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(NASA) Mars Global Surveyor has discovered surprising new evidence of past movement of the Martian crust, suggesting that ancient Mars was a more dynamic, Earth-like planet than it is today.
Scientists using the spacecraft's magnetometer have found banded patterns of magnetic fields on the Martian surface. The adjacent magnetic bands point in opposite directions, giving these invisible stripes a striking similarity to patterns seen in the crust of Earth's sea floors. On the Earth, the sea floor spreads apart slowly at mid-oceanic ridges as new crust flows up from Earth's hot interior.
Meanwhile, the direction of Earth's magnetic field reverses occasionally, resulting in alternating stripes in the new crust that carry a fossil record of the past hundreds of million years of Earth's magnetic history, a finding that validated the once-controversial theory of plate tectonics. "The discovery of this pattern on Mars could revolutionize current thinking of the red planet's evolution," said Dr. Jack Connerney of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, an investigator on the Global Surveyor's magnetometer team. "If the bands on Mars are an imprint of crustal spreading, they are a relic of an early era of plate tectonics on Mars.
However, unlike on Earth, the implied plate tectonic activity on Mars is most likely extinct." Alternate explanations for the banded structure may involve the fracturing and breakup of an ancient, uniformly magnetized crust due to volcanic activity or tectonic stresses from the rise and fall of neighboring terrain.
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - A moderate earthquake shook Belgrade and wide areas in the Balkans Friday, causing no damage but upsetting residents only hours after NATO's heaviest bombardment of the capital yet. The Serbian Seismological Institute said the epicenter of the earthquake was about 37 miles south of Belgrade. The quake, with a 5.5 magnitude, occurred at about 5:30 a.m. Another quake measuring 4.7 was registered in the same area at 9:41 a.m. Friday. There were no reports of major damage or casualties. NATO has been bombing Yugoslavia since March 24 to force President Slobodan Milosevic into compliance over Kosovo.
Expert predicts catastrophic damage for years to come By Robert Hager (NBC) This year’s hurricane season will be destructive, and even worse seasons are in store for years to come. That alarming prediction came Wednesday from the nation’s leading researcher of hurricane patterns.
“We're gonna see hurricane damage like we’ve never previously seen it,” William Gray of Colorado State University told a subcommittee of the House Banking and Financial Services Committee. For starters, this hurricane season has been enhanced by the weather system known as La Nina. Gray predicts nine hurricanes — four of which will be severe. That compares to an average of six hurricanes, only two of them severe. Gray predicted two to three decades of intense hurricanes, particularly on the East Coast and unprecedented destruction.
Why the bleak outlook? Gray blamed three things: warmer sea temperatures off the Atlantic; more rain in Africa, the spawning ground for tropical storms; and runaway development. “There’s so much in harm’s way now,” Gray said. “There’s been such a build-up of people and property values along the southeast coast in the last 30 years. So I see it’s inevitable.” He fears annual damages could increase sixfold over the next two decades. And he fears a catastrophic hurricane — a single storm that crashes into a metropolitan area such as New York or Miami, taking a financial toll many times greater than any other in history. Gray predicted that such a storm could cause anywhere from $50 billion to $100 billion worth of damage. The scientist told lawmakers the threat of stronger hurricanes would be the nation’s “greatest natural hazard” in the future, a greater danger than earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, extreme temperatures or the much debated global warming.
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Thank you,
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com
Says Hilly Rose (Art's Guest Host)
Hilly Rose, who has been substituting for Art Bell during his absence, said on the Bell program tonight, 4-29-99, that Art would be returning to the show on Tuesday, May 4, three weeks to the day of his last appearance.
Jacor/Premiere Now Testing Replacements Including Whitley Strieber
Exlusive: During his weekly report on this program, Wednesday, 4-28-99, Michael Lindemann reported that Whitley Strieber is being tested as a replacement for Art Bell who has been missing from his program for the past three weeks. Art's last live broadcast was Tuesday, 4-13-99. He made no comment during that show about leaving. The following report from the 'X Zone' (Canada) radio program was released this morning. Further information on this mystery is posted at www.stephens-behold.com
IS PREMIER RADIO NETWORK SEEKING A REPLACEMENT FOR ART BELL?
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1999:- Sources close to Premier Radio Network, the syndicator of THE ART BELL SHOWS have told The 'X' Zone Radio Show that Premier Radio Network is looking for a replacement for Art Bell, who is taking an unexpected extension of his "vacation" for personal reasons. Our source said that author and Bell supporter, WHITLEY STREIBER is in front of all other candidates who are being considered for Bell's overnight host spot... all of which are from Bell's past guest list.
Bell took a sudden vacation on April 13 without prior notice to his listeners at the same time it was learned that Bell was being sued by at least two parties in multi million lawsuits - on suit including Bell's former syndicator JACOR.
According to one guest who was on Bell's show last week with Bell's replacement, HILLY ROSE, the manner in which he was approached by Rose, the manner in which the interview was conducted, was totally unprofessional. The guest was contacted shortly before the show aired - they were having a hard time finding guests, as can be seen by the number of replay shows that have been played - and that are being scheduled.
Updates will be issued as information becomes available.
The 'X' Zone Radio Show (tm)
Mitch,
I've had most of those viscious and slanderous quotes for some time. They are inexcusable.
You've done a great and courageous service to the truth in bringing them out in this extraordinary letter. I've got a stack of email...including death threats...spawned by his attacks on me via the net as shown in your letter and during those two nights on his radio program (he defends the radio attacks by saying "I never used your NAME").
You deserve the highest praise and respect for standing on your convictions and speaking out on this issue.
Sincere thanks,
Jeff
It appears Art Bell has acquired Peter Gersten to represent him either legally, publicly or maybe just a friendly lawyer adviser.
Peter states his agreement with Art Bell is that Jeff Rense, David John Oats, Robert A.M. Stephens and others are acting in libel, slander, malice and a reckless disregard for the truth. Gersten states "certain heinous statements are libel per se in most states and actual damages need not be proven" and "CAUS (Peter Gersten) applauds Art Bell for taking this necessary action".
Well Mr. Bell, you might as well add Mitch Battros (Earth Changes TV), Joe Firmage, Sean David Morton and everyone else who disagrees with your perception and your methods of handling conflict. No wonder there are so many biting at the bit to see the alleged information yet to come which will put an, oh so lurking shadow, on the dark side of Art Bell. Of course, if you are innocent you have nothing legally to worry about.
However, the reality is people will never see you the same again. It is a shame you do not have these thoughts running through your head when you "ATTACK" people. (your words, not mine).
You are quoted as saying "I go after people until there is nothing left of them". Hummm, if we only knew you back then. I can also remember you stating to millions as you did your above statements, "When I am in competition with someone, I go after them with everything I have . I will move right next door to them and drive them out of town". Gee Mr. Bell, is this what you are doing to your competitors listed above. Hmmm, is there a pattern here.
Since I am in the media/entertainment field, I am very much aware of the risk I am taking with such strong statements against Mr. Bell. But when he went public speaking to millions of people saying (although he did not mention my name) that I was responsible for Richard Hoagland's heart attack, he had crossed the line of civil decency. I am still not quite over what Mr. Bell and his gang did to Courtney Brown. How can he possibly justify to himself the vicious attack made on Mr. Brown. Then one year later give a tremendous amount of air time and exposure to Mr. Jonathan Reed and those "fake" photos and story about the aliens he killed in the Seattle area. It was rumored that Art Bell never did believe this outrageous story to begin with. Does this mean his comrade Mr. Gersten's statement "certain heinous statements are libel per se in most states and actual damages need not be proven" applies to him as well?
If the allegations prove to be false, I will go public immediately with the story and whatever retractions are needed.
Below are Art's own emails to me demonstrating his demeanor and hate.
artbell@aol.com Art Bell wrote:
1) "I thought Jeff Rense was a good guy until he started to be a method for you to spread your poison. That puts him in the same portion of the food chain as you. Rense does not wish Richard well. He wishes R.A.M. Stevens well and on a regular basis publishes on his web site the kind of thing you see above."
