A R M A G E D D O N   A - Z

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Australia

Barcelona & Madrid, Spain

Bordeaux & Brest France

Brazil & Amazon rainforest
British Columbia on the 1st of July 2021

China, Beijing

India, Delhi

London had a similar experience in July 2022

Porto, Portugal

Tokyo & Osaka, Japan June 2022

USA

JANUARY

January 10–16: Several countries of South America were hit by a severe heatwave. Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and certain parts of Brazil experienced extreme temperatures, with Argentina suffering the worse impacts. According to WMO it affected water, energy supply, and agriculture. Buenos Aires reached 41.1 °C (106.0 °F) and over 700,000 people lost power there. Parts of the country reached 45 °C (113 °F).

January 14: In Australia, in the town of Onslow, the temperature hit 50.7 °C (123.3 °F). If verified, the temperature would be tied as the highest in the Southern Hemisphere.

January 18–23: In Perth, the capital city of Western Australia the city experienced 6 consecutive days with temperatures in excess of 40 °C (104 °F). Perth had 11 days of temperatures over 40 °C (104 °F) during the 2021-2022 summer, smashing the previous record of seven days recorded in 2016-2017.

FEBRUARY

February 8–13: Multiple cities in central and southern California, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego experienced a record-breaking heat wave. San Francisco recorded 78 °F (26 °C) on February 10, an all-time record for the city for meteorological winter. Palm Springs recorded 93 °F (34 °C) on February 11.

MARCH - APRILl

Starting in late March India and Pakistan began experiencing one of the hottest March–April periods on record. At least 90 people were killed by the heat wave; 25 in India and 65 in Pakistan.

In early March, a strong heatwave affected Northern Australia, and in particular North Queensland, with the city of Townsville equalling or beating the previous March minimum temperature record 5 times in one week.

MAY

A major heat wave affected the United States throughout May. Three residents in a senior building died on May 14 in Chicago due to the intense heat, because the air conditioning would not turn on. On May 19 in Memphis, as temperatures soared to near record highs of 91 °F (33 °C), a toddler died after being left in a car. On May 21, intense heat surged into the Mid-Atlantic, causing a near record hot Preakness Stakes, with Baltimore hitting 95 °F (35 °C), with temperatures of 95 °F (35 °C) also being felt in Philadelphia, 92 °F (33 °C) in Washington DC, and 90 °F (32 °C) in New York City.

JUNE

A historic heat wave affected the Midwestern United States and Southeastern United States in the second week of June 2022. In Phoenix, a daily record was tied, as the mercury soared up to 114 °F (45.6 °C). In North Platte, Nebraska, a record temperature of 108 °F (42 °C) was recorded. In Death Valley, a man died when trying to refuel gas as temperatures climbed to 123 °F (51 °C). Temperatures in Memphis soared to 98 °F (37 °C), with a heat index of 110 °F (43 °C). This forced over 125 million people under excessive heat warnings. Following a brief respite June 18, the heat wave is expected to return into the following days. In Odessa, Texas, thousands of residents were left without water, even as the temperature got to 105 °F (41 °C). In San Antonio, every day in June 2022 was at least as hot as 100 °F (38 °C). In Chicago, Midway Airport recorded three days with high temperatures of at least 100 °F (38 °C) between June 14 and June 21.

Heat waves affecting Europe began in June. The Spanish heat wave began on 12 June

In late June 2022, Japan saw the worst heatwave in 150 years.

JULY

A heat wave beginning on 8 July in the United Kingdom saw the first red extreme heat warning to ever be issued in the country, causing it to be declared a national emergency on 15 July. An unconfirmed report from the Met Office on 19 July indicated a new record temperature for the United Kingdom, 104.1 degrees Fahrenheit (40.2 degrees Celsius). This is the first time the temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in the United Kingdom.

A heat wave began on 21 July in the Northeastern United States, hitting 93 °F (34 °C) in New York City, 91 °F (33 °C) in Detroit, and 96 °F (36 °C) in Philadelphia.

