IBM’s Watson supercomputer leading charge into early melanoma detection – The Australian Financial Review

Posted on by

IBM melanoma research manager Rahil Garnavi (L) and MoleMap Australia diagnosing dermatologist Dr Martin Haskett. The two firms are collaborating on early detection of skin cancer.

IBM is breaking ground in the early detection of skin cancer using its supercomputer Watson, potentially saving the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars.

The tech giant has partnered with skin cancer detection program MoleMap and the Melanoma Institute of Australia to teach the computer how to recognise cancerous skin lesions.

The initial focus is on the early detection of melanomas, which are the rarest but most deadly type of skin cancer, and make up just 2 per cent of diagnoses but 75 per cent of skin cancer deaths.

IBM vice-president and lab director of IBM Research Australia, Joanna Batstone, told AFR Weekend her colleagues, including melanoma research manager Rahil Garnavi, had so far fed 41,000 melanoma images into the system with accompanying clinician notes and it had a 91 per cent accuracy at detecting skin cancers.

The Watson supercomputer uses machine learning algorithms in conjunction with image recognition technology to detect patterns in the moles.

"Today, if you have a skin lesion, a clinician's accuracy is about 60 per cent. If you use a high-powered DermaScope [a digital microscope], a trained clinician can identify with 80 per cent accuracy," said Ms Batstone.

"We want to achieve 90 per cent accuracy for all data and we also want it to do more than just say yes or no in regards to whether or not it's cancerous, we want it to be able to identify what type of skin cancer it is, or if it's another type of skin disease."

Australian and New Zealanders have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. In 2016 there were more than 13,000 new cases of melanoma skin cancer.

Of those with melanoma, there were almost 1800 deaths, making up 3.8 per cent of all cancer deaths in Australia in 2016.

Non-melanoma skin cancers alone are estimated to cost the government more than $703 million a year, according to 2010 research using medicare data.

Martin Haskett from MoleMap said diagnoses rates of skin cancer were relatively stable, with a slight decrease in younger people thanks to sun avoidance education campaigns.

"It occurs more frequently in older people and we're in a situation where the population is ageing. The older population has not been exposed to the sun protection campaigns and as you get older your immune system performs differently and is less capable," Dr Haskett said.

But even in younger generations, awareness does not always equate to action. Olympic swimmer Mack Horton had a skin cancer scare last year after a doctor watching TV saw an odd looking mole on him while he was racing and alerted the team doctor.

"With young people in general a tan is still seen as cool," he said.

"When they pulled me aside and notified me I didn't think much of it... but eight weeks later I got it checked and they said they'd have to take it out that day and then they said they would rush the results and that's when it dawned on me how serious it was."

IBM is setting up a free skin check event at Sydney's Bondi Beach over the weekend.

Beach goers will be able to stand in front of a smart mirror created by IBM that takes in their visual appearance and asks them questions about their age, family history and behavioural patterns. Within minutes it then generates a report on that individual's skin cancer risk. MoleMap will also be checking people's moles for free.

More here:

IBM's Watson supercomputer leading charge into early melanoma detection - The Australian Financial Review

Lancaster parish yoga classes mix spirituality with Vinyasa – The … – Buffalo News

Posted on by

Patricia Hudson and her daughter, Alexis, spent part of Valentine's Day evening together in a Christian meditation and yoga class.

Hudson, 42, amped up her workouts last year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She added yoga classes when her church parish, St. Mary of the Assumption in Lancaster, began offering them last fall in the St. Mary's Elementary School gym.

"I look forward to this," she said after a class last month. "It centers me."

That's the whole idea, said Jane Schmitt, the certified yoga instructor and fellow parishioner who leads the bimonthly classes.

"I feel like this is my ministry for the church," said Schmitt, 62, who also teaches yoga at community education sites in Lancaster and East Aurora, as well as Joy Wheel yoga studio in East Aurora.

The hourlong Meditation & Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice classes differ. Two dozen people who took her Valentine's Vinyasa class moved through their poses to songs that included "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing," "Prayer for Peace," and "When My Mind Becomes Still."

The classes start at 7 p.m. two Tuesdays each month, including next week. All are welcome free, though most who attend give a small donation to the parish.

For more information, call parish communications coordinator Diane Zwirecki 683-6445, Ext. 24 or email dianez@stmarysonthehill.org.

Alexis Hudson, 9, has attended several hourlong Meditation & Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice classes at St. Mary's Elementary School with her mother, Patricia. "It's really fun," she says, especially the balancing poses.

Hudson began to bring her daughter to classes a few weeks ago because Alexis, 9, takes dance and was interested.

"It's really fun," Alexis said.

Her favorite poses? Those that test balance.

"Mom always tries to hold on to me," she said.

Schmitt first thought about teaching yoga on the parish campus when church members were asked to consider what gifts they could offer to the church. The idea solidified after she attended a religious retreat for Christian yoga teachers last summer at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center in the Hudson River Valley. The Rev. Thomas Ryan author of "Heart and Body" and a leader of an ecumenical group called Christians Practicing Yoga led the gathering.

"He is a Catholic priest and certified Kripalu yoga instructor," Schmitt said. "I thought, 'This has to happen now because he's doing both of my worlds.'"

Schmitt and her husband, Jerry, owner of Schmitt's Audi, have three children and five grandchildren.

She leads her Tuesday evening classes from a pair of mats laid out in a cross shape.

Q. How did you come to yoga?

As a student. It really called to me. I loved it so much and really felt it. I had to go into teaching (eight years ago) and learn more about it.

Q. Can you talk about the benefits of combining yoga and spirituality?

The reflection and the meditation drew me toward a deeper connection to my faith. It felt more authentic and meaningful than it ever had before. It was great. When you're a kid and you get trained in whatever religion you're in, it's very real to you. Then you become more skeptical. You go because you have to go. Yoga gets you into a place where you can feel a bit more open and receptive. You also learn to slow it all down and you can take it in. You go to church and all of a sudden you're listening better, you're hearing different things. I love to see in church when people have their heads bowed in prayer. There are good feelings that you get.

Q. What are the classes like?

We start with some breath work. We do slow movement to music we do postures; the asanas and we end with traditional relaxation, or the savasana pose, and a short meditation. We sometimes include scripture, prayers or inspiration from the weekly readings and sermon at Mass.

Q. What are the movement and meditation like?

It's gentle. So many people are brand new to yoga that sometimes I'll demonstrate and then we'll do it to music together. There's a lot more teaching involved. Sometimes the music is a prayer or a hymn. It's kind of neat. It's almost like the prayer and the music are a moving meditation.

Q. Can the movement be modified?

Yes. If someone has difficulty doing things on the floor, they can go into a chair. Diane, who is helping me, often goes into a chair and demonstrates.

Q. What music do you use?

It's inspirational music with some hymns. It's not strictly Christian music.

Q. Should you bring your own mat? but we have extras.

Yes, but we do have a couple of extras if they're needed.

Q. Would all feel welcome and comfortable?

Yoga is not a religion but it can draw you closer to your already established belief system. All yoga aims to produce tranquility, calm the body, still the mind. All spiritual seekers are welcome.

Q. Can you talk about the folks who have been attending classes?

They're great. They've really embraced it. There are always new people showing up. It's mostly women but some men. It's all age groups. We might have a 13-year-old and a gentleman who might be in his 70s. We've been getting 20 to 40 people for each class. I feel like I'm starting to get to know people a little bit better, including those from church.

Q. How has your faith, married with your yoga, instructed your living?

When people start to get into yoga, it kind of becomes a way of life. You become a little bit more peaceful, a little bit more joyous. Maybe it starts to reflect to the people around you and maybe they want to see what it's all about. It's definitely made me happier in my faith life.

Q. What do you envision for the future?

I want to start taking it more into the meditation. I always run out of time. I always try to squeeze all this stuff in and want to leave a bit more time for meditation.

email: refresh@buffnews.com

Twitter: @BNrefresh, @ScottBScanlon

View post:

Lancaster parish yoga classes mix spirituality with Vinyasa - The ... - Buffalo News

Guest speaker focuses on spirituality in the Black Lives Matter movement – The Bucknellian

Posted on by

Nyle Fort presented a lecture on the black body and religion onMarch 8. The talkfocused on the importance of spirituality in activism, including the Black Lives Matter movement. The lecture was hosted by the Griot Institute for Africana studies and co-hosted by the Department of Religious Studies as part of the Black Body (Re)Considered series.

