NASA Just Unveiled Their Next Mission: We Will Finally Touch the Sun. – Futurism

Posted on by

In Brief NASA has released new details about its solar probe and renamed it the Parker Solar Probe. In 1958, astrophysicist Eugene Parker first suggested the presence of a solar wind, which is the primary object of study for this historic mission to the Sun. Named After the Living

As NASA readies itself for its historic mission to the Sun set sometime between July and August 2018, the space agency made an announcement today that highlights the importance of this mission. The Solar Probe Plus has now been renamed the Parker Solar Probe, after astrophysicist Eugene Parker who discovered the phenomenon that this first-ever mission to a star will be investigating.

This is the first time NASA has named a spacecraft for a living individual, NASA administrator for the Science Mission DirectorateThomas Zurbuchen said in todays announcement. Its a testament to the importance of his body of work, founding a new field of science that also inspired my own research and many important science questions NASA continues to study and further understand every day. Im very excited to be personally involved honoring a great man and his unprecedented legacy.

Usually, NASA missions are renamed only after launch and certification, the agency noted. However, NASA decided not to follow the usual naming procedures to highlight the importance of Parkers work and his contributions to heliophysics and space science, as well as how the planned mission ties in with his research.

The Parker Solar Probe will examine a phenomenon known as a solar wind, which Parker first pointed out in 1958. High speed matter and magnetism, Parker theorized, constantly come out of the Sun and affect the planets and space around it.

The solar probe is going to a region of space that has never been explored before, Parker said in the NASA announcement. Its very exciting that well finally get a look. One would like to have some more detailed measurements of whats going on in the solar wind. Im sure that there will be some surprises. There always are.

Getting close enough to the Sun is crucial, and the Parker Solar Probe is equipped with technology that would allow it to do so. Its a spacecraft loaded with technological breakthroughs that will solve many of the largest mysteries about our star, including finding out why the suns corona is so much hotter than its surface, explained Nicola Fox, the probes project scientist, in the announcement.

Parker Solar Probe is going to answer questions about solar physics that weve puzzled over for more than six decades, Fox said in the announcement. We will finally touch the sun.

View post:

NASA Just Unveiled Their Next Mission: We Will Finally Touch the Sun. - Futurism

LIGO Just Detected the Oldest Gravitational Waves Ever Discovered – Futurism

Posted on by

In BriefResearchers have detected gravitational waves, ripples in timeand space, for the 3rd time. This discovery could offer new insightinto unanswered questions surrounding dark matter and black holes. Gravitational Waves Revealing The Universe

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) just detected gravitational waves, ripples in time and space, for the third time. Two black holes collided, forming a huge black hole 49 times more massive than our sun, and this generated the waves. This kind of collision was also the cause of the waves detected previously by LIGO, although the masses of the black holes varied. This repetition of the discovery confirms that a new area of astronomy now exists.

We have further confirmation of the existence of stellar-mass black holes that are larger than 20 solar masses these are objects we didnt know existed before LIGO detected them, MITs David Shoemaker, a LIGO spokesperson, said in a press release. It is remarkable that humans can put together a story, and test it, for such strange and extreme events that took place billions of years ago and billions of light-years distant from us. The entire LIGO and Virgo scientific collaborations worked to put all these pieces together.

In September 2015, LIGO first directly observed these gravitational waves during its first run since receiving Advanced LIGO upgrades. The second detection followed in December 2015, and this latest detection, called GW170104, followed in January of this year. In each case, both of LIGOs twin detectors perceived gravitational waves from the collisions of the black holes, but this latest observation does offer a few new pieces of information.

For example, it suggests which directions the black holes might be spinning in, and indicates that at least one of the black holes in the pair may not be aligned with the overall orbital motion. Scientists are hoping that they can learn more about how binary black holes form by making more LIGO observations.

This work is testing, and thus far providing proof for, the theories proposed by Albert Einstein. For example, the theory of relativity says that dispersion, the effect that happens as light waves in a physical medium travel at different speeds, cannot happen in gravitational waves. LIGO has not found any evidence of dispersion in gravitational waves, as predicted by relativity.

It looks like Einstein was right even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first detection, Georgia Techs Laura Cadonati, the Deputy Spokesperson of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC), said in the press release. We can see no deviation from the predictions of general relativity, and this greater distance helps us to make that statement with more confidence.

Moving forward, the LIGO-Virgo team will keep searching LIGO data for any hint of gravitational waves emanating from the far corners of the Universe. The sensitivity of the detector will improve during the next run starting in late 2018 after researchers apply technical upgrades, hoping to see even more. Caltechs David Reitze, the LIGO Laboratorys executive director, said in the press release, While LIGO is uniquely suited to observing these types of events, we hope to see other types of astrophysical events soon, such as the violent collision of two neutron stars.

See original here:

LIGO Just Detected the Oldest Gravitational Waves Ever Discovered - Futurism

The World’s Largest Floating Solar Plant Is Finally Online – Futurism – Futurism

Posted on by

In Brief The largest floating solar power plant in the world is now online in China. Floating where coal used to be mined, the installation is helping China transition toward renewables and making the most of its surroundings. Sungrow Floating Power Plant

The worlds largest floating solar power plant is now online in China. Built by Sungrow, a supplier of PV inverter systems, the 40MW plant is now afloat in waterfour to 10 meters deep, and successfully linked to Huainan, Chinas grid. The placement was chosen in large part because the area was previously the location of coal mining operations; and, as a result, the water there is now mineralized and mostly useless. The lake itself was only formed after years of mining operations, the surrounding landcollapsed and created a cavity that was filled with rainwater.

Floating solar plants are advantageous because they put otherwise useless water and land to good use, and the water naturally cools the system and the ambient temperatures, improving generation and limiting long-term damage from heat. They also avoid taking up space in densely populated regions, which is especially an issue in China; the country is currently home to more than 100 cities with populations of at least one million people each. Finally, the floating PV arrays, customized to work efficiently despite higher levels of humidity, prevent the evaporation of fresh water.

Although it was once among the worst offenders worldwide in the realm of carbon emissions and climate change, China has turned the page in a serious way. Now, it has become a world leader in the adoption of renewables in its quest to lead the way toward a greener, more sustainable future. This kind of dedication is what each country needs to commit to. As climate change progresses, we continue to see negative trends and changes; the last three years have all set horrifyingtemperature records.The future of humanity is directly tied to the future of renewables. Fortunately, innovations like the floating solar plant prove that there are almost endless ways to approach the problem in a practical, effective way.

Continue reading here:

The World's Largest Floating Solar Plant Is Finally Online - Futurism - Futurism

Egypt Blocks Access to News Websites, Raising Press Freedom Concerns – MediaFile

Posted on by

Human rights and press freedom organizations have turned their attention to Egypt after the countrys authorities blocked access to 21 news websites last month.

Following the May 24 incident, Access Now and the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, two global press freedom organizations, sent out a joint letter to Egyptian authorities condemning the action and urging them to reopen access to the websites.

As members of civil society working for the free flow of information and digital access and freedom, we strongly condemn blocking access to these 21 websites by the countrys authorities, the statement read. Such action is an act of censorship and infringement on the freedom of expression and information. Independent media must not pay the price of current political disputes between countries in the regionsuch as that between Egypt and Qatar.

According to the Associated Press, the website blackout came after Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates blocked access to websites run by the Qatari-funded network Al-Jazeera following an alleged hacking of the agency and a fake news report.

