Life Get your food and your Mayan calendars ready for 2012. - Page 2

**Rain Man** · 01-08-2009, 06:21 PM

The History Channel had some show on the other day about a set of Nostradamus drawings that were recently discovered, and as much as I like to pshaw at such things, they still freak me out. These guys were interpreting the drawings and talking about how 2012 is really going to be a problem with famines and giant energy waves coming from the center of the galaxy and a celestial eclipse with the Milky Way that has some disastrous portent, and Nostradamus predicting an eclipse so long that people will think the sun will never return, and the Mayans ending their calendar and the Hopis reporting the arrival of the "blue star" in that year, and it discomforts me. And then I read this.

I think maybe I'll store up some peanut butter and water in about 2011.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478024,00.html

Report: Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months
Thursday, January 08, 2009

By Robert Roy Britt

A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm.

Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation.

The prediction is based in part on major solar storm in 1859 caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires.

It was perhaps the worst in the past 200 years, according to the new study, and with the advent of modern power grids and satellites, much more is at risk.

"A contemporary repetition of the [1859] event would cause significantly more extensive (and possibly catastrophic) social and economic disruptions," the researchers conclude.

'Command and control might be lost'

When the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, it can unleash powerful magnetic storms that disable satellites, threaten astronaut safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth.

The worst storms can knock out power grids by inducing currents that melt transformers.

Modern power grids are so interconnected that a big space storm — the type expected to occur about once a century — could cause a cascade of failures that would sweep across the United States, cutting power to 130 million people or more in this country alone, the new report concludes.

Such widespread power outages, though expected to be a rare possibility, would affect other vital systems.

"Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on," the report states.

Outages could take months to fix, the researchers say. Banks might close, and trade with other countries might halt.

"Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost," write the researchers, led by Daniel Baker, director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

"Whether it is terrestrial catastrophes or extreme space weather incidents, the results can be devastating to modern societies that depend in a myriad of ways on advanced technological systems," Baker said in a statement released with the report.

Stormy past

Solar storms have had significant effects in modern time:

— In 1989, the sun unleashed a tempest that knocked out power to all of Quebec, Canada.

— A remarkable 2003 rampage included 10 major solar flares over a two-week period, knocking out two Earth-orbiting satellites and crippling an instrument aboard a Mars orbiter.

"Obviously, the sun is Earth's life blood," said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics division at NASA. "To mitigate possible public safety issues, it is vital that we better understand extreme space weather events caused by the sun's activity."

"Space weather can produce solar storm electromagnetic fields that induce extreme currents in wires, disrupting power lines, causing wide-spread blackouts and affecting communication cables that support the Internet," the report states. "Severe space weather also produces solar energetic particles and the dislocation of the Earth's radiation belts, which can damage satellites used for commercial communications, global positioning and weather forecasting."

Rush to prepare

The race is on for better forecasting abilities, as the next peak in solar activity is expected to come around 2012.

While the sun is in a lull now, activity can flare up at any moment, and severe space weather — how severe, nobody knows — will ramp up a year or two before the peak.

Some scientists expect the next peak to bring more severe events than other recent peaks.

"A catastrophic failure of commercial and government infrastructure in space and on the ground can be mitigated through raising public awareness, improving vulnerable infrastructure and developing advanced forecasting capabilities," the report states. "Without preventive actions or plans, the trend of increased dependency on modern space-weather sensitive assets could make society more vulnerable in the future."

The report was commissioned and funded by NASA. Experts from around the world in industry, government and academia participated. It was released this week.

KChiefs1 · 01-08-2009, 08:52 PM

The Earth will pass into a new realm of reality on December 22nd 2012.

Fish · 01-08-2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishpicker

and what to do when those 20 years have passed?

Baby steps.......

Adept Havelock · 01-08-2009, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishpicker

and what to do when those 20 years have passed?

We'll all be dead from mutant squid babies, IIRC.

**RNR** · 01-08-2009, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsMan

shotguns and rifles, stock up! you can loot the ammo at just about any farm

Right! try to rob the guys who have and have had guns their entire life. Great plan!

Frazod · 01-08-2009, 09:06 PM

If the Mayans were so good at predicting things, why didn't they predict the arrival of the Spanish?

I'm calling bullshit.

Still waiting for the New Madrid quake predicted in the early 90s and all the computers to explode on Y2K.

**RealSNR** · 01-08-2009, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

If the Mayans were so good at predicting things, why didn't they predict the arrival of the Spanish?

I'm calling bullshit.

Still waiting for the New Madrid quake predicted in the early 90s and all the computers to explode on Y2K.

