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Enormous Undersea Pipes Wash Up On UK Beaches – NPR

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Massive sections of plastic undersea pipe one measuring nearly a third-of-a-mile long have washed up on British beaches along the Norfolk coast, much to the surprise of beachgoers.

The sections of pipe were reportedly being towed from Norway to a power plant in Algeria on July 18, when a container ship ran into the tow, setting 12 huge sections adrift.

Eight lengths of the eight-foot-wide pipe were "secured and under control," according to Brtiain's Maritime & Coastguard Agency. The four other sections were not recovered. At least two of them ended up on U.K. beaches.

The Guardian writes: "The beached pipes have attracted curious beachgoers. ... [The] pipes are wide enough to drive a car through. Aerial footage showed two men walking on top of one of the pipes, as others took selfies."

MCA and the manufacturer of the pipes, Pipelife Norge, have warned people to stay away from the pipes to prevent injury.

"It is essential now that the salvage team fence off the pipes. If a 2.5-metre [8-foot] diameter pipe, several hundred-metre long pipe is moving in the water it is extremely dangerous," Pipelife's export manager Trygve Blomster tells The Guardian. "If you fall beside that while it moved you will be smashed. If you walk on the pipe and you drop off it is extremely dangerous."

The MCA says the pipes were not an environmental risk, but that it "may take several weeks" to return them to Norway.

A video on Pipelife Norge's corporate website shows how the pipes are towed at sea and deployed on the sea bottom.

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Enormous Undersea Pipes Wash Up On UK Beaches - NPR

Beach renourishment during Grand Strand tourist season not ideal but necessary – Charleston Post Courier

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Nobody was happy about the timing when it was announced earlier this year the first phase of a $26.3 million project to rebuild Horry Countys beaches would begin during peak tourist season.

In a perfect scenario, this would be done exclusively during the off-season, but the good news is our beaches are being renourished, and thats not just good for the Grand Strand, but for all of South Carolina, said Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Army Corps of Engineers project involves restoring about 11 of 60 miles of Grand Strand shorefront by pumping sand from the ocean floor onto the beach.

The $26.3 million beach renourishment project will pump 1.2 million cubic yards of sand on 11 miles of the Grand Strand that were affected by hurricanes in 2015 and 2016.

Because shells and mud are mixed in with the sand, the "new" sand often appears lighter at first, but within days, the sun will oxidize it and turn it lighter.

The purpose of the Myrtle Beach Storm Damage Reduction Project is to rebuild dunes that were flattened and beaches swept away during Hurricane Matthew in October and Hurricane Joaquin a year earlier. The project is considered an emergency that needed to be done as soon as possible, officials said.

Its underway. Its very necessary and were thrilled to see it happening, although we would prefer to see it after the summer, Dean said.

About 18 million people visit the Myrtle Beach area annually and so far the construction has been an inconvenience to those who are near it but has not caused a major hit to the economy, he said.

Work started in mid-July near the Surfside Beach Pier and is working its way north to Myrtle Beach State Park. It is currently in front of Ocean Lakes Family Campground.

The around-the-clock work involves closing about 1,000 feet of beach for two or three days while renourishment is in progress. Contractor Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. pumps about 40,000 cubic yards of sand daily, completing about 500 feet of beach. As soon as a section is built up it is reopened.

In addition, large pipes run along the beach parallel to the ocean even outside of the construction area, with walk-overs built from sand to provide ocean access.

The renourishment itself only happens in a very isolated portion of the Grand Strand, but if its happening right outside of your hotel or beach house you certainly notice it, Dean said.

Small sections of Grand Strand beaches are closed temporarily for a renourishment project to replace sand lost in recent hurricanes and storms. Ocean Lakes Family Campground/Provided

Many would-be vacationers have watched anxiously for construction updates on websites and on social media, but the progress is difficult to predict. Few people have canceled vacations, Dean said, but some rental companies have moved guests to other properties.

Ocean Lakes has posted updates on Facebook, Twitter, a blog and its website in addition to directly emailing vacationers who are affected.

We explained that we know the timing is not ideal but we had no control over this, said campground spokeswoman Barb Krumm. The guests had a lot of concerns but we are just trying to make the best of it because we know how precious their vacation time is.

Many guests were worried about beach access but only about 20 percent of Ocean Lakes frontage will be affected at a time, she said.

The campground also offers earplugs to guests who complain about nighttime noise from heavy equipment back-up alarms and hydraulic pumps, which also cause vibrations, and will refund the difference to anyone who cuts their vacation short due to the construction.

Just a week after work started in mid-July, it stopped when the hose between the dredge and the beach ruptured, then repairs were delayed by bad weather.

After nine days, dredging resumed Aug. 4 but it was too late for Rita Mansfield, whose rental house was nearby.

A family vacation of a lifetime on the oceanfront became the disappointment of a lifetime, she wrote on Surfside Beachs Facebook page on Aug. 4. Our view was the construction equipment and huge pipes on the beach. The one night the pumps were working kept us up all night.

She wrote that the equipment and its noise scared her autistic grandson, who left the vacation early. Mansfield did not respond to a message seeking additional comment.

We get some queries about noise, said Glenn Jeffries, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers' Charleston District office, which includes Myrtle Beach. We know that there are going to be some inconveniences because the operation is 24-7, but its a short-term inconvenience for a long-term benefit.

Horry Countys beaches not only support the local economy but also help protect more than $3.7 billion in beachfront property and provide habitats for sea turtles, shore birds and other marine wildlife, according to the chamber.

A lot of times people dont understand that recreation is a great plus benefit, but thats not the purpose of the project, Jeffries said. Its really to provide storm damage reduction and to help protect people on the property behind the dunes. It does provide a wider beach, which people enjoy and thats great, but thats not the purpose of the project.

Even without the hurricane damage the area would have needed rehabilitation soon, Jeffries said. Beaches typically are renourished every decade, and the Grand Strandwas last built up in 2008.