Fort focused on the moral and spiritual sides of the Black Lives Matter movement, emphasizing questions concerning the role of the Black Church, the politics of Black spirituality, and the sacredness of Black life, as stated on the Black Body (Re)Considered webpage.

We are not simply the sum of our oppression, we are more than that, Fort said.

Fort, a minister, organizer, and scholar, is currently working toward a Ph.D. in religion and African-American studies at Princeton University. As an activist, Fort is known for advocating the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Miss.as well as creating programs to serve his community.

I think theres an idea that some of us younger activists have sort of rejected the church or rejected religion altogether, so I want to complicate some of that and sort of give a different understanding of whats actually happening on the ground with some of us, Fort said.

Fort described how his lectures on religion have been a learning experience for both his audience and for himself.

Im coming to have a good conversationabout what we can do in this moment and how religion can play into both how people are being oppressed and how people are resisting that oppression, Fort said.

Forts studies focuson topics including black liberation theology, a tradition centered on understanding how faith and justice work in conjunction, as well as to evaluate how Christianity and other religions can fit into current activism. His goal is to not only determine how young activists critique Christianity, but also how they can benefit from it.

What we want to do is push back against this narrative, against this story that these young activists are somehow anti-religious, Fort said. I also want to talk about how young people are not just articulating different versions of religious experience but theyre critiquing the institution of the church and many of them are doing so from a place of faith, so theyre trying to call the church to be what they think it can become.

Fort feels that religion can be a vital part of activism, providing an explanation to the stories he wants to address.

A lot of the stories, which are really stereotypes, that we tell about these oppressed people are flat narratives, theyre narrow narratives. I want to talk about the complexity and the vitality, the dynamism of black life, Fort said.

Fort also hopes to demonstrate the commonalities between different subsections of the African American community.

Black people are not just Christian. Black people are Muslim, black people are atheist, black people are five-percenters, so we have a very complex religious expression. I try to talk about the gospel and the Christian faith in a way that shows that its actually central to our liberation struggle. Its not something thats antagonistic, Fort said.

Fort echoed Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., encouraging people to take action rather than spectate.

Wherever you find yourself, I encourage people to organize. You dont have to go to Ferguson, but you can, but you dont have to. You can right in your community, right in your context, do organizing work with your talents and your gifts, Fort said.

Go here to read the rest:

Guest speaker focuses on spirituality in the Black Lives Matter movement - The Bucknellian

Baritone Jubilant Sykes On Spirituality, Teddy Abrams And ‘1776’ – 89.3 WFPL

Posted on by

Many will remember Jubilant Sykes booming voice from his role as Celebrant in the 2015 Louisville Orchestra production of Bernsteins Mass. Now, the Grammy award-winning baritone is back to sing with the orchestra again for Sacred and Profane, a classics concert that compares and contrasts the music of composers in sacred traditions, as well as those of a decidedly secular focus.

In this case, Sykes represents the sacred, with his renditions of American spirituals like Ride on King Jesus, Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child, and Were You There?

I talked with Sykes about how he personally identifies with the spirituality of both Mass and Sacred and Profane, his relationship with Teddy Abrams, and his unexpected turn as an actor in the historical musical 1776. Listen to our conversation in the player above.

On how he identified with the music from last years Mass:

I think with all of us there is the sacred and the profane, which is the title of the (upcoming) concert. But I think that even atheists would say to some degree that we are spiritual beings, however they would relate that to there being a God or no God.

But I think, things like music, things like art, things like beauty, things like love those are things that we can sort of, to some degree, analyze, but when it really stabs you in the heart, that transcends intellect. It transcends even emotion. It hit a core that is profoundly deep, that words and even music alone cannot articulate.

On identifying with the American spirituals from Sacred and Profane:

Foremost they are from slavery. They are, of course, African-American. But I think they transcend culture and race. They are messages of love. They are messages of suffering. I think mans calling out to God to hear him, to see him, and Gods answer in that, I am here, in spite of what it may look like. So yes, they are very personal to me.

On his relationship with Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams:

First of all, he is what is it they say? The cats meow. Teddy is amazing. I dont know him personally-personally, but when you collaborate and work with someone musically, unlike other businesses, in music and the arts there is a personal revealing, an inner thing that happens. But he is just an incredible conductor. He is just an gem. That is rare. Ive had wonderful opportunities to work with really world-class, fabulous conductors and I say that humbly, but truthfully Teddy is right up there.

On how he became involved in a production of 1776 and his thoughts on acting:

A lot of my life its the phone call. The phone rings. I love acting, and I think that if I am very candid my wife is probably the only one who really knows this I consider myself more of an actor than a singer. But the singing door is what has opened up for me. I got a phone call, they were looking for me to do it. I live in California, this was in New York and my agent said, Listen, theres this show 1776, they want you to play this part in it.

I had a fabulous cast. These were actors personified, so for someone who has been a closeted actor, to see these men step into this role, I was humbled, I learned a lot. I learned that acting is not just passion and talent, there is of course craft. But when all those things come together, man it is it sounds cliche but it is magical.

More:

Baritone Jubilant Sykes On Spirituality, Teddy Abrams And '1776' - 89.3 WFPL

Faith and Spirituality Centre brings What I Be Project to campus – Gauntlet

Posted on by

By Rachel Woodward, March 9 2017

From March 1317, the Faith & Spirituality Centre (FSC) will celebrate Pluralism & Diversity Week. One of these events the What I Be Project intends to capture what University of Calgary students are insecure about and turn it into art.

The What I Be Project has a worldwide presence and has included celebrities like Jackie Cruz from Orange is the New Black. The project will take place over the course of the week at the U of C. Photographer Steve Rosenfield will spend 45 minutes with individual students to get to know them and discuss their insecurities. At the end of each session, the subject will write their insecurity on their body for a picture.

The process is cathartic and universally empowering, FSC program coordinator Jessica Burke says. Each portrait is immortalized for the entire world to see. Subjects are putting their insecurities out in the open and exposing a side of themselves that nobody has seen before. By stating I am not my ___, you are claiming that you do struggle with this issue but it does not define who you are as a person. They are not denying their insecurity, they are owning it.

The photos will show on screens in the Taylor Family Digital Library and the FSC. Burke says it was important for the FSC to provide students with something they can take away from the project after it ends.

We will be the pluralism hub during the week. People can stop by all week long for food, snacks, [and] information, she says.

Burke says the event highlights the FSCs mandate.

We work under the vice provost specifically the student life portfolio, she says. So [its about] creating an interculturally competent campus, destigmatizing the idea of religion and spirituality on campus most people dont feel comfortable being a person of faith or religion on campus as well as the Campus Mental Health Strategy in general.

Burke acknowledges that opening up to a large audience about insecurities is not easy. She says that the FSC will provide access to student advisors throughout the week to support those involved. She says that they are hoping for a positive outcome for the subjects.

If even one person leaves feeling empowered, if they feel more supported by the university in general, if they have networked, if they have made a connection, if they feel a sense of support and community and intercultural competency, I will consider that a huge success, Burke says. Students can apply online to have their photo taken up and there will be a waiting list if spots fill up. Burke says the event is filling up quickly.

For more information, visit http://www.ucalgary.ca/fsc

Continued here:

Faith and Spirituality Centre brings What I Be Project to campus - Gauntlet

Songs We Love: Benjamin Booker, ‘Witness (Feat. Mavis Staples)’ – KRVS

Posted on by

What does it mean to say you've witnessed something? Maybe you were simply in the right place at the right time; maybe you were a bystander who watched silently as an event played out before you. But to bear witness implies something more powerful. When you bear witness in a courtroom or a church, you're an active party, testifying as to what you've seen. One who bears witness speaks of her firsthand experience of an incident, of spiritual enlightenment, of truth itself back into the world so that it might change an outcome or a life.

