Friday, November 30, 2012

Rivers


A river is a large natural waterway. The source of a river may be a lake, a spring, or a collection of small streams, known as headwaters. From their source, all rivers flow downhill, typically terminating in the ocean. The mouth, or lower end, of a river is known as its base level.

A river's water is confined to a channel, made up of a stream bed between banks. Most rainfall on land passes through a river on its way to the ocean. Smaller side streams that join a river are tributaries. The scientific term for any flowing natural waterway is a stream; so in technical language, the term river is just a shorthand way to refer to a large stream.

Rivers Wikipedia




Which direction does a river flow?

Rivers begin at their source in higher ground, either rising from a spring, forming from glacial meltwater, flowing from a body of water such as a lake, or simply from damp, boggy places where the soil is waterlogged. They end at their base level where they flow into a larger body of water, the sea, a lake, or as a tributary to another (usually larger) river. In arid areas rivers sometimes end by losing water to evaporation and percolation into dry, porous material such as sand, soil, or pervious rock. The area drained by a river and its tributaries is called its watershed, catchment basin or drainage basin. Watershed is also used however to mean a boundary between drainage basins.

Starting at the mouth of the river and following it upstream as it branches again and again, the resulting river network forms a dendritic (tree-like) structure that is an example of a natural random fractal.

A common misconception, particularly amongst schoolchildren and college students in North America, is that most, or even all, rivers flow from north to south. Rivers in fact flow downhill. Sometimes downhill is from north to south, but equally it can be from south to north, and usually is a complex meandering path involving all directions of the compass.

Rivers flowing downhill, from river source to mouth, do not necessarily take the shortest path. For alluvial streams, straight and braided rivers have very low sinuosity and flow directly down hill, while meandering rivers flow from side to side across a valley. Bedrock rivers typically flow in either a fractal pattern, or a pattern that is determined by weaknesses in the bedrock, such as faults, fractures, or more erodible layers.


Ancient Colorado river flowed backwards   PhysOrg - October 4, 2010
Geologists have found evidence that some 55 million years ago a river as big as the modern Colorado flowed through Arizona into Utah in the opposite direction from the present-day river. Writing in the October issue of the journal Geology, they have named this ancient northeastward-flowing river the California River, after its inferred source in the Mojave region of southern California.

Recently, other researchers have speculated that rivers older than the Colorado River may have carved an ancestral or "proto" Grand Canyon around this time, long before Colorado began eroding the present canyon less than 20 million years ago. But Davis sees no evidence of this. "The Grand Canyon would have been on the river's route as it flowed from the Mojave to Utah, he says. "It stands to reason that if there was major erosion of a canyon going on we would see lots of zircon grains from that area, but we don't."

The mighty California River likely met its end as the Rocky Mountains rose and the northern Colorado Plateau tilted, reversing the slope of the land surface and the direction of the river's flow to create the present Colorado-Green River system. Davis and his colleagues have not determined precisely when the change occurred, however. "The river could have persisted for as long as 20 million years before the topography shifted enough to reverse its flow," he says.




Rivers as a Metaphor

A river never remains the same, so too is the flow of the collective unconscious.




Mythological Rivers


Styx

The Styx - also meaning "hate" and "detestation" - is a river in Greek mythology that formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld (often called Hades which is also the name of this domain's ruler). The rivers Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron, and Cocytus all converge at the center of the underworld on a great marsh, which is also sometimes called the Styx. The important rivers of the underworld are Lethe, Eridanos, and Alpheus.

The gods were bound by the Styx and swore oaths on it. The reason for this is during the Titan war the goddess Styx, the goddess of the river Styx, sided with Zeus. After the war, Zeus promised every oath be sworn upon her. Zeus swore to give Semele whatever she wanted and was then obliged to follow through when he realized to his horror that her request would lead to her death. Helios similarly promised his son Phaeton whatever he desired, also resulting in the boy's death. According to some versions, Styx had miraculous powers and could make someone invulnerable. According to one tradition, Achilles was dipped in it in his childhood, acquiring invulnerability, with exception of his heel, by which his mother held him. This is the source of the expression Achilles' heel, a metaphor for a vulnerable spot.

Styx was primarily a feature in the afterworld of Greek mythology, and similar to the Christian area of Hell in texts such as The Divine Comedy and "Paradise Lost". The ferryman Charon is believed to have transported the souls of the newly dead across this river into the underworld, though in the original Greek and Roman sources, as well as in Dante, it was the river Acheron that Charon plied. Dante put Phlegyas over the Styx and made it the fifth circle of Hell, where the wrathful and sullen are punished by being drowned in the muddy waters for eternity, with the wrathful fighting each other.

In ancient times some believed that placing a coin in the mouth[2] of the deceased would help pay the toll for the ferry to help cross the Styx river which would lead one to the entrance of the underworld. If some could not pay the fee it was said that they would never be able to cross the river. This ritual was performed by the relatives.

