Solar plasma aurora storm to hit Earth tomorrow!

Astroboffins are warning that a mighty "eruption" of superhot plasma has been blasted out of the Sun directly at the Earth. The plasma cloud is expected to reach Earth beginning tomorrow, possibly causing strange phenomena - including a mighty geomagnetic storm which could see the Northern Lights aurorae extend as far south as Blighty or the northern USA.

According to boffins analysing results delivered from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, Sunday saw a massive convulsion involving almost the entire face of the Sun facing Earth. The event was apparently centred on Sunspot 1092, a huge solar pimple so large as to be visible without the aid of a telescope. It appears that the sunspot may have triggered a huge "coronal mass ejection" in which huge amounts of superhot plasma were spurted towards Earth accompanied by solar flares, tsunamis, magnetic filaments and other sun-wracking upsets across half the sun's surface.

"This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on August 4th," says astronomer Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time."

Normally a blast of radiation like this could be expected to wipe out much of the human race, but fortunately we are protected by the Earth's magnetic field. Instead the deadly solar plasma is expected to stream down the planetary field lines towards the poles, crashing into oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere and so lighting them up to form aurorae - the so-called Northern Lights. Golub and his colleagues believe that the aurorae may be  so intense as to be visible from the northern United States and other countries such as the UK which are normally too far south to see the Lights.

"We got a beautiful view of this eruption," enthuses the astronomer. "And there might be more beautiful views to come, if it triggers aurorae."

The Sun's activity generally rises and falls on an 11-year cycle: the last peak occurred in 2001, but since then the star has been going through an unusually prolonged calm spell. We've been overdue for some more action for several years, and Golub and his colleagues consider that Sunday's outburst may be a sign that the Sun is "waking up"

US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015

Well look like Peak Oil is caching up to us finally. Do I need to say something else better get prepare 2015 is just around the corner.






• Shortfall could reach 10m barrels a day, report says

• Cost of crude oil is predicted to top $100 a barrel

The US military has warned that surplus oil production capacity could disappear within two years and there could be serious shortages by 2015 with a significant economic and political impact. The energy crisis outlined in a Joint Operating Environment report from the US Joint Forces Command, comes as the price of petrol in Britain reaches record levels and the cost of crude is predicted to soon top $100 a barrel.

“By 2012, surplus oil production capacity could entirely disappear, and as early as 2015, the shortfall in output could reach nearly 10 million barrels per day,” says the report, which has a foreword by a senior commander, General James N Mattis.

It adds: “While it is difficult to predict precisely what economic, political, and strategic effects such a shortfall might produce, it surely would reduce the prospects for growth in both the developing and developed worlds. Such an economic slowdown would exacerbate other unresolved tensions, push fragile and failing states further down the path toward collapse, and perhaps have serious economic impact on both China and India.”

The US military says its views cannot be taken as US government policy but admits they are meant to provide the Joint Forces with “an intellectual foundation upon which we will construct the concept to guide out future force developments.” The warning is the latest in a series from around the world that has turned peak oil – the moment when demand exceeds supply – from a distant threat to a more immediate risk.

The Wicks Review on UK energy policy published last summer effectively dismissed fears but Lord Hunt, the British energy minister, met concerned industrialists two weeks ago in a sign that it is rapidly changing its mind on the seriousness of the issue. The Paris-based International Energy Agency remains confident that there is no short-term risk of oil shortages but privately some senior officials have admitted there is considerable disagreement internally about this upbeat stance. Future fuel supplies are of acute importance to the US army because it is believed to be the biggest single user of petrol in the world. BP chief executive, Tony Hayward, said recently that there was little chance of crude from the carbon-heavy Canadian tar sands being banned in America because the US military like to have local supplies rather than rely on the politically unstable Middle East.

But there are signs that the US Department of Energy might also be changing its stance on peak oil. In a recent interview with French newspaper, Le Monde, Glen Sweetnam, main oil adviser to the Obama administration, admitted that “a chance exists that we may experience a decline” of world liquid fuels production between 2011 and 2015 if the investment was not forthcoming.

Lionel Badal, a post-graduate student at Kings College, London, who has been researching peak oil theories, said the review by the American military moves the debate on. “It’s surprising to see that the US Army, unlike the US Department of Energy, publicly warns of major oil shortages in the near-term. Now it could be interesting to know on which study the information is based on,” he said.

