An unusual solar flare observed by a Nasa space observatory on Tuesday could cause some disruptions to satellite communications and power on Earth over the next day or so, officials said.
The potent blast from the Sun unleashed a firestorm of radiation on a level not witnessed since 2006, and will likely lead to moderate geomagnetic storm activity by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
"This one was rather dramatic," said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator at the NWS's Space Weather Prediction Center, describing the M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare that peaked 0541 GMT.
"We saw the initial flare occurring and it wasn't that big but then the eruption associated with it – we got energy particle radiation flowing in and we got a big coronal mass injection," he said.
"You can see all the materials blasting up from the Sun so it is quite fantastic to look at."
Nasa's solar dynamics observatory, which launched last year and provided the high-definition pictures and video of the event, described it as "visually spectacular," but noted that since the eruption was not pointed directly at Earth, the effects were expected to remain "fairly small."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8563072/Solar-flare-threatens-to-disrupt-Earths-communications-and-power.html
A while ago i posted on one of the blogs about the Deparment of Education buying a bunch of short barreled shotguns, well i guess we know the reason now.
Now We Know Why Dept Of Education Bought Those Shotguns
Last spring there was a story going around the blogs concerning a solicitation to buy from the U.S. Department of Education for 27 short barrel shotguns.
Now we know what they planned to do with them. They went to their SWAT Teams for use in collecting student loans. Unfortunately, this isn't a joke as this story from Stockton, California illustrates. (The Department of Education is now saying it wasn't about student loans but may have involved fraud or bribery in connection with student loans.)
According to the story from Sacremento's KXTV News10 ABC, the Department of Education did issue the search warrant and authorized the SWAT team due to defaulted student loans held by Mr. Wright's estranged wife who no longer lived with him or their children.
According to the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General, the case can't be discussed publicly until it is closed, but a spokesperson did confirm that the department did issue the search warrant at Wright's home.
The Office of the Inspector General has a law enforcement branch of federal agents that carry out search warrants and investigations.
Stockton Police Department said it was asked by federal agents to provide one officer and one patrol car just for a police presence when carrying out the search warrant.
Stockton police did not participate in breaking Wright's door, handcuffing him, or searching his home.
http://onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com/2011/06/now-we-know-why-dept-of-education.html
Baltimore Police Issue 2nd Amendment Decal Warning
Maryland --(Ammoland.com)- On May 29, 2011, the Baltimore Police Criminal Intelligence Section issued an “Intelligence Bulletin” warning officers about persons displaying the 2nd Amendment decal pictured here. The bulletin contains the following caption in bold red letters:
“….while the individual who is displaying the symbol may not be armed, the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an armed individual.”
It apparently never occurred to the Intelligence Section that perhaps we the people could use a warning that the presence of a badge provides an early warning that we are about to encounter an armed individual. While this may seem a bit sarcastic, it is certainly not unfair for Maryland citizens to have reason for concern when they are approached by an officer.
This is especially true when the officers are overly tense because they have been warned that a citizen with a decal or patch MAY be armed.
This Association asked James H. Green, of the Baltimore City Police Department to explain why the Baltimore City Police Department feels the need to profile persons who choose to support the U.S. Constitution.
Mr. Green responded with the following statement:
“I have spoken with our Criminal Intelligence Section and the bulletin was created in response to a number of recent inquires asking about the decal and its meaning and information generally provided to law enforcement about officer safety. All law enforcement agencies attempt to inform our officers or citizens as appropriate when inquiries such as this arise.
I certainly disagree with your characterization of “profiling.” Clearly the bulletin is informational and does not remotely suggest a suppression of Constitutional rights. In fact, as you are aware, many law enforcement personnel are members of the NRA or affiliated organizations.
As you are also aware, traffic stops are the single most dangerous encounter for law enforcement. It certainly is practice for law enforcement to ask operators about weapons for safety reasons only. The presence of a decal is NOT justification in itself for a traffic stop.
I hope that this addresses your inquiry and clears up any confusion about the bulletin.”
Note: “ WRTAC” stands for “Washington Regional Threat Analysis Center”
This Association has already submitted a Public Information Act request for information regarding similar bulletins involving NRA decals, patches and license plates.
It is quite interesting that the Washington Regional Threat Analysis Center and the Baltimore Police believe that showing support for the U.S. Constitution is considered a threat to police officers.
http://www.ammoland.com/2011/06/06/baltimore-police-issue-2nd-amendment-decal-warning/
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