New Astronomy Book Exposes Kids to Science

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Midvale, UT (PRWEB) March 09, 2014

Want to expose kids to the night sky? A new picture book Bright Star, Night Star: An Astronomy Story opens the starry skies to youngsters.

This week Bright Star, Night Star hit No. 2 on Amazon's Hot New Children's Books list. It opened mid-February at No. 5.

The children's astronomy book has activities for finding stars, constellations, planets and other heavenly bodies. Rich illustrations by Spanish artist Luis F. Sanz help identify objects and online secrets add depth and details. The vocabulary is suitable for children ages 5 - 9.

Bilingual author Karl Beckstrand hopes the story and activities spark children's interest in all things stellar. This is Beckstrand's tenth book. He likes to weave language, counting or other learning concepts through his stories. He even wrote a free geography ebook for kids: It Ain't Flat: A Memorizable Book of Countries.

True to its multicultural tradition, Premio Publishing & Gozo Books features characters of color in its astronomy book for kids. Premio's activity and language books, ebooks and app are nationally-lauded, invite family learning and together time and often end with surprises.

The soft cover bedtime story and ebook can be found via http://PremioBooks.com, Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Bn.com/NOOK, Amazon.com/Kindle, iTunes, Follett Library Resources/Title Wave, Ingram, Mackin, and select booksellers. Customers may pre-order in hard cover from the publisher.

Company Information Premio Publishing & Gozo Books has been delighting families and educators since 2004. Non-fiction stories and biographies, multicultural app, ebook mysteries and activity books (geography, astronomy, bilingual and Spanish books with pronunciation guide, finding/counting, opposites, animals and insects, and childrens cookbook) have diverse characters in engaging, vivid color. Nationally-lauded (ForeWord Reviews, Horn Book blog, School Library Journal, Kirkus) these educational stories capture attention and create repeat readers. Not about ethnic or racial diversity, they simply feature black, white, Asian, Hispanic and mixed-race children--with family values like courage, sharing, and giving. Find multicultural childrens books via: Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble/Nook, Brodart, Amazon/Kindle, Ebsco, Follett Library Resources/Title Wave, Ingram, Mackin, iTunes, Kobo, Android, and Premiobooks.com (free online books). Like Multicultural Books on Facebook.

She Doesn't Want the Worms - Ella no quiere los gusanos was named in the top 10 "Best Books" of 2011 ForeWord Reviews Magazine and featured in School Library Journal. Crumbs on the Stairs - Migas en las escaleras: A Mystery consistently ranks in Amazon's top 10 bestselling books for ESL, large print, and also Spanish childrens titles. Bad Bananas: A Story Cookbook for Kids was praised in Horn Book's blog review. Bilingual app Sounds in the House was highlighted by Kirkus Reviews.

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New Astronomy Book Exposes Kids to Science

Q&A: Neil deGrasse Tyson Unveils the Cosmos

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In its first airing, Cosmos created a new star, Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan. The seminal series opened the eyes of millions to the universe and made a science celebrity out of Sagan.

Now astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson is stepping up to star in a 13-part remake of the series on the National Geographic Channel and Fox. The first show airs on Sunday, March 9 (at 9 p.m. ET/PT), and will be broadcast in more than 70 nationsthe biggest launch ever for a global TV series.

National Geographic spoke to Tyson, the director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium, about life, the universe, and the "cosmic perspective" Cosmos will offer viewers.

Q: Why re-create Cosmos? Why now?

A: Any time is good for Cosmos. A lot of things have come together to make this the right time to do it. We have come so far in the last 34 yearsmore than a generation. Clearly its time for another Cosmos.

Since then we have discovered a thousand new planets. A lot has changed.

Back in 1980 we were trapped in a Cold War mind-set, which polarized people and affected everything. People thought of the environment as a local thing. They didn't think of the global environment and how we are all connected. (Click the video below to watch an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson.)

What's new about this Cosmos?