It's that second sort that interests Benjamin Booker in "Witness," the title track from the follow-up to his explosive 2014 debut. The New Orleans-based songwriter who's favored a sound like the blues, soul and rock 'n' roll mixed with gasoline and a lit cigarette leans into more explicitly gospel territory here, letting his strepitous guitar take a backseat to an upright-piano melody and choral harmonies. Booker mourns violence against black bodies and hints at the insidious consequences of bearing false witness: "Thought that we saw that he had a gun / Thought that it looked like he started to run." Meanwhile, Mavis Staples sings the song's chorus, lending her typical moral urgency to its central question: "Am I going to be a witness ... just going to be a witness?"

To accompany the announcement of the album, Booker has written an essay detailing the experience that led him towards writing the album's title song, which you can read in full below.

"Once you find yourself in another civilization you are forced to examine your own."

--James Baldwin

By February of 2016, I realized I was a songwriter with no songs, unable to piece together any words that wouldn't soon be plastered on the side of a paper airplane.

I woke up one morning and called my manager, Aram Goldberg.

"Aram, I got a ticket south," I said. "I'm going to Mexico for a month."

"Do you speak Spanish?" he asked.

"No," I answered. "That's why I'm going."

The next day I packed up my clothes, books and a cheap classical guitar I picked up in Charleston. I headed to Louis Armstrong Airport and took a plane from New Orleans to Houston to Mexico City.

As I flew above the coast of Mexico, I looked out the plane window and saw a clear sky with the uninhabited coast of a foreign land below me.

I couldn't help but smile.

My heart was racing.

I was running.

I rented an apartment on the border of Juarez and Doctores, two neighborhoods in the center of the city, near the Baleras metro station, and prepared to be mostly alone.

I spent days wandering the streets, reading in parks, going to museums and looking for food that wouldn't make me violently ill again. A few times a week I'd meet up with friends in La Condesa to sip mezcal at La Clandestina, catch a band playing at El Imperial or see a DJ at Pata Negra, a local hub.

I spent days in silence and eventually began to write again.

I was almost entirely cut off from my home. Free from the news. Free from politics. Free from friends.

What I felt was the temporary peace that can come from looking away. It was a weightlessness, like being alone in a dark room. Occasionally, the lights would be turned on and I'd once again be aware of my own mass.

I'd get headlines sent to me from friends at home.

"More Arrests at U.S. Capitol as Democracy Spring Meets Black Lives Matter"

"Bill Clinton Gets Into Heated Exchange with Black Lives Matter Protester"

That month, Americans reflected on the murder of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police a year earlier.

I'd turn my phone off and focus on something else. I wasn't in America.

One night, I went to Pata Negra for drinks with my friend Mauricio. Mau was born and raised in Mexico City and became my guide. He took me under his wing and his connections in the city made my passage through the night a lot easier.

We stood outside of Pata Negra for a cigarette and somehow ended up in an argument with a few young, local men. It seemed to come out of nowhere and before I knew it I was getting shoved to the ground by one of the men.

Mau helped me get up and calmly talked the men down. I brushed the dirt off of my pants and we walked around the block.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"It's fine," he said. "Some people don't like people who aren't from here."

He wouldn't say it, but I knew what he meant.

It was at that moment that I realized what I was really running from.

Growing up in the South, I experienced my fair share of racism but I managed to move past these things without letting them affect me too much. I knew I was a smart kid and that would get me out of a lot of problems.

In college, if I got pulled over for no reason driving I'd casually mention that I was a writer at the newspaper and be let go soon after by officers who probably didn't want to see their name in print.

"Excuse me, just writing your name down for my records."

I felt safe, like I could outsmart racism and come out on top.

It wasn't until Trayvon Martin, a murder that took place about a hundred miles from where I went to college, and the subsequent increase in attention to black hate crimes over the next few years that I began to feel something else.

Fear. Real fear.

It was like every time I turned on the TV, there I was. DEAD ON THE NEWS.

I wouldn't really acknowledge it, but it was breaking me and my lack of effort to do anything about it was eating me up inside.

I fled to Mexico, and for a time it worked.

But, outside of Pata Negra, I began to feel heavy again and realized that I might never again be able to feel that weightlessness. I knew then that there was no escape and I would have to confront the problem

The song "Witness" came out of this experience and the desire to do more than just watch.

If you grew up in the church you may have heard people talk about "bearing witness to the truth."

In John 18:37, Pilate asked Jesus if he is a king. Jesus replies, "You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I may bear witness to the truth. Everyone being of the truth hears My voice."

In 1984, the New York Times printed an article titled "Reflections of a Maverick" about a hero of mine, James Baldwin.

Baldwin has the following conversation with the writer, Julius Lester.

Witness is a word I've heard you use often to describe yourself. It is not a word I would apply to myself as a writer, and I don't know if any black writers with whom I am contemporary would, or even could, use the word. What are you a witness to?

Witness to whence I came, where I am. Witness to what I've seen and the possibilities that I think I see. ...

What's the difference between a spokesman and a witness?

A spokesman assumes that he is speaking for others. I never assumed that I never assumed that I could. Fannie Lou Hamer (the Mississippi civil rights organizer), for example, could speak very eloquently for herself. What I tried to do, or to interpret and make clear was that what the Republic was doing to that woman, it was also doing to itself. No society can smash the social contract and be exempt from the consequences, and the consequences are chaos for everybody in the society.

"Witness" asks two questions I think every person in America needs to ask.

"Am I going to be a Witness?" and in today's world, "Is that enough?"

Witness comes out June 2 via ATO Records.

See the original post:

Songs We Love: Benjamin Booker, 'Witness (Feat. Mavis Staples)' - KRVS

Camille Paglia on politics, art, spirituality – Philly.com

Posted on by

Camille Paglia has come a long way since the late 1960s, when, as a fledgling firebrand, she went head to head -- if not fist to fist -- with the defenders of American academic feminism, whose ideas she considered puerile, prudish, and puritanical.

Inspired far more by Katharine Hepburn, Amelia Earhart, and Simone de Beauvoir than Gloria Steinem or Catharine McKinnon, Paglia developeda personal brand of cultural criticism in her books and essays, includingSexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson(1990),Vamps and Tramps(1994), andGlittering Images(2012).

At 69, the University of the Arts professor is now a grand dame of lipstick feminism, a movement she anticipated in an infamous 1990 piece in the New York Times about Madonna that declared the pop singer the future of feminism.The essay was slammed by academics, but it put Paglia on the map as a public intellectual and made her catnip to journalists and pundits looking for acerbic commentary on everything from philosophy to bondage. (See Paglia discuss the effect of the Madonna essay on her career ina video posted by the New York Times.)

The Madonna piece is included inFree Women, Free Men: Sex, Gender, Feminism, a collection of 35 short pieces published over the last 25 years in newspapers, magazines, and general interest journals.Paglia brings that book toa free event at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Free Library of Philadelphias Central Library.She spoke to me recently in her famous rapid-firedelivery.

You are due to publish a collection of weightier -- dare I say more academic -- essays next year. So why this book? We are [still] preparing for that book, but my editors at Knopf Doubleday thought that the material on sex and feminism is absolutely as fresh now as it was 20, 25 years ago and as prophetic as the pieces about the decline of the universities and my warnings about political correctness. So they asked me to cull out the most forward-looking ones and to write an introduction demonstrating the continued topicality and relevance of the material.

You once declared, I want to save feminism from the feminists. Two decades have passed. How fares that project now that youre no longer considered Enemy No. 1? The most important for me to keep stressing is that my feminism predated second-wave feminism [of the mid-1960s]. Thats why I was so out of synch with so many fellow feminists. I came to it earlier through my passion for Amelia Earhart. Through her I discovered that great period of the 1920s and 30s of very high-achieving women that followed the gain of womens right to vote in 1920. I was getting, at the age of 14 and 15, a real bolt of energy from first-wave feminism.

Why should that have alienated you so much from the movement in the 60s and 70s? There was a real inability by some feminists to accept alternate views. There was just an appalling closed-mindedness to it. ... Now, Im an atheist, but I believe that, psychologically, people need religion. And some people who drift away from religion become committed to a political movement. They feel they have to become feminists, or progressives, or whatever it is. And the tenets of the movement will become their dogma. Thats why you cannot reason with anyone who is part of a movement, ultimately, because their identity becomes so intertwined with the dogma, with the doctrine.

