Dubai Creating Vertical Farm

After trying to make a cool beach, Dubai once again did a remarkable innovation in the building contractor. As we all know Dubai is rich with oil but if you talk about water and agriculture, of course Dubai in not great place.

For that Dubai to build the farm in a vertical position in the building called "Vertical Farm". And an architectural firm and building contractor from Italy, Studiomobile will help this "weird" project .

 The building which shaped like a plant would use sea water for two purposes: one to cool the air inside the building and converting sea water into normal water to be used for watering the plants inside it. The air going into the building will be cooled with the help of sea water and air that there will also be condensed so that it will transform the air into the water. And this water to be used for watering plants.

 With projects and investments like this, we're just worried that the price of one kilogram of cassava may be same as LCD TV / Plasma price.

Winter Solstice - First Day Winter

The winter solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet is farthest away from its star, depending on the polar hemisphere of reference. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our Sun during a solstice is 23° 26'.

More evidently from high latitudes, a hemisphere's winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest.

Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, other terms are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as midwinter, the longest night or the first day of winter.

The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice usually occurs on Dec. 21 or 22 each year in the Northern Hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

The solstice itself may have been a special moment of the annual cycle of the year even during neolithic times. Astronomical events, which during ancient times controlled the mating of animals, sowing of crops and metering of winter reserves between harvests, show how various cultural mythologies and traditions have arisen.

This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites such as Stonehenge in Britain and Newgrange in Ireland. The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunrise (Newgrange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge).

Significant in respect of Stonehenge is the fact that the Great Trilithon was erected outwards from the centre of the monument, i.e., its smooth flat face was turned towards the midwinter Sun.

The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between January and April, also known as the famine months.

In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available.

The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve.

Since the event is seen as the reversal of the Sun's ebbing presence in the sky, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common and, in cultures using winter solstitially based cyclic calendars, the year as reborn has been celebrated with regard to life-death-rebirth deities or new beginnings such as Hogmanay's redding, a New Year cleaning tradition. In Greek mythology, the gods and goddesses met on the winter and summer solstice, and Hades is permitt.

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Total Lunar Eclipse June 2011

Interesting events in the sky occurred on Thursday, June 16, 2011 early this morning: a total lunar eclipse. This phenomenon can be seeing all over in Indonesia. In Jakarta, for example, clear skies make the total lunar eclipse visible with the naked eye.

Total lunar eclipse that occurred early this morning, including special. The longest in this year. Previously, a research professor of astronomy and astrophysics from the Institute of Aviation and Space Agency, Thomas Djamaluddin said the total lunar eclipse duration ranging from partial lunar eclipse start to finish, 3 hours 20 minutes, i.e. from at 1:22 am - 5:02 am.

Djamal added, the duration was longer than the total lunar eclipse will also occur on December 10, 2011.

Apart from enjoying the interesting natural phenomena, total lunar eclipse is an opportunity to know the quality of the upper atmosphere (stratosphere above 5,000 meters from earth's surface) which may have been 'contaminated' by the accumulation of volcanic dust.

The reason is volcanic dust that reached the upper atmosphere, can last for years. For example, the Mount Pinatubo eruption that occurred in 1991 and took hundreds people killed, volcanic dust last up to two years.

Djamal said the quality of the atmosphere could be measured by looking at the brightness of the color line between the shadows of the earth with the light of the moon. When the color of moonlight looks bright and firm, then the quality of the atmosphere is better. However, if the color is darker, the atmosphere qualities are worse.

Djamal said after of Mount Tambora eruption in 1815 that killed about 100 thousand people, a layer of earth’s atmosphere covered with volcanic ash until some time so that when the total lunar eclipse, the line between the shadow of the earth with the light of the moon dark and diffuse.

Corpse Flower - Giant Stinky Flower from Sumatra

Another giant flower known by the public beside Rafflesia Arnoldii is corpse flower / Titan Arum (Amorphpophallus titanium). This species is endemic only grow in the Sumatra forest area.

Different from Rafflesia, titan arum corpse flower is creamy on the outside and on the rise. Meanwhile, purplish red crown. Current Overview looks like blooming trumpet flower. When the Rafflesia is only widening, corpse flower grow vertically. Corpse flower Amorphophallus titanium species can reach about 4 m in height with a diameter of 1.5 m.

These corpse flower including Araceae plants. It is a plant with greatest flowers in the world. Unlike the Rafflesia cannot grow in other areas, corpse flower can be cultivated at botanical gardens. When Rafflesia becomes parasite in plant propagation, corpse flower grow on their own roots.

This corpse flower has two phases in his life that appeared alternately and continuously, i.e. vegetative and generative phase. In the vegetative phase, above the bulb will appear single stem and leaf glance similar to the papaya tree. The tree could reach 6 m in height. After several years, the generative organs will wither unless the tuber. If the environment support and tubers qualify this tree will be replaced with the growth of corpse flowers. The growth of the flower that replaces the withered tree is a generative phase of this plant.

New flowers can grow when the tuber has at least 4 kg weight. When the food reserves in the tuber less or not reached of 4 kg weight, the withered tree would be replaced by new trees.