With Cosmos, this version, we're able to bring a whole tool kit of storytelling cinematics to bear on the science, the history, the culture, and the politics to fill people with a sense of wonder about our universe.

It might even impact people spiritually. I mean that with a little s. Thats the reaction some people might feel by gaining the cosmic perspectiveseeing that we are just a small part of the vastness of everything. But that can be emotionally fulfilling in a very deep way.

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Q&A: Neil deGrasse Tyson Unveils the Cosmos

Aerospace Billet Aluminum Mould & Pattern Making with a DMS 5 Axis Moving Gantry CNC Machine Center – Video

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Aerospace Billet Aluminum Mould Pattern Making with a DMS 5 Axis Moving Gantry CNC Machine Center
This demo is of a DMS 5 Axis Moving Gantry CNC Machine Center with a Cast Iron Head, 16 Killowat Spindle, and a Fagor 8065 CNC Controller with High Speed Mac...

By: Diversified Machine Systems (DMS)

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Aerospace Billet Aluminum Mould & Pattern Making with a DMS 5 Axis Moving Gantry CNC Machine Center - Video

agnosticism: Definition from Answers.com

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Agnosticism is the belief that the existence or non-existence of any deity is unknown and possibly unknowable. More specifically, agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claimsespecially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, as well as other religious and metaphysical claimsare unknown and (so far as can be judged) unknowable.[1][2][3] Agnosticism can be defined in various ways, and is sometimes used to indicate doubt or a skeptical approach to questions. In some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the difference between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief. In the popular sense, an agnostic is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in the existence of a deity or deities, whereas a theist and an atheist believe and disbelieve, respectively.[2] In the strict sense, however, agnosticism is the view that humanity does not currently possess the requisite knowledge and/or reason to provide sufficient rational grounds to justify the belief that deities either do or do not exist.

Thomas Henry Huxley, an English biologist, coined the word agnostic in 1869.[4] However, earlier thinkers and written works have promoted agnostic points of view. They include Protagoras, a 5th-century BCE Greek philosopher,[5]Sanjaya Belatthaputta, a 5th-century BCE Indian philosopher,[6] and the Nasadiya Sukta concerning the origin of the universe in the Rig Veda, an ancient Sanskrit text, which is one of the primary scriptures of Vedic Hinduism.[7]

Since Huxley coined the term, many other thinkers have written extensively about agnosticism.

Thomas Henry Huxley said:

Agnosticism often overlaps with other belief systems. Agnostic theists identify themselves both as agnostics and as followers of particular religions, viewing agnosticism as a framework for thinking about the nature of belief and their relation to revealed truths. Some nonreligious people, such as author Philip Pullman, identify as both agnostic and atheist.[9] In contrast, the philosopher William L. Rowe said that in the popular sense, an agnostic is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in the existence of a deity or deities, whereas a theist and an atheist believe and disbelieve, respectively, and that in the strict sense agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of rationally justifying the belief that deities do, or do not, exist.

Agnostic (from Ancient Greek - (a-), meaning "without", and (gnsis), meaning "knowledge") was used by Thomas Henry Huxley in a speech at a meeting of the Metaphysical Society in 1869[10] to describe his philosophy which rejects all claims of spiritual or mystical knowledge. Early Christian church leaders used the Greek word gnosis (knowledge) to describe "spiritual knowledge." Agnosticism is not to be confused with religious views opposing the ancient religious movement of Gnosticism in particular; Huxley used the term in a broader, more abstract sense.[11]

Huxley identified agnosticism not as a creed but rather as a method of skeptical, evidence-based inquiry.[12]

In recent years, scientific literature dealing with neuroscience and psychology has used the word to mean "not knowable".[13] In technical and marketing literature, "agnostic" often has a meaning close to "independent"for example, "platform agnostic" or "hardware agnostic."[14]

Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume contended that meaningful statements about the universe are always qualified by some degree of doubt.[15] He asserted that the fallibility of human beings means that they cannot obtain absolute certainty except in trivial cases where a statement is true by definition (i.e. tautologies such as "all bachelors are unmarried" or "all triangles have three corners"). All rational statements that assert a factual claim about the universe that begin "I believe that ...." are simply shorthand for, "Based on my knowledge, understanding, and interpretation of the prevailing evidence, I tentatively believe that...." For instance, when one says, "I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald shot John F. Kennedy," one is not asserting an absolute truth but a tentative belief based on interpretation of the assembled evidence. Even though one may set an alarm clock prior to the following day, believing that waking up will be possible, that belief is tentative, tempered by a small but finite degree of doubt (the clock or its alarm mechanism might break, or one might die before the alarm goes off).

Agnosticism can be subdivided into several categories, some of which may be disputed. Variations include:

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Guidelines on use of stem cell therapy

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Google stem cell therapy and a whole host of results show up. Stem cell therapy for hair loss, diabetes, cancer and practically everything else. It is touted as the medicine of hope, the panacea for all ills.

But to ensure that this potentially-powerful technology is not misused in the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research has come up with a set of guidelines to regulate their use.

Under the new guidelines, any use of stem cells in patients will be considered research, not therapy.

This means stem cells can now only be used on patients within the purview of an approved, and monitored clinical trial anything outside of this would be considered malpractice. Ananthram Shetty, professor of minimally-invasive surgery at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, said the guidelines are much-needed, welcome move in the right direction.

Prof. Shetty, who has been working with stem-cell technology for 27 years, and is often in India to demonstrate their use in research surgeries, said this would prevent anybody and everybody from claiming unproven benefits. Lots of people dont really understand what stem cells are. And those who have a terminal illness are willing to try anything. There are some people who use this to raise false hopes. And this is what the guidelines seek to stop, he said.

J.S. Rajkumar, chairman, Lifeline Hospital, however, said the guidelines could have been clearer about the use of adult stem cells over embryonic stem cells, he said. Now, the procedures involved and the time it would take could dissuade many, he said, while there is a real need for funds to be pumped in for research into this technology.

Another International Ear Care Day passed by on March 3.

It spelled out a clear message ear care can avoid hearing loss.

But the question is how many people know how to take care of their ears. What is interesting is the ear is a self-cleaning organ and does not require any kind of cleaning. But many clean their ears using safety pins, hair pins and even matchsticks.

While doctors advise against the use of such objects, they discourage the use of cotton buds too. Some heat coconut oil and pour into the ears. This could cause fungal infections. The ear drum is very thin and can be damaged, leading to loss of hearing, said M. Ramaniraj, professor of ENT, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital.

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Guidelines on use of stem cell therapy

Chicago Hospital Evaluates New Stem-Cell Therapy For Pain

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CBS Chicago (con't)

Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSChicago.com/ACA

Health News & Information: CBSChicago.com/Health

(CBS) Is it the future of pain relief, the end of pain pills, physical therapy and knee or hip replacements?

CBS 2s Mary Kay Kleist looks at a new procedure offered at only a handful of places. Its still a bit controversial. But some doctors and their patients swear by it.

Linda Morning-Starpoole suffered terrible knee pain, the result of sports injuries when she was younger.

Traditional treatment might involve steroid injections, physical therapy and joint replacement. But she wanted an alternative.

The thought of me healing me with through my own stem cells is what sold me on the procedure, she says.

Heres how it works: Doctors take bone marrow from the hip and spin it in a machine to get the stem cells. Those cellsare then mixed with the patients platelets, a type of blood cell involved in healing.

The mixture is injected back into the joint, where the stem cells turn into new tissue, reduce pain and improve function.

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Chicago Hospital Evaluates New Stem-Cell Therapy For Pain

CNI: Databrary: An Open Video-Based Data-Sharing System for Developmental Science – Video

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CNI: Databrary: An Open Video-Based Data-Sharing System for Developmental Science
Dylan Simon Systems Architect New York University Rick Gilmore Associate Professor of Psychology Pennsylvania State University David Millman Director, Digita...

