Monthly Archives: September 2011

Latest on Nate, Maria, and Katia

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Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog
No change to Nate; Maria fizzles; Katia headed to Britain
Posted by: JeffMasters, 3:47 PM GMT on September 10, 2011 +15
Tropical Storm Nate in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche continues to have trouble intensifying. Latest visible satellite loops show that Nate has a large, cloud-filled center, and the storm is probably pulling in dry air to its north into its center. Nate is also likely having trouble with all the cool waters it has stirred to the surface. Assuming Nate is able to close off its center from the dry air, it would take the storm at least a day to tighten up its rather large center, form a solid eyewall, and reach hurricane intensity. Nate doesn’t have enough time before landfall for that to happen, and it is unlikely Nate will ever become a hurricane. The latest wind probability forecast form NHC gives Nate a 13% chance of reaching hurricane strength on Sunday. Latest radar imagery from Alvarado, Mexico shows heavy rains from Nate are affecting the coast near Veracruz, and heavy rains of 4 – 6 inches will be the main threat from Nate.


Figure 1. True-color MODIS image of Tropical Storm Nate taken at 12:45 pm EDT Friday, September 9, 2011. At the time, Nate was a tropical storm with 50 mph winds. Image credit: NASA.

Nate is a small storm, and is not likely to bring significant rains to Texas; only extreme South Texas near Brownsville could see an inch or so of rain on Sunday from an outer spiral band of Nate. Our latest wundermap wind forecast map from the European Center model, with the fire layer turned on, shows that Nate’s wind field on Saturday and Sunday will not be large enough to fan the fires burning in Texas.

Tropical Storm Maria
Tropical Storm Maria doesn’t look much like a tropical storm–on the latest satellite imagery it looks like a squashed question mark instead of a spiral. The surface circulation center is very poorly defined, and moderate wind shear of 15 – 20 knots has really done the Lesser Antilles Islands a big favor by ripping up Maria. It is doubtful this storm will generate any sustained winds of tropical storm force in the islands, and it is a 50/50 proposition that Maria will degenerate into a tropical disturbance and become ex-Tropical Storm Maria later today. Martinique radar shows heavy rains from Maria are mostly east of the islands, and the thunderstorms are not well-organized into spiral bands. The wind shear affecting Maria will probably last through Sunday. By Monday, wind shear is predicted to fall enough so that Maria could potentially organize again. However, the storm is expected to be far from land when that occurs. Bermuda could see a few rain showers from Maria on Wednesday, and Maria may be a threat to southeast Newfoundland late next week.


Figure 2. Morning satellite image of Tropical Storm Maria shows the the storm looks like a squashed question mark?

Hurricane Katia
Hurricane Katia brushed by Newfoundland, Canada this morning, and is now racing east-northeast at 52 mph into the open Atlantic. With water temperatures 19°C (66°F) underneath it, Katia has lost its tropical characteristics, and has transitioned to a powerful extratropical storm. Extratropical Storm Katia will continue east-northeastward towards Europe, and on Monday, the storm will pass very close to northern British Isles. The offshore waters of Northern Ireland and Western Scotland can expect storm-force winds of 50 – 60 mph on Monday as Katia roars past to the north. The storm will bring 2 – 4 inches of rain to the coast, and likely cause significant tree damage and power failures.


Figure 3. Image of Hurricane Katia taken from the International Space Station at 15 GMT September 9, 2011, by astronautRon Garan. At the time, Katia was a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds. Long Island, New York is visible at the lower left.

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Hits versus Home Runs

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Which Is More Difficult: Amassing 3,000 Hits, or 500 Home Runs?

By Dan Peterson, Life’s Little Mysteries Contributor
11 July 2011 5:10 PM ET

 

derek jeter

With a third inning home run to left field, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter became the 28th member of baseball’s exclusive 3,000 career hit club on July 9. While this season has been one of Jeter’s worst at the plate — he’s hitting about 50 points below his lifetime batting average — he was still one of the quickest to join the club in terms of career at-bats.

While Jeter is fawned over by media and fans alike, do the other 27 members get the kind of respect they deserve? After all, chicks dig the long ball, and the 25 members of the rival 500 home run club seem to get more love from the crowd. Driving one out of the park gets everyone on their feet, fireworks go off, mascots go crazy and teammates give high fives. Knocking a ground ball up the middle for a single just doesn’t generate the same level of excitement.

So, which stat should get the most respect, 3,000 hits or 500 home runs? Which is career highlight is tougher to achieve?

