You can make free calls to any phone in North America that starts with plus one using Gmail and from any country in the world I might add. This is not a new service, it's been around for many years, but I bet many of you don't know about it. Here's how it works. In Gmail, click phone calls, type in the number and then click it. See, it's a free call. Now you might be thinking, that's cool George, but how does it help me grow? Imagine you want to call a company for a sponsorship, now you can do so anywhere in the world for free. Or, let's say your friend is not online who you want to make a video with, you can just call his phone, mobile or landline, if he's in North America, for free. I often do that when I call my parents in Canada, they're not often at their computer but they do have their mobile phones on them at all times and I call them using Gmail. Very first time you try this, Gmail may ask you to install a plugin, go ahead it's from Google you can trust it and Gmail may also ask to send you a text message to confirm you actually exist. Go ahead and type in your phone number so you can get your verification code as I've done here behind me. You may also have to click allow so Gmail can access your microphone and then you can make free calls anywhere in North America. Tell me down there in the comments below if you knew about this feature, do you use it? How do you use it? Share with us so we can all learn from each other and grow together as a family because that's the spirit of freedom. We all help each other grow together as a family. The freedom family, this episode is part of my new YouTube tips series. Click here to see all the episodes in case you miss Stenny. My goal is to create one video for every single feature of YouTube and off YouTube as this video shows that helps you grow. What other tips should I cover? 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This is the first time ever that this has happened on YouTube where no network can deny unlink requests that are made on or after August 1st, 2017. So I figure many of you will be unlinking from your current network on August 1st and 30 days later, when you actually get unlinked, you will hopefully join freedom. And so we can all grow together as a family. Who am I? I am Papa George. George-Sanpai, George-Sama, and many other names you, the beautiful freedom family, has given me. I am George, CEO and founder of freedom for freedom and the freedom family. And we have some surprises for you coming soon in August. I'll let you know in a few episodes. Until then, I am George and you've been watching Click that I to partner with freedom and join the freedom family so we can all grow together. You get many perks, like position music. You also get epidemic sound, a lot of other access to royalty free videos, sponsorships, and many things to help you grow. 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Hey weirdos, it's Darren and Left to excuse my appearance today. I'm actually dealing with a lot of splotchiness on the face and also my scalp hence the the hat And I wouldn't normally videotape myself Doing it all the day that I look like this, but it's really important And I'll probably share this in my podcast word-for-word because I had to type this out Because I wanted to make sure that I didn't Forget anything. I Received another couple of messages today from people reaching out for help for their loved ones or for themselves I began this fundraiser for depression and suicide For for the prevention. Yeah, because I just simply thought it'd be a good way to to give back to the community You know in a way that would make a difference and I figured Anybody who's attracted to dark stories like what I tell they might be more susceptible to depression But I had no idea how on the nose that would be My heart Breaks every time I read another email another comment another Facebook post or sometimes they'll even post a review on Apple podcasts with their thoughts about what I'm doing with the fundraiser which is an odd place to leave those comments But they're they're reaching out. That's that's the whole point. It's somebody that they're telling their story and They know somebody who is it at this very moment is either in the hospital or Is recovering from a suicide attempt? Others they're just asking how to find relief for the extreme depression that they're feeling Now, I guess in the eyes of many, you know, because of the fundraiser that I'm doing, you know, they feel comfortable Reaching out to me, you know, somebody who's who's been there that's in the same situation dealing with depression I'm beginning to get so much correspondence that I may not be able to reply to them all and and that concerns me because I mean, these are true Real cries for help in some cases the only thing that I can do is to tell them that I'll pray for them and Then of course give them the phone numbers I have, you know, so they can reach out to somebody who is more qualified than I am But this just reinforces the extreme need for a fundraiser like this People not only need help that they want help. They're they're reaching out for it There needs to be somebody there for them to reach out to You know, we only have now 10 days left on this fundraising campaign as I record this. It is Sunday October 21st and Halloween the 31st, of course is our last day, but that's also the live stream The live stream event that I'm gonna be doing on YouTube. So I don't know how good of a job I'm gonna be doing it reminding people to donate on that day. So If you could please show your support Today, just make a donation any amount. I mean $5 $10 it makes a difference even if it's small But then once you do that then post and share on your own social media or email or text or all of them if you can and Challenge your own family and friends to do the same Especially if you or somebody, you know deals with depression or has dealt with suicide issues And I'm sure that applies to every single person that's hearing this right now So, you know, tell them to to visit weirddarkness.com Slash battle in order to donate or once you do donate It'll actually give you a link that you can share so it'll take them directly to that page so they can donate But either way but weirddarkness.com slash battle just forwards to that same link So it doesn't matter but the clock is is quickly running out So 10 days left now and and there are still so many people in need No, now if you are one of those who are in need There are numbers that you can call right now depending on if you're dealing with depression and suicide Or if you're dealing with an addiction on top of it If you're if you're dealing with depression if you're contemplating suicide, you can call<PHONE_NUMBER> Again, that's<PHONE_NUMBER> and if you're also dealing with an addiction of some type be it alcohol drugs whatever Then you can call<PHONE_NUMBER> That's<PHONE_NUMBER> Again the contemplate the the depression or the suicide line It's<PHONE_NUMBER> Addiction<PHONE_NUMBER> And of course you can find those numbers on the sponsors page of my website They're not really sponsors, but I didn't know where else to put them so But please give today. I would greatly appreciate it and I'm looking forward to creating tomorrow's weirddarkness. Thanks


CHAPTER XVI. On that day, in the colliery of New Aberfoil, work was going on in the usual regular way. During the distance could be heard the crash of great charges of dynamite, by which the carboniferous rocks were blasted. Here masses of coal were loosened by pickaxe and crowbar, there the perforating machines with their harsh grating bored through the masses of sandstone and schist. Hollow cavernous noises resounded on all sides. Drafts of air rushed along the ventilating galleries, and the wooden swing doors slammed beneath their violent gusts. In the lower tunnels, trains of trucks kept passing along at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, while at their approach electric bells warned the workmen to cower down in the refuge places. Lifts went incessantly up and down, worked by powerful engines on the surface of the soil. Coaltown was throughout, brilliantly lighted by the electric lamps at full power. Mining operations were being carried on with the greatest activity. Coal was being piled incessantly into the trucks, which went in hundreds to empty themselves into the corpse at the bottom of the shaft. While parties of miners who had labored during the night were taking needful rest, the others worked without wasting an hour. Old Simon Ford and Maj, having finished their dinner, were resting at the door of their cottage. Simon smoked a good pipe of tobacco, and from time to time the old couple spoke of Nell, of their boy, of Mr. Star, and wondered how they liked their trip to the surface of the earth. Where would they be now? What would they be doing? How could they stay so long away from the mine without feeling homesick? Just then a terrific roaring noise was heard. It was like the sound of a mighty cataract rushing down into the mine. The old people rose hastily. They perceived at once that the waters of Lake Malcolm were rising. A great wave, unfurling like a billow, swept up the bank and broke against the walls of the cottage. Simon caught his wife in his arms, and carried her to the upper part of their dwelling. At the same moment, cries arose from all parts of cold town, which was threatened by a sudden inundation. The inhabitants fled for safety to the top of the schist rocks bordering the lake. Terror spread in all directions. Whole families in frantic haste rushed towards the tunnel in order to reach the upper regions of the pit. It was feared that the sea had burst into the caldery, for its galleries and passages penetrated as far as the Caledonian canal. In that case the entire excavation, vast as it was, would be completely flooded. Not a single inhabitant of new Aberfoil would escape death. But when the foremost fugitives reached the entrance to the tunnel, they encountered Simon Ford, who had quitted his cottage. Stop, my friend, stop, shouted the old man. If our town is to be overwhelmed, the floods will rush faster than you can. No one can possibly escape. But see, the waters are rising no further. It appears to me the danger is over. And our comrades at the far end of the works? What about them? cried some of the miners. There is nothing to fear for them, replied Simon. They are working on a higher level than the bed of the lock. It was soon evident that the old man was in the right. The sudden influx of water had rushed to the very lowest bed of the vast mine, and its only ultimate effect was to raise the