Yeah. There was supposed to be a polar shift similar to what they're describing on the History Channel in around March 2000 I think. It was one of those bullshit, "scientists say it MIGHT happen..."

**RealSNR** · 01-08-2009, 09:13 PM

Also, since when does the History Channel do stuff about armegeddon-type situations? That's not history

Fish · 01-08-2009, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Also, since when does the History Channel do stuff about armegeddon-type situations? That's not history

They've been doing a lot of this type of programming lately. Even so far as the disclaimer at the beginning of the program saying the following is "theory" and very debatable, and the viewer should make up their own mind...

**Rain Man** · 01-08-2009, 09:32 PM

I was going to mention that. I watched this show assuming that it was going to be pretty scientific and neutral, and instead it was talking about all this armageddon stuff while showing pictures of floods and famines and radioactive clouds. It was discomfitting.

Thinking about these sorts of things gets to me for some reason. I think about things like a giant wave of energy that we can't even detect coming at us at the speed of light, and one minute we're typing on Chiefsplanet and the next minute all of Planet Earth is writhing in agony with third-degree burns, and I feel like we're all just lucky by surviving from one minute to the next. There's stuff going on the universe where we're nothing but germs living on the lip of a giant Listerine bottle.

**Iowanian** · 01-08-2009, 09:43 PM

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

Load up on water treatment pills, firewood, dry beans, salt matches and ammo.

beavis · 01-08-2009, 09:51 PM

This stuff is good for entertainment value.

I'm more afraid of the government than I am this actually happening.

bowener · 01-08-2009, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

If the Mayans were so good at predicting things, why didn't they predict the arrival of the Spanish?

I'm calling bullshit.

Still waiting for the New Madrid quake predicted in the early 90s and all the computers to explode on Y2K.

Actually, they did... to the day.

They called him Kukulcan, who was a white bearded god from the East, that originally assisted them in setting up their civilization; Thought to be a survivor of Atlantis.

They also predicted that there was a massive black hole at the center of the Milkyway. Scientists just figured that out within the last 20 years.

The wonderful thing about this is, that if people actually read what scholars have translated, Mayans do not predict an end to the world at all, but rather a changing over to a new world, leaving behind the one that we know now. Perhaps we will be less materialistic and self-centered by nature and become more altruistic or something. Of course all the signs of today's societies point to us becoming more materialistic and self centered or an egoist style of thinking.

edit:

Also, do not forget that there calendar is actually far more accurate than the modern day calendar we use. Ancient cultures weren't stupid. They didn't center their lives around toys or entertainment. They had to work to survive and their religions were everything, entirely, so they spent countless years (centuries) mapping everything out and finding the patterns, of which there are many in nature.

Imagine what our scientists could discover if the Govt centered everything around NASA, and gave them $1 trillion a year in research funding. Last I knew, NASA got less than $500 million.

Frazod · 01-08-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowener

Actually, they did... to the day.

They called him Kukulcan, who was a white bearded god from the East, that originally assisted them in setting up their civilization; Thought to be a survivor of Atlantis.

But that was WRONG.

If I predict Fred's going to show up on Wednesday, and on Wednesday Bob shows up, I'm still wrong. Even if I get confused and call him Fred.

**Rain Man** · 01-08-2009, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

Still waiting for the New Madrid quake predicted in the early 90s and all the computers to explode on Y2K.

Due to careful preparation, I survived both the New Madrid Quake and Y2K. I am invincible.

**J Diddy** · 01-08-2009, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Due to careful preparation, I survived both the New Madrid Quake and Y2K. I am invincible.

must have been the duct tape

View Poll Results: What do you think about this stuff? Check all that apply.
I think Nostradamus knows what he's talking about.	5	11.90%
I think ancient civilizations know something we don't.	10	23.81%
I have a bridge to sell to people who believe this stuff.	20	47.62%
I have a bridge to sell, but I'll still put some peanut butter in the basement.	13	30.95%
I think, therefore I'm ham.	8	19.05%
I don't get paid to think.	9	21.43%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 42. You may not vote on this poll

