Signs of the Times editorial staff
Signs of the Times
Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:40 EST
How many of you have seen the movie "The Day After Tomorrow?" If you
haven't, the thesis of the movie is that Global warming causes large
areas of the Arctic to melt, so that the northern Atlantic ocean is
diluted by large amounts of fresh water which changes the density of
the water layers causing a disruption of the Thermohaline current..
This then leads to a rapid and unnatural cooling of the northern
hemisphere which triggers a series of anomalies, eventually leading to
a massive "global superstorm" system consisting of three gigantic
hurricane-like superstorms, which suck up heat and drop the super-cold
upper atmospheric air down onto the planet resulting in an "instant Ice
age."
This idea is nothing new and it didn't really originate with Art Bell and Whitley Strieber. A NASA report from 2004
tells us "Andrew Marshall, a veteran Defense Department planner,
recently released an unclassified report detailing how a shift in ocean
currents in the near future could compromise national security."
In a 2003 report,
Robert Gagosian cites "rapidly advancing evidence [from, e.g., tree
rings and ice cores] that Earth's climate has shifted abruptly and
dramatically in the past." For example, as the world warmed at the end
of the last ice age about 13,000 years ago, melting ice sheets appear
to have triggered a sudden halt in the Conveyor, throwing the world
back into a 1,300 year period of ice-age-like conditions called the
"Younger Dryas." It is also now known that the Gulf Stream weakened in 'Little Ice Age'
On 6 December 2005 Michael Schlesinger, a professor of atmospheric
sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, leading a
research team, said "The shutdown of the thermohaline circulation has
been characterized as a high-consequence, low-probability event. Our
analysis, including the uncertainties in the problem, indicates it is a
high-consequence, high-probability event." See also: Failing ocean current raises fears of mini ice age.
There is another danger that comes with Global Warming: release of
huge amount of methane from the methane clathrates buried in the arctic
seabed, and even from other subterranean sources as the earth struggles
to shift around and balance itself. Methane can contribute to Global
Warming, but it is a highly unstable gas. Mostly it just stinks and can
kill. Consider a September, 2006 report Methane gas leak kills miners in Ukraine which says:
Emergency Situations spokesman Ihor Krol said "anWe learn from further
unexpected eruption of a coal and gas mixture" - later identified as
methane - occurred early this morning at a depth of 3,500ft ... Methane
probably emitted from rocks..."
research that a high number of mining accidents are the result of
methane pockets either igniting or poisoning miners.
In short, if big bubbles of methane gas are released from the
ground, if a flock of birds happen to be in the area, they could very
easily die and fall to the ground within a few minutes.
Now, of course, methane itself is odorless, but it is a byproduct
of organic decomposition and, as a consequence, is often associated
with hydrogen sulfide, a "rotten egg" smell. If you can smell it, the
level is probably unsafe.
Of course, there is a tremendous dispute about this with a whole
raft of critics (some of them scientists with questionable loyalties)
pooh-poohing the idea and continuing along the line of "it's all Global
Warming" and if we concentrate on cutting emissions, over time, things
will stabilize."
Not very likely.
Why do we think so?
Last month, for almost a week, the Gulf Stream ceased to flow northward to Europe. Go here: http://rads.tudelft.nl/gulfstream/ ... and scroll down to "Animations of the Gulf Stream velocities are here".
Click, and when the page loads, select "Last 26 weeks (Jan 23 21
bytes)" and observe. After the images load and the animation plays, you
will see a short period of about a week between Dec 11th and 19th when
the Gulf Stream actually stopped flowing toward Europe and flowed back
South without completing its normal circuit.
Here are still images from the event:
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| ©rads.tudelft.nl |
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| ©rads.tudelft.nl |
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| ©rads.tudelft.nl |
Now, keeping those dates in mind, let's look at some headlines
selected from the SOTT Weather Archive from the days during and after
the temporary reversal of the Thermohaline current:
