Times Q&A: Texas Tech medical school admission process required tough decisions El Paso Times As the new four-year medical school gears up for its second class, Schydlower agreed to talk with the El Paso Times about the admissions process, ... State legislators made Tech medical school a separate entityLubbockOnline.com Health sciences center a priority, officials sayEl Paso Times Despite Texas money woes, Texas Tech HSC eyes El PasoKCBD-TV |
Med School’s Social Mission Recognized – University of South Alabama News
Med School's Social Mission Recognized University of South Alabama News Fitzhugh's findings suggest that “initiatives at the medical school level could increase the proportion of physicians who practice primary care, ... Defensive medicine to avoid liability lawsuits is widespreadAmerican Medical News |
Spiral Island Rises Again
Over the last several years I have wrote about Spiral Island, Reishee Sowa’s private island constructed out of a quarter of a million used pop bottles. Unfortunately the island was destroyed by a hurricane in 2007 and was forced to start over from scratch.
Fast forward to the present and Reishee has become Rishi (and sometimes Richie) and his island has been reborn. His new island is a bit smaller, a modest 120,000 bottles, but he has “all the luxuries of home, including a private island for his ducks and a conch shell intercom system.”
On his website Rishi notes:
On his social networking website, Rishi tells us how his islands might benefit the world.
This old world economy is upsetting nature’s balance and polluting the air, so now carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are exponentially increasing as a seemingly ever growing world population using unecological industries continues to creep over the surface area of our gem of a planet and Mother Earth. We can actually help to balance this out and even reverse this process with floating islands. They can be all over the globe, on rivers, lakes and in protected oceans. They can provide sustainable habitats for plants, animals and humans can be even made on dry ground in potential flood areas such as Bangladesh. Peoples homes, gardens and lives can actually be saved instead of being washed away by the flood and if tethered the islands would even be in the same place after the flood subsided.
To read more about Spiral Island visit Treehugger.
Hiroshima | Cosmic Variance
Last week I found myself on a tram in Hiroshima, heading to the stop “A-bomb dome”. I was surrounded by Japanese passengers, and for the first time in Japan I felt self-conscious and uncomfortable. I am an American working at Los Alamos, the literal and figurative birthplace of the atomic bomb. Memories of my visit to Trinity Site are still fresh. The weight of history is unavoidable. As in a classic Bruegel painting, however, nobody seems to pay particular notice. Everyone moves forward with their lives. A few days after the bomb, they restored streetcar service to parts of the city. There is no evidence of that terrible instant. None, that is, until you get off the tram stop and confront the dome. You’ve seen images of it countless times. But standing in front of it, surrounded by the bustling city of Hiroshima, is an altogether different experience.
There is a museum near the dome, with the impossible task of presenting the bomb to the residents of Hiroshima, the inhabitants of Japan, and the rest of the world. The museum is split into two parts. The first focuses on the history of Hiroshima, and the build-up to war. It dwells on the extended decision-making process through which Hiroshima was selected as the first target. The city had strategic significance. The city hadn’t been (conventionally) bombed, which meant that the full effect of the new device could be estimated. It didn’t have significance for the post-war reconstruction plans (in the way that Kyoto did [and the US Secretary of War apparently honeymooned in Kyoto, and had a sentimental attachment]). It didn’t contain American prisoners-of-war. Hiroshima ended up at the top of the list. One thing I found surprising: the museum implies that the timetable for the bombings was heavily influenced by the Russians. The US wanted to pre-empt Russian participation in the Pacific, and were hoping to elicit a Japanese surrender before the Russians could formally enter the war. The other half of the museum focuses on the immediate aftermath of the bomb. It contains artifacts from the day, including stopped watches and bits of clothing and hair. And countless stories, almost entirely of children returning home to their parents in horrific condition, and dying in the subsequent hours or days. There is a focus, both in the museum and in the memorial peace park which surrounds it, on the youngest casualties.
Sixty-five years ago the first atomic bombs were used in war. There is something depressing that humanity finds it necessary to develop such terrible weapons. But perhaps there is something hopeful in that, in the ensuing half century, we’ve had enough sense not to use them again.
Senate Rejects Obama’s Space Plan
NASA budget fight - Is Utah emerging as rival to KSC?, Orlando Sentinel
"The Senate subcommittee charged with NASA oversight will present a $19 billion bill this week that kills President Barack Obama's proposed shakeup of the agency's human-spaceflight program, in the process cutting billions from commercial rocket and technology projects that supporters say would have benefited Kennedy Space Center. A draft of the bill, obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, was presented to NASA last week by the committee, chaired by Florida Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. So far the White House has not commented on the bill, but several Florida Space Coast leaders have expressed concern about its impact here."
Keith's note: Additional detail via NASA Watch sources: This authorization bill covers FY 2011-2013 - i.e. the period of time that the Obama Administration will have influence on budget plans. During FY 2011- 2013 President Obama had wanted to spend $3.3 Billion on commercial space. The draft legislation under consideration would now utterly gut the President's proposed commercial program to the point that its value as a "commercial" activity would be called into question.