Jeter is the only active player with 3,000 hits, but two active players have more than 500 home runs. Now that Jeter has passed 3,000, there are only three active players within even 300 hits (10 percent) of reaching 3,000; by the same measure, there are no current players within 50 home runs of eclipsing 500.

At one time, 500 homers seemed the tougher benchmark: Six players already had 3,000 hits before the Babe Ruth became the first player with 500 home runs in 1929. But as the long ball became a bigger part of the game, the scales tipped. It took the home run club members an average of 7,782 at-bats to reach their milestone. Getting to 3,000 hits, however, is a longer journey, requiring an average of 9,937 at-bats. (Jeter did it in 9,604 at-bats.)

The score is even clearer if you look at recent history. In the last 30 years, 12 players have joined the 3000 hit club (44 percent of the total), while 13 sluggers have made it to 500 home runs (52 percent). Baseball’s battle with steroids certainly played a part in this recent surge of long ball hitters, and many fans now slightly devalue the 500 home run achievement due to the drug use.

So, the debate goes on as to the most impressive baseball stat, hits versus home runs. Unless you’re a pitcher. A hurler might argue that either the 19 members of the 300 win club or the 16 players with at least 3,000 strikeouts are the sport’s real heroes.

fr/http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/3000-hits-500-home-runs-derek-jeter-1846/

Humanoid Piglet — Oh, My!

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Piglet Born with Humanoid Face

By Natalie Wolchover, Life’s Little Mysteries Staff Writer
09 September 2011 1:51 PM ET
 On Sept. 3, a Guatemalan news channel reported the birth of a misshapen pig, which has a face that looks more human than swine. The night before the pig’s birth, villagers say they witnessed unexplained bright lights hovering in the sky, and so they attributed the piglet’s bizarre features to foul play by aliens.Members of the local media ran with the UFO theory — are aliens tampering with our livestock, or is this somehow a side effect of radiation from spaceships?

“The whole idea that it could be aliens or a cross-species outcome is ridiculous,” Max Rothschild, director of the Center for Integrated Animal Genomics at Iowa State University and coordinator of the USDA National Pig Genome Project, told Life’s Little Mysteries. Instead, there is a perfectly ordinary explanation for the creature’s humanoid appearance. [Watch video of the humanoid piglet]

One to 2 percent of pigs are born with defects, Rothschild said. They aren’t mutants, exactly — there’s usually no genetic mutation to blame — instead it’s usually more of a mechanical error that arises in the womb, during development. They can result from “something in the feed or just bad luck, such as cells not dividing properly. There’s a replicative mechanism and sometimes that just doesn’t go right.” [The 6 Craziest Animal Experiments]

Rothschild, who has done extensive research on birth defects in pigs, thinks the most likely problem with the piglet in the video is hydrocephalus — the buildup of fluid inside the skull, which causes it to swell. He wasn’t startled to see its deformed face, either: “Snout problems are common. I have a two-headed pig in a jar in my office. But it has no genetic basis — it just happens during development,” he said.

He pointed out that the offspring of all mammals, including humans, can experience developmental defects during gestation. This can sometimes lead to a silent miscarriage early in the pregnancy. “In pigs where you have multiple births, you could have crowding or some other issue that creates the defect [later on].”

source and to see the video, go to:   http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/humanoid-piglet-birth-defect-2007/

Stephen Thomson on Energy Shifts

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What Is Going On?

By Stephen Thomson

As most of you know from my bio, my primary source for being of service to others is through writing and psychic readings. Through this lens and working with clients, I get an encapsulated view of what is going on in our world, more so than through any other source. It seems as if I have one client talking about a certain topic or issue that more and more people sharing the same information will follow. In this way, I have come to learn more about what is going on in our world through the recurring themes of my clients. What I have come to expect over the years is that when a certain theme appears in the lives of one client, that the same idea or issue is echoed throughout the whole of our community. The words used to describe the energy of a period or, the way in which something is manifesting may be different, but everyone is on the same page to some degree. When I think about so many of us being in sync, it always reminds me that we are citizens of one world.

