When gale-winds blow and rain pours down Spain goes off-line. That happened to Southern Spain between December 15th and 27th. Several parts were inundated, those typical Spanish balconies got their battering, roofs collapsed and utilities were interrupted. People died. Much damage was done. On December 23rd our desert-region was hit by violent storms and the Internet coming from Granada-City was interrupted. When the light went up again I noted to my amazement that not all Internet had ceased, leaving truly a few dozen bits per second usable for some revealing experiments. However foremost it appeared how vulnerable one gets when relying too much on working in "the Cloud", using resources that are hosted on the Internet for applications that suddenly couldn't be used anymore. Some lessons to be learned?

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The year 2009 is coming to a close - what a year this wasn't! After the famous/infamous day in January where independent judgment and applied skills were used to save 155 lives from drowning in a cold Hudson River we really only were continuously confronted with news that Captain Chesley Sullenberger rightfully described with: "the worst sickening, pit-of-your-stomach, falling-through-the-floor feeling". At least that is the impression most analysts and trend experts on global data have about that year.
2009 exposed itself as the year of lies, fraud, debts, bigotry, ignorance and a paralyzing stagnation. Perhaps you didn't notice much of it yet. I am not talking about small personal successes, a wedding, getting grandparents or winning a lottery and hopefully starting your first business. These private advantages were embedded in a global downward trend, loss of confidence in and lack of leadership, as well as loss of existential certainties. The Earth is rapidly cooling, which by the end of the year seemed only be stoppable for some carbon fraudsters meeting in Copenhagen. The same category of 'experts' that called the Italian earth-scientist who correctly predicted the massive April earthquake in l'Aquila as "an imbecile". I agree with Pier Corbyns in a clip below, who says that those who conspired should have their privileges and degrees withdrawn forever. New facts learn that CO2 plays a zero role for the climate debate proving that policies are based on utterly false models, not the natural facts since 150 years! Hence scaring policies based on fantasies that cost us much money, employment and a sense of wellbeing: state terrorism comes to mind again and clinging to already lost prestige and power. About one thing however we didn't hear at all: the doings of the by far greatest of all polluters: the US Pentagon. In 2009 we were left to believe that the few dozens of wars and conflicts that are raging on our planet would contribute to more 'security' for all. Bear in mind: I am not against the military. I am against 'madness', military adventures and old imperialist' bigotry. Our civilization is at stake. In that respect 2009 was a shocking year that for its non-merits will go into our history books. Some of these non-merits deserving a Nobel Prize... Even a hero like Captain Sullenberger can't change that view. Maybe we learned something from his actions that we can use in 2010 to our benefit: to think and judge independently, stay realistic, be moderate, enhance our knowledge to -in freedom- use our self-responsibility. We should finally stop believing false prophets and their hunger for (our) money. Possibly we are at the verge of that new era!

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Url movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMxJG-Mu9dc

This 'prediction' in Copenhagen by Lord Monckton was made 2 days before the end of the UNFCCC global catastrophes conference. We now know the 'result' and see how dead-on Lord Monckton was. Do we indeed see the repeat of an old history? His comparison with Nazi-Germany and the 'achievements' of this peculiar 'conference' may seem daring for some. It also may be a brave and clear warning at the end of 2009 that little good is to be expected from 2010...

John