China has suffered several heat waves, starting 5 July. According to the China Meteorological Administration, Turpan is expected to reach 50 °C (122 °F) between 25-31 July.

AUGUST

...

According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (Ancient Greek: Ἁρμαγεδών Harmagedōn, Hebrew: הַר מְגִדּוֹ‎ Har Məgīddō) is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, which is variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location. The term is also used in a generic sense to refer to any end of the world scenario. In Islamic theology, the Armageddon is also mentioned in Hadith as the Greatest Armageddon or Al-Malhama Al-Kubra (the great battle).

The "mount" of Megiddo in northern Israel is not actually a mountain, but a tell (a mound or hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot) on which ancient forts were built to guard the Via Maris, an ancient trade route linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Megiddo was the location of various ancient battles, including one in the 15th century BC and one in 609 BC. The nearby modern Megiddo is a kibbutz in the Kishon River area.

CHRISTIANITY

Megiddo is mentioned twelve times in the Old Testament, ten times in reference to the ancient city of Megiddo, and twice with reference to "the plain of Megiddo", most probably simply meaning "the plain next to the city". None of these Old Testament passages describes the city of Megiddo as being associated with any particular prophetic beliefs.

The one New Testament reference to the city of Armageddon found in Revelation 16:16 makes no specific mention of any armies being predicted to one day gather in this city, either, but instead seems to predict only that "they (will gather) the kings together to ... Armageddon". The text does however seem to imply, based on the text from the earlier passage of Revelation 16:14, that the purpose of this gathering of kings in the "place called Armageddon" is "for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty".

Because of the seemingly highly symbolic and even cryptic language of this one New Testament passage, some Christian scholars conclude that Mount Armageddon must be an idealized location. R. J. Rushdoony says, "There are no mountains of Megiddo, only the Plains of Megiddo. This is a deliberate destruction of the vision of any literal reference to the place."

Other scholars, including C. C. Torrey, Kline and Jordan, argue that the word is derived from the Hebrew moed (מועד), meaning "assembly". Thus, "Armageddon" would mean "Mountain of Assembly", which Jordan says is "a reference to the assembly at Mount Sinai, and to its replacement, Mount Zion".

Most traditions interpret this Bible prophecy to be symbolic of the progression of the world toward the "great day of God, the Almighty" in which God pours out his just and holy wrath against unrepentant sinners, led by Satan, in a literal end-of-the-world final confrontation. 'Armageddon' is the symbolic name given to this event based on scripture references regarding divine obliteration of God's enemies. The hermeneutical method supports this position by referencing Judges 4 and 5 where God miraculously destroys the enemy of their elect, Israel, at Megiddo.

Christian scholar William Hendriksen writes:

"For this cause, Har Magedon is the symbol of every battle in which, when the need is greatest and believers are oppressed, the Lord suddenly reveals His power in the interest of His distressed people and defeats the enemy. When Sennacherib's 185,000 are slain by the Angel of Jehovah, that is a shadow of the final Har-Magedon. When God grants a little handful of Maccabees a glorious victory over an enemy which far outnumbers it, that is a type of Har-Magedon. But the real, the great, the final Har Magedon coincides with the time of Satan’s little season. Then the world, under the leadership of Satan, anti-Christian government, and anti-Christian religion – the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet – is gathered against the Church for the final battle, and the need is greatest; when God's children, oppressed on every side, cry for help; then suddenly, Christ will appear on the clouds of glory to deliver his people; that is Har-Magedon."

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Armageddon is the means by which God will fulfill his purpose for the Earth to be populated with happy healthy humans who will be free from sin and death. They teach that the armies of heaven will eradicate all who oppose the Kingdom of God, wiping out all wicked humans on Earth, only leaving righteous mankind.