This month, as a departure from the usual article I write, I wanted to share some of the themes that are constant, if not insistent in my work these days. Since I have already mentioned a common thread appears in my work, I do not feel as though I am betraying the confidence or trust of any one client. These issues are universal in nature and of issue for all of us. Since most of us do our work in some degree of isolation, which is necessary part of spiritual work, hearing about others experiences can be of tremendous value. The spiritual path each of us walks is personal and unique to us. But there are times when it is good to hear what is going on with other like-minded people. One of the reasons I have always been an advocate for spiritual retreats, which offer any kind of a process, is the opportunity to share what is going on in our journey. Something very magical comes from hearing and listening to one another’s stories. In an instant of sharing, we can experience confirmation for who we have become or where we are in our journey. We can even gain new insight and understanding for the work that lay ahead.

In the spirit of sharing, I decided to use this month’s column to talk about the buzz in my client base and community. I hope there will be some confirmation or support for everyone in this month’s column. Sometimes it is just great to know there are other’s out there just like us.

Here are a few of the topics that have been the basis of quite a bit of discussion over the past few months.

 

About Time

We have been hearing a lot about a perception of time seeming to be different. For many of us, it feels like time is actually speeding up. The lead/lag/manifestation period has become a very different dynamic. The period between our having a thought and manifestation — the actual event happening — seems to have noticeably shortened. There is another dynamic in relationship to time that is equally palpable. Many of us feel as though we are able to move through time in ways that we have never been able to do before. Think of the book Dune, by Frank Herbert and the concept of folding time. In this way, some of us are experiencing what we would have talked about as memories in the past. In this era, there is an added dimension to the experience. Many of us are now feeling as though we are moving through time and space to an exact moment and experiencing an event over again. Although memories are not always the pleasant ones, in the energetic dynamic described here, there is a wonderful opportunity for us to do some deeper healing, as we prepare our bodies to assimilate the coming energy shifts on the planet.

 

About Healing

This area of our lives and community seems to be approaching a new paradigm. We have all worked so diligently over the years, dedicated to advancing our states of consciousness and working on being better human beings. The work we have done has healed layers of our life experience and helped us to transform into the people we aspire to be and have become today. Yet, our work is far from complete. The practices we do and the techniques we employ take us to certain levels of advancement. Over time, we have cleared some of the “lighter” energetic issues of our journey. Now, our work is becoming more intense and the issues deeper. This will require more time for healing, knowing we may only achieve parts of our desires for advancement. There is some core karmic issues we are born with that will remain with us until our last breath.

How does this feel? Many of us perceive this time as having reached a plateau in our work. The big hits are less frequent and the accompanying sense of forward movement seems to be missing. Just like in our traditional education system, the more advanced the student, the harder the work. Concepts become more complex and the work to understand a subject requires harder work and dedication. Where the spiritual path differs is with the choice to stop or continue our study. At this time and in this era of humankind, we are embarking on a period when the content of our work is deeper and will continue to provide the perfect conditions for our spiritual growth.

 

About the Choice of a Spiritual Path in this Lifetime

There comes a time in all our journeys when we ask ourselves why we have chosen a life path focused on spiritual advancement. This important question arises from within us at varying times along the way and corresponds with a period just before we are about to experience some major shift. (Sound like what is happening on our planet at this time.) Usually we are feeling a high degree of frustration with our lives and are anxious for life to progress to the next level. After all, we are human and our ego need is to have a sense that our life is moving forward and we are advancing.

What is our motivation and where does the energy come from that propels us forward on our path? If we compare our lives to others who seem to be experiencing life blissfully unaware of the deeper mysteries behind existence, in contrast, it can feel like we are working so hard. After all, they seem happy and their lives appear to be working. Each of us can remember a time when our lives felt less complicated, focused only on material success and the accumulation of things. Whatever created the shift in our consciousness (usually a dramatic life event) that resulted in a need for deeper understanding of the Divine nature of our universe; from that point forward, there was no turning back. The interesting part of this thought track is our belief that we made a conscious decision to move our life in this direction without any outside influence.

To some degree, it is only natural for us to defer to ourselves and see ourselves as the main cause behind all the events in our lives. There are times we may even appear to be self-centered and self-focused because of our journey. We examine our everyday behavior, supported by our practices and beliefs, to create some sense of our life journey. Our work is within and it is where we go for a deeper connection and understanding of the Divine. The more we know about ourselves and understand our actions and reactions in life, the more focused our understanding of the Divine. This is where we begin and journey toward a deeper relationship with the Divine.