2) "Jeff Rense at Sightings made that decision some time ago. Richard (Hoagland) may be many things, but he is not the bottom feeder this guy (Stephens) is."
3) "If you examine the nature of the attacks against Richard (Hoagland) by Robert (Stephens) and his PUBLISHERS at Sightings (Jeff Rense)"
4) "You are nothing but a Liar and Fraud (referring to Robert Stephens), a very small person who attacks people when they are down. So give me your best shot, personal or public."
5) "Jeff Rense and others who take up with him only sink to his level.(of a bottom feeder)"
Well folks there it is. I am sorry to have to take such a position. Art Bell was quite the inspiration to me. He in many ways helped motivate me to take up with my vision. In some crazy way, I am saddened Art chose to take this path several months ago. If he had stayed the road, his past would have never caught up with him. I, like thousands of others, watched him deteriorate right in front of our eyes.
There is one thing for sure, I bet he wishes he had never heard the words Robert A.M. Stephens.
You can get the full story and ongoing unfolding of why Art Bell is not on the air, at Robert's web site: http://www.stephens-behold.com/index.html
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com
BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (AP) -- Winds gusting to more than 100 mph swept across northern Utah today, overturning 20 tractor-trailers, knocking out power to as many as 10,000 customers and forcing schools to close.
Strong winds are common in Utah during the spring and fall. But Friday's windstorm was the strongest in 15 years, said William Adler, a National Weather Service forecaster.
A 113 mph gust was recorded at the Brigham City Airport at about 1 a.m., with sustained winds reaching 72 mph early in the day. Police estimated damage to the airport at more than $750,000.
By evening, gusts of up to 80 mph were still being reported at the Brigham City Airport, but had died down some across much of the rest of the region, giving residents and power crews a chance to clean up.
As many as 10,000 customers were without power at some point Friday, and crews were hoping to have power completely restored by Saturday morning, said Dave Eskelsen, spokesman for Utah Power, said ``We're still battling with it. I think now that the winds dying down a little bit our repairs will go a little faster,'' he said. Gusty winds made repairs dangerous and knocked out service to areas workers had just repaired.
Twenty tractor-trailers were blown over on Interstate 15, the state's main north-south road. Trucks were banned from the highway. In Ogden, a crane on top of the municipal building fell onto the roof. Its 500-pound wrecking ball landed on the city jail, forcing office workers to evacuate. No inmates escaped. ``I saw it swinging from the north after I caught movement out of the corner of my eye,'' Sheriff's Chief Deputy A.K. Greenwood said. ``I thought, whoa, that baby is on the move.'' The wind also uprooted trees and tore shingles off roofs. Fourteen schools called off class because of power outages and minor damage.
(NASA) Go outside about 2 hours after sunset and look toward the East. That brilliant red star you see just above the horizon is Mars, and it's headed our way. There's nothing to worry about. Mars won't come any closer to Earth than about 54 million miles, but this week and next Mars will be brighter and nearer to Earth than at any time since 1990. It's a great opportunity for amateurs to see details on the red planet through a small telescope or to simply view Mars with the naked eye.
On April 24, Mars reaches "opposition," which means that it passes through a point in its orbit that is directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. At opposition Mars rises near sunset and is visible all night from most latitudes. Shining at magnitude -1.6, it will appear to be one of the brightest stars in the sky on Saturday night. In fact, it will be as bright as Sirius and second only to Venus in brilliance.
"This is a great time to view Mars with the naked eye," says Dr. John Horack, a NASA astronomer. "By mid- to late-June the planet will be a full magnitude dimmer, but for the next few weeks it will be spectacular."
To find Mars simply go outside any night for the next couple of weeks about an hour or two after sunset. Reddish colored Mars should be easy to spot 20 to 25 degrees above the horizon in the east-southeast. Later in the evening, near midnight, Mars can be seen due South about 45 degrees above the horizon from mid-latitude sites in the northern hemisphere.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defying appeals from scores of nations, President Clinton has decided to retain America's stock of the deadly smallpox virus, the White House said Thursday. Clinton concluded that the virus samples must be maintained to develop new drugs and vaccines to treat or prevent the disease, which was eradicated around the world in 1980 through an inoculation effort. The United States and Russia are the only two nations with known smallpox stocks, but the administration fears it could have fallen into other hands, raising the threat of bioterrorism. Smallpox is highly contagious and kills about 20% of those afflicted.
(AP) - Conditions like El Nino might settle in almost permanently if global warming gets bad enough, making climate disruptions such as droughts or excessive winter rain essentially the norm, a computer study suggests. That might happen around the year 2050 if nothing is done to control emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, said researcher Mojib Latif of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany. El Nino is a natural phenomenon that involves a surface warming of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean around the equator. It happens every three to four years on average. It can disrupt climate around the world, producing extra rain in the southeastern United States and in Peru during the winter, while causing drought in the western Pacific, for example.
The oldest known meteor shower peaks this year on April 22
(NASA) Stargazers in recent months may have noticed something missing from the nighttime sky:shooting stars. Each year between January and April there is a lull in meteor activity as Earth passes through a part of its orbit that is free from major cometary debris streams. Without much space dust in the area, there are simply fewer cosmic particles burning up in the atmosphere to produce visible shooting stars.
It's been a long 3 months for meteor enthusiasts, but the 1999 intermission in meteor activity is nearly over. It ends this Thursday with the arrival of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. The Lyrids will peak at 1600 UT (9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time) on April 22 with at least 10-20 meteors per hour. The predicted peak occurs during daylight on Thursday morning across most of the United States, but the rate of meteors should still be high a few hours earlier before the sun rises. No matter where you live, the best time to look will be during the hours before dawn on Thursday after the waxing quarter Moon has set. Typical Lyrid meteors are nearly as bright as the main stars in the Big Dipper, which makes it a good shower for both beginning and experienced observers.
Most years, observers of the Lyrids can expect to view one or two shooting stars every few minutes. That's just a trickle compared to the avalanche of shooting stars and fireballs seen by millions during the 1998 Leonids meteor shower, but the Lyrids are not always so meek. In 1982, for example, over 90 meteors per hour were seen for a brief time. An even bigger outburst in 1803 was documented by a journalist in Richmond, Virginia who wrote:
Shooting stars. This electrical phenomenon was observed on Wednesday morning last at Richmond and its vicinity, in a manner that alarmed many, and astonished every person that beheld it. From one until three in the morning, those starry meteors seemed to fall from every point in the heavens, in such numbers as to resemble a shower of sky rockets..."
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
web site: http://www.earthchangesTV.com
(MSNBC) You know it’s dry when Sunbelt retirees start watering the cactus. When mountain lions and other skittish wildlife emerge from the pinion scrub of the Sonora Desert to lap greedily from chlorinated swimming pools and fountains.
WHEN A wall of wildfire 10 miles wide blackens a swath of Nebraska prairie the size of Rhode Island, stampeding cattle and forcing the midnight evacuation of a ranching town.
When Catholic priests and Baptist preachers hold prayer vigils in withered cotton fields and cracked, sage-choked reservoir basins, raising their arms to beseech the same clear blue heavens for a drop of rain. And this was supposed to be an easy year. After all, the record El Niño of 1998 is long gone. However, scientists say 1999 is shaping up to be another year of unpredictable, destructive, weather conditions.
Portions of the South and Midwest are being strangled by a spotty but tenacious drought that has been gripping parts of the nation for several months.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Two flights into the eastern Aleutian Islands were canceled and other planes were rerouted after a pilot spotted a steam and ash plume billowing from the Shishaldin Volcano. The eruption lasted about six hours, Terry Keith, scientist-in-charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said Monday. Service into Dutch Harbor airport was affected, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and several flights to the Far East were directed to detour around the plume. "It was one of the more energetic eruptions of Shishaldin this century," said Keith. The restless volcano is about 700 miles southwest of Anchorage, on Unimak Island just off the end of the Alaska Peninsula in the eastern Aleutians.
