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Oregon House OKs reproductive health care bill for women – The Register-Guard

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

SALEM The Oregon House engaged in a rare and often somber floor debate on abortion Saturday, as majority Democrats passed a womens health care bill.

House Bill 3391 requires Oregon insurers to cover many reproductive health services for women, including abortion, without charging them any out-of-pocket expense. It also extends the same coverage to unauthorized immigrants, at a two-year cost to the state of $10.2 million.

The controversial bill passed on a largely party-line 33-23 vote, after several hours of debate.

All House Republicans voted no, joined by Rep. John Lively, a Springfield Democrat.

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Williamson of Portland said the policy would mean healthier individuals and healthier families.

The amount of money a person makes should not determine their access to health care, she said.

Added Rep. Julie Fahey, a Eugene Democrat and bill chief sponsor: Health care is a basic human right.

But the bill provoked an emotional response from House Republicans, many of whom are personally opposed to abortion.

Rep. Andy Olson, an Albany Republican, recounted the story of his granddaughter, born premature at 25 weeks. The girl died as an infant. Near tears, he said that child was a whole little girl, yet could have been legally aborted under Oregon law. I cant reconcile in my mind how anyone who has a walk with God, can support this, he said, slamming his hand on his desk. I just cant get there with you.

In addition to abortion, the bill requires insurers to provide free services for women that include: birth control; prenatal and postpartum care; screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, cervical and breast cancer; breastfeeding support and supplies; counseling for domestic violence victims; and tobacco cessation.

In a concession by Democrats, religious employers would be exempt from having to provide health plans with abortion or contraceptive coverage. And one major insurer in Oregon, Providence, a Catholic organization, successfully lobbied to be removed from the requirement as well. Providence covers around 260,000 Oregonians.

The bill grants similar health and reproductive services to unauthorized immigrant women who would otherwise qualify for the coverage under the Oregon Health Plan, the states version of Medicaid, because of their low income.

OHA estimates almost 23,000 authorized immigrants would receive such services during the next two years, costing the state $10.2 million. Of that, an estimated $500,000 would cover abortions for those women.

Rep. Duane Stark, a Grants Pass Republican, said he could feel rage coming up through (his) neck when he thought about taxpayer dollars paying for those abortions. These little humans have a heartbeat 18 days after conception, he said. Science clearly shows that life begins in the womb.

But House Democrats refused to be drawn into a dragged-out fight about abortion, with only three of their 35 present members speaking up on the bill at all.

Frustrated moderate Republicans, meanwhile, said the bill would heighten partisan tensions in the final days of session. Rep. Knute Buehler, a Bend Republican and likely gubernatorial candidate, said that hes personally pro-abortion. But he voted no on the bill, in part because of its cost.

Democrats, he said, are play(ing) politics with an issue thats deeply personal.

But the Oregon Pro-Choice Coalition said in a press release that the bill will ensure that every Oregonian can decide when and whether to become a parent regardless of income, type of insurance, citizenship status or gender identity.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

Follow Saul on Twitter @SaulAHubbard . Email saul.hubbard@registerguard.com .

Researchers build SEQSpark to analyze massive genetic data sets – Medical Xpress

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

June 30, 2017

Uncovering rare susceptibility variants that contribute to the causes of complex diseases requires large sample sizes and massively parallel sequencing technologies. These sample sizes, often made up of exome and genome data from tens to hundreds of thousands of individuals, are often too large for current analytical tools to process. A team at Baylor College of Medicine, led by Dr. Suzanne Leal, professor of molecular and human genetics, has developed new software called SEQSpark to overcome this processing obstacle. A study on the new technology appears in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

"To handle these large data sets, we built the SEQSpark tool based on the commonly used Spark program, which allows SEQSpark to utilize multiple processing platforms to increase the speed and efficiency of performing data quality control, annotation and rare variant association analysis," Leal said.

To test and validate the versatility and speed of SEQSpark, Leal and her team analyzed benchmarks from the whole genome sequence data from the UK10K, testing specifically for waist-to-hip ratios.

"The analysis and related tasks took about one and a half hours to complete, in total. This includes loading the data, annotation, principal components analysis and single and rare variant aggregate association analysis for the more than 9 million variants present in this sample set," explained Di Zhang, a postdoctoral associate in the Leal lab at Baylor and first author on the paper.

To evaluate SEQSpark's performance in a larger data set, Leal and the research team generated 50,000 simulated exomes. The SEQSprak program ran the analysis for a quantitative trait using several variant aggregate association methods in an hour and forty-five minutes.

When compared to other variant association tools, SEQSpark was consistently faster, reducing computation to a hundredth of the time in some cases.

"What is unique about SEQSpark is that it is scalable, and smaller labs can run it without super specific hardware, and it can also be run in a multi-server environment to increase its speed and capacity for large genetic data sets," Zhang said. "It is ideal for large-scale genetic epidemiological studies and is highly efficient from a computational standpoint."

"We see this software as being very useful as the demand for the analysis of massively parallel sequence data grows. SEQSpark is highly versatile, and as we analyze increasingly large sets of rare variant data, it has the potential to play a key role in furthering personalized medicine," Leal said.

In the future, Leal and her team will continue to test and increase SEQSpark's capabilities and will be analyzing soon data sets that have 500,000 samples or more.

Explore further: Genetic test for familial data improves detection genes causing complex diseases such as Alzheimer's

More information: Di Zhang et al. SEQSpark: A Complete Analysis Tool for Large-Scale Rare Variant Association Studies using Whole-Genome and Exome Sequence Data, The American Journal of Human Genetics (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.05.017

A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has developed a family-based association test that improves the detection in families of rare disease-causing variants of genes involved in complex conditions such as Alzheimer's. ...

Precision medicine, which utilizes genetic and molecular techniques to individually tailor treatments and preventative measures for chronic diseases, has become a major national project, with President Obama launching the ...

A multi-institutional team of researchers has sequenced the DNA of 6,700 exomes, the portion of the genome that contains protein-coding genes, as part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded Exome Sequencing ...

(Medical Xpress)Via genetic analysis, a large international team of researchers has found rare, damaging gene variants that they believe contribute to the risk of a person developing schizophrenia. In their paper published ...

Human genome sequencing costs have dropped precipitously over the last few years, however the analytical ability to meet the growing demand for making sense of large data sets remains as a bottleneck. With the introduction ...

Researchers at EMBL-EBI have developed a new approach to studying the effect of multiple genetic variations on different traits. The new algorithm, published in Nature Methods, makes it possible to perform genetic analysis ...

Following up on findings from a an earlier genome-wide association study (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Latinos, researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) traced ...

Although the basic outlines of human hearing have been known for years - sensory cells in the inner ear turn sound waves into the electrical signals that the brain understands as sound - the molecular details have remained ...

