Tracking Earth's Future via Current Events, etc.

[Rudy Pena]

IF *anyone* is NOT guilty of being up to no good or doing anything wrong, they shouldn't feel threatened if being required to submit to inspections. Homeowners have to submit to various inspections as much as businesses. So what is the big deal? privacy?

Freedoms become lost because of the few who ruined it for the rest of the people who did try to live within compliance (of already established enforced laws). So for the sake of the *few* miserable culprits, the *many* have to suffer?




And exactly what does the rest of the world know? Not much from what I've read. A warship in the Mediterranean. Big deal.. go back to sleep folks, nothing visible there...
... ...

Does one require a cloaking device to work on a secretive stealth mission, or simply keep their (mouth) trap shut..?
The day Julius Ceasar was murdered, his own so-called friends operated in stealth mode until they did their deed against him.




Again, why does the USA have to get targeted as the culprit to everything that happens elsewhere in the world? Because we're such gullible scapegoats? Why can't the world become responsible for its own actions, instead of blameshifting to someone else all (or most) of the time?
Native Americans might be living within the USA land mass, but they aren't responsible for what happens in the rest of the world. Yet, they are being tossed into that same soup mix regardless, just because they live within the boundary lines known as "USA" soil.
Besides, thought everything bad happening was all supposed to be declared under "it's Bush's fault!"


If the world stopped fighting, harming each other, and etc., would they NEED to have someone ELSE *police* them?
Would the UN *have* to step in on the battle scars left over, because of the certain few who can't control themselves? The world has brought itself to this point. Not just whatever roles "the USA" had and may have caused in the process. The rest of the world needs to step up and take responsibility too for its own actions and inactions.

You are comparing 2 different things. You want a inspection of the ship, go do it yourself. They dont answer to the US or the UN. Like Gen. Carter said in stargate. You cant slap a USAF sticker and call it yours. Demanding a inspection cause they are not like us and dont share our view/beliefs and are considered hostile to us.

Look at Iraq, we demanded inspections and inspections and look where it has gotten us. Thousands of American troops dead, many wounded, many tramatized, many without arms and legs. All cause someone demanded inspections and more inspections and didnt like the results.

You told me a story, now let me tell you a short one.

I was/am in the US Army. I went to Iraq for 1 year deployment. Nothing bad happened to me or my unit. While deployed over the course of that year the FOB I was at was motored quite a bit. At one point it was every other day for 2 weeks, i was always close by where they were targeting.....at least close enough to feel the shock wave sometimes.

Now as a result from that, I get jumpy and my heart rate jumps quite a bit when I hear fireworks, cause it reminds me the motor attacks. Last year, i couldnt even go out with my parents to a place where they do fireworks.
For me, this is not much to worry about as opposed to the people to have gotten much much much worse than I.


Ah, now you comparing something different, hiding a knife/dagger in your clothes it very different to a warship. The everyday person will go back to sleep, but the people who are actually watching the warship is watching it. Seeing where it goes, whats what where they are heading and what not. Theres only so many places it can go.

We are not scapegoats, but when the US starts sticking its fingers and nose where it shouldnt be, the people call us the world police and what not.

The reason people call the US the world police is cause of your last paragraph. We dont NEED to police anyone.

Who cares if they are fighting and what not. It is not harming the US, they are not attacking the US, they are not focused on the US. The minute we do step in then everyone has there eyes on us, they are focused on the US, people will attack the US, thus harming the US.

All cause the US wants to be like Barny and we all sing the Barny song.

We are just making things worse and making us look good, but also bad at the same time.

Certain areas of the world have been fighting for thousands of years, nothing the US does or tries to do will make it stop. Thats whats everyone's problem with the US, we are trying to put a bandaide on something that doesnt need a bandaide.

[Goose]

ugh! *sigh*
Really now.. what is so difficult with Iran being honest? The world sees pictures of a ship on the water, it doesn't know what is inside the boat. Probably doesn't care, for the most part either.. as long as the ship isn't in *their* port, lest the gawkers come out in droves to look. The situation would go under the authorities of the UN, not the USA gov't.



IF *anyone* is NOT guilty of being up to no good or doing anything wrong, they shouldn't feel threatened if being required to submit to inspections. Homeowners have to submit to various inspections as much as businesses. So what is the big deal? privacy?

You go get a legally binding UN resolution demanding Iran submit its ships for inspection, and I'll agree with Iranian ships being searched, but until then, or until they committ hostile acts against another nation, they have every right to have their warships in international waters wherever they want. Just like the US Navy has that right. You can't just demand that Iran submit to having its ships searched because there might be something odd about them.

