Yearly Archives: 2012

Saving Bats

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How to Save Bats in Your Own Backyard

Bats are mammals, shy creatures of the night, and fascinating to watch. They’re also endangered by loss of habitat, disease, and pesticide poisoning. You can help by providing protection.
posted Jul 17, 2012

Upside Down Bat

1. Build a Home

Bats like warm, dry, tight spaces. A bat house provides them with an alternative to your attic, and reduces the chance of human/bat contact. Advice on what to look for in a ready-made bat house, along with plans for building one yourself, are available from Bat Conservation International at batcon.org.

That’s where you’ll also find a state-by-state guide to the needs of different bat species. For example, the hollows of dead trees provide a roosting site for bats in many areas, but the Western Yellow Bat roosts in living palm trees. So bat lovers in Southern California leave palms untrimmed, particularly during nesting season, when bat babies may be clinging to the fronds.

2. Watch Your Water

Bats need drinking water and are attracted by ponds and birdbaths. They may miscalculate a swooping approach and become stranded in steep-sided swimming pools. Provide an escape route by making or buying a small floating ramp like the “Frog Log”: froglog.us

Bat Feeder

3. Plant a Night Garden

Bats are the primary predator of agricultural pests—one bat eats 2,000 to 6,000 insects each night. Plant afternoon-blooming or night-scented flowers to attract moths, and the voracious bats that follow will help control your local mosquito population. Evening primrose, phlox, night-flowering catchfly, fleabane, goldenrod, four o’clock,  salvia, nicotiana, and moonflower are all good choices.

4. Adopt a Bat

This is the year of the bat, according to a United Nations declaration that recognizes their importance to the world’s ecosystems. You can support research, conservation, and protective legislation by adopting a bat through Bat Conservation International. Someone you know might love the (symbolic) gift of a bat.

 

Heidi Bruce and Shannan Stoll wrote this article for Making it Home, the Summer 2012 issue of YES! Magazine. Heidi and Shannan are interns at YES!

from:    http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/making-it-home/how-to-save-backyard-bats

Sunspot AR1532 Erupts

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SOLAR ACTIVITY PICKS UP: Sunspot AR1532 is crackling with M-class solar flares. The latest, an M6-class eruption on July 28th (2056 UT), produced a bright flash of extreme ultraviolet radiation, shown here in a snapshot from the Solar Dynamics Observatory:

Update: Contrary to earlier reports, this explosion did produce a CME and the cloud is heading for Earth. According to a forecast track prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the CME will reach our planet on July 31st at 1500 UT (+/- 7 hours). Weak to moderate geomagnetic storms are possible when the cloud arrives.

from: spaceweather.com

Geomagnetic Storm 7/29-30

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GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING: NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on July 29-30 in response to a high-speed solar wind stream buffeting Earth’s magnetic field. Even stronger storming could occur on July 31st when a CME associated with yesterday’s M6-flare arrives. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras for the next three nights.

fr/spaceweather.com

Mexico-Guatemala Coast Earthquake

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Strong earthquake along the Mexico / Guatemala coast

Last update: July 29, 2012 at 12:52 pm by By

Strong earthquake along the Mexican coast
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of M6.0  has occurred in the Pacific Ocean
Epicenter in the Pacific ocean in the Guatemala / Mexico (Chiapas) ocean area
29 km (18 miles) SSW (210°) from Suchiate, Chiapas, Mexico
64 km (40 miles) S (187°) from Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
Hypocenter is reported by USGS at 35 km
We do not expect damage from this earthquake and based on the visiting numbers in our site, the shaking will be mostly weak to very weak. Theoretical analysis from USGS reports a max. light shaking (MMI IV) for 3.6 million people. People in this part of the world are very much acquainted to earthquakes and are used to today’s kind of shaking.
Update : EMSC reports for the same earthquake a Magnitude of M5.5 at a depth of 80 km.

http://earthquake-report.com/2012/07/28/major-earthquakes-list-july-29-2012/

July 29-August 4

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Sunday, July 29:    Sap Green

The juices may be flowing today, but it is a good idea to be aware of what they mean, where they are going, and how they are feeling.  There are always those who are not wishing the best for you.  They just might come forward, say things, do things, etc. to challenge your work, your opinions, your vision.  It is time to be centered and strong in WHO you are.  The illusions are always there, and in this energy they pile up in all areas.  Take time to set an intention for the day and allow that to keep you going through all of the ups and downs.  They are there.  You might just be surprised at the people who are there for you and the ones who are not.

Monday, July 30:    Royal Blue

Today starts on a kind of down note.  It is hard to get moving, and then everything seems to be just too much.  Even the simplest activity is enough to push you to the edge.  Hang on, though, for things get better as the day goes on.  Noontime will bring some interesting revelations, things you have been aware of but not really looked in the face.  This will give you the strength to move forward and take some positive action in regard to an issue that has been bothering you for a while.  Having done that, things will look better and better.  You will find that some of the stuff you had dreaded, some things you thought were going to turn out badly actually have resolved themselves easily.  There is an opportunity that is coming you way, and you will get wind of it this evening.

