Chosen: End Times Newsletter – Issue 91
The Minister’s Corner
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Diary Entry
By Johanna
I was thinking about positive energy and negative energy this morning and a thought came to me that explains in a way how negative energy can over take positive energy if given the chance. The way it came to me was that a person who is positive and walks in Christ footsteps and is Christ like has a bright white light surrounding them. Someone who is negative in thoughts, actions and the way they carry themselves have black light surrounding them. Even though thinking about it now black has no light which would explain the way they act because the light in fact is Christ Jesus and when you don’t walk in his footsteps or be Christ like his light is withdrawn from you. For instance if you take a single parent who has children the children learn by example and if that parent don’t believe in Father or is always negative that parent is surrounded by blackness.
Now those children are surrounded by bright white light until they reach the age of accountability. The age of accountability is different for each child depending on maturity. You take the parent who is negative that is around these children and the blackness (negativity) begins to rub off so to speak and attach itself to the children. Once those children are around the negativity for so long the blackness will completely block out the bright white light because in most cases the children will act as the parent does. Why does this happen? Well we all lead as examples no matter who we are. Children in most cases will follow the examples of their parents depending on what other examples they have in their lives to follow. I think it could be said in the opposite as well. You take an adult who is positive and full of love for Father and walks in Christ’s footsteps and is Christ like and they happen to run into another adult who is negative what would happen? I think it really is something that would have to be looked at with each instance. If you take one adult and place them with an adult who is negative for a certain amount of time without outside influences I believe that the positive bright white light could expand to the blackness and completely push it away.
But if your not careful the opposite could happen. I begin to wonder depending on the faith of the Christ like person and the open mind ness of the negative person if that would influence the outcome. Now that I have thought about it and it has sunk in I believe that it would. If you have someone who is positive but not very strong in their faith the blackness could rub off onto them and if you have someone who is negative that doesn’t have an open mind then it would be really hard for the goodness to rub off on them no matter how many good examples the other shows. But I know that every case is in Father’s hands and She is the one who can say one way or another. It isn’t my place to judge anyone. There are two paths set before us. One being the positive path (Leading to Father) and the other being the negative path (leading away from Father). I choose the positive path leading to Father. It is the path that is guided by The Light. Father is Wisdom. We all learned this the other day when Christ shared with us Proverbs 8. I just want to take the time to thank Christ again for providing even more knowledge/understanding concerning Fathers female side along with understanding that Father is also wisdom and knowledge.
Another thought that also came to mind these past few days is about understanding and wisdom. My daughter came up to me the other day and said that another adult told her that if she asked silly questions she would get silly answers. I explained the best I could to her on how I feel about questions whether they may seem silly, stupid or complicated. I use to think the same as this other adult but I have really learned more about knowledge and gaining wisdom. What I told my daughter was that she should always ask questions if she has them because in order for us to gain wisdom we must first seek understanding. Seeking understanding could be a number of things. Turning towards Father in prayer and mediation is a great way to seek understanding. Another way is studying the Word. The thing is and probably the hardest sometimes is not truly understanding what you are studying. When this happens we should do as Christ advised us and take it line by line with a dictionary so that we can come to an even deeper understanding. I also told her that the only way to GAIN wisdom is by SEEKING understanding first. The hardest part is the seeking but the more you seek the answers the more you will have in the end. What you will have in the end is wisdom which leads right back to Father.
Prepare for the Coming Rapture
By Regina
Definition of Prepare
1. To fit, adapt, or qualify for a particular purpose or condition; to make ready; to put into a state for use or application; as, to prepare ground for seed; to prepare a lesson.
2. To get ready; to take the necessary previous measures; as, to prepare for death.
The preparation for this day has been a long time coming – just over 6,000 years now. Father Yahweh has, in all Her wisdom and faithful love for Her creation, made the necessary preparations to both conquer evil and rescue Her faithful children and create a new heaven and earth.
Proverbs 16:3-5
3 Commit your activities to the LORD
and your plans will be achieved.
4 The LORD has prepared everything for His purpose—
even the wicked for the day of disaster.
5 Everyone with a proud heart is detestable to the LORD;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and what has never come into a man's heart, is what God has prepared for those who love Him.
We are now called via Yahweh’s Holy Angels, to prepare for the coming Rapture which is the exodus from this dying earth. Yahweh has prepared us in sharing with us Her truth, knowledge, understanding and wisdom and now as we prepare, I believe it is important to prepare both heart and mind and spirit.
Heart, in making sure that we are in union with Father and Her will and remaining on the narrow path that will bring us home, and mind, in full acceptance and readiness that what has for so long been warned will finally comes to pass. And finally spirit, in surrendering ourselves completely over to our Heavenly Father, to whom we belong and acknowledging within that we truly are nothing without the value She Herself places upon us.
Now is not the time to give up no matter how bad things may seem, when Salvation is merely steps away. We must cling tightly to our faith in perfect trust, obedience, loyalty and love both to and for the One who Created us and gave us the gift of life.
There are both those who will be included in the Rapture that never imagined they would and others who imagined they would be included, but will not. Yahweh is the One who judges accordingly and admission into Christ’s Kingdom is like an exclusive club that is reserved for only those who are truly worthy.
Worthiness is not determined by mankind’s standards just as salvation is not determined by what religion you are or if you’ve been baptized or whether or not you believe in the trinity. It is instead determined by Yahweh Herself who judges us all fairly and righteously and who knows the depths of our hearts. It is determined by the conditions of our hearts.
For those who are left behind, they will experience the full power of Father’s righteous judgment. In order for a new heaven and earth to be created, there first must be the complete destruction of the old. They will experience this firsthand in the plundering of the earth as it is stripped bare and made desolate.
Isaiah 24:1
The Earth Judged
1 Look, the LORD is stripping the earth bare
and making it desolate.
He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants:
Isaiah 65:17 [ A New Creation ] "For I will create a new heaven and a new earth; the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.
Revelation 21:1 [ The New Creation ] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer.
After the Rapture, should there be no cause found for a 2nd Rapture of any faithful that may be left, all inhabitants left behind at this point will experience the judgment of the earth, just as those living during the time of Noah did and the Israelites and Egyptians during the time of Moses did and just as many others have experienced similar judgments down through the ages.
Isaiah 24:2
2 people and priest alike,
servant and master,
female servant and mistress,
buyer and seller,
lender and borrower,
creditor and debtor.
Prepare yourself. Humble yourself before the LORD who created all things and without whom you cannot live. Prepare and qualify yourself by taking the necessary measures so that you too may be found worthy of entering Christ’s Kingdom.
And for all others, if you refuse to accept or believe this warning of impending judgment, then prepare yourself for the battle of Armageddon and to face Father’s Holy Angels who will destroy all those inhabitants left upon the earth.
It is written and it will come to pass and Yahweh's will cannot be thwarted. She has been and will continue to make Her name known before creation – a creation that has profaned Her holy name for far too long. The veil will be lifted and all will know that She is the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
Ezekiel 39:7 So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
May Your will be done, Father Yahweh. Amen.
Inspired Writings
The Time To Come
Soon, as it may be predicted by a few, everything is not going to be as simple and easy as it currently is. Even those who are poverty stricken may not even have an idea of what pain is still yet ahead.
It must still be noted that nothing I ever share with anyone is original, in that everything that has to be said has already been said before, and all that is happening is a simple repetition of what is already written. To this, there is still wisdom that can continuously be grown in more hearts each day:
Proverbs 30:7-9 — Two things I ask of You;
don't deny them to me before I die:
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, "Who is the LORD?"
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.
Philippians 4:12 — I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret [of being content]—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
As I scour the news and read articles about the atrocities that mankind has committed against each other, whether in ignorance or by malicious intent, one may wonder exactly why these things are occurring. Take into account that the guardian of this world is corrupt, and one will see that this is what happens if evil is allowed its own intentions in life. In this, people's lives are corrupted, and all their possessions are as if nothing. As it is for the current time, there is still much that can be done to prepare for the coming Rapture.
All that one must do has been outlined in scripture and has been there for a very long time. At the same time, this ministry has been sharing the same untainted Kingdom Message for a very long time. Nothing that we have shared hasn't already been shared in times passed. As it can be noted even in scripture, that there is nothing new under the sun, it does not take much reflection or research to delve into the truth of what is, and what isn't. The Bible is one of the most mass produced items of literature around the world. Even if the evil leaders of the world sought to snuff out the light that is shared within scripture via mass book burnings and persecuting those who seek the Light, they cannot and will not succeed, as it has been proven throughout the ages.
In this article, it was originally sought to impart wisdom and knowledge as to what was learned for a few years concerning what is still yet to come. Yet, it has been felt otherwise, in that…if all I would be doing is repeating what has already been said, why not direct the reader towards what really needs to be read? In this, it can be thought of as trying to describe what a good heart condition is. One can read all the different aspects of what describes a good heart condition, but…having and cultivating a good heart condition is a completely different concept. It is like trying to share with someone how you feel, how happy you are to be of Father's flock. You sort of can't, because it is not something that one can just help another to share and feel. A lot of words can describe the feeling of happiness, but nothing quite compares to actually feeling the emotion. And in this same way, imparting knowledge can lead to wisdom, but wisdom is so much more than just describable as something one can attempt to share. Wisdom, for it to really grow in one's heart, must be personally sought and planted and harvested. It doesn't grow any other way, than directly from Father. And so by simply stating everything that one must know and learn to be able to grow into having a good heart condition, a reader may not even really grasp what is required or what is going on.
Another good example is of an article in the news about some thirty militants being killed in a foreign country. When one reads the title or article, it may not initially bear much because it may not hold everything on its own, but if one does further research, they may come to further understand and grow wisdom of what is really going on. In this, while thirty individuals may have died, each of those individuals may have had families, maybe even children. Not only this, but now their own blood has soaked the earth, which has caused even more potential problems that may not be directly accounted for by the news agencies.
As the plan draws forward in all that Father has decided must take place, more and more of what the world truly is will come to light for all to see. Either people will find humility and integrity with repentance, or they will do many other things. Each event will tell. All of it has already been written before, so nothing should come as a surprise to anyone. We each live without excuse.
Romans 1:20 — From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
Embrace our Mother's great wisdom and Her grace.
Fruitage of the Spirit – Part 8
This week we will start to look at attitudes to be cultivated. We will be sharing what has been given to us, but in groups of 3. Before our Ministry holds Bible Study each week, we pray to Father Yahweh for guidance and help in understanding Her Word. We pray the wisdom imparted will find its way to your heart where it may be written up on it. Amen. http://www.biblegateway.com can be used as a reference tool with the Holman Christian Standard Bible as the recommended version.
You must show kindness to other people, regardless of their faith:
Galatians 5:22
2 Corinthians 6:4
Micah 6:8
Ephesians 4:32
You must have love in your heart for not only Christ and Yahweh, but for all of creation that is positive in nature:
John 13:35
Colossians 3:14
Galatians 5:22
1 Corinthians 14:1
1 Peter 4:8
You must have loyalty:
Luke 1:74-75
Ephesians 4:24
Psalms 116:15
Nourishment From The Throne
“For the LORD gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6
Cherubic Commander: Although Satan cannot produce and release a plague from the spirit realm, it is possible for his human agency to do so. The reason they will not do so intentionally is this: Satan does not inspire his human element to release something he feels might get out of hand and cause the collapse of his kingdom here on earth. He would also be willingly contributing to Father's side of the war if he inspired the release of germ warfare on the physical plane. This is not to say that rogue human leaders have not done so, such as the past deposed and deceased Iraq leader, but it is not the theme Satan manifests. His human counterparts sometimes act against his thought injection. When Satan inspires the taking of human lives he does so as in the case of having King Herod execute the first born male children up to a certain age, and as he had Hitler execute the Jews. This is Satan's style, because when he uses human agents they share in his blood guilt. You must keep in mind that Satan has read the Word, especially the Book of Revelation, and he does not want to contribute to Father's side by releasing plagues via his human agency that might get out of hand and bring his empire crumbling down. Satan does however inspire his scientists to work on and try to find cures against germ warfare conducted by Father's side to fulfill prophecy. On the war chessboard, Satan knows he must move in opposing directions and not into the hands of those that seek his demise from creation.
