Global Eruption Rocks the Sun - Nasa Video

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Dec. 13, 2010:  On August 1, 2010, an entire hemisphere of the sun erupted. Filaments of magnetism snapped and exploded, shock waves raced across the stellar surface, billion-ton clouds of hot gas billowed into space. Astronomers knew they had witnessed something big.

It was so big, it may have shattered old ideas about solar activity.

"The August 1st event really opened our eyes," says Karel Schrijver of Lockheed Martin’s Solar and Astrophysics Lab in Palo Alto, CA. "We see that solar storms can be global events, playing out on scales we scarcely imagined before."

Explosions on the sun are not localized or isolated events, they announced. Instead, solar activity is interconnected by magnetism over breathtaking distances. Solar flares, tsunamis, coronal mass ejections--they can go off all at once, hundreds of thousands of miles apart, in a dizzyingly-complex concert of mayhem. 
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An extreme ultraviolet movie of the August 1st global eruption. Different colors represent different plasma temperatures in the range 1.0 to 2.2 million K. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory. 
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iPhone Snitch Network Launched - Be the First Snitch In Your Neighborhood

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iPhone snitch network launched 

Jason Douglass
Infowars.com
December 13, 2010


A new iPhone App with the misleading name ‘PatriotApp’ attempts to draw on the power of the patriot movement, turning smartphone users into a gigantic snitch network.
You might think an app with such a patriotic name might have useful functions like a pocket constitution or quotes from our forefathers. But contrary to the services one might expect, this app allows users to report any ‘suspicious’ behavior directly linking them with top government agencies.

Much like the new DHS program ‘If you see something, say something’ this app is meant to turn average citizens into a network of spies feeding information back to the federal government.
Citizen Concepts, a company formed by insiders from DHS, defines the use of such an app on their homepage:


Citizen Concepts announces the launch of PatriotAppTM, the world’s first iPhone application that empowers citizens to assist government agencies in creating safer, cleaner, and more efficient communities via social networking and mobile technology. This app was founded on the belief that citizens can provide the most sophisticated and broad network of eyes and ears necessary to prevent terrorism, crime, environmental negligence, or other malicious behavior.
Simply download, report (including pictures) and submit information to relevant government agencies, employers, or publish incident data to social network tools.
Key Features:
Integrated into Federal Agencies points of contacts
FBI
EPA
GAO
CDC
Custom integration with user employers
Fully integrated with Social Media (Facebook, Twitter)
Multiple menus and data fields
View FBI Most Wanted
Simple graphical user interface
Uses:
Enable citizens to record and communicate:
National Security, Suspicious activities, Crime
Government Waste
Environmental Crime or possible violations
White collar crime
Workplace harassment, discrimination, or other violations
Public Health concerns

PatriotApp encourages active citizen participation in the War on Terror and in protecting their families and surrounding communities.


An app like this is meant to solidify the climate of fear in which our leaders want us to exist. The threat of terrorism must be palpable in order for the ‘War on Terror’ to be justified and to validate all the extreme measures instituted in its name.

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Venus Has a Moon? Venus is being stalked by a "quasi-satellite."

The orbit of Venusian quasi-satellite 2002 VE68.
NASA/JPL/Caltech _____________________________________________________________________________
Venus Has a Moon?
It was thought to be alone, but Venus is being stalked by a "quasi-satellite."

THE GIST

• The asteroid 2002 VE68 takes the same time as Venus to orbit the sun once.
• The near-Earth asteroid dives as deep as Mercury's orbit and scoots through our planet's neighborhood.
• 2002 VE68's orbit is on shaky ground and will probably leave Venus alone again within 500 years.

Astronomers have been busy trying to determine the spin period and composition of Venus' moon. On Dec. 8, 2010, results of the study were announced by JPL/Caltech scientists, led by Michael Hicks.

Wait a minute; back up, I hear you ask. Venus has a Moon? Of course it does. Well, kind of... Let me explain.

It has the rather unfortunate name of 2002 VE68. That's because it was discovered on Nov. 11, 2002 by LONEOS, the Lowell Observatory Near Earth Object Search.

2002 VE68 is an Earth orbit-crossing asteroid that has been designated a Potential Hazardous Asteroid by the Minor Planet Center. For obvious reasons, this makes it a very interesting subject of study for JPL scientists.