You write that the60s are being remembered for all the wrong reasons. To say the 1960s should be addressed only in terms of political movements is to say the 60s are incompletely understood, that they are misunderstood. I lived it. I was there.

I know you were. It wasnt all about politics. It was about religion and spirituality, and it was about a cosmic vision, and all of that has dropped away, and weve been left with this endless sermonizing about politics. The 1960s vision was far more comprehensive. It wasnt about bourgeois entitlements, and it wasnt about careers. The hippies were dropping out of the system, they were going back to nature, and there was a whole search of spiritual enlightenment. The boldest of my contemporaries were the ones most interested in a cosmic perspective and in world religions and so on. And they were the ones who took LSD and their minds turned to Jell-O, so the books that should have been written by them ... dont exist.

You werent part of the drug scene? I call my work psychedelic criticism, but I never took any psychedelics. Thank God I didnt. Today, instead of that cosmic point of view, theres this perpetual state of anger and entitlement, and this sense that if things dont go the way people want politically speaking, they have a nervous breakdown because they have no larger perspective about the cosmos.

You feel that your peers also have overpoliticized art and literary criticism. In a sense, you accuse them of trying to rub out beauty. Surely, you dont deny theres a sociopolitical dimension to artworks? Its absolutely important to situate the artwork in its historical context and to ask certain material and economic questions around its production. But thats an incomplete way to understand art. ... You also need to appreciate the artistic and aesthetic values of art. Whats happened today is that the capability to respond to aesthetic issues in art has dropped away, and all thats taught is how art is nothing but ideology. And thats garbage. Its just garbage. ...You actually hear from people today that every work of art has a secret ideological formula. Every work of art! That every work is used by a power group to assert its own power. The problem is that, once you accept that art is nothing but politics, then you start getting demands that the artwork must convey the currently approved social message. And thats how we get political correctness.

So how do you define art? Beyond the social context, theres a spiritual dimension. The importance of the artwork is how its inner meaning ultimately makes it transcend its social context.

Youve used all these words that I think would surprise some readers, such as spirit and transcendence. You want more talk of spirituality from your peers? Look, I was calling for this 25 years ago. True multiculturalism and true multicultural education would be teaching the world religions and comparative religion to everyone. If people had listened to me back then, then you wouldnt have all this confusion today about Islam. I feel that the central legends and tenets, the ideas of all the great religions, should be taught everywhere in the world. That would be the No. 1 way to understand other cultures. Not political science.

Published: March 9, 2017 3:30 PM EST The Philadelphia Inquirer

Over the past year, the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com have uncovered corruption in local and state public offices, shed light on hidden and dangerous environmental risks, and deeply examined the regions growing heroin epidemic. This is indispensable journalism, brought to you by the largest, most experienced newsroom in the region. Fact-based journalism of this caliber isnt cheap. We need your support to keep our talented reporters, editors and photographers holding government accountable, looking out for the public interest, and separating fact from fiction. If you already subscribe, thank you. If not, please consider doing so by clicking on the button below. Subscriptions can be home delivered in print, or digitally read on nearly any mobile device or computer, and start as low as 25 per day. We're thankful for your support in every way.

Read more here:

Camille Paglia on politics, art, spirituality - Philly.com

The Orgasm Gap: Why Some People Orgasm More Than Others & Why Orgasms Are So Misunderstood – Collective Evolution

Posted on by

We're creating a positive news network. We need your help.

Sex is often considered a taboo topic,even though the media constantly uses it to divert our attention to advertisements, music, and the entertainment industry as a whole. In reality, sex is not only a gift that allows us to procreate, but also a tool we can use to learnmore about ourselves, our bodies, and even our inherent spirituality.

Thanks to the media and the porn industrys portrayal of sex, many people seem to think the entire point of intercourse is the end game: the orgasm. Not only is that extremely short-sighted. since sex is just as much about connection as it ispleasure, but a lot of people dont orgasm during intercourse, particularly women. A new study looked at the sex lives of 52,000 adults with varying sexual preferences in hopes of finding an explanationfor the orgasm gap, or, in other words, whypeople seem to think that men orgasm more frequently or more easilythan women.

A team of researchers from Indiana University and Chapman University recentlypublished a study in the Archives of Sexual Behavioron the orgasm gap, or the notion that some groups of people, particularly men over women, orgasm more frequently during sex than others. This is often brushed offas a hoax,or another sexist statement, but their survey showed thatit does hold some truth.

The team surveyed 52,000 people with different sexual preferences, including straight, gay, lesbian, and bisexual men and women between the ages of18 and 65. The survey results indicated that 95% of heterosexual males orgasmed during sexual acts with their partners, whereas only 65% of heterosexual females did. In fact, of all the categories the team looked at, heterosexual women always reported the lowestpercentage of orgasms.

Bisexual women reported they orgasmed 66%of the time, so slightly better than heterosexual, and lesbian women reported 86% a significant increase. 88%of bisexual men surveyed said they orgasmed every time, and this number reached 89% for gay men.

The study explains:

Compared to women who orgasmed less frequently, women who orgasmed more frequently were more likely to: receive more oral sex, have longer duration of last sex, be more satisfied with their relationship, ask for what they want in bed, praise their partner for something they did in bed, call/email to tease about doing something sexual, wear sexy lingerie, try new sexual positions, anal stimulation, act out fantasies, incorporate sexy talk, and express love during sex.

I dont think any of that necessarily has to do with being a woman, but rather being a human being who seeks connection with others. Clearly, sex is more pleasurable when its not just that sex. Id like to bring your attention to the final element of the equation, which is to express love during sex. Isnt sex itself an expression of love? Whether that be love for the Self and/or for your partner, this act represents an intimate bond between two people, or more specifically, betweentwo souls.

Thanks to the current sex culture,theres a stigma surrounding people forming attachments after sex. Numerous people engage in one night stands or relationships withno strings attached. Theres nothing inherently wrong with this, as its not beneficial to form attachments to anyone(though it may be difficult); however, there is no such thing as no strings attached when sexual intercourse is involved.

Have you ever felt such a strong bond to someone that you feel extreme empathy toward them, even if you dont know them well at all?From an energetic perspective, this is because were all deeply connected and because were vulnerable to other peoplesfrequencies. It is said that you should choose your fiveclosest friends wisely for this reason, astheir vibration will affect your own. I would argue that you should exercise caution when choosingyour sexual partners for this exact same reason as well.

Ifyoure having sex with someone, an act that physically connects you in the deepest way possible, it makes sense that their energy wouldbe imposed on you. Furthermore, it is said that when you have sex with someone, their aura leaves an imprint on youthatis difficult to energetically cleanse yourself from. So, if youre sleeping with someone who has slept with ten people in the past, and that individual hasnt cleansed themselves from their former partners energies before,you may be susceptible to eleven peoples energies. This also creates an energetic tie between you, and if youre not mindfully detaching yourself from your sexual partner, then it makes perfect sense that we become attached and disregard the whole no strings attached theory.

I believe that ourcurrent sex culture perpetuates the idea that the orgasm is the be all andend allof sex. Its considered the goal, which is perhaps why so many people in this generation refer to intercourse as scoring. However, I believe that this concept is extremely short-sighted, as I think that sex is meant to be an intensely spiritual practice, and one that can offer you more pleasure than the actual orgasm itself.

I believesex can be used as a tool to deepen our inherent love and connection to one another through practicing tantra, which is Sanskrit for woven together, and Taoism. Both tantra and Taoismencourage different methods of creating and building sexual energies between two partners for spiritual enlightenment.Although tantric sex is typically practiced with a partner, I believe that, through this practice, youcan come to understand yourself better on a spiritual level. In fact, a neuroscientist recently conducted a study which suggests that orgasms feel so good because they allow us to access an altered state of consciousness (read more about that in our CE article here).

One of the ancient practices within Taoism is controlling the male ejaculation during sex. Taoist practitioners believe thatthe loss of ejaculatory fluids equates the loss of vial life force (or jing), so by learning to conserve the sperm, men can redirect the energy of the orgasm throughout the body.

