Author Archives: marcia

Dead Birds I-95 Near Laurel, MD

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Dead birds slow Interstate 95 commute

By The Associated Press7:21 p.m. EST, February 16, 2012

LAUREL, Md.—

Maryland officials said hundreds of birds were killed on Interstate 95 near Laurel, bringing traffic to a crawl Wednesday.

Maryland natural resources officials suspect a flock may have flown into a passing truck, while state highway officials said power lines crossing over the highway might also be to blame.

The dead starlings slowed traffic for several hours as highway crews used shovels to remove the birds from the roadway.

Officials at the state Department of Natural Resources said they don’t believe the birds were poisoned. However, samples taken from the birds are being analyzed as a precaution.

from:    http://www.herald-mail.com/news/local/hm-dead-birds-slow-interstate-95-commute-20120216,0,5281878.story

Tinakula Volcano Eruption As Seen by Satellite

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Tinakula volcano (Solomon Islands) eruption captured by satellite

Last update: February 17, 2012 at 12:27 pm by By 

Tinakula is a conical stratovolcano which forms an island north of Nendo in Temotu Province, the Solomon Islands. It lies at the north end of the Santa Cruz Islands. It is about 3.5 km wide and rises 851 m above sea level, but rises three or four km above the sea floor. It erupts approximately every hour in a plume of ash and rocks. The volcano was first recorded in eruption in 1595 when Álvaro de Mendaña sailed past on his round the world voyage.

Image courtesy NASA Earth observatory

This natural-color satellite image (top) shows a plume of volcanic gas, possibly mixed with a little ash, rising above the island’s summit. On February 13th and 14th, 2012, NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) detected heat signatures on Tinakula, and a small plume was apparent in visible imagery (lower image). Over the past decade satellites have detected intermittent “thermal anomalies” that suggest eruptions have taken place, but eyewitness observations are infrequent. The images was collected by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite (top) and MODIS on the Terra satellite on February 14, 2012.

Google earth profile image

The island is uninhabited. A previous population was eradicated when the volcano erupted around 1840 and pyroclastic flows swept all sides of the island.
In 1951, polynesians from Nukapu and Nupani settled on the island, which reached a peak population of 130, before it had to be evacuated again during the 1971 eruption. The village of Temateneniwas on the southeast coast. In the late 1980s, two families (less than 10 people) from Nupani made another attempt at settlement.

Transport can be arranged, but landing on the island is very difficult since there are few good beaches. One must bring plenty of water and be prepared to swim ashore. The island is covered with jungle, except for the western side, which is covered with ash. It was scraped by landslides in 1965. When the volcano erupts, it is possible to watch large boulders tumbling down the mountain side.

The island is in the range of the endangered Santa Cruz Ground Dove (Gallicolumba sanctaecrucis), but as ornithologists have not visited the island in a long period, it is unknown whether they survive there. Doctor Gunter Kittel, an Austrian doctor, who came and worked for Lata Hospital climbed Tinakula four times in 2002.

Text : NASA Earth Observatory and Wikipedia

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/17/tinakula-volcano-solomon-islands-eruption-captured-by-satellite/

Homeopathic Medicine — The Truth

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Dana Ullman

Evidence Based Homeopath

 The Swiss Government’s Remarkable Report on Homeopathic Medicine
Posted: 02/15/2012 8:56 am

The Swiss government has a long and widely-respected history of neutrality, and therefore, reports from this government on controversial subjects need to be taken more seriously than other reports from countries that are more strongly influenced by present economic and political constituencies. When one considers that two of the top five largest drug companies in the world have their headquarters in Switzerland, one might assume that this country would have a heavy interest in and bias toward conventional medicine, but such assumptions would be wrong.

In late 2011, the Swiss government’s report on homeopathic medicine represents the most comprehensive evaluation of homeopathic medicine ever written by a government and was just published in book form in English (Bornhoft and Matthiessen, 2011). This breakthrough report affirmed that homeopathic treatment is both effective and cost-effective and that homeopathic treatment should be reimbursed by Switzerland’s national health insurance program.