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CNI: Databrary: An Open Video-Based Data-Sharing System for Developmental Science - Video

Boulder Valley announces science fair winners

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The following are the award winners from Boulder Valley's Feb. 27 Corden Pharma Colorado Regional Science Fair:

Corden Pharma Colorado Junior Cup Award went to Fiona Anderson at Summit Middle School.

The Corden Pharma Colorado Best of Show Award went to Hope Weinstein and Logan Collins at Fairview High School.

International Science and Engineering Fair qualifiers are Weinstein, Collins and Jesse Zhang, all from Fairview High School.

The junior level Colorado Science and Engineering Fair qualifiers are Katie Krueger and Diego Olaya at Peak to Peak and Fiona Anderson, Andrea Lin, Kyra Leland, Stephanie Zhang, Amrita Purkayastha, Joshua Kim, Mannon Frykholm, and Beatriz Kuperus at Summit

The senior level Colorado Science and Engineering Fair qualifiers are Zachary Wilson of Broomfield High and Hope Weinstein, Logan Collins, Jesse Zhang, Jaimie Zhu, Audrey Randall, Jonathan Snedeker, Maya Frost-Belansky, Lawrence Zhang and Casey Zhang of Fairview High.

The following are senior level category winners:

In animal and plant sciences, from first to third place, are Ari Groobman at Fairview, Sean Holt at Fairview and Raina Galbiati at New Vista.

In behavioral and social sciences, from first to third place, are Maya Frost-Belansky at Fairview, Caitlin Laber at Fairview and Megan Fraser, Mary Stone-Murphy and Nicole Barbour at Monarch.

In chemistry, from first to third place, are Jaimie Zhu at Fairview, Gillian Kopp at Boulder and Andy Yan at Fairview.

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Boulder Valley announces science fair winners

Comets Topple Oklahoma City 4-3 in Shootout

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March 7, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Utica Comets overcame a strong Oklahoma City run during the third period and surged past the Barons with a 4-3 victory in a shootout Wednesday night at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. With the win, Utica pulled to within seven points of eighth place in the Western Conference, with 55 points and a 24-26-3-4 record.

Colin Stuart, Alex Friesen and Pascal Pelletier scored in regulation for the Comets, while Nicklas Jensen potted the game-winning goal in the shootout for the second time this season. Joacim Eriksson turned aside 32 of 35 for the victory, his 18th of the season. The Galve, Sweden native is now 10-5-2 over his past 17 starts. Pelletier also added another tally in the shootout for Utica.

The Comets got on the board first as Stuart redirected a slick feed from Jeremy Welsh past Richard Bachman with 4:08 left in the first period. The captain drove down the slot and into the crease where Welsh hit him with a perfectly timed pass for Stuart's 13th goal this season. With the helper, Welsh picked up his seventh point of the season and his first on home ice. Winger Patrick Kennedy also recorded an assist on the play, his second with the Comets.

Oklahoma City found the scoreboard for the first time at The AUD as Austin Fyten finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play for the goal. Anton Lander picked up his 27th assist on the season and his fourth in two games against Utica with the primary helper, which set up Fyten all alone in front. Tyler Pitlick also had an assist on the play, his 12th of the 2013-14 campaign.

The Comets would answer back late in the second as Friesen scored his first regular season goal with the Comets to put his team on top 2-1. The Utica center buried a Kellan Lain feed past Bachman, as he found himself in the goal column for the first time since Feb. 1, 2013, when he played for the Chicago Wolves. Defenseman Frank Corrado also picked up an assist for the Comets, his sixth of the season.

Utica added another goal just 2:41 into the third period, as Pelletier put his own rebound past Bachman to make it 3-1. Pelletier's power-play tally, his eleventh of the season, gave Utica its first two goal lead since the conclusion of the 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Admirals on Feb. 7. Nicklas Jensen and Cal O'Reilly picked up assists on the play, Jensen's first amidst 12 goals since Jan. 11 against San Antonio.

