DRIFTING POLES
(Sfx: sleigh bells, Santa "ho ho... huh, where'd it go?")  
SANTA MAY HAVE A BIT OF TROUBLE FINDING HIS WAY HOME TO THE NORTH POLE THIS
YEAR.  BUT WHO COULD BLAME HIM?  THE NORTH POLE IS CONSTANTLY SHIFTING AND IT'S
NEVER IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE FOR VERY LONG.  JUST WHERE THE NORTH POLE SITS IS
DETERMINED BY THE EARTH'S ROTATION SAYS BEN CHAO, WHO'S A GEOPHYSICIST AT
NASA.

Chao: Imagine the earth's rotation axis as an arrow penetrating through the center of
the earth.  And it comes out at two ends, one is north, one is south.  The place it
penetrates out the surface of the earth is by definition north pole.
IF THE EARTH'S ROTATION CHANGES THEN THE POLES WILL MOVE.  CHAO TRACKS GLOBAL
CHANGES, AND HE SAYS ANYTHING THAT ALTERS THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EARTH'S MASS
WILL AFFECT THE WAY THE EARTH SPINS. 

Chao: An analogy is a skater... a skater when she is spinning and drawing her arms
toward her body will spin faster or the reverse if she.. Put the hands out... that's the same
phenomenon we're talking about here.
EARTHQUAKES ARE AN OBVIOUS EXAMPLE THAT CAN CHANGE THE SURFACE SHAPE OF
OUR PLANET.  MELTING GLACIERS AND CHANGING SEA LEVELS ALSO AFFECT THE WAY
MASS IS DISTRIBUTED ON EARTH.  OVER THE PAST 100 YEARS, THE NORTH POLE HAS SHIFTED
A DISTANCE OF 10 METERS.  THAT'S NOT A HUGE EFFECT, BUT DEFINITELY MEASURABLE.
OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS THE NORTH POLE DRIFT WILL HELP DETERMINE EARTH'S
CLIMATE PATTERN AND THINGS LIKE WHEN THE NEXT ICE AGE WILL ARRIVE.  CHAO IS
KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON THE EARTH'S ROTATION AND SAYS THAT THE SHIFTING POLE
HAS NO REAL EFFECT ON YOU OR SANTA RIGHT NOW.  GOOD NEWS FOR SANTA AS HE
TRIES TO STEER HIS REINDEER HOMEWARD.  

(Sfx: sleigh bells, wind whistling, happy "ho ho ho")