[AlexanderD]

You go get a legally binding UN resolution demanding Iran submit its ships for inspection, and I'll agree with Iranian ships being searched, but until then, or until they committ hostile acts against another nation, they have every right to have their warships in international waters wherever they want. Just like the US Navy has that right. You can't just demand that Iran submit to having its ships searched because there might be something odd about them.

Freedom of Navigation is the legal basis the US uses for naval entry anywhere and everywhere. The UN resolution route was tried with North Korean vessels, and the practice was quietly shelved.

[SGalisa]

Subjects for possible tracking Earth's future prophecies and discussions thereof --
(and btw, it's not all gloom and doom.. There are plenty of positive events and things to discuss -- the question is whether or not humans will achieve those goals.)
...
* natural disasters -- flooding, earthquakes, droughts, megastorms, etc.
---- plagues, famines
---- health issues (existing progress or lack of progress in medical advances for various diseases & super-viruses)

* solutions suggested or made pro/con against global warming, pollution, & reforestation
...

Drought.
Nothing new except this is 2012, and between concerns about 2012 being the "end of the age" (time era), global warming / "climate changing" panic attacks, fires breaking out because of nature or being deliberately set by sheer viciousness or careless behavior, and the reality of water consumption by an ever increasing world population -- apparently, the news is reaching world-wide catastrophic / critical (Biblical proportion) levels. But what is being done about the depleting fresh water supplies? Nothing.. at least, not at the moment.

Seems like a "Wait til doomsday (mentality), and then scream that nothing was ever done to prevent doomsday!"


Over the past several months, there have been numerous (now by the hundreds or maybe thousands) of articles about drought increasing across the USA and elsewhere on earth. Last year, China, India and a few other places had drought issues. Last year -- on a mega scale, it was Australia under floods, droughts, famines and fires; this year, it's the USA. Australia seems to always go thru that sort of cycle annually, but not the USA.

Most of the USA's problems stem from precious aquafers being used up for various reasons, partly from seasonal issues with the way the geological systems exist in the first place and react with the weather, and other reasons due to massive fire breakouts. When the fires are caused by humans, such things can be prevented, or at least stopped at the onset!

But lately in the news for the past several years, that has not been the case. Some fires are reported as suspected as being deliberately set (sabotage or vandalism); and often during windier weather days, which cause the fires to go so totally out of control at such speeds that millions and millions of acreage and forestry ends up being destroyed. Doesn't help that pesty bugs have been munching on certain trees (forestry) and starting the deadwood processes to begin with!

Weird thing about the underground aquafers drying up, is that so much news has been invested in alarming the world about GLOBAL WARMING or "climate change" (whichever the reader prefers), and the oceans suddenly rising, but hey, there are entire continents drying up in the middle underground.

Florida (USA) folks know about when the waters vanish underground, (huge) sinkholes appear because the earth's ceiling collapses from not having any support holding it up. Sinkholes are a continuous cycle for Floridians, be it too much water or not enough. Entire lakes have vanished as if someone pulled the plug from sinkhole phenomena.


Anyway, several articles on precious water supplies around the world are now beginning to focus on
"hey- the (fresh!) water is drying up -- what is the world going to do about this???!"

Some people are looking for hope on Mars, but until folks get there, our over-populated earth needs to tend to its own resources in the here and NOW..
Recent articles on current, unsustainable groundwater use ~ noted within spoiler box.

Spoiler:

(links below are broken. Please remove B L A N K spaces in beginning of web address to access article/link for complete details -- if the articles still exist.)
------------------
"World over-using underground water reserves for agriculture"
By Chris Wickham
LONDON, Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:50pm EDT
http : // www .reuters. com/article/2012/08/10/us-science-environment-water-idUSBRE87713B20120810

{quote}"(Reuters) - The world is depleting underground water reserves faster than they can be replenished due to over-exploitation, according to scientists in Canada and the Netherlands..."
{end of quote}
------------------

"State agriculture summit aims to increase awareness of irrigation"
By Budd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times
Published: Friday, August 10, 2012, 8:51 AM; Updated: Friday, August 10, 2012, 9:17 AM
http : // blog .al. com/huntsville-times-business/2012/08/state_agriculture_summit_aims.html

{quote}HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The comparison is disheartening.

Mississippi has more than 1 million acres of cropland under irrigation.

Georgia has more than 1 million acres of cropland under irrigation.

Alabama has 120,000 acres of cropland under irrigation.

