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Drone Racing: The Next Battleground For AI to Try to Dominate Humans

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Danzig

THE NEXT BATTLEFIELD. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been gradually kicking human butt in competitions. Now, it will have a new venue in which to (try to) assert its dominance over humanity: drone racing.

On Wednesday, VentureBeat reported that the Drone Racing League (DRL) plans to launch the Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing (AIRR) Circuit, a series of competitions between autonomous drones and their human-piloted counterparts.

AI VS. AI. In 2019, autonomous drones — ones capable of navigating complex courses without any supervision from humans or preprogramming — will compete against one another in four races, DRL CEO Nicholas Horbaczewski told VentureBeat via an email. The team responsible for the winning drone will receive $1 million prize provided by Lockheed Martin.

HUMAN VS. MACHINE. At the end of the AIRR season, the winning autonomous drone will race against the 2019 DRL champion. If it wins, the team receives another $250,000, but Horbaczewski doesn’t think that’s likely. “In 2019, we’re fairly certain the human pilot will win. By 2020, it’s anyone’s race,” he told VentureBeat.

If a human pilot does come out on top, that $250,000 prize rolls over into the following season, and with that much money on the line, it’s seeming only a matter of time before we add “drone racing” to the list of competitions in which we just can’t keep up with AI.

READ MORE: Drone Racing League Launches $2 Million Autonomous Drone Competition [VentureBeat]

More on AI vs. humans: AI Couldn’t Beat a Team of Professional Gamers at DOTA 2, but It Held Its Own

The post Drone Racing: The Next Battleground For AI to Try to Dominate Humans appeared first on Futurism.

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Drone Racing: The Next Battleground For AI to Try to Dominate Humans

The Outer Banks Beach Information

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Danzig

One of the first things youll come to quickly realize about the Outer Banks is how diverse the beaches are. There are over 100 miles of shoreline in Dare County connected by the legendary coastal two-lane highway NC 12. Depending on your personal preference, you can find public beach accesses with ample paved parking, modern bath houses and nearby beach convenience shops, or you can immerse yourself in the natural or even primitive beaches of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore best accessible by a 4x4 off-road vehicle. The choice is yours.

As a general rule, what we collectively call the Northern Beach towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head have a nice mix of footpaths, wooden crossovers, and free public parking. Theres not one beach that everyone goes to like you might find in some big city beaches. Because the islands are generally about a mile wide, folks usually go from their accommodations and walk or driveto the beach access thats closest, or towards the sound waters. Theres a bit more development here, and with that, more in the way of familiar conveniences.

If you want to go a little more rustic or get even closer to nature, then you may want to try one of the Hatteras Island villages, which are Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo (sometimes called the Tri-Villages because of their proximity to one another), Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. You have oceanfront accommodations like the Northern Beach towns, but the setting is a bit more spread out, and a single coastal two-lane highway links them all. The major difference here is that you have the Cape Hatteras National Seashore just outside village limits, where there is no development at all. This is one of the most special places in America; just sand dunes, sea grasses, wildlife and a few access ramps for pedestrians and 4x4 vehicles to get you as close or far away from civilization as you care.

One note, if you want all of the sun and fun of the Atlantic Ocean beaches without the big waves, you may look into visiting one of the numerous sound front water accesses on the western side of the islands instead. The water tends to be a little calmer and in many places, a lot shallower.

If you are interested in relocating your business to the Outer Banks, or moving here on a full or part-time basis, please contact theOuter Banks Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber and its member businesses provide a range of services and products unique to the Outer Banks and helpful staff ready to assist you.

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The Outer Banks Beach Information

Tor Browser Arrives on Android | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Danzig

The Tor browser is now available on Android as an Alpha release.

"For the past year, we've been working to reach the rising number of mobile users worldwide," the Tor Project said in a tweet, so the app brings the privacy protections from the desktop version to Android devices.

You can download the free app on Google Play or through the group's website. To protect your privacy, the browser funnels your internet traffic through a large network on volunteer-operated servers across the world. Doing this can anonymize your internet presence by scrambling the details of your location and IP address.

That's why journalists, activists, and cybercriminals all use Tor. The technology can prevent governments from tracking people's online activity, allows those in restricted areas to by pass censorship, and makes it difficult for law enforcement to find those engaged in more nefarious activity. Advertisers will also have trouble discerning a computer's characteristics, thwarting efforts to track activity for ad-related purposes.

Accessing Tor over Android was previously available through another app called Orfox, which an activist group called the Guardian Project developed. However, the Tor Project said Orfox will be retired early next year when the Android version of the Tor browser is slated to become a stable release.

To use Tor browser for Android, you'll have to download an additional free app called Orbot, which lets you connect to the Tor network. (Over time, the developers plan on stripping the need to download Orbot.)

PCMag briefly tried the Android version, and it offers a pretty similar experience to Tor for desktop. Expect somewhat slow connection speeds, given that your internet traffic is now jumping from one server to another over the Tor network. Certain websites, such as Yelp, that block Tor connections may also deny you access. Or they may give you a CAPTCHA test to prove you're human.

But on the flip side, you're getting more privacy than other products. You'll also be able to visit shady sites on the Dark web. In addition, the browser has been designed to block third-party ad trackers from following you from website to website.

If you're an iPhone user, you can check out the Onion Browser, an iOS app based on Tor technology.

Continue reading here:

Tor Browser Arrives on Android | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Bad Astronomy – : Bad Astronomy

Posted on September 8, 2018 by Danzig

This is my last post for the Bad Astronomy Blog on Discover Magazine. As of today Monday, November 12, 2012 the blog has a new home at Slate magazine.

It has been my pleasure and honor to be a Discover blogger for more than four years. Still, I remember my science teacher in third grade quoting Heraclitus to us: "Nothing is permanent except change". Thats true today, of course, and just as obviously in the Age of the Internet the velocity of that change is accelerating.

But in this case I hope the change isnt too shocking for you, dear BABloggees. All you have to do is switch a URL in your bookmarks or update your RSS feed (to do that, just copy that link address into your feed reader). Ill still be writing the same sort of material, Ill still make dumb puns, and Ill still be Tweeting, Facebooking, and GooglePlussing like mad.

To be clear: all the archives of my blog will be copied to Slate magazine, but will still have a home here at Discover. Id be obliged if you updated links to the new archive, but old links shouldnt break.

And so, I bid a fond adieu to Discover. What I said in my post announcing the move still holds true: I encourage everyone to read the fantastic collection of science blogs that live here, among the best such blogs in the world; fantastic company in which to be. And I hope you follow me to Slate.

Its a big Universe out there, roomy enough for all of us. And theres still a vast amount left to explore and understand.

Thanks.

Folks, its time. And an appropriate time: for my penultimate post here at Discover Magazine, Ive decided to show you my tattoo.

Ive been meaning to post this for a while, but there were a lot of behind-the-scenes issues getting permissions I wont bore you with. But by the time I was able to post this it was so long after I got inked it seemed a little silly. Still, Discover Magazine was the reason I got it, so it seems fair and fitting to post this now. And Ive dyeing to let yall know anyway.

As a brief recap, a few years ago I made a bet with then-Discover Magazine CEO, Henry Donahue: if I got 2 million page views in one month, and the magazine got 5 million total, wed both get tattoos. In March 2009 we did it! So Henry and I went about getting inked.

He got a pretty nifty Celtic fish on his shoulder. For mine, I decided to turn to you, my readers, for suggestions. And they poured in. I narrowed it down to a handful I liked, then made my decision. Henry and I thought it would be fun for me to try to get my tattoo on the TV show "L.A. Ink", so I applied. They accepted! Discover Magazine generously offered to cover my expenses, and so a little while later I was on my way to Hollywood to get myself some ink.

Thats the basic story. So, without further ado, here it is: my tattoo!

Cool, huh? Its perfect, and just what I wanted! And how appropriate is it to get an asteroid burning up over the Earth? I know, the scales a bit off, but its a tattoo, not a scientific graphic in the Astronomical Journal. And I love the flames and the colors.

The actual clip never wound up getting aired on TLC, but they did create a fully-produced version and put it up on YouTube they have a higher res version on the TLC site. For those of you too lazy to click, here is the YouTube video version:

The first thing to note in the video is that while I seem upbeat I was actually screaming in pain inside my head. The whole thing took just under four hours, and the last quarter of that was where Dan was going over the flames again and again, shading in all the reds and oranges. The pain was, um, astonishing.

Still, I love the end result! If youre looking to get a full-color tattoo, you could do a lot worse than Dan Smith. Hes an excellent artist, and a friendly guy. If I were to get another tattoo which will never ever happen Id want him to do it.

Thank you Henry, thank you Dan, and thank you Discover Magazine for supporting this bit of fun. It was quite a ride, and I have a nice piece of art to show for it thatll last the rest of my life.

Big news: Bad Astronomy is moving to Slate magazine My secret nefarious inky plan revealed We who are about to dye Tat two

The Cascade range of volcanoes is pretty impressive to see from the ground. Stretching from California up to Washington, it includes famous mountains like Saint Helens, Hood, and Rainier. Ive seen many of these while driving in the area, and theyre even cooler from an airplane.

But I have to say, the view from the International Space Station might be best.

[Click to cascadienate.]

This shot was taken from the ISS on September 20, 2012, and shows the region around Mount Shasta, a 4300 meter peak in northern California. Its technically dormant it erupted last in 1786. In geologically recent history its erupted every 600 years or so, but thats not a precise schedule, so geologists keep an eye on it, as they do many of the peaks in the Cascades. As well they should.

To the west of the mountain (to the right in the picture, near the edge) is the much smaller Black Butte. I only point that out because you can see a highway winding around it to the right. Thats I5, a major north-south highway, and a few years back when my family lived in Northern California, I drove it on our way to and back from Oregon. Black Butte was a pretty impressive lava dome, looking exactly what you expect a volcano to look like. And looming in the distance was Shasta, but more standard mountainy looking. That appearance is, of course, quite deceiving.

I love volcanoes, and Im fascinated by them. Im hoping to visit some more very soon.. and Ill have some news about that, I think, in the near future.

Image credit: NASA

Do you like volcano pictures from space too? Heres a bunch of em!

That such a place exists Time lapse: Crater Lake Incredible surreal volcanic riverscapes Looking down on the snow of Kilimanjaro

Speaking of Neil Tyson, if youre a fan of his youll be pleased to know that his show, Star Talk Radio, is now going to be part of the Nerdist Channel network! Thats actually a pretty big deal; Chris Hardwick has created this juggernaut of Nerdist and it reaches a lot of folks.

The new show is essentially a video version of the radio show. Chris interviewed Neil about it for The Nerdist website. If youre curious what itll be like, heres a video of a live Star Talk interview he did with several comedians (Hodgman! Schaal!) and Mike Massamino, a NASA astronaut:

Cool, eh? And maybe Ill have more news about this soon, too. Superman isnt the only guy who walks around in his underwear Neil has talked to.

DC Comics pins Krypton to the star map My Nerdist episode is online! Nerd TV Great Tysons ghost! Neil Tyson and I talk time travel

I love it when kids get excited enough about science to go out and do something about it. Thats why Im digging Jeffrey Tang whos 10 because he created the Astronomy For Kids podcast, where he talks about different astronomical things. The first podcast went up in February 2012 ("The Solar System") and hes done others on Stars, the Moon, Saturn, and gravity. Theyre only a few minutes long, perfect for a kid to listen to, and the ones I listened to were accurate and covered the ground pretty well. Theyre also interesting and fun!

