Thor Heyerdahl publicised the existence of small step pyramids in the Canary Islands, and now the same island has turned up a piece of stone 44 centimetres high and 34 wide that supposedly marks the equinoxes. Not bad for a little island with no apparent historical importance.

If you are thinking I’ve got my wires crossed, you are wrong. Society is getting its wires crossed. The book above is real, although from the cover I’m guessing it would not be classified as literature…

From the back cover:
The Eleven—an alliance of ultimate predators. Primal, lethal, irresistible. The Prophecy—an ancient Mayan prediction that the world will end on 12-21-12. The Prey—where can you hide from pure evil?
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Kelly Maloy opens her car door to much more than a great looking stranger at the Houston airport. Terror, desire, and a horrible truth climb in with him. She’s only supposed to drive Ty Endeka around the city for a few weeks. Too bad no one tells her that once day fades she’ll become part of a battle fought in the darkened streets with an enemy that isn’t human. And the sensual man who feeds her fantasies hides a soul that gives new meaning to animal magnetism.

I’m not suggesting anyone buys this book, I’m just pointing out how deep and wide the 2012 meme is reaching everyday folk. At this rate there’ll be a 2012 TV sitcom before the awesome year arrives.

A powerful jet from a super massive black hole is blasting a nearby galaxy, according to new findings from NASA observatories. This never-before witnessed galactic violence may have a profound effect on planets in the jet’s path and trigger a burst of star formation in its destructive wake.

…Jets from super massive black holes produce high amounts of radiation, especially high-energy X-rays and gamma-rays, which can be lethal in large quantities. The combined effects of this radiation and particles traveling at almost the speed of light could severely damage the atmospheres of planets lying in the path of the jet. For example, protective layers of ozone in the upper atmosphere of planets could be destroyed.

Not to be specifically fearful of, but a nice reminder of the forces that are out there in space. If we understood them better, maybe we could predict or dismiss the possibilities of 2012.

Unfortunately you can’t buy it – it’s only a concept at this stage. But it looks like a marvellous idea for current disasters and possibly some 2012 ones.

Inside the 50-gallon drum you would find a tent, storage annex, photovoltaic strip tarpaulin/blanket, multifuel stove, lighting rig, tool kid, medical kit, water filtration system, generator and battery pack and emergency radio. Just parachute it to wherever it is needed.

Pictures of its deployment are here.

It is back, and will stay back unless too many people visit! No messing around this time, it’ll be on its own server with support staff that respond quickly within 48 hrs.

Apologies for the down time.

Rob.

Ark II, located in Ontario, is an extraordinary network of 42 old buses, welded together and buried in a pit, to create a massive survival bunker. Construction began in 1980. Creator Bruce Beach is interviewed by CANOE:

Ark II sits under farmland — 42 buried buses, all connected to form a 929-square-metre bunker. They are covered with at least 2.4 metres of earth, as well as concrete.

The site has long been a thorn in the side of provincial officials, who conduct regular raids and safety inspections. They’d like it wiped off the map.

…The floor is a patchwork of degrading linoleum and worn wood, along with concrete.

“Much like a sub,” says Bruce. “A lot of people can’t handle the claustrophobia.”

Contractors hired to do work sometimes refuse to venture down into the vehicular cavern.

Beige paint peels and blisters from the walls of some of the buses, exposing the truer green underneath.

Dozens and dozens of bunk-beds, meant to give survivors of a nuclear war a place to try to sleep, have had to be torn out because the wood was simply rotting away.

People wrongly envision his refuge as a bright and spotless retreat, he complains.

“It’s not a trip down into the subway mall in Toronto,” Bruce says.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘I couldn’t live down here.’ Well, it’s not for living…it’s for surviving.”

…Bruce built his ark for 400 survivors — friends and family and those who have faith man could survive a nuclear nightmare. He also keeps a large stockpile of medicine, radiation detectors and how-to-guides on rebuilding the framework of society.

It is exhausting to keep his mission and bunker alive.

Inspirational, and also a lesson of how hard such a mission is.