level of Lock Malcolm a few feet. Coal Town was uninjured, and it was reasonable to hope that no one had perished in the flood of water which had descended to the depths of the mine, never yet penetrated by the workmen. Simon and his men could not decide whether this inundation was owing to the overflow of a subterranean sheet of water penetrating fissures in the solid rock, or to some underground torrent breaking through its worn bed and precipitating itself to the lowest level of the mine. But that very same evening they knew what to think about it, for the local papers published an account of the marvellous phenomenon which Loch Catrine had exhibited. The surprising news was soon after confirmed by the four travellers, who, returning with all possible speed to the cottage, learned with extreme satisfaction that no serious damage was done in new Aberfoil. The bed of Loch Catrine had fairly given way. The waters had suddenly broken through by an enormous fissure into the mine beneath. Of Sir Walter Scott's favourite Loch there was not left enough to wet the pretty foot of the Lady of the Lake. All that remained was a pond of a few acres at the further extremity. This singular event made a profound sensation in the country. It was a thing unheard of that a lake should in the space of a few minutes empty itself and disappear into the bowels of the earth. There was nothing for it but to erase Loch Catrine from the map of Scotland until, by public subscription, it could be refilled, care being of course taken in the first place to stop the rent up tight. This catastrophe would have been the death of Sir Walter Scott had he still been in the world. The accident was explicable when it was ascertained that, between the bed of the lake and the vast cavity beneath, the geological strata had become reduced to a thin layer, incapable of longer sustaining the weight of water. Now, although to most people this event seemed plainly due to natural causes, yet to James Starr and his friends, Simon and Harry Ford, the question constantly recurred, was it not rather to be attributed to malevolence? Uneasy suspicions continually harassed their minds. Was their evil genius about to renew his persecution of those who ventured to work this rich mine? At the cottage some days later, James Starr thus discussed the matter with the old man and his son. Well, Simon, said he, to my thinking we must class this circumstance with the others for which we still seek elucidation, although it is no doubt possible to explain it by natural causes. I am quite of your mind, Mr. James, replied Simon, but take my advice and say nothing about it. Let us make all researches ourselves. Oh, I know the result of such research beforehand! cried the engineer. And what will it be then? We shall find proofs of malevolence, but not the malefactor. But he exists! He is there! Where can he lie concealed? Is it possible to conceive that the most depraved human being could, single-handed, carry out an idea so infernal as that of bursting through the bed of a lake? I believe I shall end by thinking, like Jack Ryan, that the evil demon of the mine revenges himself on us for having invaded his domain. Nell was allowed to hear as little as possible of these discussions. Indeed she showed no desire to enter into them, although it was very evident that she shared in the anxieties of her adopted parents. The melancholy in her countenance bore witness to much mental agitation. It was at length resolved that James Starr, together with Simon and Harry, should return to the scene of the disaster and endeavor to satisfy themselves as to the cause of it. They mentioned their project to no one. To those unacquainted with the group of facts on which it was based, the opinion of Starr and his friends could not fail to appear utterly inadmissible. A few days later the three friends proceeded in a small boat to examine the natural pillars on which had rested the solid earth, forming the basin of Loc Catrine. They discovered that they had been right in suspecting that the massive columns had been undermined by blasting. The blackened traces of explosion were to be seen, the waters having subsided below the level of these mysterious operations. Thus the fall of a portion of the vast vaulted dome was proved to have been premeditated by man, and by man's hand had it been affected. "'It is impossible to doubt it,' said James Starr, and who can say what might not have happened had the sea, instead of a little loch, been led in upon us?' "'You may well say that,' cried the old overman, with a feeling of pride in his beloved mind, for nothing less than a sea would have drowned our everfoil, but once more what possible interest could any human being have in the destruction of our works?' "'It is quite incomprehensible,' replied James Starr. "'This case is something perfectly unlike that of a band of common criminals who, concealing themselves in dens and caves, go forth to rob and pillage the surrounding country. The evil deeds of such men would certainly, in the course of three years, have betrayed their existence in lurking places. Neither can it be, as I sometimes used to think, that smugglers or coiners carried on their illegal practices in some distant and unknown corner of these prodigious caverns, and were consequently anxious to drive us out of them. But no one coins false money or obtains contraband goods, only to conceal them. Yet it is clear that an implacable enemy has sworn the ruin of new everfoil, and that some interest urges him to seek in every possible way to wreak his hatred upon us. He appears to be too weak to act openly, and lays his schemes in secret, but displays such intelligence as to render him a most formidable foe. My friends, he must understand better than we do the secrets of our domain, since he has all this time eluded our vigilance. He must be a man experienced in mining, skilled beyond the most skillful. That's certain, Simon. We have proof enough of that. Let me see. Have you never had a personal enemy to whom your suspicions might point? Think well. There is such a thing as hatred which time never softens. Go back to recollections of your earliest days. What befalls us appears the work of a stern and patient will, and to explain it demands every effort of thought and memory. Simon did not answer immediately. His mind evidently engaged in a close and candid survey of his past life. Presently raising his head. No, said he. No! Heaven be my witness! Neither Mag nor I have ever injured anybody. We cannot believe that we have a single enemy in the world. Ah! If Nell would only speak, cried the engineer. Mr. Starr, and you, Father, said Harry, I do beg of you to keep silence on this matter and not to question my poor Nell. I know she is very anxious and uneasy, and I feel positive that some great secret painfully oppresses her heart. Either she knows nothing it would be of any use for us to hear, or she considers it her duty to be silent. It is impossible to doubt her affection for us, for all of us. If at a future time she informs me of what she has hitherto concealed from us, you shall know about it immediately. So be it then, Harry, answered the engineer. And yet I must say Nell's silence, if she knows anything, seems to me perfectly inexplicable. Harry would have continued her defense, but the engineer stopped him saying, All right, Harry, we promise to say no more about it to your future wife. With my father's consent she shall be my wife without further delay. My boy, said old Simon, your marriage shall take place this very day-month. Mr. Starr, will you undertake the part of Nell's father? You may reckon upon me for that, Simon, answered the engineer. They then returned to the cottage, but said not a word of the result of their examinations in the mine, so that to the rest of its inhabitants, the bursting in of the vaulted roof of the caverns continued to be regarded as a mere accident. There was but a loch the less in Scotland. Nell gradually resumed her customary duties, and Harry made good use of her little visit to the upper air and the instructions he gave her. She enjoyed the recollections of life above ground, yet without regretting it. The sombre region she had loved as a child, and in which her wedded life would be spent, was as dear to her as ever. The approaching marriage created great excitement in New Aberfoil. Good wishes poured in on all sides, and foremost among them were Jack Ryan's. He was detected busily practicing his best songs in preparation for the great day, which was to be celebrated by the whole population of Coal Town. During the month preceding the wedding day, there were more accidents occurring in New Aberfoil than had ever been known in the place. One would have thought the approaching union of Harry and Nell actually provoked one catastrophe after another. These misfortunes happened chiefly at the further and lowest extremity of the works, and the cause of them was always in some way mysterious. Thus, for instance, the woodwork of a distant gallery was discovered to be in flames, which were extinguished by Harry and his companions at the risk of their lives by employing engines filled with water and carbonic acid, always kept ready in case of necessity. The lamp used by the incendiary was found, but no clue whatever as to who he could be. Another time an inundation took place and consequence of the stanchions of a water tank giving way, and Mr. Star ascertained beyond a doubt that these supports had first of all been partially sawn through. Harry, who had been overseeing the works near the place at the time, was buried in the falling rubbish and narrowly escaped death. A few days afterwards on the steam tramway, a train of trucks which Harry was passing along met with an obstacle on the rails and was overturned. It was then discovered that a beam had been laid across the line. In short, events of this description became so numerous that the miners were seized with a kind of panic, and it required all the influence of their chiefs to keep them on the works. You would think that there was a whole band of these ruffians, Simon kept saying, and we can't lay hands on a single one of them. Search was made in all directions. The county police were on the alert night and day yet discovered nothing. The evil intentions seeming specially designed to injure Harry. Star forbade him to venture alone beyond the ordinary limits of the works. They were equally careful of Nell, although at Harry's entreaty these malicious attempts to do harm were concealed from her, because they might remind her painfully of former times. Simon and Madge watched over her by day and by night with the