As with all the web pages on the Living Cosmos web site, this web page is only a portion of the factual, empirical support for the ideas presented. This is basically reflection of what takes place in history as told in the book, In Defense of Nature -- The History Nobody Told You About, which is supported by scholarly references, historical writings, mythology, religious scriptures and more. There is also an excerpt from The Vital Vastness -- Volume One. Because these books are published the full scope and references could not be presented at present, but may be made available at a later date. An attempt will be made to address queries, but not all queries can be answered.
You don't pay more, we just get a commission -- Click here to see more advertisers.
The years of 2004 and 2005 (so far) were very busy hurricane seasons with hurricane after hurricane stricking Florida and the Gulf Coast states. The year of 2005 set a record with the first ever 22nd and 23rd named hurricanes as of the end of October. Much of what really takes place is overlooked in news programs. Few take notice of the facts that wild animals sense the coming storm and escape the destruction. While buildings, roads and other man-made (non-living) structures are destroyed, there are still trees, bushes and other vegetation that are still thriving after the storm hits. In fact, the trees that are destroyed by the storm are weak, diseased, not native to the region or old, with few exceptions. Moreover, the levees that failed were those that did not have trees growing near the levees, as indicated by photos and videos. The trees roots and bodies would have helped to prevent the levees failure. Take a look at the photos and you will see destroyed houses, while in the background there are trees and bushes standing. This is a fact of "natural" disasters throughout history, as are the scenes of war, which are often compared to "natural" disasters, such as Katrina and Baghdad in the Iraq war, and New Orleans and Fallujah in the Iraq war. In addition, arson -- people -- where also a factor in destroying non-living structures. This is entire perspective is an overlooked fact, both "natural" disasters and, war and other human activity, destroy non-living things (and some of the people that create them), and bring back life.
Hurricane Katerina was the greatest disaster ever recorded for the United States, in terms of devastated cities and communities (i.e., property damage). As with all of the so-called "natural" disasters, there is the problem of human actions. One news story sheds light on this by revealing the fact that rampant development is strongly responsible for the devastating effects, not Mother Nature who tirelessly works to preserve life. In this same article there appears a quote form one health official saying what is often overlooked, that New Orleans has turned into a "wilderness" (see the Spiegel news story). In fact, there has been a record-breaking number of hurricanes between 1995 and 1999, while forecasts indicate that 2005 will be one of the, if not the, worst ever.
The development of the Gulf Coast is one of the most prominent factors for causing the tremendous devastation in New Orleans, and elsewhere around the Gulf Coast, caused by hurricane Katrina. See this PhysOrg.com article, comparing it with the Asian Tsunami of 2004, and how Asia could also experience a similar fate from a typhoon. The wetlands, a natural buffer, would have taken out some of the powerfulness from hurricane Katerina (and others), as they help to lessen the impact of heat and moisture transfer in intensitfying the hurricane's strength, and taking some of the punch out of the hurricane. There is also a "mysterious" dead zone in the Gulf, where corals and other aquatic life cannot survive (see this PhysOrg.com article about this dead zone. Corals and other living things also abate the power of the storm. See these other discussions on the role the loss of wetlands played maps comparing 1839 with 1993 and discussion of the loss of wetlands' in making the coast vulnerable. Though many will probably ignore the fact that this is the most industralized state in the U.S., and also has more chemical plants, oil refineries, and toxic waste sites, and that this is one of the reasons for the hurricane targetting the area. That is the net charge of the atmosphere and the ground have been offset by this, which attracts storm fronts.
Notwithstanding, the Bush Administration cut funding of a wetlands restoration project by 90%! A timeline of misguided decisions by the Administration shows a series of poor decisions involving flood control and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), making the devastation worse (see the Washington Monthly article and also, a a recent PBS.org discussion of the possiblity of such a disaster). In fact, much of what was known about the potential of a categoary 5 hurricane's effect on the region, especially New Orleans, was the ignored by the Bush administration. There were front page stories in New Orleans newspapers, a 2002 program on Public Broadcasting Station, a Scientific American article, and a number of other sources that discussed the problem, as well as decades of discussions. Yet, on a news broadcast President George W. Bush claims he did not know that such a problem existed. See a PBS.org discussion on the politics of disasters like hurricane Katerina, including Katerina. Also see the Nature.com article on how people have been discussing the potential for such a disaster with politicians for years. Ironically and ruthlessly, and in contrast to this overwhelming evidence, the Bush Administration was trying to pass the blame unto environmentalists!!!.
Look at the photos of hurricane Katerina's devastation and you will see trees and bushes still stating and growing though surrounded by the debris of the destroyed houses. Some may not like the idea, but the experts say that the coast is sinking and any restoration is futile. See the Physorg.com article. This is especially true when considering global warming, which is projected to raise sealevel by as much as 16 feet, and that parts of Louisianna and New Orleans are already below sealevel and sinking further.