01-08-2009, 06:21 PM
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3048491 VARSITY	Get your food and your Mayan calendars ready for 2012. The History Channel had some show on the other day about a set of Nostradamus drawings that were recently discovered, and as much as I like to pshaw at such things, they still freak me out. These guys were interpreting the drawings and talking about how 2012 is really going to be a problem with famines and giant energy waves coming from the center of the galaxy and a celestial eclipse with the Milky Way that has some disastrous portent, and Nostradamus predicting an eclipse so long that people will think the sun will never return, and the Mayans ending their calendar and the Hopis reporting the arrival of the "blue star" in that year, and it discomforts me. And then I read this. I think maybe I'll store up some peanut butter and water in about 2011. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478024,00.html Report: Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months Thursday, January 08, 2009 By Robert Roy Britt A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm. Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation. The prediction is based in part on major solar storm in 1859 caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires. It was perhaps the worst in the past 200 years, according to the new study, and with the advent of modern power grids and satellites, much more is at risk. "A contemporary repetition of the [1859] event would cause significantly more extensive (and possibly catastrophic) social and economic disruptions," the researchers conclude. 'Command and control might be lost' When the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, it can unleash powerful magnetic storms that disable satellites, threaten astronaut safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth. The worst storms can knock out power grids by inducing currents that melt transformers. Modern power grids are so interconnected that a big space storm — the type expected to occur about once a century — could cause a cascade of failures that would sweep across the United States, cutting power to 130 million people or more in this country alone, the new report concludes. Such widespread power outages, though expected to be a rare possibility, would affect other vital systems. "Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on," the report states. Outages could take months to fix, the researchers say. Banks might close, and trade with other countries might halt. "Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost," write the researchers, led by Daniel Baker, director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. "Whether it is terrestrial catastrophes or extreme space weather incidents, the results can be devastating to modern societies that depend in a myriad of ways on advanced technological systems," Baker said in a statement released with the report. Stormy past Solar storms have had significant effects in modern time: — In 1989, the sun unleashed a tempest that knocked out power to all of Quebec, Canada. — A remarkable 2003 rampage included 10 major solar flares over a two-week period, knocking out two Earth-orbiting satellites and crippling an instrument aboard a Mars orbiter. "Obviously, the sun is Earth's life blood," said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics division at NASA. "To mitigate possible public safety issues, it is vital that we better understand extreme space weather events caused by the sun's activity." "Space weather can produce solar storm electromagnetic fields that induce extreme currents in wires, disrupting power lines, causing wide-spread blackouts and affecting communication cables that support the Internet," the report states. "Severe space weather also produces solar energetic particles and the dislocation of the Earth's radiation belts, which can damage satellites used for commercial communications, global positioning and weather forecasting." Rush to prepare The race is on for better forecasting abilities, as the next peak in solar activity is expected to come around 2012. While the sun is in a lull now, activity can flare up at any moment, and severe space weather — how severe, nobody knows — will ramp up a year or two before the peak. Some scientists expect the next peak to bring more severe events than other recent peaks. "A catastrophic failure of commercial and government infrastructure in space and on the ground can be mitigated through raising public awareness, improving vulnerable infrastructure and developing advanced forecasting capabilities," the report states. "Without preventive actions or plans, the trend of increased dependency on modern space-weather sensitive assets could make society more vulnerable in the future." The report was commissioned and funded by NASA. Experts from around the world in industry, government and academia participated. It was released this week.
Posts: 141,663

01-08-2009, 08:52 PM	#16
KChiefs1 I’m a Mahomo! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mid-Missouri Casino cash: $6771021	The Earth will pass into a new realm of reality on December 22nd 2012. __________________
Posts: 54,038

01-08-2009, 09:06 PM	#20
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $2855085	If the Mayans were so good at predicting things, why didn't they predict the arrival of the Spanish? I'm calling bullshit. Still waiting for the New Madrid quake predicted in the early 90s and all the computers to explode on Y2K.
Posts: 119,529

01-08-2009, 09:13 PM	#22
RealSNR Special Teams ACE!!! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Where the hell is SNR Casino cash: $2090208	Also, since when does the History Channel do stuff about armegeddon-type situations? That's not history
Posts: 90,662

01-08-2009, 09:32 PM	#24
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3048491 VARSITY	I was going to mention that. I watched this show assuming that it was going to be pretty scientific and neutral, and instead it was talking about all this armageddon stuff while showing pictures of floods and famines and radioactive clouds. It was discomfitting. Thinking about these sorts of things gets to me for some reason. I think about things like a giant wave of energy that we can't even detect coming at us at the speed of light, and one minute we're typing on Chiefsplanet and the next minute all of Planet Earth is writhing in agony with third-degree burns, and I feel like we're all just lucky by surviving from one minute to the next. There's stuff going on the universe where we're nothing but germs living on the lip of a giant Listerine bottle. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
Posts: 141,663

01-08-2009, 09:43 PM	#25
Iowanian Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia Casino cash: $4638454	Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. Load up on water treatment pills, firewood, dry beans, salt matches and ammo.
Posts: 61,556

01-08-2009, 09:51 PM	#26
beavis Free Born Man of the USA Join Date: May 2003 Casino cash: $9954900	This stuff is good for entertainment value. I'm more afraid of the government than I am this actually happening.
Posts: 7,588