What does being 'spiritual but not religious' really mean?

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"Spiritual But Not Religious" is a phrase you hear more and more these days and with good reason. In 2012, a Pew Foundation survey on religion found that almost 20 percent of Americans placed themselves in the category of "unaffiliated."

That 20 percent unaffiliated translates into a whole lot of people. It's a big enough number that, most likely, your next airport van ride will include someone without traditional religious attachments onboard.

But to really appreciate the importance of this 20 percent in the landscape of American life, you have to consider one more number: 10 years.

That's how long it's been since philosopher Sam Harris published his book The End of Faith and kick-started the New Atheist movement. Along with writers like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett, Harris was unapologetic in his denunciation of literalist religious beliefs.

Looking back, New Atheism was at its best when it provided a clear defense of reason against the many fundamentalisms that only look backward. At its worst, however, it dismissed all experiences of "spirituality" as worthless, pudding-headed confusion.

For persistent readers, however, Harris' now decade-old book held a surprise. In the last chapter, this fiery critic of religion argued that real spiritual experience was not only possible, it was a kind of birthright. I remember getting to that last chapter and thinking, "Whoa, what just happened?

What happened was Harris, like many in the 20 percent, had always found meaning in experiences of personal spirituality. Those experiences now take center stage in Harris' latest book, Waking Up.

Harris' first step on this new journey is to give up being squeamish about language. As he writes:

"I will use spiritual, mystical, contemplative and transcendent without apology. However, I will be precise in describing the experiences and methods which merit those terms."

Next, he tells us why these experiences matter: "Spirituality begins with a reverence for the ordinary that can lead us to insights and experiences that are anything but ordinary."

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What does being 'spiritual but not religious' really mean?

Space Station Cosmonauts Breeze Through Spacewalk

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Two Russian astronauts wrapped up a speedy, 3 -1/2-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday to replace science experiments and jettison two unneeded antennas. Station commander Maxim Suraev and flight engineer Alexander Samokutyaev quickly completed the first task on their to-do list, removing and jettisoning a defunct science experiment known as Radiometriya. The device, installed in 2011, was used to track seismic activity on Earth. Suraev and Samokutyaev then removed a protective cover from a European science experiment that exposes seeds, bacteria spores, fungi, ferns and other samples to the harsh environment of space. The cosmonauts cut cables, removed bolts and tossed away two obsolete antennas from the Poisk mini-research module. The antennas, used to guide visiting spacecraft to docking ports, will remain in orbit for up to a year before Earths gravity tugs them back into the atmosphere, where they will incinerate. Suraev and Samokutyaev also took samples from a window and photographed the outside of the Russian part of the station for an engineering analysis.

The spacewalk, originally planned for six hours, was finished in 3 hours and 38 minutes. The spacewalk was the third in three weeks and the seventh and last outing planned for this year. Next year, NASA plans up to 10 spacewalks to reconfigure the station for the arrival of commercial space taxis, which are expected to begin flying crews to the outpost in 2017.

First published October 22 2014, 1:35 PM

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Space Station Cosmonauts Breeze Through Spacewalk

Russian cosmonauts race through spacewalk

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A no-longer-operational experiment package drifts away from the International Space Station after it was released and dropped overboard Wednesday by two Russian spacewalkers. NASA TV

Two cosmonauts ventured outside the International Space Station Wednesday, jettisoning three no-longer-needed components and carrying out a photo survey of the Russian segment of the lab complex in the seventh and final spacewalk planned by the station crew this year. They completed it all much faster than expected.

Expedition 41 commander Maxim Suraev and flight engineer Alexander Samokutyaev opened the hatch of the Pirs airlock compartment at 9:28 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) to officially begin the excursion, making their way to the top of the Zvezda command module to detach the Radiometriya experiment package.

The no-longer-operational experiment, designed to monitor seismic activity, was released from a work platform and carefully pushed away into space by Suraev. The 207-pound component could be seen slowly departing in the wake of the station, disappearing from view a few moments later.

