UB stories heard around the world in 2019 – UB News Center

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UB architecture alumnus and adjunct instructor Randy Fernando was among the designers of Ocean Cube, a pop-up exhibition in New York City that asked visitors to consider the ocean and sustainability. Credit: Randy Fernando

From analyzing the avocado genome to designing a stingray-inspired space exploration vehicle, here are some highlights from a year of discovery

Release Date: December 26, 2019

BUFFALO, N.Y. We predicted new forms of superhard carbon, including some that could be harder than diamonds. We made groundbreaking discoveries about memory loss. We told the forgotten stories of women who helped build the Bauhaus, a design school and movement known around the world.

In 2019, University at Buffalo faculty and students conducted scientific research and produced creative works that could shape the way we think about the world for years to come. News outlets worldwide covered these endeavors, with UB projects featured in The New York Times, Scientific American, NBC News, Fast Company and more.

Whether we are peering through a microscope or considering problems of a cosmological scale, our community of thinkers and tinkerers is working together on a shared mission here at UB: Understanding our world, and making it better.

Oceans | The art of pollution

One-thousand plastic beverage containers and counting dangle from the ceiling of the last room of Ocean Cube. Credit: Randy Fernando

Come for the Deep-Sea Selfies. Stay to Learn About Sustainability, read the headline in The New York Times. The article profiled Ocean Cube, a pop-up exhibition in Manhattan that immersed visitors in dreamlike rooms filled with objects such as floating jellyfish sculptures, luminescent bubbles and curtains of hanging plastic bottles. Ocean Cube whose designers included UB architecture alumnus and adjunct instructor Randy Fernando explored underwater wonders while provoking people to ponder pollution. Fabrication took place at UB, in workshops in the School of Architecture and Planning and the Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technologies (SMART) Community of Excellence. Watch a video of "Ocean Cube."

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Materials | Harder than diamonds?

An illustration depicts three newly predicted superhard carbon structures. Credit: Bob Wilder / University at Buffalo, adapted from Figure 3 in P. Avery et al., npj Computational Materials, Sept. 3, 2019. The original diagrams from the paper are licensed under CC BY-4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Superhard materials can slice, drill and polish other objects. They also hold potential for creating scratch-resistant coatings. Research led by UB chemist Eva Zurek opens the door to the development of novel materials with these seductive qualities. Her team used computational techniques to predict 43 new forms of superhard carbon, including some that could be harder than diamonds. Theoretical studies like these are becoming more important in the quest for new materials, as Zurek discussed with Science Friday and Scientific American.

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Food and agriculture | DNA of guacamole

As Earths climate changes, avocado growers worry that extreme environmental conditions could threaten crops. To protect the fruit and keep prices down for future generations, UB biologist Victor Albert co-led a study to sequence the avocado genome. The findings shed light on the origins of the popular Hass variety and could aid breeders in enhancing traits like disease resistance and drought tolerance. The research was led by UB, the National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity in Mexico and Texas Tech University.

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The brain | Restoring memory function

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Memory loss, a hallmark of Alzheimers disease, can be devastating for patients and their loved ones. A study led by UB medical researcher Zhen Yan asked the question: Is it possible to restore memory function? The answer was yes, at least in mice with cognitive impairment resembling that seen in people with Alzheimer's. Yans team used an epigenetic approach to improve the working memory of the rodents, giving them drugs that reversed the loss of glutamate receptors and synaptic transmission in cortical neurons, which are important for cognitive processes.

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Sleep | Good for the bones?

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If getting more sleep is one of your New Years resolutions, heres another reason to make it happen: It could help keep your bones healthy. In a study of postmenopausal women in the U.S., UB epidemiology and environmental health researcher Heather Ochs-Balcom and co-authors found that sleeping five or fewer hours a night was associated with lower bone mineral density and higher odds of osteoporosis. The research included thousands of participants in the Womens Health Initiative.

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Queer history | Blurring boundaries, 50 years after Stonewall

"Spring Awakening," by Nick Cave with Bob Faust, installed near the entrance to the Wrightwood 659 gallery space in Chicago as part of the exhibition, "About Face: Stonewall, Revolt and New Queer Art. Photo by James Printz

The Stonewall rebellion, in which protestors clashed with police raiding New York Citys famed Stonewall Inn, is often said to be the spark that gave rise to the modern LGBTQ movement. To mark the uprisings 50th anniversary, UB art and queer history expert Jonathan Katz curated an expansive exhibition that asked visitors to reconsider rigid definitions of Stonewall as a beginning and of gender and sexuality as binary concepts. The focus was on art in which boundaries blur, according to the description of the exhibition, About Face: Stonewall, Revolt and New Queer Art.

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Technology and politics | Deepfakes are here

Just a few years ago, expertly doctoring videos to show someone doing something they didnt might have seemed like a device in a sci-fi plot. But deepfakes, as such content is known, have arrived. In June, David Doermann, director of UBs Artificial Intelligence Institute, testified before Congress on the issue. According to Doermann, The technology behind these videos is getting so sophisticated, yet simple to use, that it poses an increasingly serious national security threat. He later told the Financial Times, We knew it was coming, but not nearly this fast.

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Automation | The most vulnerable jobs

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Among self-employed workers, artificial intelligence (AI) poses the greatest risk to those in some of the lowest paid and most popular jobs, according to a report co-authored by Kate Bezrukova in the UB School of Management. The analysis, published by the Centre for Research on Self-Employment, found that independent sales people, drivers, and agriculture and construction workers are in the most danger of seeing their livelihoods computerized. AI could also create jobs in areas such as robot maintenance, but society needs to prepare for changes through public awareness programs, education and research, Bezrukova says.

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Design | Forgotten histories of the Bauhaus

Students on the balustrade of the canteen terrace, around 1931 (photographer unknown). Collection of the Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau

The Bauhaus school of design opened its doors in Germany in 1919, and female artists were heavily involved in building the institution, whose teaching philosophy has influenced art education worldwide. But their stories were largely forgotten until now. As the Bauhaus marked its centennial, UB art historian Libby Otto co-authored Bauhaus Women: A Global Perspective, a book that profiles 45 of the many women who helped the institution rise to international acclaim. Haunted Bauhaus, a second book Otto released in 2019, further elucidates the Bauhaus movements rich history, tracing how the schools teachers and students engaged with occult spirituality, gender fluidity, queer identities and radical politics. Her research reclaims the Bauhaus legacy often associated with a few famous men to include a diversity of lives and voices.

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Civil rights | Railroad porters in Canada

In the history of U.S. slavery, Canada is oft thought of as a free land, a destination for former slaves escaping the American South. A book by Cecil Foster, UB professor of transnational studies, adds a new dimension to this narrative by exploring the experiences of black railroad porters in Canada, laying bare social injustices that existed there well into the 1900s. They Call Me George: The Untold Story of the Black Train Porters and the Birth of Modern Canada, describes how these workers struggle against racism helped secure civil rights for marginalized populations, putting the country on a multicultural path.

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Psychology | Choice overload

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Whether youre shopping for a winter coat online or picking a movie to stream, the choices may seem limitless. But variety isnt always good. A study led by UB psychology researchers Thomas Saltsman and Mark Seery adds to evidence that too many options can trigger stress. The research looked, in part, at biological factors such as how much blood peoples hearts were pumping as they contemplated fictional dating partners. To help take some of the pressure off, Saltsman suggests thinking about which choices are actually important. As he points out, Choosing the wrong menu item for dinner or what to binge-watch is not going to define you as a person.

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Opioid epidemic | On the front lines

Folders with information on the Buffalo MATTERS program were available at a UB media briefing about the program's statewide rollout. Credit: Douglas Levere, University at Buffalo

Emergency rooms are a frontline in the opioid crisis. To steer opioid users toward the care they need, UB emergency medicine expert Joshua Lynch created Buffalo MATTERS, which gives emergency department patients a short course of the opioid treatment buprenorphine, along with the chance to enroll at a treatment clinic within two days. This program has been so successful that its now being rolled out statewide.

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Childhood obesity | Risk factors in babies

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A mothers warmth and sensitivity during play time can reduce obesity risk in infants who experience adversity in the womb, according to research led by UB pediatrics expert Kai Ling Kong. One reason the results matter: The study engaged high-risk families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Nearly all participating mothers had used cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana or cocaine during pregnancy. In a separate project, Myles Faith in the UB Graduate School of Education researched another high-risk group: babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes. The study found that these children were in more danger of becoming obese if they were easy to soothe temperamentally as infants, possibly due to the use of sweet drinks for calming.

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Sports law | Not just a pastime

UB expert Helen Nellie Drew has established a reputation as a leading academic expert on legal issues in sports. Now, as director of the UB School of Laws Center for the Advancement of Sport, shes running a unique education and research program focused on the growing fields of sports law and sports business. In 2019, media outlets nationwide sought her expertise on matters ranging from compensation for college athletes to womens hockey leagues.

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Cybersecurity | Unlock your smartphone with earbuds

When a sound is played into someones ear, the sound propagates through and is reflected and absorbed by the ear canal all of which produce a unique signature that can be recorded by a microphone attached to the earbud, which then sends the info via Bluetooth to the user's smartphone for verification. Credit: University at Buffalo

Visit a college campus, and chances are youll spot students sporting earbuds. With this technology proliferating, UB computer science and engineering researcher Zhanpeng Jin wondered: What other purposes could earbuds serve? That curiosity led to EarEcho, a biometric tool that authenticates smartphone users via the unique geometry of their ear canal. The device, under development in Jins lab, would consist of modified wireless earbuds.

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Space exploration | The dark side of Venus

The spacecraft would circumnavigate Venus every four to six days, with solar panels charging every two to three days on the side of planet illuminated by the sun. Credit: CRASH Lab, University at Buffalo

What is night on Venus like? The planet rotates very slowly, and as a result, parts of it stay shrouded in darkness for long periods of time. To learn about these mysterious regions, UBs Crashworthiness for Aerospace Structures and Hybrids Laboratory (CRASH Lab) is developing a stingray-inspired spacecraft with wings that flap like the animals pectoral fins. UB engineering researcher Javid Bayandor is leading the project, with support from a highly selective NASA program that funds revolutionary, early-stage advanced space technologies.

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Cosmology | Spotting a wormhole (if they exist)

An artists concept illustrates a supermassive black hole. A new theoretical study outlines a method that could be used to search for wormholes (a speculative phenomenon) inthe background of supermassive black holes. Image Credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech

Scientists dont know if wormholes, theorized to connect two separate regions of spacetime, exist. But if they do, UB cosmologist Dejan Stojkovic and former UB postdoc De-Chang Dai have come up with a way to potentially spot them. As Stojkovic explains, If you have two stars, one on each side of the wormhole, the star on our side should feel the gravitational influence of the star thats on the other side. The result? Astronomers could detect a wormhole by searching for small deviations in the orbit of stars near hypothesized passages.

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Even from space, Anne McClain stays tethered to young people in Spokane – The Spokesman-Review

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When Ned McEwen was a sophomore at Gonzaga Prep, a VIP alumni came to visit: Anne McClain, class of 97.

McClain had not yet broken the bonds of Earth as an astronaut, had not yet taken her famous space selfie or been the subject of a Saturday Night Live skit. But her record of achievement was extraordinary. West Point grad and international scholar. National class athlete in rugby and softball. Decorated Army helicopter pilot and officer. On and on and on

McEwen realized McClains path the road of discipline and self-improvement as a form of service to the country began at Prep.

Right where his path was beginning.

It really showed that I could do the same thing, said McEwen, 18. I had never even heard of a military academy at that point.

Gonzaga Prep students Rigee Olavides, 16, Ned McEwen, 17, and Molly Niedermeyer, 18, watch live NASA video as the Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut, Spokane native and Gonzaga Prep alumna, Lt. Col. Anne McClain just before docking with the International Space Station, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

Today, McEwen is home on break from his first year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he intends to study to be a mechanical engineer. That visit from McClain several years ago was just one of the times McEwen and his fellow students at Gongaza Prep heard from McClain over the years.

Even as she went to space and became internationally famous as an ambassador for NASA and space exploration, McClain remained tethered to Prep and Spokane. She even video-chatted with Prep students from space, and visited them, along with students from other schools citywide, upon her return to Earth.

It is not, in McClains view, a mere sideline to her main job.

That is one of the products of our space program: inspiration and motivation, McClain said last week. My space flight wasnt mine. Its yours. Its everybodys. Its everybodys whos reading this article. Its everybodys on Earth. Its their space mission. I have to share it.

McClain has rocketed to worldwide fame over the past year as a member of the Expedition 58 and 59 to the International Space Station. She spent 204 days in space and went on two space walks that amounted to more than 13 hours. In the months since she returned to Earth in June, shes been undergoing medical tests, participating in debriefings and doing outreach around the country.

She was due to be a member of the first all-female space walk but NASA scrubbed the mission because they didnt have the right-sized spacesuits.

When McClain visited McEwens sophomore class, though, her career had operated entirely in Earths gravity.

She had been a Marshall scholar in England after graduating from West Point in 2002, and she earned a pair of masters degrees overseas. She was commissioned as an Army officer, and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. She published research on aerodynamics, security in developing countries and other subjects.

In the Iraq War, she flew 216 combat missions more than 800 hours in all. Shes a senior Army aviator with more than 2,000 hours of flying 20 different forms of aircraft. She was awarded the Bronze Star, which heads a long list of military honors, and she was a distinguished graduate of seemingly every course and school in the Army.