The current phase is expected to be completed by the end of August, then the project moves back to the pier and goes south to Georgetown County, which will take about another month. In all, the Corps will put about 800,000 cubic yards of sand on 7 miles of beach.

The Army Corps of Engineers has created a map to track progress of the renourishment project on a real-time basis that can be found at http://www.sac.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/.

The North Myrtle Beach portion will start after that, pumping 400,000 cubic yards of sand on a 3-mile stretch. The city is kicking in an additional $1 million to rebuild its sand dunes.

Surfside Beach, Garden City and North Myrtle Beach received federal emergency beach rehabilitation funding in March for the work.

Beaches are the lifeblood of the Grand Strand, and theyve been hit hard over the past few years, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., said in a statement at the time. Rice worked with the Corps and the House Appropriations Committee to get the funding.

The project includes $21.5 million in federal money, $2.4 million from the state, $1.25 million from Horry County, $672,000 from Surfside Beach and $480,000 from Georgetown County.

Myrtle Beach, which secured $16 million in funding in May, will likely begin pumping sand to build up that area in the spring and finish before the 2018 tourist season. That citys funding will only cover about 65 percent of the project.

Swimming Advisory Lifted In Miami Beach – Patch.com

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Patch.com

Swimming Advisory Lifted In Miami Beach
Patch.com
MIAMI BEACH, FL The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County took another water sample in North Shore on Friday and lifted a swimming advisory for that part of Miami Beach on Saturday afternoon based on the results. The advisory was ...
Swimming advisories lifted for area beaches13newsnow.com
High Bacteria Levels At Port Stanley Little BeachBlackburnNews.com

all 4 news articles »

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Swimming Advisory Lifted In Miami Beach - Patch.com

6 best Amalfi Coast hotels with private beaches – ABC News

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

When you're picking a hotel along the Amalfi Coast, two common must-haves include cliffside accommodations with sea views and easy access to the beach.

Both are fortunately relatively easy to come by. But travelers should note that many hotels are set on public beaches that are often overcrowded, particularly in high season.

A private stretch of sand is far more ideal -- and staying at a luxury property isn't required. Read on for the best Amalfi Coast stays with private beaches across the board, no matter what your budget.

Guests hop aboard a funicular to get from this sprawling cliffside property to its private pebble beach -- and it's an Instagram-worthy ride. The four-pearl hotel, located just outside of Positano, offers dizzying sea views from its five levels, including all 55 of its guest rooms, many of which have balconies. There's a cascade of landscaped terraces with cafe tables, including one just above the water with a freeform pool and sundeck. The hotel has a restaurant set on the beach and a bar that will deliver drinks right to your lounge chair.

If you're looking for an affordable stay, and a private, sandy beach tops your must-have list, this hotel in Maiori fits the bill. The property is a bit of a throwback to 1950s -- it was formerly a lemon distillery used for making limoncello -- and depending on personal taste, decor is either fun and retro or dated. Either way, the wide sandy beach is a solid perk. Umbrellas and loungers are available to rent, and there are beautiful mountain views in the distance. The hotel also has a small but pleasant pool and a restaurant and bar that overlooks the sea.

This quiet, romantic hotel is another smart choice for a lodging with private beach access that won't break the bank. The hotel is built into a hillside, and Positano's village is only a 15-minute walk away along a picturesque path. Cheery orange and blue loungers line its pebble beach (available to rent for a nominal fee), where light fare and drinks are on offer from charming Bar Bagni Pupetto, with a thatched roof and colorful fairy lights. There's also a restaurant on site with sea views that serves pizza and local specialties, which gets high marks from guests.

Families with young children flock to this hotel, which has a private, sandy beach across the street. It's located in a quiet area outside the town of Salerno, and even in high season, the atmosphere at the property remains laid-back and relatively peaceful. There are plenty of umbrellas and loungers both at the beach and at its large pool, which has a swimming area for kids and a small playground on a grassy strip. The hotel also has a bar and casual open-air restaurant that serves pizza and traditional Campanian dishes prepared with local produce.

The private beach at this three-pearl hilltop hotel is its top feature, with loungers and blue-and-yellow umbrellas lined up on a good-size stretch of sand. There's a lively, though not chaotic vibe, even with the property being popular with families. All of the property's guest rooms have balconies with fantastic sea views, plus there are two on-site restaurants and a cool bar inside a cave.

This Relais & Chateaux hotel has an elevator to whisk you from the cliffs down to sea level, with a rock tunnel at its base leading to a cave that opens to the property's secluded private beach. There's only a small patch of rocky sand, with surfboards and kayaks lining the shore, but sunbathers can ease into one of the orange loungers set on a sleek outcrop. A casual eatery and bar with a thatched roof is off to one side and offers food and drink service. The setting feels exclusive, but not overly luxe, and it's ideal for those seeking an intimate hideaway. Other highlights include a spa, Michelin-starred restaurant, and a yacht for half- or full-day rental.

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6 best Amalfi Coast hotels with private beaches - ABC News

Moon on its way to the eclipse – EarthSky

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

This is a scene for the night between August 12 and 13, 2017 (Saturday and Sunday). Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

The image above is a scene for the night between August 12 and 13, 2017 (Saturday and Sunday).

The moon has eight-and-a-half days to go until its new phase the moment, this time, when it will stamp on the sun.

Each morning from now on, you could see it take one stride (of a bit less than an outstretched handspan) nearer to the sun. So you could each morning be up one hour later to see its dwindling crescent.

This morning, the Perseid meteors may still be streaking, 10 hours (at the time and place of our picture) after their presumed peak.

The later strides of the moon toward its appointment with the sun are shown in the detail below, from the sky-scene illustration in The Under-Standing of Eclipses.

Bottom line: Sky insights and charts from astronomer Guy Ottewell, related to August 21, 2017 eclipse.