The cosmonauts then removed a cover from a materials science space exposure experiment package, stowed it in the Pirs airlock and made their way to the Poisk module atop Zvezda where the Soyuz TMA-14M ferry craft is docked.

When the Poisk module was launched to the station in 2009, it carried out an autonomous rendezvous and docking using a Russian navigation system that included a pair of dish-shaped KURS antennas on the forward end of the compartment. Those antennas have not been needed since then and the cosmonauts removed them Wednesday, cutting through cables and unbolting the fasteners holding them to the hull.

Samokutyaev, assisted by Suraev, then jettisoned the antennas one at a time, releasing them to the right rear of the station's long axis. NASA trajectory analysts said none of the components would pose any threat to the station between now and when they eventually fall back into the atmosphere.

Throughout the spacewalk, the cosmonauts used still and GoPro video cameras to document the condition of various components on the Russian segment of the space station. They also collected particulate samples from a window in the Pirs compartment as part of an ongoing study to learn more about how rocket plumes affect various surfaces.

Reid Wiseman, inside the station, did his own photo documentation, snapping pictures of the spacewalkers.

18 Photos

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This is how NASA banishes odors in space

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How do space agencies keep the International Space Station from smelling like a sweaty locker room? NASA engineer Robert Frost and retired astronaut Clayton C. Anderson reveal a few secrets.

Retired astronaut Clayton C. Anderson aboard the International Space Station.Clayton C. Anderson

Humans eat smelly things. Our bodies produce stinky outputs. And if we build up a sweat, our clothes start to smell too.

The International Space Station is a big, climate-controlled environment that houses six people at any given time. As you can probably imagine, these humans produce odors just like the rest of us. So how do NASA and other space agencies make the International Space Station a decent-smelling place to live for those stuck there for months at a time?

NASA engineer Robert Frost took to Quora to answer that very question, and his answer is filled with all sorts of engineering goodness. In the ISS' service module, for example, a micropurification unit removes both low- and high-molecular weight contaminants, and a "Trace Contaminant Control Subassembly "does this in the lab environment. Both are serviced regularly and help to keep the ISS smelling fresh.

"Either one is capable of providing the trace contaminant removal for the entire ISS," Frost said.

Astronaut Clayton C. Anderson, who's spent more than 167 days in space, including 159 aboard the ISS, said that though these systems work nearly flawlessly, that doesn't stop some smells from permeating the ISS. Anderson noted that if sweaty clothes aren't dried properly, the air smells a bit like a locker room.

"Oleg Kotov, my Expedition 15 Russian crewmate and our Soyuz commander, liked to stash his used workout clothes above the forward-facing FGB (Functional Cargo Block, Russian Module) hatch," Anderson said. "This was not my favorite choice for the stowage of sweaty workout gear as there was not a very good chance that they would dry out effectively."

Continued Anderson: "I chose to put my nasty shorts/socks/T-shirt onto a handrail in the US segment's Node 1 module. This handrail was near an A/C vent, meaning fresh, cold air would blow across my sweaty laundry for many hours until I donned them -- dry as a bone -- the next day. Decreasing their ability to generate any 'locker room' odors, that special placement also allowed for our environmental systems to easily soak up my sweat and turn it into drinking water for later!"

Some foods, like versions of seafood gumbo, were actually banned from several shuttle missions, and it could take the ISS' systems a few hours to clear that fishy smell out of the hull.

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This is how NASA banishes odors in space

Dr. Peter Beter Audio Letter 64: Space Shuttle; Columbia Flight; Columbia Disaster- April 27, 1981 – Video

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Dr. Peter Beter Audio Letter 64: Space Shuttle; Columbia Flight; Columbia Disaster- April 27, 1981
Dr. Peter David Beter - Audio Letter 64 - April 27,1981 Text: http://www.peterdavidbeter.com/docs/all/dbal64.html MP3: http://archive.org/download/DrPeterBeter_AudioVideoLetters/drpeterbetter_audio.

