The Sun has produced a whole bunch of solar flares this week, six from the same sunspot since Monday — including the largest flare the Sun has produced in its current cycle -- YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?? AMAZING AURORAS... (｡♥‿♥｡)

Sunspots are cool, dark regions on the Sun’s surface with strong magnetic fields. These solar phenomena pop up on the Sun from time to time, sometimes relatively frequently. In fact, the Sun has a roughly 11-year sunspot cycle — the result of the its changing magnetic field. Magnetic material inside the Sun is always moving and rising to the surface, and it eventually causes the Sun’s north and south poles to flip. Because of this, the Sun alternates between two periods: solar maximum — when sunspots are much more frequent on the Sun’s surface — and solar minimum — when the Sun’s surface is relatively sunspot free.

#science #solarflares

In this unbelievable video, President Trump says the unthinkable -
https://www.infowars.com/video-donald-trump-makes-new-racist-statement-on-daca/

Best New Linux Desktop Environments - Are you ready for a new Linux desktop?

Whilst Ubuntu and Linux Mint are both very popular Linux distros for new users, there are also some others worth considering. It is also not difficult to switch distros at a later stage, so no need to just stick with the one you started out with.

I started out with Ubuntu, moved onto Kubuntu, then to Linux Mint and am now settled on Manjaro Linux. The choice is always personal and there is "no best" distro for everyone.

See http://bit.ly/2gVHpUm

Saturn in the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Mohammad Nouroozi

Explanation: Saturn is near opposition in planet Earth's sky. Rising at sunset and shining brightly throughout the night, it also lies near a line-of-sight to crowded starfields, nebulae, and obscuring dust clouds along the Milky Way.

Whitish Saturn is up and left of center in this gorgeous central Milky Way skyscape, a two panel mosaic recorded earlier this month. You can find the bright planet above the bowl of the dusty Pipe nebula, and just beyond the end of a dark river to Antares, alpha star of the constellation Scorpius.

For now the best views of the ringed giant planet are from the Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft, though. Diving close, Cassini's Grand Finale orbit number 8 is in progress.

No, A 2005 Movie Did Not 'Predict' Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

I can't believe I'm having to do this, but here we go: no, a 2005 movie titled Category 7: The End of the World did not predict Hurricane Harvey or Hurricane Irma 11-years and 9-months ago. Every part of this claim other than the existence of the movie is wrong.

The movie did exist, but used neither of those names, nor was it 11-years and 9-months ago, nor does that last part even matter since Irma did not make landfall on 9/11, it made landfall on 9/10, and Harvey weeks ago.

Dear Weather 'Truthers': Just stop. Just stop running your fat, stupid mouths about something you clearly know nothing about. Stop thinking it's easier to believe in Deep State Hurricane Machines than patterns of weather associated with climate change influenced by manmade pollution.

Just, seriously, shut the hell up already! One of your icons of Glorified Ignorance, Rush Limbaugh, ran his mouth about this stuff, and then turned tail and ran when nature proved him wrong. You all need to join him in going Radio Silent on this, and never speak of it again.