Other links of interest:
This has brought out the continuing debate about whether global warming is increasing the powerfulness and numbers of hurricanes. Most scientists, however, are indicate that this alone cannot acount for the increasing numbers and intensity of hurricanes, and suggest that there may be other factors. As discussed in The Vital Vastness and in the book In Defense of Nature -- The History Nobody Told You About this increase has occurred in the past with the same effects, and is due to a increase in the release of ionizing radiation which feeds hurricanes. This increase is the result of the weakening of the Fields of the Field-dynamical Earth Model (FEM), caused by the destruction of life, which contribute electromagnetic energy to the Field system. Increased solar activity is also a contributing factor in activating the release of ionizing radiation.
See the articles discussing global warmings' possible contribution to hurricane intensity, which is basically due to more warm ocean waters that feed hurricanes:
The same is true of other hurricanes. In Florida, as elsewhere, animals showed a unwavering ability to predict the disaster, stay out of the way, and save themselves. A South Florida Sun-Sentinel author comments, "When Hurricane Charley came within hours of the Caloosahatchee River, eight sharks tagged by biologists suddenly bolted out of the estuary to the safety of the open ocean. When Hurricane Jeanne approached Gainesville, butterflies in an experimental rainforest wedged themselves under rocks and disappeared into tree hollows. And as the whole series of hurricanes churned through the state, birds appeared to delay their migration south, stacking up somewhere north of Florida until the route to their winter habitat was safe. Like the elephants, buffalo and deer of South Asia that fled to high ground well ahead of the [Indonesian] tsunami, many Florida animals have shown they can predict hurricanes and take steps to survive them." A University of Florida wildlife biologist states, "It doesn't make any difference if it's a hurricane, a fire or an earthquake. They apparently sense these things before humans can do that. They start moving away from danger before humans pick it up." See the full story at Kansas.com.
These photos are examples, of which there are literally hundreds of thousands, of what hurricanes do. Note how the non-living structures are destroyed, but there are trees and bushes still growing. The wild animals have also escaped the ravages of the hurricanes, as well as other disasters. These photos are of hurricane Ivan's destruction of Florida.
Hurricane Andrew:
The Origin of the Word "Hurricane"
The origin of the word hurricane comes from the Mayan diety Huracan. Huracan is considered a god of great storms of summer and god of terror who destroyed cities during the Mayan collapse and probably earlier Mesoamerican cultures. In Mayan mythology Huracan (meaning "one legged") was a wind and storm god. As one of the creator deities he participated in all three attempts at (re)creating humanity. He also caused the Great Flood after the first humans angered God, much like many other Great Flood stories around the world.
This excerpt from the book In Defense of Nature -- The History Nobody Told You About discusses the role of hurricanes, among other things in the AD 550 to 750 historical cycle when life was renewed and ciivilizations collapsed around the world:
Others claim that widespread catastrophe was induced by earthquakes and hurricanes. Here, unlike the other suggestions, there is confirmation of widespread devastation in the Mesoamerican’s own written history. In the early portion of the Anals de Cuauhtitlan and Codex Chimalpopoca, a new Earth was created, and the Toltec, those who flourished after the Maya, began their year count in 726, while a new Sun was created in 751; the very year after this cycle’s close. Manuscript Troano and other documents also describe that a violent catastrophe had struck.According to these annals, it was a time when the ocean fell on the continent in huge waves and a furious hurricane swept the Earth. As a result, scattered to the winds and swallowed by the ocean were cities, towns, and farmland. Tides of enormous force even roared over mountains, while volcanoes erupted, and the devastating winds nearly caused human extinction. Mountains had vanished, others had been lifted, and rivers were thrust from their beds. The Earth not only appeared as a new place, for the Maya it was! These events marked the end of the Wind-Sun when Hurakan (from this name “hurricane” is derived) caused the end of the world age by wind.
Some of the archeological evidence confirms this Mayan history. Many of the Maya sites show a 90% to 100% reduction of population. That must have seemed like something very close to human extinction. Tikal is 175 kilometers (109 miles) from the Gulf of Honduras, 260 kilometers (161 miles) northwest of the Bay of Campechan, and 380 kilometers (236 miles) from the north Pacific Ocean. In spite of this distance from seawater there are pieces of coral, mussels and shellfish in abundance there. Also, many hills around Teotihuacan show an abundant layer of sea shells at the surface. Might this be the evidence of the huge waves that struck? Possibly the abandonment of the administrative facets of this society and the palaces, as well as the other evidence of Maya-elite-class life ending, was due to such a catastrophe.
There are many such references to "dieties" that had the attributes of hurricanes, and are said to have destroyed cities, towns, farmlands, and so forth, such as Seth, 'Apop, Typhon, Python, Marduk, and others. These are all discussed in the book, and surfaced in the historical record when many places were destroyed, and wilderness returned to thses places. Yes, Typhon (also Python) is the name from which typhoon is derived.
See the these related discussions:
Want to know more about the untold story as it affected our ancestors -- Click Here
You don't pay more, we just get a commission -- Click here to see more advertisers.
Questions or comments?
e-mail: livingcosmos@hotmail.com
http://www.livingcosmos.com/hurricanes.htm
Richard Michael Pasichnyk
Copyright 2005-2008
All rights reserved. All copyright laws apply.