Wine Revolution in 2012 : the omen of "Bordeaux vintage wine 2011" !

by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D

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Last week it was shortly announced on "Challenges" magazine that Mr. Parker was ready to declassify "Bordeaux primeurs 2011", as an uninteresting year. It was indicated he was considering this very year as no good, by intuition.
In fact, it probably meant his knowledge of wine was leading him to this conclusion. Perhaps, did he taste already some of them, before they would be on sale ? Or may be he disliked one and concluded by analogy for all of them. Anyhow it is appearing as an omen.
When we were living in Bordeaux, the heady "Lalande de Pomerol", always in the shadow of "Pomerol" but with a far little level, was not our taste. And we were not alone to feel this way.
So, if we would have been in his position at that time, we could also have reasoned by analogy. But as we tasted other Bordeaux wines, including the great "Pomerol" with its beautiful ruby dress, we obviously didn't reach such a conclusion.

Economically, "Bordeaux vintage wine 2011" down-classment wouldn't be a good news for all our wineyards. It can announce an unexpected change, if people don't pay attention to the warning.

As a matter of fact, Bordeaux wines had a terrible time at the start of the Irak war, launched by America and UK in 2003 . Our wines were bashed in the USA and in Anglo-Saxon countries as a reprisal for France's refusal to participate this war against Saddam Hussein (1937-2006). Of course, it was at the time of George Bush Jr. (born in 1946) and not Barack Obama's (born in 1961). After that, it took almost nine years to recover and develop a new fastly growing trade with China, more and more asking for our wine, and finally filling the room of the previously dominant Anglo-Saxon market.
Asia is "Bordeaux" wines chance, and singularly China - still more than Japan -, and also more surprisingly Gulf countries and Turkey. Again unexpectedly, in Europe this time, Italy is quite a good help with a lot of amateurs for Bordeaux wines. So the down-classment of "Bordeaux vintage wine 2011" shouldn't be normally as bad as the consequences of the Irak war.

But in 2012, the United Kingdom and America are not counting for nothing in the wine trade. And a down-classment of this famous appellation can still provoke a backlash, as the economic period is not really one of recovery - except in the fast words of certain politicians for the sake of a reelection they doubt.
Anyhow the Wine Revolution could be expanding this year. Since the Irak war (which ended only last year with American withdrawal), Italian wines gained a lot in international favour, and some of them are even now considered as the best in the world : the ones of Tuscany, like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo red wine for instance.
Above that, several other countries are now very competitive on the world market like the USA (with California and Texas wines it is now the 4th world producer behind Italy, France, and Spain), or Australia, Argentine, Chile and South Africa. They have all in common a strong French - or Italian - immigration root, established overthere in the past for a new and better life.
So France, and singularly Bordeaux area are competing with their successful descendants.

In the changing wine world landscape, marks for wine given by Mr. Robert Parker in his famous guidebook are like "Michelin stars" for Hotels and Restaurants in France.

A down-gradation for "Bordeaux vintage wine 2011" wouldn't be a good sign at all for French economy. Of course, it is equalilly true that since Roman time, when Burdigala's wines acquired their fame, there were always ups and downs.

But history learns also to be careful with omens, whatever we are calling the place with its Roman name (Burdigala) or with the modern one of Bordeaux.

Only Dyonysos (Bacchus), God of wine in the Greek-Roman mythology will have the last word : in vino veritas (the truth is in the wine) !

Space news V : Vatican is watching closely at deep Cosmos from Arizona !

by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D
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Vatican has got obviously an astronomical observatory in Italy, in Castel Gandolfo near Roma, the private residence of Pope. We could see it with its dome from outside, when we visited this beautiful area of leisure activities in july 2004.
But it has got another one which is far bigger in the USA, in southeastern Arizona (Mount Graham, Tucson), in connection with the University of Arizona.
It was established in cooperation with the USA, Italy, and Germany mainly after the announcement of the Catholic University of Notre Dame (Tucson) in 1999.
This technology is using three different cameras : one for long-slit spectroscopy, one for multi-object spectroscopy, and the last one for diffraction process.
"Large binocular telescope near-infrared Utility with Camera and Integral Field unit for Extragalactic Research" is the technical name, but it is more ordinarily called L.U.C.I.F.E.R. as acronym.
The peculiarity of this one is the extreme luminescence it can produce to enlighten the deep Cosmos, to try to see through its darkness.
Lucifer was also just the name of Venus for the Romans. And in Latin, it means "carrier of light".

The "Revelation" of Saint John (Apocalypse, 8 : 10-11), is the key point of those meticulous observations, especially this year 2012. And the Catholic Church is not the last one to watch closely at the deep Cosmos in search for signs and answers, in connection with Jesus-Christ return.
The existence of the coming star "Wormood" or "Absinth" ("Absinthe" in French), and "Chernobyl" in the Ukrainian Bible is not really doubted. Neither its bitter taste like the heavy drink of the same name !
In reality, it could just have been hidden by darkness behind Jupiter before, and equalilly opportuneous stealth "counter-measures". And "Absinth" ("Wormwood") star wouldn't have been only its shadow, but in fact a proper celestial object of a possible orange blight colour on the road to Earth. Its colour would explain why it is forecasted the Earth oceans and seas would suddenly become the colour of blood, not to except the dead fishes and marine life. Let's wait and see anyway to know if there is a confirmation of such an hypothesis !

