Wednesday, February 21, 2018

C2C February 20, 2018 Future of Humanity / Shield Act



In the first half, theoretical physicist, author, professor of physics, and popularizer of science, Michio Kaku, discussed his latest work which explores the process by which humanity may gradually move away from the planet and develop a sustainable civilization in outer space. The dinosaurs didn't have a "plan B" and got wiped off the planet after an asteroid hit. Kaku recalled how Carl Sagan told him that humans need an "insurance policy" against such a catastrophe and that means getting a contingent off-world. With companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX bringing down the cost of space transport, and NASA going back to the moon in 2019, there is currently more excitement around space endeavors, he indicated.

Travel to Mars is becoming closer to reality, he reported, and the planet has specific geographic features that are suitable to set up outposts, such as lava tubes that are essentially ready-made caves. One of the first projects is to set up a mining operation for ice, which can be separated out into drinking water, oxygen for breathing, and hydrogen for rocket fuel, he detailed, adding that agriculture will follow with genetically modified algae and other plants that can thrive in the harsh Martian climate. He doesn't foresee full-fledged terraforming of the Red Planet taking place until the 22nd century. Kaku also talked about the four types of advanced civilizations, and how Type 3 may use black holes as gateways and power supplies.

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In the latter half, David Adair, the "Rocket Man," spoke out about the Shield Act which would harden and protect America's electric grid. The act would create a fund with a $30 billion annual budget to install such things as diverters, switches, surge protectors, and gateways-- hardware proven to work in suppressing the damage from an EMP or CME (coronal mass ejection from the sun), which otherwise could have catastrophic consequences. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, the chairperson of the committee for the Shield Act, has killed the bill twice in a row, Adair bemoaned, and she disbanded the congressional commission to study it, even though it had bipartisan support.

If North Korea dropped an atomic weapon in the atmosphere over America, the EMP waves would cause transformers to detonate across the continent, he warned, which would have the effect of napalm. Shortly after that, every plane in the sky will crash down (about 500,000 people are in the air at any time), he continued, adding that all telecommunications will be out. A massive CME would be even worse, he cited, as the effects would likely be global rather than confined to a specific region. He also described what would happen at atomic plants during these events with meltdowns leading to widespread contamination. According to Adair, the Fukushima effects have been under-reported, and once when he swept a Geiger counter over a can of tuna at a grocery store, it detected radiation.

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