Temperature Rising at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Fukushima Update: Temperature Rising at TEPCO Unit 2

 

 
Fukushima Update: Unit 2 Temperature Rise
by Nelle Maxey  
TEPCO increased the volume of water being injected into Unit 2 by 35%  in the early hours of February 7.
This attempt to lower the temperature has stabilized it around 70 degrees C.
But it has not lowered it significantly.
This large increase in volumes of cooling water injection also means that TEPCO is outside the limits of operation for this reactor as I noted yesterday. They acknowledge this at the very bottom of in their morning press release for Feb 7. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/12020703-e.html
The best article on the net explaining what is going on at Unit 2 is the one from Asahi news. It has the fewest errors and omissions and also has an excellent drawing and an excellent chart which you can see at the link to the article.

TEPCO struggles to cool Fukushima plant’s No. 2 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is taking steps to prevent a possible self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Readings from a thermometer at the bottom of the No. 2 reactor’s pressure vessel rose from 50.8 degrees at 5 a.m. on Feb. 1 to 73.3 degrees at 7 a.m. on Feb. 6.

Melted fuel is believed to have accumulated at the bottom of the reactor, but high radiation levels have prevented workers from checking the exact situation within the reactor.

After the flow of cooling water was increased to 10.6 tons per hour on Feb. 6, up from 8.6 tons two days earlier, the temperature fell to 69.2 degrees at 5 p.m. on Feb. 6. That night, TEPCO injected boric acid into the reactor to prevent criticality, the point at which a nuclear fission reaction becomes self-sustaining. Boric acid absorbs neutrons, which induce nuclear fission.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) instructed the company to consider injecting boric acid earlier in the day.

TEPCO also plans to increase the amount of cooling water by 3 tons per hour.

At a news conference on Feb. 6, Haruki Madarame, chairman of the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, told TEPCO and NISA to keep the public informed.

“We expect them to address the public’s concerns by methodically explaining what could happen and how they plan to deal with it,” Madarame said.

A TEPCO official said there were no signs that the melted fuel had reached criticality. The official said the level of radioactive xenon, an element with a short half-life, remained below a measurable detection limit, and that monitoring devices around the nuclear power plant have not detected a rise in radiation levels.

TEPCO officials said the rise in temperatures was not steep enough to indicate that criticality had been reached.

However, a temperature of 80 degrees or more at the bottom of the pressure vessel would ring alarm bells. TEPCO has assumed a margin of error of up to 20 degrees for the thermometers in the reactor because it is not clear what damage was done to them by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Therefore, a reading exceeding 80 degrees could mean an actual temperature of more than 100 degrees, compromising the reactor’s status as being in cold shutdown.

The rise in temperatures appears to coincide with changes in the flow of water through two separate systems for cooling the No. 2 reactor: the feed water system and the core spray system. TEPCO temporarily increased the amount of water being pumped through the feed water system and reduced the amount of water going through the core spray system as it strengthened outdoor piping in late January.

After that work was completed, it gradually decreased the amount of water flowing through the feed water system and increased the flow through the core spray system in an effort to restore flows to the setup before the strengthening.

The thermometer that has produced the high readings is located just under the feed water system. Its temperature readings rose when the water passing through the feed water system was reduced and water going through the core spray system was increased. Readings from two other thermometers at the same height in the reactor have been stable at 44-45 degrees.

The temperature may have risen because water has not reached part of the fuel since the amount of water through the feed water system decreased and the flow of water changed,” said an official at TEPCO’s Nuclear Power and Plant Siting Division.

for more information, go to:  http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/10889-fukushima-update-temperature-rising-at-tepco-unit-2.html
February 8, 2012 | | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

Marshall Vian Summers on the Allies of Humanity

Somewhat thought provoking interview on Project Camelot (okay, and yes, Kerry drives me crazy with her comments and timing).  Who knows.  Another look at the ET thing:

Check it out here:

http://projectcamelotproductions.com/interviews/marshall_v_summers/marshall_summers.html

from the website:

..Over twenty years ago, a group of individuals from several different worlds gathered at a discreet location in our solar system near earth for the purpose of observing the alien intervention that is occurring in our world. From their hidden vantage point, they were able to determine the identity, organization and intentions of those visiting our world and monitor the visitors’ activities. This group of observers call themselves the “Allies of Humanity.”

for more, go to the website:      http://www.alliesofhumanity.org/Allies/The_Allies_of_Humanity__Revealing_the_Extraterrestrial_Intervention_and_Teaching_Humanity_about_Life_in_the_Universe.html

 

 

February 2, 2012 | | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Rotational Rate of Earth & TIme

TIME
Clifford E Carnicom
Jul 23 2003
Edited Jul 24 2003


Y Axis is the Difference in Time Between TA1 and UTC
TA1 is based upon atomic time. UTC is based upon the rotational speed of the earth.
X Axis is the Julian Day Number. Data begins on May 15 1976 and ends on Jul 23 2003
Source of Data : U.S. Naval Observatory

Research has been underway for several months to investigate a hypothesis that has been been forwarded to me for evaluation. The source of these propositions will remain unidentified at this time. The hypothesis purports the onset of major geophysical changes and life extinction cycles in the foreseeable and upcoming decades. The impact upon the earth and life from such events is extraordinary and beyond the realm of consideration for many people. There is also a claim of a connection between the aerosol operations and the anticipated geophysical events, and this has formed the basis for the research that is being presented herein. Additional hypotheses are under investigation, (e.g., biological and pharmaceutical) but they will not be be discussed at this point. No judgement on the veracity of these claims is being made, however, certain leads of investigation are being followed to see if they hold up to scrutiny and logic.

ONE such claim being made is that there exists a connection between the anticipated geophysical changes, the rotational rate of the earth and the aerosol operations. It has been stated that there is an attempt to use the aerosols to increase the rotational speed of the earth. This increase is viewed as an offsetting mechanism to the geophysical events which it is claimed will occur. At first response, it might appear that such a claim defies the realms of physical possibility, however, honest research does not allow such a presumption without an adequate investigation. It is also to be understood that no claim of benevolence to the general human population accompanies this description of geophysical manipulation.

There is a well known line by Mr. Carl Sagan, to the effect that, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Such is the case here. In my examination of this hypothesis, it appears to me that the central issue of examination drives toward the issue of TIME. If one were to claim that the rotational speed of the earth can be artificially affected, then a closer examination of time should reveal whether that claim has any merit. This would be the case regardless of the role, or non-role, of the aerosol operations. The rationale for this investigation is that TIME has historically evolved as an expression of that very same rotational rate of the earth. It is only with the more recent introduction of time based upon atomic standards that the issue of time has become murkier. Time is not so steady as many of us might presume, and there are now many different ways by which it can be measured. This discussion will be confined to three of these standards of time: TA1 (Atomic time), UT (based on the rotational rate of the earth) and UTC (UT adjusted periodically to keep pace with atomic time).

Small differences in time must now be considered to examine the questions which are before us. The geophysical effects of such small changes must also be considered in the future; initial research indicates that small changes in time (i.e., rotation rate) may lead to significant geophysical stress forces and their release. It also appears that our state of knowledge of earth rotational rate changes and geophysical correlations is quite inadequate.

There is, first of all, a fairly well established recent history that shows the rotational rate of the earth has been slowing down1,2,3. This rate is stated from numerous sources to be on the order of 0.7 to 0.9 seconds per year, and it seems to have held fairly steady since approximately 1900. In the interest of completeness, a graph4 depicting the history back to 1620 does show a period of increased rotational rate in contradiction to the more recent trend. To make matters additionally confusing, most sources that attribute a geophysical process of tidal actions to the slow down speak on the order of milliseconds per century, as opposed to a fraction of a second per year11. The same sources also do not appear to address the contradictions raised by the graphed data extending back to 1620. So there does appear to be many questions as to magnitude and rotational rate increase and decrease that must remain unanswered at this point.

The more immediate question is to ask whether or not it is conceivable that the aerosol operations are affecting the rotational rate of the earth. If this is the case, one would look for variance in the data beginning approximately 4 1/2 years ago as a potential indicator. The data that we should look at is the difference between atomic time (TA1) and the time based upon the rotational rate of the earth (UT). Although it required some labor to extract the data, this information is available from the United States Naval Observatory. In addition, the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) also becomes an important source of information. The graph of this difference expresses any unusual changes that may be taking place with respect to the rotational rate of the earth.

