is about 4 million amps). The discussion of seasonal changes implies that there is a flux of charge but the article does not give any hints of what is causing the flux.

• 'Tis the season—for plasma changes at Saturn
  Phys.Org News, 3rd May 2013
  (Phys.org) —A University of Iowa undergraduate student has discovered that a process occurring in Saturn's magnetosphere is linked to the planet's seasons and changes with them, a finding that helps clarify the length of a Saturn day and could alter our understanding of the Earth's magnetosphere.
  
  Saturn's magnetosphere is the third largest structure in the solar system, eclipsed only by the magnetic fields of the sun and Jupiter. Unlike Earth, which has a visible rocky surface and rotates once every 24 hours, Saturn is composed mostly of clouds and liquid gas layers, each rotating about the planet at its own rate of speed. This variation in rotation made it difficult for scientists to pin down time for the planet.
  

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NYSE MKT Hits Trading Glitch
24/7 Wall St, 2nd May 2013
Trading at the NYSE Euronext’s NYSE MKT exchange was halted briefly today. What is important here is not that the trading halt barely last two minutes, but that more than 400 symbols were temporarily unavailable for trading. This is not a miniature flash crash but an unavailable crash for electronic traders.

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This is the end: Team of experts say humanity faces extinction
Yahoo News, 2nd May 2013
The crazy man walking down the city street holding a sign that reads “The end is near” might just have a point.

A team of mathematicians, philosophers and scientists at Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute say there is ever-increasing evidence that the human race’s reliance on technology could, in fact, lead to its demise.

The group has a forthcoming paper entitled “Existential Risk Prevention as Global Priority,” arguing that we face a real risk to our own existence. And not a slow demise in some distant, theoretical future. The end could come as soon as the next century.

There’s something about the end of the world that we just can’t shake. Even with the paranoia of 2012 Mayan prophecies behind us, people still remain fascinated by the potential for an extinction-level event. And popular culture is happy to indulge in our anxiety. [...]

"We are developing things that could go wrong in a profound way," Dr O'Heigeartaigh told the BBC in a recent interview. "With any new powerful technology we should think very carefully about what we know–but it might be more important to know what we don't have certainty about."

Comment: These are mathematicians, philosophers and scientists at Oxford University.... people who can engage brain and think and it seems they have seen the obvious... With a little bit of focus, some intelligentsia have realised that humanity in its current manifestation is over and evolutionary change and a strong likelihood of a major extinction event created by human stupidity and greed is very very likely. If we get a major space weather event, 50 - 100 Fukushimas could quite easily occur. Personally, it is a relief to discover a few people who can actually engage brain and think long enough to process the consequences of various scenarios... But more than that, they stand up and make themselves heard...

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Windstream voice outages mostly resolved; technology upgrade blamed
Fierce Telecom, 2nd May 2013
Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN) reported Wednesday evening that the majority of the network outages that left business customers across as many as 23 states without voice service have been fixed, though isolated issues remain.

The telco said on its support page that while "There may still be some isolated issues our team is working aggressively to remedy." The outage was due to a technology upgrade on various parts of its long-distance network, the carrier said. It did not reveal the voice vendor that performed the upgrade.

"Unfortunately, after the new technology was subjected to mass volume, this newly upgraded system began performing erratically," Windstream said on its support site. "We have subsequently reverted to the prior configuration."

Comment: Maybe, as geomagnetic conditions on this planet worsen, there is a need for more honesty concerning the reliability of phone/mobile network & internet services. As all operators are facing the same issues, the general public should at least have access to inderpendent databases that informs people about the cause of faults that last more than half an hour and whether it is space weather related.

• Windstream suffers voice network outage across several states
  Fierce Telecom, 29th April 2013
  Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN) reports that it is suffering a "widespread" outage on its voice network, an issue that's affecting the ability of customers in several states to make long-distance and toll free calls. The number of customers affected is not known at this time. The telco said on its website that the outage occurred around 11:30 a.m. EDT. In addition to long-distance and toll-free voice services, the telco said on its Facebook page that the outage is affecting its ability to receive inbound calls to its support centers and that it is "investigating reports that local inbound and outbound calling also may be disrupted for some customers."
  
  
• UPDATED: Optus network outage causes disruptions in Sydney Customers affected for several peak morning hours
  ARN News, 30th April 2013
  Some Sydney-based Optus Business customers on the Evolve network experienced lengthy outages this morning due to a failure on the telecommunications provider's end. Optus has confirmed a "hardware issue impacted a router in an Optus exchange" in Ultimo. While the telco said it caused "intermittent dropouts," the outage experienced by IDG Communications, the publisher of ARN, lasted for about four hours between 05:00 and 09:00 this morning. During that period, the network was only available for very brief periods before going under once more.
  
  
• AT&T Network Outage Frustrates Hundreds of Alaska Customers
  KTUU News, 30th April 2013
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An AT&T network outage was reportedly fixed within an hour Tuesday afternoon, however GCI and Alaska Communications customers were reporting service disruptions due to the issue. Andy Colley with AT&T Corporate Communications said a “network link went down around 4:52 p.m. Alaska time and was repaired around 5:45 p.m. Alaska time.” Customers may have experienced block calls during the outage.
  

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San Jose State University Meteorology decides burning books they don’t agree with is better than reading them
Watts Up With That, 2nd May 2013
From the Fahrenheit 451 department comes this indictment of California’s higher education’s “tolerance” for opposing views. When I first got the tip on this, I thought to myself “nobody can be this stupid to photograph themselves doing this” but, here they are, right from the San Jose State University Meteorology Department web page:

The caption from the SJSU website reads:

This week we received a deluge of free books from the Heartland Institute {this or this }. The book is entitled “The Mad, Mad, Made World of Climatism”. SHown above, Drs. Bridger and Clements test the flammability of the book.