2002 VE68 used to be a run of the mill, potential impact threat Near Earth Object (NEO). But approximately 7,000 years ago it had a close encounter with Earth that kicked it into a new orbit.

It now occupies a place in orbit around the sun where at its closest it wanders inside the orbit of Mercury and at its furthest it reaches just outside the orbit of the Earth. It is now in a 1:1 orbital resonance with Venus.

An orbital resonance is when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other due to their orbital periods being related by a ratio of two small numbers. For example, Pluto and Neptune are in an orbital resonance of 2:3, which simply means for every two times 

Pluto goes around the sun, Neptune makes three trips around.

In the case of Venus and 2002 VE68, they both take the same time to orbit the sun once. They are in a 1:1 orbital resonance. So by definition, 2002 VE68 is considered a quasi-satellite of Venus.
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Wall Street Sees Record Revenue in 2009-10 Recovery From Bailout

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Wall Street’s biggest banks, rebounding after a government bailout, are set to complete their best two years in investment banking and trading, buoyed by 2010 results likely to be the second-highest ever.

The five largest U.S. firms by investment-banking and trading revenue -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley -- will likely have a better fourth quarter than the previous two periods, driven by equity underwriting and higher volume in stock and bond trading, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Even if this quarter only matches the third, the banks’ revenue will top that of any year except 2009.

The surge has come after the five banks took a combined $135 billion from the Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program and borrowed billions more from the Federal Reserve’s emergency-lending facilities in late 2008 and early 2009 following the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Since then, the firms have benefited from low interest rates and the Fed’s purchases of fixed-income securities.
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POLL: New Low in Support for Health Care Reform

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A Run at the Latest Data from ABC's Poobah of Polling, Gary Langer 

Coinciding with a federal judge’s ruling invalidating a key element of the health care reform law, an ABC News/Washington Post poll finds support for the landmark legislation at a new low – but division on what to do about it.

The law’s never been popular, with support peaking at just 48 percent in November 2009. Today it’s slipped to 43 percent, numerically its lowest in ABC/Post polling. (It was about the same, 44 percent, a year ago.) Fifty-two percent are opposed, and that 9-point gap in favor of opposition is its largest on record since the latest debate over health care reform began in earnest in summer 2009.


More also continue to “strongly” oppose the law than to strongly support it, 37 percent to 22 percent.


What to do about it is another question: People who don’t support the law fragment on how to proceed, with a plurality in this group, 38 percent, saying they’d rather wait and see before deciding on a direction. Among the rest, 30 percent would repeal parts of the law, while about as many, 29 percent, favor repealing all of it.


Health care reform has lacked broad support – as also was the case when it last was debated in 1994 – given the public’s conflicting priorities and concerns. While many aspects of the reform law win broad backing, its rules, funding mechanisms and the issue of government involvement raise doubts. 


And while many Americans are concerned about their future costs and coverage, most are satisfied with their current coverage, care and even costs – raising fears that a new system could do more harm than good.


The law’s individual mandate, requiring that nearly all adults must buy health insurance or face a fine, has been particularly unpopular; in a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation last month, 68 percent of adults said that element should be repealed.
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Missouri Lions Club Seek Donations Used Glasses For Missouri Eye Bank

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GOVERNMENT MANDATE CITIZENS HAVE HEALTH CARE LOSES ROUND 1 - HEADED TO SUPREME COURT

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The Obama administration’s requirement that most citizens maintain minimum health coverage as part of a broad overhaul of the industry is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled, striking down the linchpin of the plan.  


The ruling is the government’s first loss in a series of challenges to the law mounted in federal courts in Virginia, Michigan and Florida, where 20 states have joined an effort to have the statute thrown out. Constitutional scholars said unless Congress changes the law, its fate on appeal will probably hinge on the views of the U.S. Supreme Court’s more conservative members.