By: Peter Beter

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Dr. Peter Beter Audio Letter 64: Space Shuttle; Columbia Flight; Columbia Disaster- April 27, 1981 - Video

NASA Webb's Heart Survives Deep Freeze Test

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After 116 days of being subjected to extremely frigid temperatures like that in space, the heart of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) and its sensitive instruments, emerged unscathed from the thermal vacuum chamber at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Teams of engineers and technicians have been on heart-monitoring duty around the clock since this complicated assembly was lowered into the chamber for its summer-long test.

Engineer Mike Drury, the ISIM Lead Integration and Test Engineer, is one of the test directors making sure that Webb will thrive in the frigid conditions at its final destination in space one million miles away from Earth. "The telescope is going to L2 or Lagrange Point 2, which is a very extreme environment," said Drury. "The heart of Webb called ISIM is a very important part of the observatory and will provide all of Webb's images."

These images will reveal the first galaxies forming 13.5 billion years ago. The telescope will also pierce through interstellar dust clouds to capture stars and planets forming in our own galaxy. Operating a telescope powerful enough to complete these tasks requires incredibly cold temperatures.

How cold? Try -387 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Kelvin. This is 260 degrees Fahrenheit colder than any place on the Earths surface has ever been. To create temperatures that cold on Earth, the team uses the massive thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard called the Space Environment Simulator, or SES, that duplicates the vacuum and extreme temperatures of space. This 40-foot-tall, 27-foot-diameter cylindrical chamber eliminates the tiniest trace of air with vacuum pumps and uses liquid nitrogen and even colder liquid helium to drop the temperature simulating the space environment.

"We complete these tests to make sure that when this telescope cools down, the four parts of the heart are still positioned meticulously so that when light enters the telescope we capture it the right way," said Paul Geithner, Webb's deputy project manger. "The biggest stress for this telescope will be when it cools down. When the telescope structure goes from room temperature to its super cold operating temperature, it will see more stress from shrinkage than it will from violent vibration during launch, said Geithner.

NASA photographer Desiree Stover captured the photo of ISIM as it was lowered into the chamber for testing. The heart of the telescope weighs about as much as an elephant. Inside its black composite frame the four science instruments are tightly packed and are specially designed to capture specific information about distant light in the universe.

"When I first started here at Goddard, the ISIM structure was completely bare," said Stover who has been at Goddard for two years. "Leading up to this test all four science instruments were integrated onto it, along with heat straps, harnesses and blankets."

Tightening the bolts and putting everything together beforehand required very dedicated teams. "When ISIM was lowered into the chamber at the start of the test, that was a pretty emotional moment that represented an intense amount of work," said Marc Sansebastian, a mechanical assembly, integration and test technician. "After ISIM traveled overhead, we shifted back to technical mode because there are a million things that happen that you don't see."

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NASA Webb's Heart Survives Deep Freeze Test

Newburgh student finishes Space Academy Program

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Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 9:17 am

Newburgh student finishes Space Academy Program

Liam Elsea of Newburgh recently attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, home of Space Camp and NASAs official Visitor Information Center for Marshall Space Flight Center. The weeklong educational program promotes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on team work, leadership and decision-making.

Elsea was part of the Space Academy Program, which is specifically designed for trainees who have a particular interest in science and aerospace. He spent the week training with a team that flew a simulated Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Once aboard the ISS, the crew participated in experiments and successfully completed an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), or space walk. Elsea and crew returned to earth in time to hear retired Space Shuttle astronaut Col. Bob Springer speak at their graduation!