Qatar has experienced growing tensions with other countries in the region following concerns of the countrys ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group considered a terrorist organization by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Syria, according to NPR.

Egypt itself has also experienced tension with Qatar since the countrys backing of former Egyptian President and member of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Morsi in 2013, according to The Guardian. After Morsi was ousted, many journalists from the Qatari-backed Al-Jazeera were arrested.

In addition to Al-Jazeera, Egypt also blocked access to HuffPost Arabi and independent news site Mada Masar, a publication credited with exposing corruption and regarded as critical of the Egyptian government, according to Voice of America. The two publications have turned to their social media sites to communicate with their readers.

The Guardian states that the full list of sites blocked has not been released, but the state-run news agency Mena declared that 21 news websites were blocked for spreading lies and supporting terrorism. Mena also stated that legal action will be taken against the news websites in the near future.

Responding to Egyptian authorities, Access Now and SKeyes said in their joint statement that since Egypt has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the country should only limit free speech if the restrictions are strictly necessary and proportionate to achieve a legitimate purpose. After concluding that the measures taken by Egyptian authorities violated the treaty, the organizations called upon the Egyptian government to restore access to the banned news websites.

Nineteen other human rights and press freedom organizations signed the statement, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour stated that while Egypt is usually characterized by low levels of press freedom, the blocking of these websites is particularly troubling.

Broad censorship of news websites represents a new low in Egypts lamentable record on press freedom, Mansour said in a CPJ article. Egyptian authorities should cease blocking news websites and should allow the media to do its job unimpeded.

While the 2011 Arab Spring Revolution was known for its use of citizen journalism, conditions for journalists have grown worse in Egypt since then. Egypt currently ranks 161 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, and its press is labeled as not free by Freedom House.

Egypts constitution, adopted in 2014, states that freedom of thought, opinion and expression are granted to its citizens and that all forms of media censorship, including the suspension and closure of outlets, should be banned.

However, the constitution also states that media censorship is allowed in times of war or general mobilization, and journalists can be imprisoned for crimes related to the incitement of violence, discrimination and defamation. A recent counterterrorism law also bans the dissemination of material that contradicts accounts of military attacks by the Defense Ministry.

As a result of these limitations and the government crackdown on journalists under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis regime, Egypt was ranked the second-worst jailer of journalists in 2015 according to the CPJs prison census from that year.

Recent regime actions in Egypt show a developing trend of media suppression and endangerment to journalists, especially in todays tenuous political circumstances in the region.

See the rest here:

Egypt Blocks Access to News Websites, Raising Press Freedom Concerns - MediaFile

Leading Corbyn supporter ‘compared Islamic terrorists to freedom fighters after Afghanistan attack in 2012’ – The Sun

Posted on by

Barbara Ntumy calls the claims a 'fabrication' insisting she made the comments about an Israeli attack on Gaza which left thousands dead

A LEADING supporter of Jeremy Corbyn has been blasted for describing Islamic terrorists as freedom fighters following a suicide attack in 2012.

The Mail On Sunday reports that activist Barbara Ntumy tweeted out the extraordinary statement after a depraved attack in Afghanistan.

She wrote: one mans [sic] Jihadist/Terrorist is another mans Freedom Fighter. #JustSaying.

Ms Ntumy, a member of the National Union of Students executive, introduced Labour Leader Corbyn last week when he announced his race and faith manifesto in Watford.

Speaking with the Mail On Sunday, Ms Ntumy said: I absolutely 100 per cent condemn terrorism.

The activist has also defended her comments in a blog post in which she calls the Mails article a fabrication.

She insists that rather than commenting on the attack in Afghanistan she made the remarks after Israels seven week long military campaign in Gaza.

That Israeli offensive left 2,251 Palestinians dead in 2012.

Ms Ntumy wrote: I explained that, like many others at the time, I was tweeting in response to Israels assault on Gaza and that I condemn terrorism and have always done so.

I believe it is important to support Palestinian Human rights.

This revelation comes as Corbyn has had to continually defend his previous links to IRA supporters in the 1980s and 1990s.

In February, a BNP member launched a hate-filled rant at Ntumy on Channel 4 news telling her he hoped she didnt get raped by a Syrian refugee.

Far-right activist Jack Buckby, who infamously stood in the by-election for murdered Labour MP Jo Coxs seat last year, was taking part in a debate about the so-called alt-right.

The crackpot right-winger drew audible gasps in the studio during a live discussion with Barbara Ntumy a member of National Union of Students Black Students Campaign.

Buckby produced a refugee application form and said: You know what, put your money where your mouth is Syrian refugees application form.

Take one home, take in a Syrian refugee. I hope you dont get raped.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368

View post:

Leading Corbyn supporter 'compared Islamic terrorists to freedom fighters after Afghanistan attack in 2012' - The Sun

Freedom take rubber game of series with Otters, improve Frontier League-leading record to 16-5 – User-generated content (press release) (registration)

Posted on by

The Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, jumped out to an early lead against the Evansville Otters and never looked back, taking the series two games to one with a 10-3 victory on Sunday night at UC Health Stadium.

With two runners on base in the bottom of the first inning, Jordan Brower delivered a two-run double off Otters (10-11) starter Shane Weedman (1-2), and Connor Teykl followed with a double to score Brower. The two-RBI double came as part of a four-hit, four-RBI performance for Brower, who has now hit in 10 straight games, the longest hitting streak by a Freedom (16-5) player this season.

Teykl and Daniel Fraga contributed three hits each, as eight of the nine players in Florences starting lineup collected at least one hit. Fraga also stole two bases in the contest, and Collins Cuthrell led the way with three runs scored, as the Freedom won their fifth of the last six games.

In his fifth straight start, Jordan Kraus (4-1) pitched seven innings, limiting Evansvilles scoring to solo home runs by Jeff Gardner and Dane Phillips.

The Otters got a RBI-single from Mitchell Ho in the eighth inning against reliever Kyle Doerr, but despite recording a total of 12 hits, Evansville managed just three runs in the series finale.

The Freedom will next host the Schaumburg Boomers for the first time this season, beginning with a doubleheader Wednesday at UC Health Stadium. First pitch of the first game is scheduled for 5:35 p.m., as Tony Vocca starts for the Freedom against Schaumburgs Gunnar Kines. Florences Marty Anderson will oppose the Boomers Aryton Costa in the second game.

The Florence Freedom are members of the independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY.The Freedom can be found online at FlorenceFreedom.com, or by phone at 859-594-4487.

View original post here:

Freedom take rubber game of series with Otters, improve Frontier League-leading record to 16-5 - User-generated content (press release) (registration)

Video: The Freedom Center and the White House – FrontPage Magazine

Posted on by

FrontPage Magazine
Video: The Freedom Center and the White House
FrontPage Magazine
A note from David Horowitz: On Sunday, the Washington Post published a lengthy profile of me and the David Horowitz Freedom Center, motivated by leftwing bias and framed in a perverse and calculatedly destructive way around the issue of our 501c3 ...

and more »

Read this article:

Video: The Freedom Center and the White House - FrontPage Magazine

World War II planes to come to Peninsula with Wings of Freedom Tour – Peninsula Daily News

Posted on by

PORT ANGELES Classic World War II planes will return to the North Olympic Peninsula this month as the Wings of Freedom Tour lands in Port Angeles on June 21.

The vintage warbirds will be featured at William R. Fairchild Memorial Airport from June 21-23.

Members of the public can walk-through or fly in the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell or P-51 Mustang as part of the Collings Foundations 110-city nationwide living history display.