It could also explain why Jupiter couldn't use properly anymore its protective radiation belt against dangerous and hazardous asteroids. The result of this is seen through the over sudden multiplication of unknown asteroids in the surroudings of Earth, and in 2012 far more than ever.
The difficulty is that most of them are actually too fast to be identified before they passed Earth. And it might be the same for the "Wormwood star".
Thus, one of the main purposes of L.U.C.I.F.E.R. is to be able to do so before one of them hits Earth, but it's not easy as the unexpected coming of the asteroid "2012 DA 14" is showing since last february ! To us, it seems a bit small to be identified with the "Wormwood star", except if its size has been underestimated of course, but more hazardous asteroids are coming by now.
Anyhow, the V.A.T.T. (Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope) of Mount Graham is operating quite well now on, and may be some discoveries are to come, in connection notably with its infra-red technology.
For non-Catholic it may however sound strange Vatican is so much interested with what is exactly happening in the deep Cosmos. In fact, it's quite coherent and logical if you are said to represent Jesus-Christ on Earth, and want to know more about God's wrath celestial expression.





If God really wants to produce by now changes in Cosmos (not especially deep), and more precisely about actual Earth, no telescope would be able to prevent them, even named L.U.C.I.F.E.R. - which he may not like much. Nobody can beat God !
Of course, it can be referred to it under the more neutral name of L.B.T. (Large Binocular Telescope). God doesn't need any validation of people who are subordinates, even they cannot follow or understand him so well. He may be far too clear, and also too amazing for what their imagination can catch.

This year 2012 is extraordinarily strange, including for American politics : no one seems surprised yet a Mormon, Mitt Romney (born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1947), may finally be next november the candidate of Republicans in front of the Democrat President Barack Obama (born in Honolulu, Hawaï in 1961). The other name of Mormon Church is "The Church of Jesus-Christ of the latter-day saints", which is obviously connected with Saint John's Revelation and "Absinth star" ("Wormwood star").

Human beings are really amazing with their deconnection from realities, whatever they are Divine, Cosmic or even Earthian. Their scope about life is so narrow, that it could even amuse a cat, which is able to see or foresee things of the beyond, as naturally as the fact of chasing after mouses. Of course, cat has got an infra-red high sensitivity human beings are deprived.
Let's leave the conclusion to Saint John as quoted above : "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters ; And the name of the star is called Wormwood : and the third part of the waters became wormwood"...!

Space news IV : "2012 DA 14", the Granada asteroid threat, is not underestimated by NASA !

by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D
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One can wander why being interested by an asteroid in Economic Geography : the answer lies in the great damages it can provoke on Earth geography and worldwide economics.
The asteroid "2012 DA 14" as it has been named was discovered just recently by the Spanish Astronomical Observatory of La Sagra (Granada) : on last february 16th, it almost collided with Earth in full ignorance. As a matter of fact, it was identified by Spanish only 7 days after the avoided catastrophe, on february 23rd 2012 ! According to the Spanish scientists its diameter is 45 m for 60 m length. It has got an elliptic orbit which is sticking to Earth by now. And it is forecasted to come back 365 days after exactly on february 15th 2013, and normally miss it narrowly - within the range of a calculation error -, making difficult to ignore a possible blast in our atmosphere (if not successive and multiple blasts on the ground after).
As this will happen only 8 weeks after december 21st 2012, it is giving unwillingly a new credibility to Maya prophecy, which was actually a mathematical and astronomical calculation first.
A lot of calculations about the trajectory of this asteroid have to be made in the meantime, as nobody actually knows really where it is with enough precision, except it must be above 27 000 km in our space. "2012 DA 14" is far too near Earth. As a matter of fact it has got a high speed of 49 600 km/h ! Theoretically, with such a speed, at this minimum distance of 27 000 km it would only need about 32 minutes and 40 seconds to reach our planet, if it was becoming a target.
And it is most likely at less than one hour from Earth at the moment: it's the first recorded time in our history a so big asteroid is circling so near Earth, and it has to be noted !

However, a lot of things are illogical in the display of this asteroid.
First, its size has been appreciated with a certain variability with the approximate method of "brilliance". However it is admitted its mass is around 120,000 t, which is quite impressive.
Second, its minimum distance from Earth : 27 000 or 28 000 km according to another source seems too short, as it could reach Earth anytime if not following anymore an ellipse, and then blast on its surface or in the sea - or both if parted in smaller pieces after the entrance in our atmosphere.
And third, how come it would miss Earth by 22 000 km, after running a so limited distance then, at a such high speed ? Is it a "vessel" and not an asteroid in that case to be able to decelerate or brake, and change the direction at the last second ?
If "2012 DA 14" just avoided Earth on last february 16th, with its speed it should be already very far, and not strangely so near ? Is it terribly attracted by Earth gravity not to be able to go away, circling in an ellipse around it like a new tiny moon ? Its distance from Earth is lower than an important part of the almost 1 000 artificial Earthian geosynchronous satellites in the space. And it is the first official time a celestial object is shiveringly remaining over our heads this way.

