wednesday, november 12, 2003
news
the university daily kansan 5A
Solar flares could return in days
By Kevin Kampwirth
kkampwirth@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Spectacular explosions on the surface of the sun that have been active lately could reappear as early as tomorrow.
The explosions, known as solar flares, develop in sunspots, which are Earth-sized areas of the sun that are particularly high in electromagnetic energy.
The three giant sunspots where the flares have been active are on the far side of the sun, but the 27-day rotation of the sun is carrying them back toward Earth's sight.
The flares pose no direct threat to people on Earth, but they can knock out satellite communications and disrupt flow of electricity along power lines.
Activity from the recent flares have affected some cellular phone and high-speed Internet services in the Lawrence area, but no major problems have been reported.
Stephen Evans, professor of English, said that his high-speed Internet service at his home was down for more than an hour last week.
"It was strange because the screen was just frozen when I tried to use the Internet," he said.
Evans said the technician who came out to fix the problem told him the high solar activity was causing the outages.
The solar flares in late October and early November were among some of the largest ever recorded and at their most volatile since 1940, according to the Space Environment Center at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
On Nov.4, a solar flare erupted that measured in the "X20 plus" range, the most extreme rating a flare can receive, and was one of the most intense flares ever recorded.
"These flares really develop pretty quickly," said Thomas Cravens, professor of physics and astronomy. "And when they erupt, the explosion can be brighter than the entire sun."
The flare, about 15 times the size of Earth, lifted off the sun and traveled toward Earth at more than 1,000,000 miles per hour. Unlike actual light and radiation from the sun, which take only eight minutes to reach Earth, when the flares lift off the sun, it takes several days for the energy to reach us.
Despite their propensity to be destructive, the flares aren't completely negative.
When the flares were at their peak, the auroras, typically only visible in Northern regions, were visible last week in mid-central Kansas and as far south as Texas
When solar flares are active they create auroras, commonly known as the Northern Lights Cravens said.
The collision of the energy emitted from the flares with oxygen atoms in the Earth's atmosphere produce blue, red and yellow-green colors in the sky.
"It would have been great if they were visible in Lawrence," Cravens said. "It's a beautiful sight."
Edited by Ehren Meditz
Nation
New York photographer sues 50 Cent and label
NEW YORK- 50 Cent and his record label have been sued for $21 million by a New York Post photographer who claims the rapper's bodyguards attacked him.
James Alcorn alleges in a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court that he was "assaulted and battered" by seven bodyguards Aug. 27 while photographing 50 Cent, who was shopping in the diamond district.
With the 27-year-old rapper looking on, the unidentified men allegedly slammed Alcorn down on the sidewalk, then loomed over him as he snapped a photo of them. Alcorn claims he suffered neck and jaw injuries.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, accuses 50 Cent and Interscope of "not exercising reasonable care and diligence in the employment" of the bodyguards.
The Associated Press
The incident was being investigated as a possible misdemeanor assault, a police spokesman, Sgt. Kevin Hayes, said Tuesday. A call to 50 Cent's spokeswoman at Interscope Records wasn't immediately returned.
Better holiday spending predicted for retailers
NEW YORK — Amid growing optimism that the holiday season will be cheerier than a year ago, two major retailers, J.C. Penney Co. and May Department Stores Co., reported third-quarter profits that beat Wall Street projections.
Penney said Tuesday that its net income fell 35 percent in the August-October period, dragged down by disappointing results from its Eckerd drugstore division, though its department store business saw improvement. Its results still beat analysts" expectations.
Meanwhile, May's earnings nearly tripled over the same period last year, bolstered by cost savings from its divestiture of 34 underperforming stores. Merrill Lynch projected a rosiest view of the holiday season yesterday, upgrading nine major retail companies, including department stores and mall-based apparel chains, to a "buy" rating, citing potential earnings surprises and improving sales.
The Associated Press
Actor gets stitches after violent domestic dispute
LAS VEGAS —Actor Christian Slater received stitches for a cut on his head and his wife, Ryan Haddon, was arrested after she was accused of hitting him with a drinking glass during a fight in their Las Vegas hotel room, a spokeswoman for the actor said.
Slater, 34, was treated at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas, where a hospital spokeswoman said she could release no information.
Spokeswoman Kelly Bush said the actor received nine stitches after the Monday scuffle at the Hard Rock hotel-casino, not 20 stitches as police initially reported.