This years tour stop the eighth in Port Angeles since 2004 will feature more activities on the tarmac with a vintage car show, live music, no-host barbecue, hot air balloon, dragster and possibly a Coast Guard helicopter.

The Port [of Port Angeles] wanted to help support the Wings of Freedom with a little more involvement than in past years, said Dan Gase, real estate and business manager for the port, which operates the airport.

The events will take place the afternoon and evening of June 21, a Wednesday.

Longtime Wings of Freedom Area Coordinator Alan Barnard said the theme for this years stop in Port Angeles is Salute to Veterans.

I want to have a 100 percent focus on veterans, Barnard told Clallam County commissioners Tuesday.

Barnard, who received a proclamation recognizing Wings of Freedom Days, said the idea is to tell the story of the cost of freedom through these airplanes.

The airplanes are cool, but the airplanes are part of the story, Barnard said.

Barnard is making arrangements for local World War II veterans to ride on the airplanes for free.

Every visit I look for opportunities to communicate between World War II veterans and our younger people, to put them together, to create dialogue where our younger people realize, I hope, a little better why we have what we have today, Barnard told commissioners.

And had it not been for the brave men and women of our armed forces in the past, in all wars, we would be looking at a totally different country than we have today.

The cost of entry to Wings of Freedom is $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger.

Half-hour flights on the B-25 are $400 per person. Half-hour flights on the B-17 or B-24 are $450 per person.

Flight training with stick time on the P-51 fighter is $2,200 for 30 minutes or $3,200 for an hour.

Since the Massachusetts-based Collings Foundation is a nonprofit, the majority of the flights are tax deductible, officials said.

The Wings of Freedom Tour previously stopped in Port Angeles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.

With help from the port, Barnard said this years tour stop has been ratcheted up with more events after the planes arrive.

We wanted to help raise it a bit and just have a party for Port Angeles, said Gase, a Port Angeles City Council member and recent aerospace business development specialist for the port.

A big part of it is to help raise awareness of the airport.

The bomber and fighter aircraft are scheduled to arrive at William R. Fairchild from Bremerton at about noon June 21.

The barbecue, hosted by the Port Angles Red Lion, will be in the west block hanger from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 21.

The band Fat Chance will perform in an adjacent hanger from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Gase said.

The car show will be in front of the terminal throughout the day June 21. Classic, vintage or show car owners are welcome to participate.

For information on the Wings of Freedom tour, click on the Collings Foundation website at http://www.cfdn.org.

________

Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.

Read the original post:

World War II planes to come to Peninsula with Wings of Freedom Tour - Peninsula Daily News

Gambia: The Republic Of Foni, Capital Kanilai – Freedom Newspaper

Posted on by

Yaya Jammeh had a dream of recreating the ancient Kingdom of Kaabu, covering Foni, parts of Casamance and Guinea Bissau. Hence his links with the MFDC and elements within the goverment of Guinea Bissau. His current strategy is to create a new state within a state of The Fonis, centered around Kanilai as its capital.

Supported by a strong and violent elements in the Fonis, and the MFDC his strategy is (a) to put pressure on the Barrow government to remove ECOMIG forces (b) to create an independent State which I have called the Republic of Foni. This would be a pure Jola government underpinned by MFDC rebels in Casamance and headed by Yaya himself.

Such an outcome would mean that the South Bank of the Gambia River would be cut out of Gambia and become a foreign State from which he could wage war in both Casmance and The Gambia. Senegal could never tolerate such a situation, but without the agreement of the Barrow government would be in an impossible position. Gambia could survive, but all traffic would have to go via the North Bank or by air/river at constant threat of attack. This is a clear and current threat!

This situation need never have arisen had the coalition refused to negotiate with Yaya and allowed ECOMIG forces to attack and capture or better kill him. It is reported that they had 7000 troops, a warship and war planes but Yaya exploited the Gambian weakness of being afraid of violence and seeking peace at any price. The only way to deal with a snake terrorizing your house is to cut off the head! Gambia will never know peace so long as Yaya is alive on the face of this earth. You cannot send a man who is unwilling to die against a man who is willing to kill. Yaya and his diehards are determined to succeed in their plan or die trying. Recent events in Foni prove this point. As pointed out by Mai Fatty, they deliberately walked towards professional armed Senegalese troops armed with traditional weapons forcing them to fire. What choice did the the troops have? Run away? Stand and be chopped by cutlasses? Which fool thinks otherwise? Its the same mentality that kept Yaya in power for all those years. Bai Koh, Yalla Bahna.(Leave them, God is good)

The choices are very clear. Give Yaya what he wants or allow Senegalese troops (not ECOMIG) to go in and clean out the Fonis and destroy Jammehs fortress of Kanilai. Together they represent terminal cancer of the stomach to Gambia, requiring urgent surgery if the patient is to survive. The past 23 years and especially the elections have proved that Yaya can neither be negotiated with or trusted to keep a deal. On leaving he told his people that Ill be back!. He has always done what he said, or tried to get his way. Hes doing it again! Can we never learn?

The problem is neither Yaya nor Senegal, nor the residents of Foni. It is the Gambian mentality, peace at any price. The Gambian security forces are too weak and divided to undertake this task. ECOMIG forces are limited by protocols and their individual national governments. Only the Senegalese have the weapons, training and above all the motivation to deal with this problem. To them its up close and personal! As in January, and before, their hands are tied by Gambians. Its madness

The best opportunity was missed after Yaya refused to hand over power in January. All that was necessary was to order all residents of Kanilai to leave and bomb his home there. Yayas heart is Kanilai. Destroy it, with his Jalang and he will surrender, if not die. Sometimes it is necessary for one evil man to die so that others may live in peace. Both the Koran and Bible sanction this type of killing. It would be a judicial killing not murder. Instead innocent people in the Fonis are stepping on land mines and being killed. How many more have to die unnecessarily?

The primary responsibility of any government is the safety and protection of its people. The Barrow government seem to be very lax in this area and the blood of any more people killed in or by people of the Fonis should be on their hands. Power brings responsibility, not just a ride on the gravy train.

Mai Fatty has the right attitude and desire to do the job, but his government has neither the ability nor willpower to do the job. We are looking at a withdrawal of the Fonis from the Republic of the Gambia at the instigation of Yaya Jammeh from exile. If not stopped now, Gambia could bleed to a slow death over many years through an unwinnable civil war. It is not too late, but Barrow has shown himself too weak to allow Senegal to do the job. Gambia is more than one man, and if he cannot do the job, please appoint a VP and give him a free hand. Mai Fatty could be that man, although I dont know him. If not get someone who can. When Neville Chamberlain failed in his negotiations for peace with Hitler and the 2nd World War was on hand he said Give the job to Winston Churchill, he understands how to wage war. History proved him right. Mr Barrow, please do the right thing. Appoint the right man since you obviously are incapable.

Thanks for space Pa.

Boor Sine

Read this article:

Gambia: The Republic Of Foni, Capital Kanilai - Freedom Newspaper

Road to Freedom: Bulgarian Example – Rudaw

Posted on by

Sofia, Bulgaria is not a popular destination for travelling Kurds, but if you find yourself in the Bulgarian capital, make sure you visit the monument of Vasil Levski outside the National Cultural Center.

Greeting you will be the words of the selfless and fearless Bulgarian patriot in large block letters: If I succeed, I shall succeed for the whole nation: if I fail, then I alone shall die.

