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Surviving the Volcano

By on June 20, 2012 in Gear, Survival, Volcano

While it is not really possible to prevent a volcanic eruption, you may be able to survive one. With some planning ahead, you might just make it through the eruption and nuclear winter that would follow.

The first thing to do is have a shelter. You’ll need to get as far away from the volcano as possible because of lava flow, vents, and earthquakes. Also, the shelter should not be anywhere near a fault line as earthquakes are a side effect of a massive eruption. Make sure that wherever and whatever your shelter is, you have the ability to recycle and recirculate air. There really is no telling how long you would be stuck there (think District 13 for those Hunger Games fans out there).

Once you have a shelter picked out and ready, you’ll need to stock up on water and non-perishable food. Make sure that you and anyone you take in could be self-sustained for at least a few months. Remember, even if you want to venture out in the aftermath to search for food, the plants and animals (if even still alive) will be toxic.

You’ll also need to have some basic survival gear like goggles and filter masks to protect you from the ash. Make sure to have plenty of towels so that you can dampen them and stuff them anywhere air might get in. The damp towels will work as a sort of filter for the outside air making sure that the ash does not inundate your shelter. Lastly, until the ash clears it will be very much like a nuclear winter. Make sure you have plenty of warm clothes and blankets. If for any reason you go outside, have an outer layer you can strip off before you reenter your shelter. Once the volcanic ash is in, you won’t be able to get rid of it.

It may not be a perfect solution, but if you have the above in place, you have a better chance of surviving a volcanic eruption than most. Is there anything else you can think of that you would need?

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Interview with Rev. Kurt Johnson

By on June 18, 2012 in Interview

What is your take on all the end of the world hysteria?
While it’s obvious that the “hysteria” is confined to a very small number of charlatans and fanatics, I believe the impetus for these radical and ridiculous reactions to the Mayan 2012 calendar calculations are embraced by people who have no credible concepts of legitimate interpretations of history, theology, science or epistemology. The specific reasons for these delusions likely stem from the same human impulses found, for example, among the Romans and Greeks who created scores of gods for their own imaginations, and from the Aztecs who embraced human sacrifice for appeasing the gods. Unfortunately, these inane ideas involving superstition and myth have found their way into some contemporary and even mainstream religious practices.

Do you think anyone can predict the end of the world?
Of course, such an event can be “predicted”. People do that all the time and are doing it now. Anybody can predict anything. But they all are wrong. The primary reason they are wrong is because the concept of the “end of the world” is neither defined nor conclusively definable. Within our own solar system and galaxy, and even within the unlimited, all-encompassing universe, there can be no “end” unless there is a stopping of time or a conversion of the present reality to another dimension or portal. There is no scintilla of evidence that such might occur. In fact, just as there is no prospect of an “end”, there is no logical basis for supporting a “beginning”. Ask yourself: If the beginning is postulated as the occurrence of the “big bang”, what was going on during the time prior to that event? Didn’t space and matter exist prior to the event? So, can an accurate prediction be made about when
the “end of the world” (whatever that is) will occur? Of course not.

Do you think we are nearing the end times/second coming?
If by the notion of “end times/second coming” is meant the so-called “second coming” of Jesus Christ, recall that the reports in the New Testament apparently created the expectation that he would “return” very soon after his death and reported resurrection and assumption. But despite the perceptions, it didn’t happen then, and it hasn’t happened yet. So-called “prophecies” which claim to interpret texts to refer to contemporary events as “signs of the end times” are hogwash. Some may be nearing the end of their sanity or competent reasoning, but that has nothing to do with speculation about the end times of the second coming.

Do you believe you will be taken in the rapture?
The question presupposes that the so-called “rapture” is definable and (whatever it is) will occur, thus allowing for the prospect that I may be “taken” by it? What if it occurs, but I don’t want to go? Do I have a choice? If it occurs in December of 2012, as some fanatics predict, what am I to do about my plans to take a cruise and then go to a Lyle Lovett concert in 2013? I’m looking forward to that. So, no, I don’t believe I’ll be taken in any “rapture”. In the first place, it won’t happen, but if it does, I won’t go.