As far as Father making certain that Satan's empire cannot be free of illness, please note that the holy warriors have been periodically releasing lethal organic matter containing harmful germs upon this planet for a long period of time. Some come with weather phenomenon that has them mixed within the precipitation. For your updated knowledge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_jelly
You each might also consider this. Any move we make on the war chess board prompts Satan to counter-move against our action. He knows this present plague is from Father's side of the board, and he seeks to have his in-power human agents take all precautions to try and either cure, or to eliminate as much risk as possible to the threat until its life cycle has passed. If he can successfully counter the expected result we anticipate, this buys him more time and requires that we re-think our own strategy and our arsenal that Father has provided for us to accomplish what She has willed to take place.
More food for thought.
Each situation that arises where supernatural intervention occurs, especially where our Creator is concerned, will have a signature of containment – that being the element provided from the spirit realm to the visible fleshly realm.
Exodus 16:35 "The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan."
This manna provided partial nourishment. It came from the spirit realm and was manifested to the fleshly realm by holy angelic intervention to a situation that called for substanance for Father's people. In addition to the manna, meat was a necessary component since the manna lacked all nutrients necessary for prolonged life of the fleshly vessel:
Exodus 16:11-16 "The LORD spoke to Moses, "I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God." So at evening quail came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated, there on the desert surface were fine flakes, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, "What is it?" because they didn't know what it was. Moses told them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.'"
How the manifestation occurred with the manna came via angelic power from Father. The way it was administered was:
Numbers 11:9 "When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it." In this way, the manna came from Mount Zion to the lower heavens you witness above. It then was mixed with the precipitation of water that formed the dew for a means of transporting the heavenly bread to the Israelites for consumption.
Psalm 78:24 "He rained manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven." Was it actually grain? Yes it was. Remember that Father is like a Queen Bee, and therefore it also contained the nourishment of honey:
Numbers 11:7 "The manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium."
Exodus 16:31 "The house of Israel named the substance manna. It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers [made] with honey."
This manna was to later represent the unleavened bread of our Christ – his body that would serve as a sacrifice of spiritual nourishment to those that put their faith in his resurrection. In likeness, the manna was of spiritual origin and also provided fleshly nourishment."
John 6:58 "This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever."
John 6:31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
Revelation 2:17 "Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it."
On the plagues, I will give you more insight in the next post as you ponder what I've posted here.
Signs From Above
“He rescues and delivers, He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:27
Fireball as unidentified flying object crashes into mountain
Couriermail
June 19, 2009
LATEST: AN air and ground search of the area where a bright flash and explosion was witnessed early this morning has failed to find an obvious cause. Emergency services initially believed a plane may have crashed into a mountain at Takilberan Creek northwest of Gin Gin but the Australian Search and Rescue Authority received no mayday or distress calls from aircraft. Although a search found a fire on the mountain, there was no evidence of any wreckage or “risk to human life”. Property owner Hazel Marlin told ABC Radio the mountain was covered in smoke. A spokesman for the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter said a crew had not been able to identify what caused the fire. “They’ve conducted ground searches as well as an aerial search,” he said. “There is a fire up there but it could have been caused by a space junk or meteor strike, or even a lightning strike,” said the spokesman.
Sphere UFO seen near Roswell, NM
Examiner
June 15, 2009
Two friends sightseeing along a lonely stretch of highway near Roswell, New Mexico, watched an orange-red object moving across the sky, according to witness testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. The witnesses said the object suddenly disappeared for 5 to 6 seconds, the reapeared further away, split into two objects, then the two objects rejoined each other.
UFO Traffic Report: Minnesota UFO ejects smaller object
Examiner
June 17, 2009
The UFO Traffic Report for Wednesday, June 17, 2009, includes 10 selected sightings over nine states, according to witness statements filed in the past 48 hours with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. Today's stories include: a UFO seen from Minnesota that ejects a smaller object; a triangle UFO spotted over Minnesota; a brick-like rectangular object seen over Michigan; a sphere moving across New York skies; cigar-shaped objects moving over Rhode Island and Arizona; a black circle-shaped object over Washington state; flashes of light seen in Ohio; an odd light seen only from a distance within bushes in Montana; and a California witness is asking for help identifying how V-shaped contrails can be made in the sky. In other news: We recently reported here that New England MUFON launched a new web site. MUFON group state director Steve Firmani asks us to take a second look as their recent upgrades now include live updates through Twitter, Facebook and MySpace – and Message Boards are now available.
Texas UFO 'ring' similar to Kings Dominion sighting
Examiner
June 18, 2009
A Texas witness taking cloud photos on June 10 captured the outline of a circular object, according to witness testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. The photo uploaded with the MUFON report looks somewhat similar to a recent Virginia case where witness Denna Smith saw a black floating ring in the sky at the Kings Dominion theme park. The park says the ring is from a ride called Volcano, The Blast Coaster. Kings Dominion is located in Doswell, VA, about 20 miles north of Richmond. In both cases, the witness caught on camera what appears to be a perfect ring. The following is the original testimony from the MUFON witness database and is unedited. A CNN report on the Virginia case is at the bottom of this page. The second video is more original video of the Virginia case.
UFO Traffic Report: Triangle-shaped object hovers over Arizona desert
Examiner
June 19, 2009
The UFO Traffic Report for Friday, June 19, 2009, includes six selected sightings over five states, according to witness statements filed in the past 48 hours with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. Today's stories include: three lights forming a triangle over Arizona with a photo; a triangle UFO over Colorado that hung around for three weeks before moving on; a cigar-shaped object over Oregon with a comparison video from YouTube; a circular object making a quick stop over Califorania; a crescent shaped object and orbs in the Oregon skies – and a humanoid shape on the ground; and campers in Michigan reporting three unusual lights in the sky. In other news: The J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) is making a special offer for all UFO Examiner readers. The International UFO Reporter – the CUFOS journal continuously published since 1976 – is available on one DVD as PDF files. Check this out. I will also be exploring these issues here in the future.
Signs Down Below
"But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power." 2 Timothy 3:1-5
UN food stolen from the starving in Somalia fake camp fraud
Times
by Jonathan Rugman
June 15, 2009
One of the UN’s largest international relief efforts is under investigation after it emerged that thousands of sacks of food aid were being diverted from starving refugees and openly sold for profit. The head of the UN’s $955 million (£580 million) aid operation in Somalia has launched an inquiry after being shown footage showing tonnes of food bearing the World Food Programme (WFP) logo widely on sale in Mogadishu, the capital. Stacks of bags of maize and wheat and tins of cooking oil — marked “not for re-sale” and bearing the UN stamp — are on sale from ten warehouses and 15 shops in the city’s main market. About 45,000 tonnes of WFP food are shipped to Somalia from Kenya every month. Mogadishu traders told Channel 4 News that they bought their supplies straight from UN staff. “We buy [food] aid from WFP staff directly or from people they employ,” one market trader said.
Inventory Uncovers 9,200 More Pathogens
The Washington Post
by Nelson Hernandez
June 18, 2009
An inventory of potentially deadly pathogens at Fort Detrick's infectious disease laboratory found more than 9,000 vials that had not been accounted for, Army officials said yesterday, raising concerns that officials wouldn't know whether dangerous toxins were missing. After four months of searching about 335 freezers and refrigerators at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick, investigators found 9,220 samples that hadn't been included in a database of about 66,000 items listed as of February, said Col. Mark Kortepeter, the institute's deputy commander. The vials contained some dangerous pathogens, among them the Ebola virus, anthrax bacteria and botulinum toxin, and less lethal agents such as Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus and the bacterium that causes tularemia. Most of them, forgotten inside freezer drawers, hadn't been used in years or even decades. Officials said some serum samples from hemorrhagic fever patients dated to the Korean War.
U.S. stocks plummet on fears about economy
BigNewsNetwork
June 16, 2009
U.S. stocks were lower on Tuesday on renewed concerns about the strength of the economy. Results from national retailer Best Buy came in below expectations giving rise to concerns about consumer spending. A rebound in May housing starts failed to curtail the sentiment. Industrial production fell 1.10% in May, while capacity utilization, a measure of slack in the U.S. economy, slumped to its lowest level on record. At the close of trading Tuesday the Dow Jones Industrials were down 107.46 points or 1.25% at 8,504.67. The Nasdaq Composite was down 20.20 points or 1.11% at 1,796.18. The Standard and Poor's 500 was down 11.75 points or 1.25% at 911.97. The U.S. dollar was retainings its recent bout of strength Tuesday but was not extending gains.
Guns, children and cattle are the new currency of war in Southern Sudan
Guardian
by Tracy McVeigh
June 21, 2009
Corline Timon shrugged her AK-47 off her shoulder and held it out in both hands to the commanding officer. Her back straight in ill-fitting fatigues, her face expressionless, the 42-year-old soldier took a step backwards; into civilian life. The automatic rifle joined a stack of others in a pyre around rags and dried grass in a dusty military compound on the outskirts of Southern Sudan's capital city, Juba. A jerrycan of accelerant was thrown on and the pile set alight. With this ceremony 10 days ago, 26 years after the start of Africa's longest-running civil war, and four years after a peace treaty was signed with the north, the disarming of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the governing Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), finally began. Two days later a convoy of barges carrying UN food aid to 18,000 people displaced by fighting near the town of Akobo was attacked. At least 40 soldiers and civilians were killed, including children who jumped from the boats into the Sobat river and drowned. Last month 66 people, mainly women and children, were shot dead in their village, Torkey, in a tribal feud.
Nasa prepares to bomb the moon
Telegraph
by Ben Leach
June 18, 2009
The aim is to see whether any traces of water will be revealed by the disruption caused to the planet's surface. Nasa will analyse the space cloud caused by the explosion for any sign of water or vapour. Scientists expect the impact to blast out a huge cloud of dust, gas and vaporized water ice at least 6 miles high – making it visible from Earth. If the search is successful it could provide vital supplies for a moonbase. The moon is mostly dry desert but ice may be trapped in craters which never see sunlight. The unmanned Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) will fire a Centaur rocket into the surface at twice the speed of a bullet. An accompanying spacecraft will orbit the moon for a year looking for possible landing sites for astronauts. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will spend at least a year creating the most minutely detailed map of the moon's surface ever seen.
Crop Circle Watch
Barbury Castle, nr Wroughton, Wiltshire. Reported 14th June
This enormous design below the Hill Fort of Barbury Castle appears to be a direct representation of the 'Aztec Spirit Bird'. The Aztec's most important Gods were represented as Birds, and were right at the top of their pantheon of gods! Quetzalcoatl himself was also a (Bird – god) and is thought to return in 2012. Once again we have another powerful symbol within the fields with ancient connections.