Can we ever step off our path and return to the person we were before? In other words, can we ever give up our spiritual quest in favor of refocusing our efforts outward? Perhaps if we chose to give up our purpose and give in to a distraction that exists on the earth plan, we could lose ground, so to speak. Once the flame ignites within us, to smother that light would take a serious effort on our part. An example of something that could potentially affect our heightened vibration would be something with an innately lower vibration such as using drugs over an extended period. Where the frustration comes from is in us. We want our unfolding to happen quickly and overnight. However, the spiritual path is a gradual unfolding that will take all the days of our lives. What do we do in the meantime, as we progress at what can feel like a snail’s pace? Create an objective view of our lives and determine where we are making progress. Perhaps that is in our reactions to others, or perhaps our tastes have changed toward food and the way we spend our free time.

 

About What Pulls Us to the Path?

In the spiritual community, we often talk about dimensions, a delineation of ranges of energy that affect our consciousness and how we conceptualize the universe. The first through the third dimensions are terms we use to describe the energy of the physical world in which we live. The fourth dimension is the range of energy that exists beyond the perception of the five physical senses. We most commonly call this dimension the ethers or the astral. The fifth dimension deals with a range of energy described as the creative energy behind all of life, and referred to as the creative thoughts of God. There is a constant bombarding of rays of dynamic energy from the fifth dimension, which reach us and interpreted by us on an individual basis. An easy way to conceptualize the fifth dimension is this way; the creative mental images of the Divine, which are the basis for the world we live in, are telepathically sent and received between the Divine and us. It is to the energy of the fifth dimension that we respond as creative, spiritual beings. Once the channel opens between the fifth dimension, and us it is impossible to close. What we could also allude to is that the Divine pulls us on to the spiritual path. The original cause of our spiritual journey is beyond the range of who we are as individuals.

 

About the Gift of Life

We reincarnate in an era when the earth energy is perfect for supporting our unfolding spiritual nature. There are periods when the changes around us can create fear. There is a lot of that going around on the planet right now. However, if we keep focused on our spiritual goals, the world around us comes into focus and we can begin to understand the meaning and importance of the time for us. Free of emotional responses, what remains is our opportunity to grow more deeply into our connection with the Divine.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at Steve@Stephenthomson.net. I am always happy to hear from readers.

this article is from:   http://www.spiritofmaat.com/may11/what_is_going_on.html

Alien Planet Announcement Coming

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European Observatory to Make ‘Major’ Alien Planet Announcement Monday

by Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer
Date: 10 September 2011 Time: 08:39 AM ET
Snow at La Silla Paranal Observatory
Rare snow fell at La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert
CREDIT: ESO/Y. Beletsky

A European observatory will announce what it describes as “major” alien planet findings on Monday (Sept. 12).

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) Monday to “report significant new results in the field of exoplanets,” ESO officials said in a media alert.

The results were obtained with the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher instrument, better known as HARPS, officials said. HARPS is a spectrograph on ESO’s 11.8-foot (3.6-meter) telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Participating in the press conference will be:

  • Francesco Pepe, Geneva Observatory, Switzerland
  • Lisa Kaltenegger, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany
  • Markus Kissler-Patig or Joe Liske, ESO

Kissler-Patig or Liske will discuss the future of exoplanet research with ESO’s European Extremely Large Telescope, ESO officials said. This instrument will be the world’s largest telescope, boasting a 129-foot (39.3-meter) main mirror. It will be built on Chile’s Cerro Armazones mountain, and could begin operations by early in the next decade.

ESO didn’t give any further details about what Pepe and Kaltenegger will discuss. Both scientists are actively involved in the search for potentially habitable alien planets — those on which liquid water, and perhaps life as we know it, could exist.

According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, astronomers have discovered 564 confirmed alien planets to date, with more than 1,000 more candidate worlds suggested by data from the Kepler space observatory

fr/http://www.space.com/12908-alien-planet-announcement-european-southern-observatory.html

 

September 11-17

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Overall Color for the Week:    Indigo

From the darkness to the light is the theme of the week.  Expect a lot of uncertainties, mistakes, misunderstandings, slips of tongue, etc. as the week begins.  Do not judge yourself or others too harshly in this energy.  It is as though something just pops up.  The usual filters are not working, and out it pops.  This can lead to some stress.  Have your sense of humor at hand, and be ready to shrug things off.  Sometimes what comes out unexpectedly does not really reflect what we are feeling about a situation or an individual, rather it is our way of voicing our own frustrations with things we are dealing with on other le3vels.  There is much to be learned about love and compassion this week, as you discover as the week progresses that there is a support system out there for you that you were not aware of.  Do not discount the good intentions of that system, regardless of how you used to look at it.  On the other hand, do not embrace it completely and fully without first taking time to understand just what it is all about.