The variant spelling Stix was sometimes used in translations of Classical Greek before the 20th century. By synecdoche, the adjective stygian came to refer to anything dark, dismal, and murky.




Celadon

The Celadon is a mythological river of Arcadia crossed by Heracles in pursuit of the Hind of Ceryneia, according to Pindar: it is mentioned by Strabo. Pausanias names it the Celadus and states that it is a tributary of the Alpheus. In Homer's Iliad it is described as being under the walls of Pheia, not far from the river Iardanus, on the borders of Pylos: Ereuthalion was killed by Nestor here.




Eridanos

Eridanos is a river mentioned in Greek mythology. Virgil considered it one of the rivers of Hades in his Aeneid VI, 659.

Hesiod, in the Theogony, calls it "deep-eddying Eridanos" in his list of rivers, the offspring of Tethys. Herodotus (III, 115) points out that the word Eridanos is essentially Greek in character, and surmises that consequently the river supposed to run around the world is probably a Greek invention. He associated it with the river Po, because the Po was located near the end of the Amber Trail. According to Apollonius of Rhode and Ovid, amber originated from the tears of the Heliades, encased in poplars as dryads, shed when their brother, Phaeton, died and fell from the sky, struck by Zeus' thunderbolt, and tumbled into the Eridanos, where "to this very day the marsh exhales a heavy vapor which rises from his smouldering wound; no bird can stretch out its fragile wings to fly over that water, but in mid-flight it falls dead in the flames;" "along the green banks of the river Eridanos," Cygnus mourned him - Ovid told - and was transformed into a swan. There in the far west, Heracles asked the river nymphs of Eridanos to help him locate the Garden of the Hesperides.

Eridanos is the name that has been applied by geologists to a river which flowed where the Baltic Sea is now, a river system also known simply as the "Baltic River System".




Sarasvati River

The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda (10.75) mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert. The goddess Sarasvati was originally a personification of this river, but later developed an independent identity and gained meaning.

The identification of the Vedic Sarasvati River with the Ghaggar-Hakra River was accepted by Christian Lassen, Max Muller, Marc Aurel Stein, C.F. Oldham and Jane Macintosh, while some Vedic scholars (e.g. Kochhar 1999) believe the Helmand River of southern Afghanistan corresponds to the Sarasvati River.




Other famous Mythological Rivers   Wikipedia




2011 Mississippi River Floods and Prophecy




Yangtze river turns red September 7, 2012
Science, Prophecy, Alchemy




Articles in the News ...


World's rivers running on empty, paper finds   PhysOrg - November 26, 2012

Four of the world's great rivers - the US Colorado River, the South African Orange River, the Chinese Yellow River and the Murray are all suffering from drastically reduced flows as a direct result of water extraction, according to new ANU research. The researchers found that in all four basins, over a long period of time, outflows have greatly reduced as a direct result of increased water extractions, and that urgent changes in governance of water are needed to ensure the systems remain healthy and viable. The key to securing the future of the world's rivers lies in plans to share water use between users and the environment, and water markets to manage allocations.


Underground River Discovered Beneath Amazon   Live Science - September 1, 2011

An underground river has now been discovered beneath the mighty Amazon River, flowing miles below the surface. Scientists detected this river after they analyzed data from 241 wells that Brazilian oil company Petrobras drilled in the Amazon region in the 1970s and 1980s. The river was unofficially named the Hamza by scientists at Brazil's National Observatory in honor of their colleague, geophysicist Valiya Hamza.

Mysterious Ancient Rock Carvings Found Near Nile   Live Science - May 14, 2011

An archaeological team in the Bayuda Desert in northern Sudan has discovered dozens of new rock art drawings, some of which were etched more than 5,000 years ago and reveal scenes that scientists can't explain. The team discovered 15 new rock art sites in an arid valley known as Wadi Abu Dom, some 18 miles (29 kilometers) from the Nile River. It's an arid valley that flows with water only during rainy periods. Many of the drawings were carved into the rock faces - no paint was used - of small stream beds known as "khors" that flow into the valley. They found a mysterious, set of rock art appears to be at least 5,000 years old and shows a mix of geometric designs. The "oldest rock art we found are the spiral motifs," said Karberg, which, as their name suggests, twist up in a way that is hard to interpret. Similar drawings have been found in the Sahara Desert. They were created at a time when Africa was a wetter place, with grasslands and savannah dominating Sudan; people were moving to a lifestyle based on animal husbandry and, in some instances, farming.

Dying Stars to Collide and Create Stellar Baby   Live Science - May 14, 2011
The collision of two dying stars can create a living one, scientists say. Scientists have discovered a binary system of two dying stars, known as white dwarfs, set to collide and give birth to a new, living star. Our sun - and indeed, more than 90 percent of all stars in our galaxy - will one day end up as white dwarf stars, which are made up of dim, fading stellar cores where nuclear fusion has stopped. These cooling embers, which make up about 10 percent of all stars in our galaxy, are typically about 40 to 90 percent of the mass of our sun but pack that all into an Earth-sized ball.