Using a new skin cell model, researchers have overcome a barrier that previously prevented the study of living tissue from people at risk for early heart disease and stroke. This research could lead to a new understanding ...

The first results from a functional genetic catalogue of the laboratory mouse has been shared with the biomedical research community, revealing new insights into a range of rare diseases and the possibility of accelerating ...

Whole genome sequencing involves the analysis of all three billion pairs of letters in an individual's DNA and has been hailed as a technology that will usher in a new era of predicting and preventing disease. However, the ...

Researchers have found that genes for coronary heart disease (CAD) also influence reproduction, so in order to reproduce successfully, the genes for heart disease will also be inherited.

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Researchers build SEQSpark to analyze massive genetic data sets - Medical Xpress

Why does your dog hate Fourth of July fireworks? It’s genetic – The Missoulian

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

At Jacobs Island Dog Park on Wednesday afternoon, Laura Tonnessen threw a stick into the river for her dog Thor. He barked enthusiastically, retrieving and dropping the stick at her feet. But in a few days, on the Fourth of July, Tonnessen knows Thors demeanor will change. The loud fireworks frighten him.

Hell hide behind furniture and act weird and whine, Tonnessen said.

Last year, Tonnessens friends pitbull, Cracker, ran away and was lost for three days because he was spooked by loud fireworks. It was traumatic to lose him for so long, Tonnessen said, and she makes sure to keep Thor inside on the holiday to prevent him from running away, too.

Michael Edwards, a student at the University of Montana, said his 130-pound great Pyrenees, Snowy, climbs into the bathtub, pulls the shower curtain closed with her mouth, and howls until the thunder storm or fireworks end.

If shes outside, she runs. They once found her about seven miles from their house, trying to escape the source of the noise. Animal shelters report that July 4-5 are their busiest days of the year.

When dogs bark, flee or cower on the Fourth of July, they are exhibiting symptoms of a panic disorder called noise phobia.

Fireworks and other loud noises terrify a fraction of all dogs, and their reactions sometimes endanger their health. Dogs may jump through windows, climb fences or run away for days to try to escape the sounds of patriotic celebration.

This phobia, which is a symptom of underlying anxiety issues, has recently been linked to a certain gene in dogs, says Dr. Leticia Fanucchi, a veterinary behaviorist at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Some dogs are more genetically predisposed to anxiety disorders, Fanucchi said, just like humans.

The area that is activated in our brain for fear is the amygdala, and the amygdala can be triggered long before the prefrontal cortex can process information, Fanucchi said.

Its like people who suffer from arachnophobia even if you explain that the spider won't hurt them, it activates the amygdala and makes them panic.

The amygdala is where irrational fears trigger a fight, flight or freeze response, while the prefrontal cortex controls reason and rational decision-making. Dogs panic at the sound of fireworks because they think their lives are at risk, even if they are safe at home.

Fanucchi said not all breeds of dogs carry this anxiety gene, and some are more prone to it than others. Within one breed, a dog could have the anxiety gene while another might not. This explains why some dogs dont react at all to loud noises. Those that do are typically anxious about other things, as well.

What we do know is that a good chunk of the dogs that have noise phobia do have generalized anxiety as an underlying disease, Fanucchi said. About 40 percent of the dogs that have generalized anxiety have noise phobia. So noise phobia is a big red flag that something else is going on with that dog, and it needs to be diagnosed and treated appropriately.

For this Fourth of July, its too late to start a long-term medication regimen to treat anxiety because medications typically take a few weeks to become effective, Fanucchi said. But there are other, short-term practices that can minimize dogs anxiety and keep them safe.

Creating a quiet and distracting setting for dogs can help them stay calm, said Emily Adamson, director of Organizational Advancement at the Humane Society of Western Montana. Scent therapy, like lavender spray, is popular for calming dogs, Adamson said.

Food toys and soft music (they play classical at the shelter) help distract the dogs from the source of their fear. For people who do take their dogs outside, Adamson recommends double-checking their ID tags to make sure the information is current, in case the dogs run away.

And then, theres the Thundershirt.

Dr. Lindsey Rewinkel at Pruyn Veterinary Hospital in Missoula said Thundershirts are available at pet stores and some veterinary hospitals, and serve as a dog anxiety vest.

Its a heavy fabric fashioned into a shirt that you wrap them in, Rewinkel said. Its not quite as severe as a swaddle, but the goal is to make them feel comforted. That has helped an incredible amount of dogs cope with noise phobias if they're not as severe.

Finally, there are medications vets can prescribe that sedate dogs and minimize their anxiety symptoms on the Fourth of July if none of these other practices work. Rewinkel said she always urges people to also treat the underlying anxiety issue with long-term behavioral therapy, and not just resort to medication, which can serve as a Band-Aid solution to a larger problem.

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Why does your dog hate Fourth of July fireworks? It's genetic - The Missoulian

The race to revive woolly mammoths using ancient DNA – CBS News

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Like "Jurassic Park," what if you could use the science of DNA to resurrect long-extinct creatures that once roamed the earth?

Efforts to do that are actually underway.

Led by Dr. George Church "the Einstein of our times," according to author Ben Mezrich a lab at Harvard Medical School is working on bringing back the woolly mammoth through genetic engineering.

The process is detailed in Mezrich's new book, "Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures," published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster which is a division of CBS. It's also being made into a movie.

"The woolly mammoths are coming up out of the ice. So the permafrost that is slowly getting warmer, these bodies are coming out and they're taking the genetic material and then they are synthesizing it and they're placing [it] into the cells of an Asian elephant so that an Asian elephant gives birth to a woolly mammoth," Mezrich said on "CBS This Morning: Saturday." "So essentially, you're recreating the mammoth using its relative that still exists today."

Mezrich likened the permafrost to "the ring of the world."

CBS News

"It's like a ticking time bomb. It contains within it more carbon than if we burned all the forests on Earth three times," Mezrich said. "And these Russian scientists, the Zimovs, have shown since the 80s that if you repopulate it with herbivores from the Pleistocene era -- and they're using tanks to mimic woolly mammoths and they're putting bison there -- they've managed to lower the temperature of the tundra by 15 degrees. So the goal is to put a herd of woolly mammoths in Siberian tundra to keep the permafrost from melting."

Mezrich said the woolly mammoths will help the world in an out-of-the-box way.

"I mean, elephants don't get cancer, which is very strange. Elephants have thousands and thousands of more cells than us. And why they don't get cancer is in their genes. If we can figure that out, we can use this genetic engineering to solve cancer," he said.

The author also addressed the ethical concerns related to these types of genetic engineering practices.