She was released without bail late Monday, after a mandatory 12-hour detention, Bush said.
Haddon, a television producer, was taken to the Clark County jail on a midmeanear battery charge, said Las Vegas police Lt. Juanita Goode.
The couple married in February 2000. Stater is the star of movies such as Broken Arrow and 3000 Miles to Graceland.
- The Associated Press
Sex abuse survey to scrutinize clergy
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The leader of a watchdog panel appointed by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops said yesterday she expected all dioceses to answer an unprecedented survey on clergy sex abuse that top church officials warn would produce results that "add to our own sorrow."
Anne Burke, an Illinois appellate judge who is acting chairwoman of the National Review Board, said about 80 percent of U.S. dioceses had responded by mid-September, a response rate she said was remarkable for such a complex report.
The study will count the number of abuse cases since 1950 and calculate related costs for legal settlements with victims, therapy for victims and offenders and attorneys fees.
When the survey was announced, some bishops expressed concern that information might be used in civil lawsuits against the church and worried about confidentiality for priests included in the study.
It was feared some bishops might not participate because of those concerns, but Burke said she expected in the end all would participate.
Burke's progress report was made during the bishops' national meeting.
The 12-member panel is helping oversee several studies meant to find the extent of abuse in the church and the roots of the crisis that erupted in January 2002.
A report on the causes of the scandal is scheduled to be
released along with the statistical survey, which is being conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
The board also is working with the bishops' newly created Office of Child and Youth Protection on audits of all 195 U.S. dioceses.
Investigators are reviewing whether officials are complying with the church's toughened discipline policy on guilty priests. The audit results are scheduled to be released Jan. 6.
William Burleigh, a member of the review board, told the bishops that the panel had worked to maintain its independence from the bishops as it oversaw the reviews.
"In adopting this posture, we hope we are not seen by you as hostile or untrustworthy. Nothing could be further from the truth," said Burleigh, board chairman and former chief executive officer of E.W. Scripps Co. "As a board we are united by our love for the church and a burning desire to see her wounds healed."
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests questioned whether the audits would be truly independent, since investigators are relying on information provided by dioceses.
"In essence, the bishops have drawn up the rules of the game, hired the umpires, and are now declaring they're winning," said Terrie Light, a SNAP leader from San Francisco. "Fundamentally, it's still voluntary self-reporting, so we urge caution in interpreting any results."
LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY PRESENTS
( THE ELIXIR OF LOVE )
STARRING NATHAN GRANNER of the American Tenors
BY GAETANG DONIZETTI
Performed in Italian with
the lead English Tours
TICKETS
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816. 471.7344
CALL
Student Rush $5.00 one hour prior to curtain, with ID.
NOV. 8 8:00 P.M. SATURDAY
In recognition of Sprint Foundation
www.kcopera.org
NOV. 10 7:30 P.M. MONDAY
Bank of America
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NOV. 14 8:00 P.M. FRIDAY
Sponsored by Historic Sites of America
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The 2nd Annual Career Development Conference: Marketing: Everyday, Every Business
November 21 at the Kansas Union from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
All majors and levels are welcome.
Enhance your public speaking skills, meet professionals and check out internship and job opportunities.
Applications due by Nov. 14th! Cost is free.
For more info and to register.
go to www.ku.edu/~ama/cdcreg.sbhtml or email pwong@ku.edu
Upcoming Events 03
suaevents.com
Poetry Slam
Poetry Slam
8:00 PM. ////
Sign up on site to perform
Afternoon TEA
3-4 PM.
American Wedding
7 & 9:30 PM.
Italy Exhibit Reception 5 - 7 PM. (XIII)
American Wedding
7 & 9:30 PM.
Sat
15
College Bowl
9:00 AM, Kansas Union
Committee meetings
5. 6.7 PM Check suaeevents.com for specific times and locations.
Event Locations
Woodruff Auditorium, Level 5, Kansas Union
Hawks Nest, Level 1, Kansas Union
Kansas Union Lobby, Level 4, Kansas Union
Kansas Union Ballroom, Level 5, Kansas Union
Kansas Union Gallery, Level 4, Kansas Union
All tickets for movies are $4.00 at the Hawk Shop, Level 4. Kansas
Union or free with an SUA Movie Card
Questions about these or other SUA events? Check suaevents.com or call the SUA Office at 864 - SHOW.
student union activities • The University of Kansas Level 4,Kansas Union • 785-864-SHOW • suaevents.com
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