The multiple goal advantage was short lived, however, as Baron winger Steve Pinizzotto blasted a shot past Eriksson to cut the lead back to just one goal. Just five seconds after the Comets had killed off a Negrin minor for holding, the Barons struck with Pinizzotto's ninth of the season. Pitlick and Martin Gernat had the assists to get the Barons to within 3-2 with less than 12 minutes to play.

The Comets were unable to see out a regulation victory, as the Barons forced overtime with 4:10 on the clock. Jack Combs scored for the fifth time this season to knot the score at three and eventually force the extra session. Roman Horak picked up his 22nd assist of the season with the primary marker, while Mark Arcobello extended his scoring streak to ten games with the secondary helper.

After an overtime period that saw neither goaltender beaten, the Comets moved to 3-4 in shootout decisions this season with a 2-1 victory. After Combs and Pelletier traded goals in the first round, each team missed, before another highlight reel goal from Jensen put Utica in front 2-1. Eriksson would do the rest, as he turned aside four of the five shooters he faced to earn the Comets a critical two points.

Utica is back in action on Friday as they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for Irish Night at The AUD. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and the team will unveil its second set of specialty jerseys this season, which will be auctioned off after the conclusion of the game. The Comets take to the road the following evening, with a 7:00 p.m. tilt against Patrick Mullen and the Binghamton Senators.

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Comets Topple Oklahoma City 4-3 in Shootout

Gameday: Comets vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

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March 7, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS (30-20-3-4) @ UTICA COMETS (22-26-3-4)

Utica Memorial Auditorium, 7 pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets are in search of their third straight win as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are in town for Irish Night at The AUD. The Comets sit eight points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference and the team looks to level their season series against the Penguins at one game apiece.

When They Last Met: The Comets lost a 1-0 decision to the Penguins back in early December at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Nick D'Agostino scored the lone goal for Wilkes-Barre Scranton, beating a screened Joe Cannata from the point. Eric Hartzell picked up the shutout with 22 saves, while Cannata turned away 17 of 18 in defeat.

Comets Outlook: The Comets defeated the Oklahoma City Barons 4-3 on Wednesday night at The AUD. Colin Stuart, Alex Friesen and Pascal Pelletier scored in regulation for the Comets, while Nicklas Jensen potted the game-winning goal in the shootout for the second time this season. Joacim Eriksson turned aside 32 of 35 for the victory, his 18th of the season. The Galve, Sweden native is now 10-5-2 over his past 17 starts. Pelletier also added another tally in the shootout for Utica.

Penguins Outlook: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton picked up a critical two points from the Albany Devils, in a 2-1 victory at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, Mar. 1. The Penguins got two goals in the game's final seven minutes to secure the win. Brandon Mikkelson knotted the score at the 13:33 mark of the third, before Tom Kostopoulos potted the game winner with just 3:52 remaining. Mike Sislo scored the lone goal for Albany. Peter Mannino was the victor, with 19 saves on 20 shots, while Keith Kinkaid took the loss for Albany after he stopped 12 of 14.

Special-T Challenge: The Utica Comets have recently thrived on both areas of special teams. Utica has successfully killed off 13 consecutive minor penalties and 39 of its past 43, good for a 90.6 conversion rate over its past nine games. The Comets have also scored on the power play in three straight games, in addition to six of its past eight.

The Eriksson Will Come Out Tomorrow: Goaltender Joacim Eriksson turned aside 32 of 35 shots on Wednesday, which improved his record to 10-4-2 over his past 16 starts. The Utica netminder has recorded a .925 save percentage over that time span. Eriksson is the AHL's third most worked goaltender this season, with over 2,221 minutes played.

Frie-sen Bird: Center Alex Friesen found the back of the net for the first time with the Comets against Oklahoma City. Friesen's goal was his first in the AHL since Feb. 1, 2013, when he played for the Chicago Wolves. Friesen previously scored twice during Utica's 4-2 preseason victory over Adirondack in September and now has three total points (1-2-3) during the 2013-14 season.

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Gameday: Comets vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton