James Lovelock first coined the term Gaia, a word that means viewing the Earth as a single living, breathing organism. A new scientific trend views the world’s biggest cities the same way. More than half the world’s population today lives in cities, and the world’s largest urban areas are growing rapidly. The number of megacities (metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 10 million) has grown from just 3 in 1975 to about 20 today.
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We hope to see some pretty spectacular things in the sky at our Stargate Conference in Joshua Tree on Oct. 16-18 but nothing like this: Some astronomers have speculated that collisions with our neighbors in space may one day tear apart the disk of the Milky Way. Could this be what 2012 is all about?
Thank goodness a new study shows that this grisly fate is unlikely. While astronomers know that such collisions have probably occurred in the past, the new computer simulations show that instead of destroying a galaxy, these collisions “puff up” a galactic disk, particularly around the edges, and produce structures called stellar rings.
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Autistic animal researcher Temple Grandin works to find humane, non-frightening ways for animals, such as cattle, chickens and pigs, to be slaughtered. Along with the “hormone free,” “cage free” and “antibiotic free” labels on meat that are now found in grocery stores, we may soon see a new one: “pain free.”
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Now that Teddy Kennedy has died, a great American political dynasty that was a generations-long irritant to the far right has ended. But if JFK Jr. had not died in a tragic air accident, that would not be true.
Jim Marrs revisits that accident and asks some provocative questions. For example, who turned off the fuel supply to the engine? (It was found turned off in the remains of the plane.) Also, why, given that he had reported that he was on approach, did it take so long for rescuers to react to the fact that the plane didn’t land? Starfire Tor’s website is StarfireTor.com
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