Yearly Archives: 2011

Magic Hurricane Date?

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Hurricane Irene Affirms ‘Magic’ Hurricane Date

by Brett Israel
Date: 23 August 2011 Time: 06:55 PM ET
Hurricane Irene as a Category 2 hurricane on Aug. 23.
Hurricane Irene as a Category 2 hurricane on Aug. 23.
CREDIT: NOAA/NASA.

Hurricane watchers circle Aug. 20 on their calendars every year. This is the “magic” date when hurricane season seems to kick into high gear.

Like clockwork, Hurricane Irene — the Atlantic’s first hurricane of 2011 — was born on Aug. 22, later strengthening to a Category 2 hurricane. Last year was another good example of an active storm season ramping up after Aug. 20. All of the 2010’s major hurricanes (those of Category 3 or higher) formed after Aug. 20, starting with Danielle on Aug. 21.

Aug. 20 seems to be special because around this time, the air and ocean are in just the right state to foster and feed the monster storms. In climate-speak, this time of year is when vertical shear (a change in wind directions with height) in the atmosphere is low enough and sea surface temperatures are warm enough to create big storms.

to read more, go to:    http://www.livescience.com/15717-hurricane-irene-august-20.html

Northern California Quakes

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California Earthquakes: Twin Shocks Jolt Nothern California

08/24/11 09:04 AM ET   AP

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — While the East Coast recovers from earthquake jitters, small quakes have been rocking California.

The U.S. Geological Survey says in a computer-generated report that the latest was a magnitude-4.4 quake that struck at 4:59 a.m. Wednesday about nine miles southeast of Mammoth Lakes.

A Mono County sheriff’s dispatcher who didn’t give her name says there were a couple of “just wondering” calls but no reports of damage.

There was a magnitude-3.6 quake centered six miles southeast of Oakland at 11:36 p.m. Tuesday.

That shaker was felt by people throughout the San Francisco Bay area, but there are no reports of damage.

fr/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/24/california-earthquakes-twin-shocks-bay-area_n_935154.html

NYPD CIA Anti-Terror Activities

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NYPD CIA Anti-Terror Operations Conducted In Secret For Years

Nypd Cia Terrorism Spying

By MATT APUZZO and ADAM GOLDMAN   08/24/11 06:10 AM ET   AP

NEW YORK — In New Brunswick, N.J., a building superintendent opened the door to apartment No. 1076 one balmy Tuesday and discovered an alarming scene: terrorist literature strewn about the table and computer and surveillance equipment set up in the next room.

The panicked superintendent dialed 911, sending police and the FBI rushing to the building near Rutgers University on the afternoon of June 2, 2009. What they found in that first-floor apartment, however, was not a terrorist hideout but a command center set up by a secret team of New York Police Department intelligence officers.

From that apartment, about an hour outside the department’s jurisdiction, the NYPD had been staging undercover operations and conducting surveillance throughout New Jersey. Neither the FBI nor the local police had any idea.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the NYPD has become one of the country’s most aggressive domestic intelligence agencies. A months-long investigation by The Associated Press has revealed that the NYPD operates far outside its borders and targets ethnic communities in ways that would run afoul of civil liberties rules if practiced by the federal government. And it does so with unprecedented help from the CIA in a partnership that has blurred the bright line between foreign and domestic spying.

Neither the city council, which finances the department, nor the federal government, which contributes hundreds of millions of dollars each year, is told exactly what’s going on.

to read more, go to:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/24/nypd-cia-terrorism_n_934923.html

Visuals: Recent Earthquake & Volcanic Activity

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8/24/2011 — Global Earthquake and Volcano overview and a CRATON representation for comparison

Posted on August 24, 2011 by dutchsinse
Compare the map of the craton to the current chart of earthquakes shown laid out on the 3D map of EQ3D….. (more here: about the craton)       Here is a shot of the activity over the past two weeks around the pacific ring of fire : to read more and see an image of this very interesting activity in the Ring of Fire, go to:     http://www.dutchsinse.com/blog/

Earthquake Report 8/24/11

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Update time = Wed Aug 24 15:00:01 UTC 2011

fr/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

 

