Feeling almost normal today. And I've had a great day so far: I got another postal letter from the physics professor in England, and we're having quite a correspondence about some of our similar interests.

And that reminds me that I've not mentioned much in this blog lately about one of my favorite amature interests: science. Last night I watched Nova on PBS, and it was a fascinating program. Perhaps you've heard of the coming magnetic shift? If not, you might like to look at the Nova PBS site for more info. Here's a link and excerpt:

Magnetic Storm


If all the compasses in the world started pointing south rather than north, many people might think something very strange, very unusual, and possibly very dangerous was going on. Doomsayers would have a field day proclaiming the end is nigh, while more rational persons might head straight to scientists for an explanation.

Such reversals in the Earth's magnetic field, they'd tell you, are, roughly speaking, as common as ice ages. That is, they're terrifically infrequent by human standards, but in geologic terms they happen all the time. As the time line at right shows, hundreds of times in our planet's history the polarity of the magnetic shield ensheathing the globe has gone from "normal," our current orientation to the north, to "reversed," and back again.

The Earth is not alone in this fickleness: The sun's magnetic shield appears to reverse its polarity approximately every 11 years. Even our Milky Way galaxy is magnetized, and experts say it probably reverses its polarity as well. Moreover, while a severe weakening or disappearance of the magnetic field would lay us open to harmful radiation from the sun, there's little evidence to date that "flips" per se inflict any lasting damage (see Impact on Animals).

It might sound as if scientists have all the answers regarding magnetic reversals. But actually they know very little about them. Basic questions haunt researchers: What physical processes within the Earth trigger reversals? Why do the durations and frequencies of both normal and reversed states seem random? Why is there such a disproportionately long normal period between about 121 and 83 million years ago? Why does the reversal rate, at least during the past 160 million years, appear to peak around 12 million years ago?

The good news? In the scientific perspective, humans will enjoy beautiful auroras (like the magnificent northern lights in Alaska) year round, from almost all locations on earth.

The bad news? The solar wind/radiation that will penetrate the earth will result in about 100,000 more deaths per year from cancer. Yeah, and that is probably a conservative estimate. Personally, I think since there's already evidence the pole shift is starting, we are now exposed to more radiation -- hence, the increased cases of skin cancer.

There's all kinds of doomsayers about this event: and truthfully, science can't accurately predict ALL the problems likely to be encountered on earth. They can't even say with any assurance how long it'll take: just estimate between 3 weeks and 1,000 years! Large margin of error there, eh?

Here's a few more links/excerpts to websites, if you're interested in the coming magnetic pole shift of the earth. There apparently MAY be a similar magnetic pole shift already in progress on the sun as well.

When North Goes South

Considering that ships, planes and Boy Scouts steer by it, Earth's magnetic field is less reliable than you'd think. Rocks in an ancient lava flow in Oregon suggest that for a brief erratic span about 16 million years ago magnetic north shifted as much as 6 degrees per day. After little more than a week, a compass needle would have pointed toward Mexico City.
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GEOMAGNETISM--Gov. Website

The monitoring and analysis of the geomagnetic field is also important for practical applications, some of which have been made for centuries. The magnetic field can be used for orientation, navigation, and mineral and oil exploration. Of more recent interest, the infrastructure and the activities of our modern, technologically-based society can be adversely affected by rapid magnetic-field variations driven by the dynamic processes in the near-Earth space environment. This is particularly true during so-called ‘magnetic storms’, when radio communication can be difficult or impossible, global-positioning systems (GPS) can be degraded, satellite electronics can be damaged, satellite drag can be enhanced, astronaut and high-altitude pilots can be subjected to increased levels of radiation, pipe-line corrosion can be enhanced, and electric-power grids can experience voltage surges which cause blackouts. The most beautiful manifestations of geomagnetic activity are aurorae, seen prominently at high latitudes near the geomagnetic poles. Given the plurality of geomagnetic phenomena, it is not surprising that the communities concerned with magnetic data are numerous and diverse.

And finally, for the doomsayers out there, consider the following website which proclaims that devastating events will occur during the pole shift, since such has happened in the past.

For doom and gloom naysayers

"Working on the assumption that the earth's magnetic poles are usually close to the poles of rotation, Hapgood collected geomagnetic rock samples, finding evidence that the most recent earth crust displacement must have occurred between 17,000 to 12,000 years ago. The North Pole would have moved from the Hudson Bay area of northern Canada to it's current place in the Arctic Ocean. More recently, Langway and Hansen (1973) gathered climactic data pointing to a dramatic change in climate at 12,000 years ago. At that time, the Pleistocene extinctions, rising ocean levels, the close of the ice age, and the origins of agriculture all seem to coincide."

Look into any one of the above fields and you will begin to see the same pattern Velikovsky, Hapgood, Einstein and hundreds of other independent geologists, paleontologists and archeologists have recognized in the Earth's past. A pattern of repeated, catastrophic change thought to be brought about by crustal displacements activated by one or more outside agents - such as passing comets or fluctuations in the sun's own magnetic field - appears to have been with humanity and its civilizations from the very dawn of mankind....

Though every one of the four elements participated in each of the catastrophes; deluge, hurricane, earthquake, and fire gave their names to the catastrophes because of the predominance of one of them in the upheavals.

Interpreted by the modern dating system, the Mayan calendars not only depict the length of each of the 'suns' and nature of each of the catastrophes, but they also calculate the end of the present, fifth sun.

The day will be 4 Ahau 3 Kankin, and it will be ruled by the Sun God, or ninth Lord of the Night. The moon will be eight days old, and it will be the third lunation in a series of six.

The date corresponds to 23 December AD 2012.

Folks, I don't know about you, but I hope I'm around on that date to see exactly what happens. I've had that date marked for a long time, since I read about the ancient Mayan calendar and their prediction years ago.

Isn't this evidence of a mad, mad world? :=)

Oh, but wait...more news of our mad, mad world: Looks as if Michael Jackson is being sought on child molestation charges. No matter how you feel about the "Prince of Pop," I guess he is about to bite the dust. It shall be interesting to learn all the details, no?

Yes, a mad, mad world indeed! But interesting...ah, yes!