The Sun, as seen on Thursday, September 15, 2011 from NASA's SOHO Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. This MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager) image was taken in the continuum near the Ni I 6768 Angstrom line. The most prominent features are the sunspots. This is very much how the Sun looks in the visible range of the spectrum.

Tad "When the Sun is setting" Cook, K7RA, reports: Although the average daily sunspot numbers are lower -- down nearly 13 points to 91.7 -- the average daily solar flux is higher by 6.7 points, rising to 122.2. Yes, solar activity is rising rapidly. You could see it coming earlier this week by glancing at the STEREO mission when you looked at the back side of the Sun. There was lots of activity, and you can still see quite a bit more (those white patches) just over the eastern horizon, which is on the left side of the image beyond -90 degrees. The image of the daily Sun shows a disc peppered with sunspots, a welcome sight after watching the current solar cycle seem to stall. Numerous CME events disturbed the Earth's magnetic field. The planetary A index record shows September 9, 10 and 12 were the most active days, with the index at 36, 33 and 27. The autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere is just a week away: September 23 at 0905 UTC, which is 5:05 AM EDT or 02:05 AM PDT. Luckily, the increased sunspot activity should continue. The predicted solar flux is 145 on September 15-17, 150 September 18-22, 110 on September 23-24, and 115 on September 25-29. The predicted planetary A index is 5 on September 15-18, 7 on September 19, 5 on September 20-23, 7 on September 24-25, 5 on September 26-29, and 15 on September 30. Look for more information on the ARRL website on Friday, September 16. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page. This week's "Tad Cookism" is brought to you by The Go-Go's Beneath the Blue Sky.

On Thursday, May 12, FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announced she would be leaving her post on June 3 -- just 27 days before her term expires -- creating a Republican vacancy on the Commission. Chairman Julius Genachowski, along with Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn are Democrats, while Commissioner Robert McDowell is a Republican. Only three sitting Commissioners may be members of the same political party.

Baker was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 25, 2009 and sworn in five weeks later. She filled the unexpired term of fellow Republican and former Chairman Kevin J. Martin who resigned in January 2009; her term is set to expire June 30, 2011.

Baker will join Comcast as its Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, NBCUniversal. “I’ve been privileged to serve in government for the past seven years under President Obama at the FCC and President Bush at NTIA, I’m excited to embark on a new phase of my career with Comcast and NBCUniversal,” Baker said in a statement released by Comcast.

In a statement released by the FCC, Baker said that she was “privileged to have had the opportunity to serve the country at a time of critical transformation in the telecommunications industry. The continued deployment of our broadband infrastructures will meaningfully impact the lives of all Americans. I am happy to have played a small part in this success. I depart most proud of our collective efforts to focus on long-term comprehensive spectrum reform. It is the most important step we can take to ensure our nation’s competitiveness in an increasingly interconnected world.”

FCC Chairman Genachowski said in a statement that he had been “privilege[d] to serve with Meredith Baker as the FCC has navigated the communications challenges of the 21st century. Meredith’s wonderful spirit, broad experience and deep policy acumen have made the FCC a more effective agency. She’s made our decisions smarter and our policies better. I wish her well in her new role at NBC Universal.”

Prior to being nominated by President Obama to the FCC, Baker served as Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Acting Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under President George W. Bush. At NTIA, Baker advised and represented the Executive Branch on domestic and international telecommunications and information policy and administered the key program which facilitated the nation’s historic transition to digital television.

Before joining NTIA in 2004, Baker was Vice President at the firm of Williams Mullen Strategies where she focused on telecommunications, intellectual property and international trade issues. She has also held senior positions with Covad Communications and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.

Baker holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Washington & Lee University and a law degree from the University of Houston. She is a member of the Texas State Bar and worked at the US Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit in Houston and with the law firm of DeLange and Hudspeth.