Space Camp crew trainers who lead each 16-member team must have at least a year of college, and the majority of staff are college graduates. Space Camp operates year-round in Huntsville, Ala., and uses astronaut training techniques to engage trainees in real-world applications of STEM subjects. Students sleep in quarters designed to resemble the ISS and train in simulators like those used by NASA. More than 600,000 trainees have graduated from Space Camp since its opening in Huntsville in 1982, including STS-131 astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger. Last year, children and teacher from all 50 states and 58 international locations attended Space Camp.

Interested in training like an astronaut? Visit http://www.spacecamp.com or call 1-800-63 SPACE.

Posted in Schools, Castle knights on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 9:17 am.

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Chandra Data Archive Comes To Life

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Provided by Janet Anderson, Marshall Space Flight Center and Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center

Every year, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory looks at hundreds of objects throughout space to help expand our understanding of the Universe. Ultimately, these data are stored in the Chandra Data Archive, an electronic repository that provides access to these unique X-ray findings for anyone who would like to explore them. With the passing of Chandras 15th anniversary in operation on August 26, 1999, the archive continues to grow as each successive year adds to the enormous and invaluable dataset.

To celebrate Chandras decade and a half in space, and to honor October as American Archive Month, a variety of objects have been selected from Chandras archive. Each of the new images we have produced combines Chandra data with those from other telescopes. This technique of creating multiwavelength images allows scientists and the public to see how X-rays fit with data of other types of light, such as optical, radio, and infrared. As scientists continue to make new discoveries with the telescope, the burgeoning archive will allow us to see the high-energy Universe as only Chandra can.

PSR B1509-58 (upper left): Pareidolia is the psychological phenomenon where people see recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data. When Chandras image of PSR B1509-58, a spinning neutron star surrounded by a cloud of energetic particles, was released in 2009, it quickly gained attention because many saw a hand-like structure in the X-ray emission. In this new image of the system, X-rays from Chandra in gold are seen along with infrared data from NASAs Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope in red, green, and blue. Pareidolia may strike again in this image as some people report seeing a shape of a face in WISEs infrared data. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infared: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

RCW 38 (upper right): A young star cluster about 5,500 light years from Earth, RCW 38 provides astronomers a chance to closely examine many young, rapidly evolving stars at once. In this composite image, X-rays from Chandra are blue, while infrared data from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope are orange and additional infrared data from the 2MASS survey appears white. There are many massive stars in RCW 38 that will likely explode as supernovas. Astronomers studying RCW 38 are hoping to better understand this environment as our sun was likely born into a similar stellar nursery. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/ESA-ESTEC/E.Winston et al, Near-IR: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF, Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Hercules A (middle left): Some galaxies have extremely bright cores, suggesting that they contain a supermassive black hole that is pulling in matter at a prodigious rate. Astronomers call these active galaxies, and Hercules A is one of them. In visible light (colored red, green and blue, with most objects appearing white), Hercules A looks like a typical elliptical galaxy. In X-ray light, however, Chandra detects a giant cloud of multimillion-degree gas (purple). This gas has been heated by energy generated by the infall of matter into a black hole at the center of Hercules A that is over 1,000 times as massive as the one in the middle of the Milky Way. Radio data (blue) show jets of particles streaming away from the black hole. The jets span a length of almost one million light years. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO, Optical: NASA/STScI, Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA)

Kes 73 (middle right): The supernova remnant Kes 73, located about 28,000 light years away, contains a so-called anomalous X-ray pulsar, or AXP, at its center. Astronomers think that most AXPs are magnetars, which are neutron stars with ultra-high magnetic fields. Surrounding the point-like AXP in the middle, Kes 73 has an expanding shell of debris from the supernova explosion that occurred between about 750 and 2100 years ago, as seen from Earth. The Chandra data (blue) reveal clumpy structures along one side of the remnant, and appear to overlap with infrared data (orange). The X-rays partially fill the shell seen in radio emission (red) by the Very Large Array. Data from the Digitized Sky Survey optical telescope (white) show stars in the field-of-view. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Manitoba/H.Kumar et al, Optical: DSS, Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA)

