Health care site put to the test

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CHICAGO The governments revamped health care website was put to its biggest test yet as a record-breaking surge of Americans rushed to beat Tuesdays extended deadline for signing up for coverage.

After a disastrous, glitch-plagued rollout in October, HealthCare.gov, the website where people in 36 states can shop for insurance, received nearly 2 million visits Monday and handled the traffic well, the government said.

Monday was the sign-up deadline for people wanting coverage at the start of the new year. But the Obama administration pushed back the deadline a day to deal with expected heavy traffic from procrastinators.

The grace period was the latest in a series of delays that have marked President Barack Obamas health care overhaul.

Critics of the law seized on the extension as more evidence that the program is in trouble.

The amazing, ever-expanding deadline? Its clearly a sign of desperation by the administration to do everything they can to increase the number of people signing up, said health economist Gail Wilensky, who ran Medicare for President George H.W. Bush.

The laws supporters said the extra day means the public got the message and wants subsidized health insurance.

A lot of people who previously found health care unaffordable are learning they can get very substantial subsidies that bring premiums within their reach, said Ron Pollack, president of Families USA, a liberal advocacy group leading efforts to get uninsured people signed up for coverage next year. Thats why were seeing a large influx of people trying to get enrolled.

The website went through extensive hardware and software upgrades to make it more reliable and increase its capacity.

When the number of simultaneous users reached 60,000 on Monday, site operators employed a queuing system that allows people to either wait or give an email address to be invited back later, the government said. More than 60,000 users gave their email.

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Health care site put to the test

Beware accuracy of mail-in genetic tests

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The Perfect 46 is a coming movie in which people are routinely tested to find an ideal genetic partner with whom to create a child. In the real world, things are almost as far-out. Some companies can screen and alert you to DNA variants that might combine with your partner's to produce an offspring with a rare, single-gene disease, such as cystic fibrosis. Others look for genetic indications that you could develop a disease down the road, so you can make decisions about prevention or medical treatment.

But there are lots of questions about how reliable these mail-in-a-vial-of-blood-or-saliva genetic tests are. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered one big-buzz company to stop shipping its $99 spit kit. Seems the company can't prove the accuracy of its tests for 254 genetic problems and was suggesting what people might do with test results. That could have devastating consequences. For example, a false-positive result for a high-risk gene-linked condition such breast cancer might lead a woman to have a mastectomy when she didn't really need to consider having one.

So whether you're curious about your genome or you have a family history of a disorder that you want to avoid passing on to your children, get tested only if advised by a doctor whos trained in genetic medicine and have a second test done to confirm results. These tests will get more accurate, but they arent there yet.

A real fountain of youth is inside you: the sweat that comes from physical activity. A new eight-year study looked at 3,500 folks around age 65: Those whod always gotten moderate or vigorous exercise were seven times more likely to have healthy aging; even those who didnt exercise until they were already old tripled their chances of a healthy old age. When you're sweatin and smilin, dementia and depression, as well as heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes, just happen less often.

The two keys to keeping active or to getting movin as you age: Having a group or partner to do it with, and finding an activity you enjoy. So sign up for a group class at the gym or get a workout buddy or online coach to support you. And experiment with walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, yoga and strength-building or flexibility exercises to see what sustains your interest. Then sweat it out for at least 30 minutes daily! P.S. You cut the risk of stroke 20 percent by sweating four times a week.

Nothing about 3-D ever has been as life-changing as the way 3-D in mammograms can see breast tissue. Digital breast tomosynthesis, the name for these high-tech trouble-spotters, can identify 22 percent more cancers and avoid many false-positives (and unnecessary biopsies, particularly among women with dense breast tissue and younger women) that result from use of conventional digital mammogram machines.

And theyre potentially lifesaving for people with a family history of BRCA-2 breast cancer. New information reveals that family members who test BRCA-2-free are still at a much-increased risk of breast cancer, compared with folks with who have no family history of BRCA-2. For them, mammograms need to be as accurate as possible, every time, and 3-D images are just that.

Other people who might be grateful for the imaging power of tomosynthesis? Anyone with high LDL cholesterol is at increased risk for estrogen-dependent breast cancer (about 75 percent of breast cancers). Thats because a byproduct of cholesterol acts like estrogen in the body, making folks with high cholesterol more vulnerable. Regular 3-D screenings can catch breast cancer at its earliest and most curable stage.