Undersea river discovered flowing on sea bed   Telegraph.co.uk - August 1, 2010

Massive underwater rivers that flow along the bottom of the oceans have been discovered by scientists. If found on land, scientists estimate it would be the world's sixth largest river in terms of the amount of water flowing through it.

Amazon Losing "Flying Rivers," Ability to Curb Warming   National Geographic - December 19, 2009
The Amazon's "flying rivers" - humid air currents that deliver water to the vast rain forest - may be ebbing, which could have dire consequences for the region's ability to help curb global warming, an expert said this week at the Copenhagen climate conference. Rising temperatures in the Amazon region, in large part due to climate change, are creating more arid savannas, which disrupt the water cycle vital to Brazil's farming and energy industries.

Britain cut off from Europe by 'super-river' as little as 30,000 years ago   Telegraph.co.uk - November 30, 2009
A prehistoric "super river" periodically cut Britain off from France thousands of years before the formation of the English Channel, scientists have established. Researchers have found sediment on the ocean floor off France which originated in the north of the channel which must have been transported by the river originally fed by the Thames and the Rhine.

Amazon River Is 11 Million Years Old, Drilling Study Finds   Science Daily - July 8, 2009

The Amazon River originated as a transcontinental river around 11 million years ago and took its present shape approximately 2.4 million years ago. These are the most significant results of a study on two boreholes drilled in proximity of the mouth of the Amazon River by Petrobras, the national oil company of Brazil.

Amazon Longer Than Nile River, Scientists Say National Geographic - June 18, 2007
The Amazon River, not the Nile, is the longest in the world, a team of Brazilian scientists claims. The scientists claim to have traced the river's source to a snow-capped mountain in southern Peru, adding a new twist in the swirling debate over the longest river label.

World's Longest Underground River Discovered in Mexico, Divers Say National Geographic - March 6, 2007

Divers exploring a maze of underwater caves on Mexico's Yucat‡n Peninsula have identified what may be the longest underground river in the world. The waterway twists and turns for 95 miles (153 kilometers) through the region's limestone caverns, said British diver Stephen Bogaerts, who made the discovery with German colleague Robbie Schmittner.

Scientists Study Mysterious Stop-Start River KLS.com - November 21, 2006

Imagine a pristine mountain stream that turns on and off every few minutes, all by itself. Believe it or not, there is such a Mystery River one of only two in the entire world. Now, University of Utah scientists have new evidence that may explain how the phenomenon works. It's not a big river. It's an icy mountain stream. But a few minutes later, it's gone. And a few minutes after that, it's back. It's not a geyser; it's fed by a cold-water spring.

In fall and winter it has a natural cycle, about 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. The only other spring like it in the world is in France. It's a point of pride in nearby Afton, Wyoming. Just before it erupts, the spring emits a deep gurgling noise. A rising puddle quickly becomes a surprisingly vigorous roaring creek. In late summer, scientists collected water samples. They're exploring an old theory involving a mysterious underground chamber. As groundwater flows continuously into a cavern, it fills a narrow tube that leads out. As it pours over the high point of the tube, it creates a siphon effect, sucking water out of the chamber. Eventually air rushes in and breaks the siphon.

Amazon river 'switched direction' BBC - October 24, 2006


Over millions of years, the Amazon has reversed its flow. The world's largest river, the Amazon, once flowed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific - the opposite of its present direction, a study shows. Sedimentary rocks in the central part of South America contain ancient mineral grains that must have come from the eastern part of the continent. Geologist Russell Mapes says this must mean that about 145-65 million years ago, the Amazon flowed east to west. The age of rocks on the South American continent differs between east and west. Rocks as old as 2.5 billion years are found on the eastern side of the continent. Because of continual geological activity in the Andes, on the western side, rocks there are much younger.....



Aromatherapy


Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), is the use of volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic compounds from plants to affect someone's mood or health.

The word was coined in the 1920s by French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after a lucky accident in his perfume laboratory. (In the accident, he lit his arm on fire and thrust it into the nearest cold liquid, which happened to be a vat of lavender oil. Much to his amazement, the burn quickly healed without a scar.)

The main branches of aromatherapy include:

  • Home aromatherapy (self treatment, perfume & cosmetic use)
  • Clinical aromatherapy (as part of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy)
  • Aromachology (the psychology of odors and their effects on the mind)




History


Historically aromatherapy has been used for thousands of years for healing and spiritual rituals. Aromatherapy and its various uses was a sacred practice in most traditional cultures -- Egypt, India, China, Persia, Hebrew, Maya, and Greece.

The Ancient Egyptians have documented their utilization of natural oils from around 3,500 BC. Some of the ingredients that Egyptians used therapeutically were spikenard, frankincense, citrus fruits, myrrh, oregano, and cedar. Some scholars believe that a spikenard ointment may have been used by Mary Magdalen to anoint the feet of Christ prior to the Last Supper.