Levskis monument stands on the hallowed ground where he was hanged on February 18, 1873. For Ottomans Turks, he was a traitor for wanting to liberate Bulgaria from their yoke.

Not content with killing him, they also hid his burial place from Bulgarians. They didnt want to be associated with a shrine of liberty as bad guys.

Spilt blood doesnt sleep, noted our Great Saladin once. Levski became a legend as young Bulgarians flocked to his memory and embraced his pursuit of freedom as their own.

They were also propelled by powerful ideas of Enlightenment, and spurred on by the French Revolutions thirst for freedom.

Bulgarians took note when Lord Palmerston observed, Opinions are stronger than armies. They did the same when Victor Hugo declared: Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

Turks, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about these ideas and ideals, but desperately wanted the military hardware of European nations. They failed to appreciate Edward Gibbons belief that science was a child of freedom.

Towns across Bulgaria competed with one another to send their youngsters to Paris, Vienna, Berlin, St Petersburg and London to do the biddings of freedom and science on their own nickel.

How many Kurds from Soran are educated at Oxford or Humboldt or Stanford or Sorbonne at the expense of local Kurds? How many from Acre? How many from Mahabad? And how many from Cizra Botan?

As subjects, the Bulgarians bore the merciless indignities of subjugation that have been painstakingly chronicled by the likes of Homer, Thucydides, Tacitus and Fanon.

The patriots who dared defy the domineering Turks were stripped of their lives and property. Those who submitted without a fight were forced to pay a higher tax than their (new) Muslim neighbors.

They suffered other scornful restrictions: Muslims could carry guns, but not Christians. If a Muslim came across a horse riding Christian, the latter had to dismount, since a Christian could not be higher than a Muslim.

Muslims and Christians had their own separate courts. But if a conflict arose between the two, Christians were forced to submit to Sharia law, because Muslim law was considered superior to the Christian law.

Muslims could proselyte, but Christians could not. Many Bulgarians converted to the religion of Turks, and helped shackle their kith and kin.

But what the Christian Bulgarians dreaded most was the human tax.

Although in disuse when Levski came of age, he grew up with tales of relativesboys between the ages of seven and fourteen, known for their physical and mental healththat had been periodically seized to become Janissaries, Muslim soldiers for life, in the crack units of Ottoman sultans.

Levski wanted to end these indignities. He could accept Turks as neighbors, but not as masters. British Prime Minister Gladstone spoke for him, when, after his death, he said: Bulgarians want the extinction of the Turkish executive power in Bulgaria.

He didnt live to see it, but the uprising he had planned meticulously came three years later on April 20, 1876. Turks, alas, caught wind of it and brutally crushed it.

That bloody act came to be known as Bulgarian Horrors in Great Britain. European intellectuals such as Charles Darwin, Oscar Wilde, Victor Hugo and Guiseppe Garibaldi strongly condemned it.

But what eventually freed the Bulgarians was the spilled blood of Russian soldiers. Tsar Alexander II was incensed that the sick man of Europe was still callously shedding Christian blood like water.

With European public opinion on his side, he declared war on Ottoman Empire and in the words of British historian A.J.P. Taylor came very close to destroying the Turkish state in Europe and Anatolia.

Sultan Abdul Hamid II had to bribe Great Britain with Cyprus and Austro-Hungarian Empire with Bosnia Herzegovina to hold onto dear life in Anatolia and a truncated autonomous Bulgaria in Europe.

The Ottoman Empire was kept alive not because European powers felt sorry for it, but because they thought Russians in charge of Istanbul would not serve their interests as well as the Turks would.

The British, the saviors of Ottoman Empire at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, didnt think Turks owed them gratitude.

Lord Salisbury, Foreign Secretary, summed it up best in a letter to his Ambassador in Istanbul: In the long run influence belongs to those who have shown they can hurt most.

Kurds, who are begging their foes for lasting peace, would do well to take note.

Kani Xulam is a political activist based in Washington D.C. He runs the American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN). The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.

Read the original post:

Road to Freedom: Bulgarian Example - Rudaw

Letter: Keep politics out of Health section – Fredericksburg.com

Posted on by

Dr. Patrick Neustatter provides an interesting report on his visit to the Hygiene Museum in Dresden, Germany, and his grandfathers involvement with the founding of the museum [Lessons learned from trip to Germanys hygiene museum, May 28 column].

He explains the Nazi takeover of the museum in the 1930s, then makes a leap to compare Nazi eugenics to the present-day political debate on immigration.

Reasonable people can disagree on the need for a border wall (physical or otherwise). And Donald Trumps insulting campaign comments related to our immigration problem were not helpful. But to suggest that were headed toward a Nazi-style eugenics movement is without logic and irresponsible.

Dr. Neustatter offers no evidence to support this claimonly that he perceives a move toward nationalism and isolationism. Its a long way from nationalism and immigration enforcement to the medical/eugenics extremes he discusses.

If anything, the opposite is occurring. Its the jihadi terrorists who are the murderers of fellow Muslims as well as people of other religions.

I find it interesting that Dr. Neustatter hints at Trumps possible support of eugenics when, if anyone, it is his opponents who promoted these ideas. Recall that Planned Parenthoods founder, Margaret Sanger, was an early champion of eugenics in the United States. She is still admired and honored by many in the progressive movement.

Finally, when I read The Free LanceStars Health section, I look forward to informative medical articles, not political columns.

Read more from the original source:

Letter: Keep politics out of Health section - Fredericksburg.com

Bering Climate and Ecosystem – What is the impact of the …

Posted on by

What is the impact of the Ecosystem on fishery resources in the Bering Sea?

Patricia A. Livingston and Thomas K. Wilderbuer NOAA Fisheries-Alaska Fisheries Science Center Seattle, WA

Ecosystems consist of groups of interacting species joined together in a food web and the physical environment around them. Bering Sea fish production can be affected directly by the environment and indirectly through food web effects. The physical environment, or climate, can impact fish production through a variety of pathways. Direct effects of temperature on metabolism, growth and distribution of fish could occur. Food web effects could also occur through changes in the distribution and abundance of prey (zooplankton or forage fish in the pelagic food web; benthic invertebrates and fish in the benthic food web) or of predators and competitors (fish, marine mammals, and birds).

Temperature-induced changes in growth of a species might make a fish species grow more slowly if the temperature is outside that species' optimum temperature for growth. This could happen if the temperature is either too cold or too warm for a species. Reduced growth rates could also increase the vulnerability of some species to predation by keeping them at a smaller, more easily consumed size for longer periods.

Changes in the physical environment can influence the amount of food available to commercially exploited fish stocks. Weather changes might change the amounts of nutrients in the water, which might prevent phytoplankton blooms from occurring or change the type of phytoplankton species that blooms. Also, the timing of ice retreat can influence the timing of the phytoplankton bloom and whether zooplankton are present to consume it. If the bloom occurs when it is too cold for zooplankton, more phytoplankton falls to the bottom and can be used by benthic organisms such as polychaete worms and clams, which are consumed by crabs and flatfish that are part of the benthic food web. The timing of warmer-water phytoplankton blooms is closely matched with zooplankton blooms and may provide more food to the pelagic food web.