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Moon on its way to the eclipse - EarthSky

‘Women computers’ often couldn’t use Harvard’s telescope. They changed astronomy anyway – The Boston Globe

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Photos of women computers Williamina Fleming (top left) and Henrietta Swan Leavitt.

In the 1800s, it was unseemly for women to search the night sky with male astronomers. Instead, they worked in the Harvard College Observatory as assistants.

Between 1875 and 1927, more than 80 women were employed at the observatory as so-called women computers, that is, women who performed scientific and mathematical calculations by hand.

For 25 to 30 cents an hour, their task was the meticulous study and care of black and white astronomical photographs of the night skies. In most images, the stars were tiny black dots on a white background.

Day in and day out, the women explored the cosmos without looking through a telescope. It was painstaking work. Using a simple magnifying glass, they studied the stars, work that eventually led to discovering their composition. Staring at these stellar clusters, chemically captured on glass plates, helped them gauge immense distances in space and measure the brightness of stars.

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Like the African-American women of the US space program depicted in Hidden Figures, they remained behind the scenes, holding stars in their hands.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Glass plates helped women computers gauge immense distances in space and measure the brightness of stars.

Not only did these glass plates change the study of science in general, said Lindsay Smith Zrull, curator of astronomical photographs at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, they changed who could do science.

Inside the archive, center staffers have been digitizing the collection of more than 500,000 stellar glass plates. There are three floors of metal closets that contain stacks of these images, spanning more than a century of sky gazing. But in the past year, the curator also unearthed 118 boxes of notes from the women computers.

Most of these boxes sat untouched in a depository for decades.

Now, in partnership with the Smithsonian Transcription Center, volunteers around the world are transcribing scribbled logbooks and research notes from the women computers as quickly as theyre scanned and uploaded.

The effort is called Project Phaedra, which stands for Preserving Harvards Early Data and Research in Astronomy. Phaedra is a character in Greek mythology. Her name was derived from the Greek word phaidros, which meant bright, said Daina Bouquin, head librarian at the John G. Wolbach Library in the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Its really important to bring to light what these women did, said Katie Frey, assistant head and digital technologies development librarian at the Wolbach Library. They made groundbreaking discoveries in astronomy. They really changed the course of astronomy.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Photos of women computers at Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Newspaper articles from the time considered the women a novelty at best with headlines such as: Brainy Boston Women Learn Skys Profoundest Secrets. But Edward Pickering, the director of the Harvard College Observatory in the late 1800s, knew better. It was his mission to hire an entire corps of women computers to conduct scientific work.

Much of the funding [for the original glass plate work] came from women, most of the work was done by women, Smith Zrull said. Which made it a very unusual collection, unusual workplace back in the late 1800s, early 1900s.

One of the earliest women computers, Annie Jump Cannon, kept detailed letters and scrapbooks of the time with prolific annotations. She classified hundreds of thousands of stars. And of that first generation of women, she was the only one allowed to use Harvards Great Refractor telescope.

Williamina Fleming emigrated to the United States with her husband from Scotland in December 1878. He abandoned her when she was pregnant. She began working as a housemaid under Pickering. In Scotland, shed been a school teacher and had a talent for numbers. Fleming soon became the head of the computers.

She discovered the Horsehead Nebula, a dark nebula in the constellation Orion, in 1888.

In 1899, [Fleming] was the first curator of astronomical photographs, said Maria McEachern, a reference librarian at the Wolbach Library. And the first woman at Harvard to attain a professional position.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered how to measure stellar distances by focusing on variable stars (that is, stars whose brightness fluctuates) in the large and small Magellanic Clouds, two dwarf galaxies. She discovered about 2,400 of them, plotting how light from the same star changed over time.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

A 1934 glass galaxy count plate negative at Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

How do you find a variable star? Smith Zrull said. What you have to do is look at every single plate in the same region of the sky and compare each and every single one of them from different dates.

Perhaps the best known woman in the field was Cecilia Payne, a scholar from England and a woman computer who discovered the composition of the stars, according to Dava Sobel, author of The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars.

The University of Cambridge would not accept a female PhD student. She later came to the Harvard College Observatory and, in 1925, earned a PhD in astronomy for her work. In the 1960s, Otto Struve, at one point the director of Yerkes Observatory in Chicago, called her dissertation on stellar atmospheres undoubtedly the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written in astronomy.

Regardless of whether or not these women made discoveries, research is research, said Bouquin. You shouldnt just forget about it because it got old. This was cutting-edge science at one point.

In photographs the women computers sit together in long dresses, posing for the cameras or holding hands outside the observatory where many of them spent much of their lives.

Fleming was known to get weekly massages for the shoulder pain she developed from leaning over the glass plates for hours at a time. In 1900, she wrote about it in a diary she kept that ended up in a time capsule that was buried to mark the century. In her diary, she also complained about her pay and wrote of her responsibilities as a single mother.

Somewhere along the line, the women computers notes on glass plates, logbooks, and achievements disappeared into obscurity.

Until now.

I am not an astronomer, Smith Zrull said. I am just very much inspired by women especially women who overcame all sorts of obstacles to make a place in their field or in the world. What makes me most passionate about this is that were giving them the credit they always deserved.

Harvard College Observatory, circa 1890

A group of women computers, directed by Williamina Fleming, back center standing.

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'Women computers' often couldn't use Harvard's telescope. They changed astronomy anyway - The Boston Globe

Local astronomy professionals, fans will travel the country for solar eclipse – Press of Atlantic City

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

How far will someone travel for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

When it comes to a total solar eclipse, the answer is pretty far.

The first total eclipse over the mainland United States since 1979 (and the first to be visible coast-to-coast since 1918) has many astronomers and fanatics in South Jersey getting ready to hit the road to witness the event in its totality.

The sun, moon and Earth will line up perfectly in the cosmos Aug. 21, turning the daytime sky dark for a few wondrous minutes. The total eclipses path crosses the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina.