"The idea of playing God, the idea of making a mistake, of letting something out of the lab, these things come up. And that's why you need responsible scientists. Dr. George Church is an incredibly good person and you need people like that doing this because this box is open. The Pandora's box of this technology is here," Mezrich said. "There are labs all over the world not just making woolly mammoths but doing things that 10 years from now are going to have huge repercussions. So we want responsible scientists doing this."

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The race to revive woolly mammoths using ancient DNA - CBS News

Scientists Want to Genetically Engineer Heat-Resistant Cows to Survive Climate Change – Futurism

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

In Brief A federal grant has enabled researchers to investigate what makes the Brangus cow so effective at body temperature regulation. Due to climate change, high temperatures have made trouble for cows, leading to decreased efficiency and quality in agriculture. Can Cows Take the Heat?

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has proposed a plan to make cowsmore resistant to the temperature increase caused by global warming. The proposal has received a three-year, $733,000 federal grant.

The scientists plan aimsto retain the quality meat cows provide whileincreasing the efficiency of the process in spite of a changing climate. The first step is conducting research on cows that already handle the heat pretty well. By studying theBrangus cow, researchers hope to identify how it regulates its body temperature, which allows it thrive in hotter climates. Once identified, researchers could usea gene editing tooltogive thatability to other breeds.

Dr Rachel Mateescu, associate professor in the UF/IFAS department of animal sciences, told Digital Trends:

Heat stress is a principal factor limiting production of animal protein and negatively affecting health and welfare of cattle in subtropical and tropical regions, and its impact is expected to increase dramatically due to climate change [] the ability to cope with heat stress is imperative to enhance productivity of the U.S. livestock industry and secure global food supplies.

That a venture like this received funding is a sign of two things that many in the scientific community have been well aware of, but that they may not have yet connected:the rate at which the climate is changing, and the potential of gene editing software.

Climate change isfundamentally changing our world.Its even changingthe genetics of several species including humans as well as altering the function of entire ecosystems.

As funding for this research is contingent on viability, its also a chance to demonstratethe rapid progress made in gene editing software, which has been catalyzed by CRISPR. Since its first demonstration in 2013,an enormous amount of research has been conducted using it. The future of gene editing with CRISPRs help looks bright, too: manytrials have or are set to beginthis year, including attempts to modify viruses to killantibiotic resistant bacteria andrevive extinct species.

While it seems more logical to reduce global warming rather than try to deal with its consequences, should the preventative method fail, the only solutions that we could turn to are those previously reserved for the realms of science fiction, like changing ourgenetic makeup or migrating to another planet.

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Scientists Want to Genetically Engineer Heat-Resistant Cows to Survive Climate Change - Futurism

This New Gene-Editing Technique Can Spot CRISPR’s Mistakes – Futurism

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

In BriefScientists have developed a tool that can test an entiregenome against a CRISPR molecule to predict potential errors andinteractions. This will allow doctors to ensure treatments aresafer and more effective. Editing The Editor

The CRISPR gene-editing tool is already in use by scientists all over the world who are racing to cure deadly diseases by editing the genomes of patients. However, as human trials for various treatments are slated to begin, we still face the hurdle of ensuring that any errors in CRISPR edits wont causing problems. Scientists from The University of Texas at Austin may have come up with a possible solution. Theyve developedsomething that works like a predictive editor for CRISPR: a method for anticipating and catching the tools mistakes as it works, thereby allowing for the editing ofdisease-causing errors out of genomes.Click to View Full Infographic

Scientists have already learned how to use CRISPR to edit errors in almost any genome and its these errors that can cause a wide range of diseases. Many forms of cancer, Huntingtons disease, and even HIV can be targeted usingCRISPR. That being said, itsnot a perfect solution. Just as the autocorrect on your smartphone can cause you to send an unintentional and embarrassing text message, CRISPR can correct something that was actually right the consequences of which can make it adangerous mistake. One that actually causes a disease as opposed to an embarrassing social gaffe.

The researchers developed a method for quickly testing a CRISPR molecule against a persons entire genome, rather than onlythe target area,in order topredict other segments of DNA the tool might accidentally interact with. This new technique functions like an early warning system, giving doctors a chance to more closely tailor gene therapies to specific patients, while ensuring they are effective andsafe.

If were going to use CRISPR to improve peoples health, we need to make sure we minimize collateral damage, and this work shows a way to do that,Stephen Jones, UT Austin postdoctoral researcher and co-lead author of the study, told the UT News.

This research will also allow scientists to improve their own predictive skills when it comes to CRISPR molecule behaviors even without genome testing. This is because the work is actually revealing the rule book CRISPR molecules follow when they choose targets.

One CRISPR molecule the team tested, Cascade, targets DNA sequences but pays less attention to every third letterin the sequence. So if it were looking for the word shirt and instead found the word short, it might be fine with that, Jones said, explaining the significance of the quirk to the UT News.

As researchers master these rules, they will be able to develop better predictive models for CRISPR therapies. This will make the technique faster and cheaper, which will in turn render personalized gene therapies more accessible to more patients. Most important of all, it will also help make theentire process far safer.

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This New Gene-Editing Technique Can Spot CRISPR's Mistakes - Futurism

Musk Says the Boring Company’s First Car Elevator Will Be Operating Next Week – Futurism

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

In Brief Elon Musk tweeted an update regarding the construction of The Boring Company's first tunnel under Los Angeles. The electric sled component of the elevator system is expected to be operational by next week. A Not So Boring Announcement

On Friday, Elon Musk posted a series of tweets that at first seemed a bit odd (I love floors), but that quicklyproved to be a lead-up for an exciting update about The Boring Company. Musks thread of tweets ended with a video that showcased one of the most intriguing parts ofThe Boring Companys forthcoming tunnel system: the elevator for the electric sled.

Musks concept for tunnels running under the streets of Los Angeles wont featureregular roads, so thats where the need forthiselectric sled comes in.According toThe Boring Companys websiteandthe concept video they released, the components of the elevator (shafts, sleds, and skates) will facilitatecarrying cars down into the tunnel, as well as ferrying people. The sled itself is capable of traveling at speeds of 200 k/h (125 mph).

According to Musk, the first elevator for the electric sled could be operational by as soon as next week. This would indicate thatconstruction of the first part of the L.A. tunnel the Culver City route which would connect to the LAX is well underway. With support from L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti, the progress isnt too surprising. That being said, just because some steady progress has been made and theres government support for Musks project, until the Hyperloop is fully realizedits unlikely that there will be an immediate use for the electric sleds elevator. Other than for the purpose of testing, of course.

Still, seeing the inner workings of the projects progress is pretty neat, as was emphasized by a short video Musk posted that shows the area around the tunnel site.