If you have a kid who likes science, I bet theyll like this podcast. And I can see these being played in schools, too. Who better to connect with kids than another kid?

[Today is Carl Sagans birthday, celebrated by lovers of science and rationality around the planet. I wrote the following post last year, but I think its still appropriate (and I updated his age). Happy birthday, Carl. Its a darker cosmos without you, but we still walk with the candle you lit for us.]

If Carl Sagan were still alive, hed be 78 years old today. Perhaps he wouldnt have been overly concerned with arbitrary time measurements, especially when based on the fickle way we define a "year", but its human nature to look back at such integrally-divisible dates and Carl was very much a student of human nature.

Ive written about him so much in the past theres not much I can add right now, so I thought I would simply embed a video for you to watch but which one? Where James Randi eloquently and emotionally talks about his friendship with Carl? Or the wonderful first installment of Symphony of Science using my favorite quote by Carl? Or this amazing speech about how life seeks life?

But in the end, the choice is obvious. Carl Sagans essay, "Pale Blue Dot", will, I think, stand the test of time, and will deservedly be considered one of the greatest passages ever written in the English language.

Happy birthday to Doctor Carl Sagan, Professor of Astronomy, scientist, skeptic, muse, and though he may not have thought of himself this way poet.

Ill leave you with this, something I wrote abut Carl a while back, when asked about what his greatest legacy is:

Sagans insight, his gift to us, is the knowledge that we all have the ability to examine the Universe with all the power of human curiosity, and we need not retreat from the answers we find.

Of all the amazing pictures returned from the moon by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and I may include the Apollo landing sites among them I think my favorites are the ones showing boulders that rolled down slopes.

Did I say rolled? I mean bounced!

[Click to enselenate.]

This shot from LRO shows the floor of crater Shuckburgh E, an impact crater about 9 km (~6 miles) across. The image shows a region about 655 meters (0.4 miles) across. The crater floor here is not level; its tilted up from left to right, and also has contours. Boulders dislodged for some reason (a seismic event, or a nearby impact) on the right have rolled down to the left and some actually skipped along, bouncing and bounding as they did.

The two biggest trails are dashed, indicating the boulders had a bit of a rollicking time before coming to rest. You can see both boulders at the left of the trails, where they came to a stop. Note that the sunlight is coming from the bottom of this picture, which can play tricks on perspective. I see the boulders looking almost like craters and the skidding trails they left like little mounds. If you flip the picture over it may look better to you.

As always, pictures like this are a strong reminder that even on the Moon, where time stretches long and processes are slow, changes do occur. Maybe not often, and maybe not recently, but given enough time you have to think of the Moon as a dynamic place.

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Lunar boulder hits a hole in one! Excavating a long-dead lunar fire fountain A lunar crater is graben the spotlight Peaking into lunar craters

Astronomers are discovering a lot of planets these days. The official count is 800+, with thousands of more candidates (unconfirmed but suspiciously planet-like).

Right now we give them alphabet soup names. Alpha Centauri Bb. HR 8799b (through HR8799 e). And of course, everyones favorite, 2MASS J04414489+2301513b.

These catalog names are useful, but less than public friendly. In science fiction we get Vulcan, Psychon, Arrakis, and other cool names. So why not in real life?

The folks at Uwingu asked themselves this very thing. Uwingu (pronounced oo-WIN-goo) is an astronomy and space startup company thats looking to fund scientific research and exploration. I wrote an intro to Uwingu back when it was soliciting funds to get initially rolling (happily, that goal was met). The idea is to sell goods and services to space enthusiasts, and use the proceeds toward doing real science. The folks in charge are professional astronomers and space scientists at the tops of their fields, people like Alan Stern and Pamela Gay. Full disclosure: I am on the Board of Advisors for Uwingu, an unpaid position, but Id write about it and support it anyway. These are top-notch scientists behind the project.

What does this have to do with the letter and number salad that is the current state of exoplanet names? As their first foray, the folks at Uwingu decided to let people create a suggested names list for these planets. For $0.99 a pop, you can submit a name you like to the database, and for another $0.99 you can vote for your favorite in the current list. Ill note these names are not official they are not assigned to specific planets, and only the International Astronomical Union can make these official (and mind you, theyre the ones who so elegantly handled the Pluto not being a planet issue (yes, thats sarcasm)). But, these names will be seen by planetary astronomers, and eventually those planets are going to need names. Why not yours?

I think this is a fun idea. There are currently nearly a hundred names in the database as I write this, but its expected to grow rapidly. If you think there should be a QonoS, Abydos, or even Alderaan in memoriam, of course then head over to Uwingu.

Uwingu: how *you* can directly fund science Saving space science do you Uwingu? Helping save the planetary space program Barnstorming the final frontier

Well now, this is an interesting discovery: astronomers have found what looks like a "super-Earth" a planet more massive than Earth but still smaller than a gas giant orbiting a nearby star at the right distance to have liquid water on it! Given that, it might might be Earthlike.

This is pretty cool news. Weve found planets like this before, but not very many! And it gets niftier: the planet has at least five siblings, all of which orbit its star closer than it does.

Now let me be clear: this is a planet candidate; it has not yet been confirmed. Reading the journal paper (PDF), though, the data look pretty good. It may yet turn out not to be real, but for the purpose of this blog post Ill just put this caveat here, call it a planet from here on out, and fairly warned be ye, says I.

The star is called HD 40307, and its a bit over 40 light years away (pretty close in galactic standards, but I wouldnt want to walk there). Its a K2.5 dwarf, which means its cooler, dimmer, and smaller than the Sun, but not by much. In other words, its reasonably Sun-like. By coincidence, it appears ot be about the age as the Sun, too: 4.5 billion years. It was observed using HARPS, the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (I know, it should be HARVPS, but thats harvd to pronounce). This is an extremely sensitive instrument that looks for changes in the starlight as a planet (or planets) orbits a star. The gravity of the star causes the planet to orbit it, but the planet has gravity too. As it circles the star, the star makes a littler circle too (I like to think of it as two kids, one bigger than the other, clasping hands and swinging each other around; the lighter kid makes a big circle and the bigger kid makes a smaller circle). As the star makes its circle, half the time its approaching us and half the time its receding. This means its light is Doppler shifted, the same effect that makes a motorcycle engine drop in pitch as it passes you.

Massive planets tug on their star harder, so theyre easier to find this way. Also, a planet closer in has a shorter orbit, so you dont have to look as long to find it. But in the end, by measuring just how the star is Doppler shifted, you can get the mass and orbital period of the planet. Or planets.

In this case, HD 40307 was originally observed a little while back by HARPS, and three planets were found. But the data are public, so a team of astronomers grabbed it and used a more sensitive method to extract any planetary signatures from the data. They found the three previously-seen planets easily enough, but also found three more! One of them is from a planet that has (at least) seven times the mass of the Earth, and orbits with a 198 day period. Called HD 40307g (planets are named after their host star, with a lower case letter after starting with b), its in the "super-Earth" range: more massive than Earth, but less than, say Neptune (which is 17 times our mass).

We dont know how big the planet is, unfortunately. It might be dense and only a little bigger than Earth, or it could be big and puffy. But if its density and size are just so, it could easily have about the same surface gravity as Earth that is, if you stood on it, youd weight the same as you do now!

But the very interesting thing is that it orbits the star at a distance of about 90 million kilometers (55 million miles) closer to its star than is is to the Sun but thats good! The star is fainter and cooler than the Sun, remember. In fact, at this distance, the planet is right in the stars "habitable zone", where the temperature is about right for liquid water to exist!

Thats exciting because of the prospect for life. Now, whenever I mention this I hear from people who get all huffy and say that we dont know you need water for life. Thats true, but look around. Water is common on Earth, and here we are. We dont know that you need water for life, but we do know that water is abundant and we need it. We dont know for sure of any other ways for life to form, so it makes sense to look where we understand things best. And that means liquid water.

Heres a diagram of the system as compared to our own:

Note the scales are a bit different, so that the habitable zones of the Sun and of HD 40307 line up better (remember, HD 40307g is actually closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun an AU is the distance of the Earth to the Sun, so HD 40307 is about 0.6 AU from its star). What makes me smile is that the new planet is actually better situated in its "Goldilocks Zone" than Earth is! Thats good news, actually: the orbit may be elliptical (the shape cant be determined from the types of observations made) but still stay entirely in the stars habitable zone.

And take a look at the system: the other planets all orbit closer to the star! We only have two inside Earths orbit in our solar system but all five of HD 40307s planets would fit comfortably inside Mercurys orbit. Amazing.

So this planet if it checks out as being real is one of only a few weve found in the right location for life as we know it. And some of those weve found already are gas giants (though they could have big moons where life could arise). So what this shows us is that the Earth isnt as out of the ordinary as we may have once thought: nature has lots of ways of putting planets the right distances from their stars for life.

Were edging closer all the time to finding that big goal: an Earth-sized, Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star at the right distance for life. This planet is a actually a pretty good fit, but we just dont know enough about it (primarily its size). So Im still waiting. And given the numbers of stars weve observed, and the number of planets we found, as always I have to ask: has Earth II already been observed, and the data just waiting to be uncovered?

Image credits: ESO/M. Kornmesser; Tuomi et al.

ALPHA CENTAURI HAS A PLANET! Kepler confirms first planet found in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star! A nearby star may have more planets than we do Exoplanet in a triple star system, smack dab in the habitable zone Super-Earth exoplanet likely to be a waterworld

A few people including my pal Deric Hughes put together this non-partisan and nicely done video in honor of democracy:

If you like it, give it a thumbs-up on YouTube and Like it on FB.

And theyre right. As I wrote last night, there is much work to be done. I dont think we can or even should put our differences aside we need them to keep a check on runaway beliefs. But that doesnt mean we cant work together to move things forward.

Excerpt from:

Bad Astronomy - : Bad Astronomy

Human Genetic Engineering Pros And Cons

Posted on September 8, 2018 by Danzig

Many human genetic engineering pros and cons are there that have stayed the same since its introduction to humanity. When the humans started harnessing the atomic powers, then just few years later they also start recognizing the effects of human genetic engineering on mankind. Many scientists have a belief that gene therapy can be a mainstream for saving lives of many people. A lot of human genetic engineering pros and cons have been involved since the evolution of genetic engineering. Mentioned below are some important advantages or pros of genetic engineering:

Other human genetic engineering pros and cons include the desirable characteristics in different plants and animals at the same time convenient. One can also do the manipulation of genes in trees or big plants. This will enable the trees to absorb increased amount of carbon dioxide, and it will reduce the effects of global warming. However, there is a question from critics that whether man has the right to do such manipulations or alterations in the genes of natural things.

With human genetic engineering, there is always a chance for altering the wheat plants genetics, which will then enable it to grow insulin. Human genetic engineering pros and cons have been among the concern of a lot of people involved in genetic engineering. Likewise the pros, certain cons are there of using the genetic engineering. Mentioned below are the cons of human genetic engineering:

The evolution of genetic engineering gets the consideration of being the biggest breakthroughs in the history of mankind after the evolution of atomic energy, and few other scientific discoveries. However, human genetic engineering pros and cons together have contributed a lot in creating a controversial image of it among the people.

All these eventualities have forced the government of many countries to make strict legislation laws to put restrictions on different experiment being made on human genetic engineering. They have made this decision by considering different human genetic engineering pros and cons.