Not 1.2 million acres.

120,000 acres.

Agriculture and water-use officials say there is no reason this state can't do the same. Alabama has 19 major aquifer systems and 14 major rivers.

"When you see all the water that runs through Alabama - rivers, lakes, creeks - you wonder why we don't do anything with it," said Charlie Burmester, an agronomist with the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center...

...The Alabama Irrigation Summit will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 15...
{end of quote}

------------------

"Demand for water outstrips supply --
Groundwater use is unsustainable in many of the world's major agricultural zones."
by Amanda Mascarelli, 08 August 2012
Nature, News
http : // www .nature. com/news/demand-for-water-outstrips-supply-1.11143

{quote}"Almost one-quarter of the world's population lives in regions where groundwater is being used up faster than it can be replenished, concludes a comprehensive global analysis of groundwater depletion, published this week in Nature(1).
...
"This overuse can lead to decreased groundwater availability for both drinking water and growing food," says Tom Gleeson, a hydrogeologist at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and lead author of the study. Eventually, he adds, it "can lead to dried up streams and ecological impacts".
...
But Gleeson adds that there is at least one significant source of hope. As much as 99% of the fresh, unfrozen water on the planet is groundwater. "It’s this huge reservoir that we have the potential to manage sustainably," he says. "If we choose to."
{end of quote}
------------------

Observer's comment-- then don't complain about the oceans rising!

California (USA) could invest more in ocean water desalination plants, but (to public knowledge) they haven't YET. Desalination plants *might* cut down on some inches of the feared rising ocean waters, too, btw..
But then, scientists will still need to watch any increases of salt content in denser ocean levels, as well as decreased salt content of rising ocean waters. *sigh*

Also, when certain regions reach sustained 90 and 100 degree (F) + temps for days/weeks on end (no relief end in sight), of course the crops are going to dry up and wither! Plants with shallow roots in dried up surface soils are going to wither up! Pansies and most other plants requiring lots of water moisture (and cool relief) in the soil tend to die off around 85 degrees F.
People haven't figured this out yet?


Solutions -- try scattering into as many localities as possible (world-wide) vertical farming for smaller crops inside (by) converting empty warehouses and empty business buildings into farmlands --yes, it's expensive to start with, but is a good start, especially helpful for flood/famine stricken zones. In hydroponic gardening, water can be recycled internally and better controlled. Crops are more protected from the weather, on a YEAR-round basis, too. Less pesticide use, too, so the "GMO" factor should NOT be a problem, when such greenery is diligently cared for. GMO's have been in the news for destroying a crop's tasty flavors, plus possibly causing serious illness and possible death in some situations to anyone digesting such foods.

And this drought situation isn't limited to just farmland veggie and fruit foods. Cattle raised for meat-eaters, eat the grasslands and whatever their owners provide to them from the vegetarian world as supplements. Reports of cattle being sent to slaughter sooner (than later) this year -- are in the news, because the droughts are so horrible, there isn't enough food to fatten up the cattle or keep them fed, so the cattle are going to slaughter sooner than later as a result.

Naturally, the entire ecosystem is being affected from underground up. Food prices are expected to be sky high within the next 18 months, because of the severe droughts hitting the USA.. as if the USA is the sole world-winner bread-basket? It's not. The technology now exists to do vertical farming, hydroponics and aquaponics (that includes recycled water systems with fish and aerating systems to keep the fish alive and healthy, too). Besides, the moon and mars just might not have enough water on them to feed millions of future earth colonies, so learn and apply the basics NOW, before it gets too late!


Back on earth -- GMO alterations of growing crops in drought stricken areas has been experimented with as a possible solution, but in the long term does not seem to be the world's food basket solution. I've read stories about BT being used as a natural pesticide against bugs destroying crops, because it makes the digestive system of the larvae (bugs) explode.. imagine what that does to animals and humans when so much percentage of BT is digested! Stomach issues?? tummy hurts? Before such info was posted into the news that BT is harmless to humans and animals, such thoughts do cross one's curious mind.

[SGalisa]

"Wars and Rumors of Wars" and "Drought stricken waters" --Update

Psalm 83 along with Ezekiel 38-39 of the Hebrew Bible. I do not understand these passages, nor pretend to understand, except by the few folks interpreting it, Iran and Israel are major players in it. Russia (Gog) is in there somewhere too. These prophecies are important and critical to the future of Israel's survival.

