Marina's Masters

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:37:17 GMT

The biggest star in the sky and how to see it

A quick check on the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) website shows that VY varies between magnitudes 7.4 at brightest to 9.6.

For the past few months it's been around 8.0, bright enough to see in ordinary binoculars.

But its variability is not exactly the reason I wanted to acquaint you with this star.
VY is special for an entirely different reason - it's the largest star known! Astronomers estimate its diameter at some 2,000 times the size of the sun.

And since the sun is no slouch at 864,000 miles across, VY is truly a monster.

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:25:38 GMT

Two articles abou global warming, on one page, next to eachother:

Forget global warming - it's Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again)

The supposed 'consensus' on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years.
The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century.

Hotter summers "may kill 5,900 every year", warns first national risk assessment of climate change

British summers will get hotter while winters will be milder and wetter, according to the £2.8 million report. It warned the hotter summers could result in up to 5,900 extra deaths a year by 2050.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:47:55 GMT

Divers find large, unexplained object at bottom of Baltic Sea - with video

A team of salvage divers has discovered an unexplained object resting at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near Sweden.

"This thing turned up. My first reaction was to tell the guys that we have a UFO here on the bottom," said Peter Lindberg, the leader of the amateur treasure hunters.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:41:14 GMT

X-FLARE (UPDATED):

Departing sunspot 1402 unleashed an X2-class solar flare on Jan. 27th at 18:37 UT.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:33:51 GMT

Could your friends be making you sick?

Scientists at UCLA's school of medicine have found that negative social interactions can lead to increased inflammation, which may in turn cause a host of illnesses from cancer to heart disease and high blood pressure.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:19:52 GMT

A chat, channeling and good message - from me to you

on channeling

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:44:05 GMT

Akiane Kramarik

The Multi Dimensional Tales

More wHOLes

ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD

The Journey

The Playmobil Security Checkpoint

The Joker

N Y G ?

George on Earthday

Dannon (Danone) sued over "probiotic" bacteria claims

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:30:09 GMT

Mac on ... spiralling costs of the Olympics and your heating bills

"Look on the bright side - we've got tickets for the ladies' synchronised swimming."

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:27:09 GMT

Click on image to enlarge:

Presidential candidate promises permanent US base on moon if he's elected

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has promised to return to the glory days of the U.S. space programme and establish a permanent base on the moon by 2020... if he's elected president.

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:23:39 GMT

Cost of Olympics to spiral to £24bn - TEN TIMES higher than 2005 estimate (and is it any wonder when we're forking out £335,000 for the magic mushrooms)

'Waste of money': Taxpayers' money was used to pay for this £335,000 Olympic sculpture by Richard Harris, which will greet motorists entering the sailing events in Weymouth, Dorset.

These will be the same ppl who will watch the games on TV and say : "Wow, it's so beautiful ..."

;-)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:18:12 GMT

Beautiful aurora! What makes it happen?

Billions of charged particles from the sun in the form of a coronal mass ejection (CME) are the first step in the making of a geomagnetic storm.

Powerful explosions on the sun's surface called solar flares launch this extremely tenuous cloud of material out toward the hapless planets at something like a million miles per hour.

Yesterday's CME was much faster - 4.5 million mph.
The faster the particles travel, the sooner they arrive and the more energy they carry.
Exactly like a speeding car.
A crash at 10 mph is far less destructive than one at 65 mph.

That's why scientists predicted such a powerful storm yesterday.

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:15:10 GMT

Israel may use phosphorous shell in Gaza

Residents still live in what is known to be the "world's largest open-air prison" as Israel remains in full control of the airspace, territorial waters and border crossings of Gaza.

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:11:45 GMT

Freedom Tower rises above lower Manhattan's skyline where once the Twin Towers stood

Rising rapidly: The One World Trade will rise to 110 floors, and 1776 feet (541 meters)

While your at it:

Project 2012 - 5 - Expanding SymbolisM door MarinaOfLight

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:35:20 GMT

MegaUpload effect: FileSonic drops file sharing, Uploaded.to drops the US

How do SOPA and PIPA play into all this?

Legally, they don't. Both the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and the "PROTECT IP Act" (PIPA) are just bills - not laws - which have currently been put on hold, after a mass online blackout against these pieces of legislation riled a surge in public outcry.

But let's assume for a moment that SOPA/PIPA still become law - which technically remains a possibility; what then?

SOPA and PIPA specifically target "foreign rogue websites."
Were either (or, more likely, a combination of both) to become law, websites that meet this description could be forcefully (or voluntarily) blocked by US-based Internet service providers, de-indexed from search engines, and have their sources of revenue strangled.

Because MegaUpload had servers house on US soil, however, it was considered simply a "rogue website" - even though its base of operations was officially in Hong Kong, and its founder was not a US citizen.
Therefore, the Federal Bureau of Investigation operated under the conclusion that it had legal authority to go after the company and its executives.

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:29:49 GMT

Is it Nothing to You? Another Hero Falls - Ricky Lavallie: 1960-2012

These witnesses, and the dead native leaders of our FRD, were instrumental in publicly naming the churches and government of Canada as being guilty of crimes against humanity.
And they have all paid the ultimate price for doing so.

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:17:05 GMT

Cartoon for Today

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:56:24 GMT

The midnight phoenix rises: Biggest solar storms for six years create spectacular northern lights

The Northern Lights have lit up the skies above Scotland, Canada and Norway after the biggest solar storm in more than six years bombarded Earth with radiation.

The Canadian Space Agency posted a geomagnetic storm warning on Tuesday after residents were also treated to a spectacular show in the night sky.

Ken Kennedy, director of the Aurora section of the British Astronomical Association, said that the lights, also known as the aurora borealis, may be visible for a few more days.

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:23:00 GMT

Is This The False Flag Operation?

Tensions rise as West gives Iran final warning to abandon nuclear ambitions 'immediately'

Professor Paul Stevens, a senior research fellow at the think-tank Chatham House, said he doubted Tehran would carry out its threat to blockade the strait, for fear of sparking a shooting war with the U.S.

Instead, he said, an oil blockade would encourage hardliners in Iran to launch a wave of terror attacks.

Just a day ago (one of many postings!):

Official reports on Iran have found no evidence that affirm diversion of nuclear materials to a weapons program

False Flag Operation - on WIKI

This is no time for sabre-rattling. War with Iran could tip us into the bloodiest conflict since 1945

That said, makes you wonder about 1945 ... yes?

The world is/could be a whole lot different then you (previously) thought.

WAKE UP!!

And don't send a NO to this: No war, No I don't want this, No this is wrong.

Don't interFear, we are not that 'great' (yet) ...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:32:00 GMT

Strange Sounds Map

World Wide Reports From YouTube Of Mysterious, Unidentified Events

Reports of unidentified events presenting as loud, unusual sounds coming seemingly from the sky, or "everywhere", have been making their way into YouTube most frequently since the late Spring, early Summer of 2011.

This map reports locations of the events, and links to the applicable YouTube report.

Location is noted to the best of my ability with the information provided by the original poster of the report. When a specific date of the event is not included in the report, the date of the posting is used.

This page is a work in progress and currently has 125 reports noted on the map, from August 11, 2009 to this update: January 22, 2012.