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NEWS ... GLOBAL NEWS... WEBSITE SERVICE KEEPS TABS The result is a one-stop research site for responsible for the unlikely correspon- ON GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS basic information on key officials. It can dence between solar flares and the Earth's Amores by the prospect of a massive _ be accessed via http://opengov.media. temperature, the research suggests that, for new federal surveillance system, two _mit.edu. the large part, variations in global tempera- researchers at the Massachusetts Institute (Source: Boston Globe, July 4, 2003, tures are beyond our control and are of Technology celebrated the Fourth of — Attp://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/185/busi instead at the mercy of the Sun's activity. July by announcing a new Internet service —_ness/Website_turns_tables_on_government_ (Source: Paper by Nicola Scafetta and that lets citizens create dossiers on govern- _officials+ shtml) Bruce J. West, Physical Review Letters, ment officials. June 20, 2003; release at http://www.aip. The system will start by offering SOLAR FLARE ACTIVITY AFFECTS = org/enews/physnews/2003/split/642-2 himl) standard background information on EARTH'S TEMPERATURE politicians and officials, but then will go recent study by researchers at Duke | USA AIMS TO CONTROL SPACE one bold step further by asking Internet University and the US Army Research lhe United States is planning to take users to submit their own intelligence Office has found new evidence of a link control of parts of space and develop reports on government officials. between solar flare activity and the Earth's _ patrolling military aircraft in orbit as part "It's sort of a citizens' intelligence temperature. The work is another contri- of a revived "Star Wars" proposal for an agency," said Chris Csikszentmihalyi, bution to the ongoing debate over global American military empire above the ozone Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab. warming and its causes. A strong link, if it layer. He and graduate student Ryan McKinley __ exists, between solar flares and our climate According to James Roche, the US Air created the Government Information could override the influence humans have Force Secretary, America's allies would Awareness (GIA) project as a response to _ on the temperature of our environment. have "no veto power" over projects the US government's Total Information One of the challenges of determining the designed to achieve American military Awareness (TIA) program. connection between solar flare activity and _ control of space. Revealed last year, the TIA aims to track the atmosphere stems from the fact that the The key theme of the ambitious plan is possible terrorist activity by analysing vast —_ motion of the air that blankets our planet is described as "negation"—the denial of the amounts of information, including credit turbulent and complex. A sudden burst of — use of space for military intelligence, or card data, stored in government and pri- __ solar activity would, in effect, be smeared _ other purposes, without US endorsement. vate databases. The actions of millions of out by moving air and its interaction with The National Reconnaissance Office people would be analysed in an effort to the Earth's surface. Any temperature (NRO), the intelligence agency that is spot patterns that could indicate terrorist increase caused by a given period of solar responsible for US spy satellites, is to threats. flare activity would be difficult to deter- develop a strategy that ensures America's News of the plan outraged civil libertari- _ mine, at best. allies, as well as its enemies, never gain ans and prompted Congress to set limits on Rather than focus on such challenging —_ access to the same space resources without the scope of such activity. The Defense one-to-one correlations, the new study Washington's permission. Recent propos- Department then renamed the program compares the form of the statistical fluctu- als that have been circulated at Space Terrorist Information Awareness, to ease _ations in solar flare activity with the form | Command and NRO briefings suggest that public concern. of the statistical fluctuations of the Earth's access to "near-Earth space" may be However, the controversy gave temperature. The researchers found that a _ refused to other nations. All GPS satellites McKinley the idea for the GIA project. comparison of the mathematical coeffi- are located within near-Earth space, which "If total information exists," he said, cients that describe the fluctuations shows covers the orbital distance from Earth to "really, the same effort should be spent to that the atmosphere directly inherits its the Moon. make the same information at the leader- _ temperature fluctuations from the variation A fleet of spacecraft will be developed, ship level at least as transparent—in my _ in solar flare activity. designed to attack and destroy future satel- opinion, more transparent." Unless some other underlying cause is lites of enemies and rivals. The rapid- The result is a one-stop research site for basic information on key officials. It can be accessed via http://opengov.media. mit.edu. (Source: Boston Globe, July 4, 2003, http://www .boston.com/dailyglobe2/185/busi ness/Website_turns_tables_on_government_ officials+ shtml) responsible for the unlikely correspon- dence between solar flares and the Earth's temperature, the research suggests that, for the large part, variations in global tempera- tures are beyond our control and are instead at the mercy of the Sun's activity. (Source: Paper by Nicola Scafetta and Bruce J. West, Physical Review Letters, June 20, 2003; release at http://www.aip. org/enews/physnews/2003/split/642-2 html) SOLAR FLARE ACTIVITY AFFECTS EARTH'S TEMPERATURE recent study by researchers at Duke University and the US Army Research Office has found new evidence of a link between solar flare activity and the Earth's temperature. The work is another contri- bution to the ongoing debate over global warming and its causes. A strong link, if it exists, between solar flares and our climate could override the influence humans have on the temperature of our environment. One of the challenges of determining the connection between solar flare activity and the atmosphere stems from the fact that the motion of the air that blankets our planet is turbulent and complex. A sudden burst of solar activity would, in effect, be smeared out by moving air and its interaction with the Earth's surface. Any temperature increase caused by a given period of solar flare activity would be difficult to deter- mine, at best. Rather than focus on such challenging one-to-one correlations, the new study compares the form of the statistical fluctu- ations in solar flare activity with the form of the statistical fluctuations of the Earth's temperature. The researchers found that a comparison of the mathematical coeffi- cients that describe the fluctuations shows that the atmosphere directly inherits its temperature fluctuations from the variation in solar flare activity. Unless some other underlying cause is USA AIMS TO CONTROL SPACE lhe United States is planning to take control of parts of space and develop patrolling military aircraft in orbit as part of a revived "Star Wars" proposal for an American military empire above the ozone layer. According to James Roche, the US Air Force Secretary, America's allies would have "no veto power" over projects designed to achieve American military control of space. The key theme of the ambitious plan is described as "negation" —the denial of the use of space for military intelligence, or other purposes, without US endorsement. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the intelligence agency that is responsible for US spy satellites, is to develop a strategy that ensures America's allies, as well as its enemies, never gain access to the same space resources without Washington's permission. Recent propos- als that have been circulated at Space Command and NRO briefings suggest that access to "near-Earth space" may be refused to other nations. All GPS satellites are located within near-Earth space, which covers the orbital distance from Earth to the Moon. A fleet of spacecraft will be developed, designed to attack and destroy future satel- lites of enemies and rivals. The rapid- WATIOU, 4H NK 4 NEXUS ¢ 7 OC ___ AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2003 www.nexusmagazine.com