14 Dec 2006 Duck die-off in Idaho sparks fears
19 Dec 2006 Lewiston residents unnerved by dead crows
21 Dec 2006 Colorado reels under blizzard
26 Dec 2006 Christmas storm brings devastation
02 Jan 2007 Sections of Colo. Remain Buried in Snow
03 Jan 2007 Cherry Blossoms Bloom In Brooklyn
03 Jan 2007 Record snowfall buries Anchorage
04 Jan 2007 Warm winter wreaks havoc
04 Jan 2007 Scientists Say 2007 May Be Warmest Yet
05 Jan 2007 2 dead after strong storms, tornadoes rip through southern Louisiana
08 Jan 2007 Gas-like odour blankets Manhattan
08 Jan 2007 Ducks die en mass in Vietnam's southern province
08 Jan 2007 Dead birds shut down Austin
08 Jan 2007 Outgassing: The environmental "surge" you're not hearing anything about.
08 Jan 2007 NY gas smell shuts trains, forces evacuations
08 Jan 2007 Wacky warm weather throws birds and bees off balance
09 Jan 2007 Warm December Pushes 2006 to Record Year
10 Jan 2007 Are the dead porpoises on Scottish beaches more evidence of global warming?
10 Jan 2007 Freak tornado-like storm hits Barbados
12 Jan 2007 Storm Warnings Across UK
13 Jan 2007 Icy Weather Hits U.S. Midwest
13 Jan 2007 Record Cold, Snow in Southern California!
13 Jan 2007 Smelly Outgassing in Louisiana
13 Jan 2007 Staten Island: More Bad Smells - Outgassing?
14 Jan 2007 Powerful storm dumps ice and rain on central U.S
14 Jan 2007 Ice Storm lashes much of U.S. - 20 dead
15 Jan 2007 Near Hurricane Force Storm Batters Baltic States - 2nd time in 2 years for "once in a lifetime event"
17 Jan 2007 Schwarzenegger Seeks Disaster Aid For Freeze Ruined Crops
17 Jan 2007 Ice plays havoc with U.S. power grid
17 Jan 2007 Thousands Shiver As Storm Death Toll Hits 51
17 Jan 2007 Big freeze hits $1bn crop
17 Jan 2007 Wildfires Burn in Southern Australia
17 Jan 2007 Scores killed, crops devastated in harsh US winter weather
17 Jan 2007 Storms forecast to batter UK
17 Jan 2007 Warm Spell in Russia Wakes Up the Bears
18 Jan 2007 Snow in Malibu!!!
18 Jan 2007 Severe storms batter northwestern Europe
18 Jan 2007 Travel in Europe Disrupted by Wild Storm
19 Jan 2007 Hurricane Force Winds rip into eastern Europe
19 Jan 2007 Storm kills 27 in northern Europe
19 Jan 2007 Germany Limps Back To Life After Storm Claims 10 Lives - Wind Gusts Up to 202 KPH
19 Jan 2007 Killer of 29, Kyrill Hurricane Approaches Russia - "The Day After Tomorrow?"
19 Jan 2007 Experts Can't Find Source Of Mysterious NYC Odor
19 Jan 2007 Okla., Mo., and Texas Brace for Storm
19 Jan 2007 Icy Storm Blamed for 65 Deaths in U.S.
19 Jan 2007 Germans Told to Stay Indoors as Hurricane Nears
20 Jan 2007 Europe counts cost of storms as stricken freighter is beached
20 Jan 2007 New winter storm stalks Southern Plains
21 Jan 2007 Snow Storm Rolls Across Plains; 8 Dead
25 Jan 2007 Getting Colder in U.S. Northeast - Polar Plunge Underway
25 Jan 2007 Anchorage Hit with Twice Normal Snowfall
The 64,000 $ question: Is there a connection between the reversal of
the Gulf Stream in December and the numerous reports of birds falling
dead from the sky and the wild and deadly weather during the first half
of January?
The next question is: Does this small example suggest what might happen if the now highly unstable Gulf Stream finally and completely stops flowing North to Europe?
Meanwhile, on Jan 23rd, President Bush told the American Congress "we must confront the serious challenge of global climate change".
However, the main thrust of his speech was to ask that Congress and the
American People give his war escalation plan yet another chance.
Now, even though Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) responded to this
nonsensical speech in a very appropriate way, telling Bush that "The
majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being
fought; nor does the majority of our military, nor does the majority of
Congress," Senator Webb himself is probably not aware of the truly
great danger that may be looming over all of us, rich and poor, in
every country of the world. Just as Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the
leaders of our world are acting as though they have unlimited time to
play their political games.
The question is, will any of us survive the threat to our
civilization that is inherent in a Global Warming that can turn into an
Ice Age in an instant while Bush and other world leaders engage in
endless arguments about wars and economics? The real enemy is not "over
there," it is "out there," in terms of changes to our environment that
we all need to understand as fast as possible. And here we mean, all
people. When the Sword falls, the billionaire oil tycoons will suffer
just as much, if not more, than the Third World subsistence farmer.
We desperately need to reach these people and inform them so that
all of humanity can act together as one to bring this senseless
war-mongering to a halt and work together to solve our mutual problems
that threaten to destroy us more completely than any nuclear bomb ever
could.