This graph is presented above for your review, and there are some intriguing findings that are to be mentioned.

1. The most recent leap second added to bring UTC (based upon rotational rate of the earth) in closer accordance with atomic time (TA1) occurred on Dec 31 1998. The lack of leap seconds (at the anticipated rate loss of approximately 0.8 seconds year) since that time is very much out of character with the preceding historical data set spanning more than 25 years. This indicates to us that the earth’s rotational rate must have actually increased in more recent years relative to the historical record. As a point of observation only, the aerosol operations are generally understood to have begun at a global level at the close of 1998 and beginning of 1999.

2. The post 1999 change is in contradiction to the numerous sources that claim a fairly steady rotational rate decrease on the order of 0.7 to 0.9 seconds per year.

3. No explanation can be found at this time by IERS as to the abrupt change in leap second additions (decline of) at the beginning of 1999. There have been no leap seconds added since Dec 31 1998, and this is at variance with the regular history preceding this announcement and as shown on the graph from the US Naval Observatory data. It would appear that a leap second addition is inevitable in the near future, after a lapse of 4 1/2 years.

4. The rate of decline (slope) shown within the graph also shows itself to be unique within the time period covered, from 1976 to 2003. The decline (slope) post 1999 is considerably less than that which has preceded.

5. The “stair -step” behavior of the decline rate since 1999 is a most interesting feature of the data. There are 4 periods (and the beginning of a fifth), fairly regularly spaced, where the rotational rate decline temporarily levels off. This pattern also does not appear within the general data set, and it does indicate the possibility of a disturbing mechanism (artificial or otherwise) to the rotation rate.


“Stair Step” Pattern Visible in Post 1999 Series
Y Axis is the Difference in Time Between TA1 and UTC
TA1 is based upon atomic time. UTC is based upon the rotational speed of the earth.
X Axis is the Julian Day Number. Data begins on Jan 01 1999 and ends on Jul 23 2003
Source of Data : U.S. Naval Observatory

6. The long term predictions issued by the IERS for the period of 1997 – 2007 indicated that approximately 7 leap seconds were anticipated to be added within the period from 1999 to 2007. However, NO leap seconds have been added (as of this date), i.e., a period of 4 1/2 years have elapsed without any additions. This is out of character with the historical record as well as at odds with the last known predictions of the worldwide time standard service.

7. Curiously, the long term time prediction service of the U.S. Naval Observatory has apparently been discontinued, at least to the public. This is apparently the case with IERS also, as no updates past 1999 for long term predictions have been found. The question is, WHY? Why would a fundamental geophysical service that is important to many human endeavors be eliminated?

8. A statistical test between the means of the daily differences (leap seconds excluded) between the post Jan 01 1999 data and the pre Jan 01 1999 data is significant at the 99.9999+% level12. This test demonstrates that the data after Jan 01 1999 is highly anomalous relative to the previous history. The slope ratio between the two data sets is on the order of 1 to 3, with the post Jan 01 1999 data decreasing at a rate of 1/3 the pre Jan 01 1999 data.
(N1 = 8245, Mean1 = -.00201 secs. / day, sigma1 = .000701; N2 = 1633, Mean2 = -.00067 secs. / day, sigma2 = .000501 : Z = 91.4)

9. If attempts have been made to decrease the rotational rate decline, an analysis of the data would suggest that it may have been only momentarily successful and delaying; a more deeply entrenched geophysical process appears to reign.

In an effort to monitor this issue, this researcher has developed independent time standards. Astronomic occultation observations have been and are being conducted8,9,10, and a digital time standard has been established. The expected error in the astronomic observations is approximately 0.5 seconds, and the digital time reference system has an expected error of approximately 0.2 seconds per month. The insertion of leap seconds can likely be detected independently with these reference frames in place. The difference between UT1 (atomic time) and UTC (based upon rotational rate of the earth and adjusted within tolerance of atomic time) continues to be available to a high level of precision through the U.S. Naval Observatory, and can be monitored by the public.