Bonus tip: If you have elevated LDL, taking a cholesterol-lowering statin and aspirin are smart ways to reduce breast-cancer risk; statins reduce the estrogen-like powers of that cholesterol byproduct, and a daily aspirin cuts the risk by 40 percent.

Want to bring a little good cheer into a friend's life for various occasions scattered over the New Year? (Not a bad resolution.) Heres our list of eight mini-gifts that will make everyone healthier and happier (including you, because giving is a great feeling).

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Ford trucks of future passed

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Now that the sixth generation Ford Mustang has been revealed, the worst kept secret in Detroit is that theres a new F-150 on the way, too.

Ford wont talk about it, but the 13th-generation pickup is expected to make its debut at the North American International Auto Show in January and hit the road later in 2014.

Its rumored to be the most cutting-edge version of the F-Series yet, offering a selection of turbocharged engines, an extensive use of aluminum in its construction, and possibly a 10-speed transmission at some point in its lifecycle, all in the name of fuel economy.

Whats more certain is that its look will be inspired by the Ford Atlas concept that was unveiled at the 2013 NAIAS. Its a bold design filled with modern touches, but not exactly what youd describe as a work of futurism.

Sixty years ago, things were different.

Back in 1953, Fords designers sketched a couple of proposals that were straight out of the atomic age, and were recently dug out of the archives for FoxNews.com.

The first is of a stepside pickup appropriately hard at work at the observation bunker of a ballistic missile launch pad. It features a half-cabover layout similar to a 1970s Econoline van, its blunt nose complimented by square yet smooth bodywork, with large radius curves and flush door handles. Those air in the front fenders? Who knows where they led, but theyd show up again on the 1965 Mustang.

It was a vast departure from the production truck of the day, to be sure, although the third generation model that arrived in 1957 did retain its forward-leaning rear roof pillar and was the first F-Series to integrate the hood and fenders, and use a clamshell hood.

Whats more interesting today, however, is its front-end style. While the grille and lighting arrangement is similar to the 1953 F-Series, its surrounded by a large hexagonal enclosure thats the spitting image of Fords current family face, and an eerie premonition of the Atlas design.

Even more frightening, however, is a proposal for a van also created in 1953. The hearse-like profile and protruding, vampire-fang headlights giving it a dark and dreary demeanor enhanced by the desolate setting of the sketch.

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Ford trucks of future passed

Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough PART 7 – Wellington – Video

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Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough PART 7 - Wellington
Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough Part 7 - Brand new single player Content. Adewale returns but is now an Assassin of the order 🙂 Full L...

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Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough PART 7 - Wellington - Video

Prime (Punjabi) – Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa’ struggle on Sikhs Freedom – 19 Dec 2013 – Video

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Prime (Punjabi) - Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa #39; struggle on Sikhs Freedom - 19 Dec 2013
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Assassin’s Creed 4 Freedom Cry DLC – Plantation Liberation – Brousse Du Nord Est – Video

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Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Freedom Cry DLC - Plantation Liberation - Brousse Du Nord Est
This is guide on Liberating the Brousse Du Nord Est Plantation in Port Au Prince in the Freedom Cry DLC for Assassin #39;s Creed 4. Played on PS3. For PC, XBOX 3...

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Assassin's Creed 4 Freedom Cry DLC - Plantation Liberation - Brousse Du Nord Est - Video

Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough PART 9 – I Want Revenge – Video

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Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough PART 9 - I Want Revenge
Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry Walkthrough Part 9 - Brand new single player Content. Adewale returns but is now an Assassin of the order 🙂 Full L...

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Freedom of Speech: An "Endangered Species"

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Although most Americans claim to venerate the ideal of "freedom of speech," when it comes to actual practice there are few purists. "Free speech" purists recognize that defending the right to freedom of speech is not the same as endorsing what a speaker has said; therefore, purists recognize that viewpoints they disagree with should be just as zealously protected as viewpoints they embrace.

Unfortunately, most so-called advocates of "freedom of speech" in America subscribe to four basic rules: 1). Revere freedom of speech when you (overtly or covertly) agree with what is being said, and revile it when you don't; 2). Do not gauge the "offensiveness" of speech by what was said, but instead by whether it supports or contradicts your political, religious, social, and/or economic agendas; 3). Realize that your hypocrisy will be camouflaged by the failure or refusal of most people to engage their long-term memories; 4). Know that the right to "freedom of speech" is only relevant when one has the political or economic resources to utilize it.