The eastern (EBS) and western (WBS) Bering Sea food webs have both benthic and pelagic components (Aydin et al. 2002). One of the most dominant fish species in the eastern Bering Sea that is subjected to commercial fishing is the walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). This species is a central part of the pelagic food web of the eastern Bering Sea and juveniles are heavily preyed upon by commercial and noncommercial fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. The benthic food web contains many commercially-utilized species of flatfish and crab such as yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra), flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon), red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) and Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi). Other flatfish such as the commercially exploited Greenland turbot (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and mostly nonexploited arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) may live on the bottom but feed more on pelagic fish species such as walleye pollock. Other commercial species such as Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) consume both benthic and pelagic prey.

Climate or weather changes are important in determining how many young of a fish species survive to adulthood. Many fish species reproduce by releasing many thousands of eggs into surface waters. If winds move these eggs and the young fish (larvae) that hatch from them into areas that are unfavorable for survival, either because there is no food for larvae, there are too many predators, or the water is too turbulent for fish larvae to successfully capture food, then that species may decline in abundance. If physical conditions favor the survival of a predator species, then the abundance of their prey may have increased mortality due to predation.

The extent and timing of the sea ice also determines the area where cold bottom water temperatures will persist throughout the following spring and summer. This eastern Bering Sea area of cold water, known as the cold pool, varies with the annual extent and duration of the ice pack and can influence fish distributions. Walleye pollock have shown a preference for warmer water and exhibit an avoidance of the cold pool (Wyllie-Echeverria 1995) such that in colder years they utilize a smaller portion of the shelf waters and in warm years have been observed as far north as the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea. Strong year-classes of pollock have been found to occur synchronously throughout the Bering Sea (Bulatov 1995) and coincide with above-normal air and bottom temperatures and reduced ice cover (Quinn and Niebauer 1995, Decker et al. 1995). These favorable years of production are the result of good juvenile survival and have been shown to be related to how much warm water habitat is present (Ohtani and Azumaya 1995) and the distribution of juvenile pollock relative to the adult population, which influences the level of predation (Wespestad et al. 2000). Warmer water also enhances rates of pollock egg development (Haynes and Ignell 1983), which may lead to increased survival.

Examination of the distributions of forage fishes including herring, capelin, eulachon and juvenile cod and pollock indicate temperature-related differences (Brodeur et al. 1999). Annual capelin distributions exhibit an expanded range in years with a larger cold pool and a contracted range in years of reduced ice cover. Although the productivity of capelin stocks in relation to temperature is not known, Bering Sea herring stocks exhibited improved recruitment during warm years (Williams and Quinn 2000) similar to herring stocks throughout their range where the timing of spawning has also been shown to be temperature related (Zebdi and Collie 1995).

Recruitment responses of many Bering Sea fish and crab are linked to decadal scale patterns of climate variability (Francis et al. 1998; Hare and Mantua 2000; Zheng and Kruse 2000; Hollowed et al, 2001; Wilderbuer et al. 2002). Decadal changes in recruitment of some winter spawning flatfish species in the eastern Bering Sea (arrowtooth flounder, rock sole, and flathead sole) appears to be related to patterns seen in atmospheric forcing (Wilderbuer et al. 2002). The Arctic Oscillation, which tracks the variability in atmospheric pressure at polar and mid-latitudes, tends to vary between negative and positive phases on a decadal scale. The negative phase brings higher-than-normal pressure over the polar region and the positive phase does the opposite, steering ocean storms farther north. These patterns in atmospheric forcing in winter may influence surface wind patterns that advect fish larvae on or off the shelf . When the index was in its negative phase in the 1980s, southwesterly winds tended to dominate, likely transporting flatfish larvae to favorable nursery grounds. The positive phase in the 1990's showed winds to be more southeasterly, which would tend to advect larvae off-shelf.

However, periods of strong Aleutian Lows are associated with weak recruitment for some Bering Sea crab species and are unrelated with others (Zheng and Kruse 2000) depending on species-specific life history traits. Winds from the northeast favor retention of crab larvae in offshore mud habitats that serve as suitable nursery areas for young Tanner crabs that bury for protection (Rosenkranz et al. 2001). However, winds from the opposite direction promote inshore advection of crab larvae to coarse, shallow water habitats in inner Bristol Bay that serve as nursery areas for red king crabs that find refuge among biogenic structures (Tyler and Kruse 1998). Timing and composition of the plankton blooms may also be important, as red king crab larvae prefer to consume Thalassiosira spp. diatoms, whereas Tanner crab larvae prefer copepod nauplii.

Some species, such as Bering Sea herring, walleye pollock, and Pacific cod, show interannual variability in recruitment that appears more related to ENSO-driven climate variability (Williams and Quinn 2000; Hollowed et al. 2001). Years of strong onshore transport, typical of warm years in the Bering Sea, correspond with strong recruitment of walleye pollock, possibly due to separation of young fish from cannibalistic adults (Wespestad et al. 2000). Alaskan salmon also exhibit decadal scale patterns of production, which are inversely related to West coast salmon production patterns (Hare and Mantua 2000). Environmental variables such as sea surface temperature and air temperature significantly improved the estimates of productivity of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon compared to models containing only density-dependent effects (Adkinson et al. 1996).

These changes in abundance of predators and prey in the eastern Bering Sea affect food web relationships and thus, to some degree, the production of commercially important fish and crab that are prey for other members of the food web. As climate conditions provide increased abundance of predator species such as Pacific cod, halibut, and arrowtooth flounder, these predators may exert a greater degree of control over their prey populations. Multispecies modeling of predation on walleye pollock indicates that predation mortality on juvenile pollock varies across time, depending on the population levels of predators on juvenile pollock (Livingston and Jurado-Molina 2000), which include adult pollock. Hunt et al. (2002) hypothesize that predator control of pollock recruitment may occur periodically when the biomass of adult pollock is sufficiently large.

Scientists are working to improve understanding of the relative importance of the direct effects of the environment and the indirect food web effects on Bering Sea fish production. Research is being conducted that is searching for the links between physical environmental changes and biological production. Improving our observation system of the physical environment and lower trophic level production (i.e., phytoplankton and zooplankton) will be important in this endeavour. Prediction of ecosystem effects on fishery resource production will also require more detailed models that link physical environment and marine resource production.

References:

Adkinson, M.D., R.M. Peterman, M.F. Lapointe, D.M. Gillis, and J. Korman. 1996. Alternative models of climatic effects on sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, productivity in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and the Fraser River, British Columbia. Fish. Oceanogr. 5: 137-142.

Aydin, K.Y., V.V. Lapko, V.I. Radchenko, and P.A. Livingston. 2002. A comparison of the eastern Bering and western Bering Sea shelf and slope ecosystems through the use of mass-balance food web models. U.S. Dep. Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-130. 78p.

Bulatov, O. A. 1995. Biomass variation of walleye pollock of the Bering Sea in relation to oceanological conditions. In: Beamish, R. J. (Ed), climate change and northern fish populations, Canadian Special Publication in Fisheries and Aquatic Science, Vol. 121, pp. 631-640.

Brodeur, R. D., Wilson, M. T., Walters, G. E., and Melnikov, I. V. 1999. Forage fishes in the Bering Sea: distribution, species associations, and biomass trends. In Dynamics of the Bering Sea, pp. 509-536. Ed. By T. Loughlin, and K. Ohtani. University of Alaska Sea Grant, fairbanks. 825 pp.

Decker, M. B., Hunt Jr, G. L., Byrd Jr., G.V. 1995. The relationships among sea surface temperature, the abundance of juvenile walleye pollock, and the reproductive performance and diets of seabirds at the Pribilof Islands, southeastern Bering Sea. In: Beamish, R. J. (Ed), climate change and northern fish populations, Canadian Special Publication in Fisheries and Aquatic Science, Vol. 121, pp. 425-437.