This doesnt mean that men should never orgasm; its simply a spiritual practice worth practicing on occasionthatcan actually bringmorepleasure than ejaculation when practiced correctly. Some Taoists believe that by redirecting the energy upwards toward the crown chakra, it can provide nourishment to the brain. In modern sex culture, some people refer to this as edging, although many men may do this for different reasons.

Women can also redirect their sexual energy by moving it upwards, although this wasnt studied in the practices nearlyas much. However, sex was viewed as an empowering act for females, as they can bring forth life and act as tutors for their partners during intimacy. Women were and still should be viewed as equals to men during sex, so it should be noted that these practices are only useful when both parties are consensual.

I also think the female orgasm is vastly misunderstood, as so many people seem to think that its more difficult for women to orgasm. Although the study clearly suggests there is truth within this, and the researchers actually suggest a golden trio of moves you can read about here, Id argue thatits more so the lack of connectivity that prevents women from orgasming. Im not just referring to the absenceof romance, but also the tendency for partners to only focus on themselves during intercourse.

I believe weve lost touch with the inherent connectivity that takes place during sex. Both women and men are treated like meat, as if their physicality is the only reason sexual intercourse should take place. When it all comes down to it, the physical realm is an illusion, so the real question here is: Who is the soul youre physically connecting with, and why were you drawn to them in the first place? Perhaps by answering that, you can actually improve your sex life.Who knows, maybe in your questfor a more connective sex life, youll end up learning more about yourselfalong the way.

Related CE Articles:

Pornhub Reveals How Much Porn We Watched In 2016 Heres Why Its An Issue

Tantra Is The Opposite Of Porn Learning How To Actually Be Intimate

How To Unlock Deeper & More Connected Sex In 5 Minutes

Porn vs Tantra Disturbing Facts About Modern Day Sex We Should All Consider

Your life path number can tell you A LOT about you.

With the ancient science of Numerology you can find out accurate and revealing information just from your name and birth date.

Get your free numerology reading and learn more about how you can use numerology in your life to find out more about your path and journey. Get Your free reading.

See the article here:

The Orgasm Gap: Why Some People Orgasm More Than Others & Why Orgasms Are So Misunderstood - Collective Evolution

Retired Army Colonel Prepares for Space Station Mission > U.S. … – Department of Defense

Posted on by

HOUSTON, March 9, 2017 When retired Army Col. Mark Vande Hei blasts off into space later this year for a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station, he'll be proud to play a part in helping advance the human race.

But what he really can't wait for, he said, is the stellar view from 200 miles above Earth, where the space station orbits the planet every 90 minutes.

In 2010, a cupola was installed on the station. It's a multi-windowed observatory module that offers 360-degree views of the blue planet. Inside, astronauts use various levers and controls to perform tasks like using the station's robotic arm to pull in routine supply loads launched into space.

They can also take time to reflect on the Earth's beauty.

"I'm actually looking forward to seeing what it's like to see the planet from a different perspective," said Vande Hei, 50, who retired last year from the Army where he served as a Ranger-tabbed combat engineer.

Orbiting the Earth

The sight of Earth is so breathtaking, it brought tears to the eyes of a fellow astronaut the first time he peered out of the cupola, Vande Hei said. Once he gets that chance, the former colonel believes, he will finally see Earth as it really is -- an island in the huge ocean of space.

"Hopefully, [I'll be] getting a better understanding of what it means to be a human being on planet Earth," he said.

But Vande Hei will be doing more than just sightseeing. With Russia choosing to send just one cosmonaut on the upcoming mission after deciding to reduce its footprint at the space station due to financial reasons, Vande Hei has taken on more duties. They include serving as the co-pilot of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that now ferries American astronauts into space since NASA's space shuttle program ended in 2011.

"Once we lost that other Russian, I had to jump into that co-pilot seat," Vande Hei said, adding that another NASA astronaut has also joined the mission. "Instead of being kind of a passenger, I'm really helping that commander fly that spacecraft. That is a huge change in responsibilities."

Vande Hei's mission was originally locked in for this March, but it had to be postponed to mid-September so he could train for a few months in Russia. That extra time also allowed him to learn more Russian, which will help him communicate with the spacecraft's Russian commander.

Tough Training

Like other astronauts preparing to go to space, Vande Hei must undergo an extensive training regimen. Last week, he spent a six-hour session submerged underwater at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The lab boasts one of the world's largest pools. At more than 200 feet long and 40 feet deep, it's big enough to hold a replica of the space station. Using a specialized spacesuit that simulates microgravity, Vande Hei floated around the mock station, practicing replacing large nickel hydrogen batteries with lithium-ion ones, a task he may have to perform as part of a spacewalk.

The next day, he trained on an advanced resistive exercise device, which astronauts use to prevent muscle loss while they're weightless in space. Astronauts can simulate free-weight exercises in normal gravity using the device's adjustable resistance piston-driven vacuum cylinders that provide a lift load of up to 600 pounds.

"It's vitally important. It's one of our biggest countermeasures on orbit to mitigate bone loss and muscle atrophy," said Staci Latham, an astronaut strength, conditioning and rehabilitation specialist who is helping train Vande Hei.

According to a NASA fact sheet, astronauts can lose up to 15 percent of their muscle volume if they don't exercise in space.

"They would start to degrade," Latham said, adding that muscle lost in space could be impossible to regain once back on Earth.

Before heading into space, astronauts will train with Latham 16 times in personal one-hour sessions to ensure they know how to use the machine. While in space, astronauts will typically spend 2.5 hours each day exercising for six days a week, she said.

Teamwork

Vande Hei plans to use his Army teamwork skills while he works as part of the six-person team tasked with maintaining the space station and conducting science experiments. After all, being stuck for months inside the station -- about the size of a six-bedroom home -- can present difficulties if people can't get along.

"You can drive each other crazy really easily," he said. "So it's really important that people who do this job are people who can have fun while isolated from the rest of humanity for an extended period of time."

That level of teamwork must also be reflected among the many employees at NASA and other agencies who work together to make space travel possible, Vande Hei said.

"No astronaut could have gotten to the moon without thousands of people working to make that spacecraft work properly," he said. "I feel honored to be in that position, but I also feel very humbled that I'm in a situation where I really could not be in without a lot of other people helping me out."

Upon his return to Earth, which is currently slated for late February 2018, Vande Hei said he hopes to work as a capsule communicator in mission control. It's a job he has done before, but this time he will be able to draw on his own experience to guide the astronauts who follow in his footsteps.

(Follow Sean Kimmons on Twitter: @KimmonsARNEWS)

More:

Retired Army Colonel Prepares for Space Station Mission > U.S. ... - Department of Defense

Oculus’ ‘Mission: ISS’ takes one more step toward giant leap for virtual space station – GeekWire

Posted on by

Mission: ISS lets you use Oculus Touch controllers to interact with a virtual-reality version of the International Space Station. (Oculus Rift Illustration)

Oculus has just launched Mission: ISS, a virtual-reality simulation that takes advantage of the companysheadset and handheld controllers tolet you explore the International Space Station and even perform a virtual spacewalk.

The computer-generated environment, designed for Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch, provides yet another hint at the shape of things to come at the intersection of virtual and augmented reality with space exploration.

For years, NASA and other space agencies have been closing in on the creation of real-life, 3-D environments that folks can experience through 360-degree video and VR devices as simpleas Google Cardboard. Heres a sampling:

Mission: ISS raises the bar another notch closer to that vision. The project is the result of a collaboration with NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, plus the L.A.-based Magnopus studio. You can go through a simulated spacewalk, bring in a cargo capsule for a hookup and perform other mission-critical tasks. The package also includes several immersive videos in which astronauts tell their stories.

Oculus says its piloting a limited beta program to provide U.S. high school students with direct access to Mission: ISS. The company is also partnering with CNES, Frances space agency, to send an Oculus Rift VR system to the space station.

The Rift will be used for the first time in orbit by European astronaut Thomas Pesquet to test the effects of zero-gravity on human spatial awareness and balance using software developed by the space agencies, Oculus said today in a blog posting.

That experimentwill follow in the virtual footsteps ofProject Sidekick, which gave astronauts the chance to use Microsofts HoloLens headset to practice performing augmented-reality maintenance tasks on the space station (and fight off computer-generated space aliens).

Another company based in the Seattle area, Bellevue-based Valve, has been working on a Mars VR environment based on NASA imagery of the Red Planet.