In the areas of actual rumors--sidetrip--there's rumblings of potential war possibly beginning between China and Japan. Maybe that'll be the world theatre #2. If true, it may very well be China's military that ends up being the mysterious 200 million man army of Revelation 9:16-17, who's attention somehow turns westward to the Middle East. China already has contracts with Iran, so...

However, in the main ring, theatre #1--
it's no secret that Iran has been stirring up the world stage for especially wiping out both the USA and Jewish Israel, whether or not anyone not Jewish is living in the region. But when one or both drag the USA into the blame game of who's at fault for what, it becomes even more disturbing when reading for the past five months of off/on bad news since May 2012 in various news sources (yahoo! AP, most more popular Israeli news sites, along with a few middle eastern ones writing in English)-- that
our USA may end up either pulled into a major WAR before November 2012, as an October (2012) surprise, or even possibly at the end of the Jewish high holy days (that's within next 2 weeks!). This sounds like WWII propaganda all over again. It'd be nice to think it's just all hogwash and political rhetoric that will actually go nowhere, but playing with people's minds this way is just draining. No wonder why people need to over-medicate themselves with tranquilizers!



Regardless of who is instigating these situations--- the media or anyone in radio/Tv tracking ---
Unfortunately, one of these days, the stirred up frenzy is going to cause one of those (countries or TPTB) in control to lose their temper and push the magic "game over" button. Is the world that bloodthirsty? Maybe the media folks hungering for the top horror story should get shipped off to some remote planet along with the warmongering folks to duke it out with each other, and then they can all play survival of the fittest for real.


This world is escalating out of control. Different time era, same old war news. Just because the *feared end* (of the Mayan Calendar) December 21, 2012 as is around the corner, doesn't mean the ones thirsting for war have to MAKE it happen, as an actual END of the world scenario! duuuuuuah!


Now, the latest is Iran's desire to send their NAVY down to Antarctica.. The RT news (internet) site listed this quest as expanding down to the South Pole, in international waters.

articles--
Yahoo/AP has cranky reading rules, so here is the RT (Russian Times??) articles (in spoiler quotes)--

Spoiler:

(NOTE: links are broken below, mostly due to continuous archiving or recycling nature of certain sites, etc.
Please remove B L A N K spaces in beginning of web address to access article/link for complete details)


"Iran Navy announces plans to expand to South Pole"
Published: 22 September, 2012, 13:59
http : // rt. com/news/iran-navy-south-pole-717/


Possibly a more important article is this one--
"Iran plans to deploy warships off US coast"
Published: 04 September, 2012, 19:15
http : // rt. com/news/iran-navy-usa-gulf-352/

{quote}"Iran says it will counter US presence in its waters by sending ships to the international waters off the US coast, says Iranian Navy chief Admiral Sayyari.

No specifics were mentioned, but during an interview broadcast on state TV, Sayyari said the plans were aimed for 'the next few years.'

In the past two years Iran has broadened the range of its navy, sending ships to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Sayyari did not deny that the proposed measure was a response to the increase in the number of US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passageway off the coast of Iran, which Tehran previously threatened to shut off..."{end of partial quote}

Obviously, the price of oil will go higher. Higher cost to heat homes, transport to & from work, transport to anywhere. Because the economy is suffering, salaries won't be increasing, but everything from food to fabrics and other consumer goods will be on the price increase. Global drought has only added more stress against the cost of living, in general, including alternative fuels and energy resources.

There is no easy way to explain this next bit--
The current USA gov't admin decisively refused to open up with our Canadian connections, because our gov't is claiming the USA needs to show support to the Middle East, etc., while certain groups within those same countries threaten to kill, mame, destroy, injure, harass, etc. anyone caught in the middle, and especially if that person is a native born US-American.

When push comes to shove getting other folks to comprehend the world scenario, it's frighteningly disturbing.
In discussions with some folks, they (apathetically) react with "Oh well, we'll just go back to living like the dark ages.." (do these folks REALIZE the implications of what they just said?)

Spoiler:

If that's the case, and (generic) you can generate your own electricity (good for generic you, bad for the rest of us)--even after your own gas tank supplies run out, fine, but where are you going to get your medications when the pills run out? If our nation gets hit to the point of being paralyzed, manufacturing companies won't be operating, neither will the local pharmacies or any grocery stores for that matter -- IF we even survive the news few months without being blasted into oblivion. Currently, many Insurance companies already only permit a 30 day supply of meds per refill unit. Some go up to 90 days, but not much more. After that, you're screwed. People with special refrigerated medications and limited supplies will be the first to suffer the most, if the power grid(s) go down. Say if you're down to your last week's worth of meds (cholesterol, heart, kidney, sinus, "midlife" related issues that simple herbs alone cannot help with), and only then were given time to renew the medication, which normally takes 2 to 3 weeks average to process; but oh wait!-- war (and its consequences) breaks out before your new supply comes to your door, oh well, you're screwed.

