Disappearance of geysers from Jupiter's Europa moon leaves scientists baffled

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In December 2013 the Hubble telescope spotted water vapour above Europa But follow-up observations have failed to make the same observation The vapour was thought to be a sign of plumes of liquid on the surface Their disappearance is a mystery and several theories have been proposed Dr Retherford tells Space.com that it is likely just due to suitable conditions not being present at the time of the repeated observations But it could more worryingly be that the initial observation was incorrect

By Jonathan O'Callaghan for MailOnline

Published: 11:44 EST, 5 September 2014 | Updated: 14:48 EST, 5 September 2014

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It has been suggested that geysers spurting out of Jupiters moon Europa may be an opportunity to spot alien life originating beneath the surface.

This was based on observations by the Hubble Space Telescope in December 2013 that saw water vapour being ejected from the moon, lending evidence to the existence of jets.

But now scientists are somewhat baffled as they have been unable to explain why follow-up observations have failed to spot the same geysers.

In December 2013 the Hubble telescope spotted water vapour above Europa. But follow-up observations have failed to make the same observation. The vapour was thought to be a sign of plumes of liquid on the surface (illustration shown). Their disappearance is a mystery and several theories have been proposed

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Disappearance of geysers from Jupiter's Europa moon leaves scientists baffled

Poroshenko Meets NATO Leaders: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and NATO leaders at Summit – Video

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Poroshenko Meets NATO Leaders: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and NATO leaders at Summit
The NATO Summit in Cardiff, Wales, focuses heavily on security in Eastern Europe as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Check out our website: http://ua...

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Poroshenko Meets NATO Leaders: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and NATO leaders at Summit - Video

NATO Protest at Cardiff Castle South Wales Luxury Dinner Arrests Made Cardiff Lockdown 04/09/2014 – Video

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NATO Protest at Cardiff Castle South Wales Luxury Dinner Arrests Made Cardiff Lockdown 04/09/2014
NATO protest at Cardiff castle, South Wales on the 4th of September 2014. This is just a simple little montage of the protest. Best part 1:21 Enjoy! To be fair though, a considerable amount...

By: RLO7RYAN

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NATO Protest at Cardiff Castle South Wales Luxury Dinner Arrests Made Cardiff Lockdown 04/09/2014 - Video

Meet the shadowy tech brokers that deliver your data to the NSA

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Summary: These so-called "trusted third-parties" may be the most important tech companies you've never heard of. ZDNet reveals how these companies work as middlemen or "brokers" of customer data between ISPs and phone companies, and the U.S. government.

NEW YORK Picture two federal agents knocking at your door, ready to serve you a top secret order from the U.S. government, demanding that you hand over every shred of data you own from usernames and passwords, phone records, emails, and social networking and credit card data.

You can't tell anyone, and your only viable option is to comply.

For some U.S. Internet service providers (ISP) and phone companies, this scenario happens and often. Just one ISP hit by a broad-ranging warrant has the potential to affect the privacy of millions of Americans.

But when one Atlanta, Georgia-based Internet provider was served a top-secret data request, there wasn't a suited-and-booted federal agent in sight.

Why? Because the order was served on a so-called "trusted third-party," which handles the request, served fresh from the secretive Washington D.C.-based Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court. With permission from their ISP customers, these third-parties discreetly wiretap their networks at the behest of law enforcement agencies, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and even intelligence agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA).

By implementing these government data requests with precision and accuracy, trusted third-parties like Neustar, Subsentio, and Yaana can turn reasonable profits for their services.

Little is known about these types of companies, which act as outsourced data brokers between small and major U.S. ISPs and phone companies, and the federal government. Under the 1994 law, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), any company considered a "communications provider" has to allow government agencies access when a valid court order is served. No matter how big or small, even companies whose legal and financial resources are limited do not escape federal wiretapping laws.

On a typical day, these trusted third-parties can handle anything from subpoenas to search warrants and court orders, demanding the transfer of a person's data to law enforcement. They are also cleared to work with classified and highly secretive FISA warrants. A single FISA order can be wide enough to force a company to turn over its entire store of customer data.

For Cbeyond, a Nasdaq stock exchange-listed ISP based in Atlanta, Georgia, data requests can be put almost entirely out of mind. The company generates more than $450 million in revenue each year and serves more than 50,000 business customers primarily small to medium-sized companies in more than a dozen U.S. states.