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s		 LAT
deg		 LON
deg		 DEPTH
km		  Region
MAP  5.0   2011/08/23 19:53:30  -21.740  -176.850 198.6  FIJI REGION
MAP  5.2   2011/08/23 19:29:53   -5.880   147.476 30.8  EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP  4.8   2011/08/23 19:01:51   1.234   120.497 44.9  MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
MAP  2.8 2011/08/23 18:46:50   37.931   -77.935 0.1  VIRGINIA
MAP  5.8   2011/08/23 17:51:05   37.936   -77.933 6.0  VIRGINIA
MAP  4.7   2011/08/23 16:52:05   6.704   -73.039 161.0  NORTHERN COLOMBIA
MAP  3.7 2011/08/23 15:34:25   59.074  -151.094 37.1  KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP  4.8   2011/08/23 14:28:56   36.475   71.236 75.0  HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP  3.9 2011/08/23 14:11:13   37.032  -104.690 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  2.6 2011/08/23 12:03:56   37.055  -104.761 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  3.2 2011/08/23 11:34:56   67.968  -146.118 14.6  NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP  3.2 2011/08/23 09:37:58   37.099  -104.711 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  2.5 2011/08/23 09:32:22   37.248  -104.705 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  2.5 2011/08/23 09:07:35   32.229  -115.353 12.1  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  3.8 2011/08/23 07:17:59   37.099  -104.610 4.8  COLORADO
MAP  3.0 2011/08/23 07:16:13   39.273  -118.108 10.3  NEVADA
MAP  3.2 2011/08/23 07:01:35   37.109  -104.550 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  3.5 2011/08/23 06:56:59   37.110  -104.722 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  4.8   2011/08/23 06:04:56   42.100   142.480 45.6  HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP  5.3   2011/08/23 05:46:19   37.070  -104.700 4.0  COLORADO
MAP  4.9   2011/08/23 04:56:53   12.010   44.041 10.1  NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP  3.6 2011/08/23 04:49:18   19.128   -64.403 68.7  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  4.4 2011/08/23 03:55:57   14.321   -90.055 21.6  GUATEMALA
MAP  4.9   2011/08/23 03:20:02  -56.172   -27.076 110.1  SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.9 2011/08/23 03:11:00   59.340  -152.672 75.5  SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP  3.0 2011/08/23 02:48:52   37.056  -104.726 5.0  COLORADO
MAP  5.1   2011/08/23 01:23:00   33.155   76.839 41.6  KASHMIR-INDIA BORDER REGION
MAP  2.5 2011/08/23 00:45:48   32.541  -115.720 1.9  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  4.6   2011/08/23 00:41:15  -22.071  -179.193 519.8  SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS

Update on Irene

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urricane Irene Approaches the Bahamas
Posted by: JeffMasters, 7:42 AM GMT on August 24, 2011 +9
As of 2AM EDT, Hurricane Irene was located at 21.3N, 72.6W, 400 miles southeast of Nassau. It was moving west-northwest at 9 mph with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, making it a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Irene has a minimum central pressure of 966 mb. Hurricane warnings have been issued for all of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas to the Dominican Republic border.

Satellite Views
Figure 1 shows that Irene has a large eye visible in infrared imagery, (26 miles across accoring to a report from the Hurricane Hunters at 130AM) with well-defined outflow cirrus bands. Tuesday evening, TRMM, NASA’s tropical research satellite, flew directly overhead Irene, getting a radar scan of the storm using it’s downward pointing radar, shown in Figure 2. It is immediately apparent that Irene has well-developed bands of rain showers, with strong storms present in the eyewall.


Figure 1 IR satellite view of Irene taken at 113AM EDT, August 23, 2011

On Inner Wisdom

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May Benatar, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.
May Benatar, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.     May Benatar is a licensed clinical social worker in practice as a psychotherapist in the D.C. metro area. She has her Ph.D. in clinical social work and has published, taught and consulted on the topics of adult development, parenting and the treatment of the long-term effects of psychological trauma.

Consult Your Inner Wisdom: It Has All the Answers

Posted: 8/20/11 11:17 AM ET

In recent years, I have experimented with a therapeutic technique that I cribbed from clinician/writer Sarah Krakauer. I found it useful both for my clients and for myself. I share it here.