sort of stern solicitude. The poor child yielded to their wishes without a remark or a complaint. Did she perceive that they acted with a view to her interest? Probably she did. And on her part she seemed to watch over others, and was never easy unless all whom she loved were together in the cottage. When Harry came home in the evening she could not restrain expressions of childlike joy, very unlike her usual manner which was rather reserved than demonstrative. As soon as day broke she was a stir before anyone else, and her constant uneasiness lasted all day until the hour of return home from work. Harry became very anxious that their marriage should take place. He thought that, when the irrevocable step was taken, malevolence would be disarmed, and that Nell would never feel safe until she was his wife. Some star, Simon and Madge were all of the same opinion, and everyone counted the intervening days, for everyone suffered from the most uncomfortable forebodings. It was perfectly evident that nothing relating to Nell was indifferent to this hidden foe, whom it was impossible to meet or to avoid. Therefore it seemed quite possible that the solemn act of her marriage with Harry might be the occasion of some new and dreadful outbreak of his hatred. One morning, a week before the day appointed for the ceremony, Nell, rising early, went out of the cottage before anyone else. No sooner had she crossed the threshold than a cry of indescribable anguish escaped her lips. Her voice was heard throughout the dwelling. In a moment Madge, Harry and Simon were at her side. Nell was pale as death, her countenance agitated, her features expressing the utmost horror. Unable to speak, her eyes were riveted on the door of the cottage, which she had just opened. With rigid fingers she pointed to the following words traced upon it during the night. Simon, forward, you have robbed me of the last vein in our old pit. Harry, your son, has robbed me of Nell. We'll be tied you. We'll be tied you all. We'll be tied new Abberfoil. Silphax. Silphax! exclaimed Simon and Madge together. Who is this man? demanded Harry, looking alternately at his father and at the maiden. Silphax! repeated Nell in tone to despair. Silphax! And murmuring this name, her whole frame shuddering with fear and agitation, she was borne away to her chamber by old Madge. James Starr hastening to the spot, read the threatening sentences again and again. The hand which traced these lines, he said at length, is the same which wrote me the letter contradicting yours, Simon, the man calls himself Silphax, I see by your troubled manner that you know him. Who is this Silphax? End of Chapter 16, Recording by Sean Michael Hogan, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Chapter 17 of Child of the Cavern, this is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Sean Michael Hogan. The Underground City by Jules Verne. Chapter 17 The Monk. This name revealed everything to the Old Overman. It was that of the last monk of the docker pit. In former days before the invention of the safety lamp, Simon had known this fierce man whose business it was to go daily at the risk of his life to produce partial explosions of fire-damp in the passages. He used to see this strange solitary being prowling about the mine, always accompanied by a monstrous owl which he called Harfang, who assisted him in his perilous occupation by soaring with a lighted match to place his Silphax was unable to reach. One day this old man disappeared, and at the same time also a little orphan girl born in the mine, who had no relation but himself, her great-grandfather. It was perfectly evident now that this child was Nell. During the fifteen years up to the time when she was saved by Harry, they must have lived in some secret abyss of the mine. The Old Overman, full of mingled compassion and anger, made known to the engineer and Harry all that the name of Silphax had revealed to him. It explained the whole mystery. Silphax was the mysterious being so long vainly sought for in the depths of new Aberfoil. So you knew him, Simon, to mention Mr. Starr. Yes, that I did, replied the Overman. The Harfang man we used to call him. Why, he was old then. He must be fifteen or twenty years older than I am. A wild, savage sort of fellow who held aloof from everyone and was known to fear nothing, neither fire nor water. It was his own fancy to follow the trade of monk which few would have liked. A constant danger of the business had unsettled his brain. He was prodigiously strong, and he knew the mine as no one else, at any rate as well as I did. He lived on a small allowance. In faith I believed him dead years ago. But resumed James Starr, what does he mean by those words you have robbed me of the last vein of our old mine? Ah, there it is, replied Simon, for a long time it had been a fancy of his, I told you his mind was deranged, that he had a right to the mine of Aberfoil, so he became more and more savage and temper the deeper the docker pit. His pit was worked out. It just seemed as if it was his own body that suffered from every blow of the pickaxe. You must remember that, Maj. I, that I do, Simon, replied she. I can recollect all this, resumed Simon, since I have seen the name of Silphax on the door. But I tell you, I thought the men was dead, and never imagined that the spiteful being we have so long sought for could be the old fireman of the docker pit. Well now then, said Starr, it is all quite plain. Chance made known to Silphax the new vein of Coal. With the egotism of madness he believed himself the owner of a treasure he must conceal and defend. Living in the mine and wandering about day and night, he perceived that you had discovered the secret, and had written in all haste to beg me to come. Hence the letter contradicting yours. Hence after my arrival all the accidents that occurred, such as the block of stone thrown at Harry, the broken ladder at the arrow-shaft, the obstruction of the openings into the wall of the new cutting, hence in short our imprisonment, and then our deliverance brought about by the kind assistance of Nell, who acted of course without the knowledge of this man, Silphax, and contrary to his intentions. You describe everything exactly as it must have happened, Mr. Starr, returned old Simon. The old monk is mad enough now at any rate. All the better, Quoth Maj. I don't know that, said Starr, shaking his head. It is a terrible sort of madness this. Ah, now I understand that the very thought of him must have terrified poor little Nell, and also I see that she could not bear to denounce her grandfather. What a miserable time she must have had of it with the old man. Miserable with a vengeance, replied Simon, between that savage and his owl, as savage as himself. Depend upon it that bird isn't dead. That was what put our lamp out, and also so nearly cut the rope by which Harry and Nell were suspended. And then, you see, said Maj, this news of the marriage of our son with his granddaughter added to his rancor and ill-will. To be sure, said Simon, to think that his Nell should marry one of the robbers of his own coal mine would just drive him wild altogether. He will have to make up his mind to it, however, cried Harry. Mad as he is, we shall manage to convince him that Nell is better off with us here than ever she was in the caverns of the pit. I am sure, Mr. Starr, if we could only catch him, we should be able to make him listen to reason. My poor Harry, there is no reasoning with a madman, replied the engineer. Of course it is better to know your enemy than not, but you must not fancy all is right because we have found out who he is. We must be on our guard, my friends, and to begin with, Harry, you positively must question Nell. She will perceive that her silence is no longer reasonable, even for her grandfather's own interest she ought to speak now. For his own sake, as well as for ours, these insane plots must be put a stop to. I feel sure, Mr. Starr, answered Harry, that Nell will of herself propose to tell you what she knows. You see, it was from a sense of duty that she has been silent hitherto. My mother was very right to take her to her room just now. She much needed time to recover her spirits, but now I will go for her. You need not do so, Harry, said the maiden in a clear and firm voice, as she entered at that moment the room in which they were. Nell was very pale. Traces of tears were in her eyes, but her whole manner showed that she had nerve herself to act as her loyal heart dictated as her duty. Nell cried Harry, springing towards her.  Oh, Nell, what are you saying? cried Harry. Allow her to speak, said James Starr, in a decided tone. I am the granddaughter of old Silphax, resumed Nell. I never knew a mother till the day I came here, at a chi looking at Maj. Blessed be that day, my daughter, said the old woman. I knew no father till I saw Simon Ford, continued Nell, nor friend till the day when Harry's hand touched mine. Alone with my grandfather I have lived during fifteen years in the remote and most solitary depths of the mine. I say with my grandfather, but I can scarcely use the expression, for I seldom saw him. When he disappeared from old Aberfoil he concealed himself in caverns known only to himself. In his way he was kind to me, dreadful as he was. He fed me with whatever he could procure from outside the mine, but I can dimly recollect that in my earliest years I had the nurseling of a goat, the death of which was a bitter grief to me. My grandfather, seeing my distress, brought me another animal, a dog, he said it was. But, unluckily, this dog was lively and barked. Grandfather did not like anything cheerful. He had a horror of noise, and had taught me to be silent. The dog he could not teach to be quiet, so the poor animal very soon disappeared. My grandfather's companion was a ferocious bird, Harfang, of which at first I had a perfect horror, but this creature, in spite of my dislike to it, took such a strong affection for me that I could not help returning it. It even obeyed me better than its master, which used to make me quite uneasy, for my grandfather was jealous. Harfang and I did not dare to let him see us much together. We both knew it would be dangerous. But I am talking too much about myself. The great thing is about you. No, my child, said James Starr. Tell us everything that comes to your mind. My grandfather, continued now, always regarded your abode in the mind with a very evil eye. Not that there was any lack of space. His chosen refuge was far, very far, from you. But he could not bear to feel that you were there. If I asked any questions about the people up above us, his face grew dark. He gave no answer, and continued quite silent for a long time afterwards. But when he perceived that, not content with the old domain, you seemed to think of encroaching upon his, then indeed his anger burst forth. He swore that were you to succeed in reaching the new mind you should assuredly perish.  