Get the boys out first. If there is time then the pets. Cell phone would be probably third.

Unending hot streak: Earth smashes warm records for 4th month in a row, 5th season in a row 5



Seth Borenstein, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thursday, September 17, 2015 2:32:14 EDT PM



WASHINGTON -- Earth's record-breaking heat is sounding an awful lot like a broken record.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that August, this past summer and the first eight months of 2015 all smashed global records for heat.

That's the fifth straight record hot season in a row and the fourth consecutive record hot month. Meteorologists say 2015 is a near certainty to eclipse 2014 as the hottest year on record.

Since 2000, Earth has broken monthly heat records 30 times and seasonal heat records 11 times. Scientists blame a combination of human-caused climate change and natural El Nino.

Earth broke the August record by a sixth of a degree and the summer record by a fifth of a degree. Records go back to 1880.

Good work :)

Nice :)Good job

How old was your parents house? what is the history ?

Some times things happen that are hard to explain you could try to look up some sites online see what you can find out.

E.T was a good movie the book is way better though. It would be an interesting job.

It would be an interesting hobby just to see what happens just out of curiosity .

Were did you see them and when ?

Giant Radio Telescope Could Detect E.T.'s Call

by Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor | September 17, 2015 07:31am ET

http://www.space.com/30566-alien-civilization-signals-ska-radio-telescope.html?cmpid=NL_SP_weekly_2015-09-18


A huge telescope array will allow scientists to conduct the most sensitive and exhaustive search for signs of alien civilizations to date when it comes online, the project's backers say.

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA), currently planned to begin construction in 2018, could enable the search for intelligent alien life to piggy-back on other scientific observations, scouring the galaxy with unprecedented precision.

"A unique aspect for the search of life in the universe is the question of whether advanced lifeevolves intelligence," Andrew Siemion said at the Astrobiology Science Conference in Chicago in June. [13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Alien Life]



Siemion, who holds joint appointments with the University of California, Berkeley, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and Radbound University in the Netherlands, hunts for signs of alien technology in the universe.

"The only way to answer that in the foreseeable future is to look directly for evidence" of intelligence, Siemion said. "For that, you need a large telescope."

The Square Kilometer Array is an enormous radio telescope that will be built in South Africa and Australia. Funded by a consortium of different countries, the SKA will combine thousands of small antennaeacross the globe instead of a single large dish, allowing unprecedented sensitivity in radio astronomy.

Using such a costly instrument for a single scientific study, especially one as speculative as the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), is unheard of in astronomy. But SETI scientists figured out a way to obtain significant telescope time nearly 30 years ago, when they began to piggy-back on other users' observations at the enormous Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, duplicating their observations with very little loss of sensitivity. Today, SETI researchers are able to obtain thousands of hours of observations annually, which they diligently scrutinize for radio signals from beyond Earth.

According to Siemion, data from the SKA could be similarly piggy-backed. But while Arecibo utilizes a single large dish, the SKA will be much larger than the biggest radio telescope operating today, allowing scientists to search for fainter signals.

Construction on the SKA should begin in 2018. The first phase, planned for completion by 2020, would allow for about 10 percent of the collecting area of the full instrument at low and mid-range frequencies.

According to a paper Siemion authored last fall, a five-year campaign by the first phase of the SKA could allow scientists to survey more than 10,000 stars. When completed, the SKA could detect signals as faint as those emitted by aircraft radars on Earth from every star within almost 200 light-years.

Eavesdropping on E.T.

Earth began leaving its mark in the galaxy when humanity started transmitting signals by radio. These signals radiate outward from the planet, and could theoretically be detected by other civilizations. Given the enormous size of the spectrum that radio waves cover, scientists have suggested a number of preferred frequencies to hunt for extraterrestrial communication. [The Serious Search for Intelligent Life: 4 Key Questions (Video)]

As technology has improved on Earth, however, humanity has begun to reduce the radio-wave leakage into space. This could suggest that the window for observing accidentally broadcast signals is brief — perhaps only a century or so. While scientists still hope to detect such signals, they also aim to find deliberately transmitted radio waves, which have been designed to travel through space.

The SKA concentrates on a frequency region known as the "terrestrial microwave window," the spectral region of low natural noise between the galactic background and the emission and absorption of water and oxygen in Earth's atmosphere. These frequencies can travel through the space between stars and through the water-laden atmosphere of Earth or any other planet with ease, leading scientists to suspect that distant civilizations might use them to communicate.



SETI scientists aren't just searching for signals broadcast at random. They also hope to eavesdrop on interplanetary communications.

If alien technology spreads to multiple planets within a single system, it is feasible to expect these various outposts to communicate with one another. If those planets lie along Earth's line of sight, and observations are made when the planets are communicating with each other, it is possible that the SKA could pick up those broadcasts, researchers said.