(CNN) NATO launched intense overnight air raids on targets across Yugoslavia, Serbian television reported Tuesday, while U.S. officials said paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne were being deployed to Albania Tuesday to protect a fleet of 24 Apache tank-killing helicopters en route to the Balkans. NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said there are "increasing reports" that the Yugoslav Army has begun"funneling 150,000 refugees" toward Pristina to be "put on trains and sent south to Macedonia."
ROME (AP) - The year 2000 millennium bug could cause food shortages in developing countries that rely on food aid or don't have funds to resolve the problem, a U.N. agency said Monday. The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization said the bug - which could throw computers around the world into chaos - threatened almost all of the supplies and services essential for agricultural production. The FAO urged developing countries to plan for possible food shortages by diversifying the sources of their agricultural supplies and to look for alternative ways for food to be delivered.
By Rebecca Blumenstein
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
NEW YORK, April 19 — AT&T Corp. and the nation’s telecommunications industry have asked the State Department for help in preparing phone networks world-wide for potential year-2000 disruptions. The request was made after a Federal Communications Commission meeting last week that looked into the readiness of the world’s phone companies for potential problems once the year 2000 begins.
AT&T CHAIRMAN C. MICHAEL ARMSTRONG chairs the committee, which is called the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council. AT&T officials said that while most large U.S. phone companies are well prepared, there is growing evidence that many smaller phone companies and a number of regions around the world run a “high risk” for problems. “Internationally, it appears that the readiness has worsened,” said A. John Pasqua, an AT&T vice president in charge of the company’s year-2000 program. “There has been a shift of some of these countries from medium to high risk.” How other countries are prepared could directly affect the U.S. because the global telecommunications system relies on the interconnection of the networks of many countries. Calls are handed off from one company to another, often without callers realizing it. Any disruption in any of those links could cause problems, say officials. “The FCC remains concerned about whether enough is being done on a global basis to ensure that there are no significant network disruptions or failures,” according to the council’s report.
With updates from more than 190 countries, the council says that based on averages that are not weighted, Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific region are categorized as low to medium risk. Other regions generally face medium to high risk of disruption. The council has asked the State Department and other federal agencies for help in identifying and working with those countries with the worst problems, especially those that have a lot of traffic with the U.S. Most callers within the U.S. likely won’t witness disruptions, especially if they use one of the larger phone companies. “There are 1,270 telephone companies in the U.S. and about the top 20% support approximately 99% of the access lines,” said Mr. Pasqua.
“We continue to show great progress domestically in preparing for year 2000,” he added. However, hundreds of smaller, independent providers continue to fall behind the large companies such as AT&T, which has spent $650 million to date in preparing its systems for potential problems. According to the FCC, nearly half of the smaller companies said they had no formal process for preparing for the year 2000.
MOSCOW (AP) - A leading Russian politician warned Saturday that the U.S. and NATO could spark another Vietnam and possibly World War III if they send ground troops to Yugoslavia. "In the event that NATO and America start a ground operation in Yugoslavia, they will face a second Vietnam," Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said. "I do not want to forecast what is going to start then. I cannot rule out a third world war." Luzhkov said if NATO ground troops are sent to Yugoslavia, Russia should consider breaking a U.N.-imposed arms embargo and supply military and technical assistance to the Yugoslav army. Luzhkov is one of Russia's most popular politicians and is a likely candidate in next year's presidential election.
Subject: tanker/ choppers
Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 13:35:20 -0700
From: "Bill Monroe"
To: "Joe Burton"
Just a few minutes ago a turbo prop tanker with 3 apaches or rangers at 500-1000 feet flew overhead here. 2 appeared to be directly behind a Hose/basket trailing behind each wing. A terrible stench filled the air, I thought someone was burning garbage but no smoke in the neighborhood. I have never seen this before. I just waited about 10 minutes to go outside andthe setnch is still in the air.
Bill
This is the clip from the Burnet Newspaper after the spraying in early March. You havent heard anything yet!!!!!!!!
Flyover and falling dust concerns area residents
Citizens complain of mystery dust
By Mark Atwood
Managing Editor
A circling Apache helicopter gave some Burnet residents cause for concern Monday morning.
Richard Wrubel called the offices of the Burnet Bulletin at approximately 10 am to report that he had seen the chopper circling town when it passed over his residence on the East side of town. He noted that he recognized the type of helicopter due to his days serving in the military.
Both he and his mother, Norma Wrubel, reported that while watching the craft fly overhead, they witnessed some type of white dust substance falling from it and floating to the ground near their residence.
The powdery white dust settled onto vehicles in the vicinity. Both Richard and Norma Wruble claimed it was difficult to wash off and that it appeared to be "corrosive," leaving small rings on their car’s paint.
Mrs. Wrubel drove her car to the newspaper office where it was visibly examined by City Manager Johnny Sartain and Fire Marshall William DeLeon.
Upon closer inspection, the substance did wipe off. When removing it, however, it smeared like a thick chalk-like powder.
In addition to their concern for their vehicle’s paint job, the Wrubels claimed that just seconds after the dust fell the area was littered with dead gnats.
The chopper was observed and photographed making several more passes over Burnet in a wide circling pattern, until almost 10:30 am. No other witnesses, however, claim to have seen the falling dust.
With the altitude of the craft and the prevailing winds that morning it would have been extremely difficult to pinpoint a location for a drop of any such substance, if that was in fact the helicopter pilot’s intention.
As of presstime there was not official word regarding the choppers point of origin or its mission.
HERE IS A LITTLE SOMETHING TO WORK WITH....for starters....
NOSTRADAMUS TELLS OF A DAY WHEN...
THE EARTH, HEAVENS, AND SKY WOULD DARKEN...
A VERY PARTICULAR...EXACT... DATED DAY...
TWENTY DEGREES OF TAURUS ... MAY 10TH !
THE EARTH TO TREMBLE...A GREAT THEATER WOULD BE FILLED UP.... A MOMENTOUS, SINGULAR EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY TO TAKE PLACE...ONE THAT WOULD CHANGE THE DESTINY OF A NATION....AND THE WORLD.
THE EXACT PLACE, TIME, AND CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE REVEALED.
BOTH THE SAINT...AND THE INFIDEL WOULD CRY UNTO THEIR GOD ON THAT DAY!!!
HAS THE EVENT HAPPENED?
OR...IS IT STILL IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
FIND OUT...SOON...ON EARTH CHANGES T.V.
AN AMAZING...EXACT...REVELATION REGARDING A MOMENTOUS...UNFORGETTABLE...DAY IN OUR TIMES...
FULL, EXACT DETAILS TO BE GIVEN...
A FANTASTIC PROPHECY IN EXTREME DETAIL.
N o s t r a BOB u s......
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
Web Site: http://www.earthchangesTV.com
(USGS) The earthquakes location is latitude 19.2 degrees north, longitude 155.5 degrees west, origin time 00 56 25.0 utc, depth shallow, magnitude 5.6 MD. Items were knocked from shelves at Pahala. The earthquake was felt in much of the island of Hawaii. This is the largest earthquake on the island of Hawaii since a magnitude 5.7 event on June 30, 1997 which caused slight damage and power outages in the Hilo and Puna areas. There have been no reports of damage from today's earthquake.
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com
Update from Hawaii:
The following was posted on a mail group from a resident of Hawaii:
1. Sewer line ruptured in Honolulu Harbor, Oahu area spilling thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the Harbor... has not been repaired as yet and should be finished by sun up tomorrow morning.
2. Ten aftershocks felt within an hour of the quake
3. 3 homes were damaged by the quake, one of which was completely destroyed
4. Power was knocked out in Ka`u (south of Mauna Loa volcano) for about an hour.
(NASA) It looks like another fine product of Area 51, and it really is shaped like a flying disc, and would even fly like one. If it works, the family tree will trace back not to Roswell, New Mexico, but Troy, New York. "It came out of a trans-atmospheric vehicle design course at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute," which is in Troy, explained Prof. Leik Myrabo.