On the larger scale, there will be things coming out in the media relating events and situations that are really unthinkable.  The interesting thing is that on the surface they may seem somewhat mundane and uninteresting, however the ramifications are immense.  Political antics will continue, and tyhis definitely is an area in which one must be aware of actions, words, and their ultimate import.  It is easy to want things to be a certain way and to read that into what is going on.  This is not a time for that.  This is a time in which your intuition and the knowing of your heart are your best guides.  The Sun continues with unusual and random activities.  There will be some geomagnetic happenings this week that will cause concern.  Some of them will emanate from the Earth itself. Along with these earth movements will be happening in odd places.  The volcanoes are speaking more and more, and this will be even more true this week.  Look out for the small stuff in the atmosphere and the weather.  These things are merely hints of what is to come, as the Atlantic hurricane season continues with a bang.  There is something afire in the Mid East.  Egypt has some secrets to reveal.  There is a person, a charismatic type, who is inching towards recognition.

Sunday, September 11: Light Purple
There are many different strands of things in the air today. Many are attached to old memories, some good, some bad. You will be feeling like breaking away from all of the old stuff, however there is such pressure in the air to remember, that you will find it difficult to do. If, however, you are able to focus on what it is that you are hoping and intending for yourself as this week progresses, then you can truly create something new and interesting by the end of the week. Do not discount your intuition or even words said casually by others. Sometimes the voices of angels and prophets come through the most unlikely and/or surprising individuals.

Crystal Energy:    Strombolite—-The energies of this mineral assist one in speaking one’s truth, clearly, succinctly, and from the heart.  It allows one to delve deeply into the core and encounter true motivations.  Resonates with the Throat and Third Eye Chakras.

Monday, September 12: Cloudy White
Full Corn Moon:    Energy and ambition are low today. You can find yourself feeling as though you are walking through molasses. there is a lot of confusion about, so do not expect things to get cleared up. If you have jobs to attend to, papers to write, or things to finalize, this is not a good time to get those things done. Some times however, you just have to do it, so be very clear in what you are doing that yu understand exactly what things mean and what their implications are. It is important also to cover all your bases because there are always those things that can come back to haunt you, often because someone else is unwilling to acknowledge their roles in the situation. If things do not belong to you, then be very clear and make sure that everyone knows who did what. You will be glad that you did.

Crystal Energy:    Brucite—-This mineral works with one in breathing issues.  It has a resonating effect on the body and is a good tool for meditation.  Vibrates to the Throat Chakra.

Tuesday, September 13: Dark Night Blue
Take time when you awaken to remember your dreams. There is much going on at this time in the dream state. There are things you are working through as well as hints of new directions in which to go. If you can become aware of some of the major themes, you will find them echoed in events of the day. Synchronicity. that can bring you a sense of relief. You are feeling that you cannot get a hold on what it is that is going on. You are feeling as though there is no real point in a lot of the work that you are doing. Take time to step back from it all. It is time for anew perspective. Move one piece, and everything else will change. You are wanting and dreading it both at the same time. It is time to put aside your fears and go for what you truly want. You can make some surprising discoveries.

Crystal Energy:    Turgite—-The energy of this stone goes deep within the self to work with issues of anxiety attacks and feelings of less than, allowing one to move into a place of greater confidence.  Vibrates with the Root as well as the Auric Chakras.

Wednesday, September 14: Medium Violet
Get ready for a surprise today. It will nt come until the day is almost over, and before it goes, you will be hit by a lot of unexpected responses to things that you have said and done. If there is a project that you have been working on, you can find that it is being interpreted as not working. DO not listen to what others are saying. You have a vision for the outcome, and you know how to make it succeed. Because other people do not care to understand or listen to what you, have to say does not in any way compromise the value of your work. And they will see. As you take time to express yourself through your core directed by the true knowing of your heart, you will find that others cannot help but become interested in what you are doing. this is a day in which you can find a new sense of who you are and what you are dong. And there will be that reward at the end of the day.

Crystal Energy:    Chalcedony—-This stone resonates with all kinds of disparate energies.  It opens one to the concept of the community and the knowing that one has a place where you belong.  It carries great mystical power and can bring peace when accessed through the heart.

Thursday, September 15: Dark Blue-Green
Listen to your intuition today. It is giving you hints of the larger picture and of things that are coming your way. This is a day for preparing for something new. Take time t clear out old clutter. If things no longer suit you or resonate with you, then this is a good time to let them go. there are others out there who can use them. Look for some bouts of deja vu, some f that will bring with them a touch of nostalgia and knowing at the same time. This is a good day for doing some journalling, for working with yourself and what it is that you are wishing to realize before the year comes to an end.