In addition, the corpse flower is the married one and photogene plant, where the female flowers receptive first, then followed by male flowers cook, as a mechanism to prevent self-pollination. The stink from corpse flower, such as the Rafflesia, serves to attract beetles and flies for flowers pollinators. After the flowering period (approximately 7 days) passes, corpse flowers will wilt. In addition, going back through the cycle, returning to the vegetative phase, this will grow new trees on the former corpse flower bulbs.

When corpse flower flowering occurs during fertilization, it will form a red colored fruit with seeds on the former base of the flower. These seeds can be plant tree in the vegetative phase. These seeds are now cultivated and becomes collection at houston  museum of natural science.

Solar Flare 2011

Solar Flares Could Cripple Earth's Tech Infrastructure in 2013

Basically, if the solar flare were to send a massive shipment of electromagnetic radiation our way, it could knock out the backbone of our digital civilization, taking power grids, satellites and other communications systems offline for hours, possibly even days

This week's solar flare will likely go unnoticed by most people on Earth, but NASA says that might not be the case two years from now, when a peak in solar activity could cause trillions of dollars in damage to our high-tech infrastructure.

The sun released a huge solar flare Tuesday, shooting a bunch of radiation in our direction. While the Earth isn't expected to take a direct hit from the flare, it could rub up against the planet's electromagnetic field on Thursday, possibly disrupting radio and satellite transmissions, not to mention creating some spectacular auroral light displays for those in the north.

Solar Flares Could Cripple Earth's Tech Infrastructure in 2013. Solar weather runs in cycles, and the current cycle is expected to peak in 2013.NASA is calling the flare medium-sized and the biggest one seen in the last five years, but it's nothing compared to something called the "Carrington Event" in 1859, a huge solar flare that set telegraph machines on fire and produced an auroral glow in many parts of the world bright enough to read by. Even when telegraph operators disconnected their batteries, "aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted," according to a NASA historical account.

Solar weather runs in cycles, and the current cycle is expected to peak in 2013, and it's during that time that we're most likely to see something like the Carrington Event. Only problem is that if such an event happened today, it would cause much, much more damage than it did in the 19th century.

"The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity," Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division, said last year. "At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms."

Basically, if the solar flare were to send a massive shipment of electromagnetic radiation our way, it could knock out the backbone of our digital civilization, taking power grids, satellites and other communications systems offline for hours, possibly even days. There's also the possibility for damage to that infrastructure that could run into the trillions of dollars.

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Google Mars

We have heard of so many stories about Mars being a place to live like earth. The planet where civilization of aliens exist. But as far as we are all concerned.. NASA wasn’t clear yet on proving those stories and discoveries were right.

Now, another story had rocked the science world right now. The so called “breakthrough discovery” of David Martines, a self-described “armchair astronaut”. He claims to have found a base on the planet Mars using a satellite imaging map (which by the way is the Google Mars), and he thinks that the base could have been made by aliens. He says the 750′-by-150′ cylinder-like structure looks like were made for people to inhabit.

He called it Bio Station Alpha. According to him, the ’structure’ as a living quarters has red and blue stripes on it, and to those with untrained eye it will only looks nothing more than a white sludge on an otherwise unblemished red landscape. He even lists the co-ordinates 49′19.73″N 29 33′06.53″W so others can go see the anomaly for themselves.

However, experts says that the image was most likely caused by “cosmic energy” interfering with the cameras and not by aliens. According to Alfred McEwen a planetary geologist at the University of Arizona as he told Space.com that this cosmic energy or rays are emitted by the SUN and other stars and it doesn’t make it to earth beacause of our planet’s magnetosphere. But, accordingly if space images were taken outside the magnetosphere, such as those taken by orbiting telescopes, it’s very common to see these cosmic ray hits and you see them on optical images and a lot of the infrared images too.

Mr. Martines might have some point, those experts who opposes him might also have some point. All this news and informations where for us to believe or not. What matters most is that life beyond our Earth may truly exist as God of the Universe do wonders beyond our reach.

David Martines' Bio Station Alpha on Mars

Chile Volcano

Chile volcano forces Argentinian airport closure

Ash and gas continue to billow from the Chilean volcano that erupted violently on Saturday

Ash and gas continue to billow from the Chilean volcano that erupted violently on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of more than 3,500 people living nearby and forcing the cancellation of flights.

A column of gas six miles high and three miles wide rose from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle complex, according to Chile's national geology and mining service. There were no reports of injuries from the eruption.

Rodrigo Ubilla, Chile's undersecretary of labour, said some people near the volcano had decided not to leave their homes because they did not want to abandon their animals.

Wind carried ash across the Andes to Argentina, dusting the tourist town of San Carlos de Bariloche, which closed its airport. Officials urged people to use cover their mouths and noses against the ashand to stay indoors if possible.

The eruption is nearly 620 miles south of Chile's capital, Santiago.

Authorities had put the area on alert on Saturday morning after a flurry of earthquakes, and the eruption began in the afternoon. The National Emergency Office said it had recorded an average of 230 tremors an hour.

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