The microwave Lightcraft being studied by Myrabo and his students is shaped that way because that's how the physics works. It's an advanced derivative of a tiny, 25-gram craft that he is pushing around on a 10 kilowatt beam of infrared laser light in tests at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Myrabo discussed his work last week during the Advanced Propulsion Research Workshop held in Huntsville. "This is where we are now," Myrabo said, showing a picture of Dr. Robert Goddard with his first liquid propellant rocket, launched March 16, 1926. Just 43 years later, a sophisticated descendant of that rocket sent the first humans to the Moon.
"My goal has been to cut the cost of getting to space by a factor of 1,000 using a system that is completely green," he explained of his passion for the past three decades. Since 1972, he has been building on an idea developed by Arthur Kantrowitz to use lasers to launch satellites. Myrabo introduced a variation using the atmosphere as the propellant heated by a laser. At higher altitude and at 5.5 times the speed of sound, as the air thins, the craft would use a small supply of on board hydrogen, still heated by the remote laser beam.
Myrabo's initial design for NASA was a 5-meter (16.5 ft) diameter, four-person craft in a shape that he dubbed Acorn. The front is shaped to reflect the coherent laser light into a narrow region between the body and a shroud. The focused light superheats the air to become a jet exhaust that pushes the craft up. In this case, the laser power station would be based in orbit.
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com
HULL, Quebec (AP) - One of the most miserable rites of childhood is about to disappear from the hemisphere. Measles is on track to being eliminated throughout North and South America by the turn of the millennium, experts told a conference on immunization Monday. Last year Canada had only 12 cases of measles, down from about 2,500 in 1995. "It has been a surprise to me that measles has disappeared as quickly as it did," said Donald Henderson of the Pan American Health Organization. Measles causes cough, fever and a rash. It can be fatal. Globally it causes about a million deaths annually. Until 1957, when anti-measles immunization began in Canada, virtually every child went through a bout with the disease.
Scientists had presumed for decades that activity on the surface of the sun and winds on Earth were related somehow but were missing a key ingredient, according to Drew Shindell, a climate researcher at Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, N.Y. What previous studies had neglected to take into account, according to Shindell's research published in the April 9 issue of Science, was the effect of increased solar activity on the ozone layer or the complex chemistry of the upper atmosphere.
"When we added the upper atmosphere's chemistry into our climate model, we found that during a solar maximum major climate changes occur in North America," said Shindell. The climate changes were being caused by stronger westerly winds. In addition, Shindell said wind speeds and directions all over the Earth's surface were influenced.
The sun has an 11-year cycle where it goes from a solar maximum to a solar minimum. The energy released by the sun during this cycle only fluctuates one-tenth of one percent.
When the solar cycle is at a maximum, it puts out a larger percentage of high-energy radiation, which increases the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The increased ozone warms the upper atmosphere and the warm air affects winds all the way from the stratosphere to the Earth's surface.
"The change in wind strength and direction creates different climate patterns around the globe," said Shindell.
But what effect does this have on global warming?
None, said Shindell. His study confirms that changing levels of energy from the sun are not a major cause of global warming.
Many scientists have argued that the radiation change in a solar cycle — an increase of two to three tenths of a percent over the 20th century — are not strong enough to account for the observed surface temperature increases. The Goddard Institute for Space Studies model agrees that the solar increases do not have the ability to cause large global temperature increases, leading Shindell to conclude that greenhouse gases are indeed playing the dominant role.
The contingency plan needs a contingency plan. From the story:
"U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Malden, released a daily event report from Seabrook saying one of the two backup generators may not have been working for 21 months. According to the report, the plant’s operators learned an electrical relay, or switch, did not work during a test conducted on March 31, while the plant was shut down for refueling."
Story at:
http://www.fosters.com/news99b/april/07/bu0407b.htm
This is major news, folks, much bigger than what we let on in the public alert. We can't talk about this one without scaring people, frankly. What's at stake: the safety of an entire region. If a nuclear power plant can't be cooled, there's a serious danger of a radiation leak at some point. Perhaps even a meltdown.
This story is scary. Read on:
"The generators are fine," said David Barr, Seabrook spokesman. "It’s an ancillary system that failed during a test."
Huh? So it's the "ancillary system that failed." Is that any more comforting? Of course not. This is just another way for company spokespeople to claim everything is fine when, in fact, it's seriously messed up.
The most bizarre thing so far: The NRC had already investigated this power plant and determined it to be compliant!
"Obviously, it’s something we’re looking into," said Victor Dricks, NRC spokesman. "As far as the (Seabrook) event itself, we see no cause for concern."
Folks, this is serious business. A nuke plant found an unnoticed problem in the backup system designed to bring the rods down to room temperature in the case of a power grid failure. The NRC says, essentially, "No big deal."
BOTTOM LINE: WHAT IT MEANS
It means you can't trust the NRC (or nuclear plant operators) to guarantee your
safety. If you live near a nuclear power plant, you may want to seriously consider
relocating. Certainly, the chance of any single plant experiencing a meltdown
seems very small, but the odds that at least one plant will screw things up
and experience a disaster is a lot higher. And there's no way to guarantee it
won't be the plant you live near.
It also means the NRC is a lot worse off than we thought. They're looking at this and saying it's no big deal? That's the worst case of denial we've seen yet. This generator would not have come on in an emergency, requiring worker intervention. And yes, had the workers flipped the right switches, everything would have been fine, but can you really count on accident-prone power workers to flip the right switch in an emergency, under pressure? Not reliably. Yet, that's apparently the NRC's contingency plan for the contingency plan: "flip the right switch."
This situation is getting out of hand. It's time to demand real compliance, real testing, and real contingency plans. All we've seen so far is spin, hype and propaganda. Meanwhile, lives are at stake, perhaps including your own.
(MSNBC)—There is an adage that good generals study tactics but great generals study logistics. But most importantly, winning generals study the weather. It’s a lesson the admirals of the Spanish Armada learned in 1588. Today, NATO’s generals are learning it all over again as Yugoslavia’s ground forces do their work under a sheltering sky.
Weather has been the decisive factor in countless military campaigns. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, in his memoirs published some 50 years ago, noted with eerie prescience the kinds of problems now being experienced by NATO in Kosovo: “In Europe bad weather is the worst enemy of the air (operation) . . . Bad weather is obviously the enemy of the side that seeks to launch projects that require good weather, or of the side possessing greater assets such as strong air forces, which depend on good weather for effective operations. If really bad weather should endure permanently, the Nazi would need nothing else to defend the Normandy coast.”
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) - Cameroon's government stepped up plans Saturday to evacuate hundreds of reluctant villagers as a river of lava from an erupting volcano neared their coastal communities. A lava flow a mile wide and 100 feet thick engulfed virgin rainforest and small farms Friday just a few hundred yards from the villages of Bakingele and Batoke on the western slopes of Mount Cameroon, state radio reported. Authorities issued new evacuation orders for the villagers, some of whom had ignored earlier calls to leave. Soldiers and doctors were deployed to the area while air and sea evacuation teams were on standby.
4/10/99 -- 2:24 AM
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The electric power industry says a much-hyped test of its readiness for the Year 2000 bug was a success. But skeptics still wonder if the New Year will dawn in darkness. The problem, critics say, is that Friday's drill didn't tell consumers anything about whether power will keep flowing to their switches in the event of massive computer glitches. ``They've been planning this drill since the beginning of the year,'' said Randy Guidry, managing editor of Y2K News Magazine. ``I would compare it to a student in high school taking a test after he's had three months to make up the questions on the test.''