Mrk 573 (lower left): Markarian 573 is an active galaxy that has two cones of emission streaming away from the supermassive black hole at its center. Several lines of evidence suggest that a torus, or doughnut of cool gas and dust may block some of the radiation produced by matter falling into supermassive black holes, depending on how the torus is oriented toward Earth. Chandra data of Markarian 573 suggest that its torus may not be completely solid, but rather may be clumpy. This composite image shows overlap between X-rays from Chandra (blue), radio emission from the VLA (purple), and optical data from Hubble (gold). (X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/A.Paggi et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA)

NGC 4736 (lower right): NGC 4736 (also known as Messier 94) is a spiral galaxy that is unusual because it has two ring structures. This galaxy is classified as containing a low ionization nuclear emission region, or LINER, in its center, which produces radiation from specific elements such as oxygen and nitrogen. Chandra observations (gold) of NGC 4736, seen in this composite image with infrared data from Spitzer (red) and optical data from Hubble and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (blue), suggest that the X-ray emission comes from a recent burst of star formation. Part of the evidence comes from the large number of point sources near the center of the galaxy, showing that strong star formation has occurred. In other galaxies, evidence points to supermassive black holes being responsible for LINER properties. Chandras result on NGC 4736 shows LINERs may represent more than one physical phenomenon. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/Universita di Bologna/S.Pellegrini et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: SDSS & NASA/STScI)

NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, controls Chandras science and flight operations.

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Chandra Data Archive Comes To Life

NASA Ultra-Black Nano-Coating to Be Applied to 3-D New Solar Coronagraph

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An emerging super-black nanotechnology that is to betested for the first timethis fall on the International Space Station will be applied to a complex, 3-D component critical for suppressing stray light in a new, smaller, less-expensive solar coronagraph designed to ultimately fly on the orbiting outpost or as a hosted payload on a commercial satellite.

The super-black carbon-nanotube coating, whose development is six years in the making, is a thin, highly uniform coating of multi-walled nanotubes made of pure carbon about 10,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. Recently delivered to the International Space Station for testing, the coating is considered especially promising as a technology to reduce stray light, which can overwhelm faint signals that sensitive detectors are supposed to retrieve.

While the coating undergoes testing to determine its robustness in space, a team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will apply the carbon-nanotube coating to a complex, cylindrically shaped baffle a component that helps reduce stray light in telescopes.

Goddard optical engineer Qian Gong designed the baffle for a compact solar coronagraph that Principal Investigator Nat Gopalswamy is now developing. The goal is build a solar coronagraph that could deploy on the International Space Station or as a hosted payload on a commercial satellite a much-needed capability that could guarantee the continuation of important space weather-related measurements.

The effort will help determine whether the carbon nanotubes are as effective as black paint, the current state-of-the-art technology, for absorbing stray light in complex space instruments and components.

Preventing errant light is an especially tricky challenge for Gopalswamy's team. "We have to have the right optical system and the best baffles going," said Doug Rabin, a Goddard heliophysicist who studies diffraction and stray light in coronagraphs.

The new compact coronagraph designed to reduce the mass, volume, and cost of traditional coronagraphs by about 50 percent will use a single set of lenses, rather than a conventional three-stage system, to image the solar corona, and more particularly, coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These powerful bursts of solar material erupt and hurdle across the solar system, sometimes colliding with Earth's protective magnetosphere and posing significant hazards to spacecraft and astronauts.

"Compact coronagraphs make greater demands on controlling stray light and diffraction," Rabin explained, adding that the corona is a million times fainter than the sun's photosphere. Coating the baffle or occulter with the carbon-nanotube material should improve the component's overall performance by preventing stray light from reaching the focal plane and contaminating measurements.

The project is well timed and much needed, Rabin added.