In addition to the recent spate of planets unearthed by NASA's Keplermission, the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecrat and future missions such as NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS) could produce a catalog of properly aligned planetary systems to watch. Life-hunting researchers have already begun eavesdropping on some of Kepler's discoveries, for example.

"We're going to have all kinds of data to figure out how to build these databases in coming years," Siemion said.

Although the terrestrial microwave window will be the primary focus of the SETI search with the SKA, Siemion cautions that it is not the only potential signal for communication.

"We don't know exactly what E.T. is going to do," he said.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd or Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.





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Oil drilling company owner allegedly hired hit man to kill rivals
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/09/18/oil-drilling-company-owner-allegedly-hired-hit-man-to-kill-rivals




Eric M. Johnson, REUTERS

Friday, September 18, 2015 1:58:44 EDT PM



SEATTLE - Three men who prosecutors say arranged and carried out a contract killing in Washington state on behalf of a North Dakota oil shale executive will be sentenced in December after they pleaded guilty this week to a host of federal charges, court documents show.

The plea agreements, accepted Wednesday by a federal judge in Spokane, Wash., came about two weeks before oil drilling company owner James Henrikson, charged with orchestrating the slayings of his business rivals, is due to stand trial.

Henrikson faces murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, among other charges, in alleged plots against several people he viewed as an impediment to his enterprises, as well as conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Prosecutors say Henrikson wanted investor Douglas Carlile dead because Carlile refused to give up his stake in an oil lease and that Carlile owed him money.

On Wednesday, Timothy Suckow, 51, pleaded guilty to charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in the December 2013 shooting death of Carlile in Spokane, a plea agreement filed on Wednesday shows. Prosecutors said he was to have been paid $20,000 for killing Carlile.

Suckow, who in the same federal case also pleaded guilty to killing Kristopher Clarke in North Dakota in 2012, faces up to 30 years in prison under the terms of his plea deal. Henrikson, who owned a trucking company at the time, believed Clarke was going to start a competing business, prosecutors said.

Co-defendant Robert Delao pleaded guilty to helping to arrange Carlile's murder by acting as a middleman between Kenrikson and Suckow, among other charges, according to court documents. Delao could be sentenced to between 14 and 17 years in prison under the terms of his plea deal.

The plea agreement documents identify Henrikson as the individual who ordered Delao to contact Suckow to commit the Carlile murder, saying Delao then used a mobile phone to contact Suckow.

Lazaro Pesina, who was at Carlile's house when he was killed, also pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering under an agreement with prosecutors that could bring him 12 years in prison, court documents show.

Suckow, Delao and Pesina are all due to be sentenced on Dec. 8 in Spokane.

Attorneys representing Pesina and Suckow did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Attorney in eastern Washington state declined to comment.

I know right . This has been in the news off and on for a few months now.

Cheese smuggling decision expected Friday



By Tony Ricciuto, Niagara Falls Review


Niagara's large-scale cheese and chicken wings smuggling case has been concluded and the judge is expected to deliver his decision on Friday.

The trial of Niagara Regional Police Const. Scott Heron, which began on Monday in the Superior Court of Justice in Welland, wrapped up on Thursday with the Crown calling its final witness.

Heron, 42, of Fort Erie, has pleaded not guilty to six charges, three of which involve smuggling and non payment of duties under the Customs Act, and three breach of trust criminal counts that relate to his duties as a police officer.

The trial, which was conducted in front of Justice James Ramsay who was sitting alone without a jury, had been expected to last about five days.

Two witnesses, who were also charged as a result of this investigation and have already been dealt with by the courts, Bernie Pollino and retired NRP Sgt. Casey Langelaan, were not called to testify by the Crown.

Both Pollino and Langelaan were at the courthouse during portions of the trial, but most of their time was spent out of the courtroom because there was an exclusion of witnesses.

Defence lawyer Michael DelGobbo did not call any evidence.

Federal Crown prosecutor Amber Pashuk said this was a large-scale cheese and poultry smuggling operation, there was a conspiracy by individuals to bring the goods across the border, and Heron was a member of that conspiracy.

"The evidence showed he was part of the operation from beginning to end and he played an important role," said Pashuk.

Former NRP Const. Geoff Purdie, 42, was the Crown's main witness in this case.

Purdie, who was arrested at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie on April 5, 2012, for smuggling steroids, was also involved in smuggling the cheese and chicken wings across the border.

Purdie received a one year sentence in an American jail after being convicted in a Buffalo courtroom on a charge of conspiracy to smuggle steroids.

Part of his plea agreement with U.S. officials was that he would testify in court about the cheese smuggling operation.

Pashuk said Heron committed a breach of trust when he used the Canadian Police Information Centre, commonly known as CPIC, for a corrupt purpose. He ran his own name and the licence plate of the pickup truck that was being used to smuggle the cheese to try and find out if police or any other agency was conducting any type of investigation into his own criminal conduct.