What gets lost in her story is how much she served in the military, and how many missions she flew, said Shari Manikowski, McClains former math teacher and softball coach at Gonzaga Prep. Shes done so much to serve her country.

Space was always her goal. As a very young child, McClain had seen astronauts and moon launches at home on TV. It was part and parcel of growing up in a family with a mother who was a science teacher.

This detail of a July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows astronaut Neil Armstrong reflected in the helmet visor of Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. The astronauts had a camera mounted to the front of their suits, according to the Universities Space Research Association. So rather than holding the camera up to his eye, as were accustomed to, Armstrong would have taken the photos from near his chest, which is where Armstrongs hands appear to be in his reflection. (Neil Armstrong/NASA / Associated Press)

Anything that launched, anything that went to the moon and back all of that, we always watched it when she was little, said Charlotte Lamp, Annes mother.

And so, when she began preschool, Anne had already settled on a career path.

She said, Mom, Im going to school to learn to be an astronaut, Lamp said.

Charlotte Lamp, Anne McClains mother

McClain grew up in Spokane, attending parochial schools, playing sports and never wavering in her dreams of space.

By the time she graduated from high school, she recognized her goal was extraordinarily ambitious, and two important precepts began to guide her: the understanding she would have to work very hard to get where she wanted to be, and the understanding even if she did that, she might not achieve it.

She chose an Army career in part because, if she never became an astronaut, she would still be able to be a helicopter pilot, she said.

It was a pathway that required intense devotion. And McClain whose nickname from her rugby days is Annimal has that in spades.

Its not as simple as dream big and your dreams will come true, she said in a Thursday interview. Its just not that simple. Its dream big and then spend 20 years missing holidays, moving to cities that you dont know, working with people that you dont know, taking jobs that you dont want but having to excel anyway, and doing the extra credit and getting up at 5 oclock on a Tuesday to hit the gym when everybody else is sleeping in, and skipping parties, skipping trips, missing weddings and then your dream might come true.

Manikowski said McClains determination was apparent early on.

She worked as hard or harder than any student Ive ever had, she said.

Lamp said that as a girl, McClain was active and energetic, curious and optimistic.

She always wanted to see further, go further, she said.

Go further she did, gathering challenges and honors along the way for 16 years after leaving Spokane. And in 2013, around the same time she was graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, the first step in the lifelong dream came true: She was selected by NASA as one of eight members of the 21st astronaut class.

Lamp was out gardening when her daughter called her with the news.

She said, Where are you? Lamp said. I said, Im out pruning the roses. She said, Are you sitting?

I kind of screamed.

Anne McClain

The next step, following five more years of that intense training and work McClain talks about, came around this time last year. As part of an international crew of astronauts, McClain launched into space.

Expedition 58 and 59 conducted hundreds of research projects on the space station in biology, biotech and other disciplines, including investigating small devices that replicate human organs and editing DNA in space for the first time.

McClain was a trailblazer in a couple other ways, as well. She was expecting to participate in the first all-female space walk in history before problems with the suits forced her to scrap it.

The space-suit kerfuffle and McClains stiff-upper-lip response to it became the basis for a skit on SNL, in which Aidy Bryant pretended to be McClain trying to cheerfully subdue her outrage. McClain tweeted from space: I am still laughing about this, and Aidy, your uniform looks impeccable!

McClain also became, in an awkward and roundabout way, the first out LGBTQ astronaut in history, when a divorce dispute with her former wife became public. McClain was accused of improperly accessing her exs bank records from space, but everything so far points to a misunderstanding and not malfeasance.

While at the space station, McClain floatingly conducted interviews with CNN and other media outlets on Earth. It was the beginning of her becoming more well-known internationally, and becoming a more prominent ambassador for space exploration and for NASA.

You get this amazing perspective when youre up there about how reliant we are on one other and how everyone you meet you have more in common with than you do differences, she said.

Shes spoken in interviews about the beauty of space, and the mind-bending view down upon Earth where everyone youve ever known lives and where everything that ever happened to you happened.

Its overwhelming, its awe-inspiring, its a view I wish every person on Earth could have so we could understand our home better, she told CNN.

Along the way, Manikowskis students and others were tracking McClains mission from Earth. In February 2019, she did a live chat with Prep students from the space station. McEwen was a part of that event as well. At the time, he intended to enroll at the Naval Academy, and was just a matter of months away from graduating and heading off to the next step in his education.

Seeing her in space, he told a reporter at the time, really shows me I think Im going down the right path right now.

Anne McClain

McClains crew returned to Earth in June 2019, landing in Kazakhstan. The return from space is a physical ordeal. After months living in zero gravity, the astronauts return to Earth plunges them into a period of gravitational force that is four-and-a-half times Earths gravity.

McClain recalls the intense return of gravity as the Soyuz MS-11 entered the plasma layer.

I thought we must be getting close to that four-and-a-half times the force of gravity four-and-a-half Gs we call it, McClain said.

She took a peek at the gravity meter and saw that not only was it not close to 4.5 it was at 0.4.

I was like, Oh my gosh, Im not even to my own body weight yet and I feel like I have an elephant standing on me, she said.

After plunging through the plasma layer, the force eases and the craft begins a free fall with a spinny cup sensation at the fair feel to it.

I found that to be a lot of fun, honestly, she said.

Then, Earth. Home.

It starts to sink in that this whole space flight mission that carried risk you just did it, and youre going to be one of the people who gets to walk around on Earth and say youve been to space, she said.

McClain entered a six-month period of post-flight testing and debriefings. Finally, in October, she got some time off. Thats about to come to an end, and shell be returning to her regular duties continued training to prepare for possible space missions and carrying our her ground assignments.

McClain gets a lot of questions about the Artemis mission, which has the goal of landing the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024. There are a dozen female astronauts who qualify, and McClains been named more than once in speculative reporting about the possible crew members.

Those decisions are made above me, for sure, she said. You and I will probably find out not too far apart when those names are going to be put to that mission.

Anne McClain

Its not typical for a crew to be named five years before a mission its usually two but its possible a larger cadre of possible crew members would be named in advance, or that this mission would follow a different schedule. Shed love to go, obviously, but emphasized there are a lot of considerations and 50 or so other candidates.

Thatd be a dream mission, absolutely, and Im in an office with a lot of people who think the same thing, she said. To be honest, my career so far and getting the flight I did earlier this year was a dream come true. Everything else is how much icing is going to be on the cake?

McClains achievements are sometimes cast in terms of firsts, as a woman of great achievements in fields that have historically been male-dominated. McClain said that growing up in Spokane, she was never told she couldnt be an astronaut because she was a girl something for which she credits her family and friends.

Anne McClain. (NASA / Associated Press)

Throughout her career as a military officer and astronaut, she said her gender has never been an issue. She was treated as an equal and judged on her merits, she said. But shes come to appreciate how the women who came before her helped make it possible for her to achieve her dreams.

Now, when she talks to students in Spokane and around the country, students like Ned McEwen and his Gonzaga Prep classmates, shes helping to lay the foundation for the next generation.

When I go out now, its not just little girls that are looking up to me, she said. I talk to girls and boys. And they both look at me and say, I want to do what youre doing.

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Even from space, Anne McClain stays tethered to young people in Spokane - The Spokesman-Review

What’s the Deal with Space Telescopes? – Interesting Engineering

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Today, astronomers are able to study objects in our Universe that are over thirteen billion light-years from Earth. In fact, the farthest object studied is a galaxy known as GN-z11, which exists at a distance of 13.39 billion light-years from our Solar System.

But since we live in the relativistic universe, where time and space are similar expressions of the same reality, looking deep into space means also looking deep into the past. Ergo, looking at an object that is over 13 billion light-years away means seeing it as it appeared over 13 billion years ago.

This allows astronomers to see back to some of the earliest times in the Universe, which is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old. And in the future, next-generation instruments will allow them to see even farther, to when the first stars and galaxies formed - a time that is commonly referred to as "Cosmic Dawn."

Much of the credit for this progress goes to space telescopes, which have been studying the deep Universe from orbit for decades. The most well-known of these is Hubble, which has set the precedent for space-based observatories.

Since it was launched in 1990, the vital data Hubble has collected has led to many scientific breakthroughs. Today, it is still in service and will mark its 30th anniversary on May 20th, 2020. However, it's important to note that Hubble was by no means the first space telescope.

Decades prior to it making its historic launch, NASA, Roscosmos, and other space agencies were sending observatories to space to conduct vital research. And in the near future, a number of cutting-edge telescopes will be sent to space to build on the foundation established Hubble and others.

The idea of placing an observatory in space can be traced back to the 19th century and the German astronomers Wilhelm Beer and Johann Heinrich Mdler. In 1837, they discussed the advantages of building an observatory on the Moon, where Earth's atmosphere would not be a source of interference.

However, it was not until the 20th century that a detailed proposal was first made. This happed in 1946 when American theoretical physicist Lyman Spitzer proposed sending a large telescope to space. Here too, Spitzer emphasized how a space telescope would not be hindered by Earth's atmosphere.

Essentially, ground-based observatories are limited by the filtering and distortion our atmosphere has on electromagnetic radiation. This is what causes stars to "twinkle" and for celestial objects like the Moon and the Solar Planets to glow and appear larger than they are.

Another major impediment is "light pollution", where light from urban sources can make it harder to detect light coming from space. Ordinarily, ground-based telescopes overcome this by being built in high-altitude, remote regions where light pollution is minimal and the atmosphere is thinner.

Adaptative optics is another method that is commonly used, where deforming mirrors correct for atmospheric distortion. Space telescopes get around all of this by being positioned outside of Earth's atmosphere where neither light pollution nor distortions are an issue.

Space-based observatories are even more important when it comes to frequency ranges beyond the visible wavelengths. Infrared and ultraviolet radiation are largely blocked by Earth's atmosphere, whereas X-ray and Gamma-ray astronomy are virtually impossible on Earth.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Spitzer lobbied US Congress for such a system to be built. While his vision would not come to full fruition until the 1990s (with the Hubble Space Telescope), many space observatories would be sent to space in the meantime.

During the late 1950s, the race to conquer space between the Soviet Union and the United States began. These efforts began in earnest with the deployment of the first satellites and then became largely focused on sending the first astronauts into space.

However, efforts were also made to send the observatories into space for the first time. Here, "space telescopes" would be able to conduct astronomical observations that were free of atmospheric interference, which was especially important where high-energy physics was concerned.

As always, these efforts were tied to military advancements during the Cold War. Whereas the development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) led to the creation of space launch vehicles, the development of spy satellites led to advances in space telescopes.

In all cases, the Soviets took an early lead. After sending the first artificial object (Sputnik 1) and the first man (Yuri Gagarin and the Vostok 1 mission) into orbit in 1957 and 1961, they also sent the first space telescopes to space between 1965 and 1968.

Artist's impression of the OAO-2 satellite, Source: NASA

These were launched as part of the Soviet Proton program, which sent four gamma-ray telescopes to space (Proton-1 through -4). While each satellite was short-lived compared to modern space telescopes, they did conduct vital research of the high-energy spectrum and cosmic rays.

NASA followed suit with the launch of the four Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO) satellites between 1968 and 1972. These provided the first high-quality observations of celestial objects in ultraviolet light.

In 1972, the Apollo 16 astronauts also left behind the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph (UVC) experiment on the Moon. This telescope and camera took several images and obtained spectra of astronomical objects in the far-UV spectrum.

The 1970s and 1980s proved to a lucrative time for space-based observatories. With the Apollo Era finished, the focus on human spaceflight began to shift to other avenues - such as space research. More nations began to join in as well, including India, China, and various European space agencies.

Between 1970 and 1975, NASA also launched three telescopes as part of their Small Astronomy Satellite (SAS) program, which conducted X-ray, gamma-ray, UV, and other high-energy observations. The Soviets also sent three Orion space telescopes to space to conduct ultraviolet observations of stars.

The ESA and European space agencies also launched their first space telescopes by the 1970s. The first was the joint British-NASA telescope named Ariel 5, which launched in 1974 to observe the sky in the X-ray band. The same year, the Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS) was launched to conduct UV and X-ray astronomy.

In 1975, India sent its first satellite to space - Aryabata - to study the Universe in the X-ray spectrum. In that same year, the ESA sent the COS-B mission to space to study gamma-ray sources. Japan also sent its first observatory to space in 1979, known as the Hakucho X-ray satellite.

Between 1977 and 1979, NASA also deployed a series of X-ray, gamma-ray, and cosmic-ray telescopes as part of the High Energy Astronomy Observatory Program (HEAO). In 1978, NASA, the UK Science Research Council (SERC) and the ESA collaborated to launch the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE).

Before the 1980s were out, the ESA, Japan, and the Soviets would contribute several more missions, like the European X-ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT), the Hinotori and Tenma X-ray satellites, and the Astron ultraviolet telescope.

NASA also deployed the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) in 1983, which became the first space telescope to perform a survey of the entire night sky at infrared wavelengths.

Rounding out the decade, the ESA and NASA sent their Hipparcos and Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) in 1989. Hipparcoswas the first space experiment dedicated to measuring the proper motions, velocities, and positions of stars, a process known as astrometry.

Meanwhile, COBE provided the first accurate measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) - the diffuse background radiation permeating the observable Universe. These measurements provided some of the most compelling evidence for the Big Bang theory.

In 1989, a collaboration between the Soviets, France, Denmark, and Bulgaria led to the deployment of the International Astrophysical Observatory (aka. GRANAT). The mission spent the next nine years observing the Universe from the X-ray to the gamma-ray parts of the spectrum.