Power plants across the country shared information via radio rather than computer Friday to test whether they could keep the lights on even if the Y2K bug knocks out communications. The nation's power grids depend on communications between generating stations so that operators can send electricity to regions that need it the most from power plants able to provide it. Workers at hundreds of sites called in meter readings via handheld radios and logged in data manually, rather than using computers hooked together via fiber-optic lines and microwave transmitters. ``People just flick a switch and expect their power to go on, but it's important to ensure that the grid is reliable and communications are a piece of that,'' said Tom Williams, spokesman for Duke Energy Power Services, which has three plants in California.
The drill was a success, according to a news release posted on the Web site of the North American Electric Reliability Council, a New Jersey-based industry group assigned by the U.S. Department of Energy to make sure the nation's utilities are ready for the new millennium. However, the council said some backup systems did not work as planned and some workers may require additional training on the satellite voice systems. The group also said severe lightning storms in the Midwest interfered with some radio systems.
Representatives of the council would not comment on the tests Friday. Utility customers weren't affected because the drill did not test electricity production. And that's what concerns observers like Guidry. ``Today doesn't have anything to do with the ability to produce energy,'' he said. ``It has to do with their ability to talk to each other.'' The Y2K problem occurs because many computers are programmed to recognize only the last two digits of a year and, without repairs, may malfunction beginning Jan. 1 when they might assume it is 1900. Some fear national communication and power systems could be disrupted. NERC's job is to help make sure electrical utilities are ready for the possibility of a Y2K glitch and spotty outages or - a worse-case scenario - complete electricity shutdowns. ``The loonies out there who are profiting by panic over Y2K may not have it quite right,'' said John Castagna, a spokesman for the Washington-based Edison Electric Institute, an industry group whose members generate about three-quarters of the country's electricity.
``We're working hard to make sure January 1, 2000, is just like every other day.'' Rick Cowles, author of ``Electric Utilities and Y2K,'' praised the communications drill. But he said there is no way to replicate the conditions plants may encounter on Jan. 1. ``Testing a portion of the entire Y2K program is part of the contingency planning,'' he said. ``But this is a drill - a drill that's not operationally testing anything. There's no way to test absolutely everything.''
(AP) - Powerful storms swept across the Plains and Midwest, destroying homes and downing power lines in several states and killing at least six people. The Cincinnati area was particularly hard-hit. Entire blocks were destroyed as strong thunderstorms moved through before dawn Friday in the southwest Ohio city's upscale suburbs of Blue Ash and Montgomery. Roofs were torn off stores in shopping centers, and water spewed into the air from broken fire hydrants. Towering trees were uprooted or snapped off. Two people in the area were killed in a house, and two in separate car crashes, Hamilton County Coroner Carl L. Parrott said. One death was on Interstate 71 northeast of the city, where the wind picked up a car and threw it into a retaining wall, said Blue Ash Lt. Rick Burdick. At least 31 people went to hospitals, most for treatment of cuts and bruises.
Decades of warming temperatures in the Antarctic have caused two ice shelves to break up and melt faster than anyone expected, scientists from Colorado and the United Kingdom said Wednesday. A warming trend in the region has caused the annual melt season to increase by two to three weeks over the last 20 years, say researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center and the British Antarctic Survey. In fact, the Larsen B and Wilkens ice sheets on the Antarctic Peninsula have lost nearly 3,000 square kilometers of their total area in the last year, according to satellite photos monitored by NSIDC.
According to the photos, the Larsen B ice shelf on the eastern side of the peninsula has continued to crumble after an initial small retreat in spring 1998. In a series of events that began in November 1998, an additional 1,714 square kilometers of shelf area caved away, said Research Associate Ted Scambos of CU-Boulder's NSIDC.
On the southwest side of the peninsula, the Wilkins ice shelf retreated nearly 1,100 square kilometers in early March of last year, said Scambos. His team and colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge had predicted the breakup would happen and had their suspicions confirmed by satellite radar images.
"The radar images showed a large area of completely shattered ice, indicating an ice front 35 kilometers back from its previous extent," said Scambos. "The sudden appearance of thousands of small icebergs suggests that the shelves are essentially broken up in place and then flushed out by storms or currents afterward."
By Glen Johnson
The Associated Press
D E N V E R, April 8 — Saturday night, the Federal Aviation Administration will try the first live test of its Year 2000 air-traffic-control computer fixes. Officials hope for a better debut than the Denver airport’s bag-shredding computerized luggage system. Late Saturday and early Sunday, the agency plans to split the computers controlling air traffic around the airport and spin the clock ahead to Jan. 1, 2000, in half of the systems. The radar systems will track both commercial flights and an FAA Lear Jet flying over Grand Junction, in western Colorado; Denver, on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains; and Colorado Springs, located to the south. During the four-hour test, technicians will check computer software changes designed to solve the Y2K problem.
Early computer programs used a two-digit format to read dates, and there has been widespread concern about problems when the year changes from “99” to “00,” which unrepaired computers may construe as 1900 instead of 2000. For safety’s sake, the FAA plane and the small amount of commercial traffic expected during the midnight hours will be tracked by air traffic control systems not participating in the exercise.
Afterward, the computers will be rejoined and tapes from both sides will be sent to the agency’s technical center in Atlantic City, N.J., for comparison. The results will be released next week.
LONDON (AP) - Global warming has speeded the melting of two Antarctic ice shelves, which lost nearly 1,100 square miles of area in the last year, U.S. and British researchers say. Researchers at the University of Colorado and the British Atlantic Survey in Cambridge say regional warming has increased the annual melt season by up to three weeks over the past two decades, putting the Larsen B and Wilkins shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula in "full retreat." Satellite photos show the Larsen B ice shelf has continued to crumble after an initial small retreat in the spring of 1998, the researchers said Wednesday. Since November, another 660 square miles of shelf area caved away. On the other side of the peninsula, the Wilkins ice shelf retreated nearly 420 square miles in early March 1998, said Ted Scambos, a research associate at the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center. He said thousands of small icebergs had appeared, suggesting "that the shelves! are essentially broken up in place and then flushed out by storms or currents afterward."
This was on the NOAA.Gov website for daily solar report (NOTICE THE SECTION I'VE HIGHLIGHTED IN BOLD & RED.) Yesterday's report was of an X-Class event. That in itself was worrisome, but this one is just plain WEIRD! Can't get any data on it either, which is very strange. Perhaps you could locate something? We are in that period when Ed Dames was calling for a solar "kill shot".
Peri Shumard-Craig
Product: Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity
Issued: 1999 Apr 07 2210 UT Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce,
NOAA, Space Environment Center and the U.S. Air Force.
JOINT USAF/NOAA REPORT OF SOLAR AND GEOPHYSICAL ACTIVITY SDF NUMBER 097 ISSUED AT 2200Z ON 07 APR 1999 IA. ANALYSIS OF SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS AND ACTIVITY FROM 06/2100Z TO 07/2100Z: SOLAR ACTIVITY WAS LOW.
REGION 8508 (N22E25) PRODUCED A C1/SF AT 07/0924Z. THIS REGION WAS STABLE BUT RETAINED MIXED MAGNETIC POLARITIES. A LONG DURATION C1 EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN 06/2335-07/0115Z. THIS EVENT WAS MOST LIKELY ASSOCIATED WITH A LARGE CORONAL MASS EJECTION FROM THE SOUTHEAST LIMB AS SEEN IN SOHO CORONAGRAPH DATA. REGION 8506 (S26W55) DECAYED AND SIMPLIFIED DURING THE PERIOD.
IB. SOLAR ACTIVITY FORECAST: SOLAR ACTIVITY SHOULD BE PREDOMINANTLY LOW FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS. REGION 8508 REMAINS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AN OCCASIONAL M-CLASS EVENT. IIA. GEOPHYSICAL ACTIVITY SUMMARY FROM 06/2100Z TO 07/2100Z: THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD RANGED FROM QUIET TO ACTIVE LEVELS. THE MOST DISTURBED PERIOD WAS FROM 07/0000-0300Z. AT THAT TIME, SOLAR WIND DATA DID NOT INDICATE A CME LIKE SIGNATURE. THIS SLIGHT DISTURBANCE APPEARED TO BE RELATED TO A CONSISTENTLY SOUTHWARD ORIENTED INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELD. ENERGETIC ELECTRON FLUXES AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT REACHED HIGH LEVELS DURING THE PERIOD.
