END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT?
A major solar storm could unleash a burst of geomagnetic fury on Earth’s power grid. Recently a group of scientists released a report asking whether our high tech society could survive in bad space weather.
20 years ago, a previous solar storms, of typical magnitude, took out the Quebec power grid in Canada and in the nineteenth century, the telegraph system was knocked out.
Solar storms interfere with high frequency emissions, including those used by most satellites.
The charged particles released by flares accompanying such storms would first destroy instrumentation on the International Space Station, then when it reached Earth they would degrade solar arrays, damage high tech instrumentation, and blind optical systems of all types.
Most importantly, it could play havoc with the electrical transformers that we use in almost all power grids.
****No internet, no lights, A/C, central heat, computers, cars, airplanes. Nothing at all. Could man survive living in an age with no electricity? I guess one of the good things would be no military equipment to bomb people and nations into submission****
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ASHAMED TO BE A HUMAN
Gabriela Shalev, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, called d’Escoto an “Israel hater” for having hugged Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president and a vocal critic of Israel.
The UN General Assembly said on Tuesday that it was set to hold an emergency session on Thursday to discuss the crisis after a previous session was postponed last week ahead of a UN Security Council vote on the issue.
The clinic, which was run by the Near East Council of Churches, was struck by a missile after a 15-minute warning was sent to the building’s owners.
The military told Christian Aid there were terrorist operations nearby.
The clinic was completely destroyed in the attack, along with valuable medical equipment, including ultrasound machines, laboratory apparatus, and computers, which are not freely available in Gaza.
Phosphorus shells are allowed to make smoke in battlefields. Their use where civilians may be harmed is prohibited.
Palestinian medics in Khan Younis said the Israelis fired phosphorus shells at Khouza, east of the southern city, killing a woman and causing at least 60 people to suffer gas inhalation and burns.
Human Rights Watch said its researches observed multiple shell-bursts of white phosphorus on 9 and 10 January near Gaza City and Jabaliya refugee camp.
Norwegian medics say that the wounds of some victims, whom they had examined, had been caused with explosions of inert metals. The injuries, which such bullets cause, are much more serious than those caused by conventional ammunition. They literally rip human flesh out. One of the Norwegian doctors stated that he had never come across anything like this before during 30 years of his work experience in various hot spots of the world.
White phosphorus sticks to human skin and will burn right through to the bone, causing death or leaving survivors with painful wounds which are slow to heal.
The international convention on the use of incendiary weapons says it should not be used where civilians are concentrated.
The Israeli military has used phosphorus shells in the past, during its bombardment of Lebanon in 2006.
WP is a colorless to yellow translucent wax-like substance with a pungent, garlic-like smell. The form used by the military is highly energetic (active) and ignites once it is exposed to oxygen. White phosphorus is a pyrophoric material, that is, it is spontaneously flammable).
When exposed to air, it spontaneously ignites and is oxidized rapidly to phosphorus pentoxide. Such heat is produced by this reaction that the element bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. Phosphorus also becomes luminous in the dark, and this property is conveyed to “tracer bullets.” This chemical reaction continues until either all the material is consumed or the element is deprived of oxygen. Up to 15 percent of the WP remains within the charred wedge and can reignite if the felt is crushed and the unburned WP is exposed to the atmosphere.
****I had pictures of burns caused by WP, but I decided not to post them out of concern for members of my family seeing them and causing them to be revolted****
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Three hundred shelters across the USA are holding Change a Pet’s Life Day on Jan. 24, aimed at focusing attention on shelters and rescue groups and enticing potential adopters. Fees for the first 10 adoptions at each participating shelter will be paid for by Topeka-based Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which organized the event.
Find out if there is a shelter near you here.
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7 DAYS LEFT!
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Number of Operations Iraq Freedom and Enduring
Freedom casualties as confirmed by U.S. Central
Command: 4843