Indeed, this is exciting work, and Musk is again demonstrating that hes capable of turning his ideas no matter how far-fetched or relatively boring they may seem into a reality.

Musk Says the Boring Company's First Car Elevator Will Be Operating Next Week - Futurism

Trump vows to support and defend religious freedom in US – ABC News

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

President Donald Trump vowed to support and defend religious liberty, telling a gathering of evangelical Christians that the threat of terrorism is "one of the most grave and dire threats to religious freedom in the world today."

"We cannot allow this terrorism and extremism to spread in our country, or to find sanctuary on our shores or in our cities," Trump said Saturday night at a "Celebrate Freedom" concert honoring veterans. "We want to make sure that anyone who seeks to join our country shares our values and has the capacity to love our people."

The evangelical megachurch First Baptist Dallas and Salem Media Group sponsored the event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. First Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress was a strong backer of Trump during the 2016 campaign.

The event at times felt like one of Trump's signature campaign rallies, with the president promising an adoring crowd that America would "win again" and prompting cheers with attacks on the news media.

"The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I'm president and they're not," he said.

Trump appeared on a stage decorated with a massive American flag. Choirs performed "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and other hymns and debuted a song with the lyrics "make America great again" Trump's campaign slogan.

Besides speaking to the event's religious theme, Trump renewed his campaign promise to always take care of America's veterans.

"Not only has God bestowed on us the gift of freedom, he's also given us the gift of heroes willing to give their lives to defend that freedom," he said.

Overwhelming support from evangelical voters helped propel Trump to victory in 2016. Since he took office, Christian conservatives have been overjoyed by Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and his executive order ordering the IRS to ease up on a rarely enforced limit on partisan political activity by churches.

Trump was spending the pre-Independence Day weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, but traveled back to Washington for the event.

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Trump vows to support and defend religious freedom in US - ABC News

July 4, 2017: Some quotes on what freedom means – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

On Tuesday, America will celebrate Independence Day.

In honor of July 4th, heres what some patriots, politicians and just plain people have to say about freedom.

The winds that blow through the wide sky in these mounts, the winds that sweep from Canada to Mexico, from the Pacific to the Atlantic - have always blown on free men. Franklin D. Roosevelt

We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls. Robert J. McCracken

"The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor, and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly." John F. Kennedy

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom." Malcolm X

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. George Bernard Shaw

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. Erma Bombeck

My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! Thomas Jefferson

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. Abraham Lincoln

"The essence of Americathat which really unites usis not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion. It is an ideaand what an idea it is: that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn't matter where you came from, but where you are going." Condoleezza Rice

Freedom is never free. Author Unknown

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. William J. Clinton

"Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." Calvin Coolidge

My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing, Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims' pride, From every mountainside, Let freedom ring! Samuel Francis Smith

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. Ronald Reagan

"So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring." Martin Luther King Jr.

"Courage, then, my countrymen, our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty." Samuel Adams

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July 4, 2017: Some quotes on what freedom means - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Let freedom ring – The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration)

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

As our nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day or the extended July Fourth weekend, as the case may be Americans ponder many things about the direction of our country.

We take time to reflect on the incredible insight that our forefathers had in crafting the Constitution of the United States. We marvel at the sacrifices made by the colonists, who formed the first Continental Army of the United States to fight the greatest power in the world at that time the British Empire.

We honor men such as John Adams, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine. Yes, Thomas Paine the author of the pamphlet Common Sense, which served as an inspiration to the average American colonist, explaining why a revolution against the king of England was needed, as well as a vision of what an independent new nation the United States of America would mean for the people.

Paines words accomplished what mere armaments could not, uniting the colonists in ways that the Declaration of Independence attempted to accomplish yet in simpler, more common-sense words. Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword.

George Washington led a rag-tag group of militia to victory in the War of Independence. A patriot by the name of Betsy Ross made our nations first flag. A nation was founded, and democracy was born.

In the 241 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, our nation has faced many trials and tribulations. Each step along the way, the revolution evolved, and our nation has proven that we are truly the land of the free and home of the brave.

The Civil War threatened to separate these United States, with brother fighting against brother. Once again, the fight for freedom prevailed.

From the Emancipation Proclamation, which marked the beginning of the end of the horrible practice of slavery, to womens suffrage, which gave women the right to vote, our democracy has evolved. And it continues to evolve today.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. servicemen and women have fought to keep our nation free. Two world wars and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam were all fought in the name of freedom and democracy around the globe.

The battle continues today as our nation faces the threat of international terrorism. As a result, democracy and the freedoms that our country were founded upon are under attack.

I am thankful for the freedoms and the rights that we have as American citizens. I am thankful for our democracy, which gives each and every one of us the right to vote. I am thankful for our freedom of speech and our freedom of religion. I am thankful for the freedom of the press and the right to redress government. I am thankful for the right to bear arms. I respect these rights for others and not just to satisfy my own beliefs.

In my faith, I believe that God has blessed these United States of America. We are a nation that was formed on Christian beliefs by men and women who were faithful to the one true God. It is His providence and grace that have provided for us in the toughest of times. From the earliest pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to the hardships of todays difficult economic times God is in control.

Please, as you enjoy this extended holiday weekend celebrating our nations independence, take the time to reflect on the freedoms that we have, the brave souls who have fought and died to protect those freedoms and how each and every one of us can be a better citizen contributing to the nation that we love.

Have a happy and safe Independence Day, one and all!

Andy Kniceley is publisher of NCWV Media products, including The Exponent Telegram.

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Let freedom ring - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration)

Second Freedom Festival offers window to past in downtown Topeka – Topeka Capital Journal

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Straw hats and bonnets, fake muskets and full skirts mixed with modern tennis shoes and baseball caps Saturday during a re-enactment at Constitution Hall in downtown Topeka.

The re-enactment of the dispersal of the Legislature by Col. Sumner in 1854 was the first of three during the daylong Freedom Festival.

The festival, in its second year, is meant to represent freedom in Kansas capital city from the fight to end slavery to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and how the concept of freedom continues to evolve.

Grant Glenn, president of the Topeka Downtown Rotary Club, which sponsored the festival, said events like these help people recognize Topekas history.

Often we dont know, we dont understand and we dont appreciate our history, he said. This is who we are, and we should be proud of it. And this is why the Rotary picked the Freedom Festival as a theme and to celebrate it on the Fourth of July weekend.

Booths were spread out along several blocks of S. Kansas Avenue, and some were even set up along surrounding blocks too. Festivities began at 9:00 a.m. and lasted all day Saturday, offering a variety of activities for community members and visitors.

The festival included art projects, evening concerts and food trucks just a few of the additions that show its growth.

Weve greatly expanded the number of activities, said Joan Wagnon, who served as chairwoman of this years festival. We wanted to support downtown and let people know theres lots to do downtown.

