Jim:
I'd like to add some input to the meteor thread. First, there's a near complete
(based on our knowledge) and growing database at: http://www.unb.ca/passc/ImpactDatabase/ that shows the residual effects of quite a few impacts. Megaton range impacts
occur surprisingly frequently--about once a century. Tunguska level events
(that killed almost everything in 2000 sq miles) occur about every thousand
years.
I don't like Deep Impact as a scenario, because I cannot for the life of me
see 300 million Americans, not to mention the rest of the world, just accepting
that a select few will go into a safe cavern, without a global riot that would
likely end civilization in the process.
The original and accurate story of this type of impact, involving a comet in
this case, was Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "Lucifer's Hammer," which
I recommend all survival minded readers check out. It covers panic reaction
prior to the event and during, and coping mechanisms for a post-holocaust world,
including the problems (in 1976) that many children would have without TV.
Add cell phones and computers to that (This is a serious emotional issue for
current military recruits denied their cell phones and Internet for a couple
of months) and a great many young people who can't grasp the destruction will
still be in psychological shock. Add in food, transport, disease and bandits,
and it's a grim tale without being excessively emotional.
The best way to deal with Earth-grazing asteroids is not to attempt to blow
them up, but to use charges to divert them--a subsurface detonation can move
enough mass to act as a rocket. This causes the asteroid to divert into another
orbit that doesn't intersect with Earth. Any large enough mass can't be destroyed,
but will gravitationally coalesce back into an effectively solid mass in fairly
short order.
Related threats include the potential of Yellowstone every 650,000 years (It's
been about 650,000 years) to erupt and spew 200 cubic MILES of ejecta into
the atmosphere. And a sufficient earthquake could trigger multiple Cascade
Range eruptions from California's Mt. Baker all the way up into Alaska. I've
been threatening to write the SF story of a 50 megaton impact in Yellowstone
triggering it, the Cascades, the San Andreas and New Madrid faults...
Speaking of the New Madrid Fault, it's potentially more dangerous than San
Andreas--the soil structure of the eastern US is such that ground waves are
possible with a strong tremor. The effects could travel as far as the Carolinas
and Pennsylvania. I'll leave everyone with those cheery thoughts of Mother
Nature for now. - Michael
Z. Williamson
James,
I had the opportunity to speak to one of the Bible Code team rabbis and this
is important for people planning their future to know. Bible code only works
on five books of Torah. It doesn't predict the future only several possible
outcomes.
Its purpose is to show evidence divine inspiration by being several hundred
thousand times more organized and patterned than normal text. Mayan calendar
or any non -Torah based prophecy is derived either from necromancy or astrology.
These two methods may appear effective but they are reading from the wrong
end of the process and their purpose is to give free will to reject prayer
as the real answer. [When you] rejects the Creator and worship the creation
and your life will be ruled by the stars, I choose to be in the hands of G-d
who moves worlds at his whim.
A comet strike story is well told in [Niven and Pournelle's novel] Lucifer's
Hammer which covers many survival topics one of my favorites. If such
a strike comes to pass it like all of life is just a step toward the final
redemption. Happy and Kosher Pesech (Our big bug out from Egypt) - David
in Israel
Sir:
Rourke needs to check his facts. The Aztec calendar does not end in 2012
or any other date. It is as open ended a calendar as any other. There is a
neat astronomical alignment at the end of 13-baktun/21dec2012, but that's
all it is- scientifically speaking anyway.- K
Mr. Rawles:
Good article on asteroid impacts. But as it lead off with the Mayan
calendar ending in 2012, I must comment. What no one seems to mention when
they talk
about the end date is that it might not mean a darn thing. The Mayan civilization
ended from resource depletion. Doesn't it stand to reason maybe the guys
that were making the calendar died off before they could finish the job? Sorry,
I just had to comment. Take care, Great job, - Jim