Human Genetic Engineering Pros And Cons

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Human Genetic Engineering Pros And Cons

Mesothelioma – TCGA

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the thin layer of tissue that lines the chest, abdominal cavities, and most of the organs within them.1 This lining is called the mesothelium.

In the United States, there are roughly 3,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Exposure to asbestos is the main risk factor for developing this disease, and men tend to be more commonly affected a fact that most likely correlates with men holding jobs where they are more likely to come in contact with it.1

The term asbestos refers to a group of fibrous minerals known for their heat and corrosion resistance that in the past, were often used in a variety of products such as insulation, tiles, patching compounds, and more.1 When disturbed, asbestos can shed many tiny airborne particles which can be unknowingly inhaled or swallowed. An individual might not develop symptoms of mesothelioma until 20 or more years after initial contact, and most people develop the disease after the age of 65.1

The mesothelioma project is an international collaborative effort between TCGA as well as the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom and the University of Western Australia. View additional information on mesothelioma.

Mesotheliomais part of an effort to characterize rare tumor types. Read more about the Rare Tumor Projects.

What types of discoveries about mesothelioma do The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) researchers hope to make?

Where can I find more information about the TCGA Research Networks studies or studies using TCGA data?

View a list of TCGA scientific publications.

Where can I find clinical trials to treat mesothelioma that are supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)?

Go here to read the rest:

Mesothelioma - TCGA

Malignant Mesothelioma Cancer | Prognosis, Treatment …

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

What is asbestosis disease?

Asbestosis disease is a chronic lung condition that is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.

The asbestos fibers lodge in tiny sacs in the lungs, known as alveoli. Symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath, tightness and pain in the chest, chronic cough, loss of appetite, weight loss, and clubbing of fingers and toes.

Treatment can include use of an oxygen tube or mask, pulmonary rehabilitation exercises, or a lung transplant in extreme cases.

Are asbestosis and mesothelioma the same?

No. Although both of these diseases, along with lung cancer, are associated with exposure to asbestos, they are not the same.

Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease, not a cancer. It is caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers, which can get stuck in the small sacs in the lungs. Having asbestosis can increase a patients chances for developing asbestos-related lung cancer.

Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer. It affects the mesothelium tissue, which lines the lungs and chest wall, as well as the abdominal cavity, heart, and testicles. Malignant mesothelioma is caused by the inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers, which lodge in the mesothelium tissue.

Follow this link:

Malignant Mesothelioma Cancer | Prognosis, Treatment ...

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lawyers | Pintas & Mullins Law Firm

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

Asbestos Exposure Lawyers Representing Clients Nationwide

A mesothelioma diagnosis is an overwhelming and devastating experience. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and incurable type of cancer caused only by exposure to asbestos. Approximately 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry have faced significant asbestos exposure at some point on the job. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed, consult a mesothelioma attorney right away. Our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has three decades of experience in fighting asbestos companies and will help you and your family every step of the way.

Learn more about mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses:

The term "asbestos" refers to a number of naturally occurring mineral fibers. These fibers are strong, durable, poor conductors of electricity, and heat resistant. Because of these properties, asbestos was widely used in manufacturing and construction through the mid-1970s. Although the use of asbestos was first regulated in the 1970s by the U.S. government, its use continued in asbestos cement products, automotive brakes, and gaskets into the 1990s.

Asbestos has been used in consumer products, such as:

Most asbestos exposure victims are industrial and construction workers, but asbestos fibers can travel home on workers' clothing and affect family members as well. Children and spouses of industrial workers can develop mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis from exposure in the household. This is known as secondhand, take-home, or household exposure.

Exposure to asbestos can lead to the following health conditions:

The three most common types of mesothelioma are:

As mentioned, those in the construction and industrial industries are considered most at risk-although everyone has been exposed to some amount of asbestos in his or her lifetime. Most people diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness were exposed on a regular basis, usually on the job. Asbestos was widely used in a variety of industries, from oil refineries to railways. It was used in thousands of products, and is still used in some construction materials. Asbestos materials remain in many buildings, ships, and automobiles today.

Health risks from asbestos increase with longer and heavier exposure. The industries most associated with asbestos-related illnesses are:

Secondhand exposure can also cause asbestos-related illnesses. Workers who were heavily exposed to asbestos often brought home asbestos dust on their clothing, skin, shoes, and hair. Because of this, their families face an increased risk of mesothelioma.

The second-most common occupation among mesothelioma patients who passed away in 1999 was "homemaker/housewife," according to federal data. This alarming statistic proves that families of workers are extremely vulnerable to inadvertently inhaling asbestos fibers. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure; even minor or few incidents of secondhand exposure can cause serious illness.

Many people with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers mistakenly believe that the asbestos companies did not know their products caused cancer until it became newsworthy in the 1970s. In fact, there is evidence that manufacturers of asbestos products knew as early as the 1930's that workers were at risk for lung cancer and mesothelioma from asbestos exposure.

With over five decades of combined experience, Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has extensive knowledge about many types of toxic substance cases, especially asbestos exposure.Our team of Illinois lung cancer attorneys has a vast database of companies, products, occupations, and sites that used asbestos across the country. We can find the source of your exposure for you, so you can focus on your health. We are prepared to ensure that you receive the best representation and the largest settlement possible.

If you or a loved one has suffered from asbestos exposure, contact us today at (800) 794-0444. We can provide you with a free no-obligation consultation and travel directly to you.

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Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lawyers | Pintas & Mullins Law Firm

What Is Mesothelioma? Causes and Treatment

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

Overview

Mesothelioma is a somewhat rare cancer, with only about 2,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year -- but its incidence is increasing worldwide. Sadly, most cases of this disease are related to on-the-job exposure to asbestosand could be prevented through awareness and protective measures at work. That said, in many cases, mesothelioma does not develop until decades after asbestos exposure occurs, and many people that are diagnosed today were exposed to asbestos years ago.

Mesothelioma is a cancerous (malignant)tumor that begins in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a membrane that lines and protects the lungs, the heart, and the abdominal cavity. There are three main types of mesothelioma:

Most cases of mesothelioma are because of exposure to asbestos on the job. Other causes include:

Most people with pleural mesothelioma note shortness of breath and chest pain (especially under the ribs), but other symptoms can include:

Diagnosing mesothelioma can be difficult since there are many conditions that cause similar symptoms. Your physician will first take a careful history, especially questioning you about your employment history, and then perform a physical exam. Imaging studies are often doneand may include x-rays of your chest and abdomen, CT scans, MRI scans,or PET scans.

If your doctor suspects mesothelioma, she will need to schedule a biopsy. Depending upon the location of your tumor, she may recommend a thoracoscopyor video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT), a procedure where a tissue sample is taken from the pleura, or a peritoneoscopy, a similar procedure to obtain tissue from the abdomen. If the biopsy reveals mesothelioma, further studies are then done to determine the stage of the cancer (how advanced it is).

Mesothelioma is divided into 2 primary stages:

Depending on the size and location of your tumor, and if it has spread, treatment options may include:

On top of the heartbreak, a diagnosis of cancer brings, many people with mesothelioma lack the emotional and psychosocial support that those with other forms of cancer find readily available. In addition, medico-legal battles related to asbestos exposure on-the-job can be emotionally draining. Participating in a support group, either through your cancer center, community, or online, can help you wade through the maze of treatment options, and find camaraderie in others who are living with mesothelioma.

The most important thing you can do to prevent mesothelioma is to use appropriate precautions if you are exposed to asbestos at work. OSHA has asbestos safety standards for individuals who may be exposed on the job. If you work with asbestos, it is important to follow these guidelines to minimize your families exposure as well. Asbestos insulation in homes is usually not a problemunless it is damaged or disturbed by remodeling projects. If you may have asbestos insulation (homes built prior to 1950) make sure to hire a contractor certified in asbestos management before you begin any home improvement projects.

Some people who have been exposed to asbestos may want to consider CT screening for lung cancer. At this time, recommendations for screening include only those people aged 55 to 74 with a 30 pack-year history of smoking. Yet studies show that some people who have been exposed to asbestos may be at an even higher risk of developing lung cancer than heavy smokers. If you've been exposed to asbestos make sure to talk to your doctor about lung cancer screening.

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What Is Mesothelioma? Causes and Treatment

Mesothelioma Diagnosis & Treatment Guide – Drugs.com

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a very rare type of cancer that can affect the thin membrane lining of different organs in the body, most commonly the lungs. This thin membrane is known as the pleura. These tumors can be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Benign mesotheliomas are usually removed by surgery and dont require further treatment.

Malignant mesothelioma is often caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral from rocks and soil and used prior to the 1970s in industry and manufacturing. Exposure results in an aggressive and usually deadly form of cancer where cells making up these tissues grow out of control. Mesothelioma is a very rare cancer in the United States, with about 3,000 new cases being diagnosed each year.

Standard and accepted mesothelioma treatment guidelines are not available. Treatment should be individualized based on symptoms, stage at presentation, and outcome goals. The following review primarily focuses on malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, there are three conditions that may occur due to asbestos exposure:

Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance, asbestos was used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. The federal government began regulating the use of asbestos and asbestos products in the 1970s. Today, asbestos handling is strictly regulated; however, in general, it's safe to be around asbestos as long as the fibers are contained. This prevents them from getting airborne and into the lungs, which leads to disease.

There are four different types of mesothelioma. The early symptoms are tied with disease progression. Symptoms can be caused by pain from nerve irritation or fluid build-up. Usually, by the time a patient presents with symptoms the disease is in a more advanced stage.

Frequent symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include:

Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms can include:

Common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include:

Mesothelioma types are classified based upon the type of cells that makes up the cancer:

Mesothelioma is almost always caused by having worked in an industry or being in areas where asbestos, a type of mineral, has been present in the air and inhaled. Most people who get this disease today are diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70, and may have had exposure to asbestos in the past.

How do you get asbestos mesothelioma?

Asbestos exposure prior to 1970 resulted from industrial products such as:

Asbestos fibers are useful in industry because they are strong, heat resistant, chemically resistant, and do not conduct electricity. People working in industries such as shipbuilding or automotive, particularly prior to the 1970s, were at greater risk. Family members were also at risk due to inhaling particles if workers brought asbestos home on their clothing. Typically, it can take 20 to 30 years to develop this condition after inhaling the fiber particles.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most uses of asbestos in the U.S. are not banned; only a few are banned under existing regulations. In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air. However, asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during product use, demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling.

As published by the EPA, other products where asbestos may be found include:

Older homes or other buildings may still contain asbestos. Testing may be required to determine if asbestos is present in older buildings, especially if remodeling or other construction occurs. If it is found, it will need to be sealed off and removed with special procedures by a certified company. Asbestos abatement workers are trained to properly use protective equipment to minimize exposure.

A history of asbestos exposure greatly increases your asbestosis and mesothelioma risk factors. People who either live or work in buildings with asbestos-containing materials that are either under reconstruction or deteriorating are at a greater than normal risk. Workers at risk may include:

Living with someone who is exposed to asbestos can increase a familys risk due to passive inhalation if they bring it home on clothes. Those who smoke and are exposed to asbestos have an even high risk of developing lung cancer and mesothelioma; however, this disease has no direct association with smoking like lung cancer.