The Swiss government’s inquiry into homeopathy and complementary and alternative (CAM) treatments resulted from the high demand and widespread use of alternatives to conventional medicine in Switzerland, not only from consumers but from physicians as well. Approximately half of the Swiss population have used CAM treatments and value them. Further, about half of Swiss physicians consider CAM treatments to be effective. Perhaps most significantly, 85 percent of the Swiss population wants CAM therapies to be a part of their country’s health insurance program.

It is therefore not surprising that more than 50 percent of the Swiss population surveyed prefer a hospital that provides CAM treatments rather to one that is limited to conventional medical care.

Beginning in 1998, the government of Switzerland decided to broaden its national health insurance to include certain complementary and alternative medicines, including homeopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, anthroposophic medicine, and neural therapy. This reimbursement was provisional while the Swiss government commissioned an extensive study on these treatments to determine if they were effective and cost-effective. The provisional reimbursement for these alternative treatments ended in 2005, but as a result of this new study, the Swiss government’s health insurance program once again began to reimburse for homeopathy and select alternative treatments. In fact, as a result of a national referendum in which more than two-thirds of voters supported the inclusion of homeopathic and select alternative medicines in Switzerland’s national health care insurance program, the field of complementary and alternative medicine has become a part of this government’s constitution (Dacey, 2009; Rist, Schwabl, 2009).

The Swiss Government’s “Health Technology Assessment”

The Swiss government’s “Health Technology Assessment” on homeopathic medicine is much more comprehensive than any previous governmental report written on this subject to date. Not only did this report carefully and comprehensively review the body of evidence from randomized double-blind and placebo controlled clinical trials testing homeopathic medicines, they also evaluated the “real world effectiveness” as well as safety and cost-effectiveness. The report also conducted a highly-comprehensive review of the wide body of preclinical research (fundamental physio-chemical research, botanical studies, animal studies, and in vitro studies with human cells).

And still further, this report evaluated systematic reviews and meta-analyses, outcome studies, and epidemiological research. This wide review carefully evaluated the studies conducted, both in terms of quality of design and execution (called “internal validity”) and how appropriate each was for the way that homeopathy is commonly practiced (called “external validity”). The subject of external validity is of special importance because some scientists and physicians conduct research on homeopathy with little or no understanding of this type of medicine (some studies tested a homeopathic medicine that is rarely used for the condition tested, while others utilized medicines not commonly indicated for specific patients). When such studies inevitably showed that the homeopathic medicine did not “work,” the real and accurate assessment must be that the studies were set up to disprove homeopathy… or simply, the study was an exploratory trial that sought to evaluate the results of a new treatment (exploratory trials of this nature are not meant to prove or disprove the system of homeopathy but only to evaluate that specific treatment for a person with a specific condition).

After assessing pre-clinical basic research and the high quality clinical studies, the Swiss report affirmed that homeopathic high-potencies seem to induce regulatory effects (e.g., balancing or normalizing effects) and specific changes in cells or living organisms. The report also reported that 20 of the 22 systematic reviews of clinical research testing homeopathic medicines detected at least a trend in favor of homeopathy.* (Bornhöft, Wolf, von Ammon, et al, 2006)

The Swiss report found a particularly strong body of evidence to support the homeopathic treatment of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Respiratory Allergies. The report cited 29 studies in “Upper Respiratory Tract Infections/AllergicReactions,” of which 24 studies found a positive result in favor of homeopathy. Further, six out of seven controlled studies that compared homeopathic treatment with conventional medical treatment showed that homeopathy to be more effective than conventional medical interventions (the one other trial found homeopathic treatment to be equivalent to conventional medical treatment). All of these results from homeopathic treatment came without the side effects common to conventional drug treatment. In evaluating only the randomized placebo controlled trials, 12 out of 16 studies showed a positive result in favor of homeopathy.