Francis, R.C., S.R. Hare, A.B. Hollowed, W. S. Wooster. 1998. Effects of interdecadal climate variability on the oceanic ecosystems of the NE Pacific. Fish. Oceanogr. 7:1-21.

Hare, S.R. and N.J. Mantua. 2000. Empirical evidence for North Pacific regime shifts in 1977 and 1989. Progr. Oceanogr. 47:103-145.

Haynes, E.G. and S.E. Ignell. 1983. Effect of temperature on rate of embryonic development of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). Fisheries Bulletin 81, 890-894.

Hollowed, A.B., S.R. Hare, and W.S. Wooster. 2001. Pacific Basin climate variability and patterns of Northeast Pacific marine fish production. Progr. Oceanogr. 49:257-282.

Hunt, G.L., P. Stabeno, G. Walters, E. Sinclair, R.D. Brodeur, J.M. Napp, N.A. Bond. 2002. Climate change and control of the southeastern Bering Sea pelagic ecosystem. Deep See Research Part II. 49: 5821-5853.

Livingston, P.A. and J. Jurado-Molina. 2000. A multispecies virtual population analysis of the eastern Bering Sea. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 57:294-299.

Ohtani, K., and T. Azumaya. 1995. Influence of interannual changes in ocean conditions on the abundance of walleye pollock in the eastern Bering Sea, pp. 87-95. In R. J. Beamish [ed.] Climate change and northern fish populations. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish Aquat. Sci. 121.

Quinn, T.J. II, and H. J. Niebauer. 1995. Relation of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) recruitment to environmental and oceanographic variables, p. 497-507. In R. J. Beamish [ed.] Climate change and northern fish populations. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 121.

Rosenkranz, G.E., A.V. Tyler, and G.H. Kruse. 2001. Effects of water temperature and wind on recruitment of Tanner crabs in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Fisheries Oceanography 10: 1-12.

Tyler, A.V., and G.H. Kruse. 1998. A comparison of year-class variability of red king crabs and Tanner crabs in the eastern Bering Sea. Memoirs of the Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University, Vol. 45, No. 1: 90-95, Hakodate, Japan.

Wespestad, V.G., L.W. Fritz, W.J. Ingraham, and B.A. Megrey. 2000. On relationships between cannibalism, climate variability, physical transport, and recruitment success of Bering Sea walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 57: 272-278.

Wilderbuer, T.K., A.B. Hollowed, W.J. Ingraham, P.D. Spencer, M.E. Conners, N.A. Bond, and G.E. Walters. 2002. Flatfish recruitment response to decadal climate variability and ocean conditions in the eastern Bering Sea. Progr. Oceanogr. 55:235-247.

Williams, E.H. and T.J. Quinn, II. 2000. Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi, recruitment in the Bering Sea and north-east Pacific Ocean, II: relationships to environmental variables and implications for forecasting. Fish. Oceanogr. 9:300-315.

Wylllie-Echeverria, T., 1995. Sea-ice conditions and the distribution of walleye pollock (Chalcogramma theragra) on the Bering and Chukchi shelf. In: Beamish, r. J. (Ed.), Climate change and northern fish populations, Canadian Special Publication in Fisheries and Aquatic Science, Vol. 121, pp. 131-136. National research Council of Canada Ottawa.

Zebdi, A. and J. S. Collie. 1995. Effect of climate on herring (Clupea pallasi) population dynamics in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. In R. J. Beamish [ed.] Climate change and northern fish populations. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 121.

Zheng, J. and G.H. Kruse. 2000. Recruitment patterns of Alaskan crabs in relation to decadal shifts in climate and physical oceanography. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 57:438-451.

Continue reading here:

Bering Climate and Ecosystem - What is the impact of the ...

How Alt News is trying to take on the fake news ecosystem in India – Firstpost

Posted on by

Theres one fake news video that most agitates Pratik Sinha though hes seen a lot of them. In this particular piece of shaky handheld footage, that Sinha has deconstructed online, a young girl is bloodied and being beaten as an angry mob closes in on her. The frame needs to be rotated, but its pretty clear that a lynching is under way.

Its been in circulation for a couple of years and those forwarding it would have you believe this is a Hindu Marwari girl being beaten by Muslim men in Andhra Pradesh. The accompanying explanation claims the girl refused to wear a burqa after marrying a Muslim man and thereafter met a grisly end. Sinha repeats the line that goes with the video in Hindi, from memory.

All group members are requested that this video should be shared so extensively via WhatsApp that the video reaches Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi so that he can take some instant action regarding this issue and todays the day when WhatsApp needs to be used effectively for this purpose, reads the forward.

But no matter how many times it gets forwarded, it wont change the fact that this is a two-year-old video of a mob attacking a 16-year-old girl in a Guatemalan village following her suspected involvement in a murder. The truth, however, has not come in the way of this video having a fruitful viral run as an instance of communal violence in India.

Its a very horrible video to watch, said Sinha, 35, a co-founder of AltNews.in, a new anti-propaganda site, on the phone from Ahmedabad. Even I felt sick after watching it.

But Sinha knows the video frame by frame quite literally. When it first came to his notice he broke it down to a manageable frame speed and then reverse-searched images on Google to locate where it had been hosted. This later led to news articles about the Guatemalan incident, and voila, it was the same video being passed off as a lynching in India.

This is just one of several fake news videos the site has debunked since it went live on 9 February 2017. Founded by Sinha and an anonymous co-founder known in the social media world as Unofficial Sususwamy, AltNews describes itself as a website for the post-truth world; one that aims to act as an antidote to the right-wing propagandists that have established themselves in the mainstream media. Its a three-person voluntary effort so far (they have one other contributor) and in four months has been slowly making its presence felt online.

On average they bust one fake news video a week, Sinha estimates. He rattles off other egregious examples: the Pakistani army beheading an Indian jawan, a Muslim killing a Hindu in Bihar.

Almost all of these are cases of grotesque videos of murders, beheadings, violence, he said, and in most cases they are described as Muslims killing Hindus.

When such videos reach Sinha it requires a measure of forensic online work slowing it down, scraping the internet to find where it has previously been posted, analysing visible signage in the background, looking at streetscapes and trying to catch the language being spoken. For Sinha, this is now a full-time endeavour.

AltNews is one of the platforms to have emerged as a direct response to the proliferation of fake news in India, also an increasingly pernicious problem across the world. Last week, the actor Paresh Rawal became the latest victim of a fake news story when he tweeted that the writer Arundhati Roy should be used as a human shield, following her reported remarks on the Indian army in Kashmir. She said she had neither recently been to Kashmir nor said anything of the kind being reported. The news had ricocheted through a series of right-wing websites after having been picked up from Pakistani sites, leading to a very real brouhaha over a very fake story.

The superhighway of misinformation is paved through Whatsapp, Facebook and social media more broadly, where morphed pictures, mistitled videos and blatantly false accounts move at remarkable speed. Such videos are inciting violence, said Sinha. They are criminal in nature. In its brief career so far, AltNews has quickly begun to acquire a reputation as a slayer of fake news. Sinha said he had compiled a list of at least 40 websites trading in fake news, most in Hindi, and most with a strong pro-BJP bent. Its more in the right wing eco-system, he said.

Alt News is updated about two or three times a day, but upending fake news isnt its only focus. It also does other kinds news updates and analyses. We want to stay away from opinions, he said. My point is, you may not agree with my ideology, which you could say is left of centre, but you wont be able to deny the facts that I am presenting.

About six months before the site went live, Sinha quit his job as a software engineer. He had already been active in Jan Sangharsh Manch, the non-profit his parents founded, that has been working on the Gujarat false encounter cases, among other things. Since 2013 he has also been running the Truth of Gujarat page, a site focused on news about the riots.

Though he didnt explicitly quit his day job to start Alt News, Sinhas ongoing activism work eventually overwhelmed his professional life.

Things came to a head last year when protesting with sanitation workers in Ahmedabad, he kept getting detained by the police. Its difficult to do a software engineering job when you are detained every few days, he said, wryly. I realised I am more inclined towards activism and I thought maybe I can start a website.

Alt News has so far nearly 18,000 fans on Facebook and more than 5,000 followers on Twitter which may besmall, but its reach is slowly growing.

A few days after the website was launched, Sinha received a threatening call from a man claiming to be the gangster Ravi Pujari. He said, 'you must be knowing who I am?', said Sinha. I was still sleepy, I said I didnt recognise him. Pujari was calling to say Sinha should stop writing. He later informed the police.

Sinha didnt sound rattled by the incident. Neither did he sound concerned about the hotly divided nature of public opinion today, with people in ideologically insulated bubbles shunning information not aligning with their worldviews. He said right-leaning people had also shared their stories and that people were thirsty for correct information too. People are also looking for material to debunk [fake news stories], he said. They may know its fake but they dont have the arsenal. The posts are reaching many people.

Still, Alt News can hardly take on the vast and fast-moving fake news machinery on its own, simply by calling out one video a week. Sinha said tackling the menace would require a collaborative effort between the mainstream media, social media platforms and the authorities.

We as a platform cant have much impact on our own, said Sinha. We know our limitations, but it is necessary to keep talking. Only if we keep talking can anything happen.

More:

How Alt News is trying to take on the fake news ecosystem in India - Firstpost

Conspiracy Theories and the Right-Wing Ecosystem – Common Dreams

Posted on by

Common Dreams
Conspiracy Theories and the Right-Wing Ecosystem
Common Dreams
The story of Seth Rich is informative for what it tells us about the nature of conspiracy theories, and how they not only survive, but thrive, in the contemporary media ecosystem. To begin, there is no reaction mainstream outlets can give to these ...
These are Sean Hannity's advertisers - Media Matters for AmericaMedia Matters for America
Statement on coverage of Seth Rich murder investigationFox News

all 119 news articles »

Read more:

Conspiracy Theories and the Right-Wing Ecosystem - Common Dreams

TMC Innovation, Station Houston Highlight City’s Startup Ecosystem to Investors – Texas Medical Center (press release)

Posted on by

The TMC Innovation Institute and Station Houstonbrought together a room full of startup company investors June 1 to kick off the Houston Investor Catalyst Series: Activating Early-Stage Capital.

The collaboration between the two organizations was the first of an invitation-only,quarterly event series showcasing local, high-growth startups to accredited investors while sharing best practices and information about angel investing and venture capital.

We want to connect and support Houstons startup ecosystem, said Erik Halvorsen, Ph.D., director of the TMC Innovation Institute. Its not just health care, its not just oil and gas, it is everyonewe are one ecosystem, and this is an extension of that goal.

The night started with apanel discussion on how to help the startup culture in Houston grow with Halvorsen and John Reale, founder of Station Houston, moderated by Angela Shah, Texas editor of Xconomy.

A second panel included startup investors Rakesh Agrawal, founder and CEO of SnapStream Media;LarryLawson, founder andchairman of HeartCor Solutions, and a member of the GOOSE Society of Texas; andPatrick Lewis, president of the Houston Angel Network. They discussed how they source deals, how to better highlight what is going on in Houston to the national investor community and new trends in ways to invest in startup companies.

Pitches from three Houston companies rounded out the event:ConsultLink,a mobile workspace for care-team members to streamlinepatient care;Arundo Analytics, which usesbig data and machine learning techniquestooptimize operations and give insights on events before they happen; and The Right Place, which offershospitals and post-acute providers a more efficient and reliable way to match the right patient to the right place of care.

Read the original:

TMC Innovation, Station Houston Highlight City's Startup Ecosystem to Investors - Texas Medical Center (press release)

Barge that washed ashore could impact already fragile ecosystem – WPEC

Posted on by

Barge that washed ashore could impact already fragile ecosystem

New documents exclusively obtained by CBS12 show a barge that washed ashore on Singer Island last April damaged a reef.

Theres trouble under the waters near Singer Island after a barge washed ashore last April.

Floridas Department of Environmental Protection released images showing abrasions, damage and injured areas on the nearshore reef.

The damaged area is approximately 5.2 square meters according to an assessment survey prepared for the state.

Sky Team 12 shot exclusive video of the 144-foot Baymaster grounded after it broke free from a tug boat in rough seas near the Lake Worth inlet on April 20th.

Ed Tichenor with Palm Beach County Reef Rescue says the damage could impact the already fragile ecosystem. When you lose that, you lose a food source for turtle, he said. Theres a resident population of green sea turtles that depend on this near shore hard bottom as a food source.

A spokesperson tells CBS12 that DEP is now evaluating the information collected to determine if the grounding violated any laws or regulations.

View post:

Barge that washed ashore could impact already fragile ecosystem - WPEC

Miesha Tate wishes ‘Cyborg’ would have punched Angela Magana harder – MMAjunkie.com

Posted on by

RIO DE JANEIRO Former UFC womens bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has no sympathy for Angela Magana when it comes to taking a punch from Cristiane Justino.

Tate is gleeful about Justinos actions, if not worried about the repercussions.

That was a great day for me, Tate (18-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) said of the clash between the fighters this past month at the UFC Athlete Retreat 2017, which continues to make headlines as Justino awaits her legal fate. I thought it was wonderful. I wish she would have punched Angela harder.

Las Vegas police cited Justino (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) for misdemeanor battery after socking Magana at the meeting. The Brazilian featherweight reportedly was angry over bullying messages Magana (11-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) sent on social media, and the two then crossed paths at the summit.

Magana has claimed prosecutors are looking into a felony charge and said she will sue Justino.

Dozens of fighters have weighed in on the punch, largely backing Justinos handling of the situation. A few figures have dissented in favor of Magana; UFC President Dana White and three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen said the Brazilian fighters actions amounted to assault.

But Tate called attention to the behavior that led Justino to punch Magana, calling Magana a bully and a child who never grew up.

I think there should be harsher consequences for people who publicly bully people on the Internet, in person everything, Tate added.

Magana mocked a picture of Justino working with cancer patients, comparing Cyborg to a horror movie character.

Justinos misdemeanor battery charge carries a potential punishment of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, which looms as she is expected to compete against an unnamed opponent at UFC 214 on July 29 in Anaheim, Calif. The charge could, however, be reduced to community service depending on mitigating factors found by investigators.

Tate hopes the punishment wont be too harsh for Justino; she told reporters she thought Magana had it coming.

I hope that the legal system looks at everything, she said. Im team Cyborg all the way with that.

One thing Tate wont be doing is picking a fight with Magana. Shes perfectly content with retirement and doesnt plan on coming back to the octagon unless her rival and former champ, Ronda Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), comes back.

Watch the video above to hear Tate weigh in on the situation.