After many decades, Spitzer finally saw his dream of a dedicated space observatory come true with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This observatory was developed by NASA and the ESA and launched on April 24th, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31), commencing operations by May 20th.

This telescope takes its name from the famed American astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889 - 1953), who is considered by many to be one of the most important astronomers in history.

In addition to discovering that there are galaxies beyond the Milky Way, he also offered definitive proof that the Universe is in a state of expansion. In his honor, this scientific fact is known as the Hubble-Lematre Law, and the rate at which it is expanding is known as the Hubble Constant.

Hubble is equipped with a primary mirror that measures 2.4-meters (7.8-feet) in diameter and a secondary mirror of 30.5 cm (12 inches). Both mirrors are made from a special type of glass that is coated with aluminum and a compound that reflects ultraviolet light.

With its suite of five scientific instruments, Hubble is able to observe the Universe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths. These instruments include the following:

Wide Field Planetary Camera: a high-resolution imaging device primarily intended for optical observations. Its most recent iteration - the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) - is capable of making observations in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths. This camera has captured images of everything from bodies in the Solar System and nearby star systems to galaxies in the very distant universe.

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS): an instrument that breaks ultraviolet radiation into components that can be studied in detail. It has been used to study the evolution of galaxies, active galactic nuclei (aka. quasars), the formation of planets, and the distribution of elements associated with life.

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS):a visible-light camera that combines a wide field of view with sharp image quality and high sensitivity. It has been responsible for many of Hubbles most impressive images of deep space, has located massive extrasolar planets, helped map the distribution of dark matter, and detected the most distant objects in the Universe.

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS): a camera combined with a spectrograph that is sensitive to a wide range of wavelengths (from optical and UV to the near-infrared). The STIS is used to study black holes, monster stars, the intergalactic medium, and the atmospheres of worlds around other stars.

Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS):a spectrometer that is sensitive to infrared light, which revealed details about distant galaxies, stars, and planetary systems that are otherwise obscured by visible light by interstellar dust. This instrument ceased operations in 2008.

Between 1990 and 2003, NASA sent three more telescopes to space that (together with Hubble) became known as the Great Observatories. These included the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (1991), the Chandra X-ray Observatory (1999), the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope (2003).

In 1999, the ESA sent the X-ray multi-Mirror Newton (XMM-Newton) observatory to space, named in honor of Sir Isaac Newton. In 2001, they sent the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) to space, which succeeded COBE by making more accurate measurements of the CMB.

In 2004, NASA launched the Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer (aka. the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory). This was followed in 2006 by the ESA's Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits (COROT) mission to study exoplanets.

2009 was a bumper year for space telescopes. In this one year, the Herschel Space Observatory, the Wide-field Infrared Telescope (WISE), the Planck observatory, and the Kepler Space Telescope. Whereas Herschel and WISE were dedicated to infrared astronomy, Planck picked up where left off by studying the CMB.

The purpose of Kepler was to advance the study of extrasolar planets (i.e. planets that orbit stars beyond the Solar System). Through a method known as transit photometry, Kepler spotted planets as they passed in front of their stars (aka. transited), resulting in an observable dip in brightness.

The extent of these dips and the period with which they occur allows astronomers to determine a planet's size and orbital period. Thanks to Kepler, the number of known exoplanets has grown exponentially.

Today, there have been over 4000 confirmed discoveries (and 4900 awaiting confirmation), of which Kepler is responsible for discovering almost 2800 (with another 2420 awaiting confirmation).

In 2013, the ESA launched the Gaia mission, an astrometry observatory and the successor to the Hipparcos mission. This mission has been gathering data on over 1 billion objects (stars, planets, comets, asteroids, and galaxies) to create the largest and most precise 3D space catalog ever made.

In 2015, the ESA also launched the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Pathfinder (LISA Pathfinder), the first-ever observatory dedicated to measuring gravitational waves from space. And in 2018, NASA sent the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) - Kepler's successor - to space to search for more exoplanets.

In the coming decades, the space agencies of the world plan to launch even more sophisticated space telescopes with even higher-resolution. These instruments will allow astronomers to gaze back to the earliest periods of the Universe, study extrasolar planets in detail, and observe the role Dark Matter and Dark Energy played in the evolution of our Universe.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an infrared telescope built with generous support provided by the ESA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). This observatory, the spiritual successor to Hubble and Spitzer, will be the largest and most complex space telescope to date.

Unlike its precessors, the JWST will observe the Universe in the visible light to mid-infrared wavelengths, giving it the ability to observe objects that are too old and too distant for its predecessors to observe.

This will allow astronomers to see far enough through space (and back in time) to observe the first light after the Big Bang and the formation of the first stars, galaxies, and solar systems.

There's also the ESA's Euclid mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2022. This space telescope will be optimized for cosmology and exploring the "dark Universe." To this end, it will map the distribution of up to two billion galaxies and associated Dark Matter across 10 billion light-years.

This data will be used to create a 3D map of the local Universe that will provide astronomers with vital information about the nature of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. It will also provide accurate measurements of both the accelerated expansion of the Universe and strength of gravity on cosmological scales.

By 2025, NASA will be launching the Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope (WFIRST), a next-generation infrared telescope dedicated to exoplanet detection and Dark Energy research. It's advanced optics and suite of instruments will reportedly give it several hundred times the efficiency of Hubble (in the near-IR wavelength).

Once deployed, WFIRST will observe the earliest periods of cosmic history, study Dark Energy, and measure the rate at which cosmic expansion is accelerating. It will also build on the foundation built by Kepler by conducting direct-imaging studies and characterization of exoplanets.

The launch of the ESA's PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) will follow in 2026. Using a series of small, optically fast, wide-field telescopes, PLATO will search for exoplanets and characterize their atmospheres to determine if they could be habitable.

Looking even farther ahead, a number of interesting things are predicted for space-based astronomy. Already, there are proposals in place for next-next-generation telescopes that will offer even greater observational power and capabilities.

During the recent 2020 Decadal Survey for Astrophysics hosted by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), four flagship mission concepts were considered to build on the legacy established by Hubble, Kepler, Spitzer, and Chandra.

These four concepts include the Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), the Origins Space Telescope (OST), the Habitable Exoplanet Imager (HabEx) and the Lynx X-ray Surveyor.

NASA and other space agencies are also working towards the realization of in-space assembly (ISA) with space telescopes, where individual components will be sent to orbit and assembled there. This process will remove the need for especially heavy launch vehicles capable of sending massive observatories to space - a process that is very expensive and risky.

There's also the concept of observatories made up of swarms of smaller telescope mirrors ("swarm telescopes"). Much like large-scale arrays here on Earth - like the Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) - this concept comes down to combing the imaging power of multiple observatories.

Then there's the idea of sending up space telescopes that are capable of assembling themselves. This idea, as proposed by Prof. Dmitri Savransky of Cornell University, would involve a ~30 meter (100 ft) telescope made up of modules that would assemble themselves autonomously.

This latter concept was also proposed during the 2020 Decadal Survey and was selected for Phase I development as part of the 2018 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.

Space-based astronomy is a relatively new phenomenon whose history is inextricably linked to the history of space exploration. The first space telescopes followed the development of the first rockets and satellites.

As NASA and Roscosmos achieved expertise in space, space-based observatories increased in number and diversity. And as more and more nations joined the Space Age, more space agencies began conducting astronomical observations from space.

Today, the field has benefitted from the rise of interferometry, miniaturization, autonomous robotic systems, analytic software, predictive algorithms, high-speed data transfer, and improved optics.

At this rate, it is only a matter of time before astronomers see the Universe in the earliest stages of formation, unlock the mysteries of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, locate habitable worlds, and discover life beyond Earth and the Solar System. And it wouldn't be surprising if it all happens simultaneously!

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What's the Deal with Space Telescopes? - Interesting Engineering

Accenture Celebrates Five Years of Working with Code.org – AiThority

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Global Events Led by Accenture Volunteers Will Help Students Learn about Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

For the fifth consecutive year, Accenture is teaming up with Code.orgto supportHour of Code, a global educational movement that reaches more than 100 million students through a one-hour introduction to computer science. This year, in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15), thousands of Accenture employees have pledged to teach an hour of code at events in their communities, helping students around the world learn coding and other computer science skills.

For the past five years, Accenture has partnered with Code.org, using the latest technologies to give students a chance to learn about computer science and coding, said Paul Daugherty, Accentures chief technology & innovation officer and chief coder. Kids believe anything is possible, and so do I. Last year our people led events that helped more than 100,000 students learn to code. The impact from just one hour of coding, creativity and inspiration can be astounding - the coders of today have the opportunity to be the changemakers of tomorrow.

Read More: Pet Technology Unleashed! Pawtocol Launches Its First IEO

Accenture will again provide the Accenture Intelligent Space Exploration coding tutorial, in which students discover how artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be applied to teach a robot to explore a new planet - recognizing animals and plants, understanding a new language and conversing with inhabitants. More than 160,000 individuals have participated in the tutorial since its debut.

We believe that ideas can change the world, and that an individual can spark a movement, added Jill Huntley, global managing director for corporate citizenship at Accenture. With Hour of Code, were further bringing our Social Innovators initiative to life, inspiring young minds to use computer science and technology to improve the lives of millions now, and for future generations.Read More: MetricStream and the AI Sustainability Center Announce Collaboration to Automate Ethical AI Risk Scanning

To support Hour of Code, Accenture employees are developing and leading activities around the world aimed at inspiring students in new ways:

Read More: HEROW and Intercom Partner to Integrate Location Intelligence and Deeper User Context Within Intercoms Business Messaging Platform

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#SpaceWatchGL Op’ed: Space And Hybrid Warfare – Part One – SpaceWatch.Global

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By Ralph Thiele

thousands

Satellites are a critical infrastructure. They enable television, internet, telecommunications, energy, trade, and financial networks to function. As access to space gets cheaper, the commercial sector continues to grow its presence in space.

For fifty years, space innovation meant scaling Apollo-era technologies into ever larger, more durable satellites parked above their terrestrial clients in geosynchronous orbit. Exotic space-ready parts, militarised defences and layered redundancies became multi-billion-dollar systems designed to last forty years or more beyond their conceptions. Only a few organisations with thousands of aerospace engineers could participate. Space was reserved for major corporations, in turn dependent on government and military bodies.

This scenario has changed radically. Satellites are no longer the exclusive domain of rival superpowers, but rather a business opportunity based on falling technology costs. As access to space gets cheaper, the commercial sector continues to grow its presence there. Satellites are becoming mass-produced devices. Commercial space companies are fielding hundreds of small, cheap satellites. Companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin are building cheaper, reusable rockets to add as many as 100 new satellites with every launch. Soon, there will be thousands of such satellites, providing eyes and ears over the entire world to include low earth orbit nano-satellites for navigation and communications, surveillance and reconnaissance, intelligence and missile warning.

In 2018, there were 114 government and private space launches worldwide, the first time in three decades that the number exceeded 100. The United States had 31 launches including a record number of commercial launches and China had 39. More than 80 countries have entered the global space industry. These countries have realised that space is a strategic industry that creates a highly technical workforce, triggering spinoff technologies and economic growth. Seventy-five percent of space industry revenues are commercial.[1]

no fence in space

Serious threats to space infrastructure are a relatively new phenomenon. For a long time, space used to be an ecosystem of its own. As more countries and commercial firms have begun participating in satellite construction, space launch, space exploration, and so forth, new risks and threats have also emerged for space-enabled services.

An important element of the debate concerns access: it has to be recognised that there is no fence in space. The unhindered access to and freedom to operate in space is of vital importance to nations and international organisations, such as NATO and the European Union.[2] Navigation and weather monitoring, communications and financial networks, military and intelligence systems all of these and more have components in the space domain. Military Command and Control use space-based systems coupled with meshed networks systems to support deployed operations and allow data exchange in austere environments wherein units will join ad hoc networks built upon the devices belonging to friendly forces. Mobile communication devices share intelligence, translate languages, provide navigation, targeting data and blue force position, while maintaining visual contact with the surrounding environment.

Given that there are few distributed technological systems that do not rely on satellites for some vital piece of their functionality, the importance of space assets and of retaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information that they carry cannot be overstated. Opponents understand this well. Space has become their centre of gravity for downgrading Western C4I. China for example has adopted the if you cant beat them, hack them strategy for space. Denying the use of space capabilities will be very high in the next conflicts Electronic Orders of Battle.

vulnerable assets

Satellites are vulnerable to a wide array of intentional and unintentional threats. Several nations have learned how to attack the global commons of space.[3] To this end, Florence Parly, French Minister of Defence, reported recently: we know very well that very large space powers deploy intriguing objects in orbit, experiment with potentially offensive abilities, conduct manoeuvres that leave little doubt about their aggressive vocation. [4]

Attacks against satellites can be very targeted, but they can also have wide-ranging implications for nearly all militaries and the global economy. Disrupting global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BEIDOU) as a means of degrading military targeting and navigation systems will have considerable repercussions for other militaries that leverage these systems. There may also be potential implications for civilian and commercial applications of these systems, for example car or cell-phone navigation systems.

Similarly, the destruction of a satellite in space will create spacedebris that could threaten a much broader spectrum of space architecture, as successful direct ascent anti-satellite missile tests by China in 2007 and India in 2019 have both shown. With the prospect of large constellations consisting of thousands of satellites the challenge of space congestion will augment. This is why it is indispensable that Space Situational Awareness (SSA) comes up with detailed knowledge of any given space objects location, and ensures the ability to track and predict its future location, incorporating the understanding of an actors intent for their spacecraft.

