Freedom Summer Commemoration Looks Back to Move Forward

Connie Des Marais 17 stood outside 160 Cross Street, gripping an unwieldy stack of signs. Penned in thick black marker, unadorned on white cardboard, the signs were simple: Stop Police Brutality, one read. Justice NOW, anotherdemanded.

Take a sign, Des Marais offered the crowd that had gathered on the grassy lawn in front of the building. The AME Zion Church that once stood at 160 Cross Street has since become the headquarters of the Dance Department, but on Friday, Sept. 12, it was the Freedom Church, all triangular architecture andcrosses.

People outside the church-turned-dance-department did take signs: a jolly Middletown couple and their two children, faculty members and students milling about, choir members preparing to sing, and photographers balancing heavy cameras all accepted messages. Some held them high while others examined thewriting.

Most of the signs are recreated from actual Freedom Summer photos, Des Marais explained. We chose messages that are broad enough to apply to now, but some still reference thetime.

The time was the summer of 1964, known as the Freedom Summer. It saw young people from across the country flock to Mississippi en masse to register its black citizens to vote and to establish schools, among other civil rightsaims.

Anthony Dean 17 was another sign-wielding volunteer. He heard about the event from a friend and decided that it was the sort of thing in which he wanted to getinvolved.

Its an important thing, Dean said. Were realizing things about the mistakes of the past and acknowledging that those problems are coming throughtoday.

The signs grew popular as more people strolled up to 160 Cross. Des Marais and Dean were relieved of theirburdens.

I feel connected to this sign, said Iryelis Lopez 17, standing with a few friends in front of the building. Lopezs sign read, Register toVote.

The right to vote is something that still matters a lot, Lopezsaid.

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Freedom Summer Commemoration Looks Back to Move Forward

Injustice: Gods Among Us – Chapter 6 & 7 Cyborg & Deathstroke | PS4 | ADG Plays – Video


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VEGEMITE SurfGroms Taking Over Australian Beaches For A Fourth Year

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Our purpose to create a healthier and happier Australia through experiencing the joy of surfing for life is exemplified perfectly through this program.

VEGEMITE Senior Brand Manager Justin Taylor said the organisation was proud to continue supporting the program now in its fourth year. "VEGEMITE, one of the world's richest known sources of B vitamins, has been powering Aussie kids for over 90 years as Australia's most loved breakfast spread. We're delighted to be supporting SurfGroms again to give more Aussie kids the experience of the thrill of surfing for the first time.

VEGEMITE SurfGroms is also backed by major support sponsors Quiksilver and Roxy, and every child signing up will receive a great Quiksilver or Roxy backpack bursting with surfing merchandise including a rash-vest, sun-hat, Toyota wax comb and a tube of VEGEMITE.

"There is no greater satisfaction than seeing a kids face light up on their first wave, said Quiksilver Marketing Manager Troy Brooks. Quiksilver and Roxy are proud to now be in our fourth year of partnership with the VEGEMITE SurfGroms program, which teaches kids life lessons of beach awareness and ocean safety in a fun and controlled environment. We can't wait to see them ripping it up." VEGEMITE SurfGroms is proudly supported by VEGEMITE, Quiksilver, Roxy, Wahu, Nikon, Surfing Australia, the Australian Sports Commission and Channel Nine. Each child registered for VEGEMITE SurfGroms will have the chance to be one of eight lucky VIP guests to the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in March as part of the Nikon CoolPix competition, which launches in November. About VEGEMITE SurfGroms VEGEMITE SurfGroms offers an 8-12 hour surfing program delivered by licensed Surfing Australia Surf Schools and their highly qualified instructors. There will be a significant focus on ocean awareness and beach safety skills, with understanding surf conditions, surf etiquette, first aid, and rescue skills all built into 5 achievement levels of VEGEMITE SurfGroms. But above all, kids will have fun learning the skills that will give them the confidence to become a surfer for life. Every participant will receive a free Quiksilver or Roxy backpack containing a rash-vest, sun-hat, Toyota wax comb and a tube of VEGEMITE. Parents can find their closest delivery centre and register their child at the VEGEMITE SurfGroms website, http://www.surfgroms.com.

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VEGEMITE SurfGroms Taking Over Australian Beaches For A Fourth Year

Goa's beaches to be garbage-free within a year, says CM

Panaji, Sep 16 (PTI): Goa Government today launched a campaign to make the State's beaches, which attract millions of tourists from all over India and abroad, free of garbage within a year.