The authors of the Swiss government’s report acknowledge that a part of the overall review of research included one review of clinical research in homeopathy (Shang, et al, 2005). However, the authors noted that this review of research has been widely and harshly criticized by both advocates and non-advocates of homeopathy. The Swiss report noted that the Shang team did not even adhere to the QUORUM guidelines which are widely recognized standards for scientific reporting (Linde, Jonas, 2005). The Shang team initially evaluated 110 homeopathic clinical trials and then sought to compare them with a matching 110 conventional medical trials. Shang and his team determined that there were 22 “high quality” homeopathic studies but only nine “high quality” conventional medical studies. Rather than compare these high quality trials (which would have shown a positive result for homeopathy), the Shang team created criteria to ignore a majority of high quality homeopathic studies, thereby trumping up support for their original hypothesis and bias that homeopathic medicines may not be effective (Lüdtke, Rutten, 2008).

The Swiss report also notes that David Sackett, M.D., the Canadian physician who is widely considered to be one of the leading pioneers in “evidence based medicine,” has expressed serious concern about those researchers and physicians who consider randomized and double-blind trials as the only means to determine whether a treatment is effective or not. To make this assertion, one would have to acknowledge that virtually all surgical procedures were “unscientific” or “unproven” because so few have undergone randomized double-blind trials.

In my view, for a treatment to be determined to be “effective” or “scientifically proven,” a much more comprehensive assessment of what works and doesn’t is required. Ultimately, the Swiss government’s report on homeopathy represents an evaluation of homeopathy that included an assessment of randomized double blind trials as well as other bodies of evidence, all of which together lead the report to determine that homeopathic medicines are indeed effective.

The next article will discuss further evidence

from:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathic-medicine-_b_1258607.html?ref=health-and-fitness&ir=Health%20and%20Fitness

The Master Key System — Part 1

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Part One of a classic written by Charles F. Haanel in 1912, speaking of personal power, control, abundance, and potential:

PART ONE

1. That much gathers more is true on every plane of existence and that loss leads to greater loss is equally true.

2. Mind is creative, and conditions, environment and all experiences in life are the result of our habitual or predominant mental attitude.

3. The attitude of mind necessarily depends upon what we think. Therefore, the secret of all power, all achievement and all possession depends upon our method of thinking.

4. This is true because we must “be” before we can “do,” and we can “do” only to the extent which we “are,” and what we “are” depends upon what we “think.”

5. We cannot express powers that we do not possess. The only way by which we may secure possession of power is to become conscious of power, and we can never become conscious of power until we learn that all power is from within.

6. There is a world within – a world of thought and feeling and power; of light and life and beauty and, although invisible, its forces are mighty.

7. The world within is governed by mind. When we discover this world we shall find the solution for every problem, the cause for every effect; and since the world within is subject to our control, all laws of power and possession are also within our control.

8. The world without is a reflection of the world within. What appears without is what has been found within. In the world within may be found infinite Wisdom, infinite Power, infinite Supply of all that is necessary, waiting for unfoldment, development and expression. If we recognize these potentialities in the world within they will take form in the world without.

9. Harmony in the world within will be reflected in the world without by harmonious conditions, agreeable surroundings, the best of everything. It is the foundation of health and a necessary essential to all greatness, all power, all attainment, all achievement and all success.

10. Harmony in the world within means the ability to control our thoughts, and to determine for ourselves how any experience is to affect us.

11. Harmony in the world within results in optimism and affluence; affluence within results in affluence without.

12. The world without reflects the circumstances and the conditions of the consciousness within.

13. If we find wisdom in the world within, we shall have the understanding to discern the marvelous possibilities that are latent in this world within, and we shall be given the power to make these possibilities manifest in the world without.

14. As we become conscious of the wisdom in the world within, we mentally take possession of this wisdom, and by taking mental possession we come into actual possession of the power and wisdom necessary to bring into manifestation the essentials necessary for our most complete and harmonious development.