There are an estimated 200 million people living within a days drive of the path. Paul Ostwald is one of them.

Ostwald, president of the South Jersey Astronomy Club, said he will be traveling Friday to Tennessee, where he will set up camp for the eclipse.

Ostwald said New Jersey residents will see only a partial eclipse about 75 percent and that the sky wont be as dark as it will be in the 14 states within the eclipses direct path.

He and his family are making a weeks vacation out of the trip, but Ostwald knows that the highlight will be next Mondays eclipse.

Its like a bucket list, he said. You ought to see one in your lifetime.

Ostwald gets excited describing what he has read about the process of a total solar eclipse: The moon covers the sun so quickly that the day appears to turn almost completely to night within a minute. The moon moves at more than 1,000 mph and temperatures drop 15 to 20 degrees, according to Ostwald. He will have a telescope and camera with him to capture the event.

Ive seen partial (eclipses), but never a total. Its something you only read about, Ostwald said.

Rich Dudek, of Asbury Park, comes down to South Jersey to take pictures of the moon. He will be traveling to the northern bank of the Missouri River in Columbia, Missouri, to capture a 360-degree pan of the eclipse.

Dudek will be shooting with multiple cameras, one on a 600mm telescope, another with a 200mm lens mounted on an equatorial head. Hell also have a high-definition camcorder with a GoPro mounted on a slow-panning head for the 360 view. Hell hook everything up to two golf-cart batteries to keep them running.

At 62, Dudek knows its now or never.

Im looking at pictures you see on the internet or in books. I just think it will be great with the darkness overcoming and the crickets, birds and clouds changing, Dudek said.

Harold Williams may have one of the best views, as he will be staying on the dead-center line of the eclipse in Nebraska. He has been planning the trip for more than a year.

Williams, of Galloway Township, plans to set up two video cameras one toward the shadow and one pointing away. He said he wont be taking photos, as he wants to experience the eclipse and not worry about the focus of a camera.

I can see it in my head and I know what to expect, but its like listening to a band play live as opposed to on TV: Yeah, its the same thing but its not, Williams said.

Local astronomy professionals, fans will travel the country for solar eclipse - Press of Atlantic City

Colorado Springs author relates account of eclipse that ‘changed astronomy’ – Colorado Springs Gazette

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

While looking forward to the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, take a look back.

Local science historian and Colorado Springs native Steve Ruskin on Sunday will be at the Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave., to discuss his new book, "America's First Great Eclipse." The account centers on the day in July 1878, when the moon momentarily covered the sun over the Rocky Mountains in an event that Ruskin argues "changed astronomy forever."

"I didn't think that much had happened in the history of science in Colorado," said Ruskin, who has previously authored a book on John Herschel's 1833 astronomical expedition in southern Africa. "I was happy to find out I was wrong."

"America's First Great Eclipse" tells of the phenomenon 139 years ago that made the Springs "overrun" with scientists and tourists from afar. Famed astronomer and physicist Samuel Langley was among those eager to witness the eclipse at a high elevation. His determination led him to the top of Pikes Peak.

In 1878, Colorado was 2 years old as a state, and the Springs was on its way to becoming the resort envisioned by Gen. William Jackson Palmer. Ruskin found that the buzz surrounding the total eclipse that year was not so different from that surrounding this upcoming one. A celestial show like this spanning coast to coast hasn't occurred in 99 years. While the Springs will experience a partial eclipse, many in town are planning to drive to Wyoming or Nebraska, among the states along the "path of totality" where minutes of complete darkness will descend on the afternoon.

Ruskin is scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. in the downtown library's Carnegie Room.

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Colorado Springs author relates account of eclipse that 'changed astronomy' - Colorado Springs Gazette

Perseids meteor shower: How and where to see tonight’s shooting stars – Irish Times

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Stars and meteor streaks are seen behind a medieval tombstone in a Bosnian village late on Friday. Photograph: Amel Emric/PA

Whether youre a budding astronomer equipped with binoculars and a telescope, a loved-up couple looking for a romantic way to spend a summer night or a family on a camping-holiday desperate for something to occupy the kids, tonights the night to look up and count those shooting stars.

On Saturday night, the skies above Ireland are set to be filled with thousands of shooting stars as the annual Perseids meteor shower reaches its peak. While this years display of night sky fireworks may be slightly obscured by a particularly bright moon, star gazers can still expect to see dozens of stars streaking across our skies.

The Perseids meteors, shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, stage their show every August and are among the brightest of all shooting stars. This year, as many as two of the streaking flashes of light may be visible every minute, given a good location and clear skies.

Because the moonlight is up youre probably as good watching in your backyard in the suburbs as you are in the countryside, said David Moore, chairman of Astronomy Ireland, adding that the best time to watch for stars would be between midnight and 4am on Sunday.

This year the moon will drown out the faint stars so instead of seeing one or two shooting stars every minute, you might only see half of this. The moonlight can create a haze and reduce the number of shooting stars you see.

Asked if he was expecting clear skies for the night, Mr Moore said Irish astronomers tend to ignore the forecast given the unpredictable nature of our weather. In this case cloud cover is what is important and its very difficult to predict cloud cover, it can vary from kilometre to kilometre.

He added that while the meteor shower will peak on Saturday night, its shooting star display will continue until at least Monday night.

Astronomy Ireland is calling on members of the public to count how many stars they see in a 15 minute period and email stars@astronomy.ie with their name, location and the night they watched the sky. There arent enough professional astronomers here to record the starts so its down to the general public to count every 15 minutes, said Mr Moore.

The meteors, mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, burn up as they hit the atmosphere at 58 km per second to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.

Seen from the Earth, the Perseids appear to originate from one place in the north-east known as the radiant which happens to be near the constellation Perseus.

Robin Scagell, vice president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, advises people not to look towards the radiant, but to direct your gaze in the opposite direction.