IIB. GEOPHYSICAL ACTIVITY FORECAST: THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD SHOULD REMAIN AT QUIET TO ACTIVE LEVELS FOR 08-09 APR. A WEAK DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED ON 08 APR FROM MULTIPLE MASS EJECTIONS OBSERVED ON 04 APR.
QUIET TO UNSETTLED CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON 10 APR. THE ENERGETIC ELECTRON ENHANCEMENT AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT SHOULD DECAY TO NORMAL LEVELS IN THE NEXT 1-2 DAYS.
III. EVENT PROBABILITIES 08 APR-10 APR CLASS M 25/25/25 CLASS X 05/05/05 PROTON 05/05/05 PCAF GREEN
IV. PENTICTON 10.7 CM FLUX OBSERVED 07 APR 141 PREDICTED 08 APR-10 APR 142/143/139
90 DAY MEAN 07 APR 134
V. GEOMAGNETIC A INDICES OBSERVED AFR/AP 06 APR 006/009 ESTIMATED AFR/AP 07
APR 010/010 PREDICTED AFR/AP 08 APR-10
APR 015/012-010/012-010/010
VI. GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY PROBABILITIES 08 APR-10
APR A. MIDDLE LATITUDES ACTIVE 30/25/15
MINOR STORM 20/15/05
MAJOR-SEVERE STORM 10/05/01
B. HIGH LATITUDES ACTIVE 30/25/15
MINOR STORM 20/15/05
MAJOR-SEVERE STORM 10/10/05
TOKYO (AP) - A fairly strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 shook northern Japan at late Thursday, but police said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The Central Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered 350 miles underground near Vladivostok, a major Russian Pacific seaport. The quake registered an intensity of 2 on a Japanese scale of 1 to 7 in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, and neighboring areas. It was felt in Tokyo, 520 miles to the southeast, where tall buildings swayed noticeably.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake has occured near the Eastern Russioa -N.E. China border at 43.60N, 130.53E with a depth of 559.5km. The time of occurance was Thursday Apr 8 at 13:10:34 1999 GMT.
The following is information provided by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
This information is preliminary and subject to correction.
Time: GMT Thu Apr 8 13:10:34 1999 (EDT Thu Apr 8 09:10:34 1999) (PDT Thu Apr 8 06:10:34 1999)
Magnitude: 7.2, determined using its moment Epicenter: 43.60N, 130.53E (E. RUSSIA-N.E. CHINA BDR REG.)
Precision: A, where A is fine and D is coarse.
Depth of focus: 559.5km below sea level at the epicenter.
This earthquake was felt in southern Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size.
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) - A river of lava from Mount Cameroon seared virgin rain forest Wednesday as it streamed toward a coastal village, prompting the government to order hundreds of people to flee. The lava flow, more than a mile wide and 100 feet thick, came within a mile and a half of the village of Bakingele on Wednesday, state-run Radio Cameroon reported. Authorities say the molten, viscous rock - moving at nearly 2,000 feet per day - will reach the village's mud-and-brick houses and nearby banana plantations within four days. Cameroon's government is setting up a camp 25 miles from Bakingele to shelter its several hundred residents.
(Reuters) )The best-preserved mummies from South America’s Inca civilization ever discovered have been found on a high Argentine volcano where two girls and a boy were sacrificed 500 years ago, a U.S. scientist said Tuesday.
Two of the mummies found buried six feet under at the world’s highest archeological site in at 22,000 feet above sea level in the Andes in Salta province have remaine perfectly preserved throughout the centuries due to the extreme cold, team leader Johan Reinhard said.
Reinhard said by telephone from the city of Salta in northern Argentina, where he was preparing to return to the dig site on Mount Llullaillaco near the Chilean border. Scientists gazed through the wrappings that cover the Inca child’s face using a CAT scanner.
The Inca empire lasted only 90 years but spread from Peru as far north as Ecuador and into the southern Andes of Argentina and Chile. Based on a communal system reminiscent of communism, the Inca’s tightly controlled society collapsed after their last emperor, Atahualpa, was garroted by Spanish conquistadors in 1533.
ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland (AP) - A record-breaking spring blizzard dropped more than 30 inches of snow on Newfoundland's capital Tuesday, closing government offices and toppling power lines. Bus service was halted, the airport was closed, and non-emergency operations at hospitals and clinics were canceled. No serious injuries were reported as a result of the storm.
Location: 4.20N, 9.17E Elevation: 13,428 ft (4095 m)
Evacuation plans are being drawn up and gas masks are being distributed to the residents of three villages on the flanks of Mount Cameroon. Continued eruptions have led to the advance of lava flows towards Idenau, Batoke, and Bakingili. Lava flows may reach these villages within the next few days. Eruptions over the weekend increased the number of fissures feeding the flows from nine to 12. Over 100 homes have already been damaged or destroyed by volcanic tremors during the current eruption.
My name is Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nation, I would like to share a viewpoint about the "Ethnic Cleansing", mass killing of innocent people in Yugoslavia.
I am the Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of Peace, a gift of a sacred bundle given nineteen generations ago to my people providing guidance of teachings for assurance of Peace within our lives. The White Buffalo Calf Woman gave this gift of the Sacred Pipe providing guidance of teachings for assurance of Peace within our lives. Along with these teachings of this Sacred Pipe of Peace, has been prophecies passed down from significant people who walked their harmony. They based their lives on teachings given from sacred bundles, such as the Sacred Buffalo Calf Pipe or many other gifts of bundles and teachings from the Creator. They foretold of these times of great change, which coincide with many other Nations' archives recording their own Prophecies. The reality of the accuracy of these Prophecies which has predicted events upon Mother Earth, as well as the history of our own people, have come to pass, so we have learned to pay attention. There are foretold Prophecies of a very dark time, more significant than any other times in History. We will be at a crossroads in which a dark cloud will envelop the earth, chaos and diseases will erupt and we will witness blood from our relative's eyes. Humankind has to make a decision and have courage to make a stand for Peace, even when their relatives' minds are restrained from spiritual awareness of healing the mind. We still have a chance to choose to make a change.
Mother Earth is a living spirit that clothes, feeds and nourishes all walks of life, but when fighting erupts, the land and life cease to flourish, as well as the spirit of humankind. Mother Earth needs our help! I call upon the World to Pray at once for Peace, to make your stand spiritually, you must see the ignorance of this situation in Yugoslavia will only make us blinder to our own empowerment of making a positive change for our next generations to come. Pray with me every day at 10:00 AM Central Time for a peaceful resolution to this continuing destruction of the World. You must realize this "disease of the mind" will spread even faster, if we don't take control of our behavior. I have been initiating an event called "World Peace and Prayer Day" to bring awareness of these times by uniting the world spiritually on June 21st, praying at the sacred sites, for Global Healing, this being the fourth year to the South in Costa Rica. When this day arrives, please pilgrimage to your local sacred site and continue the daily praying that has been done at the time of 10:00 AM Central Time.
This is an invitation to the Serbian and Yugoslavian representatives to participate, whether it be in Costa Rica or at your own sacred place of prayer. Please begin to learn to understand the meaning of "Walking in harmony and Peace" in having the courage to transform our spiritual consciousness to love and compassion! This is the real challenge and courage in life. As one of our spiritual leaders, Black Elk once said, "One who walks a dark road is distracted, who is ruled by his senses and who lives for himself, rather than for his people". Please "Look upon your children, with their children in their arms, that may face the winds and walk to the day of quiet."
From which there is no beginning and no ending in the Sacred Hoop of Life, I am sending you this message of Peace from my heart and the sacred altar, may our prayers for Peace be heard, may peace with you all... Hetcetuyelo!