The most recent "controversy" in America regarding "freedom of speech" conclusively illustrates the application of these rules. Phil Robertson, the patriarch of a family that appears on A&E Network's Duck Dynasty, was recently suspended from the show for remarks he made during an interview with GQ Magazine.

Although most of this "controversy" has revolved around the negative remarks Robertson made about gays and lesbians, Josh Barro of Business Insider (12/21/13) explained that Robertson's statements even implied that African-Americans were happier when racial segregation was the law in the American South.

In response to Robertson's remarks, a popular, country-themed restaurant chain, which once endured its own controversy regarding its views towards gays and lesbians, removed Duck Dynasty merchandise from its shelves, provoking such "outrage" that it reversed its decision a few days later.

Upon reading this, I could not help but wonder how many of those "good ole boys and gals" who were so "outraged" by this restaurant's actions had absolutely no complaints a few years back when country radio stations banned the Dixie Chicks from the airwaves because of remarks they made that were critical of George W. Bush.

I also thought about how the former Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), Paul Tagliabue, once refused to hold the Super Bowl in Arizona because of its failure to create a state holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., yet the NFL still has a team called the "Redskins," and how, more recently, Wisconsin's demagogic governor Scott Walker fired a campaign aide for "racist tweets," yet later enacted a law making it more difficult for people to legally challenge the nicknames of sports teams that Native-Americans find racially offensive.

What is particularly disturbing about the Duck Dynasty "controversy," is that even the short-term memories of many Americans have failed. The news organization The Young Turks recently aired an interesting montage showing how many of the very people and organizations now vociferously defending Robertson's right to "freedom of speech," were, a few weeks ago, just as vociferously condemning the MSNBC network for its failure to "punish" journalist Martin Bashir (who was later forced to resign) for statements he made about America's goddess of right-wing idiocy, Sarah Palin.

Perhaps even more hypocritically, given their defense of Robertson's statements, is how many of these people and organizations also remained silent, and in some cases even supported, MSNBC's decision to cancel actor Alec Baldwin's late night talk show after he allegedly used "homophobic slurs."

Although Palin herself denounced as "hypocrisy" MSNBC's initial failure to "punish" Bashir, she did not hesitate to display her own hypocrisy in defending Robertson by lamenting that "free speech is an endangered species."

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Freedom of Speech: An "Endangered Species"

Movie review: Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom a dutiful portrait (with video)

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Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Starring: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris

Directed by: Justin Chadwick

Running time: 139 minutes

Parental guidance: Violence, sexual content, strong language

Nelson Mandela led a long, troubled, and ultimately glorious life. Its almost like a folk tale in its familiar beats: the fiery freedom-fighter, the courageous prisoner, the forgiving president.

Its all there in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, a 139-minute trek that touches all the high and low points of his life but doesnt stray off the well-worn path. Mandela the man is presented pretty much as advertised wise and courageous, with a few flaws that are lightly worn and the story doesnt tell us anything new. Long Walk To Freedom is a good, solid, responsible, well-made movie biography, and you sit through it with a feeling of fulfilling a duty.

It stars Idris Elba, a powerful actor who towers over most of the other cast members (hes 6-foot-2 ) but evokes a gentle wisdom. Its a fine performance even though it never really gets under the skin of the character. Long Walk To Freedom has the odd problem of being simultaneously too long and too short: it marches through all of the historic high points of Mandelas life, but never lingers long enough to find something deeper in the man. Its stuffed with incident at the expense of insight, and when it does stop, its usually for a rousing speech about freedom that is typically underscored with the orchestral string section that is movie shorthand for glory.

It begins with Mandelas childhood and early success as a canny lawyer in a segregated South Africa. He has no political ambitions, and when members of the African National Congress try to recruit him they ask if he isnt tired of being addressed as boy he says, When I am better qualified and better dressed and richer than they are, they wont call my boy any more.

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Movie review: Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom a dutiful portrait (with video)

New 2014 Freedom Africa Brochure Launched

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(PRWEB UK) 24 December 2013

The number one name in personalised and tailor-made travel to Africa, Freedom Africa have toasted the end of another year of service by unveiling their new glossy 2014 Africa brochure bursting with fresh and invigorating touring options, new territories and more.

Entirely constructed with the traveller in mind, Freedom Africas 2014 brochure is brimming with suggested itineraries, package offerings and things to see and do in eight African destinations namely South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Kenya and Tanzania.

Mirroring the slick look and feel of the overall online Freedom Destinations portfolio, travellers will be greeted with warm and welcoming splashes that invite enthusiastic adventurers to bask in a truly unforgettable holiday of a lifetime.