The Perseids can be very bright and often quite spectacular, said Mr Scagell. Some meteor showers are slow, but we are moving into the Perseid stream so they are coming at us quite swiftly. I think under good conditions you might see one or two a minute, probably more towards Sunday morning rather than Saturday.

The Perseids were the first meteor shower to be linked to a comet when astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli spotted their association with Swift-Tuttle in 1862.

The comet orbits the sun every 135 years. As the Earth crosses its orbit, it ploughs through some of the debris left by the icy object on previous visits. None of the particles are big enough to avoid destruction and reach the ground.

Additional reporting from PA

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Perseids meteor shower: How and where to see tonight's shooting stars - Irish Times

Elon Musk: Artificial intelligence presents ‘vastly more risk than North Korea’ – AOL

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Elon Musk tweeted some warnings about artificial intelligence on Friday night.

"If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea," Musk tweeted after his $1 billion startup, OpenAI, made a surprise appearance at a $24 million video game tournament Friday night, beating the world's best players in the video game, "Dota 2."

Musk claimed OpenAI's bot was the first to beat the world's best players in competitive eSports, but quickly warned that increasingly powerful artificial intelligence like OpenAI's bot which learned by playing a "thousand lifetimes" of matches against itself would eventually need to be reined in for our own safety.

"Nobody likes being regulated, but everything (cars, planes, food, drugs, etc) that's a danger to the public is regulated. AI should be too," Musk said in another tweet on Friday night.

RELATED: See North Korea's new weapons

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applauds during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Missiles are driven past the stand with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other high ranking officials during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

High ranking military officers cheer as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives for a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

People react as they march past the stand with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

TOPSHOT - Korean People's Army (KPA) tanks are displayed during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. / AFP PHOTO / Ed JONES (Photo credit should read ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers march on Kim Il-Sung squure during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. / AFP PHOTO / Ed JONES (Photo credit should read ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to people attending a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Military vehicles carry missiles with characters reading "Pukkuksong" during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Members of the Korean People's Army (KPA) ride on mobile missile launchers during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. / AFP PHOTO / Ed JONES (Photo credit should read ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

North Korean soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

An unidentified rocket is displayed during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. / AFP PHOTO / Ed JONES (Photo credit should read ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

People carry flags in front of statues of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung (L) and late leader Kim Jong Il during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

North Korean soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father, Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A soldier salutes from atop an armoured vehicle as it drives past the stand with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

North Korean soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

North Korean soldiers attend a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Attendees carry sheets in colours of the national flag of North Korea during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

North Korean soldiers, some of them on horses, march during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Civilian attendees watch North Korean soldiers marching during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

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Musk has previously expressed a healthy mistrust of artificial intelligence. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO warned in 2016 that, if artificial intelligence is left unregulated, humans could devolve into the equivalent of "house cats" next to increasingly powerful supercomputers. He made that comparison while hypothesizing about the need for a digital layer of intelligence he called a "neural lace" for the human brain.

"I think one of the solutions that seems maybe the best is to add an AI layer," Musk said. "A third, digital layer that could work well and symbiotically" with the rest of your body," Musk said during Vox Media's 2016 Code Conference in Southern California.

Nanotechnologists have already been working on this concept.

Musk said at the time: "If we can create a high-bandwidth neural interface with your digital self, then you're no longer a house cat."

Jillian D'Onfro contributed to this report.

NOW WATCH: This machine can produce 300 bricks a minute

The deep learning and artificial intelligence introductory bundle – Popular Science

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have recently been trading insults about each other's knowledge of AI. Before taking sides, you might want to learn the technology for yourself. The Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence Introductory Bundle helps you build your own intelligent programs through four premium courses. You can start learning now for just $39 via the Popular Science Shop.

Self-driving cars and voice assistants are only scratching the surface of what artificial intelligence can do. Before long, AI will be an essential feature in every device, app and website. This bundle helps you get ahead of the curve and gain valuable skills.

Inspired by the human brain, deep learning allows software to learn from its own mistakes and observations. To develop this kind of artificial intelligence, you need a working knowledge of data science. This bundle covers both topics through hands-on video tutorials, and you learn how to code with Python. Aside from the tech sector, these skills are highly valuable in business, finance, and marketing.

They're normally $480, but you can get these courses now for just $39.

See the article here:

The deep learning and artificial intelligence introductory bundle - Popular Science

This Elon Musk-Backed Startup Just Used AI to Defeat a Pro Gamer – Fortune

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Artificial intelligence took a step forward last night, at an annual tournament for players of the tactical wargame Defense of the Ancients 2. A bot created by the Elon Musk-backed nonprofit OpenAI defeated champion human player Danylo Dendi Ishutin in two back to back demonstration matches.

Musk hailed the achievement on Twitter, saying that it was a significant advance over what AI had accomplished in more traditional games .

Defense of the Ancients 2 commonly referred to as DOTA 2 is whats known as a multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA. Players control one of dozens of different characters with varying abilities, and compete to collect items and control territory. Its currently one of the most popular games from Valve, the publisher that organized last nights event, and one of the most popular competitive e-sports games worldwide.

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AI developers have recently shown that computers can dominate the best human players in Go and chess. But DOTA 2 has far more variables and possible board states than even Go, meaning decision-making is much more complex. The game also takes place in real time rather than discrete turns.

The bot's victory, then, adds up to more than just fun and games. OpenAI describes it as "a step towards building AI systems which accomplish well-defined goals in messy, complicated situations involving real humans." That includes applications like delivery routing, strategic planning, and traffic management.

According to The Verge, last nights demonstration did reduce some of the games complexity. Perhaps most significantly, while Ishutin was defeated in a 1-on-1 match, DOTA 2 is normally played by opposing teams of five players each. OpenAI says it plans to continue developing its software so it can play full-scale matches.

