Internationally recognized expert on our planet's delicate balance of sustaining life, Jim Bell, talked with host Art Bell about politics, peak oil production, and what we can do to become more energy self-sufficient.

He believes the answer to energy self-sufficiency lies in cultivating renewable energy sources, such as solar power. According to Bell, the city of San Diego could replace all forms of energy it currently uses by simply installing solar photovoltaic cells on 18% of existing buildings and parking lots, as well as making a few efficiency improvements.

He also cited the example of a San Diego building that had been converted to run on renewable energy sources and has benefited from a 25% return on investment. Bell said there are several energy services companies who help fund these conversions, as they have figured out how to make the process profitable.

'Killshot' Update

First hour guest, remote viewer Major Ed Dames gave an update on 'The Killshot', a series of powerful, deadly solar flares which he thinks will be impacting Earth in the very near future. On previous shows, Dames had said the Killshot would be close at hand when the Space Shuttle is forced down by a meteor shower. Dames now believes the current trouble-plagued Discovery mission is the precursor event he foresaw, noting its concurrence with the upcoming Perseids meteor shower. Dames also expressed little confidence the Shuttle would land safely, and suggested Coast listeners "say a prayer for this crew."

Dames offered a timetable to the Killshot, giving us only a maximum of two years before the Earth's magnetosphere collapses and exposes the planet to intense solar radiation. A third of the world's population is expected to perish during the event, Dames concluded.