The spectrum of threats is impressive:

Of particular concern is the vulnerability of military, commercial, and dual-use space infrastructure that has become critical not just to military C4I capabilities, but also civilian and commercial communications that rely on space-based assets. Development and deployment in the last decade of a growing range of counter-space capabilities is shaping the need for new concepts and capabilities to ensure the resilience of space-based communications.

In August 2019, French Minister of Defence Florence Parly announced plans to develop and deploy an active defence system for Frances space assets and infrastructure to include satellites equipped with cameras, lasers and maybe even guns by 2030. The announcement follows closely French President Emmanuel Macrons announcement during Bastille Day celebrations in July 2019 of a new Space Command that improves upon the French Joint Space Command concept established in 2010.[5] Together, these announcements offer valuable insight into the military and security competition unfolding in space.

Space will likely emerge as its own domain of manoeuvre warfare. Spacecraft will be able to manoeuvre and fight, and the first orbital weapons could soon enter the battlefield. So far, the near impossibility of refuelling spacecraft has largely limited them to orbiting the earth. But as it becomes feasible to not just refuel spacecraft mid-flight but also build and service satellites in space, process data in orbit, and capture resources and energy in space for use in space, space operations will become less dependent on earth.

The space environment is particularly vulnerable to hybrid threats, such as spying or service interruption. Upcoming challenges cross-cut space and cyber domains. Actors can use offensive cyberspace capabilities as other hybrid means to enable a range of reversible to non-reversible effects against space systems. There are plenty of access points which can be attacked including the antennae on the satellites, the ground stations, and the earth-based user terminals, ranging from physical vulnerabilities of a ground site to electronic warfare (EW) disrupting the connection between the space segment and the operator. Attacks include stealing data, sending fake or corrupt data, and a complete shutdown of all the satellites operations. It is increasingly understood that space assets have been vulnerable to hybrid attacks for far too long.

Part Two of this essay will be published tomorrow.

Bio: Colonel (Ret`d) Ralph Thiele is President of EuroDfense-Germany, Chairman of the Berlin based Political-Military Society and Managing Director of StratByrd Consulting, Germany. Thiele brings 25 years experience in top national and international political-military leadership and policy assignments.In his honorary and business functions he advices on Defence Innovation and Disruptive Technologies in times of digital transformation. He has published numerous books and articles and is lecturing on defence and security issues on global scale.

[1] Wilbur Ross. Remarks at the Sixth National Space Council Meeting. U.S. Department of Commerce. Washington, Tuesday, August 20, 2019. https://www.commerce.gov/news/speeches/2019/08/remarks-us-commerce-secretary-wilbur-l-ross-sixth-national-space-council

[2] EDA. 2018 CDP Revision. The EU Capability Development Priorities. Brussels. Pg. 9. https://www.eda.europa.eu/docs/default-source/eda-publications/eda-brochure-cdp

[3] EDA. 2018 CDP Revision. The EU Capability Development Priorities. Brussels. Pg. 9. https://www.eda.europa.eu/docs/default-source/eda-publications/eda-brochure-cdp

[4] Florence Parly. French Minister of the Armed Forces. Remarks on Space & Defence at the French space agencys Toulouse headquarters. September 7th, 2018. Posted in English translation on 23 September 2018. https://satelliteobservation.net/2018/09/23/space-defence-policy-speech-by-the-french-ministry-of-the-armed-forces/

[5] Mahlandt, Taylor, France is Getting Serious About Its Space Command, Slate, 1 August 2019, https://slate.com/technology/2019/08/france-space-command-plan-satellites-lasers.html

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#SpaceWatchGL Op'ed: Space And Hybrid Warfare - Part One - SpaceWatch.Global

2019 Might Be The Best Year So Far For The African Space Industry – Space in Africa

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As the year winds up, it is exciting to recap Africas journey in space in 2019 which is the best year so far in the continents 21-year space history.The year started on a high note with consultations on integrating the African space sector through the establishment of an umbrella agency that will co-ordinate the continents space programmes.

Although the conversation on founding an African space agency started long before 2019, it reached a new milestone with Egypt winning the host country at the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in February at the AU headquarters Addis Ababa. The year gradually progressed with further developments in formulating the modalities of the agency and setting guidelines for its operations.

Although still at the embryonic stage, the African Space Agency dominated political and business conversations on multilateral space cooperation in Africa at various high-level panels and industry events on the continent and abroad. This, in essence, set the tone and the urgency for kick-starting formal operations of the Agency in 2020.

On a national scale, 2019 witnessed an emergence of new entrants into the league of space-faring African nations nations that have successfully launched a satellite into space. Before 2019, the elite league comprised of only 8 African countries: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Now the league includes Rwanda, Sudan and Ethiopia following the launch of RwaSat-1 in September, SRSS-1 in November and ETRSS-1 in December, respectively.

The industry is expected to grow about 40% in the next five year from its current valuation of USD 7.37 billion to over USD 10.24 billion. Presently, 11 countries in Africa have launched at least a satellite and it is projected that before 2024, the number will rise to at least 18. Click here for the breakdown of revenue from the industry and the future projection.

Also, the continent witnessed tremendous growth in the number of countries that have declared an interest in space exploration. Particularly, Uganda and Zimbabwe that announced their space ambitions with plans to launch a satellite by 2022, whileCameroon commissioned a feasibility studyfor the launch of a national space programme.

In June, Ugandan President,Yoweri Museveni pushed for space technology research with Russiaafter a meeting with delegates from the Russian-Uganda Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Science and Technical Cooperation. In October,Museveni held another bilateral meeting with the Russian President,Vladimir Putin and different leaders of Russia and Africa exploring partnerships in areas of space science and technology during the 2019 Russia-Africa summit. The consultations heralded the possibility of launching a Ugandan satellite by 2022 according to Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, the Ugandan Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, who disclosed the information at the 2019 World Science Day held in Makerere University, Kampala, in November.

Similarly, the Zibwawean government in January 2019 commenced the implementation of its national space science programmes through the Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development Ministry under the coordination of theZimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agencywhich was established in July 2018. Zimbabwe embarked on several space science activities in 2019. However, the highlight of the year for the Southern African nation is the announcement of a fund set aside for the launch of its satellite which was disclosed in November 2019 by the Zimbabwean Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube during a national budget hearing session.

Beyond the declaration of interest to start space programmes, Africa launched a record eight satellites in 2019, the highest ever launched by the continent in a calendar year. Starting with the launch of EgyptSat-A in February, the year progressed with the launch of XinaBox Thinsat in April. The second quarter recorded the launch of Egypts indigenously-built 1 CubeSat, NARSSCube-2, in July. The last quarter witnessed a record launch of five satellites: Egypts NARSSCube-1 and Rwandas RwaSat in September, Sudans SRSS-1 and Egypts TIBA-1 in November, and Ethiopias ETRSS-1 in December.

African countries have now successfully launched 41 satellites into space to date, with Egypt holding the record for the highest number of satellites having launched four satellites into space in 2019 to bring its total record to nine. South Africa closely follows with record eight satellites. Algeria and Nigeria hold the third place with six satellites each. Morocco has launched three satellites into space while Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Sudan have a record for one each.

There is an increase in the national governments budget and investment in the space industry across the continent, more countries are starting to develop space programs, there is an increase in the number of satellites being launched and space technologies is having massive positive impacts in the growth and development of the continent. There is also growth in the number of NewSpace companies on the continent with more efforts into supporting the establishment of more. While 2019 is unequivocally the best year in Africas 21 year space history, we envisage an upward trend in 2020 across all the segments of the industry.

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Beyond The Numbers: Where Business School Meets College Football – Poets&Quants

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Michigan vs. Ohio State

As a University of Michigan alum and the former director of admission at that institutions medical school, Im still reeling from the 56-27 thrashing that marked the Wolverines eighth straight loss to their college football archrival, the Ohio State University Buckeyes.

Yet while I was consumed by the football game, two of the sports mortal enemies were competing in a matchup that literally determines life or death. In its annual blood drive with Ohio State, Michigan actually won although everyone involved was a winner in their own right, from recipients to donors to volunteers to the universities themselves.

In fact, academia is a space where traitors become allies. Take the Big Ten conference. University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin partner on a $6.3 million grant for advancing evidence-based education practices. Purdue University and Indiana University jointly research the development of life-saving medical devices. Overcoming the tensions of all rivalries, the Big Ten Academic Alliance produces research breakthroughs by leveraging resources from across the consortiums campuses.

This healthy competition brings to mind the numbers that stoke passions in my industry far more than college football scores: business school rankings. In the 2019-2020 Poets & Quants list of the top 100 U.S. MBA programs, my alma maters Ross sits a comfortable 24 spots ahead of Ohio States Fisher.

But even as a higher education technology executive who specializes in business school admissions, I try to look beyond those numbers. Its all about perspective. In a time of declining applications to Americas MBA programs, the college admissions offices that I work with cant afford to get caught up in the rankings. MBA applications are down even at elite programs like Stanford Universitys GSB, Harvard Universitys HBS and University of Pennsylvanias Wharton. Those business schools will need to put aside their rivalries with Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Sloan, Northwesterns Kellogg and University of Chicagos Booth if they want to get serious about the future vitality of their academic discipline as a whole.

Accordingly, Im witnessing business school leaders ramp up their participation in professional networks and associations which provide them with platforms to share best practices. Meanwhile, initiatives like the Big Ten Plus Case Competition bring together MBA programs for competitions that prioritize academic excellence over wins and losses.

The nature of the outcomes at stake also motivates healthy competition. When the football game is over, the players, coaches and fans on both sides will ultimately move on with their lives. But everyone loses if business schools cant fill their seats, as Americas largest companies and the countrys entire economy will be left wondering where the next generation of business leaders will come from.

Even on the football field, the fiercest of rivals end the game with a handshake. They fight hard. They inflict unspeakable pain on one another. And still, they somehow manage to exhale, accepting the outcome and acknowledging their common humanity.

At the same time, if opposing teams cant unite to promote their games to drive fans to stadiums and viewers to televisions, what do schools stand to lose? The very funds that support their research towards discovering solutions for societys greatest problems, like Penn State Universitys pursuit of water sustainability through self-cleaning toilets, Michigan State Universitys use of drone technology to enhance food sustainability and the cutting-edge lung cancer research conducted at University of Nebraska.

Business school leaders can also stand to learn from college football fans. The beloved Iowa Wave, in which University of Iowa Hawkeye fans wave to kids who watch the game from the windows of the adjacent childrens hospital, has also been adopted by Northern Illinois University Huskie fans. MBA programs, too, cant spurn the implementation of their competitors effective strategies purely out of pride.

In an era when so many fault lines threaten to divide us, were much better off not only tolerating each other, but even collaborating with our rivals. From Champaign to College Park, football fans and business school leaders alike should look beyond the numbers this holiday season. Dont be blinded by your schools colors. Whether your passions are ignited by Michigan maize, Indiana crimson, or Rutgers scarlet, its time to work together to generate the prosocial outcomes that transcend scores and rankings.

Robert Ruiz is the managing director of BusinessCAS at Liaison International.

DONT MISS: AN OPEN LETTER TO B-SCHOOL DEANS ON MBA APP DECLINES or WHAT MOST SURPRISED GMACS CHIEF IN 2019

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Beyond The Numbers: Where Business School Meets College Football - Poets&Quants

When the Surgeon Is a Mom – The New York Times

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Gifty Kwakye, 38, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Michigan, was told by her medical school classmates that she was too nice for surgery. She never questioned her own drive to operate, but she did worry that it would be difficult to balance her work with dreams of being a mother. She hoped to start a family during the research phase of her training, when she had more control over her schedule, but things didnt go as planned. Overcoming medical problems, she became pregnant three months before she was scheduled to return to clinical residency.

Transitioning from maternity leave back to clinical work felt like having cotton wool stuck in your brain, Dr. Kwakye said. She woke up every two hours at night to feed her baby. She was so dazed that she covered her home in sticky-note reminders: Bring the pump to work, the nipple protectors, the ice packs to keep the milk cold.

Worst was the guilt she felt spending 12-hour shifts away from her child. When Dr. Kwakye squeezed in a pickup at day care to relieve her husband, she watched her daughter run to the teacher and call her Mommy. That prompted a day care administrator to ask Dr. Kwakye whether she was on the list of adults approved for pickup, and the doctor had to explain that she was indeed the mother.

The kid didnt want to go to me, and I was like O.K., I deserved that, that was fair, you have no idea who I am, Dr. Kwakye said. But what that does to a mother is painful. I had a moment when I was like, I cant do this anymore; Im failing as a resident and Im failing as a mom.

One morning she sat in her car crying because she didnt want to leave her baby. She wondered if she should have heeded the warnings not to pursue surgery. She told herself, Maybe they saw something you didnt see and youre not tough enough.

As health care providers, surgeons are painfully aware of the ways in which their professional commitments can harm their own health and their familys. Alex Moore, a surgical resident at Brigham and Womens Hospital, said that spending long days away from her 6-month-old baby was especially upsetting because she has studied the medical importance of mother-child bonding. Returning to the operating room after a 10-week leave felt like your soul is getting ripped out, she said.

A surgeons schedule isnt just psychologically taxing, it also takes a physical toll. A resident spends most of the day on her feet. She may go eight to 12 hours without eating, or even drinking water. As one surgical resident put it, health often comes down to Do as I say, not as I do for doctors in training. Dr. Rangel, who had two babies, both born prematurely, wondered whether she was to blame for neglecting her health while pregnant.

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When the Surgeon Is a Mom - The New York Times

Women Outnumber Men in Medical School – The Realist Woman

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For the first time, women outnumber men in medical school. According to a new report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, women made up 50% of medical students in 2019, while men made up 49% of students.

Overall, men still make up the majority of doctors with 64% dominating in the profession, as compared to 36% of women. A joint report between the AAMC and the American Medical Association found disparities among men in women in their chosen fields.

Male doctors outnumber female doctors in the orthopedic, neurological and interventional radiology fields. Female doctors dominate in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, allergy and immunology. Fields with an equal amount of men and women include pathology, psychiatry, sleep medicine and preventive medicine.

Theres also an age disparity among doctors with 80% of doctors age 65 or older in 2017 being men and 60% of younger doctors under the age of 35 being women.

The Realist Womans take:

Women surpassed men as students in medical school for the first time ever. Its incredible. I specifically love the fact that 60% of doctors under age 35 are female. Women really are making their mark in the world of medicine and I hope this story inspires young girls who dream of being doctors.

I noticed in the report that female doctors dominate in the fields that serve female patients, which makes sense because female doctors understand women's issues in a way that men cannot. But I'm sure that women in the fields that male doctors dominate are just as excellent as their male counterparts as women can do everything men can.

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In sickness and in health: Access to nearby, quality health care is a growing priority in Greater Minnesota (copy) – Southernminn.com

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In January 2017, the Minnesota State Demographic Center published the report Greater Minnesota: Refined & Revisited. The 68-page document took a hard look at the state outside the population hub of the metro area in order to identify trends driven by Minnesotas changing demographics.

Among the most significant is that Greater Minnesotans are aging faster than their urban counterparts. The findings noted residents of rural and small-town Minnesota are more than twice as likely to be age 80 or older than residents in urban parts of the state. More than 1 in 20 residents in rural and small-town areas in Minnesota were 80 or above, and 44 percent of rural residents were over 50 at the time of the report, compared to 32 percent of urban dwellers.

Unfortunately, as individuals age, they need more health care services, but rural residents are finding fewer care providers available to them. They also report higher rates of perceived fair and poor health and face higher mortality rates than do their urban counterparts. Thats according to the 2017 Minnesota Department of Healths Office of Rural Health publication, Snapshot of Health in Rural Minnesota.

All of those things put together just make [Greater Minnesota] a more complicated environment to provide health care in, says Carrie Henning-Smith, deputy director at the Us Rural Health Research Center, part of the Division of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health. Not better or worse, just more complicated.

Bringing doctors into rural Minnesota

The Us Rural Health Research Center studies access to and quality of health care and population health outcomes in rural areas. Its one of seven such health research centers across the country funded by the federal government to improve health outcomes in areas that have unequal access to providers, compared to more urban locations.

Although areas in Greater Minnesota with larger cities such as St. Cloud, Rochester, Duluth, or Mankato have robust health care systems that are easily accessible to nearby residents, more rural areas of the state do not. And as residents in those areas age, they often must travel farther and farther to seek health care.

During a recent trip to Worthington, a town of roughly 12,500 located in far southwestern Minnesota, U of M President Joan Gabel says one of the things she heard from local residents is that they need more help bringing doctors to the area. They asked her if there were ways in which the U could facilitate that?

Henning-Smith says recruiting health care providers to rural clinics is harder now than it was decades ago. Part of the reason is because those providers cant be as flexible in their daily practice as they can in bigger cities.

You cant specialize in any one particular population or health problem, Henning-Smith says about providers in smaller communities. You need to be able to do the full range of practice, and health providers arent always comfortable with that.

That full range of practice is often delivered by primary care doctors, who offer routine, preventative services on a regular basis, and also help patients better navigate the complex health care system. But according to the federal Health Resources & Services Administration, which tracks what are known as Health Professional Shortage Areas, Minnesota has 133 areas with a shortage of medical professionals, including primary care physicians. Only two such areas are in the metro the rest are in Greater Minnesota.

The HRSA lists Lonsdale/Erin/Shieldsville in Rice County, Oshawa in Nicollet County and St. Mary in Waseca County as medically underserved areas. Nearly every Minnesota county aside from the Twin Cities metro and Rochester area is listed as having to have a shortage of mental-health professionals as determined by federal guidelines.

Ironically, at the same time the state notes a shortage of doctors in Greater Minnesota, it also estimates there are between 250 and 400 foreign-trained doctors who cannot practice medicine here without first completing a U.S. residency. And finding a residency in the U.S. can be expensive, time-consuming, and difficult for a physician who may not be a native English speaker or familiar with this countrys medical requirements.

As a first step to helping foreign-trained doctors qualify for a U.S. residency, the U offers a program called BRIIDGE, or Bridge to Residency for Immigrant International Doctor Graduates through clinical Experience. This nine-month program is open to individuals who have a medical doctors degree or the international equivalent; who were born outside the U.S., but who have been permanent, lawful residents of Minnesota for at least two years; and who meet other requirements. BRIIDGE helps those who qualify complete pre-residency requirements so they can proceed to the next step in seeking U.S. licensure.

Michael Westerhaus, M.D., an assistant professor at the U of M Twin Cities campus and director of the program, says that in the first year, four out of four participants in BRIIDGE matched into Minnesota-based residencies. In year two, two of six have so far matched into residencies; the other four are currently applying.

Another related program in which the University participates, the International Medical Graduate Program, offers funding to help international doctors pursue their residencies. IMG was started by the Minnesota Department of Healths Office of Rural Health and Primary Care and currently funds six residency positions, three of which are at the medical school. Students who receive funding agree to work for five years in one of the states underserved areas after they complete their schooling.

Khaled Mohammed, M.D., who attended medical school in his native Egypt, is a current IMG-funded resident who expects to graduate from the medical school next spring. After 10 years of training in his home country, Mohammed came to the U.S. in 2011 for a research scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh. He went to the Mayo Clinic for a research fellowship in 2013, then enrolled in his residency at the U of M in 2017.

While his first two years in residency kept him in rotations in the Twin Cities, for his last year, he is planning an elective rotation in rural Minnesota, although hes not sure where yet. How that rotation goes will factor into where he practices after graduation. (He could also stay in the metro to practice in an underserved area through Childrens Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Hennepin Health care.)

After Im done with my elective, I will have an understanding about practicing in rural settings, Mohammed says.

Another program the U offers to help introduce medical professionals to practice areas in Greater Minnesota is the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP). RPAP was established in 1971 as a collaboration between the medical school and the Minnesota Legislature, in response to a shortage of medical providers in rural parts of the state even then.

Kirby Clark is a family physician who has been leading the program for the last two years. He said medical education has long been very metro-centric. The point of RPAP can be summed up in a quote that Clark attributes to the late Jack Verby, another family doctor who helped establish the program: You dont train somebody to work in forestry by training them in a lumberyard.

Clark explains: You want to get [students] serving in a community, learning in a community that looks like where theyre going to practice. RPAP places third-year medical school students on rotations for nine months in clinics across the state. Positions stretch from as far north as Roseau, near the Canadian border, to as far south as Luverne, near the South Dakota and Iowa borders. RPAP is optional, but allows students to meet their third-year requirements. Roughly 35 students, or 20 percent of the U of M-Twin Cities class, participate in the program each year.

Clark adds that about 50 percent of students who participate in RPAP will go on to work in rural clinics after residency.

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In sickness and in health: Access to nearby, quality health care is a growing priority in Greater Minnesota (copy) - Southernminn.com

Proton therapy as effective as standard radiation with fewer side effects – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

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Lower hospitalization rates following proton therapy could offset its higher upfront cost compared with standard radiation therapy

A new study suggests proton therapy is as effective as traditional X-ray radiation therapy while causing fewer serious side effects. Pictured is proton therapy equipment at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

Cancer patients who receive high-tech proton therapy experience similar cure rates and fewer serious side effects compared with those who undergo traditional X-ray radiation therapy, according to a study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The reduction in side effects particularly lower hospitalization rates and fewer emergency room visits could offset the higher initial cost of proton therapy, which often is not covered by private insurance because of its higher upfront expense and limited data on its effectiveness compared to X-ray radiation, according to the researchers.

The study is published Dec. 26 in JAMA Oncology. Some of the findings also were presented in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncologys annual meeting, in Chicago.

We observed significantly fewer unplanned hospitalizations in the proton therapy group, which suggests the treatment may be better for patients and, perhaps, less taxing on the health-care system, said first author Brian C. Baumann, MD, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at Washington University and an adjunct assistant professor of radiation oncology at Penn. If proton therapy can reduce hospitalizations, that has a real impact on improving quality of life for both our patients and their caregivers.

While radiation therapy can be curative for certain cancers, it also causes severe side effects such as difficulty swallowing, nausea and diarrhea that reduce quality of life and can, in some cases, require hospitalization, said Baumann, who treats patients at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

The study, which included almost 1,500 patients from Penn Medicine, is the first large review of data across several cancer types including lung, brain, head and neck, gastrointestinal and gynecologic cancers to show a reduced side-effect profile for proton therapy compared with X-ray radiation therapy for patients receiving combined chemotherapy and radiation. None of the patients had metastatic cancer, in which a tumor has spread to other parts of the body.

The researchers found no differences between the two groups in survival and cancer control, suggesting that proton therapy is just as effective in treating the cancer even as it caused fewer side effects. Overall survival at one year for the proton therapy group was 83 percent versus 81 percent for the X-ray radiation therapy group. This difference tipped slightly in favor of proton therapy but was not statistically significant.

The difference in side effects was more pronounced. Forty-five of 391 patients receiving proton therapy experienced a severe side effect in the 90-day time frame (11.5 percent). In the X-ray radiation therapy group, 301 of 1,092 patients experienced a severe side effect in the same period (27.6 percent). The patients receiving proton therapy experienced fewer side effects despite the fact that they were, on average, older and had more medical problems than those receiving standard X-ray radiation therapy. After taking steps to control for these differences, the researchers found that patients receiving proton therapy experienced a two-thirds reduction in the relative risk of severe side effects within the first 90 days of treatment, compared with patients receiving X-ray radiation therapy.

Both types of radiation therapy are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for cancer treatment. X-ray beams are made up of photons, which are electromagnetic particles that have almost no mass, allowing them to travel all the way through the body, passing through healthy tissue on the way out. Protons are relatively heavy, positively charged particles that hit their target and stop, essentially eliminating the exit dose of radiation.

Since the study found proton therapy to have fewer adverse events, Baumann said it could prompt radiation oncologists to design clinical trials to investigate whether increasing the dose of proton radiation would help patients do better, while still maintaining acceptable levels of side effects.

Similarly, the reduced side effects of proton therapy could allow older patients with additional medical conditions who are typically excluded from clinical trials because of their frailty to participate in trials investigating more intensive treatments that could be beneficial.

Clinical trials often are limited to patients who have serious cancers but are otherwise quite healthy, and thats not the real-world cancer population, said Baumann. Doctors, rightly, are concerned about toxicity. But with the reduced toxicity that we found with proton therapy, this might open the doors to the possibility of older patients with multiple medical problems getting cancer therapy they can tolerate that is more likely to be curative.

With our aging population, this could have a big impact on a lot of patients, he added. To me, thats an exciting implication of this research.

A new study led by Brian Baumann, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found that proton therapy (bottom) is associated with fewer severe side effects than conventional X-ray radiation therapy (top) for many cancer patients. Protons are relatively heavy, positively charged particles that hit their target a lung tumor in this example and stop. X-ray beams consist of photons, much smaller particles that can travel all the way through the body and its healthy tissue including the heart in this example on the way out.

This work was supported by research funds from the University of Pennsylvania.

Baumann BC, Mitra N, Harton JG, Xiao Y, Wojcieszynski AP, Gabriel PE, Zhong H, Geng H, Doucette A, Wei J, ODwyer PJ, Bekelman JE, Metz JM. Comparative effectiveness of proton therapy versus photon therapy as part of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for locally advanced cancer. JAMA Oncology. Dec. 26, 2019.

Washington University School of Medicines 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

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Proton therapy as effective as standard radiation with fewer side effects - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Glasscock joined the Navy in 1943 – Miami News Record

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GLASSCOCK, THOMAS Interviewed 3 Dec 2019 by Joe L. Todd Ponca City, OK

Todd: Today is December 3, 2019. My name is Joe Todd and this is an interview with Thomas Glasscock in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Sir, where were you born?

Glasscock: I was born in Finland, North Dakota.

T: When is your birthday?

G: May 2, 1918.

T: Who was your father?

G: Dr. Timothy Glasscock.

T: And your mother?

G: Sadie G. Glasscock.

T: What was her maiden name?

G: Savre.

T: Did you go through school in Finland?

G: I went to grade school in Finland then we moved to Haywood, Iowa. I went to high school there then back to North Dakota to college.

T: What year did you graduate high school?

G: 1934, I think but it has been so long I have forgotten.

T: Where did you go to college?

G: The University of North Dakota.

T: What did you study?

G: Pre-med. I got my degree then I transferred to the University of Chicago for medical school. I finished my MD in 1942.

T: Do you remember when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor?

G: Yes.

T: Where were you?

H: I was in Chicago in school.

T: When you heard about the attack, what did you think?

G: Not much of anything other than we were at war.

T: After you got your MD, what did you do?

G: I took my internship in Chicago and following that, I took a residency in Chicago then I joined the Navy.