15. The world within is the practical world in which the men and women of power generate courage, hope, enthusiasm, confidence, trust and faith, by which they are given the fine intelligence to see the vision and the practical skill to make the vision real.

16. Life is an unfoldment, not accretion. What comes to us in the world without is what we already possess in the world within.

17. All possession is based on consciousness. All gain is the result of an accumulative consciousness. All loss is the result of a scattering consciousness.

18. Mental efficiency is contingent upon harmony; discord means confusion; therefore, he who would acquire power must be in harmony with Natural Law.

19. We are related to the world without by the objective mind. The brain is the organ of this mind and the cerebro-spinal system of nerves puts us in conscious communication with every part of the body. This system of nerves responds to every sensation of light, heat, odor, sound and taste.

20. When this mind thinks correctly, when it understands the truth, when the thoughts sent through the cerebro-spinal nervous system to the body are constructive, these sensations are pleasant, harmonious.

21. The result is that we build strength, vitality and all constructive forces into our body, but it is through this same objective mind that all distress, sickness, lack, limitation and every form of discord and inharmony is admitted to our lives. It is therefore through the objective mind, by wrong thinking, that we are related to all destructive forces.

22. We are related to the world within by the subconscious mind. The solar plexus is the organ of this mind; the sympathetic system of nerves presides over all subjective sensations, such as joy, fear, love, emotion, respiration, imagination and all other subconscious phenomena. It is through the subconscious that we are connected with the Universal Mind and brought into relation with the Infinite constructive forces of the Universe.

23. It is the coordination of these two centers of our being, and the understanding of their functions, which is the great secret of life. With this knowledge we can bring the objective and subjective minds into conscious cooperation and thus coordinate the finite and the infinite. Our future is entirely within our own control. It is not at the mercy of any capricious or uncertain external power.

24. All agree that there is but one Principle or Consciousness pervading the entire Universe, occupying all space, and being essentially the same in kind at every point of its presence. It is all powerful, all wisdom and always present. All thoughts and things are within Itself. It is all in all.

25. There is but one consciousness in the universe able to think; and when it thinks, its thoughts become objective things to it. As this Consciousness is omnipresent, it must be present within every individual; each individual must be a manifestation of that Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent Consciousness.

26. As there is only one Consciousness in the Universe that is able to think it necessarily follows that your consciousness is identical with the Universal Consciousness, or, in other words, all mind is one mind. There is no dodging this conclusion.

27. The consciousness that focuses in your brain cells is the same consciousness which focuses in the brain cells of every other individual. Each individual is but the individualization of the Universal, the Cosmic Mind.

28. The Universal Mind is static or potential energy; it simply is; it can manifest only through the individual, and the individual can manifest only through the Universal. They are one.

29. The ability of the individual to think is his ability to act on the Universal and bring it into manifestation. Human consciousness consists only in the ability of man to think. Mind in itself is believed to be a subtle form of static energy, from which arises the activities called ‘thought,’ which is the dynamic phase of mind. Mind is static energy, thought is dynamic energy – the two phases of the same thing. Thought is therefore the vibratory force formed by converting static mind into dynamic mind.

30. As the sum of all attributes are contained in the Universal Mind, which is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, these attributes must be present at all times in their potential form in every individual. Therefore, when the individual thinks, the thought is compelled by its nature to embody itself in an objectivity or condition which will correspond with its origin.

31. Every thought therefore is a cause and every condition an effect; for this reason it is absolutely essential that you control your thoughts so as to bring forth only desirable conditions.

32. All power is from within, and is absolutely under your control; it comes through exact knowledge and by the voluntary exercises of exact principles.

33. It should be plain that when you acquire a thorough understanding of this law, and are able to control your thought processes, you can apply it to any condition; in other words, you will have come into conscious cooperation with Omnipotent law which is the fundamental basis of all things.

34. The Universal Mind is the life principle of every atom which is in existence; every atom is continually striving to manifest more life; all are intelligent, and all are seeking to carry out the purpose for which they were created.