Private contractors given the job to clean-up the seasides dotting Goa have started the work on a daily basis.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar launched 'clean Goa beautiful Goa' campaign, which will see several hundred personnel working to restore the natural charm of the shorelines.

"All the beaches would be garbage-free within a year.

By December 19 this year, almost 90-95 per cent of the garbage will disappear from the beaches," said Parrikar.

The Government has given the task to two private agencies, who will lift garbage manually for a few months before shifting to mechanised cleaning.

Parrikar said the contract is for five years and would be renewed annually. Monitoring committees have been formed to certify the cleanliness on the beaches.

"The bills of the contractors will be cleared only after the committee is satisfied with their work."

State Director of Tourism Ameya Abhyankar said the cleanliness drive would be stepped up during the festive season.

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Off-leash dog beaches: vet joins protest

By BREE FULLERSept. 15, 2014, 8:53 p.m.

A respected Austinmer veterinarian has joined the Wollongong Dog Community group in a fight to save the northern Illawarra's off-leash dog beaches.

A respected Austinmer veterinarian has joined the Wollongong Dog Community group in a fight to save the northern Illawarra's off-leash dog beaches.

Former RSPCA NSW director and veterinarian of 43 years Dr Rick Prowse has called for the council to maintain existing off-leash zones, saying further restrictions would unfairly punish responsible dog owners.

"I'm happy to stand up and defend the only area available to people who spontaneously want to get up, go for a walk, throw a ball and do something with the dog," the Austinmer vet said.

"The beach is an ideal, beautiful environment and we've got enough beaches to share for those who like dogs and for those who don't like dogs.

"There are an irresponsible few who don't clean up after their dogs or don't control them when there are people around who may be a little anxious about dogs ... but I don't think you should chastise the thousands of people who are doing the right thing for the few who aren't."

Under planned changes to its dogs on beaches and parks policy, the council has recommended dogs only be allowed on Sharkeys, McCauleys and Little Austinmer beaches at restricted times, provided they are on a leash.

Dr Prowse said the dog-owning community needed safe and convenient places to exercise their dogs, away from roads and free from hazards such as bush ticks and snakes. He said a lack of suitable parks or open spaces in the northern Illawarra meant the beach was the only viable option for most people.

If the council took that option away, the health and well-being of dogs and owners would be negatively affected, Dr Prowse said.

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Ideas for Citizen Science in Astronomy

Philip J. Marshall, Chris J. Lintott, Leigh N. Fletcher

(Submitted on 15 Sep 2014)

We review the relatively new, internet-enabled, and rapidly-evolving field of citizen science, focusing on research projects in stellar, extragalactic and solar system astronomy that have benefited from the participation of members of the public, often in large numbers. We find these volunteers making contributions to astronomy in a variety of ways: making and analyzing new observations, visually classifying features in images and light curves, exploring models constrained by astronomical datasets, and initiating new scientific enquiries. The most productive citizen astronomy projects involve close collaboration between the professionals and amateurs involved, and occupy scientific niches not easily filled by great observatories or machine learning methods: citizen astronomers are most strongly motivated by being of service to science. In the coming years we expect participation and productivity in citizen astronomy to increase, as survey datasets get larger and citizen science platforms become more efficient. Opportunities include engaging the public in ever more advanced analyses, and facilitating citizen-led enquiry by designing professional user interfaces and analysis tools with citizens in mind.

Comments:

In progress. The most up to date PDF file should be downloaded from this http URL . We invite feedback via github issues at this http URL, and aim to submit to ARAA on September 26

Subjects:

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)

Cite as:

arXiv:1409.4291 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:1409.4291v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)

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Ideas for Citizen Science in Astronomy

Astronomy Detectives Reveal Origin of Monet's 'Impression' Painting

Astronomical clues could pinpoint the day Claude Monet painted "Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise)," the art piece that lent its name to the Impressionist art movement.

Based on the celestial detective work of Donald Olson, a Texas State University astronomer and physics professor, curators think they've identified the moment that Monet attempted to capture from his hotel room in the city of Le Havre, France: Nov. 13, 1872, 7:35 a.m.