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Meet the shadowy tech brokers that deliver your data to the NSA

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Kansas Supreme Court: Grand jury violated man's Fifth Amendment rights

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The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld a Wyandotte County district court's dismissal of indictments against an attorney for the Board of Public Utilities of Kansas City, Kan.

The high court overturned a Court of Appeals reversal, agreeing with the district court that Robert Turner's constitutional right against self-incrimination had been violated during the grand jury proceedings.

A citizen-called grand jury in 2008 indicted Turner on two counts of theft and 55 counts of presenting a false claim, which was based on nonitemized vouchers totaling about $400,000 he submitted for work he did for BPU.

The grand jury had been called to look into allegations of misappropriation of public funds by directors of BPU, an arm of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County.

It was during testimony before the grand jury that William Delaney a special agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation who was assigned to serve as the investigator for the grand jury made repeated suggestions that Turner was somehow involved in the 1989 unsolved murder of Chuck Thompson, a Kansas City, Kan., politician and lawyer.

Delaney told jurors he had been investigating the case for years, and that he would be asking questions of people he thought were involved during the BPU probe.

The grand jury subpoenaed Turner, who gave notice in advance that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Delaney questioned him anyway, asking questions related not just to the BPU probe but also the Thompson murder. Turner, court records show, addressed about 100 or more questions by invoking his right against self-incrimination.

The district court, on appeal, ruled that Delaney's continual leading questioning and remarks to jurors suggesting that Turner's silence meant he had something to hide were prejudicial to Turner, and dismissed the indictments.

The Court of Appeals overturned the decision, saying a person can be compelled to appear before a grand jury and be asked questions to which he can invoke constitutional protections on a question-by-question basis. The appeals court said Turner had not demonstrated that he was prejudiced by Delaney's methods.

The Supreme Court disagreed.

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Kansas Supreme Court: Grand jury violated man's Fifth Amendment rights

Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Going On This Weekend

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Simmons Sporting Goods says people are flooding their store to take advantage of the Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday.

Lindsey Simmons Roberts, ofSimmons Sporting Goods, says,"Its a great opportunity for hunters to come in an get everything they need for the year. We have ten percent tax in Bastrop, so that is ten percent savings."

Although the right to bear arms is in the name,hunters can save some money on more than just guns. A wide variety of hunting gear is exempt from local and state sales tax includingsome clothing, archery supplies and ammunition.

"I got some waders for duck hunting season. I may get some shot gun shells and maybe some articles of clothing," says hunter, Kyle Acklin.

Another hunter, Bimbo West, says,"It saves a lot of money when you buy your larger priced items like shotguns, bows, decoys, high end jackets and things like that. You can come and save quite a bit of money."

Many hunters say they typically get their equipment for the year during the sales tax weekend.

During such a tough economy hunters say its important to take advantage of the sales tax weekend, especially when buying high ticket items such as guns.

"Times are tough. The economy isn't that great, so anytime you can save a buck it helps," says West.

Simmons Sporting Goods says they have already seen an increase this year in the number of people buying hunting gear.

"Every year it continues to get bigger. We are busier and there are more people. We have people coming from other states. We plan on this weekend being even bigger than last year," says Simmons Roberts.

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Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Going On This Weekend

East Texas adults react to book 'My Parents Open Carry'

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LONGVIEW, TX (KLTV) -

A little known children's book, which could have easily disappeared from store shelves, is making a comeback, in spite of a controversial target audience.

The children's book is entitled My Parents Open Carry, and tells the story of parents trying to explain to their child why they openly carry guns, and why the second amendment is important.

Late night talk show hosts have found plenty of fodder for discussion because of the book.

Written by two Michigan authors, My Parents Open Carry, is a book that supports second amendment rights, but not everyone thinks the message is presented properly.

"It kind of shocked me at first. I don't think it's appropriate for that age group of child," says gun rights supporter Waymon Strong.

The story depicts a girl's parents as openly carrying sidearms everywhere they go for protection.

LeTourneau University professor Kathy Stephens says politically charged children's books are nothing new.

"I see it more often where adults want to push their agenda on children. And they do it through children's books. It is something that we see in school classrooms periodically," she says.

When political hosts began knocking the book, sales dramatically increased.

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East Texas adults react to book 'My Parents Open Carry'