If one now considers the possibility that the earth’s rotation rate can be artifically affected, the next important step is to ask what physical mechanism can conceivably accomplish this. This will undoubtedly lead toward advanced studies in physics, and at this point I can only make a suggestion as to where such research might lead. The source behind the hypothesis being discussed has stated only that methods of resonance involving sub-atomic particles are the basis of the physical mechanism; no additional specific or detailed information is available.

Any hypothesis that merits serious consideration must stand the tests of cross-examination and hopefully is tenable within the laws of physics and science that we have adopted in this time and place. In an effort to conclude the current discussion and yet prompt the reader with an avenue for further work, I would like to mention the following area of physics which holds some promise for the consideration of resonance as a physical mechanism.

I have acquainted myself with a sub-discipline of physics that is termed “nuclear magnetic resonance”, and it appears to be worthy of additional effort. Nuclear magnetic resonance has developed to become a highly significant branch of modern physics, and is most commonly known within the medical community. The fundamental principle behind nuclear magnetic resonance, as I understand it, is this:

Certain atomic particles, when subjected to radio frequency energy in the presence of a magnetic field, will absorb that energy to cause variations in their sub-atomic spin rates, i.e., the angular rate of rotation of that particle. Energy absorption will occur at resonance if the proper frequencies are used in conjunction with a particular magnetic field strength5,6,7. (Note : the source states that nuclear magnetic resonance is only ancillary to the primary mechanisms which operate at a broader level and with variable energy forms beyond that of radio frequencies).

This principle is clearly under the domain of quantum physics, and as such much work lies before us to fairly evaluate the viability of such a mechanism to operate at a geophysical level. Readers with knowledge of the 4 1/2 years of research embedded within this site may recognize why such a mechanism is to be considered in all seriousness. The apparent anomalies with the earth rotational data, as they have been described above, provide a further impetus for the deeper study ahead of us.


Clifford E Carnicom
Jul 23 2003
Edited Jul 24 2003

for references and source, go to:    http://www.carnicominstitute.org/articles/time1.htm

February 1, 2012 | | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

Strange Find in the Baltic Sea

Shipwreck hunters stumble across mysterious find

By Brooke Bowman, CNN
updated 8:59 AM EST, Mon January 30, 2012

Click to play
Shipwreck hunters make an unusual find

CNN) – Deep down on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, Swedish treasure hunters think they have made the find of a lifetime.

The problem is, they’re not exactly sure what it is they’ve uncovered.

Out searching for shipwrecks at a secret location between Sweden and Finland, the deep-sea salvage company Ocean Explorer captured an incredible image more than 80 meters below the water’s surface.

At first glance, team leader and commercial diver Peter Lindberg joked that his crew had just discovered an unidentified flying object, or UFO.

“I have been doing this for nearly 20 years so I have a seen a few objects on the bottom, but nothing like this,” said Lindberg.

“We had been out for nine days and we were quite tired and we were on our way home, but we made a final run with a sonar fish and suddenly this thing turned up,” he continued.

Using side-scan sonar, the team found a 60-meter diameter cylinder-shaped object, with a rigid tail 400 meters long.

The imaging technique involves pulling a sonar “towfish” — that essentially looks sideways underwater – behind a boat, where it creates sound echoes to map the sea floor below.

On another pass over the object, the sonar showed a second disc-like shape 200 meters away.

Lindberg’s team believe they are too big to have fallen off a ship or be part of a wreck, but it’s anyone’s guess what could be down there.

“We’ve heard lots of different kinds of explanations, from George Lucas’s spaceship — the Millennium Falcon — to ‘it’s some kind of plug to the inner world,’ like it should be hell down there or something.

“But we won’t know until we have been down there,” said Lindberg.

The Head of Archaeology at Sweden’s Maritime Museums, Andreas Olsson, admits he’s intrigued by the picture, but remains sceptical about what it could be.

The reliability of one-side scan sonar images is one of his main concerns, making it difficult to determine if the object is a natural geological formation or something different altogether.

“It all depends on the circumstances when you actually tow the [sonar] fish after the boat,” he said.