Monet is celebrated today for his attention to the fleeting quality of light and color at a specific time and place. But there has been some confusion about what moment exactly Monet was trying to depict when he painted the vibrant orange sun and muted, misty gray sky of "Impression, Soleil Levant." Some even art historians have even contended that the painting depicts a sunset, not a sunrise. [Monet's 'Impression' and Astronomy History (Images)]

Olson has a history of using astronomy to settle such historical minutiae. He corroborated Mary Shelley's account of the moonlight streaming into her window when she awoke from the nightmare that inspired her to write "Frankenstein." In another study in 2010, Olson linked the "strange huge meteor-procession" referenced in American poet Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" to a rare procession ofearth-grazing meteorsthat streaked along the horizon in 1860. He has also calculated the direction of the moonlight on important moments in American history to explain why Paul Revere wasn't spotted by British sentries on a nearby ship in 1775 and why Confederate general "Stonewall" Jacksonwas mistaken for the enemy when he was shot by his own troops in 1863.

Olson's latest findings are described in catalog for "Monet's Impression Sunrise: The Biography of a Painting," an exhibition on display at the Muse Marmottan Monet in Paris from Sept. 18, 2014 to Jan. 18, 2015.

To settle the case, Olson first turned to historic photographs of Le Havre to reconstruct the southeast view Monet must have had from his hotel room. The sun in Monet's painting appears as it would have roughly 20 to 30 minutes after sunrise, Olson found. He then calculated when this time would have corresponded with high tide, the only time large sailing ships could have entered the shallow harbor. He was left with 19 possible dates.

To narrow his options further, Olson looked at historical weather reports and ruled out stormy days. The curve of the smoke plumes on the left side of the painting hint that the wind was blowing east, leaving Olson with just two options: Nov. 13, 1872 and Jan. 25, 1873. Art historian Graldine Lefebvre argued in the exhibition catalog for an 1872 creation date, matching the "72" painted next to Monet'ssignature on the canvas that was sometimes dismissed by curators who favored an 1873 date.

"It is pretty clear that Monet started from observations from his hotel window during this visit to Le Havre, but then he showed his artistic genius by expressing emotional content that goes beyond literal depictions," Olson explained in a statementfromTexas State University. "Knowing the details of the harbor scene in this painting only increases our admiration of the artists skill in depicting this sunrise."

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Russian Bombers Continue Probing U.S. Defenses

Russias recent Cold War-styled probing of North Atlantic defense zones along a path that could potentially offer its cruise missile-carrying Tu-95 bombers firing solutions in an actual nuclear war, is more political theatre than military threat, says a prominent national security expert.

Tom Nichols, a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College told Forbes that an early September incident in which two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers were tracked across the North Atlantic near Iceland, Greenland, and northeastern Canada was a training exercise deliberately designed to test West European and U.S. defenses.

They think theyre communicating messages of strength and resolve by conducting nuclear war exercises, said Nichols. If youre going to train to fly 6000 miles to drop a cruise missile you need to fly 6000 miles to practice, especially if you want to familiarize yourself with the various countries reactions along the route.

A Soviet Tu-95 Bear H aircraft being escorted by a Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fighter in 1987. (Credit: Wikipedia)

Is Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering these flights or is it the Russian military?

Theres no way that these flights would get anywhere near the U.S. without [Putin] knowing about it, said Nichols.

This follows an account in the Washington Free Beacon that detailed similar Russian bomber flights this spring in which four Tu-95s and two IL-78 aerial refueling tankers, made incursions into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and were met by two F-22 fighters before the Russians appeared to turn back.

A few hours later, however, the two Russian bombers reappeared 50 miles off the northern California coast and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) again scrambled aircraft, this time two F-15s to make visual contact.

The [bombers] were in the ADIZ, but at no time did they enter our sovereign airspace, Maj. Beth Smith, spokesperson for NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command told Forbes. We do consider this as a spike in activity, but we do assess the [Russian flights] as exercise related.

Nichols is quick to point out however that in the event of an all out Russian nuclear attack, submarine launched missiles would get here in minutes and Russian land-based missiles in half an hour. By the time their bombers got here, Nichols says World War III would already be over.

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Russian Bombers Continue Probing U.S. Defenses

Visually impaired kids can learn astronomy

It has been noted that visually impaired students fail to understand geography chapters based on astronomy in schools.

So Dr Kalpana Kharade, associate professor and Hema Peese, assistant professor of KJ Somaiya Comprehensive College of Education Training and Research (KJSCCETR) researched on teaching astronomy to these kids with the help of Technology Based Inquiry Learning. Soon they would conduct workshops in schools for visually impaired students.