At least if/when in isolated situations someone loses their job or home from tornado, fire, or flood, they can usually compensate by filing for assistance to get help, but damages from war (zones/regions) is more widespread and permanent. Help received will be considered a miracle if it even reaches the person desperately needing it.

..got to make this a 2-parter.. *sigh*

[The Flyattractor]

Have people who are going wonky for the Mayan apoc truly aware that the mayans didn't have Leap year in their calander so technically The Apoc came a couple of years ago?

[SGalisa]

* natural disasters -- flooding, earthquakes, droughts, megastorms, etc.
---- plagues, famines
---- health issues (existing progress or lack of progress in medical advances for various diseases & super-viruses)

---- "Drought stricken waters" ----

The 2011-2012 drought situation hasn't helped either. When water levels reach a certain lower capacity, the concentrations of whatever was in the bottom of the soot pile tends to stir up into the mix and make the lower water levels more unsanitary and germy than they were at 100% capacity. When monsoon rains hit, all the goo at the bottom gets stirred up to the top surface, making it impossible to see anything.. and people use this water to drink from?? gahhhhhd.

--- Do people stocking up on food storage for general emergencies, also know if the water is not there (due to extremely limited quantities) or is seriously contaminated, what good is the food? Cook pre-packaged noodle meals with muddy water?? Don't think so.. Most folks are not educated in purifying toxic water systems to make them drinkable again. We've relied too much on others to do that task for us, so the knowledge is distant, at best.
--- Filtering water with (modern) technology is a wonderful marvel, but try cleaning wounds and laundry with that same dirty water on a more massive scale with little or no filtration system. Time involved just won't be there, and the end result merely promotes more disease than cures it.

oh, and BTW, more than just the Chinese Yangtze River has turned reddish.
Delaware River (by the Gap and southward) was still muddy red over this recent weekend (and I KNOW that wasn't photoshopped, because we drove right past it--2 days in a row!) It's being blamed on the moonsoon-like storm that hit the region earlier in the week. Can't be healthy for all of the marine life in that water..! I've seen the water table at the D.R.Gap lower than that, and it's never been that ugly color! Couldn't see anything below the top surface--not even one square inch, it was so thick.

See articles in spoiler quotes---

Spoiler:

(NOTE: links are broken below, mostly due to continuous archiving or recycling nature of certain sites, etc.
Please remove B L A N K spaces in beginning of web address to access article/link for complete details)
----------

"A Red Tide Epidemic?"
(NYTimes-dot-com) By EMMA BRYCE
September 13, 2012, 12:58 pm
http : // green. blogs. nytimes. com/2012/09/13/a-red-tide-epidemic/

{quote}"At first some scientists suspected that an algal bloom might have caused the Yangtze River to change color, but researchers now suggest that a heavy clay deposit or industrial dye was responsible. Yet algal blooms do seem to have caused this reddening phenomenon in several other places this year. Here's a brief sampling...

Researchers know that algal blooms have been sprouting for millenniums. Yet tracking an uptick in occurrences is difficult because no one has been sampling blooms globally for long enough, he said.

The warming of the seas as a result of climate change and a trend of increased salinity could be shaping blooming episodes, but for the time being the phenomenon can easily be attributed to more direct factors, Dr. Juhl said.

Fertilizer in agricultural runoff and sewage create nutrient-rich environments where algae can thrive, for example, he said, and ballast water from traveling ships takes algae on far-flung voyages, helping it to spread...
{end of partial quote}

----------

"Why has the Yangtze River turned red?"
11 Sep 2012, 17:06 BST
Posted by Mark Peplow, Category: Earth, environment & ecology
Posted on behalf of Michele Catanzaro.
http : // blogs .nature. com/news/2012/09/why-has-the-yangtze-river-turned-red.html

{quote}"...The cause of the colouring is still unclear. 'One possible cause of the colouration may be suspended sediments, following heavy rains upstream', says Hans Paerl, a marine and environmental scientist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. 'This is common in large river systems such as the Yangtze, and southern China has had large rainfall events this summer,' he says.

