Starfish Prime, Dominic I and II: Fishbowl Films

Too few realize that the US military/political "electorate" and science-for-pay community are criminally insane -- they think they're "heroes" who are "just doing their job" through mass murder.  The Fishbowl series of nuclear explosions in outer space should change these peoples' minds, but probably won't.

In 1962, these "heroes" decided it was logical to set-off a series of atomic explosions in outer space, as well as within the Earth's atmosphere -- to, you know, find out what would happen if they did.  Probably a bit like stickin' a firecracker in a fishbowl, right?  That kind of "hold my beer Science" is bad enough but, when you're dealing with these pathological "heroes" and their G.O.D., it only ever gets worse:

Some evidence suggests that, by the time they were shooting the Fishbowl Films, the US had already established a military base on the moon.

Could it be that the Starfish Prime exercises, Dominic I and II, were designed to see what kind of atmospheric changes would take place if they repeatedly launched nuclear-powered, space-capable vehicles from the "Fishbowl" climate of Earth into outer space?

UPDATE:  Sorry the formatting for this is so wonky.  I'm trying a few things but I can't see exactly how they're going to look live until I publish them.  Thanks!

© The Weirding, 2019

PHOTO: The Gurdon Light - Gurdon, Arkansas

Gurdon Light

The Gurdon Light is one of the better-known, and examined, cases of "ghost lights."  First reported in Gurdon, Arkansas (US) around 1931, the Gurdon Light is seen over the railroad tracks in the small town in Clark County, Arkansas.  It is clearly visible, and attracts flocks of spectators -- especially around Halloween.

This photograph was taken in 1994 by the immensely popular US TV show, Unsolved Mysteries (see sidebar).  It was one of the first photos of the phenomenon considered "credible" by the scientific community.  Other photographs and footage of The Gurdon Light captured both before and since 1994 have taken on added significance, but I chose this one due to its historical import (and Fair Use).

Ghost Lights go by many names, including faery fires and corpse candles, and have been seen across the world for centuries.  They seem to be most prolific in Welsh legend, but are far from unique to the UK.  Prevailing theories explaining the Ghost Lights phenomenon include magnetic fields, mineral deposits, and the infamous "swamp gas."  While some instances are known to be manufactured (usually by, and for, criminal means), there is no official explanation for Ghost Lights.

Arkansas' Gurdon Light remains unexplained.

© The Weirding, 2018

Amazon River Lowest in 40 Years

The Amazon River, the second-longest river in the world (after the Nile), is at its lowest point in 40 years, beating the previous record set just five years ago.  Six cargo boats have been grounded near the Peruvian city, Iquitos.  Smaller boats capable of navigating the exposed mudbanks have been forced to bring in food and supplies.  Many cities, such as Iquitos, have no inland roads and depend on the Amazon as their transportation route.

The river's low level is due to a severe drought that is not expected to lift until the rainy season starts next month.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Stonehenge Hosts Record Crowd for Summer Solstice

Stonehenge Summer Solstice (2015)

A record-setting 36,500 people were at Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice this past Sunday. Area roads were gridlocked and the main road (A303) was closed due to traffic. English Heritage, the company which runs Stonehenge, said some 6500 cars were parked in the designated visitors' area two hours before dawn. A 200 tent limit in the Avebury Ring was in place, following complaints by neighbors concerning the number of visitors in 2008. There were also more security guards and police than in previous years.

Celebrants danced to Druidic drums in the overcast dawn, while others participated in ceremonies to mark the event. English Heritage issued a warning about drug use (quoted below) and limited alcohol to four cans of beer or one bottle of wine per person. Authorities said there would be a zero-tolerance approach to drug use and drunkenness, but only 37 arrests were made (mostly for drug possession and minor disorder). According to both spokespeople for the company and individual attendees, the event was "enjoyable" and everyone was in a "jovial mood."

Summer Solstice is not a good time to experiment with drugs - the crowd, the noise and the sheer size of the place are likely to make any bad reaction much, much worse.

The event has become more popular since a four-mile exclusion zone around Stonehenge was lifted four years ago.

Though Stonehenge was used for many things by many peoples throughout history, Stonehenge was originally a sundial and calendar, likely constructed by the Hyksos around the same time as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The Oceans' Waves Can Power the World

Scientists from the University of Michigan claim a new device, based on the way fish swim, is capable of generating energy from slow-moving currents - enough to effectively power the entire world! Turbines, water mills, and other, existing technologies which generate hydroelectric power rely on currents moving 5+ knots; most of the Earth's rivers and oceans move at ≤ 1 knot (or about 1 mph). Further, the new method is cheaper than even solar- and wind-generated energy!

US governmental grants paid for the research used to develop the Vivace ("vortex-induced vibrations for aquatic clean energy") system, which is a system of cylinders and springs set horizontally to the water flow. The cylinders create vortices from the flow, which propels them up and down. The energy created is then converted into electricity.

