News Notes
Zip Dobyns
The information age continues to flood us with overload. The following are a few bits and pieces from a variety of sources.
The July 1991 Sky and Telescope magazine has some nice articles about eclipses in honor of the long-duration one coming on July 11, 1991. I’m looking forward to seeing it from the west coast of Mexico, in company with some fellow astrologers and an astronomer. (Information on the seminar is included in Coming Events). But I was most intrigued by an article on the growing consensus that the location may have finally been found of the asteroid (or a fragment of a comet) which may have wiped out many of the dinosaurs. The crater left by the impact is partly under the Yucatan area of Mexico and partly under the Gulf of Mexico. The village of Puerto Chicxulub, about 30 kilometers from Merida, lies above the theoretical center of the crater which is buried by a thick layer of limestone sediment. There has been some evidence that a crater existed in the region for about 40 years, but geologists and other scientists have only recently collected and analyzed the scattered bits of data.
The U.C. Berkeley research team led by father and son Luis and Walter Alvarez proposed in 1980 that the abrupt boundary between two geological ages dated at about 65 million years ago might be due to the earth being hit by an asteroid. The element iridium is rare on earth but common in meteorites and presumably asteroids, and a layer of excess iridium has been found in at least 100 sites around the earth dating to the 65 million year period when many forms of life on earth became extinct. Supporting finds in and near the Yucatan include the detection of a huge buried magnetic ring; tiny, contorted grains of quartz which are theoretically caused by an impact; piles of debris which were theoretically deposited by a huge tidal wave; blobs of rock called tektites that theoretically were solidified through being thrown high in the atmosphere; an arc of sinkholes that formed a semicircle around Chicxulub, supposedly from slumping of the ground above the buried crater’s rim, etc. More studies will be required, and there are two other contenders for the location of the theoretical impact; one in Iowa and one in Siberia which may date to the same approximate time. In fact, a new theory suggests that all three impact craters may have occurred nearly simultaneously, created by the fragments of a comet which broke apart as it was rounding the Sun. Maybe comets have done more than symbolize coming challenges.
Another small item on comets comes from the German Research Service, Vol. VII - No. 5/91. Dr. Rita Schulz at the Ruhr University has analyzed so-called cyanogen jets which escape from the core of Halley’s Comet like steam jets when it is near the Sun. Cyanogen is composed of one carbon and one nitrogen atom, a fragment of a molecule called a radical. The way the jets develop into shell structures, the sizes and speeds of the particles, have led Dr. Schulz to conclude that these radicals are split off from larger organic molecules which must exist in Halley’s core. I would add that more and more, the evidence is mounting that the “stuff of life,” organic molecules, exists throughout the universe, ready whenever there is a suitable environment in which it can survive, propagate, and evolve.
No matter how much we know about astrology, there are always new factors and new techniques to explore. A relatively new astrological journal called The Mountain Astrologer has a fascinating lead article by Raymond Mardyks in their June-July 1991 issue. Raymond is working with the so-called “fixed stars,” correlating their meaning with events in the areas on earth which are in approximately the same latitude so the stars pass above the areas every 24 hours. He correlates the retrograde and direct movements of Pluto with the star Nusakan, the leading and second brightest star in the constellation of Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. Pluto and Nusakan were in the same degree of Right Ascension (measuring along the equator) and Pluto was zodiacally conjunct the last star of the constellation in the summer of 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. The star’s declination is the same as Kuwait’s—29 degree N, and the whole constellation was passing daily over the region including northern Saudi Arabia, southern Iraq and the entire Persian Gulf. The brightest star in the Crown passes over Saudi Arabia. The symbolism of the Crown is appropriate for the wealthy families that rule Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Pluto was on the heliocentric south node of Mars at 19 Scorpio when the U.S. attacked Iraq in mid-January 1991. Also in that degree is the brightest star of the Serpent constellation which is reaching for the Crown in the sky. Raymond suggests that the serpent connection is a reminder that the Garden of Eden has long been thought to have been in the Near East. Traditional Christianity associates the serpent in the Garden with the Devil, and Saddam Hussein is currently cast as the modern Demon. 19 Scorpio is also just above a constellation called Lupus, the Wolf, as the film Dancing With Wolves has soared to popularity. Raymond looks for interesting developments as Pluto passes through 19 Scorpio twice more this year.
The actual war started after the January 1991 eclipse of the Sun at 25 Capricorn on a group of stars called Terebellium in the archer, Sagittarius. The main star of this group is at 26 S 19 so it passes under Dhahran at 26 N 18. Our initial planes attacked Baghdad from Dhahran. Terebellium comes from the Latin words meaning terrible and war. A terrebra was a battering ram used to break down the defenses of the enemy. Early in February, Saturn moved into Aquarius and was conjunct the brightest star in Aquila, the Eagle. One of our top planes is named the Eagle, and the imagery was associated with the war in general. Raymond included pictures showing the similarities between the eagles in the state seals of both Iraq and the U.S.
Much more material is included in the article, but this will give you an idea.