Sincerely,
An Irma Refugee Who Is Sick of Hearing Your Crap

#InternetHoaxesDebunked #HurricaneIrma #Irma

Cartagena, Colombia, Sep 10, 2017 / 06:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On his last day in Colombia, Pope Francis said the peace process shouldn't be reduced to bureaucratic talks between two parties, but must above all focus on and involve the people, who themselves must take steps toward reconciliation, rather than revenge. “We have learned that these ways of making peace, of placing reason above revenge, of the delicate harmony between politics and law, cannot ignore the involvement of the people,” the Pope said Sept. 10. “Peace is not achieved by normative frameworks and institutional arrangements between well-intentioned political or economic groups,” he said. Rather, “Jesus finds the solution to the harm inflicted through a personal encounter between the parties.” It's also necessary that any peace processes draw on the experience “of those sectors that have often been overlooked, so that communities themselves can influence the development of collective memory.” “The principal author, the historic subject of this process, is the people as a whole and their culture, and not a single class, minority, group or elite,” he said. While Colombia has sought peace for decades, two sides meeting for dialogue “is not enough; it has also been necessary to involve many more actors in this dialogue aimed at healing sins.” “We do not need plans drawn up by a few for the few, or an enlightened or outspoken minority which claims to speak for everyone. It is about agreeing to live together, a social and cultural pact.” Pope Francis offered his reflections during Mass at the port of Contecar in Cartagena on the last day of his Sept. 6-11 visit to Colombia. Prior to celebrating the liturgy, he blessed and laid the cornerstones for a homeless shelter and prayed the Angelus at the Shrine of Jesuit priest St. Peter Claver y Corberó. In his homily, the Pope began by noting that Cartagena has for the past 32 years been known as a champion of human rights, and was called “heroic” for it's role in fighting to maintain independence in the early 1800s. On the human rights front, Francis quoted the 1985 Congress of Colombia praising the role of Jesuit priests Peter Claver, Alonso de Sandoval and Br. Nicolás González, who in the 7th century sought to “alleviate the situation of the oppressed of that time, especially of slaves, of those who implored fair treatment and freedom.” With this backdrop, the day's Gospel reading from Matthew, which recounts the parable of the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the one lost sheep, offers timely and relevant insights into forgiveness, correction, community and prayer, he said. “This fact pervades the entire text: there is no one too lost to deserve our care, our closeness and our forgiveness,” the Pope said, adding that from this perspective, “we can see that a fault or a sin committed by one person challenges us all, but involves, primarily, the victim of someone’s sin.” “He or she is called to take the initiative so that whoever has caused the harm is not lost,” he said, recalling the many testimonies he heard throughout the visit from people who suffered “irreparable losses,”but who, despite their own suffering, were able to reach out and “take the first step” on a path other than violence or revenge. Francis said peace above all begins with the people, and the path to reintegration into the community “begins with a dialogue of two persons.” “Nothing can replace that healing encounter; no collective process excuses us from the challenge of meeting, clarifying, forgiving,” he said, explaining that the deep, historic wounds the country has suffered “necessarily require moments where justice is done.” This means giving victims the opportunity to know the truth, ensuring that damages are adequately repaired and making clear and firm commitments to not repeat the same crimes in the future. However, the Pope said this is “only the beginning” of the Christian response. Followers of Christ, he said, must generate a change in culture “from below,” so that we “respond to the culture of death and violence, with the culture of life and encounter.” Francis then questioned those present on both how hard they have worked for peace, and, on the contrary, how much they have neglected in the process, “allowing barbarity to become enfleshed in the life of our people.” “How many times have we 'normalized' the logic of violence and social exclusion, without prophetically raising our hands or voices!” he said, noting that there were thousands of Christians around during the time of St. Peter Claver, including many who were consecrated, “but only a handful started a counter-cultural movement of encounter.” St. Peter Claver didn't have “prestigious academic qualifications, and he even said of himself that he was mediocre in terms of intelligence,” the Pope observed. “But he had the genius to live the Gospel to the full, to meet those whom others considered merely as waste material.” In the process of encountering others, we discover our rights and rebuild our lives so they can reemerge as “authentically human,” he said, and urged all men and women to defend the sacredness “of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic.” However, when looking to the Gospel, Jesus shows us that some choose to stay closed, continuing to do evil. “We cannot deny that there are people who persist in sins that damage the fabric of our coexistence and community,” he said, and pointed to the “heartbreaking drama” of drugs, the destruction of nature due to pollution, the exploitation of labor and money laundering and human trafficking. The Pope went off-the-cuff briefly to emphasize the evil of trafficking. "This evil is a direct attack against the dignity of the human person and progressively breaks the image that the creator infused in us," he said. "I firmly condemn this scourge which has put an end to so many lives and which is sustained by unscrupulous men. "You cannot play with the life of a human being, nor manipulate their dignity. I make a call to find ways to end drug trafficking, which sows death everywhere, truncating so many hopes and dreams and destroys so many families."  Returning to his script, Pope Francis then spoke about prostitution, “which ever day reaps innocent victims, especially the young, robbing them of their future,” and condemned the crimes and abuses against minors, as well as the “frequently overlooked” plight of migrants, “who are often victims of disgraceful and illegal manipulation.” Society must be prepared for this, “and solidly base ourselves upon principles of justice that in no way diminish charity,” the Pope said, adding that “it is only possible to live peacefully by avoiding actions that corrupt or harm life.” Finally, Pope Francis said Jesus asks everyone to pray together for peace, so that this prayer, “even with its personal nuances and different emphases, becomes symphonic and arises as one single cry.” “I am sure that today we pray together for the rescue of those who were wrong and not for their destruction, for justice and not revenge, for healing in truth and not for oblivion,” he said, and, pointing to the theme of the trip “let us take the first step,” voiced hope that “this first step be in a common direction.” The Pope closed his speech saying that if Colombia wants a stable and lasting peace, “ it must urgently take a step in this direction, which is that of the common good, of equity, of justice, of respect for human nature and its demands.” “Only if we help to untie the knots of violence, will we unravel the complex threads of disagreements,” he said, and urged the people to go out and meet others, taking the risk of making a correction “that does not want to expel but to integrate.” “We are asked to be charitably firm in that which is not negotiable,” the Pope said, adding that the Lord “is able to untie that which seems impossible to us, and he has promised to accompany us to the end of time, and will bring to fruition all our efforts.” After Mass, Pope Francis gave a final greeting to the people before heading to the airport to return to Rome. He said the final word he wanted to leave them with is to “not be content with 'taking the first step,'” but to instead “continue our journey anew each day, going forth to encounter others and to encourage concord and fraternity.” “We cannot just stand still,” he said, and pointed to the example of St. Peter Claver, who died in Cartagena after 40 years of  tireless work on behalf of the poor, as an example. “He did not stand still: his first step was followed by many others. His example draws us out of ourselves to encounter our neighbors,” Francis said, telling Colombians that “your brothers and sisters need you. Go out to meet them. Bring them the embrace of peace, free of all violence.”

