Archive for June, 2009
Posted by rasticus on June 16, 2009
“THE HUMANIST MANIFESTO”
Publication
The May—June 1934 issue of the New Humanist contained what was called “The Humanist Manifesto,” a statement that sought to offer an alternative for people unwilling to rely on religion for an explanation of life and its meanings. The signers of the manifesto included distinguished figures such as Harry Elmer Barnes, Robert Morss Lovett, Charles Francis Potter, Llewellyn Jones, and, most important, philosopher John Dewey.
Science over Supernaturalism
“The Humanist Manifesto” sought to focus attention on the evidence science gave about nature and life in order to encourage people to reject supernaturalism. It included such points as the need to recognize that the universe was “self-existing,” not created, and that humanity was a part of nature and had evolved as part of a continuing process. The manifesto rejected the old question of the duality of mind (or soul) and body by incorporating the mind and its functions as a part of the body. Religion, it insisted, was a product of human development and changed according to historical changes. In its fifth point the manifesto insisted that “the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values.. , . Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in light of the scientific spirit and method.” Having eliminated God and soul, the manifesto continued by seeking to eliminate the perception that life had eternal meaning by insisting that the religious person should consider “the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man’s life and [seek] its development in the here and now.” The statement concluded by opposing the current system of capitalism.
Response
“The Humanist Manifesto” attracted little attention at the time, although it gave new material for conservatives and reactionaries who disliked Dewey and his ideas. In the charged political climate of the 1930s it was easy for them to link his acknowledged secularism and socialist views with his efforts to reform education and to see “progressive education,” as it was called, as advancing liberal, if not socialist or even communist, ideas. Criticism of the ideas espoused in “The Humanist Manifesto” has continued to resurface on a regular basis—-most recently in the 1980s, when religious conservatives warned of the dangers in schools and in society of secular humanism.
Source:
Paul Kurtz, ed., Humanist Manifestos I and II (Buffalo: Prometheus, 1973).
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Posted in 2nd Amendment, Capitalism, Constitution, Economics, Federal Reserve, Foreign Affairs, Freedom, Global Governance, Law, National Security, Policy, Politics, Rights, eugenics | Tagged: 2nd Amendment, assault weapons, bailouts, banks, civil rights, committees of public safety, Constitution, Economics, firearms, fraud, gun control, gun grab, illuminati, Law, left wing, legalization, liberty, militia, NWO, obama, Policy, Politics, republic, revolution, right wing, Scam, socialism, Truth, War | Leave a Comment »
Posted by rasticus on June 10, 2009
Return to a Barter Economy | Mint.com Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice.
The Barter Economy Returns
by Joshua Ritchie on 6/2/2009
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With trust in the world’s currencies at its lowest point in recent memory, bartering has reemerged as a possible solution to the credit crunch. All but forgotten, bartering predates any modern form of currency, and arose naturally in the ancient world as the primary means of economic exchange. Today, there are a number of barter systems in place alongside replacement currencies that operate on a local level in cities or small rural villages. Whether these approaches come from a hot Web 2.0 startup or a tiny Thai village, they are changing the economic landscape. Here’s a look at some of the most promising.
Cyber Bartering
chika
Cyber-bartering is not a new phenomenon, but bartering-specific sites are more popular today than ever. More specialized sites such as Barterbee, Barterquest and Rehashclothes, offer individuals various avenues for bartering, specific to what good or service they are looking for. And then there is Craigslist.org: this site is not a bartering site per se, but its worldwide reach and myriad categories offer individuals the ability to trade anything with anyone, anywhere in the world. Want to trade a washing machine for a motorcycle? How about your old hockey gear for a new snowboard? Check out this site, and chances are, you’ll find someone who’s willing to take up your offer.
Regional Bartering Exchanges
rick
In the last several years, many regional bartering exchanges began popping up in various parts of the United States, and presumably elsewhere in the world. These are networks of businesses that trade the value of services for that of other services. For instance, a plumber may do a $400 dollar repair job for a local brewery. But instead of trading this directly for $400 worth of beer and chicken fingers, he can take this credit and put it back in circulation by trading units of $400 for other goods and services from the various other network members.