A diagnosis of mesothelioma will involve several mesothelioma tests, because symptoms can be caused by other medical conditions, including other cancers. These tests might include:

There are 4 mesothelioma stages with pleural mesothelioma. Determining the stage will allow the doctor to determine the tumor size and placement, progression, and help to guide the choice of therapy.

Stage 1 is considered localized disease, while stages 2, 3 and 4 are considered advanced mesothelioma. Initial staging will identify patients who are not candidates for surgery, and who may receive palliative therapy and drug treatment to lessen symptoms. Stages of mesothelioma are based on the recommendations of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group.

There are three approaches to treatment for mesothelioma: surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Treatments can help patients breathe easier and have less pain. It is important to consult with a team of mesothelioma specialists.

The question may be asked by patients or family members Is there a mesothelioma cure? There is not a cure for mesothelioma unless surgery is 100% effective, which is highly unlikely in most patients. The prognosis for mesothelioma is usually poor due to an advanced stage at initial diagnosis.

Many factors play into the length of mesothelioma survival, including: age, gender, stage at diagnosis, mesothelioma cell type, tumor location, and treatment success. Your doctor will give you a prognosis based on these factors, and your treatment options and choices. You might be able to enroll in mesothelioma clinical trials, as well.

Staging is important to determine mesothelioma life expectancy after diagnosis. Although these timelines look grim, improved treatments and clinical trials offer newly diagnosed patients a reason to seek experienced medical care.

To learn more about clinical trials for mesothelioma, speak to your physician and visit the National Cancer Institute and search for mesothelioma on their search engine. There are many ongoing trials, including some with new immunotherapy cancer treatments. Your physician can provide more detailed information.

Asbestosis vs. Mesothelioma: Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that often occurs in textile mining, milling, or manufacturing workers who inhaled asbestos fibers over a prolonged period in their workplaces. Asbestosis leads to shortness of breath, lung tissue scarring, and severe fibrosis. It takes 1020 years for the disease to develop after exposure. Patients should be medically monitored periodically for disease progression and closely observed for asbestos-associated malignancies such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other cancers.

Asbestosis signs and symptoms can include:

A chest X-ray, a CT scan, and a pulmonary function (breathing) test may be used to diagnose asbestosis. Treatment focuses on relieving your symptoms; oxygen therapy may be offered. In some cases, a lung transplant might be an option, as well. Today, asbestosis is unlikely if you follow your employer's safety procedures.

Learn more about Asbestosis...

Mesothelioma has been the subject of many injury lawsuits, and, in fact is the longest running series of civil liability in U.S. history. Many patients wonder what they can do legally if they are diagnosed with mesothelioma.

There are U.S. lawyers that specialize in handling these cases. An asbestos trust fund in the U.S. is said to hold over $30 billion, as well, for people who have mesothelioma. Here are a few frequently asked questions about mesothelioma lawsuits that may help to answer some questions; always seek reliable and licensed lawyers to help with your individual questions.

Q. How do I find a mesothelioma attorney?

A. There are many lawyers who are experts on lawsuits involving injury due to asbestos exposure. You might ask a trusted lawyer who deals with these types of litigation in your area, to start. It is important to find a trusted lawyer you feel comfortable with, and that has years of proven experience dealing with these cases. Beware of immediately selecting legal help from the Internet without some degree of investigation. Your attorney should evaluate the facts of your case and guide you to your best options. Whether you can file a lawsuit will depend on many issues, such as when you were exposed, how the exposure to asbestos occurred, when you became ill, your medical history, and your medical complications.

Q. How do I file a lawsuit?

A. Mesothelioma claims are usually brought against the company that you worked for where your asbestos exposure occurred. If you are a Veteran, you may also be eligible for assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Q. How can I get mesothelioma compensation? How much will my mesothelioma settlement be?

A. Beware of any mesothelioma law firm who guarantees you a specific award amount; there is no assurance that you will receive any settlement. However, the types of expenses and losses that may be sought in a lawsuit include: lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering. Your compensation may be impacted by your lawyers legal fees, as well.

Q. Is there a deadline (statute of limitations) for filing a mesothelioma case?

A. Yes, a deadline for filing a mesothelioma lawsuit is decided on a state-by-state case. Speak to a lawyer as soon as you can after your diagnosis.

Q. Is there a trust fund for mesothelioma compensation?

According to the Mesothelioma Guide, people with asbestos-related diseases can receive financial support from asbestos trust funds. Companies who went bankrupt organized these funds to provide funds for victims of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma patients typically collect the highest compensation of all asbestos-related diseases. Mesothelioma Guide reports that roughly 575,000 claims were paid out in 2008, helping families manage lost wages and treatment. Some cases may not go to trial because the suit settles before trial.

Q. Should I join a mesothelioma class action lawsuit?

A. A mesothelioma class action lawsuit would collectively bring a claim against a defendant for a group of people with similar injuries, circumstances, and legal issues due to mesothelioma. Class actions have not been widely used in asbestos cases; however, that may still be an option. Before you agree to participate or exclude yourself from a class action lawsuit, you should consult with an experienced law firm.

Q. Can my family make claims if I die before my case goes to trial?

A. Typically, your estate would act on your behalf to divide any mesothelioma payouts among your survivors. It is always best to consult an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to discuss mesothelioma facts on a case-by-case basis.

Researchers found the connection between asbestos and lung cancer in the 1930s. However, the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma lung cancer was not found until the 1970s.

Cancer can occur in people who worked for those companies that manufactured products that contain asbestos. These companies often knew asbestos was toxic to humans but purposely failed to warn employees. Due to this negligence, lawsuits with mesothelioma compensation claims in the billions of dollars have been filed.

Patients and families often seek information about mesothelioma on the Internet. Mesothelioma was once among the highest "pay per click" advertising topics on the Internet. Intense competition among mesothelioma attorneys trying to attract the attention of patients eligible for large compensation payouts led to related "cost-per-click" advertisements on Google skyrocketing above $US100.00.

In addition, many commercials advertising for mesothelioma lawyers are often seen on TV in the U.S.

Mesothelioma cases are expected to rise at least through 2025.

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

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Mesothelioma Diagnosis & Treatment Guide - Drugs.com

Mesothelioma: Medical and legal information on asbestos …

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

The MesotheliomaCenter is dedicated to providing those who suffer from the asbestos-related cancer malignant mesotheliomaalso known as asbestos canceror from asbestos-related lung cancer, or who know someone who does, with the most up to date information and support.

A rare and aggressive malignancy, mesothelioma is cancer affecting the lining that surrounds various organs and cavities within the body. Mesothelioma gets its name from this lining, which is called the mesothelium.

This lining exists in several places in the body, but tumors are most commonly found in the pleura (the mesothelial lining of the lungs and chest) and the abdomen. Pleural mesothelioma accounts for most cases of mesothelioma, about two thirds of all diagnosed cases. Abdominal or peritoneal mesothelioma makes up most of the remaining third (pericardial mesothelioma, affecting the lining of the heart, is an exceedingly rare variation).

Perhaps the most striking about mesothelioma, which kills more than 3000 people each year, is that is considered almost wholly preventable. Mesothelioma is almost always directly linked to asbestos exposure. Because of this, mesothelioma is often referred to as "asbestos cancer," however, mesothelioma is not the only cancer caused by asbestos. Lung cancer is also caused by asbestos exposure.

Malignant Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant cells are found in the sac lining of the chest (pleura) or abdomen (peritoneum). Virtually all cases of malignant mesothelioma are attributable to asbestos exposure.

While "meso" (as it is sometimes called) is one of the most aggressive cancers, strides are constantly being made in combating this deadly disease. We encourage you to bookmark this site and return for the latest news and resources important to those suffering from mesothelioma and their families.

Our staff diligently seeks new information and we are available 24 hours a day to help you find answers for your individual situation.

You may e-mail us right now or call us at (412)-471-3980. (Please read our disclaimer before proceeding.)

Last update: January 19, 2018. 04:52:16 pm.

Mesothelioma: Medical and legal information on asbestos ...

Mesothelioma Information on Cause, Symptoms, Prognosis …

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

Mesothelioma has become a widely known and publicized disease despite its relative infrequency because of the fact that the only proven cause for its development is asbestos exposure specifically, inhalation or ingestion of tiny, microscopic asbestos fibers that eventually cause the development of mesothelioma. Asbestos related diseases are among the primary industrial medical afflictions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The disease has an unusually long period of latency. Persons exposed to asbestos may not develop symptoms of asbestos related disease for twenty to fifty years after the asbestos exposure has taken place. For that reason, the widespread use of asbestos through the 1970s is still causing new diagnoses of mesothelioma today among workers who have long been retired. Although today there are only about 3,000 new cases of the disease diagnosed in the U.S. annually, mesothelioma has taken tens of thousands of lives in this country since asbestos was introduced as an industrial material in the late 19th century.

Asbestos fibers are the primary cause of mesothelioma. They are microscopic, cannot be seen with the human eye and when they are ingested or inhaled go unnoticed. Asbestos fibers are given off by asbestos products that have deteriorated and become friable, which means that they easily crumble at which point the fibers can become airborne in dust clouds. In thousands of industrial sites and repair shops where asbestos insulation or other products were used, workers inhaled asbestos fibers on the job sometimes on a daily basis.

When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, the human body cannot excrete them through any natural means such as coughing, sneezing or any other physiological function. The fibers remain within the body, eventually embedding themselves in tissue; in most cases that tissue is the mesothelium. Asbestos fibers remain in the body forever; eventually they begin to cause problems with the mesothelium tissue. They can cause abnormal cells to develop and those cells begin to reproduce uncontrollably. Often they are cancerous cells, which begin to form the diffuse tumors that characterize most cases of mesothelioma.

The primary cause of asbestos exposure has always been job related. Through World War II exposure occurred in asbestos mines and mills, in textile and pulp & paper mills, in auto assembly plants, steel mills, auto brake shops, in the shipbuilding industry, as well as a large percentage of veterans. Workers in refineries, power plants and petrochemical plants have historically been at risk because of the use of asbestos products for insulation. Construction workers using asbestos laced cement, and asbestos insulation in buildings and the installation of heating systems have historically been at high risk for asbestos exposure.

During the first three quarters of the twentieth century, family members of workers who were subject to on the job exposure were at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers from clothing worn on the job and brought home by the workers. People who lived near asbestos mills were also exposed to asbestos laden clouds of dust. People living in households with asbestos workers were found to have significantly elevated lung burdens of asbestos, often in the same range as found in individuals occupationally exposed to asbestos, such as shipyard workers.

In 1990, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimated that approximately 568,000 workers in production and services industries and 114,000 workers in construction industries potentially were exposed to asbestos.

The key to understanding mesothelioma is understanding the various locations that the mesothelium is found and the role that it plays. The lungs are surrounded by a portion of the mesothelium, and the chest cavity wall opposite the lungs is also covered by the mesothelium. These two layers of tissue comprise the pleura, or pleural mesothelium. Another portion of the mesothelium wraps around the heart; this tissue is known as the pericardium. The third important portion of the mesothelium covers the abdominal cavity wall; this portion of the protective tissue is called the peritoneum, or peritoneal mesothelium. The three main malignant types of mesothelioma are:

Pleural Mesothelioma develops in the lining of the lungs. It accounts for about seventy percent of all malignant mesothelioma cases. Because asbestos fibers that affect humans are most commonly inhaled the diseases they cause are most often in or around the lungs.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma develops in the abdominal cavity and often attacks the liver, kidneys and other organs. About fifteen to twenty percent of all mesothelioma cases develop in the peritoneum.

