Shaken and stirred...

Intuition is quite amazing, sometimes, even when we are not paying attention to it! For about a month now, I have been prompted to write a review on Cal Orey's book The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes. A few days ago, for whatever reason, I decided to take stock of my emergency preparedness supplies. Late yesterday I even purchased a plastic container to add to that collection. Even more recently...very early this very morning to be exact...at the last moment I decided to take Cal's book with me while driving a family member to work. On the way home, the lure of a cup of aromatic dark roast and a fresh pastry was inescapable for me. While inside a cafe, I opened Cal's book to a page that explained the meanings of the Moon being in syzygy (in line with the Sun and the Earth) and perigee (closest to the Earth) and their connection to earthquakes. My mind wandered immediately to the upcoming Full Moon in Virgo (an earth sign). On February 28 (at 8:38 am PST) the moon will reach its fullness, but more importantly, it will be the second of this year's 5 'Super Moons'. What is a super moon, you ask? A super moon is when the Moon is both in syzygy and perigee! Immediately after jumping in the car to drive home I turned on the radio and heard about the 8.8 Chilean earthquake and subsequent tsunami warnings spanning the entire Pacific rim!

Let me say that the title of this book is somewhat misleading, because although it does chronicle the many. many years of extremely accurate earthquake prediction work by geologist, Jim Berkland...it is SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! Being originally from the Midwest, the word 'tsunami' wasn't even in my vocabulary until I moved to the Pacific Coast. Consequently, I can now also add that since reading this book I have found out just how very earthquake illiterate I truly was despite living on this Pacific Coast for nearly 32 years! Cal's book changed all that. Let me wet your curiosity appetite with but a few of the pre-cursor informative keywords this book opens your awareness to: S-wave, P-wave, Synchroneity, Gone Gatos, Magnetite, Project Migraine, ULF, Radon emissions and Dilatancy-diffusion. If you want to know an explanation of all those things, read Cal's book! A true researcher in every sense of the word, Cal also explores numerous past quake histories, and interviews many other earthquake professionals in addition to Jim (both from scientific and non-scientific venues). She even supplies information regarding a sensational mystery cover-up of a very well-known past shaker. Quite honestly, this book has literally spurned me to want to expand my earthquake awareness. I am convinced it will do the same for you, too. You can still purchase this book at Amazon.com and I highly recommend you do so if you live anywhere on the face of the earth that could get an earthquake...which is almost everywhere! Thanks Cal, for opening my eyes!

—Debbie Ballard, Examiner.com

Pets Help Predict Earthquakes

If a lot of pets have gone missing in your neighborhood, you may want to brace yourself for an earthquake. That's just one of the groundbreaking theories in author Cal Orey's book, The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes: Jim Berkland, Maverick Geologist -- How His Quake Warnings Can Save Lives (Sentient Publications).

Simply put, Berkland believes if animals act strange or skip town, they may be sensing seismic activity. Orey admits Berkland's methods are "quirky," but says it's hard to ignore the fact that he predicted the 1989 World Series Quake in San Francisco and countless other quakes worldwide since.

Many of Berkland’s theories--based on tides, moon cycles, disoriented animals, lost cats and dogs, and magnetic field changes--were factors in both the World Series 7.1 monster quake and the great Indian Ocean quake-tsunami disaster on December 26, 2004. Since scientists admit they aren’t able to predict earthquakes, is it really so far-fetched to monitor lost cats and dogs and animals' sixth sense? Berkland doesn’t think so.

Orey now looks to her "proven seismically sensitive" dog Simon and cat Kerouac for hints that something's about to register on the Richter scale. Orey also learned to trust her own senses. She says she interviewed psychics and "earthquake sensitives" (humans who can detect precursors to upcoming quakes by tuning into dreams or visions and headaches or ear tones).

She says, "I thought, `Oh yeah, right,' but now when I hear a distinct tone in my left ear, often an on or offshore quake will happen in Northern California, Oregon and even Japan within 24-48 hours."

Paying Attention to Animal Quake Cues

Here are some additional animal clues gleaned from Diana L. Guerrero's animal disaster preparedness booklet, "Animal Disaster Preparedness for Pet Owners & Pet Professionals":

• Wild animals: Animals vacate areas, gather in groups, or enter human inhabited areas prior to incidents.
• Cats: You may see warning signs such as hiding, running around frantically trying to escape outdoors, and meowing.
• Dogs: Dogs will usually hide. Behavior before a quake includes howling, whining, barking, restlessness, aggression, and increased devotion to animal guardians.
• Horses and livestock: Hoofed animals often refuse to enter their barns or pens and often refuse to tie.
• Other animals: Caged birds will often hang on their cage; sometimes they will flap frantically or they can be abnormally quiet. Hibernating animals will emerge early (snakes, bears, etc.), spiders and ants will move indoors; rodents will invade the house, or if they are in residence will disappear.
• But note, not all but some animals can and do predict earthquakes, and a common thread is to leave their normal spots of security on first awareness of a coming temblor, which is just how many people react.

—Debra Primovic, petplace.com
March 2006