______________________________ November 14 09

Greenland - Ice Is Not Nice

It is said by highly unreliable sources that Greenland and Iceland were named by Viking explorers for devious reasons.

Eric the Red, it is said, had been banished because of "some killings" and went a'sailing in a long boat. They had to be long because there were no short Vikings.

In his travels, he and his whip-lashed crew discovered two territories (possibly more - perhaps even Canada or Maine).

Thinking up ways to make a dollar or a kronin Eric studied these places and pretty soon had returned to wherever he came from and started selling off land in faraway places. But he knew already that one of them would be a hard sell if the truth were known, because it was covered in ice at least 50 longboat lengths in depth.

Having nothing better to do on the trip home (except whip his crew) he pondered the gullibility of humans and decided if he called it "Green" land it would sound terribly attractive.

So he did, and the place was quickly sold off, which should really qualify him for the First Prize in Spin.

On the other hand, he intended to retire to a much nicer spot, and he didn't want to be bothered with too many neighbors. So he called the other place "Ice" land - and retired there with six wives and a long boat stocked with rum.

They lived happily ever after, dancing in bare feet on warm soil and bathing daily in the healing geothermal waters that bubbled merrily everywhere because "Ice"land was warmed by a number of volcanoes.

Now whatever the truth of that little ramble, it's the Greenland ice - or what's left of it - that we should be thinking about these days.

Keep in mind that there is a lot of misinformation around (ever since Eric the Red) but if you're not as gullible as those who bought his story about "Green" land, you're probably astute enough to realize that where there's ice there's water.

Which brings us to one of today's stories

"Greenland’s ice mass is melting at a quicker pace than previously believed and consequently adding more water to the oceans, reports Science magazine 13 November.

"The increased run-off will cause the sea-level to rise by more than was estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2007 projection for 2100."

Imagine that. The IPCC projection was just another number-plucking exercise.

Now imagine this. While "they" focus on ice melt causing sea levels to rise, "they" haven't yet connected the dots sufficiently to figure out that the cold Greenland ice water is a major contributor to the slow-down of the Atlantic Current.

When that stops - well, can you imagine Europe suddenly covered in snow - for a l.o.o.o.n.g time...as in, having a climate similar to that in Siberia?

Speaking from over 40 years acquaintance with the media, I can say without hesitation that whatever stories are being presented about sea level rise, are NOT the full story.

Oddly enough, it's okay for Hollywood to spend $200 million making the ultimate cataclysm film (2012, which opened in theaters tonight) - but it is "not okay" for your daily spin machine to ask questions about what will inevitably happen when the Greenland ice water stalls the Atlantic current.

But now you know - straight from the Knight House.

Talking of spinning the numbers, or number-plucking.

The CDC has done it again.

The Associated Press reports tonight that the CDC now says "Swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans since April and killed about 540 children."

A few pars down: "The estimate of child deaths may seem especially surprising, considering the CDC's conservative count of lab-confirmed pediatric deaths a week ago was 129."

Let's see. 540 - 129 = 411.

Hmmm.....411 deaths in the past week?

Nope.

Just some different number-plucking by the CDC - which by the way refused to give any numbers at all to a CBS investigative crew that recently discovered that as much as 80 per cent of reported flu cases in the past few months were not really any sort of flu at all.

Trust me...I'm from the CDC...via Glaxo-Smith-Klein et al.

Earthquakes

The USGS world map of earthquakes in the past seven days is constantly being updated.

Or you can see the full world wide table and locations here.

Mayon Volcano Has Gas

The Manila Standard Today is reporting that disaster officials are ready for Mt. Mayon to erupt.

It spat a kilometer high ash cloud over nine villages this week, prompting hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate in case it blows again.

About 30,000 people were evacuated when Mayon last erupted in 2006.

(Non-trivial question: Did you know that when Krakatoa blew in the late 1800s, it affected the global weather for at least three years...and up to 90 per cent of the cattle on some of the biggest ranches in Nevada died in just one severe winter. Lots of people starved too).

And that was just ONE volcano....several thousand miles away from Nevada.

You oughta see the map of the world and all the undersea volcanoes that Brooks Agnew presented in Contact Has Begun.

It would make you really get serious about Basic Preparedness...the book and three DVDs that condense 30 years' experience into a time-saving plan of action that could get you prepared for anything (no matter how well the nay-sayers tell you things are).

