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Colliding Auroras Produce Explosions of Light
elyons writes "Another neat discovery has come from the lab of Larry Lyons at UCLA. As reported earlier on Slashdot, Lyons' group studies the dynamics of auroras. Their most recent discovery reveals for the first time the sequence of events leading to dramatic space-weather disturbances. Using a network of cameras deployed around the Arctic in support of NASA's THEMIS mission, they recorded over 200 instances of auroras colliding, causing brilliant displays of northern lights (see time 8:22 for such an example)."
Very defective.
Yeah! We could call it "the Sun".
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
...no kidding
I just love the title. It's like ordering a pizza and getting the wrong toppings, so you get a free pizza, but you love the toppings on the first pizza anyway.
Oh, auroras. Never mind.
this link is even SFW! take a look at this halloween parody..
Is this a rhetorical question?
Small nitpick: Atheists aren't those who are looking for an abolition of religion (they couldn't care less, provided it doesn't interfere with them). Anti-theists on the other hand, are.
Well said.
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
How much progress could be made if these religious fanatics (including Islamic states like Iran) could focus their energy on science rather than their own petty prejudices?
Well, when countries like Iran attempt to make their own advances in science, they get accused of wanting to develop WMDs and get threatened with military action by Israel. Could you imagine the uproar if Tehran tried to get into space exploration?
A good article on why the nuclear issue in Iran is also medical, and not just energy / weapons research.
I do agree with your point overall though. As someone who has visited Iran, their situation would be much nicer if the government spent their funds on their own people rather than propping up Hezbollah over in Lebanon. Their water treatment plants are antiquated, they have virtually no space program, and most of their technologies are hand-me-downs from US tech from the 70s or Russian-made.
Theocracies just do not work and will do anything possible to continue their survival, even if it means sacrificing their own citizens.
Best "String" Ever!
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful" - Seneca
For that reason , you will never be able to remove it's "protections" . The rulers won't allow it , as that would destroy there must powerful tool for supressing the people.
I don't consider myself an atheist though. I do believe in some things , but i don't need a church for that . I need merely to close my eyes on a sunny day and listen to the birds sing.
Slipping shoelaces ?
Atheism is the state of being without a belief in a god or gods. No more, no less.
This state of mind incorporates no agenda. There is no dogma for atheism, no book or agenda or canon that says an atheist "must" be ok with religion, or not. Atheism doesn't define "couldn't care less" any more than it does "cares a lot" with regard to anything, including the lack of belief itself.
In the terms you're throwing around, an atheist might be anti-theist, or not. This is not a consequence of atheism, however. It is a consequence of how the individual sees theism -- which I suspect is in turn a consequence of how theists and the doings of theists have impacted the life of the individual, and those the individual cares about.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
They also import Gas... makes you go WTF. They have so much oil, what do they need nuclear tech for? Yes, yes, i know medical isos.. they can buy those. I will be very surprised if Iran doesn't go for the A-Bomb.
Iran should spend that money on oil refineries, not uranium refineries.. reduce it's need to import gasoline.. use the fuel for electricity. Makes so much sense!
http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
They want a nuclear deterrent but any indigenous use of nuclear power by Iran can displace oil which can then be exported. A nuclear power plant might as well be a bottomless cash machine from their perspective.
Is there any reason to think they are NOT developing WMD?
No, they've been plenty evasive about their research and deserve the scrutiny, but for people like me, it's also a matter of sovereignty and nationalistic pride. Does anyone ever question the U.S. when they develop high-tech weapons systems that later gets used to kill people on the battlefield? Nope. And if they do, they tell the world to fuck off, and rightfully so.
Part of me really wishes that the Iranians would just quit screwing around and focusing solely on nuclear research for energy purposes only. Like I mentioned in a previous post, their population has doubled and they cannot afford to rely on petroleum.
Last I checked they've claimed to launch a satellite twice. I don't recall much of an "uproar" with regard to that.
I do.
And that's what baffles me the most. Everyone is under the impression that the Iranians are living in the stone age, but when they try to do something in the field of science, they get branded as terrorists with nefarious motives.
When the Ayatollahs claim, however, to "wipe Israel of the map" there was lots of whining from Israel, some from the US.
Ahmadinejad never said anything about wiping Israel off the map. It was a misquote, and some speculate that it was done on purpose to muddy the waters. Also, the President of Iran has no authority to wage war or mobilize troops. Only the Supreme Ayatollah can do that, and he knows he'll be in a world of trouble if he ever directly threatened Israel.
I won't begin to try to defend the President of Iran, I mean, take a look at the link that I posted above. He's said and done plenty of things to be critical of, but it's very dishonest to misquote someone. Those kinds of things can start wars, heh.
But then again take it with the caveat that I'm an Israeli.
Let me take the opportunity to wish you and your people peace and safety, and hope that no more wars break out between the Israelis and their surrounding neighbors. That's all I can ever hope for.
Best "String" Ever!