In ancient India, essential oils and incense were used Ayurveda, the indigenous system of medicine, has used floral and other herbal essences for thousands of years. Ayurvedic practitioners abundantly utilized herbal essences for both psychological and physical ailments, in addition to incense aromatherapy. According to Ayurveda, an individual's qualities are harmonized when the inherent qualities of various medicinal herbs and flowers are introduced. According to Ayurveda, herbal ingredients may be prepared as natural incense, and used to prevent infections, purify one's environmental atmosphere, and energize the vital life airs of the body.

In the traditional Chinese system, the second oldest in continuous practice in the world today, the use of a sophisticated pharmacology based on the Five Element theory taste, and the energetic classifications, is strongly reminiscent of the Ancient Indian school of medicine.

Aroma therapy in Europe can be traced back to the Greeks and Romans, who used essential oils for various medicinal purposes. The use of fumigation aroma therapy was considered to be of primary importance as far back as the time of Hippocrates. Two principle methods of administering the healing systems, fumigation and inhalation, are easily achieved through the use of herbal scents. Since it may be used environmentally or for specific applications, it has become the aroma therapy of choice for countless people throughout the world. Daily use of incense helped prevent disease, promotes a longer life, harmonize one's psycho-physical constitution, and increases mental clarity.

Today, aromatherapy is a very active movement in Europe, especially in France where it is now a recognized medicine reimbursed by medical insurance.

Plants from all over the world contain useful essential oils. These highly volatile oily substances to which the plant owes its perfume and flavor, are present between the cells and act as plant hormones, regulators, and catalysts. They may be considered as representing the vital elements or life force within the plant. Extraction methods are of utmost importance with purity being imperative in order to obtain good therapeutic results.

Aromatherapy requires an extremely high quality of essential oils. Synthetic substances cannot replace the real product. There are hundreds of chemical components in essential oils. Most of them are in minute quantities, and yet it is the precise combinations and ratios of elements which render each oil powerful. As a result, solvents or preservatives are not used in the preparation of first-quality essential oils. A steam-distillation method of extraction is used instead. This process consists of sending steam throughout the plants, which evaporates oils. The steam is then condensed and the oils separate from the water. This method yields a high quality oil. The best oils come from wild organic plants. The amount of oils found in each plant varies greatly and this is reflected in the price.




Essential Oils And Their Uses


Basil: a nerve tonic for insomnia, congestion and colds

Clove Oil: an antiseptic used for toothaches,wounds and respiratory infections.

Eucalyptus Oil: clears respiratory passages good for skin infections

Frankincense: for all catarrh conditions, ulcers, boils, skin care, and laryngitis

Geranium: calming effect on the nervous system, kidney stones, skin care

Lemon: counteracts stomach acidity, powerful bactericide

Mint: headaches and vomiting, fevers and colds

Orange oil: sedative, slightly hypnotic, indicated for cardiac spasms




Theory

When aromatherapy is used for the treatment or prevention of disease, a precise knowledge of the bioactivity and synergy of the essential oils used, knowledge of the dosage and duration of application, as well as, naturally, a medical diagnosis, are required. In the Anglo-Saxon world, even among "natural" practitioners like herbalists or naturopaths, aromatherapy is regarded more as an art form than a valid healing science.

At best, it is viewed as a complementary and seldom the only treatment prescribed. On the continent, especially in France, where it originated, aromatherapy is incorporated into mainstream medicine. There, the use of the anti-septic properties of oils in the control of infections is emphasized over the more "touchy feely" approaches familiar to English speakers. In France some essential oils are regulated as prescription drugs, and thus administered by a physician. In many countries they are included in the national pharmacopeia, but up to the present moment aromatherapy as science has never been recognized as a valid branch of medicine in the United States, Russia or Germany.

Essential oils, phytoncides and other natural VOCs work in different ways. At the scent level they activate the limbic system and emotional centers of the brain. When applied to the skin (commonly in form of "massage oils" i.e. 1-10% solutions of EO in carrier oil) they activate thermal receptors, and kill microbes and fungi. Internal application of essential oil preparations (mainly in pharmacological drugs; generally not recommended for home use apart from dilution - 1-5% in fats or mineral oils, or hydrosoles) may stimulate the immune system, urine secretion, may have antiseptic activity etc. Different essential oils have very different activity; they are studied in pharmacology and aromachology.

It is significant to note the concept of chemotype in essential oil chemistry. Eucalyptus, for example, has many species, such as Eucalyptus globulus (main component is 1,8 cineole), Eucalyptus citriodora (citral), Eucalyptus menthol, and others. Properties of the essential oils of the same generic (common) name are not all the same; they can differ widely in their chemical components and in their therapeutic actions. Likewise, their chemical makeup depends on the method of extraction (e.g. pressed and distilled bergamot oil have different uses). The practitioner must be aware of these factors.