Pericardial Mesothelioma impacts the sac around the heart, is exceedingly rare occurring in about five percent of all cases. Pericardial mesothelioma can have a fatal impact on cardiovascular function because of the pressure the swollen pericardium applies on the heart.

Three medical characteristics of this disease make it particularly insidious. One is the fact that mesothelioma has a latency period that makes the disease far removed from its cause and that much more difficult to diagnose. The second problem with mesothelioma symptoms is the fact that so many of them are similar to symptoms found in far more common afflictions. Finally, because of the latency involved with the onset of mesothelioma and often with asbestosis, the disease usually impacts people entering into their senior years, when medical problems become more common. Diagnosing a rare disease such as mesothelioma under these circumstances often takes an extended period of time.

The most common symptoms for pleural mesothelioma are:

All of these symptoms can be easily associated with far more common physical problems such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, or the onset of lung cancer. If the patient has been a smoker, the diagnosing physician is going to be looking for these diseases first.

The symptoms for peritoneal mesothelioma include:

Many of these symptoms are consistent with liver disease, intestinal disorders or kidney malfunctions. The fact that mesothelioma tumors are difficult to see with medical imaging systems make early diagnosis of this disease a rarity.

The symptoms for pericardial mesothelioma include:

Heart disease is perhaps the most common serious illness among people over fifty years of disease, and several forms of cardiovascular problems result in similar symptoms. A pulmonary embolism, cardiovascular thrombosis (blocked artery) and congestive heart disease all show these characteristics and they are usually the diseases attending physicians look for first.

Because mesothelioma is cancer that develops upon a membrane, more often than not it develops as a diffuse form of cancer rather than as a singular mass, or tumor. A series of small tumors spread across the mesothelium membrane are much more difficult to identify with medical imaging equipment than a single tumor is. For that reason X-rays, CT scans and MRI exams usually arent enough for a mesothelioma diagnosis.

The most common form of the disease, pleural mesothelioma almost always causes pleural effusion, or excessive fluid accumulation, to develop as a primary symptom once the disease begins to advance. Once this condition is established the physician can draw out some of that fluid with a surgical needle to analyze the cell content in the lab. Usually a biopsy extracting a small piece of mesothelial tissue is also conducted. Analyses of these samples will generally expose the existence of malignant cells.

A similar approach is often taken with peritoneal mesothelioma, which commonly causes fluid accumulation in the abdomen. A tissue sample from the abdominal wall extracted with a laparoscope along with a fluid sample help to determine the presence of malignant cells. Analysis of kidney and liver functions and protein levels can help to eliminate other potential causes of the symptoms.

Surgery is often the choice when mesothelioma is diagnosed early enough, such as a stage I and stage II mesothelioma. In many cases with pleural mesothelioma this means a pleurectomy, a procedure where the entire pleura is removed. In cases where pleural effusion has been severe, the two surfaces of the pleura might be fused in a process called pleurodesis; generally this is a palliative treatment. Many procedures also take a piece of the lung. An extrapleural pneumonectomy removes part of the lung, part of the diaphragm, part of the pericardium and part of the parietal pleura, which is the tissue covering the chest wall.

Surgery with peritoneal mesothelioma follows a similar model, except that removing nearby organs is not always a viable option as it is with a pneumonectomy. Surgery on the pericardium often occurs on an emergency basis as mesothelioma causes the membrane to swell and put dangerous pressure on the four chambers of the heart.

The use of chemotherapy is widespread in mesothelioma treatment; in recent years it is almost always conducted in conjunction with a radiotherapy program. Most chemotherapy drugs have not proven to be terribly effective against mesothelioma; there are two that have been approved by the FDA thus far for mesothelioma treatment. Researchers are constantly searching for innovative methods to attack malignant mesothelioma cells and avoid damaging healthy cells in the mesothelium membrane. Often chemotherapy is used in tandem, especially when treating biphasic mesothelioma a form of the disease that features two types of malignant cells. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy together are referred to as multimodality therapy.

Recently there has been some use of radiotherapy during the surgical process itself. Rather than target cancerous cells with radioactive ions the tissue is targeted directly while the patient is on the operating table. Chemotherapy drugs have been applied in a similar fashion, to give a more powerful application of the treatment than can be provided by intravenous delivery; one such procedure called Heated Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy used heated medication in a peritoneal mesothelioma surgery.

Other options include immunotherapy and other experimental concepts such as gene therapy. These concepts are creative efforts at attacking cancer cells in new and innovative ways. While they remain in the seminal state, hopefully continued research and trial activity will yield results.

Clinical trials are staged for the benefit of medical research, but they are also a prerequisite for the approval of a new medication or new treatment use of an existing medication by the FDA. That process is divided into stage I, stage II and stage III procedures. It is the stage III studies that are conducted on groups of humans in order to determine the efficacy of a treatment.

There are usually several mesothelioma clinical trials are occurring at any given time, being conducted at one or several locations. It is not easy to find mesothelioma patients who are in condition to participate in a lengthy research project, so recruiting is generally conducted at several locations. Many of these trials involve the use of pemetrexed, marketed under the name Alimta. This is the only drug that has been approved by the FDA for mesothelioma treatment and it is generally used with patients who are not candidates for surgical treatment. Many clinical trials have been conducted using pemetrexed and other effective cancer chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin in particular.

But clinical trials continue not only for chemotherapy options but for new treatment concepts such as immunotherapy.

Prognosis for mesothelioma patients is usually a question of life expectancy rather than recovery. The figures vary for types of mesothelioma, for treatment modalities and, to an extent, on who you ask. Often diagnosis of this disease is a lengthy process, which means that it has advanced significantly since the symptoms first manifested. One of the issues is the nature of the cells being attacked; epithelial mesothelioma patients have an average survival rate of about one year, while those diagnosed with the more unusual sarcomatoid mesothelioma, or biphasic mesothelioma (a combination of the two cell types) is closer to six months. These are average figures; the percentage of people who live beyond one year is significant but most figures for mesothelioma and morbidity are based on limited case studies.

These figures are changing slowly as diagnoses occur more readily, as some forms of chemotherapy prove to be effective against some forms of mesothelioma, and as new treatment modalities are tried and found to help. The overall gain in average survival time is a matter of weeks or months with these clinical tests, but slow progress is being made.

There are also always exceptions to these rules. Many patients who respond well to surgery and chemotherapy live on for two years or more. One of the issues that comes into play with these poor prognosis figures is the fact that so many mesothelioma patients are elderly and have other health problems as well. Often a patient does not have the constitution to withstand major surgery, so resection is not an option.

Asbestos lawsuits comprise the largest single civil tort in the history of the nation. More suits have been filed seeking damages for health problems caused by asbestos than for any other civil legal complaint. Hundreds of thousands of American workers have been impacted by mesothelioma and asbestosis over the last half century and many more are getting sick today. The continued diagnosis of mesothelioma is expected to continue at the current rate for another five to ten years.

If you or a family member has a medical problem that you believe is related to asbestos exposure, you should be in touch with an experienced asbestos lawyers who can assist you by providing the specialized legal help that is required in asbestos and mesothelioma liability cases.

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Mesothelioma Information on Cause, Symptoms, Prognosis ...

Pantheism | Encyclopedia.com

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Danzig

"Pantheism" is a doctrine that usually occurs in a religious and philosophical context in which there are already tolerably clear conceptions of God and of the universe and the question has arisen how these two conceptions are related. It is, of course, easy to read pantheistic doctrines back into unsophisticated texts in which the concept of the divine remains unclarified, but it is wise to be skeptical about the value of such a reading. Some commentators have confidently ascribed pantheistic views to the Eleatics simply because they assert that what is, is one. But even if one considers Xenophanes, the most plausible candidate for such an ascription, it is clear that considerable care must be exercised. Thales and Anaximenes had some idea of objects in the world being infused with a divine power or substance that conferred life and movement. Xenophanes took over this idea and added to it a critique of Homeric and Hesiodic polytheism, attacking both their anthropomorphism and the immorality in which they involved the gods; his own consequent view of deity remains mysterious, however. Aristotle said that Xenophanes "with his eye on the whole world said that the One was god," but he also complained that Xenophanes "made nothing clear." It seems likely that Xenophanes, like other early Greek thinkers, did not distinguish clearly between asserting that an object was divine and asserting that a divine power informed the object's movement.

A failure by commentators themselves to observe this distinction makes it misleadingly easy to present both earlier pre-Socratic and later Stoic philosophers as recruits to the ranks of pantheism. But even Marcus Aurelius, the only notable thinker among them who can plausibly be represented as a pantheist, when he addressed the Universe itself as a deity did not clearly address it in the sense of all that is rather than in the sense of some principle of order that informs all that is.

As in Greek thought, the approach to pantheism in Indian thought is a systematic critique of polytheism. Although there are also conceptions of a god who reigns as the highest deityIndra at one time held this positionwhat emerged with the growth of theological reflection was the notion of Brahman. Brahman is the single, infinite reality, indefinable and unchanging, behind the illusory changing world of perceived material objects. The equation of plurality and change with imperfection is an assumption of the Vedanta teachings. From it there is drawn a proof of the illusory character of the material world, as well as of its imperfection. Were the material world real, it must, being neither self-existent nor eternal, have originated from Brahman. But if Brahman were such that from within it what is multifarious, changing, and therefore imperfect could arise, then Brahman would be imperfect. And what is imperfect cannot be Brahman.

We take the illusory for the real because our knowledge is itself tainted with imperfections. Our ordinary knowledge is such that knower and known, subject and object, are distinct. But to know Brahman would be for subject and object to become identical; it would be to attain a knowledge in which all distinctions were abolished and in which what is known would therefore be inexpressible. Two features of the pantheism of the Vedanta scholars deserve comment. The first is the affinity between their logical doctrines and those of F. H. Bradley, whose treatment of the realm of appearance is precisely parallel to the Vedanta treatment of the realm of illusion (my ); Bradley's Absolute resembles Brahman chiefly in that both must be characterized negatively. As with Bradley's doctrine, the natural objection to Vedanta pantheism is to ask how, if Brahman is perfect and unchangeable, even the illusions of finitude, multiplicity, and change can have arisen. The Vedanta doctrine's answer is circular: Ignorance (lack of enlightenment) creates illusion. But it is, of course, illusion that fosters the many forms of ignorance.

Yet if the explanation of illusion is unsatisfactory, at least the cure for it is clear; the Vedanta doctrine is above all practical in its intentions. It will be noteworthy in the discussion of other and later pantheisms how often pantheism is linked to doctrines of mystical and contemplative practice. The separateness of the divine and the human, upon which monotheists insist, raises sharply the problem of how man can ever attain true unity with the divine. Those contemplative and mystical experiences, common to many religions, for whose description the language of a union between human and divine seems peculiarly appropriateat least to those who have enjoyed these experiencesfor that very reason create problems for a monotheistic theology, problems that have often been partly resolved by an approach to pantheistic formulations. It is at least plausible to argue that the essence of the Vedanta doctrine lies in its elucidation of mystical experience rather than in any use of metaphysical argument for purely intellectual ends.

The pantheism of the Vedanta argues that because God is All and One, what is many is therefore illusory and unreal. The characteristic pantheism and near pantheism of the European Middle Ages proceeded, by contrast, from the view that because God alone truly is, all that is must in some sense be God, or at least a manifestation of God. Insofar as this view implies a notion of true being at the top of a scale of degrees of being, its ancestry is Platonic or Neoplatonic. It would be difficult to call Neoplatonism itself pantheistic because although it views the material world as an emanation from the divine, the fallen and radically imperfect and undivine character of that world is always emphasized.