With Freedom Africa negotiating substantial repute in the personalised holiday realm, travellers can order their new brochure today either online or on the phone by calling 08445674020.

Upon receipt, for those tourists familiar with Freedoms previously covered territories, they wont believe just how more exciting and fun-filled tours have been added to the company charter.

The jewel in the crown of Africas offering South Africa again steals the show with six more accommodation complexes added to the already outstanding array of handpicked hotels ensuring that guests get as much out of their stay in the Rainbow Nation as possible.

Taking in the splendour of Cape Town, Durban, Oudtshoorn and the revered Kruger National Park, Freedom Africa is delighted to welcome the likes of the Protea Breakwater and De Opstal which ensure travellers are fulfilled in some of the best loved destinations in the world, let alone the African continent.

Freedom Destinations have made it their mission to place the traveller at the heart of their business and much like is the case upon sister websites Freedom Australia, Freedom Asia and Freedom New Zealand, suggested touring packages again take precedence in the 2014 Freedom Africa brochure.

Would-be travellers can peruse the likes of the Grand South Africa Discovery package a new-fangled coach tour aimed at offering tourists a little bitesize piece of most of the Rainbow Nations revered pursuits all in one offering; perfect for those who are undecided about a precise location.

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New 2014 Freedom Africa Brochure Launched

‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ Review

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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom chronicles the life and times of South African civil rights icon Nelson Mandela, leading up to his election as the countrys first black chief executive under a proper democracy. After briefly touching on his youth in a rural African village, the film introduces Mandela (Idris Elba) also referred to as Madiba- as a lawyer around the mid-20th century, when he soon joined the African National Congress (ANC) as a courtroom soldier in the battle against institutionalized racism and race-based social/economic inequality in Apartheid-era South Africa.

Nelsons lifestyle soon costs him his first marriage, before he finds (and weds) a kindred spirit in Winnie Madikizela (Naomie Harris), an equally progressive-minded social worker. However, when Nelson and his fellow protestors abandon their non-violent resistance for a sabotage campaign against the Apartheid government, he ends up being captured, convicted and informed that he will spend the remainder of his life in prison (rather than be allowed to become a martyr to his cause). Over the years that follow, change takes place both within Mandela and in the world around him though neither his freedom nor peace in his country prove easy to come by.

Morgan Freemans performance as the elder Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwoods Invictus is considered by many to be a definitive portrayal of the man, yet that film highlights just a single noteworthy incident from the recently-deceased anti-Apartheid crusaders life; moreover, there Madiba isnt even the protagonist. By comparison, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a proper memoir, in terms of its scope, scale and respectful yet critically-objective tone; but as a work of biographical cinema, its far less revolutionary than the subject whose life it depicts.

The script based on Mandelas autobiography and written by William Nicholson (Les Misrables) -is foremost a Cliff Notes summary of key events in Nelsons life (before he became president of South Africa). However, because the screenplay pauses every so often to explore Mandela and Winnies characters in depth exposing their personal follies, moral shortcomings and self-motivated desires in the process it elevates Long Walk to Freedom as a work of art. Still, on a pure storytelling level, the film often feels like a homework assignment youve been required to watch insightful, for sure, but something of a chore to sit through (especially with a running time of close to two and a half hours).

Idris Elba in Long Walk to Freedom

Director Justin Chadwick (The First Grader) and cinematographer Lol Crawley (Hyde Park on Hudson) bathe flashbacks to Mandelas youth in the plains of Africa- along with later sequences in that setting (see: Mandela and Winnies wedding) with a glowing sunlight. This visually gorgeous (if somewhat melodramatic) composition technique ultimately works to highlight Nelsons spiritual connection with his homeland, and provides a fitting contrast to the harsher, desolate colors and imagery of Mandelas time in prison as well as footage showing unrest and violence in the streets of South Africa, over the decades.

Unfortunately, as lovely as the film can be to look at, its more unwieldy in terms of construction. There is a lot of material covered here; beginning with the important events in Nelsons life before his imprisonment, the film eventually splits its time between Mandelas evolution from aggressive and inspirational activist to wizened and peaceful leader and Winnies journey in the opposite direction (from charitable social activist to fiery rabble-rouser). Chadwick and his editor Rick Russell (44 Inch Chest) cover all the necessary bases, yet not with as much attention to detail as would be preferable, and often at the price of a flowing pace (as mentioned before) especially during the late second act/early third act.