Crystal Energy:    Royalite—-This stone assists one in centering, going within, and accessing the true nature of things.  It is helpful in shutting out a lot of the noises going on in the head.  Resonates with the Crown Chakra.

Friday, September 16: Slate Blue
This is a day for knowing what it is that supports you. Think about the people, places, and things that truly give you a sense of community and belonging. If there is a lack, then it is time to look for what it is that you are wanting to create in your life. Spend time with that. Be open and honest in dealing with situations coming your way. You can find that today The Fool, the initial cared of the tarot, is on the move. That is the one that is willing ton take life by the you-know-whats and make it into what it needs to be. But, then today, the Trickster is about. So listen carefully to what is said and listen to your intuition. You can find that people, things, the media are whispering into your ears things that you do not truly believe in. Let that stuff go. Let it drop away. Continue your journey. THere are others along the way who are waiting to work with you.

Crystal Energy:    Anapaite—-This mineral energizes the physical and assists in full body healing.  Resonates with all chakras.

Saturday, September 17: Yellow Orange
There are things that you are not going to want to do today, and it is best that you honor that and do not do them. There are things that are very important for you to get done, and there are things that you need to start. Take time to know what it is that you are truly interested in and go for that. Do not listen to the people out the who only want to get you to do and be what they are comfortable with. You may be feeling very distracted, and that is your way of responding to the energetic shifts and changes that are going on.  Interestingly enough, even in distraction there can be focus.

Crystal Energy:    Chalcanthite—-The energy of this mineral assists one in delving deeply within the soul for one’s true purpose are communion with the Universal Consciousness.  Resonates with the Solar Plexus and Third Eye Chakras.

Governor Perry VS Firefighters

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As a former Emergency Medical Technician, I can attest to the necessity of proper and state of the art equipment in responding to emergencies on all levels and in all situations. You cannot respond to a critical situation with only the hope that your supplies will be there. You can only respond confidently KNOWING that you have adequate, up to date, and effective materials. Emergency Services deal with matters of life and death, sometimes their own. If one does a bit of soul searching, I am sure that you would agree that your life is worth the price of a non-rebreather, oxygen, fuel, even a fire hose. Any responsible politician would have to agree.

In Rick Perry’s Texas, Firefighters Forced To Pay For Gear, Engine Fuel

Rick Perry

Under Gov. Rick Perry, Texas has slashed firefighting budgets.

Posted: 9/9/11 07:56 PM ET

WASHINGTON — In Texas, firefighters aren’t just battling the wild fires raging around Austin and Houston. The state’s first responders have also had to deal with budget cuts affecting everything from fuel purchases to hoses and oxygen tanks.

In some cases, fire officials say, firefighters have had to pay out of pocket for basic necessities like proper protective gear and fuel to get them to the scene. One fire department that battled the blazes in Bastrop County had to pay for a hose, recalled Bastrop City Fire Chief Henry Perry, speaking to The Huffington Post during a break from working the wild fires.

“That fire department has been on this fire every day,” he said. “Before this fire, they were having to buy stuff out of their own pocket.” Perry said he knows of at least one other department whose firemen had to pay for equipment maintenance and engine fuel.

Earlier this week, HuffPost reported that Gov. Rick Perry, the GOP front-runner for president, had signed off on millions in firefighting cuts as part of the state’s most recent budget legislation. The Texas Forest Service’s funding has gone from $117.7 million in the 2010-2011 budget years to $83 million in the 2012-2013 budget years.

Severe cuts have also hit assistance grants to volunteer fire departments throughout Texas. The grants decreased from $30 million per year in 2010 and 2011 to $13.5 million per year in 2012 and 2013. These are cuts that firemen are now dealing with.

“I don’t agree with it. I understand what Governor Perry did,” said Henry Perry (no relation). “Do I like it? No. I don’t like it at all.”

The cuts come at a time when Texas fire departments have already been slowing purchases of new fire trucks and other critical equipment as a way to save money, said Guy Turner, president of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters. The association had endorsed Perry in his re-election for governor in 2010.
“What I fear will happen is equipment will start to fail and put our members at peril,” Turner explained. “You can imagine if you’re inside a structure fire and your engine quits.”