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NASA Ultra-Black Nano-Coating to Be Applied to 3-D New Solar Coronagraph

Spacewalk Photos: Cosmonauts Float Outside Space Station (Oct. 22, 2014)

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Expedition 41 Commander Max Suraev and Flight Engineer Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian Federal Space Agency will perform a spacewalk outside in the International Space Station on Oct. 22, 2014. They planned to remove and jettison several unneeded pieces of equipment from the Russian segment of the space station, as well as photograph the exterior of the Russian modules in a detailed survey.

The spacewalk was scheduled to last six hours, but the speedy cosmonauts completed their work in just over half that time. The spacewalk was the seventh this year, and the 184th for the maintenance and assembly of the space station. See photos from the spacewalk here.

A piece of no-longer needed equipment (the white rectangle) floats away from the International Space Station after being jettisoned by a cosmonaut during a spacewalk on Oct. 22, 2014.

A cosmonaut floats outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Oct. 22, 2014.

A wider view of the spacewalk shows a Russian cosmonaut (center) working outside the International Space Station on Oct. 22, 2014.

The Earth shines below the International Space Station during the spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts on Oct. 22, 2014.

A cosmonaut's arm works in the foreground with the Earth's blue surface far below the International Space Station during a spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts on Oct. 22, 2014.

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Spacewalk Photos: Cosmonauts Float Outside Space Station (Oct. 22, 2014)

Red Raiders hoping to shoot down 10th-ranked Horned Frogs

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Fort Worth, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Hoping to keep pace in the race for the Big 12 Conference crown, the 10th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs will play a home game this Saturday against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Texas Tech opened the season with a pair of victories, but then went on to lose four in a row, including its first three conference games. The Red Raiders were able to stop the bleeding last week as they topped visiting Kansas, 34-21. Kliff Kingsbury's club needs three more wins to become bowl eligible, but the road is difficult as bouts with TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Baylor remain.

TCU also kicked off the campaign with favorable results, claiming victory in each of first four games. A wild 61-58 loss to Baylor put the team at 1-1 in conference, but it bounced back to rout visiting Oklahoma State last weekend, 42-9. Coach Gary Patterson has his squad poised to make a run at the Big 12 title, but tough tilts with West Virginia, Kansas State and Texas are still to come.

Texas Tech leads the all-time series with TCU, 30-23-3, and the Red Raiders have won the last two meetings.

Texas Tech leading receiver Jakeem Grant (50 receptions, 629 yards, five TDs) was injured in an apparent shooting in Lubbock last Sunday morning, but his injuries weren't deemed overly serious and he could even play in this game. Grant caught six passes in last week's win over Kansas, helping the Red Raiders roll up more than 500 yards of total offense, compared to only 363 for the Jayhawks.

Davis Webb went 28-of-44 for 288 yards, three TDs and one INT, hitting three different receivers (Grant, Brad Marquez and Ian Sadler) for at least 68 yards. DeAndre Washington was highly productive in rushing for a career-best 164 yards on 23 carries.

Defensively, the Red Raiders surrendered 235 yards and a pair of scores through the air, but got solid individual performances from Pete Robertson and Austin Stewart with nine tackles apiece. Robertson was credited with two of the team's four sacks.

For the season, Texas Tech scores 30.9 ppg, doing so behind 488.3 ypg. Webb ranks second in the conference in averaging 319.9 ypg, and he has thrown a league-best 22 TD passes, but has been picked off a league-high 12 times. Grant is second in the Big 12 with 7.14 receptions per game, and Marquez sits seventh with 5.86. Washington ranks third with 88.9 rushing ypg, but he has found the end zone only once.

Texas Tech ranks last in the league in scoring defense (36.9 ppg), and foes have hammered the Red Raiders on the ground, leading to 239.0 ypg -- also placing the club last. The Red Raiders have only come up with three INTs and a mere eight takeaways in all. Robertson paces the unit with 54 tackles, which includes seven of the team's 13 sacks.

Kingsbury tries to keep an even keel, even as his team fought to put an end to its four-game skid.