“The Energy Information Administration (of the department of energy) has been saying for years that Peak Oil was “decades away”. In light of the report from the US Joint Forces Command, is the EIA still confident of its previous highly optimistic conclusions?” The Joint Operating Environment report paints a bleak picture of what can happen on occasions when there is serious economic upheaval. “One should not forget that the Great Depression spawned a number of totalitarian regimes that sought economic prosperity for their nations by ruthless conquest,” it points out.

[Via Guardian.co.uk]

Bernanke warns economic outlook ‘uncertain’

AFP
July 21, 2010
   Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned the outlook for the US economy was “unusually uncertain” Wednesday but said the central bank could step in to bolster a faltering recovery.

Bernanke told US lawmakers the world’s largest economy would see only “moderate growth, a gradual decline in the unemployment rate, and subdued inflation over the next several years.”

Underlining the severity of the crisis, Bernanke warned private-sector hiring was still growing at “a pace insufficient to reduce the employment rate materially.”

His comments kicked off two days of hearings in Congress, which is deeply divided over how to deal with high unemployment and a stuttering recovery.

Read entire article

My next challenge

My next challenge to complete Yabucoa to Maunabo route.

(CNN) -- A tornado touched down in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on Saturday afternoon, injuring three people and leaving the area without electricity, according to emergency officials.

 The twister struck Mayaguez, on Puerto Rico's western coast, at 12:35 p.m., according to Luis Correa, a spokesman for the State Emergency Department.Video showed twisted scaffolding and crushed cars, among other structural damage.

 The three injured were taken to a local hospital, Correa said. Two of them were hurt "when they were running out of fear," said Sandra Virella, an emergency department spokeswoman.The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

Twister strikes western Puerto Rico, 3 injured

Geocaching @Cueva Ventana or Window Cave (GC1JZFM)

This has to be one of the most amazing places of the Island the sheer beauty of this cave is something you have to see for yourself.  Here are some pictures enjoy!

The Rule of 3

You can survive:
• 3 seconds without thinking
• 3 minutes without air
• 3 hours without clothing and shelter
• 3 days without water
• 3 weeks without food
• 3 months without hope

Bug Out Bag Video from Zombie Squad Very Funny!

I always make this point clear. Get Prepare!!! We know Zombies are not real but Zombie Squad is really about emergency preparedness but who knows maybe one day Zombies will invade and I'm going to be prepare.

Absence of sunspots make scientists wonder if they're seeing a calm before a storm of energy

By Stuart Clark
New Scientist
Tuesday, June 22, 2010

   But for the past two years, the sunspots have mostly been missing. Their absence, the most prolonged in nearly 100 years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise. "This is solar behavior we haven't seen in living memory," says David Hathaway, a physicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The sun is under scrutiny as never before, thanks to an armada of space telescopes. The results they beam back are portraying our nearest star, and its influence on Earth, in a new light. Sunspots and other clues indicate that the sun's magnetic activity is diminishing and that the sun may even be shrinking. Together, the results hint that something profound is happening inside the sun. The big question is: What?

Groups of sunspots forewarn of gigantic solar storms that can unleash a billion times more energy than an atomic bomb. Fears that these giant eruptions could create havoc on Earth and disputes over the sun's role in climate change are adding urgency to these studies. When NASA and the European Space Agency launched the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory almost 15 years ago, "understanding the solar cycle was not one of its scientific objectives," says Bernhard Fleck, the mission's project scientist. "Now it is one of the key questions."

Sunspots are windows into the sun's magnetic soul. They form where giant loops of magnetism, generated deep inside the sun, well up and burst through the surface, leading to a localized drop in temperature that we see as a dark patch. Any changes in sunspot numbers reflect changes inside the sun. "During this transition, the sun is giving us a real glimpse into its interior," says Hathaway.

When sunspot numbers drop at the end of each 11-year cycle, solar storms die down and all becomes much calmer. This "solar minimum" doesn't last long. Within a year, the spots and storms begin to build toward a new crescendo, the next solar maximum.