35. A majority of mankind lives in the world without; few have found the world within, and yet it is the world within that makes the world without; it is therefore creative and everything which you find in your world without has been created by you in the world within.

36. This system will bring you into a realization of power which will be yours when you understand this relation between the world without and the world within. The world within is the cause, the world without the effect; to change the effect you must change the cause.

37. You will at once see that this is a radically new and different idea; most men try to change effects by working with effects. They fail to see that this is simply changing one form of distress for another. To remove discord, we must remove the cause, and this cause can be found only in the world within.

38. All growth is from within. This is evident in all nature. Every plant, every animal, every human is a living testimony to this great law, and the error of the ages is in looking for strength or power from without.

39. The world within is the Universal fountain of supply, and the world without is the outlet to the stream. Our ability to receive depends upon our recognition of this Universal Fountain, this Infinite Energy of which each individual is an outlet, and so is one with every other individual.

40. Recognition is a mental process, mental action is therefore the interaction of the individual upon the Universal Mind, and as the Universal Mind is the intelligence which pervades all space and animates all living things, this mental action and reaction is the law of causation, but the principle of causation does not obtain in the individual but in the Universal Mind. It is not an objective faculty but a subjective process, and the results are seen in an infinite variety of conditions and experiences.

41. In order to express life there must be mind; nothing can exist without mind. Everything which exists is some manifestation of this one basic substance from which and by which all things have been created and are continually being recreated.

42. We live in a fathomless sea of plastic mind substance. This substance is ever alive and active. It is sensitive to the highest degree. It takes form according to the mental demand. Thought forms the mold or matrix from which the substance expresses.

43. Remember that it is in the application alone that the value consists, and that a practical understanding of this law will substitute abundance for poverty, wisdom for ignorance, harmony for discord and freedom for tyranny, and certainly there can be no greater blessing than these from a material and social standpoint.

44. Now make the application: Select a room where you can be alone and undisturbed; sit erect, comfortably, but do not lounge; let your thoughts roam where they will but be perfectly still for from fifteen minutes to half an hour; continue this for three or four days or for a week until you secure full control of your physical being.

45. Many will find this extremely difficult; others will conquer with ease, but it is absolutely essential to secure complete control of the body before you are ready to progress. Next week you will receive instructions for the next step; in the meantime you must have mastered this one.

41. In order to express life there must be mind; nothing can exist without mind. Everything which exists is some manifestation of this one basic substance from which and by which all things have been created and are continually being recreated.

42. We live in a fathomless sea of plastic mind substance. This substance is ever alive and active. It is sensitive to the highest degree. It takes form according to the mental demand. Thought forms the mold or matrix from which the substance expresses.

43. Remember that it is in the application alone that the value consists, and that a practical understanding of this law will substitute abundance for poverty, wisdom for ignorance, harmony for discord and freedom for tyranny, and certainly there can be no greater blessing than these from a material and social standpoint.

44. Now make the application: Select a room where you can be alone and undisturbed; sit erect, comfortably, but do not lounge; let your thoughts roam where they will but be perfectly still for from fifteen minutes to half an hour; continue this for three or four days or for a week until you secure full control of your physical being.

45. Many will find this extremely difficult; others will conquer with ease, but it is absolutely essential to secure complete control of the body before you are ready to progress. Next week you will receive instructions for the next step; in the meantime you must have mastered this one.

from:   http://www.psitek.net/pages/PsiTekTMKS3.html

Video: Eckhart Tolle w/Cesar Millan

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Interesting and fun interview between Cesar Millan and Eckhart Tolle.  Cesar Millan made a curious comment:  “Animals don’t fight balance.”  Curious because what is unspoken is the assertion that humans do.  Perhaps it is a good idea to consider what it means to be in balance and to take some time to watch the critters around us as they attempt to get into balance.

Here is the link to Part 1 of the interview.  You can get the other parts from there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuOVBgypTyQ&feature=related

 

Enjoy!

