OT: Read In Magazine
 

I read today in a magazine in the Dr. Office that the Earth has moved about 760,000 miles closer to the sun over the Last four years and that is why we are having all of this add weather and funky tatonik (sp) plate movements. Hell when Mt. St. Helens becomes active again, something is wrong.

Any one know anything about this? Also it spoke about how the moon is moving away from the Earth at the rate of something like 20ft a year. And that effects the tides and such.

The article listed a bunch of nasty "The sky is falling" things that are, in the opinion of many scientists, happening right now. Real end of the world kind of crap from the polls flipping palarity to the core of the planet slowing down and no longer spinning.

Real depressing things like the polar ice caps are melting in the Artic and how some man made aqurium seaweed is spreading like wild fire through the mediterian sea and in its wake all things die because its so toxic to them.

Is any of this true?

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Erm... what magazine was this, Time magazine?

The Earth can not possibly be moving that much closer to the sun in 4 years... It is definitely either moving closer or farther each year, but not by that much. The Earth is something like 92,955,820.5 miles from the sun (first google hit on "earth sun distance"). At a rate of 760,000 miles every 4 years, we would have had to be twice as far from the sun around 500 years ago. There would have been a hell of a lot less life 500 years ago if we were 2 AU away from the sun. No event could magically cause the Earth's orbit to begin to decay at an extremely accelerated rate unless we were very close to it (far closer than Mercury). Total BS.

The moon causes tides by orbiting around the Earth and causing varying gravitational pulls on it as it rotates (from different location...). I do not recall whether it is slowly getting closer to the Earth or farther away. It is a very slow, almost imperceptible change, and will not have any significant affect for millions, if not billions, of years.

The magnetic poles of the Earth reverse polarity at infrequent intervals. Nothing special or dangerous.

Ice caps melt all the time. They also form all the time.

There was some deadly seaweed that was ravaging the ocean floor for a while, but I think they have gotten it more or less contained (albeit to rather large areas).

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Fyron, our own resident Myth-Buster. Gotta love it.

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only thing i know is city of destruction.... aka Toyko... a ticking time bomb....

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Because of Gojira?

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Actually, because it's due for a massively massive earthquake about, oooh, five or ten years ago. Tokyo is built with earthquakes in mind, but even so the destruction will be huge.

It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. I just hope the recent Indian Ocean earthquake doesn't kick off the Tokyo one.

Isn't California due as well?

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Ok, story time. As you can see from my location, I go to USC. We have this rivalry thing going with UCLA, we're supposed to hate each other.

So anyway, "The Daily Bruin" is UCLA's student newspaper. A few months ago -- I think around October -- it had a minor headline saying there would be an earthquake somewhere in the Southern California area. On Friday. The article was published on a Tuesday or a Wednesday... So, anyway, if one took the time to read into the article, the justification for this claim was this: Several years ago, scientists predicted that there would be another big quake in SoCal between a certain set of dates spanning a few years. The Friday that the article claimed was the date the quake would hit was the Last day of that few-year span. That was the ONLY justification.

Needless to say, Friday came. Friday went. Not so much as a jiggle felt by anyone, or any siesmometer (sp?). So much for public school journalism http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

But anyway, I guess we're technically overdue.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound
He pulls the spitting high tension wires down

Helpless people on a subway train
Scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them

He picks up a bus and he throws it back down
As he wades through the buildings toward the center of town

Oh no, they say he’s got to go
Go go godzilla, yeah
Oh no, there goes tokyo
Go go godzilla, yeah

Rinji news o moshiagemasu!
Rinji news o moshiagemasu!
Godzilla ga ginza hoomen e mukatte imasu!
Daishkyu hinan ****e kudasai!
Daishkyu hinan ****e kudasai!

Oh no, they say he’s got to go
Go go godzilla, yeah
Oh no, there goes tokyo
Go go godzilla, yeah

History shows again and again
How nature points up the folly of men
Godzilla!

[classic song http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif]

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

"I believe, I Believe!" (it's just the when that is 'Iffy')

Cheers! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

If you want to see just how active southern California is check out this link.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Uh, now that's kind of scary.

I actually live in a Northern BC (Canada) town in which the same fault line as the San Andres runs right through down town. It's well known to locals here about it too. IIRC, the estimate is that when the BIG ONE hits California, it will cause our end to become much more active. In the 30 years I've lived here, I've felt 3 minor tremors. Enough to wake me up at night but nothing major than to shake the pictures on the walls.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Heh. Vancouver has been due for a big one for years now.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Forget Tokyo, disregard California, don't worry about the Pacific Northwest, because this will be one heck of a catastrophe should it ever happen:

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/sc...29/tidal.wave/

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Yeah, I keep hearing that too and we're not ready for one. Fortunately, Vancouver is safe from tsunamis because the island will get hit and block them from reaching Vancouver.

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Hey folks I hope not to sound to arrogant here as I am really not trying too and am not even trying to be offensive but anyway:

Ever notice scientists preach death and hellfire and destruction "within ten years" or so? They've always done this since the time of Darwin they seem to enjoy making simple minded or uninformed people terrified because without those terrified people their research money would dry up and there'd be a lot fewer "scientists" then there are.