Application

While the practice of aromatherapy is sometimes thought to be confined to inhalation, it may include various methods, including:

  • Inhalation (directly or diffused into the air)
  • Absorption through the skin (baths, massages, compresses)
  • Absorption through the mucous membranes (oral rinses and gargles)
  • Ingestion (occasionally prescribed, with caveats)




Therapeutic Effects

Aromatherapy is based mainly on the following therapeutic effects:

  • Antiseptic effects: viricidial, bactericidal, fungicidal
  • Anesthetic action (menthol, camphor)
  • Central nervous system effects
  • Metabolic / Endocrine effects
  • Psychological effectsImmunostimulator

Fragrances can have a relaxing effect measured as an increase in alpha brain waves.

One of the best known essential oils for aromatherapy is lavender, which is recommended by practitioners for treating wounds, to enhance memory, and to aid sleep by combating anxiety and insomnia. Other popular scents include eucalyptus, rose, jasmine and bergamot.

Aromatherapy is among the fastest growing fields in alternative and holistic medicine. Aromatherapy is sometimes used in clinics and hospitals for treatment of pain relief, for labor pain, for relieving pain caused by the side effects of the chemotherapy, and for the rehabilitation of cardiac patients.




Criticism

Skeptics argue that while pleasant scents can be relaxing, lowering stress and related effects, there is currently insufficient scientific proof of the effectiveness of aromatherapy. Like many alternative therapies, few controlled, double-blind studies have been carried out - a common explanation is that there is little incentive to do so if the results of the studies are not patentable.

There are some treatments generally accepted in Western medicine to give a form of relief for the airways in case of cold or flu, such as mint and eucalyptus essential oils. Skeptical literature often depicts aromatherapy as based on anecdotal evidence of its benefits rather than proof that aromatherapy can cure diseases. Some skeptics acknowledge that aromatherapy has limited scientific support but argue that its claims go beyond the data or that the studies are not adequately controlled and peer reviewed. If there can be positive effects, there can also be negative ones if used incorrectly or in bad combinations especially with traditional pharmacology.

The term "aromatherapy" has been applied to such a wide range of products that almost anything which contains essential oils is likely to be called an "aromatherapy product", rendering the term somewhat meaningless in that context.

Some proponents of aromatherapy believe that the claimed effect of each type of oil is not caused by the chemicals in the oil interacting with the senses, but that the oil contains a distillation of the "life force" of the plant from which it is derived that will "balance the energies" of the body and promote healing or well-being by purging negative vibrations from the body's energy field. Arguing that there is little scientific evidence that healing can be achieved, or that the claimed "energies" even exist, many skeptics reject this form of aromatherapy as pseudoscience or even quackery.




In the News ...


Short-term exposure to essential oils lowers blood pressure and heart rate   PhysOrg - November 29, 2012
The scents which permeate our health spas from aromatic essential oils may provide more benefits than just a sense of rest and well-being. According to a new study, the essential oils which form the basis of aromatherapy for stress relief are also reported to have a beneficial effect on heart rate and blood pressure following short-term exposure - and may therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, on the downside, those beneficial effects were reversed when exposure to essential oils lasted more than an hour.


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Before leaving ...


In the energies of the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, I am ready to fly out to southern California tomorrow. I'm not a last-minute person, so am good-to-go and look forward to another adventure in the grids. While I'm gone, I'll email photos to George who will post them here, with accompanying text.


In the eclipse energies, I saw the Starchild from "2001 (2012) a Space Odyssey" - "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" - and thousands of people meditating ... reality preparing the souls. As always, it's about the cycles of experience in linear time.


On the home front ... I met a woman in her 30's, in a local store, who told me what it's like to shop for children's toys in 2012. You would think Amazon would be the best place to go, but she said local stores have better offers ... the problem ... the popular items are sold out weeks before the holidays. After listening to her, I was glad those days are behind me. Either my children pick the gifts ... or I give them money.


With Mercury Retrograde behind us, I am hearing a mix of stories from friends, family and clients. The good news - jobs are moving forward for the people I know, even in this bad economy. The bad news - lots of deaths this past week. One friend lost 4 people in his family. My cousin Howard lost his first daughter, Stephanie, to cancer 7 years ago. Last week, he lost his other daughter, Wendy, to cancer also. How sad is that!?


On a happier note for two people out there ... Did you play Powerball? I'm not supposed to win, so I never play, but it's always fun to image what winning that much money would be like.




Universe Grows Like a
Giant Brain



The human brain is an electrochemical machine (computer) that responds to memory impulses, external stimuli, and its DNA codes.. It's function is to experience and learn in the matrix, web, or simulation we call our reality. In the end, nothing is as it seems and all is an illusion.




Universe Grows Like a Giant Brain   Live Science - November 27, 2012

The universe may grow like a giant brain, according to a new computer simulation. The results suggest that some undiscovered, fundamental laws may govern the growth of systems large and small, from the electrical firing between brain cells and growth of social networks to the expansion of galaxies.

Natural growth dynamics are the same for different real networks, like the Internet or the brain or social networks. Past studies showed brain circuits and the Internet look a lot alike. But despite finding this functional similarity, nobody had developed equations to perfectly predict how computer networks, brain circuits or social networks grow over time according to Dmitri Krioukov a physicist at the University of California San Diego.

