SUNSPOT 1084

THIS IS FIRST LIGHT ADAPTIVE OPTICS FROM THE NEW SOLAR TELESCOPE (NST) AT THE BIG BEAR SOLAR OBSERVATORY IN CALIFORNIA.

(http://spaceweather.com/)

NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU JAPAN 5.4 DEPTH 288KM (THIS WAS ON LAND)

TONGA 4.5 DEPTH 124.5KM

OFF THE COAST OF OREGON 3.9

GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA CA 2.5

SOUTHERN SAMATRA INDONESIA 5.0

SOUTH SANDWHICH ISLANDS REGION 5.3

NORTHERN PERU 5.1 DEPTH 118KM

Know all those magnetosphere charts Joe posts? Well, this is what Earth looks like when it is getting blasted. "The first solar storm of this cycle hit the Earth early this month, causing it to light up spectacularly." Source: NASA

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/sun-storm-to-hit-with-force-of-100-bombs/story-e6frfro0-1225909999465

GREATER LA AREA CA 2.6

HALMAHERA INDONESIA 5.1

MINDANAO PHILIPPINES 4.6 DEPTH 181KM

A Duck Story You'll Never Forget!

A True Duck Story
Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is
an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story
office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete
awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above
the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the
planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the
eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings
hatched.

Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off
their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water,
which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching.
Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies
to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off.
Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.



The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In
disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled
to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the
cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort nine
more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the
sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was
resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of
sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it
with his bare hands before it hit the concrete. Safe and sound, he set
it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering
from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was
trying to help her babies.)



One by one the babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under the
awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its
free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a
standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining
eight and set them by their approving mother.



At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its
dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic,
crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open
water, the San Antonio River, site of the famed "River Walk." The
on-looking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers
joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies.
They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded
them in the container. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to
see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets
toward the San Antonio River. The mother waddled behind and kept her
babies in sight, all the way.



As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in
the river and quacking loudly. At the water's edge, Michael tipped the
box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting
mother after their adventurous ride.



All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up
snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back
toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.



At last, all present and accounted for: "We're all together again. We're here! We're here!"



And here's a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures...



Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it
alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San
Antonio's famous "River Walk" a whole new meaning!