Big Businesses Bartering
herval
While it may sound strange, many of the world’s largest companies are involved in bartering at some level. According to a recent study by Barter Business Unlimited (a large network with over 10,000 member businesses), “…more than 65 percent of the corporations listed in the New York Stock Exchange are presently using barter to reduce surplus inventory, boost sales and ensure that production facilities run at near capacity.” This can definitely help lots of businesses struggling to move inventory during this recession. CEO of Bartermania.com, Vipul Rawal claims that global business-to-business bartering is up by as much as 60% due to the current recession, and this trend is starting reach developing countries such as India and China.
Local Bartering Circles
techlah
In countries across the world, people are going back to the local marketplaces in droves. Exchanging wares and services are typically traded at such gatherings, which may set up for bartering specifically, or the bartering itself may just be a byproduct of individuals’ personal credit crunches. Anything from surfboards to electronics, to produce can typically be traded at such places. While these of course did not emerge as a reaction to the current recession, there’s no doubt that they are more popular today than ever.
Script Currencies
writerjax
Another recent development is the re-emergence of local currencies, or script currencies. One of the most famous examples of these started in 2007, in Western Massachusetts. In an effort to promote buying locally, residents of several communities are able to trade in $10 US at local banks for $11 Berkshares. There is a ten percent discount worked into the exchange rate, and the currency is widely accepted by many area merchants. As a result of the increased local commerce, businesses are willing to discount their prices, and local shoppers are happy to get the discount. It is estimated that more than $2 Million worth of Berkshares have circulated through 350 businesses since the bills were first printed two years ago.
Replacement Currencies
shmoomeena
Replacement currencies also tend to develop when a national currency loses the trust of local economies. During Asia’s financial crises a decade ago, these developed in more remote regions, where many were dependent on remittances from relatives living in capital cities. The Santi Suk community in Northeastern Thailand is a notable example. The whole program is managed by a single monk, who operates the ‘Bank’ from his one-room office. The currency goes by the Thai word for ‘merit’, and is used alongside, or in lieu of the Thai Baht. Proponents of this currency (which are decorated by drawings made by local children) were once the subject of central government scorn, but due to today’s global financial crises, the government is allowing the money to flow freely once again, as it does not place a strain on the broader economy, nor the currency at large.
Bartering’s Legal Side
umjanedoan
While few might stop to think about the legal ramifications of bartering, it should be noted that even though it seems informal, bartering is a transaction just like any other. For those trading goods or services of a marked value, a contract ought be used to protect both parties. According to SMU Law professor, Mary Spector, every aspect of the exchange should be outlined, for example, with regards to pet care being exchanged: “Would [four hours of pet care] mean grooming the pet? Walking the pet? How many pets would be involved? Is it just dogs or would it be dogs and fish?
Tax Implications of Bartering
Matt Honan
Similar to the legal ramifications, there are also tax implications of barter-based commerce. According to the IRS, “If you conduct any direct barter – barter for another’s products or services – you will have to report the fair market value of the products or services you received on your tax return.”
Posted in Capitalism, Constitution, Economics, Law, National Security, Policy, Politics, Rights, martial law | Tagged: bailouts, banks, civil rights, committees of public safety, Constitution, Economics, firearms, fraud, gun control, gun grab, left wing, liberty, militia, NWO, obama, Politics, republic, revolution, right wing, Scam, socialism, Truth, War | 1 Comment »
Posted by rasticus on June 9, 2009
Posted in 2nd Amendment, Capitalism, Climate Change Scam, Constitution, Economics, False Flag Alert, Federal Reserve, Foreign Affairs, Freedom, Global Governance, Law, National Security, Obama-nation, Policy, Politics, Religion, Rights, Scam, eugenics, martial law | Tagged: 2nd Amendment, assault weapons, bailouts, banks, civil rights, Climate Change, committees of public safety, Constitution, Economics, false flag, False Flag Alert, firearms, foreign relations, fraud, global warming, gun control, gun grab, illuminati, iraq, Law, left wing, legalization, liberty, martial law, militia, NWO, obama, Policy, Politics, republic, revolution, right wing, Scam, socialism, Truth, War, War on Drugs | Leave a Comment »
Posted by rasticus on June 8, 2009
DietCo.la – 92 side effects associated with aspartame.