“I am gratified we prevailed,” Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said in a statement. “This won’t be the final round, as this will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, but today is a critical milestone in the protection of the Constitution.”
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From a statement by incoming House majority whip Eric Cantor (R., Va.):

“Today’s ruling is a clear affirmation that President Obama’s health care law is unconstitutional. The efforts of Governor McDonnell and Attorney General Cuccinelli have raised legitimate concerns and ensured that the people of the Commonwealth will have their rights protected against this unconstitutional law. Ultimately, we must ensure that no American will be forced by the federal government to purchase health insurance they may not need, want, or be able to afford.
“To ensure an expedited process moving forward, I call on President Obama and Attorney General Holder to join Attorney General Cuccinelli in requesting that this case be sent directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. In this challenging environment, we must not burden our states, employers, and families with the costs and uncertainty created by this unconstitutional law, and we must take all steps to resolve this issue immediately. 

Cantor also promised to pass “a clean repeal of ObamaCare” once the Republicans take over the House in January.
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YouTube Top 10 List 2010 - NON COMMERCIAL VIDEO

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Antoine Dodson's dramatic reaction to a local crime has spawned the most-watched YouTube video of the year, excepting music videos.

When Dodson, a 24-year-old Alabama student, gave an angry TV interview about an attempted rape against his younger sister, he became a viral hit. When a video turned that rant into an auto-tuned song, "Bed Intruder Song," Dodson became a full-fledged Internet sensation.

The "Bed Intruder Song" is the top YouTube video of the year, the Google Inc.-owned company announced Monday. YouTube added the view counts for two versions of the video, which put its total at over 61 million views.

YouTube separated commercial music videos from their top-10 list. Otherwise, all the top 10 videos would have been by either Justin Bieber, Shakira, Eminem, Rihanna or Lady Gaga. With more than 406 million views, Bieber's video for "Baby" trumped all others.

The "Bed Intruder" video was remixed by New York musicians Evan and Michael Gregory who are also known for their Web series "Auto-Tune the News." The song charted on iTunes, with profits being split between Dodson and the Gregorys.
"Blessings come in disguise," Dodson earlier told The Associated Press.

The second most-watched video was another made-for-YouTube riff: a parody of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" by the musical sketch Web series Key of Awesome. More than 50.6 million have watched the mock version of the popular pop song.

In the third most-watched video, a potential new pop star was born. In it, 13-year-old Greyson Chance (who has been compared to Bieber) sings Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" while playing piano at a sixth-grade music recital.

The top 10 also included: a video from the "Annoying Orange" series; a viral ad from Old Spice; the hysterically happy "double rainbow" guy; OK Go's video to "This Too Shall Pass"; the trailer for the "Twilight" film "Eclipse"; Jimmy Kimmel surprising a 3-year-old Bieber fan with the young star; and a stunt driving video by rally racer Ken Block.
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Music Video - Isley Brothers Who's That Lady - St. Louis Missouri Resident Ernie Isley

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Jimi Hendrix greatly influenced St. Louis resident Ernie Isley

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Ernie Isley, a St. Louis resident since 1999, laughs as he recalls what it was like to have rock icon Jimi Hendrix living in his house for two years in a spare bedroom when Isley was 11 years old.


Hendrix joined The Isley Brothers band in 1963, replacing a guitarist who had quit. When it was time to schedule rehearsals with Ernie's older brothers in New Jersey, Hendrix said he didn't have anywhere to stay, so he was invited to stay at the Isley family house. Hendrix lived there until 1965.


As a youngster, Ernie Isley began as a drummer, then learned to play the bass guitar, joining The Isley Brothers at age 14. Eventually he taught himself acoustic and and electric guitar.


In the 1970's, it was Ernie's Hendrix-influenced guitar licks that took The Isley's band in a different musical direction on songs like "Who's That Lady?."


Hendrix left The Isley Brothers in 1965, and eventually moved to England where he perfected the style that made him an international sensation.
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1973, T-Neck/Epic Records
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Slippery roads don't stop drivers - Please be careful and slow down

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Heavy snowfall blew in plenty of trouble for drivers in the area, as street crews have battled conditions since Saturday. Poor visibility and slick streets are to blame for several accidents.

In the 11 counties surrounding St. Louis, the Missouri Highway Patrol responded to up to 100 accidents. 20 involved injuries; however, there were no fatalities.

 

Over confidant drivers who figured their engine was far more powerful than any storm and four-wheel drive, many think they're invincible.

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Winter Driving - Be Prepared, Be Safe! - Adjusting to Winter Conditions

Winter Driving Survival Kit

It’s a good idea to keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle. Having essential supplies can provide some comfort and safety for you and your passengers should you become stranded.

