January 25, 2004: Open Lines

Art Bell opens the program visibly shaken by a breaking story from The Independent reporting that the North Atlantic current is already slowing, threatening to shut down the Gulf Stream within decades. He reads extensively from the article, which quotes the U.S. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute describing the development as the largest and most dramatic oceanic change ever measured in the era of modern instruments. The scenario mirrors the premise of his book with Whitley Strieber, The Coming Global Superstorm, almost exactly.

Callers weigh in on how the United States and Canada would respond if Europe suddenly became uninhabitable. Topics range from opening borders for European refugees to the geopolitical consequences of shrinking oil supplies during a global climate catastrophe. Art poses the central question repeatedly: would America help, or would it slam its borders shut? Several callers report unusual cold water temperatures off the U.S. coast as possible early indicators.

Between climate discussions, callers share encounters with shadow people in the Arizona desert, a man describes a car passing through his vehicle at a red light, and Art reads new Darwin Award entries. He expresses frustration that no major U.S. network has picked up the Woods Hole story despite its scientific weight.