The New and Improved - Panama Canal

New Panama Canal

The first four gates for the Panama Canal’s new, larger locks have arrived in Colon, Panama in what is being called a major milestone in the expansion of the vital waterway.

For its 100-year anniversary in 2014, the Panama Canal Authority is modernizing and expanding the canal between the Atlantic and Pacific. (update the opening has been moved to 2015)

Today, more than 943,042 vessels have passed through the Panama Canal since its opening. It acts as benchmark to the world's economic health -- bustling with freighters carrying grain, petroleum and coal during high times and slowing down when global markets lag. The canal shortened the trip between the East and West coasts of the United States by 8,000 nautical miles, allowing ships to avoid the dangerous, expensive trip around South America's Cape Horn.


The expansion of the Panama Canal involves the construction of a third set of gates that will allow for the passage of Post-Panamax vessels, which will double the Canal’s capacity. 

Built by subcontractor Cimolai SpA, the first four gates are 57.6 m long, 10 m wide and 30.19 m high, and weigh an average of 3,100 tons. The gates will be unloaded onto a temporary dock and eventually transported to their final position in the middle chamber of the new Atlantic side locks using self-propelled motorized wheel transporters (SPMTs). Source

The new locks will have a total of 16 rolling gates (eight for each new lock complex), unlike the current canal which uses miter gates. They will allow a ship with a 160-foot beam to pass with ease. The current canal can only accommodate ships that are no more than 106 feet wide and 965-feet long with a draft -- or depth -- of 39 1/2 feet, instead of the 50 feet or so required by post-Panamax vessels. Some of the largest ships in this category -- with containers stacked seven deep on their decks -- look like they're barely able to squeeze through today's locks.

The post-Panamax behemoths can stretch the length of three football fields and will carry as many as 13,000 containers as they make the eight-to-10-hour journey through the canal. In terms of tonnage, they're three times as heavy as current Panama Canal ships, hence the need for deeper channels and wider locks.

The remaining 12 gates will be shipped four at a time from Italy and are expected by the end of 2014.

Authorities with the Panama Canal said that the new gates arrived Tuesday morning on board the semi-submersible heavy lift vessel, STX Sun Rise from the port of Trieste, Italy.

The expansion project is currently 62 percent complete, according to figures released by the Panama Canal Authority.

Since the expansion began, some 25,000 people, about 90% of them Panamanian, have worked on various phases of the project. There have been 4 deaths.

T imelapses In new locks, Panama Canal from Waldo Chan on Vimeo.

Indigo children - Children of the future

This story was passed to me.
It's a letter to Sheldan Nidle from a 3rd grade teacher, who claims the kids are really "indigo/crystal" children in 5th dimension or above. 
Pretty exciting. Check it out

Letter from a 3rd grade teacher

Teacher writes, “I’m going to tell you something that will open a door to what you’re doing with ufos. First of all I want to say you are doing a great job with your information, but I want to let you know that you’re closer than you think. I’m just going to give you the quick version.. I’m a 3rd grade teacher at a public school and I’ve been teaching for the past 16 years. After the year 2000, kids started acting differently. A few years ago I started getting the kids born after the year 2000 who are even stranger. These kids are different; the indigo/crystal child concept is true.’ 

They are purportedly the next level in human evolution. They are very intelligent and have super powers. The Indigo Child may see auras as lights or colors around other people. And show an uncanny ability to sense dishonesty. They are often mislabeled with psychiatric diagnoses of Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Sadly, when they are medicated, the Indigos often lose their beautiful sensitivity, spiritual gifts and warrior energy.

About 1/3 of each class is crystal and channel what you call spirits. However, as you will soon be finding out, that is just a blanket term. Many are what you term extraterrestrials, and many can take human form. These kids call them brothers from the stars. They are under orders to keep it secret from all unless they are spiritually awakened. If an adult comes to them to question them, they will check with their spirit and ask them if it’s o.k. to spill the information. If the "spirit" says its O.K., then they will talk to you. Otherwise, they will act as if they don’t know what you’re talking about.

That’s a quick rundown.... you must understand the work you are doing is strictly the 3-d version of ufos. These kids are working with the 5-d version and some even higher. Some of the kids speak directly to the UFOs. They can call them in during broad daylight and especially at night. 