Maybe they just can’t help themselves, note the pictures on the wall.

Comment: Well, since I love books, for me book burning is an extreme measure.... In January, my utter disgust at some New Age fraud copying a section of my book and pretending it was part of a channeled message was enough for me to suggest that if you burn a New Age book, at least you will know for a fact that the warmth is genuine.... With the frustration that climate alarmists are feeling due to their belief in global warming, burning the books of climate skeptics must be their way of generating some heat because it is fact that Earth has not warmed for 16 years and the disconnect with reality is sending some over the edge...

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Airliner 'had narrow miss with UFO'
BBC News, 1st May 2013
A passenger aircraft had a narrow miss with an unidentified object over Glasgow, a report has revealed. The Airbus A320 was making its final approach to Glasgow Airport on 2 December when an object passed about 300ft underneath it.

The pilot of the aircraft said the risk of collision with the object, which did not show up on radar, had been "high". A report by the UK Airprox Board said investigators were unable to establish what the object had been.

Comment: BBC is mainstream news.... see archives for the opinion of pilots concerned about the sudden appearances of the Shadow Biosphere.

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Citizens Hearing tackles government secrecy and the truth about the presence of UFOs
The Final Call, 1st May 2013
WASHINGTON (National Press Club) - A panel of former U.S. representatives and a former senator kicked off a week of hearings about the public’s right to know, government secrecy and its tracking and withholding of information about what are popularly known as unidentified flying objects.

The Citizen Hearing On Disclosure, held here April 29 to May 3, was scheduled to feature some 40 researchers, military and government agency witnesses and 30 hours of testimony.

The early sessions April 29 focused on the peoples’ right to know and what organizers and witnesses called the continued problem of government failures to tell the truth about so-called UFOs. [...]

Organizers said the former lawmakers were paid $20,000 for their week’s work, but all of the retired legislators said their participation was based on concern about government secrecy, the public’s right to know and a desire to learn more. Several spoke candidly about negative fallout associated with the subject of UFOs, with former Senator Gravel noting the number of mocking tweets were fewer than he expected.

Comment: This is a good professional article on this conference. Obviously, this needs to be done and documented because IF/WHEN Brazil or another country pips them to the post and announces we most certainly are not alone, then some so-called 'leaders' are going to look very very foolish...

• Brazil on the brink?
  Herald Tribune Blog, 29th April 2013
  Imagine 10 Pentagon officials from every branch of the military, including the Secretary of Defense, agreeing to pow-wow for 75 minutes with civilian UFO researchers. Imagine, at the end of that meeting, in an ostensible show of good faith — or maybe it was just window dressing, who knows — the brass actually concedes the civilians may be on to something. And it agrees to give them access to some of the most contentious UFO records on file. Well, change the venue from the U.S. to Brazil, and that’s exactly what happened in Brasilia on April 18, according to A.J. Gevaerd.
  
  Comment: Go Brazil Go! Can you imagine the consequences? Personally I still think UFO Disclosure is going to pale into insignificance in comparison to the Catholic Church attempting to change the mythology in the near future... The new mythos of Mary was an abductee and Jesus is part ET... For those who are not keeping up with the latest, I am sorry you think this is ridiculous, but I am paying attention and buying the books that spell this out in black and white... At the moment, because there are so many people who love fantastic craptastic I am wondering who will give a damn about truth...
  

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Belief in biblical end-times stifling climate change action in U.S.: study
The Raw Story, 1st May 2013
The United States has failed to take action to mitigate climate change thanks in part to the large number of religious Americans who believe the world has a set expiration date.

Research by David C. Barker of the University of Pittsburgh and David H. Bearce of the University of Colorado uncovered that belief in the biblical end-times was a motivating factor behind resistance to curbing climate change.

“[T]he fact that such an overwhelming percentage of Republican citizens profess a belief in the Second Coming (76 percent in 2006, according to our sample) suggests that governmental attempts to curb greenhouse emissions would encounter stiff resistance even if every Democrat in the country wanted to curb them,” Barker and Bearce wrote in their study, which will be published in the June issue of Political Science Quarterly.

Comment: And the funny thing is that when all is said and done, these 'simple folk with their simple beliefs ARE RIGHT! LOL! END TIMES = END OF AN ASTRONOMICAL CYCLE = START OF A NEW WORLD AGE... THE ESOTERIC MESSAGE IS THAT WE CAN EPECT A COSMIC DELUGE = COSMOCLIMATOLOGY = CLIMATE CHANGE + EXTREME WEATHER... SIMPLE WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE ASTROTHEOLOGY HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT...

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Incident in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 01 May, 2013 at 05:42 (05:42 AM) UTC.
RSOE News, 1st May 2013
A Saudi passenger aircraft on a domestic flight made an emergency landing in the capital Riyadh after its cabin front window was damaged by rain, a newspaper in the Gulf Kingdom reported on Wednesday. The aircraft landed safely but the pilot looked worried after he left the plane to wait along with the cabin crew members at the airport pending the completion of repair, the Arabic language daily Sabq said, quoting airport sources. "The plane landed safely although its front window was damaged by heavy rain which was accompanied by snow," the paper said.

Comment: Due to previous reports (see archives), I think this is more likely to be wild electromagnetic conditions that cracked the windowscreen or even hail rather than rain.