But here's the problem: through the distortion and
outright censoring of events in America and the world, the US media, in
concert with the Bush government, are denying the American people
access to knowledge and awareness that would allow them to play a
pivotal role in their own future and that of their children. How many
Americans truly know how many of their fellow citizens are totally
opposed to the actions of the Bush government? If you read the US media
you would have no idea whatsoever. If you read the international press
however, you get a much better idea. Consider the following images from
the front page of a French regional paper for 25th January 2007:
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| The text reads: "America Says 'No' Increasingly isolated, George Bush has asked congress for 'another |
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| The text reads: "America against Bush. An ever increasing number of opponents of the Iraq war" (Click on image for large version). |
The primary goal of the Signs of the Times news website and forum is
to provide accurate data on current events to all those that seek it.
But we need your help. We exist only on the internet. That means
that the information we have to share is available to less than 17% of
the planet's population; even less when you consider net censorship.
Together, we can change this and we can DO things. That's why we've
launched a our new Signs of The Times Interactive Website and why we
have plans on the table to expand our activities to include a new
line-up of Podcast discussions (with exciting new guests) and most
important of all: distribution of free, informative printed matter all
over the world!
It's an exciting idea! If the newspapers won't print the truth, we
will! And if people can't afford access, we will GIVE it to them! It'll
be a major, ongoing campaign. And to ensure we have the resources to
keep the pressure on, we're asking ALL our readers to contribute at
least $15 a month. Since our last subscription drive, 188 people have
signed on! But we still need 1145 more contributors! With over 10,000
readers per day, and 1427 people receiving SOTT in their email-box
daily, there is no reason why we cannot achieve this modest goal. Can
you chip in $15 a month? It's easy--we bill your credit card each
month, and you can cancel any time. Click here:
Initially, we're planning a sustained campaign of distribution of
educational materials via the same processes that are used in political
campaigns; only in this case, it will not be a campaign to elect
anyone; it will be a campaign to wake up and stop the madness before we
are all wiped off the face of the Earth forever. These materials will
make people aware of SOTT and will give them further information about
how to either find SOTT on the web, or how to sign up for the new,
weekly printed SOTT that is in the pipeline.
We have volunteers around the world just waiting for the materials
to be printed and shipped to them so that they can begin the
distribution process. using our successful Signs Of The Times website
as a backbone. We'll use mail-out flyers, posters, stickers,
book-marks, and web productions to inform the people of just what
danger we are all in while our so-called leaders bicker over killing
more people. If they don't stop that wrangling now, and attend to the
business at hand, there won't be anybody to bomb anyway.
This is the moment. Look at the Gulf Stream. Remember the movie "The
Day After Tomorrow." Consider what happened within two weeks of a one
week reversal of the Gulf Stream. It may not be that bad or that fast,
but we can see from what we have already experienced that it will
certainly be bad enough. Getting the information out to as many people
as possible is going to require concentrated effort and funding. Once
the people are fully aware of what is really going on, it is our belief
that they will, en masse, do what is right and demand, in tones that
cannot be refused, that our leaders take care of the most important
business on our planet: preparing us for a massive, shift in climate
that undoubtedly will happen much, much, much faster than anyone
currently thinks possible.
But that's not going to happen unless we have the support.
That is the plan - flood the world with information - the Whole
World! But it will require ongoing funding. Can you help with $15 per
month? (You can cancel easily any time.) Click here to contribute:
Every dollar, every flyer, poster, sticker, book, newsletter, we
distribute together could save lives - perhaps the life of someone you
love.
Together, we can wake the world up.
Together, we will wake up the world.
Thank you.
Laura, Ark, Joe, Scott, Henry, Jason, Anna, Amy, Juliana, and the rest of the SOTT team.
1 comment:
Well written but still doubtful...you don't say whether this is the only time in recorded history that the Gulf Stream has stopped or not. How do we know that this is not a natural
event?
I agree that we need to have a balance approach to our environment but believe the CO2 as a cause is overblown and feel it only has caused about 10-20% of the increase temps while the majority is due to sun activity.
You are probably a very kind and peaceful person but unfortunately that does not allow you to understand war. There are lots of people who wish to harm others...give them a religion marked with extremism and you have a very dangerous enemy. Can you understand why muslims would blow themselves and fellow muslims up in a suicide attack? It is a deranged threat that faces us. Please do not underestimate it.
Good luck with your campaign but please keep an open mind. Ironically I feel exactly like you that the media refuses to publish the whole truth but.... that they constantly bias it towards global warming and not enough of how much of it is from other causes beyond mankind.
Don't expect you will publish my comment. I mean no aggravation just an open and friendly discussion.
From a Moderate Independent
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