92 side effects associated with aspartame
There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption
Eye
- blindness in one or both eyes
- decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
- pain in one or both eyes
- decreased tears
- trouble with contact lenses
- bulging eyes
Ear
- tinnitus – ringing or buzzing sound
- severe intolerance of noise
- marked hearing impairment
Neurologic
- epileptic seizures
- headaches, migraines and (some severe)
- dizziness, unsteadiness, both
- confusion, memory loss, both
- severe drowsiness and sleepiness
- paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
- severe slurring of speech
- severe hyperactivity and restless legs
- atypical facial pain
- severe tremors
Psychological/Psychiatric
- severe depression
- irritability
- aggression
- anxiety
- personality changes
- insomnia
- phobias
Chest
- palpitations, tachycardia
- shortness of breath
- recent high blood pressure
Gastrointestinal
- nausea
- diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
- abdominal pain
- pain when swallowing
Skin and Allergies
- itching without a rash
- lip and mouth reactions
- hives
- aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma
Endocrine and Metabolic
- loss of control of diabetes
- menstrual changes
- marked thinning or loss of hair
- marked weight loss
- gradual weight gain
- aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- severe PMS
Other
- frequency of voiding and burning during urination
- excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
- increased susceptibility to infection
Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all
- death
- irreversible brain damage
- birth defects, including mental retardation
- peptic ulcers
- aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
- hyperactivity in children
- severe depression
- aggressive behavior
- suicidal tendencies
Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Epstein-Barr
- Post-Polio Syndrome
- Lyme Disease
- Grave’s Disease
- Meniere’s Disease
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- ALS
- Epilepsy
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- EMS
- Hypothyroidism
- Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
- Fibromyalgia
- Lupus
- non-Hodgkins
- Lymphoma
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Posted in 2nd Amendment, Cannabis, Capitalism, Constitution, Economics, False Flag Alert, Federal Reserve, Foreign Affairs, Freedom, Global Governance, Law, National Security, Obama-nation, Policy, Religion, Rights, Scam, eugenics, martial law | Tagged: 2nd Amendment, assault weapons, bailouts, Cannabis, civil rights, Climate Change, committees of public safety, Constitution, Economics, false flag, False Flag Alert, firearms, foreign relations, fraud, free speech, global warming, gun control, gun grab, illuminati, Infowars, Law, left wing, legalization, liberty, martial law, militia, nafta superhighway, NWO, obama, Policy, Politics, republic, revolution, right wing, Scam, socialism, Truth, War, War on Drugs | 3 Comments »
Posted by rasticus on June 8, 2009
Posted in 2nd Amendment, Constitution, False Flag Alert, Federal Reserve, Foreign Affairs, Freedom, Global Governance, Law, National Security, Obama-nation, Policy, Politics, Religion, Rights, eugenics, martial law | Tagged: 2nd Amendment, assault weapons, bailouts, banks, civil rights, committees of public safety, Constitution, Economics, false flag, False Flag Alert, firearms, fraud, global warming, gun control, gun grab, Law, left wing, liberty, martial law, militia, NWO, obama, Policy, Politics, republic, revolution, right wing, Scam, socialism, Truth, War | Leave a Comment »
Posted by rasticus on June 7, 2009
Israel’s False Flag Operations Know No Bounds
By Brandon Dean
waronyou.com
One thing that truly made me ill while perusing the photos of the world-wide anti-Israel protests in the last few days is the repeated use of Hamas flags/posters, as if Hamas is somehow fighting for the freedom of the Palestinians. Give me a god damn break…
For those unaware, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority were the government of Palestine until the Israelis invaded, only leaving in 2005, when Hamas had been secured in power. And hey presto! they are still the ruling party in Palestine!
Not only that, but all the Hamas fighters have (wisely) holed up and hidden themselves in anticipation of the Israeli massacre. Gee, how very convenient for them that the Israelis are content with killing 1.3 million civilians (the population of Gaza)…
The Israeli Mossad (their CIA) created Hamas in 1987, with the frontmen Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, because, as Zeev Sternell, historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says: “Israel thought that it was a smart ploy to push the Islamists against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).”
Well ain’t that something? So, the Mossad starts Hamas, with the original “intention” of being a charitable organization to the Palestinian people. And charity they did. Slowly, of course, it turned into a political and military organization, which was the true original intention. It challenged Fatah and the PLO as it does to this day. Divide and conquer: the oldest military tactic in the book…
Do you doubt what you’re reading? Well, how about an actual photo of an Israeli Mossad agent in Hamas gear who forgot to take off his Star of David?
Oops!
Or how about July 2006, when Hamas fighters supposedly kidnapped an IDF soldier, then went to the middle of Gaza City and held a press conference about it?
If there had really been a kidnapping, those “terrorists” would have been executed, or at least arrested, on the spot. I mean, the photo above was taken not ten miles from the Israeli border! There are Israeli agents all over Palestine, for Christ’s sake!!