Using Einstein's equations of relativity, which explain how matter warps the fabric of space-time, physicists can retrace the universe's explosive birth in the Big Bang roughly 14 billion years ago and how it has expanded outward in the eons since. So Krioukov's team wondered whether the universe's accelerating growth could provide insight into the ways social networks or brain circuits expand.

Brain cells and galaxies

The team created a computer simulation that broke the early universe into the tiniest possible units - quanta of space-time more miniscule than subatomic particles. The simulation linked any quanta, or nodes in a massive celestial network, that were causally related. Nothing travels faster than light, so if a person hits a baseball on Earth, the ripple effects of that event could never reach an alien in a distant galaxy in a reasonable amount of time, meaning those two regions of space-time aren't causally related.

As the simulation progressed, it added more and more space-time to the history of the universe, and so its "network" connections between matter in galaxies, grew as well, Krioukov said.

When the team compared the universe's history with growth of social networks and brain circuits, they found all the networks expanded in similar ways as they balanced links between similar nodes with ones that already had many connections.

For instance, a cat lover surfing the Internet may visit mega-sites such as Google or Yahoo, but will also browse cat fancier websites or YouTube kitten videos. In the same way, neighboring brain cells like to connect, but neurons also link to such "Google brain cells" that are hooked up to loads of other brain cells.

The eerie similarity between networks large and small is unlikely to be a coincidence. For a physicist it's an immediate signal that there is some missing understanding of how nature works. It's more likely that some unknown law governs the way networks grow and change, from the smallest brain cells to the growth of mega-galaxies, Krioukov said.



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Tree Lighting

November 28, 2012 - Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting 2012 Google News




Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 6° Gemini - November 28, 2012

Whatever this eclipse energy is about ... it's great for me.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Monday Quickies

It's Cyber Monday and the shoppers are out. There really are great bargains out there, especially at Amazon. Last week, they were selling my cellphone for $49. Check it out.


Exciting game last night as the NY Giants beat the Green Bay Packers 38-10 at MetLife Stadium. Eli Manning became the franchise's all-time leader in TD passes with 200, one more than Phil Simms. Remember him? I watched the game with Z. As far back as I remember, Z always seems to bring the Giants good luck. These are the current football standings ...

Here in Brooklyn ... at Barclays Center ... let's play basketball ... New York, New York: Knicks, Nets meet Monday   FOX - November 26, 2012


Sunday, I opened my large suitcase for the first time since my trip to San Francisco in May 2007. Low and behold, hidden in one of those small pouches, I found a video my friend Mike gave me, along with a small DVD player, for that trip. That was before iPads. The name of the video Fire in the Sky. :)




Adventures in the Grids


I asked Z about my trip and he showed me an image that looked like a balloon with air releasing from its opening at 7:00 ... blowing downward. I thought that was very strange even for Z, until I started preparing images for my workshop on Sunday, and found the image below - a black hole highlighted by its event horizon. This is how we return home - fade to black - eye of the galaxy. If you recall my blogs from October 2011, I found myself sitting on the event horizon of a black hole and have remained there ever since. As I currently read the codes, something is about to happen, at least for me.




Sunday, November 25, 2012

Adventures in the Grids



My friend Dee is sponsoring a tour to Egypt December 9-22. She mentioned something called The Great Convergence which takes place on the Giza Plateau at the time of the winter solstice. Given what is going on there now, I don't believe Egypt is safe no matter how protected one feels. There is an uprising about to happen ... like the end of the 1994 film Stargate with surprises for all.


I had a personal invitation to spend time in Cairo with Sherif, who said we could be alone in the Great Pyramid whenever we want, but it felt wrong. He and I met in Cairo on 12/12/2000 and have connected on 12/12 each year since then. Instead, on Wednesday, he called as he felt it was very important. At first, I couldn't figure out the significance, then Z said, connect with Sherif and you will see. Sherif is a physicist and retired professor, who understands the nature of reality as a hologram. In the past, our connections have been the most profound of anyone I have ever met because Z merges with Sherif, who also talks to Z and I would assume is a physical manifestation of him.

One this day, I sat on the couch facing the "bridge" as Sherif and I connected, his energies becoming a catalyst for me. My body vibrated as never before. I "saw" Sherif and I holding hands. Instantly, I felt Z connect through Sherif, saw a giant "Z" ... then out I went as Sherif sent energy from the Giza Plateau. I went into the grids then beyond where I connected with Z. Somewhere my physical mind heard Sherif talking in the background, but only as a faint whisper whose words I couldn't hear.

A few minutes must have passed in linear time when Z said I had to come back, only this time the feeling of separation was more profound. I usually meet him, like one who meets up with a friend, we have an adventure, then I return. But on this day it felt different. Slowly I returned my consciousness to my physical body where I heard Sherif say, "I can't hold this energy any longer, it's just too powerful." I tried to speak but the words didn't come out, like someone with a bad case of laryngitis. There was a long silent pause. ... Then Z said, "Look at the clock." It had just passed 12:12, the apex of our connection.