T: When did you join the Navy?

G: I joined in 1943 as a medical officer. I was sent to New Orleans to the Higgins Boat Company and assigned to Squadron 30 in New Orleans.

T: What were your duties with the Higgins Boat Company. I was organizing the medical department for the men, getting their records straightened out.

T: How long did it take to get all the medical records for the squadron?

G: It took about three months. I had three hospital corpsmen working with me at the Higgins Boat Company.

T: From New Orleans, where did you go?

H: Got all the records together and organized the men for the squadron. The hospital corpsmen got the records straightened out and organized the medical department for the whole group of boats.

T: How many men were in the medical department?

G: There was a chief, two first classes and myself. That was the medical department for the boats.

T: What was your rank at this time?

G: Lieutenant.

T: From New Orleans, where did you go?

G: We went to New York in the inland water way and put out boats in the group that was going to England. They were put in an attack transport ship. They were lifted and put on the ship.

T: Do you recall the name of the ship you were on?

G: I have no idea.

T: Tell me about the trip to England.

G: It was cold and we did a lot of maneuvering around the North Atlantic to avoid the German submarines. We were lucky, we didnt have any real bad storms. It took a while to get there because of all the maneuvers we had to make, we had to zig zag.

T: Where were your quarters on the ship?

G: Mine were in the sick bay with the doctor. We were in the sickbay and some sailors studied with us.

T: Did many guys get seasick?

G: I dont remember but Im sure they did. I dont remember anyone so sick we had a bad Glasscock - page 3

problem.

T: How did you pass the time on the trip?

G: Doing medical work on the boys that were sick, but none were real sick. We played cards and ate and wondered what we were going to do next.

T: How long did the trip take?

G: I think it was at least eight days.

T: Where did the ship land?

G: We landed on the north coast of England. I think it was Liverpool. Some of the boys were put on boats down to the south part of England and some of us got on a train and went south. All the officer went by train. We went down to Southampton and the British had built a building for the PT boats to come into. They had a real nice area called tent city and they had everything we needed. They had a place where we practiced and eating and sleeping were pretty nice.

T: How did you prepare for D-Day?

G: We werent too involved with that.

T: When did you get to France?

G: We got there on D-Day.

T: Tell me about going to France.

G: We got on the boats and cruised and kept in touch with the other boats. We were going to do what we had been practicing doing.

T: What did you practice to do?

G: Taking aboard the injured and identifying what should be done. It was kind of vague because no one had done that before. We had no specific identification except if someone was injured, we took care of them. We were on the PT Boats doing sea rescue.

T: When you treated the wounded, where were they sent?

G: We sent them to a hospital ship.

T: Tell me about D-Day.

G: It wasnt an organized thing as far as taking care of the wounded. We took care of them and shipped them to the hospital ship.

T: How did you get the wounded on the PT Boat?

G: We fished them out of the water.

T: You were off which beach, Omaha or Utah?

G: We were in the English Channel off all the beaches at Normandy.

T: How long were you off Normandy?

G: We were there until things quieted down. I cant remember the number of days.

T: Did you land in France or got back to England?

G: Our base was in England. We really didnt have a base there, we just anchored the boats in England.

T: What did you do when you went back?

G: We got them back in the water and sent them back to pick up survivors.

T: Were you in a hospital in England?

G: No, we stayed on the boats all the time.

T: Did you land in France?

G: Not early in the invasion. We landed later and took medicine where needed it. We then were based in Cherbourg. The wounded were brought in and we treated them and went sent some to the field hospital in Cherbourg and if they were not badly wounded, they were sent back to their unit.

T: How long were you at Cherbourg?

G: That was our base the whole time. We never got orders to go anyplace else. We never went any place in France except Cherbourg. There was the hospital in Cherbourg that the United States used.

T: Did you get to Germany?

G: No, I spent the rest of the war in Cherbourg. I remember, we had just finished Christmas Ever dinner and we were notified to get to the boats at five oclock in the morning and head out. We were in Cherbourg and a troop ship had sunk but when we got there everyone we pulled out of the water was dead from the cold. Our whole squadron went out and worked all night long. We never pulled anyone out of the water that survived. We put some in the engine room but none of them but they never came to. That was a cold night.

T: That was the SS Leopoldville. It was a Belgian troop ship taking troops to France from England for the Battle of the Bulge. Don Shaub in Bartlesville survived the Leopoldville by getting on a British destroyer that was escorting he Leopoldville.

G: We found no one alive in the water.

T: What did you do on V-E Day?

G: I dont remember. I suspect I celebrated like everybody else, but I dont remember.

T: Did you think you would go to the Pacific?

G: There were a lot pf PT Boats in the Pacific and we wondered if we were going there. But we didnt. The whole group came back to the United States.

T: How long were you in the Navy?

G: Four years.

T: When you left the Navy, where did you go?

G: There was a group in Chicago that were helping veterans find a place to go. There was a clinic in Ponca City and I interviewed with them and came to Ponca City in 1946. I was with the clinic for five years then I moved out to my private practice.

T: Would you join the Navy again?

G: I would join the Navy over the other services.

T: Today when you hear the name Franklin Roosevelt, what is your reaction?

G: We took the advice of what they told us to do. It is hard to evaluate him because things were not too well organized.

T: Harry Truman.

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Glasscock joined the Navy in 1943 - Miami News Record

The House of God, a Book as Sexist as It Was Influential, Gets a Sequel – The New Yorker

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In 1978, the psychiatrist Stephen Bergman published the novel The House of God, written under the pen name Samuel Shem. Based on Bergmans experiences as an intern at Harvards Beth Israel hospital, the book rapidly became a staple of any medical residents required-reading list; to date, it has sold more than two million copies. A 2003 edition included an introduction by John Updike, who wrote that The House of God could probably not be written now, at least so unabashedly; its lavish use of freewheeling, multiethnic caricature would be inhibited by the current terms racist, sexist, and ageist. Its 70s sex is not safe.

For Updike, for those who made this argument before him, and for those who continue to make it today, a measure of freedom has been lost in a culture that requires writers to watch their words for unintended cruelty. An army of chiding librarians seems to have arisen, tsk-tsk-ing the poor writers bawdy, outrageous imagination. Updikes concern is embodied in the real phenomena of Twitter pile-ons and sensitivity readers, but it is also Foucauldian: the chiding librarian is within us, suppressing the writers creativity before it even makes it to the page. In the panopticon where every action can be seen, known, and embedded in a tweet, no actual chains are required. Ultimately, we control ourselves.

The House of God is not a great book, the literary critic Kathryn Montgomery has written, but it is an important book. Bergman claims that it shows how residents are dehumanized in the course of their sleepless, gruelling medical training, and in turn begin behaving cruelly or carelessly toward their patients. As the physician and poet Jack Coulehan has pointed out, however, Bergman undercuts his argument somewhat when his narrator, Roy Basch, refers to patients as a heifer and a hippo on his first day of work. If the narrators callous attitude toward patients is a product of the dehumanizing power of residency training, how did Basch get there so quickly? Coulehan argues that the novel does a disservice to medical-student readers, who internalize the message that clinical training is dehumanizing without sufficiently noticing that the group most dehumanized is patients. Others, such as the emergency physician Jay Baruch, argue that the novels descriptions of the disgust, shame, and horror that patient care sometimes evokes comprise a badly needed articulation of the lived experience of residents. The House of God likely contributed to some of the reforms in medical training that have come about since the nineteen-seventies, particularly in regard to long work hours that lead to sleep deprivation. The book is taught in medical schools and quoted by physicians; whether we realize it or not, we are quoting The House of God when we say, for example, The first procedure in any cardiac arrest is to take your own pulse.

More than forty years after its publication, many of the books episodes, such as the suicide of an intern, still feel contemporary. Other bits are frighteningly dated or always felt slanted, particularly the portrayal of women. The books nurses have none of the clinical insight or skill of actual nurses, but theyre eager to reveal their montes pubis for the interns. There is just one female physician, a frigid, universally loathed character named Jo. The last of the women is Roy Baschs partner, Berry, who is intelligent but inexplicably content to serve as a surrogate mother for Basch, while displaying no expectation that he might broaden her horizons in turn, or even refrain from copulating with nurses.

As sympathetic as I am to Updikes concerns about social control, and as nostalgic as I may be for the time when I wrote like a childblithe, mindless of consequence, the only audience in my mind an audience of people who already loved meI am no longer a child. These days, I write not only for my best friends but for general readers. Growing up involves coming to realize that others are as human as oneself, with inner lives at least as rich as ones own. The realization that others have inner lives is a developmental milestone that we humans are supposed to achieve around age four. But, as it turns out, many of us are still working on it, decades later. Or perhaps we gain the ability to imagine the lives of others around age four, but we may or may not put that ability into practice.

I look to literature to attune my mind to the inner lives of other people, and it is painful when a book falls so short of deeply imagining the other that it portrays some whole wings of the world as flat, airless, not truly worth inhabiting. It is ironic, in a sick way, when the art that ought to bring us closer accidentally insists that some of us are not really worth the effort. I read The House of God in medical school, as many of us do, and was left looking askance at my chosen field. Because the book is lionized so uncritically in my profession, I could only suspect that my future colleagues did not hold women in particularly high regard.

Bergman and his apologists (including many of my women colleagues in medicine) say that The House of God was simply a novel of its time. When asked about the novels sexism in a recent interview, Bergman replied, I was roundly criticized for the way women were seen in the book, then launched into an anecdote about a doctor and nurse having sex in an on-call room in the nineteen-seventies. Things have changed, Bergman added. The anecdote is telling, with its implication that feminist thinkers object to sex itself, rather than to the portrayal of women as sex objects. The accusation that women who display the capacity for critical thought must be frigid is a tired one, and one given full treatment in the character of Jothe only woman in House who occupies a position of authority, the lonely single woman whose supervision of Basch and her other male subordinates equates to lop[ping] a bit off his schlong daily by telling him what hed failed to do.

Other authors have managed to see women in health care as complex humans: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in Cancer Ward; Michael Ondaatje, in The English Patient; Elizabeth Norman, in the beautiful and deeply researched We Band of Angels. As more women have trained as medical professionals, physician writers such as Danielle Ofri, Pauline Chen, the former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, and the Navajo surgeon Lori Arviso Alvord have told our stories in memoirs. Part of a books essential work is to bring readers deeply into the worlds of others, and thus it is fair to criticize authors who make no attempt to examine the worlds of whole categories of people. As Eudora Welty said of her stories and novels, What I do in writing of any character is to try to enter into the mind, heart, and skin of a human being who is not myself. Whether this happens to be a man or a woman, old or young, with skin black or white, the primary challenge lies in making the jump itself. It is the act of a writers imagination that I set most high. It is odd to blame the times, then, for a failure of imaginationthat freewheeling, unabashed thing that Updike prized.

The other defense of The House of God that I commonly hear is But its satire! And The House of God is wonderfully effective satire insofar as it points an accusatory finger at systems of power in medicine. But the spectacle of the male Harvard Medical School graduate satirizing women colleagues is painful; good satire deflates systems of power, not the people who toil and suffer in those systems.

Naturally, I turned to Mans 4th Best Hospital, the recent sequel to The House of God, with cautious curiosity. I wondered if a forty-year career as a psychiatrist could have acquainted Bergman with the notion that women have inner lives. The novels first sentenceExcept for her eyes, Berry is fully clotheddimmed my hopes only somewhat. Roy Basch is back, and his life in the years between the two books maps closely with Bergmans. Both men married a psychologist who believes that profound and fixed differences between genders not only exist but also can begin to be bridged by using the word we more frequently; both adopted a daughter from overseas; both became psychiatrists with a special focus on addiction medicine; both wrote a novel called The House of God.

In the first chapter, Basch and Berry are staying at their Costa Rican finca, and Basch requires stitches from a Tica physician. When she bent over to examine me, he describes, I could not help noticing that her purple blouse wasto use a line from The Houseunbuttoned down past Thursday, breasts cradled in the lace palms of a pink bra.... As she left... I noticed she was wearing tight bright pink pants and red high healsmake that heels. For Basch, this is familiar ground: sex and death. Especially in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, in the daily horror of lingering disease and death, the healthy sex with the nurses, orgasms crying out Were still alive and young! At the threat of disease and death, the sensual, the vitaland, yes, the hope.

Now, I happen to be a woman physician. I cant speak for the whole crowd of us, but I think that most of us do not wish for our breasts to be ogled while we stitcheven if it makes our septuagenarian patients feel sensual and vital.

Even if Baschs ogling of the doctor is nauseating, his point about the erotics of medicine has something true in it. All that death does make one wish to prove that one is alive oneself, and that life offers something more exalted than excretion and suffering. Sex is a high line to pleasure, and I have friends both male and female who did fornicate their ways around the cities of their internship. Mostly we were too tired for fornication, though, or we were in love with our spouses and sensible enough to be faithful to the ones who kept us fed and sane. There is an actual orgy in the call room in The House of God which, in retrospect, feels quaint. What intern has time for an orgy these days? You would get paged out of it within ten minutes.

(It occurs to me that I am a pediatrician, and it could just be that childrens hospitals are particularly undersexed. Perhaps, in adult hospitals, the loamy must of sex luffs up around bedpans and ventilators, and interns must splash through puddles of semen to get to their call-room beds. Ive no way to know!)