The system creates just over 50 watts in a cubic yard (meter), and this amount increases dramatically with more cylinders or faster currents. A field of cylinders about the size of a two-story home could generate enough power to run 100,000 homes, while a few stacked in a short ladder could power a single lighthouse. It would require 50x less space than current technology and cost significantly less, to boot. Further, Vivace is less harmful to the environment and aquatic fauna.

The movements harnessed with the Vivace system were first observed by Leonardo DaVinci some 500 years ago. "If we could harness 0.1 per cent of the energy in the ocean, we could support the energy needs of 15 billion people," said one scientist.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Dead Power the Living

Santa Coloma de Gramanet in Spain (near Barcelona) placed nearly 500 solar panels over its cemetery. While some were at first reluctant (um, living people - the dead did not make much of a fuss), relatives of those buried there warmed to the idea following a publicity campaign. Now the city plans to expand the project and add even more panels.

As it happens, the cemetery was the best choice, as it was one of the only open, sunny places in the area. The panels generate enough power for about 60 homes. The addition of new panels will effectively triple this.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Environmentally-Conscious Clubbers?

WATT is a club based on environmentally-sound ideals and practices. For example, the drinks are stored in tanks at basement level which keep them cool and reduce the amount of cooling needed, and the drinks are served in recyclable containers. But WATT goes so much further.

The dancefloor lights become more animated as the dancefloor itself does; the more activity on the floor, the wilder the light show becomes. And rainwater showers through tubes in the bathroom as the user urinates (well, they say it's "rainwater").

WATT is one of a new breed of environmentally-friendly entertainment venues that seeks to incorporate environmentally-sound concepts into the structure of its architecture and operation. While the idea is to attract more environmentally-aware customers, the ideas are solid, regardless the venue or audience to be attracted.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

BMW Builds Cloth Car

From the vaults o' the bookmarks comes this gem I flagged a few weeks back: BMW's GINA Light Visionary Model has an exterior made of cloth!

The polyurethane-coated fiber is stretched over a movable wire mesh frame, allowing the driver to literally custom-shape his car according to his whim. The engine is accessed by "ripping" the hood down the middle - even the seats and dashboard can be molded into form as the owner wishes!

BMW notes there is a practical point to this concept, as well: the fibrous material is both lighter and more rigid than traditional car body metals. It is more fuel-efficient and requires less energy to produce. The frame provides all the safety features you expect from a more traditional model, as well.

The GINA is on display at the BMW museum in Munich, but won't be hitting showroom floors anytime soon.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Community Paints Poo

Volunteers in Nottinghamshire are being given pink dye with which they are expected to spray dog poo owners did not pick up and dispose of properly.

While there is a £50 ($100) fine for such negligent dog-walkers, the council notes they cannot afford enough officers to enforce it well enough for it to prove a useful deterrent. They are hoping the pink, bio-degradable dye will shame dog-walkers into disposing their dog's poop the right way.

Not to mention making it more visible to those who might step in it.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Bush Asks for Lift on Drilling Ban

President Bush today asked Congress to lift a 27-year ban on offshore drilling in order to lessen America's reliance on foreign oil sources.

Calling the bans "outdated and counter-productive," the President said there was "no excuse for delay." The drilling would help alleviate grossly-inflated gas prices; Americans are paying over $4.00/gallon nationwide. Environmentalists responded that drilling would take at least 10 years to have any effect.

Well, then we should have started 10 years ago, dummies!

Obviously, we need to expand our energy sources - which I have been calling for my entire life - but there is no real reason not to drill for oil on our own property, and every reason to start. After all, no alternative energy source(s) are going to have a major impact for at least as long! In the meantime, automobiles and other, fossil fuel-dependent machinery will have to be slowly phased-out. Drilling for oil now lessens the impact of switching to cleaner forms of energy, lessens our dependence on foreign sources, and makes good use of our independent resources. Further, in years to come, we can improve our GNP by selling our own reserves!

Yes, some of this idea boils down to greed and some of it can be chalked-up to political posturing, but you simply can't have it both ways: no matter what Bush does at this point, he is going to be crucified for his decision.

Regardless, I am MR. Environmentally-sound and even I support drilling for oil on our own land. It does not mean we have to drill every tract of oil-rich land, nor set fire to the oceans once they're tapped-out; a middle-ground approach (often called "compromise") is almost always the best course.

And the environmentalists who so vehemently oppose this idea are largely opposed to it for purely political reasons, themselves.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The H-Car is Here!

Image by BBQ Junkie via FlickrJapanese car manufacturer, Honda, will release 200 hydrogen-fueled cars over the next three years. Actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, will be among the first to own one, but the rest will be available for leasing.

The FCX Clarity is a four-seater car which runs on electricity generated by combining hydrogen and oxygen. It emits steam and gets 3x better fuel-efficiency than gas-powered automobiles.

While these cars sound more environmentally-friendly, critics note that hydrogen is expensive to produce and the most common production method is from fossil fuels. One of the impedances of these cars is a lack of hydrogen fueling stations; California is where the first will be released because of the proximity of such stations.