What is your view of heaven?
Again, we have a problem with dealing with an undefined term. If by “heaven” the term is meant to refer to that place in the sky (or somewhere else) that people go after they die (if they are “saved”), then I would refer those who seek this answer to the book written by Bishop John A.T. Robinson (an Episcopalian) in his 1960s volume titled Honest to God, in which he discusses the inanity of the socalled three-storied universe, with heaven above and hell below, with the earth in the middle. Based on the limited, empirical information available to me at this time, I don’t have a clue regarding what a “view of heaven” might be, but the closest thing I can come up with would involve sitting on a beach in the Caribbean next to a bucket of iced-down Caronas and an extremely fast wi-fi connection for my laptop and my Nook, and sitting downwind from a mesquite-fueled grill cooking sausage from Elgin or Brenham. The good news is that I don’t have to die to get there.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Even people who are deemed to have been competent theologians in the past (and even in the present) have taken ridiculous positions regarding such phenomena. For example, confronted with the idea advanced by Copernicus that our universe is heliocentric, Martin Luther stated, in his Table Talk : ”People gave ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon. Whoever wishes to appear clever must devise some new system, which of all systems is of course the very best. This fool [or 'man'] wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth.”
The reference to Joshua making the sun stand still so that it would cease revolving around the earth for a day is from Joshua 10:13. Maybe that’s the day the rapture occurred, but nobody wanted to go.

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Volcanoes in Hollywood

By on June 13, 2012 in Movies, Volcano

Volcanoes erupt. They provide little warning and there is not much you can do to prevent this devastating natural disaster. This is portrayed perfectly in our top movie about volcanoes, Dante’s Peak. This 1997 film featuring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, and Charles Hallahan is entertaining with great character development, romance, and suspense.

The movie begins with a volcanic eruption in Columbia during which volcanologist Dr. Harry Daltons’ fiancée is killed. The story then moves four years into the future to a little town called Dante’s Peak. The town is situated on a dormant volcano, but Daltons is there investigating some unusual activity. After some investigation, Daltons decides the town should be alerted, but his boss doesn’t think the danger is high enough to warrant the cost of an evacuation. Daltons goes directly to the mayor, Rachel Wando, to convince her of the danger.

Just in case there is someone out there who has still not seen this movie, we won’t reveal any spoilers, but it is worth the hour and half viewing time. I will warn you, this is not a feel good movie. They actually stayed pretty true to what would happen if an eruption occurred.

What do you think? Did you like the movie? Is there another volcano disaster movie that should have been our favorite?

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Interview with Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku

By on June 4, 2012 in Interview, Volcano

Check this great interview from CNN with Dr. Kaku about Yellowstone.

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Zombies in Miami?

By on May 30, 2012 in Humor, News, Zombies

 

If you haven’t heard about this yet, obviously you live under a rock. Check out the latest here. *WARNING* Link contains images which may be disturbing.

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What Are The Chances?

By on May 25, 2012 in Volcano

The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted three times in the past 2.1 million years and some say we are overdue for another. What are the chances that it will erupt within our lifetime and leave the human race fighting for survival?

Scientists have noticed the land above the caldera rising slowly since 2004. In fact, over the last eight years the ground has risen as much as ten inches in some places throughout the park. While this may sound like a sign the volcano is destined to erupt soon, University of Utah geophysicist Robert B. Smith believes we are in no imminent danger.

“These calderas tend to go up and down, up and down,” Smith said.

For example, records show that between 1976 and 1984 the caldera rose 7 inches. Then, without a major eruption, the ground sank 5.5 inches through the next ten years, almost back to normal. While the ground rising could be evidence of a coming eruption, the more important fact is if the magma is rising.

“At the beginning we were concerned it could be leading up to an eruption,” Smith said, “but once we saw [the magma] was at a depth of ten kilometers we weren’t so concerned.”

The United States Geological Survey is not concerned either. They have officially stated that a devastating eruption is highly improbably within the next five to ten generations.

So while it looks like we have nothing to worry about, mother nature is still a very unpredictable force. Just in case, stay tuned for survival tips and necessary gear in case of a Yellowstone Eruption.

For more information, check out Questions About Future Volcanic Activity at Yellowstone.

Sources: National Geographic, Daily Sundial

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Yellowstone Eruption

By on May 23, 2012 in Volcano

A supervolcano is a volcano that erupts more than 240 cubic miles of lava and has the capability to destroy up to a billion lives. This is not a volcano that will disrupt the lives of people in surrounding cities, but a volcano that will disrupt the lives of people on multiple continents. This is not a volcano that will interrupt travel with a large ash cloud, this is a volcano that will make day-to-day life so difficult a vacation is not even an option. Most importantly, this is not a hypothetical volcano out in the middle of the ocean somewhere; this is a very real volcano underneath Yellowstone National Park.

The Yellowstone supervolcano is the largest known on the planet, and the magma chamber spans underneath the entire 37 by 25 mile park. Pressure from this chamber is released through earthquakes, smaller volcanoes, and geysers to keep the magma levels in check, but if there is not enough ventilation a massive eruption can occur.