The rest is here:

Oculus' 'Mission: ISS' takes one more step toward giant leap for virtual space station - GeekWire

Phone call to space: Blair Pointe Elementary contacts the International Space Station – Kokomo Tribune

Posted on by

What happens when an astronaut gets sick in space? Do the astronauts get on each other's nerves? What would happen if the International Space Station were struck by debris?

These were a few of the questions students from Blair Pointe Elementary School asked Thursday when they spoke to ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough.

Blair Pointe Elementary is one of only 12 organizations around the world to speak with the ISS in a 6-month period as part of a grant through Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, otherwise known as ARISS.

Blair Pointe applied for the grant last year after Maconaquah Elementary was awarded it in 2015. Bill McAlpin, president of the Miami County Amateur Radio Club, assisted in the grant application and helped the school connect with the ISS Thursday morning.

The students were given approximately 11 minutes to speak with Kimbrough. The ISS moves so quickly that they had to connect as soon as it was within range of their radio set-up, and they lost contact as it passed over the Atlantic Ocean. Within those 11 minutes, the ISS traveled about 3,000 miles.

It was a tense few minutes when McAlpin began trying to contact Kimbrough.

November Alpha One Sierra Sierra, this is Whiskey Delta Nine Golf India Uniform, he said several times, followed only by static.

Finally, Kimbrough responded.

Fifteen students lined up to ask Kimbrough questions. One student asked how many people live on the ISS at one time. Kimbrough said only six, because the shuttle used to get to it can hold only three people.

Another student asked what happens when astronauts get sick in space. Kimbrough said they have a well-stocked supply of medicine and equipment.

But fortunately for us, nobodys gotten sick on our mission, he said.

Kimbrough provided several answers during the 11-minute contact with the school. He said he and the astronauts perform several kinds of experiments every day, and they have to exercise regularly to keep their bones from deteriorating in zero gravity.

He said the astronauts go through extensive training before going into space, but nothing prepared him for his first space walk, which he said is the hardest physical thing about his job.

You just cant train for that experience, he said.

Hannah Baker asked whether bones break differently in space than they do on Earth. Kimbrough said he wouldnt know for sure because none of his crew have broken bones while on the ISS. He speculated that bones would probably break in a similar way, though the healing process might be different.

It was amazing to get to talk to an astronaut, Baker said after the event.

A few other students asked questions that Kimbrough could only answer theoretically because they havent happened, such as what would happen if an astronaut became unhooked from the ISS or if the ISS were struck by debris. One student asked if he worried about the ISS traveling beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Kimbrough said thankfully those situations have not happened, though they are trained for most emergency scenarios.

One student asked if the other astronauts ever get on Kimbrough's nerves. He answered by saying that it's always a possibility with six people in a small space disconnected from the rest of the world, but the astronauts are trained to be able to work well together.

Kimbrough will return to earth next month after having been in space for six months. He said hes looking forward to seeing his family, adding that if he could bring his family on the ISS with him, it would be a perfect set-up.

Terri McCain, a fifth-grade teacher at Blair Pointe, said she was grateful for the opportunity to speak with the ISS.

I thought the kids had wonderful questions, she said. I thought it was amazing.

The ISS's next contact is with a junior high school in Komotini, Greece.

Read the original:

Phone call to space: Blair Pointe Elementary contacts the International Space Station - Kokomo Tribune

CSUNSat1 Slated to Launch to International Space Station in Less Than 2 Weeks – CSUN Today

Posted on by

In less than two weeks, California State University, Northridge and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be waiting for a Morse code signal from the universitys first stellar explorer CSUNSat1, a cube-shaped satellite about the size of a backpack, signaling its successful venture out in space.

CSUN electrical and computer engineering professor Sharlene Katz said the satellite project is the first of its kind for the university.

Weve never done anything like this before, she said. The satellite hardware and software were designed and built from scratch. The ground station was done from scratch. We want to run the mission. Its time. We feel confident in it.

The satellite will launch into space on March 19 from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., propelled by an Atlas V rocket. It will head to the International Space Station, where it will be deployed into space in April next year. CSUNs ground station command and mission control, located in Jacaranda Hall, will communicate with it after its launch via radio.

One of the most challenging aspects of the mission will be switching the power source from a general standard battery to JPLs prototype, according to CSUN electrical and computer engineering professor James Flynn.

One of the key tests is that the experimental battery has to power the satellite itself, he said. Its like changing your brain without losing your mind. You are doing a transplant. The batteries are not equal; the characteristics are not the same. So, not only do we change the battery, but also how the battery is taken care of . . . all in 50 milliseconds.

JPL collaborator and CSUN computer engineering alumnus Carl Chesko agrees the most delicate task for the satellite will be the power source switchover. He has faith in it running smoothly.

This is something that is never done, like, ever. Part of the reason it is not done is because you never need to, he said. Why would you? You dont need to take the battery out of your phone. If you do, it dies. For this project, we need to continuously run without batteries for .05 of a second. But, at the core, this has been running for more than two years. The core of this works.

Flynn said one of the rewarding aspects of the mission for the students was learning the importance and value of the work they can do at CSUN.

CSUN computer engineering undergraduate Armen Arslanian was charged with creating the deployment code for the satellites four antennas. For him, the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of the project was learning to create a computer code that would communicate with the satellites code between the main satellite computer and the antennas computer.

The antenna has its own brain, he said. The satellites brain is talking to the antennas brain. The issues start there and you have to take care of everything. In this part of the mission, you cant do anything if something goes wrong. What you can do has to be taken care of now because nothing can be done from the ground if [the antennas do not deploy].

Katz lauded the students for their hard work on CSUNSat1.

This is a university; its about the experience, she said. We continue to find little things [to fix] on our list, but its really shrinking down. Weve invested so much in learning about [small satellites]. We didnt think anybody could do it as well as we could, honestly. Wed like to try it again.

Flynn added that while everyone is excited for the three-year project to come to a close, there will be some sad feelings when the satellite is dropped off at NASA.

I know whats going to happen, he said. Were going to take it to Houston. They are going to give us the pin [from inside the satellite that is pulled to arm the satellite] that is what you are left with. Then well have empty cradle syndrome. Well sit there and wonder what will we do now?

For now, the CSUNSat1 team will get to sit tight at the ground station and wait for that Morse code signal hailing it from space, informing it of a successful first mission.

For more information about CSUNSat1, please visit http://www.csun.edu/cubesat.

CSUNSat1, cubesat, Featured, International Space Station, JPL, NASA, satellite

Continue reading here:

CSUNSat1 Slated to Launch to International Space Station in Less Than 2 Weeks - CSUN Today

GPS Monitors Space Weather from Space Station – Controlled Environments Magazine

Posted on by

The FOTON is a highly sensitive GPS receiver, designed to withstand the rigors of spaceflight while detecting subtle fluctuations in the signals from GPS satellites.

These fluctuations help us learn about the ionosphere in which the signals travel, says Powell, who returned to Ithaca in early March after spending six weeks in Alaska on a project to send two sounding rockets into the aurora borealis, also to study the ionosphere.

These fluctuations are typically filtered out by standard GPS receivers, he says, but they are the scientific gold nuggets in the data analysis process.

Powells experiment is one of a number of projects studying the Earths atmosphere and ionosphere. It shares a mounting palette on the outside of the ISS, receives power from large solar arrays, and uses the data communications system onboard the station to quickly distribute data back to Earth.

Powell and Hysell will collect data from the GROUP-C experiment.

GROUP-Cs position onboard the ISS will allow it to study the ionosphere at an edge-on perspective, Powell said, to measure variations in electron density. The Cornell teams GPS receiver and antenna actually a suite of three antennas, configured to maximize GPS signals and minimize unwanted reflections from the large metal portions of the ISS will focus on GPS satellites as they move across the sky and set behind the Earth.

As they set, Powell says, the radio signals travel through the ionosphere and are subtly delayed by the denser regions of the ionosphere. From that, we obtain a vertical profile of the electron density, he says.

This experiment builds on a short-duration NASA sounding-rocket mission Powell led in 2012, which was sent into the aurora to study the ionosphere at high latitudes, near the North Pole.

This experiment will allow us to study different, but equally interesting, effects in the ionosphere closer to the equator, where most of the worlds population lives, Powell says.

The Feb. 19 liftoff of the SpaceX rocket, and docking with the ISS four days later, was the culmination of a nearly four-year effort to get GROUP-C built.

It was extremely exciting and satisfying to see the GROUP-C experiment [launch], Powell says. Ive been involved in more than 50 space-based research efforts over a 30-year period, but most have been using suborbital NASA sounding rockets, with mission durations of just 10 to 30 minutes.

The GROUP-C experiment duration will last up to two years, he says, so the quantity of data and the potential for meaningful scientific discovery is huge.

Source: Cornell University

Link:

GPS Monitors Space Weather from Space Station - Controlled Environments Magazine

Orbital ATK names next Cygnus after John Glenn – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on by

Derek Richardson

March 10th, 2017

Cygnus OA-7 / S.S. John Glenn. Photo Credit: Michael Howard / SpaceFlight Insider

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Orbital ATK announced that it has named the next Cygnus spacecraft to be sent to the International Space Station after former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, who died on Dec. 8, 2016, at the age of 95.

The S.S. John Glenn will be launched during a 30-minute window that starts at 10:56 p.m. EDT March 19 (02:56 GMT March 20), 2017, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. It will take about three days for the spacecraft to reach the ISS, where it will be captured by the stations robotic Canadarm2 to be berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Unity module.

S.S. John Glenn / Cygnus OA-7. Photo Credit: Michael Howard / SpaceFlight Insider

Orbital ATK names all of their ISS cargo freighters after former astronauts. The OA-7 mission is the second Cygnus to be named after a member of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, the previous was after Deke Slayton.

Other Cygnus have been named for George Low, Charles Fullerton, Janice Voss, Rick Husband, and Alan Poindexter, all of whom flew during the Space Shuttle program.

Glenn was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio. He was a decorated combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War; in 1959, he was selected by NASA as part of the U.S. first set of astronauts.

Rocketing into the history books on Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Riding a Mercury-Atlas rocket, his one-man Friendship 7 capsule orbited the planet three times before splashing down in the North Atlantic Ocean.

After resigning from NASA in 1964, he went on to run for a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio. However, an injury that year forced an early withdraw. He lost a close election for the same seat in 1970.

In 1974 he won his first election and served for 24 years. Glenn even had an unsuccessful bid for president in 1984.

While he was a Senator, he became the oldest person to fly in space at the age of 77 during Space Shuttle Discoverys STS-95 mission, a record that has yet to be broken. In October 1998, he spent just over nine days orbiting Earth. He was also the only member of the original Mercury astronauts to fly on the Space Shuttle.

Having an internal volume of 950 cubic feet (27 cubic meters), the 21-foot (6.4-meter) long, 10-foot (3.1-meter) wide craft will carry some 7,700 pounds (3,500 kilograms) of supplies and experiments for Expedition 50 and future ISS crews.

Among the experiments on board is the third Saffire payload. This flame experiment is part of an ongoing series to study the effects of fire in microgravity. It is the largest flame-experiment in the history of space exploration.

Saffire-III will be remotely activated after the cargo portion of the mission concludes, some 90-days after arriving at the ISS. Once Cygnus is unberthed and moved a safe distance away from the outpost, the experiment will be performed and results downloaded via telemetry before re-entering Earths atmosphere.

Also on boardthe S.S. John Glenn is the Reentry Data Collection (RED-Data-2) flight recorder. It will provide data about the conditions the spacecraft will encounter during its destructive re-entry.

Finally, a NanoRacks deployer on the exterior of the spacecraft will release a number of CubeSats.

When it launches, the OA-7 Cygnus will be the third to use a ULA Atlas V. It will fly out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41.

Cygnus OA-7 / S.S. John Glenn. Photo Credit: Michael Howard / SpaceFlight Insider

Tagged: Cygnus International Space Station Lead Stories NASA OA-7 Orbital ATK S.S. John Glenn

Derek Richardson is a student studying mass media with an emphasis in contemporary journalism at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He is currently the managing editor of the student run newspaper, the Washburn Review. He also writes a blog, called Orbital Velocity, about the space station. His passion for space ignited when he watched space shuttle Discovery leap to space on Oct. 29, 1998. He saw his first in-person launch on July 8, 2011 when the space shuttle launched for the final time. Today, this fervor has accelerated toward orbit and shows no signs of slowing down. After dabbling in math and engineering courses in college, he soon realized that his true calling was communicating to others about space exploration and spreading that passion.

Read the rest here:

Orbital ATK names next Cygnus after John Glenn - SpaceFlight Insider

Orion’s parachutes tested under launch abort conditions – Spaceflight Now

Posted on by

Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

A model of NASAs Orion spacecraft, in development to loft astronaut crews into deep space, was dropped from a U.S. Air Force cargo plane over Arizona on Wednesday in the latest in a series of tests to verify the capsules parachutes are up to the job of safely landing with humans on-board.

The instrumented test module, shaped like the real Orion capsule with a foam shell, was deployed from the cargo bay of the C-17 transport plane at an altitude of 25,000 feet about 7,600 meters Wednesday morning over theU.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Two drogue parachutes unfurled to steady the descending capsule, then three 116-foot-diameter (35-meter) orange and white main parachutes inflated to slow down for landing. The descent profile mimicked the conditions an Orion spacecraft would see in the event of an abort during launch, beginning at a relatively slow speed of 130 mph (209 kilometers per hour) instead of the 310 mph (499 kilometers per hour) at which the parachutes would deploy at the end of a normal mission.

Engineers were expected to analyze the performance of the two drogue parachutes at low speeds, and the inflation of the three main parachutes, which were suspended 265 feet (80 meters) above the capsule before touchdown in the desert in southwest Arizona.

The test was the second of eight drops designed to qualify the parachute system for human spaceflight. Instead of landing in the desert, Orion capsules returning from space or a launch abort will splash down at sea.

The Orion spacecraft has performed one space mission to date an unpiloted test flight in Earth orbit in December 2014 and the next mission is scheduled for no earlier than late 2018 on a trip into lunar orbit and back, also without astronauts.

Following a request from the Trump administration, NASA is studying whether to add a two-person crew to the next Orion mission, which will lift off on the first flight of the agencys Space Launch System rocket, for a round-trip voyage around the moon. A decision to fly astronauts on the next Orion flight, named Exploration Mission-1, would delay the launch past next year to complete development and testing of the capsules abort and life support systems, and add to the programs cost, officials said last month.

The on this page show the capsules drop from the C-17, its descent under parachutes, and the recovery team swarming around the engineering test craft after landing.

NASA and its Orion contractor, Lockheed Martin, plan to reuse the test parachutes flown Wednesday. The capsule will also be refurbished, have new foam added, and reused on four of the remaining six drop tests. A dart-shaped mass simulator will be dropped on the other two qualification tests in the coming months.

The foam damage seen in the images is expected. The outer foam shell is sacrificial and designed to protect the capsules primary structure and avionics, according to Jared Daum, ahardware and parachute engineer working on Orions Capsule Parachute Assembly System.

None of the 11 parachutes used on a real Orion mission will be reused, Daum said.

Engineers will review video and data recorded during Wednesdays drop test as they prepare for the next in the qualification series. Technicians will also inspect the parachutes and capsule for tears and dings.

Were one step closer, Daum told reporters at the landing site. Weve got six more in our qualification series still a lot of work to do.

More images of the drop test are posted below, including views of astronauts Stan Love and Victor Glover observing the test, assisting in the recovery and discussing the event with news media.

Email the author.

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

Read more:

Orion's parachutes tested under launch abort conditions - Spaceflight Now

Photos: The S.S. John Glenn freighter readied to launch … – Spaceflight Now

Posted on by

March 9, 2017 Justin Ray

The two structural elements of Orbital ATKs OA-7 Cygnus space freighter were delivered to Kennedy Space Center for final assembly, the packing of cargo and launch to the International Space Station.

Named in tribute to the first American to orbit Earth, this Cygnus is the S.S. John Glenn.

It will be the seventh commercial resupply mission undertaken by Orbital ATK. The Cygnus will be propelled into orbit by the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on March 19.

The pressurized cargo module for Cygnus arrived at Kennedy Space Centers Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 9. The crafts propulsion section arrived Feb. 1.

After the initial loading of cargo into the PCM, the two pieces were mated together at the SSPF before the Cygnus was moved to the nearby Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for propellant loading and the stowage of late-load cargo items.

NASA took the following photos of the Cygnus sections arriving and subsequent mating and move to the PHSF.

Credit: NASA-KSC

See earlier OA-7 Cygnus coverage.

Our Atlas archive.

Read the original:

Photos: The S.S. John Glenn freighter readied to launch ... - Spaceflight Now

This Shipping Route Map Shows Why Floating Cities May Make Sense – Inverse

Posted on by

Floating cities are an idea that receive a lot of suspicion, and with good reason. Who wants to live on an isolated platform in the middle of the sea, never seeing an outsider and rarely getting supplies from the outside world? As it turns out, the notion that the ocean is some barren wasteland is a misconception. A large amount of global commerce is conducted on the high seas, making floating cities a less ridiculous idea than they first seem.

A map created by data visualization firm Kiln uses information from the UCL Energy Institute, showing movements of the global merchant fleet over the course of 2012. It reveals the hidden routes that criss-cross the world, forming a complex network of global cargo movements. Although it moves across empty seascapes, cargo liner shipping accounts for about two-thirds of all global trade. Check out the map below, or visit the ShipMap website for an awesome interactive version.

Floating cities have received attention from a number of places. Libertarian billionaires like Peter Thiel are often associated with the concept, which would let people live outside the realms of government interference, living only by the laws on international waters. Thiel pledged $1.25 million to the Seasteading Institute in 2011 to explore the idea.

Youll notice that even in seemingly empty waters, theres a number of points with high amounts of through traffic. Hawaii to San Francisco, for example, has a thick line going between as the quickest route between the two points. Similarly, the southern tip of Africa sees a large number of ships moving through to get to either side. Much like the Panama canal and other through points, floating cities have a chance to become key stop-off points for ships passing through, serving as economic hubs of the high seas. In this version of the map, you can even see individual ships moving around the waters:

Its easy to picture floating cities on this map, as tiny balls of light where many ships congregate in the middle of the ocean. But unfortunately, its unlikely that well be living in Waterworld-like sea stations anytime soon. The Seasteading Institute announced in October that it was nearing a deal for a special economic zone in French Polynesia, allowing residents to visit the nearby mainland for supplies. But Thiel told the New York Times in January that these islands are not quite feasible right now. It may be a while before the dream comes to life, but make no mistake: Thiel et al probably wont be building their island in completely empty waters.

Photos via ShipMap, ShipMap.org

More here:

This Shipping Route Map Shows Why Floating Cities May Make Sense - Inverse

Congress wants NASA to hurry up and get to Mars – New York Post

Posted on by

New York Post
Congress wants NASA to hurry up and get to Mars
New York Post
Both the Senate and House approved a bill that authorizes a whopping $19.508 billion in spending for NASA in 2017, a $208 million increase from 2016. The 146-page bill is jam packed with mandates for the space agency to position the US as a thriving ...
US Government Issues NASA Demand, 'Get Humans to Mars By 2033'Futurism
New NASA budget focuses almost exclusively on spaceEngadget
House passes NASA authorization billSpaceNews
Arizona Daily Sun -AL.com -Gizmodo -Congress.gov
all 124 news articles »

Go here to read the rest:

Congress wants NASA to hurry up and get to Mars - New York Post

NASA finds lunar spacecraft that vanished 8 years ago – CNN

Posted on by

Scientists used a new ground radar to locate the two spacecraft -- one active and one dormant, NASA said Thursday.

"We have been able to detect NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [LRO] and the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in lunar orbit with ground-based radar," said Marina Brozovic, a radar scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"Finding LRO was relatively easy, as we were working with the mission's navigators and had precise orbit data where it was located."

The Chandrayaan-1 was more of a challenge because the last contact with the spacecraft was in August 2009.

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is small -- about half the size of a smart car -- making its detection even more noteworthy.

While interplanetary radar has been used to see small asteroids several million miles from Earth, researchers were unsure it could detect an even smaller object as far away as the moon.

Such objects are especially a challenge to find because the moon is filled with regions with high gravitational pull that can drastically change a spacecraft's orbit.

The new technology is crucial to future moon missions.

Optical telescopes cannot search for small objects because of the bright glare of the moon.

Read more:

NASA finds lunar spacecraft that vanished 8 years ago - CNN

NASA Just Released the Raw Data From its Latest Observations of our ‘Sister Solar System’ – ScienceAlert

Posted on by

A few weeks ago, NASA announced the discovery of seven, Earth-sized planets orbiting a star just 39 light-years away.

Known as the TRAPPIST-1 star system, the seven planets appear to be rocky, have life-friendly surface temperatures, and could potentially harbour liquid water - leading scientists to nickname it a 'sister solar system' to our own, and a pretty good spot to look for extraterrestrial life.

Since then, researchers have debated how habitable these planets could really be, given the stellar activity of the dwarf star they orbit.

But the truth is, until we get a closer look, no one can say for sure whether or not life could be supported somewhere in the star system. Which is why NASA has just rushed out data from its latest and longest observations of TRAPPIST-1to date.

The initial discovery of the star system was made over several months last year, using a combination of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes.

But since 15 December 2016, NASA's had its own planet-hunting Kepler space telescope trained on TRAPPIST-1for follow-up observations. And this week, they've made all that additional data freely availableto the scientific community and public to trawl through. (Note: you need Python-based Kadenza software to extract the raw data files.)

In total, the observation period, which was part of Kepler's K2 Campaign, provided 74 days of monitoring, which is the longest, nearly continuous set of observations of TRAPPIST-1 to date.

Unfortunately, we can't tell you exactly what's in that gold mine of data just yet, because in its current state, it's totally raw and uncalibrated, and it's going to take weeks for scientists to make sense of what Kepler has seen.

But this early release gives scientists an opportunity to get more insight into the gravitational interaction between the planets - a clue to whether any of them are tidally locked - as well as the chance to spot any planets that may remain undiscovered in the system.

Interestingly, TRAPPIST-1 wasn't on Kepler's original list of systems to study last year. But in May 2016, when the discovery of the first three planets orbiting the star was announced, NASA decided to point it towards the constellation Aquarius, home of the TRAPPIST-1 system, to get a closer look.

Specifically, Kepler monitored minuscule changes in the star's brightness as the seven planets orbit in front of it.

That kind of 'dimming data' can give astronomers insight into the size and mass of the planets passing in front of their host star, and will hopefully help them nail down the orbital period of the seventh planet, which until now has only been observed passing in front of its star once.

The observations could also reveal information about the magnetic activity of the host star, which would greatly affect its habitable zone. That's why they've rushed out the data's release - NASA usually waits until its data has been processed before it gives us a look.

"Scientists and enthusiasts around the world are invested in learning everything they can about these Earth-size worlds," said Geert Barentsen, K2 research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Centre.

"Providing the K2 raw data as quickly as possible was a priority to give investigators an early look so they could best define their follow-up research plans. We're thrilled that this will also allow the public to witness the process of discovery."

And it's not just for the public's benefit - astronomers around the world are currently preparing proposals for where we should aim Earth-based telescopes next winter, which are due by the end of March.

Telescope spots are hard to secure, so the new TRAPPIST-1 data will hopefully give researchers enough ammo to convince regulatory bodies that they should be given time to observe the star system in the coming months.

If the raw data means very little to you - and, let's face it, if you're not used to looking at this type of data, it's like another language - don't worry. NASA plans to finish processing the data by late May, and will release a 'translated' version then, hopefully with some exciting discoveries for us.

Although Kepler observations are amazing, what the scientific community is even more excited about is the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope next year, which will be powerful enough to actually detect the atmospheric composition of the TRAPPIST-1 system.

In the meantime, thanks to this freely available data, it could be a member of the public who stumbles across the next big discovery in the star system, and that's pretty awesome.

You can see all the raw, unprocessed data here.

Read the original post:

NASA Just Released the Raw Data From its Latest Observations of our 'Sister Solar System' - ScienceAlert