In the proposed draft, commercial activities would now receive the following: $150M in FY 2011, $275M in FY 2012, and $464M in FY 2013 - for a total of $889M. That's barely a quarter of what the White House proposed. Moreover, NASA would also be precluded from entering into any commercial crew contracts in FY 2011. In addition, work on an advanced hydrocarbon engine would be halted. Also, all of the new technology that was to be funded gets eviscerated as well by as much as 50%.
At face value, this "compromise" would reverse the White House's plans and bring back a "lite" version of Constellation and fatally wound any attempt at a meaningful commercial participation in the future of American space exploration. This authorization bill will eventually find its way to the President's desk. Will he sign it? I don't think so. Add in a looming CR, and America's human spaceflight program is about to go into a year of stasis and confusion.
Stanford genotype class asks: What’s your type? – San Francisco Chronicle
Stanford genotype class asks: What's your type? San Francisco Chronicle The controversial class is the first of its kind at a US medical school and has a waiting list. When Stanford University School of Medicine became the first ... |
Researchers Witness Overnight Breakup, Retreat of Greenland Glacier
NASA-funded researchers monitoring Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier report that a 7 square kilometer (2.7 square mile) section of the glacier broke up on July 6 and 7, as shown in the picture above. The calving front – where the ice sheet meets the ocean – retreated nearly 1.5 kilometers (a mile) in one day and is now additional inland than at any time formerly observed. The chunk of lost ice is roughly one-eighth the size of Manhattan Island, New York.
Research teams led by Ian Howat of the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University and Paul Morin, director of the Antarctic Geospatial Information Center at the University of Minnesota have been monitoring satellite images for changes in the Greenland ice sheet and its outlet glaciers. While this week's breakup itself is not curious, Howat noted, detecting it within hours and at such fine detail is a new phenomenon for scientists.
"While there have been ice breakouts of this magnitude from Jakonbshavn and other glaciers in the past, this event is interested because it occurs on the heels of a warm winter that saw no sea ice form in the surrounding bay," said Thomas Wagner, cryospheric program scientist at NASA Headquarters. "While the exact relationship between these events is being determined, it lends credence to the theory that warming of the oceans is accountable for the ice loss observed throughout Greenland and Antarctica."
The researchers relied on imagery from several satellites, including Landsat, Terra, and Aqua, to get a broad view of ice changes at both poles. Then, in the days leading up to the breakup, the team conventional images from DigitalGlobe's WorldView 2 satellite showing large cracks and crevasses forming.
DigitalGlobe Inc. provides the images as part of a public-private partnership with U.S. scientists. Howat and Morin are getting near-daily satellite updates from the Jakobshavn, Kangerlugssuaq, and Helheim glaciers (among the islands largest) and weekly updates on smaller outlet glaciers.
Jakobshavn Isbrae is located on the west coast of Greenland at latitude 69°N and has been retreated more than 45 kilometers (27 miles) over the past 160 years, 10 kilometers (6 miles) in just the past decade. As the glacier has retreated, it has broken into a northern and southern branch. The breakup this week occurred in the north branch.
Scientists estimation that as much as 10 percent of all ice lost from Greenland is coming through Jakobshavn, which is also supposed to be the single largest contributor to sea level rise in the northern hemisphere. Scientists are more anxious about losses from the south branch of the Jakobshavn, as the topography is flatter and lower than in the northern branch.
In addition to the remote sensing work, Howat, Morin, and other researchers have been funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation to plant GPS sensors, cameras, and other scientific equipment on top of the ice sheet to monitor changes and comprehend the fundamental workings of the ice. NASA also has been conducting twice-yearly airborne campaigns to the Arctic and Antarctic through the IceBridge program and measuring ice loss with the ICESat and GRACE satellites.
For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/jakobshavn2010.html
James J. Valko, Author Of The Find, To Appear On The Authors Show on July 14, 2010 – The Open Press (press release)
James J. Valko, Author Of The Find, To Appear On The Authors Show on July 14, 2010 The Open Press (press release) In one direction is the potential for the greatest age of spiritual enlightenment and freedom the world has ever known. In the other direction is a world ... |
Blood smear reveals popular video game character
Cold Load and Hot Load Spring Design
Hi to all, I am interested to have deep understanding about the basis of designing a spring base on Cold load and hot load spring design. Does any body in this forum who can give any idea?
In addition, correct me if I'm wrong with my present understanding: Cold load design spring is d
What Lab Apparatus is Used to Make Water from H and O?
I've seen electrolysis many times, but I've never seen the set up or apparatus which could be used to synthesize water. What would it be ? Is electricity or heat used, or high pressure ? There's likely more than one method, I would guess. Would someone explain them or show me ? What was going on w
The time has come: leaving the Shuttle Program
Cross posted and adapted from original at the SpaceTweep Society
Note: I am posting this because I want people to see a realistic view of things at NASA, not a sugar-coated version. This is as real as it gets.