Indeed, on 7 September the Chongqing Environmental Protection Agency noted on its website that a water-quality monitoring centre on the Yangtze had detected very high concentrations of silt in the river. The agency says that torrential rain in the upper Sichuan province caused huge amounts of silt to wash into the Yangtze. It also says that the water does not contain hazardous or noxious substances..."
{end of partial quote}

ahhh, so global warming is to blame for red tide (brown/red algae blooms), as well as other environmental factors.
Revelation 11 and 16 records a time era of searing heat that will be so severe, that more than just the rivers will turn bloody reddish.. the seas will do so as well, and marine life will also perish in the process.

Ice melt panics have already begun (2012).. phase 1.
Meantime, the inner continental aquafers are drying up, as well, with little relief for refills. Yep, TPTB folks are still scratching their heads over how to fix all that, while spreading horrifying scenarios about the ocean waters rising and drowning the coastlines...


These things may be cyclic, and that just makes the cycle that occurs during the prophecized time of Rev. 11 and 16 just an amazing coincidence of (BAD) timing, when occurring in concert with everything else that'll be bad for all life on earth----not just the people, but the wildlife, too.

[Goose]

I'd be careful to trust anything that RT (Russian Today) has to say, since it's the official government external broadcaster.

[lordofseas]

I'd be careful to trust anything that RT (Russian Today) has to say, since it's the official government external broadcaster.

My criticism of RT is that it tends to be an adherent of conspiracy theories.

[SGalisa]

Doomsday storms... really, normal storms hitting the regional area, just picked different towns/cities this year..

Right now, it's blizzard snow conditions in southern Virginia with tons of rain from a major noreaster running all the way north into Michigan -- affecting the edge of Detroit where the "world series" Baseball game is progressing as I write this.

And a few hundred miles eastward is the tropical storm SANDY hitting the entire east coast USA (was in SC), currently from North Carolina all the way up into Canada. There's also a huge snowstorm system somewhere up there in Canada, too.

Stores in western NJ (western side of NJ!!) were sold out of water on Friday. Nada. Nuthin. No gallon jugs, no 2.5 or 5 gallon jugs, and not even the individual bottled water cases were on the shelves for folks doing their usual shopping Saturday or Sunday. Good thing water wasn't what I needed Friday. I just went in because I was nearby and thought I might pick up some extra salad dressing. Plenty of flavored water drinks. But no water anywhere. Took a walk down the water aisle and even the Cola soda bottles were all gone! None to be found, until Monday/Tuesday AFTER the storm dumps itself everywhere.. then it will be "water water everywhere and not a drop (pure enough) to drink!"

Oh, and no generators by Thursday either. All stores all sold out in most of the tri-state region (PA, NJ, NY).

Last year, lots of homes had a Halloween storm that knocked out power for up to 2 weeks in some spots. So, what is the point in loading up the fridge and freezer, when there is nothing to run it with?
People need water. Non-perishable foods too. Everything else will spoil in the fridge/freezer zone, especially if the temps warm up.

Have people who are going wonky for the Mayan apoc truly aware that the mayans didn't have Leap year in their calander so technically The Apoc came a couple of years ago?

I've heard that theory, but we'll probably never know for sure what the true dates are with so many variables in the way.

[lordofseas]

Qed, apocalpyso!

[The Urban Spaceman]

On the seventh dawn of the seventh day; a twice-blessed man will roam the fields. Doomed to shadows with his brethren; or savior to all who walk the ground.

Oh wait...

[The Urban Spaceman]

Drought.

But what is being done about the depleting fresh water supplies? Nothing.. at least, not at the moment.

Actually, it depends on where you go. In my country, there have been plans to inject water into aquifers in the winter months, when there's plenty of it, and to store it long-term in reservoirs. The injection theory is as much to stop subsidence as it is to top up increasingly depleted aquifers.

In more arid regions like the middle-east, there is heavy investment into desalination. Here's an article into how well Saudi Arabia has been doing with desalination over the past few decades, and how it's continuing to develop the system: http://hir.harvard.edu/pressing-chan...desalination-0

Similarly, in certain places in Australia, there are restrictions on water usage for non-essential activities. And in places where there have often been harsh summers, hose-pipe bans are in operation, which are by no means new things.

Unfortunately, the media prefers to deal with the short-term catastrophic effects of too much water -- "oh no, a hurricane!" "oh no, monsoon season!" "oh no, a dam burst its banks!" than on the long-term effects of water absence. So scientists who are quietly working away and concentrating on the problem are left in the shadow of meteorologists who make predictions about where the next load of water is going to be unceremoniously dumped.

