In the latter half of the show, author Whitley Strieber spoke about climate change and extreme weather. We're seeing a "climactic oscillation, which is a shifting back and forth of extreme heat to extreme cold." The strange weather started last winter with a deep freeze that hit England, and this summer, it was so hot in Russia that huge forest areas had spontaneous combustion, he detailed. "So far this year we have recorded 4,100 record highs and 1,500 record lows," he continued.
The jet stream is key to all of this, said Strieber, explaining how northern areas like Greenland are warmer, while parts of southern Europe are colder. Because the North Atlantic Ocean heated up so much over the summer, the jet stream can't drop down to its normal route, he added. Eventually, extreme heat will cause methane to dissipate, which he foresees leading to a major alteration in climate-- the start of an ice age, with large parts of the Northern Hemisphere covered in snow, even during the summer.
Internet Control
In the first hour, 'CyberWar' expert Charles R. Smith talked about new rules being considered by the FCC to control Internet usage. He characterized the situation as a "food fight" between Comcast and Netflix, with the cable company wanting to charge more for greater bandwidth usage, such as for streaming movies. Regarding efforts to eliminate pornography and other adult material from the Internet, Smith suggested that parents rather than government should act as gatekeepers for what their children view on the web.
Foreclosure Crisis
2nd hour guest, financial advisor Catherine Austin Fitts discussed the continuing foreclosure crisis, and how many homeowners are now "underwater," i.e. they owe more than their home is worth. She associated the problem with criminal behavior on the part of some loan servicers, where collateral fraud has been rampant. For those underwater, she suggested finding a good pro bono attorney, paying attention to the nitty gritty details, and also demanding the debt note, which may have been lost or resold.
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A rare event occurs tonight when a total lunar eclipse coincides with the timing of the Winter Solstice. The eclipse, which will be visible in North America, begins around 9:30p PT/12:30a ET. If clouds are obscuring your view, you can watch the event online-- this page contains a list of live webcams.
Pictured: Lunar Eclipse from 2000 by Fred Espenak "Mr. Eclipse"