Scienctists are the same folks that tell you one year X food will kill you and then the year after tell you X food is not actually that bad for you, but now Y food will kill you. Watch the news anyone? Scientists have changed their minds about things so dang often but it's always just a depressing thing.

Like for example they say that the US milk supply is tainted with rocket fuel, any proof? not really but it's massive speculation and they provided no further answers beyond "It's not quite something to panic about but you should worry." why? Because if your scared you'll keep paying attention to their research I mean for once I'd like to hear a scientist say "Hey folks everything is okay." but you never will http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Science is the tool of the pessimistic sot in the wrong hands and with mass media the way it is these same "sots" get more attention then the "real" scientists who are trying to cure cancer or help mankind.

Bad news and scary news gets more attention then good news so until the end of the world we'll be seeing bad news with only a smigin of good news mixed in to throw you off lol.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

In the past few days I remember reading that cell phones might cause brain tumors or something, so kids shouldn't talk on cell phones.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Those aren't scientists. There are some people who claim to be scientists that use scare tactics like that, but that claim is often just as dubious as the "sky is falling!" claims that they spout off. The majority of the media reports about health risks, disasters, etc. are the result of JOURNALISTS, not scientists, misconstruing data and results from scientific reports. Sometimes researchers go along with it for the extra exposure and cash, but you'll notice most of the time, media reports only on "published studies", and don't bother interviewing the researchers and scientists themselves. Usually because it doesn't make "good news", meaning something that will increase Ratings and thus advertising revenues.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that way about the media "Scientists" and their doomsday crap http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Yeah, I heard that too. And I've also heard it said that that's bull. I don't doubt that Vancouver would be affected, though maybe not as bad as it would be without the island being there.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Starhawk, don't blame the scientists. They are often taken out of context or misquoted. I'm sure there are just as many scientists discovering good things but unfortunately good news doesn't sell. So blame the media. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

I still think "scientific experts" are like hannibal lecter. They're strapped up and stored somewhere, and when a disaster happens they get wheeled out, sprout some gibberish and then are locked away again for next time. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

That was said to be true a few years ago when cell phones first started becoming a big thing. But I haven't heard anything similar to that in at least 3 or 4 years...

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

It is, unfortunately, not uncommon nowadays for people to interpret the world around them, and make decisions, based more on ideology or personal beliefs rather than on facts derived rigourously. The scientific method is the most useful (and sucessful) application of the human mind to solving the problems of the human condition than any other - such as faith or personal beliefs - will ever be.

Not believing in a problem doesn't make it go away.

EDIT: spelling errors, some minor grammar errors

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Atrocities writes:

>>I read today in a magazine in the Dr. Office that the Earth has moved about 760,000 miles closer to the sun over the Last four years

Perhaps this is a misinterpretation of the article. The earth's orbit is an ellipse; the earth-sun distance varies from 91.4 million miles to 94.5 million miles over the course of a year. Every year.

http://www.weathernotebook.org/trans...000/12/19.html

>>the moon is moving away from the Earth

Yes. The moon is slowing the earth's rotation with its effect on the tides. The tides are accelerating the moon into a higher orbit. In some distant future the same side of the earth will always face the moon.

>>the polar ice caps are melting in the Artic

The earth's climate[s] is always changing. As recently as 900-1100 AD Greenland really was green, before the "little ice age" hit Europe.

And the vast majority of all species that ever lived on earth are now extinct.

Have a nice day. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

It would good if the earth's rotation slows down and the days get longer. I could use some more free time per day... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

They need to slow down the Earth so that weeks get longer, and we can have a six-day weekend and just five days at work.

Could someone organise that for me please?

Ta.

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Except for the people ON the island, which includes pretty much my entire family.

I remember a few years ago, one of the Irish 'low-brow' newspapers published an article saying that Cork was due to be nailed by a massive tsunami caused by an underwater volcanic erruption/seismic event. The tsunami would supposedly obliterate Cork and cause massive flooding all along both coastlines. 1/3 of Ireland's population was expected to perish and 80-90% of the survivors would be without food or shelter. 30% of the survivors of the initial event were predicted to die within a month of the event.
After a while, other papers started to pick up the stories, and eventually even a couple of the respectable papers started running it. Few days later the Irish Times published a story detailing how the 'SCIENTIFIC PROOF' that PROVED this event will HAPPEN within a few MONTHS was actually a hypothetical study carried out to assess the effects of a 500km/h tsunami hitting the south coast of Ireland.

Just a case of one reporter completly mis-interpreting what they were reading, and everyone else jumping on the bandwagon so as not to get left behind on a story.

Of course, anyone with half a brain cell to bounce around should have been able to tell the whole thing was theoretical. After all the report (published Dec2002, I think) started out, "On April 3rd, 2003 at 12:17pm, a tsunami of incredible force will strike the south coast of Ireland."

12:17pm, huh?

Re: OT: Read In Magazine
 

Wait, is someone claiming that the media is selling a product? I, for one, am shocked.