It might seem odd that Elon Musk would sponsor AI development at all, since hes been vocal about the threat he thinks the technology poses to humanity. But OpenAI is aimed at building safe AI and influencing the conditions under which AI is created potentially by helping Musk push for greater regulation of the technology.

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This Elon Musk-Backed Startup Just Used AI to Defeat a Pro Gamer - Fortune

Mattis: Pentagon should leverage artificial intelligence – Axios

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Airbnb has cancelled several reservations made by those planning to attend the rally, telling NBC29, "When throughout background check processes or from input of our community we identify and determine that there are those who would be pursuing behavior on the platform that would be antithetical to the Airbnb Community Commitment, we seek to take appropriate action including, as in this case, removing them from the platform."

Members of anti-fascist and anti-racist groups were also on the scene last night and several fights broke out at the foot of the Thomas Jefferson statue. Police broke up the fights and sent protestors away. Witnesses on twitter and in live YouTube videos claimed that chemicals were dispersed.

Last night's march was sparked by a federal judge ruling that the Unite the Right rally could go on in Emancipation park as planned, according to Fox News. City officials had announced earlier this week that the protest must be moved to a different park further from the downtown area as they expect thousands of protestors to show up. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia and Rutherford Institute, filed an injunction early Friday, demanding that the rally continue as planned and won.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has ordered members of the National Guard to be on standby at the event today, and declared a state of emergency after things turned violent. He said in a statement, "Men and women from state and local agencies will be in Charlottesville [on Saturday] to keep the public safe, and their job will be made easier if Virginians, no matter how well-meaning, elect to stay away from the areas where this rally will take place."

Sounds familiar: The KKK held a similar, torch-bearing protest in the beginning of July, which was met with 1,000 counter protestors and resulted in 23 arrests.

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Mattis: Pentagon should leverage artificial intelligence - Axios

Syrian army supported by Russia’s Aerospace Forces doubles liberated territory – TASS

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Syrian government troops supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces have recaptured from militants twice as much territory over the past two months as the area controlled by the Syrian government in 2015, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

"The Syrian armys achievements are really impressive. Over the past two months, it has liberated the area larger than the one controlled by the Syrian government at the time when (the Russian Aerospace Forces) began their operations there. That is, we actually more than doubled it, I mean, the Syrian army supported by us," he said.

The Russian Aerospace Forces operation in Syria began on September 30, 2015, at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. On March 14, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to begin the withdrawal of the bulk of Russian forces from Syria, as, according to the Russian leader, the Russian Defense Ministrys tasks had been accomplished, by and large.

Head of the Russian General Staffs Main Operations Department Sergei Rudskoi said at the end of July that the Syrian army now controls 74,200 square meters, whereas prior to the beginning of the Russian Aerospace Forces operation in September 2015, government troops controlled slightly more than 19,000 square meters of the countrys territory.

In other media

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Syrian army supported by Russia's Aerospace Forces doubles liberated territory - TASS

Indiana aerospace takes off – Greensburg Daily News

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Indiana is perhaps best known for its Hoosier hospitality and endless fields of corn. Few know the state is also home to a thriving aerospace industry. Thats right - rockets.

In 2016, Indiana was ranked sixth in the nation as one of the most attractive states for aerospace manufacturing, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. Just one year before, it was ranked 18th.

It is an under-recognized, maybe underappreciated, sector of Indianas economy, said Ryan Metzing, executive director of the Indiana Aerospace & Defense Council.

Aerospace, as defined by Metzing, is a broad industry comprised of companies that design, manufacture or service various types of aircraft. Aerospace technologies range from military to commercial use, developing drones, aircraft and satellites.

Statewide, were seeing growth, he said. I think the commercial aerospace aviation sector is doing really well. That sector is projecting huge growth over the next 10 years or so.

With aircraft orders lined up for the next decade, Metzing believes Indianas aerospace industry is poised for success.

I think a lot of it has to do with some of the investment that had been going on here, he added. All of the deals over the past three or four years brought in more than $1 billion of investment in Indiana.

Rolls-Royce and Alcoa, two of the states largest aerospace companies, made significant investments in 2015. Rolls-Royce dedicated $600 million for redevelopment at its Indianapolis location, while Alcoa doubled its capacity after starting construction on a new jet engine parts facility in La Porte.

Collectively, the companies employ almost 9,000 Hoosiers. Many of those, Metzing noted, are experienced manufacturers.

Indiana has the strongest manufacturing workforce per capita in the nation - more than 17 percent, he said. When you take how strong we are in manufacturing in general, and then marry that with some of these major aerospace investments - that helped to boost our ranking.

New frontiers

Anderson inventor Pete Bitar isnt surprised Indiana is ranked so high on the list. Bitar created AirBuoyant, an aerospace company that specializes in personal flight. In his 11 years of experience, hes watched Indianas aerospace industry transform.

Were starting to see things like Amazon delivering packages with drones, electric vehicles that you fly in an urban environment, Bitar said. Youre seeing these new frontiers develop based on the new technologies and capabilities from the market today that werent there five to seven years ago.

But Bitar isnt completely satisfied with Indianas recent success.

We dont have a lot of headquartered aerospace companies in Indiana, he pointed out. Thats the challenge looking forward. And Im hoping in some small way I can contribute to that.

Though his local business is small, Bitar hopes he can be an example to prove its possible to come up with innovative ideas and keep them close to home.

Were developing an electric jet pack for personal flight that you can wear and fly around in, with no fuel, he said. If we can develop what Im developing and manufacturing here in Madison County, that can then be applied to other companies and other ideas coming through in the aerospace field.

Metzing agreed - having a diverse aerospace industry across the state will be beneficial in the long run, no matter the companys size.

It provides a nice opportunity to grow some of those smaller communities, Metzing said, if we can get the aerospace companies to continue their growth.

Contact Katie Stancombe at 765-648-4258 or katie.stancombe@indianamediagroup.com.