The celebration focused on expanding the definition of freedom, Wagnon said. Organizers invited high school students to participate in the discussion. Students read poetry and other readings with the theme of freedom, then chose different phrases and words for what freedom meant to them. Early Saturday afternoon, students used stencils to draw the phrases on the glass windows of downtown buildings.

The festival was free and funded by community businesses and organizations.

Shanta Shump, a Topeka resident who brought her four daughters to the festival, said she thought it was a good way to connect with the community.

I think its bringing out a crowd, people are curious, she said.

That was exactly what Wagnon hoped would happen.

Its always been my vision for Topeka to have a lot of people downtown, she said.

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Second Freedom Festival offers window to past in downtown Topeka - Topeka Capital Journal

ConsenSys Diligence Is Dedicated To The Ethereum Ecosystem – ETHNews

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

News business and finance

The latest announcement from ConsenSys stresses a priority of the ecosystem as a whole over clients and revenue.

On June 30, 2017, ConsenSys Diligence(Diligence) was introduced as an arm of ConsenSysdedicated to promoting best practices in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Diligence casts its desire to work with clients who focus on long-term sustainability over short-term gains and exhibit the potential to beneficially impact the ecosystem. It encourages projects to avoid launching with respect to a favorable market, and insteadfocus on overall readiness. As per the announcement, Our criteria for readiness extends beyond a basic code review, to include requirements for specifications, test drivers, static analysis, and staged roll outs.

Acording to team member Gonalo S, Diligence stemsfrom the needsof the community: due diligence of projects within Ethereum. Quality reviews are a much needed feature for every serious project when you have a whole community contributing money to your cause. Consensys Diligence provides you the highest quality ones, said S.

Diligence tellsETHNews that it intends toprovide the most unbiased assessments and collaborate closely with every client to assure their success is aligned with the etherspheres healthy growth. In addition to services, the formation plans to have a product side that will focus on providing open-source, high-quality, security tools to the community. Diligence will accompany each client throughout each of its projects phases. According toS, We are currently testing the expansion of our code review efforts to include full stack applications as opposed to only reviewing code compiled to the EVM.

The current team is devoted to the ecosystem above all else and draws from various projects for valuable experience.

As a part of ConsenSys, our incentives are aligned with the long-term health of the ecosystem rather than short-term revenue. The ecosystem will always be our priorityover potential clients, business practices, and revenues.

Setting protocols and standards is important, and the ecosystem as a whole will benefit from efforts made to ensure the readiness of projects transitioning from testing to launch phase.

Those with a background in Solidity and the Ethereum Virtual Machine, who arepassionate about security, and areself-motivated areinvited to reach out to ConsenSys Diligence. Developers can join the conversation at the Smart Contract Best Practices Gitter channel.

Jeremy Nation is a writer living in Los Angeles with interests in technology, human rights, and cuisine. He is a full time staff writer for ETHNews and holds value in Ether.

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ConsenSys Diligence Is Dedicated To The Ethereum Ecosystem - ETHNews

Ecocash Attempts To Keep It All In Their Ecosystem – Technology Zimbabwe

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

An announcement that has come through from Econet, the owners of the Ecocash services company is that they have reduced their merchant merchant fees for their customers by as much as 50% with immediate effect.

This is a follow-on to their no merchant fees on Thursdays initiative that they ran from April up toend of June, though no data is available as to how successful that campaign was, a reduction in fees will come as a sigh of relief to Ecocash users who are also affected by the heavy cash crisis currently affecting Zimbabwe.

With a staggering 27,000 possible merchants, the biggest mobile money payment solution, which I refer to as a bank, is making concerted efforts in order to keep customer funds within their ecosystem, which will hopefully see customers not ditching Ecocash due to the challenges one is sometimes faced with.

In their announcement, Ecocash has not made mention of exact figures of the new fees, well update as soon as those are available, but for a $1 payment one can expect to pay only 1c (Id presume that the fine print here is that Ecocash will only charge 1c, while there is a 5c transaction fee tax imposed by the Government).

These reductions in transaction fees should see customers opting to pay through Ecocash, hopefully, with some kind of effort being put towards bringing on more shops, restaurants, fuel filling stations and other places one usually needs to pay, reducing ones desire for cash.

Do you foresee yourself using your Ecocash account more than you have been after this announcement? If not, what would you say would need to be done in order for you to make Ecocash (or any other non-cash option for that matter) your default means of payment?

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Ecocash Attempts To Keep It All In Their Ecosystem - Technology Zimbabwe

Tonya Evinger on why she took Cris Cyborg fight: ‘I’m not a puss’ – Bloody Elbow

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Tonya Evingers absence from the UFC roster has been a talking point for hardcore womens MMA fans for years now, stretching all the way back to her poor performance on TUF 18, when she was submitted by Raquel Pennington in her opening round bout. Since that loss Triple Threat has gone on a 7-0 (1 NC) winning streak, making her debut for Invicta FC and picking up the promotions bantamweight title along the way.

For many, she was unquestionably the best bantamweight not on the UFC roster. Thats no longer the case.

Evinger will make her promotional debut at UFC 214, taking a short notice bout at featherweight, against top pound-for-pound talent Cris Cyborg. Its a jump straight into the deep end for Evinger, who told MMA Fighting that she expected nothing less if she ever got a chance to go to the UFC.

I knew they werent gonna give me any kind of easy run, Evinger said. I knew I was going to get something as tough as they possibly could. But whatever, Im here to fight.

Despite the challenge, Evinger sounded confident of her chances, saying that she believes she can and will be Cyborgs toughest test to date.

I think Im her biggest challenge to date, Evinger told MMA Fighting. Im not taking anything away from any of them other girls. All of them are good in their own right. Its just my style, anyway. I think Im gonna be the toughest challenge for her.

But that confidence isnt the only reason shes taking the bout, as she also revealed that if she passed on the opportunity, she would be kicking herself for the rest of her life.

You know what? Im not a puss, Evinger said. I know its a struggle to get to 145 for her. I know what it is. It doesnt matter, man. Ill go home and Ill regret this for the rest of my life. I could have beat her, maybe. I dont know. Maybe I should have took the fight. Why was I such a puss? I was scared to fight at 145? Thats not me, man. Im not saying Im gonna go out there and fight at 170 pounds tomorrow or the next fight or anything like that, but [145] is realistic. This aint too far off.

I do think Im really dominant at 135. I think I can definitely dominate at [145] and i think I can dominate at [125].

She also had a few choice words for Germaine de Randamies decision to turn down a fight with Cyborg, saying Theres no way that being a champion you should be able to pick and choose your opponents. Im there to fight. If I get beat, so be it. Im not gonna not fight somebody to protect my championship belt. Thats ridiculous.