Go on, Nell, my child, said Simon to the girl, who paused as though to collect her thoughts. On the occasion of your first attempt, resumed Nell, as soon as my grandfather saw that you were fairly inside the gallery leading to New Aberfoil, he stopped up the opening, and turned it into a prison for you. I only knew you as shadows dimly seen in the gloom of the pit, but I could not endure the idea that you would die of hunger in these horrid places, and so at the risk of being detected I succeeded in obtaining bread and water for you during some days. I should have liked to help you to escape, but it was so difficult to avoid the vigilance of my grandfather. You were about to die, then arrived Jack Ryan and the others. By the providence of God I met with them, and instantly guided them to where you were. When my grandfather discovered what I had done, his rage against me was terrible. I expected death at his hands. After that my life became insupportable to me. My grandfather completely lost his senses. He proclaimed himself king of darkness and flame, and when he heard your tools at work on Colbez which he considered entirely his own, he became furious and beat me cruelly. I would have fled from him, but it was impossible so narrowly did he watch me. At last in a fit of ungovernable fury he threw me down into the abyss where you found me, and disappeared, vainly calling on Harfang which faithfully stayed by me to follow him. I know not how long I remained there, but I felt I was at the point of death when you, my Harry, came and saved me. But now you all see that the grandchild of old Silphax can never be the wife of Harry Ford, because it would be certain death to you all. Nell, cried Harry. No, continued the maiden, my resolution is taken. By one means only can your ruin be averted. I must return to my grandfather. He threatens to destroy the whole of new Aberfoil. His is a soul incapable of mercy or forgiveness, and no mortal can say to what horrid deed the spirit of revenge will lead him. My duty is clear. I should be the most despicable creature on earth did I hesitate to perform it. Farewell. I thank you all heartily.  Whatever may befall, believe that my whole heart remains with you. At these words, Simon, Madge, and Harry started up in an agony of grief, exclaiming in tones of despair. What Nell, is it possible you would leave us? James Starr put them all aside with an air of authority, and going straight up to Nell he took both her hands in his, saying quietly, Very right, my child, you have said exactly what you ought to say, and now listen to what we have to say and reply.  If necessary we shall keep you by force. Do you think we could be so baseless to accept of your generous proposal? These threats of silphax are formidable, no doubt about it. But after all, a man is but a man, and we can take precautions.  All we want to do is put it out of his power to do harm, and perhaps bring him to reason. You want to do what is quite impossible, said Nell. My grandfather is everywhere and nowhere. I have never seen his retreats. I have never seen him sleep. If he meant to conceal himself, he used to leave me alone, and vanish. When I took my resolution, Mr. Starr, I was aware of everything you could say against it. Believe me there is but one way to render Silphax powerless, and that will be by my return to him. Until himself, he sees everything that goes on. Just think whether it is likely he could discover your very thoughts and intentions, from that time when the letter was written to Mr. Starr, up to now that my marriage with Harry has been arranged, if he did not possess the extraordinary faculty of knowing everything. As far as I am able to judge my grandfather in his very insanity is a man of most powerful mind. He formerly used to talk to me on very lofty subjects. He taught me the existence of God, and never deceived me but on one point, which was, that he made me believe that all men were base and perfidious, because he wished to inspire me with his own hatred of all the human race. When Harry brought me to the cottage, you thought I was simply ignorant of mankind, but far beyond that I was in mortal fear of you all. Ah, forgive me. I assure you for many days I believed myself in the power of wicked wretches, and I longed to escape. You, Maj, first led me to perceive the truth, not by anything you said, but by the sight of your daily life. Before I saw that your husband and son loved and respected you. Then all these good and happy workmen, who saw revere and trust Mr. Steyer, I used to think they were slaves. And when for the first time I saw the whole population of Abrafoil come to church, and kneel down and pray to God, and praise him for his infinite goodness, I said to myself, my grandfather has deceived me. But now, enlightened by all you have taught me, I am inclined to think he himself is deceived. I mean to return to the secret passages I formerly frequented with him. He is certain to be on the watch. I will call to him. He will hear me. And who knows but that by returning to him, I may be able to bring him to the knowledge of the truth. The maiden spoke without interruption, for all felt that it was good for her to open her whole heart to her friends. But when, exhausted by emotion and with eyes full of tears, she ceased speaking, Harry turned to old Maj and said, mother, what should you think of the man who could forsake the noble girl whose words you have been listening to? I should think he was a base coward, said Maj. And were he my son, I should renounce and curse him.  Resumed Harry. Wherever you go, I will follow you. If you persist in leaving us, we will go away together. Harry, Harry, cried Nell. Overcome by her feelings, the girl's lips blanched, and she sank into the arms of Maj, who begged she might be left along with her. CHAPTER XVIII. NELL'S WEDDING. It was agreed that the inhabitants of the cottage must keep more on their guard than ever. The threats of old sylphax were too serious to be disregarded. It was only too possible that he possessed some terrible means by which the whole of abrafoil might be annihilated. Armed sentinels were posted at the various entrances to the mine, with orders to keep strict watch day and night. Any stranger entering the mine was brought before James Starr, that he might give an account of himself. There being no fear of treason among the inhabitants of Coaltown, the threatened danger to the subterranean colony was made known to them. Nell was informed of all the precautions taken, and became more tranquil, although she was not free from uneasiness. Harry's determination to follow her wherever she went compelled her to promise not to escape from her friends. During the week preceding the wedding, no accident whatever occurred in abrafoil. The system of watching was carefully maintained, but the miners began to recover from the panic, which had seriously interrupted the work of excavation. James Starr continued to look out for sylphax. The old man, having vindictively declared that Nell should never marry Simon's son, it was natural to suppose that he would not hesitate to commit any violent deed which would hinder their union. The examination of the mine was carried on minutely. Every passage and gallery was searched up to those higher ranges which opened out among the ruins of Dundonald Castle. It was rightly supposed that through this old building sylphax passed out to obtain what was needful for the support of his miserable existence, which he must have done either by purchasing or thieving. As to the firemaidens, James Starr began to think that appearance must have been produced by some jet of fire damp gas which, issuing from that part of the pit, could be lighted by sylphax. He was not far wrong. But all search for proof of this was fruitless, and the continued strain of anxiety in his perpetual effort to detect a malignant and invisible being rendered the engineer, outwardly calm, an unhappy man. As the wedding day approached, his dread of some catastrophe increased, and he could not but speak of it to the old overman, whose uneasiness soon more than equaled his own. At length the day came. Sylphax had given no token of existence. By daybreak the entire population of Coaltown was a stir. Work was suspended. Overseers and workmen alike desired to do honour to Simon Ford and his son. They all felt they owed a large debt of gratitude to these bold and persevering men, by whose means the mine had been restored to its former prosperity. The ceremony was to take place at eleven o'clock in St. Giles's Chapel, which stood on the shores of Loch Malcolm. At the appointed time Harry left the cottage, supporting his mother on his arm, while Simon led the bride. Following them came Starr, the engineer, composed in manner, but in reality, nerved to expect the worst, and Jack Ryan, stepping superb in full Highland Piper's costume. Then came the other mining engineers, the principal people of Coaltown, the friends and comrades of the old overman, every member of this great family of miners, forming the population of new Aberfoil. In the outer world the day was one of the hottest of the month of August, peculiarly oppressive in northern countries. The sultry air penetrated the depths of the coal mine and elevated the temperature. The air, which entered through the ventilating shafts, and the great tunnel of Loch Malcolm, was charged with electricity, and the barometer, it was afterwards remarked, had fallen in a remarkable manner. There was indeed every indication that a storm might burst forth beneath the rocky vault, which formed the roof of the enormous crypt of the very mine itself. But the inhabitants were not at that moment troubling themselves about the chances of atmospheric disturbance above ground. Everybody, as a matter of course, had put on his best clothes for the occasion. Maj was dressed in the fashion of days gone by, were in the toy, and the rocolet, or tartan plaid, of matrons of the olden time. Old Simon, or a coat of which Ballet Nicole Jarvie himself would have approved. Belle had resolved to show nothing of her mental agitation. She forbade her heart to beat. Or her inward terrors to betray themselves. And the brave girl appeared, before all, with a calm and collected aspect. She had declined every ornament of dress, and the very simplicity of her attire added to the