Tuesday, July 31:    Lavender

It is time to get rid of some of the old stuff.  What it is and how you go about it are your choices.  But then again, you can choose to do nothing at all.  Today is all about perspective, and this perspective is all about the choices you want to make in terms of what catches your eye and what is merely background noise.  You have had time in the past few weeks to get some thing in order, to analyze, reminisce, and pick things out.  Today is all about what you have accomplished in these activities.  There is a mirror there.  You can look into it or not.  It will be there for a time, and then it is gone, and the illusion returns.  No right.  No wrong.  When you are ready, then there it is for you.  Take it or not.  It is up to you.

Wednesday, August 1:    Slate Blue

You will be called upon today to show your strength.  It will be at a time when you are feeling vulnerable, perhaps because of something that was just said, something that happened, but you will need to pull yourself together and stand firm.  Start the day with a grounding and centering exercise.  Know that you are powerful and repeat, ‘In all I do, in all I encounter, I stand firm in my power and knowing.’  This will assist you in times of doubt.  There are signs in the air today, and you will be very aware of them.  There is always a helping hand.  If you will reach a out and allow its grace, you can find yourself in comfort wherever you are.

Thursday, August 2:    Red Diffusion

First Full Moon of August 2012:    Tempers can rage today for no reason and in every direction, so set your intentions and ground, center, and go within before going out to deal with all the stuff that is out there.  You have the strength, the resources, the humor to take on whatever comes you way today if you are accepting of all that you can do.  So not only will there be testing on the outside, there will also be the trials of recognizing, facing and accepting the fact that you everything you need to deal with anything and everything that comes your way.  This is a time for accepting and walking into your power.  The choice is yours.  You know what is right.  Go for it.

Friday, August 3:    Dark Violet

There is a bit of whimsy and fun in the air.  The Trickster is about and ready to stick its finger into things.  Keep a sense of humor about you, and remember that the Trickster is not always kind in the tricks that it plays.  Be alert in all situations.  Listen for the hidden agendas, and watch for the body language clues that will let you know truly what is going on.  Things are uncertain, and people are feeling vulnerable and on the defensive.  Do not play into their realities.  Unless, of course, you choose to.  This is a good time to be the observer.  Things are falling into place, and patterns are emerging.  You can have some of those ah-ha moments today if you step back and absorb what is going on.

Saturday, August 4:    Hazy White

You may be looking for clarity today, but it is not there.  Things are muddled and you can become befuddled.  It is part of the crazy energy shift that is coming into motion today and lasting throughout the coming week.  Criticism will not get you anywhere.  It is a time for compassion.  You can find that you are somewhat weepy as things are affecting you in odd and unexpected ways.  There is the possibility of a large event coming before the day is over.  Be ready for anything.  Everything old is new again and vice versa, so you might just find yourself surprised by stuff that you that you thought was soooooo predictable.

 

David Hamilton Explaining the Higgs Boson

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What is the Higgs Boson?

David R. Hamilton PhD
a message from David R. Hamilton PhD
Thursday, 12 July, 2012  (posted 27 July, 2012)

Quite a few people have asked me about the Higgs Boson – or ‘God’ particle, as it’s been named – that was discovered at CERN recently. They have asked what it is and what it means for us.

The Higgs boson is a particle that gives most other particles mass.  OK, that might not mean much so let me explain it a little differently.

You can actually think of it as a field of energy and that’s an ideal analogy for how I need to explain what it is.

It’s a bit like a swimming pool that objects have to pass through. Say you had a steel ball and a dustbin lid and you had to drag both through the swimming pool. Which do you think would be easiest? The steel ball, of course! The dustbin lid would have a much greater drag factor.

The drag factor is the ‘Mass’ (or weight if that is easier to think about). The swimming pool is the Higgs field and it exerts a drag on all other particles, which mostly accounts for the differences in their masses. The Higgs boson might be thought of as a droplet of water in the swimming pool.

There’s another way you could think about it. Let’s say you have Usain Bolt, the world record holder for the 100 metres sprint (9.58 seconds) and a much less famous sprinter. Usain is much more famous so if the two sprinters walked side by side through Trafalgar Square in London, Usain would get mobbed by people, slowing down his walk. The less famous sprinter would walk right through, virtually unimpeded. You would say that Usain had greater ‘mass’. The people are the Higgs bosons and they weigh Usain down as they interact with him.

So what does that mean for you and me?

If it wasn’t for the Higgs boson most elementary particles (like quarks – that we are made of) wouldn’t have any mass and we would just be a mish-mash of particles floating in the universe, devoid of form. You wouldn’t exist, and neither would the planet Earth or the Sun. It’s kind of why some people call it the ‘God’ particle (although most physicists don’t really like the term).