Turner doesn’t have to imagine it. He said he knows of firefighters whose breathing apparatus has malfunctioned during fires. There have also been “instances of hoses failing during the course of firefighting operations.”

“For years, public safety was the golden calf — that we were untouchable,” Turner said. “Nobody’s untouchable. It is a shame. They are basically putting a price on how much our lives are worth. It’s disturbing at best.”

for the rest of the story, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/rick-perry-fire-department-cuts-texas-wild-fires_n_956307.html

Vancouver Island Earthquake

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Very strong earthquake along the coast of Vancouver Island – depth 23 km Magnitude 6.4
Last update: September 10, 2011 at 11:40 am by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell
September 9, 2011 By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell
Earthquake overview : At 12:41 PM a very strong earthquake struck not far from Vancouver Island. The focal depth of 80 km has been later revised by USGS to 23 km. The earthquake was well felt in Vancouver and beyond, several hundred km away from the epicenter.

Update 10/09 – 09:44 UTC : After screening our many various sources, we are happy to report that this earthquake made NO damage or did NOT injure people.

to read more and for some other links, go to; http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/09/very-strong-earthquake-along-the-coast-of-vancouver-island/

Invisible Planet Found

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Kepler Spacecraft Discovers ‘Invisible Planet’

Neptune_false

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has spotted a planet that alternately runs late and early in its orbit because a second, “invisible” world is tugging on it. This is the first definite detection of a previously unknown planet using this method. No other technique could have found the unseen companion.

“It’s like having someone play a prank on you by ringing your doorbell and running away. You know someone was there, even if you don’t see them when you get outside,” she added.

Both the seen and unseen worlds orbit the Sun-like star Kepler-19, which is located 650 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. The 12th-magnitude star is well placed for viewing by backyard telescopes on September evenings.

Kepler locates planets by looking for a star that dims slightly as a planet transits the star, passing across the star’s face from our point of view. Transits give one crucial piece of information – the planet’s physical size. The greater the dip in light, the larger the planet relative to its star. However, the planet and star must line up exactly for us to see a transit.

The first planet, Kepler-19b, transits its star every 9 days and 7 hours. It orbits the star at a distance of 8.4 million miles, where it is heated to a temperature of about 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Kepler-19b has a diameter of 18,000 miles, making it slightly more than twice the size of Earth. It may resemble a “mini-Neptune,”  (image of Neptune above) however its mass and composition remain unknown.

If Kepler-19b were alone, each transit would follow the next like clockwork. Instead, the transits come up to five minutes early or five minutes late. Such transit timing variations show that another world’s gravity is pulling on Kepler-19b, alternately speeding it up or slowing it down.

Historically, the planet Neptune was discovered similarly. Astronomers tracking Uranus noticed that its orbit didn’t match predictions. They realized that a more distant planet might be nudging Uranus and calculated the expected location of the unseen world. Telescopes soon observed Neptune near its predicted position.

“This method holds great promise for finding planets that can’t be found otherwise,” stated Harvard astronomer and co-author David Charbonneau.

to read more, go to:    http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/09/kepler-spacecraft-discovers-invisible-planet.html#more

Russian Cosmonauts on ET’s

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Russian cosmonaut Popovich:

ETs warn Cataclysms will unify human consciousness

By Alfred Lambremont Webre, JD, MEd

About Alfred Lambremont Webre, JD, MEd, author of EXOPOLITICS: POLITICS, GOVERNMENT AND LAW IN THE UNIVERSE   His website is: www.exopolitics.com

A group of prominent Russian scientists, including Russian cosmonaut Dr. Marina Popovich, PhD, as well as Victoria Popova, Dr. Sc., Ph.D., and Lidia Andrianova Ph.D. have announced a discovery of extraterrestrial communications in pictograms that extraterrestrial intelligence has placed in crop circles and in stone monuments around the world. The group has created a dictionary of over 250 extraterrestrial pictograms for interpreting crop circles and stone monuments such as “Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles in the UK, Machu Picchu, Chavin de Huantar and the Nazca Lines in Peru, the pyramid of Chichen-Itza and the pyramids of the moon and the sun in Mexico and the Moai of Easter Island and others.”

Dr. Marina Popovich, PhD, Victoria Popova, Dr. Sc., Ph.D., and Lidia Andrianova Ph.D. write in their co-authored book “Letters of Extraterrestrial Civilizations: The Last Warning”, “Extraterrestrial civilizations (ETC) warn: the weakening of Earth’s magnetic field has reached a critical value, and threatens the life of mankind. ETC’ instructions in crop circles indicate how to escape from global cataclysms which will begin very soon.”