charming elegance of her appearance. Her hair was bound with the snood, the usual hairdress of Scottish maidens. All proceeded towards St. Giles Chapel, which had been handsomely decorated for the occasion. The electric discs of light which illuminated cold town blazed like so many suns. Illuminous atmosphere pervaded new abrafoil. In the chapel, electric lamps shed a glow over the stained glass windows, which shone like fiery kaleidoscopes. At the porch of the chapel, the minister awaited the arrival of the wedding party. It approached, after having passed in stately procession, along the shore of Loch Malcolm. Then the tones of the organ were heard, and, preceded by the minister, the group advanced into the chapel. The divine blessing was first invoked on all present. Then Harry and Nell remained alone before the minister, who, holding the sacred book in his hand, proceeded to say, Harry, will you take Nell to be your wife, and will you promise to love her always? I promise, answered the young man in a firm and steady voice. And you, Nell, continued the minister, will you take Harry to be your husband, and, before he could finish the sentence, a proditious noise resounded from without. One of the enormous rocks, on which was formed the terrace overhanging the banks of Loch Malcolm, had suddenly given way and opened without explosion, disclosing a profound abyss into which the waters were now wildly plunging. In another instant among the shattered rocks and rushing waves appeared a canoe, which a vigorous arm propelled along the surface of the lake. In the canoe was seen the figure of an old man standing upright. He was clothed in a dark mantle. His hair was disheveled, a long white beard fell over his breast, and in his hand he bore a lighted, Davy safety lamp, the flame being protected by the metallic gauze of the apparatus. In a loud voice this old man shouted, The fire-damp is upon you. Whoa, whoa, betide ye all! At the same moment the slight smell peculiar to carbureted hydrogen was perceptibly diffused through the atmosphere. And in truth the fall of the rock had made a passage of escape for an enormous quantity of explosive gas accumulated in vast cavities, the openings to which had hitherto been blocked up. Jets and streams of fire-damp now rose upward in the vaulted dome. As well did the fierce old man know that the consequences of what he had done would be to render explosive the whole atmosphere of the mine. James Starr and several others, having hastily quitted the chapel and perceived the eminence of danger, now rushed back, crying out in the accents of the utmost alarm, fly from the mine, fly instantly from the mine. Now for the fire-damp here comes the fire-damp, yelled the old man urging his canoe further along the lake. Harry with his bride, his father and his mother, left the chapel in haste and in terror. Fly! Fly for your lives, repeated James Starr. Alas! It was too late to fly. Old Silphax stood there, prepared to fulfill his last dreadful threat, prepared to stop the marriage of Nell and Harry by overwhelming the entire population of the place beneath the ruins of the coal-mine. As he stood ready to accomplish this act of vengeance, his enormous owl, whose white plumage was marked with black spots, was seen hovering directly above his head. At that moment a man flung himself into the waters of the lake and swam vigorously toward the canoe. It was Jack Ryan, fully determined to reach the madman before he could do the dreadful deed of destruction. Silphax saw him coming. Instantly he smashed the glass of his lamp and snatching out the burning wick waved it in the air. Once like death fell upon the astounded multitude. James Starr, in the calmness of despair, marveled that the inevitable explosion was even for a moment delayed. Silphax, gazing upwards with wild and contracted features, appeared to become aware that the gas, lighter than the lower atmosphere, was accumulating far up under the dome. And at a sign from him, the owl, seizing in its claw the light it match, soared upwards to the vaulted roof, towards which the madman pointed without stretched arm. Another second a new aborfoil would be no more. Suddenly Nell sprang from Harry's arms, and with a bright look of inspiration she ran to the very brink of the waters of the lake. Harfang, harfang, cried she in a clear voice. Here come to me. The faithful bird, surprised, appeared to hesitate in its flight. Presently, recognizing Nell's voice, it dropped the burning match into the water, and, describing a wide circle, flew downwards, alighting at the maiden's feet. Then a terrible cry echoed through the vaulted roofs. It was the last sound uttered by old Silphax. Just as Jack Ryan laid his hand on the edge of the canoe, the old man, foiled in his purpose of revenge, cast himself headlong into the water of the lake. Save him or save him, shriek Nell, in a voice of agony. Immediately Harry plunged into the water, and, swimming towards Jack Ryan, he dived repeatedly. But his efforts were useless. The waters of Loch Malcolm yielded not their prey. They closed forever over Silphax. CHAPTER XIX OF THE UNDERGROUND CITY This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Richard Kilmer THE UNDERGROUND CITY by Jules Verne CHAPTER XIX THE LEGEND OF OLD SILPHAX Six months after these events, the marriage, so strangely interrupted, was finally celebrated in St. Giles's Chapel, and the young couple, who still wore morning garments, returned to the cottage. James Starr and Simon Ford, henceforth free from the anxieties which had so long distressed them, joyously presided over the entertainment which followed the ceremony, and prolonged it to the following day. On this memorable occasion, Jack Ryan, in his favorite character of Piper, and in all the glory of full dress, blew up his chanter and astonished the company by the unheard achievement of playing, singing, and dancing all at once. It is needless to say that Harry and Nell were happy. These loving hearts, after the trials they had gone through, found in their union the happiness they deserved. As to Simon Ford, the ex-overman of New Aberphile, he began the talk of celebrating his golden wedding, after fifty years of marriage with good old Madge, who liked the idea immensely herself. And after that, why not golden wedding number two? He would like a couple of fifties, would you, Mr. Simon, said Jack Ryan? All right, my boy, replied the overman quietly. I see nothing against it, in this fine climate of ours, and living far from the luxury and intemperance of the outer world. Will the dwellers in Coal Town ever be called to witness this second ceremony? Time will show. Certainly the strange bird of old Silphax seemed destined to attain a wonderful longevity. The harfang continued to haunt the gloomy recesses of the cave. After the old man's death Nell had attempted to keep the owl, but in a very few days he flew away. He evidently disliked human society, as much as his master had done, and, besides that, he appeared to have a particular spite against Harry. The jealous bird seemed to remember and hate him for having carried off Nell from the deep abyss, notwithstanding all he could do to prevent him. Still at long intervals Nell would see the creature hovering above Locke Malcolm. Could he possibly be watching for his friend of your? Did he strive to pierce with keen eye the depth which had engulfed his master? The history of the harfang became legendary, and furnished Jack Ryan with many a tale and song. Thanks to him the story of old Silphax and his bird will long be preserved and handed down to future generations of the Scottish peasantry. End of CHAPTER XIX.


Something that I saw Richard Sherman say a long time ago and it really stuck with me ever since and I was like wow That is such a great point It was when he was speaking about the cornerback position in the NFL and really just in general too Since he did play cornerback and he played it at a very good high level as well Richard Sherman said that it's a shame with cornerbacks because people will only look at the big plays And he said with cornerbacks They have it tough because you could be locking somebody up all game long You could be shutting them down. You could be playing defense on them Well, but if you give up just one play one big play Then people will say you had a bad game and I'm like man That is a really really good point because you hear fans of every team saying that all the time about Players on the team like if they give a one big play. Oh man that player had a bad game While neglecting everything else that they've done throughout So that showed me that with Richard Sherman It's not just about the numbers and and really it's about focusing and actually watching the game to really see How good or even great a player is but now with what Richard Sherman is saying when it comes to Lamar Jackson's MVP race It's going directly against that team keeping clean We're gonna listen to what Richard Sherman his most recent take on Lamar Jackson not Being a good enough candidate to be the MVP and why before we get into it Make sure you subscribe to the channel like y'all have been which I appreciate a lot Turn your notifications on and leave a like on the video because it makes a huge huge difference I appreciate y'all team keep it clean without further ado. Let's have a listen No, it did not because the fact of the matter remains the same for me That didn't move the needles a fantastic performance by the more Jackson at a time His team needed it was a statement game late in the season in December You got to give him all the credit in the world But the five touchdowns in this game against the Miami Dolphins as crazy as it sounds Yep are almost as many as he had in the months of both September in November combined in those months combined He had six touchdowns passing and so when you when you look at the full picture I just don't see it and again people argue with me and they're like, man, you're just hating I don't see how I'm just laying out the facts of the matter if you're not hating I'll be the first to say you're not hating go ahead So that's how he started off his argument that Lamar Jackson is not the MVP of the NFL Because the number of touchdowns that he had against the Miami Dolphins was the same number of touchdowns that he had in September and November I don't know why he skipped October for some strange reason who knows but That's a like that's some really big-time mental gymnastics to really be reaching from September and skipping a month in it But anyway, let's continue This year he had 1200 rushing yards you look at he has about 843 or so this year And so I