Spiral Galaxy NGC 6744
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Verschatse

Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 6744 is nearly 175,000 light-years across, larger than our own Milky Way. It lies some 30 million light-years distant in the southern constellation Pavo appearing as a faint, extended object in small telescopes.

We see the disk of the nearby island universe tilted towards our line of sight. This remarkably distinct and detailed galaxy portrait covers an area about the angular size of the full moon. In it, the giant galaxy's yellowish core is dominated by the light from old, cool stars.

Beyond the core, spiral arms filled with young blue star clusters and pinkish star forming regions sweep past a smaller satellite galaxy at the lower left, reminiscent of the Milky Way's satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud.

A major solar flare measuring X8.2 at its peak time erupted from Active Region 2673 at 16:06 UTC on September 10, 2017. The event started at 16:44, peaked at 16:06 and ended at 16:31 UTC. This is the 4th X-class solar flare from this region since September 6 and the second strongest of the current solar cycle (Solar Cycle 24).

A Type II estimated velocity 928 km/s and IV radio emissions were associated with this event, suggesting a strong Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was produced. However, due to this region's location on the Sun's west limb, Earth-directed CME is not likely.

The event was also associated with a 10 cm Radio Burst lasting 76 minutes with peak flux of 1900 sfu. A 10 cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10 cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10 cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.

#science #astronomy

Proxima Centauri: The Closest Star
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Explanation: Does the closest star to our Sun have planets? No one is sure -- but you can now follow frequent updates of a new search that is taking place during the first few months of this year.

The closest star, Proxima Centauri, is the nearest member of the Alpha Centauri star system. Light takes only 4.24 years to reach us from Proxima Centauri.

This small red star, captured in the center of the featured image by the Hubble Space Telescope, is so faint that it was only discovered in 1915 and is only visible through a telescope.

Telescope-created X-shaped diffraction spikes surround Proxima Centauri, while several stars further out in our Milky Way Galaxy are visible in the background.

The brightest star in the Alpha Centauri system is quite similar to our Sun, has been known as long as recorded history, and is the third brightest star in the night sky. The Alpha Centauri system is primarily visible from Earth's Southern Hemisphere.

Starting last week, the European Southern Observatory's Pale Red Dot project began investigating slight changes in Proxima Centauri to see if they result from a planet -- possibly an Earth-sized planet.

Although unlikely, were a modern civilization found living on a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, its proximity makes it a reasonable possibility that humanity could communicate with them.

The phone looks great...

Game Day. It's here. We ready. #titanup #work #tenvsoak

Read more on: bit.ly/2eXHyK9

#Sports #NFL #Cheerleaders

(Credit: Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders & T-Rac)

How to Stop A Migraine In Seconds With One 100% Natural Ingredient

Migraines are a very painful headache which has become very common these days among middle-aged people as well as teenagers. The pain due to a migraine is as really as if it is caused due to some physical injury to the body.

#migraine #health #cure #explore #disease #homeremedies #treatment #healthyliving #medicine #remedy #naturalremedies #healthbenefits

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, says she will not run for president again although she is “not done with politics.”

This is the view from the top of Tower Bridge, 42 metres up and looking down as the bridge lifts to allow the Thames sailing barge Ardwina to pass through.

Tower Bridge opens once or twice each day for passing ships -- a hold-up for traffic along the bridge, but a decrease from the 6,194 times it opened in 1894 when the bridge was completed.

Wooden spiritsail barge Ardwina is a regular visitor beneath Tower Bridge. Built in 1909 by Orvis & Fuller in Ipswich and initially used to carry stone between Portland and Greenwich, she was dismasted and left to drift in a channel gale in 1938. After colliding with a Dutch coaster in 1955 she was bought, repaired and finally converted into a private yacht, going on to win several Thames Sailing Barge races.

Velvet

Violet webcap (Cortinarius violaceus)

Svartskog, Norway

This year the autumn has a very special event – a profusion of species and numbers of fungi. It’s like a secret festival of the fungi realm, and we better watch, as this might not happen in a very, very long time.