What's special about this latest dip is that the sun is having trouble starting the next solar cycle. The sun began to calm down in late 2007, so no one expected many sunspots in 2008. But computer models predicted that when the spots did return, they would do so in force. Hathaway was reported as thinking the next solar cycle would be a doozy: more sunspots, more solar storms and more energy blasted into space. Others predicted that it would be the most active solar cycle on record.

The trouble was, no one told the sun.

The first sign that the prediction was wrong came when 2008 turned out to be even calmer than expected. That year, the sun was spot-free 73 percent of the time, an extreme dip even for a solar minimum. Only the minimum of 1913 was more pronounced, with 85 percent of that year clear.

My EDC or Every Day Carry

This is what I carry when outside of the house which is almost every day and it’s a work in progress. The bag is a Tactical Bail Out Gear Bag from LA Police Gear which sells for $19.99 and it’s a great deal. It has enough space for everything you need during the day and is especially good for emergency situations.

What you carry in your EDC it’s very important because when you’re away from home this is the gear that will sustain you and help you survive any situation. Now let’s see what’s inside.

From left to right: OGGI stainless steel water bottle, Pilot Pens, Multi tool, Grundig Mini 300 World Band Receiver (AM,FM , Shortwave Bands), IPhone 3G, SAS Survival Guide (The best survival guide out there), Rayovac 1W LED flashlight, Aquamira Frontier water filter (good for 20 gallons), First Aid kit and my trusty Yaesu VX-7R Triple Band Submersible Radio (50/144/430 MHz).

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day from Np3ba and Urbansurvivalpr!

What is a Prepper?

   A prepper is an individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of, or prior to, any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons (i.e., being self-reliant), or without substantial assistance from outside resources (govt., etc.) in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.

AquaMira Frontier Pro

I have one of these filters and it's great. everyone should have one in their emergency kit.

2013 Super Solar Storm could send us back into the Dark Ages

Found this on the internet you should read it and prepare.                              

The Newest Threat to All Human Life on Earth: Solar Storms

Oh man, ever since global warming came on the scene it seems like our apocalyptic scenarios are all rising sea levels and spreading tropical disease. Now NASA has come up with an awesome new way the earth might get destroyed.

In 1859, a geomagnetic storm sparked by a huge solar flare swept over the Earth. Telegraph wires shorted out and set houses on fire. A brilliant aurora was seen in Hawaii—so bright that "people could read newspapers by [its] red and green glow." Scientists predict that in May 2013, the sun's solar cycle will peak at about the same level as in 1859. Get ready for space weather!

Now, scientists will meet at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum in DC to talk about how to prevent civilization from being destroyed in the next few years by solar storms. The ability to monitor and predict so-called "space weather"—solar flares, interplanetary magnetic fields, etc.—is a relatively new capability. But what scientists have found is sort of unsettling. They predict a marked increase in solar storms over the next few years. According to NASA scientist Richard Fisher: "The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity."

This is bad news for anyone who likes electronic things. As Fisher says, "Our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms." That's because today we're so dependent on technology hooked up to satellites, which can be disabled or destroyed by huge waves of charged particles spit out by the sun during a solar storm: GPS, cell phones—even credit card transactions use a satellite. In a worst-case simulation, reported by NPR, a particularly severe solar storm not only took out the majority of commercial satellites, it also charged power lines to the point where transformers blew all over the world, "leaving millions of people in northern latitudes without power."

Ideally, we could send Bruce Willis into the sun and have him put a nuclear bomb on it. But really the only thing we can do now to deal with sun storms is to predict them and put satellites in "safe" mode, according to NASA. As for all those exploding transformers and power-outages: At least we'll be able to read our newspapers.

http://gawker.com/5556692/the-newest-threat-to-all-human-life-on-earth-solar-storms

Avian influenza – situation in China

8 June 2010 -- The Ministry of Health in China has announced a new confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection. The case is a 22-year-old pregnant female from Hubei Province. She had onset of symptoms on 23 May and died on 3 June. Investigations into the source of her infection indicate exposure to sick and dead poultry. Close contacts of the case are being monitored and to date all remain well.



Of the 39 cases confirmed to date in China, 26 have been fatal.

Bird Flu has not disappeared entirely.  Thats a 66% mortality rate!