Russian suggestions to Iran.. [ 1912 ]

Russia tells Tehran to respond to talks call

Russia on Friday urged Iran to return to negotiations over its disputed nuclear programme, DPA reported.

TREND////., 22.10.2010 14:33

"We call on Tehran to finally respond officially to an invitation [to Group of Six talks] from the EU's High Representative Catherine Ashton," Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, according to Interfax news agency.

Ryabkov indicated that would be a signal that all parties were interested in the settlement of the long-running dispute.

Iran has until November 15 to agree to resumed talks with the so- called Group of Six - Russia, China, the United States, France, Britain and Germany, Ryabkov said.

The talks have been stalled since October 2009.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had declared his country is in principle ready for new talks, but is not ready to compromise.

Western powers accuse Tehran of a long-running covert attempt to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy project - a charge Tehran denies.

A recent global computer virus appeared be targeting some of the Iranian reactor plants at the heart of the disputed programme.

NOAA,,Arctic warming ..[ 1911 ]

Arctic warming heralds colder US winters, warns NOAA

TGDAILY,,Emma Woollacott | Fri 22nd Oct 2010, 04:35 am

The Arctic is contuing to warm at an unprecented rate - and the changes are likely to be permanent, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

 Thick ice in Greenland

It's reporting record temperatures record snow cover decreases and changes in weather patterns across the northern hemisphere.

The team of 69 international scientists found that Greenland is experiencing temperatures higher than ever before, along with record ice melt and glacier area loss. Summer sea ice continues to decline — indeed, ice cover for 2009-2010 was the third lowest since satellite monitoring began in 1979.

Sea ice thickness was the third lowest since 1979, and Arctic snow cover duration was the lowest since record-keeping began in 1966.

The team also found evidence that higher air temperatures in the Arctic atmosphere during fall is having an effect on the atmospheric circulation in both the Arctic and northern mid-latitudes such as the US.

Winter 2009-2010 showed a link between mid-latitude extreme cold and snowy weather events and changes in the wind patterns of the Arctic, related to a phase of the Arctic Oscillation. The implication is that colder winters could become the norm.

"To quote one of my NOAA colleagues, 'whatever is going to happen in the rest of the world happens first, and to the greatest extent, in the Arctic'," said Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

"Beyond affecting the humans and wildlife that call the area home, the Arctic’s warmer temperatures and decreases in permafrost, snow cover, glaciers and sea ice also have wide-ranging consequences for the physical and biological systems in other parts of the world."

The full 'Report Card' is here.

NASA Image of the Day, Oct 21st..[ 1910 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.

Crackling with Solar Flares

Fast-growing sunspot 1112 is crackling with solar flares. So far, none of the blasts has hurled a substantial CME, or coronal mass ejection, toward Earth. 

 

In addition, a vast filament of magnetism is cutting across the sun's southern hemisphere. 

 

This filament is so large it spans a distance greater than the separation of Earth and the moon. A bright 'hot spot' just north of the filament's midpoint is UV radiation from sunspot 1112. 

 

The proximity is no coincidence; the filament appears to be rooted in the sunspot below. If the sunspot flares, it could cause the entire structure to erupt. Thus far, none of the flares has destabilized the filament.

 

Image Credit: NASA

Πέμπτη, 21 Οκτώβριος 2010 7:00:00 πμ

Three bears found at private residence..[ 1909 ]

Another 3 bears found in tree at private residence

The bears climb down the tree at the private residence in the Yamagata Prefectural town of Iide at 11:11 a.m. on Oct. 21 (Mainichi)

(Mainichi Japan) October 21, 2010

YAMAGATA -- Three bears that were found in a tree at a private residence in the Yamagata Prefectural town of Iide have fled into a grove, police said.

Shortly after 6 a.m. on Oct. 21, a local resident spotted the three bears -- believed to be a parent and cubs -- in a 20-meter-tall cedar tree in his yard, which is located some 50 meters north of Iide Municipal Second Elementary School. The school instructed its 87 students to stay inside their houses, while the municipal office recommended that a total of eight households in the area evacuate.

"My dog started barking violently at around 6.a.m., so I looked in the yard. I then heard a crunching noise from the cedar tree and noticed the bears. I had never seen bears so close; it was terrifying," said the owner of the residence.

The cubs -- about 70 to 80 centimeters long -- were found some 15 meters up the tree, while the adult bear -- about 1.2 meters long -- was at some 7 to 8 meters below them.

Police and town workers tried capturing the animals using tranquilizer darts while poking branches with a 3-meter-long pole from a crane. The three bears climbed down the tree at around 11:10 a.m. and fled into the nearby woods when police used water cannons on them.

"The bears could enter the school premises, it's dangerous," said a senior school official.

In a similar incident on Oct. 18, three bears were found in a tree at a residence in Fukushima Prefecture.

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) October 21, 2010

NASA. Space Photos : Comets ..[ 1908 ]

Space photos of the day: Comets

October 20, 2010

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The Araona Crater (also known as the Iturralde Structure) is a suspected crater from an impactor which struck northern Bolivia approximately 20,000 years ago. The feature is believed to have been caused by a short period comet striking at 44 miles per second and splattering into the muddy alluvial flood plain in the Lower Amazon jungle. The impact created a circular depression which is now roughly 5 miles across and 10 feet deep. 

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio+

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