Field Report: Handy Hint, if visiting the new formation at Barbury Castle, please note there is a dry ditch on the other side of the blue gate, so if a face full of nettles doesn't sound enticing, do not leap over in great anticipations:) Whilst The Phoenix at Yatesbury is definitely a formation to be appreciated from the ground and within, The Benu Bird at Barbury Castle, has an impact from the aerial shots. Points of interest include: This rather 'explosive' formation has The Barley laid multidirectional, especially in the wings, flowing up, down and across. At the base of each wing is a rough swirl. Many of the stems throughout have double chip marks on them, as in, a mark about 1” above ground level, and another identical mark, about 12” above the first. Where The ‘beak’ area joins onto a circle, there is an abrupt parting / joining on section. The flow of the crop is similar to that of Milk Hill (2), with the appearance if being created at high speed/energy.
– JIC (Rainbows)
West Kennett Avenue, Nr Avebury, Wiltshire. Reported 17th June
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Field Report: This formation was destroyed by the farmer in the morning of day one. No ground shots or additional information is available at this time.
UPDATE:
All the second day additions were discovered at around 6am on June 18 2009. The "tail" section measures approximately 200 feet in length.. Overall diameter of the main body of the circle is approximately 160 feet.
This crop circle has been mentioned recently. I think it first appeared yesterday (Wednesday 17th June). It seems to have grown an appendage overnight. The photograph was taken from Waden Hill.
– Russell Stannard
UPDATE:
Day 3 of the saga of the Avenue formation has seen yet another change. The last time a formation went on for as many nights was back in July 2004 when the Tan Hill formation appeared over four nights.
Signs in Humanity
Kids attend prom from 'sexual hell'
World Net Daily
by Chelsea Schilling
June 12, 2009
Family advocates are outraged by a prom held at Boston City Hall that was open to children apparently as young as 12 featuring crossdressers, homosexual heavy petting, suspected drug use and a leather-clad doorman who teaches sexual bondage classes. Children from middle schools and high schools across Massachusetts on May 9 attended a Youth Pride Day event ending with a prom inside of Boston City Hall sponsored by the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Youth, or BAGLY, a group seated on the Massachusetts Commission for GLBT Youth. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino issueda proclamation welcoming homosexual and transgender youth to the celebration. A man in drag introduced a homosexual activist from Menino's office to read the letter. A video of that proclamation is below.
Infanticide Case Mesmerizes France
The Washington Post
by Edward Cody
June 16, 2009
PARIS, June 15 — When South Korean authorities announced in 2006 that they had found the bodies of two newborns in the home freezer of a French expatriate couple, the first reaction among friends and family was disbelief. Véronique Courjault, 41, on the surface a devoted mother of two sons, and her husband, Jean-Louis, 42, a shy engineer specializing in diesel motors, at first said they had nothing to do with the macabre discovery. But from a murder trial underway for the past 10 days in Tours, 100 miles southwest of Paris, a grisly truth has emerged. The courtroom version of how the couple lived has fascinated France and left many people in shock and wonder.
Family of Four Found Dead in Florida Home
Fox News
June 15, 2009
Two elementary school aged children and their parents were found dead in a gated community outside Orlando in what authorities believe was a murder suicide. Police believe the triple murder and suicide may have taken place several days earlier, but the bodies were found Monday. Seminole County Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Dennis Lemma says a cleaning woman called authorities after she arrived at the home Monday in the suburb of Heathrow and spotted one body. Once deputies arrived, they found three other bodies, the Associated Press reported. Police believe the husband killed his wife and two children, MyFOXOrlando reported. The husband had recently filed for bankruptcy and the family was having other financial problems, the station reported.
Alcohol abuse by GIs soars since '03
USA Today
by Gregg Zoroya
June 19, 2009
The rate of Army soldiers enrolled in treatment programs for alcohol dependency or abuse has nearly doubled since 2003 — a sign of the growing stress of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Army statistics and interviews. Soldiers diagnosed by Army substance abuse counselors with alcoholism or alcohol abuse, such as binge drinking, increased from 6.1 per 1,000 soldiers in 2003 to an estimated 11.4 as of March 31, according to the data. The latest data cover the first six months of the fiscal year that began in October. "We're seeing a lot of alcohol consumption," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff, told top officers during a briefing on the Army's growing number of suicides. In a statement to USA TODAY, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern. "I'm sure there are many factors for the rising numbers (of enrollments) … but I can't believe the stress our people are under after eight years of combat isn't taking a toll," he said.
Quarter of men in South Africa admit rape, survey finds
Guardian
by David Smith
June 17, 2009
One in four men in South Africa have admitted to rape and many confess to attacking more than one victim, according to a study that exposes the country's endemic culture of sexual violence. Three out of four rapists first attacked while still in their teens, the study found. One in 20 men said they had raped a woman or girl in the last year. South Africa is notorious for having one of the highest levels of rape in the world. Only a fraction are reported, and only a fraction of those lead to a conviction. The study into rape and HIV, by the country's Medical Research Council (MRC), asked men to tap their answers into a Palm Pilot device to guarantee anonymity. The method appears to have produced some unusually frank responses. Professor Rachel Jewkes of the MRC, who carried out the research, said: "We have a very, very high prevalence of rape in South Africa. I think it is down to ideas about masculinity based on gender hierarchy and the sexual entitlement of men. It's rooted in an African ideal of manhood."
Arks of Safe Haven
www.arksofsafehaven.org
"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own flesh [and blood]?" Isaiah 58:7
The mission of Arks of Safe Haven is to connect via an extensive network and online message board forum, those individuals and families who have been affected by recent economic downfalls and are in need with those individuals who are ready, willing and capable of providing assistance to those in need with employment, shelter, work, food, clothing and other necessities.
Coupled with our primary mission of delivering the Kingdom Message of Salvation, the assistance of Arks of Safe Haven is available to all who are in need. Our purposeful intention is to follow in the footsteps of Christ as our example, by providing hope to the hopeless and answering the prayers of those who have been forced to live outside of society.
How You Can Help?
In order to provide for those whose outcry of prayers have reached our heavenly Father's ears, Arks of Safe Haven is seeking out those who are able to provide shelter, whether it be an extra bedroom, empty rental property or a work for room and board agreement. Additionally, we also act as a liaison in connecting those with tangible items to donate to those in need like Food, Water, Clothing, & Other Personal Items. We pray that your heart is motivated to make a contribution, no matter how small. Visit http://www.arksofsafehaven.org and view the many posts from those in need to see if you're able to help with advice, prayers or goods & services.
LisaJM – Rochester, MN – Hi, My name is Lisa Milton. My husband and I have been married for 20 years. We were highschool sweethearts. We have three beautiful children. God has always taken care of us, so I usually never worry. My son Derek, has been sick for 3 years. We've started with Lebonheur Children's Hospital, then Vanderbilt, and St. Thomas……Derek's body then couldn't take anymore and he had a "what the paramedic said was the most violent seizure he'd ever seen, Derek stopped breathing for a little over a minute. I was pleading the blood of Jesus over him. He was hospitaliazed for a week Derek lived off from Ensure Plus drink and vitamin water for a year. He could not eat solid food. . It made me as his mother hard to eat watching him. He did grow closer to God. He was afraid to sleep at night. The doctors told me that if we didn't get him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester , MN…that he wouldn't make it until Christmas. The Mayo Clinic didn't take Derek's insurance. And around this time my husband was in an accident, so all the income we had was mine. We lost our dream home, everything we could sell to keep going. Mayo Clinic wanted 5000.00 up front to see him. We were devastated. I had one option and that was to beg the school system I worked in as a teacher assistant, to give me my annuity early. I was told that it had never happened before , but that there was a clause that let them cash it out to me. I knew God took care of it. All of the money was spent on the trip to Rochester, and renting a apartment at the Econo Lodge in Paris, Tn. We've done well until now and after using my annuity we have no income. I am awaiting social security, which I was told it would be no problem because I have MS. Multiple Sclerosis. All the stress has brought it out of remission. The new owners that have come into the hotel are so cruel , that they tried to evict us the first day they were here wanting a month's payment. I got ahold of the main owner up north and he's giving me some time to come up with the money. I don't want anyone to hand anything to me,,,,, I'd be so happy if someone could help us pay the payment here for a couple months, maybe three. The payment will sound expensive , but we've been living here a year…. I don't want my son, or my daughters to panic. Youngest is 12. The payment is 960.00 a month. But that includes electricity, phone, water, clean sheets, towels, trash bags, toilet paper, garbage pick up, and cable t.v. and internet. That would be way more individually in a home. Because of letting our house go, I would have to come up with great amounts of money to get into a house, because I don't have the past due amounts and deposits for the utilities I left unpaid. I do plan to pay them when I get my back pay. I have 4-5 years of back pay coming from SS. I could even pay you back , I just need to buy time. Please please help our family. My kids have pawned all of their games, ipods, electronic stuff, trying to keep us in Rochester for their brother. They didn't get a Christmas, we got home with 5.00. Derek was supposed to already be back to the Mayo Clinic and we have no money…. I'm not asking for anyone to hand me cash, just please call the hotel and ask to pay a month's rent for the Milton Family in apartment 262. You can reach us at 731-642-8881 ask for apartment 262 to speak to Econo Lodge about paying rent, call 642-8881 and ask to pay for the Milton Family. I appreciate the lady whom responded and e-mailed me. God will take care of us. Thank you , Sincerely Brian , Lisa, Derek, Ashley, and Candace. Oh yes, Derek can always use Ensure Drink or vitamin water. redbaron2210@msn.com or 731-642-8881 The phone number 731-642-8881 is the same because the calls come into the main office and if you want a hotel room or apartment , they transfer the call. I don't have my own number. I thought some of you might question that. So when you call , you can say apartment 262 please and they will transfer you or to talk to the hotel just talk to them when they answer. I hope I'm not confusing anybody. I'm just a nervous wreck i just spent 6 weeks in the hospital myself trying to get my disease back under control. if you read this, thank you !
Signs in Natural Disasters
“You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” Matthew 24:6-7
Honduras declares emergency due to earthquakes
TEGUCIGALPA, June 16 (Xinhua) — The Honduran government declared on Tuesday a national emergency due to a series of earthquakes after the one measuring 7.1 on Richter scale that killed seven people on May 28. "The government has decided to declare a national emergency as a consequence of the earthquake and aftershocks in the country," said Honduran President's Private Secretary Enrique Reina in a press conference. The government also ordered the finance ministry to distribute the funds from the Bolivarian Alternatives for the Americas (ALBA) and the international community to rebuild the affected area. On May 28, a strong earthquake in northern Honduras killed seven people and caused damages worth some 100 million U.S. dollars. The authorities said that the country has been shaken by at least 400 aftershocks without victims or material damages reported.
Russian volcano diverts flights to Anchorage
PAYBACK: Eruption in Kurile Islands clouds Asian airline routes.
By ELIZABETH BLUEMINK
June 17th, 2009
Anchorage Daily News
The Anchorage international airport said it is experiencing an uptick in landings over the past several days because a volcanic eruption in Russia's Kuril Islands has prompted airlines to divert some of their Asia-bound flights to Alaska. Airport staff on Wednesday called it a "turnabout of volcanic impacts," alluding to the Anchorage airport's loss of flights during the Redoubt volcano's eruptions this spring. Redoubt, west of Cook Inlet, caused an estimated $2 million loss in revenue for the airport. Russia's Sarychev Volcano has been erupting since late last week, said Peter Webley, an assistant research professor at the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute. He has been helping Russia and Alaska volcano observers interpret satellite imagery of the volcano's ash cloud.
