Solar storm sparks dazzling northern lights!

It was part of the strongest solar storm in years!


A storm from the broiling sun turned the chilly northernmost skies of Earth into an ever-changing and awe-provoking art show of northern lights on Tuesday.

Even experienced stargazers were stunned by the intensity of the aurora borealis that swept across the night sky in northern Scandinavia after the biggest solar flare in six years.


"It has been absolutely incredible," British astronomer John Mason cried from the deck of the MS Midnatsol, a cruise ship plying the fjord-fringed coast of northern Norway.

"I saw my first aurora 40 years ago, and this is one of the best," Mason told The Associated Press, his voice nearly drowning in the cheers of awe-struck fellow passengers.

U.S. space weather experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday evening that so far they had heard of no problems from the storm that triggered the auroras, which made it as far south as Wales, where the weather often doesn't cooperate with good viewing.

It was part of the strongest solar storm in years, but the sun is likely to get even more active in the next few months and years, said physicist Doug Biesecker at the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.

"To me this was a wake up call. The sun is reminding us that solar max is approaching," Biesecker said. "A lot worse is in store for us. We hope that you guys are paying attention. I would say we passed with flying colors."

Even before particles from the solar storm reached the Earth on Tuesday, a different aurora Monday night was dancing across the sky as far south as Ireland and England, where people rarely get a chance to catch the stunning light show.

Those northern lights were likely just variations in normal background solar wind, not the solar storm that erupted Sunday, Biesecker said.

Tuesday's colorful display may not have moved that far south, limiting its audience, but those who got to see it got brilliance in the sky that had not been around for years.

"It was the biggest northern lights I've seen in the five-six years that I've worked here," said Andreas Hermansson, a tour guide at the Ice Hotel in the Swedish town of Jukkasjarvi, above the Arctic Circle.

He was leading a group of tourists on a bus tour in the area when a green glow that had lingered in the sky for much of the evening virtually exploded into a spectacle of colors around 10:15 p.m.

"We stopped the bus. And suddenly it was just this gigantic display of dancing lights and Technicolor," said Michele Cahill, an Irish psychologist, who was on the tour. "It was an absolutely awesome display. It went on for over an hour. Literally one would have to lie on the ground to capture it all."

But in -30 degrees F (-35 C), that didn't seem like a good idea.

An aurora appears when a magnetic solar wind slams into the Earth's magnetic field, exciting electrons of oxygen and nitrogen.

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Brooke's Blossoms in Honor of Brooke Hester!

Brooke Elizabeth Hester is fighting back! 

This strong and brave little girl is fighting Cancer~Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. She has a wonderful and very supportive family as well as millions of friends that love her very much. Brooke is 4 years old and loves pink, ponies, cats and dogs, and dinosaurs. She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She has had to under go many tests and treatments including sonograms, nuclear scans and MRI/MRUs. Tests have shown a large tumor is in her abdomen pressing on her left kidney, spine, and internal organs. The prognosis is not good, but there have been advances for neurblastoma in the last few years. The cancer is also in her bone marrow, so she has a long battle ahead. For more information go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brookehester/mystory.

Her family is armed with prayer warriors, friends and family ready to help pull her through this, but financially, they face many days away from home and travelling to MD Anderson in her "road map" of cancer treatment for the mass and bone marrow. There is a great need for financial support during this journey and many ways you can help. 

The family has set up a special donation account for Brooke if you are working on a fundraiser or just want to make a charitable contribution. It is through Wells Fargo, and anyone, anywhere can go to any branch and just request to give to the "Brooke Hester Donation Fund."

There is also a campaign on Facebook as a Fundrazr drive at: http://bit.ly/gATd5I

The family has a very strong faith, and know how much the power of prayer works miracles. Please pray for Brook a very sweet, sweet girl.

Brooke's Blossoms 

Brooke's Blossoms is a new service to help supply the beautiful little girls battling cancer and have lost the hair with Headbands & Hats with dolled up with Flowers, Bows, Feathers, & Bling. Anything to make them feel special and let there Diva Shine! This is all in Honor of Brooke Hester and the exciting part is she is getting to help Distribute them!!!!

There are several ways you can help. You can contribute with supplies for the Blossoms, messages for the Girls or a Monetary donation to go towards supplies. However you would like!! Contact Sunnie Joe Stewart for details.sunnie_stewart@yahoo.com

Sunnie Jo Stewart
PO Box 450
Kingsville, TX 78364

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and

He will make your path straight.

Proverbs 3:5

http://www.brookefightsback.org/index.html

http://www.brookefightsback.org/blossoms.html

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/BrookeHester/journal

The 39th Anniversary Of Roe Vs. Wade!

1/22/73 U.S. Supreme Court confirmed freedom of choice!

At the time, the Supreme Court recognized the inherent right to privacy for women, an urgent issue given that women were dying in emergency rooms across the country from self-induced abortions.