They believe that the gathering of all of the nations of the earth refers to the uniting of the world's political powers, as a gradual process which began in 1914 and was later seen in manifestations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations following the First and Second World Wars. These political powers are said to be influenced by Satan and his demons in opposition to God's kingdom. Babylon the Great is interpreted as being the world empire of false religions, and it will be destroyed by the beast just prior to Armageddon. Witnesses believe that after all other religions have been destroyed, the governments of the world will begin persecuting Witnesses, and God will then intervene, precipitating Armageddon.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the armies of heaven, led by Jesus, will then destroy all forms of human government and then Jesus, along with a selected 144,000 humans, will rule Earth for 1,000 years. They believe that Satan and his demons will be bound for that period, unable to influence mankind. After the 1,000 years are ended, and the second resurrection has taken place, Satan is released and allowed to tempt the perfect human race one last time. Those who follow Satan will be destroyed, along with him, leaving the earth, and humankind at peace with God forever, free from sin and death.

The religion's current teaching on Armageddon originated in 1925 with former Watch Tower Society president J. F. Rutherford, who based his interpretations on passages that are found in the books of Exodus, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Psalms as well as additional passages that are found in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. The doctrine marked a further break from the teachings of the Watch Tower Society's founder Charles Taze Russell, who for decades had taught that the final war would be an anarchistic struggle for domination on earth. Tony Wills, the author of a historical study of Jehovah's Witnesses, wrote that Rutherford seemed to relish his descriptions of how completely the wicked would be destroyed at Armageddon, dwelling at great length on prophecies of destruction. He stated that towards the close of his ministry, Rutherford allocated about half the space that was available in The Watchtower magazines to discussions about Armageddon.


SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS

The teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church state that the terms "Armageddon", "Day of the Lord" and "The Second Coming of Christ" all describe the same event. Seventh-day Adventists further teach that the current religious movements taking place in the world are setting the stage for Armageddon, and they are concerned by an anticipated unity between spiritualism, American Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. A further significant difference in Seventh-day Adventist theology is the teaching that the events of Armageddon will leave the earth desolate for the duration of the millennium. They teach that the righteous will be taken to heaven while the rest of humanity will be destroyed, leaving Satan with no one to tempt and effectively "bound". The final re-creation of a "new heaven and a new earth"; then follows the millennium.

DISPENSATIONALISM

In his discussion of Armageddon, J. Dwight Pentecost has devoted a chapter to the subject, "The Campaign of Armageddon", in which he discusses it as a campaign and not a specific battle, which will be fought in the Middle East. Pentecost writes:

It has been held commonly that the battle of Armageddon is an isolated event transpiring just prior to the second advent of Christ to the earth. The extent of this great movement in which God deals with "the kings of the earth and of the whole world" will not be seen unless it is realized that the "battle of that great day of God Almighty" is not an isolated battle, but rather a campaign that extends over the last half of the tribulation period. The Greek word "polemo", translated "battle" in Revelation 16:14, signifies a war or campaign, while "machē" signifies a battle, and sometimes even single combat. This distinction is observed by Trench (see Richard C. Trench, New Testament Synonyms, pp.301-2) and is followed by Thayer (see Joseph Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 528) and Vincent (see Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, II, 541). The use of the word polemos (campaign) in Revelation 16:14 signifies that God views the events culminating in the gathering at Armageddon at the second advent as one connected campaign.

— Pentecost, p. 340

Pentecost then discusses the location of this campaign, and mentions the "hill of Megiddo" and other geographic locations such as "the valley of Jehoshaphat" and "the valley of the passengers", "Lord coming from Edom or Idumea, south of Jerusalem, when he returns from the judgment"; and Jerusalem itself.

Pentecost further describes the area involved:

This wide area would cover the entire land of Israel and this campaign, with all its parts, would confirm what Ezekiel pictures when he says the invaders will 'cover the land'. This area would conform to the extent pictured by John in Revelation 14:20.

Pentecost then outlines the biblical time period for this campaign to occur and with further arguments concludes that it must take place with the 70th week of Daniel. The invasion of Israel by the Northern Confederacy "will bring the Beast and his armies to the defense of Israel as her protector". He then uses Daniel to further clarify his thinking.

Again, events are listed by Pentecost in his book:

1. - "The movement of the campaign begins when the King of the South moves against the Beast–False Prophet coalition, which takes place 'at the time of the end'."