Apparent Tornado Leaves Path of Destruction in Minnesota Town
June 18, 2009
Fox News
AUSTIN, MINN. — Daylight Thursday revealed a path of destruction left by an apparent tornado in Austin where vehicles were tossed about, homes were heavily damaged and power lines were knocked down. No serious injuries were reported, but one man who was inside a shed suffered scrapes and bruises when it overturned. Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp surveyed the damage by helicopter early Thursday. The National Weather Service said a tornado appeared to touch down in Austin about 8 p.m., sending debris flying. The storm flipped cars on their sides and sent trees through roofs. It also flipped a semi on its side. A dispatcher in the Mower County Sheriff's Office said there was a report of a car blown into a house.
As Iraq runs dry, a plague of snakes is unleashed
June 15, 2009
An unprecedented fall in the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers has left the rural population at the mercy of heat, drought – and displaced wildlife. Patrick Cockburn reports Swarms of snakes are attacking people and cattle in southern Iraq as the Euphrates and Tigris rivers dry up and the reptiles lose their natural habitat among the reed beds. "People are terrified and are leaving their homes," says Jabar Mustafa, a medical administrator, who works in a hospital in the southern province of Dhi Qar. "We knew these snakes before, but now they are coming in huge numbers. They are attacking buffalo and cattle as well as people." Doctors in the area say six people have been killed and 13 poisoned.
A 'time bomb' for world wheat crop
The Ug99 fungus, called stem rust, could wipe out more than 80% of the world's wheat as it spreads from Africa, scientists fear. The race is on to breed resistant plants before it reaches the U.S.
By Karen Kaplan
June 14, 2009
Los Angeles Times
The spores arrived from Kenya on dried, infected leaves ensconced in layers of envelopes. Working inside a bio-secure greenhouse outfitted with motion detectors and surveillance cameras, government scientists at the Cereal Disease Laboratory in St. Paul, Minn., suspended the fungal spores in a light mineral oil and sprayed them onto thousands of healthy wheat plants. After two weeks, the stalks were covered with deadly reddish blisters characteristic of the scourge known as Ug99. Nearly all the plants were goners. Crop scientists fear the Ug99 fungus could wipe out more than 80% of worldwide wheat crops as it spreads from eastern Africa. It has already jumped the Red Sea and traveled as far as Iran. Experts say it is poised to enter the breadbasket of northern India and Pakistan, and the wind will inevitably carry it to Russia, China and even North America — if it doesn't hitch a ride with people first. "It's a time bomb," said Jim Peterson, a professor of wheat breeding and genetics at Oregon State University in Corvallis. "It moves in the air, it can move in clothing on an airplane. We know it's going to be here. It's a matter of how long it's going to take."
Natural Disaster Update
Source: http://home.att.net/~thehessians/disasterwatch.html
QUAKES –
6/11/09 –
5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.0 KEP. TANIMBAR REGION, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.2 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.2 NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
5.7 WEST CHILE RISE
5.1 WEST CHILE RISE
5.0 LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6/12/09 –
5.5 BANDA SEA
5.2 VANUATU
6.0 VANUATU
5.0 VANUATU
6/14/09 –
5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.3 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
6.1 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
5.7 BALI SEA
6/15/09 –
5.4 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.3 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
6/16/09 –
5.7 BOUVET ISLAND REGION
5.1 BANDA SEA
5.2 SEA OF OKHOTSK
6/17/09 –
5.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
6/18/09 –
5.0 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
Scientists Search for a Pulse in Skies Above Earthquake Country – When a swarm of hundreds of small to moderate earthquakes erupted beneath California's Salton Sea in March, sending spasms rumbling across the desert floor, it set off more than just seismometers. It also raised the eyebrows of quite a few concerned scientists. The reason: lurking underground, just a few kilometers to the northeast, lays a sleeping giant: the 160-kilometer-(100-mile) long southern segment of the notorious San Andreas fault. Scientists were concerned that the recent earthquake swarm at the Salton Sea's Bombay Beach could perhaps be the straw that broke the camel's back, triggering "the big one," a huge earthquake that could devastate Southern California. The southern end of the San Andreas has remained silent, at least for now. But the earthquake swarm and more recent, widely felt earthquakes in the Los Angeles area have stirred renewed interest in earthquake research. A multi-year project currently under way at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is seeking to improve our understanding by using a groundbreaking, airborne radar to study earthquake processes along the San Andreas and other California faults. Large earthquakes occur on the southern San Andreas about every 250 to 300 years, on average. Yet the extreme southern segment of the fault hasn't budged for about 320 years. It is apparently overdue, primed for another large event. Space-based instruments can image minute Earth movements to within a few centimeters (fractions of an inch), measuring the slow buildup of deformation along faults and mapping ground deformation after earthquakes occur.
'Teenage' Andes could collapse – The largest mountain chain on the American continent is shrinking in some areas. A new study by a group of Argentine researchers suggests that the largest mountain chain on the American continent is not as quiet as it seems. Some mountains are losing altitude. "We found that parts of the Andes are undergoing a cycle of collapse which started some 6 million years ago." The reduction in height is taking place in the Argentine provinces of Mendoza and Neuquen, but elsewhere the mountain chain is actually growing, for example in San Juan. Most of the world's mountain ranges are older than the Andes, which border the Pacific Ocean for some 7,500 km. "The Andes are alive." The shifting Andes are a product of subduction. Subduction zones are areas where one of the Earth's tectonic plates sinks beneath another, generating huge forces. The sites are also where the largest and most destructive earthquakes on the planet occur when there is a sudden release of the stress produced when parts of the two plates stick to each other. Deep underground, the floor of the Pacific Ocean supports the continental shelf on which the Andes rest: but at a strange angle. "The Andes were formed because the bottom of the Pacific Ocean went under the South American continent at an angle of approximately 30 degrees on average. But there are some places where the ocean floor goes in horizontally, increasing the friction and pushing up the mountain range above, as at the Cordillera Blanca of Peru". But every 5 to 10 million years the ocean floor begins to slide under the continental shelf at an angle causing the mountain range above it to crumble. In theory the Andes could disappear. "Before the Andes were formed there were numerous Andean chains that ran along the edge of South America and many of these chains suffered cycles of collapse." Sometimes these mountains collapsed into the sea; a process that 26m years ago led to the formation of the Drake Passage, the stretch of water that separates the American continent and Antarctica. In theory, the reverse process could generate the largest mountain in America. However, the process of gravity makes it unlikely that any mountain higher than 8km can be formed. Whatever happens the results will not be seen for another 20m or 30m years, "by which time man will have evolved into another species."
TEXAS – The City Council of Cleburne Texas is hiring a geology consultant to study if natural gas drilling is causing the FIRST RECORDED EARTHQUAKES IN A 140-YEAR HISTORY of the town. Since the beginning of June four earthquakes below a magnitude of 2.8 have been recorded. "We haven't had a quake in recorded history, and all the sudden you drill and there are earthquakes." The council is concerned about a drilling technique called "fracking" in which high-pressure water streams are injected into the ground, it fractures the layers of shale and makes the rock release natural gas trapped in it.
Since 2004, an array of 400 seismometers has been slowly moving across the United States, from west to east. The stations are in place for two years, and then they are moved eastward. In addition to recording data on earthquakes, scientists can gather important information about the Earth's inner structure. Seconds after a significant earthquake, geophysicists around the world can access the information recorded by each of the stations to learn more about that part of the Earth. 43 earthquake recording stations will be placed in Missouri and southern Iowa in 2010-2011.
VOLCANOES –
Supervolcano may be brewing beneath Mount St Helens – Peering under the volcano has revealed what may be an extraordinarily large zone of semi-molten rock, which would be capable of feeding a giant eruption. The measurements revealed a column of conductive material that extends downward from the volcano. About 15 kilometres below the surface, the relatively narrow column appears to connect to a much bigger zone of conductive material. This larger zone was first identified in the 1980s, and was found to extend all the way to beneath Mount Rainier 70 kilometres to the north-east, and Mount Adams 50 kilometres to the east. The new measurements show an apparent conduit connecting this conductive zone to Mount St Helens. If the structure beneath the three volcanoes is indeed a vast bubble of partially molten rock, it would be comparable in size to the biggest magma chambers ever discovered, such as the one below Yellowstone National Park. Every few hundred thousand years, such chambers can erupt as so-called supervolcanoes – the Yellowstone one did so about 640,000 years ago. These enormous eruptions can spew enough sunlight-blocking ash into the atmosphere to cool the climate by several degrees Celsius. Could Mount St Helens erupt like this? "A really big, big eruption is possible if it is one of those big systems like Yellowstone. I don't think it will be tomorrow, but I couldn't try to predict when it would happen."
HAWAII – Kilauea Volcano – Swirling, churning, bubbling, and brewing – a rare look directly below the surface of Halemaumau crater reveals the first active lava lake seen in years. And park rangers say it's creating the biggest and brightest glow at the volcano's summit since October of 2008. "Not only is it a sight to behold, but at times, when you're at Jagger museum, the earth shudders. We actually hear the gas bubbles burst and the rock fall into the lava lake." What makes this latest activity different, is that after years of oozing lava from its side, Kilauea is now spewing from the top. This latest activity also leaves many wondering – will the lava come bubbling up from the crater? Right now, the molten lava is not bubbling up to the surface. Scientists say the molten lava is about 300 feet below the crater floor. The vent is expanding. While no lava has boiled over yet, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park already considers this an eruption. (photos)
RUSSIA – A volcanic eruption on a remote Russian island north of Japan has created a giant ash cloud that threatens passing airplanes. The eruption of Sarychev Peak on uninhabited Matua Island, part of the Kuril Islands archipelago in the north Pacific Ocean, began overnight Thursday-Friday and is still underway. It has formed an ash cloud eight kilometres (five miles) high which has spread 310 kilometres to the west. Sarychev Peak is one of the most active volcanos on the Kuril Islands, a seismically active archipelago that runs northeast from Japan's Hokkaido Island to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The southernmost four islands in the archipelago are disputed between Russia and Japan.
CHILE – Chaiten volcano – It lay dormant for 9,000 years before erupting spectcularly without warning a year ago, spewing ash 12 miles into the air. And now, Chaiten volcano is threatening an entire town in Chile’s southern Patagonia region. Still, some residents of the town of Chaiten defy orders to move. In February, the volcano exploded with renewed fury and split open a one-kilometer gap on the south side of the volcano’s dome, prompting the government to order an indefinite evacuation for the roughly 200 residents who had returned over the past year. Scientists say the volcano could remain active for decades. Chilean officials also announced that this year they would begin to rebuild the provincial capital six miles to the north of Chaiten, in Santa Barbara, a coastal village with a port and high mountains to shield it from the volcano. But about 70 Chaiten residents stubbornly refuse to leave, living day to day without running water or electricity, as their lawyers attempt to prevent the government from forcibly removing them. At least 10 times a day, there are earthquakes, with recent tremors measuring as high as 4.2 on the Richter scale. The volcano’s dome collapses over and over, seemingly every hour. Apart from the holdouts, most of the 7,000 people that formerly populated Chaiten have since sought refuge in other Chilean cities and towns. Some had completely lost their homes when a lahar, a mudslide generated by the accumulation of volcanic material, caused the Blanco River that runs through the center of town to overflow and flood vast areas. Now, as the Southern Hemisphere winter months draw near, rainfall will significantly rise, bringing the threat of new floods. The government is warning that the volcano could ultimately cause the Blanco River to forever sink the entire town.