This week I volunteered for an upcoming layoff from my job as a space shuttle technician. I will be leaving after 8.5 years of service on October 1st, 2010. Since many people would give their right arm to work on the shuttle program, you might think I’m crazy to volunteer for this. Leaving the shuttle program is a tough decision for sure, but it really isn’t a matter of if, only when. I am not choosing to leave, I am just choosing the time it will happen. Ultimately, the vast majority of shuttle workers will be let go. So why go before I am forced? Here’s an explanation so you can see it from my perspective.
One of the biggest reasons I am taking this layoff is that it will allow me to plan for my future. It is nearly impossible to make plans or look for a new job when you have no idea when your end date at work will be or what the future holds. We hear a different story every week about what is happening with the program, or with our benefits/severance. The uncertainty is exhausting. I’m not blaming my management for this- I think they are in the same boat. By volunteering for this layoff, I now know what is going to happen to me and when. Crazy as it seems, that feels good. Now I can start figuring out a good strategy to move forward.
Along the same lines, morale was a big push for me to self-nominate for this layoff. You can’t imagine what it is like to be at work surrounded by constant doom and gloom, now with a dash of panic. It is not pretty. Once the people who are to be laid off involuntarily are notified- which will be at the end of July- I expect that it will be even worse. As far as the work goes, we are finishing up with Discovery’s right OMS Pod now, and will deliver it for reinstallation this week. After that I have a few thrusters to bench test for Atlantis, which is being processed for launch on need (in case of emergency). Once that is complete, the bulk of the work we will have left in my area is decontamination of our facility for shutdown, or Transition & Retirement as NASA likes to call it. I started working on the shuttle program because I wanted to contribute to something incredible, human space exploration. I don’t find decontamination and shutdown very inspirational. In fact, it is downright depressing. For many workers, it is just a job and they don’t care what goal they’re working towards as long as they are paid. To me, it makes a difference, and I would much rather try to find work I can feel good about again.
Other reasons for taking this layoff are more practical than emotional. Leaving early gives me a better chance of finding a new job or pursuing other options because the market won’t be flooded with thousands of others doing the same. Also, it makes sense for my particular situation, because my husband works on the shuttle program as well. He will have work to do up until the last launch because he works at the launch pad. We figure that it will be best for us to take a phased approach rather than both being laid off at the same time. This way, hopefully I can get something figured out and can carry him once his job is complete, sometime next year.
So, that’s basically it. This is the reality of the situation. It is sad to see it coming to an end, but it is also a new beginning in so many ways. I am hopeful for the future of NASA, it just isn’t quite ready for me yet, so I’ll make my exit now, gracefully. I’m not looking for sympathy; I’m not feeling sorry for myself and you shouldn’t feel sorry for me either! I am looking for my next great adventure, whatever it may be…
Meet the Moderator: casteer17
casteer17 recently stepped up as an active moderator for CR4 and is an avid reader and fan of the blogs. She also participates in my yoga session twice a week.
Tell me about yourself (major, college, work experience)
I graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Industr
Automated GUSS Golf Carts Will Be Militarized Soon [Robots]
Drones are ubiquitous on today's modern battlefields, from Iraq to Afghanistan and everywhere in between. Automated, gear-lugging golf carts? Not so much. That's about to change though, thanks to a little guy named GUSS. More »
Golf - Business - Accessories - Sporting Goods - Consumer Goods and Services
Woman Imprisoned for Sending Hundreds of Threatening Texts to Herself [Worstmodo]
Jeanne Mundango Manunga, scumbag, was recently jailed by Santa Ana, California police for sending nasty, threatening texts to herself. She was posing as her sister-in-law and ex-boyfriend, both of whom were jailed. Now she's in prison where she belongs. More »
Police - Prison - Law - Law Enforcement - California
Locate iPhone 4s Faster with This Glowing Decal [Skins]
A Brief Chat with Computing’s Ancient Past [Retromodo]
If you're too young to have experienced Univac of Eniacs or any of the ACs, like I am, this bit of computing history, at 36 years old, is all sorts of neat. More »
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Lego ML-Explorer 01 Not Practical, But Beautiful [Lego]
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Lego - Toy - Recreation - Collecting - Toys and Games
T-Mobile, RadioShack Top 2011 List of Potentially Doomed Companies [Doom And Gloom]
Joining Blockbuster on that depressing 2011 deathwatch are two companies we've been known to cover here at Gizmodo: T-Mobile and RadioShack. Is anything good going to happen next year? More »
RadioShack - Cadel Evans - Tour de France - Lance Armstrong - Sylvain Chavanel
3 Phase to 1 Phase Transformer
Three phase to single transformer is used in UPS as a bypass supply where load current mentioned in Y phase is twice the current of R & B phases (both are equal). What type of connection is this? Primary is shown as Delta.