 

6.0 Quake off Oregon Coast

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6.0-magnitude earthquake reported off Oregon coast, no tsunami expected

Published: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 8:15 PM     Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 7:54 AM
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 6.0-magnitude earthquake off the Oregon Coast this evening but said no tsunami was expected.

The quake, which struck about 159 miles west of Coos Bay, was measured at 7:31 p.m., the USGS said. Initial reports indicated it hit at a depth of 6.2 miles.

The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., says a magnitude 6.0 quake off the Oregon coast caused no reported damage and only a smattering of reports from people who felt it as a weak jolt.

Within about an hour, the information center’s website recorded 39 reports of people who reported feeling the quake. Most were in northern California and southern Oregon and characterized it was “weak” or “barely felt.”

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Dale Grant said in a telephone interview the quake occurred in a seismically active area and called it “not uncommon at all.”

“These are the ones we like — nobody gets hurt and there’s no damage,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.    

— Kate Mather

Papua New Guinea Earthquake

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Strong shallow earthquake below the rain-forest of Eastern Papua New Guinea

Last update: February 15, 2012 at 4:54 pm by By 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude :  5.8
UTC Time :  Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 14:07:51 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:07:51 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10.1 km
Geo-location(s) :
88 km (54 miles) S of Lae, New Guinea, PNG
137 km (85 miles) ENE of Kerema, New Guinea, PNG
216 km (134 miles) N of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea

Earthquake overview : A strong but shallow and thus moderately dangerous earthquake occurred just after midnight inland Eastern Papua New Guinea.

Strong moderately dangerous earthquake.
1,000 people will experience a very strong shaking and 33,000 people a strong shaking. The main reason for this high impact is the very shallow hypocenter. PNG is however well prepared for very strong to even massive earthquakes. Since 1000ths of years, the islands are regularly shuddered by massive earthquakes. The earthquake’s epicenter is below the rain forest where only primitive villages are located. These villages have NO brick or concrete houses which make them less vulnerable for destruction.
The main dangers during these earthquakes are landslides and mining accidents. 
Emergency services will normally not react to this kind of earthquakes. Additionally, as they have no helicopters and as the hills are mostly saturated by clouds, they have to walk to the epicenter areas via normal walking trails. They often need many days to reach the epicenter area.
These are the facts of life at PNG. We would be very surprised if a report would ever be published on this earthquake by the PNG authorities or by the local PNG press.

Update :  nearest populated place to the epicenter is : Were Were (18km).
The closest civilian airport is Sim (18km).

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/15/strong-shallow-earthquake-below-the-rainforest-of-eastern-papua-new-guinea/

 

Gregg Braden on 2012

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On 2012 – Gregg Braden’s Letter to the Community

Gregg Braden
a message from Gregg Braden
Friday, 10 February, 2012

At last, 2012 has arrived! As we enter into a pivotal year for us and our world, it’s clear that the role of community has become key to the way we navigate the huge changes that life seems to be bringing our way. I’m taking the opportunity to personally express my deepest gratitude to you for all that you do to make the big community of our world a better place.

I want you to know that I’ve never been more optimistic about our future and the world that is emerging before our eyes!

From the oral traditions of ancient peoples throughout the world, to the theme of the world’s most cherished spiritual traditions, the significance of our 2012 “window of change” has been no secret. Our ancestors knew this time of change was coming, because it always does. They understood the cyclic nature of Earth’s shifting environment. (Fractal Time, 2009) They also knew that our future would be determined less by the changes themselves and more about us, and whether we choose to fight one another, or work to help one another, as we go through the changes. (Deep Truth, 2011)

For very different reasons, the best minds of today agree. Scientists, engineers, social architects, religious and spiritual leaders throughout the world are warning us that the choices we make in our immediate future will determine nothing less than the fate of our nations, civilization itself, and the future of life here on Earth. (Crossroads for Planet Earth, Scientific American, September 2005)

I’ve been asked by many people, from many places in the world, to comment on the events of 2011 and where I believe they’re leading and what we can expect for 2012 and the years ahead. Rather than responding to hundreds of letters individually I’ve chosen to answer in one letter to our community.