However, the translation of Neoplatonic themes of emanation into Christian terms by John Scotus Erigena (c. 810c. 877) resulted in De Divisione Naturae, which was condemned as heretical precisely because of its break with monotheism. It might be argued that Erigena does not seem to be wholly pantheistic in that he did not treat every aspect of nature as part of the divine in the same way and to the same degree. This would be misleading, however, for on this criterion no thinker could ever be judged a pantheist.

According to Erigena the whole, natura, is composed of four species of being: that which creates and is not created, that which is created and creates, that which is created and does not create, and that which is not created and does not create. The first is God as creator; the last, God as that into which all created beings have returned. The second and third are the created universe, which is in process of passing from God in his first form to God in his last form. Erigena wrote as if each class of beings belongs to a different period in a historical unfolding, but he also treated this as a misleading but necessary form of expression. Natura is eternal; the whole process is eternally present; and everything is a theophania, a manifestation of God.

Pope Honorius III condemned De Divisione Naturae in 1225 as "pullulating with worms of heretical perversity," and much earlier Erigena's other work had been described by the Council of Valence (855) as "Irish porridge" and "the devil's invention." Clearly, part of what perturbed them was Erigena's ability to interpret in a pantheistic sense both the biblical doctrine of creation and the biblical notion of a time when God shall be all in all.

A similar problem arose for the Islamic interpreter of Aristotle, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), whose discussions of the relation of human to divine intelligence aroused suspicion of pantheism and whose assertions of fidelity to the Quran did not save him from condemnation. A Christian Aristotelian such as Meister Eckhart, the Dominican mystic, was also condemned. Both Eckhart and Johannes Tauler spoke of God and man in terms of a mutual dependence that implies a fundamental unity including both. However, in every medieval case after Erigena the imputation of pantheism is at best inconclusive. Only since the sixteenth century has genuine pantheism become a recurrent European phenomena.

Giordano Bruno (15481600) was an explicitly anti-Christian pantheist. He conceived of God as the immanent cause or goal of nature, distinct from each finite particular only because he includes them all within his own being. The divine life that informs everything also informs the human mind and soul, and the soul is immortal because it is part of the divine. Since God is not distinct from the world, he can have no particular providential intentions. Since all events are equally ruled by divine law, miracles cannot occur. Whatever happens, happens in accordance with law, and our freedom consists in identifying ourselves with the course of things. The Bible, according to Bruno, insofar as it errs on these points, is simply false.

Jakob Boehme (15751624) was a shoemaker, a mystic, and a Lutheran whose wish to remain within the church was shown by the fact that to the end he received the sacraments. The pantheism of Erigena or Bruno was founded upon a view that the universe must necessarily be a single all-inclusive system if it is to be intelligible. Their pantheism derived from their ideal of explanation. Boehme, by contrast, claimed that he was merely recording what he has learned from an inward mystical illumination. He saw the foundation of all things in the divine Ungrund, in which the triad of Everything, Nothing, and the Divine Agony that results from their encounter produces out of itself a procession of less ultimate triads which constitute the natural and human world. Boehme made no distinction between nature and spirit, for he saw nature as entirely the manifestation of spirit. It is not at all clear in what sense the propositions that Boehme advanced can have been the record of vision; it is clear that both in claiming authority for his vision and in the content of his doctrine he was bound to encounter, as he did, the condemnation of the Lutheran clergy.

Benedict de Spinoza's pantheism had at least three sources: his ideal of human felicity, his concept of explanation, and his notion of the degrees of human knowledge. His explicit aim was to discover a good that would be independent of all the ordinary contingencies of chance and misfortune. Only that which is capable of completely filling and occupying the mind can be the supreme good in Spinoza's sense. The only knowledge that could satisfy these requirements would be the knowledge that the mind is part of the total system of nature and is at one with it when recognizing that everything is as it must be. Felicity is the knowledge of necessity, for if the mind can accept the necessity of its own place in the whole ordering of things, there will be room neither for rebellion nor for complaint. Thus, from the outset Spinoza's characterization of the supreme good required that his philosophy exhibit the whole universe as a single connected system.

So it is with his concept of explanation. To explain anything is to demonstrate that it cannot be other than it is. To demonstrate this entails laying bare the place of what is to be explained within a total system. Spinoza made no distinction between contingent causal connections and necessary logical connections. A deductive system in which every proposition follows from a set of initial axioms, postulates, and definitions mirrors the structure of the universe, in which every finite mode of existence exemplifies the pattern of order that derives from the single substance, Deus, sive natura (God, or nature). There can be only one substance, not a multiplicity of substances, for Spinoza so defined the notion of substance that the relation of a property to the substance of which it is a property is necessary, and therefore intelligible and explicable; however, the relation of one substance to another must be external and contingent, and therefore unintelligible and inexplicable. But for Spinoza it is unintelligible that what is unintelligible should be thought to exist. Hence, there can be only one substance; "God" and "Nature" could not be the names of two distinct and independent substances.

It follows that God cannot be said to be the creator of nature, except in a sense quite other than that of Christian or Jewish orthodoxy. Spinoza did distinguish between nature as active (natura naturans ) and nature as passive product (natura naturata ), and insofar as he identified God with nature as creative and self-sustaining rather than with nature as passive, he could speak of God as the immanent cause of the world. But this is quite different from the orthodox conception of divine efficient causality. Also, in Spinoza's view, there can be no divine providential intentions for particular agents and there can be no miracles. What, then, of the Bible?

Spinoza regarded the Bible as an expression of truth in the only mode in which the ordinary, unreflective, irrational man is able to believe it or be guided by it. Such men need images, for their knowledge is of the confused kind that does not rise to the rational and scientific explanation of phenomena, let alone to that scientia intuitiva (intuitive knowledge) by which the mind grasps the whole necessity of things and becomes identical with the infinita idea Dei (infinite idea of God). Freed from all those passions that dominated his actions so long as he did not grasp them intellectually, man is moved only by a fully conscious awareness of his place in the whole system. It is this awareness that Spinoza also identified as the intellectual love of God.

In using theological language to characterize both nature and the good of human life, Spinoza was not concealing an ultimately materialistic and atheistic standpoint. He believed that all the key predicates by which divinity is ascribed apply to the entire system of things, for it is infinite, at once the uncaused causa sui and causa omnium (cause of itself and cause of everything) and eternal. Even if Spinoza's attitude to the Bible was that it veils the truth, he believed that it is the truth that it veils. He considered his doctrine basically identical with both that of the ancient Hebrew writers and that of St. Paul. This did not save him from condemnation by the synagogue in his lifetime, let alone from condemnation by the church afterward.

Erigena, Bruno, Boehme, Spinozaeach of these, no matter how much he may have made use of material drawn from earlier philosophical or religious writing, was a thinker who was independent of his specifically pantheist predecessors and who revived pantheism by his own critical reflections upon monotheism. It was only in the eighteenth century that something like a specifically pantheist tradition emerged. The word pantheist was first used in 1705 by John Toland in his Socinianism truly stated. Toland's hostile critic, J. Fay, used the word pantheism in 1709 and it speedily became common. With the increased questioning of Christianity, accompanied by an unwillingness to adopt atheistic positions, pantheism became an important doctrine, first for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, both of whom were influenced by Spinoza, then for Friedrich Schleiermacher, and finally for Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Friedrich von Schelling, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

Goethe's aim was to discover a mode of theological thinking, rather than a theology, with which he could embrace both what he took to be the pagan attitude to nature and the redemptive values of Christianity. Suspicious as he was of Christian asceticism, he also recognized a distinctive Christian understanding of human possibility, and his various utterances about Christianity cannot be rendered consistent even by the greatest scholarly ingenuity. In the formulas of pantheism, which he was able to interpret in the sense that he wished precisely because he failed to understand Spinoza correctly, Goethe found a theology that enabled him both to identify the divine with the natural and to separate them. The infinite creativity Goethe ascribed to nature is what he took to be divine; but while the seeds of a consistent doctrine can be discerned in this aspect of Goethe's writings, it would be wrong to deny that part of pantheism's attraction for him was that it seemed to license his will to be inconsistent.

Lessing, by contrast, was consistent. He found the kernel of truth in all religions in a neutral version of Spinozism, which allowed him to see Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as distorted versions of the same truth, distorted because they confuse the historical trappings with the metaphysical essence.

Schleiermacher's quite different preoccupation was to make religion acceptable to the cultured unbelievers of his own time. The core of religion, on his view, is the sense of absolute dependence; to that on which we are absolutely dependent he gave a variety of names and titles, speaking of God in both monotheistic and pantheistic terms. However, he committed himself to pantheism by asserting that it is the Totality that is divine.

It is clear from Goethe, Lessing, and Schleiermacher that Spinoza's writing had become a major text for philosophical theology, but for these writers he was an inspiration rather than a precise source. With the advent of German idealism, the attempt to criticize the deductive form of Spinoza's reasoning while preserving the pantheistic content became a major theme of German philosophy. Nowhere is this more evident than in Fichte's writing, in which God and the universe are identified because the world is nothing but the material through which the Ego realizes its infinite moral vocation, and the divine is nothing but the moral order that includes both world and Ego. The divine cannot be personal and cannot have been the external creator of the world. Fichte poured scorn on the unintelligibility of the orthodox doctrine of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing). He distinguished sharply between the genuinely metaphysical and the merely historical elements in Christianity. It is the theology of the Johannine Gospel that he treated as the expression of the metaphysical, and to this he gave a pantheistic sense.

Schelling's pantheism was cruder than Fichte'saccording to him, all distinctions disappear in the ultimate nature of things. The divine is identified with this ultimate distinctionless merging of nature and spirit, a unity more fundamental than any of the differences of the merely empirical world.

Hegel was subtler and more philosophically interesting than either Fichte or Schelling. Like Boehme and Schleiermacher, he remained within orthodox Protestant Christianity, claiming to be engaged in the interpretation rather than the revision of its dogmatic formulas. The Hegelian Absolute Idea preexists its finite manifestations logically but not temporally, and it receives its full embodiment only at the end of history, when it is incorporated in a social and moral order fully conscious of its own nature and of its place in history. This phase of self-consciousness is already reached at the level of thought in Hegel's Logic. But the Absolute Idea has no existence apart from or over and above its actual and possible manifestations in nature and history. Hence, the divine is the Totality.

After Hegel pantheism was less in vogue. The critique of Christianity became more radical, atheism became a more acceptable alternative, and Spinoza dominated the intellectual scene far less. In England a poetic pantheism appeared in Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth, but in Shelley it coexisted with something much closer to atheism and in Wordsworth with a Christianity that displaced it. In any case, the intellectual resources of such a pantheism were so meager that it is not surprising that it did not survive in the nineteenth century.

Pantheism essentially involves two assertions: that everything that exists constitutes a unity and that this all-inclusive unity is divine. What could be meant by the assertion that everything that exists constitutes a unity? It is first and most clearly not a unity derived from membership of the same class, the view that seems to have been taken by Boehme. "There is no class of all that is," wrote Aristotle. Why not? Because existence is not a genus. To say that something exists is not to classify it at all. When Boehme asserted that the universe includes both existence and nonexistence, he both anticipated a long tradition that culminated in Martin Heidegger and remained unintelligible. The notion of a unity that includes all that existsor even all that exists and all that does not existis a notion devoid of content. What could be unitary in such an ostensible collection?