Something seems missing or at least partial in the informations released.
And if it would miss Earth between 7:28 PM (GMT) and 7:34 PM (GMT) on february 15th 2013, why preparing a mission to protect Earth then ? Is it because of what might happen the day after a few hours later, on february 16th 2013, if "2012 DA 14" was suddenly falling back on our planet because of a too strong Earth attraction ?
As a matter of fact two options have already been envisioned by NASA, either breaking it in two by blast, a bit like in the 1998 "Armaggedon" US movie (but at a distance), or in a funny artistic variation, painting it with a big spray-gun (which colour : blue, grey or pink ?) to deviate its trajectory from Earth with Sun reflection. In this anticipation picture eighteen days were left only to avoid the final collision with Earth, after several European capitals amongst which Paris were destroyed by smaller pieces. But in that case, the asteroid size was really enormous.
So to us, it is important to know precisely the size and the shape of this hazardous body, because the attraction power of Earth, leading to an eventual collision with Europe where it was detected first - or elsewhere -, can be very different. It's not the same to have a length of 40, 60, 65 or 100 meters according to various sources.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), admitted the Spanish figure of 45 m as a diameter. Nevertheless, the associated JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) suggested another measure of only 40 m for its animated demonstration of Earth narrow missing next february 15 th 2013 : a difference of 5 m can change a lot of things.
Is it to demonstrate it's so small and insignificant that it would rebound on Earth magnetic field, just like a ball ? In that case, there would be no need of a mission at the difference of Armaggedon movie scenario - written by Jonathan Hensleigh and J. J. Abrams.

Why is coherence lacking so much in the informations released for this funny asteroid, which we are not told anything about a potential electromagnetic power ? And about the date for a possible collision with Earth, were december 21st (or 23rd) 2012 avoided to disconnect it from Maya calculations ? Where will it be those very days ?
Earth circumference is about 40 000 km - with an axial tilt of 23°26' - and the speed of this asteroid following Earth revolution with its elliptical orbit is 49 600 km/h. The inclination angle of "2012 DA 14" is 10°, and when it will approach Earth 5° more will be added according to calculations because of Earth attraction power. But it could be 6° instead, changing everything.
Actually, this period of exactly one year from february 16th 2012 is more or less a preselected one, as the hazardous asteroid may suddenly change orbit, either going away or directly aiming at Earth. It's first a convenient mathematical period to reduce the "area of uncertainty" envelopping the localisation of its unknown precise position in our space.
Or would it mean this delay of 8 weeks is already including a discrete rescue operation by NASA, which would have first to try to deviate if not "cutting" in two this hazardous celestial moving body, before it's coming back again and again ?
But for that we need one or two shuttles to be ready and adaptated to this special mission ; and some people - whom we don't believe - say we need two years to prepare it. They mean it could be already too late for that. Let's be more positive !





As usually a mountain may deliver a mouse, except if the mouse was hiding in fact a mountain ("Absinth Star" for instance). Human beings have a special talent for following wrong tracks, because they can understand them at least.
One of the most surprising thing about human beings is this exaggeration about secrecy with "top level 1A", for completely un-astonishing things : how to play hide and seek with the most casual progression of un-exciting discoveries and a hard stuff technology ! The "without wheel" Maya civilization can still beat it by just lifting the small finger, or playing with a mysterious pink laser ray over the Kukulkan pyramid (Chichen Itza, Mexico, july 24th 2009).

The celestial body "2012 DA 14" could be the "touchstone" of a new appreciative world, knowing at least what is really valuable and great on Earth. Whatever will happen, it may provoke a rehearsal of what human beings intend to put aside, pure intelligence, re-lifted to its superior rank then.
Human beings will have to think about the best way to approach it without provoking themselves the catastrophe they want to avoid. Or else it would be twice as much the impact of 'Tunguska" one (Siberia, Russia, june 30th 1908), because the celestial object mass is multiplied by two : apart the blow consequences, its noise when it exploded in our atmosphere was heard 1500 km away till Spain.

By circling over human heads like a tiny new moon of Earth instead of going away into the far cosmos, the Asteroid "2012 DA 14" could be saying : "Let me adjust the right timing to do what I have to complete about you !"
And personally we wouldn't criticize the budget rise of NASA because of it : the rescue mission is most probably necessary. As a matter of fact this hazardous asteroid seems telling us : "Study me better, and you will discover unusual things not only about my "variable" size and trajectory, but also about what I am made of : if you know it, why nobody didn't want to say it then ?!"