don't see it as the same in that respect and people are like well He should get MVP because of what if the numbers aren't there then there's not much to say people were like They were comparing it to the Peyton Manning season of 2008 I mean that season he had six fourth quarter comebacks He lay at the league in QPR There were things that happened late in that year that kind of pushed him over the top But the stats weren't necessarily there and again I was 15 years ago if I look at the last 20 MVPs of the national football league three of them being running backs You had all day Adrian Peterson who had 2,000 yards With 31 total touchdowns you had Shawn Alexander with 28 total touchdowns but outside of that it's been quarterbacks and those quarterbacks There's only been three three and two of them were co-MVPs in 2003 and now Steve McNair and Peyton Manning They had 29 total touchdowns for Steve McNair 28 for Peyton and they were co-MVPs And then you have the 2008 Peyton season where he had 28 total touchdowns and that's it Everybody else had above 30 touchdowns And so if you're gonna tell me there was an MVP 20 years ago They were they shared it and then Peyton Manning 15 years ago out of all the quarterbacks that I've wanted and that's it Nobody else has had less than 30 touchdowns in the last decade in the last two decades Then I'm gonna say I would assume they would stick to that pattern so I guess but he's the betting favorite So there's a chance he gets it But I think it would be one of the situations where they have to split it because he has under 30 touchdowns So they split it like they did in 2003 with Steve McNair and Peyton likely given it to CNC or Tyreek and Lamar because you know I guess that's what they're gonna do because otherwise I just don't understand so in that chunk of what Richard sermon was talking about he spoke about how Lamar Jackson's MVP season back in 2019 how his numbers were and I don't know why he said to put an Asterix on it because usually when you put an asterix on something then it's not a good thing or it just means that that it's not fully believable what not or that people can't put all the eggs into whatever that basket is but anyway And it wasn't the first unanimous MVP by the way It was only the second unanimous MVP because Tom Brady was the only other person that won the first but okay No big deal, but what Richard Sherman was also talking about He talked about the numbers because again that has been his big thing the numbers, but then he compared it to Peyton Manning And he talked about how Peyton Manning He didn't have the best numbers in one of the years that he won MVP. I know Peyton Manning I think he won it like five times But anyway one of the years where Peyton Manning won MVP his numbers weren't the best There were some other people who had better or prettier numbers than him But he talked about how Peyton Manning had like six fourth quarter comebacks or whatnot So what Richard Sherman did with Peyton Manning even though he didn't have the prettiest numbers He said what put him over the top was the context of the game Not necessarily the numbers, but what Peyton Manning did Peyton Manning's impact But see this is where we get lost with Richard Sherman because with Lamar Jackson He does not have the prettiest numbers If this season ended right now for Lamar Jackson Which it seems like it could because I don't really foresee the Baltimore Ravens playing many starters against the Steelers next week But we'll see This his numbers are not gonna be the prettiest. They're not But when you look at his impact if you actually watch the games watch the Baltimore Ravens play You cannot deny Lamar Jackson's impact on the game and that is exactly what Richard Sherman is doing That is why so many Ravens fans are frustrated with his takes like if he was just Sticking to the numbers and that was it that would be frustrating enough But it'd be okay. It is what it is Richard Sherman just going by the numbers but for him to Talk about to bring up Peyton Manning if he would have never brought that up They don't be like, okay Richard Sherman just still going about it But now he brought up Peyton Manning and Peyton Manning's impact on the team one of the years He won MVP and he talked about how that impact pushed him over the top more than numbers could But he's not doing the same for Lamar Jackson We see Lamar Jackson we see what he does on the field every week And I think that people just almost take it for granted because he does some crazy stuff every single week But again, you cannot deny his impact look at Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens this year Look at them against the top teams look at them against teams that were coming into the game And it was like, oh, I don't know about Ravens in this one Ravens really gonna have a tough time in this one. Oh Ravens going against that team Oh, I don't know how they gonna fair against them and Ravens took care of every single one Every and they not only took care every single one, but they did it in a major way So you cannot deny the impact you could talk about the numbers You could talk about the numbers all day, but when it comes to impact There's no denying it. Let's finish up with Richard Sherman Okay, just for the record if you had a vote right here right now, it would go to Okay, one vote for no split vote. You just give it to Christian That's what we had to do. I mean it's closer than it was before you had five touchdowns Yeah, you know, he had five touchdowns this week and recency it counts to a degree But you also have to put the full scope of the picture So I have to give him credit for what he did against the San Francisco 49ers in a prime time game with the world watching Play fantastic and then what he just did against Miami with the number one seed on the line He played his best football and executed so I do have to factor that in and his yardage is rushing his impact So again Richard Sherman It just seemed like he might be a bit confused because he said he had to factor everything in his Russian His yardage his impact and him going against the Miami Dolphins for the number one seed and him playing his best football When the number one seed was on the line But he said he would still give his vote to Christian McCaffrey see this is why again I think it's very important that the games all watch we saw on December 25th 49ers in the Ravens that was a huge game huge implications for everything for both teams and their records and whatnot Huge game because we were getting to see people multiple people multiple people in the MVP race Play in the same game. So in that game alone, it's like, okay, man They talk about Brock Purdy as a possible MVP. They talk about Christian McCaffrey as a possible MVP They talk about Lamar Jackson as a possible MVP. Oh, we get to see all of them in the same game Oh, man, let's see the impact that those guys have Brock Purdy. Yeah. Yeah. It was a big yikes for him in that one Christian McCaffrey he got nice numbers But even with him getting nice numbers Look at how his team fared and then you see Lamar Jackson and look how he performed Look at how the Baltimore Ravens did if you take Lamar Jackson out of that equation That game ain't the same if you take Christian McCaffrey out of the equation Game is probably the same or maybe even worse. You take Brock Purdy out of the equation Maybe the game's a bit closer because Brock Purdy threw four picks and he almost threw more but again with Richard Sherman The consistency is and I know this is the same reason why a lot of Ravens fans are not the biggest fans of Shannon shop Right now because there's that lack of consistency when they speak about Lamar Jackson But like I said back in 2018 and I got to continue to say this because we can see with Richard Sherman This is the case Lamar Jackson for some people no matter what he does no matter what he accomplishes No matter how good or great he is on the field. He will never ever be good enough for some people


My name is Staff Sergeant Wesley Hayes. I'm from Ponitoc, Mississippi. My M.O.S. is 0911 Drill Instructor. I'm a board MCRD Recruit Depot in San Diego. So the educators workshop is set up so that we can bring in educators who may not usually have contact with the military or may not know what we do here aboard the depot and show them just a little bit about how we take their students and we teach them and we guide them and we train them and we make them United States Marines so they can take that back to their schools and they can well communicate to those students what kind of opportunities they may have in the Marine Corps. Oh, I've absolutely enjoyed it. Being an educator myself, just getting to get back with the educators, they're the front lines and with our students and with our young people to teach them and bring them up and then we take them and we guide them the rest of the way to becoming Marines. So just being able to communicate with those people and make a connection between what they do and then what we do and how we take what they do and transform them the rest of the way in the United States Marines. I think the favorite thing we put them through was actually the receiving, just getting to see what it's like when they come off the bus, see what it's like to become a recruit, see that there's actually formal things that we do, but also today we get to show them graduation, we can show them morning colors, see what the in-state it is for these gentlemen that come here, these young men and women and how they're transformed from those students that they had just a few months ago into United States Marines. Coming into it, they had a lot of different opinions about what was going to happen or what the Marine Corps was or how we do our training. So you could tell they were a little bit nervous, but as the week went on, they opened up and they started enjoying themselves and even saw them smiling and playing along. And they told me that they really enjoyed that aspect of it as seeing how the recruits actually progress from recruits into Marines and how the training is actually set up to make them better citizens. I think every educator should have the opportunity to come to at least some kind of military training just to be able to see just so they can take back to their students and let them know what it is that we do and how we do what we do.  It's a place where we can take people from all kinds of walks of life and we can make them better citizens. We can give them so many opportunities and I just hope that the educators around the nation will give us an opportunity to show them what it is that we have to offer.