COLUMBIA – The Pasto Observatory of Vulcanology and Seismology dropped the alert on the Galeras volcano, located near the south Colombian city of Pasto, from red to orange. This means that "eruptions will probably finish in days or weeks". Orange alert will maintain all the emergency measures currently in place. Authorities had called a red alert last Sunday and ordered some 8,000 people living in the vicinity of the volcano to evacuate. There have been no further eruptions since Monday.
COSTA RICA – alert Level 3 as Arenal Volcano spews vapor. Scientists raised the volcanic alert of the Arenal Volcano in the north-central region of La Fortuna from 2b to 3 on a 4-level scale on Friday. Level 3, or “yellow alert,” means a probable eruption or strong changes in the eruption patterns in the next 10 days, upcoming weeks, or few months. Arenal could show “significant variations in the development of the volcanic process,” which could result in “an explosive eruption or damaging lava and rock flows.” Scientists reported an increase in vapor explosions, known as phreatic eruptions, since early March. After two and a half months of such activity, pyroclastic flows – fast moving currents of hot gas and rock – could begin to occur, one of the reasons for the alert.
Both Poás and Turrialba volcanoes have demonstrated phreatic eruptions in the past three years. The National Seismologic System and the UCR's geological investigation center have installed permanent vigilance systems in both locations.
ITALY – Giant volcano smoldering under the sea of Santorini – The under-water volcano, Columbus, situated 6.5 meters south-east of Santorini in the Aegean sea, is being observed with great interest by Greek and German scientists. They have registered constant earthquakes of 4 Richter, hot air eruptions and continuous changes in the sea floor around the crater. The volcano is 470 meters high and reaches down to 17 meters beneath the sea floor. Its crater’s width is out of proportion – 1.5 kilometers. Complex submarine equipment has shown that Columbus’s volcanic activity never stops. It is the reason for the frequent earthquakes and constant changes in the surface around the crater. “The distortion of the sea floor is minor but it can be seen on the walls of the crater and in the 10-15-kilometers perimeter around it.” This does not indicate an eruption in near future. The last eruption of Columbus was in 1650. “Reservoirs” filled with hot water, reaching 200 degrees centigrade, resembling under-water fireplaces and releasing different kinds of gases – mostly carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide – were found around the volcano. Another reservoir, 5 kilometers wide, is situated under the volcano, filled with magma. A liquid, boiling substance is being released by this reservoir, causing the earthquakes and the other phenomena observed by the scientists. To compare, the other volcano situated nearby is not causing any earthquakes, no release of submarine gases is observed and the gases evolving above the sea-surface have a temperature of 17 degrees centigrade, i. e., it is in a quiet stage. Columbus is part of the Santorini volcanic center, belonging to the Volcanic group of the South Aegean, together with Susaki, Metana, Milos and Nisiros. This group appeared around 13 years ago when the north part of the African tectonic slab began submerging under Aegean sea’s slab.
COSTA RICA – The Arenal volcano put on a great show for tourists and locals alike yesterday, with three major eruptions. The eruptions were said to be of "great intensity", as gas, rocks and ashes spewed out of the great colossus. The eruption was so intense that a group of 50 tourists in the national park had to be evacuated as a preventive measure. The Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (Ovsicori) have been keeping a close eye on the volcano since 7am when activity increased considerably, including sending off tremors. "During the last few days there has been some movement, but short ones. Yesterday the volcano spewed out of the side of the national part." The first eruptions were intense and the following were much calmer.
Even though it wasn't much noticed, the Turrialba volcano, southeast of San José, generated more than normal activity yesterday.
INDONESIA – Mt Anak Krakatau`s eruptions record tremendous increase. Small eruptions of Mt Anak Krakatau, the volcano in the Sunda Strait near Lampung province, through Wednesday were reported to have recorded a tremendous increase during the past few days, while the status of the volcano remained at the third level of alertness. At least 828 small eruptions were recorded to have happened on the volcano with 63 volcanic quakes, 434 tremors and 366 times of emission in the past six days. The frequency of the quakes and small eruptions took place every three minutes. At present, the condition of Mt Anak Krakatau is in a state of danger, as it spewed glowing lava like gravel with a temperature at 600 degree celcius. The increasing eruption was marked with white smoke billowing from the mountain`s crater in a height of 800 meters to the north. In response to increasing seismic activity around Mt. Anak Krakatau, trekking and hiking activities have been banned in the area. The mountain, which experienced increasing seismic activity since April this year has been erupting on a daily basis. "There are strong indications of increasing seismic activities including the emission of hazardous gas." The volcano`s activity was on Friday marked by 182 eruptions coupled with 11 volcanic quakes, eight deep volcanic tremors, 54 shallow volcanic shocks, 44 tremors, and it also spewed smoke 29 times. But none of the phenomena posed a direct threat to human life. There were even 2-minute tectonic shocks but also not dangerous. Learning of the rising activity, some coastal residents living close to Mount Anak Krakatau were reported to have evacuated to Bandarlampung for fear of imminent eruption of the volcano due to the increased volcanic activity. "The distance between our village and Anak Krakatau is more than three miles, but the sound of eruption that it produces is very loud, like the sound of a cannon in the middle of the sea. So far it has never emitted such loud blasts and we have been observing that it has often discharged molten lava." Fishermen have been afraid of fishing around the volcano and the Sunda Strait over the past week. The best-known eruption of Krakatau culminated in a series of massive explosions on August 26-27, 1883, which were among the most violent volcanic events in modern and recorded history. The eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT – about 13,000 times the nuclear yield of the Little Boy bomb that devastated Hiroshima during World War II and four times the yield of the largest nuclear device ever detonated.
INDONESIA – The devastating 'mud volcano' could keep spewing for the next 30 years, filling the equivalent of 50 Olympic-size swimming pools every day.
RUSSIA – A volcanic eruption in Russia's Kuril Islands is diverting jets to Anchorage. Sarychev Volcano has been erupting since late last week. A spokesman for Anchorage's main airport says it has received about a dozen diverted Asia-bound passenger and cargo flights since Sunday night. Airport staff on Wednesday called it a "turnabout of volcanic impacts," referring to the Anchorage airport's previous loss of flights during eruptions of Mount Redoubt. An ash cloud from Sarychev on Wednesday was moving northwest toward mainland Russia. Flights also have been routed to San Francisco. International flights to some Asian cities have been canceled.
TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES / RISING SEA LEVELS –
THAILAND's top disaster expert once foretold the 2004 tsunami. Now he says the nation's capital will be submerged by 2030. By 2030, much of Bangkok will lie under 1.5 meters (5 feet) of seawater. Polar ice melting has the world’s sea level rising at more than one-tenth of an inch per year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Bangkok’s steel and concrete buildings, which weigh down on soft clay underneath, are causing the capital to sink more than 3 inches per year on average. And many natural flood buffers, such as coastal mangroves, were replaced with cement long ago. The low-lying city will take on more than .75 meters (2.5 feet) of water every 10 years. In 2100, by his projections, Bangkok will be Atlantis. He is calling for a massive dike spanning the Gulf of Thailand, a roughly $2.8 billion USD project by his estimation. But to save Bangkok, construction must begin almost immediately, he insists. High tide already brings a rush of salt water into this seaside city almost every morning. While taxis slosh through filthy puddles, dozens of rusty pipes and generators begin pumping floodwaters back into the bay. And by late morning, the pools have receded through gutter grates and the roads are dry. Flooding is already a fact of life in Samut Prakan, an urban port roughly 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Bangkok proper. While no one disagrees that Bangkok is sinking, other meteorologists strike a less urgent tone. They say the sea will flow and recede with Thailand’s rainy and dry seasons, leaving the area uninhabitable for only about 60 days a year.
Millions of people living and holidaying along the Mediterranean coast are at risk of being hit with a tsunami, a new report warns. The World Disasters Report, by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said there is no tsunami early-warning alert system for the region, even though it is considered to be MORE VULNERABLE THAN THE INDIAN OCEAN. "If you look at population density along the Mediterranean coast and the topography and what could happen with a major tsunami, the figures are self-evident. It would be absolutely catastrophic. Why we do not have an early warning system I do not understand. This is a real serious problem where millions of lives could be lost."
TROPICAL STORMS –
Typhoons trigger "imperceptible" earthquakes, and potentially reduce the number of more powerful ones. In a seismically active zone in Taiwan, pressure changes caused by typhoons "unclamp" the fault. This gentle release causes an earthquake that dissipates its energy over several hours rather than a few potentially devastating seconds. The researchers believe this could explain why there are relatively few large earthquakes in this region. Instruments picked up 20 "slow earthquakes", each lasting from several hours to more than a day. Of these, 11 co-incided exactly with typhoons. The authors described the possibility that this coincident timing was by chance as "vanishingly small". In Taiwan, the colliding plates move so rapidly that they build mountains at a rate of almost 4mm per year. In geological terms that is almost like "growing mushrooms". The fault "dips steeply" westward from near the east coast so that it is under the land area. So the landward side is under constant strain to move upward. When a typhoon passes over the land, the air pressure on the land is lowered. That slight change in force "unclamps" the fault and allows it to move. "But this change is quite small. So for the typhoon to be a trigger, the fault must be precariously close to failure."
A tropical low pressure system in the East Sea strengthened into a storm on June 18. Linfa, the second system of its kind to hit the East Sea this year, was packing winds of 62-74km per hour near its eye. In the next 24 hours, the storm is forecast to move northward and then change direction to north-northeast or northeast. It is likely to gain strength in the next 48 hours. The storm will cause strong winds and rough seas in the northern part of the East Sea.
Season's 1st tropical depression forms in Pacific – Forecasters say it could strengthen to a tropical storm before nearing the Mexican coast by tonight or Saturday.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER –
UNITED KINGDOM – One in six homes in England is at risk of flooding, says the Environment Agency, and climate change will raise that number without better protection. The agency calculates that funding for projects that protect communities from flooding from rivers and the sea needs to double to £1bn annually by 2035. Without that, it says, economic damage worth £4bn per year could be the norm. "The latest UK climate change data shows that the risk of flooding and coastal erosion will continue to increase in future due to rising sea levels and more frequent and heavy storms." The climate impact projections concluded that every part of the UK was likely to receive more rainfall in winters – by 2080, as much as 20% more in some regions. This means that rivers may carry 20% more water at some periods of the year than at present. Vital infrastructure is also increasingly at risk, with about one-sixth of the country's electricity infrastructure situated in flood plains.
America's two coasts are experiencing vastly different springs, with a hot, dry West worried about an intense wildfire season and parts of the East Coast soaking in a RARE months-long deluge. The Western drought is most intense in California, where more than 97% of the state is either abnormally dry or in some form of drought condition. Parts of Texas also are enduring a historic drought. The coastal bend area of the state has BROKEN RECORDS FOR LACK OF RAINFALL FOR THE PAST NINE MONTHS. "Many of the dryland crops there are total disasters." The lack of recent rain there is especially concerning as summer approaches. May and June are normally the two wettest months of the year in Texas, while July and August two of the driest. As Westerners brace for the fires, the eastern third of the country is virtually drought-free after an extremely soggy May. Washington Dulles International Airport has received almost 5½ inches of rain in the first two weeks of June. That's 1½ inches more than the area typically sees for the ENTIRE MONTH. Three months ago, more than 70% of Florida was under a drought condition. Now, following the RAINIEST MAY ON RECORD, it's at 0%. The downpour has hurt some farmers as they prepare to harvest plants that grow low to the ground. Tomatoes have swelled and burst and watermelons are rotting. The rainfall totals have been staggering in some parts of the state. For the month of May, Daytona Beach recorded 22.33 inches of rain, which was 685% above normal, SHATTERING ITS MAY RECORD by 10 inches.