UFC 214 takes place on July 29th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The event is expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Cris Cyborg vs. Tonya Evinger is slated to be one of two other title fights on the card, alongside Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia.

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Tonya Evinger on why she took Cris Cyborg fight: 'I'm not a puss' - Bloody Elbow

Going to a New Jersey State Park or Beach? Not This Holiday Weekend – New York Times

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Across the state, confusion blended with anger. Public golf courses were flooded with calls from frantic golfers wondering whether their tee times were off (they were not). Social media was awash with worries about the casinos (they remained opened), the racetracks (those, too) and the courthouses (closed). The governors office released a full list of affected agencies at midnight.

The shutdown stems from a brinkmanship between Mr. Christie, who is a Republican, and Vincent Prieto, the speaker of the State Assembly and a Democrat. Mr. Christie is demanding that the $34.7 billion state budget include a provision requiring that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield spend some of its reserve fund on public health initiatives particularly the governors drug treatment initiative. Absent that provision, Mr. Christie has threatened to veto any budget that lawmakers send him.

Prospects for any progress on the budget negotiations in Trenton appeared dim on Saturday, as the same caustic tone that marked the deadlock persisted into the weekend. Protesters, reporters and members of the State Assembly were greeted at the Statehouse by hundreds of signs plastered on doors and walls with a picture of a smiling Mr. Prieto.

This Facility is CLOSED Because of This Man, the signs read, listing a telephone number for Mr. Prietos office. Similar signs were spotted at other closed locales, including Island Beach State Park.

The signs were authorized and made by Mr. Christies office, which called them official government advice.

This is embarrassing, and its pointless, Mr. Christie said of the government shutdown during a news conference on Saturday, accusing Mr. Prieto of a temper tantrum.

As gridlock in Washington manifests itself daily, almost as a way of life, statehouses are locked in their own budget impasses. The tough talk and refusals to compromise could hamper government operations in states across the country.

At least nine states failed to reach budget deals by late Friday before the start of their July 1 fiscal year, experts at the National Conference of State Legislatures said, though many states have provisions that allow operations to continue so the consequences will not be felt immediately by residents.

Not so in New Jersey, where the states Constitution requires the government to suspend spending aside from public safety and emergency services if a balanced budget is not in place by the start of the fiscal year.

Illinois on Saturday entered an unprecedented third year with no full state budget, as lawmakers continued meeting in Springfield. Residents were no longer able to buy tickets for two multistate lotteries, and at least one credit rating agency warned that the states rating could be lowered to junk, below any other state.

In Maine, the state government shut down on Saturday after a budget impasse between Gov. Paul R. LePage, a Republican, and lawmakers from both major parties stretched beyond the midnight deadline.

Mr. LePage said he would not sign a budget that included tax increases but did not lower the income tax, which has been a longtime goal of his. A compromise budget gained the support of Senate Republicans and House Democrats who agreed to repeal a voter-approved tax on the states highest earners to finance education but it did not get enough support from House Republicans, many of whom are closely aligned with Mr. LePage.

Late Friday night, Mr. LePage presented lawmakers with his own list of demands. Sara Gideon, the Democratic House speaker, told fellow lawmakers that Mr. LePage had a temper tantrum when the demands could not all be met, The Portland Press Herald reported.

State employees rallied outside the Capitol in Augusta on Saturday morning. Some government services, including the Maine State Library and the state Lottery, were shut down, according to The Bangor Daily News. But Mr. LePage had designated a long list of government functions as emergency services that were to stay open during a shutdown, including food assistance payments, law enforcement and the operation of state parks, which are likely to be busy during the holiday weekend.

In New Jersey, protesters outside the Statehouse in Trenton directed most of their anger toward Mr. Christie, chanting Bridgegate 2! a reference to the political scandal around the closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge that hampered Mr. Christies presidential ambitions.

Mr. Christie is in the final months of his second term in office and was barred by term limits from running again for governor.

At Island Beach State Park, some would-be visitors turned around and headed home, while others walked a few blocks and paid the $8 badge fee.

But some were not even granted beach access, like a family from Philadelphia who had brought their dog 2-year-old Andy, a white-haired Maltese-Bichon mix to the only beach in the area that allows dogs to romp around. Its horrible that they cant just figure it out, said Boguslawa Rama, as her three children helped load up a beach wagon and leash Andy. They should budget like everyone else.

The family has been coming here for years, and as they walked away to try an entrance at a public beach just up the road, Ms. Rama expressed her frustration.

We were just coming for the day, she said. We always come to Island Beach. Its our favorite spot on the shore. I hate this.

At least one person managed to penetrate the police blockade, though. Early Saturday morning, Henry Walker, a local fisherman who has been casting off the inlet at Island Beach for more than 50 years, said he had seen a vehicle approach the police officers at the barricade.

Im talking to the park ranger; hes a good friend of mine, Mr. Walker said. A car pulls up, a BMW. He walks up to it, I hear the girl say, Im the governors daughter. He steps back. O.K., go on in.

The governors office has a residence in Island Beach State Park, and Mr. Christie confirmed that his family was spending the July Fourth holiday there.

Mr. Walker was not pleased.

Ill tell you what, he said, before unleashing a stream of unprintable invective.

He headed back to linger just outside the police blockade and watch more vehicles pull up in anticipation, only to swing around and head back north.

Jess Bidgood contributed reporting from Hooksett, N.H., and Monica Davey from Chicago.

A version of this article appears in print on July 2, 2017, on Page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: Shutdown Closes New Jersey Parks on Holiday Weekend.

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Going to a New Jersey State Park or Beach? Not This Holiday Weekend - New York Times

Tourists and locals alike hit the beaches for the holiday weekend – WWAY NewsChannel 3

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Beachgoers enjoy the nice weather at Wrightsville Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo: Justin McKee/WWAY)

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) The holiday weekend is well underway and that means the beaches of the Cape Fear are packed with people looking to enjoy it.

Parking was in short supply Saturday at Wrightsville Beach as many tourists and locals converged on the town to soak up the sun and enjoy the water.

Much of the day was rain-free, a nice change of pace after extremely wet weather on Friday.

As Wrightsville and other area beaches gain a reputation as July 4th hot spots, it can only help Wilmington grow as a community.

A lot of people for Memorial (Day) or July 4th and all the other holidays, so I think its a big importance for the state or for Wilmington to emphasize on Wrightsville Beach, said Raleigh resident Matt Dalgetty.

Be sure to celebrate the holiday weekend safely and responsibly. Hot and humid conditions are expected through the 4th.