The cost of research was Rs5 lakh and was funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research. During the research, the professors discovered that children in class VI, are unaware of basic facts. They are fed on bookish knowledge instead of anybody explaining it to them.

Astronomy has remained inaccessible for these learners due to its abstract nature and focus on visual representations.

During their research, they carried a six week programme with class VI students. The programme included topics such as 'solar system and the galaxy', 'motion of earth and its types', 'occurrence of day and night' and 'reasons for the seasons'. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in the understanding level of the students.

Kalpana said, "In the research, we found out that special schools are using text books made available in Braille. However, these books lack in appropriate graphical presentations and the content and vocabulary used is not helpful for visually impaired students. To solve this problem, we carried a thorough content research on the subject; identified the complex areas and provided textual supports by creating new learning material. We used the latest technology to introduce the graphics in tactile form. Teachers training colleges should train regular, B.Ed and D.Ed students, in such methodology, so that they can cater to the needs of differently abled students in regular classrooms."

Peese, said, "The astronomy content has a lot of visual elements, presented with language meant for sighted people. Similarly, the description of many phenomena like equinox positions and solstice positions, etc, was also difficult to understand for these students."

The professors also made these resources available in Braille with tactile diagrams and in DAISY (digitally accessible information system). They developed a short movie on solar system with audio description. The children found these learning experiences fun and exciting.

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Visually impaired kids can learn astronomy

Majority of Prostate Cancer Patients Surveyed Five Years After Treatment with Vessel-Sparing Radiation Therapy Report …

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Newswise San Francisco, September 15, 2014A comparison of five-year sexual function outcomes, as reported by patients treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) versus combination EBRT plus brachytherapy, indicates that the utilization of vessel-sparing radiation therapy makes cure possible without compromising long-term sexual function, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncologys (ASTROs) 56th Annual Meeting.

The study examined the patient-reported outcomes of 91 men with prostate cancer who received MRI-guided, vessel-sparing radiation at University of Michigan Providence Cancer Institute. The vessel-sparing radiation technique limits the amount of radiation to critical erectile tissues using MRI scans to identify the blood vessels responsible for erections. When radiation dose is limited to these critical structures, the risk of erectile dysfunction is lowered.

Of the 91 patients studied, all patients received EBRT. Forty-two of the patients received only EBRT (>77.8Gy), and 49 patients received EBRT plus brachytherapy, the implantation of radioactive seeds near the prostate. The combination patients received brachytherapy in the form of an I-125 permanent prostate implant. None of the patients received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Sexual function at baseline, two years and five years post-therapy was evaluated via patient reported outcomes using two scales the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scale and a simple, three-item questionnaire that asked patients to indicate which applied to them: 1) I am able to be sexually active without aids or medications; 2) I am able to be sexually active with aids or medications; or 3) I am not able to be sexually active.

The three-question scale was used in addition to the IIEF, which validates erection quality by sexual performance with a partner, because many men were not sexually active with a partner, despite their ability to be active with a partner. Patient-reported outcome on sexual performance according to the IIEF was lower than the outcome reported according to the three-question scale. The average two-year follow-up IIEF scores for EBRT patients and combination therapy patients were 16.5 and 20.8, respectively. The average five-year follow-up IIEF scores for EBRT patients and combination therapy patients were 15.4 and 16.9, respectively.

According to the three-question scale, erectile function was remarkably preserved using MRI-planned vessel-sparing treatment, even in patients who received combination therapy: 78.6 percent of patients who received EBRT (33 of 42) and 91.8 percent of patients who received combination therapy (45 of 49) reported the ability to be sexually active with or without aids at five years post-treatment.

In the past, men with prostate cancer expected to pay a high toll in loss of quality of life to achieve cure and were willing to accept that as necessary, said lead study author Patrick W. McLaughlin, MD, director of radiation oncology at University of Michigan Providence Cancer Institute in Novi, Mich. This study makes it clear that even with combination radiation protocols, which are capable of curing the majority of prostate cancers more than 90 percent of the time, avoidance of critical adjacent tissues, such as vessel-sparing, makes cure and quality of life an achievable goal for many men.

The abstract, Comparison of External Beam and Combination Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Patient Reported Outcomes of Sexual Function with 5-Year Follow-up will be presented in detail during a scientific session at ASTROs 56th Annual Meeting at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time on Monday, September 15, 2014. To speak with Dr. McLaughlin, please call Michelle Kirkwood on September 14 17, 2014, in the ASTRO Press Office at the Moscone Center in San Francisco at 415-978-3503 or 415-978-3504, or email michellek@astro.org.