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Red Raiders hoping to shoot down 10th-ranked Horned Frogs

Rizalman heads back to NZ this Friday

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Cops are expected to travel to Malaysia to escort Rizalman to New Zealand.

PETALING JAYA: After months of complicated red tape and frayed relations between New Zealand and Malaysia, diplomat Muhammed Rizalman bin Ismail, appears to be headed back to New Zealand to face charges of burglary and sexual assault.

According to The New Zealand Herald, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was advised of a court case in Malaysia regarding the extradition order for Rizalman, a former envoy at the Malaysian High Commission in New Zealand.

Refusing to go into too much detail about Rizalmans impending trial, McCully did however state, The matter is entirely in the hands of the judicial system in both countries.

McCully also confirmed he had heard of a report that Rizalman would be returning Friday to New Zealand but that he left it to the police to either confirm or deny it.

Wellington police when contacted said the process of extradition was ongoing and that they would despatch their police officers to Malaysia to escort Rizalman back to New Zealand.

Both the ministry and police however remained cautious with information, giving very little else except the bare necessities.

Rizalman left New Zealand with diplomatic immunity on May 22 this year after a ministerial mix-up following allegations he had trailed a young woman, Tania Billingsley to her home in Brooklyn with the intention to rape her.

The views expressed in the contents are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of FMT.

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Rizalman heads back to NZ this Friday

Formula One awaits Sebastian Vettel's move as series heads to U.S.

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As Formula One heads to the United States for its next race Nov. 2, the series is still waiting for Sebastian Vettel to officially declare which team the four-time champion will join in 2015.

The 27-year-old German is widely expected to land at Ferrari. His departure is expected to trigger a domino effect among Formula One drivers, with two-time champion Fernando Alonso seen leaving Ferrari -- perhaps to join the McLaren team -- to make room for Vettel.

Vettel confirmed early this month that he would leave his current team, Red Bull Racing, after this season. But Vettel, Alonso and the teams involved have not confirmed any other moves as Formula One prepares for the U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas course in Austin, Texas.

With three races left in the Formula One season, former champion Lewis Hamilton -- who has won the last four races -- holds a modest 17-point lead over his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for this year's driver's title.

Vettel, still without a win this season, is a distant fifth in the standings after winning the championship the last four years. Vettel's teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, has three victories this year.

If he moves to Ferrari, Vettel would be following in the footsteps of his hero and countryman Michael Schumacher, who won five of his record seven championships with Ferrari.

Ferrari, in turn, is eager to find a driver who can restore the team's Formula One glory. Ferrari hasn't won a race this year and the Italian team hasn't won a driver's title since Kimi Raikkonen, currently Alonso's teammate, did so in 2007.

England's Daily Mail reported early this month that Vettel was looking at a three-year contract with Ferrari that would pay him just under $80 million a year. Forbes said that would make Vettel one of the world's highest-paid athletes.

Follow @PeltzLATimes for more motor racing news

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Formula One awaits Sebastian Vettel's move as series heads to U.S.

Watch your favorite indie rockers score 'Red Band Society'

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Here's another reason why "Red Band Society" should be one of your favorite new shows of the fall: It's got a bevy of indie musicians creating the score you hear each week while you watch.

Zap2it got a hold of a behind-the-scenes featurette starring "Red Band" composer Ludwig Goransson and the famous friends he's recruited to play on the show, including Chris Hartz (Passion Pit, drums), Zac Rae (Fiona Apple, keyboards), Thomas Drayton (Childish Gambino, bass) and Sam Sugarman (guitars).

"I've been having a lot of conversations with the show creator and producers and directors and we've been talking about what we're trying to say with the music, what emotions we're trying to get out of the show," Goransson says. "We're trying to get inside the heads of the characters -- what kind of emotions are they going through when they're going through these hard times?"

Watch the video below."Red Band Society" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

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Watch your favorite indie rockers score 'Red Band Society'