The BBC has a fantastic explanation of how the engine works, replete with a handy-dandy graphic. The cars will lease for about $600/month and will soon be available in Japan; none will be available for sale.

While this is a great step forward, the larger innovation is that these were created on the first assembly line dedicated to hydrogen-fueled vehicles!

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Meteorite Impact Discovered in Scotland

Researchers believe they have discovered the site where a crater may have hit the Scotland Isles some 1.2 billion years ago.

Unexplained rock formations in the area were previously thought to have been caused by volcanic activity, but the lack of a volcano puzzled investigators. Clinical analysis of some of the surrounding rock discovered the presence of the element, iridium, most often associated with extra-terrestrial activity. 

While collecting the evidence was an arduous and time-consuming task, researchers eventually came to the conclusion that the all the baffling evidence could mean only one thing: A meteorite struck the British Isles a little over a billion years ago!

The only other impact site in the area lay beneath the sea, and many question its origins.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

First True "Green City" Begun

Masdar City is to be the first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. But opponents insist it will become a playground for the rich and is only a smokescreen to hide sponsoring nation, Abu Dhabi's, environmental irresponsibility.

Masdar City is an 8-year project that will cost over $20 billion. When finished, it will house 50,000 people and 1500 businesses. The city will be powered mostly by solar panels and transportation will be provided by pods on magnetic tracks. Water will be provided by solar-powered desalination plants and the design of the buildings will provide occupants with natural air conditioning from wind towers. The city will need ¹/₄ the amount of energy of communities of a similar size and 60% less water.

The project has the support of the WWF.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Smoky Haze

When I woke up this morning, it looked overcast.   I couldn't tell if it was humidity or heat, but I didn't want to be out in the middle of it.  Needless to say, by a little after noon, I had to be.

The first thing I noticed when I left the house was the smell: Something was burning, but I couldn't tell what.  It smelled like paper burning or maybe garbage.  I was afraid because I live in an apartment complex, but I knew that there would at least be smoke alarms going off, if not any firetrucks in the parking lot.  I looked and looked, but it was obvious from the kids running around and people coming and going that nothing was going on around where I live, so I left.

The haze was everywhere.   I had to drive about 3-4 miles down the road to the store and the haze was all across the roads.  When I got to the store, the smoke was as far up and down the highway as I could see.  Making my purchase, I looked down at the newsstand and noticed on the front page of the local paper where an old gymnasium had burned to the ground.  I didn't look at the story too hard, but I immediately asked, "Is that where all this smoke came from?"

The woman's eyes lit up and she said, "No! They said on the Nashville radio station that it was being blown up this way from the wildfires in Georgia!"

I was a little stunned.  Georgia is at least 2-3 hours from here at the closest and I had no idea the fires were nearby!  The reports I'd heard had said they were between Florida and Georgia, which I assumed meant they were on the far side of the latter state, and that's quite a ways from here!

I guess I just didn't realize how great the fires were nor how far smoke could travel.   It really wakes you up to the whole global warming issue and puts a lot of other things into perspective, as well.

Everyone's so concerned with how technology and the Web have "made the world a smaller place," but something like this really reminds you that the world isn't an infinite landscape.  Of course, intellectually, we all know this, but emotionally, I think it's easy to forget just how small the world really is.  When you look at a map and see all the distant lands, all the countries you've never even heard of, all the places you'll never visit, everything seems so far away.

By late afternoon, the haze had cleared away and it no longer smelled of smoke, but the whole thing really set my little gerbil wheel in motion.

American Ice Age?

Scientists have found evidence across North America suggesting there was some kind of cosmic explosion around 13,000 years ago which may have wiped-out the first Stone Age culture and created the Laurentide Ice sheet, which covered thousands of square miles of North America.

They think the explosion may have occurred in the atmosphere or the ice sheet may have erased the crater.  The evidence they do have will be revealed at a meeting in Mexico later this week, but includes the fact that layers of sediment in over 20 North American locations contain "exotic" materials, such as nanodiamonds, tiny spheres of glass and carbon, and levels of iridium too high to have come from Earth.  This would have brought about the period known as the Younger Dryas.

This event is thought to have caused the extinction of the giant land mammals, including the giant sloth and the woolly mammoth.

Freshwater Concerns Plague WWF

No, not the rasslin outfit (that changed its name to WWE); the World Wildlife Foundation. They have released a report indicating as many as ten of the world's most important rivers are in danger from such diverse factors as damming, pollution, biodiversity, and over extension as water sources. Rivers include the Nile and the Rio Grande, among others.

The WWF is urging world governments to take more consideration of freshwater sources - not just as a natural resource, but as a true environmental and human concern, as well as a matter of national security! These factors have led to a "river crisis" which could have great effects on much of humanity. The report was released in advance of World Water Day (the 22^nd).

Of course, this was drafted about 5 days ago, before the modem blew on my box...