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Tourists and locals alike hit the beaches for the holiday weekend - WWAY NewsChannel 3

Tribune-Star Editorial: Public support crucial in keeping parks’ beaches open – Terre Haute Tribune Star

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Life is better in Vigo County because of its parks. They are gems.

The facilities operated by the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department vary from the vast spaces of Fowler, Hawthorn and Prairie Creek parks, to historic Markle Mill Park, unique Griffin Bike Park, eye-catching Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area, and family friendly neighborhood parks in West Terre Haute and Prairieton. They offer solace, natural scenery, fitness opportunities and outdoors activities to county residents and visitors, with free basic admission.

The parks encompassing 2,690 acres of land and 143 acres of water have earned a stellar reputation. Ninety-one percent of residents rated the Vigo parks "great" or "good" in a survey conducted for the department's 2015-2019 master plan. Those same respondents said the most important attributes they consider in choosing a park to visit are the availability of recreational amenities (76 percent) and cleanliness (62 percent).

Most likely, the people who answered that survey are not the miscreants who are vandalizing and abusing the Vigo County Parks' two public beaches. Because of the damages and liabilities from those misdeeds, parks officials are considering closing the beaches at Fowler and Hawthorn parks. Given the nature of the problems, the parks officials' contemplation of such a drastic step is understandable.

Nonetheless, the community should actively support an appropriate strategy to curtail the vandalism and irresponsible behavior. The county should not have to close its public beaches as a result of hoodlums and no-accounts. Such a quality-of-life setback would send an inaccurate picture of Vigo County to the rest of Indiana and beyond.

The problems leave rational parks goers shaking their heads in disgust. In a Monday meeting of the Vigo Parks Board, superintendent Kara Kish and assistant superintendent Adam Grossman described "a ton of vandalism," as he put it, and breathtaking incidents of parental neglect. Shower heads in the beach houses and restroom stall doors have been stolen. Feces get smeared across restroom walls. People climb atop the beach houses, sleep on picnic tables, swim beyond the designated areas, burn doughnuts with cars in the parking lots, curse parks staffers and pelt them with beer bottles when trying to enforce rules, and leave kids as young as 5 years old unattended at the beaches.

Parks administrators are flummoxed in trying to "figure out how to resolve this situation so that it's a safe, healthy environment," Kish told the board.

One option they pitched was closing one beach, and shifting its attendant to the remaining beach, doubling its staffing without extra taxpayer cost. Another idea is to offer kayaking or other water recreation. In the short-term, the administrators agreed to use a board member's suggestion putting up a sign, warning visitors the vandalism and irresponsibility must stop within a month, or the beaches will close.

In the long term, it may be time for the county to team with the Terre Haute Parks Department in sharing a parks ranger. City parks superintendent Eddie Bird has previously cited the need for a ranger to monitor the city parks, which are a completely separate entity from the county parks system. Despite the two parks systems' separate divisions, the situation merits consideration of a joint effort in this specific case.

Whichever remedy is chosen, public support is crucial in maintaining safe, beautiful and active Vigo County parks.

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Tribune-Star Editorial: Public support crucial in keeping parks' beaches open - Terre Haute Tribune Star

Astronomy: July is the season of Scorpius – Longmont Times-Call

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

(Daniel Zantzinger / Skywatcher's Guide)

It is perhaps indisputable that skywatching July's warm summer nights is the most comfortable, spectacular and awe inspiring outdoor activity going.

The trick, the essence of summer's night skywatching, lies in first rooting in the core concentration of stars in the south, and then slowly climbing the galactic arms toward zenith and beyond.

Whether you're using your eyes, binoculars, telescopes, scientific journals and/or telescope-directing websites, there's more than enough out there to stimulate the imagination, provoke wonder and astound the senses.

For many skywatchers, this is a great time to head away from the city lights into the hills; to the high country with its deep and darkened valleys; to our state parks and national monuments; and to someone else's sparsely populated, protected properties.

This is the season of the scorpion, the swan, the deeply troubled Hercules and myriad other sidereal (star-like) residents of the Milky Way. Moreover, each one of these house crystalline and nebulous denizens of their own, who in turn hold in their embraces secrecies unfolded only to skywatchers making the effort to look for them.

Find fishhook-shaped Constellation Scorpius, "the scorpion," low and due south at 11 tonight (July 1) and around nightfall on the 31st. To its east is teapot-shaped Constellation Sagittarius, "the centaur archer," and to its north is Constellation Ophiuchus, "the serpent-bearer." Saturn, having reached opposition just two weeks ago, is well positioned here for viewing until the end of August.

These areas of space are so rich that if you figuratively speaking were to draw your last breath right after careful and thorough examination of them, you will have died having a life fulfilled with few regrets.

The moon is bright here in the month's first 10 days or so, so it's best to get serious July 16 and thereafter.

Darker skies mean better views. Longer expanses of time between ocular exposures to white light after a minimum of 12 minutes mean better viewing ability. Use red flashlights. Avoid looking at car headlights, or you'll have to start the clock all over again. A good dose of Zen patience and measured breathing provides for you a better overall experience. Speak minimally, and your companions will have a better overall experience.

When you're staring at Sagittarius, you're gazing in the direction of the galactic core, that is, toward the center of the Milky Way. Most of the wow factor in the southern sky is from here toward zenith.

From our line of sight, three arms of the spiral barred (striped) galaxy intersect at the Scorpius/Sagittarius border. This allows us to observe not only millions of stars, but also diffuse nebulae M8, M17 and M20; and the relatively young and open star clusters M6, M7, M21, M23 and M25 circulating with the disc. These clusters have a few hundred to several thousand stars.

Scorpius and Sagittarius and our southern sky's hemisphere for that matter is home to an abundance of globular star clusters, spherical concentrations of several hundreds of thousands of much older and denser stars that dwell in the galaxy's outer halo.

With the naked eye, find red giant star Antares, the "rival of Mars," the heart of the scorpion, an irregular star that slowly pulses from magnitude 0.6 to 1.6. Train the telescope 1.3 degrees west to M4 to find one of the two closest globular clusters to the solar system.

Clocking in at 12.2 billion years old, M4 has some 13 billion-year-old white/degenerate dwarf stars invisible to earthbound skywatchers that are among the oldest known stars in the Milky Way galaxy. In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope photographed white dwarf PSR B1620-26 with a planet with a mass of 2.5 times that of Jupiter.

With binoculars and/or a motorized telescope, crawl up the galaxy's arms into Constellation Cygnus, "the swan,"to the Great Globular Cluster (M13) in Constellation Hercules at zenith, and then into the great beyond.

The moon is full at 10:07 p.m. July 8, and is called the Full Thunder Moon.