UNUSUAL COLD –
NEVADA – Northern Nevada's UNUSUAL COOL, WET weather in June could be related to an El Nino forming in the Pacific Ocean, the first in more than five years. Warming of surface equatorial water temperatures point to a developing El Nino, which can be a strong engine for weather. And it’s happened UNUSUALLY QUICKLY. “It’s kind of impressive. It formed quickly. It kind of took me by surprise.” For a few months last winter, a weak La Nina — characterized by cooler ocean temperatures — held sway in the Pacific. Otherwise, conditions over the last year or more have tended toward neutral. But waters began to warm in May, with conditions shifting toward El Nino this month — a trend projected to continue at least into August. El Nino means “Christ child” or “boy” and was first used by Peruvian fishermen in the late 1800s to describe the warm current appearing off the west coast of Peru around Christmas. It’s early in the year for an El Nino to develop, meaning this could be a strong one. “When you do have a quick summer season increase, those do have the potential to become strong, well-constructed El Ninos." This month is already ONE OF THE WETTEST ON RECORD for Reno, with thunderstorms producing a string of eight consecutive days of measurable rain early in the month. “This is VERY UNUSUAL..The month of June is usually completely quiet. This is a REAL UNUSUAL situation and it’s UNUSUAL to see this any time in the summer. You have to go back 40 or 50 years.”
Every day in June has had severe weather in the United States, with most days having more than 100 reports, and 4 big days with more than 300 severe weather reports! So what’s going on? We’re in an UNUSUAL ATMOSPHERIC FLOW featuring an active west-to-east jet stream across the United States. Within the flow are numerous disturbances (areas of atmospheric lift) generating showers and thunderstorms, and not just in the Midwest. There have been thunderstorms in nearly all the western states every day this month! However, this is supposed to be the heart of the dry season for most of those areas. The active jet stream is being caused by UNUSUALLY COOL WEATHER across much of North America, and the ongoing battle of summer heat trying to push into that cool air. As an extreme example, the normal high in Phoenix is 104 degrees at this time of year, but most days have been in the 90s there and only 2 of the first 14 days this month have been near or above normal. Only south Texas, southern Louisiana and small areas of the southeastern states have had above normal warmth this month. The rest of the nation is near to below normal, and many areas are near to above normal in rainfall. There are no signs of change in the next 2 weeks as the unusually cool weather hangs tough over Canada and the northern United States while above normal warmth builds into the plains and southwestern states. Between the two air masses, the active jet stream will remain with numerous showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rain and daily threats for severe storms. The strange summer of 2009 continues…
Cool temperatures – So far, the trend toward a cool summer has been emphatic, with furnaces blasting through the first days of June across the state of Minnesota. The average daily temperature for the first 11 days of June in the Twin Cities was 7.2 degrees below normal. As of Friday, lilacs hadn't bloomed yet near Finland, Minn. They're usually out June 6. Across Minnesota and the Dakotas, temperatures could be below normal through the end of August, according to the federal Climate Prediction Center. The outlook for "meteorological summer" — June, July and August — prompted one Accuweather forecaster to predict a "year without summer." Meanwhile Chicago is experiencing a very cold summer as well. In fact it has been described by the WGN Weather Blog as "one for the record." So far this June is running more than 12 degrees cooler than last year, and the clouds, rain and chilly lake winds have been persistent. The average temperature at O'Hare International Airport through Friday has been only 59.5 degrees: nearly 7 degrees below normal and the COLDEST SINCE RECORDS THERE BEGAN 50 YEARS AGO. Think this unseasonably cold weather is happening just in the Midwest and Canada? Guess again. Even Botswana in Africa is reporting UNUSUALLY COLD weather.
The phenomena are caused by the a jet stream dropping deeper into the United States than is usual for this time of year. "Though summer doesn't officially start for another week, the run up has been most unseasonable…Driving the cold weather, since Memorial Day – the jet stream that has stayed farther south than usual." On the NBC News June 15 broadcast, they noted the PECULIAR WEATHER PATTERNS along the East Coast of the U.S. "The weather along the eastern seaboard has been more like Scotland in October lately. Then came the first of the Internet stories, some of them written by learned people in the weather field, wondering if summer as we know it was just not going to happen this year in some areas because of the high up air currents over this country that we can't see."
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD –
MINNESOTA – A RECORD June chill – Highs were below 60 for 3 days in a row last week, the first time that's happened in June since 1951. There have been only 3 other years since 1872 where the temperature has stayed below 60 degree for 3 straight days in June — 1917, 1935 and 1937.
HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER –
IRELAND – Shock as tornadoes tear through villages. Two mini tornadoes have twisted their way through the skies above Ireland in recent days. Stunned witnesses say that the FREAK WEATHER has appeared in both counties Clare and Roscommon.
COLORADO – A storm system with funnel clouds RARE for Denver dropped quarter-sized hail and a half inch of rain in 20 minutes.
ARKANSAS – A storm system that produced hurricane-like winds, toppling trees and damaging homes in much of the state Friday, was a RARE WEATHER PHENOMENON that occurs an average of once every 10 years. Winds topping 80 miles per hour roared through much of the northern half of the state Friday afternoon. Three people were injured by falling limbs and debris. Meteorologists called the system a "derecho," or a long-lived complex of thunderstorms that produces winds in excess of 70 miles per hour. They are more common in the northern plains. Saturated grounds from heavy rainfalls in May contributed to Friday's storms, causing a humid atmosphere. That moisture met with unstable warm air, causing the turbulent weather. The storms created a "bow echo," or backward "C" pattern of storms, which travels at least 100 miles, gaining strength. A tornado touched down in Conway County. The tornado was the 21st twister recorded in the state this year. Last year, by June 15, 2008, there were 69 tornadoes reported in Arkansas.
Bizarro June: What happened to New Jersey's weather? – It's something out of Bizarro World, the comic book planet where everything is reversed: As of Tuesday, Seattle, Washington, was in its 27th day of a dry spell. Their rain has been diverted to New Jersey. New Jersey already had four inches of rain for the month — usually their average for June, but they're only at mid-month. It's not an exceptional rainfall, but the frequency is UNUSUAL. Nature has given them a FREAK show with a hailstorm in Bergen County. Jackets and sweaters have been retrieved from the back of closets, too, as temperatures are running below average for this time of year. The current pattern, set early in the season, tends to put the brakes on torrid temperatures later on too.
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-
Chalk up another casualty of climate change: Wind speeds in many parts of the U.S. seem to be decreasing, which could make life tougher for the wind industry. A study to be published later this summer says that climate change has led to lower average wind speeds in the Midwest and eastern part of the U.S. If true – and the study goes against what most computer models predict will happen – it seems to be because rising temperatures at the poles change pressure patterns around the globe, which leads to less wind. "It’s a very large effect." In some places in the Midwest, the trend shows a 10 percent drop or more over a decade. That adds up when the average wind speed in the region is about 10 to 12 miles per hour. There’s been a jump in the number of low or no wind days in the Midwest. States such as Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, northern Maine and western Montana show some of the biggest drop in wind speeds. The study’s authors say it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions, though there is evidence that climate change is leading to shifting wind patterns elsewhere, too. In England, there are signs climate change is leading to higher wind speeds in the English Channel.
YEMEN – Two people have died and others suffered fainting over the last two days as a result of the second worst heat wave in the last three years to hit Yemen's port city of Aden. Power problems such as persistent cut-offs helped worsen the situation in Aden leading to discomfort among the patients in Aden, which is witnessing a high temperature associated with high humidity. The electrical current is cut off five times a day, affecting those people with dangerous diseases. Even though the electrical current is available, air conditioners have become insufficient to ease the heat wave amid high prices of electricity. Two years ago, a strong heat wave hit the city, claiming the lives of 24 people, most of them were elderly people.
Megacities ripe for 'megadisaster' – Some of the world's biggest cities are at growing risk of "megadisasters", the UN's humanitarian chief said today, warning that climate change was behind a rising number of natural catastrophes. "The trends in disasters particularly from climate change are of enormous concern. We can only expect that this trend is going to continue." Some 90 per cent of disasters are of climatic origin, caused by storms, floods, drought or other extreme weather conditions, according to the UN's weather agency. Some of the world's biggest cities housing millions of people were highly exposed to disasters, being located in coastal areas that would be threatened by rising sea levels, or in earthquake zones. "The risks of megadisasters in some of these megacities are rising all the time," and they predict a lot more deaths in future natural disasters. Megacities include Tokyo, with a population of more than 35 million, and Mumbai, New Delhi, Mexico City and Sao Paulo with more than 20 million inhabitants each.
How will climate change affect where you live in the U.S.? – this link lists some of what the “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States” report sees as already happening in various parts of the country and predicts will occur unless changes are made. This online site offers localized information: It divides the country into eight areas and lets you click on your region to see possible impacts.
HAWAII – RECORD HEAT. In the first fifteen days of the month the temperature at Honolulu International Airport has either tied or broken a previous record high. The 92 degrees registered at the airport Monday was yet another record, breaking the previous one of 90 degrees all the way back in 1982. The heat is the result of high pressure parked about 500 miles farther to the south in the Pacific Ocean than what’s normal this time of year. The closer high pressure moves to the state, the weaker tradewinds become. The UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERN is not affecting all parts of the state equally. While temperatures on the Windward side may feel about average for June, areas of Leeward Oahu are a lot hotter.
WASHINGTON – Monday was Day 27 of an UNUSUAL SPRING DRY SPELL on the North Olympic Peninsula and, indeed, throughout Western Washington. No precipitation has been recorded in June at any of the weather stations across the North Olympic Peninsula. The record dry spell in the May-June period is 29 days set in 1982. The overall record for consecutive dry days at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — where the Weather Service's best historical records are kept — is 51, set in July and August 1951.
INDIA – The Met office has been hard-pressed to explain the sudden disappearance of the monsoon rains post-cyclone Aila. The cyclone that wreaked havoc in south Bengal is the culprit, they say. It has sucked out the moisture-laden winds and left the Gangetic Bengal plains high and dry. There seems to be no respite from the scorching heat for several more days. Temperature will hover around the 36 degree mark and could even push 40 over the next one week. "If the low-pressure persists and there is more rain, then the monsoon might return." The STRANGE departure of the monsoon, after the declaration that it was at the doorstep, has been described as a "RARE PHENOMENON" by experts. "Monsoon was well on course till May 25 and had been heading towards Kolkata. Then Aila happened and the moisture disappeared, halting its journey. Unless a low-pressure trough precipitates rainfall now, the warm spell will continue. So, it can be said that the monsoon has arrived but it remains inactive." Some weather experts sad it was not just moisture but an energy transfer from the monsoon to Aila that has stalled the rains. "Technically, this is called the energy cascading effect. When a disturbance happens, energy gets transferred to that from the bigger system, which is the monsoon and it gets weaker. This is exactly what has happened." "We need an infusion of moisture that hasn't been happening since the Aila. The advance of the south-west monsoon is not a systematic and regular feature. It is always accompanied with surges in the strength of winds over the north Indian Ocean. With each surge, the rainfall activity gets revived and the rain belt shifts towards the north and north-east. Each wet spell is normally followed by a dry period of 6-8 days during which rainfall remains low and the northward journey of the monsoon gets halted." This time, the dry period has got prolonged. "This is a summer-like situation or a revival of summer. The low-pressure troughs have moved towards the foothills of Bengal leaving the rest of the state dry. Monsoon will be activated sooner rather than later but this is indeed STRANGE. Aila was not a super cyclone, only a very strong one. I CAN'T RECALL CYCLONES SUCKING UP MOISTURE LIKE THIS."