“What are the temperature conditions, the wave conditions, how deep is your fish in relation to the sea bed etcetera and all those parameters also affects what kind of image you have in the end,” he explained.

Even Lindberg agrees the image “isn’t the best it could be.” But his crew are still planning to return to the site in the calmer waters of spring to investigate their find.

It’s a risky and expensive business, and not one that always pays off.

British maritime historian, Professor Andrew Lambert, says the costs of recovery are now too high for most.

“If you want to stand in a cold shower tearing up £50 notes, go shipwreck hunting,” he said. “Most shipwrecks are rotting away, or carrying dull things — all the romance has been taken out of it.”

It’s a problem Lindberg and his team are aware of.

“It’s a very difficult industry to be in — it’s money all the time,” he confessed. “The best thing it could be, would be 60 meters of gold — then I would be very happy.”

“This thing is very far out, it’s really off-shore, so first of all we need a bigger ship… more equipment.. and we have to do bottom sampling, water sampling, to see if it is something poisonous.”

But even if the mystery object doesn’t contain retrievable treasure the site could still prove to be a gold mine for the Ocean Explorer team, with tourists and private investors paying to see it up-close, in a submarine.

“The object itself is maybe not valuable in the sense of money it can be very interesting whatever it is, historical or a natural anomaly,” said Lindberg.

In the North Atlantic, one American salvage company is also hoping to beat the odds.

Using side-scan sonar, the team found a 60-meter diameter cylinder-shaped object, with a rigid tail 400 meters long.
Using side-scan sonar, the team found a 60-meter diameter cylinder-shaped object, with a rigid tail 400 meters long.

Odyssey Marine Exploration — a company made up of researchers, scientists, technicians and archaeologists — have at least 6,300 shipwrecks in their database that they are looking to find.

Their latest discoveries include two British war-time shipwrecks off the coast of Ireland that could be laden with hundreds of tonnes of silver.

Mark Gordon, president of Odyssey, says at least 100 ships on their watch-list are known to have values in excess of $50 million dollars.

“When you think about the fact until the mid 20th century, the only way to transport wealth was on the oceans and a lot of ships were lost, it adds up to a formula where we have billions of dollars worth of interesting and valuable things on the sea floor,” he said.

The lure of treasure has lead to an increasing number of discoveries in recent years. But one which doesn’t come without its dangers, warns Olsson.

“I think recently we’re entering a time of a lot of discoveries,” he said of the technological advancements in finding shipwrecks.

“The professional shipwreck discoverers are doing a great effort for cultural heritage management in the long run… what we don’t support is the action of actually taking up items and selling them,” he said.

from:    http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/28/world/europe/swedish-shipwreck-hunters/index.html?iref=allsearch

January 31, 2012 | | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

New Sunspot

RING-SHAPED SUNSPOT: New sunspot AR1413 is emerging in the shape of a ring. This two-day movie from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sunspot’s geometric development:

Does the magnetic architecture of this unusual spot harbor energy for strong flares? Magnetograms appear to show some mixing of polarities between the left and right halves of the ring, which could lead to explosive instabilities. So far, however, solar activity remains low.

fr/spaceweather.com

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Utah UFO

UFOs Over Utah Drop Flare-Like Objects

Jan 31, 2011 – 11:55 AM
Lee SpeigelLee SpeigelContributor

What were those bright, flare-like objects dropped from aerial red UFOs over Utah? No official explanation has been offered.

With so many small video cams and cell phones that include cameras, it’s become more and more commonplace that people are videotaping weird things seen in the sky. And one of the latest comes from Utah.

Last week, strange lights in the sky were reported, videotaped and posted online by folks in the American Fork, Utah, area.

Three red lights appeared in the sky, hovered in formation for about 15 minutes and dropped bright, white-colored objects, reports ABC4.com.

A local resident, Lynette Chidester, noticed that the odd lights in the sky made no sound and didn’t blink at all. “I don’t believe in extraterrestrials,” she said. “I noticed over the roof of the garage a red light and a white light, and the red light isn’t flashing like an airplane light does — that’s what drew my attention to it.”

Chidester said there ended up being three red lights, and she saw something strange happen.