Astronomy: July is the season of Scorpius - Longmont Times-Call

See the sharpest-ever view of giant Betelgeuse – Astronomy Now Online

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

30 June 2017 Astronomy Now

This orange blob shows the nearby star Betelgeuse, as seen by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This is the first time that ALMA has ever observed the surface of a star and this first attempt has resulted in the highest-resolution image of Betelgeuse available.

Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars currently known with a radius around 1400 times larger than the Suns in the millimeter continuum. About 600 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter), the red supergiant burns brightly, causing it to have only a short life expectancy. The star is just about eight million years old, but is already on the verge of becoming a supernova. When that happens, the resulting explosion will be visible from Earth, even in broad daylight.

The star has been observed in many other wavelengths, particularly in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet. Using ESOs Very Large Telescope astronomers discovered a vast plume of gas almost as large as our Solar System. Astronomers have also found a gigantic bubble that boils away on Betelgeuses surface. These features help to explain how the star is shedding gas and dust at tremendous rates. In this picture, ALMA observes the hot gas of the lower chromosphere of Betelgeuse at sub-millimeter wavelengths where localised increased temperatures explain why it is not symmetric. Scientifically, ALMA can help us to understand the extended atmospheres of these hot, blazing stars.

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See the sharpest-ever view of giant Betelgeuse - Astronomy Now Online

Star hoppers: Students chart the sky, bring space up close at observatory open houses – UMSL Daily (blog)

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Danzig

Justin Bryan (at left) and Lindsey Rodgers pose with the Meade LX-200 16-inch telescope they operate for shows at the Richard D. Schwartz Observatory on UMSLs campus. Despite some quirks with the telescope, students and the public are privy to the beautiful and clear celestial bodies it magnifies. (Photos by August Jennewein)

It sounds sci-fi magical star hopping across the universe.

These four stars, you make a triangle and then go up at a 90-degree angle, said Lindsey Rodgers, who leads the Richard D. Schwartz Observatory open houses at the University of MissouriSt. Louis. After youve done it enough, you know where an object is every time. Arcturus. Vega. Betelgeuse.

The recent astrophysics graduate listed off the giant stars she relies on to chart her path in the sky as she searches through the lens to locate more difficult objects nebulae, star clusters and galaxies.

Rodgers has led the campus observatory shows, both public and private, for more than a year now. This summer, she hosts her final few open houses before passing off the student leadership role to senior astrophysics major Justin Bryan.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy has been making star hoppers of its astrophysics students for years, but only a select one or two with telescope experience and observational skill get to lead the shows.

The Meade LX-200 16 inch telescope was gifted to the university in 2011 upon the death of Professor Emeritus Richard Schwartz, who originally established the observatory at UMSL in 1981. His 16-inch telescope was a huge update from the previous 14-inch that had occupied the observatory, which continues to be used for class observations, public open houses and private showings.

Skill is an important factor because, while star hopping may sound romantic, its also a navigational necessity working at the observatory. The Meade LX-200 16-inch telescope still captures magnificently clear sights of the sky. But accurately pointing it at objects takes a little more effort and luck since the mechanism to input coordinates and a few old motor gears to turn the telescope no longer function on their own.

Thats where learning to star hop and navigate the sky by objects becomes a tricky, but fun, challenge for students who have to manually position the telescope perfectly and lock it without flinching for fear of losing an object in sight. It definitely takes some practice and learning individual paths. No two people navigate the sky alike, according to Rodgers and Bryan.

Once you find it, its such a great relief, Bryan said, but the process to get there is a lot harder than you think. Even in the winter when theres less humidity, making it easier to see through the atmosphere I sometimes cant find clusters because of light pollution and because Im doing it by hand.

Even so, Rodgers and Bryan talk about star hopping and learning to use the telescope as almost a rite of passage and a skill no UMSL astrophysics student can graduate without knowing. A required Observational Astronomy class that uses the observatory makes sure of that.

Many people are often surprised to hear UMSL has an observatory.

Tucked away by the softball field off of Florissant Road on North Campus is the white dome that houses two telescopes (the previously mentioned 16-inch and a smaller 8-inch telescope).

The observatory was first erected on UMSLs campus in 1981 by Professor Emeritus Richard Schwartz. When he passed in 2011, he left his 16-inch telescope to the university, which was an upgrade from the previous 14-inch.

The observatorys location on a metropolitan campus certainly comes with light pollution frustrations, but it also creates opportunities that far outweigh the negatives. Students who might have simply learned about astronomy and telescope operation in a classroom setting now get hands-on experience.

Another advantage greater public outreach, which Rodgers and Bryan agree absolutely makes running the observatory.

Whenever you tell them what theyre looking at, and their faces are just in complete awe, theres no wayno way to describe it. Its a joyful event. I have a smile on my face the entire time, Bryan said. Its just a great feeling knowing you helped somebody look at the universe, see a part of the universe in a way that theyve maybe never looked at before.

Lindsey Rodgers and Justin Bryan pose with Rodgers home telescope outside The Richard D. Schwartz Observatory. The observatory is located off Florissant Road by the softball field on UMSLs North Campus.

For Rodgers the outreach goes a step further.

I want to be able to encourage students or kids to be interested in STEM and astronomy, she said. Im always excited when I look in the telescope, so I hope that when other people do that, and I can explain what theyre looking at and answer questions, that I can kind of help that along.

Sponsored in part by the NASA/Missouri Space Grant Consortium, outreach and exposure to space science is a main goal of the observatory operation, headed by Professor of Astronomy Bruce Wilking. Public open houses are offered once a month, but school groups and other organizations can also sign up for private showings. One show lasts about an hour and you can expect to see five to six objects.

The next public open house is July 29. Expect to see Jupiter, Saturn, M13 Globular Cluster, Albireo and the Ring Nebula. And, of course, youll meet Rodgers and Bryan.

Rodgers plans to one day become a professor. Her first interest in space came after having children. She was a young teenage mom and would watch PBS and the Discovery Channel, dreaming of studying space as she took care of her kids. After earning her GED and now her undergraduate degree, the Pierre Laclede Honors College graduate and Eugene J. Meehan Scholarship recipient will continue toward her goal and study stellar formation in the astrophysics graduate program at Washington University in St. Louis this fall.

Bryan, like Rodgers, plans to become an educator one day. The Northwest High School graduate found space at the age of 16 when he started asking big questions like: What is our universe? What is our solar system? What contains the Milky Way Galaxy? After taking general education courses at St. Louis Community CollegeMeramec, Bryan transferred to UMSL with a Transfer Merit Scholarship and a Missouri Access Award that helps pay for his education. He intends to graduate May 2019.

Looking for more space fun at UMSL? Try the Astronomy Outreach Program partially sponsored by the NASA/Missouri Space Grant Consortium. It offers a space-packed day with classroom demonstrations that include making your own comet and a show in UMSLs Planetarium.

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