It does not matter where you are--country, city, suburbs...they will show up anywhere.

I have seen them fly just a few hundred feet above the city. They will also "call them in" for the "ones who do not understand"---- which is you and the older generations. In other terms -- the ones who are still living the 3D world. The ufos will show themselves to you in order to help awaken you to their presence among us. 

The ufo -- or the team in the UFO will then determine if the earth people have a high enough vibration to accept the sighting. If so, then they will make a showing. This all happens within seconds. The ufos use what you know as "esp." to communicate with the kids. --However-the beings in the ufo always know what we are doing and thinking. Just as an example---my dad who is 70 is a white collar conservative. All he cares about is money and show. He does not believe in UFOs, etc... Thus the ufos do not show themselves to him yet, but they say they will later. 

Whereas we see them almost every clear night and sometimes even flying under the clouds.

However--this is just the beginning!!- If the kids trust you spiritually--then they will work with you and tell you their future mission. And believe me--it’s coming up sooner than you think. I will just give you a quick clue-- they say they will be "rebuilding humanity". Good luck to you and you are doing a great job! 
ps--I don’t care what you do with this information, for the children were told that it is now time to publicly release it. However, I want to remain publicly anonymous, for I could lose my teaching job over it. Sincerely, 3rd Grade teacher

Source

Inside the Integratron

Nowness

Mystical music group UFO 2012 made a pilgrimage to sonic mecca The Integratron in California's Mojave desert to play crystal singing bowls in Jauretsi and Crystal Moselle’s numinous short. ” They were drawn to the acoustically pristine architecture and healing reputation of the Integratron, a geomagnetic chamber built by aeronautical engineer George Van Tassel in 1954 from a blueprint he says was given to him after being visited by a Venusian spacecraft. “The part about aliens coming down, I was like, ‘okay, we’ll see…’” the filmmakers admit. “But you step into that dome, and I can’t say exactly what it is, but something’s happening in there.” 

The Integratron's Magnetic Fields on Nowness.com

Weekend Road Trip to the Desert

This weekend we rented a car, packed a bag, grabbed our cameras and headed for the desert. Our itinerary consisted of a visit to Joshua Tree National Park and the Perseid Meteor Star Party @ the Integratron on Saturday night. We would spend 2 nights at the Sleepy Tortoise Inn at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base. 

Road Trip

Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. It was declared a U.S. National Park in 1994. It had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) forests native to the park. Joshua Tree National Park is immense, covering nearly 800,000 acres (1,235.37 sq miles) – an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.

Two deserts, two large ecosystems primarily determined by elevation, come together in the park. Few areas more vividly illustrate the contrast between “high” and “low” 

desert. 

This is a land shaped by strong winds, sudden torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Rainfall is sparse and unpredictable. Stream beds are usually dry and waterholes are few. During the summer, this land may appear defeated and dead, but within this parched environment are intricate living systems waiting for the opportune moment to reproduce. The individuals, both plant and animal, that inhabit the park are not 
individualists. They depend on their entire ecosystem for survival.

It was a PARTY Y'all

The Integratron - setting up before the event

Star Gazers

Our empty chairs - another friend (seated) drove from AZ to meet up with us

Night Sky (the incredible trifid Nebula) projected onto the Integratron

It was a fun filled weekend! 

We plan to make the meteor party a yearly event! 

For info on the Integratron click here

UPDATE: Video Perseid Meteor Shower at Joshua Tree

Let the good times roll!

Dinner With Friends—A Retrospective

Remember times like these?

A group of 15-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Dairy Queen, next door to the Ocean View restaurant, because they had only $6.00 among them and Brad Johnson, the cute boy in Social Studies, lived on that street.

10 years later, the same group of friends, now 25, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the beer was cheap, the restaurant offered free snacks, the band was good, there was no cover charge, and there were lots of cute guys.

10 years later, the group of 35-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the cosmos were good, it was right near the gym and, if they went late enough, there wouldn’t be too many whiny little kids.

10 years after that, the group of 45-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the martinis were big, and the waiters wore tight pants and had nice buns.

Another 10 years passed and the group of 55-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the prices were reasonable, the wine list was good, the restaurant had windows that opened (in case of hot flashes), and they served fish, which is good for your cholesterol.