Floods - Life Death And Misery

One of the worst things I ever heard in a newsroom was a statement by an Editor (selecting the lead story for that night's bulletin) that "one dead New Zealander is worth five dead Aussies, 10 dead Yanks and a hundred Pakistanis." (See why I eventually quit ?).

But that's the way news is rated all over the world. Editors start locally, then nationally, and after that, internationally.

Earth Change Report is different. This is about the Earth we live on...not the street.

So let's contrast two stories out today - one in the USA, and the other from India. You decide which one says more about Earth Changes.

An Associated Press Report, with pictures: "A drenching, wind-driven rain lashed much of the Atlantic seaboard Thursday, flooding streets, closing schools, roads and bridges and causing at least five deaths."

All caused by the remains of Hurricane Ida, which is now heading out to sea.

But In India...

"Indian farmers had been praying for rain after the weakest monsoon season in 40 years had left their crops stricken by drought.

"But when the rains finally came, forceful and incessant at six times their normal levels, they left behind the worst floods southern India had seen in more than a century.

"Weather officials blamed the heavy rains in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh on a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal.

"So far, over 250 people have died in flooding made worse when officials were forced to open dams for fear they might burst.

"Some 1,500 relief camps have been set up for the estimated 2.5 million people who were displaced as the raging water destroyed entire villages, washing away roads, bridges, crops and livestock."

Y'see, if you insist on only taking in the local or national news, you sure as heck are going to miss what's really going on right under your feet...on the other side of the world...right now.

That's what Earth Changes are about...strange weather...floods...storms...droughts...and your Spin Meister on your Idiot Box is only keeping you informed with a dollop of fact...and a spin of fiction...or at least, not all the facts that you need to evaluate for yourself.

Aliens And The Vatican

?The next edition of New Earth Alerts (subscribe here) is going to search for aliens in the Vatican...or is it Christians in space...or maybe it should be something about how "The Church" is groping and coping with the idea that God might have allowed life to exist on other worlds.

Must be a tough call, knowing there are billions of galaxies out there, and gazillions of suns, which means how many planets? All waiting for that mythical single cell amoeba to get things started (yes, science does have its unquestioned myths). Or perhaps there's another Garden of Eden under development out there someplace and things will go better this time?

Perhaps we should send them a copy of "Contact Has Begun" to help them catch up?

On second thoughts, perhaps not. One of the speakers in the documentary used to be an adviser to The Pope (the one before Ratzinger) ... but he quit.

Not to worry though. The Pope is ready to take on married Anglican priests to fill some gaps in in his church's ranks.

And if you think that might be just a little abnormal after 2000 years of enforced priestly celibacy (what?) just go read what The Pope says today's "specific norms" really are....(really strange)....

Anyway, New Earth Alerts is the paid newsletter that goes beyond merely recording Earth Changes.

In it we look ahead, beyond 2012, to a "New Earth" - the one we'll be left with after the old has passed away - if I may use something I recall from my long-gone days of being a short-term ordained minister....until I quit to go on a search for God.

Not that I'd ever again want to 'convert' anyone to anything...except perhaps the realization that C.S. Lewis was right when he said something like "you do not have a soul. You are a soul. And you have a body."

Now there's something that makes Thanksgiving worth celebrating.

Have a good one.

Pedal To The Metal

Quick update on my new venture and appointment as a certified installer for Gadgetman Technologies.

Have been getting some interesting data from doing this special throttle body modification on a variety of vehicles.

The plan is to improve mileage, performance and engine life...as well as reducing pollution substantially through the extra clean fuel burn that results.

Most have had an instant power increase...which is great....and the best news is that some of them are showing great improvements in fuel economy.

Better yet, I've been fortunate to hook up with Joe Keeslar Automotive in Rainier Washington, and we're able to use Joe's shop and 20 years' auto repair experience to git 'er done.

And it's at a special rate for a short time if you can cite this newsletter as your source.

email me for details...and please include your location and phone number. editor@buycontacthasbegun.com

PS - Gadgetman Technologies is looking for people throughout the US and world-wide who are interested in becoming certified installers. Full traqining - and good money. If you like the idea of helping to clean up the planet, email me for details.

Again...Thanksgiving is coming up.

Have a Good One.

And BTW - I started a sort of blog page for you to jump into and discuss the movie 2012...and Earth Changes. It's not one of those moderated things either...just have at it...go there...meet people...plan your Thanksgiving party for 2013:-)

You'll have earned it.

Sincerely.

Michael Knight

Editor

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