This has added a new dimension to this transitional time between summer and autumn here, as the forest floor is now the focus of colors and diversity of shapes and life attracted to them - a veritable fungi carnival!

Not far from here, a mushroom hunter managed to pick 207 kilos (456 lbs) in 24 hours – take a look at this – a trunk full of mushrooms: https://goo.gl/eH4L8z

I am only interested in capturing unique specimens with my camera and have noticed many pickers tipping over beautiful specimens, but fortunately this is not a well known or popular area for hikers or outdoor enthusiasts, so I can walk to the places only the locals go to and find completely undisturbed locales.

This beautiful species has a velvety cap that is repelling water, thus making it dry even in rain!

I was about to walk over to this location today, but then heavy rain showers made me postpone. When the rain passed I went over to see how the fungi were doing. Everything was soaked and water was constantly dripping from the spruce and the other tree species. All the mushrooms had shiny and watery caps, except for this species.

Not only does it have an amazing color, but for some reason it prefers a dry cap!

It is edible, but I’d say no thanks!

Image Copyright © 2017 +Morten Ross
Image Capture Date: 08 September 2017 17:17
Altitude: 32 meters

#fungi #mushrooms #autumn #svartskog #norway

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro
#BTPMacroPro +BTP Macro Pro
#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro , owned by +Nancy Dempsey , curated by +Kenny Jones

Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened.
― Dr. Seuss

#lego #toy_photographers #womenintoyphotography #xxsjc

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) blooming in spring near McLean Pond at Campbell Valley Park in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

https://www.mrussellphotography.com/blog/campbell-valley-park-spring/

#langley #britishcolumbia #spring #wildflowers

My latest Android Apps Weekly is out!

I finally caught up with an MMORPG my readers kept telling me to try. It's not bad for being in beta, and being a mobile MMORPG lol.

Meeting Owl is a smart videoconferencing master http://onvb.co/iiq5ATt

Geek Question of the Day: Naming traditions have varied across the millennia here on our little mudball. Back in the day your surname had something to do with your profession (or family) so I thought it might be fun to ask you all; *If your last name were based on your profession or your favorite hobby/fandom what would it be and why?* Feel free to draw on any source for this one! #gqotd

Listen to us go over your answers every week,
on the Geek Questioner Podcast!
Our latest episode: https://geekquestioner.com/current

Image source: http://bit.ly/2jddr2v .

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"China, the world's biggest car market, plans to ban the production and sale of diesel and petrol cars and vans.

The country's vice minister of industry said it had started "relevant research" but that it had not yet decided when the ban would come into force.

"Those measures will certainly bring profound changes for our car industry's development," Xin Guobin told Xinhua, China's official news agency

China made 28 million cars last year, almost a third of the global total.

Both the UK and France have already announced plans to ban new diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040, as part of efforts to reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

Chinese-owned carmaker Volvo said in July that all its new car models would have an electric motor from 2019.

Geely, Volvo's Chinese owner, aims to sell one million electric cars by 2025".

(Posted by +rasha kamel​)

Wonky demographics.

#titanup on Lower Broad! #randomactsofkickoff

Read more on: bit.ly/2eYrXKe

#Sports #NFL #Cheerleaders

(Credit: Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders & T-Rac)

Some Florida airports aren't expected to open for days because of #HurricaneIrma damage http://4.nbcny.com/p0e2Gin

47% of employers are willing to pay for professional certifications, up from 33% in 2016. More key takeaways for your career in the #OSSJobs Report:

It's nearly election time in 🇳🇿. So in this week's column, I examine the technology policies of NZ's main political parties.

Features comments from ICT spokespeople Brett Hudson, Clare Curran and Gareth Hughes. 🥝

Nope, Bannon isn't really gone, and he's definitely not turning on Führer¹ Drumpf. He's just out of the confines of an official administration role, instead acting as an external PR agency.
________
¹ I don't normally take low blows like this, but the article's content explains why it is so fitting in this case. Loyalty über alles!

too cold
the world rips itself
apart
stones that flail
the soil
of bones and creeks

while
the eagle
flies alone across
the sky

we are
like solitary shadows
walking
asynchronous
while
scattered living
in the light of the dying sun
atop
a broken fortress
built
from the blood
of billions

like a skyscraper
made from
filth and fermented thrash
dead species

the soundless fish
slowly jumps
out of the water
and like the
rest of the world
it soon dies too
unable
to breathe
it asphyxiates
laying like
melting ice
in front of my shoes

And now
I find, myself
the last man standing
without a sound
and
beneath the eagle

that still flies

across
this worn out world
of filth, searching
for a nest of eggs
and green pasture
in the dying
of the light

music of the day
our church below the sea by septicflesh
https://open.spotify.com/track/41KayjwCCei0Q5ApC2S15i