But today, women across the nation are disturbed to see a set of politicians doing everything they can to undermine this landmark decision that has stood as a critical safeguard for women's health for four decades. 

The best way to reduce the need for abortion is to reduce unintended pregnancy. But in the U.S., politicians are also increasingly putting up roadblocks to access preventive care, including the birth control that helps women avoid unintended pregnancy. In fact, in the past year, the House of Representatives and extreme state legislatures have worked to cut many women off from access to birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings for breast and cervical cancer. 

The number one prescription drug for women ages 18-44 years, the average women pays $50 a month for birth control. This is an obvious barrier to access, particularly for low-income women and students. Reproductive rights are a fundamental aspect of women’s economic equality,

When women have access to preventive care --including birth control, breast exams, and pap smears -- it is good for women, good for their families, and good for America. 

Last month, women's health advocates said they would sue the US government for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of young teenage girls by denying them over-the-counter access to emergency contraception.

The US secretary of health and human services, Kathleen Sebelius, stepped in to bar girls under the age of 17 from getting the morning-after pill without a prescription.

In short, a whole class of elected officials currently in office is dead set on turning back the clock nearly half a century. And another band of them is waiting in the wings ─ with their eyes on the White House.

Opposing Roe and essential women's health care isn't just bad policy -- it's bad politics. That's because Americans agree with the protection that Roe provides. Polling consistently reaffirms that a majority of Americans support a woman's right to make her own decisions about pregnancy in consultation with her doctor and her family. Politicians who oppose this firmly held notion are swimming against the tide, putting themselves outside the mainstream. 

Pres. Obama on Sunday marked the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion by affirming his backing for the right, for decades one of America's most polarizing issues.

"As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman's health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters, I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right."

We must continue to raise those voices and keep the pressure on. Every day, from now through November, we need to remind politicians that women are watching.

We see what they are doing. We hear what they are saying. And we vote.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Beautiful & Bald Barbie Facebook Campaign!

Bald Barbie Supports Children With Cancer!

Barbie is just shy of 53 years old. She’s survived the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, both wars with Iraq and has managed to outlast 10 U.S. Presidents. But she might have just met her match with two cancer survivors. 

Jane Bingham and Rebecca Sypin have started an online movement on Facebook requesting Mattel Inc. to create a "Bald Barbie" as a role model for young girls going through chemotherapy or suffering from hair loss conditions such as alopecia.  

Why? Cancer has touched both women's lives – Bingham has lymphoma and Sypin’s 12-year-old daughter has leukemia. The friends recognized hair loss was a difficult aspect of cancer treatment, especially for females. A bald doll would reassure girls going through chemotherapy and radiation, as well as reassure girls who experience hair loss because of other disorders. The doll would help them feel beautiful and accepted, according to Sypin and Bingham. In addition, they feel a bald Barbie would raise awareness of children's cancer.

The women, who live on opposite coasts of the U.S., started a Facebook page, “Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made.” The page has garnered over 120, 000 “likes” since the page's advent at Christmas time. Supporters worldwide have added comments, mostly in support, of a bald Barbie. Many of the comments are from childhood cancer survivors who say they would have loved a doll like the proposed Barbie when they were going through treatment. Parents of children with cancer have posted pictures on the page of their beautiful – and bald – daughters asking Mattel to consider creating the doll. A petition in support of the doll is featured on the social change website Change.org and the story has spread to mainstream news organizations.

Interestingly, Mattel created a one-of-a-kind bald Barbie doll for a little girl, Genesis Reyes, in 2011. “Princess Genesis” was made for the 4-year-old girl at the request of a friend of wife of Mattel's chief executive. But, Mattel seems to have broken the mold with Princess Genesis, and so far, has not bowed to the pressure of the social media movement. In statements, the company said they were honored Barbie was being considered as a potential role model for children with cancer, but “Mattel doesn't accept ideas from outside sources.”

Really, Mattel? Certainly a multi-billion dollar company could produce a limited run of the dolls, with a portion of the proceeds donated to childhood cancer organizations. Barbie has had so many incarnations over the years-NASCAR driver, astronaut, Totally Tattoos Barbie, a presidential candidate Barbie, a Barbie in a wheelchair and haute couture Barbies.

Why not a bald Barbie? While companies often believe creating a special line will dilute their brand, in essence a rare line of dolls would actually increase the value of the Barbie brand. Consumers drive brand appeal – in spite of what companies believe–and a bald Barbie would be a wise move on the part of Mattel.

Bingham, Sypin and their supporters are on to something big with their “Beautiful and Bald Barbie” Facebook page. If social media can act as a catalyst for revolution in other countries, I am sure we might see a bald Barbie on the shelves of our local toy stores sooner than later.

Go to http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie if you want to support the drive.