And for more on the UFCs upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Visit link:

Miesha Tate wishes 'Cyborg' would have punched Angela Magana harder - MMAjunkie.com

Watch a Genetically Modified Cyborg Dragonfly Take Flight For The … – Nerdist

Posted on by

Earlier this year, we learned about DragonflEye, a project from biomedical solutions company Draper that aims to turn dragonflies into genetically modified insect cyborgs that wear energy-harvesting solar backpacks and are completely under human control. Basically, theyre looking to collaborate with mother nature on the smallest, most-nimble drone around, which we can operate via pulses of light to the dragonflys nerve cord that allow us to control the insects steering neurons.

In February, the technology was still in more of a conceptual stage and hadnt been tested on actual dragonflies. Now, just a few months later, we have video footage of DragonflEye in action.

In the clip above, we can see a real dragonfly being fitted with the device and proof that its able to actually fly. The video doesnt do much to prove that its flight is human-controlled, but its also just a 30-second teaser clip, so were sure theres more to come.

DragonflEye is a totally new kind of micro-aerial vehicle thats smaller, lighter and stealthier than anything else thats manmade, Draper biomedical engineer Jesse J. Wheeler said when announcing the project. This system pushes the boundaries of energy harvesting, motion sensing, algorithms, miniaturization and optogenetics, all in a system small enough for an insect to wear.

What sorts of purposes can you imagine DragonflEye being used for? Surveillance? Farming? Checking if whatevers in the microwave is almost done because getting up is a lot to ask sometimes? Fire off some ideas in the comments below!

Featured image: Draper

Read the original here:

Watch a Genetically Modified Cyborg Dragonfly Take Flight For The ... - Nerdist

This Cyborg Dragonfly Is the Tiniest Drone – Gizmodo – Gizmodo

Posted on by

The smaller a drone gets, the more places it can be easily flown. But while many researchers have been trying to tackle the monumental challenge of building drones that look and behave like tiny insects, a new approach has engineers giving Mother Natures existing creations drone-like upgrades.

The biggest hurdle with building tiny drones that can fly almost anywhere is powering them. A small flying craft is only strong enough to carry a small battery, which dramatically limits its flight time. But somehow that mosquito in your tent while camping can buzz your ear for hours on end before refuelingon you.

We can only make electronics so small, though, so upgrading a mosquito isnt currently feasible. But a dragonfly? Researchers at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have created something they call DragonflEye: a remote control drone built on a living dragonfly.

The dragonfly has been upgraded with a collection of tiny sensors that will eventually let it collect data, or make readings, in places where humans cant safely go. Tiny onboard solar cells power the DragonflEyes electronics, which includes a unique technology that allows a pilot to remotely control where the insect flies.

The dragonfly used here has been genetically engineered with what the researchers call steering neurons inside the creatures spinal cord. By inserting light-sensitive genes similar to those found in an eye, the DragonflEye can be controlled using pulses of light transmitted using custom-designed optical structures that are more flexible than fiber optics. The advantage to this approach is that other neurons in the dragonfly arent affected (or damaged) in the process, allowing it to fly with far more agility than even our most advanced drones.

The video released yesterday shows the DragonflEye taking its first flight, albeit in a straight line as the researchers are still perfecting its unique control system. But theyre confident their creation will eventually be able to take to the skies with almost as much maneuverability as a dragonfly without cyborg upgrades.

But aside from creating what could be the ultimate spy tool, the technology powering the DragonflEye could be adapted for use in humans who suffer from reduced mobility or movement as a result of issues with their nervous system or spinal cord. These researchers arent yet promising to miraculously make people walk again, but their work on using light to stimulate signals in the nervous system could potentially have innovative medical uses as well.

[Charles Stark Draper Laboratory via New Atlas]

See the article here:

This Cyborg Dragonfly Is the Tiniest Drone - Gizmodo - Gizmodo

Draper’s Genetically Modified Cyborg DragonflEye Takes Flight – IEEE Spectrum

Posted on by

Image: Draper via Vimeo A live dragonfly with a cybernetic backpack and optical implants is now airborne.

In January, we wrote about a cybernetic micro air vehicle under development at Draper called DragonflEye. DragonflEye consists of a living, slightly modified dragonfly that carries a small backpack of electronics. The backpack interfaces directly with the dragonflys nervous system to control it, and uses tiny solar panels to harvest enough energy to power itself without the need for batteries. Draper showed us a nifty looking mock-up of what the system might look like a few months ago, but today, theyve posted the first video of DragonflEye taking to the air.

The unique thing about DragonflEye (relative to other cyborg insects) is that it doesnt rely on spoofing the insects sensors or controlling its muscles, but instead uses optical electrodes to inject steering commands directly into the insects nervous system, which has been genetically tweaked to accept them. This means that the dragonfly can be controlled to fly where you want, without sacrificing the built-in flight skills that make insects the envy of all other robotic micro air vehicles.

It looks like the above video is mostly showing that the electronics and hardware can be interfaced to the insect while still allowing it to fly, so we may not be seeing the control system in action yet. Even so, this research seems to be moving along very, very quickly, and were not entirely sure when this video was shot, so our advice is to give every dragonfly you see zipping around outside a second glance, just in case.

For lots more on DragonflEye, including why Draperthinks this research is worth pursuing, make sure and read our article and interview with principal investigator Jesse J. Wheeler.

[ Draper ]

IEEE Spectrums award-winning robotics blog, featuring news, articles, and videos on robots, humanoids, drones, automation, artificial intelligence, and more. Contact us:e.guizzo@ieee.org

Sign up for the Automaton newsletter and get biweekly updates about robotics, automation, and AI, all delivered directly to your inbox.

A robot that uses artificial sweat can cool its motors without bulky radiators 13Oct2016

R&D lab Draper is using genetic engineering and optoelectronics to build cybernetic insects 25Jan

Attack eagles are training to become part of the Dutch National Police anti-drone arsenal 1Feb2016

With a clever mechanism that allows it to efficiently take off and land on water, this drone could use solar charging to travel around lakes all summer 1Jun

You don't have to register your personal drones with the government, for now 22May

This omnidirectional eight-rotor drone flies like no other aircraft 17May

Drone operators face a patchwork of federal, state, and local regulations that is increasingly hard to keep up with 12May

Crashing into objects has taught this drone to fly autonomously, by learning what not to do 10May

Facebook's Yael Maguire talks about millimeter wave networks, Aquila, and flying tethered antennas at the F8 developer conference 19Apr

Should drones be required to broadcast an identifying code by radio? 19Apr

Gliding drones made out of plywood can deliver supplies over long distances with pinpoint accuracy 17Apr

But the Federal Aviation Administration is allowing PrecisionHawk to test a system for managing small drones beyond visual line of sight 15Apr

In Rwanda, the drone delivery startup Zipline is now bringing blood across mountains 31Mar

Should drones be required to broadcast an identifying code by radio? 30Mar

Inspiration for this design came from insect wings 9Mar

And they have a new piece of hardwarethe Jetson TX2that they hope everyone will use for this edge processing 8Mar

San Francisco R&D firm develops low-cost, precision air-delivery system using paper gliders 1Feb

A beautifully designed robot bat will be capable of robust acrobatics that quadrotors can't match 1Feb

Neurala wants to build powerful AI systems that run on smartphone chips to power robots, drones, and self-driving cars 17Jan

$34 million in drone preorders wasn't enough to keep Lily open 12Jan

Continued here:

Draper's Genetically Modified Cyborg DragonflEye Takes Flight - IEEE Spectrum