(Getting to sound familiar?)

10 years later, the group of 65-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the lighting was good and the restaurant had a senior citizen discount.

10 years hence, the group of 75-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the food was not too spicy and the restaurant was handicapped-accessible.

Another 10 years passed and the group of 85-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before.

(Sorry, I happened about this little cute little story as I was surfing the internet a few months ago and I'm so sorry I cannot recall where I found it or I would post a link back.) 

Another side of Syria

Earlier today I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman from Syria and this evening I received an email with an article about the first lady of Syria. The article was written in 2011.  I was surprised by what I learned and It made me wonder -- just how much do we Americans, really know about Syria and what is going on there?

Some facts:

Capital: Damascus

President: Bashar al-Assad

Population: 18,389,000

Area: 71,498 sq miles

Life Expectancy: 70 years

Literacy: 77%

Since approximately 10,000 BC, Syria was one of centers of Neolithic culture (known

Asma al-Assad

as Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) where agriculture and cattle breeding appeared for the first time in the world.

Syria is in southwest Asia in the heart of the Middle East. The Mediterranean coastal plain is backed by a low range of hills, followed by a vast interior desert plateau. Most people live near the coast or near the Euphrates River—which brings life to the desert plateau. Damascus, capital of this desert country, was built on an oasis and is said to be the world's oldest continuously inhabited settlement.

Syrians are mostly Arab, although about 9 percent are Kurds, living mostly in the northeast corner of Syria. Syria's population is about 90 percent Muslim, mostly Sunni, but the Alawite minority (12 percent of Syrians) is politically dominant. The Alawite-controlled Baath (Renaissance) Party has ruled Syria since 1963. Source

I will let you decide what you think from here.

************

A Rose in the Desert: Asma Al-Assad, Lady Diana of the Middle East

Asma al-Assad is glamorous, young, and very chic - the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies. Her style is not the couture-and-bling dazzle of Middle Eastern power but a deliberate lack of adornment. She's a rare combination: a thin, long-limbed beauty with a trained analytic mind who dresses with cunning understatement. Paris Match calls her "the element of light in a country full of shadow zones." She is the first lady of Syria.

She slips behind the wheel of a plain SUV, a walkie-talkie and her cell thrown between the front seats and a Syrian-silk Louboutin tote on top. She does what the locals do - swerves to avoid crazy men who run across busy freeways, misses her turn, checks your seat belt, points out sights, and then can't find a parking space. When a traffic cop pulls her over at a roundabout, she lowers the tinted window and dips her head with a playful smile. Read the rest of the story

Video below - Syria today

Perseid Meteor Party 2013

It's that magical time of the summer when the desert's night sky is ablaze with the Perseid meteor shower.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust will benefit from the Perseid meteor shower when star gazing party goers assemble to watch the sky on Saturday, August 10th, at the Integratron in Landers, California. The party starts at 7 p.m. and runs until midnight.

***UPDATE--- the party s sold out!

The Perseids are considered “fireballs.” Fireballs are especially bright meteors that shine brighter than Jupiter or Venus in the night sky

The Perseid meteor shower occurs in the middle of August every year. The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the intersection of Earth intersects with the orbit of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Particles comet dust slam into the earth's atmosphere at 132,000 mph. The bits they burn up and create light streaks across the night sky causing the Perseid meteor show. The Swift-Tuttle Comet is a periodic comet with an orbit that takes about 130 years. Swift-Tuttle is a fairly large comet. 

Integratron Perseid Meteor Party 2012 source

                                         Consider attending a party in your area.  

Can't find one? 

Try hosting your own.

Happy star gazing!

The Bachelorette - Season Finale

Looks like it turned out Ok for Des. In the end she found her prince charming in Chris. I must tell you though, after Brooks broke her heart, I was a little worried but I guess this just shows the power of love.

Congrats to Desiree and Chris!

But the BEST news of the night for me, was the announcement of the next Bachelor. His name is Juan Pablo and I just adore him! What a sexy cutie pie he is. I could never figure out why Des let him go without really giving him a chance. Looks like a lot of other female fans agree with me as he is one of the most popular choices the show has had,

Meet Juan Pablo

I look forward to the new season of The Bachelor coming in January.

It's sure to be one of the "most exciting seasons ever!"