Pashuk introduced documents, which included phone records and invoices, backed up what Purdie testified to on the witness stand. Heron would call in the cheese order and Purdie would bring it across the border.

"We have a clear picture of what was happening here. The duty was not being paid," said Pashuk.

Court heard most of the weekly invoices were for about $1,500 in product. A total of about $141,291 had been purchased, so the duties that were evaded amounted to $325,000.

"There was money to be made," said Pashuk, adding the police officers risked their careers for smuggling cheese.

DelGobbo said there is no evidence that his client ever brought cheese across the border. The invoices had no reference to Heron and he gained nothing when he used the CPIC system.

DelGobbo said Purdie's evidence is not reliable because he had "every reason in the world to lie" and was only trying to save his own skin.

"He had ever reason to shift the blame on to others," said DelGobbo, adding there were many gaps in the evidence that was presented, there was no evidence of wiretaps and there was no seizure of any evidence.

Good to hear that things are starting to come together . Hopefully the insurance works out soon sounds like it is coming along.

Thank you, your doing a great job your self and so very brave. How are things going today ? Hello to your family

Feline Initiative finds homes for diverse cats




By Michelle Allenberg, Tribune Staff

Thursday, September 17, 2015 6:16:47 EDT PM

If you want a hardworking cat, look no further.

Port Colborne Feline Initiative’s Jobs4Cats launched last week and is aiming to give certain cats a nontraditional home.

The Feline Initiative is a non-profit organization that finds homes for all its feline friends. The cats the organization traps in the region are neutered, vaccinated and returned to where they are found. If the area they are trapped isn’t suitable, the organization tries to find homes or relocate them.

The cats that aren’t suited for a traditional indoor home will be placed in the Jobs4Cats program.

Kristi Vogel of the Port Colborne Feline Initiative hopes to have those cats adopted by people who have rural properties.

“They might want a hardworking cat that will help them out in many different ways — providing environmentally friendly rodent control. There are all different things that cats can do and they work for their supper,” Vogel said.

The individual or family adopting their working cat should provide water, food and shelter as payment for their cat’s hard work Vogel said. There are currently six cats ready for adoption.

“They are ready to perform and are asking for the chance to be interviewed and are ready to work.”

The non-profit has enrolled close to 1,300 cats and kittens to date . Vogel said she’s seen a difference. The organization is breaking the cycle of reproduction, where cats are living on the streets.

The Welland Humane Society works with the Feline Initiative by assisting in the adoption process.

“We get comments from people all the time, `Gee I just don`t see the number of stray cats roaming around,’” Vogel said.

Although the barn cat program isn’t a new idea, Vogel said it’s all in the way you market it.

You have to “make it appealing to the public and get the word out there,” she said about the program.

“There are so many groups out there that are trying to assist this problem, so we are certainly not unique in this way. What I feel our strengths are is we offer a number of different programs and we focus on one community, because resources are slim.”

The Port Colborne Feline Initiative is also looking for a new building. They currently work out of volunteers’ houses and a trailer. Vogel said they have outgrown the trailer and are looking for someone in the community who has a building they could use.

Lamp Runs on Human Blood

by Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer | October 01, 2009 02:06pm ET



What if, every time you wanted to switch on a light, you had to bleed? Would you think twice before illuminating the room, and in turn, using up energy?

That's the idea behind the blood lamp, invented by Mike Thomspon, an English designer based in The Netherlands. The lamp contains luminol – the same chemical forensic scientists use to check for traces of blood at a crime scence. Luminol reacts with the iron in red blood cells and creates a bright blue glow.
To use the lamp, you first need to mix in an activating powder. Then, you break the glass, cut yourself, and drip blood into the opening.

Thompson came up with the rather gruesome idea, reported by New Scientist recently, a few years ago while he was studying for his masters at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He was researching chemical energy for a project and came across luminol.


"It kind of triggered this thought in my mind, that if energy somehow came at a cost to us, then maybe it would make us think differently about the way we use it," Thompson told LiveScience. The lamp is intended to "challenge people's preconceived notions about where our energy comes from," he said, and it forces the user "to rethink how wasteful they are with energy, and how precious it is."

And the fact that it is a single-use light makes its application all the more meaningful.

"You have to really decide when to use this lamp because it's only going to work once," Thompson said. "So it makes it kind of a poignant moment."

Thompson designed and produced the lamp in 2007, and made a video of his project this year.

Sorry to hear of your cancer, hopefully things will get sorted out soon , your family sounds like a good support for you and keep updating how things are going.

My 12 year old and I watched a bit of this youtube video

First Ring System Around Asteroid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X7PTBhGXi8

Neat, they are probably meteors.

http://www.amsmeteors.org/

Happy Birthday