We'll have the second lecture for the day. Professor Eric Maloney from Colorado State University will present this. Eric has made highly influential contributions on various topics related to tropical meteorology observations, modeling, and theoretical studies of interseasonal variability in the tropics, easterly waves, including a lot of work on NGO theory. So there's some of them that Chidong just cited. Eric has also worked on mid-latitude air-sea interaction, regional climate change, tropical and extra-tropical interactions. And today's lecture will be on the MGO teleconnections. Eric was the former chair for the Whitney MGO task force and the NOVA map model diagnostics task force. And yeah, Eric has been involved in many field campaigns as well, such as Dynamo, the years of maritime continent and Otrec, a recent field campaign in the East Pacific. Thanks again, Eric, for giving our lecture. OK, let me try to share my screen here. Can you see my screen? Yes. OK, good. Let me put this into presentation mode. Thank you very much for the invitation to present at this prestigious colloquial omination. I really enjoy giving talks and meeting all the students and postdocs at these sorts of events. And I was actually an ASP postdoc back in 2000 to 2002. And really enjoyed meeting all of the researchers across the country and world at events like this. So thank you again. So as Anish mentioned, I am going to talk about tropical meteorology and teleconnections during my talk here. I'm going to talk a bit more generally about teleconnections, but a lot of my discussion here is actually going to relate to the MJO as the MJO is a major player in S2S prediction across the globe. So just to point out here, I'm going to cite a lot of references here in this presentation. And I wanted to note right before I started that all of the references that I mentioned are actually included on this page right at the beginning. And so if you see a paper that I cite, then you want to go back and take a look at it. It's contained within this reference list here. So this is part of the presentation just for your reference later on if you want to look at something. OK, so what is the problem that we want to look at? And so basically what we want to look at here is the issue of if you have a precipitation anomaly and heating anomaly in the tropical Pacific or Indian Ocean, how does that influence the middle attitude flow? And this is a pattern here that we might call a teleconnection. This is from a famous paper by Harrell and Wallace in 1981. And this is, for example, an El Nino heating anomaly in the central Pacific. And what you could see in this particular figure is that this El Nino heating anomaly induces a wave-train pattern, as we call it, into the higher latitudes consisting of alternating high, low, high, and low geopotential height anomaly centers into the region over North America. This stationary wave pattern, as many people have alluded to before, can have substantial impacts on weather across the mid-latitudes. If I have time, I'll talk about some of these teleconnection effects on things like atmospheric rivers, droughts, heat waves, cold outbreaks, things like that. But this is the basic topic that we're going to cover in this lecture. How does this particular heating anomaly produce a teleconnection pattern like this? And as I mentioned, the MJO is going to be a major source of this heating. What kind of heating can produce teleconnection patterns? These can actually occur on a variety of time scales. We're going to talk a lot about the MJO here, as Qi Dong mentioned and introduced very nicely in his previous talk. This is a composite lifecycle of the MJO produced by Adrian Matthews, where you can see the MJO ticking through each of its eight phases of its lifecycle. But teleconnections can actually be induced by a lot of different mechanisms. So El Nino can introduce a teleconnection. And you could also induce teleconnections by shorter time scale heating. There was a very nice paper by Graham Branstetter in 2014 showing that just a two-day pulse-like heating can induce a teleconnection pattern. So these teleconnection patterns can be induced by a variety of things. But I'll make the point that the MJO heating structure is actually somewhat optimal for producing teleconnections that have very strong implications for a sub-seasonal prediction over North America. So to think about this, let's start from the tropical thermodynamic energy balance. And so this is the tropical thermodynamic energy balance put in terms of dry static energy S here. So on the left-hand side, we have tendency and invective terms. On the right-hand side, we have a quantity called the apparent heat source that includes things like radiative heating, the effect of condensation minus evaporation, and then the effect of motions on the sub-grid scale, eddy fluxes. I ignore ice here for simplicity, but there's also ice processes that go into this equation as well. So near the equator in the tropics, you can do a scale analysis of the thermodynamic energy equation and equations of motion that actually simplifies this thermodynamic energy equation quite a bit. So you can actually show that near the tropics, the thermodynamic energy equation is approximated by a balance between Q1, which is the apparent heat source, and adiabatic cooling given by omega dSDP on the right-hand side here. So in the tropics, the balance is relatively simple. So what this implies is that if you know what an apparent heating is associated with something like the MJO, and you know what the stratification of the atmosphere is in terms of how dry static energy changes with height, you could use this to derive a vertical motion out of this dominant thermodynamic energy balance. If you look at what dSDP looks like, or the dry static energy change with height, you could show that dry static energy increases with height. Or in other words, you get a negative dSDP since pressure goes down. And what this implies is that if you know what the diabetic heating is and it's positive, you could show that vertical velocity in regions of positive diabetic heating has to be upward, characterized by a negative omega using this dominant thermodynamic energy balance. So because we're near the equator, you get something called weak temperature gradient approximation that can be used to derive the vertical velocity. So people like Qidong, actually, have exploited this dominant balance to derive the vertical motion field and the divergence field if you assume a diabetic heating anomaly in the tropics. And so this is actually something in this figure that comes from Qidong's paper with Samson Hagos in 2009, where they apply different convective heating profiles. This one is a deep convective heating profile shown by the colors here, and the right-hand side is a stratiform heating profile. And what you could show is that if you apply, for example, a deep convective heating profile, you get upward motion through much of the depth of the troposphere here in the heating region, which is consistent with this equation with divergence in the upper troposphere and convergence in the lower troposphere. Stratiform heating is similar. You get upward motion in the region of positive heating, actually downward motion in the region of negative heating, but even for this profile, you see divergence occurring in the upper troposphere. The actual heating profile in MJO convective regions, for example, is probably a combination of this deep and stratiform. So if you put these two together, you could see that in MJO heating regions, you'll get divergence in the upper troposphere associated with heating. So this is key. So you get divergence aloft occurring here. Another thing that's really key here is that when you produce divergence in the upper troposphere and divergent winds in the upper troposphere, the effect of that doesn't stay in the tropics. And so this is a really nice figure from Sartor-Schmuck and Hoskins in 1988 that shows if you put an idealized heating and divergence patch here in the tropical Pacific and look at the divergent wind field that's produced by this heating patch, you could see that the divergent wind field actually has a projection into higher latitudes, extending out of the tropics. Similarly, this study in 1996 showed the effect on the divergent heating field of a heating anomaly near Darwin, Australia. And you could see that the divergent wind extends into higher latitudes away from this heating anomaly. So if you have a heating anomaly in the tropics, again, the effect of that isn't just felt locally in terms of local divergence, but it also has a divergent wind component that extends into higher latitudes. So why is this important? The reason that this is important is that this extension of that divergent wind into higher latitudes can force a Rosby wave source at higher latitudes. And this was nicely shown in this study Sartor-Schmuck and Hoskins again, 1988. They used a non-linear vorticity equation which is shown on the top here. And so on the left-hand side, you have a tendency and eviction of absolute vorticity by the rotational wind. So that's what the fee is here on the left-hand side. And on the right-hand side, you have two terms. You have a dissipation term F and you also have an S term here, which is of the Rosby wave source. And breaking out the Rosby wave source, you can see that the Rosby wave source is given by v-chi here, which is the divergent wind field. So basically you have infection of absolute vorticity by the divergent wind as the first term of the Rosby wave source. And the second term is divergence in the presence of a non-zero absolute vorticity can also generate Rosby waves. It turns out that it's this first term, infection by the divergent wind field across an absolute vorticity gradient. That is the most important way that a heating anomaly associated with something like the MJO can actually generate a Rosby wave source. If you remember, in my previous slide, the divergent wind actually extends out into the tropics. And so if this divergent wind experiences a very strong absolute vorticity gradient, it can help generate a Rosby wave. So this is where jet streams come in. So this is an analysis that one of my former students, Stephanie Henderson, who's now at the University of Wisconsin did. The upper left panel here shows the wintertime mean 250 hectopascals zonal wind in reanalysis data from era interim. And you could see here, the presence of a very strong seasonal mean North Pacific jet stream occurring in the North Pacific. Let me see here, let me get a pen out here and see if I could, doesn't look like I could get a pen out here, that's okay. On the South flank of this jet, there's a strong negative relative vorticity region on the Northern flank of this jet. There's a relatively strong positive relative vorticity region due to the shears of the zonal wind. And so you actually have a very strong positive absolute vorticity gradient across this jet. And so if you have the divergent wind field associated with something like the MJO blowing across this jet, you can generate a very strong Rosby wave source according to this equation that I showed down here. The other thing that Stephanie showed is that climate models produce very, very different manifestations of the climatology of the North Pacific. Some models have jets that extend too far east. Some models have jets that extend, are too strong and have too strong of vorticity gradients. So, teleconnection biases can be generated by the presence of mean state biases in these jets because the Rosby wave source is wrong. I won't talk about that too much here, but I just wanted to point that out. So anyways, if you have the divergent wind blowing across this jet and the strong absolute vorticity gradients with this jet, you can generate Rosby wave sources. And so this plot here from one of my other former students, Kai Chi Sang, shows Rosby wave sources for one particular phase of the MJO. This phase of the MJO, which we call MJO phase two is associated with positive MJO Indian Ocean Convection and a negative MJO Convective Anomaly Center over the Western Pacific. It turns out that the divergent wind field associated with this MJO heating configuration produces a Rosby wave source that looks like a dipole. And so there's