Hamas was invented by the Israelis to be an opposing force to the PLO, and that is the exact capacity in which it has acted. Hamas has done reportedly little to “help” the Gazans during this latest massacre besides hide. They kidnap Israelis, or even blow up Israeli bars, supposedly killing Israeli Jews. But in reality, the bar was an Israeli Arab bar, and 90 percent of the patrons are Muslim, not Jewish..
It’s nice to see the world angry at Israel for their obvious atrocities in the last few weeks, but it’s time for the world to the see the reality of the false flag operation as well. It’s time to be able to see it in the plain light of day, knowing the tactics. The Israelis are better at false flags than anyone else, as evinced by the utterly fantastical “holocaust” of World War II. And with a lie that monumental, which persists in earnest to this day, how hard is it to see the lie of the Hamas soldier, or their phony “Qassam” rockets? Again, give me a god damn break…
Must read article:
Hamas is a Creation of the Mossad, by Hassane Zarouky.
Must read book:
Devil’s Game, by Robert Dreyfuss
Also See:
Why Hamas and Hizbullah Will be Difficult to Defeat
America’s Hidden Role in Hamas’s Rise to Power
Gaza Invasion – Part Of A Broader Israeli Agenda
Gaza Massacre: The Truth About Those Hamas Rockets
CIA, Mossad Infiltrated Muslim Organizations
Americans Have Learned the Wrong Lesson from the Holocaust
Unconventional Weapons against The People of Gaza
Depleted uranium found in Gaza victims
Gaza Horror: Large Photo Gallery of Gaza Massacre by Israel
Zionist Israel Is Run By Terrorists
Video: Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land
Video: A just-leaked cell phone video of Israel’s atrocity in Gaza
Why Obama Is Silent On Gaza?
Jewry’s Crushing Silence On Gaza
Israeli Air Strikes Hurt Obama, Help Ahmedinajad
Gaza Carnage Continues; Death Toll Rises To 390
Video: Anti-Zionist Jews who lived in Palestine tell their story
In pictures: Gaza Massacre
In Pictures: Massacre of Gazan Children
Shock, Awe and Lies: The Truth Behind the Israeli Attack on Gaza
Al Qaeda is More of a U.S. Propaganda Campaign than a Real Organization
Zionist Rulers of Saudi Arabia
Video: Gaza Airstrikes – Did Israel target School Children?
Video: Israel launches attack on Gaza, kills 210, injures 900+
Israel May Attack Iran Soon Before President Obama Takes Over
Arabs’ Deadly Silence: All Quiet on the Gaza Shore
Israelis Block Medical Care – 271 Gazans Now Dead
Gaza families eat grass as Israel locks border
Posted in 2nd Amendment, Foreign Affairs, National Security, Politics, Scam | Tagged: 2nd Amendment, assault weapons, bailouts, banks, civil rights, committees of public safety, Constitution, Economics, false flag, False Flag Alert, firearms, fraud, gun control, gun grab, Law, left wing, liberty, martial law, militia, NWO, obama, Policy, Politics, republic, revolution, right wing, Scam, socialism, Truth, War | Leave a Comment »
Posted by rasticus on June 7, 2009
DailyTech – Study: Melting Arctic Likely Holds up to 160 Billion Barrels of Oil.
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A melting Arctic could be good news for mankind, according to a new study. (Source: SciAddict)
An earlier map of the USGS estimates of untapped Arctic gas reserves. Brighter areas indicate more gas. (Source: USGS)
A similar map shows oil reserves, here the darker regions represent regions more rich in probable oil deposits. (Source: USGS)// <![CDATA[
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<a target=’_blank’ href=’http://dynamic1.dailytech.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=cb7063c’> <img border=’0′ alt=” src=’http://dynamic1.dailytech.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=20&n=cb7063c’ /></a>
New study shows yet another potential benefit of a warmer planet
A new study adds to growing evidence that the current warming cycle may hold potential benefits to mankind. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, earlier estimates which placed untapped Arctic oil reserves at as much as 90 billion barrels actually fell short — the Arctic may in fact hold as many as 160 billion barrels of oil. The new discovery amounts to over 35 years in US foreign oil imports or 5 years’ worth of global oil consumption. Canada, Greenland/Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States, all of which border the Arctic Circle are racing to compete for the untapped resource.