Over the past several months, there have been numerous (now by the hundreds or maybe thousands) of articles about drought increasing across the USA and elsewhere on earth. Last year, China, India and a few other places had drought issues. Last year -- on a mega scale, it was Australia under floods, droughts, famines and fires; this year, it's the USA. Australia seems to always go thru that sort of cycle annually, but not the USA.

To anybody actually interested in meteorology, the weather patterns described are nothing new. The Sahel region of Africa, as well as other areas of sub-Saharan Africa, have been undergoing desertification for decades. It's a long-term problem that has gone largely ignored by the rest of the world because let's face it, there isn't really anything of importance in sub-Saharan Africa. It certainly doesn't have sweatshops or half the world's call-centres. All the diamonds are to the south of the continent, and all the cool animals that need to be saved are south-central. As far as Joe Public is concerned, it doesn't really matter if the desert gets a bit more deserty.

On the subject of Australia/America, their weather patterns are intrinsically linked by ENSO. The distribution of energy in the atmosphere and the Pacific oceans means that when Australia suffers droughts, parts of America suffer floods, and vice versa. There also appears to be an increase in ENSO frequency (it's usually somewhere between 2-7 years, though over the past 20 years or so it's been gradually decreasing in duration to the shorter end of the scale).

Here, an image of the Multivariate ENSO Index. It's computed by the NOAA-CIRES climate diagnostic centre, Colorado University. Interesting stuff if you can get your head around the initial statistics:

Most of the USA's problems stem from precious aquafers being used up for various reasons, partly from seasonal issues with the way the geological systems exist in the first place and react with the weather, and other reasons due to massive fire breakouts.

The 'geological systems' (I take it by this you mean lithosphere?) don't really 'react' with the weather, except where porous rock is able to form an aquifer or spring. The hydrosphere, however, is linked to the atmosphere, to such an extent that meteorology and oceanography are very similar fields, and more often than not a change in one system begets a change in the other. Sometimes it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends; changes in ocean temperature (NADW, ENSO, etc) cause changes in the atmosphere, such as trade winds, the gulf stream, etc.

[SGalisa]

Doomsday storms... really, normal storms hitting the regional area, just picked different towns/cities this year..

Right now, it's blizzard snow conditions in southern Virginia with tons of rain from a major noreaster running all the way north into Michigan -- affecting the edge of Detroit where the "world series" Baseball game is progressing as I write this.

And a few hundred miles eastward is the tropical storm SANDY hitting the entire east coast USA (was in SC), currently from North Carolina all the way up into Canada. There's also a huge snowstorm system somewhere up there in Canada, too.

Stores in western NJ (western side of NJ!!) were sold out of water on Friday. Nada. Nuthin. No gallon jugs, no 2.5 or 5 gallon jugs, and not even the individual bottled water cases were on the shelves for folks doing their usual shopping Saturday or Sunday. Good thing water wasn't what I needed Friday. I just went in because I was nearby and thought I might pick up some extra salad dressing. Plenty of flavored water drinks. But no water anywhere. Took a walk down the water aisle and even the Cola soda bottles were all gone! None to be found, until Monday/Tuesday AFTER the storm dumps itself everywhere.. then it will be "water water everywhere and not a drop (pure enough) to drink!"

Oh, and no generators by Thursday either. All stores all sold out in most of the tri-state region (PA, NJ, NY).

Last year, lots of homes had a Halloween storm that knocked out power for up to 2 weeks in some spots. So, what is the point in loading up the fridge and freezer, when there is nothing to run it with?
People need water. Non-perishable foods too. Everything else will spoil in the fridge/freezer zone, especially if the temps warm up.




I've heard that theory, but we'll probably never know for sure what the true dates are with so many variables in the way.

Qed, apocalpyso!

Oh good Lord!! you have NO CLUE..(??)--wild guess?? did you *have* to add that?

Even doctors along the NJ shore still have NO electricity at their offices and/or homes, they are going on day 12 withNO power (electricity). Doesn't help their medical supplies, unless they have back-up generators to keep their fridges/freezers cold.
And then they all got to find gas somewhere to keep their generators operating!

Surgery patients are being backlogged in scheduling (because the hospitals are swamped, or some medical generators failed during Storm Sandy's fury).. or those who were able to get surgeries done, have to deal with "touch and go" in the healing world and were sent home, not knowing if their power will stay on or drop out again. And those who are healing aren't sure if they can get proper wound care treatment, because of gas rationing -- if something should ever go wrong during their recovery period!
Easy for folks NOT in the affected storm zone's path to say the electric grids will come back on-line soon (most have, after an entire week of linemen risking their lives repairing broken wires, downed poles and trees, etc.), but for those along the NJ/NY corridor, life will never return to "normal" soon enough.