Mitakuye Oyasin (all my relations),
Chief Arvol Looking Horse,
19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe www.worldpeaceday.com/1999
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano shot gas and ash into the sky Tuesday, sending a huge plume drifting southwest toward villages that are home to 70,000 people. After the 7:35 a.m. explosion, public safety authorities advised nearby residents to close doors and windows and cover their drinking water reservoirs. Volcanic emissions over the last three days are the result of a buildup of lava in the interior of the crater, Anselmo Sotelo Parra, head of Civil Protection in Morelos state, told Mexico's Notimex news agency.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatoa exploded repeatedly over the weekend, spewing volcanic gases and rocks into the air, a report said Monday. The explosions occurred every three to 15 minutes on Saturday and Sunday, the official Antara news agency quoted a 20-member survey team as saying. Hot rocks rolled down the slope of the volcano, located 115 miles west of Jakarta, the capital. The report did not say whether the volcano was still exploding Monday. Anak Krakatoa - "Krakatoa's Child" - is a small volcanic island that formed earlier this century adjacent to the 5,905-foot Krakatoa, whose 1883 eruption was one of the most destructive in history, killing 36,000 people.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION CENTER World Data Center A for Seismology The following is from the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: Preliminary hypocenter for earthquake of 1999 Apr 05, NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.: latitude 5.3 degrees south, longitude 149.8 degrees east, origin time 11 07 52.7 utc, depth normal, magnitude 7.4 Mw.
This is the largest quake in this area since a magnitude 7.4 on October 16, 1987 No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size.
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangestv.com/mainmenu.htm
CINCINNATI (AP) - Families of 90 cancer patients who allege their relatives were unknowingly subjected to military-sponsored radiation experiments have reached a proposed $5 million settlement, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Saturday. The lawsuit, filed five years ago, alleged terminally ill cancer patients who sought treatment at Cincinnati General Hospital between 1960 and 1971 were given full-body and partial-body doses of radiation so that researchers could measure the effects. The facility is now known as University Hospital. The agreement was reached Friday when the last surviving patient from the study agreed to its terms.
The suit, which named the hospital and the federal government among defendants, contended many of the patients' deaths were hastened by the treatment. Researchers in the 11-year study defended their actions as attempts to cure or ease pain in the earliest days of radiation therapy. The government was included in the suit because the Defense Department paid ! $651,000 for the test results to learn about the effects of radiation exposure. On Friday, the settlement earned the approval of Donna White Christy, the study's sole survivor, who was treated for cancer at the hospital when she was a child.
Robert Newman, an attorney for about 50 of the plaintiffs, said the settlement will amount to about $50,000 for each family.
TOKYO (AP) - On a former U.S. Air Force base on the outskirts of Tokyo sits a back-up capital for Japan, a ghost town of bunker-like concrete buildings. The rooms are sparsely furnished with metal tables and chairs, the basements filled with tons of canned food and a kerosene generator large enough to power a small town. Following the catastrophic earthquake that flattened much of Kobe four years ago, Japanese officials have scrambled to prepare for what scientists say is the inevitable: a similar or even stronger quake hitting Tokyo. But while they have tried to apply the lessons learned from Kobe, where bureaucratic paralysis was blamed for needlessly inflating the death toll of 6,425, experts stress a large quake in Tokyo could pose a host of new problems. "There are a lot of things Kobe didn't prepare us for," said Hiroatsu Fukuda, a researcher at Tokyo's Waseda University. "Tokyo really isn't ready." With a population of 12 million, nine times that of Kobe, Tokyo is a dis! aster waiting to happen. The city sits on one of the most earthquake-prone spots in the world. Nearly 20 miles beneath its streets, three gigantic slabs of the Earth's crust creep in different directions at rates of barely an inch a year.
Earth Changes TV, wishes everyone the very best on this day of Easter. A time when Christians all over the world celebrate the principal of renewal. This is a time to contemplate the bigger picture. A reminder we are larger than the students we play on this earthly plain. Let us remember our capacity to rise above and transcend into our higher self's. During these troubled times of war and earth changes, I think of how I start every training I conduct for the Emergency Management Office (FEMA), "Do not think you will be able to pick up the phone and call for help from your local police or fire department (they will all be over extended). The one who will be able to come to your assistance, Will Be Your Neighbor".
Folks, these are fascinating times. Never before has science and the esoteric come so close together. Prophecies from Nostradomas, Edgar Cayce, The Bible, The Koran, The Mayans and the many current visionaries have begun to unfold. It is your perspective of these events that determine your reaction. What speaks loudest for me, comes from the Hopi Indians. They describe this time in prophecy as "The Great Purification". I, Mitch Battros, Dannion Brinkley, GMS, and Robert Morning Sky without any of us knowing the others description of these times, have all called it "The Time Of Transition". As the Hopi's say "Life will end as we know it". This does not mean all life will end, it says as we know it. Some may see this as doom and gloom. Others, like myself, see it as a very exciting time. A time to prepare as we move into our higher selves. This may give you a glimpse at why I do what I do.
This knowingness gives a special meaning to this time of Easter. (Transition)
Best Wishes To All,
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangestv.com/mainmenu.htm
___________________________________________________
God gave us the seasons --
each with its own beauty and reason,
each meant to bring us a blessing,
a joy, and a feeling of love.
Dreams -- each with its own secret,
each sent to give us feelings
of inspiration, hope, and tranquility.
Sunshine -- the rainbows and the rain,
the beauty and freedom of nature
to teach us the wisdom of gentle acceptance.
Miracles -- in our hearts and lives,
little things that happen to remind us we're alive.
Ability -- to face each new day with courage,
wisdom, and a smile
from knowing that whatever sorrow or pain we face,
He abides with us securely in our hearts.
Most of all,
God gave us friends
to teach us about love
and guide us through this world,
always available to help us forward
towards a greater understanding
and a greater sharing and giving of love.
-- Regina Hill
Happy Easter!
(AP) - With bright yellow ribbons newly laced across their hometowns, relatives and friends of three U.S. servicemen facing trial in war-torn Yugoslavia wept and prayed for their safe return. Yugoslavia said the men were invaders and would be tried Friday as criminals before a military court, despite demands from President Clinton that the soldiers be released. "Everybody is devastated. We're just praying to God he'll come out all right," said Frank Jasso, great-uncle of captive Staff Sgt. Andrew A. Ramirez. Ramirez, 24, of Los Angeles, Spc. Steven M. Gonzales, 21, of Huntsville, Texas, and Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Stone, 25, of Smiths Creek, Mich., were captured Wednesday near the Yugoslav-Macedonian border.
NEW DELHI, India (AP) - An unexpected snowfall Friday forced India's air force to cancel relief flights to remote Himalayan villages desperate for help after a powerful earthquake shook the area this week. An overcast sky throughout the region also hampered aid efforts by the military, which had managed to reach a number of towns in the rugged Himalayas that had been cut off by Monday's deadly quake. The 6.8-magnitude quake toppled homes, set off landslides and killed at least 100 people, the government said, although subsequent reports from outlying villages indicated that more than 110 people were killed.
From: Clyde Lewis clyde@earthbroadcasting.com
Ground Zero - http://www.clydelewis.com
To: Sightings
Subject: Fw: GROUND ZERO UPDATE: --April Fools day prank from Art Bell Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 18:46:15 -0700
GROUND ZERO UPDATE - April Fools day "prank" from Art Bell
Ground Zero Reported this morning that the Art Bell Web Page was hacked by the Beograd Hackers. Keith Rowland Art Bell's Webmaster has now stated that it was an April Fools "prank" devised by Bell and Himself. If this is the case, then why was it listed at http://www.2600.com as being Legit? Ground Zero mirrored the site, and so did 2600.com. The Art Bell site has now been changed.
