NOAA confirms start of new sunspot cycle

WASHINGTON - A new solar cycle is under way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the first sunspot of a new 11-year cycle has appeared in the sun's northern hemisphere.

The frequency of sunspots rises and falls during these cycles, and the start of a new cycle indicates they are likely to begin increasing.

Sunspots, areas of intense magnetic activity on the sun, can affect Earth by disrupting electrical grids, airline and military communications, GPS signals and even cell phones, the agency said. During periods of intense sunspot activity, known as solar storms, highly charged radiation from the sun may head toward Earth.

"Our growing dependence on highly sophisticated, space-based technologies means we are far more vulnerable to space weather today than in the past," said NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.

Last April an international panel of solar experts forecast that Solar Cycle 24 would start in March 2008, plus or minus six months. The panel was split between those predicting a strong or weak cycle.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2847.htm

half the scientists predict one thing, half the other.

IOW, they don’t have a clue...

we mere mortals are on our own - and should plan for any contingency - hmmm, that reminds me, with all the blather here in the past few weeks from all the “experts” on what Mormons do/don’t believe/practice, I haven’t seen one comment on their admonition/practice to be prepared: that is, to have a 2 year supply of food and supplies on hand, good idea to have own water supply, etc.

This can cover emergencies from a sudden loss of income from job loss/illness to natural catastrophes like hurricanes, blizzards, droughts, .... long sun spot activity?

Today, everyone basically lives on a one day-week supply of food, for example. When a storm is predicted, the stores are wiped out with everyone panicked to get a few days supplies...Grocery stores are stocked with ONE DAYS worth of food for the area they service...resupplied nightly from the warehouses. But the warehouses ALSO have revolving doors - with trucks bringing goods from around the country to the warehouses that no longer STOCK anything! A truck pulls up to off load, say in warehouse in Indiana - with a trailer full of orange juice he/she just hauled from Orlando. The trailer is unloaded and off they go to pick up french fries from another warehouse to take to wherever...while the orange juice he just unloaded is packed into another trailer and hauled to Salt Lake - and so it goes.

Right now, up and down California/Nevada, trucks are at a standstill - the roads are closed to them with the storm.

If we had a major disaster of any kind that disrupted traffic for just 2-3 days, let alone a week, there would be pandemonium across the country.

I try to always have staples that can see me though a minimum of 2 weeks - and longer if it comes down to beans, split peas, lentils, rice, canned milk, cans of clams and oysters for chowder and stews, jars of chicken broth paste, dried soup veggies, etc. And I try to always replace things like bags of sugar, not when I’m out, but when I’m down to only one bag. And I have my own well, a wood stove and kerosene lamps - So could make it for a while - Indeed, I did just that during the “100-Year Ice Storm” in N. E. in 1998 - I was without power for 19 days - in January. Most of my neighbors had to go to motels or shelters. (My only real problem was no running water - which meant no flush! I hauled water from the fire station - and in the spring, installed a hand pump.

Still, I feel nervous. I grew up on a farm in the 30-40’s. Those days, a power outage, a stoppage of goods transportation, etc, would not have impacted us for some time. Everyone had, depending on the season, a garden/cellar/jars full of food and trees/bushes laden with fruit, game in the woods, fish in the waters, woodshed full, butter and milk in the barn, so to speak, and eggs, chickens in the hen house.

Today, we live precariously on the edge and don’t even realize it. We are only a day away - a week at most - from real trouble should a wide-spread disaster hit. (Remember Katrina. We need to be more prepared to take care of ourselves 0 and if we need to make sure that the local Preparedness Organization really has the stockpiles of food and water they are supposed to have/have been given the funds for - to provide food/water to the population for the first several days - not like NO that had NADA...except on paper...the local gov't of NO should've been hung by the yardarm)

We need to fill our lamps and trim our wicks. It’s amazing how even folk who pride themselves on living every jot and tittle of the Bible - yet ignore so much of it. Oh, BTW, if that monster that is ravishing Calif/Nevada right now stays true to course and doesn't swing up into Canada - well, you might want to go out tomorrow and get ahead of the crowds for some supplies - ;o)

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