“Out of the red light comes, like, a firework — the phosphorescent silver — it’s coming down out of it and I thought, ‘OK, I’ve never seen that before.’”

A few miles away, Mike Galbraith was in a shopping center parking lot when he also saw the lights, which he captured on his cell phone camera.

“I looked up and there were three red lights and then they started dropping what looked like flares or something bright was dropping straight down,” he said.

“They looked like they were flying in formation perfectly together and then, whatever was dropping looked like it was burning real bright,” Galbraith added.

Local airport and military officials report nothing unusual happened in the sky over Utah on the night in question, so the incident remains, for the time being, unidentified, in keeping with the definition of UFO: unidentified flying object.

from:    http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/31/ufos-over-utah-drop-flare-like-objects/

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Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

Sex, Beer & Politics: Riddles Reveal Life of Ancient Mesopotamians

Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor
Date: 26 January 2012 Time: 03:09 PM ET
ruins of babylon as seen in 1932
At the time the tablet was written, more than 3,500 years ago, Babylon (shown here as seen in 1932) Babylon was one of the most important cities in southern Mesopotamia, controlling an empire in the region. It’s possible the writer of the tablet’s riddles lived within this kingdom. The tablet’s current location is unknown.
CREDIT: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, in public domain

Millennia before modern-day Americans made fun of their politicians or cracked crude jokes over a cold one, people in ancient Mesopotamia were doing much the same thing.

The evidence of sex, politics and beer-drinking comes from a newly translated tablet, dating back more than 3,500 years, which reveals a series of riddles.

The text is fragmentary in parts and appears to have been written by an inexperienced hand, possibly a student. The researchers aren’t sure where the tablet originates, though they suspect its scribe lived in the southern part of Mesopotamia, near the Persian Gulf.

The translation, by Nathan Wasserman, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology, and Michael Streck, a professor with the Altorientalisches Institut at Universität Leipzig, is detailed in the most recent edition of the journal Iraq.

Rare riddles

The text was written in Akkadian, using cuneiform script. It was a language commonly used by the Babylonians, along with other ancient kingdoms in the Middle East.

“This is a relatively rare genre — we don’t have many riddles,” Wasserman told LiveScience in an interview, referring to riddles written in the Akkadian language.

Unfortunately, researchers are not certain where the tablet is presently located. In 1976, it was housed in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. At that time, a scholar named J.J. van Dijk published a copy of the Akkadian inscription, which the researchers used for their translation.

Since 1976, Iraq has been through three wars and, during the 2003 invasion, the museum was pillaged. “We tried to figure out where the tablet is now, [but] I don’t know,” Wasserman said. He added that the tablet is small and not very impressive-looking, something that a looter may take a pass on, “I very much hope that it is still there,” Wasserman said. [10 Battles for the Control of Iraq]

Political humor

Some of the decoded riddles are crude and sexual, while others are complex and metaphorical. One of them reveals what appears to be a bit of political humor, albeit with a dark, violent twist.

He gouged out the eye:

It is not the fate of a dead man.

He cut the throat: A dead man (-Who is it?)

The answer is a governor.

“This riddle describes the power of a governor namely to act as a judge who punishes or sentences to death,” write Streck and Wasserman in the journal article.

Wasserman has seen examples in other Akkadian texts of people criticizing their leaders. “We have some interesting traces of political criticism, and [I] might say even say political anger,” he said. “It could be a kind of political humor expressed in this governor riddle.”

While the governor riddle reflects a sort of gallows’ humor, others are much lighter.

In(?) your mouth and your teeth (or: your urine)

constantly stared at you

the measuring vessel of your lord (-What is it?)

The answer, it appears, is beer.

Crude and lewd

Politics and beer were not the only things the scribe commented on. Two of the riddles, now in a fragmentary state, are sexual, crude and difficult to understand.

One of them, whose translation is uncertain, reads:

The deflowered (girl) did not become pregnant

The undeflowered (girl) became pregnant (-What is it?)

The answer, strangely enough, appears to be “auxiliary forces,” a group of soldiers that tend not to be reliable.

