The Fourth Wall

2012 and the Solar Maximum

MICHAEL PERSCH Most likely know of the great paranoia that the end of the world will come in 2012 because the Mayan Long Count calendar runs out that year. Many of the theories associated with this claim involve the Sun as a contender for the disaster bringing about our end. Its esti- mated that between 2012 and 2014 the next solar maximum will begin, as part of the Suns usual cycles. In conjunction with Mayan-based paranoia, some have begun to suspect that this increase in solar activity could pose a threat to us. The solar maximum is simply a phase the Sun goes through every twelve years or so. These solar maximums are increased periods of solar flares being emitted from the Suns surface. According to NASA, at the height of the solar maximum there will be up to 90 of these flares per day. Solar flares are typically only responsible for auroras, but have been known to interrupt GPS systems and satellites. Some fear that an atypical solar flare could be hurled at the Earth and do even more damage. For instance, in 1859 a solar flare hit the earth and disrupted telegraphs; some places even reported machinery catching fire. Is this a glimpse of the damage and destruction we can expect to see in the coming years? NASAs scientists feel there is absolutely nothing to worry about from this coming solar maximum. 90 flares per day may sound like a high number, but contextually its fairly low. This phase is expected to be the weakest maximum since 1928, when there were only 78 flares a day. The effects of the last solar maximum, in the early 2000s, went largely unnoticed. GPS systems werent used as widely, cell phones werent as popular, and technology wasnt quite as sophisticated as it is now. Could our increased use of technology, and said technologys reliance on satellites, cause the fall of the digital age? Probably not. Our last solar maximum barely caused a hiccup, and this coming maximum is expected to be even weaker. Despite the increased usage of the internet, satellites, cell phones, and all things technological, NASA is already taking precautions to minimize any interruptions and make sure as little damage as possible is done. Theyre currently monitoring

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than Kims wedding: 1) The NBA lockout, 2) OJs mur- der trail, 3) Titanic's run as the #1 movie at the box office, 4) Kim Kardashians engagement, 5) Martha Stewarts time behind bars, 6) a college semester, 7) The trip in Around the World in 80 Days, and finally 8) Forrest Gumps Cross-Country Run. Now lets talk about the im- portant thing: the money spent. Around $10 million was spent on the Kardashian/Humphries union. Thats about $138,888 a day for the 72 day marriage. Even aside from the fact that $10 million could have fed kids in African or helped many college students with their tuition, the wedding didnt even last three months! Maybe the Kardashians should have spend less time organizing such a lavish wedding, and more time getting to know the groom-to-be. Whether it was a hoax or not, the Kardashian drama is something that America definitely wants to keep up with. destroy our planet or do us harm. Regardless of our anxieties about 2012, the sun will continue to rise in the morn- ing, and may actually give us a few auroras to look at during the night.

Keeping up with the Kardashians Wedding

ANGELIC SINOVA When Kim Kardashian announced her divorce to Kris Humphries on her website, some of the thousands of comments posted questioned whether the 72 day wedding was just a hoaxa hoax that brought in a lot of cash. The Kardashian family has been a huge market for E! ever since "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" premiered back in 2007. Kim was the star, known best at the time for a sex tape she did with singer Ray J. The show has even produced three spinoffs: "Khloe and Lamar," "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami," and "Kourtney and Kim Take New York." Some Kardashian fans are saying that this whole wedding was a way to make Kims ex Reggie Bush jealous. Kim Kardashian's former publicist claims the reality star never got over her ex, the sun to see if it does happen to throw anything our way. NASA will then contact anyone who may be affected and alert them of potential damage. Satellites can be shut down to prevent damage, and phone companies may have to temporarily shut off service while a given flare and that her marriage to Kris Humphries was a sham. Others say there just isnt enough evi- dence of a hoax wedding. The Kardashian/Humphries wedding took place August 20, 2011, and when it was aired Oct. 9 and 10 it scored the highest ratings in E!'s history. Some say that the producers and E! network executives already knew about rockiness in the marriage before it was aired. When asked if the marriage was all for television, Kim replied, First and fore- most, I married for love. I can't believe I even have to defend this. I would not have spent so much time on something just for a TV show. The 72 day long marriage has spun into many things that have lasted longer than Kim Kardashians wedding spoofs, and Buzzfeed.com contributed many of my personal favorites. Here is a list of things that lasted longer passes. These small inconveniences, such as a lost GPS signal or the brief inability to make a phone call, fall very short of the End Times prophecies many are crying about. While no texting may seem like the end of the world to some, the sun is not primed to

Faster than the Speed of Light?

RYAN HATTON Faster than the Speed of Light? Recently, a group of physicists from the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory in Italy discovered tiny particles called neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. This has raised a lot of confusion among physicists, because in 1905, Albert Einsteins Theory of Rela- tivity declared light the fastest cosmic speed. The news of the strange and mysterious neutrino came from an experiment where the physicists at Gran Sasso laboratory emitted neutrino particles to CERN, 457 miles away, in 60 nanoseconds. Using the information that they acquired, the physicists then calculated that the neutrino was moving

f a s t e r many experiments going on to than the uncover whether or not this exspeed of light. periment is valid, and the group For those still unclear about of physicists who performed this what this mysterious particle is, experiment stated they are not a neutrino is an electrically neu- yet drawing any conclusions, but tral, weakly interacting sub- are simply providing the methatomic particle with a very in- ods used to obtain the findings. significant mass. Due to their They are still trying to uncover size and speed neutrinos dont possible miscalculations, and are interact with other matter, and reaching out to other physicists can travel through objects with- for advice on improving the acout losing energy. Neutrinos are curacy of the experiment. For created as a result of certain instance, another team at the types of radioactive decay, or same Gran Sasso Lab reports nuclear reactions such as those that if the neutrinos had surthat take place in the sun, in nu- passed the speed of light, they clear reactors, or when cosmic would have lost energy, which rays hit atoms. does not appear to be the case in Scientists are still skeptical this experiment. about this experiment because Physicists may not find that Einsteins theories are the basis anything comes of this, or they to all of physics, and have been may find neutrinos do move tested countless times. There are faster than light, therefore

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changing the fundamentals of physics. There are still many questions left to be answered, and it is still too early to come to any definite conclusions. Even so, the experiment has led to much debate, and is allowing people to further dwell on the mysteries of space and time.