If anyone is interested in seeing more of Raymond’s work, he is offering two books; a smaller one for $5 and a larger one for $10 postpaid. You can write to him at Box 330806, Kahului, Maui HI 96733.
For information on subscriptions to The Mountain Astrologer, write to them at P. O. Box 11292, Berkeley, CA 94701, or phone (415) 267-3274.
Still another fascinating journal which we receive is called the Journal of Borderland Research. As the name suggests, they feature material beyond the edge of accepted science. I have previously written about stone dust as a fertilizer and the ability to make rain, material which came from this journal.
The May-June 1991 issue has a very interesting follow-up on the work of the rain-maker, Trevor Constable. Constable is using techniques which originated with Wilhelm Reich but which have been much further developed by Constable. The material in this article was compiled and edited by Tom Brown, editor of the Journal. Constable’s work in recent years has featured demonstrations of his ability to reduce smog. He has notified in advance the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Rockville, MD, and in each of his designated time periods, the smog level has been reduced. When he was able to get sites for his mysterious gadgets which he calls “Spiders,” the smog level in southern California fell as much as 25 to 29 percent. Just counting the number of smog-alert days in the Los Angeles basin gives you an idea. In 1984 there were 97. In 1985 there were 83. In 1986 there were 79. The numbers were dropping as California imposed an increasing variety of orthodox methods for smog reduction. Constable did his first demonstration in a limited part of southern California in 1987 and the numbers dropped to 66. The smog alert days in 1988 increased to 77 when Constable did not work in the area. Constable did another demonstration in 1989 and the smog-alert days dropped to 54. They dropped to 41 in 1990 when Constable was working with improved models of the “Spider” and operating at more sites in the state.
Needless to say, Constable got no cooperation from the local authorities even though the demonstrations were done without any charge to California. A wealthy young Singapore businessman paid for the demonstrations in both his own area and in California. Some members of the group working with Constable suggest that smog has become an “industry” and a source of political corruption. But orthodox science can be as closed-minded as the religious leaders who refused to look through Galileo’s telescope. After all, they have “proved” to their own satisfaction that there is no “ether” and Constable says that he is producing his results by creating vortices in the ether which affect earth’s atmosphere.
Constable is doing some of his demonstrations in alternate years to show that the results are due to his own work and not to the official smog reduction programs. The smog level went up in 1988, the year between his demonstrations. 1991 is again an off year and many new smog reduction regulations are going into effect, including the prohibition of charcoal barbecues. So if the smog level is higher this year (as Constable expects) it will be an additional support for the validity of his unorthodox techniques. We will be watching.
Inquiries about the Borderland Sciences Journal can be sent to P. O. Box 429, Garberville, CA 95440-0429.
The May 31, 1991 Los Angeles Times reports that a “refuelable” electric car battery has been developed. Up to now, owners of electric cars could only recharge their batteries in a lengthy, overnight process, so their daily travel was mostly limited to a little over 100 miles. This distance would be fine for errands around one’s city, but it is not practical for cross-country trips. The Luz battery creates electricity through the interaction of a syrup-like zinc slurry and the oxygen in ordinary air. Such zinc-air batteries are lighter than traditional lead-acid batteries which adds to the range before refueling is necessary. And the slurry can be replaced with freshly charged liquid in 4 to 6 minutes at a filling station as we currently fill the gas tank. The drawback is that it will require special facilities to replace the slurry, and they will be expensive to develop. But Luz International (which originated in Israel and has an office in Westwood in the L.A. area) hopes to demonstrate the usefulness of the technology as early as 1992.
I get a variety of publications about alternative health information, and one of the sources that I plan to add to my collection is the World Research Foundation in Sherman Oaks, just over the hill from me in what Angelenos call “the Valley.” A recent article about their work reports a prior article from The New England Journal of Medicine which was published three years ago. The New England Journal and other more recent studies have found no difference in the survival rates between those who had heart surgery, including angioplasties, and those who were treated medically, presumably with drugs such as anti-thrombolytic agents. Does anyone know how many millions are spent annually on bypass surgery? A number of studies have indicated that we are mistaken in the widely-held belief that plaque-caused narrowing of the arteries has been responsible for most heart attacks. The studies, compiled and reported by the World Research Foundation, show that the body itself creates a natural bypass as a coronary artery becomes blocked.
In his Public Television report on June 1, 1991, Adam Smith reported a recent poll on the U.S. public’s attitudes toward medical services. 90% of the respondents said that everyone should have as good health care as a millionaire. 70% said everyone should have any life-extending treatment available, even if it costs a million dollars. Organ transplants are very expensive procedures. 53% said they were not willing to personally contribute more than $25 to pay for the health care of others. Is the “good fairy” supposed to pick up the tab?
I should save the asteroid examples for the next Asteroid-World, but I can’t resist including the plane crash in Thailand. The plane took off from Bangkok and was headed for Vienna, Austria. When it took off, Vienna was on the MC. When it crashed, Austria was on the Descendant!