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Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Who Have Never Smoked or Who Have Quit Smoking Have Lower Risk of …

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Newswise San Francisco, September 16, 2014 Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survivors who never smoked or who are former smokers at the time of diagnosis have a lower risk of developing secondary primary lung cancers (SPLC) compared to those who are current smokers, suggesting that increased tobacco exposure is associated with a higher risk of SPLC, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncologys (ASTROs) 56th Annual Meeting.

The analysis studied the association between patients smoking histories and their risks of developing SPLC, which is defined as a new lung cancer unrelated to the initial tumor based on histology and location in the lung.

The study analyzed 1,484 patients (372 current smokers, 1,014 former smokers and 98 never smokers) who underwent surgery, with or without adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy, for stage I-IIIA NSCLC at Duke University Medical Center between 1995 and 2008. Baseline covariates and oncologic outcomes including local control (LC), development of distant metastases (DM), overall survival (OS) and rates of SPLC were assessed. SPLC were distinguished from metastases based on histologic evaluation supplemented with clinical presentation, including the anatomic site and chronological onset of diagnosis. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated with 95 percent confidence intervals, and multivariate analysis (MVA) were performed using a Cox regression model.

The study found that five years after the initial diagnosis, current smokers were more likely to develop SPLC. The five-year incidence of SPLC was 13 percent for current smokers, seven percent for former smokers, and zero percent for patients who had never smoked. In the follow-up period, only one patient who had never smoked developed an SPLC, seven years after surgery for the first cancer. Furthermore, when restricting the analysis to continuing smokers with pack-years (PY) as a continuous variable, the risk of SPLC increased with the number of years of tobacco exposure, corresponding to an 8 percent increased risk per 10 PY.

For all patients, there were no differences in LC or DM based on smoking status. When comparing patients who were current smokers to those who had never smoked or had quit smoking more than five years prior to surgery, OS was significantly worse for current smokers.

In conducting the study, which is one of the largest of its kind, we were particularly interested in how smoking history related to the risk of developing a second lung cancer, said John Michael Boyle, MD, lead author of the study and a radiation oncology resident at the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, N.C. While we believed those who have never smoked would have a low risk of developing a second lung cancer, which was confirmed, we were encouraged to find that smoking cessation led to a lower risk of developing a second lung cancer and overall survival rates similar to nonsmokers. These findings confirm that smoking cessation is crucial and should be an integral component of patient care for patients without a prior cancer diagnosis as well as for cancer survivors.

The abstract, Tobacco Use and Secondary Lung Malignancies after Surgery for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, will be presented in detail during a scientific session at ASTROs 56th Annual Meeting at 2:45 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. To speak with Dr. Boyle, please call Michelle Kirkwood on September 14 17, 2014, in the ASTRO Press Office at the Moscone Center in San Francisco at 415-978-3503 or 415-978-3504, or email michellek@astro.org.

ASTROs 56th Annual Meeting, to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, September 14-17, 2014, is the nations premier scientific meeting in radiation oncology. The 2014 Annual Meeting is expected to attract more than 11,000 attendees including oncologists from all disciplines, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, radiation oncology nurses and nurse practitioners, biologists, physician assistants, practice administrators, industry representatives and other health care professionals from around the world. Led by ASTRO President Bruce G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO, a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer, the theme of the 2014 Meeting is Targeting Cancer: Technology and Biology, and the Presidential Symposium, Local-regional Management of Breast Cancer: A Changing Paradigm, will feature Jay R. Harris, MD, FASTRO, and Thomas A. Buchholz, MD, FASTRO, to highlight recent practice-changing, landmark studies and current developments in the local-regional management of breast cancer. ASTROs four-day scientific meeting includes presentation of up to four plenary papers, 360 oral presentations, 1,862 posters and 144 digital posters in more than 50 educational sessions and scientific panels for 20 disease-site tracks. Three keynote speakers will address a range of topics including oncologic imaging, biology and targeting in oncology, and human error and safety concerns: Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Radiology and the Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS, DSc (hon), Professor Emeritus and the David A. Wood Distinguished Professor of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research of the University of California at San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Sidney Dekker, PhD, MA, MSc, Professor and Director of the Safety Science Innovation Lab at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.

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Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Who Have Never Smoked or Who Have Quit Smoking Have Lower Risk of ...