Wasserman said that the meaning of this riddle eludes him. “I don’t understand what is really going on,” he said, adding that auxiliary forces are often below-average soldiers, “and they are not really trustworthy, sometimes they run away in the middle of the battle.”

Another riddle, this one even more fragmentary and whose translation is uncertain, is also very crude.

… of your mother

is by the one who has intercourse (with her) (-What/who is it?)

The researchers aren’t sure of the riddle’s solution since the answer has been lost.

Ancient metaphor

One of the riddles appears to rely on metaphor to get its point across.

The tower is high

it is high, but nonetheless has no shade (- What is it?)

The answer is sunlight.

“You have to think about the riddle like the ‘Lord of the Rings‘ or ‘The Hobbit’; it is metaphor,” Wasserman said. Imagine you are outside and see a beam of light going from sky to Earth. [Science Fact or Fantasy? 20 Imaginary Worlds]

“It looks like a tower, but it gives no shade, of course, because it’s light itself,” Wasserman said. “The answer is the proof for its own validity.”

The last riddle relies on logic:

(Note the translation of the first line is uncertain)

Like a fish in a fish pond

Like troops before the king (-What is it?)

The answer is a broken bow.

Archery was widely used in the ancient world for both warfare and hunting. If your bow was broken you would be able to do neither.
CREDIT: steve estvanik | shutterstock   archers
January 29, 2012 | | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

What are Sunstorms?

See how solar flares, sun storms and huge eruptions from the sun work in this SPACE.com infographic.

from:    solarastronomy.org

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Solar Radiation Storm

RADIATION STORM: Accelerated by Friday’s X-flare, energetic protons from the sun are still swarming around Earth on Jan. 29th. The radiation storm ranks S2 on NOAA scales, which means it is not a severe storm. Nevertheless, it can still affect spacecraft and satellites at the nuisance level. Click on the image for an animated demonstration:

That was a coronagraph image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The many speckles and streaks are energetic protons striking SOHO’s onboard digital camera. Stronger radiation storms (S4 to S5) can fill images like these with “snow,” rendering them useless for normal operations. The current storm will probably subside later today and restore SOHO’s clear view of the sun.

fr/spaceweather.com

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Maurice Sendak, Stepehen Colbert, Newt Gingrich, and Wild Things – Part 1

Maurice Sendak on Stephen Colbert: Gingrich is an idiot, “Wild Things” is about sex (of course)BY ALEXANDER NAZARYAN

Last night, author Maurice Sendak appeared on “The Colbert Report.” The interview was like fiery balm  for everyone tired of politicians and their talking points.2787_7526141.JPG

Maybe it’s because Sendak is a cantankerous old mensch (much as yours truly hopes to be one day) who needs neither money nor attention, but Sendak gave one of the most pleasingly honest interviews in a long while – not an easy thing to do with the slick Colbert (who was backpedalling as soon as he found out that Sendak was gay; how could a gay man write…children’s books?).

Of children, the world-renowned grump, cane in hand, who wrote “Where the Wild Things Are” had this to say: “I didn’t set out to make children happy or make life better for them, or easier for them.”

Oh, and this: “I like them as few and far between as I do adults. Maybe a bit more, because I really don’t like adults at all.”

Book signings: “Dreadful”

Groupies: “They don’t mean anything.”

His hobbies: “I don’t go to the movies.”

“The reference to “wild rumpus” in “Wild Things”? It’s sex, of course. Sendak is pretty obviously fond of sex, unlike the fascists who tried to ban his “In the Night Kitchen” because it contained pictures of naked boys. Colbert had a solution to this problem that Sendak did not think was very smart.

When Colbert pointed out that Newt Gingrich thought kids had it easy these days, Sendak countered by calling Gingrich “an idiot of great renown. There is something so hopelessly gross and vile about him, that it’s hard to take him seriously.”

As for a Colbert-proposed sequel with Vin Diesel and Burger King tie-ins, a mock-up of which he brought to the interview? Sendak thinks it’s “the most boring idea imaginable,” but he is fine if Colbert wants to try it. “But it’s got to be as bad as that looks like it i,”

The impatience, bluster and anger are priceless. I want this man in the White House, wild things and all.

January 28, 2012 | | Tags: , , , | No Comments »
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