2. - The King of the South gets in battle with the North King and the Northern Confederacy. Jerusalem is destroyed as a result of this attack, and, in turn, the armies of the Northern Confederacy are destroyed.

3. - "The full armies of the Beast move into Israel and shall conquer all that territory. Edom, Moab, and Ammon alone escape."

4. - "... a report that causes alarm is brought to the Beast"

5. - "The Beast moves his headquarters into the land of Israel and assembles his armies there."

6. - "It is there that his destruction will come."

After the destruction of the Beast at the Second Coming of Jesus, the promised Kingdom is set up, in which Jesus and the saints will rule for a thousand years. Satan is then loosed "for a season" and goes out to deceive the nations, specifically Gog and Magog. The army mentioned, attacks the saints in the New Jerusalem, they are defeated by a judgment of fire coming down from heaven, and then comes the Great White Throne judgment, which includes all of those through the ages and these are cast into the Lake of Fire, which event is also known as the "second death" and Gehenna, not to be confused with Hell, which is Satan's domain. Pentecost describes this as follows:

The destiny of the lost is a place in the lake of fire. This lake of fire is described as everlasting fire and as unquenchable fire, emphasizing the eternal character of retribution of the lost.

— Pentecost, p. 555

ARMAGEDDON 1998 FILM - BRUCE WILLIS

Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster film produced and directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth. It stars Bruce Willis with Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Peter Stormare, Keith David and Steve Buscemi.

The film was a commercial success, grossing $553 million worldwide against a $140 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998. However, the film received mostly mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the pacing and screenplay, although the visual effects and soundtrack received praise. 

MOVIE PLOT

After a massive meteor shower destroys the Space Shuttle Atlantis and parts of Manhattan, NASA scientists discover they have eighteen days before an asteroid the size of Texas impacts Earth, destroying all planetary life. NASA executive Dan Truman leads a team which devises a plan to have a deep core oil driller train a group of astronauts to drill a hole into the asteroid into which they will insert and detonate a nuclear bomb to split the asteroid in half.

They recruit Harry Stamper, a third-generation oil driller and owner of his own oil drilling company. Harry agrees to help NASA, but on the condition that he bring in his own team to do the drilling. He picks his best employees for the job: Chick Chapel, his best friend and right-hand man; geologists Rockhound and Oscar Choice; and drillers Bear Curlene, Freddie Noonan, Max Lennert, and A.J. Frost - who has been dating Harry's daughter Grace over Harry's objections. Over twelve days, they train with skeptical professional astronaut Willie Sharp, who will pilot Freedom, one of the two shuttles to fly to the asteroid, the other being the Independence. Before leaving, Chick apologizes to his ex-wife for wronging her. Grace accepts A.J.’s marriage proposal.

Both shuttles take off without incident and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir to take on the necessary fuel for the continued journey to the asteroid. During fueling, a spark ignites fuel from a leaky fuel line, causing a fire. A.J. and Russian Cosmonaut Lev Andropov are nearly killed but manage to board Independence before the space station is destroyed.

On approach to their landing site on the asteroid, Independence is irreparably damaged by debris, and the shuttle crashes, killing all on board except Lev, Bear, and A.J. They embark in the shuttle's Armadillo to find Freedom crew, which landed 26 miles from its intended landing site on a plate of iron ferrite. When the drilling goes slower than predicted, Sharp reports to Mission Control that it is unlikely that Harry and his team will reach the depth necessary to split the asteroid before "Zero Barrier", the point after which the two halves of the asteroid will impact Earth. Even though it might cause total mission failure, the President of the United States decides to remote detonate the bomb from Earth. After a vicious argument where Sharp calls Harry's team the worst mistake in NASA history, the two agree to defuse the bomb and work together. They make progress on drilling, but a missed gas pocket causes a blowout that destroys the Armadillo and kills Max. Just as Harry, Truman, and the world believe the mission to be a failure, A.J. and the others arrive in the second Armadillo.