The idea is simple: At bottom, no matter how fractured our identity, or sense of self, there is within us a wholeness and a wisdom that we can consult as a sort of inner gyroscope. The theory goes that there is a unity within, and if we can gain access we can find a treasure trove of wise guidance

to read more, go to:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/may-benatar-phd-lcsw/consult-inner-wisdom_b_931374.html

Slutwalk South Africa

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SlutWalk Hits South Africa, Where Rape Is National Crisis

Slutwalk

By SCHALK VAN ZUYDAM   08/20/11 09:17 AM ET   AP

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Women draped sexy lingerie over their street clothes as they marched through Cape Town on Saturday, bringing an international campaign against the notion that a woman’s appearance can excuse attacks to a country where rape is seen as a national crisis.

Some 2,000 protesters walked a route where fans partied during last year’s football World Cup. Men joined in, some of them wearing miniskirts in solidarity. Some protesters pushed their children in strollers and carried signs declaring, “Rapists rape people, not outfits,” and “Weak men rape.”

“SlutWalks” originated in Toronto, Canada, where they were sparked by a police officer’s remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.”

“It’s very important that women should understand that their dignity should not be taken away from them,” said Tayla Orgill, who was among the Cape Town walkers.

According to the most recent police statistics, more than 55,000 cases of rape and indecent assault were reported in South Africa from 2009 to 2010. The number of sexual offenses against women climbed nearly 20 percent from the previous year, according to police.

fr/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/20/slutwalk-comes-to-safrica_n_932118.html

 

Sunspot Morphing

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fr/spaceweather.com

SHAPE-SHIFTING SUNSPOT: Every time you look, sunspot 1271 has a new outline. For the past two days the active region has been in a constant state of change, altering its shape on an hourly basis. Click on the image for 48 hours of shape-shifting:

These rapid changes have caused the sunspot’s magnetic field to criss-cross and tangle. The magnetic field now has a “beta-gamma” configuration that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Any such flares today would be approximately Earth-directed because the sunspot is not far from disk-center.

Sunspot 1271 is so big, it’s catching the attention of observers unaided bysolar telescopes. Sarah E. Baur of Anaconda, Montana, noticed it yesterday through the smoke of a nearby fire:

“Our small town was inundated with smoke from surrounding forest fires,” says Baur. “At 6:30 pm the sun appeared in and out through the thick smoke making a great photo op. I realized after viewing the shots on my monitor that sunspot 1271 is also visible.”

First Hand Reports fr/People who Felt VA Quake

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Virginia earthquake “I Have Felt It” reports – currently 72 reports

Last update: August 23, 2011 at 10:16 pm by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell

MMI values (if indicated) after the text (III: Weak shaking, IV Light shaking, V Moderate shaking, VI Strong shaking, VII Very Strong shaking)


Gaithersburg, MD – MMI 4 checked – Sitting in basement. House starts shaking, stuff falling off shelves in the basement. Not windy outside.
Buffalo, NY – MMI 4 checked –
Williamsburg VA, USA – MMI 23 checked – At about 1:50 PM EDT felt slight shaking indoors as if a very heavy truck were driving nearby. Caused hanging chimes on grandfather’s clock to ring slightly. Very short duration – 15 to 30 seconds.
Lovettsville, VA, USA – MMI 2 3 Checked – started at 13:53 EST and lasted about 5 seconds

Southport, NC. – MMI 4 checked – Rocked open solid wood doors @ 3 – 6 inches.

Harrisburg, PA – MMI 4 checked – We evacuated our building after the building shook. We went back in when we realized it was almost the entire East Coast felt the shake.
Frederick, MD – MMI 5 checked – The Telephone lines outside were all swaying and inside the cubicles were shaking for probably 5 seconds.
Northern KY – MMI 4 checked – Working on 5th floor of concrete building in greater Cincinnati area. Felt shaking/swaying of building, something in my office made a noise. Scared me. Several people felt it, but some say they didn’t. Happened on 8/23 at about 1:52 pm.
Rockford, OHIO – MMI 23 Checked – At 1:57 p.m. August 23, 2011, my desk chair rocked back and forth for two minutes, while the windown shade tapped rapidly and lightly on the glass.
Clarksburg WV – MMI 4 checked – Vibrations felt, items slightly shaking.
Pointe Claire, QC – MMI Checked – I was sitting in a medical building (2nd floor) waiting for my appointment when the floor started to sway.  The doctor considered getting out through the window but they didn’t open.  We all sat them dumbstruck, not knowing what to do.  Luckily it didn’t last long…

to read more reports, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/08/23/virginia-earthquake-i-have-felt-it-reports/