First, a series of large earthquakes would break out around the Yellowstone area. One earthquake would finally shift the ground enough to create a vent from the magma chamber to the surface and would unleash all the pressure that had been building for hundreds of thousands of years. Magma would explode into the atmosphere with a force equal to 1000 Hiroshima atomic bombs every second. Within minutes, thousands in the surrounding area would be dead from the falling ash and the lava would destroy everything within miles of the eruption. The ash would coat most of the United States killing crops and livestock, almost instantly obliterating the entire nation’s food source.

After the destruction from the initial explosion, the ash cloud would coat the sky and block out the sun all over the world. Temperatures would drop a drastic 20 degrees or more globally and the earth would be cast in the equivalent of a nuclear winter for decades. Any rain that fell would be black with the poison and acid flung into the atmosphere and man would be pushed to the edge of extinction.

So What Are The Chances of an eruption of this magnitude happening? Could you Survive the Volcano? Stay tuned to find out! Don’t forget to check out the Top 5 Ways Our World Could Actually End.

Sources: Rense.com, Cracked.com, BBC

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More Hazardous Asteroids

By on May 21, 2012 in Asteroid

Matt Smith, CNN – About 4,700 asteroids are close enough and big enough to pose a risk to Earth, NASA estimated Wednesday after studying data beamed back from an orbiting telescope.

The figure — give or take 1,500 — is how many space rocks bigger than 100 meters (330 feet) across are believed to come within 5 million miles (8 million km) of Earth, or about 20 times farther away than the moon.

“It’s not something that people should panic about,” said Amy Mainzer, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. “However, we are paying attention to the issue.”

NASA defines a potentially hazardous asteroid as one large enough to survive the intense heat generated by entry into the atmosphere and cause damage on a regional scale or worse. The figure released Wednesday is lower than a previous rough estimate had projected, but more are now thought to be in orbits inclined like Earth’s, making them more likely to cross its path.

Mainzer said asteroids in orbits pitched at a similar angle offer not only a hazard, but also an opportunity. They would be easier for spacecraft to reach.

“They’re a population of interest, and we want to keep an eye on them,” she said.

NASA says a 40-meter asteroid would strike the Earth with an impact comparable to a 3-megaton nuclear bomb. A 2-km asteroid striking Earth “would produce severe environmental damage on a global scale,” the space agency estimates, but an impact of that magnitude isn’t likely to occur more than twice per million years.

The estimate comes from infrared scans of the cosmos by the 16-inch WISE telescope, which was launched in December 2009. The instruments aboard the satellite allowed scientists to spot close-in asteroids by picking up the heat they emit, Mainzer said.

“It allows us to find the very dark asteroids, the ones that are more like a piece of coal and than shiny pavement,” she said. “We can also tell the difference between an asteroid that’s very large and very dark and a small one that’s very shiny.”

Mainzer said between 20% and 30% of the estimated 4,700 potentially hazardous objects have been discovered so far.

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The World Will Go On

By on May 14, 2012 in Dates, Mayan

A recent exploration of the ruins of Xultun in the Guatemalan rain forest has unearthed Mayan writings that show calendars dating far beyond December 21, 2012. Archaeologist William Saturno and his team found the calendar, along with several murals, painted on a wall of what is thought to be an old house.

“For the first time we get to see what may have been actual records kept by a scribe, whose job was to be the official record keeper on a Maya community,” Saturno said.

It appears the scribe used the walls as a kind of whiteboard to record dates and make calculations, and the writings contain the same symbols found on the bark-paper pages of the Dresden Codex. On one wall, there is even a reference to 17 baktuns, a cycle of time in the Mayan calendar representing roughly 400 years.

“There was a lot more to the Maya calendar than just 13 baktuns,” Professor David Stuart said.

The calendars discovered previously ended after the 13th baktun, which fueled the belief that the world would end on December 21. With this new discovery, it is clear that the Mayans did not predict the end of the world, but that a new cycle begins.

“The ancient Maya predicted the world would continue, that 7000 years from now, things would be exactly like this,” Saturno said. “We keep looking for endings. The Maya were looking for a guarantee that nothing would change. It’s an entirely different mindset.”

 

Sources: USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsroom America

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The Alien Garage- Pic de Bugarach

By on May 2, 2012 in Aliens, Predictions

Thousands of people have flocked to Bugarach, a small village in southern France to await doomsday. New Agers believe that a mountain, Pic de Bugarach, houses alien spaceships and that the UFOs will emerge on December 21 to whisk them away to a new spiritual world. This “alien garage” has attracted New Agers since the 60s with rumors of mystical powers and special magnetic waves.

Pic de Bugarach is 1230 meters high and is the tallest mountain in the Corbieres range. It is thought to have inspired Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. For now, the village is dealing with an incredible influx of tourists climbing naked to the top and holding strange worship services. Will things return to normal on December 22, or will the non-believers be the fools?

 

Sources: The Independent, Digital Journal

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