The oil reserves could fetch a price of $10.6 trillion dollars at current oil prices. Most of the reserves are in shallow waters — less than 500 meters (about 1/3rd of a mile) — making extraction relatively easy. Geologist Donald Gautier comments, “It would not mean that there would be any kind of a significant shift in global oil balance. But this is especially significant for the Arctic nations.”
Oil companies are already racing to pinpoint deposits and begin to tap this bountiful resource. Exxon Mobil and several others have staked claims and began drilling in the Mackenzie Delta, the Barents Sea, the Sverdrup Basin, and offshore Alaska. According to Alan Jeffers, a spokesperson for Exxon Mobil, “It makes sense to diversify sources of oil and gas, given that the U.S. is one of the biggest consumers of oil and gas.”
As rich as the Arctic may be in oil, it may hold even more natural gas. While the geologists estimate 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil lies in the region, they also estimate that the region holds 30 percent of the planet’s undiscovered natural gas reserves. Natural gas harvested in the region could be used for a variety of purposes including home heating and power generation.
The discoveries are part of an ongoing USGS study CARA — Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal. The study is the first of its kind as researchers are using advanced geological analysis and probability modeling to estimate the reserves held in the Arctic shelves. While probabilistic models come with a degree of uncertainty, this multidiscipline approach is yielding exciting results and has already led to the discovery of several major deposits.
Despite the potential gains to economic and national security gains that could come from tapping this resource, environmentalists are seeking to block oil companies from drilling in the region, complaining it will release arsenic, mercury and lead into the ocean waters. All of these compounds naturally occur in low quantities in sea water. Activist Lisa Speer, Director of the International Oceans Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in a CNN.com interview adds, “We need uniform, mandatory standards governing offshore oil and gas activity in the Arctic because activity in one country has the potential to affect the environment of the Arctic far beyond the country of origin.”
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Posted by rasticus on June 6, 2009
Apocalypse Sun?
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=478446
Posted 06/02/2009 06:24 PM ET
Climate Change: NASA predicts the lowest sunspot activity since 1928. Is a major solar storm in the offing? While we worry about man-made warming, the sun may soon show us who’s boss.
It’s the sort of news that makes one’s eyes glaze over. “If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78,” said Doug Biesecker of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Yes, space has weather, in the form of solar radiation that varies with solar activity in the form of sunspots and solar flares. Biesecker heads an NOAA panel that keeps an eye on such things and released this latest report.
But this dry statistic has more significance for the earth and its climate than all of Al Gore’s gloom and doom about tailpipe emissions and rising sea levels. Whether the warm-mongers like it or not, the sun rules earth’s climate — always has and always will.
First noticed in the 1800s, solar activity runs in roughly 11-year cycles. Some are as short as nine years or as long as 14. The valleys are usually brief, a couple of years, but sometimes, for reasons not fully understood, they stretch out for decades.
In the 17th century, a 70-year period of little or no sunspot activity known as the Maunder Minimum spawned what has become known as the Little Ice Age, which extended from roughly the 16th century to the 19th.
Washington’s famous winter at Valley Forge was part of that natural phenomenon. So was Napoleon’s bitter retreat from Moscow. During the winter of 1779-1780, the Hudson River was solid ice for five weeks. Early settlers going West crossed a frozen Mississippi near present-day St. Louis in 1799.
Global warming, you may have noticed, seemingly stopped dead in its tracks in 1998. Solar activity is in a valley right now, the deepest of the past century. NOAA reports that in 2008 and 2009, the sun set Space Age records for low sunspot counts, weak solar wind and low solar radiance. The sun has gone more than two years without a significant solar flare.
“The sun is behaving in an unexpected and very interesting way,” says Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA’s lead representative on the panel. “In our professional careers, we’ve never seen anything like it. Solar minimum has lasted far beyond the date we predicted in 2007.”
Posted in Climate Change Scam | Tagged: Climate Change, global warming, Truth | Leave a Comment »
Posted by rasticus on June 5, 2009
New Solar Cycle Prediction – Space News – redOrbit.
New Solar Cycle Prediction
Posted on: Friday, 29 May 2009, 16:25 CDT
An international panel of experts led by NOAA and sponsored by NASA has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle. Solar Cycle 24 will peak, they say, in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots.
“If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78,” says panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
“Even a below-average cycle is capable of producing severe space weather,” points out Biesecker. “The great geomagnetic storm of 1859, for instance, occurred during a solar cycle of about the same size we’re predicting for 2013.”