After my experience with Sherif, I called George. He had been walking in Manhattan and suddenly found himself viewing the world through the grids - a matrix surrounding everything. George could only think ... How cool is this ... and knew I was connected at the moment it happened. Other friends on my frequency later told me they experienced dizziness at the same time, which subsided moments later. I am sure others had the same momentary personal shift in consciousness, but we all can't be Neo ... or can we? :)

It's all about the Giza Plateau, the sands of time, and the consciousness ships that came from the Void, creating Orion as an outpost and a program in which they would become physical and experience. The battle for freedom, as if on a game board, highlights in Egypt and continues in Iraq.


Iraq - The Anunnaki - Latitude: 33.0000° N
Friday I fly to Newport Beach - Latitude 33.6189° N




There are many events planned throughout December that will be called "End Time Parties" - reminding me of the frenzy when the UFOs arrived in the 1996 film Independence Day. You know time won't end December 21, 2012 because predicted dates have always been wrong and there is no element of surprise. In 2012 we dispersed into many groups within our hologram, each one needing to remember the end of time based on their programming. December will be one big metaphysical party which opens this week as Mercury goes direct in the energies of a ...

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 6° Gemini - November 28, 2012




Saturday, November 24, 2012

The Day after Thanksgiving



I spent the day in Sparta, NJ at Ron's House. Amazing view.
Lots of damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.


My friend Dee in San Francisco is sponsoring a tour she is running to Egypt in December. She mentioned something called The Great Convergence which takes place on the Giza Plateau at the time of the winter solstice. Given what is going on there now, I don't believe Egypt is safe, no matter how protected one feels. There is an uprising about to happen ... like the end of the 1994 film Stargate with surprises for all.

I had a personal invitation to spend time there with Sherif, who said we could be alone in the Great Pyramid whenever we want, but it felt wrong. He and I met 12/12/2000 in Egypt and have connected on 12/12 each year since then. Instead, on Wednesday, he called me as he felt it was very important. At first, I couldn't figure out the significance, then Z said, connect with Sherif and you will see. Now bear in mind that Sherif, even as a physicist understands the nature of reality as the hologram. In the past, our connections have been the most profound of anyone I have ever met because Z merges with Sherif on all levels. FYI - Sherif also talks to Z and I would assume is part of him in physical reality.

On this day, I sat on the couch facing the bridge as Sherif and I connected. My body vibrated like never before and I "saw" Sherif and I holding hands. Instantly, I felt Z connect through Sherif, saw a giant "Z," then out I went as Sherif sent energy from the Giza Plateau. I went into the grids then beyond. Somewhere my physical mind heard Sherif talking in the background, but only as a faint unrecognizable whisper.

A few minutes must have passed in linear time when Z said I had to come back, only this time the feeling separation was more profound. I usually meet him, like one who meets up with a friend, we have an adventure, then I return. But on this day, it felt different. Slowly, I returned my consciousness to my physical body where I heard Sherif say, "I can't hold this energy any longer, it's just too powerful." I tried to speak but the words didn't come out, like someone with a bad case of laryngitis. There was a long silent pause. ... Then Z said, "Look at the clock." It had just passed 12:12, the apex of our connection.

After Sherif and I hung up, I called George. He had been walking in Manhattan and suddenly he was viewing the world through the girds - a matrix surrounding everything. He said he knew I was connected at the moment it happened. Other friends on my frequency later told me that experienced a feeling of dizziness at the same time. I am sure people whom I don't know had the same momentary shift in consciousness. It's about the Giza Plateau and the consciousness ships that came from Orion once upon a time to created a program in which they would become physical and experience. The next stop for me ... the Anunnaki connection which takes me to Iraq - Latitude: 33.0000¡ N, Longitude: 44.0000¡ E. Newport Beach - latitude 33.6189¡ N . This promises to be very eventful.


There are many events planned throughout December that will be called "End Time Parties" - reminding me of the frenzy when the UFOs arrived in the 1996 film Independence Day. You know time won't end December 21, 2012 because predicted dates have always been wrong and there is no element of surprise. In 2012, we dispersed into many groups within our hologram, each one needing to remember the end based on their programming. December will be one big metaphysical party which opens next week as Mercury goes direct in the energies of a ...

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 6° Gemini - November 28, 2012




Friday, November 23, 2012

Black Friday 2012

November 23, 2012

Black Friday

Black Friday    Google News

The Best, Worst, and Cheapest Black Friday Gaming Deals  
Wired - November 22, 2012

'Tis the Season to Be Stressed: A Survival Guide  
Huffington Post - November 22, 2012

Black Friday Creep Costs Retail Workers Their Thanksgiving  
Huffington Post - November 22, 2012

6 Black Friday Scams to Fear  
Live Science - November 19, 2012

Science of Shopping: How to Survive Black Friday  
Live Science - November 21, 2012



The Day after Thanksgiving...