NIGERIA – recent (some twenty years back) climate behaviour has deviated from old climatologists, meteorologists, scientists and grandpas' Knowledge-pattern. "To this generation, Armageddon has come. Things have fallen apart and the centre can no more hold…Before our very eyes, rainfall patterns do not follow the maps of our minds. August spell has disappeared. Harmattan shows up when it wants and not according to what we were taught. Unpredictability is the order of the day. Orographic rainfall has given up to tsunami. " Drought as a manifestation of climate change is being experienced here in Nigeria where the desert is said to be advancing at 5m per year.
Detailed forecasts of how climate change may affect the UK during this century are to be released by the government later. The report will predict how temperature and rainfall are likely to change at regional and local scales. Scientists believe winters will be wetter, particularly in the north, and summers drier, especially in the south. The projected impacts are "WORSE THAN THE GOVERNMENT HAD FEARED," according to a source familiar with the project. "This research confirms that not only is climate change already having a serious impact in Britain, but that we are also locked into further impacts, and that these impacts will get much worse unless we act now to tackle the problem." The UK impacts are likely to be minor compared to other parts of the world. The UK is among the 12 countries likely to be least affected by climate change.
Romania is among the world’s countries most threatened by sudden onset hazard, according to the Mortality Risk Index, a Global Platform for Disaster Reduction. Predictably, four large population countries – Bangladesh, China, India and Indonesia – occupy the ‘extreme’ category for average numbers of citizens at risk, followed by Colombia, Myanmar and Pakistan (‘major’) with the next listing (‘very high’) including: Afghanistan, Algeria, Congo (DR), Guatemala, Iran, Japan, Peru, Philippines, Romania and Uzbekistan.
INDIA – People in Orissa are now seeking divine intervention for respite from the UNPRECEDENTED HEAT WAVE that continues to grip parts of the state. Fifty heat deaths have been reported through Thursday in the state. The monsoon normally arrives in the state by June 10. This year, however, save for some rains in the last week of May, the state has been witnessing a dry spell. Many places in the state recorded more than 40 degrees Celsius Wednesday. More than 200 residents in Cuttack city, Wednesday performed a ‘yagna’ fire ritual to invoke the rain god with the hope of getting relief from the searing heat. Usually farmers organize such rituals, but for the first time people of the non-farming community have sought divine intervention in a city yearning for rain.
SPACE WEATHER-
AUSTRALIA – Mysterious flash, explosion and fire – An air and ground search of the area in central Queensland where a bright flash and explosion was witnessed early this morning has failed to find an obvious cause. Emergency services initially believed a plane may have crashed into a mountain at Takilberan Creek northwest of Gin Gin but the Australian Search and Rescue Authority received no mayday or distress calls from aircraf. Although a search found a fire on the mountain, there was no evidence of any wreckage or “risk to human life”. A crew had not been able to identify what caused the fire. “They’ve conducted ground searches as well as an aerial search. There is a fire up there but it could have been caused by a space junk or meteor strike, or even a lightning strike.” Police from Gin Gin have also been involved in an air and ground search in the thickly forested area following a 000 call about 6.30am. Space authorities said it was not uncommon for natural material to hit the earth, with about 100 tonnes of material entering the earth's atmosphere every day. A resident of Dalby, about 350km southwest of Takilberan Creek, said she saw an explosion of white-yellow light streak across the sky about 6am. "It was brighter and larger and too low in the sky to be a falling star. It was just a flash, it was kind of like a comet tail, but just for a few seconds. It was a ball of light that went to a tail.'' A UFO Research Queensland spokeswoman said they had received no reports about the incident.
An enormous eruption has found its way to Earth after travelling for many thousands of years across space. Studying this blast, astronomers have discovered a dead star belonging to a rare group: the magnetars. X-Rays from the giant outburst arrived on Earth on 22 August 2008. The outburst lasted for more than four months, during which time hundreds of smaller bursts were measured. So far only 15 magnetars in total are known in our Galaxy. Magnetars are the most intensely magnetised objects in the Universe. Their magnetic fields are some 10,000 million times stronger than Earth's. This particular magnetar, known as SGR 0501+4516, is estimated to lie about 15,000 light-years away, and was undiscovered until its outburst gave it away. An outburst takes place when the unstable configuration of the magnetic field pulls the magnetar's crust, allowing matter to spew outwards in an exotic volcanic eruption. This matter tangles with the magnetic field which itself can change its configuration, releasing more energy. Magnetar outbursts CAN SUPPLY AS MUCH ENERGY TO EARTH AS SOLAR FLARES, despite the fact they are far across our Galaxy, whereas the Sun is at our celestial doorstep.
New insight into the Sun's mysterious quiet period – Sonograms of the Sun explain the mystery of the missing sunspots. Scientists have discovered that a solar jet stream deep inside the Sun is migrating slower than usual through the star's interior, giving rise to the current lack of sunspots and low solar activity. The Sun normally undergoes an 11-year cycle of magnetic activity related to sunspots, solar flares, and the interplanetary storms called coronal mass ejections. The current "solar minimum" quiet period has been UNUSUALLY LONG AND DEEP, confounding scientists. The Sun generates new jet streams near its poles every 11 years. The streams migrate slowly, over a period of 17 years, to the equator and are associated with the production of sunspots once they reach a critical latitude of 22°. The stream associated with the new solar cycle has moved sluggishly, taking 3 years to cover a 10° range in latitude compared to 2 years for the last solar cycle, but has now reached the critical latitude. The current solar minimum has become so long and deep, some scientists have speculated the Sun might enter a long period with no sunspot activity at all. The new result shows that the Sun's internal magnetic dynamo continues to operate and heralds the beginning of a new cycle of solar activity. "It is exciting to see that just as this sluggish stream reaches the usual active latitude of 22°, a year late, we finally begin to see new groups of sunspots emerging at the new active latitude." "This is an important piece of the solar activity puzzle. It shows how flows inside the Sun are related to the creation of solar activity and how the timing of the solar cycle might be produced. None of the forecasting research groups predicted the current long extended delay in the new cycle. There is a lot more to learn in order to understand how the Sun creates magnetic fields." [Yet there are still no sunspots on the sun right now.]
HEALTH THREATS –
WHO declares THE FIRST PANDEMIC OF THE 21ST CENTURY – The World Health Organization has declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting. It means the swine flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile. The move does not mean the virus is causing more severe illness or more deaths. The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has since spread to 74 countries. There have been nearly 30,000 cases globally and 141 deaths, with figures rising daily. Hong Kong said it was closing all its nurseries and primary schools for two weeks following 12 school cases. The current pandemic seems to be moderate and causing mild illness in most people. But most cases are occurring in young working age adults and a third to a half of complications are presenting in otherwise healthy people. It is the FIRST FLU PANDEMIC IN 40 YEARS – the last in 1968 killed about one million people. This one is a new version of the H1N1 strain which caused the 1918 flu pandemic. The WHO does not recommend closure of borders or any restrictions on the movement of people, goods or services. But the picture could change very quickly. "No other pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely." "Let me stress: this is a formal statement about the geographical spread of the disease … It is not in itself a cause for alarm." One factor which has prompted the move to a level six pandemic was that in the southern hemisphere, the virus seems to be crowding out normal seasonal influenza. "There is concern that the virus might mutate in the southern hemisphere over its winter and become more virulent, but there's no sign of that yet."
"The scientific criteria for a pandemic have been met. The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic." Most cases have been mild and the epidemic has been moderate in relatively well-off countries, but a "bleaker picture" may emerge as it spreads in poor countries.
The latest case count for novel H1N1 influenza worldwide: 28,774 cases and 144 deaths in 74 countries, up 1,037 cases and 3 deaths from yesterday's numbers. Countries reporting the greatest increase in laboratory-confirmed cases since yesterday were Mexico (524 new cases), Britain (156), Australia (83), Japan (33), and China (32).
Researchers say H1N1 virus jumped to humans months ago – the novel H1N1 virus responsible has been circulating undetected in humans for months – and its components have been present in pigs for at least a decade. The findings demonstrate the critical need to ramp up disease-detection efforts in animals: "Despite widespread influenza surveillance in humans, the lack of systematic swine surveillance allowed for the undetected persistence and evolution of this potentially pandemic strain for many years." If better surveillance had existed, the first flu pandemic in 41 years might have been detected much earlier – because the novel H1N1 strain's evolution tracks with the emergence of earlier and (as yet) more destructive pandemic strains. "All three pandemics of the 20th century seem to have been generated by a series of multiple reassortment events in swine or humans, and to have emerged over a period of years before pandemic recognition." The eight genomic segments of the novel H1N1 have been circulating in swine populations for a number of years, from 9.24 years at the shortest to 17.15 years at the outside. The complete virus, they estimate, has been circulating in humans since approximately January 2009, and may have emerged as early as August 2008. Movement of live pigs between Eurasia and North America is likely to have facilitated viral reassortment.
UTAH – wet weather over the past several weeks means there is potential for an increased mosquito population across the state. Some districts found more mosquitoes with the virus during this same time period last year, but it's UNUSUAL to have mosquitoes test positive across the state this early in the year. Finding that much West Nile now could lead to a frightening scenario later. "We don't have a large database to draw from, I think this is about the 6th year we've seen it in the state. But those years when we found it very early in June or the last of May have been years that in local areas we've had our worst West Nile virus human cases."
A patient suffering from swine flu died today in hospital in Scotland, in the first death of a patient with the virus outside the Americas.
The Thai Prime Minister urged the country not to panic about swine flu, after the number of cases grew ninefold in four days and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub.
Swiss drugs company Novartis will not give free vaccines against H1N1 flu to poor countries, though it will consider discounts. The director-general of the World Health Organization has called for drugs companies to show solidarity with poor countries as they develop vaccines against the pandemic H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. As well as Novartis, U.S. company Baxter International and Europe's Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline and Solvay are working on vaccines.
The WHO Director General said in a press conference declaring the pandemic – “Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection. Guidance on specific protective and precautionary measures has been sent to ministries of health in all countries. Countries with no or only a few cases should remain vigilant. Influenza pandemics, whether moderate or severe, are remarkable events because of the almost universal susceptibility of the world’s population to infection." She underlined the necessity for governments to remain on the alert as to this issue, and not consider the outbreak over. In most such cases, after the first wave of infections, a second, larger one occurs, which is usually met with less determination because the resources used for the first one have been assigned elsewhere. Additionally, in future infection waves, health experts could be facing a new and improved viral strain, which could become even more damaging to the human body, and harder to kill. This strain has the potential to rapidly mutate into a more deadly form, especially in the equatorial and tropical regions, where it lingers all year around. In temperate climates, such as that of Europe, South and North America, Japan, and parts of Asia and Australia, the flu only breaks out during specific months, and authorities are better prepared at that time.
Brazilian scientists have identified a new strain of the H1N1 virus after examining samples from a patient in Sao Paulo. The variant has been called A/Sao Paulo/1454/H1N1. The mutation was comprised of alterations in the Hemagglutinin protein which allows the virus to infect new hosts. It was not yet known whether the new strain was more aggressive than the current A(H1N1) virus which has been declared pandemic by the World Health Organisation. 36,000 people in 76 countries have been infected with the H1N1 virus, causing 163 deaths.
Qatar, Jordan, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Samoa report first cases of novel H1N1 flu.
The West Bank/Gaza Strip, Morocco and Croatia reported their first cases previously.