actually a negative Rosby wave source on one flank of the jet here, around 180 degrees. And there's a positive Rosby wave source more in the Asian sector caused by Indian Ocean heating over this region. And this sort of Rosby wave source dipole like Rosby wave source is actually very, very effective at producing a teleconnection pattern due to constructive interference. And if I have time, I'll talk a little bit more about this later. And the teleconnection pattern that this Rosby wave source configuration produces looks like this. It's associated with, in this case, a suppressed dilution low over the North Pacific, low pressure over Alaska, and then higher pressure over the Eastern United States. So maybe if I have time, I'll get back to talking about this. But because of the MJOs heating anomaly, it is very effective at producing a Rosby wave source and a teleconnection pattern like that. Okay, so I talked a little bit about the Rosby wave source. You also have to think about the pathway that Rosby waves take. There's actually a large body of theory that borrows from optics and indices of refraction and Snell's law, basic physics to try to explain the pathway of MJO Rosby wave propagation. There's a quantity called stationary wave number that's sort of analogous to a refractive index that we can use to explain why Rosby waves take the pathways that they do in the mid-latitude atmosphere. And this is given by essentially the absolute vorticity gradient divided by the mean zonal wind square root. And Stephanie Henderson plotted out the wintertime stationary wave number here that has some very interesting characteristics. You can see that stationary wave number is high in regions of the jet stream. You can see that it generally increases as you get towards the equator, generally decreases towards the poles. There's a lot of really interesting things that you can do with stationary wave number to think about the pathways that Rosby waves take in the extra tropical atmosphere. I won't go into that theory. Let's see. In its entirety right now because it would take up an entire lecture in itself, but there's a really nice paper by Hoskins and Ambrisi in 1993 that talks about the pathways that atmospheric Rosby waves take. If you know the characteristics of the flow and the stationary wave number distribution in the atmosphere. So for example, on this upper left figure here, you could think about the y-axis being latitude, x-axis being stationary wave number. You can see generally here that stationary wave number in this plot increases as you get towards the equator. You could show, for example, that Rosby wave pathways refract towards regions of higher stationary wave number. So this is a general comment that is true based on this theory. You could also show, for example, if you know what the spatial scale of your disturbance is in terms of a zonal wave number, you could show that all Rosby waves associated with this spatial scale have to refract before they reach a latitude where the total stationary wave number is equivalent to that. So you can see that all Rosby waves with certain wave numbers have to bend. You could also look at other things. All Rosby wave numbers at any spatial scale have to refract before the stationary wave number reaches a value of zero. You could also think about what happens when a stationary wave number goes to infinity. It gives a possibility that a Rosby waves are absorbed at those latitudes. Variety of different things you could do with this theory. If you have a jet stream with a maximum in stationary wave number, you could see that Rosby wave energy is trapped in the jet. So really nice discussion of linear Rosby wave theory in Hoskins and Mbreese 1993 that actually encourage you to take a look at. Oh, let's skip this for now. So because we have a distribution of mean zonal wind associated with climatology that has jet streams occurring in certain locations, easterly winds on the equator, various other characteristics of the mean flow, you could show that preferred teleconnection patterns tend to pop out given this background basic state wind distribution. Sarge Mac and Hoskins talked about this quite a bit. There's other papers that have looked at this, but a preferred teleconnection pattern that tends to pop out is something that we refer to as the Pacific North America pattern. And so on this particular plot, you could see that if you have a heating, for example, that's imposed in the Central Pacific, this tends to produce a wave train associated with one center over the North Pacific, another center over North America, and another center over the Southeastern United States. Regardless of where you actually put the heating in the tropics, you tend to get a very similar pattern. You see that the magnitude of the pattern may vary depending on where the heating precisely is. And so over the Western Pacific, you could see that heating pattern or the teleconnection pattern is a little bit more muted, similar for Eastern Pacific heating. You could also see that there's slight subtle shifts in the teleconnection pattern depending on where exactly the heating is. And so for example, you could see here in the Eastern Pacific, the illusion low has moved more towards the coast than for a Central Pacific heating pattern. These have tangible impacts on teleconnections was actually complicate things in terms of, for example, being able to make S2S predictions of West Coast precipitation, but the same general pattern tends to pop out with subtle shifts from in latitude and in longitude and things like that. So certain MJO phases actually have really strong and prominent teleconnection patterns. And this is a composite lifecycle of MJO teleconnection patterns as a function of phase and then lag in time after the phase. And so you could see that MJO phases three, two and three and maybe also six and seven tend to be where teleconnection patterns associated with the MJO are maximized. And the reason is that this happens is basically because of the reason I told you before in that teleconnection patterns tend to be optimized when you have more of a dipole heating structure associated with the MJO and a dipole rosby wave source structure associated with the MJO on the equator. So I showed before that MJO phases two and three tend to produce a dipole-like heating structure and a dipole-like rosby wave source that produces a very strong teleconnection pattern. The opposite phases would also be true if you looked at MJO phases six and seven, it would also tend to produce a dipole-like heating source and rosby wave source of the opposite sign that would also tend to produce a very strong teleconnection pattern. So this is sort of an optimal configuration as far as MJO forcing the extra tropics. And we've quantified this also in this plot, which I won't get to in any more detail here, but just to point out that we looked at this in more detail in this paper by my former student, Kai Chi, saying in 2019. Okay, so Anish, how much more time do I have here? Maybe about three minutes, Eric, and then we'll have 15 minutes for Q&A. Okay, sounds good. Why do we care about this teleconnections? This is something I'll skip and we'll get into too much more detail, but these teleconnection patterns modulate tangible weather on places like the West Coast. So for example, you can show that atmospheric rivers along the West Coast are preferentially modulated by the MJO because of these teleconnection patterns that occur. There's a lot of complications with this and that QBO phases also matter, but there's a lot of potential for prediction based on the fact that there's these relationships between the MJO and teleconnections. Okay, so last thing I'll talk about here is the topic of how these teleconnections might change in the future. So remember that heating in the tropics is balanced by vertical velocity based on this equation here. In a future warmer climate, one very robust prediction about the tropics is that the tropics are going to preferentially warm in the upper troposphere. And this is shown in the study here that I did with Anhelidamus and my former post-Aquine buoy. And we showed that in our CP 8.5 scenario, climate model simulations, there's a very robust warming of the tropical upper troposphere and this actually increases the magnitude of the vertical dry static energy gradient in the upper troposphere. And a prediction from this balance is that a weaker vertical velocity is needed to balance a diabetic heating in the tropics. So if you have a weaker vertical velocity per unit MJO heating, for example, this is likely to weaken MJO teleconnections in a future warmer climate. And is this true? Does this actually occur? And we've actually done some work to look at that with my former students, Brandon Wolding and Stephanie Henderson. And we took a state-of-the-art climate model called the Superparandri CESM, ran it in current climate and ran it in four times CO2 world and looked at the strength of the MJO teleconnection. And what we showed is that indeed because of the increase in tropical static stability and weakening of vertical circulations with the MJO, we actually got a weaker teleconnection associated with the MJO in a future warmer climate. This compares two phases here and you could see the weaker North Pacific teleconnection and we did a scale analysis of the response and it definitely does scale with changes in tropical static stability. The complication here is that there are other things going on as well. So in this particular plot, you could actually see that, yes, the response has weakened but the teleconnection response actually shifts eastward. And so that might actually increase the effect of the MJO teleconnection on the west coast of the United States, even though you get a weaker teleconnection pattern. This was actually highlighted in this recent paper in 2020 showing that the effect of an eastward shift to teleconnection does increase the impact of the MJO on California precipitation, for example. Studied by Joe Adult 2020. And I think this issue was actually brought out really nicely in this particular paper by a former student of Elizabeth Barnes and Dave Randall at CSU where they looked at mechanisms driving the MJO teleconnection with warming and CMIP6 models. They make the point that the MJO teleconnection is sensitive to a number of factors including the mean state dry static energy change which I highlighted but it's also dependent on the mean flow and the propagation and intensity characteristics of the MJO itself. And so this paper shows that decreases in MJO teleconnections due to tropical dry static energy changes are robust but there's a lot of uncertainty created due to mean state winds changing in a future warmer climate that produces a lot of uncertainty in future MJO teleconnections. So their grand conclusion here is that you may get a reduction in a boreal winter MJO teleconnections across most CMIP6 models but there's a lot of nuance over North America due to eastward expansion of the MJO's teleconnection due to jet stream shifting and things like that. So a lot of future work that needs to be done on this particular problem. Okay, let me just leave some key questions up here for possible discussion. So there's a lot of interesting questions here about how will the MJO change in the future that we have not addressed yet? How will tropical teleconnections associated with the MJO change in the future warmer climate? This is dependent not only on how the MJO changes but also mean state wind changes that add complications to things. And then you have to worry about what the implications are for middle attitude S2S prediction based on changes in teleconnection. So a lot of interesting stuff there to study. And then more basically I think, how can we fully exploit our current knowledge about teleconnections for S2S middle attitude prediction? This is something that I think machine learning and techniques and things like that that we'll learn later in the week are gonna bring a lot to bear in terms of approving our prediction skill for California precipitation, for example. So with that, I think I'll wrap up here and hopefully I've left some time for questions. So thank you. Thank you very much. It was an excellent summary of a lot of work.


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