The unity might be of another kind, however. In Spinoza the unity of the universe is a logical unity, with every particular item deducible from the general nature of things. There is a single deductive web of explanationthere are not sciences; there is science. About such an alleged unity two points must be made. First, the contingent aspect of nature is entirely omitted. Even a total description of the universe in which every part of the description was logically related to some other part or parts (assuming for the moment such a description to be conceivable) would still leave us with the question whether the universe was as it was described; and if it was as it was described, this truth would be a contingent truth that could not be included in the description itself and that could stand in no internal conceptual relationship to the description. The fact of existence would remain irreducibly contingent. Second, the actual development of the sciences does not accord with Spinoza's ideal. The forms of explanation are not all the same; the logical structure of Darwinian evolutionary theory must be distinguished from the logical structure of quantum mechanics. Thus, the kind of unity ascribed by Spinoza to the universe seems to be lacking.

In Fichte and Hegel the unity ascribed to the universe is one of an overall purpose manifest in the pattern of events, as that pattern is discovered by the agent in his social and moral life. In order for this assertion to be meaningful it must be construed, at least in part, in empirical terms; in Fichte's case as a hypothesis about moral development, in Hegel's case as a hypothesis about historical development. Neither hypothesis appears to be vindicated by the facts.

Suppose, however, that a unity of some kind, inclusive of all that is, could be discovered. In virtue of what might the pantheist claim that it was divine? The infinity and the eternity of the universe have often been the predicates that seemed to entail its divinity, but the sense in which the universe is infinite and eternal is surely not that in which the traditional religions have ascribed these predicates to a god. What is clear is that pantheism as a theology has a source, independent of its metaphysics, in a widespread capacity for awe and wonder in the face both of natural phenomena and of the apparent totality of things. It is at least in part because pantheist metaphysics provides a vocabulary that appears more adequate than any other for the expression of these emotions that pantheism has shown such historical capacity for survival. But this does not, of course, give any warrant for believing pantheism to be true.

See also Aristotle; Averroes; Boehme, Jakob; Bradley, Francis Herbert; Brahman; Bruno, Giordano; Darwinism; Eckhart, Meister; Erigena, John Scotus; Eternity; Fichte, Johann Gottlieb; Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von; God, Concepts of; Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich; Heidegger, Martin; Indian Philosophy; Infinity in Theology and Metaphysics; Jacobi, Friedrich Heinrich; Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim; Marcus Aurelius Antoninus; Neoplatonism; Pantheismusstreit; Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von; Schleiermacher, Friedrich Daniel Ernst; Shelley, Percy Bysshe; Spinoza, Benedict (Baruch) de; Tauler, Johannes; Toland, John; Xenophanes of Colophon.

Boehme, Jakob. Works. Edited by C. J. Barber. London, 1909.

Bruno, Giordano. "Concerning the Cause, Principle, and One." Translated by Sidney Greenberg in The Infinite in Giordano Bruno. New York: King's Crown Press, 1950.

Bruno, Giordano. "On the Infinite Universe and Worlds." Translated by Dorothea W. Singer in Giordano Bruno: His Life and Thought. New York: Schuman, 1950.

Eckhart. Meister Eckhart. Edited, with introduction, by O. Karrer. Munich, 1926.

Erigena, John Scotus. Opera. In Patrologia Latina, edited by J. P. Migne. Paris, 18441864. Vol. 122.

Fichte, J. G. Die Schrifte zu J. G. Fichte's Atheismusstreit. Edited by H. Lindau. Munich, 1912.

Fichte, J. G. The Science of Knowledge. Translated by A. E. Kroeger. Philadelphia, 1868.

Flint, Robert. Antitheistic Theories. London, 1878. Baird lectures.

Hegel, G. W. F. Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. Translated by E. B. Speirs and J. B. Sanderson, 3 vols. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1895.

Schelling, Friedrich. Werke. Edited by M. Schrter. 8 vols. Munich: Beck, 19271956.

Schleiermacher, Friedrich. On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers. Translated by J. W. Oman. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1893.

Spinoza, Benedict de. The Chief Works. Translated by R. H. M. Elwes, 2 vols. New York: Dover, 1951.

Alasdair MacIntyre (1967)

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Nootropics Supply | Smart Drugs & Racetams

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

Welcome to our store. We carry some of the most popularnootropics on the market. You can trust us as your number one and only nootropics supplier. All of our smart drugs are synthesized and double checked for purity at our independent testing facility. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is also followed during the manufacturing of our products.

Most of ournootropics are not approved by the United States FDA for use on humans and therefore we strictly adhere to these guidelines. We do however offer top quality and lab tested purity that would standardize for pharmaceutical grade (>99% purity). Please see below for all the types of nootropics we carry.

Most racetams work primarily by increasing the effectiveness of acetylcholine by acting as positive allosteric modulators at the receptors. This increase in cholinergic effectiveness is believed to be the primary nootropic action behind many racetams. Some racetams also work as ampakines and have glutamatergic activity which may also influence processes of cognitive functioning.

Racetams have been not been evaluated for human use in the United States but have some in-depth medical research and trial in other countries. This area of nootropic chemicals has a lot of study however its advancement in the area of brain based degenerative diseases looks very limited. Nevertheless, some research suggests that these chemicals may still have valid merit in helping these conditions.

Regardless, racetam nootropics and their combination with other racetams or nootropics is an area of interest to scientific and medical communities within the United States and other countries. Your company or organization may be interested in obtaining these nootropic chemicals for further advancement in this area.

We have an extensive inventory of ampakines. Unlike common racetam nootropics, ampakines have less area of study. Regardless of this fact, they still have just as much if not more interest in many research communities. Ampakine nootropics are not approved as drugs within the United States. It is a large possibility that new and already existing ampakine nootropics may become available as research and studies become more developed in the future.

Unlike racetam nootropics, ampakines affect the glutamate receptors in human and animal models. This is believed to be the main source of their nootropic effects on the brain. More studying and research needs to be invested in this area as these chemicals may have great use one day.

Since ampakines are not well studied or evaluated, they still do not FDA approval in the Unitied States. Most health regulatory authorities in other countries have still not approved ampakine nootropics for use as drugs. For this reason, ampakine nootropics are very sought after for research. Safety and long term use have not been evaluated and in no way should they be used on humans.

There are a wide variety of chemicals that we carry that are used both as chemicals or OTC drugs. The prime reason we carry these types of nootropics is because they are often used in research applications with racetam and ampakine nootropics. Even if the specific chemical you desire to buy is available over the counter as a drug in the United States, we still do not sell as a drug only a chemical. Please practice due diligence, any suggestion that you will use these products for human ingestion will be ignored by our staff.

Acetylcholine chemicals are a group of chemicals and drugs that influence levels of acetylcholine in the brain in both humans and animals. How the specific chemical influences acetylcholine will differ from substance the substance. Some of these nootropics work by synthesizing acetylcholine while others assist in the production process of acetylcholine.

Our company carries a wide range of nootropics that do not relate to racetam, acetylcholine or ampakine families. We are always trying to expand our inventory and add non-toxic chemicals for purposes other than ingesting. Please see our shop for a whole list of nootropic products. Also feel free to contact our professional and well trained team for your questions and comments.

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Elon Musk headbutted a car at a Tesla factory: report …

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

Elon Musk. Joe Skipper / Reuters

A new profile of Tesla CEO Elon Musk gives an unusual example of how the stress of ramping up Model 3 production may have affected him. According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk started headbutting a car at Tesla's Fremont, California, factory this spring after he learned the assembly line would stop when people got too close to it.

The Journal reported that Musk was touring the factory and noticed that the assembly line had stopped. When he asked why, managers reportedly told him it was because of sensors triggered as a safety precaution when people interfered with the line. Their answer made Musk angry and he started to headbutt the front end of a car, according to The Journal.

"I don't see how this could hurt me," he reportedly said. "I want the cars to just keep moving."

A Tesla representative told Business Insider that Musk tapped the car with his head while wearing a safety hat to demonstrate that it didn't pose a safety risk. The spokesperson said that the equipment Musk asked about was redundant and modified after being tested by safety-equipment specialists.

For much of the year after the Model 3 was launched in July 2017, Tesla struggled to ramp up production. The Model 3 is the company's first mass-market car and one that Musk said the company was betting its existence on. At the end of June, Tesla achieved its goal of making 5,000 Model 3s in one week. Musk previously said the company would hit that number by the end of 2017 and that sustaining such a production rate was critical for Tesla to become profitable.

The Wall Street Journal's story is not the first to describe Musk's alleged displeasure with some safety measures at the Fremont factory. Reveal reported in April that Tesla didn't mark some hazard areas in yellow because Musk reportedly doesn't like the color and avoided other safety signs and markings for aesthetic reasons.

Tesla called Reveal's report "a completely false picture of Tesla and what it is actually like to work here" and claimed it was "an ideologically motivated attack by an extremist organization working directly with union supporters to create a calculated disinformation campaign against Tesla."

Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

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Elon Musk headbutted a car at a Tesla factory: report ...

Ayn Rand Institute eStore

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

Featured Product Freedom of speech is indispensable to a free and civilized society, yet this precious right is increasingly under attack today. Islamic totalitarians repeatedly threaten and kill those deemed blasphemers, while our political leaders stand idly by, and many intellectuals blame the victims. College students seek trigger warnings and safe spaces from controversial ideas and fly into fits of rage at the slightest offense. The government harasses tea party groups, preventing them from speaking out during an election, and it investigates oil companies and advocacy groups for the crime of dissenting from climate change orthodoxy. Why is this happening? What can be done? This hard-hitting collection provides answers. Applying Ayn Rands philosophy of Objectivism to the most pressing free speech issues of the day, the essays in this book reveal the attacks on free speech to be the product of destructive ideasideas that are eroding Western culture at its foundation. They expose those ideas and the individuals who hold them, and, importantly, they identify the only ideas on which Western civilization can be sustained: reason, egoism, and individual rights.

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Freedom of Speech – Facts & Summary – HISTORY.com

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

The ancient Greeks pioneered free speech as a democratic principle. The ancient Greek word parrhesia means free speech, or to speak candidly. The term first appeared in Greek literature around the end of the fifth century B.C.

During the classical period, parrhesia became a fundamental part of the democracy of Athens. Leaders, philosophers, playwrights and everyday Athenians were free to openly discuss politics and religion and to criticize the government in some settings.

In the United States, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech.

The First Amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791 as part of the Bill of Rightsthe first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights provides constitutional protection for certain individual liberties, including freedoms of speech, assembly and worship.

The First Amendment doesnt specify what exactly is meant by freedom of speech. Defining what types of speech should and shouldnt be protected by law has fallen largely to the courts.

In general, the First Amendment guarantees the right to express ideas and information. On a basic level, it means that people can express an opinion (even an unpopular or unsavory one) without fear of government censorship.

It protects all forms of communication, from speeches to art and other media.

While freedom of speech pertains mostly to the spoken or written word, it also protects some forms of symbolic speech. Symbolic speech is an action that expresses an idea.

Flag burning is an example of symbolic speech that is protected under the First Amendment. Gregory Lee Johnson, a youth communist, burned a flag during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas to protest the Reagan administration.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in 1990, reversed a Texas courts conviction that Johnson broke the law by desecrating the flag. Texas v. Johnson invalidated statutes in Texas and 47 other states prohibiting flag burning.