The Stage is Set:

It’s no secret that the world of the past is gone. The conventional ways of thinking and living that we’ve grown accustomed to — the ways we’ve thought of jobs, careers, money, wealth, security, healing and the role of America in the larger world are falling away before our eyes, faster than even those who knew the changes were coming could have expected. It is a fact that you and I are witnessing the greatest shift in power, wealth, resources and thinking in recorded history. And while the experts have their viewpoints regarding what lies at the root of specific crises and what “went wrong” with this or that, when we step back and look at the big picture, the reason for such massive change becomes obvious: the world of the past is no longer sustainable.

From our policies of energy, economics and technology to the way we think of security and how nations work together, the choices made in the past no longer work in the world of today. As we discover the limits and experience the consequences of the vast learning curve that has led to 2012, we’ve arrived at a turning point with only one of two possible outcomes – transformation or collapse.

Choice Point 2012

While ancient traditions and modern science underscore the magnitude of our time in history, they also remind us of a powerful fact: it is through our choices that the outcomes will be determined. The question is this: How do we tip the scales of peace, cooperation and healing in our favor? Specifically, how do we create an environment that supports fair and sustainable economies? That shares Earth respectfully and compassionately with all life? That bridges the issues that tear at the fabric of society?

The diverse body of work that I’ve developed over the past 25 years is my answer to these questions. The choices we make in life are a reflection of the way we think of ourselves, our relationship to the Earth, our past, and to one another. I believe that when the facts of these relationships are clear, our choices become obvious. Those of you that know me personally know that I’m an optimist. I’m also a realist. I’m optimistic about our future, while I realistically acknowledge that we are poised on the brink of what will either become some very bad choices, or very some good decisions. For me, knowing that choices exist, and that we’re living a time that gives our choices a greater potency, gives new meaning and renewed hope to this 2012 year of emergence.

The shift in thinking

So, what do I think 2012 has in store? Honestly, I can’t say because we’re still in the process of choosing. What I do know is that it will take every one of us, and the diversity of our beliefs and ideas, and the love for life that we bring to our global community to birth the world of our greatest destiny rather than succumb to the darkness of our greatest fears. For those who can embrace the learning curve of our past without judgment, the future becomes the palate for new industry, new jobs, new forms of expression, and new communities based upon sustainable ways of thinking, living, and being in our world. For those who cling to old and unsustainable ways of living by clinging to old and unsustainable ways of thinking, 2012 may, in fact, look like the fulfillment of history’s darkest prophecies.

Perhaps one of the most powerful keys to determining our experience of the months ahead comes from a shift in thinking that invites us beyond asking, “What can I get from the world that exists,” to asking, “What can I offer to the world that is awakening?” The way we answer this question as individuals becomes our collective answer to what comes next.

Personally, I’ve never felt better about the future and the possibilities that await us. Now it’s up to us. We’ve already made the choices of peace and cooperation in our hearts. Now it’s time for us to live those choices in our world. I look forward to working with you as we do so, together, throughout this new year of 2012, and beyond.

Gregg Braden is a New York Times best-selling author, a former Senior Computer Systems Designer for Martin Marietta Aerospace, Computer Geologist for Phillips Petroleum, and the first Technical Operations Manager for Cisco Systems. For over 20 years he has researched the wisdom traditions of ancient cultures and his work has led to such pioneering books as The God Code, The Divine Matrix, and his latest book Fractal Time on the promise of the year 2012. Gregg’s work shows beyond any reasonable doubt that the key to our future lies in the wisdom of our past. ~ Copyright © 2008 Gregg Braden

from:    http://spiritlibrary.com/gregg-braden/on-2012-gregg-braden-s-letter-to-the-community

Costa Rica Earthquake

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Strong and moderately dangerous earthquake in Costa Rica – initial M 6.1 decreased to M 5.8