A.J. succeeds in drilling the hole to the required depth, but a rock storm damages the remote detonator, forcing someone to have to stay behind to manually detonate the bomb. After randomly drawing straws, the responsibility falls upon A.J. Harry takes him down to the asteroid's surface, and he disconnects A.J.’s air hose, forcing him into the shuttle's air lock. He tells A.J. he is the son he never had and that he would be proud to have him marry Grace. Using the Armadillo, Harry gives Grace his blessing to marry A.J. and Grace says she is proud to be his daughter.

After some difficulty, Freedom takes off, but a second blowout causes Harry to lose his grip on the detonator. Just before Zero Barrier, Harry detonates the bomb saving the planet. NASA and the world rejoice while Truman comforts Grace. The astronauts land back on Earth safely: A.J. and Grace are reunited and Chick reconciles with his ex-wife and estranged young son.

Some time later A.J. and Grace are married. 

PRODUCTION

According to Bruce Joel Rubin, writer of Deep Impact, a production president at Disney took notes on everything the writer said during lunch about his script and initiated Armageddon as a counter film at Disney. Nine writers worked on the script, five of whom are credited. In addition to Robert Roy Pool, Jonathan Hensleigh, Tony Gilroy, Shane Salerno and J. J. Abrams, the writers involved included Paul Attanasio, Ann Biderman, Scott Rosenberg and Robert Towne. Originally, it was Hensleigh's script, based on Pool's original, that had been given the green-light by Touchstone. Then-producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, hired the succession of scribes for rewrites and polishes. Astronomers would subsequently note that Deep Impact was more scientifically accurate.

Bruce Willis was cast in the film as part of a three-picture deal he cut with the studio to compensate them for the dissolution of 1997's Broadway Brawler. He received a significant pay cut for the picture as part of the deal.

In May 1998, Walt Disney Studios chairman Joe Roth expanded the film's budget by $3 million to include additional special effects scenes by Dream Quest Images showing an asteroid impacting Paris. This additional footage, incorporated two months prior to the film's release, was specifically added for the television advertising campaign to visually differentiate the film from Deep Impact which was released a few months before.

CAST

Bruce Willis as Harry S. Stamper
Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman
Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost
Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper
Will Patton as Chick
Steve Buscemi as Rockhound
William Fichtner as Colonel Willie Sharp
Owen Wilson as Oscar
Michael Clarke Duncan as Bear
Peter Stormare as Lev Andropov
Ken Campbell as Max
Jessica Steen as Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts
Keith David as General Kimsey
Chris Ellis as Flight Director Clark
Jason Isaacs as Ronald Quincy
Grayson McCouch as Gruber
Clark Brolly as Noonan
Marshall Teague as Colonel Davis
Anthony Guidera as Co-Pilot Tucker
Greg Collins as Halsey
John Mahon as Karl
Grace Zabriskie as Dottie
Eddie Griffin as Bike Messenger
Jim Ishida as Client #3
Stanley Anderson as The President
James Harper as Admiral Kelso
Ellen Cleghorne as Helga the Nurse
Udo Kier as Psychologist
John Aylward as Dr. Banks
Narration by Charlton Heston

FOREST FIRE A TO Z

Amazonian

Arctic

Asia

Australian

Bolivian

Brazilian

British Columbian

Canadian - Saskatchewan

Chilean

Croatian

Ecuador

Europe heat wave 17 July 2022

France

Greece

Japanese

Malaysian

Mongolian

Portugal

Russian

Spain

Sweden

USA - California, Yosemite

       - Montana

       - Georgia

       - Sacramento

UK   - Saddleworth Moor

       - Moray

       - Dartmoor

WOOD IS GOOD x 10 PLEASE

Timber grown for wood is only good if part of a replanting scheme, with at least 2 trees planted for every one felled, though we would suggest up to 10 trees should be planted to offset the loss of carbon absorption during growth.

We need to plant more trees - a whole lot more trees, not clear them, and especially not waste timber that is a vital renewable resource for zero carbon house building. Forest fires that cause deforestation are raising the temperature of Planet Earth and there is no Planet B.

LINKS & REFERENCE

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SOIL EROSION - The more land that we lose to grow crops the greater the food security issue. As the ice caps melt, desertification spreads to make Earth more uninhabitable.

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