After the announcement it seems a bit of a backlash has occurred. While Art Bell feels that using a tragedy is all in fun and is proving a point, some are not so impressed. This "prank" was not only reported on 2600.com as legit it also found it's way to the Drudge report, MSNBC and many other credible sources for information. This has developed unwittingly into a gross publicity stunt and For that Ground Zero issues an apology.
After we were made aware of the "prank" Ground Zero did some checking. We Contacted 2600.com To let them know of what had happened. We asked if it would be possible to track just who hacked what and what hacked whom. We received a prompt response from Emmanuel Goldstein. He wrote;
"There's no way to verify one way or the other since that's the nature of a hacked site. April 1st is the best date for a bogus hacked site but it's impossible to know whether or not it's a joke when we report on it unless it's clearly pointed out in the text or the source. Therefore, his saying we were "fooled" is about as accurate as fooling someone with an unloaded gun during a stickup."
Biff Macki of 2600.com responded also:
"In cases like these it's hard to know for certain who was responsible. The Art Bell "hack" is pretty suspicious.
It wouldn't make much sense for politically motivated hackers or "hacktivists" to hack a website that agrees with their message, what would be the point? The idea usually would be to hack a counter site so that people looking for the other side's opinion, are forced to hear yours instead. Also vast majority of hacked sites don't have such clean formatting, or look so pretty (they're busy trying to get into the site, not coding HTML). There are other little things like the filenames and directory structure of the graphics which make it look like an in-house job.
None of these things determine for certain one way or the other, but given that it's April Fool's day, and that he's announced that it was a joke, I'm inclined to believe him. I have sent an inquery to a group in Kosovo who may know more about the Beograd hacker scene.. We'll see if anything comes of it.
The Bottom line is whether or not you trust Art Bell. One day he says he is a Journalist, the next he is a mere entertainer relying on the maturity and wisdom of his listeners. My friend and Colleague Rob McConnell of Canada's the X-zone in statement says it best:
"If this was truly an April Fools joke - as usual it was in Art Bell Bad Taste. Remember Hale Bopp? Remember October's disappearing act? Remember the giant UFO off the coast of California in April 1997? If this is in fact a joke, it seems that it is already starting to back fire on the Father of Tabloid Journalism. Chat and Newsgroups, who usually favour Bell's brand of sensationalistic broadcast-journalism are pounding Bell for this now supposed joke. Now, where does that put Y2K and all the merchandise that Bell is flogging to his listeners? Where does the word credibility and integrity play in his vocabulary? Certainly not on his show."
A listener Comments on the Art Bell Site:
"You sick bastard! This April fools joke has got to be one of the most horrible ones I've seen yet! How dare you make fun of all the suffering? My God! Posting pictures of people with legs torn off, etc. That was not funny. You should be ashamed of yourself! You are a horrible person! All respect I've had for you and Art is now gone.
Keith, what the hell were you thinking?" We can only guess what he was thinking. That Maybe he has come to a point where he is untouchable? incorrigible? He constantly points out that he is the master of late night. With over 400 stations under his belt. With appearances on Millennium and Larry King, its easy to think that you have made it and that the whole world is banking on your every word. You hear that Art? It's the sound of radios switching off. Just a little April fools joke.
Clyde Lewis
From: Kim Burrafato lensman@stardrive.org
To: skywatch@ltlb.com Subject:
Re: (Skyopen) Art gets Hacked
Right. And if anyone out there believes a word of that Bell sh*t, then you really ARE an April Fool! The hacker net, particularly the people at 2600, said Bell's site was definitely hacked into. Once again, Bell &Co. are simply doing what they do best - lying to the public. Thank goodness for media people like Jeff Rense, who actually knows of what he speaks, and actually reads his guests' books. Bell is nothing more than an egomaniacal "entertainer"/moron, who more than likely is operating under someone else's shadowy dizinformatzia agenda. Da?
"Skywatch International Inc." wrote:
from www.artbell.com... Is this a joke like his quitting? LOL Jim
April Fools Prank During the beginning hours of April 1st, we pulled an April Fools Prank Hack on our own web site. Many of you were fooled, but we're here to tell you it was indeed posted by us. The site did not get hacked by any outside organization.
Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 11:51:47 +1000
From: vince@holon.net
To:Sightings
Subject: Art's Prank
Dear Mr Rense
I e-mailed this to Art Bell, though I thought I'd share this commentary with you as well.
Kind regards
Vincent M.
AUSTRALIA
Dear Mr Bell
Yeah, great April fool's prank. Within the context of trying to understand the reasoning behind your April Fool's joke, I find it intriguing to hear you say: "Though I do not agree in any way with what the Serbs are REPORTED to be doing, it is none of our damn business", saying that if the bombings are part of the NWO, then you want no part of it. And yet later on, you say: "If we must act beyond our own borders, then let us help those displaced by the madness". We ARE involved, Mr Bell, by mere fact that we are witnesses to the event, regardless of whether bombings occur or not. And by helping those "displaced by the madness", then we need to go beyond our own borders, our boundaries and if necessary, our own comfort zones.
Kosovo is not just about political or ethnic ideologies, Mr Bell. It is about nation being concerned about nation, and about concern for our fellow human-beings. It is also about understanding what is appropriate action to take when we do witness carnage and evidence of ethnic cleansing. Kosovo, like the Gulf War, is also about media propaganda. We see it every day, and it shields us from understanding where the real origins of these conflicts lie. The ethnic war is just a front and an excuse used by those hidden ones who pull the strings and desire and strategize for a certain outcome. Those 'hidden' ones would prefer that our attention be dispersed and yet glued to the veneer of the situation, so that hopefully as many of us remain so horrified, confused or dazed that we just don't want to know any more about it, let alone understand it by scratching below the surface. In that light, Kosovo is about understanding and a prod for many of us to 'wake up', and your prank doesn't assist that cause. Whatever point you chose to make, dressing the plight of the these displaced Kosovan groups as a prank has only added its quota to the mass profusion of confusion already present. Why not be a voice that fosters understanding and clarity, instead of sensationalism.
Yeah, great joke, Art!
Subject: Art Bell's Attempt to Cover his Site's Poor Site Security
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 17:46:45 -0500
From: "'X' Zone Radio" xzone@610cktb.com
Organization: The 'X' Zone
Is Art Bell trying to cover the fact that his "secure server" had not been
hacked? Art Bell posted the following article on his website, in, what many
believe is a desperate attempt to save face. However, Hackers website, www.2600.com
listed Bell's site as being hacked and independent sources also concur the same.
If on the other hand this was truly an April Fools joke - as usual it was in
Art Bell Bad Taste. Remember Hale Bopp? Remember October's disappearing act?
Remember the giant UFO off the coast of California in April 1997? If this is
in fact a joke, it seems that it is already starting to back fire on the Father
of Tabloid Journalism. Chat and Newsgroups, who usually favour Bell's brand
of sensationalistic broadcast-journalism are pounding Bell for this now supposed
joke. Where does the word credibility and integrity play in his vocabulary?
Certainly not on his show.
By Mitch Ratcliffe MSNBC What exactly will happen on April 1st, As Canada and New York open Y2K fiscal years, the public will get its first taste of millennium bug pain or any other Y2K critical date this year? No one knows. Of course, no one can tell you what telephone connection will be the next one cut by a backhoe, which accounting application will encounter an error, or the score of the Gonzaga University basketball game, either. But, it is possible to make some educated guesses.
This Week, ZDY2K and MSNBC introduce you to the issues surrounding April 1st, when the first major fiscal calendars roll over into 2000. It’s a date that will give some solid indications about the nature of Y2K problems, because for many financial systems, it is the beginning of the year “00.” Based on the progress of Y2K remediation in New York and Canada, there are several hotspots where problems will, if they are going to happen at all, erupt with sufficient severity that the public will feel the impact. For the most part, problems will be contained and corrected before they cause problems visible to the outside world — the kind of day-to-day processing problems IT professionals deal with may increase, but they will be fixed without major incident because these governments are aware of the potential for errors on or around April 1.