 

ET pictograms predict global cataclysms

The Russian scientist group states that the extraterrestrial pictograms communicate that “Extraterrestrial civilizations (ETC) predict three preliminary catastrophes followed by global cataclysms of a magnitude beyond anything experienced in living memory. There will be a short time period between all these events.”

They continue, “ETC warn that civilization has to be pre-informed about the scenario of global cataclysms [before the] beginning [of the] event. A civilization that is not informed has no chance to make the Transition in time and to prolong life. First pre-cataclysm will be related with interruption of global system of communication — phone, Internet. Pre-informed civilization will avoid shock and chaos of super-powerful disaster and has a chance to make the Transition in time.”

The Russian scientist group “emphasizes that this is a natural cycle of the planet. Part of this process is the development of human consciousness to a point where humanity will have a ‘window of opportunity’ to make the transition to a higher plane of existence. They explain that this point in history can be seen as a kind graduation for humanity to a higher and more subtle level of experience, a type of metamorphosis for humanity connected with ascension. Nobody can be saved individually, as the transition can be made only through the synchronous unification of human consciousness.

The Russian scientist group states, “The time for humans to escape the devastation through the unification of consciousness will be shortly after the first pre-cataclysm. After second pre-catastrophe humanity will have no chance to prolong life because number of people [remaining alive] will be not enough to start up the mechanism of the transition. In the future humanity will join a galactic community of evolved extra-terrestrial civilizations, linked through consciousness.”

 

Cosmonaut Dr. Marina Popovich

Dr. Marina Popovich “(born July 20, 1931) is a retired Soviet Air Force colonel, engineer, and legendary Soviet test pilot who holds 107 aviation world records set on over 40 types of aircraft. She is one of the most famous pilots in Russian history, and one of the most important female pilots of all-time. Marina Vasilieva became a Soviet Air Force pilot and in 1964, a military test pilot. She authored nine books and two screenplays. Among many other awards, she has been honored as Hero of Socialist Labor, the Order of Courage (presented personally by Vladimir Putin in June 2007)and a star in the Cancer constellation bears her name.”

 

Popovich and UFOs

One source states, “Dr. Marina Popovich has been outspoken about UFO reality. She wrote a book called UFO Glasnost (published in 2003 in Germany) and given public lectures and interviews. She has mentioned over 3000 UFO sightings by Soviet military and civilian pilots. Although qualifying that her statements are not official, she says that the Soviet Air Force and KGB have fragments of five crashed UFOs in their possession. The crash sites mentioned were Tunguska (1908), Novosibirsk, Tallinn/Estonia, Ordzhonikidze/Caucasus, and Dalnegorsk (1986). Popovich said debris was analyzed and the conclusion was that it wasn’t manufactured on Earth with terrestrial technology In 1991, she also displayed what she claims is the last photo taken by the Russian probe Phobos 2, before it lost contact with Earth and disappeared. This photo shows an unexplained cylindrical figure, which could be a camera artifact.”

 

Russian scientists Popova and Andrianova — Barkhausen effect

According to their biographies, “Dr. Victoria Popova has over 100 scientific publications and 14 patents. She is the best inventor of NCC HS. Dr. Lidia Andrianova has over 50 scientific publications and 4 patents. Their dissertations were based on research of the Barkhausen effect and its application for nondestructive testing and evaluation of ferromagnetic materials. Later we understood that just the Barkhausen effect can explain the mechanism of global cataclysms beginning…. On the basis of decoded information we have written 12 books. Two of our books we have published in co-authorship with Dr. Marina Popovich.” One source states, “The Barkhausen effect is a series of sudden changes in the size and orientation of ferromagnetic domains, or microscopic clusters of aligned atomic magnets (spins), that occurs during a continuous process of magnetization or demagnetization. The Barkhausen effect offered direct evidence for the existence of ferromagnetic domains, which previously had been postulated theoretically. Heinrich Barkhausen discovered that a slow, smooth increase of a magnetic field applied to a piece of ferromagnetic material, such as iron, causes it to become magnetized, not continuously but in minute steps.”

Watch video presentation by Russian scientists explaining extraterrestrial communications

Russian scientists Popova and Andrianova have created a series of 15 brief videos in English outlining the critical components of their discovery. Readers can access video #1 at the following URL:

to read more and see the videos, go to: http://www.spiritofmaat.com/sep11/cataclysms.html