Originally posted here:

Indiana aerospace takes off - Greensburg Daily News

Western Canada will Benefit from Strategic Investments in the … – Markets Insider

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

More than $320,000 in funding from the Government of Canada will support five Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) activities.

ABBOTSFORD, BC, August 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Western Economic Diversification Canada

Companies in western Canada's aerospace and defence sector will benefit from vital networking opportunities with national and international organizations at the 2017 Aerospace, Defence & Security Expo (ADSE). The connections established with the key industry players attending ADSE will help Canadian businesses create well-paying middle class jobs and increase targeted skills development in Western Canada.

ADSE 2017 is supported by $75,000 in funding from the Government of Canada. This is part of more than $320,000 from the Government to support Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) activities in 2017 and 2018.

Today's funding was announced by the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible forWestern Economic Diversification Canada(WD) during his keynote address at the Expo.

This latest investment also supported the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada National Research Forum's Aerospace Meeting on Super Clusters on August 8th and 9th. Project funding also enabled AIAC to establish a western Canadian presence at a series of international events, which included the 2017 Paris Airshow in June, as well as events in 2018 such as the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance Annual Conference, Farnborough International Airshow and ADSE 2018.

This investment is delivered through the Western Diversification Program, WD's main program for making strategic investments in initiatives with not-for-profit organizations that enhance and strengthen the economy of Western Canada.

Quotes

"Western Canada has an innovative and dynamic aerospace, defence and security sector, and events like ADSE are an excellent opportunity to showcase these talents. The Government of Canada is committed to the development and commercialization of technologies that will make Canadian businesses internationally competitive, while creating jobs and growth within Western Canada." - The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada

"I have seen firsthand the innovative edge Canadian companies are bringing to our Canadian Armed Forces capabilities. Our government is proud to support the sector's highly skilled workforce continue to produce quality services and products." - The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence

Quick Facts

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter: @WD_Canada WD Homepage WD Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-WEST (9378) TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

SOURCE Western Economic Diversification Canada

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Western Canada will Benefit from Strategic Investments in the ... - Markets Insider

Weekend Adventure: The Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center – WZZM

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Weekend Adventure: A day at the Air Zoo

Meredith TerHaar, WZZM 12:17 PM. EDT August 12, 2017

PORTAGE, MICH. - At the Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Center, just outside of Kalamazoo, you can soar through clouds into an experience on par with some of the best air and space museums in the country.

"We've got some incredible artifacts, some airplanes that are the only one of their kind in the world like the SR 71 Blackbird. So many historic aircraft and spacecraft," said Troy Thrash, the President and CEO of the Air Zoo. "We're also all about STEAM, science, technology, engineering, art and math. We want to bring the science and technology of this spacecraft to life for kids."

And there's no shortage of fun, the Air Zoo has incredible rides include 3D flight simulators that kids of all ages have the opportunity to take advantage of. Thrash says that every single square-inch of the Air Zoo is not only fun, but educational too.

"We have a space area that traces human space flight, primarily in the United States, but also around the world," Thrash explained. "Just the idea that in 50 years we went from finally sending some satellites into orbit to landing on the moon and returning."

This summer the Air Zoo has an exciting exhibit called Aliens and Androids. The exhibit focuses on how we have "robotically explored our solar system," as well asthinking about the planets that we discover and what those alien worlds might really be like.

"It's done in a really cool pop culture kind of way," Thrash said. "So, you can visit C3PO and R2D2." The Aliens and Androids exhibit will run until September 10.

The Air Zoo also has a restoration area -- currently two World War II air crafts that were on the bottom of Lake Michigan are being restored, and you can help. The Air Zoo allows visitors to help with sanding or turning rivets so that you're able to say you worked on an airplane from the 1940s.

If you want to take flight yourself, the Wanda Wright team offers rides in their bi-plane for an additional cost. The experience comes complete with the suggested attire: an old fashioned flying helmet and goggles.

It's safe to say the Air Zoo surpasses expectations.

"I think this place is fabulous," said Art Hennessey. "I'm surprised more people do not know about all of these. It's educational, its awesome. They've got the rides for the kids and I just learned of this today and I'm going to put this all over social media.

"The Star Wars, the androids, the planes, the baskets for the balloons and I'm not even halfway through it yet. This is incredible."

To celebrate the Aliens and Androids exhibit, the Air Zoo is hosting an Intergalactic Prom on Sept. 9. For more information about that, as well as the Air Zoo's hours and ticket information, click here.

Makeit easy to keep up to date with more stories like this.Download theWZZM13 app now.

Have a news tip? Emailnews@wzzm13.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter.

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Weekend Adventure: The Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center - WZZM

Aerospace and Defense ETFs Soar Amid Rising North Korea Tensions – Nasdaq

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Danzig

Defense stocks have been rising with escalation of tensions between the US and North Korea, while the broader stock rally has stalled. Raytheon ( RTN ), Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) and Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) hit record highs after President warned North Korea against making any more threats to the US.

Trump said North Korea faces 'fire and fury like the world has never seen before" and the rogue nation responded by threatening to launch a missile strike on Guam.

The sentiment for Aerospace & Defense stocks improves with rising geopolitical tensions. They surged after US missile strikes on Syria. And, that is one of main reasons why these stocks performed well in the last few years, despite defense budget cuts in the US and Europe.

Many developing countries including India, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Brazil have increased their defense spending over the past few years. Of late, Japan and South Korea have also boosted their defense spending in response to increased military spending by China. Trump's budget proposals call for a boost in US defense spending, which would be positive for these stocks.

Most aerospace & defense companies reported excellent earnings for Q2 and have seen continued positive momentum in earnings estimates. Aerospace & Defense ETFs have significantly outperformed the broader market this year.

To learn more about top ranked Aerospace & Defense ETFs--the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF ( ITA ) , the SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF ( XAR ) and the PowerShares Aerospace & Defense Portfolio ( PPA ) , please watch the short video above.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.