U.S. – Feds eye schools as potential flu vaccination sites. Schoolchildren may be a top priority if federal officials decide to use novel H1N1 flu vaccines. School superintendents are being asked to collaborate on plans for possibly using schools for mass vaccination sites.
The number of novel H1N1 cases in Chile surged to 3,125. The number is 1,431 more than the total for Chile reported by the WHO on Jun 15. Chile has reported two deaths from the virus, which seems to be striking children the hardest: 64% of infections are reported in the 5- to 19-year-old age-group. Elsewhere in South America, Argentina reported three more deaths.
Australia moves to new pandemic alert level – The Australian Health Minister raised the country's pandemic response level from "contain" to "protect". The level is a new phase that was created to address the moderate severity of the novel H1N1 pandemic and is in line with the WHO's phase 6 declaration. The "protect" phase calls for an emphasis on treating people who have severe infections. States will phase in the new response level by Jun 26.
Health officials in New York City reported seven more novel H1N1 deaths, raising the total to 23. Few details were available about the latest victims, though the report said all were between the ages of 25 and 64 and that most were hospitalized in late May at the peak of the outbreak. Overall, of the 20 deceased patients whose history was known, 16 had underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk.
'Something different" happening with new flu – Flu season could last all year this year in US. The new strain of H1N1 flu is causing "something different" to happen in the United States this year – perhaps an extended year-round flu season that disproportionately hits young people, health officials said on Thursday. An UNUSUALLY COOL late spring may be helping keep the infection going in the U.S. Northeast, especially densely populated areas in New York and Massachusetts. And infections among healthcare workers suggest that people are showing up at work sick – meaning that workplace policies may be contributing to its spread. So far the virus is causing mild to moderate disease, but it has killed at least 167 people and been confirmed in nearly 40,000 people globally. The United States has been hardest hit, with upward of 100,000 likely cases and probably far more, with 44 deaths and 1,600 hospitalized. "The fact that we are seeing ongoing transmission now indicates that we are seeing something different. And we believe that that may have to do with the complete lack of immunity to this particular virus among those that are most likely affected. And those are children." In areas that are the most affected up to 7 percent of the population has influenza-like illness.
Lab testing confirmed that pigs are susceptible to the new virus and that sick ones can transmit the virus successively to uninfected animals. Disease severity varied, but none of the pigs died. Researchers said the virus can become established in pig populations, but illness patterns could vary in the field.
Japan to shutter special flu clinics – Japan's health ministry will close special clinics for people with influenza infections in an effort to prevent people from overwhelming them in the fall if a more severe wave of the novel H1N1 virus strikes. Officials fear overcrowded clinics could delay treatment for those with severe illnesses. Sick patients will be treated at any medical clinic. The ministry also said it would scale back quarantine measures at entry ports to prepandemic levels.
Signs in False Shepherds & False Religion
"For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also." 2 Timothy 3:6-9
Shamed Catholic priest Roddy MacNeil flies to Vatican in bid to avoid being defrocked
Jun 19 2009 By Janice Burns
SHAMED priest Roddy MacNeil made an emergency trip to Rome in a last-ditch attempt to save his doomed career. Romeo Roddy, 49 – known as Father Flash – looks set to be defrocked for preying on a string of vulnerable women. He dashed out to Rome for urgent talks with Catholic lawyers last week. On his way back to Prestwick on Wednesday, MacNeil tried to relax in the departure lounge at Rome's Ciampino airport with a good book – classic Jack Higgins novel Pay The Devil. But the sex scandal priest, who fathered a child with his married first cousin and bedded a student half his age, looked flustered when he was recognised by fellow passengers travelling with budget airline Ryanair. MacNeil ran up a 30-euro bar bill during the three-hour flight, downing double gin and tonics as he sat alone. A witness said: "It was hilarious when Father Flash realised he'd been spotted. "He tried to bury his head in the book, then shuffled off to the gents just before everyone was called to board the plane.
Witches claim religious discrimination after church ban
A group of witches is claiming religious discrimination after church leaders banned them from using its social club.
17 Jun 2009
Telegraph.co.uk
Sandra Davis – High Priestess at the Crystal Cauldron – had reserved Our Lady's Social Club in Shaw Heath, Stockport for her Pagan group's Annual Witches' Ball. But when she rang to make payment arrangements she was told the event could not be held there and – despite already having printed tickets – another venue must be found. The Diocese of Shrewsbury have since confirmed witches are not 'compatible with the Catholic ethos'. Sandra, 61, said: "I'm appalled. "My congregation is shocked that in this day and age there can be such religious discrimination. "We're normal people who follow an earth-based religion and want to enjoy ourselves. "We thought we were bridging the gap with other religions but misconceptions still exist, like we sacrifice animals.
Prosecutors: Queens mom Marie Lauradin performed voodoo fire ritual that left daughter, 6, scarred
By Nicole Bode and Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Determined to drive evil spirits out of her daughter, a Queens mom performed a bizarre voodoo fire ritual that left the 6-year-old girl scarred for life, prosecutors say. While young Frantzcia Saintil was "engulfed in flames," Marie Lauradin let the screaming girl burn, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Thursday. The girl told cops "the flames crawled up her body and burned her," the criminal complaint said. Eventually, Frantzcia's grandmother doused the flames with cold water, but the women then put the girl to bed instead of getting her help, Brown said. Frantzcia suffered for a whole day before a relative begged them to take her to a hospital. When doctors finally saw her, Frantzcia had second- and third-degree burns covering 25% of her body, including her face, torso and legs, court papers state.
Anti-gay hate group targets Seattle churches
By RAY LANE
KOMO-TV STAFF
A church group known for delivering messages of hate around the United States picketed places of worship around Seattle on Sunday. But they were met by stiff resistance, in the form of hundreds of people shouting right back at them. The noisy protest group is part of a radical congregation out of Kansas belonging to the Westboro Baptist Church, run by Fred Phelps. They targeted several churches and synagogues Sunday and plan to target more in the coming days. They openly admit preaching a gospel of hate – since they believe God and the Bible preaches the same. And they openly despise much of what the United States stands for, including hating America. The protesters targeted Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle during the worship service, shouting and waving placards saying "You're Going to Hell" and "God Hates Fags." Jonathan Phelps, one of the protest ringleaders, said Mount Zion and other churches are spreading lies. "They've preached that lie from hell that God loves everybody – that you can live like the devil and have any hope of heaven at all," Phelps said.
German "atheist bus" brings tour of the country to a close
DW-World-DE
The group has been attempting to persuade fellow citizens that they can lead a happy life without believing in God. On Thursday, the "atheist bus" stopped off in Berlin, bringing the promotional tour throughout the country to a close. In the German capital, the atheist bus tour fell on fertile ground. The London-style red double-decker was crammed full on Thursday, which was perhaps not surprising as approximately two-thirds of Berliners say they are not religious in any way. Campaign spokesman Peder Ibelher explained why the campaign slogan, "Close to certainty, there is no God," lacked a fiery anti-religious sting. "This reflects the scientific approach that Germans have to the question of God. You can never say there is no God because there's no evidence for a God and no evidence against it," he said.
Faith under Fire
“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
“You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endured to the end will be delivered.” Matthew 10:22
Sorry, no Christian talent allowed
7-year-old blocked from using religious song in sign language performance
June 13, 2009
By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
A public elementary school in Oakley, Calif., told a seven-year-old second grader that she would not be able to perform her sign language accompaniment to the song "We Worship You" at the school's evening talent show because the song is Christian. According to the Pacific Justice Institute, officials at Vintage Parkway Elementary School praised Bette Ouellette's talent, but informed her after auditions that the song was unacceptable for the school's June 1 talent show. Bette's father, Brent, thought the school overreacted, and he called PJI, which in turn sent a demand letter to the school, explaining legal precedent that condemns the school's action as a wrongful misapplication of constitutional law and requesting notification that future student performances will not be censored based on religious content.
Pakistan Taliban Threatens To Kill, Rape, Non Muslims
Monday, June 15, 2009 (3:04 pm)
By Jawad Mazhar, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Pakistan
LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)– A loose Pakistan-based umbrella group of factions linked to the militant Taliban organization has threatened to kill or rape all non-Muslims to enslave their children and take away their properties, unless they meet tough conditions. In a letter, seen by BosNewsLife Monday, June 15, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said non-Muslims should “embrace Islam”, or pay an Islamic tax known as 'Jaziva Tax' to Muslim rulers, or leave Pakistan “forever”, if they don't want to be harmed. “If the infidels rejected this suggestion they, would be killed and they would be responsible for it”, wrote TTP leader Muslim Khan. And, "The women of these disobedient infidels would be enslaved and raped according to [an Islamic ritual] Mut’a," he said. Under Mut’a a Muslim man can, in theory, marry a woman for several hours and after having sexual intercourse can divorce again by saying three times "I divorce you". The children conceived would be converted to Islam, enslaved and forced to work for TTP, the group added in the letter.
Christian Cyclone Victims in Bangladesh May Be Neglected, Warns Group
Hundreds of Thousands Still in Need in Aftermath of 'Forgotten Disaster'
By Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter
Sun, Jun. 14 2009
Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh’s southwestern region remain homeless after a cyclone struck late last month, killing more than 260 people. And according to a faith-based organization that supports persecuted churches, Christians are at risk of being neglected as general aid is distributed to victims in the predominantly Muslim country. “Many Christians have been severely affected by this cyclone,” reported the Barnabas Fund on Friday. “Churches have been destroyed and at least 1500 Christian families have been affected, losing homes, livestock, crops, access to work, food, clean water and sanitation.” On May 25, Cyclone Aila lashed low-lying areas in eastern India and Bangladesh, destroying thousands of homes, injuring over 7,000, and killing at least 264 before weakening.
Christian Murdered for Drinking Tea from a Muslim Cup
June 13, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC (MetroCatholic) – International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org) has learned that radical Muslims running a tea stall beat a Christian man to death for using a cup designated for Muslims on May 9. The young man, Ishtiaq Masih, had ordered tea at a roadside stall in Machharkay village, Punjab, Pakistan, after his bus made a rest stop. When Ishtiaq went to pay for his tea, the owner noticed that he was wearing a necklace with a cross and grabbed him, calling for his employees to bring anything available to beat him for violating a sign posted on the stall warning non-Muslims to declare their religion before being served. Ishtiaq had not noticed the warning sign before ordering his tea. The owner and 14 of his employees beat Ishtiaq with stones, iron rods and clubs, and stabbed him multiple times with kitchen knives as Ishtiaq pleaded for mercy. The other bus passengers and other passers-by finally intervened and took Ishtiaq to the Rural Health Center in the village. The doctor who took Ishtiaq’s case told ICC that Ishtiaq had died due to excessive internal and external bleeding, a fractured skull, and brain injuries.
Judge: Christian group can't walk with literature at Arab festival in Michigan
By David N. Goodman
Associated Press
06/18/2009
DETROIT — A federal judge today denied an evangelical Christian group's request for permission to hand out literature on sidewalks at an Arab festival in the heart of the Detroit area's Middle Eastern community. U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds denied Anaheim, Calif.-based Arabic Christian Perspective's request for a temporary restraining order. The group describes itself in its court filing as "a national ministry established for the purpose of proclaiming the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims … (that) travels around the country attending and distributing Christian literature at Muslim festivals and mosques." A lawyer for the group said it would seek a permanent injunction against the city of Dearborn. "It's not over," said Robert J. Muise of the Thomas More Law Center, an Ann Arbor-based Christian rights advocacy group.