Although many of the characters, including the physicians, in Mans 4th Best Hospital are women, and, although Bergman has gotten beyond the trope of nurse as dumb mons, his depiction of gender is still old-fashioned. Men are strong and zany and ha-ha funny; women are sensitive and moral and wise, happy either to bed the men or to mother them. (Berry refers to Baschs moral education as her full-time job in the medical field.) In one memorable scene, a nurse named Molly allows Basch to come up to her apartment and fondle her remarkably caressable breasts and strangely long nipples, for old times sake, then does him the service of reminding him of his wifes existence, putting an end to the dalliance before penetration can occur. The virile Baschs formidable sex drive is thwarted, but later he is grateful and falls to his knees on the sidewalkthank goodness Berry never needs to know! Molly goes on to work alongside Berry when she, too, joins the clinic. There is minimal drama and no consequences for Bascha male fantasy fulfilled, even if there was no penetration.

The other aspects of Baschs privilege also go unexamined, and his flaunting of his privilege as a doctor and a wealthy person makes me, as a fellow-physician, cringe. At one point in Mans 4th Best, Basch develops an abnormal heart rhythm and has to go to the hospital. He calls a fellow-doctor en route, and that doctor promises to get a cardiologist to come in and care for Basch. Once at the hospital, Basch continues to lobby for special treatment:

I had learned that if Ior any of my familygo to a doctor, its helpful to say Im a doctor, and when they ask what kind, I tell them and then ask, Have you heard of the novel The House of God? Almost always they perk up and say, Oh, yeah, its my favorite book! Well, I wrote it. And then the word spreads throughout the [emergency ward] and we all get a lot of attention. Docs and nurses crowd the room, want to chat, almost always telling me where they were when theyd read my novel.

For anyone who has struggled to receive proper attention from physicians, this passage could be a little hard to take. It is also difficult to feel sympathy with the Basch family for their financial troubles, which condemn them to owning a vacation finca and also a large Boston-area estate and confine them only to the carriage house of the estate while they rent out the main house. Basch goes into an alcoholic tailspin from the stress of working extra shifts in order to afford their adopted daughters private preschool. (My 24,000 dollar city taxes would have paid for excellent public school, he explains. But wed tried it with Springit didnt work. She was terribly shy.)

I have many shortcomings as a human, and one of them is my failure to sympathize with the struggles of the wealthy to secure private-school spots for their children. I was so shy that my preschool teachers thought that I had a developmental disability, and I still managed to survive public school in rural Texas, where abstinence-only sex education ruled the day and where we dissected a single rat that we shared as a class. Now I am not only a doctor but also some kind of arbiter of taste, called upon by The New Yorker to review this book. All this unexpected glory, despite having shared the rat. Im sure that I was protected by old-fashioned white privilege in public school; I was urged to the front of the class. The parents who really have to worry about the fates of their children in public school rarely have the luxury of choice.

Nor should Updike have worried that the racist label would eliminate free-wheeling multiethnic caricature from Bergmans writing. House employed caricatures of black and Irish-American people, among others. Bergman portrays Navajo people as fully realized characters in Mans 4th Best, but a Latino physician character is still a racist parody whose Spanish is incorrect. Mia madre! he says, and Esta mucho discombobulay, and El segundo causa, and Merck Vioxx kill my madre!and it is unclear if this Spanish is deliberately incorrect or if it has simply been believed to be correct, in a country where literate Spanish speakers are abundant and could correct it.

Basch frequently nods to the struggles of the working class, or, as he refers to them, all the poor and middle-class patients Id seen who were only one illness away, in our nations piss-poor health-care system, from bankruptcy. And the explicit mission of the book is to make medicine humane again. (Boring!) The book advocates, in its way, for universal access to health care as a cure not only for physical suffering and injustices in the system but also for the misery of physicians. Given these explicit missions, Shems tone-deaf approach to the narrative effects of privilege-flaunting is unfortunate.

In recent months, since I finished residency and began working as an attending physician, my way has been smoothed by the grunt work and flattery of trainees. My residents mine the electronic medical record for data and compose my notes; my medical students actually laugh out loud at my jokes. I recognize the precarity of all this, the seductive notion that this deference is not a consequence of a pernicious hierarchy but rather a consequence of my own hard work, wisdom, and virtue. I hope always to deserve the respect of my team. I hope never to be the dupe making sexist jokes that arent funny, to whom nobody in the room is willing to tell the truth. I hope to remember that I am a wealthy person now, and hand-wringing about the cost of private preschool would render me as unsympathetic as a self-appointed advocate for the oppressed.

Perhaps forty years of deference explain why Shem, like Updike, writes as a child would, imagining an audience that will express only adoration. Perhaps it explains why Basch presumes that his book is everybodys favorite, and that the doctors and nurses in the E.R. are gathering round to admire him. Some of them undoubtedly are, but a good portion of them are just staring at a fascinating specimen. We medical folk are simple people, and a famous writer in the E.R., like a case of Sydenhams chorea or an interestingly shaped object lodged in a rectum, excites our general interest.

So what is enough to ask of an elder male writer in this era? I think we women want revenge; we want blood on the ceiling, as Patricia Lockwood gave us in her recent epic takedown of Updike, in the London Review of Books. But also, perhaps, we want the possibility of individual moral progress, particularly among powerful men who have used their power to demean us. We want to recognize that progress when it comes, even as we continue to deserve real justice. Even if I would not wish to be or know the women in Bergmans book, I recognize an effortful appreciation of women here. In medicine, we are only just beginning to reckon with our gender-based wage gap, our failure to promote women leaders, our utter indifference to the needs of working mothers, and the systematic harassment of women trainees. Led by groups like Times Up Healthcare, we are beginning to discuss these things. It is all too slow, and, on my more exhausted days, I wish for torches and pitchforks rather than just these words.

Jo, the only female resident in The House of God, is also the only resident from that book who does not reappear in Mans 4th Best Hospital; she doesnt even rate a mention. Her character was instructive to me when I first read The House of God, because she symbolized so precisely the implicit threats levied against women who seek a career in medicine: that, if we do this unfeminine work, we will become hard and cold. If we assume leadership positions, the men we supervise will see us as schlong-lopping harpies.These threats are powerful tools of social control, instructing women in medicine that we must contort ourselves somehow into sexually available playthings, even as we thread catheters into femoral arteries and stuff tubes down the throats of the dying. For refusing to be pretty or sexy or soft, Jo was hated.

I would have liked to see Jo return, to see the consequences of her treatment in The House of God explored many years later. I would like to know if we women in medicineparticularly those who have been harassed and demeaned and underpaidget to live full lives, after all. I would like to know if we ever get to be both women physicians and people, or if the two conditions are incompatible.

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The House of God, a Book as Sexist as It Was Influential, Gets a Sequel - The New Yorker

We are the world and our battles are one – BusinessLine

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Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking of issues that usually dont make to the front pages of newspapers in India or, frankly, anywhere else. My colleagues were in Madrid, covering the UN climate change summit earlier this month. The Paris Agreement, which was concluded in 2015, is all set to come into effect in 2020, and yet the agreement has been largely hollowed out. One of the primary movers of the Paris Agreement was US President Barack Obama. His successor, President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly mocked climate change as a hoax, has pulled the US out of it.

But we live in a world so insane that the Trump administration is not the worst actor. There are many claimants to that crown. One contender worth singling out is Saudi Arabia. It has tried its best to stop scientific consensus from becoming part of the climate change framework. In the coming year it will host the G20, helping set the agenda for the group that represents 80 per cent of global trade.

All this seems far from the day-to-day challenges in India, which, too, has a deplorable record on climate-related issues. Our economic growth is the lowest in almost 30 years; the number of unemployed people is on the rise, and our banking system has lost credibility and the trust of the people. Add to that the damages we suffered due to weather fluctuations, delay in the arrival of rains as well as showers that destroyed crops. Much of India suffered both droughts and floods, one on the heels of the other.

We are paying, partially, for the fault of richer countries who have spent 200 years creating the climate mess through fossil-fuel-driven development. But we are also making the impact harder upon ourselves. For all the floods and droughts, all the farmer suicides and protest marches, there is little discussion on whether agriculture needs to change. For all the drama of political coalitions and who partners with whom, the Maharashtra elections were deeply impacted by unseasonal rains. In the ensuing madness over the division of power and ministerial berths, we heard nothing on whether loan waivers are enough when it comes to dealing with the ongoing crisis.

I do not wish to sound gloomy, especially when the tail-end of the year is witnessing an uprising in India; a movement that is being led by the young and the old, by students and ordinary citizens, activists and lawyers; a movement that is against bad legislations and foul politics. That effervescence, the joy, the courage and the willingness to take personal action at great risk, too is a splendid thing. But it is not enough to save the country.

The reason the climate summit was held in Spain, instead of Chile, is the anger of Chileans against status quo politics in their country. They took to the streets, marching in thousands, raising slogans against problems that sound only too familiar corruption, socio-economic inequality, apathy of the administrators and so on. They stood up to the crackdown by security agencies, braving rubber bullets and tear gas. A shaken government quickly announced reforms and concessions, but the people are unwilling to settle for anything less than complete reformation of the system.

It is easy for many of us to empathise with the average Chilean out on the streets today. But it is also true the protests in Chile are partially responsible for the poor show at Madrid. Most of the delegates came unprepared; when important questions such as the mechanism of calculating the cost of loss and damage came up before the participants, discussions just fell apart.

The frustrating thing about problems in todays world is not that they are hidden or that people are unaware. It is that there are so many problems, with too many layers. When a student in Mumbai hardly knows about the agrarian crisis in Maharashtra, it is unfair to expect protesters in Chile to think of how the collapse of climate change negotiations will impact poor farmers in India. And yet, if we are to have any hope for the future at all, if we are to not descend into groups fighting isolated battles, we need to see that this world is ours together. That our freedom also lies in the freedom of each other. This is the hope I take from this year into the next.

Omair Ahmad is the South Asia Editor for The Third Pole, reporting on water issues in the Himalayas

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We are the world and our battles are one - BusinessLine

Tunisia marks anniversary of revolution as it grapples with socio-economic woes – The Arab Weekly

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TUNIS - Tunisia on December 17 commemorated the start of the uprising that toppled President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, with recently elected Tunisian President Kais Saied vowing to honour the demands of the revolution.

Saied, an academic with no prior political experience, recorded a landslide election victory in October. He has made few public statements since taking office.

However, he made an unannounced visit to Sidi Bouzid, where the first protests of Tunisias uprising erupted, and promised to realise the key demands of the revolution freedom, work and dignity within the framework of the constitution and within legitimacy.

I will work to honour your demands, he told a crowd in Sidi Bouzid.

Though Saied spoke of the political will to resolve many of the countrys problems and meet the demands of the people, he did not present programmes to achieve the goal. He promised to return to the region when funds are allocated for development programmes.

Tunisians expressed their frustration with promises, demanding action to save the country from economic collapse. The despair was noted during parliamentary and presidential election campaigns this year, with voters pushing for change and attempting to create a new political reality.

A recent poll by Sigma Conseil said more than 80% of Tunisian respondents said the country was going in the wrong direction. It showed, however, the president to be the most trusted public figure.

Saied announced in Sidi Bouzid that December 17 would be a national holiday. Tunisia already marks January 14, the date Ben Ali was deposed, as a holiday.

Ben Ali died in September in Saudi Arabia at the age of 83.

Protests broke out December 17, 2010, after street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire to protest police harassment. Since then, the Sidi Bouzid region has experienced further unrest fuelled by unemployment and poverty.

In December, protests broke out in the region after the death of a 25-year-old man who set himself on fire in the impoverished town of Jelma in desperation over his economic situation.

While Tunisia has been praised as a model of democratic transition, wealth and control of the economy remain concentrated in the hands of a small group against a background of regional imbalances, slow economic growth and a large informal sector.

Deteriorating living standards and rising prices are causing increasing atrophy of the middle class. The country is grappling with an inflation rate of more than 6% and the unemployment rate stands at more than 15%, with nearly double that rate among youth and women.

The countrys government has been in limbo since Octobers legislative elections as Prime Minister-designate Habib Jemli struggled to put together a coalition government that could win parliamentary approval.

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Tunisia marks anniversary of revolution as it grapples with socio-economic woes - The Arab Weekly

Monsoon decided history of Indian subcontinent: study – The Hindu

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Deficient rainfall led to the collapse of the Mansabdari system, started by Mughal emperor Akbar, in the late 17th century. Similarly, drought interspersed with violent monsoon rains sounded the death knell for the Khmer empire of south-east Asia in the 15th century.

A recent study by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has revealed that abrupt changes in the Indian monsoon in the last 900 years decided the course of human history in the subcontinent. A paper titled Abrupt changes in Indian summer monsoon strength during the last 900 years and their linkages to socio-economic conditions in the Indian subcontinent by Anil K. Gupta, professor at the geology and geophysics department of IIT-KGP, highlights that decline of Indian dynasties was linked to weak monsoon and reduced food production.

Several dynasties, such as the Sena in Bengal, Solanki in Gujarat in the mid-13th century and Paramara and Yadav in the early to mid-14th century all of which flourished during abundant rainfall declined during the dry phases of Indian summer monsoon (ISM), suggesting role of the climate in the socio-political crisis, the study revealed.

The paper published in international journal PALEO 3 highlights three phases in the 900-year stretch Medieval Climate Anomaly from 950 CE to 1350 CE, Little Ice Age from 1350 CE to 1800 CE and Current Warm Period from 1800 CE till today. The paper highlights strong monsoon during Medieval Climate Anomaly and Current Warm Period and phases of weak and strong monsoon in Little Ice Age.