Recommended items include:

• Ice scraper/snowbrush
• Shovel
• Sand or other traction aid
• Tow rope or chain
• Booster cables
• Road flares or warning lights
• Gas line antifreeze
• Flashlight and batteries
• First aid kit
• Fire extinguisher
• Small tool kit
• Extra clothing and footwear
• Blanket
• Non-perishable energy foods – e.g., chocolate or granola bars, juice, soup, bottled water
• Candle and a small tin can
• Matches

Weather conditions can be unpredictable, placing extra demands on your vehicle and your drivingskills. Ensure you are well prepared for winter roads and always adjust your driving speed to existing conditions.

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Preparing for Driving in Winter

Stay alert, slow down, and stay in control — the three key elements of safe winter driving. Drive according to highway and weather conditions. Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to avoid situations where you may have to brake suddenly on a slippery surface.

 

Be Prepared — Is Your Vehicle Ready?

Get your vehicle winter-ready with a maintenance check-up. Don’t wait for winter to have your battery, belts, hoses, radiator, oil, lights, brakes, tires, exhaust system, heater/defroster, wipers, and ignition system checked.

Make sure your vehicle is mechanically ready for the rigours of winter. Keep your fuel tank sufficiently full — at least half a tank is recommended.

Make sure you have sufficient windshield washer fluid in the reservoir that is rated a minimum of -40°C temperature range. Keep an extra jug in the vehicle.

Clear snow and ice from all windows, lights, mirrors, and the roof. After starting your vehicle, wait for the fog to clear from the interior of the windows so you will have good visibility all around.
Have your tires checked or replaced before winter begins. Remember to check tire air pressure frequently, as it decreases in cold weather.

The condition of your vehicle’s tires is important. Worn or damaged tires can hamper your ability to drive safely. For safety reasons, drivers are urged to replace their tires when the tread depth reaches 3mm, rather than wait until the tread no longer meets the legal 1.5mm requirement. Alternately, you can also check the manufacturer’s wear indicator mark on your tires to see if they need replacing. All tires have tread wear indicators, which are small bars of rubber found between the tread blocks of a tire. When the tread is worn flush with the tread wear indicators, the tire has reached its wear limit and must be replaced as it no longer provides sufficient traction in the rain or snow. 

While regular or "all-season" tires, including wide and high-performance tires, may be adequate in some areas, they may not be suitable for driving in the snowbelt regions of Missouri If you live and drive in these areas, consider using winter tires. They improve driving safety by providing better traction, braking and handling during frost, snow, slush, and particularly under icy conditions. Installing four winter tires provides greater control and stability. Never mix tires of different tread, size and construction. Also, consider adding traction control and stability control options when purchasing your next vehicle.
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Driving Tips & Road Safety : 

How to Drive in Icy Conditions

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6 Companies That Haven't Wussed Out of Working with WikiLeaks

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As more and more companies bend under government pressure, a few are standing up for the site. 

Giants like PayPal, Amazon.com, Visa and MasterCard almost instantly crumbled under government (and p.r.) pressure to drop WikiLeaks, depriving the site of vital funding sources and online platforms.  But other companies, some of them small, independent start-ups, have decided to risk the wrath of Joe Lieberman, the State Department, and their European counterparts and help keep WikiLeaks afloat by providing funding sources (yeah, you can now donate to WikiLeaks even if you only have Visa or MasterCard.) and hosting the site.   Here's a list of companies that have stood by WikiLeaks:

1. Xipwire
2. Flattr
3. Datacell
4. OVH
5. Twitter
6. Facebook    
. Click Here for more info.
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Daniel Ellsberg Of The Pentagon Papers: WikiLeaks & The Truth Behind War

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Wikileaks has obtained and decrypted this previously unreleased video footage from a US Apache helicopter in 2007. It shows Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, driver Saeed Chmagh, and several others as the Apache shoots and kills them in a public square in Eastern Baghdad. They are apparently assumed to be insurgents. After the initial shooting, an unarmed group of adults and children in a minivan arrives on the scene and attempts to transport the wounded. They are fired upon as well. The official statement on this incident initially listed all adults as insurgents and claimed the US military did not know how the deaths ocurred. Wikileaks released this video with transcripts and a package of supporting documents on April 5th 2010 on http://collateralmurder.com

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