Not all speech is protected under the First Amendment.

Forms of speech that arent protected include:

Speech inciting illegal actions or soliciting others to commit crimes arent protected under the First Amendment, either.

The Supreme Court decided a series of cases in 1919 that helped to define the limitations of free speech. Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917, shortly after the United States entered into World War I. The law prohibited interference in military operations or recruitment.

Socialist Party activist Charles Schenck was arrested under the Espionage Act after he distributed fliers urging young men to dodge the draft. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction by creating the clear and present danger standard, explaining when the government is allowed to limit free speech. In this case, they viewed draft resistant as dangerous to national security.

American labor leader and Socialist Party activist Eugene Debs also was arrested under the Espionage Act after giving a speech in 1918 encouraging others not to join the military. Debs argued that he was exercising his right to free speech and that the Espionage Act of 1917 was unconstitutional. In Debs v. United States the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Espionage Act.

The Supreme Court has interpreted artistic freedom broadly as a form of free speech.

In most cases, freedom of expression may be restricted only if it will cause direct and imminent harm. Shouting fire! in a crowded theater and causing a stampede would be an example of direct and imminent harm.

In deciding cases involving artistic freedom of expression the Supreme Court leans on a principle called content neutrality. Content neutrality means the government cant censor or restrict expression just because some segment of the population finds the content offensive.

In 1965, students at a public high school in Des Moines, Iowa, organized a silent protest against the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands to protest the fighting. The students were suspended from school. The principle argued that the armbands were a distraction and could possibly lead to a danger for the students.

The Supreme Court didnt bitethey ruled in favor of the students right to wear the armbands as a form of free speech in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District. The case set the standard for free speech in schools. However, First Amendment rights typically dont apply in private schools.

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Freedom Of Speech Quotes (300 quotes)

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

Until every soul is freely permitted to investigate every book, and creed, and dogma for itself, the world cannot be free. Mankind will be enslaved until there is mental grandeur enough to allow each man to have his thought and say. This earth will be a paradise when men can, upon all these questions differ, and yet grasp each other's hands as friends. It is amazing to me that a difference of opinion upon subjects that we know nothing with certainty about, should make us hate, persecute, and despise each other. Why a difference of opinion upon predestination, or the trinity, should make people imprison and burn each other seems beyond the comprehension of man; and yet in all countries where Christians have existed, they have destroyed each other to the exact extent of their power. Why should a believer in God hate an atheist? Surely the atheist has not injured God, and surely he is human, capable of joy and pain, and entitled to all the rights of man. Would it not be far better to treat this atheist, at least, as well as he treats us?

Christians tell me that they love their enemies, and yet all I ask isnot that they love their enemies, not that they love their friends even, but that they treat those who differ from them, with simple fairness.

We do not wish to be forgiven, but we wish Christians to so act that we will not have to forgive them. If all will admit that all have an equal right to think, then the question is forever solved; but as long as organized and powerful churches, pretending to hold the keys of heaven and hell, denounce every person as an outcast and criminal who thinks for himself and denies their authority, the world will be filled with hatred and suffering. To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all the creeds. Robert G. Ingersoll, Some Mistakes of Moses

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Freedom Of Speech Quotes (300 quotes)

Negentropy – Wikipedia

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

The negentropy has different meanings in information theory and theoretical biology. In a biological context, the negentropy (also negative entropy, syntropy, extropy, ectropy or entaxy[1]) of a living system is the entropy that it exports to keep its own entropy low; it lies at the intersection of entropy and life. In other words, negentropy is reverse entropy. It means things becoming more orderly. By 'order' is meant organisation, structure and function: the opposite of randomness or chaos. The concept and phrase "negative entropy" was introduced by Erwin Schrdinger in his 1944 popular-science book What is Life?[2] Later, Lon Brillouin shortened the phrase to negentropy,[3][4] to express it in a more "positive" way: a living system imports negentropy and stores it.[5] In 1974, Albert Szent-Gyrgyi proposed replacing the term negentropy with syntropy. That term may have originated in the 1940s with the Italian mathematician Luigi Fantappi, who tried to construct a unified theory of biology and physics. Buckminster Fuller tried to popularize this usage, but negentropy remains common.

In a note to What is Life? Schrdinger explained his use of this phrase.

In 2009, Mahulikar & Herwig redefined negentropy of a dynamically ordered sub-system as the specific entropy deficit of the ordered sub-system relative to its surrounding chaos.[6] Thus, negentropy has SI units of (J kg1 K1) when defined based on specific entropy per unit mass, and (K1) when defined based on specific entropy per unit energy. This definition enabled: i) scale-invariant thermodynamic representation of dynamic order existence, ii) formulation of physical principles exclusively for dynamic order existence and evolution, and iii) mathematical interpretation of Schrdinger's negentropy debt.

In information theory and statistics, negentropy is used as a measure of distance to normality.[7][8][9] Out of all distributions with a given mean and variance, the normal or Gaussian distribution is the one with the highest entropy. Negentropy measures the difference in entropy between a given distribution and the Gaussian distribution with the same mean and variance. Thus, negentropy is always nonnegative, is invariant by any linear invertible change of coordinates, and vanishes if and only if the signal is Gaussian.

Negentropy is defined as

where S ( x ) {displaystyle S(varphi _{x})} is the differential entropy of the Gaussian density with the same mean and variance as p x {displaystyle p_{x}} and S ( p x ) {displaystyle S(p_{x})} is the differential entropy of p x {displaystyle p_{x}} :

Negentropy is used in statistics and signal processing. It is related to network entropy, which is used in independent component analysis.[10][11]

There is a physical quantity closely linked to free energy (free enthalpy), with a unit of entropy and isomorphic to negentropy known in statistics and information theory. In 1873, Willard Gibbs created a diagram illustrating the concept of free energy corresponding to free enthalpy. On the diagram one can see the quantity called capacity for entropy. This quantity is the amount of entropy that may be increased without changing an internal energy or increasing its volume.[12] In other words, it is a difference between maximum possible, under assumed conditions, entropy and its actual entropy. It corresponds exactly to the definition of negentropy adopted in statistics and information theory. A similar physical quantity was introduced in 1869 by Massieu for the isothermal process[13][14][15] (both quantities differs just with a figure sign) and then Planck for the isothermal-isobaric process.[16] More recently, the MassieuPlanck thermodynamic potential, known also as free entropy, has been shown to play a great role in the so-called entropic formulation of statistical mechanics,[17] applied among the others in molecular biology[18] and thermodynamic non-equilibrium processes.[19]

In 1953, Lon Brillouin derived a general equation[20] stating that the changing of an information bit value requires at least kT ln(2) energy. This is the same energy as the work Le Szilrd's engine produces in the idealistic case. In his book,[21] he further explored this problem concluding that any cause of this bit value change (measurement, decision about a yes/no question, erasure, display, etc.) will require the same amount of energy.

Bootstrapped Gavin: Satoshi Nakamotos identity revealed …

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Danzig

We identified Bitcoin Cash developer Gavin Andresen as being the real Satoshi Nakamoto using Eders bootstrapped stylometry method. This finding supports our previous article on the topic that also identified Gavin as Satoshi using Principal Component Analysis and Burrows delta.

Stylometry is a set of methods that aim to identify an unknown author by statistically deciphering their style using statistics. A famous example recently occurred with JK Rowlings pen name Robert Galbraith being uncovered thanks to stylometry methods.

Satoshi Nakamoto is an assumed pseudonym which the inventor of Bitcoin gave himself as to disguise his identity. There have been many attempts to uncover his identity but there remains no concrete evidence to this date. A big part of this failure can be attributed to the lack of convergence validity in the stylometry field.

Joseph Rudman, a linguist at Carnegie Mellon university, wrote an excellent paper on the faults of stylometry titled The state of non-traditional authorship attribution studies 2012: Some problems and solutions. This paper pointed out that stylometrics often cherry pick results due to their algorithms producing vastly different results when slightly tweaked.

Our previous study had elements of cherry picking in that we would get different results when we changed our model from using correlations to covariances. Overwhelmingly our model clustered Gavin Andresen with Satoshi but when we used covariances our model would load the Satoshi whitepaper onto a paper by Wei Dai.

Maciej Eder created a bootstrapping method specifically designed to overcome the problem of cherry picking elements like Most Frequent Words (MFW). The approach uses Burrows delta to find a difference between two texts, but also uses random sampling of MFW ranges so as to output more robust results. Burrows delta is basically a manhattan distance of z-scores which is sourced from a list of top words used in an entire corpus.

We used Eders bootstrapped delta to see if it would uncover the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. We generated the z-score table using means and standard deviations sourced from 20,000 English texts from the Gutenberg corpus. We then calculated the random samples for the manhattan distance algorithm for MFWs between 1 and 5,000 .

This was calculated by comparing a list of authors associated with Bitcoin against the original Bitcoin whitepaper. Finally, we used a kNN approach to sort the mean distances in order so that we could see who had the most similar writing style to Satoshi in our experiment.

We found that the first nearest neighbour was Satoshis email texts followed by 3 of Gavin Andresens GitHub documents and then followed by Satoshis forum texts. These findings are quite reasonable because not only do they validate the links between the Satoshi whitepaper-emails-forums but they also cluster Gavin as the likely author. Its also of interest that Gavins style was so much like Satoshis whitepaper that he beat Satoshi himself with the forum texts!

A limitation of the current study is that it could be measuring the style of genre rather than that of authorship. We may need to come up with a way to standardise the datasets to remove any noise that may come from such a systematic bias. One way could be to remove pronouns from the analysis because these could correlate with the style of an academic paper.

Also, weve already started work on our code stylometry machine that will analyse Satoshis C++ style of programming. Weve already found using Most Frequent Character (MFC) n-grams that Gavin also has a similar programming style to Satoshi.

A comparison of some of the texts show clearly that Gavins GitHub blogs have similar low distances to the whitepaper as does Satoshis emails/forums. This chart also shows that Gavins GitHub posts #4 has a low volatility and even beats the Satoshi email texts on many occasions.

We discretized the distances to analyse the different patterns in the heatmaps. One can clearly see Gavins GitHub blogs having low distances. You can also see that Gavins regular blog posts (sorted by year) do not load onto the whitepaper. But its also worth mentioning that with the heavily discretized heatmap (top-right) shows that only Gavin and Satoshi reach the high pink level (~0.7) of having a low distance with the whitepaper.

The heatmap below shows more clearly the Bitcoin texts we analysed. Our columns are numbered x_y with x being the iteration number and y the number of MFWs used. The column 49_2728 means that it was the 49th bootstrapped iteration and it used 2,728 MFWs for each textual comparison with the whitepaper. This chart only shows 49 iterations but our final analysis used 2,500 iterations to maximise our estimates of the population.

Our final result shows a table of z-scores of means and standard deviations of the 2,500 samples that were collected for each textual comparison with the whitepaper. The chart shows that Gavins GitHub blog #4 not only has the 2nd lowest distance to the whitepaper but also has one of the lowest sds in the entire corpus, suggesting that such a position is accurate in our knn methodology. One can not ignore that Eders bootrapped delta not only validates the connection between all 3 Satoshi texts but also loads Gavin Andresen in the top 5 results above Satoshis forum posts.

See the article here:

Bootstrapped Gavin: Satoshi Nakamotos identity revealed ...

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