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‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ Review

Google sues to protect Android device makers from Apple-backed patent hell

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In a complaint filed Monday in San Jose, Google claims that Rockstars patent campaign is taking aim at hundreds of California tech companies and that the litigation has placed a cloud on Googles Android platform, threatening Nexus devices in particular.

The lawsuit amounts to an effort to shield ASUS and other companies that use the open source Android operating system from a legal extermination effort by Rockstar, which filed a wave of lawsuits in late October:

Despite its cocky name, Rockstar is simply a corporate patent troll hatched by Google rivals including Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry after the rivals spent $4.5 billion ($2.5 billion from Apple) in 2012 for a trove of patents from Nortel, a long defunct Canadian telco company. Today, Rockstar employsonce-proud Canadian engineers to help with the trolling operation.The filing says:

Rockstar produces no products and practices no patents. Instead, Rockstar employsa staff of engineers in Ontario, Canada, who examine other companies successful products to findanything that Rockstar might use to demand and extract licenses to its patents under threat of litigation.

The complaint also states that Rockstars trolling campaign has targeted more than 100 companies, and that Rockstars CEO has said that Facebook, LinkedIn and every other tech company is infringing the old Nortel patents.

Such claims may seem absurd, and could speed calls to reform a dysfunctional patent system, but they also present a very real business problem for Android makers since the lawsuits mean an ongoing risk of injunctions and unpredictable jury verdicts.

Google appears to be especially concerned about the Nexus line of phones. It asks the court to declare that theNexus 5,Nexus 7, or Nexus 10 devices sold by Google directly or indirectly dont infringe seven patents that belong to Rockstar or to MobileStar, another shell company thatwas formed for litigation one day before Rockstar filed its lawsuits against Googles customers.

As for the patents, they relate to basic functions like mobile hotspot functionality, VPN management functionality and Messaging and Notification.

Its unclear, however, how far Google will get with its attempt to get a declaration that the patents dont infringe.

In April, Americas patent appeals court ruled Cisco couldnt sue to protect its customers from patent infringements suits targeting customers that used its routers. This could create procedural obstacles in Googles attempt to put brakes on the sprawling Android litigation.

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Google sues to protect Android device makers from Apple-backed patent hell

Gail Kerr: Seek new worlds with TSU astronomy calendar

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If youre curious about what lies in the worlds beyond ours, Tennessee State University has just the thing.

For the third year, TSUs astronomy department has released a wall calendar filled with amazing images and fascinating scientific facts about the galaxies, stars and planets out in space. Its free to anyone interested.

We thought it was a really good opportunity for public outreach and to share some of the exciting results our research team is doing at TSU, said Matthew Muterspaugh, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at TSU and an astrophysicist. We thought this would be a good forum to spread this information.

The calendar is put together by undergraduates who do the research, compile the information and create the colorful pages for each month. Along with information about what TSU is researching in space, the calendar also includes interesting factoids that will liven up any New Years Eve party: Who knew that on Jan 7, 1610, Galileo discovered there are moons orbiting Jupiter? Or that Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879?

The calendar includes popular sky items and also ones that are related to the research were doing at TSU, Muterspaugh said. In particular, the calendar includes observations made with TSUs fully robotic telescopes that are located in Southern Arizona. They are operated from downtown Nashville.

Each year the calendar has gotten better and better, he said. This year is the best yet. They are all new images this year. We have not had to repeat any images in three years.

Last years calendar included images of a dwarf galaxy 10 million light-years away, the Bubble Nebula, created from stellar wind from a massive young central star, and the constellation Andromeda, 300 light-years away. Its mind-blowing.

In a state that needs hard-science graduates, TSU has become a rising star. In 2008, two TSU astronomers made a discovery that caused an international stir in the science world. Gregory Henry and Francis Frekel, as part of a national team, revealed that in a faraway solar system about as old as the Earths, two planets had collided and annihilated one another, leaving a dense cloud of warm dust. It raised new questions about whether there might have been life there before that happened. The findings were published.

TSU scientists also participated in the widely controversial debate over the definition of a planet that demoted Pluto from planet status to dwarf planet. Just last week, Muterspaugh participated in research at Lowell Observatory.

Astronomy is one of those fields that is as old as human thought, Muterspaugh said. Everybody has an innate desire to wonder whats out there. Are we alone? What is our role in the universe? The calendar is an opportunity for outreach to the sciences in general. We have such a strong research component in astronomy, we hope to encourage people.

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Gail Kerr: Seek new worlds with TSU astronomy calendar