There can be no doubting the profound impact of the abrupt shifts of rainfall on human history a fact we need to constantly remind ourselves in this day and age of irretrievable climate change. Abrupt shifts in the ISM precipitation has similarly impacted history in India, Prof. Gupta said.

For the study on long-term spatio temporal variability of the ISM, a group of researchers, which also included experts from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, looked at palaeoclimatic records using oxygen isotope proxy record from speleothems (a structure formed in a cave by deposition of minerals from water) at the Wah Shikar cave in Meghalaya.

We took samples from every half millimetre or sometimes even one-third of a mm, and we dated using uranium-thorium time series. Such fine sampling of less time interval means we were covering data at two-three years interval while most researches collect data at 20-30 years interval. We even captured the drought events of last few centuries, Prof Gupta said. The results showed abrupt shifts in the ISM, he added.

For more recent phases of human history the study suggests that from the beginning of the 19 century, the changes in the ISM became more abrupt with a rise in atmospheric temperature that coincides with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.

An increase in the frequency of abrupt shifts in the ISM during the last three centuries, coincidental with a rise in atmospheric temperature, suggests occurrence of more climatic surprises in future consequent to future rise in the global temperature and subsequently more precipitation in the form of rain at higher altitudes. the paper said.

Prof. Gupta said that they were doing similar work extending their Palaeoclimatic study to 6000 years ago to see the impact of climate change on Indus Valley civilization and on population migrations.

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NSA has been lying to the courts all along, says whistleblower, as judges give warrantless surveillance the thumbs-up – RT

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The National Security Agency can gather the data of US citizens without a warrant - as long as it gathers this data by mistake, a court has ruled. However, this suits the agency just fine, whistleblower William Binney told RT.

The NSA is permitted to gather data on US citizens abroad, or foreign connected Americans at home. The dragnet surveillance operation necessary to gather this information also sucks up data on millions of Americans with no foreign contacts, a process critics say is unconstitutional.

On Wednesday, the 2nd Court of Appeals in New York declared this incidental collection of information permissible. The NSA has maintained that it is incapable of separating properly and improperly gathered data, but former NSA Technical Director William Binney told RT that this is simply untrue.

Theyve been lying to the courts all along, Binney said. Theyve had the capability to sort that stuff out. Its just that they dont want to.

This gives them power over everyone, the ability to look into political opponents like they did with President Trump, he continued.

While the court ruling gives the NSA free rein to suck up data on Americans phone and internet communications, it did not authorize the US other intelligence and law enforcement agencies to dig through this data. However, according to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court ruling issued last year, the FBI accessed this data trove some 3.1 million times in 2017.

Its agents did so without proper warrants, and on persons unrelated to ongoing criminal cases, as explicitly forbidden by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. In at least one case, the FBI illegally accessed the data of a suspect before seeking a warrant to spy on them legally.

Wednesdays court ruling concerned Agron Hasbajrami, a US permanent resident who was arrested en route to Turkey in 2011. The government claimed that Hasbajrami was travelling to Pakistan to join a terrorist organization. Hasbajrami claims that the government illegally accessed NSA data to build its case against him.

The court did not issue a ruling on this data access, instead punting the decision back down to a lower court to examine the Fourth Amendment implications.

Hasbajramis case is rare, in that he was informed that the evidence against him was collected by the NSA. Defendants are usually kept in the dark when clandestine agencies do the investigating.

The CIA, the FBI, the DEA and other law enforcement people have access to that data to search for common crime within the United States, Binney said. And they use it against US citizens in criminal courts without telling anyone in the court, or anyone else in the court, lawyers included.

So theyre fundamentally violating the rights of thousands of US citizens every year...without any oversight whatsoever.

The existence of the NSAs mass surveillance program was revealed in 2013 by former agency contractor Edward Snowden. Though the agency has reportedly ended its phone spying program, the espionage charges against Snowden remain in place, and Snowden himself remains in Moscow, where he has been granted asylum.

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NSA has been lying to the courts all along, says whistleblower, as judges give warrantless surveillance the thumbs-up - RT

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Former NSA Director Cooperating With Probe of Trump-Russia Investigation – The Intercept

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Retired Adm. Michael Rogers,former director of the National Security Agency, has been cooperating with the Justice Departments probe into the origins of the counterintelligence investigation of the Trump presidential campaigns alleged ties to Russia, according to four people familiar with Rogerss participation.

Rogers has met the prosecutor leading the probe, Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, on multiple occasions, according to two people familiar with Rogerss cooperation. While the substance of those meetings is not clear, Rogers has cooperated voluntarily, several people with knowledge of the matter said.

Rogers, who retired in May 2018, did not respond to requests for comment.

The inquiry has been a pillar of Attorney General William Barrs tenure. He appointed Durham to lead the inquiry last spring, directing him to determine whether the FBI was justified in opening a counterintelligence investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and alleged links between Russia and the Trump campaign, among other matters. What began as a broad review has turned into a criminal investigation, according to the New York Times. Barr has described the use of undercover FBI agents to investigate members of the campaign as spying.

Last week, a separate, nonpartisan review of the investigation by the Justice Department inspector general concluded that while the FBI and Justice Department committed serious errors in their applications to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, the investigation was opened properly and without political bias. Barr and Durham took the unusual step of publicly disagreeing with some of the inspector generals conclusions, with Barr describing the FBIs justification for the inquiry as very flimsy.

Rogerss voluntary participation, which has not been previously reported, makes him the first former intelligence director known to have been interviewed for the probe.

Hes been very cooperative, one former intelligence officer who has knowledge of Rogerss meetings with the Justice Department said.

Politico and NBC News have previously reported that Durham intends to interview both former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. It is unclear if that has happened. Brennan and the Justice Department declined to comment. Clapper could not be reached for comment.

The Times reported on Thursday that Durham is examining Brennans congressional testimony and communications with a focus on whatthe former CIA directormay have told other officials about his views on the so-called Steele dossier, a set of unverified allegations about links between Russia, Trump, and his campaign compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.

Rogers is no stranger to the controversy surrounding the 2016 election. Shortly after Trump won the presidency, Rogers traveled to Trump Tower in New York, where he provided an unsolicited briefing to the then president-elect. Rogers informed Trump that the NSA knew that the Russians interfered in the election, according to three people familiar with the briefing. Despite delivering what Rogers told a confidant was bad news, Trump would keep Rogers on as NSA director while dismissing Brennan and Clapper.

In January 2017 just before Trump took office, the intelligence community released an unclassified assessment concluding that Russia interfered in the election. The assessment was based on a combination of intelligence collected and reviewed by the NSA, CIA, and FBI.

Russias initial purpose, the assessment found, was to undermine confidence in American democracy, but the effort ultimately focused on damaging Hillary Clintons campaign in an effort to help elect Trump. While all three intelligence agencies agreed on that aspect of the assessment, the CIA and FBI expressedhigh confidence that the Russian government sought to help Trump win by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him, while Rogerss NSA had only moderate confidence in that finding.

Trump entered his presidency deeply suspicious of the U.S. intelligence community and skeptical of the assessment. He has spent much of his administration claiming that he is the victim of a deep-state coup, beginning with the counterintelligence investigation into his presidential campaign. He has downplayed the intelligence communitys conclusions about Russias responsibility for hacking the Democratic National Committee computer system and providing internal emails to WikiLeaks, which published them beginning in July 2016, instead affirming conspiracy theories that blame Ukraine for stealing the emails.

A year into the Trump administration, in February 2018, Rogers testified at a Senate hearing that the White House had given the NSA no orders or instructions for countering further Russian election meddling.

President Putin has clearly come to the conclusion that theres little price to pay and that therefore I can continue this activity, Rogers said. Clearly, what we have done is not enough.

Four months later in Helsinki, Trump said that he confronted the Russian president about meddling in the election. But Vladimir Putin denied that his government was involved, and Trump said he believed him, directly contradicting Rogers and the other U.S. intelligence directors.

Rogers was concerned that his testimony before Congress drew the presidents ire, according to a former Trump White House official who spoke with Rogers earlier this year.

He asked if the president was mad at him, the former official said. I told him, No way, the president has always liked you.

The White House declined to comment.

Durhams inquiry into the origins of the Russia probe has perpetuated the bitter partisan conflict fueled earlier by special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. Among Muellers key findings was that Russias military intelligence unit, the GRU, stole Clinton campaign manager John Podestas emails, along with emails from the DNC, and delivered them to WikiLeaks. The Mueller investigation led to federal indictments or guilty pleas from 34 people and three companies, but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in the Trump campaign with coordinating with the Russian government.

Yet the Mueller probe, the recent inspector generals report, and now the Durham investigation have done little to bridge the yawning political divide between Trump and his supporters, who continue to see him as the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt, and career intelligence and national security officials, who view the Durham investigation as an effort to punish those who led U.S. efforts to investigate Russias election meddling. In May, Trump gave Barr the unprecedented authority to review and declassify intelligence related to the Russia investigation, further inflaming national security veterans.

Durhams investigation has also sought information from foreign governments. This summer, Barr and Durham traveled to Italy to request information from Italian intelligence officials about Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor who first told a Trump campaign adviser that the Russians had dirt on Clinton in the form of stolen emails. That claim played a central role in the FBIs decision to open an investigation into the Trump campaign. But in the conservative press and the right-wing social media ecosystem, Mifsud was portrayed as part of an Obama administration plot to entrap and frame Trump. The inspector generals report concluded that there is no evidence that Mifsud had any affiliation with the FBI.

Barrs visit to Italy coincided with Trumps offer to trade congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine for that countrys help in pursuing the unsupported allegations that Ukraine hacked the DNC and framed Russia. Trumps efforts to solicit a favor from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Zelensky publicly announce an investigation into purported Ukrainian-backed hacking and look into alleged corruption by Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joseph Biden on behalf of Bidens son Hunter led to Trumps impeachment in the House of Representatives this week.

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Former NSA Director Cooperating With Probe of Trump-Russia Investigation - The Intercept

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Government can seize all profits from Edward Snowden’s book – We Are The Mighty

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Edward Snowden won't see any of the proceeds from his new memoir instead, the US government is entitled to seize the profits, a federal judge ruled Dec. 17, 2019.

Snowden's memoir, "Permanent Record," describes his work as a contractor for the National Security Administration and his 2013 decision to leak government secrets, including the fact that the NSA was secretly collecting citizens' phone records. Snowden has lived in Moscow since 2013, where he has been granted asylum.

The US sued Snowden on the day his memoir was published in September, alleging that he violated contracts with the NSA by writing about his work there without pre-clearance.

Judge Liam O'Grady made a summary judgement in favor of the US government on Dec. 17, 2019, rejecting requests from Snowden's lawyers to move the case forward into the discovery stage. O'Grady ruled that Snowden violated his contracts, both with the publication of the memoir and through other public speaking engagements in which he discussed his work for the NSA.

"Snowden admits that the speeches themselves purport to discuss intelligence-related activities," O'Grady wrote in his decision, adding that Snowden "breached the CIA and NSA Secrecy agreements."

In recent years, Snowden has maintained his criticisms of US surveillance while also turning his attention to big tech companies. In November, he decried the practice of aggregating personal data, arguing that Facebook, Google, and Amazon "are engaged in abuse."

This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.

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Government can seize all profits from Edward Snowden's book - We Are The Mighty

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Is Admiral Mike Rogers the Hero of this Story? – Ricochet.com

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There is an official Department of Justice criminal investigation underway being conducted by US Attorney John Durham. Durham is looking into a number of events leading up to the Mueller Special Counsel Investigation that impaired the ability of the Trump Administration to function at an expected level for much of its first three years. A major function touching on all pieces of the controversial topic of Russian interference in Americas 2016 election is intelligence work and its products.

All manner of government organizations are involved in or affected directly by intelligence activities. The NSA, CIA, and FBI are major producers and custodians of intelligence information and related analyses. The POTUS receives daily briefings of what is called intelligence assessments as a result of this intelligence work. The Senate and the House have standing committees that get quarterly briefings of sensitive intelligence developments and those committees initiate legislation that governs how this work is done.

Devin Nunes, when he chaired the House Intelligence Committee, investigated and surfaced a number of actions undertaken by the Obama Administration that were revealed as possible misuse of intelligence functions and information. Nunes was hampered in his investigation by lack of cooperation from the executive agencies. A senior staff official of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, chaired by Richard Burr, was charged with leaking classified intelligence to a newspaper reporter, but got a plea deal that avoided any public disclosure of case facts. There are several other questions related to actions of members and staff of this committee.

In the fall of 2016 just prior to the election, NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers became aware of suspicious NSA database inquiries that he judged to be out of order and demanded they be stopped. Rogers also visited President-Elect Trump after the election. Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article published in the Fall of 2016:

Administration officials had planned to relieve Admiral Rogers of his duties after the election and announce a plan to create separate chains of command for the N.S.A. and Cyber Command. But the plan, supported by Mr. Carter and Mr. Clapper, stalled in part because of opposition from Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who heads the Armed Services Committee.

Under the plan, Cyber Command would remain under the Armed Services Committees jurisdiction, but oversight of the N.S.A. would shift to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Mr. Trumps victory complicated the planning.

I guess the fact that Clinton was not elected was what really complicated the planning.

I wonder where we would be now in terms of the intelligence function if Trump was not President and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence was the oversight body for the National Security Agency.

It is being reported now that retired Admiral Mike Rogers has met several times with Durham Investigation officials.

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Is Admiral Mike Rogers the Hero of this Story? - Ricochet.com

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