So for the ordinary person it doesn’t really change anything. You exist now, partly because of the Higgs boson just as you did a few days before it was discovered. Life goes on and you’ll enjoy your morning coffee just as you did before Peter Higgs even thought up the concept of that particular boson.

It’s absolutely not the end of physics. There are still many mysteries to be probed. The Higgs boson could turn out to be not exactly as it was thought and could actually be made of smaller bits. No one knows yet. It might even by a scientific gateway that leads physicists into the search for weird new physics and even different dimensions of space and time. I think it’s all really exciting. It’s the beginning of something new!

So if you want to explain to people what the Higgs Boson is, either you can use the simple descriptions above, or you can cut it down to this simple joke:

A Higgs boson walks into a church. The priest says, ‘What are you doing in here?’ The Higgs boson replies, ‘You can’t have mass without me!’

from:    http://spiritlibrary.com/david-r-hamilton-phd/what-is-the-higgs-boson

Meteor Shower 7/28 & 29

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July 28 and 29, 2012 Delta Aquarids
Like the Eta Aquarids, this shower favors the Southern Hemisphere, and the tropical latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Although the waxing gibbous moon won’t set till after midnight, the hours between moonset and dawn will probably offer the most Delta Aquarid meteors. (Click here to know when the moon sets in your sky.) The meteors appear to radiate from the southern part of the sky. From northern temperate latitudes, the maximum hourly rate may reach 15-20 meteors in a dark sky. Unlike many meteor showers, this one doesn’t have a very definite peak, despite the dates given above. Instead, these medium-speed meteors ramble along fairly steadily throughout late July and early August. An hour or two before dawn usually presents the most favorable view of the Delta Aquarids. Try watching in late July, in the hours between moonset and dawn.

from:    http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

Boznia & Herzegovina Earthquake

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Earthquake below Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Minor damage

Last update: July 28, 2012 at 8:55 am by By

Earthquake(s) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Based on the number of visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, we think that an earthquake must have been felt
The earthquake has a preliminary Magnitude of M4.5 at a depth of 2 to 5 km
Please fill in a I Have Felt It form to tell us how you have experienced this earthquake
9 km NE Zenica (pop 164,423)
18 km NW Kakanj (pop 12,406)
Based on the preliminary data from the seismological agencies, we do not expect that this earthquake will generate serious damage or injuries.
Update : USGS reports a slightly higher Magnitude of M4.6 at a depth of 5.2 km
Update : 140,000 people are living within a 10 km radius of the epicenter
Update : The earthquake happened 5km from Zenica. The nearest populated places are: Carica (16km), Gusti Grab (15km), Sebinje (15km), Donji Banjevac (18km), Busovaca (14km), Kaonik (12km), Kruscica (18km), Kakanj (13km), Lasva (10km), Vitez (16km), Gacice (16km), Dubravica (13km), Gornji Cajdras (8km), Puhovac (9km), Brajkovici (16km), Brnjic (13km), Stranjani (11km), Guca Gora (19km), Gornja Gracanica (4km), Vranduk (9km), Pepelari (10km), Loznik (13km), Nemila (13km), Mitrovici (20km), Begov Han (15km), Serici (19km). The closest civilian airport is Sarajevo Butmir (53km).
Update : Cracks in walls cannot be excluded with this extremely shallow depth
Update 28/7 – 00:09 UTC : An aftershock measuring M4.2 has occurred 30 minutes after the mainshock
Final update 08:37 UTC : We have counted 3 major aftershocks so far (M4.2, M3.5 and M3.3). As we have stated shortly after the earthquake, the extremely shallow depth may have created cracks in walls. This became reality and some pictures and reports are showing also fallen stones from roofs. We have NO reports of injured people (partly because the earthquake happened at 01:12 local time, a time that most people are inside.
People in Zenica took to the streets immediately after the shaking and stayed there for some time because of fear for aftershocks. The earthquake was felt in most parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in cities like Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Goraždue, Bihac as well as in Serbia

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/07/26/major-earthquakes-list-july-27-2012/

Earthquake off coast of New ireland, PNG

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Very strong earthquake off the coast of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea

Last update: July 28, 2012 at 8:35 pm by By

Very strong earthquake off the coast of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
4000 people will have experienced a moderate MMI V shaking. A lot more a light or a weak to very weak shaking. The depth of the hypocenter makes that the earthquake will have been felt in a radius of hundreds of km. Earthquakes with this Magnitude and depth are fairly common in Papua New Guinea.
The biggest city in the area is Rabaul and is located at a distance of 124 km from the epicenter.
Epicenter is at least 50 km out of the coast.
Unless for the always present danger of submarine landslides, this earthquake will not be able to generate a tsunami. NOAA has also confirmed that a oceanwide tsunami (Pacific Ocean) is not posible.

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/07/28/major-earthquakes-list-july-28-2012/