Entire towns up and down the coastline wiped out, if not suffering from major devastation.
With gas station lines up to 4 miles long (or longer in some localities), NJ had to go on gas rationing shortly after the storm hit, because people were desperate to fuel their homes with heat (in 30 and 20 F.degree temperatures) as well having a way to get to work, later in the week (and weeks ahead). Businesses could not stay closed forever, and even the managers were complaining about not being able to get to work if they could not find gas soon enough for their vehicles. Mass TRANSIT was DOWN, at that time.

And (yesterday's radio report) currently estimated repairs to the northeastern gas supply facilities that were extensively damaged is expected to take several more weeks, if possibly up to 2 months.
Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving! gobble, gobble!
I think there's going to be massive requests for survival camping gear, thermals and insulating clothes and dry/non-perishables food requests for Christmas this year.


Next bit, carrying over to continue it here... About the "Atlas Shrugged" movie series. Scary scenario parallels that many folks have been complaining about *might* happen within the next few years... some actually parallel various future prophecies, but on a different scale/storyline event.
(hoping this is okay to do so, because I think it's important---) I'm mentioning some of the conversation here, in case it wasn't read in the "political" topic post.

Has anyone watched any of 'Atlas Shrugged'..?

I watched the first one, and it was great..! I look forward to watching 'Atlas Shrugged II'.

my reply thus far was---

Spoiler:

YES!!!!!
Finally!! Someone who SAW the movie and actually LIKED it or at least was intrigued with it!
(I'm guessing =)

I missed part 1, but got the jist of its premise with part 2 and insight from my hubby, who DID see part 1.
Two days later (after he rented part 1), he basically dragged me off to the movie theater to keep him company, so I figured I was going to be either bored or depressed the entire time. Well, I think I ended up more on the depressed side, but that was more stress related due to the intensity of events that were occurring within the movie's storyline.

Without giving away the details, TOO MANY PARALLELS to our own societies, and especially the theories swirling around with the November 6, 2012 elections (Obama vs. Romney).
There was a scene within part 2 of a catastrophic event that occurred that in our recent real world so many voters were echoing, that it was sort of creepy. Deja vu on the current (potential future) world and political spectrum! Pray our real world (USA) doesn't turn out that bad-- EVER. However, I know what the bible states, and it states such events WILL turn out that bad.. not sure when, how or exactly where.

Anyway, the premise of the plot was intense, but the usual *critics* hated it, so they gave it bad rating reviews. There seemed to only be 2 actors that I recognized (in Part 2), but that didn't detract from the intensity of the whole story. My hubby thought I was falling asleep, and NO.. I was trying to pay attention and absorb what I could-- especially since I never want to see our real USA ever go thru any of that--ever!

Sad part is that none of the critics would probably ever agree with what some real world folks have said about the 2012 USA elections.

Spoiler:

There was a scene where some guy was etching out a sign. It read the following, or something along this line--
"Here lies my country,
BORN -- 1776
DIED -- YESTERDAY."

Had more people opposed to Obama winning the elections had seen that movie and *that* particular scene, they would have said that very same thing. OMG...
And of course, then Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern Atlantic USA corridor and wiped out power grids up and down the entire coastline over 100 miles inland, too. NJ is currently on gas rationing (echoes of the 1970's), but NYC and maybe elsewhere is also on gas rationing now, as well. The economy got hit hard with this storm too, as well...
so many parallels to that movie, it was scary thinking about the coincidences! I saw the movie about 2 weeks before hurricane Sandy hit.. so everything was still fresh (and painful to think about) in memory mode.

Just a word of reassurance about "Atlas Shrugged--Part 2"...
I liked the ending.. I mean, really walked away with awe. I was able to walk out of the theater excited enough to see the story finished. But for anyone attempting to understand that, *must* see the movie first. I'm NOT telling..

Again, repeating-- If anyone wants to discuss the "Atlas Shrugged" movie there, please do!
(btw, the "Atlas Shrugged" movies were non-religious for the most part, but affected people everywhere -- all over the world and into every creed and religious background, including atheists.) just an FYI..

[SGalisa]

More on about the fictional "Atlas Shrugged" movie series..
let's not go into the real world with Atlas' gas pricing! Only the super rich could afford any transportation with gas legally. The "have-nots" financially wise couldn't afford gas, and it was an every man for him/herself type of world. That is what the USA had been reduced to.