The 1859 storm–known as the “Carrington Event” after astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the instigating solar flare–electrified transmission cables, set fires in telegraph offices, and produced Northern Lights so bright that people could read newspapers by their red and green glow. A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause $1 to 2 trillion in damages to society’s high-tech infrastructure and require four to ten years for complete recovery. For comparison, Hurricane Katrina caused “only” $80 to 125 billion in damage.
The latest forecast revises an earlier prediction issued in 2007. At that time, a sharply divided panel believed solar minimum would come in March 2008 followed by either a strong solar maximum in 2011 or a weak solar maximum in 2012. Competing models gave different answers, and researchers were eager for the sun to reveal which was correct.
“It turns out that none of our models were totally correct,” says Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA’s lead representative on the panel. “The sun is behaving in an unexpected and very interesting way.”
Researchers have known about the solar cycle since the mid-1800s. Graphs of sunspot numbers resemble a roller coaster, going up and down with an approximately 11-year period. At first glance, it looks like a regular pattern, but predicting the peaks and valleys has proven troublesome. Cycles vary in length from about 9 to 14 years. Some peaks are high, others low. The valleys are usually brief, lasting only a couple of years, but sometimes they stretch out much longer. In the 17th century the sun plunged into a 70-year period of spotlessness known as the Maunder Minimum that still baffles scientists.
Right now, the solar cycle is in a valley–the deepest of the past century. In 2008 and 2009, the sun set Space Age records for low sunspot counts, weak solar wind, and low solar irradiance. The sun has gone more than two years without a significant solar flare.
“In our professional careers, we’ve never seen anything quite like it,” says Pesnell. “Solar minimum has lasted far beyond the date we predicted in 2007.”
In recent months, however, the sun has begun to show timorous signs of life. Small sunspots and “proto-sunspots” are popping up with increasing frequency. Enormous currents of plasma on the sun’s surface (“zonal flows”) are gaining strength and slowly drifting toward the sun’s equator. Radio astronomers have detected a tiny but significant uptick in solar radio emissions. All these things are precursors of an awakening Solar Cycle 24 and form the basis for the panel’s new, almost unanimous forecast.
According to the forecast, the sun should remain generally calm for at least another year. From a research point of view, that’s good news because solar minimum has proven to be more interesting than anyone imagined. Low solar activity has a profound effect on Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to cool and contract. Space junk accumulates in Earth orbit because there is less aerodynamic drag. The becalmed solar wind whips up fewer magnetic storms around Earth’s poles. Cosmic rays that are normally pushed back by solar wind instead intrude on the near-Earth environment. There are other side-effects, too, that can be studied only so long as the sun remains quiet.
Meanwhile, the sun pays little heed to human committees. There could be more surprises, panelists acknowledge, and more revisions to the forecast.
“Go ahead and mark your calendar for May 2013,” says Pesnell. “But use a pencil.”
—
Image 1: A solar flare observed in Dec. 2006 by NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite.
Image 2: This plot of sunspot numbers shows the measured peak of the last solar cycle in blue and the predicted peak of the next solar cycle in red. Credit: NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center. [ More Info ]
Image 3: Yearly-averaged sunspot numbers from 1610 to 2008. Researchers believe upcoming Solar Cycle 24 will be similar to the cycle that peaked in 1928, marked by a red arrow. Credit: NASA/MSFC
—
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Posted by rasticus on June 5, 2009
Fewer sunspots expected next five years – UPI.com.
Fewer sunspots expected next five years
Published: May 28, 2009 at 9:13 AM
A U.S.-sponsored study suggests scientists expect a below average number of sunspots between now and 2013, when Solar Cycle 24 will peak.
An international panel of experts led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released a new prediction for at least another year of mostly quiet conditions.
“If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78,” panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center said.
Biesecker says it’s tempting to describe such a cycle as “weak” or “mild,” but that could give the wrong impression.
“Even a below-average cycle is capable of producing severe space weather,” he said. “The great geomagnetic storm of 1859, for instance, occurred during a solar cycle of about the same size we’re predicting for 2013.”
That 1859 storm electrified transmission cables, set fires in telegraph offices and produced Northern Lights so bright that people could read newspapers by their red and green glow, NOAA officials said. A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause $1 trillion to 2 trillion in damages to today’s high-tech infrastructure and require up to 10 years to recover.
© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Climate Change Scam | Tagged: Climate Change, global warming, left wing, NWO, Policy, Scam, socialism, Truth | 1 Comment »