Nikki and her family loved the Christmas ornament and the story that went with it.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and the next few days if you are still in the holiday spirit. I had the best time with my family in New Jersey. The food was amazing, as were the energies of the people of the 16 family members who came together. Great weather meant we could be outside for part of the day - a treat for the children who wanted to play football and basketball. As most lived in Brooklyn at one time, we discussed the storm and how it affected the place we once called home and the people who still live here.


After returning home, I received a call from Dee in San Francisco. Among the rings we talked about was the tour she is running to Egypt in December and something called The Great Convergence which takes place on the Giza Plateau at the time of the winter solstice. This is one of the groups that contacted me in the past.

There are many events planned throughout December - who will probably call them something like "End Time Parties" - reminding me of the frenzy when the UFOs arrived in the 1996 film Independence Day. These energies are aimed at awakening the end of time for people who align with their energies, but not the actually close of the hologram. December will be one big metaphysical party which opens next week as Mercury goes direct as we enter the energies of a ...


Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 6° Gemini - November 28, 2012




Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving 11.22

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving ... Enjoy your day !

I'm off to my family in New Jersey on what looks like a great day.

Thanksgiving

   Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Something to be thankful for
Gazans clean up as truce with Israel holds   Yahoo - November 22, 2012
Gaza residents cleared rubble and claimed victory on Thursday, just hours after an Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers ended the worst cross-border fighting in four years. The cease-fire announcement had set off frenzied late night street celebrations in the coastal strip, and raised hopes of a new era in relations between Israel and Hamas. The two sides are now to negotiate a deal that would open the borders of the blockaded Palestinian territory.

'What Thanksgiving is all about': Breezy Point teen raises $80K, lifting spirits in devastated hometown   MSNBC - November 22, 2012
Matthew Petronis sat in his dorm room on Oct. 29, watching TV in horror as "my childhood burned down." Petronis had spent the past three summers working as a lifeguard on Breezy Point beach, and had spent the first 19 years of his life learning how to walk, read, swim and throw a baseball in the idyllic Queens, N.Y., neighborhood.

A gay son and his dad give thanks   CNN - November 22, 2012
Every parent loves his or her child; it's the prime directive of the species. Twenty years ago, when my wife was pregnant with our first baby, Hillary Clinton told me that having a child is like taking your heart out of your body and letting it walk around. For some parents, however, their beloved child takes their heart on a long, wild ride that careers from joyous and generous to dark and dangerous. So it was with John Schwartz and Jeanne Mixon. Joseph, their third child, was a precocious reader, a super-sensitive old soul, fiercely defiant when he believed the teacher was too autocratic, hyper-quick on the trigger. Or, as his father put it, a squirrelly kid.

  A Thanksgiving feast in space for astronauts? It's in the bag   MSNBC - November 22, 2012
It's not exactly home cooking, but menu has come a long way since early missions

Thanksgiving on Mars: What Astronauts Will Feast On in 2030   Wired - November 22, 2012
NASA has a long way to go before sending a crew to Mars, yet itÕs already considering the important details - like lunch. The agencyÕs Advanced Food Technology Project, working with Lockheed Martin, is developing menus for a manned mission to the Red Planet sometime in the 2030s.

  Thanksgiving getaway sees 43m Americans hit the road  
BBC - November 22, 2012
An estimated 43 million Americans are traveling on Thanksgiving eve, amid bad weather and transport union action. Fog in Chicago grounded 200 flights, heavy rainfall drenched the US Pacific Northwest, and train services were disrupted in New York City.

The Diner at the Center of the Galaxy   NASA - November 22, 2012
Deep in the heart of the spiral Milky Way galaxy, a hot vortex of matter swirls around a black hole more than a million times as massive as the sun. Many galaxies, perhaps all, contain such a "monster in the middle." These supermassive black holes sustain themselves by swallowing stars, planets, asteroids, comets and clouds of gas that wander by the crowded galactic core.

Pardon a Turkey? 7 Thanksgiving Traditions Explained   Live Science - November 21, 2012 Thanksgiving - time to carve up a turkey, unbutton your pants, and watch football with the family. While families may have their own rituals, many Turkey Day customs have deep roots in American history. From turkey pardoning to the first feast, here are the origins of seven of the holiday's most iconic traditions.




Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving ... Enjoy your day !

I'm off to my family in New Jersey on what looks like a great day.




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Email from Vadim in
Tel Aviv, Israel

Here, we all talk about what is going to happen to Israel. I feel very strange like it's all surreal. In Syria, 30,000 people were killed. The world is talking about the Israel attacks. I have no words to describe what is going on. I think you can understand what we are feeling here.

I took these pictures yesterday. This is a Kipat Barzel - Israel's Missile Shield in Tel Aviv. Many children study near it.



A school in Tel Aviv




Sagittarius

November 21 - December 21, 2012


Sun in Sagittarius

Happy Birthday to the Sagittarius readers.




November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving

   Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade




November 23, 2012


Black Friday

Black Friday    Google News

6 Black Friday Scams to Fear   Live Science - November 19, 2012