Last update: February 13, 2012 at 7:07 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : A powerful earthquake struck the coastal Costa Rica area at 04:55 in the morning. The epicenter has been located at 76 km from San Jose.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.1 5.8  (Ovsicori Costa Rica : 5.9)
UTC Time : Monday, February 13, 2012 at 10:55:12 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Monday, February 13, 2012 at 04:55:12 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 33.6 km 27.9 km ( (Ovsicori Costa Rica : 14 km)
Geo-location(s) :
75 km (50 miles) S (175°) from SAN JOSE, Costa Rica
137 km (85 miles) SW (233°) from Limon, Costa Rica
193 km (120 miles) W (268°) from Bocas del Toro, Panama

Update 18:56 UTC : It was felt strongly, however damage and injuries have not yet been registered. Falling objects as stated before have occurred on the coast. If any people have registered damage, please let us know. The aftershocks have not caused major damage as yet.

Update 16:44 UTC :  10 aftershocks have been reported by Ovsicori since the mainshock 5 hours ago.  All these aftershocks were below M 4, making them harmless for houses and people.

Shaking map as calculated by USGS

Update 16:03 UTC :  Until now we have found no signs of damage or injuries(but still too soon to be certain). A lot of people are reporting however “fallen objects” in various parts of the country.

Update 15:53 UTC :  USGS has decreased the magnitude after recalculation to Mw 5.8. The depth has been updated to 27.9 km.

Update 15:51 UTC :  A video report from Telenoticias7, one of the main networks with a very good earthquake report. Those among you who do not understand Spanish, have to go directly to 06:30 minutes. The video shows the shaking in the television studios. The shaking confirms the many I Have Felt It reports that we have received from all over Costa Rica. Telenoticias7 is also mentioning (like one of our readers below) that the country has felt various small quakes since Saturday.  Saturday’s earthquake measured M 4.5.  On Sunday 3 smaller aftershocks were noticed. Today’s earthquake occurred in the same area than the 4 other ones and can be called a stronger aftershock than the mainshock.

Update 15:32 UTC :  OVISCORI, the local Costa Rican seismological agency, has reported a magnitude of 5.9. The depth of the hypocenter was located at 14 km. Epicenter in the Pacific Ocean at 34 km to the South West of Estero Garita. Oviscori also reported a max. intensity of VI MMI (strong shaking), a little less than USGS initially reported.

Update 12:12 UTC :  From James Daniells CATDAT database : The area had over 40 damaging earthquakes historically in the last 100 years within 100km, the 1910 earthquakes caused over 1000 fatalities. Based on previous losses there will probably be no fatalities, but minor damage should be expected.

Update 12:09 UTC :  As could have been expected if earthquakes like this occur, the shaking has also been felt in many neighboring countries.

Update 11:44 UTC :  The locations that may experience a moderate shaking are : Quepos, Parrita, San Isidro, Daniel Flores, Mercedes

Update 11:40 UTC : Following the initial calculations of USGS, the earthquake will have been felt by 785 people as a very strong shaking, 149,000 people will have felt a moderate shaking and 4,094,000 people will have been shaken slightly.

Update : We expect NO tsunami danger from this earthquake. the specialized agencies have not created alert messages.

Update : This earthquake occurred in the highly populated region of Puntarenas in Costa Rica, also visited by many tourists.

Update :  The nearest populated places are: Dominical (16km), Guapil (14km), Bar? (18km), Hatillo (12km), Laguna (16km), Salitral (15km), Palma Quemada (11km), Platanillo (11km), Matapalo (10km), Tierras Morenas (18km), Dos Bocas (15km), Dos Boscas (15km), Portal?n (12km), Paso (12km), Pasito (13km), Savegre (13km), Llorona (19km), Guabos (17km), Finca Negro (19km), S?balo (19km). The closest civilian airport is Nuevo Palmar Sur (67km).

Update : the epicenter is located at only a few km from the coast

The depth of this earthquake is shallow enough to create serious problems in the epicenter area.

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/13/very-strong-and-dangerous-earthquake-in-costa-rica/