It's not the one you think.

See This Ticker Free >>

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Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC): Free Stock Analysis Report

Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report

Raytheon Company (RTN): Free Stock Analysis Report

ISHARS-US AEROS (ITA): ETF Research Reports

SPDR-SP AER&DEF (XAR): ETF Research Reports

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Aerospace and Defense ETFs Soar Amid Rising North Korea Tensions - Nasdaq

Mulhall column: It’s just a bridge, but if it could snicker … – Glenwood Springs Post Independent

Posted on August 12, 2017 by ev1

In a recent Roaring Fork Swap post, a local proposed an idea: On the morning of Aug. 14, valley residents gather on the north side of the Grand Avenue bridge and walk across together one last time never mind demolition may have already commenced.

It's hard for me to get that sentimental about a functionally obsolete structure built in 1953. If I consider the years between '66, when my parents drove us across the bridge to start a life in Glenwood Springs, and now, the bridge is no more than a passive bystander.

It certainly was no active participant. Among the hazier memories of my youth, during the time of ping-pong ball drops and fishing derbies, one guy kept a dirt airstrip west of town. His reputation as a gadfly preceded him, but even before the days of strict FAA oversight no one took seriously his boast that he could fly his plane under the bridge.

Until he did.

The story fascinated me whenever I overheard it. Parents would assume hushed tones and drop the subject if we came around, perhaps to avoid planting bad seeds.

No one blamed the bridge.

But the bridge's indifference to questionable pilot judgment was perhaps outdone by its agnosticism toward pre-adolescent child development.

Sometime later, as if to take on the square peg through the round hole challenge, CDOT converted the spacious two-lane bridge into the cozy four-lane thoroughfare we enjoy today, and in so doing significantly extended the perimeter of my childhood independence. My bridge crossing ticket got punched when the "new" cantilevered walkway made vehicle/bicycle encounters less probable.

With this freedom, I spent a lot more time with a north sider buddy of mine. When we weren't building forts on Iron Mountain, we were learning to stick throwing knives into trees, biking the marauding black bird gauntlet on Sixth above the Hot Springs shielded by tennis racquets and catcher's masks or camouflaging fresh neighborhood dog turds with grass to trick unwary passersby.

One day my friend's neighbor, a boy some years our senior, gave us a prophylactic along with a self-aggrandizing speech on its intended use. Puzzled by his presentation, we did what any industrious pair of 10-year-olds would do: We made it into a water balloon.

As soon as we strapped the contraceptive to the garden hose, we discovered to our mutual delight that a rubber holds more water than any ordinary balloon by gallons, so many in fact that despite our best efforts, we couldn't lift it. Undaunted, we drained it, got a wheelbarrow from the garage and filled it up again, this time in the bed.

As we tied it off, we quickly realized we could not throw what we could not lift, even if we had overcome immobility. After considerable chin rubbing, we developed a plan that marshaled gravity to solve propulsion.

It took us both to wheel the blubbering payload along the alleys between Laurel and Pine with several rest breaks along the way. In those days, traffic was sparse enough that we were able to make it to the crest of the bridge's walkway unimpeded if not unnoticed.

Once there, it was all we could do to tilt the massive projectile through the walkway railing and watch it splash down unceremoniously in the Colorado. We thought it cool, even if no one but us had seen it.

As the '60s gave way to the '70s, Glenwood's muscle car era commenced, and the bridge stood through that epoch without so much as an approving grin or snide remark.

High schoolers drove Camaros, GTOs, Challengers and Firebirds. It wasn't "American Graffiti." It wasn't even close. But it was growing up in Glenwood Springs.

Pizza Inn became the de facto south-side turnaround, while on the north side you had two options: go under the bridge via Seventh and get back on Grand, or go over the bridge and circle the Hot Springs.

My initial foray into the driving fray was short-lived. I started driving my parents' '66 Ford Mustang, a feisty white coupe with a red interior and a 289 V8.

About three months into my sophomore year, I mashed the accelerator turning south on the bridge. As the dutiful little car hit 40, I spotted a GSPD cruiser coming at me headed north.

I learned that day it is possible for a trained professional to make a U turn on the bridge, and for the next six months I drove the green Schwinn 10-speed I got for my 13th birthday.

Looking back, I drove over the bridge on my way to work at The House of Nine Dragons. I drove over the bridge on the way to my first prom. I drove over the bridge when I left for college, and again when I returned from graduate school.

The bridge has been around for all our comings and goings, really, and for those of our parents and children, as well.

But it's still just a bridge.

It makes me wonder about what all the new bridge will be around for before it comes down.

Mitch Mulhall is a longtime valley resident. His column appears on the second Friday of each month.

How well do you know your suburb? – Newcastle Herald

Posted on August 12, 2017 by ev1

How well do you know where you live?

Are your neighbours likely to be young or old? Single or with kids? Renting or paying off a home? Born overseas or in Australia?

Take our seven-question quiz and find out. And if you get stuck try again, you'll getdifferent questions each time. There are also some hints below.

Enter the name of your suburb.

Once you have your score youcan compare your resultwith other people from your area.

The quiz covers almost every one of Australia's 15,000-plus suburbs. The only ones not included are those with tiny populations.

Oceania includes Australia, Papua New Guinea New Zealand and Pacific Islands such as Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga.

The Americas includes North and South America.

Family households include any home that consists of a couple or some dependent children. For example, a family household can be a married couple without kids, a same-sex couple living together, a single parent looking after their two children, or a blended household with step parentsand stepchildren.

Christianitytakes in all denominations such as Catholicism, Protestantism and Seventh Day Adventism.

No Religion includes Agnosticism, Atheism and secular beliefs such as Rationalism and Humanism.

The data used in this quiz comes from the2016 Census.

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How well do you know your suburb? - Newcastle Herald

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